Moo Shu Chicken

This was soooo delicious and a great use of some cabbage that I had. I chopped my own rather than using a bag mix since I had both green and red cabbage, and carrots. I've never had moo shu anything before, so I don't know how it compares to restaurant style, but we both loved the flavors!



Moo Shu Chicken
Source: Clean Eating Magazine, Winter 2008, p70

3 Tbsp. water
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 Tbsp. cornstarch
2 tsp. toasted sesame oil
1/3 cup hoisin sauce
1 tsp. honey or agave nectar
1/4 tsp. minced garlic
1 lbs. sliced chicken breast
1 Tbsp. cooking oil
3 cups packaged shredded cabbage with carrots (coleslaw mix)
2 cups steamed brown rice
Shredded carrots and cherry tomatoes, quartered (optional)

In a small mixing bowl, stir together water, soy sauce, cornstarch, sesame oil, hoisin sauce, honey/agave nectar and garlic.  Set mixture aside.

Trim fat from chicken breast and cut chicken into thin, bite-size strips.  Pour cooking oil into a wok or large skillet. (Add more oil as necessary during cooking.)  Heat skillet over medium-high heat.  Stir-fry chicken for 2 or 3 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink. 

Push meat from center of wok.  Stir in sauce.  Push chicken and sauce to center of wok. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly.  Cook and stir for 2 minutes more.  Add shredded cabbage with carrots to skillet.

Stir ingredients together to coat with sauce.  Spoon about 3/4 cup of the chicken mixture over rice.  Garnish with carrots and cherry tomatoes, if desired.

Chicken and Pineapple Skewers

These were listed as an appetizer, to be served on skewers with a cherry tomato.  We turned them into a meal by serving with rice and grilled zucchini strips.
We loved the fresh summery flavor, especially the pineapple sweet and sour sauce! This is a great recipe to enjoy now that the weather is getting warmer and spring has arrived!

Although the recipe calls for fresh pineapple, I took this opportunity to use up some canned pineapple and it still came out great.  :-)



Chicken and Pineapple Skewers
Source:  Clean Eating Magazine,  May/June 2009, p50

• 2 green onions, chopped
• 2 tbsp low sodium tamari soy sauce
• 1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
• 1 tbsp freshly grated ginger
• 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast, cubed
• 1/2 pound fresh pineapple, cubed
• 1 tbsp agave nectar or honey

In a large bowl, whisk together onions, soy sauce, vinegar and ginger.  Add chicken and cover, marinating in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Drain chicken; discard marinade.  Skewer chicken, alternating with pineapple.  Grill until chicken is cooked through.  Serve with sauce (recipe follows)

Pineapple Sweet and Sour sauce
Makes about 2 3/4 cups
Source: Clean Eating Magazine, May/June 2009

• 1 pound fresh pineapple
• zest and juice of one lime
• zest and juice of one lemon
• 1 tbsp agave nectar or honey
• 1 tsp freshly ground ginger

Place all ingredients in a food processor or blender and process until well blended, about 1 to 2 minutes.

Tune Nicoise

Something I think my husband is better at stocking the pantry than I am. Unfortunately, in his recent trip to the grocery store, he forgot one crucial element: We are moving, and soon. And we are not just moving across town, no. We are making a nearly 1,000 mile trip back to the east coast! He returned from the store with an abundance of tuna, so I turned to this recipe to help us use it up.

I've never had anything like this before, but I was nearly addicted to it.  It was also very easy to throw together!  A word of caution, the dressing is very tangy and the dish may be a bit salty for some, so you may want to go very easy on the salt (I think the olives provide enough!)

I happened to be out of couscous so I used bulgur, forgetting that bulgur is quite a bit larger than couscous. This made my casserole seem a bit carb heavy between the bulgur and potatoes. Next time I'll cut down the amount of bulgur if I find myself without couscous again.



Tuna Nicoise Stovetop Casserole
Source: Clean Eating Magazine, March/April 2010, p75
Serves 8

• 2 cups couscous
• 8 small red potatoes, cut into halves or 4 large red potatoes cut into quarters
• 2 6 oz pouches or cans unsalted water packed tuna
• 1/2 pound frozen green beans, thawed
• 1/2 cup Kalamata olives, sliced
• Juice and zest 1 lemon
• 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
• 1 tbsp white onion, finely diced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
• 2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tsp fresh parsley, minced
• sea salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
• Olive oil cooking spray

Cook couscous according to package directions

Over medium-high heat, bring a medium size pan filled with water to boil.  Cook potatoes for 10 minutes; drain.  In a large bowl, mix together tuna, green beans, olives and potatoes.  Once couscous is cooked, mix it into tuna-vegetable mixture.

In a medium bowl, whisk together lemon juice and zest, Dijon, onion, garlic vinegar, oil, parsley, salt and pepper.  Pour dressing over tuna-couscous mixture.

Heat large nonstick or cast-iron skillet over high heat for 1 minute.  Reduce heat to medium high, mist pan with cooking spray and sauté tuna couscous mixture for about 5 minutes or until throughly warmed.  Remove from heat and serve immediately.

Nutrients per 1 Cup serving:
Calories 430
Total fat: 6 g
Sat. fat: 1 g
Carbohydrates: 70 g
Fiber: 11 g
Sugars: 4 g
Protein: 25 g
Sodium: 350 mg
Cholesterol: 15 mg

Honey Mustard Chicken

My husband and I loved this easy version of tangy honey mustard chicken.  The recipe suggested serving with this colorful rice pilaf, but I really didn't care for that part of the meal.



Honey Mustard Chicken
Source: Clean Eating Magazine, March/April 2010, p76
Serves 4

• 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips
• 2 tbsp raw organic honey
• 1/4 cup Dijon mustard
• 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• salt and pepper to taste

In a medium bowl, whisk together honey, mustard, vinegar, oil, garlic, and 2 tbsp water. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.

Heat a large nonstick or cast iron skillet over high heat for 1 minute. Reduce heat to medium-high, mist pan with cooking spray and saute chicken for about 5 minutes or until cooked through and no longer pink. Add honey-mustard mixture to chicken and saute for about 3 minutes.

Creamy Cabbage Soup with Gruyere

I had some leftover cabbage and perused my Google Reader for ideas to use it up.   This looked like a nice soup to have on hand for lunch or a light dinner after work.  I'm relatively new to cabbage, but I thought this was great!  Wanting to keep it lower fat, I opted to use milk as the original recipe suggests, but supplement it with pureed cottage cheese for extra creaminess.  I only wish I had croutons to enjoy with it! 



Creamy Cabbage Soup with Gruyere
Source: Slightly adapted from NYT via Mary Ellen's Cooking Creations

• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 russet potato, peeled and grated 
• 3/4 lb cabbage (about 1/2 medium head), cored and chopped fine 
• Salt to taste
• 5 cups water, chicken stock, or vegetable stock
• 1 Parmesan rind
• Freshly ground pepper to taste
• 1 1/2 cups low-fat milk 
• 1/2 cup pureed cottage cheese
• 1 cup grated Gruyere cheese
• For garnish: homemade croutons, minced chives

Directions

• Heat the oil over medium heat in a large, heavy soup pot.
• Add the onion and cook, stirring, until tender, about 5 minutes.
• Add the potato, cabbage, and 1/2 tsp salt. Stir together for a minute, taking care that the potatoes don't stick to the pot.
• Add the stock, Parmesan rind, and salt/pepper to taste. Bring to a simmer, then cover and simmer over low heat for 30 minutes, until the vegetables are tender.
• Add the milk and cottage cheese to the soup. Stir to combine well and heat through without boiling.
• A handful at a time, stir the Gruyere into the soup and continue to stir until the cheese has melted.
• Taste, adjust seasonings. Remove the Parmesan rind.
• Serve, garnishing each bowl with some croutons and minced chives.

Chicken French with a White Wine Lemon Butter Sauce

This is a delicious and easy way to prepare chicken that is sure to be a crowd pleaser. I found that it came together relatively quickly with minimal effort, and the sauce is amazing!  We kept it simple by serving with sauteed zucchini. I can't wait to make it again! 




Chicken French with a White Wine Lemon Butter Sauce
Source: Slightly adapted from Good Things Catered

Ingredients:

• 4 medium boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp ground pepper
• 1/4 tsp paprika
• 1/4 tsp granulated garlic
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 cup dry white wine
• juice of 1 1/2 lemons
• 3 Tbsp unsalted butter
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
-In wide, shallow bowl combine flour, salt, pepper, paprika and garlic, stirring to combine.
-In large, heavy bottom skillet, add olive oil and heat over medium high heat until almost smoking.
-Meanwhile, pound chicken breasts to even thickness and season liberally with salt and pepper.
-Toss chicken breasts in flour mixture and place, breast-side down, into preheated pan.
-Cook over medium high heat until breast side is nicely golden browned, about 7-10 minutes.
-Flip chicken breasts to breast-side up and cook until golden browned and chicken breast is cooked through, about 7-10 more minutes depending on thickness.
-Remove chicken from pan, place on platter and cover with foil to keep warm (Katie recommends placing platter in an oven preheated to 200 degrees F, but I just cover with foil!)
-Add white wine to skillet and stir to deglaze, scraping all browned bits up from bottom of pan.
-Cook, stirring occasionally, until reduced by half, about 2-3 minutes.
-Add lemon juice and stir, cooking until reduced by at least half, about 2-3 minutes.
-Remove from heat and stir in butter to thicken.
-Salt and pepper to taste (Note: if you’d like the sauce thicker at this point you may add a slurry of 1 tsp cornstarch and 1 tsp water and heat, stirring constantly for 30-60 seconds).
-Remove platter from oven, top with sauce and serve immediately.

Chicken Souvlaki

This is a great, simple recipe for grilled chicken, with a refreshing flavor, thanks to the lemon juice.

Chicken Souvlaki
Source: Cooking Light

• 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh or 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 medium zucchini, quartered lengthwise and cut into (1/2-inch-thick) slices
• Cooking spray

Combine the first 5 ingredients in a zip-top plastic bag; seal and shake to combine. Add chicken to bag; seal and shake to coat. Marinate chicken in refrigerator for 30 minutes, turning once.
Remove chicken from bag; discard marinade. Thread the chicken and zucchini, alternately onto each of 4 (8-inch) skewers.
Heat a grill pan coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Add skewers; cook 8 minutes or until chicken is done, turning once. Serve with tzatziki sauce.

Baked Pasta with a Turkey Meat Sauce

Winter will soon be a distant memory, and before we are enjoying the comforts of spring, I thought I would share a great cold weather comfort dish. I challenged myself to truly follow the limits of the amount of cheese in the recipe. If my husband is anywhere near me while cooking, I feel compelled to add more because he always looks at me like he's thinking, "that's all?"



However, precisely one cup of cheese worked out perfectly for this dish!  I swapped out the asparagus for some zucchini, which worked great.  This is a delicious, hearty, comforting meal!

Baked Pasta with a Turkey Meat Sauce
Source: Clean Eating Magazine, January/February 2009
Serves: 6

12 ounces whole wheat penne or pasta of your choice
3/4 lb thin asparagus, trimmed and cut into two inch pieces, or 2 small zucchini, washed and cut into 1/2" quarters
olive oil cooking spray
3/4 lb lean ground turkey
3 cups no salt added tomato sauce (Muir Glen recommended)
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp sea salt or coarse kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
4 ounces part skim mozzarella cheese, grated (about 1 cup)
1/4 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, grated


Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook pasta according to package directions.  When pasta is one minute from being done, add the asparagus or zucchini and boil for 1 minute, then drain and return to pot.

Meanwhile, coat a large skillet with cooking spray and heat to medium high; add turkey and cook, stirring often, until lightly browned, about 7 minutes.  Add tomato sauce, basil, garlic powder, salt and pepper, and simmer until heated through, 3 to 4 minutes.  Add turkey meat sauce to pasta and stir to combine.

Lightly coat a 2 quart baking dish with cooking spray; add 1/2 the pasta mixture and sprinkle with 2/3 of the mozzarella.  Add remaining pasta mixture and top with remaining mozzarella and parmesan.  Bake for 18-20 minutes or until cheese is melted.  Let rest for 5-10 minutes before serving.

Nutritional information per 1 1/2 cup serving:
Calories: 400
Total Fat: 6 g
Sat Fat: 3 g
Carbs: 56g
Fiber 8 g
Sugars: 8g
Protein: 28 g
Sodium: 270  mg
Cholesterol: 40 mg

Marshmallow Fondant

These were my first roses, so be gentle. ;-)
Here are the instrucions I used for making marshmallow fondant. I found it to be easy, fun to work with, and delicious!

Marshmallow Fondant
Source: Peggy's Baking Corner

• 16 ounces white mini-marshmallows (use a good quality brand)
• 2 to 5 tablespoons water 
• 2 pounds icing sugar (recommended: C&H Cane Powdered Sugar)
• 1/2 cup Crisco shortening, in a small bowl

Melt marshmallows and 2 tablespoons of water in a microwave or double boiler: Put the bowl in the microwave and heat for 30 second intervals, stirring in between until marshmallow is just melted (usually about 2 1/2 minutes total).

Place 3/4 of the powdered sugar on the top of the melted marshmallow mix. Now grease your hands GENEROUSLY (palms, backs, and in between fingers), then heavily grease the counter you will be using and dump the bowl of marshmallow/sugar mixture in the middle. (I think I misinterpreted here and added 3/4 cup sugar, rather than 3/4 of the sugar.  I just kept adding it and eventually got to something workable, so it's definitely forgiving).



Start kneading like you would bread dough. You will immediately see why you have greased your hands.  Add the rest of the powdered sugar and knead some more. Re-grease your hands and counter when the fondant starts sticking. If the mix is tearing easily, it is to dry, so add water (about 1/2 tablespoon at a time and then knead it in). It usually takes about 8 minutes to get a firm smooth elastic ball so that it will stretch without tearing when you apply it to the cake.  It is best if you can let it sit, double wrapped, overnight (but you can use it right if there are no tiny bits of dry powdered sugar).  If you do see them, you will need to knead and maybe add a few more drops of water.



Prepare the fondant icing for storing by coating it with a good layer of Crisco shortening, wrap in a plastic-type wrap product and then put it in a re-sealable or Ziploc bag. Squeeze out as much air as possible. Marshmallow fondant icing will hold very well in the refrigerator for weeks.

To make the decorations for the cake, I first colored the fondant by separating it in to smaller balls, and adding small amounts of Wilton food coloring.  After kneading the dough, the color becomes incorporate and uniform throughout the fondant.



Then I selected cutting implements to make the sized circles that I wanted.  I don't have an array of circular cookie cutters, but I found a shot glass, my 1M tip, and another smaller tip worked just fine! I rolled out each color on a silpat with a plain wooden rolling pin, and for me no additional powdered sugar or cornstarch was necessary. If your dough is sticking, either of those will help. I simply cut the fondant like cookie dough, and pulled up the scraps for re-rolling and repeating the process.



Afterwards, I let the circles air dry on parchment paper on a baking sheet, covered lightly with plastic wrap until I was ready to decorate the cake. The pieces will stiffen as they dry, so if you want them to hold a different shape on the cake (such as draping them over the side), that shape should be set before the fondant dries.

For the leaves, I used a leaf cutter and pressed into the fondant with a toothpick to make the veins.  I made the roses following this method.

Strawberry cake with Chocolate Mousse Filling

A recent baby shower for a friend gave me another chance to bake a cake. I always try to do something different and after some mulling around, I decided on strawberry cake with chocolate mousse filling.



I also decided that this cake would be my first leap into fondant. I planned on icing the cake with regular buttercream, but I wanted the decorations to be in fondant. I found a recipe for marshmallow fondant and had a blast working with it! More on that tomorrow.

 

The strawberry cake part didn't turn out quite as I'd planned, as the cake looked more like a whole wheat cake than a strawberry cake! Thankfully, the strawberry flavor came through ever so delicately. The chocolate mousse filling was truly fantastic, and I was definitely excited that I had a little bit left over to save for dessert another night.



Strawberry Cake with Chocolate Mousse Filling
Source: Slightly adapted from Good Things Catered, here and here

For the cake, I modified Angie's Strawberry Cupcake recipe to use pureed strawberries since mine were frozen and I didn't think they would work well, chopped. I also baked it in two 9" round pans rather than in cupcake form. For the mousse, I cut the recipe in half.

For the cake:

• 2 1/2 cups cake flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 1 1/2 cup sugar (or a little less)
• 2 eggs
• 1/3 cup buttermilk
• 1/4 cup oil
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup pureed strawberries

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and prepare two 9" or 8" round cake pans by spraying with baking spray.  Sift flour, salt, and baking soda in medium bowl.  In bowl of mixer, cream butter and sugar until fluffy.  Add eggs one at a time until combined.  Add buttermilk, oil and vanilla until combined.  Add flour mixture and stir until just combined.  Stir in pureed strawberries.

Divide batter between two cake pans.  Bake for approximately 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.  Cool cake in pans on wire rack for 10 minutes.  Remove cake from pans and continue to cook on wire rack until thoroughly cooled. 

For the mousse:

• 4 oz. semisweet chocolate, chopped
• 1 cups heavy cream, divided
• 1 Tbsp unsalted butter
• 1 1/2 egg yolks
• 1 Tbsp granulated sugar
• 1 pinch salt

Directions:
In large double boiler, add chocolate, 2 tablespoons cream and butter.  Heat over medium heat, stirring occasionally until melted.  Let cool for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, in a medium sauce pan over medium heat, add egg yolks, sugar and 2 tablespoons cream. Whisk to combine over heat, stirring well, until mixture reached 160 degrees, about 2 minutes.  Remove saucepan from heat, add chocolate mixture and set in saucepan in ice.  Stir mixture until cooled, about 7-10 minutes.

Meanwhile, in bowl of stand mixer, whip remaining 3/4 cup of cream until just forming stiff peaks.  Fold whipped cream into chocolate mixture.  If not filling cake right away, place into bowl, cover with plastic wrap and place into fridge overnight.

To assemble the cake, place one layer on serving platter, and pipe a border of icing around the edge of the top surface of the cake (to build a well for holding in the mousse).   Generously top bottom layer with chocolate mousse.  Apply top layer of cake, then frost cake as desired.