Guilt Free Alfredo

Love creamy, garlicky, cheesy Alfredo sauce but feel guilty after indulging?  Try this quick and easy recipe and trust me you will never know that is only 5.25gm fat/serving.  Lets put this into perspective, the jar Alfredo sauce you buy at the grocery store has 10gm fat/serving and an order of Fettuccine Alfredo at the Olive Garden has 75gm fat.  This in my opinion should be outlawed!  Best part about this sauce is that you can make a double, triple or quadruple batch; divide it out into freezer bags and store in the freezer for a quick after work meal.  Oh by the way... My recipe is made with all natural ingredients and no preservatives which is not true with the jar versions (I cannot speak for the Olive Garden but I would guess they are using synthetic thickeners and stabilizers)

Ingredients:
4 Tbl Butter
3 Cloves Garlic, minced (1 tsp pre chopped garlic that you store in the freezer)
4 Tbl Flour
3 Cups Whole Milk (you can use 1%, 2% or skim but you will loose a little richness)
1 Cup Chicken Stock (the canned stuff is fine if you do not have home made)
4 oz Grated Parmesan (buy the kind in the cheese case by the deli, NOT the crap in the green can!)
3 oz Fontina (again, by the nice cheeses in the deli case)

In a heavy bottomed pan melt you butter on medium heat.  Add garlic and saute until fragrant.  Add flour and whisk continuously (this is called making a roux, it is a way to thicken liquids that is very traditional in French Cooking).  Continue to stir flour/butter mixture over medium heat for 2-3 min,  it should not be turning brown.  Now dump in your milk and chicken stock all at once, whisk like crazy to prevent lumps.  Once whisked free of any lumps turn up your heat to medium high.  Continue whisking like crazy unit it comes to a boil.  You will notice that as your liquid gets hotter it gets thicker... this is good! The French would be happy!  Once you have reached a boil (and have not scorched it) you have successfully made what is called a Bechamel.  Bechamel is essentially the original version of "Cream of Fill in the Blank Soup"  Yep, no self respecting restaurant in the world uses "Cream of Anything Soup", we all make Bechamel.  So should you!

Alright now that you have made this beautiful Bechamel transfer it to your food processor.  Add your grated Parmesan cheese and the fontina (that is cut into chunks).  Add a little salt and fresh black pepper and puree until nice and smooth.  If you think your sauce looks a little thin, don't worry it will thick up a ton as it sits.  Oh, by the way you have now made a traditional French Sauce called Mornay AKA Cheese Sauce!

Now all you have gotta do is boil some pasta, toss in steamed veggies, sauteed mushrooms and grilled chicken and you have an incredibly nutritious and low fat Chicken Alfredo! 

Notes:
Can't find Fontina (or scared of it?) you can sub Mozzarella, Gouda, Butterkase or any other mild melting cheese.

You can substitute almost any melting cheese in place of the Parmesan and Fontina to make a traditional Mac and Cheese Sauce

General Tso's Chicken

Dear General Tso,            
      Thank you for making such tasty chicken.
                           Sincerely, Chefstress

General Tso's Sauce

Ingredients:

1 Cup Water

1 Cup Ketchup

1/4 Cup Soy Sauce

1/4 Cup Rice Wine Vinegar

1/4 Cup Hoisin

1 Tbl to 1/4 Cup Siracha (depends on how spicy you want it)

1 Tbl Sesame Oil

3 Tbl Sugar

1 Tbl Garlic (hate peeling garlic?  Simply buy 6 heads, peel them by smashing them with a saute pan, remove skin, put in food processor or ninja with 3 Tbl olive oil.  Put in Tupperware and store in freezer.  When ever you need garlic, scoop what you need out and put back in the freezer)

1 Tsp Ginger *Fresh NOT Powder!*  (See notes on how to store garlic, do the same with your extra ginger)

2 Tbl Corn Starch

Whisk all ingredients together.  Yep, that's it!

Crispy Battered Chicken

Ingredients:

3 lb Chicken Breast

1/4 Cup White Wine

1 tsp Sesame Oil

3 Tbl Soy Sauce

1 Tsp Fresh Ginger

1 Tsp Garlic

3ea Egg Whites

1 Tsp Baking Powder

1 Cup Corn Starch

Start by cleaning your chicken and cutting it into 1" cubes, place in large zip lock bag.  Next whisk together all ingredients except the baking powder and corn starch.  Pour over chicken and seal bag.

Let sit at least 20 minutes.  After the chicken has marinated add baking powder, mix bag again to insure baking powder is evenly distributed.  Add corn starch and start smooshing.  This is going to look like a gluey mess at this point. 

Drop chicken bites into a 350' fryer.  Be sure to try and get plenty of gluey coating on each piece and be sure to try and drop them in as individual pieces.  Be careful not to splash hot oil on yourself!  You can reduce slashing by dropping them close to the oil (vs 6" above oil).  If you are skilled with chop sticks, you can get authentic and use them or just use a fork/ spoon.

When the chicken is golden brown, remove from oil and drain on paper towels.  Unless you have a huge fryer you will probably need to cook the chicken in batches. 

Putting it all together:

In a large pan (preferably a wok) heat sauce over medium heat until it starts to simmer.  Whisk continuously as the corn starch will be thickening the sauce and you do not want lumps.  Once sauce has come to a full boil.  Turn off heat, add fried chicken pieces and veggies.  Toss to evenly coat.

Take 1 bunch of scallions (aka green onions) and thinly chop the green parts.  Garnish finished General Tso's with them.  Thinly chop the white parts and add them to uncooked white rice in your steamer.  Steam rice as normal. 

Serve General Tso's over your scallion rice.  Enjoy

Notes:
If you want to make this even easier simply do not batter fry the chicken, just follow the chicken cooking procedure that is in the "Chinese Please Blog"  You will save the hassle of getting the fryer out and the potential mess of the batter.  BUT you are giving up that traditional batter fried chicken that you are used to getting in take out. 

I spit my marinade between chicken and tofu tonight.  Prepare and fry the EXTRA FIRM tofu the same way you do chicken if your prefer.

I usually marinade my chicken, mix my sauce (only mix, not cook) and cut all my veggies the night before.  I find this has many benefits. 1) Dinner is on the table much quicker 2) I do not have a whining baby pulling at my leg while I have raw chicken on my hands 3) The chicken tastes better when it marinated longer 4) You can drink the rest of the bottle of wine you opened in peace

For veggies I use what ever I have on hand.  Tonight I used carrots, broccoli, mushrooms and water chestnuts.  But honestly use what you have and your family will enjoy.  Just be sure that they are steamed or sauteed before adding them.  For tips on cooking broccoli see "Eat Your Broccoli Blog"

I have resisted buying a fryer for a long time.  I finally broke down and bought a 1 liter electric fryer and I absolutely love it.  Reasons why I think smaller is better...  It was $24, only needs 1 regular size bottle of oil, heats and cools much faster, easy to store and can be plugged in on my deck so I can fry outside and avoid that "Fried Food Smell" that I hate so much!

Worried about fat intake when frying food??? I did a little test tonight.  I fried about 10-12 servings worth the food tonight.  I put a full bottle of oil into my fryer and this is what I had left after I strained and cleaned it.

About 6 Tbl short, now remember some oil was absorbed by the paper towels (-1 Tbl), some was left in the fryer and in the strainer when cleaning it (-1 Tbl) Which leaves me to believe approx 4 Tbl was actually on the food.  Now break that down by servings and you have about 1 Tsp of oil per serving.  This is really not that bad! Much better than those greasy fries you got at the drive through or the Velveeta you made mac and cheese with.  I am not saying my fried food is healthy, I am just saying spend your calories on the good for you food that matters.

Fajitas with all the Fixin's

I was thinking since I haven't blogged any new recipes in a few days I would make it up to you by giving you a complete Mexican Feast... Grilled Chicken Fajitas with Charred Sweet Peppers, Spanish Rice, Pinto Beans and Avocado Salsa Verde.  Mmmmm, how excited are you?!
SPANISH RICE

Ingredients:
2 Cups Long Grain Rice (I like Jasmine Rice, it is a great multi purpose rice with tons of flavor)
1/2 Can of Rotel
1 Bunch Cilantro Stems
3 Pinches of Salt

The first step is to go to Target and buy a rice cooker (or go to this link and order one...  )  I cannot stress to you enough that you should buy a rice cooker!  I have a 50K college degree in cooking and have been cooking full time professionally for 15 years and I NEVER cook rice at home with out using a rice cooker.

Alright, now that you have a shiny new rice cooker lets get started.  Get your manual out and find where they tell you how much rice and how much water you should be using (I cannot tell you what to use because every rice cooker is different, follow their instructions)  Try to find the ratio that looks like you would be using 2 cups of uncooked rice,  now add rice, suggested amount of water MINUS 1/4 cup water, the 1/2 can of Rotel and salt.  Give it a gentile stir, toss cilantro stems on top.

Close lid and start.  When rice is finished remove cilantro stems and fluff with a fork.

GRILLED CHICKEN AND CHARRED SWEET PEPPER FAJITAS

Ingredients:

1 pkg Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts

1/2 Can Rotel

1 pkg Taco Seasoning Mix

3 Yellow, Red or Green Peppers (the peppers in my pictures are not bell peppers but were on sale at my produce store and taste exactly like bell peppers)

Get your grill or your indoor grill pan on high heat.  Clean your chicken breast and cut them in half (cut like a hamburger bun is cut)

Season both sides with a little salt and pepper.  Give your grill a quick spray with non stick pan spray.  Gently put chicken breasts onto grill.  Once you have achieved nice grill marks on the first side, flip them over and cook on the other side.  Since you cut the breasts in half they should be fully cooked at this point. 

Let cool slightly and cut into thin strips.  Place chicken in a large saute pan.

Wash and pat dry your peppers.  Drizzle with a small amount of oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Place on grill and let them get nice and dark. 

Once they are nice and charred, transfer to a bowl and cover with plastic wrap.  This will steam the peppers and get their skin loose. 

Once they are cool enough to handle place them on your cutting board and using the back of your knife gently scrap the skin away (this should be very easy to do).  Cut them open, and again with the back of your knife, scrap the seeds away.  Give them a rough chop and toss in the pan with the sliced chicken. 

Add 1 cup water, 1/2 can Rotel and package of taco seasoning mix.  Cook over medium heat until juice is slightly thickened.

PINTO BEANS

Ingredients:

1 Large Can Pinto Beans
1/2 Pkg Taco Seasoning Mix
1 Cup Water
Salt

Open can, drain and rinse beans.  Put into a heavy bottomed pan with water.  Using a potato masher or your hand gently squish the beans to make a chunky puree.  Add seasoning package and salt.  Cook over low heat, stirring often until thickened. 

AVOCADO SALSA VERDE

Yep that's right I saved the best for last!  This stuff is the best!   I make it and use it as a sauce for fish, shrimp, grilled steak, tacos or even just eating it with tortilla chips.  It is like salsa Verde and guacamole had a love child.  Make it!  I PROMISE you will love it!

7 Tomatillos (These are the things that look like baby green tomatoes with a thin, paper-like shell on them)

1 Jalapeno

1 Bunch Cilantro Leaves (remember the cilantro stems you needed to make the rice... Ah ha, we are using the whole bunch, stems and all!)

1 or 2 Limes (depends on the size and how acidic you want it.)

2 Ripe Avocados (they should be firm, but you should be able to dent the flesh of you push a little.  If your avocados are not rice enough put them in a closed paper bag on your counter for 24 hours.  For more info on why this works see "Eat Your Broccoli" Blog.  It has to do with the ethylene gas)

3 Cloves Garlic, whole, peeled

1/4 tsp Ground Cumin

Salt and Pepper

Peel the paper-like shell off your tomatillos, wash them and cut in half (like a hamburger bun is cut)  Place cut side down on a hot grill or grill pan.  Place washed jalapeno on grill also.  Cook until they are nice and dark.  Flip tomatillos over and cook other side. 

Once everything is nice and grilled place it all into a pan. Add 1 cup water and garlic. Simmer over medium heat for 5 minutes or until everything is very soft.

Remove jalapeno (it should still be whole) and set aside.  Place everything else into the blender (including avocados, cilantro, cumin and lime juice).  Pulse in blender until smooth.

Most adorable chef ever!  She loves helping using the blender :)

Taste it and see if you would like it spicier.  If so, simply cut a chunk of your jalapeno off and blend into salsa. 

Notes:

To juice limes more quickly, cut them in half and wedge into the V of a pair of tongs.  Squeeze tongs and Voila, easy juice!

After you are done using your grill pan, wash under warm water.  Rinse and place back onto stove.  Turn your burner on medium heat until pan is completely dry.  This will prevent rust from forming on you pan.

Since my 16 month old daughter cannot eat a taco I make her quesadillas, which are much easier to handle with little hands.  Simply spread a layer of beans, chicken and cheese onto 1/2 the tortilla.  Fold over to make a sandwich.

In a non stick pan put 1 tsp butter, gently melt over medium heat.  Toast quesadilla just like you would a grilled cheese sandwich. 

Cut into 1/4's and give your little one some sour cream and salsa Verde to dip them in.

French Toast Casserole

This one is for all the Dads out there.  Here is an easy Mother's Day breakfast recipe for you.  Serve this to the Mom in your life along with a glass of champagne and fresh strawberries and you will sure to be a hero.  Just to be sure that this recipe can be pulled off by a man who never cooks, my husband made it for us this morning!

Ingredients:

1 Loaf Bread (Brioche would be my 1st pick, Challah my 2nd pick and if you can't fine either buy a loaf of Texas Toast cut bread, it will be super thick cut.  You should be able to find Brioche or Challah in the bakery department of an upscale grocery store)

8ea Eggs

1 Qt (4 Cups)  Light Cream or Half and Half

1 1/4 Cup Sugar

1/2 Tsp Ground Cinnamon

1 Cup Raisins

2 Tbl Butter

Lets get started:

The night before get your mis en place together (mis en place is a french cooking term for getting all of your ingredients together).  Cut your bread into large cubes (approx 1") and spread on a baking sheet.  Leave out on counter, unwrapped to let it dry out.  Whisk together the eggs, sugar, cream and cinnamon..  Set in fridge until the morning.

First thing in the morning pull out the egg/cream mixture, give it a quick whisk to insure that none of the sugar settled to the bottom.  Add all the dry bread cubes and raisins to cream mixture.  Gently push the bread under to help them soak up the cream mix. 

Let bread soak up mixture for 10 min.  While you wait turn your oven on to 350'.  Grease a baking dish with a chunk of butter.

Pour all the bread and cream mixture into the greased baking pan.  Cover baking pan with foil and place in the center of your oven.

Bake for 1 hour (or until it set in the center)  Remove foil and drizzle 2 Tbl melted butter over the top.  Turn on your broiler and broil until golden brown (this browns VERY quickly, do not walk away!)

Notes:

Although I have not tried it, I would imagine that fat free half and half would probably work.  Of course you will be loosing a little of the decadence but you will save a few calories

This is an awesome recipe to make if you are hosting a brunch get together or to make on a holiday morning. 

Feel free to add other fruits like sliced apples, dried cherries or frozen blueberries.

Got leftovers?  Slice it while it is cold, brown gently with a little butter in a non stick pan, top with a scoop of vanilla ice cream...Heaven!

Homemade Hot Pockets

I love flaky pastry filled with savory fillings and gooey cheese as much as the next guy but I just cannot bring myself to buy a hot pocket.  I cannot figure out how they can sell 2 hot pockets for $1 and even try to pretend that there is anything quality about their product.  I am sure the packaging cost more than the ingredients.  Sure, my hot pocket knock offs cannot compete with the 2 minute microwave convenience the originals offer but at least I say mine are made out of quality ingredients.

Lets get started:

Start by opening a can of crescent rolls (I used the reduced fat version).  Lay 4 of the 8 triangles out on your work surface.  Set the remaining 4 triangles aside for now. 

In a non stick pan over low heat, melt 1 tbl butter.  Add 3 eggs and scramble.  Remove from heat when they just start to cook, they should resemble loose cottage cheese.

Top the 4 triangles with deli turkey, shredded cheese and a scoop of your soft scrambled eggs.  Then top with one of the reserved croissant triangles.  Pinch edges together to seal tightly.  If you are a perfectionist (as I tend to be when it comes to food) you can trim the edges to make perfect triangles.

 Transfer to a parchment paper lined sheet pan (see "Not So Chunky Monkey Cookies Blog" to learn about where to buy parchment and sheet pans). 

Bake at 375 for 15 min or until GBD (Golden Brown and Delicious).  Enjoy while warm and toasty.

Notes:
In this recipe I made a breakfast version of a hot pocket.  You can make these with almost any ingredients.  These are also a great way to transform leftovers into a fun lunch.  Here is a few ideas I think would be tasty combos...
*Pizza Sauce, Pepperoni, Low Moisture Mozzarella (gotta get the low moisture kind or you will have a soggy mess!)
*Ham and Cheddar Cheese
*Sauteed Mushrooms, Provolone and Pesto
*Bacon, Egg and Cheese (Pre cook the bacon and chop into smaller pieces)
*Pulled Pork and Pepper jack Cheese
*Grilled Chicken, Broccoli and Cheddar (see "Eat Your Broccoli Blog" about how to properly cook broccoli)

Toasty Reubens

Tonight I am making Reubens. This tasty sandwich combines some of my favorite things... Cured Meat, Sauerkraut and Cheese.

Ingredients:

Lean Corned Beef (from the deli section of the grocery store or home cooked, see notes on how to cook corned beef at home)

Sauerkraut (I prefer Franks)

Swiss Cheese

Thousand Island Dressing

Rye Bread (I used whole wheat because this is what I had at home, the other day I made my hubby a reuben on a pretzel roll and he swore it was the best sandwich ever)

Butter

Lets get started:

Start by melting 2 tsp butter in a saute pan. Place bread in pan and toast till golden brown (the exact same way you would make a grilled cheese). When one side of bread is GBD (Golden Brown and Delicious) remove bread from pan, place 1 slice of bread toasted side down on a sheet pan, set the other slice of bread aside for now. Smear a layer of thousand island dressing or mustard on both slices of bread.

Now add 1 tsp butter to pan (no need to change pans or even clean it at this point) Add thinly sliced corned beef. Cook over medium heat until it starts to brown and is fully heated. Once your beef is browned on both sides, remove from pan and layer on bread that is on the sheet pan.

Add sauerkraut to hot pan. This will do 2 things. 1) heat sauerkraut 2) get flavor from all those tasty brown bits on the pan that the beef left behind (Chefs call the brown bits "Fond"). Top beef with hot sauerkraut and 2 slices of swiss cheese.

Place assembled sandwich under your broiler turned on high. NEVER LEAVE YOUR OVEN WHILE BROILING. IT GOES FROM 0-60 VERY FAST! Once your cheese is all melty and gooey, remove sandwich form oven and top with reserved slice of toasted bread.

Cut in half and enjoy!

Notes:

I like to buy the uncooked corned beef (the kind that is florescent pink and in a bag). To cook it simply remove it from bag, rinse to remove excess brine, place in a large stock pot, cover with water, add spice pouch that came with the corned beef, simmer for 3-4 hours or until it is tender. As you may know from earlier blogs, I do not own a crock pot but I do not see why you couldn't cook corned beef in one. I buy 2 or 3 corned beef when they are on sale and cook them all at once. Then I seal the cooked beef and a little cooking liquid in bags using a fresh saver sealing machine. Freeze it and you have corned beef ready whenever you want it.

This picture is of a whole uncooked corned beef. When they package it they take this exact thing and cut it in half. Now notice how one side is much thinner than the other? Try and find a piece that looks like that. The other thicker side had a huge fat layer that runs right through it. You will end up trimming and throwing away half your corned beef. Where as the other thin side has very little fat and needs almost no trimming.



If you want to make a lower calorie version of this sandwich simply toast your bread in the toaster, substitute lean turkey breast (left overs from a holiday meal or deli sliced), use mustard instead of dressing (or use a low cal dressing), use reduced fat swiss cheese and go topless (no top slice of bread)