Feta and Spinach Dip or A New Spin.

     Welcome and thank you for checking out my blog, today's dinner is
Feta and Spinach Dip.

     As usual this last post of the month is a snack recipe. Every so often a new food will pop up out of seemingly no where, examples are nachos, frozen yogurt, buffalo wings, key lime pie, and spinach and artichoke dip. These foods mysteriously turn up, everyone starts talking about them, people come up with their own versions of them, and finally they are everywhere until the next fad food comes along.
I'm not saying that this is bad but I sort of see a cycle here and I kind of wonder if there is a correlation between the lifespan of fad foods and the lifespan of boy bands, but I digress.
     One of the foods that I mentioned, spinach and artichoke dip, is very similar to our new snack and I believe is possibly the inspiration for it. Both dips are cheese based and have spinach in them, the difference is that one has artichokes and the other has watercress(keep reading, you'll see). I remember the first time I ate spinach and artichoke dip and I am a fan but I'm also a fan of putting a new spin on an old trick.
     Now that we have a context for today's snack let's take a look at the recipe.

                                      Feta and Spinach Dip

Prep time   12 Min.     Cook time   1 Min.     Serves   8

Ingredients

4 cups fresh spinach, chopped (about 2 ounces)

8 ounces watercress, drained

1/2 cup low fat cream cheese

1/2 cup fat-free sour cream

1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese

1/4 cup chives, fresh,  minced, divided

2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1/4 teaspoon salt or less to taste (optional)


Instructions

Place spinach in a small saucepan with 2 cups of water. Bring to a boil over high heat and then cook for 1 minute; drain well.

Place spinach, watercress, cream cheese, sour cream, feta cheese, 2 tablespoons of chives, lemon juice and pepper in a blender; puree. Taste dip and add salt if desired. Spoon dip into a serving bowl and sprinkle with remaining tablespoon of chives.

This recipe yields about 3 tablespoons of dip per serving.


     This is a great dip that can be served with tortillsa chips and veggies or, if you are adventrurous, I can imagine it in finger sandwiches with cucumber slices.
If you try this snack, check back here and leave a comment to let me know how it turned out.


     Next week - Seasoned Pork Tenderloin or Prepping For The Holidays.

Crock Pot Chicken Burritos or The Value of Freezer Bags.

     Welcome and thank you for checking out my blog, today's dinner is Crock Pot Chicken Burritos.

   

      A few months ago I posted a recipe for spicy beef tacos, today's dinner is similar in it's simplicity but different in that it's a crock pot dinner. The simplicity comes from the ingredients, most of which you probably have in your kitchen right now. If you cook on a regular basis (especially the recipes I post) you probably have onion, canned tomatoes, beans, cumin and onion in your kitchen and chicken & chicken broth in your fridge.

     One habit that I have gotten into that lends itself to this type of recipe is preparing chicken ahead of time. The way I do this is I buy chicken in quantities of 3-4 pounds. When I get home from the store I trim the chicken breasts down to 4 ounce pieces and package them four to a bag in freezer bags. I will then save the smaller pieces that I have trimmed off in a separate freezer bag until I have enough to make a recipe. This process is also great for other recipes that I've posted like chicken cacciatore, cashew chicken(coming soon) and Italian-style chicken. If you cook regularly try this process, it will save you time and trips to the store.

     One nice thing about this dinner is that when you are ready to eat you can put out the burrito wraps, cheese and other ingredients buffet style and let your family make their own burritos.

     Let's jump into today's recipe.

                                Crock Pot Chicken Burritos

Prep time   15 Min.     Cook time   300 Min.     Serves   12

Ingredients

1 clove garlic, minced

1 small red onion, chopped

14-1/2 ounces canned diced tomatoes, with chilies

15 ounce canned kidney beans, drained and rinsed

1/2 teaspoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon dried oregano

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1 pound skinless chicken breast, cut into bite-size pieces

3/4 cup canned chicken broth

12 whole wheat tortillas

3/4 cup shredded reduced-fat mexican-style cheese

Instructions

Place garlic, onion, tomatoes, beans, chili powder, salt, oregano and pepper in a crock pot; stir well. Add chicken and broth. Cover and cook on low setting for 5 hours; drain off liquid (there should be about 6 cups of burrito mixture.

To serve, spoon about 1/2 cup of burrito mixture down center of each tortilla; top with 1 tablespoon of cheese. Fold bottom 1/3 of tortilla to center. Fold left and right side over, covering filling. Repeat with remaining ingredients.

This recipe yields 1 burrito per serving.

     This is a simple and delicious dinner that your whole family will enjoy. Although this is a diet recipe you can add things like salsa and sour cream to your burritos but beware that some of these items may affect the healthiness of the burritos.

What I do suggest is that if you want to use additional ingredients try to use fat-free or low fat ingredients. If you try this dinner, check back here and leave a comment to let me know how it turned out.

     Next week - Feta and Spinach Dip or A New Spin.

Mixed Grill with Apricot-Soy Sauce or Back To Basics.

     Welcome and thank you for checking out my blog, today's dinner is Mixed Grill with Apricot-Soy Sauce.

     Over the last few months I've been posting dinners in what I'm calling the grill series. The intent of the grill series is to get you outside and to get you to experiment with new foods on your grill. Most of the dinners in the grill series so far have had an ethnic flavor and I've chosen them to get you to think outside the box when grilling. Today's dinner is a little more mainstream and should allow us to move back into our comfort zone.
     Mixed grill with apricot-soy sauce is very similar to the grilling that we are used to in that it's meat and sauce over an open heat source, the twist is that instead of one type of meat we are grilling three meats and instead of using the standard barbecue sauce we are making our own apricot-soy sauce. The three meats that we are grilling- pork, chicken, and turkey sausage are all easy to cook, work well together, and all have their own flavors and textures. The big variable here is whether you want to use spicy turkey sausage or sweet turkey sausage; if you're feeling adventurous I say try both. Until recently I have not been one to invest too much time and effort in learning how to make sauces but as I work through these recipes I'm realizing that they are not as difficult as I thought they were. This apricot-soy sauce is very easy to make and has many applications beyond this recipe. I can imagine it on other meats on the grill including ribs and hamburgers, pineapple and other fruits on the grill, and baked ham in the oven.
     If you are a guy this is a great recipe for you. In the past men typically didn't cook but in our more modern times of people staying single later into life, dual career families, and the recent phemonenon of cooking becoming a "cool skill" men are cooking more than ever before. Grilling is a very manly form of cooking; there's fire, there's meat, and you can do it while drinking beer outside and swapping stories with your friends. By this point in the grilling season you've probably perfected your steak, burger and chicken skills, now's the time to take it one step further and add the wow factor to your grilling.
     Let's take a look at today's recipe.

                         Mixed Grill with Apricot-Soy Sauce

Prep time   12 Min.     Cook time   19 Min.     Serves   8

Ingredients

1 Tbsp. unsalted butter

3/4 cup apricot preserves

2 Tbsp. soy sauce

1 Tbsp. rice wine vinegar

1 tsp dijon mustard

1 tsp ground ginger

3/4 pound lean pork tenderloin, cut into 8 cubes

8 skinless chicken thighs

1-1/2 tsp kosher salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

12 ounces turkey sausage, sweet or spicy (4 links)

1/3 cup fresh cilantro, minced or torn


Instructions

Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat; add preserves, soy sauce, vinegar, mustard and ginger. Cook until bubbly, stirring frequently, about 5 to 7 minutes; remove 2 tablespoons of glaze to a small bowl, set both saucepan and bowl aside and cover to keep warm.

Thread pork onto two metal skewers; season pork and chicken thighs with salt and pepper.

Preheat a grill or grill pan to medium-high heat. Grill pork, chicken and sausage until finished, turning once or twice and brushing meats frequently with glaze during last 2 minutes of cooking, about 8 to 9 minutes for pork, 10 minutes for chicken and 12 minutes for sausage. Make sure to flip meats often during the last 2 minutes of cooking to help the glaze stick. Just before serving, brush meats with 2 tablespoons reserved glaze, sprinkle with cilantro and serve.

This recipe yields 1 chicken thigh, 1 pork cube and 1/2 sausage per serving.


     Over these summer months I've posted some interesting and hopefully challenging grill recipes, now as we move into our fall routines it's time to wind down the grill series. I will be putting up the last post of the grill series on October 9th but if you are a year-round griller like me I'll post a couple of grill recipes during the fall-winter season.
     As always, if you try this dinner, check back here and leave a comment to let me know how it turned out.


     Next week - Crock Pot Chicken Burritos or The Value of Freezer Bags.

Italian Chicken with Potatoes and Peppers or Hold The Pasta

     Welcome and thank you for checking out my blog, today's dinner is
Italian Chicken with Potatoes and Peppers.

     In the past I have voiced my affinity for Italian food, today's dinner although somewhat new to me is no exception. When we think about Italian food images of various types of pasta and tomato sauces come to mind; spaghetti with meatballs, chicken parmesan on a bed of capellini, and tortellini swimming in alfredo sauce. The one thing that struck me about Italian chicken is that even though it has a rich tomato sauce, it doesn't predominantly feature pasta. I'm not saying that you can't serve pasta with it, I am saying that the recipe doesn't call for it and including pasta wouldn't necessarily enhance it.

     Beyond it's taste the one thing I like about this dinner is that it's an easy to make, one pot, delicious stew. The two most difficult steps in making Italian chicken are cutting the vegetables and deciding which pot to use. The results are delicious chicken, potatoes, and peppers bathed in the most amazing tomato concoction which could be a soup all on it's own. This is a wonderfully hearty meal that is perfectly suited to cold fall and winter days but can be enjoyed any time of year.

     Now that we know that this isn't the typical pasta-based Italian food, let's dive into today's recipe.

                    Italian Chicken with Potatoes and Peppers

Prep time   15 Min.     Cook time   35 Min.     Serves   4

Ingredients

2 sprays cooking spray

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 1-1/2 inch pieces

1/4 tsp table salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

1 large sweet red pepper, or yellow pepper, thinly sliced

1 pound yukon gold potatoes, cut into 3/4 to 1 inch pieces

1/2 cup red wine, dry

1-1/2 cups store bought marinara sauce

1/2 cup water

Instructions

Coat a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray and heat over medium-high heat. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. Add to skillet and saut'e until golden brown and almost cooked through, about 4 to 6 minutes; remove from skillet to a plate.

Off heat, coat skillet with cooking spray again. Add peppers and potatoes; saut'e until vegetables are lightly browned, about 4 to 6 minutes. Add wine; simmer 1 minute.

Add marinara sauce and water to skillet; increase heat to high and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer until potatoes are almost tender, about 15 minutes. Stir in chicken and any accumulated juices.

Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until potatoes are tender and chicken is cooked through, about 7 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste, if desired.

This recipe yields about 1-1/2 cups per serving.

     This dinner is a great way to introduce your family and friends to another side of Italian food. I can picture this as a delicious fall-winter dinner, a wonderful Buffet item at a football party, or simply as a tasty year-round dinner to gather your family around. I did state that you don't have to serve it with pasta, I'm not saying you can't, you can if you are so moved. What I do recommend is that you serve it with a hearty whole-wheat bread. If you try this dinner check back here and leave a comment to let me know how it turned out.

     Next week - Mixed Grill with Apricot-Soy Sauce or Back To Basics.

Tomato and Basil Bruschetta or 26 Down.

     Welcome and thank you for checking out my blog, today's dinner is Tomato and Basil Bruschetta.

     Before we go too far I have to clarify that this is an appetizer or snack and not an actual dinner.
     The reason I co-titled this post "26 Down" is to recognise and mark a milestone in this experiment. If you start here and count the number of posts on this blog you will come to a number of 26, if you know that a half a year is 26 weeks you'll quickly realize that I have been posting one dinner every week for the last six months.
     When I started this project all those months ago I really couldn't conceive of reaching the six month mark or even coming up with enough material to carry me through a couple of months. I didn't have a well developed plan and I didn't have a clue what kind of format I wanted to use or what content I was going to be able to come up with. Now six months later I've come up with a format that allows me to post two or three dinners during the first half of the month and crock pot and snack recipes during the last two weeks. A series that I have implemented in the first half of each month is the seasonal posts, if you haven't noticed we are in the middle of grilling season and I am posting a grill recipe during the first half of each month. Other series that I have posted on are the quick and easy series, the restaurant alternative series, and most recently the vegetarian series. As I continue to work on this I am coming up with new ideas that I hope to implement in the next few months.
     So, that is a little information about this blog over the last six months, now let's take a look at a something from the snack series. If you've been following these posts you'll know that I've been putting up a snack recipe during the last week of each month. The inspiration for the snack series came out of a need to bring diet friendly snacks to a Friday night bible study (search: Codename Get Together).
As I tried a few of these snack recipes I realized that they weren't as bland as I thought they would be and I was getting a lot of compliments and requests for the recipes. Tomato and basil bruschetta is generally an appetizer but I've found if I double the recipe appetizers can easily become party snacks. Tomato and basil bruschetta is incredibly easy to make and the name itself is practically a list of the ingredients. You can make and slice your own bread but if you want to keep it quick and simple I recommend that you use pre-sliced Italian bread that can easily be cut into smaller pieces. The problem that I had with the garlic while making a large batch was that rubbing it on the toast became time consuming and tedious, if you are making a normal batch this might not be an issue but if you don't feel that this step is beneficial to the over-all flavor then skip it.
      Let's take a look at today's snack.


                                  Tomato and Basil Bruschetta

Prep time   20 Min.     Cook time   4 Min.     Serves   4

Ingredients

1 medium fresh tomato, ripe or 1 cup grape or cherry tomatoes, finely chopped

2 Tbsp. basil, finely chopped

1 tsp lemon zest, grated

1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice

2 tsp olive oil

1/4 tsp salt

8 ounces whole-wheat bread, Italian variety, sliced 1/2 inch thick

1 clove garlic, peeled

1/2 tsp black pepper


Instructions

Preheat the broiler.

Combine the tomato, basil, lemon zest, lemon juice, oil, and salt in a small bowl; set aside.

Place the bread on the broiler pan and broil 4 inches from the heat, turning once until toasted, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a platter.

Rub each bread slice on one side with the garlic, then top each with one generous tablespoon of the tomato mixture. Discard the remaining garlic. Arrange the bruschetta on a platter and sprinkle with the pepper.

This recipe yields 4 servings.


     As I said earlier this is a quick and easy appetizer that is readily upsizeable for parties and get togethers, give it a try with next week's dinner or share it with your friends. If you try this snack check back here and leave a comment to let me know how it worked out.
     Going back to the theme of 26 Down, if there is something that you would like to see in this blog or a food type or subject that you would like addressed please leave a comment and I'll try to make it happen.
     At the beginning of this post I said that I was marking a milestone, something that I didn't mention back then is that the Tuesday that I will be posting this on is also my birthday. So yea!, I'm getting old.


     Next week - Italian Chicken with Potatoes and Peppers or Hold The Pasta.

Mexican-Style Pork and Sweet Potato Stew or The Tour Continues.

     Welcome and thank you for checking out my blog, today's dinner is Mexican-style pork and sweet potato stew.

     Last week I tried to take you on a culinary visit to India, today the tour continues with a jaunt south of the border. Most of us know pork and sweet potatoes in the context of Thanksgiving and Christmas day turkey, honey-baked ham, and sweet potatoes bathed in cinnamon and melted marshmallows but this is a vast departure from all you think you know.
     I first discovered this recipe while looking for crock pot dinners to try out on Thursdays. I was looking for something different than the tomato based and chicken based soups, something different and outside the mainstream crock pot recipes. That's when I found Mexican pork and sweet potato stew. I like to try new foods and I like to challenge myself to make foods that I've never made before. Many of the foods that interest me are ethnic and many have combinations of ingredients that I wouldn't come up with on my own.
     At first thought I couldn't imagine how pork and sweet potatoes could work together but as I thought about it I slowly got it. Pork, with the exception of cultures that have dietary restrictions on it , is everywhere. A good percentage of the dinners that I post here are pork based. Pork is easy to transport, easy to raise, and doesn't take up much space; it's a cheap and plentiful source of protein. Sweet potatoes, don't those belong on my plate right between the turkey and the cranberry sauce? Well think about it, don't sweet potatoes come from Central and South America? Wouldn't it make sense that sweet potatoes made their way into Mexican cuisine long before they ended up on our holiday plates? With this new perspective I decided, sure I'll take the proverbial trip south of the border. The worst that could happen is it doesn't work out and I end up ordering a pizza.
     The moment of truth came as I walked through the front door and I was greeted by that thing I  have started to call "the crock pot greeting", that smell that greets you at the door and tells you that something delicious has been cooking in the kitchen all day long. Ten minutes later we were seated at the table with a freshly ladled bowl in front of us. First taste; this is really good, a nice blend of flavors. Second taste; a nice piece of pork, rich, moist and savory. Third taste; a piece of sweet potato soft and delicious, swimming in flavorful liquids. This new dinner was really good and definitely something I could work into my Thursday night rotation.
     I have gone on long enough, let's jump into today's recipe.


                  Mexican-Style Pork and Sweet Potato Stew

Prep time   20 Min.     Cook time   420 Min.     Serves   4

Ingredients

1 small poblano chile

1 pound lean pork loin, cut into 1 inch cubes

1/2 cup fat-free chicken broth

1 large sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes

1 small onion, chopped

14-1/2 ounces canned diced tomatoes, fire-roasted, undrained

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

1 Tbsp. fresh lime juice


Instructions

Turn on a stove top burner and place poblano chile over open flame (use tongs or a long-handled fork to keep fingers away from flame); carefully turn to char on all sides. Place poblano in a plastic or paper bag; close bag and sett aside for 10 minutes to steam. Rub poblano skin off with your hands under cold running water; core, seed and dice poblano. (Note: if you have an electric range, broil poblano on high 3 inches from burner, turning occasionally until charred on all sides. Follow remaining directions above.)

Place pork in a 5-quart slow cooker. Add broth, sweet potato, onion, poblano chile, tomatoes, cumin, salt and pepper; stir well. Cover and cook on low for 6 to 7 hours. Add lime juice and stir well.

This recipe yields about 1-1/2 cups per serving.

Note: Turn up the heat by stirring in 1/4 to 1/2 cup of your favorite spicy salsa.
          Serve with a spoonful of fat-free sour cream if desired.


     If you are looking to add some new flavors or something with an ethnic flair this dinner is a great place to start. As I said earlier I have put this dinner into my regular Thursday rotation and I have made it a few times, I recently made it for a potluck and it went over very well. As always, if you try this dinner check back here and leave a comment to let me know how it turned out.


     Next week - Tomato and Basil Bruschetta or 26 Down.

Grilled Tandoori Chicken and Red Onion Skewers with Couscous or Passport- Backyard.

     Welcome and thank you for checking out my blog, today's dinner is Grilled Tandoori Chicken and Red Onion Skewers with Couscous.
    

     As summer rolls on I'm trying to cook on the grill as much as possible.
As I search for diet recipes online I am seeing a pattern of grilled foods with an ethnic flavor. As a person who has seen most of the world and lives in one of the most ethnically diverse cities in the U.S. I tend to tire quickly of hamburgers and hot dogs so I was glad to see a large variety of grilled foods from around the world. One of the recipes that caught my interest was Tandoori chicken and red onion skewers with couscous. Although I can generally say that I like Indian food I really haven't eaten a lot of it and I surely have never tried to make any. I figured this is my chance to try making something new and grill at the same time.
     One reference for tandoori is a tandoor which is an open air, usually wood or charcoal fired, oven used to cook food in a process very similar to grilling.
Another reference for tandoori is the marinade that the meat is marinaded in.
This marinade is usually a yogurt seasoned with garam, masala, garlic, ginger, cumin, and cayenne or other chili powders. In today's recipe the tandoori marinade is made up of yogurt and per-packaged tandoori seasoning. You can find tandoori seasoning in the ethnic section of your local grocery store, it will be in a paste or sauce form and will probably be labeled as garam tandoori or masala tandoori.
You can use either type of seasoning but I do urge you to marinade it for 7 to 8 hours to get the most flavor out of it.
     Another item in this recipe to consider is couscous. Couscous can be found in the same aisle as rice and dry beans and is cooked in a process similar to cooking rice. Also the cucumber-yogurt mixture is a typical Indian side/condiment combination that counters and compliments the heat of most Indian dishes.
suggest you try it in different combinations with the  chicken, onion, and couscous.
     Now that we've dispelled some of the mystique of Indian cooking let's take a look at today's recipe.

Grilled Tandoori Chicken and Red Onion Skewers with Couscous

Prep time   20 Min.     Cook time   9 Min.     Serves   4

Ingredients

1 1/4 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast,  cut into 32 pieces (about 4 pieces per breast)

1 1/4 cups plain fat-free yogurt, divided

2 tablespoons tandoori spice mix

1/2 cup cucumber, diced

3 tablespoons mint leaves, fresh, chopped

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 medium red onion, cut into 16 wedges

2 sprays olive oil cooking spray

2 cups cooked whole wheat couscous, kept warm


Instructions

Put chicken, 1/2 cup of yogurt and spice mix in a resealable plastic food storage bag. Seal bag and turn to mix and coat. Place bag on a plate and refrigerate  for at least 1 hour or up to 8 hours.

To make sauce, in a small bowl stir together remaining 3/4 cup of yogurt, cucumber, mint and salt until blended; refrigerate until ready to serve.

Preheat grill. Remove chicken from marinade; discard marinade. Thread chicken and onion wedges onto 8 metal skewers using 4 pieces of chicken and 2 pieces of onion per skewer. (If using wooden skewers soak them in water 30 minutes before use to prevent burning.) Coat chicken and onions with cooking spray.

Grill skewers, turning often, until chicken is no longer pink in the center, about 7 to 9 minutes. Serve skewers over couscous with sauce on the side.

This recipe yields 2 skewers, 1/2 cup of couscous and about 1/4 cup of sauce per serving.


     If you haven't ventured far beyond Italian, Mexican, or Chinese foods this is a great and easy place to start. Another item that you might want to add to this dinner is Naan, a flat bread popular in and around the Indian sub-continent.
naan is torn into pieces which are used to pick up small amounts of chicken, onion and couscous and eaten together ala a finger food approach. So I challenge you to get your ingredients together, prep your grill and take your family on a day-trip to India. If you enjoy this dinner I will be posting another Indian dinner in a couple of months. As always, if you try this dinner, check back here and leave a comment to let me know how it turned out.


     Next week - Mexican-Style Pork and Sweet Potato Stew or The Tour Continues.