Grilled Asparagus

Chicken Cordon Light Bleu

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In college, I was into eating on the cheap, eating light, and cooking once a week so I’d have leftovers! I’ve altered this recipe a bit over the years, and it does have to bake for a little while, but it results in moist chicken that is great even cold as leftovers or on a sandwich.

Chicken Cordon Light Bleu

6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, thawed out

1-1/2 c. plain, nonfat yogurt

¾ c. Italian seasoned breadcrumbs

¾ c. panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)

6 lowfat and/or low sodium ham slices

6 lowfat Swiss cheese slices

Rinse the chicken and pat dry. Trim off extra fat if needed. In a shallow dish or pie pan, stir together breadcrumbs and panko. Put the yogurt in a separate shallow dish or pie pan. Dredge chicken in the yogurt to coat, then in the bread crumb mixture. Place in shallow baking dish that’s been sprayed or greased. Bake at 400° for 40-50 minutes, until the chicken juices run clear or internal temperature at thickest part reaches 160°.

Place a slice of ham and slice of cheese on top of each breast and continue cooking for 3-5 minutes until cheese melts. Serve with grilled asparagus (recipe also on this site).

Helpful hints:

• Take the chicken out of the refrigerator and let come to room temperature for about 25 minutes, it will cook more quickly and evenly.

• Experiment with different breadcrumbs or adding 2 tsp. of dry seasonings such as sage, thyme, rosemary.

• Try different kinds of light cheeses, such as Monterey Jack, Muenster, bleu or mozzarella.

• Because of the enzymes in the yogurt, the chicken will be tender but the breading will not end up crispy. If you prefer crispy, try the traditional beaten egg instead of yogurt before the coating and use more panko.

• If you don’t mind a “heavier” version, try it with cooked bacon and bleu cheese!

 

Grilled Asparagus

Grilled Asparagus

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Grilled Asparagus

1 bunch fresh asparagus spears

2 T. olive oil

1 T. Montreal Steak Seasoning

Juice from ½ fresh lemon

Rinse and trim ends off asparagus. Toss spears with olive oil and seasoning. Put crosswise on George Foreman or outdoor grill and cook 5-6 minutes until tender (alternatively, can cook in skillet over medium-high heat). When done, toss with fresh-squeezed lemon juice and serve.

 

Zucchini Cakes (Mock Crab Cakes)

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Zucchini is one of those fabulous foods that can take on pretty much any other flavor when cooked the right way. So when life (or neighbors) hand you zucchini, go ahead, make cakes! This is a poor man’s version of crab cakes – I found the recipe many years ago and have, of course, changed it to my liking. It’s still one of my favorites I make often because it’s a great appetizer that can be made ahead of time then cooked right before serving.

Zucchini Cakes

4 c. shredded zucchini (approx. 1 med. size zuke)

4 eggs, beaten

2 c. Italian bread crumbs + extra for rolling*

2 T. melted butter

2 T. Old Bay seafood seasoning (or to taste)

2 T. chopped fresh or 1 T. dried parsley

1 small chopped onion

Vegetable or olive oil for frying

Fresh lemon or tartar sauce

Squeeze excess liquid out of shredded zucchini using your hands, pressing against strainer, or squeezing into paper or tea towel. Combine all ingredients (except oil, lemon, tartar) and mix well. Chill for 30 minutes or overnight until ready to serve. Form into cakes using 2-3 T. or an ice cream scoop of mixture. Roll cakes in additional breadcrumbs. Fry the chilled cakes in lightly oiled pan over medium heat until lightly browned. Serve with lemon wedges & tartar sauce.

Note: can also be made on indoor grills, just put lid down with light pressure.

*If using homemade toasted breadcrumbs, may want to add salt & pepper and/or other seasonings to taste. You can also use a mix of regular and panko, and you may need to add more in case you didn’t get enough moisture out and the zucchini is extra soggy.

zucchini cakes web

Buttermilk Bars

Buttermilk Bars

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Been to Starbucks and tried their special coffee cake? Well, these Buttermilk Bars are pretty darn close to that. Plus, they are easy to make, taste better, and cost less!

Buttermilk Bars

2 c. flour

¾ c. brown sugar

½ c. chopped walnuts

1-1/4 c. white sugar (or less)

½ c. shortening (I prefer butter flavor Crisco)

Mix together like a pie crust, until crumbly. Take out 2 cups of the mixture – use 1-1/2 cups of this and press into a 9”x13” cake pan. Save the other ½ cup for topping.

To the rest of the mixture, add:

1 egg

½ t. salt

1 t. cinnamon

1 t. soda

1 c. buttermilk

Blend well and pour this mixture over the crust mix. Spread out evenly with a rubber spatula. Sprinkle remaining ½ c. of crumbs on top. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes. Cool and cut into bars.

Fruit Kuchen

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Growing up on a farm in the Columbia Basin of Washington, we had an abundance of fresh fruit and vegetables available nearly year-round. This old German recipe is an easy way to use up fresh, ripe fruit. My favorites were always raspberry and apricot. Consider making two pans of it, there’s hardly any more effort and it will disappear quickly!

Fruit Kuchen

1 c. butter or margarine, softened

1 c. sugar

4 eggs

1 t. vanilla

1-1/2 c. flour

2-1/2 t. baking powder

Fruit of choice (see below)

Sugar & cinnamon

Cream butter and sugar together, add eggs one at a time, until well blended. Then add vanilla. Combine flour and baking powder. Blend into creamed mixture slowly. Pat this dough into an ungreased 10”x15” cookie sheet or jelly roll pan (pan should have edges on it, not the edgeless sheet type). Overlap fruit pieces onto dough, or put spoonfuls of puree on top of the dough. Sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar. Bake at 350° for 40-55 minutes. Let cool in pan and cut into squares for serving. Kuchen also freezes well.

Fruit that works well:

2 quarts canned apricots, drained (or fresh apricots, quartered)

About 3 c. fresh rasperries, blackberries, marionberries or blueberries

3 c. thinly sliced apples (sprinkle with more sugar if of the tart variety)

Cheesy French Bread

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Cheesy French Bread

1/2 lb. margarine, softened

¼ lb. or 1 c. shredded cheddar cheese

½ c. grated parmesan or romano cheese

½ t. Worcestershire sauce (we call this “Rooster Sauce”)

¼ t. garlic powder

¼ t. paprika

Blend all ingredients together and spread over loaf of French bread that has been split in half. Put on cookie sheet or pan and broil until cheese starts to bubble. Slice and serve!

*Note: For a zippy version, add 4 oz. crumbled blue cheese to the mixture.

Spaghetti Sauce

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Another childhood favorite, who doesn’t love “pasghetti?!

Spaghetti Sauce

1 lb. lean ground beef (can also use half ground turkey, half ground beef)

1 small onion, chopped

½ green pepper, chopped

4-6 (8 oz.) cans of tomato sauce

1 small can of tomato paste

2 T. garlic, chopped (or ½ – 1 bulb)

2 T. Italian seasoning (more if you like)

1 oz. cube dark, unsweetened chocolate (no wonder I love this recipe!)

½ c. red wine

2 (8 oz.) cans mushroom pieces, drained

Brown ground beef in large skillet until nearly cooked through. Add onion & green pepper and cook until they are tender. Add rest of ingredients and cook on low for 2-3 hours, or transfer to slow cooker/crockpot and cook on low 3-4 hours. Serve over hot cooked spaghetti noodles. This also goes great with Cheesy French bread (recipe below).

Beef Stroganoff

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I asked my mom to give me three recipes she’s best known for. This one is my favorite!

Beef Stroganoff
1 lb. boneless beef round steak

2 T. margarine

1/2 c. chopped onion

1 can (10.75 oz) cream of mushroom soup

1/2 t. paprika

1/2 c. sour cream

hot cooked egg noodles

Slice beef across the grain into thin strips and cook in skillet with the margarine. Stir in soup and paprika. Heat through, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat & stir in sour cream. Serve over noodles and garnish w/more paprika or parsley. Feel free to double…you’ll want leftovers!