cooking beets

Chicken Breasts with Mushroom Cream Sauce

This recipe is most delicious!

The original recipe called for pan-frying the chicken till it’s done. I used a higher flame on the stovetop and seared the chicken in a grill pan. Then baked it in the oven till it was done.

The sauce, which was unbelieveable, was just barely enough. I tend to like more sauce, so I would suggest doubling it if you are like me.

Chicken Breasts with Mushroom Cream Sauce
Adapted from Eating Well Magazine

2 (5 ounce) skinless and boneless chicken breasts
salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon vegetable oil to sauté the chicken
Another tablespoon oil to sauté the vegetables
1 medium shallot, minced
1 cup thinly sliced shitake mushroom caps
¼ cup chicken broth
2 tablespoons dry vermouth or dry white wine
2 tablespoons heavy cream
2 tablespoons minced chives (or scallion greens)

Season the chicken with salt and pepper on both sides.

Heat the oil in a skillet (I used a non-stick grill pan) over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and get those beautiful grill marks.

Transfer the chicken to a PAM-sprayed baking dish and bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes (depending on the thickness of the breast). Be sure not to overcook or it will be dry.

Add the chicken broth to the pan with the flame on and use a brush to remove the delicious bits from the pan and flavor your broth more. Pour the liquid in a dish and set aside.

Add the other tablespoon oil to a pan (not a grill pan) and heat it up. Then add the shallots. Let them sauté for 1 minute so they are tender. Add the mushroom caps. Cook them for 2-3 minutes.

Add the vermouth and chicken broth. Cook down until half of the liquid remains.

Add the cream and chives.

To serve, spoon the sauce on top of the chicken.

My side dishes were sautéed baby spinach and a wild brown rice mixture with added toasted pecans.

A note about the sautéed baby spinach: It cooks down to almost nothing! I used an entire bag (6 oz) of baby spinach and only got one portion out of it! I used a small omlette pan, so first I through in about half of the bag of spinach:

It cooked down:

Then I throw in the rest on top of what was there:

And this was all there was once it cooked.

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Weight Watchers Asian Zero Points Soup Recipe ♥

The 'Asian-inspired' version of Weight Watchers three new Zero Point soup recipes

Today's Weight Watchers recipe: One of three new zero-point soup recipes from Weight Watchers. Asian-inspired ingredients: bok choy, Chinese cabbage, fresh ginger, bean sprouts, snow peas. Weight Watchers 0 points.

When Weight Watchers UK introduced brand-new zero-point soup recipes, I couldn't wait to try all three. First I tested the 'Mexican-inspired' zero-point soup and now today, the Asian-inspired zero-point soup recipe. (What's left to try? The Italian-inspired soup!)

How do these two new soup recipes compare to Weight Watchers' original zero-points Garden Vegetable Soup?

All three are alike in these ways: all have (1) lots of low-calorie vegetables, (2) no-calorie broths and (3) lots of flavor. To my taste, the Garden Vegetable Soup and the Mexican-inspired soup are more substantial tasting than the Asian-inspired soup. But that's okay, for that makes the Asian soup an especially good choice for days -- after an indulgent weekend, say -- when we want our food to taste as light as it is.

The three Weight Watchers soups are unalike in these ways: vegetables really 'star' in the original Garden Vegetable Soup and the Mexican-inspired soup. Here, in the Asian-inspired version, the dominant flavor is fresh ginger, the vegetables themselves are mild. And the Asian-inspired version is better suited for eating immediately, since the bean sprouts and snow peas need cooking for just a couple of minutes.

WEIGHT WATCHERS ASIAN ZERO POINTS SOUP

See Weight Watchers' inspiring recipe
Hands-on time: 35 minutes
Time to table: 45 minutes
Makes 10 cups

6 cups vegetable broth (I used 6 cups water and Better for Bouillon)

2 cups bok choy, chopped (use the leftover bok choy to make this great bok choy salad or check the other bok choy recipes)
2 cups Chinese/Napa cabbage, chopped (use the leftover Napa cabbage in this salad with Asian-inspired dressing)
1/4 cup fresh ginger, thinly sliced and julienned
4 oyster mushrooms, sliced thin (I used shiitake mushrooms, next time I will use more mushrooms)
2 cups scallions / green onions (this is a lot of onion, almost two entire bunches, 14 individual onions)
8 ounce can of sliced water chestnuts, drained
1 red pepper, halved, cored, each half cut into three sections lengthwise, each section sliced thin cross-wise (nestle the three sections together to speed along the cutting)
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (this is a lot, this soup has some heat, if you don't appreciate that, start with 1/8 teaspoon or even 1/16; the heat does moderate after being refrigerated for 24 hours)

2 cups snow peas (these are far cheaper from the frozen section and don't require stringing, if using fresh cut off the tips and then along the string-y side, that's the side opposite the peas)
1 cup fresh bean sprouts

2 tablespoons soy sauce (I used shozu, a fruity soy sauce, next time I'll use regular soy sauce for more substance)
1/2 cup fresh chopped cilantro

OPTIONAL BUT TIME-SAVING TIP Bring the vegetable broth (or water for bouillon) to a boil in an electric tea kettle or in the microwave while prepping the vegetables.

Collect all the vegetables except the snow peas and bean sprouts in a cold large pot or Dutch oven. When those vegetables are prepped, add the hot water, cover and bring to a boil on MEDIUM HIGH. Let simmer for about 5 minutes. Add the bean sprouts and snow peas, cook another 5 minutes. Stir in the soy sauce and cilantro.

NUTRITION ESTIMATE
Per Cup: 69 Cal (3% from Fat, 24% from Protein, 72% from Carb); 5 g Protein; 0 g Tot Fat; 0 g Sat Fat; 0 g Mono Fat; 14 g Carb; 3 g Fiber; NetCarb11; 4 g Sugar; 54 mg Calcium; 1 mg Iron; 537 mg Sodium; 0 mg Cholesterol; Weight Watchers 1 point

What??? One point? Yes, that's how my calculations turned out, double- and triple-checked. When relying on actual math, the Garden Vegetable Soup does too, though not the Mexican soup. Still, all these vegetables are 'free' vegetables in Weight Watchers parlance, and there is no added fat, no starchy vegetables. So call it 0 points, I know I'm going to.

According to the Weight Watchers folks, you can add a protein to a cup of soup:

2 ounces cooked shrimp, Weight Watchers 1 point
2 ounces scallops, Weight Watchers 1 point
1/2 cup firm tofu, Weight Watchers 1 point
2 ounces cooked white meat chicken, Weight Watchers 1 point

KITCHEN NOTES

The Mexican-inspired soup made me me realize that A Veggie Venture's many one-point soup recipes can easily be converted to zero-point recipes, just by substituting a splash of broth for olive oil when sautéing the onion up front. These recipes might be good alternatives for Weight Watchers followers not excited about chopping vegetables for forty minutes.

A Veggie Venture is my own website packed with nearly recipes, each one featuring vegetables. It is not associated with Weight Watchers - more information.

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FAVORITE VEGETABLE RECIPES
~ more Weight Watchers recipes ~
from A Veggie Venture (all vegetable recipes)
~ more Weight Watchers recipes ~
from Kitchen Parade, my food column (all courses)
~ more low-carb recipes ~
from A Veggie Venture (all vegetable recipes)
~ more low-carb recipes ~
from Kitchen Parade
~ more soup recipes ~

WEEKEND HERB BLOGGING Today's latest Weight Watchers Zero Points Soup recipe is my contribution to Weekend Herb Blogging at Kalyn's Kitchen. Head on over to see all the recipes with healthful ingredients collected from all over the world. (And good news for other South Beach dieters like Kalyn: she says that this soup fits all phases of the South Beach diet.)

Eat more vegetables! A Veggie Venture is the home of Veggie Evangelist Alanna Kellogg and is the award-winning source of free vegetable recipes, quick, easy, and yes, delicious. Start with the Alphabet of Vegetables or dive into all the Weight Watchers vegetable recipes or all the low carb vegetable recipes.
© Copyright 2008

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Shitake Mushrooms

Which photo do you like more? Horizontal or Vertical?

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Asparagus Noodles ♥

Today's vegetable recipe: Thin strips of asparagus stems, gently sautéed. Quick. Low carb. Weight Watchers 1 point.

The local asparagus won't arrive for a couple of weeks but there's no avoiding the temptation of the first asparagus from the supermarket.

These quick-cooked asparagus 'noodles' were absolutely delicious. I used a vegetable peeler to 'noodle-ize' fat spears of asparagus, then cooked them in nothing more than butter -- a splash of lemon juice might be nice too. SO simple. SO good.

VEGETABLE RECIPES from the ARCHIVES
~ more ways to cook asparagus~

ASPARAGUS NOODLES

Hands-on time: Maybe 10 minutes
Time to table: Maybe 15 minutes
Serves 4

1 1/2 pounds fresh asparagus (fat spears are best)
1 tablespoon butter
Splash of lemon juice (if you like)
Salt & pepper to taste

Snap woody ends off asparagus and discard. Slice off the tips and if you like, save for something else. With a vegetable peeler, slice lengthwise along each spear, creating a 'noodle'. Reserve the first and last mostly-skin noodles for something else. Heat the butter in a non-stick skillet on MEDIUM til shimmery. Add the asparagus noodles and stir to coat with fat. Let cook, stirring occasionally, til soft and buttery. If cooking the tips, add about halfway through the cooking time. Season to taste and serve immediately.

NUTRITION ESTIMATE
Per Serving: 49 Cal (48% from Fat, 18% from Protein, 34% from Carb); 3 g Protein; 3 g Tot Fat; 2 g Sat Fat; 1 g Mono Fat; 5 g Carb; 2 g Fiber; NetCarb3; 2 g Sugar; 28 mg Calcium; 2 mg Iron; 3 mg Sodium; 8 mg Cholesterol; Weight Watchers 1 point

KITCHEN NOTES

This recipe is best for 'fat' spears of asparagus since there's a higher proportion of flesh:skin.

The first and the last noodles were 'too much skin' and so next time, I'd save them and maybe the tips for something else, perhaps a raw asparagus salad.

PRINT JUST A RECIPE! Now you can print a recipe without wasting ink and paper on the header, sidebar and comments. Here's how.

NEVER MISS A RECIPE! For 'home delivery' of new recipes from A Veggie Venture, sign up here. Once you do, new recipes will be delivered, automatically, straight to your e-mail In Box.

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Gimme Some of that Less Fattening Kugel

I had kugel a few times when I was younger. Mostly at the homes of other people. I'm sure I had it more than once, but I distinctly remember once being at the home of my aunt and uncle (on my mother's side) who kept kosher. This is a dish for dairy meals.

You see, one of the ways that people keep kosher is to separate dairy from meats and never eat them in the same meal.

Now, if you want to go all out with the kosher thing, you even have separate cabinets for the dishes that you use with meats and the dishes that you use with dairy. Grandma had a fairly big kitchen to hold all those dishes. Okay, there are much bigger kitchens, but her house was of a modest size.

Back to the kugel.

Traditional kugel is fattening! When I went looking for recipes I found that they called for an entire stick of butter, 4% cottage cheese, and full-fat sour cream. Well, those were the good recipes. I was insulted at some of the recipes I found that used ricotta cheese. Shame on them! ricotta is for lasagna and manacotti, not kugel.

Between the fattening and the non-traditional ingredients, I decided that I had to create my own kugel recipe. I used the others as a guide. My recipe only uses one tablespoon butter, 2% cottage cheese (I prefer Breakstones), and low fat sour cream (Daisy's is best for me).

Then, I had to choose between the toppings.

Many of the recipes call for corn flake crumbs. But I also saw one that looked appealing with graham cracker crumbs instead. I decided to try both and do a comparison. Here's what I found out.

Crushed Corn Flake Topping

Graham Cracker Crumb Topping

When fresh out of the oven, I really liked the corn flake topping. It added some texture, which kugel tends to lack. But as a leftover, it became soggy as it sat. At that point, I preferred the graham cracker topping.

So choose your topping based on when you are going to eat your kugel, unless you just flat-out like graham cracker crumbs and want to use them every time.

As for the flavors, I did some traditional, some non-traditional. I added golden raisins. That's the traditional. But then I got freaky and threw in some minced, candied ginger and orange zest. I like the flavors.

One other note, when I made this recipe, I used 1 cup of sugar. But in the end, though it was delicious, I thought it was a bit too sweet. I suggest cutting back to 2/3 cup, so that is what I'm writing into the ingredient list.

Kugel is great, and easy to prepare. About a month ago I suggested it to some people who wanted to make something Jewish for a large crowd. When I gave them a recipe they looked kind of grossed-out. But in the end, when they found out how much time they had and how much work other recipes were, they went for it, and it was all good.

Go ahead and give it a try.

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Meryl's Lightened Kugel

Crushed Corn Flake Topping

Graham Cracker Crumb Topping

When I made this recipe, I cut the portions in half from the other recipes I saw. So, I guess that means you can feel free to double it!

Ingredients:

1/2 package (8 ounces) broad egg noodles
1 Tbs. butter
4 eggs
2/3 cup sugar
1 cup daisy light sour cream (8 ounces)
1 cup Breakstones 2% cottage cheese
1 tsp. orange zest
2 oz (2 small boxes) golden raisins
1 heaping Tablespoon minced candied ginger (4 cubes of the Trader Joe's type)

Topping Options:

Graham Cracker:

Enough graham cracker crumbs to cover the surface
PAM (just a spray so it stays moist and doesn't burn)

Corn Flake:

Squish the corn flakes in your palm and sprinkle on top

Directions:

Cook noodles according to package directions; drain. Toss with butter; set aside. In a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs, sugar, sour cream and cottage cheese until well blended. Stir in noodles. Transfer to a greased (PAM'd) baking dish. The one I used was a double-wide loaf pan. I'm guessing that an 8 inch or 9 inch square pan will compare.

Sprinkle on the topping.

Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 50-55 minutes or until a thermometer reads 160°. Let stand for 10 minutes before cutting. Serve warm or cold. Yield: 6-7 servings.

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Free Icons for Bloggers: Let's Celebrate Fresh & Local Produce!

One of four icons for bloggers, here in 400px

Finally! The advent of spring may mean cherry blossoms in Washington but for vegetable lovers, it's the return of fresh, local produce that stirs our spoons.

So I commissioned some icons to help myself -- and my fellow bloggers -- showcase fresh vegetables and fruits whether from farmers markets, a CSA, a you-pick farm, even our own gardens. (Sound familiar? Who remembers Blush the Sweet Tomato?)

For produce from a u-pick or other farm, here in 400px

So yes, fellow bloggers, you are invited to use these icons in your own blogs in posts and places that feature fresh and local produce. Together, let's help spread the word about the many sources of fresh and healthful produce.

Each icon comes in 400px, 125px and 100px sizes. You're free to use one or more of the icons as you see fit: in posts; in sidebars; to link to a list of your own favorite farmers markets; to link to Local Harvest or your own CSA -- anything creative you come up with that's related to fresh, local produce.

For produce our own gardens, here in 400px

Use them once, use them a hundred times, it's up to you. Me, I plan to insert the icons into my post template so they're automatically added to posts that feature vegetables from my favorite farmers market or fresh herbs from my own garden.

These icons are my gift to the food blog community so they are "free" for all bloggers to use. But when you use an icon for the first time, I would appreciate your linking to A Veggie Venture.

If you're not a blogger and are interested in the icon, please contact me to request permission. I've never said "no"!

COPY INSTRUCTIONS To copy any icon to use on your own site, (1) right click an icon image in the size you'd like to use, (2) click Save As to save the image on your own computer, (3) then upload to your site as normal. No hot linking, please!

Once you're using the icon, if you'd like others to know, feel free to leave a comment with a link to your blog, below. Use this code, {a href="InsertYourBlogURLHere"}InsertYourBlogNameHere{/a}, replacing the { and } with <>. Be sure to tell everyone how you're using the icon -- creative ideas are encouraged!

Here are a few blogs using the logos:

And if you like, wish A Veggie Venture a Happy 3rd Anniversary! Yes, indeed, this vegetable recipe food blog celebrates its birthday on April 1. (Want to know more about A Veggie Venture?)

Many thanks to Heather from Goofy Girl Designs for creating this year's logos!