Chicken Fried Rice

Last night I tried my hand at making orange chicken. Needless to say it was a disaster and we ended up ordering Chinese food rather than eating what I made. Every time we order Chinese we always end up with left over rice so this afternoon I decided to try to make Chinese food again, but this time I tried fried rice.

Thankfully this time the food ended up in my stomach rather than the trash can. I don't normally order fried rice so I wasn't sure what it was really supposed to taste like but I gobbled mine down and so did Miles.

Ingredients:

• 2 eggs
• 1 1/2 cups day old rice
• 1 chicken breast
• 1/4 cup diced onion
• 1/2 cup frozen peas
• 1/2 cup shredded carrots (cut even smaller)
• 1 tbsp soy sauce

Directions:

1. Cut the chicken breast into small pieces and toss into a saute pan. Add diced onions, peas, and carrots and saute until chicken is cooked.
2. Add rice to the mixture tossing a few times until the rice is warmed.
3. Crack eggs into a small container and whisk. Make a hole in the middle of the rice mixture and pour in the eggs. Allow eggs to cook for about 2 minutes before mixing with the rice.
4. Mix the rice with the eggs and continue cooking for about 5 minutes. You want the eggs to fully cook in small pieces. Add soy sauce and serve.

Makes two servings: calories per serving - 400

Snickerdoodles

I wanted a none chocolate cookie so I decided to make snickerdoodles. My first attempt didn't go so well. I am still getting used to cooking with applesauce, splenda, and light butter. Sometimes making lower calorie switches just doesn't pan out.

This time I used a sugar cookie recipe from Delish-Blog but because snickerdoodles are supposed to have cream of tartar I doubled the baking powder called for in the recipe. I also used Splenda and light butter. These turned out MUCH better than last time. I might even go for an all Splenda cookie next time...if I can be brave enough.

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup Splenda Granulated "sugar"
• 1 1/4 cups AP flour
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 7 Tbsp (1 3/4 sticks) Light butter, softened
• 1/2 Tbsp vanilla extract
• 1 large egg

• Sugar and cinnamon mixture (about 2 tbsp each)

Directions:

1. Pre-Heat oven to 350 degrees
2. Mix flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl
3. Mix butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add vanilla and the egg and mix until well incorporated.
4. Combine wet and dry ingredients. Using wet palms roll into 1-2 tbs sized dough balls. Roll the dough balls in a mixture of sugar and cinnamon. Place on a silpat and flatten slightly.
5. Cook for 10 minutes.

Makes 12 cookies: Calories per cookie - 100

Blueberry Muffins

Miles L-O-V-E-S blueberry muffins. He normally just makes Jiffy muffins but because he has been trying to loose weight he can no longer sit down and eat an entire box of Jiffy blueberry muffins. I wanted to treat him to his favorite breakfast and I found a recipe from allrecipes that looked promising...even with all the changes I would make to cut calories.

These "To Die For Blueberry Muffins" really were good. I used frozen blueberries and the blueberries were quite a bit larger than normal blueberries. Next time I will actually use fewer berries. I never thought I would say that but it is true. There were too many berries in this mix. I also followed the directions posted by other bakers that suggested making half the topping. Half the topping was more than enough. I probably only used half of the half that I made. I also used brown sugar for the topping instead of the white sugar the original recipe calls for.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 12 packets of Splenda
  
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/3 cup apple sauce
  
• 1 egg
• 1/3 cup non-fat milk
• 1 cup fresh blueberries

Topping:

• 4 tbsp brown sugar
• 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
• 1 tbsp butter at room temp

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Grease muffin cups or line with muffin liners. I used my Silicon bake-ware so I did not need to grease the muffin cups.
   
2. Combine 1 1/2 cups flour, 3/4 cup sugar, salt and baking powder in a medium sized bowl. Place apple sauce into a 1 cup measuring cup; add the egg and enough milk to fill the cup. Mix this with flour mixture. Fold in blueberries. Fill muffin cups 3/4 of the way to the top.
   
3. Mix topping ingredients with a fork in a small bowl until grainy and sprinkle muffins with crumb topping mixture.
4. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes in the preheated oven, or until done.

Made 7 fist sized muffins: calories per muffin - 175

Cheddar Puffs

I have to admit, I was hoping for more of a biscuit than a puff when I made these but they were still very tasty. As usual I cut calories by using light butter and non-fat cheddar cheese. Apparently you can make these using just about any kind of cheese you want so next time I make them I might try something new. I love Simplyrecipies.com and will definitely be going back to this blog for more dinner ideas. I served the cheddar puffs with salmon and a green salad.

Ingredients:

• 1 stick light butter (8 Tbsp or 4 ounces)
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 4 large eggs
• 1 cup (4 ounces) grated sharp cheddar cheese
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme (or rosemary)
• Freshly ground pepper

Directions:

1 In a medium sized saucepan, add the water, butter, and salt, and bring to a boil over high heat.

2 Reduce the heat to medium and add the flour all at once. Stir rapidly. The mixture will form a dough ball that will pull away from the sides of the pan. It helps to use a wooden spoon to stir as the dough will be rather thick. Continue to cook for a couple minutes.

3 Remove the pan from the heat and let cool for a couple of minutes. Stir so that the dough cools more evenly. You want the dough to be warm, just not so hot that when you start adding eggs they cook as they hit the dough. Add the eggs one at a time, stirring after each addition until the eggs are incorporated into the dough. (Do this part in a mixer if you want, or by hand with a wooden spoon.) The dough should become rather creamy.

4 Stir in the grated cheese, thyme, and a few grinds of pepper.

5 Preheat oven to 425°F. Spoon out small balls (about a heaping tablespoon) of the dough onto a Silpat or parchment lined baking sheet, with at least an inch separating the spoonfuls. Place in oven and cook for 10 minutes at 425°F. Lower heat to 350°F and cook for another 15-20 minutes, until puffed up and lightly golden.

Makes about 2 dozen. Calories per puff: 55

Cinnamon Rolls - with Raisins

I spent all Saturday cooking and looking at food blogs. Every time I looked at another blog I wanted to cook something else. After making muffins, macaroons, grilled sandwiches, and wanting to make a half dozen other things I finally settled on cinnamon rolls. I have been craving breakfast foods -hence the muffins- and last weekend Miles and I made waffles and pancakes. I can't justify having cinnamon rolls without Miles so I decided to freeze these (from all recipes) for a later date.

Ingredients:

• 1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
• 3/4 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
• 2 tbsp white sugar + 3 packets of Splenda
  
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 egg, room temperature
• 2 1/2 cups bread flour

• 5 tbsp light butter, softened
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup raisins

Directions:

1. In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.
2. In a large bowl, combine the yeast mixture with the sugar, salt, egg and 1 cup flour; stir well to combine. Stir in the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, beating well with each addition. When the dough has pulled together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes. Cover with a damp cloth and let rest in a warm place for 10 minutes.
3. Roll dough out on a lightly floured surface to 1/4 inch thick rectangle. Smear the dough with butter and sprinkle with cinnamon, raisins, and brown sugar. Roll up the dough along the long edge until it forms a roll. Slice off and discard the ends. Then cut into the roll into 12 equal size pieces and place them in the pan with the cut side up.(At this point you can wrap the pieces in saran wrap allow to rise for 45 and then freeze)
   
4. Cover pan with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight or cover and let rise at room temperature until doubled in volume, about 45 minutes.
5. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Bake rolls until golden brown, about 15-20 minutes.

Servings 12: calories per serving 165

Coconut Macaroons

Miles introduced me to coconut macaroons about 10 months ago. We bought a container of macaroons from Trader Joes and made the mistake of opening the container while in the car on the way home. I had eaten five before I looked at the nutrition information on the top of the container. I don't remember exactly how many calories each coconut macaroon ended up being but I remember being blown away at how high calorie they were despite being so very yummy. I have been wanted coconut macaroons ever since but I haven't been able to bring myself to get them.

Thanks to the trusty internet I was sure that I could find a recipe that at the very least I could adapt to make a lower calorie version of these sinfully delicious treats. I am a huge fan of checking reviews for recipes and I often choose to make the best rated version of any recipe. Tons of websites also have reviews from wonderful people explaining ways to make the original recipe better. Well, the best rated recipes all seemed to contain an entire can of sweetened condensed milk. Talk about calorie dense...condensed milk is about as bad as it gets.

And this is when I happened upon a blog with a recipe from America's Taste Kitchen. Now one of my good friends is always raving about America's Taste Kitchen so I thought this recipe would surely taste good. Like always I used the lowest calorie/fat options I could find. Below is my version of this amazing recipe. The link above will take you to the original version.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups sweetened shredded coconut
• 1/2 bag (4.4 oz) reduced fat, finely shredded unsweetened coconut (I used Lets go...Organic)
• 6 large egg whites (I used egg substitute egg whites)
• 12 packets of Splenda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp almond extract
• 6 oz dark chocolate for dipping (if desired)
  

Directions:

1. Using a hand mixer, whip the egg whites until they form soft peaks. Add Splenda, almond extract and salt. Continue mixing with the hand mixer for about 30 seconds...or until well blended.
2. Mix in coconut (both kinds) using a spoon. Once mixed used the hand mixer to fluff the coconut and ensure it is well mixed. "Dough" will look like coconut and not like a dough.
   
3. Refrigerate for 15 min. while preheating the oven to 375 degrees.
4. Spoon one heaping tablespoon of the fluffy mixture into your palm. Squeeze the mixture while shaping it into a tight ball. Place about macaroons about 1 inch apart on a silicon baking sheet.
   
5. Cook for 15 min. Remove from oven and allow to cool on the baking sheet.
6. If desired, melt good quality dark chocolate in the microwave and dip cooled macaroons into the chocolate.
   

Makes 40 macaroons: 40 calories each without chocolate. 55 calories with bottom dipped in chocolate.

Banana Mini Muffins

I LOVE bananas, chocolate covered bananas, plain bananas, banana bread, banana pancakes, banana everything. I have been craving bread recently and my work had some very ripe bananas that no one wanted to eat. Of course at this point I am thinking about how wonderful banana bread would be for breakfast this weekend.

After looking all over the internet for a recipe and only finding breads with tons of four, sugar, and oil I decided to combine a couple of recipes and make my own substitutions. This recipe was a complete invention so I wasn't sure quiet how it would turn out. In the end my kitchen smelled fabulous and the muffins were delicious. I like my banana muffins a little on the under-cooked side so these might be a little moist for some people. If you like your muffins more like cake-like I would cut the apple sauce down to 1 tbs and add a pinch of baking powder. I will definitely be making these again.

Ingredients:

• 2 small/medium very ripe bananas
• 3/4 cup AP flour
• 6 packets of splenda
• 1 tbs light butter (I used Land-o-Lakes)
• 1.5 tbs unsweetened applesauce
• 1.5 tbs egg substitutes
  
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• pinch of salt

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350
2. Mix sugar with butter (this helps to get all the butter blended smoothly!)
3. Add egg substitute, and beat lightly to get the mixture to fluff up a little.
4. Add the bananas, smashing them into the mix with a fork.
   
5. Add the vanilla, and applesauce.
6. Then add all the remaining dry ingredients and mix well.
7. Spoon about one tbs of batter into each mini muffin cup
   
8. Bake for 15 -20 minutes. Keep an eye on them as oven temperatures and cooking times vary. You'll be able to tell it's all ready when the color is good and golden brown, or when a knife comes out clean from the center.
9. Remove muffins or loaves from pans to cool on a rack.

Makes 12 mini muffins. Calories per muffin: 50

Stuffed Mushrooms

Miles was out of town so I got to make something I know he would never like. I am a big fan of stuffed mushrooms but they are so high calorie that I normally wouldn't eat them. So, I searched the internet for a recipe and finally came across one that didn't seem to be to bad. Sure it called for tossing the mushrooms in bacon fat and oil and then pouring butter over them but I decided I could try the recipe without those portions.

In the end these mushrooms were full of flavor. They would have been better smothered in butter but then most things would taste better if they were lathered in butter. I will definitely make these again but next time I will add a little butter to moisten them and add that yummy butter flavor. Not enough butter to drown them but just a little...

Ingredients:

• 10 large mushrooms (stems pulled out)
• 3/4 cup steamed spinach
• 1/4 cup diced onion
• 2 strips turkey bacon
• 1 oz feta (I used non-fat feta)
• 1 oz cream cheese (I used fat free cream cheese)
• Sprinkling of shredded mozzarella cheese (I used non-fat cheese)
• Salt, pepper, and ground garlic to taste

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees
2. Place mushrooms, round side down, on a baking sheet. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and cook until filled with water.
3. Drain the mushrooms, flip them over and cook for another 10-15 minutes. They should be soft and brown on top.
4. While the mushrooms are cooking for the second time, cook bacon and then cut it into little pieces. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
5. Saute diced onion. When cooked remove from heat and toss with bacon. Mix bacon and onion with feta, cream cheese, spinach, and seasonings.
6. Remove mushrooms from oven. Spoon about 1 tablespoon of filling into each mushroom. Return mushrooms to oven for 10 min. After 10 minutes top with a light sprinkling of mozzarella and cook for a few more minutes (until cheese is melted).
7. Serve warm.

Calories in the entire batch: 275. Approximately 27 calories per mushroom.

(Mushrooms before cheese topping was added)

Orzo Carbonara with Broccoli

So I know most people make their carbonara with spaghetti but I am not most people. I have been on an orzo kick recently (although for some reason I am always calling it polenta - I don't even like polenta). With the whole orzo kick going I decided to put a twist on this meal by changing out the pasta. I just find orzo to be so filling compared to many other pastas.

As usual this is also a lighter version of your normal carbonara. It is made with light sour cream, alfredo sauce, turkey bacon, and non-fat milk.

Ingredients:

• 4 oz orzo (2/3 cup)
• 1/3 cup diced red onion
• 7 strips turkey bacon (I used Jenny-O lean turkey bacon)
• 2 tbs alfredo sauce (I used Newman's Own)
• 2 tbs light sour cream
• 1/4 cup non-fat milk
• salt and pepper to taste
• Sprinkling of parmesan cheese
  

• Broccoli - baked

Directions:

1. Cook orzo as directed on the box.
2. Cut turkey bacon into 1 cm strips - cut along the length of the turkey bacon so you have short little strips
3. Cook turkey over medium heat in a skillet
4. Add diced onion and 1/2 tbs of water to the skillet. Cook onions until translucent.
5. Turn heat to low and allow to cool before adding the sour cream, alfredo, milk, salt and pepper. Once heated toss with drained orzo, toss with parmesan cheese, and serve with the baked broccoli or other desired vegetable.

Servings 2: Calories per serving 450 including the broccoli (420 without broccoli)

Double Chocolate Mint Cookies

After deciding not to do anything special for Valentine’s Day I changed my mind and ended up wanting to cook dinner with Miles. I spent hours working on the menu the night before and had everything figured out: Steaks over a bed of spinach and feta cheese, orzo on the size and chocolate lava cakes for dessert.

So on Valentine’s Day I realized that I didn't really want to make chocolate lava cakes for dessert. While I love me some lava cakes I have made them a couple of times recently and they just didn't feel like having them again. So off to the internet I went looking for a new dessert idea. Miles had asked for chocolate so chocolate he was going to get. I finally stumbled across these cookies (from Martha Stewart) and with a few edits I had my recipe. I cut it in half and used a Splenda/sugar combo. I also used dark chocolate instead of the milk chocolate that was in the original recipe. Miles loves mint so a little mint extract and these cookies went from chocolate to minty chocolate heaven.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
• 2 ounces semi sweet chocolate chips (I used Ghirardelli)
• 2 ounces dark chocolate (I used Ghirardelli Twilight Delight 72%) cut into 1/4-inch chunks
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter (I used Land -o - Lakes Light butter)
• 1/2 cups sugar
• 4 packets of Splenda
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon mint extract

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside. Melt 2 ounces chocolate chips with the butter in a small heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water; let cool slightly.
2. Put chocolate mixture, sugar, eggs, and vanilla in the bowl and whisk gently until combined. Gradually mix in flour mixture. Fold in chocolate chunks.
3. Refrigerate dough for 1-2 hours.
4. Using a spoon, drop dough onto parchment-lined baking sheets, spacing 2 inches apart. Bake until cookies are puffy and surfaces crack, about 13 minutes (cookies should be soft). Let cool. Cookies will flatten out as they cool.
   

Makes 14 cookies - slightly smaller than palm sized - calories per cookie = 108