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another shirataki recipe: hg tuna “noodle” casserole

May 11, 2009 by runningwithfood

After my initial experiment with the great Shirataki noodles on this day, I decided it was high time to try them again.  Who can resist a little guilt-free pasta alternative every now and then, right?? 

This time around we summoned the fettuccine-shaped “noodles” to help us create the Hungry Girl version of tuna casserole, actually dubbed the Rockin’ Tuna Noodle Casserole.

 

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I’ve always been a little hesitant of piping-hot tuna in casserole form and I’m not really sure why.  I don’t seem to mind it while I’m eating it, but it always takes a lot of thinking on my part before it actually makes it to our plates.  But, since I have big faith in Hungry Girl, I knew if this one was good enough for them, it could quite possibly good enough for us as well.

 

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The link way above will take you to Hungry Girl’s healthy recipe.  Here’s how I put things together for us …

Ingredients:

(For two)

  • 2 bags fettuccine-shaped Shirataki
  • 2 small pouches Albacore tuna
  • 1 can Healthy Request Cream of Mushroom
  • 1 wedge Laughing Cow Light cheese
  • 3 tbsp. light Parmesan cheese
  • 1/4 cup diced onions
  • 1/2 cup frozen peas
  • 1/4 cup diced red bell pepper
  • 1/2 cup chopped fresh mushrooms
  • Salt, pepper and cayenne to taste
  • 2 tbsp. bread crumbs

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Rinse and drain noodles well.  Cut noodles to smaller pieces, if desired.  Place noodles in a dry skillet on medium heat; saute for 5 – 10 minutes, until noodles are dry.  Remove from heat and set aside.  In the same skillet, add a small amount of EVOO and saute onion, bell pepper and mushrooms for 5 minutes.  Add undiluted soup, cheese wedge, 2 tbsp. Parmesan, peas and spices to taste.  Cook until thoroughly heated and cheese is melted.  Remove from heat, add tuna and noodles; stir well.  Place noodle mixture into a prepared casserole dish.  Top entire dish with bread crumbs and remaining 1 tbsp. Parmesan.  Bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes.  Enjoy!

 

Have a great night, folks.

Posted in Dinner | Tagged , | 5 Comments »

cinco de mayo: chili-rubbed chicked over mexican squash

May 6, 2009 by runningwithfood

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Hi there.  My name is Jen and I have a food blog.  Don’t worry, I haven’t (yet) gone crazy.  This announcement isn’t aimed towards you, since, obviously, if you are reading this right now, you already know that little fact.  Just a little reminder to myself.  It’s been a long time, people.  How are things?

So, this recipe was orignally dubbed Turkey Breast with Mexican Squash by Rachel Ray.  As you can see from my post title, in true fashion, I ended up changing it a little bit …

Ingredients (my way – to see Rachel’s recipe, please click on the link above):

(For two)

  • 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
  • 1 tbsp. chili powder
  • 1/2 tbsp. cumin powder
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 1/4 tsp. ground red pepper
  • 1/4 onion, chopped finely
  • 2 zucchini, sliced 1/4″ thick and halved
  • 1 can Green Giant Southwestern Style Corn, drained (not Mexi-Corn)
  • ~1 cup canned diced tomatoes with green chiles, drained

Preparation:

Chicken - I really cheated when it came to the chicken since it was still partially frozen.  To solve this little problem, I boiled the chicken in a large soup pot, instead of preparing it in a skillet.  Once the chicken was just cooked through, I removed the breasts from the water, cut into thick strips and dredged one side in the chili powder mixture.  From there, they were browned in a heated skillet with a little EVOO.  Perfecto.

Mexican Squash – in another skillet, heat a small amount of oil over medium-high heat.  Add the chopped onion and saute for 3-4 minutes.  Add the sliced zucchini, leaving it undisturbed for 3-4 minutes to brown.  Add the corn and tomatoes; cook for 5-10 minutes, until heated throughout.

To serve ours, I mounded the Mexican squash on each plate, topped with chicken strips and a sprinkle of shredded Mexican cheese.  The dish was quite tasty, loaded with flavor and had the perfect amount of heat.  In the words of Rachel, YUM-O!

 

Enjoy this Wednesday!  XOXO

Posted in Dinner | Tagged , | 3 Comments »

CEiMB: balsamic chicken with baby spinach and millet

April 24, 2009 by runningwithfood

“I’m late, I’m late for a very important date!” ~ the White Rabbit, Alice in Wonderland.  Duh me.  I had a major brain-fart last night.  Yep, I’m not afraid to say the “F” word publicly.  It is what it is, ya know.  Dinner must have been so good that I forgot all sense of what needed to be done afterwards.

With that in mind, I’ll make this one short and hopefully, sweet, if you can just look passed the “fart” comment …

 

Balsamic Chicken with Baby Spinach and Millet

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To see the original recipe, the one that also includes using whole wheat couscous, rather than millet, please click here to check out Culinary Delight’s post about the delicious feast.

Ingredients:

(For two)

  • 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
  • 2 tsp. EVOO
  • S+P
  • 2 packed, heaping cups spinach (I recommend using much, much more – we didn’t have enough)
  • 2 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
  • 1/3 c. low-sodium chicken broth
  • 1 cup canned diced tomatoes, no salt added, with juice
  • 1 cup cooked millet, divided into 1/2 cup portions

Preparation:

Heat a large saute pan over medium-high heat.  Add the olive oil and allow to heat.  Season chicken breasts with salt and pepper.  Add the chicken and cook about 5 – 6 minutes per side, or until cooked through and juices run clear. Remove the chicken and set aside, keeping warm.

To the same pan, add the spinach and cook just until wilted, about 1 minute.  Remove from the pan and set aside, keeping warm.

Again, to the same pan, add the balsamic vinegar and chicken broth to the pan and stir, scraping the bottom of the pan to remove any browned bits.  Add the tomatoes, bring to a simmer and cook 3 to 5 minutes.

Portion the millet onto each plate (I used a packed measuring cup to make pretty lil’ mounds.)  Top with spinach, chicken and the balsamic-tomato sauce.

 

Hooray!!  It’s Friday!  Enjoy your weekend, people.

Posted in CEiMB, Dinner | Tagged , , | 8 Comments »

mini honey-mustard loaves + OIKOS review

April 22, 2009 by runningwithfood

So, it’s been some time since my last post.  I have good reason though, b

 

elieve it or not.  I traveled to my hometown state of Minnesota for a visit with my grandparents and my parents, who drove up from Oklahoma.  While I was there we celebrated my Grandma’s birthday … once again, Gram, happy birthday to you!  I had a great time! 

I ate plenty while I was there.  Actually, more than I would like to admit.  Even to myself.  I will just say one thing – Kathy, if you are out there reading, please e-mail me your recipe for the mini cheesecakes.  They were fabulous!  100% delicious.  I would love for them to make a blog appearance.  They were just too good.

OK, going back to eating plenty … upon my return home to my husband and frisky little furball, I was still in the mood for some good ol’ home cooking.  That’s where the loaves come to play.  I found this recipe several month’s ago while browsing Martha Stewart’s site and knew that I would find the perfect night to whip these little babies up eventually.

 

Mini Honey-Mustard (Turkey) Loaves

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These were really good and very husband- (and I would bank on child-) friendly.  I served ours with roasted sweet potato wedges.  The original recipe for the meatloaves can be found here.  My modified version …

Ingredients:

(For two)

  • 1/2 lb. ground turkey
  • 1 tbsp. honey
  • ~1 tbsp. yellow mustard
  • 1 tbsp. BBQ sauce
  • 1/2 tbsp. dried minced onion
  • 1/4 c. whole wheat Panko bread crumbs
  • 1/8 c. egg substitute
  • 1/2 tsp. seasoned salt
  • 1/2 tsp. black pepper
  • 1/4 c. shredded cheese

 

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Mix together honey, mustard and BBQ sauce.  Set aside.  In a medium bowl, combine turkey, minced onion, bread crumbs, egg substitute, salt, pepper, 1/8 c. cheese, plus 1 tbsp. mustard-BBQ sauce.  Mix well and form into two mini loaves.  Top each loaf with equal amounts of remaining mustard-BBQ sauce and cheese.  Bake in oven for 20 minutes.  Remove from oven and allow to sit for 5 minutes before serving.  Enjoy!

 

Now, on to some overdue biz … I need to give a shout-out to Kristina, with Stonyfield Farms, who was kind enough to send me coupons for Oikos Greek yogurt.  She spotted that I’m a huge fan of Greek yogurt, having only purchased Chobani previously and thought I should give her brand a go. 

 

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When it comes to Greek yogurt, we always have a stash of the plain variety in our fridge, since that is also our substitute for sour cream.  Unfortunately, I was only able to find blueberry and vanilla at my go-to store, but I’m sure the plain Oikos is out there somewhere.  I just need to look a little harder.  Thus far, I have only taste-tested the blueberry variety.  A penny for my thoughts … well, it was definitely thicker and creamier than the Chobani brand.  The blueberries I found on the bottom weren’t overly sweetened either.  Another plus.  Overall I thought it was really tasty.  The only drawback from my point as a consumer is that the price is higher than the Chobani brand and I don’t think there is that much of a difference in taste/quality for me to justify the price difference.  I will enjoy them while I have them though.  Thanks again for the coupons, Kristina.

Have a great day, everyone!

Posted in Dinner, Product Reviews | Tagged , | 8 Comments »

CEiMB: salmon with sweet + spicy rub

April 9, 2009 by runningwithfood

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When you are following a recipe, it really can’t get any easier than this one.  This week’s Craving Ellie pick, Salmon with Sweet + Spicy Rub, was chosen by the classy gal, Pam, over at Lobster & Fishsticks (love the name!)

Quick, easy and delicious is how you play the game and this one’s definitely a winner …

Ingredients:

(Scaled down to feed two)

  • 2 salmon fillets
  • 1 tbsp. packed light brown sugar
  • 1/2 tbsp. chili powder
  • 1/2 tsp. ground cumin 
  • Pinch of S+P
  • EVOO

Preparation:

(Note: I didn’t follow Ellie’s recommended cooking method, but instead followed my own favorite way to make salmon, as shown here and here.)

 

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  In a small bowl, combine brown sugar, chili powder, cumin and S+P; mix well.  Rub each salmon fillet with EVOO and rub spice mixture evenly over both pieces; pressing into salmon lightly.  Set aside.  Spray an oven-proof skillet with cooking spray and heat over high for 4 minutes.  Turn burner down to medium-high and place salmon fillets in pan, seasoned side down.  Cook for 2 minutes, undisturbed, then carefully flip fillets and place skillet in oven for 7 – 8 minutes, until fish flakes easily with a fork.  Remove skin and serve.  Enjoy!

This cooking method provides a nice crispy exterior to your salmon fillet, each and every time.  The next time I use this combination of sweet + spice to make our salmon, I will most likely add cayenne pepper to the mix for a little extra punch.  We like it hot ‘n spicy around here.  Keep it clean, people.  Keep it clean.  I’m talking about our food here.  **Wink, wink**

Alright, our marathon TV night is in session, so I’m off like a dirty shirt.  Peace out.  Oh, and tomorrow’s Friday, sleep in a little bit, ok?

Posted in CEiMB, Dinner | Tagged , | 7 Comments »

HG: lean & mein (aka chicken lo mein)

April 7, 2009 by runningwithfood

Ok, I’m putting it out there … I am addicted to reading my daily e-mail newsletter from Hungry Girl.  There, I said it.  I skim through a lot of e-mails every day, but this one I happily open into full detailed view and eagerly read away.  Line by line.  It’s not so much the food recommendations, recipes and tips they offer, but more the witty banter in which each one is written.  Very clever and catchy.  Keeps me coming back for more.  Now, don’t get me wrong, they do have some great ideas for recipes, plus new product alerts and cooking tips.  The unfortunate part is that they have a slightly higher emphasis on quick + easy processed foods, which we mostly stay away from around here.  Hey, if it works for you, great.  It’s just not us.   

I came across this recipe while I was perusing the HG site and was already very interested in cooking with Shirataki noodles, so this fit perfectly …

 

HG’s Chicken Lo Mein

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If you are interested in the recipe, please click here.  I followed as closely as possible since I don’t have much experience cooking with the Shirataki noodles and didn’t want to blow it. 

I will recommend the following when preparing the noodles for cooking …

  • Place the noodles in a colander and rinse very well; allow to drain for a few minutes, shaking the colander to release excess water
  • Microwave noodles for 2 minutes – or – place noodles in a hot skillet and saute for up to 5 minutes (I did both)
  • Place on a dish and blot with paper towels

So, what are Shirataki noodles??  Well, they are your low-carb alternative to pasta.  In fact, they are made from tofu and Konnyaku, a member of the yam family.  The kicker … each bag (yes, I said “bag,” as in the whole thing) has only 40 calories and just 6 grams of carbs.  Oh yeah.  That’s a great thing.  Want more info on these great noodles?  Click away here.

Have a great day!

Posted in Dinner | Tagged , | 13 Comments »

CEiMB: buffalo chicken salad

April 2, 2009 by runningwithfood

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When this recipe pick appeared on the “What’s Cooking?” list on the Craving Ellie site, I gave a little smile and looked forward to the day.  I began to think about all the ingredients involved that make my mouth happy … hot sauce, hot-sauce-drenched chicken and, well, of course, salad.  I love a good salad.  Buffalo-spiced chicken on top of a salad is even better.  ‘Cuz I like my heat too.

So, hi there.  How are things in your world?  It’s all good in my hood.  Just keep on keeping on.  Don’t ya know it.

This week’s pick was chosen by the snazzy gal over at You Eat Now.  Feel free to meander on over to check out her version of the recipe.  Here’s what I put together for us …

Ingredients:

(For two)

  • 2 boneless chicken breasts (or 1 HUGE one, which I used.)
  • 2 tbsp. Frank’s Hot Sauce
  • 1 tsp. melted butter
  • Bunch of chopped lettuce, your choice - I used romaine … and a ton of it!
  • Assorted veggies – chopped carrots, celery, grape tomatoes
  • Oven-fried buttermilk onion peels (recipe below)
  • Blue cheese dressing (recipe below)

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Bake chicken breast for 25 minutes, or until done.  While chicken is cooking, prepare your salad by dividing chopped lettuce into bowls.  Top with assorted veggies and pre-made onion peels.  When chicken is done, remove from oven and cut into a fine dice.  Toss chicken in a bowl with hot sauce and butter.  Divide chicken evenly between salads.  Top with blue cheese dressing and serve.  Enjoy!

Oven-Fried Buttermilk Onion Peels

Preheat oven to 475 degrees.  Coat a baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray.  Measure 1/2 cup seasoned breadcrumbs into a small paper bag; set aside.  Slice a small onion into strips of desired width.  Place onion slices in a small bowl.  Pour 1/8 cup lowfat buttermilk over slices and stir until evenly coated.  Drain excess buttermilk from bowl and transfer onions to the paper bag.  Give the bag a good shake or two.  Carefully place onions onto prepared baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes, until crispy.

Blue Cheese Dressing

Mix all ingredients together:

  • 2 tbsp. fat free mayo
  • 1/4 cup lowfat buttermilk
  • 1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
  • 1 tbsp. white wine vinegar
  • 1/2 tsp. sugar
  • 1/3 cup blue cheese crumbles
  • Pepper, to taste

 

Very good.  We gave it our thumbs up.  Another winner.  Next week’s recipe involves salmon and a sweet + spicy rub.  Um, hello?!  YUM.  I’m looking forward to that … another smile has already started.

Have a great night and a fabulous Friday!  Sleep in a little tomorrow … you deserve it! 

Posted in CEiMB, Dinner | Tagged , | 10 Comments »

CEiMB: chicken with mango barbecue sauce

March 26, 2009 by runningwithfood

Hi people.  Hooray for Thursday.  Hooray for another weekend.  Unfortunately, it’s going to be a wet + gloomy weekend here in the Carolinas.  It started raining yesterday and is suppose to continue through Sunday morning.  No good at all.  I hate to complain since I know we really need the rain, but … I just really love the sunshine.  Hello Mr. Sunshine, wherever you are.  I miss you.  Come back soon. 

Ok, enough with the jibber-jabber.  On to the food … and fabulous food it is.  This week’s Craving Ellie’s recipe was selected by Aggie from Aggie’s Kitchen.  Great choice, Aggie!  It’s a winner in the flavor department, as well as super easy to whip together on a busy weeknight.   

 

Chicken with Mango Barbecue Sauce

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To see the original recipe, please click here to visit Aggie’s post on this great selection.  I stayed pretty close to the original recipe since the ingredients were so diverse and figured I could really screw things up if I strayed away too much. 

Here are the changes that I made to Ellie’s original recipe:

  • Remember those leftover peppers from last week’s CEiMB recipe??  Well, they were roasted and saved for this recipe.  I substituted roasted red peppers for the fresh red bell pepper.
  • No allspice or lime juice in da hizzouse, so those two things were eliminated completely. 
  • Used just 2 T of molasses, instead of 3 T.
  • Used frozen cubed mango (since I refuse to go up against a fresh mango.  Anyone know the trick to cutting one of these babies??)  Also, I used just 1 cup, instead of 1 1/2 cups.

I think that about does it.  The barbecue sauce has a consistency closer to a puree.  We liked it.  The sweet from the mango was countered by the heat from the jalapenos.  I think it would be great on fish or seafood as well.  Maybe even pork.  Good thing we have plenty leftover to freeze and use again another day, another way.

Alright, ladies and gents, you probably know what’s on right now and that’s why I need to cruise on outta here.  I’ll give you a hint … it starts with basket and ends with ball.  Loves it. 

Psst – tomorrow’s Friday, people.  Sleep in just a little bit.  See ya!

Posted in CEiMB, Dinner | Tagged , | 9 Comments »

chicken, black bean + corn enchiladas

March 24, 2009 by runningwithfood

When I came across this recipe on Yahoo! Food, it originally called for tofu, instead of chicken.  Not as good, let me just tell you.  The tofu, that is.  Here again is an example of the huge hang-up that I have with tofu and its’ texture.  Now, I love me some crunchy tofu as is evident here (click + scroll) … and here.  But unless it’s baked to a crisp, I’m just not a big fan. 

After my first unsuccessful attempt at this recipe, when I actually followed the directions, I wasn’t too quick to write this one off.  It had great components.  It just needed a little RwF facelift …

 

Chicken, Black Bean + Corn Enchiladas

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Ingredients:

(Makes 4 enchiladas)

  • 1 1/2 cups cooked + shredded chicken
  • 1/2 can black beans, rinsed and drained
  • 1/2 can Mexicorn blend
  • 1/2 cup salsa
  • 1/4 tsp. hot sauce
  • Spices as desired – I used cumin + chili powder
  • 1/2 can red enchilada sauce + 1/8 cup
  • 4 flour tortillas
  • 1/2 cup+ reduced fat Mexican blend cheese

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray a baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.  In a bowl, combine chicken, black beans, corn, salsa, hot sauce, spices and 1/8 cup enchilada sauce.  Mix well.  One at a time, heat tortillas in the microwave for 10 seconds and fill with a portion of the chicken mixture.  Roll up and place, seam side down, in baking dish.  Repeat until all tortillas are complete.  Pour enchilada sauce over tortillas and place in oven.  After 25 minutes, remove dish from oven and sprinkle enchiladas with cheese; return to oven for 5 – 10 minutes.  Garnish as you wish.  Enjoy!

 

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It’s good stuff.  We’re big fans.  Woot woot.  To see the original recipe, please click here.

Hope all y’all (tee hee) are having a good night.  I’m sleeps tonight and ready to hit the sheets.  Nighty night!

Posted in Dinner | Tagged , | 9 Comments »

bbq chicken pizza roll-up

March 22, 2009 by runningwithfood

Hi people.  Hope your weekend has been fantastic.  It’s been a whole lotta basketball watching in this house.  Go ‘heels!  Woot woot. 

Let’s get down to bidness straight away …

First off, a housekeeping note – I’ve decided from here on out, my post titles will reflect the recipe inside.  This will make it easier for anyone needing to do a search of any particular recipe they’ve seen around these parts. 

Secondly, it was my fabulous right-hand gal’s birthday on Friday …

Happy Birthday, girl!

Happy Birthday, my beautiful friend!

We all went to dinner and then to see a friend’s band play.  She partied it up like a rockstar.  Way to do it to it, girl.  Loves ya!!

It’s a weekend full of birthday’s – today is my lil’ baby bro’s day …

Happy 27th, brother!

Happy 27th, brother!

Too cute to pass by ... Raggedy Ann and Andy. Mom's so clever. Ha!

Too cute to pass by ... Raggedy Ann + Andy. Mom's so clever. Ha!

 

Now to the real deal - the food.  Exciting, no??  About a month ago, I was browsing through one of my fav blog’s, Johnstone’s Vin Blanc, the brain child of the fabulous Jessica, and came across a recipe I knew I couldn’t pass up.  It had all the components of mine + Devin’s favorite go-to meal, BBQ Chicken Pizza.  This one had a little twist though – it was all rolled up …

 

BBQ Chicken Pizza Roll-Up

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It looked so good that we dug right in.  When I finally realized I hadn’t taken a picture of the goodness inside, this is all that was left …

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Piggy, piggy.  That’s what happens to pizza around here.  As for the recipe, I made a few modifications to Jessica’s version to suit our taste …

Ingredients:

  • 1 ball of TJ’s whole wheat pizza dough, rolled-out into a square shape
  • 1/4 cup BBQ sauce
  • 1 1/2 cup cooked + shredded chicken breast, tossed in a small amount of BBQ sauce
  • Heaping 1/2 cup black beans, rinsed and drained
  • 1/4 cup sliced onion
  • Heaping 1/4 cup mozzarella cheese
  • Fat free cream cheese, cut into small cubes
  • Optional – egg white and sesame seeds

Preparation:

It’s pretty self-explanatory from here - spread BBQ sauce onto center of dough, place chicken over top, then beans, onions and cheeses.  Cut 1/2″ thick strips on both sides of dough and crisscross over one another. 

*Optional* Brush top with an egg white wash and sprinkle with sesame seeds. 

Bake in a 350 degree oven until dough is cooked.  Enjoy!

 

Time to get a move-on.  All my Sunday errands are a callin’.  Weekly menu, grocery shopping, basketball, basketball and more basketball.  Have a great day.

Posted in Dinner | Tagged , | 9 Comments »

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