Fish en Papillote

Translated: fish in paper. Sounds complicated but the hardest part is folding the paper. The prep itself is simple. Adapted from this recipe from Melissa D'Arabian

Ingredients
1/2 red onion, shredded
1 zucchini, shredded
1 large carrot, shredded
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 (4-ounce) sole fillets, hake, flounder or other white fish (we used flouder)
1 lemon, thinly sliced, seeds removed
8 sprigs fresh thyme
4 pats butter (1 teaspoon each)
1/4 cup water (original called for white wine)

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. In a bowl, mix together the onion, zucchini, carrot and garlic. Add the oil, season with salt and pepper, and stir to combine. Put each fish fillet in a large square of parchment paper and season with salt and pepper. Arrange the vegetables on top, dividing evenly. Top the vegetables with 2 lemon slices, 2 sprigs thyme, a teaspoon of butter and 1 tablespoon water, layering in order. Fold the parchment paper around the edges tightly in 1/4-inch folds to create a half moon shape. Make sure you press as you crimp and fold to seal the packets well, otherwise the steam will escape. Arrange the packets on a baking sheet. Bake until the fish is cooked through, about 12 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fish. To serve, cut open the packets and serve directly in the parchment on a plate or remove the fish to the plate using a spatula, being sure you don't leave the juices behind. Makes 4 small servings - we were each tempted to have a second one!

We served this with basmati rice. Delicious and easy. 

Bean and Barley Soup

The finished product.

We really enjoyed this super healthy soup which I found on daily meal via pinterest. I doubled it and didn't regret it - yummm!

Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 white or yellow onion, chopped2 stalks celery, with leaves, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 teaspoon dried marjoram
1 teaspoon dried thyme
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1/2 cup barley
1/3 cup lentils
2 red or white creamer potatoes, cut into chunks
One 15-ounce can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed

Soup in process

Directions

Heat the olive oil in a medium to large soup pot over medium heat. Add the onion, celery, and carrots. Sauté until the vegetables begin to soften and become fragrant, about 3-5 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste. Season with the dried marjoram, thyme, salt, and pepper. Sauté for 3-5 minutes, stirring so the flavors meld and the spices are evenly distributed.

Add the barley, lentils, potatoes, and kidney beans and stir to combine. Pour in enough water to cover the soup contents by about 2 inches. Stir to combine, cover partially, and simmer for about 1 hour. Remove the soup from the heat and let sit a few minutes before serving.

4 servings (Calories: 121; Total fat: 3.7 g; Saturated fat: 0.5 g; Cholesterol: 0 mg; Sodium: 1,265 mg; Total carbohydrate: 18 g; Dietary fiber: 6.9g; Sugars: 4.2 g; Protein: 5.2 g.)

Moroccan Vegetable Salad

For dinner tonight, I adapted a recipe from an old WeightWatchers cookbook from the Turn Around Program. We added butter lettuce and grilled chicken to the original. Delicious, crunchy and filling.

Ingredients
1 pint grape tomatoes, larger ones halved
1 large red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 medium cucumber, seeded and chopped
4 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1 cup canned chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1/3 cup fat-free sour cream (or yogurt)
2 grilled chicken breasts, sliced
1 head butter lettuce, cleaned and cored

Directions
Combine the tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers in a medium bowl with 2 Tablespoons of lemon juice and the salt and pepper. Stir well, cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes to give the flavors a chance to marry.
Meanwhile, heat the oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook, stirring constantly, about 30 seconds. Add the cumin and toast, stirring constantly, about 1 minute.
Puree the chickpeas, sour cream, remaining 2 Tablespoons of lemon juice in a food processor. Add the garlic mixture; pulse until combined.
Put several leaves (about 1/4 of the head) of butter lettuce on each plate, then top with one-fourth of tomato mixture. Top with about 1/3 cup of the chickpea puree and about half of a chicken breast.

Serves 4.

Quote of the Week

"Keep your face always toward the sunshine

and the shadows will fall behind you." - Walt Whitman

via pinterest

Quote of the Week

"Forever - is composed of Nows" - Emily Dickinson

via pinterest

Mulligatawny Soup

Another family favorite!

Ingredients
1 broiler-fryer chicken - cut up
4 cups water
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon curry powder
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1/8 teaspoon ground mace
2 Tablespoons butter
1/2 cup onion, chopped
2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 tomatoes - chopped (medium)
1 apple - coarsely chopped (large)
1 carrot - thinly sliced (medium)
1 green bell pepper - cut into 1/2-inch pieces (medium)

Instructions
1. Heat chicken, giblets (except liver), neck, water, salt, curry powder, lemon juice, cloves and mace to boiling in Dutch oven.

2. Reduce heat. Cover and simmer about 45 minutes or until juices of chicken run clear.

3. Remove chicken from broth. Cool chicken about 10 minutes or just until cool enough to handle. Remove skin and bones from chicken. Cut chicken into bite-size pieces.

4. Skim fat from broth. Add enough water to broth, if necessary, to measure 4 cups.

5. Heat margarine in Dutch oven over medium heat. Cook onion in margarine about 2 minutes; remove from heat. Stir in flour.

6. Gradually stir in broth. Add chicken, tomatoes and remaining ingredients.

7. Heat to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and simmer about 10 minutes or until carrot is tender. Garnish with parsley if desired.

Originally from the Betty Crocker Cookbook (ours is missing this page - did we wear it out?)... after much searching, I found online here. 

Taco Casserole

taco casserole, via pinterest

We made this yummy casserole for dinner Sunday after seeing it on pinterest. It promised to appeal to the whole family and it did - T loved it! We used green pepper from our garden (miraculously our pepper plants survived the heat of the summer, and so far the cold of the winter as well). 

peppers from the garden

Ingredients

1 lb ground skinless chicken breast
1/2 c onions, chopped
1/2 c bell peppers, chopped
1 clove garlic
1 pkg taco seasoning mix
8 ozs taco sauce
1 c fat-free sour cream
1 c fat-free cottage cheese
1 c low-fat tortilla chips, whole or broken up (we used Tostitos baked scoops)
1 c low-fat cheddar cheese, shredded
3/4 c salsa

Directions
Preheat oven to 400. Spray cooking spray on bottom of a 2-quart casserole dish; set aside. In a skillet, cook chicken, onion, peppers, and garlic clove until tender. Add seasoning mix and taco sauce; mix thoroughly and set aside. In a medium bowl, combine sour cream and cottage cheese; set aside. Place half the broken chips in the bottom of casserole dish. Add meat mixture to cover the chips, then cover the meat with sour cream mixture. Sprinkle with cheese and remaining crushed chips. Bake, uncovered, for 30 minutes or until cheese has melted. Top with 3/4 cup salsa if desired.

Makes 8 (1 Cup) Servings

Nutritional Info Per Serving:
287 Calories; 4g Fat; 25g Protein; 34g Carbs; 43mg Cholesterol; 2g Fiber; Points Plus+ 7

Note: I accidentally used fat-free cheese in this recipe, which I would not recommend. It dried out a bit and had to be cut with a sharp knife. Luckily it still tasted good. We'll try 2% cheese next time!