Double-Post Monday

Besides being Meatless Monday, it's also Double-Post Monday. Today's offerings include Light Sour Cream Chicken Enchiladas and Cauliflower Crust Pizza with Pesto and Tomatoes. Enjoy!

STRAWBERRY FROSTY

This was in a Weight Watchers' email several years ago. The program has changed, but I'm using the values from when this was sent.

This begins, “Our Strawberry Frosty is much less fattening than typical fast-food shakes — and it's just as creamy!”

POINTS® Value: 3; Servings: 2; Preparation Time: 5 min; Cooking Time: 0 min; Level of Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients

1 cup fat-free vanilla frozen yogurt

1 cup unsweetened frozen strawberries

1/2 cup fat-free skim milk

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 Tbsp strawberry jam

Directions

Combine ingredients in a blender; blend until thick and frothy. Yields about 1 cup per serving.

THREE-CUP CHICKEN

This is from Sam Sifton in The New York Times cooking e-newsletter. Sam wrote, “Ask 30 people how to make this simple Taiwanese recipe, and you’ll receive 30 different responses. Some fry the chicken before braising it, use more oil, less wine, different blends of soy sauce. Debates rage over how thick the sauce should be, over which parts of the chicken to use. (Few follow the folk recipe that calls for making the sauce with a cup each of sesame oil, soy sauce and rice wine. ‘If you actually cook it that way,’ says Eddie Huang, the Taiwanese-American chef who inspired the television program ‘Fresh Off the Boat,’ ‘you’ll be in trouble.’) Our reporting and testing led us to the recipe below. Use it as a starting point, and then make it your own.”

Yield: 4 servings; Time: 30 minutes

This was featured in “A Taste of Taiwan,” and can be viewed online here.

Note: If, like me, you don't keep alcohol around the house, don't panic. I've been known to add water (or a suitable broth) in place of wine in recipes.

Ingredients

3 tablespoons sesame oil

1 2-to-3-inch piece of ginger, peeled and sliced into coins, approximately 12

12 cloves of garlic, peeled

4 whole scallions, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces

3 dried red peppers or 1 teaspoon red-pepper flakes

2 pounds chicken thighs, boneless or bone-in, cut into bite-size pieces

1 tablespoon unrefined or light brown sugar

1/2 cup rice wine

1/4 cup light soy sauce

2 cups fresh Thai basil leaves or regular basil leaves

Preparation

Heat a wok over high heat and add 2 tablespoons sesame oil. When the oil shimmers, add the ginger, garlic, scallions and peppers, and cook until fragrant, approximately 2 minutes.

Scrape the aromatics to the sides of the wok, add remaining oil and allow to heat through. Add the chicken, and cook, stirring occasionally, until it is browned and crisping at the edges, approximately 5 to 7 minutes.

Add sugar and stir to combine, then add the rice wine and soy sauce, and bring just to a boil. Lower the heat, then simmer until the sauce has reduced and started to thicken, approximately 15 minutes.

Turn off the heat, add the basil and stir to combine. Serve with white rice.

CAULIFLOWER CRUST PIZZA WITH PESTO AND TOMATOES

This comes from Ready Set Eat, and begins, “Cauliflower crust pizza recipe is topped with basil pesto, fresh mozzarella cheese and organic diced tomatoes for a 'low carb' pizza.”

Prep Time: 30 minutes; Total Time: 75 minutes; Servings: 4; Number of ingredients: 8

To view this online (and to check out the site), go to https://www.readyseteat.com/recipes-Cauliflower-Crust-Pizza-with-Pesto-and-Tomatoes-8115.

Ingredients

PAM® Organic Olive Oil No-Stick Cooking Spray

6 cups fresh cauliflower florets (6 cups florets = about 1-1/2 pounds)

3 large egg whites, beaten

2/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

1 teaspoon chopped fresh oregano

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/3 cup refrigerated basil pesto

4 ounces sliced fresh mozzarella cheese, halved

1 can (14.5 oz each) Hunt's® Diced Tomatoes, drained well (or try Hunt's® Organic)

Directions

Preheat oven to 400°F. Line 12-inch round pizza pan with parchment paper. Spray with cooking spray; set aside.

Place half of cauliflower in food processor bowl; pulse until mixture resembles ‘rice’. Repeat with remaining cauliflower. Place cauliflower 'rice' in large microwave-safe bowl; cover. Microwave on HIGH 3 to 5 minutes or until cauliflower is steamed. Carefully place on kitchen towel in single layer; cool 2 to 3 minutes. Twist towel to squeeze liquid from cauliflower (removing about 1 cup). Place drained cauliflower in medium bowl.

Add egg whites, Parmesan cheese, basil, oregano and pepper to bowl; stir to combine. Spread mixture on pizza pan, pressing lightly to edge of pan with hands to resemble pizza crust. Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until crust is golden brown.

Remove from oven. Spread pesto over crust; top with cheese and drained tomatoes. Bake 8 to 10 minutes more or until cheese is melted. Cut into 8 slices.

Tips:

Cauliflower florets (with little stem) work best for this recipe.

For gluten free preparation, confirm all recipe ingredients are gluten free by reading product labels each time you make this recipe.

ALMOND, TOASTED OAT AND CHERRY TRAIL MIX

This was in a Weight Watchers' email several years ago. The program has changed, but I'm using the values from when this was sent.

This recipe began, “Take this energy-packed treat with you when you head to the great outdoors.”

POINTS® Value: 3; Servings: 6; Preparation Time: 8 minutes; Cooking Time: 25 minutes; Level of Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients

1 cup uncooked old fashioned oats

2/3 cup dried cherries, chopped

1/4 cup slivered almonds

1/4 tsp table salt

1 Tbsp Land O Lakes Stick Light Butter, or similar product, melted

1/4 cup honey

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a sided sheet pan with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, stir together rolled oats, cherries, almonds and salt. Drizzle with butter and honey and toss thoroughly. Spread mixture evenly on sheet pan. Bake, stirring occasionally to ensure even browning, about 20 to 25 minutes; let cool. Yields about 1/3 cup per serving. (You might want to double the recipe and store the mix for a few days in an airtight container.)

LIGHT SOUR CREAM CHICKEN ENCHILADAS

Recipe Yield: Servings: 6 (2 Enchiladas each)

Source: Cooking Healthy and Fast

Book Title: Cooking Healthy and Fast

View this online at https://diabeticgourmet.com/diabetic-recipes/light-sour-cream-chicken-enchiladas.

Ingredients

1 (8oz) container light sour cream

1 (8oz) container nonfat plain yogurt

1 (10-3/4oz) can cream of chicken soup with 1/3 less salt

1 (4oz) can diced green chilies

12 (6-7 inch) white corn or flour tortillas

1 Cup (4oz) shredded reduced-fat Cheddar cheese

1-1/2 Cups chopped cooked chicken

1/4 Cup sliced green onions

Directions

Heat oven to 350F degrees. Spray a 13x9-inch (3 Qt) baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. In med. bowl, combine sour cream, yogurt, soup and chilies; mix well. Spoon bout 3 Tbsp sour cream mixture down center of each tortilla. Reserve 1/4 cup Cheddar cheese; sprinkle each tortilla with remaining cheese, chicken and onions. Roll tortillas and place in spray-coated dish, seam side down. Spoon remaining sour cream mixture over tortillas. Cover with foil and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until hot and bubbly. Remove foil; sprinkle with reserved 1/4 cup cheese. Return to oven & bake, uncovered, an additional 5 minutes or until cheese is melted. Garnish with shredded lettuce and chopped tomatoes, if desired.

Nutritional Information Per Serving: Calories: 358; Fat: 9 g; Sodium: 590 mg; Cholesterol: 63 mg; Carbohydrates: 35 g

Diabetic Exchanges: 3 Lean Meat, 2 Bread/Starch, 1/2 Milk, 1 Fat

TURKEY MEATLOAF

This comes from Campbell's Soup, and begins, “This turkey meatloaf is so moist and flavorful it’s guaranteed to be a hit! It gets wonderful taste from the addition of tomato soup, onion, garlic and Italian seasoning. Try it tonight for dinner and watch how fast it disappears!”

Prep Time: 20 minutes; Total Time: 1 hr 40 minutes; Serves: 8

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

2 pounds lean 99% fat free ground turkey

1 can (10 3/4 ounces) Campbell’s® Healthy Request® Condensed Tomato Soup

1 small onion, finely chopped (about 1/4 cup)

1 clove garlic, minced

1 teaspoon Italian seasoning, crushed

3/4 cup plain dry whole wheat bread crumbs

1/4 cup cholesterol-free egg substitute

Directions

Heat the oven to 350°F.

Thoroughly mix the turkey, 1/2 cup soup, onion, garlic, Italian seasoning, bread crumbs and egg substitute in a large bowl. Place the mixture into a 13x9x2-inch baking pan and firmly shape into an 8x4-inch loaf. Pour the remaining soup over the meatloaf.

Bake for 1 hour 10 minutes or until the meatloaf is cooked through. Let the meatloaf stand for 10 minutes before slicing.