Spicy Teriyaki Chicken

Some days I just want an old favorite. After a week of eating out at the beach I went for some of my favorites, teriyaki chicken, roasted acorn squash & rice. So delicious, so simple. I decided to change my chicken up slightly with the addition of sriracha and I am real happy I decided to try that out. It was great hot out of the oven and wonderful the next day chopped up cold with some cantaloupe and watermelon (and yes I did mix them all together, I'm odd I know!)



Spicy Teriyaki Chicken: Serves 2

2 Chicken Breasts (boneless/skinless approx 1lbs total)
1/4C Teriyaki Sauce (I use La Choy which is very sweet)
1tsp Soy Sauce (If you are not using La Choy do NOT add the soy)
1tsp Sriracha

Mix together the teriyaki, soy and sriracha and add the chicken breast to it. Poke the chicken all over with a fork and toss in the sauce a few times. Marinate in the refrigerator for 2-3 hours flipping the chicken a time or two. When you are ready to make the chicken heat your oven to 400° and place on either a wire rack or a greased cookie sheet and bake for 30-40 minutes, flipping once half way through until the chicken is completely cooked. Remove from the oven and let it sit for 5 minutes before serving to make sure that the juices stay in the chicken.

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WW: 7 Points Plus / serving

Dijon, Asparagus & Chicken Pasta

Right before going away on vacation I was completely slammed at work and didn't have much time to go grocery shopping. I opened my refrigerator with absolutely no idea what I was going to have for dinner. I had chicken and asparagus and when I looked at my condiments I saw the dijon and remembered how much I liked adding it to roasted asparagus and decided to make a pasta dish out of it so I would have left overs for a few days. This recipe is very creamy and decadent and good for any dijon fans.



Dijon, Asparagus & Chicken Pasta: Serves 4

1/2lbs Chicken Breast (boneless/skinless) - Cubed
1lbs Asparagus - Chopped 2" segments.
2tsp Olive Oil
1/2C Milk (I use Fat Free)
8oz Pasta
1/4C Cream Cheese (I use 1/3 less fat)
3TB Dijon Mustard
1/2C Chicken Stock
1tsp Corn Starch

Mix together the cream cheese, milk, 2TB dijon, chicken stock and corn starch and set to the side in the fridge while making everything else. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook pasta until al dente, drain and set to the side. Mix the chopped chicken with some salt and pepper and the remaining tablespoon of dijon. In a large saute pan add 1tsp of the olive oil over medium head then add the chicken to the pan and cook for 6-8 minutes until cooked through. Remove to a small bowl and cover. Keep the pan over the heat, add the remaining olive oil and asparagus with some salt and pepper and saute until crisp tender and vibrant green.

Now that everything is cooked we can get ready to mix it all together. Pour the sauce into the pasta pot with the chicken and asparagus (and any juices from their respective bowls!) and turn the heat on medium to medium low and stir stir stir letting the sauce thicken and coat everything. After 3-5 minutes the sauce should be thick and liberally coating all the pasta/chicken/asparagus. Serve & Enjoy!

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WW: 9 Points Plus / serving

Peach Waffles

I love breakfast and often have it for dinner. One food I have never tried to make was waffles and one day I decided that had to be changed. I ordered a Belgian Waffle Maker off of Amazon (I had no idea I could get one for less than $30!) and immediately started making waffles. I found a recipe from Alton Brown that I like (and have modified slightly) and as I do with my pancakes I added fruit to the batter and was very happy with my peach waffles. The recipe below is for 6 waffles but I have put the amounts for a single serving in (-) next to it for those of you who are like me and only need one at a time!



Peach Waffles: 6 Waffles

2C Flour (1/3C)
1/2tsp Baking Soda (pinch)
1tsp Baking Powder (1/6tsp)
1tsp Salt (1/6tsp)
3TB Sugar (1.5tsp)
3 Eggs (1/2 egg - scramble one and pour half out)
4TB Melted Butter (2tsp)
2C Milk (1/3C)
3 Peaches - Peeled & Chopped (1/2 Peach)

Mix together all ingredients and pour into your waffle maker (mine requires a light spray of Pam, but your waffle maker may not). Cook per the instructions on your waffle maker, mine take approximately 5-6 minutes. Remove from the pan, give it a second to cool off, then top with more peaches, syrup, honey, butter, whatever you like!

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WW: 8 Points Plus / Waffle

Veggie Pad Thai

I have been searching for months and months for a great pad thai recipe. I have tried ones that swore that they were the best and the greatest and the most authentic. Well lets just say my trash can has eaten more of those recipes than I have! I think my problem is that I am in love with the Chicken Pad Thai from my favorite place, Thairish, in Baltimore. It is unlike any pad thai I have had and I want my pad thai to taste like theirs! This recipe is the closest I have come though it still isn't the same. It is definitely worth trying though, I may have eaten an extra half a serving when I was supposed to be putting it into a left over container! This recipes is modified from Brownies for Dinner to suit my tastes!



Veggie Pad Thai: Serves 3-4

8oz Rice Noodles
2TB Brown Sugar
2TB Lime Juice
1/2tsp Sriracha
3TB Soy Sauce
2tsp Canola Oil
3 Scallions
1 Garlic Clove - Minced
1 Egg - Scrambled
2TB Peanuts - Chopped
2-3C Frozen Broccoli
Lime Wedges

Prepare your rice noodles per the instructions on the box! Some require adding them to boiling water, some to hot water from the tap, different soaking times, etc. It really is different per brand. If you don't have rice noodles available to you you can use linguine (though beware WW folks it will probably change the points values).

Okay, noodles are doing their thing. Mix together the brown sugar, lime juice, sriracha and soy sauce and set to the side. Chop the whites of the scallions and set to the side, slice the green portions into 1/2"-1" long segments and place to the side.

Bring a small pot of water to a boil, add the broccoli and cook until heated through but still with a little crunch to them. Drain and set to the side.

A minute or two before your noodles are done soaking heat the olive oil in a saute pan over medium heat and add the garlic and whites of the scallions to the pan and cook for 30-40 seconds, add the scrambled egg and cook as you would scrambled eggs/omelet until the egg is cooked through. Remove the cooked egg to a small bowl/plate on the side.

Okay once your noodles are done soaking add them to a large saute pan over medium heat with the sauce you made, greens of the scallions and cooked broccoli. Cook for 3-4 minutes moving the noodles around letting them absorb the sauce. Add the egg and peanuts to the pan remove from the heat and stir them in gently breaking the egg up.

Serve & Enjoy with a squirt of fresh lime if you like.

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WW: 8 Points Plus / serving @ 4 servings
10 Points Plus / serving @ 3 servings

Chili Mac

I love chili and despite it being the middle of summer I had to have it. Despite it being hot as could be outside and it being a weeknight when I decided to make this recipe I found a way to have my chili in approximately 30-40 minutes and it only got better with each serving throughout the week as all chili's seem to do. I'm sure my dad will love this recipe as it features the fundamentals of his chili recipe!



Chili Mac: Serves 6

6oz Pasta
1lbs Ground Beef (I use 93/7)
1 Green Pepper - Chopped
1 Onion - Chopped
1tsp Olive Oil
15oz Tomato Sauce - Canned
16oz Salsa
1tsp Liquid Hickory Smoke
2tsp Red Hot Cherry Peppers (diced)
1TB Chili Powder
1/2tsp Cayenne
15oz Kidney Beans - Canned/Drained/Rinsed
Salt & Pepper

Optional: 6TB Sour Cream & 2oz Cheddar Cheese

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta until al dente, drain and set to the side. While the pasta is cooking add the olive oil to a large saute pan over medium heat, add the ground beef with some salt and pepper and break up and brown. Once completely browned, drain the liquid from the pan and return to the heat. Add the remaining ingredients (not including sour cream and cheese) to the pan and bring to a light simmer and cover with a lid and let the pepper and onions soften for approximately 15-20 minutes stirring occasionally. Once the vegetables have softened add the pasta to the pan and continue to cook for another 4-5 minutes. Remove from the heat serve and enjoy and if you would like add 1TB and 1/3oz of shredded cheese to the dish.

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WW: 7 Points Plus / serving without sour cream & cheddar cheese
8 Points Plus / serving with sour cream & cheddar cheese

Skillet Pasta, Sausage & Beans

Some days I have absolutely no idea what I am going to make for dinner and I just stare at the fridge and my cupboards going "I wonder how it would taste to mix ____ with ____" that is pretty much how this meal came together. I honestly had no idea if this was going to end with me ordering a pizza or being in love with a new dish. As I am writing this you can guess I didn't end up with a pizza!



Skillet Pasta, Sausage & Beans: Serves 4-6

6oz Pasta
1 Zucchini - Chopped
1 Onion - Chopped
7oz Smoked Turkey Sausage - Chopped
1TB Minced Garlic
2tsp Olive Oil
1/4tsp Red Pepper Flakes
15oz Tomato Sauce
15oz Canned Black Beans - Rinsed
1 Can Summer Crisp Corn

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and cook pasta to al dente, drain and set to the side. While the pasta is cooking place the garlic and olive oil in a large saute pan and turn the heat to medium. Cook for a minute then add the zucchini, onion and sausage to the pan with a pinch of salt (less than normally - the sausage is salty), pepper and the red pepper flakes. Saute the veggies until they are nice and tender, then add the beans, corn, tomato sauce and cooked pasta to the pan and give it all a toss and let it cook together for 3-4 minutes to heat the beans and corn together. Remove from the pan, cover and let it sit for 4-5 minutes then serve and enjoy.

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WW: 7 Points Plus / serving @ 6 servings
11 Points Plus / serving @ 4 servings

Creamy Cajun Shrimp & Asparagus Pasta

I have been experimenting with different creamy sauces that has 0 cream in it and I really think I have found a great one. This is not only creamy and decadent on day one, but it also reheats well - something that always made me said with alfredo from a restaurant, it always separated and tasted so greasy on day two! Another major difference from traditional alfredo is the guilt factor...there isn't one in this recipe! You can also change the flavors by the types of cheese you add to it - parmesan, cheddar, goat cheese, etc. Tonight I had a bundle of asparagus to be cooked and decided to pair it with spicy shrimp.



Creamy Cajun Shrimp & Asparagus Pasta: Serves 4

8oz Pasta
1lbs Shrimp - Peeled & De-Veined
1lbs Asparagus
1/3C Milk
1/2C Chicken Stock
1/4C Cream Cheese (I use 1/3 less fat)
2tsp Old Bay
1TB Cornstarch
2tsp Olive Oil

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook pasta until al dente. Drain and set to the side. While the pasta is cooking rinse the asparagus, trim the hard ends off (I like to take one stalk hold it by both ends and let it snap naturally, then I cut the rest of the asparagus where the first one snapped). Cut the asparagus into 2" sections and toss with 1tsp of olive oil and 1tsp of old bay, spread on a greased cookie sheet and bake at 450° for 10-15 minutes until fork tender. Toss the shrimp with the remaining olive oil and old bay and add to the asparagus sheet for the last 6-8 minutes until the shrimp are cooked through. Add the shrimp & asparagus to the drained pasta in the pasta pot and great ready to make the sauce.

Mix together the milk, chicken stock, cream cheese and cornstarch and mix with a fork until the cream cheese is fairly broken up. In a small saute pan cook the mix over medium heat stirring constantly as it heats up and thickens. Once it has reached a gravy like consistency add it to the pasta pot and give everything a toss, cover with a lid and let it sit for 4-5 minutes to let the flavors mix together. Then Serve and Enjoy!

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WW: 10 Points Plus / serving


Comment Photo! My sister made a version of this recipe with chicken and grilled asparagus, check it out!

Vegetable & Cheese Lasagna with Basil Pasta

Today I decided that I had no big plans and I wanted to make some fresh pasta. My herb planters have been growing like crazy and today I picked a colander full of basil leaves and decided to put them to good use in my pasta and sauce. This was a nice fresh lasagna and it was easy to assemble as the noodles were almost as wide as my pan!



Vegetable & Cheese Lasagna with Basil Pasta: Serves 6-9

1C White Flour
3/4C Semolina Flour
3 Eggs
4tsp Olive Oil
1tsp Salt
1TB Water
2 Bell Peppers - Finely Chopped
1 Onion - Finely Chopped
2C Part Skim Ricotta
1/2C Shredded Parmesan
1tsp Garlic - Minced
2 - 15oz Tomato Sauce Cans
1 - 15oz Canned Diced Tomato - drained
2TB Tomato Paste
1tsp Sugar
1C Chopped Basil
1TB Oregano
1oz Shredded Mozzarella
1oz Shredded Cheddar

Mix together the white flour and semolina with the salt in a stand mixer then add 2 of the eggs, 1TB of olive oil, water and 3/4C of the basil together and mix until a ball forms. Remove from the mixer and form into a pattie and wrap in saran wrap and place in the refrigerator for 30-40 minutes. Split into 4 chunks and run through your pasta machine rolling into sheets. I rolled mine down to a level 4 thickness. Cut into 8" long sheets and set to the side.

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and cook the noodles for 4-5 minutes until they are al dente. Drain and set to the side.

While the pasta is cooking place the diced tomato, tomato sauce, tomato paste, 2TB basil, oregano, sugar, and salt and pepper in a sauce pot and bring up to a simmer and continue to cook while the pasta cooks.

In a saute pan heat up the remaining teaspoon of olive oil with the garlic and add the bell pepper and onion with some salt and pepper and saute until tender. Remove to a bowl and add the ricotta and Parmesan cheese with 1 egg and the remaining 2TB of basil and a pinch of salt and pepper. Mix it all together and set to the side.

Now that all the parts are cooked we can assemble. Place a big scoop of sauce on the bottom of a 9x9 pan and spread it all around and up the sides of the pan, layer noodles on the bottom then add 1/3 of the cheese mixture across the noodles. Add another layer of noodles, spread a layer of sauce, another noodle, 1/3 of the cheese, noodle, sauce, noodle, remainder of the cheese mix, noodle and sauce. Place in a 375° oven for 30 minutes, remove and add the mozzarella and cheddar to the top and return to the oven for another 15 minutes. Remove from the oven, serve and enjoy!

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WW: 7 Points Plus / serving @ 9 servings
11 Points Plus / serving @ 6 servings

Spicy Teriyaki Couscous

Earlier this week I showed you the great Spicy Teriyaki Pulled Pork dish that I made in my slow cooker and today I am sharing with you the dish that I served as the base to that dish. This couscous dish shares the same flavors as the pork and is delicious on its own or under the pork and I can see myself using the flavors again in a stir fry sometime soon.



Spicy Teriyaki Couscous: Serves 4

1C Pearled Couscous
1-3/4C Chicken Stock
2TB Teriyaki Sauce (I use La Choy Brand)
1tsp Sriracha

Place the chicken stock, teriyaki and sriracha in a sauce pot and bring to a boil, add the couscous and reduce to a simmer - stirring occasionally. Once the sauce is completely absorbed into the couscous fluff with a fork, serve and enjoy.

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WW: 4 Points Plus / serving

Spicy Teriyaki Pulled Pork

This summer has been wicked hot in Baltimore! After a few days of no power due to unexpected severe storms and temporarily moving in with my parents so the dog and I didn't melt (Thanks Mom & Dad!) I was excited to be home in my AC and in no hurry to heat my apartment up with the oven on a 100+ degree day. In my genius I decided to pull out the great slow cooker my sister got me and put it to work. I had been seeing different teriyaki recipes online for pork tenderloin and decided to do a mix of 3-4 different recipes creating my own version. I was pretty pleased with this dish and think you will be too, it is sweet and spicy at the same time and goes well on its own or served over a nice bed of similarly spiced couscous!



Spicy Teriyaki Pulled Pork: Serves 6-8

2lbs Pork Tenderloin
1C Chicken Stock
1/2C La Choy Teriyaki Sauce (if you don't have La Choy add 1/4C brown sugar to the recipe!)
2TB Minced Garlic
1TB Sriracha
1 Large Onion - Sliced

Rinse the pork off then place in a slow cooker with the above ingredients. Cook for 4-6 hours on low until it easily pulls apart when a fork is inserted and twisted in the tenderloin. Remove from the pot, shred the pork and return it to the sauce. Serve and enjoy!

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WW: 4 Points Plus / serving @ 6 servings
3 Points Plus / serving @ 8 servings

Roasted Balsamic Cabbage

Roasted Cabbage is a vegetable that I never tire of. It is so delicious and extremely easy to make! I will occasionally cut into wedges, brush with olive oil and grill or roast the wedges wrapped in aluminum foil but I have found that there is an even easier way to make roasted cabbage which you will see below. I decided to try my cabbage with some Balsamic Vinegar after I had pickled cabbage at a favorite Eastern European restaurant and I wanted that acidic taste to my dish.



Roasted Balsamic Cabbage: Serves 4-6

1 Large Head of Cabbage - Sliced
1TB Olive Oil
1/4C Balsamic Vinegar
Salt & Pepper

Slice the cabbage into quarters and remove the hard core, rinse the cabbage then slice into 1" slices and break apart into a large bowl. Add the olive oil and toss to coat, then generously sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place onto a greased cookie sheet and cook for 30 minutes at 425° - flipping the cabbage after the first 15 minutes.

Once the cabbage has cooked for 30 minutes and is getting nice and tender pour the vinegar over it and toss, place back in the oven and cook for another 15-20 minutes until nice and soft, remove from the oven, serve & enjoy.

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WW: 1 Points Plus / serving