Italian Spiced Wild Rice

The other night I made Italian Spiced Chicken and served it with similarly spiced wild rice and Roasted Brussels Sprouts. I love making side dishes like this that really compliment the main dish and I can fix it and forget about it while it cooks.



Italian Spiced Wild Rice: Serves 4

1C Lundberg Wild Rice
1.75C Water (or Chicken Stock)
1tsp Olive Oil
1/2tsp Oregano
1/2tsp Basil
1/4tsp Garlic Powder
1/4tsp Onion Powder

Place the rice, water, olive oil and seasonings in a small sauce pot, bring up to a boil, reduce to a simmer, cover with a lid and let it cook slowly until all of the water has been absorbed by the rice. Fluff with a fork, serve & enjoy!

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WW: 4 Points Plus / serving

Italian Spiced Chicken

For the past few weeks I have been pretty busy, getting ready for vacation, being on vacation, recovering from vacation....it really is tiring! I didn't have a lot of time to cook and was looking for quick meals. This chicken dish was a result of my having not thought ahead to marinate the chicken, I was really happy with the results and would eat this on its own, on a salad, or mixed into any stir fry.



Tip: To cook your chicken more evenly slice in half horizontally so it is a more even. It also helps speed up your dinner as the chicken cooks in 10-15 minutes!

Italian Spiced Chicken: Serves 2

2 Chicken Breasts (roughly 1/2lbs total)
Salt
Pepper
Garlic Powder
Onion Powder
Oregano
Basil

Lay the chicken breasts out on a plate and lightly sprinkle all of the spices evenly over each side. Place on a greased cookie sheet and bake at 375° for 10-15 minutes (longer if you don't slice your chicken in half)! until the chicken is cooked through. Remove from the oven and let it sit for 5 minutes to make sure the juices stay in the chicken! Serve & Enjoy!

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WW: 3 Points Plus / serving

Shrimp in a Tomato Wine Sauce

Tonight was one of those days that I was debating just ordering take out because I was being super lazy. I finally decided that being lazy was not a good reason to eat junk so I went to my fridge with the idea that I would make something healthy but not something that I really had to think about. I like to call recipes like this one a happy accident, the perfect ingredients were in the fridge and now I have an impressive dish to serve friends.



Shrimp in a Tomato Wine Sauce: Serves 4

8oz Pasta
1lbs Shrimp - Peeled & De-veined
1.5 Pints Cherry Tomatoes
1C Diced Onions
1-2 Garlic Cloves Minced
1tsp Olive Oil
1C White Wine
1/2tsp Oregano
1/2tsp Basil
1TB Butter

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil, add the pasta and cook until al dente. Drain and set to the side. While the pasta is cooking heat the olive oil in a large saute pan over medium heat, add the onions and garlic with some salt and pepper and cook for a minute or two. Add the cherry tomatoes, stir and cover with a lid and let cook for 5-8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes easily pop open when light pressure is applied with the back of a spoon (be careful of squirting liquid!!!) Pop all of the tomatoes, add the oregano and basil and cook for 2-3 minutes with the lid off and the sauce simmering rapidly.

Add the wine - I do this away from the stove to ensure that the alcohol does not catch fire. Stir and bring the sauce back up to a rapid simmer, allow the sauce to reduce for another 5-6 minutes stirring occasionally. Now add the shrimp and butter and stir into the sauce, bring back up to a simmer and cook for another 4-5 minutes until the shrimp is completely cooked through. Remove from the heat and add the cooked pasta. Stir to evenly coat the pasta, cover with a lid and let the sauce soak into the pasta for another 4-5 minutes. Stir once more, serve and enjoy!

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WW: 10 Points Plus / serving

Twice Roasted Cheesy Potatoes

Dear Sister....this recipe is for you. She told me I needed more potato recipes because she didn't want to eat any of the ones I already had again. So I just started to make stuff up and what came out is pretty good! This is a good side dish for any meal but does take some time! I particularly liked it because it warmed my cold apartment up.



Twice Roasted Cheesy Potatoes: Serves 4-8

1.5lbs Red Potatoes (small ones!)
1C Cottage Cheese - Low Fat (I used Daisy Brand)
2oz Shredded Cheddar
1TB Butter
1tsp Olive Oil
Salt & Pepper

At my grocery store they sell bags of small red potatoes that are about 2" around and all the same size, I like using these because the potatoes will cook at the same rate. First scrub your potatoes - leave the skins on! Dry them, toss with the olive oil, salt and pepper and place on a greased cookie sheet. Place in a 450° oven for approximately 30 minutes until the potatoes are easily pierced with a fork - note cooking time can vary depending on the size of your potatoes.

Once they are cooked through add to a stand mixer and on low gently beat until the potatoes are all broken up. Add the remaining ingredients, taste test to see if you need some more salt and pepper, mix again until nicely incorporated. Scoop into a greased casserole dish, rake with a fork to make ridges and put back in the oven for an additional 30 minutes until the top is nice and golden. Serve and Enjoy!

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WW: 7 Points Plus / serving @ 4 servings
5 Points Plus / serving @ 6 servings
3 Points Plus / serving @ 8 servings

Garlic Shrimp & Broccoli

When I want something quick I tend to go to pasta, tonight I decided to go for something different! I thawed some shrimp while I diced my onion, ran some frozen broccoli through hot water to thaw (then gave it a squeeze to get rid of excess liquid), set rice to cooking and within 15 minutes dinner was ready and I was a happy camper!



Garlic Shrimp & Broccoli: Serves 2

1/2lbs Shrimp - Peeled & De-veined
1/2lbs Frozen Broccoli - Thawed
1/2 Red Onion - Diced
1 Garlic Clove - Minced
1tsp Olive Oil
1/2C Rice
1C Water
Salt & Pepper

In a small sauce pot place the water, rice and some salt, bring up to a boil, reduce to a simmer, give a quick stir, cover and forget about it until the rice has absorbed all of the water. Once that is done set to the side.

In a saute pan heat the olive oil over medium heat, add the onions with some salt and pepper and cook for 2 minutes, add the garlic and cook for another 30-40 seconds, then add the broccoli with some salt and pepper and cook for 5 minutes. Once the onion has become translucent add the shrimp with some more salt and pepper and toss around to get the shrimp in an even layer on the bottom of the pan. Cook until the shrimp is no longer translucent.

Remove from the heat and serve over the rice. For an added kick add a tablespoon or two of La Choy Teriyaki Sauce and saute for a minute or two - a great way to spice up left overs!

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WW: 8 Points Plus / serving
9 Points Plus / servings - with the Teriyaki Sauce

Balsamic Vinegar Strawberries

I love Strawberries, and when my grocery store started stocking them I started buying them. I feel kinda foolish because I know these aren't great but they are still getting me out of my banana and apple fruit funk that I have been in for a few weeks now. Well this batch was particularly red but not particularly tasty so I decided I would try to add Balsamic Vinegar to them which I have heard really helps lackluster berries. I always thought "no way that could be good" oh man was I WRONG. This was so delicious I actually had another bowl later in the day with a banana sliced in as well which was just as good.



Balsamic Vinegar Strawberries: Serves 1

1C Sliced Strawberries
1TB Balsamic Vinegar
1tsp Sugar - optional

Toss all the ingredients together, wait a minute or two, toss again - serve and enjoy!

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WW: 0 Points Plus / serving - without sugar
1 Points Plus / serving - with sugar