Fool-Proof Brown Rice

I used to think I hated brown rice, but it turns out I hated the way I made it! My path from from white to brown rice has been paved with many a pot of burnt or half crunchy/half mushy brown rice.  A while back I was determined to get it right. I started researching on the internet and found the BEST way to cook brown rice. It comes out perfectly every time, and there's really no way to mess it up! If you think you don't like brown rice, give this a try at least once. I've tried it with long-grain and short-grain brown rice, and both came out perfectly.

What you Need:
brown rice (long or short grain -- not minute rice)
water – use at least four cups of water for every one cup of  dry rice
salt – to taste

Instructions:
Rinse rice in a strainer under cold running water for 30 seconds, swirling the rice around with your hand.  Meanwhile, bring water to a boil in a large pot over high heat.  When water boils, add the rice, stir it once.  Turn heat to medium and boil, uncovered, for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.  After 30 minutes, pour the rice into a strainer over the sink.  Let the rice drain for 10 seconds, then return it to the pot, off the heat.  Immediately cover the pot with a tight-fitting lid and set it aside to allow the rice to steam for 10 minutes (if your pot lid isn’t extremely tight, place a piece of aluminum foil over pot then place the lid on top of foil for a tighter seal). After ten minutes, uncover rice, fluff with a fork, and season with salt to taste.

I found this technique at pinchmysalt.com.  It's a great  cooking blog. You should check it out!

Chicken Stir Fry

SN: I realize that some people reading these posts may have switched over to the new points system for Weight Watchers, so I will try to post nutritional information when I can for items that can't be easily looked up. I just wanted to make it clear that I am still figuring points for my recipes based on the old points system.

We have a fridge full of fresh produce, and a stir fry sounded like a great way to use them up. I usually have trouble making a good stir-fry sauce, but this one was easy and delicious.

Stir Fry:
I have no set recipe as I tend to change it up based on what vegetables and meat I have available. This time I used:
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts (trimmed of fat and cut into bite-sized pieces)
tri-colored peppers
baby corn
green beans
baby leaf spinach
water chestnuts
mushrooms
bean sprouts

Stir Fry Directions:
Add one tsp of olive oil to a hot skillet; add chicken and cook until it is no longer pink.  Add 2 more tsp of olive oil to the pan and add vegetables. Continue to cook over medium heat until vegetables are tender crisp. Stir frequently to avoid burning. Add sauce (see recipe below) and bring to a boil.  Dissolve the cornstarch in water and pour slowly into the stir fry. Cook until the sauce has thickened. Serve over brown rice or noodles.

Sauce Ingredients:
3/4 cups of chicken broth (use beef or vegetable broth if making beef stir fry)
1/8 cup packed brown sugar
1/8 tsp ground ginger
1 clove of garlic minced
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/8 cup cider vinegar
2 tbs cornstarch
1/4 cup water

Directions:
Combine all ingredients except for the cornstarch and water and mix thoroughly. Add the mixture to the stir fry and bring to a boil. Dissolve the cornstarch in the water and pour into the stir fry. Cook, stirring constantly, until thickened.

Nutrition:
Vegetables - zero points
Chicken - 16 points (for entire amount)
Sauce - 4 points (for entire amount) or 184 calories, 0 grams of fat, 0.6 grams of fiber
Olive Oil - 4 points (for entire amount) or 119 calories, 13.5 grams of fat, 0 grams of fiber

1/6 of the stir fry it would be 4 points. 1/2 cup of brown rice would add 2 more points.

Low-Fat, Cheesy Potato Soup

I found this recipe the other day on the Taste of Home website. We love potato soup, so I was excited to try it. It was excellent! It was quick, and I love that it came out thick and creamy like full-fat potato soup. I'm going to post the recipe the way I found it, but I did make a few changes. The biggest difference is that I used red potatoes with the skin on. I did this mostly because I had some that I needed to use before they went bad. I also added some sauteed collard greens. I find that soups are great way to get greens in your diet. They tend to take on the flavor of the soup and add a nice texture. I also felt that the soup was a little bland, so I added garlic salt. The recipe calls for no salt to be added, and it calls for reduced-sodium chicken broth. I felt it needed a little bit of salt for added flavor.

Ingredients

• 1-3/4 cups diced peeled potatoes
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1/4 cup chopped celery
• 1 can (14-1/2 ounces) reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1 can (12 ounces) fat-free evaporated milk, divided
• 1 cup (4 ounces) shredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese (I used 2% cheddar)

Directions

• In a large saucepan, combine the potatoes, onion, celery, broth and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 15-18 minutes or until vegetables are tender.
• Combine cornstarch and 1/4 cup milk until smooth; stir into potato mixture. Add the remaining milk. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Remove from the heat. Stir in cheese until melted. Yield: 5 servings.

Nutrition Facts: 1 cup equals 178 calories, 2 g fat (0 saturated fat), 9 mg cholesterol, 274 mg sodium, 26 g carbohydrate, 0 fiber, 14 g protein. (4 weight watcher points per cup)

Crockpot Chicken Tacos

I'm bummed that I forgot to take a picture of this, but we will just have to deal with the stock picture above until I make it again! :-) This was so good! Matt and I both loved it.

Basic Recipe:
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 cup chicken broth
3 tbs taco seasoning

Directions:
Add chicken to crockpot. Dissolve seasoning in broth and pour over chicken.  Cook on low for 6 hours. Shred meat with a fork and return to juices. Serve on taco shells with cheese, lettuce and sour cream.

How I changed the recipe:
I added half a can of rotel tomatoes with the juice to a blender and blended until smooth. Make recipe as listed above but add the blended tomato before cooking. After chicken was cooked I mixed in some fresh cilantro for even more flavor.

Chicken is 1 weight watcher point per ounce.

Roasted Edamame

I'm on an edamame kick right now! I find it kind of addicting. I found some frozen, in-the-pod edamame at my local Aldi the other day, and I was really excited. It was fun, but I do find the frozen, pre-shelled edamame from Trader Joe's quicker to work with. Anway, I found this recipe online, and it is wonderful. I've been eating it as my after-workout snack and find it very satifying.

Ingredients:


2 teaspoons olive oil
1/4 teaspoon dried basil, crushed
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon onion salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/8 teaspoon paprika
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1 (10 ounce) package ready-to-eat soybeans, thawed if using the frozen variety (fresh or frozen, edamame. If using the edamame in the shell, you will need to steam them by boiling them for 7 minutes and then remove the beans from the pod before starting the recipe)

Directions:


1 Preheat oven to 375°F.
2 In small bowl, stir together oil, basil, chili powder, onion salt, cumin, paprika and black pepper.
3 Drizzle mixture over soybeans and toss to coat well.
4 Arrange beans in a single layer in a shallow baking dish.
5 Roast, uncovered, for 12 to 15 minutes, stirring once, until soybeans begin to brown.
6 Serve hot as a vegetable side dish or cooled as a snack.
7 Refrigerate any leftovers.

This makes 3 servings. Each serving is 4 weight watcher points.

Baked Feta-Crusted Salmon

I have been so lazy about updating my blog, and I have pictures of recipes just waiting to be shared. So, I promise I will make a few posts this week. We are not seafood eaters. We've tried to be, but it's just not our thing. Somone told me the other day that I couldn't give up on seafood until I tried salmon. I found this recipe and decided that everything is good when covered in feta cheese. I was right! :-) It was surprisingly good. I served it with parmesan couscous and sauteed green beans. We will defintely have this again.

Ingredients
4 (4oz) salmon fillets
1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
2 tablespoon light mayonnaise
1 tablespoon light cream cheese
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon paprika, ground
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 cup panko (Japanese bread crumbs) or regular dry bread crumbs

Directions


1.Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil, and spray with non-stick cooking spray. Place salmon onto foil and set aside.

2.Mix together feta cheese, mayonnaise, cream cheese, Dijon mustard, balsamic vinegar, salt, pepper, paprika, onion powder, and garlic powder in a bowl until smooth. Spread mixture over salmon, then sprinkle panko over top, covering completely.

3.Bake in preheated oven until easily flaked with a fork, about 35 to 45 minutes.

Each fillet is 4 weight watcher points.

Banana and Honey French Toast

I cannot sing the praises of this recipe enough!!! It is so sweet and fulfilling...not to mention insanely low in points! :-)

Ingredients:

• 2 egg whites
• 1 tablespoon skim milk
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 Arnold's sandwich thin or two slices of low-cal bread
• 1/2 small banana
• 1 teaspoon honey
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• one spray of non-stick spray

Directions:

Beat the egg whites in shallow bowl with milk, cinnamon and salt.

Split the sandwich thin and coat both sides in egg mixture.

Heat a frying pan and coat with a low fat cooking spray and fry the bread for 2 minutes on the first side or until set and golden.

Turn over and fry for another 1.5 - 2 minutes or until cooked.

Place french toast on a plate and add pieces of 1/2 of small banana between the two slices.

Drizzle with honey.

This makes one serving and each serving is 3 points.