CHICKEN MARSALA WITH MUSHROOMS



4 boneless chicken breast halves (about 5g each), skin on
salt
pepper
1/4 c. flour
2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
2 Tbsp. olive oil
3 shallots, halved and thinly sliced
1/2 lb. mixed mushrooms, sliced
1/2 c. dry Marsala wine
1/4 c. chicken stock
2 Tbsp. chopped parsley

Season chicken breasts with salt and pepper. Dredge chicken in flour on both sides, then gently shake off excess flour. Heat 1 Tbsp. unsalted butter in a heavy 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until it starts to lightly brown and smell fragrant, then add 1 Tbsp. olive oil, swirling pan to combine. Add chicken, skin side down, and saute 3 minutes until skin is lightly browned. Turn chicken and saute 3 minutes; remove chicken, skin side up, to plate. Lower heat to medium; add another 1 Tbsp. butter to skillet with shallots; saute 2 minutes. Add mixed mushrooms, raise heat to high, and saute until mushrooms are lightly browned and softened, 2-3 minutes. Pour in wine and let boil 30 seconds, then add 1/4 c. chicken stock. Return chicken breasts, skin side up, to pan and continue to simmer 2-3 minutes, or until chicken is no longer pink inside. Stir in chopped parsley; season to taste with salt and pepper.

Serves 4; 396 calories per serving

BEEF STEW



2 lbs. boneless beef chuck, trimmed of fat and cut into 1 1/2 inch chunks.
4 tsp. olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 (14 1/2 oz)can chopped tomatoes
2 cups dry red wine or water
1 bay leaf
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
1/4 tsp. dried thyme
1 1/2 lbs. potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 1/2 inch chunks
6 carrots, peeled and cut into 1 inch chunks
1 c. frozen peas
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley leaves

Preheat oven to 325*. Pat beef dry with paper towels. In 6-quart Dutch oven heat 2 tsp. oil on medium-high until very hot. Add half of beef and cook 5 minutes or until well browned on all sides. Transfer beef to large bowl. Add remaining 2 tsp. oil to Dutch oven and repeat with remaining beef. reduce heat to medium. Add onion to Dutch oven and cook 5 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally. Add garlic cloves and cook 30 seconds or until fragrant. Stir in tomatoes with their juices. add water, bay leaf, salt, ground pepper, thyme, and beef with its juices. Heat to boiling on high. Cover and transfer to oven. Cook 1 hour. Add potatoes and carrots; cook 1 hour longer or until vegetables are fork-tender. Remove and discard bay leaf. With a slotted spoon, transfer vegetables and beef to bowl and cover with foil to keep warm. Skim fat from cooking liquid and discard. Raise heat to medium-high and cook liquid 5-7 minutes. Stir in peas and cook 1-2 minutes longer or until heated through. Spoon liquid and peas over meat mixture. Sprinkle with parsley.

Serves 8. 290 calories per serving

ROAST TURKEY WITH PEARS AND ONIONS



1 fresh or frozen(thawed)turkey about 14 lbs.
salt and pepper
3/4 tsp. dried thyme
2 large red onions, each cut into 8 wedges
3 ripe Bosc pears, each cored and quartered
1 Tbsp. margarine or butter, melted
1/2 c. water

Preheat oven to 325*. Remove giblets from turkey cavity. Pat turkey dry and place it breast side up on rack in large roasting pan. Rub outside of turkey with salt, pepper, and 1/2 tsp. dried thyme. Place onions in pan around turkey; loosely cover with foil; roast 2 1/2 hours. In bowl, toss pears with margarine, dash of pepper and remaining thyme. Remove foil; add pears to pan. Roast, uncovered, about 45 minutes longer. When turkey is done, lift and tilt slightly to allow juices inside cavity to run into pan. Place turkey on platter with onions and pears; let stand 14 minutes to allow juices to set for easier carving. Remove rack and add water to juices in pan. Place pan over 2 burners and cook on medium-high, stirring until browned bits are loosened from bottom of pan. Skim and discard fat. Makes about 1 c. pan juices. Carve enough turkey for 4 servings; serve along with pears, onions, and pan juices. Cover and refrigerate remaining turkey for leftovers or sendwiches.

300 calories per serving

CHICKEN AND DUMPLINGS



1 1/4 lbs. skinless, boneless chicken breasts
2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
4 large carrots, thinly sliced
3 large celery stalks, thinly sliced
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 (14.5oz) low-salt, low-fat chicken broth
1 sprig fresh rosemary
1/2 c. flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. fat free shortening
1/4 c. skim milk
1 c. frozen peas
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley

Heat a 6-quart Dutch oven on medium-high until hot. Cut chicken into 1-inch chunks and season with 1/4 tsp. salt and pepper. To pot, add 1 Tbsp. oil, then chicken. Cook 2-3 minutes. Transfer chicken to bowl; reduce heat to medium. Add remaining oil to pot; stir in carrots, celery, and onion. Cook 5-7 minutes. Add broth, rosemary, and 2 cups water; heat to simmering. In small bowl, whisk flour, baking soda, and 1/2 tsp. salt. With fork, cut in shortening until mixture forms coarse crumbs. Stir in milk just until dough forms. Stir chicken into simmering broth; cook 2 minutes. Stir in peas; cook 1 minute. Transfer chicken and vegetables to large bowl. Do not remove pot from heat. Drop dough into pot be teaspoons. Cover; simmer 5 minutes. Uncover; simmer 3-5 minutes longer until dumplings are cooked through. Spoon dumplings and broth over chicken mixture. Divide among 4 bowls, and then garnish with parsley and serve.

Makes 4 servings. 385 calories per serving.

FRENCH TOAST



2 large egg whites
1 large egg
3/4 c. skim milk
1/4 tsp. vanilla extract
1/8 tsp. salt
2 tsp. margarine or butter
8 slices of firm whole wheat bread
Fresh fruit and low sugar syrup for topping

Preheat oven to 200* and place cookie sheet inside. In pie plate, with whisk, beat egg whites, egg, milk, vanilla, and salt until blended. In a 12-inch skillet, melt 1 tsp. butter on medium high heat. Dip bread slices, 1 at a time, in egg mixture, pressing bread lightly to coat both sides well. Place 3-4 slices in skillet, and, turning once, cook 6-8 minutes or until lightly browned. Transfer to oven to keep warm, and cook remaining toast. Serve French Toast with maple syrup and or fresh berries.

Serving size is 2 pieces. 300 Calories per serving.

Pork Chops and Pears



1/4 c. flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
4 Boneless Loin Pork Chops (3-4 oz each)
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 Tbsp. unsalted butter
1/2 c. white wine or low-sodium low-fat chicken broth
1/3 c. chopped scallions
1/4 c. heavy cream
1 tsp. fresh lemon juice
1 firm ripe pear, cut into thick slices (about 3/4 inch thick)
2 tsp. fresh parsley chopped, optional

Combine the flour with the 1/4 tsp. each salt and pepper in a shallow plate. Add pork chops, tossing to coat. In a large skillet, heat oil and butter over medium-high heat. Add pork chops and cook, turning once, about 8 minutes total or until cooked through. Remove to a plate; cover loosely with foil to keep warm. In the same skillet, add broth, scallions, cream, lemon juice, and remaining salt and pepper, stirring to scrape up any browned bits and until sauce is thickened, about 5 minutes. Gently stir in the pear slices; cook until just heated through, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Pour over chops; sprinkle with parsley.

Each serving: 324 calories, 22 g protein, 14 g carbohydrate,

Well I just barely missed my goal from last year of posting 365 recipes, but this year I will try a bit harder to stay on top of things. I have received a lot of feedback from the blog and many of you have found it to make your life a little bit easier. I will at one point write a cookbook I think. It is one of my goals and I really think it is something I can accomplish. Just leave me a comment or email me if you are looking for a certain type of recipe or just any ideas of recipes you need or want to try. We are looking a bit on the healthier side this year, but you can still enjoy desserts and treats especially if you eat them less often and maybe even tweek the recipes a little to make them healthier. Thanks for following this blog and I want to wish you a Very Happy and Healthy New Year.


Honey Whole Wheat Bread
By: Kathy Nowell
"Honey whole wheat bread for a bread machine. This bread is very tasty."

Original Recipe Yield 1 -1 pound loaf

Ingredients

* 1 1/8 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
* 3 tablespoons honey
* 1/3 teaspoon salt
* 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
* 1 1/2 cups bread flour
* 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
* 1 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast

Directions

1. Add ingredients according to the manufacturer's directions to your bread machine. Use the wheat bread cycle and light color setting.

Nutritional Information open nutritional information

Amount Per Serving Calories: 180 | Total Fat: 3.5g | Cholesterol: 0mg