Crunchy "Oven Fried" Chicken

So, I'm a Southern girl at heart, so I of course love me some fried chicken, but let's face it, my body doesn't and I'm trying to make some healthier lifestyle changes, not saying I'll never eat fried chicken again because that would be a bold faced lie, but its nice to have a healthy option in my recipe rotation.

I found this recipe on one of my favorite websites for Weight Watchers recipes and it was a pretty darn good substitution.




Crunchy "Oven Fried" Chicken
3 tablespoons buttermilk
1 1/2 teaspoons lime juice
1/4 teaspoon dijon mustard
dash garlic powder
dash white pepper
dash salt
8 ounces boned and skinned chicken breasts -- 2 4-ounce pieces
1 1/2 ounces corn flake crumbs -- or bread crumbs
2 teaspoons vegetable oil -- divided

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

2. Pound chicken to 1/4-inch thickness.

3. IIn small mixing bowl combine buttermilk, lime juice, mustard and seasonings; stirring to combine.

4. Dip chicken in buttermilk mixture.

5. On sheet of wax paper or a paper plate dip chicken in cornflake crumbs, turning to coat both sides. Arrange on non-stick baking sheet.

6. Drizzle 1/2 teaspoon oil over each piece of chicken and bake until lightly browned, 8-10 minutes; turn chicken and drizzle with remaining oil and continue to bake until chicken is tender and coating is crisp, about 10 minutes longer.


**I followed it close to exact except cut my chicken into tenders instead of leaving as whole breasts and I didn't have buttermilk on hand, so made my own substitute using milk and white vinegar. I also used olive oil instead of vegetable oil**

Candied Grapes

I recently had these at a friend's house for lunch and they were just that little extra spark I needed to add to my boring ol' midday fruit snack.

Candied Grapes
-Red or Green Seedless Grapes
-Sugar Free Jello Mix

Rinse grapes and then while still wet roll them around in the sugar free jello mix of your choice. Chill in the fridge and serve.

**I used red grapes and orange flavored jello because I had it on hand. The cherry flavored ones I had at my friends were even better!!**

Edamame Salad with Warm Bacon Dressing

I follow this blog of Camille's from Enlightened Cooking. I first saw her as a contest in a cooking competition on The Food Network and have just kept up with her. Here is her recipe for Edamame Salad. It was tops with me!

http://enlightenedcooking.blogspot.com/2009/01/new-years-resolutionsmade-better-with.html

Here Chick Chick...

Ah the chickpea and I have become friends. I've always loved them so because of hummus, but have recently been indulging in these chickpea snacks as well. They are both so yummy and healthy to boot.



Chickpea Salad

1 can of chickpeas rinsed and drained
2 tablespoons of onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tomato, seeded and chopped
1/2 cucumber, seeded and chopped
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
3 T olive oil
1 T lemon juice
2 T red wine vinegar
salt & pepper to taste

In a large bowl combine all and chill for two hours before serving.




Roasted Chickpeas

1 can of chickpeas, rinsed and drained

Put on a baking sheet in an even layer. Drizzle with olive oil and toss to coat. Sprinkle with your desired seasonings:
-garlic powder, salt and pepper, a pinch of cayenne
-Lemon Pepper
-and Mrs. Dash seasonings are great
-Greek seasoning
-basically whatever tickles your toes

Bake at 375 for 15 minutes. Give pan a good shake. Bake another 15 minutes.
Eat warm and enjoy!

Spicy Beef Curry

I've made this a couple of times now and its really good. The original recipe wasn't spicy enough for us so I added extra heat. My changes are **starred** below.

Spicy Beef Curry

* 1 tablespoon olive oil
* 1 pound beef stew meat
* salt and pepper to taste
* 2 cloves garlic, minced
* 1 teaspoon chopped fresh ginger **used ground because I had it on hand**
* 1 fresh jalapeno peppers, diced ** used serrano peppers**
* 1 tablespoon curry powder **used 2 Tablespoons of red curry paste**
* 1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes with juice
* 1 onion, sliced and quartered
* 1 cup beef broth

1. Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat, and brown the beef on all sides. Remove from skillet, reserving juices, and season with salt and pepper. Cook and stir the garlic, ginger, and jalapeno in the skillet for 2 minutes, until tender, and season with curry powder. Mix in the diced tomatoes and juice.
2. Place the onion in the bottom of a slow cooker, and layer with the browned beef. Scoop the skillet mixture into the slow cooker, and mix in the beef broth.
3. Cover, and cook 6 to 8 hours on Low.


I served it over rice and steamed long beans.

Crabby Artichoke Fondue...

At my dear friend Maleesa's request I'm reposting this with the recipe included.
I just kinda took two or three recipes I found and picked my favorite ingredients of each and vamped it to make my own.



Crabby Artichoke Fondue


- 1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil
-1/2 cup chopped roasted red bell pepper
- 1 (14 ounce) can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
- 8oz shredded fontina cheese
-4oz cream cheese
-1/4 cup milk
- 1/4 cup sliced green onions
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped jalapeno peppers
- 1/2 pound crab meat
- 1 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice

Warm oil in fondue pot. Add bell pepper, artichoke hearts, green onions and saute 2-3 minutes. Add cheeses and milk and melt on low until nice and smooth. Lightly fold in crab meat and other ingredients. Serve with cubes of warm crusty french bread.

Buffalo Chicken Rolls

Buffalo Chicken Rolls

* 4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - pounded to 1/4 inch thickness
* 4 tablespoons butter, melted
* 1/2 cup hot sauce
* 1/2 cup shredded provolone cheese


1. In a small bowl, stir together the melted butter and hot sauce. Place chicken breasts in a glass bowl, and pour the sauce over. Turn to coat, cover and refrigerate for 15 to 20 minutes.
2. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Remove chicken breasts from the hot sauce, and place 1 tablespoon of cheese in the center of each one. Roll up, and secure with a toothpick. Repeat with remaining breasts, and place them seam side down in a glass baking dish.
3. Cover the dish, and bake for 30 minutes, or until chicken is fork tender. Increase the temperature of the oven to 450 degrees, and place the chicken 8 inches from the heat. Uncover, and bake for 5 minutes, until browned. Garnish with remaining shredded cheese, remove toothpicks, and serve with ranch or blue cheese dressing.


**These were pretty darn good. I served them with blue cheese dressing for dipping. I did use mozzarella string cheese instead of provolone which the chicken wrapped around perfectly**

Pan Grilled Sea Scallops

This recipe came from one of my new cookbooks that I got for Christmas, The New England Clam Shack Cookbook.

1.5 pounds of sea scallops
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp onion powder
2 tsp olive oil
Lemon wedges

If the scallops are damp or wet, pat dry with paper towels. To make the seasoning mix, in a small bowl, combine the salt, sugar, basil, thyme, garlic powder and onion powder. Stir well.

In a large skillet heat the oil over the medium-high heat. Sprinkle the scallops very lightly on both sides with the seasoning mix. When the oil is hot, arrange scallops in the pan in a single layer, without touching. Cook, adjusting the heat if necessary, until the bottoms are nicely browned and caramelized, 3 to 4 minutes. Turn with tongs and cook on the other side until the scallops are just firm to the touch and lightly browned on the bottom another 2-4 minutes, depending on their size.

Serve with lemon wedges.

Sausage Apple Quiche

I found this on www.allrecipes.com and it is apparently a Bob Evans recipe. The apples in this were a nice change to your ordinary breakfast dish. And it turns out kinda pretty. I used the maple syrup flavored sausage in mine.






Sausage Apple Quiche
* 1 (9 inch) refrigerated pie crust
* 3/4 cup shredded Swiss cheese
* 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese
* 1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives
* 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
* 1 (12 ounce) package Bob Evans® Original or Maple Sausage Links
* 4 eggs
* 1 1/2 cups milk
* 3/4 teaspoon salt
* 3/4 teaspoon sugar
* 1 dash cayenne pepper (optional)
* 1 medium apple, cut into 1/4-inch slices

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Line 10-inch quiche or pie pan with pie crust. Sprinkle cheeses, chives and parsley over bottom of crust. Cook sausage in large skillet over medium heat until no longer pink in the center. Arrange in spoke fashion over cheese layer. Beat eggs in medium bowl with wire whisk until light in color. Whisk in milk, salt and sugar until well blended. Carefully pour egg mixture over sausage layer; sprinkle with cayenne pepper, if desired. Arrange apple slices around outside edge of quiche, pressing down slightly into egg mixture to coat apples. Bake 20 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F; bake 15 to 20 minutes more or until knife inserted into center comes out clean. Refrigerate leftovers.