Chicken Saute with Pine Nuts

Serves 4

2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp table salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 pound skinless, boneless chicken, breast
2 tsp olive oil
4 teaspoons pine nuts
1 pound asparagus
2 medium shallots, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 Tbsp fresh tarragon, chopped
1 cup fat-free, reduced-sodium chicken broth
1/8 tsp black pepper, or to taste

1. Preheat oven to 400ºF.

2. In a flat dish or plate, stir together flour, salt and pepper. Dredge chicken in
flour, coating both sides and patting off excess. In a large, nonstick skillet, warm olive oil over medium-high heat. Add chicken and sauté on both sides until nicely browned. Transfer chicken to a baking sheet and place in oven until cooked through, about 8 minutes.

While chicken is baking, make asparagus and pine nut topping:

3. Reduce heat to medium and add pine nuts to pan. Sauté until golden brown, about
2 minutes. Add asparagus, shallots and garlic; sauté until tender, about 4 minutes. Remove from pan and set aside.

4. Add tarragon and chicken broth to pan and boil until broth is reduced by half. Return vegetables to pan, season with pepper and stir to heat. Set each breast on a plate and top with asparagus mixture. Serve immediately.

Served with orzo with parmesan cheese.

Results: Yum! This was so good. The pine nut/shallot sauce was so flavorful. Very simple to make, although it does require constant attention.

Recipe from Weight Watchers

Seared Rosemary Beef Tenderloins

Serves 4

12 oz beef, tenderloin, trimmed, raw, (4 steaks about 1 inch thick)
1/4 tsp table salt
1/4 tsp black pepper, freshly ground
1 Tbsp rosemary, chopped
2 Tbsp shallot, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup(s) wine, Madeira (I didn't have any red wine, so I omitted this)
14 oz canned beef broth, reduced sodium
1 Tbsp light butter

1. Preheat grill.

2. Sprinkle steaks with salt and pepper. Add steaks to grill; cook 4 minutes each side, or until done. Transfer beef to a serving platter; cover and keep warm.

3. Heat a small saucepan over medium-low heat; add rosemary, shallot and garlic to pan. Cook, stirring constantly, 30 seconds. Add wine and broth; bring to a boil over high heat. Cook, stirring often, 10 minutes or until reduced to 1⁄3 cup. Remove from heat; stir in butter.

Serve rosemary broth over beef. Served with crusty French bread, roasted potatoes and grilled asparagus.

Results: This wasn't "bad" in anyway, but really, does a good steak need ANYTHING on top of it? It was good, but we love grilled steak in this house so much, that the effort to make the sauce was sort of wasted. (The sauce was really good with the bread though!)

Pork Chops with Mushrooms & Shallots

Recipe from Gina's Skinny Taste

Serves 4

1 tsp butter
4 pork loin chops (with bone), 1 inch thick, trim all visible fat (I used boneless)
1/2 tsp salt
fresh ground pepper
1/4 cup chopped shallots
1 cup fat free chicken stock
10 oz sliced baby bella mushrooms (I used regular portabellas, sliced)
1 tbsp dijon mustard
2 tbsp chopped, fresh parsley

1. In a large frying pan heat the butter over moderately low heat. Season pork with salt and pepper. Raise heat to medium and add the chops to the pan and sauté for 7 minutes. Turn and cook until chops are browned and done to medium, about 7-8 minutes longer. Remove the chops and cover loosely with foil.

2. Add shallots to the pan and cook, stirring, until soft, about 3 minutes. Add the stock to deglaze the pan, stir in the mustard, 1 tbsp parsley, then add mushrooms, season with fresh pepper and cook about 3 minutes, or until mushrooms are done. Put the chops on a platter and pour the mushroom sauce over the meat, top with remaining parsley.

Served with Cauliflower Fritters

Results: Not a hit in our house. I love mushrooms, and I love pork chops, so what could go wrong, right? I thought the mushroom sauce was very bland and the entire dish was pretty boring. I won't repeat it (but again, read the comment's on Gina's Skinny Taste. There isn't a single person who agrees with me!)

Vanilla Balsamic Chicken

Serves 4

1/2 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup finely chopped shallots
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon grated orange rind
1/4 cup fresh orange juice
1 piece vanilla bean, split lengthwise
3/4 teaspoon salt, divided
8 skinless, boneless chicken thighs
Cooking spray
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1. Preheat oven to 450°.

2. Combine first 6 ingredients in a small saucepan. Scrape seeds from vanilla bean; stir seeds into broth mixture, reserving the bean for another use. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer until reduced to 1/2 cup (about 20 minutes.) Stir in 1/4 teaspoon salt.

3. Arrange chicken in a single layer in the bottom of a roasting pan coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle chicken evenly with remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper. Bake at 450° for 10 minutes.

4. Brush half of broth mixture over chicken; bake 5 minutes. Brush remaining broth mixture over chicken; bake 15 minutes or until done.

Served with broccoli and crusty bread (which was perfect for soaking up the extra broth)

Results: I have never cooked with a real vanilla bean because they are outrageously expensive. Since they were on sale, I decided to give it a try. I don't know if it was worth it. This chicken dish was OK, but it was just OK. There was nothing fantastic about it. Steven didn't touch it, but Henry ate everything and said he liked everything.

Roasted Butternut Squash and Bacon Pasta

Serves 5

1 1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
1 teaspoon dried rosemary
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
6 cups (1-inch) cubed peeled butternut squash (about 1 medium sized squash)
Cooking spray
6 sweet hickory-smoked bacon slices (raw)
1 cup thinly sliced shallots (about 5-6 small shallots)
8 ounces uncooked mini penne (tube-shaped pasta)
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups 2% reduced-fat milk
3/4 cup (3 ounces) shredded sharp provolone cheese
1/3 cup (1 1/2 ounces) grated fresh Parmesan cheese

1. Preheat oven to 425°.

2. Combine 1/4 teaspoon salt, rosemary, and pepper. Place squash on a foil-lined baking sheet coated with cooking spray; sprinkle with salt mixture. Bake at 425° for 45 minutes or until tender and lightly browned. Increase oven temperature to 450°.

Note: when allowing a three-year-old to sprinkle the salt mixture on the squash, be prepared for all of it to end up on the few pieces of squash he can reach:



3. Cook the bacon in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat until crisp. Remove bacon from pan, reserving 1 1/2 teaspoons drippings in pan; crumble bacon. Increase heat to medium-high. Add shallots to pan; sauté 8 minutes or until tender.
Combine squash mixture, bacon, and shallots; set aside.

4. Cook pasta according to the package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain well.

5. Combine flour and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Gradually add milk, stirring constantly with a whisk; bring to a boil. Cook 1 minute or until slightly thick, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Add provolone, stirring until cheese melts. Add pasta to cheese mixture, tossing well to combine. Spoon pasta mixture into an 11 x 7-inch baking dish lightly coated with cooking spray; top with squash mixture. Sprinkle evenly with Parmesan cheese. Bake at 450° for 10 minutes or until cheese melts and begins to brown.

Results: This is my most favorite meal EVER. I love, love, love this dish! I tripled this recipe so I had two extra meals in the freezer. The original recipe calls for 3 cups of butternut squash, but that is not nearly enough. I use about 6 cups. You do what you want, but don't come bitching to me that there wasn't enough squash.

This meal is extremely labor intensive and will dirty every dish in your kitchen. Save it for a Sunday when you have time to prepare it. You won't regret it.

Oh, by the way...neither of my children would even try it. I have no idea why.