Healthy Delicious Hoisin and Garlic Burgers

It's a new year and I'm totally comitted to losing all of the weight I gained by quitting smoking a year ago (It will be a year in 5 days...YAY me).   I feel great having quit but I am miserable with the weight gain.

I have started Hip Hop Abs to kick start a workout routine, plus we got a puppy and he is wonderful for walking incentive.

Without further adieu the recipe.   WOW!!  Once again I have been following Rose Reisman's recipe's and this one is from her Complete Light Kitchen book.   It is FANTASTIC!!!  The kids were gaga over them.

These are made as sliders and based on a serving of two mini burgers there are 264Calories in the serving.    The only thing I did differently was I made them on my indoor grill iron and omitted the sesame oil/hoisin sauce brushing on.

Ingredients.
1 lb extra lean ground beef
1/4 cup breadcrumbs (I used panko)
1/4 cup chopped green onions
2 tbsp hoisin sauce
2 tsp minced fresh garlic
1 tsp fresh ginger
1 egg

Preheat you indoor grill or bbq (if warm weather).  We are mid winter here at the moment so going outside to grill not up there on the priority levels.

Combine all of the ingredients in a mixing bowl.   I always like to mix up burger combos in my kitchenaid mixer to ensure all the ingredients are properly infused.

BBQ, use indoor grill, or bake on a cookie sheet for 10-15 minutes until no longer pink.   Serve on mini buns.   I topped them with sautéed shitake mushrooms and it was scrumptious.  You could top with sautéed onions as well.

A Football Cake for a Football Party

I recognize I've not been around of late.  I went on vacation to Portugal and I've been in a major crocheting frenzy of late, making gifts for Christmas.

All of the above plus my new role of team momanager of my youngest man's football team.  It has been a blast actually.  My little guy has fallen in love with Football!  who knew?

Our little motley crew of players have done pretty well.  We made it to the championship game.  While we didn't take the title we gave the opposing team a workout and made them fight for the win.  I was really proud of little guys. (all 10 year olds)

I promised the team at half time last week that if they played their hearts out 2nd half we'd have a party.  Tomorrow is the day.


My little guy helped me decorate this one.  He did the football field.   All of this is real cake.  Football is pound cake (two of them carved into shape)

Sour Cream Pancakes. A Bed and Breakfast treat

My mum and dad run a B&B  here in Northern Ontario during the summer months.  Our family cottage built by my Grandad and added onto over the decades is now host to families and couples from around the world.



This recipe has become one of the favorites of all guests, children and adults alike.   It originates from my mum's pre B&B days when she ran a charity.  One of the fundraisers for the charity was a cookbook.  I don't know who contributed this one but it is fantastic.   Substitute plain yogurt for sour cream if you don't have the sour cream.  I have also changed the original to use buttermilk instead of regular milk.  (we are buttermilk fans in our house).  Add some fresh fruit if desired.  The possibilities are endless.  Mum has been known to add chocolate chips for a special treat.

You can also mix the dry ingredients, pre prepped and stored in zip bags for faster prep on busy mornings.

Ingredients
1 cup flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1 tbsp sugar
1/4 tsp salt

1 egg
2 tbsp sour cream, heaping  (or plain yogurt)
1 cup buttermilk
2 tbsp melted butter

Sift together dry ingredients.  Mix egg, milk and sourcream.  Pour over dry ingredients, add the melted butter and mix.   Spray a hot skillet with Pam cooking spray and cook.  Makes approx 12 pancakes (silver dollar size).

They were delicious

Harry Potter Sorting Hat Cake (aka 10th birthday cake)

Yet again my little guy has a birthday.  Since we didn't get to do a fun cake for my daughter in May or my teenager in June I actually had time to bake a cake today for my little man's 10th birthday on Sunday.

Harry Potter was again a theme and this time a sorting hat was to be made.  I had zero clue how to approach this so I basically started winging it.  I made 6 layers of cake (used 5, plus a couple of ramekins to make the tip, and a giant marshmallow).   Buttercream icing between the layers and chocolate fondant covers it all.

This went significantly more smoothly than I anticipated actually.  I am grateful the hat is old and mishappen as my fondant ability is not great so it all kind of works.   All in it took me about an hour and a bit to ice, carve and finish up.

Carving the cakes

Dirty layer of buttercream for under the fondant

Fondant layered on and molded as best possible

A few embellishments for our little Gryffindor

One happy little man

Chicken with Cranberry Almond, Havarti Stuffing

Once again we have another delicious chicken recipe.  The original (Rose Reisman) recipe called for Chicken Supreme with skin but I altered it to a light breading instead.  Some of the measurements are altered as the original recipe served 4 and I need it for 6.

My youngest lad has lately become somewhat fascinated with all things cranberry.  He wanted me to make this one last night but I opted for the Tomato/Olive Chicken combo in yesterday's post instead.

Tonight I gave in and made this one and it was absolutely delicious.  The sauce is delightful and the chicken combined with the stuffing is perfect.  If only they made a "light" white wine with few calories....oh to dream.

Again, easy to prepare, and fast.   All in about 45 minutes (with kids running up to the market to pick up ingredients I had run out of).   These measurements were to serve 6.

Ingredients
1.5 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts (six breasts)
1/4 cup bread crumbs
1 egg
1/4 cup skim milk

Stuffing
3/4 cup dried cranberries
1/3 cup toasted almonds
1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp olive oil
3/4 cup shredded light havarti cheese

Sauce
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup thawed concentrated orange juice
1 tbsp honey
1 tbsp low sodium soy sauce
2 tsp sesame oil
1 1/2 tsp Dijon Mustard
1 tsp finely chopped garlic
1 1/2 tsp cornstarch

Garnish
fresh chopped parsley

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F
Make a horizontal slit in each piece of chicken to form a pocket for the stuffing, making sure not to slice all the way through.

To make the stuffing, in a food processor, chop the cranberries and almonds.  Add the cinnamon and olive oil and finally havarti and process for a minute or so.

Stuff into the chicken breasts and secure with toothpicks.

In a small bowl combine the egg and milk and scramble well. Dip each chicken piece in to coat and then coat with breadcrumbs

Lights coat a large non stick skillet with cooking spray and set over medium high heat.  Lightly coat all of the breaded chicken with cooking spray.   Cook for approx 3 minutes on each side of chicken until golden brown and transfer to a foil lined cookie sheet.  (spray sheet with cooking spray).

Place in oven between 20-30 minutes until an interior temp of 165 F is reached.

Meanwhile prepare the sauce by whisking the maple syrup, orange juice,  honey, soy sauce, garlic, sesame oil, and Dijon together in a small saucepan.  Add the cornstarch and whisk well.  Bring to a boil reduce the heat and simmer for about a minute until just slightly thickened.  Spoon over the cooked chicken.  (It is delicious over rice as well)

Chicken with Tomato, Three Cheeses, Olives

This lighter fare kick we are on has been wonderful but dang....I love breaded food.  I can't tell you how much I love fried breaded chicken, fried breaded pork chops, chicken wings, oh and veal cutlets...oh how I love an artery hardening veal cutlet with a sprinkle of lemon juice....heaven.

It's been a stressful week.  I had to fly up north to care for my Mother in Law (she is fine).  My daughter was having an issue that was best dealt with by me so I flew her up with me (happy Birthday honey), and we reset the gardens all weekend.  It was a week of trying to stay light on the fly so to speak.  That said I needed some comfort food tonight.

Anyhow...true to the spirit of keeping it light and trying to lose weight.   Woohoo (I have lost a little over 4 lbs now).  This is a lightened up version.   I can't tell you how good this recipe was.  It turned out far better than I thought it would taste wise.  It was scrumptious and the kids all wanted 2nds.
 
I should note.  This recipe took about 1/2 hour from start to finish.   Quick and delish

I got my inspiration from Rose Reismans' Family Favorites cookbook.  I changed the cheese types, tomato variety and olives to suit our own tastes.  The original recipe called for Havarti, Goat Cheese, and Parmesan, plum tomatoes, and black olives.  I used Asiago, vine tomatoes, and green olives with the little red pimentos in them.

It was fantastic!!   Without further adieu.

Ingredients: (serves 6)
1.5 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breast
1 egg
2tbsp skim milk
3/4 cup breadcrumbs
2 tsp vegetable oil
1 1/2 cup diced vine or plum tomatoes
1/2 cup shredded asiago
1/4 cup crumbled goat cheese
2 tbsp grated parmesan cheese
1/4 cup chopped green olives
1 tsp chopped garlic
1 tsp dried basil
3 tbsp chopped basil fresh
2 tsp vegetable oil

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.  Lightly coat a 9 x 13 casserole dish with cooking spray.
Pound chicken to 1/2 inch thickness
Beat the egg and milk together.  Dip each chicken piece into the mixture and then coat lightly with breadcrumbs on a seperate plate.
Lightly coat a non stick skillet with cooking spray, add the oil and place over medium high heat.   Cook each piece of chicken until browned and almost cooked through (approx 3 minutes per side).   Transfer to the casserole dish.
Combine the tomatoes, asiago, goat cheese, parmesan, olives, garlic, and dried basil in a bowl.   Spoon over the chicken.  Cover and bake for 10 minutes or until the cheese melts and the chicken is cooked through. (internal temp of 165 F).   Garnish with fresh basil and serve with vegetables.     After the 10 minutes remove the cover and bake an additional 3 minutes.

This one is sure to please.

Chicken breaded.

After browning in the skillet

Tomato and Cheese mixture added

Yummy out of the oven

Ravioli Caprese Lightened up. (Chicken and Basil Ravioli)

One of our favorite recipes is Ravioli Caprese from Giada's Everyday Italian.  It's a wonderfully light tasting recipe.  It is however not that light calorie and fat wise so I wanted to try "lightening it up" tonight.




What resulted was a delightful surprise.  Minimal difference in flavour and even lighter tasting.

We used Wonton wrappers for this recipe instead of making the dough from scratch this time and I used light ricotta cheese and a broiled chicken breast as opposed to rotisserie from the store as in the original recipe.

While not big changes it was enough to lighten up the fat content and reduce the calories a bit.

The original recipe is posted HERE.    My changes are as follows.  As always my portions are to feed a family of six (plus a neighbour child tonight who begged to stay after seeing them made)

You can always take these portions and freeze extras on a cookie sheet then place them in a ziploc bag in the freezer to make a quick and easy dinner.  Halving the recipe works too.  I use the original measurements for the sauce without doubling.

Ingredients

Filling:
1 tub Light Ricotta Cheese
2 eggs
approx 1 1/2 cup shredded cooked chicken breast (use a processor to shred it).  This equates to about 1 cooked chicken breast
1/2 cup grated parmesan
4 tbsp chopped fresh basil
1/2 tsp salt
grated ground pepper to taste

Sauce:
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
2 tsp lemon zest
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp fresh ground pepper

Wrappers:  One 220gram package of wonton wrappers.  (approx 75 wrappers)

For the Filling:   Combine all the ingredients in a medium bown and stir to combine.  I use my kitchenaid mixer to combine them all well.

Place the wrappers working with about 12 at a time on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.  Have a small bowl of water and pastry brush nearby.

Place approx 1 tsp (a smidgeon more.  I use a small cookie scooper) into the center of each of the wonton wrappers.
Use the pastry brush to lightly brush water along two edges of the wrapper and fold to create a triangle.  press closed and set aside on a seperate cookie sheet until ready to use.

To make the sauce, simply place the ingredients into a skillet and heat the sauce on low.

Once all the wrappers are filled  have a pot of low boil water ready.  Place about half the wontons in the water and let low boil until floating and ready (about 3-4 minutes).   Drain the wontons and place in the skillet with the sauce, lightly coating before removing to serving dish.  Repeat with the balance of the wontons.

The result is delightful and significantly less work than making the dough by hand as well.  This took me about an hour from start to finish.   Making the dough rolling it out etc, generally takes me about 2-3 hours to make this recipe.