Salisbury Steak with Onion Gravy

Ingredients:

 For the steaks:
          1 lb 93% lean ground beef
          1 yellow onion, finely chopped
          1/2 c. breadcrumbs
          1 egg

           1 T. canola oil

     For the gravy:
          1 15 oz can low sodium beef broth (Low sodium is important!  When we make                                                                       the gravy, the broth will reduce with the                                                                       soup mix and it can become too salty!)
          2 T flour
          1 packet Lipton onion soup mix

In a large bowl, combine all of the ingredients for the "steaks."  Divide into 6 patties.  They can be cooked right away, but the flavor will be better if you let them sit for about a half an hour (yes, they can be at room temperature).

In a large skillet or saucier, heat the oil on medium heat.  Add the patties and brown for about 5 minutes on each side.  Remove to a plate.

In a small container (I used a custard cup) add just enough beef broth to the flour so that it is fully dissolved.  Add the remaining beef broth to the hot pan and use a spatula to scrape the brown bits the meat has left behind off of the bottom of the pan.  Add the soup mix and stir to combine.  Add your slurry of broth and flour to the mix and allow it to boil just until it begins to thicken.

Add your patties back to the sauce.  Cover and cook for 10 minutes longer on each side.  I recommend serving with mashed potatoes.

Each salisbury steak is 5 WW points+.

Angry Shrimp

Ingredients:

• 6 ounces fresh linguine 
• 1tablespoons olive oil
• 1 pound raw large shrimp, peeled and deveined 
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained

Preparation:

1. Cook pasta according to the package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain and keep warm.
2. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.  Add onion, minced garlic, basil, and crushed red pepper to pan; sauté 1 minute. 
3. Add tomato paste and tomatoes; bring to a boil. Cook 3 minutes or just until sauce begins to thicken. 
4. Sprinkle shrimp with salt; add shrimp to pan.  Cook until shrimp are done (about 8 minutes, flipping after 4 minutes).
5. Serve over pasta.

 Makes 3 servings (1 serving=1c. pasta and 1c. shrimp mixture).

 6 WW points+

Chicken Aglio E Olio

I make chicken at least twice a week, so I am always looking for new recipes to make using chicken.  This one was so yummy with a bit of heat.

• 1 lb skinless, boneless chicken breast, thin-sliced
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour 
• 1 tablespoon grapeseed oil (or whichever oil you prefer)
• 2 tablespoons margarine or butter
• 8 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 4 pickled hot cherry peppers, halved and seeded
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1 tablespoon dry breadcrumbs

Preparation:

•  Dredge chicken in flour.
• Heat oil and butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add chicken; cook 4 minutes on each side or until browned. 
• Add garlic; cook 30 seconds. 
• Add peppers; cook 30 seconds. 
• Add broth; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 5 minutes or until chicken is done. 
• Stir in breadcrumbs; cook until liquid thickens (about 1 minute). 
• Taste sauce, and add salt to taste (I added a few shakes of kosher salt to mine).

I served over pasta and sprinkle a little reduced fat parmesan cheese over it.

Makes 5 servings, each serving 5 WW points+.

Char Siu Pork Roast

This recipe was SO good, it reminded me a lot of the beef teriyaki at a Chinese restaurant near here called Asia Grill.

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1/4 cup hoisin sauce
• 3 tablespoons ketchup
• 3 tablespoons honey
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon dark sesame oil
• 1/2 teaspoon five-spice powder
• 2 pounds  pork shoulder, trimmed 
• 1/2 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth

Prep:

1. Combine first 7 ingredients in bowl of slow cooker, stirring well with a whisk. Add pork and coat. Marinate in refrigerator overnight.
2. Place pork slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours.
3. Remove pork from slow cooker using a slotted spoon; place on a cutting board or work surface.
4. Add broth to sauce in slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 30 minutes or until sauce thickens. 
5. Shred pork with 2 forks; add back to sauce and mix together.

 I served this over rice with peas as a vegetable.


Makes 8 servings, 1 serving is 5 WW points+.

Monterey Chicken

This is a dish I used to always get at restaurants.  Eventually it dawned on me that it would be easy to make at home!  I hadn't made it in a couple of years now, but it was just as delicious tonight as ever!

Ingredients:

1 lb chicken breasts - I usually get the thin sliced, but the regular were on sale so I used them and just cut them in half so I ended up with 4 pieces instead of 2
1/2 c. barbecue sauce, divided
1 green onion, green parts sliced, white part discarded
1 c. reduced fat cheese, divided (A cheddar or mexican cheese would be preferable.  I used a monterey-cheddar blend.)
4 slices bacon (I used the pre-cooked that you just zap in the microwave)

On grill, cook chicken on one side for about 3 to 4 minutes.  Flip, then pour 2 T. of barbecue sauce over cooked side of each breast.  Lay your cooked bacon over the sauce, sprinkle with the green onions and 1/4 c. each of the cheese.  Cook about another 3 minutes.  Remove from heat and allow to rest at least 5 minutes, preferably 10.

1 piece of chicken is 8 WW Points+.

Tonight it was raining, so instead of an outdoor grill, I used our George Foreman grill to cook this.  I served itwith frozen peas and a knorr pasta mix.

Slow Cooker Chicken

Tonight is a busy night for my family so I wanted something easy that requires as little prep as possible.  Before work this morning I quartered an onion and put it in a slow cooker with a whole oven-roaster chicken.  I let it cook all day on low.  When we were ready to eat, I made some instant potatoes.  And that was it.  I was a bad girl and didn't make a veggie tonight.

I pulled the rest of the chicken and it will be put to good use in a recipe on Friday night.

Cheeseburger Casserole

I made this for dinner on Friday night.  My husband LOVES hamburgers!  This was a way of having the flavors of a hamburger, but on a lighter scale.

Ingredients:
1 lb ground beef
1 onion, chopped
1/2 c. ketchup
1 c. cheddar cheese

2. frozen french fries

Recipe:

Preheat oven to 450.  In a large skillet, brown the ground beef with the chopped onion.  Drain the liquid.  Add the ketchup.  Pour mixture into the bottom of a 1 1/2 qt. casserole dish (ungreased).  Sprinkle cheese over the top.  Arrange french fries on top of casserole so that they create a single layer.  Bake for 20 minutes, or until french fries on top are done.

Makes 6 servings.
If made with 93% lean ground beef and reduced fat cheddar, each serving is 4 WW points+.