Healthified Fare: Chicken Scampi (inspired by Olive Garden)

10 cloves garlic, peeled
1 Tbsp diet margarine

White Sauce
1 Tbsp diet margarine
2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
3/4 c. hot skim milk

Scampi Sauce Base
3 Tbsp diet margarine
2 Tbsp crushed garlic
2 Tbsp Italian seasoning
Black pepper
3/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1/4 c. white wine
1.5 c. chicken broth
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, sliced
1 red bell pepper, julienned
1 red onion, thinly sliced
8 ounces angel hair pasta, cooked until al dente

Preheat the oven to 400.

In a small, ovenproof saucepan, saute the garlic cloves in the margarine.  Put the pan in the oven for 20 to 30 minutes, until the cloves feel soft when pressed, or cover and slowly roast on the stovetop over low heat.  Be sure the garlic does not burn, as burning it will make it taste bitter.  Remove the garlic and save the margarine.

Make the white sauce: In a small saucepan, melt the margarine and whisk in the flour, stirring constantly until the paste is smooth.  Gradually add the hot milk, whisking constantly.  Simmer until the sauce has thickened.  Set aside.

Make the scampi sauce base: In another saucepan, melt the margarine and add the crushed garlic, the Italian seasoning black pepper, and red pepper flakes. Cook for about two minutes over low heat, then add wine and chicken broth.  Simmer for about 30 minutes.

Add 1/4 c. of the white sauce to the scampi sauce base and whisk to combine all the ingredients.  Simmer until the liquid has thickened.

Heat the reserved melted margarine in a large saucepan and saute the chicken until it is almost cooked through.  Add the bell pepper and onion and continue to saute.  When the chicken is cooked through and no longer pink in the middle, add the scampi sauce.  Simmer until everything is warmed and then add the roasted garlic cloves.  Place the pasta in serving bowls or plates and pour the chicken, vegetables, and sauce over the top.

*America's Most Wanted Recipes without the Guilt


ww pts: 9 (including 2oz of pasta)

I was very excited to try this recipe and ended up feeling very disappointed in the end.  To me, it tasted spicy even though I used less of the red pepper flakes than the recipe called for.  I think in the back of my mind, I was expecting something akin to Red Lobster's shrimp scampi but with chicken instead and this was nothing like that.  Brooke Lynne didn't like the chicken and only ate the pasta.  Amelia, aka the bottomless pit, ate hers with no problem.  I could possibly make this again, but I would have to modify the heck out of the recipe first.  Oh well, lesson learned.

Healthified Fare: Margarita Grilled Chicken

Ingredients

• 2/3 c. lemon juice
• 1/3 c. lime juice
• 1/4 c. tequila
• 1 Tbsp minced garlic
• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• salt
• pepper

Directions

1. Combine juices, tequila, and garlic in a dish with the chicken breasts and let marinate for two hours in the refrigerator.  When ready to prepare, drain and season with salt and pepper.
2. Preheat the grill to medium-high heat.
3. Spray the grill with cooking spray and cook the chicken breasts until cooked through, about 6 to 8 minutes each side.

So today was not one of my best days personally, but I still wanted to go ahead and try this recipe...mainly since it involved pulling out a bottle of tequila ;-)  I used freshly squeezed lemon and lime juice - hello therapeutic activity - and extra garlic (because I love it.)  I let the chicken marinate in a gallon-sized zip top baggie and it made the need for clean-up virtually non-existent.  Now, I'm pretty new to grilling, so I figure the more experience I can get under me belt, the better.  Tonight was actually super easy.  In addition, the chicken had lots of flavor and was very juicy.  Both girls followed me from the back of the house to the kitchen so that they could try it because it smelled so awesome and both cleared their respective plates.  I served it with jasmine rice mixed with scallions, pineapple, and diced peppers and fresh steamed broccoli.  We will definitely be having this again! 

*America's Most Wanted Recipes Without the Guilt

Healthified Fare: Planet Hungrywood Sweet & Cap'n Crunchy Chicken

Served with fresh steamed broccoli and Market Day baby bakers

Ingredients

• 8 ounces raw boneless skinless chicken breast tenders
• 1/2c. Cap'n Crunch cereal (original)
• 1/4c. Fibers One bran cereal (original)
• 3Tbsp. fat-free liquid egg substitute 
• 2Tbsp. Hellemann's/Best Foods Dijonnaise
• 1/8tsp. onion powder
• 1/8tsp. garlic powder
• dash salt
• dash black pepper

Love the fact that this recipe relies on items that are pantry staples over here   (well, with the exception of the Cap'n Crunch cereal of course)

Directions:
Place Fiber One in a blender or food processor, and grind to a breadcrumb-like consistency. Set aside.

Put Cap'n Crunch in a sealable plastic bag and seal. Using a rolling pin or a can, coarsely crush cereal through the bag. In a wide bowl, combine Fiber One crumbs, crushed Cap'n Crunch, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Mix well and set aside.

Place chicken tenders in a separate medium bowl. Cover chicken with egg substitute, and flip chicken to coat. Shake off any excess egg substitute, and then coat chicken in the cereal mixture.

Bring a large pan sprayed with nonstick spray to medium heat on the stove. Place coated chicken pieces gently into the pan, spacing them out as much as possible. Cook for 5 minutes, and then carefully flip pieces over. Cook for about 4 additional minutes, until chicken is cooked through.

Combine the Dijonnaise and honey mustard in a small dish, and mix well for a tasty dipping sauce

Breading Mixture

I put the chicken pieces and egg substitute in a Reynold's Oven bag to make clean up super easy!

I used a 16" electric skillet to make tonight's dinner - I doubled the recipe in order to feed us all

Breading the chicken was a snap - I did it while holding Amelia!

Yummy dipping sauce

Delicious!

 I was super excited to try out one of my idol's recipes tonight.  I have been following Hungry Girl for years - before she was published let alone had her own t.v. show.  Needless to say, she didn't disappoint!
The recipe was super easy to make - I actually prepared the entire meal while holding Amelia in my arms!  The breading on the chicken is amazing; the combination of Fiber One and Cap'n Crunch sounds like an odd pairing, but in actuality is divine.  I also liked that it didn't taste grainy at all despite the fact that it had a high fiber cereal as an ingredient and was not fried.  The fact that I could have a generous portion, plus dip, for just 5 points plus was fantastic.  I added some fresh steamed broccoli and 3oz. of the baby bakers from Market Day and felt more than satisfied when I was done.
Both girls and Ms. Andrea gave it an enthusiastic thumbs up!

Here is the link to the original recipe:
http://www.hungry-girl.com/newsletters/raw/1214

Seriously, this woman is a straight-up genius when it comes to tasty meals that fit into a weight loss plan.  This didn't taste "diet-y" at all