Chicken Gyros

Gyro meat

1.5 lbs ground chicken or 3 chicken breasts ground
2 tsp minced garlic
1 small onion
3/4 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp rosemary
1/4 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp salt
1 T olive oil

Tzatziki Sauce

1 cup plain non fat greek yogurt
1 T lemon juice
1/2 tsp minced garlic
1 mini cucumber
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper


whole wheat pitas
reduced fat feta cheese
lettuce
tomatoes
red onion


Ok, bear with me. This recipe has a lot of steps. But it's totally worth it if you love gyros!!!

Preheat oven to 375. Chicken: you can buy your chicken already ground. But if you have a food processor I would suggest grinding it your self. Use the regular blade. Just cut your chicken into four pieces, Throw into the processor and pulse until you get the consistency you want.  Peel your onion and then use a cheese grater to grate it. Use a paper towel or a coffee filter to squeeze out as much juice as possible. In a bowl combine the chicken with the rest of your ingredients. mix well.  If you have a bread pan, press this mixture tightly into it. If not just form like a meatloaf and use a baking sheet. Bake for about 30 min. ( could be more or less depending upon thickness) Remove from loaf pan to cool slightly.

Tzatziki sauce: Use a cheese grater to grate your cucumber. Use a paper towel or coffee filter to squeeze as much liquid out as possible. In a bowl combine ingredients and mix well.

Assembly: Slice your chicken into thin slices and  brown in a pan with a little cooking spray. I like mine kind of crispy so I cook it a bit longer. Spread 1 T of tzatziki sauce on pita. Pile on some chicken. Then add lettuce, tomatoes, red onoion and a little bit of feta. And then top it of with a little more Tzatziki sauce. Enjoy!!

Calorie info: 6 servings at about 320 calories.

Creamy Cauliflower Soup

4 cups low sodium chicken broth
4 cups skim milk
6 T cornstarch
1 large head Cauliflower
1 T olive oil
1 tsp salt( maybe a bit more )
1 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp garlic salt
1/4 cup shredded parmesan


preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut Cauliflower into bit size pieces. Place in ziploc bag and sprinkle with olive oil, salt and pepper. Close bag and shake until evenly coated. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown. While Cauliflower is baking add milk and 3 cups of chicken broth to a large sauce pan. In a container with a tight lid combine cornstarch to the remaining cup of broth. Shake until there are no lumps. Add this to the sauce pan.  Cook on medium heat stirring frequently. Bring to a simmer and then turn your heat down on low. You can add your salt, pepper and garlic salt at any point now. When the cauliflower is done add it to the pot. Last but not least for a little extra flavor add your parmesan. Enjoy!


Calorie info: for 6 servings about 150 calories. for 4 servings about 215 calories

Thai noodles

dressing:

2 T rice vinegar

1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce

1/4 cup peanut butter(preferably natural)

2 T grated ginger

1 T dark sesame oil

1 tsp brown sugar( I use agave nectar)

1 lime

1/2 cup hot water

everything else:

8 oz whole wheat thin spaghetti

1/2 bag coleslaw mix

1/2 cup red pepper( thin strips)

1/2 cup chopped cilantro

1/2 lime

1/4 cup green onions chopped

1 or 2 zucchinis julienned

1 poached chicken breast chopped

Combine all ingredients for dressing and whisk together. Set aside. Cook noodles according to package. Put in fridge to cool. While your pasta is cooking chop and prepare all other ingredients. combine dressing, noodles and all other ingredients together and mix. This can be eaten hot or cold. Either way it is a wonderful explosion of tastes. Enjoy!

calorie info: 4 servings at about 400 calories. 6 servings at about 270 calories

Baked ziti

1 head cauliflower

2 T olive oil

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 28 0z. can whole tomatoes

1 small can tomato paste

2 T fresh basil

1 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

1 zucchini

3/4 cup 2% mozzarella

1/4 cup parmesan

2/3 box of whole wheat penne pasta

preheat oven to 400 degrees. Prepare pasta according to the package directions. drain and return to cooking pot. While pasta is cooking Chop your cauliflower into bite size pieces. Put in a gallon ziploc and drizzle with 1 T olive oil. add 1/2 tsp each of salt and pepper. Shake until evenly coated. Put on baking sheet and cook in oven for 20 min or until golden brown. Ok on to your sauce. In a medium sauce pan pour 1 T olive oil and add garlic. Cook on low heat for 2 or 3 min. Turn heat off and add whole tomatoes. Here's the fun part... using your hands (preferably clean ) squish the tomatoes in to bite size pieces. Ok turn your heat back on to med. Add tomato paste then fill can with water and add that as well. Stir to combine. Chop your basil and add. now throw in the remaining 1/2 tsp of salt and pepper. let this cook for a few minutes. Shred or julienne your zucchini . Ok now we're ready to assemble. Add the Cauliflower, sauce and zucchini to the pasta. Give it a good stir to combine and then place in a baking dish. Sprinkle cheese evenly over the top. Bake until cheese has melted and starts to brown just a little. Enjoy : )

calorie info: 6 servings at about 350 calories

Side notes:

1. The roasted cauliflower by itself is amazing. It would make really good side dish for another meal.

2. The utensil I use for the zucchini is amazing. It's called a julienne peeler. You can get it at earth fare for about 6 dollars.

3. Use a good quality parmesan if possible. It will add a lot more flavor without extra calories.

How to poach a chicken breast

Poached chicken breasts are a very useful ingredient. Use for salads , fajitas, casseroles , soup, wraps etc..... The possibilities are almost endless. But this is all extremely dependent on the cooking method. Done right you have moist and tender chicken. Done wrong you have rubbery and dry chicken. So my fail safe way to poach chicken goes like this.....

Put desired amount of boneless skinless chicken breasts in a pot. Fill with water to just cover the chicken. Bring to a boil. bring down to a simmer. simmer 10 minutes. turn heat off at this point and let it continue cooking for 10-15 minutes. Simple as can be.

You can also play around with the cooking liquid. Let's say use some chicken broth instead of water. Add hot sauce to water(personal favorite) Also adding herbs and spices can kick it up a little. Whatever floats your boat. Or just stick to good old water. Hope this helps

Buffalo Chicken Wrap

Ok first recipe post per my sisters request : )

Buffalo Chicken Wrap

1 chicken breast, poached
2 wheat tortilla
2 laughing cow cheese wedges, blue cheese
4 slices avacado
diced celery
shredded carrots
diced tomatoes
diced green onions
hot sauce

This makes 2 wraps. Spread cheese wedges on tortillas. chop or shred chicken and add hot sauce to taste. Put half of chicken on each tortilla. add two slices of avacado to each. Then add veggies to your taste. You could really add any combination of veggies that you like. these are just the ones we had on hand. Enjoy!

A search for healthy recipes

I have always cooked.(or it seems that way) I was fortunate enough to have a mother and grandmothers who cooked. The unfortunate thing is that I learned how to cook comfort food. Which is very comforting until it starts hitting your butt and thighs. I recently started a weight loss competition and suddenly realized I really like food. Ok I didn't just realize that, but I did just realize that I was never going to be happy eating food that doesn't satisfy my need for creating food. So Duh I can use my considerable cooking knowledge to create recipes, modify recipes and make low cal cooking yummy. If for no other reason it will keep me from going batty while trying to eat healthy.