Recently on the Cooking Light Bulletin Board, someone asked everyone for their top 5 CL dishes of all time. At first I didn't think I could answer that question. Then I made this dish for my parents this past weekend and remembered. I've made this dish several times before, but not recently. I remembered - this is one of my all-time favorite Cooking Light dishes.
There are some Cooking Light dishes that I enjoy because they find ways for us to enjoy our favorite dishes with less fat. However, when you get down to it, they are still making substitutions and the lower fat version, no matter how tasty, never quite seems to measure up. Then there are the dishes that use naturally low-fat ingredients and still manage to pack a lot of flavor without relying on fat, or fat substitutes, to provide that flavor.
This dish does contain cheese and olive oil, but in small amounts. The major players in this dish are the lemon and the basil. It's one of those dishes that excels in all areas - flavor, aesthetics and texture. Best of all, it's a cinch to throw together. I do not use the foil method, but instead cook it in a shallow baking dish, covered with foil. Other than that, I follow the recipe exactly as written.
All around, an excellent dish that I need to make more often!
Tags: Cooking Light, shrimp, basil, feta, orzo, recipe
Tuesday, August 29, 2006
Monday, August 28, 2006
Risotto
Mmm....I love risotto. Elegant comfort food. I don't make much risotto during the warm weather, when standing over a hot stove for at least 20 minutes just doesn't sound appealing. Saturday's weather was cool and cloudy, however, and I happened to have all the ingredients on hand, so risotto it was.
This risotto from Cooking Light is very flavorful and with its Tex-Mex twist, different from most of the other risottos I've tried. It's colorful, a bit spicy and with the corn and roasted red peppers, it is substantial enough for a vegetarian main dish. Since risottos are fairly time-intensive, I tend to serve them as a main dish, serving perhaps a salad or fruit along with it, or as a side dish to something very simple such as a grilled chicken.
For step by step instructions on how to cook risotto, check out this link at Wegman's. I have found that I usually do not need all of the liquid they call for in many recipes, including the one above. My last several attempts at making risotto have turned out quite gummy, so once the rice looks at all close to being done, I begin to check it after each addition of stock. Once it's done, I add whatever additions are called for in the recipe, along with the cheese. If things begin to go from creamy to gummy, I add a bit more stock and/or oil or butter.
Mmmm....as much as I dislike winter, I do look forward to cool weather, cozy days in the kitchen and more risotto............
This risotto from Cooking Light is very flavorful and with its Tex-Mex twist, different from most of the other risottos I've tried. It's colorful, a bit spicy and with the corn and roasted red peppers, it is substantial enough for a vegetarian main dish. Since risottos are fairly time-intensive, I tend to serve them as a main dish, serving perhaps a salad or fruit along with it, or as a side dish to something very simple such as a grilled chicken.
For step by step instructions on how to cook risotto, check out this link at Wegman's. I have found that I usually do not need all of the liquid they call for in many recipes, including the one above. My last several attempts at making risotto have turned out quite gummy, so once the rice looks at all close to being done, I begin to check it after each addition of stock. Once it's done, I add whatever additions are called for in the recipe, along with the cheese. If things begin to go from creamy to gummy, I add a bit more stock and/or oil or butter.
Mmmm....as much as I dislike winter, I do look forward to cool weather, cozy days in the kitchen and more risotto............
Sunday, August 27, 2006
Almost One Month Later....
....I'm finally posting again.
Don't know if anyone's still out there, but I think I'm ready to give blogging a go again. I think. I hope.
I can't say I haven't had time to blog, I just haven't had the desire. Disruptions in my routine tend to do that to me - I get knocked off course and have a hard time finding my way back.
Anyway, we are all settled in here in PA and as of 2 weeks ago, we are officially unpacked. There are still things that need to be done, like putting all the pictures up on the wall (some are up, but not all), but that's about it. And of course there will always be decorating, painting and other house projects, but all in good time.
We've been taking summer pretty slow - trying to enjoy our free time and lack of schedule, but that's all about to come to an end when school starts on Tuesday. I'm not working as of yet, but hope to at least volunteer in the schools and hopefully get some substitute work too.
I have some catching up to do as far as recipes go. I've been cooking and even taking pictures, but not posting. On days I don't cook or make repeats, I'll try to blog about the recipes we've been making, but for this post, I'll start with tonight's meal.
We are trying two new recipes for tonight's dinner. We like chicken - it's inexpensive and versatile, but it's also very easy to get tired of it. Especially on the grill. Grilled chicken recipes routinely disappoint me - the marinade or sauces often don't stay with the chicken, leaving the same old, same old behind.
This recipe was not like that at all. The author if this recipe recommends marinating the chicken overnight - something I usually try to do for maximum flavor - but our chicken marinated for only 4 hours and this seemed to work just fine. The chicken was full of flavor, even without spooning on extra sauce on at the table. It was delicious. Quite like the flavorful Korean beef barbecue recipes I've had in the past.
I served this chicken with some peanuty noodles from Tyler Florence at Food Network. These were quite good, but a little strong on the vinegar, even after reducing it to 2 tablespoons. I wonder about leaving it out altogether - it seemed to interfere with the flavor of the peanut butter and the sesame oil. I did reduce the oil to 3 tablespoons of sesame oil and just one tablespoon of canola (I didn't have any peanut oil). The peanut and sesame flavors did not come through as much as I would have liked, but this might be corrected by reducing the vinegar and/or using natural peanut butter for a more nutty taste. In any case, it was very tasty and very easy to throw together.
Picture from Cooking Light
Asian Barbecue Chicken
Cold Sesame Noodles
Nope, not a picture of sesame noodles,
but even better, don't you think?
At least the photo does have some noodles in it..........
Don't know if anyone's still out there, but I think I'm ready to give blogging a go again. I think. I hope.
I can't say I haven't had time to blog, I just haven't had the desire. Disruptions in my routine tend to do that to me - I get knocked off course and have a hard time finding my way back.
Anyway, we are all settled in here in PA and as of 2 weeks ago, we are officially unpacked. There are still things that need to be done, like putting all the pictures up on the wall (some are up, but not all), but that's about it. And of course there will always be decorating, painting and other house projects, but all in good time.
We've been taking summer pretty slow - trying to enjoy our free time and lack of schedule, but that's all about to come to an end when school starts on Tuesday. I'm not working as of yet, but hope to at least volunteer in the schools and hopefully get some substitute work too.
I have some catching up to do as far as recipes go. I've been cooking and even taking pictures, but not posting. On days I don't cook or make repeats, I'll try to blog about the recipes we've been making, but for this post, I'll start with tonight's meal.
We are trying two new recipes for tonight's dinner. We like chicken - it's inexpensive and versatile, but it's also very easy to get tired of it. Especially on the grill. Grilled chicken recipes routinely disappoint me - the marinade or sauces often don't stay with the chicken, leaving the same old, same old behind.
This recipe was not like that at all. The author if this recipe recommends marinating the chicken overnight - something I usually try to do for maximum flavor - but our chicken marinated for only 4 hours and this seemed to work just fine. The chicken was full of flavor, even without spooning on extra sauce on at the table. It was delicious. Quite like the flavorful Korean beef barbecue recipes I've had in the past.
I served this chicken with some peanuty noodles from Tyler Florence at Food Network. These were quite good, but a little strong on the vinegar, even after reducing it to 2 tablespoons. I wonder about leaving it out altogether - it seemed to interfere with the flavor of the peanut butter and the sesame oil. I did reduce the oil to 3 tablespoons of sesame oil and just one tablespoon of canola (I didn't have any peanut oil). The peanut and sesame flavors did not come through as much as I would have liked, but this might be corrected by reducing the vinegar and/or using natural peanut butter for a more nutty taste. In any case, it was very tasty and very easy to throw together.
Picture from Cooking LightAsian Barbecue Chicken
Cold Sesame NoodlesNope, not a picture of sesame noodles,
but even better, don't you think?
At least the photo does have some noodles in it..........
Thursday, August 03, 2006
The Farmer's Market
Every since moving to PA, we've been taking full advantage of the Farmer's Markets nearby. Indiana was nothing by farmland, but no real Farmer's Markets in our immediate area. Go figure.
Today's bounty included peaches, tomatoes, corn, zucchini, yellow squash, cantaloupe and blueberries. Tonight's meal made use of the tomatoes, zucchini, squash, cantaloupe and a cucumber leftover from last week's visit.
We're not huge fans of zucchini and yellow squash, but we do like it if it's prepared just the right way. Our favorite dish is the Zucchini-Pecan Sauté, but there are a few others we enjoy as well. When someone on the Cooking Light boards, who claimed they were not crazy about squash, raved about a squash dish, I knew I had to try it.
It came out pretty well, but it wasn't outstanding. However, I'm willing to try it again for two reasons. In the first place I flubbed up and put all the rice from my rice cooker into the dish without measuring it - I probably ended up with a full cup more rice than the recipe called for which undoubtedly diluted the flavors a bit. Secondly, I used Alouette cheese and not Boursin. Boursin is so much more flavorful and the flavor of this recipe is very dependent on the cheese. It was just so hard for me to buy Boursin and put it into a dish and not just eat it!
I served this dish with the cantaloupe along with tomatoes and cucumber tossed with a bit of EVOO, red wine vinegar, fresh chives, salt and freshly ground pepper. Light, colorful, healthful and delicious. It will be sad to say goodbye to all these fresh foods as summer begins to wind down, but then again, there are always soups and comfort food for the cool weather!
We topped off the meal with some homemade sorbet. Stay tuned later this week for the recipe....
Today's bounty included peaches, tomatoes, corn, zucchini, yellow squash, cantaloupe and blueberries. Tonight's meal made use of the tomatoes, zucchini, squash, cantaloupe and a cucumber leftover from last week's visit.
We're not huge fans of zucchini and yellow squash, but we do like it if it's prepared just the right way. Our favorite dish is the Zucchini-Pecan Sauté, but there are a few others we enjoy as well. When someone on the Cooking Light boards, who claimed they were not crazy about squash, raved about a squash dish, I knew I had to try it.
It came out pretty well, but it wasn't outstanding. However, I'm willing to try it again for two reasons. In the first place I flubbed up and put all the rice from my rice cooker into the dish without measuring it - I probably ended up with a full cup more rice than the recipe called for which undoubtedly diluted the flavors a bit. Secondly, I used Alouette cheese and not Boursin. Boursin is so much more flavorful and the flavor of this recipe is very dependent on the cheese. It was just so hard for me to buy Boursin and put it into a dish and not just eat it!
I served this dish with the cantaloupe along with tomatoes and cucumber tossed with a bit of EVOO, red wine vinegar, fresh chives, salt and freshly ground pepper. Light, colorful, healthful and delicious. It will be sad to say goodbye to all these fresh foods as summer begins to wind down, but then again, there are always soups and comfort food for the cool weather!
We topped off the meal with some homemade sorbet. Stay tuned later this week for the recipe....
With all these fruits and veggies in one dinner, I'll be sending this link to Sweetnick's for next week's ARF round-up. Between summertime and a good farmer's market, eating lots of fruits and veggies has never been so easy or so tasty.
Wednesday Weigh-In.....a little late....again. (8/3/06)
Better late than never, right?
Time for the weekly weigh-in. Let's get down to the nitty grittly first this time.....the scale stayed the same this week. Mabye not a good thing, but not a bad thing either, considering our weekend of partying with college friends. I did manage to count my calories for 2-3 days last week, but that was it.
The good news this week is that I did manage to fit in 2-3 weight training workouts and even did one Pilates tape. I can't remember how many, though. I really need to at least start tracking the exercise part - it's not only motivating to keep track of what I do, but it's a good way to keep myself accountable when I start to slack off. Seeing too many blank days on my chart is a red flag that I need to do something. I really need to bring back that Excel chart I was using earlier.............
I've had to revamp how I exercise since we moved. In Indiana, we belonged to the YMCA. The Y was only about 5 minutes from my house, easy to get to, a nice size without being too large and we knew a lot of people there. Here in PA, the Y is 15+ minutes away, a maze of a building, is more expensive and we know no one. At the Indiana Y, I could see the gym where the boys were playing while I worked out. Here, I'm afraid they couldn't even find me if they needed me - lots of hallways, very confusing. The boys are at that age where they are too old for a babysitting room that some health clubs might provide, but they are too young for me to feel comfortable leaving them on their own.
So, bottom line is, between cost and convenience, I've decided to work out at home. In the past, this has not worked for me - I tend to do better if I get away from the house and all of its distractions. This time, though, exercising at home will save time (no driving time to add on), save money (membership and gas money), and will keep my boys safe too.
When we moved here, satellite TV was the only option available - besides no TV or rabbit ears. One of the benefits of having satellite over cable has been the expanded selection of channels. Our lineup includes FitTV. After taking a look at a few programs, I really like Cathe Friedrich's workouts. I simply record them on my DVR and then pick which one I want to do - rewinding when I miss something or FF through commercials.
Cathe does a lot with weights - something I've been needing and wanting to add back into my workout routine. She's very challenging, but it's very easy to modify the exercises to your own level of fitness. In fact, whenever she reaches for her weights, I usually shoot for about HALF of what she's using. With some modifications - such as using dumbells in place of the barbell - I don't need much equipment. I have the bench and the dumbells and I'm going to invest in an exercise ball. I used to have one, but Bailey popped it.
I can feel my body responding already. It just feels better. It's too soon to see weight loss or muscle gain, but simply using my muscles make me feel better - must be a nice release of endorphins. Once you get yourself a taste of that boost of mood and boost of energy, it becomes harder to miss a workout. THAT'S where I need to be. Walking just doesn't do that for me the same way a more intense aerobic workout or a weight workout does.
The challenge this week will be much like last week - going away for the weekend again which could mean too much eating and not enough exercise. As long as I make sure to exercise and watch what I eat before and after, I should be fine.
And blue crab is on the menu this weekend -we're getting a bushel of crabs and having at 'em. There will be no holding back when it comes to crab feasts. Yum!
Time for the weekly weigh-in. Let's get down to the nitty grittly first this time.....the scale stayed the same this week. Mabye not a good thing, but not a bad thing either, considering our weekend of partying with college friends. I did manage to count my calories for 2-3 days last week, but that was it.
The good news this week is that I did manage to fit in 2-3 weight training workouts and even did one Pilates tape. I can't remember how many, though. I really need to at least start tracking the exercise part - it's not only motivating to keep track of what I do, but it's a good way to keep myself accountable when I start to slack off. Seeing too many blank days on my chart is a red flag that I need to do something. I really need to bring back that Excel chart I was using earlier.............
I've had to revamp how I exercise since we moved. In Indiana, we belonged to the YMCA. The Y was only about 5 minutes from my house, easy to get to, a nice size without being too large and we knew a lot of people there. Here in PA, the Y is 15+ minutes away, a maze of a building, is more expensive and we know no one. At the Indiana Y, I could see the gym where the boys were playing while I worked out. Here, I'm afraid they couldn't even find me if they needed me - lots of hallways, very confusing. The boys are at that age where they are too old for a babysitting room that some health clubs might provide, but they are too young for me to feel comfortable leaving them on their own.
So, bottom line is, between cost and convenience, I've decided to work out at home. In the past, this has not worked for me - I tend to do better if I get away from the house and all of its distractions. This time, though, exercising at home will save time (no driving time to add on), save money (membership and gas money), and will keep my boys safe too.
When we moved here, satellite TV was the only option available - besides no TV or rabbit ears. One of the benefits of having satellite over cable has been the expanded selection of channels. Our lineup includes FitTV. After taking a look at a few programs, I really like Cathe Friedrich's workouts. I simply record them on my DVR and then pick which one I want to do - rewinding when I miss something or FF through commercials.
Cathe does a lot with weights - something I've been needing and wanting to add back into my workout routine. She's very challenging, but it's very easy to modify the exercises to your own level of fitness. In fact, whenever she reaches for her weights, I usually shoot for about HALF of what she's using. With some modifications - such as using dumbells in place of the barbell - I don't need much equipment. I have the bench and the dumbells and I'm going to invest in an exercise ball. I used to have one, but Bailey popped it.
I can feel my body responding already. It just feels better. It's too soon to see weight loss or muscle gain, but simply using my muscles make me feel better - must be a nice release of endorphins. Once you get yourself a taste of that boost of mood and boost of energy, it becomes harder to miss a workout. THAT'S where I need to be. Walking just doesn't do that for me the same way a more intense aerobic workout or a weight workout does.
The challenge this week will be much like last week - going away for the weekend again which could mean too much eating and not enough exercise. As long as I make sure to exercise and watch what I eat before and after, I should be fine.
And blue crab is on the menu this weekend -we're getting a bushel of crabs and having at 'em. There will be no holding back when it comes to crab feasts. Yum!
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