Lite Dinner Tonight: Spicy Honey-Brushed Chicken Thighs

Spicy Honey-Brushed Chicken Thighs

I find chicken kind of boring unless it has a flavorful preparation. I found this one which is a nice combination of spicy and sweet and now I literally crave this all the time. Mom and sister have both been making it too all year. A huge hit and great for a barbecue, tailgate or crowd. You can use breasts instead of thighs if you prefer and it still works well. Enjoy!

2 teaspoons garlic powder
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon ground red pepper
8 skinless, boneless chicken thighs
Cooking spray
6 tablespoons honey
2 teaspoons cider vinegar

Preheat broiler or grill.
Combine first 6 ingredients in a large bowl. Add chicken to bowl; toss to coat. Place chicken on a broiler pan coated with cooking spray. Broil or grill chicken 5 minutes on each side.
Combine honey and vinegar in a small bowl, stirring well. Remove chicken from oven; brush 1/4 cup honey mixture on chicken. Broil or grill 1 minute. Remove chicken and turn over. Brush chicken with remaining honey mixture. Broil/grill 1 additional minute or until chicken is done.

Approx WW units: 6 per serving

Lite Side: Roasted Butternut Squash and Shallots

Inspired by a dish at Whole Foods, I found this recipe on the Internet to which I added dried cranberries; the tartness of which nicely offset the sweetness of the butternut squash.

Not as light as plain roasted squash, but far more satisfying and a tasty addition to the autumn repertoire. It was a hit at Kevin's Friends' Thanksgiving a month ago and Ragav loves it so much he asks for it weekly. It is especially good when the squash and shallots get browned. YUM!

3 cups cubed peeled butternut squash
1 tablespoon brown sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
8 shallots, peeled and halved lengthwise (I cut them a bit smaller)
handful of dried cranberries

Preheat oven to 475. Combine ingredients in bowl. Pour into a lightly sprayed jellyroll pan. Bake at 475 for 20 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally. Remove from pan and toss with dried cranberries.

Lite Dinner Tonight: Cajun Garlic Pork Roast

A simple recipe for the "other white meat" from Cooking Light (CL). Worthy of company and has a little kick - it only took 70 minutes, not 90. I served it with broccoli and an old CL standby, Honey Mustard Mashed Sweet Potatoes. And since dinner was healthy, we hardly felt guilty indulging in the exquisite pecan pie from Petsi Pies, definitely NOT light, but well worth every last calorie!

1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 1/2 tablespoons minced fresh garlic
2 teaspoons black pepper
1 teaspoon seasoned salt
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 (2-pound) boneless pork loin roast, trimmed

Preparation
Preheat oven to 350°.
Rub first 7 ingredients over roast; place on a broiler pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 1 hour and 30 minutes or until a thermometer registers 155°. Let stand 10 minutes.

Honey Mustard Mashed Sweet Potatoes

1 tablespoon margarine
1/2 cup sliced onion
3 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces (~1 1/2 pounds)
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon honey
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 cup low-fat chicken broth

Preparation
Melt margarine in large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and sweet potatoes; saute 5 minutes. Add mustard and remaining ingredients.; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes or until sweet potatoes are very tender.

The recipe says to put the sweet potato mixture in a food processor, but I just "smoosh" them manually with a potato masher.

Lite Dinner Tonight: Coconut Shrimp with Pineapple Dipping Sauce

This recipe I adapted from a cooking light recipe. It tastes like fried coconut shrimp but is oven baked so without all the fat. Yummy!

Shrimp:
1 to 1 1/2 pound bag frozen, peeled but not cooked large shrimp
1/3 cup cornstarch
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 to 3/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
3 large egg whites
1 1/2 cups flaked sweetened coconut (toasted lightly in oven)
Cooking spray

Pineapple Dipping Sauce:
1/4 cup Pineapple preserves (Apricot or other preserves would also work)
2 Tbsp Rice wine vinegar
(optional) Lime juice
salt and pepper to taste

Preparation

Preheat oven to 400°.

Rinse shrimp in cold water in colandar; drain on paper towels until dry.

Combine cornstarch, salt, and red pepper in a shallow dish; stir with a whisk. Place the egg whites in a medium bowl, and beat with a mixer at medium-high speed until frothy (about 2 minutes). Place coconut in a shallow dish.

Working with one shrimp at a time, dredge in cornstarch mixture. Dip in egg white; dredge in coconut, pressing gently with fingers. Place shrimp on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Repeat the procedure with remaining shrimp, cornstarch mixture, egg white, and coconut. Lightly coat shrimp with cooking spray. Bake at 400° for 10 minutes or until shrimp are done, turning after 5 minutes.

To make dipping sauce combine pineapple preserves and remaining ingredients in a medium bowl; stir to combine.

Lite Dinner Tonight: Pork Chops with Sauteed Apples

This is an easy weeknight dinner option. I made this last week after seeing it in my sister’s recipe file. Easy, light, and yummy!


Ingredients

* 1 teaspoon dried rubbed sage
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
* 4 (4-ounce) boneless center-cut loin pork chops (about 1/2 inch thick)
* 1/2 teaspoon vegetable oil
* Cooking spray
* 1 teaspoon butter
* 4 cups (1/2-inch) slices peeled Granny Smith apples (about 4 medium)
* 1 tablespoon brown sugar
* 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
* 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
* Dash of salt

Preparation

Combine first 3 ingredients, and sprinkle over the pork. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium heat. Add pork; cook 3 minutes on each side or until done. Remove the pork from pan. Cover and keep warm.

Melt butter in pan over medium heat. Add apples and remaining ingredients, and cook 5 minutes or until tender, stirring frequently. Serve the apples with pork.

4 servings (serving size: 1 pork chop and 3/4 cup apple mixture is 5 POINTS)

Lite Soup - Roasted Fennel and Tomato Soup

After renewing our at work WW program yet again, I decided to start making soups as often as possible that are close to zero points yet filling for before dinner or as a supplement to lunches. This one is excellent and flavorful - especially in summer when the tomatoes are at their best.

1 fennel bulb
1 pint cherry tomatoes
1 medium onion
2 tsp olive oil
cooking spray
4 cups vegetable or chicken broth
salt and pepper to taste


Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Slice Fennel and onion into 1/2 inch chunks and arrange evenly on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Half cherry tomatoes and add to pan. Drizzle with olive oil and mix vegetables around on the pan with your hands to coat. Roast for 15-20 min or until fennel is tender when pierced with a fork.

Meanwhile heat a 4 quart saucepan on medium high and add broth. When vegetables are ready transfer them to the pan and simmer in the broth 10 minutes. Remove soup in batches and puree in blender or food processor or use immersion blender until smooth consistency.

Makes 6 servings - 0 POINTS!

Mexican Black Bean Dip/Salad

This recipe came from my fiancé Kevin who has made it several times for parties. It is always a hit and everyone asks for the recipe so here it is! It is great as a dip served with tortilla chips (“scoops” work especially well) or even as a side salad. Some people commented that it reminds them of fresh ceviche which is typically made with some type of seafood or fish and similar ingredients – I think it is the lime juice in it that gives it that fresh flavor. The recipe makes a large quantity so if you only want it for a dip you might half the recipe or save extra for later or another day.

Enjoy!

¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro

2 15 ounce cans black beans, drained/rinsed well

1½ cups fresh corn kernels

1½ cups red onion

1½ cups chopped tomatoes (about 3)

1 finely chopped/seeded poblano or chili pepper

1 large avocado

Spices/guideline measurements (adjust to your taste):

¼ cup fresh lime juice

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

1 teaspoon ground cumin

2 tablespoons of Adobo (or to taste)

Mix together and chill before serving.