CEiMB: Whole Wheat Pancakes with Nutty Toppings

Ellie Krieger impresses again! As I've mentioned several times in the past, I'm not a breakfast person. I've tried, I really have, but I just can't seem to get excited about it. Except for bacon. I really. really. love bacon...

...

Woah, sorry, where was I?

Anyway, because I'm not a breakfast lover, I thought it would be good for me to make these and try something that I would not normally make, especially for dinner, or should I say brinner! They were delicious! I loved the soft sweet apple chunks in the pancakes, but the nutty topping makes them out of this world. It consists of almonds, sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds and wheat germ. I will tell you though, you really have to like nuts if you're going to enjoy the topping. After all the toasting, the nutty flavor is strong, and oh so yummy in that pure maple syrup. Check out the recipe here.

Thanks to Nicole at Dishin' for hosting. We loved them!

CEiMB: Kind-a, Sort-a...Not really...

I am crazy for spring rolls. I love how fresh and healthy they are, but with a ton of flavor. So when my turn to host Craving Ellie in My Belly came up, I immediately went for the Soft Asian Summer Rolls with Sweet and Tangy Dipping Sauce. I went to the grocery store(s), only to find that rice paper rounds are no where to be found...anywhere! Arrrrgh! I thought about a variety of substitutes, including the nori wraps used for sushi, but I just couldn't see myself using that for something as delicate as a spring roll.

Finally it hit me that the closest thing to rice paper would be a soft butter lettuce leaf. They're velvety and mild in flavor, plus you get the extra benefit of nutrients and vitamins. This was the moment that Spring Rolls became Lettuce Wraps.



Instead of assembling all of the wraps like you would a spring rolls, I simply laid out all of the ingredients for people to pick and choose what they wanted. I had shredded carrot, cilantro, salted peanuts, cucumbers, rice noodles tossed in sesame oil, chopped chicken and shrimp. I also made the Sweet and Savory sauce in the spring roll recipe, as well as giving the option for a peanut sauce and a sweet chili sauce. I used all three in each of my wraps!

The result? A lunch that I will have again and again! It's quick, easy to assemble, and I feel healthier when I eat it! Later that night since I hadn't quite had enough, I filled a bowl with the rice noodles, piled on a bunch of ingredients with the sauces and went to town. Oh! I love this stuff!

My apologies to CEiMB for not making the Spring Rolls that I in fact chose, but I really did try! Hopefully the lettuce wraps will make a good substitute!

CEiMB: Pork Au Poivre

I literally just ate this dish about 30 minutes ago, and I'm still basking in the glory of this dish. You must. make. this. pork.

This is hands down my very favorite CEiMB dish that I've made yet. It's simple, but the flavors are amazing. It's also so easy to make, with readily available ingredients, and takes about twenty minutes from start to finish. However, promise me that if you make it, you won't skip the sauce, you promise? It takes two ingredients, chicken broth and red wine, to basically change your life as you know it today. I poured a little on my mashed potatoes as well and well, pure heaven. I already can't wait to make this again, and as far as I know, there are no dinner plans tomorrow night...

Thank you Rachel Hearts Food for hosting!

Pork Au Poivre
Ellie Krieger

Ingredients

1 1/4 pounds pork tenderloin
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon black peppercorns, coarsely ground or crushed
2 teaspoons olive oil
1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup dry red wine
Salt

Directions

1. Slice tenderloin lengthwise, being careful not to cut through to other side. Split meat into 1 large, flat piece. Spread mustard over both sides of the meat and rub in the pepper, pressing gently so it adheres well. Cut meat crosswise into 4 even portions.

2. In large skillet, heat oil over medium flame. Put tenderloin in the pan and cook for about 10 minutes or until an instant-read thermometer registers 155 degrees F, turning once. Transfer meat to a plate and tent with foil to keep it warm. Add chicken broth and wine to pan and cook over medium-high heat, scraping up any bits that have stuck to the pan. Continue to cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until sauce is reduced to about a half cup. Pour sauce over meat, season with salt, and serve.

Serves 4

Per Serving: 235cal, 10g fat, 30g prot, 0g fiber

Points per Serving: 6

I'm going to be absent for about a week. Glenn has family coming in Saturday for Spring Break baby! So we will soaking up our free time with family as much as possible. Have a wonderful week and I'll look forward to catching up with you all soon!!

CEiMB:Dark Chocolate Mousse

Update: It's been a few days since I've eaten this, and I don't know if I'm just in a better mood, or if sitting for a while has helped, but I'm really growing to LOVE this mousse. It's almost gone, and I'm getting a hankering for some more!
This is another treat to indulge your sweet tooth when you're trying to be healthy, sort of. I have very mixed feelings about this dessert. It's pretty, it's chocolatey, it's rich, and you can reeeeally taste that tofu. So, if you are a fan of all of the above this is the dessert for you! If not, you may just want to stick with chocolate pudding.

I didn't hate it, didn't love it, probably won't make it again, but I did enjoy making it! Check out the recipe here. Thank you Edible Ventures for hosting!

CEiMB: Marinated Flank Steak with Gorganzola Sauce

Well, the snow has stopped falling and the sun is shining, now it's just a matter of digging ourselves out! I actually can't complain too much about the snow storms though, I've had my husband and kids home to myself for two great days, and we've done a lot of playing and tromping through the snow.

I was really excited about this one, because I love steak, and I love blue cheese. My husband is not a fan of blue cheese, but he like Gorgonzola...I know, apparently he can REALLY taste a difference.

I made a few changes with this recipe. Rather then grilling the onions, I caramelized them. I also made my sauce with fat free half and half instead of buttermilk, added fresh parsley and lots of ground black pepper. This was a really good dish, and the flavors were outstanding. I was still the only one that liked the Gorgonzola sauce, but I'm kind of used to that :) Thanks for hosting Blair, from Deliciously Golden!

The recipe can be found here.

Is everyone getting ready for Valentine's Day? Glenn and I are thinking about making our own dinner at home? Does anyone have any good suggestions for a nice dinner at home for two?

CEiMB: Curried Chicken Salad

I think one of the best things about being in these food clubs is that it pushes me to make things that I would honestly never make on my own. This is a prime example of that, but I'm so glad I did! Curry and I aren't necessarily on bad terms, we just don't exactly see eye to eye. Every once and a while Curry and I will get together and have a decent enough interaction, but then it will be a long time before we get together again, making our next encounter fairly awkward. Luckily, we were both in a good mood yesterday and had an absolutely wonderful time.

I loved this salad! It made for such a perfect lunch and I can't wait to have it again. I made a few minor adjustments to the recipe. Rather than poaching my chicken in broth, I just roasted an entire chicken and chopped the breast meat. It came out so juicy and full of flavor. I also used a red curry paste rather then curry powder, since it's what I had. It had a slight spice and heat to it, but nothing overwhelming. The cilantro brightened the whole dish, the red grapes added a delicious sweetness with every bite, and the almonds brought in great crunch. I also squeezed lime juice over the whole thing for a bit of tang. I'm definitely a lot more sold on Curry, hopefully we'll be hanging out a lot more from now on.

Thanks to Sarah's Kitchen Adventures for hosting!

Curried Chicken Salad
Original Recipe by Ellie Krieger

Ingredients

1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1 cup water
1 1/4 pounds boneless skinless chicken breast halves, no more than 3/4-inch thick
1/4 cup sliced almonds
1/2 cup nonfat plain yogurt
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 teaspoon curry powder
1 cup halved red grapes
1/4 cup chopped cilantro leaves
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
5 ounces mixed greens (about 5 cups lightly packed))
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon lemon juice

Directions

Bring the broth and water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add chicken to broth and simmer, covered, for 8 minutes. Turn the heat off and let chicken stand in the cooking liquid, covered, until cooked through, about 20 minutes. Remove the chicken from the broth and cool completely in the refrigerator. Cut into 1/4-inch dice. Toast the almonds in a small dry skillet over medium-high heat until fragrant and beginning to turn golden, 2 to 3 minutes.

In a large bowl, stir together the yogurt, mayonnaise, and curry powder. Fold in the chicken, grapes and cilantro and season, to taste, with salt and pepper.

In a large bowl, toss the greens with the oil, lemon juice and salt and pepper, to taste. Arrange the greens on 4 individual plates, top with a scoop of the chicken salad and sprinkle with the almonds.

Serves 4: (serving size: 1 cup chicken salad and 1 1/4 cups greens)

Per Serving: Calories 325; Total Fat 14 g; (Sat Fat 2 g, Mono Fat 6 g, Poly Fat 5 g) ; Protein 37 g; Carb 13 g; Fiber 2 g; Cholesterol 85 mg; Sodium 175 mg

Points per Serving: 7

CEiMB and HBi5

Normally I'm supposed to post Craving Ellie in My Belly on Thursdays, but yesterday my brain was only functioning at 50%. The night before I thought I'd act like a college student and stay out half the night with some girlfriends, great times, but I'm left braindead the next day! So, it wasn't until noon today that it hit me "I never posted CEiMB!" My apologies to the folks in the group, but hopefully my "two-in-one" post will make up for it.


This week for CEiMB we made Emerald Stir Fry with Beef, hosted by Alyssa's Two Bites. Now, I enjoy a good stir fry, but I do have to be careful not to make them too often because my husband tends to think that they all taste the same, and he's just not that crazy about them.

I made quite a few changes with this stir fry. I used green beans and a frozen veggie mix in place of the sugar snap peas and asparagus. I also added a little sugar to the sauce to sweeten it a bit. It was good, everyone was pleased, but I do think I have to side with Glenn and agree that it did taste about the same as every other stir fry I make. A delicious dish, just not that exciting. Maybe we'll do shrimp or scallops next time? That might mix it up a bit. You can find the recipe here.

And now for HBi5. The starter this week was a bit different, calling for more things like honey and eggs and I liked it! I made the loaf of bread, which got eaten very fast. It was sweet, soft and great with sandwiches, especially my all time favorite one.



And I made the hamburger buns. The tops were brushed with a bit of butter and sprinkled with a bit of garlic salt, my favorite condiment! To fill them we made our favorite burgers ever. The recipe comes from one of my Weight Watcher cookbooks and they are fantastic. Ground beef mixed with a whole variety of veggies and seasonings, then we just grill them on our Foreman. They have a ton of flavor and would satisfy anyone, whether they're dieting or not!



Mushroom BurgersWeight Watchers New Complete Cookbook

Ingredients

2 teaspoons olive oil
1/2 red or yellow bell pepper, seeded and finely chopped
1/2 onion, finely chopped
2 tablespoons minced carrot
2 tablespoons minced celery
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups finely chopped mushrooms
3/4 pound lean ground beef
1 tablespoon steak sauce
salt and pepper

Directions

1. In a medium nonstick skillet, heat the oil. Saute the bell pepper, onion, carrot, celery and garlic until the onion is translucent, 8-10 minutes. Add the mushrooms; saute until the mushrooms brown and the liquid evaporates, about 8 minutes. Cool to room temperature.

2. Spray the broiler racl with nonstick cooking spray; preheat the broiler. In a medium bowl, combine the mushroom mixture, beef, steak sauce, salt and pepper. Form into 4 hamburgers. Broil the burgers 3-4 inches from heat, 5-7 minutes each side, or grill in Foreman Grill.

Serves 4

Per Serving: 153 cal, 8g fat, 3g sat fat, 44mg sod, 1g fiber

Points per Serving: 4

Unfortunately I waited too long to do my apple strudel bread, and the starter wasn't good anymore, drat! I will definitely try it another time though! I'm excited to see how the rest of you clubbers did and have a fantastic weekend ya'll!

CEiMB: Five Layer Mexican Bean Dip

I am in love with any type of party food, mostly because it usually means there is a party attached to it! This week's CEiMB recipe was perfect because last night I had a little scrapbooking gathering with some girls in our card club. By the end of the night, it was GONE, which almost never happens, I was thrilled! There is no way you're going to eat this and know that it's lowfat. It's so full of flavor and heat that you'll feel like you're indulging. This is actually the second layered bean dip I've posted and I think I like Ellie's more then my own!

A little tip with chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, since usually you open an entire can to use just one. To avoid having to throw the rest away, freeze the peppers, individually in small baggies, and thaw right before use. A great tip if you're like me and you lose sleep over wasted food!

Five Layer Mexican Bean Dip
By Ellie Krieger

Ingredients

2 teaspoons olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 (15.5-ounce) can black beans, preferably low-sodium, drained and rinsed
1 tablespoon minced chipotle pepper in adobo
4 tablespoons lime juice
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon water
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups corn kernels (10-ounce box frozen corn)
1/4 cup chopped cilantro leaves
2 ripe avocados
4 medium tomatoes, seeded and diced (about 2 cups)
1/4 cup thinly sliced scallion
1 tablespoon finely diced jalapeno pepper, optional
3/4 cup shredded extra-sharp Cheddar

Directions

Heat the oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions and cook until they soften, about 3 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook for 2 minutes more.

Put half of the onion mixture into a food processor with the black beans, chipotle pepper, 2 tablespoons of the lime juice, cumin, water and salt. Puree until smooth. Set aside.

Add the corn to the skillet with the remaining onion mixture and cook for about 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the cilantro leaves.

In a small bowl mash the avocado with the remaining lime juice. In a medium bowl toss together the tomatoes, scallion and jalapeno, if using. Season tomato mixture with salt and pepper, to taste.

Spread the black bean dip into the bottom of an 8 by 8 glass baking or serving dish. Top with the corn mixture, spreading it out to form a single layer over the beans, repeat with the avocado, then the tomatoes. Top with cheese. Serve with baked chips.

Serves: 12, a serving size is 1/2 cup

Per Serving:Calories 140; Total Fat 8 g; (Sat Fat 2 g, Mono Fat 3 g, Poly Fat 0.7 g) ; Protein 5g; Carb 16 g; Fiber 5g; Cholesterol 6mg; Sodium 245 mg

Points per Serving:3!

You still have until 10pm tonight to enter here in my giveaway for a Silpat, don't miss out!!

Craving Ellie in My Belly: Her Pizza Adapted

Joining the group Craving Ellie in my Belly was my way of killing two birds with one stone. Now I am signed on with two cooking clubs, and they both include eating healthy. Sweet! I'm really excited about cooking Ellie Kreiger recipes. She's always been a favorite of mine on Food Network and I've been happy with a lot of her recipes.

The reason I'm adapting this recipe is because, as of yet, the only food in this world that I just can't get myself to like, is goat cheese. Granted, I've never had it baked in a pizza, but I just couldn't bring myself to spend the money on it with the risk that I wasn't going to like it. So, I used feta instead, it's a cheese made out of sheep's milk, so kind of similar right? And since I was already adapting, I figured I'd use spinach which I already had in the fridge instead of arugula. The result? Fantastic! I plan to have it for lunch again very soon. It's quick, easy and PACKED with flavor, which is good. I read somewhere that if you eat foods that are very flavorful, you'll feel satisfied quicker and eat less. Give this pizza a try, you'll love it!

Feta, Caramelized Onion and Spinach Pizza
Adapted from Ellie Krieger
For One

Ingredients

1 tortilla, (I love the Carb Balance, they are one point each!)
1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion
1 clove garlic minced
1/2 spinach
2 tablespoons feta
salt and pepper

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Put the oil and onions in a medium skillet and cook over very low heat, stirring occasionally, until onions are soft and caramelized, about 15 minutes. Turn the heat up to medium and add the spinach. Cook until the spinach is wilted, about 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper.

Place the tortillas on a baking sheet and top each with some of the spinach/onion mixture. Crumble some feta on top of each, and bake for 10 minutes. Allow to cool for a few minutes and cut each pizza into 4 triangles.