Brisket Tacos

I got this recipe for brisket tacos from one of my best friends, Christina, and man I am glad I made it! It was so simple and yet so tasty!

Brisket Tacos
From: my friend, Christina

Ingredients:
Trimmed Brisket
A brisket marinade (I used Claude's barbecue Brisket Marinade Sauce)
Tortillas ( I used flour)
Tomatoes, Cheese or anything else you would like to put on your tacos

Place trimmed brisket in a ziplock bag and pour your marinade sauce over brisket (I used approx 2 oz per pound). Seal bag and refrigerate over night.

Place brisket in a deep cooking pan with marinade, cover with foil and cook at 300F for approx for 4 hours.

( The last 30 minutes or so, I removed the foil cover and cooked the remaining amount uncovered).

Shred brisket while still hot and it is ready for your tacos!

**You could also pour some of the juices from the pan over the meat to add additional flavor and tenderness.

Instant Black Bean Soup

I truly did like this recipe. It is simple to make, taste great, is low in points and is filling! What a perfect meal. I do not remember where I got this recipe from, but thank you! It makes plenty so it is great to take for lunch by itself or with a small sandwich or salad.


Instant Black Bean Soup
Serves 5
4 points per serving

Ingredients:
2 (15-ounce) cans no-salt-added black beans, undrained
1/2 cup bottled salsa
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 (16-ounce) can fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded reduced-fat sharp cheddar cheese
5 tablespoons low-fat sour cream
5 tablespoons minced green onions
2 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

Place beans and liquid in a medium saucepan; partially mash beans with a potato masher. Place over high heat; stir in salsa, chili powder, and broth. Bring to a boil. Ladle soup into bowls; top with cheese, sour cream, onions, and cilantro.

Yield: 5 servings (serving size: 1 cup soup, 1 1/2 tablespoons cheese, 1 tablespoon onions, 1 tablespoon sour cream, and 1 1/2 teaspoons cilantro)

CALORIES 212 FAT 4.9g FIBER 5.4g

Chicken Pot Pie

I know I haven't really been posting any point friendly recipes lately, but here is one! I got this off the weight watchers community board. It was great! The only change I made was that I used biscuits instead of the the Heart Healthy Bisquick.

Chicken Pot Pie
From: ww community board
NI: Calories 285/Fat 7/Fiber 4
Approx 6 points

Ingredients
2 cups cooked chicken fillet, chopped (could also use chopped rotisserie chicken breast with skin removed)
1/2 cup carrots, cut into thin rounds and softened (could also use canned carrots)
1/2 cup frozen green peas, thawed
1 cup 98% fat free Cream of Chicken Soup
1 cup fat-free chicken broth
1 1/2 cup Bisquick Heart Start Baking Mix
1 cup fat free milk
1 Tbsp butter, melted
*Optional, you could also substitute or added some broccoli florets, celery, chopped water chestnuts, softened onions, and/or any other veggie you would like to up the veggie content.

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a greased 2-quart casserole, layer the chicken, carrots, and peas.

Mix the soup, chicken broth, and season with salt and pepper, if desired.

Pour over the layers. Stir together the biscuit mix and milk, and pour this over the casserole. Drizzle butter over the topping.

Bake until the topping is golden brown, 30 to 40 minutes

Creamy Pesto Pasta

I love pasta. I love pesto. So naturally I was drawn to this recipe. I also like that it only has a few ingredients. This would be prefect with chicken in it. So simple that we had it for lunch one Sunday but can be elaborate enough for a weeknight meal. A delicious meal ready to eat within 10-15 minutes. The only down side is that it really isn't low fat, but sometimes you just need to splurge! :)
Creamy Pesto Pasta
http://cjaneinthekitchen.blogspot.com/

1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1/2 cup pesto
1/2 cup Parmesan
salt
pepper
1 pound pasta, cooked and drained

Boil heavy cream, stirring constantly, over medium heat for about 5 minutes, until it thickens. Add pesto and stir then add parmesan cheese. Stir until cheese melts. Salt and pepper to taste. Toss with pasta.

Enjoy!

Peach Cobbler

This is my very first cobbler. One of my best friends has a peach tree in her back yard and apparently it is producing a ton of peaches this year. Needless to say she had more peaches than she could handle, so she passed several on to me along with this Peach Cobbler recipe from Paula Deen. I was surprised just how easy making a cobbler is and the ingredients are so simple. I was wonderful served warm with some vanilla ice cream!

Peach Cobbler
From: Paula Deen

Ingredients:
4 cups peeled, sliced peaches (about 7 medium peaches)
2 cups sugar, divided
8 tbsp butter
1/2 cup water
1 1/2 cup self rising flour
1 1/2 cup milk
cinnamon to taste, optional

Preheat oven to 350.

Bring peaches, sugar and water to a boil in sauce pan; mix well. Let simmer 10 min on low.
Remove from heat.
Put butter in 3qt baking dish and place in oven to melt.
Meanwhile, combine the rest of the sugar and flour together in a bowl. Slowly stir in milk to prevent clumping.
Pour batter directly over buttered dish; do not stir.
Spoon peaches on top of batter evenly. Then drizzle the syrup on top. Sprinkle top with cinnamon.
Bake 35-40 minutes.

Serve with ice cream. :)

Mozzarella Chicken Sandwich

I got this recipe from a Cooking Light email. It sounded good, so I gave it a try. It calls for ciabatta bread, but since I couldn't really find it at my local grocery store I picked up a loaf of Italian bread. It was a yummy sandwich but a bit too much bread. I was surprised how quickly it all came together. My husband truly enjoyed it (although I was afraid he wouldn't since he isn't the biggest fan of pesto). I will definitely be making this again but with a different bread next time. :)

Mozzarella Chicken Sandwich

From Cooking Light

Serves 4

Ingredients
1/4 cup (about 2 ounces) sun-dried tomato pesto (such as Classico)
2 tablespoons fat-free mayonnaise
3/4 pound skinless, boneless chicken breasts
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 (8-ounce) loaf ciabatta
12 large basil leaves
3/4 cup (3 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup sliced bottled roasted red bell peppers
1 large tomato, thinly sliced

Preparation
Combine pesto and mayonnaise in a small bowl, stirring to blend.

Sprinkle chicken with pepper and salt. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken, and cook for 3 minutes on each side or until done. Remove chicken to cutting board, and cool slightly. Cut chicken lengthwise into thin slices.

Preheat broiler.

Cut ciabatta in half horizontally. Place bread, cut sides up, on a baking sheet. Broil 3 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove bread from pan. Spread pesto mixture evenly over cut sides of bread. Arrange the chicken slices evenly over bottom half. Top chicken evenly with basil leaves, and sprinkle cheese over top. Place bottom half on baking sheet, and broil 2 minutes or until cheese melts. Arrange bell pepper and tomato over cheese, and cover with top half of bread. Cut into 4 equal pieces.

Nutritional Information
Calories: 394 Fat: 13.4g Protein: 31.3g Carbohydrate: 37.3g Fiber: 2g

Chicken Casseroles

This dish turned out really well. The original recipe is for individual casseroles, but since I didn't really have containers to make individual ones, I just put it all in an 8x8 casserole dish. It was really tasty and quite hearty. I will probably make this one again but in the winter when one needs a warming meal.

Chicken Casseroles
tastykitchen.com

Serves 3

Ingredients
2 Tablespoons Butter
1 bunch Scallions (white And Light Green Parts), Chopped
3 cloves Garlic, Minced
1 can Low-sodium Cream Of Mushroom Or Cream Of Chicken Soup (10 3/4 Oz)
½ cups Milk
1 teaspoon Chicken Bouillon Granules Or Better Than Bouillon (or 1 Chicken Bouillon Cube)
½ teaspoons Paprika
½ teaspoons Black Pepper
4 ounces, weight Cream Cheese, softened
1-¾ cup Sharp Cheddar Or Your Favorite Cheese, Divided Use
1 cup Cooked Cubed Or Hash Brown Potatoes (I Use Simple Potatoes Brand In The Refrigerated Section Of My Supermarket)
2 cups Cooked Chicken Cut Into Bite-size Pieces (I Used Leftovers From A Roasted Chicken)
25 Butter Crackers (such As Ritz Or Townhouse), Roughly Broken Into Small Pieces
2 Tablespoons Butter, Melted
1 cup French Fried Onions (optional)
Garnish With Chopped Scallions And Finely Diced Red Bell Pepper

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350F.

Heat a skillet over medium heat with the butter. After the butter has melted, add the scallions and cook about 2 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute longer. Add the soup, milk, bouillon, paprika, and black pepper and stir to combine. Heat until the mixture is hot then add the cream cheese and 1 cup of cheddar cheese (reserve the remaining cheddar cheese for the top). Stir until the cheeses melt. Fold in the potatoes and chicken. Taste for seasoning and adjust as needed.
Spoon the chicken mixture evenly into 3 individual gratin dishes (or an 8×8″ baking dish) that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Sprinkle 1/4 cup of cheese on top of the chicken mixture in each dish.

In a medium bowl, break the crackers into small pieces (about 1/2″). Do not pulverize into crumbs. Add two tablespoons of melted butter and stir to combine. Top each gratin dish with 1/3 of the crackers. Place the gratin dishes on a sheet pan and bake for 20 minutes or until the top is nicely browned and the casseroles are bubbling around the edges. If using the French fried onions, add to the top during the last 4 minutes of cooking. Garnish with chopped scallion tops and finely diced red bell pepper.

Enjoy!

Soy Ginger Glazed Chicken

I'm so sorry it has been so long since I last posted. I really don't have any excuse other than enjoying the lazy days of summer. Needless to say,I have lots of new recipes to post. Inspired by the summer weather and wanting to use our grill, I took this recipe and used it to make chicken kabobs. The glaze was delicious and really made the meal. I hope you enjoy!

Soy Ginger Glazed Chicken
http://cooklikeachampion.blogspot.com/
Ingredients:
2 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
1/4 cup orange marmalade
1 1/2 teaspoons low-sodium soy sauce
1 teaspoon fresh grated ginger

In a small bowl, mix together marmalade, soy sauce and ginger. Set aside.

Prepare grill or preheat grill pan.

Cook the chicken 5 minutes, then flip and cook an additional 5 minutes.

Brush each side with glaze. Cook 1-2 more minutes on each side, or until chicken is cooked through.

Remove chicken from grill and immediately brush each side with remaining glaze