Quick and Healthy Marinara Sauce {1 Point +}

Recently, I discovered how crazy simple it is to make your own marinara sauce, and now I will never go back to the stuff in the bottle again.  I was inspired by this easy recipe from Skinny Taste, my favorite go-to blog for Weight Watchers recipes.

You start with a can of crushed tomatoes, add garlic and seasoning and BAM- marinara sauce without all of the extra salt and weirdness in bottled sauce.  You can customize it however you want; we made it into a version that worked for us- with dried spices and a sprinkle of splenda.

I've used this for dipping veggies and breadsticks or ladled over spaghetti squash and chicken parmesan.  The best part is that it's only 1 Point +. 

Recipe
Adapted from: Skinny Taste
1 tsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, finely diced or grated
28 oz can crushed tomatoes
1 small bay leaf
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp basil
1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
1 tsp splenda
salt and pepper to taste
pinch of red pepper flakes (optional)

1. Saute garlic in olive oil for about a minute.  Stir in remaining ingredients. 
2. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer 20-30 minutes. 

Serves 6 (about 1/2 cup each) Calories: 51

Weight Watchers Points: 1 Point +

Tex-Mex Beefy Enchiladas

Have you ever looked at recipe and thought, "That looks too easy to be good?"  You see these people on tv dumping an endless number of ingredients into their dishes and think that delicious food must take a pantry full of strange and unusual ingredients.  That's what has kept me from making these Tex-Mex Beefy Enchiladas from Martha Stewart.  It seemed too simple yet the reviews were excellent so the tab stayed open on my computer for about a month as I debated.  Lol.  That sounded so dramatic!  :-P

But...today I took the plunge and made these incredible enchiladas!  They were so easy and clean, yet so flavorful.  Honestly, I felt like they were better than most of the beef enchiladas that I've had in restaurants and if you know they hubs, then you know we've eaten at a bazillion and one Tex-Mex restaurants! 

This was the first time I've ever made enchilada sauce and it was so worth taking the extra step!  The recipe calls for one small chile in adobo sauce, but the one that I used was on the larger side.  The result was pretty hot, as in I broke a little sweat, but not so hot that I had to chug a gallon of milk.  The hubs and I loved them, but I couldn't feed them to my one year old.  Next time, I'll stick with a smaller chile or remove the seeds because the little guy loves enchiladas and stared at us with those big, sad puppy dog eyes while we ate. :(

I'm not a big fan of corn tortillas because they always break apart, but I found some white corn ones from the Tortilla Factory (at Walmart) that also had wheat in them.  They were the best of both words- a subtle corny taste with the stability of a flour tortilla.  I will definitely be stocking up on these!

I served these with a cilantro lime rice.  Yummm!

Enjoy!

Recipe

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/4 cup all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
1 can (14 1/2 ounces) reduced sodium chicken broth
1 1/2 tablespoons chili powder
1 small chipotle chile in adobo, minced, plus 1 tablespoon sauce (from a small can)
1 small onion, finely chopped (about 1 cup)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 pound lean ground beef
1 tsp kosher salt

1/2 tsp black pepper
8 corn tortillas (6-inch)
1 1/2 cups shredded 2% cheddar cheese (6 ounces)
1/4 cup chopped cilantro

1.  In a medium pan heat 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil.  Add flour, cook and stir 1 minute.  Whisk in broth, water, chile powder, chile and adobo sauce.  Bring to a boil, whisking constantly.  Reduce heat and simmer until slightly thickened.
2. In a skilled heat remaining oil.  Add beef, onions, garlic, salt and pepper.  Brown and drain.
3. Wrap tortillas and bake for 10 minutes in a 350 degree oven.  Remove and raise temp to 450.
4. Spoon 1/4 sauce into a square baking dish.  Fill each tortilla with about 1/4 cup beef mixture and 2 tablespoons cheese.  Roll tightly and place seam side down in dish.  Mix remaining beef with sauce and pour over enchiladas.  Sprinkle remaining cheese on top.
5. Bake 15-20 minutes or until hot, bubbly and heat through.  Allow to cool for 10 minutes before serving.  Garnish with cilantro.

Source: Martha Stewart 

Linked to:

Cast Party Wednesday - Full Plate Thursday -

Teriyaki Chicken Breasts & a Bonus Tip for Cooking Chicken ;-)

I love Asian flavors, but the hubs is not as big of a fan.  His passion is Mexican food, but there are only so many enchiladas and burritos that this girl can eat.  Every so often I have to try and sneak another type of food onto our table.

We both really enjoyed this Teriyaki Chicken Recipe. Even the kiddo loved it.  It is both beautiful and packed full of flavor.  If you prefer more subtle flavors, halve the sauce recipe or cut back on the soy. 

However, I like lots of bold flavor, especially on chicken breasts since they're usually kind of bland.  One way I've found to get more flavorful chicken is to pound your chicken until it is a fairly uniform thickness.  That way it cooks evenly and doesn't have one thick flavorless side and one thin, chewy side.  Whether you're using a marinade, a sauce or breading the chicken, you get a better chicken to seasoning ratio by making your chicken breast thinner.  Another plus is that it cooks faster.

Hmmm.... faster, yummier chicken?  What's not to like there?

Serve the Teriyaki Chicken on a pillow of brown rice and ladle the extra sauce over the top.  For a pretty presentation, garnish with sesame seeds and green onions.

Enjoy!

Recipe
2 Tbsp cornstarch
2 Tbsp cold water
2/3 c white sugar
1 c soy sauce
1/3 c cider vinegar
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp black pepper

4-5 medium sized chicken breasts, pounded to about a 1/2" thickness
sesame seeds and diced green onions for garnish

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees and line a baking dish with foil.
2. Combine cornstarch, water, sugar, soy sauce, vinegar, garlic, ginger and pepper in a small sauce pan.  Cook and stir over medium heat until the sauce thickens to a syrup like consistency.
3. Place chicken in dish and brush with sauce; turn over and brush other side.  Bake 40 minutes, brushing every 8-10 minutes with sauce.  (You can bake it for less time, but the sauce may not stick to the chicken as well.)  Garnish with sesame seeds and diced green onions. 

Source: Adapted from AllRecipes.com 
Printable Recipe

Linked to:
Cast Party Wednesday
These Chicks Cooked
Foodie Friday

Building a Perfect Pie, Part III - Garlicky White Sauce!

Every once in a while we just need a break from the regular tomato sauce pizza so I searched until I found a yummy, garlicky white version.  This one is packed with flavor and is thick enough to keep your pizza from getting soggy.  You don't need to add a lot of cheese to the top of the pizza because the sauce is so flavorful and creamy. 

I love to use this with chicken pizzas like my Chicken Carbonara Pizza.  There's just something about that garlicky cream sauce that compliments the flavor of grilled chicken breasts.

This is a really quick and easy sauce to make if you keep a few things in mind.  Because it comes together so quickly, it helps to have everything measured and ready to go before you start melting your butter.  You also much watch carefully to keep it from burning.  It thickens up more when it cools down, but don't worry.  Just spread in on thick, and it will be alright. 

I hope you enjoy and will share on what kind of pizza you like to have Garlicky White Sauce!

Recipe
2 Tbsp butter
1 tsp fresh minced garlic
3 Tbsp flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1 c milk
1/2 c parmisiano-reggiano, shredded

1. Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat.  Add garlic and cook about a minute while stirring to keep from burning.  
2. Stir in flour, salt, pepper and seasoning.  Cook and stir about 1 minute.
3. Add milk and cook and stir until thickened.  It will be a gravy like consistency and will thicken quickly.  If it gets too thick, add more milk. 
4. Remove from heat and stir in cheese until melted.

Makes enough for 1 pizza.
Source: Adapted from Food.com

Printable Version

Building a Perfect Pie, Part II - The Sauce!

OK, so I blogged earlier that I'd finally found the perfect pizza crust, so I could switch my focus to the figuring out the sauce.  I've been working on both a red sauce and a white sauce, but in case you missed the big picture to the left, this blog post is about the red one.  ; )

For me, the sauce can make or break a pizza.  Some are too salty- I mean how much salt do you need when you have salt in the toppings, the cheese and the crust?  Then there are the sickeningly sweet sauces, which are good for dipping your bread sticks in, but are a no go for pizza.  We won't even talk about the ones with the weird, unidentifiable ingredients.

This simple sauce has just the right amount of seasonings with no crazy ingredients to buy.  The only trick is that you MUST make it a day ahead if possible.  It takes a while for the seasonings to mesh together.  If you taste test it too early, you will be tempted to toss in the trashcan, so be patient and magical things will happen.  You can add your salt and pepper after the sauce has had time to set out.

It makes enough for 1 large pizza or 2 if you prefer your pizza lightly sauced.

Recipe
1 (6 oz) can tomato paste
1 c water
1/3 c olive oil
2 tsp minced garlic
1/2 Tbsp dried oregano
1/2 Tbsp dried basil
1/2 tsp dried rosemary, crushed
salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients, except salt and pepper, cover and place in fridge overnight.  Don't adjust seasonings until after the sauce has rested overnight.

Add salt and pepper to taste. 

Source:  Adapted from AllRecipes