Canadian Bacon, Egg & Cheddar Cups

Quick and easy breakfast cups!  Healthy and fast to throw together for guests.  Serve with fresh fruit as an attractive accompaniment to the eggs.

Recipe doubles or triples easily

Canadian Bacon, Egg and Cheddar Cups, adapted fromWeight Watchers Points Plus Cookbook, 3 pts

The Chef In My Head

Serves 4

4 slices Canadian bacon

4 eggs

salt & pepper

1/4 C cherry tomatoes, chopped

1/4 C fat free bread crumbs

2 T reduced-fat cheddar cheese, shredded

1 sprig parsley

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Place 1 slice bacon  in each of four 8-10 ounce custard cups.  Lightly beat eggs and season with salt and pepper.  Pour eggs evenly into cups.  Top evenly with tomatoes, bread crumbs and cheddar.

Place cups on baking sheet and bake until eggs are just set, about 20 minutes.  Garnish with parsley.

Serve with fresh fruit.

Fluffy & Moist

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Lemony Baked Chicken

With fresh herbs, white wine and tangy lemon juice this is a recipe to use both on chicken and fish.  It's so easy to throw together and pop into the oven and ready in well under an hour.  Oh and did I mention, it's healthy too!  Perfect to pair with Escarole & Cannellini Beans with Parmesan & Hazelnut Crust.

Lemony Baked Chicken adapted from Weight Watchers

The Chef In My Head

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast, four 4 oz halves

Juice of one lemon

1/2 C white wine

1 tsp olive oil

1/2 tsp kosher salt

1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1/4 Tony's

1 T.  fresh Thyme, chopped

1 T.  fresh Parsley, chopped

1 medium lemon, quartered for garnish

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Coat a small , shallow roasting pan with olive oil cooking spray.

Season both sides of chicken with dry seasonings.  Transfer chicken to prepared pan and drizzle with olive oil; sprinkle with lemon juice, thyme, and parsley.  Pour white wine around chicken to coat bottom of pan.

Bake until chicken is cooked through, about 30 to 35 minutes.  Garnish with lemon quarters and serve.

Enjoy!

Serves 4

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Escarole & Cannellini Beans with Parmesan-Hazelnut Crust

Home Run In the Kitchen!!!  This is fabulous and healthy, what a surprise!  Escarole is one of my favorite ingredients and I use it whenever I can.  The beautiful green leaves with their buttery texture is fabulous and can be used in many delicious ways.  This was no exception.  One of my other favorite ingredients, as you well know, is wine.  I believe Jesus turned water to wine for good reason and I pay this miracle homage in my kitchen almost daily.  A little for me, a little for the dish, a little more for me; you get the idea.

This is a great side dish worthy of a holiday dinner table, but it landed on ours on a regular ole Monday night.  Sticking to my healthy resolution, I served this with a light and lemony baked chicken.

Escarole & Cannellini Beans with Parmesan-Hazelnut Crust adapted from Weight Watchers

2 tsp olive oil

2 large onions, large diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 large head escarole, rinsed very well, coarsely chopped

1/4 C chicken broth

1/4 C white wine

15 oz can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

1/4 tsp black pepper

1/4 tsp dried thyme

1/4 tsp cayenne

1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg

1/2 tsp kosher salt

1/4 C freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 C dried bread crumbs, coarse-style

3 T hazelnuts, roughly chopped in food processor

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Heat oil in Dutch oven (a large pot with tight fitting lid).  Add onion and garlic, saute until onion is translucent, about 5 minutes.  Add escarole and seasonings, saute' stirring constantly, until escarole is limp, about 1 minute; stir in broth and white wine.  Cook over high heat, stirring frequently, until escarole is tender and broth and wine evaporates, about 3 minutes; stir in beans.

Spoon escarole-mixture into a 1-1/2 quart glass baking dish.  Combine cheese, bread crumbs and hazelnuts in a small bowl.  Sprinkle over escarole mixture.  Bake until crumbs are lightly browned, about 15 minutes.

Enjoy!



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Fresh Vegetable Soup & New Year's Resolutions

Back on task!!  I must say this ten times a day.  Yesterday I joined Weight Watchers, yes my cooking is getting the best of me or should I say is giving me the worst of me.  I have a few to lose, not many but enough to make my clothes perfectly comfortable and to make me feel better about myself.   I decided WW could help me cook a bit more friendly to the old waist line.  Sweets have never been my downfall, I'm not even wild about chocolate, it's those damn cream sauces.  I love them to distraction and there has to be a way to lighten them up so I can still enjoy them.  No cream sauces in my Veggie Soup, well of course not, but I love a full flavored soup.  So here goes...

Fresh Vegetable Soup

Fresh Vegetable Soup adapted from where else?  Weight Watchers

2 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium onion, diced
2 medium carrots, diced
1 medium sweet red pepper, diced
1 stalk celery, diced
2 small zucchini, diced
2 C. Swiss chard, chopped
2 C. cauliflower, small florets
2 C. broccoli, small florets
2 T. fresh thyme, chopped
2 T fresh parsley, chopped
3 green onions, chopped
salt & pepper, to taste
1 tsp. Tony's seasoning
juice of one small lemon
6 C low sodium chicken broth
splash of white wineSpray a soup pot with olive oil spray.  Bring heat to medium and  add all ingredients in order listed.  Stirring as you add new ingredients. Bring to boil over high heat; reduce heat to low and simmer about 30 minutes.

NOTES: 
I know, I know the white wine was probably a violation but a splash to a soup that makes 12 servings isn't going to kill anyone.

If you like thick soups, consider pureeing this recipe in the pot with an immersion blender.

Add or leave out vegetables to suit your taste.

Save in individual servings in the freezer for a quick midday snack or dinner appetizer.

Weight Watchers says this (with my modifications, that includes the white wine addition) is still only 1 point per serving!!              Makes 12 servings.

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