Category: Food

A trip to Morocco without leaving the house…

CarrieLeave a comment

If anyone has ever been on WeightWatchers, you know the key to success is changing up your meals and making them new and exciting.  It’s easy to get off track when you eat the same meals everyday.  I decided to go on to the WeightWatchers website and explore the recipe archive.  I came across this recipe and look what I was able to make.  It doesn’t even look like it’s a WeightWatchers meal.  I have tried many WeightWatchers’ recipes and have no made anything as delicious as this dish.

I altered the WeightWatchers recipe only slightly to allow for 6 servings instead.  I only added more butternut squash, chicken stock, and chicken so the point value will not increase much at all.  WeightWatchers gave the meal a 9 point value.

Ingredients that you might not have on hand

2 lbs. chicken, 1 tsp ground cumin, 1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg, 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon, 1 large vidalia onion (chopped), 2 cups butternut squash (peeled and cut into 1/2 inch cubes), 3/4 cup rice, 16 dried apricots (chopped), 2 cups chicken broth, 1/4 cup fresh cilantro

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400

2. Season chicken with salt and pepper.

3. Coat a large dutch oven with cooking spray. Heat over medium heat. Add 2 tbsp olive oil and heat until it begins to shimmer. Add cumin, nutmeg, and cinnamon.  Cook about 30 seconds.  Add the chicken to the pot and cook until lightly browned on both sides for about 2 minutes per side.  Remove chicken to a plate and set aside.

4. Add onion and squash to the pot, scraping down sides to incorporate pan drippings. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onions start to turn translucent. Add rice and apricots. Place browned chicken on top and pour in broth.

5. Cover pot and bake in oven for about 40 minutes.  Check halfway through to see if more broth is needed.  Sprinkle with cilantro before serving.  Yields about two cups (including a piece of chicken) per serving.

Even if you are not dieting, you need to try this recipe.  You will feel like you crossed the Atlantic for the night and are opening the aromatic pleasures of an authentic tagine!

The Best Cookies You’ll Ever Eat

Sadie2 Comments

To start this blog off on the right foot, let’s talk cookies.  I love testing cookie recipes, tweaking them, and making them awesome.  One of my favorite sources for cookie recipes is Martha Stewart.  Now, admittedly, Martha leaves something to be desired in the recipe department.  She’s not always on the cutting edge of new ingredients or healthy alternatives, and some of her recipes are pretty dated.  But she also has some quality basics that are a great springboard to adapt into a more successful version.  Say what you will about Martha, but with her help, I think this recipe is a good thing.

Not only are these delicious, but between the whole wheat flour, oatmeal, dried cranberries, and nuts, how could you go wrong!  Every time I make these, I get nothing but raves.  Don’t be intimidated by the long ingredients list, you have most of it in your pantry, just run out to the store to grab the add-ins!

Awesome Oatmeal Cookies

Yields about 4 dozen (this is a big batch)

  • 4 sticks of unsalted butter (2 cups)
  • 1 cup white sugar
  • 1 cup light brown sugar
  • 4 large eggs
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
  • 2 1/2 cups AP flour
  • 2 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/2 cup plain yogurt or milk
  • 4 cups old fashioned oats
  • 1 12 oz package of white chocolate chips
  • 1 12 oz package of butterscotch chips
  • 1 1/2 cups sweetened flaked coconut
  • 1 cup dried cranberries
  • 1-2 cups chopped pecans or walnuts

Method

  1. Preheat oven to 350.
  2. Cream butter and sugars together with electric mixer.
  3. Sift together dry ingredients: flours, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
  4. Add eggs, vanilla extract, and yogurt/milk to butter and sugar.  Slowly incorporate the dry ingredients.  Once ingredients are combined, add in oats, white chocolate, butterscotch, dried cranberries, coconut, and nuts.
  5. Mixture will be relatively stiff.  Make sure that the add-ins are uniformly distributed throughout the batter.
  6. Use an ice-cream scooper to portion out dough into 2 inch balls on cookie sheet.  Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.  These will be a great texture if they are closer to golden rather than brown.

Here’s what they looked like when I made them around Christmas.  Enjoy!