Pan seared bacon wrapped asparagus

If you are like most people, you probably don't care much for asparagus. Oftentimes, when I go out to a dinner, and asparagus is served, it is left behind on my plate. Haven said all this, you must be wondering why then, I would be sharing with you an asparagus recipe. Here's why.... recently I made some dietary changes, which included adding more vegetables to my diet. As you can imagine, it is pretty easy to get bored of vegetables. To conquer this potential problem, I try new vegetables as often as I can (case in point, Jicama!).

My philosophy on food is pretty simple... with the right spices and combination of ingredients, almost any food can be made delicious. In order to achieve this, I looked up a few recipes and decided on this simple and delicious one.

Ingredients
5 or 6 asparagus spears
2 slices of extra lean turkey bacon
Black pepper to taste
Butter flavored cooking spray (any kind is fine)

What to do
Wrap 2 to 3 asparagus spears in each slice of bacon (fasten ends with toothpicks)
Sprinkle with black pepper
Heat up a pan on medium heat
Spray bottom of the pan with cooking spray
Place asparagus in the pan and sear on each side until bacon is slightly crispy (should take about a minute on each side)



Serve with your favorite protein dish... and enjoy!

p.s - serve alongside a fillet of Tilapia fish cooked as you like, for a healthy meal
p.p.s - WW friends, this recipe serves one, for a total of 1 point!

Tandoori Chicken Skewers

Let's take another trip to India.

I know it was not that long ago we did so, with my tandoori fish recipe, but.... here's the great thing about buying a jar of any marinade. You can use it in many dishes.

So... here's what I did.

- I picked up about a pound of boneless chicken thighs (about 2 thighs). Chicken breast works great too, but I think dark meat is more flavorful. I chopped it into bite sized pieces.
- I added 2 tablespoons of tandoori mild paste (Pataks Original makes a great one).
- Then, salt and black pepper to taste.
- I left it to marinade for about 45 minutes then skewered it (about 7 skewers).
- I heated up the broiler and placed the pan with the skewers, about 7 inches away from the broiler.

Keep an eye on the skewers, rotating/turning every 3-5 minutes. It is ready to eat in about 15 minutes (plus another 5 minutes if you insist on letting it cool down).

Enjoy with naan bread, basmati rice, your favorite salad, or on its own as a snack. YUMMY!!!!

p.s - here's a tip - soak wooden skewers in water for about 15 mins to prevent burning under the broiler.
p.p.s - each skewer is only 1 weight watchers' point.

Jicama continued....

So... a few weeks ago, I wrote about a new vegetable that I had tried, 'Jicama'. I still had some left, and was thinking of different ways to cook it. As usual, I look for simple recipes that require only a few ingredients.

Today's treat... Jicama stir-fry. It is amazing as a side dish, or mixed up with some sauteed beef or shrimp and folded into a whole wheat tortilla wrap with a few dashes of taco sauce. Healthy and yummy!

Ingredients
1 jimaca (diced into matchstick sized pieces)
1/2 a medium red onion (thinly sliced)
1/3 a medium green pepper (thinly sliced)
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp garlic powder
A dash of soy sauce
Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation
1. Place a pan on medium heat
2. Spray with cooking spray
3. Add jicama, onions and peppers - stir fry for about 5 minutes
4. Add garlic, ginger, soy sauce, salt and pepper - stir-fry for another 3 -5 minutes.
5. Enjoy!












* In the above picture, I served as a side dish with some shepherd's pie.
** It's all vegetables, so for weight watchers, it is a 0 pt dish.

Tandoori Fish

Ever have a feel for some ethnic food but you just can't make it to the restaurant soon enough?

Here's my temporary fix Shop in the ethnic aisles of your local grocers. Pick up jarred sauces such as Caribbean jerk or teriyaki marinade, thai curry or tikka marsala paste, or pesto sauce. Follow the directions on the jar, and I promise, the end result will hold you over until you can make the drive. Plus, you'll know exactly what is going into your food and you can adjust according to your taste, for example... reducing oil or salt.

Today's recipe takes us to India (Tandoori fish). Traditional tandoori meats are cooked in a cylindrical clay oven known as a Tandoor. Don't have one? No worries... a regular oven is an adequate substitute.

Ingredients
1 whole Tilapia (any fish would do)
2 tbsps Tandoori paste
Salt and pepper to taste
Canola cooking spray

What to do
Step one - clean fish and cut three or four slits on each side.


Step two - sprinkle salt and pepper on each side and spread a tablespoon of the tandoori paste on each side. Make sure to get paste into the slits and sides of the fish.


Step three - cover with clear wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.


Step four - preheat over at 150 degrees fht for 10 mins. Place fish in the oven for 5 minutes. Turn oven off and grill/broiler on. Spray cooking spray on top side and place under grill. Turn fish as often as necessary to cook on each side and prevent from burning. Make sure to spray top side everytime you turn over before placing under the broiler. It should take 10-12 minutes to cook.


Step five - Serve with your favorite sides. I enjoyed mine with homemade fried rice and coleslaw. Deelish, and a craving satisfier!

p.s - don't like fish, substitute with any other meat.
p.p.s - 1/3 fish = 4 Weight watchers points.

Chicken Breast and Veggie Medley Pizza

Oftentimes, we think of Pizza as a 'no-no' when trying to lose weight, or when opting for a healthier lifestyle. Not exactly true! It all depends on what's on the pizza.

Here is one that is pretty healthy (even better than the recipe I posted earlier). It is another great alternative to pizza from your favorite pizza joint, loaded with toppings and a little twist to your traditional pizza.

Ingredients
4 slices of deli style, oven roasted chicken breast - diced
I small tomato - diced (Here is the twist. Use diced fresh tomato instead of tomato/marinara sauce)
1/8 of a small red onion - minced
1/4 of a medium green pepper - diced
8 biscuits (store bought biscuit dough)
2/3 of a cup of shredded reduced fat four cheese blend cheese
salt and pepper

Step 1: Prepare all your ingredients and flatten each biscuit to your desired thickness.



Step 2: Assemble the pizzas in the following order on a baking sheet - Tomatoes, onions, green peppers, chicken, cheese. Sprinkle with salt and pepper; and a quick spray (of cooking spray).



Step 3: Place in a 350 degree Fahrenheit oven for 10- 15 minutes. Allow to cool for a few minutes and enjoy!

* If you are on Weight Watcher's like I am, each one is only 2 points.
** An excellent dish to prepare with the kids. I know my niece or nephew would love building this one with me.

Something New : Jicama

I recently made some changes to my diet, and one of them was to eat a lot more vegetables. I usually get bored of eating the same thing, so I decided to try a new vegetable. My vegetable of choice was the Jicama. Why the Jicama you may ask? Well, as an avid 'food network' watcher who likes to try recipes and ingredients the chefs talk about - when they kept mentioning this vegetable, I knew I had to try it.

Here is what it looks like raw. Most people describe it as looking sort of like a turnip.



I decided to chop it up (sort of like french fries) and then sautee in a sprayed pan with salt, black pepper and a little cayenne to give it a kick. I cooked it for about 5 minutes, turning over a few times to prevent from burning.



Then, I served it with some homemade kidney beans and boiled plantains.



What does it taste like? It's sweet and crispy, and sort of reminds me of a water chestnut and a pear at the same time. It is arguably an acquired taste, but a forkful of the plantain, Jicama and kidney beans, was absolutely delightful.

Don't be afraid to try something new... you just might love it!

7 1/2 minute Tuna Burger

I sort of have a love/hate relationship with canned tuna. A few years ago, I couldn't get enough of it, but then suddenly things changed and a can of tuna would sit in my pantry/cupboard for months. It wasn't like I would forget about it, it just didn't pique my interest or taste buds any longer.

Traditionally, canned tuna is mixed with mayo (and corn if you are British) to make tuna salad, or topped with cheese to make a tuna melt sandwich. However, I am not really a fan of either of these popular choices.

The solution for me was simple. Stay away from canned tuna when grocery shopping! A great solution indeed, since it has been years since I picked some up. Nonetheless, I ended up with a can of tuna in my cupboard a few weeks ago. A friend of mine (bless her) was going back to France after a 10 month stint as an exchange student in the US, and rather than be wasteful, she gladly dumped the contents of her pantry on me. Never one to refuse to lend a helping hand, I accepted these items with open hands. As a result, I ended up with a can of tuna.

The can sat there for a few weeks and then, I became determined to do something with it. I pondered for a long minute and then... it came to me. Maybe I can make a tuna burger? I looked up a few recipes online and didn't really like what I was finding. Most recipes had way too many ingredients. As you may know, I like to keep it simple.

So... after a tweak or two, here is what I came up with.

Ingredients
1 5oz can of tuna (chicken of the sea is excellent)
1 medium egg (whisk separately first)
1 tbsp of flour
1 1/2 tbsps of mined red onions (yellow or white will do just fine)
1 1/2 tbsps of minced green peppers (or red)
A dash of hot sauce or chilli sauce (Nandos garlic peri-peri sauce works great. That is, if you can lay your hands on a bottle)
1/4 tbsp of thyme (or your favorite herb)
Salt and black pepper to taste

Preparation
Drain all the liquid from the tuna. Mix all the ingredients in a bowl. Divide into two and mold into burger patties (the mixture would be a bit wet , but not to worry).
Heat a skillet on medium heat and spray with cooking spray.
Cook patties on each side for about 2 minutes.

Serve on your favorite bun with whatever condiments you love. I spread some fat-free cream cheese (an excellent and healthy substitute to mayo) on a whole wheat bun and placed my patty in the middle.

The aroma of the burgers alone, as they cook, will have you salivating long before you take your first bite. In the words of Rachel Ray, 'Yum-o'!

* Mix up a quick coleslaw with store bought coleslaw mix, salt, black pepper and white vinegar and serve along side.
** Each burger patty is 2 Weight Watcher's points.