Chicken Salad Tea Sandwiches and Cucumber Tea Sandwiches

My sister had her baby shower today and everything was so cute!  Peggy's daughter made the little boxes herself and inside were little mini spice cakes as party favors.

I wanted to make little tea party sandwiches so I found two recipes to try (using baby shower guests as guinea pigs for new recipes probably not a good idea but thankfully they went over very well).

The chicken salad recipe was made by Robin Fuhrman on Allrecipes.com.  Its a bit different than the normal chicken salad recipe because of the curry but I liked the difference.  I also liked the suggestion of chopping in some grapes but since they are so expensive at the store right now I didn't try it.

Chicken Salad Sandwiches

Ingredients:

• 2 cups of cooked chicken, cubed
• 1 medium red apple, cubed
• 3/4 dried cranberries
• 1/2 cup thinly sliced celery
• 1/4 cup chopped pecans
• 2 Tbsp green onions, thinly sliced (green part only)
• 3/4 cup Mayonnaise
• 2 tsp lime juice
• 1/2 tsp curry powder

1. In a bowl, combine the first six ingredients. Combine mayonnaise, lime juice and curry powder; add to chicken mixture and stir to coat. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. Cut each slice of bread with a 3-in. heart-shaped cookie cutter. Top with lettuce and chicken salad.

While looking up tea sandwich recipes I read that no tea party is complete without a cucumber one.  This one seemed like an odd combo when making it but it tasted pretty good.  I got it from a Great Party Recipes website.

Cucumber Tea Sandwiches

Ingredients:

• 1 large cucumber, peeled and thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup soft butter spread (not melted)
• 2 tsp minced garlic
• 1 Tbsp lemon juice
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• Fresh ground black pepper to taste

1.  Lightly salt sliced cucumber and place in colander to drain for about 1 hour.  

2. In bowl combine butter and garlic.

3. In a separate bowl stir together lemon juice, olive oil, and pepper.  Add cucumber to lemon mixture.

3. Spread butter mixture on bread, place sliced cucumbers on top and cover with other slice of bread.

Back in time when calories meant nothing

Don't you just love this.

You mean I can eat all I want and lose weight? Wow!  At only 261 calories I could eat the whole thing for just 2,600 calories! Amazing!

My mom recently sent me several stacks of magazine clippings and recipe cards she had been holding onto for a while and this one cracked me up.  Since January is such a diet month I thought you guys would get a chuckle.

Maybe this is the chocolate cake diet ... sounds like something I would come up with.. hahaha

"Marry Me" Whole Wheat Pizza

Oh pizza, how we love you, in all your forms....but especially in this one :)
A nice whole wheat dough with milled flax seeds adding their goodness ... a thick and spicy hearty sauce .... fresh spinach peaking out of the mozzarella....  ahhhhhhhhhh.....
I developed this recipe to its current drool-worthy state when I was dating Jeff.  Every time he saw me making pizza he would look at me with lovey dovey eyes and fall to his knees in silent worship of the Goddess of the Kitchen ....  ok maybe I'm stretching it a little but he did ask me to marry him after I made this final version so something must of been right :)

The key to making a knock-out pizza of course is the dough, but the sauce is just as important.  I usually measure out ingredients by the palm full but today when I made this I made sure to check exactly what on earth I was doing.  Don't be alarmed at the lack of heavy doses of salt in this, cheese naturally is salty so when it all merges together it comes out perfect.  Also of course fresh basil is divine to drape on the top of the pizza with the spinach but we are on a budget these days so I didn't include it in this recipe.  The cost of making this pizza is less than $5 so it definitely is healthier and cheaper than just buying a pizza.
I do have a habit of being distracted while the dough rises (one day I WILL pay attention to my timer) but never has the dough come out bad cause of going over like 15 minutes; going under 15 minutes is never good though. One trick to letting rise in a warm place if our house is too cold is turning the oven to warm, turning off a little before the ready timer goes off, and placing the dough in there to rise.  Once I forgot to turn the oven off when the dough was in there and it came out hard as a rock so don't forget to turn it off, preferably before it reached the set "warm" temp.
I'm not a professional baker by any means and I know a chef is probably crying somewhere at my little shortcuts, but hey, they work for me!

Ok long introduction for just a pizza but this one has a history   :)
Enjoy!

Whole Wheat Homemade Pizza

Pizza Dough

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour (you can do half regular flour and half whole wheat)
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 tsp rapid rise yeast
• 1/2 - 3/4 cup warm water
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1/4 cup milled flax seed (optional)

1. Sift flour and salt together in a large bowl.

2. Stir in yeast and flax seed. Make a well in the center, pour in water and oil.

3. Mix with a spoon till crumbly.

4. Using your hands finish gathering pieces of dough into a ball - adding a little warm water or extra flour if necessary.

5. Kneed on a lightly floured surface for about 10 minutes until smooth. Form into a ball.

6. Place in a lightly oiled bowl.  Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm spot till doubled in size (about 30-45 minutes).  Meanwhile prepare the sauce recipe below.

7. After rise punch down dough and kneed for 2-3 minutes.

8. Roll out on lightly oiled baking sheet or baking stone.  Don't worry about being a perfect shape on a cookie sheet...its homemade!

9. Pinch up edges to form a rim. Let rise again for about 20 minutes.

Sauce:

Ingredients:

• 1 (14.5 oz) can of unsalted Diced Tomatoes
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 2 tsp dried basil
• 1 tsp fresh ground pepper
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 tsp olive oil
• 3 medium cloves of garlic, crushed or grated
• 1 bay leaf

1. Open can of tomatoes and place in a food processor with all spices except garlic.

2. Pulse till tomatoes are chopped.

3. Heat olive oil on medium lo heat in a small/medium saucepan.  Add crushed garlic and saute for 1 minute. Remove from heat and carefully add tomato sauce mixture.

4. Return to heat, add bay leaf, and simmer on low for 30 minutes.

And it all comes together:
Ingredients:

• Tomato sauce recipe above
  
• Handful of fresh spinach leaves
• 8 oz of Mozzarella
• 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Remove any large stems from the spinach leaves and roughly chop them. If using mozzarella from a block of cheese chop into pieces. 

2. Spread sauce over crust, you will probably have about 1/4 cup left over (I save this for sandwiches or mix with spaghetti sauce later). Sprinkle half the mozzarella on top of the sauce.

3. Sprinkle all of the chopped spinach on top of the mozzarella.  

4. Sprinkle the rest of the mozzarella on the pizza.

5. Add grated Parmesan on top and extra fresh ground pepper.

6. Bake at 425 degrees for 15-18 minutes till the top begins to brown.

7. Let pizza cool about 5 minutes before serving. 

Chickpea Pasta

A while back I was stuck trying to figure out a better way to serve whole grain pasta.  Not that I don't like it but you know how it is switching from regular to whole wheat, quite the flavor and texture change.  This recipe really compliments the penne pasta and the chickpeas cook up with a lot of flavor.  You know its good when the picture has the steam rising off - we just couldn't wait for it to cool off for a pic so we can gobble it down!

Chickpea Pasta

Ingredients:

• 2 cups of whole grain penne pasta
• 2-3 Tbsp olive oil
• 6 medium cloves of garlic
• 1/2 cup roughly chopped fresh parsley (dry does not work here, must use fresh)
• 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1 (14.5 oz) can of diced tomatoes no salt added
• 1 (16 oz) can of chickpeas/Garbanzos
• 2 medium bay leaves
• pinch of salt
• 1/2 cup fresh parmesan  cheese

1. Drain and rinse the can of chickpeas in a colander.  If you have lots of loose chickpea shells place in a bowl of water and using a slotted spoon skim off the floating shells.  Place drained chickpeas in a small bowl with a paper towel on the bottom.

2. Place a colander on top of a bowl, open can of diced tomatoes and pour in colander.  Using a fork smash down each piece of tomato.  Save liquid for later.

3. Roughly chop the fresh parsley.  Peel skins off garlic and thinly slice.  Go ahead and put a large pot of water on the stove on high heat to get ready to boil the pasta in.

4.  In a large skillet heat the olive oil on medium heat.  Add the garlic, cook for about 30 seconds, then toss in the parsley and red pepper flakes.  Cook for about 1 minute.

5. Add the chickpeas, slightly crushed tomatoes, a pinch of salt, and the bay leaves.  Cook on medium heat stirring constantly until the chickpeas start to brown, about 8 minutes.  About 5 minutes into the cooking put the pasta in the pot of boiling water, cook till al dente. (this way it all finishes at the same time).

6. After the chickpeas and tomatoes cook down add the saved tomato juice and cook for about 5 more minutes.  Add a little of the pasta water if it looks like the liquid is getting completely cooked out.

7. When pasta is done drain and toss it in the skillet with the sauce, cooking for about 30 seconds.  Remove from heat and stir in the cheese.

Chicken in Herb Sauce

Look out calories I'm going to knock you out!!!!  muhhahahahaha ...
This meal is what we ate today for lunch; chicken in herb sauce with brown rice and steamed veggies.  Such a filling lunch with very few calories.  This chicken recipe is very quick, juicy and delicious....makes really good leftover chicken sandwiches that don't even need sauce.  And it seems like there is a lot of oil but most of the oil is left in the pan.  I like to put this together in the morning and marinate in the fridge till evening, makes me feel like I put no effort into dinner.

Chicken in Herb Sauce

Ingredients:

• 2 tsp dried thyme
• 1 tsp dried rosemary, crushed (I throw mine in the blender)
• 1/2 tsp ground sage
• 1/2 tsp dried marjoram
• 2 tsp dried parsley*
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp ground black pepper
• 5 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 Tbsp minced onion
• 3 cloves crushed or grated garlic
• 1/4 - 1/2 tsp hot pepper sauce (i.e. Tabasco sauce)
• 1/2 cup chicken broth
• 3-4 chicken breasts cut in half

1. In a bowl combine all ingredients except chicken, mixing well.

2. Add chicken to mixture making sure all pieces are coated well.  Marinate in fridge for 1 hour or more (optional).

3. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

4. Place chicken breasts in 9x13 inch pan and pour remaining herb mixture all over.  Cover with aluminum foil.

5. Bake for 20 minutes covered.  Remove cover and bake for an additional 15 minutes, occasionally spooning juices over chicken until chicken is done.

*a fun trick I do with large leaf spices such as parsley - pour out in palm of your hand and crush with your thumb to release any pent-up flavor :)

Super Green Sandwich

Check this bad boy out:

Talk about a healthy sandwich!  After eating this you just feel so good.  And don't you go sticking your nose up at the fact that it has tofu and alfalfa sprouts in it...trust me it tastes really good and is super filling.  After one bite Jeff was hooked on it and he hates almost all the ingredients.  The secret is the flavor combination and how you stack it. So give it a shot, you will surprise yourself ... if not then I will make sure to make this the next time you are over at my house to convince you.  :)
Jeff even has his own name for it, "Captain Tofu"!

Super Green Sandwich

Ingredients:

• A nice soft, nutty Whole wheat bread (we love to use Arnold's Oatnut - very tasty) 
• Avocado
• Juice from 1/2 lime
• Alfalfa sprouts
• Cucumber, thinly sliced
  
• Provolone Cheese
• Tofu (extra firm - I like to mix it up and use different seasoned tofu)
• Fresh Spinach

1. Slice the avocado and place it on one or both sides of the bread. (If you are new to slicing avocado just cut in half, remove the pit, and using a small knife slice into slivers while it is still in the skin - making sure you don't cut thru the skin. Push it out and voila!). Add a little crushed ground pepper to jazz it up if you want.

2. Place a layer of alfalfa sprouts on top of avocado on one slice of the bread.

3. Squeeze lime juice all over sprouts.

4. Place a layer cucumber on top of the sprouts.

5. Place cheese on top of cucumber.

6. Drain liquid and cut tofu* into thin slices and lay on top of cheese.

7. Finish with fresh spinach on top of tofu.

* store leftover tofu in an airtight container with a little water. Change out water daily.

Mexican Casserole

Since Jeff was lovin on my Mexican Casserole Enchiladas I decided to make the healthier and less caloric version (minus the enchilada part).  This recipe makes 6 cups worth, each cup being about 280 calories.  I ate mine with a large flour tortilla on the side and Jeff wrapped his up in the tortilla like a burrito.  This was really good and filling even without all the sour cream and cheese, and the spicy kick is nice too (if you are not a fan of spicy foods then make sure to use mild salsa and omit the red pepper flakes from the homemade taco seasoning recipe).

Mexican Casserole

Ingredients:

• 2-3 Tbsp oil
• 4 large chicken breasts
• 2 cloves crushed or grated garlic
• 1/2 half package taco seasoning mix or taco seasoning recipe
• 1 (15oz) can Kidney Beans, drained
• 1 (15 oz) can sweet corn, not drained
• 3/4 cup salsa

1. Cook chicken in oil in large skillet over medium/ med high heat till no longer pink inside.  Remove pan from heat and cut chicken into chunks on cutting board.

2. Drain any excess liquid from pan and place back on medium heat with crushed garlic.  Cook garlic for about 1 minute and add chicken and taco seasoning, mixing well.
3. Add can of undrained corn, beans, and salsa mixing thoroughly. Cover and let simmer about 10 minutes, adding water if it looks like it is getting dry.

New Year's Resolutions

Happy New Year!
Hope everyone had a great holiday ... bring on the 10's!!!!!! (not sure what people are going to be calling this new decade yet).

So Jeff and I are both feeling very...fluffy... after weeks of eating as much rich food as possible. We both decided to make the month of January the "get back on track" month.  So with charts on the fridge and bodies that are actually aching to get back in shape we look forward to getting healthy again.... starting on Monday of course.
All good diets begin on Monday :)

The plan is to keep track of how many calories we consume 6 days a week and not going over the recommended daily calorie intake (we like relaxing on one day in the week so we don't go nuts).  We also have set up a little competition for going to the gym to get us motivated more.
The month of January will have plenty of healthy, low calorie recipes posted here...unless its our day off in which case the meal will be naughty naughty naughty.