Table Talk: Multi-grain Pizza Dough

This is the last post for Table Talk!  It's flown by.  There would be one more post this year but it happens to fall on Christmas and let's face it, a healthy dinner option won't be my priority Christmas morning, or probably even Christmas Eve.  And I expect it won't be yours either so this is it!  

Table Talk: Pad Thai with Shrimp

I have some confessions to make.  I'm not really sure what this is supposed to taste like.  I don't know that I've ever been to a Thai restaurant.  The only Pad Thai I've tasted is from a kit at the grocery store.  So I probably am not the best judge of what Pad Thai should be.  So, just keep that in mind when you read my opinion of how it came together!  Mmmkay?

Table Talk: Spice-Rubbed Flank Steak with Toasted Corn and Black Bean Salsa

 I know, I know....How many recipes with corn and black beans can one cooking blog have?  There's never too many, I tell ya.  This recipe was so appealing to me on so many levels.  Not only did it have a plethora of ingredients that I love, it was also labeled 'fast'.  And I do love fast.  Every single weeknight we have something on the schedule and all things seem to fall right when dinner is supposed to be being prepared or eaten.  I like having recipes that are a little flexible, easy to prepare and healthy.  I feel like I get in a rut and cook the same thing over and over to satisfy my need for speed.  I think this will make it into the rut-rotation.

Table Talk: Asian Chicken Lettuce Wraps

I don't even think I have to explain why I picked this recipe.  Why would I not pick this recipe??!!  That's the question.  The only thing that surprised me when I checked the ingredient list and instructions was that there wasn't a dipping sauce.  Um, what?   For some people that would probably be something they could live with but for someone like me, it's all about the sauce.  

I subbed Calrose rice for the brown rice simply because it was faster and I wanted to be done cooking in half an hour.  I know what you're thinking---isn't brown rice healthier?  Yes, my friend, it is.  Have I mentioned I'm lazy?

We really liked this and I would make it again-with the dipping sauce, of course.  In my opinion it needed it-but like I said, I'm a sauce kind of girl.

The recipe called for ground chicken but I couldn't find ground chicken at my grocery store.  Not even the 99% fat free version (ground chicken breast) the recipe warned against.  I could have tried a different grocery store, but I grabbed some boneless, skinless chicken thighs and got outta there.

And then I threw half a pound of the thighs and half a pound of chicken tenderloins in my food processor.

Whallah!  Ground chicken. (pulse until chicken is mostly ground up and then alternate between pulsing and running until it's the right consistency)

And it worked really well in the recipe.  Yay!

Asian Chicken Lettuce Wraps

1.5 cups calrose rice

3 cups water

1 lb ground chicken

2 tsp canola oil

1 jalapeno

2 tsp grated lime zest and

3 T fresh lime juice from 2 limes

3 T fish sauce

1 1/2 T brown sugar

1 tsp corn starch

2 T chopped fresh basil

3 scallions, sliced thin (I only used 2 because they were on the large side)

12 Bibb or Boston lettuce leaves (about 1 head) --I couldn't find either of these so I used plain ol' iceberg lettuce.

For the dipping sauce:

2 T soy sauce

2 T water

4 T brown sugar

1 tsp minced garlic

I used my rice cooker for the rice but you can follow the package directions, adjusting the water to what your package says.  While that's cooking, combine lime juice, fish sauce, brown sugar and corn starch in a small bowl and set aside.  

Combine ingredients for dipping sauce (soy sauce, water, brown sugar and garlic) in either a small sauce pan or a med size bowl.  Cook on stove top or microwave until sugar is dissolved.  (On stove top, bring to boil and boil 1 minute.  Remove from heat.  In microwave, microwave 45 seconds, stir and then 45 seconds more if needed to dissolve sugar.  Just make sure bowl is not too small or sauce will boil over.)

Heat oil in a skillet over med-high heat, (I skipped the oil and used a non-stick pan) add chicken, jalapeno and lime zest, breaking meat into smaller pieces while cooking.  Cook until chicken is browned and no longer pink, about 5 minutes.  Whisk lime juice mixture again and add to skillet.  Cook stirring constantly until sauce has thickened, about 45 seconds.  Off the heat stir in basil and scallions.

Serve the chicken filling with rice, lettuce leaves and dipping sauce.

Serves 4

Source:  Lettuce wraps adapted from:  The America's Test Kitchen Healthy Family Cookbook

dipping sauce: girlplusfood original

Table Talk: Chickpea Cakes with Cucumber-Yogurt Sauce

Whaaat?  Who would pick that for their recipe?  Is this some kind of joke? 

Um, no.  Not a joke. 

It was my week to host.

And I was trying to choose a recipe that was new and different.  

I also noticed that we hadn't made anything from the vegetarian section of the book yet.

Have I told you that Tyler almost turned into a vegan a couple weeks ago?

Yeah, he eats humus now.

I'm not really sure how it all came about but it was about the same time he turned into a cowboy and started listening only to Country music.  Well, and Classical music sometimes.

Basically, he wanted to be a vegan cowboy.

It's weird, but that about sums up Tyler.  Weird.  But also why I love him.  

Never a dull moment and just the way I like it.

Anyway, I thought since he was a humus-eating-fool these days, it would be a good time to try and throw something like a chickpea cake on the table for dinner.  

A couple months ago, he probably would have taken one look at this and walked out.  Maybe for good, maybe just to head to McDonald's.  

We'll never know.

I chickened out during the last couple days and decided I had to at least make these into a sandwich.  

I mean, we've shown some progress in the eating healthy department lately, but just a chickpea cake might just be crossing a serious line.  Just to be careful, I threw in some buns, made from this potato bread recipe (I made one regular loaf and then 10 rolls with 2-2.5 oz of dough/roll).  

I'm pretty sure I would eat anything on that potato bread.

And then, like any other time I'm uncomfortable, I threw in some avocado and tomato.

I know what you're thinking.  Why am I being a freak when I'm the one who picked the dang recipe.  Because I'm a weirdo too.  That's why Tyler loves me. ;)

Kale, Strawberry and Avocado Salad with Light Poppy Seed Dressing

 I really liked this salad.  Like, really liked it.  Tyler, on the other hand, wasn't as in love as I was. He has a block when it comes to fruit in a savory (at all) salad or dish.  The bacon and strawberries together totally threw him off.  And he didn't think strawberries belonged in a salad with lettuce.  I don't know, man.  I"m slowly breaking him down but we're just not to the strawberry/bacon/lettuce point yet.  He ate it though.  I took his strawberries and he seemed to be content with the remainder of the ingredients together.  I didn't complain.  This salad had a bit of everything to tantalize taste buds and it was pretty healthy.  I will make it again (because I loved it and every once in a while I make something I love and tell the rest of them to deal with it) and just leave the strawberries off his salad.  This was a perfect light evening meal but I wouldn't say no to it at lunch.  I can see us making many more salads like this for summer.  And I'm hoping to have avocados coming out of my ears because we have a lot of trees in our yard.  I'm getting excited!

White Chicken Enchiladas (Lightened-up) with Corn and Avocado Salsa

The other day I got a hankerin' (have I told you that Tyler, my husband, wants to be a cowboy now?  Just practicing.) for chicken enchiladas.  Which is weird because I keep telling people (including myself) that I don't really like Mexican food.  I could be in denial.  I went looking for a recipe but it started to seem like a lot of work to try and find one that fit what I wanted.  One of my stipulations was the it would be semi-healthy.  We are trying to be good over here, ya know?  After searching for a few minutes I decided I was bored with it.  I would just throw a few things together and could make it how I wanted it.  Guess what?  This time, it worked out.  These were delicious and only ended up being about 375 calories per serving (2 enchiladas).  I was pretty pleased with them so I thought I'd share.  If for no other reason than to have the recipe next time I want to make these.

Table Talk: Creamy Chicken and Spinach Casserole

I am a messy cook.  I try not to be, but I just am.  Hopefully it's something I will be able to remedy over time, but for now, when I am done cooking, the kitchen looks like a bomb went off in there.  How hard is it to put things away while you go?!  My pea-sized brain just can't handle it.  What I like about recipes like this?   While the casserole is in the oven I have 20-30 minutes to clean up before anyone can see the evidence. :)  

The recipe starts with a creamy sauce made from parmesan, milk, onions and spices.  Add some chicken, spinach and whole wheat penne and then top it off with mozzarella cheese.  And then somehow call it healthy.  My kids loved this (they did pick out the spinach) and Tyler and I loved it too.  We divided it into 6 servings rather than 4.  The 540 calories per serving was a bit much for us; 350 was more doable.  

I also threw in some sun dried tomatoes because I had some,  and because I love them and I thought it sounded good.  I would do it again in a heartbeat.  The only other thing I changed about the recipe was that I seared my chicken and then cut it (remember my aversion to cutting raw meat).  And I would also do that again.

And you wanna know what else I'd do again?  Make this.  Our smaller servings were perfect with a salad (balsamic vinaigrette goes pretty well with this) and it was a crowd pleaser.  There wasn't so much cheese that it was unpalatable, but it was cheesy enough that it didn't feel 'healthy'.

*One side note, the sauce doesn't really specify how much salt/pepper to add, it just says 'to taste'.  I added 1/2-3/4 tsp salt and I could have even added a bit more.

If you'd like the recipe, you can get it at Jen O's blog.  She was our hostess for the week and chose this fabulous recipe.

Want to know more about Table Talk?  Click HERE.

Table Talk: Sauteed Pork Chops with Quick Apple-Ginger Chutney

I knew I would like this week's recipe because I really like the combination of apples and pork chops.   And this didn't disappoint.

I couldn't find boneless pork chops.  I bought a roast and sliced it into chops.  It would have been better with a tenderloin, but I couldn't find one of those either.  And when your kids are relay racing through the store, sometimes you just have to grab something that says 'pork' and get the heck outta there.

I was a little nervous to brine my pork.  The last time I soaked a turkey in brine it turned into a ham, no joke.  (I was not happy.  It was the worst day ever.  I love turkey and tolerate ham.  And it was Thanksgiving.  The pilgrims didn't serve ham at Thanksgiving!)  When I saw brine in the recipe I had flashbacks to that horrid day, but then I saw that it was only for 30 minutes to an hour and not 3 days.  And also, it's already a pork product, right?  Ham goes well with apples.

Guess what!  They stayed pork chops.  Weird, right?

I didn't feel like my chutney really 'thickened' but it got to the point I was worried that there wouldn't be any juice left if I didn't say enough was enough. 

I would make this again for sure, I liked the ginger in there but I might add a little less next time and maybe try to puree the chutney.  Can I call it a 'chutney' if I puree it?  Tyler isn't a fan of cooked fruit with meat, but he really liked the sauce.  Or I guess I could just double the sauce ingredients and not give him any 'chunks' on his plate.  Or I could just tell him to eat it and quit being such a baby.  And maybe I could stop rambling.

If you'd like to try this week's recipe, you can get it at Michelle's blog (or you can buy the book).  She was our lovely hostess for the week and chose the recipe.  Thanks for the great pick Michelle!

Bowtie Pasta with Chicken, Asparagus, and Lemon

Let me start by saying that I feel much more competent when it comes to baking than cooking.  I am so glad we are doing dinners this year so I can get out of my comfort zone a little bit and cook some new things and maybe become a little bit better than before.

 This recipe actually called for penne pasta but I figured it didn't matter all the much.  Hadlee wanted bowtie, and I think when my kids have some kind of say in dinner, they are more likely to eat it.  I am not sure if it's because I let her choose the shape of the pasta or not, but my kids seemed to like this quite a bit.  I love all the components of this dish, especially the asparagus.  It's something we don't have all that often, but when we do, it makes me happy.  The fresh herbs and lemon make this really feel light, fresh, and delicious.  The best news?  According to the book a 1 2/3 cup serving is 380 calories.  I'm sure that changes slightly depending on what pasta and other ingredient you use, but still, that's pretty good for a pasta dish.

I used chicken tenderloins, cooked them whole and sliced them after the first sear the recipe calls for.  (I have a thing about cutting raw meat/chicken and try to avoid it when I can.)  I also wondered if it would have been easier to keep the asparagus whole (after trimming the ends) until after it was cooked.  It wasn't super easy to fish the 1 inch pieces out of my stock pot after boiling them.  My sauce wasn't as thick as I thought it would be after the 15 minutes of simmering so I tossed the chicken with about another T of flour before adding it back to the sauce.  It seemed to do the trick.

I have never used leeks before. (gasp)  Well, not that I can remember anyway, and I really liked them.  I am going to start using those things all over the place.  I also didn't expect myself to really like the thyme flavor but I did. (I don't think I used the whole 2 tsp though, maybe 1 or 1 1/2 because I was scared.)

I felt like it was a bit too lemony but I tend to be that way when it comes to lemon.  Hadlee added more lemon to hers, so there ya go.  Next time, I might reduce the lemon a bit (and just let Hadlee add to hers) and either reduce the amount of pasta or double the amount of chicken and asparagus.  We are trying to be a little better about what we eat lately and even though the pasta was whole grain, I felt like the ratio was a bit off; there was a lot of pasta compared to protein and veggies.  All in all, this was a win for us and something we would make again, and soon! 

If you'd like to try the recipe, you can get it at Valerie's blog (or you can buy the book).  She was our hostess for the week and picked a great recipe.

Table Talk: Pan Seared Shrimp Tartines

 I am usually not this fancy.  I mean, what in the world is a tartine?  Well, it's a long story.  Actually it's really not a long story but I will tell you one anyway.  I went to this restaurant in Beverly Hills last month.  No, this is not something I normally do so I was excited when I learned something new and saw Tracey Ulman.  The something new I learned is that a fancy, French, opened-faced sandwich is called a tartine.  And I knew I was filing that little tidbit away for later.  

Fast-forward to our cooking group this week when I was trying to decide how I wanted to serve our pan seared shrimp with lemon and garlic and it just seemed like the two went together.  Shrimp is pretty fancy.  And tartines are supposed to be fancy.  So, there ya go.  I almost blew my own mind and made this aioli (which I have never made before) but then I decided the juices from the shrimp would be enough that the tartines wouldn't be too dry.

I made this french bread recipe and toasted one side of the bread with the broiler. If I were toasting the bread again, I might make the aioli because there weren't as many juices as I was expecting but I think it would be perfect with just un-toasted bread and the juices from the shrimp.  I diced some tomatoes and slices some avocados and it was finished.  I used cilantro instead of parsley because I had it on hand. And I would do it all over again in a heart beat.

This shrimp recipe is super fast and super delicious.  With the fresh sliced garlic and fresh lemon, how can you really go wrong?  We also had this a couple weeks ago and just made a salad with the shrimp, lettuce, avocado and tomato, and that was also delicious. If you want to try the recipe you can get it HERE.  Janet was our host for the week and chose the recipe.  {Thanks for picking a fast and delicious recipe this week, Janet!}

Table Talk: Stir-Fried Beef and Broccoli

I am in love with stir frying lately.  What's not to love?  Usually stir fry is quick, easy and healthy.  So, of course, when I was looking for recipes for the week, this one caught my eye.  Who doesn't love some good broccoli-beef?

Pico Sliders

I don't know about you, but when I am trying to eat healthier, I am sometimes have to trick myself.  Like eating 2 sliders makes me think I am eating more than 1 hamburger.  I know, I am an idiot.  At least the part of me that believes it's different is an idiot anyway.  I guess if it results in eating cute food like this, then idiot it is.  I don't care.  These are pretty healthy.  We used 95% lean beef, reduced fat provolone cheese and the pico de gallo with avocado.  Not to mention the quick wheat slider buns.  They taste delicious and make you feel good about eating a burger.  And Tyler was happy because he is always complaining that we don't eat enough red meat. :)

Quick Wheat Hamburger or Slider Buns

Aren't these things just so cute?  I've made this recipe a few times now.  This was the first time I used half wheat flour and also the first time making slider buns instead of Hamburger buns.  These are the perfect buns to hold a burger but also so fast, they are done in under an hour.  I've previously posted a bun recipe that is also good, but it takes a few hours from start to finish and there are plenty of days that my brain doesn't work that far in advance.  Really the only sacrifice here is the amount of yeast used.  The taste and texture are prefect.  So as long as you have the extra yeast to spare, this recipe is for you (and me).

Introducing Table Talk: Chicken Parmesan

Bake 52 ended with the year 2012.  We set out to bake 52 weeks out of the year and believe it or not there were some of us left by the end!  And, even more unexpectedly, there were a few of us who wanted to keep going!   We decided to go with a little different focus and a little more lax in the rules. :)  We will be posting dinner recipes 2 times a month (on the 2nd and 4th Wednesdays). This is week one, thus the 'introducing' in the title. :)  It was a great way to start, who doesn't love chicken parmesan?  Well, except Tyler, but I am starting to wonder if he's some kind of alien (and 'starting to  wonder' is the polite version).  Even though he claims not to like it, I have started to change his tune.  He has admitted to loving the version of chicken parmesan that I previously posted about.  And today, he said this was good.  As far as I am concerned, it's a winner. :)

I usually stick mainly with chicken tenderloins when I am cooking chicken, but this recipe called for breast cutlets and explained how to turn a breast into a cutlet.  You slice it in half length-wise and then pound it to 1/4 inch thick.  I used to pound each piece separately but now I just line all my chicken up on a couple layers of paper towel, cover with a layer of paper towel and pound them all at once.  

It's much quicker and you also dry your chicken at the same time.  Just a tip.  I know, could I be any more helpful?  It's like I am curing cancer here.

It works better with the tenderloins, they are just easier to flatten than breasts, but it still worked pretty well here.

I loved the tip about cooking the chicken on a rack.  I wondered if it would stick at all but it didn't.  Not one bit.  Way better than just cooking on the foil.

I also loved using the panko.  It really makes a big difference in the crunchyness of the dish, I think.

I only ended up cooking my chicken for 6 minutes and then putting it back in for the final 2 with the sauce and cheese.  Because I would rather get salmonella than eat dry chicken. :)

The book has an easy sauce recipe, but I just used our favorite marinara sauce that I love more every time I make it.

I think next time, I would take the parmesan cream sauce from the other recipe-prepare the chicken according to this recipe but with tenderloins instead of the breasts and get the best of both worlds. 

Either way, this is a great recipe.  If you need a good chicken parmesan recipe, (and who doesn't?) you can get it HERE.  Jen was our hostess for the week and chose the recipe.

Thanks for picking a great recipe Jen!

On a side note, I love to see that my photos are getting a little better, when I posted the last chicken parmesan recipe, I was pretty happy with those photos but now I cringe looking at them!  Don't let the photos deter you. :)

Honey-Lime Shrimp and Avocado Salad

Look at this!  Yesterday I promised a blog post on Facebook and here it is!  (I was sharing tips for storing cilantro)  I am not sure what my problem is, but I am all about the salad and veggies lately.  ??  Yeah, I don't know if my body knows it's Fall and I am supposed to be craving all things apple, cinnamon, pumpkin and cranberry.  I will try to break it to myself.  We've had this twice now because I bought some shrimp on sale. When shrimp is on sale, I am there.  I wish crab was on sale more often.....Anyway, we really liked this salad, like enough to have it twice in 2 weeks, so I thought I'd share.  It's fresh and pretty and healthy and delicious.  Are there anymore positive words I can use?  Oh yeah, it's fast too.  Enjoy!  And now that my internet is fixed, (WHOOOOHOOOO!!) I will, hopefully, be around more often!

Bake 52: Deep-Dish Pizza (Pepperoni and Veggie)

I am not really keen on picking the recipes, I just like to make what everyone else picks.  So when my week rolled around again, I decided to choose a recipe that was recommended by Courtney.  She made the pizza and said it was good and we should try it.  And I do whatever Courtney tells  me to.  And I also kinda like to have a week once in a while where the baking group counts as dinner. 

Salsa Chicken in the Crock pot (or slow cooker)

 Since our move started, I haven't really been feelin' it when it comes to cooking or menu planning. And that means that just about every night is like an episode of Chopped around here.  I rummage through the pantry and fridge to find anything that will go together and then I throw it all in a pan to make dinner.  Sometimes we end up with things we have eaten before and sometimes a whole new creation is born.  And sometimes we decide that we really need to go shopping because the creations are getting a bit out of hand.  

Grilled Zucchini Caprese Sandwiches with Avocado

We have made these twice now and I know we will be making them again.  I wish I had a garden right now, but I don't.  If I did, there would be zucchini and tomatoes (and probably some basil somewhere!) in my backyard right now.  Maybe next year.  For now, I will just pretend I got these veggies from somewhere other than the grocery store.  Consider yourself lucky if you do have fresh vegetables in your yard.  You are cooler than me and I am completely jealous.  

Beef and Bell Pepper Stir-Fry

We have eaten this twice now.  The first time was a night that I was just in a hurry to feed everyone and myself before there was a giant meltdown at my house.  Probably by me.  Just one of those nights.  Of course, I didn't feel like taking pictures, I just wanted to feed everyone and put them all to bed.  I knew we would have it again but I had ideas on how to make it a little better.  This time, I felt like it was just how I would want it.  I am all about stir fry dishes lately.  Maybe it's because they are quick, but flavorful and healthy-ish.  {If we left out the rice I am sure it would be even healthier but I've heard we all need a vice. ;)}