27. Diet Coke Chicken

This! This is a surprise, trust me. I've been seeing variations of this for months on the WW boards and have been turned off by the fact that it (originally) contained 3 ingredients that I could not imagine together: chicken, ketchup, and diet coke. Yes, diet coke. I want to say something here about sugar free or artificially sweetened things. I do not like cooking with them. I find that the sweetener leaves a bitter taste behind that ruins everything. However I did not find that to be the case with this dish, in fact I was so pleasantly surprised that I made it two nights in a row (with varying heat to make sure it wasn't a fluke) and my family devoured it. You can serve this over rice or couscous. You can serve it on rolls or wraps. It has a lightly sweet, lovely taste and is one of the easiest dishes I have ever made.

Diet Coke Chicken - 3 points per serving
Makes 8 servings

2lbs of boneless skinless chicken breast
salt
pepper
1 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp red pepper (or more if you are like me!)
1 tbsp minced garlic
1/3 cup barbecue sauce
2/3 cup ketchup
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
12 - 14 oz (14 makes a little more juice) diet coke

Dutch Oven:

1. Preheat oven to 275
2. Place ingredients into pot in the order listed above.
3. Replace lid and place into oven. Cook at 275 for 3 -4 hours.
4. Remove chicken from pot and shred with two forks. Put back into pot with juice and stir. Serve hot.

Crock Pot:

1. Follow directions 1 & 2 above.
2. Cook on low 4-6 hours.
3. Remove chicken from pot and shred with two forks. Put back into pot with juice and stir. Serve hot.

Stove Top:

1. Place ingredients into skillet in the order listed above.
2. Over medium to medium high heat bring the liquid to a boil.
3. Cover with a lid, turn the heat down and let it simmer for 45 to 60 minutes, stirring occasionally.
4. Remove chicken from the pan, shred with two forks. Put back into skillet with juice and stir. Serve hot.

Enjoy!

20. Indian Spiced Cauliflower and Potatoes

I found this dish here while searching for interesting side dishes for well...anything. Steamed or roasted vegetables gets pretty old after 168 days of dieting. The original is so very much prettier than mine, but mine was really very tasty. Now the points here are a little high for a side dish and normally I'd have aimed lower, but it looked so good, I just couldn't help myself. I love Indian food! Of course as always I made changes, and I paired this with roasted pork tenderloin.

I am going to post the recipe as is for you all to see with parentheses for my changes.

Indian Spiced Cauliflower and Potatoes - 6 points per serving (with my changes)
Serves 4 (I changed it to serve 6)

1 (1 3/4-lb) head cauliflower, cut into 3/4-inch-wide florets (1 1/4lbs)
1 1/4 lb Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes (2lbs)
5 tablespoons vegetable oil (4tbsp)
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds (didnt have seeds, used ground, upped to 1 1/2 teaspoons)
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped (used two tbsp minced)
2 teaspoons minced fresh jalapeño, including seeds (used 1/2 whole jalapeño seeds and all, minced)
2 teaspoons minced peeled fresh ginger (used 2 teaspoons ground)
1 teaspoon ground cumin (heaping)
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander (1 teaspoon garam masala)
1/4 teaspoon turmeric (1/2 teaspoon)
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1/2 cup water (1 cup)

Put oven rack in upper third of oven and place a shallow baking pan on rack. Preheat oven to 475°F.

Toss cauliflower and potatoes together in a bowl with 3 (I sprayed the pan with cooking spray and lightly drizzled a single tbsp over the vegetables) tablespoons oil, cumin seeds, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Spread in hot baking pan and roast, stirring occasionally, until cauliflower is tender and browned in spots and potatoes are just tender, about 20 minutes (If you do not cut the potatoes and cauliflower small enough this will take longer.).

While vegetables are roasting, cook onion, garlic, jalapeño, and ginger in remaining 2 (I used 3 here) tablespoons oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderate heat, stirring frequently, until very soft and beginning to turn golden, 8 to 10 minutes. Add ground cumin, coriander, turmeric, cayenne, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring constantly, 2 minutes. Stir in water, scraping up any brown bits from bottom of skillet, then stir in roasted vegetables. Cook, covered, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes.

Makes 4 side-dish servings.

It was amazing!

18. Chipotle Lime Flank Steak

Oh no! I do not have a picture for this incredibly flavorful dish to entice you into making it! Don't worry...I will be making it again!

I found this recipe on the WW online boards and it called out to me not only because I had almost all of the ingredients on hand, but because I love chipotle flavors, and we hadn't had steak in a while. I paired this recipe with a whole wheat wrap, 1/4th cup of rice, and saute'd peppers and onions. Amazing! However when I made it I made some tweaks, so I am going to post it with my tweaks and recommendations.

For example, the original calls for 1 lb of steak. I used 1 1/2 lbs and doubled some of the ingredients in the marinade. I doubled the amount of peppers in Adobo. Don't do that, no matter how much you want to, unless you like your food extremely hot! However I do believe that you will find what I post to be quite satisfying... The recipe as I made it with 1/2 the peppers:

Quick side note: Always double check your points values no matter who posts them or how often they are correct. You don't want ruin a good run with someone else's mistake!

Chipotle Lime Flank Steak - 4 points per serving (as long as you do not add extra marinade to your actual serving.)
Serves 6

1 1/2 lb flank steak or skillet steak
4 chipotle chiles canned in Adobo, minced
1/2 c fresh lime juice
1/2 c honey
1 cup chopped cilantro (not packed)
3 Tablespoons dijon mustard
2 Tablespoons oil
2 Tablespoons minced garlic
1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground allspice (I did not have any allspice left! I used a dash of cinnamon and a dash of nutmeg)
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Combine all ingredients for marinade. Marinate flank steak in the refrigerator 8 hours or overnight (I only had 3 hours and it was still fantastic, this is a no worries recipe!). Remove steak from marinade, reserve marinade. Grill or broil to desired degree of doneness. *If you are going to cut your steak into strips, do it now rather than before putting it into the marinade. Trust me, its easier to fish it out of the marinade this way.

If desired bring marinade to a boil. Boil until slightly reduced and thickened. Serve sauce over thinly sliced steak, and enjoy!

16. Barbie Cups

Another one from the WW online message boards! I loved this one. It was so simple and tasty, and fast. I served it with a side of steamed corn.

Barbie Cups - 6 points per serving
Serves 8
Special Equipment: Muffin or Cupcake Pan

1 lb ground turkey
1 cup BBQ sauce
1 cup fat free shredded cheddar cheese
1 can low fat refrigerated biscuits
Pam Spray

Preheat oven based on directions of biscuit can.
Brown ground turkey and drain.
Mix in BBQ sauce.
Spray muffin tins with Pam.
Smash each biscuit (I used a cutting board and just pressed them flat with my palm) and fit into muffin pans.
Spoon meat mixture into biscuits. Sprinkle with cheese.
Bake as directed on biscuit cans.

Enjoy!

6. Crock Pot Chicken Curry

I love curry! Normally when I make this, I do it in a large pan or pot on the stove and in the last 15 minutes of simmering I add a 12oz can of coconut milk. The coconut milk adds a savory sweetness and thickens the curry up nicely. I didn't want to pack the points on so I used a coconut curry flavored chicken broth instead. If you use the 12oz can of coconut milk it will add 2pts per serving. This recipe serves 12 (good sized servings) so its great for lunches too!

Crock Pot Chicken Curry - 4 points per serving
Serves 12
Special Equipment: Crock Pot

4 whole uncooked boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into chunks
2 1/2 cups frozen pepper strips
28oz can diced tomatoes
2 cups diced onion
2 cups chopped fresh cilantro
1 cup rasins
4 cups chicken broth
1 tbsp minced garlic
2 tbsp curry powder
2 tbsp ground tumeric
1/2 tbsp ground cloves
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tbsp ground red pepper

Place all ingredients into crock pot, stir and put the lid on. Turn crock pot on low, and let cook for 6-8 hours. Serve over rice.

1. Taco Soup

I wish I had thought to create this blog before I emptied the crock pot into all of those little containers. You see I just started the Weight Watchers Flex Plan (First meeting this Sunday! WOOT) and I needed something that I could eat all week for lunches, on a low budget. So after scouting around the internet for ideas I came up with Taco Soup. I know there are tons of these out there, but I like to think mine is a little different...

Taco Soup - 3 points per cup
Makes 13 cups.
Special Equipment: Crock Pot

3 boneless skinless chicken breast
1 envelope ranch dressing mix
1 envelope taco seasoning mix
1 medium onion, diced
1 large can (28-30oz) diced tomatoes
1 can Mexican or spicy (I used tomatoes with diced jalapenos) tomatoes
1 can black beans
1 can kidney beans
1 large can (28oz) vegetarian baked beans (I used Bush's)

Put everything in the Crock Pot in the order listed here.
Do NOT drain the tomatoes.
Do NOT rinse or drain beans.
DO NOT STIR.
Cook on low for 6 to 8 hours. (I put it on at 3am, and didn't touch it until noon the next day)
Take chicken out and shred with two forks.
Put chicken back in, stir, and enjoy!