fighting the fat, one delicious meal at a time

Posts Tagged ‘easy’

Sunday Supper: Oven-Fried Chicken Drumsticks

On May 5, 2013   /   Main Dishes, Poultry   /   Leave a comment

Oven-fried chicken drumsticks

This recipe really takes me back. These oven-fried chicken drumsticks are one of the first things I made when I decided to cook healthy food for myself. Before I discovered these drumsticks, my weekly dinners were a sad rotation of frozen meals and boring romaine salads. The drumsticks changed everything. They were the proof I needed that I could make tasty, healthy food at home.

I made these yesterday for the first time in ages and knew I had to share them. They’re cooked in the oven instead of deep-fried in tons of oil, but they’re still plenty delicious.  The drumsticks turn a beautiful golden brown: crunchy on the outside, tender and moist on the inside.

Boil some sweet corn, make a small salad, throw a pair of drumsticks on your plate, and you’re in business. It’s perfect for a Sunday night supper on the back porch. The drumsticks are also great for breakfast: have one with a little maple syrup and a sweet bagel for a protein-packed treat.

Credit to Lisa Lillien (aka Hungry Girl) for the secret to the healthy breading — see my version of the recipe after the jump! Read more… →

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Meatless Monday: Spinach-Ricotta Pockets

On April 29, 2013   /   Appetizers and Snacks, Vegetarian   /   Leave a comment

Spinach-ricotta pockets for Meatless Monday!

I don’t know if I’ve ever mentioned this before, but I’m a little bit obsessive. It’s genetic — my parents are obsessives too. Fun fact: my mom used to come in my room in the middle of the night and fix my bed. …With me still in it.

Anyway, it is in my nature to become fixated on things. Food is no exception. I’ll literally keep myself awake at night, mulling over recipes in my head. Yesterday I found a Post-It with an ingredient list stuck to the back of my yoga pants. Suffice it to say, I think about cooking a *lot*.

This morning, I woke up with spinach-ricotta pockets on the brain. I knew just how I was going to make them. I figured out the method in while I got ready for work: I would take square wonton wrappers, fill them with spinach and cheese, and bake them. Simple. Easy. Tasty.

I had a minor panic attack when I couldn’t find the wrappers in my freezer. I lose stuff in there sometimes — an occupational hazard of my ingredient hoarding. Fortunately, I found them and all was well: these spinach-ricotta pockets were meant to be.

This recipe is perfect for parties or potlucks. It’s easily doubled (or tripled!). Plus, you can assemble the pockets ahead of time and keep them in the fridge until you’re ready to bake. The pockets are wonderfully savory and creamy on the inside, with crisp edges that provide that always-satisfying crunch. Dip them in a little marinara sauce for the perfect bite. Read more… →

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Quick, Easy, Good: Creamy Shrimp and Asparagus Pasta

On April 24, 2013   /   Main Dishes, Pasta, Seafood   /   Leave a comment

Creamy shrimp and asparagus pasta

My name is Kamille, and I am a shrimp addict.

It’s hard for me to remember when my shrimp obsession began. It would have to be well after I was 9 or 10. Around that time, my big brother shared the pleasant news that the veins in shrimp were “doo-doo.”  To be more precise (and less of a fifth-grader), the vein you see on the back of a shrimp is the digestive tract. While it is certainly better to remove it whenever possible, nothing BAD will happen to you if you eat it. Of course, these details escaped me at the time. I refused to eat shrimp for a few years (doo-doo veins or no).

Fortunately, I soon got over this senseless phobia. I am now one of the top five consumers of shrimp in the nation. (Numerous unscientific studies confirm.) One of my best friends is also a member of this elite group. After seeing a recent shrimp-filled post, she expressed clear frustration at my failure to share the shrimpy-wealth. I’ve known this woman for nearly a decade: she meant business. So I made this shrimp and asparagus pasta for our ladies’ lunch on Sunday afternoon.

You all know the drill by now: this dish is simple, easy, and delicious. That’s just the kind of food I believe in. And did I mention it’s under 300 calories per serving?

The pasta’s creaminess is thanks to judicious use of ricotta cheese — just add a dollop to the hot noodles at the end. The flavor of asparagus infuses both the pasta and the shrimp; you’ll be able to really taste it throughout the dish. If you’re not an asparagus fan, broccoli would make a great substitute.

Recipe after the jump! Read more… →

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Simple and Springy: Tuna Pasta Salad

On April 18, 2013   /   Main Dishes, Pasta, Seafood, Side Dishes   /   Leave a comment

Tuna pasta salad

You guys, I’m so excited. I totally saw the sun today. I haven’t worn my parka in over a week. Spring is finally, finally here. What does that mean? It’s almost potluck season. And what does THAT mean? It’s time to break out the pasta salad.

Even if you’re not potlucking it up, pasta salad is a great thing to make during warmer months, when good produce is fresh and plentiful. It’s a serious workhorse. I love to make a huge batch of pasta salad on Sunday and chip away at it throughout the week. It gets better and better the longer it sits in the fridge: tangier, zestier… pasta-ier? Ok, maybe not that last one. Still, a good pasta salad gets appreciably more delicious as time goes on.

This tuna pasta salad is a slight variation on my usual recipe. I was poking around in my pantry the other day, looking for inspiration, and I saw that I had a stack of canned tuna that was a foot high. BOOM. Protein source found.

The tuna works great in this dish — it plays nicely with the red onion and lemony dressing. To keep the tuna’s flavor from overpowering the rest of the ingredients, I added just one can and made sure to drain it well. The tuna adds just the right amount of salt and makes the pasta feel extra-filling.

Here’s how I put everything together. Read more… →

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Super-Fast, Super-Easy: Shrimp Couscous with Lemon and Herbs

On April 10, 2013   /   Main Dishes, Pasta, Seafood   /   Leave a comment

Shrimp couscous with lemon and herbs

I always seem to forget how easy it is to make couscous. Since most grocery store couscous (actually a kind of pasta, by the way) is pre-steamed, it’s ready in minutes. And I mean that literally: couscous finishes cooking in five minutes. For a food that doesn’t come out of a suspect box, loaded with sodium and mystery ingredients, that’s pretty amazing.

Shrimp is another super-fast (and super-delicious) food. Shrimp + couscous = your weeknight dinner, made easy. After I made this meal, I immediately became annoyed at myself for (1) not thinking of it sooner and (2) not making couscous more often.

I love the flavors in this dish. The shrimp are seasoned liberally with a mix of dried Italian herbs and black pepper — no oil or marinating necessary. Mixed peppers add a little sweetness, while the lemon keeps the couscous bright.

This is an awesome recipe for company. “Shrimp couscous with lemon and herbs” — it sounds so fancy, right? Like the person who made it drinks wine from a stemmed glass and reads Proust! (For the record, I drink $8 moscato from a tumbler and read almost nothing but cookbooks these days. Deal with it.) Really though, it’s something simple enough for all us plebs to make. You can whip up this dish in the time it takes to watch an episode of Community. Love it.

Read the recipe for after the jump!

Read more… →

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