Butter Roasted Carrots & Parsnips with Oregano

I'll admit it. Until a few years ago I never even tried a parsnip; which looks like a cream colored carrot. The parsnip was originally planted by the Romans and used as a sweetener before cane sugar, but wasn't introduced in the United States until the nineteenth century. You can eat the parsnip raw; however, it is more commonly consumed cooked, and is especially high in potassium.

Grilled Chicken Oregano over Fresh Baby Spinach with a Lemon Poppy Vinaigrette

I LOVED this dinner! The chicken had a fantastic, simple flavor though I wish I had found some fresh oregano that didn't look like death warmed over to use. Instead, I opted for the dried version. Even still, the chicken was incredibly moist and the lemon poppy vinaigrette mixed with the spinach was very light and paired well with this dish. You can add whatever vegetables you wish to the salad, I just went simple as I was yet again in a hurry. 

Grilled Chicken Oregano
4 Boneless Chicken Breasts, trimmed
Marinade

1/2 c. Canola Oil

1 Lemon, zest and juice

1 tbsp. Oregano

1 tsp. Kosher Salt

1/2 tsp. Fresh Ground Black Pepper

Whisk together the oil, lemon zest and juice, oregano, salt and pepper in a bowl. Add the chicken to a resealable plastic bag and add the marinade. Seal bag, coat the chicken well, and refrigerate for several hours. Grill chicken until it has reached the proper internal temperature. Serves 4.

Fresh Baby Spinach Salad with a Lemon Poppy Vinaigrette
9oz. Bag Baby Spinach Leaves, washed
1/2 Cucumber, peeled and sliced
1 Plum Tomato, chopped
Vinaigrette
1 Lemon, zest and juice
1/2 tsp. Poppy Seeds

1/2 tsp. Kosher Salt

1/4 tsp. Fresh Ground Black Pepper

1/4 c. Canola Oil

Whisk together the lemon zest and juice, poppy seeds, salt, pepper and oil in a bowl. Pour over the spinach and toss well; coating all of the leaves. Makes 1/3 cup. 




Enjoy! 

Copycat Recipe Week: Day 5-Chicken Vegetable Alfredo Lasagna

Wow, I can't believe it's Day 6 already! I've been cooking up a storm this week so I'll have plenty of my own new recipes to share with you next week but today's featured recipe comes from Lisa at Lisa's Dinnertime Dish. Now Lisa had already adapted this from Pampered Chef's Celebrate cookbook and I also changed it slightly by removing the peppers (we're not fond of them) and I added in some plum tomatoes instead for the red color. What I found is, you could add just about any vegetable to this dish and it will come out perfectly, so just choose your favorites. The Alfredo sauce was so quick to prepare and extremely tasty. I didn't have any leftover chicken so I had to cook up some chicken breasts ahead of time but Lisa was right, a nice Rotisserie chicken or even leftover chicken or turkey from a roast would make this dish even easier to prepare. The family LOVED it and will definitely be one I'll make again. 

On another note, I recently joined the Weight Watchers® PointsPlus program. It's been something I've been putting off for quite some time and finally decided to just go out and do it (there's no time like the present right?!). So going forward, I will be posting the points values at the end of each recipe. Part of the reason I started with this recipe is because when my husband first heard I was making this, he thought it was going to be extremely high in calories (and points...he's doing this with me also). But after plugging in all of the ingredients, it didn't turn out as bad as we thought (Yippee!!). This was plenty for me as it was very filling but you can also serve this with a tossed salad or an extra side of vegetables if you're looking for something more. Thanks for a great recipe Lisa! 

Chicken Vegetable Alfredo Lasagna

6 No Boil Lasagna Sheets (I used Barilla)

3 c. Cooked Chicken, chopped

1 c. Zucchini, chopped

2 Plum Tomatoes, chopped

1/4 c. Red Onion, finely chopped

2 Cloves Garlic, minced

2 c. Part Skim Shredded Mozzarella

3 oz. Crumbled Low Fat Feta Cheese

3 c. Fresh Spinach, washed/stems removed

3 c. Prepared Alfredo Sauce (use recipe below or your own version)

1 oz. Shredded 3 Cheese Italian Mix (I used DiGiorno Parmesan, Asiago & Romano)

Add the chicken, zucchini, tomatoes, onion, garlic, mozzarella and feta cheese to a bowl and mix well. Line a 9x9 oven safe baking dish with some of the Alfredo sauce, then place 3 lasagna sheets on the bottom and add more sauce. Add a layer of spinach leaves, then half of the chicken and cheese mixture. Repeat for the second layer. Sprinkle with the shredded cheese, cover with aluminum foil and bake at 375 degrees for 45 minutes. (I recommend putting this on a sheet pan so that it doesn't drip on the bottom of your oven). Remove foil and bake for an additional 15 minutes. Remove from oven and let stand for 15 minutes before slicing. Serves 9. 

Alfredo Sauce

2 tbsp. Butter

2 tbsp. All Purpose Flour

3 c. 2% Milk

Pinch of Nutmeg

1tsp. Dried Oregano

3 oz. Shredded 3 Cheese Italian Mix (I used DiGiorno Parmesan, Asiago & Romano)

Fresh Ground Pepper, to taste

Kosher Salt, to taste

In a large non stick frying pan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add in the flour to form a roux. SLOWLY add in the milk until the sauce thickens. Remove from heat. Add in the cheese, nutmeg and oregano and mix well. Season with salt and pepper and set aside. Makes 3 cups.

Weight Watchers PointsPlus Value Per Serving = 7

Enjoy!

Kalamata Olives & Havarti Chicken Burgers with Oregano Fried Potatoes

I know...a weird combination but they were actually very tasty(even though the olives look like cherries in the picture). However, if I make these again, I'll probably make a couple of changes.

1. Use a regular grill vs. my indoor one(it was raining and I didn't feel like standing outside). By the time I got decent grill marks on my burgers, they were a little dried out.

2. Use a slightly less olives. Kalamata olives are VERY potent and you have to really like their flavor or it could be a little too much.

Kalamata Olives & Havarti Chicken Burgers
1 lb. Ground Chicken
2oz. Havarti Cheese, diced in small pieces
1 tbsp. Fresh Rosemary, chopped
12 Kalamata Olives, pitted and chopped
1 Clove Garlic
2 tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Mix all ingredients together until well blended and form 4 patties. Grill until internal temperature reaches a minimum of 165 degrees. Serves 4.





Next, I was in the mood for some french fries with our burgers so instead of the traditional way, I cut them up into small cubes, fried them, then tossed them in a mixture of salt, pepper and oregano...Yum!

Oregano Fried Potatoes
5-6 Medium Russet Potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2" cubes
1/2 c. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/2 c. Canola Oil
2 tsp. Kosher Salt
1/4 tsp. Dried Oregano
1/4 tsp. Fresh Ground Pepper

In a large frying pan, heat the oil and add the potatoes. Allow potatoes to get golden brown, remove from the oil and drain on paper towels or a brown paper bag to remove excess oil. In a separate bowl, mix together your seasonings and add the cooked potatoes. Toss well. Serves 4.

Enjoy!