Spicy Peanut Butter Chicken - 380 Calories

When I USED to go to Chinese buffets, I always liked the peanut butter chicken that so many of them had. I don't go to the buffets for a number of reasons not the least being that I find myself overeating. In addition, the high sodium levels and the use of MSG can really screw with your system. That being said, I've taken to making my own versions of Chinese, and other Asian dishes.

7 Ounces of boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 Ounce peanut butter (I use homemade, you can use store bought but it's higher in fat and sugar)
1/4 Cup of coconut milk
1 Tablespoon low sodium soy sauce
1 Tablespoon crushed red pepper
1 Teaspoon black pepper

Spray a nonstick pan with oil from the misto and preheat on high. Add the chicken and sauté for 3 minutes. Add the blach paper, red pepper and soy sauce, sauté until done add the peanut butter and coconut milk and cook until creamy. Remove from heat and serve.
Serves 1

Chicken Caprese - 295 Calories

Caprese salad is tomato, mozzarella (usually fresh), and basil. Sometimes it is sprinkled with balsamic vinegar and is served as as an appetizer or salad course. I decided to team it will a chicken breast and served as a main course.

14 Ounce boneless, skinless chicken breast approximately 1/2 inch thick
2 Ounces mozzarella cheese
1 Plum tomato cut into 1/4 inch slices
A few fresh basil leaves
1 Tablespoon balsamic vinegar
Garlic powder
Salt
Pepper
Crushed red pepper

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Spray a nonstick pan with oil from the misto. Sprinkle each side of each chicken breast with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and crushed red pepper. Sear each side of the chicken and place in a baking pan. Sprinkle each breast with a 1/2 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar, place a few pieces of basil, and a few slices of tomato. Bake for 10 minutes then top with mozzarella and some basil. Bake until the cheese is melted. When melted, place on a plate, remove the dried basil from the top of the cheese and replace it with fresh basil and serve.
Serves 2

Chocolate "Ice Cream" Shake- 193 Calories

Sometimes I have a sweet tooth and "need" some ice cream but don't want the sugar, fat, and calories.  After some research, I found a recipe that I modified to fit my needs.

1 Banana, cut up and frozen overnight (I make a few single serve baggies and keep them in the freezer until I'm ready to use them)
1/2 Cup unsweetened coconut milk (I use Silk)
17 Grams of granola, flavor of your choice - this is optional. If you don't use the granola, reduce the calorie count by 70
1 Tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
A few drops of organic, liquid stevia

Place coconut milk, cocoa powder, and stevia in a nutri-bullet or similar type blender and blend for about one minute. Add the frozen banana and blend until smooth. Add the granola and stir. You can either serve it as is as a shake or place in the freezer for 30 minutes for more of a nice cream consistency.
Serves 1

Sweet and Spicy Honey Garlic Chicken - 272 Calories

Well, I wasn't sure what to cook tonight. I was in the mood for something spicy (I know, that was a surprise) but I was also in the mood for something sweet. I looked in the cabinet and this is what I came up with.

7 Ounces of boneless - skinless chicken breast cut into 1 inch pieces
1/2 Red bell pepper cut into chunks
1 Jalapeño pepper, seeded and thinly sliced
1 Tablespoon crushed red pepper
1 Tablespoon honey
1/2 Tablespoon minced garlic
1/2 Tablespoon black pepper
1 Teaspoon salt

Spray a nonstick pan with olive oil from the misto and heat on high. Add the chicken and salt and sauté for three minutes. Add the red bell pepper and jalapeño. Cook for three more minutes. Add the crushed red pepper, black pepper, and minced garlic. Cook a few more minutes until the chicken is done. Add the honey, mix thoroughly until heated throughout, remove for heat and serve.
Serves 1

Cajun "Rice" - 64 Calories

A few weeks ago I made fried "rice" using grated raw cauliflower. Tonight, it's Cajun rice.

5 Ounces of fresh cauliflower, grated into a rice - like consistency
3 Green onions, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
3 Cloves of garlic, pressed
1/2 Red bell pepper, diced
1 Jalapeño pepper, diced
1/2 Teaspoon black pepper
1/2 Teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 Teaspoon white pepper
1/2 Teaspoon paprika 
1/2 Teaspoon salt 

Spray a nonstick pan with oil from the misto and heat on high. Add cauliflower and sauté until the cauliflower starts to brown. Add the rest of the vegetables and spices and cook until the vegetables are tender. Remove from heat and serve. 
Serves 1

Shrimp with Basil and Red Pepper - 240 Calories

This is probably the simplest and quickest recipes I have. From start to finish, 5 - 6 minutes!

6 Ounces peeled, deveined, uncooked shrimp
1/4 Red onion sliced thin
4 Fresh basil leaves torn into small pieces
2 Teaspoons of crushed red pepper
1 Teaspoon of minced garlic
1/2 Teaspoon black pepper
Splash of vegetable broth

Spray a nonstick pan with oil from the misto and heat on high. Add shrimp, onion and basil. Cook for 2 minutes. Add basil, crushed red pepper, and black pepper. Cook for a few more minutes. When the onion and shrimp start browning, add a splash of  vegetable broth to deglaze the pan then serve.
Serves 1

Roasted Red Pepper and Spinach Stuffed Chicken - 360 Calories

All of me recipes start out with me saying to myself "what am I going to cook for dinner? Let's see what's in the fridge." So tonight I opened the fridge and saw chicken, fresh spinach, roaster red bell pepper, sundried tomatoes, and provolone cheese. So, away we go!!!

7 Ounce boneless chicken breast, butterflied and pounded to approximately 1/4 inch thick
1 Roasted red bell pepper, cut open
3 Sundried tomatoes
2 Cups baby spinach
1 Ounce deli sliced sharp provolone
2 Teaspoons minced garlic
Splash of organic vegetable broth
Cumin
Sage
Paprika
Salt
Pepper

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Spray a nonstick pan with oil from the misto and heat on high. Add the spinach and a splash vegetable broth and sauté the spinach until it's wilted and remove the pan from the heat. Layer the red pepper and provolone on the chicken. Spread the minced garlic over the provolone. Then lay out the sundried tomatoes and the wilted spinach on top of that. Fold the edges of the chicken over the filling and use toothpicks to seal everything closed. Make sure the edges overlap and seal the ends. Sprinkle the entire chicken with the salt, pepper, sage, paprika, and cumin. Spray a nonstick pan with oil from the misto and heat on high. Sear each side of the chicken then place in the oven and bake for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and place the chicken on a plate. Carefully remove the toothpicks and pour the pan drippings over the chicken and serve. 
Serves 1 

Mock Chicken and Shrimp Fried "Rice" - 345 Calories

This is mock fried "rice" because instead of using rice, I use cauliflower rice. I take a raw cauliflower and run it through the grater of my food processor so it come out like the consistency of rice. Makes a high carb meal into a low carb meal. Try it, you can't taste the difference!

6 Ounce boneless, skinless chicken breast cut into 1 inch cubes
2 Ounces of jumbo shrimp
1 Cup of bean sprouts
1/3 Cup frozen sweet peas
5 Green onions cut into 1/2 inch pieces
4 Ounces of fresh cauliflower, grated (the consistency of rice)
2 Tablespoons of low sodium soy sauce (More or less to taste)
1/2 Teaspoon Chinese five spice
Grated fresh ginger to taste

Spray a nonstick pan with olive oil from the misto and on high. Sauté chicken until browned. Add the vegetables and shrimp. After 5 minutes, remove from the pan leaving the drippings in the pan. Add the cauliflower rice and sauté until light brown then add the meat and vegetable mixture and soy sauce, five spice and grate some fresh ginger into the mixture. Mix thoroughly.
Serves 1.

Balsamic Chicken - 288 Calories

For me, balsamic vinegar, wine, and chicken go great together as all the flavors compliment each other very well. It's takes about 10 minutes to cook from start to finish. I served it with the gazpacho from last night's recipe.

7 Ounce boneless, skinless chicken breast, sliced thin
1/2 Red bell pepper, sliced thin
1/4 Red onion, julienned thin
1 Teaspoon minced garlic
1/4 Cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 Cup Riesling wine
1/2 Teaspoon salt
1 Teaspoon black pepper

Spray a nonstick pan with olive oil from the misto and heat on high. Add the chicken and sauté for 2 minutes. Add the red bell pepper, onion, garlic, salt, and pepper. Sauté unto the vegetables are tender. Move the food to one side of the pan and heat the empty side (half the pan is on the burner and half off). When the pan is very hot, add the wine and mix the food with the bubbling wine. Add the vinegar, mix and cook for a few more minutes then serve.
Serves 1

Gazpacho - 48 Calories (Not including sour cream)

I've never had gazpacho until I went to CR Chicks one day and ever since then, I've been hooked! It's simple, refreshing, and good for you!

1 Cucumber, seeded but not peeled
4 Medium sized tomatoes
1 Red onion
1 Jalapeño, NOT seeded
2 Red bell peppers, cored and seeded
3 Cups of tomato juice (I use Publix organic)
3 Cloves of garlic, minced
1/4 Cup white vinegar
1/2 Tablespoon kosher salt
1 Teaspoon black pepper

Roughly chop the cucumbers, bell peppers, jalapeño pepper, tomatoes, and red onions into 1-inch cubes. Put each vegetable separately into a food processor. Pulse chop until it is coarsely chopped. Do not overprocess or it will get mushy! 

After each vegetable is processed, combine them in a large bowl and add the garlic, tomato juice, vinegar, salt, and pepper. Mix well and chill before serving. The longer gazpacho sits, the more the flavors develop. If you want, put a tablespoon of sour cream on top before serving.
Makes approximately 6 - 8 servings. 

Chicken Masala - 266 Calories

I love Indian food but anytime you go to a restaurant, it's really high in calories so I make it at home. This is my take on an Indian classic. I use leek instead of onion because leek has a nice, fragrant flavor and it's not harsh like onion. Usually, Indian food is served with naan (Indian bread) and/or jasmine rice. Tonight I used quinoa (the calories for the quinoa are NOT included in this recipe). You can also use cauliflower rice, that's for another post.

7 Ounce chicken breast, cut into chunks
1 Plum tomato, diced
1 Leek, thinly sliced
1/4 Cup Fage Greek yogurt (full fat)
1/2 Cup vegetable broth
1 Tablespoon minced garlic
1 Tablespoon garam masala
1 Teaspoon black pepper
1/2 Teaspoon salt

Spray a nonstick pan with olive oil from the misto and heat on high. Brown the chicken for a few minutes then add the leeks and garlic. Cook for five minutes then add the tomatoes. Cook for a few more minutes then add the vegetable broth and the spices. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes. Carefully add the yogurt, alittle bit at a time so it doesn't "break" (separate). Continue to heat the mixture and stir until combined. Serve over quinoa, rice, cauliflower rice, or eat by itself.
Serves 1