Homemade Crème Fraîche Recipe

Here’s an unbelievably easy recipe I learned in a cooking class – add two ingredients to a jar and let it sit overnight. That’s it! You’ll end up with creme fraiche, which is similar to sour cream, but not as sour, and not as thick. It has a higher fat content than sour cream, but… everything in moderation, right?!? You can add a spoonful to scrambled eggs right before serving for some creamy goodness, or use to drizzle over prepared dishes. You can mix in some fresh herbs and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice, then drop some on chicken or fish. Our oldest likes to put it on his tacos instead of sour cream. Fanciest taco ever, ha! 🙂

Homemade Crème Fraîche Recipe

WHAT YOU NEED:

• 2 tablespoons cultured buttermilk
• 1 pint heavy cream

WHAT YOU DO:

Combine cream and buttermilk in a non-reactive container (I used a glass pint jar). Mix gently, and allow to rest uncovered at room temperature until thickened to desired texture, usually overnight, or up to 12 hours or so. Cover and store in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

According to J. Kenji Lopez-Alt from SeriousEats.com:
“Add more buttermilk and you’ll need less time for it to thicken (but it’ll be less creamy). Add more, and it takes longer, but tastes better… It gets super rich and creamy at right about the 12-hour mark. You can also halt the process early by just refrigerating it to stop the bacterial action. This is useful if you want a thinner Mexican-style crema agria for drizzling over tacos or sopes. For those of you worried about cream spoiling at room temp, that’s the idea: it’s the good bacteria from the buttermilk multiplying in there that prevents the dangerous bacteria from taking over.”

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Puff Pastry Parmesan Twists

Here’s an easy recipe for light puffy breadsticks: just throw some cheese and herbs on a sheet of puff pastry and bake! You can customize these with your favorite pizza/breadstick toppings.

WHAT YOU NEED:

• 1 sheet puff pastry
• 1/4 c. grated Parmesan cheese
• to taste: garlic powder, parsley flakes, and/or oregano
• crushed red pepper flakes

WHAT YOU DO:

Preheat oven to 375°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Lay the puff pastry flat on the parchment paper and sprinkle on the cheese. Add garlic powder, parsley flakes and/or oregano to taste.

Using a knife or pizza cutter, cut puff pastry in half (going the short direction). Then cut the long way into 1-inch strips.

Bake for 7-10 minutes or until golden brown.

Before serving, top with crushed red pepper flakes.

 

recipe adapted from 4 Ingredients by Kim McCosker & Rachael Bermingham

Zucchini “Noodle” Caprese Salad

ZUCCHINI NOODLE CAPRESE SALAD

Ahhhh the spiralizer. I love this kitchen gadget. You can turn veggies like zucchinis, cucumbers, and carrots into awesome healthy low-carb dishes. Turn zucchinis into noodles = Zoodles!

Here’s an easy no-cook salad that’s perfect for summer veggies from the Farmer’s Market or your garden. It has the delicious flavor of a traditional Italian caprese pasta salad, but without the pasta.

ZUCCHINI NOODLE CAPRESE SALAD

WHAT YOU NEED:

• 2 medium zucchinis, cut into spiral “noodles”
• 1 c. cherry tomatoes (I used a combination of orange and red)
• 4 oz. fresh mozzarella, cubed
• 1/3 c. thinly sliced basil leaves
• 1 Tbs. fresh lemon juice
• 3 Tbs. white balsamic vinegar
• 2 Tbs. olive oil
• 1 minced garlic clove
• salt & pepper, to taste

WHAT YOU DO:

Place zucchini and tomatoes in a mixing bowl.

Make the marinade in a separate bowl by combining the lemon juice, vinegar, olive oil, and garlic.

Pour marinade over the zucchini and tomatoes and stir gently to combine. Place in fridge to marinade for 10-20 minutes (the longer the zucchini marinates the more flavorful it will become).

Remove from fridge, add the cheese and basil to the bowl, then season with salt and pepper. Toss to combine, and serve.

recipe adapted from Inspiralized by Ali Maffucci

Cucumber Avocado Tomato Salad

Cucumber Avocado Tomato Salad Recipe 

WHAT YOU NEED:

• 1 pint grape tomatoes, sliced into halves or quarters
• 2 cucumbers, sliced then cut in half
• ½ red onion, diced
• 3 avocados, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 2-3 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
• 2-3 Tbsp. fresh squeezed lemon juice
• 1 Tbs. chopped fresh dill
• sea salt and black pepper, to taste

WHAT YOU DO:

Place tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, avocados, garlic, and dill in a large bowl.

Drizzle with olive oil and lemon juice. Toss gently to combine.

Just before serving, season with salt and pepper.

Here’s a link to an avocado scooper I hand-stamped, available at my Etsy shop!

Search NiftyNarwhalTM on Etsy https://www.etsy.com/shop/NiftyNarwhalTM

Skinny Chicken Mushroom Marinara

It’s getting toward the end of the week (AKA time to grocery shop) and I was trying to scrape some ingredients together for lunch. I ended up with this: Chicken Mushroom Marinara.

This makes four servings (less than 180 calories each) and there are only 4 WW +Points per serving! I ate this as is but you could always place it on top of brown rice, whole wheat pasta, or zucchini noodles.

 

WHAT YOU NEED:

• 1 lb. uncooked boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into pieces
• 1 c. pasta sauce or marinara (I used a jarred chunky veggie pasta sauce)
• 8 oz. mushrooms, cleaned and sliced *tip: use an egg slicer to quickly and evenly cut your ‘shrooms 🙂

WHAT YOU DO:

Spray large skillet with non-stick cooking spray.

Add chicken and cook on med-high for 5 minutes or so.

Add sauce and mushrooms, stirring to combine, and heat until chicken is cooked through.

Serves: 4

WW PlusPoints value per serving: 4

Estimated Nutrition Information per serving:

178 calories

4 g. fat

8.4 g. carbohydrates

2.1 g. fiber

25 g. protein

{30-Minute Meal} Lemon & Dill Chicken

Here’s an easy and delicious recipe for a 30-Minute Meal: Lemon & Dill Chicken. With less than 200 calories and 6 grams of fat, it has just 4 Weight Watchers +Points/serving! The sauce in this  is delicious. Also, I reheated leftovers the next day and the flavors tasted even better!

I used my spiral cutter to make “noodles” out of a zucchini and threw ’em in. Gotta love ZOODLES.

Lemon & Dill Chicken

WHAT YOU NEED:

• 1 lb. uncooked boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into chunks
• 3 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO), divided
• Salt & pepper, to taste
• 1/4 cup finely chopped onion
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth – try making your own broth!
• 2 teaspoons flour
• 2 Tablespoons chopped fresh dill, divided
• 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 zucchini, spiral cut into long strips

WHAT YOU DO:

Season chicken pieces on both sides with salt and pepper. Heat 1 1/2 teaspoons oil in a large heavy skillet over med-high heat. Add chicken and cook thoroughly. Transfer chicken to a plate and tent with foil.

Reduce heat to medium. Add the remaining 1 1/2 tsp oil to the pan. Add onion and garlic and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Whisk broth, flour, 1 tablespoon dill and lemon juice in a measuring cup and add to pan. Cook, whisking, until slightly thickened, about 3 mins.

Return chicken and any accumulated juices to pan; reduce heat to low and simmer for 3-4 mins. At the very end of cooking mix in the zucchini. Transfer to a serving platter. Season sauce with salt and pepper and spoon sauce over the chicken. Garnish with the remaining 1 Tablespoon chopped fresh dill.

Makes: 4 servings

Estimated nutrition information per serving:

• 193 calories
• 6 g fat
• 8 g carbohydrates
• 24 g protein
• 2 g fiber

WW PlusPoints per serving: 4

recipe adapted from eatingwell.com

Tips and Tricks – Egg Slicer

Here’s a quick tip for super fast sliced strawberries: use an egg slicer! Just cut off the leaves, place the strawberry in, and slice. It’s fast and you end up with slices that are all the same thickness.

You can also do this with mushrooms, kiwis, or any soft food that fits inside. Olives, fresh mozzarella, avocados, and even butter work well in an egg slicer!

 

 

One-Pan Sriracha Lime Chicken

Here’s an awesomely delicious AND easy one-pot meal: sriracha lime chicken.

It has just 5 ingredients but lots of flavor. I made this recipe in a cast iron skillet and served it with rice (made in my handy dandy rice cooker).

• Difficulty: easy
• Print

WHAT YOU NEED:

• 1 lb. uncooked boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into chunks
• salt & pepper
• ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
• juice of 1 lime
• ½ large onion, sliced into rings
• 1 tablespoon sriracha
• optional: mix up a few tablespoons of mayonnaise with a few teaspoons of sriracha to use as a topping (squeeze from a condiment bottle, or a ziplock bag with the corner cut off)

WHAT YOU DO:

Season chicken with salt & pepper.

In a gallon size ziplock bag, combine chicken, EVOO, lime juice, sriracha, onion slices. Seal, mix, and
refrigerate for 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 400ºF.

Transfer contents of bag to a cast iron skillet. Season with salt & pepper.

Bake for 25 minutes, then broil for another 5 minutes until the tops brown and start to crisp.

Remove from oven and serve.

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recipe adapted from runningtothekitchen.com

 

P.S. During my internet research (ha!) I came across this. Apparently If you reallllyyy looooooovvvve your sriracha, you can take it with you everywhere. LOL!

 

 

{SKINNY} General Tso’s Chinese Chicken with Broccoli

Get out your chopsticks! Here’s a Weight Watchers recipe I adapted: General Tso’s Chicken. I took out the rice from the original recipe, and added broccoli to the chicken instead. It has just 6 WW PointsPlus per serving! It tastes just like a Chinese restaurant meal but it’s perfect for eating light.

General Tso’s Chinese Chicken with Broccoli

WHAT YOU NEED:

• 1 lb. uncooked boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into small pieces
• 3/4 c. low-sodium chicken broth – try your own homemade broth!
• 1 1/2 Tbsp cornstarch
• 2 Tbsp sugar
• 2 Tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
• 1 Tbsp white wine vinegar
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 2 tsp sesame oil
• 2 green onions, sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tsp chili pepper paste
• 1 c. broccoli, chopped

WHAT YOU DO:

In a medium bowl, whisk together broth, cornstarch, sugar, soy sauce, vinegar, and ginger. Set aside.

Heat oil in a wok or large skillet over med-high heat. Add green onion, garlic, and chili pepper paste. Cook, stirring frequently, for 2 minutes.

Add chicken and sauté until browned, for about 5 minutes.

Add reserved sauce to pan, add broccoli, and simmer until sauce thickens and chicken is cooked through, for 3 or 4 minutes.

Serve chicken and sauce over rice.

Makes 4 servings

Prep time: 20 min

Cook time: 10 min

Serves: 4

WW PointsPlus Value: 6

Estimated Nutrition Information – Per Serving:

250 cal

11 g. fat

9.6 g. carbs

26 g. protein

0 g. fiber

Turkey Reuben Panini

Skinny Reuben Panini – here’s an old favorite comfort food that I lightened up by using turkey and fat free cheese. I cooked this in a panini maker, but you could also use a large skillet and press down with a flat pot lid or a heat-safe plate. It has 315 calories and 7 grams of fat, much less than the typical reuben loaded with corned beef and dressing.

Skinny Reuben Panini

• Servings: 1
• Time: 10 mins
• Difficulty: easy
• Print

WHAT YOU NEED:

• 2 slices rye bread (I used an 80-cal/slice type)
• 2 slices (approx 1.5 oz) fat free swiss cheese
• 1 Tbps dill mustard
• 2 oz deli-sliced turkey
• 2 Tbsp sauerkraut, drained
• nonstick cooking spray or extra virgin olive oil

WHAT YOU DO:

1. Spread mustard on the bread slices, then layer with turkey, cheese, and kraut, making a sandwich.
2. Spray panini maker (or skillet) with nonstick cooking spray; or brush bread with a tiny amount of EVOO.
3. Place sandwich in, and press down on both sides. Cook until toasted and cheese has melted.

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