Saturday, October 12, 2013

Slow-Cookin' Pulled Chicken

Headed to Storm King tomorrow and we are packing a picnic! This shredded BBQ chicken is FANTASTIC over salads, piled onto light buns, stuffed inside high-fiber tortillas with cole slaw, or eaten all by itself. Yummmmmm! PER SERVING (1/2 cup): 149 calories, 1g fat, 462 mg sodium, 10g carbs. I chose to do the 8 hour version of this recipe. It shredded on touch. Ridiculous!

Ingredients:
1 1/2 lb. raw boneless skinless lean chicken breasts, halved
1 cup canned tomato sauce
1/2 cup ketchup
2 tbsp. plus 2 tsp. brown sugar (not packed)
2 tbsp. plus 2 tsp. cider vinegar
2 tsp. garlic powder
Optional: red pepper flakes, to taste

Directions:
Place all ingredients except the chicken in the crock pot. Stir until mixed. Add chicken and coat well with the sauce.

Cover and cook on high for 3 - 4 hours OR on low for 7 - 8 hours, until chicken is fully cooked.

Remove all the chicken and place it in a bowl. Shred each piece using two forks -- one to hold the chicken in place and the other to scrape across the meat and shred it. Return the shredded chicken to the crock pot, and mix well with the sauce.

If you're serving a group, keep the crock pot on its lowest setting, so the chicken stays warm. If you like, season to taste with red pepper flakes. Eat up!

MAKES 7 SERVINGS

Wednesday, October 9, 2013

Shrimp over Cumin Scented Beans

This dish was really easy and super satisfying. I thought the beans would be really spicy but they weren't that spicy at all. I paired my dish with store bought Mediterranean Couscous. 

Ingredients
2 spray(s) cooking spray
1 small jalapeño pepper(s), cored, seeded and minced (or to taste)*
1 clove(s) (medium) garlic clove(s), minced (or to taste)
15 oz canned kidney beans, undrained
1/4 tsp ground cumin, or to taste
1/4 tsp dried oregano, or to taste
1/4 tsp table salt, or to taste
1/4 tsp black pepper, or to taste
1 pound(s) uncooked shrimp, large, peeled, deveined
2 Tbsp fresh lime juice
1/4 tsp paprika, hot variety
2 Tbsp chives, minced

Instructions
Coat a small pot with cooking spray. Add jalapeño and garlic; sauté over medium heat, 2 minutes. Add beans, cumin, oregano, salt and pepper; cook over low heat, stirring frequently, 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, place shrimp in a bowl with lime juice and paprika; toss to coat. Coat a sheet pan with cooking spray; arrange shrimp on pan. Place 4 inches under broiler and broil 3 to 4 minutes. Turn shrimp over and broil until cooked through, about 3 minutes more.

Spoon beans into a serving bowl; top with shrimp and sprinkle with chives. Yields about 3 1/2 ounces shrimp and a scant 1/2 cup beans per serving. 5 points per serving. (11 with couscous).