Chicken Yakotori with Baby Corn and Scallions

I love yakotori (also known where I live as "chicken on a stick"). The recipe is pretty basic, with the addition of scallions and baby corn to the skewers, to dress it up and bit (and pump up the flavor).

I used chicken breast instead of the traditional chicken thighs, just to lighten it up a little.

Cook the following over medium heat until reduced by half:
2 cups mirin
1 cup soy sauce
1/3 cup sugar
3 garlic cloves
chili flakes or sriracha

Marinate 1 lb of 1 inch cubed pieces of chicken in half of the above sauce, once it has cooled. Reserve the other half of the sauce.

After marination continues a for a few hours, skewer the meat and grill it. Baste with the remaining sauce. Baste and baste and baste. The glaze that forms is delicious. You will wish you basted more than once if you ignore me...

You could serve this with rice and/or a grilled vegetable like asparagus or green beans.

Asian Volcano Scallop

I have had something similar at a sushi restaurant so I wanted to make it at home.

Bottom to top, this is how I assemble these tasty little appetizers:

Lettuce leaf
Soy/Mirin sauce
Scallop
Crab Salad
Sweet Potato Strings
Soy/Mirin sauce

The lettuce leaf is easy, and any kind will do. You could use romaine, bibb, or even iceberg if you had it on hand.

The soy/mirin sauce is easy, just reduce:
1/4 cup mirin
1/2 cup soy
1/4 cup sugar

For the scallops, I sear them in a super hot pan with sesame oil for 2 minutes on each side. Don't let them sit around long, you should serve them warm.

Crab salad is also simple, just mix:
crab
1/4 cup mayo
sriracha sauce (really depends on how spicy you want it)
1 t sugar

For the sweet potatoes use a potato peeler to make thin strips, bake at 325 til brown.

Double Chocolate Low Calorie Zucchini Muffins

These are delicious, and healthy with the greek yogurt. They are about 125 calories per muffin.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Mix together:
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup splenda
2 eggs
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 container greek yogurt
1 cup grated zucchini
1/4 cup cocoa powder

Then add:
1 t salt
1 t baking powder
1/2 t baking soda
1 3/4 cup flour
1 cup mini semisweet chocolate chips

Bake 15-20 minutes.

Homemade Soft Pretzels with Cheddar Beer Chipotle Dipping Sauce

I was wanting to bake something, but didn't want to eat a bunch of cookie dough/cookies, so I opted for something savory. Pretzels popped into my head. I found a generic pretzel recipe from Alton Brown and made a few tweaks.

Combine and let set 5 minutes:
1 1/2 cups warm (110 to 115 degrees F) water
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 package active dry yeast

Add in:
4 cups flour

Knead dough for 5 minutes until elastic. Then oil, cover, and let sit for an hour in a warm place. Your dough should double in size.

Divide the dough into 20 pieces. Then roll each piece into a long strand and fold into whatever shape you want.

Boil each pretzel for 45 seconds in water/baking soda mix (about 1/2 cup baking soda per 6 cups water)

PPreheat oven to 450 degrees.

Spray pan with nonstick spray.

Brush pretzel tops with:
1 large egg yolk beaten with 2 tablespoons melted butter

Sprinkle with salt and bake for 10-12 minutes (until tops are brown).

Then you can make a dipping sauce. I chose a spicy cheddar beer sauce.

Melt together in a saucepan:
3/4 cup shredded cheddar
1/2 cup beer
1 T corn starch
2 T adobo sauce (from chipotle peppers)
2 finely diced chipotle peppers
1 t garlic powder

You could really do so many things with these. I want to try making 'bites' and sprinkle with ranch dressing mix next.

Light Parmesan Peppercorn Dressing over Grilled Shrimp Cobb Salad

I love Parmesan peppercorn dressing but have always bought a high calorie bottles version. Last night I made an attempt at a lighter version and it was very good.

1 cup plain Greek yogurt

3/4 cup olive oil mayo

1/4 cup low fat buttermilk 

2 to 3 T fresh ground pepper

1/4 cup Parmesan 

2 T lime juice

2 cloves minced garlic 

1 t salt

I used the dressing with a grilled shrimp cobb salad that had: grilled romaine and shrimp, grilled onion and corn, tomatoes, avocados, hard boiled egg, pancetta, and homemade croutons.

Shrimp Pancetta Goat Cheese Calzone

I decided to make homemade dough, but you could also buy pre made.

Ingredients
1 package yeast
1 cup warm water (110 degrees F.)
3 cups flour 
1 1/2 t salt

1 t garlic powder
1 1/2 T olive oil

Directions
Combine yeast with water, olive oil, salt and stir well to proof. After 5 minutes, add half of the flour and mix. Add all remaining flour except 1/2 cup and mix.

Knead dough for at least 5 minutes. Dough should not be sticky. Put dough to a lightly oiled bowl. Cover with a damp towel and let rise in a warm place for an hour.

Preheat oven to 475 degrees.

Calzone ingredients:

Shrimp

Pancetta

Goat cheese

Mozzarella 

Garlic

Green onion

Spinach 

Cook pancetta in a pan, when almost done add the garlic and then the green onion.

You will also want to cook your shrimp, I threw mine in with the pancetta but you could also grill it.

Then roll out your dough and add your filling. Crimp the edges together and cut slits on the top so it can vent.

Brush with olive oil and bake until browned (8-10 min).

Steak with Bleu Cheese Grilled Onion Sauce

A few years ago hyvee advertised a 'smoked Bleu cheese' in their ad. My mom and I both went to several stores seeking this delicious sounding cheese, but couldn't ever find it.

This weekend though, I was browsing the cheeses and couldn't believe my eyes! Smoked Bleu cheese! It was a little steep, $7 for a small container, but I went for it. We tried it right away and it is awesome. 

I also had some steaks so decided to make the Bleu cheese into a sauce. I looked online at recipes and most recipes called for a lot of heavy cream. I had 45 cal per cup unsweetened coconut milk, so used that instead.

I melted the container of Bleu cheese with 1 cup of coconut milk, and at the same time threw red onion slices on the grill to char a bit. I added them to the sauce along with salt and pepper and a tiny bit of sugar.

If your sauce isn't thick enough, take a ladle out and mix with some cornstarch and add it back to the rest of the sauce.

At this point you could drizzle this sauce on a steak. But I added sautéed mushrooms which made it even tastier.

It was super tasty and rich.

If you see smoked Bleu cheese, buy it!

Double Chocolate Sandwich Cookies with 'Lightened' Coconut Pecan Filling

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Ingredients:

10 T butter

2 1/4 cup sugar

6 eggs

1 T vanilla

4 T cocoa

20 oz bittersweet chocolate

1 bag mini chocolate chips

1 t salt

1 t baking soda

1 1/4 cup flour

Combine butter, sugar and eggs and mix for 3 minutes. 

Melt chocolate in the microwave stirring every 30 seconds. Mix into the sugar/egg/butter mixture once cooled.

Add in vanilla, cocoa, baking soda, and salt.

Stir in flour and mini chips by hand.

Scoop onto cookie sheet and bake for 6-10 minutes depending on size.

Filling:

2 cups low fat evaporated milk

4 T butter

4 T cornstarch

1 1/2 cup brown sugar

1 t vanilla

1 cup pecans (toasted)

1 cup coconut (toasted)

Whisk milk, butter, cornstarch and sugar until it boils, then continue to cook 3-5 more minutes until it thickens. Add in the vanilla, pecans, and coconut.

Allow it to cool for a little bit.

Spread filling on one cookie and make a sandwich.

Yum!

Skinny Lemon Berry Muffins

These babies are only 125 calories, and very tasty!

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup lemon juice

3 eggs

1 cup sugar

1 t vanilla

12 oz Greek yogurt

1 t olive oil 

1 1/2 cups flour

1 t baking soda

1 t baking powder

1 t salt

Combine all wet ingredients, then add dry ingredients.

Scoop into muffin tins.

I topped mine with a few berries coated in powdered sugar (the sugar keeps them from sinking to the bottom).

Bake for about 20 minutes.

Healthy Baked Onion Rings

I love fried food and was craving onion rings to go with my turkey burger. These turned out well and much healthier than something from your freezer grocery aisle!

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Slice onions and separate rings. Toss then in flour.

Then create two dipping bowls.

One:

1/2 cup milk (I used coconut)

Sriracha

Two:

Panko bread crumbs 

Smoked paprika

Garlic salt

Pepper

Dip the rings in bowl one, then bowl two, and then place the onion rings on a 'pammed' cookie sheet.

Bake about 25 minutes until the panko turns dark brown.

Tastes best with a cheese stuffed turkey burger topped with BBQ, tomato, and avocado.