Kroger Hawaiian Chicken Kabobs

I love pineapple. When Kroger sent a dish who's star was pineapple, I was very happy. Due to this dish serving 6 people at 1 kabob per person, I doubled the recipe so 2 people could have 3 kabob's per person for 2 meals. Glad I did. Due to the large amount of vegetables, the portions turned out to be huge.

First, when I grill I tend to burn the food. Not on purpose, I just get distracted. Especially when I have to mix meat with veggies. Instead of threading veggie, meat, veggie, I decided to skewer the meat only and grill the veggies in my grill basket. Great idea as nothing burnt. I did learn that pineapple takes longer to grill than expected. If your using a grill basket, grill the pineapple separate.

I paired this dish with a mushroom and Parmesan couscous plus peach wine. Peach wine actually accented the soy and pineapple flavors. Total prep time was 20 minutes. Ten minutes for chicken, 10 minutes for veggies. I marinated the chicken overnight which enhanced the flavors.

For the chicken only skewers, grill time was 12 minutes per side. For the pineapple only, grill time is 8 minutes per side. All other veggies were 4 minutes per side.

Healthy, fast, lots of leftovers, and delicious. What more could I want in a dish.

Websites:

• Uwharrie Vineyards
• http://www.uwharrievineyards.com/WINE_PEACH.htm

• Near East
• http://www.neareast.com/#products/wild_mushroom_herb
• http://www.neareast.com/#products/parmesan

• Kikkoman
• http://www.kikkomanusa.com/homecooks/products/products_hc_details.php?pf=10101&fam=101

Recipe: Hawaiian Chicken Kabobs provided by Kroger

Recipe below is for one serving which is 6 kabobs at 1 kabob per person

Ingredients:

• 1/2 Cup Soy Sauce
• 1/2 Cup Pineapple Juice
• 1 TBSP Brown Sugar
• 3 Clove Garlic
• 1 TBSP Ginger, fresh and grated
• 1 1/2 lbs. Chicken, cut into 1" pieces
• 1 Red Pepper, cut into 1" chunks
• 1 Green Pepper, cut into 1" chunks
• 1 Pineapple, cored, peeled and cut into 1" cubes
• 1 Onion, cut into 1" pieces
• 24 Grape Tomotoes

Combine soy sauce through ginger. Whisk to combine. Pour into a zip to bag. Add chicken. Refrigerate at least 1 hour. Remove chicken. Thread chicken onto skewers. Put all veggies into a grill basket. Pour marinade over veggies. Grill kabobs on medium heat (300 degrees) for 12 minutes per side. Grill pineapple at 8 minutes, flip in basket and grill for an additional 8 minutes. Grill remaining veggies for 4 minutes per side. Refrigerate leftovers.

Kroger Turkey, Bacon and Avocado Panini

With spring in the air there is nothing better than attempting to grill. Yes I said attempt as I keep trying hopeing I will eventually become a grill master. Thank goodness I have a husband who doesn't mind a bit of char on his food.

When Kroger sent their grilling coupons they included quite a few easy to make grilling recipes. One was Turkey, Bacon and Avocado Panini. I am not a sandwich or condiment person so what caught my eye was the avocado dressing. I love avocado's so I thought why not.

For this recipe the only change I made was adding Provolone cheese. As for grilling, I tried to keep the temperature around 300 degrees and grilled for 4 minutes each side. Problem, two turned out great and two burnt to death. The two that turned out were delicious. The avocado dressing gave the turkey a nice tangy flavor. I was hoping for leftovers but after eating mine I realized this is not a dish made for leftovers. Cold and reheated would have taken away from the nice grill flavor. 

When weighting the baking sheet, I put a 9x17 empty casserole dish on top of the baking sheet to keep everything in place. This helped create nice grill marks.

Prep time was 15 minutes. Cook time under 15. One serving of veggies per sandwich. I paired my panini with Savoy Lee's Reisling which brought everything together nicely.

Websites:

• Boar's Head
• http://boarshead.com/products/turkey/294-mesquite-wood-smoked-breast-of-turkey
• http://boarshead.com/products/cheese/668-lower-sodium-provolone-cheese-half
• Savoy-Lee Winery
• http://savoy-lee.com/wineavail.html

 Recipe: Turkey, Bacon and Avocado Panini provided by Kroger

Ingredients:

• 1 Medium Avocado, pitted, peeled and sliced
• 2 TBSP Lemon Juice
• 1/8 TSP Kosher Salt
• 1/8 TSP Black Pepper
• 8 Slices Ciabatta
• 1 lbs. Turkey Breast, sandwich slices and cooked
• I used Boar's Head Mesquite Wood Smoked Roasted Turkey Breast. 

• 1 Red Pepper, thinly sliced and sauteed
• 4 Slices Canadian Bacon, cooked
• 4 Slices Provolone Cheese

Preheat grill to medium-hot (about 300 degrees). Blend first four ingredients in food processor until creamy. Slice Ciabatta. Layer avocado spread, then turkey, red pepper, and Canadian bacon. Place on grill. Position a weighted baking sheet over the sandwiches. Grill 4 to 5 minutes. Flip and continue grilling 4 minutes under baking sheet. 

Servings: 4

Kroger Turkey-Stuffed Peppers

Yep, another grilling recipe. I enjoy stuffed bell peppers. Challenge, the messy assembly and clean up. With this recipe you have no issue with either. Simple and clean. The challenge with this recipe is the spices. I am not sure what I would add, but they were bland. Not uneatable bland, just something is missing bland. My husband chose to put hot sauce on his to kick it up a notch but we both still felt like something was missing. Makes 4 big servings. Prep time was 15 minutes. I cooked the peppers 6 minutes each side then another 4 minutes on the meat side. I did keep waiting for the stuffing to fall out of the pepper when flipped but it never happened. Again, little clean up. Enjoy!

Recipe: Turkey-Stuffed Peppers provided by Kroger

Ingredients:

• 1 lbs. Ground Turkey
• 1/4 Cup Italian Style Breadcrumbs
• 1/2 Onion, diced
• I used a red onion hoping for added kick
• 1 Clove Garlic, minced
• 1 TBSP Parsley, fresh and chopped
• 1 TBSP Dijon Mustard
• 4 Red Peppers, halved and seeded

Combine all ingredients except red peppers in a bowl. Stuff pepper halves with turkey mixture. Place peppers meat side down on a preheated grill (medium heat about 300 degrees). Cook for 6 minutes. Flip and cook for 6 minutes. Flip again and cook for 4 minutes. Refrigerate leftovers.

Pig Pickin' Cake

It has been awhile since I baked. The last cake I baked was horrible so I was nervous while making this one. The reason I baked this cake was my craving for more pineapple. With 7 ingredients and little to no prep or cook time I was pleasantly surprised at how this cake turned out. Moist with the right amount of flavor.

This recipe is from Bone Appetit whose proceeds go to All-American Mutt Rescue. You can support their cause by purchasing a cookbook at http://www.allamericanmuttrescue.org/.

Recipe: Pig Pickin' Cake provided by Lori Harrison page 86 of Bone Appetit

Ingredients for Cake:

• 1 Box Yellow Cake Mix
• 11 oz. Mandarin Oranges Slices, drained
• 4 Eggs
• 1/2 Cup Olive Oil

Combine all cake ingredients and mix by hand for 2 minutes. Then finish mixing up with a spoon. Grease 2 nine inch round layer pans. Divide batter into pans. Bake cake at 350 for 25 minutes. 


Ingredients for Frosting:

• 9 oz. Cool Whip
• 1 Cup Pineapple, crushed
• 1 Small Box Vanilla Instant Pudding

Combine all frosting ingredients in bowl. Frost top of one cake. Put second cake on top. Frost entire cake. Make sure to keep cake refrigerated.

Makes 16 slices.

Kroger Grilled Marinated Mushrooms

Yes another grill recipe. I am in a grilling mood and didn't burn these either. Yeah! For olive oil I used Mushroom and Sage infused oil from Oliveto. The recipe says this makes 4 skewers at 1 per person. I disagree. This recipe makes 4 skewers but at 2 per person. You can get 3-4 mushrooms on a skewer which isn't many, so 2 skewers per person it is.

We paired the mushrooms with sirloin grilled steak, baked potatoes and Merlot giving us a hearty rich dinner.

Prep time is 10 minutes. Grill time is 6 minutes per side.

Websites:

• Oliveto 
• http://www.olivetooliveoil.com/index.html

Recipe: Grilled Marinated Mushrooms provided by Kroger

Ingredients:

• 1 TSP Sage, dried
• 1 TSP Tarragon, dried
• 1 TSP Black Pepper
• 1 TSP Garlic Salt
• 1/2 Cup Olive Oil
• 1 Package Buttom Mushrooms

Combine all ingredients except mushrooms in a bowl. Whisk to combine. Toss mushrooms in marinade and let soak 30 minutes. Skewer mushrooms. Grill 6 minutes per side on medium heat (300 degrees). Refrigerate leftovers.

Chicken and Turkey Sausage Gumbo

Fast, healthy and little clean-up is my kind of dinner. Chicken and Turkey Gumbo is filling with one of my favorites okra. This is another Weight Watchers recipe so the healthy factor is high along with taste. The only change to this recipe would be to cut the turkey sausage into smaller pieces. I used sweet instead of hot turkey sausage and diced tomatoes instead of fire roasted. I cooked the dish on slow for 8 hours and paired with a Chateau Morrisette Our Dog Blue.

Websites:

• Chateau Morrisette
• http://thedogs.com/index.php?pr=ourdogblue

• Weight Watchers
• www.weightwatchers.com

Recipe:

• Chicken & Turkey-Sausage Gumbo
• http://www.weightwatchers.com/food/rcp/RecipePage.aspx?recipeid=203341 

Mexican Mud

A few weeks ago at a Savoy-Lee wine tasting, I picked up a new cookbook Bone Appetit. Bone Appetit is a charity cookbook with proceeds going to the All-American Mutt Rescue. 

Since book club was Thursday, I wanted a tasty dish that can feed 8 or more. On page 66 I found Brenda Strong's recipe for Mexican Mud. Everyone enjoyed with plenty of leftovers left. This is an easy to make crock pot dish but did not have enough kick for my taste.

If I were to remake this dish, I would substitute 1 pound of sausage for 1 pound of beef. The remaining pound should be locally raised because of their richer flavors. I use ground beef from Sparks Family Farms. I would replace the 15 oz. of stewed tomatoes with 1 can of diced tomatoes plus 1 can of Ro*Tel style tomatoes. I think these substitutions will give the dish the needed heat. I cooked this dish on low for 8 hours instead of 4 which was perfect for those starting dishes before going to work.

Two cups is one serving. Instead of book club, think of this dish as a tailgate or barbecue side dish. Again, this dish feeds 8 with 2 leftovers at 2 cups a piece. You will feed a lot of folks with Mexican Mud. 

Savo brought chips and veggies which was a needed crunch. If you choose not to do chips or veggies, make sure to serve in a soup bowl. 

Overall, the dish was a hit with the girls and perfect for book club. Although we enjoyed, I don't think I will make it again.

Websites:

• Savoy-Lee Winery
• http://savoy-lee.com
• All-American Mutt Rescue
• http://www.allamericanmuttrescue.org
• Velveeta
• http://www.kraftrecipes.com/products/velveeta.aspx
• Sparks Family Farms
• http://grassfedbeefs.com
• Ro*Tel
• http://www.ro-tel.com
• Tabasco
• http://www.tabasco.com

Recipe: Mexican Mud from Bone Appetit by Brenda Strong on Page 66

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs. Ground Beef
• 1 Onion, Chopped
• 1 Pkg. Taco Seasoning
• 3 Cans Refried Beans
• 15 oz. Stewed Tomatoes
• 1 Can Diced Green Chilies
• 3 Tbsp. Tabasco
• 2 lbs. Velveeta Cheese

Brown beef (and sausage) and drain. Add onion and taco seasoning. Put mixture in crock pot and add refried beans. Cut stewed tomatoes in bit size pieces and add to crockpot. (This is where I would substitute diced tomatoes and Ro*Tel) Add green chilies and Tabasco. Cut Velveeta cheese into cubes and add to crockpot. Cook on low for 4 to 6 hours, stirring occasionally.

Weight Watchers Pepperoni Pizza Burger

If your looking for an easy to cook dish that is filling and fun to make, try Weight Watchers Pepperoni Pizza Burgers. I did include the red pepper flakes which gives the dish an extra spicy kick. The only ingredient I left off was the buns to lower the point count by 2. I did make this with locally grown beef from Triple J Ranch which always enhances the flavor. I suggest cooking the burgers on the grill on low heat for 8 minutes per side. I paired it with a Jacob Leinenkuel Summer Shandy beer which really enhanced the pizza flavor. Side dish was steamed carrots. If your looking for a fun, easy to make, healthy dinner look no further.

Recipe

• Weight Watchers Pepperoni Pizza Burger
• http://www.weightwatchers.com/food/rcp/RecipePage.aspx?recipeid=348891 

Websites

• Jacob Leinenkuel Summer Shandy
• https://leinie.com/Beers.aspx#summershandy
• Triple J Ranch
• http://grassfedbeefs.com/about_grassfed_beef

Tuscan Chicken and Sausage Stew

Book club is one of my favorite nights in the month. Challenge, what dish to make that's healthy, pairs well with any wine and feeds 10. In the Weight Watchers New Complete Cookbook, there is an entire chapter dedicated to slow cooker recipes, which I love. So, I decided to make Tuscan Chicken and Sausage Stew. 

First change I made to the recipe was not precooking the chicken or sausage. This is something that frustrates me about slow cooker recipes. Why precook something when you are going to cook it again in the dish.

This is a layered dish, so make sure to layer not mix everything together. Which means sprinkling the garlic, oregano, salt, black pepper, and red pepper flakes evenly over the chicken, sausage, mushrooms, and red onion. Tip, since this is a layered dish make sure when you combine the chicken and sausage to cover the entire bottom of your slow cooker. 

I also choose to thinly slice rather than chop the bell peppers. I wish I had chopped as the skins came loose and made the dish a bit messy when eating. I would also double the frozen artichoke hearts. I love artichokes and this dish could have used a second helping.

Since I could not find turkey sweet Italian sausage, I used pork. It adds to the points value but the spices were heavenly.

I suggest cooking for 8 hours on low heat. Half a cup equals one serving. Pairs well with any wine as the ladies of Wine and Wisdom can attest. If you need a carb, pair the dish with garlic bread and zucchini chips.

Cookbook

• Weight Watchers New Complete Cookbook
• Published by Wiley Publishing, Inc.
• Copyright 2011

Recipes

Page 312 Tuscan Chicken and Sausage Stew

Island Chicken w/Pineapple & Jasmine Rice

Quick to cook, counts as a vegetable serving yet a little bland. In less than 30 minutes with little prep this dish was definatly easy to cook. I used Blood Orange Olive Oil to saute the chicken which paired nicely with the orange juice sauce and pineapple garnish. I omitted the salt but believe even if it had been added, the dish would still be bland. Maybe another Jalapeno an 2 more garlic cloves would have spiced up this dish. The pineapple was intended as a garnish but I let it soak and simmer in the dish which helped thicken and enhance the sauce. The sweet and tart of oranges and pineapple played well together. 

For a carb we put the Island Chicken with Pineapple over Veetee Thai Jasmine Rice. I love the quick all in one package of Veetee quick cook rice. Other nice thing, it serves exactly 2. Perfect for my household. In hindsight, I would have paired this dish with saffron rice for the extra kick.

I paired this with a Viognier. A nice crisp wine to enhance the tropical flavors from the dish.

Overall, if you are looking for a quick, healthy dish that can be spiced up or down with your choice of carb go for it.

Websites

• Veetee Rice - http://www.veetee.com/ 
• Oliveto Artisan Oils and Vinegars - http://www.olivetooliveoil.com/Products.html  

Cookbook

• Weight Watchers New Complete Cookbook
• Published by Wiley Publishing, Inc.
• Copyright 2011

Recipes

• Page 176 Island Chicken with Pineapple

Jamaican Style Halibut With Wild Rice Salad & Cranberries

Fish is not one of my favorite foods. I have to make an effort to eat it at least once a week. When I cook fish I want the spices to overpower the fish taste and smell. I let the Jamaican Style Halibut marinade for two days with positive results. I was concerned it would to be spicy with 2 Jalapenos, yet the Halibut had a nice and subtle kick. I did substitute Stevia for the brown sugar with no noticeable difference. The recipe called for grilling the fish which I did not do. I seem to burn most things I put on the grill. Instead I cooked the fish at 400F for 15 minutes. Flaky and perfectly done.

Tonight's carb was Wild Rice Salad with Cranberries. I used wild rice, less seasoning, from a box. I recommend letting the rice cool for 10 minutes before mixing with the other ingredients. This will give the dish a more cohesive feel. Since Trey does not care for pecans I omitted them from the recipe. 

I did pair this dish with a Cabernet, but I suggest pairing with a Chardonnay.

Prep was easy, but dinner was not as filling as I hoped. Next time I would serve the fish over the rice and double the portion of rice. I would also add a side of steamed vegetables for a healthy and visually appealing plate.

Cookbook

• Weight Watchers New Complete Cookbook
• Published by Wiley Publishing, Inc.
• Copyright 2011

Recipes

• Page 94 Wild Rice Salad with Pecans and Cranberries
• Page 199 Grilled Jamaican-Style Halibut

Monterey Jack Turkey Burgers w/Zucchini Chips

Easy and filling, that's how I describe tonight's dinner. I am not a fan of ketchup yet it added just the right touch of sweetness to offset the powerful punch of garlic and shallots. Turkey bacon gave the Monterey Jack Turkey Burger the right crunch and the tomato provide a juicy end. I did omit the buns and lettuce and would add two slices of tomato instead of one to each burger.

When I eat a burger I want a salty side dish such as potato chips or French fries. Tonight we experimented and ate Zucchini Chips. They did the trick. After eating my serving I realized that these chips would not make good leftovers so we enjoyed a second helping. Prep time is suppose to be 15 minutes but it was more like 20. I got tired of dredging each chip so I put the breading in a Tupperware and dumped them in. Viola, quick and easy with little muss.

Low calorie, fun and delicious what a great dinner. I paired my burger with a Sam Adams seasonal ale which topped off a great meal.

Cookbook

• Weight Watchers New Complete Cookbook

• Published by Wiley Publishing, Inc.

• Copyright 2011

• Recipe Page 189 Monterey Jack Turkey Burgers

Recipe for Zucchini Chips provided by Kroger
Ingredients

• 1/2 Cup Breadcrumbs

• 1/2 Cup Grated Parmesan Cheese

• 1 Teaspoon Garlic Powder

• 1 Teaspoon Dried Basil

• 1 1/2 Teaspoon Kosher Salt

• 1/2 Teaspoon Black Pepper

• 1/4 Cup Milk

• I used 2% 

• 4 Medium Zucchini Sliced

• I sliced the zucchini on a mandolin at a 3 setting

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 450F.

1. Grease 2 baking sheets with cooking spray.

1. In a Ziploc bag, combine breadcrumbs, Parmesan, garlic powder, basil, salt and pepper.

1. Shake till ingredients are mixed.

1. Pour milk into a bowl.

1. Dip zucchini into milk then put into Ziploc bag.

1. After putting in about 20-30 slices, shake vigorously.

1. Put coated zucchini onto baking sheet.

1. Repeat until all zucchini is coated.

1. Spray the tops of the slices with cooking spray.

1. Bake for 10 minutes. Flip. Bake for another 10 minutes.

Serves 6

Mixing Pizza With Pasta

One of the things I love about my recipe experiment is finding two that you think are perfect for each other and finding out you were right. Take meatballs and pizza stuffed mushrooms. The common link was sausage. I need 1/2 pound for both recipes so I decided to mesh together. Let's start with the appetizer, Sausage Pizza-Stuffed Mushrooms.

This recipe was yet again provided by Kroger. My  husband loves mushrooms. As a fungus, I have grown to like them. Since this recipe called for sausage, parmesan and mozzarella I figured I would give it a try. The only thing I replaced was the breadcrumbs with panko crumbs. This cuts sodium and gives any dish a unique texture. I also think panko crumbs makes a dish feel lighter. Maybe that's just in my head. The recipe did not identify a specific spaghetti sauce so I used Newman's Own

Weight Watchers Picadillo, Roasted Asparagus & Curried Basmati Rice

Dinner tonight was very fulfilling, almost too much. I was looking to incorporate more vegetables into our meal and found a fun way to do so.

Let's start with the Picadillo (Page 182) dish. What intrigued me was combining stewed tomatoes with a Granny Smith apple. I used a Kroger roasted chicken, which was not spicy enough for the dish. It was the apple, raisins and cinnamon that saved this dish by making it sweet. To offset the sweetness, I chose to pair the Picadillo with Curried Basmati Rice (Page 285), which was a good choice. 

The Basmati toned down the sweetness with it's spiciness from the curry. I was concerned with how the vegetables would dull the dish but when sauteed down they made the dish filling. I would use a mandoline to slice the mushrooms at a setting 1. The directions said to simmer for 20 minutes which is not enough. I had to cook the rice for 35 minutes. Make sure the dish is boiling before you simmer. This dish was to serve 6, but only made 5 at 1 cup per serving.

To ensure we had enough vegetables, I also made Roasted Asparagus and Red Peppers (Page 266). I used Lemon Olive Oil from Oliveto which added an extra punch. The dish tasted like lemon.

I paired the entire dish with Cupcake's Cabernet Sauvignon which enhanced the sweet and spicy nature of each dish.

Total servings was 4 with this low calorie, flavorful meal. When cooking, start with the Basmati first, followed by Picadillo then the roasted asparagus. All dishes should be done within 40 minutes with 20 minutes of prep time.

Websites:

• Cupcake Wines - http://www.cupcakevineyards.com/product/wine/cabernet-sauvignon 
• Oliveto Artisan Oils and Vinegars - http://www.olivetooliveoil.com/Products.html

Cookbook

• New Complete Cookbook from Weight Watchers
• Published by Wiley Publishing, Inc.
• Copyright 2011

Recipes:

• Page 182 - Picadillo 
• Page 285 - Curried Basmati Rice
• Page 266 - Roasted Asparagus and Red Peppers