Easy, Guiltless Crab Salad

I can't pass up anything that's got a recipe in it. Cookbooks, magazines, the back of jars, our electric cooperative's magazine, any of it! My husband makes fun of me because whenever I get a new cookbook, I'll sit and read it for several days. A couple of years ago, we were at my Dad and stepmom's (Theresa) house, and she had a new cookbook. It was called The Most Decadent Diet Ever, by Devin Alexander. I looked through it at least a couple of times over the course of that weekend, and she told me to write down the names of the recipes I wanted and she'd make copies for me. Well, I pretty much wrote down all the recipes in the book! So, bless her heart, Theresa bought me my very own copy!
Everything I've tried has been very good, but this crab salad is the thing I've made over and over. It's absolutely delicious, and pretty much guilt-free. It's in a mayonnaise based sauce (I love mayo!), but it's not heavy because it's mixed with nonfat yogurt and nonfat milk. The fresh herbs really stand out, and I wish I'd had more fresh dill. We had this delicious crab salad for dinner last night, because I just couldn't bear to turn on the oven. A word to the wise, though. It tastes better the longer it sits. I made it Tuesday night for our Wednesday supper. But I took it for lunch today, and it was even better! The extra time in the fridge really let the flavors meld.

Herbed Crab Salad

Devin Alexander

1/4 cup plus 1 Tablespoon light mayonnaise (the olive oil mayo)

2 T fat-free milk

2 T fat-free plain yogurt

1 lb imitation crab meat, coarsley shredded

2 T finely chopped green onion (white and green parts)

2 T finely chopped red onion

2 T finely chopped fresh dill

2 T chopped fresh parsley

Whisk the mayonnaise, milk, and yogurt in a large resealable plastic container until well combined and smooth. Add the crabmeat, green onion, red onion, dill, and parsley. Stir until well combined. Seal the container and refrigerate for at least 6 hours, or overnight for optimum flavor.

Dinner In a Hurry/Healthy Makeover: Quesadillas

Sorry guys...no Tribute to Katherine Hepburn Brownies today. This chickie is starting to get chunky, so we've got to lay off the sweets for a little bit. Thank goodness the TWD rules have been loosened up for the summer!

One night last week, in order to make use of some of the leftovers that were taking over our fridge, David and I had quesadillas. There are two things I really like about quesadillas: they're quick and easy to prepare, and you can lighten them up pretty easily without compromising flavor.
I made them in a cast-iron skillet, which is definitely the way to go. Before assembling the quesadillas, I very lightly coated one side of the tortillas with canola oil with a pastry brush. That side went down in the dry skillet, just until bubbles started to form. While the first side was browning, I brushed the other side. By the time I brushed the second side, the tortilla was ready to flip. When both sides were nicely browned, I filled the quesadillas with fat-free refried beans (YUM!), taco meat, 2% milk shredded Mexican cheese, onion, and black olives. I just filled one side and then folded the other side over, omlette-style.
I gave them a light press on each side, just to be sure that they got nice and toasty. I served them on a bed of shredded lettuce and topped them with salsa and reduced-fat sour cream. They were absolutely delicious, and they were a lighter version of a potentially high-fat, high-calorie meal.You can fill your quesadillas with absolutely anything you want. I'm thinking about trying to make some buffalo chicken quesadillas sometime before too long. Mmmm... What ideas do you have for quesadillas?

General Tso's Chicken and Roasted Asparagus

Tonight, I made two of our favorite things for dinner...General Tso's Chicken and roasted asparagus. This isn't the General Tso's chicken that you know and love from your local Chinese buffet, though. You see, a little over a year ago, I started making a conscious decision to lose some weight. A year later, I've lost about 20 pounds, and I've learned some ways to enjoy the foods I've always loved, just in a little healthier way. Real General Tso's chicken is deep fried and covered in a spicy-sweet sauce. Let's take a look at how we'll give him a healthier twist. You'll need some chicken breasts that have been diced into bite-sized pieces:

You'll also need some green onions and some minced garlic:

And yes, I used all that onion and garlic in this recipe. We like onions and garlic! They make everything better! (I used to use cheese that way...lots of cheese makes everything better. But garlic and onions are healthier!)
For the sauce, you'll need a few simple ingredients:

cornstarch, ground ginger, chicken stock, soy sauce, white wine vinegar, and sugar substitute (if that freaks you out, please feel free to use regular sugar. I do not fear the sugar substitute. Not even the dreaded Sweet 'N Low.)
Next, you'll mix all that stuff up into what's called a "slurry" I think. It'll look like this:

It looks a little like peanut butter, huh? Doesn't taste anything like it, though.
After you've sauted your onions, garlic, and cooked your chicken, you pour in the slurry and mix it. Since it's got that cornstarch in it, it's gonna thicken up pretty good. And it should look like this:

Mmmm! Spoon that over some cooked brown rice, and you've got some healthy Chinese deliciousness! Now, let's move on to the best part of the meal...the asparagus.
Check that out. Beautiful, huh? And it came straight out of Mama's garden (it's pronouned Mamaw, but no one spells it like that). She says the secret is planting male asparagus. I didn't know asparagus could be male or female, but I know I love the end result! Fresh asparagus is the best part of spring. I think David and I could each eat our weight in it every night! To get lovely, delicious roasted asparagus, just drizzle the asparagus spears in some olive oil and toss it around to coat it. I also sprinkle on some Greek seasoning, because that stuff is good on anything. Then, roast it in a 425-degree oven, until it's a tiny bit crispy, and you're ready for some good eatin'! Make sure you sprinkle some freshly grated parmesan over it, too.

Doesn't that look absolutely fabulous? Even though the flavors are a little disjointed together (Chinese with Greek-seasoned asparagus?), it's a great, easy, healthy weeknight meal.

General Tso's Healthy Chicken

recipe found at www.freewebs.com/hwc1973

For the sauce:

3/4 cup chicken broth

2 Tbs. cornstarch

2 Tbs. sugar substitute

2 Tbs. low-sodium soy sauce

1/2 tsp. ground ginger

1 Tbs. white wine vinegar

Whisk all ingredients together in a medium bowl; set aside.

For the Chicken:

6 green onions, chopped (use the white and green parts)

2 medium garlic cloves, minced

1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes

1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces

2 cups cooked brown rice

Heat oil in a wok or large skillet over medium-high heat. Add green onions, garlic, and pepper and cook 2 minutes. Add chicken and cook until browned all over, about 5 minutes.

Add the reserved sauce and simmer until sauce thickens and chicken is cooked through, about three minutes. Serve chicken and sauce over rice.