A Frugal Fiesta

I noticed newly sprouted buds on a dogwood this weekend. I also heard the calls of songbirds, saw ice melting off streams and eves, and heard tell of young coyotes wandering the neighborhood in search of mates. While the weather will certainly change (and change again) here in the suburbs of Chicago before anyone fires up their lawn mower, it doesn't take the shadow of a large rodent with [supposed]meteorological tendencies to know that spring is coming.

Instead of appreciating such portents though, this weekend's warmer temperatures left me feeling cold. Nonsensical, I know, considering today's mercury rose to +40F and I was blithely tolerating subzeros just a few days ago. Regardless, I felt chilled to the bone all weekend, craving warmth above all else... Which had me thinking of home.

My hometown of Stockton is by no means your stereotypical California city. There are no Stockton surfers, no endless beaches, no tanned hardbodies rollerblading on boardwalks. Still, Stockton is considered “Someplace Special” by some, for reasons ranging from it's milder climate (especially compared to America's Heartland where I now reside) to some of the West Coast's most delicious Mexican food. With snow still piled high at every Chicagoland street corner, the thought of sitting beside glittering water outside Stockton's Waterfront Warehouse in +70F weather, enjoying a favorite Mexican dish at Nena's Restaurant was, well... Let's just say it was a warm thought.

Which brings me to the reason for today's blog. My favorite Mexican dish is a delicious concoction made up of tomatillos, green chilies, and tender chunks of meat (usually pork or chicken) called chili verde. Though common throughout California, chili verde is one dish I've been unable to find in the Chicago area, despite the fact that there are many fine Mexican restaurants here. Perhaps that's a good thing, considering that I'm now a Weight Watcher's member and traditional chili verde is hardly Weight Watcher's friendly. In addition, chili verde can be expensive to make (cost-wise, above and beyond the Weight Watcher's points). Still, as I've blogged about in the past, a few simple tips and tricks can often allow you to adapt your favorite recipes to be both Weight Watcher's compliant and frugal.

That said, here's the recipe I made this weekend, which I hope you enjoy as much as I did!

CHICKEN CHILI VERDE WITH BLACK BEANS AND RICE

INGREDIENTS (CHILI VERDE):

2 tsp olive oil

2 medium onions, chopped

2 medium green/bell peppers, seeded and chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts

3 tbsp (or more, to taste) Tabasco-brand green jalapeno pepper sauce (Note: 3 tbsp green chili powder can be subsituted for the Tabasco sauce if you live in the southwestern US and are looking to reduce your sodium intake (also orderable from Spice Traveler in Prescott, AZ))

2 tsp ground cumin

1 lb husked, halved tomatillos (Note: Finely dice if using a hand mixer vs a food processor or blender)

8 4oz cans of diced green chili peppers, undrained

4 chicken bouillon cubes

4 c water

INGREDIENTS (BLACK BEANS AND RICE)

14.5 oz can diced tomatoes with chiles (or 'Mexican-style' diced tomatoes), undrained

14.5 oz can black beans, drained

2 c brown rice (not quick/instant)

4 c water

4 beef bouillon cubes

2 tbsp margarine or butter (optional)

DIRECTIONS:

Cut up uncooked chicken breasts into ~3/4” cubes, cover, and refrigerate until needed.

Puree the tomatillos and chiles in a food processor or blender (note: You can also use a mixer, as I successfully did this weekend, you simply need to finely dice the tomatillos instead of halving them). Set aside until needed.

In a graduated glass measure or other microwave-safe container, combine the bouillon cubes and water for the chili verde, and microwave on high for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring periodically, until cubes are dissolved (Note: You can substitute store-bought low-fat chicken broth, I simply prefer the cubes because they're less expensive). Set aside until needed.

Lightly coat the bottom of a dutch oven or other large saucepan with oil. Finely dice the onions and the seeded green/bell peppers and saute them with the minced garlic over medium heat until softened, about 8 minutes. Add the cubed chicken, Tabasco green jalapeno sauce, and cumin, and continue cooking over medium heat until the chicken starts to brown, approximately 6 minutes. Add the previously prepared/set aside pureed tomatillos and chiles, and the broth, bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for around 30 minutes. Remove 1 c of liquid from the pan, use a fork or wisk to combine it with the cornstarch, then fork/wisk the liquid back into the pan. Cook another 15 to 20 minutes until thickened.

While the chile verde is cooking, combine the undrained can of diced tomatoes with chiles plus just enough water to make 4 c, pour into a medium saucepan, add the rice, the additional 4 bouillon cubes and the drained can of black beans (Optional: You can also add 2 tbsp margarine or butter at this point). Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for about 40 minutes (Note: Consult the directions on your brown rice, as cooking times can vary with brand).

Using a measuring cup or Weight Watcher's measure, serve ½ c of the rice and beans, topped with 1 c of the chili verde. Makes 12 servings, 11 Weight Watcher's points+ per serving (Note: This is a doubled recipe, as the servings freeze and reheat nicely, especially if you freeze them and then seal them via Foodsaver after they're frozen, as illustrated above).

A note to social media users: Here is a sample tweet you can use to share this recipe: 

• A new #chiliverde #recipe, made from delicious ingredients purchased @AldiUSA: http://bit.ly/1GhiE9H. #blog #foodpics @WeightWatchers

Additional acknowledgements: Portions of the above recipe were adapted from a Turkey Chili Verde recipe from Weight Watchers (http://bit.ly/18etg76)

Weight Watchers Tips & Tricks

As I've shared in prior posts, I am a Weight Watchers member. Since becoming a member, I've developed a strong appreciation for the program's many benefits, including...

• The support of Weight Watchers peer members and meeting leaders
• The accountability of meeting attendance and regular weigh-ins
• Delicious and healthy recipes
• Encouragement focused on healthy living practices, including regular physical activity
• Nutritional tips and tricks

While I appreciate all of these benefits and more, I thought readers (many of whom might not have any personal Weight Watchers experience) might appreciate learning about a few of the nutritional tips and tricks. Why, you may ask? Because such tips and tricks can help you transform your own tried-and-true recipes into lower-fat, healthier meals. Here are a few of my favorites...

• Egg whites. Before the involuntary "Yuck!"'s and "Eww!"'s commence, I readily admit that plain egg whites make a lousy replacement for regular eggs. That said though, in omellettes covered in salsa or baked into recipes, egg whites can taste just as good as eggs, but with zero cholesterol or fat, and 1/3rd the Weight Watchers points.
• Cooking spray. Need to coat a baking pan or skillet? Are you roasting something in the oven you'd normally brush with oil? Using store-bought cooking spray (or, better yet, a reusable oil sprayer) can often deliver the same results without adding fat.
• Low-fat/reduced-fat ingredients. Unlike their fat-free counterparts, low-fat or reduced-fat ingredients, including dairy (or soy) products and mayonnaise, often taste just as good as those with more fat. And such substitutions reduce both the Weight Watchers points and contribute towards a healthier diet.
• Whole grains. Though whole-wheat (or brown rice) pastas and other whole grains aren't always lower in calories (or Weight Watchers points), such ingredients make for more filling, more satisfying meals... And they're better for you.

In recent months, I've used the above nutritional tips and tricks (and others) to create or adapt a number of recipes. Just this past weekend, I made a much healthier version of a recipe I've enjoyed for years, which I've shared below. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

Tim's Spaghetti Pie

DESCRIPTION

A gluten-free, low-fat, and vegetarian version of a traditional spaghetti pie, made in a large lasagna pan to allow for most of the servings to be frozen and saved (via Foodsaver) for convenient future meals.

INGREDIENTS

1 cup(s) Onion (s), red, raw, chopped
1 cup(s) Peppers, sweet , red, raw
4 tsp Minced garlic
2 cup(s) Fresh Mushrooms, sliced
32 oz Tomato sauce, canned
32 oz Canned diced tomatoes
16 oz Spaghetti, whole-wheat, uncooked, Note: Substitute brown rice spaghetti for gluten-free meal
1 cup(s) Cheese, cheddar, shredded, low-fat, Note: Substitute Veggie brand for lactose-free meal
1 cup(s) Cheese, mozzarella, part-skim, shredded, Note: Substitute Veggie brand for lactose-free meal
1 cup(s) Cheese, soy, parmesan flavored
8 oz Egg whites
16 oz Cheese, cottage, low-fat (1%), Note: Use Lactaid brand for lactose-free meal.
1½ cup(s) Spinach, uncooked, Chopped
3 fl oz Wine, red
1 tsp Dried oregano
1 tsp Dried basil
½ tsp Dried thyme
½ tsp Sea salt
¼ tsp Pepper, black

INSTRUCTIONS

Spray pan with olive oil cooking spray. Dice sweet pepper and red onion, place in oiled pan and sauté with garlic over medium heat for ◴ 3-4 minutes. Add sliced mushrooms, red wine, and spices, continue to sauté ◴ 2-3 more minutes, until onion  is translucent. Add canned tomato products and sea salt/pepper to taste, bring to a boil and simmer for ◴ 30-45 minutes, until sauce starts to thicken. Remove sauce from heat and reserve approximately one-quarter (i.e. ~2 c./16 oz.) for a future meal (Note: I freeze the extra sauce in a disposable, freezer-safe container).

Bring a big pasta pot filled with water to a boil, add uncooked spaghetti that's been broken in half, cook per pasta directions. Pour cooked pasta into a colander, rinse with cold water, drain well, toss with egg whites  and Parmesan, and spread evenly in the bottom of a large lasagna pan that's been oiled with olive oil spray. Spread the cottage cheese over the pasta, sprinkle diced spinach over the cottage cheese, spread remaining/non-reserved sauce on top of the spinach, and top with the shredded cheeses (Note: You can prepare in advance to this point, cover the pan in Saran wrap and foil, and bake the next day. Just be sure to add 10-15 mins of cooking time to offset the refrigerated chill).

Cover with foil, bake ◴ 20 mins at 350F, remove foil  and bake for ◴ 10 more mins. Let stand for ◴ 10 mins, mark into 12 equal servings and serve. Each serving is 8 Weight Watchers Points+* (Note: I freeze the leftover servings and, the next day, seal them up via Foodsaver for convenient future meals).

* Points+ value is calculated based on 24 oz. of tomato sauce and diced tomatoes, as ~1/4 of the sauce is reserved for future use.

NOTE: If you'd like to share this blog via social media, here's a sample tweet:

• A few favorite @WeightWatchers #tips & tricks, accompanied by a yummy #recipe: http://bit.ly/1q4aQPq #healthy #lowfat #spaghettipie

My favorite Weight Watcher's recipes

I've blogged in the past about cooking for the local shelter, including a blog about one of my own recipes. Often though, the dishes I prepare are based on [relatively]healthy Weight Watchers recipes. As a co-worker recently asked me to share some of my favorites, I thought it made sense to post them to my blog, just in case anyone else is interested (or wants to share them with others). Here they are:

• Roasted Vegetables (This is one of my FAVORITE recipes, easy and delicious, and it goes with practically anything. Here's a pic.)
• Spaghetti Pie (Note: I use whole grain spaghetti to make it healthier, and I substitute egg beaters for eggs and also substitute a little butter-flavored cooking spray and an extra 1/4 c, of egg beaters for the margarine to make the recipe even more low-fat. Here's a pic.)
• Pot-Luck Pasta Salad (Here's a pic).
• Sweet Potato and Squash Bake (Here's a pic).
• Shrimp and Sausage Jambalaya (Note: I substitute butter-flavored spray for the margarine, and Uncle Ben's Converted Brown Rice for the white rice to reduce the fat even more and make it healthier)
• 15-Minute Chicken Gumbo (A recipe I like to make in advance and keep individual servings of in the freezer as a quick warm-up after cold Fall and Winter outdoor astronomy observing sessions).

Enjoy!

PS: Here's a tweet you can use if you'd like to share this recipe blog with others via social media: 

• Favorite recipes of a shelter volunteer: http://bit.ly/VIvGZW #DuPagePADS #recipes #cooking #healthy #WeightWatchers #Homelessness

Food for the Soul

In the movie, "Pay it Forward", Haley Joel Osment plays a young boy who, inspired by a teacher (played by Kevin Spacey), commits to trying to make the world a better place. You'll need to watch the movie or read a review for more detail but, suffice it to say that Osment's character seems to sincerely want to help others, purely for the joy of doing so. It's a wonderful perspective, even a biblical one. Unfortunately, I'd be lying if I claimed that's why I volunteer my time or gelt.

I've volunteered for a number of charities over the years, including the local food pantry, as a reader of textbooks for the blind or those with learning disabilities, at the local homeless shelter, and as a e-mentor for an IBM program called Mentorplace. My choice of charities reflect both my own comfort level (e.g. my educational background, reading ability, love of cooking, etc) and a desire to improve the world my family and I live in, and the world my daughter and other young people will inherit. Still, it's the way volunteering makes me feel that is likely my driving factor. It's all about me, me, me after all... Which certainly isn't something to brag about, but I'd be a complete hypocrite if I claimed I was earning my way to paradise. As it is, I'd be happy for a window air conditioner in Hell. ;-)

Which brings me to the events of the day, and the inspiration for this blog. As a volunteer cook for the local shelter, I spend a few hours each month shopping for ingredients and preparing a dish to feed ten to twelve people (the shelter typically has fifty to seventy clients, but a number of other volunteers prepare dishes as well). Some months it's a salad, other months it's a dessert... And tonight it was a main dish... A rather labor intensive main dish (approximately three hours of preparation/cooking time, not counting shopping or delivery). Still, I felt pretty good about myself all the way to the shelter and in the car after... Until I drove past all of the clients standing outside of the shelter on my way home. Young and old, men and women just like you and me... People who, but for the grace of God, could be us.

If anything I've written here inspires someone to volunteer, that's wonderful. As a matter of fact, that's how I rationalize sharing the news of my volunteer work. I've often said that it's possible someone might read or otherwise hear about something I've done and decide to step to the plate themselves... As there are far more people in need than there are volunteers to meet those needs. The truth is, though, that I share what I do because that makes me feel good as well... Which, again, may not earn me that window air conditioner in Hell I'm striving for, but at least it's honest... Dammit. ;-)

That said, and without further ado, here's what I prepared for tonight's shelter meal... Which I sincerely hope the clients enjoyed, at least as much as I enjoyed making it.....

Tim's Teriyaki Stir-Fry over Confetti Rice*

Ingredients:

Chicken & Stock:
2 lbs. chicken thighs
2 lbs. chicken breast halves
8 cups water
2 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. freshly ground pepper
1/2 tsp. thyme
2 carrots, sliced
4 celery stalks, sliced
1/2 large sweet onion, quartered
4 bay leaves
1/8 c. reduced sodium teriyaki sauce

Confetti Rice
1/2 large sweet onion, diced
1 red sweet pepper, diced
5 1/4 c. chicken stock[see above]
3 c. Uncle Ben's brown rice, uncooked
3 tblsp. Fleishman's unsalted/lactose-free margarine

Teriyaki Stir Fry
PAM cooking spray
1 & 1/2 large sweet onions, halved & quartered (e.g. bite-sized)
2 green bell peppers, cut into 1"-1.5" pieces (e.g. bite-sized)
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 fresh pineapple, sans skin or core, cut into 1"-1.5" pieces (e.g. bite-sized)
+3 lbs. parboiled/marinated chicken[see above], cut into 1"-1.5" pieces (e.g. bite-sized)
1/8 c. reduced sodium teriyaki sauce
1/8 c. reduced sodium soy sauce
1/8 c. sesame oil

Directions (Day One):
Combine all the "Chicken and Stock" ingredients except the teriyaki in a pot, bring to a boil, then reduce to simmer for thirty minutes. Remove from heat, strain and refrigerate chicken stock, discard all other non-chicken ingredients, remove chicken skin, remove chicken from bones (preferable in bite-sized pieces), and discard chicken skin and bones. Place parboiled chicken pieces in a container or bag, add teriyaki sauce, and allow to marinate overnight.

Directions (Day Two):
Remove the chilled chicken stock from the refrigerator, skim the solidified fat off the top, discard or set aside any stock in excess of 5 1/4 cups, then combine with the rest of the "Confetti Rice" ingredients. Bring to a boil and then simmer for approximately thirty minutes (or until all moisture is absorbed by the rice). When done, pour into the bottom of a large, foil lasagna pan.

With fifteen minutes left on the rice timer, liberally coat a large skillet or wok with PAM cooking spray and place over medium-high to high heat until you can smell the oil and it's slightly changed color. Throw in the onion, bell pepper, and garlic, and cook, stirring constantly, until the bell pepper is slightly tender and the onion is just starting to get translucent (approximately four to six minutes). Add in the rest of the ingredients and cook, stirring constantly, until the sauce starts to thicken or the pineapple starts to cook (approximately four to six minutes). Pour over rice and serve (or cover in foil, deliver, place in warmer, and serve within the hour).

Serves ten to twelve.

* NOTE: The "Chicken and Stock" step of this recipe is largely based on Better Homes & Garden's "Stewed Chicken" recipe.