Chicken with Honey Beer Sauce

I got this from Cooking Light magazine.  A few weeks ago, I made it for the first time for my family and it has great flavor!

2 t. canola oil
4 (6 oz) skinless, boneless, chicken breast halves
1/4 t. fresh ground black pepper
1/8 t. salt
3 T. thinly sliced shallots
1/2 c. beer
2 T. low sodium soy sauce
1 T. whole grain Dijon mustard
1 T. honey
2 T. fresh flat leaf parsley

Heat skillet over med-high heat.  Add oil to pan; swirl to coat.  Sprinkle chicken evenly with pepper and salt.  Add chicken to pan and sauté 6 minutes per side or until done.  Remove chicken from the pan and keep warm.  Add shallots to the pan and cook 1 minute or until translucent.  Combine beer and next 3 ingredients (through honey) in a small bowl; stir with a whisk.  Add beer mixture to pan; bring to a boil, scraping pan to loosen browned bits.  Cook 3 minutes or until liquid is reduced to 1/2 cup.  Return chicken to pan; turn to coat with sauce.  Sprinkle with parsley.

Serves 4. Only 245 calories per serving.

Stuffed Peppers

My husband found this recipe on the Biggest Loser website and we've made it many, many times!  It's a good one!

olive oil spray
1/2 cup onion, minced
1 tsp garlic, minced
1 package extra lean ground turkey
salt, to taste
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp ground cumin
1/4 c tomato sauce (I use Hunts)
1/2 c low sodium chicken broth, divided
1 T fresh cilantro or parsley, chopped
3 large red, green, yellow, or orange bell peppers
1/4 c reduced fat cheddar cheese, shredded

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.  Lightly coat a large nonstick skillet with olive oil spray; heat over medium heat.  Add onion and garlic; saute two minutes or until softened.  Add ground turkey breast, salt, garlic powder, and cumin.  Break meat apart and cook over medium heat for 14-16 minutes, or until well done.  Add tomato sauce and 1/4 c chicken broth.  Reduce heat to low and simmer for about five minutes.  Add cilantro or parsley.  Cut peppers in half lengthwise and remove seeds and stem.  Place in baking dish.  Spoon 1/3 c of the turkey mixture into each pepper half.  Pour remaining 1/4 c chicken broth in the bottom of the baking dish.  Cover with foil and bake for 35 minutes.  Sprinkle with cheese and serve.

Chili

It's really hard to screw up a meal like chili.  It's not so much about following an exact recipe, but more about dumping things together and tasting until you are satisfied.  I love recipes like that!  Chili is a meal that shows up on my menu during the cold months.  It's so hearty and satisfying!

1 pound ground turkey
1-2 cans of Hunts tomato sauce, no salt added
1 can Rotel (you choose how hot and spicy!) or 1 cup salsa
1 can chili beans
1 can Hunts stewed tomatoes
chili powder to taste, or try cumin
My secret flavor weapon: 1 T. vinegar
You can also add chunks of onion, peppers, black beans, whatever you want

Brown the ground turkey until cooked through and crumbled.  Add the rest and heat through.  Voila!

I like to use the Hunts tomato products because they generally don't have a bunch of weird ingredients or sugars.  Read the label.