Macarons!

I love, love, love macarons!  I loved them before I went gluten free, it’s just one of those dreamy treats I didn’t have to give up.  I tried a recipe from Pinterest for my first try, tasty, but there were some improvements to be made.  This recipe turned out perfect, and of course, I had to change it a little.

This had to be one of the most thoughtful gifts I ever received.  I was at a Christmas party for our church and I eyed a plate, the ONLY plate, of Macarons and by the time I sought out the person who brought them to ask if they were gluten free, they were gone.  I asked her how hard they were to make, and she said she’d tried several and loves them too.  The next week she brought over this recipe book because I had asked her about them.  And it wasn’t only thoughtful, but this book is AWESOME!  They have printable pdf files of templates too on a CD included in the back of the book.  SO cute!  You can buy it HERE.

Measure by weight, not volume!

Basic Recipe (my changes in BLUE)

200g powdered sugar

110g almond flour

100g egg whites aged at room temperature

Pinch of cream of tartar

35g superfine sugar

4-6 drops lime doTerra essential oil

Dab of green food coloring paste

Measure all of the ingredients with a digital scale. 

Preheat oven to 320’ for at least 30 minutes.

Sift the powdered sugar and almond flour into a bowl together.  Combine well using a wire whisk and set aside.

In a mixer bowl, beat egg whites until opaque and creamy.  Add pinch of cream of tartar and continue to beat until soft peaks form.  Slowly add superfine sugar and beat until stiff peaks form.  Add food coloring his point if you choose to use it.

Fold and stir the powdered sugar/almond flour mixture into the egg whites, adding 1/3 of the mixture at a time.  The mixture will be the texture of thick cake batter, but fluffy and light.  Add the macaron mix to a piping bag with a tip #12 attached.  Pipe onto silicone mat or on parchment paper circles.  Tap the cookie sheet to release bubbles and help the mix spread out within the circles.  Allow to set 30-40 minutes(I found 20 minutes too short to leave an adequate skin).  They will get a skin and look dull.  This skin helps them rise up rather than spread out.  Turn oven down to 300’.  Bake one cookie sheet on the bottom rack at a time for 10-12 minutes, rotate the pan halfway through to allow steam to escape and evenly distribute heat.  Cookies should NOT brown.

Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly.  Peel the cookies off of the parchment or silicone mat to finish cooling. 

Divide the cooled cookies into pairs of like sizes.  Pipe the icing into the center with enough of it to go to the ends, but not spill out.  Refrigerate overnight for best results.

Icing: 

2 sticks softened/room temperature(not melted) butter (I prefer salted)

4 cups powdered sugar

1 ½ Tbl. Rum emulsion flavoring

2 tsp. almond emulsion flavoring

Beat all of the ingredients in a large mixer bowl on high for several minutes.  Scrape the bowl as needed.  Add more milk or powdered sugar to get a thick consistency.  Cover and let sit 15 minutes and beat again.  A cake decorator taught me if you did this then you don’t have to sift the sugar. 

Lime Curd:

½ cup sugar

Zest of 3 limes

½ Cup Fresh lime juice

4 egg yolks(now you get to use those egg yolks up.

Pinch of salt

¼ cup butter, room temperature

½ cup white chocolate chips

Whisk all of the ingredients except the butter and chocolate chips in a small saucepan.  Over very low heat, bring to a simmer whisking the entire time.  It will thicken up as it begins to bubble while still stirring.   After it’s thick, remove from heat and add white chocolate chips.  Stir until they are completely melted and incorporated.  Allow to cool until just warm enough to melt butter.  Add 1 Tbl. of butter at a time and incorporate all of the butter. I didn’t like the look of orange yolk color with the specks of green zest so I added some green food coloring.   Set aside until cool.

When the Lime Curd is cool, add 1/2-3/4 cup to Buttercream Icing and mix well.  Spoon icing mix into a piping bag with another #12 tip. 

Prepare your cooled cookies to fill with icing by pairing them up with like sizes and shapes.  Turn one of the pair over and pipe icing into the center. 

Refrigerate cookies in a tightly sealed or covered container overnight for best results. 

One of my experiments was too ugly to photograph, but yummy enough to gobble up, lavender macarons with lemon icing.  There are countless variations, but I'm partial to anything with citrus in it.  You can even add mashed berries to icing, or even mascarpone cheese/pudding mix(you need something help it stay together).

Enjoy!!!!

Sesame Ginger Dressing

2/3 cup rice wine vinegar
1/3 cup light flavored oil(I used a light flavored extra virgin olive oil)
1/3 cup raw agave syrup
1 tsp. toasted sesame oil
6 drops doTerra Ginger Essential Oil
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. fresh ground pepper
1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes

Combine all ingredients in a shaker or blender and mix well.  Refrigerate any unused dressing.

Nutella Cake Pops

Sorry, no pictures!

1 Box of Triple Fudge Chocolate Cake, prepared as package directions.
1 small jar Nutella(13 oz.)
2 containers Chocolate Hazelnut Round Wafer Cookies(hint: $ store)
2 packages Milk Chocolate Chips or Chocolate Melting Wafers

Crumble baked, cool cake into bread crumb like consistency in a large bowl.  In a food processor, pulse cookies until finely ground.  Add to crumbled cake.  Add about 3/4ths jar of Nutella and mix with fork.  You want the dough to resemble the texture of Playdough.  Add more Nutella if needed.  This is where I put on food grade disposable gloves sprayed with a little non-stick spray and rubbed in.  Get your hands in there and "play" with it until it is all combined.  Scoop out a ball with a large cookie scoop and roll into a slightly pressed round ball.  Place on a cookie sheet lined with wax paper or non-stick foil  This recipe makes 4 dozen and I needed 2 large cookie sheets.  Melt 1/4 cup of chocolate chips in 30 second increments in microwave.  Dip one end of a lollipop stick in melted chocolate and push about 3/4 way through the cake balls.  Freeze for 20-30 minutes.  In the meantime melt the remaining chocolate, again in 30 second increments in microwave.  Dip each cake pop into the chocolate and place back on cookie sheet.  Allow to set on counter or in refrigerator.  Yum!

Meaty Meatloaf with Veggies

3 lbs. Extra Lean Ground Beef(93/7)
1 lb. Italian Style Sausage
2 Eggs
1 15oz. can pumpkin puree(sneaky)
1 bag seasoned stuffing cubes, processed fine in food processor(about 2 cups ground)
2 Tbl. roasted garlic, finely minced
1 large sweet onion, finely diced
olive oil
balsamic vinegar
sugar
kosher salt
fresh ground pepper

Add about 2 Tbl. olive oil to non-stick spray pan and heat to medium.  Add onions, lower heat, and saute until almost translucent, be careful not to let onions burn or they will become bitter.  Add a pinch of salt, about 2 Tbl. each of balsamic vinegar and sugar.  Simmer until liquid is reduced to at least half.  Add fresh ground pepper and mix well.  Remove from heat and allow to cool to luke warm.

In a large mixer bowl(I use my Kitchenaid because I don't like to touch raw meat) add ground beef, ground sausage, ground stuffing, pumpkin, eggs, garlic, and onions when cool enough(you don't want to add them so hot they will scramble the eggs.  Add about 1 Tbl. of kosher salt and more ground pepper to taste.  Heat oven to 375'.  Use a LARGE roasting pan(I buy the biggest I can find at the dollar tree, turkey size, with a large lip).  Divide meat into two loaves and shape side by side in pan.

Veggies
1 lb. bag baby carrots
5 red potatoes
5 russet potatoes

Scrub and rinse veggies very well.  In a large bowl throw in baby carrots.  Cut potatoes lengthwise and then in wedges approx. 1/4-1/2 inch thick.  You want them similar is size to the carrots so they'll all cook evenly.  Add potatoes to bowl.  Drizzle with approx. 2 Tbl. olive oil and your favorite seasoning, like Pappy's, Lawry's, etc....  Mix well with hands and surround meat loaf with veggies.  Cook on large cookie sheet, uncovered, for 60-90 minutes.  Check it after 45 minutes and cover the veggies if needed so as not to burn.  Internal temp. of meat loaves need to reach 180'.  Cover with foil and let rest 10-15 minutes before serving.

The pumpkin is a sneaky way of getting in even more veggies.  You won't notice or even taste it.  Pumpkin is very moist.  A lot of recipes call for milk but I don't do dairy and it works as a perfect replacement.

Guilt Free "Ice Cream" (WW pts.+)

1 mashed banana (0 pts.)
1 8 oz. carton Dannon Caramel Delight Light & Fit Yogurt(or any other fat free yogurt) (2 pts.)
1 Tbl. mini semi-sweet chocolate chips

Just mix them all together and freeze for at least 45 minutes.

One Dish Turkey/Chicken & Stuffing Bake

Great for leftovers!

1 1/4 c. boiling water

4 Tbl. butter or marg.
4 c. seasoned stuffing mix
4-6 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
Paprika
1 can(10 3/4oz.) condensed cream of mushroom soup
1/3 c. milk
1 Tbl. chopped fresh parsley.

Mix water and butter, add stuffing, mix lightly. If using leftovers, skip the water/butter/stuffing mix, and just measure out cooked stuffing, about 6 cups.   Spoon stuffing across center of 3 qt. shallow baking dish. Arrange chicken on each side of stuffing. Sprinkle paprika over chicken. Mix soup, milk, and parsley. Pour over chicken. Cover and bake at 400' for 30 minutes or until chicken is done.

Spicy Peanut Shirataki Noodles (WW=4pts)

Ingredients:
4 oz. sliced, cooked boneless skinless chicken breast (130 cal./2 fat/0 fib.)
1 package Shirataki Noodles (40/1/4)
1 Tbl.  Better n' Butter Peanut Butter (50/2/2)
1 tsp. reduced sodium soy sauce (3/0/0)
1 tsp. Gourmet Garden Cilantro Blend(5/0/0)
1 tsp. minced garlic(use less if you're not a fan of garlic) (0)
a few drops each of sriracha sauce, sesame oil, and liquid Stevia(if you prefer it a little sweet) (approx. 10 cal)

Rinse noodles and squeeze out all liquid, set aside.  Spray a non-stick skillet with a light coat of non-stick spray and heat pan to medium heat.  Heat chicken breast slices in pan.  In a small bowl with a tiny wire whisk, combine the remaining ingredients.  Add a little water to bring the sauce up to 1/4-1/3 cup liquid.  Set sauce aside.  Add noodles to chicken and stir until noodles are heated through and "dry".  If you don't squeeze out all the liquid the noodles will taste gummy and feel slimey.  When noodles and chicken are heated through add sauce and mix well.  Let reduce a little until slightly thickened.  (238/5/6)=4 pts. on Weight Watchers.  Make without chicken(108/3/6) = 2 pts. (13 TOTAL carbs, 5 NET carbs)

Brown Sugar Baked Bacon

Some of these entries aren't exactly recipes, but techniques on how I prepare food.  Cooking bacon has always been a simple but messy no-brainer, right?  Fry it in a pan, wear long sleeves so you don't burn your arms, cook it until it's crisp, remove from pan and drain on a paper towel.  But tonight, I tried something else for our BLT's and my family all agree they were the best BLT's they've ever had.  I can't guarantee your house won't smell like bacon for days or weeks to come, but this is SO worth it.  And the smell drives the dog wild, lol.

Line a cookie sheet(2) with foil.  I used non-stick, which makes clean up easier too.  Lay bacon out on pan and sprinkle with fresh ground black pepper.  Using a scoop or measuring cup sprinkle sparingly with brown sugar.  You may need to spread it out a little more evenly using your hand.  Don't use your bare-touched-raw-bacon-hand to get more brown sugar if you need more.  Place cookie sheets in COLD oven(I used the bottom and middle racks).  Turn oven on to 400' and set time for 17-20 minutes.  This will all depend on how thick your bacon is.  I used thick cut bacon and had to cook it for a total of 28 minutes.  Switch the sheets half way through(move the bottom sheet to top oven rack, top to bottom, you get the pic) to ensure even baking.  Just watch the bacon closely after 20 minutes to prevent burning.

We all agreed, this is the BEST tasting bacon ever.  Yummmmy!

Tonight we had BL's(no tomatoes, I was out) on Homemade Cheddar Rosemary Onion Ciabatta Bread.  I just added about a Tbl. of dried rosemary, 2 Tbl. Dried Minced Onion, and 1 cup of grated Medium Cheddar Cheese to the dough.  The BASIC recipe for the Ciabatta Bread can be found HERE. 

Oh, and how I ate mine:  I used a low-carb tortilla to make a wrap.  Spread about 2 Tbl. Edemame Pesto(see below, I told you this stuff is a must) on the tortilla, leaving about 2" all around.  Layer bacon, about 1/8th of an avocado sliced, about a 1/4 roma tomato sliced, a little lettuce, salt and pepper to taste, and wrap up like a burrito.  It's not your vintage/classic BLT, but it's GOOD!  (burp)  I figured out these to be about 160 calories!

I know it looks extremely greasy, but the brown sugar actually makes a beautiful glaze for the bacon.

Crockpot Turkey Breast Dinner & Mashed Potatoes

This was SO easy. I purchased a seasoned turkey breast, ribs removed but leg attached. Looked like half a turkey.

Spray crockpot with non-stick spray(don't use a liner, because you'll mash the potatoes in the crockpot). Layer one large finely chopped onion, and 2 lbs. cleaned baby red potatoes, and 3 cloves crushed garlic. Season with black and white pepper(to taste) and stir in one can of fat free cream of chicken soup. Top with 4 sprigs of rosemary. Top with turkey breast. Cook on Low 7-9 hours. You can also do this with boneless skinless chicken breasts, turkey loins, etc....

My turkey came with a pop up "done" insert, so after it popped, I let it still continue to cook for a while longer, it just comes out fork tender. Remove the turkey breast and allow to "set" for 15-20 minutes before slicing. Pour out most of the juices and remove sprigs of rosemary. Use a non-stick masher to make smashed potatoes, adding in liquid as needed. Serve with steamed veggies or salad. EASIEST turkey dinner ever! You can also use the reserved liquid to make a gravy, but I didn't even feel the need, it was SO flavorful and moist. But great stock for another meal. :)

Crockpot Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

1 large butternut squash, peeled and diced into 1" pieces
2 Tbl. olive oil
1 large yellow onion, diced
1 large or 2 small apples, peeled and diced(any kind, gala or fuji best)
1 qt. vegetable stock
1 rounded tsp. sea salt
1/4 tsp. each: black pepper, white pepper, nutmeg, cardamom, and cumin
pinch of red pepper flakes or more to taste
1 cup plain almond milk(or milk/cream)

Preheat oven to 425'. Spread diced butternut squash on large cookie sheet lined with non-stick foil. Drizzle olive oil over squash to coat, mix with hands if needed. Bake for 15-20 minutes, just until some pieces are starting to golden up around the edges and pieces are all sizzling. While baking add the diced onion and apple to crockpot. When squash is done add to crockpot. Sprinkle seasonings over the vegetable mixture. Pour vegetable stock over crockpot ingredients and just give it a gentle stir. Cook on LOW 6-8 hours. Just before ready to serve, blend mix with an immersion blender(stick/handheld blender). Pour in almond milk and mix well. Serve in a mug or bowl. Top with toasted coconut, croutons, grated parmesan cheese, and toasted pine nuts on the side and soft garlic breadsticks or rolls.

Guilt-LESS Chocolate Fix

This is my favorite fix for a generous single serving of chocolatey goodness.

Spray a mug or bowl with non-stick spray. Dump in 4 Tbl. Chocolate Cake Mix(any kind), 2 Tbl. diet soda(such as Diet Pepsi, Diet Dr. Pepper, Diet 7-up, etc...), and 1 tsp. mini chocolate chip morsels.

Mix it all together well. Microwave for 50-60 seconds and let sit for 1 minute. Top with a little frozen fat-free whipped topping if you like. This hits the spot!

How'd I Do That Chicken?

Tonight I grabbed a jar with (*)spices in it, which I "think" came from this recipe: Rachael Ray's Devil Chicken. So that's why I call it, "How'd I Do That Chicken".

4 large boneless skinless chicken breasts
olive oil
*spices(really, any spices would probably do)
2 cups white rice
4 cups chicken broth
4 garlic cloves, pressed or finely minced
2 Tbl. real bacon pieces

Place chicken breasts in a gallon size ziploc bag and seal. Flatten the breasts using a rolling pin or kitchen hammer. In a large non-stick skillet coat bottom of hot pan with approx. 1-2 tsp. olive oil. Add spices to deep plate and dredge each side of chicken with spices and place in pan evenly placed. DO not move chicken around, you're trying to get a good caramelization on each side. Cook on med to med-high for about 5 minutes, until browned. Turn over with tongs, and don't move again for another 5 minutes, or until deeply browned. Remove chicken pieces to a plate and set aside. Add rice to pan and about a cup of broth. Using a wooden spoon, scrape pan to get all the bits and yumminess loose. Add remaining broth and garlic and bring to boil. Return chicken to pan, sprinkle bacon pieces evenly, cover, and simmer on low 20-25 minutes, until rice is done, do not remove lid until ready to check doneness. I served this with carrots, the sweetness vs. savory was a great combination. Let chicken rest for 10 minutes and slice against the grain for very tender strips to serve over rice. Makes 6-8 servings.

Hungry Girl Death by Chocolate Cupcakes....

Not mine, but definately worth passing on the low point delicious treat!

Here's the LINK

Breakfast Crunch Wrap (WW=4 pts)

These are SO tasty and fill the "fast food" spot. Great with Boca Burgers too.


Ingredients:
1 Tbl. Reduced Fat Bacon Pieces
1/4 cup liquid egg whites or egg beaters
2 Tbl. Reduced Fat Sharp Cheddar Cheese, grated
Salt & Pepper to taste
Chili Flakes(optional)
1 La Tortilla 100 Calorie tortilla
3 Tortilla chips
Taco Sauce
Butter Flavor Non-Stick Spray


I use two different sized non-stick pans, they're non-stick, easy clean up. I found this little pan at a dept. store going out of business, perfect size for Sandwich Thins by Orowheat/Arnold. A must have! And a large flat pan for the large tortilla.


Spray the little pan with some non-stick spray and cover with the bacon pieces, a Tablespoon goes a long way. It covers the entire pan! This is also a good time to add anything additional like diced onion, peppers, or some spinach leaves, yum!


When the bacon pieces are heated through add the 1/4 cup egg whites(Egg Beaters are just fine, but I don't like them). Add salt and pepper and pepper flakes if you like. Stir with a small, skinny spatula until almost set.


Give the top a squirt of non-stick spray and flip. The bacon and butter spray brown up a bit.


Heat up the large sautee pan and spray lightly with non-stick spray. Top with the tortilla and dump 2 Tbl. Reduced Fat Sharp Cheddar Cheese in the center.


Top the cheese with the egg patty and hot sauce.


Place 3 tortilla chips over hot sauce. Begin folding in segments and press down.


Spray folded top with non-stick spray and flip, pressing down to help seal.


Flip back over after top is browned.


Serve with a nice portion of salsa, fat free sour cream if you like(be sure to count the points though). These would be great prepared the night before, warm in microwave in the morning and you can carry it with you in the morning to school or work.

Pesto

Did someone say pesto? If I could have one food to take with me to a deserted island, it would be pesto. I thought my last born must have been switched at birth because she won't touch the stuff, turns out, she just won't eat store bought pesto. Trust me, I've made her try them all. I wanted to make some homemade to go on top of salmon(my favorite way to cook fish) and so I came up with this. Less oily too.

1 bunch of basil washed, stems removed, and spun through salad spinner.
1 generous tsp. crushed garlic(from a jar is fine)
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/2 cup pinenuts
a few pinches of salt & pepper
1 packet of "True Lemon"
Olive Oil
Water

In a food processor, pulse basil, garlic, parmesan cheese, pinenuts, salt & pepper, and True Lemon until finely chopped. Turn processor on continuous and drizzle olive oil down shoot until it becomes more pasty, I use approx. 1/8-1/4 cup. Add water to thin down too until desired consistency. Stores in refrigerator for several days.

I added about a Tbl. of this to Hungry Girl's Fettucine Girlfredo instead of the parmesan her recipe calls for. Oh, this is my FAVORITE Mommy Favorite and Figure Friendly lunch. Add 2 tsp. of reduced fat bacon bits, and it's pure heaven.

Rachael Ray's Devil Chicken

Chicken Fra Diavolo with Fennel, Onions and Potatoes and Warm Tomato and Roasted Garlic Sauce

This was SOOOOOOO good. I was dying to try it, watching her make it made my mouth water. I used 6 boneless skinless chicken breasts instead, and they were tender. I couldn't find fennel bulbs and used leeks instead. They were sweet and flavorful. Couldn't find the cipollini onions so I substituted with sweet yellow pearl onions. I also used yellow and red fingerling potatoes because, well, the produce was limited today. Thought I had a garlic bulb but I didn't so I used some Trader Joe's Bruscetta instead of the tomato and roasted garlic mixture, yum! Even with all the substitutions it was all so perfect. This would be an impressive meal for guests.

16 cipollini onions or 4 medium onions, quartered lengthwise
2 small spring chickens (about 3-3 1/2 pounds), halved, backbone removed and split (ask your butcher to split for you)
5-6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (EVOO), for liberal drizzling
3 tablespoons smoked sweet paprika
3 tablespoons grill seasoning, such as Montreal Seasoning by McCormick
3 tablespoons chili powder – the redder the chili powder you choose, the redder the "Devil"
1 1/2 tablespoons ground fennel
1 tablespoon poultry seasoning
2 bulbs fennel, trimmed of tops
1 1/2-2 pounds small Yukon gold potatoes, halved or left whole, depending on size
1 head garlic
2 pints grape tomatoes
1 handful basil leaves, roughly chopped
1 handful flat leaf parsley, roughly chopped
Preparation
Pre-heat oven to 400ºF.

Place a medium-size pot filled with water over high heat and bring to a boil to blanch the cipollini onions. Blanching the onions for a minute will allow you to easily wipe away their skins with a kitchen towel. If your store does not carry cipollini onions, peel 4 small to medium onions and quarter them with root ends intact.

While the water is coming up to a boil, prepare the chicken spices: In a small mixing bowl, combine the smoked paprika, grill seasoning, chili powder, ground fennel and poultry seasoning. Drizzle the chicken halves with some EVOO, a couple of tablespoons total, and coat the chicken halves evenly with spice – they will be deep red in color.

Drop the cipollini onions in the boiling water for a minute, drain and peel. Trim the top and root ends with a sharp paring knife, and add them to a roasting pan.

Quarter each bulb of fennel lengthwise and cut the core out of each piece by cutting into it on an angle twice. Half each piece again (you want 8 wedges per bulb) and add them to the roasting pan. Combine the potatoes with fennel and onions, toss the vegetables with a couple tablespoons EVOO and season with salt and pepper. Arrange the chickens on top of the vegetables in the center of the pan – the red chickens will be surrounded by the white vegetables.

Cut the end off the head of garlic to expose the cloves and drizzle the garlic with a little oil. Wrap it in foil.

Transfer the chicken and the foil-wrapped garlic to the oven. Roast everything about 45-55 minutes, until chicken juices run clear.

When the chicken is about halfway done, coat the tomatoes with a tablespoon EVOO, season with salt and pepper, and add to oven to roast, about 20-25 minutes.

Remove the soft garlic cloves by squeezing them from their paper skins. Mash them in a bowl with a fork then add the roasted tomatoes, basil and parsley. Season with salt and pepper.

Serve the chicken halves with some fennel, onions and potatoes alongside, topped with a liberal mound of roasted garlic salsa.

Margaux's Curried Chicken Sandwich(Oprah's Favorite Sandwich)

This is a very yummy and satisfying sandwich. I didn't have the bread originally featured. Vons makes a ciabatta bread that is to die for and it fits the bill perfectly. I've also tried it using a chipotle mustard that made me drool it was so good. I know you won't be disappointed. It's Oprah's favorite sandwich in America!

INGREDIENTS
20 whole black peppercorns
2 bay leaves
2 whole cloves
1/2 lemon
3 pounds medium chicken tenders
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons spicy brown mustard
1/2 cup honey
1 1/4 teaspoons curry powder
3/4 teaspoons lemon pepper
1/8 teaspoons salt
Butter for spreading
1 loaf challah or other rich egg bread, cut into 12 thick slices
1/2 cup shredded carrots
1/2 cup slivered almonds
2 medium tomatoes, chopped
1 bag (about 5 ounces) mesclun salad greens
Red grapes and assorted berries for garnish

In a large saucepan over high heat, add peppercorns, bay leaves, cloves, lemon and 14 cups water; cover and bring to a boil. Add chicken and cook, uncovered and stirring occasionally, 7 to 10 minutes, or until cooked through; drain. Once cool, quarter each tender crosswise.

In a large bowl, combine mustard, honey, curry powder, lemon pepper and salt; stir in chicken. Cover and refrigerate at least 30 minutes, or up to 1 day.

Butter both sides of bread slices. In a heated nonstick skillet over medium-high flame, cook bread in batches 3 to 5 minutes or until browned, turning once.

Combine carrots and almonds with chicken mixture. Divide chicken curry among 6 bread slices. Top with tomatoes, mesclun and remaining bread slices. Serve with fruit.

Pecan Crusted Chicken Breasts

5-6 chicken breast halves
1 cup prepared ranch dressing
1 cup chopped pecans
3 cups crushed corn flakes

Mix corn flakes and pecans and pour into a pie dish. Put dressing in a bowl. Dip each breast in the dressing and then roll them in the flakes and pecans. Bake uncovered (a 9x13 pan is just big enough) at 350* for 45-50 minutes.

Harvest Pie(WW-3pts.)

1 cup skim milk
1 pkg. (4 serv. size) sugar free fat free butterscotch instant pudding mix
2 cups Cool Whip Free
1/4 cup graham cracker crumbs
non-stick cooking spray
1 red delicious apple, chopped
1 golden delicious apple, chopped
2 Tbsp. chopped pecans
1/4 cup miniature marshmallows
1/4 cup fat free caramel topping

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9 inch pie plate with non-stick cooking spray. Sprinkle graham crackers into bottom of dish and pat down firmly to form crust. Bake in preheated for 5 minutes. Allow to cool completely. Pour milk into medium mixing bowl; add pudding mix and beat with a wire whisk until well blended, 1 to 2 minutes. Let stand for 1 to 2 minutes or until slightly thickened. Fold in Cool Whip Free and mix thoroughly. Pour into crust. Chill until firm, about 2 hours. Sprinkle with apples, pecans and marshmallows just before serving. Drizzle caramel topping over pie and serve. 8 Servings.

Nutrition Information:
161 Cal., 3 g. fat, 1.1 g. fiber

Fresh Herb Sauce(WW-0pts.)

1 bunch(es) watercress, tough stems removed, coarsely chopped or torn (about 2 cups)
3 tbsp parsley, fresh, leaves
1 medium scallion(s), chopped (about 2 Tbsp)
3 tbsp basil, fresh, leaves
1/2 cup(s) plain fat-free yogurt, Greek-style
1/2 tsp table salt

In bowl of a blender or food processor, place all ingredients and pulse until well combined. Pour into a bowl or plastic container and refrigerate until ready to use. Yields about 1/4 cup of sauce per serving.
Notes
This sauce will keep for up to 3 days, covered, in the refrigerator.

You can substitute any fresh herb for either the parsley or the basil. And consider swapping spinach for the watercress for a milder flavor. Or for a peppery flavor, use arugula instead of the watercress.