Powderhorn "Potatoes" - AKA Twice-Cooked Spaghetti Squash

     I was searching my recipe files for a tasty carb side-dish (preferably low carb) to accompany grilled flank steak when I came across an old favorite, Powderhorn Potatoes.  Steak and cheesy potatoes - what could be better?  My neighbor from 20 plus years and 4 moves ago had shared her recipe with me and my family and I have enjoyed it countless times over the years.  Though delicious, it was definitely not low carb or low fat and has not been in my current Weight Watcher-friendly repertoire.  I didn't have the baked and chilled potatoes to shred anyway... But I did have a nice spaghetti squash and if I was happy to pretend it was pasta, maybe shredded potatoes wouldn't be too much of a stretch.  I'm here to report that the "pretend" Powderhorn Potatoes were delicious!

Cheesy twice-baked spaghetti squash stands in for shredded potatoes.

Powderhorn "Potatoes"  

Ingredients:

• A medium sized spaghetti squash (microwaved til tender)*
• 2 tablespoons light butter (I use Land O'Lakes)
• A medium onion, finely diced
• A clove of garlic, minced
• 1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/2 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
• 1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper 
• 1/2 cup light sour cream
• 2 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (white or yellow)
• Cooking spray

Crumb Topping (Optional)

Seasoned, browned Panko breadcrumbs.

Melt 1 teaspoon butter in saute pan (I wiped out the squash pan and re-used it).  Add 2 tablespoons Ian's panko breadcrumbs, 1/4 teaspoon each garlic salt and onion powder, 1/8 teaspoon black pepper, a dash of cayenne.  Stir over medium-low heat until lightly browned then set aside.  Sprinkle toasted crumbs over squash during last 5 minutes of baking.

Putting It Together:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  Melt butter in a large saute pan over medium-low heat; add onion, garlic, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes; saute until onion is softened.  Turn off heat and add cooked squash, sour cream and grated cheese.  Stir to combine then spoon into baking dish which has been sprayed with cooking spray.  Bake uncovered at 375 degrees F for about 20 minutes or until bubbly and slightly golden brown.  Sprinkle crumb mixture over for last 5 minutes, if desired. 

Adding cooked squash, sour cream and sharp white cheddar cheese to the cooked onion mixture - smelled like the real deal!

I got 4 cups of cooked squash from my medium-sized spaghetti squash but the total cooked recipe amount was less than 4 cups.  I think more water/volume was lost as the squash baked.

     This recipe came in at a total of 20 Points Plus, including the crumb topping (18 Points without it) on recipe Builder.  It yielded 6 generous half-cup servings at 3 Points Plus per serving.  The crumb topping does not change the individual serving total.  If you are a twice-baked or au gratin potato fan, this recipe will not disappoint!

*See Pasta Pretender Post for microwaving instructions

More Veggies, Please! 3 Cold Cucumber Salads

     Growing up in a Finnish-American family in Minnesota I ate lots of pickled cucumber salad, doncha know.  For you non-Nordic folk that would be thinly sliced cucumbers in vinegar-water with sugar, salt and pepper; chopped parsley or dill optional.  I've been making this simple salad for over thirty years but it's been only these last few years that I've realized other cultures have similar versions with their own unique additions.

     My husband has been the spur in my side (and sometimes a pain elsewhere), urging me to try new foods over the years, including Persian fare at a local restaurant.  When I finally gave in, I found many dishes I enjoyed, including another version of the cucumber salad to add to my repertoire.  Shirazi salad adds tomatoes to the mix, replaces lemon or lime juice as the acid and mint for the dill or parsley.  I went looking on-line for more versions of this simple salad and that's when I stumbled upon Smitten Kitchen's Mediterranean Pepper Salad, a delicious combination that added peppers to the veggie mix.  Click here to check out the delicious original pepper salad at Smitten Kitchen.  By the way there's a new Smitten Kitchen cookbook coming out soon!

    You may recall that Smitten Kitchen is responsible for my love of ratatouille.  This new-found love has in turn, led me to  include peppers, eggplant, zucchini and yellow summer squash in a variety of new ways and recipes for which I am eternally grateful!  You Weight Watchers can appreciate the idea of new no/low Point recipes and the added health benefits of more veggies!  I hope that you'll try these three versions of cold great-for-summer salads and find one that you'll enjoy and make your own.       

#1 Pickled Cucumber Salad

Ingredients: 

• 1-2 English cucumber or 2-3 medium cucumbers (thinner equals smaller seeds) 
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup white vinegar
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1-2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley or dill, optional

Putting it Together:

     Stir together above ingredients except for cucumbers and parsley; stir to dissolve sugar and salt; set aside.  If your cukes are waxed you should definitely peel them but if they're not you may want to make them a bit more decorative.  A Swedish friend taught me to drag a fork down the length of the cuke (rotate and drag til the cucumber is scored all around) before slicing.  Another option is to lightly peel down the length (rotate and continue all around) and make green and white stripes; both add a pretty touch.  Slice your cucumbers into thin coins, add them to the pickling water, stir and refrigerate (best if refrigerated for a few hours).  Sprinkle on chopped parsley or dill before serving.  

     When using 2 English cucumbers, Recipe Builder came up with a total of 6 Points.  Knowing from experience (and from my marinade experiment!) that most of the pickling solution (with the sugar) is leftover and not consumed I'm choosing to count this as 0 Points.    

#2 Shirazi Salad

Ingredients:

• 1-2 English cucumbers or 2-3 regular cucumbers (follow suggestions from previous recipe) 
• 2 medium tomatoes, cut into a a large dice (up to an inch) 
• 1 small sweet or red onion, cut into very thin strips  
• Fresh lime juice, about 2-3 tablespoons
• 1-2 teaspoons sugar 
• 1/2-1 teaspoon salt 
• 1/4-1/2 ground blacker pepper 
• 1 -2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro (could substitute parsley or mint)

Putting it Together:

     When I've eaten this at a restaurant, all the veg have been cut into a very small uniform dice, about 1/4 inch.  I like larger-sized veg so I cut my cucumbers into quarters lengthwise and then those into 1/2-1 inch wedges.  That's one of the things I like about this recipe - there's no wrong way to do it!  If I have only one tomato and several cukes - or vice versa- no problem!  What does work best is to chop and put your veg into a serving bowl; set aside while stirring together the juice and seasoning.  Pour the lime juice mixture over the veg, stir, sprinkle on chopped cilantro and chill before serving.

     Once again Recipe Builder came up with a recipe total of 6 Points.  If your recipe was divided into 12 servings, each serving would count as 0 Points.  With just the raw cucumbers, tomatoes and onion the total is 5 Points - go figure... 

# 3 Pepper Salad

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 teaspoons salt 
• Black pepper, freshly ground is best 
• 1 English or 2 regular cucumbers
• 1 large or 2 medium tomatoes
• 1 small red onion, diced into 1/2-1 inch pieces
• 2-3 bell peppers (a combination of green, red, yellow, orange - but all green is too harsh in my opinion)

Putting it Together:

     Combine the first four ingredients, stir to dissolve sugar and salt, add diced red onion and set aside.  Peel or score the cucumber(s) as in recipe #1 and cut into wedges as in recipe #2 and add to a large serving bowl.  Cut the tomato(es) into 1/2-1 inch pieces and add to cucumbers.  Cut the peppers into 1/2-1 inch pieces and add to bowl.  As with the Shirazi Salad the ratio of tomato-cucumber-peppers is up to you, what's in season or what's in your garden!  Sprinkle cut veg with salt and freshly ground black pepper, toss; pour over onion-vinegar mixture and toss again.  Cover and refrigerate for a few hours or as much time as you are able to allow.  When peppers are abundant and I've made a large amount and have leftover salad, I've served it over raw spinach the next day - veggies and dressing in one! 

     If your guess is 6 Points for the recipe total you would be correct!  According to Weight Watcher's Recipe Builder, this recipe would have to be divided into 13 servings to equal 0 Points per serving.  With Weight watchers a serving of vegetable is one half cup.  When cooking with fruits or vegetables I very rarely use a specific amount like 1 cup of diced tomato but rather a piece, such as one medium tomato, diced.  I do think this is typical with these foods.  In baking, measurements are precise.  When cooking proteins it is simple to weigh them raw or cooked.  If I put in specific measurements of vegetables in my recipes as opposed to a small or medium such-and-such, my Points totals on Recipe Builder could change.  It just isn't that important to me when raw fruits and vegetables are considered 0 Points to begin with and the recipe serving totals are so small anyway.  I have bigger battles to fight!

Pepper salad, sweet potato chips and a plain old grilled burger pocket.

     The Pepper Salad as a side with my Empanada burgers and couscous is just delightful; the pungent vinegar brings out and enhances the spices and flavors of the other dishes - it amazes me!  It is also a great accompaniment to tandoori-style chicken and pork kabobs marinated in cumin-garlic-lemon.  The Shirazi Salad seems to end up next to grilled and marinated flank steak or London Broil for some reason.  After serving Cucumber Salad with grilled teriyaki-style chicken for years I realized the pickled cabbage salad served at Asian restaurants is it's long-lost cousin.  Any of these salads would make an easy side to go along with good old burgers and dogs, too.  Whatever is on your menu, I hope you'll try -and enjoy! one of these cold salads with your next grilled dinner.        

Grilled Satay-Style Chicken Breast with Thai Peanut-Sauced Veggie-Noodle Salad

Grilled Satay-Style Chicken Breast with Thai Peanut-Sauced Noodle-Veggie Salad

     Last summer (which in Houston could mean most months but December and January) I used a store-bought bottled peanut sauce several times for grilling chicken breasts and dressing a cold veggie-noodle salad - and I was pretty happy with the results.  Naturally I doctored-up the sauce, so much so that I might as well have made it from scratch to begin with!  But as I've mentioned I am slow to try new things and the gazillions of peanut sauce recipes on the internet were intimidating.  But the hot weather is back so I went phishing (just kidding!) again and found a recipe with wonderful reviews, few ingredients and was a snap to make.  Of course I had to change it - that's just how I roll...  The recipe I used is from About.com. and this link will take you to it.  I adjusted the recipe because I didn't have all the ingredients (I had grocery shopped for a different recipe), then when I tried the finished sauce I found it just a little bland for my taste.  If you like Asian-style peanut sauce, a variety of vegetables and want an easy summer meal I hope you'll try one of these recipes and make it your own.

Thai Peanut Sauce

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup natural peanut butter (ground at the store or jarred)
• 1/3 cup water
• 2 cloves garlic, pressed
• 2 teaspoons dark sesame oil
• 1-2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 2-3 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 1 teaspoon Thai chili paste (cayenne, chili garlic sauce or Tabasco are possible substitutes for chili and Sriracha - you just want some heat)
• 1/3 cup light coconut milk
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1-2 teaspoons Sriracha
• 2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger

Putting it Together:

     Put everything in a food processor and pulse until blended - the natural peanut butter gives it a nice texture.  I like lots of heat and the garlic, ginger, chili paste and Sriracha contribute to the heat factor so if you prefer less heat I would suggest starting out with a bit less of each of them - you can always add more.  Just keep tasting until it's right for you.  

     This recipe made about 1-1/4 cups of sauce and weighed in at 30 Points on recipe Builder.  I felt that 2 tablespoons (1/8 cup) made for a reasonable individual serving so that's 10 servings at 3 points each.  There is nothing "diet" about this sauce but being aware of the Points value and serving size will make it Weight Watcher-friendly, especially when paired with high-fiber noodles and loads of raw veggies.  

Sauce-dressed veggies waiting for dinner

My veggie choices

     

     I used a half of a green pepper, three quarters from a red, an orange and a yellow pepper (they were on sale and leftover from a salad), 2 smaller carrots, 2 stalks of celery, very thin slices of Texas sweet onion, and 2 large kale leaves cut into strips.  Use what you think will be compatible and what's in your frig.  I had asparagus, cauliflower and broccoli in the frig but they just didn't seem "right"; I could have added scallions, Napa cabbage, purple cabbage or pea pods if I'd had them (hindsight is 20/20). 

     I marinated 2 trimmed chicken breasts which had been cut into 4 somewhat equal strips in 2 servings of the peanut sauce (for about 5 hours) and not a discernible amount of sauce was actually "used."  I don't do the thin satay-style strips on a skewer because they're so easy to overcook and they are dry.  Before grilling I set the chicken atop a wire rack to drip and sprayed them with cooking spray before putting them on the hot grill.  You other grillers know a drippy piece of meat is going to stick big-time!

     I cut my veg (while the pasta water was heating up) and put some peanut sauce from the frig on top to "marry" the flavors.  This salad could all be done ahead of time and I have done so, but the high fiber pasta I like just gets too softened so I do it on-demand when I'm able.  I drained the cooked pasta (al dente) and put in it lots of ice and cold water so I can mind the chicken on the grill with no distractions.  The chicken strips just take a few minutes (about 8 minutes) - I'd cut down each breast at an angle into 2 strips to even out the thickness (same concept for pounding out the breasts for baked chicken) so they cook quickly and don't dry out.   

     I have to be pretty accurate when counting carbs for my husband with Juvenile (Type I) Diabetes so he can then be accurate when he boluses insulin, so I usually measure our pasta servings into our bowls and then top with sauce, etc. - and it works for me, too.  Our daughter has had Juvenile Diabetes since she was 4 years old so measuring foods has been a lifestyle chore/choice I've had to adopt (explains a lot, right?). 

     Pasta servings in their bowls tossed with sauce-dressed veggies, rested chicken on top and dinner is ready!  Next time I won't forget the chopped cilantro sprinkle...

     This was so delicious!  The chicken was very moist and came in handy for sauce mop-up.  The water from the pasta and veg made the sauce go further and all the crunching made it impossible for me to rush (we talked about slowing down when eating at this week's Weight Watcher meeting).  My veggies were all raw (0 Points), a two-ounce serving of Smart Taste angel hair (5 Points), 5 ounces grilled chicken breast (5 Points) and 2 servings of peanut sauce (6 Points) makes a grand total of 16 Points.  This is one of my higher Points dinners so I may use only half the sauce next time or replace the chicken with fresh Gulf shrimp (yum!) to knock off a few Points - but it was definitely a restaurant-quality meal but with no eater's remorse!

Spicing It Up... Chipotle Marinade

     I do the outdoor grilling in my house.  During our first years of marriage I may have complained a little too often about my husband's grilling results: well-done (not as in a good job) and smokin' (as in, "Get out the fire extinguisher!").  Three decades later I have realized my mistake and it's too late...but he does prep and clean the grill so I can't complain.  

     Grilling and lighter cooking seem like natural partners when using lean proteins; lean proteins and marinades (or rubs) are another great partnership.  But now I've entered the Weight Watcher "grey zone" - how to count a marinade?  I asked my previous leader just that and I did not care for the answer, which was having to count the entire marinade amount.  Many of my marinades are low Point (vinegars, herbs, Worcestershire, etc.) and some are not (honey, peanut butter, ketchup, etc.) but the idea of counting it all when most of the marinade goes down the disposal seemed ludicrous!  

     I have made an executive decision to measure the marinade before adding the protein and measure after marinating and removing the protein.  The Chipotle Marinade in this post makes about 2 cups (11 Points as per the Recipe Builder) and as long as I'm consistent when following the recipe in future, I will already know the "before" amount when I make it again.      
     When I measured the remaining marinade after I removed the trimmed pork tenderloin (it was marinating in a big glass measuring bowl) it had gone down by approximately 1/3 cup.  To simplify things I decided to divide the marinade recipe into six 1/3 cup servings, making each serving 2 Points.  (Next time I make it with chicken pieces I may have more or less marinade left over so I'll adjust the serving size to simplify the math, is necessary.)  I ate about a third of the marinated pork so adding a Point to my serving seemed adequate.  Now I know not to sweat marinades that are made with low/zero Points foods and as for this Chipotle Marinade, I ended up with a delicious piece of pork which was well worth one extra Point.  And my curiosity was satisfied along with my appetite.          

Chipotle marinated pork tenderloin.

Chipotle Marinade 

Ingredients:

• 1/2 large sweet onion, roughly chopped
• 2-3 cloves garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
• 2 chipotle en adobe with a spoonful of sauce
• 1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1/4 cup water
• 2-3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 2-3 teaspoons paprika (I use half sweet/half hot)
• 1/2 teaspoon each salt and black pepper
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 2-3 tablespoons ketchup
• 2-3 tablespoons honey

Putting It Together:

 A food processor makes it so easy!

      Put ingredients in the bowl of a food processor and pulse/blend until combined but with some texture.  If you don't have a food processor chop onion, garlic, chipotles finely and combine with remaining ingredients.  Taste to check spice level-sweetness; adjust if necessary.  Pour marinade over meat in non-reactive bowl, refrigerate for several hours or overnight.  When ready to grill, remove meat from marinade and place on a wire rack.  To save myself some clean up I cover a cookie sheet with foil and place the rack on top - no pan to wash, just the rack.  I push off most of the marinade bits and spray all sides of the meat with cooking spray 
(I also spray the grill); now it's ready for the grill.    

Drying off before grilling.

     I came up with this marinade by adjusting my chipotle barbecue recipe which I came up with by adding chipotle (and a few other extras/substitutions) to my mom's barbecue sauce recipe.  I wanted something that tasted like barbecue sauce but was lighter and this fit the bill for me.  BTW I'm using "barbecue" like a Minnesotan, not a Texan!  I love this marinade for pork tenderloin and boneless-skinless or bone-in chicken breasts or thighs.  I do cut my tenderloin (they're usually about a pound so one could marinate several in this marinade amount) into 3-4 wedges so that the meat is more flavored and cooks quickly and evenly.

      Guidelines for cooking pork have changed over the years - the other white meat doesn't have to be overcooked and dry.  For information about cooking pork check here.  Overcooking any meat can be a problem when grilling and experience is the best teacher but in the meantime I've included a link for the "finger test."  For a low-tech way to test for done-ness check here.