Chicken Breasts Pierre

I was having trouble finding a new dish to try, so I hopped over to All Recipes to take a look around. Within an instant I found this recipe. It sounded too interesting with it's array of flavors to pass up.

Chicken Breasts Pierre (6 servings at 7 points a piece)

Ingredients:

6 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 pinch ground black pepper
2 tbsp reduced-fat butter or margarine
1 (14.05 oz) can stewed tomatoes, with liquid
1/2 cup water
2 tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp distilled white vinegar
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp salt
2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp mustard powder
1/2 tsp celery seed
1 clove garlic, minced
1/8 tsp hot pepper sauce

Directions:

1. In a shallow dish or bowl, combine flour, 1/2 tsp salt, and ground black pepper. Coat chicken breasts with flour mixture. Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat, and brown chicken on all sides. Remove from skillet, and drain on paper towels.

2. In same skillet, combine the tomatoes, water, brown sugar, vinegar, and Worcestershire sauce. Season with salt, chili powder, mustard, celery seed, garlic, and hot pepper sauce. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, and return chicken to skillet. Cover and simmer for 35 to 40 minutes, or until chicken is tender and no longer pink, and the juices run clear.

When I made this, I managed to burn my sauce a little bit. Definitely make sure you simmer on a LOW heat, and check on it fairly often. But even with a burnt sauce, the chicken was still delicious. It had a nice tangy taste to it, and I loved the bites with pieces of tomato in them :)

Grilled Lemon Pepper Halibut and Squash Packets

I've made a few "packet" dishes now, and I love how they have turned out thus far. The quick clean up doesn't hurt either! I found this recipe on Betty Crocker's website, and was game for trying another "packet" meal.

Grilled Lemon Pepper Halibut and Squash Packets (4 servings at 4 points a piece)

Ingredients:

1 pound halibut fillets, 1/2 to 3/4 inch thick
2 tsp dried basil leaves
1 tsp lemon pepper
1 tsp seasoned salt
3 medium zucchini or summer squash, cut into 2x1-inch strips
1 medium red bell pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 tbsp olive oil

Directions:

1. Heat coals or gas grill for direct heat. Cut four 18x12-inch pieces of heavy-duty foil; spray with cooking spray. Cut fish into 4 serving pieces if necessary. Place 1 fish piece on each foil piece. Sprinkle fish with 1 tsp of the basil, 1/2 tsp of the lemon pepper and 1/2 tsp of the seasoned salt.

2. Arrange zucchini and bell pepper over fish. Sprinkle with remaining basil, lemon pepper and seasoned salt. Drizzle with oil. Fold foil over fish and vegetables so edges meet. Seal edges, making tight 1/2-inch fold; fold again. Allow space on sides for circulation and expansion.

3. Cover and grill packets over medium heat 15 to 20 minutes, or until fish flakes with fork and vegetables are tender. Place packets on plates. Cut large X across top of each packet; fold back foil.

Instead of grilling these packets, I baked them at 400 degrees F for approximately 30 minutes. I liked the veggies in these packets a lot. However, I thought (and the husband agreed) that the fish could have been a little more flavorful. These packets were good, but not our favorite of the packet dishes we've made so far.

Roasted-Vegetable Lasagna

Whenever I think of vegetable lasagna, I always think of a creamy, white-looking dish. So when I saw this recipe on Betty Crocker's recipe, it looked like a great, lighter alternative to try out.

Roasted-Vegetable Lasagna (10-servings at 6 points a piece)

Ingredients:

Vegetables:

Olive oil cooking spray
2 medium red bell peppers, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 medium onion, cut into 8 wedges, separated into pieces
2 medium zucchini, sliced (4 cups)
1 package (8 oz) fresh whole mushrooms, sliced ( 3 cups)
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Tomato Sauce:

1 large onion, chopped
2 tbsp finely chopped garlic
1 can (28 oz) tomato puree
3 tbsp chopped fresh or 1 tbsp dried basil leaves
3 tbsp chopped fresh or 1 tbsp dried oregano leaves
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

Lasagna:

12 uncooked lasagna noodles
3 cups reduced-fat shredded mozzarella cheese
1 cup reduce-fat shredded Parmesan cheese

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 450 degrees F. Spray 15x10x1-inch pan with cooking spray. In pan, place bell peppers, onion, zucchini and mushrooms in single layer. Spray vegetables with cooking spray; sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt and the pepper.

2. Bake uncovered 20 to 25 minutes, turning vegetables once, until tender.

3. Meanwhile, spray 20quart saucepan with cooking spray. In saucepan, cook chopped onion and garlic over medium heat 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in remaining sauce ingredients. Heat to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer uncovered 15 t0 20 minutes or until slightly thickened.

4. Cook and drain noodles as directed on package. Rinse noodles with cold water; drain. In small bowl, mix cheeses; set aside.

5. Reduce oven temperature to 400 degree F. Spray 13x9-inch (3-quart) glass baking dish with cooking spray. Spread 1/4 cup of the sauce in dish; top with 3 noodles. layer with 3/4 cup sauce, and a bit of the cheese mixture. Repeat layers 3 more times with remaining noodles, sauce, vegetables and cheese mixture.

6. Bake uncovered 20 to 25 minutes or until hot. let stand 10 minutes before serving.

I really enjoyed this style of veggie lasagna. I really liked the flavor of the roasted vegetables with the noodles. So if you are looking for a fresh take on veggie lasagna, you should definitely give this one a try!