Grilled Chicken and Tapenade Sandwiches

The husband and I particularly like to have sandwiches when the weather starts to get warm. In June's edition of Cooking Light I found this refreshing sandwich.

Grilled Chicken and Tapenade Sandwiches (4 servings at 7 points a piece)

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups diced seeded tomato
2 tbsp finely chopped pitted kalamata olives
1 tbsp chopped fresh basil
1 tbsp chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp chopped fresh oregano
1/2 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp oil
1 lb skinless, boneless chicken breast
1/2 tsp kosher salt, divided
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
Cooking spray
1/4 cup (1 oz) crumbled reduced-fat feta cheese
4 (2-oz) ciabatta sandwich rolls, halved

Directions:

1. Combine first 8 ingredients in a small bowl. Toss gently to combine. Let stand 15 minutes.

2. Prepare grill.

3. Sprinkle chicken with 1/4 tsp salt and pepper. Place chicken on a grill rack coated with cooking spray; grill 6 minutes on each side or until chicken is done. Remove from grill. Let stand 5 minutes before slicing thinly.

4. Add cheese and remaining 1/4 tsp salt to tomato mixture; stir gently to combine. Arrange sliced chicken evenly on bottom halves of rolls. Top each serving with one-fourth of tomato mixture, and cover with top halves of rolls. Serve immediately.

I of course omitted the olives for the husband. Even without the olives the tapenade was delicious. It added so much flavor to the chicken. The tomatoes, balsamic vinegar, and feta cheese, were a great combination that made a great and exciting sandwich.

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 :)

Great Grandma's Baked Chicken

I was browsing around on the Rachael Ray website and came across this recipe for Grandma's Baked Chicken. I had never used goat cheese in a recipe before and thought that this would be a good place to start.

Great Grandma's Baked Chicken (6 servings at 8 points a piece)

Ingredients:

8 oz (about 3/4 cup) soft goat cheese
1 tbsp finely chopped fresh rosemary leaves
2 teaspoons grated lemon peel
6 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves (about 2 pounds)
1/2 cup egg beaters
1 1/2 cups plain bread crumbs
salt and pepper to taste
2 tbsp low fat butter, melted

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a small bowl, combine the goat cheese, rosemary, and lemon peel and set aside. Using a small sharp knife, cut into the side of each chicken breast half to create a pocket. Stuff each chicken breast with about 1 1/2 tbsp of the goat cheese mixture and secure with a toothpick.

2. In a shallow bowl, whisk the eggs and set aside. Place the bread crumbs in another shallow bowl and season with salt and pepper.

3. Cover a baking sheet with foil. Dip each stuffed chicken breast in the egg and then in the bread crumbs to coat; set on the prepared baking sheet. Brush each chicken breast with a little bit of the melted butter. Bake until cooked through, about 45 minutes.

The husband and I REALLY enjoyed this dish. The hint of lemon combined with the rosemary and cheese flavors complimented the chicken very well. This dish really took a typical baked chicken dish to something very unique and unusual. For my first time cooking with goat cheese, it turned out to be a great experience.

Grandma's Casserole

I was browsing Recipe Zaar for weight watchers recipes when I came across this one. I thought it sounded like something the husband and I would really enjoy.

Grandma's Casserole (8 servings at 6 points a serving)

Ingredients:

1 cup chopped onions
1 green pepper, chopped
2 tbsp reduced fat butter
16 oz ground turkey
1 tsp seasoning salt
1 tsp pepper
12 oz tomato puree
15 oz diced tomatoes
2 cups water
8 oz uncooked egg noodles
8 oz shredded fat free cheddar cheese

Directions:

1. Saute first 3 ingredients
2. Add next 6 ingredients and simmer for 15 minutes
3. Pour a little sauce in a 9x13 dish and top with the noodles
4. Cover noodles with remaining sauce and top off with the cheese
5. Cook for 45 minutes at 350 degrees

Because I was busy with dance rehearsals, the husband made this dish for us. It turned out well, but we definitely recommend adding a little more water to make sure that the noodles get done. Also, we'd recommend covering this dish while it bakes.

We really liked this recipe a lot, and it reminded me a bit of Hamburger Helper. It is definitely one of my favorite things that we have made recently.