Down Days recipes ONLY

[Dottie]

A method and ingredients more than a recipe, calories vary by how much you use.
I love chicken and celery together so I will chop a boneless, skinless chicken breast and toss it with sliced celery, celery salt, garlic powder, a little soy sauce or aminos and pepper and microwave-steam (In a steamer) for 3 minutes or until it's cooked through and very moist.
A 4oz chicken breast and 1 cup celery is only about 135 cals, so really a good, filling meal

Oh and a clove of minced garlic lol.

[Chona]

Originally Posted by Dottie

A method and ingredients more than a recipe, calories vary by how much you use.
I love chicken and celery together so I will chop a boneless, skinless chicken breast and toss it with sliced celery, celery salt, garlic powder, a little soy sauce or aminos and pepper and microwave-steam (In a steamer) for 3 minutes or until it's cooked through and very moist.
A 4oz chicken breast and 1 cup celery is only about 135 cals, so really a good, filling meal

Oh and a clove of minced garlic lol.

I too love celery and chicken, but in a cream sauce. Kind of a comfort dish for me. Love your idea, Dottie. I'm wondering if a wedge of laughing cow might give it that bit of creaminess I like. Especially since winter has finally arrived here. Thanks for sharing.

[Dottie]

It should work I've also made it with 2 tablespoons of fat-free half and half and a 1/2tsp dijon mustard for a creamy mustard sauce.
One of the weirder combos I like with the chicken/celery is adding thinly sliced fresh jalapeno or serrano pepper and then finishing with a tablespoon of vinegar. Kind of a hot and sour twist on it
And, it being winter, any of them can be added to chicken broth to make a nice hot soup

[Chona]

Originally Posted by Dottie

It should work I've also made it with 2 tablespoons of fat-free half and half and a 1/2tsp dijon mustard for a creamy mustard sauce.
One of the weirder combos I like with the chicken/celery is adding thinly sliced fresh jalapeno or serrano pepper and then finishing with a tablespoon of vinegar. Kind of a hot and sour twist on it
And, it being winter, any of them can be added to chicken broth to make a nice hot soup

Actually, that's not weird twist. I love sweet and sour...and I LOVE spicy. I might make that tonight for dinner since it's a DD. Thanks, Dottie for the suggestion.

[Wine2]

This is "Hungry Girl's" recipe that is so good...thought I'd share!

PER SERVING (1 cup): 105 calories, 1.75g fat, 641mg sodium, 12.5g carbs, 2g fiber, 4g sugars, 11g protein -- PointsPlus® value 3*

3 cups fat-free chicken broth
1 1/4 cups finely chopped celery
1/2 cup diced sweet yellow onion
3 cups green enchilada sauce
One 15-oz. can pure pumpkin
10 oz. cooked boneless skinless lean chicken breast, chopped or shredded
1 cup frozen white (or yellow) corn

Optional: dash hot sauce, or more to taste
Optional toppings: shredded fat-free cheddar cheese, crushed baked tortilla chips

Directions:
In a large pot, bring broth to a low boil on the stove. Add celery and onion, and simmer for about 5 minutes, until slightly tender.
Stir in enchilada sauce and pumpkin. Once soup returns to a low boil, add chicken and corn, and mix well. Cook for an additional 3 - 5 minutes, until soup is heated throughout.
Add a dash or more hot sauce. (Or not. It's your soup.) Serve and, if you like, top with shredded cheese and/or crushed chips.
MAKES 9 SERVINGS

[ouizoid]

DD tuna casserole

one cup broccoli slaw--nuke for one minute 25
one packet tuna 70
one packet shiritaki rice, rinsed and dried
2 Tbs campbells chicken mushroom condensed soup 25

mix together. nuke again for a minute to heat. season with S & P 130 calories. filling, protein packed and yummy

[Chona]

Originally Posted by Wine2

This is "Hungry Girl's" recipe that is so good...thought I'd share!

One 15-oz. can pure pumpkin
1

Does the pumpkin taste good in it, Wine2?

[Wine2]

Originally Posted by Chona

Does the pumpkin taste good in it, Wine2?

Yes, pumpkin is a nice thickener, yet when mixed with other foods, especially in Italian, Mexican or any other flavorful dish you can't even taste pumpkin. It is good for you too! There is a classic Italian sausage soup with pumpkin that is out of this world. Simalar to this only it's Italian seasonings and instead of chicken it's Italian sausage that's added.

[Chona]

Originally Posted by Wine2

This is "Hungry Girl's" recipe that is so good...thought I'd share!

PER SERVING (1 cup): 105 calories, 1.75g fat, 641mg sodium, 12.5g carbs, 2g fiber, 4g sugars, 11g protein -- PointsPlus® value 3*

3 cups fat-free chicken broth
1 1/4 cups finely chopped celery
1/2 cup diced sweet yellow onion
3 cups green enchilada sauce
One 15-oz. can pure pumpkin
10 oz. cooked boneless skinless lean chicken breast, chopped or shredded
1 cup frozen white (or yellow) corn

Optional: dash hot sauce, or more to taste
Optional toppings: shredded fat-free cheddar cheese, crushed baked tortilla chips

Directions:
In a large pot, bring broth to a low boil on the stove. Add celery and onion, and simmer for about 5 minutes, until slightly tender.
Stir in enchilada sauce and pumpkin. Once soup returns to a low boil, add chicken and corn, and mix well. Cook for an additional 3 - 5 minutes, until soup is heated throughout.
Add a dash or more hot sauce. (Or not. It's your soup.) Serve and, if you like, top with shredded cheese and/or crushed chips.
MAKES 9 SERVINGS

Originally Posted by Wine2

Yes, pumpkin is a nice thickener, yet when mixed with other foods, especially in Italian, Mexican or any other flavorful dish you can't even taste pumpkin. It is good for you too! There is a classic Italian sausage soup with pumpkin that is out of this world. Simalar to this only it's Italian seasonings and instead of chicken it's Italian sausage that's added.

OK. I'll bite. I'm going to make this! I'll let you know.
THNX!

[Dottie]

I've used this recipe often and the ( ) are my DD substitutions.

The original recipe from topsecretrecipes with my subs in ( ).
1 cup teriyaki marinade (bragg's or coconut aminos, 1/4 cup is all you need, + 1pkt sweetener)
4 chicken breast fillets (1lb tenders)

Fat-Free Asian Dressing
2 cups water
1/2 cup granulated sugar (5 drops ez-sweetz or 4pkts sweetener)
3 tablespoons dry pectin (1tsp glucomannan - any more and it's too thick and gummy)
1 tablespoon white vinegar
1/2 teaspoon soy sauce (1tsp coconut or bragg's aminos)
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon paprika (I leave it out, I don't like paprika)

8 cups chopped romaine lettuce
8 cups chopped iceberg lettuce
3 cups shredded red cabbage
3 cups shredded green cabbage
2 cups shredded carrots (5 chopped baby carrots)
1 cup chopped green onion
1 1/3 cups crispy chow mein noodles (I leave them out)

1. Combine teriyaki marinade and chicken breasts in a medium bowl or resealable plastic bag. Marinate chicken for 3-4 hours. (I slice the chicken thinly and it takes much less marinade)

2. Prepare the dressing by combining all of the ingredients in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring mixture to a rolling boil while stirring often with a whisk, then remove the pan from the heat to cool. When dressing has cooled, pour it into a covered container and chill. (I add the glucomnnan after it cooled in a shaker bottle and shake the heck out of it)

3. When chicken breasts have marinated, preheat barbecue grill to high heat. Grill chicken for 3-4 minutes per side, or until done. (I just spray a skillet with cooking spray and stir fry the slices for 3-4 minutes until cooked through)

4. Combine the romaine and iceberg lettuce, red and green cabbage and 1 cup of shredded carrots in a large bowl with the dressing. Toss well.

5. Divide the tossed greens among four plates. Sprinkle 1/4 cup of green onions over each salad, followed by 1/3 cup of crispy chow mein noodles. (I omit the noodles)

6. Sprinkle the sliced chicken breasts over each salad.

7. Place a 1/4 of the shredded carrots in the center of each salad.

Serves 4 as an entree.

Under 170cals per LARGE serving.

[Wine2]

If you have a lemon tree like I do that keeps giving all year, then here is a simple "enhancement" to the chicken broth some of us Juddd's drink on DD while saving our calories for evening:

Add squeeze of half a lemon into 1 cup chicken broth and nuke. Add pinch of ground pepper if desired and drink.

It is nice to have the salty broth with a bit of acid of the lemon to cut the blandness of plain chicken broth. Actually this will also be nice combo to add an egg or eggbeater for a lemony eggdrop soup.

[piratejenny]

That sounds really good!
I used to have a Yugoslavian boyfriend, and his mother made a SIMPLE, delicious soup
that I think was just clear chicken broth & chopped broccoli, with a squeeze of lemon.

Possibly you don't cook the lemon juice in the soup, just add it right to your bowl...but it was a long time ago & I'm not sure!
I just remember that it was such a surprising, delightful flavor combination! Perfect for a DD!

[Dottie]

After the sausage discussion, I decided to play around with making a good tasting chicken sausage and this was not a bad first attempt!

Chicken and Apple sausage
Makes 6 patties @ 50 cals; .85g fat; 3g carbs; .73g fiber and 8.1g protein each

Ingredients

8 oz Skinless Boneless Chicken Breast
1/2 medium Gala Apple
1/2 medium Yellow Onions
1/4 tsp Rubbed Sage (or more, depends on how much you like it)
1/2 tsp Thyme, Dried
1/2 tsp Light Salt
1/4 tsp Black Pepper (I'll add more next time, I love pepper)
2 large Egg Whites

Directions

Grind apple and onion together until fine then grind chicken and mix everything well.
Form into 6 patties and pan fry or form into a log using plastic wrap to tightly wrap and form it, then freeze until ready to use.

*Next time I will only use 1 egg white, if any. It was pretty wet. I am also thinking a little fiber (oat fiber, glucomannan, or psyllium) may be a nice addition to it - not a lot, maybe 1-2T.

[Wine2]

[QUOTE=Dottie;15315347]Chicken and Apple sausage
Makes 6 patties @ 50 cals; .85g fat; 3g carbs; .73g fiber and 8.1g protein each
QUOTE]

What a great and really different lowcal way to make chicken!!! Thanks, Dottie. Can't wait to make it!

[SoHappy]

Originally Posted by Dottie

After the sausage discussion, I decided to play around with making a good tasting chicken sausage and this was not a bad first attempt!

Chicken and Apple sausage
Makes 6 patties @ 50 cals; .85g fat; 3g carbs; .73g fiber and 8.1g protein each

Ingredients

8 oz Skinless Boneless Chicken Breast
1/2 medium Gala Apple
1/2 medium Yellow Onions
1/4 tsp Rubbed Sage (or more, depends on how much you like it)
1/2 tsp Thyme, Dried
1/2 tsp Light Salt
1/4 tsp Black Pepper (I'll add more next time, I love pepper)
2 large Egg Whites

Directions

Grind apple and onion together until fine then grind chicken and mix everything well.
Form into 6 patties and pan fry or form into a log using plastic wrap to tightly wrap and form it, then freeze until ready to use.

*Next time I will only use 1 egg white, if any. It was pretty wet. I am also thinking a little fiber (oat fiber, glucomannan, or psyllium) may be a nice addition to it - not a lot, maybe 1-2T.

I'll be trying this, Dottie. It reads like it would really taste GREAT!

[Beeb]

Originally Posted by Dottie

After the sausage discussion, I decided to play around with making a good tasting chicken sausage and this was not a bad first attempt!

Chicken and Apple sausage
Makes 6 patties @ 50 cals; .85g fat; 3g carbs; .73g fiber and 8.1g protein each

Ingredients

8 oz Skinless Boneless Chicken Breast
1/2 medium Gala Apple
1/2 medium Yellow Onions
1/4 tsp Rubbed Sage (or more, depends on how much you like it)
1/2 tsp Thyme, Dried
1/2 tsp Light Salt
1/4 tsp Black Pepper (I'll add more next time, I love pepper)
2 large Egg Whites

Directions

Grind apple and onion together until fine then grind chicken and mix everything well.
Form into 6 patties and pan fry or form into a log using plastic wrap to tightly wrap and form it, then freeze until ready to use.

*Next time I will only use 1 egg white, if any. It was pretty wet. I am also thinking a little fiber (oat fiber, glucomannan, or psyllium) may be a nice addition to it - not a lot, maybe 1-2T.

Is it possible to grind chicken in a food processor? I don't have a meat grinder and I really want to try this!! It's even lower in cals than the chicken sausage I found recently in the store!! And how big are these patties, Dottie, please.

[Wine2]

Originally Posted by Beeb

Is it possible to grind chicken in a food processor? I don't have a meat grinder and I really want to try this!! It's even lower in cals than the chicken sausage I found recently in the store!! And how big are these patties, Dottie, please.

If you freeze the chicken/meat just until it's pliable (but not all the way frozen) it will chop nicely in food processor. I've done to make chicken patties and also beef hash. Cutting it into bite sized pieces BEFORE freezing helps too!

[Dottie]

Pat: they passed the son taste test lol.
Linda: I used a food processor and it came out fine The patties, with all the additives were about 2oz each and roughly the size of the top of a vegetable can (lol that's all I can think of to compare them to) and they didn't really shrink much in cooking.
Beth: yep that's how I did it Sliced it into about 1/2" cubes and then ground it in pulses

I also advise leaving the egg white out completely unless it's dry-ish. The apple and onion make them pretty moist!

[SoHappy]

Originally Posted by Dottie

Pat: they passed the son taste test lol.
Linda: I used a food processor and it came out fine The patties, with all the additives were about 2oz each and roughly the size of the top of a vegetable can (lol that's all I can think of to compare them to) and they didn't really shrink much in cooking.
Beth: yep that's how I did it Sliced it into about 1/2" cubes and then ground it in pulses

I also advise leaving the egg white out completely unless it's dry-ish. The apple and onion make them pretty moist!

It's a winner then!!!

[Dottie]

It starts with "that smells good" and ends when the plate is completely empty lol. That's how I know it was good!

[Wine2]

I'm also going to try them too as buffalo sausages, adding some buffalo sauce to foodprocessor instead of apples and onion. I love creative recipes like these sausages! My teenaged son can't get enough buffalo sauce things!!
Thanks, Dottie!

[Dottie]

It's making me want to get a meat grinder or sausage stuffer so I can try to make link sausage lol. I love a challenge!

[Beeb]

Originally Posted by Wine2

If you freeze the chicken/meat just until it's pliable (but not all the way frozen) it will chop nicely in food processor. I've done to make chicken patties and also beef hash. Cutting it into bite sized pieces BEFORE freezing helps too!

Originally Posted by Dottie

Pat: they passed the son taste test lol.
Linda: I used a food processor and it came out fine The patties, with all the additives were about 2oz each and roughly the size of the top of a vegetable can (lol that's all I can think of to compare them to) and they didn't really shrink much in cooking.
Beth: yep that's how I did it Sliced it into about 1/2" cubes and then ground it in pulses:
I also advise leaving the egg white out completely unless it's dry-ish. The apple and onion make them pretty moist!

Thanks you guys!!

[Chona]

Originally Posted by Wine2

I'm also going to try them too as buffalo sausages, adding some buffalo sauce to foodprocessor instead of apples and onion. I love creative recipes like these sausages! My teenaged son can't get enough buffalo sauce things!!
Thanks, Dottie!

I love Buffalo sauce, too! Frank's, to be precise. I'm going to make these, too. Bless you, Dottie.

[Dottie]

If you can find it, there's a spice blend called Slap Ya Mama that you can get in mild or hot. The hot it actually hot! But it's not overly salty and has a lot of flavor with the heat. It's a dry blend, usually with the cajun blends, mrs dash and things like that. Cheri mentioned it and I found it and just love it!

[Beeb]

Now you got me thinking about all the different chicken sausage that can be made; Buffalo, Italian spice, Mexican spice, Garden veggie using dried veggies, Apple and cinnamon, Spinach and red onion, to name a few!! OH MAN!!!

[SoHappy]

AND, boneless/skinless breasts are on sale here this week! Low calorie sausages for DDs and UDs. I'm pretty psyched!

[KeirasMom]

Mmm, mmm, mmm

All these ideas sound great! I'm going to try it in the Magic Bullet and see how it comes out.

I have seen Slap Ya Mama at my local meat market. I didn't buy any, but might now that I've heard a good review. I sure do love spice!

[sazzie]

This sounds so good! My husband loves making things like that; me, not so much anymore, especially in the last 5 years or so.

So, I'm going to give the recipe to him, and let him have at it.

He should enjoy making it, and we can both enjoy eating it.

Thanks Dottie for sharing!!

[Dottie]

I love chicken cooked with capers and sun dried tomatoes, I bet that would work, too