Cooking Light Recipes

Cooking Light is one of my favorite cooking magazines. Their theory is not that certain ingredients are evil and should be avoided, like other diets, but moderation. And their recipes are good, you don't feel like you are depriving yourself, but that you are being good to yourself and enjoying it at the same time. I have used several cooking light recipes for company. Here are a few of my favorite 'use them all the time' cooking light recipes. Enjoy.

Moroccan Chicken with Green Olives
Yield
4 servings (serving size: 1 chicken breast half and 1/2 cup sauce)

Ingredients
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon dried mint flakes
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
4 (4-ounce) skinned, boned chicken breast halves
2 teaspoons olive oil, divided
2 cups sliced onion
1 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1 (6-ounce) can thawed orange juice concentrate, undiluted
10 green olives, sliced
Preparation
Combine the first 5 ingredients; rub chicken with spice mixture.

Heat 1 teaspoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat; add chicken. Cook 2 minutes on each side, and set aside.

Heat 1 teaspoon olive oil in pan. Add sliced onion, and cook for 8 minutes or until golden. Stir in chicken broth, orange juice concentrate, and olives; bring to a boil. Return chicken to pan; reduce heat, and simmer mixture for 15 minutes or until chicken is done.

Nutritional Information
Calories: 253 (17% from fat)
Fat: 4.7g (sat 0.9g,mono 2.7g,poly 0.6g)
Protein: 28.9g
Carbohydrate: 23.1g
Fiber: 2g
Cholesterol: 66mg
Iron: 1.8mg
Sodium: 456mg
Calcium: 57mg

Ricotta Cheesecake with Fresh Plum Sauce
This is the only kind of cheesecake Arle will eat. I like it because it is not as heavy as most cheesecakes and the ricotta really cuts the cream cheese flavor.
Yield
10 servings (serving size: 1 wedge and about 2 tablespoons sauce)

Ingredients
1/3 cup vanilla wafer crumbs (about 8 cookies)
Cooking spray
1 (15-ounce) carton fat-free ricotta cheese
1 (8-ounce) block 1/3-less-fat cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup plain fat-free yogurt
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon grated lemon rind
2 large egg whites
2 large eggs
Fresh-Plum Sauce
Preparation
Preheat oven to 325°.

Sprinkle wafer crumbs over the bottom and halfway up sides of a 9-inch springform pan coated with cooking spray.

Place ricotta in a food processor, and process until smooth. Add the cream cheese; process until smooth. Lightly spoon the flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Add flour and next 6 ingredients (flour through eggs) to cheese mixture; pulse until well-blended. Pour into prepared pan; bake at 325° for 55 minutes or until almost set. Turn oven off; let stand in closed oven 30 minutes. Remove from oven, and cool on a wire rack. Cover and chill at least 8 hours. Serve with Fresh-Plum Sauce.

Note: Totals include Fresh-Plum Sauce

Nutritional Information
Calories: 244 (27% from fat)
Fat: 7.4g (sat 3.9g,mono 2.3g,poly 0.4g)
Protein: 11.7g
Carbohydrate: 34.7g
Fiber: 1g
Cholesterol: 66mg
Iron: 0.5mg
Sodium: 159mg
Calcium: 121mg

Parmesan Crusted Chicken with Leeks and Apples
This is one of my "company" recipes. (Not that we have company anymore) It is a little time consuming, but it is so yummy!

In keeping with a classic reduction sauce, whipping cream is added to a simmering broth mixture. Beware, though: Half-and-half or any kind of milk will curdle here.

Yield
4 servings (serving size: 1 chicken breast half, 1 cup rice, and about 1/2 cup sauce)

Ingredients
Cooking spray
2 1/2 cups coarsely chopped peeled Braeburn or Gala apple (about 1 pound)
1 2/3 cups thinly sliced leek (about 2 small)
1 teaspoon sugar
1/4 cup (1 ounce) grated fresh Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
4 (4-ounce) skinned, boned chicken breast halves
1 teaspoon butter or stick margarine
3/4 cup apple juice
1 (16-ounce) can fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1/3 cup whipping cream
1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh or 1/8 teaspoon dried rosemary
4 cups hot cooked wild rice mix (such as Uncle Ben's Long Grain & Wild Rice )
Preparation
Heat a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat until hot. Add apple, leek, and sugar; sauté 12 minutes or until browned. Remove from pan, and set aside.

Combine cheese, flour, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and pepper in a shallow dish. Dredge chicken in cheese mixture. Heat butter in pan over medium-high heat. Add chicken to pan; sauté 4 minutes on each side or until chicken is done. Remove chicken from pan; keep warm. Add juice and broth to pan, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Bring to a boil; cook broth mixture until reduced to 1 1/2 cups (about 7 minutes).

Add cream; reduce heat, and cook 5 minutes. Stir in reserved apple mixture, rosemary, and 1/4 teaspoon salt; cook 2 minutes. Spoon rice onto each of 4 plates; top with chicken and sauce.

Nutritional Information
Calories: 507 (22% from fat)
Fat: 12.6g (sat 6.8g,mono 3.4g,poly 1g)
Protein: 35.8g
Carbohydrate: 63.2g
Fiber: 3.1g
Cholesterol: 100mg
Iron: 2.5mg
Sodium: 748mg
Calcium: 163mg