Food Challenge #2!

There was such a fun response from my first, unofficial food challenge, that I'm issuing another one! I love hearing what you are or are not willing to try, what you like or don't like when you try it, and what you want to see more of. So, fire up your taste buds and be brave!!

Recipe #1 is an Onion ring recipe from the Hungry Girl book (they're technically called "lord of the onion rings" but I think her recipe names are super cheesy, so I'm not calling them that). I've actually made these twice now and quite like them. The picture below is from the book - mine didn't turn out quite this pretty, but they still tasted good. I love onion rings, but they are SO fatty - these are a nice alternative!

Onion Rings - Hungry Girl

1 large onion

1/2 cup Fiber One or All Bran cereal

1/4 cup fat-free liquid egg substitute (Egg Beaters)

dash of salt

Preheat oven to 375. Remove the the outer layer of the onion and cut into 1/2 inch wide slices and separate into rings. Using a blender or food processor (I prefer the food processor), grind the cereal to a breadcrumb-like consistency. Pour the cereal into a small dish and mix in salt and any optional spices you like (I'd recommend spicing this up a bit - I added seasoning salt and a southwestern spice mix...you could do a Cajun mix, cayenne pepper, etc).

Fill a small bowl with the egg substitute (you could use a real egg here too, if you'd rather). One by one, coat each ring with the egg mixture, then the "breadcrumbs." Place the rings in a single layer on a sheet pan sprayed with nonstick cooking spray (Pam). I also learned a little trick here to crisp them up - give the rings a light spray of the cooking oil too! Cook for 20-25 minutes, flipping the rings over about halfway through. This makes a nice side for a couple of people.

Recipe #2 is a Veggie Pizza, also from Hungry Girl (called "loaded 'n oated veggie pizza", dorky, huh?). I tried this tonight and was really happy with the outcome. Pizza is one of my favorite indulgences, so it's really fun to find a way to eat it on a non-indulging day! I admit, I was a little leery of how the "crust" would turn out, but it was really good. We were running late at dinnertime, so I couldn't bust out the camera before we started eating. So this picture is also from the book, but, I must say, I think my pizza looked waaaay better than the one in the book. I loaded it up with a lot more veggies than she does in the book and I thought it was quite tasty.

Veggie Pizza - Hungry Girl

1/4 cup Fiber One or All Bran cereal

1/4 cup regular oats (not instant)

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/4 cup fat-free liquid egg substitute (Egg Beaters)

1/3 cup shredded mozzarella cheese (I used a low-fat version)

pizza sauce

veggies of your choice!

I used onion, garlic, green pepper, some leftover roasted red peppers, some leftover grilled zucchini, basil, pepper flakes

Oven at 400. Place oats and cereal in blender/food processor and grind until a breadcrumb-like consistency. In a small bowl, combine the "breadcrumbs", egg substitute, and garlic powder. Mix well.

Over medium-high heat, spoon mixture into a pan (I used an 8 inch pan) sprayed with nonstick spray and smooth into a circular shape. I had some trouble with one of my crusts sticking while I was spreading it, so I just kept getting the rubber spatula wet and then was able to smooth the crust into the pan. Allow the crust to cook about 2 minutes and the gently flip and cook on the other side. Remove from heat onto a plate to cool.

Meanwhile, cook diced veggies in a pan over medium-high heat to soften (a few minutes) and remove from heat.

Spread pizza sauce over crust and top with cheese and veggies. Put in oven for about 10 minutes to heat through and melt the cheese. The book suggests putting the pizza directly on the oven rack, but I put it on a cookie sheet and it was fine and easier to get out of the oven. This makes one personal sized pizza!

Recipe #3 is Chicken with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce from Taste of Home's Healthy Cooking magazine. Ok, this is my actual picture - doesn't this dish look a little bit fancy? I'm telling you, this was E-A-S-Y. I made this earlier this week and it was delicious. The original recipe actually calls for the chicken to be done in a skillet on the stove with a breadcrumb coating, but I wanted to grill instead. By the way, this was super-duper with grilled corn on the cob.

Chicken with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce - Taste of Home Healthy Cooking Magazine

4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (4 ounces each)
1 package (6 ounces) fresh baby spinach
1 jar (7 ounces) roasted sweet red peppers, drained
1 garlic clove, peeled
1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
Fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced, optional

Grill chicken. Meanwhile, place spinach in a steamer basket; place in a large saucepan over 1 in. of water. Bring to a boil; cover and steam for 3-4 minutes or until tender. Place the peppers, garlic and Italian seasoning in a food processor; cover and process until smooth. Transfer to a small microwave-safe bowl; cover and microwave until heated through. Divide spinach among four plates; top each with a chicken breast half, about 2 tablespoons red pepper sauce and 2 tablespoons cheese. Garnish with basil if desired.

Any takers?