Skinny Chinese

So, I'm really getting into this new cookbook from Rocco Dispirito. Low fat meals that aren't too hard to make. I tried my hand at the General Tso's Chicken with Broccoli and it was pretty darn good!

Here is the recipe:


Ingredients:
1 cup whole wheat flour
2 cups whole wheat panko breadcrumbs (could not find so I used regular panko)
4 large egg whites
12 ounces boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut up into 1 inch cubes
4 cups broccoli
Asian Sauce
3 packets splenda-- I used about 1 1/2 tsp.
3 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 teaspoons chili garlic sauce
2 tablespoons sesame seeds, toasted


Preheat oven to 450º. Place wire rack on a foil-lined backing sheet.


Put the flour in shallow dish. Put the panko in another shallow dish. In a medium bowl, whip egg whites. Working in batches, dredge chicken in flour, shaking off any excess. Add chicken to the eggs and toss to coat completely. Then add the chicken- a few pieces at a time, to the panko and toss to coat.


Spread chicken out on the wire rack. Bake until the breading is golden & crispy about 10 minutes.


Meanwhile place the broccoli in a microwave safe dish and cover with plastic wrap. Cook on high until tender about 4-5 minutes. Keep covered.


In large bowl, combine Asian sauce, Splenda, rice vinegar and chili garlic sauce. Add cooked chicken to the bowl- toss gently to coat.


Sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve with broccoli.

Why didn't I think of that?

Came across this recently. All I can say is brilliant. Although, your pies need to be baked at the same temperatures and times. Perhaps it could be used for the same pie but maybe one with raisins or one without, one with chocolate chips and one without... and so on.

Homemade Gnocchi Rocco Style

I was happy to receive Rocco DiSpirito's new cookbook: Now Eat This! for Christmas this year- thanks Mom. Tonight I'm trying one of the recipes... Sweet Potato Gnocchi. Looks terrific. I've done the gnocchi and it's waiting in the fridge to be cooked. Pictures to follow.


Here is the recipe:


2 Large Sweet Potatoes
Freshly grated Nutmeg
Salt & freshly grated Pepper
About 1.5 cups whole wheat pastry flour (I did not have this so I split regular whole wheat flour with all purpose flour)
1 cup low-fat chicken broth
4 garlic cloves, minced
4 cups small broccoli florets
1/2 cup greek yogurt- fat free (I'm using fat free sour cream)
1/2 cup grated parmigiano- reggiano cheese.


Prick skin of sweet potatoes with a fork and microwave for 12 minutes turning over halfway through cooking. Cool. Run through ricer or food mill into bowl.


Season with nutmeg, salt and pepper.


Mix in 1/2 cup at a time the flour until forms a light dough. 


Using a piping bag and large plain tip pipe dough into 3/4-1" thick logs on back of a cookie sheet.
(I used cling wrap on the cookie sheet before piping)
Freeze for 30 minutes.


cut logs into 1" wide dough pieces and roll out gnocchi using flour and fork. Place rolled gnocchi pieces onto floured cookie sheet and cover with cling wrap. Refrigerate until ready to cook. May freeze for two weeks.


Bring a very large pot of salted water to a boil.


Meanwhile, in a large skillet, bring the broth and garlic to a boil over high heat. Add the Broccoli to the skillet. Season with salt and pepper to taste, cover and cook until tender, about 3 minutes.


When the water comes to a rolling boil, add the gnocchi and stir gently with a rubber spatula to keep them from sticking to one another. Cook the gnocchi just until they rise to the surface, 4 to 6 minutes: then drain.


Transfer the hot broccoli to a large bowl. Stir in the yogurt until the mixture is creamy. Add the gnocchi and the cheese to the bowl, and toss gently to coat. Season with salt and pepper to taste, if desired and serve.