Grandma Mac's Chocolate Sauce

My Mother's parents didn't live close to us. In fact, they lived 600 miles away my whole life. We didn't see much of them, but I have wonderful memories of visiting them in the little college town they lived in. They weren't flashy. My Grandfather taught chemistry for 30 years at the college, and had the reputation of being an excellent, but very tough teacher. My Grandmother had a master's degree in Library Science. She may sound dull, but she was nothing of the sort. She had a very wacky sense of humor. She made pop-up cards for my birthday every year. She walked the fine line of being very proper, yet being hilarious!

One of the best memories of her was her recipe for Chocolate Sauce. It was easy and delicious. It was the one thing my Mom made when she wanted to treat us to something special. It's wonderful warm over ice cream. And surprisingly, it's not awful as far as calories go. Enjoy!

Grandma Mac's Chocolate Sauce

Makes about 16 servings

2 cups sugar

4 Tablespoons cocoa

1/4 cup butter

1- 12 oz can evaporated skim milk

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Stir sugar and cocoa in a saucepan over low heat about 1 1/2 minutes. Don't let sugar melt. Blend in butter with the back of wooden spoon. Mixture should be crumbly and moist, but not melted. Add evaporated skim milk, stirring constantly. Increase heat to medium-high and bring to a rapid boil for 1 minute. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla.

Serve hot or cold over ice cream.

Nutrition information per serving: 153 calories, 3 g fat (18.8% calories from fat); 2 g protein; 28 carbohydrates; trace dietary fiber; 9 mg cholesterol; 54 mg sodium. Exchanges: 0 grain (starch); 0 lean meat; 0 non-fat milk; 1 1/2 other carbohydrates.

Chicken Stew with Roasted Vegetables

When I started looking for healthy recipes, this is one of the first recipes I found that was a "keeper". It takes about 1 hour and 15 minutes to prepare. It reheats well. It's excellent with a crusty bread. Because it contains fresh green beans, I'm looking forward to making it in the summer when I have green beans from the garden. Yumm!

Chicken Stew with Roasted Vegetables

Makes 6 servings

4 Cups red potatoes, unpeeled, cubed

2 cups baby carrots, whole

1 cup red onion, chopped in bite-sized chunks

2 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1 Tablespoon olive oil

1 clove garlic, minced

1 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme, divided

1 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary, divided

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt or sea salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 cups fresh green beans, trimmed

1/2 cup dry white wine

3 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, cut into 1 inch cubes

3 cups low-sodium fat free chicken broth

3 Tablespoons flour

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Spray a large roasting pan with non-stick spray. In a large bowl add potatoes, carrots, onions, balsamic vinegar and garlic. Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon dried thyme, 1 teaspoon dried rosemary, kosher salt and freshly ground pepper. Toss to coat vegetables with olive oil, herbs and spices. Put into roasting pan and into hot oven for 15 minutes. Stir vegetables and return to oven for 15 minutes more. Add green beans; toss again. Roast for 10 more minutes.

Meanwhile, pour wine into large saucepan. Add remaining 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme and 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary. Bring to a boil. Add chicken pieces and reduce heat to medium-high. Cook, uncovered, until chicken is cooked through, about 12 minutes.

Add roasted vegetables to chicken and wine. Stir in 2 1/2 cups of chicken broth. Combine flour and remaining 1/2 cup of broth (cold) in a small covered container (like a small jar) and shake until lumps disappear, usually 30 seconds or so. Add flour mixture to chicken and vegetables. Cook and stir until mixture is bubbly and has thickened, about 3 minutes.

Serve hot with a crusty bread and a salad.

Nutrition Information per serving: 257 calories; 4 g fat (13.6% calories from fat); 35 g Protein; 33 g carbohydrates; 5 g dietary fiber; 34 mg cholesterol 546 mg sodium. Exchanges 1 1/2 grain (starch); 2 lean meat; 2 1/2 vegetables; 0 fruit; 1/2 fat.

Hint of the day: When you buy chicken, prepare it for recipes and freeze in a marked container. For example, with this recipe, chunk up 3 chicken breast halves and label it "Chicken Stew with Roasted Vegetables" before freezing. When you plan to use this recipe, get the chicken out of the freezer the night before and put it in the refrigerator. It should be thawed when you begin to prepare the meal, and you will speed up your preparation time.

Note: If desired, you can add 2-3 seeded Roma tomatoes cut in bite sized chunks along with the potatoes, carrots and onions.

Asparagus Chicken Roulades

Several years ago I planted asparagus in my garden. Directions included not harvesting for at least 2 years! For a gardener, this is a special form of torture! We've passed the two year mark, and had a LOT of asparagus last year. So much so, that we couldn't eat it all, and I ended up giving a lot away. As a result, I'm always on the lookout for recipes that include asparagus. I found a recipe similar to this on the web, but it had goat cheese. I'm from Wisconsin, and I love all cheese, EXCEPT goat (feta) cheese. I don't know why I don't like it - I just don't. I tend to be creative in my substitutions, because I don't like to leave out cheese (gotta keep those dairy farmers busy!) In this recipe, I substituted neufchatel, a low-fat cream cheese. It turned out really good, and my 7 year-old wants me to make it again soon! Another bonus, leftovers warmed up nicely the next day.

Asparagus Chicken Roulades

3 medium boneless skinless chicken breast halves
1 lemon, washed
3 ounces neufchatel cheese
1 Tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 pound fresh asparagus spears, trimmed
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 Tablespoon olive oil
3 Tablespoons freshly squeeze lemon juice (rest of juice from lemon)
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 teaspoon cornstarch

Holding knife parallel to work surface and against a long side of a chicken breast half, cut each chicken breast half in half horizontally. Put each piece of chicken between 2 sheets of plastic wrap. Pound thin.

Put neufchatel cheese in bowl and allow to soften. Grate lemon peel over neufchatel cheese and squeeze about 1 Tablespoon of lemon juice over cheese. Stir well to blend. Reserve rest of lemon juice for later use.

Remove plastic wrap from chicken. Spread each breast slice with neufchatel cheese mixture. Put asparagus spread in center of each breast slice crosswise. Roll chicken around asparagus; spears may hang out over sides. Secure with a toothpick. Sprinkle each roulade with salt and pepper.

In non-stick 12 inch skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat until hot. Add roulades and cook, covered, 9-11 minutes or until chicken loses it's pink color, turning roulades to brown all sides. Remove skillet from heat. Place roulades in a greased 9 x 13 inch pan. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 15 minutes. Use same skillet to make sauce: Add chicken broth, lemon juice and cornstarch; heat to boiling, scraping up any browned bits and cook until slightly thickened. When roulades are done baking, transfer to cutting board. Remove toothpicks and slice in 1 inch-thick slices. Place each sliced roulade on a dinner plate; drizzle with pan sauce. Serve with a wild rice blend, and lemon wedges, if desired.

Nutrition information per serving: 140 calories; 7 g fat, (41.2% calories from fat); 16 g protein; 4 g carbohydrates; 1 g dietary fiber; 45 mg cholesterol; 249 mg sodium. Exchanges: 0 Grain (starch); 2 lean meat; 1/2 vegetable; 0 fruit; 1 fat.

Hint of the Day: I found chicken breasts "thinly sliced" in the grocery store. They were cut just the right way for this recipe - a great time saver!