Paula Deen's Lean: Baked Ham and Cheese Chicken

Yum! This dish is so good and even though it is "fried" in a skillet, it's still a healthy version of this southern-inspired specialty. Paula's Baked Ham and Cheese Chicken is also really easy to make, which is a major plus for me. In about 15-20 minutes, I had a hot, tasty chicken dish for dinner. Here is how I made this dish lean.

BAKED HAM AND CHEESE CHICKEN
Yields 4 Servings

INGREDIENTS:
4 skinless/boneless chicken breasts
1 cup WHOLE WHEAT flour
2 teaspoons Paula Deen House Seasoning
2 EGG WHITES, beaten
Hot sauce
2 teaspoons Greek Seasoning, recipe follows
1 cup grated Parmesan
1 tablespoon Olive oil
4 slices 97% FAT FREE DELI SLICED ham
4 teaspoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
4 slices 2% REDUCED FAT PROVOLONE cheese

Greek Seasoning:
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons onion powder
2 teaspoons garlic powder


DIRECTIONS:
Dredge the chicken breasts in WHOLE WHEAT flour seasoned with House Seasoning, then dip in EGG WHITE wash with hot sauce, to taste, then dredge in a mixture of Greek Seasoning and Parmesan. Brown the chicken on each side in a skillet with olive oil on medium high heat. After frying, transfer chicken to a sheet pan. Top with 1 slice of ham, 1 teaspoon chopped parsley and 1 slice of Provolone cheese. Place in oven for 8 minutes, just until cheese melts and starts to get bubbly.
Greek Seasoning:
Mix ingredients together and store in an airtight container for up to 6 months.


THE OUTCOME:
For someone that spent way too many years just baking or grilling chicken, I am easily impressed by recipes that deviate from the norm. But honestly, this dish was really good! I left out the bread crumbs (cuttin' those carbs), but the Parmesan cheese, egg and flour created a wonderful outer layer to the chicken all on their own. No bread crumbs necessary. Extra virgin olive oil was also used for browning the chicken in the skillet. Yes, it has 14 grams of fat per tablespoon, however, these are "heart healthy" fats. Only 2 of the 14 fat grams come from saturated (saturated fats are the bad ones). The FDA makes a Qualified Health Claim (NOV 2004) stating,"...scientific evidence suggests that eating about 2 tablespoons of olive oil daily may reduce the risk of coronary heart disease due to the monounsaturated fat in olive oil." If that isn't reason enough to fry up this dish, I don't know what is! Do your taste buds AND your heart a favor. I loved it and I hope you do too! ENJOY!!

NUTRITION FACTS (per serving):  470 calories;  18g fat;  23g carbohydrate;  54g protein;  3.5g fiber

Paula Deen's Lean: Ultimate Coffee Cake

I look forward all week to Sundays in my house. Sleepin' in a little (8:30 if we are lucky), spending time as a family and...BREAKFAST! I just love Sunday breakfast! It is the one day where we can take our time and really eat something good. Everyone needs a day off from the usual breakfast bars, oatmeal and bananas. French toast is usually the dish of choice, but this Sunday I wanted to try out something a little different. Since we were heading over to my in-law's for Chip Beef Gravy, which is in no way "lean", I didn't have to worry about cooking the main breakfast dish. So, I made Paula's Ultimate Coffee Cake for a little something to nibble on while talking and drinking our coffee. Here's how I leaned it out.

ULTIMATE COFFEE CAKE
Yields 6 to 8 Servings

INGREDIENTS

16 to 18 unbaked frozen dinner rolls
1 (3-ounce) package FAT FREE/SUGAR FREE butterscotch pudding mix
1/2 cup SPLENDA BROWN SUGAR, packed
1 stick (1/2 cup) I Can't Believe It's Not Butter, melted


DIRECTIONS

The night before place frozen rolls in well greased (with cooking spray) Bundt pan. Sprinkle dry pudding mix over rolls. Sprinkle SPLENDA brown sugar over pudding mix. Pour melted butter over all. To prevent the dough from forming a hard crust while its rising overnight, cover with a damp towel or tightly wrap with plastic wrap. Let rise overnight at room temperature, about 8 to 10 hours.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.


Bake in oven for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes. Turn pan over onto a serving platter to remove. Serve by pulling apart chunks with forks.

THE OUTCOME

Well, I feel that I need to mention that this was not my first attempt at Paula's Ultimate Coffee Cake. The first time I made this was not so great. Actually, it was awful and the entire thing ended up in the trash. What did I do to mess this up so bad? Well, just remember that when the recipe calls for a Bundt pan...use a Bundt pan. I didn't know what one was at the time, so I just used a bread pan. I also put in more rolls than needed (24) and it rose over the pan. When it baked, all the sugar and pudding poured out over the sides. It was a mess! This was a good lesson for me. There are just some things about a recipe that can't be changed. But of course, being me and refusing to accept defeat by the Coffee Cake, I tried it again and this once disaster became a success. I used a Bundt pan, only used 16 rolls and made changes to the ingredients that cut tons of calories and saturated fats. In the end, everyone liked it and I will definitely make it again. ENJOY!!

Paula Deen's Lean: Fried Bacon Mashed Potatoes

I know what you are thinking. How is a dish that begins with FRIED and BACON going to be made lean? That is just impossible! Well, it did appear to be a challenge at first, but don't you worry. With only a few little adjustments, this southern side dish is now sure to be welcome on any health conscious eater's plate. These potatoes taste so good, your family and guests will be begging for the recipe...mine were! And the best part is that they just can't believe how something that tastes so good can actually be good for you. Try them and you will see!


FRIED BACON MASHED POTATOES
Yields 6 Servings



INGREDIENTS


3 pounds red potatoes, with skin and cut into 1-inch cubes
Kosher salt
1 tablespoon "I Can't Believe It's Not Butter"
1 shallot, finely minced
1 1/2 cups FAT FREE half-and-half
1/2 cup FAT FREE sour cream
4 pieces TURKEY bacon, cooked and crumbled
3 tablespoons fresh chopped chives, 1 tablespoon reserved, for garnish
Salt and freshly ground black pepper


DIRECTIONS


Place the potatoes into large pot and cover with cold water. Salt generously. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer uncovered for roughly 13 minutes, or until the potatoes are fork tender.


While the potatoes are boiling, melt 1 tablespoon of "I Can't Believe It's Not Butter" into a sauce pot. Add the minced shallot and saute until soft. Add the LIGHT cream, being sure not to bring to a boil.


Drain potatoes in a colander. Return to pot and mash with a potato masher. As soon as they are mashed slowly add in the hot cream and butter. Stir slowly and do not overwork or the potatoes will be heavy. Add the FAT FREE sour cream and the TURKEY bacon and fold in the chives. Add salt and pepper, to taste.


RESULTS


These Fried Bacon Mashed Potatoes were incredible! We had ours with steak and baked asparagus; a perfect meal. I have never been known to make "great" mashed potatoes. For some reason, they always come out a little bland. Probably because I try to make them low-fat by leaving out all that butter. However, with the flavor from the shallots, chives and bacon in this recipe...the butter is not missed in this dish at all (and I cut 5 tablespoons). This recipe allows me to easily cut fat without cutting flavor. A true success when you're cookin' lean like Paula Deen! ENJOY!!

NUTRITION FACTS (per serving): 249.5 calories;  4.02g fat;  45.48g carbohydrate;  8.34g protein;  3.9g fiber