Tuesday, February 18, 2025

Baked Wings with Buffalo Sauce

There's something about wings that just says, "Tailgate Time". Whether it's a big game on TV, or a local game at the high school gym, wings just hit the spot. Here's a recipe that has all the big flavor of fried wings smothered in buffalo sauce, but healthied up - just a little bit! 

Ingredients: 

3 pounds chicken wings
1 Tbs olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp black pepper

for the glaze:
3 Tbs very hot water
3 Tbs honey
1 Tbs low sodium soy sauce
1 clove garlic, minced
1 piece ginger, minced

for the buffalo sauce: 
2 Tbs catsup
2 Tbs BBQ sauce
1/2 tsp Siracha sauce (or to taste)
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (or to taste)

Directions: 

Preheat the oven to 400F. Mix the wings with the olive oil, salt, and pepper. Line a baking sheet with nonstick foil. Place the wings on the foil and bake for 40 - 45 minutes. Drizzle the glaze on the wings and toss. Return the wings to the oven and bake another 8 minutes. Make the buffalo sauce while the wings are in the oven by combining all of the sauce ingredients in a small bowl. Serve the wings with the sauce on the side. 
Stealthy Cooking Tip: Wings are frequently bathed in loads of buffalo sauce. Sure, they're delicious but that sauce is full of sugar. Both BBQ sauce and catsup have added sugars. However, if we add more spice, then we can use less sugar. Serve it on the side, as a dipping sauce, and the sugars are cut way back! Serve these with a plate of baby carrots, red peppers, and celery, or whatever veggies you like as additional finger food to up the healthy quotient. This was a big hit during a recent game at my house, and I'm sure it will be a big hit at your house, too. 

Friday, February 7, 2025

BBQ Shrimp with Spring Veggies

Here's a quick and simple to make shrimp dish that's sure to have your tastebuds tasting springtime. While many of these vegetables are available year-round, they're freshest when picked fresh locally. They're even better when you can pick them from your own backyard garden! I was able to use the first asparagus spears of the year along with some green onions out of the garden. The red and yellow peppers came out of my freezer, and the rest came from the grocery store. However, they taste like spring to me!

Ingredients:

1 cup cooked brown rice

8 oz shrimp
1 tsp butter
1 tsp olive oil
1 Tbs BBQ sauce

1 Tbs olive oil
1/2 cup chopped red and/or yellow pepper
1/2 cup snap peas, cut into 1/2-inch lengths
1/2 cup asparagus spears, cut into 1-inch lengths
1 carrot, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1/4 cup chopped red onion
1/2 cup chopped pineapple
1 green onion, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 tsp minced ginger
1 clove garlic, minced
1 Tbs tamari soy sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
Sea salt and pepper to taste

black and white sesame seeds
Directions: Cook the rice as directed. For a quick dish, use precooked microwave rice. Heat the butter and olive oil in a nonstick skillet. Cook the shrimp for about 4 minutes, until they are opaque. Add the BBQ sauce and continue cooking for another minute. Remove the shrimp from the skillet and keep warm. Wipe the skillet clean. Add the olive oil, together with the vegetables. Cook until the onion begins to turn translucent, and the asparagus gets bright green. Add the soy sauce and olive oil. Taste, adding salt and pepper to your liking.

Serve by spooning 1/2 cup of brown rice into each of two bowls. Add half of the vegetable mixture to each bowl. Top with 1/2 of the shrimp. Sprinkle each serving with the sesame seeds and serve. 

Serves 2

Stealthy Cooking Tip: I usually like cooking my own brown rice in a rice maker, but sometimes time demands a quicker cook time. I've found that Seeds of Change Brown Basmati Rice tastes good, is low in sodium and cooks in 90 seconds! All is good.