Chicken Pepian

This is from the food network's Healthy Appetite with Ellie Krieger.  I made some changes because I could not find pumpkin seeds and I added my own flair!

Ingredients:

1 pound fresh tomatillos

1 large poblano pepper (about 2 1/2 to 3 ounces), seeded and cut into 4 pieces

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 cup raw pistachio nuts

1/4 cup raw sunflower seeds

fresh ground pepper

cumin powder

1 medium onion, chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves, plus 1/4 cup for garnish

1 cup low-sodium chicken broth

1 medium (2-inch) jalapeno pepper, seeded and roughly chopped

1/2 teaspoon salt4 (6-ounce) boneless skinless chicken breast halves, pounded to 1/2-inch thickness

Lime wedges

Directions:  Preheat the broiler. Remove papery outer layer from tomatillos then rinse them in warm water to remove some of their natural stickiness. Pat dry, then cut into quarters. Toss tomatillos and poblano with 2 teaspoons of the oil, place on a baking sheet and broil until charred, about 10 minutes.

Heat a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add nuts and seeds, and cumin and toast until seeds are fragrant, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer to a plate. In same sauté pan, heat 2 teaspoons oil over medium heat. Add onions and cook until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes, add the garlic and cook for 1 minute more.  Remove from heat and add pepper and cumin.

Place tomatillos, poblano, onions and garlic, cilantro, chicken broth, jalapeno, toasted seeds and spices and salt in a blender and blend on high until totally smooth, about 30 seconds.

Heat the remaining 2 teaspoons olive oil in skillet and cook the chicken until browned on both sides and nearly cooked through, about 5 minutes per side.  Add pepian sauce to skillet, covering chicken pieces. Bring to a simmer and cook an additional 3 to 5 minutes, until chicken is cooked through.  Serve chicken topped with sauce and garnished with cilantro and lime wedges.

Per Serving(1 serving equals 1 chicken breast and 2/3 cup sauce)Calories 440; Total Fat 23 g; (Sat Fat 4 g, Mono Fat 6.5 g, Poly Fat 2.5 g) ; Protein 43 g; Carb 15 g; Fiber 4 g; Cholesterol 95 mg; Sodium 400 mg.  Excellent source of: Protein, Niacin, Vitamin B6, Vitamin C, Vitamin K, Iron, Phosphorus, Potassium, Selenium.  Good source of: Fiber, Vitamin A, Thiamin, Riboflavin, Pantothenic Acid, Copper, Magnesium, Manganese, Zinc

 

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Bahamian-Spiced Chicken with Yogurt -Cilantro Sauce

Another good one from Bobby Flay

you can omit the habanero pepper to make this less spicy.

3/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice

1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice (you can by the fresh lime and lemon juice already juiced in the fish section of the grocery!)

2 tbsp light brown sugar

2 tbsp grated fresh ginger

1 tbsp ancho chile powder

1 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp allspice

1 tsp minced seed habanero - or jalapeno

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 1/2 cup plain reduced fat greek yogurt (not fat free but reduced fat)

2 shallots sliced thinly

3 tbs cilantro leaves finely chopped

1 garlic clove finely chopped

zest of one lime

1/4 tsp salt

freshly ground pepper to taste

1 tsp canola oil

Combine juices and next 7 ingredients in a medium baking dish and whisk well.  Add chicken breasts, turning to coat.  Cover and refrigerate from 1 to 4 hours.

While chicken is marinating, combine yogurt and next six ingredients (down to pepper) in a small bowl and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Heat a grill or grill pan or nonstick pan over medium high heat.  Remove chicken from marinade and pat dry.  Brush chicken with oil on both sides.  Cook until golden on both side, about 4.5 minutes.  Serve with sauce.

 

 

 

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Greek Yogurt - make this change today!

Many of you have heard me rave about Greek yogurt.  You need to get the real deal - not a Greek style yogurt.  Greek yogurt is the superstar because it is natural, naturally low in carbs, high in protein and tastes really good!  In Greece, yogurt is made with sheep's milk.  In the U. S. most yogurt, including Greek is made with cows milk.  Greek yogurt strains more whey from the solids, producing an extremely creamy texture - the same as full fat sour cream.  The non fat version makes you feel like you are splurging.  Greek yogurt has a little bit more calories than regular yogurt, but has more protein.

At my house, we don't have sour cream anymore, we use the fat free FAGE as a substitute and my husband has never missed it. For desserts when we have company, I will mix plain FAGE with honey and a bit of vanilla extract and serve over fruit.  I have also used it in cooking in place of sour cream with  great results.

It is naturally nutritious, low in calories, high in protein and only has about 3 ingredients listed, which is unlike the lowfat low calorie sugar substitutes.

Try it, you'll love it!  This small change is easy to make!

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Pepper Crusted Steak with Mustard Mint Sauce

This is from Bobby Flay - and it is really tasty and healthy!

1/4 cup plus 2tbs Dijon Mustard

3 tbs honey

2 tbs horseradish

1 tbsp mint leaves, finely chopped

1/2 tsp kosher salt

2 1/4 tbs fresh ground black pepper

1 tbs canola oil

2 - 12 ounce New York strip steaks

Combine mustard, honey, horseradish, mint, 1/4 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper in small bowl and whisk well.  Let it sit at room temperature for about 15 minutes.

Combine remaining salt and pepper in shallow dish; press both sides of steaks into mixture.  Heat oil in a nonstick pan over high heat until oil begins to shimmer.  Place steak in pan and cook until a  crust forms (3 min. for rare, 4-5 for medium).  turn steaks over and cook to desired degree of doness.  remove steaks from pan; let rest 5 minutes before serving.  You can always grill the steaks - but they will not crust quite as well, but still very tasty!

Slice thin and serve with mustard sauce.  I like to pair this with a salad of arugula and put the sauce on that as well.  Tortillas or pitas also make a great addition to this meal.

 

 

 

 

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One Pot Wonders volume 1

It is so easy when you can prepare your entire meal in one pot.  This is the first of several one pot wonder recipes.

Healthy Beef Stew

• 1 tbsp olive oil


• 1 lb. stew meet


• 1 large onion diced


• 2 cloves of garlic chopped


• 1 tsp red chili flakes


• 1 can tomatoes


• 1 can chicken, beef or vegetable broth


• 1 large sweet potato or yam in place of white potato - peeled and chopped


• salt and pepper

Heat large pot over medium heat and add olive oil.  Add meat and brown on all sides.  Be sure to give the beef plenty of room, as Julie Childs would say, don't crowd the beef!

Remove beef and add onions until light brown.  Add all other spices and add meat back in.

Add broth and tomatoes and bring to boil.  Reduce heat to simmer for 20 minutes or until beef is tender.  Add sweet potato and cook another 20 minutes.  Salt and pepper to taste.

To prepare this in a slow cooker, simply add all ingredients except the potato.  Cook on high for 4 hours or low for 6 to 8.  Transfer to large pot, add potato and simmer 20 minutes before serving.

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Tasty Tuesday 1/18

I guess you guys have figured out, I really like brussels  sprouts.  Did you know that cruciferous veggies like brussels sprouts offer protection from cancer and inflation.

Sauteed Brussels Sprouts with Parmesan and Pine Nuts
Ingredients

1 1/2 tbs olive oil
1 1/2 pounds thinly sliced Brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup Parmesan shavings
2 tbsp pine nuts toasted

Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat.  Add Brussels sprouts, salt and pepper.  Cook until they are tender and golden.  Remove pan from heat, add vinegar and toss well.  Transfer the sprouts to a serving bowl.  Top with pine nuts and Parmesan.

Enjoy!

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