Tuesday, March 31, 2009

HELPFUL PRODUCTS, PART II

Here are a couple more products that I like, and the recipe for Grilled Veggies uses both:
  • Grill basket--a metal, somewhat shallow bowl with holes throughout the bowl and handles.
  • Tone's Lemon Pepper--Look for the green label. It is salt-free, very lemony & delicious in veggie dishes, soups, on chicken, etc. It comes in a small (less than 1 oz.), squatty plastic jar. It's very different from other lemon pepper seasonings.

GRILLED VEGGIES

With Spring here (supposedly!) and Summer just around the corner (hopefully!), it's time to break out the grill. Here's a wonderful recipe for veggies that will have you coming back for seconds. You will need a grill basket and, of course, a grill...
Feel free to sustitute the veggies and seasonings of your choice.

1 Tbls. olive oil
1 tsp. dried basil
1/2 tsp. lemon pepper
1/2 tsp. garlic salt
1/4 tsp. thyme

1/4 tsp. black pepper
3 carrots, diagonally sliced 1/4" thick
1 onion, cut in half, then each half into 6-8 pieces

1 medium zucchini, sliced 1/4" thick
8 oz. sliced mushrooms
1 red pepper, cut in half, then into 1/2" wide strips


Preheat grill on high heat.
Pre-cook carrots & onion in microwave or on stovetop with 1/2 Tbls. water for approximately 3 minutes, or until slightly tender. (You may skip this step, but carrots especially will remain crunchy.)
Meanwhile, mix olive oil & seasonings in a large mixing bowl. Drain carrots & onion, & blot dry with paper towels. Combine all of the veggies in the bowl, and toss until throughly coated.
Coat grill basket with cooking spray or oil, and reduce grill to medium heat. Pour veggies into grill basket & place on grill. Lower grill lid, and cook for 15-20 minutes, or until veggies are tender & lightly browned. Stir veggies every 5 minutes during grilling. Serve immediately.

Wednesday, March 25, 2009

GREEK PIZZA

Prep Time: 15 minutes Bake: 10-15 minutes Oven: 400 degrees Makes: 4 servings

1 12-inch (10 ounce) whole wheat Italian bread shell/crust (like Boboli)
2 cups whole fresh baby spinach leaves
8 ounces cooked skinless chicken breast, sliced
1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, quartered
1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese (1 ounce)
2 tablespoons chopped walnuts or pine nuts
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano, crushed or 1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed or 1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary

1 recipe Red Wine Vinaigrette (recipe below)
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon finely chopped shallot
1 1/2 teaspoons Dijon-style mustard
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
In a small bowl combine vinegar and shallot. Let stand for 5 minutes. Whisk in mustard. Add oil in a thin, steady stream, whisking constantly until combined. Stir in kosher salt and pepper.

Place bread shell on a large baking sheet. Top with spinach, chicken, tomatoes, cheese, nuts, oregano and rosemary. Drizzle with Red Wine Vinaigrette. Bake in a 400 degree oven for 10-15 minutes or until heated through.

Nutrition Facts per serving: 404 cal., 17 g total fat (4 g sat. fat), 56 mg chol., 639 mg sodium, 38 g carbo., 6 g fiber, 29 g pro.

Vegetarian Option: Simply omit the chicken.

From: The Sonoma Diet (emulating the Meditteranean way of eating); this recipe is a favorite of my husband's, my 14-year-old's and mine. Enjoy!

Tuesday, March 24, 2009

GRILLED SALMON

This is a very simple yet elegant dish. You can whip it up in less than a 1/2 hour. Feel free to broil or saute the salmon instead of grilling.

4 salmon steaks (preferably wild caught--not farm raised),
approximately 4 oz. each
Olive oil or cooking spray
Salt & pepper, to taste
4 Tbls. sour cream & chive dip (I use Anderson Erickson brand), plus extra to serve at table.

Preheat grill to medium heat. Lightly coat a double thickness of aluminum foil with olive oil or cooking spray. Place salmon steaks on foil, skin side down. Lightly coat tops of salmon with a bit of olive oil or cooking spray, and season with salt & pepper. Place foil/salmon on grill, & lower lid. Grill for approximately 4 minutes, then carefully turn salmon over. (Often the skin will remain on the foil; that is fine.) Lower lid & grill another 2-3 minutes. Carefully turn salmon again, and grill another 1-2 minutes or till almost done. When salmon has begun to brown a bit & is cooked through but not quite flaky, spread a dollup of the chive dip over each steak. Cover lid, & cook 1 additional minute. Total grilling time is usually 8-10 minutes.
Serve immediately with extra dip, if desired.

* Note: You can make your own dip by chopping chives or green onion tips & mixing with lite or non-fat sour cream. If desired, add dill, lemon juice, and/or garlic salt. Make early in day, & refrigerate for at least 3 hours to allow flavors to blend.

Monday, March 16, 2009

HELPFUL PRODUCTS

Hi all--
I wanted to share with you a couple of products that I like & have found helpful, + a recipe for Orange Chicken that uses them.

The first is a brand of brown rice called Tsuru Mai. It is really delicious and has a rather chewy consistency & nutty flavor--not dry like some brown rice. It comes in a small 1# bag & can usually be found @ HyVee on the bottom shelf by the other rice.

The second is Pilgrim's Pride "EatWellStayHealthy" pre-grilled frozen chicken breasts, available in a 1.5# bag @ HyVee in frozen foods, directly across from the frozen fish. They are really convenient for speeding up a healthy dinner (I've used them in soup, pot pie, & stir-fry), & the sodium content is no higher than most fresh boneless chicken breasts.

The third is Turbinado sugar, available at HyVee on the organic aisle. This is the sugar that remains after the impurities in raw sugar have been washed off. It has a slight "molasses" flavor, sort of like brown sugar. I use it anytime I'd use white sugar. I especially love it in oatmeal!

Do you have products that you love that help you cook nutritiously? Click on "comment" at the end of this post, & share them with everyone!

~Pam

ORANGE CHICKEN

1 cup orange juice (reserve 2 Tbls. to mix w/cornstarch)
1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
1/4 to 1/3 cup sugar (preferably Turbinado), to taste
2 Tbls. wine (I used white merlot, but use whatever you have on-hand)
1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes (more or less, depending on how hot you like your dish)
Zest of 1 orange, divided in half
1 Tbls. cornstarch

1 Tbls. olive oil
3 chicken breasts (preferably pre-cooked), thinly sliced
Veggies of your choice, approximately 2-3 cups (I use onion, red pepper, carrots, broccoli, & shredded cabbage)
2 cups hot, cooked brown rice


In small saucepan, combine orange juice, soy sauce, sugar, wine, red pepper flakes, & half of the orange zest. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 5-8 minutes. Keep warm.

Meanwhile, heat oil in large skillet. (If using uncooked chicken, stir-fry it for 2 minutes, then add veggies. Pre-cooked chicken will be added later.) Add veggies--I add broccoli & cabbage after other veggies have been cooking for about 3 minutes--and stir-fry until tender-crisp. Add chicken & remaining half of orange zest. Stir-fry just until chicken is heated through. At this point, everything can be kept warm until ready to serve.

When ready to serve, mix remaining 2 Tbls. orange juice into cornstarch. Stir until smooth. Add to sauce & bring back to a boil. Reduce to simmer, & cook until slightly thickened. Do not overcook, or sauce will become a thick gel. Thin with water or orange juice if necessary.

Spoon rice onto plates. Top with stir-fry mix, & spoon desired amount of sauce over all. (You may mix sauce into stir-fry mix, but since some people like more sauce than others, you may wish to let everyone add their own sauce.)

Serves 4.

Saturday, March 14, 2009

SOPA AZTECA

This is my new favorite recipe;my whole family loved it. It's a "triple-winner": healthy, simple, and most important, delicious!
I've posted it with the less gourmet ingredients, but you can view the original recipe at
http://www.chefmd.com/recipe_display.php?id=91

2 tsp olive oil
1 cup chopped white onion
2 cans low sodium chicken broth
1 (14.5 ounce) can fire roasted diced tomatoes, undrained
1/2 cup salsa (I used medium heat)
2 cups shredded skinless rotisserie chicken breast
1 cup shredded cabbage or packaged coleslaw mix
1/2 ripe avocado, diced
1/4 cup shredded Monterray Jack cheese
1 cup broken low fat unsalted tortilla chips
1/4 cup chopped cilantro (optional)

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion; saute 5 minutes or until transparent. Add broth, tomatoes and salsa; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer uncovered 10 minutes or until onion is tender, stirring once. Arrange chicken, cabbage and avocado in bottom of four large, shallow soup bowls. When ready to serve, make sure that broth is very hot (almost boiling again), and then ladle broth over chicken mixture; top with cheese, chips and, if desired, cilantro. Serve immediately.
Substitutions: Leftover cooked chicken breast may replace the rotisserie chicken breast.

Nutritional AnalysisTotal fat (g): 10; Fat calories (kc): 91; Cholesterol (mg): 59; Trans fatty acids (g): 0; Saturated fat (g): 2.9; Polyunsaturated fat (g): 1.4; Monounsaturated fat (g): 2.9; Fiber (g): 3.6; Carbohydrates (g): 20; Sugar (g): 8.0; Protein (g): 25; Sodium (mg): 656; Calcium (mg) 98.

ROASTED ROOT VEGETABLE SOUP

(from Best-ever Soups, by Anne Sheasby)
(Use veggies of your choice)

¼ cup olive oil
1 small butternut squash, peeled, seeded
& cubed
2 carrots, peeled & cut into chunks
1 large parsnip, peeled & cubed
1 small rutabaga, cubed
2 leeks, thinly sliced
1 onion, quartered
3 bay leaves
4 thyme sprigs, or ½ tsp dried thyme
3 rosemary sprigs, or ½ tsp. dried
5 cups (approx) chicken or veg. stock
Salt & pepper to taste
Sour cream at room temp, to taste

Note: I used what I had on hand: mostly carrots, also onion, garlic, potato, & celery, and I cut the recipe in half.

Preheat oven to 400˚. In large bowl, toss veggies with olive oil. Add thyme & rosemary, & toss again. Spread veggies out in a single layer on large baking sheet(s). Tuck the bay leaves amongst the veggies. Roast veggies for about 50 mins, or until tender & moderately, evenly browned. Remove from oven, & discard bay leaves. Transfer veggies to large stockpot. Pour stock over veggies, & bring to a boil. Reduce heat, season w/salt & pepper, & simmer for 10 minutes, uncovered. If using fresh thyme & rosemary, discard the sprigs after simmering. Carefully transfer soup to a blender (in batches, if necessary), & process for a few minutes until thick & smooth. Return soup to stockpot to heat through. Ladle into bowls, & serve each w/a dollop of sour cream—gently swirl sour cream slightly with knife. Garnish w/fresh parsley or thyme sprig, if desired.

ZUCCHINI-MUSHROOM TOSS

1 med-large zucchini, sliced
1 cup mushrooms, sliced
1 can diced tomatoes (or fresh tomato—
cherry or other variety)
1 tsp. Italian seasoning
2 tbls. olive oil
Garlic salt & pepper, to taste


Preheat oven to 350˚. Coat shallow 1-qt. casserole with a bit of olive oil. Combine veggies in casserole. Sprinkle with seasonings & toss. Drizzle with olive oil, & toss again. Cover & bake 30 minutes.


Note: I often bake this for an hour to really deepen the flavors; it’s often better the next day.
To make more of a “main dish”, I add walnuts (before or after baking) and/or feta cheese (after baking).