What's for Dinner Mom? Dare I say Chicken?

This is typical of what I hear when roll home from work at night:

"What's for dinner tonight Mom?"

"Chicken."

"Oh."  Long pause. "Well I probably won't be home for dinner anyway."

"I didn't think so sweetheart."

Since at my house we eat chicken four to five times per week, I am always on the prowl for new chicken recipes that I think everyone will like. It has become a challenge and sometimes I feel like throwing in the towel and ordering pizza. I remember when I was little there was a restaurant that delivered chicken just like pizza. Their tagline was "Don't cook tonight. Order Chicken Delight!"

That was many moons ago, and the chicken was horrible, but the idea is nice! But ordering anything to be delivered for dinner is asking for serious caloric troubles...I mean, how can you have an ooey-gooey pizza in front of you and not eat enough to sabotage a week's worth of eating clean?

So, on a recent quest for new and tasty culinary treats,  I found a recipe for Chicken Marengo and thought it sounded yummy. I admit, the name intrigued me. Afterall, Marengo sounds exotic and I love exotic recipes...So I made it last weekend and wow...was it ever good!

It takes a while to cook, so it's not a keeper for worknights. But on a Saturday night it is the perfect dinner, even for those who are bored with chicken!

Chicken Marengo


Serves: 8

Ingredients:


• 8 chicken breasts, boneless, skinless

• 1 thinly sliced medium onion

• 1/2 cup dry white wine

• 2 crushed cloves garlic

• 1/2 teaspoon ground thyme

• 1 bay leaf

• 3 springs parsley

• 1 cup 98% fat-free chicken broth

• 2 cups diced Italian style tomatoes

• 18 pearl onions

• 1 pound sliced mushrooms

• Juice of 1 large lemon

• 1 cup sliced pitted black olives

• 1 jigger cognac

• Chopped parsley for garnish

Directions:
Spray nonstick Dutch oven with cooking oil spray. Sauté sliced onion until very lightly brown then remove. Brown chicken breasts on both sides. Add wine, garlic, thyme, bay leaf, parsley, chicken broth and tomatoes. Cover and simmer for about 1 hour, until tender. Remove meat and strain sauce, then reduce for 5 minutes. Sauté pearl onions and mushrooms in juice of lemon.

Arrange chicken, onions, mushrooms and sliced olives in casserole dish. Sprinkle with cognac. Heat in 350°. Serve on cooked brown rice or couscous and garnish with chopped parsley. Toss a spinach and romaine salad with some balsamic vinagrette and lemon juice and you have a sumptous meal!

Nutritional Facts
Per Serving:
264 Calories
4g Fat
31g Protein
21g Carbohydrate
5mg Dietary Fiber
68mg Cholesterol
1001mg Sodium
100mg Calcium

Considering Meatless Mondays?

It seems to be the hot new thing...going meatless one day a week. Coincidentally, since it's Lent for many people, the notion has received rave reviews from nutritionists and weight-loss coaches.

Why go meatless? According to http://www.meatlessmondays.com/, going meatless once a week may reduce your risk of chronic preventable conditions like cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes and obesity. It can also help reduce your carbon footprint and save precious resources like fresh water and fossil fuel.

It could, in theory, help you in many areas. That is based, of course, upon your eating healthy alternatives, not fried, greasy, cheesy ones. Eggs, legumes, nuts, seeds and vegetables are all good alternatives.

If you wonder what you would have for dinner on a meatless night, how about red beans and rice? Or black bean and jack cheese burritos? Or maybe a protein-packed egg dish, like Eggs Pipérade?

Whether you want to ditch meat one night a week or not, consider giving this recipe a try. It is delicious, quick and easy!

Eggs Pipérade

Pipérade originally comes from the Basque region of France, which influenced modern Creole cooking. This egg version resembles a frittata and highlights pipérade’s quintessential combination of onion, tomato and bell pepper. This recipe comes from myrecipes.com.

Serves 4



1 teaspoon olive oil

3/4 cup red bell pepper, chopped

3/4 cup green bell pepper, chopped

1 garlic clove, minced

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon ground red pepper

1 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes, undrained

4 large eggs, lightly beaten

1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped

Heat the olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add bell peppers and garlic and sauté for 5 minutes or until bell peppers begin to soften and garlic becomes fragrant.

Add thyme, salt, ground red pepper and tomatoes to the pan. Cover, reduce heat to medium and cook 7 minutes or until bell peppers are tender.

Uncover and cook 1 minute or until liquid almost evaporates. Gently stir in lightly beaten eggs, cover, and cook 3 minutes or until set.

Serves garnished with parsley. Cut into wedges and enjoy.

Nutritional Information:

Amount per Serving


Calories: 134

Calories from Fat: 62

Total Fat: 6.8g

Saturated Fat: 1.8g

Cholesterol: 10.7g

Sodium: 476mg

Total Carbohydrates: 10.7g

Dietary Fiber: 1.4g

Protein: 8.1g

Curried Chicken with Sweet Potatoes

In order to get all the protein we need, we eat chicken at our house three to four times a week. As a result, I am always trying to find new and different ways to make it so everyone doesn't get bored and opt for a sandwich instead of a healthy, home-cooked meal.

This is a delicious recipe that found recently and have modified from the original to be lower in fat but still overly abundant in taste. It's a one-skillet meal that simmers for 45 minutes so you can get a few things done while it's cooking.

Serve with a crisp side salad and some crusty whole grain bread and you have a hearty, healthy meal that that is sure to become a classic at your house.


Curried Chicken with Sweet Potatoes
Serves Four

Ingredients

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts or 8 chicken tenderloins
1 red onion, sliced
2 sweet potatoes, peeled, cut into cubes
2 cups fresh sugar snap peas in the pod
1 tablespoon minced ginger or dried ginger powder
2 tablespoon curry powder
1 13.5 ounce can of coconut milk
1 cup water
Salt and pepper to taste
Canola oil
Shredded coconut, optional

Directions

Lightly season both sides of the chicken breasts with salt and pepper. In a cast iron skillet or large non-stick skillet over medium high heat, sear the chicken in hot oil. Cook until golden brown, repeat for the other side. Remove chicken to a plate. Saute the onions, potatoes, ginger and curry powder in the same skillet, adding a dash of oil if necessary. Add  the pea pods, coconut milk and water. Place chicken back in the skillet and stir lightly. Bring to a simmer and cook chicken through, about 45 minutes. Serve over a bed of brown or white rice. Sprinkle with coconut if desired.

What's for Lunch? Whole Wheat Tortilla Roll Ups!

Although we might not like having to watch our pennies a bit more in these challenging economic times, there are some good things we can derive from it.

Many people eat lunch out during the workweek; often it consists of fatty, salty, greasy and just plain unhealthy fast food.

As a result of the economy, many folks are being forced to brown bag it. Smile -- it's a good thing! You can have complete control over your portion, fat and calorie content and you have the ability to pack something--get ready--nutritious!

One of my all time favorite brown bag lunch items is tortilla roll ups. There are a million variations, but here is one to get you started:

Turkey Tortilla Roll Ups

8" Whole wheat tortillas
Lowfat or fat-free ranch salad dressing
Your favorite jarred salsa
Thin sliced deli turkey breast
Baby spinich leaves
Shredded reduced fat monterey jack cheese

To assemble, spread the tortilla with ranch dressing. If you prefer, you can use Greek yogurt or low-fat sour cream. Spread a teaspoon of salsa over the ranch dressing. Place a thin layer of turkey, followed by the spinach leaves and then sprinkle on a tablespoon of the cheese.  Roll up tightly, then roll up again in foil or plastic wrap. Refrigerate until lunch.

For variety, try using fresh avocado, sliced sweet red onion, crumbled feta cheese, sliced black olives, fresh basil and oregano, leftover chicken breast or sprouts.

Get the picture? Experiment and come up with a taste that suits you. Just be sure to use low-fat, healthy ingredients and use a light hand when applying the condiments, meat and cheese.

Nutritional Values

Calories:267 (24% from fat)
Fat:7g (sat 3.6g,mono 2.4g,poly 0.6g)
Protein:20.8g
Carbohydrate:28.6g
Fiber:1.4g
Cholesterol:51mg
Iron:0.8mg
Sodium:512mg
Calcium:56mg
 
These roll ups also make a great quick and light dinner when combined with a bowl of steaming fresh vegetable soup. Gosh, that sounds like dinner tonight!!

Hungry for Hummus?

I don't know about you, but I just love Hummus. I eat it with crackers, pita chips, raw veggies, and as a spread on sandwiches. It is hearty, tasty and best of all, healthy! My husband likes it but says he wishes it had a different name. Something about the word hummus bothers him (maybe we've seen Zohan too many times!).

Hummus is a very healthy alternative to fat-laden dips. With its protein and heart-healthy olive oil, it really can't be beat.

Here is my recipe for one of my favorites: Cilantro and Lemon Hummus. Make some for a snack or the next time you're having a few guests over. Serve with any type of whole grain cracker or pita chips. Or you can always make your own pita chips (less salt and they taste better). Either way, try the Hummus. You'll be glad you did!

Cilantro and Lemon Hummus


Ingredients:

1 16 oz can of chickpeas or garbanzo beans

1/4 cup liquid from can of chickpeas

3-5 tablespoons lemon juice (depending on taste)

1 1/2 tablespoons tahini (sesame seed paste, can be omitted if you don't have it)

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon cilantro, finely chopped

Preparation:

Drain chickpeas and set aside liquid from can. Combine remaining ingredients in blender or food
processor. Add 1/4 cup of liquid from chickpeas. Blend for 3-5 minutes on low until thoroughly
mixed and smooth.

Place in serving bowl and drizzle very lightly with olive oil. Garnish with extra cilantro (optional). Cover and refrigerate unused portions. Will keep up to a week.

Nutritional  Information

Serving Size 8 ounce 1 tbsp (14g)
Amount per serving:
Calories 23 Calories from Fat 12
Total Fat 1g 2
Saturated Fat 0g 
Polyunsaturated Fat 1g
Monounsaturated Fat 1g
Cholesterol 0mg
Sodium 53mg 
Total Carbohydrates 2g
Dietary Fiber 1g
Protein 1g

What's for Dinner

Everyone who knows me knows we eat a lot of chicken at our house. A great source of protien, it's also low in fat and carbs.

But we, like everyone, grow tired of bbq'd, baked, sauteed, grilled, fried and slow-cooked chicken.

I stumbled across this recipe and let me tell you, it makes a tasty and lite summer evening dinner. Only five ingredients and under a half hour -- voila! Toss together some Romaine lettuce, chopped tomato, any veggies you like and your favorite low-calorie dressing for a side salad and you have a dinner that is yummy, HEALTHY and even the kids will like. Now how can you beat that?

CHICKEN TORTILLA PIE

The fresh salsa called for here has a natural low-sodium advantage over bottled commercial salsa. A rotisserie chicken with the skin removed can be used for the shredded chicken breast, but keep in mind that this will increase the amount of sodium in the dish.

(NOTE: I used canned white breast meat and it was wonderful, not to mention easy!).

Prep: 13 minutes; Cook: 10 minutes
Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 wedge)

Ingredients

2 cups shredded cooked chicken breast
1/4 cup Fresh Salsa
1 cup spicy black bean dip (such as Guiltless Gourmet)
4 (8-inch) multigrain flour tortillas (such as Tumaro's)
1/2 cup (2 ounces) reduced-fat shredded Monterey Jack cheese
Cooking spray

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 450°.

2. Combine chicken and salsa in a medium bowl.

3. Spread 1/4 cup black bean dip over each tortilla. Top each evenly with chicken mixture and 2 tablespoons cheese. Stack tortillas in bottom of a 9-inch springform pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 450° for 10 minutes or until thoroughly heated and cheese melts. Remove sides of pan. Cut pie into 4 wedges. Serve immediately.

Nutritional Information
Calories:380 (26% from fat)
Fat:11g (sat 4.3g,mono 4.4g,poly 1.4g)
Protein:39.9g
Carbohydrate:28.7g
Fiber:12.2g
Cholesterol:80mg
Iron:0.8mg
Sodium:660mg
Calcium:215mg
Courtesy of Cooking Light Fresh Food Fast, Oxmoor House, APRIL 2009