Chicken Sung & Soba Noodles

Yummy, simple and healthy!  This is a great weeknight dinner.

Sauce:
1/2 cup Soy, 5 tbls rice wine vinegar, 4 gloves crushed chopped garlic, 1 tsp grated fresh ginger, 3 chopped scallions, bunch chopped cilantro, 2 tsp sesame oil, 1/2 tsp chili oil..2 tbls water

For the Chicken Sung:
Saute 1 onion, 5 cloves smashed garlic and finely chopped carrots (about 2 large carrots) for about 5 minutes. Cut up large boneless chicken breasts into cubes (about 6 breasts), add the chicken to saute pan…add chopped mushrooms (one container). Let this cook on medium for about 6-8 minutes, add chopped cilantro and grated fresh ginger and lots of chopped scallions (at least 6).  When chicken is cooked through, add about 4 tbls of the above sauce to pan. Use the rest of this glorious sauce on your lettuce wraps as eat them.

Noodles:
Soba noodles are made from buckwheat flour and are much better for the waistline. They are half the calories of pasta, and half the glycemic index as pasta. Buckwheat has been known to help with both metabolism and cardio vascular support. I love them… they have a nice warm nutty-ish flavor. They take about 6-8 minutes to cook in boiling salted water…then drain and toss with about 1 tbls sesame oil, 1 tbls soy sauce, chopped cilantro, chopped scallions and I like to thaw one bag of frozen edamame and throw them in as well… i also like to add hot chili oil.
(Endless possibilities here… sometimes I add rice wine vinegar, fresh Garlic, and diced red peppers…)

2013 Let’s get healthy!

Gearing up for a new year, new resolutions! Eating healthy, more whole foods, whole grains. Stay tuned for revamped recipes…. Loving myfitnesspal to chart my calorie intake.

Simple. Clean. Light.

Lemon Shrimp Salad

Ingredients:

• 1 lb shrimp cooked, peeled & deveined
• 8 spears asparagus, cut into small bite sized pieces, blanched
• 1 yellow, orange or red pepper, chopped
• handfull of fresh cilantro, chopped
• handful of falt leaf parsley, chopped
• 2 ears of corn (raw) shucked
• 1/2 – 1 whole red onion
• 1 clove of garlic minced
• zest of 1 lemon
• juice of 1 lemon
• 3-4 tablespoons of EV olive oil
• coarse salt and cracked pepper to taste

There is nothing to this recipe!  It’s as easy as combing all the ingredients in a large mixing bowl and mixing, chill covered with plastic wrap for about 20-30 minutes.

I purchased the shrimp already cooked and cleaned from my local fish market.  You can do that to save time, but of course it’s simple to buy the shrimp and throw them into boiling (salted) water.  When they turn pink… just takes a few minutes…remove.  I like to put them in a glass bowl with ice and chill in the fridge.

 

 

 

The perfect quick, easy and healthy lunch!  Fresh organic baby arugula, tomatoes,  red onion and avocado.

I like to use the zest from a meyer lemon and the juice, sprinkle of salt and fresh pepper and a tiny drizzle, just a teaspoon of olive oil.

If you have never tasted a meyer lemon, it is nothing like a regular lemon.  It has a much more complex flavor, more aligned with a mandarin orange or tangerine, but sour.  It makes an OUTSTANDING salad dressing!

fried plantains

I picked up 3 plantains last week. I have never made them before and thought that the kids might like them.  I decided to pair them with a simple meal of pan fried breaded chicken cutlets.  When I purchased them from my local market, they were green, but I let them hang around for about 4 days to ripen up a bit.  I figured they were ready when they became slightly speckled with a darker green blackish color.  They were still firm to the touch.  I sliced the ends of the plantain and scored the peel with a paring knife and peeled away the thick skin.  Note, that the skin of a plantain does not remove as effortlessly as a banana!

First, I sliced them…

Then I fried them in canola oil, about 2 minutes on each side.

After the first fry, season with sea salt while still hot.

Let cool.  Then Lay them between 2 sheets of plastic wrap and flatten them with the back of a ramekin.

Re-fry in the same oil, 2 minutes on each side.  Remove to a plate with paper towel and season again with sea salt.

Paella

Who does not LOVE Paella!   As a child, my father would take us to a Spanish restaurant in Greenwich Village called Sevilla, it was one of his favorite places to eat while he was attending law school at Brooklyn Law.   As far as I know it’s still there.

This was my first attempt at Paella and I felt it necessary (after reading a shlew of recipes) to purchase a Paella pan.  I picked this one up at Bed Bath & Beyond for about $30.00  and I have to say it worked out very well.  I don’t have a recipe (although I will try to get one together when I make it again) because I sort of combined 3 or 4 different ones that I liked.  It’s a pretty easy to make, just a little time consuming and takes a little organizing and prep work.  I made this one with muscles, clams, scallops, lobster, shrimp, calamari, chicken and chorizzo.  This is a great dish to make for a large crowd!  I will definitely be bringing this one back!

easy as 1, 2, 3

I made these for Valentine’s day for my son’s 2nd grade class.  They were a huge success, and he asked for them again for his birthday instead of the usual cupcake.  It’s a great alternative and a great end to a meal.  Everyone loves these and they are simple and easy to make…and a nice treat for those watching their weight.  These were made with Valhrona Chocolate.  It just so happened that my local grocery store had these beautiful huge chunks of fine chocolate on sale so I grabbed a few blocks.  Just chop the chocolate small and put place in a glass bowl.  You can either melt it over a double boiler or even at a low temp in the microwave for 40 second intervals.  I add a few tablespoons of light corn syrup and you are ready to dip!  The oversized long stemmed strawberries work really well.

one of my favorite summer salads

i have been making this salad for years.  i truly love it.  very light and refreshing and perfect for summer-time BBQ’ing. takes just a few minutes.

cut kernels off of a 4 ears of corn, dice watermelon (about 1 cup), and slice cucumber into thin slices(1 english cucumber) … finely chop one bunch of fresh tarragon.

for the vinaigrette:  use about 1/4 cup white wine vinegar (or any other white vinegar you like) 1 tsp honey, 1 tsp mustard more fresh and dried tarragon, grated orange zest, about 1/4 c (more or less) of olive oil, salt and pepper.  you will not need to use all of this dressing, maybe half or less.  add just a bit of dressing to start and taste…

keep leftover dressing in fridge, great for salads, as a marinade for chicken or fish, or just drizzle on top of grilled chicken.

italian easter ring

2 pkgs active dry yest

1/4 cup warm water

1 cup scalded milk, cooled

1/2 cup soft butter

1/2 cup sugar

4 cups sifted flour

3/4 tsp salt

4 egg yolks slightly beaten

2 TBS slivered citron

1 TBS slivered orange peel

1/2 cup raisins

8 hard cooked eggs colored (i use less, maybe 4)

1 cup confections sugar

1 TBS milk

Preheat oven to 350.  In a bowl soften yeast in warm water.  Scald milk and cool.  In mixer gently beat butter, sugar, salt yolks, citron, orange peel and raisins.  Add to this 1 cup flour.  Add softened yeast.  Beat in remaining flour.  Toss on a floured board, and knead until smooth and elastic.  Shape into a ball.  Place in an oiled bowl.  Brush the top of the dough with oil.  Cover and let rise in a warm place, divide into 2 or 4 pcs.  (can make two rings if you like with 4 pcs)

Shape each pc into a long roll  that can either be twisted together or braided together.  Shape into a circle and nest the colored eggs in between the dough.  Brush top of dough with melted butter.  Cover.  Let rise until it doubles in bulk.  Bake at 350 for about 35 minutes until golden.  While warm brush (or drizzle) top with the combined confectioners sugar and milk.

First rising time: 2hours  Second rising time:  1 hour

(will post pics in a few days)

healthy low point stuffed chicken cutlet

Splurge on the weekend and eat really healthy during the week!  I cannot be on a diet 24/7, it just wont work for me.  I am a lover of food and the kitchen and nothing will ever change that, so I try to incorporate balance in my eating and cooking lifestyle.

I am actively on weight watchers.  I am trying to lose about 10 lbs by spring!  So far, I have lost 5 (it’s been almost 2 weeks).  So, here is a quick and easy (and very yummy!!) recipe.  You can use whatever you like, whatever you have in the house.  This recipe is never the same, I always change according to what I have in the house, or what looks fresh in the market.  Sometimes spinach and feta, or basil and tomato, or mozzarella or goat cheese or… just a sprinkle of pecorino (a big calorie saver)!  This time, I had leftover broccoli rabe with cannelloni beans from dinner the night before, and that is what I used to stuff my chicken breast!  I also had the laughing cow light cheese triangles…so i used 1/2 of one in each cutlet!  (only .5 point)!!

BTW, my husband who is not on WW loves this recipe too!

Ingredients:

• thin sliced chicken cutlets (4, 3 1/2 ounce cutlets)
• 3 egg whites
• tbls mustard
• 1 tbls parsley (fresh or dried)
• salt and pepper
• spinach (box frozen, squeeze out moisture, or use fresh leaves (uncooked)
• sundried tomatoes (6 pcs)
• pignoli nuts (or walnuts, pecans, chestnuts…)
• 2 laughing cow light swiss or garlic (use just 1/2 per piece of chicken)
• 1/4 tsp grated cheese (peccorino or parmesan) for sprinkling on chicken
• 1 tsp grated cheese to be added to breadcrumb mixture
• 1/4 cup seasoned breadcrumbs
• 1/4 cup unprocessed bran

Preheat oven to 350.  Spray glass dish with olive oil.  Combine egg whites, parsley s&P in a bowl.  Whisk.  Add chicken.  Separate plate combine breadcrumb, bran and 1 tsp of grated cheese, mix.  Dip chicken in breadcrumbs.  Layer tomato, spinach, cheese and pignolias, roll up and secure with a toothpick.  Bake in oven for about 45 minutes.  Each one is about 4 -5 points on WW (depending on which cheese you use)!