Lemon Chicken with Parmesan Leeks and Peas

The Recipe's Story

 

My husband really likes sauces on a dish and I do agree it makes a dinner feel more fancy. I have been dappling in creating pan sauces because they are fast, flavorful, and I can make them lower in calories by using chicken broth or wine as a base. This dish has a thick citrus sauce that is almost like gravy. It makes the chicken dish extra special and only takes 8 extra minutes to complete.

 

The vegetables in this dish are packed with vitamins and minerals. Leeks have more than half your daily vitamin K and are a good source of vitamin A, C, B6, iron,  magnesium and folate. Leeks are also an allium vegetable. In the same family as garlic and onions, leeks are high in flavonoid kaempferol which promote cardiovascular health. Peas are a good source of vitamin K, A, C, B1, B2, and  B6 as well as magnesium, fiber, folate, phosphorus, and tryptophan. Adding the Parmesan cheese gives a huge flavor boost to the vegetables and using olive oil to saute them in adds omega 3. Chicken is a low fat meat with will keep you full and give your body the essential protein it needs to function.

 

Lemon Chicken

2 (4 oz.) chicken cutlets, tenderized

1/8 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. pepper

1 T flour

1 T olive oil

1/2 cup sweet white wine such as a Riesling

1/2 lemon, thinly sliced

1 T fresh lemon juice

1 and 1/2 tsp. butter

1 tsp. fresh or dried parsley

 

1. In a medium skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Pat the chicken dry and season with salt and pepper. Place the flower in a shallow dish and dredge the chicken until it is coated on all sides.

 

2. Add the chicken to the skillet and cook for about 4 minutes on each side until cooked through; remove the chicken.

 

3. Add the wine to the skillet and bring to a boil. Use a wooden spoon to scrape any brown bits from the bottom.

 

4.  Add the chicken back to the pan along with the lemon slices and juice. Turn the pan onto high heat and cood, stirring, until the liquid is reduced to the consistence of syrup, about 3 min. Remove from the heat and add the butter, stirring until melted. Serve the chicken with the glaze drizzled onto and garnish with parsley.

 

Servings: 2

Calories: 299 per serving

 

Parmesan Leeks and Peas

 

1 cup leeks, cup lengthwise and into rounds

1 cup frozen peas

1 tsp. olive oil

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

2 T Parmesan cheese, grated

 

1. In a medium skillet, heat olive oil over medium-low heat.

 

2. Add the leeks to the skillet and season with salt and pepper. Cook the leeks for 2 minutes, then add the peas, stirring to combine. Cook the vegetables an addition 4 minutes until the leeks are tender and the peas are warm.

 

3. Remove the skillet from the heat. Toss the vegetables with Parmesan cheese and serve warm.

 

Servings:2

Calories:116 per serving

Chicken and Veggie Salad

The Recipe's Story

 

It was time for another lunch invention to change up the standard sandwich. This lunch has five ingredients and just three seasonings and you can make it in under ten minutes. It is so simple I can hardly call it a recipe. Chicken is a low fat high protein meat. Corn is high in fiber and contains vitamin C, B3, B5, and magnesium. Green beans are a good source of fiber as well as vitamin C, A, K, and magnesium. Drizzling the salad with balsamic vinegar adds huge flavor, no fat, low calories (just 14 per T) and contains melanoidins, acetic acid, and polyphenols. This salad is a low calorie, filling, gluten free lunch that can be made in a pinch.

 

Balsamic Vinegar is like wine. The longer it is aged the better it gets. If you purchase a balsamic vinegar for dressing a salad or dipping bread try to find a bottle that has aged several years. The difference is a thick syrup with rich flavor and low acidity. The balsamic vinegar also sweetens over time. My favorite is an 18 year aged balsamic I found in Leavenworth, WA from The Oil and Vinegar Cellar. You can purchase flavored oils and vinegars such as fig (a favorite of mine) or pure olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

 

Chicken and Veggie Salad

 

2 cups green beans, cut into 1 inch pieces

2 ears of corn, husk and silk removed

1 lb chicken breast, butterflied and tenderized

1 T olive oil

2 tsp. garlic powder

salt and pepper

4 T balsamic vinegar

 

1. Fill a large pot with water and bring to a boil. Add corn and green beans and bring the water back to a boil. Remove the corn and green beans after 3 minutes.

 

2. Cut the corn off the cob and add to a bowl along with the green beans.

 

3. In a medium skillet heat the olive oil over medium heat. Season the chicken with the garlic powder, salt and pepper. Place chicken breast in pan and allow to cook for 7 or 8 minutes or until brown and golden. Flip and repeat until chicken breast is cooked. Remove from heat and cool slightly. Slice chicken into 1 inch pieces and add to bowl.

 

4. Just before serving drizzle the balsamic vinegar over the salad and toss to combine ingredients. Serve salad warm, cold or at room temperature.

 

Servings: 4

Calories: 219 per serving

Sweet Glazed Salmon

The Recipe's Story

 

While browsing the seafood at Central Market I was told that King Salmon would be going up in price next week. I ordered half a pound and decided to try it with my sweet and spicy glaze that I normally use with pork tenderloin. It was a success! I matched the fish with my garlic green beans and a simple side salad of green peppers, green onions, and tomato drizzled with balsamic vinegar.

This is such a simple way to make fish. The sweetness of the honey coupled with the spicy  chili powder are a perfect blend. When broiled, the honey and sugar in the ketchup caramelize adding amazing flavor and texture. Salmon provides omega 3 and vitamin D and is a low fat protein. Honey adds some antioxidants. Add a vegetable on the side and this is a low calorie, heart healthy meal.

Sweet Glazed Salmon

1/2 lb. king salmon, skin and bones removed

2 T. ketchup

1 T. honey

1/2 tsp. chili powder

 

1. Preheat oven to broil. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and arrange salmon fillet in the middle.

2. In a small mixing bowl, combine the honey, ketchup, and chili powder.

3. Coat the salmon with half of the glaze.  Place cookie sheet on top rack and broil for 14-16 min. Drizzle the reserved glaze on top of the salmon before serving.

Servings: 2

Calories: 207 per serving

Honeycrisp Apple Sauce

The Recipe's Story

Fall starts next week and I can't put into words how much I enjoy this time of year. I live in Washington and the apples are starting to come in my produce box so applesauce is on the menu. My 7 month old baby can enjoy it and my husband will eat applesauce as a dessert or snack. Making your own is easy and you can control what goes into it from what type of sweetener, if any, and what spices.

Applesauce is a great snack or dessert when looking at its health benefits. Cinnamon is a natural blood sugar stabilizer and a half teaspoon can lower LDL cholesterol. A full  teaspoon of cinnamon contains 28 mg of calcium, almost one mg of iron, over a gram of fiber, and  vitamins C, K, and manganese.Apples are a good source of fiber as well as vitamin A,C, and potassium. Adding a bit of honey sweetens up the applesauce in a natural way and adds a bit of antioxidants.

 Honeycrisp Apple Sauce

6 honey crisp apples, peeled,cored and cut into 1 inch pieces

1 1/2 cup water

1/4 tsp. nutmeg

2 tsp. honey

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. vanilla

1. In a medium saucepan add apples and water and bring to boil. Reduce to simmer for about 25 minutes, stirring occasionally.

2. Stir in remaining ingredients and mash apples to desired consistency. Serve warm, room temp, or cold.

*Try this as a topping to my baked oatmeal recipe. You can omit the pumpkin spices and simply add cinnamon in equal value. Top with applesauce for a twist on the dish.

Servings: 6
Calories: 124 per serving

Quick Tip: Healthy Meals on Hand

Quick Tip: Healthy Meals on Hand

 

I like having a few meals in the freezer for nights that I get busy or tired and am not feeling up for a big cooking event. Keeping a few healthy choices on hand that are quick and easy means I don't opt for unhealthy dinners.  Making individual sizes gives our menu variety and offeres portion control.

 

My quick tip is to freeze individual serving sizes so you can pull out what you need each time. My favorite is a Mexican Lasagna that I prepare in these Martha Stewart dishes. I simply line them with parchment paper and then fill and freeze for about ten minutes to let ingredients set. When I flip them upside down out pops  a perfect single serving. I make about a dozen of these at a time and store them in freezer safe containers. If I need a single serving for lunch or dinner for my whole family I can quickly bake these in the oven with just one pan. It is a much healthier choice than pizza and taste great. 

Roast Beef Roll-Ups

The Recipe's Story

My husband takes a sandwich to work every day. He works evening into the night and stores are not open nor is there an easy way to heat up leftovers. Thus, we are left with the handy sandwich which was thought to be invented by  John Montagu, 4th Earl of Sandwich. This Englishman was said to have been a gambler who was so focused (or addicted) to gambling he did not want to stop to eat. He instructed a cook to prepare his food in such a way that it would not interfere with his game. The cook presented him with sliced meat between two pieces of toast and thus the sandwich was invented. I have also read that a sandwich came from some smart farmer wife who wanted to send her husband to work in the fields with an easy to eat meal. Either way my husband takes a sandwich and after six years I needed to find a few new recipes or ideas to mix up the standard tuna or turkey. This recipe was developed with leftovers from a roast beef and and little experimentation from a restaurant wrap I had.

We use a mesa tortilla because my husband prefers them but whole wheat can be used for added whole grain health benefits. Spinach is used as a green containing vitamin C, A, K, and E, beta-carotene, manganese, zinc and selenium. Spinach is also a great dietary fiber. Sour cream and cheese contain calcium and the roast beef  is a great source of protein, niacin, thiamin, riboflavin, B6, vitamin E, iron, zinc and magnesium. As a sandwich goes, this one is unique, flavorful, and rolls up a lot of healthy benefits.

Roast Beef Roll-Ups

4 oz light sour cream

2 T horseradish

4 large tortillas

1 bunch of spinach, washed with steams removed

8 oz. of thinly sliced deli roast beef (try Applegate for a nitrate free great taste)

4 oz. of thinly sliced Cheddar cheese

1. In a small bowl, combine the sour cream and the horseradish. Spread evenly over each of the four tortillas.

2. Layer the tortillas first with the roast beef, then cheese and lastly the spinach (keeping the spinach away from the sour cream will keep it crisp and fresh). Roll up the wrap and secure with a toothpick.

Servings: 4

Calories:419 per serving

Did You Know? Your Plate Size Matters.

Did you know your plate size matters?

 

One simple way to exercise portion control in your home is to watch what size plate you use. Our home has dinner plates and salad plates. My salad plates are about 7.5" in diameter but my dinner plates are about 11" in diameter. Those extra inches beg to be filed with food that I inevitably will eat. In order to fill my whole plate and not overeat we use salad plates for most of our meals. This way your plate looks full and you utilize portion control.

 

 

 

 

"According to psychologist and eating-behavior expert Dr. Brian Wanksink, one of the simplest ways to lose weight is to eat off of a salad plate instead of the larger dinner plates because it helps control portions and overeating without dipping into your limited supply of willpower. (http://lifehacker.com/5828866/switch-to-salad-plates-for-better-portion-control, September 8, 2012)"

Chicken and Fruit Compote

The Recipe's Story

My mom took cooking classes when I was a child. There were a few recipes she brought home that I enjoyed so much I had to make sure I got a copy of before I left the nest. This is one of them...in part. The filling to this chicken dish is amazingly flavorful and so simple. However, the original recipe has you wrap the chicken and fruit with dough and top it with an apricot glaze. The time it takes to make it does not allow it to be a regular menu item in my house. Therefore, I cut out the fancy pastry and opted for a simple chicken dish over rice. It is quick, easy, and much lower in calories.

The dried fruit and rice in this meal give you lots of fiber and flavor. Cranberries are a great source of antioxidants, vitamin C, and has an antibacterial effect on the body. Prunes are rich in vitamin A and K, potassium, copper, boron and magnesium. Onions have vitamin C as do apples. Brown rice is a fiber filled health with lots of manganese and selenium. Chicken, when the skin is removed, is a low fat protein. This dish is a health way to consume a well rounded meal.

Chicken and Fruit Compote

1 granny smith apple, cut into 1/2 inch cubes

1 cup cup onion, diced
4 oz. dried apricots, diced
4 oz. dried prunes, diced
4 oz. dried cranberries
1/2 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast
1 tsp. oregano
1 T. olive oil
2 cups brown rice
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup low sodium chicken broth

1. Cook the rice according to directions.

2. Heat the 1 tsp. olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and saute until transparent, about 4 min. Add the garlic, apples and dried fruit and chicken broth. Simmer uncovered until the fruit plumps, about 8 min.

3. Meanwhile, in a small skillet heat 1 tsp. olive oil over medium heat. Season the chicken with salt, pepper, and the oregano. Add to the heated skillet and brown the chicken on all sides. Add to the fruit mixture. Stir to combine and allow to cook for an additional 5 minutes until the flavors combine. Remove from heat.

4. Serve 1/2 cup of rice topped with 1/4 of the fruit and chicken mixture.

Servings: 4
Calories: about 449 per serving