Healthy eats and Racconto Review

A simple dish of chicken and broccoli served with brown jasmine rice, along with a side of Constitutional Law in the background...

Ingredients

Chicken breast ( boneless skinless, washed and diced)
Fresh broccoli spears
1/2 cup sliced scallions
1/8 cup Trader Joes Soyaki
1 tbsp soy sauce
1/2 cup chicken broth


Simply spray a sautee pan with Pam, add some red chili flakes and the washed and diced chicken breast. Let the chicken slightly brown on all sides, then add the chicken broth and soyaki. Cover the pan, bring it to a rapid simmer and let it stay this way for about 10 minutes or until liquid dissipates.  Lastly, toss in the fresh scallions and soy sauce, warm through for one minute. Ready to serve :)

------------------------

Sometimes last week I finally got around to trying some of the Racconto products. I chose to make the Organic 8 whole grain pasta with sprouted wheat grass, and serve it with a vegetable Ragu i made from the San Marzano tomatoes, onion, fresh basil and bell peppers.

I have to admit, the tomatoes tasted slightly acidic to me, but I think that is only because I was anticipating a very sweet tomato ( like the kind you get in Maggianos gnocchi entree). Nevertheless, i balanced out the situation with a pinch of sugar, a dash of white wine, and a handful of sweet bell peppers.

Along with the sauteed onions, salt/pepper,  5-6 fresh cloves of garlic, and 1/2 cup of sliced basil the sauce came together beautifully.

Best of all, the pasta itself was AMAZING. Personally, I have had my share of whole wheat pastas, and generally they are fine, but you have to admit, regular pasta has something special. Well, ladies and gentlemen, this one surpassed all whole wheat pasta varieties I have tried thus far!  Not only was the texture perfect, but the flavor was unassuming -- it was just right, not too bland and not overpowering. 
I am SUPER excited about trying the rest of the organic whole grain pastas, especially if they are just as impressing as this one.

Speaking of Racconto-- today is the last day for the giveaway. If you havn't entered yet, please do so you can have a chance at winning a basket of these inspiring products.

Dinner for Two - Weekly meal planning

For those of you who are law students or have been law students, or know someone who is a law student you know how limited time is when it comes to cooking, particularly if it is healthy, well balanced cooking. This is particularly true as the daunting finals weeks approach.

Now that I am a couple weeks past the half-way point in the semester, I've resolved to adapt to law school. It is time to be resourceful :)  (  I know, its about time ).  So, as part of my resolution, I made a trip to Whole Foods and picked up some organic produce, organic herbs and organic meat and a few new finds I will mention in an upcoming post.

Yesterday,  I bought two large organic bone in, skin on chicken breast and simmered them in a pot which I will use to not only make a batch of chicken stock for the week, but also prep the chicken my weeks recipes.

Into the pot went 3 small onions (skinned and quartered), a handful of garlic cloves, 1 serrano chile (halved), 1/8 cup fresh ginger  (sliced), the stalks of one bunch of organic parsley, the stalks of one bunch of organic cilantro, 3 organic carrots chopped into big chunks, 4 stalks of organic celery chopped into big chunks, 1 tsp dried basil, 1/2 tsp dried mint, sea salt

In a large pot, place the chicken on the bottom, the remaining ingredients on top, then cover with water so that the water stops one inch from the top. Bring to boil, then reduce to a energetic simmer.

Simmer until the chicken begins to fall of the bone. Remove the vegetables and herbs and now you have a homemade organic chicken broth!

Next, take out the chicken breasts, remove the skin and bones. Separate each breast into pieces and separate into bowls -- one breast per bowl.

I chose to turned one chicken breast into cinnamon chicken -- altering the recipe slightly. Instead of cooking the chicken with all the sauce ingredients (which is a short cut) I simply sauteed the onions, added the tomato sauce, broth and spices and simmered it for about 5 minutes. I then added the cooked chicken and let it simmer for another 10 minutes or so until the chicken absorbed the sauce and the sauce thickened a bit.


The other chicken was metamorphed  into a fusion indian/thai curry chicken (recipe later this week).

To be continued....

This is how March begins...

First off, thank you Sara and Bonnie for your encouraging words.  I finally started off today with breakfast: a bowl of multi-grain cereal and vanilla soymilk.  Though, curiously, I wasn't hungry for breakfast, but I was hungry after I ate. Does that make sense?

For lunch I had a simple salad of mixed baby greens, cucumbers, tomatoes and mushrooms.  I topped it off with a tablespoon of Trader Joes Spicy Peanut Dressing.

Snacks for the day consisted of an organic fuji apple and 94% fat free popcorn.

For Dinner, I decided to make a Roast Chicken Breast, served with spinach sauteed with garlic, and sweet potato for me and a gigantic baked potato for him.

The sweet potato was amazing. I wrapped them in foil and placed them in oven to cook concurrently with the chicken. When I unwrapped it, there was a sticky, ooey decadence to it. It was perfect -- no seasoning required.

For the spinach, I used 6 cups of organic baby spinach..... and it wilted down to about 2/3 cup total. I guess you can call it condensed nutrition?

I sauteed it on high heat with two teaspoons of extra virgin olive oil and 4 cloves of minced garlic.

Yes, that is half of one single potato. It was massive. I had it baking in the oven for over an hour at 400F and it still wasn't done.I admit, my patience wore off after 70 minutes, and I resorted to 2 minutes of microwaving. Sad but true.
Served with diced green onions and organic sour cream, it was the complete deal.

Alongside his spinach, you'll see the onions that roasted in the same pan as the chicken.

He likes his onions, whether they are raw, roasted or barbecued.

As for the chickens, I let them soak for about 5 hours in a mixture of 1/2 orange juice, 1/2 cup chardonnay , 1/8 tsp curry powder and 1/8 tsp cumin.

Making the meal was the easiest part of all, simply line a roasting pan with foil, add one quartered onion , the chicken breast, and some of the marinade. Cover the pan with foil and make two slits to allow the steam to escape. Bake at 400F for an hour. Then, remove the foil and broil for an additional 5 minutes or until the skin has turned a golden color.

One Pot Spanish Rice and Chicken and what to do with leftovers

As part of the Foodbuzz Tastemaker program I recieved two jars of Pace Picante sauce, one medium and one mild.

Using the Pace chunky milk sauce I came up with an easy one pot meal that will feed the hungry men at your superbowl party. The best part.... i came up with a way to revamp the recipe the second day too!

The basic ingredients: 1 jar of pace chunky salsa, minisweet bellpeppers to taste, 1 medium onion, 3 cloves of garlic, 2 tbsp olive oil, 2 boneless skinless chicken breast, dried red chili pepper, and 3 cups chicken broth

In a pot add one tablespoon of olive oil. When it is warm add the sliced onion, garlic, red chili pepper and bell pepper, allowing it to sweat on medium heat.

Next add the diced boneless skinless chicken breast and cook it just long enough so that it is no longer pink on the outside. Now add the 2 cups of rice ( I like to rinse the rice before hand, it prevents the dish from getting too sticky). Allow the rice to toast a little and release its aromatic flavor/scent.

Since the Salsa already has spices and jalapeno's in it, your job is easy - just add one jar of the salsa and 3 cups of broth to the above mixture. Bring it to a boil, then reduce it to a simmer. It will be ready in 25-30 minutes.

This recipe makes about.9.5 1-cup servings. Each serving has about 200 calories, 3.5 grams of fat, and 8-9 grams of protein.

Now, its the day after the Super Bowl, you are tired but the family is hungry ( and im assuming you are like the rest of us and is trying to adapt a healthier lifestyle this new year hehe). Just pull out the leftovers from yesterday. I personally don't like chicken leftovers so I scooped out one cup of the rice only and set it aside. In a small pan, I sprayed some pam and sauteed 2 egg whites. I then added the rice and some chopped cilantro warming it through.... the result?

SPANISH FRIED RICE

Good Food

Good food doesn't have to be complicated -- neither does great food for that matter.

On the side, I served up some mixed frozen vegetables warmed up using 1/8 cup of broth.

I also made a nice batch of oven baked fries. While you are slicing the potoates, keep them in a bowl of water. This will prevent them from oxidizing. Once all the potatoes are sliced, drain them and pat them dry. Add some olive oil ( just enogh to coat the potatoes, not enough to pool on the bottom of the bowl), some fresh craked pepper, sea salt, and a garlic salt. Toss well, and place evenly on a baking pan. Bake at 450F for 30 minutes, then Broil for an additional 5 minutes to make them crispy.

In a large pan, sautee 1 medium onion in about 2 tbsp of olive oil, 1 tbsp of butter, and some red chilli flakes.
Once the onions become translucent and begin to caramelize add 3 diced Roma Tomatoes, and 5 chopped garlic cloves.  Season with a pinch of garlic salt, fresh cracked pepper 1/2 tsp paprika and about 1/8 cup of ketchup ( secret ingredient). Simmer for a few minutes, then add 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts ( diced).   Cover and simmer until the chicken is cooked. ( If the sauce gets to thick and you fear it will burn, simply add some chicken stock to thin it out)

So... since neither of us had lunch today.... this one disappeared before the camera made it to the scene.

Cinnamon Chicken ( Modified from a family recipe)

Ingredients

1 boneless skinless chicken breast

1 cup tomato sauce

1 cup chicken broth

1 medium onion

1 tsp olive oil

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp turmeric

1/2 tsp granulated onion

1 tbsp raw sugar

Makes 2 servings

Directions

Saute the onions in the olive oil ( add some salt and pepper to your taste). Then turn the heat on low, place the chicken breast on top of the onions and add the remaining ingredients ( tomato sauce, chicken broth, cinnamon, turmeric, granulated onion, and raw sugar). Bring the liquids to a boil then cover and reduce to a simmer. After about 15 minutes, return to the pot and pull the chicken apart into "big shreds" . Let it cook for another 15-20 minutes ensuring the chicken absorbs the flavor of the sauce.  If the sauce is too liquidy at this point, uncover the pot completely and let it simmer for a few more minutes, allowing the liquid to evaporate and thicken the sauce.  Serve with basmati rice. 

Chicken Tikka Masala

C

CHICKEN TIKKA MASALA

Ingredients

Makes 4 servings
 
8 oz  boneless skinless chicken breast
1 Spanish Onion, Med, diced
1 tbsp Oil-Smart Balance Omega
1 cup Masala simmer sauce, (Trader Joes)
3/4 cup Chicken Broth
Ginger Root, 1 tsp (remove)
1 cup crimini mushroom
1/2 cup Frozen green peas
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 tsp Garam Masala Indian Spice Mix

 Total Calories per serving: 241 calories

Directions

Sautee the onions in the cooking oil. Next brown the chicken on all sides for about 5-8 minutes.
Add the Masala Simmer sauce, broth, ginger root and garam masala. Simmer for at least 20 minutes.
Add the cream in slowly while stirring, then add in the mushrooms and cook for 5 minutes
Lastly, add the peas in just long enough for them to thaw and warm through, retaining their green color.

RAITA ( my version)                   

Makes 2 servings                     

Ingredients                                

1 cup fat free plain organic yogurt

1 small persian cucumber            

 sea salt                                       

fresh cracked pepper                  

3/4 tsp dried mint                        

1/2 tsp dried basil                       

       

This one is for Pru.....

KUNG PAO CHICKEN

During my first year of law school my DC Studio totaled a generous 400 square feet -- the Kitchen took up about 36 square feet!  Crazy huh?!   It was a tiny 6 feet by 6 feet, -- pretty much a sing next to a mini stove/oven. 

Yet, I managed to make use of my limited space and resources to make meals. The pleasure I got in cooking for friends and myself and the effect it had on reducing my stress levels was well worth the effort and creativity. 

One of my classmates, Pru, lived a few flights upstairs from me and toward the end of our first year we spent plenty of time studying together -- especially during finals. During one of these nights she tried my kung pao chicken and immediately thereafter begged for my recipe. This post is me making good on my promise.

So here ya go Pru!  I hope these directions serve you well :)

Ingredients

1/4 cup unpackedBrown Sugar
3/4 cup Chicken Broth,
4 tbsp Low-Sodium Soy Sauce
1 tbsp Rice Vinegar
2 1/2 tbsp Ginger Root
2 tbsp Garlic
1 cup Green onion
1/2 cup Sliced Water Chestnuts
4 oz chicken breast boneless skinless,
1/8 cup Peanuts unsalted
Pam, cooking spray

Directions

Combine the brown sugar with the chicken broth, the soy sauce, the rice vinegar, the chopped ginger and chopped garlic and end up with something like this in a separate bowl:

Then, before I begin cooking, I like prepping my vegetables which included measure out the peanuts and water chestnuts and cutting the scallions:

All together now:

Ok, so now that the prepping is complete ( I'm assuming you've washed and diced the chicken as well) we can move on to the next step.

Spray your cooking pan with some pam ( add a few dried red chilis if you are adventurous)
Once the pan is warm add in the chicken and let it brown on both sides on high heat ( hibachi style).
Next, pour the liquid into the pan  and  cover. Let the chicken simmer for at least 10-15 minutes.
Once the liquid has thickened into a sauce add the water chestnuts, peanuts and half the scallions.
Let it cook for about 2-3 minutes.

Finally, fold in the remaining scallions and serve

Anniversary Dinner and Product Reviews

Tomorrow marks our three-year anniversary (yay).... tomorrow is also the longest day of the week and I won't get out of class till 9 pm (nay...)

So, I resolved to make an anniversary dinner tonight as a gift to my fiancee.

First, came the appetizers:

THE CHEESE PLATTER:

Assorted "Entertainment Crackers" ( Whole Foods 365)

White Aged Cheddar

Brie

Triple Cream

CAPRESE

THE MAIN COURSE:

Sweet Potato Crisp

Brussel Sprouts ( Cooked in 1/2 tsp butter, 1/8 cup chicken broth)

Pan Roasted Chicken with Rosemary, Orange Glaze

Chicken with Rosemary Orange Glaze

2 Organic Chicken Breast, ( Bone-in)

1/3 cup Orange Juice

1/3 cup Chicken Broth

5 cloves garlic

1 tbsp ginger

3 sprigs fresh rosemary

1/2 Spanish onion

1 tsp olive oil

Warm the olive oil then place the chicken skin side down and let it brown for a few minutes. Meanwhile chop the onion set aside.

In a separate bowl combine the orange juice, chicken broth, minced garlic and minced ginger ( salt and pepper to taste)

After the chicken as browned for a few minutes, flip it over to skin side up, add the onion and let it cook for 4-5 minutes covered. Then add the orange broth infusion and the rosemary. Let it come to a boil then reduce to a simmer.  After 30 minutes, flip the chicken so that it is skin side down again, and cook for another 30 minutes.

Finally, take off the cover to let the remaining liquid evaporate and thicken into a glaze.

=

 HOME MADE APPLE CRISP A-LA-MODE

Makes 4 servings:

4 small granny smith apples, peeled, cored and sliced

1/4 cup raw sugar

1 tbsp flour

1/2 tsp cinammon

1/8 tsp ground clove

1/8 tsp ground cardamon

1 tsp water

TOPPING:

1/2 cup rolled oats

5 tbsp flour

2 tsp butter, melted

1/8 cup raw sugar

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp cinnamon

Combine the ingredients of the filling together and place in a loaf pan.

Melt the butter in a microwave, ad the remaining incredients and mix until it begins to clump up in little chunks. Place on top of the apples

Cook in @ 370 degrees for 40 minutes.

PRODUCT REVIEW:  Blue Diamond  Natural Pecan Nut-Thins

SHORT AND BRIEF: When I first saw it, it sounded very good and I began imagining what it would taste like.

Reality:  tiny crispy crisps with little flavor, doused with too much salt as an afterthought. The salt is literally visible!!.. I  did not like it much.  I think Blue Diamond should try putting the flavor and the salt in the cracker itself.

Brief Weekend Recap

Most of the weekend was spent working on an article.... a neverending article.  However I did manage to whip up a few meals.  Here are a few examples:

Saturday Morning Brunch was an 1 egg, +2 egg white scramble with a glass of Florida's Natural Orange Juice (best orange juice i've tried so far, honest) and two slices of Oroweat double fiber toast.

The Scramble included:

one egg

2 egg whites

some mesquite deli turkey

1 light string cheese

and a scallion

on Sunday night, I decided to whip up a healthy meal which consisted of Chicken, Barley and Asparagus:

Mushroom Barley ( adapted from a WW recipe)

1 Spanish onion
2 cups diced baby bella mushroom
1 cup pearl barley
1 tsp soy sauce
1 tbsp white wine
1 tbsp grated parmesan
3 cups chicken broth
1 tsp unsalted butter

- Sautee the diced mushroom and onion in 1 tsp of unsalted butter until onions are transparent and mushroom has softened and shrunk in size.
- Add 1 cup pearl barley, and stir into the mushrooms and onions
-Next, add the white wine
- Add 3 cups of chicken broth and bring the pot to a boil. Once it begins to boil, reduce to a simmer and cook for about 60 minutes. Stir every 20 minutes or so.
- At about 40 minutes into the cooking process, add the soy sauce and Parmesan.

Aparagus
 

12 stems of asparagus
Cooking spray ( 2 sprays)
3 cloves garlic
soy sauce

- Heat a sautee pan coated with cooking spray, add the asparagus, and 3 sliced cloves of garlic. After a couple minutes add the soy sauce to taste , stir and let it reduce. The whole process should take about 5 minutes total.

LPP Chicken

Lemon Pepper
Paprika
1 tsp Raw Sugar
1 Chicken Breast
3 cloves garlic
3 Tbsp white wine
1 /2 cup - 1 cup chicken broth

- Wash and diced the chicken breast, Coat it with lemon pepper, paprika and 1 tsp of raw sugar.
- Place in a hot pot coated with cooking spray and brown on both sides.
- Add the wine, and let the alcohol cook off.
- Next add 3 diced cloves of garlic, and chicken broth.  Let it simmer on low until the barley is done :)