Taking on fried chicken and mashed potatoes

A while ago I asked my facebook friends to give me ideas on things they make that they'd like to make healthier. I think I have a hit here. Tonight I made a classic chicken dinner. I took on fried chicken (typically anywhere from 340 to 510 calories per breast(, and mashed potatoes (weighing in at 174 to 365 calories in a cup)

This chicken is coated in crushed cashews and baked to perfection (just ask my picky-eating daughter, she loved it!) That alone was worth the entire experience, finding a healthy food that she likes is always a plus. I know you're wondering how many calories... well, it's 264 calories for a 4 ounce breast. wahoo!

Cashew Crusted Chicken Breast

• 3/4 cup roasted unsalted cashews
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1 tsp salt
• (4) 4 oz boneless skinless chicken breasts

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Place cashews in food processor and pulse until fine crumbs/powder is formed. Add the seasonings and mix well. Rinse the chicken breasts but don't dry them, dredge them in the cashew "flour" and place on aluminum foil lined baking sheet. You may also want to spray the foil with non stick cooking spray, just to make sure your coating doesn't stick.
Bake in oven for 20-25 minutes, turning once, until chicken is done and coating is golden brown. I turned on the broiler for the last 5 minutes or so, just to make sure I got a good crispy coating.

A low calorie, waiste conscious potato? Nah, throw out the potato and replace it with cauliflower! Yes, cauliflower. This version is only 60 calories per serving! You can add milk and butter to yours if you choose to, and that would make each serving appx. 116 calories, and 80 of those calories will be from fat.

Mashed Cauliflower

1 large head cauliflower
2 cups water
2 tsp chicken base
salt and pepper to taste

Cut cauliflower into cook-able (is that a word?) sized pieces. place in pot with water and chicken base and boil until done. Drain off the liquid, but reserve it so you can use some of it to get the consistency you want for your mashed cauliflower. Using an immersion blender, puree the cauliflower until it's the consistency of mashed potatoes. Season to taste.

I finished off this meal with a tossed salad, use whatever veggies you have on hand. I used romaine, salad savoy, zuchinni, cucumber, and tomato. I topped it off with this yummy dressing

Honey Balsamic Dressing

1/2 T. balsamic vinegar
1/2 T. honey
salt and pepper

combine all ingredients, warm in the microwave appx. 10 seconds in the microwave, mix together well.

Enjoy your dinner!

Healthy-fied Chicken Enchiladas

I'm not sure why it is I didn't share this recipe on the blog a week ago, but it slipped by... So here it is today. I know of at least one friend who tried it and her hubby loved it, so give it a try tonight!

Ingredients

• 2 lbs boneless chicken breast
• juice of 3 limes
• 7 anaheim chiles roasted and skins removed
• 1 jalapeno roasted and skin removed
• 1/2 large onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic chopped
• 1 package fat free cream cheese
• 1 large can green enchilada sauce
• 1 package shredded fat free cheese
• 16 small corn tortillas *

Directions:
1. place chicken breasts and lime juice in crock pot, cook on high until done (about 3 hours) (or you could cook it how ever you wanted really, just don't use oil! ) remove chicken from crock pot, and shred. (this can also be done a day or two in advance, so it's a great way to have good protien on hand) place in a large bowl, you'll be adding other ingredients to this.
2. Roast the peppers until skin is blackened, place in a plastic bag and allow to sweat, once they are cool enough to handle, remove the skins, seed and chop. (I suppose you could use canned green chiles but where's the fun in that?)
3. Saute the onion and garlic in some non stick cooking spray, add onion, garlic, green chiles and cream cheese to the chicken and combine well.
4. Warm the green enchilada sauce on the stove, microwave the tortilla shells until soft (I usually wet a paper towel and wrap them in it to microwave.
5. spoon a couple of table spoons of mixture into each tortilla and roll. Place in a baking dish kinda close together.
6. once all shells are filled put a thin layer of the enchilada sauce on top. Then top with any remaining filing. Cover the filling with the remaining sauce.
7. Top the whole thing with the fat free cheddar cheese and bake at 350 until warmed through and the cheese is melted.

* Watch labels on corn tortillas, buy the smaller size, and don't go over about 40 calories per tortilla. The Mission brand stone ground ones are great.

8 Servings
320 calories - 58 from fat

Lemon Oregano Chicken With Greek Quinoa Salad

First, a huge thank you to my friend Darin for sharing the quinoa recipe with me. I'm going to post the recipe as he he did with my notations to the side. I REALLY enjoyed this salad, and think it will be even better after a night in the refrigerator. My 2 year old loved it too, I'm so excited that he likes kalamata olives!

Greek Quinoa SaladIngredients:

3 cups vegetable stock or water  (I used water, and only 2 cups)
1 ½ cups quinoa, uncooked (reduced amount to 1 cup)
¼ cup apple cider vinegar
1 clove garlic, minced
Juice from one lemon
3 T olive oil (only used 1 1/2 tbsp)
½ cup kalamata olives (chopped)
1/3 cup fresh itilian parsley, chopped
1/3 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1 red onion, diced (optional) - (I used 1/2 of a large one)
1 cup cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
½ cup chopped artichoke hearts (optional) (do add these, the NOT marinated kind, they are delicious!)
½ cucumber diced, (optional)
½ cup yellow bell pepper (optional) (I didn't use the yellow pepper, this had more to do with $ than with taste)
½ cup red bell pepper (optional)
½ cup feta cheese (use the reduced fat kind, it still tastes just as good, and I like feta so I used a whole 6 oz container)
Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:
In a medium-large saucepan, cook the quinoa in vegetable stock for 15-20 minutes, until tender, stirring occasionally. Set aside and cool.
In a small bowl, whisk together the vinegar, lemon juice, garlic, and olive oil.
Gently toss the cooled quinoa together with the remaining ingredients, except feta. Pour the olive oil mixture over the salad and gently fold in. Salt and pepper to taste. Add Feta cheese. Eat!
Prepared as I did this made (8) 1 cup servings, 205 calories, 75 calories from fat

Lemon Oregano Chicken

(4) 4 oz boneless skinless chicken breasts
Juice of 3 lemons
2 T chopped fresh oregano
1 T honey
1/2 Tbsp olive oil

Place chicken in plastic zip lock bag, or other marinating container. Mix lemon juice oregano honey and oil and pour over chicken. It may help to heat the honey somewhat so that it mixes in more easily. Let the chicken marinade in this solution for at least 20 minutes, or up to overnight in the refrigerator. Place chicken breasts in heated non stick skillet and cook until juices run clear. This would also be excellent on the grill!

4 servings, 161 calories, 58 from fat

Rosemary Grilled Tuna Steaks with Eggplant and Zucchini

So, I love Rachael Ray. Ok, in all honesty, I love most of the chefs from food network. Tonights dinner was a slight modification of this recipe: http://www.rachaelray.com/recipe.php?recipe_id=492

What modifications? I left out most of the olive oil of course. Only 1 Tbsp. when I was cooking the onions. I used dried Thyme instead of fresh (I just didn't have it on hand) and that was it. I grilled the tuna on my George Foreman Grill. I love that thing! I just wish the plates would come off for easier washing.

Initially I was going to wage war on my local grocery store. I went to the seafood counter, only to find absolutely no tuna. Nothing in the frozen section either. I may as well just mention here too, that I found it amusing? irritating? disheartening? to see that almost all of the frozen fish selections are battered/breaded and deep fried. We REALLY need to rethink the way we nourish our bodies!

Anyway, here's a pic of dinner: I liked it, thought it was tasty, and  it turned out pretty good. And, what I know you all want to know 4 servings per recipe, done my way 281 calories. 49 calories from Fat.

Banana Cookies

yield: 24 cookies
350 degreesn 15 minutes

1/2 cup butter
1 cup splenda
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup mashed bananas
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 pinch salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon cloves
1 cup chocolate chips

Cream together the butter and splenda, add the egg and vanilla. Add the baking soda to the banana and let it fizz a bit, then add it to the butter mixture. Combine the dry ingredients and mix into the wet stuff just until it's combined then fold in the chips. BTW, you can eliminate 25 calories per cookie by taking out the chips, but who wants to do that? Drop them by spoonfuls onto parchment lined cookie sheet, bake, and enjoy!
I'm going to try this recipe again, but I'm going to use Xylitol. It's got so many more health benefits etc... I'll let you know how it goes.

Mmmm... Garlic

and ginger and shrimp! oh my! Make this for dinner! I served it over quinoa, delicious! I even splurged and added some fat.

Garlic Ginger Shrimp and Veggies

1/2 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp butter
2 cloves garlic minced
1 tsp ginger finely chopped or grated
1 small onion chopped
6 oz broccoli cut into small florettes
9 oz asparagus cut in 1 inch dice
35 medium shrimp
salt and pepper
Heat the pan over medium heat, add olive oil and butter. When warm add the garlic, and ginger, cook about 20 seconds, just until the aromatics are released, then add the onion, broccoli and asparagus. *note* I weighed the asparagus and broccoli just because I could. The asparagus was just some I had left over. The broccoli was the tops from one head. Cook the vegetables until crisp tender, add the shrimp and cook until done. Salt and pepper to taste.

3 servings
170 calories
45 calories from fat

Served over 1/2 cup cooked quinoa adds another 100 calories. 270 calories for a delicious meal, now that's what I'm talking about!

Fresh Orange Chicken

3 tbsps soy sauce
Juice of 4 oranges
32 oz boneless, cooked, skinless chicken breast
1 tsp ginger
1/2 tbsp wok oil
2 cloves garlic minced

Directions

1. cut chicken breasts into bite size pieces, mix other ingredients except oil and pour over the chicken. let marinade for at least 20 minutes
2. put oil in hot pan, heat, add chicken and marinade, cook til all liquid is gone and chicken begins to brown.

4 oz. = 216 calories

Serve with stir fried or steamed vegetables brown rice or even better, quinoa!

Bacon and Butternut Squash Goodness

Start with the side:

Bacon Spinach Saute

4 thick slices bacon
1 bunch spinach
1 large whole tomato cut in large chunks
2 wedges yield lemon juice
 seasoned salt to taste

cook the bacon until very crispy, remove from pan, let cool and crumble. pour off all of the bacon fat, but do not wipe out the pan.

In the meantime, wash and trim the spinach, and coursely chop if desired. Add to the hot pan and saute until it just starts to wilt. Add the tomatoes and cook until warmed through. Season with seasoned salt. Serve with the lemon wedge.

The lemon really brings out the great flavors in this easy side dish! SO delicious!

(2) 187 calorie servings

Move on to the Soup/Main course: ( I had 1.5 servings tonight it was sooo good.)

Butternut squash soup

2 lbs butternut squash (two squash, cubed)
1/2 large onion coursely chopped
1 clove garlic
2 cups chicken broth

boil these together, drain off 1/2 the liquid once veggies are soft (reserve to be added back in to thin out the soup as needed) puree these ingredients with a stick blender.

Then add:

1/4 t. cayenne

1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 cup buttermilk
salt to taste

Mix well to combine and serve.

(6) 96 calorie servings

Quinoa Love

Quinoa Spinach Frittata

■3 cups cooked red quinoa (can use the regular quinoa, i just happened to use the red)
■1/2 cup parmesan (i used the finely grated topping stuff)
■1/2 cup grated mozzarella
■3 large eggs
■3 large egg white
■1/4 tsp leaves oregano
■1/2 tsp pepper
■1/2 tsp salt
■1 clove garlic
■5 large spring onions
■1 bunch spinach

seasonings are approximate, use to your taste

Directions

Cook 1 cup quinoa in 2 cups water (this makes 3 cups cooked quinoa)saute the onions in pan w/non stick spray. add garlic and spinach, cook until wilted, add seasoned salt and oregano remove from heat, add quinoa and parmesan. beat the eggs together then add to the quinoa mixture. pour everything into 2 qt casserole dish sprayed with non-stick spray. top with mozzarella cheese. bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes and cheese is melted.



(6) 215 calorie servings
81 calories from fat

Healthier Creamy Chicken Enchiladas

2 lbs boneless chicken breast
juice of 3 limes
7 anaheim chiles roasted and skins removed
1 jalapeno roasted and skin removed
1/2 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic chopped
1 package fat free cream cheese
1 large can green enchilada sauce
1 package shredded fat free cheese
16 small corn tortillas *

Directions:
1. place chicken breasts and lime juice in crock pot, cook on high until done (about 3 hours) (or you could cook it how ever you wanted really, just don't use oil! ) remove chicken from crock pot, and shred. (this can also be done a day or two in advance, so it's a great way to have good protien on hand) place in a large bowl, you'll be adding other ingredients to this.
2. Roast the peppers until skin is blackened, place in a plastic bag and allow to sweat, once they are cool enough to handle, remove the skins, seed and chop. (I suppose you could use canned green chiles but where's the fun in that?)
3. Saute the onion and garlic in some non stick cooking spray, add onion, garlic, green chiles and cream cheese to the chicken and combine well.
4. Warm the green enchilada sauce on the stove, microwave the tortilla shells until soft (I usually wet a paper towel and wrap them in it to microwave.
5. spoon a couple of table spoons of mixture into each tortilla and roll. Place in a baking dish kinda close together.
6. once all shells are filled put a thin layer of the enchilada sauce on top. Then top with any remaining filing. Cover the filling with the remaining sauce.
7. Top the whole thing with the fat free cheddar cheese and bake at 350 until warmed through and the cheese is melted.

* Watch labels on corn tortillas, buy the smaller size, and don't go over about 40 calories per tortilla. The Mission brand stone ground ones are great.

8 Servings

320 calories - 58 from fat

Moving In.

Hey folks, thanks for dropping in. I'm going to be moving all of my food related posts from allthingslish.blogspot.com to this new food focuzed blog. I hope you enjoy it. Of course, feedback is always welcome!

Lemon Basil Quinoa

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 medium onion chopped
• 8 medium mushrooms sliced
• 3 cups cooked quinoa
• 4 tbsps basil chopped
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 lemon yields lemon juice
• 1/4 tsp lemon zest

Saute the onion and mushrooms in the olive oil, add the quinoa, basil, salt, lemon juice and zest (for less lemon flavor omit the zest) heat through.

6 servings
117 calories 35 from fat.

I served this tonight with 3.5 oz grilled chicken breast and 10 grilled asparagus spears.  The entire meal was 334 calories.