Balsamic Glaze... Good with Everything!

Last night I didn't feel like cooking, but wanted something tasty. What I came up with was not only a hit for my tastebuds, but my VERY picky 8 year old daughter too. I love it when she tries something new!

Balsamic Glaze

It's simple. Balsamic vinegar + heat. Reduce the balsamic vinegar until it's thick, almost syrupy. Then you can drizzle it over just about anything. (One recipe I found even suggested ice cream...) I don't think I'm that extreme. Yet.

Pictured here is grilled chicken breast, ala George Foreman grill, cooked spinach, and roasted tomatoes. I drizzled the balsamic glaze over the whole thing. 300 calories of  'num!

To roast the tomatoes, cut roma tomatoes in half, place on parchment lined baking sheet, drizzle with a little bit of olive oil and sprinkle with rosemary. place some unpeeled garlic cloves on the baking sheet as well, the aroma is intoxicating. :) If you don't like rosemary, leave it off. As with just about anything, if you don't like it, leave it off, substitute it with something you do like. Have FUN with it!

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

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!

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.