Saturday Night Healthy

Greek Cinnamon Chicken
Originally uploaded by kellik

As posted previously, I'm making changes around diet and exercise that will have long term payoff. However, I'm not interested in sacrificing flavor. I used the Weight Watchers program successfully several years ago and still have one of their cookbooks. I didn't use it often as I had hoped because I was disappointed by the number of recipes that used prepared ingredients.

I did find the following 392 calories per serving recipe in their Simply the Best 250 Prizewinning Family Recipes from 1997. The additional of white wine, bay leaf and cinnamon stick really add to depth of flavor in this dish. My kitchen smelled divine.

Greek Cinnamon Chicken
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 onions, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
Six 4 oz. skinless boneless chicken thighs
14.5 oz can diced tomatoes (no salt added)
1/4 cup dry white wine (I used chardonnay)
2 bay leaves
1 cinnamon stick
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp coarsely ground black pepper
1/4 tsp salt
6 cups hot cooked couscous

1. In a large nonstick skillet, heat the oil. Add the onions and garlic; cook , stirring as needed, until softened, about 5 minutes.

2. Add the chicken, tomatoes, wine, bay leaves, cinnamon stick, ground cinnamon, pepper and salt; bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, stirring as needed, until the chicken is cooked through, about 30 minutes Discard the bay leaves and cinnamon stick. Serve the couscous, topped with a piece of chicken and sauce.

Serves 6.

Heart Healthy for V-Day

Nearly 7 years ago I clipped a recipe from O magazine for Chilean Seafood Stew. I tucked it away in a plastic sleeve in a three ring binder where I keep all the recipes I cut out and want to try. I'd pull it out and look at it occasionally but it wasn't until this Valentine's Day that I gave it a whirl.

On Friday my doctor told me I could lose 10-15 pounds before my next visit with her. I'd started an exercise plan prior to that. She told me that research states that those who keep a food diary do better with weight loss than those that don't. It was then that she recommended a free website for tracking exercise and nutrition, SparkPeople.

Let's say I was looking for a high protein, special and tasty way to show my Valentine that I loved him. This recipe is easy and every bit as delicious as I thought it might be when I clipped it all those years ago. I served this with Toasted Head chardonnay and a cheese course that included sharp cheddar, smoked Gouda and manchego. Dessert included handmade (by me) white chocolate-cinnamon hearts and a chocolate babka.

Chilean Seafood Stew

• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 medium yellow onion , sliced
• 1 yellow bell pepper , sliced
• 1 orange bell pepper , sliced
• 1 red bell pepper , sliced
• 4 cloves garlic , finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon chopped jalapeno
• 1 cup white wine
• 1 cup bottled or frozen clam juice
• 1 can (28 ounces) whole tomatoes in juice (I used tomatoes from my garden I canned over the summer)
  
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 lime , juiced, plus 2 limes, quartered
• 2 pounds Chilean sea bass , cut into 2-inch pieces
• 1 pound medium shrimp , peeled
• 1 cup whole cilantro leaves , chopped
• 4 scallions , chopped
• Corn or flour tortillas , warmed

Directions

In a large Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over a medium-high flame. Sauté the onions until they begin turning brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Toss in the bell peppers and cook an additional 3 minutes. Add the garlic, jalapeño, wine, clam juice, tomatoes, bay leaf, and lime juice (1/4 cup). Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer for 15 minutes.

Add the sea bass and the shrimp and continue cooking 5 minutes, until the shrimp are opaque. Remove from heat, discard the bay leaf, and stir in the cilantro and scallions. Serve with lime wedges and tortillas.

Product Review: Silicone Egg Poachers

I love the clean, pure egg taste of poached eggs but never can quite get the egg to stay together in the simmering water. I usually end up with small strings of egg white floating throughout the water like old rags along with a blob that is the rest of the egg. I've tried hard plastic microwave egg poachers but the taste and texture of the egg isn't the same.

About a month ago I ordered a pair of silicone egg poachers from King Arthur Flour's website. With a bit of practice they do a good job. Using a piece of paper toweling, I lightly coat the interior of each silicone cup with butter. Then crack an egg in each and gently place them in simmering water. On my first try the egg didn't seem to be cooking after several minutes so I placed a lid on the pan. The lid helped cook the egg but I ended up with a great deal of condensation in each egg cup and, consequently, the eggs were watery. On my second try I just waited a bit longer and after six minutes or so the eggs were perfect. They come up out of the cups easily by running a small spatula around the edge. The cups clean well with soap and water.

A- for extended cooking time

Chicken Every Sunday

Cardamom Chicken
Originally uploaded by kellik

Here's an easy and impressive chicken dish that seems like you spent loads of time. I paired this Middle Eastern influenced dish with an Indian inspired rice pilaf. The flavors are complementary and work great together. Don't be scared away by the saffron threads in the pilaf. Saffron is widely considered the most expensive spice on earth and somewhat difficult to find. That said, I've been able to find it at my local supermarket.

The warm spiciness of each dish goes well with a green salad or sauteed spinach. Both recipes come from a go-to cookbook from Food and Wine, Quick from Scratch Herbs & Spices Cookbook. It was holiday gift several years ago and every dish is a winner.

Cardamom Chicken
4 chicken leg quarters
1 tablespoon olive oil
ground cardamom
salt
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 tablespoon butter, cut into 4 pieces
1. Heat oven to 450 degrees. Coat the chicken with 1 T. of oil and season with 1/2 tsp cardamom, 1/2 tsp salt and the pepper. Put the chicken in a roasting pan and top each leg with a piece of butter. Roast until the chicken is just done, about 30 minutes.

Saffron Rice with Almonds and Raisins
1 1/2 cup basmati or other fragrant rice
2 1/4 cups water
1 cinnamon stick, broken in half
5 cloves
2 bay leaves
1/4 tsp crumbled saffron threads
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons butter, softened
1/4 cup sliced almonds 1/4 cup raisins or currants
Rinse the rice until the water runs clear. Put the rice in a medium saucepan with water, cinnamon stick, cloves, bay leavees, saffron and salt. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to love, and cook, covered for 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and let sit, without removing the lid, for 10 minutes. With a fork, gently stir in the butter, almonds and raisins.

Candy Candy

Heart Shaped Candy
Originally uploaded by kellik

I'm what is often-described as a Holiday Person. Some people find this charming and others roll their eyes. I think it goes back to the way my mom always did something fun, even for minor holidays. Is Valentine's Day a minor holiday? Depends on who you ask.

Today, a week or so before Valentine's Day, I made some molded heart candies. Ingredients included Merckens white chocolate, Wilton candy flavoring (cinnamon) and candy coloring and crushed peppermint stick.

NOTE: You must used oil- based flavorings and colors when working with melted chocolate. Using a traditional oil based food coloring or flavoring will cause your chocolate to harden. You can find these colors and flavorings online and at kitchen and craft stores.

Easy recipe:
Melt the white chocolate in a glass bowl placed inside a pan of water simmering on the stove. You can also use a double boiler. Once melted, divide out the amount you want another color and/or flavor. I really like the mellow taste of the vanilla-y white chocolate and warm cinnamon. Use a mold to create the shapes you desire. Let them cool completely before trying to unmold. I cool my candy on the porch off my kitchen so I can keep the process moving.

As the picture shows, the candies aren't completely perfect in shape but the beauty of that is that they are homemade. I'll place two or three in a small candy bag and give to friends and family has a quick Valentine's gift.

Weeknight Special Chicken

Special chicken
Originally uploaded by kellik

Rick and I have taken to calling this quickly-thrown-together-from-items in-the-pantry-crispy-and-delicious dinner item Special Chicken.

To make:

1 pkg boneless, skinless chicken thighs, breasts or tenders (the photo shows thighs which I prefer, they are more flavorful)

2 cups panko

1/4 to 1/2 stick melted butter

Melt butter in a wide shallow bowl. Dip chicken pieces in bowl of butter then dip in panko on plate. Place in foil lined baking sheet or large glass casserole. Bake at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes.

Simple, complimentary sides include baked sweet potatoes, couscous, green salad, roasted green beans.

Eating Turkey Eggs

Turkey egg
Originally uploaded by kellik

Turkey eggs are about twice the size of chicken eggs and have beautiful speckled shells with a light pink interior. The shells are much denser and can be difficult to crack.

A former colleague now has her own farm and sells both chicken and turkey eggs. Nature's Heritage Farm sells both eggs. She had a surplus of turkey eggs at one point and I decided to give them a try at a reduced price. We're were quickly hooked. I prepared them fried, poached and hard boiled and one will replace two chicken eggs in any recipe. The size makes a perfect serving of egg. And make a particularly nice fried egg sandwich.

They taste the same as chicken eggs and have the following nutritional value:

One turkey egg contains 135 calories, compared to the 71 in a large chicken egg. It provides 9 g of fat with 3 g saturated. A turkey egg has 11 g of protein and just 1 g of carbohydrates. A turkey egg provides 9 percent of the recommended dietary allowance for vitamin A, based on 2,000-calorie diet. Vitamin A is important to vision health. One egg also contains several B vitamins, which are important to metabolism and red blood cell functioning. Consume 6 percent of the RDA for thiamin, 22 percent for riboflavin, 5 percent for vitamin B-6, 14 percent for folate, 22 percent for vitamin B-12 and 15 percent pantothenic acid in one egg.
Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/article/355628-the-nutritional-analysis-of-turkey-eggs/#ixzz1ClbN8LrZ

However, the average turkey egg has about three times the amount of cholesterol as a chicken egg and more than the daily recommended amount of total cholesterol.

Turkey eggs are not widely sold because of the high demand for turkey meat from large factory farms. However, you may be able to purchase them from a local CSA or farmer.