Cordon Bleu-ish Chicken

I love love love chicken cordon bleu, but the traditional recipe is soooooo heavy in calories and fat that it's a definite no-go when you're trying to eat healthy. So over the years I've developed my own version. Baked instead of fried, and sans sauce, but still very yummy. I also don't pound out my chicken breasts, but you can if you have the time.

Cordon Bleu-ish Chicken

Ingredients:

• PAM
• 4 medium chicken breasts, boneless and skinless, all visible fat removed
• 4 deli slices of ham (I used Black Forest ham)
• 4 deli slices of cheese (usually Swiss, but I used Provolone tonight)
• Tastefully Simple Seasoned Salt

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Spray a baking pan with PAM.
• Butterfly the chicken breasts.  (Pound them out to 1/4" thickness if you desire.)
• Open up the breasts and stuff each one with a folded slice of ham and a folded slice of cheese.
• Close up the breasts and place them in the sprayed baking pan.  Sprinkle with TSSS.
• Bake until cooked through, approximately 25-30 minutes.

Bon appetit!

Miso-Glazed Sea Bass

Fresh wild Corvina sea bass has currently been on sale at the local grocery store, so this is the 3rd week in a row we're eating it. I'm a seasonal/sale shopper. I just can't justify paying triple for something off-season, there are so many other food choices out there that it's unnecessary. If oranges aren't on sale in the summer, eat the watermelon that is. If the pork chops are full price this week, skip them and buy the sea bass that's seasonal and on sale. :-)

I made this tonight and it was oh-so-good and oh-so-easy. You can buy miso paste in the refrigerated section at most grocery stores, usually over by the tofu or other Asian items. They come in little tubs and keep for several months in the fridge. Just make sure (if you're on the South Beach Diet) to read the labels and buy the ones with no sugar added. I don't miss the sugar because I don't need my miso to be sweet, but if you like the sweetness, you could always add your own no-calorie sweetener. It's all about being aware and being in control of what you put into your body.


Miso-Glazed Sea Bass
Adapted from this recipe.

Ingredients:

• PAM
• 1 1/2 pound sea bass fillet, skinned and de-boned, cut into portions
• Tastefully Simple Seasoned Salt
• 2 tablespoons miso (white or brown, it doesn't matter, it's just taste preference)
• juice of 1 small lime
• water
• freshly-ground black pepper

Directions:

• Preheat broiler.  Spray a baking sheet lightly with PAM.
• Season one side of the fillets with the TSSS.  Place seasoned-side down onto the sprayed baking sheet.
• In a small bowl, whisk together miso and lime juice.  Add water, a little bit at a time, until you get a thick drizzle (about the consistency of pancake batter).  Add freshly-ground black pepper.
• Spoon miso mixture over the tops of the fillets.
• Place the fish 6 - 8 inches under the broiler until it is cooked through, about 8 - 10 minutes.

This is delicious accompanied with roasted veggies (cooked in the same oven at the same time).

Random Soup

I make a lot of random soups.  As in I don't have recipes for them, I just throw together whatever happens to be in my fridge and pantry.  The only constant is boxed chicken broth (I like Pacific Natural Foods brand because it's organic and free range, and it doesn't cost an arm and a leg).  I combine1 part chicken broth to 1 part water, bring to a boil, add several dashes of fish sauce, and throw in whatever else I have on hand.

Random Soup
















Today's soup includes:

• carrots
• button mushrooms
• Chinese broccoli
• sugar snap peas
• shrimp
• soba noodles

And it was so good!

Broiled Fish Fillets with Dressing

Here's a super quick and easy way to prepare fish with just two ingredients.  I even do it in my toaster oven (in a 9"x9" glass baking dish), which is great in the summer when it's already hot enough without having to fire up the big oven.

Broiled Fish Fillets with Dressing

Ingredients:

• fish fillets, de-boned and de-skinned, cut into portions (wild Corvina sea bass in the above photo)
• your favorite bottled salad dressing (Newman's Own Light Balsamic Vinaigrette in the above photo)

Directions:

• In a baking dish, pour enough dressing to coat the bottom of the dish.
• Place the fish fillets in a single layer in the dish.
• Pour more dressing over the fish to coat.  If necessary, use a spoon or pastry brush to make sure the fillets are well coated.  You don't need to pour so much dressing as to completely submerge the fish, just enough to coat it will do.
• Cover dish with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 15-30 minutes. 
• Preheat broiler.
• Broil until the fish is cooked through and nicely browned on top.  (Approximately 8-10 minutes for 1 pound of sea bass, halibut or other white fish.  Approximately 10-12 minutes for 1 pound of salmon, tuna or other firmer fish.)
• Serve over a green salad or with rice and veggies.  YUM!

I like to make this with vinaigrette-type dressings, such as Italian, Balsamic Vinaigrette, Ginger Soy, etc., although a friend of mine broils salmon with ranch dressing and swears by it.  I'd be interested in hearing (or reading?) your feedback on what fish/dressing combination you used and what you thought about it.  Tonight's combo in the above photo is wild Corvina sea bass with Newman's Own Light Balsamic Vinaigrette dressing.  Delish!

Sweet Potato Gnocchi

I love traditional gnocchi, but it's a no-no on the South Beach Diet.  White potatoes are high on the glycemic index.  But sweet potatoes, they're a go-go.  Mashed sweet potatoes, roasted sweet potatoes, sweet potato fries, and now sweet potato gnocchi.  I came across this recipe on one of my favorite Blogs:  Kath Eats Real Food.  I was immediately intrigued, so today I tested it out.  O. M. G. !!!!!  These little morsels are the BOMB!  (Am I dating myself by using the phrase "the bomb"?)

There are a few steps so it does take a little time to make, but the end result is so worth it.  My toddler gobbled a handful of them as soon as they were just marginally cool enough for her to chew, and the hubby stated that this should be put into the weekly rotation.  As in every week.  And for breakfast.  Drizzled with a bit of maple syrup.

Sweet Potato Gnocchi
Lifted directly from this recipe with very few modifications.

Ingredients:

• 2 large sweet potatoes, well baked or microwaved, cooled
• 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 egg
• 1.5 - 2 cups whole wheat flour (plus more for rolling)
• olive oil

Directions:

• Scoop the flesh out of the sweet potatoes and place into a large mixing bowl.  Discard skin.
• Add salt, cinnamon and egg and stir until well incorporated.
• Add flour, 1/2 cup at a time and mix thoroughly in between.  Continue adding flour and mixing until the dough has lost about 80% of its stickiness.  (Better to have it a little too sticky than to add too much flour because that can toughen the gnocchi.)
• The original recipe says to turn the dough ball out onto a floured surface and knead it up into a tighter ball.  However, because I don't have a functional countertop (that's a story for another day), I was limited by the size of my cutting board.  So instead of working with the entire ball of dough all at once, I floured my cutting board and scooped out heaping spoonfuls of the dough and rolled them out.  It took a bit longer to do it this way because I had about 8-10 smaller rolls, but it worked for me.
• Roll the dough out into thin tubes.  Make sure to sprinkle enough flour over the dough to keep it from sticking to your working surface and hands.
• Cut tube into 1/2 inch pieces.
• Bring a large pot of water to a boil.  Cook the dough pieces in about 4 batches so as not to overcrowd the pot.  Boil for about 5 minutes until the gnocchi float to the top.
• Remove gnocchi with a strainer and place in an ice water bath for a couple of minutes to stop the cooking.  Drain them once they're cooled.
• Heat a large non-stick pan over medium-high heat along with a tablespoon of olive oil. Sauté 1/4 of the batch of gnocchi for a few minutes until a nice brown crust forms.  (Sprinkle w/ a little bit of basil or rosemary or thyme or whatever you like.)
• Serve immediately.  

If you want to freeze some for later, you'll need to do it after boiling and draining them but before sautéing them.  Place them in a single layer on a sheet pan and freeze until solid, about an hour.  Then take the frozen bites and put them into a plastic freezer bag.  When you're ready to eat them, place the bag in the fridge to thaw for a few hours (I usually do it the night before) and then sauté as usual.

These little gems are sweet, crusty, chewy, 100% South Beach Diet legal, and 100% delicious.  Enjoy!

Pasta with Spaghetti Squash Marinara

This is a great way to add extra veggies into your diet.  I normally make this with ground turkey instead of the garbanzo beans, but today I decided to go vegetarian.  You could also add diced zucchini or frozen chopped spinach to increase the veggie intake as well as the plate color appeal.  :-)

Pasta with Spaghetti Squash Marinara
I made this one up myself based on what I had in the pantry.

Ingredients:

• 1 large spaghetti squash
• whole wheat bowtie pasta
• 1 jar no sugar added marinara sauce (I use Trader Joe's)
• 1 can (15 oz) garbanzo beans, drained
• salt & pepper (optional)
• fresh mozzarella balls, diced
• freshly grated parmesan

Directions:

• Prepare whole wheat bowtie pasta according to package instructions, to al dente.
• Using a sharp chef's knife, pierce the skin of the spaghetti squash in numerous locations.  Place in a microwave safe bowl and microwave on high for 8 - 10 minutes, turning it over halfway through.  Let sit until cool enough to handle.  Cut in half, lengthwise, and remove seeds along with the dark fibrous strands and discard.  Using a fork, scoop out the spaghetti-like strands and put them into a large sauce pan. 
• Add marinara sauce, garbanzo beans and season with salt & pepper as needed.  Toss to mix everything together.
• Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 10 minutes, tossing occasionally.
• Remove from heat and fold in the mozzarella.
• Ladle over pasta.  Top with freshly grated parmesan.

Portabellas with Marinara

Portabellas with Marinara
Adapted from this recipe.
















Ingredients:

• PAM
• Large portabella mushrooms, cleaned and de-stemmed
• Tastefully Simple Seasoned Salt
• any no sugar added jarred marinara sauce (I use Trader Joe's)
• fresh mozzarella balls (one 1 oz ball per mushroom), sliced

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
• Spray a baking sheet (or a toaster oven pan if you're doing just one!) with PAM.
• Place the mushrooms gill side up (like a shallow cup) on the sprayed pan.  Sprinkle with a little seasoned salt.  Fill with a couple spoonfuls of marinara.
• Bake in oven for 15 minutes.
• Add the mozzarella slices on top and return to oven .  Put on broil for a couple of minutes until the cheese melts.
• Serve immediately.

Impromptu Green Bean and Whatever Salad

My evening class got canceled today, YAY! Well, YAY for me, sorry for my teacher who is at home sick. :-( It's an absolutely beautiful day out, the sun is shining and it's about 72 degrees. Perfect park weather for a quick afternoon Moms' Group outing with the little tot.

I didn't feel like eating my boxed leftover lunch today, so I rummaged through the fridge and pantry to see what I had on hand. Some leftover green beans, a ripe avocado, and a box of baby heirloom tomatoes. I was debating between the pouch of tuna fish and the can of sardines. Tuna fish won out today, but I think next time I'll do the sardines. Gotta get in those weekly Omega-3s. :-)

Impromptu Green Bean and Whatever Salad
Based on whatever was in my fridge and pantry.

Ingredients:

• a handful of steamed green beans, cut into bite-size pieces
• a handful of baby heirloom tomatoes, halved or quartered
• half an avocado, diced
• some crumbled goat cheese for the tang
• a pouch of tuna fish
• Newman's Own Light Italian dressing

Directions:

• Toss everything in a bowl and eat.

YUM!

Kale Chips

You're probably thinking "Kale?  Eewww!"... but before you diss it, you've got to try it.  Seriously.  It's good!  Even my 21-month-old loves it, and here's the proof:

Kale chips are nothing like what you know kale to traditionally taste like (in stews or as a bitter mushy side dish), or what you would imagine kale to taste like if you've never had it before.  Granted, they don't taste like potato chips because, well, they're not made from potatoes.  They're made from kale, silly.  But they're light and crispy, and in this case, taste like parmesan and seasoned salt.  Not a bad combo.  And it's a quick and easy way to get in that extra serving of veggies, the especially-good-for-you leafy green type of veggie.

We devour an entire batch in one sitting, every time without fail, and that 21-month-old I mentioned above, well, she eats her fair share.

Kale Chips
Adapted from this recipe.

Ingredients:

• A giant bunch or two of green kale
• olive oil spray
• salt (your favorite seasoned brand, or, I use pink Himalayan)
• grated parmesan

Directions:

• Thoroughly wash the kale (they grow in the dirt so tend to be, well, dirty.  HA!).  Remove the thick stems and cut the kale leaves into bite-size pieces.  Dry them in a lettuce spinner or by spreading them onto a few paper towels on your kitchen counter.
• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
• Spray a baking sheet or two lightly with olive oil.
• Spread the kale out on the baking sheet(s) in a single layer.  Spray the tops lightly with olive oil.
• Sprinkle lightly with salt.
• Grate some parmesan over the whole thing, as much or as little as you like.
• Bake for 20 - 30 minutes until the kale is crispy (it may be lightly browned but should still be mostly dark green; if you get to mostly brown, or all brown, it's burned and will be very bitter). My oven has hot spots, so I like to rotate the pans halfway through the cooking time.

Be careful and watch it towards the end, there's only about a 2-minute window between crispy and burned.  After you do this the first time, you'll get a feel for how long it takes in your particular oven and won't have to hover so much towards the end.

Parmesan Crusted Red Snapper

This recipe is so simple that it's an old old staple at our house.  It can be made with red snapper, tillapia, cod, sole or basically any tender white fish.  My original recipe doesn't call for any bread crumbs, but I was a little short on parmesan today, so I combined 1 part parmesan with 1 part bread crumbs to make enough coating.  Still very good, but I prefer the un-diluted parmesan crust because it gives a stronger flavor.

Parmesan Crusted Red Snapper
I don't remember where I got this idea from, I've been making it forever.

Ingredients:

• 4 medium red snapper fillets, skinned and de-boned
• Dijon mustard
• 1 cup-ish grated parmesan (or, in today's case, 1/2 cup parmesan and 1/2 cup whole wheat bread crumbs)
• a few dashes of Tastefully Simple Seasoned Salt
• PAM

Directions

• In a shallow bowl, combine parmesan (and optional bread crumbs) with some TS Seasoned Salt.  Set aside.
• Using your hands, coat both sides of each fillet with mustard.
• Dredge fillets in the parmesan mixture.  Make sure to thoroughly coat both sides of the fish.
• Spray a frying pan with PAM and cook fillets a few minutes on each side until crust is nicely browned and fish is cooked through.  It shouldn't take very long (3-5 minutes on each side) since these types of fish are very light and tender.

Eat more fish!  :-)

3/5/12 ETA:  Today instead of cooking it in a pan, I baked it in the oven for 15 minutes on 350 degrees F.  The cheese melted into the mustard and turned into yummy gooeyness.