Thursday, March 27, 2008

Almond Crusted Chicken Fingers

I know we're trying to get away from chicken fingers, but these are really good and healthy. I'm on my third day eating them--they're great leftover, and even taste good cold right from the fridge. They'd also make a great chicken sandwich.

Makes 4 servings

Canola oil cooking spray
1/2 cup sliced almonds
1/4 cup whole-wheat flour
1 1/2 teaspoons paprika
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 egg whites
1 pound chicken tenders

1. Preheat oven to 475°F. Set a wire rack on a foil-lined baking sheet and coat with cooking spray.
2. Place almonds, flour, paprika, garlic powder, dry mustard, salt and pepper in a food processor; process until the almonds are finely chopped and the paprika is mixed throughout, about 1 minute. With the motor running, drizzle in oil; process until combined. Transfer the mixture to a shallow dish.
3. Whisk egg whites in a second shallow dish. Add chicken tenders and turn to coat. Transfer each tender to the almond mixture; turn to coat evenly. (Discard any remaining egg white and almond mixture.) Place the tenders on the prepared rack and coat with cooking spray; turn and spray the other side.
4. Bake the chicken fingers until golden brown, crispy and no longer pink in the center, 20 to 25 minutes.

NUTRITION INFORMATION: Per serving: 175 calories; 4 g fat (1 g sat, 3 g mono); 65 mg cholesterol; 4 g carbohydrate; 27 g protein; 1 g fiber; 254 mg sodium; 79 mg potassium.

I made a dip of about half dijon mustard and half honey and it goes perfectly with these.

Thursday, March 13, 2008

More Soup

I've been on a soup kick lately. Here is another winner from Eating Well. I used spinach instead of escarole and great northern beans instead of cannellini beans. It's tangy and delicious. Alec ate it up--including the spinach.

Escarole & White Bean Soup



"Don't be afraid of escarole, which looks like slightly frilly romaine lettuce, because it cooks down into a sweet and tender green. If you can't find it, substitute a 10-ounce bag of spinach. Make It a Meal: Warm crusty bread and a green salad make an excellent accompaniment."


Makes 6 servings, 1 1/2 cups each

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 cup halved cherry tomatoes
1/2 cup finely chopped celery
1/2 cup finely chopped carrot
1/4 cup chopped garlic
2 teaspoons Italian seasoning or 1 tablespoon each chopped fresh basil and oregano
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
2 14-ounce cans vegetable broth or reduced-sodium chicken broth
2 15-ounce cans cannellini beans, rinsed
1 head escarole, chopped
1/2 cup freshly shredded hard Italian cheese, such as Parmesan, Romano or Asiago

Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion, tomatoes, celery, carrot, garlic, Italian seasoning and pepper and cook, stirring often, until the vegetables are beginning to soften and the onion is translucent, about 10 minutes. Add broth, bring to a simmer, and cook, stirring often, until the vegetables are tender. Stir in beans and escarole and cook, stirring often, until the escarole is just tender, about 5 minutes. Serve with a sprinkle of cheese.

NUTRITION INFORMATION: Per serving: 281 calories; 13 g fat (3 g sat, 8 g mono); 5 mg cholesterol; 38 g carbohydrate; 14 g protein; 12 g fiber; 542 mg sodium; 908 mg potassium.

MAKE AHEAD TIP: Refrigerate for up to 2 days.

Wednesday, March 5, 2008

Pork Posole

I got this recipe out of my Eating Well Healthy in a Hurry cookbook (I highly recommend it--most everything is really good). Alec ate every bite. I put some cheddar cheese and sour cream on top. Yum! The hominy has the texture of potatoes. It's delicious.

“Traditionally a long-simmered stew, this Mexican-inspired stew is quick and easy, thanks to canned hominy. Searing the pork loin in the pot before making the stew gives you a great base of flavors so the stew seems as if it indeed simmered all afternoon. Garnish with chopped cilantro and serve with warm tortillas on the side.”

Makes 6 servings, 1 1/3 cups each

1 tablespoon canola oil

3/4 pound boneless pork loin chops, trimmed of fat and diced

1 large onion, diced

2 tablespoons plus 2 cups water, divided

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 teaspoons ground cumin

2 teaspoons ground coriander

1 14-ounce can reduced-sodium chicken broth

1/4 cup cornmeal

2 15-ounce cans hominy, rinsed (see Ingredient note)

2 4-ounce cans diced green chiles

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1/4 teaspoon salt

1-2 tablespoons lime juice

1. Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add pork and cook, stirring once, until just browned on one or two sides, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer to a plate using a slotted spoon.

2. Reduce heat to medium-low; add onion and 2 tablespoons water. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is soft and golden brown and any moisture has evaporated, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in garlic, cumin and coriander and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Whisk in the remaining 2 cups water, broth and cornmeal. Bring to a simmer over high heat, stirring often. Add hominy, chiles, pepper and salt; return to a simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook, stirring often, until the onion is very soft and the mixture is thickened, about 5 minutes. Stir in lime juice to taste.

3. Return the pork and any accumulated juices to the pot; cook, stirring occasionally, until the pork is just cooked through, 1 to 2 minutes.

NUTRITION INFORMATION: Per serving: 251 calories; 7 g fat (2 g sat, 3 g mono); 34 mg cholesterol; 29 g carbohydrate; 16 g protein; 5 g fiber; 510 mg sodium; 209 mg potassium.

Ingredient Note: Hominy is white or yellow corn that has been treated with lime to remove the tough hull and germ. Dried, ground hominy is the main ingredient in grits. Canned, cooked hominy can be found in the Mexican section of large supermarkets—near the beans.

Sunday, March 2, 2008

Crustless Spinach Quiche

Either they ate it because I put dinner off 30 minutes later than usual, or it was pretty good. Or maybe it was because "Lightning McQueen" eats it. We may never know...I thought it was delicious, and Daddy seemed to like it, too. So, I suppose we could add "Stuff Our Parents Will Eat" to this one.

Compliments of allrecipes.com

Prep Time: 20 mins
Cook Time: 30 mins

INGREDIENTS

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped (I used the frozen, chopped mix that has celery, red peppers, bell peppers, etc. - major time saver)
1 (10 ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
5 eggs, beaten
3 cups shredded Muenster cheese (any cheese really - I used the pizza blend from Wal-Mart, the kind that has cheddar in it, plus a little bit of Parmesan that I had leftover. It wasn't quite 3 cups - so don't rush out to the store to buy Muenster, it really isn't necessary unless that's just the flavor you're after.)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

(I also added a can of drained mushrooms & some bacon bits - the kind that come in a bag that are more bacon-y than bitt-y, some people recommended chopped ham, but it would be just as good without it.)

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9 inch pie pan.

2. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are soft. Stir in spinach and continue cooking until excess moisture has evaporated. I put in a little salt & green tabasco here, too. Not in the recipe, but I just love that green stuff.

3. In a large bowl, combine eggs, cheese, salt and pepper. Add spinach mixture and stir to blend. Scoop into prepared pie pan.

4. Bake in preheated oven until eggs have set, about 30 minutes - possibly longer. Let cool for 10 minutes before serving.

You can mix it up beforehand and pop in the oven when you're ready. Yummy. And it's Atkins friendly! Another variation is to pour it into those mini-muffin tins, about 3/4 of the way full. Bake for 20 minutes instead, and they're great appetizers. Freeze well, too.