Gastronomous

Want rich, comfort food that will not make you feel guilty?  Thy this quick and easy an seared dish. It takes 30 minutes to make and only uses one pan. But don’t let that fool you:  the rich, meaty tomatoes and fresh garlic flavor the chicken as in Napoli and pack a quite satisfying punch.

Serve over a bed  whole wheat pasta for a wholesome treat. Serve over roasted potatoes or brown rice for a gluten- free version of this meal. Enjoy!

Ingredients: (for 2)

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 large paste tomato, or 2 Roma tomatoes coarsely chopped
1 large garlic clove, minced
3 Tbls olive oil
1 Tbls red chile oil
2 Tbls balsamic vinegar

In a large sauté pan, heat the oils and the vinegar. Add the chicken breasts and sear on each side till almost cooked (about 2 minutes per side). Turn the heat off and add the garlic, stir and let cook for 30 seconds add the tomatoes. Stir to coat the chicken well and serve immediately.

This dish serves well atop of Fettuccini Alfredo.

*Cooking Tip: You can use frozen chicken tenderloins for this recipe.

I love chicken wings, but was looking for a more “figure-friendly” version. So I asked myself  why not try making my very own by baking them? I had to find  the right combination of technique and ingredients that would give taste and crispiness to satisfy the most demanding palates (not interested in their figure) . After many tries… here it is!

They can be make with fresh or frozen chicken; if using frozen increase cooking time by 15 mins (total) . For a low-carb version, use a low carb sweetener instead of sugar. The best part is that you have the freedom of making the wings as hot or as mild as you like, even within the same batch!

Enjoy with celery sticks and blue cheese dressing, or whip up a batch of honey-mustard sauce.

Ingredients: (4 to 6 servings)

5 lbs chicken wing sections
salt, pepper and or seasoning to your taste
1/4 cup vegetable oil such as canola oil
1/2 stick of butter
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
2 Tbls sugar or artificial sweetener
Hot sauce to your taste

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Salt, pepper and or condiment chicken wings, place on a baking tray and cook in the oven for 15 minutes. Turn wings over once and let cook for another 10 minutes or until wings are brown.

In large sauté pan, melt the butter and slowly incorporate the vinegar and the sweetener. Add hot sauce to taste, start with a tablespoon and remember to taste often. Once the sauce is to your desired heat incorporate 1/4 the wings, turn to coat with the sauce, let cook for a minute and remove with thongs. Incorporate another batch and repeat the operation.
Serve immediately with celery sticks and blue cheese dressing. Enjoy!

As much as we try, eventually cold and flu season catches up with us. We are miserable,
our taste buds are numb and congestion is …there. What to do?
Have some chicken soup! Not the canned abomination loaded with sodium, the other type!

This recipe was created to maximize benefits of its cold fighting/soothing ingredients.
It also happens to taste delicious!

Ingredients ( makes 4 cups):

2 green onions, both white and green part chopped
4 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
1 carrot chopped into pea size bits
1/4 cup frozen peas
2 Tbls chopped frozen spinach
1/2 cup roasted chicken breast chopped
2 cups water or chicken broth
1/4 cup whole wheat angel hair pasta
2 Tbls olive oil
Salt and Pepper to taste
a dash of hot sauce ( or to taste)
2 tsp lime juice

In a small pot with a lid, heat the oil over medium high heat and saute the onions, add the carrots and cook till they are tender (about 3 minutes), add the garlic, the chicken and mix Salt and pepper to taste, then add the water with the hot sauce. Once it gets to a simmer, add the frozen peas, spinach and angel hair; let it get to a low simmer again, turn off the heat and cover. Let stand for 5 minutes. This allows just enough to time to cook the pasta al dente , and keep the peas and spinach a bright green
Taste one more time and adjust for salt and pepper ( Remember: if you are congested, your taste-buds are not A-OK).
Ladle into a bowl and add a touch of the lime juice.
Enjoy with grated parmesan cheese and crackers .

Viva la diet!!!! This is a great salad that is satisfying and figure-friendly and is ready in a cinch!

It combines the sharpness of dark mixed greens with the sweetness of grape tomatoes and the bouquet of savory vinaigrette. Can be served as lunch or as an appetizer.

Makes two hearty portions that brown bag very well.

Ingredients:

4 cups of mixed greens or flat leaf lettuce
1 cup grape tomatoes
2 half chicken breast chopped
2 cloves garlic peeled
stripped leaves of 1 spring fresh rosemary
6 Tbsp. olive oil
2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
Fresh ground pepper to taste

Heat 2 Tbsp of the olive oil in a heavy skillet, toss in the rosemary leaves and the garlic cloves and stir. Add the chicken and let cook. The oil will now infuse the chicken with flavor. Meanwhile, toss the mixed greens in a bowl with the remaining oil and vinegar till all leaves are evenly coated, assemble the mixture on the serving plates. Place the tomatoes and the cooked chicken, ground pepper and serve immediately.

This is a wonderful dish to serve as an appetizer, or as a light lunch and it “brown bags”  very well!

Make up to two days ahead for a party and chill in plastic covered trays. We tried many chicken salad recipes but they were all bland once placed in the tomatoes.  

Finally, we tried it ” california style” with fresh red grapes and it was PERFECT! . Grapes not in season? Try using California raisins instead , you will still get the hint of sweetness to the salad that makes it satisfying and unique.

The recipe is great for using “less than perfect”  tomatoes; once the salad is in they will look scrumptious !

Ingredients:

8 medium size tomatoes

For The Salad:
2 cups cooked chicken breast, finely chopped
1 cup California seedless grapes, quartered
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
1 tablespoon chopped shallot
1 cup canola oil mayonnaise
Salt & pepper to taste

Mix the chicken with the rest of the ingredients, remember to taste for salt & pepper before adding the mayo. Let it rest in the fridge for 30 to 45 minutes so the flavors blend.
Meanwhile, cut the tops off the tomatoes and remove the core. Turn the tomatoes upside down to drain any remaining liquid ( about 15 minutes).
Fill the tomatoes with the mix and return to the fridge for 10 minutes or until chilled . Serve over a bed of mixed greens or white rice salad Click here to see recipe for Tuscan Rice Salad .