Healthier Chicken Marsala

I think Chicken Marsala is a fairly healthy dish, it has a good amount of protein and mushrooms are great for you. I used Emiril Lagasse's Chicken Marsala recipe but made a few changes. I added onions (also high in nutrients) before the mushrooms and sauteed them until they were translucent. I only used 1T of olive oil, 1/4 c flour, low sodium chicken broth, and I used 1/2 c of a white wine I had on hand (I guess this should be called Chicken 2 Buck Chuck) in lieu of the marsala.





I also made a whole wheat french bread that was fabulous. I used a baguette recipe and just substituted half the white flour for whole wheat. I also added 1/2 a T of brown sugar. It turned out perfectly. Also, this recipe just suggests "throwing water on the oven floor." I used a souffle dish that I use for this purpose all the time, which I think is better. Enjoy it warm out of the oven with butter and maybe a little honey. Yummy!

Easy Sunday Supper

I love Sunday supper. I feel like it should be a healthy, yet hearty meal shared with family around a dining room table. Because it's only Adam and I we usually end up sitting in front of the TV. Here is a hearty recipe, laden with vegetables, that requires no knife, so it's table or sofa friendly. It's also super easy, so you don't have to spend the last day of your weekend in the kitchen.

Chicken Stew and Dumplings

INGREDIENTS:
3 chicken breasts (You can use frozen breasts without defrosting)
4 c chicken broth at room temperature (I like low sodium, you can always add a little extar salt if needed)
1 c water
1 boullion cube
1/2 c white wine
2 T flour
2 T olive oil
4 green onions chopped
4 carrots chopped
4 celery stalks chopped
a few fresh sage and thyme leaves or 1/4 t dried sage or thyme or poultry seasoning
1 clove garlic crushed, or 1/4 t garlic powder
1/2 t ground black pepper
3 c vegetables ( chose from: corn, peas, green beans, mushrooms, broccoli, asparagus, etc.)

boxed biscuit mix and skim milk ( I like the Trader Joes Multi Grain Baking Mix, it's always good to get extra fiber)

DIRECTIONS:

In a large pot or dutch oven heat the olive oil over medium-low heat
Add the white parts and some green of the onions, reserving enough of the green for garnish
Add chopped carrots and celery and sautee for 5 minutes
Add water, wine, seasoning and chicken breasts
Reduce heat to low and cover
Cook until chicken is no longer pink in the center
Remove breasts and chop into bite size pieces and return to pot
Add in 3 cups of the broth and whatever vegetables you choose to use
Raise heat to medium and cook until vegetables are tender (about 10 mins)
Then mix the flour and remaing broth until flour is disolved and add to stew
While vegetables are cooking make 1 serving of the biscuit mix according to the box
If the stew is boiling, reduce heat, if too gentle of a simmer, raise heat
When the stew is at a nice simmer drop the biscuit mix by large T into stew
The dumplings will sink but will rise to the top
When most of the dumplings have risen give the stew a very gentle stir
Reduce heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes

Serve in bowls with crusty bread to sop up the creamy sauce

Enjoy

Cheese of the Goat

Adam, my husband, was at home today, for once, so I had to come up with 3 meals on the fly. I was able to come up with french toast for breakfast from a leftover demi baguette. Lunch was more difficult, it seemed like I was missing main ingredients of everything I craved. I always have basic staples on hand but wanted something different. I remembered I had some chevre and that got the ball rolling.

Beet & Chevre Salad with Mediterranean Grilled Chicken

SALAD
4 cups baby greens
1 sm can sliced beets
1 sm log chevre sliced
1/4 cup chopped pecans

DRESSING
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
3/4 cup olive oil
2 t brown sugar
1 T chopped garlic or 1 t garlic powder
1/2 t salt
1/2 t freshly ground black pepper

CHICKEN
4 boneless chicken breasts
1 t garlic powder
1 t lemon pepper
1 t chopped or dried basil
salt to taste
cooking spray

DIRECTIONS
Prepare dressing by placing all ingredients in blender for 1 minute, set aside
Assemble salad in separate dishes, layer greens sliced beets and sliced goat cheese
Season chicken and place in greased grill pan or frying pan on medium
Cook for 5 minutes on each side, or until cooked through
Slice chicken and add onto salad
Sprinkle pecans on each dish and add dressing to taste

Makes 4 Servings

This is so good and so good for you! Beets are one of those vegetables that everyone needs to incorporate into their diet.

POULET A LA CREME

First off, I have to give credit to Daniel Boulud. This is his recipe that I adapted to my own tastes. The main difference is that I don't use the butter or cream that his recipe calls for, instead I use yogurt, skim milk and cream cheese. I imagine you could sub in soy milk as well. I also like less fat in general so instead of using a whole chicken I used breasts. But you can use pork chops, turkey, or even Morningstar Farms® Meal Starters™ as a vegetarian option.

You can also make it into a stew by adding carrots, greenbeans or any combo of veggies.

This is like heaven to me. Not only is it fairly healthy, but it's a versatile meal as well and it has all those comforting flavors. And one pot cooking is so great, especially for people like me with no dishwasher

INGREDIENTS:

4 large chicken breasts
2 T light margerine
cooking spray
1 medium onion, chopped
20-30 button or crimini mushrooms, cleaned
2 T flour
1 1/2 cups white wine
2 1/2 cups chicken or veggie broth
1/2 cup skim milk
1/2 cup nonfat yogurt
1/2 cup light cream cheese, softened
salt and pepper to taste

Herbs:

Daniel suggests putting them in a sachet made from a cheesecloth to infuse the flavor. I'm a lazy cook so I put it right in the sauce. It was still beautifully flavored. I also used what I had fresh in the garden or on hand, including some dry rosemary. So you can be a little creative.

1 clove garlic
1t thyme
1 bay leaf
1 t parsley
1t tarragon
+ extra for garnish


DIRECTIONS:


If you choose to do the sachet, tie it up and set it aside.
Season chicken with S&P
Heat a large pot to medium
Spray with cooking spray
Add chicken breasts and cook until lightly browned
Reduce heat to medium low
Add margerine and onions
Cook for 5 minutes stirring occassionally until onions become close to translucent
Add mushrooms and cook for 5 more minutes stirring occacionally
Sprinkle flour over mixture and stir until dissolved (about 5 minutes)
Stir wine into mix and simmer until the liquid reduce by half
Add broth and sachet or herbs
Reduce heat to low and cover and simmer for 20-25 minutes
Remove chicken and sachet
The sauce should be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, if not reduce further
Mix milk, yogurt and cream cheese and add to sauce
Bring to a soft boil 1-2 minutes, medium to medium-high heat
Return chicken to pot for 3-5 minutes until heated through

Serve on top of brown rice