Sunday: Tuscan Chicken

We are elbows deep in a rainy summer right now; I am hoping to have nice enough weather to be able to grill some chicken, but just in case, I am going to throw in one of my favourite chicken and tomato dishes. Plus I love using chicken thighs, although I hate de-boning them so I cheat and buy the ones that are already done. Does anyone else think of that cartoon by Gary Larson "Boneless Chicken Ranch" whenever you see that description? I do, but I am probably a bad person.

1 lb chicken thighs, boneless and skinless
1 tsp olive oil
1 medium onion, sliced
2 red, yellow or orange peppers, sliced
2 garlic cloves, crushed
14 oz can diced tomatoes
2/3 c white wine (or chicken stock if you aren't into intoxicating minors)
1 tsp oregano
15-oz can cannellini (white kidney) beans
Salt, pepper

Prep! Slice your onions and peppers thinly, trim the fat off the chicken. Drain and rinse your beans. I wouldn't crush your garlic in advance, though, messy and you want all the flavour in your pan. I am going to be ricing my tomatoes because the original recipe called for passata, and I can't find that nowheres. Should you have a food mill or potato ricer, feel free to press your diced tomatoes the same way, even a fine mesh sieve would work. Just push through the mesh and voila! Or just used diced and don't do anything to them, it will just be a little more chunky.

Heat the oil, season your chicken with salt and pepper; cook until golden on both sides, about 4-5 minutes per side.

Flaaaavour

Remove the chicken from the pan, set aside and keep warm. Add the peppers and onions to the pan, cook until almost softened, about 3 minutes.

Now crush your garlic! Add it to the pan, cook for just one more minute. Just one!

Right about now your kitchen starts smelling amazing

Pour in the wine or chicken stock, scrape up all the awesome brown bits on the bottom. Return the chicken and add in the diced tomatoes, oregano, salt and pepper to taste. I always feel uncomfortable when I read "season to taste" in a situation like this, because I certainly don't dig tasting sauce that has half-raw chicken in it and cold tomatoes. What I mean in this situation is sprinkle some on, taste it in 10 or 15 minutes and adjust as needed.

Bring to a boil, then simmer at low heat for 30-35 minutes, until the sauce is reduced somewhat and the chicken is cooked through. Flip the chicken halfway through.

Add in the rinsed and drained beans; stir and heat through, about 5 minutes.

I made this into 4 portions at 408 calories per serving and added some fusilli and broccoli for a full meal in the 400-500 calorie range. Mine was a little higher because I had a couple hundred grams of chicken thighs. If you used the 1 pound, you would end up closer to 330 calorie range. I prefer it with a lighter pasta, say angel hair or spaghettini, but fusilli is what I had, and it was lovely. If you haven't tried cannellini beans before, you have to. They add juuust the right amount of creaminess and a nice punch of protein, fantastic. Try it!

Enjoy!

Saturday: Crab Cakes with Caesar Salad

I haven't decided whether or not I will be making the Caesar salad; I am the only salad-eater in the hizz-ouse. This is something I typically make when we have people over, but shutdown is making us shut-ins. However! I will post the recipe, crab cakes are still on. These are nice and crunchy yet flavourful and not too fussy.

You will need:

1 lb crab meat (real or imitation**)
3/4 c bread crumbs, either whole wheat, whole grain bread crumbs or panko
6 green onions
3 Tbsp light mayonnaise
2 Tbsp parsley, finely chopped
2 Tbsp 1% milk
2 Tbsp egg whites (about 1 if you are using an actual egg)
Salt, pepper, red pepper flakes
3 Tbsp all-purpose or whole wheat flour
1 Tbsp butter

This is another throw-together dish, you will want to start at least an hour before you want to be noshing. If you are planning to make the salad as well, start now by pre-heating your oven to 350 degrees.

Start your cakes! Mix your crab, breadcrumbs, green onions, mayo, parsley, egg whites, milk, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper together in a large-ish bow.

**A note about what type of crab to use: you want a somewhat flaky one, and since the star of the show is the crab, you may want to go with real crab. However, if you live a long way from a large body of water like myself, the expense can be prohibitive. I used what turned out to be a rubbery imitation crab and it was much more difficult to work with than other types I have used in the past. If you do end up with something kinda rubbery, make sure you really squeeze it when forming the rounds, it should help everything stay together.

Wet your hands and form the mixture into 8 round cakes. Place on a plate, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for about an hour. Start your Caesar dressing!

You will need:

1 thinly slice whole grain whole wheat bread
1 Tbsp butter
1 tsp garlic powder
Romaine lettuce
2 to 4 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil (or any oil, I am just excited to be able to use mine!)
2 Tbsp lemon juice, freshly squeezed if you have it, about 2 lemons
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp anchovy paste
1/4 tsp sugar
Salt, pepper, cayenne pepper - to taste
2 Tbsp parmesan

Melt your butter, spread on both sides of the bread. Sprinkle on your garlic powder and bake in your pre-heated oven for 7 minutes, flip and turn off the oven, cook for 7-8 more minutes, until golden. Ish. Alternatively, should you not want to use powdered garlic, you could leave it off and when the bread comes out of the oven, rub it all over with a cut garlic clove. Either way, cut it into crouton-sized pieces while it is still warm.

Whisk the oil, lemon juice, crushed garlic cloves, mustard, anchovy paste, sugar, salt and cayenne / pepper in a bowl until fully combined. Taste and add more oil / seasonings as required. You can use right away, but I find the flavours develop if left for a little while. Refrigerate whatever you aren't going to use.

Back to the crab cakes! Dump your flour in a cake / pie pan and coat both sides of the cakes.

Melt the butter in a non-stick pan, cook each crab cake until golden and a leetle crunchy, 4-5 minutes per side. Don't crowd your pan, so if you don't have a monster-sized cooking surface, do it in batches.

Back to the salad! Toss the dressing with the romaine lettuce, sprinkle on the Parmesan cheese and croutons. Done!

I came up with a calorie count for one fourth of the dressing and croutons and two crab cakes and got 368 calories. Mind you, as always, this is somewhat subjective as I am using my own bread and checking my own labels. It's a ballpark!



Enjoy!

 

 

Friday: Bison Burgers and Grilled Sweet Potato Fries

I know I didn't post the chicken dish yesterday; it was GOR-geous oootside and it was all grilling, alla time. I figured, after reviewing my meal plan, that I would shake things up a little bit. I am moving the Tuscan Chicken meal to Sunday, as the Broccoli Chicken Casserole, while original, bears a lot of resemblance to pouring cream of broccoli soup all over some chicken. With more broccoli.

Onto the burgers! I bought the ground bison at our local Farmer's Market, from Alberta Bison Ranch out of Mayerthorpe; they of www.albertabison.ca and thought I would make burgers, given how lovely the weather has been / is supposed to be. Bison can be tricky, as it is quite lean (which is also one of the best things about it), so you want to make sure you don't overcook it, and you give it lots of reasons to remain juicy. I typically switch it out for any other kind of ground meat, I especially like it in chili and spaghetti. Burgers are nice because it allows the flavour of the meat to shine through, and this bison did not disappoint. Such a great taste!

I love that summer is now here and the Farmer's Markets are open and you can cook using local ingredients, so much better to know where your food is coming from. You have to pay attention, though, I once bought some back bacon at a different market and it had many more chemicals in it than a plain old store-bought one. Vigilance!

I am also going to be grilling some potato wedges, too hot to bake. Sweet potatoes are so yummy like this, a bit crunchy and the sweetness really comes through.

You will need:

1 lb ground bison
1/2 c old-fashioned or slow oats
1/2 c kale, carrot or spinach puree - I used kale, picked up at the same Farmer's Market
1 small onion, grated or minced
1 egg
1 Tbsp ketchup
1 Tbsp mustard
Salt, pepper, garlic powder, chili flakes
1 lb potatoes, including sweet, russet, and / or red skinned
1 Tbsp olive oil
Kosher salt, pepper

Start to heat your barbecue. Very much like any other burger, go ahead and throw everything in a large bowl and mix well. A note about the veggies: if you don't have a finicky partner with a hate-on for onions, you could just mince the onion and be done with it. Grating is my stealth method, but it does create more liquid, which is something you are fighting against but also with when it comes to bison burgers. You want to give it lots of reasons to stay moist but not make it too crumbly. That's where the kale / spinach / carrot puree comes in. I am using kale and some cauliflower puree I had just kicking around.

Looks like a sundae gone wrong

You could use a spatula, but your fingers are gonna work better than anything. This is a good time to check how moist your mixture feels, if it feels too wet to make a good solid patty, add a little bit more oats or a bread crumb or two.

Gishy

Throw some wax paper in between layers.

Set aside, start prepping your potatoes. If you can, put the burgers in the freezer, just to help firm them up for the grill. No more than 10 minutes, though. We don't want to double freeze!

Cut your potatoes in halves, then into wedges.

Can you tell that the knife is on an angle? Sort of.

 You should be able to get about 12 wedges out of a big potato. Place in another large bowl, pour in the tablespoon of olive oil and sprinkle on kosher salt and pepper, about 1/2 tsp each. That really is to taste, add as much or as little as you like

Oil your grill; place everything on it spaced out a little bit.

You will want a little bit more space than this for your wedges, flip them periodically and test for doneness, about 12-14 minutes. Ballpark. The burgers should take about 12-15 minutes, be sure not to overcook.

Let the burgers rest while you assemble your bun and etc, done! I made 9 burgers at 107 calories each, so with my bun and potatoes and broccoli, I came in at just over 400 calories. And that burger was fantastic, look at it!

Near

Far!

Near again!

Enjoy! Thanks to the ranchers at Alberta Bison for the great meat!

Wednesday: Grilled Basa with Herbed Rice

My hubby wanted to get in on the action; he picked this meal. He probably won't get to eat it fresh, as he has been dragged back into shutdown, kicking and screaming, but I'm sure he will be there in spirit. The rice has so many layers of flavour and the fish is such a nice complement; this is a year-round winner fer sure. Dude.

You will need:

1 Tbsp butter (always unsalted, all the time)
1 small onion, chopped finely
1 celery stalk, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 c brown rice
4 green onions
2 medium tomatoes, diced
1 Tbsp parsley, chopped
2 c chicken stock
1 tsp kosher salt
3 bay leaves
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 lbs basa fillets, or other white\redfish, like red snapper, flounder or sea bass
1 Tbsp creole or potlatch seasoning

Not pictured: garlic AGAIN!

First, prep your veggies. Chop your onions, mince your garlic and dice your celery. I love dicing celery (but then I am a bit strange) because it makes squares easily. So tidy. Tomatoes, not so much, but dice them too. Slice your green onions thinly and chop your parsley.

Because I am using brown rice, I am going to do a quick par / pre boil on it. Rinse your rice, then bring to a boil with two cups of cold water. Cover it, cook for five minutes and turn off. Let sit.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, melt the butter in a large-ish saucepan. Add the celery and onion, cook until almost softened, about 2 minutes. Add in the garlic, cook for one more minute. Just one!

Drain your rice, if required, and stir in the rice, green onions, tomatoes and parsley. Ccook for two more minutes. Stir alla time.

Pour in the chicken stock, the salt and bay leaves, bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to a simmer until the rice is tender and the liquid is all absorbed, 20-25 minutes. Let sit while you do the fish.

Oil up your fish and your grill, sprinkle on the seasoning. Warm up the barbecue. I am using the potlatch mixture from Williams Sonoma because I love it so, but a creole seasoning or anything like that would work.

Grill 3 to 5 minutes per side at medium high heat, these suckers are pretty thin. There are a couple of different ways to check fish, sticking a knife in the centre for 10 seconds to see if it becomes warm is one, looking for flaking is another, waiting 5 minutes per side is another yet. Whatever floats your boat, sailor. My husband favours the I'm-tired-of-looking-at-it approach.

I separated this into 8 servings and came up with 207 calories per. Either a good salad, with maybe some goat cheese or nuts, or some veggies would put us within range of our 400-500 calorie per meal goal. Maybe wine! We could totally add a glass of wine! Maybe even a glass of Pinot Grigio! Why doesn't everyone leave your favourite wines in the comments?

Enjoy!

Tuesday: Salmon Penne with Parsley Sauce

I like that this can be served hot or cold, a little less excited because the original recipe called for low fat crème fraiche. Being that I live in North America (do I mention that enough? cause I can totally ramp that up) in a small town, crème fraiche is tricky to come by. I know how to make it, but making it low fat means yoghurt or something else that will curdle in heat. However, since this does not involve direct heat, I am going to try two different methods; let's see what works!

You will need:

1 lb salmon filet, skinless
2 c whole wheat pasta
1\2 lb asparagus or 1\2 c peas
1\2 c fat-free Greek yoghurt
2 Tbsp low-fat buttermilk
3 Tbsp parsley, chopped finely
Zest of one small orange
Salt, pepper

First, prep your veggies and fish. You want the asparagus in bite-sized pieces, so trim off a third of the stocks, cut what remains into one-inch pieces. Rinse and put in a steamer basket. If you are using peas, thaw the frozen ones and um, measure out the fresh ones.

Stir the yoghurt and buttermilk together with a fork, whisking to get rid of any lumps. Set aside. Alternatively, I have stirred one tablespoon of buttermilk into a cup of homogenized milk and let it sit out overnight. I am going to check the consistency and see which one tastes better \ has the best consistency.

Cut your fish into bite-sized pieces as well, put on a heat-proof plate and cover with foil.

Boil a pot of water, add in the pasta. Bring back to a boil and put your salmon plate overtop. Cook for 8-10 minutes, until both the pasta and salmon are cooked. Sometime in there start steaming your asparagus, if you are using it, for 3 minutes. Set aside.

Mix the faux crème fraiche, parsley, orange zest salt and pepper together in a large-ish bowl, taste and adjust seasonings accordingly. If you are serving this cold, allow the salmon, pasta and asparagus to cool a bit before adding to the bowl. Refrigerate for at least an hour. If you are serving this as a hot supper, no such reserve is required, mix it all together immediately and have at 'er.

I used organic flat-leaf parsley because curly parsley just wasn't pretentious enough. Plus they were out at my grocery store

I used a rotini / penne combination

I made this into 4 portions at  320 calories per, using the Greek yoghourt blend. I am going to add a salad and call this a good summer supper.



Enjoy!

Neeeeeaaaar!

Far!