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26 April 2011

Italian chicken soup--The 17 Day Diet Cyle 1


Italian Chicken Soup

12 oz boneless skinless chicken thighs, trim fat and cut into bite sized pieces,
1 Sweet onion chopped
1 cup of chopped baby bella (crimini) mushrooms
1 clove of garlic, minces
1 24 oz can of crushed tomatoes and one can of water
2 cups of broccoli
2 cups of carrots chopped
2 cups of chopped baby spinach
1 tbsp of EVOO
2 tbsp of Balsamic Vinegar
2 tbsp of Italian Herb mix

In a heavy stock pot, brown chicken and onions in EVOO, then add all other ingredients.  Bring to boil then reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes.

25 April 2011

Red Cabbage Cole Slaw, Braised Salmon, and Dill Steamed Asparagus



This is probably the best salmon I have ever made.

Braised Salmon
1 whole fresh fillet of salmon
2 springs of dill
1 tbsp of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
juice of 1/2 lemon
1 tbsp of white balsamic vinegar
1/4 medium onion chopped
1/2 bulb of fennel chopped


place onions in the bottom of an ungreased 9 x 13 glass baking dish, cut salmon in half and place in dish like photo above, sprinkle olive oil, vinegar, and fennel, place on sprig of dill on each half, squeeze lemon juice over the salmon.  Add water to about 1/2 way up the thickest portion of the salmon, tightly cover with foil.  Place in a preheated 350 degree oven for 30 minutes.

I am going to use the extra serving cold on the cole slaw with a bed of greens for lunch.

Steamed Asparagus

1 bundle ( about 1lb I think) of Asparagus
2 springs of dill
juice from 1/2 lemon

Snap ends of asparagus and place in steamer basket with dill on top
squeeze lemon juice into water
steam until crisp tender (about 10 min)

Red Cabbage Cole Slaw

1/4 head of red cabbage
1/4 bulb of fennel
1 red delicious apple cored and chopped
1/2 sweet onion chopped
1/2 cup of plain Greek yogurt
2 tbsp of white balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp of olive oil
(sprinkle of fat free or low fat blue cheese crumbles)

Shred cabbage and fennel (I use a mandolin slicer but you could use a food processor with a thin slicing blade), put in bowl with onion and apple.  In a small separate bowl, mix yogurt, oil, and vinegar and then poor over cabbage mix.  Toss until well coated.

Makes about 4 servings, this will be 1/8 pro-biotic serving and 1 fruit serving.

23 April 2011

Chicken Salad The 17 Day Diet Cycle 1



2 boneless skinless chicken breast (I braised mine in water with juice of 1/2 lemon and onion)
1/2 medium onion chopped
1/4 fennel bulb chopped
1 - 2 tbsp chopped fennel leaves
1/4 cup of capers (optional)
1/2 cup of plain Greek yogurt (fat free)
juice of 1/2 lemon
1 tbsp of white balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil

cut up chicken into 1/4 inch pieces or shred  and then mix all ingredients in a bowl. 

Serve over a bed of greens or use for lettuce wraps.

On days you eat this, remember that it has yogurt in it.  This makes about 4 servings, so you would reduce your pro-biotic by 1/8 of a serving.

19 April 2011

Greek Yogurt Tuna salad--The 17 Day Diet



So my Aunt Laura is doing The 17 Day Diet and lost 26 lbs already.  My family is all abuzz about this and my mom, sister, sister-in-law, and brother-in-law are all doing it.  I jumped on the band-wagon and bought the Kindle version of the book.  It makes a lot of sense.  It is actually 4 cycles of 17days.  The 1st cycle is pretty much a detox to get you off sugar and bad carbs but surprisingly you can eat as much as you want of lean protein (fish and chicken) and veggies and 2 servings of probiotic (yogurts, miso, etc) and 2 serving of lower sugar fruits.  I plan on starting it as soon as I can get rid of the stuff I can't eat.  I decided to start making recipes that I will be able to eat during cycle 1 because I have to have flavor.  This is the first one.


Greek Yogurt Tuna Salad
1 7 oz can of tuna packed in water, drained and flaked
1 cup of plain Greek yogurt (I used FAGE)
1/4 cup of peas
1 stalk of celery sliced thin
1 green onion sliced thin
1-2 tbsp of dill weed
dash of garlic powder
1/2 tsp of kosher salt
1/2 tsp of Extra Virgin Olive Oil

mix everything together and let it sit in the fridge overnight. 

I had this in lettuce wraps for dinner last night and am having for lunch over a bed of greens today.  Flavor is much better today. 

I think you could also omit the celery, onion, and tuna and use this for a veggie dip. 

15 April 2011

Friday Favorites---The Civil Wars (Indy-Folk Duo)

I was listening to a Prarie Home Companion (also a favorite thing to do on Sunday afternoon) a couple of weeks ago and The Civil Wars were on.  I was so impressed with this duo that I purchased and downloaded their albulm the next day.  I can't stop listening to it.  Their harmonies are incredible and their music is passionate and full of emotion.  I am really bummed because they were at Calvin last Friday and I waited too long to get tickets and they sold out.  I will definately catch them next time.  If you are looking for some new mellow music, please check them out.  Click here to watch Poison & Wine.

14 April 2011

Larb (Thai chicken salad) and Tom Kah

I used this Larb Recipe but modified slightly.  I didn't have shallots so I used red onion and garlic instead.  I also didn't have Thai chilis so I used Sriracha instead.  This turned out so yummy.  The fresh lemon/lime juice, mint, and cilantro were wonderful together.  I used this Tom Kah recipe but added mushrooms instead of chicken and did not have lime leaves.  Was still wonderful!

My next Thai food to try and make will be Fresh Rolls, I just have to get some Rice Paper Wraps.

08 April 2011

Chicken Chili Mac & Cheese


I made this last night and it is sooooo yummy!!!

Philadelphia Cream Cheese has these new Cooking Cremes that I have been experimenting with.  I used the plain one for this recipe but you could also use the Santa Fe one.  I love this pasta too!

I use Sazon whenever I make Mexican or Spanish dishes.





Chicken Chili Mac & Cheese
1 lb boneless chicken (I used thigh meat) cut into bite sized pieces
1 bunch of green onion chopped
1 packet of Sazón
1/4 to 1 tsp of chili powder
1 14 oz can of diced tomatoes with chilies
1/2 cup of chopped green pepper
1 cup of frozen corn
1/2 of water

1 16oz box of pasta.  I used Campanelle but elbow mac would work. (Cooked and drained)

1/2 stick of butter
1/2 cup milk separated into  1/4 cups
1/4 cup of flour
1 container of Philadelphia Cooking Creme-plain or Sante Fe
2 cups of shredded Cheddar or Mexican mixed cheese(Costco)

Brown chicken in olive oil with packet of Sazón

add 3/4 of green onion, all of green pepper, corn, can of tomatoes(including liquid)
add chili powder
heat until boiling and then reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes

While chicken mix is simmering, melt butter over low heat in a non-stick pan, add flour and milk and cook for about 2-3 minutes stirring continuously, and Philadelphia Cooking Cream and stir, and cheese and 1/4 cup of milk, stir while melting.  It will be really thick.

When chicken is done, had cheese sauce and stir, then add pasta and stir until mixed.  Garnish with the rest of the green onions.

Enjoy!