Eat Clean Chicken and Rice
Posted: March 31, 2010 Filed under: Chicken, Clean eating, Light and healthy Leave a comment »Chicken dishes can get so boring very quickly! I hate to make the same chicken dish more than twice or so, so I am always on the look out for new and exciting recipes! I found this recipe in the Eat Clean Cookbook and it was great! It was just as good as leftovers as well!!!
The recipe doesnt really say much about cooking the chicken, so I cooked it ahead of time and then added to the rice. I was afraid if not it wouldnt be cooked all the way thru!! So either cook it before hand or paritally cook and finish cooking with rice!
ENJOY!
Ingredients:
6 Boneless Chicken Breasts-cooked or almost cooked thru
1 tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion peeled and chopped
4 cloves of garlic pressed through garlic press
1 tsp fresh Thyme
1 tsp fresh rosemary
3 cups of low sodium chicken broth
1 1/2 cups of brown rice
3/4 lbs fresh broccoli
1 cup Carrots, peeled and cut into penny slices
1/2 cup edamame, frozen
Directions:
In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium temperature. Add a onions, garlic m thyme, rosemary, and sea salt. Cover and cook over low heat until the onion has softened about 10 min. Add chicken broth. Stir in the brown rice and cook uncovered over high heat for 5 in. Cover and reduce heat to low. Cook for 20 min.
Place the chicken breasts over the rice in the skillet. Cook for another 15 min, making sure the chicken is cooked. through. Once the chicken is done remove it from the pan and put it on a clean platter. Cover it with tin foil or another plate.
Add the broccoli, edamame and parboiled carrots to the rice mixture. Heat through 10 min. Season with sea salt and pepper. Remove from heat. Serve ri9ce immediately, along with one chicken breast.
Calories: 356
Calories from fat: 71
Protein: 35
Carbs: 44
Fiber: 4
Sugar: 2
Fat: 7
Sodium 616mg
Crispy Chicken Nuggets
Posted: March 30, 2010 Filed under: Appetizer, Chicken, Clean eating, Light and healthy, Low Carb, Quick 3 Comments »What a fantastic lunch from Clean Eating Diet. I wanted something new for lunch and came upon this recipe and not only was it quick to make for lunch but it was just what I was looking for. I paired it with some leftover brown rice and Dijon dipping sauce!
ENJOY!
Ingredients:
3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts weighing about 6 oz. / 170 g each
1/4 cup / 60 ml of oat bran
1/4 cup / 60 ml of wheat germ
1 Tbsp / 15 ml coarsely ground flaxseed
1/4 cup / 60 ml coarsely ground almonds
1/2 tsp / 2 1/2 ml sea salt
1/2 tsp / 2 1/2 ml white pepper
Pinch garlic powder
1/2 cup / 120 ml water or low-sodium chicken broth
1 large egg white, lightly beaten
Directions:
Preheat oven to 400°F. Prepare baking sheet by lining with parchment paper or coating lightly with best-quality olive oil.
Cut chicken breasts into nugget-sized pieces, about 1.5 inches square. Set aside.
Next, combine all dry ingredients in a large container with a tightly fitting lid. Shake well. This is your coating mixture.
Combine water and egg in a medium bowl. Dip each piece in the water/egg-white mixture. Then dip each piece in the coating mixture. Make sure each piece is well coated.
Place on the baking sheet. When all of your chicken has been coated and your baking sheet is full, place in the oven and bake for 10-15 minutes or until golden.
Nutritional Value for 4 Nuggets
Calories: 100
Calories from Fat: 32
Fat: 3.5 g
Saturated Fat: 0.5 g
Trans Fat: 0 g
Protein: 12 g
Carbohydrates: 7 g
Dietary Fiber: 2 g
Sodium: 320 mg
Cholesterol: 0 mg
Caramel Pecan Frosting
Posted: March 29, 2010 Filed under: Cakes/Cupcakes, Dessert, Frosting 1 Comment »I had some leftover cupcakes in the freezer incase I needed a last minute dessert. Well a last minute opportunity came up and I decided to top them with this fabulous, but oh so rich caramel frosting! It was quite easy to make and was perfect on these deep dark chocolate cupcakes!
ENJOY!
Ingredients:
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/3 cup heavy cream, plus more as necessary
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1 (16-ounce) box confectioners’ sugar
Directions:
Melt butter in small saucepan. Add brown sugar and 1/3 cup cream. Cook over medium-low heat until the sugar is dissolved, about 2 minutes.
Remove from heat and add vanilla. Transfer to a large bowl.
Using a handheld electric mixer, beat in confectioners’ sugar a little at a time until smooth. If frosting is too thick, add 1 tablespoon heavy cream at a time until consistency is as desired.
Vanilla Swiss Meringue Buttercream
Posted: March 26, 2010 Filed under: Cakes/Cupcakes, Dessert, Frosting 3 Comments »I love trying new kinds of frosting! I love having a variety to choose from so our cupcakes dont get boring. I have heard a lot about this on various blogs and decided to try it. I found this one and it was delicious. I still like a traditional buttercream but this is a close second!
ENJOY!
Ingredients:
5 large egg whites
1 cup plus 2 tbsp. sugar
Pinch of salt
1 lb. (4 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 tsp. vanilla extract
Directions:
To make the frosting, combine the egg whites, sugar and salt in a heatproof bowl set over a pot of simmering water. Heat, whisking frequently, until the mixture reaches 160° F and the sugar has dissolved.
Transfer the mixture to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form and the mixture has cooled to room temperature, about 8 minutes.
Reduce the speed to medium and add the butter, 2 tablespoons at a time, adding more once each addition has been incorporated. If the frosting looks soupy or curdled, continue to beat on medium-high speed until thick and smooth again, about 3-5 minutes more (don’t worry, it will come together!) Stir in the vanilla extract and mix just until incorporated. Tint with gel icing color as desired.
Keep buttercream at room temperature if using the same day, or transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate up to 3 days or freeze up to 1 month. Before using, bring to room temperature and beat with paddle attachment on low speed until smooth again, about 5 minutes.
Yield: about 5 cups
Roasted Asparagus
Posted: March 25, 2010 Filed under: Clean eating, Low Carb, Quick, Side dish, Vegetable Leave a comment »Great side dish to our grilled salmon and garlic couscous (in blog soon!) This was easy to make, clean, and gave us a new way to enjoy our veggies! I found this recipe in Tosca Reno’s Eat Clean Cook book.
ENJOY!
Ingredients:
1 1/2 lbs of asparagus firm and bright green
2 tbsp of best quality evoo
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 clove garlic
sea salt and cracked pepper
Directions:
Preheat oven to 425. Break off ends of asparagus and clean well.
Toss spears in evoo, vinegar, and garlic. Season with salt and pepper. Lay in a single layer on baking sheet or baking dish coated with cooking spray. Bake 6-10 mins until done!
Another great giveaway
Posted: March 24, 2010 Filed under: Random Thoughts about cooking Leave a comment »Check out Time Well Spent blog and see the great giveaway she is doing this week!
GOOD LUCK!
http://ashleynmoss.blogspot.com/2010/03/random-acts-of-kindness-giveaway.html#comment-form
Garlicky Couscous
Posted: March 24, 2010 Filed under: Clean eating, Couscous, Light and healthy, Quick, Side dish Leave a comment »WOW is this ever easy and oh so good. I did add some broth to the mixture just to give the couscous a bit more flavor. Next time I will do half broth and half water. I found this recipe in the Eat Clean Diet Cookbook. The flavors were perfect with our grilled salmon and roasted asparagus (in blog soon).
ENJOY!
Ingredients:
1 1/4 cups water
1 tbsp evoo
1/2 tsp sea salt
2 large garlic cloves peeled and crushed
1 cups whole-wheat couscous
1 small red pepper roasted or 1 6 ox jar of roasted red peppers drained and diced
2 tbsp fresh basil chopped
fresh ground pepper
Directions:
In a medium saucepan combine 1 1/4 cups water with oil, salt and garlic. Bring to a boil . Stir in couscous and remove from heat. Cover and let stand 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork and remove garlic cloves. Stir in red pepper and fresh basil. Season with pepper and serve immediately!
Canadian Beef Stew
Posted: March 23, 2010 Filed under: Beef, Beer, Clean eating, Light and healthy, Low Carb, Soups/Stews 3 Comments »Another hit from Tosca Reno’s Clean Eating Cookbook. This was fast to put together and cooked up well. I am used to stews cooking all day, so this was great change to that and something I can whip up last minute if needed. The flavors were great together and the bit of beer added to it gave it a very fun taste!
ENJOY!
Ingredients:
1 1/2 lbs. lean beef tenderloin, cut into 1-inch cubes
2 leeks, whites and light green only, cut into chunks and well rinsed
3 or 4 medium sized cooking onions, peeled and cut into chunks
3 carrots, peeled and cut into chunks
3 parsnips, peeled and cut into chunks
1 – 10 oz. can whole plum tomatoes
1 – 10 oz. can small potatoes
Several cloves garlic
4 T. olive oil
1/2 cup whole-wheat flour
Sea salt and black pepper
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. dried basil
1 cup low-sodium, low-fat chicken stock
1 cup light beer
Directions:
Cut meat into 1-inch cubes. Place whole-wheat flour, salt, ground black pepper, oregano, and basil in a large plastic container with a tight-fitting lid. Shake the contents so they mix. Now place the cubed meat in the container and shake until coated.
Meanwhile, in a large Dutch oven heat the oil and saute the garlic and onions until soft. Add remaining vegetables, except canned potatoes, and cook 5 minutes longer.
Gently remove cubed and seasoned meat from container and add to the cooking vegetables. Cook until meat is browned. You will notice the mixture is getting sticky. This is caused by the flour seasoning on the meat. When it gets too sticky, add the chicken stock and the light beer.
Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to a simmer. Stir the stew until the sauce becomes evenly smooth. Now add canned, drained potatoes. Cook over low heat for another 30 minutes or until vegetables are tender.
Nutritional Value Per Serving:
Calories: 315 – Calories from fat: 95 – Protein: 20g – Carbs: 35g – Dietary fiber: 6g – Sugars: 8g – Fat: 10g – Sodium: 314 mg
Spanish brown rice
Posted: March 22, 2010 Filed under: Clean eating, Mexican, Side dish Leave a comment »A great, healthier alternative to regular spanish rice and went great with our chicken chile verde dinner! I found this recipe on the Healthy Cooking site.
ENJOY and be healthy!
Ingredients:
1 cup uncooked brown rice
1 1/2 cups cold water
olive oil
1/2 cup onion
1 clove garlic
1 T olive oil
2 8 oz cans tomato sauce -I used Muir Glen Organic
1 tsp salt
Directions:
Bring water to boiling. Add rice and cook covered 15 minutes. Do not lift lid. Turn off heat and cook 15 more minutes. Never lift lid. The rice cooks by steam.
In a skillet saute onion and garlic in olive oil until tender. Add tomato sauce, salt and cooked rice. Simmer 10 minutes to combine flavors.
Chicken Chile Verde
Posted: March 21, 2010 Filed under: Chicken, Clean eating, Light and healthy, Low Carb, Mexican 1 Comment »As you know, I love Mexican food and was a bit worried when I started cleaning up our eating that I would miss all my favorite foods! But I was very happy to see I dont have to give up my love of Mexican, especially when I saw this great recipe! This was VERY easy to make and fullllll of flavor!
ENJOY!
Ingredients:
5 cloves garlic, peeled
2 jalapenos, stem removed (and seeded if necessary to reduce the heat)
10 tomatillos, husks removed and rinsed
1/2 of a large white onion, quartered
1/3 cup fresh cilantro, rinsed
4 tablespoons vegetable oil
5-6 small boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 1″ cubes
Directions:
Place garlic, jalapenos, tomatillos, and onion in a large stock pot with just enough water to cover. Bring to a boil (see step 3) over medium heat, and cook, uncovered, for about 25 minutes.
Add contents of the pot to a blender along with 1/2 cup water and cilantro. Puree until smooth, being careful to allow steam to escape while blending or you will end up with a newly decorated kitchen in a wonderful shade of green!
When tomatillo mixture reaches a boil, heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Brown chicken until no longer pink, then drain skillet. Add pureed tomatillo mixture to skillet, then add salt, to taste. With the lid cracked, simmer over medium low heat for 30 minutes.
