Tag: healthy dinners
Balsamic Grilled Chicken with Tomato Salad
I would make this dish if you want to impress someone. It looks beautiful with lots of vivid summer colors. It is an overall winner of a recipe. It is super easy to make and best of all it is very healthy, low in carbs.. but the important thing is that you don’t feel that it is low in carbs. My main goal as the cook in the house is to incorporate as many healthy and varied ingredients as I can in any meal I serve.
Tomatoes are in abundance right now and I love buying the grape variety. They are very sweet and burst in the mouth and best of all, delicious! I cut them up and added some salt, garlic, olive oil and basil. I let the juicy tomatoes sit for a while so they can get even juicier. I marinated chicken breasts that I pounded super thin with balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper. You can buy thin breast cutlets in the store but they are more expensive than the regular breast. I quickly grilled the chicken.. it literally took two minutes on one side on a very hot grill. I also put together an arugula salad with a delicious homemade apricot dressing.
The meal was simply delicious… perfect for a summer barbecue…
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Orange Chicken with Sauteed Gai Lan (Chinese Broccoli)
I felt like eating the really unhealthy Chinese dishes like the orange chicken. The amount of fat, salt and all the other bad stuff turned me off- plus who can afford the calories??
I decided to make my own. I got some boneless, skinless chicken breast; cut it in small pieces and marinated them in tamari. I then sprinkled them with corn starch and sauteed them- instead of deep frying. I saved loads of calories by simply sauteing the chicken pieces.
I then assembled the sauce with fresh navel oranges, rice wine vinegar, tamari, garlic and honey. With the help of some more cornstarch, I had a delicious, thick sauce- perfect for orange chicken.
While shopping for the chicken, I found Chinese broccoli (at Whole Foods). My husband and I usually buy the greens in Chinatown in NYC and love eating it as often as we can. So, when I saw it in the market, I was super excited. I simply sauteed it with garlic and served it with the chicken and brown rice.
It was a delicious meal- my daughter and husband loved it.
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Dal Keema (Ground Turkey with Yellow Gram Lentils)
This is a very simple and delicious dish to make. If you have never made an Indian dish before and are a little overwhelmed- this maybe the one to try. Don’t let the list of spices scare you- if you can’t find any one of them, just eliminate them.
Keema is essentially ground meat. Typically it is either goat or lamb keema cooked with a vegetable- either peas, cauliflower, potatoes or spinach. I use turkey to create a healthier dish for my family.
I made this dish a bit different and paired it with lentils. I cooked the lentils separately in a pressure cooker. You don’t need to have one- just follow the same instructions but cook the lentils on the stove. It will take longer and a bit more liquid but you will get the same results.
The rest is quite simple, I sauteed some spices, onions and garlic. I added the ground turkey meat and cooked it for a while and then added the meat. To make the dish creamy, I added some Greek yogurt.
It was a delicious dish I served with fresh rotis and a spinach salad.
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Fish Tacos with Tomato Salsa and Avocado Chunks
I love ordering fish tacos in Mexican restaurants. I remember eating my first fish tacos years ago in Los Angeles when my husband was on a project there for a few months and I would go visit him every few weeks.
Those tacos were out of this world. I have never had better ones since- especially here in the Northeast.
Since I have no plans on going to California any time soon, I decide to make the tacos at home.
I went to our local fish monger and got my daughter’s favorite fish- cod. She loves any white fish- especially if it is not too fishy tasting.
I marinated the fish in lemon juice, salt and some olive oil. I then drenched the pieces in some flour and lightly sauteed the fish. The ones you get in the restaurants are fried. I wanted mine lighter and healthier so I merely sauteed them.
I made a fresh, delicious tomato salsa and cut up some avocado chunks. Since my daughter doesn’t like anything very tart, I served her the fish in the tortillas without the condiments.
We enjoyed the tacos with all the condiments and a delicious bean salad on the side- recipe to follow tomorrow.
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