Tag: new years resolution
Moroccan Style Chicken with Spinach Cilantro Couscous
This dish takes the mundane chicken dinner to a whole new level. We had our usual Friday get together with Sia’s friend, her sisters and their Mom. It started off as a pizza party and as far as the kids are concerned, that is what we should serve every week. Most times I don’t feel like ordering pizza and would rather cook something at home.
So when the day came, I decided to make a chicken dish- something different (I usually say that in my mind- I really do). I was either watching or reading something- I can’t remember, but Moroccan chicken came up. That was it- I couldn’t think of anything else. I bought the chicken and – everything else was in the house. Couscous comes to mind when I think Moroccan food. Instead of making a salad on the side, I decided to make a spinach and cilantro sauce and cooked the couscous in it. The colors were amazing- the orangish red chicken against the light green couscous was beautiful. The taste wasn’t so shabby either.
We all enjoyed the chicken with the couscous and some red wine- yes I am drinking wine- just on the weekends for now and Friday is part of the weekend. I do plan to incorporate wine back into the week but since I am doing a cleanse, I feel I should detox and stay away from it for a while. I digress- the evening was very enjoyable and delicious!
- 2 tablespoons white whole-wheat flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1½ pounds skinless boneless chicken thighs
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 large white onion, sliced thin
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon schug (hot red pepper mix)
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 (16 ounce) can tomato sauce
- 1 tablespoon honey
- ½ cup golden raisins
- 1 can (15 ounces) chickpeas, rinsed and drained
- 1/3 cup slivered almonds
- ½ cup cilantro, chopped
Toss the flour and salt with the chicken in a bag to coat. Heat a non-stick skillet with the olive oil and brown the chicken on both sides, about 4 minutes each. Transfer to a plate.
Add the onion and garlic and sauté for 5 to 6 minutes on medium heat. Add cinnamon, ginger, cumin, schug and salt. Add the tomato, honey, raisins, chickpeas and chicken. Simmer for about 20 minutes, until the chicken is tender. Sprinkle the almonds and cilantro. Serve with couscous.
Spinach Cilantro Couscous
- 1 cup baby spinach
- 1/2 cup cilantro
- 1 garlic clove
- 1 green onion
Blend the spinach, cilantro, garlic and onion with some water until a smooth paste is formed. Keep aside.
- 1 cup whole wheat couscous
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1/2 cup spinach paste
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
Heat a medium sized saucepan and add the oil. Add the spinach paste and saute for a minutes on medium high heat. Add the chicken broth and salt. Bring to a boil and add the couscous and place the lid and turn the heat off. Fluff the couscous in 5 minutes once it is cooked.
Homemade Macaroni and Cheese (Italian Style)
There is really no reason to buy boxed macaroni and cheese- it is so easy and fast to make your own- plus you can control the amount of fat and salt.
Of course I understand why people buy the boxed kind- I do too- sometimes you just don’t have the time or the inclination to cook anything. I do buy the healthy box and have a bunch in my pantry. It is my emergency ‘go to’ for last minutes play dates that turn into a dinner date, etc.
I was making an adult dinner and something that my daughter was not that much into. I was going to give her some components of the meal but I was missing the starch part. I thought of mac and cheese. I went into to my well-stocked pantry to look for a box of macaroni and cheese- well, what do you know- it was not as well stocked as I thought. I couldn’t find any… That is when I decided to make my own. Honestly, it took me less than twenty minutes to cook. I immediately put a pot of water to boil for my whole wheat pasta. I took out some butter (oil can be substituted) and flour; cooked them for a minute and added some milk. I always have shredded cheese in the fridge- in this case, I had a mixture of Italian cheeses- delicious! I added the cheese and my sauce was done. I then added the cooked pasta and topped the whole thing with some more cheese and placed the frying pan under a broiler and browned it- done!
My daughter gave it a thumbs up! She loved it- and I gave it to some of her friends the next day and they all ate it up- no mention of the whole wheat pasta at all. Try this one next time your child asks for macaroni and cheese…
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons white whole-wheat flour
- 1½ cups one percent milk
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ pound whole-wheat penne, cooked al dente
- 1½ cups mix of shredded four Italian cheeses- parmesan, provolone, fontina and asiago (available at Trader Joes)- divided
Preheat oven to broil.
In a medium frying pan heat the butter and add the flour. Whisk the flour on medium heat till the butter is melted, about 2 to 3 minutes. Slowly whisk in the milk, making sure no lumps remain. Add salt and nutmeg. Bring to a boil and cook till it is thickened- about 3-4 minutes. Turn the heat off and whisk in one cup of the shredded cheese. Add the cooked pasta and mix well. Top the mixed pasta with the remaining cheese and broil for 7 to 8 minutes or till the top is golden brown.
Halibut with Zucchini and Spinach Hash
This is a very healthy meal- perfect for the New year, more fish eating plan. I had halibut filets in my freezer which I decided to thaw and cook for dinner.
I had zucchini and spinach in the fridge and was not sure what to do with them. I am trying to cut back on the starch so I decided to do just a few potatoes on the side- to satisfy my starchy part of the appetite.
I diced the zucchini and sauteed it on a high heat. Once the pieces were golden brown, I added the spinach. The garlic and salt made the hash really tasty.
This is such a simple meal- didn’t take very long and it was very satisfying. I broiled the halibut simply with salt, pepper and olive oil- thats it- and it was delicious. Any fish can be used for this meal- use your favorite one or which ever one is on sale that day.
I gave my daughter and her friend the fish and zucchini hash. They ate it- well, they promised me they would earlier that evening when they cajoled me into having dinner together. That is also when I told them what I was serving for dinner- and they agreed very quickly… Well, once I placed the dinner in front of them- the look on their faces was priceless. Sia’s friend proceeded to tell me how she doesn’t like spinach. I looked at her very nicely and informed her how she promised me she will eat whatever I give her as long as she could join us for dinner.
They both ate everything, quietly.. I couldn’t help laughing (to myself). It is so nice have such a good friend and so sweet to see how the two girls wanted to spend time together regardless of what they had to eat to do so. It is all about good friends and good food…
- 10 oz bag of baby spinach
- 2 small zucchini, chopped in small pieces
- 1 teaspoon garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- Salt
- Pepper
In a non-stick frying pan, heat the olive oil and add the zucchini pieces. Saute on high heat till golden brown- about 5-6 minutes. Add salt, garlic and baby spinach. Saute on high till the spinach wilts. Taste for seasonings. Serve with the fish.
- 3-4 fillets Alaskan halibut (4-5 ounces)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- Salt
- Pepper
Drizzle the oil with salt and pepper all over the fish pieces. Broil in the oven for 3-4 minutes on each side or till the fish is done.
- 3-4 potatoes, sliced into ¼ inch
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- Salt
- Pepper
Add the olive oil, salt and pepper to the potato slices and broil till golden brown and soft- about 15 minutes.
Eat This, Not That…
Okay everyone, it the beginning of a New year and it is time to make some changes and most importantly, stick to them.
I am not much into making new year resolutions. I don’t like the pressure nor do I appreciate feeling like a failure if I don’t continue with the resolution. Instead I start making small changes in December and by the time the new year rolls around, I am already used to doing things a bit differently- and more likely to stick with them.
I started a new exercise regiment 3 weeks ago. I am walking briskly on my treadmill for 30 minutes everyday and doing a core and abs work out in addition. I feel good and am already noticing a change in my energy level, etc. I am also thinking of doing a cleanse for a few days. Have any of you out there done one lately? I would love to get more information…
In terms of food, I am incorporating more fish and seafood in our diets. One source I have found is Vital Choice. It is an online resource for fabulous seafood- very healthy and delicious. I will also try to eat less wheat and more vegetables, protein and fruit. It is going to be tough giving up pasta- well, I am not planning on giving it up- just cutting back a bit. I recently bought brown rice pasta from Trader Joes and am excited about using it.
I wanted to share a few things I have changed in my pantry- it’s now been a few years now and I am very happy about it. I got rid of white sugar, white flour and canola oil. I now use turbinado sugar, evaporated cane juice, white whole wheat flour and extra light olive oil. Most of the ingredients can be purchased at Trader Joes, Whole Foods or Costco.
I use all types of raw sugar to bake, cook or just add to hot beverages, etc. Its great to use as many unprocessed things in your cooking as possible. I prefer using extra light olive oil for its goodness. It has absolutely no flavor, so cooking, baking and frying is healthier. I have stopped buying all-purpose flour. I only bake with white whole wheat flour. I feel good about baking cookies and cakes with raw sugar and less processed flour.
The other thing I have incorporated into my day are some raw nuts- walnuts and almonds. Just a hand full do the trick. They get rid of that pesky need to snack on something unhealthy. The best way to store raw nuts is to store them in the freezer. They last a lot longer and don’t turn rancid.
The other thing I look forward to everyday is Really Raw Honey. It is simply the most delicious honey I have ever had. It is completely unprocessed and still has the pollen, honey comb and live enzymes. I top a bowl of fruit and greek yogurt with a spoon full of this amazing honey.
I have shared my healthy plan for 2010 and now would love to know if you have one…