A Practical Guide To Healthy Living

We are in that strange nether-place called March here in the Boston area.  It’s still quite chilly, but not thatcold.  It snows, but it doesn’t really stick.  And yet if you head into a store, it’s all about SPRING!  Bright colors, light fabrics, flowers, strappy shoes . . . really, it just serves to irritate me.  I want nothing more to be there, but, sigh.  I have to wait.  Just like every other year.

When it comes to food, I also feel in-between this time of year.  I’m all set with heavy comfort food.  I’ve got my sights set on fresh, light, leafy veggies and grilled meats.  Huge salads and big cold drinks.  Hell, I’d even settle for asparagus.  But even that’s a little premature.  So right now I’m doing in-between food.  Lightened up, but not all the way. 

This chicken, pilaf and salad combo will help tide you over ’til the really good stuff comes.  Like NO snow whatsoever.  Like birds chirping in the morning and dewy grass and patio parties.  Hang on with me, we’ll get there!

Honey Mustard Chicken

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  Place the chicken breasts on a large plate and sprinkle them with salt and pepper.  Mix the remaining ingredients in a bowl, and spread on both sides of the chicken (some will come off on the plate, that’s OK).  Let sit for 15 minute to marinate.  Transfer the breasts to a large oven-safe baking dish coated with cooking spray.  Smear any leftover honey-mustard sauce over the top of the breasts.  Bake for 30 minutes, or until the breasts are no longer pink.

Serves 4.

Barley Pilaf (adapted from the Food Network)

Bring the broth to a boil in a medium saucepan.  Add the barley, 1 t. oil, and salt. Bring back to a boil, adjust the heat to a simmer, cover and cook until tender, about 30 minutes. Remove from the heat and let stand, covered, for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, whisk the lemon juice, honey, salt, and pepper in a small bowl, then gradually whisk in the oil.

Drain any excess liquid from the barley and transfer to a large bowl.  Toss with the remaining salad ingredients and the dressing.  Taste for seasoning and adjust as necessary.  Serve warm or at room temperature.

Serves 4.

Fruity Spinach Salad

Divide the spinach amongst 4 salad plates or bowls.  Divide the oranges among the plates. In a small bowl, whisk the oil and vinegar and add salt and pepper to taste.  Dress the salads immediately before serving.

Serves 4.

*Fig vinegar is my new love.  I found mine at Whole Foods, and it is fruity, tangy, and delicious on salads.  Tomorrow I’ll share with you the salad I’ve been eating over and over again since I found this stuff!

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I know the blog’s been lean on posts lately.  Last week was “vacation” week, and then this Tuesday night L. came down with a high fever and stomach thing that threw us under the bus.  Those of you with kids know how this works . . . you lose entire days of your life tending to these poor kids.  When you can finally leave the building, it’s like being re-born, and then there is just so much to do to catch up . . . .

But enough whining.  I did cook for myself while this was going on.  A mama’s gotta keep her strength up, right?  For whatever reason, last weekend I was craving sweet mango chutney, so I was cruising the Indian foods section at Whole Foods.  While I was there, I couldn’t resist buying a 2 lb. bag of dried, split desi chickpeas, (Chana Dal); split chickpeas with the skin removed. They’re pretty and yellow and small.  They caught my eye as a legume I hadn’t yet tried, and their small size lead me to believe they’d be quick to cook.  They are, and I am hooked.

First off, though, let’s talk about the health benefits of chickpeas . . . so if you make this easy recipe, you’ll feel even better about yourself as you munch. Chickpeas are a good source of fiber, which has cholesterol-lowering benefits.  Their high fiber content also prevents blood sugar levels from rising too rapidly, so they’re an especially good choice for folks with diabetes, insulin resistance or hypoglycemia. And when combined with whole grains like rice, chickpeas provide virtually fat-free high-quality protein.  They’re cheap, too.  Really, no downside to these puppies – so eat up!

Easy Chana Dal

Rinse and pick over the dal.  Place the dal in a bowl and cover with cool water.  Let soak for 2 hours.  Drain and rinse the dal again and place it into a medium saucepan with 3 c. of water.  Bring to a boil, lower the heat and cover. Simmer for approximately 20 minutes, or until the dal is tender.  Remove from heat and drain. (Note:  you could soak & drain the dal the night before and keep the dal in the fridge to cook the next night if you want to speed this up.  You can also cook your dal in the pressure cooker – I don’t have one!)

Meanwhile, sauté the onion in the olive oil until translucent.  Set aside.

Place the dal in a large bowl.  Add the sautéed onions, garam masala, salt and pepper and mix.  Serve over rice with chutney to taste.

Serves 4.

Now – if I hadn’t been freaked that I was getting a stomach virus, I would’ve added a bunch of steamed baby spinach to this mix.  I’d steam a 5-6 oz. box of the stuff (maybe more, if you’re a spinach lover like me) and season it with salt and pepper.  I’d add it to the dal mix, and probably up the garam masala because of the added spinach.  Taste it and see what you think.  Other steamed, chopped greens would be tasty too, I’m sure.  If you fool around with this, let us know what you did and how it turned out in the comments below!

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Today’s recipe is an adaptation of this one, from a nice site called Healthy Slow Cooking (thanks for visiting and commenting Kathy!).  This boasts a trifecta of some of D.’s most despised foods – artichoke hearts, fake chicken and olives, so of course I was psyched to try it when he wasn’t around for dinner last night!

I could make a meal off the artichoke salsa component of this recipe.  After a few tastes, I had to stop myself from just eating it straight-up out of the bowl.  This is definitely one to keep in the back pocket for parties – it’d be great with pita chips.

In any case, today’s recipe is vegan, healthful, and very quick to throw together, even with the from-scratch salsa.  Indulge your artichoke-lovers with this one tonight!

Slow Cooker Artichoke Salsa “Chicken”

Spread ½ the salsa on the bottom of the slow cooker, then top with the chik’n, artichoke hearts and the remaining salsa. Cook on low for 6-8 hours.

Serve over quinoa.

Serves 4

Artichoke Salsa

Mix all the ingredients together in a large bowl. (If you’re actually serving this as salsa, serve it at room temperature with pita chips, otherwise, add to the recipe as directed.)

*If you’re not keen on chicken substitutes, I think this would be good with real chicken – I’d use 12 oz. of chicken cutlets or pounded-out breasts, and I would marinate them for a few minutes in an olive-oil and lemon marinade.  Although I really liked this, I understand that the funky chicken is not for everyone!

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I LOVE pizza.  It incorporates some of my favorite food groups:  starch, fat, salt . . . . but I will confess to you that I don’t make pizza at home very often.  One of my big issues with at-home pizza prep is the crust.  I’m a control-freak and I like my own crust the best, but it’s time-consuming.  I cannot stand Boboli and the like – too bready and tasteless.  So when my friend M. started raving about Iggy’s pizza shells, I sat up and took notice.  For those of you not familiar with Iggy’s, it’s a Cambridge, Mass. company that makes fantastic breads.  These pizza shells are sold in a 1.1 lb. package with 2 shells – plenty of palatte for pizzas for a family of 4.  They’re thin and fresh and they cook up crispy on the bottom, with just the right amount of doughyness left behind.  It is, hands-down, the best pre-made crust I’ve ever had.  I will definitely buy it again.

So between the Iggy’s shell and this post on Macheesmo, I was fired up to make my own pizza.  These measures below are approximate – you can tweak them to your liking.  The result is a hearty, flavorful, inventive pie that had D. making those happy snuffling noises he’s so famous for . . . they’re the signal that he’s tucked into something really delicious.

Greek Chicken Pizza

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Put the lemon juice and olive oil in a medium-sized bowl and whisk to combine.  Add a bit of salt and pepper, and place the chicken in the bowl to marinate for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, place the spinach in a covered, microwave-safe bowl and cook for 1 minute.  Stir and cook 30 seconds more, if needed, until the spinach is wilted.  Uncover and let sit to cool slightly, and then squeeze all of the moisture out of the spinach. Chop it coarsely and set aside.

Get all your other ingredients ready.  Meanwhile, remove the chicken from the marinade (discard remaining marinade) and place it in a large skillet over medium heat. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and cook for approximately 3 minutes per side, or until no longer pink in the middle.  Remove from the pan and cut the chicken into ½-inch chunks.

Put your crust on a cookie sheet (line it with aluminum foil and spray with cooking spray for easy cleanup and pizza lift-off).  Spread some olive oil in a thin layer over the pizza crust.  Sprinkle the mozzarella evenly over the crust.   Continue with the spinach, onion, chicken and feta. Sprinkle the dill over the top, and add a sprinkle of salt (go easy, the feta’s salty) and a few grinds of pepper.

Put it in the oven and bake until the top is lightly browned, approximately 25-35 minutes.

Makes a light meal for 4.  Serve with a tossed salad with a lemon/olive oil vinaigrette.

8 Great Ideas For Pizza Toppings

1. Layer smoked salmon, fresh dill, rinsed capers and red onion atop ricotta cheese and drizzle with extra virgin olive
2. Top tomato sauce with mozzarella, bits of freshly cooked, thick-cut bacon and red onion
3. Barbecue sauce topped with chicken and crumbled bleu cheese, garnished after baking with baby arugula dressed in a bit of extra-virgin olive oil, Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
4. Top bottled peanut satay sauce with grilled chicken, grated mozzarella, slivered green onions, shredded carrots and chopped cilantro, and a little more mozzarella on top
5. Naked crust topped with red onions, grated mozzarella cheese, black beans, corn-off-the-cob, grilled chicken, chopped cilantro and more mozzarella. After baking, top with salsa, sour cream and guacamole.
6. Prepared pesto sauce topped with grated Parmesan, artichoke hearts and grated fontina cheese
7. Sauce-free crust layered with havarti cheese, topped with par-cooked asparagus and wafer-thin slices of proscuitto.
8. The sky’s the limit!

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Did you think I forgot about you?  Never!  It’s just that it’s School Vacation Week, so I’m preoccupied with life right now, not blogging.  I am cooking this week, though, and have some tasty new recipes on the way – including this tasty braise we had last night.

Now, I’m a fan of cabbage, but I understand it’s not something that everyone looks forward to.  But folks, it’s so so so good for you – and I think that this might be a good recipe to try if you’re ambivalent – the braising here makes the cabbage very mild and tender, and the apples help create a sweet, yet savory and hearty dish.  The red cabbage called for here makes a really pretty presentation – brilliantly reddish-purple.  And although the cabbage has to cook for a while, it’s a stir-once-in-a-while thing, so you can put it on the stove and do other things while you prepare dinner. 

You can choose to steam some potatoes to use as a base for the braise, or else it’s good on its own, perhaps accompanied by some good bread.  Or, if you’re like me and have overindulged on Chinese New Year and Valentine’s vittles, you can eat it straight-up, ‘cause it’s delicious that way, too.

Braised Cabbage With Apples & Chicken Sausage

If you’re serving this over potatoes, clean them and cut them into uniformly-sized pieces and sprinkle them with some salt and pepper.  Place the potatoes in a steaming basket set in a large saucepan, and steam until fork-tender.  Meanwhile, heat the oil over medium heat in a large, lidded skillet or Dutch oven, and add the onion. Cook, stirring, until almost tender, about three minutes. Add 2 tablespoons of the balsamic vinegar and cook, stirring, until the mixture is golden, about three minutes, then add the apples and stir for two to three minutes.

Add the cabbage to the pot. Toss to coat thoroughly, then add the allspice, another 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar, and salt to taste. Toss together. Cover the pot, and cook over low heat for 45 minutes, stirring from time to time. Add the sausage, stirring to combine.  Cook for 15 more minutes, until sausage is heated through.  Add freshly ground pepper, taste and adjust salt, and add another tablespoon or two of balsamic vinegar as desired.

Serve over potatoes, if desired.

Serves 4.

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I’m happily carving out time for cooking this week, despite my hairy schedule.  I’ve always found cooking to be relaxing, and I have to say it’s nice to have a warm, “real” meal at the end of a long day.

My quest for flavorful slow-cooker meals continues . . . today’s recipe is an adaptation of a Better Homes & Gardens recipe I found at a great site, Fatfree Vegan Recipes.  I have de-veganized it and added some fat to it, but the option for a hearty vegan stew is there.  Veggie or not, take just 30 minutes to chop up your ingredients and throw them into your Crock-pot, then belly-up for a warm bowl of nutritious and flavorful goodness.

Slow-Cooker Spiced Butternut Squash and Lentil Stew

Rinse and drain lentils. Place lentils, squash, onion, carrot, celery, curry and garlic in the slow-cooker. Pour the broth over the top.  Cover and cook on low for 8-9 hours or on high for 4-4 ½ hours. Add salt and pepper to taste.  Serve in bowls, topped with either a drizzle of olive oil or a dollop of Greek yogurt, if desired.

Serves 4.

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The plot thickens on BPA.  Jennifer Grayson’s two-part article is super – it reminds us of some places where we already know BPA lurks, and gives (me at least) some new info.  Part 1 is here, Part 2 here.  Pizza boxes and cash register receipts?  Who knew???

And here is a link to some BPA-free canned goods (Eden+).

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This is an adaptation of a recipe from Clean Eating Magazine – it’s got an eclectic set of ingredients, but they work together well.  This is a fast, flavorful meal that will add flare to your weeknight repertoire.

Sesame Garlic Chicken, Spinach With Tahini Sauce and Roasted Peanut Quinoa

Tahini Sauce

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  Place chicken on a foil-lined baking sheet.  With a sharp knife, make 3 slits in each chicken breast, taking care not to cut all the way through the breast.  Stuff the slits with garlic, dividing it evenly amongst the breasts.  Sprinkle each breast with salt, pepper and the sesame seeds.  Bake for 30 minutes, or until no longer pink.

Meanwhile, rinse the quinoa thoroughly with water and drain.  Combine the quinoa with the stock in a medium saucepan.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low, cover and cook until the liquid is absorbed, about 20 minutes.  Add the peanuts to the quinoa and set aside.

Prepare the Tahini Sauce:  In a bowl, whisk together the tahini, vinegar, soy sauce, agave nectar and 1 t. of water until smooth and combined.

Steam the spinach, either in the microwave or in a metal steamer insert for a saucepan.

To serve, mound a portion of quinoa in the center of each plate.  Arrange the steamed spinach around and on top of the quinoa and drizzle some Tahini Sauce over the quinoa and the spinach.  Place a chicken breast on top and serve.

Serves 4.

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