Soooo….yeah.  Weight Watchers.  I’m in my fifth week, and while I still feel a little odd about it, I think it’s working for me.  Mostly, it’s been a good way to balance my indulgences, and an extra motivator to… Read the rest of this post

Soooo….yeah.  Weight Watchers.  I’m in my fifth week, and while I still feel a little odd about it, I think it’s working for me.  Mostly, it’s been a good way to balance my indulgences, and an extra motivator to help me decide if I really NEED that extra glass of wine or cookie on any given night.

It’s also making me cook more, and try new things.  This is actually a standby – my all time favorite dressing/marinade.  I’ve used it for chicken before, but decided for this to expand it to a dressing.  So I marinated chicken breasts overnight, then grilled them, and sliced them thin.  Shredded half a head of red cabbage, and dressed the whole thing with a few extra tablespoons of the dressing.  It’s stayed crispy in the fridge all week for my lunches and fast dinners.

Best-Ever Dressing/Marinade

6 tablespoons olive oil
4 tablespoons apple cider vingar
4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons brown sugar
3 tablespoons very grainy mustard
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

Put all ingredients in a jar and seal tightly.  Shake well to mix.  Excellent as a dressing or marinade for chicken, pork, and fish.

Makes about 3/4 cup – 2 tablespoons ~ 3 WW Plus Points

Chicken and Red Cabbage Salad
Serves 6

Best-Ever Marinade (you will use about 2/3 of it)
1 1/2 pounds chicken breasts
1/2 head of red cabbage

Marinate the chicken overnight in enough of the marinade to cover.  Grill until done, and slice crosswise into thin strips.

Quarter and thinly slice the red cabbage.  Toss with the chicken and enough dressing to coat.

One Serving ~ 7 WW Plus Points

My new obsession.

I’ve been getting big bags of “Spicy Greens Mix” from the farmers market Saturday morning, and a little crate of sweet golden drop grape tomatoes.  I set a shallow pan of water on the stove as… Read the rest of this post

My new obsession.

I’ve been getting big bags of “Spicy Greens Mix” from the farmers market Saturday morning, and a little crate of sweet golden drop grape tomatoes.  I set a shallow pan of water on the stove as I wash and dry the greens, and slice the tomatoes in half.  I pour a dollop of vinegar in the water as it starts to simmer, swirl it around, and crack one egg gently into the water.  My slotted spoon gently laps the hot water over the top until it is perfectly opaque but still jiggly.  I lift it out, shaking off a bit of the water, and set it gently on top of my pile of greens and tomatoes.  A drizzle of olive oil, and sprinkle of coarse salt.  Done.

Perfect.

I enjoy going to the farmers market on Saturdays – the ritual of packing my shopping bag, browsing all the stalls to see who has the best zucchini this week, or peaches.  But sometimes, I get a bit overzealous,… Read the rest of this post

I enjoy going to the farmers market on Saturdays – the ritual of packing my shopping bag, browsing all the stalls to see who has the best zucchini this week, or peaches.  But sometimes, I get a bit overzealous, and end up with vegetables still sitting in the fridge most of the week later.  I can safe the slightly softening ones by roasting them until crisp. And what’s a better counterpoint to the warm, buttery flavor of a roasted vegetable than nutty quinoa?

This is a great side, or add some cubed firm tofu to fill out a summer meal.

Oh, and if you have extra quinoa?  Make them into patties.

Read on for the recipe…

Quinoa with Roasted Vegetables

2 cups water or broth
1 cup red quinoa
5 cloves garlic
3 small summer squash
3 japanese eggplant
(or whatever combination of vegetables you might have)
olive oil
salt
pepper
dried thyme
juice of one lemon

1. Bring the water or broth to a boil. Add some salt and the quinoa, stir, cover, and cook for approximately 20 minutes or until all the water is absorbed.

2. Meanwhile, heat the oven to 400F. Chop the garlic finely. Slice the squash and eggplant lengthwise into long quarters. Then slice into 1 inch chunks.  Toss the garlic and vegetables with the olive oil, salt, pepper and thyme.  Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper and spread the vegetables in an even layer.  Roast until golden brown, about 15 minutes.

3. When the quinoa is done, toss it with the vegetables.  Squeeze some lemon juice over it all, and enjoy!

My favorite summer meals require a minimum of time in front of my stove.  The combination of spices and cool yogurt in this chicken salad make it a staple in my fridge for the hot months.   I like… Read the rest of this post

My favorite summer meals require a minimum of time in front of my stove.  The combination of spices and cool yogurt in this chicken salad make it a staple in my fridge for the hot months.   I like it best layered up with some cucumbers and toasted bread, and washed down with a limoncello lemonade (recipe to come soon!).

It’s a fairly basic recipe – the fillings can be changed or left out depending on what’s in your fridge.  I’ve filled it out with chopped green apples, red onions, celery, carrots, and almonds…really anything you like.  I particularly like the addition of the lime zest and the chili powder – it adds a citrusy bite.

Read on for the recipe!

Curry Lime Chicken Salad
serves 4

Prep: 20 minutes total: 30 minutes

ingredients:
2 cups chicken broth
4 cups water
1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/4 cup raisins
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup nonfat greek yogurt or plain yogurt
3 teaspoons curry powder
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
zest of 1/2 lime
1 teaspoon honey
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger or 1 teaspoon fresh grated ginger
1/4 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 cup cashews, chopped
about 10 large mint leaves, roughly chopped

how to:
1. Bring the chicken broth and water to a simmer in a pot.  cook the chicken breasts for 6 minutes, then remove from the heat and cover. Let the chicken finish cooking for 10 minutes, until white all the way through.  Remove the chicken to a plate, and let cool.  Tear into small pieces and set aside.

2. Cover the raisins with hot water and set aside.

3. In a small bowl, mix together the mayo, yogurt, curry powder, lime juice, zest, honey, ginger, chili, salt and pepper.

4. Mix the chicken and the sauce in a bowl. Drain the raisins and add them to the chicken. Add the cashews and chopped mint and stir until well combined.  Add more salt to taste.