Food Therapy

As I mentioned in my post last night, I think that boneless, skinless chicken breast is the enemy. I know, I know...it's healthy...blah, blah. I don't care how "healthy" you tell me it is, I think it's BORING. And by boring, I mean super boring. I would rather eat shoe leather.

So that said I challenged myself to make something that remained healthy, but tasted as little like shoe leather as possible. Of course...the answer was clear...cheese. Cheese makes everything better. I would put cheese on Cheerios if I could.

On the side I continued with my salad success, making a strawberry spinach salad...so yum! I mean, I run the risk of being hungry in an hour due to the lack of carbs, but hey, the hubby was super pleased...the food tasted good and fit in his diet.

Strawberry Spinach Salad
1/4 c. white vinegar
1 lemon
1/4 c. white sugar
1/2 c. vegetable oil
1 Tbsp. poppy seeds
1 bag baby spinach
1/2 c. sliced almonds - toasted
1/4 c. red onion - sliced thin
16 oz. strawberries - sliced
crumbled feta

Mix vinegar, juice of 1 lemon and sugar in small mixing bowl until sugar dissolves. Add oil and poppy seeds. Set aside. Meanwhile, toast almonds in pan over medium heat, tossing frequently. Place spinach in salad bowl. Top with strawberries, almonds, onion, feta. Top with dressing when ready to serve.

This is a great salad for the spring. Strawberries are sweet and the combo of the berries, onions and feta creates a party in your mouth.


Veggie Smothered Chicken
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
Italian dressing (I used the Four Seasons mix at home - better than the bottle)
1/2 large red onion - sliced 1/4 in. thick
1 green pepper - sliced
10-12 button mushrooms - sliced
2 tbsp. butter
1 tbsp. olive oil
garlic powder
sea salt
pepper
8 slices provolone cheese
Marinate the chicken in Italian dressing for 2-4 hours. When ready to begin cooking, slice onion, green pepper and mushrooms. Preheat oven to 375. Place chicken in Pyrex baking dish with remaining marinade, sprinkle with garlic, salt and pepper and place in oven. Cook for 20-25 minutes. Meanwhile, saute veggies in butter and olive oil over medium heat until tender. When chicken is almost done, pull out of oven and top with 2 pieces of provolone cheese. Return to oven until cheese melts. Serve immediately.

Like I said, cheese makes everything better and this is no exception. And the mound of veggies on top acts like a side dish in an of itself. It's perfectly easy, quick and delicious.

On a side note, I need to talk about my recent purchase...I don't know about you, but I love recycling but hate that you need to separate the recyclables from the trash. I mean, I am sick of tripping over brown Trader Joe's paper bags! So I have been on a mission to get a trash can and recycling bin all contained in one unit. Well, I found the best thing to happen to my kitchen since the cast iron skillet. It's the simplehuman Deluxe Rectangular Recycler...so awesome! Yes, it is a little pricey but so worth it for my sanity...I'm in love! Check it out...

Ahhhh....food therapy complete...and some trash therapy too...

For those of you that haven't been lucky enough to visit or live in Dallas, Chuy's is quite possibly the best Tex-Mex restaurant on the planet. Between the queso, jalapeno ranch dressing, chuychangas and homemade tortillas, it is a fat girl's dream...well, it's this fat girl's dream. I find my love for tex-mex rather strange considering that the only "mexican" I grew up with was fajitas and tacos (seasoned with a packet from a box), but this love is deep. I mean, really deep. I am constantly trying to replicate my favorite tex-mex meals. And with my birthday coming up, I really think that the best gift in the world would be the aforementioned combo from Chuy's.

Realizing that is an impossibility, I was determined to create a meal that would make even the biggest Tex-Mex fan proud. Considering that I am the only Tex-Mex lover in the house, I would say the mission was accomplished.

Chicken Enchiladas served with blue chips and a side of Chuy's Jalapeno Ranch (well, a close adaptation anyway)....

Chicken Enchiladas
3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (cubed)
1 tbsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
salt
pepper
10 small flour tortillas (most enchiladas are made with corn tortillas, but I don't really like them, so use whichever you prefer)
16 oz. sour cream (separated into 2 - 8 oz portions)
1 bunch green onions - sliced (use white & green part)
2 - 4 oz. can chopped green chilies
2 c. Mexican mixed cheese (separated into 2 - 1 c. portions)
1/4 c. butter
1/4 c. flour
2 c. chicken stock

Drizzle preheated skillet with vegetable oil over med-high heat. Add chicken, cumin, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Cook until all sides are brown, about 7-10 mins. Meanwhile preheat oven to 375 degrees and mix sour cream, green onions, chilies & cheese. Set aside. When chicken is done cooking, add chicken to sour cream mixture, stir. Spray a pyrex baking dish with nonstick spray. Place 1 tortilla on cutting board. Place a portion of the chicken mixture in a line on the tortilla. Roll tightly and place in baking sheet, seem side down. Continue until all 10 tortillas are rolled.

In another skillet (I cleaned out the one I previously used and re-used it) melt 1/4 c. of butter over medium heat. When melted, add 1/4 c. of flour. Stir constantly until smooth. Add in 2 c. chicken stock, 8 oz. of sour cream & can of chopped green chilies. Continue to stir until thick. When thick and creamy, pour over the top of the rolled enchiladas.

Bake for 20 mins. Sprinkle remaining cheese on top and cook for an additional 5 minutes. Serve while hot.

Chuy's Jalapeno Ranch
I have to say this was close but not quite...I am going to work on it some more and will let you know how I make out. Either way, it's still a delicious dip or salad topper!

1 quart mayonnaise
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup chopped jalapeno
1 cup green tomatillo sauce
1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped
3 (1 ounce) packets dry ranch dressing mix

Mix first 5 ingredients in a blender until smooth. Stir in ranch mix with a whisk. Chill and serve (I ate with Blue corn tortilla chips)

This menu definitely cured my immediate need for all things Tex-Mex but I have to admit, it just isn't the same. Honestly it just reaffirmed my need to plan a trip back to the land of warm nights, flat lands, southern drawls and Chuy's y'all!

Ahhh...food therapy complete.

The past 2 days have been a complete beat-down. I have been working some crazy hours, which, I have to be honest, I am not used to anymore. But, no excuses, a girl's gotta eat, right? And when I am stressed, I want something GOOD, not fish, not a lame salad...I want something that is going to make the soul sing. So I look in the big cold box (for the 30th time today) and all I see is CHICKEN...let me tell you, I'm not hearing any songs from boneless-skinless chicken breast...uh uh, no way. As a matter of fact, that would be last on my list for "soul singing" food, but I poured a glass of wine and worked with the hand I was dealt. I looked through my recipe box (BTW - everyone needs one) and it hit me...chicken filled with ricotta cheese. On the side I made some yummy green beans with bacon and onions (not nearly as bad for you as it sounds).

Honestly, with my energy level I could have done a good batch of toaster waffles, but why should everyone else suffer for my inability to handle work, right?

So, here we go...

Sun Dried Tomato Chicken Roll-Ups (adapted from Rachael Ray)
2 lg. eggs
1 c. seasoned bread crumbs
1 c. ricotta cheese
1 - 2 tbsp. sun dried tomato paste (the recipe called for 1 c. sun dried tomatoes in oil. I hate the texture so I went with the paste)
4 chicken breasts - pounded. (Instead of pounding them flat, I butterfly them first, then pound them)
1/2 lb. provolove cheese
Olive Oil

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Mix ricotta & sun dried tomato paste. Dip chicken in egg then breadcrumbs. Place a slice (or 2) of provolone and a heaping scoop of ricotta on the narrow side of the chicken. Roll up and secure with a toothpick if necessary. Drizzle with olive oil and bake for 25-30 minutes.

This chicken recipe is awesome. It is kind of like chicken parm, kind of like chicken fingers and a whole lot of yummy! I have substituted frozen, thawed spinach or roasted red peppers or even pesto for the sun dried tomato...this recipe has the flexibility of a Chinese gymnast!

Green Beans with Bacon and Onions
1 lb. green beans
2 slices of bacon - chopped
1/4 med. onion - diced
pepper

Boil the green beans for 7-10 minutes in a 10 in. skillet. Drain water and set green beans aside. In same skillet brown the bacon over medium high heat. When the bacon is half-way cooked, add the onions to the skillet. Cook until bacon is crisp. Turn down to medium heat and add green beans back in. Toss and keep warm over medium low heat until chicken is cooked through.

I have gotta say, this recipe is a new one but I will definitely use it again. It made 4 servings of veggies and I only used 2 slices of bacon! Me...I would be happy with a half-pound of bacon and a cup of green beans ratio, but this on still cured my "soul singing" craving.

Tomorrow night we are going out to dinner for Morgan's birthday (happy 23rd little sis) so I am definitely not cooking...and if I do, there won't be a recipe for nuking a hot-dog while intoximicated, so I will see you later! Have a good weekend and push yourself to cook something new...

Ahhhh...Food therapy complete.