Easy Skillet Chicken Parm

Ingredients

1 tbsp. olive oil
6 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves (about 1 1/2 pounds)
1 1/2 cups Prego® Traditional Italian Sauce OR Prego® Organic Tomato and Basil Italian Sauce
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese (about 6 ounces)


Directions
1. Heat the oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook for 10 minutes or until well browned on both sides.
2. Stir the sauce and 3 tablespoons Parmesan cheese in the skillet. Reduce the heat to low. Cover and cook for 10 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through. Sprinkle with the mozzarella and remaining Parmesan cheese. Let stand for 5 minutes or until the cheese is melted.
3. Serving Suggestion: Serve an iceberg lettuce salad with red wine vinaigrette. For dessert serve your favorite frozen yogurt.

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Beef Strips With Vermicelli

Ingredients

8 ounces boneless beef top round steak
4 ounces packaged dried vermicelli or spaghetti
1 tablespoon cooking oil
1 medium onion, chopped (1/2 cup)
1 14-1/2-ounce can tomato wedges
1 9-ounce package frozen Italian-style green beans or cut green beans
1 4-ounce can sliced mushrooms, drained
1/2 of a 6-ounce can (1/3 cup) Italian-style tomato paste
1/2 teaspoon fennel seed, crushed (optional)
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese
Grated Parmesan cheese (optional)


Directions
1. Partially freeze meat. Trim fat from meat. Thinly slice meat across the grain into bite-size strips.
2. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain; keep warm.
3. Meanwhile, for sauce, heat oil in a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Add meat and onion. Stir-fry for 2 to 3 minutes or until done.
4. Stir in undrained tomato wedges, green beans, mushrooms, tomato paste, fennel seed (if desired), and pepper. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered, for 7 to 8 minutes or until slightly thickened, stirring frequently. Stir in Parmesan cheese.
5. Arrange pasta on individual plates or a large platter. Spoon the sauce over pasta. If desired, sprinkle with additional Parmesan cheese. Makes 4 main-dish servings.

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Spicy Jalapeno Shrimp Pasta

Ingredients

12 ounces fresh or frozen large shrimp in shells
8 ounces dried linguine
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 or 2 fresh jalapeno chile peppers, finely chopped*
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups chopped tomatoes and/or cherry tomatoes, halved or quartered
Finely shredded Parmesan cheese (optional)


Directions
1. Thaw shrimp, if frozen. Peel and devein shrimp. Cook linguine following package directions.
2. In a large skillet heat oil over medium-high heat. Add jalapenos, garlic, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper; cook and stir 1 minute. Add shrimp; Cook about 3 minutes more or until shrimp turn opaque. Stir in tomatoes; heat through.
3. Drain linguine; toss with shrimp mixture. Top with Parmesan, if desired. Makes 4 servings.
*Note
Wear plastic gloves while preparing hot peppers; wash hands thoroughly.

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Four Season Grilled Chicken

Ingredients

1 medium onion, finely chopped (1/2 cup)
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tablespoons margarine or butter
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teasoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
6 medium skinless, boneless chicken breast halves (about 1-1/4 pounds total)
Shredded lettuce (optional)
Chopped tomato (optional)
Avocado slices (optional)


Directions
1. In a small saucepan cook onion and garlic in melted margarine or butter until tender. Stir in the chili powder, cumin, and ground red pepper. Cook for 1 minute. Brush half of the onion mixture over chicken.
2. Grill chicken on an uncovered grill directly over medium coals for 6 minutes. Turn chicken; brush with remaining onion mixture. Grill for 6 to 8 minutes more or until chicken is tender and no longer pink. (Or, place chicken on the unheated rack of a broiler pan. Broil 5 to 6 inches from the heat for 10 to 12 minutes, turning once and brushing with remaining onion mixture.) Serve with shredded lettuce, chopped tomato, and avocado slices, if desired. Makes 6 servings.

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10 Reasons Why I Hate My Diet

hree weeks ago on the advice, no let’s be more accurate, the DIRECT ORDER of my cantankerous & curmudgeonly doctor I went on a diet. So I thought it was time to check in with an update on the 10 Reasons Why I Hate My Diet.

1 – I hate my diet because it has the letters “D – I – E” in it and early on it felt like it too….but it hasn’t killed me yet so I might as well keep going.

2 – I hate my diet because it says you should drink DECAF coffee with fat free half & half….but there are some things in life I can’t do and decaf with my 2 hour commute is a definitely one of those things so I am still having my KAHUNA sized travel mug on the way to the train but I have stuck with the fat free half & half (oxymoron) and stopped getting the double espresso from the office swill machine.

3 – I hate my diet because I can’t eat regular bacon and we all know that bacon makes everything better and this diet needs a lot of help in becoming even tolerable….but turkey bacon, while having fake white stripes that crack me up, and Canadian bacon aren’t actually half bad. In fact, as a kid I used to order Canadian bacon whenever I saw it on the menu so in some ways my diet is nostalgic.

4 – I hate my diet because during the first few weeks you aren’t allowed fruit yogurt which to my son isn’t a bad idea at all as he can’t stand yogurt even though I try to tell him that it is fruit pudding….but I couldn’t give up my morning fat free yogurt so I didn’t. My diet was just going to have to live with that.

5 – I hate my diet because I am addicted to chocolate and there are no two ways about it, chocolate is not allowed….but I will have to give it up to the people at Baskin-Robbins who have made great SUGAR FREE Mint Chocolate Chip and SUGAR FREE Cookies & Cream hard candies. My daughter swears that if you freeze them, they taste like a nugget of ice cream in your mouth and they are only 10 calories.

6 – I hate my diet because I had to start it just before my daughter’s birthday and my birthday and my daughter’s birthday party and a Mother’s Day Brunch so there were plenty of minefields and culinary booby traps in my path….but I didn’t let those bother me, I had a sliver of cake for my daughter, I had a slice of cake for me, I had a sip of a Red Velvet Cupcake Smoothie for the party and I skipped dessert and had sugar free jello when I got home from the Mother’s Day Brunch instead.

7 – I hate my diet because I can’t eat fruit during the first couple of weeks and I love fruit….but those first few weeks are almost over and in checking the booklet I see that pineapple, watermelon & raisins seem to be the only fruits I can’t have. Summer is almost here and not only do I love watermelon but I have a couple of great watermelon ties so we shall have to see about this one.

8 – I hate my diet because I need to run every morning at 3:45am so I can still catch my train in the morning and see my kids at a somewhat decent hour each night….but getting up early to workout (which I used to do a lot before I got fat) actually isn’t so bad now that I have a DVR on the basement TV. Combine that with Xfinity On Demand and I actually have something to watch other than infomercials & repeats of Joy Behar while I count down the miles.

9 – I hate my diet because it says that Gatorade is not a beverage that is allowed…. but if you think I am going to run 3+ miles every morning and work on my garden outside and only drink water, then you are crazy. I drink one bottle of Gatorade (17.5 oz) every 2 days during the week and 1 to 2 a day on Saturday & Sunday depending on how much work I am doing. I shoveled 7 cubic yards of dirt this past Saturday so I might have had an extra bottle.

10 – I hate my diet because during this first phase, pasta is not allowed and I have to go to a lot of charity events & cocktails parties where I have discovered that pasta is served a lot….but having to cut back on most cocktail party & charity dinner foodstuffs other than beef, veggies & cheese actually hasn’t been so bad. My lovely wife (and partner in dieting crime) has been extremely amenable to just make an appearance and get the hell out so I am spending less time standing around eating goat cheese puffs and slimy stuff on a stupid. (As an side to all caterers out there – stop serving food on a spoon unless the server is going to stand there and wait for me to slurp whatever the hell it is in there)

BONUS # 10 (because I don’t know how to count) – I hate my diet because I love desserts and I have always had a sweet tooth….but where there is a will, there is a way and with the help of Fat Free Cool Whip, Sugar Free Jell-o, Splenda, Light Ricotta Cheese, Vanilla extract and Werther’s Sugar Free Caramel Coffee, Caramel Cinnamon & Caramel Mint hard candies I have been able to keep my sweet tooth somewhat at bay. I did make one of those weight watchers diet soda cakes and the kids liked it. I had a small bite and will try it again but I will bake it longer and will try a different flavor – the lemon cake dominated the diet orange soda.

So with all this hating of my diet, how have the results been you ask ? Well head to your pantry or to the baking aisle at your local grocery store and pick up a 5lb bag of sugar. Now pick up another one. If you can, pick up one more and start walking around. Now put them down and start walking around again. It isn’t easy carrying 15 extra pounds around with you and I bet it felt good to put the bags down. Well 15lbs (as of last Friday, I refuse to weigh myself on a Monday Morning) is what I have lost so far and it does feel good to get the weight off again. I am eyeing that 4th bag of sugar as we speak.

Come back next time when we discuss what I am watching at 3:45am as I run and how I am doing once I transition to Phase 2 of the diet and start adding back some forbidden foods who’s absence have helped me lose as much as I have.

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Grilled Chicken Parm Cheese

Chicken Parm Grilled Cheese

a;lkdsfkdsfkadslkjf;jldkfjf!!! That’s the only way I can think of to express my excitement about this sandwich through words over the Internet. This Chicken Parm grilled cheese idea had been floating around in my head for a long time but I never gave it a shot. I thought critically about the construction of it. The bread has got to be right, I used a good Italian bread. The cheese should be a good quality fresh mozz, although I have a hunch that the dried mozz would melt quicker (give it a shot and let me know). The chicken cutlet MUST be pounded out thin. When we talk about grilled cheese, its all about proportions. You can’t have a thick breaded chicken breast in there, it just doesn’t work like that, its not a grilled cheese. The tomato sauce needs to be simple and fresh. There are four ingredients in mine. I start with thinly sliced garlic and basil stems that cook in olive oil to flavor the oil. Then I pour in a can of whole peeled San Marzano tomatoes, some salt and I cook it for about 30 minutes and then blend it smooth. At the end, check for salt, tomatoes NEED salt and depending on the acidity, one can may need more salt than another so you must taste it. Its fool-proof! But the kicker in this sandwich is the fresh basil leaves. It really brings home the Italian flavors. This sandwich makes me proud. PLEASE try this recipe, its amazing, you will cry tears of joy, just DO IT (and email me a pic of it because its basically food porn…and I love that! thefoodfreak@gmail.com)

Ingredients:

1 Homemade breaded organic chicken breast, pounded thinly. Try to create a piece of chicken that will fit the shape of the bread that you use.

1/2 Cup (4-5 slices) Mozzarella cheese

4-5 Fresh basil leaves

2 Slices of a Italian Bread

Fresh Tomato Sauce

Mayo, instead of butter for spreading on the outside of the bread.

_________________________________________________

Thinly slice up the mozz.

Take your cooked chicken cutlet and dip it in hot tomato sauce. The reason I highlight hot is because mozzarella can be difficult to fully melt. By having the sauce hot, it helps cook the grilled cheese from the inside out, helping to speed up the process.

To assemble the sandwich, place about 2 slices of mozzarella on each side of the bread along with 2-3 basil leaves. Then lay the hot tomato sauce covered chicken cutlet on one side and close up the sandwich.

Evenly spread the mayo all over the outside surface of the bread.

It’s best to use a cast iron pan if you have one, if not, a good non-stick works fine. You don’t want the heat too hot but you don’t want it too low either. You have to find a happy medium. Don’t melt butter the pan, the mayo browns the bread really nicely. You could use a butter/mayo mix as well, that’s probably the best. Some grilled cheese places will say they have a “special” spread that crisps the bread up real nice…yea, that’s just mayo and butter.

Cook it until the bread it nicely golden brown and then carefully flip it. Cook the same way on the other side. If the cheese isn’t fully melted but both sides are browned keep flipping the sandwich to keep it on the heat but preventing it from getting burnt.

Once the cheese is melted, cut the sandwich in half and revel in the absolute beauty of this beast.

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Tilapia with Parsley Potatoes and Carrots

It’s efficient to cook two vegetables in one
pot, and it saves on cleanup, too.
4 tilapia or catfish fillets 4
(about 1˙ lb/750 g)
1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil 15 mL
˙ tsp salt 2 mL
oe tsp pepper 1 mL
Half onion, minced Half
1 tbsp minced fresh dill 15 mL
(or 1 tsp/5 mL dried
dillweed)
Lemon wedges
PARSLEY POTATOES AND CARROTS:
8 small new potatoes 8
(about 1 lb/500 g)
2 carrots, thickly sliced 2
1 tbsp minced fresh 15 mL
parsley
1 tbsp butter 15 mL
oe tsp each salt and pepper 1 mL
¡PARSLEY POTATOES AND CARROTS:
Scrub potatoes. In saucepan of boiling
salted water, cover and cook potatoes for
10 minutes. Add carrots; cook until potatoes
are fork-tender, about 10 minutes. Drain
and return to pot over low heat, shaking
pan until moisture evaporates, about
30 seconds. Add parsley, butter, salt and
pepper; toss to coat.
¡Meanwhile, arrange fish on foil-lined
rimmed baking sheet or greased broiler pan;
brush with oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper
then onion and dill. Broil until fish flakes
easily when tested, about 8 minutes. Serve
with potatoes and carrots and lemon wedge
to squeeze over top.
Makes 4 servings. PER SERVING: about 322 cal,
32 g pro, 11 g total fat (3 g sat. fat), 24 g carb, 3 g fibre,
87 mg chol, 942 mg sodium. % RDI: 3% calcium,
10% iron, 112% vit A, 23% vit C, 12% folate.

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Healthy Grill Recipe Ratatouille Vegetable

Ingredients (Serves 4)

2 medium onions
1 garlic clove
1 medium red bell pepper
1 medium green bell pepper
1 medium aubergine
2 medium courgettes
2 x 400 g cans chopped tomatoes
1 bouquet garni
2 tbsp tomato puree
900 g potatoes
75 g reduced fat Cheddar cheese, grated
salt and pepper
2 tbsp snipped fresh chives, to garnish

Peel and finely chop the onions and garlic. Rinse, deseed and slice the bell peppers. Rinse, trim and cut the aubergine into small dice. Rinse, trim and thinly slice the courgettes.
Place the onion, garlic and bell peppers into a pan. Add the tomatoes, and stir in the bouquet garni, tomato puree and salt and pepper to taste. Bring to the boil, cover and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring halfway through.
Stir in the aubergine and courgettes and cook, uncovered, for 10 minutes, stirring.
Peel the potatoes and cut into 2.5 cm cubes. Place the potatoes into another saucepan and cover with water. Bring to the boil and cook for 10 to 12 minutes until tender. Drain thoroughly and set aside until required.
Transfer the vegetables to a heatproof gratin dish. Arrange the cooked potato cubes evenly over the vegetables.
Preheat the grill to medium. Sprinkle grated cheese over the potatoes and place under the grill for 5 minutes until golden, bubbling and hot. Serve garnished with freshly snipped chives.

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Arroz Con Pollo

Yield: 6 Servings
3 lb Chicken, cut into pieces
1/4 c Cooking oil
1/2 c Chopped onion
1 Clove garlic, sliced
- paper thin
1/2 c Chopped green pepper
1 cn Tomatoes (#2)
1/2 t Sait
1/4 t Pepper
1/2 t Paprika
4 Cloves
2 sm Bay leaves
1 c Raw rice
1 1 O ounce package frozen peas,
1 Sweet red pepper
~cut into 1/4" pieces
Dry the pieces of chicken with paper toweling. Place the oil in a large
skiilet and saute the chicken until golden brown. Add the onion, garlic
and green pepper and saute until tbe onion is transparent and glazed.
Then add the tomatoes, salt, pepper, paprika, cloves and bay leaves.
Bring to a rollng boil, and then turn thc heat back to simmer. Cover
and simmer for 25 minutes. Add the rice; stir it in well. Cover and
simmer for 20 minutes longer, or until the grains of rice are tender.
Sprinkle the peas and pepper over the top, and cook, uncovered, for 5
minutes more. Serves 6. If you wish, remove the cloves and bay leaves
before serving.

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