Wednesday, May 24, 2017

Pesto Chicken & Vegetables



Pesto Chicken & Vegetables




Makes ~4 servings

Ingredients

1 pound organic boneless, skinless chicken breasts
salt (optional) and pepper, for seasoning
1 Tbsp olive oil
16 oz bag fresh green beans
1 pint grape tomatoes, sliced
1/2 cup pesto

Directions

1. Place chicken breasts in large sealable bag and pound with cooking mallet until thin (for tenderizing and quicker cooking).

2. Season both sides of chicken breasts with salt (optional) and pepper. Heat olive oil in large pan over medium-high heat. Cook chicken until cooked through, about 3-4 minutes per side.

3. Remove chicken from pan and add green beans. Cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Sliced chicken and add back to pan. Add tomatoes and pesto. Stir to combine and let cook for 2 minutes, or until heated through.

(Recipe adapted from tasty.com)

What are the nutritional benefits of this meal? Chicken is an excellent source of protein and is rich in B vitamins. Tomatoes are an excellent source of vitamin C and lycopene. Green beans are an excellent source of vitamin K and a very good source of fiber, manganese, folate, and vitamins C and B2.

Black Bean Quesadillas

My family might be getting a little sick of these by now, but they're so good and easy that they keep appearing almost weekly in our dinner line-up! They make really good leftovers reheated in the oven for lunch or dinner the next day too, so I like to make a few of them to be able to grab out of the fridge for a quick meal.

Black Bean Quesadillas


makes ~4 servings

Ingredients

2 small cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 can organic black beans, drained
3/4 cup fresh salsa, liquid drained
4 medium whole wheat tortillas
2 cups 2% shredded cheddar cheese
2/3 cup red onion, chopped
2/3 cup fresh tomatoes, seeded and chopped

Serve with:
fresh salsa
avocado slices
sour cream

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees

2. Heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes. Add black beans and cook for 1-2 minutes. Add salsa and cook for 1-2 minutes.

3. On large baking sheet, place 2 whole wheat tortillas next to each other. Top each with 1/2 cup shredded cheddar, followed by half of black bean mixture, 1/3 cup red onion and 1/3 cup chopped tomatoes. Sprinkle each with 1/2 cup shredded cheddar and top with a second whole wheat tortilla. Place in oven and bake for 10 minutes. Gently flip quesadillas and bake for another 10 minutes, or until tortillas are lightly browned and slightly crispy.

4. Cut into quarters and serve with fresh salsa, avocado slices and sour cream.



What are the nutritional benefits of this meal? Black beans are high in protein and fiber and are a significant source if iron, magnesium, phosphorous, manganese and B vitamins thiamin and folate. Onions are rich in quercetin, a type of antioxidant, as well as vitamins and minerals, including vitamins C, K, folate, thiamin, and minerals calcium, magnesium, potassium and manganese. Tomatoes are an excellent source of vitamin C and lycopene. Garlic is rich in phytonutrients and antioxidants. Cheese is rich in calcium and protein. Choosing whole wheat tortillas, as opposed to white flour tortillas, provides more fiber and nutrients, particularly B vitamins, vitamin E, folic acid, calcium, phosphorous, zinc, copper, and iron because they are less refined. Avocados are rich in monounsaturated fats that have been shown to boost HDL (good cholesterol), and are an excellent source of vitamins C,E and carotenoids lycopene and beta carotene, as well as the minerals selenium and zinc. 

Wednesday, April 19, 2017

Ginger-Scallion Chicken

This was a very easy and quick dinner for a weeknight. I had never tried frozen brown rice before, and it was really good, and so simple! It tasted just as good and freshly cooked brown rice. It's now added to the list of healthy convenience foods that I like!

Ginger-Scallion Chicken

Makes ~4 servings


Ingredients

1 pound organic chicken breast tenders
kosher salt
5 Tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
1 Tbsp toasted sesame oil
2 tsp rice vinegar
2 tsp sambal or chili-garlic sauce
4 scallions, thinly sliced, keeping greens and whites separate
2 tsp grated fresh ginger
8 oz snow peas
4 oz shiitake mushrooms, stems discarded and caps sliced
3 cups frozen brown rice
1/2 cup organic fresh cilantro, chopped
2 tsp toasted sesame seeds

you'll also need four 16-inch long sheets of parchment paper

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Fold each sheet of parchment paper in half and open like a book. On two separate baking sheets, place two pieces of parchment paper (two pieces per baking sheet).

2. Trim and discard tendon pieces of chicken tenders. Lightly season chicken tenders with kosher salt.

3. In a small bowl, combine soy sauce, sesame oil, rice vinegar, sambal or chili-garlic sauce, scallion whites, ginger, and 1 Tbsp water.

4. In a separate bowl, combine snow peas and sliced mushrooms with 2 Tbsp of soy sauce mixture.

5. On one side of the fold in each piece of parchment paper, mound 3/4 cup brown rice and drizzle with 1 Tbsp water. Top with vegetables and 2-3 chicken tenders per packet. Spoon ~2 tsp of soy sauce mixture over the top of each.

6. Fold over top half of each piece of parchment paper and make small overlapping folds along entire open edge to make a closed pouch. Place in oven and bake for about 18 minutes, until parchment puffs up and chicken is cooked through. Transfer packets to plates and let sit for 2 minutes. Open carefully as hot steam will come out.

7. Top with scallion greens, cilantro and sesame seeds, to taste.

What are the nutritional benefits of this meal? Chicken is an excellent source of protein and is rich in B vitamins. Brown rice is unrefined, so contains it's original abundance of iron, zinc, manganese, selenium, antioxidants and fiber. Snow peas are an excellent source of vitamin C and a good source of fiber, iron and manganese.

Thursday, April 13, 2017

Spinach-Ricotta Tacos

We try to have at least 1-2 vegetarian dinners a week, and this one is going into our rotation! It made plenty for leftovers for dinner the next day, and would also make a nice lunch. We added a little Cholula hot sauce on top for some added flavor. 

Spinach-Ricotta Tacos

makes ~8 tacos


Ingredients

16oz ricotta cheese (room temperature)
2 Tbsp organic cilantro, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
kosher salt
1 Tbsp canola oil
1 yellow onion, sliced thin
16 oz fresh organic spinach leaves
1/2 tsp ground cumin
8 whole grain corn tortillas

Directions

1. In a small bowl, combine ricotta, cilantro and 1 clove of chopped garlic. Season with kosher salt, so taste.

2. Heat canola oil in large pan over medium-high heat. Add onion and cook without stirring until slightly browned, about 2 minutes. Stir and continue to cook onion for another 2 minutes. Add spinach and cumin and stir until spinach begins to wilt. Add remaining 2 cloves of chopped garlic and stir, cooking for another 3 minutes. Season with kosher salt, to taste.

3. Warm tortillas according to package directions.

4. Fill tortillas with spinach mixture and top with ricotta mixture. Serve with hot sauce and/or salsa of your choice!

(Recipe adapted from foodnetwork.com)

What are the nutritional benefits of this meal? Spinach is packed with fiber,  vitamins K, A, C, B2, B6 and folate, and the minerals iron, manganese, magnesium, calcium and potassium. Onions are rich in quercetin (a type of antioxidant) and vitamin C. Ricotta cheese is a great source of calcium and protein. Whole grain corn tortillas are a good source of fiber.