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Saturday, March 23, 2013

Taking Control of Your Diabetes Marinated Grilled Breast of Chicken with Mango Salsa, Baja Vegetable Stir Fry


Marinated Grilled Breast of Chicken with Mango Salsa Baja Vegetable Stir Fry... of love

This dish was created for TCOYD. I'm partnered with Taking Control of Your Diabetes, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to helping people with diabetes live better lives through education and proaction.

Their conferences and health fairs bring together people with diabetes and those at risk with national and local medical professionals and diabetes related experts for a day of highly informative and motivating programs that empower our participants to take control of their diabetes.
What to expect from a TCOYD conference and health fair:
  • Inspiring and motivating lectures from renowned speakers
  • Health screenings, such as glucose, cholesterol, A1C tests and foot exams
  • One-on-one conversations with diabetes specialists including physicians, diabetes educators, dietitians, psychologists, exercise specialists, , podiatrists, pharmacists and ophthalmologists
  • Our lively, one-of-a-kind health fair with exhibits from national and local diabetes-related companies and organizations and physical activities for everyone
  • Healthy, sit-down banquet lunch with an inspirational keynote speaker at most locations. In some venues we may not have the speaker, but a good lunch is always included.

Marinated Grilled breast of Chicken    
                
Ingredients:
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/2 tsp dried rosemary leaves
1 medium garlic cloves, minced
Black pepper to taste
1 t olive oil
1/3 cup balsamic

Let’s put it together
1. Rinse chicken and pat dry.
2. In a small bowl, combine rosemary, garlic, pepper; mix together well. Place chicken in large bowl and drizzle with oil.
3. Rub chicken with spice mixture, cover and refrigerate for 1-2 hours.
4. Preheat oven 400 degrees F.
5. Spray a heavy roasting pan or skillet with nonstick cooking spray; place chicken in sprayed pan and bake for 10 minutes.
6. Turn chicken. If  the chicken begins to stick to pan, add 3 to 4 tbsp water and deglaze.
7. Bake chicken for another 10 minutes or until the outside is golden-brown and center is no longer pink. 165 degrees
8. Drizzle balsamic vinegar over chicken in pan. Transfer chicken to plates. Stir liquid in pan and drizzle over chicken.
Mango Salsa 
Ingredients:
1/2 cup Tomato (small diced)
1 T cilantro (chopped)
¼ cup yellow onion (small diced)
1 T Lime Juice
1/2 jalapeno (small, minced NO Seeds)
1 T  Mango (fresh, diced)
 S&P to taste
Let’s put it together
Mix all the ingredients and set aside.


Recipe by Chef Robert Lewis, www.happydiabetic.com

Sunday, March 17, 2013

Happy and Healthy Corned Beef and Cabbage and Garlic Mashed Potatoes...of LOVE!




Corned Beef and Cabbage
Yield: Serves 12
INGREDIENTS:
5 lbs Corned Beef Brisket
4 quarts Beef Stock
1 Bouqet Garni (1 bay leaf, 2 sprigs fresh thyme, 5 fresh parsley stems, 4 star anise, and 10 black peppercorns bundled in a piece of cheesecloth and tied with string)
3/4 lbs Green Cabbage Braised
12 Peeled Carrots (0.75 lbs)
3/4 lbs Green beans


DIRECTIONS:
1. Place the beef and Bouqet Garni in the pot and cover with the cold beef stock. Bring to a slow simmer for at least 3 hours until beef is fork tender, remember low and slow.
2. Save cooking liquid, add salt and cook all vegetables in the cooking liquid
3. Clean brisket of all fat, slice thinly and present as in photo with potatoes, cabbage, green beans and 1 each of carrot, white turnip and yellow turnip.











Garlic Mashed Potatoes 
Ingredients
  • 1 head of cauliflower, cut into 1-inch pieces
  • 2T parmesan, freshly grated
  • 1 small clove garlic, minced
  • 1/2t salt
  • pepper to taste
  • chives, finely sliced
  • butter, for serving
Instructions
  1. Set a large pot of salted water on the stove and bring to a rolling boil. Meanwhile, clean and cut your cauliflower. Boil the cauliflower 6-7 minutes until tender all the way through. Drain thoroughly and pat dry with paper towels.
  2. To a food processor, add the cauliflower, parmesan, garlic, salt, and pepper. Pulse until the mixture resembles mashed potatoes. Taste for seasoning and adjust if needed. Transfer to a serving dish. garnish with chives and butter.






Sunday, March 10, 2013


When Anna and Bates moved into there new home, the stove was fired up and the cooking began. Mr Bates remembered roast chicken while growing up. Simple and easy and so good. 





Downton Abbey fans across England have come to call Sundays “Downton Day”.
Mrs. Patmore, Daisy, love to cook and show how food can play an important part in people’s lives.  
Families used to sit down to Sunday dinner, and some to try to keep this one day of the week for gathering for a great meal. 


So it's Roast Chicken and here we go!

Some Chicken pointers:

Picking Chicken:  Picking a good chicken at your butcher or grocer is a great start to get the best results.  Certified Organic tops the charts if you can find/afford, air-chilled is a good choice, and kosher is great because the process of salt brining kills bacteria and enhances the flavor.

Safe Prepping:  the spread of harmful bacteria is particularly evident in chicken and other fowl.  Make sure you disinfect your work surfaces as you go.  It is actually safer to forego the step when advised to wash the chicken before baking. So just check inside the bird for giblets, cut away excess fat.

The Best Breast:  My trick is to add lemon slices or butter between the skin and the chicken breast.

The Key is 165° -170°F:  Use an instant-read thermometer as your most reliable indicator of doneness.  It should read 165° to 170°F when inserted into the thickest part of the chicken (aim for the inner thigh),  Otherwise you look for clean running juices when you prick with a knife.

Give it a Rest:  A trick to ensure the chicken stays moist, let your chicken rest, covered with tin foil for 15 – 20 minutes which allows the juices to absorb.

ROAST CHICKEN
Ingredients
  • 1 whole chicken (3 lbs is ample for 2-3 people)
  • Extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 lemons
  • kosher salt
  • freshly ground pepper
  • 3 garlic cloves
  • Dried herbs...  rosemary, sage, thyme, flat-leaf parsley.
  • 1 tbsp. softened butter
LETS PUT IT TOGETHER
Preheat the oven to 375°F.
  1. Place the chicken into a shallow roasting pan which should have a grill rack. Mix the garlic and toss in fresh herbs.  We love rosemary in our house.
  2. Remove the giblets from the chicken and wipe down the chicken with paper towels.  Rub with olive oil and salt and pepper. Rub other dried herbs you have on hand (rosemary, thyme, Herbes de Provence) and garlic.
  3. Gently separate the breast skin from meat on each side with your fingers or a spatula.  Insert lemon slices and some fresh herbs which will help flavor the bird and keep the moisture in.  Alternatively, you can rub a little softened butter, again between the skin and the actual breast meat.  
  4. Place in the oven, uncovered.  As a general rule, calculate a cooking time of 20 minutes per pound of meat.  The temperature of the chicken needs to be 165° -170°F (see above).
  5. Let the cooked bird rest for 20 minutes to let the juices settle into the meat.  If you cut it too soon, you will see all the flavour on your cutting board. Remove from your roasting pan and cover with tin foil and get your table setting ready.
  6. You may be tempted to make gravy, but you really don’t need it and your doctor will thank you for it. You can use a fat separator to take the fat off and serve the juices on the side to your family/guests.
  7. Carve the chicken and serve with vegetables.

Taste of Downton Life:


Recipes for eating and living better from “The Happy Diabetic”
We’re changing the way you eat one recipe at a time.