Buttermilk Chicken with Israeli Couscous Salad

BUTTERMILK CHICKEN

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups non-fat buttermilk

2 Tbs. Dijon mustard

1/2 tsp. paprika

1/4 tsp. garlic powder

1/8 tsp. cayenne

4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves

1/2 large onion, sliced and separated into rings

8 oz. sliced mushrooms

1 clove garlic, chopped

2 Tbs. heart healthy margarine

2 thin slices low-sodium swiss cheese

  If chicken breasts are particulaly large, place between two sheets of plastic wrap and pound with a rolling pin or meat mallet until they are about 1/2 inch thick.  Mix the buttermilk, Dijon mustard, paprika, garlic powder and cayenne together to make a marinade in a large ziploc bag placed in a bowl.  Place the chicken breasts in the marinade and refrigerate for at least several hours (up to a day ahead). 

  Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Cover a shallow jelly roll pan or baking sheet with aluminum foil.  Place a low rack (like a cookie cooling rack) on top of the baking sheet and arrange the chicken breasts on the rack after removing from the marinade.  Arrange the onion rings on top of the chicken breasts and bake for about 25 minutes or until done.

  While the chicken breasts are baking, saute the mushrooms in margarine with chopped garlic and margarine until tender.

  When the chicken is done baking, top each piece of chicken with 1/2 slice of swiss cheese and return to oven until melted.  Remove from oven, arrange mushrooms on top of the chicken and serve.

ISRAELI COUSCOUS

Ingredients:

1 cup Israeli couscous (can be found in the grocer's specialty section with other kosher foods)

4 cups low-sodium chicken stock (or water with 2 packets of sodium free chicken boullion)

4 green onions, chopped

1/3 cup dried cranberries

1 can red beans, rinsed and drained
1 tsp. lime zest plus juice of 1 lime

1 Tbs. orange zest plus juice of 1/2 of orange

2 Tbs. olive oil

1 tsp. brown sugar

Prepare couscous in chicken stock according to package directions.  Rinse with cold water and drain well.  Place in a salad bowl with the green onions, cranberries, beans, lime zest and orange zest.  Whisk together juices from the lime and orange with the olive oil and brown sugar to make a dressing.  Add to couscous.  Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour before serving.

Leapin' Lentils

Ingredients:
2 Tbs. olive oil
1/2 large onion, chopped
1 large carrot, chopped
1 small potato, chopped
1/4 c. celery, chopped
1/2 tsp. marjoram
1/4 tsp. thyme
3 c. low-sodium chicken stock
2/3 c. rinsed lentils
2 Tbs. barley
2  Tbs. fresh chopped parsley
1 15-oz. can diced tomatoes, undrained
grated mozzarella cheese for topping

  Heat olive oil and saute the onion, carrot, celery and potato in a medium sauce pan.  Stir in the marjoram and thyme.
  Add in the chicken stock, lentils, barley, parsley and chopped tomatoes.  Bring to a boil, then cover and reduce heat.  Simmer for 45 minutes.  Sprinkle individual servings with grated cheese and a little more of the fresh parsley.  It's also nice served with a whole wheat roll, a little cheese and fruit.
  

Eggplant Lasagna

Ingredients:

1 large eggplant

Olive oil cooking spray

1 cup shredded mozzarella

1/2 cup parmesan cheese

snipped fresh parsley

Sauce:

1/2 cup onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 tsp. olive oil

1 15-oz. can low-sodium diced tomatoes, undrained

2/3 cup tomato sauce

1 Tbs. oregano

1 tsp. basil

1/4 tsp. onion powder

  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Wash and cut the unpeeled eggplant into 1/4 - 1/2 inch slices.  Spray a 9x13 baking pan with cooking spray and lay out the slices in the bottom of the pan, overlapping a little if necessary.  Spray eggplant with cooking spray and bake for 30 minutes, flipping the slices halfway through. 

  While the eggplant is baking, prepare the sauce.  Saute the onion and garlic in olive oil until tender.  Add in tomato sauce and seasonings.  Reduce to simmer for about 15 minutes. 

  Remove eggplant from oven.  Being careful of the hot dish, layer mozzarella over the eggplant.  Spoon the sauce over the cheese.  Top with parmesan cheese and parsley.  Bake for an additional 30 mintues at 350 degrees.

  Adding sauted mushrooms or black olives to this recipe is another option, depending on your tastes.  For those on a restrictive sodium diet, beware that cheese is high in sodium so you'll need to structure your diet accordingly.  We all recognize that noodles and bread are often just a vehicle for eating sauce and cheese.  Substituting eggplant is surprisingly satisfying and makes this dish a lower carbohydrate option.

Chicken and Wild Rice

Ingredients:
3-4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1 1/2 cups celery, chopped
1 lg. carrot, diced
1 cup whole pearl onions, ends cut off and outer skin removed
2 tsp. fresh tarragon
1 1/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1 cup white wine
1 small jar pimento
1 pkg. long grain and wild rice mix w/seasoning packet (I used a 6.3 oz. box)
1/3 cup sliced almonds, toasted (optional)
fresh parsley, chopped

  Preheat oven to 300 degrees.  Combine wine, rice mix and seasoning packet in a Dutch oven or large baking dish.  Let soak while preparing chicken.
  Cut chicken into 1 inch pieces.  Place chicken in a fry pan with chicken stock, carrot, celery, onion and tarragon.  Bring to bubble and cook 10 minutes on medium heat, until chicken and vegetables are tender.
  Add the chicken, vegetables, pimento and stock to the mixture in the Dutch oven.  Cover and bake for 1 hour.  Check and stir periodically during the last 1/2 hour, adding more chicken stock if the rice looks too dry (rice packages can vary a bit in size).  Toast almonds in a small fry pan over medium heat for 5 minutes until slightly brown.  Serve rice topped with almonds and chopped parsley.

Uncle Bob's Chili

Ingredients:
1 lb. ground turkey
1 Tbs. canola oil
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 green pepper, diced
3 stalks celery, sliced
2 15-oz cans low-sodium diced tomatoes, undrained
1 can tomato paste
1 tsp. salt (optional if you need it especially low-sodium)
1 Tbs. sugar substitute (Stevia)
1 1/2 Tbs. chili powder (more if you like it hot)
1 tsp. cumin
2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 can diced green chilies
1 can low-sodium black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can low-sodium kidney beans, undrained
1 small can corn
non-fat plain Greek yogurt
green onion, diced
shredded Mexican cheese blend

  I grew up on a farm raising Angus beef cows, so substituting ground turkey isn't always satisfying for me.  Fortunately in chili (if you add enough chili powder) you're never left asking "where's the beef?"  This recipe has more vegetables than the average chili, giving it a nice "crunch".
 Select a large stew pot and saute turkey, onion and garlic in oil until browned.  Break up the ground turkey as it cooks.  Drain.  Add in the green pepper, celery, tomatoes, tomato paste, chilies, spices and Worcestershire sauce.  Heat to bubbling, then turn down to a simmer and cover.  Cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add in the beans and corn.  Simmer another 40 minutes.  Serve topped with non-fat yogurt, green onions and a little cheese.

Baked Spaghetti Squash

Ingredients:
1 medium spaghetti squash
1/2 cup low-moisture mozarella cheese
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 tsp. oregano
1/3 cup roasted red peppers, cut into bite sized pieces (come in a jar at the grocer)
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped

Cut the spaghetti squash in half, crosswise, and scrape out the seeds with a large spoon.  Place 1 half face down in a glass pie plate with 1/4 cup water.  Pierce back of squash in several places with a fork.  Cover with plastic wrap and pierce the wrap in several places with a knife.  Microwave for about 13 minutes, until soft.  Remove and repeat the procedure with the other half squash.  After removing from the microwave, let it cool and drain for several minutes face down in a colander.  OR squash can be cut in half and placed face down on a baking sheet sprayed with PAM and bake for 1 hour at 350 degrees (will be less watery than the microwave method).
  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  Using a fork, scrape out the pulp from the cooked squash into a baking dish (it has strands like spaghetti).  Stir in the mozarella and parmesan cheese, oregano, and red peppers.  Bake for ten minutes or until lightly browned on top.  Plate and top with chopped parsley.

Peanut Butter Bars

Ingredients:
1/2 cup natural peanut butter
2 Tbs. brown sugar, packed down
1/4 cup honey
1 1/2 Tbs. non-hydrogenated margarine, softened
1 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats (slow cooking)
1/4 cup coconut
1/4 dried cranberries (Craisins)
1/4 cup chopped or sliced almonds
1/4 cup chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Mix the butters, sugar, honey and vanilla.  Add in the rolled oats, cocnut, dried cranberries, almonds and chocolate chips and mix thoroughly.  Spread mixture into a 9x9 baking pan sprayed with PAM.  Bake 25 minutes, cool and cut into small squares.  These bars are pretty dense so one square is all you get for a serving size!