It is just not possible to FLY in the kitchen without featuring something wonderful from our very own Food For Thought author Leanne Ely! We are always thrilled to have Leanne share her quest for Saving Dinner in households all over the world!!
A Quick Fix in the Produce Aisle
by Leanne Ely, C.N.C.
With the bounty of fresh, available and ready-to-go produce just
waiting to jump into your grocery cart, it's easy to go recipe-
less and build beautiful, nutrient-rich salads to suit just
about everyone's palate. Just grab a bag and follow these great
tips for quick, cool, end-of-the summer meals.
*Make a slaw. You can go traditional and empty a bag of ready-to-
go slaw into your salad bowl, add 1/2 cup of low-fat mayo, a
teaspoon of honey, a splash of cider vinegar and you're ready to
roll.
*Make ethnic slaw. For fun, use a bag of broccoli slaw instead
and add 1/2 cup low-fat mayo, a splash of rice wine vinegar, a
shot of sesame oil and garnish with a little chopped cilantro
and honey roasted peanuts and you're good to go.
*Chips and dip. Those great, big carrot chips are a whole lot
better for you than the potato kind! Open up a bag and serve
with your favorite low-fat dip instead and you'll save yourself a
whole bag of calories!
*Stir it up. For a quick and easy vegetarian stir fry meal, chop
some green onions and press a little garlic and put it in a wok,
already heated with a little oil. Add your bag of stir fry, a
dash of soy sauce, some ginger and bean sprouts and you have a
good meal. Put in on brown rice and you have a great meal!
*Tofu tagalong. There's tofu in the produce department! Maybe
you'd like a few chunks of tofu in your stir fry? Go ahead--
don't be timid. Tofu can be fun.
*Carrot slaw. Much better than the kind your cafeteria served.
Mix a bag of shredded carrots with 1/2 cup low-fat mayo, a
handful of raisins and a generous pinch of chopped walnuts.
Delicious!
*My favorite salad. In a large bowl, toss together from
different bags, whatever you have on hand: field greens, baby
spinach, shredded broccoli, shredded cabbages, etc. Add thinly
sliced green onion, a sprinkling of pine nuts, a generous
portion of sun-dried tomato feta cheese crumbles, and toss
together with a simple dressing of one pressed garlic clove, 2
parts rice wine vinegar to one part olive oil. Toss well and let
sit for just a minute for flavors to meld. So good!
Madison County Chicken
- 6 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
- 3/4 teaspoon seasoned salt (MSG-free)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 6 teaspoons honey mustard
- 1 1/2 cups mushrooms, sliced
- 6 slices bacon, cooked -(to substantially reduce fat, use turkey bacon)
- 4 1/2 cups low fat Colby/Jack cheese blend, shredded
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Rub chicken breasts with seasoned salt.
In a skillet, heat the olive oil over medium high heat. Brown
the chicken on both sides. Cook until chicken is done, but still
quite tender.
Remove chicken from skillet and spread each piece with honey
mustard and place in a 9 x 13 baking dish. Cover each piece of
chicken with a layer of mushrooms and then crumble one slice of
bacon on top.
Cover all with shredded cheese and bake at 350 degrees or until
cheese is melted.
Per Serving: 492 Calories; 17g Fat (32.2% calories from fat);
78g Protein; 3g Carbohydrate; trace Dietary Fiber; 160mg
Cholesterol; 1013mg Sodium. Exchanges: 0 Grain (Starch); 10 1/2
Lean Meat; 0 Vegetable; 1 1/2 Fat; 0 Other Carbohydrates.
SERVING SUGGESTIONS: Steamed red potatoes and baby carrots. Add
a green salad also.
VEGETARIANS: Use Boca Chik'n Patties and soy bacon
Shrimp Gumbo
Serves 6
- 1 1/2 pounds shrimp, cooked, shelled and de-veined
- 1 teaspoon crab boil
- 1 onion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, pressed
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 1 green bell pepper, chopped
- 1/2 cup celery, diced
- 2 cups tomatoes, diced (or you can use canned diced tomatoes)
- 4 cups chicken broth or vegetable broth
- 1 cup frozen lima beans
- 1 cup corn (frozen)
- 1 1/2 cups frozen okra, sliced (not breaded)
- 1 teaspoon salt
Cook shrimp if you did not purchase precooked shrimp, or if you
did not prepare them last night. (Directions on how to cook
shrimp on Day 1 Do-Ahead Tip). *****
In a large soup pot, over medium high heat saute onions and
garlic in oil until the onions are translucent.
Add bell peppers and celery. Saute for a few minutes, then add
tomatoes and bring to a low boil. Turn down heat and let simmer
for about 5 minutes (add a little broth if you need to).
Add the rest of the ingredients, including shrimp. Raise
temperature up to medium high again and bring to a boil. Turn
down heat once more and let simmer for about 15 minutes.
Per serving: 422 Calories; 10g Fat (20.7% calories from fat);
35g Protein; 49g Carbohydrate; 10g Dietary Fiber; 174mg
Cholesterol; 1644mg Sodium. Exchanges: 2 1/2 Grain (Starch); 3
1/2 Lean Meat; 1 1/2 Vegetable; 1 1/2 Fat.
****DO-AHEAD TIP: If you purchased uncooked shrimp, cook them up
tonight in water and crab boil (you will find this seasoning
right by the fish in the grocery store or with the spices).
Bring 1 teaspoon of crab boil and 1 1/2 quarts water to a rolling
boil. Put shrimp (head, tail and all) into boiling water. Cook
till done (or till they turn a reddish pink which is no more
than 3 to 5 minutes). Don't overcook. Drain, cool, then shell the
shrimp and devein (or skip that entirely and buy them already to
go).
SERVING SUGGESTIONS: Serve over brown rice with cornbread and
some sauteed zucchini.
VEGETARIANS: Skip the shrimp and serve over brown rice.
Try this easy to prepare dinner favorite with Fly Babies all around the world!
RECIPE RAVE: Garlic Lime Chicken
"Oh, that Garlic Lime Chicken?I think I could serve that a couple of times a week and my husband and kids would be thrilled! I love my Menu-Mailer!!!" - Kate
Garlic Lime Chicken
Serves 6
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon thyme
- 6 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 cup chicken broth
- 4 tablespoons lime juice
In a bowl, mix together first 7 ingredients. Sprinkle mixture on both sides of chicken breasts.
In a skillet heat butter and olive oil together over medium high heat. Saute chicken until golden brown, about 5 minutes on each side. Turn down the heat, remove the chicken (keeping warm) and add the lime juice and chicken broth to the pan, whisking up the browned bits off the bottom of the skillet. Keep cooking until sauce has reduced slightly. Add chicken back to the pan to thoroughly coat and serve.
Per Serving: 343 Calories; 11g Fat (31.1% calories from fat); 55g Protein; 2g Carbohydrate; trace Dietary Fiber; 147mg Cholesterol; 612mg Sodium. Exchanges: 0 Grain(Starch); 7 1/2 Lean Meat; 0 Fruit; 1 1/2 Fat.
SERVING SUGGESTIONS: Roasted asparagus (preheat oven to 400 degrees, lay your asparagus in a baking dish or pan, drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper and a smidge of thyme, bake for 10 to 15 minutes, depending on thickness of asparagi), baked potatoes (try Yukon Gold potatoes?delicious!) and steamed baby carrots (add a little butter after steaming and sprinkle some nutmeg on top before serving).
VEGETARIANS: Skip the chicken and use Boca Chikin patties instead. Dip the chikin patty in the melted butter/olive oil mixture before adding seasoning though (so it will stick). Works great! Did it on TV myself!
