Category Archives: Meats

Baked Crispy Mustard Chicken

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Oh goodness. I found the inspiration for this dish a few weeks ago when I made dinner for Ryan and I. But as with most things, I needed to find a way to make it lighter. I think that mustard and chicken is a great combination. Throw in some thyme and a little olive oil and you have an easy dinner that you will go back to again. 

I set out to replace the butter with olive oil, reduce the amount of bread crumbs, and get rid of the accompanying cream pan sauce. 

Success:: 

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Ingredients:: 

 

  • 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts 
  •  4 TBS olive oil + 1 TBS for pan + a sprinkle for the chicken
  •  coarse salt and fresh ground pepper
  •  3 TBS Dijon mustard
  •  1/2 cup bread crumbs
  •  1 1/2 TBS thyme, dry or fresh
  •  1/4 c. light sour cream

Directions::

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Sprinkle chicken with a bit of olive oil, season with salt and pepper. 
  2. Combine 2 TBS olive oil with mustard, reserving 2 tsp mustard for glaze. In a separate dish, combine remaining 2 TBS olive oil with bread crumbs and thyme, season  bread mixture with salt and pepper. 
  3. In a large skillet, heat 1 TBS olive oil over medium-high heat. Sear the chicken, until crispy for about 2 1/2 minutes each side. Remove from heat, place in shallow baking dish. Smear each breast with mustard mixture, spread a thin layer of bread crumbs onto chicken. Turn chicken over, repeat both steps. 
  4. Place baking dish in the oven, roast until chicken is cooked through and the top is golden brown, 15-20 minutes.
  5. While chicken is baking, mix together remaining 2 tsp Dijon and the sour cream. Stir until well-combined. Simmer over low heat for about 5 minutes until warm. 
  6. Place sour cream mixture on center of plate or platter in a very thin layer. Transfer the chicken to plates or serving platter on top of cream. 

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Clean Turkey Lasagna Roll-Ups

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For dinner on Wednesday, I made turkey lasagna roll-ups, a recipe that I adapted out of Clean Eating magazine. It turned out great! And like all lasagna, the leftovers tasted even better the next day. This recipe is low in fat and sodium and has lots of fiber and protein. Enjoy!

Ingredients::

• 1 tsp. extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 shallots, finely chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 lb ground turkey breast
• 3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp pumpkin pie spice
• 1 28-oz can diced tomatoes in juice
• 2 tsp salt
• 8 sheets dried high-protein or whole-wheat lasagna
• 10-oz box fresh spinach, chopped in food processor
• 1 15-oz container non-fat ricotta cheese
• 1 egg
• 3/4 cup shredded reduced-fat mozzarella cheese

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Ryan said this reminds him of some green jello dessert – ewwww…

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Lay them in two rows of four – nice and cozy so they all become friends.

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Directions::

  1. In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add shallot and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook another minute. Turn heat to medium-high and add ground turkey, breaking it up with a spatula until meat shows no sign of pink. Stir in cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice, then add tomatoes and 1 tsp salt. Reduce heat to medium low, stir, cover and let simmer for 20 minutes, occasionally stirring.
  2. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to boil. Cook pasta according to package directions, drain, rinse and allow to cool in a colander.
  3. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Place spinach in large bowl. Add ricotta cheese, 1 tsp salt, egg and a 1/4 cup mozzarella cheese to bowl. Stir until combined.
  4. Spread 1 cup of cooked tomato sauce into bottom of a 9″ x 10″ casserole dish. Lay a cooked lasagna noodle in front of you. Use your fingers to spread 1/8 of ricotta mixture across the noodle and roll it up. Place the rolled pasta seam side down, into the casserole dish. Repeat with remaining noodles. Spread remaining tomato sauce over roll-ups, then top with remaining 1/2 cup mozzarella.
  5. Bake, covered with foil, for 20 minutes. Remove foil and broil for 5 minutes or until the rollups are browned and bubbly.

Steak Fajitas? Fajita Steak? Whatev.

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“Weird? What? What’s weird? The only thing weird would be if someone didn’t like Mexican food, because I’m making fajitas!” –Ross, Friends, The One Where Ross is Fine

Do you ever get really lucky and make mistakes that turn out not so terrible afterward? Well, I had one of those this week when I tried to make Ryan and I fajitas for dinner.

Not from a seasoning mix.

From scratch.

My intentions were great. I thought “food blog item!”

But in a world where taste is literally only half the battle and presentation is the other half, the fajitas did not work out so well.

The steak? Awesome.

The look? Eh.

However, what I discovered is that the fajita marinade is great! I would totally make it again and just throw the steak on the grill (or the George if you live in a house full of women like me).

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Step 1:: Place the meat (I use eye round because it’s leaner, but it probably won’t be as tender) into a glass baking dish.

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Step 2:: Chop the fresh ingredients – 3 TBS cilantro, 3 garlic cloves, and 2 green onions (which I pulled from my little garden).

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Step 3:: Whisk the chopped ingredients with 1/4 c. lime juice, 1 TBS vegetable oil, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes, and 1/2 tsp cumin. 

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Step 4:: Coat the meat with marinade, cover with lid or plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 12 hours until ready to grill. 

NOTE:: The lime juice will start to cook the meat (like with ceviche), so don’t freak out when the steak begins to turn brown. Just cook it a little less than you normally would, otherwise it will be overdone.

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Step 5:: Eat the steak plain or throw in some peppers, onions, light cheese and a tortilla and make a fajita!