Strawberries and Cream

Healthy desserts are not typically my thing. I believe in scratching the itch instead of going around it and around it and never hitting the spot. I don’t splurge every day but if I do, I want to be satisfied. However, since my blog is all about doing things a little healthier, I will try my best to be creative and throw a few things out there that are better for you in the land of sweets.

This dessert can also be a yummy after-school snack. I can’t lie and say that I never give my kids cookies and sweets when they get home from school. Of course I do sometimes. A little dessert therapy can make the worst day a lot better! However, I also give them chopped up veggies and fruit so they understand that they can have those things some of the time but not all of the time. It seems to work for us.

When I worked at Mesa Grill, we made strawberry shortcake (it sounds so ordinary but believe me, everything that went into it made it far from ordinary). One of the elements that stuck with me was the use of sour cream in the whipped cream that accompanied the strawberries. The sour cream and heavy cream were whipped together with nothing else. It was so simple and so delicious with the other elements in the dessert. I applied the altered whipped cream technique to my Strawberries and Cream recipe. Instead of sour cream, I used 2% Greek yogurt since it has such healthful elements like less sugar and more protein than regular yogurt and it also has probiotics which heavy cream does not. I really do not like fat free Greek yogurt but if you don’t mind it feel free to use that instead of the 2% yogurt. I did a little math and figured out that by using the 2% Greek yogurt, the fat was cut almost in half and the calories were cut by about 40%. If it tasted bad I would never do it but trust me, it’s really good as evidenced by the dishes below. This one was devoured by my kids (and me too):

If you want to go a step further and use this for a dinner-party dessert, try it with pound cake or angel food cake. There’s your splurge.

Enjoy!

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Serves 4

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Ingredients:

2-3 cups of strawberries (can use any other berry or soft fruit like peaches)

½ cup 2% Greek Yogurt

½ cup heavy whipping cream

1 teaspoon agave nectar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

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Equipment:

Cutting board

Paring knife

4 individual dessert dishes or ramekins or small bowls

Stand mixer with whip attachment or medium bowl with hand mixer (or whisk if you want to work your arm)

Silicone spatula

Preparation:

1. Remove stems from strawberries and cut into slices or quarters. Place in 4 small dessert dishes or bowls.

2. Place remaining ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer with the whip attachment or in a medium bowl if using a hand mixer (or whisk). Whip for one minute, turn the mixer off and scrape the bowl with a silicone spatula. Continue to whip until thick and peaks form when the whip/mixer is lifted from the bowl. Scoop over strawberries and serve immediately.

Going Greek

I am always looking for better ways to cook chicken. Let’s face it, chicken can be kind of boring. But still, I find myself making it again and again because of one reason: my kids will eat it. I bake it, I broil it, I grill it, I bread it, I stew it, I shred it (the last two are their least favorites) and I do whatever I can so they will get some protein. For some reason the little ones want familiar and plain whereas us big people want it to be different all the time.

I often dabble with cuisine from other cultures hoping to add to the appeal of trying something new and different. I don’t always stick to a recipe and more often than not, just pull flavors from a country or region and come up with something new. Then I go in for the big sell. Any connection I can come up with, such as, “Our good friends, so and so, live in that country” or “When you were in my tummy, I ate that all the time”. Whatever it takes.

The dishes today are Greek inspired and full of classic flavors from that region: oregano, lemon, Greek yogurt, spinach, feta, artichokes. The first half of the meal, Greek Chicken, is cooked with a method I first saw in a recipe for Tikka Masala, which is a very mainstream Indian dish (at least in the states). You cover the chicken with a spice rub, dredge it generously with a yogurt mixture (in this recipe I went with Greek yogurt) and then broil the meat until it blisters and begins to blacken a bit (not burn-there’s a difference). A lot of people overcook chicken so I made this one easy for you-take its temperature and keep baking if they are not done. When I made it, I had a few tenderloins attached to the chicken breasts which are those thin little strips of meat that are barely hanging on to the side so they’re easy to pull off. The tenderloins will be done after they have blackened under the broiler and will need no further baking.

A long time ago when my husband and I were dating, we used to eat at this Greek restaurant in the Fan district of Richmond which was about as authentic as you could get. I think that is when I fell in love with Greek food. They made this Lemon-Chicken Orzo Soup which sent chills down your spine it was so good. I tried to incorporate the lemon flavor into the second half of this dish, Greek-Inspired Orzo, without causing your lips to pucker. I also tossed in some spinach (so I wouldn’t have to make a separate vegetable) and feta and chopped up artichokes (the ones that come out of the can–much easier). The orzo can be made while the chicken is cooking. I served the chicken atop the orzo but you decide how you want to plate it. Two out of three of my kids loved the chicken and one loved the orzo. In my world, that’s a victory. I have to be honest, I picked the spinach out of their pasta and gave them cut up cucumbers and yellow peppers on the side instead. That was their safety net which is pretty healthy.

As for you, I hope you give this meal a whirl so you have the chance to savor some wonderful flavors from a country which has has some pretty amazing food. Go Greek!

Greek Chicken

Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Cooking spray

Spice Rub (see below)

Yogurt Mixture (see below)

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Spice Rub

½ teaspoon cumin

½ teaspoon ground coriander

¼ teaspoon cinnamon

¼ teaspoon turmeric

1 teaspoon sea salt

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Yogurt Mixture

1 cup low-fat Greek yogurt

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 cloves garlic, chopped or minced

1 teaspoon dry oregano

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Equipment:

Cutting board

Chef’s knife

Small lidded-plastic container or zipper-top sandwich bag

Small baking dish or bowl

Small wire rack

Aluminum foil

Rimmed-cookie sheet

Tongs

Preparation:

1. Place ingredients for the rub in a small lidded-plastic container or in a zipper-top plastic bag and shake to blend.  Rub into chicken breasts, place in a small baking dish or bowl and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

2. Remove chicken from the refrigerator and turn on the broiler of the oven with the rack in the next to highest position. Line a rimmed cookie sheet or baking dish with aluminum foil. Place a small wire rack on top of the foil and spray the rack on both sides with cooking spray. Combine ingredients for the yogurt mixture and, using tongs, grasp the chicken breasts, one by one, and dip in the yogurt mixture, applying a generous coating. Lay each one on the prepared rack. Smother half of the remaining yogurt mixture over chicken, reserving the other half.

3. Place the rack in the oven, leaving the door ajar, and cook for 15-20 minutes, flipping half way through after the first side begins to blister and blacken a little. Spread remaining yogurt mixture over the chicken once it is flipped. When the second side blisters and blackens some, stick an instant-read thermometer in the thickest part of the chicken. You want 160 degrees. If the chicken is not done, loosely cover it with aluminum foil, close the oven door and turn the oven down to 400 degrees and bake until it’s done. It shouldn’t take more than 15 minutes but times will vary depending on the size of the chicken breasts.

4. Once the chicken is done, remove it from the oven and let it rest for 10 minutes to rest. Slice into thin strips.

Greek-Inspired Orzo

Serves 4-6

 

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 cup chopped yellow onion

1 clove garlic, chopped

1 pound orzo

1 quart low-sodium chicken stock

1 cup water

½ cup chopped canned artichokes (plain)

2 large handfuls of spinach (around 6 ounces)

1 cup crumbled feta cheese

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

¼ teaspoon fine sea salt

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Equipment:

Cutting board

Chef’s knife

Large, heavy-bottom pot

Wooden spoon

Preparation:

1. Heat a large, heavy-bottom pot over medium heat. Add oil and then onions. Cook until onions are translucent, 5-7 minutes. Add garlic and cook one minute more. Add the orzo and cook 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Pour in stock and water and raise heat to medium high.

2. Cook until orzo is soft, stirring frequently so  it doesn’t stick. Turn off heat and add remaining orzo ingredients. Adjust seasoning (remember, that means add more salt and pepper if needed) and serve with the Greek Chicken.

Apple Slices & Peanut Butter Dip

Still moving content from the old blog site. Enjoy!

Sometimes simple recipes aren’t so simple if you do not know how to quickly and efficiently prepare the ingredients. Chopping an onion can take 30 seconds or 5 minutes depending on how you do it. A big focus of this blog is to teach you techniques, not just how to follow a recipe. I researched a lot of blogs when I first had the idea to create my own. One thing I found was that although many of the recipes are terrific, they can be very intimidating if you do not know the basics of food preparation. Since I am lucky to have those skills, I am comfortable preparing most things. There are also lots of useless gadgets out there that honestly don’t even work very well, like apple corers. All you really need is a big knife and a cutting board and you can accurately and uniformly slice or cube your apples with minimal waste.

The next recipe is my oldest daughter’s favorite after-school snack. It takes no time at all to prepare, once you know how to cut up an apple, and it is loaded with nutrients. Apples have a ton of fiber, among other valuable vitamins, while peanut butter has protein and Greek yogurt has calcium, protein and less sugar than regular yogurt. You can also leave out the honey to cut back on sugar, but I wouldn’t recommend it because it tastes so good. I always use local honey because I have heard it can help build up your tolerance for seasonal allergies (I need that right now!). If you must slice your apples in advance, you can always toss them in a little lemony water-not too lemony, just enough to prevent browning (juice ½ of a lemon and add to 1 cup of cold water). This process is called acidulation because the acid prevents browning. You can also use an orange or pineapple juice. Bon appétit!

Makes 1/2 Cup

*Gluten Free*

**For a peanut-free version, use sunflower seed butter. You may need to adjust honey amount depending on whether or not there is a sweetener in it.**

Ingredients:

1/4 cup all natural, no sugar-added peanut butter

1/4 cup 2% Greek yogurt

2 teaspoons local honey

1 large or 2 small apples

Equipment:

Cutting board

Chef’s knife

Silcone spatula

Preparation:

1. Combine peanut butter, yogurt and honey in a small bowl and set aside.

2. Core and slice apples. (Technique: Cut apple(s) in half from stem to base. With the flat sides down for stability, cut in half again, going right through the core. You will now have 4 pieces. Make a diagonal cut through each quarter, removing the core. Slice each quarter in half and then cut each half again so you have 16 pieces total.)

3. Place apples and dip on as decorative a platter as you see fit and enjoy!