Baked Balsamic Agave Chicken

A few years ago, I stumbled across a recipe that screamed to me, "MAKE AND EAT ME NOW." The star of that recipe was an amazing reduction of balsamic vinegar, honey and Dijon mustard. I started making the reduction to dress salads, baste meat, spread on toasty bread...pretty much anything that could act as a vehicle for it became something that drove directly into my mouth. One of my favorite ways to eat this reduction (which I have since modified and tweaked) is to baste chicken with it, bake the chicken until it is nice and tender, and then smear a little more on top before sprinkling with parmigiana cheese and shredded fresh basil. This recipe is fast, easy, totally healthy, and sure to please even picky eaters.

A quick note-I promise that the flavors are not overwhelming. The simmering and reducing of the ingredients mellows the strong acidity of the vinegar and spicy edge of the mustard, and there is a delicious, delicate sweetness imparted by agave nectar. A-ma-zing. We ate this chicken with Quinoa and Parmesan Stuffed Roasted Tomatoes and Roasted Garlic and Rosemary Fingerling Potatoes (recipes coming soon). It's a great, quick, half hour meal full of real, whole foods. You can't ask for much more. Ok-you could ask for Ryan Gosling to sit across the table to whisper sweet nothings to you while you ate it, but let's not get too greedy ;)

"Skinny" Chicken Francese with Summer Squash and Zucchini

So for two weeks in a row, I have received some massive, fragrant, delicious lemons in my Bountiful Basket. I have been using them in all sorts of yummy dishes this week, but was at a bit of a loss as to how I wanted to incorporate the lemons into a main dish. Then, like a piece of blessed inspiration, I remembered how much I adore Chicken Francese. The real stuff is breaded in white flour and pan-fried in a lot of oil and drenched in a buttery-lemony-white-winey sauce. It's so danged good, but so danged bad for you.

So I set out to make a lighter, less offensive version for more frequent consumption, because I honestly eat the straight-up version of Chicken Francese like, once every two years. The skinnyfied recipe uses a small amount of flour cut with Panko, adhered with egg whites instead of the full egg, a smidge of extra-virgin olive oil, a modest amount of butter, no white wine, and fat-free chicken broth. It's paired with whole-wheat pasta, and topped with some fresh veggies. So the sin level is decidedly lower, and you can feel good about eating this baby for dinner like, once a month. Heck yeah. That's how we roll in my house. 

Greek Yogurt Chicken Salad with Apples and Thyme

I am in love with salads. Of all kinds. Not just your veggie salads, but pasta salad and egg salad and oh yes, chicken salad. I am NOT in love with mayonnaise. I can do the olive oil mayonnaise, and don't mind that in small amounts, but give me tangy Greek yogurt over mayonnaise any day! I am as in love with Greek yogurt as I am with the multitude of salads I just described. I converted to Greek yogurt about three years ago. While it is amazing on its own, I love to use it in recipes as a substitute for mayo, sour cream, butter, etc. It really is so versatile.

It is a lot more expensive than other yogurt. But the stuff in Yoplait and Dannon and your local grocery store chain brand is usually packed with High Fructose Corn Syrup and is basically junk food in a package designed to make you think you are eating healthy. The high protein level and thick consistency of Greek yogurt really allow it to be eaten in a variety of ways. Give it a shot in a smoothie, or with fresh fruit and a drizzle of Agave nectar. Substitute it for one of those high-fat and calorie laden ingredients in a salad. You might be surprised how much you like it. Greek yogurt is bomb. 'Nuff said.

I was craving this chicken salad I made last summer all last week, and didn't get to make it. I went for it today, and paired it with these super yummy Quinoa Stuffed Italian Zucchini Boats. Fabulous. Next time you need a quick, uber-healthy meal, make these two recipes. Even my super-picky, mayonnaise, sour cream, cream cheese and yogurt-hating husband liked this! So if I can win him over, you won't have any issues!

Grilled Pineapple and Coconut Pepper Chicken Lettuce Wraps

Today was the kind of day where I wanted to sit on a beach and sip a strawberry-mango drink as waves lapped over my toes. Yeah, I indulged that fantasy for all of thirty seconds before I was slapped back into reality by the cruel hand of the pile of laundry that sat in front of me, fantasizing about being folded and put away. So I settled for a tropically flavored dinner.

Grilled Pineapple and Coconut Pepper Chicken Lettuce Wraps. Whew, that's a long title. But this is so delicious and nutritious, that I had to include allllllll of the extremely yummified ingredients to tease you and tempt you into making this. The best part is, you will eat seconds and thirds of this and be completely guilt free! This was a meal I whipped up in a few minutes using goodies from my Bountiful Basket this week (see this post for a BB explanation), and boy, am I glad I did! My husband, who is definitely an "all-American man food" sort of guy, expressed satisfaction with this meal. We kept it light and didn't do any sides with this, but some fresh veggies, or a brown rice infused with saffron or other magical spice would do well with this. These wraps are summery, light and island-tropical. They are the perfect get-away when you are unfortunately trapped in your own home and can't just hop a flight to Maui. Get yourself some pineapple and make this as soon as possible. Your mouth, belly and family will thank you. I will recommend some other options in the recipe commentary to spice this little gem of a recipe up.

Sweet Pepper Chicken with Whole Wheat Penne and Roasted Garlic Asparagus

My favorite part of leaving winter behind is the explosion of color in my fresh produce options. Suddenly, my kitchen transforms into a rainbow of delicious possibility, and the dreary days of winter and dull, lifeless food seem to fly out the window. This dish is a celebration of colorful rainbows of culinary possibility. Oh, and it's super easy, super healthy, and a great way to get your vitamins in for the day.

Prepare your palate for a delicious treat of Sweet Pepper Chicken with Whole Wheat Penne and Roasted Garlic Asparagus.  We ate this with a crisp spinach salad and savored every bite!   

Let me say-I have always hated peppers. I remember being served stuffed green peppers as a child and hated them, and I think my aversion comes from that. I have learned to like red and yellow bell peppers, but my world was literally rocked a few weeks ago when I had my first sweet baby pepper. It was like eating vegetable candy, and I have been hooked every since. This simple dish was a great chance to allow some chicken to absorb the sweet, succulent flavor of these peppers. The green onions added another flavor dimension and really bumped this dish up to a 10 for me. The asparagus was a deliciously simple pleasure, and the addition of a nutrient-rich spinach salad rounds this out and makes it both healthy and delicious.