Recipes

How to make your own ground meat

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So, did everyone else know how crazy easy it is to make your own ground meats?  I had no idea until I saw a blurb in Cooking Light about putting chicken breast in a food processor.  Sound odd to anyone else?  I was intrigued so I decided to give it a go over the weekend.

Take a looksie at these chicken tacos I made!

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I don’t mean to brag, but that may be the most beautiful taco I’ve ever laid eyes on.  What’s even more beautful was how super easy it was to make.  First I started by tossing 1 jalapeno and 2 tsp minced garlic into a food processor:

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I gave that  a good pulse:

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Then added 8 ounces chopped chicken breast:

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And literally 10 seonds later I had my very own homemade (slightly green tinted) ground chicken breast!

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Isn’t it funny how something so simple can give you such a great sense of pride and accomplishment?  😀

I threw the ground chicken into a pan and seasoned with S&P and some cayenne pepper:

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The meat cooked up in no time!

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Next I sliced up some fresh avocado.  Delicioussssssssnesssssss:

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I used some Tumaro’s Low Carb tortillas (only 60 calories a pop) for my taco base, then added 2 ounces of the chicken, some chopped red onion, tomato, shredded cabbage, chopped cilantro, a little dribble of fat free sour cream, about 2 tbsp of avocado, and a little drizzle o’ lime:

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A little overboard on the toppings?  Perhaps…

I also added some Frank’s red hot for good measure (its hiding under the veggies)

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8 ounces of chicken made me enough for four tacos.  I ate two for dinner, and wrapped the remaining two up in plastic wrap for dinner the next night (by the way, the tacos were equally delicious cold 🙂 ).

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So tasty and SO colorful!

Stats on 1 taco:  194 calories, 21g carbs, 7g fat, 19g protein, 10g fiber

Stats on dos tacos:  388 calories, 42g carbs, 14g fat, 38g protein, 20g fiber

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Recipes

Couscous Crusted Chicken

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Talk about a happy accident!

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Once I got home from the grocery store, I was on a mission:  to make the couscous stuffed chicken featured in this month’s Cooking Light.  I had even pre-snipped the recipe out and hung it up at the stove:

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Hard core.

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I was pretty excited to try this recipe for a few reasons.  First, I have a giant tub of Rice Select Tri-Color couscous in my cabinet that has been begging to be used.  Second, I love any excuse to use my meat mallet. 

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Let’s  be honest… I like any excuse to type “meat mallet” Smile with tongue out 

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Even though the ingredients list is fairly long the dish came together pretty easy.  First, I pounded the chicken breast out to about 1/4 inch thickness and sliced in half.  For the couscous mixture, I brought 1/4 cup of fat free low sodium chicken broth to a boil then added 1/4 cup of the couscous.  Then you cover the couscous, remove it from the heat, and let it hang out for about 4 minutes.

Then add in the flava:

  • 1/8 tsp salt
  • 1/8 tsp black pepper
  • 1/4 tsp dried oregano
  • 1/4 tsp dried parsley
  • 1 tbsp Athenos Feta Cheese
  • 1 tbsp chopped sundried tomatoes
  • 1/4 cup thinly sliced spinach
  • 1 clove minced garlic

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The Cooking Light recipe called for olives (BLEGH!) and olive oil, which I omitted and instead subbed in sundried tomatoes and spinach.  Divide the couscous mixture between your chicken breast halves:

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And them roll them up jelly roll style….  Easy right?

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Ummm not so much.  I had a couscous blow out and half of the filling fell out!  So, I went with my guts and seared the chicken on all sides, then plopped into a baking dish and kind of mashed the extra couscous mix on top of the chicken.

Then I popped it into a 400 degree oven for 20 minutes.

And VOILA!

Couscous crusted chicken!

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The couscous got a little crispy in the oven, and it reminded me a lot of breaded chicken!

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Of course I had a salad on the side.

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Overall, the couscous crusted chicken idea is AMAZING.  Now I just need to come up with some sort of sauce to go along side… Hmmmmm……

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Stats on 1/2 of the Couscous Crusted Chicken Recipe:  203 calories, 16g carbs, 4g fat, 26g protein, 1g fiber

Couscous Crusted Chicken Ingredients List (Serves 2)

  • 8 ounces chicken breast
  • 1/4 cup couscous – I use Rice Select Tri Color Couscous
  • 1/4 fat free low sodium chicken broth
  • 1/8 tsp salt
  • 1/8 tsp black pepper
  • 1/4 tsp dried oregano
  • 1/4 tsp dried parsley
  • 1 tbsp Athenos Feta Cheese
  • 1 tbsp chopped sundried tomatoes
  • 1/4 cup thinly sliced spinach
  • Black pepper to taste
  • 1 clove minced garlic

 

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Recipes

White Chicken Chili

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Last night was my first night back from Charlotte, AKA my first night home alone.  I knew I needed something healthy after the Charlotte Restaurant Binge but I was really craving comfort food.  Soooooo, I decided to go with a healthified version of the white chicken chili the BF made a few months back.

I started off by heating 1 tsp of olive oil in a large pot.  Once hot, I added 1 large chopped up onion (the larger the better.. I’m talking softball size).

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I tossed four cloves of minced garlic on top (to keep the garlic from burning), and once the onions were soft and translucent I added:

  • 2 4 ounce cans chopped green chilies
  • 2 tsp ground cumin
  • 1 tsp dried oregano
  • 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
  • 1/8 tsp black pepper
  • 32 ounces reduced sodium free-range chicken broth
  • 2 cubed up grilled chicken breast
  • 1 diced jalapeno
  • 3 cans great northern beans, rinsed and drained

Chopped up chickies!

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I let everything simmer for 15 minutes or so:

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Thennnnn I stirred in 3/4 of a cup reduced fat Mexican blend cheese.  (I probably could have got away with 1/2 a cup of cheese—ohhhhh well)

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How easy is this by the way????

Once the cheese was melted, I divided the soup up into 6 even portions:

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I popped a couple of the portions into the freezer and some into the fridge for lunch this week.  And of course one was for dinner tonight!  I poured that lucky portion into a bowl and topped with some sliced jalapeno:

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Dinner is served!

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D-E-L-EEEEEEEEEESH 😀

Stats on 1 Serving White Chicken Chili:  277 Calories, 37g carbs, 5g fat, 29g protein, 11g fiber

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Ramblings, Travel

Things I’ve learned over a week in Charlotte

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  1. The people in Charlotte are nice.  Like SUPER nice.  Like almost weirdly nice.  I love them.
  2. Carwashes in Charlotte are a whole heck of a lot cheaper than in Ohio… 30% cheaper, to be exact.  Though, they will look at you funny when you ask to stay in the car as you go through the carwash.  Apparently, that’s not how they do it here in Charlotte.
  3. Everyone is really nicely dressed.  Not in a I’m-better-than-thou sort of way, but in a I’m-putting-my-best-foot-forward-today (and every day for that matter) sort of way.  I’m a fan.
  4. Chicken paws are not the same thing as chicken breasts!
  5. Speaking of chicken, why is the chicken breast at the butcher counter at Harris Teeter only $1.99 a pound???  That’s cheaper than the stuff they have on the shelves.  Mystery.
  6. Either u-turns are legal here or we’ve broken the law 7 times in the past week.  I’m hoping for the former.
  7. North Carolina is part of the South.   People actually have accents here.
  8. A Charlotte native can spot an Ohio accent a mile away… I didn’t think there was such a thing as an Ohio accent.  I was wrong.
  9. Public transportation is awesome.
  10. People are young here.  Like a city chock full of Doogie Howsers. 
  11. I’m pretty sure it’s possible to eat at a different delicious Charlotte restaurant for breakfast, lunch, and dinner every day for a whole year without having any repeats.  I may have to try that sometime.  Charlotte knows a thang or two about food. (Stay tuned for more on that topic!)

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Ramblings, Recipes, Slow Cookin

Some like it hot

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There is a small portion of the population out there that crave heat in their food.  These are the people who actually enjoy the runny nose you inevitably get when eating something hot.  The people who know when others say something is “hot” it won’t even phase them because of their extreme tolerance for heat.  The people who’ve contemplated carrying around a bottle of hot sauce in their purse/bookbag/car.  The people who have found a way to incorporate buffalo sauce in to breakfast, lunch, AND dinner.  The people who constantly get asked “you put hot sauce on that?!”

You know who you are.

This recipe is for you.

I bring you slow-cooked buffalo chicken sandwiches:

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When I first stumbled upon this recipe, I KNEW it was destiny.  Buffalo chicken dip is a staple in my circle of friends and family, so how could a buffalo chicken sandwich NOT be amazing?

Simple answer.  If you like hot food, you will love this sandwich.

The recipe was very easy to throw together. 

Throw the following into a plastic baggie to marinate overnight:

  • 4 raw skinless boneless chicken breasts
  • 3/4 of a Quart (24 ounces) buffalo wing sauce (use your favorite brand–we used Gionino’s, of course)
  • 1 package dry ranch salad dressing mix

The next morning toss the marinated chicken into a crockpot, and cook on low for 6 hours.  Once the chicken is cooked, pull the breasts out of the crockpot and shred them up with two forks.  Toss the meat back in and then add:

  •  2 tablespoons butter
  • 8 ounces of buffalo wing sauce (which is the remainder of the quart)

Cook for one hour more, and then serve on top of a toasted kaiser roll. 

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To make the sandwich even more amazing, add some pepper jack cheese. 

Awwwwww yeeahhhhhhh.

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WARNING:  Things may get a little sloppy.  But true hot sauce lovers like to become one with their food, am I right? 😀

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