Mediterranean Get-away: Orzo salad with spinach, artichoke hearts and feta

I am always looking for new side dishes to serve with grilled chicken. I feel like week after week I try to find a new twist to put on potatoes, so this week I decided to try combining some of my favorite Mediterranean ingredients into this tasty side dish. Once I completed the salad I realized you can really serve it as a main dish, but it did compliment the balsamic chicken quiet well. As always, it makes a lot, so be prepared to have it for a few days.

Orzo salad with spinach, artichoke hearts and feta
36 points in entire dish
Makes 9 half-cup servings
About 4 points per half-cup (200 calories)

8 oz orzo
1 bag fresh baby spinach, pre-washed
24 kalamata olives, sliced
1 can artichoke hearts packed in water, drained and chopped
1 small container reduced fat feta
1 small jar roasted peppers packed in water, drained and chopped
2 Tbs olive oil
3 Tbs balsamic vinegar
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

-In a large pot, boil water and cook orzo according to package directions.
-Drain orzo and immediately pour over the fresh spinach, so that the steam from the hot orzo wilts the spinach.
-In a large bowl, combine oil, vinegar, oregano, salt and pepper with a whisk.
-Add chopped artichoke hearts, roasted peppers, and sliced olives.
-Let sit 5 minutes so that dressing soaks in.
-Combine the artichoke mixture with the orzo and spinach mixture.
-Add feta cheese.
-Refrigerate 1 hour prior to serving.

Healthy meals to nourish your mind.

Grill season is here!

I am so happy that the weather is finally warming up! We took the grill out last week for the sweet whiskey flank steak and jerk-style chicken, and I will be using it again for one of my favorite go-to dishes--balsamic chicken.

Here is this week's line-up

Balsamic chicken with orzo salad

Cowboy burgers with steak fries

Meatball parm subs with cauliflower

The balsamic chicken is great because you put all of the ingredients into a zip-lock bag the night before and then throw it on the grill 20 minutes before you want to eat. If you don't have an outdoor grill, I suggest investing in a grill pan--they are great for year round BBQ. We have the All Clad Non Stick Double Grill and Griddle, and we use it all of the time.

Balsamic Chicken
Serves 4
5 points per serving (about 250 calories)
20 oz chicken, cut into fillets (or just buy chicken cutlets)
2 tsp oil
2 tbs mustard
2 tbs lemon juice
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
2 tsp minced garlic, or two whole garlic cloves, crushed
1 tbs soy sauce
1 tsp ground pepper
1 tbs Italian seasoning

Place chicken in a large zip-lock bag.
In a small bowl, whisk together all of the ingredients.
Pour marinade into zip-lock bag.
Squeeze out the air and seal.
Place the bag in a shallow dish and refrigerate.
Let chicken marinate for at least 2 hours, or if possible over night.
Pre-heat grill to high. If using grill pan, coat with cooking sprat.
Grill each piece 4-5 minutes per side, depending on thickness**.
Remove chicken from grill and let rest 5 minutes before serving.

**If you are not sure if chicken is done, cut into one piece. You should not see any pink and the juices should run clear.

Healthy meals to nourish your mind.

A tribute to Jack Daniels--Sweet whiskey flank steak

I love Trader Joe's. It is just a great store with lots of healthy products that inspire you to cook nutritious meals. This week they had the most beautiful eggplant I have ever seen, and the best part was they were uniform in size, which makes food-prep so much easier. In honor of the eggplant, I knew I had to add eggplant rollatini to my weekly line up. Here is what I came up with:

Eggplant Rollatini and broccoli

Sweet whiskey flank steak with sweet potato wedges

Jerk-style Chicken with coconut rice

The Sweet whiskey flank steak pays tribute to Jack Daniels. The recipe was adapted from one that I saw in Cooking Light. They use bourbon, I use whiskey, either way I am sure it is delicious. This recipe makes A LOT, so be prepared to invite friends over, make steak sandwiches, or simply cut the recipe in half. TIP: Half of 1/4 cup is 2 tbs, however it is probably easier to make the same amount of marinade and just cut down on the size of the steak you use.

Ingredients
2 points per ounce of steak
1 point per 2 tbs of sauce

2-pound flank steak
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
3 scallions, minced
1/4 cup whiskey
1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
2 tbs Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

Preparation
Combine all ingredients in a large zip-top plastic bag to marinade. Let sit in the fridge for at least 2 hours, or even better, over night.
Remove steak from bag, reserving marinade.
Spray cool grill with cooking spray and heat to HIGH. You can also use a grill pan if a standard grill isn't available.
Grill 6 minutes on each side for medium rare, add a minute for medium. The ends will be more well-done since they are thinner.
Remove from grill and let stand 10 minutes.
Cut diagonally across grain into thin slices.
Combine reserved marinade with ½ tsp cornstarch in a saucepan. Bring to a boil; cook 1-2 minutes, stirring with a whisk constantly until sauce thickens.

Healthy meals to nourish your mind.

Some like it sweet--simple ingredients for a quick dinner

Back from a great 5-day vacation and I am feeling energized again! This week's menu features a few of my favorites, one of which is so simple you can throw it together in 10 minutes, as long as you have a few simple ingredients on hand!

Sweet and sour meatballs with brown rice

Spaghetti and meat sauce with cauliflower

Tex-Mex pie with black bean and corn salsa

Sweet and Sour Meat Balls
Makes 21 meatballs
2 points per piece, including sauce

Ingredients
1 pound 85% lean ground meat
1 jar chili sauce
1 can whole berry cranberry sauce
1 onion, diced

Directions
-Divide meat into 21 equal sized balls.
-In a large sauce pan that has a cover, saute diced onion over medium-high heat.
-Add meat, and saute until meatballs look brown.
-Add chili sauce and cranberry sauce (you will need to break apart the cranberry sauce--it will be really chunky when you add it to the pan).
-Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes.
-Serve over brown rice (brown rice = 2 points per 1/2 cup).

Healthy meals to nourish your mind.

Tex-Mex anytime--Chicken Enchiladas

If it isn’t evident, I love Tex-Mex. I could eat it every night and be happy. I swear that this recipe is based on a recipe I saw in SELF magazine when I was 12 years old, but honestly I don’t remember. What I do know is that it is very yummy, and goes great with a side of black beans. If you are making this the night before, do everything but wait to pour the sauce over until right before you bake.


Chicken Enchiladas
Makes 6 enchiladas
4 points per enchilada (about 200 calories)

8 oz chicken breast
1/2 cup cheese
2 scallions
1/2 green pepper, diced
1/2 onion, diced
6 small whole wheat tortillas
2 tbs + 1/2 cup salsa
1 can La Victoria enchilada sauce

Directions
-Pre-heat over 350 degrees.
-Poach chicken in enough water to cover and 2 tbs salsa. Once cooled, shred chicken and add to mixing bowl.
-Saute onions and peppers until soft.
-Add diced scallions, cheese, salsa and sauteed veggies to the shredded chicken. Season mixture with salt and pepper.
-Fill each tortilla with 1/6th of mixture. Roll up into a tube shape.
-Place each enchilada seam-side down in a sprayed baking dish. Try to find a dish that is the same width as the enchilada (if you can’t that is fine too).
-Before baking, top with enchilada sauce
-Bake 20 minutes or until sauce is bubbly.

Healthy meals to nourish your mind.

Red Onion Chicken—a new take on an old favorite

Most people like fried chicken, however most fried chicken is really high in fat and calories, so it isn’t a go-to food for those who are watching what they eat.

I came across this recipe when I was 16–I was in Sweden with my family and we were reading food magazines (like usual) and I saw a recipe for pan-fried chicken with a red onion breading. I thought it looked yummy so I tried it, and after 15 years of tweaking (yes, now you all know how old I am), I came up with this recipe for red onion chicken.

Red Onion Chicken
Makes 4 cutlets
6 points per cutlet (about 300 calories)

Ingredients
2 chicken breast, filleted into 4 cutlets (about 16 oz of chicken)
1/2 cup plain breadcrumbs
1/2 tbs Italian seasoning
1/4 red onion, finely diced
1 egg white
salt/pepper
PAM

Directions
-In a shallow bowl, mix egg white with 2 tbs water.
-In another shallow bowl, mix breadcrumbs, Italian seasoning, salt/pepper and red onion together.
-Dip each cutlet in the egg white and then coat in the breadcrumb mixture. Place each coated cutlet on a large cutting board.
-Once all cutlets are coated, spray them generously on one side with PAM.
-Pre-heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Spray pan generously with PAM.
-Place chicken, PAM side down in the pan and cook for 3-5 minutes until golden brown.
-Spray tops with PAM and flip chicken, cooking 2-3 minutes on the other side or until chicken is cooked through.

Healthy meals to nourish your mind