East Indian Curried Chicken with Capers and Whole Wheat Couscous

There is something about artichokes that I really love.  Maybe it's the salty brine? Or the soft and yet al- dente texture (soft on the inside and somewhat al dente on the outside)?  I'm not sure what it is, by I like them.  Did you know that artichokes are full of prebiotic fiber (also known as the food for your good bacteria)? Therefore they can benefit the health of your intestines and gut.  Of course, for someone like me with IBS, foods like artichokes can sometimes cause stomach pain (I know, it doesn't make sense, does it?). For that reason, I typically avoid eating a lot in one sitting, but one or two can't hurt (well, most of the time).

East Indian Curried Chicken with Capers and Whole Wheat Couscous

Source: The Slow Cooker Bible (by Crock Pot)

Serves 6

Ingredients

 2 cups ripe plum tomatoes, diced

1 cup artichoke hearts, drained and chopped **
3 large carrots, chopped

1 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth **

1 medium red onion, chopped **

1/3 cup dry white wine

1/4 cup capers, drained

2 Tbsp. quick-cooking tapioca

2 tsp. curry powder

1/2 tsp. ground thyme

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. black pepper

1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast

2 cups cooked whole wheat couscous **

** NOTE: If you are following a low FODMAPs diet, be aware that this is a higher FODMAP recipe.  First, the artichoke hearts might cause some problems (especially if you are in the initial elimination phase of the diet).  You could use them, like I did, or just omit or reduce the amount.  Look for a chicken broth with zero onion or garlic (ValuTime reduced sodium chicken broth from Giant Eagle is what I use, and I believe Kroger's reduced sodium chicken broth is fine too) or just make your own.  Last, omit the red onion ( I omitted the onion and it still tasted great) and use rice instead of couscous (or just serve yourself a smaller portion of this wheat-based side).

Directions

1.  Combine tomatoes, artichokes, carrots, onion, broth, white wine and capers in the slow cooker.

2.  Combine tapioca, curry, thyme, salt and pepper in a small bowl.  Mix to combine, then add to slow-cooker.  Stir well to combine.  Add chicken.  Spoon sauce over chicken to coat.  Cover; cook on low 7 to 9 hours or high 3 to 4 hours.

3.  Serve chicken and veggies over couscous. Spoon sauce over chicken.

I'm like a kid when it comes to slow cookers...I get impatient and I keep lifting the lid to see what it looks like.  The smells are just so enticing!

Does anyone else get really excited about cooked carrots?  This recipe didn't call for carrots at all, but I added them because I'm obsessed (what's with me and the orange veggies? Carrots, pumpkin, I guess I just love my beta-carotene).

On the day I made this Nick was working (as usual) and I made sure to have the house smelling wonderful by the time he walked in the door.  Typically he smells the food, says something kind like "oh yum, smells great!" and then walks downstairs.  On this particular afternoon he asked for a taste.  I lit up; "You want to try it right now?!  OK!".  He loved it (and coming from a guy who "hates artichokes" I felt like this was a huge success.)

Estimated Nutrition Facts for 1/6th of dish

Source: CalorieCount.com

Nutrition Highlights:  Good source of iron, excellent source of FIBER (thank you artichokes!), protein, vitamin A and vitamin C.

One of my top five slow-cooker meals, hands down.  It was simple and absolutely delicious.  I'll definitely make this again (and again) because I still have more "quick-cook tapioca"....who uses that anyway?!

QUESTION:  Do you like artichokes? Have you ever used quick-cook tapioca in a recipe? Am I the only quick-cook tapioca virgin (well, not anymore!)?

Thanks for reading!

The Candid Rd 

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Have Chicken? Clean Eating's Buffalo Chicken Salad and My Own Spicy Chicken Salad Sandwiches

Who says dinner has to be a huge production? I grew up in a househouse where "frozen meal of your choice" was the dinner plan about two days out of seven.  I didn't mind it at all, but I'd much prefer a very simple, homemade dinner, such as this one I came up with when we had leftover grilled chicken not too long ago.

The price for this entire meal was under $2.50/person (including the frozen green beans and corn.  Frozen veggies, I love them.  They are healthy and often very cheap!).  Not only was the price right on par, but the time to prepare this meal was too; including steaming the vegetables, this took about 10 minutes to get on a plate and ready for some devouring.

Spicy Chicken Salad Sandwiches
Serves 1

Ingredients

4 ounces grilled chicken, seasoned with pepper

1.5 Tbsp. olive oil mayo

2 tsp. dijon mustard

More pepper, and a dash of cayenne

1 whole wheat English Muffin (or bread of your choice)**

Directions

Cut the grilled chicken into medium sized chunks.  Add the chicken to a medium bowl and mix in the mayo and dijon.  Mix well to combine and distribute sauces evenly.  Add cayenne and pepper (as much or as little as you'd like, I added 1 tsp. of each!  I like SPICE!)

**NOTE:  If you follow a low FODMAPs diet be sure to use a gluten-free English muffin.

Estimated Nutrition Facts, with the English Muffin
Source: CalorieCount.com

Nutrition Highlights: Good source of calcium and iron

So this next recipe is one of those that a good food blogger would have made again, just to make sure there was a decent picture to show her readers.  I guess I'm not a good food blogger because I'm using an old picture, and I'm not turning back. Last summer I was preparing dinners for my mom, dad, and brother, along with their neighbors who had three kids, about two days a week.  Both families really enjoyed this recipe (including all of the young kids!), so while the picture doesn't do it and justice, I sitll wanted to provide you with the recipe. While it may not quality as food porn, and least you get an idea of what it's supposed to look like (I've gotten better at making food look really tasty since last summer, right?!  Please say yes).

The total price per family (family of 4) for this meal was fifteen dollars.  That's not bad considering I used organic chicken breasts and whole wheat tortillas to make the salad into a wrap!  Who said eating healthier has to be expensive?!  The total time to prepare and clean-up this meal was an hour. You can't beat that.

Buffalo Chicken Salad Wraps

Source: Clean Eating Magazine, June 2012 Issue

(Serves 4)

Directions

1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breast

Olive oil cooking spray

1 tsp. smoked paprika

1 tsp. chile powder

1/2 tsp. sea salt

1/2 sweet onion, chopped **

1/2 cup non-fat plain Greek yogurt **

5 Tbsp. low-fat buttermilk **

1-1.5 Tbsp. hot sauce **

1 head romaine lettuce, chopped

1 head red leaf lettuce, chopped

1 yellow or green bell pepper, sliced thinly

1 pint grape tomatoes, halved

1 cup peeled and shredded carrots

2 ounces crumbled blue cheese

4 whole wheat tortillas **

Directions

1.  Preheat broiler to high. Place chickenon a baking sheet coated with cooking spray.  Lightly mist chicken with cooking spray and sprinkle evenly on both sides with paprika, chile powder, and salt. Broil 6 to 8 inches from the heat until center of chicken is no longer pink, about 6 minute sper side.  Transfer chicken to a cutting board and let rest for 3 to 5 minutes before cutting into small chunks (~1/4 inches).

2.  In a blender, puree onion, buttermilk, greek yogurt,  and hot sauce.  Taste and add more hot sauce if you want.

3.  Heat tortillas in oven if you want them hot.  Place a hot tortilla on each plate and divide romaine and red leaf lettuces among 4 tortillas and top with bell pepper, tomatoes, carrots and chicken, dividing each evenly.  Serve yogurt mixture on the side and drizzle on top of wraps.  Sprinkle each with blue cheese and serve immediately!

**NOTE:  If you follow a low FODMAPs diet this is not the best recipe for you.  Two integral parts of the sauce are onion, hot sauce, and milk.  It's hard to modify and still keep that buffalo flavor!

Note:  If you want to reduce the sodium, you can always reduce the amount of hot sauce or omit the added sea salt. Most of the sodium from this estimate came from the tortilla, the hot sauce, the obvious sea salt, and the blue cheese.  You do have control over all of these, so modify to your needs.

Nutrition Highlights: Excellent source of fiber, vitamin A, vitamin C, and calcium, good source of iron.

I remember getting a call from the family for whom I made this recipe, the day after I had prepared it for them, and they said it was their favorite meal so far.  So, you know, considering it was a "Clean Eating" recipe, I was pretty happy about that.  

I hope everyone has a lovely Tuesday.  I've got a big demo at work today and we're making two different burgers (one turkey and one cod), plus grilled vegetables and a grilled peach and apricot dish with ricotta cheese.  Sound good???  Yeah, I know!  :)

Thanks for reading.

The Candid Rd

Clean Eating's Peanut Chicken in Foil Packets

The June, 2013 issue of Cleaning Eating Magazine was filled with foil-packet recipes for the grill, in addition to some amazing burger recipes (which I found ironic, because apparently it's May that is National Burger month...did you know that?), which I'll be posting soon.  One day a couple weeks ago my parents came over for dinner and it was perfect because Nick and I had a meal already planned; Peanut Chicken in Foil PAckets and Strawberry Coconut Crisp (also in foil packets, recipe coming soon).  I'll be honest, I was slightly hesitant at first, serving my dad a Clean Eating Magazine recipe...he's very honest with his opinions on how things taste (I guess you could call him "The Candid Father of RD", haha, that was lame.)  Anyway......I was afraid he wouldn't like the meal.

To my surprise, both my dad and Nick both devoured their foil packets, as did my mom and I.  Did you know that grilling in foil actually helps reduce the amount of hertocyclic aminds (HCAs) that are formed?  In case you were wondering, that's a really good thing. HCAs are linked to cancer and they form when proteins (especially red meats) are cooked to really high temperatures and especially when cooked using direct heat.  By cooking our protein in foil we reduce the HCAs that are generated because we are not using direct heat and there is less change for the protein to char. When the drippings from your proteins drip into the flame and then come back up into the food that's just not good.  Also, simply marinating your proteins and switching to poultry (and especially fish) can reduce the HCAs.  I just thought since it's grilling season you may want to know that.  So now, without further ado...

Peanut Chicken in Foil Packets

Source: Clean Eating Magazine

Serves: 4

Ingredients

1/4th cup unsalted natural creamy peanut butter

1/4 cup light coconut milk (I used almond/coconut milk)

2 Tbsp. rice vinegar

2 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro leaves, plus additional for garnish

1 Tbsp. honey ** (I used maple syrup)

1 tbsp. fresh lime juice

1 tbsp. minced fresh ginger

1 tsp. reduced sodium soy sauce

1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes

1 clove garlic, mined **

Olive oil cooking spray

12 oz. green beans, trimmed

2 sweet potatoes, peeled and diced into similar-sized 1/2-inch chunks ** 

1 red or white onion, sliced into 1/4-inch slices **

1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces

Directions

1.  Preheat grill to medium-high or preheat oven to 450.

2.  In a medium bowl, whisk together peanut butter, milk, vinegar, 2 Tbsp. cilantro, honey (or maple syrup), lime juice, ginger, soy sauce, pepper flakes, and garlic.

3.  Cut 4 12x16-inch pieces of foil and mist with cooking spray.  Divide green beans, potatoes and onion evenly into the center of each piece of foil.  Divide chicken and peanut butter mixture between foil pieces, over top of vegetables.  Bring the short edges of the foil together, then fold inward a few times along each long edges to seal.

4.  Place foil packets directly on the grill or on a large, rimmed baking sheet in the oven.  Grill or bake for 25 minutes, until chicken is cooked through and potatoes are tender.  Transfer contents of packets (make sure to open the packets slowly, as the steam can be very hot!) to serving bowls and garnish with additional cilantro.

**NOTE:  If you are following a low FODMAPs diet this is the perfect recipe because you can modify your own packet according to your personal needs (but prepare everyone else's packet according to the recipe).    Be sure to replace the honey with maple syrup, omit the garlic (and add some garlic-infused oil if you still want the flavor, but I didn't do this and it was still amazing) and omit the onion from your packet as well.  Also, keep in mind sweet potatoes contain FODMAPs, but most people can handle them in amounts of 1/4th-1/2 cup per sitting.

Estimated Nutrition Facts for 1-serving (1 foil packet)
Source: CalorieCount.com

Nutrition Highlights:  Low sodium, excellent source of fiber, and vitamins A and C.

See how I put a "G" on my packet? Yeah, that was a lower FODMAPs packet ;)

Put all the ingredients in a foil packet, and leave the cooking and cleaning to the foil and grill!

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The Candid RD

This can be serve over rice, or with some more vegetables.  We chose the latter.  It didn't really need any more starch, so we were all content with some more vegetables and spinach salad on the side (the vegetables we served were roasted parsnips that my mom brought over, which are actually slightly starchy, but delicious).

There is just something about the combination of peanut butter, soy sauce, and chicken that makes my taste buds jump for joy! Apparently the same is true for my family.  And I bet you'll love this recipe too.

Any fun weekend plans? I can't believe it but I have today and tomorrow off from work.  JOY!  I do have a laundry list of things to do, but it's nice just being away from work for a while (it's rare that I ever get two days off in a row, so I'm excited!).

Thanks for reading.

The Candid Rd

Cerveza Chicken Enchilada Casserole (Slow Cooker Recipe)

After telling everyone "I never get sick" and "I don't need the flu shot"......I got sick.  Ugh.  It's not the flu, but food poisoning (I think). The worst!  So, at this point nothing sounds good, and I've been eating toast and chicken noodle soup since yesterday when I could finally stomach the thought of eating something.  This morning's breakfast?  Gourmet Rice Krispies and almond milk.  I can't remember the last time I ate Rice Krispies for breakfast!  They are actually really good.

Anyway, I digress, time for today's delicious post!

I often get asked to recommend good cookbooks that contain light recipes.  I have a handful of recommendations, but my typical response is that I use Pinterest, Blogs, and AllRecipes.com for most of my recipes.  I also use Cooking Light Magazine and Diabetic Living quite often.   However, in reality I really enjoy just about any cookbook that contains simple recipes, because even if they aren't inherently light I can always modify them to make them light (or at least lighter).  This recipe was a perfect example of a recipe that was not at all light, but was made "lighter" by making a few simple modifications (ie: less calories, fat, and sodium, but still not technically light, per USDA/FDA standards)

Instagram!
Yes, I take many of my photos as night, and I still haven't mastered the art of nighttime photo taking.

Trust me when I say, this recipe was fantastic.

Cerveza Chicken Enchilada Casserole

Slightly modified from a recipe found in the Crock-Pot Slow Cooker Bible

Makes 4-6 servings

Ingredients

2 cups water

1 stalk celery

1 small carrot, peeled and chopped

1 bottle (12 ounces) light Mexican beer (I used Corona)

Juice of 1 lime

1.5 pounds chicken breast, boneless and skinless

1 can (19 ounces) enchilada sauce, divided

7 ounces baked white corn tortilla chips

1/2 medium onion, chopped

2 cups reduced fat shredded cheddar cheese

Plain Greek yogurt, sliced olives, and cilantro for optional toppings

Directions

1.  Heat water, celery, carrot, 1 cup beer, lime juice and salt in saucepan over high heat until boiling.  Add chicken breasts; reduce heat to simmer.  Cook until chicken is cooked through, about 12 to 14 minutes.  Remove chicken; cool and shred into bite-sized pieces.  NOTE:  You can also remove the celery and carrots if you wish, but the recipe doesn't say to do so.  I added these to the casserole!  Why not?!

2.  Spoon 1/2 cup enchilada sauce in bottom of slow-cooker.  Place tortilla chips in 1-layer over sauce.  Cover with 1/3rd of the shredded cheese, spreading evenly.  Pour 1/2 cup enchilada sauce over cheese.  Repeat layering process 2 more times (or until you are out of the ingredients and have a bit of cheese left for the last layer), pouring remaining beer over casserole before adding last layer of cheese.

3.  Cover and cook on low 3.5 to 4 hours.  Serve garnished with Greek yogurt, sliced olives and cilantro, if desired.

NOTE:  If you are following a low FODMAPs diet, this can be modified to be lower FODMAPs, but not FODMAPs-free.  I omitted the onion when I made this, but the enchilada sauce had garlic and onion (as do most enchilada sauces) and it's impossible to omit the sauce!  If you are lactose-intolerant you can use a lactose-free cheese.  Also, omit the celery if you are sensitive to polyols.

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I made this recipe for Nick, my friend Ashley, my mom, and me.  All of us agreed that this recipe was a winner!  Even with all the modifications I made it was still very tasty, and has now been "bookmarked" in my Crock-Pot cookbook.

Estimated Nutrition Facts for 1/6th of recipe

Nutrition Highlights:  Good source of vitamin A and vitamin C, excellent source of Calcium

Ok, ok, despite the handful of "nutrition highlights" this isn't the healthiest recipe, but can you imagine the stats before my "healthy" modifications?!  Yikes.  At least it's under 500 calories, that's a plus considering how indulgent this meal tasted! You can bet you're still eating less calories and sodium than you would if you were eating out.  Scary thought, right?!

Thanks for reading!

The Candid Rd

NOTE: I love comments!  But, be sure to come back to read any replies to questions or comments, as they do not go directly to your e-mail.

Slow-Cooker Texas Chili (With beans!)

Ever since we were given a slow-cooker for a wedding present, I've been using it to make just about everything (including gingered pulled pork today on my day off!).  Can you believe that in the almost seven years since Nick and I have been together, I never knew he liked chili and stews?  He's always told me "I don't like soup", so to me that meant no chili or stews.  I recently found out I was wrong.  Thank goodness.

I'm pretty sure traditional texas chili contains zero veggies (except for chilis, which really shouldn't count).  But Nick and I like veggies in our chili, so I modified this Texas Chili recipe a bit.  Don't hate me if you're from Texas, I just....like my beans.

Instagram photo, taken during the first 5-minutes of the 7-hour process

After seven hours of labor (not my labor, the slow-cooker's labor)

 

 

Slow-Cooker Texas Chili

Modified from a recipe on FoodNetwork.com

Serves 8

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 pounds beef chuck, cut into 2-inch cubes
• 1 tablespoon packed light brown sugar
• Kosher salt
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 5 cloves garlic, smashed
• 2 4.5-ounce cans chopped green chiles, drained
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 3/4 cup chili powder
• 1 14-ounce can diced tomatoes with chiles
• 1 to 2 tablespoons green hot sauce
• 2 14-ounce cans kidney beans, drained
• Fresh cilantro and plain Greek yogurt, for topping
• Tortilla chips, for serving (optional)

NOTE:  If you are following a low FODMAPs diet this is probably not the best recipe. You could omit the onion and garlic and use a garlic or tuscan-flavored olive oil to replace the vegetable oil. Or you could cut the onion and garlic into large chunks so they are easy to remove when you eat the chili (this way you'd still get the flavors infused, but this is not a good idea if you are really sensitive to GOS, as they are water-soluble).  Also, omit the beans (or take a beano supplement). 

Directions

1.  Toss the beef with 1 tablespoon each brown sugar and salt in a large bowl. Heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the beef in batches until browned on all sides, 4 to 5 minutes (do not crowd the pan). Transfer to a 5-to-6-quart slow cooker.

2.  Reduce the heat to medium, add the onion to the skillet and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic, chiles, cumin and chili powder and cook 3 minutes. Add 1 1/2 cups water and the tomatoes and simmer, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom, about 3 minutes. Transfer to the slow cooker, cover and cook on low, 7 hours.

3.  Add the hot sauce to the chili. Serve with scallions, cilantro and/or sour cream for topping, and chips, if desired.

Instagram

Nick took one bite and said, "You made this?!".
Should I be offended by this??

I didn't add Greek yogurt to mine, but I did add cilantro.  It definitely added a unique touch.

Estimated Nutrition Facts for 1/8th of the chili

Nutrition Highlights:  Good source of vitamin A and Calcium, excellent source of fiber, protein, iron and vitamin C.  Not bad for chili!

QUESTION:  I like my chili with cornbread.  What about you?

Thanks for reading!

The Candid Rd

NOTE: I love comments!  But, be sure to come back to read any replies to questions or comments, as they do not go directly to your e-mail.