Southwestern Chicken & Black Bean Skillet

I know I promised you pancakes, but it's not the weekend yet. I need more time for that. So, here's recipe #2 from the Glycemic Index Cookbook.

Southwestern Chicken & Black Bean Skillet

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp chili powder

1/2 tsp salt

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (4 oz each)

2 tsp canola or vegetable oil

1 cup chopped onion

1 red bell pepper, chopped

1 15-oz can black beans, rinsed and drained

1/2 cup chunky salsa

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro or thinly sliced green onions (optional)

1.  Combine cumin, chili powder and salt in a small bowl. Sprinkle evenly over both sides of chicken.  Heat oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium high heat.  Add chicken; cook 2 minutes per side.  Transfer chicken to plate.

2.  Add onions to skillet; cook and stir 1 minute.  Add bell pepper; cook over medium heat 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Stir in beans and salsa.

3.  Place chicken over bean mixture.  Cover and cook 6 to 7 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink in center. Garnish with cilantro/green onions.  Sorry I don't have an "after" photo -- dinner was later than usual due to a rescheduled trumpet lesson and everyone was HUNGRY.

Makes 4 servings

Nutrients per Serving:  Calories: 262, Carbohydrate: 22g, Total Fat: 4g, Saturated Fat: <1g, Fiber: 7g

NOTES OF WHAT I DID DIFFERENT

First Modification:  I had three REALLY FAT chicken breasts, so I cut them in half -- butterfly style.  There was still plenty of cumin and chili powder to sprinkle the pieces.  I also added freshly ground pepper.

Second Modification:  I don't have a large non-stick skillet.  It worked out just fine anyway.

Third Modification:  Because I had more pieces by butterflying, I cooked the chicken in 2 batches.  That meant I needed to add another tsp of oil after the second batch in order to have enough for the onions to cook.

Fourth Modification:  I didn't have any red bells, so I used the last bit of yellow bell I had chopped up for my daughter's lunch.  Yes, she really likes that at lunch!

For the salsa, I had asked my husband to pick up a small container of pico de gallo in the deli case.  It was inexpensive and FRESH, so it was perfect.

When I returned the chicken to the mixture, I crowded the pieces a bit, but it worked out fine.  I only cooked them about 5 minutes though, because the pieces were much thinner.

I served it with couscous and a green caesar-dressing salad.  The couscous probably hurt the GI numbers, but two people in my house think a meal is incomplete without something to put it "on".  The only person who didn't like the dish is the child who doesn't like Mexican food.  Big surprise.  We told this child, "there's plenty of salad.  Enjoy."

I think this is a keeper. My husband observed that the vegetable/bean/salsa mix would be a great dip.  Next superbowl.

Rating:  

Glycemic Index Cookbook Recipe #1

This is recipe #1 from the Low Glycemic Index Cookbook.

Goat Cheese & Tomato Omelet

3 egg whites

2 eggs

1 Tbs water

1/8 tsp salt

1/8 tsp black pepper

Nonstick Cooking Spray

1/3 cup crumbled goat cheese

1 plum tomato, diced (1/3 cup)

2 Tbs chopped fresh basil or parsley

1.  Whisk together egg whites, eggs, water, salt and pepper in medium bowl.

2.  Spray medium non-stick skillet with cooking spray, place over medium heat.  Add egg mixture; cook 2 minutes or until eggs begin to set on bottom.  Gently lift edge of omelet to allow uncooked portion of eggs to flow to underneath.  Cook 3 minutes or until center is almost set.

3.  Sprinkle with cheese, tomato and basil over half of omelet.  

Fold omelet over filling.  Continue cooking 1 to 2 minutes or until cheese begins to melt and center is set.  Cut omelet in half; transfer to serving plates.

Makes 2 servings

Nutrients per Serving:  Calories: 80, Carbohydrate: 2g, Total Fat: 5g. Sat Fat: 3g; Fiber: 0g

Changes I made:

I ran into a grocery store late in the afternoon to get some goat's cheese.  It wasn't in the best neighborhood around here, so the only choice on offer was feta.  I love feta, so that's what I used.  Also, in the choice of basil or parsley, they only had fresh parsley, so I grabbed that.

My impression:

Well...I would use a lot less parsley than 2 Tbs next time. And I guess I'd try the goat cheese because although I love feta, it didn't melt well enough to really blend in.

I will say that it really DOES serve 2 people.  I split it with my son and it was more than enough. I had grapes with mine.

So on a scale of 5 stars, I'd give this a 3 the way I made it.

Next Up:  Sweet Potato Pancakes with Apple-Cherry Chutney

Microfiction Monday

Susan has given us a good one this week!  It's easy to play -- just look at the illustration provided, and make up a story of 140 characters or fewer. The 140 includes all punctuation and spaces, so don't cheat!  After you publish your story, go back to link to Susan's place, Stony River.

Chloe watched the time tick away. Were they one step closer to destruction or ultimate joy? Only the thief in the night knew.

If you don't understand the allusion, look at 1 Thessalonians 5:2

If you don't have a Bible, use www.BibleGateway.com and put in the reference.

If you still don't understand it, feel free to e-mail me and I'll explain!

Curbing the Sweet Tooth

I was wasting time at the local bookstore and saw this cookbook in the sale bin.  I love cookbooks, and my rule is that if I flip through it and see 10 recipes that use ingredients I already have in my cabinet, and that aren't repeats of what I have, I seriously consider buying it.  Since this was also on sale, I jumped.

So . . . it's a low-glycemic index cookbook. Low glycemic eating plans are designed to help you cut your addiction to unhealthy sugars. But the authors are normal people, not folks who are building an empire, so the recipes are accessible and sound tasty.

I'm going to challenge myself to cook my way through this entire cookbook, blogging about it all the way.  This sounds like it's no big deal, but there are some pages buried in there that have fish in them. I'm not a big fish fan, so we'll see how it goes.

I'll post recipes, especially if I tweak them. Hope you find something good to enjoy along the way!


On another note, last night the youth at our church put on a praise and worship service that they planned, directed, ran, etc. themselves.  The only adult help was that they asked the worship team to help on the music back-up.  They did a good job, and it seems to have planted a seed for them to do more.

Personally, I was thrilled to see my daughter participating and letting the Spirit move her. She is never so beautiful as when she is worshiping the Lord.  The photos are horrible, but they're what we have.

Quilly's Writing Assignment #2

Your Writing Assignment, should you choose to accept it, is to write a complete story in 500 words or less using the scenario below to kick-start your thinking. Publish your story on your blog January 15th, then come back here and link it to my January 15th story.

February is the month of love. Your prompt requires only that you write a love story. Fashion it as you will, and remember there are many kinds of love.

I love that Quilly is getting me into my imagination and out of my daily drudge.  I'll be thinking of a short, sweet, love story . . . to be published on the 15th.  Why don't you join us?

Light Hearted Chicken

Okay, just to be clear, this does NOT require you to eat chicken hearts. Rather, it is a low-cal version of a favorite, and well worth the work, so you can feel light hearted about making it for someone you love and eating it as well!

It's from America's Test Kitchen, a light version of breaded parmesan chicken.

Make the tomato sauce first. I always forget, and I'm always waiting for it to finish.

Chicken Ingredients:
6 chicken breasts, cut in half (as if you're butterflying them)
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 cup Panko bread crumbs
1 oz. grated Parmesan
1/2 cup flour
1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 Tbsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
3 Egg Whites
1 Tbsp water
3 oz. Skim Mozzarella, shredded

Tomato Sauce Ingredients
1 28oz can chopped tomatoes
1 tsp olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced or squished through a press
1 Tbsp Tomato paste
1/8 tsp chili pepper flakes (like you put on pizza)
Fresh Basil (or dried, but use a lot less)

Tomato Sauce:

Put the tomatoes in a food processor and pulse them about 10 1-second pulses.  In a saucepan, cook the garlic, tomato paste and pepper flakes in the olive oil.  When the tomato paste turns dark, (about 10 minutes), add the chopped tomatoes.  Let this cook over medium heat until the sauce is reduced -- about 20 minutes.  After it's reduced, take it off the heat and add the basil for flavor.

Once you have that cooking, NOW you can start on the chicken.  OR you can use your own favorite jarred sauce and skip that altogether.

In a frying pan, mix the olive oil and Panko crumbs.  Stir over medium heat until the Panko is nicely golden.  Here are the before and after shots. (The after shot has the parmesan ... keep reading)

Take that off the heat and let it cool.

Get out three shallow dishes.  In the first, put the flour, garlic powder, salt and pepper. In the second, whisk the egg whites with the water. In the third, put the cooled Panko and the parmesan cheese.  Mix thoroughly.

Preheat the oven to 475 (I know it's hot -- it's so they'll be crisp).  Prepare a pan with sides by covering the inside with foil.  Then use a rack to keep the chicken off the floor of the pan (again, so it's crispy).  Spray the rack with Pam olive oil version.

Dry the chicken with paper towels, salt and pepper them.  Dredge the pieces in flour first, then the egg mixture, and then put them in the Panko.  Pat them to make sure the crumbs stick.  Lay them on the wire rack. When all are ready, spray the top of each piece with Pam olive oil and then put them in the oven for 15 minutes.

At 15 minutes, take them out.  Put 2 Tbsp of the tomato sauce on each piece.  Sprinkle about 1/3 cup mozzarella on top (I didn't have any so I used provolone slices -- that's why they look so uniform) Put it back in the oven for 5 minutes.  Sprinkle with the basil.  Serve with a fresh green salad and the extra sauce for those who like more.

Dinner's ready!

Fighting Cabin Fever

Last week, we missed school Wednesday through Friday due to snow and ice events. Then came the weekend, and this week, ny children have had two days (Monday & Tuesday) which were pre-scheduled to be teacher training days for the end of the quarter.  I know that most of the teachers get their grades finished and in before these days occur because the days are actually meeting/training days that the union has negotiated into the contract.

It seems logical that the school district could have said school will be OPEN this week, and not be in the hole for snow days already, but the union contract said something along the lines of "no teacher will have to interface with students on predesignated teacher work days."  I jest, but I'm guessing I'm not far off.

In between all the ice and snow, we've had some opportunities to get out (like yesterday), but mostly, we're surrounded by snow, ice, and cold.  And there's more on the way.

Thus, everyone here is suffering from a little cabin fever.  We've baked everything we wanted to, cleaned up our rooms, worked some puzzles, watched the shows we "never" have time for ...

Fortunately, in our area, there's a perfect cure for cabin fever.  It's called

GENEROUS GEORGE'S 

POSITIVE PIZZA & PASTA

and this is what we could see from our booth

Guess who's minding the thermostat?

And when we went outside, there were some stone guards in their caps of snow, ensuring that only those who love pizza should enter the shopping area.

Seriously though, we've gone to this place since before the kids were born.  The original store was on Duke Street over in our old neighborhood in Alexandria.  The place was in a DUMP of a building, but the pizza was delicious. The new place is much cleaner. Another thing is different, we noticed.  When the kids were infants, it was a LOT cheaper to go there!  With both of them ordering entrees, and us sharing a pizza, it was still the better part of a hundred bucks!  Of course, the portion sizes ensure a large lunch the next day, but still...it's a cabin fever treat, once in a while.