Baked Five Spice Chicken

I have always expressed my love for chicken and Five Spice powder.  If I can't think of anything to fix,  I just whip up something with either one of these two ingredients.

Chinese five-spice is made up of cloves, anise, star anise, cinnamon and ginger.  It can also be purchased in a small bottle from your Chinese store or in some groceries that have an Asian section.

Another thing I try to have in our meals are vegetables.  I need to have my fiber!!!!

Today I put together my two "go to" ingredients, chicken and five spice powder.  For a healthier version, instead of the traditional Chinese deep fry, I opted for the fat free baking method.  I put the chicken on top of a bed of stir fried broccoli rabe and sprinkled it with sliced almonds.

Ingredients

2 lbs. chicken breast, butterflied

1 tbsp Five Spice powder

3 large garlic cloves, minced

salt and pepper to taste

sliced almonds (optional)

Directions

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F.

Rinse chicken breasts. Pat dry with paper towels.

Place chicken between two pieces plastic wrap. With a meat mallet, pound the breast until it is quarter of an inch thin.

In a shallow dish, combine the rest of the ingredients (except the sliced almonds). Dredge the chicken with the spices.

Transfer chicken to a parchment lined baking pan and bake for 30-40 minutes or until chicken is done.

Sprinkle with sliced almonds (optional).

Serve with salad greens, brown rice, or stir fried vegetables.

Chicken in Mustard Sauce

Two of the things I love are chicken and Dijon mustard.  I can eat chicken everyday!

I found this recipe combining two items that are always present in my pantry and added some left over sour cream and white wine.

Another simple and quick recipe!!!!!!

I also found out that mustard a very good source of omega-3 fatty acids as well as calcium, dietary fiber, iron, manganese, magnesium, niacin, phosphorus, protein, selenium and zinc. Selenium is a nutrient that has been shown to help reduce asthma, arthritis and certain cancers. Magnesium also reduces asthma and lowers blood pressure.  It also speeds up metabolism and stimulates digestion.

(Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/718352)

Ingredients

1 lb chicken (breast or thighs)

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tbsp vegetable oil

1/3 cup white wine (substitute - water or broth)

1/2 cup light sour cream (substitute - regular sour cream or milk with 1 tsp lemon juice)

1 tbsp Dijon mustard

1/4 tsp dried tarragon (or 1/2 tsp fresh)

parsley, chopped (to serve)

Directions

Season chicken pieces with salt.  In a large pan, heat oil and pan fry chicken pieces until done.

Remove chicken from pan and set chicken aside.

Add wine to the chicken drippings and deglaze by scrapping off particles that got stuck in the bottom of the pan.

Add sour cream, mustard and tarragon. Add back chicken pieces and let it simmer covered for another 5 minutes.

Sprinkle chopped parsley and serve.

Brussel Sprouts with Cranberries and Walnuts

Growing up in the Philippines, Brussel sprouts were not popular and are not even available in the market.  I didn't even know about it until later in life.  When I moved here, the variety of vegetables that were in front of me was so vast.  It almost made me do my happy dance.  One that caught my eye was the dear little Brussel sprouts.  I call them my baby cabbages. One note,  have you seen Brussel sprouts in its stalk?  They're like mini grape cabbages (for a lack of a more descriptive term)!

Here are some health benefits to this baby.

Brussel sprouts has loads of flavonoid anti-oxidants that offer protection from prostate, colon, prostate and endometrial cancers.  It is also an immune modulator, anti-bacterial and anti-viral agent. I think I have found my new miracle vegetable!!!  Brussel sprouts are an excellent source of vitamin C.  Along with other antioxidant vitamins, vitamin A and E; it protects body by trapping harmful free radicals; vitamin K for bone health and helps delay the onset of Alzheimer's disease; vitamin B complex which is essential for the body's metabolism.

The list of health benefits from this vegetables just goes on and on! Now the cook side of me wanted those baby cabbages on my plate!  I have tried a lot of recipes but they did not work for me.  It's either it made the vegetable too mushy or it still retained some bitter taste.  But I never gave up on this baby (cabbage). Just a note though, this baby does not photograph well.

You can make this dish completely vegetarian but omitting the bacon.  Just saute the garlic and 1 tbsp. of canola oil.

This is my version. I have combined recipes I have found online and this one is a winner for me.

Ingredients

4 strips of bacon, cooked in a little Olive oil till crisp and crumbled

1 clove Garlic minced

1 lb Brussels sprouts, cut in half and core removed

2 tsps Red Wine Vinegar ( to taste )

1/2 cup Walnuts , toasted

1/4 cup Dried Cranberries

Directions

Cook bacon in a little olive oil till crisp. Remove bacon from pan and set aside.

Add garlic to remaining oil and cook till golden brown.

Add Brussel sprouts. Turn down heat and cover.

Check frequently to avoid burning.

Drizzle with red wine vinegar and cover again.

When the vinegar had dried out, add salt and pepper.

Toss walnuts and cranberries.

Cook for 2-5 minutes so that flavors merge.

Serve.

Read more on the benefits of Brussel Sprouts : http://www.nutrition-and-you.com/brussel-sprouts.html

Galbi (Korean BBQ)

Ingredients

4-6  pounds of Korean short-ribs

1 1/2 cups  soy sauce

3/4 cup white sugar

1/4 cup sesame oil

5 cloves of garlic, minced

1/2 of a medium yellow onion, chopped

3 large green onions, cut into small pieces

2 tbl toasted sesame seeds

1/2 tsp of red pepper flakes

DIRECTIONS:

Place ribs in a large ziplock bag or a dish that can hold them all  (I used a large pot with lid).  Combine all the ingredients together and stir for 1 minute.  Pour the marinade into the pot, dish, or ziplock  over the meat making sure ll the ribs have been coated.  Cover and refrigerate over night.  The next morning make sure to place the ribs that were on the bottom on top, and vice versa.  Continue to refrigerate until its time to grill.

Heat grill to medium-high heat and when the grill is nice and hot add meat.  Grill each side for 3-4 minutes.  Garnish with addional slices of green onion and toasted sesame seeds.

Braised Ginger Beef

During your trips to the supermarket, do you even give any attention to the recipe cards that the store gives out for free?  When I run out of fresh ideas, I check out those recipes and buy all the ingredients from the store.  They usually put these recipes together to promote their items (doesn't really mean you have to buy the exact brand).

Here's one of those supermarket recipes I found.

Ingredients

1 1/2 lbs beef (chuck roast or ribs cut into 1 1/2 inch cubes)

1 onion, chopped

3 tbsp. light soy sauce

2 tbsp. hoisin sauce (can be found in the asian section of your grocery)

1 tbsp. grated ginger

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 1/2 organic beef broth

8 oz shiitake mushrooms, thinly sliced (you can also use dried shiitake mushrooms and soak them in warm water for 30 minutes)

2 tbsp. cornstrach

2 green onions, chopped (for garnish)

Directions

In a large bowl, combine beef, onion, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, ginger and garlic.  Rub marinade on the beef.  Cover and marinate for 8 hours.

Transfer marinated beef mixture to a slow cooker.  Add broth and stir.

Cook on low for 10 hours or until beef is tender.  (Temperature could be increased if you want a shorter cook time)

Increase heat to high and add mushrooms.

In a small bowl, make a slurry by combining cornstarch with 2 tablespoons water.  Add slurry to the tenderized beef. Cook until the sauce thickens.

Top with green onions and serve with steamed rice.

Citrus Chicken Teriyaki

Don't you have days when you wonder how much sugar you are taking? I am not really a big dessert eater and I don't use refined sugar on my oat bran every morning.  But my husband noticed that I have a thing for slightly sweet savory dishes. I must admit that I put a teaspoon or two of brown sugar on my spaghetti ( just because I don't want it too tart) and some other dishes.

A few months back my doctor told me that due to all the medicines I have been taking for the pain (from a car accident three years ago), it has affected my liver and my blood pressure and I am pre-diabetic.

Anyway, I try to regulate my sugar and that is why I make almost everything from scratch so I can monitor what ingredients I put in the food I eat.  Teriyaki is one of my favorites but it has way too much sugar.  I found a recipe that substitutes sugar with fresh orange juice.  The natural sweetness of the orange replaces the sugar called for in  this dish.

This is not like your regular teriyaki that is way too sweet.  This recipe just has a hint of sweetness but not too overpowering (that you think there's candy in you food).

Hope you enjoy this version.

Ingredients

1/4 c low sodium soy sauce (or gluten free Tamari)

2 tbsp orange juice

1/2 tsp. ginger, peeled & grated  (or 1/8 tsp ginger powder)

1 garlic clove, chopped

pinch cayenne

2 pounds chicken

salt and pepper

Directions

Get a gallon resealable bag.  Combine soy sauce, orange juice, ginger, garlic and cayenne.  Set aside.

Remove the skin from chicken.  Season with salt and pepper.  Place chicken slices in the gallon plastic bag.  Seal bag and turn to coat chicken with the marinade.  Refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight (for best results).

Brush grill rack with oil (or with cooking spray).  Preheat grill to 300 degrees F or to medium heat. Remove chicken from marinade. Place chicken on grill and grill cover for 50 to 55 minutes (depending on the thickness of the chicken) or until no longer pink in the middle.

You can also fix this in the oven at the same temperature.

Serve with brown rice and a side of grilled vegetables.

Chicken with Zucchini and Black Olives

Where I grew up, there were no zucchinis.  Never tasted one until recently.  I don't care for cucumbers and a zucchini just looks like it so I never really gave it too much attention.

My very first taste of zucchini was from a dish given by our neighbor.  She gave us a bowl of stuffed zucchinis.  It was not the greatest but at least I got to try it.  They are kosher so they cook everything for a long time.

One day while at the store, I saw these beautiful baby zucchinis.  The skin was a beautiful green color, no blemishes and very shiny. I bought just half a pound. My next step was to find a recipe that had zucchinis and I found this recipe.  The good thing with this recipe is that I had everything on hand (yes I did, even the feta cheese).  The original recipe called for boneless chicken thighs and that's how I fixed it the first time.  But we had a guest for dinner that day so I wasn't really able to take good photos.

On my second try, we only had chicken legs which I think works great too. The original recipe called for feta cheese sliced to half an inch cubes.  I found the feta cheese sliced too big a bit overpowering and it takes away the taste of the chicken, lemon and zucchini.  The second time around I used crumbled feta.  It just complements the dish just right and balances everything. Did I mention that the baby zucchinis were awesome?  They were sweet and slightly buttery.  Nothing like a cucumber or a squash.  It is a must try vegetable!

Here's some more interesting facts about the zucchini.  Zucchinis are great diet food.  A cup has 10% of your daily fiber requirement.  It only has 36 calories per cup.  The fiber in zucchinis help lower cholesterol and lowers your blood sugar. It also help with constipation.  The high amounts of fiber in zucchinis aid in flushing out carcinogenic toxins in the colon and is great for the prostate. Other benefits include heart attack and stroke prevention, anti-inflammatory and lowers blood pressure. (http://www.healthdiaries.com/eatthis/8-health-benefits-of-zucchini.html)

Ingredients

2  tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

1  lemon, zested then sliced

1 1/2 lbs. chicken legs (you can use breasts or thighs too)

1/4  tsp  sea salt

1/8  teaspoon  black pepper

2 garlic cloves, sliced

1 tbsp oregano, chopped

2  medium zucchinis, sliced (do not peel them)

1/2 c black olives

1/3  cup  (about 2 ounces) crumbled Feta

Directions

Heat oven to 400° F.

Drizzle ½ tablespoon of the oil on the chicken. Season with salt, pepper and oregano.

Arrange the chicken on the pan. Top with garlic slices, lemon slices, olives and zucchinis.

Drizzle the rest of the olive oil.  Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 15 to 20 minutes.

Remove the aluminum foil cover and add the feta cheese.  Put it back in the oven and cook for an additional 10 minutes.

Serve with crusty rolls.