Tag Archives: entree

Eating, recipes

Chicken kebabs

These were a little messy to make, but they were well worth it. The grilled pineapple was so tasty.

Spicy Jerk Chicken Kebabs with Bell Peppers and Pineapple
The spice level of this dish is mild. For hotter taste, you can leave the seeds in the jalapeno pepper.

1 teaspoon whole allspice
1 teaspoon black peppercorns
4 whole cloves
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoons paprika
2 teaspoons dried thyme leaves
8 garlic cloves
3 large shallots, peeled and cut in half
1 (3-inch) piece peeled fresh ginger, thinly sliced
1 jalapeno pepper, halved and seeded
2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 cups (1-inch) cubed pineapple (about 1 medium)
1 1/2 cups (1-inch) pieces red bell pepper (about 1 large)
1 1/2 cups (1-inch) pieces green bell pepper (about 1 large)
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Cooking spray

Heat a small skillet over medium-high heat. Add first 3 ingredients to pan; cook for 1 minute or until lightly toasted and fragrant.

Place spices, brown sugar, and next 9 ingredients (through jalapeno) in a blender; process until smooth. Combine spice mixture and chicken in a large zip-top plastic bag; seal and marinate in refrigerator 2 hours, turning occasionally.

Prepare grill.

Remove chicken from bag, reserving marinade. Thread chicken, pineapple, and bell peppers alternately onto each of 8 (12-inch) skewers. Brush reserved marinade onto pineapple and bell peppers. Sprinkle evenly with salt and pepper. Place kebabs on a grill rack coated with cooking spray. Grill 8 minutes or until chicken is done.

Yield: 8 servings (serving size: 1 kebab)
NUTRITION PER SERVING: CALORIES 170 (9% from fat); FAT 1.6g (sat 0.4g,mono 0.4g,poly 0.4g); PROTEIN 27.2g; CHOLESTEROL 66mg; CALCIUM 34mg; SODIUM 527mg; FIBER 1.4g; IRON 1.6mg; CARBOHYDRATE 10.9g
Jeanne Kelley,Cooking Light, JUNE 2006

Eating, recipes

Sesame noodles

Here’s Phoebe’s recipe for sesame noodles, complete with Phoebe notes. We had this with a vegetable stir-fry, but I think it would make a great stand-alone dish for lunch or a light dinner.

Sesame Noodles
1 pound of pasta of your choice (I use whole-wheat pasta, usually spagetti or linguini)
1 bunch of green onions, chopped on the diagonal (they’re prettier that way)
1 red pepper, sliced into thin strips
3-4 tablespoons sesame oil
1/2 cup peanut butter (I use chunky, but you can use creamy if you prefer)
1/4 cup Sesame seeds
6 tablespoon soy sauce (Tamari soy is particularly nice for this)
1 teaspoon fish sauce
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
1 1/2 inch piece of fresh ginger, minced
Pinch of brown sugar
3-4 tablespoons water
Toast the sesame seeds in a pan, stirring frequently

In a bowl combine half of the sesame seeds (reserve the other half for the noodles), peanut butter, soy sauce, fish sauce, rice wine vinegar, ginger, brown sugar and water. Mix until creamy. Set aside.

Drain cooked pasta and put in large mixing bowl. While the pasta is still hot, add sesame oil, then green onions and red peppers. Toss together with sauce. Add remaining sesame seeds. Serve hot or cold.

This is especially good when it has had a few hours in the fridge for the flavors to marry. For a heartier variation, you can marinate some tofu in sesame oil, soy sauce ginger and OJ, lightly bread and fry it, and toss it in at the last minute with the sesame seeds.

Eating, recipes

On the Beach

If it seems like a long time since I’ve put up a recipe, it’s because it has been. I started the South Beach Diet about a month ago, and while the recipes aren’t bad, they haven’t had me dancing in the streets. Tonight’s dinner, though, was good enough to share. For lunch, we had Red Leaf, Avocado and Apple Salad. For dinner, we topped the leftover salad with Shrimp Scampi. I had my doubts about the mustard-garlic-apple combination, but it turned out just fine. I think the shrimp will be even better in a few weeks when we can have it with whole-wheat pasta.

Both recipes are from the South Beach Diet Quick & Easy Cookbook, and they’re both Phase I. For those of you on Weight Watchers, it’s 5 Points for the shrimp and 4 Points for the salad.

Red Leaf, Avocado and Apple Salad
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon coarse-grain Dijon mustard
1 (1-pound) head red leaf lettuce, torn into bite-size pieces
1 avocado, pitted, peeled and thinly sliced
1/2 Granny Smith apple, thinly sliced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Combine oil, lemon juice and mustard in a jar. Add a pinch of salt and pepper, close tightly and shake vigorously to combine.
Toss dressing with lettuce; add salt and pepper to taste. Distribute salad among plates, top with avocado and apple slices, and serve.
Makes 4 servings.

Shrimp Scampi
1 1/2 pounds fresh or thawed frozen shrimp, peeled and deveined
3 tablespoons trans-fat-free margarine
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Rinse shrimp under cold water and pat dry with a paper towel. Season with salt and pepper.
Heat margarine and garlic in a large skillet over medium heat until melted and bubbling, 1 to 2 minutes. Add shrimp and stir to coat.
Add lemon juice, parsley and red pepper flakes; cook, stirring occasionally, until shrimp are pink, about 2 minutes. Do not overcook or the shrimp will be tough. Remove from heat, season with salt and pepper, and serve hot.
Makes 4 servings.