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New Recipe: Spiced Chicken Soft Tacos

February 2nd, 2010

Spiced Chicken Soft Tacos

 

Prep + Cook = 30 minutes

6 servings

 

These tacos are melt in your mouth delicious, although the can be a little messy to eat.  They can also be served over rice instead of inside tortillas, if you prefer a neater feast.  Serve them with a Caesar salad. 

 

1 Tbsp. olive oil

1 red bell pepper, cored and chopped

1 ½ lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut in half crosswise (the short way)

12 oz. salsa or picante sauce

½ cup reduced-sodium chicken broth or water

½ tsp. cumin

½ tsp. cinnamon

1 Tbsp. honey

1 avocado, peeled and diced

12 corn tortillas

 

In a large heavy skillet, heat the oil over medium heat.  Add the chicken, and cook for about 2 minutes per side until the outsides start to brown.  Pour the salsa, broth or water, spices and honey over the chicken, stir to combine, and simmer it for 8 to 10 minutes, partially covered, flipping the chicken once or twice.  When the chicken is just cooked through, remove it from the sauce, and using two forks, pull it apart to shred it into bite size strips.  Return the chicken to the sauce to warm it. 

 

Heat the tortillas by wrapping them in a clean damp dishtowel and warming them in the microwave for about 1 minute until they are warm and soft.  Serve the chicken inside the tortillas, topped with the avocado, if desired. 

 

Tip:  when measuring honey, spray the spoon first with nonstick cooking spray so the honey doesn’t stick to the spoon. 

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Sound Like Your Morning? Saved by the Menu Plan

January 7th, 2010

It was a pretty typical morning.  By 7 a.m. I had cleaned up the kitchen and cleaned up dog vomit, made 2 breakfasts and 2 lunches, changed the laundry and changed a light bulb.  I had been up several times during the night with a sick child, Andrew had left at 5 a.m. for a business trip, and my head was groggy, but fortunately coffee was brewing (yes, also made by me).  You know, the usual. 

 

As I looked ahead to my chaotic day full of meetings and to-do lists, I realized the only thing that didn’t stress me out was dinner.  I knew what I was making—an Italian vegetable and white bean sauté with Parmesan cheese—and I knew that it would only take me about 20 minutes to have a gourmet and healthy meal on the table for my family, so I could finally sit down with them and relax a while. 

 

I’m telling you this story because a) you can probably relate to my morning, and b) if your dinnertime routine feels as chaotic as the rest of your day, and you wish you had the comfort of already knowing what you were making for dinner and that you had all the ingredients you needed without having to add a grocery store drive-by shopping to your day, then I hope you’ll consider the joy of weekly menu planning with The Six O’Clock Scramble, www.thescramble.com.  In fact, I’ll even plan your weekly meals and give you a grocery list to take with you to the store each week.  Then it will be on my to do list–not yours. 

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Aviva’s Potato Laktes

December 13th, 2009

Makes about 30 pancakes

8 medium russet potatoes
1 large yellow onion
6 scallions, finely chopped
4 eggs, lightly beaten
1 tsp. salt
¾ cup flour
approx. 1 cup canola oil for frying
applesauce and sour cream for serving

Grate the potatoes and yellow onion coarsely (I always use a hand grater and ask the kids to take a shift). Rinse the potatoes in a colander with cold water and drain them thoroughly to remove some of their starch. Press them down into the colander to squeeze out as much water as possible. In a large bowl, combine the potatoes, onions, scallions, eggs, salt and flour and mix thoroughly.  

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees to keep the cooked latkes warm, if you don’t plan on eating the latkes as they cook. In a large skillet (use an electric frying pan if you have one), heat the oil over medium high heat. To test if it’s hot enough, drop a little piece of the potato mixture in and see if it sizzles. If it sizzles immediately the oil is hot enough. 
Drop tablespoonfuls of the potato mixture into the pan, and flatten them to an even thickness. Leave about an inch between the latkes for even frying. Fry the latkes for a few minutes per side until they are golden brown. Remove the to a paper towel-lined baking sheet to drain. Transfer them to the oven to keep them warm, if necessary. If you need to add more oil to the pan, do so between batches so the oil can heat up fully before adding more latke batter. Serve them topped with applesauce and/or sour cream, if desired.

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Healthy and Festive Sweet Potato Latkes

December 8th, 2009

Sweet Potato Pancakes (Hanukkah Latkes)

 

Prep (20 minutes) + Cook (20 minutes)

Makes 16 pancakes, or 4 servings

 

In my family, latkes are one of the best parts of celebrating Hanukkah. These modern potato pancakes have a terrific blend of flavors and a nice crunchy texture without all the oil.  If you make the batter ahead of time, refrigerate it until you are ready to cook them, and drain the excess liquid from the bowl before frying them.  Serve the pancakes with a green salad with dried cranberries and shredded or grated Parmesan cheese.  For a heartier meal, serve them with scrambled eggs. 

 

1 large sweet potato

1 large white potato

1 medium yellow onion

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1/2 cup flour

1 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper (optional)

6 Tbsp. vegetable oil, divided

1 cup nonfat or low fat sour cream (optional for serving)

1 cup naturally sweetened applesauce (optional for serving)

 

Using a hand grater, coarsely grate the potatoes and finely dice or grate the onion.  Drain the vegetables then wrap them in a clean dish towel for a minute or two to get the excess water out.  Transfer the grated vegetables to a large bowl.  Stir in the beaten eggs.  Thoroughly mix in the flour, salt and cayenne pepper (optional).  (Prepare the eggs and salad now, if you are serving them.  The eggs can cook while the potato pancakes cook.) 

 

Preheat the oven to 250 degrees and line a baking sheet with foil.  In a large nonstick skillet, heat 2 Tbsp. oil over medium to medium-high heat.  When the oil is hot, scoop in spoonfuls of the potato pancake mixture and flatten them with the spoon or a spatula.  Cook the pancakes for several minutes per side until they are browned.  After each batch, add 1 – 2 Tbsp. oil to the pan and let it heat for a minute or two, to keep the pancakes browning nicely.  If they start to get too browned on the outside before the middle is cooked, reduce the heat.  Transfer the cooked pancakes to the baking sheet and keep them warm in the oven while the rest cook.  Serve them topped with the sour cream and applesauce (or dipped in ketchup, as our kids like them!)

 

Side Dish suggestion:  For fluffy scrambled eggs, beat 6 eggs with 1 heaping Tbsp. plain yogurt or sour cream, and 1 heaping Tbsp. cottage cheese until thoroughly combined.  In a medium-sized nonstick skillet, melt 1 Tbsp. butter or margarine.  Add the eggs and cook them over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until they are just firm and still fluffy.  Season them with salt to taste and serve. 

 

Nutritional Information per serving (% based upon daily values):

Calories 300, Total Fat 16g, 26%, Saturated Fat 2g, 10%, Cholesterol 110mg, 36%, Sodium 620mg, 26%, Total

Carbohydrate 32g, 10%, Dietary Fiber 4g,12%, Protein 6g, Sugar 8g

 

Nutritional Information per serving (with applesauce, sour cream, and 1 1/2 cups salad, 1/4 of eggs):

Calories 475, Total Fat 28g, 45% Saturated Fat 5g, 26%, Cholesterol 431mg, 143%, Sodium 825mg, 35%, Total Carbohydrate 36g, 11%, Dietary Fiber 5g,  17%, Sugar 8g, Protein 19g

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The Plastic Continent: Please Don’t Add to its Growing Population

December 7th, 2009

by guest blogger, Anne Schleicher, Lakewood, Ohio

 Do you ever feel a tinge of guilt when, in the course of preparing a meal, you throw out food packaging? I really started to after reading about efforts to reduce a mass of plastic waste floating in the North Pacific Ocean. Dr. Marcus Eriksen of the Algalita Marine Research Foundation estimates it could be twice the size of the continental U.S.!

 Held in place by swirling undercurrents, the “soup” is made up of all kinds of plastic: shopping bags, bottles, food wrappers, even Legos. Storm drains carry much of this to bigger waterways; some of it blows directly out of landfills. Fragments have been found in the bellies of marine animals and birds. Many are choked or trapped by the waste. It goes without saying that we could eventually ingest this stuff via seafood.

 I had no idea this collection of waste, also called a “plastic continent,” existed until a few months ago. I read there is a smaller mass in the Atlantic Ocean as well. It is believed the waste in the Pacific has been growing exponentially each decade since the 1950s (shortly after plastic was invented).

So how do we avoid adding to the “Plastic Continent’s” population?  Recycling helps. Milk jugs, soda and water bottles are often made into useful items like carpet, jacket fill, even T-shirts. Some products, such as plastic lumber, enjoy a long life in their reincarnation.

However, plastic’s quality degrades each time it is reheated, and much of the time, plastic is reprocessed only once before it is sent to a landfill or incinerator.

While most plastic is recyclable, only a fraction gets recycled. People tossing bottles into garbage cans is one reason, but another is because the recycling business is neither simple nor lucrative where plastic is concerned.

According to Eureka Recycling, a non-profit organization in St. Paul, Minnesota: “The technology exists to recycle most kinds of plastic, but a lack of infrastructure prevents all but the most widespread kinds of plastic from being recycled … Communities must be able to cost-effectively collect and sort plastic, and businesses must be willing to accept the material for processing.”

What can you do? Try to avoid using plastic when possible. Get a stainless steel water bottle, cut down on take-out food, bring reusable bags to the grocery store. If you forget to bring your bags into the store, you can wash and use them to store food in the freezer (after wrapping food in wax or parchment paper), labeling the contents with masking tape. Use colorful plastic bags as wrapping paper. Wash and reuse zip-lock bags. More suggestions can be found at the web sites below.

Also, try to buy food and other products that do not require a lot of packaging. Shopping at farmers’ markets or around the perimeter of the grocery store will provide less packaged-and less processed-foods. Support recycling efforts in your community.

Reduce, reuse, recycle. Our health and the earth’s health depend on it.

 Additional Resources:

http://www.ehow.com/how_4820590_reduce-recycle-plastic-grocery-bags.html

http://kids.niehs.nih.gov/recycle.htm

www.plasticbagfacts.org

http://www.homemakers.com/Life&Times/balance/reduce-plastic-waste-n237027p1.html

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Thankgiving Leftovers Recipe

November 27th, 2009

I hope you enjoyed your feast last night with family and friends, and that the rest of your holiday weekend is a wonderful break (and that you don’t have to fight too much holiday traffic!).  If you are looking for a way to use up that leftover turkey, you might enjoy this healthy and delicious salad that can be served warm or cold. 

Have a happy and healthy weekend.

Warmly, Aviva

Wild Rice and Turkey Salad

Prep (10 min.) + Cook (60 min.) + time to cool
6 servings

1 cup wild rice blend (such as Lundberg)
1 cup cooked turkey breast, chopped
1 cup sliced celery (about 2 stalks)
¼ cup - ½ cup thinly sliced scallions, to taste
½ cup dried cranberries (or use raisins or pomegranate seeds)
¼ cup light balsamic vinaigrette dressing (such as Newman’s Own)
½ cup pecans, lightly toasted and coarsely chopped
salt and black pepper to taste (optional)

Prepare the rice according to the package directions, using water or leftover chicken broth. 

In a medium serving bowl, combine the turkey, celery, scallions and cranberries.  When the rice is cooked, combine it with the ingredients in the bowl.  Stir in the vinaigrette dressing.  Refrigerate the salad for at least 15 minutes and up to 2 days.  Just before serving, stir in the pecans. 

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Kids Can Help You Select Healthy Snacks

November 23rd, 2009

I love this note I received last week, following up on the list of healthy snacks on my website:

Hi Aviva: I have to tell you a funny story - I printed out your “Snack Attack” list yesterday and gave it to my daughters, ages 6 and 4. My older daughter patiently read every option out loud, discussed it with her sister, and then wrote down yes, no, or maybe next to each one, depending on whether they thought they might like it or not. I couldn’t believe how seriously they took the task, how well they collaborated, and how easily they were entertained by it. Plus, I now have a fully anotated list on my fridge to refer to when we get the munchies. (And, of course, they’re particularly excited about the options that involve chocolate and such.)

Thank you for the list!”
Molly Thompson, Bozeman, MT

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Thanksgiving Dinner Survival Guide: 10 Steps to a Calmer Feast

November 17th, 2009

I get the jitters before hosting almost any gathering, but with all the build-up to Thanksgiving, it feels like the stakes are even higher than usual.  To keep it in perspective, I try to remember what’s most important-to be with family and friends and appreciate our blessings.  But if I’m hosting the feast, there’s still a lot of work to be done!  I’ve devised some strategies for making the evening easier on us, while still indulging our guests (following this article are a few of my favorite Thanksgiving recipes for you to enjoy):  

  1. Don’t try to do it alone:  Just because I love to cook, doesn’t mean I have to do it all!  If anyone volunteers to bring something, I take them up on it. I also try to involve the kids with the preparation, either by asking them to make place cards or table decorations, or clean the house.  (A friend of mine cherishes the Thanksgiving tablecloth her kids made on which they traced their hands in autumn colors and wrote what they were thankful for.)
  2. Make a menu ahead of time:  By the Sunday before the feast, I make a list of everything we’re serving, from appetizers to coffee.  I note who is making each of them and when I need to start my assignments-I even jot down my daily tasks on my calendar. 
  3. Grocery shop early:  Just like every week, I make a detailed grocery list (consulting the menu I’ve decided on) and buy the groceries by Tuesday, so I can start cooking on Wednesday. 
  4. Cook in advance:  Most of the trimmings can be cooked well in advance of dinner, and then warmed before the meal.  Even the turkey can be finished cooking (we even slice it!) hours before the meal.  (Just put that Norman Rockwell image of the father cutting the bird at the table out of your mind!)
  5.  Get the house and table ready the night before:  To avoid exhaustion on the big day, I make sure the house looks nice and the table is set before I go to bed on Wednesday. 
  6. Keep appetizers easy:  Before dinner, I serve simple foods, such as gourmet cheeses, nuts, store-bought gourmet spread for crackers, vegetables and dip, and fresh popcorn. 
  7. Send the kids out for a picnic and sports before the meal:  This strategy, suggested by my friend and Scramble colleague, Jeanne Rossomme, frees the kitchen for the big feast, and calms the kids so there’s a higher probability of civilized behavior when guests arrive.
  8. Have plastic containers ready so you can pack up leftovers, making clean-up easier.  But save a slice of cooked turkey breast for next week’s recipe for Turkey Pot Pie! 
  9. Take the last 30 minutes off:  An experienced hostess once told me that I should try to hold sacred the last half hour before guests arrive.  I use this time to get myself cleaned up and put my feet up for a few minutes.  That way I’m not utterly exhausted before the evening begins.
  10. Give thanks and eat slowly:  After sitting down, each guest shares one thing for which they are thankful-this simple tradition really sets the right mood.  Then we enjoy the feast we’ve all helped to prepare, and we try to remember to savor the time together after all our hard work.

I hope you have good food, easy travels, and a holiday that’s fuller of gratitude than gripes.

Posted in holidays | 1 Comment »

Cornbread Stuffing with Pomegranate Seeds

November 17th, 2009

Prep (25 minutes) +  Cook (40 minutes)
10 side dish servings

 I spotted this recipe on the POM Wonderful web site a few years ago, and tinkered with it a bit to make it healthier-it’s heavenly on the Thanksgiving table.  You can make the stuffing up to a day ahead and heat it in the oven before dinner. 

 1 pomegranate
2 Tbsp. canola oil
1 cup chopped dried apricots
1 cup dried cranberries
2 - 3 stalks celery, chopped (about 1 cup)
3 - 4 scallions, sliced (about 1/2 cup)
12 oz. cornbread stuffing mix
4 Tbsp. butter, melted
1 egg, lightly beaten
20 oz. reduced-sodium chicken or vegetable broth

To remove the pomegranate seeds from the fruit, deeply score the pomegranate and place it in a bowl of water.  Break it open underwater to free the seeds (also called arils).  Keep breaking and freeing seeds until they’re released from the pomegranate’s skin.  Remove the white membranes that are floating in the water and drain the seeds.  Reserve 1 cup of seeds and refrigerate the remainder for another use (or, if you’re like me, eat them immediately).

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and spray a large round casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray. 

In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium heat.  Sauté the apricots, cranberries, celery, and scallions for about 5 minutes until softened.  Remove them from the heat.

Place the stuffing mix in a large bowl; add the apricot mixture, pomegranate seeds, melted butter, egg, and broth, and mix well.  Smooth the stuffing mixture into the casserole and cover it with foil.  Bake it for 25 minutes, remove the foil, and return it to the oven for 15 more minutes or until the stuffing is golden brown. 

Nutritional Information per serving(% based upon daily values):
190 calories, 6 g fat, 2 g saturated fat, 32 g carbohydrate, 62 mg cholesterol, 332 mg sodium, 2 g fiber, 4 g protein

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Roasted Sweet Potato and Apple Soup

November 17th, 2009

This fabulous recipe, created by my friend (and co-author of my first cookbook), Lisa Flaxman, is a guaranteed winner-it won second prize in Parenting magazine’s Recipes 2000 Contest.  This can provide a lovely start to the Thanksgiving feast.

 2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into medium chunks
1 firm apple, such as Gala or Jonagold, peeled, cored and quartered
1 medium yellow onion, peeled and quartered
2 whole cloves garlic, peeled
2 Tbsp. olive oil
salt and black pepper to taste (optional)
3 - 4 cups reduced-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
3/4 cup nonfat sour cream for serving (optional)

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.  Put the sweet potatoes, apples, onions and garlic in a roasting pan.  Toss them with the oil and a few shakes of salt and pepper (optional).  Roast, tossing every 10 minutes, until they are soft, about 30 minutes. (Meanwhile, prepare the Zucchini Fritters, if you are serving them.)

Puree the vegetable/apple mixture in a blender or food processor (or in the pot using an immersion blender), adding just enough broth to cover it.  Add more broth to the blender until the soup reaches the desired consistency, so it is smooth and not too thick.  If you are using a blender, you will probably need to puree the soup in two batches. 

Warm the soup over low heat in a stockpot until ready to serve, or refrigerate it for up to 1 day or freeze it for up to 3 months.  Stir in sour cream at the table for a creamier taste, if desired.

Scramble Flavor Booster:  Add 1/4 - 1/2 tsp. ground ginger or 1 Tbsp. fresh grated ginger to the roasted vegetables before blending, or 1/4 - 1/2 tsp. ground chipotle chili pepper for a spicy bite.

Nutritional Information per serving (% based upon daily values):
Calories 120, Total Fat 5g, 8%, Saturated Fat 0g, 0%, Cholesterol 0mg, 0%, Sodium 310mg, 13%, Total Carbohydrate 16g, 5%, Dietary Fiber 2g, 9%, Protein 2g, Sugar 9g

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