Curtis Stone's Chicken Cacciatore

Curtis Stone, you little dream, you.  This is one of his Biggest Loser recipes, which I adapted because let's be honest.  Fire roasted tomatoes are disgusting.  I prefer my mother's home canned tomatoes so I used them instead.  I also left out the kalamata olives and used spinach instead of broccoli.  The meal was tasty, satisfying, and easy on fat/calorie content.  He serves this with brown rice instead of pasta that's traditionally paired with cacciatore.  All in all this delicious meal is loaded with veggies, lean protein and whole grain rice. 

Curtis Stone's Chicken Cacciatore

recipe from Curtis Stone

printable version of this recipe

2 teaspoons olive oil

Four 4-ounce pieces boneless, skinless chicken breast
1 cup chopped onion
1 clove minced garlic
1 red bell pepper chopped
2 cups cremini mushrooms, washed and chopped
¼ cup red wine (or apple juice)
1 quart home canned tomatoes
1 sprig thyme
1 bay leaf
½ teaspoon dried oregano
1 cup broccoli, cut into bite-size pieces (or spinach)
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
5 kalamata olives, pitted and roughly chopped (optional)
1 cup steamed brown rice

Heat a large pan over medium high heat and add 1 tablespoon oil to the pan.

Season chicken with pepper and sear for several minutes on each side, until golden brown. Remove chicken to a plate, tent with foil and add 1 tablespoon oil to pan.

Sauté onions for 2-3 minutes, then add the garlic and bell pepper; cook 2 minutes more then add mushrooms. Cook mushrooms for 4 minutes, stirring often. Add juice and allow to reduce until almost dry. Add tomatoes and broccoli to the pot, stirring well. Add thyme, bay leaf, and oregano. Bring to a simmer and reduce heat to low.

Add chicken to tomato mixture and simmer on low for 10-15 minutes, until chicken is fully cooked and sauce is slightly thickened. Stir in all but one pinch of parsley.

To serve, spoon ¼ cup brown rice into the center of a serving plate. Place one portion of chicken on top of the rice and spoon some sauce and vegetables over chicken, repeat with remaining plates. Sprinkle with chopped olives and parsley.

Mushroom Patties

I know the picture isn't all that great, but trust me. This little mushroom patty is delicious alone without a bun. I've been trying to make more economical meals and have returned to one of my favorite cookbooks, “Managing Your Meals,” by Winnifred Jardine. I adapted the recipe slightly and my family of three loved them.


Mushroom Patties
Adapted from Winnifred Jardine’s “Managing Your Meals”
printable version of this recipe

1 pound cremini mushrooms
2 cups soft French bread crumbs (do not use dry crumbs)
½ cup slivered almonds, toasted
½ cup chopped onion
¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
4 eggs, slightly beaten
¾ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
¼ cup olive oil

Wash mushrooms and allow them to dry 5-10 minutes before chopping. Chop mushrooms to make about 4 cups. Combine mushrooms with bread crumbs, almonds, onion, parsley, eggs, salt, and pepper. Mix well. Shape mixture into patties about 4 inches in diameter, set aside. Heat oil in a large skillet; add patties and fry over medium low heat until golden and set, 5-8 minutes on each side.

I served them with steamed broccoli topped with grated cheddar cheese and brown sugar dipped strawberries.

Lemon Bundt Cake

I’m finished with the South Beach Diet. Finished. While that’s not a celebratory statement, it’s something I can live with. It’s an “I quit two days in” statement, which taught me (again) that phase 1 just isn’t something I can live with. Phase 2 and 3 are alright, but I can’t survive with the limitations of phase 1. I need more variety including fruit and occasional simple carbohydrates.

This cake was so good, especially after sacrificing carbohydrates for a few days. I waited and made it a week after adding complex carbohydrates back into my diet. It was worth the wait. The ribbon of sweet cream cheese along with the moist lemon cake was delicious. Add berries and sweetened whipped cream for a heavenly dessert.

Lemon Bundt Cake
recipe from Carolyn Hurst
printable version of this recipe

Cake:
1 lemon cake mix
1 8-ounce package low fat cream cheese, softened
½ cup sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla
1 egg

Glaze:
1 ½ cups powdered sugar
2 tablespoons milk

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350.

Prepare cake mix according to package instructions. Grease and flour a bundt pan. Pour half of the cake batter into prepared bundt pan.

Combine softened cream cheese, sugar, vanilla and egg; mix until smooth. Pour or spread cream cheese mixture on top of cake batter, then pour or spread the remaining half of the cake batter on top of the cream cheese mixture. Bake at 350 for about 45 minutes.

For the glaze, mix powdered sugar and milk together until smooth. Drizzle glaze over top of the cooled cake. Serve with berries and sweetened whipped cream if desired. Store left over caked covered in the refrigerator.