I was standing in the checkout line at Heinen’s. My default lunch is soup and a visit to the grocery store’s salad bar. In front of me was a new dieter. How could I tell? His diet lunch was a salad, a pound or more packed into the plastic family of four container. You can not focus on just what you eat. At some point you must also address how much.
Today’s recipe calls for .75 pounds of boneless chicken breast for a dinner for two adults. That is not ¾ of a pound per person. It is .75 total. I know that when I eat out it doesn’t matter whether I order a 12 ounce steak or a 6 ounce burger, I am going to clean my plate and I’m going to be full. You may be the same way. If you are, then you must control the size of the portions. You must control how much reaches your plate.
Wait, I hear you screaming, “Dave, where can I buy .75 pounds of boneless chicken breasts?” The answer is almost anywhere. First, don’t go nuts on me. You need about 12 ounces, not exactly. Second, I am aware the containers of boneless chicken breasts are usually much larger. No problem. Grab a nice package and take it to the meat department clerk (or if you are really lucky, the butcher) and tell him what you want.
I visited Boris’s Kosher Meats last Thursday morning.
“Boris?”
“Yes David. I will take that package, divide it in two and double wrap them.”
“Thank you Boris.”
I don’t even have to ask.
I hate the idea of eating simply out of necessity. I believe that food should be delicious and cooking should be fun. This is my Kosher, low-carb version of Chicken Cordon Bleu. For fun we’ll call it Chicken Kosher Blues. I serve it on a bed of mashed cauliflower, garnish with roasted red pepper, and start the meal with a small salad.
Chicken Kosher Blues
Serves 2
12 ounces boneless chicken breast
2 Slices Tofutti Soy Mozzarella Cheese ( parve)
3 slices Kosher salami
½ small onion, chopped
2 large button mushrooms, sliced
1 cup low sodium chicken soup
½ cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
½ cup white wine
2 T margarine (parve)
2 T Olive Oil
1 T flour
Garlic Salt, Black Pepper, Poultry Seasoning
Toothpicks
1. Pound the chicken breasts to about ¼” thickness. Place a slice of cheese and a slice of salami on each chicken breast. Roll up and secure with a couple of toothpicks.
2. Heat margarine and oil in a 10” covered skillet. Sauté onions, mushrooms and garlic. Don’t burn the onions. We’re just giving them a couple minute head start. Place the chicken into the pan, cooking each side till it is no longer pink. Don’t forget the ends.
3. Remove the chicken. Stir in one tablespoon of flour. Add more margarine and oil if needed. Stir in the chicken soup, almond milk and wine. Dice the last slice of salami and add it to the pan. We only need a couple of shakes of the garlic salt, a few twists of the pepper grinder, and about ¼ teaspoon of the poultry seasoning to finish this. Return the chicken to the skillet, cover, and simmer for 25 minutes. Periodically turn the chicken or spoon the gravy over the meat.
4. Serve over a bed of mashed cauliflower.
Mashed Cauliflower
Serves 2
½ head of cauliflower, cut in florets
Or
8 ounces frozen cauliflower florets
¼ cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
1 packet Splenda
White (or black) pepper
Garlic Powder
Onion Powder
Dried Chives
I usually make this first and then yutz with the chicken. The frozen cauliflower works just as well as fresh. This is an incredibly easy recipe. I wish I could say that I originated it. I didn’t. I just tweaked it.
1. Cook the cauliflower till tender. Steam or toss it into the boiling water. It really doesn’t matter.
2. Drain the cauliflower and let it cool for a minute or two.
3. Place the cauliflower into a food processor with some of the almond milk. I have a hand held mini-mixer that I stick right into the pot. Works great and quicker to clean! Puree the cauliflower till almost smooth. Think mashed potatoes, not baby food.
4. If you used the food processor, return the cauliflower to the pot and stir in the rest of the almond milk and up to one packet of Splenda. At this point I give this a couple twists from the pepper grinder. You won’t see white pepper. I personally don’t care. A couple of shakes of garlic powder and onion powder will give this a little more flavor. Check your consistency. If it is too runny, a teaspoon of cornstarch dissolved in a tablespoon of water will help. If it looks to dry, add a touch more almond milk.
5. Place the cauliflower in a small glass Pyrex casserole dish. Sprinkle with chives and place in a pre-heated 300 F oven for 45 minutes. I have left this in the oven for an hour with no ill effects. Like I said, easy.
This is only a starting point. There are countless ways to modify these recipes. Try them and share with all of us.