Soy-Marinated Chicken Breast with Watercress-Pasta Salad and Mango-Lime Purée

19 Jul 2009 6 Comments

by marisashealthykitchen in Home Cooking, Vegetarian Recipes Tags: , , ,

I thought this dish was so pretty with all the bright colors. Plus I loved throwing super good for you watercress into a pasta dish. Perfect! The pasta dish is also completely vegetarian and could be an entree on its own. I separated the recipe out on the bottom to make the vegetarian pasta dish.

mango chicken

Soy-Marinated Chicken Breast with Watercress-Pasta Salad and Mango-Lime Purée
Recipe from SELF  July 2000

1/4 cup soy sauce
1 tsp chili paste
4 scallions, chopped, green and white parts kept separate
1/4 cup red wine
3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1 tbsp minced ginger
1/4 tsp black pepper
4 boneless chicken breast halves (1 lb)
8 oz linguine
2 tbsp Dijon mustard
2 tbsp rice vinegar
1 tbsp sesame oil
3 tbsp canola oil
1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded and julienned
3 bunches watercress
2 mangoes, cubed
2 tsp fresh lime juice
Vegetable-oil cooking spray

  1. Preheat broiler.
  2. For marinade, combine soy sauce, chili paste, scallion whites, red wine, garlic, ginger, and black pepper in a bowl. Add chicken and let marinate.
  3. Cook pasta in salted boiling water until al dente; drain.
  4. For dressing, whisk together mustard, vinegar, sesame oil, and 2 tbsp canola oil.
  5. Toss pasta, red pepper, watercress and all but 2 tbsp scallion greens with dressing.
  6. In a blender, puree mangoes, lime juice, and remaining 1 tbsp canola oil.
  7. Coat broiler pan with cooking spray and add chicken in a single layer. Broil 6 to 7 minutes per side, until browned and cooked through. Cut breasts diagonally in half.
  8. On each plate, place 1/4 pasta and 2 pieces chicken. Drizzle with mango puree and garnish with remaining scallion greens.

noodles

Watercress-Pasta Salad (vegetarian pasta dish recipe)

4 scallions, chopped, just green ends
8 oz linguine
2 tbsp Dijon mustard
2 tbsp rice vinegar
1 tbsp sesame oil
2 tbsp canola oil
1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded and julienned
3 bunches watercress

  • Cook pasta in salted boiling water until al dente; drain.
  • For dressing, whisk together mustard, vinegar, sesame oil, and 2 tbsp canola oil.
  • Toss pasta, red pepper, watercress and all but 2 tbsp scallion greens with dressing.
  • Garnish with rest of scallions and serve

Kale Chips

16 Jul 2009 2 Comments

by marisashealthykitchen in Raw Vegan Recipes, Vegan Recipes, Vegetarian Recipes Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,

I love Kale Chips!! You can make them with so many flavors or keep it very simple. There are tons of recipes out there. I prefer these simpler chips. They are gone so quick normally there is no time for a picture. But I made sure this time to take some 🙂 If you do not have a dehydrator I would suggest making these with the oven door ajar or if you want a quick vegetarian (non-raw) snack put the oven up to 350 degrees and bake these for 8-10 minutes. I am sure that would be divine too! This recipe is such a great alternative to any other kind of chips. They are crunchy, a little oily and salty; sooo super good! I have a tendency to check the dehydrator to see if they are done and munching the whole time! They are so good! I also like to use namu shoyu instead of salt because it brings more liquid into the kale rather than having to rely solely on the oil. The nutritional yeast bring such a good and cheesy flavor. So great! Make more than one batch if possible because these go QUICK!!

bowl of kale chips

Kale Chips

1 head of kale, stems removed and torn in pieces
1/4 cup of namu shoyu
2-3 tablespoons of oil (grape seed, canola, olive)
1/4 cup of nutritional yeast

Place the kale in a big bowl and then pour the rest of the ingredients in. (I normally just drizzle over, so the measurements are approximate) With your hands massage all the ingredients together making sure it is well combined and all the kale looks a little wet and nicely coated. Divide in half and place on 2 dehydrator mesh sheets. Dehydrate till crunchy, from 6-10 hours.

before kale
Pre-dehydrator Kale on the mesh sheet

after kale

 Post-dehydrator kale (with a few pieces missing from munching!!)

Fresh Summer Bruschetta Pasta

12 Jul 2009 2 Comments

by marisashealthykitchen in Vegetarian Recipes Tags: , , , , , ,

pasta

This was the perfect mix of a meal for Michael and me. I was able to have the raw super fresh bruschetta-like sauce as a salad for dinner and Michael loved it all together with the pasta and the cheese. What a great and simple summer dinner! It also doubled as a fabulous cold lunch in the park over the weekend.  You could also just make the bruschetta to top bread or eat as a salad or side. So yummy!

  • 1 shallot, minced
  • 2 small garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 1/2 pounds roma tomatoes, chopped
  • 1/4 teaspoon hot red-pepper flakes
  • 1/3 cup coarsely chopped basil
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
  • 1 pound dried orecchiette or another pasta (I love orecchiette pasta! It means little ears in Italian 🙂 )
  • 3/4 cup bucheron, goat or fresh ricotta cheese
    1. Combine all ingredients (except pasta and ricotta) in a large bowl. Set aside and stir occasionally.
    2. Cook the pasta according to direction, but do not forget to add salt to the water. This is the only time you will have to salt the pasta.
    3. Drain pasta and toss with tomato mixture. Add salt and pepper to taste and serve with the cheese placed on top.

tomatoes

Corn & Red Pepper Chips

07 Jul 2009 1 Comment

by marisashealthykitchen in Raw Vegan Recipes, Vegan Recipes, Vegetarian Recipes Tags: , , , , , , , ,

I love love love Corn Chips. So when I had made my Super Amazing Raw Jalapeno Corn Chips I thought I had gone to heaven!! Hence, the Super Amazing part of the title 🙂 But of course I wanted to play and experiment more. I have been trying to cut back the amount of nuts in my diet, so I tried a nut-free chip. They were originally going to be just corn, but my mom was so sweet to pick me up some gorgeous red peppers and I wanted to put them to good use. These came out super tasty and could be enjoyed on their own. But I love the chips and dip meal, so of course I made a salsa with guacamole to go along with these. Michael and I both liked my Super Amazing Raw Jalapeno Corn Chips better, but these were still super delicious and nut free!

corn & pepper chips

Sorry for the super fuzzy picture, but you can at least see the Gorgeous Color!!!

Corn & Red Pepper Chips

4 cups sweet corn, fresh or frozen
2 medium red peppers
1 jalapeno
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp salt

  1. In a food processor combine all the ingredients until smooth
  2. On dehydrator tray, spread about 1/8″ thick
  3. Score diagonally left to right, then across right to left into triangles
  4. Dehydrate about 5 hours, or to desired texture

Breaded Herb Chicken & Summer Quinoa with Corn

05 Jul 2009 1 Comment

by marisashealthykitchen in Home Cooking, Vegetarian Recipes Tags: , , , ,

chicken & quinoa

Breaded Herb Chicken & Summer Quinoa with Corn

Breaded Herb Chicken

serves 3-6 depending on how hungry everyone is

I like that this chicken is pretty low in fat and is baked. It is a pretty simple breaded chicken recipe that you can mix and match with. You can serve as is or make a lemon butter sauce to go along with this. I am sure many other sauces would go great with this as well. You can also mix up the spices/herbs in the breadcrumbs for a different flavor.

  • 6 skinless boneless chicken breast halves
  • 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • 2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) unsalted butter
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 1/2 cups dry breadcrumbs
  • 6 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
  • 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
  1. Wrap individual pieces of chicken between parchment paper or plastic wrap and tenderize with a mallet till 1/2-3/4″ thick.
  2. Place the pieces in a baking dish and pour lemon juice over them. Let sit for 15 minutes while you prepare the next steps.
  3. Preheat oven to 450°F.
  4. Melt butter with oil in small saucepan over medium heat.
  5. Mix breadcrumbs, basil, parsley, salt, and pepper in pie pan or plate.
  6. Remove chicken from dish and pat dry with paper towels.
  7. Brush chicken breasts on both sides with melted butter and then coat chicken on both sides with breadcrumb mixture.
  8. Place on baking sheet and bake until cooked through and breadcrumbs are golden, 20 minutes or so.

Summer Quinoa with Corn

serves 5-7

I love fresh raw corn! It is one of my favorite summertime loves. Just peel off the husk and dig in! Many people miss out on the wonders of raw corn because they are always eating it cooked. It is so fresh and sweet when it is raw, it should not be missed. Also a great nutritional benefit is that raw corn acts like a vegetable in your body where as cooked corn acts like a starch!

We also love quinoa in my house! Such a supergrain!! Plus of course it is super delicious! Here is a fun recipe to try out for the summer. The butter can easily be substituted with oil or margarine to make this vegan. This can even be served as an entree because of all the nutrition packed into those little adorable quinoa grains!

  • 4 ears corn, shucked
  • 1 tablespoon finely grated fresh lemon zest (from 2 lemons)
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • 1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter/Earth Balance or 4 tablespoons of olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon mild honey (or agave)
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • 2 cups quinoa
  • 3 scallions, chopped
  • 1/2 cup chopped fresh mint
  1. Melt butter with oil in small saucepan over medium heat.
  2. Whisk together lemon zest and juice, butter, honey, salt, and pepper in a large bowl until combined.
  3. Cook quinoa in a 3-4 quart bot of boiling salted water.
  4. Add quinoa to the lemon mixture and toss until dressing is absorbed, then stir in corn, scallions, mint, and salt and pepper to taste.

Superfood: Chia Seeds

01 Jul 2009 5 Comments

by marisashealthykitchen in Superfoods Tags: , , , , , , , ,

chia.jpg

What are Chia Seeds?
Chia seed is an ancient superfood that was used for centuries prior to the Chia Pet. They were once a staple of the Incan, Mayan and Aztec cultures, as well as the Native Americans of the southwest.  Chia Seeds were used as an energy food and they were called “Indian Running Food” as the messengers would carry a pouch of them and only need a tablespoon to sustain them for 24 hours. 

Nutritional Profile:

  • 2 x more protein than any other seed or grain
  • 5 x the calcium of milk and also contains the mineral boron, which acts as catalyst for the absorption and utilization of the calcium by the body. 
  • 2 x the potassium as bananas
  • 3 x more iron than spinach 
  • A wonderful ration of omega 3 and omega 6 essential fatty acids
  • Complete source of Protein and provide all the essential amino acids
  • They become gelatinous when mixed with liquid due to the soluble fiber in the Chia. They can hold 9-12 times their weight in water and they absorb it very rapidly – in under 10 minutes.
  • High antioxidant content 
  • The ‘Dieter’s Dream Food’ – it can be used as a Food Extender/Calorie Displacer. You can easily bulk up your normal recipes with Chia and only eat half the calories while getting so much more nutritious benefits.

Other benefits: 

  • Extra energy, strength, endurance “Indian Running Food”  
  • Balances blood sugar
  • Weight loss
  • Intestinal regularity
  • Slows the conversion of carbohydrates into sugar which helps the energy from food be released steadily into the body, diminishing the highs and lows and resulting in more endurance.
  • Water retention and hydration – this regulates the body’s absorption of nutrients more efficiently which keeps the level of electrolytes balanced. 
  • Muscle and tissue builder
  • Easy to Digest
  • Inexpensive
  • Fast and Versatile

How to use Chia:
To make the basic gel add 1/3 cup of seeds to 2 cups of water. Whisk the mixture well, to avoid clumping, and then leave it in your fridge, in a sealed container. After 10 minutes you can begin to eat the gel but more of the nutrients will be easily accessible after a few hours. It will stay good for about three weeks. Having the gel in the fridge makes it easy to add to your recipes; smoothies, salad dressings, puddings, etc. Chia seeds will absorb any kind of liquid so you can use nut milks or fruit juices to vary the taste. You can also use whole seeds by putting them on top of your salads or in granola or by grinding them to add to almost anything.

chia

My Wonderful Husband requested this picture 🙂

Grapefruit and Baby Spinach Salad

30 Jun 2009 Leave a comment

by marisashealthykitchen in Raw Vegan Recipes, Vegan Recipes, Vegetarian Recipes Tags: , , , , , , ,

side salad

I love delicious citrus! The grapefruit were just so sweet and delicious, they really made this salad. I also loved the jicama. It was sweeter than normal, but added that amazing crunch throughout. I have been obssesed with red onions in my salad these days, so that was no surprise, but as always deeelish! The dressing was sweet but still had that citrus and vinegar tang. All in all, amazing salad!

Grapefruit and Baby Spinach Salad

3 grapefruit, pink or red
3 garlic cloves minced
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon whole-grain mustard
1/2 teaspoon honey or agave
1/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
3/4 pound baby spinach
1/2 jicama, small, peeled and cut into matchsticks
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced

    1. Remove skin and white pith from grapefruit. Work over a small bowl to catch the juice and cut the grapefruit segments from their surrounding membrane. Reserve the segments in the bowl. Measure 1/3 cup of the juice and set aside.
    2. In a Vitamix or blender, combine vinegar, olive oil, mustard, honey, garlic and reserved grapefruit juice. Blend until creamy. Season with salt and pepper.
    3. In a large salad bowl or seperate serving bowls combine spinach, jicama, onions, and grapefruit sections. Drizzle with the dressing and toss. Enjoy 🙂

salad close-up

Seared Chicken with Apricot Sauce & Mediterranean Roasted Broccoli and Tomatoes

23 Jun 2009 1 Comment

by marisashealthykitchen in Home Cooking, Vegan Recipes, Vegetarian Recipes Tags: , , , ,

chicken and broccoli

I love the use of fresh ingredients in this dish. Cutting up the apricots reminded me of summer, although you can never tell these days from all the rain! I also know my husband really likes thin cuts of chicken, so flattening the chicken is something I enjoy doing for him. I am sure you can play around with this recipe to use other fruits and preserves for totally different flavors!

Seared Chicken with Apricot Sauce
From EatingWell Magazine  –   Makes 4 servings

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1 1/4 pounds), trimmed and tenders removed
3/4 teaspoon salt, divided
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon canola oil
3/4 cup dry white wine
1 medium shallot, minced (I used 2, I just love Shallots!!)
4 fresh apricots, pitted and chopped
2 tablespoons apricot preserves
2 teaspoons chopped fresh tarragon or 1/2 teaspoon dried

1. Place chicken breasts between 2 pieces of plastic wrap. Pound with a rolling pin, meat mallet or heavy skillet until flattened to an even thickness, about 1/2 inch. Sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper. Place flour in a shallow dish. Dredge the chicken in the flour, shaking off excess. (Discard any leftover flour.)
2. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the chicken and cook until browned and no longer pink in the center, 3 to 5 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate, cover and keep warm. (If necessary, cook the chicken in two batches with an additional 1 tablespoon oil.)
3. Off the heat, add wine and shallot to the pan. Return to medium heat and cook, scraping up any browned bits, until slightly reduced, about 3 minutes. Add apricots and cook until the fruit begins to break down, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in preserves, tarragon and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt. Return the chicken to the pan and cook until heated through, 1 to 2 minutes. Serve the chicken with the sauce.

broccoli

Michael loves broccoli in general. I might even say it is his favorite vegetable and he loves it roasted. So here is another take on Roasted Broccoli. I love seeing the bright red tomatoes and I know the flavors are so fabulous with the olives, lemon and capers! Delicious! Also see here for my Roasted Garlic & Red Pepper Broccoli Dish.

Mediterranean Roasted Broccoli & Tomatoes
EatingWell Magazine  –   Makes 4 servings

12 ounces broccoli crowns, trimmed and cut into bite-size florets (about 4 cups)
1 cup grape tomatoes
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest
1 tablespoon lemon juice
10 pitted black olives, sliced
1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 teaspoons capers, rinsed (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 450°F.
2. Toss broccoli, tomatoes, oil, garlic and salt in a large bowl until evenly coated. Spread in an even layer on a baking sheet. Bake until the broccoli begins to brown, 10 to 13 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, combine lemon zest and juice, olives, oregano and capers (if using) in a large bowl. Add the roasted vegetables; stir to combine. Serve warm.

C&B

Amazing Raw “Peanut” Sauce and Zucchini Noodles

22 Jun 2009 3 Comments

by marisashealthykitchen in Raw Vegan Recipes, Vegan Recipes, Vegetarian Recipes Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,

Peanut sauce

Shocker! I am making Zucchini Noodles 🙂 They are just so good and there are so many sauces you can serve with them! Tonight I made Natalia Rose’s  Delicious Amazing Raw “Peanut” Sauce from her The Raw Food Detox Diet Book. It really tastes super peanuty to me, but there are no peanuts in this sauce. Raw peanuts are really hard to find although they are available.

I love that this makes a full 2 cups of sauce, so we have enough for tonight for dinner and more for salads for lunch tomorrow! SO awesome and tasty!!

Males 2 cups

1 cup raw almond butter
2 tablespoons fresh ginger
1/2 cup water (to thin)
4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
3 tablespoons Nama Shoyu soy sauce
4 tablespoon sesame oil
2-3 cloves of garlic
1/2 serrano or jalapeno chile

Blend all ingredients at high speed until smooth. This makes an unbelievable dipping sauce for carrots other veggies, and it is amazing as a salad dressing or a sauce over Young coconut noodles.

Super Amazing Raw Jalapeno Corn Chips

18 Jun 2009 2 Comments

by marisashealthykitchen in Raw Vegan Recipes, Vegan Recipes, Vegetarian Recipes Tags: , , , , , , , ,

super amazing corn chips, mmmm

  I am so surprised there was enough of these left to photograph! They are sooooo good! So sweet with a little kick! I have such a thing for chips and salsa and these have mastered my Raw Chips and Salsa need! Happy Munching!!

Super Amazing Raw Jalapeno Corn Chips
makes 64 chips

5 cups of fresh or frozen corn (thawed) kernels
1 cup raw walnuts, soaked for at least 6 hours
1/3 cup ground flax seed (a coffee grinder is great for grinding the seeds)
1 medium, fresh jalapeno, (depending on how much heat you want)
2 tablespoons of fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

In a food processor combine the jalapeno, corn, walnuts, lime juice, sea salt and cumin and blend until smooth. Empty into a large bowl. Add flax seeds to the corn mixture and mix well. Spread out mixture onto 2 Teflex Dehydrator Sheets and then score it into quarters, then score each quarter into quarters. Score each square into 2 triangles until you have 32 triangles on each Teflex sheet. Dehydrate at 110 degrees for 8 to 10 hours. Transfer onto a mesh sheet and peel off the Teflex sheet and dry on the mesh sheet for another 8 hours or until dry and crisp. Break each chip apart and serve.

Super Enjoy!!!

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