8/8/12

Low-Carb Skillet Chicken Divan



I had that leftover jerk chicken.  It's basically just leftover grilled breast meat at this point, and it's tough to come up with something to do with leftovers that's new and different.  This recipe accomplishes that AND stays low carb to help me on my diabetic diet quest. On WW, this is just 8.8 points per cup. 


You can make this low-carb version of chicken divan on the stovetop and run it under the broiler. Or forget the broiler and just serve and eat. Classic comfort food, and a great way to use up leftover chicken or turkey (or buy a roasted chicken at the deli). 

Ingredients:
        2.5 cups (or so) of chopped cooked chicken
        3 cups cooked chopped broccoli
        8 oz mushrooms, sliced
        1/4 cup chopped onion
        1/2 cup dry white wine
        3/4 cup chicken broth and salt to taste
        1/4 cup half & half
        1/2 cup milk (low fat)
        2 T whole wheat flour
        1 teaspoon dried thyme
        1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
        1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese

Preparation:1) Saute onion and mushrooms in oil for 4-5 minutes.

2) Add wine and boil most of it away.

3) Add thickener. If you are using flour, cook for a minute or so before adding the rest of the ingredients.

4) Add liquids and seasonings. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 2-3 minutes. Add the rest of the ingredients except the cheese - you can mix that in or sprinkle it over the top and put the whole thing under the broiler to brown.

Nutritional Analysis: 6 grams effective carb plus 6 grams fiber, 31 grams protein, and 400 calories.

8/7/12

Jamaican Me Crazy!



What a week of track and field!!  I can't believe all these people from Jamaica, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Trinidad & Tobago, Bahamas... all in final heats.  Amazing island athletes. So tonight I went on a Carribean tour:

For jerk marinade:
            3 scallions, chopped
            4 large garlic cloves, chopped
            1 small onion, chopped
            4 to 5 fresh Scotch bonnet or habanero chile, stemmed and seeded (I REMOVED THIS AND USED A DASH OF TAPATIO INSTEAD)
            1/4 cup fresh lime juice
            2 tablespoons soy sauce
            3 tablespoons olive oil
            1 1/2 tablespoons salt
            1 tablespoon packed brown sugar (I subbed in Splenda)
            1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
            2 teaspoons ground allspice
            2 teaspoons black pepper
            3/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
            1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

For chicken:
            4 chicken breast halves with skin and bones (3 pounds), halved crosswise
            2 1/2 to 3 pounds chicken thighs and drumsticks
            (I used boneless, skinless chicken breasts instead)

Rice and 'Peas' is really rice & red beans in Jamaica... 
      
 3 cups of rice
 1 can of tinned or 1 cup of fresh red peas (kidney beans)
 5 cloves of garlic (finely chopped)
 1 uncut scotch bonnet pepper (1 jalapeno pepper may be used as a substitute) I left this out) 
 3 Scallion (spring onions may be used as a substitute)
 1 tin (or one cup) of coconut milk (didn't use this, I don't like it)
 1 teaspoon of salt
 1 teaspoon of black pepper
 2 sprigs of fresh thyme (2 teaspoons of dried thyme may be used as a substitute)


And voila, a celebration of the Caribbean for Usain and all the runners in the track & field division from the area!!