Honey Mustard Chicken

 

Do you eat a lot of chicken?  We do.  It's relatively cheap and a good lean protein.  There are dozens of chicken recipes out there, and this one in particular, uses some of my favorite ingredients.  

This recipe takes about 10 minutes to put together so it's definitely an easy weeknight meal.  The flavors blend together so seamlessly.  Mustard, chicken, and vermouth--it's a beautiful combination!

Ingredients:

- 1.5-1.65 lb of boneless, skinless chicken thighs

-salt and pepper

-2 tablespoon of olive oil

-½ cup of dry vermouth

-1/4 cup of honey mustard

-2 tablespoons of fresh parsley (plus additional for garnish)

-1/2 teaspoon minced garlic (one clove)

-2 tablespoons grainy mustard

-1/4 teaspoon salt

-1/4 teaspoon pepper

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a roasting pan or a 9x9 pan.  (I used a 9x9 pan.)
2. Wash and dry the chicken thighs. Lightly season the chicken with salt and pepper.
3. Heat a skillet over medium high heat. Pour in the olive oil.
4. Once the oil is heated, place the chicken in the pan.  Sear the chicken until brown on each side. (2-3 minutes).  Place the chicken in the greased roasting pan. Keep the skillet on the heat.
5. Pour the vermouth into the pan while scraping up the bits from the bottom.
6. Once the vermouth is reduced by half, pour this over the chicken.
7. Mix together the remaining ingredients. Taste and adjust for seasoning.
8. Smother on the chicken thighs.
9. Place into the oven. Baked for 45 minutes or until the juices run clear and the thighs register 175 degrees. Spoon sauce over the chicken thighs and serve immediately. I served these with rice and steamed spinach.

Look at that beautiful sauce!  So good!!!

Low Fat Flourless Chocolate Cake

It's starting to get warmer. We all know what this means...swim suit season! Eek!!! Are you ready? I'm working really hard to make sure that I'm ready. Haha

I've been going to the gym a lot recently. I want to look even better in that bikini than I did last year. To help this, I have been trying really hard to eat really healthy. My problem is that I LOVE chocolate. I was craving chocolate cake the other night but didn't want to make anything too big. My husband doesn't eat sweets (Its one of our mysteries in our marriage) and I'm not about to eat a cake by myself. To make matters worse, I just got home from the gym and didn't want to undo what I just did.

So how did I solve my problem? I made a low fat flourless chocolate cake. The only fat is found in the cocoa powder and yogurt. The serving size is small but the flavor is rich! Most of us already have these ingredients in our fridge already. This recipe doesn't use anything fancy or weird.

I have pictures where I topped the cake off with powdered sugar or caramel. Either one is fine or just eat the cake out of the ramekin. No matter what, enjoy dessert and then go back to the gym later!

Enjoy and best of luck getting ready for the season. I'm working hard right alongside you!

Ingredients:

¼ cup granulated sugar

2 tablespoons of cocoa

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon baking soda

1 egg white slightly beaten

6 oz vanilla yogurt

½ teaspoon of vanilla extract

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Spray 2 small ramekins (I used 3 inch by 1 ½ inch ramekins from the company Williams and Sonoma) with cooking spray.
3. Whisk the cocoa, sugar, salt, and baking soda together.
4. Fold in the remaining ingredients.
5. Pour equal amounts into each ramekin.
6. Bake for 10-12 minutes until the center is done. The center of the cake should be slightly jiggly—like a cheesecake.
7. Cool for a few minutes. Top with whipped cream, powdered sugar, or some caramel sauce.
8. Enjoy!

Copycat PF Changs Chinese Chicken Lettuce Wraps

Have you ever been to PF Changs? It's an upscale Chinese restaurant. I love going there! Chinese food is my favorite!!! One of the dishes that they are famously known for is their Chicken Lettuce wraps. I've had it, and its very tasty. Finger food is always fun, right?

I have seen recipes for this online, but they all use Asian ingredients that I don't have in my pantry. This uses ingredients that most of us have. In PF Changs, this is an appetizer. I served this for dinner with some rice and sauteed veggies.

Enjoy! :)

Ingredients

3 thinly sliced green onions (Cut the onion in half. Cook the white half of the onion and save the other part for garnish.)

½ cup small diced red bell pepper

1 tablespoon of oil

1 pound ground chicken

Sauce

½ cup soy sauce

1-3 teaspoons of  sriracha(depends on how your spice tolerance. If you don't have any sriracha, use some red pepper flake)

2 tablespoons of honey

1 tablespoon of peanut butter

1 tablespoon of brown sugar

½ teaspoon ground ginger

¼ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon pepper

¼ cup of finely diced cashews

Romaine Lettuce

1. Saute the half the onions and red bell pepper for 2-3 minutes until slightly cooked.
2. Add the ground chicken and saute until fully cooked.
3. Place all the ingredients for the sauce and whisk until fully incorporated.
4. Add this to the pan and cook for another minute or so. The sauce should get slightly thickened.
5. Place in a bowl and top with the green onions and cashews.
6. Let the mixture cool for a few minutes. Serve with lettuce.