Tag Archives: Main Course

Fluffy Beginnings Omelette

A tasty and healthy way to start your day!

6 eggs
1 tsp baking powder
2 tbsp butter (or margarine)
1 cup diced bell peppers (I used red, orange and yellow)
1/2 cup sliced mushrooms
1/4 diced red onion
1/2 cup shredded cheddar
Optional: Hot sauce and light sour cream as condiments

In a medium sized bowl, crack eggs and whisk to combine. Add baking powder and whisk again, making sure there are no lumps of powder in your egg mixture. Set aside.

Heat a medium skillet over high, then coat with cooking spray and add 2 tbsp butter. Once butter has melted and starts to bubble, add peppers, mushrooms and onions and sauté for 6-8 minutes, until vegetables are tender. Re-whisk egg mixture and pour over veggies. Rotate pan to spread the egg mixture out and reduce temperature to medium-low. Clamp on a lid and allow to cook, undisturbed, for 6-8 minutes. Remove lid, and using a spatula, loosen omelette from the bottom of the pan. Rotate pan to continue distributing any loose egg mixture. Cover and cook for 3-4 minutes more.

Flip omelette and sprinkle top with cheese. Cover and cook 3-4 minutes more, or until cheese is melted.

Serve with hot sauce and sour cream as condiments. Shows above with 2 pieces of thick cut bacon.

Serves 4.

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Chicken and Mushroom Stir Fry

Serve this with brown rice and steamed broccoli for a complete, lower-fat and lower-sodium alternative to Chinese take-away.

1 lb white mushrooms, sliced
1 tbsp unsalted butter
1 tsp olive oil
1/4 tsp sea salt
5 scallions, sliced into 1/4″ (whites) to 1/2″ (greens) pieces
3 cloves garlic, minced (or run over a microplane)
1 tbsp minced ginger
4 tbsp reduced sodium soy sauce
2 six ounce boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed (or cubed tofu)

In a wok or large skillet, heat olive oil and butter until shimmery. Add mushrooms and toss to coat. Cook over medium heat until oil and butter exude the surface of the mushrooms and they take on a medium brown colour. Sprinkle with sea salt, toss to combine and remove to a bowl to hold.

Without wiping the pan, add in the garlic and ginger and sauté for 1 minute. Add in chicken and stir to combine. Cook chicken 6-8 minutes or until no longer pink. Add soy sauce and scallions, reduce heat to low, and cover. Cook for 3-4 minutes, or until the green part of the scallions have wilted. Add reserved mushrooms back to the wok or skillet and combine to heat through.

Serves: 4.

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The Wannabe Gourmet’s Chicken Salad

There’s hundreds of variations of chicken salad recipes. This is my go-to.

4 large boneless skinless chicken breasts, baked and shredded
4 large eggs, boiled and diced
2 large white onions, diced
2 tbsp celery seed
4 tbsp dill pickle relish
2 cups low fat mayonnaise

Of course, you may feel free to adjust the ingredients, but once you have collected them all, simply put them in a bowl and using a large spoon, fold everything together, making sure you don’t make mush out of the chicken breasts.

Serve on toast, with crackers, as sandwiches, or even corn chips.

As a variation, you can add 1 package of Ranch style dressing/dip powder to the combination.

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Southern Fried Chicken

A sometimes treat as this isn’t something that can be made, successfully, in a lower-fat option. Spicy, savory, crunchy deliciousness!

6-8 pieces of chicken (skin on, bone in – I used thighs and drumsticks)

Marinade:
2 cups buttermilk
1 cup hot sauce
1 tbsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp dried parsley
1 tsp Hungarian paprika (for smoky flavour)

Breading:
2 cups all-purpose flower
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup cornstarch
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder

3 large eggs

Peanut oil for frying

In a large zip type bag, place all marinade ingredients, zip, and mix well to combine. Add chicken pieces and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to 4 hours.

Mix all breading ingredients in another zip type bag.  Take half and place in a third zip bag.  In a shallow bowl, whisk your eggs and set aside.

Using tongs, take a piece of chicken from the marinade and allow to drain. Place in first zip bag with breading and, repeat with several more pieces. Seal bag and shake to coat well. Remove pieces to wire rack and allow to sit for 5 minutes.

Place in egg mixture. Using tongs, turn over, drain off excess eggs, and place in second breading bag. Shake to coat well.  Return chicken to wire rack for at least another five minutes.

In a large semi-deep skillet (cast iron is best), fill 1/2 way with your peanut oil until it is hot, about 325 degrees (the oil should not boil or bubble before you add the chicken).

Using tongs, place as many chicken pieces as you can fit without overcrowding the skillet — you want to fry, not steam, the chicken.

Turn the chicken after 10-12 minutes. Cook for additional 10-12 minutes and juices run clear when cutting close to the bone.

Remove chicken and place on wire rack over paper towels to drain excess oil.

Enjoy!!!!

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Sesame Garlic Shrimp with Fettuccine and Broccoli Florets

Who says you don’t have time to whip up a good, healthy, tasty meal on a weeknight? Making use of shrimp and a few ingredients makes this a winner!

2 lbs 21-30 count shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp minced garlic
2 tbsp reduced sodium soy sauce
1 tbsp sesame oil
2 tbsp sesame seeds

1 lb fettuccine (fresh or dried)
2 tbsp sea salt
1 lb frozen broccoli florets

In a large pot, bring 4-6 quarts of water to a boil. Salt the water after it has come to a boil (salting before boiling might lead to pitting of your cookware), then add the broccoli. Return pot to boil, and cook for 1 minute, then add the fettuccine. Continue cooking until fettuccine is al dente. Immediately remove to strainer.

In the meantime, heat your oil in a wok until it has a slight shimmer. Add garlic and cook for 60 to 90 seconds until fragrant. Add peeled, deveined shrimp and toss to coat with oil and garlic. Continue tossing (or stirring) until shrimp are opaque and pink in colour. Add soy sauce and sesame oil and toss to coat. Cook 1 minute more.

Add cooked broccoli and fettuccine to the wok, and using tongs, toss to combine. Sprinkle sesame seeds over the top and dinner is ready.

Serves 6-8.

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Red Wine Beef Stew

Red Wine Beef Stew

2 lbs of beef roast (such as London Broil) cut into 1″ cubes
1 lb carrots, cut into coins
1 lb fingerlings (new potatoes), or potatoes cut into a 1″ to 1.5″ cube
2 medium (or 1 large) onion, finely diced
2 large garlic cloves (or more), minced
1 750ml bottle of good red wine*
1 tsp each of rubbed sage, oregano, and thyme
2 bay leaves
1 quart of fresh water**
cornstarch

In a large pan, brown the cubes of beef (they’re not to be cooked through). If you have too many for the pan, do them in stages as you’ll want them to brown, not steam. After all have been browned, return to the pan, and add onions, garlic, sage, oregano, thyme, water, bay leaves and wine. Bring to a simmer, covered, and cook for 1.5 to 2 hours, making the beef tender. After 1 hour, add your potatoes. 30 minutes later, add  your carrot coins.

Combine cornstarch with cold water and stir to combine. How much you’ll need to use depends on (1) the volume of liquid you have in your stew and (2) the thickness you wish for it to be. Remove the bay leaves, then add the cornstarch/water mixture to the pot and stir to combine. Increase the heat to high and bring to a boil. Boil for 2 minutes to cook the starch thoroughly.

Ladle into bowls, season with salt and pepper to taste and serve alongside fresh Rustic Herb Bread.

* It can be jug wine, but be sure it’s the kind you would drink. As it cooks down, the flavour intensifies, and if it’s bad tasting wine, that too will intensify.

** Yes, “Fresh” Water. Water that has been placed through a filter and let sit on the counter is not “fresh.” Bottled water is not fresh. If you do not wish to use tap water, run it back through your filtration system again. Water loses oxygen as it sits, and there is a difference in the way it cooks.

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