healthy meals Archives - The Midnight Baker

Parmesan Crusted Chicken with Lemon Basil Pasta

Judith Hannemann — Thu, 30 May 2013 23:00:00 +0000

Parmesan Crusted Chicken with Lemon Basil Pasta

Nothing easier or tastier! You’ll never believe it’s low cal AND healthy!!

This was one of May’s activities for we All Recipes Allstars. We had to pick a “My Plate” recipe, make it, rate it and photograph it.

OH BOY was this good!!! I did change the original recipe to suit my particular taste, and the flavored pasta I served it with is my personally developed recipe–and it’s to die for!

How I cook my pasta–in a rice cooker!!!

The way I changed this makes it perfect for a warm-weather meal since I did not bake in the oven as suggested, but did this in a skillet on the stovetop. Plus I reduced the saturated fat even more. My Plate recipes are healthy to begin with. I just made it a tad healthier, and I think tastier too. Italian flavored bread crumbs may be subbed for the poultry stuffing, but with some loss of the special flavor. However, you will need only ONE CUP if you use the breadcrumbs.

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Parmesan Crusted Chicken with Lemon Basil Pasta

Nothing easier or tastier than Parmesan Crusted Chicken with Lemon Basil Pasta! You’ll never believe it’s low cal AND healthy!!

Prep Time25

Cook Time30

Total Time55

Course: Chicken, pasta

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: lemon basil pasta, parmesan crusted chicken

Servings: 4

Calories: 763kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

CHICKEN

2 large boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 cups poultry stuffing i.e. StoveTop or Pepperidge Farm
1 egg beaten
1/2 cup flour
2 tbsp water
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
2 tbsp dehydrated parsley
1 tbsp butter
2 tbsp olive oil

PASTA

8 oz thin spaghetti No. 9 cooked per package directions
1 tsp lemon zest
2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/4 cup olive oil
1 large garlic clove minced
1 tbsp fresh basil chiffonade or 1 tsp dry (a POOR substitute)

Instructions

Chicken Directions:
Crush stuffing mix into fine crumbs by either placing in a plastic bag and rolling with a rolling pin OR processing in a food processor. Mix in the basil, oregano, parsley and the cheese. Place processed stuffing on a plate and set aside.
Beat the egg with 2 tbs water in a bowl. Place the 1/2 cup of flour on a plate so you can dredge the chicken easily.
Using a meat mallet, pound chicken breasts to about 1/2 inch thickness. Cut each chicken breast in half keeping portions as even as possible. You will get 4 equal portions out of 2 breasts.
Dredge the chicken portions in flour, then dip in egg, draining off excess, then coat with the crumbs. Repeat for all portions.
Heat butter and olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add chicken breast pieces and brown well on each side, about 5-8 minutes per side.
Makes 4 servings. Serve over Lemon Basil Pasta
Pasta Directions:
Cook spaghetti per package directions. Drain.
In a large saucepan, heat olive oil. Add garlic and saute until oil is infused with garlic flavor. Garlic should NOT start to brown. A few seconds is enough to do this. Remove from heat and add the pasta, lemon zest, lemon juice and the chiffonade basil (this only means a loose shredding of the leaves). Toss to coat pasta.

Nutrition

Parmesan Crusted Chicken with Lemon Basil Pasta

The post Parmesan Crusted Chicken with Lemon Basil Pasta appeared first on The Midnight Baker.

Food Bloggers Against Hunger, Part II

Judith Hannemann — Sun, 07 Apr 2013 23:00:00 +0000

OK, I took the challenge. I went to the food store armed with a list and the strict budget of a SNAP recipient. The results were surprising.

First of all, I read my local ads carefully to decide where to do the bulk of my shopping. Then I made a list and stuck to it.

I was surprised that I was able to get a sufficient amount of food and foods that were relatively healthy too.

Of course, I wasn’t going to buy pantry items I have on hand, and I’d suspect most households no matter what income level, have on hand as well. These would include, at the very least, oil, flour, sugar, oatmeal, margarine/butter, some form of pasta and a couple of cans of condensed soup and salt & pepper & the like.

I did a majority of my shopping in ShopRite, then a couple of other local stores. I live in a rural area where I must drive in order to shop. Also, shopping centers seem to be congregated all around each other, therefore I made sure to hit every store on my route without unnecessary driving–I planned my trip.

Rather than take $3-$4 and try to shop for one day, I multiplied that and came up with a weekly allotment for a family of 2 originally. However, when I saw what I could get, especially bulk packaged, I extended this for a family of 4 because what I bought would indeed feed a family of 4 for one week. No, you couldn’t “eat like there was no tomorrow,” but you would not starve and you’d be relatively healthy. I spent a total of $54 on this food. Here is the food I got for this total:

These items from various stores totaling $12

What I spent in ShopRite

No child in this country should ever go hungry. Our children are our most precious resource. Please take 30 seconds to go to this website and encourage Congress to pass anti-hunger legislation. Please understand this is not political in nature. No matter what our individual politics are I think we can all agree that no child should go hungry or wonder where their next meal is coming from.

No Hungry Kid

Please also take the time to see the film, “A Place at the Table.” This link lists showtimes in your city. It is also available through iTunes and at Amazon.com

So here is a recipe using what I bought on my challenge shopping trip. I had some pantry items that I had on hand like the soup, the celery, a few leftover baby carrots and traditional seasoning.

This meal is hearty and filling. The chicken thighs were huge. I made 2 portions since I don’t have a family, however doubled, it’s a complete and relatively healthy meal for a family of 4.

Tasty and economical

Please remember to observe proper sanitation when preparing raw meat, and especially chicken. Wash and disinfect all surfaces the poultry came in contact with.

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Chicken with Creamy Brown Rice

This meal is hearty and filling. The chicken thighs were huge. I made 2 portions since I don’t have a family, however doubled, it’s a complete and relatively healthy meal for a family of 4.

Prep Time15

Cook Time1

Total Time1 15

Course: Chicken, Comfort Foods, Everyday Meals

Cuisine: American

Keyword: chicken, creamy brown rice

Servings: 4

Calories: 668kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

4 chicken thighs or any other parts
1 cup brown rice
2 cups water
20 oz 2 10 oz cans cream of chicken soup
1/2 cup sliced celery
1/2 cup sliced carrots
1/2 cup sliced mushrooms
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp thyme
1 tsp olive oil

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray a 13 x 9-inch pan with non-stick spray.
In a large bowl, combine the brown rice, the soup, the water, sliced vegetables and the 1 tbs olive oil. Mix well and add to prepared baking dish.
Rinse chicken and pat dry. Place on top of rice mixture in prepared pan. Brush each piece with the 1 tsp olive oil. Mix the salt, pepper & thyme and distribute over top of the chicken pieces.
Bake at 375 for 1 hour or until rice is tender and chicken has an internal temperature of 185 degrees (or juices run clear)

Nutrition

Chicken with Creamy Brown Rice

The post Food Bloggers Against Hunger, Part II appeared first on The Midnight Baker.

Barley Risotto with Leeks and Mushrooms

Judith Hannemann — Sun, 20 Jan 2013 05:01:00 +0000

Barley Risotto with Leeks and Mushrooms

Here’s a meal so delicious that you’d never guess it was healthy, let alone vegetarian as well.

As with any risotto, the dish requires almost constant stirring and adding the liquids in stages, but it’s not at all hard to do, and it’s a relatively short process.

The risotto can easily be converted to a total vegan meal by eliminating the grated cheese and the small amount of butter. I’d suggest an equal substitution of olive oil (or definitely truffle oil) for the butter. And toasted almonds would be a great addition here too.

If you are unsure of how to prep leeks, refer to the video in this post.

Barley Risotto with Leeks and Mushrooms

1 cup pearl barley
2 leeks, sliced and rinsed of sand
2 1/2 cups sliced baby bella mushrooms
2 large garlic cloves, minced
3 cups vegetable stock (I used Knorr concentrated)
1 tbs olive oil
2 tbs unsalted butter
2 tbs grated Parmesan cheese
salt & freshly ground pepper to taste

In a large saucepan, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add barley and stir until lightly toasted; about 5 minutes.

Add prepared leeks (see the video in the link above), garlic and 1 1/2 cups of the sliced mushrooms. Stir and cook until mushrooms are heated through.

Add 1/2 cup of the vegetable stock, stirring until the liquid is absorbed. Repeat until all the stock is used. Add remaining mushrooms and cook for 5 min.

Add the butter and grated cheese, and salt and pepper to taste.

Makes 3-4 main dish servings.

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