Fitness Food and You

I LOVE the use of cornmeal in this recipe!! Great flavors and just delicious!

ingredients (serves 4)

½ cup low-fat or non-fat buttermilk (see note below*)

1 t Dijon mustard

1 clove garlic, minced

1 t Tabasco sauce

½ t salt, divided

2 ¼-2 ½ lbs skinless, bone-in chicken pieces (quartered breasts, thighs, legs)

1/3 cup whole-wheat flour

3 T whole-grain yellow cornmeal

1 ½ t paprika

1 t baking powder

pepper to taste

cooking spray

directions

Whisk the buttermilk, mustard, garlic, Tabasco sauce and 1/8 teaspoon of salt in a medium bowl until well blended. Place the chicken pieces in a large zip-lock plastic bag. Add the buttermilk mixture and seal the bag. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours or up to 8 hours, turning several times to redistribute the marinade.

Heat the oven to 425⁰ F. Line a baking sheet with foil. Set a wire rack on the baking sheet and coat with cooking spray.

Mix the flour, cornmeal, paprika, baking powder, pepper and remaining 1/8 teaspoon of salt in a shallow dish. One at a time, remove the chicken pieces form the buttermilk marinade; shake off the excess. Dredge the chicken in the flour mixture and place on the prepared rack. Discard any leftover marinade and flour mixture. Spray the chicken with cooking spay, coating each piece evenly.

Bake the chicken until golden brown about 30-40 minutes.

*NOTE: You can make your own buttermilk. Take 1/2 cup of fat free or low-fat milk and stir in 1 1/2 teaspoons of lemon juice or white vinegar. Refrigerate for 5-10 minutes.

(Adapted from a recipe found in the Tufts University Heath and Nutrition Letter)

I am a huge lover of butternut squash but one thing I can’t stand is chopping off the thick skin. Recently, a close friend of mine introduced me to what I consider to be a magical squash……DELICATA SQUASH. Not only is this squash delicious and nutritious but you can’t EAT the skin! Here’s what it looks like:

To cook the squash, here’s what you do:

• Preheat the oven to 425⁰F
• Wash the squash
• Slice it lengthwise and scoop out the seeds
• Cut it into ½-inch slices
• Place on a baking sheet or roasting pan in a single layer
• Drizzle with olive oil (or you can “spritz” with olive oil if you have a misto bottle) and sprinkle with salt
• Roast for 10 minutes and flip. Repeat this until the squash has been cooking for about 30 minutes.

The results? Take a look………utterly delicious!

I have NEVER made chicken this way before, and boy, was this a pleasant surprise. A must try…..it’s SO easy!

ingredients

8 skinless drumsticks (if you prefer white meat, use skinless chicken breasts, quartered, with bones)

1 cup water

½ cup balsamic vinegar

1/3 cup soy sauce

2 ½ T sugar

1 garlic clove, peeled and smashed

1 small hot chili pepper, slit open, seeds removed

3-4 scallions, chopped

directions

Place all of the ingredients in a large saucepan over a high heat. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer for about 20 minutes. Remove any scum that rises to the surface.

Increase the heat, turning the chicken frequently in the liquid, and cook until the liquid has reduced to a sticky glaze.

Arrange the chicken on a serving platter. Remove the garlic clove and chili from the liquid, and spoon the glaze over the chicken.  Sprinkle with the chopped scallions and serve.  (NOTE: This is a glaze rather than a sauce, so there’s not a lot.)

(Adapted from a recipe found on http://www.food.com)