Fitness Food and You

Every year, at this time, I post a black-eyed pea recipe because they supposedly bring prosperity for the New Year. They also happen to be DELICIOUS so enjoy! HAPPY 2017!

ingredients

4 slices bacon

1 medium onion, chopped

1 (16-ounce) package dried black-eyed peas, washed*see note below

1 (12-ounce) can diced tomatoes and green chiles

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon chili powder

½  teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

3 cups water

directions

In a large saucepan, cook the bacon until crisp. Remove the bacon, crumble, and set aside to use as a topping for the peas. Sauté the onion in the bacon drippings until tender. Add the peas, diced tomatoes and green chiles, salt, chili powder, pepper and water. Cover and cook over medium heat for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until the peas are tender. Add additional water, if necessary. Serve garnished with crumbled bacon.

*NOTE: Black-eyed peas need to be soaked overnight. Alternatively, you can “quick-soak” the peas by bringing them and the water to a boil for 2 minutes. After this, remove them from the heat, cover the pot and soak the peas for 1 hour. Then, drain and rinse the peas.

 (Adapted from a recipe found on foodnetwork.com)

I usually steer clear of recipes with very long ingredient lists but this Cuban stew looked interesting.  It’s amazing how all of the components work beautifully!  It is a fabulous dish that will warm your bones in this cold weather!!

ingredients

¼ cup fresh lime juice

¼ cup fresh orange juice

3 cloves garlic, lightly smashed

1 (3 1⁄2–4-lb.) chicken, quartered

2 T  olive oil

1 large green bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and thinly sliced

1 large white onion, thinly sliced

1 cup dry white wine

1 lb. russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1″ pieces

½ cup cup jarred alcaparrado or 1/3 cup pimento-stuffed olives and 2 T capers

1 cup frozen peas, defrosted

1 (8-oz.) can tomato sauce

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

a small bunch of cilantro, chopped

directions

Toss lime and orange juices, garlic, chicken, salt, and pepper in a bowl. Cover with plastic wrap; chill 1 hour.

Heat oil in an 8-qt. saucepan over medium-high heat. Remove chicken from marinade; pat dry using paper towels and reserve marinade. Working in batches, cook chicken, flipping once, until browned, 8–10 minutes. Transfer chicken to a plate.

Add bell pepper and onion to pan; cook until soft, 6–8 minutes. Add wine; cook, scraping up browned bits from bottom of pan, until reduced by half, 5–7 minutes. Return chicken to pan and add reserved marinade, potatoes, alcaparrado, tomato sauce, salt, pepper, and 1⁄2 cup water; boil. Reduce heat to medium-low; cook, covered, until chicken and potatoes are tender, about 45 minutes. Stir in peas before serving. Sprinkle with cilantro.

(Adapted from a recipe found on http://www.saveur.com/article/-/Chicken-Stews)

Here is another wonderful recipe from the NY Times–great for this time of year and the plummeting temperatures! 

ingredients 

2 tablespoons olive oil, more for drizzling

1 large onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1 teaspoon ground cumin

¼ teaspoon kosher salt, more to taste

¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

Pinch of ground chili powder or cayenne, more to taste

1 quart chicken or vegetable broth

2 cups water

1 cup red lentils

1 large carrot, peeled and diced

Juice of ½ lemon, more to taste

3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

directions

In a large pot, heat 2 tablespoons oil over high heat until hot and shimmering. Add onion and garlic, and sauté until golden, about 4 minutes.

Stir in tomato paste, cumin, salt, black pepper and chili powder or cayenne, and sauté for 2 minutes longer.

Add broth, 2 cups water, lentils and carrot. Bring to a simmer, then partially cover pot and turn heat to medium-low. Simmer until lentils are soft, about 30 minutes. Taste and add salt if necessary.

Using an immersion or regular blender or a food processor, purée half the soup then add it back to pot. Soup should be somewhat chunky.

Reheat soup if necessary, then stir in lemon juice and cilantro. Serve soup drizzled with good olive oil and dusted lightly with chili powder if desired.

(Adapted from a recipe found in cooking.nytimes.com)

Stir fry anyone? Don’t be put off by the long ingredient list because this is a  simple dish to make. A great LIGHT dish during the holiday season!

ingredients

1 pound chicken breast (about 2 breasts), cubed

3 scallions, whites only, thinly sliced on an angle

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 -inch piece peeled fresh ginger, minced

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 tablespoon sugar

1 tablespoon, plus 1 teaspoon cornstarch

salt and freshly ground pepper

1 tablespoon dry sherry

1 tablespoon dark sesame oil

About 1/3 cup water

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

5 to 6 cups broccoli, trimmed sliced stalks and medium florets (keep the 2 cuts separate)

½-¾ t chili flakes, optional

1 tablespoon hoisin sauce

Garnish: toasted sesame seeds, optional

directions

In a medium bowl, toss the chicken with the scallion whites, about half the garlic and ginger, the soy sauce, sugar, 1 teaspoon of the cornstarch, the sherry, and the sesame oil. Sprinkle with salt.  Marinate at room temperature for 15 minutes. Mix the remaining cornstarch with 1/3 cup water.

Heat a large nonstick skillet or wok over high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of the oil and heat. Add the broccoli stems, and stir-fry for 30 seconds. Add the florets and the remaining garlic, ginger, 2 tablespoons of water, and season with salt and freshly ground pepper. Stir-fry until the broccoli is bright green but still crisp, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a plate.

Get the skillet or wok good and hot again, and then heat 1 more tablespoon oil. Add the chicken and chili flakes. Stir-fry until the chicken loses its raw color and gets a little brown, about 3 minutes. Add the hoisin sauce, return the broccoli to the pan and toss to heat through. Stir in the reserved cornstarch mixture and bring to a boil to thicken. Add more water if need to thin the sauce, if necessary. Taste and season with salt and pepper, if you like. Mound the stir-fry on a serving platter or divide among 4 plates and garnish with sesame seeds; serve with brown rice.

(Adapted from a recipe found on.foodnetwork.com)