One Ginormous Serving of Oriental Chicken Salad

Dieting & feeling hungry?! This salad will do the trick!
 
This is one of my favorite go to salads when trying to lose a few of those dang pesky pounds that sneak up on me! This salad is so ginormous, it always leaves my belly nice and full! The best part besides it being quick, tasty, and a healthy meal is it is only 315 calories!!

Oriental Chicken Salad

Ingredients:

3 ounces cooked chicken, diced*

3-4 cups cabbage, thinly sliced or shredded

1 carrot, shredded

1-2 green onions, chopped (throw as little or as much as you like in)

4 tablespoon Newman's Own Low Fat Sesame Ginger Dressing

1-2 tablespoons of slivered almonds, toasted (optional)

a splash of rice wine vinegar (optional)

you can also add Mandarin oranges, but I don't like them so I left them out!

Directions:

Combine all ingredients into a bowl & toss to coat. That's it! You can also simplify it by buying rotisserie chicken and a bag of coleslaw mix.

Serves 1 ginormous serving or a couple of servings

* I have cooked my chicken several different ways with this recipe. I have seasoned it with Mrs. Dash or McCormick Chicken Season. I have also marinated it in the salad dressing and then cooked it.

315 calories 

with 4 cup cabbage & no slivered almonds! That's a whole lot of healthy food! Very filling!

 Calorie break down:

3 oz chicken~ 140 cal

1 cup shredded cabbage~ 20 cal

1 medium carrot~ 25 cal

2 tablespoons Newman's Own Low Fat Sesame Ginger Dressing~ 35 cal

1 tablespoon of sliver almonds~ 50 cal (optional)

Chinese Sweet & Sour Chicken

For the past couple of years we have celebrated New Years Eve with our traditional Chinese buffet at home. This healthy version is just as good or even better than what I have had at Chinese restaurants. The best part is, it is healthy, not deep fried, and not dripping with grease.

 Chinese Sweet & Sour Chicken

Ingredients:

1/2 cup whole-wheat flour, more if needed

1 1/2 cup whole-wheat panko breadcrumbs, more if needed

2 large egg whites

3 skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch cubes

Sauce:

2/3 cup rice wine vinegar

1/2 cup sucanat or brown sugar

2 tablespoon ketchup

2 teaspoon soy sauce

4 teaspoons cornstarch mixed with 8 teaspoons water

1 green bell pepper, cut into chunks

1 small can pineapple, chunks

Directions:

Preheat oven to 450 F. 

Place a wire rack (like a cookie cooling rack) on a foil-lined baking sheet, and set aside.

Put the flour in a shallow dish.  Place the panko in another shallow dish.  In a medium bowl, whip the egg whites with a whisk until they are extremely foamy but not quite holding peaks. 

Working in batches, dredge the chicken in the flour (shaking off excess), add the chicken to the egg whites and toss to coat completely.  Add the chicken, a few pieces at a time, to the panko and toss to coat.  Make sure they are completely coated.

Spread the chicken out on the wire rack, in a single layer.  Bake chicken until the breading is golden and crispy and then chicken is cooked through, about 10 minutes.

While the chicken is cooking....

Mix the rice wine vinegar, sucanat, ketchup, and soy sauce together and bring to a boil in a small pot. Mix together the cornstarch and water, add to the other ingredients and stir to thicken.

Add bell peppers, and as many chunks of pineapple as you want to the sauce. When the chicken is done add the chicken to the sauce. Stir to coat and serve over brown rice.

(Serve 3-4)

If you like extra sauce, double the sauce recipe.

 Did you know studies show that eating whole grains instead of refined grains lowers the risk of many chronic diseases?!

The benefits of whole grains most documented by repeated studies include:

• stroke risk reduced 30-36%
• type 2 diabetes risk reduced 21-30%
• heart disease risk reduced 25-28%
• better weight maintenance

Other benefits indicated by recent studies include:

• reduced risk of asthma
• healthier carotid arteries
• reduction of inflammatory disease risk
• lower risk of colorectal cancer
• healthier blood pressure levels
• less gum disease and tooth loss

Source: http://www.wholegrainscouncil.org/whole-grains-101/what-are-the-health-benefits 

Bombay House Chicken Coconut Kurma

 So this is my version of my favorite meal at the Bombay House. I must admit I haven't tried too many because once I find something I like it is hard to try new things!! Well I have tried SEVERAL chicken coconut kurma recipes and they have all come short in comparison to the chicken coconut kurma at the Bombay House. AND THEN, I finally found the recipe with a few modification of my own to match the ingredients listed on their menu!

Chicken Coconut Kurma

Ingredients:

Chicken Spice Marinade:
3 chicken breasts, cut into strips or bite size pieces

1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
Mix together and marinade for at least an hour.

Sauce:
1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1/2 cup chopped onions

4 large garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon cayenne*
2 ripe medium tomatoes, lightly blended (or 1 can diced tomatoes)

1/4 cup plain greek yogurt
3/4 cup water + 2 tablespoon cornstarch**
1 teaspoon salt
1 can coconut milk
1 teaspoon garam marsala

1/4 cup golden raisins (optional)

1/4 cup cashews, chopped (optional)

garnish with cilantro (optional)

Directions:

Spray large fry pan with non stick spray or a little bit of oil and brown marinated chicken over medium heat, but do not cook all the way through.
In a large pan add oil, garlic, onions, and ginger and cook over medium heat until onions are translucent. Then add the remaining spices (except salt and marsala) and cook for another minute. After that, add the tomatoes and simmer for 3 to 4 minutes. Add the yogurt and blend in with a wire whisk. Then add the browned chicken, water cornstarch slurry and salt. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer for 20 minutes.
Stir in the coconut milk, garam masala, and golden raisins then simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the sauce becomes fairly thick. Serve over brown jasmine rice and top with cashews and cilantro if using. 

*This is a medium heat level, if you want it milder reduce the cayenne pepper by 1/4 teaspoon or 1/8 teaspoon. 
**The recipe that I adapted it from never thickened like it claimed that it would,  so I added some cornstarch. I might try adding less water next time.

 Did you know coconut milk can help in controlling weight?!
This can be a good news for people who are trying to reduce weight. Coconut milk makes you feel full very quickly because of high concentrations of dietary fiber.

Source: http://www.drgranny.com/2011/05/05/benefits-of-coconut-milk/
Recipe adapted from: favorite family recipes

Sweet & Sour Chicken

This recipe was posted by my sister in law Erin!
This original recipe has been in my family for a couple of years now and has become a favorite go to meal! I actually received it from a good friend when we were doing a freezer meal group together and ever since I have made it a couple times a month. The only problem, is that there is a ton of sugar in it! It is so good, that up until now I have looked past that and justified it by serving lots of veggies with it! But thanks to this blog, I have found wonderful substitutions, and it still tastes just as good, possibly even better!! I have made this several times for other people, so believe me, it passes the test! 

Sweet and Sour Chicken

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cubed

cornstarch

1 egg

Sauce

3/4 cup honey

3/4 cup pinnapple juice

8 tablespoons ketsup

1 cup vinegar (apple cider vinegar works too, but it does change the original flavor some)

2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce

1 teaspoon garlic powder

Place egg in a gallon sized ziploc bag and mush until well mixed together. In another bag add a good amount of cornstarch ~about 1 1/2 cups. Place cut up chicken into the egg bag, seal bag, and shake it around until the chicken is evenly coated with egg. You shouldn't see very much if any excess egg in the bottom of the bag. With a slotted spoon, transfer chicken from egg bag into cornstarch bag. Seal bag and shake around until chicken is now coated with cornstarch mixture. 

In a medium bowl, mix sauce ingredients together, stir until well blended. Set aside.

In a large skillet, heat a small amount of oil (I use coconut). Fry chicken just until browned. Place chicken in a shallow baking dish and top with sauce. Bake at 325 for one hour, turning chicken once about half way through. 

*In my family we like extra sauce for our rice, so this recipe is doubled from the original. If you don't like a lot of sauce, feel free to cut the recipe in half!

ENJOY!!