Yes… we did it!  First full work week of 2009 is coming to an end.  Happy Friday Zesty readers! I have been craving a salad for a long time now as it feels I have have not had green leafy vegetables since long before the Christmas holidays.

So for that I give you the Summer Chicken Salad in the Winter.  Most of the ingredients remind me of the summer but when fresh they still taste delicious in January.  I wanted to switch it up a bit and fool my taste buds.  To do that I went with toasted pecans, mozzarella cheese and a kicked up low fat homemade yogurt dressing.

Interested? I hope so! Check it out and let me know if this would be welcome at your table. But before you do, be sure to sign up for a great book giveaway.

Ingredients

• Mixed Greens
• Cucumber
• Tomatoes
• Toasted Chopped Pecans
• Blocked Mozzarella Cheese
• Left-over cooked chicken
• 1/2 Cup Plain Low-Fat Yogurt
• 1 Tbsp. Honey
• 1/8 Tsp. Cracked Black Pepper
• Juice of a lemon

Method

1. Chop up all the ingredients.













2. Place in a bowl.
3. Toss together.
4. Get a jar to prepare the dressing.
5. Add yogurt, honey, pepper and lemon juice to the jar, place the lid on it and shake it like a Polaroid picture until smooth.









6. Drizzle dressing over salad.



7. ENJOY!

Zesty Tip: To preserve left over salad, it is best you just dress the salad in individual portions.  If you dress the salad in it’s entirety, the greens will become limp and wet over time in the refrigerator.  As a result, it will no longer have the crisp texture you are looking for.

Question of the day:

Do you like nuts and cheese on your salads?  I need to know!  Fill me in and speak your mind.  Have a great Friday and a fun filled weekend.  See ya back here on Monday.

Take care

zesty

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Monday is here and it’s back to the grind.  What a weekend.  I had a super busy weekend with holiday shopping, staff party, and preparing for my trip to Tennessee for business.  I am in Jackson TN for the next 4 days but don’t worry – I will be posting all the time I am there.

On to the food…

I have a recipe to share with you.  I never made this before last Wednesday but must say – It was my favorite meal in a long time.  I was so impressed with the flavor and texture.  Bare with me and I will let you know what I did.

I started off with Chicken Thighs, not just because they are light on the wallet but also because they have so much flavor and stay very juicy.  I had some blueberries that I wanted to use up as well so I thought to myself… braised chicken with a blueberry sauce – why not?

Again just like my motto emphasizes – if I can do it, anybody can do it.  This dish is so easy and simple yet the results are astonishing.

Ingredients

• 4 Chicken-Thighs (Bone-In)
• 1 Tbsp. Olive Oil
• 1 Cup Blueberries
• 1/4 Cup Butter
• 2 Tbsp. White Sugar
• Juice of an Orange
• 1/8 Cup Roasted Pecans
• Pinch of Salt
• Pinch of Pepper
• 1/8 Tsp. Dried Coriander

Method

1. Preheat Oven to 350 Degrees F.
2. Preheat Skillet on high heat.



3. Season chicken thighs with salt, pepper and coriander.



4. Place skin side down in the skillet and cook for 6 minutes until skin becomes golden (you want to lock in the flavors – so don’t move the chicken around or flip it until it turns golden).



5. Once one side is browned, flip over and repeat the process.



6. Place chicken in a casserole dish or roaster.
7. For extra flavor, leave all the bits in the skillet, then add the butter, sugar, and orange juice to begin creating the sauce.



8. Once the sugar is dissolved, stir in the blueberries and cook for 6 minutes.




9. Add the sauce over the chicken and cook at 350 Degrees for about 35 minutes uncovered.



10. Remove the chicken from the sauce and place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper and place back in the oven to crisp the exterior.



11. Place sauce on stove top and bring to a boil to thicken.



12. Preheat dry pan and roast pecans for about 3-4 minutes  – moving and shaking them often to avoid burning.



13. Remove chicken from oven, top with sauce and finish with roasted pecans.



14. ENJOY!

Wow – That was a lot of instructions, but trust me it wasn’t as bad as it looks.  It is pretty basic, but the sauce is amazing.  By leaving the chicken bit from the original browning process the sauce is packed with flavor.  I cannot wait for you to try this and let me know what you think.

Zesty Tip: When sauteing any meat, fish, poultry , or even vegetables – the original browning process is crucial.  This is where the base of the flavor is created.  Be patient and let the food brown and form that beautiful crust/ golden color.  You will be very happy with the results.

Have a great Monday and look forward to hearing from everyone.

Take care

zesty

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For the most part I have always tried to watch my carb intake after 5:00 pm. Now I am not always behaving as you may have noticed last week when I hit up my favorite take out spot for a double cheeseburger.

I have been getting alot of great snack and healthy meal ideas especially since reading some of my favorite blogs out there like Katheats and Michelle at Taste As You Go as well as Megan’s Munchies and Krista’s Kravings not too mention Peanut Butter Boy , Skinny Chef and The Hungry Mouse.

So with that all being said I tried to be a little creative with dinner since it was around 8:00pm by the time we sat down after the kiddies went to bed. I was craving chicken curry in some form so I decided to whip it into a little salad and sit it on some romaine lettuce and wrap it up and call it a meal.

Ingredients

• Boneless Skinless Chicken (2 Cups)
• 2 Large Romaine Lettuce Leaf
• 1 Tbsp Curry Powder
• 2 Tbsp Light Mayonaisse
• 1/2 Cup Chopped Pecans
• 1/2 Cup Diced Apple
• Cracked Black Pepper

Method

1. Add the first three ingredients together in a bowl and gently mix together. 
2. Once the curry and mayonaisse are mixed well add pecans and apple and mix again. 
3. Top with a generous amount of fresh cracked pepper
4. Wash Lettuce leaf and ensure it is dry
5. Spoon chicken mixture on top of lettuce – wrap – and enjoy!

The wrap had a great flavor and texture with the crunch of the apples and the pecans as well as the freshness of the lettuce. Next time I may add some cheese for another layer of both flavor and texture.

In additon to the wrap we had a little treat of Doritos ( Blue Cheese and Hot Wings ) – yeah i know two distinct flavors all in one bag. Pretty crazy but I loved them. So much for this post going all healthy. Well that’s all for now… but not without a question to all of you… what are your favorite kind of chips?

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