Safe Diet Plans: broccoli

Week 6

#52weeksofRoarke

Chicken Thighs With Peaches and Basil

Just like everyone else who reads the New York Times I felt strangely compelled to make this dish. I had rock hard peaches and a seemingly endless cache of basil from our CSA so I guess it was only natural. And unlike so many over hyped foodie trends this one actually lived up to the build up. The friend I was cooking for took one bite and was speechless, which is always a good sign.

This is another super simple very yummy meal that is like eating summer. Im planning on making it again tonight I loved it so much, this time doing it on the stove top to save us from the dreaded heat leaching from the oven into our already August humid kitchen. Its that good, especially with random CSA veggies as a side. What made it even more enjoyable was not having an open bottle of wine or any cooking sherry, I substituted in a wee bit of brandy which made for extremely decadent slightly boozy peaches. It was dinner and dessert in one bite.

I now know what will be happening to all the fruit in my kitchen that refuses to ripen. It will be meeting the same tasty tasty fate as these peaches. Oh, darn.

Chicken Thighs With Peaches and Basil

1/ 2 pound hard peaches (about 2 or 3 medium)
1 pound chicken thighs, cut in 1 inch thick strips
2 tablespoons oil
2 tablespoons dry sherry
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 inch long piece ginger, grated

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Halve peaches, remove pits, slice fruit 1/ 2 inch thick.

In a 9 by 13 inch pan toss all ingredients except 1 tablespoon of the basil. Roast until the meat is cooked through and peaches soft, about 20 minutes.

Garnish with remaining basil.

Original recipe from Melissa Clark in the New York Times.

Broccoli and Roasted Red Pepper Pasta

Finding high protein meals for this diet has been simple. Those meals allow fat and any fruits and vegetables with a GI of 35 or lower. The only big restriction is keeping the meal carb and root vegetable free. We have fun cooking these nights and they usually allow us to dabble in the Indian food and spice we miss so much.

The high fiber/low fat meal however have started to get tedious. These meals are heavily restrictive as to what is allowed and have to be eaten for dinner 3 to 4 times a week. They require a whole wheat pasta, brown rice or low GI bean as a base and are complimented with low GI veggies and can only have enough fat added as is required for cooking. Its getting old finding new and interesting things. We can only have lentil stew, stir fry or pasta with tomato paste and grilled vegetables so many times before going nutty.

Thankfully the fella stumbled on a new source of low fat whole food cooking. Meals Matter is like the healthy cooking version of Epicurious from what I can tell in that it has user submitted recipes that are reviewed and easily searchable. It has nutritional information for the recipes too so that helped us make up a more exciting menu this week full of high fiber food without repeating our three go to dishes once again.

This combo of crispy broccoli and tangy roasted red pepper was delicious. I am confused about the amount of pasta the original recipe calls for however as the sauce was just barely enough to make two servings and now we have a ton of extra pasta awaiting usage in the fridge. So if youre a sauce whore like I am you might want to double the delicious pureed red pepper sauce. Next time I would also up the spices especially the red pepper flakes to give it more of a kick. Even on the bland side I loved it. Not to mention it practically cooks itself.

Broccoli and Roasted Red Pepper Pasta

2 roasted red peppers (you can make them yourself, I use canned)
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

2 cups broccoli florets
8 oz whole wheat penne (original recipe called for 16 oz but there isnt enough sauce to cover all that pasta)
1 tablespoon oil
1 clove garlic, finely diced
2 tomatoes, seeded and diced
2 teaspoon dried basil
4 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese

Slice open peppers and wash out seeds. Place the peppers in a food processor with balsamic vinegar, crushed red pepper flakes, salt and pepper to taste. Puree until smooth.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add broccoli florets and cook for 1 minute. Scoop out the broccoli with a slotted spoon and set aside. Bring the water back to a boil.

Cook pasta until al dente, about 8 minutes.

Meanwhile place a large skillet over medium-low heat and add the oil. Cook garlic, stirring, for 30 seconds. Stir in tomatoes and increase the heat to medium. When the tomatoes begin to simmer, stir in pepper puree and broccoli; cook for 2 minutes. Stir in basil and remove from the heat.

Drain the pasta and add to the skillet, stirring to coat. Spoon into shallow bowls and garnish each with grated Parmesan.

Original recipe from Meals Matter site.

Chicken Broccoli Alfredo Stuffed Shells

When I ran across this recipe I really didnt think it would turn out that great. It was just something that didnt look too hard and didnt take a lot of ingredients. However, it turned out so much better than I ever expected and Dan even said it was one of the best meals I have ever made! WHAT!

Chicken Broccoli Alfredo Stuffed Shells (www.sweetdashofsass.com)

Ingredients

1 jar (16 oz) alfredo sauce
2 cups canned chicken
2 cups cooked broccoli, chopped
1 cup shredded cheddar (or mozzarella) cheese
1/4 cup shredding parmesan
21 jumbo pasta shells, cooked
1 1/2 - 2 cups spaghetti sauce (optional, but I love the combination of alfredo with tomato sauce)
salt/pepper to season (if needed)

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, mix alfredo, chicken, broccoli, and cheeses.

Spoon mixture into pasta shells.

Grease 13x9 baking dish with butter or cooking spray.

Evenly spread spaghetti sauce on bottom of baking dish.

Arrange shells in baking pan.

Cover with foil and bake 35 minutes until heated thru.

Remember that the noodles need to be cooked prior to stuffing. I cooked them 1-2 minutes under what the package says... that way they will fully cook when baking in the oven!

Dan rated this meal a 4.75 out of 5 stars! He raved about it for weeks!