A New Take on Buffalo Chicken

The popularity of Buffalo Wings ultimately created a whole new flavor category and a food trend that has popped up in dips, sandwiches, salads, pizzas and pretzels to name a few.  I decided to hop on the Buffalo bandwagon with my own rendition using boneless chicken while keeping an eye on the fat and sodium.  The simple marinade for this dish consists of plain Greek yogurt which tenderizes the chicken plus a good dose of hot sauce to add the kick.  The creaminess of the yogurt coating coupled with the tang of the blue cheese and crunch of the celery tastes like you're eating Buffalo chicken dip for dinner!  

Buffalo Chicken with Blue Cheese and Celery

Makes 6 servings

3/4 cup nonfat Greek yogurt
3 tablespoons hot sauce (I used Frank's RedHot)
1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
4 ounces blue cheese, crumbled
2 stalks celery, chopped (1 cup)
Paprika

1. Mix the yogurt and hot sauce in a bowl. 




2. Place the chicken in a resealable plastic bag.  Add yogurt mixture, mixing to coat chicken.  Seal the bag.  Marinate in the refrigerator for 8 hours or overnight.

3. Line a baking sheet with foil and spray with nonstick cooking spray.  Remove the chicken from the yogurt mixture and place on the baking sheet (most of the yogurt mixture will cling to the chicken).  Discard any remaining yogurt mixture.

4. Bake at 350 degrees F. for 30 minutes or until done. 
5. Mix the blue cheese and celery.  Spoon the celery mixture over chicken breasts and sprinkle with paprika.  Bake for 5 minutes more or until cheese slightly melts.  Slice chicken and serve.

Nutrition Information per serving: 299 calories, 14 g. total fat, 6 g. saturated fat, 116 mg. cholesterol, 582 mg. sodium, 3 g. carbohydrate, 1 g. dietary fiber, 2 g. sugar, 38 g. protein

Chicken Portion Size Tip: Boneless, skinless chicken breasts can no longer be considered single serving size portions.  They can range anywhere from 5 to 12 ounces each!  The average portion size should be about 4 ounces or the size of a deck of cards.  Before serving a chicken dish, slice each breast into 4 or 5 pieces and arrange on a serving platter.  This will allow you to manage your portion size.

Easy Late Summer Dinner

Although I grill all year round, I especially want to take advantage of cooking outdoors during the last wonderful days of summer.  I had a special request for a shrimp dish, so that's what's on the menu this week. 

I've moved into the third cyle of the 17 Day Diet with the addition of an expanded list of carbs to include whole grain breads, pita and tortillas, as well as being able to occasionally have carbs at dinner.  I've lost 13 pounds...not bad for a little more than a month on the diet.  To celebrate, I'm going to add some quinoa and broccoli to round out the meal.  Check out the quinoa link to learn about this nutritent rich ingredient.  Although it's appearance reminds me of couscous, it has a nutty flavor and cooks up in a way similar to rice. 

  

Herb Dijon Grilled Shrimp

Makes 4 servings

1 1/4 pounds shrimp, peeled with tails left on and deveined*

1/4 cup Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/4 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
8 (12-inch) wooden skewers

1. Mix shrimp, mustard, Italian seasoning and black pepper in a bowl.  Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes or up to 1 hour.



2. Meanwhile, soak the wooden skewers in water for 30 minutes.
3. Place shrimp on skewers, inserting a second skewer about a 1/2 inch apart from the first one to keep the shrimp from twirling around the skewer as you're turning them on the grill.  (Instead of placing the shrimp on the skewer, you can also place them in a grill basket.)

4. Grill over medium-high heat for 5 minutes or until done, turning once.

5.  Remove from skewers to serving plate and serve immediately. Any leftover shrimp is great served chilled on a tossed green salad.

* I usually keep a bag of frozen peeled and deveined raw shrimp with the tail on hand in the freezer.  They defrost quickly in cold water for last minute decisions about dinner.  Costco sells a 2-pound package of the 31-40 count/pound size for $14.99.

Red Pepper Quinoa Pilaf

Makes 4 servings

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced

2 cups fat free chicken broth

1 cup quinoa

1. Heat olive oil in 3-quart saucepan over medium heat.  Add bell pepper, onion and garlic.  Cook and stir for 3 minutes.

2. Add broth and quinoa.  Heat to a boil.

3. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes or until broth is absored.  Remove from heat and let stand 5 minutes before serving. 

Broccoli Tip

The broccoli that I picked up at the farmer's market had long stems.  The stem can be woody and many folks just cut them off and discard.  But you're losing a lot of vegetable and good nutrition if you do that.  I find that cutting an inch off the bottom of the stem, then paring the stalk with a vegetabler peeler removes the woodier part of the stem (see photo).  I slice the stem crosswise up to the florets which I then cut into smaller pieces.  I steam them all together until done. 

It's All About Flavor

I love experimenting with different flavors to add variety and kick to dishes.  It can make the difference between feeling satisfied at the end of a meal or having a lingering taste for something else that causes me to overeat.  I made a delicious pork roast a few weeks ago and the marinade/baste was a keeper.  During this week's shopping trip I got a good price on boneless chicken breasts so I decided to adapt the marinade and baste for tonight's dinner.  To keep with the 17 Day Diet I cut back on the oil, substituted agave nectar for the brown sugar and eliminated the salt.  I also added some punch by using smoked paprika.  I kept the rest of the meal simple and served some steamed fresh asparagus and tomato-scallion salad on the side.

Smoky Dijon Grilled Chicken
Makes 4 to 6 servings

3/4 cup Dijon mustard
1/2 cup Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup agave nectar
1/4 cup smoked paprika
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 to 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1. Blend mustard, Worcestershire, agave nectar, paprika and oil.  Refrigerate 1 cup of the mustard mixture.

2. Place chicken breasts in a resealable plastic bag and add remaining mustard mixture.  Seal the bag and refrigerate for 1 hour or overnight. 
3. Lightly oil the grill rack and heat the grill to medium.  Remove the chicken from marinade; discard the marinade.
4. Grill the chicken for 10 minutes or until cooked through, turning halfway through cooking.  Heat the reserved mustard mixture.  Slice the chicken and serve with the mustard mixture.