South Beach Coconut Chicken

Serves 2

Chicken braised in coconut milk (Opor Ayam) is a true classic of Indonesian fare. We did change the chicken to white meat instead of the traditional drumstick or wing. New traditions can sometimes be better than old ones!

Ingredients
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 pound chicken breast tenders
1/2 tablespoon chicken broth
1/2 medium onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
3/8 teaspoon dried cilantro
1/2 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon peel
1/16 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 pinch of ground turmeric
1/2 cup light coconut milk (no sugar added)
1 tablespoon macadamia nuts, finely ground
1/2 teaspoon sugar substitute
1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
1/2 tablespoon tamarind paste (available in Indian and specialty food markets)
1 teaspoon water Scallion, chopped (for garnish)

Instructions
Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook for 5 minutes per side, or until browned and no longer pink in the center. Remove the chicken to a plate and set aside.

Heat the broth in the same skillet. Add the onion, garlic, cilantro, ginger, lemon peel, cumin, and turmeric; cook for 5 minutes (or until the onion is tender but not browned). Stir in the coconut milk, nuts, sugar substitute, and red pepper. Return the chicken to the skillet, cover, and simmer for 10 minutes (or until the chicken is cooked through).

Remove the chicken to a plate and keep warm. Do not discard the sauce in the pan. In a small bowl, combine the tamarind paste and water. Stir into the sauce in the skillet and gently boil until thickened and the mixture measures about 1/2 cup.

Evenly divide the chicken among 2 serving plates. Top with sauce and garnish with the scallion.

Nutritional Information:
360 calories
25 g total fat (14 g sat)
66 mg cholesterol
10 g carbohydrate
28 g protein
3 g fiber
60 mg sodium

South Beach Curried Chicken Salad

I'm making this immediately! Sounds delicious and easy.... score!

Makes 4 1-cup servings

Serve this sensational salad as is or try it inside half of a large scooped-out tomato or on top of fresh salad greens.

Prep time: 15 minutes

Ingredients
11/2 cups plain fat-free or low-fat yogurt
1 tablespoon curry powder
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
11/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cooked and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
3 celery stalks, diced
1/2 small red onion, diced
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Instructions
Whisk together yogurt, curry powder, and ginger in a large mixing bowl. Stir in chicken, celery, onion, and cilantro; season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve at room temperature or refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving for more concentrated flavor.

Nutritional Information:
240 calories
2.5 total fat (0.5 g sat)
11 g carbohydrate
44 g protein
1 g fiber
270 mg sodium

Moroccan Chicken With Eggplant Garbanzo Ragout

(Another South Beach Diet recipe!)

Serves 2

Don't be scared off by the number of ingredients in this dish; it all comes together quickly for a hearty yet slightly exotic meal. Remember to save some of the liquid drained from the beans for your sauce.

Ingredients

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1 teaspoon sherry vinegar
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Salt and pepper
2 (6-ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 medium (about 8 ounces) eggplant, unpeeled, cut into 3/4-inch cubes
1/2 medium onion, chopped
1 cup garbanzo beans and 1/4 cup liquid drained from can
8 ounces cherry tomatoes, halved
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
Chopped fresh parsley, for garnish

Instructions

1. Combine a teaspoon of the oil with the vinegar, cumin, coriander, cinnamon, salt, and pepper in a glass dish. Add chicken breasts; turn to coat. Cover with plastic wrap; refrigerate for up to 6 hours.

2. Heat remaining tablespoon of oil in large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add chicken and cook, 4 minutes per side, or until cooked through. Using tongs, transfer chicken to platter; tent with foil to keep warm. In same skillet, cook eggplant and onion 8 minutes, until soft and slightly browned, stirring often. Stir in garbanzo beans with liquid, tomatoes, and lemon juice. Cook 3 minutes, smashing the tomatoes with a wooden spoon and stirring to blend flavors and warm through. Transfer to platter with chicken; garnish with parsley.

Nutritional Information:
450 calories
40 g protein
42 g carbohydrate
7 g fiber
15 g total fat
2 g saturated fat
74 mg cholesterol
642 mg sodium

Stir-fried Chicken with Lemon Basil

(Many thanks to Kek for this recipe!)

Serves 4

500g (1lb) chicken breast, diced
425g (15oz) can straw mushrooms, drained
1 T. ginger, chopped
1 T. oyster sauce
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 T. fish sauce
Shake of white pepper
Pinch of sugar
1 chilli, sliced finely
1 T. oil
40 leaves of sweet basil
6 kaffir lime leaves, shredded*

Heat a wok or large frying pan, add oil. Fry ginger, garlic and lime leaves until golden. Add chicken, fry until almost cooked. Add mushrooms, oyster sauce, fish sauce, pepper, sugar and chilli. Toss until well combined and chicken is cooked. Toss basil through, serve with rice.

Add any other vegies you like – broccoli or asparagus are nice, so is capsicum. You can steam them separately and then stir through the chicken mixture before serving.

*Kaffir lime leaves are usually available either frozen or dried. The frozen ones are best. If you can’t get them, substitute a tsp of grated lemon or lime rind.

Kek's Chicken Enchiladas

Serves 4-6

These take a bit of preparation but reheat well, so they’re a great meal to cook in advance and refrigerate or freeze in individual servings.

1 hot green chilli, seeded and chopped – a jalapeno is perfect
1 small onion
1 tsp garlic
2 x 12oz cans crushed tomatoes
1 tsp cumin
2 tbs fresh coriander leaves, chopped
1 tsp Mexican style chilli powder
½ cup water
1 & ½ pounds chicken breasts, steamed or boiled and shredded (see note)
½ cup grated reduced fat cheddar cheese
1 cup salsa
8 small corn tortillas or whole wheat tortillas

To serve:

1 tomato, diced
2 cups lettuce, shredded
½ cup low fat plain yoghurt
4 spring onions, sliced
Extra coriander

Spray a large non stick pan with cooking spray, heat and add garlic, chilli and onion, sauté for 2 minutes. Add a little water if it sticks. Add tomatoes, cumin, coriander and chilli powder, stir well. Add water and half the salsa and bring to the boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Pour half the sauce into a heat-proof bowl and put aside. Add cooked chicken to the pan and stir till heated through.

Dip each tortilla into the sauce and then fill with 1/8 of the chicken mixture. Roll up and place seam-side down in a shallow baking dish lined with baking paper. Pour remaining sauce over tortillas and sprinkle with cheese. Bake in a moderate oven until heated through and cheese is melted, about 15 minutes.

Divide lettuce between 4 plates, top with tomato. Place two enchiladas on each, top with a spoonful of salsa, a dollop of sour cream, and sprinkle sliced spring onions and coriander over the top.

*Note – to boil chicken breasts, add the meat to a pot and cover with water. Bring to the boil and simmer until no longer pink in the centre, about 15 minutes. To steam in the microwave, use a microwave-safe steamer, add ½ cup water to base and lay chicken in a single layer on the perforated insert. Cover and cook on high for 5 minutes. If still pink in the centre, cook for a further 2-3 minutes. Allow to stand in the steamer for a couple of minutes.

Chicken Fingers with Honey Mustard

(I found this over at Lifescript.com. The macro ratios are great for anyone following a BFL-style diet and it sounds delicious!)


This recipe serves: 4
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 15 minutes

Ingredients
1 pound chicken breast, boneless, skinless
1/2 cup low-fat vinaigrette
1/2 cup flour
1 cup corn flakes slightly crushed
1/4 cup honey
2 tablespoons yellow mustard

Cooking Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 400ºF.
2. Cut the chicken into strips.
3. Place the vinaigrette in one bowl, flour in another bowl and corn flakes in a third bowl.
4. Dip each chicken strip in the vinaigrette, then dredge it in flour, dip once more in the vinaigrette and roll in corn flakes.
5. Spray a cookie sheet with nonstick spray.
6. Place the strips on the cookie sheet and bake for 7 minutes. Flip the strips over and continue baking for 7 additional minutes. Remove from oven.
7. Meanwhile, combine the honey and mustard in a small bowl and set aside.
8. Serve the chicken strips with the honey mustard dipping sauce on the side.

Nutrition Facts
Serving Size: 4 chicken fingers with sauce
Calories 335
Protein 31 g
Total Carbohydrate 38 g
Dietary Fiber 1 g
Sodium 507 mg
Total Fat 6 g
Saturated Fat 1 g
Percent Calories from Fat 17%
Percent Calories from Protein 37%
Percent Calories from Carbohydrate 46%

Basque Chicken

4 servings

2 T. all-purpose flour
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1 T. olive oil
2 large green or yellow sweet bell peppers, cut into strips
1 large onion, halved length-wise and thinly sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. paprika
1/8 tsp. ground red pepper
1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
1/4 c. chicken broth
1/4 c. sliced, pitted ripe olives
1 T. fresh oregano or 1 tsp. dried

Place flour in shallow dish. Dip chicken in flour to coat. In a large skillet heat oil over medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook until brown, turning once. Remove chicken.

Add peppers, onion and garlic to skillet. Cook and stir for 3-4 minutes until veggies are nearly tender. Add paprika and ground red pepper. Cook and stir for 1 minute more.

Stir in tomatoes, broth and olives. Bring to a boil. Return chicken to skillet, spooning tomato mixture over chicken. Reduce heat. Simmer, covered, about 10 minutes or until chicken is tender and no longer pink.

Transfer chicken to a serving platter. Stir oregano into tomato mixture and spoon over chicken. Serve with brown rice or whole wheat pasta.

Florentine Chicken a la Pesto

(Got this one from Skwigg, and she got it from Oxygen magazine.)

Makes 8 servings

Ingredients:

2 tbsp olive oil
4 cloves garlic, chopped
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, chopped
4 cups fresh spinach leaves
8 oz fat free cream cheese
Pepper to taste
4 tbsp pesto
8 oz Fusilli pasta
1 tbsp Romano or Parmesan cheese, grated

Instructions:

1. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic, saute for 1 minute, add chicken and cook 7-8 minutes on each side. Add spinach and saute all together for 3-4 minutes.
2. Heat cream cheese over low heat and stir in pesto.
3. In a large pot, cook pasta for 8-10 minutes until al dente. Rinse under cold water, drain.
4. Add chicken and spinach mixture to pasta and then stir in pesto and cream cheese mixture. Mix well, top with grated cheese, and serve.

Nutrients per serving: 302 calories, 30g protein, 25g carbs, 2g fiber, 9g fat.

I made it with Barilla PLUS pasta, which is even higher in protein and fiber. Very tasty.

Chicken and Yoghurt Curry

(I got this fantastic recipe from Kek!)

Serves 6

2 pounds chicken pieces
1 medium onion, roughly chopped
3 cloves garlic, peeled
1 tsp chopped ginger
½ cup chopped coriander leaves
1 tbs peanut oil
1 tsp ground turmeric
1 ½ tsp garam masala
1 ½ tsp salt
½ tsp chilli powder (optional)
½ cup low fat yoghurt
2 ripe tomatoes, diced
extra chopped coriander to garnish

Blend onion, garlic, ginger and fresh coriander in a blender or food processor until smooth. Heat oil in a heavy saucepan and fry the blended mixture, stirring, for about 5 minutes. Add turmeric, garam masala, salt and chilli powder and fry for a further minute. Stir in yoghurt and tomatoes and fry until liquid dries up and the mixture is the consistency of a thick puree. Add chicken pieces, turning them in the mixture to coat, then turn heat low, cover tightly and cook until chicken is tender (about 30-45 minutes, depending on the size of the pieces). If liquid from the chicken has not evaporated by this time, uncover and raise the heat to dry off excess liquid. Stir gently at base of pan to prevent burning. Garnish with chopped coriander.

Chicken Capri

(From a South Beach Diet email newsletter.)

Serves 4

Ingredients

1 cup reduced-fat ricotta cheese
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup crushed tomatoes
4 slices reduced-fat mozzarella cheese

Instructions

In a blender or food processor, combine the ricotta with the oregano, salt, and pepper. Process to blend. Rub the chicken with the garlic powder. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook for 12 minutes per side. Place the chicken breasts, side by side, in a large baking dish and allow to cool.

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spoon 1/4 cup of the cheese mixture and 1/4 cup tomatoes onto each chicken breast. Top each chicken breast with 1 slice mozzarella. Bake for 20 minutes, or until a thermometer inserted in the thickest portion of a breast registers 170°F and the juices run clear.

Nutritional Information:
340 calories
15 total g fat (5 g saturated fat)
115 mg cholesterol
6 g carbohydrate
44 g protein
1 g fiber
470 mg sodium