Greek Chicken Garlic Salad

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It's the season of new years resolution. Yeah, I know, I've been beating this point to death... But, with so many resolutions to lose weight, work out, and eat better, I'm hearing a lot more chatter around the office about calories, nutrition, and food. 

A salad a day sounds like a great plan... and it is, provided that you're eating the right salad. If you're eating out, be careful -- many seemingly "good" salads are actually "bad" ones. Don't. Be. Fooled.  Some salads at TGI Fridays, Applebees, and California Pizza Kitchen will run you between 1,000 and 2,000 calories (don't believe me? Read this post). A rule of thumb: Avoid croutons (and toppings like tortilla chips and crispy noodles), creamy dressings, and most Mexican themed salads. For more tips, click here.

This week, in honor of your new year's resolution to eat healthier (or count calories, or get in shape, etc, try this: Instead of shelling out the cash (and calories) for a daily salad at your favorite restaurant, stop by the grocery store and picking up the supplies to make your own.  Here's a recipe for Greek Chicken Garlic Salad (for more Salad Recipes, check out my Food page).

Ingredients (Salad):

• 2 heads of lettuce
• 6 baby carrots
• ½ Onion
• Fresh grated sharp cheddar (to taste)
• 2 chicken breasts or 2 cans of chicken
• 2 tablespoons Olive Oil
• Greek Lemon seasoning 
• 1 handful Sliced almonds (or other available nuts)

Ingredients (Dressing):

• 2/3 tablespoons chopped garlic
• 4 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 1 tablespoon Olive Oil
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• ½ tablespoon honey

Preparation Directions:

1. Saute chicken, Olive Oil, and Greek Seasoning over medium-high heat for 15 minutes (or until cooked). I started with two cans of chicken because it was all I had on hand and this was a last minute improv kind of meal... so, being pre-cooked, the time was much shorter than it would be for raw chicken breasts.
2. Chop lettuce and onions to your personal preference (I cut the onion into thin, 1 inch pieces). Cut carrots to preference (I cut them into small, 1/4 inch thick discs).
3. Combine lettuce, onion, carrots, and almonds in a bowl. 
4. Grate fresh sharp cheddar on top
5. Add cooked and seasoned chicken
6. Prepare dressing by combining all 5 ingredients and mixing well.
7. Serve!

 

Here are some links for further reading:

MSNBC 5 Restaurant Salads That Are Worse Than A Whopper

Men's Health 20 Salads That Are Worse Than A Whopper

Men's Health Best Bottled Salad Dressings

Pumpkin & Lentil Soup

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[Recipe 7 of The 12 Days of Pumpkin - Click Here To Catch The Whole Shabang]

[Recipe 7 of The 12 Days of Pumpkin - Click Here To Catch The Whole Shabang]

When it comes to fall and my toes start to get chilly, soups are a favorite meal. When it comes to soup, lentils are a favorite ingredient. This is for three reasons:

First, the word is particularly fun to say. Lentils. Lentils. Lentils! You get it. 

Second, according to this youtube video, lentils are what Marcel the Shell wears as a hat (really though, if you've got a few minutes, this video will make you smile and you'll be quoting it for months). 

Third, and this is probably the reason you were waiting for, lentils are darn healthy. Instead of adding noodles or rice, which are carb centers, lentils are jam packed with protein and dietary fiber. Add to that a cup of pumpkins, the Vitamin A rock star, and you've got a delicious and good-for-you meal, indeed. Oh, what a wonderful world it is! Now, if only we could have make lentils a bit prettier... 

Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 6-8 servings
Ingredients:

• 2 cups Lentils
• 4 cups Water
• 1 cup Chicken Broth
• 2 cups Pumpkin Cubes
• 1/4 cup Green Onion
• 1 tablespoon Curry
• 1 tablespoon Cumin
• 1 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
• 1 teaspoon Garlic Salt
• 1/2 Chopped Purple Onion
• 1 tablespoon Olive Oil
• 1 tablespoon Sage
• 1 pinch Salt
• 1 pinch Pepper
• 1/4 cup Grated sharp cheddar cheese
• 1 Tomato

Cooking Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350.
2. Peel pumpkin using a potato peeler.
3. Cut about 1 cup of the pumpkin into small cubes, about 1/2 inch by 1/2 inch.
4. Toss pumpkin squares with Olive Oil, Sage, Salt, and Pepper.
5. Spread in a single layer on a parchment-lined cookie sheet and bake for 15 minutes. Set aside.
6. Meanwhile, on the stove, boil water and add lentils, cumin, curry, cayenne pepper, and garlic salt.
7. After 20 minutes, add chopped purple and sliced green onion, pumpkin cubes, and chicken broth.
8. Cook for 15 more minutes, stirring occasionally.
9. Serve with freshly grated sharp cheddar cheese and a slice of tomato.

[You're Reading Recipe 7 of The 12 Days of Pumpkin - Click Here To Catch The Whole Shabang]

[You're Reading Recipe 7 of The 12 Days of Pumpkin - Click Here To Catch The Whole Shabang]

Spicy Pumpkin Fries

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Happy fall, folks! And welcome, dear friends, to The Twelve Days of Pumpkins. Yeah, that's right. Twelve days. Before you make the phone call to officially send me to the looney bin, you should know: these recipes are delicious. I have no idea how I pulled off twelve recipes using pumpkins. It's as though a gourmet chef from the food network inhabited my body for 48 hours.

And this, my friends, is a great achievement: it does not all taste the same.  This was initially a concern for me. I figured that 12 pumpkin-based recipes would taste like... well, 12 pumpkin-based recipes. Imagine my surprise to find that these recipes are actually quite varied - from hot to cold, breakfast to dinner to dessert, sweet to spicy, thin to thick, meaty to light... the only element all 12 recipes share is that they are healthy. A good common denominator, indeed.

I've got a few amazing food websites featuring this series over the next two weeks -- I'll let you know where and when so you can stop by their sites and tell them how much you love me. Kidding. Or am I? To kick it off, I'm over at Aaplemint. <---Stop by and say hello :)

So without further blabbing, let's get this baby rolling. "On the first day of pumpkins, your true love gave to you..."

I've always been a fan of sweet potato fries covered in spicy seasonings. This is a new favorite - much healthier than fries, as they are not truly "fried" but are baked instead.

Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 40 min


Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons Curry Powder
• 2 tablespoons Garlic Powder
• 1 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
• 1 tablespoon Onion Powder
• 2 tablespoons Olive Oil
• Sprinkling of fresh Black Pepper
• 1/4 Pumpkin

Cooking Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350
2. Peel pumpkin using a potato peeler
3. Cut 1/4 of the pumpkin into fry-shaped pieces (2-3 inches long, 1/4-1/2 inch thick)
4. Toss fries in Olive Oil, Curry Powder, Garlic Powder, Cayenne Pepper, and Onion Powder. Sprinkle with Black Pepper.
5. Arrange fries in one layer on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper
6. Bake for 30 minutes (until soft enough that a toothpick easily goes through)

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Use this link to stay updated on the pumpkin fiasco -- or check out the top right of this page to subscribe to this site by email (meaning you'll get updates when I post) or subscribe to my  newsletter (meaning you'll get emails only occasionally, like when I finish up this series and send out a newsletter with all of the recipes!).

For now: Happy pumpkining to all -- and to all a good night! :)