Pina Colada Salad - Zupa's Style

Zupa's is one of my guilty pleasures. Did you know they don't post the nutritional information for their food on the website? When you click on the "nutrition" link, it redirects you to a page that says nutritional information is not available, but they make everything from scratch using the freshest ingredients. What kind of crap is that? Okay, good on you that you use fresh ingredients, but that does not help me when I'm trying to figure out what is low-cal, low-fat, low-carb or whatever else I'm going for.

So frustrating! That being said, I absolutely love their Pina Colada Chicken Salad. So yum. There's nothing in it that I can't eat, and that little chocolate covered strawberry they give you? Mmm, paradise.

I knew the salad part I could replicate, but I wasn't sure about a pina colada dressing. It seems simple enough - pineapple, coconut, probably some kind of vinegar - but I wasn't quite sure how to go about it. I found a recipe online that was incredibly complicated, but probably the closest thing to Zupa's. I wasn't about to go out and buy a coconut, crack it, pour out the water, chunk the meat - all for a salad dressing. Sorry, not going to happen. I found several versions of a pina colada dressing that were much simpler, but they all contained yogurt, and one contained a cup and a half of granulated sugar. Coconut and soy yogurts are stupid expensive, so save for the occasional indulgence I simply don't buy them.

Coconut milk, on the other hand... there's actually two kinds that I use fairly regularly. The most common is the So Delicious brand in the shelf-stable, asceptic packaging. The other is canned, full-fat coconut milk. I actually went through several variations of the dressing before I found one I liked. The full-fat coconut milk was the key. It's still fairly runny, so I tossed the dressing into the salad rather than drizzling it. So, so good.

You'll notice that I almost always use an edible acid when baking chicken, usually a fruit juice (lemon, lime, orange, etc). I don't understand the science behind it, but it does something to tenderize the meat. My partner at work told me about some exotic food from some other country where raw meat is "cooked" by marinating it in lemon or lime juice overnight and served. I'm sorry, but that just sounds disgusting. Marinating in acidic juice sure makes it tender, but I'm still going to bake it. :)

Ingredients:
2 chicken breasts
1 T. olive oil
1 can pineapple chunks in 100% juice, drained and juice reserved
1 can mandarin oranges in 100% juice, drained and juice reserved
Salt & Pepper
1 head green leaf or romaine lettuce (or mix of both)
4 T. shredded unsweetened coconut
4 T. chopped macadamia nuts

Dressing:
2 T. mandarine orange juice
2 T. pineapple juice
1 T. rice vinegar
2 T. honey
2 T. full fat coconut milk

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Poke holes in chicken breast with a fork. Put in a medium-sized mixing bowl, add olive oil, pineapple juice (reserve 2 T. for the dressing) and orange juice (reserve 2 T. for the dressing), then toss with tongs to coat. Let marinate in the refrigerator for at least 10 minutes, but longer if you have the time. Remove from refrigerator and arrange chicken on a baking sheet lined with foil and coated with cooking spray. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until no longer pink.

While chicken is baking, shred lettuce and put in a large bowl. Whisk the dressing ingredients together in a small mixing bowl. When chicken is finished baking, remove from oven and transfer to a cutting board. When cool enough to handle, chop into bite sized chunks. Add chicken, pineapple, mandarin oranges and coconut to the bowl. Pour in a few tablespoons of the dressing and toss to coat. Transfer to serving plates and top with shredded coconut and amcadamia nuts.

Makes 2-4 salads, depending on how big you want them. :)

Crepes

Here I was, thinking I'd already posted this recipe. When I posted the recipe for the Protein Pancake, I mentioned that it was similar to the crepe recipe, but different enough that I wanted to post it. If you went looking for the crepes, I apologize! But here they are now. :)

Getting the batter right is a little tricky. You want it quite thin (a thick crepe is not yummy), but not so thin that it won't hold together. The amount of milk you need will vary depending on the type of milk you are using. I generally use soy milk in this recipe, as coconut milk is so much thicker. Although I haven't tried it yet, I'm thinking this recipe could easily be adapted for savory dishes by eliminating the sucanat and spices, or even adding some herbs.

I don't have a crepe pan, so I use an omelet pan and it works just fine. Watch your temp - if they start cooking too quickly, turn them down or it's going to burn.

I love this recipe because it's so versatile. We generally layer them with fruit and the guys use yogurt. Tonight I needed something easy and quick, so I heated up some frozen raspberries on the stove, then rolled the crepes with the raspberries and a thinly sliced banana. I served it with scrambled eggs on the side.

Ingredients:
1 1/3 cup oat flour (grind oats in your blender or food processor)
1/3 cup egg whites
2 T. sucanat or other natural sugar
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1-2 cups milk of choice

Directions:
Whisk together dry ingredients, then add egg whites. Stir in milk, a little at a time, until you have a thin batter. Pour batter into a 4 cup liquid measuring cup.

Preheat a small skillet (I use an omelet pan) over medium heat. When hot, coat lightly with cooking spray. Pour a small amount of batter, about 2 T., into the middle of the pan. Working quickly, swirl it around until the batter reaches all edges of the pan. Let it cook until most of the batter is dry on top. Flip, and cook 10-15 seconds longer. Transfer to a serving plate and cover with a paper towel while you prepare the rest of the crepes.

Note: If the batter isn't reaching the edges of the pan, thin it out with a little more milk. I whisk the batter in the measuring cup after making each crepe.

Makes about 14 crepes.

Cauliflower Rice

Apparently, cauliflower rice is pretty big in Paleo Land. For those of you who don't know, the paleo foods consist of lean proteins, lots of fruits and vegetables, and healthy fats. I personally don't follow the paleo diet completely, but I started looking in to paleo recipes because they are, by default, wheat and dairy free. I knew this was a way I could sort out two of the biggest no-no's in my world.

Cauliflower rice is one that's come up a few times. The Cauliflower Fried Rice looks incredible, but unfortunately it contains bacon, which is off limits. I found a recipe for a simple cauliflower rice, but it contained garlic, of course. A couple of cloves. Sad face, because that would be incredible, too.

I was serving the cauliflower rice as a bed for the Chicken Alfredo, so I wasn't too worried about over flavoring the "rice." It turned out really good. I added some chili powder to the alfredo sauce this time around. It was so, so good.

When you first rice-ify the cauliflower, it's going to look like a lot. I was tempted to only use half of it, but I noticed as it started cooking it reduced a bit. So unless you're just cooking for two, go ahead and use the whole head. It would keep well for a few days in the refrigerator, and then you have a bed for all kinds of yummy dishes. Next time I'm thinking of the Teriyaki Stir Fry.

Don't misunderstand me here. I have nothing against brown rice. Well, not much. It has a lot of calories (compared to cauliflower), but it is a clean, nutrient dense food. I just had a head of cauliflower in the refrigerator I needed to use and was looking for something a little different for dinner. It came together fairly quickly, but it is a bit messy to make. One word of advice, chop the cauliflower fairly small before putting it in the food processor.

Ingredients:
1 large head cauliflower
2 T. olive oil
1/2 sweet onion, diced
1/4 cup hot water
1/4 tsp chicken bullion granules
Sea salt and black pepper to taste

Directions:
Remove leaves and outermost part of stem from a head of cauliflower. Chop into pieces about the size of a 1/4 cup measuring cup. Working in batches, put cauliflower in a food processor and pulse until the cauliflower resembles rice.

Pour olive oil into a very large pan (I used a stock pot) over medium heat. Add onion, cook and stir until fragrant and soft. Add cauliflower. Mix together hot water and bullion granules, then add to cauliflower. Season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring very frequently, until cauliflower is tender.

Serve as a side dish, or as a bed for your favorite saucy dish.

Hot Quinoa Cereal - Reboot

A while back I posted about a protein quinoa breakfast cereal. I don't know about you, but I get tired of oatmeal, no matter how you dress it up. I came up with a hot quinoa breakfast cereal that used Craisins, walnuts and protein powder. While it was delicious, satisfying and nutritious, it was a little on the calorie intensive side. Fine if you're working out like a crazy person, but not so good if you're not.

For the past week or so I've been making the protein pancake with fresh strawberries and, quite frankly, I was a little burned out on it. I couldn't stomach the idea of a bowl of oatmeal - not today. I was craving the hot quinoa cereal. The problem there, unfortunately, is that my knees have been aching in a bad way for about a week or so now and I haven't been able to do the circuit training I normally do. Therefore, I have to keep my meals on the lighter calorie side.

I decided to remake the dish. It was incredibly simple, and even with the absence of healthy fats (from the walnuts) still very satisfying. I was in a rush this morning and neglected the spices. When I opened the cupboard at work to make coffee I spotted the cinnamon. Perfect.

I paired it with 6 tablespoons scrambled egg whites and I kid you not, it made the perfect breakfast. If you want to shave a few calories off, you could reduce the sucanat to 2 teaspoons or half a tablespoon. I like it sweet in the morning though.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup cooked quinoa (I used red)
1/4 cup unsweetened coconut milk (or milk of choice)
1 T. sucanat or other natural sweetener
Dash cinnamon (or try nutmeg, cloves, or anything else you like)
3 large fresh strawberries, cut up

Directions:
Cook quinoa according to package directions (unless you have some already cooked in the refrigerator - I often do). Stir in coconut milk, sucanat and cinnamon, then top with fresh strawberries. Serve hot with a side of scrambled egg whites.

Protein Pancake

Alright, I'll admit, this is pretty similar to the crepe recipe. There are enough differences that I wanted to post it. First, it's much heavier on the egg whites than the oat flour. Two, there's less sugar. Three, it makes a single serving. I scaled this down considerably from the original recipe, because the original just looked like it was going to be too much for just me. But, you could easily make more and feed the whole family. I've eaten it every day for work this week. I love it because it comes together quickly, it's high in protein, relatively low in calories, and very filling. I top it with fresh strawberries and a powdered sugar syrup.

For a while I've considered whipping up a whole batch of oat flour and having it ready to go. I finally did just that when I started making the protein pancake. I use just 1/4 cup of oat flour, and that small amount of oats does not blend well. I made up three cups of the oat flour and store it in a zip top bag, then measure out 1/4 cup for the recipe. Works like a charm.

I've had people ask me why I don't use whole eggs in a lot of my recipes. The answer is simple: there are far more calories and fat in a whole egg than in egg whites. Also, the yolk creates a different consistency. I have some friends who do Weight Watchers, and apparently whole eggs are "power foods" (foods they can eat for no points). Even if you follow this eating plan, I would still recommend egg whites for this recipe.

Ingredients:
1/4 cup oat flour
6 T. liquid egg whites (from a carton)
2 tsp sucanat (or other natural sugar)
Pinch baking powder
1 healthy dash cinnamon
1 healthy dash nutmeg

Directions:
Combine all ingredients in a small mixing bowl. Whisk well until no lumps remain. I usually whisk it, then let it sit, then whisk again, repeating this process. It helps let all the dry dissolve into the wet.

Preheat a small skillet over medium heat (mine is 8 inches - the bigger the skillet, the thinner than pancake). Get it all the way up to temperature before pouring in the batter. I generally use this time to go through the whisk-set-whisk process. Coat pan with non-stick cooking spray. Pour batter into skillet. If necessary, tilt skillet in a circular motion, as if making a crepe, to ensure the batter fully coats the bottom of the pan.

Cook for 2-3 minutes or until the pancake is almost completely dry on top and slightly golden on the bottom (it's fine for it to be slightly wet on top, you just don't want it too runny or it won't flip well). Cook another minute or so on the other side or until slightly golden.

Serve immediately topped with fresh fruit. If desired, mix together 1 T. powdered sugar and about 1/4 tsp coconut milk for a simple syrup.

For easy transport, put warm pancake in the center of a paper towel. Roll loosely, folding sides in as you roll, then roll in a second paper towel. Reheat in the microwave for 30 seconds before removing from paper towel.

Italian Chicken Thighs

The basic idea for this recipe came from a Paleo website. There were several things I didn't like about it, so I had to improvise a bit. I was a little nervous about it, as I didn't see the seasonings really coming together well. Since most of the calories are coming from the chicken (very little from seasonings or sauces), it's quite healthy, especially when considering we're using thighs. You could use breasts, but I like the tenderness and flavor you get from the thighs. I trim them of any fat I can possibly get a set of scissors around, which also helps a great deal. If you do elect to use breasts, I recommend pounding them flat with a meat cleaver, otherwise they won't cook through the center. 

These come together really fast, which I love. This is a good option if I'm roasting a vegetable, as I can do the vegetable first, and I don't have to keep it warm very long while the chicken cooks. It's also good on a night when your stomach is eating itself because you're starving and you need dinner, like, now.

Ingredients: 

8 boneless chicken thighs, fat trimmed 

2 T. lemon juice (bottled or fresh squeezed) 

2 T. honey

Seasonings: 

Sea salt 

Black pepper 

Oregano

Onion powder 

Crushed red pepper flakes

Directions:
Preheat broiler. Cover a baking sheet with foil and coat with cooking spray. In a small bowl, mix together lemon juice and honey and set aside. 

Arrange chicken thighs in a single layer on prepared baking sheet. Sprinkle evenly with salt, pepper, oregano, onion powder, red pepper and paprika. I was very delicate with the red pepper as I can't handle a lot of spice, but add as much or as little as you like. Flip the thighs and sprinkle seasonings on opposite side. 

Put chicken in the oven on second rack from the top. Broil for 4 minutes, flip, then broil an additional 4 minutes. 

Flip again. Baste each breast with half of the honey-lemon mixture using a pastry brush. Return to oven, broil an additional one minute, then flip, baste again, and broil one minute more. Remove from oven and serve. 

Note: These times were for fairly small thighs. If you have thicker pieces of chicken, add 30 seconds to 1 minute to the initial broiling cycle. Use a meat thermometer to check for doneness - make sure you hit 160 degrees. Because of the dark color of thigh meat, I don't trust my usual "cut it down the middle and make sure it isn't pink" method.