Monday
I got up early on Saturday and decided to make a meal plan for the week. Sounds crazy, but I enjoy it. That way I know exactly what I need at the store, and consequently prevent impulsive buying. I also check the ingredient list again what I already have at home, which, so frequently doesn't happen and you end up buying double or triple of stuff. One example -at some point we ended up with 3 cans of coconut milk.
I also realized that I love Eating Well magazine recipes. I subscribed to it at some point, and every single thing I tried from those 6 or 7 issues that I got was good. No failures. Great taste. And it's all healthy - they substitute healthy ingredients for the bad ones, and don't have anything that's deep fried or has more than a tbsp of mayo or butter. I found that they have many of their recipes online, and that they also have several cookbooks out - I went to 57th Street Co-Op and bought the Essential EatingWell Cookbook. Haven't tried recipes from there yet, still flipping through.
So, Monday night was the Turkish Chicken and Couscous salad night.
Turkish Chicken Thighs (with my modifications)
12 bone-in chicken thighs, skin removed, trimmed
1.5 tablespoon lemon juice
1.5 cup low-fat plain yogurt
3 cloves garlic, minced
1.5 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
3 teaspoons hot paprika
2 teaspoons dried mint (spearmint, not peppermint as I was told at the Spice Shop)
3/4 teaspoon salt
1. Remove the skin and fat from chicken, wash and dry with paper towel. Place chicken in a large bowl. Add lemon juice and toss to coat.
2. In a separate bowl, whisk yogurt, garlic, ginger, paprika, mint and salt. Pour the yogurt mixture over the chicken and stir to coat. Place in a ziplock bag and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 24 hours - I started marinating Sunday night and made it on Monday.
3. Position rack in upper third of oven; preheat broiler.
4. I purchased a broiler pan for this occasion (something similar to this). Remove the chicken from the marinade (discard marinade). Place the chicken on a broiler rack (it's ok if they touch each other) and broil until browned on top, about 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 400°F and bake until the chicken is juicy and just cooked through, about 15 minutes longer. (Thigh meat will appear dark pink, even when cooked through.)
Couscous Salad (off a box of couscous, a family favourite now)
2 cups couscous (I used wheat)
1.25 cup boiling water (or according to package directions)
2 tomatoes, chopped
1/3 bag of mixed chopped clean lettuces, finely chopped
1/2 white onion, chopped
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 lemon - squeeze the juice, strain the seeds and pulp out
2-3 cloves garlic, minced (skipped this time, was Ok)
salt+pepper, a little
Place the couscous in a large porcelain salad bowl, pour the boiling water into it. Let stand for 5 minutes until all the water is absorbed, Mix in the rest of the ingredients, mix thoroughly. Let stand 5 minutes for the flavors to absorb.
***********
It was fabulous! The chicken tasted like fresh minty yogurt and cucumber salad on the outside, and juice and chickeny on the inside. The salad was spicy because of the onions and lemon juice, but not hot in any sort of way. Hubby liked it. By strategically increasing the amount of chicken, I was able to buy a family pack of thighs, and with a total of 12 thighs I'll use it for 2 dinner nights (repeat on Wednesday), and pack lunch for both of us (Tuesday).
This is a great combination for parties - pretty fast to make, and you can make a lot with no extra effort. Got to remember that when (or if!) we have people over. Healthier than the Bob Evans lasagna...
I also realized that I love Eating Well magazine recipes. I subscribed to it at some point, and every single thing I tried from those 6 or 7 issues that I got was good. No failures. Great taste. And it's all healthy - they substitute healthy ingredients for the bad ones, and don't have anything that's deep fried or has more than a tbsp of mayo or butter. I found that they have many of their recipes online, and that they also have several cookbooks out - I went to 57th Street Co-Op and bought the Essential EatingWell Cookbook. Haven't tried recipes from there yet, still flipping through.
So, Monday night was the Turkish Chicken and Couscous salad night.
Turkish Chicken Thighs (with my modifications)
12 bone-in chicken thighs, skin removed, trimmed
1.5 tablespoon lemon juice
1.5 cup low-fat plain yogurt
3 cloves garlic, minced
1.5 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
3 teaspoons hot paprika
2 teaspoons dried mint (spearmint, not peppermint as I was told at the Spice Shop)
3/4 teaspoon salt
1. Remove the skin and fat from chicken, wash and dry with paper towel. Place chicken in a large bowl. Add lemon juice and toss to coat.
2. In a separate bowl, whisk yogurt, garlic, ginger, paprika, mint and salt. Pour the yogurt mixture over the chicken and stir to coat. Place in a ziplock bag and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 24 hours - I started marinating Sunday night and made it on Monday.
3. Position rack in upper third of oven; preheat broiler.
4. I purchased a broiler pan for this occasion (something similar to this). Remove the chicken from the marinade (discard marinade). Place the chicken on a broiler rack (it's ok if they touch each other) and broil until browned on top, about 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 400°F and bake until the chicken is juicy and just cooked through, about 15 minutes longer. (Thigh meat will appear dark pink, even when cooked through.)
Couscous Salad (off a box of couscous, a family favourite now)
2 cups couscous (I used wheat)
1.25 cup boiling water (or according to package directions)
2 tomatoes, chopped
1/3 bag of mixed chopped clean lettuces, finely chopped
1/2 white onion, chopped
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 lemon - squeeze the juice, strain the seeds and pulp out
2-3 cloves garlic, minced (skipped this time, was Ok)
salt+pepper, a little
Place the couscous in a large porcelain salad bowl, pour the boiling water into it. Let stand for 5 minutes until all the water is absorbed, Mix in the rest of the ingredients, mix thoroughly. Let stand 5 minutes for the flavors to absorb.
***********
It was fabulous! The chicken tasted like fresh minty yogurt and cucumber salad on the outside, and juice and chickeny on the inside. The salad was spicy because of the onions and lemon juice, but not hot in any sort of way. Hubby liked it. By strategically increasing the amount of chicken, I was able to buy a family pack of thighs, and with a total of 12 thighs I'll use it for 2 dinner nights (repeat on Wednesday), and pack lunch for both of us (Tuesday).
This is a great combination for parties - pretty fast to make, and you can make a lot with no extra effort. Got to remember that when (or if!) we have people over. Healthier than the Bob Evans lasagna...