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Week 5: Think Like a Top Chef
Tired of eating the same food every day? Changing up your meals will help prevent food boredom and even help you lose weight faster. By adding variety to your meals, you avoid overeating and the temptation of indulging in unhealthy refined foods. Get creative and become inspired by the foods you love. Varying the flavors, or even the cooking technique, in your favorite dishes is a great strategy for successfully following a healthy eating plan. The new South Beach Diet Super Quick Cookbook uses a variety of healthy, flavorful ingredients.
This Week: We’re giving you the main ingredient and your challenge is to create a South Beach Diet-friendly recipe. Choose one of the following to design your dish: chicken, fish, or eggs. Then, create a meal using this main ingredient in a nontraditional way. For example, if you typically grill chicken, try baking it using lemongrass and cumin for a healthy and delicious change. Use ingredients you may not have used before (think herbs, spices, healthy sauces) and test your new dish out on your family and then report back to us. The catch? The meal needs to be prepared and cooked in 30 minutes or less! Let us know about your new dish: What new ingredients did you use? Was your recipe spicy, sweet, or savory? Did your family enjoy it? We can’t wait to hear about your new, creative recipe!
awesome! I reallly have never won a contest in my life. What excellent motivation for the next two weeks. I passed by the South Beach super quick recipe book yesterday and didn't even want to open it. I might not have put it down!
Keep up the great work everyone!
Keep up the great work everyone!
Congrats, Chef!! I just received my book in the mail today and it is WONDERFUL. So far I've only had a chance to browse through it, but I'm taking it to bed with me tonight for a little late night reading. :)
Really? You won the week before I did...wonder if the mail is slower one way or the other. Or if one of us is closer to where they ship the books from??? I'm in Wisconsin. Where are you?
I am in Utah, but I just BARELY provided Richard with a mailing address last Friday, so mine will be arriving shortly, I'm sure. :)
The book IS wonderful isn't it?!!? Mine came super fast. I've already made a few of the recipes from it.
The green bean, white bean and chicken salad is going to be a new favorite of ours. Oh and last night we had the asparagus and shiitake mushrooms with grilled chicken - fantastic!
There are quite a few new desserts which look really yummy, something to try this summer as well.
Hi, All!
For my first "Think Like a Top Chef" entry, I started with a recipe on the site here that I have used once before... Baked Pesto Chicken. In its first go 'round it was not one of my kids' favorites (although I really did like it), so this time I made some changes and additions - both to make it more appealing to the family and to shorten the preparation time so that the dish will be a "quicker fix" and meet the challenge requirment of 30 minutes to prepare.
So here it is...
The original recipe calls for baking the foil-covered dish of chicken breasts for 25 minutes... then uncover, sprinkle with mozz, and bake for another 5. I used 2 large breasts for this meal and halved them into 4 very thin breast filets. I was able to reduce the cooking time to 15 minutes total, by doing so. Also, I omitted the mozzerella and instead, decorated my filets with chopped sun-dried tomatoes and chopped pine-nuts. Now, the sundried 'maters and pinenuts are what made the dish a hit with the family this time, but what made it a new favorite of my OWN is not as obvious from the picture. Here's what I did...
Instead of using bottled Pesto for the dish this time, I used a homemade Arugula Pesto that I made up before leaving for Idaho last week so that the arugula I had purchased would not spoil before it got used. Here is the recipe for the pesto featured in my dish...
Arugula Pesto
4 oz. Arugula, washed and dried
4 to 6 cloves garlic, chopped
1 cup pine nuts (omitted - did not have on hand at the time I made this)
1 cup extra virgin olive oil (reduced the oil to 1/2 cup)
1 cup Parmesan cheese, grated (used 1/2 cup rf Parmesan)
1/4 cup Romano cheese, grated (used 2T rf Romano)
splash of lime juice
In a food processor, blend arugula, garlic, and pine nuts. Drizzle in olive oil,
mixing thoroughly. Add cheeses and lime juice and blend until smooth. Refrigerate
or freeze.
So, there you have it! I served the Baked Arugula-Pesto Chicken alongside 1/4 cup Tomato-Basil CousCous and a delicious Tomato Asparagus Salad tossed with homemade Balsamic Viniagrette dressing. Here's the finished product all served up and a shot of that yummy salad (will post the recipe for the Tomato Asparagus Salad on the Recipe Exchange thread).
For my first "Think Like a Top Chef" entry, I started with a recipe on the site here that I have used once before... Baked Pesto Chicken. In its first go 'round it was not one of my kids' favorites (although I really did like it), so this time I made some changes and additions - both to make it more appealing to the family and to shorten the preparation time so that the dish will be a "quicker fix" and meet the challenge requirment of 30 minutes to prepare.
So here it is...
The original recipe calls for baking the foil-covered dish of chicken breasts for 25 minutes... then uncover, sprinkle with mozz, and bake for another 5. I used 2 large breasts for this meal and halved them into 4 very thin breast filets. I was able to reduce the cooking time to 15 minutes total, by doing so. Also, I omitted the mozzerella and instead, decorated my filets with chopped sun-dried tomatoes and chopped pine-nuts. Now, the sundried 'maters and pinenuts are what made the dish a hit with the family this time, but what made it a new favorite of my OWN is not as obvious from the picture. Here's what I did...
Instead of using bottled Pesto for the dish this time, I used a homemade Arugula Pesto that I made up before leaving for Idaho last week so that the arugula I had purchased would not spoil before it got used. Here is the recipe for the pesto featured in my dish...
Arugula Pesto
4 oz. Arugula, washed and dried
4 to 6 cloves garlic, chopped
1 cup pine nuts (omitted - did not have on hand at the time I made this)
1 cup extra virgin olive oil (reduced the oil to 1/2 cup)
1 cup Parmesan cheese, grated (used 1/2 cup rf Parmesan)
1/4 cup Romano cheese, grated (used 2T rf Romano)
splash of lime juice
In a food processor, blend arugula, garlic, and pine nuts. Drizzle in olive oil,
mixing thoroughly. Add cheeses and lime juice and blend until smooth. Refrigerate
or freeze.
So, there you have it! I served the Baked Arugula-Pesto Chicken alongside 1/4 cup Tomato-Basil CousCous and a delicious Tomato Asparagus Salad tossed with homemade Balsamic Viniagrette dressing. Here's the finished product all served up and a shot of that yummy salad (will post the recipe for the Tomato Asparagus Salad on the Recipe Exchange thread).
Heidi,
That looks absolutely delicious! You know I love anything that has sun-dried tomatoes in it. I love that your dishes coordinate with the table cloth too. Thanks for including the recipe for the arugula pesto - sounds wonderful as well.
- Natalie
That looks absolutely delicious! You know I love anything that has sun-dried tomatoes in it. I love that your dishes coordinate with the table cloth too. Thanks for including the recipe for the arugula pesto - sounds wonderful as well.
- Natalie
Yes, in fact I was thinkin' 'bout you as I sprinkled those little dried 'mater gems onto the top of my chicken filets! :)
I got to thinking... EGGS???? And then I realized that of course eggs is the perfect choice for me for this challenge! Do I ever eat eggs for dinner? Heck, yes! ALL the time. I could eat eggs anytime and never get tired of them. But I honestly can't say I have ever fixed them any way other than "breakfast-style". You know... like over medium, poached, baked (which I learned from YOU all!), or scrambled. I've made breakfast burritos - but that's just scrambled eggs with Mexican condiments on a tortilla.
I asked for input from husband and the bugs. They had lots of great ideas, but they were all so "breakfasty". And then my lovin' man suggested soup. "SOUP?????? Who in the world ever heard of egg soup?", I asked. And then it hit me! Egg-drop soup! So everybody got to pick one or two things to put in our Egg Soup and this is what we came up with...
Emma chose WW shell macaroni. Morgan chose baby shrimps, kohlrabi, and beans (we went with chickpeas). Husband chose spinach and reserved the right to add flavor-enhancers as it cooked (black pepper was all he added). I chose scallions.
Basically, I put on about 8 cups of chicken broth, the pasta, the white part of the scallions, a kohlrabi bulb (julienned), and the chickpeas to boil, then boiled for about 5 minutes to soften the pasta to al dente. Then I added the shrimps and the spinach (fresh out of the garden) and cooked until it was well wilted. Last, stirred the soup while pouring in 5 beaten eggs and added the green parts of the scallions with a couple tablespoons of juice from a lemon that was begging to be used.
Oh, my GOSH! What a wonderful soup this turned out to be and start to finish, it took just under 25 minutes! Going to have to hurry and write down all the directions before I forget them so we can make it again! We have decided to call it "Egg-drop, Etcetera". :) Here's what it looks like...
I asked for input from husband and the bugs. They had lots of great ideas, but they were all so "breakfasty". And then my lovin' man suggested soup. "SOUP?????? Who in the world ever heard of egg soup?", I asked. And then it hit me! Egg-drop soup! So everybody got to pick one or two things to put in our Egg Soup and this is what we came up with...
Emma chose WW shell macaroni. Morgan chose baby shrimps, kohlrabi, and beans (we went with chickpeas). Husband chose spinach and reserved the right to add flavor-enhancers as it cooked (black pepper was all he added). I chose scallions.
Basically, I put on about 8 cups of chicken broth, the pasta, the white part of the scallions, a kohlrabi bulb (julienned), and the chickpeas to boil, then boiled for about 5 minutes to soften the pasta to al dente. Then I added the shrimps and the spinach (fresh out of the garden) and cooked until it was well wilted. Last, stirred the soup while pouring in 5 beaten eggs and added the green parts of the scallions with a couple tablespoons of juice from a lemon that was begging to be used.
Oh, my GOSH! What a wonderful soup this turned out to be and start to finish, it took just under 25 minutes! Going to have to hurry and write down all the directions before I forget them so we can make it again! We have decided to call it "Egg-drop, Etcetera". :) Here's what it looks like...
Oh my goodness! EGGS IN SOUP.....We are starting to think alike....I love your take and I am glad I had a different idea.....
I have never cooked eggs in soup either.....and I heard of a Greek lemon egg soup so I thought I'd give it a try......
1/3 lemon juice....6 cups of chicken broth, 2 eggs, brown rice, salt pepper and then you can add chicken , tofu, etc. I added cut up grilled chicken.....
I got brown rice that cooks for 1 minute in microwave and put that with a boiling chicken broth....added chicken and then took off heat....The lemon juice and eggs whisked together until frothy and slowly add a little bit at a time to the broth mixture......I used lemon and also lime....not sure if I would use lime again.
A very lite dinner along with a salad topped with roasted vegetables....I liked it ( I almost like anything) but my sister did not.
Keep up the great everyone.....tomorrow I will try something I have never done before....seared tuna (I have only trusted restaurants to do it!)
I have never cooked eggs in soup either.....and I heard of a Greek lemon egg soup so I thought I'd give it a try......
1/3 lemon juice....6 cups of chicken broth, 2 eggs, brown rice, salt pepper and then you can add chicken , tofu, etc. I added cut up grilled chicken.....
I got brown rice that cooks for 1 minute in microwave and put that with a boiling chicken broth....added chicken and then took off heat....The lemon juice and eggs whisked together until frothy and slowly add a little bit at a time to the broth mixture......I used lemon and also lime....not sure if I would use lime again.
A very lite dinner along with a salad topped with roasted vegetables....I liked it ( I almost like anything) but my sister did not.
Keep up the great everyone.....tomorrow I will try something I have never done before....seared tuna (I have only trusted restaurants to do it!)
Oh how yummy and fresh looking! I really have to make it a point to try this "kohlrabi bulb" you're always mentioning.
This sounds like a comfort food kind of soup - would be nice to have to sooth a sore throat. Great idea Chefjp!
Okay kiddos...it's been such a busy week for me this week, I've hardly had any time to make my normal dinners let alone the challenge; but I've been cooking up some good ideas on this week's entry. I am SO excited to share my finished "Think Like a Top Chef" entry with all of you. Wish me luck, I'm shopping for the ingredients after work tonight and I'll be cooking it up. I'm a little nervous because I'm trying something new that I've never made before, with a non-traditional spin.