Crispy Chicken Sandwich - Fake Junk Food!

Oodles of research and thousands of dollars have gone into researching consumers taste preferences for fast food. After all, the big junk food purveyors have more of your money than they know what to do with! Even though it's junk, there's something that is so undeniably good about fast food. We crave it. We want it. Some of us even need it! Even with all the scientific data and research about the insane calories, fat, cholesterol and sodium in junk food meals, most people can't stop. So we set out to discover what makes it so damn good!

When I think of a crispy chicken sandwich I think of Carls Jr. and Chick-fil-A. Hardly anything that is on our stringent triathlete fueling diet. We thought back to this recipe which is both a fantastic way to use leftover pickle juice and tastes phenomenal. Phenomenally like the fast food chicken flavor. Bingo! All we had to do is take our favorite chicken ever, coat it in panko and bake it till tender and crispy. Instead of a fat-ladden mayo-based sauce we used our favorite yogurt ever (plain, non-fat greek yogurt) mixed with homemade pickle relish, ketchup and a dash of mustard. Our sandwich was finished with a few crisp leaves of lettuce, a thick slice of an heirloom tomato and an orowheat sandwich thin bun.

Organic, natural, healthy(!), protein-packed, low fat, crispy chicken sandwich. You're welcome :)

*NOTE: Must brine the chicken a few hours or overnight!*

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast cut into four even pieces (if you can find Rosie chicken, try it! if not go organic, free range)
• 1-2 cups pickle juice (save your jars!!)
• 1 egg white, lightly beaten
• 1 cup panko
• 1 tbsp garlic powder
• 4 orowheat sandwich thins or reduced carb buns
• 4 leaves crispy boston lettuce
• 4 thick slices tomato 
• 1/2 cup plain nonfat greek yogurt
• 2 Tbsp ketchup
• 2 Tbsp pickle relish
• 1 Tsp+ mustard
• cooking spray

DIRECTIONS:

1. Place chicken and pickle juice in a zip lock bag. Seal. Refrigerate for 3 hours to overnight.
2. Preheat oven to 400'
3. Line baking sheet with foil and coat with cooking spray.
4. Remove chicken from bag (discard juice) and pat chicken dry.
5. Lightly tenderize chicken with mallet (or fists after a rough day)
6. Dip chicken in egg white and press chicken into panko, coating all sides. Set on baking sheet. Spritz with cooking spray.
7. Place in oven and bake for 10 minutes. Flip chicken over, spritz with cooking spray and bake another 12-15 minutes.
8. Stir yogurt, ketchup, relish and mustard. Adjust to your liking.
9. Lightly toast sandwich thins. I just throw them on the same baking sheet for a minute or two with the chicken. 
10. Assemble sandwiches: bun, sauce, tomato, lettuce, chicken and top bun!

Shameless and Unpaid Promotion (*ahem* we do accept free chicken and free yogurt...): 

Chobani Yogurt: It's incredible. We eat a non-fat fruit yogurt daily and it tastes like dessert, no joke! Rich, creamy, and for an 8oz serving there's only 100-ish calories, 0 fat and TONS of protein, calcium and probiotics. Total win. We buy ours at Mother's Market.

Rosie Chicken : Another Mother's Market find. I thought how in the heck can chicken cost so much!? Then, we ate said chicken. And vowed to never buy another chicken ever again. I think you can only realize how unchickeny and how freakishly mutated most chicken you buy is once you have a free-range, air cooled, organic, grain fed chicken that is my namesake. 

Lighter Chicken Parmesan

You know what the best part of running a half-marathon in the midst of triathlon training was? Hearing the words carb load the night before. Sure! Heck yes! Damn straight I will carb load! I am good at that! Running, not so much, but eating carbs? Easy peasy!

While I've never actually ordered Chicken Parmesan in a restaurant, I love my recipe for it. It's not traditional, it's not super cheesy, it's not what your momma made you. It is, however, a good source of protein, carbs, veggies and low in fat. I prefer to pan-"fry" the chicken and bake it with no marinara, I like the crispy outer layer, but if you prefer your stuff soggy, by all means, smother it with marinara before baking...I won't judge you. 

We use our homemade marinara which we make in a huge amount then freeze in 2 cup portions. Garlic, onions, celery, carrot, tons of ripe tomatoes, chili flakes, basil, oregano, salt and pepper - with the help of the sweet food processor my mom gave us for Christmas, it only takes a minute! You can use jarred stuff too, but check the ingredients. Make sure there's nothing funky or high fat in there. If the second ingredient is HFCS, put that jar down!

Serves 2

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 chicken breast halves (8oz ea if you're being a pig) or 1 large chicken breast cut into 2 pcs (4oz each)
• 1 cup flour
• 1 egg, beaten to blend
• 1 cup panko
• 1/4 cup parmesan, finely grated (reserve 2 tbsp for garnish)
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• salt, cracked pepper
• 2 cups broccoli florets
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1 cup cremini mushrooms, quartered
• 2 cups marinara
• 2 servings whole wheat spaghetti  (about 3-4 oz total)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350'
2. Toss broccoli florets with olive oil and a healthy sprinkling of salt and cracked pepper.
3. Place on foil lined baking sheet misted with cooking spray.
4. Bake in oven 10 minutes while doing everything else.
5. Bring water to a boil for pasta.
6. Prepare chicken by gently pounding thinner with fist or mallet. No need to get crazy, just tenderize the meat.
7. Combine all but 2 Tbsp parmesan with panko on a plate.
8. Toss chicken with flour to coat evenly.
9. Dunk chicken in beaten egg.
10. Press chicken into panko, coating all sides. Set aside.
11. Warm marinara and add mushrooms to sauce, keep heated over medium low.
12. Heat 1 Tbsp olive oil in large pan over medium high.
13. Add chicken and pan fry until golden brown, flip and cook other side until golden brown.
14. Remove baking sheet with broccoli from oven. Flip broccoli. 
15. Add chicken to baking sheet and return to oven.
16. Bake 10-15 minutes. Remove broccoli if cooking too fast.
17. Meanwhile, add pasta and cook until tender. Drain and divide between plates.
18. Top with sauce, chicken, broccoli and a sprinkle of parmesan!

Crispy Calamari with Roasted Pepper Sauce

Some people crave chocolate, but I crave fried salty things. When I saw this in Clean Eating I wanted it. Lucky for me, Adam whipped it up on Friday night alongside a big salad. Easy to make and easy on your body with crispy panko and a non-fried preparation.

The roasted pepper dipping sauce had enough habanero heat to keep it interesting, although we whisked in a little ketchup for salt!

Serves 4 as appetizer (or with side salad)

INGREDIENTS:

• olive oil cooking spray
• 2 red bell peppers
• 7 cloves garlic, un-peeled
• 1 habanero chili, chopped (or less if you do not like heat!)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3/4 c panko
• 1/4 cup stone ground cornmeal*
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• black pepper
• 1 egg
• 1lb cleaned squid (tentacles and bodies)
• 2 tbsp chopped cilantro
• lime wedges, for garnish

DIRECTIONS:

1. Turn broiler on and place rack 8" from heat source. Halve bell peppers and remove seeds and cores. Place cut side down on foil lined baking sheet and broil until skin is blackened about 10-12 minutes.
2. Remove from heat, place in bowl and cover tightly for 5 minutes. 
3. Peel peppers and chop.
4. Preheat oven to 400'.
5. Place garlic on piece of foil and mist with cooking spray. Pinch corners of foil together to form pouch and place on baking sheet in oven and bake 15 minutes. Remove and let cool for 10 minutes.
6. Squeeze garlic out of skins and combine with bell peppers and habaneros in blender. Puree until smooth. Transfer to bowl and stir in salt (and ketchup if desired).
7. Line rimmed baking sheet with foil and mist with baking spray.
8. Place panko, cornmeal*, garlic powder, salt and pepper in large gallon zip lock bag. 
9. Beat egg in separate bowl.
10. Slice squid bodies into 1/2" thick pieces, including tentacles and pat dry.
11. Dip squid in egg and then toss into panko bag. Seal bag and shake to throughly coat all pieces.
12. Spread squid on baking sheet in single layer and bake until opaque and slightly firm about 15 minutes. 
13. Transfer to platter and sprinkle with cilantro. Serve with lime wedges and sauce.

Calories: 215   *  Fat: 2g   *  Carbs: 25g    *  Fiber: 3g   *  Protein: 24g

* We have a hate-hate relationship with cornmeal. We keep trying to like it, but we hate the grit factor. We will be using a full cup of panko and no cornmeal. It's up to you though! Do what you like!

Filet Mignon Stroganoff

I never ate beef stroganoff growing up, so I have little to compare this version to. Adam, on the other hand, grew up eating his mother's recipe (as most people did). The traditional recipe includes a cheaper cut of meat, full fat sour cream, butter, flour caked meat fried in a pan, and all kinds of calories. Surprisingly, we were able to cut this classic comfort dish into a slender 448 calories per serving. The taste? Phenomenal!

This is so damn good. Since you're only using 12oz of meat, make the effort (and expense) to buy the nicest fillet mignon you can. It's worth it! 

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS:

• 12oz fillet mignon
• 1.5 lbs cremini mushrooms, quartered
• 4-5 shallots, cut in large slices or chunks
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup sherry
• salt and cracked pepper
• 2 tbsp white whole wheat flour (or all purpose)
• 3 tsp + 1.5 tsp olive oil (separated)
• 1 cup beef broth
• 1.5 tsp low sodium soy sauce
• 1.5-2 tsp whole grain Dijon mustard
• 1.5-2 tsp parsley, minced
• 1 cup low fat sour cream
• 2 cups whole wheat pasta shells, spirals or cavatappi

DIRECTIONS:

1. Cook noodles according to package directions, drain and set aside.
2. Heat 3 tsp oil in small pot over medium-high heat and whisk in flour. Cook, whisking constantly for 1 minute. 
3. Slowly whisk in beef broth in slow stream. Whisk constantly while bringing it to a simmer and allow to simmer for 3 minutes.
4. Remove from heat and stir in soy sauce, Dijon mustard, sour cream and the parsley. Season to taste with cracked pepper and salt.
5. Prepare fillet by slicing into thin bite sized pieces. Season with salt and pepper.
6. Heat remaining 1.5 tsp oil in large fry pan over high heat. Add fillet pieces in an even layer. You will notice that they begin to brown on the bottom immediately. Pretty much as soon as you get all the meat in the pan, you will begin flipping the first pieces you put in. These only need light cooking! Once meat is browned on surface, but still pink inside, remove meat to a bowl and set aside. It will continue to cook as it rests, hence the extremely short cook time.
7. Add shallots and garlic to pan the meat was in and cook, stirring until softened and browned about 8-10 minutes. Add water by the tablespoon if the skillet is too dry or browning too much.
8. Add mushrooms and sherry. Cook mushrooms until softened and reduced, about 15 minutes. The longer you cook them, the more flavor they will have.
9. Put beef back in with mushrooms, including any juices that have accumulated. Stir in sauce and heat through.
10. Divide pasta among plates, top with stroganoff, garnish with extra parsley.

Calories: 448 * Fat: 17g * Carbs: 37g * Protein: 35g * Fiber: 4g

Sweet & Hot Glazed Shrimp Stir Fry

This recipe caught my eye due to the simplicity of it's ingredients: seafood, vegetables, noodles, and a glaze comprised of soy sauce and preserves. While I don't usually go for sweet glazed things, I thought I'd give it a try. It was a good start, but in the future I think I would confine the sweet glaze to the seafood only and do a simple stir fry on the vegetables. I'd also use pepper jelly instead of apricot, the apricot didn't come through and it could use the heat to balance the sugar.

Nonetheless, it's a good recipe and it's always nice to mix up whatever your standard throw everything in the wok stir fry recipe is.

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 Tbsp oil
• 1.5 lb shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 1 head broccoli, cut into florets
• 1 bell pepper, chopped
• 1/2 cup onion, diced
• 1 tbsp minced garlic
• 9 oz bean thread noodles
• 1 cup snow peas
• 1/2 cup pepper jelly
• 2 tbsp low sodium soy sauce
• sriracha (to taste)
• lime wedges (to garnish)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Soak bean thread noodles in extremely hot tap water for 8-10 minutes. Drain.
2. Heat olive oil over medium-high heat and add onion, garlic and shrimp. Saute until shrimp are opaque and curled about 5-8 minutes.
3. Add broccoli and bell pepper and stir fry until cooked, about 5 minutes.
4. Stir pepper jelly and soy sauce and stir into shrimp/vegetables.
5. Season to taste with sriracha.
6. Plate noodles, top with shrimp/vegetable stir fry and garnish with lime wedges.

Bell Peppers Stuffed with Chicken Sausage & Beans

My sister started making these stuffed peppers a few weeks ago. The moment I laid eyes on them, I wanted to make some of my own. The possibilities are endless! Beans, rice, quinoa, corn, vegetables, soyrizo, meat, barley, anything you can imagine will work! I used a combination of chicken sausages and stuff we had on hand: black beans, pinto beans, red quinoa, corn, jalapeno and a leftover 1/2 cup of diced tomatoes that was in the freezer. 

They turned out delicious and pack a lot of nutrition for under 400 calories. Easy enough to make ahead of time, we ate two halves each for dinner and packed up two more each for lunch the next day. I'm a huge fan of anything you do ahead of time! Quick time saving tip: Freeze everything. Trash nothing. Got 2 tbsp orange zest leftover? 1/2 can of diced tomatoes? Juice of a lemon half? A glass of wine? Shells from shrimp? You get the idea... almost anything can be frozen and it comes as a huge win later!

Serves 4 (each person gets a whole bell pepper)

INGREDIENTS:

• 4 even sized bell peppers
• cooking spray
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 large chicken sausages or 4 small
• 1 small onion, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 jalapeno, minced
• 1 can black beans
• 1 can pinto beans
• handful frozen corn
• 1.5 tsp dried oregano
• 1.5 tsp chili powder
• 1/2 cup quinoa
• 7oz diced canned tomatoes
• 4 Tbsp low or no-fat sour cream

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 425'. Halve bell peppers and scoop out seeds. Set on baking sheet coated with cooking spray cut side down and spritz with cooking spray. Bake for 10-15 minutes until softened. Remove from oven and reduce oven temp to 350'.
2. Meanwhile, combine tomatoes and quinoa in small pan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until quinoa is tender and most liquid is absorbed, 12-15 minutes. If needed, add more liquid.
3. Heat 1 Tbsp olive oil in large pan. Remove sausage from skin and saute with onions, garlic and jalapeño until cooked through (5 minutes). 
4. Add corn, beans, oregano, chili powder and quinoa/tomato mixture. Stir to combine and heat through. 
5. Evenly divide filling among bell pepper halves. Return to oven and bake until set about 5-8 minutes.
6. Divide 1 Tbsp sour cream over both halves, plate and serve.

Seafood Chowder

Okay, okay, it's not technically chowder, but with a little make-believe it is close enough! Chowder requires bacon, cream, flour and quite a bit of butter. Definitely not something you'd think of as a healthy dinner option! I based this recipe off a Clean Eating recipe I found a few days ago. I changed a few things to ramp up the flavor without messing with the nutritional profile. Results? A huge, hearty bowl of soup with no guilt.

A single bowl contains about half of your protein requirement for the day, most of your Vitamin A and heart healthy omega-3 fatty acids in the shellfish! Enjoy!

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 large white onion, chopped
• 2-3 celery ribs, chopped
• 2 large carrots, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 jalapeño, minced
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp thyme
• salt and cracked pepper
• 1 lb white potatoes, diced 
• 3 cups chicken broth, low sodium
• 3 cups frozen corn
• 1 cup low fat milk
• 1 tsp+ chilli powder
• 1/2 lb deveined and peeled shrimp
• 3/4 lb sea scallops (if really large, halve or quarter)
• 3 scallions green and white parts sliced only

DIRECTIONS:

1. Place potatoes in pot and barely cover with water. Bring to a boil and simmer until just beginning to get tender. Remove, drain and rinse with water to stop cooking.
2. In large pot, heat oil over medium-high.
3. Add onion, carrots, celery and garlic and saute until soft, about 5-7 minutes.
4. Add jalapeño, paprika and thyme. Stir to combine and saute 1-2 minutes until fragrant.
5. Add 3 cups chicken broth and bring to a boil.
6. Add potatoes, corn and milk and bring back up to a high simmer.
7. Use an immersion blender (or remove 3 cups soup) and blend to add body to the soup. Leave some of the soup still chunky!
8. Bring soup back up to a high simmer, add chili powder, shrimp and scallops.
9. Cook until scallops are opaque and shrimp are firm and pink, about 5-8 minutes.
10. Ladle into bowls, garnish with scallions.

Per Serving:  Calories: 421   Fat: 6.25g   Carbs: 56.25g   Protein: 35g