Recipes - Marinated Butternut Squash Scapece Di Zucca

Don't forget to eat your veggies over turkey day. This is a simple, delish dish! i've made it in the past and am making it again for Thanksgiving.

By Mario Batali


Ingredients

* 2 medium butternut squash, seeded and cut into 1-inch slices
* Salt and pepper
* 4 tablespoons plus 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
* 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
* 1/2 medium red onion, sliced paper thin
* 1/2 teaspoon red chile flakes
* 1 tablespoon dried oregano
* 1 clove garlic, sliced paper-thin
* 1/4 cup fresh mint leaves

Directions

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

Season the squash with salt and pepper, drizzle with 4 tablespoons olive oil, and place in a single layer on 1 or 2 cookie sheets.

Bake in the oven until just tender, about 18 to 20 minutes. Meanwhile, stir together the remaining oil, vinegar, onion, chile flakes, oregano, and garlic and season with salt and pepper. Remove the squash from the oven and pour the marinade over. Allow to cool for 20 minutes in the marinade, sprinkle with fresh mint leaves, and serve. This dish can be made earlier in the day but should not be refrigerated.

News - MSG and Weight Gain

PHILADELPHIA (CBS 3) ― Food takes center stage with Thanksgiving next week. There is an alarming study about a popular food ingredient that's often hidden and it can make you gain weight.

MSG, monosodium glutamate, is found in everything from canned soup to those cheese flavored tortilla chips. In many cases it's what makes these favorite foods taste so good.

"You're eating a lot of MSG and you probably don't even realize it. It's just a baseline across a lot of foods," said Nutritionist Melanie Pearsall.

Some people try to avoid MSG, believing it causes headaches, but a new study suggests it also can be contributing to America's expanding waistline.

Researchers at the University of North Carolina followed people in rural China. They all ate the same healthy foods. Some used MSG, others did not.

"We analyzed the data and found that those who used MSG are more likely to be overweight than non-users," said Dr. Ka He, University of North Carolina.

In fact, the researchers found three times the rate of overweight people in the high MSG-use group compared to the non-users.

For years, animal studies have suggested a possible link between MSG and obesity. This study is the first to make the connection in humans, but at this point there's no explanation.

Because the government considers it safe, there are no warnings or restrictions or MSG.

"We have to be pretty savvy about reading the label and trying to find things that are less processed," said Pearsall.


RELATED LINK
Study Information

(© MMVIII, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)

Recipes - Marinade Sauce from Roasted Chicken

So i saved the marinade in a container because i figured it would make a great sauce/gravy. WHen you refrigerate it, all the fat floats to the top. I scooped off the fat and threw away, placed sauce in a saucepan and brought to a boil. I used about 1/4C flour and 1/4C cold water to make a thickening agent. Add and continue stirring until thickened.

This didn't turn out as good as i would have hoped. it was too lemony and too salty (from the soy). Next time i would add 1C or more water to dilute it and then add the thickening agent. It should be perfect at that point. Just sauce over some sliced roasted chicken and rice. Add a veggie. insta dinner.

Recipes - Chicken Strawberry Almond Salad

Ingredients
-Roasted Chicken
-Baby Greens
-Strawberries
-Almonds (preferably slices but i only had whole in the office)
-Purple Onion
-Cucumber
-Carrot
-Olive Oil & Red Wine Vinegar
-Salt & Pepper

Quick, Easy, Delish. I love strawberries w/ Purple onion. Sweet + tangy = awesomeness... not to mention almonds thrown in there too for a different type of crunch. yum yum.

Recipes - Chicken Pot Pie w/ Cornbread Crust

How pretty does this dish look? I know! Too bad it didn't taste as good as it looked.

Recipe created by Cristina Ferrare
Ingredients:
Filling:

* 1 Tbsp. olive oil
* 1 Tbsp. unsalted butter
* 1 medium Onion , chopped
* 1/4 cup flour
* 2 cups chicken stock
* 2 cups chopped Roasted Chicken
* 1/2 cup frozen sweet petite peas
* 1 potato , diced and boiled
* 1 1/2 cup chopped, cooked carrots
* 1/2 tsp. salt
* Cracked pepper
* Dash of Tabasco® sauce

Crust:
* 3/4 cup white or yellow cornmeal
* 3/4 cup flour
* 1 Tbsp. baking powder
* 1 1/2 Tbsp. sugar
* 1/2 tsp. salt
* 3/4 cup milk
* 1 large egg
* 2 Tbsp. canola oil

To make filling: Preheat the oven to 400°. Spray a 2-quart casserole with cooking spray. In a large sauce pan, heat olive oil and unsalted butter together. Add onion and sauté until tender, about 4 or 5 minutes. Add in flour until blended. Slowly stir in 2 cups of heated chicken stock, whisking well. Cook mixture over medium heat until thickened and bubbly, about 4 minutes. Stir in chicken, peas, potato, carrots, salt, pepper and Tabasco®. Pour into a 2-quart ovenproof casserole dish coated with cooking spray and spread mixture evenly.

To make crust: In a bowl, stir cornmeal, flour, baking powder, sugar and salt. Stir milk, egg and canola oil until well combined. Stir wet ingredients into dry ingredients. Spoon the batter evenly on the filling. Bake until the top is golden brown, about 22 to 25 minutes.


So, things w/ cornbread aren't exactly low calorie, but i really wanted to make this comfort food. This would have been good if it were saucier and less of a cornbread crust. I found that all i wanted to do was slather on butter so that it didn't taste as dry. If i make this again i would increase the broth by 1-2C. Remember you need to increase flour if you do this too (and salt/Tabasco too). I think in doing that, i won't feel the need to add butter. Also, the crust was just as thick as the pie filling. It just felt like too much to me. No need to overdo it. I would probably decrease the crust by 1/2.

Recipes - Chicken Enchiladas

So this was one of the recipes I made w/ a Rotisserie chicken. i forgot to take a picture of mine.

Recipe created by Cristina Ferrare
Ingredients:


* 16 ounce bottle or can enchilada sauce
* 6 low-fat or fat-free tortillas (i used whole wheat)
* 1 jar salsa
* 2 cans refried beans
* 1/4 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
* 1/4 cup shredded sharp Monterey Jack cheese
* 1/2 cup low-fat sour cream
* 1/4 cup kalamata olives , pitted
* 1 jalapeño , chopped and seeded
* Roasted Chicken

Heat oven to 400°.

Pour the can of enchilada sauce into a pie dish. Dip tortillas in the sauce to soften them.

On a cutting board, gently spread refried beans on one side of each tortilla. Add enough diced Roasted Chicken to cover the beans. Sprinkle with cheddar and Monterey Jack cheeses. Add olives, chopped jalapeño and salsa (optional).

Roll up the tortillas and place seam-side down in a 9" x 13" baking dish.

Blend the sour cream into the remaining enchilada sauce in the pie dish. Pour over enchiladas and sprinkle remaining cheese.

Cover and bake for 25-30 minutes until hot and bubbly.

This came out great! Got rave reviews by both stacie and sean. I even froze a few of them. I was really nervous how they would turn out using the whole wheat tortilla shells, but you couldn't even tell the difference. The enchilada sauce soaks right in and masks the whole wheat taste. I also left out the olives cause i'm not a fan. This is a very nutritious dish and you only need one enchilada if you stuff each w/ 1/3 can of fat free refried beans. just add a little chicken and cheese for flavor. Enchilada sauce has zero fat. and the whole wheat shell is a better option than the white. I use regular cheese like she did because fat free and reduced doesn't melt or taste the same. 1/2C is a small amount when it's divvied up between 6 servings. This is a good meal to get your legumes in. You should try to get at least 1 serving in per day if you can!

Recipes - Roasted Chicken

(I forgot to take a pic once it was done. it's all hacked and carved into, but ohwell.)
I was watching a DVR'd Oprah and on came Cristina Ferrare (never heard of her before) w/ some easy budget saving meals. They sounded so good that i would decide to give it a whirl. Basically you roast a chicken and use the meat in different recipes throughout the week. I do this all the time anyway w/ store bought rotisserie chicken. i bring the whole chicken into work w/ me and make salads and wraps with it. Healthier than using lunch meats and usually cheaper. Shoprite in south philly always has them for 4.59 for a 2lb bird. Other places are around 5.50-5.99. Quality lunchmeat can sometimes run you 7.99-9.99/lb! If you buy chicken when it's on sale (.99/lb on a whole bird is about 40% off and is a good price) and roast yourself, you can save even more.

Roasted Chicken:

* 2 chickens , 4 1/2 to 5 pounds each (i just used 1 big chicken 7lbs)
* 6 lemons
* A poultry mix of fresh herbs: Rosemary, sage, thyme, parsley and oregano work well

Marinade for one chicken:

* 1 cup Dijon mustard
* 1/2 cup soy sauce
* 1/2 cup juice from fresh lemon (don't discard lemon rinds)

To make marinade: Place all ingredients in a nonreactive bowl. Whisk with a wire whisk until ingredients are incorporated well—the marinade should have a smooth and creamy consistency.

To make roasted chicken: Preheat oven to 425°.

Clean chickens well and pat dry. Place each chicken in its own baking dish.

Stuff cavities with lemon rinds and fresh herbs. A poultry mix is fine, usually consisting of rosemary, sage, thyme, parsley and oregano.

Pour marinade over chicken. Add cracked pepper and remaining herbs to the top of each chicken.

Place an oven thermometer in each chicken and cover with aluminum foil. Place on the lower rack of the oven. Bake for 1 1/2 hours, then remove the aluminum foil. Baste with a basting bulb. Keep basting often, ever 15 minutes until the thermometer reads 180°. (mine took longer to cook because it was a bigger bird)