Author Archives: Janis Chanin

Western Style Frittata

27 Tuesday Jan 2015

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Western Style Frittata

Other than a super fun word to say, a frittata is basically a quiche without the heavy, greasy, fattening crust.  What you’re left with are fluffy, flavorful eggs!  I often prep for this recipe ahead of time (sauté the veggies, dice the ham, chop the chives and parsley, and shred the cheese) so that when I have overnight guests, I can throw this together relatively quickly before they even wake up.  Little do they know when they wander into the kitchen for coffee that breakfast is well on its way, finishing in the oven and about to hit the table!

Western Style Frittata
Yield: 8 slices (1 or 2 slices per serving is recommended)
Time:  20 minutes active;  40 minutes total

12 eggs, beaten
½ cup whole milk
½ cup shredded cheddar cheese (or pepperjack for a little kick!)
½ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. pepper
½ tsp. smoked paprika (optional)
1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 onion, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 large handful fresh spinach
8 oz. deli ham, diced
2 tbsp. fresh chives, chopped
¼ cup fresh parsley, coarsely chopped

1.  Preheat the oven to 350ºF.

2.  In a large non-stick sauté pan (9 to 11 inch diameter), cook the onions and peppers with the olive oil (and smoked paprika, if using) over medium heat until slightly tender, about 5 minutes.  Add the spinach and continue cooking over medium heat for another 2-3 minutes, tossing occasionally, until spinach is sautéed.

3.  Whisk together the eggs and milk.  Stir in the shredded cheese, salt, and pepper.

4.  Pour the egg mixture into the pan right over the sautéed veggies and cook over medium heat for 4 minutes.  Evenly sprinkle the ham, parsley, and chives over the egg.  Cook for another 8 minutes, until egg begins to cook and hold its shape.  Transfer the entire sauté pan to the oven.  Cook for 15-20 minutes, until egg is no longer runny and the frittata has puffed up a bit.

5.  Remove from the oven.  Loosen the edges with a spatula and gently slide onto a cutting board.  Cut like a pizza into 8 slices.  Top with additional shredded cheese, parsley and/or chives if you’d like.  Serve with ketchup.

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Curried Carrot Soup

20 Tuesday Jan 2015

Posted by in Appetizers, Dinner, Healthy, Quick and Easy, Soup, Vegetarian

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Curried Carrot Soup

What’s better than a bowl of creamy, hot soup on a cold winter night?  How about one that doesn’t contain a drop of cream, packs a ton of flavor, is under 200 calories per serving and will fill you up?  Now we’re talking!

Curried Carrot Soup
Yield:  8 servings
Time:  20 minutes hands-on;  45 minutes total

3 tbsp. butter, cut into 1 tbsp. pieces
2 onions, diced
1 orange bell pepper, diced
1 tbsp. curry powder
1 tsp. ground ginger
1½ tsp. salt
¾ tsp. ground pepper
8 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth (or vegetable broth if making vegetarian)
5 lbs. carrots, peeled and cut into ½-inch thick slices
1 tbsp. lemon juice
½ cup fresh cilantro, chopped

1.  Place the butter in a very large stock pot or Dutch oven (8-12 quart).  Melt over medium heat.  Once the butter begins to foam, add the onions and pepper.  Cook over medium heat for 3 minutes, until onions and peppers begin to soften.  Stir in the curry, ginger, salt and pepper.  Cook for another 3-5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

2.  Add the carrots.  Pour in the broth.  Turn heat up to high and bring to a boil.  Once boiling for one minute, reduce the heat to medium-low and cover.  Simmer for 25 minutes until the carrots are tender.  Stir in lemon juice.

3.  Working in batches, transfer the soup to a blender, filling the blender no more than half full each time.  Puree until smooth.  (Be sure not to overfill the blender, as the hot soup will expand as it is blended.  Also, to allow steam to escape vent the lid and cover with a dish towel while blending.)

4.  Serve hot and garnish with chopped cilantro to serve.

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Recipe adapted from Great Food Fast, Everyday Food from the Kitchens of Martha Stewart Living

Crunchy Granola

14 Wednesday Jan 2015

Posted by in Breakfast, Dessert, Fruit, Healthy, Quick and Easy, Vegetarian

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Crunchy Granola

According to Urban Dictionary, crunchy granola refers to “a person who is into all that natural crap and eats tofu and does yoga and hugs trees”.  I don’t mind tofu if it’s well disguised (it actually adds unparalleled moisture to cakes!), I have come to really love yoga, but I’ve never hugged a tree and don’t intend to!  I don’t think I’m particularly crunchy, but I am a sucker for this homemade granola!  Since I’m very allergic to nuts, granola is one of those foods that I never get to eat unless it’s homemade, since most packaged granolas contains at least one variety of nuts.  I’ve tried making it many times, and I’m usually disappointed because it’s a little soft, not super crunchy how I love it.  I finally hit the nail on the head with this recipe!  I hope you love it as much as I do!  It’s a great snack to munch on dry handfuls, or enjoy it mixed into yogurt with fresh berries for a filling and healthy breakfast or dessert parfait.

Crunchy Granola
Yield:  3 cups
Time:  10 minutes hands-on;  60 minutes total

2 cups oats (use the old fashioned type, not quick cooking)
1/3 cup oat bran*
2 tsp. cinnamon
1/3 cup honey
1/3 cup orange juice
¼ cup brown sugar
1 tbsp. butter
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup total dried fruit (I like using a combination of raisins, golden raisins, dried cherries, and dried blueberries.  Dried mango, papaya, pineapple, or cranberries could also work!)

1.  Preheat the oven to 325ºF.  Lightly grease a 9×13″ glass baking dish and set aside.

2.  In a medium sized mixing bowl, combine the oats, oat bran, and cinnamon.  Set aside.

3.  In a small saucepan, combine the honey, orange juice, and brown sugar.  Bring to a boil, stirring frequently.  Add the butter and mix until completely melted.  Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla.  Pour over the oat mixture, tossing to coat.  Spread into the prepared baking dish.  Bake at 325ºF for 45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes.  At the end of the 45-minute baking time, remove from the oven and allow to sit at room temperature for 1-2 hours, until fully cooled.  Gently break apart the pieces and stir in the dried fruit.

 

*For those of you not familiar with oat bran, it has a flour-like consistency and is usually sold in the same aisle with hot cereals such as Farina, Cream of Wheat,…  I often mix some into homemade pancake batter for more wholesome pancakes.  In this recipe, you could swap the oat bran for ground flax seeds if you prefer.

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Honey Mustard Glazed Chicken Salad

06 Tuesday Jan 2015

Posted by in Dinner, Healthy, Lunch, Quick and Easy, Salad

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Honey Mustard Glazed Chicken Salad

Happy 2015!!  I can’t believe we’re already into a new year.  I’m sure many of you are vowing to be healthier this year, whether that involves more exercise, healthier meals, or a combination of the two.  I hope that some of my healthy recipes like this one will help encourage you to keep going with the health kick, inspiring you to realize that healthy food is actually quite delicious and you don’t need to feel like you’re sacrificing flavor or constantly hearing your stomach grumble for more food!  My husband and I jump-started our resolution this year and made a commitment to end December weighing less and being more toned than we started it.  It’s the first December in our lives that we LOST weight instead of GAINED and it feels fantastic!  I feel like we’re already starting 2015 off on the right foot and salads like this have helped us get here.  This truly is one awesome salad!  It’s healthy and light but will fill you up and leave you feeling satisfied thanks to the barley and lentils, making it perfect for either lunch or dinner.

Honey Mustard Glazed Chicken Salad
Time:  20 minutes total
Yield:  4 dinner-sized servings

For the chicken:
4 fully cooked chicken breasts*
6 tbsp. Dijon mustard
6 tbsp. honey
2 tbsp. agave nectar

For the salad:
8 cups mixed greens
about 30 cherry tomatoes
2 carrots, diced
2 red bell peppers, diced
1 cucumber, diced
½ cup shredded cheddar cheese
1½ cup cooked green lentils
¾ cup cooked barley

For the dressing:
¾ cup extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
¼ cup canola oil
2 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
2 tsp. lemon juice
6 tbsp. orange juice
2 tsp. Dijon mustard
1 tsp. honey
salt and pepper

1.  In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the 6 tbsp Dijon mustard, 6 tbsp honey and 2 tbsp agave nectar.  Dice up the cooked chicken breast and toss in the honey mustard sauce.  Transfer to a saucepan and warm over medium-low heat as you prepare the salads, stirring occasionally.

2.  Toss all salad ingredients together in a large mixing bowl.

3.  Whisk together all ingredients for the dressing.

4.  Plate the salad onto four serving plates.  Top with honey mustard glazed chicken and drizzle with dressing.  Enjoy!

*My preferred method of cooking chicken breasts for recipes such as this one is to: Bring a saucepan of water to a boil.  Drop in the raw chicken breasts, and allow to boil for 15 minutes.  Remove cooked chicken from the hot water using tongs and allow to cool before storing in your refrigerator for up to five days.

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Chorizo Stuffed Acorn Squash

18 Thursday Dec 2014

Posted by in Dinner

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Chorizo Stuffed Acorn Squash

With the hectic-ness of the holiday season in full swing, who doesn’t want a simple recipe that doesn’t require much hands-on prep, but is sure to bring hearty flavors to the table?  One of the main reasons I love this recipe, especially for this busy time of year, is that it’s what I refer to as an “on call recipe”, meaning that you can stock pile the ingredients weeks in advance and make it when you get around to it, without worrying about having to run to the grocery store to pick anything up.  Most winter squash will keep for at least 4 weeks if stored in a cool, dry location.  (Wash it before using it, instead of right after buying it, in order to keep it dry.)  The chorizo will keep for a few weeks in the fridge if it’s in a sealed package, and all the other ingredients are fridge, freezer, or pantry staples.  A stress-free, delicious dinner in mid-December?  Yes, please!

Chorizo Stuffed Acorn Squash
Time:  20 minutes active;  60 minutes total
Servings:  4 dinner portions

2 acorn squash
1 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 shallots, diced
4 celery stalks, diced
15 oz. white beans
2 cups cooked quinoa
2 cups chopped spinach
½ lb. chorizo (fully cooked), diced into small pieces
1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
salt and pepper
½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1.  Cut each acorn squash in half.  Scoop out and discard the seeds.  Brush the flesh with EVOO, and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Place cut-side down in a greased baking dish.  Roast at 400°F for 30-40 minutes, until softened.

2.  Meanwhile, place the onions, garlic, shallot, and celery in a large sauté pan.  Cook over medium heat until softened, about 8 minutes.  Remove from the heat and stir in the white beans, quinoa, spinach and chorizo.

3.  Once the squash is roasted, remove from oven and flip over.  Stuff each cavity of the squash with the prepared filling.  Top with a sprinkle of freshly grated Parmesan cheese.  Return to the oven for 10 minutes, allowing the filling to get hot and the cheese to melt.

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