Chicken kiev with grilled polenta and corn salad

Chicken kiev with grilled polenta and corn salad

When I first heard about chicken kiev from my friend  Esther I wanted to see the recipe right away. It sounded so my style of cooking. I looked at the recipe and the first thing that hit my eye was the prep time 2 hours. I thought to myself no way! There has to be a shortcut for this delicious chicken meal. So this is how I came up with this lighter version and 30 minute recipe.

Ingredients (for 4 portions)

4 slices of chicken breast butterflied and thinned (not too thin)
1 stick of margarine room temperature
1-1 frozen cubes of frozen parsley, basil, dill and garlic (you can also use only one flavor, I like the mixed herbs)

Coating
3T mayonnaise mixed with a few drops of hot water and some garlic powder
Choice of breading: I used pretzel crumbs,but you can use corn flake crumbs, panko or bread crumbs 

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees
Prepare a greased 9x13 pan
Lay out chicken cutlets on a clean surface make sure its dry
Mix the room temperature margarine with the herb and garlic cubes (if you are in a rush, just microwave margarine and herbs together for 30seconds)
Spread a light layer of your herb mixture on each cutlet and roll them up.
Prepare your breading station: dip each rollup first in mayo, than in your crumbs and place it on the greased pan.
Bake it for 25 min covered and uncover for 5 minutes.
Let it rest for 5 minutes before slicing.

Grilled polenta
Shhhhhhhhhh, dont tell anyone, but they sell pre-cooked, ready to serve polenta loafs in the grocery. All you have to do is buy it, slice it, grill eat and enjoy it!

Corn salsa

1 small can of white and yellow corn (or use regular yellow corn)
2 scallions
2 tomatoes
1 green pepper
Optional: chopped parsley or cilantro
Olive oil (I love flavored olive oil)
salt and pepper to taste

Instructions
Cut all vegetables in small pieces amd mix with olive oil and spices! Cant get any easier than that, right?


Bon appetite!

Cream of broccoli and cauliflower soup

Cream of broccoli and cauliflower soup

Ingredients:

2T oil
1 large onion or 1 leek finely chopped
1 pkg (16oz) frozen winter mix vegetables (broccoli and cauliflower florets)
1 small idaho potato
4 cups vegetable stock (I make my own, will share recipe in a different post) or 4 cups water mixed with 2T soup mix
1/2 cup coffee creamer(optional for extra creaminess)
salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:
In a large pot heat oil and cook onion or leek until tender over medium high heat. Add potato and toss to coat with oil and onion mixture. Add warm stock and bring to a simmer, stir in broccoli and cauliflower mix and return to a simmer for approximately 30 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Remove pot from heat and puree soup with immersion blender or in food processor. For even more creamier texture (and more calories) add cream and mix well, season to taste and serve warm. Garnish it with fresh parsley or dill and finely chopped scallion.





Bon appetite!

Crispy Kale "Chips"

Crispy Kale "Chips"

Ingredients

1 head kale, washed, checked  and thoroughly dried

2 tablespoons olive oil ( I like to use the flavored ones)

Sea salt for sprinkling

Directions

Preheat the oven to 275 degrees F.


Remove the ribs from the kale and cut them into 1 1/2-inch pieces. Lay on a greased baking sheet and toss with the olive oil and sprinkle with salt.

Bake until crisp, turning the pieces halfway through, about 20 minutes.

 Serve as garnish or just enjoy it as the ultimate healthy snack. (Kale is very high in beta carotene, vitamin K, vitamin C, and rich in calcium)


Bon appetite!


Fun fact: Store bought  kale chips is about $4-5 for a 3oz bag, our recipe costs less than $2 that makes at least 16oz of kale chips! Don't you feel rich now?