Feast your eyes on this: Cruise food!

Cruising is my absolute favorite way of vacationing.  In December 2011, I took a Royal Caribbean cruise with the fam and loved every minute of it...including the food.  The presentation of the food is always thrilling. These are some of the dishes I had (and some were my husbands - specifically the beef, the duck, and the chocolate desserts - yuk):

These photos explain why I gained 3.5 lbs in 1 week.  It was well worth it. :)

Crispy Chicken Fingers

You really CAN have crispy chicken fingers without frying them.  Baked chicken fingers that you make at home have more flavor anyway because you can spice them up however you choose. My favorite spices for this recipe are garlic powder, onion powder, pepper, cumin and just a tiny dash of himalayan salt.  

If you have any "baked, not fried" recipes you would like to share, 

I would love to hear about them!  

Here is a short video of how to prepare Crispy Chicken Fingers by The Food Network's, Ellie Krieger:

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut across into 1/2-inch pieces
• 1/2 cup lowfat buttermilk
• Cooking spray
• 4 cups whole-grain corn cereal (recommended: Corn Chex or cornflakes)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• Freshly ground pepper
• Honey-Mustard Sauce, recipe follows

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Combine the chicken and buttermilk in a shallow dish. Cover and chill for 15 minutes.

Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray. Put the cereal in a sealed plastic bag and crush with a rolling pin. Transfer the crumbs to a shallow dish. Season the chicken with the salt and a few grinds of pepper. Dip each piece of chicken in the cereal to fully coat and arrange on the baking sheet. Bake until cooked through, about 8 minutes. Leave the chicken on the baking sheet to cool slightly. It will become crispier.

Serve with the mustard sauce.

Honey-Mustard Sauce:

1/2 cup Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon mayonnaise

3 tablespoons honey

In a small bowl, stir together the mustard and mayonnaise until smooth. Stir in the honey.

Yield: 1 1/4 cups

Recipe courtesy of Food Network, Ellie Krieger.

What's so great about Kale?

Oh, pretty much everything!  Kale comes from the family of plants that includes mustard greens, broccoli and other foods in the cabbage, or cruciferous, family. These vegetables are loaded with vitamins (such as A, C, K and B), iron, calcium and fiber.  As a bonus, scientists claim kale contains anti-oxidant properties that reduce inflammation and repair damaged cells. Kale can be boiled, which decreases its cancer-fighting ability, stir-fried, steamed or microwaved. But the way to make a can't-stop-eating-'em treat the whole family will crave is to bake it until crispy and crunchy. The sturdy leaves hold their shape better than other leafy vegetables when baked.

Kale "Chips"

Kale chips are super healthy and really tasty!  And very simple to make.  Follow this recipe and you will soon be pushing aside the greasy traditional potato chips and reaching for the green stuff...

Step 1.  Heat oven to it's lowest temperature...mine is 170 degrees.

Step 2.  Strip leaves from kale stems by pulling with your fingers from the bottom to top of each stem. 

Step 3. Rinse and carefully dry the leaves.  A salad spinner works great!

Step 4.  Place the washed and dried kale in a large zip lock bag. Put about 1 tbsp of olive oil into the bag and give it a good shake.  Just make sure all parts of the kale are coated.

Step 5.  Then, line your baking sheets with either foil or parchment paper and distribute the kale onto the pan(s).  Sprinkle with salt.  They are now ready to bake!

Step 6.  Bake until the kale turns darker and crisp, 2 hours, 15 minutes.  It seems like a long time but in my opinion, the chips taste better when cooked low and slow -vs- at higher temps for a shorter time.  I think the higher the temps, the more bitter the chips (and they leave a slight after taste but not when cooked  at lower temps). 

The finished product!  You will end up with crispy, darker, airy and healthy chips.  p/s..be sure you floss after eating Kale Chips...they tend to linger between your teeth. 

Nutrition information:

Per serving: 169 calories, 42% of calories from fat, 8 g fat, 1 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 22 g carbohydrates, 7 g protein, 160 mg sodium, 8 g fiber.

Incredible Roasted Peppers

Incredible Roasted peppers from start to finish...

The grocery store was having a sale - 10 for $10 and the 11th one is free.  I took advantage of that.  These peppers were incredibly fresh - firm to the touch and pretty.  They have been washed, dried, and are getting ready to hang out in the oven.  Set the temp to 400 degrees for about 1 hour (turning once at the 30 minute mark).  Careful - the natural juices will start to come out and that will create some fierce steam...

Not so pretty anymore...  They are cooked to perfection.  Next step is to pop them in a glass bowl immediately and cover with foil (not plastic wrap, unless you don't care about plastic being on your hot food - I sure do, so my choice is foil).  Let them rest for about 30 minutes.   Then it's time to peel the skin off each pepper and remove the seeds.  They will be very HOT so be careful.  Take off all the skin because otherwise, it will taste bitter.

Cut the peppers to your liking (I prefer strips -vs- chunks) and season to taste.  I used fresh ground pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, and rice wine vinegar.  Mix them up and pop them in the fridge in an air tight container.

Peppers go with pretty much anything, such as this concoction:  whole wheat wrap, spinach, cucumbers (sliced very thin), roasted peppers (of course), a drizzle of EVOO, spices to taste (cumin, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder), and some cheddar cheese. 

Add a touch of fresh basil to the plate, and voila!  The end result is a beautifully healthy and light lunch that not only your tum will enjoy but your eyes will too.  You're doing your body good by indulging in this one. :)

  

Satisfaction!

Did you know...

Bell peppers are packed with several nutrients.  They are a good source of vitamin C, thiamine, vitamin B6, beta carotene, and folic acid.  Bell peppers also contain a large amount of phytochemicals that have exceptional antioxidant activity. Those phytochemicals include chlorogenic acid, zeaxanthin, and coumeric acid. When comparing the nutrient values of the different bell peppers, studies have shown that red bell peppers have significantly higher levels of nutrients than green.  Red bell peppers also contain lycopene, which is a carotene that helps to protect against cancer and heart disease.  

Possibly due to their vitamin C and beta carotene content, bell peppers have been shown to be protective against cataracts.  Just like other nutrient-dense vegetables, bell peppers contain many different powerful phytochemicals.  Bell peppers have also been shown to prevent blood clot formation and reduce the risk of heart attacks and strokes probably due to their content of substances such as vitamin C, capsaicin, and flavonoids.  Although chili peppers contain a higher amount of those substances, bell peppers should still be promoted especially for individuals with elevated cholesterol levels.

Sources:
Murray , Michael N.D.. The Encyclopedia Of Healing Foods.
New York: Atria Books, 2005.
Centers For Disease Control And Prevention-5 A Day.
National Agricultural Library-USDA. usda.gov.
Wikipedia The Free Encyclopedia

Article about health benefits:  http://www.everynutrient.com/healthbenefitsofbellpeppers.html