Category Archives: Healthy Cooking with Candi

Couscous Salad, Real Mediterranean Style

Posted on May 2, 2012 | 3 comments

It’s springtime so I am thinking of lighter food, and of course salads come to my mind. I make this recipe with couscous or quinoa. I have another recipe for quinoa on my website so I figured that I would make one with couscous this time, but feel free to use either one. The dressing has a definite Greek flavor. This dish is perfectly tasty and served with grilled fish or chicken you have a perfect meal. As far as salads go, this one is perfection. This is not an exact science; if you like a lot of tomatoes, add more. If there is another item here that you don’t like, feel free to substitute, and I’d love to hear what you did. I love to hear variations on my recipes. This is so quick and easy to assemble. Can definitely be made ahead of time.

Ingredients: 

Vinaigrette:

1 clove garlic, finely minced

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

1 /2 teaspoon dried oregano (if you like to use fresh, use 1 teaspoon of chopped fresh oregano)

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste – I started with a 1/4 teaspoon of Kosher Salt and a few grinds of the peppermill.

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil (use a good one)

In a medium bowl, combine all ingredients and whisk in the olive oil slowly. Adjust the salt and pepper and set aside.

Ingredients for Couscous:

Prepare 1  box (usually 10 – 12 ounces) couscous (or quinoa) according to the directions but use 1/4 less water than it calls for. For example, the Near East Couscous calls for 2 cups of water or broth so I would reduce by 1/2 cup. After cooking, allow to cool for a bit then stick in the fridge for about an hour. I usually cook my couscous in either chicken broth or vegetable broth for extra added flavor.

1 pint of cherry or grape tomatoes, sliced in half (I like a lot of tomatoes, so use more if you do too) I tend to like my tomatoes cut into smaller pieces but cut however you like just don’t leave whole

1 cup pitted black or Kalamata olives (I prefer Kalamata because they are saltier)

1 roasted red or orange pepper (you can use from jar) I just eyeballed from the jar, use as much as you’d like

1 cup garbanzo beans (drained from the can are fine)

6 ounces cubed feta cheese

1/4 cup sliced green onions or chopped red onion would work quite well here as well

* chopped cucumbers would be a nice addition as well, I didn’t use this time

In a large bowl, gently toss the couscous, tomato, pepper, olives, beans and feta. Add the dressing, transfer to a lovely serving bowl and there you go. This is so delicious and light, it’s a perfect side dish and a beautiful salad .

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Posted in Healthy Cooking with Candi, Raw, Salad, salad dressing, vegetables, vegetarian

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Rotisserie Chicken and Pasta

Posted on March 5, 2012 | Leave a comment

Baby BroccoliRotisserie Chicken and Pastashredded chicken in broth

There are those nights when the last thing you feel like doing is going out. A home cooked meal would be great, but it’s 5 o’clock and you haven’t prepared, etc. Here is a great meal you can make with a quick stop to your nearby grocery for a rotisserie chicken and a few ingredients.  I make this meal with broccoli rabe or baby broccoli (which seems to always be available in produce section) or even just regular broccoli. If you can pick up fresh pasta that is best; if not, dry pasta will do just fine. This meal is a staple around our house and this is how I make it. I originally found it in Giada De Laurentis’s family dinner book. I made a few changes to the original which better suits us.

Ingredients:

1 lb. broccoli rabe (or baby broccoli or just regular broccoli), trimmed (I cut it into 1- 2 inch pieces, and use just tops of broccoli)

Kosher salt to taste

1 package pasta, fresh or dry (Fettucine is great, but I used Perciatelli this time)

16 oz. chicken broth

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (about 2 small lemons)

1 tablespoon lemon zest (first zest then juice)

1 roasted chicken, shredded

3/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

1/2 cup toasted pine nuts (in 400 degree oven for about 5 – 10 minutes  until fragrant; browned not blackened, be careful)

*2 tablespoons fresh flat leaf parsley, chopped (if you don’t have no big deal. It’s delicious but not totally necessary.)

2 tablespoons olive oil

Freshly ground black pepper

*pinch of crushed red pepper flakes (I like it hot)

Directions:

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. I use the pasta insert for the broccoli (just easier). If you don’t have that, just add the broccoli and cook until crisp-tender, approx. 3 minutes. Remove broccoli with a slotted spoon and transfer to a bowl. Leave water, return to a boil and use for pasta. After pasta is cooked, drain it and reserve 1/2 cup of the water.

Meanwhile, in a large heavy skillet, bring the broth and lemon juice to a boil over medium-high heat. Boil until the broth is reduced by about 1/2, app. 5 minutes. Add the shredded chicken and simmer ’til just heated through, another 2 minutes or so. Turn off heat. Add the pasta, broccoli, 1/2 cup of the parmesan cheese (reserve last 1/4 cup for topping), pine nuts, parsley, oil, and lemon zest. Toss to coat well which is why you will need a large skillet. Add a bit of the reserved pasta water as you toss to moisten, and season with salt and pepper to your liking. I let it sit out ’til we are ready to eat, and then heat it up and add additional pasta water if it is dry. This is a light meal, and it’s very healthy.

Place pasta into bowls, sprinkle with remaining cheese (and if you like, crushed red pepper) to your liking, and serve.

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Tuscan Chicken Stew

Posted on March 2, 2012 | 2 comments

This stew cooked up super fast, and was very tasty and very healthy. I only used 3 oz. of spinach even though the recipe calls for 6, because 6 oz. would be way too much spinach to get past Joel. Even with just three oz., he picked out all the green from his plate. Oh well, there was more for me, and I love spinach.  This whole recipe–from start to finish–took under an hour. It should serve 4 nicely.  A nice loaf of crusty bread would be perfect alongside. The beans give this recipe enough that you don’t really need pasta but if you want to stretch this recipe you can add pasta or rice. Oh and the spinach adds a little green for St. Patricks Day!

Ingredients:

1/2 tsp. fennel seed

1 tsp. dried basil

1 tsp. fresh minced garlic

1 tsp crushed rosemary (dried)

1/2 tsp. oregano

1/2 tsp. black pepper

3 tbsp. olive oil

1 1/2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1 inch cubes-this is where the thicker breasts work best

1 medium onion, chopped

1 can (15 oz.) cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

1 28 oz. can diced tomatoes (I used Chef’s cut)

1/4 cup red wine

1 tsp. kosher salt

3 oz. (about 1/2 box) baby spinach leaves (If you love spinach, add the whole 6 oz. that the recipe calls for. It will wilt down anyway. I just had to serve it to Joel, and he won’t touch it with all that spinach.) (fresh spinach in a box /bag)

Directions:

Heat olive oil in a large skillet on medium heat. I pat the chicken breasts dry, cut into 1 inch cubes, and salt and pepper the chicken before adding it to the skillet. I then add the chicken to the skillet and brown for about 10 minutes. Remove chicken from skillet and place in a separate bowl. Add onion and fennel seed to the pan, cook and stir on medium heat or until translucent and tender. (If the mixture is very dry, add a bit more olive oil.)

Stir in beans, tomatoes, red wine, remaining spices and salt. Bring to a low boil, stirring frequently. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for about 5 minutes. Return chicken to skillet, stir in as much spinach as you’d like, cover and cook for about 5 – 10  minutes or until spinach has sufficiently wilted. This chicken doesn’t need any accompaniment but a nice crusty bread would be nice.

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