Lemon and Garlic Chicken Bake

Lemon and Garlic Chicken Bake

In keeping with the Italian theme (I have a couple others up my sleeve still too), I thought I would share this version of my chicken baked in foil recipe.  Since my son loves everything lemon, and enjoyed the orange and fennel chicken I cooked a few days prior, I decided to try this. It seems like there are lemon chicken recipes popping up all over social media as well, so I know it is a popular combination, and I remember a delicious version my mom made as a kid, so I was hoping to recreate that flavor.  If you slice the lemon thin enough, the pieces become so tender you can eat them whole like I did, and the garlic just soaks up the lemon juice (and oils) as well.  I served this dish over mung beans (a Dr. Oz favorite), cooked with bell peppers, capers and sun dried tomatoes.  It was like a flavor explosion in my mouth, and one of my favorite dinners I have had in awhile.  So grab some lemons and go!

Pistachio Encrusted Salmon with Black Rice and Broccolette

Pistachio Encrusted Salmon
with Black Rice and Broccolette

Happy St. Patrick's Day!  I know that a salmon, rice and broccoli meal is not what you might normally think of eating on St. Patricks Day.  But I grew up in a family with no Irish ancestry, and a mother whose birthday falls on March 17th, so for as long as I can remember, this holiday has a lot more to do with my mom than it does with leprechauns, four leaf clovers or corned beef and cabbage.  And although my mom might be making a delicious corned beef, boiled potato and cabbage meal for my dad right now, she herself does not eat any meat, and will probably be cooking herself a nice piece of healthy fish to go along side.  (Hopefully my dad will take the time to bake her a cake since I live too far away to do it myself!) So when I made this meal the other night for my family, I immediately thought of my mother and how much I knew she would have enjoyed eating it with us. So this, mom, is for you!

Of course everyone knows that wild caught salmon is one of the healthiest sources of protein out there, full of healthy omega-3 fats and amino acids.  But it is also an excellent source of vitamins B3, B6, B12 and D, as well as selenium and phosphorus.  Pair that with the tender and sweet taste of broccolette (a cross between broccoli and a Chinese form of kale, both rich in vitamins C and A as well as calcium and iron) and you have a multivitamin on a plate. I am sure some of you reading this may never have heard of black rice, or maybe you have heard of it, but have never tried it before. Hopefully this dish will encourage you to add it to your list of pantry staples.  Like brown rice, it is high in fiber and cooks up easily in about 30 minutes on the stove, but it is honestly milder and almost sweeter in flavor (which is why I plan to try a breakfast porridge out of it soon). Black rice contains 18 amino acids, iron, zinc, copper, carotene and vitamin E; as well as high amounts of fiber and protein.  It's dark, almost purple color is primarily due to its high anthocyanin content, the same antioxidant found in blueberries.

I added an Asian flare to this dish, inspired by both the black rice and the broccolette, and because I have always loved the combination of soy sauce and salmon together.  The pistachio topping I made is slightly salty, because all I had in my pantry were salted pistachios, so if you are trying to cut back on the sodium content I would recommend using the unsalted variety when making this dish.  Make sure not to salt the rice when cooking it either, whether you boil or steam it, so that it can fully absorb the flavors of both the fish and the broccolette.  I suppose with the green vegetable side and the green pistachio topping, this dish does have a slight St. Patrick's Day flare.  And I know my mom would approve!

Lemon Chicken Quesadillas

Lemon Chicken Quesadillas

This is a delicious twist on the typical Mexican chicken quesadilla, using low fat cream cheese and Parmesan cheese, which in addition to being delicious, is also high in calcium, protein and low in lactose.  I used left over chicken from my Lemon and Garlic Chicken Pasta so the chicken itself is already full of flavor, but you could easily use any type of cooked chicken, veggie chicken, or even white beans. It is simple to put together, takes mere minutes to cook and tastes ridiculously gourmet.

Lemon and Garlic Chicken Pasta

Lemon and Garlic Chicken Pasta

Nothing is easier than throwing a few ingredients into a crock pot, stepping away for an afternoon and having a delicious dinner waiting for you.  I don't often cook meat since I prefer to get my protein from vegetable sources, but I know my meat loving son and husband appreciated this meal.  Two of my favorite flavors are lemon and garlic and this dish is heavy on both, and not much else.  It could easily be served over rice, or with a side of potato or just on top of a salad, minus the sauce.  It makes a lot as well, so unless you have a large family or group to feed, you will definitely have some chicken left over to use in another recipe later in the week. ( http://www.poconopabulum.com/2013/11/lemon-chicken-quesadillas.html )