Jamie's Italy

I love studying cookbooks written by chefs who appreciate real food from the source and recognize it's colorful and rustic beauty. The less you mess with the food, the better it will be to you. Jamie Oliver is definitely one of my favorites. For Christmas I received the cookbook Jamie's Italy. I love this book because of how real it is, because all the recipes were collected on a roadtrip through Italy in a VW bus, and because of the white risotto recipe. The meal that I have posted below is my collaborative effort with Jamie (he doesn't know yet). To say that it's good is an understatement. I made the whole thing from stuff I already had in my kitchen, except for the wine. The wine I did use was a cheap bottle I got from Target. It didn't matter. All of the flavors of the sweet chicken, lemony spinach and creamy risotto went together so perfectly I thought I might have died. A little dramatic, but it is so good! I know I'm going on and on...but I can't say it enough. This one is good! If you try nothing else from my blog...if I remain anonymous forever from here on out, please try this meal!

Honey-Mustard Chicken with Wilted Spinach and Jamie’s White Risotto

Rx: Mustard is high in magnesium and selenium. What this means is that it will help reduce inflammation in the body, speed up your metabolism, and help lower blood pressure. It is best known as a digestive aid. The dark meat used in this recipe also has some benefits too. Although it is cheaper than white meat, dark meat has a bad rap since it is higher in calories and fat. The fact is, though, it’s not much of a difference. Also, the dark meat contains more nutrients than the white, including iron, zinc, and B vitamins.

Serves 2

Ingredients:

For the chicken:

6 chicken legs with the thighs (bone-in)
1½ tsp fresh ground black pepper
3 tsp Chinese five spice
3 finely minced clove of garlic
6 tbs local honey
6 tbs coarse ground mustard

For the spinach:

Three bunches fresh organic spinach, washed and dried (these will significantly cook down)
6 finely minced cloves of garlic
1 tbs olive oil (too much will make your spinach greasy and soggy)
Juice of one lemon

For the risotto:

Use Jamie Oliver’s recipe for White Risotto (found in the book, Jamie’s Italy, pg. 130)
OR
Use any quality recipe for risotto you can find ( I like to check up on FoodNetwork.com)

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 375 F.

*Tip! Have your chicken in the oven, then begin the risotto. This way they’ll be done closer to the same time.

Put the chicken pieces in a large plastic bag (or in a bowl) and rub all of the pepper, five spice, garlic, honey, and mustard into the chicken really well. Place these on a sheet and pour the remaining juices over the meat. Place in the oven.

Begin your risotto, using any recipe you have.
Your chicken will be done when the temperature of the deepest part is between 170 and 180 F. This took me about an hour. Let the meat rest before serving so that it will be as moist as possible. This is a good time to do the spinach.
In a small pan, heat the teaspoon of olive oil over low heat. When it’s hot, add the garlic and sautee for about 30 seconds. Add the whole spinach leaves and stir constantly until they are all darker and wilted. This happens very quickly, just a few minutes. Even if not every leave is wilted yet, remove it from the heat. The warmth from the other leaves and the pan will finish them off. Squeeze with a little lemon juice,

Plate putting the risotto on bottom, then the chicken on top of that, and top with the spinach. Look at you, being all classy!

Summer Leftovers= Healthy Summer Picnic

Salads have the unfortunate reputation of being wimpy, unsubstantial, and unfulfilling. However, if you think of salads as a kind of uncooked casserole, a dish where you can throw together whatever looks good, the potential for salad opens up wide. My husband and I went on a picnic a couple of days ago, and the salads we fixed up from bits of leftovers in the fridge made a very substantial (and healthy,of course) meal. The really great part of salad-making is that you can use up all the bits of food that wouldn't have been enough of a meal on their own, and they end up playing an important of the meal. Don't over-think it...if the food is fresh, it will usually end up tasting great. It may look different every time, but that's kind of the idea.
I've listed the ingredients I used in my salads below, and included a link to the recipe I used for the hummus (not my recipe, and so good I don't care one bit!)

Pasta Salad: roasted chicken,pepperjack cheese, black olives, heirloom cherry tomatoes, red onion, organic pasta
Fruit Salad: peaches, frozen cherries, my leftover raspberry yogurt from breakfast, agave, almond extract, chopped walnuts
Hummus: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/white-bean-and-roasted-eggplant-hummus-recipe/index.html

Fruit Salad

Rx: This salad is a great way to make the most of any nutritious bit of produce you may have lying around in the fridge. Raw foods are amazing detoxifiers and tend to be easier on the digestive system as they still have many of their enzymes intact. Fruit also provides the body with lots of good carbs that it needs. The more colors you have in here, the wider the variety of nutrients you are going to get. The addition of a yogurt dressing also gives you the benefit of live probiotics. Very healthy, and very tasty!

Serves 4

Ingredients:

4 C chopped mixed fresh fruit
1/3 C yogurt, any variety or flavor you like, just make sure it has live cultures
Honey or agave nectar, to taste
½ tsp almond extract
1/3 C chopped nuts, any variety you like

Directions:

In a large bowl, combine the fruit, yogurt, almond extract and honey and mix thoroughly with a large spoon or flexible spatula. Garnish the top with the chopped nuts. Allow it to cool in the fridge before serving.


Pasta Salad

Rx: This salad is a great way to make the most of any nutritious bit of produce you may have lying around in the fridge. Raw foods are amazing detoxifiers and tend to be easier on the digestive system as they still have many of their enzymes intact. The more colors you have in here, the wider the variety of nutrients you are going to get. Some great raw additions are peppers, onion, carrots (peeled or chopped), tomatoes, green onions, cucumber, zucchini, and avocado. Just have fun with this and put in whatever you can find!

Serves 4

Ingredients:

2 C cooked short pasta, such as macaroni or spiral (can substitute with any good-quality gluten-free variety), cooled
1 C chopped cooked meat (I prefer chicken, or you can leave out for vegetarian)
2 C chopped mixed veggies and cured or pickled foods, such as olives, artichokes, or cucumber pickles
¾ C chopped cheese (for vegan, substitute with avocado)
1/2 – ¾ C Vegenaise
1 tsp coarse mustard
1 tsp agave
Cracked black pepper, to taste

Directions:

In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients and mix thoroughly with a large spoon or flexible spatula. Allow it to cool in the fridge before serving.

Healthy Shopping Guide

Just as an introduction, shopping and eating well may be a really tough adjustment. It’s totally counter-cultural, and a little more work. Once you start doing it, though, you’ll retrain your body and mind to want the good stuff, and not even look at the other stuff as food. Stick with it, it’s worth it!

1. Shop the perimeters at the grocery store. Most of the processed foods are contained in the aisles. The perimeter is produce, dairy, meat, and bread. This is the food you need. Most of that stuff in the middle you don’t need. At all. Everrrrrr.
2. Read labels. Having said that, you still need some items that may be in the aisles. Just make sure when you are picking something up, you read the labels. If it looks mostly chemical, don’t get it. If it ever contains high fructose corn syrup or anything hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated, DO NOT BUY! Not only will these things counteract weight loss efforts, but they’ve been proven in labs to really break down your health. Be aware of the calorie content, and follow serving sizes, even if they sound ridiculous at first. If you are able, get natural or organic products. They really are more nutritionally dense.
3. Again with the organic! Organic may seem like a fad. But it turns out that while conventional foods contain the same nutrients, the organic food contain more. It’s because the soil products are grown on haven’t been chemically neutered by pesticides, so the food absorbs a whole lot more nutrients, because the ground actually contains them. Like it should. That’s the facts, man. Whenever possible, reach for the organic product rather than the other. Even if it costs a little more at times, it is truly an investment in your health. More and more grocery stores are offering organic now, too, which makes this choice a whole lot easier.
4. What to buy. When you look at your plate, it should be about half to one-third fresh produce, cooked or raw, about one-third meat, and a little bit of starch or carbs. You don’t always have to have meat, you don’t always have to have carbs. But the fruit/ veggies should be there. Considering that…
5. Produce. So, covered buying organic. If you want to save some money and get something that tastes good, buy produce that’s in season. It’s always going to be cheaper. Here’s a link that will tell you what’s in season for Arizona: http://www.simplesteps.org/eat-local/state/arizona.
6. Meat and dairy. You don’t have to get too fancy here. Choose leaner cuts of meat. Again, here’s a friendly, helpful link to a list of lean meats: http://www.ehow.com/list_5831089_list-lean-cuts-meat.html. Choose meats and dairy products that are hormone-free (RBST) and natural. Grass-fed red meat and dairy, organic chicken and eggs, and wild caught fish will be the purest and most nutrient-dense sources to choose from. Again, this option is becoming increasingly more available. Spring for the good stuff, just eat less of it. You can do this on a budget, I promise.
7. Bread and pasta. Whole grains are the way to go on this. Also, for pasta you can choose rice pasta, which pretty much tastes and feels like regular pasta. Please, avoid anything that’s been “enriched.” You’re not getting something better for you,; you’re actually getting a product that’s been stripped of its good stuff and replaced with a few synthetic nutrients. Your body doesn’t like it.
8. Last one…variety. Don’t get stuck eating the same things all the time. If you’re looking to improve your health and eating habits, switch it up. Healthy food is good, and you should enjoy it. Also, by not eating the same things everyday you are introducing a much wider variety of nutrients, and giving your body a break from the onslaught of only one kind, which can actually backfire and cause problems in your body. Eating by season and being aware of what you’ve been putting in are two great tools to help with this. Also, your plate should look colorful. If it’s not, you might not have enough variety on it.

Gluten-Free...and Good, too!

I've gone through my fair share of gluten-free baking disasters. One time I was experimenting with recipes for my bread machine; the whole apartment smelled so good! I opened the bread maker at the end with visions of bread as good as "the real thing" only to find a really hot pile of dry flour. Oops. But there have been successes along the way, too. Biscuits, pancakes, and pizza dough have been a few of them. One of the best tools I've found in my somewhat roller coaster experimenting has been Bob's Red Mill Gluten-Free All-Purpose Flour, and Bob's Red Mill Xanthan Gum. It's a nicely uniform mixture, and has good flavor. Not overwhelmingly GF tasting, if you know what I mean. The best part is for past year I've been able to buy the standard flour-sized bag of it at Costco for a very reasonable price! If you're gluten-intolerant, or just like to mix it up a bit (my preference), give it a try. I'm including my recipe for pizza dough, because what is life without pizza? A dark existence indeed.

Gluten-Free Pizza Dough

Ingredients:
1 pkg instant yeast
I C warm water
1 tsp honey/ agave nectar
2 tbs olive oil
3 C flour (BRM Gluten-Free All-Purpose)
1 tsp xanthan gum (BRM)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp apple cider vinegar

Add the yeast and honey/agave nectar to the warm water. Gently mix together and let it sit for about 10 min, until it's foamy. Put it into a large mixing bowl. Add to it the olive oil, apple cider vinegar, flour, xanthan gum, and salt. Mix together until it's too thick to stir. Use your hands to continue mixing it until it's a solid ball of dough. Turn out onto a GF floured surface and knead for about 5 minutes, or until smooth.
Coat the dough in a little bit of olive oil and place in a glass bowl. Cover it in plastic wrap and place in a warm spot to rise. Let it rise for about an hour. Punch it down and roll it out.
Shape the dough into a disk or just cover a cookie sheet. Bake at 400 F for about 7-8 minutes. Pull it out, brush with a little olive oil (I like to add crushed garlic to the oil), place your toppings on top, and place back in the oven until the toppings are cooked the way you like them(usually a minimum of 6-7 minutes).

My Favorite Gluten-Free Pasta

I know that not everyone reading this is gluten-intolerant or wheat sensitive. However, if you think about how much wheat we actually consume at every meal, everyday, it's probably not a bad idea to switch up the grains that we are regularly consuming. A great way to try that is with a really easy pasta dish. The BEST gluten-free pasta that I have tried over the past several years is made by Tinkinyada. It has excellent flavor, texture, and is super-easy to cook as it doesn't get soggy as quickly as wheat pasta. I made it one night for my husband, who is very nearly a wheat addict, and he didn't even know it wasn't regular wheat pasta until I told him. It must be catching on, too, because most mainstream grocery chains are now carrying it. I'm including a recipe for a really good, really easy home-made pasta sauce. Try it, please! You might like it.



Not-From-a-Jar Pasta Sauce

Ingredients:

3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1/2 large white onion, diced
2 tbs olive oil (regular, not extra virgin)
1/2-1 lb chicken or turkey italian sausage
OR
3 large portabello mushrooms, diced into about 1/2 inch cubes
2 14-oz cans of good-quality canned tomatoes, diced
pinch of salt
1 tbs italian seasoning
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp chopped fresh oregano
1 tsp chopped fresh rosemary
fresh black pepper to taste

Directions:

Heat a deep skillet on medium heat. Add olive oil. When the oil is hot, add your onions and sautee until they begin to look translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and sautee for about 30 seconds (you don't want it to burn). Throw in your sausage or mushrooms and cook until no longer pink or until the mushrooms darken and soften. Add your tomatoes and bring to a simmer. Add the salt, italian seasoning, cinnamon, oregano, rosemary, and pepper. Let this continue to simmer for about another 10-15 minutes to allow the sauce to really soak in the flavors of the herbs.

P.S. Pasta sauce freezes really well...great for a quick dinner!