Musings on food, cooking, and dining by a New Orleans Foodie

Well, I blew my diet right out of the water last night; at Bonefish Grill nonetheless. Sure, I could have had some healthy broiled fish with a side of steamed veggies, but I opted for the Proscutto Wrapped Monkfish (with a side of steamed veggies). It was the first time I had tried the fish and I was quite impressed. Instead of the usual flaky texture of many fish, the monkfish had a texture similar to a lobster tail and a flavor all to its own. Wrap it in proscutto, and you've got a meal! I will also mention that sitting at a table filled with appetizers like Bang Bang Shrimp, Seared Ahi Tuna and Fried Calamari takes an enormous amount of willpower to pass up; I am apparently lacking in that department. I succumbed to the "chain-restaurant" mentality; decent flavor + big portions = good stuff.

Like all good athletes, I will not let this one incident de-rail my plans for healthy eating; it's time to get back on the horse. I'll be doing that today with a healthy lunch of chicken salad.

The great thing about chicken salad is, like an artist, you begin with a blank canvas and create your meal. I prefer to use bone-in skinless chicken breasts as the basis for my chicken salad. They can be cooked any way you'd like: on the grill, broiled in the oven, or even poached in the microwave. The latter idea was suggested by a chef friend of mine and I couldn't ask for better results. In a pyrex dish, season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper and place meat side down. Fill the dish with a combination of white wine (or chicken broth and lemon juice) and water, about half way to the top of the chicken breasts. Microwave on high for about 5-10 minutes (depending on the power of your microwave.) Remove and when they have cooled, pull the chicken from the bone and chop or shred with two forks. Now you are ready for your chicken salad "canvas." Here's mine:

Chicken Salad "Canvas"

begin with this, and add a variation found below

1 Bone-in skinless cooked chicken breast (shredded or chopped fine)

2 tbsp. Low Fat Mayonnaise

Juice of 1/2 Lemon

Salt and Fresh Ground Pepper

Mix all of the ingredients in a bowl and combine with one of the variations below:

Southwestern Chicken Salad

to the above recipe, add:

Jalapeno Pepper (minced)

Cilantro

Red Onion

Green Onion

Classic Chicken Salad

to the above recipe, add:

Fresh Dill

Celery (chopped)

Green Onion

These are just two of my quick and easy variations. Get creative and look in your refrigerator, pantry or herb garden and make your own work of art. It's pretty easy.... really, it is.

Day three on the Key West Beach Diet and I'm already craving fat. As I was on IM (instant messenger) at work today with my friend Jennifer, I realized the effect on my body and mind from the change in diet. Tonight was going to be the mid-point in my week of healthy eating and it worked out nicely. I had planned on oven roasting some bone-in chicken breasts with white wine, dill and capers, but those plans changed while I was at Publix picking up some capers. In fact, the capers that I bought didn't even get used. I just couldn't get excited about roasted chicken and began thinking of other ideas with a little more flair.

Instead, I decided to use an idea that I had for some pasta with roasted chicken, asparagus and grape tomatoes. While at the store, I picked up the tomatoes (on sale) and asparagus and put together my thoughts. What I concocted was derived by combining recipes from "Emeril Live" and the daily Chef2Chef Newsletter: a hot pasta dish made with roasted chicken, fresh asparagus, plum tomatoes and tossed with bowtie pasta in a white wine sauce.

In the microwave, I poached some chicken breasts in white wine and water, seasoned with kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper; then I finished them under the broiler, next to some asparagus (broiled with salt, pepper, olive oil and garlic). At the same time, I boiled some bowtie pasta in lightly salted water. I coated a non-stick skillet with olive oil and sauteed some garlic and chopped shallots. When the garlic and shallots were cooked, I added the shredded chicken, asparagus, fresh plum tomatoes, pasta, and drizzled it with olive oil and seasoned with salt, pepper and cayenne to taste. To finish on the plate, I sprinkled with parmesan cheese. It actually turned out better than I planned, and it was short on fat. Try it for yourself.

Here is the (semi) finished recipe:

Chicken and Bowtie Pasta with Asparagus and Tomatoes in White Wine Sauce

Makes 2 Servings

Ingredients

2 Bone-In Chicken Breasts

1/2 lb. Bowtie Pasta

1 Shallot

4 cloves Garlic

Fresh Asparagus

Plum Tomatoes

White Wine (Sauvignon Blanc)

Olive Oil

Kosher Salt and Fresh Ground Black Pepper

Cayenne Pepper

Parmesan Cheese

Method

See Above!

To continue on my healthy Key West Beach Diet, I decided to have some fish for dinner; trout to be exact. At the end of last week, I took out some trout filets from the freezer and used a couple this weekend to make fish tacos, but even after several days in the fridge, a couple of the filets were still frozen solid. The timing couldn't have been better, as after chicken for dinner last night and a spinach salad with grilled chicken for lunch, I needed a change.

To keep with my New Orleans heritage and to compensate for the lack of a savory butter or cream sauce, I decided to make Cajun Broiled Trout. Although I used trout this evening, any lean fish would work fine, maybe grouper or tilapia. I used CajunLand seasoning, but any Cajun seasoning blend will work; please do me one favor and don't use Old Bay - it's not Cajun OR Creole!!

I attempted to serve my fish with a homemade potato cake, but I wasn't happy with the results. I began with whole potatoes, grated them, mixed in some chopped green onion and a bit of butter, then cooked it in a non-stick skillet. I ended up with too much salt and a flimsy finish, but don't let that discourage you, give it a try. Some other easy (and fairly healthy) suggestions are grits, boiled new potatoes or roasted rosemary potatoes. Get creative with the herbs and seasonings, and you can skimp on the fat and butter.

Tomorrow will be chicken again, but this time we'll be using bone-in breasts and cooking it in a dill, white wine and caper sauce. If you'd like to get a head start, check out the recipe here. See you then!

No, it's not another fad diet; it's a REAL diet. Since I will be going to Key West in two weeks, I've decided to spend the interim time eating healthier. I've come up with two weeks of dinners that are healthy, relatively easy to prepare and taste great. These meals use fresh and bright ingredients, and balance the use of protein, vegetables and carbohydrates; no crazy fad diets or crash diets here!

This week I've got several dishes with a Southwestern flair, a sushi-esque seared tuna with a wasabi crust and some good old American-style staples. I'll post a new one each morning for the next two weeks. Feel free to join me in my endeavor and don't forget to exercise!

For Monday, we're dressing up the boring grilled chicken breast. It's easy and quick to prepare, packed with protein and if cooked right, comes out juicy and plump. Top it with a fruity and spicy mango salsa, and you get a dressed up version of a diet staple. I marinate mine in key lime juice, hence the name - Key West Chicken.

Key West Chicken
Key Lime marinated chicken breast, grilled and topped with a sweet and spicy homemade mango salsa. Served with Black Bean Soup.

Ingredients
1 Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breast
Key Lime Juice (Nellie & Joe's in the bottle)
Kosher Salt
Black Pepper
Mango Salsa (recipe follows)

Method

In a Ziploc bag or shallow pan, marinate chicken in Key Lime Juice, seasoned with salt and black pepper (add additional seasonings if you desire, such as cumin, chili powder, etc.)

On a hot grill, grill pan or George Foreman Grill, cook chicken until done. Let chicken rest for five minutes and serve topped with Mango Salsa and a side of Black Bean Soup.

Mango Salsa

Ingredients

1 Mango (cubed)
1/2 Serrano Pepper
1/4 Red Onion (diced)
Cilantro (chopped)
1/2 Red Bell Pepper (chopped)
1 Lime (juice of)

Kosher Salt

Method

In a small bowl, mix all ingredients. This salsa is great on chips or as a topping for grilled chicken or fish. Keeps for a day in the refrigerator.

How much wine can five people drink? Eight (8) bottles, it seems. That is how much a group of us drank a couple of weeks ago when I decided to cook on a Sunday evening. To be fair, I did use more than half of a bottle in the recipe that I used - Lobster and Scallop Linguine in White Wine Sauce.

The evenings events were concocted as I sat around on a lazy Sunday and watched a little Food Network on TV. Suddenly I was inspired and decided I should cook a grand Italian dinner, or maybe Mexican (my ideas changed by the hour). I took a drive to north Tampa and visited the Land and Sea Market, and during my road trip, decided to do something different. My recipe came together while at the seafood counter, as I bought a bunch of small lobster tails and some bay scallops (the small ones), both foreign items to even the experienced New Orleans home cooks.

On the ride home, I got on the horn (cell-phone) and called some friends to act as guinea pigs for my near scampi-experiment. I ended up serving the lobster and scallops in a scampi-like sauce consisting of shallots, garlic, butter, lemon juice and white wine. The food was exceptional, but it just wasn't my bag; I just couldn't get excited over lobster and scallops. Maybe I am just a crawfish, crab and shrimp guy. Was it good? Yes. Great? Maybe. Did it blow me away? Nope. I guess I am on to the next project; perfecting my cheese enchilada. For those who want to try this elegant meal, here is the recipe:

Lobster and Scallop Linguine in White Wine Sauce

8 small 2oz. Lobster tails, par boiled or steamed
3/4 lb. Bay Scallops (the small ones)
1 head Garlic
2 Shallots
1 Lemon (juice of)
1 bottle dry white wine (chardonnay)
4 oz. Unsalted Butter (sliced in small pieces)
Flat leaf parsley
Olive Oil
Kosher salt
Fresh ground black pepper
Cayenne Pepper
1 lb. Linguine

Par boil or steam the lobster tails, then pull out all of the meat. Be careful not to overcook; they will cook further when in the pasta - you will know they are done when the shells begin to turn red. When finished peeling, throw away the shells, or save them to make stock.

In a heated saute pan coated with olive oil and a little butter , sweat the shallots until translucent. Add the garlic and sweat for a little while longer; do not keep the heat too high to burn the garlic.

Meanwhile, add 1 lb of dried linguine to a pot of boiling water, seasoned with kosher salt. Cook until al dente.

Add scallops to pan and cook until almost done (I couldn't tell you how to know they are done… you just know). Add cooked lobster meat, juice of 1/2 lemon, a few pieces of butter and season with salt, pepper and a little cayenne; fold all ingredients together.

Add about 1/2 bottle of white wine and simmer for several minutes to let the sauce reduce. Taste and season if necessary.

Last, add cooked pasta to the saute pan, sprinkle with chopped parsley and fold all ingredients. Add more wine and butter if necessary to get an even coating on all of the pasta.

Serve with some warm garlic french bread a a glass of white wine. I like Pinot Grigio!

Note: These are rough estimates, as this recipe was hastily typed (then proofread), but I generally don't measure my ingredients (nor do I take pictures when I am hungry).