Low Carb Cinqo De Mayo!

It is no secret that I have been working out at a local Get In Shape For Women studio for 10 months.  I feel better...my high cholesterol problem is no more...and I have dropped 20 pounds, give or take a few.  In addition to cardio and strength training, part of the transformation process is making smarter food choices, with a nod to low or lower carb menus.  This has been my greatest challenge...but I make more beneficial choices now and if I have something that has more complex carbs than I need, I work a little harder the next time I go to GISFW!

With Cinqo De Mayo coming up this weekend, I thought I would develop a low carb alternative to tacos or burritos.  These lettuce wraps have all the right flavors, and I think the lettuce provides a nice crunchy balance to the spicy chicken filling.    Enjoy!

Cinqo De Mayo Chicken Lettuce Wraps

2 large servings or 4 small servings

Ingredients

1 pound boneless chicken breast or thighs             1 head Butter or Boston lettuce, leaves separated

2 tsp. Mexican Chili powder                                     1 avocado, peeled and sliced

½ tsp. garlic powder                                                 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved

½ tsp. onion powder                                                 1 small red onion, thinly sliced

¼ tsp. ground cumin                                                  ½ cup chopped cucumber

Sea salt and black pepper, to taste                           2 tbsp. chopped cilantro

2 tbsp. Coconut oil                                                    1 lime cut into wedges

½ cup mango, cubed                                                 Plain, low-fat Greek Yogurt

Method

Slice chicken into ¼ inch strips.

Toss the chicken in a bowl with chili powder, garlic and onion powders, cumin, salt and pepper, coating the meat thoroughly. Cover and set aside to marinate for 10-15 minutes.

In a non-stick skillet, over medium heat, melt the coconut oil until shimmering.

Add in the chicken, cooking for 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until chicken browns slightly and is cooked all the way through…no pink!

Serve the chicken in the lettuce leaves, garnishing with your choice of avocado, tomato, onion, cucumber, mango and or cilantro.  Squeeze some lime juice over the top. 

Too spicy?  Add a dollop of plain, non-fat Greek yogurt for a cooling touch!

Enjoy with a Mint-Watermelon Martini                              serves 6

4 cups cubed watermelon, seeds removed                1/2 cup fresh mint leaves

1/2 cup fresh lime juice                                              zest from 1 lime

1 cup Ketel One Vodka                                               1/4 cup Cointreau

2 tsp. Stevia or Agave syrup

Garnish: mint leaves, small diced watermelon cubes, twists of orange peel

In a blender or food processor, combine the watermelon, mint, stevia and lime zest.  Process until smooth.

Using a sieve , strain the puree into a gallon pitcher.  Add lime juice, vodka and Cointreau to the pitcher and stir. Add 2-3 cups of ice.

To serve:  place a tablespoon of diced watermelon in the bottom of a chilled martini glass.  Carefully pour in the Watermelon martini.  Garnish with a mint leaf and orange peel twist! 

 ¡salud!                                   

Bon Appetit!

A Recipe for Water?

Spa Water

With Spring right around the corner, it is time to kick up our healthy habits!  To get things started, hydrate, hydrate, hydrate!  But, let’s be honest, good ol’ water can be boring.  Soda is evil.  Tea and coffee are fine in moderation…but let’s get back to America’s favorite beverage…water. 

A couple years ago, I was visiting Charleston, South Carolina…beautiful city, dripping with history, charm and sweat…we were there during one of the worst heat waves this city had ever experienced.  I owe my well-being to whoever was responsible for filling a large dispenser filled with ice water that had strawberries, mint and citrus slices floating in it…right there in the lobby…calling me to drown my heated thirst…aah.  Each day of my stay afforded me a little libation surprise…cool, crisp and calorie free!

No sooner did I get back to Groton, then I ordered a 3 gallon glass dispenser to use when we entertain…but recently, my chapped hands and lips have me questioning why reserve such a useful tool for guests only?

I pulled the glass dispenser out of my storage room and I have played around with various refreshing fruit, herb and spice combinations to help me consume my 6-8 glasses of water daily.

A few weeks ago, I sliced 2 lemons, 1 limes, 1 orange, peeled  a 1 “x 2”  strip of fresh ginger, roughed up a few sprigs of mint and tossed them all in with 2 cups of fresh ice and a couple gallons of water…after an hour of “infusing” time, I imbibed the water as is and later in the day use it to make a cup of green tea…yum!

Green tea…I have heard the virtues of this stuff…I drink it on occasion when the health bug bites, but it has not been a regular in my menu of beverages…until now.  Much like the fruit water infusions, I wondered if I added green tea to the mix, could I amp up the benefits of my daily doses of H20…so I gave it a try.  Look for this tasty tea in the recipe section of this blog.

There is no rhyme or reason to the mixtures other than flavor profiles I enjoy…but there are health benefits to certain herbs, spices and fruits that give our Spa water a leg up over good old tap water.

Using food grade herbs and spices in normal quantities can help the body fight inflammation, abdominal/digestive discomfort, boosts metabolism, and serves as a natural diuretic . 

Listed below are some of my favorite fruits, herbs and spices and their benefits.

HERBS &                                                                                                                                               SPICES

Metabolism boosters: 

Green Tea                                                                                                                              Cayenne Pepper

MInt                                                                                                                                        Cinnamon

                                                                                                                                                Cumin

                                                                                                                                                Hot Curry blends

Relieves Abdominal Discomfort/Bloating

Fresh Ginger                                                                                                                           Ground Ginger

Fennel                                                                                                                                     Fennel Seed

Mint                                                                                                                                        Star Anise

Parsley                                                                                                                                   

Anti-inflammatories

Basil                                                                                                                                        Cardamom

Chamomile                                                                                                                             Cayenne

Chives                                                                                                                                      Cinnamon

Cilantro                                                                                                                                   Cloves

Parsley                                                                                                                                    Ginger (fresh and ground)

Rosemary                                                                                                                                Nutmeg

                                                                                                                                                 Turmeric

Fruits

The following fruits work well with many of the herbs and spices listed.  More importantly, aside from their own nutritional benefits,  they  infuse well and don’t get yucky in the water!

Citrus fruits:  Grapefruit, lemons, limes, oranges/ blood oranges, tangerines; whether sliced or just the peel

Melons:  Cantaloupe, Honeydew, Watermelon

Peach

Pineapple

Cherries

Berries: Blackberry, Blueberry, Raspberry, Strawberry

Carambola/ Star fruit and Kiwi

Miscellaneous:  although not a fruit, Cucumbers are a very refreshing addition to our Spa Water

Spa Water Concoctions to make 1 gallon:

Citrus Cooler

 Slice the following very thinly

2 lemons

1 Lime

1 Orange

1 Grapefruit

Add the fruit to 3 quarts of water and 4 cups of ice.

Drop in 3-5 sprigs of Spearmint and 4-6 sprigs of parsley and stir gently.

Allow the fruit and herbs to infuse for about an hour.

Enjoy.

You can replenish the ice one or two times more before needing to discard the fruits and herbs.

Springtime Splash

1 lime slice thinly

1 pint of strawberries, washed, hulled and halved

1 hothouse cucumber, sliced thinly

2 kiwi fruit, peeled and sliced thinly

½ cup crushed mint leaves

Add the ingredients to 3 quarts cold water and 4 cups of ice.

Spiced Green Tea Spa Infusion

2 Green tea bags

2 cinnamon sticks

1 star anise

1 piece of peeled fresh ginger 1inch by 2inches

Steep the tea in 1 quart of boiling water for 5 minutes

Discard the tea bags.

Add the spices and ginger to the tea and steep for at least 30 minutes.

Remove the star anise pod and discard.

Add 2 more quarts of cold water and 4 cups ice to the tea mixture.

Raspberry Lime Cooler

1 pint fresh raspberries, rinsed

1 lime, sliced thinly

½ cup mint leaves

2 quarts sparkling water

1 quart cold water

4 cups of ice

Combine all the ingredients in a gallon container and let sit for at least 15 minutes.

Tropical Cooler

1 cup fresh pineapple chunks

1 orange thinly sliced

2 tbsp. fresh ginger, grated

¼ cup cilantro leaves

2 quarts sparkling water

1 quart cold water

4 cups of ice

Combine all the ingredients in a gallon container and let sit for at least 15 minutes.

Cheers and Bon Apetit!

Raspberry Lime Cooler with Blackberry Garnish



Champagne Thursday

Recently I self-published a little recipe book that focuses on the art of the aperitif.  I researched and developed most of the cocktail recipes myself...a tough job, but somebody had to do it!

Also, I incorporated many of the recipes for small plates and appetizers that I started developing when I lived in Paris...and I included some from our world travels.

I have been asked by many...Why Champagne Thursday?  Well, it is a two part answer:  First, about 12 years ago, my aunt shared with me her tradition of Champagne Thursday.  About the time she hit the 5 year  breast cancer free mark, she decided to celebrate with some bubbly and shrimp cocktail...and she and my Uncle Louie have enjoyed the pleasures of Champagne Thursdays...when she came to visit us and sponsor my eldest daughter for Confirmation, it was was a Thursday and she asked if we had any champagne for this was perfect reason to celebrate Champagne Thursday; a tradition was born!  It was reborn in March of 2010 on a cold March afternoon in Paris...and it has going quite strong ever since!

Secondly...we need to fast forward to April 2012!  My darling husband came home from work and declared he needed a gift for his assistant for Administrative Assistants' Day...the next day!  I suggested we put together a Champagne Thursday Basket for Bonnie.  It contained some Champagne, cocktail goodies, recipes and ingredients for some lovely appetizers and our history of Champagne Thursday...she cried and told me it was the best gift she ever got and that I should write a book. So I did.

Just over nine months later, accompanied by self-doubt, butterflies and sheer dumb luck, I self-published Champagne Thursday at www.lulu.com !  

It has been a great learning experience and I have learned some very valuable lessons...but perhaps the most important being just how lucky I am to have so many supportive friends and family who taste-tested, consumed great quantities of sparkling wines, and never doubted that I could do it!

If you are on Facebook, I hope you will pop over to My Champagne Thursday page and like it...I could use the help in publicizing my little tome...You'll know it because the cover from my book is the banner picture!

Also, if you have been so gracious as to buy my book, first...THANK YOU!!! and secondly, would you go to www.lulu.com (search for Champagne Thursday) and write a review...the more comments I get, the higher up the Lulu list my book goes!

So today is Champagne Thursday...I'd like to toast you all for your support for this blog, my book and my writing in general...you have given me the courage to try.  Cheers!

My first Champagne cocktail in Paris...in 2001 was a French Kiss...here's the recipe!  Bisous!

Ingredients
1 ounce Courvoisier (V.S.)                  1/2 ounce fresh lemon juice
1/2 tsp. super fine sugar                        Lemon peel twist
4 ounces Champagne (Pommery Pop was the preferred bubbly of the bartender!)

Method
In a small bowl, dissolve the sugar in the lemon juice.
Add the sweetened juice to a champagne flute.
Pour the brandy and champagne into the glass, swirling gently to mix.
Twist the lemon peel over the rim of the glass and use as a garnish.

Cheers!

Bon Appetit!