Vietnamese Lemongrass Cilantro Chicken

Grilled-Vietnamese-Lemongrass-Chicken-5Looking for a chicken recipe that’s great for salads, sandwiches, summer rolls, or as a main course? Look no further! Jeanette Chen of Jeanette’s Healthy Living has created this marinade that is both rich and flavorful. For the best flavor, make sure to marinate the chicken for several of hours. To prevent sticking when grilling this chicken, drizzle oil on a piece of foil placed on a baking sheet and lay the chicken on top. Drizzle a little more oil on top of the chicken, and slide the whole piece of foil onto the grill. This make for a fast and easy cleanup. This is delicious served with fresh salad greens, mint, cilantro and Asian rice noodles, along with Vietnamese dipping sauce, and chopped peanuts.
Vietnamese Lemongrass Cilantro Chicken
Ingredients
1½ pounds skinless, boneless chicken breast
Marinade
2 tablespoons minced lemongrass
1 tablespoon minced shallot
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon gluten free soy sauce
1 tablespoon organic sugar
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
¼ cup minced cilantro leaves
Directions
Mix marinade ingredients together in a large bowl. Add chicken and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Grill until cooked through.
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Oven Roasted Vegetables with Sage and Thyme

recipe_ovenroastedThis is a great side recipe for the holidays incorporating a lot of root and winter vegetables you have on hand. Jeanette Chen from Jeanette’s Healthy Living loves roasting vegetables as it sweetens them, so the maple syrup is strictly optional. You can drizzle some syrup on to make them more kid-friendly. Some balsamic vinegar would also be nice with these roasted vegetables. This recipe takes a total of 40 minutes for prep and cooking and will serve 8-10.
Oven Roasted Vegetables with Sage and Thyme
Ingredients
7 cups of assorted root vegetables, such as carrots, sweet potatoes, celeriac, beets, and parsnips
2 cups of winter squash, such as acorn squash, butternut squash, or pumpkin
1 onion, sliced
⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil
4 sage leaves, chopped
4 thyme sprigs
salt and pepper, to taste
maple syrup, to taste
Directions:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Cut up all the root vegetables and squash into approximately equal size pieces. I cut them into roughly ½” pieces (except the beets which I sliced thinner since they seem to take longer to get tender). Put root vegetables, squash and onion in a large bowl. Add olive oil, sage, and thyme to the bowl. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Toss well to coat all the vegetables.
Spread vegetables on a parchment paper lined baking sheet in a single layer. Bake 30-40 minutes until tender. Drizzle with maple syrup, to taste.

Loaded Cauliflower Casserole with Bacon and Caramelized Onions

Screenshot 2015-05-12 17.56.38(2)We are always trying to get more vegetables in our meals and Jeanette Chen of Jeanette’s Healthy Kitchen has a solution. The other day she had an overload of cauliflower so she knew just what to do. Instead of using potatoes with this recipe Jeanette’s reached for her cauliflower as the substitute. This may sound decadent but don’t worry, it only uses two slices of bacon and half a cup of cheese in the entire recipe. The trick is to crumble the crispy bacon up so there’s some in every bite, and to use an aged sharp cheddar cheese that has more flavor. Topping this Loaded Cauliflower Casserole with caramelized onions was also a hit for the whole family.
Loaded Cauliflower Casserole with Bacon and Caramelized Onions
Serves: 3-4
Ingredients
1 small head cauliflower
2 strips antibiotic-free, uncured bacon
2 teaspoons olive oil
½ onion, sliced
2 cloves garlic
½ cup low-fat organic yogurt
½ cup aged sharp cheddar cheese
⅛ teaspoon paprika
salt and fresh ground black pepper
1 scallion, chopped
Directions
Cut cauliflower into florets and steam for about 20 minutes, until tender.
Meanwhile, brown bacon until crisp; drain and crumble.
Heat olive oil in small skillet and saute onion until translucent; add garlic and saute util onions are browned.
Transfer cooked cauliflower to food processor along with yogurt and process until smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Scrape mixture into a baking dish and sprinkle cheese and paprika on top. Broil until cheese is melted.
Top casserole with sautéed onions, bacon pieces and chopped scallion.

Power Berry Avocado Almond Chia Salad

Power-Berry-SaladJeanette Chen, from Jeanette’s Healthy Living, finds salads are a great way to get in your daily serving of fruits and vegetables. It’s easy to get two cups of leafy salad greens and one cup of fruit in at dinner this way. Including healthy fats like avocado, almonds and chia seeds (exceptionally high in omega-3 fatty acids) completes this Power Salad.
Power Berry Avocado Almond Chia Salad
All you need on this salad was a fresh squeeze of lime, but you can drizzle some raw honey on top if you like too. Since this salad already has some healthy fats in it, she didn’t use any oil.
Ingredients
2 cups leafy salad greens
1 cup mixed berries
½ avocado, cubed
2 tablespoons almond slices, toasted
2 teaspoons chia seeds
fresh lime juice
raw honey, optional
Here is the whole recipe

Crustless Sausage Spinach Mushroom Quiche

Crustless-Sausage-Spinach-Mushroom-Quiche-1To start your New Year off right who can resist a quiche for brunch. Quiches are great foils for adding a variety of vegetables. Jeanette Chen from Jeanette’s Healthy Living blog thinks the vegetables actually make a prettier quiche, and it certainly doesn’t hurt that they add extra nutrition to this brunch dish. For the meat lovers, she added some Italian style chicken sausage. Happy New Year!
Crustless Sausage Spinach Mushroom Quiche
Ingredients
2 teaspoons olive oil
½ cup chopped onion
½ cup chopped red bell pepper
½ cup chopped mushrooms
⅛ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
4 ounces Italian style chicken sausage (~ 1½ links), diced
¾ cup shredded Swiss cheese, divided
1 cup fresh baby spinach
1 cup fat-free or low-fat cottage cheese, processed until smooth in a food processor.
¼ cup shredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
2 egg whites, lightly beaten
½ cup gluten-free baking mix (King Arthur Flour Gluten Free Pancake mix)
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Heat oil in a large skillet and add onion, bell pepper, and mushrooms; saute until vegetables are just soft, about 3 minutes. Season with pepper. Add sausage and saute another 2 minutes; let cool to room temperature. Sprinkle ¼ cup shredded Swiss cheese in bottom of pie pan. In a large bowl, mix together, remaining ½ cup Swiss cheese, spinach, cottage cheese, cheddar cheese, and eggs. Add gluten-free baking mix and stir until blended. Pour into pie pan. Bake 40-45 minutes or until center of quiche comes out clean when a knife is inserted.
Crustless-Sausage-Spinach-Mushroom-Quiche-2

Pesto Pasta Salad

Fresh-Tomato-Mozzarella-Pasta-SaladThe beginning of beefsteak tomato season is here! Cecarelli Farms of Northford, CT just brought us some native field-grown tomatoes perfect ready to enjoy. Jeanette Chen of Jeanette’s Healthy Living blog shares this simple recipe which really brings out the flavor of the tomatoes. This is enough pasta salad to serve 10-12 when served with other dishes at a barbecue or over lettuce for the family.

Pesto Pasta Salad

Ingredients

3 cups chopped chopped tomatoes

4 small pieces fresh buffalo mozzarella cheese, cut into bite size pieces

1/3 cup fresh pesto 4-5 cloves fresh garlic, minced

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil salt

fresh ground black pepper, to taste

a handful of fresh grated Parmesan cheese,

optional 1 pound dried gluten-free or whole grain pasta

Directions

In a large serving bowl, toss together tomatoes, mozzarella cheese, pesto, garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper. Let marinade for an hour or longer. When ready to serve, cook pasta according to package directions; drain, reserving 1 cup of pasta cooking liquid. Toss hot pasta with tomato mixture, adding some pasta cooking liquid to loosen up sauce. Serve. Click here to read Jeanette’s wonderful post.

Quinoa Almond Flour Pancakes

Quinoa-Almond-Pancakes1Our friend Jeanette Chen, Jeanette’s Healthy Living , is always trying to sneak in healthy ingredients for her kids, so on one recent snow day, she whipped up these Quinoa Almond Pancakes for breakfast. Jeanette suggests cooking the quinoa from the night before, making these pancakes was easy. Kids are not big fans of quinoa. They just don’t like the texture or the taste, so puree the quinoa and pancake ingredients in a blender until it was nice and smooth. These are tender pancakes and a real treat when you’ve got a hankering for something special for breakfast – a great way to fill up your tummy with all sorts of goodness. Top with some fresh berries or caramelized bananas for something extra special.
Quinoa Almond Flour Pancakes
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Yield: 15-16 pancakes (1/4 cup batter each)
Ingredients
1 cup cooked white quinoa (4.7 ounces)
1 cup almond flour (1.9 ounces – I used Honeyville)
4 tablespoons coconut oil
2 eggs
1/2-1 cup almond milk, depending on consistency desired
4 teaspoons baking powder
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
Directions 
This recipe includes weights for the cooked quinoa and almond flour as the moisture content of both may affect the consistency of the batter. Start with 1/2 cup milk and use more if needed to reach a thick batter consistency. These are delicate pancakes, so flip carefully.
Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Lightly grease skillet with coconut oil and pour batter into skillet (~ 1/4 cup for each pancake). Cook until browned on bottom; flip and cook other side until browned.
Here is the full article to enjoy

Jeanette’s Slow Cooker White Chicken Chili

Slow-Cooker-White-Chicken-ChiliWith all of the snow and arctic temps this winter it’s nice to seek comfort in delicious, slow cooked meals. With that in mind, we’re sharing another sure-fire winter hit from our friend Jeanette, Jeanette’s Healthy Living . . . Perfect for a cold wintry day. Serve it with lots of fixings for extra fun!
I’ve been thinking of making this for a while, but hadn’t gotten around to it for whatever reason. I think I was worried my kids wouldn’t like it simply because it wouldn’t look like the chili they’re used to. White food tends to scream boring and bland. To amp up the flavor in this White Chicken Chili, I did three things:

  • Toasted whole cumin and coriander before grinding them
  • Used three types of chili peppers – fresh jalapeno, pickled jalapeno, and fire roasted green chilies
  • Used leftover Chicken “Carnitas Style” which was braised in onions, garlic and spices
  • Served the chili with fun and fresh toppings – diced avocado, chopped scallions, fresh cilantro leaves, Pepper Jack cheese, and baked blue tortilla chips

The chili itself is dairy-free, so choose your toppings according to preferences and dietary needs. My husband is lactose intolerant, so he topped his chili with avocado, scallions and cilantro.
To go along with this chili, I made a batch of gluten-free dairy-free Cornbread and Steamed Broccoli with Toasted Garlic Red Pepper Olive Oil.
I gave a container of this White Chicken Chili with Green Chilies to a friend of mine who’s just finishing up her chemotherapy treatments and she said it was the best chicken chili she’s ever had. I was so glad she enjoyed this nutrient rich chili, packed with goodness.

Slow Cooker White Chicken Chili with Green Chilies
Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 4 hours, 15 minutes

Total Time: 5 hours, 35 minutes

Yield: 6

I pureed one can of beans to make a thicker, creamier consistency to this chili. Toasting whole spices and then grinding them is worth the effort for an extra boost of flavor; however, you could certainly use pre-ground spices. For dairy-free option, leave out cheese and Greek yogurt as toppings.

Ingredients

    • 3 14.5 ounce cans white beans
    • 1 tablespoon cumin seeds
    • 1 1/2 teaspoon coriander seeds
    • 1 tablespoon olive oil
    • 1/2-1 fresh jalapeno pepper, seeds removed, minced
    • 4 sliced pickled jalapenos
    • 2 green bell peppers
    • 1 large onion, chopped
    • 1 celery stalk, chopped
    • 4 garlic cloves, minced
    • 1 teaspoon ancho chili powder
    • 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
    • 1 cups Chicken Carnitas or roast chicken, chopped into bite-size pieces
    • 1 4-ounce can fire roasted green chilies
Toppings
  • fresh cilantro leaves
  • fresh avocado, diced
  • scallions, chopped
  • shredded pepper jack cheese
  • Greek yogurt
  • crumbled tortilla chips
  • fresh lime wedges
 Directions
  1. Place one can of beans in food processor and process until smooth. Rinse and drain remaining beans. Place in slow cooker.
  2. In a small skillet, toast cumin seeds and coriander seeds until fragrant. Transfer to spice grinder (I use an old coffee grinder) and grind until fine.
  3. Heat oil in a large skillet. Add jalapeno pepper, pickled jalapeno, bell peppers, onion, celery and garlic and saute until onions and peppers are soft. Add ground cumin, coriander and ancho chili powder and saute another minute. Add to slow cooker, along with chicken broth, chicken and fire roasted green chilies. Cover and cook on high setting for 4 hours. Serve with toppings as desired.
Adapted from Food Network
White-Chicken-Chili-with-the-Fixings

Check out this recipe and more at Jeanette’s Healthy Living blog

Jeanette’s Slow Cooker Black Bean Turkey Chili

Black-Bean-Turkey-ChiliPerfect for winter warming (or thawing!) and an excellent big game crowd pleaser for the Super Bowl, this new delicious Black Bean Turkey Chili recipe from Jeanette’s Healthy Living is versatile, simple, and healthy.  
From Jeanette: This Slow Cooker Black Bean Turkey Chili is heavy on the beans, making it a lighter and less expensive chili but equally flavorful. We’re in the thick of winter and stews, chili and soups have been on our weekly menus lately. During the wintertime, our bodies crave rich foods, and oftentimes, these foods are heavier and higher in fat. Coming off of the holiday season, however, I’ve been trying to satisfy these cravings with comfort food that’s been lightened up, without sacrificing on flavor or heartiness.
I’ve deliberately called today’s recipe Black Bean Turkey Chili versus Turkey Black Bean Chili because it is heavier on the beans than on the turkey. That means, more fiber and plant based protein, with the added benefit of being a low-cost family meal. Love it when that happens. Oh, and mushrooms add some nice meaty flavor with far fewer calories. Chopped up fine, they meld right into this chili.
Toppings make chili the best, and there’s no shortage of them here. Have some fun with your favorite toppings, whether it’s red onions, scallions, jalapenos, cheese or Greek yogurt.
Crockpot Black Bean Turkey Chili
Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil
8 ounces mushrooms, finely chopped
2 medium onions, chopped
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 pound ground turkey
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon ground toasted cumin
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 tablespoon ancho chili powder
½ teaspoon chipotle chili powder
7 cups cooked black beans (1 pound dried beans, cooked)
1 28-ounce can whole tomatoes, chopped up in food processor
salt and pepper, to taste
1 cup bean cooking liquid or 1 chicken broth
Garnishes:
Chopped avocado, minced scallions, non-fat Greek yogurt
Directions
1. Heat olive oil in a large stock pot over medium heat. Add mushrooms and onions and cook
until onions are translucent, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook another minute. Add ground
turkey and cook until browned and cooked through. Add oregano, cumin, chili powder, ancho
chili powder, and chipotle chili powder. Stir well and cook until fragrant, about a minute. Add
black beans, tomatoes, bean cooking liquid, and salt and pepper to taste.
2. Pour chili into a crockpot and cook on low 6 hours to develop flavors. Alternatively, continue
cooking chili on the stovetop on low heat for 1 hour.
Jeanette Chen, a resident of New Canaan for 20 years, is the busy mom of 4 boys and author of a popular health and wellness food blog, Jeanette’s Healthy Living. She was recently named 2013′s Best Allergy Blog by Healthline and is always looking for ways to make healthier meals for her family and friends. See more by clicking here
Chili-in-Bowls-with-FIxingsChili-in-Bowls

Turkey Shepherd’s Pie by Jeanette Chen

Turkey-Shepherds-Pie1Thanksgiving is finished; now what to do with all of the leftovers! Our friend Jeanette has the perfect plan for your extra turkey – a simple and delicious recipe for Turkey Shepherd’s Pie.
Turkey Shepherd’s Pie
This is a great way to make use of all those delicious turkey leftovers. This is comfort food at its best. Jeanette likes to serve this with steamed broccoli, but a simple greens salad would go perfectly. You can also make this ahead of time and refrigerate it. To heat, place a piece of foil on top and place in the preheated oven until heated through (I’m guessing it would take about 35-40 minutes); remove the foil and continue baking another 5-10 minutes.
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 50 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour, 10 minutes
Yield: 5-6
Ingredients
Mashed Potatoes 
1 tablespoon olive oil 
1 leek, white parts only, washed well and thinly sliced 
5 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into 2 inch chunks 
1/2 cup non-fat Greek yogurt 
1 cup low-fat milk 
5 roasted garlic cloves, mashed (optional) 

Shepherd’s Pie Filling 
1 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
2 carrots, peeled, minced 
2 celery stalks, trimmed, minced 
1 leek, trimmed and sliced, or 1 medium onion, finely chopped 
4 garlic cloves 
1 teaspoon dried thyme 
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary 
1 pound ground turkey 
1/2 cup red wine 
8 ounce can tomato sauce 
1 cup frozen peas 
salt and pepper, to taste 
1/4 cup shredded low-fat cheese 
2 tablespoons Romano cheese 
Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Mashed Potatoes Heat olive oil in a sauté pan and add leek; sauté until lightly browned and caramelized. Place potatoes in a large pot. Cover with water and bring to a boil; cook until tender, about 25 minutes. Drain well and place potatoes in a large mixing bowl. Add yogurt and milk; beat until smooth. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in mashed roasted garlic cloves (if using) and sautéed leeks. Shepherd’s Pie Heat oil in a large sauté pan on medium heat. Add carrots, celery, leek and garlic, thyme and rosemary and sauté until vegetables soften, about 5-6 minutes. Add turkey and use the back of a large spoon to break into pieces; cook until browned. Add red wine and cook until wine reduces and just evaporates. Add tomato sauce and frozen peas, and season with salt and pepper. Transfer to a large casserole dish. Spread mashed potatoes on top of meat filling. Sprinkle shredded cheese and Romano cheese on top. Bake for 10-12 minutes until cheese is melted.
Jeanette Chen, a resident of New Canaan for 20 years, is the busy mom of 4 boys and author of a popular health and wellness food blog, Jeanette’s Healthy Living. She was recently named 2013′s Best Allergy Blog by Healthline and is always looking for ways to make healthier meals for her family and friends. See more by clicking here