Live For Food

Yet another quick and easy weeknight chicken breast meal.  This particular recipe is good if you are eating late in the evening, because the chicken requires marinading first, and then is quite quick to cook.  View the original recipe here.  I have as usual made a few amendments.

Ingredients (serves 2):

2 boneless chicken breasts
2 tablespoons Cajun seasoning
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
4 mushrooms
1 red bell pepper

Method:

1. In a bowl mix the seasoning with the oil.  This should form a paste – more oil can be added if required.

2. Slice each chicken breast in half leaving it attached on one side (butterfly style) – this will ensure it cooks properly later.

3. Rub the oily seasoning all over the chicken breasts and place them in a sandwich bag, or wrap in cling film, or in a bowl covered in cling film.  Place the seasoned chicken in the refrigerator for at least an hour, overnight if possible.

4. Grill or fry the chicken for around 8 minutes on each side, depending on the thickness of the chicken pieces.  After you have given the chicken a couple of minutes add the red pepper and the mushrooms to the pan as well.  Ensure the chicken is thoroughly cooked through before serving.

5. Serve with steamed rice and vegetables.

Verdict:

This was really tasty.  The marinade ensured the chicken didn’t go dry.  If you don’t like your food too spicy I would suggest you reduce the amount of the Cajun seasoning used.

This recipe would probably work well with other spices, for example barbecue, fajita, or chargrilled chicken spice mixes. 

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You probably recognise the low fat grilling machine above, and you may well have something similar yourself.  There are many  types available now, from the original George Foreman, to the above Jamie Oliver, to more panini or griddle style machines.  So the question is, are these machines just another faddy kitchen gadget or are they worth buying?

I used one of these grills when living at home with my parents, but haven’t used one since until last year when I went on a self-catering holiday, there was one in the lodge we stayed in.  Having made good use of it on holiday, we decided to buy one, and in fact bought the pictured model.

The reason we bought one was partly because the current grill we have is useless. It’s one in the top of the oven, and it seems to collect all the icky bits from the oven, which I do use quite heavily, and its impossible to use the grill without setting the smoke alarm off.  I also hate the way you have to have the oven door open (it opens downwards rather than sideways) which restricts my access to the stove at the same time.  I do also have a grill in the microwave but don’t want to use it for anything too messy as the microwave would be a pain to clean.  Consequently I rarely grilled anything, except cheese on toast in the microwave.

Anyway, so now I have a low fat grill, and I have been using it quite a bit.

Advantages

• Great for grilling bacon and sausages.
• This model has a raised lid setting so can also be used for larger pieces of meat such as chicken breasts.
• Drains fat off really well and collects it in a tray for later disposal.
• Doubles up as a sandwich toaster.
• Very quick at grilling, and easy to use.
• If you don’t have a separate grill, like me, it means the oven and/or microwave are also free for use.
• Doesn’t need a thorough clean after every use – you can wipe it clean whilst its heating up.

Disadvantages

• You have to be very careful not to scratch the non stick surface.
• Little bit of a faff to clean properly, and little black icky bits do get over my worktops.  However they do at least come with removable grill plates these days – don’t get one without these.
• Takes up space on the kitchen side.  It’s one of those things you will never use if you keep it stored in the cupboard.  The above model can be stored upright which is helpful.
• Does not hold as much as a conventional grill – the above model holds five slices of bacon comfortably.

The verdict:

I really like my grill, it makes me far more inclined to cook bacon for breakfast for example (although that may not be a good thing!) and I love the fact I can do toasted sandwiches in it too.  The features on these have improved over the years, and with removable plates, adjustable temperature controls and adjustable lid heights they can be very versatile pieces of equipment.

So if you like grilled food, and you have space on your kitchen side – I would say go for it.

What are your experiences with low fat grills?  Yay or nay?

If you are interested in checking out some great weight loss blogs then why not head over to Cranky Fitness and have a look at the results of Crabby’s latest poll – Best Weight Loss Blogs.

Some of my favorite blogs have made the cut which is great.  I recommend checking out The Great Fitness Experiment for humorous fitness fun and insights into body image, and also Nerd Fitness if you are in need of the motivation and inspiration to sort out your life.

Don’t forget to have a browse round Cranky Fitness too – there are some great posts in the archive.  One of my particular favorites was Crabby’s take on intuitive eating.

Oh, and the blogs on the final list aren’t purely weight loss blogs – there is a wide definition of weight loss in the survey, some blogs are more fitness or healthy living orientated.  A bit of something for everyone.

Yours truly is represented on the list although I will confess to self nomination!  However I ended up on the final list so hey, this must be a good blog … please take note!

What’s your favorite weight loss or healthy living blog?

I’m eating some low carb meals at the moment and fancied having a go at a dessert that was nominally low carb.  So truffles seemed like a good idea as dark chocolate is allowed on some low carb diets in moderation.  There is no other refined sugar involved in the recipe, or any flour products at all.

These are not difficult, but best made on an afternoon when you have a bit of time because there is a fair amount of time spent waiting for things to set in the fridge.

Ingredients:

150 ml whipping cream
250 g dark chocolate, chopped

Fillings (optional)
1 tablespoon of brandy
1 tablespoon of rum
a small handful of raisins

For rolling them in
some cocoa powder
some chopped nuts

Method:

• Put the cream in a saucepan, and bring it to the boil over a low heat.
• Remove the pan from the heat and add all the chocolate.
  
• Stir carefully until all the chocolate has melted into the cream.
  
• Split the mixture between two small bowls.
  
• Into one bowl stir the brandy, and into the other bowl stir the rum and raisins.
  
• Put the bowls in the fridge and leave for about an hour until thickened and firm.
  
• Line a baking sheet with foil.
  
• Using a teaspoon or melon baller, scoop the mixture out of the bowls and put on the baking sheet.
  
• It will be difficult to get them exactly round, but don’t worry too much about it!
  
• Put them back in the fridge for another hour.
  
• Spread the cocoa powder on one plate, and the chopped nuts on another.
  
• Either roll the balls in the cocoa powder, or press them into the chopped nuts to cover them.
  
• If you have put too much cocoa powder on, you can shake the balls in a sieve to remove some.

They will store in the fridge for 2 weeks, although mine didn’t last more than 1 week anyway!

They will also store in the freezer for up to 2 months.

I almost always get something wrong with the online shopping.  Normally its something to do with size – I order the wrong quantity or don’t read the packet size correctly.  It’s sometimes difficult to tell from the little pictures what size an item is if you are rushing.

Anyway, today’s amusement was when I decided to order some small bananas.  Sometimes bananas can be enormous, and I thought with small bananas they will be a better size.

Just right hey?  Except it turns out they were mini bananas:

I wanted small, but that is ridiculous!

The other thing that amused me was on a packet of biscuits I bought:

That little blue oval in the top left says “now contains milk”.  Because of course that’s why I buy rubbishy unhealthy biscuits in the first place.  For the milk.  I think they are taking the healthy additives thing a bit too far!