The High-Protein Cookbook - Linda West Eckhardt [32]
2 tablespoons dried apricots, coarsely chopped
4 large hard-cooked eggs
DRESSING
½ teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Freshly milled black pepper
Toss the greens, parsley, prosciutto, feta, and apricots in a large salad bowl. Whisk together the dressing ingredients in a small bowl and drizzle over the salad. Toss to mix and divide between two chilled dinner plates. Top with hard-cooked eggs, cut in half.
Nutritional Analysis: 508 calories, FAT 39 g, PROTEIN 27 g, CARB 15 g, FIBER 4 g, CHOL 478 mg, IRON 5 mg, SODIUM 1,531 mg, CALC 258 mg
Cooking Lesson
If you want more greens with this lunch, feel free. After all … most crisp green lettuces are free. So go ahead, turn yourself into a rabbit, but be sure to keep the protein load up. When we first started making this salad, it was a little skimpy in the protein department before we remembered the ubiquitous egg. It both tasted great and balanced the nutritional load.
CHICKEN: ONE FOR EVERY POT
The subtle flavor of chicken offers a wonderful opportunity to explore unlimited flavoring options. You can show off the delicious taste of a single seasoning, such as thyme (our herb of choice if we could only pick one with which to be stranded on a deserted island), or use it as a neutral background for a complex sauce with a combination of exotic flavors. Chicken can be dreadfully bland and dry when improperly handled, or it can be a cold knockout.
Food safety is no joke with chicken. It is only safe when it is cooked to 160°F. Besides, in our opinion, the flavor really improves with cooking. The easiest way to check for doneness is with an instant-read thermometer. At the thickest part of the chicken piece or the breast of the whole bird, the thermometer should read 160 to 165°F. You can also check by making a cut in the meat. You should see no red or pink color whatsoever. Buy an instant meat thermometer. It’s a great $10 investment that will make you feel like a four-star restaurant chef.
Equally important is how you handle raw chicken. Most salmonella cases are a result of using a knife or cutting board to cut up a tomato for the salad after it was used to cut raw chicken. Wash all forks, knives, and cutting boards with hot soapy water after they’ve come in contact with raw chicken pieces and have no fear. Salmonella is not a very hearty pathogen and with careful washing, there is really no chance of cross contamination.
We recommend buying premium-grade chickens, such as Bell and Evans, D’Artagnan, or Murray’s. Or you may have a local favorite. We also like Empire kosher chickens. The salting process involved in preparing kosher meat improves the taste and texture of chicken.
Another great quality about chicken is that it freezes really well, making it easy to keep on hand for emergency dinners. Buy it when you see it on sale and double wrap it. It keeps in the freezer for up to two months. After that, it is still good for chicken soup.
In this chapter we have come up with some fast recipes that may surprise you. We like breasts and thighs alike. If you have gotten accustomed to eating just breasts, we encourage you to be venturesome and try thighs. With the skin removed there is very little fat difference, and the dark meat tastes richer, more chicken-y to us.
Chicken with Leeks and Tomatoes
Add a tossed salad, a glass of red wine and before you know it, dinner’s on.
MAKES 2 SERVINGS
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 20 minutes
2 slices thick-cut peppered bacon
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (10 ounces total), split and pounded to ¼-inch thickness
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 medium leek, cut in half lengthwise, washed, then sliced crosswise using
2 inches of the green part plus the bulb
½ cup half-and-half
1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon, or 1 teaspoon dried
½ teaspoon hot red pepper flakes
3 plum tomatoes, chopped
½ teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon freshly milled black pepper
Cook the bacon until crisp in a 10-inch skillet,