Balance Schmalance!

Since I last posted, we have bought a house, moved and gotten settled. We LOVE our new house - we have a big deck with an in-ground pool, an awning for shade and a big side yard for the kiddo(s). With 3 bedrooms plus a finished basement that will eventually be an in-law suite, a family room AND formal living room, we feel like it's a mansion compared to any house we've ever lived in. :) We are finally planting ROOTS and hanging around for a while!

Balance has been difficult - if not impossible - over the last year. Between my Mommy duties, Senior Scientist duties and my duties to myself and my health, it's been a huge challenge. I'm trying to get back to menu planning, cooking most things at home and eating whole foods. If this means I'm not thinking about my job 'enough' or working out 'enough' or that my daughter has to play with Daddy for a few hours a week, that's a sacrifice I'm willing to make to eat healthy and take care of us all!

My plan this week doesn't require much in-advance cooking but it's spring and we are dying to make good use of our grill! As has become the norm, I chose 5 recipes for the week and I will make them on whatever day is most appropriate as our schedules dictate.

Here is the list, followed by recipes were available:

Grilled Haddock, Steamed Broccoli and Boiled New Potatoes (no recipe required!)
Durban-style chicken strips with Hasselback Potatoes and steamer vegetables
Whole Foods-style Dal Burgers with unknown sides?
Chicken Marsala
Ground Turkey/TVP Tacos


Durban-style chicken strips with Hasselback Potatoes

I have already posted the recipe for Durban chicken here. This time, I'm using chicken breast cut into strips and cooking them on the grill. I will baste lightly in teriyaki sauce, then dredge in Durban seasoning and grill. Yum!

Hasselback potatoes are Swedish baked potatoes. They look really fancy because they are sliced width-wise and then sprinkled with a mixture of parmesan cheese and breadcrumbs before baking. They taste lovely too! (image borrowed from the provided link)

The basic recipe is as follows:

4 baking potatoes
2 tbl fresh-grated parmesan cheese
1/4 cup breadcrumbs (I use italian-style)
1.5 tbl olive oil
1 tsp paprika
sprinkling of kosher salt

Preheat oven to 450° degrees F. Oil a large shallow glass baking dish (I use a 9x13 Pyrex dish).

Peel the potatoes. Place on a cutting board and cut a narrow slice from the bottom of each potato; discard the slice (this helps the potato lie flat and not roll). Place two long handled wooden chopsticks on each side of the potato lengthwise. Use a sharp knife and slice each potato crosswise, making 1/4-inch apart slices, cutting down vertically. The chopsticks will prevent the knife from cutting entirely through the potato. As you peel the potatoes, drop them into the cold water to prevent discoloring.

NOTE: Potatoes may be prepared in advanced to the above point. Place potatoes in cold water (to prevent discoloring) until ready to bake. To bake, dry potatoes well.

Place the Parmesan cheese, bread crumbs, 1 tablespoon olive oil, paprika, and salt in a food processor; process until blended. Brush potatoes with the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil and pat the bread crumb mixture on top of each potato. Place potatoes in the oiled baking dish; cover with foil and bake 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake an additional 15 minutes. Remove from the oven, and serve.

Makes 4 servings.

Whole Foods-style Vegan Dal Burgers with Indian-style Jasmine Rice

The husband and I have always loved Whole Foods's Dal Burgers on the hot bar. Every time we get there (which is not often since we moved to an area without Whole Foods!!) we buy some and every time he comments on how awesome they are. We found this website which claims to have made a close imitation of the burgers! We were so excited that they went right into the weekly menu.

Incidentally, I'm intruiged by this blog - "The Happy Healthy Long Life." The blogger is a medical librarian (which by the way seems like an awesome job) at a "leading US Medical Center." She posts topics in the media and her research findings for your reading pleasure.

I'm copy/pasting her recipe for Dal Burgers here, and I will let you know when I make them whether the recipe is a winner!

Vegan Lentil Dal Burgers ala Healthy Librarian

1 package of already cooked Trader Joe's French Lentils, 17 oz. (or 2 1/2 cups cooked lentils) [I'm using Goya-brand red lentils]

2 garlic cloves, chopped (I used 5 roasted Christopher Ranch garlic cloves--I was lazy)

1/2 cup chopped onion

1 small eggplant, peeled, quartered, roasted & chopped (I used a Japanese) yielding about a cup of chopped peeled eggplant

1 small potato cooked, then peeled & diced. Yielding about 1/2 to 3/4 cup of small diced potatoes

1/3 cup of chickpea flour (Bob's Red Mill Garbanzo & Fava Flour) to mix + more for lightly dredging patties

1 1/2 tsp. curry powder (more to taste)

2 TBS. Major Grey's Chutney

1 tsp. cumin powder

1 jalapeno pepper chopped, or substitute 1/4 tsp. cayenne (I didn't have a jalapeno, so I subbed cayenne)

1/4 cup lemon juice

1 TBS chopped ginger

1/3 cup thawed frozen peas (I didn't have peas, so I left this out)

1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro (I didn't have cilantro, so I left this out)

salt & pepper to taste (I didn't use any)

Small amount of canola or olive oil for browning the burgers

Directions

1. Peel eggplant, cut it into quarters & roasted it in a 400 degree oven while preparing everything else. Chop it into smaller pieces when it's soft--about 15 minutes. When done, lower the oven to 350 degrees. You'll finish the burgers in the oven.

2. Saute the onion, ginger, jalapeno, & garlic until the onion is soft.

3. Pulse process the lentils in your food processor so they are chopped up, but not mushy. Empty into a large mixing bowl.

4. Pulse process the onions, garlic, ginger, & the eggplant until they are small tiny pieces. Empty into the mixing bowl with the lentils.

5. Add all the other ingredients: the chickpea flour, the cooked diced potatoes, the curry, the lemon juice, the chutney, the peas, the cumin, the cilantro--and mix well. Taste the mixture & add more of any spice you think it needs.

6. Using a large plate or foil, sprinkle some chickpea flour on the surface to keep the "burgers" from being too sticky. Form 7-8 patties, working one at a time, sprinkling a little chickpea flour on the top & bottom so they won't stick to the frying pan.

7. Heat up a little oil in a large frying pan. I quickly browned the burgers, in 2 batches, and then I "finished" them off in a 350 degree oven until they were nice & browned, about 20 minutes--I think. Just watch them!

8. These keep nicely for 5 days, or you can freeze them individually. Serve on whole grained buns or as is.

Chicken Marsala

I needed a recipe to use up my chicken thighs that I bought last week. They are nearing a week in the fridge, which is my limit for fresh meat. I found this recipe at cooks.com. I will post the recipe below and then edit when I make it.

MARSALA BAKED CHICKEN

1/4 c. dry bread crumbs 1/4 c. grated Parmesan cheese 2 tbsp. minced fresh parsley 1/4 tsp. paprika 8 chicken thighs, about 2 1/2 lbs, skinless olive oil cooking spray 2 tbsp. butter 1/3 c. Marsala wine 1 tablespoon Wondra flour Combine first 4 ingredients, stirring well; dredge chicken in bread crumb mixture. Arrange chicken in a shallow baking dish coated with olive oil cooking spray. Dot with butter; cover and bake at 350°F for 30 minutes; uncover and bake 15 minutes. Remove chicken from baking dish and arrange on serving dishes and keep warm. Deglaze baking dish with wine, scraping browned bits from bottom of dish (this is where the flavor is). Add butter and flour and heat for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, to make a gravy. This can be done in the microwave, or if a baking pan was used, the gravy may be made on the stove top. 8 servings, about 160 calories per serving.