Flax Chicken Nuggets

The chicken in the fridge was almost a week past its expiration date and I was getting bored with panko breadcrumbs, so I picked up a bag of ground flaxseed (it was on sale) at the grocery store to see what I could invent.

Flax seed is a pretty good source of poly-and-monounsaturated fats, as well as high in fiber (all of its carbohydrates come from fiber) so I didn't mind using quite a bit of it for coating the meat. I thought the seeds would provide a nice texture and alternative coating for chicken, and as it turns out, I was right. My only qualm is I wish I'd added seasonings to intensify the flavor.

Additionally, I mixed dijon mustard with honey for a dipping sauce. Plain honey or plain mustard would have worked equally well, depending on your yen.

To make the nuggets, you need

• preferred amount of boneless, skinless chicken breasts (not thin-sliced)
• whole ground flax seed flour
  
• garlic powder, mustard powder, oregano, basil, thyme, salt, pepper
• 1 egg white
• honey
• mustard

1. Rinse and cut chicken into nugget-sized pieces
2. In a shallow bowl, break one egg and quickly whisk egg white, tossing yolk in trash
3. In a separate bowl, dump flax seed and mix in herbs and seasonings of choice
4. Cover meat pieces in egg white, then transfer to flax mixture and coat well. Place in lightly misted baking dish.
5. Cook meat at 400 F in oven for 10-15 minutes.
6. Enjoy with dipping sauce!
   

Energy Snack: Coconut

Teeter no more on the line between love and coconut. The white meaty nuts are not just husked ornaments for those spiky trees all over California; they're actually a vital source of energy.

Coconut---the real thing, not the shredded, trans-fat mixture you find in the baking needs aisle--first found its way into my kitchen thanks to a recipe I recently tried for a snack involving nuts and dates (pictured above). But before mine, it made its way to Europe's kitchens via the Portuguese and Spanish, and El Coco, the iberian bogeyman that ate bad children, is from whence it got its name.

Before I tried the aforementioned recipe, I stayed far away from the stuff. Just glance at the nutrition label on a jar of coconut oil and you'll see why. Not only does it require machete-like tools to break open this nut, but inside it's loaded with everything you know to be bad: not just carbohydrates, but major saturated fat.

So I did my research. I thought, there has to be a reason why it's in the organic health food aisle. And what I found out is this: the coconut does have high levels of saturated fat. But saturated fat is one of the two necessary components (the other being regular fat) of basic heart health. And something specifically in coconut fat called myristic acid (a fatty acid) plays a big role in correcting cell deficiencies, and the age-related decrease of white blood cells. (If you'd like to read the article in its entirety about why saturated fats are important and how much of it we need, it can be found here.)

Anyway, it turns out coconuts are all-good. Not eaten in tremendous amounts, of course (a medium coconut, if eaten whole, contains 133 grams of fat, 118 grams of saturated fat and 1405 calories) but if you use it, for example, in this basic energy snack recipe, you'll get a nice boost of cell-regenerating fuel.

To make coconut balls, you need:

• 1/2 cup raisins
• 1/2 cup walnuts
• 1/2 cup dried dates, pitted
• 2 tbsp water or orange juice
• 1 small bag unsweetened coconut shredded

1. In a food processor, pulverize raisins, walnuts and dates for 1-2 minutes. Add water or juice and blend for 1-2 more minutes until mixture clumps together
2. Place about 1/2 cup of coconut on a plate. Dampen hands with a little water, then roll the mixture into 1" balls and roll them in coconut. Store in fridge.
   

Tortilla Turkey Stew

Though summer just began, it's still a bit chilly up here (upstate) in the evenings. So this stew was perfect: something hot, also packed with protein and vitamins. Real sustenance.

I found that the turkey habanero sausage I added was a great component. Not only full of protein but really tasty.

Still, when using any sausage, make sure to slit the skins and push the meat out. This is not a "clean" recipe otherwise. (And who knows how your body even digests other animal's intestines...scratch that, who wants to know?)

For my version of tortilla/sausage/tomato/spinach stew, you need:

• 1 small white onion, chopped
• 6 oz. fresh spicy poultry sausage (I used turkey habanero)
• 1 1/2 tsp dried oregano leaves
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 14 oz. can no-salt-added diced tomatoes
• 3 cups low-sodium broth (chicken or vegetable)
• 1 cup spinach
• 1 2/3 tbsp canola oil

• petite red potatoes (optional)
• fresh lime, cut in half (optional, for squeezing juice)
• low-fat Greek style yogurt (optional, for garnish)
  

1. In a large saucepan or soup pot, saute onion in 1 tbsp oil over med-high heat until it starts to soften. Slit sausage casings and crumble meat into pan. Cook, breaking the meat up with a wooden spoon until no longer pink. About 3 minutes.
   
2. Stir in oregano and cumin, then add tomatoes and their liquid to the mix. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Add spinach and cook until it is lightly steamed, and bright green.
   
3. Ladle soup into bowls and squeeze lime juice on top before serving. Also can serve with a dollop of low-fat Greek style yogurt on top, like a creme fraiche.
   

Power Yogurt

I'm starting to think that taste is conditioned by society. It makes sense. We don't exist without borrowing ideas. We don't taste without knowing from somebody else what taste is like.

So at some point, I became conditioned to like plain Greek-style yogurt and apricots, and to consider them as having a "healthy" flavor. I then became conditioned to find things with "healthy" flavor preferable and good. This was not always the case. It took intellectual and physiological effort.

But from what I've heard, even from the kitsch-food gourmands, apricots, yogurt, cinnamon and flax seeds aren't too difficult to get the hang of.

To make power yogurt, you need:

• 1 cup low-fat Greek style yogurt
• sliced apricots
• 1 tbsp honey
• 2 tsp flax seeds
• dash cinnamon

Sprinkle flax seeds and cinnamon over yogurt in small bowl. Add honey and apricots. Spoon onto palette!

Lucy's Tacos

I woke up at noon today, immediately began a search for coffee, found some around 4 pm, became enthusiastic, walked around campus for a while, and then got hungry. Too hungry to bother cooking for myself.

So I drove into town and bought a Greenie Beanie from Lucy's Tacos in Red Hook. It began to rain while I sat at the little table by the window reading Bard's Art magazine, and a local rock n' roll periodical with a picture of Bob Dylan on the front in his younger days. The burrito was delicious, but not that cheap, so I will get around to cooking again tomorrow and most of the time from now on.

In the burrito I found

• chicken
• spinach
• black beans
• sweet red pepper
• avocado
• lime cilantro vinaigrette
• all merging in a whole wheat wrap (something the burrito could have done without)

I bet you could make the same thing at home for less than the $7 I paid, but I think with places like Lucy's, leaving your house is part of the point. It's nice (and rare) to find a community nook to hang out in that serves food, is laid back enough that you feel comfortable arriving there frequently and at odd times, and where the guy who works behind the counter keeps playing infallibly great tracks over the stereo.

I'd compare eating at Lucy's Tacos to eating at 71 Irving in Gramercy Park. You do it as much for the feeling of community, of being a townie in your town, as you do for the food.

Sun Dried Tomato and Olive Dip

I thought it might be a good thing, for my first cooking escapade in the community kitchen, to make a dish you could easily "share" with passersby, should they be loitering around or passing through as you cooked.

Well I was right. And my new friend was as happy to talk to me while I cooked as he was to taste whatever I came up with. And he even approved of it, which solidified the friendship.

And I approve of this too. I think the sun dried tomatoes, which I normally dislike, gave the dip a perfect sweetness. And the ingredients and prep are super easy.

You need

• 6 sun-dried tomatoes (not packed in oil)
• 4 oz. low fat cream cheese
• 3 tbsp black olives, seedless
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tbsp fresh parsley
• black pepper to taste

1. Place tomatoes in a small bowl and pour boiling water over them to cover. Let stand 5 minutes or until soft. Drain and chop coarsely.
   
2. In a medium bowl, combine cream cheese and yogurt. Add tomatoes and olives, oregano, parsley and pepper. Stir.
3. Spread over your favorite whole grain, high fiber, low calorie crackers.
   

Kitchen Transition

The kitchen itself makes up for its own bereftness. It's like a dynasty, man. Not only huge and impenetrable but functional, and perfect for creating a community atmosphere. This is fruitful for my situation: grad students are not known for social behavior. (Cooking tonight bore me two new friends).

Check this out:

Petite Quiche

"Quiche" sounds to me like a code word or an insult. But in French it actually refers to a baked dish designed after a custard with a pastry crust.

This recipe, in keeping with the "clean" theme running through the blog, lacks a crust, though, and so is officially a semi-quiche; crustless, but serious about eggs-n-cheez.

It's pretty good, better hot than cold, and would be interesting, I think, to try with different types of cheeses. Here's what I used

• 1 cup Greek yogurt plain (low-fat)
  
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp oregano dried
  
• 2 tbsp low-fat milk
  
• 1 1/2 cup cheddar cheese (low fat, shredded)
• 1 1/2 cup broccoli chopped
• olive oil cooking spray
• 1 tsp olive oil
  

1. Heat oven to 350 F
2. Heat 1 tsp olive oil on a skillet. Add broccoli and saute for 5 minutes. Distribute broccoli evenly among muffin cups, then put 1/2 the cheese on top.
   
3. In a bowl, whisk together milk, yogurt, egg, oregano. Distribute evenly over the broccoli and cheese in each muffin cup.
   
4. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until edges of each quiche are browned.
   

Turkey Meatballs

Meatballs have a bad rap with me. The grayish ovoid objects they used to slide off the giant metal spoons in the school cafeteria, studded with gristle, aren't exactly what I want to replicate when I open up my cookbook to prepare the evening meal.

And yet I tried this recipe, and to my surprise, while the meatballs slightly resemble what I remember from the cafeteria, they don't taste anything like them. And the health benefits supersede any of my qualms.

First, when you use turkey, you have already cut out most of the saturated fat you'd otherwise get from using beef. And you can buy ground turkey meat lean and organic, which I did too. Also, unlike red meat or even chicken, turkey is packed with selenium, a mineral which optimizes the body’s insulin activity to balance the blood sugar.

The recipe I read for these turkey meatballs called for use of them in a hero, but I served them with whole wheat rotini, tomatoes, spinach and melted low-fat mozzarella. You can do whatever you want. Use the hero idea if you have good, whole-grain rolls already on hand. (I didn't)

For the meatballs, you need:

• 1 lb ground lean turkey
  
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 tomato, diced
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1 egg white
• shredded, 2% mozzarella cheese
  

In a bowl, mix with your hands the turkey, garlic, oregano and egg white. Once well-mixed, form turkey meat into about 20 meatballs. Wash hands with soap and water.

Heat a skillet over medium high heat. Transfer meatballs to skillet and brown on all sides. Add tomatoes and a small amount of water. Let it all cook 5 minutes.

Add spinach if desired. Let steam on top of meatballs until bright green. Serve with whole wheat pasta, or use a fork to place 4 meatballs onto a roll.

Sprinkle the dish with mozzarella and serve.

Low-Fat "Clean" Cheesecake

It's hot out and nobody wants a heavy after-dinner "meal" they call dessert. This light and fluffy cheesecake, which gets its airiness from egg whites, is the perfect no-fail after-meal sweet of the summer. It tastes great with fresh berries, too, or a scoop of strawberry sorbet.

To make it you need:

• 5 tablespoons agave nectar (or sugar)
• 12 oz. light cream cheese
• 1 cup low-fat cottage cheese
• 4 egg whites
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• cooking spray
• berries (optional)
  

1. In a food processor, blend the sweetener, cottage cheese and vanilla until smooth. Add the cream cheese until smooth. Gradually add the egg whites.
2. When mixture is smooth, lightly spray a pie dish with cooking spray and pour mixture into pan. Bake at 350 F for 40 minutes.
   
3. Let cool, cover and refrigerate for 2 to 3 hours before serving.