grilled chicken give-away

I just got an excited announcement from a friend about a free coupon that she got from Oprah.  Apparently on her tv show Oprah announced that she was "giving a gift to all her viewers" and offered up a KFC coupon good for a free grilled chicken meal.  My friend wanted to know if she should redeem her coupon.  In all honesty I had to tell her no, and here's why:

a)  Although the chicken is grilled, which is admittedly better, it is still a highly processed meat and probably loaded with tons of antibiotics and other chemicals.  I really advocate eating the best meat possible and this does not cut it in my book.

b)  The meal comes with two sides and a biscuit.  I checked the website and found that their sides are potato wedges, seasoned rice, mashed potatoes, corn on the cob, and macaroni and cheese.  All starches.  There is also baked beans which are probably pretty high in sugar and possibly other chemical additives, green beans which I'm guessing are loaded with fat, and coleslaw in some sort of dressing.  Too many carbs, too much fat and far too many chemicals.

c)  You will probably be tempted to ameliorate the calories by getting a diet soda on the side.  That or any other soda is simply not a good choice.

d) Since you are getting a free meal you may be tempted to get a dessert.  The choices here are overwhelming in their highly processed simple carb, high sugar content.  Nothing that anyone should be eating and something that will definitely cause blood sugar imbalances.

So as exciting as this offer sounds I would have to advise her, and all my readers, to pass on this one. 

fennel

This week's farm share included fennel.  I love fennel and am always happy when it appears on my table because it is so tasty.  It's also good for you but don't tell the kids, just let them taste it and they'll love that great licorice-y flavor.

Fennel is a perennial herb that has medicinal and culinary uses; the whole plant is useful, roots, bulb, foliage and seeds.  It has carminative properties meaning it is helpful with indigestion and gas.  It appears in many different cultures and many types of dishes.  In Indian restaurants you can usually find a dish of fennel seeds by the register to chew on after the meal to help with digestion.

Nutritionally fennel is a great source of vitamin C; it's also a good source of fiber, potassium, manganese, and folate.  

One of my favorite ways to eat fennel in the winter is in a roasted root casserole. Sliced fennel chopped up and mixed together with carrots, parsnips, potatoes and beets. Tossed with olive oil, balsamic vinegar and parmesan dressing with salt and pepper and then roasted in the oven until the vegetables are done. You can tell when they are done when the fennel starts to caramelize a little.  I roast them at 400 degrees F and use just enough dressing to coat the vegetables.  Roasting the fennel softens it's licorice-y flavor and makes it milder.

Since it's not winter I decided to switch this up a bit and roasted the fennel with red pepper, vidalia onion and the dressing. It was delicious. I had been planning to grill the vegetables but by the time I finished marinating them it looked like rain so into the oven they went. Served alongside another family favorite, "beans-n-greens", and a sweet potato on the side it was a colorful and delicious dinner. Give it a try, if you've never eaten fennel you may be surprised by how much you like it.

Another great recipe that I plan to try is this fennel slaw recipe from Epicurious.

Be well.

photo courtesy of commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Fenchelknolle.jpg

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fennel
http://whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=23#healthbenefits
Rebecca Wood, The New Whole Foods Encyclopedia

fabulous frittata

I recently had lunch with a friend and we enjoyed  a wonderful frittata as part of our meal.  Frittatas are such a great dish to serve; they are easy to make, delicious and take very little time to put together.  We enjoyed a spinach, red onion, red pepper, oregano and parmesan frittata.  Frittatas come together so quickly and are so versatile that you can't miss when you make one.  We enjoyed ours with a cucumber salad and some pumpkin corn muffins.

Eggs are not only delicious, they are a great food to have in your diet.  A protein powerhouse, two eggs contains 12 grams of protein and also provides iron, calcium and vitamin A.  They're so versatile, you can serve them poached, hard cooked, soft boiled, fried, over easy, scrambled, as an omlette, the list goes on.

Frittata

3 eggs

1 C. spinach washed

1/4 of a red onion diced

1/2 of a red pepper large dice

1 t. oregano

2 T. fresh grated parmesan

salt and pepper to taste

2-3 T. olive oil

preheat the oven to 400 degrees F

lightly oil an oven proof pan

saute the red onion and red pepper and set aside

wilt the spinach and set aside

whisk together the eggs

re-oil the pan, turn to medium heat and pour in the eggs

as soon as the bottom of the frittata starts to set turn the heat down to med-low

sprinkle the cooked ingredients on the setting egg

top with oregano salt and pepper

when the bottom appears to be fully set sprinkle frittata with parmesan

remove pan from stove top and place in oven 

bake approximately 10 minutes until frittata is puffy

remove from oven, cut and serve immediately

depending on what else you serve with it this can make 2-4 servings

Eat well, be well