Crispy Chicken Breast, Greek Yogurt "Ranch", & Kale/Beet Salad

Crispy Chicken Breast, Greek Yogurt "Ranch", & Kale/Beet Salad... I had this plan for dinner last night that was going to be super duper healthy, you know boring old plain chicken breasts with salad. But I just couldn't bring myself to practice such cruel treatment to my taste buds so I decided to spice it up a little, at the slight expense of my waistline.

The Chicken:

What you need:
2 Chicken Breasts
2 eggs beaten
A cup or two of bread crumbs (eyeball it)
Salt/pepper/onion powder (to add flavor to your breadcrumbs if they are not already seasoned)

How to:
After tenderizing the chicken, dip each in an egg bath, then dredge in panko - twice. Next, shallow fried them in oil (I use grape seed oil) on high heat for about 2 minutes a side, then finish them in the  oven at 350 for about 25 minutes.

The Ranch (which was inspired by this recipe):

What you need:
1 clove garlic
1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
3 tables spoons fresh dill
2 table spoons Parmesan cheese
6 tablespoons olive oil
Juice from half a lime
salt and pepper to taste

How to:
Add everything (except the olive oil) to a food processor or blender, or do like I did and use your immersion blender! As everything starts to blend, start drizzling in the olive oil to smooth it out. Voila!

The Salad (which was inspired by this post):

What you need:
Kale
Beets (or something else sweet like the link suggests, pomegranate)
1/3 Cup Olive oil
1/2 Cup White Balsamic Vinegar
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard (I used a grainy mustard)
1 1/2 teaspoon agave (or honey or something similar)
1 teaspoon sriracha
Juice from half a lime

How to:
I trust you can all whisk the above ingredients together and toss it with the kale and beets right??

Tofu, Bok Choy, & Shrimp/Avocado Handrolls

Tofu, Bok Choy, & Shrimp/Avocado Handrolls... This was supposed to be world's most boring dinner of tofu & bok choy but as the impending meal was upon me I just couldn't even think about choking it down and feeling satisfied. I'm on a super low calorie kick right now, continuing in theory through May, but we'll see how that one goes. So when I started to think about what other things I could eat that would fill me up, be fun to make, and also be pretty low from a caloric intake standpoint - these handrolls came to mind. I stopped by Whole Foods on my way home and grabbed:

1 package organic nori
6 fresh shrimp
1 bunch cilantro
1 avocado
1 package Persian cucumbers

They were pretty easy to make and pretty darn good. I started by marinating the shrimp in some lemon juice while I sliced the cukes into long thin strands of crunchiness. I quickly grilled the shrimp, just a minute or two on each side, then got to building my rolls.

The first one I tried with a full sheet of nori but it ended up being quite large and the finished role had to be cut in half...  so for the other two I started by cutting the nori sheet in half first. I laid the nori out on a cutting board, then pilled on some cucumbers slices, 2 shrimp, a few sprigs of cilantro, and some hunks of avocado - then gave it a quick roll and VOILA!

I dipped them in a little mix of soy sauce and sriracha after sprinkling them with a few sesame seeds and called it a night. Simple as that.

For the tofu, I lightly crisped the cubes I'd cut in grape-seed oil and grilled my bok choy over the stove top in my grill pan. This whole meal took like 15 minutes (mainly for the chopping) and felt very well rounded.

Now that I've been so good all week I think I deserve to indulge in some Dahliciousness this week - right???

March Food Roundup

March Food Roundup... Forgive me readers for I have sinned, it's been 28 days since my last post. I have been traveling almost every weekend and gobbling down Dahlicious things along the way. In between those travels I've been in the kitchen whipping up a few new things and few oldies that I'd like to share today, so get ready to feast your eyes....

March 14 - Laguna Beach California

A 10 day trip back home for work, fam time, and beach time!!! Also to nosh on my favorites...

Lunchtime Bowls at Active Culture

LB Rice Bowl which consists of Organic brown rice, prosciutto, goat’s milk cheese, apples, citrus, dates, basil.

Bountiful Bowl which consists of Greek yogurt, organic açaí, organic granola, flaxseeds, bananas, blueberries, strawberries, raw and organic agave nectar

Afternoon Tacos at Taco Loco

This was THE high school spot to stop at on the side of PCH to sit on a bar stool on the sidewalk and inhale a few tacos. They are the best.

Brunch at Anastasia

My favorite breakfast in California is the Eggs Ana 

March 16/17/18/19/23/24 - Back Home in Chi Town

Homemade Souped up Chicken & Salad

On the Menu that night was prosciutto wrapped chicken with a big arugula, roasted cherry tomato and burrtata salad. 

Carryout Ramen from Sushi Dokku

Is it just Chicago or is Ramen THE dish of 2015 everywhere? I cannot get enough, the more I eat it the more I crave it. Luckily we have a few really great options nearby including my FAV Sushi spot in Chi town which happens to be very close to our abode

Slow Cooker BBQ Ribs, Sweet Potato Fries & Brussels

I think it's pretty clear why this dinner is a fan favorite in our house. The slow cooker is so easy to make fall off the bone perfect ribs, and oven roasted thin slices of sweet potato adds a nice little crunchy but healthful side.

Slow Cooker Chicken Tikka Masala with zucchini over Cauliflower Rice topped with Crispy Chickpeas

That was a mouthful! And super Dahlicious, yet simple. I let a few chicken breasts shred away in the slow cooker with a jar of tikka masala sauce and served it over cauli rice (which I chopped up in my vitamix and then roasted lightly in the oven). The zucchini was sauteed with a little oil, salt and pepper, and the crispy chick peas were roasted in the oven at 425 for about 20 minutes until golden and...well, crispy! I rinsed and drained a can of them then drizzled with olive oil, salt and pepper and voila. So easy and such a nice addition (PS the idea came from Dinner a Love Story although she actually pan fries them).

Homemade Ground Beef Enchiladas

I'll admit straight up these were only OKAY. I wasn't really sure how to go about them (fry or not fry the tortillas first) and I think the big issue here was that I tried to be fancy and use these whole wheat tortillas from Whole Foods and it was just odd. So again they were OK but I'll modify next time.

Spinach Ravioli with Salmon & Spinach in Vodka Sauce

This was really a meal I assembled as opposed to made. I did roast the salmon and boil the pasta but otherwise it was pretty much a big toss. Voila!

March 29 - NYC Eats

I flew to Manhattan last weekend on a whim to visit some girlfriends and breath in the most electric city I know. It was a quick 36 hours in and out but well worth it, even just for THIS meal. I don't know about you guys but I follow like 58 million food instagram accounts (which means I am constantly drooling and constantly remembering places I need to try). So when we were looking for a spot to carbo load on Saturday for a lunch I knew the spot high on my list, as documented on many NYC food insta accounts as being delectable... enter Rubirosa in Nolita.  We had a pretty solid order for 3 people consisting of: a simple arugula salad, a bowl of spaghetti carbonara, the Tie Die pizza (vodka sauce & pesto & fresh mozz), and their brunch pizza topped with bacon and yolky eggs. Please do yourself a favor and go next time you're there.

I came back from NY feeling like an elephant and have been trying to be good this week, which didn't work out well on Monday when I decided not to work out and grab a burger instead. OOPS! 

We are headed to ATL this weekend and I have about 5 reservations tomorrow night because I cannot make up my mind!! Of course I've been on a bender all week stalking ATL food insta accounts.... here are a few I screen shotted because I couldn't help myself. Enjoy these Dahlicious mouthwatering pics yall!!

Healthful Dinner Go-To's

Healthful Dinner Go- To's... Do you have a list of a few go to meals that you can always turn to when you know you'll be crunched for time or you know you just have to put something healthful and palatable down your throat to keep yourself alive? I have a bunch of those, they aren't exciting but they work. They're sort of meals I can do on auto pilot, they involve some chopping, some sauteing or in the best case scenario they just involve roasting in the oven. But they don't include lots of measuring or 25 ingredients, and they certainly don't involve more than 30-40 minutes.

For better or worse 2015 has flown by - with hectic work schedules and tons of trips (both planned and last minute) the roomie and I are like ships crossing in the night and I often find myself Mondays-Thursdays cooking meals for one - fitting it into that sweet little time slot of post work out pre Bachelor or post workout pre late night work call. There are some nights when I wish I was one of those people who was totally fine to scramble up some eggs for dinner but I just can't get through the night without a proper meal - it's something I crave.

So between trips back the West Coast for dual purposes (work & family time) as well as a Tropical Vaca to the Dominican Republic I've been using a lot of these "go-to" meals for the days in between when I'm home. Here are some of my top favs:

Grilled Filet Mignon with Veggies (featured here fresh corn off the cob & sauteed kale)

Roasted Chicken & Roasted Veggies (featured here crispy cauliflower & brussel sprouts)

Chicken in the oven at 425 for 30-40 min & veggies in for about 20 min same temp

World's Easiest Tortilla-less Tortilla Soup

Baked Salmon & Roasted Veggies (featured here cauliflower & asparagus)

Everything in the oven at 425 for about 20 min - maybe 15 for the asparagus depending on thickness

Tofu Stir Fry - 2 versions

Featured here grilled tofu with sauteed asparagus & red bell peppers with homemade soy/lime/sriracha/cilantro sauce

Featured here crispy sauteed tofu with broccoli and butternut squash

Then to be a little less glamorous I'll show you the terrible decadent things I've been indulging in on trips and weekends - which are the major force behind needing to eat protein and veggies during the week. And it doesn't even include the Portillo's Italian Beef and the Soho House Sunday Feast... oops!

Dominican Surf n Turf

Salad, Grilled Chicken, Paella, Red Beans... vacation lunch - why not?

Wishbone take out - Roasted Turkey, Mashed Sweet Potatoes, Vinegar Cole Slaw, Collard Greens

Soho brunch - Porchetta Eggs Benny and Ricotta Blueberry Pancakes

Lou's thin crust with plenty of ranch for dippin... and some salad