Guilt-Free Chicken Alfredo!

I am SO excited to share this new recipe with all of you! You read right- guilt-free! One of my participants in the nutrition class I teach mentioned she had heard of alfredo sauce made with yogurt. (as we were discussing all the wonderful uses for plain yogurt) What a great idea!
So I did some research, slightly tweaked a recipe from www.runnersworld.com, and came up with a delicious "pasta" meal.  Instead of pasta noodles, I used spaghetti squash (which can be used as a substitute for pasta noodles).  Using spaghetti squash allows you to get extra great nutrients in your meal, while acting as a pasta all at the same time!
Feel free to mix up the veggies to whatever your liking-I used asparagus, Mexican squash, zucchini, mushrooms, and spinach. 
While comparing this recipe to a regular homemade alfredo sauce, the fat and calorie differences are HUGE.  I compared this recipe to an average alfredo sauce, and here is what I came up with: Less than 300 calories/serving and ~5g fat for the yogurt chicken alfredo recipe. 
Average chicken alfredo=1015 calories/serving and 75g fat. Wow!! I'd say that's a big difference, thus making this recipe worth indulging in:-)
Lastly, I used chicken sausage, which serves as a lower-fat substitute to a pork sausage. 
If you make nothing else in this recipe, start with the sauce and make your own meal from there! (Sauce ingredients are bolded)
Hope you enjoy!!

Yogurt Chicken Veggie Alfredo

INGREDIENTS
1 tablespoon butter
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons cornstarch
Couple Pinches of ground nutmeg
3/4 cup low-fat, low-sodium chicken broth
3/4 cup plain Greek yogurt or soy yogurt
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Cajun spice, optional 
1 large spaghetti squash (or brown rice noodles)

3-4 chicken sausage links, cooked and sliced into bite sized rounds

1 zucchini, sliced

1 yellow summer squash, sliced

4 asparagus spears, cut in fourths

1/2 cup sliced mushrooms

3 cups spinach
DIRECTIONS
Cut spaghetti squash in half.  Place face down in glass Pyrex pan.  Add just enough water to cover the bottom of the dish.  Cover with plastic wrap and microwave for 12 minutes. Set aside.

OR

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add brown rice noodles; cook according to package directions.

Saute all veggies in pan with 1 T canola oil until al dente. Set aside.

While spaghetti squash or pasta cooks, melt butter in a large nonstick pan over medium heat. Add garlic and cook two minutes.

Combine cornstarch and nutmeg in a small bowl; whisk in chicken broth until smooth. Pour into saute pan, raise the heat, and bring sauce to a simmer, whisking occasionally.

Remove pan from heat.
Whisk in yogurt until smooth. Add veggies and meat.

Using a spoon, scrape seeds out of the middle of the squash and throw away.  Using a fork, scrape spaghetti squash out of it's shell, & place on plate like noodles.  Add sauce mixture to top. Season with salt and pepper and top pasta with Parmesan cheese and Cajun spice if desired. Serves four.

Yogurt Biscuits with Dill

I'm on a yogurt kick..Tonight I made a creamy mushroom soup & was craving biscuits.  I found a regular yogurt biscuit recipe online (not GF), made some substitutions,and here is what I came up with-My favorite biscuit recipe yet! I haven't found a biscuit recipe I have loved, but I think this one made the cut.  To make a regular, non-gluten free version, substitute 2 cups flour for the sorghum and starch.  Omit the xanthan gum. Enjoy!

Yogurt Biscuits With Dill

INGREDIENTS

1.5 C sorghum flour

1/2 c tapioca starch

1 tsp xanthan gum

pinch of sea salt

1 T baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 cup smart balance (or butter)

1 cup low fat greek yogurt or plain yogurt of choice (soy for dairy free)

1/4 cup dill

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 400.

Mix dry ingredients.  Cut in butter to dry mixture until small crumbles.

Gently stir in yogurt and dill with a spoon.

Place dough on a lightly floured surface and knead 5 times.

Press out dough until it is about 3/4 inch thick.

Cut out biscuits with a glass or biscuit cutter.

Place biscuits on an ungreased baking sheet and bake for ~9-10 minutes, making sure not to overbake.

Makes 10 biscuits.



A Spiced-Up App

...A tasty appetizer.  For sushi night tonight, I made a spiced-up edamame recipe.
This recipe comes from Food and Wine magazine and was enjoyed by all-try it out for a fun new twist!

Chipotle Garlic Edamame



INGREDIENTS

One 14 oz bag frozen edamame in the pods

1 T olive oil

1 tsp chipotle chili powder

1 garlic clove, minced

1/2 tsp ground cumin

Coarse sea salt

black pepper

DIRECTIONS

1. Bring a large saucepan with the bottom 2 inches filled with water to a boil.  Steam the edamame on top of rubber steamer.  (or steam whole bag in microwave according to package directions). Drain and pat dry.

2. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil with the chipotle powder, miced garlic and ground cumin. 
3. Add the edamame pods and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until the garlic is softened, 1 to 2 minutes.  Season the edamame with sea salt and black pepper and transfer to a bowl.  Serve warm or at room temp with soy sauce. (Tamari for a gluten free alternative)

What is edamame?

Edamame is soybeans in pods.  Edamame is a great source of fiber and is a plant-based, complete protein! It's a healthy, inexpensive and low-fat snack to enjoy any time of the day. 

My "go-to" Chicken Recipe

A recent favorite of mine has been this simple, baked chicken (or salmon) with mustard sauce.  It is so easy and full of flavor!

I always have plain yogurt on hand (soy) to use interchangeably with both my cooking and baking.  Plain yogurt is a great fat substitute, can be used to make sweet or savory dips, used in place of sour cream, etc etc. Plus-you'll receive all the great health benefits yogurt has to offer; It's a great source of calcium, protein and healthy bacteria! I would highly recommend always having a container of this great stuff on hand;-)

With that being said, yogurt is used to make a tasty sauce for the chicken in this recipe; it is a great alternative to your average fat & sodium-laden cream of chicken, cream of mushroom, or sour cream that is called for in many creamy sauce recipes.  Enjoy!!!

And I know...two chicken posts back to back...but-more exciting recipes to come soon! (once my life/work schedule slows down a bit:-)

Baked Chicken With Mustard Sauce

INGREDIENTS

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast (or salmon)

1/4 cup white wine

1 tsp garlic powder

 1 tsp onion powder

Mustard Sauce:

1 cup nonfat plain yogurt (I use soy)

3 T grainy mustard

2 tsp honey

2 tsp gluten free soy sauce (tamari)

2 T dill (optional)

Salt and pepper

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350

2. Place chicken in greased baking dish.

3. Sprinkle chicken with garlic, onion, salt and pepper.

4. Mix together the sauce ingredients and pour over the chicken.

5. Bake for ~25 minutes, or until chicken temps out at 165 degrees.

Serve with your favorite greens and roasted carrots.
Serve on top of quinoa or brown rice!

(Above picture from elanaspantry.com)
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