Chicken with Fresh Cherry Salsa

Last Year's Post: Farro, Kale & Smoked Mozzarella Salad
Two Years Ago:  Strawberry-Basil Lemonade

Who doesn't love cherries?  I was happy to see them back in the grocery stores (the season lasts from May to August) and immediately bought a big bag.

They're great for snacking, of course, but I wanted to find a new and different use for some of them beyond the normal ice cream topping or coffee cake.  This recipe for Chicken with Fresh Cherry Salsa was really delicious, fast, easy and healthy which rates as a total winner in my book.  If you don't happen to own a cherry pitter (the mark of a true cherry lover) you can cut the cherries in half and take out the pit like an avocado, or you could simply cut the cherry flesh off each of the four sides leaving just the pit and stem.

After that, all you have to do in combine the salsa ingredients and cook the chicken however you want - the recipe calls for a quick pan saute but you could also grill or broil the chicken.  Serve with rice pilaf tossed with some toasted pecans and green onions for an impressive dinner any night of the week.

If you're interested in a salad recipe using cherries, check out wild rice salad with fresh cherries.

printable recipe

Chicken with Fresh Cherry Salsa

Serves 4

Note:  the chicken and cherry salsa is excellent served with rice pilaf tossed with toasted pecans and green onions.

1 pound fresh cherries, pitted and roughly chopped

½ cup minced red onion

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

2 teaspoons honey

¼ teaspoon salt

2 large chicken breasts, cut horizontally into 4 cutlets

1 tablespoon olive oil

Salt and pepper

Combine cherries, red onion, lemon juice, basil, balsamic vinegar, honey and salt in a bowl.  Set aside.

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat; add the olive oil.  Season the chicken cutlets with salt and pepper, then sauté in the skillet for 3-4 minutes on the first side until lightly golden.  Flip, reduce heat to medium, cover and cook on the second side until cooked through, approximately 3 minutes.  Remove from the pan and let rest for a minute or two.

Serve chicken cutlets with salsa spooned over the top.

Balsamic Vinegar Chicken with Almond Peppers

Last year's post:Broccoli, Cabbage and Brussels Sprout Salad with Dijon Vinaigrette

There are two things I need to tell you right off the bat.  First, this recipe is adapted from a Cooking Light recipe, so you know it's healthy.  Second, the recipe is part of their Five Star collection, which means it receives the highest possible rating from reviewers.  You would never guess that it's a Cooking Light recipe from the presentation and taste, but it'll certainly help you keep on track for a healthy 2013.

Almond peppers is a dish that's common in Italy featuring the interesting combination of vinegar, raisins and almonds in addition to the peppers for a sweet-and-sour, crunchy and flavorful dish.  In this recipe it's paired with a crispy Parmesan-breaded chicken cutlet for a delicious dinner.  I like to serve it with brown rice to continue the healthy theme.

So what's a chicken cutlet as opposed to a chicken breast?  It's simply a thinner piece of chicken breast.  You can sometimes find chicken cutlets in the poultry section, or it's easy to make your own by taking a large chicken breast and cutting it in half horizontally.  Chicken breasts are so big these days that a chicken cutlet is plenty to eat and it cooks faster and more evenly than a thick breast.

Eight years ago I resolved to change my lifestyle and become more healthy.  I knew I had to change my eating habits but I also didn't want to deprive myself of delicious, interesting foods.  My goal for the last eight years has been to find great recipes that also fit into a healthy lifestyle. That's how I found this recipe, which remains one of my favorites.

I'm happy to tell you that I lost weight and continue to lead a healthy lifestyle today.  Even better, I learned to crave fresh fruits and vegetables along the way!  If I have to change my usual dietary habits due to a trip, for example, I can hardly wait to get back home and eat my fruits and veggies.  Sick, but true.

click here for a printable recipe

Balsamic Vinegar Chicken with Almond Peppers

Serves 4

1large sweet red pepper

1 large sweet green pepper

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/3 cup raisins

¼ cup balsamic vinegar

1 ½ teaspoons sugar

¼ teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon pepper

¼ cup slivered almonds, toasted

4 chicken cutlets or two large chicken breasts, cut in half horizontally

3 tablespoons fine dry breadcrumbs

3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese (or shredded Parmesan, chopped)

¼ cup all-purpose flour

2 egg whites, lightly beaten

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

2 tablespoons water

Core and seed peppers; cut into 2 ½ x 1” strips.  Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat.  Add pepper strips; sauté 8 minutes.  Add raisins; sauté 1 minute.  Add ¼ cup vinegar and next 3 ingredients; cook 1 minute.  Remove from heat; stir in almonds.  Set aside and keep warm.

Combine breadcrumbs and cheese in a shallow dish.  Place flour in a shallow dish.  Dredge each piec of chicken in flour, dip in egg whites, and dredge in breadcrumb mixture.

Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add chicken and cook 3 minutes on each side or until golden and done.  Remove from the pan and keep warm.

Add two tablespoons vinegar and water to the skillet the chicken was cooked in, stirring with a wooden spoon to deglaze.  To serve, spoon sauce over chicken and pepper mixture.

Salmon with Balsamic Sauce

We recently returned from a weekend in NYC that was very fun.  Each day The Lawyer went to the U. S. Open Tennis Tournament with a buddy and I did the museum thing.  One observation:  Central Park is wider than it appears on a map.  If you optimistically decide to walk from your hotel on the east side through the park to a museum on the west side, then walk around the museum for a few hours and walk back, you will be in need of an adult beverage by the time you stagger into your hotel.  That is, unless you're flattened by a crazed bicyclist in the park who ignores all traffic signs, electronic and otherwise.  Of course we ate way too much of the stuff you're not supposed to eat much of at all. We found a fabulous french bistro/bakery three blocks from our hotel and ate breakfast there twice, plus dinner at Bobby Flay's Mesa Grill one night and our favorite Italian restaurant, Vice Versa, another night.  And of course bagels. Yikes.

Whenever I've been "overfed" for a prolonged period, I start to crave healthy, high fiber foods.  I guess that's good news!  This recipe is a great example.  Salmon is a sustainable fish that is very good for you.  Two of the vegetables are minimally cooked and the other is raw.  You could always substitute different vegetables if you don't happen to care for one or the other, but I thought the radishes were an interesting touch.  I could hardly wait to make this meal when we got back from New York. 


**click here for a printable recipe version**

Salmon with Balsamic Sauce

Serves 4

Sauce:

¾ cup balsamic vinegar

2 tablespoons maple syrup

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1 clove of garlic, minced

Salmon:

Four 6-ounce salmon fillets, skinned

1 tablespoon olive oil

Salt and pepper

Vegetables:

1 tablespoon margarine or butter

2 shallots, finely chopped

Salt and pepper

1 clove of garlic, minced

1 fennel bulb, fronds removed, cored and thinly sliced

6 ounces thin green beans

Four radishes, sliced

Hot cooked couscous or rice

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. 

In a small saucepan, combine the sauce ingredients and bring to a boil over medium heat.  Reduce to a simmer and cook until thick, about 12 minutes.  Set aside to cool for 5 minutes.

Line a small baking sheet with foil or parchment.  Place the salmon on the sheet and brush with olive oil.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Roast until the salmon is almost cooked through, 8 – 10 minutes.  Set aside to cool for 10 minutes.

Heat a large pan of water to boiling and par-boil the beans for a minute or two to set the color.  Immediately drain the beans and place them in a bowl of ice water to stop cooking.  Drain again and pat dry with a paper towel.  In a medium skillet, heat the margarine over medium-high heat and sauté the sliced fennel for a minute or two, then add the beans and garlic and sauté for an additional two minutes.

To serve:  place couscous or rice on each plate.  Top with the vegetable mixture, the uncooked radishes, and a salmon fillet.  Drizzle the salmon with balsamic sauce.