Wild Mushroom & Wild Rice Chicken Soup

Last Year's Post: Very Lemon Chicken and Fruited Couscous

It's Still Soup Weather
I saw a picture for a wild rice chicken soup recipe a while back that intrigued me because it was broth based, not cream based.  I like cream soups as much as anyone but they're not the healthiest option, so I used that recipe as inspiration for creating my own.  The challenge I gave myself was to create a deeply flavorful, earthy and nutty soup minus the cream that is substantial and satisfying enough for dinner with some French bread.  After discussions with The Lawyer and a co-worker (thank you Nancy P!) I decided the key ingredients would be wild mushrooms, wild rice, fresh thyme, leek, shredded chicken, and a combination of chicken and beef broth.  The beef broth turned out to be key because it darkens the color and adds richness to the flavor of the soup.  No pale broth here!

I was really pleased with the results.  The soup is healthy yet very satisfying, and it was the perfect solution for Sunday dinner when we had gone out to a fancy restaurant the night before for a birthday celebration and over-indulged.

The original recipe was featured in an article on different ways to use rotisserie chicken, which is why the chicken was precooked and shredded as opposed to being cooked in the soup.  I liked the concept of shredded versus cubed chicken, plus it makes the soup really fast to prepare.  You can buy a rotisserie chicken or roast a chicken breast in advance.  The salad bar at my local store carries shredded roast chicken which was the easiest option of all.

The other advance prep work is to cook the wild rice.  After those two steps, the soup only takes about 30 minutes to prepare.  (I thought about cooking the wild rice in the broth itself, but was concerned that it would turn into wild rice broth and become overwhelming.)

I decided to use a combination of cremini and shiitake mushrooms, but you could also add portobellos if you like.  I read somewhere that you're supposed to scrape out the dark gills on portobellos so they don't turn your broth muddy, and that seemed like too much work.

It really does seem like a lot of mushrooms, especially after they're sliced, but they do shrink a lot when they cook and they are a key ingredient.

I always use low-sodium products including the chicken and beef broth here, so I ended up adding a teaspoon of salt to the broth.  Different packages of broth vary widely in their sodium levels, so be sure to check the label so you have a general idea before adding any salt to the recipe at all.  Always taste and adjust seasonings in small increments.

I really hope you try this recipe, because I'm pretty proud of it.  Dorky, but true.

click here for a printable recipe

Wild Mushroom & Wild Rice Chicken Soup

Serves 6

¾ cup uncooked wild rice

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 tablespoons butter

16 oz baby bella (cremini) mushrooms

3.5 oz shiitake mushrooms

1 leek, white and light green parts cleaned and thinly sliced

Salt

¼ cup Madeira or Marsala

4 cups low-sodium chicken broth

4 cups low-sodium beef broth

Pinch garlic powder

¼ teaspoon pepper

½ -1 teaspoon salt (start with the lower amount and adjust to taste)

1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme leaves

1 tablespoon chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves

2 cups roast chicken, shredded

Snipped chives (optional)

Rinse the wild rice thoroughly and place in a medium saucepan with 4 cups of water.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 45 minutes.  Drain and set aside. 

Clean the mushrooms and remove stems, then slice thinly.  Heat oil and butter in a soup pot over medium heat.  Add the mushrooms and stir to coat.  Cook 2 minutes, then add the leeks and sprinkle the vegetables lightly with salt. Cook and stir 3 minutes, until vegetables begin to soften.  Reduce heat to medium-low, and let vegetables sweat 5 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms darken and their juices have cooked off.  Add the Madeira and cook until evaporated, scraping up any browned bits on the bottom of the skillet. 

Add the beef stock and chicken stock to the saucepan.  Add garlic powder, pepper, ½ teaspoon salt and herbs and stir.  Increase heat to medium-high and bring to a gentle boil.  Add rice and chicken; stir and heat through.  Adjust salt and pepper to taste.

Serve garnished with snipped chives (optional).

Linguini alla Puttanesca

Last Year's Post:Chocolate Turnovers

Whoa.  This recipe probably should be rated "R" for Adult Content. It may look innocent but it's not.  Puttanesca (poo-tah-nes-kah) actually comes from the Italian word for harlot, if that tells you anything. If you're one of those people who thinks ketchup is a spice you probably should stop right here and check out last year's post instead at the link above this paragraph (chocolate turnovers, yum).  But if you like big, bold flavors and a little spice in your life, this one's for you.  This dish makes you sit up straight and pay attention - just the thing to shake you out of the mid-winter doldrums.

The big, bold flavors come from garlic, olives, capers and anchovy paste.  Anchovy paste?  Yup.  Don't be afraid, the sauce doesn't taste fishy but the anchovies add a pungent note.  No one will even know they are there.  Still, opening a can of oily little fish can be relatively disgusting so anchovy paste is a much better solution.  You'll find it next to the canned anchovies in the grocery aisle.

You will smell anchovies when you first put the paste into the pan, but don't panic.  The smell goes away as soon as you put the tomatoes in 30 seconds later.  Just don't let any timid family members into the kitchen during that phase.

The spiciness in the recipe comes from crushed red pepper flakes.  1/4 teaspoon might not seem like much, but all I can tell you is that my lips were tingling for five minutes after I was done eating (The Lawyer was measuring things at this point while I was still chopping, and I suspect his 1/4 teaspoon was on the heaping side).  It's not hot enough to make you sweat - if you're one of those strange people who actually like to sweat while you eat you could always add more red pepper.  But I usually like to make a recipe according to the directions before I start messing with it.  My perception of how hot something is will not be the same as yours.  One last thought about chopping - there's a fair amount involved in this recipe so if you're making it by yourself I suggest doing the prep work before you actually start cooking.  It'll make things simpler.

A few teaspoons of sun-dried tomatoes add depth of flavor to the sauce in addition to turning it a darker, more beautiful red.

When you add the olives, capers and herbs the sauce gets even prettier.

This is a meatless meal, but you'll never miss the meat.  I like to go meatless for dinner once or twice per week, especially if I had some sort of meat at lunch. The trick is to make the flavors interesting enough that you don't miss the protein.  Trust me that this meal fits the bill.  Serve it with fresh crusty bread and a glass of wine, and you're good to go.

click here for a printable recipe

Linguini alla Puttanesca

serves 6-8

1 lb dry linguini

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon fresh minced garlic

1 teaspoon anchovy paste

¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

2 (14.5 oz) cans diced tomatoes with juice

2 tablespoons oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, minced

1 tablespoon brown sugar

2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar

¼ cup pitted Kalamata olives, slivered

3 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano

3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

2 tablespoons capers, drained

¼ teaspoon salt

Freshly grated Parmesan cheese (optional)

For the pasta, bring a large pot of water (salted if you prefer) to a boil over high heat. 

Meanwhile, heat a large sauté pan over medium heat.  Add the olive oil, garlic, anchovy paste and red pepper flakes.  Stir, cooking for 30 seconds.  Add the tomatoes, sun-dried tomatoes, brown sugar, and vinegar; stir to combine.  Simmer sauce until slightly reduced, 10-15 minutes.  

Meanwhile, add linguini to the boiling water and stir.  Cook pasta as directed on the package.  Before draining, remove ¼ cup cooking liquid to thin the sauce if it looks too thick.

Finish the sauce by stirring in the olives, herbs, capers and salt.  Thin with pasta water if the sauce seems too thick.  Transfer the sauce and pasta to a large bowl and toss until the pasta is evenly coated with sauce.

Serve with freshly grated Parmesan cheese, if desired.

Banh Mi

Last year's post:  Special Dinner - Chicken Gruyere and Fig in Puff Pastry

This is an installment in my "famous sandwiches of the world" occasional and erratic series.  Banh Mi (banh mee) is a famous Vietnamese sandwich with distinct French influence.  I'm a Banh Mi fanatic and search it out at restaurants wherever I go, so I've had plenty of experience with great and less-than-great examples.  At its best, it's a sublime combination of flavors and textures.  It's deceptive because the assembled sandwich seems pretty simple, but it's the quality, preparation (and proportions) of the individual ingredients that makes all the difference.

The essential ingredients of a Banh Mi sandwich are as follow:  a light, crisp french roll or baguette, mayonnaise, meat (char siu pork is common), pickled carrots and daikon radish, cucumber, cilantro, and jalapeno.  Some traditional Banh Mi also include pate but I decided against it to make the sandwich lighter and because a lot of people don't like pate. Banh Mi can also be made with roast pork, chicken, or even tofu if you so desire.  The reason why I like Banh Mi so much is the interplay of flavors and textures - crisp bread, creamy mayo, rich meat, crunchy tart vegetables, and the warmth of the jalapenos.  Interestingly, the jalapenos don't taste very hot at all even though they're raw - I think it's partially because they're seeded and partially because of all the other ingredients.  You can spice it up further by adding some Sriracha sauce, one of the uber-trendy ingredients you see in restaurants these days.  Sriracha is a hot chili sauce from Thailand that's closely associated with Vietnamese foods, and readily available in the Asian aisle of your grocery store.  I like to serve it on the table so each person can add it to their liking.

Daikon radish is the other unusual ingredient - a very large, white Asian radish that can be found in most grocery stores.  It resembles a giant carrot in shape.  Because they're so big, I bought one that was just a partial and it was plenty.  It's crunchy but very mild compared to regular radishes.  The taste somewhat reminds me of jicama, if that's at all helpful.

Since we had invited friends for dinner and they had never had Banh Mi sandwiches before, I decided to go all out and even made homemade mayonnaise.

You certainly don't have to do that, but I included a recipe here in case you want to (it's actually very easy).  I made char siu pork a day in advance in a slow cooker, then brought it to room temperature over very low heat the next day.  (Be sure to drain the meat for a moment before adding it to the sandwich or you'll end up with a pretty messy sandwich.)

Finally, I made the carrot and daikon pickles an hour in advance and sliced the fresh ingredients. That's what makes Banh Mi so great for entertaining - all the ingredients can be made in advance and the sandwich is served at room temperature.

A note about the bread - Vietnamese baguette is light and crisp, not chewy or rustic.  If you don't have a local Vietnamese bakery you can use any petite or regular baguette you find that doesn't have a hard crust and isn't heavy.  And about the meat - Banh Mi sandwiches usually contain meat with relatively strong flavor as a balance to the vegetables, but you can use any leftover meat you want.  As I mentioned, I chose to make Char Siu Pork but I think roast pork or shredded Char Siu Chicken (which I posted previously) would also be excellent. Finally, proportions are important - go lighter on the meat and heavier on the veggies than in a normal sandwich - no more than 50% meat compared to the vegetables.

click here for a printable recipe

Banh Mi

serves 4

½ cup rice vinegar

¼ cup water

¼ cup white sugar

1 large carrot, cut into thin matchsticks

1/3 daikon radish, cut into thin matchsticks

4 petit baguette rolls or a long baguette, cut into four  pieces (the bread should be light and crisp, not chewy or rustic)
Mayonnaise (good quality purchased or homemade*)
Your choice of Char Siu Pork*, roast pork, cooked chicken, or tofu, sliced and at room temperature
½ English cucumber, thinly sliced

4 sprigs fresh cilantro leaves
1-2 jalapenos, seeded and cut into thin rings

Sriracha sauce

Place rice vinegar, water and sugar into a saucepan over medium heat, bring to a boil, and stir until the sugar has dissolved, about 1 minute.  Allow the mixture to cool. Pour the cooled vinegar mixture over the carrot and radish in a bowl, and allow to stand for at least 30 minutes.  Drain after the vegetables have marinated.

Slit the bread lengthwise, and then use your fingers or a bread knife to hollow out the insides, making a trough in both halves. Generously spread the inside with mayonnaise. Layer in the cucumber slices, meat, carrot and radish, cilantro leaves, and jalapeno rings.  Note: go sparingly on the meat; the vegetables should be 50% or more of the filling.

Serve with Sriracha sauce to be added to the sandwich by each diner as desired.

* See recipes at the links above in the blog post

Lobster with Pasta and White Wine-Butter Sauce

Last Year's Post: Tuxedo Strawberries

Time for a special dinner - Valentine's Day is coming up!  I think nothing is more romantic or special than an elegant and intimate dinner for two that you took the time and effort to prepare yourself.  And when I think about a special dinner, I usually think of lobster.  That good news is that although lobster is expensive in a nice restaurant, it's affordable when you prepare it at home.  You don't even need to buy really big lobster tails for this dish (although you certainly could if you wanted) because the lobster meat is combined with pasta and a delicious white wine-butter sauce.  A small-ish lobster tail per person is plenty (that's what I used in the picture above) and is often on sale at your local store around New Year's Eve and Valentine's Day for a very reasonable price.  I bought two 8-ounce tails for $8.99 each.  Including the rest of the ingredients, a loaf of french bread, and a very nice bottle of wine, I spent about $50 for this meal.  Think about what a bottle of wine and two lobster dinners would cost at a restaurant!

I've always liked the idea of lobster with pasta and spent many years searching for a great recipe.  I noticed that most lobster pasta recipes have either a heavy tomato sauce or a heavy cream sauce.  Either way, they tend to smother the lobster.  What's the point if you can't taste the lobster?    Plus, I love the taste of lobster and butter, so I knew I found the perfect recipe when I found this one and switched out olive oil for butter instead.  The sauce is light but very flavorful, and complements the lobster flavor rather than smothering it. The arugula adds a bit of color and flavor as well. The net result is truly a restaurant-quality dish.  As if that wasn't enough, it's really easy to make and isn't as messy as most lobster recipes because you simply take the raw meat out of the shell and saute it in the sauce.


Butter, wine, garlic, a little tomato puree, and lobster...yum yum

It's also easier to eat lobster this way rather than trying to get it out of a shell after it's cooked.  The Lawyer and I enjoy cooking together and we had fun preparing this meal, which is a great idea if you and your partner both like to cook.  (Not so great if you don't.)


Because the sauce isn't thick and heavy, it's important to add the cooked pasta to the sauce and toss it over the heat for a couple of minutes to allow the sauce to thoroughly coat the pasta and infuse it with flavor.  The entire meal only takes about a half hour to prepare.  Set a pretty table with some candles and flowers and you're all set!

click here for a printable recipe

Lobster with Pasta and White Wine-Butter Sauce

serves 2

2 small to medium lobster tails (7-10 ounces each), thawed

2 garlic cloves, minced
3 tablespoons butter
½ cup white wine
2 tablespoons tomato puree
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
6 ounces uncooked spaghetti (slightly less than half of a 1 lb package)
1 cup fresh arugula or baby spinach, coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon grated lemon peel
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Using a sturdy scissors, cut down the middle of the lobster shells without cutting into the meat.  Pull the shells open and carefully remove the meat.  Cut into 1 inch pieces and set aside.

In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium-low heat.  Sauté the garlic in the butter for 1 minute, watching so the butter doesn’t brown.  Add the wine, tomato puree, salt and pepper.  Bring to a simmer over medium heat, then add the lobster and lower the heat to maintain a low simmer uncovered for 5-6 minutes or until the lobster is firm and opaque.

Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package directions.  Drain the pasta; add to the lobster mixture and toss to coat.  Stir in the arugula, lemon juice and peel; cook for 1-2 minutes or until the arugula is wilted.  Serve immediately.

Italian Sausage and Wild Mushroom Risotto

Last year's post: Lemon Chicken and Fennel Pot Pies

I struggled with this post.  Not because the risotto isn't delicious - it definitely is - but because it isn't the prettiest dish I've ever photographed.  Take it as testament to the wonderful taste that I decided to post it anyway.  I published a spring risotto recipe last spring that contained asparagus, peas, pesto and turkey.  (If you're interested you can see the recipe here .)  This risotto is entirely different and definitely a winter dish with its warm and earthy flavors of Italian sausage and wild mushrooms - perfect for a cold and blustery day.  It reheats beautifully so you can make it in advance if you don't want to make it when you get home after a long day.

Risotto (basically a creamy rice dish) isn't at all hard to make, it just requires a fair amount of stirring while you slowly add the hot chicken stock to the rice.  I actually find all that stirring kind of soothing, but then I also like to chop things by hand.  (Anything other than sitting in an office staring at a computer seems sort of refreshing to me.) 

I used half hot and half sweet Italian sausage, but you could use all hot or all sweet depending on how spicy you like your food.  Allowing the sausage to brown and develope a little crust greatly adds to the flavor.

I also used half shiitake and half cremini mushrooms, but you could use other mushrooms although button (white) mushrooms won't give you the same deep earthy flavor.  Portobello mushrooms would be a better substitute.

Although I usually make a point of saying that you can change and substitute ingredients however you want, don't substitute a different kind of rice in this recipe.  Arborio rice has a higher starch content than most rices, which creates the creamy sauce that's the hallmark of risotto when you stir it with hot broth.

It was my own idea to add spinach to the risotto, both for color and because I like to add nutrients to a dish whenever possible.  I was tempted to add some roasted red bell peppers for additional color, but I was concerned they might mask the flavor of the Madeira wine.  Basically I just need to accept the fact that this is a fabulous dish that happens to be primarily brownish, and move on with life.  Try it, and I promise you won't be disappointed!

click here for a printable recipe

Italian Sausage and Mushroom Risotto

serves 4

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 pound Italian turkey sausage (sweet, hot, or a mix), removed from casings
8 oz shiitake mushrooms, cleaned and stems removed, sliced
8 oz cremini mushrooms, cleaned and stems trimmed, sliced
1 teaspoon chopped fresh oregano
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
1 ½ cups Madeira, divided
6 cups low-sodium chicken stock
½ cup (1 stick) butter
1 large onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups Arborio rice
3 cups fresh chopped spinach
½ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add the sausage and break up with edge of a wooden spoon.  Allow to brown without stirring for a few minutes, then stir and break up more (if necessary) and allow to brown again.  Add the mushrooms, thyme, and oregano and cook until the mushrooms are tender, about 10 minutes.  Add ½ cup of the Madeira and scrape to deglaze the pan, about 1 minute.  Set aside.

Heat chicken stock in a large saucepan until steaming, then keep warm over low heat.

Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium-high heat.  Add onion and garlic and cook until onion is translucent, about 5 minutes.  Add the rice; stir 2 minutes.  Add the remaining  1 cup Madeira.  Cook, stirring constantly until the Madeira has been absorbed, about 2 minutes.  Ladle in a little hot stock, just enough to barely cover the rice; simmer until almost absorbed, stirring often, about 3 minutes.  Continue to cook until rice is just tender and mixture is creamy, adding more stock by ladlefuls, stirring often and allowing most stock to be absorbed before adding more, until rice is tender but still firm to the bite, about 20-25 minutes.  Stir in the spinach and allow to wilt for a minute or two.

Stir in the sausage mixture.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.  Serve, sprinkled with cheese.

Rosemary-Lemon Grilled Ahi with Pearl Couscous

Last year's recipe:Salmon with Pumpkin-Seed Cilantro Pesto

Continuing a Healthy 2013
Tuna is a wonderful low-fat high-protein source of Omega-3 essential fatty acids as well as selenium, magnesium, potassium and vitamin B complex.  The Omega-3's alone are associated with eye health, cardiovascular health, cognitive ability and cancer prevention.    Together with the pearl couscous loaded with veggies it's a meal in the Mediterranean-style diet that fits right in with your healthy resolutions.

I always like to try new ingredients and pearl (also called Israeli) couscous is the one for today.  Pearl couscous is larger than regular couscous but they're both wheat-based pastas.  My store carried two varieties - a plain wheat version with brown-ish couscous pearls, and a tri-color version where color is added via spinach powder and paprika extract.  I always think colorful food looks better so I chose the tri-color version.

Pearl couscous has an entirely different taste and texture than regular couscous.  A few people I know don't like couscous because they think the small grains taste gritty.  If you're one of those people, you might like pearl couscous as an alternative.  If you can't find pearl couscous you could always substitute regular couscous or rice in this recipe.

OK, enough of couscous.  The other interesting part of this recipe is the technique used to make the lemon olive oil basting sauce.  The lemons are broiled (aka torched) in the oven until very soft, then the pulp and the juice are mashed through a strainer.

The resulting flavor is different than fresh juice - I think it tastes more mellow, although still very lemony. The lemon olive oil is used to baste the tuna as well as a finishing sauce for the dish.

One thought about tuna - I always used to order it cooked medium-well in restaurants until a friend who is a fisherman from Maine begged me to stop ordering it that way.  He claimed that good quality tuna should never be eaten any more cooked than medium-rare or it gets dry and tough.  I followed his advice and never regretted it.  Now I always have tuna cooked medium-rare and it retains wonderful flavor, texture and moisture. If grilling isn't an option in your locale at this time of the year, you could certainly grill the tuna indoors or broil or pan-sear it.

Don't be scared by the length of this recipe - the lemon olive oil is made ahead and the couscous is served at room temperature so it can be made ahead also.  If you make it the day before you plan to serve it, I'd store the salad dressing and tomatoes separate from the couscous and toss the whole thing together at the last minute to maintain freshness.  Then all you have to do the night you serve it is grill the tuna, which takes just a few minutes.  You can also serve the tuna at room temperature so the whole meal is ideal for entertaining.  The couscous would also make a wonderful main dish salad with the addition of any leftover meat you have on hand so be sure to make extra.   Great salad for work the next day, even without meat.

P.S.  We had some leftovers, so I cut up the tuna and tossed it with the couscous,leftover sauce, and and a few more greens for a cold salad a few nights later served with french bread.  It was just as good as the first preparation.

click here for a printable recipe

Rosemary-Lemon Grilled Ahi with Pearl Couscous

Serves 4

For the lemon olive oil and ahi:

6 lemons, cut in half

salt and pepper

2 teaspoons minced garlic

2/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1/3 cup fresh rosemary leaves, chopped

4 center-cut ahi tuna steaks, about 5 oz each

For the salad dressing:

1/3 cup olive oil

1 small shallot, minced

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 teaspoon lemon zest

2 tablespoons white wine vinegar

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon pepper

½ teaspoon dried Italian seasoning

For the pearl couscous:

1 ¼ cups chicken broth

1 cup pearl (Israeli) couscous

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/3 cup pitted Kalamata olives, chopped

½ zucchini, coarsely chopped

1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes, cut in half or quarter depending on size

¼ cup chopped flat-leaf parsley

½ cup chopped arugula

To make the lemon olive oil sauce:

Preheat broiler.  Place lemons, cut side up, in a small non-aluminum baking dish and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Roast, about 6 inches below the heat, until very soft, about 20 minutes.  The tops will darken and caramelize.  Let cool in the baking dish. Squeeze the lemon pulp and juice and scrape all the cooking juices from the baking dish into a strainer supported over a bowl.  Force it through and add garlic.  Whisk in rosemary and olive oil.  Keeps up to 1 week refrigerated in a tightly sealed container.

To make the salad dressing:

Whisk shallot, juice, zest, vinegar, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper together in a small bowl.  Slowly whisk in oil until emulsified.

To make the pearl couscous:

Heat the chicken broth in a small saucepan until hot but not boiling.  Heat the oil over medium-high heat and add couscous, stirring until light brown.  Add the hot stock and stir, then simmer, uncovered, 6 minutes.  Cover pan and remove from heat.  Let stand 10 minutes, then uncover and stir.  Transfer to a large bowl and let cool. When couscous is cooled to room temperature, add the tomatoes, dressing, and remaining ingredients and toss.  Serve at room temperature.

To cook the ahi:

Preheat a grill or broiler.  Reserving a small amount of lemon olive oil for later, brush the tuna pieces with the oil and season with salt and pepper.  Grill over high heat, turning once and brushing again with oil, until medium rare.  Let rest for a few minutes, then cut into thin slices.  Serve drizzled with remaining lemon oil.  

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.