The Dash Diet Weight Loss Solution: 2 Weeks to Drop Pounds, Boost Metabolism, and Get Healthy (A DASH Diet Book) (21 page)

skillet, and sauté on medium-low heat. Season with basil, oregano, and Italian

parsley. Add the chicken broth (or white wine to eliminate the sodium) and

continue to cook down the liquid to thicken slightly. Add all the chicken back into

the skillet and spoon the sauce over it.

Place the chicken on top of the beans, and top with the sauce. This is an easy

way to also season the beans, without any extra effort.

Makes 4 servings.

Hints
: We like to use homegrown Super Sweet 100 mini cherry tomatoes. These

tomato vines are prodigious, so we always have lots of very flavorful tomatoes

during the summer and fall.

The thin-cut chicken breasts are much easier to cook because they have a

uniform thickness. You could use any skinless, boneless chicken breasts, but

they may take a little longer to cook, or pound them thin as if you were making

Naked Chicken Piccata.

You could mince all the herbs (except the garlic) at one time to reduce your prep

time.

Blackened Chicken with Avocado-Papaya Salsa

4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts

2 teaspoons blackened steak seasoning

3 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar

¼ teaspoon ground cumin

dash ground black pepper

1 avocado, halved, seeded, peeled, and medium chopped

cup fresh or refrigerated papaya (without added sugar), diced

cup diced red bell pepper

¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro (optional)

Preheat the oven to 375°F.

Lightly sprinkle both sides of each chicken breast half with blackened steak

seasoning. In a large oven-safe skillet (no plastic handle), heat 1 tablespoon of

the oil over medium heat. Add the chicken; cook until browned, turning once.

Cook about 15 minutes, or until the chicken is no longer pink (165°F).

For the salsa: In a large bowl, whisk together the rice vinegar, the remaining 2

tablespoons of oil, the cumin, and the black pepper. Stir in the avocado, papaya,

red bell pepper, and chopped cilantro. Serve the chicken topped with the salsa.

Makes 4 servings.

Blackened Chicken and Berry Salad

4 chicken breasts, boneless, skinless

blackening spice mixture

1 tablespoon olive or canola oil

2–3 cups lettuce mix (per your preferences)

2 medium tomatoes, cut into wedges, or substitute grape tomatoes

½ cup shredded red cabbage

½ cup shredded carrots

1 cup sliced strawberries

1 cup red raspberries

1 cup blueberries

French vinaigrette dressing

Rinse the chicken breasts and blot dry with a paper towel. Put the spice mixture

on a plate and dredge the breasts through the mixture. Preheat the oil in a skillet

over medium-high heat. Sear both sides of the chicken, cooking 2–3 minutes per

side. Then reduce the heat until the chicken is fully cooked. (Hint: Alternately, the chicken could be cooked on a grill.) Let cool a few minutes, then slice into 1-inch

strips, crosswise.

Arrange your lettuce on plates and cover with tomatoes, red cabbage, and

shredded carrots. Then place the chicken strips on each salad and top with a

variety of the berries. Dress with the vinaigrette.

Makes 4 servings.

Stand-up Chicken

Special equipment is needed for this recipe. We use an upright roasting stand,

also known as a vertical chicken roaster. Some people use a half-full beer can as

a roaster. They claim that the beer steams the inside while roasting, leaving a

moister chicken.

1 roasting chicken

poultry seasonings

paprika

½ cup liquid of your choice (water, broth, wine, etc.)

Preheat the oven to 450°F.

Take out the top rack of your oven and ensure that the bottom rack is on its

lowest level. (Since the chicken will be vertical, you need maximum headroom in

the oven.) Rinse the chicken and pat dry. Sprinkle with seasonings, inside and

out. Put the chicken on the vertical roaster, and then set in a pan. (We often use a

glass pie pan. It fits nicely.) Put about ½ cup of liquid in the bottom of the pan. You could use water, beer, wine, chicken broth, etc. Keep watching during cooking to

ensure that you still have liquid in the pan. Add more as needed. Place in the

oven and cook for about 60 minutes, or until a meat thermometer registers 165°F

inside the breast. The chicken should be a deep golden brown.

Makes 4–6 servings.

Hint
: This is a super-easy dish and gives you time to relax or exercise while the chicken cooks.

Sesame Chicken Salad

3 tablespoons canola oil

3 tablespoons rice wine vinegar

1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger

black pepper to taste

½ cup Dijon mustard

cup maple syrup

1½ pounds chicken tenders

½ cup sesame seeds

1 bag mixed greens

½ seedless cucumber, unpeeled, sliced thinly into rounds

2 large tomatoes, cut into 8 wedges

To make the dressing, mix 2 tablespoons of the canola oil, the rice vinegar, and

the ginger in bowl. Season with pepper to taste.

Mix the mustard and syrup in a bowl, add the chicken, and marinate 1 hour. Then

spread the sesame seeds on a plate. As you remove the chicken from the

marinade, shake off any excess. Coat the chicken on both sides with the sesame

seeds. Discard the marinade; do not reuse! Sprinkle the chicken with pepper.

Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.

Working in batches, add the chicken to the skillet and sauté until just cooked

through, about 2 minutes per side. Add more oil to the skillet if needed. Transfer

the chicken to a plate.

Mix the greens, cucumber, and tomatoes in a large bowl. Toss to coat with

dressing. Place the salad on each of the plates, top with the chicken, and serve.

Makes 4 servings.

Crispy Chicken Tenders

salt-free seasoning mix

1½ pounds chicken tenders

1 tablespoon olive oil

Place a layer of seasoning mix on a plate, then dredge the tenders through the

mix. Add oil to a skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the tenders 2–3 minutes on

each side, or until golden brown.

Serving ideas: Have the tenders on a salad with lots of veggies. Serve them as a

main course, with side vegetables and coleslaw. Shred, top with salsa and

lettuce, and roll up in soft corn tortillas for an interesting chicken taco.

Makes 4–5 servings.

Hint
: Make an extra batch at the same time, to freeze for later use.

We like Costco’s Kirkland Organic Salt-Free Seasonings. And there are many

other good salt-free mixes.

Turkey Roll-ups with Blueberry Salsa

2 cups coarsely chopped fresh blueberries

1 cup whole fresh blueberries

¼ cup lemon juice

3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro (optional)

2 jalapeños, seeded and minced

½ cup diced red bell pepper

¼ cup finely diced onion

8 small (6-inch) whole wheat or corn tortillas (or lettuce leaves)

1 pound turkey, thinly sliced

Stir together the chopped and the whole blueberries, lemon juice, cilantro,

jalapeños, bell pepper, and onion in a large bowl. Cover and chill until ready to

serve.

Create each roll-up with a tortilla (or lettuce leaf), 2 ounces of turkey, and a strip of the blueberry salsa down the center. Then roll up and enjoy!

Makes 8 roll-ups, or 3–4 servings.

Hint
: If you make extra salsa, you can use it for other meals.

Fish and Seafood

Alaska Walnut-Crusted Salmon with Raspberry Coulis

Acapulco Tuna Salad

Fish Tacos

Baked Salmon with Honey

Baked Halibut with Sherry

Tilapia with Salsa

Alaska Walnut-Crusted Salmon with Raspberry Coulis

1–1½ pounds salmon filet, skin removed

1 tablespoon mayonnaise

1 cup finely chopped walnuts

2 cups raspberries, fresh or frozen

¼ cup sugar

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 teaspoon lemon zest

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Place the salmon filet, presentation side up, on a baking sheet covered in

nonstick aluminum foil or parchment paper. Cover very thinly with the

mayonnaise. Then gently press the walnuts onto the layer of mayonnaise. Bake

for 15–20 minutes, or until the salmon flakes with a fork.

Prepare the coulis by heating the raspberries with the sugar in a medium

saucepan over medium-high heat. Lower the heat and simmer, stirring

occasionally, until the mixture starts to thicken, about 15 minutes. Then press

through a fine-mesh strainer (or a hand food mill), using a spatula to press out as

much liquid as possible. Discard the seeds and skins. Stir in the lemon juice and

zest.

Cut the salmon into 4 portions, plate, and top each serving with the raspberry

coulis.

Makes 4 servings.

Hint
: You can prepare the coulis earlier, and refrigerate 1–2 days, if needed.

Acapulco Tuna Salad

2 6-ounces cans tuna, very low sodium

2 tablespoons low-fat mayonnaise or regular mayonnaise made with olive oil

1 medium tomato, diced

½ small sweet onion, diced very finely

1 jalapeño, diced, seeds and spines removed

1 tablespoon lime juice

Drain the water from the tuna and mix all the ingredients in a medium bowl.

Makes 4 servings.

Fish Tacos

2 pounds tilapia

lemon-pepper seasoning mix

1 tablespoon olive or canola oil, or grill-safe cooking spray if cooking on a grill

8 whole wheat or corn tortillas, small (6-inch)

1 pat butter

lime wedges

shredded red cabbage

You have choices on how to cook the fish. You can either pan sauté or grill it.

First, sprinkle with the lemon-pepper seasoning mix.

To pan sauté: Add the oil to a nonstick skillet preheated over medium to medium-

high heat. Before adding the fish, be sure that it is dry, to avoid hot oil spatters.

Sauté about 4 minutes per side or until the fish flakes. During last minute add a

small pat of butter to finish the flavor.

To grill: Spray the grill with a cooking spray that is meant for the grill. Over

medium-high heat, cook the fish about 4 minutes per side.

Serve hot, drizzle with the lime juice from wedges, and top with the red cabbage.

The Mango-Melon Sals
a*
is also great to serve on the fish tacos, as are avocado slices.

Hint
: If you are grilling the fish, use a fish-grilling pan, which has small holes all over and helps prevent the fish from flaking and getting stuck to the grill.