Chicken Piccata - the first step down the long road to loosing weight!

Well, Lynne and I are going on diets….. so how do you do a cooking/food blog on a diet?  Well, I am going to start posting recipes we are using to loose weight.  We are using a combination of the South Beach diet and Suzanne Somer’s diet.  Both are low carb, high protein diets, but South Beach uses more lean protein, hence it is a bit more heart healthy. 

That is a good thing, considering I have had cardiac issues in the last few years.  Both diets start out with virtually NO carbs – no sugar, no bread, no pasta, and worst of all no alcohol… ugh.   Makes sense, since your body converts starches ( potatoes, bread, pasta, etc) to sugar, and  alcohol to sugar… and ultimately sugar to fat. But we both have fairly stressful jobs, so not being able to come home and have a glass of wine is an issue… more on that later.

So, some “diet” recipes.  Please keep in mind, these are NOT calorie counter recipes – they are healthy eating recipes : healthy fats such as olive oil, almonds, etc.   Buy the books – they explain the diets well.  Suzanne Somers cook books have AWSOME recipes that are easy to make, and good for you!  We are just leaning them down a bit fat wise….  The trick to these diets is portion control.  Small portions, with several snacks a day, keeps your metabolism cranking.  I don’t pretend to be a diet expert – so please keep that in mind.  These are just good, simple recipes that taste good, and can help you loose weight.

So, we made Chicken Piccata yesterday.  One of my favorite dishes – diet or not.  VERY easy to make, totally company quality – sure to impress guests!  I served it with oven roasted broccoli – super simple and very good!  This is an adaptation of the Suazane Somer's recipe from her book Eat Great, Loose Weight.

 I would make this anytime - on a diet or not!

Chicken Piccata with Oven Roasted Broccoli



Ingredients:

2 skinless and boneless chicken breasts 

2 tbs olive oil

1/3 cup white wine

2 tbs capers

1 tbs lemon juice

2 tbs butter

Cut the breasts in half length wise
( make them ½ as thick as they are in the package).  Place each ½ breast between a waxed paper layer, and pound with a mallet till ¼ inch thick.  Place on separate plate.  Season each piece with fresh ground sea salt and pepper.

Brown Chicken



In a large skillet, over a med-high heat, heat olive oil, and add chicken breasts ( don’t overlap).  Brown for about 3 minutes per side, then remove to a separate plate, and cover with foil.



Reduce wine



Lower heat to medium, and slowly add wine, scraping the pan to remove any brown bits.  Add lemon juice and capers,  and simmer, stirring constantly.  (Caper jars are fairly small – to get 2 tbs, I use the handle of a spoon, and put about 3 scoops into the pan).  Reduce at a low boil for about 5 minutes.   

Lower heat, then add butter, stirring constantly.  Add salt and pepper to taste to sauce.  

Pour sauce over chicken and serve with vegetable.

 

Oven Roasted  Broccoli

8 Pieces frozen, or preferably fresh broccoli

2 tbs olive oil

1 tsp garlic powder

Salt/Pepper to taste

Instructions:

Pre- heat oven to 400 degrees

Toss broccoli, olive oil, garlic powder and  salt/pepper in small bowl till coated well.



Place on  foil coated cookie sheet

Place in oven for 15-20 minutes.  Remove when starting to turn brown.

This is a super simple, and VERY tasty meal.  Enjoy!



Bon Appetit!