Oh so yummy salad!

I got this recipe from Mel's kitchen cafe. She literally changed the way I look at cooking. More than half the recipes that make regular appearances at my dinner table came from her blog. If you haven't visited her site you should!

I love that my hubby is game for whatever I make for dinner, including salad. Salad was not something we had as a main course very often when I was growing up. Mostly because my dad is such a meat & potatoes kind of guy. Jared, however just said thanks for dinner and then proceeded to polish off two helpings. I can't tell you how much pleasure I get out of watching my family consume mass amounts of vegetables! This salad is definitely one I'll be making again. It was sweet and crunch and creamy and salty and it all blended together to perfection!

Sweet Chicken Salad

1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 3-4 medium)
Salt and black pepper
1 tablespoon vegetable or canola oil
1/2 cup water
1 large head romaine lettuce, torn into bite-size pieces (about 8-10 cups)
8 ounces sharp or extra-sharp cheddar cheese, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 Granny Smith apple, cored and chopped or sliced thin
1/2 red onion, sliced thin
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1 cup spiced pecans, store-bought or following the simple recipe below

*It also called for homemade cranberry vinaigrette, but that was more work than I was willing to put in so I just bought some low cal raspberry vinaigrette and it tasted fantastic!

Pat the chicken dry with paper towels and season both sides with the salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a large 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat until the oil is shimmering and hot. Add the chicken and cook until it is nicely browned on one side, about 3 minutes. Flip the chicken over, add the water, and cover the skillet. Cook the chicken, letting it poach, until it is cooked through, about 5-7 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a cutting board and let it cool slightly before carving.

Toss the lettuce, cheese, apple, pecans, onion and dried cranberries together. Divide the salad among the serving plates. Slice the chicken on a diagonal and arrange over the salad. Serve with the vinaigrette. I prefer to let everyone douse their own salad with dressing, but you could toss the salad with 1/2 cup or so of the vinaigrette before assembling it on the plates and serve the extra dressing on the side.

Quick Spiced Pecans:
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
2 cups pecan halves
1 tablespoon sugar

Melt the butter in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-low heat. Stir in the spices and then the pecans. Toast the nuts, stirring often, until the color deepens slightly and they are lightly toasted, about 5-7 minutes. Transfer the nuts to a bowl and toss with the sugar. Let them cool completely before tossing with the salad.  *watch these carefully as they're toasting, I got distracted and they burned. 

Stuffed French Toast

So this wasn't strictly low GI since I didn't use skim  milk, splenda, or the egg substitute, but I like to think it was still pretty healthy. It was sweet enough that we didn't need syrup or any other topping. This is definitely on the menu rotation!

Stuffed French Toast

Berry Filling:
4 cups mixed field berries (fresh or frozen)
3 tbsp sugar substitute
1 tsp grated lemon zest
1 tbsp cornstarch

French Toast:
1-1/4 cups liquid egg
2 cups skim milk
1 tbsp sugar substitute
2 tsp vanilla
1 tsp cinnamon
2 tbsp (approx) canola oil
12 slices whole-grain bread

1. Make berry filling: In saucepan over medium heat, combine berries, sugar substitute, and lemon zest; cook for about 5 minutes or until sugar substitute is dissolved and berries have released some of their juice. In small bowl, blend cornstarch with 1 tbsp of juice from berries; stir into berry mixture. Increase heat to high and cook, stirring constantly, for about 5 minutes or until thickened. Remove from heat and set aside.
2. Make French toast: In large bowl, whisk together egg, milk, sugar substitute, vanilla and cinnamon.
3. Brush 1 tsp oil onto non-stick griddle or large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Dip bread 1 slice at a time, into egg mixture, pressing down and letting soak for 10 seconds; turn and press again for 10 seconds. Lift out, letting excess mixture drip back into bowl. Fry soaked bread slices, 2 at a time (4 at a time if using griddle), for 3 minutes; turn 1 piece over and evenly spread golden brown side with 2 heaping tbsp of the berry filling. Flip second slice, cooked side down, onto filling to form sandwich; press firmly with back of spatula. Continue frying for 3 minutes; turn sandwich over and fry for 3 minutes longer or until golden brown on both sides. Repeat with remaining bread slices, brushing griddle with more oil as needed.
4. Put any leftover berry filling in bowl and serve alongside toasts.

Chicken Cordon Bleu

This is a little different than the recipe I usually use so I wasn't sure if it would be good. It turned out a little dry, probably because I didn't use all of the butter. 1/4 C seemed like a lot, but obviously it needed it! Again I served it with steamed veggies, a salad and mashed potatoes. I've started serving the salad first because my kids tend to eat more of it when they have nothing else on their plate.

6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
6 slices swiss cheese
6 thin slices lean ham
1/4 C butter, melted
6 tsp dried parsley

1. Preheat the oven to 375
2. Pound out chicken breasts with meat hammer until they are all about the same thickness. I used two chicken breast for my little family and just cut them in half. It was enough to feed us all and some left over for Jared the next day.
3. Place 1 cheese slice and 1 piece of ham inside each breast. Roll up and secure with toothpicks.
4. Dip breasts in butter and sprinkle with parsley.
5. Bake in a covered baking dish for 45-55 minutes.

Pork Bites with Apples

This is a low GI meal and I was really impressed with how filling and yummy it was! The kids even ate some, which is high praise. I served this with steamed fresh green beans, cauliflower, and boiled new potatoes.

2 TB olive oil
1 1/4 lbs lean pork loin, cut into bite sized pieces
1 onion, coarsely chopped
2 tsp grated lemon rind
1 C apple juice
2/3 C water
2 crisp eating apples, such as Granny smith, cored and sliced
3 TB chopped fresh parsley

1. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Brown pork. Transfer pork to a platter.
2. Add onions to the pan, and brown lightly. Remove onions to the platter and drain any fat from the skillet. Return to heat and stir in lemon rind, apple juice, and water and boil for about 3 minutes. Return pork and onions to the skillet and cook over low to medium heat for about 25 minutes or until tender.

Add apples to the pan and cook for about 5 minutes. Transfer pork, onions, and apples to a warmed serving dish. Sprinkle with parsley.