On the Menu Today

Italiano Grilled Chicken
Oven roasted herb potatoes
Sauteed green beans

Alright, so I was in the mood to eat healthy today. Happens!...ummm just about as frequently as the Haley's comet passes earth. But I do believe, that if you're eating something, anything, it should please your senses. Food is something that has to be savoured. It absolutely has to be delicious even if its healthy!  

I am obsessed with the Italian cuisine these days. Well, almost 6 months or so now. So I made a purchase recently. I got me some Balsamic vinegar. Now it was the first time I was going to use it at home. The bottle is tall, dark and handsome. And I didn't know what to with it! When I first opened the bottle, the aroma was beautiful - sweet, acidic, wine like, the colour almost black. I was in love! And here I was thinking that my type isn't the tall, dark and handsome. ;) 

So I decided that I'd marinate my chicken in l'aceto balsamico along with a few other things to experiment as usual! And can I tell you that the result was just fabulous! I don't think I'll be making my grilled chicken any other way now. Loved the colour that the B.V imparts to the chicken and the flavour----yummm! I had the grilled chicken along with oven roasted potatoes and a side of green beans. Healthy eating afterall! :) Oh and did I mention I don't usually measure my ingredients. Its always fly by the seat of my pants when I'm cooking in the kitchen. 

Grilled Chicken

Ingredients:

2 Boneless skinless chicken breasts (pound them thin or slice them midway if you like)

3 cloves finely chopped garlic

Juice of one Lemon

Zest of one lemon

1 tbspn mustard (English, Dijon - whatever, purists, don't kill me!)

Roughly 4 large tbspns Balsamic Vinegar

Salt and Pepper to taste

1 tspn Parsley

1-2 tbspn Olive oil

Pinch of love

Method:

Wash and pat dry the chicken breasts. I kept the breasts as they were, didn't pound them or slice them. Pierce with a fork all over for the marinade to seep in the chicken. Mix the ingredients of the marinade together and add the dry chicken breasts to it. Don't forget your pinch of love! Rub in the marinade well on the chicken. You want all the beautiful flavours to permeate the chicken to make it as flavourful as possible. I usually marinate the chicken for bout 4-6 hours before grilling but today I didn't have time on my hands. So I just kept the marinated chicken in the fridge for about an hour or so. Heat your grill, or if you want to sear it, just heat a pan and add a few drops of oil to it. I didn't add any oil to my grill. Make sure its heated well. Just pour a drop of marinade on the grill, and if it sizzles, time to put the chicken on there. Grill for bout 3 minutes each side depending on the thickness of your chicken breasts. And its done! Don't you just love the grill marks on the chicken! Oh and the juice of the chicken tends to run when on the grill. I have a grill which comes with a juice tray, so I can catch all the flowing liquid gold cuz its full of flavour. If you did grill your chicken a little more than required it could be dry. You can pour this liquid over it to keep the chicken moist. I drizzle the juice around the chicken for added flavour. Yummmmyy!!! Try it- you'll love it! :)

Oven Roasted Herbed Potatoes 

Ingredients:

3 large potatoes, cubed in 1'' pieces
salt and pepper
Parsley
A sprig or two of Rosemary

Pinch of Oregano
1/2 tbspn butter (just for the flavour)
2 tbspn Olive oil
1 tspn dry mango powder
Parmesan cheese
A pinch of love

Method:

Heat your oven at 350F or about 180C. Line your baking tray with foil paper. Take all the ingredients in a big bowl and toss them together just so that everything is well combined and the potatoes are well coated with all the herbs and your love. Transfer on to your baking tray and put them in the oven for about 40 minutes or until the potatoes are done. You can poke a fork through the potato and if the root doesn't give you any resistance, it is cooked! They should be golden brown reddish in colour. I like mine a tad more roasted and crispy so I let the oven go on for bout 5 mins more but I decreased the temperature a little otherwise they would have burned. Also I do not peel the potatoes because the skin turns extra crispy during the roasting. Purrrrfect to have for dinner, and I like mine with a bit of ketchup! You can try them any way you want and enjoy! :)

Sauteed Green Beans


How can any healthy meal be complete without a side of greens! Here's a simple, easy, quick n no fuss way to do it. You'll need

250 gms of string beans (also known as french beans)
1/2 cup of water
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tspn of butter
A pinch of love

Take the string beans and wash them thoroughly and dry them. Cut off the head and tails and half them so that you're left with bite size pieces. Place the beans in a non stick pan along with water, salt and pepper on a medium- low flame. Cover with a lid to allow the beans to steam for about 5-7 minutes. I don't like mine to have any crunch, but if you like yours crunchy, you can steam them for less than 5 minutes. As soon as the water is almost evaporated, add the butter along with your love to the beans. Saute till the water has evaporated entirely and the beans start to sizzle beautifully. Turn off the gas and serve the perfect green side to any meal!