Monday, September 28, 2009

Grilled Chicken in Lettuce Wrap with Spicy Peanut Sauce

Ingredients:
1. 3 skinless, Chicken Breast, cleaned
(Add some lime juice and salt and let it sit for 15 mins.
Now wash it thoroughly with water and pat dry.
2. 1 teaspoon Black Pepper powder
3. 1 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper or 1 teaspoon red chili powder
4. 1 teaspoon Salt
5. 1 spoon of Grill Seasoning

Mix the above ingredients and keep it cover in the fridge for an hr. Coat the grill with Pam Spray. Heat the Grill on high heat. Place the Chicken breasts onto the grill. Grill for 6 minutes on each side till well done. Let stand & allow it cool after 10 mins, slice the cooked chicken breasts into bite size cubes.

Filling for the Lettuce wrap:

1. 1 cup fresh bean sprout
2. 1/2 cup shredded carrots
3. 1 teaspoon sesame seeds
4. 1/2 cup chopped scallion
5. 1 tablespoon Fresh Lime Juice
6. Few sprigs of chopped Mint leaves (optional)
Combine 1 to 5. **Season with Salt to taste (optional)**

Spicy Peanut Sauce:

1. 1/4 cup chunky peanut butter, soften in microwave if it has been refrigerated.
2. 1 tablespoon Soy Sauce
3. 1 teaspoon Sambal Olek (Spicy Thai Chili Sauce)
Whisk all the ingredients together.

Place large lettuce leaves on the serving plate. Pile chicken and veggie fillings onto the Lettuce wraps and drizzle liberally with spicy peanut sauce before wrapping and rolling. Enjoy it as snack or for lunch.

Homemade Avocado Dip with (Raw) Veggies

Ingredients:

1. 1 Perfectly ripe Avocado

2. 1 hot pepper chopped fine or
1 green chili chopped fine or 1 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper powder

3. 1 teaspoon Garlic Powder

4. 1 teaspoon fresh grated Ginger

5. 4 teaspoon Lime Juice

6. 1 pinch Salt (optional)

Preparation:

Start with a ripe Avocado and cut it into half. Discard the pit and scoop the meat with a spoon. Mash it lightly with a fork.

Add all the above ingredients, mixing well.

This dip should not be made an hr earlier before serving, else it turns brown in color. Refrigerate & cover with a saran wrap.

Serving size : 1 tablespoon dip

Snack with :
1 Fresh Yellow Bell pepper (Raw), cleaned, cut into wedges..
or
1 Raw Medium Ripe Tomato
or
2 stalks of Celery
or with your choice of any other Vegetable

Whey Protein Shake with Avocado

After a good workout, what better post-workout meal would it be, but to whip out a homemade protein shake, all by yourself.

Ingredients:
1/4 piece of medium ripe avocado. Scoop the meat out with a spoon.
**1 slice of fresh pineapple, cut. (OPTIONAL)**
1 scoop of WHEY Protein powder (Use the brand that has only 3 grams of carbs and 23 GMS of PROTEIN, 0 sugar)
2 ice cubes
1/2 cup water

Method:
Combine with rest of ingredients (except the ice cubs) and puree in a blender until smooth. Add the ice cubes and blend again. Enjoy!

Yam/ Sweet Potato Salad

You could either use Yams or use Sweet Potatoes for this salad. It can be had as a snack or a meal by itself.

Ingredients:

1. 6 Yams or 6 Sweet Potatoes, scrubbed, cleaned, peeled and cubed.
2. 2 teaspoon Red chilli powder
3. 1/2 teaspoon Salt or adjust according to your taste.
4. 1/2 teaspoon Black Pepper powder.
5. 1/2 teaspoon Olive oil
Toss all the above ingredients (from 1 to 5) together and mix well.
5. Pam Spray

Preheat Oven at 350°F for 10 mins. Grease the baking tray with a coat of lite Pam spray. After 10 mins, place the cubed Yams/ Sweet potatoes for another 30 mins or until tender.

6. 2 Red bell peppers- roast them directly on the burner till the skin turns black & the flesh gets soft & juicy. After they get done, let stand for 10 to 15 mins in a bowl to cool, covered with a Saran wrap. Then chop them into 1 inch pieces and keep them aside.

7. Take a can of "ready-to-eat" baked black beans, rinse them well & drain. Keep aside.

After 30 mins take out the tray from the oven & let the sweet potatoes cool down.

Dressing:

1. 1 teaspoon Curry powder
2. 1 teaspoon Cumin Powder
3. 1 teaspoon Red Chilli powder/ Cayanne Powder
4. 2 teaspoon fatfree maple syrup
5. 3/4th a cup of fresh lemon juice
6. 1/2 teaspoon salt
7. 1/2 teaspoon black pepper powder
8. Fresh grated ginger about 1 teaspoon
9. 1/2 a cup of chopped, fresh scallions
10. 1 tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive (EVOO)oil
11. 1/2 a cup of chopped Cilantro leaves
12. Large lettuce leaves

Whisk the above ingredients from 1 to 8 for a minute. In the end add the EVOO slowly into the mixture while still whisking.

Pour the dressing onto the baked yams/ Sweet potato cubes. Add the roasted red bell peppers, chopped scallions, baked black beans and toss lightly to combine. Arrange lettuce leaves on individual plates or on a large serving platter and mound the salad on top. Garnish with the chopped Cilantro leaves just before serving.

Note: If preparing the salad the night before, reserve about a third of the dressing. Bring the salad to room temperature and stir in the remainder of the dressing.