ArcaMax

Let’s just assume for the moment that you’re not the greatest cook. In fact, let’s assume you don’t make any of the meals in your house, but just this once, you want to surprise your honey by making dinner for Valentine’s Day.

Here are my 7 top hints to make that dinner a success.

1. Buy fresh food. Nothing from a box. You’re going to make a real meal with food you didn’t order in and didn’t pick up in the freezer section.

2. Pick something easy. I’m going to help you with that. If your honey is on the foodie side I’d go French. The Chicken with a French Pan Sauce is easy to make and will make you feel like you’re in the French countryside. If your honey leans toward basic comfort food, I’d make meatloaf. This one will surprise you. It tastes just like a Burger King Whopper, only this is healthy...

Read the full column at PlanZDiet.com

Chicken Breasts with Zola’s French Pan Sauce

Related Recipes at PlanZDiet.com:
Famous Burger Mealtoaf
Garlic "Fried" Chicken

This is a ZReduction recipe. This is my favorite new creation. I think I have made this three times in the last two weeks and that’s pretty much a record for me. This dish is easy and it tastes fancy!

Servings: Serves 2. Can be doubled easily.

Ingredients:

2 skinless chicken breast halves
¼ tsp of grated sea salt (or to taste)
¼ tsp of grated black pepper (or to taste)
½ cup of organic chicken broth or stock
4 tsp of Dijon mustard
¼ tsp of dry tarragon (you can add more tarragon for a stronger flavor but tarragon is pretty strong in small quantities so factor that in)
¼ cup of heavy cream

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Spray your chicken breasts lightly with olive oil spray and then grate on salt and pepper. Heat a sauté pan and put them in top down. Saute on medium for 3 minutes or until you get a light brown crust forming.

Now you are going to put them in the oven to roast. Make SURE YOU HAVE THEM IN A HEAT PROOF PAN. I use cast iron so I can go right from the stove top to the oven. If you don’t have the old-fashioned cast iron make sure you transfer them from your stove top pan to Pyrex or some other heat proof pan. By finishing the cooking in the oven you end up with a much juicier piece of chicken. This is the way fine restaurants do it. Roast for approximately 20 minutes or until no pink remains in the chicken. Cut it open to check if you are not sure.

While the chicken is cooking, you can get out that sauté pan. Add the chicken stock and begin to boil it. Turn down to medium so it just continues to bubble and reduce. Add the Dijon and the tarragon. Cook for 3 minutes for the flavors to blend. If the stock starts to run down too low just add a bit more. About 10 minutes before the chicken is done, add the cream. Continue to bubble the sauce. Don’t over-boil it but if you keep it bubbling the cream will thicken the sauce naturally. This won’t be a gloppy cream sauce because you’re on Plan Z and are limited in your cream amount but it will thicken enough that you’ll swear you’re eating in France. If the sauce looks done early just turn it off and wait for the chicken.

When the chicken is done, plate it and pour cream sauce over the top. This will eat up ½ of your cream allotment per day so keep that in mind.

Serving Suggestions:

Serve with roasted green beans. You can put the green beans in the oven with the chicken and roast them. Top with grated sea salt and you’ll be amazed at how special green beans can taste. You can do the same thing with asparagus instead if you prefer.

Sauteed Swiss Chard with Peppers and Onions

This is a ZReduction recipe. This dish is full of vitamins. One cup of Swiss chard has over 700% of the vitamin K you need in one day. Over 200% of the vitamin A you need and over 50% of your vitamin C. Stand aside orange juice!

So venture into new veggies. You’ll be glad you did. This veggie is a great hit in Italian cooking, and no wonder – it’s delicious!

Servings: Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 onion, sliced thinly
2 bell peppers sliced into strips (I used part red, yellow and orange)
3 tsp of minced garlic (jar garlic can work)
Juice of ½ lemon
¼ cup of broth
1 bunch of Swiss chard (There are different colors of Swiss chard and even rainbow chard; which is really pretty. Choose what looks good to you). To prep the Swiss chard, cut off the crusty ends. Wash and then chop the stems into one inch pieces and slice the greens crosswise into 1-inch wide strips.
Dash of hot pepper flakes (optional)
Sea salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

In a large sauté pan sprayed with olive oil add the onion and bell peppers. Begin to cook them on medium high until they loosen up and get wilted. Then add the garlic, lemon juice and broth. Heat til bubbling. Only takes a minute. Then add the Swiss chard, peppers and salt. Cook for about five minutes until the chard is wilted and the stem pieces get softened. Serve.

Serving Suggestions:

I made the Garlic "Fried" Chicken to go with this. It all tasted very Italian.

Enjoy!
Cheers,
Zola