ArcaMax

Dateline: January 3rd
Time: Late afternoon

Goal: I’m in my car headed to the grocery store to buy fresh food for dinner. That’s what I do. I buy fresh food. I eat very little processed food so I buy food fairly often to make my meals.

On this particular day it was a madhouse. The grocery store parking lot shares spaces with the health club in the same complex. It was jammed with cars and people jockeying to get their cars parked. I wanted to get a space so I could grocery shop. Seems everyone else was trying to go to the health club.

A guy gets out of his car next to mine; same time as I’m getting out.

I look over at him. He’s of average height, probably 30 pounds overweight. He’s got a brand new duffle bag slung over his arm and pristine, new running shoes on his feet. I can tell where he’s going. I also know I can really depress him if he reads this blog post. He’s just bought a new health club membership, has his new resolution to lose weight and get in shape and I’m about to lay out the evidence that this isn’t really going to go all that well. The information I’m about to share comes from the National Institutes of Health...

Read the full column at PlanZDiet.com

Related Recipes at PlanZDiet.com:

Salmon with a Louisiana Cream Sauce
Vindaloo

Chicken Verde

This is a ZReduction recipe. This is going to taste just like a traditional enchilada without the tortilla. The Z3 (ZReboot) people even get to have the ooey, gooey cheese topping. If you have Mexican food fans in your family this is a hit!

Serving Size: Serves 4

Ingredients:

For the chicken:

3 boneless, skinless, chicken breast pieces
1 cup organic chicken broth
1-1/2 cups of water
1 clove of minced garlic (jar garlic will work)
1 good grate of sea salt

For the sauce:

1-1/2 lb of tomatillos (Peel them. They will be sticky. Then cut them in quarters. Don’t worry, they taste great!)
3 serrano peppers, chopped.(Take off stem and cut crosswise into slices. You can even add the seeds. Careful not to get juice in your eyes)
1 clove of garlic, minced
½ of a medium white onion, chopped
1 cup of chicken broth

For the toppings:

Chopped tomato bits
Chopped red or white onion
Minced cilantro
Grated cheese (If you’re in ZReboot. Try Cheddar, Chihuahua or a Mexican blend.)
Sour cream (optional)

Instructions:

First, make the chicken. Get out a medium sauté pan. Add the chicken and other ingredients. Bring to a boil to poach the chicken. Boil for approximately 15 minutes, turning once, until no pink remains. Set aside until cool. Then shred with two forks. To make this easy, first I slice it in 1/2? slices. Then pull at the slices with the two forks. Work across the grain and it pulls right apart. If you have kids, get them to shred it. That’s a good cooking lesson. A nearby spouse can do this, too!

While the chicken is cooking you can make your sauce. Get out a large sauce pan. Put in the tomatillos, onion, peppers, and garlic. Cover with just enough water so the veggies float. Bring to a boil. Cook on a low boil for about 10 minutes until the tomatillos go from bright green to mossy green and are fairly soft. Strain them along with the onion.

Then put in your blender with the last portion of chicken broth. The mixture will be hot, so be careful when you go to blend them into a sauce. I put the top on tight, vent it (take out that round plug in the middle), cover with a folded kitchen towel. Hold it down tightly and then turn on low. The hot air pressure has to escape so be careful. If you keep it low you should be fine. Don’t make the mistake of blasting it or you’ll be scraping green slime off your ceiling!

Put the shredded chicken in a bowl. Pour one cup of hot tomatillo sauce in and stir it all up. (You might have to re-heat this mixture if it’s been hanging around a while). There will be extra sauce for garnish or for those who want extra.

To serve. Get out soup bowls. Put a cup of chicken mixture in the bowl. Top with a little extra tomatillo sauce. The put on grated onion, cilantro and chopped tomato. This will likely be your protein and veggie portion, depending on how much you garnish it.

For the ZReboot version, the only difference is serving and cheese. When you put the chicken in the bowl I’d put a nice layer of cheese on top and pop it in the microwave to melt the cheese. Then garnish with tomatoes, onion, cilantro and even a dollop of sour cream. I love the cold sour cream on top of the hot cheese and chicken.

Enjoy!
Cheers
Zola