- watermelon cubes
- lime juice
- balsamic vinegar
Directions: Carve a small hole in the watermelon cube and put in a few drops each of lime juice and balsamic vinegar.
Ki was definitely apprehensive of this one after I told her it had balsamic vinegar. Even I was a bit weirded out. But in the end I felt it tasted pretty good. The sweetness of the watermelon and the strong vinegar taste were blended together by the lime. I wasn't very precise about the lime to vinegar ratio, which does make a difference. I would recommend a few extra drops of lime. I might try this again, but I think Ki will stick to plain watermelon.
Entree- tandoori chicken
I'm a sucker for Indian inspired dishes. I say inspired because I doubt any of the stuff I make would pass for acceptable Indian food. Nonetheless, I keep my spice rack stocked with curry, tumeric, cumin, cinnamon, etc. for recipes just like this one.
- 1 cup nonfat plain yogurt
- 1 small onion
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon chopped fresh cilantro
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Pinch of ground cloves
- 4 bone-in chicken thighs
Directions: Stir together yogurt, onion and garlic in a shallow glass dish. Add lemon juice, cilantro, paprika, cumin, turmeric, ginger, salt, pepper, cinnamon and cloves. Add chicken and coat well. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours or overnight.
Preheat oven to 500°F. Coat a wire rack with cooking spray and set itover a foil-covered baking sheet. Place the chicken on the prepared rack. Bake the chicken until browned and no trace of pink remains in the center, 25 to 30 minutes. Serve hot.
So of course I modified the directions a bit to suit me. First of all, all we had was one big boneless, skinless chicken breast, no cilantro, and no ginger. Also, I didn't want to make a big mess in the oven, so I just sprayed a baking sheet with cooking spray and put the chicken on that. I heaped on all the yogurt marinade, creating a dome for the chicken. By the end the yogurt turned into a nice, creamy sauce. I was a bit worried during the cooking process because the edges of the yogurt burned, but it all worked out in the end. It was delicious, and super easy to make.
I paired the chicken with a side salad (mixed greens, grapes, roasted red peppers, a dollop of cottage cheese, and some balsamic vinaigrette) and fresh corn. Fresh corn is the easiest vegetable to cook. Just remove the husk, place it on a plate with a little bit of water, cover it with a second plate to trap the steam, and cook it in the microwave for about 3-4 minutes.
Dessert- baked bananas and ice cream
Dessert was about as easy to make and healthy as the rest of this meal. I could do this any night of the week (and probably will).
- banana
- cinnamon
- ice cream
Directions: Slice the banana in half lengthwise and once again into four pieces. Spray a baking sheet (I used a toaster oven) with cooking spray and place bananas face down. Sprinkle cinnamon on top and bake at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes. Flip over and bake for an additional 5 minutes. The point is just to get the bananas warm and gooey. Serve with ice cream.
It was sort of like a lazy man's version of banana's foster. I've seen recipes that use sugar or honey to sweeten the bananas, but honestly I thought they were sweet enought themselves. I think the cooking spray is necessary to help caramelize it a bit.
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