Wednesday, March 11, 2009

Buttermilk biscuits topped with chicken and vegetables.

Buttermilk biscuits topped with chicken and vegetables.

Prep Time 4 minutes
Cook Time 12 minutes

Ingredients
6 oz refrigerated buttermilk biscuit dough
1 cooking spray
9 oz boneless skinless chicken breasts, diced
1 tsp minced garlic (i used garlic powder)
10 oz mixed frozen vegetables, thawed and drained
1/4 cup white wine (dry ) (i used double the water)
1/4 cup water
1/4 tsp black pepper
10 3/4 oz reduced fat condensed cream of chicken soup,

Directions
1 Preheat the oven. Bake the biscuits in accordance with the directions on the package.
2 Spray a nonstick skillet with the cooking spray and heat over medium-high. Cook the chicken and garlic for 5 minutes.
3 Mix in the vegetables, chicken broth, water, pepper, and soup.
Cook for 5 minutes over medium heat, stirring frequently.
4 Separate the biscuits in half. Set the halves on plates and top with the chicken mixture.

Nutrition Facts
Amount Per Serving
Calories 213.9
Total Carbs 21.2g
Dietary Fiber 1.6g
Sugars 4.2g
Total Fat 5.1g
Saturated Fat 1.3g
Unsaturated Fat 3.8g
Potassium 209.3mg
Protein 17.2g
Sodium 568.7mg

Dietary Exchanges
1/2 Fat,
1 Starch,
2 Very Lean Meat

Thyme

I found some great information on Thyme here http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=77.
A lot of the receipes that i hav ebeen making called for Thyme and in an effort to educate myself I thought i would try and figure out why.

Description
A delicate looking herb with a penetrating fragrance, thyme is an herb we should all take time to investigate and enjoy. And with about sixty different varieties including French (common) thyme, lemon thyme, orange thyme and silver thyme, this herb is sure to add some spice to your life.
Thyme leaves are curled, elliptically shaped and very small, measuring about one-eighth of an inch long and one-sixteenth of an inch wide. The upper leaf is green-grey in color on top, while the underside is a whitish color.


Health Benefits
Thyme has a long history of use in natural medicine in connection with chest and respiratory problems including coughs, bronchitis, and chest congestion. Only recently, however, have researchers pinpointed some of the components in thyme that bring about its healing effects. The volatile oil components of thyme are now known to include carvacolo, borneol, geraniol, but most importantly, thymol.

Thymol - named after the herb itself - is the primary volatile oil constituent of thyme, and its health-supporting effects are well documented. In studies on aging in rats, thymol has been found to protect and significantly increase the percentage of healthy fats found in cell membranes and other cell structures. In particular, the amount of DHA (docosahexaenoic acid, an omega-3 fatty acid) in brain, kidney, and heart cell membranes was increased after dietary supplementation with thyme. In other studies looking more closely at changes in the brains cells themselves, researchers found that the maximum benefits of thyme occurred when the food was introduced very early in the lifecycle of the rats, but was less effective in offsetting the problems in brain cell aging when introduced late in the aging process.
Nutritional Profile
Thyme is an excellent source of iron, manganese, and vitamin K. It is also a very good source of calcium and a good source of dietary fiber

Tuesday, March 10, 2009

Peppered Pork Chops


Peppered Pork Chops

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Ingredients

4 whole loin lean pork chops, about 3/4-inch thick
2 tsp black pepper, coarsely ground
1/2 tsp ground thyme, dried
2 tsp vegetable oil
2 tsp worcestershire sauce

Directions
1 Coat chops with pepper and thyme.
2 Heat oil in large heavy skillet over medium-high heat.
3 Add chops, cook to brown one side (2-3 minutes); turn to brown other side.
4 Remove chops from pan, keep warm.
5 Add Worcestershire sauce to pan, stirring constantly to remove any pan juices and brown bits on bottom of skillet. ( i didn't have any juices left to do this with so i just added some Worcestershire suace after the fact)
6 Pour accumulated juices over chops and serve. (

Nutrition Facts
Amount Per Serving
Calories 188.4
Total Carbs 1.4g
Dietary Fiber 0.3g
Sugars 0.3g
Total Fat 8.8g
Saturated Fat 2.5g
Unsaturated Fat 6.2g
Potassium 436.4mg
Protein 24.4g
Sodium 86.9mg

Dietary Exchanges
1/2 Fat,
3 Meat