Chicken Cacciatore, a warm Sunday afternoon and Migrains

My Mom still has cancer and my husband had a 5-alarm migraine today, but hey, it was 65 degrees out and sunny outside in November…kinda has a way of cancelling some of the crap out eh?

As promised, I did indeed make something with chicken today – Chicken Cacciatore over Dreamfield’s Penne Pasta.  I also made a low-carb version of my favorite salad dressing – 1,000 Island!

Ingredients for Chicken Cacciatore:

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs (I don’t like white meat, however, feel free to use chicken breasts)

1 medium white onion, chopped coarsely

1 medium green bell pepper, chopped coarsely

1 Tablespoon Olive Oil (not Extra Virgin as it smokes too much – use Extra Virgin when you want the flavor, like in salad dressings)

1 Jar of your favorite low-carb spaghetti sauce (Yes, I know how to make my own, but why do that when there’s low-carb, great tasting sauces already out there? – it’s a great timesaver)

1 Box of Dreamfield’s low-carb Penne pasta

Heat medium-sized skillet for 2 minutes over a medium flame, then add oil to coat pan.  Heat oil in pan for one minute, then add chicken and sear on both sides for 3 minutes.  Add onion and green pepper and lower flame to medium-low and cover loosely so moisture can escape.  Heat chicken and vegetables for 15 minutes, turning chicken once.  Add jar of sauce, stir to mix through and turn flame to low.  Loosely cover pan and let simmer for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

While Chicken is simmering with sauce, cook pasta according to package directions and drain.  Return pasta to pan and coat with a thin coating of butter spray (about 10 sprays, my favorite is Smart Balance) and stir well.

Serve Chicken and sauce over pasta and top with some grated Parmesan or Romano cheese if desired.

Makes 4 servings.

Ingredients for Low Carb 1,000 Island Salad Dressing:

1/4 to 1/3 cup of low-sugar Catsup (I use one made with Agave Nectar)

1/2 cup of real mayonnaise (not anything light and definitely not miracle whip – real, full fat mayonnaise has the lowest carbs)

2 tablespoons Light Sour Cream

1 sugar-free Vlasic brand sweet pickle spear, chopped finely

1/4 of a small white onion, finely chopped

Salt and pepper to taste.

Mix all ingredients well in a small bowl – adjust ingredients to taste.  Use over your favorite salad, or use as a dip.

Makes about 6 or 8 servings.

If anyone tries these recipes, please let me know by making a comment!  Sometimes I feel like I’m typing to the wind.

I was talking with my Mom today and she asked when I was going to eat normal food again.  The above food/recipe seems normal to me and my husband loved it!

Does ‘normal food’ mean going back to eating high fructose corn syrup, and corn syrup in general, not eating low GI foods and just throwing all edible caution to the wind?  Why, no thank you, I’d rather eat the crazy food I’ve been eating for the past month!

If ‘crazy food’ is what I had for dinner tonight, bring on the straight jacket!  Better make that two straight jackets as the hubby ate it right along with me!

Funny to me how people in general feel a sadness or that part of their club has defected once an individual makes a choice to do something differently.  Especially if that person is threatened by change in any way. 

When I quit smoking it was like I lost membership in a club – it kind of feels the same way with low-carbing it.  I can almost see some friends and family drifting away the healthier or more sugar-free my food is getting.

Sugar-free is the new fat-free, however, I think sugar-free is what we all should have been doing long ago, back in the 1980’s when Susan Powter was telling us to ‘Stop the Madness’.

The madness is eating High Fructose Corn Syrup on a daily basis, and then adding a lethal dose of Trans-Fat on top of it.  Did you know that even if a label says 0 Trans-Fat it can still contain 0.5 grams of Trans-Fat per serving?  Gotta love the Government for making that loophole for big corporations to save money by using partially hydrogenated oils in our food because it’s cheaper for them to produce.

But the FDA cares about us.

Uh, yup.

Moral of the story:  read what’s in your food, not just the Nutritional label – if you see anything with the word ‘partially’ step away from the processed food.  In fact, throw it on the floor, because that’s where it belongs.

Here’s a great recipe for a High Fructose Corn Syrup and trans-fat-laden breakfast – pour yourself a bowl of Special-K Chocolate Delight – or don’t and join me on the crazy food train.

~ by Donna on November 8, 2009.