If It's Good Enough for Oprah...

Ugh, it's been a rough winter.

I've been struggling with the same 10 pounds up and down since the holidays.

I buckle down for a couple of weeks, then go off the rails. I eat perfectly all week, then the weekend rolls around and I turn into the Tasmanian Devil.

I've got to get my shit together A.S.A.P.

So, I pulled out another cookbook with "healthy" in the title.

The Healthy Kitchen by Rosie Daly and Andrew Weil.

Rosie was Oprah's personal chef back in the day, and Andrew Weil is a doctor who has written many books about holistic health...and I have never read any of them.

I think I've barely read this one. I'm sure it was purchased in another one of my "I'm gonna get healthy" phases. There's a Costco sticker on it.

Costco is dangerous. Everything is seemingly a bargain, so aside from purchasing what you need, you end up with a book, DVD, towels, raincoat, fake UGGS, or whatever else is laying around.

So, I must have thrown this book into my cart.

Sticking with my 17 Day Diet, I found a chicken recipe that looked pretty interesting and fit into my plan.

Santa Fe Chicken

Servings: Serves 4

Ingredients

• Juice from 3 limes
• 1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
• 1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cumin seed
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground coriander
• 6 cloves garlic , minced
• 1 1/2 teaspoons honey
• 2 whole boneless skinless chicken breasts ' '
• 1/4 cup white wine
• 3 tablespoons chopped cilantro leaves

• Mock Sour Cream or low-fat sour cream
• 1 lime , sliced into 6 thin slices
• 6 scallion firecrackers (see Tips below)
• 1/4 cup fresh salsa or Papaya Salsa

Directions

Mix together marinade ingredients in a bowl, stirring thoroughly. Pour into a shallow baking pan and lay the chicken breasts in. Cover and refrigerate for one hour. Preheat the broiler.

After one hour, when the chicken has absorbed all the flavors of the marinade, pour in the white wine. Broil the chicken under a medium flame for 8 to 10 minutes, basting it with the juices to keep it moist.

Transfer the chicken to a platter and slice it at an angle. Garnish each piece with a little of the pan juices, a dollop of sour cream, slices of lime and a scallion firecracker, as well as a dollop of salsa.

Tips from Rosie's Kitchen

• The scallion "firecracker" is a lively garnish that gets its name from the way the leaves of the onion curl away from the body of the onion, creating a "firecracker" appearance. Cut 2 inches off the green leafy side of the scallion. Trim the roots at the white bulbous end. Then cut three slits about 1/2-inch down through the white, bulbous end. Fill a bowl with ice water and drop in the freshly cut scallions.
• It is never too much trouble to cook extra chicken breasts. They hold the flavor of the marinade and are wonderful for chicken salad or sandwiches for work or school.

Nutritional Information

212.3 calories, 4.4g fat, 0.8g saturated fat (46.8% of calories from fat), 30.1g protein, 13g carbohydrate, 72mg cholesterol, 0.9g fiber 

I ended up just cooking the chicken in a saute pan. I have bad luck with broiling. I always end up burning things.

After slicing it, I served it fajita-style.

I've gotta say, this was pretty damn tasty. I get so caught up in my usual way of making chicken, and I get worried about trying new things with spices that aren't my favorites. I'd hate to waste all the time and ingredients.

But....this was good. I would make it again. The kid ate it without complaining. It's probably good cold, sliced into salad. It makes a mean fajita.

So, even though I'm not completely sold on the holistic teachings of Dr. Weil, I think I may hang onto the book and try some more recipes. 

If it's good enough for Oprah, its good enough for me!