Chicken Tangine

This is the first GI Diet meal I have made in a couple of weeks. We were off on vacation and indulged ourselves in every delicacy that Nova Scotia had to offer, and there were lots. From fish burgers, lobster sandwiches and seafood chowder to scallops, muscles, and chow chow. (delicious pickled green tomatoes - not the dog!) All intentions I had of sticking to the diet and eating healthy while on vacation were thrown out the window on the first day and my husband and I both came back 5 pounds heavier. So we are anxious to get back on the GI Diet, lose the excess weight and feel better.

This dish is considered an Indian "stew". It is filled with apricots, raisins, herbs and spices. I found it to be quite watery for a stew but we enjoyed it anyhow. Overall the flavors were quite mild. This dish is very simple to prepare and only takes about 30 minutes on a low simmer to cook. The best thing about this dish was how tender and moist the boneless chicken breasts became. We could simple pull the meat apart with our forks.

SERVED WITH: I spooned this "stew" on a bed of brown rice

COOKING TIPS: The recipe says that the flavors get better with time so I made it up the night before. Overall I found the flavors to be milder then expected. I'll let you know if that changes when I eat the left overs at lunch tomorrow.

RATING: 7. While it tasted good I was expecting it to be more flavourful.

Diana's Banana Bread

My good friend Diana came over for dinner with her husband yesterday and she was so kind as to bring over a delicious homemade banana bread for dessert. And when I say it was delicious I really mean it. There are only about 2 slices left over since last night and I am sure they will be gobbled up by the end of the day today. As a treat this banana bread had a special ingredient, chocolate! Since there were no chocolate chips to be found she chopped up a Dairy Milk bar and sprinkled it in the batter. It was rich, moist and super tasty. I have asked her for the recipe but she says every time she bakes one she just makes it up and it turns our slightly different each time. I guess if I want more I am going to have to invite her over for dinner again! :)

TIPS: Diana told me that this was indeed a healthy banana bread. With the exception of the chocolate everything else in the bread is GI Diet conscious.
RATING: 10!

Yogurt Popsicles - Banana Flavor

Want to cool off with a healthy summer treat? Try making your own popsicles. It's really quite simple. Grab some plain yogurt, mix in some pureed fruit, scoop it into a popiscle mold and pop it in the freezer. A few hours later you have a delicious cool snack. You don't even need a recipe. Want it to be fruitier, then add some more pureed fruit. You can even try mixing two different kinds of fruit together. Try strawberry banana, blackberry blueberry or even orange mango. Still to much work? Then just grab some flavored yogurt and freeze that up in your mold. It couldn't be simpler.

This isn't a recipe from the GI Diet Cookbook but I thought it worthy of sharing anyhow.

TIPS: to make it easier to get these yummy treats out of their molds just run them under some warm water for a couple of seconds and they'll slid right out.

RATING: 9. With some many different flavor options you can't go wrong.

Chicken Peperonata

I made this dish in a hurry all the while hoping my husband wouldn't walk in the room. He hates sundried tomatoes and I was trying to sneak them in without him finding out. I managed to get it all secretly cooked up but when we were eating the meal he did notice the some of the red peppers didn't quite look like red peppers and figured out they were in fact sundried tomatoes. Since you couldn't really taste them, they just added a slight zing, the food was polished off.

SERVED WITH: Brown rice and a tall glass of refreshing water.

COOKING TIPS: I don't enjoy long pieces of peppers so I would suggest cutting them up a little bit more then called for in the recipe so that they are bite sized.

RATING: 6. As I have mentioned before, peppers are not my favorite. Now that I have tried it I can tick it off the list.

Turkey Quinoa Loaf - Made with Chicken - Served with Cranberry Orange Sauce

I used to be freaked out by ground chicken. The thought of it just didn't sit right with me. Chicken is supposed to be served as a breast, not ground up. Because of this cookbook I have ventured into new territories when it comes to cooking. I would never have chosen a ground chicken recipe 5 months ago but since almost everything I've made from the cookbook is delicious I decided to give it a try. And you know what? It was fine. I enjoyed it and would even make it again. As far as flavor is concerned this meal is a little tamer then most in the book. But that's ok. You don't need to get punched in the face with flavor every night of the week.

SERVED WITH: Asparagus and mini carrots. I was having a lazy night so I ended up with a weird combination of food for dinner. Some mashed potatoes would have been nice. Even a simple salad. I did however make some cranberry orange sauce to go with it. I found it a little bitter. It would be fine without it or with a tiny bit of ketchup (Ketchup is a read light items so be careful!)

COOKING TIPS: The good thing about this meal is you can assemble it the night before and just pop it in the oven when you get home. It does take about one hour to cook so it would make a nice Sunday evening meal.

RATING: 7. I was not overly fond of the flavor of sage and would try something like oregano next time.

Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Balsamic Glaze and Gingered Peach Salsa

This meal really was quite delicious. It reminds me of a GI Diet dish I made a few months back, Grilled Tilapia with Black Bean and Mango Salsa. The pork tenderloin is roasted in the oven and served with a cold salsa made up of fresh peaches, red pepper, green onions and cilantro. Peaches are in season in our neck of the woods right now. You can't go wrong with locally grown produce. It tastes delicious.

I also took the opportunity tonight to try our my new steamer. Steaming veggies is supposed to be healthier because all of the nutrients don't go down the drain with the water like when boiling them. The end result...they tasted exactly the same.

SERVED WITH: A salad of mixed greens and some steamed broccoli.

COOKING TIPS: Be prepared for the meat to take some time cooking. It took a good 25 minutes in the oven before our pork reached the safe temperature of 155F.

RATING: 9. I can't wait to have a dinner party so I can serve this meal.

Thai-Style Tofu and Broccoli

The good thing about this meal is that there is not a lot of prep work and the dish is quick to come together. The bad thing about this meal is wasn't to tasty. The flavors of lemongrass, hot pepper and sesame oil were very subtle. Overall it felt as if the dish was missing something.

SERVED WITH: Since I unknowingly ran out of rice I served it over quinoa which was a nice change.

COOKING TIPS: This dish comes together so quickly you have to make sure you've thought about what you are going to serve it with before starting. So put on your rice, quinoa, or pasta first.

RATING: 6. I love Thai food but this recipe just didn't cut it. I won't be making it again.