Mango Lime Ice

All right, I can hear it now. 'This is inappropriate for winter!' Actually, it isn't. This simple little recipe acts as a palate cleanser, making it extremely appropriate to serve after particularly rich or strongly flavored meals. It can also be a nice little snack in lieu of fattening frozen dairy treats. It is extremely healthy since it is made with fresh, ripe mango and freshly squeezed lime juice. It is loaded with vitamins A and C and is just downright tasty, no matter which way you slice it. You can make this refined sugar-free (I hesitate to say "sugar free" because there's naturally occurring sugar here) by using any of your favorite artificial sweeteners - just make sure you follow the proper conversion amounts so it doesn't become overpoweringly sweet. I tend to use Truvia for non-baked goods, so I will make a note of the proper amount to use.

Mango Lime Ice

3 cups coarsely chopped peeled, ripe mango (about 4 mangoes)

1½ cups water

½ cup freshly squeezed lime juice (about 6 limes)

1 cup sugar (or, 24 packets Truvia)

2 tsp. grated orange rind

Combine all the ingredients in a food processor or blender and process until smooth. You may need to process the ingredients in two batches.

Press the mango mixture through a fine sieve over a bowl, discarding the solids. Pour the mixture into an 8" square baking dish. Cover and freeze for 4 hours, or until firm. Scrape the mixture back into the food processor and process until slushy. Return to the pan and freeze for another three hours. Allow to soften slightly in the refrigerator for 30 minutes before serving.

Scoop the mixture into small dishes and enjoy!

Serves 8 (serving size ½ cup)

Lighter Chicken Parmesan

Chicken parmesan is usually something that would be considered off-limits in a healthy diet because of all of the fat from pan-frying plus copious amounts of melted cheese on top. This version of chicken parm has been lightened up and got a facelift in the nutrition department by the use of whole grain bread crumbs, reduced fat cheese and using egg whites instead of whole eggs in the breading process. Since so little Parmesan cheese is used, it is okay to use the full fat version. Baking takes the place of messy, greasy pan-frying and cuts down on the calories. You can serve these with cooked pasta or by themselves with a green salad as a side.

Lighter Chicken Parmesan

1 1/3 cups whole grain bread crumbs (Gia Russa is an excellent brand)

1 tsp. dried oregano

½ tsp. garlic powder

1 tbsp. + 1 tsp. paprika

½ tsp. kosher salt

½ tsp. freshly ground black pepper

2 egg whites

½ cup skim milk (optional)

½ cup flour

4 (6 oz.) boneless skinless chicken breasts, pounded into ½" thick paillards

1 jar marinara sauce (about 3½ cups worth)

¾ cup (3 oz.) shredded reduced fat mozzarella cheese

2 tbsp. freshly grated Parmesan

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

In a shallow dish, mix the crumbs with the oregano, garlic powder, paprika, ¼ tsp. kosher salt and ¼ tsp. pepper. In another shallow dish, whisk together the egg white and milk - I'm making the milk optional here because you can easily get away with just using the egg whites when you're dredging - if you don't want to use milk, I suggest adding another two egg whites. In a third dish, mix the flour with the remaining ¼ tsp. salt and ¼ tsp. pepper.

Dip each piece of chicken, 1 at a time, into the flour, then the egg and lastly, the crumb mixture. Shake off any excess.

Place the breaded chicken into a glass baking dish and spray each side with olive oil cooking spray, about 5 seconds per side - or, lightly (key word:  lightly), drizzle each side with regular olive oil. Bake the breasts until cooked through and the crumbs are browned, around 12 - 15 minutes, based on how thinly you've made your paillards. To encourage even baking, you could set the chicken on top of a lightly greased rack that has been placed on a baking sheet.

Top with the marinara sauce, mozzarella and parmesan and return to the oven for another 10 minutes, until the cheese is bubbling. Serve immediately with pasta, a green salad or other sides of your choice.

Serves 4

Lemon and Herb Risotto Cake

If you're looking something unusual to try, then this recipe is right up your alley. Simple to prepare, this cheesy rice dish makes a filling main course when served with a green salad or as a very satisfying side dish. It can be served hot or cold and packs well for picnics. The best type of rice to choose is the Italian round grain Arborio rice since it is the classic risotto rice. If you cannot get Arborio rice, carnaroli rice will do in a pinch. 

Lemon and Herb Risotto Cake

1 small leek, washed and thinly sliced

2½ cups fat free, reduced sodium chicken broth

1 cup Arborio rice

2 tbsp. chopped fresh chives

2 tbsp. chopped fresh parsley

¾ cup reduced fat shredded mozzarella cheese

Finely grated rind of 1 lemon

Kosher salt and black pepper

Parsley and lemon wedges, to garnish

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Lightly oil a deep sided 8 inch springform pan.

Cook the leek in a large pan with 3 tbsp. chicken broth, stirring over medium heat, to soften. Add the rice and the remaining broth.

Bring to a boil. Cover the pan and simmer gently, stirring occasionally, for about 20 minutes, or until all the liquid is absorbed.

Stir in the lemon rind, herbs, cheese and seasonings. Spoon into the springform pan, cover with foil and bake for 30 - 35 minutes or until lightly browned. Turn out and serve in slices, garnished with parsley and lemon wedges.

Serves 4

Chocolate Mint Pudding

Chocolate paired with mint is a classic combination. You usually see this pairing when it comes to candy but here it is presented in an unusual way - in the form of pudding. Fresh mint leaves are steeped in milk to infuse their rich flavor. Thickened with cornstarch and emulsified with eggs, this pudding is quite deceptive. It sounds like it is very fattening, but each serving comes in at under 300 calories - so yes, don't go overboard. A little bit goes a long way! If you have a candy thermometer, I advise using it so you don't heat the milk too much because it can 'break', meaning the mixture will curdle and you will have to throw everything out and start all over again. Serve in little ramekins or in pretty stemmed glasses, garnished with a small mint sprig.

Chocolate Mint Pudding

3 cups skim milk

½ cup packed fresh mint leaves (about ½ an ounce)

2/3 cup sugar

¼ cup cornstarch, sifted

3 tbsp. unsweetened cocoa, sifted

⅛ tsp. kosher salt

3 large egg yolks, lightly beaten

½ tsp. pure vanilla extract

2 oz. semisweet chocolate, chopped

Mint sprigs (optional)

Heat the milk in a saucepan over medium high heat to 180 degrees, or until tiny bubbles form around the edge (do not boil). Remove from the heat and add the mint. Let stand 15 minutes (for a more pronounced mint taste, let stand for longer); strain the milk mixture through a sieve into a bowl, reserving the milk. Discard the solids.

Return the milk to the pan. Add the sugar, cornstarch, cocoa and salt. Bring the heat to medium and bring to a boil. Stir constantly with a whisk until the mixture thickens.

Place the egg yolks in a medium bowl. Temper the eggs by adding a little of the hot milk mixture, whisking constantly. Add the egg mixture back to the milk, return to a boil and keep whisking constantly. If done correctly, your eggs will mix properly and not scramble. Cook the mixture for 1 minute or until thick. 

Remove from the heat. Add the vanilla and chocolate, stirring until the chocolate blends and the mixture is uniform in consistency. Pour the pudding into a bowl and cover the surface with a piece of plastic wrap so a skin will not form. Chill until completely cold.

To serve, spoon the pudding into little custard dishes or stemmed glasses and garnish with a mint sprig.

Serves 6 (about 2/3 cup serving)

NOTE:  You can cut down on the calories by making a few substitutions. You can use dairy substitutes such as almond milk (unsweetened is only 35 calories per 8 oz. and would work best here). You can also use sugar substitutes such as Truvia; 16 packets of Truvia equals 2/3 cup sugar. If you can't find squares of semisweet chocolate, you can use semisweet chocolate chips.

Tuna Pan Bagnat

If you tire of making the same old tuna sandwiches (and I'm betting you're making them with icky mayonnaise), consider trying this very healthy and delicious spin on the tuna sandwich. Pan bagnat (bahn-YAH) is a favorite in southern France and translates to 'bathed bread.' The bread in this sandwich is meant to absorb a bit of liquid from the filling so you can easily make this ahead of time. It's important to use good quality ingredients, so make sure all your produce is super fresh. If you can get olives from an olive bar, those are a better choice than canned ones. Serve with pasta salad, potato salad or baked chips.

Tuna Pan Bagnat

1/3 cup finely chopped red onion

2 tbsp. chopped, pitted niçoise olives

1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice

¼ tsp. kosher salt

¼ tsp. freshly ground black pepper

1 (6 oz.) can premium tuna, packed in oil, drained

1 hard cooked large egg, chopped

¼ cup julienned fresh basil

2 tsp. extra virgin olive oil

1 (8 oz.) whole wheat French bread baguette

1 garlic clove, halved

1 cup thinly sliced plum tomato (about 1)

Combine the first 7 ingredients in a medium bowl. Combine the basil and oil; stir with a whisk. Cut the bread in half horizontally. Hollow out the top and bottom halves of the bread, leaving a 1" thick shell; reserve the torn bread for another use (like homemade croutons!).

Rub the cut sides of the garlic cloves over the cut sides of the bread; discard the garlic. Drizzle the basil mixture evenly over the cut sides of the bread.

Spoon the tuna mixture on the bottom half of the baguette. Arrange the tomato slices over the tuna mixture. Cover with the top half of the baguette. Wrap the filled baguette in plastic wrap (or aluminum foil) and let stand for 20 minutes. Cut the filled baguette into 4 (3 inch) equal portions or cut in half if serving 2.

Serves 2 to 4

Happy 2012!

Greetings, friends out there in the blogosphere! 2012 has just begun and of course, it's that time of year where people are always making the same resolutions. "I'm going to the gym. I'm going to eat healthier. I'm going to lose weight." Honestly, people say these things all the time and 9 times out 10, they never follow through.

Eating healthier and losing weight really isn't too terribly hard to do. Granted, it can be harder for women to lose weight because often, there are more factors that can cause weight gain; stress, hormones and certain medications can make it very difficult to lose weight. Trust me, I know all about it.

I am in the slow process of losing weight caused by medication and now that the holidays are over, it's back to eating healthy. That means plenty of lean proteins, whole grains, plenty of fruit and vegetables, no dairy (but plenty of alternative dairy sources) very little refined sugar and little to no high fructose corn syrup.

I have showcased many healthy recipes thus far on Cooking with the Happy Vulcan and I have no plans to discontinue this trend in 2012. Yes, there are going to be 'indulgent' recipes from time to time, because in every diet (and I mean EVERY) there is always room for the occasional dessert, as long as you exercise portion control and moderation.

That being said, I hope each and every one of you have a bright, happy and prosperous year...and keep on cooking!

~The Happy Vulcan