Panko-Crusted Chicken

Ingredients:

1 cup panko
1 tablespoon oil
1 lb chicken breasts
1/4 cup Dijon mustard (or mustard of your choosing)
cooking spray


Directions:

Preheat oven to 450. Thoroughly mix panko and oil and toast over medium heat until lightly browned (stir occasionally so it doesn’t burn). Cool to room temperature.

Pat chicken breasts dry and spread with Dijon. Coat with toasted panko and place on a rack over a rimmed baking sheet. Spray lightly with cooking spray and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until chicken is no longer pink inside.

Mediterranean Turkey Burgers

Ingredients:

1/4 cup panko
1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
1 tbsp. minced red onion
2 tbsp. pesto
freshly ground black pepper
1 lb ground turkey breast
1 garlic clove, minced
Cooking spray
2 cups arugula or spinach
2 whole-wheat or low carb pitas, toasted and halved


Directions:

Combine first 7 ingredients in a bowl; mix until combined. Divide panko mixture into 4 portions, shaping each into a 1/2-inch-thick oval patty.

Heat a nonstick grill pan over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add patties to pan; cook 6 minutes on each side or until done. Place 1 patty and 1/2 cup arugula in each pita half. Serve with tzatziki sauce and tabouleh.

Chicken with Tomatoes and Feta

Ingredients:

thyme
garlic powder
red wine vinegar

1 lb. chicken breast

1 onion, chopped

1 can (14-1/2 oz.) Italian-style diced tomatoes, undrained

1/4 cup Greek vinaigrette Dressing

1 lemon, thinly sliced

1/2 cup feta cheese, crumbled

Directions:

Put chicken in a bowl and sprinkle with thyme and garlic powder. Cover with vinegar. Marinate for 10 minutes.

Saute chicken and onion over medium-high heat until chicken is done. Remove chicken from pan. Add tomatoes, dressing, and lemon to the pan and cook for about 5 minutes.

Add chicken back to the pan and coat with sauce. Simmer for a few minutes. Serve topped with feta.

Balsamic Chicken

Ingredients:

1 lb chicken
steak seasoning
balsamic vinegar


Directions:

Season chicken. Put in a bowl and just cover with vinegar. Marinate 10 minutes. Saute until done and serve.

Cheese Blintzes

Ingredients:

1/2 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
1/2 cup lowfat cottage cheese
1 tsp. vanilla extract (other flavors work too)
4 packets sugar substitute
4 ready-to-use crepes
fresh fruit


Directions:

Mix cheeses, vanilla, and sweetener. Whisk until mixture is smooth.

Spoon 1/4 of mixture into the center of each crepe. Fold or roll up crepe as desired.

Microwave blintz for about 45 sec, or if you're feeling brave, saute them for a few min in a little bit of butter. However, if the crepes are delicate the whole thing may fall apart. Top with fruit.

Protein Pancakes

Ingredients:

1/8 cup lowfat cottage cheese
1/4 cup egg whites
1 1/2 scoops protein powder (chocolate or vanilla)
2 packets sugar substitute (optional)
1 tsp flavoring (eg. banana, almond, etc, optional)


Directions:

Spray a nonstick pan with oil (or butter) and set on medium heat.

In a bowl, combine cottage cheese, egg whites, and protein powder (and sweetener/flavoring, if using). Use a handheld blender to mix thoroughly.

Pour 1/3 of batter into pan. Cook each side for about 2 minutes or until pancake is golden. Repeat until batter is gone. (Makes about 3 pancakes total.)

Top with fruit and/or sugar-free maple syrup. Serves 1.