Zesty Chicken with Corn Salsa in 15 minutes or Less

If you are looking for a simple dish, this is as simple as they come. The only thing missing from the meal is rice. This recipe comes from General Mills Eat Better America. The longest item to do was to cut up the vegetables.

Zesty Chicken with Corn Salsa
Add zing to your chicken breasts with chili powder and ground cumin. From Prevention Healthy Cooking. 4 servings
Prep Time 15 Min
Total Time 30 Min
Servings 4
Ingredients
2 teaspoons chili powder
2 teaspoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cumin
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 1 1/4 lb)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 can (7 oz) Green Giant® whole kernel sweet corn, drained
1/2 small red bell pepper, chopped
1/2 small cucumber, seeded and chopped
1/2 cup Progresso® red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
3 tablespoons lime juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
Step 1
In cup, combine chili powder, brown sugar and cumin. Rub both sides of chicken breasts with the spice mixture.
Step 2
In large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Cook chicken in hot oil 12 minutes, turning occasionally, or until instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest portion reads 160°F and juices run clear.
Step 3
Meanwhile, in medium bowl, stir together corn, red pepper, cucumber, kidney beans, lime juice and salt.
Step 4
Evenly divide corn salsa onto 4 plates. Top each with a chicken breast.

Expert Tips
Kidney beans are loaded with plenty of fiber—the soluble kind. Start slowly so you have time to get used to added fiber in the diet!

Beat the Clock Chicken (2001) p. 15
Nutrition Information:
Nutrition Information:1 Serving (1 Serving)Calories 320(Calories from Fat 110),Total Fat 12g(Saturated Fat 2 1/2g,Trans Fat 0g),Cholesterol 85mg;Sodium 380mg;Total Carbohydrate 19g(Dietary Fiber 3g,Sugars 5g),Protein 34g;Percent Daily Value*:Vitamin A 15 %;Vitamin C 30 %;Calcium 4 %;Iron 15 %;Exchanges:1 Starch;0 Fruit;0 Other Carbohydrate;0 Skim Milk;0 Low-Fat Milk;0 Milk;1 Vegetable;0 Very Lean Meat;4 Lean Meat;0 High-Fat Meat;0 Fat;Carbohydrate Choices:1;*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
Nutrition information is calculated at the time recipes are created. We do not include optional ingredients in our calculations.
©Copyright 2009

Related articles

• Kalamata-Lemon Chicken
• Roast Chicken by Julia Child
• Roast Chicken is in Vogue
• Pacific Natural Foods Thai Sweet Potato Soup
• Shrimp with Rice
• Pacific Foods All Natural Vegetable Lentil and Roasted Red Pepper Soup
• French Apple Pie

Macaroni and Cheese and Butternut Squash

I am not a big macaroni and cheese fan. I realize this is a colonial favorite dating back to Thomas Jefferson, and there are a large number of families, including my own, who have Kraft Macaroni and Cheese sitting in their pantry. I am proud to say I am not one of those people.

Now if the dish has something like butternut squash in it, that to me is something worth trying.

Cucurbita moschata 'Butternut'. Original description: Courges butternut (Cucurbita moschata) Photo JH Mora, septembre 2005 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I went to Foxglove and Madison Cheese in Madison CT. They were very helpful. 

Katie Webster's Macaroni and Cheese and Butternut Squash

Makes 6 servings, 1 generous cup each. Active Time: 45 minutes. Total Time: 1 hour.
4 cups cubed butternut squash, about 1 ¼ pounds
2 cups whole-grain macaroni, 8 oz.
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon canola oil, divided
2 shallots, chopped
3 cups low-fat milk, divided
⅓ cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons Dijon Mustard
1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
¾ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground white pepper
6 ounces shredded Gruyere cheese, about 2 cups
3 tablespoons whole-wheat panko breadcrumbs, such as Ian’s
½ teaspoon paprika
Preheat oven to 400°F. Coat a 2 quart baking dish with cooking spray.
Meanwhile, bring several inches of water to a boil in a large saucepan fitted with a steamer attachment. Add squash and steam, covered, until very tender 8 to 12 minutes. Mash about half of the squash in a small bowl and set aside.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook macaroni 2 minutes less than package instructions. Drain and set aside.
Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add shallot, and cook, stirring often until softened and starting to brown, 1 to 3 minutes. Add 2 cups milk and bring to a simmer. Whisk the remaining 1 cup milk, mustard, rosemary, white pepper and the remaining ¾ teaspoon salt in a small bowl until smooth. Whisk the flour mixture into the simmering milk, whisking constantly. Continue to cook just until the mixture bubbles and thickens. Remove from the heat.
Whisk the Gruyere cheese into the thickened milk mixture until it is melted. Add the mashed squash and whisk until combined. Stir in the macaroni and the remaining squash. Transfer to the prepared casserole dish.
Mix breadcrumbs with the remaining 1 teaspoon oil. Add the paprika and stir until evenly moist and bright orange. Sprinkle over the macaroni. Transfer to the oven and bake until bubbling hot and browned on top, 10 to 15 minutes. Let cool at least 10 minutes before serving.
Calories: 401. Fat: 15g. Sat Fat: 6 g. Protein: 19g. Fiber: 6g. Sodium: 499mg.

Fresh out of the oven

This recipe gives you a good reason to give Macaroni and Cheese. The best macaroni and cheese you can have is macaroni and cheese with butternut squash.

Related articles

• The Blues Brothers Funky Chicken
• Easy Udon Noodles
• Martha Stewart's Original Linguine with Garlic and Breadcrumbs
• Hash in a Dash
• English Country Chicken

Trader Joe's Butternut Squash Soup

Trying things is my thing, and I personally love butternut squash soup. When I saw the soup at Trader Joe's I couldn't resist wanting to try it.

Butternut Squash Soup from Trader Joe's. Sorry about the glare.

 Here is the soup in the bowl with some crackers. I thoroughly enjoyed it. What I really should do is make my own. I haven't made soup but someone told me it is not very hard.

In a previous blog I also mention Swiss Miss hot cocoa, so I decided to add it to the things I add to try that taste wonderful. I love having marshmallows in my hot cocoa. My Mom often purchased it at the grocery store. 

I know the cup is a little messy. This hot cocoa is made with milk. You can make Swiss Miss with either water or milk. I choose milk over water all the time.


Enjoy the day, try new things and stay warm.

Cassandra