Nicely spicy

We may be on a bit of a health-kick in this house, but I refuse to let that impact how tasty our food is. True, I'm trying to limit the carbs and things like cheese (I miss you Gorgonzola my darling, but I will be back once my waistline is under control, I promise), but there are other ways of adding flavor and filling tummies. Last night, we looked east for influence, and went Asian-inspired. The main dish was a slow-cooker hit which was completely delicious, and apparently has only 424 calories per serving, even with a sensible portion of noodles (thanks Food Network Magazine!). I did a couple of tweaks, but really only by adding a bit more ginger to the mix. and switching the suggested rice noodles to soba buckwheat for some more fibre. I don't think that will have drastically affected the calorie count.

For sides, I wanted to bump up our veggie consumption, but keep close to the Asian flavors in the entree, so I found two great recipes, which fit the bill. Bear in the mind that the carrots were a tad spicy for one of my kids, so if you are worried about that, reduce the amount of ginger in the marinade/sauce. All in all a successful trip to the Orient (or thereabouts - I make no claims to authenticity), which will be repeated around here for sure.

Soy Citrus Chicken
Serves 6
Adapted from Food Network Magazine

1 1/2 oranges, halved and thinly sliced
5 skinless, boneless chicken breasts, trimmed of any fat and halved
1 1/2 TBSP all purpose (plain) flour
1 tsp lemon zest
salt and pepper
3/4 cup sweet chili sauce
1 1/2 TBSP soy sauce
1 1/2 inch piece of ginger root, peeled and finely grated
3 cloves garlic, minced
9 oz soba buckwheat noodles
2 bunches of watercress, tough stems removed and coarsely chopped (gave about 3 cups chopped)

1. Spray slow cooker stoneware with oil spray, and lay the orange slices overlapping across the base.
2. In a large bowl, combine the flour, lemon zest, 1/4 tsp salt and a few grinds of pepper. Toss the chicken breast pieces in the flour mixture until coated, then lay them in a single layer over the orange slices. Sprinkle any remaining flour mixture over the top.
3. In a small bowl, combine the chili sauce, soy sauce, ginger and garlic. Pour over the chicken.
4. Cover slow cooker and cook on low for 7 hours.
5. Uncover slow cooker and gently stir, breaking up the chicken into large pieces. Let stand for 10 minutes.
6. Meanwhile cook the noodles according to directions. When cooked and drained, toss with the chopped watercress.
7. Serve chicken on bed of noodles.

Roasted Lemon Broccolini
Serves 6
Adapted from williams-sonoma.com

18 oz broccolini, coarsely chopped
1/2 large lemon, seeds removed, chopped into 1/4" pieces (do not peel first)
1/4 tsp salt
few grinds of black pepper
2 TBSP olive oil

1. Preheat oven to 400F.
2. Heat 1 1/2 TBSP olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add garlic and cook for 30 seconds until fragrant. Add broccolini and lemon and sauté for a couple of minutes until broccolini starts to darken slightly in color.
3. Transfer contents of pan to a shallow baking tin. Drizzle over remaining 1/2 TBSP olive oil, and sprinkle over salt and pepper. Toss to combine, then bake for 15 minutes, stirring once.

Asian-style Roasted Carrots
Serves 6
Adapted from Fortheloveofcooking.net

9 carrots (can be any color), peeled and cut into sticks (1/2" across max)
4 1/2 TBSP soy sauce
4 1/2 TBSP rice vinegar
2 tsp sesame oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp minced fresh ginger root

1. Preheat oven to 400F.
2. Mix together the soy sauce, vinegar, sesame oil, garlic and ginger in a large ziploc bag. Add carrots and leave to marinate for 30 minutes.
3. Tip contents of bag into a shallow baking pan, coated in oil spray.
4. Roast in the oven for 30 minutes until tender.