Chicken Breast Tenders in French Cream

This quick-to-make recipe smelled and tasted so heavenly while Joseph was cooking it, I could have sworn the sauce had mushrooms or truffles in it. Turns out the recipe that inspired him really did have those ingredients! ??? Something metaphysical about that ...

Most people would serve this over rice or noodles. We ate it out of a bowl to savor the sauce. (If you're worried by the cream, read the post about fats before you try this one.)

Chicken Breast Tenders in French Cream
Serves 2-3

3 tablespoons ghee
Approx. 1 lb. organic, free-range chicken breast tenders
1 tablespoon finely chopped shallots
2 tablespoons cognac or brandy
2 cups heavy cream
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Heat ghee in iron or other large skillet. Add tenders, seasoning with half of the salt and pepper. Cook over medium low heat, turning until the color changes to lightly browned, if at all, on all sides. Cover and cook in juices and ghee for approximately 10 minutes. Then remove the chicken to a bowl to keep warm.

Add shallots to the skillet. Cook and stir for a minute or two. Add brandy or cognac and cook for 30 seconds, then stir in the cream. Raise the temperature until the cream bubbles, then reduce heat and cook until the mixture thickens, approximately 10 minutes. Add the remaining salt and pepper. Pour chicken and juices back into the pan. Stir and heat.

* * * *
We served this with a Greek salad (feta, olives, and lemon vinaigrette) and mashed roasted sweet potatoes seasoned with pumpkin pie spices and ghee or butter or hazelnut oil. (And of course you can add mushrooms or truffles!)

Let us know how you liked it!

Raspberry Apple Mash

We often invent yummy sweet dishes without resorting to sugar, honey, syrups, or nectars. After you've recovered your tastebuds from years of abuse, Nature's delicate flavors provide plenty of sweetness without the insulin punch-in-the-gut that's causing everyone so much trouble.

For this recipe, he used 100% green stevia leaf powder to add just a little sweetness. Then he added rose water, which you can find in the spices section of your supermarket or health food store, or local Indian, Persian, or Arab market, to bring up a flowery sweetness that goes nicely with the raspberries.

Stevia Secrets

Our fledgling stevia plant

Joseph's Cooking Notes:

I love stevia! It’s great stuff, but it doesn’t taste very good because it’s 300 times sweeter than sugar. It’s so sweet that if you ate the extract straight, your mouth would implode and you might end up with permanently sunken cheeks. Don’t try it. Let this serve as your warning.

Fat: Why We Cook with Butter, Ghee, and Grease

Joseph's Cooking Notes:

FAT

Around 10 years ago, I lost 45 pounds on a low-fat diet. I ate many whole grains, fresh fruits and vegetables, abundant low-fat meat and protein, and kept my fat intake around 10%. After about two years on this diet, I developed what doctors call irritable bowel syndrome. Trust me, you don’t want your bowels mad at you. I’ll spare you the details.

But the cure for me involved adding fat back into my diet—and not flax oil, or soybean oil, or hydrogenated plastic can’t believe it’s not butter or whatever. I mean ANIMAL FAT. I can hear a collective hush from the health fiends, such as myself. But I’m convinced that animal fat has been unfairly demonized. Here are a few facts about animal fats that I seldom hear from the hysterical food police:

Joseph’s Irish Frittata

This is a great way to use up the leftover potatoes and onions from your St. Patrick’s Day boiled dinner! (Leave out the cabbage, though.) Joseph used leftovers from our Polish-Irish Turkey Kielbasa Dinner, giving the frittata a wonderfully tangy undertone.

Joseph’s Irish Frittata

Serves 2

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
5 eggs
1/8 teaspoon sea salt
Freshly-ground black pepper
1 teaspoon fresh rosemary, chopped
1 cup leftover boiled potatoes, sliced
1/2 cup leftover boiled onions, chopped
Goat feta cheese, crumbled, 1 to 2 oz. to taste

In a bowl, whisk together eggs, salt, pepper, and rosemary. Gently stir in potatoes and onions. Set aside.

Heat oil in an iron skillet, then set the heat on medium-low (4 on our electric stove). Pour in the egg mixture, spreading the potato and onion pieces evenly around the pan. Sprinkle with the feta cheese.

Cook for five minutes, then rotate the pan 180 degrees. (Joseph says this is necessary because all electric stoves are cooler and hotter in different places). Cook another five minutes on the stovetop, then place the skillet under a hot broiler until the frittata is sizzling and cooked on top. Serve with buttered, gluten-free toast. Serves 2.

Polish-Irish Turkey Kielbasa Dinner

A Polish step-granddad and an Irish family heritage probably contributed to Joseph’s fondness for this kind of meal, a lighter alternative to the traditional corned beef served on St. Patrick’s Day.

It’s also quick and easy, but tastes like you’ve been slaving over the stove for hours! 


Polish-Irish Turkey Kielbasa Dinner
(Serves 2-3)

1 package* fully-cooked turkey kielbasa (from Trader Joe’s)
5 organic potatoes
1 large yellow organic onion
Handful of organic peeled baby carrots
  (or 1 to 3 peeled whole carrots, cut in serving sizes)
5-6 fresh green organic cabbage wedges

Cut the kielbasa into serving-size pieces. Place in large kettle, cover generously with filtered water, put a lid on it and turn the heat on high to bring it to a boil.

Meanwhile, if you’re using russet potatoes, peel them; if red or yellow, leave the peels on but scrub well and carefully remove eyes. Cut them in half if they’re very large. Add to kettle, making sure there’s enough water to cover them.

Cut the onion into quarters. Add to pot. Add the carrots. Bring everything to a boil, then turn down and simmer, covered, until the potatoes are almost done, approximately 15 to 20 minutes. Uncover the pot and lay the cabbage on top. Cook it for only 5 to 10 minutes, uncovered! This will reduce the nastiness that can happen to cabbage if simmered for long periods of time in a covered kettle. Ugh.

Arrange the cooked meat and vegetables on a beautiful platter and serve it at the table. Pass salt and butter for the potatoes, with mustard for the kielbasa. (We don’t salt the kettle because usually the kielbasa does that for us. Adjust to your own taste.)

*Tips: If you plan to feed a family, buy two packages of the kielbasa and add a few more vegetables. Use any leftovers to make Joseph’s Irish Frittata for breakfast!

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