Walnut Crusted Chicken

I have avoided nuts for most of my life.They have a lot of calories and a lot of fat.For example,1/4 cup of walnuts has 200 calories and 20 grams of fat.It turns out that they have an abundance of omega 3,a good fat and a lot of magnesium.Good sources of omega-3's come mainly from fatty fish.Not being a fish or seafood eater, I needed to find an alternative for these important nutrients.I have begun using nuts;mostly walnuts and almonds as a coating for chicken or pork. The recipe below is a tasty version of walnut crusted chicken.

Walnut Crusted Chicken

Ingredients:

3/4 cup of walnuts
2 tablespoon of real maple syrup
2 tablespoon Dijon Mustard
4 boneless chicken breasts,trimmed and tenderized using a meat mallet.Do not pound to 1/4 inch as usually recommended.This is too thin to be moist and tasty using this technique
Salt and pepper to taste
Non stick cooking oil spray to coat
your baking pan
Preparation :

Preheat oven to 375 degrees
Spray baking pan with cooking oil
Finely chop the walnuts in a mini food processor
Whisk together syrup,mustard and salt and pepper
Cover chicken breasts with this mixture on all sides
Place the chopped walnuts into a shallow bowl
One by one, place the chicken breasts in the bowl and press the walnut into the chicken until covered on all sides
Place the chicken in the baking dish and place in oven
Cook chicken for 10 to 15 minutes depending on the thickness of the breasts
Remove the chicken from oven and onto platter and serve

Serves 4

Salads are more than rabbit food

I think we all know salads are good for you. They have fiber and significant vitamins and minerals. Unfortunately they can be pretty boring if you stick with a lettuce, tomato and cucumber tri-fecta at every dinner. To mix it up a little, try using different types of greens. You can use Bibb, arugula or romaine or spinach for example. You can add fruit like pears and apples or add chopped dates or dried cranberries. Glazed walnuts are a big hit at my house as is a handful of trail mix. The ideas are endless and they really pay off. Many times my family has said "great salad Mom". The one thing that you must do, in my opinion, is make your own salad dressing. It is not hard and it eliminates so many chemicals, preservatives, fat and calories. One basic thing you have to do is decide on the ratio of oil to vinegar. Many cooks prefer the one to one ratio. This cuts down on calories but is too tart for my taste. I prefer the 4 to one ratio of oil to vinegar. After that, you can experiment with additions like mustard, garlic, thyme oregano or whatever herbs and spices you prefer.