Sunday, December 18, 2011

Oven Fried Chicken, Sweet Potatoes, and Green Beans

  Today I have another meal that fits the MyPlate model. It's based around oven fried chicken made with Kentucky Kernel flour. Sweet potatoes really taste good with chicken, and green beans go with everything. Kentucky Kernel flour is a bit salty at 544 mg. of sodium in 4 tsps. and has a strong flavor, so I blended it with whole wheat flour. 


Oven Fried Chicken
Ingredients: 
Vegetable oil
1 pound skinless chicken
1/2 cup Kentucky Kernel flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
2 eggs
1/4 cup skim milk

Directions: 
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. 
Pour enough oil into a baking dish to keep the chicken from sticking.
Beat the eggs and milk in a bowl.
Combine the 2 flours on a plate.
Dip the chicken pieces into the egg mixture first, then coat in flour. Place them in the pan. Bake for 30 minutes on each side, turning once. 

Sweet Potatoes
Wash and place desired number of whole sweet potatoes directly on the oven rack and bake while the chicken is cooking. It should only take around 30 to 40 minutes for the potatoes to bake. 
Top the finished sweet potatoes with some tub margarine and cinnamon. 

Green Beans
Open a can of Shelley Green Beans and drain to reduce the sodium. Place in a saucepan and add water, a generous sprinkling of black pepper, and one thick slice of onion, chopped. Cook on stove-top over medium to medium-high heat while the chicken and sweet potatoes are baking.

Thursday, December 1, 2011

Tomato and Okra Vegetable Soup

  It's cold outside today, and this healthy soup is the perfect meal for warming up. The base of the soup is corn and tomatoes. I used a combination of no added salt and regular canned vegetables, simply because the grocery store didn't have everything I needed in the no added salt variety. This soup contains primarily canned and frozen vegetables, with the exception of a fresh onion and a green pepper, making it ideal for late fall and winter. A little bit of sugar and white vinegar add a boost of flavor.


Ingredients: 
2 cans no added salt whole kernel corn
2 cans no added salt diced tomatoes
1 can shellie beans
1 can sliced carrots
1 onion, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
1 12 oz. bag frozen okra
2 Tbsp. sugar
1 Tbsp. white vinegar

Directions: 
Combine all ingredients in a large pot and cook on medium-high heat for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. 

  Serve soup with hot, fresh cornbread.