Grilled Chicken Salad with Corn Relish and Crispy Polenta

Grilled Chicken Salad with Corn Relish and Crispy Polenta:
Servings: about 4

Chicken:
1.25-1.5lb Chicken Breast, thinly sliced such that the breast is about 1/2 as thick
Cumin (as much as you like)
Salt & Pepper

Corn Relish:
1 15oz can of Yellow Corn
2 Roasted Red Peppers (from Jar)
2 Large Jalapenos
1/2 Medium Red Onion
1 Large Handful of Basil
Juice of 1 Lime

Salad Dressing:
2 Limes, Juiced
1Tbs Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2tsp Distilled White Vinegar
1tsp Apple Cider Vinegar
Salt & Pepper

Salad:
Polenta
1 Bag Spinach

~Prepare the Relish first:
Drain can of corn and place in bowl. Chop basil and add to bowl. Finely dice jalapenos, red peppers, and red onion and add to mixture. Juice lime into bowl and stir to combine. Chill in refrigerator while preparing the remaining components.

~Prepare Polenta:
Cut pre-made polenta tube into 1" squares. Coat baking pan with spray olive oil and add the polenta. Spray top of polenta with spray olive oil. Place in preheated broiler for 20 min, stirring and flipping polenta half way through cooking.

~Prepare Chicken:
Season each side of chicken with desired amount of cumin, pepper, and salt. Place in pocket of aluminum foil, 2-3 pieces in each pocket. Grill on George Foreman or outdoor grill until no longer pink (about 8 minutes on the George Foreman).

Combine all ingredients for the dressing in small bowl. Toss spinach in dressing and add to plates. Top with polenta, relish, and chicken.

ENJOY!

Grilled Paprika Shrimp with Polenta

Grilled Paprika Shrimp with Polenta:

Serving Size: 2 Skewers of Shrimp, 2 Slices of Polenta, and as many Veggies as you want
Servings per Recipe: 4

1lb Large Raw Shrimp, Peeled and Deveined (you can use frozen or fresh depending on budget)

1 Tube Pre-Cooked Polenta (I get mine from Trader Joe's)

1 Bag Green Beans (or I think Asparagus would go well also)

2-3tsp Crushed Garlic (also sold at Trader Joe's)

1-2tsp Spanish Style Paprika

1-2tsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Salt and Pepper to Taste

Can of Spray Olive Oil (such as PAM)

Wooden Skewers (soaked in water prior to use)

1. If using frozen shrimp, just put in colander and run cool water over shrimp for 5 minutes or until no longer frozen in the middle. Let stand in sink for a few minutes while preparing other ingredients.
   
2. Pre-heat broiler. Spray broiler pan with spray olive oil. Slice polenta into 8 even pieces and place on broiler. Spray top of polenta slices with olive oil and sprinkle a little salt and pepper if desired. Place in oven just below broiler. Cook for 10 minutes on each side.
   
3. While polenta is cooking, pre-heat grill (grill pan or outdoor grill will work). Next, make the garlic paprika paste. Add the 2-3tsp of crushed garlic into a small bowl, add the 1-2tsp of paprika and stir to combine. Add enough liquid olive oil to slightly thin but make sure it is a consistency slightly thicker than pancake batter (about 1tsp).
   
4. If the bowl is big enough, you can place all of the shrimp into the bowl and toss with your hands making sure every piece is covered equally. You can also use a brush or a the back of a spoon to individually coat each shrimp.
   
5. Place 4-5 shrimp on each skewer (depending on how many came in the pound). Grill the skewers until the shrimp turn pink and have the desired amount of caramelization (~5min per side).
   
6. While shrimp is cooking, cook the bag of green beans according to the directions (usually poke a hole in the bag and place in microwave for 3-4 minutes).
   
7. Once everything is cooked, plate how ever you like and ENJOY!

My Comments:

This dish is Spanish inspired so I used a lot of paprika. Depending on your preferences, you can use as much or as little as you like. You may also want to add a little ground cayenne pepper for some heat! The polenta complements the spices in this recipe and is a filling, yet not too carb heavy, starch. (Also looks pretty in my opinion).

I don't have an exact number of but this dish should be around 325-350 calories per serving as long as you control the amount of olive oil you use.

ENJOY!

Grilled Almond Butter and Banana Sandwich

Grilled Almond Butter and Banana Sandwich:

• 1 Multigrain English Muffin (I like Thomas's Light (100 calorie) Multigrain)
• 2 Tbs Almond Butter (Brand and texture of your choice, I like Trader Joe's Creamy Unsalted)
• ~1/2 Large Banana, Sliced
• Grill press or panini press (optional)

Place English muffin in microwave for about 30 seconds to pre-warm and soften even more.
Spread 1Tbs of almond butter onto each side of the English muffin.
Place desired amount of banana slices on each side of the English muffin (I usually try to get as many as possible on there)

Wrap in aluminum foil and place in pre-heated press for about 6-8 min or until you can hear sizzling.
(If you don't have a press, wrap in aluminum foil and place in oven with broiler pre-heated. 10 minutes on each side usually works for me.)

Once ready, cut in half and enjoy with whatever else you like!

(I like to shop less frequently so I usually buy a couple packages of English muffins at a time and freeze a portion of them. To thaw, put frozen muffin on a plate and defrost in the microwave. I do a timed 2min defrost and it comes out perfectly.)

My Comments:
This is a healthy version of comfort food that should average out to around 350 calories a sandwich (depending on the English muffin used and how much banana you decide to put on). You get the benefits of filling fiber from the English muffin, iron and protein from the almond butter, and potassium from the banana. People are generally scared of nut butters because of the fat content, but the fat in almonds is healthy for your heart and beneficial to the body so in small quantities it is very nutritious. Also, almond butter is less processed than peanut butter and thus does not contain extra sugars (just check the label).

I have one of these for breakfast almost every day and I can stay full for hours!

Hope you enjoy!