Citrus marinated chicken thighs

So I'm finally done with jury duty. Justice has been served (and I may add that unlike vengeance, it was seved on a hot plate), and it was finally time for me to go back to my normal life. I had a few things to catch up with. First, I needed to catch up with sleep. Man, maybe it was the stress of knowing that I had to be at the Justice Center by 8:30 am, or maybe it was the constant coffee drinking I did during the long, long waiting periods and endless testimonies, but I was waking up between 4am and 5am every morning for the last 6 days. The lack of sleep caused me to be too exhausted to carry out my every day activities outside of the courtroom. I've been slacking through my workouts through the week so I had to go back to good and efficient workouts. Finally, I haven't had a chance to meet with my friends and when I talked to them, I had to constantly make sure I would not talk about the case. 

The moment the trial was over, I asked my best friend to stop by the house to catch up over dinner. It was short notice for both her and me, but I knew exactly what I wanted to make. I was going for citrus-marinated chicken thighs. I saw the recipe in Bon Appetit and I came across it again via Epicurious, so I knew it was a sign from above. It's a simple recipe, it's quick, and it's a departure from my everyday flavors, so I gave myself the green light and went for it. For this dish the chicken thighs get marinated for at least 20 minutes before cooking so I had to start with that. The marinade is prepared in the food processor, but still I sliced the scallions before hand. I know, a bit unnecessary, but whatever... I like slicing and chopping veggies anyway. I saved some of the scallions to top the dish at the end.

Then I used cilantro. I love cilantro, but I know that some people find it overpowering. I've learned the key is to make sure you don't use too much when you cook with it. For this recipe, I used half a bunch of it, using the leaves and just the soft stems (so just the part of the stem closest to the leaves).

The next ingredient was garlic. Once again, I sliced it thinly even though I knew the whole thing would go to the processor. Practice is everything, isn't it?

The next step is just to get a teaspoon of finely grated orange and lime zestd. Turns out this was the zest of one small orange, and the zest of a large lime.

The final ingredients that go in the marinade are the juice of a lime, the juice of an orange, soy sauce and salt.

After finishing processing the marinade, I made sure I kept some of it to serve with the chicken. The rest of the marinade went into a plastic bag with the chicken.

When I was ready to start the cooking, I preheated the broiler (on high) with the oven rack closest to the top. I placed the chicken on a foil-lined baking sheet, and I broiled my chicken skin down for 5 minutes, flipped them, and broiled for an additional 15 minutes. That was it.

At first, I was afraid that the skin was burnt, but it wasn't. After giving it a try, I realized the chicken was delicious. The flavors of the marinade really went deep into the meat. The texture was perfect, and the thighs were still juicy. We paired it with some quinoa, and had a pumkin ale. What else could we have asked for? The rest was up to us to catch up and to have some fun. 

On the road shortcut

1 bunch scallions, thinly sliced
1/2 bunch cilantro, leaves and tender stems only
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 teaspoon finely grated lime zest
1 teaspoon finely grated orange zest
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1/4 cup fresh orange juice
1/4 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon kosher salt
2 pounds skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs

Set aside 1/4 cup sliced scallions. Pulse cilantro, garlic, citrus zests, citrus juices, soy sauce, oil, salt, and remaining scallions in a food processor or blender until a coarse purée forms. Set aside 1/4 cup marinade; place remaining marinade in a large resealable plastic bag. Add chicken, seal bag, and turn to coat. Chill at least 20 minutes.
Preheat broiler. Remove chicken from marinade and place, skin side down, on a foil-lined broilerproof baking sheet; discard marinade. Broil chicken until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Turn; continue to broil until cooked through and an instantread thermometer inserted into the thickest part of thigh registers 165°F, 12-15 minutes longer. Serve chicken with reserved marinade and scallions.

DO AHEAD: Chicken can be marinated 2 hours ahead. Keep chilled.

Nutritional info per serving (2 thighs, with skin):

568 calories, 8g carbs, 42g fat, 39g protein. 

I don't eat the skin, so I also calculated the nutritional value without the skin.

Nutritional info per serving (2 thighs, without skin):

379 calories, 8g carbs, 25g fat, 32g protein.

Recipe adapted from:
Bon Appétit
August 2013
by Alison Roman

Vodka Martinis

 This is a highly unusual post for my blog, but bear with me. It has been a crazy week. For the most part, I've been on jury duty. I've learned a lot this week from the experience, as well as from people's reaction to the summoning. Reactions from my peers ranged from "oh, that sucks" to "at least you are an American citizen". I was especially surprised by that later reaction, but I do forget there are plenty of people who really struggle to get a chance at the American dream. Anyway... Beyond the actual case and its circumstances, I'm amazed at the fascinating conversations we get into to keep us from going insane during the usual waiting periods. I wasn’t warned there was so much waiting involved in the process. I've seen Legally Blonde many times, and Drop Dead Diva every season, and from neither did I get the sense that the jurors had so much waiting to do. 

The good thing has been that during the lunch breaks I've had a chance to explore the secret life of the city. My everyday life revolves around the city limits and the suburbs and I never really get to experience Downtown Cleveland during the weekdays. There is so much life, but it's not the craziness I had imagined. Here the laid-back lifestyle of the suburbs, of the Midwest and of the Rust Belt as a whole triumphs over the laws of the business districts. It's kind of fun to see the joggers, the guys in suits riding their bikes, the tourists (yes, there are tourists...) and the never ending array of restaurants and food trucks feeding the hardworking Clevelanders, all of them survivors to the disappointments brought by their beloved sport teams losing another game. Clevelanders bring the city back to life, and restore our capacity to visit the once forsaken city, full of beautiful buildings that remind of the city's rustier days.   

As I was going home after jury duty, I realized I had to actually go to the supermarket to buy groceries since I wasn't able to do it during the weekend. As I was leaving the supermarket's parking lot this woman started waiving at me like crazy. I thought she had a kid or a dog small enough I couldn't see from the rearview and I was going to run over while backing up. She didn't, but she was almost crying, so I rolled down my windows to see if she needed help or something. She started telling me about how hungry her kids were, and she asked me if I could pay for some meat for her to cook for her children. Maybe I've been affected by the whole jury duty experience, but I decided that I wanted to help her. Turns out she wanted meat from a deal that was like 5 family packs of chicken wings for $21. For some reason, I said it was ok. So she goes on to ask if it was OK for her to get some snack for her since she was hungry too. I thought, what the hell, she probably wants some chips or something. But no... She wanted steaks, $20 worth of steaks. I was like, what the hell? I said: "No, Lady. You won't get anything from me." I left and never looked back. Go and try to fool someone else. 

I needed a drink after that, and I knew exactly what to have. During the weekend we hosted a farewell party for one of our dear friends who is saying goodbye to Cleveland, and embarking in a new life in her beloved Austria. Because of my time commitment to jury duty, I did not cook a single thing. I didn't even slice bread. All I did was to prepare the nights martinis; nothing fancy, but I wanted to serve vodka martinis that were easy to make in bulk because I lack the speed of a bartender (plus I knew I wasn't getting tipped). I reasoned that the easiest way to handle the orders would be to serve highly related recipes to minimize the liquors I would have to stock on, and pre-mix them so I would just have to shake or serve them when the guests wanted them. I went for a traditional vodka martini from drinksmixer.com, a dollar martini, and a French martini, both courtesy of foodnetwork.com. I didn't really have Chambord, so I modified the recipe and used Crème de Cassis instead, so I changed the raspberry liqueur for a blackcurrant liqueur. It worked really well. In fact, they all turned out nicely, they were very easy to expedite and they kept us from crying and sobbing all night. Needless to say, I was happy about it. I had some drink mix left so I went for them and after a few minutes, I forgot about the meat-greedy woman, and I was able to relax and actually plan all the cooking I'll be doing for you (but I'll be eating). I'll be back really soon with food, but in the meantime, take a look at the drinks and hopefully, you'll get to enjoy one.

Check bellow for the recipes!

On the road shortcuts

(As described by the original sources, with minor notations from me.)

Vodka martini

6 oz vodka
3 oz dry vermouth

Shake vodka and vermouth together with several ice cubes in a shaker. Strain into a cocktail glass, garnish with an olive and serve.

Read more: Vodka Martini recipe http://www.drinksmixer.com/recipes/6569/#ixzz2ebubREyA

Dollar martini

1 cup vodka
1 cup water
1 (8-ounce) can frozen limeade
2 tablespoon lemon juice

In a large pitcher, combine vodka, water, limeade and lemon juice. Pour into martini glasses.

Read more at: http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/cda/recipe_print/0,1946,FOOD_9936_218134_RECIPE-PRINT-FULL-PAGE-FORMATTER,00.html?oc=linkback


 

French martini

2 cups fresh pineapple juice
2 1/2 cups vodka
1/4 cup Vermouth
2 teaspoons raspberry liqueur (recommended: Chambord, but I used Creme de Cassis instead)

Combine the ingredients in a cocktail shaker. Fill a martini glass with ice and pour the cocktail over the ice.

Read more at: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/french-martini-recipe/index.html?oc=linkback

Raspberry ricotta cheesecake

Eating well is not synonymous with deprivation nor restriction. I've said it many times to many people. If you want to improve your health, to lose weight or to simply be nicer to your body, feeding it lettuce and chicken breast is not gonna cut it. It just won't. You need to have a wide range of nutrients coming from different sources. Besides, if you are too restrictive you will give up pretty soon. With moderation, anything can be enjoyed without doing much damage, or deterring you from your goals. Yes, even desserts can be eaten with moderation.

I've never been that much into sweets but since I moved to the States, I've gone through waves of craving sweets once in a while. Since I normally don't eat dessert, I don't have much experience making them. Last week I mentioned my struggles while baking a pie and then a cake (Bacon and Blue Cheese Burger with Grilled Sweet Potato Wedges). Still, I was not discouraged, and I wanted to make a dessert to celebrate Labor Day. I thought it would be a great idea because, 1) we would have a dessert to enjoy during the holiday, and 2) because this week I'm summoned for jury duty, so I wanted something I could eat quickly before leaving the house early in the morning (leaving behind just the minimal mess). Some desserts just don't do well sitting around for a couple of days, but I knew the one that would: a cheesecake. 

I really like cheesecakes, and apparently other Puerto Ricans do too. Last week I was horrified to see the how the Puerto Rican media was following much more closely the opening of a Cheesecake Factory restaurant in Puerto Rico, than they were covering our possible involvement in the Syrian Civil War. "People were cutting in lines" and "Cheesecake Factory employee cries from the stress" were making the headlines. Madness, people, madness. 

So I wanted to make a rich, delicious cheesecake. I also wanted to make it light and low calorie. It may seem like way too much to ask, but I also wanted to be able to enjoy it, away from the cameras, from line cutting people, and from crying and sobbing employees. I had my work cut out for me. I picked up Ellie Krieger's book: "The food you crave" and found exactly what I needed.

The recipe turned out to be very, very simple, ideal for the baking challenged (a.k.a. Me). This cheesecake is made mostly of part skim ricotta cheese, but I used low-fat ricotta instead (even less calories from fat by serendipity). I placed the ricotta in the food processor and processed it until it was smooth. I used it on medium-high speed, and after 3-5 minutes it was done. I actually tried processing a touch longer, but it did nothing to get rid of the few chunks that were still there. The baking itself took care of them, so I won't worry about it in the future. Then, I added all the rest of the ingredients at the same time (reduced-fat sour cream, Neufchatel cheese, eggs, sugar, flour, vanilla extract, orange zest and salt) and processed again until I had a smooth mixture (again, 3-5 minutes). The mix was much more runny than what I expected, but I'm glad to say that it turned out OK after baking. 

I transferred the mix to a springform coated with cooking spray. Additionally, I wrapped the outer part of the springform with foil, in case there were any leaks. That was it. It was as simple as that. I was worried about how simple everything was, but everything worked out well! The recipe calls for baking at 325 F for 55 minutes, or until the center is set. But after 55 minutes, my center wasn't set yet. An additional 10 minutes did the trick. At this point the recipe required a bit of patience, because it calls for cooling on a wire rack, and then chilling the baked cheesecake in the fridge for at least 3 hours before dressing it. I decided that instead of 3 hours, overnight would better suit my needs.

The next day, I made the sauce. It was so simple! The recipe calls for raspberry jam, which I neither had, nor was interested in getting. I used mixed berry preserves (which were mostly raspberries), and added it to a small saucepan, along with orange liqueur and brought them to a boil over low heat. After a few minutes it was ready. Since I used preserves instead of jam, I had chunks of fruits still present in the sauce, so  I strained the fruit, and kept the sauce. 

I brushed the cheesecake with the sauce, starting with the top of the cheesecake and then eventually the sides, adding beautiful color with every stroke. As a final touch, I covered the cheesecake with fresh raspberries, putting their flat part down. 

When I finally got to try the cheesecake I realized it was worth the wait. It was indeed rich, yet light. The texture itself was light and somewhat fluffy, and the flavor was deep. It was delicious and beautiful. I loved how the sauce bridged the flavors of the cheesecake itself, and the fresh fruit's. Those raspberries tasted great, and added beauty to the dessert. Making this cheesecake really was the perfect use for those raspberries I bought on sale (3 quart containers for $2.99!). The baking took care of most of the grittiness of the ricotta that I was worried about, but to me, it actually made it more interesting, and it kind of compensated for not having a crust. Keep in mind that this is not trying to be a light version of a New York style cheesecake. These are two different dishes. This recipe really is supposed to be a ricotta cheesecake, so is not meant to be dense like a cream cheese cheesecake. It's fluffy, and it's delicious. I loved it.

Another great thing about this cheesecake, is that it had 295 calories, and 10 g of protein per generous serving. That includes the sauce and raspberries. Cheesecakes can differ a lot in terms of calories based in the ingredients, the quantities, and the size. This cheesecake was good, filling, and generous. More importantly,The next day the cheesecake was even better. I may not be in the army, but I needed to do a good job serving the country as a juror. Having a slice of this cheesecake before heading to the courthouse was a good start to my service.

On the road shortcut
(In Ellie's words, since I can't say it any better.)

Cooking spray
1 (15-ounce) container part-skim ricotta cheese
1/2 cup reduced fat sour cream
4 ounces Neufchatel cheese, or reduced fat cream cheese, softened
3 large eggs
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon finely grated orange zest
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup all-fruit seedless raspberry jam
1 tablespoon orange liqueur or water
2 (6-ounce) containers fresh raspberries

Directions

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

Coat a 9-inch springform pan with cooking spray. Place ricotta in a food processor and process until smooth and creamy. Add sour cream, Neufchatel, eggs, sugar, flour, vanilla, orange zest and salt. Process until well blended. Pour into the prepared pan and bake until the center is just set, 50 to 55 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool and then cover and chill in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours.

In a small saucepan, bring the jam and liqueur or water to a boil, stirring constantly until smooth. Remove sides of pan. Brush the tart with the jam mixture and top with raspberries, flat-side down.

 

Nutrition info:

295 calories, 10g protein, 36g carbs, 3g fiber, 13g fat

Read more at: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/healthy-appetite-with-ellie-krieger-/ricotta-cheesecake-with-fresh-raspberries-recipe/index.html?oc=linkback

Bacon Blue Burger and Grilled Sweet Potato Wedges

I am a scientist. At least that what I tell myself. As any other grad student, I am stubborn. Anyone who has at least tried to get a Ph.D. in sciences knows that grad school isn't about revolutionary findings that will shape the world for years to come. No, no, my friends. Grad school is about failing... a lot. It's about learning how to avoid self loathing when an experiment fails. It's about doing everything in your power to save that failing plan of yours, even though your inner self's only contribution is a constant "you should have gone to business school". At the end, a Ph.D. is about not giving up in the face of adversity.

The great thing about this Ph.D. resilience is that once you've built it, you can use it to deal with anything life throws at you, for instance, cooking. Earlier this week, I had leftover bananas from last week. Against my better judgement, I decided to make a pie out of them. I told myself, "self, why don't we make a blueberry-banana pie? They work well together in smoothies, so why not a pie? " Oh my, lets just say the pie was a bit of a disaster... There's not even a point in discussing the flavor (which was ok if you were wondering, but certainly nothing to blog home about). I made quite a few mistakes. The worst one was that I didn't use any corn starch, so everything was liquidy at the end. I started with frozen blueberries and they never really cooked, so it was like eating "fresh" blueberries, and to top it all, they released so much water... My combined stupidy resulted in a perfectly baked crust, and a great crumble top getting totally soggy.

Oh, I was so annoyed, but it was time to move on. The birthday of a good friend of mine was approaching and she refused to celebrate it. I mean, come on! You have to do something... So I decided to solve the problem with a "clever" idea. I was to make a birthday cake, a rum cake to be precise. That way we could have the birthday cake, and we could feel like we were at happy hour at the same time. I found a recipe from a Puerto Rican cookbook written in the 50s, that had less details than an Amish dress. I followed the strange and overly simplistic directions and baked the cake. It was a beautiful cake, so I was happy. I left it cooling to decide later whether I wanted a frosting or not, but when I came back the cake had collapsed in the center because, you guessed it, it wasn't fully baked. It was such a tall cake that the toothpick test said it was done, but it wasn't. I wasn't about to give up. No sir. I'm stubborn. I rebaked the damned cake, frosted it with a simple vanilla frosting to retain the moisture, and topped it with sweetened coconut flakes to round the rum and vanilla frosting flavors. At the end it was edible, and according to the ones who ate it, the cake was good. I liked the flavor, but it wasn't as good as it could have been (plus I could taste all that drama...). Maybe next time. 

With a bruised ego, I decided that my last two failed attempts at baking had left me with way too much sugar in my system. It was time to go for a wholesome, summery, and low calorie dinner that will bring my spirits back up. Logically, I decided to make a burger. You know what they say... "burgers make everything better". Oh, wait; maybe I'm the only one who says that... Blue cheese and bacon are probably my favorite toppings for burgers. Even though both of them are good sources of protein, they are high in calories and high in fat. Thankfully, both of them have powerful flavors, so I don't really need to use (or eat) that much of either, so I can get away with using them without adding too many calories to my burgers. Instead of having fries as a side, I decided to make grilled sweet potato wedges to pair with my burgers. I was so excited I told myself "I'm loving it".

 

I started with the sweet potatoes, since they take the longest time to cook. I salted cold water and added two medium sized sweet potatoes, and brought them to a boil. I boiled them until they were almost cooked. I left them cool a bit just so I could touch them, and I sliced them as wedges (first in half and then as wedges). I brushed them with olive oil, and seasoned them with salt, pepper, cumin, oregano and brown sugar. I left them sitting on the side until it was time to grill them.

For the  burgers I used a mixing bowl and added the meat, the blue cheese, and the bacon. I seasoned with the mix of my spices (salt, pepper, cumin and oregano) and mixed everything. I split the meat mixture into four and shapped them as balls. I pressed them with my hand making a little bit of a dip in the center, because when the burgers grill they tend to rise at the center, so when they do, they will just even out and they won't have a hump. I fixed the patty shape and went to the grill. I grilled them over high heat for about 5 minutes. I flipped and transferred to another side of the grill over a medium flame, and cooked for 4 more minutes for well done. Please, never-ever press your burgers while grilling. You will loose all the juicyness of the meat. Leave them alone, flip them once and gently check their doneness. 

I grilled the sweet potatoes on the side of the grill that was still hot, for 5 minutes, turning them twice. I used the upper part of the grill to toast the whole wheat kaiser rolls I was using as buns. Please, don't ruin your burger using cold bread. Just don't. When everything was ready, I used olive oil mayonaise on my rolls, assembled my burgers, and served them with my sweet potatoes.

The burgers were very, very good. I loved their blue cheese and bacon flavor. Since I was using sirloin, which is the leanest cut of beef, the bacon and blue cheese really helped keep my burgers tender and juicy even at well done (I prefer medium, but since I was doing two well done, I made them all well done). The best part is that because bacon and blue cheese are powerful flavors, I didn't have to use much to get all the flavor, but only a few of the calories. It was like having my favorite burger at Red Robin without the calories. My burgers were 317 calories per serving and the grilled sweet potatoes were only 122 calories. It was definetely more than just a "happy meal"; it was a great one. I usually don't buy burgers from fast food places, and only seldomly from restaurant chains. When I do, it's from Red Robin because, lets face it: It is a happy, happy place, and their burgers are yu-mmy! However my favorite burger, the "bleu ribbon", has a hefty 1052 calories, and that's without the bottomless fries!!! My burger had all the flavors I love, for a third of the calories (on a cheat day, go to Red Robin just for fun and have any of their great burgers - non payed advertisement, lol).

Finally, a good result! That's all a scientist can ask for. 

Got a healthy recipe for burgers you love? Share it on the comment section!

On the road shortcut

Burger

1 lb ground sirloin 

1 oz blue cheese, sliced or crumbled

2 slices uncooked bacon (18g)

2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

1 teaspoon dry oregano

1/2 teaspoon cumin

In a medium mixing bowl add the meat, the blue cheese, and the bacon. Add the spices (salt, pepper, cumin and oregano) and mix. Split the meat mix into 4 and shape them as balls. Press them with the hand and make a little bit of a dip in the center, so when the burgers are grilled and rise at the center, they won't have a hump. Fix the patty shape. Grill them over high heat for about 5 minutes. Flip and continue grilling on a side of the grill that's over a lower flame, and cook for 4 more minutes for well done.

317 calories, 30g carbs, 11g fat, 18g protein per serving.

Grilled sweet potato wedges 

2 medium sweet potatoes 

1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon black pepper 

1 teaspoon oregano

Use a medium saucepan; add some salt to cold water and use to boil 2 medium sized sweet potatoes until they are almost cooked (20-30 minutes). Let them cool a couple of minutes or so, until cool to the touch and slice them into wedges (first in half and then into wedges). Brush them with olive oil, and season them with salt, pepper, cumin, oregano and brown sugar. Grill over high heat for abour 5 minutes, turning them twice.

122 calories, 24g carbs, 3g fat, 2g protein per serving.

Calories from Red Robin's Bleu Ribbon Burger were taken from fatsecret.com
Calories from my recipe were calculated through myfitnesspal.com

The hot chick with the blue ribbons

One of the best qualities of summertime, the longer days, brings great opportunities to finally finish all the home projects that have been waiting all year round. Indeed, we have dedicated the last couple of summers almost exclusively to home projects, but this year we've had the chance to cash in the summer fun (you know, when is not raining, what the hell?) and we've been able to enjoy ourselves. We've spent time with our friends, we've done our share of grilling, and we've done some partying here and there. But of course, one still has to keep up with home stuff, especially if you are borderline OCD like me (yes, everyone knows about my dirty laundry-folding habits). While giving the house some general TLC I noticed that our book collection has grown like crazy during the last few years (and it's certainly doing better than my flowers and without any watering). All those books contain all these great recipes but they're just being ignored, the way I ignored the treadmill for so many years (and we all know how that one ended). I decided to make an effort to make more and more of those recipes.

I decided to start with one of my favorite dishes, turned healthy. I went ahead and picked up one of my favorite books, "Now eat this!" by Rocco Dispirito and flipped the pages until I finally found his version of chicken cordon bleu. This is a dish of American origin (no, it didn't come from France), created sometime during the 1940s, and it was very popular in the 80s and 90s when I was still a kid (I still get carded when I go to bars, just so you know). Cordon bleu translates to "blue ribbons". Blue ribbons used to be associated with a high order of knights in France (L'Ordre des Chevaliers du Saint-Espirit); very prestigious guys. The association stuck around almost synonymous with prestige, and when referencing the dish, it probably just references that it's a "prestigious" or "fancy" dish, just like with the famous food academy. One of the close relatives of the chicken cordon bleu is the traditional Swiss dish made from a veal fillet used to wrap ham and Gruyere cheese, battered and fried. In that part of the world the breaded veal, pork and chicken fillets are very popular (schnitzels), so all they had to do was to add the ham and cheese, and wrap it (now suddenly KFC's chicken - ham and cheese- chicken sandwich with no bread doesn't seem that crazy any more, just nasty). There's also an Ukrainian dish, "Chicken Kiev", which is made from a thin chicken fillet, it gets stuffed with butter, rolled, breaded and fried, is also a likely influence in the development of the chicken cordon bleu.

I love chicken cordon bleu. My mom went through a short phase of making those often when we were kids (although I have reasons to suspect she bought them frozen, they were very good). Suddenly she stopped making them, and never made them since. I have to say that as a cordon blue expert (do not mess with me, sista), this recipe is amazing. All the flavor is there; I knew that from the get go since I had it before, but I've never made it myself. I feel like everyone should now this recipe, and since I found out Mr. Dispirito has published online as well, I figured I wouldn't be sued for sharing it with you.

Rocco's recipe is beyond amazing. It has 4 times less calories (4-fold less, for my scientist friends), and 12 times less fat than the regular cordon bleu. That means that a serving (4 ounce boneless chicken breast) is only 333 calories (it's kinda scary how precise he gets), 6.6 g of fat, 43 g of protein (my guns are already thanking me for it) and 24 grams of carbs, 3 of them of fiber. The only catch is that you need to start 2 hours ahead you want to cook, because the cheese sauce takes about 2 hours to freeze, but if you do it the day before, you're all set!

You'll need:

1/2 cup evaporated skim milk

2 teaspoons cornstarch 

1/2 cup shredded Swiss cheese (I used Gruyere, because that's what I had)

3 tablespoons chopped fresh chives

Salt and freshly ground pepper

Nonstick cooking spray

4 chicken cutlets, (4 ounces each) pounded very thin (I scissor-cut a giant-1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast because that was on sale!)

3 ounces thinly sliced lean ham (from the deli counter)

1/3 cup whole-wheat flour

1 1/2 cups whole-wheat panko breadcrumbs, such as Ian's all natural

4 large egg whites (whisked until extremely foamy, but before peaks hold)

Act I - Prepping the cheese sauce

1. In a small sauce pan, whisk the evaporated milk (constantly) into the cornstarch until it boils. Reduce the heat to low and cook for a minute to thicken it.

2. Whisk the cheese into the sauce, until is melted and smooth.

3. Whisk in the chives and season with salt and pepper to taste (about 3/4 teaspoons each to me).

4. Spray an ice cube tray with cooking spray (you'll need 8 of the spaces)

5. Split the sauce into 8 of the cube holes.

6. Freeze until the sauce is hard (2 hrs). (I did it overnight, so I covered the ice tray with Saran Wrap to prevent "freezer smell").

Act II - Making the chicken

1. Preheat the oven at 450F. The chicken will be cooked on a roasting wire rack, so to minimize the mess, place it under a foil-lined baking sheet, or roasting tray.

2. Prepare the breading station. You'll need the breadcrumbs and the flour each on a shallow dish, and you'll need the egg whites in a medium bowl.

3. Season the chicken with salt and pepper to taste (I used about 2 teaspoons of salt and 1 of pepper across divided among all the cutlets). 

4. Line the chicken with the ham.

5. Place 2 sauce cubes per chicken cutlet.

6. Roll up the chicken to encase the filling. Secure with toothpicks.

At this point some of my rolled chicken cutlets were not looking pretty, and God knows I was annoyed and angry Spanish was used. However, they were gorgeous at the end, so have patience. (Note that that's a note for myself in the future.)

7. Dredge the chicken in the flour, shaking the excess. Then dip them in the eggs to coat them completely. Dredge now on the breadcrumbs to coat completely. Do this for every cutlet.

8. Place the chicken on the wire rack.

9. Spray the chicken with cooking oil (lightly).

10. Season with salt and pepper to taste (I didn't).

11. Bake until breading is golden brown and cheese is fully melted (25-30 minutes).

I don't know if it's because I'm a protein junkie, but this dish was so satisfying! I was a bit skeptical on the serving size since the rolls seemed a bit small, but I was done after one serving (although based on the flavor I was tempted to go on). The chicken cordon bleu looked so beautiful, and like I said the flavor was amazing. You don't really miss all the butter missing from the original recipe. I think the Gruyere cheese worked so well in this recipe that I might always do it that way.

As a quick, yet delicious side, I boiled pasta in salty water until it was al dente, drained it, and dressed it with butter, garlic and chives. This came mostly as a realization that I hadn't even thought of a side when I only had 10 minutes till the cordon bleu would be ready. Still, it worked really well. It was a simple, yet good pairing to this dish. A side of quinoa, rice, sweet potatoes or mashed potatoes would go well with the chicken too. A glass of Bordeaux or tempranillo couldn't hurt either... Still, if you want to keep the calories low, skip the wine and go for a side of steam veggies instead. They will be delicious and will go well as well!

Note: The history of cordon bleu was based on a quick review from a fellow internet user (http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20071211123944AAALlp9) who actually used books for references!