Fennel and Rosemary Crusted Rack of Lamb

I thought I’d do something special for Valentine’s day, but since my parents were here VDay plans were postponed till now.  And wow, it was worth the wait!  This was my first foray into lamb, and it was so easy and so good it won’t be my last.

Fennel and Rosemary Crusted Rack of Lamb

Ingredients

• 1  tablespoon  fennel seeds, crushed
• 1  tablespoon  chopped fresh rosemary
• 1  teaspoon  freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4  teaspoon  salt
• 6  garlic cloves, minced
• 1  (12-ounce) French-cut rack of lamb, trimmed (6 ribs)
• Cooking spray
• Rosemary sprigs (optional)

Preparation

Preheat oven to 475°.

Combine first 5 ingredients in a small bowl. Rub lamb evenly with garlic mixture; place on a broiler pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 475° for 15 minutes or until a thermometer registers 145° (medium-rare) to 160° (medium). Garnish with rosemary sprigs, if desired.

Nutritional Information

Calories:

227 (49% from fat)

Fat:

12.3g (sat 5.5g,mono 5g,poly 0.5g)

Protein:

23.1g

Carbohydrate:

5.2g

Fiber:

1.6g

Cholesterol:

72mg

Iron:

2.8mg

Sodium:

354mg

Calcium:

68mg

Sautéed Chicken Breasts with Balsamic Vinegar Pan Sauce

Damn.  DAMN!  Next time I’m making a double batch because Grossman and I ate the whole thing.  All of it.  And then he licked the plate.  I served this with broccoli and orzo.

Sautéed Chicken Breasts with Balsamic Vinegar Pan Sauce

Yield

4 servings (serving size: 1 breast and 2 tablespoons sauce)

Ingredients

• 1/2  cup  fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
• 1/2  cup  balsamic vinegar
• 2  teaspoons  honey
• 1  tablespoon  butter
• 1  tablespoon  vegetable oil
• 4  (5-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves (I used a package of boneless, skinless thighs.  I think there were 7 in there)
• 1/4  teaspoon  salt
• 1/4  teaspoon  freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4  cup  all-purpose flour
• 2  tablespoons  finely chopped shallots (didn’t have a shallot on hand so I used red onion)
• Chopped parsley (optional)

Preparation

Combine broth, vinegar, and honey.

Melt butter and oil in a large nonstick skillet over low heat.

While butter melts, sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. Place flour in a shallow dish. Dredge chicken in flour; shake off excess flour.

Increase heat to medium-high; heat 2 minutes or until the butter turns golden brown. Add chicken to pan; cook 4 minutes on each side or until golden brown. Remove chicken from pan; keep warm. Add shallots, and sauté 30 seconds. Add the broth mixture, scraping to loosen browned bits. Bring to a boil, and cook until reduced to 1/2 cup (about 3 minutes). Serve sauce over chicken. Garnish with chopped parsley, if desired.

Nutritional Information

Calories:

269 (27% from fat)

Fat:

8.1g (sat 2.7g,mono 2g,poly 2.5g)

Protein:

34g

Carbohydrate:

13.1g

Fiber:

0.2g

Cholesterol:

90mg

Iron:

1.7mg

Sodium:

331mg

Calcium:

29mg

Baked Sweet Potatoes

I saw it in a magazine so I thought I’d give it a go.

Take a couple of medium – large’ish sweet potatoes, scrub them, pop them in a 375 oven for an hour.  Eat like you would a regular baked potato.  We put bacon, broccoli, cheese, and sour cream on ours.  Pretty tasty!