#Lightmealchallenge - Pan Grilled Chicken Salad in Peanut Butter Sauce

 “You've gotta dance like there's nobody watching,
Love like you'll never be hurt,
Sing like there's nobody listening,
And live like it's heaven on earth.” 

― William W. Purkey 

Almost every day I retire to my bed - tired, suffocated with a replete stomach - with the promise that tomorrow would be the new start for me. It is the high time to watch my diet now. And that day never arrives. Sadly this is the #Storyofmylife - Don't tell me it's yours too!!! I know many of us are walking on the same lane. So let us do one thing - let us join hands together to give a quick start to the #lightmealchallenge. (How? focus on the foot Note of the blog post).

Continuing to the  #Storyofmylife - Every day I wake up considering the day to give a quick start to my "lose weight" regime.  But every time I end up in a plateful of rice enjoying a typical Bengali full meal thali. I have a good reason for gaining weight (that is how I console myself) because of my post-partum starving twinges. Being a feeding mom, I am always alarmed by my hunger pangs and that leads me to gain some extra pounds almost every day. I was so proud after delivering my second baby that I came back to shape within a month and fitting into my old slim fit clothes perfectly. But then gradually I started to gain weight, as a feeding mom, my intake of plenty of healthy nutritious food to supply the baby proper diet started to increase day by day. In the last 9 months, I have gained almost 6 kilos extra because apart from living on healthy and nutritious food I am eating too much. And it is such a letdown for me. I was never a diet prone person or rather I can say dieting is not my cup of tea. Once I had visited a dietician 4 years back. Obediently I strictly followed the diet regime for 7 days after the dieticians food chart. On the 8th day, my desperate soul forced me to rush to a food court and gobbled up a bowl full of oily Chicken Haka Noodles (the portion was for two persons) all alone as if I was deprived of food for a long time. My husband and my daughter were totally surprised at my action. They kept on staring at me and to each other. When I was done, they burst into laughter. But I felt like I got all the happiness of life in that bowl of noodles. I felt nothing could be more blessed than that moment. And that was the end of my dieting session. I realised then that the greedy foodie with a big fat belly inside me would never allow me to win over a diet session. So I decided to have light meals mostly that should be tasty, healthy and less in calorie.

So the conclusion is losing weight is not a matter of joke. One has to dedicatedly and religiously follow his/her daily meal for months after months. There is a wrong conception I have seen mainly in the teenagers that dieting means to survive on one or two meals a day or hardly eat anything. But they remain totally ignorant about the fact that how much damages this is making inside their body. If one really wants to lose his/her weight one should visit a good dietician who will give a proper guidance to lose weight. If you don't want to visit a dietician then you can always watch your diet by creating your own healthy light meals avoiding all the junk, greasy calorie intake foods. This will help you not to gain the extra pounds rather if you maintain it on a regular basis with some 30 to 60 minutes work - outs - you are definitely going to shred some weight. It will also help you to stay healthy. Before my pregnancy, I love to wrap up my meals in a one pot healthy dish. And that not only kept me feeling light, healthy but energetic too. 

Few things I have learnt from my past experiences are:

i. Never skip the breakfast and have a heavy breakfast. Skipping breakfast leads one to gain weight remember that.

ii. Four meals a day is a must. Stay on light  meals but never skip.

iii. If you feel hungry often have some fruits or a cracker. Or make some healthy fat-free small bite-size snacks made at home.

iv. Work out for at least 15 minutes is a must. Just walk in the room for 15 minutes in that will be a big help for one.

So I decided to go back to my light meal habit again. Here I am sharing one such recipe that you can give a kick start with the #lightmealchallange regime as I did. Enjoy the recipe and know how you can also be a part of this #lightmealchallenge at the end of the post.

Ingredients:

Boneless Chicken Breast - 4

Olive oil - 2 tbspn  

For Marination:

Peanut Butter - 2 tblspn

Dark Soy Sauce - 1 tspn

Sweet Chili Sauce - 3 tspn

Rice vinegar - 1 tspn

Fish Sauce - 1 tspn (optional)

Honey - 2 tblspn

Brown Sugar - 1 tspn (optional - See Notes)

For salad dressing -

Peanut Butter - 1 tblspn

Vinegar/ lemon juice - 1 tspn

Soy Sauce - 1 tblspn

Warm water -  2 tspn

Olive oil - 1 tspn

Chopped garlic - 2 tblspn full (more or less)

For the salad -

Any vegetables after one's choice - Assorted that fill 4 bowls.

(I used Boiled carrots, boiled Broccoli, Cucumber  and Letus leaves)

Salt and pepper as per taste.

Method:

1. Mix all the sauce under marination nicely in a smooth paste. Add salt and pepper as per taste.

2. Prick the Chicken breasts with a fork and then add them to the sauce. Mix nicely so that the chicken breasts get evenly coated with the sauce.

3. Marinate the chicken overnight if possible. Otherwise for 2 to 3 hours.

4. Take a grill pan. Heat oil. Add the chicken breasts and fry both sides in medium flame till they are done. Don't over cook. Otherwise, they will become hard. It will take approximately  8-10 minutes for each side. Take them off on a plate.

5. Now strain the burnt residue of the sauce from the pan and discard. Add the remaining oil. Heat it.

6. Add the chopped garlic and saute till they start to change colour.

7. In a small bowl,  add all the other ingredients under salad dressing make a smooth paste.

8. Add in the pan and just cook for a minute in high flame and take it off.

9. Take a big mixing bowl and add the vegetables for the salad after your choice. Add the dressing and mix well. Add salt and pepper after your choice. Mix well. 

10. Serve the vegetables in four serving bowls.

11. Slice the pan grilled chicken breasts and top them on the vegetables and enjoy. You can mix it with the vegetable and then serve. 

Notes:

1. Brown sugar is totally optional. It will give the dish a colour and an extra tinge of sweetness which can be avoided always.

2. The chicken breast can be added with some sauteed vegetables too.

Now join me to this Stay Healthy, Stay Fit & Stay Lite - #LightMealChallenge:

Rules:

• Both bloggers and non - bloggers can participate.
• Please post recipes that help you to stay light, fit and healthy.
• Share your experiences on serving light meals.
• Bloggers please add the above logo and link your post to my #LightmealChallenge Post at silencesing.in.
• Both Non- bloggers and Bloggers, If you are sharing your post on social networks like FB, Twitter, Instagram then please add these hashtags #LightmealChallenge & #Silencesings and tag my FB page link along with your recipes so that I can keep on sharing your recipes on my page too..
• Please note my Facebook page is Here.
• My Instagram Id is - silencesings.
• My Twitter Id is - silence_sings
• Last date of posting all links is 24th March'16.

And also don't forget to visit our 2nd Annual Bake Sale by KFB.

#Easyrecipe - Baked Chicken Petit Cups

The holiday season was gone in a wink. Back to the routine life again. The season of the jingle bells, fancying around with the festive mood, the illuminated road sides all joined together to celebrate the end of a year and to welcome another new year. The last year went away to me in a fraction of moment. I have seen lots of ups and down this year and never wish to have this kind of year in my life again. But on the sweet note, last year blessed me my second princess who came to our life like a ray of hope. I must mention that I was able to overcome my pregnancy period fighting with all the odd situations because of the constant support and care of the elder princess and the man. I wish this year should bring us and everybody all the happiness and joy and prove a memorable one with all positive notes. 

                 As promised, I am here again with another #easyrecipe that can be done in all most no time. Very healthy and it is a kid's delight. Me and my daughter often enjoy it mostly when the man is on his office tours and we have to snuggle in a one pot meal.

Ingredients:

{Yields to 6 to 8 cups}

Minced Chicken 200grm

Grated carrot: 1 big

Blanched chopped Spinach - 1 cup (Water thoroughly squeezed)

Grated Cheese- 1 cup (more or less) {I used Amul}

Tomato - 1 small, sliced

Sweet Chili Sauce - 1 tspn

Italian seasoning - 1/2 tspn

Salt and pepper as per taste

Cornflour: 1 - 2 tspn (optional)

Method:

1. Take a muffin pan. Grease it oil.

2. Mix all the ingredients except the Cheese, Carrot and tomato.

3. If you feel the mixer is too soft then add cornflour (As per requirement).

4. Take a small portion of the mixture and put in the muffin cups. Press the mixture and give the impression of a cup.

5. Fill the other cavitities in the same way.

6. Now fille the cups with carrot and cheese and top it with a slice of tomato.

7. Bake at 200 degree C for 20 to 30 minutes.

8. Serve hot with some desired dip.

Note:

One can use other vegetables too for the mixture and for the filling.  

Wish you all a happy and Prosperous new year.

Chop Suey - An One Pot Meal

The other day the man was on his office tour, that meant the lady and the kid of the house had to satisfy their appetite with some light and in-elaborate dinner menu. I had stored some extra boiled Noodles from the morning breakfast. Had the plan in mind to go for a stir fired noodles. But the lil one fully denied having the same kind of dish again. So the mamma, to give it new twist to her baby's taste hit the kitchen with the plan to make Chop Suey.

Chop Suey for me is filled with so many fond memories. My dad makes the best chop suey of the world. Ok may be I am on exaggeration but for me dad's handmade chop suey is the bestest of all. Due to my Dad's job profile; we (My sis and me) used to meet him only during our vacation time or some surprise visits from his side. He then and now is around us, means we are celebrating a kind of food fest at home with his experimental dishes.  The vegetables which I hate most, becomes totally delectable and sumptuous when my dad cooks it. His style of cooking is exploring and using the spices/sauces whatever comes handy for him. He mixes that and this and the dish becomes exotic. If afterwards we ask him the recipe he would start surfing and taxing his brain but would never come up with the proper ingredients what he exactly used. Therefore every time he cooks the same dish, It will taste different and always tasty.  Chop Suey, I first tasted and came to know about the dish when one day it was served from my Dad's kitchen. We were not allowed to the kitchen. Only Mom was allowed to assist dad. The surprise dish Dad carried with him leaving the aroma and steam swirling him and we took our position in no time to our dining table to devour the dish. The taste was just out of the world. When the other day I cooked Chop Suey, I kept on telling Lil K that my dad cooks this dish the best. I tasted mine but it failed to get that taste, which only Dad can recreate. But for lil K she thinks her mom cooks the best Chop Suey. Same like me she first tasted the dish and introduced to it too for the first time and embedded it in her mind that her mom is the best cook.  A smile spread all over my face and I finished my dinner as fast I could and rushed to give a ring to my parents to share the memories how it came back to pair with the present.

"Chop suey (/ˈtʃɒpˈsuːi/; simplified Chinese: 杂碎; traditional Chinese: 雜碎; pinyin: zá suì; literally "assorted pieces") is a dish in American Chinese cuisine and other forms of overseas Chinese cuisine, consisting of meat (often chicken, fish, beef, prawns, or pork) and eggs, cooked quickly with vegetables such as bean sprouts, cabbage, and celery and bound in a starch-thickened sauce. It is typically served with rice but can become the Chinese-American form of chow mein with the addition of stir-fried noodles."(Source:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chop_suey)

Ingredients:

Boiled Noodles: 2 cups

Mixed Veges:  1 & 1/2 cups (sliced- Carrot, Beans, Peas, Coloured bell, Baby Corn etc.)

Boiled Shredded chicken - 1 cup

Chicken Stock - 4 cups (Pls See Notes)

Garlic - 6-7 cloves

Corn flour -  2 tbspns (heaped)

Water - 3tbspns

Light Soy Sauce - 1 tbspn

Plum Sauce - 2 tspn

Salt and Sugar as per taste

Oil- 2 tbspns

Method:

1. Heat oil in big Kadai/wok. Add Garlic. When it will turn brown add the vegetables and the shredded chicken slices.
2. Cook on a high heat for couple of minutes. Add the Salt and sugar and then keep on frying until the veges look semi soft.
3. Add the sauces, fry for a minute then add the Noodles and the chicken stock. Bring the stalk to boil.
4. Dilute the corn flour with water nicely so that it should not form any lumps. Slowly add the corn flour in to the Noodles and keep on stirring continuously.
5. After couple of minutes take it off the flame and serve hot.

Note:

# To make the chicken stock I just add a table spoon Chilly vinegar, 7-8 garlic cloves, Chicken breast (1 pc), Salt to taste and water. Let the chicken breast boil nicely and then take it off the flame.
# I have made the gravy very less starchy as I thought my daughter would like that way. But Basically Chop Suey looks and tastes better when it has a thick starchy sauce for it.