The Chopping Block Classics: Revolutionized

Tonight’s dinner was Fried Chicken, Potato Salad and Apple Pie. I know you must think I have fallen off of the healthy eating bandwagon, but I assure you my friends this is NOT the case.  I recently attended one of our cooking classes where The Chopping Block teamed up with Revolution Training Centers to come up with a menu that took me back to childhood picnics and comfort food. But it was even better, because it was done minus most of the calories and fat.

How is this possible? Well triple kudos to Chef John, who not only did an excellent job of preparing these meals but is living the example that if you make slight changes to your favorite but not so healthy dishes, results happen.  John has lost 33lbs in the last three months, so it is definitely a concept worth trying.

Now let’s talk about the best part: the food. The chicken was boneless, skinless breast that was oven baked with buttermilk, coconut oil and wheat germ.  I suggest adding a small amount of egg white to this recipe, if you like a crispier crust so that you don’t let it spend too much time in the broiler and dry your chicken out.

The potato salad base was made with Greek yogurt instead of mayonnaise.  This slight change along with green beans and fresh herbs added texture as well as flavor and made for a wonderful presentation.

The apple pie was created with an oatmeal crust that was so tasty I will use it for all of my baking situations from this point forward.  The pie was also made in individual cupcake size servings to help with caloric content.

When you add these three dishes together, you have a healthy meal that is bound to put a smile on your face and make your stomach just as happy. I’ve included the recipes below, so enjoy and feel free to leave a comment on how tasty the experience was for you if you make the dishes on your own.  

Revolutionized Fried Chicken Breasts

Yield:  Four 4 once servings

Active Time: 50 minutes

Start to Finish:  3 Hours

Ingredients:

Four 4 ounce chicken breasts, boneless and skinless, trimmed

½ cup low fat buttermilk

½ cup wheat germ

1 tablespoon coconut oil

1 teaspoon salt

Pepper to taste

1.  Place chicken breasts in shallow baking dish and cover with buttermilk.  Marinate for two hours.
2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
3. Season the chicken breast and then dredge in the wheat germ.
4. Line a casserole dish or baking sheet with foil and drizzle with ½ tablespoon of the coconut oil.  Arrange breaded breasts on top of oiled foil and bake for 10 minutes.
5. Flip the chicken and melt the remaining ½ tablespoon of coconut oil onto the pan to be soaked in by the chicken breasts.  Broil for 5-10 minutes to finish browning.

New Potatoes and French Green Bean Salad

Yield:  Fifteen ½ cup servings

Active Time:  20 minutes

Start to finish:  40 minutes

Ingredients:

1 ½ pound new potatoes

1 pound green beans

1 cup fat free Greek yogurt

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

2 tablespoons lemon juice

¼ tablespoon sea salt

2 tablespoons fresh dill, chopped

Pepper to taste

1. Wash new potatoes thoroughly and wash green beans snapping off “vine” end.
2. Place potatoes in a saucepot and cover with water.  Bring to a boil and then turn down to a simmer.
3. Remove potatoes when a knife is easily inserted.  They should be firm but cooked (al dente) about 15 to 20 minutes.  Let them cool.
4. Blanch the green beans in boiling water.  Remove beans when they are firm but cooked (al dente) about 2-4 minutes.  Cool the beans in an ice bath to immediately stop them from cooking.
5. Once potatoes and beans are cool, cut each into bite size pieces.  Place vegetables in a clean, dry bowl.
6. In a small bowl, combine the yogurt, Dijon mustard, vinegar, lemon juice, salt and dill.  Mix thoroughly and pour over the potato and bean mixture.
7. Mix gently enough to coat all of the potatoes and beans.

Individual Apple Pies with Oatmeal Crust

Yield: 12 mini pies

Active Time: 30 minutes

Start to finish: 1 hour

Ingredients:

1 ½ pounds Granny Smith apples

Juice of ½ lemon

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

¼ cup sugar

2 tablespoons cinnamon

¼ teaspoon salt

For the crust:

½ cup all-purpose flour

1 ½ cup old fashioned oats

2/3 cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

½ cup melted light butter

1. Peel and core apples.  Slice into 1-inch pieces.  Toss in lemon juice.  Add flour, sugar, cinnamon, and salt.  Set aside.
2. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
3. Combine flour, outs, brown sugar, salt and cinnamon in a bowl.  Mix with melted butter until all ingredients are moistened.
4. Spoon evenly into muffin tins coated with baking spray.  Press onto bottom and up the sides of each cup.
5. Spoon apple mixture evenly into each cup and sprinkle with additional cinnamon if desired.
6. Bake for 35 minutes and then allow to cool for 10 minutes before removing from muffin tin.  Allow an additional 5 to 10 minutes to allow tartlet to become firm.