The Sneaky Chef: January 2012 Archives

Two sure bets on Superbowl Sunday – one set of fans will be disappointed and everyone will overeat! Here's a way to make everyone a winner with a few of my Superbowl recipes that taste way too good to be healthy!  From my new book, The Speedy Sneaky Chef: Quick, Healthy Fixes for Your Favorite Packaged Foods

Sneaky Chef Too-Good-to-Be-True Taquitos
Makes 8 taquitos (4 servings) 
4 ounces cooked chicken, turkey, or ham
2 tablespoons ground flaxseed 
1⁄4 cup Sneaky Chef Green Puree or baby food mixed green 
vegetable puree
1⁄4 cup tomato paste
1 to 2 tablespoons taco seasoning mix 
8 (6-inch round) corn tortillas (white or yellow)
1⁄2 cup shredded, reduced-fat Mexican or cheddar cheese
Toothpicks

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and spray a baking sheet with oil.
Cut chicken, turkey, or ham into thin strips, easily done using kitchen scissors. Set aside.
In a mixing bowl, combine the flax, puree, tomato paste, and seasoning. 
Wrap tortillas in damp paper towels and microwave on high for 30 seconds to one minute to make soft and pliable (you may want to do a few tortillas at a time so they don’t get stiff again).
Remove paper towels and lay soft tortillas out on the baking sheet. Spread each with about one tablespoon of the tomato mixture, top with about 1⁄2 ounce of chicken, turkey, or ham, and one tablespoon of cheese. Roll tightly and place seam-side down on the baking sheet (secure with a toothpick, if necessary). Spray the tops of the taquitos with more oil and bake for 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove toothpicks and serve warm, or allow to cool and freeze for up to 3 months (simply pop the taquito in microwave)
 

Sneaky Chef Easy Cheesy Chicken Nachos
Makes 4 servings
12 (6-inch round) corn tortillas (white or yellow) 
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon ground flaxseed
2 tablespoons taco seasoning mix
1⁄4 cup tomato paste
1⁄4 cup Sneaky Chef Orange Puree or baby food carrot puree
2 cups cooked chicken, shredded
1⁄2 cup shredded, reduced-fat Mexican or cheddar cheese
Optional garnish: plain Greek yogurt, chopped jalapeños, salsa

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
If not using my Make-Ahead “Instant” Tortilla Chips, brush or spray both sides of the tortillas with oil. Stack 6 of them together and, using kitchen scissors, cut the stack into 8 triangles. Repeat with the final 6 tortillas, for a total of 96 chips. Scatter the chips in a single layer onto a large cookie sheet and sprinkle them evenly with the flax and taco seasoning. Bake for about 10 minutes, or until lightly browned and crispy. Remove from oven and transfer to an ovenproof serving bowl or casserole dish.

In a mixing bowl, combine the tomato paste, puree, and cooked chicken. Spoon the chicken mixture evenly over the crispy corn chips, top with cheese, and bake until chicken is warmed through and cheese is melted, about 7 to 10 minutes.
Top with optional garnishes and serve warm.

Sneaky Chef Parmesan Chicken Fries
Makes 4 servings
2 tablespoons ground flaxseed 
2 tablespoons wheat germ 
1 cup breadcrumbs, ideally whole grain
12 ounces uncooked boneless, skinless, thinly sliced chicken breasts
Cooking spray oil

Dip:
1⁄2 cup store-bought marinara sauce
1⁄4 cup Sneaky Chef Orange Puree or baby food carrot or 
sweet potato puree

Preheat oven to 425 degrees and generously coat baking sheet with cooking spray oil.
Cut tenders into French fry–shaped strips, easily done using kitchen scissors. Combine flax, wheat germ, and breadcrumbs in zip-top plastic bag, seal, and shake to mix. Add chicken strips, seal, and shake to coat chicken evenly. Remove chicken pieces and place on prepared baking sheet. Generously coat top of chicken with more cooking spray and bake for 12 to 14 minutes or until browned and cooked through.
Combine marinara sauce with puree and serve as dip alongside the chicken fries.

From my new book, The Speedy Sneaky Chef: Quick, Healthy Fixes for Your Favorite Packaged Foods

Contributed by guest blogger: Robert Rosenthal, Short Order Dad

Paula Deen is a hero to millions. With restaurants, books, magazines, TV shows and more, Deen is both an icon and an industry.

So many people really seem to love her, understandably. She is lively, gregarious, charming and fun. And she cooks the kind of Southern fried favorites that people dream of, doing it with joy in her heart.

But hers is also the kind of food that can bring you some trouble over the long term if you eat too much of it too often. As evidenced now by Paula Deen herself. Hey, I like fried chicken as much as the next guy, but I don't make a steady diet of it.

So when it was announced this week on the Today Show that Paula was diagnosed with Type II diabetes, it was as surprising as an alcoholic waking up with a hangover and tremors.

The real surprise surfaced when she revealed that she was diagnosed three years ago. She has known about her condition for three years. Al Roker rightly inquired as to why she waited until now to say anything at all about it.

Because, she said, she had "nothing to bring to the table."

Except that she did.

For three whole years, she continued to bring to the American table a steady diet of the very same death-defying food that brought her Type II diabetes. Her belated claims of having preached moderation would be laughable if they weren't so transparent.

What finally brought Paula out of the pantry was her announcement that she is now being paid as a spokesperson for a big drug company that sells diabetes medicine. She had the opportunity to do the right thing without having to be compensated. Instead, whether one views hers as a savvy business maneuver or distasteful, disingenuous hypocrisy is up for discussion. As is her legacy.

She had the prerogative not to say a word, but how many others have been similarly diagnosed during her three-year silence? She has to live with her coverup.

As of now, the Paula Deen message is that you can eat as much of whatever you want as you'd like without regard or worry because there's a drug for that.

But she still has the opportunity to do the right thing and turn this into what they call a "teachable moment."

Let us know how you feel about the way Paula handled the situation.

Robert Rosenthal is the Short Order Dad®, making food fun for parents. On Twitter @shortorderdad or facebook.com/ShortOrderDad

Here we are, a couple of weeks into the New Year, and I don’t know about you, but I’m ready to renew and reinvigorate my resolutions! As The Sneaky Chef and a cookbook author known for the art of hiding healthy foods in everyone’s favorite meals, you’d think I have this health thing nailed – but I’m the first to admit when there’s room for improvement!

I know they say writing down resolutions helps ensure success – and I’m posting mine here for YOU to help keep me accountable on these 5 resolutions!

Resolution: get more superfoods into my family’s meals – including leafy greens, broccoli and blueberries
Action Step: take a page out of my own books (lol!) and when I need a quick fix, serve veggie products the kids love, like Veggie Patch Broccoli Bites with Cheese

Resolution: swap sugary desserts for fruit-based desserts most days
Action Step: make my Breakfast Ice Cream for dessert! Check out my newest flavor, Tropical Twist, just published in The Speedy Sneaky Chef 

Resolution: lose those stubborn 5 (ok, 8) pounds (and help hubby lose a few too!)Action Step: slip those veggie purees into my recipes since research shows this sneaky method can cut out about 360 calories/day which can equate to more than a pound of weight loss every 10 days! 

Resolution: serve at least one completely vegetarian dinner per week
Action Step: use smart vegetarian substitutes such as Veggie Patch Chick’n Nuggets instead of chicken in my kids’ fave new recipe Chick’n Parm Pops below or Meatless Meatballs with spaghetti.

Resolution: do at least 2 spinning classes and 3 exercise videos per weekAction Step: just do it, as they say!

What are your resolutions for this year? Please share with us!

Chick’n Parm Parm Bites
Serves 4
1 package (about 14) Veggie Patch Chick 'n Nuggets
1/2 cup store-bought tomato sauce
1/4 cup Sneaky Chef Orange Puree
1 cup reduced fat shredded Mozzarella cheese
14 skewers or craft sticks, optional

Preheat oven to 375 degrees and spray a baking sheet with oil.
In a mixing bowl, combine tomato sauce and Orange Puree. Dip one side each nugget in the sauce mixture, place on the prepared baking sheet, then sprinkle with about a tablespoon of cheese. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes until cheese is lightly browned and bubbly. If using, insert a skewer or craft stick into each nugget and serve.