Easy Low-Fat Salt and Pepper Chicken, Take Two

If you are a longtime reader of Sarah’s Cucina Bella, you might remember my recipes for Easy Low-Fat Salt and Pepper Chicken Breasts. It was a long post with adorable pictures of the kids, and a bad picture of the chicken. On Tuesday, I had the chance to reshoot this recipe with the help of professionals to figure out how to take something basic like this and make it look fabulous. The photo above is the result.

When I created my (ridiculously easy) recipe for Salt and Pepper Chicken, I was clueless how to make it look tasty in a photograph. I ended up tossing one piece on a white plate and snapping a picture.

The original photo ... Would you crave that?

And did it look irresistible? Like that special, easy recipe that everyone should have in their back pocket to make when you have no time to cook dinner or when you need a lightly seasoned chicken breast for topping a salad or drizzling with an extra special sauce? Um. No. That’s the original photo at the right … See how it looked more like a bland piece of chicken? The darkness and poor lighting didn’t help anything at all. I doubt anyone gave it a second look.

As a food writer who has had to learn to shoot photographs of the dishes and recipes I create, it’s been an uphill battle. This photograph frustrated me, but I just wasn’t sure what to do about it.

Yea.

So, when my buddies (and coworkers!) at Tablespoon asked me to choose a couple potential recipes for my photography lesson with General Mills pros on my recent trip, this one topped the list. Fortunately, they agreed. Read the rest of this entry…

Knock, knock!

That’s what Paige says when she’s running into a room. It’s her own special way of announcing her presence. It brings an ear-to-ear smile to my face just to think about it. She is so sweet, so smart and so loving … I couldn’t ask for more. And this weekend, she impressed me as she actually acknowledged and played with my niece, who is just three months older. It was nice to see the girls and Will get along so well.

We are back from the wedding and back to life (after hitting the minor speed bump of a half-day of power outage today). That means, as promised, we are back to food. YAY!

One of my very, very, very favorite things is a well-seasoned pork tenderloin. Particularly one that has the rich flavors of garlic, rosemary and white wine soaked deep through the meat. This recipe adapts those delicious flavors to the faster-cooking pork chop. It’s a rich, tender and tasty way to enjoy boneless chops.

Serve it up with some rice pilaf and a green veggie (like green beans) and you will have an easy and delicious meal.

Read the rest of this entry…

Yesterday I gave you a primer on types of proteins. Today, I am following up with a little more info so you can decipher how much protein you need.

According to the Harvard School of Public Health, millions of people around the world don’t get enough protein each day. Protein deficiency leads to a condition called kwashiorkor, which is characterized by tissue breakdown, failure to grow, immune deficiency, and respiratory and heart problems. If that’s not enough reason to get your daily intake of protein, I don’t know what is!

How much protein should you eat?
This does depend somewhat on how you eat. There are a lot of great resources about protein consumption for both men and women on the internet to help you learn what is right for your eating habits. For instance, this is a good read if you are on a low carb diet. The gist? The more protein you eat, the more calcium you need to counteract calcium loss. To figure out generally what is right for you, based on height, body frame and age, try this calculator.

Virgin Pina Colada Protein Shake
serves 1

1/2 cup pineapple juice
1/2 cup light coconut milk
1 cup ice
1 serving protein powder mix (1 scoop for mine)

Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Drink immediately.