By Stephanie Jean, Dietetic Intern It is around 2009 at 4:30 PM, and I’m just getting back home from middle school. I take my shoes off, change into comfortable clothes, grab a snack from the fridge, and head to the living room to watch Food Network. This was my routine everyday when I was younger, and I’m still wishing I could go back to these “good ole’ days”. I would always watch my favorites, like Everyday Italian with Giada De Laurentiis or Barefoot Contessa with Ina Garten. These were some of my favorite chefs because they always used fresh ingredients like herbs and produce, and the dishes would come out looking effortlessly chic and tasty. Herbs were not generally used in my meals at home, so I always considered them to be very expensive in the grocery stores. I imagined of the day when I could cook like the Food Network starts and recreate their dishes on my own. It wasn't until college when I started to build the foundation for my cooking skills and techniques. I played around with new recipes, and I finally had the opportunity to use herbs! I anticipated them to be pricey, so I knew that it would be something for special occasions. However, I was pleasantly surprised to find out that they were mostly less than a dollar! I was amazed with this newfound knowledge, and was so excited to incorporate herbs into my daily cooking. Not only could I make delicious food with fresh herbs, but I could do it while still being on a budget. I knew herbs had health benefits from watching Food Network, but I wasn’t quite sure how much of an impact it would have on my diet. The more I cooked with them, the more I wanted to know about their medicinal properties. One herb in particular that I enjoy cooking with is rosemary. I love using rosemary in baked chicken and Mediterranean dishes, and it is actually indigenous to the Mediterranean region. Although it provides great flavor for foods, it is also provides various pharmacological properties. These properties include: anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antimicrobial, antiproliferative, antitumor and protective, and inhibitory antentuating activities (1). I love quick and healthy recipes that I can use for various meals, and Ina Garten’s Tuscan Lemon Chicken (2) seems like it would be great for lunch, dinner and even snacks! This recipe contains 1 tablespoon of fresh rosemary, which is just enough to get a hint of that fresh herby flavor. Paired with a vegetable like broccoli and a healthy carb like quinoa or brown rice, this meal would be served great any day of the week!
Ina Garten’s Tuscan Lemon Chicken (2)
Sprinkle the chicken with 1 teaspoon salt on each side. Combine the olive oil, lemon zest, lemon juice, garlic, rosemary, and 1 teaspoon pepper in a ceramic or glass dish just large enough to hold the flattened chicken. Add the chicken, and turn to coat. Cover the dish with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight, turning once or twice. When ready to grill, prepare a hot charcoal fire on one side of a grill (or turn a gas grill on low heat). Spread ¼ of the coals across the other side of the grill. Place the chicken on the cooler side skin side up, and weight it down with the dish you used for marinating. Cook for 12 to 15 minutes, until the underside is golden brown. Turn the chicken skin side down, weight again with the dish, and cook for another 12 to 15 minutes, until the skin is golden brown and the chicken is cooked through. Place the lemon halves on the cool side of the grill, cut side down, for the last 10 minutes of cooking. Remove the chicken to a plate or cutting board, cover with aluminum foil, and allow to rest for 5 minutes. Cut the chicken in quarters, sprinkle with salt, and serve with the grilled lemon halves. References:
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