Poached Green Tea Tarragon Chicken

End result.

Well, I just couldn’t help myself… Doesn’t this look incredible? I was inspired to create this dish last week when I was making my  morning cup of green tea and sprinkling of turmeric and tarragon on my breakfast eggs.  I thought, hmmm, ‘This tastes pretty good’…

And the rest is history.

A quick peak in the fridge fora some lonely chicken breasts and a light bulb went off in my head.

So, let’s start from the beginning.

I combined the chicken breasts with fresh green tea leaves with turmeric, tarragon and water in a pot over medium heat.

And let it simmer, covered for awhile, then reduce heat and keep it cookin’ for a soft, tender chicken.

Still cookin’…

Then, drained the excess water and was left with a beautiful array of tender chicken and blossomed green tea leaves.

I served this chicken dish with Gluten-Free Girl’s amazing Wild Rice Salad, which is one of my favorites.  A perfect side dish to compliment some tasty chicken.

Don’t ya think?

Poached Green Tea Tarragon Chicken

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 4 chicken breasts
• 1 cup green tea leaves, dried
• 4 cups water
• 2 Tbsp. ground turmeric
• 2 tsp. tarragon
• Pinch of sea salt and freshly ground white pepper

Directions

1. In a medium sized pot, combine all ingredients over medium-heat.  Cover and cook for 10 minutes.
2. Reduce to a simmer; cook for another 25 minutes or until chicken is tender and fully cooked.
3. Drain liquid.  Discard excess green tea leaves.
4. Transfer to a serving plate.  Serve warm.
5. Enjoy!

Cooking with tea is one of my favorite ways to create a unique taste to any dish from rice to tofu and chicken to stews…not only does this green tea create an incredible aroma and delicious taste, it’s full of antioxidants.

So, put down that cup of tea and pour those leaves into your favorite dish.

It may just surprise you.

Have you ever cooked with tea?

Kale Parsley Soup

Tempting, isn’t it?  Let’s just say me and my new food processor are best friends.  It’s becoming my 2011 ‘Trend’ but I’m sure it will stick with me forever as I can’t seem to leave it for more than a few hours…

I mean, how beautiful is this soup? Come on, don’t you wanna just try it?

I’ve been creating delicious, quick and easy dishes for all of my meals and snacks…

How did I not think of this before? Like 5 years ago, before…

Life is so much easier with a fabulous food processor.

My mouth is happy…fresh vegetables, fresh herbs.

My stomach is happy…less irritability and easier digestion.

So, I’m happy.

And smiling.

For this soup, I decided to combine a mixture of fresh kale, fresh tomatoes and fresh parsley.  I just love adding fresh herbs to any dish, but for some reason when I add it to my food processor the flavor becomes even more incredible.  I know you’re thinking why would I make a chilled soup in the winter, but this dish is perfect with breakfast, lunch or dinner and even as a snack in between.  You can easily turn this into a smoothie and put it into a to-go water bottle.

I have been enjoying these processed meals as I eat them along with my breakfast and they are a great way to start the day off with a slew of veggies.  After facing years of stomach pain, bloating and digestive troubles, I’ve become a new person the last week. Seriously. I kid you not.  My stomach is normal, well normal for me.  And it feels great, which goes to show that our bodies need this extra ‘process’, well at least mine does…maybe after all these years of eating so much, my stomach just needed a lil R n’ R (rest n’ relaxation via the food processor) making my meals go down smooth and feeling great hours after eating.

This has gotten me to thinking, why don’t I try healing my stomach via the food processor and seeing how I feel.  It’s been fabulous so far, so I’m challenging myself to take on many of my meals, whether they be chicken, turkey, vegetables, soup, tofu, beans, etc. and plop them into the food processor to puree into a fine, smooth texture that is easy to digest and makes me feel great. Many of my clients love using their food processors and I have showed them countless ways of creating delicious pates, hummus, ground chicken, turkey, tofu, polenta, beans, vegetables, soups, and smoothies in a cinch.  I’m even working with many clients creating homemade babyfood via the foodprocessor, which is working wonders.

Exciting, isn’t it?

Keeps me happy.  Another tid bit I’ve come across is Meatless Mondays.  Have any of you tried to go ‘meatless’ on Mondays? This is something that has been quite interesting and fun to take on….I usually create a delicious vegetable dish with hummus, nuts, seeds, avocado and fresh herbs…maybe a bit of salsa and Greek yogurt, as well….

What are your thoughts on Meatless Mondays?

Gotta love those antioxidants, vitamins and minerals in each sip or spoonful, whichever you choose.

Speaking of ‘Trends’ this food processor is more than a ‘trend’ to me, it’s becoming a staple in my everyday meals n’ snacks.  So, I thought it’d be fun to share with you some of the 2011 ‘What’s Hot’ Restaurant Trends…I thought this was pretty interesting…

Vegan Kale Parsley Soup

Serves 2

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup curly parsley, chopped
• 6 cups fresh kale, chopped
• 1 Tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 Tbsp. freshly squeezed orange juice
• 1 tsp. white balsamic vinegar
• 10 grape tomatoes
• Pinch all spice
• Pinch sea salt and freshly ground white pepper

Directions

1. Combine all ingredients in a food processor; puree until smooth.
2. Serve at room temperature or chilled.
3. Enjoy!

And of course, let’s sum up the week with some headlines ‘In The News’…

“Lunch” School Lunch Documentary

America’s Test Kitchen Healthy Family Cookbook Launch

Thoroughness is Key in Children with Food Allergy Diagnosis

The Cooking Channel’s Top Food Trends for 2011

Top 10 Food Trends To Watch in 2011

Vegan’s Come A Long Way

There’s An App For Reading Food Labels

‘Fresh’ Tops 2011 Grocery Trends

It’s been a chilly week here in Manhattan, so I’m thinking about spending the weekend in my family’s warm home by the beach baking scones and making chili.  Mmmmm, gotta love the winter cravings for healthy, hearty fare, don’t ya?

What are your weekend plans? Any baking and cooking?