March is here and with it is the promise of spring in the distance! I love anticipating longer, warmer days and getting out for walks, yard work and fresh air. In fact, just this past Monday it was sunny and a balmy 39 degrees so my husband, Tim, and I went for a snow covered, four mile hike to a beautiful frozen waterfall, the Cascades. It was amazing, but very slippery! I marveled at the gorgeous, snow-covered scenery.
That’s a frozen waterfall!
As you may have noticed from Lindsey’s post last week, we’ve been pursuing some new healthy habits in the Hight family for 2015. Making healthy changes can be hard work, but it’s so much more fun when you have family or a support system of friends who are working towards similar health goals. Why not make healthy living a family affair?? To celebrate the arrival of March, I decided to plan a “spring greens” dinner and use the new veggie spiralizer Whitney and Ryan gave me for my birthday. They know me well because I love experimenting with new kitchen gadgets!
Zucchini noodles, aka “zoodles”, make for a wonderful lightened-up versions of your favorite pasta dishes. The spiralizer lets you transform zucchini to zoodles in minutes – all you do is secure the squash and turn the crank! It’s a great outlet for creativity in the kitchen, as you can substitute any sautéed veggie noodle for pasta with your favorite sauce or simply enjoy raw spiralized veggies as part of a big colorful salad.
Spiralizing away!
I can’t get over how easy the spiralizer is to use and love the fact that there are three different discs to choose from to make a variety of cuts from spaghetti-like noodles to thin slices for homemade veggie chips. The clean up is a cinch by hand or in the dishwasher and all the pieces fit together so you can store it as one piece.
For our “spring greens” dinner, we used six zucchini and had plenty for a dinner for six people with leftovers for lunch the next day. We were all surprised at how full we felt after eating all of the greens – it’s amazing how a plate full of fresh veggies with some lean protein in the chicken and healthy fat from the pistachios help you feel satisfied and refreshed from all the clean flavors and beautiful colors in the meal.
So tell me – have you ever tried spiralized veggies? What is your favorite way to eat them? We’d love to hear about it in the comments section below!
Pistachio Crusted Chicken with Green Zoodles and Kale
Prep Time
20 mins
Cook Time
25 mins
Total Time
55 mins
Pistachio crusted chicken breasts are served atop and crisp and flavorful saute of kale and spiralized zucchini noodles. Perfect for a spring green-themed dinner or a healthy St. Paddy's Day option!
Servings: 4 servings
Ingredients
For the chicken:
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into strips
- Kosher salt and freshly cracked pepper
- 1 tsp oregano flakes
- 3/4 cup pistachios finely ground
- 2 tablespoons olive oil divided
For the vegetable saute:
- 6 cups of washed and chopped kale
- 3 large zucchini spiralized
- 1 teaspoons red pepper flakes
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
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Season the chicken strips with salt and pepper. Mix the ground pistachios with the oregano in a shallow dish. Dredge the chicken strips in the pistachio breading and saute in 1 tablespoon olive oil in a skillet over medium heat; about 2-3 minutes per side.
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Place the chicken on a baking sheet and bake for 15-20 minutes or until cooked through.
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While the chicken bakes, add the kale and remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil to your skillet. Saute the kale for about 3 minutes or until it has started to wilt. Add in the zucchini noodles, red pepper flakes, garlic powder, and lemon juice and toss to combine. Cook, stirring frequently, for about 3 minutes or until zucchini noodles soften. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
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Serve the chicken strips over the kale and zucchini noodle saute. Leftovers are good cold the next day!
Recipe Notes
Nutrition information per serving: Calories 507, Total Fat 26.7g, Saturated Fat 4.8g, Cholesterol 101mg, Sodium 458mg, Potassium 1693mg, Total Carbohydrates 27.2g, Dietary Fiber 7.2g, Sugars 6.6g, Protein 44.1g
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