Vietnamese Chicken and Cabbage Salad

Lean and Green Recipes for Medifast

Yesterday was one of those days when the fastest way to get dinner done was to pick up pre-made rotisserie chicken at the store for my family.  We never finish an entire chicken in one meal so naturally I had to do something with the leftovers.  I picked a Vietnamese favorite of mine -- Vietnamese Chicken and Cabbage Salad.

This is very easy to make.  There's no cooking involved unless you don't have rotisserie chicken leftovers like I do.  In fact if you're still on the diet mode, the fat-burning state, just take about 1 lb of boneless chicken breast in a sauce pan, add enough water to cover the chicken by about 1/2 inch and boil for 10-15 minutes.  This way, you can control the ingredients in your chicken.

I'm on maintenance mode so I allow myself some carrots and onion but if you're still on diet mode, you can skip those.  It does not affect the overall enjoyment of this dish.  You will hardly notice the carrots missing.  I actually just add that to put some color to my dish.  The onion gives it a little more but because this is not allowed in the diet, just skip it.

On a hot day like yesterday, this was perfect.  No cooking necessary.  This dish can be served cold or at room temperature.

Ingredients (Serves 4)

3 tbsp lime juice
2 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp white or cider vinegar
1/2 tbsp sweet leaf (or other sugar substitute equivalent to 1 tbsp of sugar)
1/4 tsp black pepper
3/4 cup thinly sliced onions (maintenance mode only)
1/4 cup fresh mint or cilantro
2 cups shredded cabbage
3/4 cup shredded carrots (maintenance mode only)
2 cups cooked, shredded chicken

1. Combine lime juice, fish sauce, vinegar, sweet leaf (sugar), and pepper to make your dressing.  Mix until sweet leaf is dissolved.  If using onion, add this to the dressing and allow to soak for at least 10 minutes but not more than about 30.
2. In another bowl, combine mint, cabbage and carrots.
3. When ready to serve, add dressing mixed in #1, veggies in #2 and shredded chicken.  Toss to coat everything well.  Enjoy.

Chicken Wraps

Medifast Lean and Green:  Chicken Wraps

Once in awhile, I get a hankering for Chinese foods.  Unfortunately most of them are best eaten with rice or noodles.  While eating at PF Chang's last night, I was inspired to cook lettuce wraps -- my version of it.  I didn't try it with ground meat.  Instead, I made it with chicken breasts.

The result was quite tasty.  If you like ginger, I would advice adding a thin slice along with cooking the onions.  I skipped it because my husband and my kids don't like ginger and I can't eat all of this by myself.

Serves 4

1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts thinly sliced
Coarse salt and ground pepper
2 tbsp olive oil
4 thin slices of onion
1 large red bell pepper, ribs and seeds removed, thinly sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon red-pepper flakes
3 tbsp soy sauce (lite/low sodium)
3 tbsp rice vinegar
1 tbsp water
12 to 16 Lettuce leaves (about 2 heads)

Medifast Recipe:  Chicken Wraps

1. Season chicken with salt & pepper. In a large nonstick skillet, heat 1 tbsp of oil over high heat then add chicken; cook, stirring constantly, until cooked throughout. Transfer to a plate.
2. Add remaining tbsp of oil to pan.  Add onion and bell pepper. Cook, stirring constantly, until onion is tender and golden, about 4 minutes (reduce heat if browning too quickly).
3. Reduce heat to medium; add garlic and red-pepper flakes about 1 minute.
4. Stir in soy sauce, vinegar, and water; remove from heat. Add chicken and any accumulated juices; toss to coat. Serve in lettuce.

Chicken with Spinach and Tomatoes

Chicken with Tomatoes, Spinach and Capers

Medifast Lean and Green Recipe
Serves 2

7 oz diced tomatoes in juice, drained
1/4 cup tbsp fresh parsley (1 tbsp if dry)
1 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 tablespoon jarred capers, drained
2 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (6 to 8 ounces each)
1 cup fresh spinach

1. In a bowl, stir together tomatoes, parsley, 1 tablespoon oil, lemon juice, and capers. Sprinkle with some salt and pepper if desired.
2. Split chicken breasts in half horizontally. Cover with plastic wrap and pound lightly with a meat mallet.  If you don't have a meat mallet, use the bottom of the pan.  The goal is to flatten chicken so it would cook evenly
3. In a large nonstick skillet, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium-high. Cook chicken about 1-3 minutes per side making sure that it's cooked.  Remove from skillet and set aside.
4. Add spinach to the now empty skillet and; season with salt and pepper. Cook and stir until heated through (stopping when leaves just about wilted). 
5. Top chicken with tomato mixture and serve with spinach.

Chicken Pinwheels

Chicken Pinwheels (or rolls -- I couldn't decide)

The recipe is for one serving but I actually cooked 4 of these for the whole family.  I called it pinwheels because I have kids -- kids like pinwheels. 

Make sure everything is cut thinly to make it easier to roll.  You'll need a sharp knife to cut the tomatoes cleanly .  As far as asparagus, I used 4 spears but the grocery sold this really thin asparagus so if you fee, you need less because you have the thicker kind, please use less.


You actually still have 1 more condiment left so drizzling it with more parmesan cheese halfway to baking it, is acceptable.  I chose to skip it and opted for a Laughing Cow Cheese.

Medifast Lean and Green Recipe
1/2 tbsp Olive Oil
1/4 tsp garlic, minced
6 oz Boneless Chicken Breast
salt and pepper to taste
1 tbsp Parmesan Cheese
1/2 tomato, cut in VERY thin slices.
4 asparagus spears

1. Preheat oven 375 degrees.
2. Cut the chicken across in half so you have a thinner chicken.  Put it between two saran wraps and pound it until you have less than half an inch and flat chicken.  Remember that you will be rolling it so make sure the chicken is not too thick.
3. Heat oil in medium-high heat.  Add garlic.
4. Season chicken with salt and pepper and place on skillet to cook for about 2 minutes.  Just enough to lightly brown it.  Cook one side only.
5. Remove from skillet and spread parmesan cheese on top on the uncooked side.
6. Spread tomatoes and asparagus evenly.  Roll and place in baking pan.
7. Bake for about 12 minutes (or chicken is 170 degrees)
8. (optional) Cut crosswise to make pinwheels.

This is how it looks on the baking pan.  Just keep them
packed so they don't unroll.  

Is that a wedge of Laughing Cow cheese I see?  Why yes!
Tip:  Laughing Cow is so yummy inside the chicken.  Try
it if you're okay with the calories.

Chicken with Tarragon Sauce

Before Medifast, this was my favorite dish to make.  The creamy sauce has an opulence reminiscent of meals at five-star restaurants.  It's light.  It's delicious.  Not to mention, it takes 10 minutes to make.  

It's important to make the chicken juicy and this is typically difficult to do with boneless chicken breasts.  So, before cooking try to pound the chicken so it will be even in thickness.   Then, cook in medium-high heat.  Do not overcook.  An inside temperature of 170 degrees is sufficient.

For side dish, try steamed asparagus. 

The ingredients are too small  to measure since I made the recipe good for one.  Cook for another person and just double the ingredients to make it easier.

Medifast Lean and Green Recipe 6 oz  boneless chicken
1/16 tsp salt	Condiment #1 (1/8 of recommended)
1/16 tsp pepper	Condiment #1 (1/8 of recommended)
1/2 tbsp olive oil	Healthy fat serving
1/16 cup water
1-1/2 tsp cream substitute	Condiment #1 (3/4 of recommended)
1/2 tbsp dijon mustard	Condiment #2 (1/2 of recommended)
1/8 tbsp tarragon	Condiment #2 (1/8 of recommended)

1. Sprinkle chicken breasts with salt and pepper.  
2. Heat olive oil over medium-high heat and add chicken .  Cook until inside temperature reads 170 degrees about 10 minutes
3. Transfer to a plate when done.
4. Adjust heat to medium.  Pour water, half and half, mustard and tarragon into hot skillet.  Whisk until thickened.
5. Pour sauce over chicken.
6. Serve with vegetables like asparagus.

Cilantro Thai Chicken

Servings: 1

When I found out I can have up to 1 cup of cilantro for condiment, I was excited.  I love cilantro.  I love the smell and the flavor.

If you are cooking for the entire family, please adjust the ingredients.  What I will list below is good for 1 person.  Just multiply each ingredient by however many people will eat.

This recipe uses approx 2-1/2 condiment servings and still meets the < 3 recommended by medifast.

Ingredients:

1 tsp minced garlic Condiment #1

3/4 tbsp cilantro (stems included are fine) Condiment #2 -- 1/16 allowed by medifast

1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper Condiment #2 - 1/2 allowed by medifast

1 tsp tamari sauce* (or soy sauce)  Condiment #3

1/8 tbsp fish sauce Condiment #2 - 1/8 allowed by Medifast

pinch of salt (optional) **

1 tbsp water

3/4 lb chicken (drumsticks or wings)***

*  I use Tamari Sauce because it tastes just like soy sauce but wheat-free but soy sauce works even better.

** This would taste better with salt if using a low-sodium tamari/soy sauce, but I choose to skip it.  Salt is just not good when you're on a diet :-)

*** Up to 5oz of dark meat (cooked weight) is allowed.  When weighing, do not include the bones.

Instructions:

Chop cilantro and garlic very finely.  In a medium bowl or a tupperware, add the cilantro and garlic, ground pepper, tamari sauce, fish sauce and water.  If you are making for more than one person, I recommend just throwing all the ingredients, except the chicken in a food processsor or blender and grind to a fine, fairly smooth paste adding more water as necessary to grind evenly.

Add the chicken pieces, turning to coat everything well.  Cover and allow to marinate for at least an hour or even overnight

Preheat oven to 450F.  I use a toaster oven occassionally depending on how many I'm cooking.  If you are using a toaster oven, preheat oven at 425F or set to Broil.  After heated for about 3 minutes, place the chicken  in the oven turning occasionally to brown and cook pieces evenly until cooked through.

Cooking for the Entire Family:

Serve this with rice and cucumbers for members of the family not on Medifast and if available, use a sweet chili sauce that can usually be purchased pre-made at grocery stores.