Lemon Chicken and Broccoli Gratin

My recipe for tonight is Lemon Chicken, Broccoli Gratin, salad and fruit. Whenever I put fruit in the menu, it is for the kids and substitutes for a carb in their meal. Tonight's dinner is brought to us by Jessica Seinfeld's Double Delicious. It is the sequal to her Deceptively Delicious cookbook. In case you are not familiar with these cookbooks, the basis for all of her recipes are sneaky vegetable purees.

How to make a Carrot Puree: These are my version of the instructions, inspired by pgs. 193-196 of the cookbook. I tried two different methods to determine the best one for me.



Option #1: Steamer Bag
1. Buy Ziplock brand steamable microwave bags.
2. Lay the bag horizontally, filling to the top line with baby carrots, making sure that they lay flat instead of piled on top of each other.
3. Follow the cooking and safety instructions on the bag.
4. Place the cooked carrots in the food processor, without any water. Turn on the blender and blend maybe two minutes, until the carrots are a nice and creamy puree.



Option #2: Glass dish
1. Cut the ends off of the carrot, cut full-size carrots into 3-inch chunks or cut baby carrots in half.
2. Place in a glass or ceramic microwaveable dish, with 2 T water, and cover loosely with saran wrap. You are supposed to use one pound, but I just filled the dish I had.
3. Cook in one-minute increments until the carrots are tender.
4. Place the cooked carrots in the food processor, with the water from the baking dish. Turn on the blender and blend two or more minutes, until the carrots are a nice
and creamy puree.


Opinion:
Method # 1--Cutting the carrots obviously takes more time as does checking the microwave every minute during cooking. The puree was less creamy and took longer to make than the carrots from the steamer bag. The glass dish carrots yielded three 1/2 cup portions.

Method #2--The steamer bag yielded only two 1/2 cup portions, but it took less time to puree and the puree was creamier and a lighter orange color. I put each 1/2 cup serving into a snack size ziplock bag.

I froze the ones I will not use tonight. When it is time to add the puree to the recipe, snip a corner of the baggie with scissors and squeeze the puree likes it is frosting.

Pinch Hitting: Recipe Substitutions

The lemon chicken recipe (p. 56) calls for whole-wheat flour. I happen to stock unbleached white flour, so I will substitute this in equal parts. I have carrots and not cauliflower, so I am substituting carrot puree for the cauliflower puree. I will let you know how it turns out and if I think the carrot influences the flavor of the chicken.

Cauliflower gratin is the original recipe included in the cookbook (p. 114) and served with the lemon chicken. I buy the huge bags of fresh broccoli florets at Cost-Co because my kids and the dog happen to love sauteed broccoli. I substituted frozen broccoli florets for the cauliflower tonight, but I think fresh broccoli florets would hold their shape better than frozen.

I also use Grapeseed Oil instead of Olive Oil. For this kind of cooking, they are interchangeable. I also only cook with boneless, skinless chicken breasts. I am publishing the recipes with the changes that I made.


The verdict: My kids loved the broccoli and I loved the chicken. I was the only one who knew there were carrots in the dishes, and I was the only one who could taste them.

Tips: I butterflied the chicken breasts to make cutlets and then made them into smaller pieces. I laid them on the cutting board, covered them with Gladwrap, and pounded them with my rolling pin just a little.



Lemon Chicken, p 56
1 T chopped garlic
2 T plus 1 t olive oil, separated
3 c healthy chicken broth
2 T lemon juice
2 t water
2 t cornstarch
1/2 c carrot puree
2 egg whites
1 egg
1 c unbleached white flour
1/2 t salt
1 t garlic powder
6 chicken breasts

1. Saute chopped garlic in 1 t olive oil until it begins to turn golden brown. Add the broth, turn the heat to high, and reduce by half, about 8 minutes. Add the lemon juice.
2. In a small bowl, combine the water and cornstarch. Slowly stir the cornstarch mixture into the boiling broth. Add the carrot puree. Cover to keep warm and set aside.
3. Begin heating the 2 T olive oil over medium heat. Whisk the egg whites and egg in a shallow dish. Combine the flour, salt and garlic powder in a separate shallow dish. Dredge each cutlet into the dry ingredients and then dip in the eggs. Drop the cutlets directly into the heated skillet. Be careful that you don't splash oil on yourself. Ask me why I say that...Saute 4-5 minutes per side. Add the lemon sauce and cook 2-3 minutes more to combine flavors.

Broccoli Gratin, p 114
1 bag frozen broccoli florets
1 T soft tub margarine spread
2 t flour
1 c skim milk
1/2 c reduced-fat cheddar cheese
1/2 c carrot puree
1/2 t salt
1/4 t pepper
2 T grated Parmesan

1. Preheat the oven to 400F. Bring medium saucepan of salted water to boil. Blanch for 2-3 minutes. Drain and set aside.
2. In the same saucepan, melt the margarine. Whisk in the flour and cook 1 minute over medium heat. Slowly whisk in the milk to prevent lumps from forming and bring to a boil. Cook 2-3 more minutes. Reduce the heat to low and add the cheddar, carrot puree, salt and pepper.
3. Add the broccoli to the cheese mixture and transfer to a glass baking dish. I used a glass pie dish. Top with Parmesan. Bake for 15 minutes until bubbly and the top browns.