Summer Treats - Protein happy!

Sweet and Spicy Chicken Salad:

2 chicken breasts

1/2 red onion

6 cherries, chopped

3 tbsp mayonnaise 

7 almonds

Canola oil

3 tbsp minced garlic

Curry powder

Paprika

Fresh crushed black pepper

Salt

Gluten free whole wheat brown rice Crackers (optional) 

Clean chicken and snip off fat with a kitchen scissor. With a long, thin knife (a fillet knife is perfect) slice chicken into very thin slices. Set aside.

In a deep sauté pan, drizzle 1 tsp of canola oil on medium flame. Add garlic and add chicken slices once garlic is golden. 

Put the flame on medium low and spice your chicken with about 4 pinches of curry powder and paprika. Add pepper and salt as desired. 

Cook, turning chicken over every few minutes (about two) until chicken is cooked through. Turn flame off and let cool.

Chop cherries and mince the red onion finely. Set aside. 

Take almonds and put into a plastic bag. Taking a heavy object or a rolling pin, smash the almonds until roughly crushed. 

Add cherries, onion, and almonds to chicken in a large mixing bowl. Taking two forks. shred the chicken into frayed strips. 

Once all ingredients are mixed, add mayonnaise and mix throughly until well combined. 

Serve on the crackers or bread of your choice and enjoy. 

A Words and a lot of Salads

Here are a few short recipes for Good Salad Combos:

Pomegranate Goat Cheese Salad:

Mix the following:

1 head romaine lettuce, roughly chopped
3 navel oranges, peeled and sliced
1 pomegranate, seeded or bought as the seeds
2 oz goat cheese
1 peeled cucumber, sliced
Balsamic Vinegar (Regular or Strawberry)

Blood Orange Salad with Walnuts:

Mix the following:

1 head of red leaf lettuce, roughly chopped
2 blood oranges, peeled and sliced
7 walnuts, crushed and crumbled
3 oz brie cheese, sliced and cubed
2 fire roasted red bell pepper, chopped
Black Pepper and Salt, to taste
Balsamic Vinegar
Olive Oil (1 tsp)

Cortina's Antipasto Salad:

Mix the following

1/4 pound roast beef, shredded
1/4 pound part skim mozzarella cheese, sliced
1/4 pound part skim provolone cheese, sliced
1/4 low sodium ham, sliced
1 head romaine lettuce, sliced
1/2 cup sliced baby bella mushrooms
1/4 cup purple onion, sliced thin
1/2 cucumber, sliced and peeled
1/2 cup fire roasted peppers, sliced

Introduction

Hey Folks -

My name is Cortina! I am 24 years old, an artist, a girlfriend, a daughter, and a happier woman who is now a member of the bariatric surgery club. Though I can't eat in the volume I have before I will always be one who cooks with a certain voracious zeal.

I make dishes that go from simple, easy-peasy to slightly involved. Overall though I do say that my dishes are without a doubt just delicious. The difference with my dishes from before my surgery to after? They have been there - done that with high fat, high body cost foods. Now I have transformed my recipes into fabulously healthy and body happy dishes that came with the surgery that changed my whole life for the better.

I had a gastric bypass on March 12, 2013. Since this day to this month- May 2013 I have lost 50 pounds! Went from a size 20 to a 14. I still can't believe it. I had mine done at NYU Medical Center - Langone. These great folks really gave me my life back. And of course, without the efforts and support of my family, friends, and boyfriend I think the struggle would still be current.

So, here are my new recipes to come. So eat I say. Do it healthy. Happily.

Eat to live.
Not live to eat.

Sweet!