What's on your plate?

[lylysa]

Hello there, ladies and gents!

Keeping in line with all the fun and interactive threads asking about your most recent halls, items you have your eyes on, what you're currently wearing, what's your hair routine, and more, I've decide to branch out and ask:

"What's on your plate?"

The beauty world doesn't just stop at skin care and cosmetics, it also goes hand in hand with your overall health and well-being, so with that, I'm curious to see what we're all chowing down and snacking on be it for breakfast, lunch, dinner, dessert, or inbetween!

For those with apps that help count calories or to those who just want to keep a log, here's a place to share, possibly find and share some recipes, and even tips on maintaining a balanced diet.

Don't just share food items, but even drinks! I'm a huge fan of tea and at least have a cup of green tea a day (anti-oxidants) and drink plenty of water.

For lunch today, I had:

-Brown rice

-Steamed egg

-Steamed red snapper with green onion, sesame oil, and black pepper

-Gai lan (it's a type of Chinese vegetable/greens)

Now, tell me, Beauty Talk world, what do you have? 😄

[Anonymous]

Yes! And fried tofu is amazing, I don't really like soft tofu that much since its a very unique texture.

[DiVWA]

Butternut "polenta." It's a bit more orange than traditional polenta (which is made with cornmeal). My "polenta" is gluten-free and corn-free. The squash taste sweetens in this dish so that the end result tastes rich and not really like a squash. It can accommodate any gravy or sauce. The edges turn a crispy brown. The texture is very similar to real polenta.

Steps:

Use one butternut squash -- get one that's longer in the tubular area instead of a bulbous one. Need two pounds (weigh before peeling and dicing).

Steam the cubed squash - I use two steamers so is quicker. Steam until very soft--about 20 minutes. You can also bake the squash whole and then scoop out about 2 pounds.

While squash is steaming (or baking), measure the other ingredients (3 slightly-beaten eggs, 1/2 teaspoon sea salt, 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg, 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese (the kind in the green sprinkle container is okay to use), 1 cup blanched almond flour). Put parchment onto 9x13 pan.

Let cooked squash cool in a large glass bowl.

Mash the cooked squash. Then add the rest of the ingredients. Mix well.

Consistency will be like mashed potatoes. Spread around into the parchment-lined pan.

Bake at 320 degrees F for 1 hour. Remove from oven. Let sit in the pan for 10 minutes. Then transfer the whole thing (including the parchment paper) to a cutting board. Cut into squares--I do 6 per recipe but you can do 8 too.

[lylysa]

Thanks for the detailed recipe and photos!

[jisub89]

Yes, I'm excited to try as I've been obsessed with butternut squash lately! Thanks for posting the recipe, DiVWA! 🙂

[knuevekm]

Thank you for the awesome step by step photos!

[EvangelineDamon]

I wish I could heart this 20 times. 

Thank you so much for the recipe (again) and the terrific pictures.

How long does a butternut squash last if you keep it intact?

[DiVWA]

At least several months. We're buying up a bunch from TJ's right now and making different polentas to store in the freezer. We use magic marker and write the bought date right on the TJ sticker. Then use up the oldest first.

[vegchililover78]

Yum! I love butternut squash, love how you mixed it up here. 🙂

[knuevekm]

Tonight I made mushroom asiago chicken. It is wonderful! The chicken is pan fried so there are lots of different textures in this dish. 

[lylysa]

I really think this is going to be on the menu for tonight. I have to make a trip to the grocery store so I can pick up what I'm missing and I happen to have chicken defrosted.

[knuevekm]

Please post pictures if you do! 🙂

[lylysa]

If I can even make it to take a photo before gobbling it all up! Haha!

[lylysa]

So I totally made this last night, I ended up cutting the chicken breasts I had into chunks and initially added too much chicken broth, but I let it simmer down more and added some flour to thicken so it actually turned into more of a thick cream/gravy/stew-like mix which was still very good! I'll definitely be repeating this recipe, thanks again for sharing it, Knuevekm!

[knuevekm]

You are welcome!

[lylysa]

Totally put it over quinoa and brown rice like mentioned below too! ^_^

It's very hearty (probably because my "cream" sauce ended up being more like a thick gravy)!

[jisub89]

Looks delicious! I didn't know of asiago cheese before but I'll be on the lookout now 🙂

[lylysa]

Recipe, recipe, recipe....please?

That looks delicious, I love mushrooms and ohhh that would look scrumptious over some rice or quinoa!

[knuevekm]

I included the recipe in the spoiler. I think it would be lovely over rice or quinoa.

*edit: I wanted to give credit to the blog I got this recipe from but couldn't remember at the time of posting. I remember now. Credit goes to cherylstyle. Mine never turns out looking like her picture but very yummy regardless.

Spoiler

what you'll need

• 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts
• salt and pepper
• ½ cup all-purpose flour
• 4 Tbsp unsalted butter
• 1 lb sliced mushrooms
• ½ tsp salt
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• ½ cup dry white wine or chicken broth
• ¾ cup low-sodium chicken broth
• 3 sprigs fresh thyme or ¾ tsp dried thyme leaves
• ½ cup heavy cream
• ½ cup shredded Asiago cheese
• Parmesan cheese for sprinkling

1. Cut each chicken breast into thirds by first cutting each breast in half crosswise, then set the thinner half aside. Slice the thicker part of the breast in half horizontally (parallel to the cutting board) to produce 2 more thin cutlets. Cover the chicken breast pieces with a sheet of plastic wrap and pound with a meat mallet or the bottom of a small skillet until all of the pieces are about ¼" thick. Lightly season each cutlet on both sides with salt and pepper and dredge in flour, shaking off any excess.
2. Place a large skillet over medium-high heat and melt about 2 Tbsp unsalted butter. Add as many cutlets as will fit comfortably into the skillet, but be sure not to overcrowd the pan. Sauté for about 5 minutes until golden brown on the first side, then flip and cook for 1 additional minute. Remove the chicken from the skillet to a plate and cover lightly with foil. Repeat with remaining chicken cutlets.
3. When all of the chicken is cooked, add remaining butter to the skillet along with the mushrooms and ½ tsp salt. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms are golden brown and become softened. Add garlic and cook for an additional 2 minutes.
4. Pour white wine (or ½ cup chicken broth) into the skillet and stir to scrape up anything that is sticking to the bottom of the pan. Once the wine has nearly all evaporated, add ¾ cup chicken broth and thyme. Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce heat to medium and cook for 10–15 minutes at a rapid simmer until the liquid is reduced by half.
5. Reduce heat to medium-low and stir in heavy cream. Sprinkle the Asiago cheese over the top of the sauce and stir constantly until the cheese melts. Nestle the chicken back into the skillet and allow it to simmer in the sauce just until the chicken is heated through and the sauce has slightly thickened. Sprinkle with a bit of Parmesan cheese and serve right away, either all by itself, or spooned over pasta or mashed potatoes. Enjoy!

[lylysa]

Delicious food is delicious regardless of looks, thanks for sharing the recipe!

[knuevekm]

P.S. I use chicken tenderloins and skip most of step 1 of the recipe.

[lylysa]

Question, for the ingredients there's the white wine or chicken broth mention, but then it brings up chicken broth as its own ingredient, would it then be both portions of stock combined? Just want to make sure!