SPICED CHICKEN SKEWERS WITH AVOCADO PUREE

Fat Chickens are better for you

No I don’t mean obese chickens! In our quest to eat better we try to eat the leaner meats like boneless, skinless chicken breasts and ground turkey. While these are obviously good choices, we must not forget to eat enough fats as well, hopefully mostly the healthier kind. A good source of monounsaturated fats are avocadoes. An interesting fact is that they contain 20 times the fat of most fruit. While most people think that they are a vegetable, they are actually considered a fruit, but then again so are beans, corn, cucumbers, tomatoes, peapods and a host of others. I know, I don’t like that either but then again I’m not a scientist so I will bow to their higher level of knowledge.

Along with nuts and olive, peanut and canola oils, avocados can help lower your blood cholesterol levels; never a bad thing. These foods are recommended by the Heart and Diabetes Associations as they can improve blood lipids, lower the risk of breast cancer and heart disease and help you lose belly weight. They also can help with inflammation. Not a bad bunch of reasons if you ask me.

As for how they affect the gym crowd, intaking enough healthy fats can help with dietary depression by giving the brain the fuel it needs to produce feel good endorphins and chemicals. This depression can cause extreme bingeing and fast weight gain, something we see far too much post-show among the competitive crowd. I find that people in these situations intake the wrong fats while binge eating and my advice is to stick to mostly good fats during your post competition reverse dieting as these will increase your brain chemical levels quickly and get rid of those uncontrollable cravings much faster.

Spiced Chicken Skewers with Avocado Puree

INGREDIENTS:

Marinade

• 1/2 tsp ground coriander
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 3 green onions, chopped
• 2 tablespoons lime juice
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• salt and pepper

Skewers

• 4 skinless and boneless chicken breast halves, cut into strips
• 12 wooden skewers, soaked in water for 30 minutes

Avocado Purée

• 1 ripe avocado
• 1/2 cup (125 ml) fat free sour cream
• 1 tablespoon (15 ml) lime juice
• salt and pepper

INSTRUCTIONS:

Preparation

Skewers:

1. Mix together all marinade ingredients and stir to combine.

2. Add the chicken to the marinade and coat well. Cover and refrigerate for 1-4 hours.

3. Thread the chicken onto the skewers. Preheat the grill, setting the burners on high. Oil the grate.

4. Grill the skewer for about 5 minutes on each side or until the chicken is no longer pink. OR, you can bake the skewers in the oven at 375 degrees for 15-20 minutes and finish with 2-3 minutes on broil.

Avocado Purée:

1. In the bowl of a small food processor, purée the avocado with the sour cream and lime juice until smooth.

2. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap directly on the mixture to avoid discolorationYou can use purchased guacamole in place of the avocado and mix puree ingredients by hand.

 Time Saving tips:

• You can double or triple the marinade and chicken ingredients and pre-make extra skewers for those busy days. Just thaw and cook!

• You can use purchased guacamole in place of the avocado and mix puree ingredients by hand.

For more FREE recipes and my sometimes rude but usually true rants and raves visit www.therantingcook.com