The eternal question… what’s for dinner?

Have you ever noticed that it’s much easier to put weight on than to take it off? Patience really isn’t one of my virtues.

Tonight I made a recipe out of my South Beach Diet Cookbook and it was DELICIOUS (of course, I made a few changes – which I’ll note). Since I’m only cooking for two, yummy, leftovers for lunch tomorrow…

Chicken Capri

1 cup reduced-fat ricotta cheese
½ teaspoon dried oregano - My oregano was too old, so I used ½ teaspoon of Italian Seasoning
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves - I had three large chicken breast halves, so I cut them in half – thus giving me 6 pieces of chicken, instead of 4
½ teaspoon garlic salt
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 cup crushed tomatoes - I used diced
4 slices reduced-fat mozzarella cheese

Combine the ricotta, oregano, salt and pepper.
Rub the chicken with the garlic salt. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the chicken and cook for 12 minutes per side.
Personal Note – I’m a huge Alton Brown fan. I remember from several of his episodes that he said once you put the meat in the skillet – walk away, just walk away. I didn’t move or turn the chicken until the 12 minutes were up. This gave the chicken a nice crispy crust. OK, now back to the recipe…
Once the chicken breasts are done, move them to a large baking dish and allow to cool.
Preheat oven to 350˚F.
Divide the ricotta mixture evenly and put it on top of the chicken breasts. Divide the tomatoes evenly and put it on top of the ricotta. Top with a slice of mozzarella. Bake for 20 minutes (or until thickest portion registers 170˚F. I’m not sure if it’s because I had extra thick chicken or because I live at a high altitude or what, but it took about 35 minutes for my chicken to be 170˚F.

I think next time I might try putting a fresh basil leaf between the tomatoes and the mozzarella. Nothing can beat fresh basil.

Per Serving
340 calories
15g fat (5g saturated)
44g protein
6g carbohydrate