So we made it through the hectic holiday season of tempting delights. Then, for New Year’s made a vow to eat better, be healthier and happier this year, and then what happens? The play offs and Super Bowl to knock us off the healthy eating band wagon. But, don’t fear! I have two kick off worthy chicken dishes without all the grease or guilt. Fast, nutritious and delicious. No one will even notice they’re healthy.
My rules of thumb for game day food: 1) Taste is king 2) Portability is a must 3) Fast and Easy prep. Keeping those things in mind I came up with Chipotle Chicken Lettuce Wraps and Sesame Asian Wonton Nachos. Your mouth won’t know what hit it. Plus, you won’t spend all day in the kitchen prepping these two. Both start with roasted chicken tenderloin I made at home but, feel free to use store bought rotisserie or freshly grilled chicken. Add a cabbage slaw with two easy to make sauces and viola your game day prep is done.

One of my favorite sports foods has to be Hot/Buffalo Wings. The spicy, juicy, fried goodness just tempts me every step of the way. But, considering 12 wings (without the side of ranch dressing I love) can run anywhere from 1,000 to 1,500 calories plus several days worth of saturated fats and salt, not to mention it’s easily eat double that over the course of a game… a healthy alternative was definitely in order. In comes the Chipotle Sauce alternative. I used fat free Greek Style yogurt to give me that creamy base I love, add some chipotles in adobo sauce, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne pepper and sea salt. It has that velvety creamy texture akin to the ranch dressing, with the spicy kick I crave from the buffalo wing sauce, but without all the fat or salt.

Everyone that has met me knows that I am big on the spicy food. However, I realize not everyone feels the same or simply want a subtle change. That’s where the Sesame Asian sauce came into play. I use this simple recipe all the time on veggies so why not on chicken. In a bowl simply pour Soy Sauce, Black Vinegar, Sesame Oil, Chili flakes, onion powder, garlic powder, fish sauce, ginger powder or fresh ginger, dash of honey and sesame seeds give it a quick stir and all done. This couldn’t be easier. And all the above ingredients are great staples for your pantry for future Asian inspired dishes.

The Cabbage Slaw is a cinch. I threw Savoy Cabbage, Red Cabbage, Carrots, and Garlic into the food processor. I pulsed until I got the desired consistency. Then I added a little apple cider vinegar and stirred it all together.

As for plating these delectable goodies that can be as elaborate or simple as you like. I did the chipotle in a lettuce cup (Bibb, Boston/Butter, and even Napa cabbage are best. I used Romaine but not as easy to plate). The Wonton Cup/Nacho bowl is simply egg washed wonton wrappers I put into tarlet/mini cup cake molds and baked for 3-5 minutes…which is easy to do a day or so before. You can make them both into lettuce wraps or cups it’s up to you. Sprinkle some green onion, red bell pepper, or paprika on top for color and all done!

CHIPOTLE CREAM SAUCE
1-2 Cups Fat Free Greek Style Yogurt
1 Small Can of Chipotle peppers in Adobo sauce
1-2 teaspoon Granulated Garlic Powder
1 teaspoon Onion Powder
1-2 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
Sea Salt to taste

SESAME GINGER SAUCE
1 oz Soy Sauce
2 oz vinegar (black vinegar or apple cider)
1 teaspoon fish sauce
1/2 tablespoon ginger powder or 1 tablespoon fresh ginger
1 teaspoon garlic powder
I teaspoon onion powder
Crushed Red Pepper flakes
Sesame Seeds (black or white)
1 teaspoon sweetener- – honey/agave/sugar
Green Onions (optional)

WONTON CUPS
1 packet of Wonton or Gyoza Wrappers
1 egg
2 tablespoons water

CABBAGE SLAW
1 Small savoy cabbage (can also use Napa)
1 Small red cabbage
1-2 cups carrots
3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

Cabbage: Vitamin K, Vitamin C, Dietary Fiber, Manganese, B6, B1, B2, Folate, Omega 3, Calcium, Potassium, Vitamin A, Protein, and Magnesium. Cabbage is touted by nutritionist for its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties as well as being high in glucosinolates. Antioxidants — lycopene, lutein, beta-carotene, quercetin, etc.– we consume in fruits and vegetables work directly to neutralize free radicals by absorbing their negative energy, rendering them harmless and allowing them to be flushed out of our system. While Glucosinolates act “indirectly” to activate the body’s own detoxification systems. Both groups are important to optimal health and different varieties of cabbage have different types of antioxidants/glucosinolates levels so mix it up. Savoy, Napa, Bok Choy, Red, or Green they are all well worth the eating. Lightly steamed cabbage is far more nutritious then boiled or using a microwave.

Yogurt: Iodine, Calcium, Phosphorus, Vitamins B2, B12,B5, Protein, Tryptophan, Potassium, Molybdenum, and Zinc. The highest quality yogurt in your grocery store contains live bacteria that provides a host of health benefits. Yogurt is a great immune system booster with zinc and live good bacteria. The B Vitamins are great for heart health by lowering cholesterol and boosting energy. Calcium is mostly known for maintaining bone strength and density, but it also is vital to nerve conduction, muscle contraction, blood clotting, helps PMS symptoms, as well as cellular and enzyme function. Calcium has also been linked to lowering body fat especially around the waist. Going for low fat, organic, and if possible grass fed dairy is best but not always possible. Greek Style yogurt possess on average 50% more protein, less sugars, and is much thicker so great substitute (when seasoned) for sour cream. It has more calories in it’s full fat version then regular yogurt so go fat free or Skim. Zinc is also one of those things we think of when it comes to cold and flu season cure all, without understanding what other great things it does in the body. Zinc is an important regulator of many genetic activities. The cells of our body each have a special compartment called the nucleus, and inside the nucleus are approximately 100,000 genes. These genes provide instructions for the cell, and the cell has to decide which instructions to read. Zinc is essential for reading genetic instructions, and when diets do not contain foods rich in zinc, instructions get misread, or not read at all. (In biochemistry terms, the gene-reading process that requires zinc is called gene transcription.) Insulin, a hormone made by the pancreas, is often required to move sugar from our bloodstream into our cells. The response of our cells to insulin is called insulin response. When the foods in our diet do not provide us with enough zinc, insulin response decreases, and our blood sugar becomes more difficult to stabilize. Metabolic rate – the rate at which we create and use up energy – also depends on zinc for its regulation. When zinc is deficient in the diet, metabolic rate drops (along with hormonal output by our thyroid gland).

Chicken: Tryptophan, B3 (niacin), Protein, Selenium, Vitamin B6, Phosphorus. People who are meat eaters, but are looking for ways to reduce the amount of fat in their meals, can try eating more chicken. The leanest part of the chicken is the chicken breast, which has less than half the fat of a trimmed Choice grade T-bone steak. The fat in chicken is also less saturated than beef fat. However, eating the chicken with the skin doubles the amount of fat and saturated fat in the food. For this reason, chicken is best skinned before cooking. Selenium is of fundamental importance to human health. It is an essential component of several major metabolic pathways, including thyroid hormone metabolism, antioxidant defense systems, and immune function. Chicken is a very good source of the cancer-protective B vitamin. Components of DNA require niacin, and a deficiency of niacin (as well as other B-complex vitamins) has been directly linked to genetic (DNA) damage. A four-ounce serving of chicken provides 72.0% of the daily value for niacin. Tryptophan has gotten a bum rap for making us tired during Thanksgiving Turkey, but the reality is it’s the over imbibing and over eating not the turkey making you tired. Tryptophan is an essential amino acid. In addition to its role in protein synthesis, it is the precursor of the neurotransmitter serotonin and of B3.