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Community Corner

Cooking Lighter and Bolder for the New Year

Lighten up without losing any flavor with Amy Baker's Warm Ginger Chicken Salad with Cous Cous, Almond and Cardomom-Scented Carrots.

I’m not really one to make New Year’s resolutions, due to the fact that they are quickly broken.  But each January, as I struggle to pull on my jeans after a month-long extravaganza of sweets, treats and one eggnog too many, I attempt to lighten up on the food and drink for a couple weeks. Or at least until I can comfortably fasten that top button.

Last weekend I prepared a warm chicken salad, lighter on calories but high on flavor. I used a yogurt-based dressing with such bold spices as cardomon, cumin, chili powder and ginger.  I love the way the ginger and other spices wake up the palate. No need to start off the new year blandly! 

Poaching the chicken allows one to avoid unnecessary fats from oil.  And poaching with ginger, garlic and lemon emboldens an otherwise pedestrian preparation method.  Throw a sliced chili into the pot if you want to spice it up even further.

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The Cumin-Yogurt dressing couldn’t be easier to prepare.  No emulsion necessary.  Just mix together the yogurt, spices and honey and voilà! A delicious Moroccan-inspired sauce which will still keep your mid-section trim.

While shopping at Shop Rite in Bedford Hills, I spotted some beautiful “rainbow” carrots—a colorful medley of orange, white, yellow and purple varieties.  I love pairing cardomom with carrots or sweet potatoes, so I incorporated the former combination into the meal.  It’s amazing how easy and satisfying it is to roast vegetables—feasting on them by no means seems a dietary hardship.

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I’ll continue this week to cut back on fats, creams and alcohol, thinking ahead to our warm holiday planned for the February break.  On this week’s menu is a Thai chicken soup, which even my kids love.  I’ll start cooking it as soon as I figure out how to assemble my newly delivered treadmill.

Warm Ginger Chicken Salad with Cous Cous, Almond and Cardomon-Scented Carrots

Serves 6-8

Poached Chicken with Ginger *

Blanched Green Beans *

Cous Cous *

Cumin-Yogurt Dressing *

30 Fresh Mint Leaves

1 cup toasted almond slices

Cardomon-Scented Carrots *

* = see recipe below

Prepare all the recipes below. You can then chose to either prepare one large platter of the cous cous with the chicken, beans, almonds and mint arranged on top, drizzled with the yogurt dressing. Or, you can plate these individually. Serve with the cardomom-scented carrots.  I think this is best served warm, but it could also be served at room temperature.

Poached Chicken with Ginger (serves 6-8)

6 chicken breasts, trimmed

6 cups water

1 3 in. piece ginger sliced into ½ inch pieces

5 cloves garlic, peeled

½ lemon, sliced into thick slices

2 sprigs parsley

1 ½ T kosher salt

Bring water to a boil.  Reduce to a simmer. Add the ginger, garlic, lemon, parsley and salt.  Add the chicken and simmer 15 minutes. Remove from heat, cover and let sit in the water another 8 minutes. Remove from water. Set aside and cover to keep warm.  Slice into 1 inch pieces, starting at the thickest part of the breast and working your way down, to serve.

Blanched Green Beans

1 lb. trimmed green beans

Bring poaching liquid back to a boil. With a slotted spoon, remove the pieces of ginger, garlic, lemon and parsley. Add the green beans and cook 3 minutes. Drain in colander.  Put aside.

Steamed Cous Cous

3 cups cous cous

3 cups water

1 T olive oil

1 T unsalted butter, optional

1 tsp kosher salt

Bring the water to a boil. Add the salt and butter to the water. Add 1 Tablespoon olive oil to the dry cous cous in a medium to large bowl. With your clean hands, rub the oil into the cous cous evenly. This will keep the cous cous from sticky clumps later. Add the boiling water to the cous cous and cover with plastic wrap. Allow it to steam for 10 minutes. Uncover and fluff with a fork.  Keep covered until serving.

Yogurt Dressing

1 cup non-fat or low-fat plain yogurt

2 tsp. ground cumin

2 tsp. ground ginger

2 T honey

2 T fresh lemon juice

½ T chopped fresh mint

1 tsp. kosher salt, or to taste

freshly ground pepper, to taste

Combine all the ingredients with a spoon in a small bowl.  Can be prepared and refrigerated up to 3 days before.

Cardomom Scented Carrots

1 lb. carrots, peeled and sliced into 1 inch diagonal pieces

1 tsp. kosher salt, or to taste

freshly ground pepper, to taste

½ T ground cardomom

½ tsp. chili powder

1 T olive oil

½ T chopped fresh flat-leaf parsely

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. In a medium to large bowl, toss the carrots with the olive oil and spices including salt and pepper. Spread them out on a sheet pan so that they lay in a single layer. Roast for 20 minutes. Set aside to serve warm.

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