Protect yourself: Wrap it up!

Tried on your summer shorts, lately? Uh-oh. Not fitting the way you remember? Well... protect your figure from carbs and sodium (bloat, anyone?) and try this cost friendly, easy, sweet and tangy wrap. Healthy food doesn't have to be flavorless, nor should it come out of a Lean Cuisine freezer box. Buy all of the ingredients and you can prepare these bad boys all week. This wrap is around 400 calories and PACKED with flavor and hunger quenchers that will help to get you back into your summer duds- without sucking it in!

Zesty Chicken and Zucchini Wrap

with feta cheese and dried cranberries.  

You can get most of these ingredients from Aldi, and you know how I love me some Aldi, except for three. Yields one wrap. 

3 oz prepared chicken- grilled and diced

1/2 zucchini, grilled and cut into strips

2 tblsp of dried cranberries

1 handful prepared salad mix

1 tblsp crumbled feta cheese

1 tblsp chopped walnuts

Equal or other artificial sweetener

1/2 tsp Sea Salt

Olive Oil
Freshly squeezed lemon juice (optional)

Things you must get from other grocery stores (Walmart, Giant, etc):

1 large wheat wrap (80- 100cal)

Mrs. Dash Original Blend

Rice Wine Vinegar

For a person who's short on time, buy a package of prepared grilled chicken strips and don't bother grilling the zucchini. For someone who has a few minutes...

Butterfly (split in half) your chicken breast and season with Mrs. Dash, a pinch or two of salt and a drizzle of olive oil to prevent the chix from sticking on the grill. Do the same thing with your zucchini-slice in half, then slice again to make them thinner and easier to grill.  Grill your prepared chicken, irst, and then the zucchini (so all of the yummy chix flavor passes onto the veggie). Yum! The zucchini will take maybe 2 minutes on each side to char.

Next, prepare your dressing. You can prepare enough for one wrap... or... make enough for a couple and store it. Trust me, this dressing is so awesome, you'll want to use it for everything; salads, wraps, marinades... you name it! This recipe is for a few servings:

3 tblspoons of Mrs. Dash

2 pkgs of Equal or other "blue" artificial sweetener. If you don't want to use nutrasweet, substitute with honey or sugar.

3/4 cup of rice wine vinegar

1.5 tbls of water

1/4 cup of olive oil

In a large bowl, add a handful of your salad mix, 2 tablespoons of dressing, feta, zucchini, cranberries and walnuts. Squeeze half of you lemon into the mix, as well, and toss. Grab your wheat wrap and add your mix and chicken on top. Wrap it up and enjoy. You can do it much like the shirtless fellow below... 

WTF introduces: Jerusalem "Sun" Artichokes

What the food is a Sunchoke?

Jerusalem artichokes, a.k.a. Sunchokes, are a North American Indian Sunflower with an Italian nickname that, despite it's name, has nothing to do with Jerusalem, nor is it actually an artichoke. Don't ask. 

Italian Americans call this flowery root vegetable girasole, translation: turns with the sun. American Indians grew this daisy with their corn to make harvests heartier. (A good tip for any of my fellow gardeners out there) The Sunchoke's flower is very, very small, compared it's sunflower brothers and sisters. The big surprise, however, is under the soil, where it harbors a large, lumpy,  potato-like root... only... it tastes like an artichoke... but isn't.  Okay, now I'm confused.. so I got some.

I purchased a package of Sunchokes at our Giant Eagle Market District with some Israeli couscous (stay with the theme, right?), sweet peppers and scallions. You'll find these ugly ducklings at most specialty markets; Trader Joes, Wegmans, Whole Foods, in produce, next to the celery, fennel, bok choy, etc. According to online cooking instructions, you are to remove the outer skin and either eat raw or boil in salted water for 10 minutes to bring out the artichoke flavor. I thought they were better cold and raw, but we'll get to that later.

Attention Diabetics: The flavor, when cooked, is the taste of inulin. Inulin is a polysaccharide- a highly nutritious component that most diabetics or sugar conscious people know as levulose- the sweetest of all known natural sugars. Sunchokes provide all of those nutrients (especially potassium and fiber) without the company of dextrose- a component that is often added to levulose. A component that diabetics should avoid.

I decided to boil the artichokes for 10 minutes in salted water because I wanted to taste the artichoke flavor, without them getting too soft... and boy did we ever! I say "we" because my friend, Stephanie, joined us for dinner that evening.

Thumbs up or down?

Both! I have to admit, Steph and I didn't care for them cooked. I think they tasted like a brutally strong artichoke. I preferred the crunchy, subtlety of the flavor, rather than the high impact ARTICHOKE flavor. Stephanie said that they "did nothing for her" and I agree. Luckily, the flavor did not overpower the couscous. Please forgive me for not showing a picture of the finished meal. My three year old somehow managed to break my camera without my knowledge and I am in the market for a new one. Any point-and-shoot camera suggestions would be most appreciated. I will post a picture and recipe as soon as I but a new camera. The next time I make this dish, I will keep the "artichokes" raw and keep my three-year-old away from my camera.