Chicken Florentine w/ Honey Lemon Mustard Sauce

Chicken:

1 lb. Chicken breast

2 Eggs

¼ C Bread Crumbs

1/3 C Flour

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp basil*

1 T Butter

Sauce:

1/3 C Water

1 T Butter

2 T Mustard

2 T Lemon Juice

1 T Honey

1 tsp mustard seed (optional)

2 C of Spinach*

*Remember fresh ingredients are always healthier and tastier. But dried and frozen will do. Try to avoid canned goods except beans. Organic is even better. Non organic spinach has most pesticide residues found on food.

Directions:

1. Pound chicken to ¼ in. thickness. Put egg in bowl, beat. Combine crumbs, most flour (leave some aside), garlic, & basil. Lightly dust chicken with flour, then dip in egg, then coat in crumb mixture. Let sit aside for 5 min.

2. While waiting cook spinach. Set aside to keep warm.

3. In large skillet, over med-high heat, melt butter. Add chicken, cook 5-7 min on each side. Remove chicken keep warm.

4. In same skillet heat mustard seed 1 min. Then add all sauce ingredients. Simmer 1 min.

5. Plate chicken, top with spinach, cover with sauce.

Health Benefits of Spinach:

Health benefits of spinach include good eyesight, blood pressure, strengthens muscles, prevention of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), cataract, atherosclerosis and heart attack, neurological benefits, bone mineralization, anti-ulcerative, anti-cancerous property, skin protection, fetus development, protein rich for infant’s proper growth etc. Spinach is a green vegetable that is cheap and affordable by all. It is a rich source of minerals, vitamins, pigments and phytonutrients. All these together make spinach very beneficial to a number of vital processes especially for our eyes, nervous system, cardiovascular disorders, skin, bones, anti-cancerous, fetus and infants. Spinach is also the most Alkaline-producing food.

Nutrition of Spinach:

Spinach is low in calories but extremely nutrient-dense. It is an excellent source of Vitamin C, K, Carotines, and Folic Acid. It is also good source of manganese, magnesium, iron, and Vitamin B2. It also has vitamin B1, B6, and E.

History of Spinach:

Spinach, spinacia oleracea, comes from a central and southwestern Asian for at least 2,000 years. It belongs to the Chenopodiaceae family with beet and chard. Spinach was unknown to the ancient Mediterranean world. “A la Florentine”, comes from Catherine de Medicis, a historical figure in the sixteenth century. When she left Florence, Italy, to marry the king of France she brought spinach with her and her favorite way to serve it was a bed under her food. Cultivation of spinach began in the USA around 1806.

Book Source: The Encyclopedia of Healing Foods, by Michael Murray.

Web Source: http://www.organicfacts.net/health-benefits/vegetable/health-benefits-of-spinach.html

Cottage Cheese Perogies

This is my Grandma Barbra Visneski's Recipe

Dough:
2 cups Flour
2 Eggs
4 Tbs Sour Cream
3 Tbs Butter, melted
1/2 tsp Salt

Directions: Mix all except flour well. Then add flour mix with hands.

Filling:
1 med. pkg. Cottage Cheese
Chives &/or Onions, finely chopped (amt. according to taste)
1 Egg

Directions: Drain cottage cheese in strainer for at least 1/2 day. (I do mine in fridge overnight with a bowl under to catch drippings).Then mix all together.

Directions to put together: Roll Dough thin about 1/8 inch. use wide mouth glass or perogi utensil to cut circles. Spoon 1 Tbs of filling into middle of circle. fold circle in half. Then close ends with fork pressing down two sides. if not sticking together dip finger in water and put on both sides before folding in half. Freeze made perogies for at least 20 min. Then Boil for 5 min. or till they float. Then Fry in well buttered or oiled pan for about 15 min.

Lots of stuff to do with this... but are worth it all in the end.

Cottage Cheese Heath Benefit: The main health benefit is that cottage cheese is low in fat and carbs and very high in protein. A single serving of cottage cheese has up to fifteen grams of protein, much of it in the form of casein, a slow digesting form of protein. Although not as high in protein as meat and poultry, it’s one of the best non-meat sources of protein around.It is a good course of calcium, with Vitamin D. Calcium is important not only for building strong bones, but also for maintaining normal blood pressure. With around seventy grams per serving, cottage cheese can go a long ways towards meeting the daily calcium quota.The truth is that cottage cheese can prevent stomach disorders and even help with your bones as you get older, especially in women.

Cottage Cheese Nutrition:
A 4 oz (113 g) serving of 4% fat product has about 120 calories, 5 g fat (3 g saturated), 3 g carbohydrates, and 14 g protein. It also contains about 500 mg sodium, 70 mg calcium and 20 mg cholesterol.

Cottage Cheese History: Cottage Cheese goes way back in history to the early Greeks and Egyptians. It's long been a favorite food in Europe, and the women of the American Colonies made it on their stovetops. In fact, a little known fact about cottage cheese is that's how it got its name. It was named "Cottage Cheese" because it was made in cottages, which are small country houses. The term was first used in 1848.