Hi, figured I'd share these since I've been learning new healthy recipes for my better half. He's Persian, so I've been learning some of his favorite Iranian dishes (with a twist).

The first one I pulled off was Persian Pomegranate Chicken (known as Khoresht Fesenjaan, but I kind of did a mix between this and Khoresht Anaar-Aveej). Also, no, I can't pronounce half of what I cook. To sum it up, nearly every dish is served with Basmati rice. As long as you're not cooking for someone who IS Persian, you can make it similarly to other rices (but with this rice, you wash it, soak it, wash it again, boil for 4-5 minutes, rinse, then put in pan with wet towel over lid and cook for 15-20mins on [very] low).

A Persian will notice if you didn't soak the rice in salt water and then cook it in salt water, he noticed and got cranky over it - but he's still learning he has to let go of his love for butter, cheese and salt.


Stats:
Per Serving:
Calories 226
Calories from Fat 84
Total Fat 9.4g (sat 1.6g)
Cholesterol 94mg
Sodium 104mg
Carbohydrate 11.5g
Fiber 1.5g
Protein 23.9g

List:
* 2 tsp olive oil
* 1 1/2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken thighs
* 1 tbsp cumin
* 1 tsp cinnamon
* 1/2 tsp nutmeg
* 1 tsp turmeric
* 1 medium onion, chopped
* 1/4 cup walnuts, ground into a paste (mine is never a paste )
* 1 cup pomegranate juice (can use fresh, POM brand or concentrate)

(Tip: You can remove all spices and use 1 1/2 tsp of cardamom instead and 2 tsps of sugar substitute - I have some smelly stuff in a green package his mom makes me us)

To Cook:
Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet (one you have a lid to go with). Brown chicken thighs and onions, they should cook ~5 minutes or so . Add spices and cook until onion has softened. Add walnut paste and pomegranate juice. Simmer for at least 20 minutes, until chicken is cooked and sauce has reduced and thickened slightly.

You can leave this cooking as long as you want, basically. The best cook time is 3 hours (great to start early then do housework or whatever).


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This is a healthy version of "Dolmeh" which are Persian Stuffed Grape Leaves. I won't lie and say I had a hard time rolling these, my fine motor skills aren't the best - so this was kind of not that fun to do. They did turn out great though!


Stats:
91 cal; 3g prot; 2.5g fat;
14 g carb; 0 chol; 94mg sod.

List:

* 2 tbsp Olive Oil
* 1 med Onion, finely chopped
* 5 cup Chopped Mushrooms
* 1 tbsp Dried Parsley
* 1/4 tsp Black Pepper
* 1/8 tsp Cayenne Pepper
* 1/4 tsp Turmeric
* 1 cup Cooked Yellow Split Peas (cook first)
* 2 cup Cooked White Or Brown Rice (cook second, I suggest basmati rice with a pinch of saffron)
* 1 x 16-oz Jar Grape Leaves
* 1 cup Water

To Cook:
In a skillet, heat oil and saute onion and mushrooms until soft. Add parsley and spices. Transfer to a bowl. Mix in peas and rice. Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Line a 3-quart baking dish with a few grape leaves to keep stuffed leaves from sticking and burning. Place 1 heaping tablespoon of rice mixture (more or less depending on size of leaf) in the center of a grape leaf. Fold in sides, then roll leaf from stem to tip. Place in casserole. Repeat procedure with remaining grape leaves until rice mixture is used up. Pour water in bottom of dish (to prevent sticking and drying out). Bake for 25 minutes. Make sure not to cook longer than 25 minutes or they are like trying to eat wax paper (trust me on this).