Goodbye Gut Contest: Our Winning Recipe!

Once upon a time, way back in June, we told you all about our Goodbye Gut Contest. Thanks to those of you who entered! It was a difficult process that took a bit longer than expected to cook our way through all your recipes--but a problem I'll gladly take!

Entries were scored on the following requirements, beyond taste of course:

• Total calorie count per serving
• Ease of preparation
• Accessibility of ingredients and tools to prepare the recipe

Entries were also given extra points if the recipe included bacon or a bacon-inspired product. This winning recipe didn't need those extra points--it was delicious, easy to make, and much more low-cal that you would expect from such a rich tasting recipe.

Our winner is Chandra M. and her Pesto & Goat Cheese Stuffed Chicken Breasts! Congratulations Chandra M., your prize is on its way!

The recipe is below--try it, you'll love it, I guarantee it!

Pesto & Goat Cheese Stuffed Chicken Breasts

--4 cleaned boneless, skinless chicken breasts

--2 TBSP goat cheese

--2 TBSP cream cheese (I used this "better than cream cheese" vegan version because cow dairy products make me a sad girl)

--1 serving of your favorite pesto mix (You don't need a mix, use your own pesto)

--1 egg yolk

--1 tablespoon of olive oil

--flour

--plain bread crumbs ("I use Panko because they are crunchy," she wrote so that's what I did too and recommend!)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

"Clean the chicken breasts and set aside," writes Chandra M.  I took this to mean wash and dry the chicken breast pieces and slice off any remaining fat or skin.

Prepare the pesto mix as directed (or use your own pesto for more homegrown deliciousness) and mix with both cheeses.

"Butterfly the chicken breasts and stuff with the cheese/pesto mix," she says are our next steps.

Butterflying is a simple slicing technique you can use on whole chickens or on chicken breasts or pork chops. It is a great method if you are stuffing the meat with anything (in our case, the pesto mix). Using a sharp short knife, you'll start on one edge of the chicken breast. Insert the knife into the middle of the thickest part of the chicken breast. Slice along the side until you reach 180 degrees (or the other end) of the length of the chicken breast.

Dip the chicken breast in flour, then in the egg yolk, and finally in the bread crumbs. "Use Leah's wet hand/dry hand technique," she writes and we love. Way to be an avid BaOBH reader!

Heat the olive oil in a pan on the stove top and sear one side of the stuffed chicken until the breadcrumbs are a light/medium brown and crunchy.

Place the chicken in a glass baking dish browned side up and set in the oven for 30 minutes or until the chicken's juices run clear.

And how should you eat this? Take Chandra's advice and "Enjoy with some fresh steamed veggies or a light salad. I like sauteed asparagus!"

Dammit Jim, I'm a cook, not a doctor...
Time: 1 hour
Serves: 4
Calories: 460 calories

One Hot Sweet Mess

Jalapeno poppers are pretty standard bar food to be sure. But I can distinctly recall the very first time a barmaid planted a basket of them in front of me with a side of jam. Yes, jam. Ranch dressing be damned! Nothing can beat that delicious feeling of hot and spicy combined with melted cheese in the sweet sticky dip of jam.

Nothing that is except this baked version.  All the flavors, none of the frying!

Oh, and, uh, bacon. Clearly.

Bacon-Wrapped Baked Jalapeno Poppers
--1 dozen small jalapenos
--1/2 block of light cream cheese
--1 jar delicious fruit jam
--6 raw bacon pieces, sliced in half
Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

Lop the tops off the jalapenos. Slice open lengthwise to de-seed. Scoop out seeds with a spoon.

Take the block of cream cheese and slice off 12 small chunks. Stuff each pepper with one spoonful of jam and one small chunk of cream cheese.

Take each "popper" and wrap it in bacon. Place inside an oven safe dish and cook for 15 minutes or until bacon is crispy.

(Please forgive the non-bacon eaters. They were vegetarian. It's not their fault.)

Dammit Jim, I'm a cook, not a doctor...

Bacon-Wrapped Jalapeno Poppers
Total time: 25 minutes
Serves : 6
Calories/Serving : 278