Chicken Pizzaioli with Fennel and Bean Salad will be family pleaser

Chicken in a spicy tomato sauce is a dish that is a family pleaser.

The salad is made with fennel. It has a large, pale green bulbous base with darker green stems and bright green feathery leaves.

It’s sometimes labeled anise in the market. Both the base and stems can be eaten raw or cooked. It has a very mild, sweet, licorice flavor.

The fennel is very thinly sliced for this salad. Use a mandolin or the thin slicing blade on the food processor. It will take only a few minutes. Or, slice the fennel by hand.

Helpful hints:

■ Celery can be substituted for fennel.

■ The quickest way to chop the fennel leaves is to snip them with scissors.

■ Use a skillet just large enough to hold chicken in one layer. If the skillet is too large, the sauce will run dry.

Countdown:

■ Prepare ingredients.

■ Start chicken.

■ Make salad.

■ Finish chicken.

Shopping list:

To buy: 3/4 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast, 1 can /bottle low-sodium pasta sauce*, 1 container pitted, black olives,1 can cannellini or white navy beans, 1 fennel bulb.

Staples: olive oil spray, minced garlic, reduced-fat Italian salad (oil and vinegar, not creamy) dressing**, hot pepper sauce, salt, black peppercorns.

CHICKEN PIZZAIOLI

1 cup low-sodium pasta

sauce*

4 pitted, black olives, cut

in half

Several drops hot pepper

sauce

Salt and freshly ground

black pepper

Olive oil spray

1 teaspoon minced garlic 3/4 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast Place pasta sauce and olives in a microwave-safe bowl. Cover and heat on high 1 minute. Or, place in a saucepan and simmer 2 to 3 minutes or until heated through. Add the hot pepper sauce and salt and pepper to taste. Heat a nonstick skillet just large enough to hold chicken in one layer over medium-high heat and spray with olive oil spray. Add the garlic and chicken. Brown on both sides, about 2 minutes. Add sauce, lower heat to medium, cover with a lid and cook 5 minutes. A meat thermometer should read 165 degrees. Remove from the skillet and spoon sauce on top. Yield 2 servings.

Nutritional analysis per serving: 337 calories, 96 calories from fat, 10.7 g total fat, 2.3 g saturated fat, 4.1 g monounsaturated fat, 111 mg cholesterol, 304 mg sodium, 19.7 g carbohydrate, 3.7 g dietary fiber, 11.4 g sugars, 38.7 g protein

FENNEL AND BEAN SALAD

1 fennel bulb, thinly sliced

(about 3 cups)

1 cup drained and rinsed cannellini or white navy beans

3 tablespoons reducedfat Italian salad (oil and vinegar not creamy) dressing **

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Cut the top stem and feathery leaves off the fennel. Reserve the fennel leaves. Wash and slice the fennel bulb. Place sliced fennel and beans in a bowl and add dressing and salt and pepper to taste. Toss well. Snip about 1 tablespoon of the feathery leaves and sprinkle over salad. Yield 2 servings.

Nutritional analysis per serving: 207 calories, 20 calories from fat, 2.2 g total fat, 0.3 g saturated fat, 0.5 g monounsaturated fat, 1.5 mg cholesterol, 77 mg sodium, 38.1 g carbohydrate, 10.5 g dietary fiber, 1.4 g sugars, 11.4 g protein Exchanges: 1 1/2 starch, 2 vegetables, 1 lean meat

*Look for low-sodium pasta sauce containing per 1/2 cup: 112 calories, 3.5 g fat, 17.7 g carbohydrate, 39 mg sodium.

** Look for reduced-fat Italian salad (oil and vinegar not creamy) dressing containing per tablespoon: 11 calories, 1 g fat, 4 mg sodium.

From “Mix ‘n’ Match Meals in Minutes for People with Diabetes” by Linda Gassenheimer, published by the American Diabetes Association. Reprinted with permission from

The American Diabetes Association. Gassenheimer’s latest book is “Delicious One-Pot Dishes,” published by the American Diabetes Association.