My Dukan Lunch Box

               After the last of the Christmas decorations have been stowed away, and the last of the Champagne bubbles have burst after the New Year celebrations,  so again people take a break from festive food.  My friends and I are just some of these people who are once again resolving to commit to a diet.  Having been quite successful with the Dukan diet, we went back to it.  It has been two weeks now and have found it quite easy to go back to this “strict regimen” (regardless of what the British Dietitian Association have said about it).  It really does help that the recipes for the recommended meals, such as  those found in The Dukan Diet Life Plan (Great Britain: 2011, Hodder & Stoughton), my latest companion, are easy to follow and the ingredients equally easy to procure.  So far, one of my favorites there has been being able to make the Dukan sandwich bread where I prepared it with non-fat ham and held together by extra-light cream cheese with a slice of tomato.  Another one is the Summer Seafood Surprise, a layered crabstick and broccoli salad dressed with a mixture of fromage frais, crème fraiche and dill, then garnished with a strip of smoked salmon.  It was quite lovely and refreshing.

                                     

               However, since I’m very much a Filipino, I cannot altogether say good bye to adobo.  Thankfully, I found a simple and happy compromise.  Though not known to Dr. Dukan himself or his company, I am fairly certain that this kind of tweaking would still meet the requirements of the diet.  If you're not on the Dukan diet, and are not worried about your salt intake, I suggest that you add a tablespoon of soy sauce to the marinade, or better yet, use low sodium soy sauce.  I recently cooked this and packed it for lunch with steamed French green beans for myself and my friends, and received rave reviews.  You may want to consider this as an alternative way of serving adobo.  One good thing about adobo is that whether you eat it cold or hot, it tastes delicious and hearty.  Perfect for your lunch box.

 

Grilled Adobo Chicken

6 pcs. chicken breast
½ head of garlic, crushed
½ cup distilled vinegar
1 Tbsp. regular or low sodium soy sauce (optional)
Ground pepper

Marinate chicken breasts in the rest of the ingredients for two hours or overnight.  When ready to cook, discard marinade and heat a non-stick pan grill over stove, or you may grill over hot coals.  Spray light olive oil in the pan.  Grill chicken pieces until juices run clear then let rest for a minute.  Steam French beans that has been seasoned with a little light olive oil and salt for 5 minutes.  Take out of the steamer and run them under cold water to stop the cooking and maintain their crunch.  Serve it with the grilled chicken breasts.  Serves 6.