Skinny Minnie 90s and beyond

So here we are in the 90s, verging on a new millennium and what is the current food trend? Air basically. Well not really but what was happening in the 90s was drastic for so many reasons. The west had gone from being people who wanted to show off and revel in luxurious food items to people who were actually conscious of what was going on in their bellies and what effect this would have on their bodies. 

It was also a time when models became skinnier with every show and this was how everyone wanted to be. Although it was a very major u-turn many people started looking for low fat and low calorie options and as I said in the very first post crazy amounts of money started being spent on organic fruit and veg. The aim of the upper and middle classes was to show that they were skinny and social, no one wanted to be the housewife anymore. I thought it was only fitting then we had a recipe for a salad: 

Asian Chicken Salad with Ginger-Sesame Dressing

INGREDIENTS

4 cups napa cabbage, chopped
2 cups red cabbage, chopped
1/2 cup shredded carrots
1/2 cup snap peas
1/3 cup baby corn
1/3 cup bean sprouts
1 red bell pepper, sliced
4 green onions, chopped
1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
2 chicken breasts, pounded out
Salt and pepper, to taste
For the dressing:
2 Tbsp rice vinegar
1 Tbsp light soy sauce
1 clove garlic
1 Tbsp honey
1 Tbsp fresh ginger, peeled and minced
1/4 tsp. toasted sesame oil
1/4 cup olive oil

INSTRUCTIONS

In a large bowl, combine cabbage, shredded carrots, snap peas, baby corn, bean sprouts, red bell pepper, green onions and fresh cilantro. Set aside.

To make the dressing - Using a blender or food processor, combine rice vinegar, soy sauce, garlic clove, honey and fresh ginger and pulse to combine. With the motor running, slowly add the olive oil in a steady stream and continue blending until mixture is creamy.

Using a meat pounder (or empty bottle), pound out the chicken breasts to a uniform thickness.

Place chicken breasts in a plastic bag and add 2 tablespoons of the salad dressing. Make sure the chicken is completely coated and allow chicken to marinate for 30 minutes to an hour.

To make the chicken - Pre-heat a grill pan or an outdoor grill on medium-high heat and add marinated chicken breasts. Sprinkle with a little salt and pepper and cook chicken about 4 to 5 minutes on each side until juices run clear. 

Transfer chicken to a cutting board and let rest for 15 minutes before cutting. This keeps them juicy!

Add cut up chicken to the salad and toss with the dressing OR keep dressing in a jar and distribute salad with chicken to 4 individual containers for lunches that week. Enjoy!

But where did we go from here? We're now in 2015 and food is something that is never far from the headlines or from our minds. These days we are all so conscious of where our food comes from and what it does to us that it means some great gems of food are being lost. However there is also the possibility that with an ever growing population our earth will not be able to cope with the amount of people it will need to feed. Will it? Or will we soon be eating nothing but laboratory food? This is why I leave you with the message to always think about what your food is to you. If we don't start looking after our sources there won't be anything there. 

If you're interested in more delicious salad recipes visit http://www.eat-yourself-skinny.com/.