Friends who cook - v1.0

Last night Brandon and I went to see our friends Laura and Mike at their place for dinner. Not only did they accommodate my gluten intolerance beautifully - but the dinner was amazing! I had to share it with all of you because this is a recipe you can't miss! It's perfect for those special nights where you want to indulge a little, impress your significant other with a new meal or it could be your official 'cheat' meal of the week. Worth every bit of effort!

**As a side note - a little calorie conscious tip when setting up your plate at a dinner? If there are mashed potatoes, and you want to have some but are tempted to carb-overload, instead start with putting a couple spoons-worth on your plate, and lots of other veggies. Likely by the time you've finished your plate, you won't want extra potatoes at the end. Start small, fill up on green veggies, and protein, and you are much less likely to overindulge on the heavy carbs!

Recipe taken from 'Sunday Roasts' cookbook and modified slightly to be a bit more fitness friendly :)

Chicken Breasts Stuffed with Figs, Prosciutto and Gorgonzola

serves 4 - time 40 minutes

Ingredients:
- 4 medium boneless skinless chicken breasts (approx 6oz each)
- Kosher salt
- black pepper
- 6 thin slices of prosciutto
- 3oz of gorgonzola cheese, crumbled
- 1/4 cup of thinly sliced dried figs
- 1.5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
- 1/4 cup honey

1) With a sharp knife, held parallel to work surface, make a horizontal slit in the chicken breast, not quite cutting all the way through. Open the top flap like a book. Repeat with all chicken breasts. Cover with plastic wrap and pound until thin.
2) Remove plastic wrap and cover half of each breast w/ 1.5 prosciutto slices and divide the cheese and figs evenly over the prosciutto. Close each breast and secure with toothpicks/wooden skewers
3) Arrange rack at centre position in the oven and preheat to 400 degrees.
4) Heat oil in large oven-proof frying pan at medium heat. When hot, add the chicken and cook for 1 minute per side. Place the pan in the oven and roast until the chicken is very tender, approximately 12-15 minutes (6 minutes per side).
5) Remove chicken from pan and tent with foil on carving board.
6) Pour balsamic vinegar and honey into pan and cook, stirring often until the mixture has reduced to 1/2 cup (approx 5 minutes)
7) Serve chicken breasts, and drizzle balsamic honey sauce on top.

calories - 418, fat 15g, protein 39g, carbohydrates 30g