Going Green with Cooking

This has been a great weekend! Hope all you have also had a great and restful weekend.

It started on Saturday morning when I finally got to try something new. I have been really trying to fit fitness back into my routine. My amazing husband decided to help me with this endeavor by joining the gym I have a membership at so that we can go there together and not interrupt our weekend time. The gym has a daycare so we are golden.

While we were filling out the necessary paperwork to add him to my membership, the gym guy asked if I heard about the new class they added this week. I got really excited because I had heard a rumor that they were adding new classes. Then I heard the words I wanted to hear, “We just added Zumba and it’s starts in 10 minutes.” Of course I immediately went to get a spot in the class. The husband said the he would meet me by the weight room, he was not having any part of Zumba. One hour later I was sweaty and so glad that I went to the gym! I will make that class a part of my regular weekly workout routine. If you never tried Zumba, I suggest you do. I felt great and had so much fun.

I also had a great cooking weekend as well. I was able to experiment with a new cooking tool that I have been dying to try.

Introducing: The Green Pan!

If you have never heard of GreenPan, you will be incredibly happy you have now. Any home cook looking for safer and environmental friendly non-stick cookware these are the pans for you. These pans are special because they are coated with Thermolon, a patented polymer non-stick coating designed for quick and even heat distribution. The non-stick coating is PTFE-free and does not use PFOA (basically potentially harmful materials that other non-stick coated pans use).

• PFOA is a chemical that is used in the manufacturing of traditional PTFE-based nonstick cookware coatings and other products. It is not present in finished cookware products, and there are no health risks from PFOA in cookware. However, because PFOA has been found in the environment, companies have committed to the Environmental Protection Agency to work toward eliminating facility emissions and product content of PFOA by the year 2015.  Thermolon™ is made without PFOA.  It is made to be eco-friendly for our environment.
• PTFE is a chemical found in traditional nonstick coatings. It can begin to degrade at temperatures over 500º, which is why the instructions on traditional nonstick pans generally advise to use them only on low and medium heat.  You can use Thermolon™ on low and medium heat like traditional nonstick, but unlike traditional nonstick coated pans, GreenPan with Thermolon™ is also made to be used at high heat (above 500º) for something you would normally use stainless steel or cast iron cookware for.  Now you can do it all with one pan!  

I think the my favorite feature is that the pan is scratch resistant (I have a bad habit of scratching my non-stick pans).

Here is some other great information about GreenPan technology and specifically the pan I was able to cook with:

Looking for something new for dinner? Stir things up in your kitchen with the GreenPan Stainless Steel 12" Sauté Wok with Glass Lid. Prepare delicious stir-fry dishes, steam vegetables, or sauté noodles or fried rice. And, as with all GreenPan cookware, the Thermolon coating offers nonstick food release without the need to add butter, oils or fats.
GreenPan Stainless Steel 12" Sauté Wok with Glass Lid Features:

• Pan has stainless steel body – for durability and induction-ready performance
• Thermolon nonstick coating – offers nonstick food release without added butter, oils or fats
• Encapsulated aluminum disc in pan base – even temperatures throughout the entire base of the pan; disc is sandwiched between two layers of stainless steel for added durability
• Pan has a rolled pouring rim – for easy pouring and transfer of contents without messes or spills
• Tempered glass lid – strong and enable viewing of cooking process without letting heat escape
• Pan and lid are dishwasher safe – for easy clean-up
• High-heat resistance – pan is oven safe to 850 degrees and lid to 420 degrees
• Stainless steel riveted ergonomic handle – ergonomically contoured for comfort and control
• Measures approx. 12" in diameter x 20-1/2"L (with handle) x 3"H 
• Pan is made of stainless steel with encapsulated aluminum base; lid is tempered glass with mirror-polished stainless steel rim and handle
• Pan has Thermolon gray nonstick interior and mirror-polished exterior
• Pan is oven safe to 850 degrees; lid is oven safe to 420 degrees
• Pan is induction-ready
• Pan and lid are dishwasher safe
• Made in China
• Comes with manufacturer’s lifetime limited warranty 

Now for the recipe I used with this incredible pan to test out if it really did everything stated above.

Deconstructed Guacamole Chicken Sammies

By: Rachael Ray

Ingredients

• 4 pieces boneless, skinless chicken breast, 6 oun
  ces each
• Salt and pepper
• 1 tablespoon smoked sweet paprika, a palmful
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon ground coriander
• 2 tablespoons EVOO – Extra Virgin Olive Oil, divided
• 2 ripe Haas avocados
• Juice of 1 lime or 1/2 lemon
• 1 small red onion, chopped
• 2 jalapeño peppers, seeded and thinly sliced

• 1 large clove garlic, finely chopped
• 1 15-ounce can diced, fire-roasted tomatoes, drained
• 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, finely chopped
• 4 leaves lettuce
• 4 crusty, cornmeal-topped Kaiser rolls, split
• Flavored specialty corn or blue corn chips

Yields: 4 servings

Preparation

Heat a griddle pan or cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. No need for oil because this is a Green Pan.

Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Combine remaining spices in a small bowl and rub all over chicken.

Drizzle griddle or skillet with a tablespoon of EVOO. Cook chicken 12 minutes, turning once. Remove from pan and let cool enough to handle; slice each piece on an angle into 4 pieces.

Halve and pit avocados and dress with lime or lemon juice. Cut each half into 4 pieces and layer between chicken slices.

In a small skillet, heat remaining tablespoon EVOO, a turn of the pan. Add onion, jalapeño and garlic, and sauté a few minutes to soften.

Add tomatoes and season with salt and pepper. Turn off heat and mix in cilantro.

Place lettuce on bun bottoms and top with chicken and warm salsa, set bun tops in place. Serve with a few chips alongside (I did green beans).

The GreenPan Review:

The pan was everything it said it would be. The chicken did not stick and I did not even need oil! I will note that the chicken cooked a lot faster than it usually does with my other non-stick cookware. This was an added perk. I was complete satisfied with the pan and am actually looking to buy a broiler pan set and a bigger skillet.

PS: The sammie was really good as well.

I would like to thank the people at GreenPan for letting me test out such an amazing product. If you would like to purchase your own green pan see the website for complete details. You will not be disappointed!

If you have lasted this long with the marathon Sunday post I congratulate you!  Stay tuned tomorrow for a Reader Appreciation Giveaway. Mom on the Run will be doing a thanks for being a great reader giveaway. You will not be disappointed!!!