Recipe for Apple Cranberry Chicken with Herbed Rice Wins Grand Prize and Serves as Inspiration for New Smart Ones Entrée; Four Runners-up Also Named and Awarded Prizes

PITTSBURGH (Business Wire EON/PRWEB ) September 12, 2008 -- Weight Watchers^® Smart Ones^® brand today named Priscilla Yee of Concord, Calif., the grand-prize winner of its Fruit Inspirations^TM “Fruitastic” Recipe Contest. Yee’s recipe for Apple Cranberry Chicken with Herbed Rice earned her $5,000, a cooking session with celebrity chef Devin Alexander and mention of her name and hometown on the box of a new Smart Ones entrée inspired by her recipe.

The blend of sweet and savory flavors with a wildly popular fruit pairing helped the winner rise to the top

The apples and cranberries offer that familiar sweet and tangy flavor everyone loves with a generous amount of lean chicken and a tasty herb and spice rice blend for a surprisingly flavorful and satisfying dish. This unique flavor combination will serve as a perfect complement to the already delicious lineup of fruit-inspired entrées from the Smart Ones brand.

I know fitting enough fruit into your daily routine can be difficult

That's why I like convenient options, such as Smart Ones Fruit Inspirations, that help me to eat the recommended four daily servings of fruit when I don't have time to make it myself. These fruit-inspired entrées along with the recipe contest winners offer convenient ways to help meet your daily fruit requirement while enjoying the foods and flavors you love.

The nationwide contest challenged consumers to create a recipe concept for a new item in the Smart Ones Fruit Inspirations line, which features juicy chunks of real fruit and lean protein combinations such as Orange Sesame Chicken and Pineapple Beef Teriyaki. Entrants also submitted a 300-word essay describing how the recipe satisfies cravings, and a panel of judges selected the winners based on taste, nutrition and creativity.

The four runners-up each receive $1,000. Their recipes, along with the grand prize recipe, will be featured on eatyourbest.com. Winners include: Jennifer Coduto of Kent, Ohio (Cherries Jubilee Grilled Chicken); Elizabeth Obarr of Moriarty, N.M. (Braised Pork Chops with Caramelized Apples and Onions); Cliff Piel of Center Valley, Pa. (Apple Cranberry Five Spice Chicken) and Rebecca Reece, of Henderson, Nev. (Chicken Tenders with Apricot Salsa).

“The blend of sweet and savory flavors with a wildly popular fruit pairing helped the winner rise to the top,” said Devin Alexander, celebrity spokeschef for Smart Ones products. “The apples and cranberries offer that familiar sweet and tangy flavor everyone loves with a generous amount of lean chicken and a tasty herb and spice rice blend for a surprisingly flavorful and satisfying dish. This unique flavor combination will serve as a perfect complement to the already delicious lineup of fruit-inspired entrées from the Smart Ones brand.”

The new line of fruit-inspired Smart Ones entrees is designed to satisfy sweet cravings and help keep you on track with a healthy eating regimen. A recent national survey by Smart Ones found that people can’t get enough of that sweet taste satisfaction. In fact, the survey revealed that 79 percent of women crave sweets. The Fruit Inspirations entrées are designed to help satisfy cravings and make it easier to incorporate fruit into your diet.

“I know fitting enough fruit into your daily routine can be difficult,” said Alexander. “That’s why I like convenient options, such as Smart Ones Fruit Inspirations, that help me to eat the recommended four daily servings of fruit when I don’t have time to make it myself. These fruit-inspired entrées along with the recipe contest winners offer convenient ways to help meet your daily fruit requirement while enjoying the foods and flavors you love.”

Yee said her recipe is reminiscent of dishes she loves the most and what her mother used to make. Because of this, she says, it feeds not only the body, but also the soul. Her recipe will serve as the basis for a new Fruit Inspirations entrée that will launch next year. For more information about the winning recipes, visit www.eatyourbest.com.

Apple Cranberry Chicken with Herbed Rice

Chicken

1 teaspoon poultry seasoning

½ teaspoon smoked sweet paprika

½ teaspoon garlic powder

½ teaspoon salt

4 4-ounce skinless boneless chicken breast halves

1 tablespoon olive oil

Sauce

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons apple juice divided

2 tablespoons honey

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

1 ½ cups peeled sliced golden delicious apples

½ cup dried cranberries

¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

¼ teaspoon smoked sweet paprika

¼ teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons cornstarch

1 tablespoon chopped parsley

Herbed Rice

¼ cup chopped parsley

2 tablespoons minced green onion

2 cups cooked brown or white rice

Directions

In a small bowl, combine poultry seasoning, paprika, garlic powder and salt. Mix well. Sprinkle mixture over both sides of chicken. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add chicken and cook 5 minutes per side or until cooked through. Remove chicken from skillet and keep warm. For sauce, add 1 cup apple juice, honey, vinegar, apple slices, cranberries, cinnamon, paprika and salt to skillet with drippings. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Simmer until liquid is reduced by one-third and apples are almost tender (about 5 minutes). In small bowl, stir together cornstarch and 2 tablespoons apple juice until cornstarch is dissolved. Stir into sauce. Cook until thickened, stirring constantly. Pour sauce over chicken, sprinkle with 1 tablespoon parsley. Stir parsley and green onions into rice. Serve with chicken. Makes 4 servings.

A “Smart” Meal Solution for Any Occasion

Now more than ever, the Smart Ones brand allows consumers to eat smart 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Whether for breakfast, lunch, dinner, in-between meal times or dessert, the Smart Ones brand offers nutritious and convenient meals that satisfy. For more information, visit www.eatyourbest.com.

About Weight Watchers

Weight Watchers on foods and beverages is the registered trademark of WW Foods, LLC and is used under license. Weight Watchers for services and Points are the registered trademarks of Weight Watchers International, Inc. and are used under license.

About Heinz

H. J. Heinz Company, offering “Good Food Every Day,” is one of the world’s leading marketers and producers of healthy and convenient foods specializing in ketchup, sauces, meals, soups, snacks and infant nutrition. Heinz provides superior quality, taste and nutrition for all eating occasions whether in the home, restaurants, the office or “on-the-go.” Heinz is a global family of leading branded products, including Heinz® ketchup, sauces, soups, beans, pasta and infant foods (representing over one third of Heinz’s total sales), Ore-Ida® potato products, Weight Watchers® Smart Ones® frozen entrées, Boston Market® meals, T.G.I. Friday’s® frozen snacks, and Plasmon® infant nutrition. Heinz is famous for its iconic brands on five continents, showcased by Heinz® ketchup, The World’s Favorite Ketchup®. Information on Heinz is available at www.heinz.com.

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smart chicken recipe apple fruit weight inspiration cranberry herbed prize

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