I've said it before - quinoa is the most wonderful little morsel. I was in a hurry to get something made for lunch, and decided to "invent" a quinoa salad. I'd just made the Asian Chicken Thighs the other night and was thinking the sauce would go pretty well in a salad. I made half of the sauce and added the red pepper flakes (which was an after thought with the chicken). It was one of my favorite quinoa dishes in a while. My only regret is that I didn't make a bigger batch.
I also think this would be really good with beans - kidney or black would go best - for a vegetarian dish. You could even add the beans with the chicken to beef it up a bit. The possibilities are endless. You are limited only by your imagination.
Did I mention I wish I'd made a bigger batch? Feel free to double it. I probably will next time. :)
Ingredients:
1/2 cup dry quinoa
Scant 1 1/2 cup water
1 T. olive oil
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
1/2 sweet or red onion, diced
1 cup chopped broccoli
1 can (12 oz) chicken chunks, drained and broken up with a fork - or even better, use equivalent chicken breast
For the sauce:
2 T. Bragg's Liquid Aminos (or you can use soy sauce, but use less)
2 T. honey
1 T. ketchup
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp dried ginger
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (more if you like it hot)
Directions:
Bring water to a boil in medium saucepan. Add quinoa and stir well. Cook 15 minutes, until all water is absorbed. I use slightly less than the 3:1 water to quinoa ratio so it doesn't get mushy.
While quinoa is cooking, preheat a large skillet over medium heat. Add olive oil, then coat with cooking spray. You want both: the olive oil for the "full mouth feel" and the cooking spray so you use less olive oil. Add onion and bell pepper. Cook and stir frequently until vegetables are soft and just starting to caramelize. Add broccoli. Cook and stir a few minutes longer or until broccoli is tender but not mushy. Remove from heat.
In a small mixing bowl, combine all ingredients for the sauce, whisking well to combine the honey. Combine quinoa, vegetables and chicken in a large mixing bowl. Stir in sauce, completely incorporating.
Serve warm or cold - warm is my favorite!
Makes about 3 servings.
Monday, March 24, 2014
Friday, March 21, 2014
Oat Drop Biscuits
Okay, so you remember when I said I would never ask you to cut anything with a pastry cutter? Well, I forewarn you that I am breaking that promise, so if the thought of cutting butter terrifies you or pisses you off, read no further.
I'll be honest, I haven't used the pastry cutter since I bought it. It just seems like too much work. It really wasn't that bad, though. It was definitely manageable. Apparently it's a fine art, because people talk about it like it's no big deal. I guess it's just something you have to learn before it becomes easy.
At any rate, I was making a shrimp and bean soup and decided that some biscuits would be a perfect accompaniment to the meal. I love love love cheddar garlic biscuits, and found a perfect recipe for them a while back. Those are out now because of the flour, garlic and cheese (which leaves absolutely nothing). When I came across a recipe for drop biscuits using oat flour, I knew I would be trying them. The recipe looked incredibly bland - no seasonings or anything - so that's where I decided to jazz it up a bit. I also added a topping.
I think I cut the butter just a little too long - like I said, it's apparently a fine art - but they turned out pretty darn tasty. They were crispy on the outside and sort of fluffy (almost crumbly) on the inside. I think if I had cut the butter a little less the consistency would have been perfect. Don't get me wrong - these were delightful just as they were.
Oh, and by the way, when you cut the butter, I strongly recommend using a square bowl or at least a bowl with a flat bottom. I can't remember how many expletives there were spouted as my round bottom pastry cutter grazed the round bottom bowl and tossed crumbs everywhere. So the lesson: use a square or flat bottom bowl.
This makes 10 decent sized biscuits. It doesn't look like much dough, but it makes a fair amount.
Ingredients:
1 cup oat flour (grind up oats in the blender)
1/2 tsp sea salt
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp dried sage
1/2 tsp dried rosemary
2 T. cold butter
1/3 cup coconut milk
1 egg
For the topping:
1 T. butter, melted
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp dried parsley
Directions:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Combine oat flour, salt and baking powder in a mixing bowl and whisk together. Cut butter into the flour mixture using a pastry cutter (or forks/knives if you dare!). Whisk in the sage and rosemary.
Combine egg and milk in a small bowl. Mix into dry ingredients.
Drop biscuits by spoonful onto parchment paper. Bake for 15 minutes or until just starting to turn golden around the edges.
Melt 1 T. butter. Stir in onion powder and parsley. While biscuits are still hot, brush butter mixture over each biscuit with a pastry brush. Serve immediately.
Note: These do not make good leftovers, so I do not recommend making extras and saving them.
I'll be honest, I haven't used the pastry cutter since I bought it. It just seems like too much work. It really wasn't that bad, though. It was definitely manageable. Apparently it's a fine art, because people talk about it like it's no big deal. I guess it's just something you have to learn before it becomes easy.
At any rate, I was making a shrimp and bean soup and decided that some biscuits would be a perfect accompaniment to the meal. I love love love cheddar garlic biscuits, and found a perfect recipe for them a while back. Those are out now because of the flour, garlic and cheese (which leaves absolutely nothing). When I came across a recipe for drop biscuits using oat flour, I knew I would be trying them. The recipe looked incredibly bland - no seasonings or anything - so that's where I decided to jazz it up a bit. I also added a topping.
I think I cut the butter just a little too long - like I said, it's apparently a fine art - but they turned out pretty darn tasty. They were crispy on the outside and sort of fluffy (almost crumbly) on the inside. I think if I had cut the butter a little less the consistency would have been perfect. Don't get me wrong - these were delightful just as they were.
Oh, and by the way, when you cut the butter, I strongly recommend using a square bowl or at least a bowl with a flat bottom. I can't remember how many expletives there were spouted as my round bottom pastry cutter grazed the round bottom bowl and tossed crumbs everywhere. So the lesson: use a square or flat bottom bowl.
This makes 10 decent sized biscuits. It doesn't look like much dough, but it makes a fair amount.
Ingredients:
1 cup oat flour (grind up oats in the blender)
1/2 tsp sea salt
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp dried sage
1/2 tsp dried rosemary
2 T. cold butter
1/3 cup coconut milk
1 egg
For the topping:
1 T. butter, melted
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp dried parsley
Directions:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Combine oat flour, salt and baking powder in a mixing bowl and whisk together. Cut butter into the flour mixture using a pastry cutter (or forks/knives if you dare!). Whisk in the sage and rosemary.
Combine egg and milk in a small bowl. Mix into dry ingredients.
Drop biscuits by spoonful onto parchment paper. Bake for 15 minutes or until just starting to turn golden around the edges.
Melt 1 T. butter. Stir in onion powder and parsley. While biscuits are still hot, brush butter mixture over each biscuit with a pastry brush. Serve immediately.
Note: These do not make good leftovers, so I do not recommend making extras and saving them.
Tuesday, March 18, 2014
Lemon Thyme Chicken
This is seriously one of the simplest dinners in the whole world. If you can spare ten minutes in the morning, you can come home to a perfectly cooked chicken meal. Be careful, though, don't over cook. Either make sure you're home at the six hour mark, or use a crock pot with a timer. Either way works.
Remember that crock pot I said I got about ten years ago? It came with a recipe book (that was before everything was online) and this was the only recipe from it that was worth a crap. I made it about every other week for a long time because it was so simple and so versatile.
Very few ingredients, very little prep, very yummy smelling house after work. How can you go wrong?
Ingredients:
1 whole chicken (the bigger the better)
1 medium sweet onion, peeled and quartered
1 lemon
Paprika
Thyme
Directions:
Rinse chicken and pat dry. Put in a large crock pot, breast side down (mine is 7 quarts and plenty big for this). Stuff onions into the chicken's cavity and close it up as best you can.
Quarter lemon and squeeze juice over the chicken. Sprinkle generously with paprika and thyme. I have never measured how much I'm using, and just shake it on top until the chicken is totally covered.
Cook on low six to eight hours (closer to six), until chicken is cooked through. You can check with a meat thermometer. I don't recommend cutting in to this one, because it's going to fall apart when you pull it out of the pot anyway. Why make things worse?
Use the drippings to make gravy, if desired.
Remember that crock pot I said I got about ten years ago? It came with a recipe book (that was before everything was online) and this was the only recipe from it that was worth a crap. I made it about every other week for a long time because it was so simple and so versatile.
Very few ingredients, very little prep, very yummy smelling house after work. How can you go wrong?
Ingredients:
1 whole chicken (the bigger the better)
1 medium sweet onion, peeled and quartered
1 lemon
Paprika
Thyme
Directions:
Rinse chicken and pat dry. Put in a large crock pot, breast side down (mine is 7 quarts and plenty big for this). Stuff onions into the chicken's cavity and close it up as best you can.
Quarter lemon and squeeze juice over the chicken. Sprinkle generously with paprika and thyme. I have never measured how much I'm using, and just shake it on top until the chicken is totally covered.
Cook on low six to eight hours (closer to six), until chicken is cooked through. You can check with a meat thermometer. I don't recommend cutting in to this one, because it's going to fall apart when you pull it out of the pot anyway. Why make things worse?
Use the drippings to make gravy, if desired.
Honey Asian Chicken Thighs
Have you seen the price of chicken breast lately? Seriously, it's pushing $3 per pound (unless you can find it on sale, at which point the stores are usually sold out anyway). Cooking chicken in the quantities that I do, that's just ridiculous. The other day I found one of those super sized packs of chicken thighs for about half the price of chicken breast. Usually I don't buy thighs because the fat is so much higher than it is in breasts, but I'm on a budget here.
That being said, though, you just don't get the same flavor and texture from a breast that you do from a thigh. I'm the first one fighting for the dark meat at Thanksgiving. I trimmed a lot of the fat from the thighs before I cooked them, which made me feel a little better about serving them to my family.
The original recipe used drum sticks. I imagine that would be pretty good, but I struggle cooking bone-in chicken. I don't know why. I just can't ever seem to make it come out right. I was out of chicken breast and still had some thighs in the freezer. I think next time I might toss in a little crushed red pepper. I served these with roasted red potatoes for dinner last night, but of course those were gonezo by the time my guys got done with them, so for lunch I served it over some cooked brown rice and zucchini noodles. Totally yum! I've made this recipe with breasts before and it's delicious, so use whichever you prefer.
Note: Often times Bragg's Liquid Aminos and soy sauce are interchangeable. If you use soy sauce, feel free to substitute it, but you'll probably want to use a little less. To me, soy sauce is saltier and has a stronger flavor. Proceed with caution. :)
By the way, you'll notice that I use a lot of salt when I cook. That's because I don't use many processed foods, and that's really where you have to worry about sodium. If you're cooking natural foods, there is absolutely nothing wrong with adding salt, especially if you're using a quality sea salt.
Ingredients:
8 boneless chicken thighs, trimmed of visible fat
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup Bragg's Liquid Aminos (or sub soy sauce)
1/4 tsp onion powder
2 T. dried onion flakes
2 T. ketchup
1 T. olive oil
1/4 to 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 13x9 inch baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.
In a small mixing bowl, whisk together honey, Liquid Aminos, onion powder, onion flakes, ketchup and oil. If desired, mix in red pepper flakes (but I haven't tested this yet, so I can't tell you if it's yummy or not). Let stand for a few minutes to allow the onion flakes to absorb some of the moisture.
Arrange chicken thighs in a single layer in the baking dish. Pour slightly less than half the sauce over the chicken, smooth it around, and flip chicken pieces. Pour remaining sauce over the top and spread out evenly.
Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven, turn chicken, and cook an additional 10 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. Let stand for a few minutes before serving. Serve with additional sauce, if desired.
I usually check chicken doneness by cutting a slit at the thickest part of the thickest breast to make sure it isn't pink. I don't trust that method with thighs, because they're already darker in color. For thighs, I use a meat thermometer. Because thighs aren't very thick, you need to insert it into the meat almost horizontally. Make sure it hits 160 degrees, and do it in the thickest part of the chicken.
That being said, though, you just don't get the same flavor and texture from a breast that you do from a thigh. I'm the first one fighting for the dark meat at Thanksgiving. I trimmed a lot of the fat from the thighs before I cooked them, which made me feel a little better about serving them to my family.
The original recipe used drum sticks. I imagine that would be pretty good, but I struggle cooking bone-in chicken. I don't know why. I just can't ever seem to make it come out right. I was out of chicken breast and still had some thighs in the freezer. I think next time I might toss in a little crushed red pepper. I served these with roasted red potatoes for dinner last night, but of course those were gonezo by the time my guys got done with them, so for lunch I served it over some cooked brown rice and zucchini noodles. Totally yum! I've made this recipe with breasts before and it's delicious, so use whichever you prefer.
Note: Often times Bragg's Liquid Aminos and soy sauce are interchangeable. If you use soy sauce, feel free to substitute it, but you'll probably want to use a little less. To me, soy sauce is saltier and has a stronger flavor. Proceed with caution. :)
By the way, you'll notice that I use a lot of salt when I cook. That's because I don't use many processed foods, and that's really where you have to worry about sodium. If you're cooking natural foods, there is absolutely nothing wrong with adding salt, especially if you're using a quality sea salt.
Ingredients:
8 boneless chicken thighs, trimmed of visible fat
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup Bragg's Liquid Aminos (or sub soy sauce)
1/4 tsp onion powder
2 T. dried onion flakes
2 T. ketchup
1 T. olive oil
1/4 to 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 13x9 inch baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.
In a small mixing bowl, whisk together honey, Liquid Aminos, onion powder, onion flakes, ketchup and oil. If desired, mix in red pepper flakes (but I haven't tested this yet, so I can't tell you if it's yummy or not). Let stand for a few minutes to allow the onion flakes to absorb some of the moisture.
Arrange chicken thighs in a single layer in the baking dish. Pour slightly less than half the sauce over the chicken, smooth it around, and flip chicken pieces. Pour remaining sauce over the top and spread out evenly.
Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven, turn chicken, and cook an additional 10 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. Let stand for a few minutes before serving. Serve with additional sauce, if desired.
I usually check chicken doneness by cutting a slit at the thickest part of the thickest breast to make sure it isn't pink. I don't trust that method with thighs, because they're already darker in color. For thighs, I use a meat thermometer. Because thighs aren't very thick, you need to insert it into the meat almost horizontally. Make sure it hits 160 degrees, and do it in the thickest part of the chicken.
Monday, March 17, 2014
Chicken and Rice Bowls
My kids hate rice. I mean, absolutely hate it. When I did boot camp a couple of years ago, brown rice was on the menu fairly frequently. My kids would scoop as little on their plate as they could get away with - sometimes I think they got about 6 little grains. Funny.
Brown rice takes longer to cook, because they leave the little outer coating on it that has all the nutrients. Do not, I repeat, do not, waste your time with white rice. It's just empty calories. And instant rice? I shudder at the thought.
I think a lot of people who eat instant rice do so because it's just easier. Getting the right ratio of rice to water, the right timing (so it's cooked and not burned) can be a little cumbersome. Unless you have a rice cooker, rice can be a royal pain.
It actually doesn't have to be. I learned the "boil method" a few years ago when I was into a lot of vegan cooking. I will never make rice another way again. If you can make pasta, you can use the boil method. It's simple: fill a pot with hot water (use about four times as much water as rice), bring it to a boil, stir in the rice, and let it cook for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Strain with a wire mesh strainer, tapping it to remove as much water as possible. Done. Rice is served. Not only is this method easier, in my opinion, it also yields a better texture.
So today is not so much a recipe as it is an idea for lunch or dinner. There are sooooo many things you can do with chicken rice bowls! It's also a great way to use up leftover chicken and veggies.
Cook (or reheat) rice. Cook (or reheat) chicken. Chop chicken into bite sized chunks. In a bowl, layer rice, then chicken, any veggies (steamed, roasted or fresh) and a sauce. Some of our household favorites are salsa and sour cream (though none for me), fat free Italian dressing and Parmesan cheese, Italian Cesar dressing and Parmesan cheese, barbecue sauce and avocado, balsamic vinegar and a drizzle of olive oil, or pretty much anything else you can think of that might go good on chicken and rice.
This is great for a quick dinner or brown bagging it for lunch at work (assuming you have access to a microwave). And really, you could apply the same concept with any lean protein and grain - pot roast, pork, anything! Get creative!
Brown rice takes longer to cook, because they leave the little outer coating on it that has all the nutrients. Do not, I repeat, do not, waste your time with white rice. It's just empty calories. And instant rice? I shudder at the thought.
I think a lot of people who eat instant rice do so because it's just easier. Getting the right ratio of rice to water, the right timing (so it's cooked and not burned) can be a little cumbersome. Unless you have a rice cooker, rice can be a royal pain.
It actually doesn't have to be. I learned the "boil method" a few years ago when I was into a lot of vegan cooking. I will never make rice another way again. If you can make pasta, you can use the boil method. It's simple: fill a pot with hot water (use about four times as much water as rice), bring it to a boil, stir in the rice, and let it cook for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Strain with a wire mesh strainer, tapping it to remove as much water as possible. Done. Rice is served. Not only is this method easier, in my opinion, it also yields a better texture.
So today is not so much a recipe as it is an idea for lunch or dinner. There are sooooo many things you can do with chicken rice bowls! It's also a great way to use up leftover chicken and veggies.
Cook (or reheat) rice. Cook (or reheat) chicken. Chop chicken into bite sized chunks. In a bowl, layer rice, then chicken, any veggies (steamed, roasted or fresh) and a sauce. Some of our household favorites are salsa and sour cream (though none for me), fat free Italian dressing and Parmesan cheese, Italian Cesar dressing and Parmesan cheese, barbecue sauce and avocado, balsamic vinegar and a drizzle of olive oil, or pretty much anything else you can think of that might go good on chicken and rice.
This is great for a quick dinner or brown bagging it for lunch at work (assuming you have access to a microwave). And really, you could apply the same concept with any lean protein and grain - pot roast, pork, anything! Get creative!
Hawaiian Haystacks
My 16-year-old, the forever smart a$$ asked me, "Do they actually grow haystacks in Hawaii? And if so, do they actually harvest them and ship them overseas for people to eat?" Yes, these are regular conversations. Honestly, I'm a little surprised he can say it with a straight face.
Apparently Hawaiian Haystacks are a very popular food in Utah, probably much like Fry Sauce or Funeral Potatoes (both of which I could eat my weight in, by the way). When my boyfriend first suggested them, I thought it was the most disgusting thing I'd ever heard of. I'm very grateful I was willing to give it a shot, because I absolutely love them, and there's usually enough for leftovers. Feel free to swap out the toppings - but keep something from each color group to make the dish aesthetically pleasing. :) I've also heard of adding some shredded cheese, but obviously that's out for me.
This dish can be served over brown rice or quinoa. I imagine it would also be good over mashed potatoes, though that's a few more calories than I'm interested in. It's a GREAT use for leftover brown rice - just pull it out of the fridge and heat it up. If you're cooking the rice, make sure you start it around the same time you start baking the chicken so that everything finishes together.
Ingredients:
3 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 T. olive oil
1 T. lemon juice
For the gravy:
2 c. hot water
1 c. coconut milk (I used unsweetened from the aseptic package)
3 chicken bullion cubes (or 3 tsp granulated)
1/2 tsp dried Rosemary
1/2 tsp dried sage
1/2 tsp onion powder
1-2 T. Bragg's Liquid Aminos
2 bay leaves
Ground black pepper (you won't need any additional salt here, trust me!)
2 T. arrowroot powder
Cold water
For the toppings:
Mandarin oranges
Pineapple chunks
Grape or cherry tomatoes, halved
Craisins
Unsweetened, shredded coconut
Chopped green onions
Sliced water chestnuts
Sliced olives
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Slice chicken breasts in half lengthwise, poke all over with a fork, and put into a mixing bowl. Drizzle olive oil and lemon juice over chicken, toss with tongs to coat evenly. Line a baking sheet with foil and coat with cooking spray. Arrange chicken pieces in a single layer. Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink.
While chicken is cooking prepare gravy. Combine hot water and coconut milk, bring just to a simmer (do NOT let it boil or the coconut milk will curdle). Whisk in the remaining ingredients except arrowroot and cold water. Let simmer gently until chicken is cooked.
Remove chicken from oven and chop into bite sized pieces. Stir into the gravy. Remove bay leaves. Combine arrowroot and just enough cold water to mix. Stir into gravy. If necessary, add a little more arrowroot/cold water until desired consistency is reached. Go easy - once it thickens, it thickens FAST.
Pour sauce over brown rice or quinoa, then top as desired.
Apparently Hawaiian Haystacks are a very popular food in Utah, probably much like Fry Sauce or Funeral Potatoes (both of which I could eat my weight in, by the way). When my boyfriend first suggested them, I thought it was the most disgusting thing I'd ever heard of. I'm very grateful I was willing to give it a shot, because I absolutely love them, and there's usually enough for leftovers. Feel free to swap out the toppings - but keep something from each color group to make the dish aesthetically pleasing. :) I've also heard of adding some shredded cheese, but obviously that's out for me.
This dish can be served over brown rice or quinoa. I imagine it would also be good over mashed potatoes, though that's a few more calories than I'm interested in. It's a GREAT use for leftover brown rice - just pull it out of the fridge and heat it up. If you're cooking the rice, make sure you start it around the same time you start baking the chicken so that everything finishes together.
Ingredients:
3 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 T. olive oil
1 T. lemon juice
For the gravy:
2 c. hot water
1 c. coconut milk (I used unsweetened from the aseptic package)
3 chicken bullion cubes (or 3 tsp granulated)
1/2 tsp dried Rosemary
1/2 tsp dried sage
1/2 tsp onion powder
1-2 T. Bragg's Liquid Aminos
2 bay leaves
Ground black pepper (you won't need any additional salt here, trust me!)
2 T. arrowroot powder
Cold water
For the toppings:
Mandarin oranges
Pineapple chunks
Grape or cherry tomatoes, halved
Craisins
Unsweetened, shredded coconut
Chopped green onions
Sliced water chestnuts
Sliced olives
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Slice chicken breasts in half lengthwise, poke all over with a fork, and put into a mixing bowl. Drizzle olive oil and lemon juice over chicken, toss with tongs to coat evenly. Line a baking sheet with foil and coat with cooking spray. Arrange chicken pieces in a single layer. Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink.
While chicken is cooking prepare gravy. Combine hot water and coconut milk, bring just to a simmer (do NOT let it boil or the coconut milk will curdle). Whisk in the remaining ingredients except arrowroot and cold water. Let simmer gently until chicken is cooked.
Remove chicken from oven and chop into bite sized pieces. Stir into the gravy. Remove bay leaves. Combine arrowroot and just enough cold water to mix. Stir into gravy. If necessary, add a little more arrowroot/cold water until desired consistency is reached. Go easy - once it thickens, it thickens FAST.
Pour sauce over brown rice or quinoa, then top as desired.
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