First, I have to update from yesterday. I have to confess that I served Costco pizza yesterday (along with kiwi slices, tangerines, and celery). The pizza had fresh mozzarella, basil, and tomato slice (and wasn't too bad, actually). While the pizza was in the oven, I got a head start on the next two days.
Luis picked up 6 chicken whole chicken breasts from Costco so I covered three chicken breasts in the tsasiki sauce that was left over from the other night (I salt and peppered the chicken first). I had to add a bit more yogurt to stretch it out a bit -- but that was fine since the garlic in the sauce had really intensified from the other day. That chicken went in the fridge for later.
I put the other chicken breasts in a pot, added whatever I had on hand (hunk of onion - skin and all, a couple whole garlic cloves, a few cloves, the bottom of a bunch of celery stalks which I had scrubbed clean, a few baby carrots, bay leaf, a few bouillon cubes, and a few peppercorns). I just like to have flavorful broth (and use up the old veggies in my fridge). If I had parsley I would have added that, too. I like to imagine all the good flavor, vitamins, and minerals from the veggies leaching out into the broth for later consumption. Anyway... after the chicken was cooked I just set aside. Later on, after dinner (when it was cooled) I drained and strained the broth and stored it in the fridge, threw away the veggie solids and shredded the chicken. I stored the chicken in the fridge for later.
Now, to backtrack a bit, earlier in the day I made some rumballs (from a Betty Crocker recipe) because I promised my sister-in-law who lives in Tijuana that I'd send her some (they are her favorite Xmas cookie of mine). They're really easy to make, so I made a batch. I rolled the balls and my three year old rolled them all in powdered sugar (amazingly enough she didn't eat any until she was done!). She looooved the rum balls, by the way. I couldn't believe it because they really packed a punch!
Now, back to today. I made a batch of snowballs in anticipation of my older daughter's Valentine Tea Party (I have to get as much done ahead of time so I have time to clean my house -- if I clean my house ahead of time it will just get messed up again too quickly!).
Dinner today... I took the chicken breasts out of the yogurt marinade (excuse me, tsasiki marinade), placed them in a casserole dish, covered it with foil, and baked at 350 degrees F for -- don't remember how long (maybe 45 minutes). I checked with the thermometer and pulled it out when it was past 170 (way past, actually). The chicken was so juicy and the sauce was amazing. It didn't look thick and yogurty at all (the little grated pieces of cucumber were kind of weird but didn't take anything away from the dish). I cooked some rice in the rice cooker, poured the juice over the rice and chicken, and served it along side an amazing salad.
About the salad... I like to buy a big thing of pre-washed greens (spring mix, field greens, anything but and iceberg mix which has no nutrients or flavor) to have on hand for quick salads. I also like to buy a huge thing of nuts (pecans, almonds, or walnuts), toast them all at the same time, and use them everyday (in cereal, salad, rum balls, as a snack...). They're expensive but if you buy them in bulk and eat them in moderation, I think it's worth it. Anyway, I love to add nuts to a salad, especially if they're toasted. I like to add something sweet, as well. Today, I added dried cranberries. Sometimes I add sliced strawberries, pears, or apples (whatever you have on hand). Sometimes I add sliced black olives, different kind of cheeses... the kind of dressing depends on what you add. My basic dressing is really simple. A good olive oil (which I buy in bulk and pour into a smaller olive oil jar so it will fit in my spice cabinet), a good vinegar (my current favorite is one from Trader Joe's called Orange Muscat Champagne Vinegar (first time I had ever heard of Orange Muscat) but it's a perfect vinegar because it's tangy but has a hint of sweetness. (When I would use red wine vinegar or Balsamic, I always wanted to add a bit of sweetness via a sprinkling of sugar or a bit of jam). With this vinegar, there is no need to add anything else except for salt and pepper. That's it! Once you're salad ingredients are in the bowl, drizzle olive oil, vinegar and sprinkle salt and pepper (fresh, please). Mix around. Adjust to taste.
While the chicken was baking, I chopped up three tomatoes (big hunks), an onion, and a few garlic cloves, poured some of the chicken broth that I had stored in the fridge (from which I had skimmed the fat), added a boullion cube, and let it boil. After dinner, when it had cooled, I took my favorite kitchen instrument, the "wand" (or hand held blender) and blended it all together. Oooops! I also had added the key ingredient -- chipotle peppers in adobo (you can buy these little cans of chipotle peppers in almost any mainstream store in the Mexican section of the supermarket). I addd the shredded chicken to the pot, and when it was cool, stored it in the fridge. Tomorrow, this will be "tinga" -- a central Mexican specialty.
OK, I think I'm all caught up now. See you tomorrow!
Ciao!
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Good leftovers! Chicken, edamame, and noodles
Yesterday, for dinner, I just nuked the chicken legs and served (they still tasted great). Before that, however, I boiled some water, added some noodles (the butterfly kind) and cooked until al dente (can't stand over cooked pasta!).
While the noodles drained in the colander, I put a dollop of butter in the noodle pot and grated fresh, imported Parmesan cheese (the best!) but whatever kind of Parmesan cheese is fine (I'm not the snooty sort). Dump the noodles back in the pan, drizzle a little olive oil, sprinkle some salt, add some fresh pepper and the Parmesan -- stir gently. Oooh -- I almost forgot, a bit a nutmeg, too (freshly grated is better -- but I didn't have any on hand). Adjust for seasonings and wallah! It's done. (Of course, whole grain noodles would be healthier, but I just haven't found a brand that tastes very good.)
I popped a tray of edamame (bought frozen in bulk from Costco) in the microwave (after poking some wholes in the top) and served it along with the chicken and noodles. Not the most sophisticated meals, but it's easy, frugal, nutritious, and the kids enjoyed it!
I also served a couple of sliced, fresh pears with the meal (I'm always trying to figure out how to get more fruits and veggies into my kids). I also always try to have fruit out for snacking -- yesterday I had a bowl of delicious grapes.
While the noodles drained in the colander, I put a dollop of butter in the noodle pot and grated fresh, imported Parmesan cheese (the best!) but whatever kind of Parmesan cheese is fine (I'm not the snooty sort). Dump the noodles back in the pan, drizzle a little olive oil, sprinkle some salt, add some fresh pepper and the Parmesan -- stir gently. Oooh -- I almost forgot, a bit a nutmeg, too (freshly grated is better -- but I didn't have any on hand). Adjust for seasonings and wallah! It's done. (Of course, whole grain noodles would be healthier, but I just haven't found a brand that tastes very good.)
I popped a tray of edamame (bought frozen in bulk from Costco) in the microwave (after poking some wholes in the top) and served it along with the chicken and noodles. Not the most sophisticated meals, but it's easy, frugal, nutritious, and the kids enjoyed it!
I also served a couple of sliced, fresh pears with the meal (I'm always trying to figure out how to get more fruits and veggies into my kids). I also always try to have fruit out for snacking -- yesterday I had a bowl of delicious grapes.
Monday, February 16, 2009
Baked Chicken, Noodle Soup, Tsasiki sauce, and Radishes
Bisquick Baked Chicken:
Cheap chicken legs ($1 lb)
Bisquick
Paprika
S & P
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
Place a casserole dish (to which you've added a lump of butter) in the oven.
Mix the powders and roll the chicken legs in it.
Place the legs in the casserole dish.
Bake on one side for 20 minutes, turn over, bake another 15 minutes (until 180 temp. in thickest part of thigh).
Noodle Soup:
Background first: I actually had some fresh chicken stock ready that I had prepared from the carcass of a Rotisserie chicken. I filled up a pot, added the bones/skin/fat/juices along with a lump of onion and garlic (skin and all), celery tops, a few baby carrots, bay leaf, couple cloves, bouillon cubes, thyme, peppercorns... whatever herb or veggie that you have around can be added... After it's boiled for a while and coled, I strain it and store it in the fridge.
Today: boiled the broth, added a few slices of fresh ginger (to be thrown away later), and a few dollops of coconut fat that were left over from the other day (for extra zing), added salt for flavor, and broke in a couple packaged of Ramen noodles (I threw away the seasoning packet). It sounds like a lot of work, but really, if you make the broth while you're making dinner another day it doesn't take much extra work, and the kids LOVE it with Ramen noodles (and it's actually healthy for you). The coconut and ginger are optional -- I just added it cause I happened to have them lying around (from making a green chile Thai dish the other day which was DELISH!!! I used a few Tbsp of green chili paste along with coconut milk and fresh chicken broth to which I added shredded chicken which was left over from the Costco Rotisserie chicken). Note: the Costco Rotisserie chicken is tasty and you get a lot of meat from one chicken (which makes me wonder about the hormones they add to it so it will get so big, but...).
Radishes:
Thinly sliced radishes mixed with lime juice and salt... nice little side dish (which my kids will actually eat if I go easy on the lime).
Tsasiki sauce:
This doesn't really go with anything but I love it and wanted to try it out. I've made it before in the blender but it gets too soupy. I found a recipe that calls for grating the cucumber and DRAINING it. (I saved the juice, added a bit of lime and salt, and drank it straight! Yum! I think you could use it to make a good gin and tonic with the juice if you want a cool drink.) After it's drained for a while (mix it around to get as much juice out as possible), stir some plain yogurt into it, crushed garlic (I actually grated the garlic on a fine grater for zesting lemon or finely grated Parmesan cheese - it worked great!), lime juic, and salt. For a bit of extra decadence you can at sour cream or drizzle some olive oil into it (especially if your using nonfat yogurt). Season to taste with salt. I love it plain -- it was good dipping the chicken into it. I might marinate some chicken in the leftover sauce tomorrow to make another dish (with an Indian flavor to it).
Cheap chicken legs ($1 lb)
Bisquick
Paprika
S & P
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
Place a casserole dish (to which you've added a lump of butter) in the oven.
Mix the powders and roll the chicken legs in it.
Place the legs in the casserole dish.
Bake on one side for 20 minutes, turn over, bake another 15 minutes (until 180 temp. in thickest part of thigh).
Noodle Soup:
Background first: I actually had some fresh chicken stock ready that I had prepared from the carcass of a Rotisserie chicken. I filled up a pot, added the bones/skin/fat/juices along with a lump of onion and garlic (skin and all), celery tops, a few baby carrots, bay leaf, couple cloves, bouillon cubes, thyme, peppercorns... whatever herb or veggie that you have around can be added... After it's boiled for a while and coled, I strain it and store it in the fridge.
Today: boiled the broth, added a few slices of fresh ginger (to be thrown away later), and a few dollops of coconut fat that were left over from the other day (for extra zing), added salt for flavor, and broke in a couple packaged of Ramen noodles (I threw away the seasoning packet). It sounds like a lot of work, but really, if you make the broth while you're making dinner another day it doesn't take much extra work, and the kids LOVE it with Ramen noodles (and it's actually healthy for you). The coconut and ginger are optional -- I just added it cause I happened to have them lying around (from making a green chile Thai dish the other day which was DELISH!!! I used a few Tbsp of green chili paste along with coconut milk and fresh chicken broth to which I added shredded chicken which was left over from the Costco Rotisserie chicken). Note: the Costco Rotisserie chicken is tasty and you get a lot of meat from one chicken (which makes me wonder about the hormones they add to it so it will get so big, but...).
Radishes:
Thinly sliced radishes mixed with lime juice and salt... nice little side dish (which my kids will actually eat if I go easy on the lime).
Tsasiki sauce:
This doesn't really go with anything but I love it and wanted to try it out. I've made it before in the blender but it gets too soupy. I found a recipe that calls for grating the cucumber and DRAINING it. (I saved the juice, added a bit of lime and salt, and drank it straight! Yum! I think you could use it to make a good gin and tonic with the juice if you want a cool drink.) After it's drained for a while (mix it around to get as much juice out as possible), stir some plain yogurt into it, crushed garlic (I actually grated the garlic on a fine grater for zesting lemon or finely grated Parmesan cheese - it worked great!), lime juic, and salt. For a bit of extra decadence you can at sour cream or drizzle some olive oil into it (especially if your using nonfat yogurt). Season to taste with salt. I love it plain -- it was good dipping the chicken into it. I might marinate some chicken in the leftover sauce tomorrow to make another dish (with an Indian flavor to it).
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