Asian Chicken and Mushrooms on Jasmine Rice

Sorry for being blogless yesterday, but my mother-in-law was admitted to the hospital so I didn't cook, Kevin had made pizza before I got home, so I ate a little and we headed out.  I dropped him off at the hospital and the boys and I hit the park, then we all went for frozen yogurt, the grocery store and home. 

Well, tonight I made up for it by making chicken and mushrooms.  The fresh ginger made the whole house fragrant.  I started by crushing garlic, peeling ginger and grating it, cutting scallions then stir-frying them, my kids were like what smells yummy!  They came in and watched me cook.  We taste tested once we got to everything in the sauce step and the kids thought it was great, they sampled so much they barely ate dinner!!!

Reviews:
Cody: These mushrooms taste yummmmmmmmmmm.  I want more!!!

Bren:  MMMM  Mushrooms yummy

Mommy:  My first attempt at chinese that isn't a typical stir-fry, this stuff is definitely worth making again!!

Yum..mushrooms!

RECIPE

1-1 1/2 cups Jasmine rice

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 inch piece fresh ginger root, grated
5 spring onions (scallions), diagonally sliced
1 fresh green chile, seeded and finely sliced
3 skinless, boneless chicken breast portions, cut into thin strips
5 oz tofu, cut into small cubes
4 oz shiitake mushrooms, sliced (stems discarded)
1 tablespoon sake or dry sherry
2 tablespoons light soy sauce
2 tsp granulated sugar
1 2/3 cups chicken stock

Cook the rice in lightly salted boiling water following the instructions on the package.  While the rice is cooking, heat the oil in a large frying pan.  Stir-fry the garlic, ginger, spring onions, and chile for 1-2 minutes until slightly softened.  Add the strips of chicken and fry, in batches if necessary, until all the pieces are evenly browned.  Transfer the chicken mixture to a plate using a slotted spoon, and add tofu to pan.  Stir-fry the tofu for a few minutes, then add the mushrooms.  Stir-fry for 2-3 minutes over medium heat until the mushrooms are tender.  Stir in the sake or sherry, soy sauce and sugar and cook the mixture briskly for 1-2 minutes, stirring all the time.  Return the chicken to the pan, toss over the heat for about 2 minutes, then pour in the stock.  Stir well and cook over a gentle heat for 5-6 minutes until the sauce is bubbling.  Spoon the cooked rice into individual serving bowls and pile the chicken mixture on top, making sure that each portion gets a generous amount of chicken sauce.

Each portion is 408 calories!

A weekend cooking free...

Yesterday was a non-stop, non-cooking day.  Today, since everyone gets up at different times, I have breakfast on my own and the boys eat with Kevin.  They eat so late, that is about when I have lunch.  Dinner is the only time we all eat.  I wasn't sure what was going to be going on.  We had gone to Sam's yesterday and they had this fantastic peppercorn seasoned roast, so I figured it would be easy, throw it in the crock pot, make some parmesan angel hair pasta and be done with it.  So that's just what I just did!  I also stocked the fridge for my meals this week. 

Here's what is on the menu for the week, the order to be decided:
Asian Chicken and Mushrooms over Jasmine Rice
Herbed Chicken with Salsa and Queso Fresco
Sage Risotto with Mozzerella and Prosciutto
Prosciutto and Fontina Stuffed Chicken Breasts
Gazpacho (for a light night) 

So enjoy the rest of the weekend and remember, next weekend is a 3 day weekend!!!!!!!!

Dinner out...something I am going to make at home!!

I had promised my boys we would go to Toys R Us tonight to spend the money my mom sent them.  After 2 hours in the store I was NOT in the mood to go home and cook.  We went to BJs, I called Sueann to get info about our 6 miler in the morning and found out she was headed to BJs too.  An hour later we got seated and I ordered a California Chicken sandwich with shoe string fries.  I love this sandwich!  It is marinated chicken breast, grilled and topped with avocado, roasted green chilies, pepper jack cheese, chipotle mayonnaise I had them go very light on this and  the ranch dressing on grilled sourdough bread.  I only ate a few fries. So my new mission is to learn how to roast green chiles and make it with the taste but no mayo and no dressing!  Tomorrow will be another eating out day and Sunday it will be a 2 or 3 for 1!!  Happy Friday all!!!

Mushroom Chicken Roll-ups

This blog will be brief as Cody had homework, I had to make dinner and do dishes and it is getting late (well for me!!)  I was set to make an asian insprired chicken and mushroom dish tonight, but early this morning Cody crawled up in my lap and I asked him what he wanted for dinner, his answer: chicken nuggets and mushrooms!  Well, not exactly asian so I decided to come up with something else.  I figured why not stuff chicken with mushrooms and bread it like a chicken nugget.  I went ahead and bought the stuff for the chinese meal for tomorrow and got everything I needed that I didn't have to make the "mock chicken nugget stuffed with mushrooom."

Reviews:

Cody: This isn't chicken nuggets. What is it?  It's chicken filled with mushrooms!  Oh, OK.  Takes a bite.  Mommy the mushrooms are yummmmmy!  Cody, you should eat some chicken too.  OK.  Mommy I'm done!!!  Do you want this again, yes, with lots more mushrooms!
Bren: ZZZZZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzZZZZZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzz (will let you know if he ever wakes up!!  However, an update from last night, he did really like last night's dinner although it was cold when he got up!)

Mommy: OK, I think I need to tweak this some more, the mushroom stuffing was perfect, but something was missing in the chicken (must season the chicken differently.)  The mashed potatoes and corn weren't my original planned sides, but I was tired and didn't have patience to make my planned side.

Cody inspired roll ups!

RECIPE:

2 tablespoons butter

1/2 pound button mushrooms, chopped
1 small shallot, chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 tablespoons dry white wine
3/4 cup seasoned dry bread crumbs
2 tablespoons parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon thyme
6 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
olive oil
3/4 cup heavy cream
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

To Make Mushroom Filling: Melt 2 TBSP butter in a small skillet over medium heat. Add mushrooms, shallots, wine, salt and pepper and saute together, stirring, until mushrooms are dark. Remove skillet from heat; stir in nutmeg.

Spoon mushroom mixture onto the end of each chicken breast, roll up and fasten with toothpicks. Place seam side down in a lightly greased 9x13 inch baking dish. Brush olive oil over breasts, then roll in combination of parmesan, paprika, thyme and bread crumbs. Pour cream over all.

Bake uncovered at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes or until chicken is cooked through and no longer pink.

Balsamic Honey Chicken

OK, so I decided to do something that would appeal to my little honey bears.  I had all the ingredients already so this was a no brainer.  I opened the ziploc to be bombarded by a honey vs balsamic mash up.  I put the chicken in the pan and started it cooking, the smell turned to overwhelmingly sweet honey.  Yum!  I sauteed spinach and made the mashed potatoes while it cooked. 

Reviews:

Cody: Yummmy mommy, it isn't spicy, it's HONEY!!!  I like it!  (Cody doesn't eat potatoes or spinach - see quesadilla post for his view on this!)  Cody almost made a clean plate, he got anxious and wanted to play Little Big Planet.

Bren: ZZZZZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzZZZZZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzz (will let you know if he ever wakes up!!)

Mommy: OK, I think I need to season it more with salt and pepper next time to cut through the sweet.  I will try again before I decide to make this a permanent resident in my cookbook.  I went light worried that my love of pepper would make it too spicy for my kids. 

Sweet with just a little tang

RECIPE:

1 lb chicken breast, pounded to about 1/2 inch thickness

1/4 cup aged balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup local honey
2 cloves garlic, smashed and finely minced
1 tbsp minced onion
1/4 tsp salt
salt and pepper to taste
2 tbsp oil

Combine all of the ingredients except the oil in a large zip-lock bag and marinate for up to 8 hours, a minimum of 1 hour. Marinate at room temperature for 30 minutes before cooking to ensure really tender chicken. You can even prepare the marinade and chicken in advance in the zip-lock bags and freeze for later, it will marinate as it thaws which couldn’t be more convenient! Once the chicken has finished marinating in the balsamic honey mixture, heat a large skillet over medium heat. Remove the chicken from the marinade, discarding the leftover marinade, and season each side of the chicken with salt and pepper and add the oil to the hot pan. When the oil shimmers, add the chicken and cook on each side for about 4 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through. The outside will become a little black and charred but it will not be burnt (unless you actually burn it). Remove the chicken from the pan and allow it to rest for a few minutes before slicing.

Sriracha-Glazed Chicken and Onions over Ramen

All day I've been in the mood for spicy.  I am also on a limited budget until pay day.  I sat at work and thought of everything I had in my fridge and my pantry and decided to make Sriracha-glazed chicken.  I had everything but fresh ginger root.  I was planning on making plain chicken for the boys, but Kevin was home and he wanted fish sticks and mac & cheese, luckily we had everything for those!  I stopped at the store and picked up ginger root and a couple of apples and headed home with thoughts of spicy sweetness crossing my lips.  The recipe is quick and to the point, another quick fix for a week night dinner.  I really wish I had jasmine rice, but figured I could use up ramen from the pantry.  I got everything out and as my mandolin was running in the dishwasher, decided against slicing my onion into rings and used the alligator chopper to dice it.  I also minced the ginger, measured out some pre-minced garlic and got my curry powder ready.  I put some oil in a hot pan and sweated the onions and garlic before adding the chicken to cook.  With the chicken went the ginger and curry powder.  The fragrance lifted through the air and made me salivate!  If this dish only tastes half as good as it smells cooking I know I'll be in love!  When the chicken was cooked through I put in the hoisin, ketchup and sriracha mixture and let it cook for a minute or 2 while I seperated the ramen into 2 servings, one for dinner and one for lunch tomorrow.  I then placed a breast in my tupperware and one on my plate covering each generously with the onions and glaze.  I was dying to take a bite, but snapped a photo before devouring the delightful smelling dish before me.  The dish may not look pretty or colorful (next time will have a brightly colored side like edamame or snow peas) but the taste and heat was nothing less than amazing.  The chili in the sriracha danced on my tongue igniting little flames of pleasure as the sweet flavors of ginger, carmelized onions and hoisin washed over my taste buds.  This recipe will be going into the favorite stack!

Delightfully spicy!

RECIPE:

Ingredients

1 (3 1/2-ounce) bag boil-in-bag long-grain rice or 2 packages ramen (omit seasoning)
3 tablespoons hoisin sauce
1 tablespoon ketchup
1 1/4 teaspoons Sriracha (hot chile sauce, such as Huy Fong)
1 1/2 tablespoons canola oil
1 1/2 cups presliced onion
1 tablespoon bottled minced fresh ginger
1 tablespoon bottled minced garlic
3/4 teaspoon curry powder
1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut into 1-inch-thick slices

Preparation
Prepare rice or ramen according to package directions, omitting salt and fat.

While rice or ramen cooks, combine hoisin, ketchup, and Sriracha in a small bowl.

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion; sauté 3 minutes or until tender. Add ginger and remaining ingredients; sauté 6 minutes or until chicken is done. Stir in hoisin mixture; cook 1 minute, tossing to coat. Serve over rice or ramen.

Nutritional Information
Calories:326 (20% from fat)
Fat:7.3g (sat 0.9g,mono 3.6g,poly 2.1g)
Protein:29.5g
Carbohydrate:34g
Fiber:2.2g
Cholesterol:66mg
Iron:2mg
Sodium:338mg
Calcium:35mg

Chicken, Mushroom, and Gruyere Quesadillas with Watermelon Jicama salad

Yesterday I was looking for inspiration to put a new recipe to the test while using up the chicken in my freezer!  I had bought a Chicken Tonight Cooking Light cookbook awhile ago, so I dusted off the cover and found something that looked easy for a quick dinner.  I came across the quesadillas and the salad and when we got to the store and Brendan asked for watermelon I knew I'd made a good choice on menu.  I set off grabbing all the ingredients, including jicama and as it was a new ingredient for me I was eager to try it.

When I got home last night, I cut up the watermelon, jicama, onion and cucumber for the salad to make it easier for today.  Also, I wanted to try out the jicama.  It's crispy like an apple but with a much more mild flavor.  I let the boys try it and they liked it also.  I knew I was OK, but would have some issue if Cody noticed there was onion in both the quesadillas and the salad. 

I was late getting home tonight due to an unexpected doctor visit, so I am glad I had pre-cut all the stuff for the salad.  I put the chicken on to grill, lightly seasoned with sea salt and fresh ground black pepper.  I then tossed all the salad ingredients together and sliced the lemon to squeeze the lemon juice for the dressing, measured out the sugar and olive oil and mixed it.  I took the chicken off, put some olive oil in the pan and put in some baby bella mushrooms, thinly sliced onion and some sea salt and ground black pepper.  I sauteed until soft, then added the garlic, sauteed some more and then added red wine vinegar.  I removed from heat, sliced up the chicken which had been resting and grated the gruyere.  I then assembled the quesadillas and put them in my quesadilla maker (I know that's cheating!!) 

Reviews:

Cody: Thumbs up
Mommy, why are there leaves in mine?  I don't want leaves in mine!  Looks at his almost empty plate.  Hey mommy, can I have another, this time with no leaves?  Mommy, these chicken mushroom things are good.  Mommy, the salad is too spicy why are there spicy bits in it??  (Spicy bits are red onions)

Brendan: Thumbs up
Eats 1/2 the salad before Cody said something, then he tosses his out, after telling me it was yummy, all to please his big brother.  Also says one more peease mommy, it's yummmmm. 

Mommy:  Thumbs up
Taste tested the components seperately.  Mushroom mixture flavorful, chicken, moist and seasoned perfectly, gruyere is a bit smoky.  Together, it almost tastes like it was all grilled, a rich, smoky flavor with the slight sweetness of spinach (yes the leaves Cody complained about.) I agreed with the boys, we will make this again, next time I'll try mine with the more peppery arugula, however this time spinach was on sale..so well, I cheaped out! 

The salad was cool and refreshing, perfect for summer and will hold up well with BBQ foods.  I will make again!!  Oh and I'm not much of a melon person!

This is a keeper!!  It's easy, flavorful and a 1 pan meal!

So here's the picture of my dinner!  Mind you this is on a salad plate, not a dinner plate, I used smaller tortillas to allow for my kid's smaller appetites and mouths.

My serving

RECIPES

Ingredients


1 teaspoon olive oil
1 cup presliced mushrooms
1/2 cup thinly sliced onion
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon bottled minced garlic
1 tablespoon sherry or red wine vinegar
2 (10-inch) fat-free flour tortillas
1 cup shredded cooked chicken breast (about 8 ounces)
1 cup arugula
1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded Gruyère cheese
Cooking spray

Preparation
1. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add olive oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add mushrooms, sliced onion, salt, and pepper to pan; sauté 5 minutes. Stir in garlic, and sauté 30 seconds. Add vinegar; cook 30 seconds or until liquid almost evaporates.

2. Arrange half of mushroom mixture over half of each tortilla. Top each tortilla with 1/2 cup chicken, 1/2 cup arugula, and 1/4 cup cheese; fold tortillas in half.

3. Wipe pan clean with a paper towel. Heat pan over medium heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add tortillas to pan. Place a heavy skillet on top of tortillas; cook 2 minutes on each side or until crisp.

Watermelon-jicama salad: Combine 4 cups (1/2-inch) cubed seedless watermelon, 1 1/2 cups (1/2-inch) cubed peeled jicama, 1 cup chopped English cucumber, and 1/2 cup chopped red onion. Add 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, 2 teaspoons sugar, and 1 teaspoon olive oil; toss well.


Nutritional Information
Calories:270
Fat:8.9g (sat 3.7g,mono 3g,poly 0.8g)
Protein:25.2g
Carbohydrate:20.3g
Fiber:3g
Cholesterol:64mg
Iron:1.7mg
Sodium:391mg
Calcium:242mg