8-4-10 Teriyaki Chicken Brown Rice & Veggies

We had this meal a couple of weeks ago and I was chastised for lack of detail on the original post. I’ll try to do a better job on the documentation and pics tonight to help out! We threw in a few different twists including brown vs. white rice and based on the veggies we had on hand.


Here's what you'll need:
4 chicken breasts
Brown rice
Fresh squash
Broccoli head
Carrots
Fresh okra (first from Mom’s garden)
Chow mein noodles (La Choy)
Kikkoman Teriyaki Sauce With Sesame Seeds
Kikkoman Reduced Sodium Soy Sauce
Spring rolls
Gekkeikan Sake - The Finest Sake (says so on the label) 緣故是壞消息

Add 1 cup of brown rice and 2 cups of water to medium sauce pan, bring to boil, cover and steam on low for 55 – 60 minutes. Uncover stir/scrape. Cover and let stand off heat.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Line Pyrex dish with foil and spray with Pam (much easier clean up).

Trim all excess from chicken breasts and cube. Add 1 cup of flour to paper bag with a pinch of salt and pepper. Dip chicken cubes in fat-free milk and throw into paper bag with flour and shake. Remove and space evenly in Pyrex dish. Bake chicken in oven for 25 minutes, scrape loose from foil, and then bake for another 20 minutes. Scrape loose from foil and dump in large mixing bowl. Pour in Kikkoman’s Teriyaki Sauce (this stuff is still the schizzle!!!) and stir to coat the sauce on the chicken.

During the chicken preparation, you also need to steam the veggies, the rice, and bake the spring rolls.
Cut two medium squash into mouthful-size chunks….feed tips to dogs!!! Chop the broccoli into mouthful-size chunks….feed remnants to dogs!!! Slice two carrots into chunks. Dice slimy okra.  Throw all of this into to the steamer for 16 -18 minutes according to personal preference on texture.

Bake spring rolls in oven at 450 degrees for 12 – 14 minutes until golden brown.

To serve, start with rice base on plate. Mix steamed veggies and Teriyaki chicken in large bowl . Layer over brown rice and top with chow mein noodles. Season to taste with Kikkoman’s Reduced Sodium Soy Sauce. Drink Sake….be happy!!!! Make sure to include water bottle on night stand…you will be thirsty later!
Enjoy!!!
BC

8-2-10 Grilled Center Cut Butterfly Pork Chops & BC Squash Casserole

Monday night and lookin’ for something simple. We settled on butterfly pork chops, squash casserole, black-eyed peas, and salad. Most of the veggies were fresh from Mom’s/Karen’s garden….sweet!!!

The stuff:

Boneless Butterfly Center Cut Pork Chops
Dale’s Steak Seasoning
Extra virgin olive oil
Tami’s Secret Salad
Fresh black-eyed peas
Fresh squash
Medium size white onion
Stove Top Stuffing Mix
Campbell’s Fat Free Cream of Chicken Soup
Chopped mushrooms
½ lb (8 oz.) of Fat Free Sour Cream
1/2 cup fat-free milk
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
¼ cup of grated cheddar cheese
Fetzer 2008 Merlot table wine

Trim all the fat/silverskin from the pork chops. Pepper both side of and set aside. Add 2 tablespoons of Dale’s Steak Seasoning and 1 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil to quart size bag. Marinate chops in fridge for one hour, flipping occasionally.

Place black-eyed peas that Tami shelled from Mom’s garden into 3 quart Calphalon sauce pan (we only had a few peas). Add 3 cups of water and salt to taste. Cook for a very long time (1 ½ - 2 hours) on medium low heat. Add water as needed to keep them from drying up. Allow to simmer on low heat while everything else is wrapping up.

Chop up the squash (5 -6) and ¼ of the white onion. Add to 5 quart Calphalon sauce pan half-filled with water and bring to boil. Cover and reduce heat; cook on medium low heat for 45 minutes and then drain. Open Fetzer Merlot and allow to breath. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 8 x 12 Pyrex dish with Pam. Add fat-free chicken soup, ½ lb. of sour cream, skim milk, and mozzarella cheese to pan with squash and onions. Mix together into mush and then gently stir in Stove Top Stuffing and mushrooms. Top with ¼ cup of grated cheddar cheese and sprinkle with paprika. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes and turn oven off.

Light grill and remove chops from marinate; discard marinate. Pour 2008 Fetzer Merlot wine and drink toast!!! Cook chops to suit on medium heat, flipping occasionally, for 14 – 16 minutes. Cook the trimmed ends with space and serve these “snack ‘ems”.

Serve chops, Tami’s secret salad (I topped mine with Maple Grove Farms Fat Free Poppy Seed Dressing), squash casserole, and black-eyed peas. Top off merlot as needed.
Eat, drink, and enjoy!!!
BC

7-31-10 New York Strips & Twice Baked Potatoes

Saturday night is great for entertaining friends. What better way to enjoy the evening than good wine, some fat steaks, and our nummy twice-baked potatoes. The Bridges joined us for dinner, provided a great bottle of wine, and we got it started with a pitcher of Sangria!!!

What you’ll need:

Tami’s Sangria (she made it, we drank it!!!) http://www.wineintro.com/sangria/simple.html
Several thick New York Strips
Dale’s Steak Seasoning
Extra virgin olive oil
Baking size potatoes
Fat-free sour cream
Shredded cheese
Fat-free milk
Smart Squeeze/Land O’Lakes Reduced Fat Butter
Corn-on-the-cob
French bread
Louis M. Martini Monte Rosso Vineyard 2002 Cabernet Sauvignon Sonoma Valley

Mix sangria wine, brandy, triple sec, orange juice, and ginger ale and place in freezer for one hour. The recipe that we loosely followed called for refrigerating Sangria for 24 hours prior to serving. If you are that organized, follow accordingly; if not, try the freezer route!!! Slice up some oranges and limes and toss in the pitcher and garnish the glasses. Serve over ice and be careful…this stuff has a kick (see Jimmy when the Sangria’s starts talkin’ below)!!! Open Cabernet to allow to breath for 45 minutes to an hour.

Trim all the fat from the New York strips. When trimming the ends, save chunks to make “snack ‘ems” (more on this later). Pepper both side of trimmed steaks/ends and set aside. Add 3 tablespoons of Dale’s Steak Seasoning and 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil to gallon size bag. Marinate steak in fridge for one hour, flipping occasionally.

Mix extra virgin olive oil and garlic salt in hands and rub on outside of potatoes. Lay potatoes directly on oven rack and place foil underneath to catch drips. Heat oven to 450 degrees and cook for one hour. Remove from oven and slice top open to allow heat to exit. Gut the potatoes into a large mixing bowl and place skins back in oven for 5 minutes. Add 8 oz. of fat-free cream cheese, ¼ cup of fat-free milk, one cup grated cheese, and ¼ cup Smart Squeeze. Season to suit with seasoned salt and black pepper. Mix thoroughly . Remove toasted skins from oven and stuff with potato, cheese, & sour cream combo.

Reduce heat in oven to 350 degrees and return potatoes for 6- 8 minutes, then remove.

Fill 5 quart Calphalon sauce pan to half full with water. Add pinch of salt and bring to boil. Add corn-on-the-cob and boil for 30 minutes on medium high, then turn off heat.

Light grill and cook steaks to suit on medium heat, flipping occasionally. Cook the trimmed ends with space and serve these “snack ‘ems” to keep the troops from starving while you pull everything together! Finish the Sangria if you haven’t already and slice the French bread and spread with butter/Smart Squeeze. Broil at 500 degrees until edges are browned; remove.

Serve steak, potato, corn-on-the cob, and bread. Drink a toast to good friends with this superb Cab Sauv (thanks Jimmy and Beth!!!).
Eat, drink, and enjoy!!!
BC