Recipe - Curried Chicken Salad Sandwich

This was inspired by the food on our way to Mexico.  Thanks to our friend Tom (who flies constantly for work and was able to use his studly flyer status for some extra perks) we upgraded to First Class.  In First Class, they actually feed you, still.  And, the food is GOOD.  No, really.  I'm not kidding.

They served us Chicken Curry Salad Sandwich.  It was quite tasty.  So, when we got back, I looked up a recipe.  We had this tonight.  It was Delish!  Here's how it goes.

Ingredients:

2 Cups Mayonnaise (I used Miracle Whip, which I prefer to Mayo)
1/2 cup chutney
3 tablespoons curry powder
6 chicken breasts (the recipe calls for bone in, but I used boneless and it worked fine)
Salt and pepper
1/2 cup coursely chopped walnuts
1/2 cup raisins
3/4 cup chopped celery
4 croissants

First...cook the chicken.  I seasoned them with the salt and pepper and put them in a skillet, covering them with water.  Let them simmer until they're cooked through.  Then, put them in the fridge for at least an hour (I did this overnight).

To make the dressing, mix the mayo, chutney and curry.

Take the refridgerated chicken and shred it.  Shaundar did this.  Took her about 20 mins.  Once this is done, throw in the walnuts, raising and celery.  Combine them with the dressing, and viola!  Throw them on the croissants.

Pretty easy. 

Sloppy Guts! OR Pumpkin Sloppy Joes

The internet actually called these "Sloppy Boos," but that's lame, so I changed the name.

We served it at PEPS tonight and the reviews were strong, so I figured I would post. Great for Halloween.

It's low fat and pretty easy. I doubled the recipe and it barely made it through 14 people. I'm not positive if everyone ate.

Ingredients:

• 1 pound ground turkey
• 2 medium chopped onions
• 2 minced garlic cloves
• 1 cup pumpkin puree
• 1 cup crushed tomatoes or tomato sauce
• 3 tablespoons dark brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons yellow mustard
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• salt to taste

Directions:

In a large heavy saucepan brown the ground turkey over medium high heat. Reduce the heat to medium and add the onions. Cook until the onions are almost soft and translucent. Add the garlic and cook for additional minute or two. Add the remaining ingredients and mix well. Bring the mixture to a boil, then cover, reduce the heat, and simmer for 15 minutes. Serve hot.

Recipe of the Week - From Kelley's new blog

So...I'll take a moment to promote my cousin Kelley's new hippie...I mean vegan...blog. You can find it here.

Here is her recipe for Quinoa with Asparagus, Dates and Orange. I think I've had it before. And, it was great. Even if I haven't had it, I'm sure it's great. Kelley's a pretty good cook.

I can't make this. First of all...I don't even know what a Quinoa is much less how to "blanch" one.

Ingredients
1 teaspoon canola oil
1/2 cup white onion
1 cup quinoa
2 cups water
1/2 salt
1 small can mandarin orange slices (drained)
1/2 cup sweet and spicy pecans from Trader Joes
2T minced red onion
5-7 dates
1 bunch asparagus, blanched, chilled and cut into 2 inch pieces
1 jalapeño pepper, diced

Dressing
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon extravirgin olive oil
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 garlic clove
2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint

Directions

1) Blanch asparagus. Cool rapidly and cut into 2 inch pieces. Set aside.

2) To prepare Quinoa, heat 1 teaspoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. (The original recipe called for olive oil, however olive oil may release carcinogens when cooked at a high temperature so I choose Canola oil) Add onion to pan; sauté about 2 minutes. Add quinoa to pan; sauté 5 minutes. Add water and salt to pan; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes.

3) While Quinoa cooks, prepare dressing. Combine juice and next 4 ingredients, mix well by hand or in a food processor.

4) When your Quinoa is done cooking for 15 minutes Remove from heat; let stand 10 minutes more. Transfer to large bowl. Add orange and next 5 ingredients (through jalapeño); toss gently to combine. If bringing this on a picnic keep ingredients separate and assemble right before eating - otherwise your nuts go soggy.

5) Garnish with mint sprigs - they look pretty and are delicious, I use lots of them, and lemon wedges. Serve at room temperature.

Recipe of the Week - Hoisen-Honey-Glazed Pork with Grilled Pineapple

Had this tonight. Very very good! Especially the pineapple.

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup(s) hoisin sauce
• 1 tablespoon(s) honey
• 1 tablespoon(s) grated fresh peeled ginger
• 1 teaspoon(s) Asian sesame oil
• 1 whole(s) (1 1/4 pounds) pork tenderloin
• 1/2 medium pineapple, untrimmed
• 2 tablespoon(s) brown sugar

Directions

Prepare outdoor grill for covered direct grilling over medium heat. In small bowl, combine hoisin, honey, ginger, and oil.

Place pork on hot grill rack. Cover grill and cook pork 18 to 20 minutes, turning occasionally.
With serrated knife, cut pineapple half into 4 wedges. Rub cut sides of pineapple with brown sugar.

Grill pineapple 10 minutes or until browned on both sides, turning over once. While pineapple is grilling, brush pork with hoisin-honey glaze and turn frequently until temperature on instant-read thermometer reaches 155 degrees F. Transfer pork to cutting board; let stand 10 minutes.

Transfer pineapple to platter.

Thinly slice pork and serve with pineapple wedges.

Yummy!

Recipe of the week - 40 clove garlic chicken

Remind me, sometime, to tell you the story of the vegetarian sloppy joes and about how I didn't know what a clove of garlic was defined as.

I know now.

This is a quick and easy recipe for the crockpot. Very flavorful.

Here are the ingredients:

• 3-4 lbs of chicken (best in drumstick form, in my opinion)
• 1 large onion
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tsp salt
• 2 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp pepper
• 20-40 cloves (not bulbs) of garlic

Very simple. You slice the onion and you dump it into the base of the crockpot.

Now...the recipe in my book says to mix all this together, roll the chicken in it and then dump the excess into the crockpot, over the chicken. I find that, with the exception of the garlic, there just isn't enough of the other ingredients. So...instead, I put the chicken on top of the onions, and then add the other ingredients separately, directly on top of the chicken. I'm just eyeballing it, here. Seems to work, fine.

Verdict to be added after I eat it on Monday, night. If this publishes without a verdict...it's because I am writing it as I prepare the crockpot on Sunday night. I must have forgotten to update.

________

UPDATE: See...I knew that would happen.

Verdict...not bad. Lots of flavor. But, I am glad I added the extra seasoning. Otherwise...it would have tasted like little more than chicken. Quick, easy, and lots of leftovers.

Recipe of the week - Texas Cheese Potatoes

This recipe is courtesy of Jodi, fellow Peps parent. I think her sister gave it to her, or something. Anyway, Jodi and her husband Tom had us all over to their place for a BBQ one weekend. I provided some absolutely delicious Red, White and Blue potato salad that I made by driving to Safeway and buying two containers of it from the deli.

There were quite a few dishes at the BBQ, but this one stood out. I cooked it tonight to go with the free burgers I got from Amazon Fresh.

Here's the recipe. It's pretty simple and pretty straightforward. I didn't change anything.

Texas cheese potatoes

Ingredients:
Frozen hashbrowns (cubed)
8 oz sour cream
1 stick of butter
2 cups corn flakes (crushed)
1 can cream of chicken soup
16 oz shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Take greased 9 x 12 pan and fill with hashbrowns. Mix together ½ stick melted butter, cream of chicken soup, sour cream, and cheese. Pour mixture over hashbrowns. Mix together ½ stick melted butter and crushed corn flakes. Place over top. Bake at 350 for one hour.

Great side dish. Had it with burgers, tonight. Tom cooked chicken at the BBQ and it went well with that, too. Potatoes smothered in cheese go with just about anything. I think I'll put some of the leftovers on my toast, tomorrow.

Recipe of the week: Mark and Meghans Yummy Creamy Sausage Pasta Stuff

That's the new official name.

So...this recipe comes from my HR mentor and friend, Meghan. Mark and Meghan can be found by following the Our Fish Family link on the right side of the page.

First of all...a shout out to these two. They took and edited the photos used in Desi's birth announcement, and the photos found here. They have a ridiculously adorable family. Meghan is my mentor at work and the person who helps me stay sane when I am ready to pitch a fit. And...they made us this really really good dinner after Desi was born.

Ingredients:

- 2 lbs of sausage
- 4-5 cloves of garlic
- Sage
- Basil (the leaf, not the butler)
- 2 cans stewed tomatoes
- 1/2 pint whipping cream
- Penne pasta

Here's the recipe, as Meghan sent it:

- Brown together 2 pounds of sausage ( you can use the Jimmy Dean brand 1 lb roll, usually 1 of Italian sausage and 1 of sage sausage but I use the Jimmy Dean 1 lb regular and 1 lb hot gives it more of a bite!) together with 4 - 5 cloves of garlic (I like to add more garlic as I like LOTs!). As it browns, break into small pieces.

- Add 1/2 package of fresh sage (those small plastic containers at grocery store) and an equal amount of fresh basil.

- Then add two canned of stewed tomatoes.

- Simmer for 20 minutes

- When ready to serve, add 1/2 pint of whipping cream.

- Serve over penne pasta (I use the fresh pasta b/c it taste better and is faster to cook!) with good, crusty bread. You'll need to serve this in a bowl. We usually like this dish the 2nd day after you cook it as the juices set in more so it’s great for leftovers!!!

Here's what I did, slightly differently for purposes of laziness.

I didn't use fresh sage or basil. I had not fresh stuff handy in the cupboard. I used about 1/4 cup of each.

I also took her advice and went with the 1/2 regular sausage and 1/2 spicy.

Oh...and, I used Italian Style stewed tomatoes, because that's what I had in the cupboard.

My verdict - delish! But, Meg's was better. So...stick with the fresh stuff. Also...I cooked this on Thursday and then had leftovers on Friday. Mark and Meghan don't lie. It tastes even better the second day. I didn't even need the pasta. Just shoved the leftovers into my mouth. Mmmmm. Think I'll make this again next week.

Recipe of the Week: Turkey and Wild Rice Soup

Okay...since we have a new baby and have to pay over $1000/month (no, I didn't accidentally add a zero) for daycare, we have no extra money to throw around on frivolous things like paying to have other people cook our food.

So...I am cooking more. Yay, me!

Now, I am not claiming to be any kind of culinary expert. I don't know how to mix flavors and I will often take the easy way out (ie: buying broth instead of making it like other hardcore people with more of a life than me). But, I figure, I am bound to come across some new recipes that maybe my 2 loyal readers haven't seen before.

I will post the good ones, here.

First up...Turkey and Wild Rice Soup. Full recipe found here, if you want to go crazy and try it the long and hard way.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups cooked turkey (I used ground turkey...easier to deal with)
• 8 cups chicken broth
• 2/3 cup uncooked wild rice
• 1 cup celery
• 1 cup carrots
• 1 yellow onion
• 1 tsp Sage
• 1 tbsp Balsamic vinegar
• 2 cups spinach leaves

My way is pretty straight forward. Brown the turkey, dump the fat, and throw it in the crock pot.

Chop up the celery, carrots, and onion and throw them in the crock pot.

Dump the chicken broth into the crock pot.

Dump the rice into the crock pot.

Add the sage and balsamic vinegar.

Throw the spinach into the crock pot.

Turn the crock pot on Low for 10 hours and dig in when you get home from work.

This recipe makes a TON of soup, so be prepared for leftovers.

My verdict: Pretty darn good. Probably would have been better if I got an actual turkey, or turkey strips or chunks or something. Also...you should add salt to the ingredients. But, overall, pretty good and certainly healthy.