Pretending to be Southern

Those who know me well know of my love of Southern accents, music, food, and selected people (you know who you are).  A recent dinner made me think of myself as a Southerner in training.  The meal consisted of barbecue chicken sandwiches, pickled onions, broccoli slaw, and grilled corn with honey butter.  The husband and I finished off the meal with red velvet cupcakes.  Too bad the cupcakes were store bought, but there is only so much a girl can do in one day.   The food  so delish and a great summertime meal no matter what the geography is.

Barbecue Chicken with Pickled Onions 
(adapted from Cooking Light, August 2010)

1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion
3 tablespoons white vinegar, divided
1 1/2 tablespoons honey, divide
2 tablespoons water
3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
3/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 1/2 pounds boneless chicken thighs, trimmed
1/8 teaspoon salt

1. Preheat grill to medium-high heat.
2. Combine sliced onion, 1 tablespoon vinegar, and 1 1/2 teaspoons honey in a small bowl; toss well.  Cover and refrigerate at least 30 minutes.
3. Combine remaining 2 tablespoons vinegar, remaining 1 tablespoon honey, 2 tablespoons water, mustard, 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a small saucepan over medium-low heat.  Bring to a simmer (do not boil).  Simmer 5 minutes; stir in butter.  Remove from heat and keep warm. 
4. Sprinkle chicken with remaining pepper and salt.  Place on grill rack coated with cooking spray; grill 4 minutes on each side or until done.  Remove chicken from grill; cool slightly.  Shred chicken into bite-size pieces.  Add chicken to saucepan with mustard mixture, and toss gently to coat.  
5. Top toasted hamburger buns with chicken and drained onion slices.

Yield:  4 servings


Broccoli Slaw
(Cooking Light, August 2010)
1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 (12 ounce) package broccoli slaw

1. Combine first 7 ingredients in a large bowl; stir with a whisk.  Add parsley and broccoli slaw; toss to coat.

Yield:  4 servings

I am obsessed with chicken salad

First, forgive me for my absence.  I took some time off from blogging about recipes for a bit, but am back now.  However, I will probably be a little lazy about posting pictures with the recipes as I am not a skilled food photographer.  Also, most of the recipes I will be posting will be easy and quick ones.  The commute to the suburbs can be brutal.  It does not leave a lot of time for cooking.  It seems by the time I get home, make dinner, and clean up, I only have an hour or so before I need to turn in for the night.  But, I really do enjoy the peace and quiet of the suburbs.  I will also be enjoying the easy access to the beach if I ever have a day free to enjoy it. 

Back to the poultry,  I really love a good chicken salad sandwich.  The are good with toasted and untoasted bread.  They are easy to make and there are so many variations and fun ways to play around with this classic.  Last night's chicken salad was an adapted Cooking Light recipe.  I made a few substitutions, using cashews instead of almonds (I had a massive amount of cashews from a stir fry I made a few weeks ago), cutting out carrots, and skipping the lettuce and pitas. 

When putting together the ingredients for this sandwich, I was questioning if they would work well together.  After all, pineapple and Worcestshire sauce doesn't sound too appealing when mixed together.  However it worked!  Of course it did.  If it was awful, I would not be posting such a recipe after a long absence. 

Pineapple Chicken Salad
(adapted from Cooking Light May 2007)
Printable Recipe

2 1/2 cups chopped cooked chicken breast (about 1 pound)
1/3 cup sliced almonds, toasted
1/3 cup light mayonnaise
1/4 cup finely chopped green onions
1/4 cup plain fat-free yogurt
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 (8-ounce) can crushed pineapple in juice, drained
Combine first 11 ingredients in a large bowl, stirring well.   Place on bread, toasted or untoasted. 

Even the Husband Could Make This One

Nothing beats a dinner that takes almost no time to prepare, especially after a long work day.  My work days are long due to my early a.m. wake up time for the gym and then the commute home.  It can be rough to leave the house for 13 hour stretches and it makes for a tired little cook. 

The long days force me to look for recipes that do not take too much preparation or cooking time. I am getting lazy these days.  So lazy in fact, that when a recipe calls for marinara sauce, I used the jarred stuff instead of making my own.  Or, when a recipe calles for cooked chicken, I will use the handy Purdue Shortcuts.  These days I will use any shortcut that I can.  These long days also make a lazy blogger, hence a lack of pictures.  Sorry, I will try to be better.

The recipe that I made last night was insanely easy to make, calls for minimal ingredients, and requires very little prep and cooking time.  Win, win, win!  The husband did not like it when I commented that the recipe was so easy, even he could make it, so I made that the title of the post.  Love you honey!

Cannellini-Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms
(adapted from Cooking Light January 2007)
Printable Recipe

4 (4-inch) portobello caps
1/2 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon garlic pepper
1/4 teaspoon dried rosemary
3/4 cup bottled pasta sauce
1 (15-ounce) can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup (2 ounces) preshredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

1. Preheat broiler.
2. Remove gills from the undersides of mushrooms using a spoon; discard gills. Place caps, smooth side up, on baking sheet coated with cooking spray; broil 2 minutes. Turn caps over; broil 2 minutes.
3. Combine ricotta, salt, garlic powder, and rosemary, stirring well. Spread 2 tablespoons cheese mixture in each cap. Spoon 3 tablespoons pasta sauce over cheese mixture in each serving. Divide beans evenly among caps; sprinkle each serving with 2 tablespoons mozzarella. Broil 3 minutes or until cheese melts.

No Mayo?

We can all agree that mayonaisse is not good for you, but it just tastes so good.  Let's face it, it is one of the reasons we (ok maybe just me) loves tuna salad, and chicken salad sandwiches.  It's the mayo.  Oh, it tastes great on a turkey sandwich too.  Yum! 

When I stumbled across a recipe for a chicken salad without the mayonaisse, I was intrigued. Could this really be as good?  Is it possible to have this traditional comfort food sandwich without the egg-based condiment?  I was ready for a challenge. 

The recipe listed below uses fresh herbs, a small amount of olive oil and dijon mustard to hold the poultry together.  I was very pleasently surprised with how great it tasted.  It's nice to have a sandwich that tastes fresh and awakens your taste buds in the dead of winter.  I am starting to really love parsely (a heavy presence in the sandwich).  I think this herb gets a bad wrap.  I know of several people who crinkle their nose at the word parsely. 

Enjoy this taste of spring on a cold dreary day in January, it helps a little bit....

Herb Vinaigrette Chicken Salad
(adapted from Cooking Light January 2005)
printable recipe

1/2 cup fresh parsley

1/2 cup chopped green onions
3 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 tablespoon dijon mustard
1 teaspoon sugar
1 dried thyme
2 teaspoons extravirgin olive oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 garlic clove
1 1/2 cups chopped cooked chicken breast
1 (10-ounce) package frozen green peas, thawed

Combine first 9 ingredients in a food processor; process until smooth. Combine parsley mixture, chicken, celery, and peas in a large bowl, tossing well.

There is no such thing as a man's job

In our household, the husband usually makes the guacamole and he does a great job.  So great, in fact that I usually defer to him when we need guac for dinner.  It soon became his job.  However, tonight I was about to ask him to make it and decided to make it myself.  I think that I did a good job. 

My guac is slightly different from the husband's in that I used red onion, tomato, and a bit of mayonnaise.  When I saw that mayo was called for, I thought it was weird, but I think that the use of mayo coupled with tomatoes and red onions helped mask the taste of an avocado that was not quite ready. 

Accompanying the guacamole, were corn and crab fritters.  Normally, I tend to avoid recipes that call for anything to be fried in oil.  However, this recipe called for a minimal amount of oil so I didn't feel guilty for it.  The guacamole added a nice flavor to the tender fritters.  This dinner was great on a night where we didn't leave the house because of snow.   At least, snow was our excuse for staying in on a Saturday night. 

Corn and Crab Fritters with Guacamole
(from Cooking Light January/February 2010)
Printable Recipe

Fritters
1 cup flour
1/4 cup cornmeal
3 tablespoons chives
1 1/2 baking poweder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 large eggs
3/4 cup thawed frozen corn kernels
1 (8 ounce) container of lump crabmeat
1/4 cup canola oil

Guacamole
2 tablespoon finely chopped seeded plum tomato
1 tablespoon canola mayonnaise
2 teaspoons finely chopped red onion
2 teaspoon lemon juice
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 avocado, peeled and seeded

1. Combine flour and next 5 ingredients (through red pepper) in a large bowl, stirring well with a whisk.  Combine buttermilk and eggs; stirring well.  Add egg mixture, crab and corn to flour mixture.  Stirring until moist.  
2. Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat.  Add 2 tablespoons oil to pan; swirl to coat.  Add 5 (1/4 cup) batter mounds to pan, pressing each with the back of a spatula to slightly flatten.  Cook 4 minutes on each side or until golden and thoroughly cooked.  Repeat with remaining 2 tablespoons oil and batter.  
3. To prepare guacamole, combine tomato and remaining ingredients in a bowl.  Mash avocado with fork to desired consistency.  Top 2 tablespoons of guacamole over fritters.  

Yield: 4-5 servings, 2 fritters per serving

A Cure for a Rough Night

Truth be told, my New Year's Eve was really mellow.  It was great to have a few glasses of wine, some bubbles and not wake up feeling terrible.  It was a perfect night.

However, sometimes you may need some food to help you cope with your previous evening's antics.  I think that this sandwich recipe from Tom Colicchio's book, 'wichcraft, would aid in recovering from a rough night.

The cookbook was a Christmas gift from the husband who knows that I love, love, LOVE Tom Colicchio and sandwiches.  What a great gift.  The husband is great.  For the record, I am the one writing this not him. 

Skirt Steak with Fried Egg, Mushrooms, and Parsley Vinaigrette
(adapted from 'wichcraft by Tom Colicchio)
Printable recipe

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon minced garlic
8 ounces portabello mushrooms, sliced
kosher salt and ground pepper
Parsley Vinaigrette (recipe listed below)
1 pound skirt steak
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
4 large eggs
4 ciabatta rolls

1. Add oil to a medium skillet over medium-high heat.  Add the garlic, and once the garlic is fragrant, add the mushrooms and season with salt and pepper.  Continue cooking until the mushrooms are soft and brown in color, about 5 minutes.  Remove from the heat and transfer the mushrooms to a bowl.  Add the vinaigrette and toss to coat.  Set aside.
2. Season the meat with salt and pepper and place in grill pan over medium-high heat.  Cook the meat for 3-4 minutes on each side, until browned all over.  Remove from the heat and transfer to the bowl with mushrooms, resting the meat on top to allow the juices to drip onto the mushrooms.  Keep in a warm place until ready to use.  
3. In a medium-hot skillet, heat the butter and fry the eggs two to four at a time, depending on the size of your skillet.  Flip the eggs halfway through and cook until the yolk is solid around the edges.  Season with salt and pepper.  
4. Thinly slice the meat against the grain.  Cut the rolls in half and scoop out some of the bread from the top halves.  Place slices of meat on the bottom half and top with mushrooms, followed by eggs.  Close the sandwiches, cut into halves, and serve.  

Yield: 4 sandwiches

Parsley Vinaigrette
2 tablespoons onion
1 teaspoon chopped capers
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon white wine
2 teaspoons white wine vinegar
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 cup parsley leaves

1. In a bowl, combine all the ingredients and mix well.  

Yield: 2 cups

New Year's Breakfast

Happy New Year's all!  I hope that everyone had a happy and safe holiday.

The husband and I were fortunate enough to entertain a very dear friend, her husband Steve-O, and their daughter for New Year's Eve.  The evening kicked off with a burrito from Anna's Taqueria.  We had a relaxing night of wine, board games, watching trashing reality TV (Jersey Shore is my new very guilty pleasure), drinking bubbles, and all around having a good time.  Somehow we managed to stay up past midnight.  That was a quite a feat.

The following morning was laced with fear of the unknown for two of us.  The husband, our friend, and I were going to do a polar bear plunge at the beach.  The husband was a pro, but Steve-o and I were newbies and were a little afraid.  I prepped a decent breakfast the day before so we would have some thing good in our "tummies"(Miley Cyrus's favorite word in her immortal work, Party in the U.S.A.).  It took our minds off of the upcoming plunge.

I love breakfast casseroles that can be prepped the day before, sit in the fridge overnight, and bake the following morning.  It is nice and easy and great for company.

French Toast Souffle

(from Cooking Light April 2000)

Printable Recipe

10 cups (1 inch) cubed sturdy white bread

cooking spray

1 (8 ounce) block 1/3 less fat cream cheese, softened

8 large eggs

1 1/2 cups 2% reduced-fat milk

2/3 cup fat free half and half

1/2 cup maple syrup

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

powedered sugar for sprinkling

1. Place bread cubes in a 13x9 baking dish coated with cooking spray.  Beat cream cheese at medium speed of mixer until smooth.  Add eggs, 1 at a time, mixing well after each addition.  Add milk, half and half, 1/2 cup maple syrup, and vanilla.  Mix until smooth.  Pour cream cheese mixture over top of bread; cover and refrigerate overnight.
2. Pre-heat oven to 375F.
3. Remove bread mixture from refrigerator; let stand on counter for 30 minutes.  Bake at 375F for 50 minutes or until set.  Sprinkle the souffle with powdered sugar, and serve with maple syrup.  

Yield: 12 servings

 And a picutre of us in the cold water..