Let the countdown begin: Recipe One

I'm officially returning to Seattle to finish up a Master's in nursing and leaving a sad fiance behind in San Francisco. He will have a long adjustment period where he realizes he doesn't know where the cutting boards are (in the far drawer near the mudroom), how to get the door buzzer to stop ringing (hit it with a spatula), or that the house doesn't have a "self-cleaning" function (call Rent-a-Wife Cleaning Services, NOT the "concierge" service). The worst of all he will be without his personal dinner chef. And I will miss Saturday morning Dan Scrambles.

For the next few posts I will be teaching Dan, and those of you less inclined to pick up a saute pan, how to cook five basic meals to get you through the long cold winter.

Starting with my favorite go-to meal quinoa with red peppers, onions and your choice of protein. I was almost sure I already posted this recipe, but I don't see it on here, so excuse the re-post if you've seen it already. It's a recipe for four serving, but re-heats perfectly! A little secret: this one is on the box of the Trader Joe's brand white quinoa, thanks TJ's!

Recipe One: Quinoa with veggies and protein

1 cup Trader Joe's Organic Quinoa prepared with chicken stock according to package directions (see below)
2 cups Trader Joe's Chicken Broth
1 1/2 pounds Trader Joe's Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breast Tenders OR Shrimp OR Tofu OR other protein of choice
4 tablespoons Olive Oil
1 small onion, thinly sliced
1 red bell pepper, seeded and thinly sliced
1 yellow bell pepper, seeded and thinly sliced
5 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced
20 leaves fresh sweet basil, julienne
Grated Parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper to taste

Quinoa prep: Place 1 cup of quinoa and 2 cups chicken broth in a pot with a lid. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to simmer it for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and let it sit with the lid on, when ready to mix with the rest of the ingredients, fluff it with a fork and then mix.

Cut chicken (or protein of choice) into one inch pieces. Heat large nonstick skillet over high heat and add the oil. Add chicken and saute for 5 minutes or until golden brown. Add onions, peppers, and saute for one or two more minutes. Add garlic and saute until peppers become slightly limp, but still bright, about one to two minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Remove the pan from heat. (At this point I usually use a big silver bowl and just dump all the ingredients in to make it easier to stir) Add basil and quinoa. Toss until basil wilts and garnish with parmesan cheese.


I also like to add other seasonal veggies such as, my favorite, zucchini. But, I'm sure Dan is so zucchini'd out he'll probably opt out.

Hope you enjoy! Stay tuned for four more easy-to-make recipes for one or more eaters!

The Week of the Chicken

Dan hates chicken.

When we go out to eat he'll order whatever isn't chicken. I think it's funny, being the health-conscious guy that he is, that he'll order a big fatty, juicy piece of steak before trying out a chicken dish - one of the leanest carnivorous protein options on the planet. So, of course, last week I set out to prove that chicken can be juicy and delicious - not the dried out boring piece of meat he claims it to be.

On Sunday, we went out to Fatoush. It's fun to say, it's fun to eat at because you feel like you've been transported to a foreign Mediterranean/Arabic land of some kind, and it's fun to not have to cook!

Fatoush makes excellent chicken. I ordered the Shish Taouk, marinated chicken breast served with seasoned grilled vegetables and rice (my favorite chicken and rice EVER, simple and delicious). And Dan, in true form, ordered the Beriani, tender chunks of Beef, Lamb or Chicken, grilled Potatoes, Almonds, golden Raisins, Garbanzo Beans, with special spices, in an aged Yogurt Sauce served with Rice - with the lamb of course! He tasted mine and it was true chicken love at first bite.

Then Tuesday I got ballsy and decided to try my hand at some baked chicken. For eight hours I marinated super organic, cage-free, happy, healthy, with lots of friends chicken from Whole Foods (that I paid an arm and a leg for) just to be sure it would be tender and delicious for this chicken hater I currently reside with. The recipe (provided below) is also Armenian, so of course I had to make it since we have decided it's Armenian food month (more recipes soon). The recipe said to grill the chicken, but the cold, misty fog had already rolled in for the evening and there was no way I was going to heat coals for two chicken breasts, so I decided to bake it. BIG MISTAKE.

Who knew I was so bad at baking chicken. I couldn't get the temperature right because my oven is a little bit "special" and I couldn't decide when it was done because I seem to have lost my meat thermometer in the move. So it was really, really done by the time I took it out. Needless to say convincing Dan that chicken is delectable didn't go so well. The marinade is really delicious, though, super flavorful and so so good with lemons from our very own tree, so I recommend it for grilling chicken, fish or lamb...and it's the food of my people so think of me while eating it!

On Friday night, however, we went to Rotisserie Limon (we live in a super diverse neighborhood with things like Peruvian Rotisserie...didn't even know that was a thing). WOW. Mouthwateringly fantastic chicken. Perfectly marinated, perfectly rotissereed, just yum. The sides were a little weird, but it was fun having yucca fries and the sauces (they bring 3 to the table) were really tasty and completely mysterious.

So all-in-all two out of three points for chicken this week. I'm sad to be the weakest chicken link, but I will purchase a new thermometer and try try again. (I, sadly, forgot to take a picture of this one)

Armenian Grilled Chicken Marinade

Ingredients

        1/2 cup olive oil

        1/4 cup lemon juice

        1 teaspoon salt

        1 teaspoon thyme

        1 teaspoon marjoram

        1/2 teaspoon pepper

        1 garlic cloves, minced

        1/2 cup finely chopped shallots

        1/4 cup snipped parsley

        1 1/2-2 lbs chicken breasts, whole or 1 1/2-2 lbs lamb, cut in chunks

Directions

Mix all ingredients together (except meat) and whisk thoroughly.

Put cleaned and dried meat in a large 8 x 11-inch glass baking pan and pour marinade over all, being sure to coat well. Cover with plastic wrap and let marinate in refrigerator for 24 to 48 hours.

Drain meat and grill, basting with marinade until meat is cooked through. Can be baked in a 350 degree oven

NOTE: This is excellent served leftover, cold on a salad!

Cooking Light-ly

Currently, I’m a stay at home woman. I prefer this title to homemaker, stay at home wife (since I’m not a wife), and unemployed (since stay at home woman is a full time job). The last couple of months have shown me the sheer amount of work that goes into being a stay at home woman, the meal planning, the grocery shopping, the cooking, the cleaning, the piles of laundry doing, the trash out-taking (and in San Francisco the recycling and stinky, sticky food compost out-taking), the plumber and painter coordinating, the list goes on and on. I will always have a special place in my heart for the men and women that stay home to ensure the lives of their loved ones run smoothly and with extra benefits like hot dinner when they get home, occasional homemade desserts and little projects completed (like tightening the screws on the dining chairs so guests don’t fall to the floor, not that that happened to us).

Although my time as a stay at home woman hasn’t been without mental breakdowns (one begins to wonder about one’s life purpose when one’s biggest outing involves grocery shopping), I have also enjoyed almost endless amounts of time to dream up new recipes. Unfortunately, lots of time to cook and bake leads to lots and lots of eating at all times and I’m not sure the boyfriend is particularly happy about that. We did join a gym, and I’m about to head to my first tennis lesson (I have to keep up my stay at home woman skills), but the extra cakes and cookies have started taking their toll.

So, I bring you cooking lightly! Here's one recipe that is delicious and won’t leave you thinking you need dinner #2 in order to survive the rest of the night because it is so light.

**Disclaimer: I’m only taking a short break from my graduate studies and my California RN license has yet to appear. Also, Dan is super helpful with house chores, I just happen to be home all day to get it all done!

Chipotle Chicken Taco Salad

(Pic is a little blurry!)

YIELD: 4 servings (serving size: 2 1/2 cups), 249 calories per serving

Ingredients

Dressing:

    1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro

    2/3 cup light sour cream

    1 tablespoon minced chipotle chile, canned in adobo sauce (this is spicy, so don’t go nuts and put in the while can…my mouth was on fire with just one, but I’m a little sensitive to the pepper heat)

    1 teaspoon ground cumin

    1 teaspoon chili powder

    4 teaspoons fresh lime juice

    1/4 teaspoon salt

Salad:

    4 cups shredded romaine lettuce

    2 cups chopped roasted skinless, boneless chicken breasts (about 2 breasts)

    1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved

    1/2 cup diced peeled avocado

    1/3 cup thinly vertically sliced red onion

    1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained

    1 (8 3/4-ounce) can no-salt-added whole-kernel corn, rinsed and drained

Preparation

To prepare dressing, combine first 7 ingredients, stirring well.

To prepare salad, combine lettuce and remaining ingredients in a large bowl. Drizzle dressing over salad; toss gently to coat. Serve immediately.

We served this salad with our fave chips from TJs, the veggie & flaxseed tortilla chips…it makes you feel healthy just looking at ‘em!