Chick-fil-A Bites with Honey Mustard Dipping Sauce Let me start out by saying that I don’t eat fast food like, ever. Ok, there was that one incident involving McDonalds and a particularly happy happy hour a few weeks ago, but as a general rule of thumb no, never. Greasy burgers and deep fat fried onion rings and fries are totally unhealthy, and I end up feeling like crap for about 2 days afterward indulging. It’s just not even close to worth it. However. There are exceptions, naturally. ;) Three of them, in fact – In-N-Out Burger (monkey style, please,) Five Guys (gimme them Cajun fries,) and Chick-fil-A. Among the three, Chick-fil-A stands out for specializing in succulent, crispy breaded chicken that is always tender, all-white meat, and so dang juicy – plus the seasonings they use are just right. Imagine how tickled I was after coming across a copycat recipe I could make at home and customize to use a fraction of the oil the real restaurant uses, but still have it taste exactly like the real thing?! These babies are insane! Serves 2 Dunked…
hoisin barbecue sauce If there are any structural flaws to the standard backyard barbecue event (or as we do it in NYC, the standard rooftop barbecue event) it is that plates, forks and standing don’t go well together, especially if you are carrying a beer, or say, a Pimm’s cup, and let’s be honest–when am I not? Sure, we’ve overcome this issue with various bunnage, from hotdogs to burgers and kielbasa, but outside the meat, veggie burger and salads-that-can-be-scooped departments, you’re still SOOL if you crave vegetables while standing. Alex and I have been getting around it this summer with the not-exactly-revolutionary use of skewers, but this doesn’t mean they have to be boring. We’ve done kielbasa slices with peppers and onions, smothered in spicy mustard and mixed vegetables with my mom’s balsamic/soy/garlic marinade. Aw, shucks: Please don’t go! One year ago: Silky Cauliflower Soup, Deb’s Caesar Dressing, Tuna Salad with Pepperoncini and Dill Hoisin Barbecue Sauce Adapted from Food & Wine June, 2001
His Mercy Endureth Forever: New Recipe As I stated in a previous post, I have found through Pinterest a new Food Blog that has some neat recipes. I decided to try this particular recipe this evening. It was absolutely delicious and a HUGE hit with the kids (which is always a winning recipe in my book). However, it does have some negatives that I wanted to share. Anyway, I did a couple of things different. Baked Sweet and Sour Chicken The chicken coating: 3-4 boneless chicken breasts salt + pepper 1 cup cornstarch 2 eggs, beaten 1/4 cup canola oil The sweet and sour sauce: 3/4 cup sugar 4 tbs ketchup 1/2 cup vinegar 1 tbs soy sauce 1 tsp garlic salt Start by preheating your oven to 325 degrees.
Chicken Breasts with Cilantro and Red Thai Curry Peanut Sauce (Next up for our Month of Daily Phase One recipes, this amazing and simple recipe with sauteed chicken breasts topped with a sauce flavored with cilantro, ginger, garlic, peanut butter, coconut milk, and red Thai curry paste. This is one of my all-time favorite ways to cook chicken breasts, first posted in 2007. The recipe has been needing new photos for a long time so it makes me very happy to be able to give it an update!) When I featured Thai Kitchen Lite Coconut Milk for Kalyn's Kitchen Picks, along with my recipe for Thai Chicken Soup, I promised another great recipe using coconut milk, and I loved this chicken recipe with coconut milk in the sauce. The recipe has a few key ingredients which are blended to make a creamy peanut/curry/ginger paste. I found the recipe in one of my newest cookbooks, Fine Cooking Annual. Trim the chicken breasts so they're all kind of the same shape, cutting off any visible fat or ragged pieces. Instructions: Finely mince the ginger and garlic.
Pineapple Rice Recipe I've been to Hawaii two times. Once when I was sixteen, and again when I was twenty. Once to Maui, once to Kona. I remember it being lush and vibrant, achingly beautiful. I used canned pineapple here along with the juice from the can, if you have access to good, fresh pineapple I encourage you to use that in the dressing. If you're looking for alternate ways to play with these ingredients, I should also mention I did an egg-fried rice version of this with the leftovers that really hit the spot. You can use extra-virgin coconut oil in the dressing instead of the macadamia, olive or sunflower oils if you like. Start by making the dressing. In an extra-large bowl toss the mizuna with a generous splash of the dressing. You can serve the rice portion of this recipe room temperature or hot - Wayne really loved the hot version, and so did I. Serves 2- 4, main vs. side. Inspired by and (heavily) adapted from a recipe in the Summer 2009 Edible Hawaiian Islands publication. Print Recipe
Chicken Rolls with Asparagus and Mozzarella « Better Balanced Life The other day I walked into Fairway and right in front of me were these petite asparagus spears – they looked perfect for the chicken rolls that were dancing around in my head and with that, an impromptu recipe was born. After picking up some thin chicken cutlets, I was ready to cook - I had everything else at home, making this an easy weeknight recipe that takes little thought, effort, or preparation. Ingredients 4 chicken cutlets, pounded thin and evenly1 bunch of asparagus1 tsp. olive oilpart-skim mozzarella cheesenon-stick cooking spraysalt and pepper, for seasoning meatwhole wheat bread crumbs Chicken rolls w/ asparagus and mozzarella! Directions Sautee asparagus in olive oil until bright green. That’s it – veggies plus protein in one fell swoop and a nice way to switch up chicken and vegetables! *October 31, 2012 update: It might take a little longer than 10 minutes to cook your chicken depending on the strength of your oven, size of cutlets, etc. Like this: Like Loading...
Chicken Parmigiana This is one of the go-to dishes I make for my family of six. Rich, flavorful, and totally satisfying, we all love it, including my big, strapping cowboy of a husband. And that’s a very, very good thing. Break out the good Parmesan for this one, my friends. Begin with four to six boneless, skinless, trimmed chicken breasts. I’m actually beginning to believe fear of raw chicken is a diagnosable phobia. Place the chicken breasts inside of a Ziploc bag—either one at a time or, if the bag is gigantic like this one, all at once. I put them inside Ziplocs so that when I pound the heck out of them here in a second, microscopic particles of raw chicken will not end up across the room on my computer’s keyboard. Now THAT would gross me out the door. Pound the chicken with the smooth side of a mallet. You want them to be very thin–about 1/8 to 1/4″ thick. Add the flour to a large plate. And pepper. Then season the other side. The raw chicken is almost over. Now it’s ready to cook! And butter. Mmmm. Oh!
Asparagus Stir-Fry Recipe Someone crashed into my car the other night. Not just once, multiple times. I tell you this not because I'm upset about my car - quite frankly, I hardly ever drive it. I should note a few things here. I mention this up above in the main post, but be sure you have all your ingredients prepped and ready to go before you start actually stir-frying. toasted sesame oil 8 ounces extra-firm tofu, cut into slices thick as a pencil 4 green onions, thinly sliced scant 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger (peeled) 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes 1/2 a bunch of asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces a couple big pinches of fine-grain sea salt 3 cloves garlic, chopped 1 big handful of toasted cashews, chopped up a bit a few handfuls of spinach, or chopped kale, or chopped chard zest and juice of one lime 2 tablespoons hoisin sauce 1 small handful fresh mint, slivered 1 small handful fresh basil, slivered Have all your ingredients prepped and within arms reach of the stove. Print Recipe