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Quick Grilled Rosemary Chicken and Sweet Potato
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Quick Grilled Rosemary Chicken and Sweet Potato

Lyn is on a strict diet and I am on my own for meals but she made me promise to eat healthy and none of those bachelor meals eaten over the sink to save on plates. I feel I have done pretty well for the last two weeks. Only once did I go with a meal of prepackage frozen mac and cheese from Annie’s but it was organic and not bad. I think it is hard to cook for one, not sure about you but I tend to get more inventive no creative when I cook for someone else.  But on the other hand I am more willing to try something if I know that I will be the only one eating who cares if it was a failure, one learns from them.  I started with this grilled chicken, sweet potato and roasted cauliflower on the side. Ok I forgot to take a picture with the cauliflower you caught me.

Ingredients

  • 1 skinless chicken breast split
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 Tbsp. garlic rosemary oil (I had a lot of rosemary from the garden so infused some oil, 1 just rosemary and one with rosemary and garlic)
  • Some fresh chopped rosemary.
  • 1-Sweet potato and cauliflower

How

Rinse and dry the chicken very well

Salt and pepper rub with olive oil

Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 20-30 minutes.

Preheat the grill to high and clean off the grates

Grill trying only to turn once until done about 160 degree internally about 4-5 minutes per side.

Remove, cover and let sit for at least 10 minutes

Slice against the grain

See recipe for roasting vegetables.

Cook the sweet potato in the microwave so it is partially cooked then finish on the grill

Against the Grain

I not talking about rubbing someone the wrong way, I’m talking about the way to cut most meats so that they are tenderer a better chew if you will. We read it in cookbooks all the time: “Slice thinly against the grain.” But what does slicing against the grain really mean?

  • The grain is the most important characteristic: it is the direction which the muscle fibers are aligned, and properly identifying it can make the difference between tough and tender. Take a close look at your meat, and you’ll see that just like wood, it’s got a grain.
  • Grill marks are probably the lines most often confused with grain. Many a time, I’ve seen some start slicing meat at a 90° angle to the grill marks, rather than to the natural grain of the meat (which may or may not coincide with those grill marks).
  • Can’t see the grain well sometime if you bend the piece of meat you can see it or a thin slice on the end and then look at the cross section for the direction. I can’t tell you how many times I look at the grain precooking and then after I grill it is sometimes hard to tell.
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Halftime White Turkey Chili
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Halftime White Turkey Chili

Nothing better than the fall it brings sweatshirt weather and football, not to mention the trees start to put on a show of their own. I grew up in the music department at Norwood high and spent at 4 years at every football game marching, first with those high topped hats then in our Norwood blue blazers and white bucks, ahhh white bucks. My most favorite memory is the one parade where they stuck us behind the cows or horses, I had it better than most I played the trombone, was in the first row and could see it coming.

I also like squash soups, butternut being my favorite fall treat.

We love Wholefoods and found this recipe on their site for a chili with a different twist from the red Chili we all picture in our minds eye. It makes for perfect halftime eating on a crisp autumn day.

Go Pats!

 

Ingredients:

  •  1 1/2 tablespoon olive oil, divided
  • 2 pounds ground turkey breast
  • 1 green bell pepper, cored, seeded and chopped
  • 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
  • 1 tsp. ground coriander
  • 2 Tbsp. ground cumin
  • 1 tsp. dried oregano
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 can tomatillos, drained and chopped
  • 1 can diced green chiles, drained
  • 1 small jalapeño, seeded and finely sliced
  • 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
  • 3 cups cooked Great Northern beans, drained
  • Chopped cilantro, for garnish (optional)
  • 7 tsps. grated Monterey Jack cheese, for garnish (optional)
  • 7 tsps. sour cream, for garnish (optional)

How:

Heat 1/2 tablespoon of the oil in a large pot over medium high heat. Add turkey and cook, stirring often, until browned. Transfer to a bowl and return pot to heat. Add remaining 1 tablespoon oil, bell pepper and onion and cook until softened and golden brown. Return turkey to pot and add coriander, cumin, oregano and salt. Stir well to combine. Add bay leaf, tomatillos, chiles, jalapeños and broth, reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, 45 to 50 minutes. Gently stir in beans and cook for 30 minutes more. Stir in cilantro, ladle chili into bowls and garnish with cheese and sourcream and Beer, if you like.

 

History of Chili

From International Chili Society

Perhaps it is the effect of Capisicum spices upon man’s mind; for, in the immortal words of Joe DeFrates, the only man ever to win the National and the World Chili Championships, “Chili powder makes you crazy.” That may say it all. To keep things straight, chile refers to the pepper pod, and chili to the concoction. The e and the i of it all.

The great debate, it seems, is not limited to whose chili is best. Even more heated is the argument over where the first bowl was made; and by whom. Estimates range from “somewhere west of Laramie,” in the early nineteenth century – being a product of a Texas trail drive – to a grisly tale of       enraged Aztecs, who cut up invading Spanish conquistadors, seasoned chunks of them with a passel of chile peppers, and ate them.   More

Coffee and Spice Rubbed Boneless Chicken Breast with BBQ Raspberry Sauce.
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Coffee and Spice Rubbed Boneless Chicken Breast with BBQ Raspberry Sauce.

We bought this Coffee and Spice rub at Williams and Sonoma outlet store and tried it on Steak and fish but it just couldn’t find the right fit. For some reason the combination of this with chicken did not appeal to me so I never went there, but my wife did the other night and we both enjoyed it very much. So yesterday after returning home from Wholefoods with some air chilled chicken breasts I grab one and rubbed it with the Coffee rub, wrapped it and left in frig overnight.   I decided that I would use some of the Raspberry BBQ sauce as a last minute glaze and the combo was very good. Juicy, Tender, Melt in our mouth. This got the two heads bobbing approval from Lyn and I.

Ingredients

  • 1 boneless Chicken breast
  • Coffee and spice rub
  • Raspberry BBQ sauce (I had left over from the Rib Eye steak in the frig)

How

Liberally rub the chicken breast with the coffee rub, wrap and refrigerate. I refrigerated overnight but I think at least 3 hours would work.

Preheat and prepare the grill, I like to rub some olive oil on the grates to help with sticking

Place chicken breast on grill and grill for 4-5 minutes flip and repeat.

Brush on raspberry sauce and grill sauce side down for 1 to 1.5 minutes

Brush on remaining sauce and flip cook about 1 minute.

Note: each grill is different so you will have to determine the length for doneness.

Remove from grill and left sit loosely covered with tin foil for 8 minutes.

Slice and serve.

Bahn Mi-Style Turkey Burger
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Bahn Mi-Style Turkey Burger

This is a two heads bobbing approval from Lyn and Steve

Lyn says it’s like a Big Mac but good for you. Now remember we have not had a Big Mac in years so can only go by what our memory says they taste like but she was very close in her description. You just have to try this even if you hate the thought of a turkey burger.

Weight Watchers Recipe

Prep time:  15 min

Cook time:  10 min

Serves: 4

A taste of Vietnam in an American favorite. Serve with grilled corn and peppers for a marvelous meal.

Ingredients

  • 2 spray(s) cooking spray

Slaw

  • 1 cup(s) packaged coleslaw mix (shredded cabbage and carrots)    I used broccoli and carrots coleslaw mix.
  • 1/4 cup(s) English cucumber(s), julienned or sliced super thin
  • 1 Tbsp. fresh lime juice, or to taste
  • Added some seasoned rice wine vinegar
  • 1/4 tsp. kosher salt

 Burger

  • 1 pound(s) uncooked 93% lean ground turkey
  • 2 Tbsp. cilantro, fresh, finely chopped
  • 1 Tbsp. low-sodium soy sauce
  • 1 Tbsp. ginger root, grated or finely chopped
  • 1-2 clove(s) (medium) garlic clove(s), finely chopped
  • 4 tsp. reduced-calorie mayonnaise
  • 1 tsp. chili sauce, sweet variety
  • 4 muffin(s) light English muffin, toasted I used a whole wheat organic hamburger bun for mine Lyn likes the English muffins.

How

Coat a large griddle, outdoor grill rack or stove top grill pan with cooking spray; preheat to medium-high.

I used a Panini grill it cut the cooking time in half

In a medium bowl, combine slaw mix, cucumber, lime juice and salt; toss to coat and set aside.

In a large bowl, combine turkey, cilantro, soy sauce, ginger and garlic; divide mixture into four balls and then gently press each one into a 4-inch patty.

In a small bowl, combine mayonnaise and chili sauce.

Grill or broil patties until internal temperature of burgers reaches 165°F, about 4 to 5 minutes per side.

Spread half of each English muffin with 1 1/4 teaspoon chili-mayonnaise; top with a burger, a scant 1/3 cup slaw mixture and a muffin top.

Yields 1 burger per serving.

Notes

The slaw that tops these burgers is quite basic. For added flavor, add some seasoned rice wine vinegar, minced cilantro, hot chili oil or hot sauce

Ingredients  Turkey Burger ready to grill  Turkey Burger slaw and sauce

Cooked Turkey Burgers  Turkey Burger on Whole Wheat bun  Turkey burger plated bun Turkey Burger on English Muffin weight watchers picture

Other recipes from stevesacooking

Turkey burger

Grilled Turkey Salisbury Steaks with Tomatoes and Cheddar Sauce

Ginger, Corn Chicken Soup
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Ginger, Corn Chicken Soup

Saturday was a rainy day and we had lots to do since we both work full time jobs our weekends are probably like yours weekends are for errands and you try to stick something fun in there. Today was movie day we were going to see Dark Shadows having grown up when it was on TV we were both looking forward to it. Well, we give it 2 stars but were basically disappointed. Anyway after the errands we were ready for something warming so I opened the frig and said what to do we have then I remembered that Lyn had torn out a chicken soup recipe so I took a glance and then did my own thing based on this ginger chicken noodle soup recipe from First for women 3/26/12. This was a quick prep and complete meal and good for leftover chicken based.  I thought about adding a pinch of red-hot peppers but the ginger added just the right amount of spice, my version got the two heads bobbing of approval.

Ingredient

  • 1 medium red bell pepper seeded and sliced
  • 1 medium peeled and chopped Vidalia onion
  • 2 cup sliced carrots (about 4 medium to larger)
  • 1 Cup sliced celery
  • 1 Tbsp. Olive oil
  • 1 (1/4” thick) piece of fresh ginger peeled
    • We keep slices in the freezer
  • 6 cups low sodium chicken broth
  • 2 cups cook chicken (had some left over)
  • Kernels from two ears of corn maybe a 1 >1/2 cups
  • ½ cup scallions
  • ½ cup fresh cilantro
  • Star pasta – you can use any noodles you want we had these on hand.

How

In saucepan over medium heat cook peppers, carrots and onions in oil for about 3 minutes until tender but still crisp, stirring occasionally.

Add ginger and broth increase heat to high and bring to boil. Reduce to medium heat and simmer for 5 minutes then add the corn kernels and continue to simmer for another 5-7 minutes. Stir scallions and cilantro and let simmer for 2 more minutes. Discard ginger.

While this is simmering cook the star pasta as directed on box. We prefer to keep separate from soup so it does not absorb too much of the liquid.

Scoop some of the star pasts into bowl then some soup sit down and warm your soul.

Brined, Baked and Grilled Root Beer Chicken
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Brined, Baked and Grilled Root Beer Chicken

Ingredients

1 chicken breast bone in

Olive oil to drizzle

Fresh ground pepper

 

As mentioned in my About I  flow of thought writing here is a taste.

How: I had been seeing a lot of articles and recipes for brining chicken for the grill, supposedly it help the chicken retain more moisture. I have only brined a few things and in my head it was the salt it seemed like everything would end up salty. (not true but my head said so)  So I decided to just brine for a short period. I had a chicken breast bone in and placed it in a solution of maybe 1/3 cup maple sugar, a little less than that of kosher salt and then added water to cover. I shook it all about as the old song goes and placed in frig for about ½ hour. I rinsed the chicken well and paper towel dried then rubbed with a little olive oil and fresh ground pepper. The in a 4500 oven for 15-17 minutes down to 300 for 5 minutes turned the oven off and heated up the grill. When the grill was ready I grabbed the Chicken out of the oven and Root bear BBQ sauce I made for the pulled pork, brushed the chicken and place on grill skin side up. I basted every few minutes turned to crisp the skin (which I stole and ate before serving shhhh) when it was about 1650 about 10-15 minutes. I took off grill and loosely covered with foil for about 5 minutes Ok I cheated it was 4 minutes I was really hungry.  I have to say it got the head bobbing up and down approval from Lyn and me, moist and tasty and the sauce just topped it off. I had some grill asparagus left over which I drizzled with some balsamic vinegar and some left over sweet potatoes that Lyn had baked. This was a not so quick but easy work night meal.

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Turkey Burger
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Turkey Burger

I can’t believe I had not posted this before, I thought I did so I never thought to look. This is a pretty standard for us a good red meat alternative. I never make the same but similar so when I had all these left over roasted vegetables the other day I quickly threw them in.

Ingredients

  • 1 Lbs. ground white turkey meat
  • 1-2 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
  • ¼ roasted sweet or red onion minced
  • ¼ roasted red bell pepper minced
  • ¼ roasted potatoes minced
  • Pinch of red pepper flakes
  • Pinch of fresh cilantro minced

How

Combine all ingredients, form patties and pan fry or grill until done.

Real hard huh? Usually we just do the mustard.

Grilling is tricky since the patties can tend to be very loose just be patient and let set before you flip them. I suppose you could add some bread crumbs to bind not sure if that would do the trick or not any suggestions out there?

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Poached-Chicken Salad Roll Up with Creamy Vinaigrette
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Poached-Chicken Salad Roll Up with Creamy Vinaigrette

Adapted from a recipe from the Tasting Table Test Kitchen

Had to use what I had on hand.

Yield: Serves 4

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

  • Two 6-ounce boneless, skinless chicken breasts
  • 2½ tsp. kosher salt
  • 2 tsp. extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 medium shallot, halved and thinly sliced
  • 2 garlic cloves, smashed
  • 10 sprigs fresh thyme
  • 2 dried bay leaves
  • 2 cups chicken broth or stock
  • 1 cup water
  • 1.5 Tbsp. lemon juice or the left over lemon from juicing

 

  • Whole wheat roll up (low carb)

Salad

  • ¼ cup sunflower seeds or more
  • 2 Tbsp. Lemon juice or juice of one lemon
  • 1 Tbsp. Trader Joe’s Dijon mustard
  • 1 Tbsp. finely chopped fresh tarragon
  • 1 tsp. kosher salt
  • ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • 2 celery stalks–trimmed, peeled and thinly sliced on a bias
  • 3 scallions, white and light green part only, thinly sliced

How:

Poach the chicken: Set the chicken on a plate and season with ½ teaspoon of the salt. Set aside for 20 minutes at room temperature. Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan set over medium heat, add the olive oil, shallot and garlic and cook, stirring often, until the shallot is translucent, 4 to 5 minutes. Stir in the thyme sprigs, bay leaves and remaining 2 teaspoons of salt, then pour in the chicken broth and water.

If using whole lemon, juice the lemon and set the lemon juice aside for the vinaigrette. Add the juiced lemon halves or 1.5 Tablespoons juice to the saucepan, bring the broth to a simmer, then add the chicken breasts and reduce the heat to low. Gently cook the chicken in the broth until it registers 160° on an instant-read thermometer, about 30 minutes. Turn off the heat and cool the chicken in the broth for 10 minutes, then remove the chicken breasts from the broth and set on a paper-towel-lined plate to cool for 10 minutes. When the chicken breasts are cool enough to handle, use two forks to shred them into shards. Set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, mustard, tarragon and salt together. While whisking, slowly drizzle in the olive oil until all of the olive oil is added and the vinaigrette is thick and creamy. Add the pulled chicken to the bowl along with the sunflower seeds, celery and scallions. Gently toss to coat and serve on roll up, buns or wrapped in lettuce leaves.

Oven Roasted Chicken
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Oven Roasted Chicken

Two Sundays ago Lyn and I were driving around doing our errands when I made the announced that I had a craving for roasted chicken. We pulled into the Stop and Shop, not our usual choice for meats Whole Foods is, but they have Natures Prides which is not that bad, definitely less expensive. Anyway I grabbed a 5 pound chicken and a Cara Cara Orange*, you can use any kind of orange but I never noticed a Cara Cara orange before so what the heck I took a chance.  The orange was actually good when I cut it open and saw the reddish color my first reaction was grapefruit but it was sweet and more like a naval orange. I would buy again.

Ingredients

  • 4-5 pound roasting chicken
  • 1 Cara Cara orange sliced in eights
    • I like to add a fruit in the cavity it adds some moisture and flavor so whether it is lime, lemon, orange or a combination does not matter.
  • 1 small to medium red onion sliced in eights
  • 4-5 cloves of garlic gently crushed just a little
  • A handful of fresh thyme
  • 1 Tbsp. olive oil
  • Kosher Salt and pepper
  • Your favorite poultry rub I used mine which I made a long time ago and can’t remember what exactly is in it.
    • Williams-Sonoma makes a good one. We’ve combined kosher salt, black pepper and garlic with traditional herbs and spices, including fennel, thyme and cayenne. Hints of tangy lemon and aromatic mustard add a lively finishing touch.
    • 3-4 thicker carrots slice in 1 inch pieces
    • 3-4 potatoes quartered or smaller depending on size
    • 2-3 red onions quartered
    • Whole garlic cloves if you want

How

Preheat oven to 4500

Remove the giblets etc. and set aside to make a chicken broth future use or toss it. Rinse the chicken inside and out and dry with a paper towel. Optional with handle side of regular dinning knife or fingers loosen the skin from the breast and place a sage leaf on both sides or push some butter mixed with some of the poultry rub.  I usually do something like this but not this time. Lyn says too much fat……

Fold the wings under

Season the cavity with salt and pepper.

Stuff with onion, garlic, orange and thyme.

Sprinkle the rub on the bottom side of chicken, drizzle some olive oil and give it a good massage, do the same to the other side and then grind some pepper all over the top. Tie the legs together to hold the stuffing in and give the chicken a more uniformed shape.

Place in roasting pan on middle rack and roast for 30 minutes. Take out and close the oven door. Drain about half of dripping add the vegetables making sure that the potatoes are cut side down.

Return to oven reduce heat to 3250  roast for 30-40 minutes more until juices run clear and temps is about 160-1650

Remove from oven place on platter cover loosely with tin foil for about 15 minutes before carving.

Now decide how crispy you want the vegetables and whether you want to drain the drippings out of not. So depending on what you decide either turn off the oven now or not…

I wrote this recipe from memory I do not think I forgot anything but I feel every cooking experience should have a little experimentation in it how else can we/you discover new taste treats.

Roasted Chicken with Onions, Carrots and Potatoes                  Roasted Chicken with Onions, Carrots and Potatoes

Cara-Cara-Naval * The Cara cara navel, or red navel orange is an early-to-midseason navel orange believed to have developed as a cross between the Washington navel and the Brazilian Bahia navel. Discovered at the Hacienda de Cara Cara in Valencia, Venezuela in 1976, the parentage is apparently uncertain enough to occasionally warrant the distinction of a mutation, with only the tree on which it was found—the Washington navel—being an accepted progenitor. Cara caras did not enter the U.S consumer produce market until the late 1980s and were carried only by specialty markets for many years thereafter. From Wikipedia

Grilled Turkey Salisbury Steaks with Tomatoes and Cheddar Sauce
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Grilled Turkey Salisbury Steaks with Tomatoes and Cheddar Sauce

For a long time we made turkey or chicken burgers but they always came out too dry and bland.

I came up with the idea of adding some Dijon mustard to spice it up and we have been doing that forever. Then Lyn found this and we tried our twist to it. It got the two chewing heads bobbing approval!

Classic Salisbury steak is a patty made of ground beef and seasonings that is fried in butter or oil and smothered in a brown sauce. Although it was once considered health food by its inventor–a 19th century English-American physician named James Salisbury–it’s really not. This grilled version, made with ground turkey breast and fresh vegetables and smothered in a low-fat cheese sauce, makes the grade.

Adapted from Now Eat This … Cookstr

Ingredients

  • 1 pound ground turkey breast
  • 1-2 Tbsp Dijon mustard (We like trader Joe’s it is spicy as heck)
  • 2 Tbsp chopped fresh rosemary
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • Nonstick olive oil cooking spray
  • 2 medium heirloom tomatoes, cut into ½-inch-thick slices
  • 1  medium red onion, cut into ½-inch-thick slices
  • 1 cup evaporated skim milk
  • 1 Tbsp cornstarch
  • ½ cup shredded low-fat cheddar cheese

How

1. Preheat Panini grill pan to sear or grill.

2. In a medium bowl, combine the turkey and rosemary until well combined. Divide the mixture into 4 equal portions. Form each portion into an oval patty about 3 inches wide, 5 inches long, and 1 inch thick. Season the turkey “steaks” with salt and pepper to taste, and spray them lightly with olive oil spray. Place them on the hot grill.

3. Spray the tomato and onion slices with olive oil spray, and season them with salt and pepper to taste. Place them on the Panini grill next to the turkey steaks. Grill the turkey steaks and onions for 3 to 6 minutes. Grill the tomato until charred and warmed through, about 2 minutes.

If you are using as a flat grill then 3-4 minutes per side for onion and burger and 2 minutes for tomatoes.

4. Meanwhile, whisk the evaporated milk into the cornstarch in a small bowl. Pour the mixture into a small saucepan, and bring it to a boil over high heat, whisking constantly. Reduce the heat to low and continue to cook until the sauce has thickened, about 1 minute. Whisk the cheese into the sauce until melted. Season the sauce with salt and pepper to taste.

5. Pile the tomato and onion slices on top of the turkey steaks. Spoon the cheese sauce on top, and serve.

Turkey Salisbury Steak                                   Turkey Salisbury Steak

Turkey Salisbury Steak