Kielbasa

For a pot luck at work, a colleague brought in kielbasa that I just had to get the recipe for.  Here it is.  Don’t tell people its ingredients until after they’ve sung your praises.  We usually have it over mashed potatoes.

12 oz. grape jelly melted
3 links kielbasa sausage
1 jar of chili sauce
2 Tbs. lemon juice

Slice the kielbasa then brown it in a frying pan. Put the sausage into a slow cooker on low with the remaining ingredients. Simmer for at least 3 hours. Serve with roasted potatoes.

Chicken Cordon Bleu

Captain Console really missed this dish when he learned he had celiac’s disease.  So it quickly became a regular on our dinner table when I made it gluten free and he could enjoy it again.  

4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
4 tsp. honey mustard
4 thin slices of turkey ham
4 slices of swiss cheese
1/3 c egg beaters
1/2 c bread crumbs, seasoned with black pepper and salt

Flatten each chicken breast. Spread each breast with mustard, then top it with the ham, then the cheese. Roll up the chicken breast and secure with toothpicks. Dip the chicken in egg beaters then roll it in bread crumbs.

Place in a lightly greased baking pan. bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Cover loosely with foil and bake for 15 to 20 minutes more until the chicken is done.

Beer Can Chicken

My mom and dad made this delicious beer can chicken for us on memorial day (hence the patriotic American flag).  It was so moist and delicious.  They used A Cappella Gluten Free Beer by the James Page Brewery.

¼ cup coarse salt

¼ cup brown sugar

¼ cup sweet paprika

2 tablespoons pepper, freshly ground

1 can beer

One 4 lb. chicken

2 teaspoons vegetable oil

2 cups wood chips*

1.  To make the rub, in a small bowl combine salt, sugar, paprika and pepper.  Stir to mix.  Remove 2 tablespoons for the chicken and store the rest in an airtight jar, away from heat and light, for future grilling.  It will keep for at least 6 months.

2.  Pop the beer can top.  Pour half over the wood chips.  With a church-key opener, make 2 additional holes in the can top.  Reserve half-filled can.

3.  Rinse the chicken well, drain and dry.  Sprinkle 1 teaspoon of the rub in the body cavity and ½ teaspoon inside the neck cavity.  Rub the oil over the outside of the chicken, sprinkle 1 tablespoon of the spice rub over the skin, patting it down well.  Spoon the remaining  1 to 1 ½ teaspoons the rub into the open beer can.

4.  Hold the bird with the body-cavity opening down and lower the bird onto the beer can.  Pull the chicken legs forward into a sort of tripod so the bird stands upright.  Tuck the wing tips behind the chicken’s back.

5.  Set up a grill for indirect heating and preheat to medium.  If using a charcoal grill, place a large drip pan in the center and preheat to medium.

6.  When you’re ready to cook, if using a charcoal grill, toss all the wood chips and chunks onto the fire.  Stand the chicken in the center of the hot grate over the drip pan and away from the heat.  Cover and grill the chicken until the skin is crisp and the meat is cooked through (180F on a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh, but not touching the bone, about 1 ¼ to 1 ½ hours).  If using a charcoal grill, you’ll need to add 12 fresh coals after 1 hour.  If the chicken skin starts to brown too much, tent the bird loosely with foil.

7.  When the chicken is done, hold the bird by the can using heavy tongs and transfer it upright to a platter.  Let it rest 5 minutes, then carefully lift the bird off the can.  Serve.

 

Beef and Broccoli Stir Fry

This is one of our favorite recipes.  Sometimes with make it with pork, chicken, or mushrooms, but we always have steamed broccoli. You can probably add any vegetables you want like roasted peppers or snow peas.  

1/3 c Tamari Sauce

2 Tablespoons lime juice

3 Tablespoons brown sugar

1 teaspoon sesame or peanut oil

3 Tablespoons ketchup

3 minced garlic cloves

 

Start the water boiling to steam some broccoli.

In a small bowl combine all of the ingredients and stir well. (to mince garlic chop it as small as you can). You can keep the sauce refrigerated for about a month.

Put the broccoli into your steamer.

In a frying pan heat enough oil to cover the bottom (on medium) then add in your stir fry ingredients (such as chopped chicken, beef, mushrooms, etc…). Add the sauce and simmer until sauce slightly thickens.  Serve over rice and steamed broccoli.

Pork Medallions with Lemon-Thyme Sauce

I typically serve this with a mix of wild and white rice, and a side of vegetables- roasted asparagus is particularly good. 

• 2 tsp. olive oil
• 3/4 lb. pork tenderloin, cut into 1/4 inch slices
• 1/2 tsp. dried thyme leaves, crumbled
• 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 Tablespoon cornstarch
• 1 1/2 Tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 cup cool chicken broth

1. In a large nonstick pan, heat the olive oil. Add the pork in a single layer and sprinkle with the thyme, salt, and ground black pepper. Saute for 2 minutes then turn over and saute until cooked through (2 to 3 minutes).
2. Put the broth in a small bowl then add the cornstarch and stir until smooth. Pour the broth into the skillet with the lemon juice and simmer until slighlty thickened and heated through (about 1 minute).

Chicken Fried Rice

Always remember to make the rice the night before.

• 1/2 pound ground chicken
• 2 eggs
• 1 tablespoons Tamari sauce
• 1/2 large yellow onion, minced
• Juice of 1/2 lemon
• 1/2 teaspoon ginger powder
• kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 1/2 bag frozen corn (6 ounces)
• 1/2 bag garden peas
• 2 cups cold, cooked (3/4 uncooked) long-grain rice, brown and white combination, preferably day-old so it’s nice and dry*

1. Heat a wok or large saute pan over medium-high heat. Lightly coat with oil. When oil shimmers add chicken, season with salt and pepper, and brown, breaking up any large chunks with wooden spoon or spatula. Remove chicken to a plate.
2. Add about 1/2-inch oil to wok and allow to heat; add eggs, which will puff up. Cook scrambled eggs and remove to a paper towel-lined plate. If necessary, add more oil to wok to lightly coat, then add onions and powdered ginger, and cook until nicely caramelized, about 5 minutes.
3. Add corn, rice, chicken and egg, and toss to combine. Add naturally brewed soy sauce, toss to combine, and check for seasoning. Place mound of raw spinach in center of four dinner plates. Drizzle with lemon juice and season. Top with fried rice to cover. Serves 4
4. *Alternatively, if you’re not cooking rice the day before, place the cooked rice in a single layer on a sheet tray, and place in freezer to cool and dry.

Spicy Sausage and Egg

I tried this recipe from my friend Nicola’s food blog http://lemonandcheese.blogspot.com/  I couldn’t find the type of sausage she used so I used chorizo instead. It was a great little breakfast.

2 eggs 

low fat plain yoghurt

2 large chives

squeeze of lemon juice

2 chorizo sausages, casings removed

Chop the chives and add all but a handful to the yogurt along with the lemon juice. Divide between two serving bowls.

Bring a pan of water to the boil for the eggs. In a small frying pan, cook the sausages until cooked through then put it in top of the yogurt.

Meanwhile, poach your eggs in the boiling water. When they are done put a poached egg on top of the sausages and sprinkle over the remaining chives.

 

Crispy Stuffed Chicken Breasts

I made these delicious chicken breasts tonight.  To reduce the prep time you could buy some soft cheese with the garlic and herbs already mixed in.  I used the biggest chicken breasts I could find and started making the incision with a butcher knife on the wide end then switched to a boning knife to get down to the skinny tip.  

• 1/8 tsp pepper, black, freshly ground
• 2-3 sun-dried tomatoes, diced
• 2 clove garlic, crushed
• 1 tsp fresh parsley
• 75 g low-fat cream cheese
• 3 skinless chicken breasts
• 1 medium egg
• 75 g fresh breadcrumbs

Preheat the oven to 400°F.

In a bowl, mix together the garlic, tomatoes, black pepper, and parsley with the cheese. Cut a deep pocket in each chicken breast, taking care not to cut right through, then stuff the soft cheese mixture inside, closing the flesh around the stuffing as far as possible.

Beat the egg with some water in a shallow dish, and spread the breadcrumbs out on a plate.

Dip each chicken breast first in the egg mixture and then in crumbs to coat all over. Place on a non stick-baking tray and bake for 20-25 minutes until crisp and cooked through.

Lemon Butter Chicken

This made a nice springtime meal.  It was a little tart so next time I might reduce the amount of lemon juice. We served it with brown and wild rice.

1 chicken breast
4 asparagus spears
1 lemon
3 tablespoons butter
1 handful parsley, chopped
1 tsp. chili flakes

Thinly slice the chicken and pound it out. Boil some water and peel the lower part of the asparagus. Blanch the spears in the water then shock them in cold water. In a saucepan brown the butter then add the juice of 1 lemon and the parsley. Fry the chicken in the pan  (about 4 minutes per side). Season the sauce with salt, pepper, and chili flakes. Add the asparagus then spoon over the pallard.

Salsa Verde Chicken

I really like how the salsa turned out in this dish, but I found the chicken and rice just ok. It wasn’t bad but didn’t knock my socks off.

Salsa

8 ounces (5 to 6 medium) tomatillos, husked and rinsed

Fresh hot green chiles, to taste (roughly 2 serranos and 1 jalapeno)

Scant 1/4 cup finely chopped onion

Preheat a broiler. Roast the tomatillos and chiles on a baking sheet 4 inches below a very hot broiler until darkly roasted, even blackened in spots, about 5 minutes. Flip them over and roast the other side, 4 to 5 minutes more will give you splotchy-black and blistered tomatillos and chiles. In a blender or food processor, combine the tomatillos and chiles, including all the delicious juice that has run onto the baking sheet. Add the cilantro and 1/4 cup water, blend to a coarse puree, and scrape into a serving dish. Rinse the onion under cold water, then shake to remove the excess moisture. Stir into the salsa and season with salt, usually a generous 1/4 teaspoon.

Chicken

Pour the salsa in a slow cooker. Add 1 1/2 lbs. Diced chicken. Cook for four hours on low stirringevery hour. Add 1/4tsp salt before serving.