Teriyaki Chicken with Rice and Broccoli with Mushrooms and Onions

Despite all of my meal planning, I don't always have dinner planned to the last detail. Sometimes it's as simple as: meat, a grain, a veggie. Last night for instance, I knew that we were having chicken. It was thawed and waiting in the fridge. I just didn't know what would accompany the chicken on my plate. With dinner hours away, I had time to think about it.

In the meantime, I cut the chicken breast halves in half again and placed them in a resealable plastic bag.


I grabbed a bottle of teriyaki marinade from the pantry and poured it over the chicken.



Sealed it back up and put it into the fridge to marinate until dinnertime.



Since I was in no mood to trek back and forth across my deck to the grill in the freezing cold while pushing the children back indoors every time my sliding glass door opened, I fired up my little George Foreman grill. It was a gift from a friend when I graduated from college and moved into my first single apartment. I'd lived with between 4 and 72 women all through college. A studio apartment all by my lonesome was definitely a change. Solitude took some getting used to. These days sometimes I dream about just 20 minutes all to myself. Isn't it funny how life changes? Anyway, I cooked many a meal for just lil' old me on this Foreman grill.



Here's the chicken. I flattened it a bit before cooking so that it'd cook more evenly.



Before I got the chicken out, I started doing some side dish inventory in my pantry and fridge. I had brown rice in the pantry, broccoli in the freezer, mushrooms, a sliced onion, and some wilty looking green onions in the crisper, a little deli ham, and a can of crushed pineapple. I was totally making this up as I went along. Here's where I ended up...

I started cooking up the brown rice in chicken broth according to the package directions.


I sliced up a couple of green onions and chopped some ham and threw it on my griddle until the ham got a little crispy.



Then I added the ham and green onions to the rice with some drained, crushed pineapple. This combination is loosely based on a delicious rice dish that my Aunt Lili sometimes brings to family gatherings. I'm not really sure what goes into hers, but I bet she's reading and would be happy to respond in the comment section. Thanks in advance, Aunt Lili!



Now for the veggie. I cooked the broccoli in some more chicken broth until it got tender.



Then I added in some sliced, fresh mushroom and onion. I also stirred about a tablespoon of cornstarch in a little water and added it to the mixture. This made it a little more like the veggies we get at the Chinese take out place.



There you go. A "fly by the seat of my pants" dinner in less than 30 minutes.

Mexican Lasagna

My guest cook today is the best friend a girl can have. When we moved to Ohio from Georgia last summer she welcomed us to our new town, showed us around, introduced us to her family and friends and just went above and beyond to help us feel at home. For the first couple of months, every time I got lost driving around my town I called her. She deserves an award for being my own personal GPS! We have daughters the same age, who have become the best of friends and even had their first sleep over last month. She's an awesome exercise buddy, partner in crime when we take on our husbands at Friday night game night, and the first person I call when the drama that comes with having a four year old daughter seems too much to take. She's not a follow-the-recipe kind of girl, but I know she can cook. Her Buffalo Chicken Dip is out of this world! Actually, I may have to have her on as guest cook again so that you can all get that recipe. Tonight, she volunteered to post about her Mexican Lasagna. I'll let Staycie take it from here...

Here is my quick and easy Mexican Lasagna. :) I did add a Spanish rice as a side dish for this meal. I used Lipton rice in a bag. Is that taboo to use Krista? :D

Totally not taboo. I have one of those rice packets in my pantry right now.

Ingredients:
Soft tortilla shells. It doesn't matter if they are the large ones or small ones, it depends upon how many people you are going to feed.
1 lb ground beef
1 packet taco seasoning mix
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese (can be Mexican blend)
1/2 box of cream cheese, softened
1 jar Ortega taco sauce (mild, medium or hot to your preference)

Prep time is about 30 minutes. Preheat oven on 350 degrees.

Brown your ground beef using the taco seasoning packet directions.




Take the first tortilla and spread a layer of cream cheese onto it. Then sprinkle a layer of shredded cheese on it. Top it off with a layer of ground beef and add taco sauce for taste.




Repeat for another 3 layers.

For the top layer, spread the cream cheese, sprinkle the remaining shredded cheese and add the taco sauce. I made mine in a bull's eye pattern.



Put it in the oven for about 25 minutes or until the cheese is thoroughly melted.

I put mine in a deep dish so it made it difficult to get out of the dish, I think that the cheese on top was moved and not as pretty as a presentation as Krista does! Next time, if there is one Krista, I promise to get better pictures!



This looks delicious! Thanks, Staycie!

Spicy Tuna Linguine with Garlic and Pine Nuts

Honestly, I can take canned tuna or leave it. Now a nice piece of seared ahi tuna is a different story(love it!), but I never ever think, "Mmm. I can't wait to open up that can of tuna that has been at the back of my pantry for Lord- knows-how-long and eat it for lunch." For one thing, it stinks. I will agree that can of tuna does have potential: tuna salad sandwiches, tuna noodle casserole, grilled tuna patties... but it's just never in the front of my mind when I'm thinking of what to eat. Well here is one recipe that, in my opinion, elevates the value of canned tuna exceptionally. Makes it classy, even. But I wouldn't say "fancy" because then I'm thinking of Fancy Feast and my whole mindset that canned tuna is okay goes right to cat food and I'm done. It ruins the whole Spicy Tuna Linguine euphoric glow that I've been basking in since dinner. So, "classy" tuna it is.

There were a lot of flavors and textures going on with this light, refreshing pasta: the familiar garlic, the subtle heat from the red pepper flakes, the tuna, the freshness of the cilantro and finally the toasted pine nut topping. I'll go ahead and answer the question that I am asked about most of my meals: yes the kids ate it! I dished out their portion before adding the cilantro (because it's green...oh the horror!) and the pine nuts (because I only like those nuts BEFORE my food, mommy, not IN it!). I also picked the mushrooms out of one of the bowls. Sneaky, sneaky. Anyway, Yeah. They liked it. Shovelled in mouthfuls of noodles, even.

So to begin, I minced 4 cloves of garlic, chopped 1/2 cup of onion, and sliced 2 cups of mushrooms.


I tossed that into a skillet heated with a tablespoon of olive oil and added...


1/2 teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes. Cook the mushroom mixture until golden brown.


Then I measured about 14 oz. of chicken broth and added it to the skillet with


a can of diced tomatoes.


I brought that to a boil and threw in the linguine. Give it a stir to make sure that the pasta strands are all separated. Then, reduce the heat, cover and cook until your pasta is tender.


Add the can of drained tuna and stir to combine.


Oh, and don't forget the fresh, chopped cilantro. I love cilantro!


Serve it topped with toasted pine nuts. You can't really see them in this picture. I accidentally stirred them in before I remembered to take the shot. Oops.

I love this pasta. I'm thrilled that there are leftovers for lunch tomorrow. Seriously. I'm not just saying that. Canned tuna. Hmm. Impressive.


Spicy Tuna Linguine with Garlic and Pine Nuts

1 tablespoon olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups sliced mushrooms
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can (14 1/2 ounces) chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
9 oz. uncooked linguine, dry or fresh
1 can (12 ounces) water packed tuna, drained and chunked
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/3 cup toasted pine nuts or almonds

In 12-inch skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat; saute garlic, mushrooms, onion and red pepper until golden brown. Add tomatoes, chicken broth, salt and black pepper; bring to a boil.
Separate uncooked linguine into strands; place in skillet and spoon sauce over. Reduce heat to simmer; cook, covered, until cooked through. About 4 minutes for fresh, 10 or more for dry. Toss gently; add tuna and cilantro and toss again. Sprinkle with pine nuts.
Makes 6 servings.

I added up the total calculated Weight Watchers points for all of the ingredients and divided by 6 servings. I came up with 5 Weight Watcher's points per serving if you sprinkle it with 1 tablespoon of toasted pine nuts. 1 T of pine nuts = 1 point according to my 2003 WW book.

Meal Plan and Grocery List 3/9- 3/15

We had two really nice days last week- a glimpse of Spring. I got all excited about the weather while making my meal plan and put in three meals that I would traditionally make on the grill. We'll see how that goes. I think that I saw something about a chance of flurries tomorrow. Oh well. Guess my broiler is going to get a workout. I am completely and totally ready for grilling season to be here! On Tuesday, I'm featuring another guest cook. My friend Staycie will be serving up a Mexican Lasagna that she came up with in her kitchen last week. I can't wait to see! So here's the plan:

Monday March 9th

Spicy Tuna & Linguine with Garlic and Pine Nuts

Tuesday March 10th

Mexican Lasagna courtesy of my guest cook, Staycie

Wednesday March 11th

Marinated Chicken Breast on the Grill
I haven't decided on the side yet...maybe a risotto and/or a vegetable medley of some sort.

Thursday March 12th

Chicken Enchiladas

Friday March 13th

Pizza Night

Saturday March 14th

Stuffed Bacon Cheeseburgers

Sunday March 15th

Steak and Potatoes


Grocery List
*not including the Mexican Lasagna ingredients

Produce

garlic
mushrooms
onion
cilantro
1/3 cup pine nuts
potatoes
green onions
lettuce

Meat

Steaks for grilling
2 cups cooked, cubed chicken breast
1-1/2 lb. ground beef
5 slices of bacon
chicken breasts for grilling

Deli/Bread

Kaiser Rolls

Dairy

Monterrey Jack Cheese
butter
pizza crust
mozzarella or favorite pizza cheese
1/2 lb. extra sharp white cheddar

Canned Goods

olive oil
2-1/2 cup diced tomatoes
2-14 oz. cans chicken broth
12 oz. can solid pack white tuna
4 oz. can green chilies
salsa
pizza sauce
Worcestershire
mayonnaise
your favorite marinade for chicken- I'm going with jerk or teriyaki this week

Dry Goods and Spices

flour
9 oz. linguine
red pepper flakes
coriander
steak seasoning
cumin

Sesame Asparagus and Carmelized Onion Bruschetta

The last couple of Fridays we've had friends over for a game night after we put the kids to bed. I was looking for a snack to serve when I happened upon this recipe by Carole from Hey Mom, What's For Dinner. I had a little asparagus in my fridge that I'd have to qualify as questionable rather than edible if I didn't use it up soon. The aging asparagus, plus the yummy looking carmelized onions from Carole's picture prompted me to give this one a try. I'm certainly glad I did. This bruschetta was oh-so-good. It was a hit with my guests too, I think I only had one piece leftover when game night reached it's conclusion sometime after the clock struck midnight.

I chopped an onion and put it on to carmelize while I made dinner that night. Carmelizing takes some time, and I didn't want to be standing over a skillet when our friends arrived. I wanted to have a glass of wine in hand and a tray of bruschetta ready to pop into the over when our friends arrived. So, I worked ahead.


I sliced my asparagus into (about) 1 inch pieces


and threw it into boiling, salted water to blanch for 3 minutes.


Then I removed the asparagus into an ice bath.


Rather than a baguette, I sliced a loaf of French bread. Same thing, just bigger. I super-sized this recipe even more and sliced the bread into about 1" thick slices. I was feeling hungry. And why are my size 6's boxed up in the basement? Hmmm. In the words of Southern heroine Scarlett O'Hara, "I can't think about that right now. If I do, I'll go crazy. I'll think about that tomorrow." All right then, back to the bread. Guilt for later, I drizzle olive oil over the slices and sprinkle them with a little salt and pepper before putting them in my 350 degree oven for 6-8 minutes until they get toasted.


Bread toasting away in the oven, let's head over to the topping. I mixed together the asparagus with the carmelized onion and sprinkled with some sesame seeds. I cooked it long enough to heat through.


I also added a few drops of sesame oil and I squeezed a little lemon juice over the mixture.


I topped each piece of bread with the mixture. This already looks good enough to eat and I haven't even added the...


CHEESE! I grated some Parmigiano Reggiano. It's good stuff! A little pricey though. My local grocery sells it in big (therefore expensive) pieces. I choose a big ol' chunk and take it to the cheese counter and show them how much I really want. They'll cut it down to size and re-price it. Tah-dah, I just saved 10 dollars! I don't know if your grocery will do this, but it doesn't hurt to ask. If you'd like to see another of my favorite recipes that showcases Parmigiano Reggiano, please look at this Blushing Penne Recipe.


I turned my broiler on and put these puppies underneath until the cheese melted.


Serve em' up!



Sesame Asparagus & Caramelized Onion Bruschetta
By: Carole from Hey Mom, What's for Dinner?

1 lb asparagus, diced diagonally into bite-sized pieces
1 medium onion, diced
salt & pepper
EVOO
Sesame seed oil
Toasted sesame seeds
Fresh lemon juice (a wedge of lemon should do fine)


Heat oven to 350 degrees. Slice baguette into 1/4" slices. Drizzle with EVOO; sprinkle with salt & pepper. Bake for 6-8 minutes, or until just toasted.


Sautee onions in a tablespoon or so of EVOO until just caramelized.


While onions are sauteeing, blanch asparagus in salted boiling water for 3 minutes. Immediately immerse in ice bath to stop cooking & set color.


Add asparagus to onions & sprinkle with sesame seeds. Heat through. Add a drop or two of sesame seed oil, to taste, if desired. Season with salt & pepper.


Remove from heat. Add a few drops of fresh lemon juice, to taste.


Top baguette slices with asparagus mixture. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.


Bake until cheese begins to melt.