EwE: Grilled Tandoori Chicken Breasts~

Ellie’s Grilled Tandoori Chicken Breasts, pg. 137 of Weeknight Wonders, was my selection for the week of Feb. 26th.  What an easy dish to put together….they all are, if you have all the ingredients!!  A few spices mixed into yogurt and smeared onto the chicken for a brief marination period, then off to the grill….or in my case…the grill pan!!

I owe my sister cooks an apology for this one… The US was hit with almost coast to coast bitter cold and snow, north to south, so grilling was a challenge at best.  Only a California gal could think of “grilling” as a year ’round activity!  I’m sorry!  If it’s any consolation, by the time I had a moment to put this recipe together, we were having incredible thunderstorms and downpours.  I was glad for my grill pan….

We enjoyed this dish quite a lot.  I served the chicken with a simple steamed mixed veg on the side and steamed basmati rice underneath.  I’m looking forward to the next chicken dish as well!  Chicken Paprikash is up next!

If you’d like to cook along with us, please visit Eating With Ellie….

Food Matters: Green Juice Challenge-Day 7 on Day 9~

I’m sorry!  I had a couple of challenging days, days I should have juiced REGARDLESS!!  *Ü*  Sometimes my little tiny kitchen is just too small for everything I have going on.  Aside from that….we juiced 7 days with no problems!!  Today’s juice was the Boost Juice from Day 3.  I finally found a pineapple…and after a few extra days on the counter it was golden and ripe.  Juice time!

Boost Juice
Serves 1
• 1/4 medium pineapple
• 1 small handful alfalfa sprouts
• 1 small handful parsley
• 2 large kale leaves
• 1 large broccoli stem
• 1 oz shot of wheatgrass juice or 1 teaspoon of
wheatgrass powder (optional)
Adapted from Jason Vale

When I did my initial shopping for the GJC, I bought a “punnet” of live wheatgrass and let it double in height.  Tonight, I had almost enough for two 1 ounce shots.  It is what it is!  The best news is that our new wheatgrass growing kit arrived on Tuesday!  I love the kits that wheatgrasskits.com has…  Their soil gives the wheat grass a really nice flavor, and the minerals help boost the nutritional value.  I’ve purchased wheatgrass shots from various places, and I’ve bought wheatgrass to juice, but nothing compares to these kits!  Our first new tray of seeds has soaked and is in the initial stages of sprouting.  I hope my body can keep up with the energy!!

Wheatgrass can be messy!  LOL!  I noticed the leaves were a little anemic in the center of the pot.  It was planted very thickly, so the center-most section didn’t see enough light to make chlorophyll.  It made for a tasty little juice, regardless.  Bruce commented that he really liked the way he felt immediately following drinking Boost.

Although the 7 days have come to a close, I feel we’ll continue juicing at least several days a week.  We still have one recipe to try, and we will.  Could be as soon as tomorrow… Tomorrow I might treat us to Watermelon Juice… Seriously yummy.

Food Matters: Green Juice Challenge-Day 6~

I was juicing and cooking simultaneously tonight, and trying to photograph the ingredients before hand wasn’t working out well for me.

I wasn’t sure what color the end result was going to be…  This juice is from Day 4, The Nutrient Express Juice.

The Nutrient Express Juice
Serves 1
• 1/2 punnet berries
• 1 small handful parsley
• 2-3 large kale leaves
• 1 large carrot
• 1 large celery stem
• 1 green apple (optional)
Berries to try: blackberries, blueberries, strawberries.
Other optional greens: romaine, spinach, chard and dandelion.
Adapted from Mike Adams

It could be worse…as it is, it resembles split pea soup…but it didn’t taste anything like that!!  I continue to be amazed at how well the deep green greens (kale, chard…) blend so well with the fruits.  I had never used parsley much before, but I’ve used a lot this week…and I’d never had kale at all before.  So I’ve got at least 2 new veggies juiced during this challenge.  We gave this juice 2 awards…The Ugly Duckling…and The Tastiest.  By the way…the trick with the kale and alfalfa sprouts?  It worked the same way with parsley!!  I love learning new things!

Food Matters: Green Juice Challenge-Day 5~

It’s Day 5, and I’m actually making the Day 5 recommendation – Make Juice Not War Green Drink:

Make Juice Not War Green Drink
Serves 1
• 1 small cucumber
• 1 large kale leaf
• 1 large handful of sprouts (sprouts to try – sweet pea, alfalfa, broccoli, sunflower etc)
• 1 celery stem
• 1 large broccoli stem
• 1/2 pear or green apple (optional)
Other optional greens: romaine, parsley, spinach and dandelion.
Adapted from Kris Carr

Each night, I’ve doubled the ingredients so I have 2 servings.

I made a fun discovery while trying to get the sprouts in the feeder tube…they go in quite easily if you roll the kale leaves around them…

I almost got carried away with the alfalfa sprouts because I was having so much fun!

Moments later we have a bright green juice with minimal sweetness.  This was good, but a little more apple wouldn’t hurt!  I’d like to try it with other sprouts.  I’ll work on that!

Food Matters: Green Juice Challenge-Day 4~

I almost forgot to take pictures tonight! LOL! I put the juice in the freezer to chill while I finished the prep for supper. I was on my way to the table when I remembered I hadn’t taken a picture of the juice or the ingredients!

Our juice of the day is from their Day 6, Food Matters Extreme Green Juice.

Food Matters
Extreme Green Juice
Serves 1

• 5 florets of broccoli
• 1-2 celery stems
• 1 small bunch parsley
• 1 green apple
From Food Matters the Recipe Book

The 5 florets was a bit of an odd measurement…I decided an entire head was good for 2 of us.  I was afraid the large quantity of parsley might be a bit overwhelming too, but it was really very good.  Bruce immediately pronounced it a keeper.

Food Matters: Green Juice Challenge-Day 3~

I still haven’t conquered a ripe pineapple, nor replaced my berries, so my juice of choice today was the juice from Day 1, Food Matters Perfect Green Juice.

Food Matters Perfect Green Juice

Serves 1
• 1-2 celery stems
• 1/2 cucumber
• 1 large kale leaf
• 1/8 fennel bulb
• 1 green apple
• 1/2 lemon, peeled (optional)
From Food Matters the Recipe Book

Although not all of my ingredients are organic, you can certainly see that the kale is!

I took the stems out of the kale tonight, and I didn’t notice any bitterness.  I did find half a lemon per serving a little overwhelming.  I found the juice really tart!  I used a little more fennel than suggested…about half again as much, so almost half the bulb for the two of us.  The flavor was great, I just won’t use quite as much lemon next time.   The cucumber made the juice refreshing, and the celery provided a natural “salt” seasoning.  This is a juice I can add to a weekly routine!

Food Matters: Green Juice Challenge-Day 2~

I went shopping, and I’m back on schedule.  Today, I made the Day 2 recommended juice:

Crisp and Clean Green Juice
Serves 1
1 large wedge green cabbage
1 green apple
1 large bunchromaine lettuce leaves
1” ginger root
Other optional greens: spinach, kale (I added 5 kale leaves for part of the romaine), chard and dandelion.

-Adapted from Joe Cross

This is tonight’s cast of characters…I exchanged some of the romaine with kale.  I know what romaine tastes like…I had never knowingly ingested kale before today.  There’s not a lot of prep for juicing… wash well, chop into hunks that will feed through the tube (about 1 inch), and go for it.

In this picture you can see the machine in action….at least as much action as a still shot can imply.   Where the juicer is transparent brown, you can see green and silver inside.  The silver is the strainer that presses the majority of the juice from the pulp.  Where you see green, that’s the power of the juicer.  It’s a screw driven mechanism, also known as a worm drive.  The pieces of food get caught in the threads and they’re pressed up against the strainer forcing the juice and the solids to part company.   Whenever possible, I juice the entire fruit or veggie, unless there are harmful properties in them.  For instance, we don’t eat tomato or potato leaves, so don’t juice them.  I don’t peel apples or carrots, but I’ll scrub them with a safe soap (think Dr. Bronner’s) and a brush.  I cut the rinds from melons…except watermelon.  Another scrubbing candidate.  *Ü*   I cut greens into strips that will feed easily, and some leaves feed themselves fairly well due to their stalks.

This was tonight’s Crisp and Clean Green Juice.  It was fine.  It wouldn’t be my favorite, but there’s nothing wrong with it.  I put a bit too much ginger in, and it was a bit on the spicy side.  Odd that my co-worker and I were talking today about being careful not to put too much ginger in.  Uh…yeah.  One less coin would have been better.  It was fine…I’d drink it again, but I wouldn’t necessarily choose to make this particular juice often.

Tomorrow we have Boost Juice:

Boost Juice
1/4 medium pineapple
1 small handful alfalfa sprouts
1 small handful parsley
2 large kale leaves
1 large broccoli stem
1 oz shot of wheatgrass juice or 1 teaspoon of wheatgrass powder (optional)
– Adapted from Jason Vale

I have everything except pineapple.  There wasn’t a ripe pineapple to be had.  I can get to a different market tomorrow to see if they have a better specimen.   I even have the wheatgrass to juice first!  Tomorrow is another day…and it’s Friday.  Maybe the Pineapple Fairy will smile on me tomorrow!

Food Matters: 7 Day Green Juice Challenge-Day 1~

I’ve juiced off and on for the past 10 years.  I’ve grown my own wheatgrass and other sprouts.  I’ve juiced just about everything I’ve eaten, with only a few exceptions.  Asparagus or artichokes in particular.  Carrot, beet and apple makes a lovely sunset colored drink that is heavenly.  Use the beet root raw, well scrubbed, with a couple carrots and an apple…  Quick, easy, healthy.  Add a bit of sparkling water to dilute if it’s too rich, or just to add some fizz!  My favorite juice of all is…  Oh, sorry.  We’re talking about the 7 Day Green Juice Challenge…

Food Matters has been promoting a 7 day Green Juice Challenge.  Click on the picture above to go to their site and download the 7 suggested recipes they offered, if you want to see what I mean.  My “Spiritual Advisor” put out a challenge to her friends inviting us to participate.  I’ve been wanting to get the juicer back out, and this was the nudge I needed.  I joined up, and I’m hoping some of my friends are doing this too!

I was planning to use their recommendations day by day throughout the week, but I didn’t get to the market.  So, I reviewed the recipes and kind of went my own way based on their recommendations and combinations.  The juice above is made of Fordhook Giant Swiss Chard, Ruby Chard, Lemon balm, two varieties of snow peas, and deer tongue lettuce – all GMO free and organic, picked fresh from the garden, mixed with a big bunch of parsley and 2 apples (cored and seeded but not peeled-well scrubbed).  The nasturtium garnish is also edible and organic.

How did it taste?  It was very nice…slightly sweet, a gentle lemon flavor without the sourness, with an underlying “green” taste (the chlorophyll in the parsley).  I didn’t adjust for personal taste, we didn’t mind it at all.   A bit of fresh lemon or a knob of fresh ginger would offset that so that you’d never taste it.

Above are the remnants from my juicing.  I have an Omega “masticating” juicer, which works at a very low speed which doesn’t heat the juice, and yet it gets about 95% of the liquid out of the foods.  It’s capable of juicing grass, greens (lettuce, chard, beet), fruits and nuts.  It can also extrude pasta and make nut butter.  For the heck of it, I’ve done everything with this juicer that it will do…stick to juicing.  *Ü*  It can and will, but that doesn’t mean it should!  This tiny bit of a foot print vanishes because it will either go to the compost pile, or to the chickens, who in turn give us eggs, baby chicks and fertilizer.  Wow…what a deal!!

What?  Oh…my favorite juice is watermelon….  Absolutely heavenly!

I♥CC: January Potluck with Madhur Jaffrey-Cranberry, Ginger and Garlic Chutney~

It’s time for a Madhur Jaffrey Potluck at I♥CC!  That means we can cook any Madhur Jaffrey recipe we choose.  That always makes for a really fun round up!  I selected a recipe, introduced a few months back by Mike of You Are Here: Cranberry, Ginger and Garlic Chutney.  Adapted from Madhur Jaffrey’s “East/West Menus for Family and Friends”  Mike is right.  It’s hard to stay out of it.  I’ve made it twice…once at Thanksgiving…when I couldn’t quite talk myself into putting in the garlic….*hangs her head* and then again at New Year’s when I served it with…ham!

You start with a can of cranberry sauce… I haven’t had a can of cranberry sauce in the house for 30 years!  LOL!  So…open up a package of cranberries, pour them into a dish, rinse them off and check them for  any that might be spoiled.

I went ahead and added the spices to my cranberries as they were cooking.  I figured it would bring the spicy essences out more…mmm….!  For a bag of fresh cranberries, I usually add 1 1/2 cups water, 1 cup sugar or any sweetener you choose (honey is nice), strips of zest of 1 orange and chunks of the completely peeled orange.  Adding in a bit of vinegar plays off the citrus-acid, and all those warm spices…this makes an incredible side sauce.  Don’t worry about the garlic.  It just adds another wonderful dimension to the flavor.

Sadly… I didn’t take any END pictures.  I thought I had!  So…I’ll have to make some more…and very frankly…it’s the end of football season and this chutney would be great over a block of cream cheese…with that little cayenne…”YeeeHaaaw!” in there!  Yummm!  And look…it will be a lovely 49’er red when it’s cooked!  *Ü*

I♥CC: Jaffrey-style Appetizers-Quick Fried Shrimp~

The start-of-the-year theme at I ♥ Cooking Clubs is Appetizers.   What an appropriate theme!  Much as we start a meal, we will start our year with a tidbit that will make you want more…need more… My selection in this quest is found in Madhur Jaffrey’s Indian Cooking, page 187: Quick Fried Shrimp.

These are evil, addictive little creatures.  They were a little too easy to put together as well.  I put my flour and spices in a small brown paper bag and cooked batches of 4 shrimp at a time in my little wok.   The seasoned flour makes the most delicate crust on the shrimp that is simply wonderful!

These turned out to be the star of the night when we did “Rice is Nice.”  Neither of us were particularly hungry, and I “needed” to cook rice…but with what?  So we had the shrimp with the rice, and edamame on the side.  This was also about mid-early December after some busy times.  That’s okay. I could eat these lil suckers just about anytime.  I’m thinking they need to be paired with a nice little steak.  Next time.

Our next theme is Potluck…we get to choose any Madhur Jaffrey recipe we wish.  That leaves quite a wide playing field!  Drop by I♥CC and check out what the group is doing… I’ve found some incredibly awesome recipes that way!