Sweet Love and Ginger

Chicken/Turkey

Hobo Chicken & Rice

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This was an experiment that turned out wonderfully! I’ve been making tin foil dinners for about forever, but rice never really seemed like it was a viable option since it requires so much water.. even instant rice, but modern day offers a lot of options. So we tried a new experiment.

We used chicken with instant flavored rice, some veggies and
it worked like a charm. The chicken was moist and flavorful; the rice perfectly
cooked and while the broccoli was slightly over done, I won’t complain I mean
it was so easy and delicious.
We used Uncle Ben’s Ready Rice because the instructions required no
additional water to cook, so we thought it might work in the foil, and it did,
wonderfully. In preparing this meal I cut up the chicken ahead of time and
tossed it with the oil, salt and pepper in a small ziplock bag before tossing
it in the freezer. We do this to ensure our food stays fresher on our camping
trips, and we have less work to do in the woods.
Hobo Chicken & Rice
1 chicken breast, cut into bit size pieces
½ a package of instant, flavored rice
1 cup cut vegetables of choice

Take two large sheets of tin foil and place one on top of
the other. Place the chicken in the middle along with oil, salt & Pepper.
Toss the chicken to coat. Add rice on top and vegetables. Bring the sides of
the top piece of foil up together and roll downward to create a closed tube.
Roll the side openings up to seal the tube and flip the package over. Repeat
the same folding technique with the other piece of foil and place packet on hot
coals. Cook for 20 minutes or so turning and flipping the package regularly. Remove
from heat and allow the package to cool for a minute before opening. If you
open the package and the chicken is not thoroughly cooked refold the package
and return it to hot coals until the chicken is fully cooked. (Serves 1)

Barbecue Grilled Chicken Salad

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I have a pretty huge obsession with barbeque, I mean who wouldn’t? It’s saucy, for one you can change it up however you like, a little sweeter, a bit more of a vinegar bite, or bring on the heat. Plus it’s super versatile. I mean you don’t just have to use it in conjunction with the grill. I have slathered it on grilled cheese, and even baked with it.
This time around I wanted to lighten it up with salad. I love salad, but Chuck isn’t as sold as I am on the stuff, and prefers somethingheartier, so most of the time our salads are pretty loaded down (example 1, 2, & 3) with an abundance of vegetables, cheeses, croutons, and meat sides, remember it’s all about compromise.
Barbecue Grilled Chicken Salad

I have been making this salad for years, and I’m sure that

it is nothing new to you guys after all, the concept is pretty basic. It’s getting the ratios down that takes time. I think I finally have it; the perfect balance of ingredients.
I personally think it’s so well balanced that dressing isn’t even necessary. There are so many flavorful, creamy components that it would be just overkill. However I know not everyone feels that way, so a light drizzle of olive oil might be in order.
Barbecue Grilled Chicken Salad

 

Barbecue Grilled Chicken Salad
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: Serves 4
Ingredients
  • 1/2 cup BBQ Sauce
  • 3 Boneless, skinless chicken breasts
  • 3 cups chopped romaine lettuce
  • 3 cups baby spinach
  • 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 1 medium cucumber, chopped
  • 1 cup sliced carrots
  • 1/4 cup chopped red onion
  • 3/4 cup frozen corn, defrosted
  • 1 avocado, cut into 1 inch pieces
  • 1/3 cup blue cheese crumbles
Instructions
  1. Trim the chicken of fat and place in a covered bowl with about barbecue sauce to marinade, at least half an hour.
  2. Cook on a preheated grill for 4-5 minutes a side, or until the juices run clear, basting with sauce regularly.
  3. Meanwhile toss all vegetables together in a large bowl and top with avocado and blue cheese.
  4. When the chicken is done, and cooled cut it into bite size pieces and top the salad.
  5. Serve immediately with your choice of dressings.

My Yellow Table Gathering

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First off I want to start this by saying CONGRATULATIONS! to Anna of The Yellow Table. Before she had accomplished the monumental goal of raising
over $50,000 to publish her first book she asked her followers to help her
out by throwing dinner parties using her recipes to generate conversation.

I have been following Anna’s entire journey from day 1 and I
now feel like one of those creepy stalker people, because I am so completely
invested in this thing. From writing the book in about 100 days to completing
a cross country road trip, and preparing several dinner parties along the way
she has done so much, so very much that I cannot comprehend how one person
could possibly do it all and remain so humble and thankful.

She’s already reached her goal (and surpassed it by over $10,000), but that wasn’t going to stop me
from throwing my dinner party, besides Chuck might murder me if I didn’t make
those dates I told him about.

I decided to go with the easy dinner party menu that she had
listed, as we had planned to go group ziplining earlier in the day, and I
wasn’t sure how ambitious we all would be. I of course had made a few
alterations, because that’s just how things are done around here and added a
recipe or two.

The Menu
Bacon Wrapped Dates with Cider Mustard Glaze (Recipe Below)
Chocolate Chip Cookies

I decided to add the cider mustard glaze to the dates, because one
of our favorite restaurants has a similar appetizer with this kind of glaze,
and I’ve have been dying to figure it out. I also swapped the Roasted Carrots for the tomato tart because tomatoes are beginning to come in season here, and I
can’t resist them. Finally after all that, an adventurous day and the fact that
I don’t actually have any ramekins I decided to simply bake up some cast iron
cookies and serve them with vanilla ice cream instead of the Bittersweet Pudding Cakes, though some day I would really love to try out this recipe.
The night was I hope just what Anna had intended, light and fun
and full of casual chatter. 

I know our home isn’t ideal for dinner parties (I mean check our awesome table) but I
really want to make more of an effort to invite people over and share food and
conversation. It’s so necessary in today’s day and age.

Bacon Wrapped Dates with Cider Mustard Glaze
1/2 lb bacon, cut into thirds
30 dates

30 almonds

½ cup apple cider vinegar (plus a splash)
½ cup granulated sugar
2 tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp ground mustard

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Cut a slit into the side of
the date and slip an almond into the center. Wrap each date in 1/3 a slice of
bacon, and arrange with the open side down on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake for
15-20 minutes until the bacon is crisp. Once cooked remove from the oven and
place on a paper towel to drain. Meanwhile combine the vinegar, both sugars and mustard in a
small sauce pan, and bring it to a boil. Immediately reduce to a simmer and
cook for 10 – 12 minutes until syrupy. Remove from the heat and finish it with
a splash more of cider to keep the flavor bright. Move the cooked dates to a
serving tray and drizzle with the glaze. 
There is only one day left to pre-order The Yellow Table Cook Book. So if you are interested at all get to it!

Orange Marinated Chicken

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This recipe is a quickie. It’s about as basic as it gets.
Toss the chicken in some marinade then broil or grill it until cooked through.
Fenito.

It’s great because it’s quick and easy like a side dish,
which means I can spend more time preparing veggies. If you read yesterdays
post you can see how this ties in with goals right now. Another bonus is that
is super easy to make a huge amount of wings, or legs to feed a crowd, and it’s
not a plain old hot dog. All things I can get behind, especially for the summer
season.

I like this recipe not only for its ease, but because it has
a different flavor than my usual chicken leg marinades, you know like Garlic & Herb Chicken Legs, Asian Glazed Chicken, or one of the 80 million lemon versions I have
tried.


Orange Marinated Chicken Legs
Zest of 1 orange
1 tbsp orange juice
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 clove garlic crushed
1 lb chicken legs

Preheat the oven to 475 degrees. Wisk together the first 7 ingredients
until well combined. Add chicken tossing to cover in marinade, cover and let
stand for 10-15 minutes. Place the chicken on a prepared baking sheet with ¼ inch
slices of orange and bake for 15-20 minutes, basting with remaining marinade
1-2 times. Once the chicken is cooked through remove from heat and let cool for
5 minutes before serving. 
Since this recipe is so easy let’s talk about some awesome
veggie dishes to go with it. Plain old grilled asparagus is always a favorite
of mine, Spring Couscous would be pretty fabulous, Loaded Greek Salad is probably
a bit more summery, but if we were making this in the fall or winter, RoastedVegetable Salad is a great choice too. 

Clean Greek Chicken or Fish?

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If you have been following my fitness journey (I’m not even
sure if that’s the right thing to call it, my fitness ramblings maybe? Whatever)
then you saw earlier this week I posted a 2 week clean eating menu plan that
included Greek Tilapia. I got the idea/recipe from one of my all time favorite
magazines Oxygen. I have been reading this religiously for years now, and
I love it. This was one of the featured reader recipes.

Now when I went about making this we had plenty of frozen
tilapia and a random piece of chicken in the fridge that we needed to cook. So I
made the same recipe both ways, it worked out because Chuck isn’t a huge fan of
fish, so I figured we would both be happy with this. Upon making these guys we
both agreed that the chicken version was better by a long shot. Like a super
long shot. I think it was the savory chicken juices, and tomato mixture that
did it.
Then I had to decide which to post on here, the one that I
told you I was going to post or the super delicious one I liked better. I
couldn’t decide, and it’s my blog anyway so today you get both. Maybe we can
have a vote to see what you guys like better?
Any who, this is a pretty quick and easy meal that is full
of flavor. I would serve it with something simple like quinoa, or brown rice
since there is a little extra broth that’s packed with flavor anything else
would probably be just too much.

Greek Chicken
1 lb of boneless skinless chicken breast
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tbsp dry white wine
Salt and pepper
1/2 cup kalamata olives, halved
1 cup chopped cherry tomatoes
2 tbsp chopped red onion
2 tbsp chicken broth
½ a lemon
2 ounces feta cheese (optional)

Prepare the chicken breast into paillard form. In a large skillet
heat oil over medium high heat and sauté garlic until it begins to become
fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add the white wine and cook for an additional
minute. Generously season the tilapia with salt and pepper before placing it
into the pan. Cook the chicken for about 3-5 minutes a side, or until it turns
opaque and the juices run clear. Reduce the heat to low and add the onion, tomatoes,
and olives to the pan along with chicken broth. Cook for another 5 minutes or
so, until the vegetables are tender. Squeeze half a lemon over the top and
serve warm with crumbled feta on top, if desired.
Greek Tilapia
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tbsp dry white wine
32 ounces Tilapia
Salt and pepper
1/2 cup kalamata olives, halved
1 cup chopped cherry tomatoes
2 tbsp chopped red onion
½ a lemon
2 ounces feta cheese (optional)

In a large skillet heat oil over medium high heat and sauté
garlic until it begins to become fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add the white wine
and cook for an additional minute. Generously season the tilapia with salt and
pepper before placing it into the pan. Cook the fish for about 2 minutes a
side, or until it turns opaque and the edges can be flaked with a fork. Reduce
the heat to low and add the onion, tomatoes, and olives to the pan along with a
couple tablespoons of water. Cook for another 5 minutes or so, until the
vegetables are tender. Squeeze half a lemon over the top and serve warm with
crumbled feta on top, if desired.