Fresh Pineapple Sweet and Sour Chicken

I learned to make this tasty dish when I lived in Hawaii. I make it in a wok, but it's also great cooked in an electric skillet, stove top, or on the grill outside. When I cook with my wok, I like to cook in stages, that way the wok doesn't cool down too much. When you're cooking in a wok you want to cook the food quickly at a high temperature, so cut the food into large, bit sized pieces before cooking and don't over crowd the pan.



This dish is versatile (and gluten free), so add or subtract the foods that you do or don't like. For instance, for a vegetarian meal, subtract the chicken and add extra veggies like broccoli, cauliflower, asparagus, bok chow, mushrooms, snow peas, or any that you prefer.

Marinade
14 oz Chicken Tenders (breast or boneless thighs also work well)
1 T Onion - chopped
2 cloves Garlic - smashed
1/4 cup Pineapple Juice
3 T Soy Sauce
1 T EVOO
1/4 Serrano Pepper
Splash of Water

Slury
1/3 cup Pineapple Juice
1 T Brown Sugar
1 T Seasoned Rice Vinegar
1 T Soy Sauce
1/4 t Tomato Paste
1 T Cornstarch

Vegetables
5 Cloves of Garlic (split) 2 cloves sliced (optional) and 3 chopped
2 small or 1 large Carrot -sliced
1/2 Green Bell Pepper - diced
Serrano Pepper - very thinly sliced or finely chopped (optional)
1/2 Onion - diced
2 Roma Tomatoes - diced (seeds removed)
1/ fresh Pineapple - diced (skin/rind and core removed)

You'll also need cooking oil and a 1/4 cup of chicken stock or a combination of stock and sweet white wine.

Stroganoff

I used ground turkey for my stroganoff but you can use any ground meat or steak instead. I think that using steamed or roasted cauliflower in your stroganoff sauce, instead of meat, would make a great vegetarian dish. You should make it with whatever ingredients sound best to you.



2 T Butter or EVOO - split
1 small or 1/2 a large Onion - diced
5-10 Baby Portabella (Cremini) Mushrooms - cleaned with a damp cloth and sliced
3-6 cloves Garlic - chopped or pressed
1-1.5 lb Ground Meat
s/p - to taste
CRP - to taste
1/4 t Smoked Paprika
1 heaping T fresh oregano
1 heaping T flour
1 cup Stock (or 1/2 cup wine and 1/2 cup stock)
8-10 oz Sour Cream
Egg Noodles



Sauté the onion and mushrooms in EVOO and/or butter over medium low heat until they are cooked. Then add the garlic and cook for another couple of minutes. This will take about ten minutes all together.

Mac-N-Cheese Stuffed Meatballs

I used a box of macaroni and cheese when I made these balls. Next time, I would make my own. The cheese wasn't as gooey as I would of liked it to be. Overall though, I was very happy with the outcome of this crazy idea that I literally dreamt up one night.



Macaroni and Cheese
Fresh Basil
1 Egg
1/2 package Italian Dressing Mix or 1 T Italian Seasoning
Dried Oregano
CRP
s/p
3-4 cloves Garlic
1 Onion
Italian Style Bread Crumbs
1 lb Ground Meat (I used turkey. Beef, pork, chicken or a combo would also be tasty.)
Cooking oil

Cook your mac and cheese as you normally would, weather with a box mix or by scratch. When the mac-n-cheese is cooked, stir in a handful of chiffonade basil (thinly sliced or ribbons).

Then put the prepared mac and cheese in a storage dish. (I sprayed the dish with non-stick cooking spray first.) Cover and place the dish in the fridge for a few hours or overnight.



After the mac-n-cheese has completely cooled, turn it out of the storage dish onto a cutting board.



Cut the macaroni into cubes about the size of a large die and set them on a tray. Loosely cover the tray and place it in the freezer while you season the meat.

Sweet Onion and Sun Dried Tomato Dip

This dip is simple to make and fun to eat! Sprinkle a few extra bits of sun dried tomato and green onion on top of the dip, just before you serve to add color.



1 large Sweet Onion - diced
4-8 Sun Dried Tomatoes (oil patted off) - diced
8 oz Cream Cheese - softened
3/4 cup Mayo or Salad Dressing
3 oz Parmesan Cheese - freshly grated
CRP
s/p

Preheat oven to 350°.

Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl.

Rice and Veggie Balls

I used a combination of left over rice and vegetables from the night before to make these little vegetarian rice balls for lunch. The rice was cooked in apple juice, chicken stock and thyme, but you can use any cooked white rice. You can also use any vegetables that you want, I used these because they were in the fridge.



Oil for frying
Onion
Garlic
Parsnips
Apple
Cauliflower
Carrot
Fresh Thyme
Rice - cooked
1 Egg - beaten
1/8 cup Flour
Italian Seasoned Bread Crumbs



Heat the oil over medium high heat.

The onion, garlic, parsnips and apple were cooked in a little olive oil just until the onion became clear. They were left over from another meal. The other veggies were used raw.

Dice all of the vegetables into very small pieces.



Stir the vegetables, herb and rice together.



Mix in one egg and just enough flour to bind the mixture.

Pinch some of the mixture out of the bowl and form it into a ball about the size of a racquetball or golf ball.



Spread the bread crumbs on a plate.

Lightly roll the rice ball in the bread crumbs. Then set it aside, on a plate.



After you have formed one ball, rolled it and set it aside, do another. Continue this until all of the mixture is rolled and breaded.

Chicken Noodle Soup

Please read my Chicken Stock post before reading this one. This post is a continuation of that one. Thank you!



EVOO or Butter
1 Leek bottom white and lite green parts only - sliced and cleaned
2 Celery Ribs - cut into small pieces
Garlic - chopped
Ginger - chopped or grated
10 cups Chicken Stock
Fresh Parsley - chopped
2-3 Carrots - sliced
2 cups Chicken (cooked) - shredded or chopped
3/4 - 1 1/2 cups Noodles (depending on how noodlely you like your soup)
s/p



Heat the oil in a large pot.

Add your leeks and celery. Cook for two minutes.



Stir the garlic and ginger into the pot. Cook for another two minutes.



Carefully add the stock to the pot.



Bring the stock to a boil.

Chicken Stock

Tony was sick last week and requested chicken noodle soup. It's nice and light and good for your belly, even if you are feeling well.

I started by making chicken stock. I think that in a soup like chicken noodle where the broth is a star it's important to have a lot of flavor in the stock. When you make your own, you can add lots of vegetables. I use left over bits from previous meals. The same veggies that can be used in vegetable stock can be used in chicken stock. Use any that you have on hand. You also have better control over the amount of salt and fat that go into your own stock. But if you must, you can use a store bought one.



1 T EVOO
1 Onion - roughly chopped, peel on
3 Carrots - roughly chopped
4 Celery stalks - roughly chopped
6 Garlic cloves - crushed
Ginger trimmings (peel)
Bell Pepper trimmings (tops and bottoms)
Bay Leaf
s/p
1/2 Chicken* (1 leg, thigh, wing, breast, back, neck)
Water
Green tops of Leeks
Parsley stems
Rosemary stalks

*The neck, back bone, giblets, and wing tips are great for stock. I don't use the kidneys, liver, or heart. I removed the skin from the chicken before I cooked it to lower the fat that I'd have to skim out later. Always rinse your chicken in the sink under cold water, then pat it dry with a kitchen or paper towel. Remember to clean all surfaces that come in contact with raw chicken!

Heat the oil over medium high heat in a stock pot, or any large pot.

Add the next eight ingredients to the pot and sauté for a few minutes.



Salt and pepper the chicken and place it in your pot.



Fill the pot with water, be sure the chicken is covered.



Bring the water to a boil.

Lower the heat so that the stock will simmer and add the rest of the ingredients. (Your herbs and soft vegetables.)

Sloppy Jane Sandwiches

I roasted a chicken last night and used the leftovers today to make these open faced sandwiches.



EVOO
1/2 small Onion - sliced
1 Garlic Clove - smashed and peeled
2 cups Chicken - shredded
Soy Sauce
Hot Sauce
White Wine Vinegar
Ketchup
French Bread - 6 slices
Goat Cheese Spread (see below)
Arugula
Sunflower Seeds

Heat EVOO in a pot. Add onion and garlic. Cook until the onion is clear.

Then remove the garlic, cut it up, and set it aside.

Add chicken to the pot and stir in the rest of the ingredients. I didn't measure them. I just splashed and tasted until I had a desirable, well balance flavor.



Cover the pot and simmer over low heat for about ten minutes.

Meanwhile, toast your bread.



To make the cheese spread, mix softened goat cheese in a small bowl with the garlic that you set aside, salt and hot sauce.

Spread your cheese mixture evenly over the toast.



Top with arugula.



Spoon chicken over the greens.

Spicy Red Wine and Fire Roasted Tomato Sauce

It snowed another couple of inches last night, so we stayed in. I made this sauce from what was on hand. It turned out to be very tasty! I served it with fettuccine and broccoli, but any pasta and vegetables would work. I think shrimp would be a nice substitute for the chicken too. As always, have fun with it!



1-2 T EVOO
1/2 Onion - diced
1 Celery stalk - dice
s/p
1 Chicken Breast (boneless, skinless) - diced into small pieces and seasoned with s/p (optional)
3 cloves Garlic - diced
1/4 - 1/2 c Red Wine
Garlic Chili Sauce (or other hot sauce)
1/2 28oz can Muir Glen Whole Fire Roasted Tomatoes
fresh Thyme
Fresh Basil - chiffonade
1 T cold Butter
1 1/2 c Broccoli Florets - Blanched, Chilled in an Ice Bath, and Drained (not needed for the sauce, but it adds flavor, color and great texture)

If you're making pasta with the sauce, start to boil a large pot of water. I blanched my broccoli, and then cooked the pasta in the same water. Don't forget to heavily salt the water before cooking anything in it.

Heat EVOO in a skillet over med-low heat. Then, add the onions and celery. Stir occasionally.



When the onions are clear, add the chicken pieces to the pan.



Turn the heat up a little so that the chicken browns, but doesn't burn. You're looking for a golden brown.

Stir in the garlic.

Once the chicken has started to brown, deglaze the pan with your red wine. You want the pan to be hot when the wine is added. If you're scared of the alcohol flaring up, turn the flame off as you add the wine. Then, turn it back on.

Use a spatula to scrape up and incorporate any brown bits from the bottom and sides of the pan into the sauce.