Beer braised chicken thighs

OK... did I think to take pictures? No, I was too busy eating. :)

I wanted something different, so I did a quick search on the food network site and found Rachael Ray's "Beer Braised Chicken Thighs." One look at her list made me realize that her recipe was not in the offing; however, mine was.

Taking some chicken thighs, I browned them on both sides in a deep pan. I then took them out and sauteed chopped onions, celery and garlic before tossing in a cup of chicken broth, a 14 oz can of diced tomatoes and a 12 oz bottle of Guiness I found hiding in the back of the fridge. I also tossed in a few shots of hot sauce and a couple of tbs of Dr. Gonzo's Wild Beaver Rub to the mix. After letting it come to a boil, I threw the chicken thighs back in and turned the heat down to a simmer for 25 minutes or so.

The Dr. Gonzo's balanced the beer nicely and gave the dish a bit of a kick.

I did not work out the points... yeah, I wasn't in the mood. I do know the veggies are 0 points, a chicken thigh is 2 and the whole bottle of beer is 5 points. I'm guessing it was 3-4 points+ for a chicken thigh heaped with the veggies from the pan. Now if I can get the taco recipe from my niece, I think I know what I'm making next week.

Pizza!

Who doesn't love pizza? To be honest, it's one of those "ooo I shouldn't" foods for most of us. But the truth is nothing is further than the truth. Home made pizza is perhaps is so much in our control, it's not even funny.

I started with pre-baked crust. Mama Mary's thin and crispy crust is a great start:

Then it was just add 2-3 tablespoons of sauce. I used the Classico that was in the fridge:

For toppings I went veggie heavy. I started by heating a couple of tablespoons of olive oil in a non-stick pan and wilting down a bag of spinach. Then I removed the spinach and carmelized a Vidalia onion and sliced mushrooms.

After removing the veggies, I sauteed up a couple of chicken breasts that I dressed with salt, pepper, lemon juice and Italian seasonings. I chopped it up and dropped it on top:

Finally I topped it with 1/2 a package (about 1 cup) of shredded low-fat cheese.

In the end, I had a healthy pizza for about 6 points+ a slice that was truly tasty. Had I just gone with veggies or left off some of the cheese, I could have dropped the points+ way down but somethings are worth it. :)

Berry Pie

mmmmmm.... berries!

Summer means berries and berries mean yumminess. So the other day when I saw a recipe for an ice box berry pie, you know I had to try it.

First comes the graham cracker crust. Now you can buy one (easy) or you can make one (also easy).

Graham crackers (about 8 ... a sleeve's worth) crushed into fine crumbs

1/2 stick (4 TBS) unsalted butter melted and cooled

3 TBS sugar

Mix the cracker crumbs, sugar and melted butter together. Press into a pie dish along the bottom and sides and bake for about 15 min at 350* - until toasty brown. Set aside and cool.

Filling:

2 cups EACH: raspberries, blueberries and blackberries

1/2 cup sugar

3 TBS corn starch

1/8 tsp salt

1 TBS fresh lemon juice (about 1/2 lemon)

2 TBS fruit jam or jelly... I used IKEA's mixed berry jam

Gently clean the berries and place in a big bowl gently mixing them together. Remove 2 1/2 cups of berries and puree in a food processor or blender. Press through a fine sieve into a sauce pan, using the back of a spoon, to get about 1 1/2 cups of puree. Discard seeds left in the sieve. Place pan on medium heat.

Whisk together the corn starch, sugar and salt and then whisk into puree. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly until it's the consistency of pudding. Take off the heat and mix in the lemon juice.

Pour into the cooled crust.

Melt jam in the microwave and gently toss the remaining berries to coat. Pour on top of puree and push into the mixture a bit. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let set in the fridge for 3 hours or so. Serve at room temp or chilled.

Now a quick word about a favorite kitchen tool. When my sister was in Amsterdam, she saw a little spoon rest in a hardware store and brought it home for me.

I prefer the standing spoon rest - it takes up less real estate next to the stove when I'm cooking. The bright yellow enamel is easy to clean and brights up that little corner of the kitchen.

It resides with the tea towels from Sweeden and Italy my niece brought home from her travels for my kitchen. When I use my IKEA 365 pot for cooking, I truly feel like a world traveler. Even if just for the short time I standing by the stove making dinner.

Pearl Couscous

Right now I'm trying to cook without using salt to help figure out what I can do to help with my dad's new renal diet. So tonight I tried making some pearl couscous since he can't have potatoes. The proportions are the same - 1:2 couscous to liquid.

Tonight I sauteed up onions and garlic with some shaved carrots and tossed in some turkey breast towards the end to warm it up. In a pot, I browned a cup of couscous in some olive oil then poured in 2 cups of chicken broth. I also tossed in some ginger paste, fresh rosemary, sage and thyme. After the liquid boiled off, I tossed the veggies in for a last quick stir and voila, a one dish meal.

It was actually pretty tasty and something I would make for him at some point.

Learning to cook again

My dad just got out of the hospital and is back on a renal diet. So that means trying new foods on my end so I can teach my mom some creative approaches to food.

Last night, for his birthday I made some boneless chicken thighs tossed in olive oil with Mrs. Dash. I also roasted up some turnip, carrots and green peppers - again just tossed in some olive oil with Mrs. Dash. My mother kept saying, "This is just like how Rachael Ray cooks them!" I explained how she can take left over chicken, rice and veggies and toss it into some low-sodium chicken broth to make a chicken/rice soup.

Tonight, at home, I broiled a piece sockeye salmon brushed with olive oil, herbs de provence and the juice of a meyer lemon, roasted some more veggies and tried making mashed potatoes after soaking the potatoes and rinsing them to reduce the amount of potassium. I tried not to use salt, but it just felt like it was missing something. I did boil the potatoes with some garlic and added some pepper, thyme, oregano, mustard and a pinch of parmesan but it really felt like something was missing.

This week I'll try playing with some pearl/Israeli couscous and see if that's a good alternative to potatoes as it's low sodium. I'll get my camera sparked up and post some pictures again.

Simple Crockpot Chicken Stew

First some business matters. I'm going to be changing the look of things shortly, so keep an eye out. Also, I'm starting to label dishes with key words. Eventually the goal is to add some videos.

Sorry about not posting this last week, things got a bit crazy and the thought of actually sitting down to plug in the camera, etc. was one too many things to do. It happens, life happens. So it goes. I did remember to document one of my standard crockpot chicken recipes.

Start with:

Chicken (I used 5 chicken thighs)

Diced tomatoes

Onion

Green and Red Bell Peppers

Frozen Green Beans

Italian Seasoning and

Chicken Stock

/begin rant/

Now here's the thing about stock and broth, I don't make my own. Yeah, it's probably easy and there are times when I have, but why make extra work for yourself when you don't have to? I'm also one of those annoying people with a calculator in the supermarket comparing labels by like measurements. Seriously, who calculates liquids by the pound? Pound is a dry measurement so you compare quarts to quarts, not pounds to quarts. Yes I do the math and it's amazing how many of your pennies go into the market's pocket instead of yours.

Why should you care? If you are losing, on average, a buck a trip to the market then that's $50 a year. That's a nice dinner out, a bleacher seat and a dog at Fenway or a whole host of other things. Here's the thing, if 1,000 people a day lose a buck a trip to the market, that's 7k a week for the market. Since they aren't passing the savings onto you, you're helping to pay someone's bonus. Seriously people, you need to care.

/end rant/

This is pretty basic, you chop up your peppers and onions. I usually cut them into slices rather than dice them up when I use green beans because I like how the pieces all feel uniform to me. In the crockpot, layer the beans on the bottom with your veggies. Sprinkle a palm full of Italian seasoning, salt and pepper over them and lay your chicken thighs on top. Then pour your diced tomatoes over the top and then pour in a couple of cups of chicken stock.

It looks pretty in the pot:

I like low and slow for 10-12 hours, stirring it about halfway through to make sure everything mixes well. The chicken will break up nicely when you go to serve it and it works nicely over brown rice or with potatoes.

This ends up being 3 points plus per serving plus your sides, not bad for a filling dinner that gives you some good veggies and protein for the day. Plus it reheats well the next day for lunch.

Dinner and a Breakfast

Sleep over took me before I posted last night, so let's post a bonus breakfast.

Dinner last night was Mac & Cheese. The sauce was different than what I usually do, in this case

I used:

1 can fat free evaporated milk

5 oz asiago cheese (shredded)

5 oz cheddar cheese (2% milk fat, shredded)

teaspoon of mustard

1 egg

caramelized onions

Preheat oven to 350* F

Slice one onion and caramelize in a pot. I usually spray the pan with some olive oil and sweat them out over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Boil up a box of pasta in a separate pot, drain.

When the onions are done, take them out and put aside. In the pot pour the evaporated milk and heat through (a couple of minutes). Take off heat and whisk in egg and mustard. Add cheese and stir until the cheese is melted. Add to pasta and stir until sauce thickens. Pour in a greased 9x9 baking dish, top with onions and bake about 15 minutes.

The sauce itself is 20 points. When poured over the pasta and split up, it ends up about 4 points a serving.

Now onto breakfast!

A few friends tell me to do "egg in a cup." It's easy in that it's an egg in a cup, scrambled with salt and pepper and then break up a wedge of laughing cow cheese and nuke for one minute. It makes a bit of a souffle. Because salt and pepper aren't enough, I also added a pinch of Herbs de Provence. I normally don't nuke eggs, it makes them too tough, but the creaminess of the cheese balances that out nicely for filling 3 point breakfast:

It's not the most beautiful of food, but it is filling and tasty. :)