Triple Citrus Chicken and More!

I know that it's been awhile since I've last blogged. Several reasons: Numero Uno- I haven't cooked a creative meal in quite awhile- the holidays just sidelined those plans; dos, December brought about quite a stressful month with the holidays, some minor family issues and us with our second round of fertility treatment. And last; the treatment WORKED! We're expecting our first baby in the beginning of September..... needless to say, the idea of eating is not appealing whatsoever; hence cooking has pretty much gone out the window! Well, now that I'm approaching the end of my first trimester, my appetite is slowly coming back, and I actually cooked something that resembles dinner twice this week. Since I have been living off of cereal and fruit smoothies for the past few months, I guess I could've posted a few blender recipes.....
and my dear husband has been quite the microwave dinner gourmet chef!

We ventured out today to get some supplies to hunker down for tomorrow's rainy day, and came across quite a steal at Sam's Club: 6lbs. of fresh chicken breasts on 'clearance' for just $6.88 a package. We bought three packages- who can pass up a deal like that! And with a modern convenience such as a freezer (albeit packed with Lean Cuisine's), it's a great investment. Now to really make this a good deal, you have to take the time to repackage the chicken. Armed with a Sharpie, resealable baggies and a few marinades, you can create a few easy dinners in about 30 minutes. I repackaged one package just on its own with two breasts per sandwich-sized bag, and then put several in another larger size bag that is labeled with the contents and date- it helps to alleviate 'mystery meat' guesses later on! Plus these are perfect to just grab and defrost quickly- great for throwing on the barbeque or under the broiler!

I also took several bottles of store-bought marinade and put into a bag (don't forget to label and double bag!)- when you defrost these, they will be premarinated and will be delicious. If you have unexpected company coming, they'll never know you didn't actually take the time to marinate it just for them! I also took a few minutes to make a few other marinades:
Tequila Lime, Triple Citrus and Ultimate Chicken. They are all simple and inexpensive.

Tequila Lime: zest and juice one lime, add 1/3 cup of tequila, pepper, one pressed garlic clove, a dash of olive or canola oil, pepper and a dash of southwest-style seasoning- don't add any salt to your marinades in advance- the salt actually drys out the meat. Add to a baggie with 3-4 chicken breasts. You can add salt to taste once your meats are mostly cooked. When you are ready to use, thaw and grill or cook to your hearts content.

Ultimate Chicken: Now this is more of a rub- into a large ziptop freezer bag, add the following: 1/4 cup of paprika, 4 tablespoons of the following: dried parsley, onion powder, italian seasoning, lemon pepper. Add a sprinkle of poultry seasoning, and 1-2 cloves of crushed/ pressed garlic. Add a few tablespoons of water and a little oil to make it into a paste-like mixture. Add a few chicken breasts to the bag and rub the paste into the chicken- double bag, label and freeze until you need to use!

Triple Citrus Marinade: zest and juice one lemon, one orange and one lime. Add 2 tablespoons of italian seasoning, lemon pepper, 1-2 cloves of freshly chopped/ pressed garlic, and a dash of olive oil. Mix in a bag- add a few chicken breasts and freeze.

I hope that you enjoy these recipes!

Tasty Thai: Satay Chicken & Leftovers: LettuceWraps

I am a peanut butter fiend- preferably if it is encased in chocolate and sitting in a little itty bitty paper wrapper; so imagine my delight in learning that it delightful as a sauce. A staple in Thai food, Satay sauce is a sweet/ savory sauce that usually acompanies chicken. It was the first and only food that I tried at a Thai restaurant. I like to be adventurous, but when it comes to new cuisines, I'm often a bit shy. We had a mixer for work at a Thai restaurant (TukTuk- in Natomas- I highly recommend this upscale and delicious establishment) and decided to try Thai food for the first time. I had Pad Thai with a side of Peanut Sauce. Now everything I order at a Thai restaurant must accompany that sauce. (I've only tried two dishes; Pad Se You and Curry, and just stick to the Pad Se You- with Peanut Sauce!) Jason loves Thai- the hotter, the better; I on the other hand- not so much for the spicy food! Well, I've experiemented (I think that this should be called Kitchen Experiements with Carol!) and found a pretty good version that doesn't include ingredients you may not have in your kitchen (ethnic cuisines often call for exotic ingredients that we don't often keep around!). As with everything I try to make, it's quick and I try to make it as healthy as possible. Last night I decided to make this; and as a pleasant surprise, planned leftovers for lunch as a completely different dish was awesome!

• (1) Serving of Rice (see previous posts on the Rice Cooker Plus)- 15 minutes in the microwave, and a few minutes to stand and "fluff"


• 4- Frozen Chicken Breasts- boneless, skinless- brush with a little oil and toss on the BBQ grill while preparing the sauce and side(s)- I used about 12 little cutlets instead of larger pieces


• Shredded Cabbage, shredded radishes


• Sweet Pepper Strips (red, orange & yellow)- saute with a little olive oil and reduced sodium soy sauce until tender.


• Fresh Mint or Fresh Basil- chiffonade (stack leaves and roll, then snip into smaller pieces with shears or knife)

SATAY SAUCE:

• 5 tablespoons reduced fat peanut butter- I prefer creamy, but you could use chunky
• 3 tablespoons reduced sodium soy sauce
• 1/4 c. brown sugar
• Ginger root- 1 inch fresh, peeled and pressed, or 1 tbsp. Gourmet Garden minced
• 1 or 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 lime, zest first, and then juice
• onion powder to taste

Mix all ingredients together with a wire whisk; you might need to microwave the p/b a few seconds to melt, and then stir well.

If using chicken breasts, dice and toss with satay sauce (reserve some for dipping!) in a skillet to heat through. Plate rice and top with chicken and veggie sides, and garnish with fresh mint and serve.

FOR LEFTOVERS- LETTUCE WRAPS~

Finely dice chicken and peppers. Toss with rice and additional satay sauce. I also added a handful of pineapple and chopped peanuts.

Re-heat in microwave until warmed through and serve with several large lettuce leaves (bibb or romaine). A quick egg-drop soup is a nice accompaniment.

The lettuce wraps were very tasty- almost better than dinner as all of the flavors really blended together well.