Sweet, Tangy Sesame Crockpot Chicken

So I found this recipe via Pinterest and The Comfort of Cooking Blog.  I am allllllll for yummy Asian dishes. I'm also allllllll for crockpot meals because I can prep that sucker and not have to worry about trying to create dinner out of thin air at 5pm when the kids are starving, Dave isn't home yet, and I haven't had time to do the dishes!

(Side note: I want a freaking dishwasher ASAP! I'm tired of living without one.)

Of course, I couldn't do just as the recipe told me to ... because that would mean I wasn't sticking with a "healthier" version AND I hate extra steps like making rice later so I threw everything together to cook AND I wanted to be good since I have 3 days left in my 24-Day Challenge. So I did good! And don't judge, but yes, I used raw honey ... life will go on! I couldn't justify using a whole cup like the original recipe so what I did use was my compromise.

I have to say, after making the "sauce" I am totally reminded of Asian BBQ and OMG we aren't telling Dave it's BBQ (since he hates BBQ) BUT he is going to eat the crap out of this ... I hope. I'm totally excited to dive in to this later.

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Sweet, Tangy Sesame Crockpot Chicken

2-3 Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts
Shake of Sea Salt on each side and Black Pepper. I also threw Garlic Powder on the meat for good measure.

Sauce:
1/2 c. Diced Onions
1/4 c. Raw Honey
1/4 c. Liquid Aminos
1/4 c. Organic Tomato Paste (about 3 oz. so half of a little can)
3 cloves Garlic - pressed
1 tbsp. Red Pepper Flakes
2 tbsp. Sesame Oil (or EVOO)
1 tbsp. Sesame Seeds

Base:
1 c. Brown Rice
1 c. water
Any frozen veggies you have left in the freezer. I used about 2 cups of Stir Fry Veggies I had sitting around and waiting to be used.
1 tsp. Ground Ginger

Throw your Base ingredients into the crockpot and sprinkle the ginger powder over it. There was no ginger in the sauce recipe so I added some to the base just because I LURVE ginger.

The seasoned chicken goes on top of the base.

Mix up the "sauce" and spoon on top of the chicken. That's it! I'm cooking on High for 4 Hours because my chicken was still partially frozen but cook it alllllll day for even better results but add extra water so it doesn't dry out.

Garnish with diced green onions.

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The verdict? Good but I should have taken the extra step of doing everything separate. Since it all cooked together, the sauce ends up mixed in with rice and veggies which is fine but it doesn't look as pretty as my predecessors. LOL The flavor is fine but slightly unexpected due to the tomato paste addition. I can't imagine it would be better with ketchup though. I think I might either cut the tomato paste to 1/8 cup and maybe up the honey to 1/3 cup. Not too shabby! Next time I will definitely do the rice and veggies right before I serve so the chicken gets the whole sauce flavor!


Challenge Friendly: YES but only for Max. You don't need the extra sugars during Cleanse. In fact, you probably don't need the extra sugars anyway ... so let's list this as a MAYBE ... only if in dire need of a dish ... and you happen to have everything you need sitting around ... LOL

Cleanse Friendly Chicken Soup

It's fall! Time for comfort foods! And, specifically, time for those foods that make you warm inside when you aren't feeling up to par. My friend is sick right now so I promised her some chicken soup. She is on the Cleanse Phase of the Advocare 24-Day Challenge, currently, so I can't just go throwing in a bunch of noodles and sodium rich chicken stock because her body would NOT respond well to the salty, carb overdose when it's trying to detox. Challenge: Make a cleanse friendly chicken soup that isn't going to make her body cry more! Yep, I can handle that!

In an effort to keep the stock natural and super low sodium, I bought plenty of veggies to throw in to help "stew" for the broth. I also picked up some fresh herbs since they are more savory and fragrant. This is a labor of love with all the rinsing, cutting and prepping so make sure you have time to be chopping all these veggies. Everything smells great so far (as it is cooking in the crockpot, currently) so I can't wait to taste it later! Let's get this list started ....


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Cleanse Friendly Chicken Soup

The "Meat:"

2-3 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast trimmed of fat and diced - Add some Garlic Powder directly to the chicken before you put it in the pot

1 c. Wild Rice Mix (I used Lundburg Wild Rice Mix)
1 large Leek or 2 small
1/2 Sweet Onion
8 Stalks of Hearts of Celery
1 c. Baby Carrots

The Seasonings:

2 Rosemary Twigs - strip the leaves and cut up
2-4 Basil Leaves - cut up into pieces
1 Bay Leaf
4-6 Cloves of Garlic - diced/sliced
1 tsp. Majorum
2 tbsp. Natural Chicken Stock Starter
1-2 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. coriander
Black pepper

7 c. water (for a large crockpot; add more for a thinner soup)

Rinse, chop, slice, dice everything and throw in the crockpot or in a stew pot on the stove. I cooked mine on 4 Hours High in the crockpot, stirring every hour. Usually I would cook on Low for 8 hours but I was under time constraints. On the stove, set on the lowest setting and let stew away all day.

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Leek Preparation

(because I had to YouTube it since I had never cooked with leeks before!)
 
Chop most of the green head off so you have mostly white showing. Chop the root off. The leek is from the onion/garlic family so it has layers inside. Slice it once longways so you have 2 long halves. take off the outermost layer (like an onion). Rinse under cold water between the layers to get out dirt that has gotten trapped (you don't have to take it apart to do this; rinse from one side first and then the other). Let sit to drain and then chop like you would celery or green onions.

YouTube Leek Prep Video

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VERY LOW SODIUM. The Natural Chicken Stock Starter I use hardly has any salt and no MSG. It was flavorful, for sure, but for those of you needing a bit more "sodium" kick, you might want to use a can of chicken stock and fill the rest with water. I, personally, was fine with the flavor and the sodium level but Dave added Frank's Red Hot ... because that's just Dave LOL

Note on majorum: Majorum makes soups thicken. If you are looking for a "clear" broth, leave out the majorum! I love thick soups so I actually added another teaspoon towards the end to help that along.


Challenge Friendly: YES! Success was mine! My friend and her family ate it like crazy.

Mustard Marinaded Grilled Pork and Eggplant

Sometimes you have to cave and go with what you have on hand and this time ... it was pork tenderloins while on a cleanse. Boooooo me! BUT they were REALLY GOOD! Just a couple of warnings: 1. Um, oil on meat on a grill makes flames; 2. Flames make things charred ... I like charred.

I paired my "grill"-awesomeness with grilled eggplant which I desaturated beforehand, basted with EVOO and sprinkled garlic and black pepper over before I put them on the top rack in the grill. My only regret was not having MORE to make because they were DELICIOUS off the grill! The pic makes it looks all bland and one-colored ... but I say the flavor is multifaceted!


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Mustard Marinade

1/4 c. EVOO
2 tbsp. Apple Cider Vinegar
1 tbsp. Organic Dijon Mustard
1 tsp. Paprika
1 tsp. Onion Powder
1 clove Garlic - minced
Black Pepper
1 tsp. Agave

Mix and incorporate well. Use as a marinade or as a salad dressing.

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Make up the awesome sauce above. Grill, bake or pan cook. Cook some veggies while you are at it and go to town! I will say I still loved the pork the next day with this sauce made up for my salad dressing .... mmmmmmm!


Challenge Friendly: UM ... only if you aren't adverse to eating meat that roots in mud for it's food ... so NO ... but the sauce can be used for chicken, too ;)

Jerk It Out No. 1

So I decided to try my hand at Jerk Chicken, finally. Found a simple jerk mix at The Way to His Heart blog.

Note: par my usual, I did add garlic because you know I love my garlic!

Things I can do different next time:

1. Next time, I will let the marinade set for a good few hours and then probably pan seal then bake ... Or grill!

2. I might try adding a few other spices that I'm seeing on other recipes like ginger and maybe molasses. (Actually I'm stealing a mix my friend has and basing my next attempt on their ingredient list!)

3. Next time I bake, I'm going to throw a touch of water in the bottom of the pan so I have more "sauce" when I mix it all up.

All in all, I'm super happy with this flavor and the hot spice was just enough for me. I'm sure Dave could have used even more red pepper!

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Jerk Seasoning

1 tbsp. Thyme
1 tbsp. Minced Onion
1 tbsp. Minced Garlic
2 tsp. All Spice
1 tsp. Cinnamon
1 tsp. Cayenne Pepper
1 tsp. Black Pepper

1 tbsp. EVOO
2-3 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts

Combine all the spices. Coat the chicken with the EVOO and pour the spices over them. Work the spices over the chicken with your hands until everything is coated. Cover and cook on 375 degrees for an hour.

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Pair with a slaw or, like I did, warm corn salad with matching spices. Yummmmmmy!


Challenge Friendly: YES. Pair with roasted veggies or brown rice with spicy flavors.

Lime Turkey Burgers and Bruschetta

I had a entire bag full of yellow and red tomatoes my mom gave me from her garden and the yellows were on the VERGE. So what did I do? I made bruschetta ... without bread. I mean, the best part of a bruschetta is the balsamic flavoring anyways, so why waste that goodness on a starchy, bread carb? Ok, I like it on bread, but seeing as this was Day #2 of the cleanse, bread wasn't an option! BUT OMG THIS HIT THE SPOT. I did grill the turkey patties and I now wish I would have pan cooked them because they dried out really easy.

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Bruschetta Mix

5 mid-sized Red Tomatoes
5 mid-sized Yellow Tomatoes
1 mid-sized Green Tomato
1/2 Red Onion

1/4 c. Baslamic Vinegar
1/8 c. EVOO
2-3 cloves Garlic - minced
2 tbsp. Basil or fresh leaves

Slice, dice and throw everything together. Shake up and let set so the flavors combine.

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Lime Turkey Burgers

1 lb. lean ground turkey
1 tsp. Paprika
1 tsp. Corriander
1 tbsp. Basil
1 tsp. Onion Powder
1 tbsp. minced garlic
Black Pepper
1/2 Lime - squeeze the juice

Combine all the ingredients until you reach patty-making consistency. Pat out 4-5 patties (I got 5 out of mine). They will be moist but they should retain shape if you worked the meat well.

Grill until done or pan cook until juices run clear.

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Whole Grain Rice 

1 c. whole grain rice (feeds more than 2 people in my house)
2 c. water
1-2 cloves of Garlic
Basil
1 tbsp. chicken stock starter (healthy food store - no msg)
1/2 Lime - squeeze the juice in

Combine all ingredients. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat. The rice I use cooks at a simmer for 15-20 minutes (quick rice is faster!). Let set for 5 minutes and serve.

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I was surprised the Turkey Patties stayed together because they were pretty wet, but they did! The grill just leached all the moisture out of them unfortunately. The bruschetta was kickass and pretty easy considering you just had to cut the stuff up, combine and let set (I like my "salads" to marinate). The leftover patties went into our lunches. I had no lettuce left so we had just bruschetta, turkey and avocado leftovers for lunch today. Hey: I was perfectly fine with that!

Challenge Friendly: YES! And filling!

Asian-Inspired Baked Salmon

Cleanse Day #1: Seeing as this is my second cleanse and 24-Day Challenge, I am very thankful that I went through the food-learning-curve during my first cleanse! Prep time really comes down to: 1. What do I have on hand and 2. What flavor sounds good today? I knew I was going to be having salmon and veggies but only decide on the Asian flare this morning. I also skimped due to time and used dried garlic and ground ginger. I think it would have had even more flavor if I had used the real stuff! As is, PLENTY of flavor was present.

Another note: I buy the big fresh cut broccoli, cauliflower and carrot mix at Sam's and freeze it to use when I need it. Last night I pulled some and let it thaw during the day in the fridge. Something about freezing and cold defrosting softens those veggies up, so they were super prepped to accept flavor.

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Asian-Inspired Baked Salmon with Veggies and Quinoa

2-4 servings of Salmon filets
1/4 c. EVOO
1 tbsp. minced garlic
2 tsp. ground ginger
1 tbsp. liquid aminos
Black pepper
Red pepper flakes

Put the salmon in a ziplock bag with all the ingredients and mush everything around to incorporate it. Let marinade 30 minutes to 24 hours.

1/2 c. Uncooked quinoa
Veggies for those eating (broccoli, cauliflower and carrots used
today) or salad for a dish base
Splash of liquid aminos
Dusting of ground ginger
1/2 c. Water

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Put the quinoa in the bottom of a baking dish and place the marinated salmon on top. Place the veggies around or on the fish. Pour the water in the bottom of the pan (the quinoa soaks it up to cook). Splash liquid aminos over the veggies and dust some ground ginger too. Cover with foil and cook for 50-55 minutes. Serve as is or over salad or cabbage shredded.

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This was super yummy today! I wasn't starving until dinner and I devoured this happily. If I wasn't cleansing, I would have added chow mein noodles LOL And for a dressing for leftovers the next day: basically create that same marinade with less oil (unless you are making 2 servings, then keep it) and add a touch of rice vinegar or apple cider vinegar for some zing.


Challenge Friendly: YES

Up-coming 24-Day Challenge!

So, an FYI: Dave and I will be starting an Advocare 24-Day Challenge on 9/10/12 so I will be trying out some new recipes! VERY EXCITING to meal plan again and start looking at new, fresh ideas to share!

If you are interested in joining, give me a buzz over message or e-mail. Last day to order your Challenge supplies is 9/3.

I'm looking at my Pinterest board now and wondering what evil yumminess I can make!! Mmmmmmmmmmm

Turkey-Broccoli Meatballs and Pasta

I wanted to do some meatballs tonight for pasta instead of my plain ole pan cooked ground turkey. And, of course, I hid veggies in that meaty deliciousness. ;) Birdie even saw me putting the broccoli in but promptly forgot when it came to eating them. WIN! Please note: she also stole about 6 slices of orange bell pepper off my cutting board before dinner; DOUBLE WIN!

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Turkey-Broccoli Meatballs and Pasta

1 lb. Lean Ground Turkey
1/2 c. Broccoli
1/4 red onion - diced fine
3 cloves garlic - minced
1 tbsp. oregano
1 tbsp. basil
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. paprika
Black Pepper

1 c. Whole grain rotini
1/2 c. Tri-peppers - diced
1 clove garlic - minced
1/2 c. Spaghetti sauce

Put the broccoli in the food processor and get it down into little pieces. I like to cut mine down, freeze them, then process so they don't juice themselves to death when processing. Add all the meatball ingredients (Turkey through black pepper) in a bowl and work the mixture like you would prep for meatloaf (really well so it compacts well).

Roll out 1" meatballs. Place directly in a big frying pan - not heated. When they are all placed, turn the heat on medium, cover and let cook about 10 minutes (no oil needed if it's a non-stick pan). You can start turning them after they've been cooking for 5 minutes. There should be lots of liquid built up in the pan from cooking them covered.

Throw in the peppers, rotini and garlic. Add about 1 cup of hot water and cover. Let cook, stirring occasionally, until the pasta is cooked through. Add the spaghetti sauce (and I sliced the meatballs in half to make sure they were cooked through at this time) and cook another few minutes while everything combines with the sauce. Dish and serve!

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You can also do carrots, cauliflower, whatever veggies you want to add to the meatballs. In the future, I also would add spinach leaves to the whole thing when I throw the sauce in to warm and cook just for extra greens. Goooooood stuff!!


Challenge friendly: YES. Max Phase only due to pasta content. Try meatballs over spaghetti squash for Cleanse Phase.