Day 44 - Magic with Canned Potatoes

Chicken breast, Brussels sprouts, slow cooked Dijon potatoes.

 Alright, I have a confession, but first...let's cover lunch today.

Dijon potatoes, pan seared Brussels sprouts, pan chicken with a dijon glaze.  I will likely be remaking the chicken and sprouts later and sharing the recipe (they just didn't come out very pretty this time, for some reason), but I think it's time that I first come clean about the potatoes.

I do, from time to time, eat canned potatoes.

I know, I know.  It's horrible, it's awful, they're so gross.  I hear you!  Nothing makes me happier than a fresh Yukon gold roasted to perfection with some clarified butter and a sprinkling of fleur de sel.  I promise, I do cook those things!

I also go to the ballet and enjoy a nice art exhibit.  But sometimes, friends, I just want to watch trashy reality TV and eat something out of a can.  It happens.

I have found that, at least to my palette, freshly cooked potatoes do not taste good once they're cold, and they taste even worse once refrigerated.  Canned potatoes, however, can be manipulated to taste OK and they do MUCH better for transport and reheating.

I first met canned potatoes at summer camp.   They were always swimming in butter and served with Salisbury steak.  So, to me, they taste nostalgic.  I've found that the trick to making them myself is to not even try to go low fat...they need some flavor injected into them.  They're not as good as cooking your own, ever, but I will use them for  lunch occasionally when I get a hankering.

Yeah, I said it.  A hankering.

Edible Canned Potatoes

2 15-oz cans of whole new potatoes (I use Del Monte)
1/2 cup water
1 T chicken boullion
2 T dijon mustard
4 T butter
2 t onion salt

Drain and rinse potatoes and place in a medium sized pot.  Whisk together remaining ingredients and pour over potatoes.  Cover and cook over medium heat until just barely simmering; continue to barely simmer for 15 minutes  before serving.  Alternately, you can place the ingredients in a crock pot and cook on high for 2 hours. Pin It Now!

Day 43 - Roasted Chick Peas

Red bell pepper, dijon and lemon potatoes, broccoli, and roasted chick peas!

This lunch is, clearly, very inspired on the Greek style lunch I had a few days ago.  I had lots of ingredients leftover, so I tried to use some of them up this week.  Dijon and lemon potatoes, steamed broccoli and red bell pepper, and roasted chick peas.

If you haven't discovered roasting as a way of having delicious chick peas, then you're missing out.  Roasted lightly, they are chewing and flavorful...roasted a little longer, they get crunchy and crisp and delicious.  They handle a lot of flavors well, so feel free to experiment!  Here's my usual method...

Roasted Chick Peas

1 15-oz can Chick Peas, drained and rinsed
2 T olive oil
2 T balsamic vinegar
1 t dried sage
1 t dried rosemary
1 t dried dill
1 t onion salt
1/4 t cayenne pepper

Whisk oil, vinegar, and spices together in a small bowl (I usually use a large soup bowl for this).  Gently fold in chick peas and allow to marinate at room temperature while oven is pre-heating.  When ready to roast, evenly spread chick peas on a parchment lined baking sheet, pouring any leftover marinade over the peas.  For soft, entree style peas, roast for 15-20 minutes.  For a crunchier version, roast 30-35 minutes.  Enjoy hot or cold!


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Day 42 - Fried Rice Leftovers

Leftover fried rice, edamame, mandarin oranges

 
I had Asian delivery last night.  I don't usually order delivery because it's so expensive, but sometimes I just can't resist.  Sometimes, you just need to sit on your couch while it rains outside and pay someone else to bring you food.  And it's awesome!

So, lunch today was leftover fried rice, along with some frozen edamame I had from last week and another orange cup.

I love lunches that take 2 minutes to pull together! Pin It Now!

Day 41 - Tortellini Salad

Tortellini Salad, apples, strawberries.

Today!  Today was delicious...cold tortellini salad with fruit on the side.  Not much to say about this one except you need to make it!  It's great hot or cold, and not too unhealthy.



Tortellini Salad

9 oz refrigerated tortellini (any kind - I used Butoni chicken tortelloni)
2 cups fresh spinach, firmly packed
1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
2 T olive oil
2 T red wine vinegar
1 T capers
1 T whole grain or dijon mustard
1 t onion salt

Cook tortellini according to package directions.  Set aside.  In a warm skillet, sautee  spinach until just wilted - you may wish to add cooking spray to aid this process.  Once wilted, stir spinach and bell pepper into tortellini.  Whisk together remaining ingredients and pour over tortellini mixture.  Serve hot or cold.

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Day 40 - Slow Cooker Chicken and Wild Rice

Slow Cooker Chicken and wild rice, green peas, red grapes.

Forty days, y'all.  Forty days.  That's more than a month!  We could have sailed the ark by now!  But no, cooking is much more fun.

I'm a little shocked I've kept this up so long.  I can't usually even make it all the way through the 40 days of Lent...so this is like a miracle!

Ahem, anyway...lunch...

I had great hopes for this chicken.  Anyone who eats at my house will tell you that chicken and rice is a staple in my kitchen...I have at least 10 variations on it, and they're all fairly different.  Let's see, I make...

1. Grilled chicken and rice with black beans in tomato sauce
2. Chicken and black beans in a paprika cream sauce over saffron rice
3. Baked chicken stuffed with rice and goat cheese
4. Chicken Stir Fry on rice
5. Chicken jambalaya (which necessarily includes rice..although I prefer seafood jambalaya)
6. Chicken in a white wine cream sauce over rice
7. Cheesy chicken casserole with rice and broccoli
8. Ranch chicken casserole with rice and assorted vegetables
9. Chicken and rice casserole with mushroom soup (my mom's version)
10. Chicken and rice soup (again, mom)

...And that's just off the top of my head.  Yeah, I realize some people might call  this a "problem," but really, I just see chicken as my go-to meat and rice as an easy carb staple.  And yes, about half the time I'm using brown rice (which I hate and think tastes like boiled cardboard, but it's good for me).  I don't eat all of these every week, but they come up all the time.  You'll definitely be seeing a few of these on the blog...especially once we start to get cold and comfort-food-weather.

No surprises that this article on the arsenic levels in rice has me worried.

Mom, don't read the article above.  Just trust me. You'll be happier.

Anyhoo, I'm eating rice anyway but I don't have a good chicken and wild rice recipe,  and the few I've tried have been only eh.  But I love a good wild rice blend, so I made this one up based on a number of different internet recipes.

This was better than eh, but only so much.  If you're a foodie, don't try this.  If you're just trying to crank out larger quantities of good, filling food for your kids/roommates/siblings/friends/neighbors/football team, then you might really like this.

I may do some tweaking and let you know what I find. 

Slow Cooker Chicken and Wild Rice

1-2 lb package of boneless, skinless chicken thighs (or a thigh/breast mix)
1 6oz pkg of long grain and wild rice mix (NOT instant or "quick cook" - I used Uncle Ben's original recipe)
1 can cream of chicken soup + 1 can water
8 oz sour cream
1 onion, chopped
8 oz fresh mushrooms, chopped
2 t tarragon
3 slices  of bacon

In a 4 quart slow cooker, stir together cream of chicken soup, water, and sour cream.  Stir in rice (including spice packet), remaining spices, and mushrooms.  Set heat on low.

In a large pan, cook bacon until crisp and fat rendered.  Remove from pan with slotted spoon; crumble and add to slow cooker.  In the remaining bacon renderings, saute onion for about 5 minutes, or until it becomes translucent; transfer with slotted spoon into slow cooker  In the remaining bacon renderings (if none are left, feel free to add oil or cooking spray), brown the chicken on each side on medium high heat until just golden; transfer to slow cooker, and fold in the entire mixture gently.  Replace lid of slow cooker and continue to cook on low for 5 hours.  Serve immediately. Pin It Now!

Day 39 - Trader Joe's Kung Pao Chicken

TJ's Kung Pao Chicken over steamed jasmine rice, shelled edamame, mandarin oranges.

Another Trader Joe's frozen dinner.  Trader Joe's Kung Pao Chicken served over jasmine rice, with shelled edamame and a mandarin orange cup.  Yes, a fruit cup.  Like a little kid.  It was delicious.  But seriously, about the chicken...

The Kung Pao chicken is good, but not nearly as good as TJ's Mandarin chicken.  It could use a few more vegetables, too...I'd recommend adding a cup of chopped bell pepper, onion, snow peas, or something similar to add some more flavor.  Regardless, I'll be buying it again.  Like all the TJ frozen meals I've had so far, it was easy to make and good.  That's all I want out of my frozen meals. :)

It also looks better in real life than in the picture...promise! Pin It Now!

Day 38 - Greek Chicken

Greek grilled chicken, roasted asparagus, potatoes, and chick peas.  All bathed in a warm afternoon sun!

I know...food all in one, undivided container.  Shocking!

Ok, for real though, all my other containers were in the dishwasher.  And these flavors all mingled well, so it was actually pretty delicious!

Leftovers from  last night include roasted asparagus, pan roasted potatoes in yogurt sauce, marinated and roasted chick peas, and grilled Greek chicken. I've gone back and forth over which recipe from this lunch to share, and I've decided to go with the chicken for two reasons.

1.  It's really easy, and everyone likes it.

2.  It's the chicken I use for my gyros, so that might help you create past recipes!

This microwaved beautifully at work.  I wish I had thrown in some more chick peas, though, because I got real hungry around 3:00.  So, learn from my example and always pack extra protein!

Marinated Greek Chicken

1 two pound package of chicken breasts
1 cup plain Greek style yogurt, any fat  content (the more fat, the less yogurt-y the taste after cooking.  Your preference).
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 T marjoram or oregano
1 t black pepper

In a large bowl, whisk together yogurt, vinegar, lemon juice, and spices.  Gently fold in chicken breasts.  Cover and let sit in refrigerator at least overnight.  When ready to cook, let the chicken lose it's chill by sitting at room temperature for about 15 minutes.

I grill mine on my George Foreman grill for about 3 minutes each; cooking time will vary based on the thickness of your chicken and the heat of your grill.

Alternately, you can bread and bake these at 350F for about 45 minutes.

Serve hot or cold.

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