Lemon Pepper Herb Salmon with Basil Garlic Couscous and Veggies

Fun Cubes of Flavor

Cooking Time:  15 minutes
Clean-Up:  Pot, skillet, and tongs

Call this a "proof-of-concept" meal. Fresh salmon, baby carrots, green beans, and couscous. From fridge to plate in under 15 minutes.  I even used a new "cheat" - which I happened to fall completely in love with.

The Original Minute Rice

I didn't feel like adding the nutty, earthy taste of brown rice to this dish and that is where the couscous comes in.  Couscous is a different mouth feel than rice but, more importantly, it is a completely blank canvas and will be done quicker than brown rice. Earlier in the day I found the chopped basil and crushed garlic in the freezer section of my local fresh & easy market. Toss one of each into the boiling water and butter and it will do wonders for adding flavor to the semolina of the couscous. Once you've added the flavor and let it steep for another minute, stir in the couscous, remove from heat, cover and let sit for five minutes.

Don't Worry - The Black is Normal

Skinless salmon fillets are an easy cook. Crust salmon with herbs of your own choosing and sprinkle with lemon pepper seasoning. Gently place in a skillet of medium hot oil and cook two minutes per side. Then place in a 375 degree oven and cook three minutes more per side (it really pays to have a high quality skillet that can go from stove top to oven in a single swoop. If your seasoning forms a black crust then your oil was too hot when you started (yes - mine was). Don't panic if this happens - you will just wind up with a cajun style dish - which didn't bug me too much.

The end result is yummy, healthy, freshness that will never be found in any location that has you using internal combustion to wait in line for faux food. Bon appetit!

Firecracker Shrimp with Organic Ramen

Cooking Time:  10 minutes
Clean-Up:  Pot, skillet, and tongs

Yea - this took only ten minutes.  Hard to believe but if you plan for it, you can pull it off.  Granted, this was a kit from fresh & easy but, it is easy enough to re-create without the kit and a bit of work flow management.  

Cook You Little Yummies!

All you will need is some raw peeled (deveined) shrimp (I don't use jumbo for stir-frys - it is a shrimp to veggie ratio thing). Place in a skillet (or wok - if you have one) that has about 2-3 tablespoons hot oil (which, for me is olive oil). Heat for 5 minutes (make sure all sides are pink). While these are cooking off, get a pot of water going to a boil.  After five minutes you will want to throw in the veggies and start the ramen.  For the veggies I used the water chestnuts, red bell peppers, snow peas, and onions but; you can use just about any veggie you want.

Not Your College Ramen

The ramen tonight was a substitution for the plain-jane rice that I would normally use for a stir-fry.  This isn't the ramen that you are thinking of (plastic packet - crappy powered chicken season, etc)...this is real live, organic Chinese style wheat noodles. These are not the egg noodles that we normally cook in this country.  They will not take as long to cook and can overcook really easy.  That said, pull them after three minutes and let them drain.  By the time you have laid these out dump your sauce into the pan. Any sauce will do (sweet and sour or stir-fry for example) but don't use too much and don't let it scorch in the hot pan with the veggies.  You will only need to cook the shrimp, veggies and sauce a couple of minutes. Set it on the bed of ramen and enjoy. Ten easy minutes - well thirteen if you factor in the dishes you will do...

Ten Minutes to This!

Lemon Pepper Pork Chops with Basmati Rice and Asparagus

Simple Spices

 Protein and Veggies:  fresh & easy

Cooking Time:  20 minutes
Clean-Up: Pot and tongs (you just have to love grilling)
Tim's Additions: nothing but spice

So it has been a while since I blogged.  Between travel, volunteer, and work events; I have not been home to cook a lot. If ever there was a night where I wanted to bomb through a drive thru - this was it. In spite of the overly emotional end to the day, I came home ready to spark up the grill and get cracking on cooking.

So Easy Tim Can Cook It

One of the best things about grilling is the total ease of clean-up. Except for the plate and utensils I used to eat with, there is virtually no clean-up with this meal (something that I think is a factor when considering cooking for yourself versus the burger doodle). The thick cut chops were pulled from the freezer and defrosted during the day in the fridge. The rice I had on hand and the asparagus was in the easy, "micro-zap" kit - that will just take 2:30 in the microwave.

While warming up the grill, I started my prep for the rice and the chops.  The chops don't take a lot, just sprinkle the lemon pepper (and since it is from fresh & easy - it doesn't have any elongated chemical names that belong in a laboratory) on both sides of the chops. As with most dry rubs, be sure to use tongs and flip by grabbing the sides rather than the top or bottom of the meat.  The rice should be prepared as per the instructions on the package (again, for the love of God, don't use "minute rice").  I like to add some additional seasoning, in this case a salt free herb blend, to the water as it boils. In my opinion, this flavors the rice much better than trying to sprinkle it on after the fact.

Be sure to cook the chops to chops to the right internal temperature - to me that is 150 degrees (med/well) but, no more than 160 degrees (well). After pulling the meat off the grill let it rest and zap the asparagus.  Thanks for helping me dodge an emotional eating bullet.

Yummy!

Pork Chops with Roasted Apples, Mixed Green Veggies, and Cranberry Suace

My "No Dishes to Clean" Face

Protein: fresh and easy
Veggies: fresh and easy

Cooking Time: 40 minutes
Clean-Up: virturally nothing - just the plate you eat it from
Tim's Additions: nada - felt lazy tonight

So let's chaulk this tonight's dinner up to my, "worker smarter, not harder" attitude.  Everything tonight came pre-packaged and ready to heat. Couple of upsides to this - while the chops were cooking in the 375 degree oven I was able to finish off some database work (no 2 am night tonight) and the only dishes you are have to clean is the plate you eat it off of.

A Multi-tasker's Dinner - But Not Faux Food

The pork chops where pretty thick cut.  Remove the caramel citrus sauce, cover with foil, and place in the oven for 25 minutes - the package does say 17-22 minutes but, they were still too pink for my taste, hence the extra time. When it is done with the first round, pull it out of the oven and dump the sauce over it - throw it back in the oven for another 10 minutes.

When you pull it out of the oven, let the chops rest for a couple of minutes. This is a great time to zap the veggies - that will chew up another 2 minutes and 30 seconds (I don't run the veggies the full three minutes as I think it overcooks them).  I had some leftover cranberry sauce from Thanksgiving so this was a great opportunity to use it up. Plating is pretty straight forward.

Considering that I needed to remove plastic covers and use a microwave the meal exceeded expectations. The one thing I would have eliminated was the caramel citrus sauce...it just wasn't needed.  In fact, I think I would have fired up the grill and done something different with the pork - not sure what but, that "glaze" just didn't work for me...too sweet for my taste.  However, if I had done that, then it would not have been a great multi-tasker's dinner.

Lunch on the Go

Three Minute Service Time...Beat THAT Burger Doodle

Plans went a little haywire this morning and, as a result, I find myself working remotely from one of our North Phoenix centers today.  Fortunately I had packed a lunch.

I adore the "Eat Well" line from fresh and easy. Not only is it healthy but, I don't need to remember any of my High School Chem classes to understand what is in the food I am consuming.  Today was the Steak Fajita, vanilla Greek yogurt with granola, and a diet coke.

Three minutes in the microwave ..the only vending machine that was harmed during this lunch was the coke machine.  There is no way that you can put together a drive thru meal in three minutes.  Definitely not one that has steak and brown rice...

Chicken Alfredo Bake with Whole Wheat Pasta

Yes, it is That Easy...

Protein: fresh and easy

Cooking Time: 26 minutes
Clean-Up: garlic mill, pot
Tim's Additions: Italian bread crumbs, sliced garlic

Back to work after a four day weekend...if there was ever a night where I was going to do a burger doodle drive by, I would be able to find no shortage of reasons.  Thankfully, I planned ahead and picked up "ready to cook" entrees from fresh and easy.

So most of these posts include "clean-up" - I do that because I believe that is a factor in the whole "fast" dinner thing. Wouldn't it be ironic if you had a 15 minute meal but 20 minutes of dishes - yeah, I think so too. So I try to keep that in mind when menu planning.

For tonight, I opted for the Chicken Alfredo Bake. Boneless, skinless chicken breasts with diced pancetta, baby spinach, Italian bread crumbs, and Alfredo sauce. I added some sliced garlic and some more Italian bread crumbs.  Simply throw in a 375 degree oven and follow the directions on the package. If you are one that likes a lot of sauce, then I would suggest you buy more (the store I go to has reasonably sized containers that you can zap for two minutes in the microwave) as the portion that comes with the package won't drown the contents.

I opted to lay this out on a bed of whole wheat pasta. I opted for an up end fresher option - you can use what you will.  I like to cook mine in a boiling mix of water, salt, olive oil, and sliced garlic but - to each their own.  Plating is straight forward, lay down a bed of drained pasta and place the baked chicken , etc on top of it.

Why Yes, It Was That Easy

No Cans Allowed...

Briney Goodness without the Briney Hassle

Being that I am a couple thousand miles away from my family, I don't have a need to fix the whole Thanksgiving Dinner for myself. This year, I was part of the "pitch-in" and only provided the turkey (plus gravy - since I had the drippings) and the cranberry sauce (compote).

I love cooking the turkey for the annual meal.  My routine is pretty simple - use an oven bag (best invention ever for turkey roasting) line the bottom of the bag with your onions (red, yellow, white) and celery. Stuff the cavity with herbs (rosemary, thyme, etc) and a couple of quartered apples - coat the outside with an olive oil/honey mix (great for browning). Seal bag and poke your probe thermometer through the bag (instead of being a dummy like me and sealing it in the bag with the cable snaking out of the opening).  I did add a step to my typical prep work - this was the first year that I used the "Dry Brine Rub" from fresh & easy. In the interests of disclosure, you should know that is was one of the goodie bag contents that I got gratis for attending the recent holiday party. 

One bit of advice for the use of the brine rub one, follow the instructions on the can exactly and two, spread some plastic wrap around the area that you are working in (holy snikes it was flipping messy).  No big pot of water needed (a big turn-off in previous years for my wanting to brine). It did a great job of infusing flavor deeper into the turkey and I can notice a difference in the taste of the left overs (in a good way).

Cranberry sauce - I don't know what dip-head came up with the concept of jellied cranberry sauce in a can but, it seems to have become the prevalent method of holiday cranberry consumption. For just a bit more effort than it took Bart to open that can, we can make a great cranberry sauce - one that does not revoke my birthright as a native of the great state of Maine.  

Resist the Urge to Open a Can

Not Marge's Cranberry Sauce:
24 ounces of fresh cranberries
1-3/4 cups water
2 cups sugar
1/4 cup  ground cinnamon
1/4 cup Grand Mariner
1 orange - zested
(for the love of God, If there is a "Bart" in your house - I wouldn't let him near the stove or the booze - but each of us needs to make our own call)

Combine water, sugar, cinnamon, and Grand Mariner in pot and bring to rolling boil. Reduce heat and add cranberries and orange zest - cook until berries pop open. Remove from heat and carefully pour into heat safe bowl. Place in fridge overnight. Serve chilled - leftovers can store in the fridge a couple of weeks. Yes, the juice from this will make the most amazing vodka cranberry cocktail...not that I know a thing about that.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Stuffed Chicken Breast, Basmati Rice, and Green Salad

Cook to Temperature - Not Time

Produce: Duncan Family Farms
Protein: fresh and easy

Cooking Time: 60 minutes
Clean Up: Cutting board, pot, chef knife, rotary cheese grater, salad bowl
Tim's Additions: none

Stuffed Chicken Breast

Decided to invest a bit more time in dinner tonight: and went with a stuffed chicken breast from my favorite store. The best thing about this is that it is a simple peel-the-plastic-off-cover-with-aluminum-foil-and-shove-the-temperature-probe-in-the-center and place it in a 375 degree oven on a baking sheet.  Since you have to wait around an hour, we can focus on the other stuff for the meal.

Simple Green Salad

At four ingredients (arugula, romaine hearts, radishes, and parmesan), salads don't get any more simple than this. Since we are dealing with farm-to-table produce, it goes without saying that you need to wash the veggies thoroughly (unless you like bonus top soil in your veggies).  Arugula can just be thrown in the bowl. Slice the romaine hearts (perpendicular to the stem) and radishes - chuck those into the bowl as well. Grate some real parmesan (for all that is good and holy do not use the "parm" that comes in a green can - it isn't cheese if the food label shows more than one thing like, let's say, cheese) over the top. Sprinkle some ground pepper and veggie seasoning over the top.  Feel free to either dress with oil or your favorite salad dressing.

Not Your Mom's Minute Rice

Felt like adding a starch and opted for rice.  Resist the urge to bust out the minute rice you grew up with and go with something decent like basmati tonight (only because I had it on hand). You've got lots of time before the chicken is done so time shouldn't be a factor. For boiling it off, I add olive oil and butter to the water that needs to be boiling...those are optional but, I like the way the finished product tastes.

The finished chicken tasted great but the presentation was off.  All was well until I had to slice it and then it just fell apart before I could get in on the plate. If I had invested another 15 minutes, I might have upped the presentation factor but, it wasn't worth it for tonight.  The overall taste reminded me a bit of chicken and dumplings and was way, way better than going out to eat.

If Your Were Here You Would Have Eaten This...

I Ate WHAT?!

"I was wrong" (enjoy it - I won't admit it often), last night I didn't serve "yellow radishes" - these are actually yellow beets.  Damn it - I have managed to avoid beets my entire life and we I am eating yellow freaking beets.  

The hell of it is, I liked them. After the fact, I also have an idea of what in the heck to do with these next time (instead of a complete culinary punt)...

Beets 101...

1. Scrub your beets and cut off the greens and save them.
2. Do NOT peel the beets. Wrap however many you are going to use in aluminum foil (all in the same packet) and bake at 425 degrees until tender - about 35 minutes.
3. While the beets are roasting, wash your greens - wrap them in a piece of paper towel and put in the refrigerator to stay crisp until the beets are done. Also, thinly slice at least one clove of garlic - set aside.
4. When beets have finished roasting, the skins should slip right off. Slice the beets when they have cooled enough to handle, then set aside.
5. In a large skillet or wok, heat a tablespoon or so of olive oil over med-high heat. Add your sliced garlic and saute a minute or so, until it starts to soften. Add your greens and saute until they are bright green and just wilted. Remove from heat.
6. Add the sliced beets and toss with a couple shakes of Balsamic vinegar. Serve immediately.

Memphis Seasoned Chicken with Sauteed Rainbow Chard

Some New Flavors & Just 20 Minutes

Produce: Duncan Family Farms, Goodyear AZ
Protein: fresh and easy

Cooking Time: 20 minutes
Clean Up: Skillet, tongs, chef knife, cutting board, garlic mill, garlic peeler
Tim's Additions: butter, paprika, yellow radishes




Tonight's dinner was an example of trying new things. Got a hold of some rainbow chard and yellow radishes from Duncan Family farms. Rainbow chard is a leafy green veggies that is sometimes used in Mediterranean cooking. I suppose you could eat it raw - no my thing but, to each their own. Since this was straight from the field a total wash and rinse was in order before doing anything.

Yes - they are radishes...I think

While we are washing produce, let's clean off the yellow radishes.  I've never thought of radishes much before but, these were different.  Not a bad different mind you, just a bit crisper and zestier than a normal radish.  Honestly, not knowing what in the heck else to do with them, these just get sliced and set on the plate.

For the chard, heat some EVOO and butter, add sliced garlic (I probably should have minced it but, I was feeling lazy) in a large skillet.  Remove the chard from their stems...I've read this cooks like asparagus - I opted for an asparagus free night. Break down into manageable pieces and cook down in the skillet adding it bunches in parts.  It cooks down just like spinach (which I actually don't like cooked down) and I added a bit of paprika once I added the last bunch to the skillet.

The chicken was easier - pull it out of the package and throw it on the preheated grill (don't forget to turn the flames down to medium so that you don't char the chicken). This packaged offering is boneless, skinless, chicken breasts with a dry rub, sweet tomato, and vinegar sauce.  Here's another tip for grilling - cook to temperature, not time - so flip the meat in quarter temperature intervals.

Granted - this took a bit longer than the 15 minute standard but, the farm-to-table produce has such a vivid taste - you just cannot believe it - definitely worth the extra effort. 

Yeah - You Know You Want Some...

Beef & Broccoli Stir Fry

Yup - two containers...that's it.

Cooking Time: 12 minutes
Clean Up: Skillet, tongs, plate
Tim's Additions: Soy Sauce

So you are going to find that I buy a lot of my stuff from fresh and easy markets and tonight's dinner was no exception.

Doesn't look like much now but, smelled great!

Stir fry meat in organic olive oil (the directions just say oil - organic EVOO is all I have in my place). Added a splash of soy sauce to it at about the 4 minute mark (splatter shield would have prevented the mess that I wound up with). Once the meat was cooked simply toss in the veggies - which I would have liked to have had more of - and then stir fry for a few more minutes to soften them up.  One other tip would be to cut down the broccoli florets into smaller pieces (something I didn't do).

There is a sauce packet that you simply cut open and dump in the skillet the last couple of minutes. If I had been more self aware, I would have tried to figure out what exactly was in the packet but, I didn't. I can say, I didn't notice any 16 letter names that belong in a chemistry lab so, I figure we are good to go...the sauce did smell great though. The egg fried rice is a snap - 3 minutes in the microwave.  Once that is done, plate a bed of rice, scoop some of the stir fry mix from the skillet onto the bed of rice (oh, if egg fried rice isn't your thing, just use brown rice).

Enjoy knowing that you pulled this off in twelve minutes and only dirtied your skillet, tongs, and the plate you ate it out of...

Sweet, beefy broccoli yumminess!

Why Now?

Food - I have spent many adult years struggling with food.  Like many, I spent years bombing through the drive thru of my local fast food joint. While drowning in the sea paper bags, plastic cartons, and waxed cups; I contently gorged myself on fast food for years. Now - in my 40's, I am discovering a few things about myself...among them, that I actually like to cook and that I really don't find the faux food from the local burger mania store all that good.  

This blog is dedicated to my desire to fan the flames of a new-found love of cooking and a determination to forget faux food.  As I start down this road I realize that fixing good food, at home, doesn't actually take much more time than it takes me to wait with the masses in the drive thru lane of the Burger Doodle...it tastes a heck of a lot better.