Cooking The House Down

An Adventure In Meal Prep With Eric And Rosie

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Lemon Chicken with Broccoli Casserole and Veggies!

Back after a few long weeks! This week we pay homage to Thanksgiving with a casserole!

Up first is the chicken. A lemon pepper-ish chicken marinated, pan seared, then baked to completion. It's super easy and pretty freakin' delicious.

We made the marinade first. A couple tablespoons of oil, the juice of a lime (we just didn't have any lemons), some paprika, lemon pepper, onion powder, garlic, salt, pepper, and ground thyme. I'd guess about a teapoon of each, we didn't measure. Combine all the ingredients and set them aside.

Next, prep the chicken! We took chicken breasts and sliced them in half to make it seem like we had more than we did. It's all about making more food out of less ingredients. We're cheap and that's ok.

Now combine the chicken and marinade together in a bag of some kind. I'd recommend a large ziplock bag...we didn't have any so this is a bag that some plastic cups came in. Use what you have. Nobody is judging you. Put the bag into a container and refrigerate for about an hour or overnight or 10 minutes, your choice. The extra container is just a safeguard for any leakiness that might happen.

When you're ready, take the chicken out of the fridge and throw them in a hot pan for a couple minutes on each side. We're looking for good color on both sides, not necessarily complete doneness. After that, put the chicken on a sheet pan and in the oven at 350 for 5ish minutes per side until they're completely cooked. Now enjoy!

Done! Now on to the casserole! We forgot to take pictures the whole way through, oh well...it's easy. Defrost a bag of broccoli. Cook 3/4 cup of bulgur in 1 1/4 cups of stock with some salt, pepper, garlic and onion powders (combine everything into a small pot, bring to boil, reduce to simmer and cook on low for 10 minutes).

Combine the broccoli, cooked bulgur, a can of cheddar cheese soup, 1/4 cup of milk, a few dashes of salt, pepper, Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, and a smattering of shredded cheese into a greased casserole dish!

We then topped the whole thing in a few crushed up Ritz crackers for extra tastiness and baked the casserole for 26 minutes exactly!...or just for long enough that everything gets melty and delicious. Take it out and sprinkle with some shaky cheese (parmesan/romano blend is what we had) and then you're ready to eat!

Mmmmmmmm....

Lastly, a super simple variation on frozen mixed veggies. We defrosted a few cups of mixed veggies and sauteed them in some spoons of butter to make them better.

Then after adding some salt and pepper, we added this McCormick Roasted Garlic and Herb seasoning and a good amount of Parmesan/Romano blend shaky cheese to the mix. That's it. Simple, but it makes gross plain veggies into something tasty.

That's it for the week! Enjoy the recipes, or don't. We will! See y'all next week maybe, depends on our mood. Peace and blessings.

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Mexican Meal Prep (November 2, 2014)

Delicioso! Click the links for recipes to our second set of meals for the week!

Turkey Taco Meat

Mexican Bulgur

Taco Spaghetti Squash with Black Beans and Cheese

Enjoy y'all!

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Taco Flavored Spaghetti Squash

Sounds weird, looks weird, tastes decicious!

We got lazy with pictures on this one or just forgot until it was too late.

Cut a spaghetti squash in half (this may take the power of Thor or another super hero to accomplish. Take the seeds out with a spoon and throw them at the person closest to you or in the trash. Set the halves face down in a microwave safe dish with about an inch of water or broth in it. The halves don't need to lay flat, just make them fit in the dish and microwave. Microwave on high for 5 minutes at a time or until the flesh is soft. It took about 20 minutes total for this squash.

When this is done, let them cool outside of the microwave for 15 or so minutes or until you can handle them. Or just burn yourself, whatever works for you. Use a fork to scrape out the spaghetti squash and stand in awe as it looks like noodles! Season the noodle-like things with salt and pepper.

While the squash is cooling straight out of the microwave, make the rest of the dish. Cook a diced half of an onion in oil or butter or ghee or whatever and add some garlic to the party. Season them with salt and pepper and then add in a small container of crushed tomatoes and a can of black beans that has been rinsed. Cook this for a few minutes then add a few tablespoons of dried taco seasoning to the mix and let it all come together like a big party of delicious.

Add the mix to the squash that has been removed from it's shell along with a crap ton of shredded cheese. We have Colby-Jack on hand at all times for just this sort of occasion. Mix, mix, mix, then eat it! Looks strange, tastes like cheesy, taco-y deliciousness!

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Mexican Bulgur...like Mexican rice...but bulgur.

This is barely even a recipe. We like Mexican rice. We are Mexican so we have this strange affinity towards that rice. Rosie says bulgur is a better carb so that's what we eat instead.

Same rule as before with bulgur: 1 part bulgur to 1.75ish parts liquid.

Put 1 cup of bulgur in a pot, add 1.5 cups of chicken broth and .25 cup of tomato sauce...or some variation of tomato and chicken broth. Add salt and obscene amounts of black pepper. Stir it up and bring it to a boil. Once boiling, turn down to low and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove it from the heat, let it sit a few minutes, and fluff with a fork!

Done.

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Ground Turkey Taco Meat!

We did two rounds of meal prep today because we had special guest sous chef SARAH! Our second meal is a delicious mexican-ish set of recipes starting with this ground turkey recipe.

First, fry a chopped onion and some garlic in oil for a few minutes till they start to cook. Then add in 2 zucchini that have been diced for the Gods! Cook them for 2 or 3 minutes while you prep the next part.

Next, add two pounds of ground turkey into the pan. You'll need a large pan if you're making this amount. Or you can cut the whole amount in half, you do the math. Also add a little bit of salt and pepper at this time. Brown the meat up until its fully cooked, you'll know when it's ready....it won't be raw anymore.

We also added a can of corn when the turkey was almost done cooking. Add whatever you want. This is just food, stop being so serious. Add what you like, leave out what you don't. We're gonna eat it like this.

Now comes the fancy stuff. This brand is so delicious! Their enchilada sauce, fajita sauce, and taco sauce are spot on. If you can't get them where you are...that sucks. Add some taco seasoning or something. It won't taste exactly the same. If you're our friends, send some money and ask us to bring you some when we visit you! Add in the La Frontera taco sauce!!!

After that cooks for a few minutes, you're done. Eat it! Ours was soupy so I added a slurry of corn starch and water to thicken it up some. Or eat it soupy...nobody cares. You can add it to taco shells, or eat it just as is like we do.

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Thai/Indian Meal Prep (November 2, 2014)

Here's our meal for the week! Links to individual recipes are below (click them):

Green Curry Chicken

Curried Bulgur

Vegetable Masala

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Vegetable Masala

Our last item for this set of meal preps is a yummy vegetable masala. It's super easy and quick to make with whatever veggies you have.

Start with a spoonful of cocounut oil(you know how we feel about that). Add a teaspoon of garam masala and a tablespoon of ginger/garlic paste(...or teaspoon of each freshly grated). Cook this for about a minute and then add a little salt and a small can or container of crushed tomatoes.

After this is all bubbly, add in a few cups of your favorite veggies. We added like 3 cups of defrosted vegetable mix (peas, green beans, carrots, and corn). Bring this to a bubble and stir it around occasionally. When everything is heated through, it's done! Easy peasy!

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Curried Bulgur

We love bulgur...or bulghur. Both. It's a staple of basically every meal prep and doesn't burn as easily as rice. It also is supposedly a better carb for reasons that Rosie can't fully explain without Eric falling asleep. Here's one take on bulgur.

First, start with a spoonful of coconut oil(or whatever). To this, add a tablespoon of ginger/garlic paste (or one teaspoon each grated ginger and garlic). Fry this for a few seconds and then add a teaspoon or a little less of curry powder. We buy in bulk as you can tell by the fancy recycled artichoke jar that it's in. Fry these together for another 30 seconds or so.

Now add in the bulgur. Our general rule is 1 part bulgur to 1.75ish parts liquid. Anyway, we made a cup of bulgur. Add it into the hot ginger/garlic/curry mixture and stir it around. Toast it like that for a minute or so.

Now add the liquid! We went with 1 3/4 cups of chicken stock that we made last weekend but water or water with bouillon work just as well. You should add some salt or soy sauce in at this point too. Bring the mixture to a boil, then cover and reduce to low for 10 minutes. Remove it from the heat after 10 minutes and let it sit for a few more then fluff it with a fork and enjoy the tasty-o!

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Green Curry Chicken

First recipe!

Instructions:

Fry a half can of green curry paste (Maesri brand is delicious) and some ginger/garlic paste (or a teaspoon-ish each of fresh grated ginger and garlic) in coconut oil...or whatever oil you have nearby. After like 30 seconds of mixing it around, add in one can of coconut milk and let it heat until you see the oils from the curry coming through the milk (around a minute or two). Then add half an onion, sliced to your mood.

While this is all happening, have your helper (or Rosie likes to be called the sous chef) cut a few chicken breasts in thin slices about an inch long and a quarter inch thick. Add a can of chicken broth, a few shakes of fish sauce, and some soy sauce to the coconut milk mixture. When it's semi-boiling, add the raw chicken and give it a stir.

After about 10 minutes of cooking, feel free to add whatever vegetables you might like. We were lazy today so it was a can of corn and two cans of green beans (rinsed). You can throw some cubed potatoes in too, that was tasty last time. Fresh work, frozen are good, canned taste fine too. You do you, mama.

Once everything has had a chance to heat, another 10 minutes or so, you add some salt and the last fancy item, kaffir lime powder! The powder is potent so just a little bit, 1/4 teaspoon or so. If you can't get it, search online for some alternatives. You can use fresh kaffir lime leaves or dried leaves. We use the powder because it's easier. I know the bottle says "makrut lime powder"...I'm told it's the same thing...if not, get over it because it tastes good.

Cook it for another 5 minutes or however long you want at a near boil. It'll taste delicious served on some rice or bulgur or by itself. We're not picky...clearly.

Enjoy!

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Heller!

Rosie doesn't really know how to cook. Eric fakes it pretty well. We'll update this blog weekly or whenever to share our meal preps! The idea is Same Food, Different Taste. We'll take basic proteins and vegetables and create healthy-ish meals inspired by various regions, foods, and flavors. Pictures and recipes to follow!