Spinach Salad with Red Quinoa Cakes

Little by little I have been cutting back on the meat and upping the grains & vegetables. I was a little afraid the Nudge would not like it, at all.
He's been surprisingly receptive so I thought when I talked to him about my plan, he thought that meant more pasta, rice and breads.

For the last year or so, I have been making him breakfast smoothies and jar salads and it's been successful so far, but as the weather gets cooler, I notice that he's asking for healthy snacks.

Luckily he loves apples (with PB) and eggs, so that's what I pack for him.

Last night I doubled down with a spinach salad and red quinoa cakes. Except for a few snips of bacon, it was healthy and very tasty.

While the recipe called for couscous, I was out so I subbed in red quinoa.
Why red quinoa?
Red quinoa provides 17 to 24 percent of the RDA of fiber for women and 13 to 24 percent of the RDA of fiber for men. That's double the amount of yellow.

Yes, I know it doesn't look picture pretty, not as nice as yellow but it is a better healthier choice.

If you have never made a warm spinach salad, it is easy to do as long as you remember to wilt the spinach last.

This was the timeline.......
1. Cook the quinoa as you would rice. Equal parts water to seed. Cook for 15 minutes. I use my microwave with great success.
2. While the quinoa is cooling, cut the bacon and the mushrooms into 1/2" slices.
3. Make the quinoa cake mixture and let it rest in the fridge. Will be easier to work with.
4. Wash and stem the spinach and dry thoroughly using a salad spinner.

15 minutes before you wilt the salad, you make the patties.
I used an ice cream scoop to get them into the frying pan and a spatula to flatten them into a patty.

Quinoa & Feta Patties
makes 4-5

* 1/2 cup quinoa with a 1/2 cup water or broth
* teaspoon salt (if using water)

* 1 clove garlic, minced
* 1/4 cup fresh packed flat-leaf parsley
* 1/4 cup canned chickpeas, rinsed and drained
* 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
* 2 tablespoons feta cheese crumbles
* oil for frying
* salt & pepper to taste


* sliced red onion, about 7 slices
* 1 large bunch regular spinach, not baby
* 4-5 mushrooms, sliced
* 3 slices bacon, cut crosswise into 1/3" pieces

1. Bring the salted water or broth to a simmer, add the quinoa, cover and cook for 15 minutes. Leave the lid on while the quinoa cools.
2. Chop the chickpeas fine, either with a small chopper or a knife. Do the same to the parsley.
3. In a bowl add the garlic, parsley, chickpeas, eggs, feta cheese and salt & pepper.
4. When quinoa is cool to the touch, add the oil to a nonstick frying pan and using a medium ice cream scoop or a 1/4 cup, scoop the quinoa mixture into the hot oil & flatten with a spatula. Fry both sides until a crust forms and then move them to a warming oven.
5. Wipe out the oil in the pan and add the bacon pieces. Saute until crispy brown. In the bacon fat, saute the onions, then the mushrooms and remove to a paper towel to drain.
6. Add a few teaspoon corn oil and quickly saute the spinach leaves until wilted, remove to a platter, top with the onions, bacon and mushrooms.
7. Add 2 patties to a dish with half the spinach salad. Serve.

Enjoy!

Nutrition on Quinoa

Breakfast Bagel Egg Ham & Cheese Sandwiches - Under 300 Calories

I would have to say that until I started working from home when I was 45, I never ate breakfast.
Matter of fact, I didn't eat lunch that often, either.

When I finally did go to a doctor, he diagnosed pre-diabetes. That was when I started this blog, 10 years ago.

At that time, I started eating 3 small meals a day along with a small snack around 3:00.
I am a creature of habit and what I eat is pretty consistent, cold in the summer and hot in the winter.

I tried overnight oats, hot oatmeal, I even got a recipe for a baked oatmeal & fruit breakfast casserole but while I love granola I just couldn't eat warm oatmeal.

I am not sure when Jimmy Dean's Breakfast Sandwiches made an appearance, but my favorite was the egg croissant style. I actually tried to make my own using those pop can crescent rolls but they they were soft and too small and while I tried English muffins, pancakes & dinner rolls, I wasn't satisfied. 

Last week I finally got serious.
I bought a 4" SS ring to fry perfectly round egg patties, a bag of thin bagels, 3oz of thinly sliced deli cheddar cheese & 5oz smoked ham.

In 30 minutes I had 5 sandwiches, wrapped and in the freezer, ready for the week and at a cost of $1.19 each.

Best part is the calorie count per sandwich. At only 259 cal compared to 410 for name brand ones, it makes a savings of 755 calories a week (1/3lb) and much healthier at 16g less fat, 2g less carbs & 11g more protein.

I switch the insides up between mini omelette's and fried eggs, but always ham and cheese. I never seem to tire of this combination and as long as I can control the ingredients, I can make them healthy enough.
I wrap them in wax paper, nuke them for 45 seconds and they are ready to eat and portable to take on the fly.

I'm sure this isn't a mind blowing recipe but I can hear Mom's everywhere who have preached these words for decades......breakfast is the most important meal of the day!

Chinese Chicken Nuggets with Rice, Peas & Carrots - Meal Plan Dinner #3

I am pretty sure I chose this recipe for 2 reasons........
1. Who doesn't like anything Chinese?
and
2. Reminds me of TV dinners growing up, you know, with the peas & carrots.

Another 1 pan meal which I am loving because this is the first time in years there are no dishes in my sink before I started cooking.

What I liked the most about this recipe was the decision to use the sauce right before serving so that there was no thick salty sauce to mask the flavors of the ingredients instead of a light coating that flavors them.

While my goal is for no leftovers, sometimes it just happens. I think I got carried away with the amount of rice I cooked because I was using up the last of my brown rice and converted rice.
I also had a huge chicken breast and a box of frozen peas & carrots which I could have halved but didn't.

Good thing there was a bowl of leftovers, I had enough for a pic so you could see the end result.

Save this one for a day when you come home running and know you only have 15 minutes to push it into the oven so it bakes while you set the table.
A last minute splash of a Teriyaki finishing sauce & dinner was served.

Chinese Chicken Nuggets with Rice, Corn, Peas & Carrots
makes 2 servings

 Chicken Marinade
* 2 tablespoons soy sauce
* 2 tablespoons dry sherry
* 1/4 tsp sesame oil
* 1 garlic clove, chopped

* 1 chicken breast, cut into nugget size
* 1 box of frozen peas & carrots
* 1 small can corn, drained
* 1/2 cup brown rice
* 2 1/2 cups low sodium chicken broth + extra if needed
* peanut or canola oil
* 1 tsp dried ginger
* 1 shallot, minced

* 1/2 cup Teriyaki Sauce (not the marinade) for finishing
* 1 slivered scallion

Marinade chicken while preparing the ingredients or longer, time permitting.
Heat a tablespoon of preferred oil and saute the chicken until browned.

Remove chicken and add the shallot, sauteing until softened. Add the rice to the pan and stir.
Add the ginger, corn, peas & carrots to the rice and saute for 2 minutes.

Add the chicken to the pan along with the chicken broth, turn down the heat & cover and simmer until the rice is cooked, about 20 minutes. Add additional stock if the pan gets too dry.

Pour the Teriyaki over the ingredients (but do not stir), cover and serve. Finish with sliced scallions.

By the time you sit down to eat, the rice will have absorbed the Teriyaki Sauce and perfectly flavor the dish.

Enjoy!

Cod Loin Salmoriglio for Two - Meal Plan, Second Meal

This fish dish was excellent!!
Restaurant quality & one of the easiest to make.

OMG, so full of flavor I could eat this once a week.
It looks like it could be heavy but the sauce is light and refreshing and doesn't mask the flavor of the fish.

I always buy the Icelandic Cod loins that come in fresh not frozen and at a decent price per pound.

Yes, if your store doesn't carry this basic cod from Alaska or New England will do but make sure it is a thick slab. Why? because thinner cutlets will flake and brake.
I have never tried this sauce with salmon but only as a last resort. Stick to the white flesh fish like Halibut or Haddock.

Cooking this fish borrows a technique from the pros that has them basting the meat while it is sauteing in a very hot pan. Mostly done to steaks, it works wonders on all proteins.

All the cooking was done in one pan, making it a good option for a quick meal.

First I steamed the asparagus in salted water in a non-stick saute pan until a knife pierces the stem easily but the spears still hold their shape, usually 4 minutes is enough.

Remove the asparagus to a dish and cover while the fish cooks.

Melt the butter in the pan and when it sizzles, add the seasoned fish and saute on high heat till the bottom starts to brown but not burn (about 4 minutes). Turn over and while the other side is browning spoon the butter in the pan over the fish continuously until you can see the fish start to split around the edges.

Serve the fish and asparagus with the Salmoriglio sauce and expect to be totally blown away.
While traditionally a Sicilian marinade and sauce, it might actually have it's origins in Greece and I can see a match with swordfish, octopus and every once in a while it makes an appearance paired with lamb.

It is no secret that I always have Knorr Hollandaise Sauce packets tucked away in my pantry and on holiday mornings, I treat the Nudge to Eggs Benedict. One packet makes 4 servings so I always have a small container of leftover sauce in my freezer.

While the recipe here is for the usual traditional salmoriglio, I added a tablespoon of prepared Hollandaise to help bind the sauce and slightly thicken it. I do think that the addition of an egg yolk would accomplish the same thing but it is not necessary.

Make sure your guest is seated at the table as soon as you flip the fish, it is that quick.
Recipe can be double or tripled easily, so it makes a perfect dinner party entree.

Rice, quiona, farro, orzo or even polenta would be a good choice for a grain but it's fabulous without.

I personally have been trying to limit grains in my diet and did not miss them at all.

Cod Salmoriglio 
Makes 2 servings

* 1/2 - 3/4 lb. 1" thick fish filet, your choice
* 3 tbls unsalted butter
* 2 medium cloves of garlic, grated or pressed
* 2 tsp of lemon zest + 3 tbls juice
* 3 tbls chopped parsley
* 1 tbls minced oregano
* Salt & pepper

* 1 egg yolk (for emulsifying), optional

1. In a small bowl combine the garlic, lemon, parsley, oregano, salt & pepper.
2. Heat skillet and add the butter.
3. Season fish with salt & pepper.
4. When the butter sizzles, add the fish bottom side up in the pan and saute on high until you see the bottom start to flake. Carefully turn the fillet over (so you don't splatter the hot butter), and after 2 minutes, baste the fillet with the hot butter for 2 minutes. Cook for  2 more minutes until the middle is opaque. * rule of cooking fish: 10 minutes an inch
5. The fish is done when it starts to flake.
6. Remove the fish to a warm place and cover with a bowl.
7. Add the hot butter to the sauce and stir. Can add the egg yolk if you prefer a thicker sauce.
8. Serve the fish on a platter with the asparagus and spoon the sauce over.
Season with salt & pepper and serve.

Enjoy!   

hint: if you want to use a dry prepared Hollandaise, I use 1% milk and 1/2 the amount of butter or butter blend called for. You will never taste the difference in the lighter version.
Freeze remaining sauce in small containers. Defrost and use as needed.

Meal Plan #1 - First Day (Creamy Seven Onion Soup, Updated)

I have totally embraced those weekly meal plans that are all over the internet. Took a while to be convinced because I thought I could wing it. I tend to dislike planned meals. I felt it took the creativity of opening up the pantry and being inspired.

Turns out every time I would make a weekly plan something would come up and I ended up with extra food and so much waste.

This time I decided to try again with a customized plan geared towards our lifestyle.

1. Minimum 5 meals, no set order
2. Recipes that serve 2
3. No diversions, no leftovers, no waste
4. Healthy whole foods


My Meal Plan for week 1

Seven Onion Soup
Chinese Chicken Cutlets with Rice, Peas & Corn
Skirt Steak with Mushrooms & Shallots
Pan Seared Icelandic Cod Steak with Salmoriglio
Fried Egg on Toast with Baby Kale and Peppadew Peppers

Seven Onion Soup

Monday's soup is an update on a soup that we have been eating for years.
The Nudge just loves it and every Fall I ask him what soup he wants and the first thing out of his mouth is Seven Onion Soup.

This time around besides the onions, I needed to use up the last bits of food from a few containers in my fridge, so this was a good soup to get that job done.

I am sure a few of you will be skeptical about the taste of  seven onions but just think about caramelized onions and how sweet they are and x that by 7!

7 onions all chopped up with the addition of bacon and butter.
When you puree the onions it becomes creamy and then with the addition of ricotta and a handful of Locatella cheese it becomes a creamy cheesy onion soup.

YUM.....sweet, flavorful & easy to make.
You simply put all the onions in a processor or rough chop them them in a blender, saute them with bacon or pancetta until they are soft (30 mins the most), become sweet and sensational.

To make it creamy I use my Braun Stick Blender but a food processor or counter blender will work. Add the cheese after blending as it might cook it and make lumps. You could eliminate the cheese and add crunchy onions or croutons. Can also be prepared ahead of time and stored in the fridge for up to 2 days.

Following recipe makes 3 substantial servings (lunch anyone?).
A simple doubling of the ingredients makes 4-5 servings.

Hope you love this as much as we do and tell me what you think.

This is a very thick soup and if you prefer a thinner consistency, just add more stock or water.
I know the rule is no leftovers, but I purposely made more to use as a sauce for a casserole. Nothing will go to waste.

Updated Seven Onion Soup
Makes 3 lunch servings or 2 dinners

* EVOO
* 2 garlic cloves
* 1/2 a small red onion, chopped
* 1/2 a Spanish onion, chopped
* 1 Vidalia onion, chopped
* 1 shallot, chopped
* 1/4 white onion, chopped
* 2 scallions, sliced (save some for garnish)
* 1 leek, white part sliced and soaked
* 1 carrot, grated
* 3 cups chicken broth or water
* 1 bay leaf
* 1 tablespoon dried thyme leave
* 3 slices of bacon, cut crosswise into 1/4" pieces
* 1/4 milk, ricotta, sour cream or lite cream
* salt & pepper to taste
* grated Italian cheese off heat
* sliced scallions for garnish

Roughly chop the garlic & all the onions and one scallion. Save the other scallion for garnish.
Heat the EVOO and saute the bacon until it renders the fat and browns the meat.

Add the onions, carrot bay leaf and thyme. Saute until the onions are soft and start to brown the bottom of the pan.

Add the stock and simmer for 30-35 minutes.
Remove the bay leaf and puree the onion mixture. Adding liquid until it is the consistency you desire.

While I add the grated cheese to the soup, it can be served as a garnish along with the sliced scallions.
Save any leftover soup for a sauce. Can be frozen.

Enjoy!

Retirement 101

Long time since I last posted. While I have missed sharing my cooking with others, so much has happened that wasn’t expected and it is now the end of a really bad year and am hoping for a better one in 2019. I have to be positive.

Big news first....I am now officially a Senior Citizen.
That means my world as I knew it for the last 30 odd years is about to change drastically. I am also planning on retirement, moving to North Carolina in a few years and which besides Social Security & Medicare classes, includes a massive relocation of literally taking only the clothes on our backs.

We also placed my remaining parent (my father) in an Assisted Living facility.
1. I do believe it was the best decision for him, he’s actually thriving there which takes the guilt off me & my sister.
2. It has opened my eyes to the seriousness of getting prepared for that last stage of life.

Since my doctor tells me I’m in great medical shape (2 prescriptions only, thank you very much!) my main concern right now is staying that way.
I have been eating whole foods starting with childhood, through my single years and then to my married ones and as long as I continue that, nothing should change there. While I did have an elevated A1C in the past, I nipped that in the bud and has remained at 5.2 since I started this blog 10 years ago.

Good food IS the best medicine!!

What has changed or I should say, what must change, is the type and amounts of food my body will require as I slide into geriatrics moving forward.

I have actually made a list of goals to achieve quarterly starting in 2019.
My main goal is to totally eliminate my pantry, whether by consumption or donation. I know this will be the hardest task to complete. I am a food hoarder by nature having spent my 20’s living alone paycheck to paycheck and then up to 35, when both our careers took over and we started our 401K’s.

Times were tough, neither of us had any help from our parents and dinners were lean (I mean canned tuna salad sandwiches for dinner lean). I became the lean queen of cuisine.

This was what I came up with...
January: Get good at creating a full & healthy meal plan (breakfast, lunch, dinner) for weekdays.
February: Reduce leftovers & eventually eliminate them entirely.
March: Have a garage sale of my pots & pans. Will take me time to part with my kitchen equipment but it’s a start. (the town does a freebie with advertising Spring and Fall).
April: Start my garden (herbs & greens).

Summer: 50% of meal plan from homegrown vegetable garden.
While it was a wet year for tomatoes rotting on the vines, the peppers and eggplants bloomed!
Plan is to grown more greens.

Fall: It’s canning season!!! Time to make casseroles for two & freeze for winter.
Winter to Spring: Make meal plans to use up canned goods and frozen casseroles.

Now that I have a game plan it’s time to take out my recipes for two cookbooks and bookmark all the ones I will be cooking and then blogging about.

If you are a family of two and would like to eat healthier you are welcome to follow along.

First Time Basic Noodle Bowls

As obsessed I have been with noodle bowl recipes, I probably was least obsessed with making them.
Most of them required ingredients that once opened would go bad before using them again.
Not sure The Nudge would enjoy a noodle bowl as much as I would, I decided that I would save my bowls for when I was cooking for one.
Now that he travels at least 1 week each month, I get to have my cake any way I want it!

This bowl was inspired by a few recipes I downloaded off Pinterest. I like to take the ingredients I like from a few and create one customized to my tastes.

This was pretty basic with all ingredients easy to source. I did buy udon noodles to try for the first time and while I liked the chewy texture, a basic linguine will work just fine.

Would I still buy the udon if I knew linguine was acceptable?

Probably not but I have plans for those noodles.

This is a good basic recipe to start with. The cost is minimal, the ingredients recognizable and the prep was easy peasy.
Would I make it again? If I didn't have a newly purchased noodle bowl cookbook I probably would.
Too many new dishes to try. Will keep you informed.

The recipe below makes 2 noodle bowls. I will feast on the leftovers for lunch.

Beginner Noodle Bowl
makes 2 servings

4oz noodles (soba, udon, linguine)
1/4 cup + 1 tbls Tamari
1 tsp unseasoned rice vinegar
1/2 tsp grated fresh ginger
pinch red pepper flakes
2 eggs
1 tbls vegetable oil
1/2 lb ground pork
8 oz raw coleslaw mix
2 tbls chicken broth + more as needed
green onions, sliced
1 garlic clove, minced

Bring a big stockpot filled with salted water to a boil.
Cook noodles according to package directions, and drain. Set aside.

Heat a large skillet. Saute pork in oil until it starts to brown. Off heat, add Tamari, rice vinegar, ginger, pepper flakes.
Move back to heat and stir to combine. Saute 1 more minute.

Add coleslaw mix, chicken broth, green onions and garlic. Saute until cabbage wilts.

Add noodles, toss and adjust moisture content with chicken broth. Should not be dry.

Spoon mixture into 2 large bowls and add 1 soft-boiled egg to top (optional).
Sprinkle with more minced chives or green onion.

The beauty of this dish is you can easily make it to your own tastes. I added more ginger, garlic & red pepper flakes. It was as yummy as it was easy.

Breakfast Barley Bowl with Ham and Egg

I was never a lover of oatmeal.
My mom would try for years to put a warm breakfast into my belly when winter came around.

You see, back then, no matter how cold or how much snow there was, we walked to school.

I honestly believe she ate microwaved packets of oatmeal every day of her working years.
While she was healthy most of her life, it was the complications of Alzheimer's that eventually did her in.
The one thing she never passed on to her girls was that love of oatmeal.
Granted, I love granola but even I can not eat that every morning.

When I saw this recipe created by David Chan somewhere on the Internet, I tucked a copy away into my every growing list of must try recipes.

When the Nudge travels, I get to play with my food and this dish went to the top of the list.
I changed a few ingredients, not with different ones, but with a variation on the originals.

His choice of seaweed was kombu, I had wakame. The apple cider was apple juice mixed with chicken bone stock and the smoked sausage was minced Black Bear Smoked Virginia ham.
This morning I filled a bowl with the barley and by the time I poached an egg, it was hot & ready and waiting for me in my microwave.

It was yummy and extremely satisfying.
For those that would prefer no cholesterol but wants the protein, fry up an egg white and slice it into the bowl as you would with a fried rice.
So easy, just dump all the ingredients into a stockpot and set the timer, but if you simply do not have the time to babysit, a crockpot can help you out with that. Make a big batch on the weekend and feast all week.

I am glad I did not have apple cider as the apple juice was sweet enough for my tastes but I leave that decision up to you.

Breakfast Barley Bowl with Ham & Egg
makes 4-6 servings

* 1 cup apple juice
* 3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
* 1 (4x6") piece of kombu or 1/4 wakame
* 1 medium sweet onion, diced
* Kosher salt
* 2 ounces cooked smoke ham, chopped
* 2 cups rinsed pearl barley
* 2 tbls low-sodium soy sauce
* 4 eggs, poached
* Sliced scallions for garnish

1. In a large saucepan, combine the cider, broth, seaweed and 2 cups water. Bring just to a boil, then remove from the heat. Let it steep for 40 minutes. Discard the kombu and transfer the cider broth to a bowl.
2. Wipe out the saucepan, add the ham, onions, broth, soy sauce and barley. Cover and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, until the barley is porridge-like, about 1 hour. Season with salt.
3. Spoon the cooked barley into bowls and top with an egg. Garnish with scallions and serve.

 

French Onion Soup Chicken Strips

I am totally tired of doing the dishes.
Use your dishwasher, yea, I know.

First of all, my dishwasher is about 24 years old and let's just say unless I soak my pots, I end up having to wash them anyways.
So, I load up plate & silverware because I am a responsible consumer and wait till that appliance is full before I hit the start button.

Unfortunately I find I like certain cooking vessels and the ones I reach for end up being in the "waiting till full" stage. What do I do? I pull them out and wash them the old fashioned way.

I will say that in the last 10 years I use my dishwasher to store my holiday dishes on the top and the bottom holds all those pots that are only good for certain preparations.

This month is dedicated to 5 ingredient dinners (or close to it) and I find that quite a few slow cooker recipes are about 5 ingredients so I started to stockpile those that I thought would translate to the stove.

Not that I don't love my slow cooker but I hate leftovers more and since I know that halving a recipe (for 2) doesn't always translate well, I make them the old fashioned way.

The inspiration for this dish came from a collection of slow cooker recipes.
Chicken breasts cooked in a slow cooker are unreliable but are quick and easy in a skillet.

I have to say the sauce tasted just like a pumped up onion soup.

I served these with mashed Gruyere cauliflower.

French Onion Soup Chicken
makes 2 servings (4 in parenthesis)

* 1 boneless chicken breast (2 for 4 servings) cut into 1 1/2" strips
* 1 tablespoon EVOO
* 1 medium onion (1 large) sliced
* 1 tablespoon butter (2 tablespoons)
* 1 teaspoon dried or 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
* 2 (4) tablespoons Vermouth or chicken broth
* 1 (2) tablespoon(s) Cognac
* 1 (2) teaspoon(s) Worcestershire sauce
* Salt & pepper to taste

Saute chicken strips in olive oil until they take on color, about 2 minutes on each side.
Remove to plate.

In same skillet melt butter and add onions. Lower temperature and saute until onions brown, about 20 minutes.

Add thyme and vermouth (broth) and cook another 10 minutes.
Add cognac and Worcestershire, stir and remove from heat.

When ready to eat, add chicken strips to sauce, season with salt and pepper, and cook until sauce bubbles, about 3-4 minutes.

Serve with mashed potatoes or cauliflower flavored with Gruyere or Jarlsburg cheese.

5-Ingredient Slow-Cooker Balsamic Chicken

I have spent the last few weeks tearing my house down to the bare walls and building it back up to the best organized shape it has ever been in.

I think all those Pinterest posts on Dollar Store Organization has had a big influence on me.
They always say it gets worse before it gets better and in this case, it was so true.

I thought once I bought all the bins, put same type articles in each, I would experience that satisfaction of being totally organized. Not to be.

For the first 3-4 weeks I couldn't find a thing. I spent more time wasted on removing items from 2-3 bins before even getting warm. I thought I would remember what was in each bin as long as it was in a certain room but, NO.

So, my advice to anyone who starts a huge organizing project is this.....
buy big labels and label everything before putting them in their new location.

Along with personal items, I have also been purging my printed 'wish list' recipe file. There is no way I would ever have time to cook each one. About a year ago, I scanned all my old Bon Appetit, F&W, Food Network, and Cooks Illustrated indexes on to a stick and recycled all the magazines. If I am looking for inspiration I can read through that stick in about 30 minutes instead of each magazine.

This dish was part of a series of 5 ingredient Slow Cooker recipes recently emailed my way and I needed a few simple, unattended dinners while I completed my project.

The original recipe called for thighs but I wanted to try a breast in the slow cooker.
I used 2 skin-on, bone-in breasts, a bottle of balsamic dressing, garlic and grape tomatoes.

I have a small Crockpot I use when I need dinner with no leftovers. This time I needed two breasts for two nights while The Nudge was involved in a yearly meeting of all worldwide buyers.

Last night I made a batch of polenta to serve my chicken over and it was a good meal.
Tonight I am ripping the other breast into a pot of Pasta a Ceci.

Since I will be home alone quite a bit this year, I think I need to use my slow cooker more often.

5-Ingredient Slow-Cooker Balsamic Chicken
Adapted from Pillsbury

* 2 bone-in skin-on chicken breast halves
* 1 cup favorite balsamic vinaigrette dressing
* 4 cloves minced garlic
* 1 /2 cup grape tomatoes
* Fresh basil leaves, optional

1. Preheat slow cooker while washing and drying chicken.
2. Pour half bottle of dressing & garlic into insert. Place chicken breasts, meat side down on top of dressing.
3. Set heat to high for hours or until internal temp of breast reaches 165, checking at 3 hours. Mine was spot on at that time.
4. Add the tomatoes after 1 hour.

Serve over polenta, pasta or grain of choice and top with fresh basil.

Homemade Teriyaki Sauce

My first linked recipe from my Instagram account.

You will use this sauce on everything. There is always a jar on the door in my fridge. While I personally think it is best with scallops, it is no slug with shrimp or chicken.

The beauty of this recipe is you can add balsamic vinegar to dress greens (like the spinach & mushroom salad above) or butter to make a silky sauce (like the one I tossed with the soba). It’s even good on chicken wings. 

I suggest making a double batch. I guarantee you will reach for it over and over.

Teriyaki Marinade
Prep time: 15 minutes
Yield: about 1 cup

* 1" piece of ginger root, minced
* 1 large clove, minced
* 2 green onions, chopped
* 6 tablespoons Tamari (best soy sauce available)
* 1/4 cup Mirin (or dry sherry, sake or white wine)
* 3 tablespoons sesame oil
* 2 tablespoons maple syrup or buckwheat honey

Measure all ingredients into a large glass container and give it a day for the flavors to blend together and mellow.

Stores for 1-2 months in the fridge.