Chicken Basilica

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Tonights dinner was sliced and fried chicken thighs, or what I like to call Chicken Basletta. It was fried up and placed on a rice field with a few tomatoes to garnish the dish.

Of course extra virgin olive oil is added to the pan.

I sliced up the chicken thighs, and spiced it up with basil, tarragon, curry powder, sesame seeds, poppy seeds, tumeric, and cumin. I vary the amounts depending on my moods, but always go heavy on the tarragon and sesame seeds. This time, due to the balsilica influence, I went heavy on the basil as well. Also, to this basilica chicken, I added two slices of onion and two cloves of garlic.

During this whole process, the rice has already boiled and left to simmer so they will be done at the same time.

When the chicken is about 3/4 done, I then add chopped mushrooms (2 large ones), a chopped carrot, and a cup of broken up broccoli, and let this fry with the chicken.

After this fries for a little longer, and everything is almost done now, I chop up a tomato into cubes and add them to the frying number. I left a few slices to garnish the dish at the end, which I flavored with sea salt and black pepper. This simmers for a little while longer, and is ready to be served.. maybe with a glass of pinot noir?

I would love to hear how it turns out for you, and if you have any suggestions on how to give this dish some extra life!

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A La Porte

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Served tonight on my camping gear was a portobello explosion. I managed to do it all on my pint sized pots designed for compactness, and not for extravagances like I think my cooking is!

To begin the ordeal, rice goes into pot to bring to a boil, then simmer for 15 min (yes I have white jasmine rice) with equal amounts of water to rice, rinse the rice a few times before to get rid of some of the shells etc.

I can’t help taking a few seconds to contemplate the logic of wasting water to rinse rice….. hmm… Is this the fight I should start?

Wash the vegetables chosen for this gourmet delight, which are portobello mushrooms, green pepper, tomato, onion, and garlic.

Portos are sliced into equal slices, tomatoes are diced into chunks, onions are chopped into small bits, as is the garlic and green peppers.

Put the portos into the frying pan, with some butter for extra taste, I used extra virgin olive oil and put the heat on medium. Add the onions and garlic shortly after, or even at the same time.

I used some ground ginger, coriander, and poppy seeds, which I add now.

After this has fried for a short while add the green peppers to give them a little softening and finally the tomatoes at the very end to warm them up a little. I like my tomatoes to stay fresh still in my dishes.

As the frying finalizes, it should be timed perfect with the rice, and both should come to fruition at nearly the same time.

Love to hear how this turns out for you, and remember to eat with chop sticks!

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Jambalaya – Yumm

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So tonights dinner consisted of my own rendition of a Jambalaya. It was amazingly delicious, quite possibly from the sausage juices, more great meat found at Devicks Ranch.

To start off, I put the rice on as usual. 1:1.5 rice:water combination. For myself, it takes about 1/3 a cup to make enough rice.

Then, I chopped up the sausage into little slices, and put them in the frying pan, which I turned on at the same time the rice came to a boil, turning the rice down as low as it goes after it came to a boil.

Then, I chopped up my garlic and onion, putting them in as quick as possible with the sausage, allowing them infuse their flavor into the sausage.

At this time, get a little water boiling below a steamer for the peas or corn to come.

While waiting for the frying, chop up a carrot(1), mushrooms (4), and red pepper (1). Wait until the last 5 minutes to put these vegetables into the frying pan with the sausage. When all the vegetables are in the pan, put a lid onto it for a few minutes to steam the carrots and red-pepper a little, to reduce the crunch just a tid bit! 🙂

At the same time the chopped veges go into the pan, put the green peas (1/2 cup) or corn on to steam for a few minutes.

When all things seem done,  pour the rice and peas into the frying pan with the rest of the Jambalaya; mix it around getting the rice soaked in the sausage fat! Yum. And presto!

Hope you all enjoy, more great food ideas can be found at Exercise and Mind! Let me know how it turns out; I’d love to hear.

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Chicken and Sausage Stir Fry

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Tonight I was procrastinating making dinner, so I waited, and waited, and waited, and snacked, and waited, and waited. But! Finally, I decided to go to the grocery store, get some local produce, and make a stir fry, and boy did it turn out good!

  1. To start off, I chopped my chicken and sausage into bite sized chunks, and put them into the pan to start frying with a little extra virgin olive oil.
  2. Next I added a bunch of spices, my favorites are sesame seeds, tarragon, hot curry powder, chilies (stuff like they have at boston pizza in the shakers)
  3. Started the frying pan with sliced onions and garlic with some more extra virgin olive oil
  4. Started my rice, which is white basmati which I match the rice to water ratio(1/3 cup), plus a little more water and bring that to a boil, then simmer for 15 minutes
  5. while this is going on, I chopped some : 1/2 green pepper, 1 carrot, 2 large mushrooms, 1 tomato, and 2/3 cup of brocolli into little bits
  6. after frying the meat, and its looking almost done, no more red parts, I add all the vegetables and put a top onto the dish to let it kind of steam.
  7. after steaming for a few minutes, I put in the onions and garlic that were frying (they should be brownish by now)
  8. let this simmer for a little, and voila! presto! yum. full belly.

I serve it on top of the rice and a glass of red fits the bill!

For some more great ideas check out this health website

Hope you enjoy, let me know if you’ve tried it!

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