Happy Little Trees

Now, as much as I enjoyed watching Bob Ross, on PBS, Saturday afternoons, my talent in painting went as far as that.  I tried, many a time, with several paint mediums, but my eyes and hand simply did not agree on the images.  I did not give up on finding my artistic talents though, and outdoor photography became one.  Photography of the landscapes, wildlife and plant life became a natural talent within me.  One just has to peruse my travel blog (http://www.southwestbrowneyes.com/), or visit the Hideout Community Center in Monticello, UT, to view my photos.

But enough about my artwork, and let’s get back to those happy little trees.  No, I am not referring to maples, oaks, pines or the many varieties of flowering trees.  I am writing about…Broccoli!  Mother Nature’s edible trees, growing in a bunch, up from a fertile ground; to be chopped, steamed, sautéed, baked, or any number of ways to cook it.

Eaten cooked or raw, broccoli contains a truckload of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants; ready for the list?  One cup (91 grams) of raw broccoli packs:

Carbs: 6 grams

Protein: 2.6 gram

Fat: 0.3 grams

Fiber: 2.4 grams

Vitamin C: 135% of the RDI

Vitamin A: 11% of the RDI

Vitamin K: 116% of the RDI

Vitamin B9 (Folate): 14% of the RDI

Potassium: 8% of the RDI

Phosphorus: 6% of the RDI

Selenium: 3% of the RDI

Broccoli also contains measurable amounts of the antioxidants lutein and zeaxanthin, which may prevent oxidative stress and cellular damage in your eyes.

...and that is just the short list!  To get the full impact, I recommend reading Top 14 Health Benefits of Broccoli (https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/benefits-of-broccoli).

When purchasing broccoli, I tend to buy more than I actually need for a recipe.  Why?  Food storage of course!  Remember all that hoarding that started up March of 2020, and fresh, frozen, even canned, vegetables were difficult to find?  That is why food prep and storage is an important aspect for any home.  Whether family related, friends sharing, running a B&B, even on your own…prep and store!

While there are many sites online teaching about this, I would like to recommend a book, just for some historical, yet pretty interesting reading, Plain but Wholesome, Food Ways of the Mormon Pioneers by Brock Cheney.  While it mainly deals with the history of the Mormons trek to Utah, and life in developing the state; it gives details, and recipes, of many food items they either brought with them, or grew later on.

Back to my prep and food storage of broccoli.  I use steaming and freezing; chop up the broccoli, steam for 5 minutes, let slightly cool, place in freezer bags, label with name and date, and into the freezer for future use. Steaming helps retain the nutritional qualities of the broccoli, and the green of the happy little trees pops!   

 

I have seen it recommended that the broccoli be immersed into cold water, to stop the cooking process.  I have found that this method allows too much water to cling to the broccoli, and with freezing, that means too much ice development.  That is just my experience though.  

Why not just chop up the broccoli and freeze, without steaming?  Carbon dioxide gas will cause the broccoli to develop a grayish tint; and bright green is so much prettier to eat.

Now for a delicious soup recipe that is easy and comforting; so nice for cold, windy and snowy winter days.  Even after four hours of cooking, the broccoli will have a slight crunch, yet still be tender.  It might seem light on seasoning, in the recipe, yet the flavors are fully absorbed throughout.

 

Crock Pot Broccoli Cheddar Soup

 

Ingredients:

4 cups broccoli florets, cut into small bite sized pieces

1/2 cup diced onion

4 cups vegetable stock

1 tsp. coarse sea salt

1/2 tsp. cracked black pepper

4 Tbsp. unsalted butter

4 Tbsp. all-purpose flour

1 and ½ cups half and half

4 cups shredded Cheddar cheese or 2 cups Monterey jack + 2 cups Cheddar

 

Preparation:

Combine the broccoli, onion, stock, salt and pepper into a 4-quart crock pot; cook on low for four hours.

 

After four hours, set crock pot to high.  Take out one cup of liquid.  

Create a roux by melting the butter, medium-high heat, in a large sauce pan; whisk in the flour.  Slowly add in the liquid, continuing to whisk, and then slowly whisk in the half and half.

Add the shredded cheese to the roux mixture, on cup at a time, until it is fully melted and combined. 

 

Add the cheese sauce to the crock pot and stir it in to combine.  Let it continue to cook in the crock pot an additional 15 minutes.

Makes 6 servings.

 

Note: For a creamier soup, before adding the cheese sauce, pulverize the broccoli and onion with an immersion blender.  Then continue with cheese sauce and added cooking time.

Picture it, sitting in a cozy chair, bowl of soup cradled in the lap, and reading a good book; maybe on food prep and storage!  Enjoy and keep positive.

Mary Cokenour

Move Over Gandalf, I Need the Crock Pot.

Did you ever simply stare into the refrigerator wondering what to do with anything inside? It's like that with creative people, you simply hit a wall; a road block saying, "You shall not pass!" We home chefs, or cooks, depending on your attitude about the titles, hit road blocks; we are artists in our own right. Our studio is the kitchen, the palate is the plate, and the tools used to put the artwork onto the plate our pots, pans, skillets, crock pots, utensils of all shapes, sizes and forms. We are also writers, putting down onto paper our recipes; all the ingredients and precise measurements for the next person to understand; directions so it can all be done the way we intended.

Like an author would add to, or revise, a book, so does a cook revise recipes.  Trial and error has a lot to do with this, but it's also the creative side of "wonder if" that has the home cook saying, "I wonder if okra would be better in this recipe, than peas?"  Then there is the ever popular, "I don't want to cook today, but we need something to eat, and I don't want take out...again!"  All hail the crock pot, a kitchen deity unto itself; put all the ingredients inside, cover, and as an ever popular infomercial shouts out to us when surfing the channels, "Set it and forget it!"

So let's get to this adventure, another version of a crock pot favorite, "chicken and stuffing" and the good old can of cream of mushroom soup.  It would be so easy to simply put those three items inside, set it and forget it; but oh no, we can't forget those veggies.  Goodbye broccoli, as it gets chopped and dropped, inside the pot that is. Wow, I better do something with that package of sliced mushrooms in the vegetable bin too, before they turn black and moldy.  Funny isn't it that fungus, yes, mushrooms are fungi, would be so gross after turning moldy; sort of ironic really.

Oh, by the way, for all you out there with picky eaters in the family; the broccoli and mushrooms become completely incorporated into the dish, so you can't tell they're in there!  Also, by cutting the chicken breasts up, the cooking time is greatly decreased, so you can have this ready for lunch or dinner is no time at all.

Crock Pot Chicken Broccoli Stuffing Bake – Version 2

Ingredients:


4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1 inch strips
2 cups chopped broccoli
1 and ½ cups sliced mushrooms
1 (6 oz.) package stuffing mix
1 (26 oz.) can cream of mushroom soup
1 cup milk








Preparation:






In a 4 quart crock pot, mix together chicken, broccoli and mushrooms.













Spread stuffing mix over all. In a medium bowl, mix together soup and milk; pour over top of stuffing mix.

Cover, set on low for 3 hours.

Makes 8 servings.

Mary Cokenour

Casserole with a Long Name and Lots of Flavor.

There I was, chicken breasts defrosted so I could make a favorite of mine, Seared Chicken and Risi E Bisi for lunch. I'd also defrosted small shrimp to make Skillet Shrimp and Pasta for dinner. Now here comes the problem, coming home after a three hour adventure which included two hours of hiking and climbing up to an arch doesn't put you in the mood for cooking...anything.

I half heartedly pulled out the ingredients for the first recipe, but then I spied a packet of broccoli which I had chopped up, steamed and frozen; then it came to me!  What if I take the chicken, shrimp, broccoli and mixed it all up with the rice into a casserole dish and cooked it all at once?  Yeppers, I was feeling inspired and it wouldn't be that hurtful to my already aching muscles.  For the Risi E Bisi I would use Arborio rice, since this is actually a risotto dish; instead I used packets of chicken flavored rice to make life just a little bit easier.

Now if you can't or don't like shrimp, simply leave it out, but add another half pound of the chicken in its stead; only a half pound because it is denser than the shrimp.  I did let a friend sample this creation out of my tired mind, and she enjoyed it.  Oh, the long name?  Each main ingredient is almost equal to the next and couldn't decide who to give the most credit to; I gave it to all of them!  Even the Cheddar cheese which was screaming at me from the cheese drawer, "pick me...pick meeeee!!!"

Cheesy Broccoli Rice Casserole with Chicken and Shrimp

Ingredients:

1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into one inch pieces

1 tsp salt
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
3 Tbsp olive oil
2 (5.5 oz) packets chicken rice mix
1 and 1/2 cups small chopped broccoli pieces
1 lb. small shrimp, cleaned and deveined
4 cups hot water
1 (12 oz) bag shredded mild Cheddar cheese

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 400F; spray a 3 quart baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.

In a medium bowl, mix the chicken pieces with the salt, paprika and black pepper.  In a large skillet, heat oil on medium-high heat; sauté chicken for five minutes.

 

 

Into a large bowl, mix together partially cooked chicken and remaining ingredients, except the Cheddar cheese.  Pour mixture into baking dish and cover with aluminum foil; bake for 15 minutes (shrimp will turn slightly opaque).

  

 

 

 

Remove foil; spread cheese evenly over top of mixture; bake an additional 10 minutes.  Remove from oven and let rest for 10 minutes before serving.

Makes 8 servings.

Mary Cokenour

 

Stir Fry Instead of Butter or Cheese.

I'm not a huge fan of broccoli or asparagus, but my hubby is and I will make these vegetables for him.  Usually it's, "Hunny, how do you want your broccoli?" and he will either answer "butter" or "cheese".  For the asparagus, I use it to make two quiches, one for him and one for his mother.  Yep, it's a "rut" thing.

Well I'm tired of being in a rut, so this time I decided not to ask him how he'd like his broccoli; nor even ask his opinion when I worked out how I was going to cook it.  Let him be surprised!

For the stir fry, I chopped up one medium sized head of broccoli; removing the woody ends off a half pound of asparagus, I cut that up into one inch pieces.  Now a medium sized stockpot, filled halfway with water and three tablespoons of salt, was coming to a boil on medium-high heat.  I put the cut up vegetables into the boiling water to cook for only three minutes; I had ready a large plastic mixing bowl filled halfway with cold water.  After three minutes, I used a slotted spoon to transfer the vegetables from the stockpot to the mixing bowl; the cold water would stop the cooking process and keep them bright green.  I strained the vegetables, spread them out on a cookie sheet lined with paper towels and let any excess water be absorbed.

I had a couple of very small bell peppers (one orange, one red), cut them open, seeded, and cut into half inch pieces.  A large skillet went onto the stove top, three tablespoons of olive oil inside and the heat turned up to medium-high.  I put the broccoli, asparagus, bell pepper in plus a heaping tablespoon of minced garlic and a tablespoon of Italian herb mixture.  It only took five minutes for the entire mix to heat up nicely; I didn't want any of the vegetables to wilt or get any browned edges.  Hubby's opinion?  Oh yeah, he liked it big time!  He thought it tasted fresh and savory; especially when paired with the protein cooked up with it...New York Strip Steak.



The steak was prepared via a lazy woman's grilling; seasoning the steaks with sea salt and ground black pepper (both sides); they were laid on an aluminum jellyroll pan brushed lightly with olive oil.  A large onion was cut into rings and laid along side the steaks; into a preheated to 450F they went for twenty minutes (turn the steak and onions over after the first ten minutes).

Now this kind of rut we can both live with for awhile.  Enjoy!

Mary Cokenour

More Garlic, More Spice, More Asian Cuisine.

Now back on April 6th, I gave you a recipe for Garlic Chicken with Soba Noodles and it's a fantastically good dish. As with many recipes, including my own, I like to play with the ingredients; perhaps improving further, perhaps not. That's the adventure!

Crushed red pepper flakes give the heat, but I wanted more than an overall heat in my mouth; I wanted a bite. A bite on the insides of my cheeks, on the tongue; something to make me stand up and take notice of the intense flavor of the dish, not just the heat. What better to work with than freshly cracked black pepper?

The chicken is a bit different too as I coated it in cornstarch, fried it in oil and immediately seasoned the still moist strips with salt and cracked pepper. As the chicken drained, the seasonings adhered to the chicken ensuring flavoring. I use peanut oil because it can reach a high temperature quickly, the food cooks quickly itself. The oil is not heavily absorbed, so your food is light and not greasy; and no, there is no peanut taste to the finished product.

This is a one pan meal, prep and cooking times are minimal and it is a meal that you and a family member can prepare together. While a large skillet can be used, I highly recommend investing in a Wok; they're relatively inexpensive, cut cooking time and easy maintenance.

Now on to today's recipe....

Garlic and Pepper Chicken

Ingredients:

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken (breasts, thighs or combination); cut into ½ inch strips
½ cup cornstarch
1 cup peanut oil
1 Tbsp coarse sea salt
2 tsp cracked black pepper, divided in half
1 ½ cups broccoli florets
¾ cup diced red bell pepper
2 Tbsp minced garlic
1 Tbsp chili sauce
2 Tbsp mirin wine
¼ cup dark soy sauce
¼ cup hoisin sauce

Preparation:

Coat the chicken strips in the cornstarch; shake off excess. In a Wok or large skillet, heat the oil on medium-high heat; add the chicken, cook until done; drain chicken on paper towels, but season with sea salt and 1 tsp black pepper immediately.

Remove all but 2 tablespoons oil; add in broccoli and bell pepper; cook for two minutes. Whisk together garlic, chili sauce, mirin wine, soy and hoisin sauces, remaining teaspoon black pepper; add back chicken to Wok or skillet; pour in liquid, mix thoroughly to coat. Cook for additional two minutes before serving over rice (white, brown or fried) or rice noodles.

Makes four servings.

Mary Cokenour

Chicken Thighs ala Campbell's.

Campbell's soup has a recipe for a chicken stuffing casserole consisting mainly of boneless, skinless chicken breasts, stuffing and soup, baked in the oven.  It's a simple recipe, but I find that the stuffing and chicken tend to get on the dry side, so I don't make it very often.  Now my mother-in-law found boneless, skinless chicken thigh strips on sale again, and even though we told her not to buy them anymore, she did anyway.  The thigh strips usually have a lot of fat attached to them and after trimming the fat away, the pieces are so small.  Tyson either needs to make larger pieces or stop making the product altogether.  Anyway, I have that recipe for  Sweet and Sour Chicken Thighs, but believe it or not, I wasn't in the mood for Asian food. What the heck do I do with them?

Looking through the pantry, I found cream of mushroom soup and Stove Top stuffing; I also found a bag of chopped broccoli in the freezer and knew I could make this work. Knowing that the original recipe usually comes out dry, I opted to use the crock pot instead and hoped it would produce a moister dish.  I also thought that the fat would melt off the chicken and help to add moisture to the stuffing.

Now I have to warn you that the dish is not a pretty sight, but the taste was pretty darned good. I'm still not a fan of chicken thighs, but my hubby and mother-in-law liked the results which leads me to wonder, "Will she be buying chicken thigh strips again?"

Crock Pot Chicken Stuffing Broccoli Bake

Ingredients:

2 1/2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thigh strips
1 bag (10 oz) Stove Top stuffing
1 bag (16 oz) frozen chopped broccoli
2 cans (10.5 oz) cream of chicken soup plus one can of milk
1 tsp each ground black pepper, onion powder and garlic powder

Preparation:

Set 4 qt crock pot on low; spray interior with nonstick cooking spray.

Place chicken strips on bottom, spread stuffing over chicken and then the broccoli over the stuffing. In a medium bowl, mix together the soup, milk and seasonings; pour over the broccoli. Cover and let cook for 5 hours.

Makes 8 servings.

Note: boneless, skinless chicken breasts can be used instead of thigh meat.

Mary Cokenour