Savory Chicken and Mushrooms with Grilled Asparagus topped with Quick Kimchi

Last week we made our own variation of the Top Chef Winner's Blue Apron Recipe! We just LOVE that quick Kimchi!
https://www.blueapron.co
m/recipes/seared-chicken-t
highs-kimchi-with-braised-
lettuce-maitake-mushrooms

We used the recipe for the Top Chef Winner Meal, used 4 cloves garlic instead of the amount they say, and followed the recipe for the Kimchi but I used Hot Hungarian Paprika and it tasted the same as the Korean Chili.

We made our grill pan asparagus as always (heat a cast-iron grill pan till hot, spray with high heat Pam and add the asparagus -1 bundle woody parts snapped off, cut, tossed in 1/2 teaspoon olive oil, sprinkled with McCormik's Sweet Onion and Herb Seasoning, salt & pepper, rosemary- cook stirring occasionally tenting with aluminum foil till tender) and hubby made the boneless skinless chicken breast in the skillet so we can get the fond in the bottom of the pan.  (Add 1/2-1 Tsp. Olive Oil heat on medium high till hot add chicken loosely cover with aluminum foil to keep in heat and let out steam for 3 minutes and 30 seconds, flip recover and cook for a second 3 minutes and 30 seconds (or until cooked through that time is usually perfection for us).  Remove from pan and let chicken rest on a warmed plate covered with aluminum foil for at about 5 minutes. 

When you take the chicken out to rest we added another teaspoon or 2 of oil and I added 2 of those small boxes of pre sliced shiitake mushrooms and cooked them until goldenly scrumptious then I added the rest of the white bottoms of the scallions, garlic, ginger. Then after they were fragrant I added 1/2 cup water, 1 tsp. Korr Reduced Sodium Reduced Stock and 1/2 Tbs. unsalted butter. Cook until combined and it tightens up.

One Recipe...Three Spin Offs aka Sweet and Spicy Kumquat Glazed Chicken/Fish With Various Options

Here's the Original Blue Apron Recipe:
https://www.blueapron.co
m/recipes/catfish-with-kum
quat-chili-basil-glaze-wat
ercress-cracked-freekeh

We wanted to make this recipe but didn't want to get the shipment that week so we had to set out to gather ingredients and I was fully prepared to substitute Farro which we have in our pantry for the Freekeh but we just so happened to stop by a Sprouts and find some Cracked Freekeh there and bought some!



For some reason the Kumquats were hard for us to find too and they just so happened to also have them at the Sprouts we stopped at. That store is not nearby us so it was on a day trip outing that we stopped by there like we usually do when out that way. The bad news was by the time we found the Kumquats there was no good catfish so we substituted Tilapia instead. I also just used our Rice Flour instead of Instant Flour because we already know it works perfectly and we have it. We also had to substitute a Serrano Pepper for the Bird's Eye because we couldn't find any and just needed one to add heat and boy did it add heat!!! I would do half a chili next time! OH and I also simply used less Freekeh than called for the recipe asks for 3 servings and I just cut it down to 2 instead and it was just as awesome. Sometimes the Blue Apron Recipes can have Portion Distortion but I've read comments on recipes of people complaining the portions are too small and I'm like REALLY??? LOL So I think they try to give people bigger amounts because of all the complaints...OY! Like one time I saw people complaining over a 4 Ounce Salmon Portion and I'm like if you look it up that IS 1 portion and what they thought of as 1 portion was in fact 2 portions!!! So a lot of things I tweak in all kinds of recipes is some of the ratios to make a better portion size. We also used an actual portion of Tilapia and not a whole giant filet.

When we were eating this the Kumquat Glaze was fantastic!!! I mean it was spicy, sweet, citrusy and just all around wonderful! The taste reminded us of Orange Chicken...which lead me down the road of creative thinking to come up with other ways to use it! The cool thing about having bought the Kumquats is we only used a small amount of the little box of them so we had more to use up! So here come the Spinoffs!!!



Sweet and Spicy Kumquat Glazed Chicken with Garlic Cracked Freekeh and Wilted Baby Arugula!

This time instead of using a fresh chili, since we used the last one and didn't have anymore as well, we used a little bit of Crushed Red Pepper and it was perfect!!! It might have been about 1/8-1/4 tsp. of the Crushed Red Pepper, it just depends on how spicy you like it and how much heat your crushed red pepper has!!! LOL

We cut the chicken breast into pieces and cooked them up leaving the fond in the pan. Then when they went to rest we made the glaze in the pan to use the fond with it. Then we tossed the chicken back into the glaze when done.

For the Freekeh we cooked 2 servings as per the directions then drained and rinsed it then returned it to the pan and added some sauteed garlic with the bit of olive oil it was cooked in, the white parts of a couple scallions, and a large handful of baby arugula. Added salt and pepper to taste and set it aside for the arugula to wilt while we finished up the chicken and glaze.

To plate we split the Freekeh and topped it with our Kumquat Glazed Chicken and sprinkled the green parts of the scallions on top! Oh it was SO GOOD! We will make this again for sure! We are even dreaming of making this with oranges too, it was so easy to make the glaze that if we had known how easy it was a long time ago we would have made something like this back then! The neat thing about the Cracked Freekeh is it's texture is a lot like rice, but really you could use any grain you wish from rice, farro, quinoa, to even couscous or cauliflower "rice"! I just love how interchangeable things can be and it makes it fun and a creative thing for me to play with!

Last Spinoff coming up!!!



Sweet and Spicy Kumquat Glazed Chicken over Baby Arugula!!!

The Baby Arugula (1 box or bag) is dressed in Trader Joe's Orange Muscat Champagne Vinegar (2tsp), Olive Oil (2tsp), Salt and Pepper whisked together and tossed to coat. To plate we split the Dressed Baby Arugula between two plates topped it with half the Kumquat Glazed Chicken, then sprinkled the Pepitas (8g per person), Reduced Sugar Craisins (10g per person) and Edible Flowers on top which was mostly marigolds that just so happen to pair wonderfully with the kumquats! Of course the citrusy vinaigrette went perfect with the citrusy glaze!

When we were at Sprouts I had seen Edible Flowers in the section with the little herb boxes so I grabbed some!!! I've eaten some flowers before like pansies and violas and they pretty much taste like lettuce so I didn't have a fear of using flowers. But I've never tried a marigolds before and I was a little scared of them but I cut the large ones in half and then they kinda fell apart but it worked out because they sprinkled nicely over everything. I was the most surprised that the flavor of the marigolds went so well with the kumquat glaze, it really was wonderful! And FUN!

Chicken, Dressed Baby Arugula and Garlic-Lemon Mayo Sauce Flatbread!

Our lastest Culinary Invention is this delish flatbread that we experimented in making!  We absolutely loved it!  It was spectacular!  In fact we are making it again tonight because we can't get enough!  LOL

Do you see that drip of awesome sauce right there!?!  Yup, the white one!  LOL  That is what inspired this dish!  The first time we had it was in a recipe from Blue Apron, the Japanese Okonomiyaki with Dressed Mizuna & Garlic-Lemon Sauce.  We made the Garlic-Lemon Sauce the same way and dressed the 85g Baby Arugula with Lemon Juice and a Drizzle of Olive Oil!  The flatbread is simply 4 oz. of Bread in 5 Master Dough per person formed into a rustic shape aka not perfect round like pizza.  Then I spread a thin layer of olive oil over the dough, sprinkled with salt and pepper and popped it in the oven to cook.  We also added 2 oz. of grilled chicken to each that we cooked while the bread was baking.  When the flatbread comes out of the oven we split the Garlic Lemon Sauce between the 2 breads, topped with half the dressed Baby Arugula each, and then the 2 oz. of sliced Chicken to finish it.  Tonight when we make this again I am going to add some of the green tops of scallions as the final touch!

This was out of this world garlicy goodness!

Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese Two Ways!

First I had found a recipe for Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese with Crispy Sage on Blue Apron.  I printed out the recipe and made it with white pasta, flour, breadcrumbs instead of whole wheat...I'm not fond of whole wheat things and I already had these things in the white variety so I used them!  This turned out really great!  I added the cinnamon they recommended and I really enjoyed this dish it really reminded me of fall and pumpkin things!  The cinnamon really brings out and enhances the squash flavor.  Also the crispy sage is a real treat!  It's fried in the butter so it gets a nice brown butter taste to it as well, it's something I will make again for sure!  After enjoying this recipe I got an idea for another variation and this is what I came up with since I had a half a butternut squash leftover!

Brown Butter Garlic Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese!  I made it very similar to the original except I added 2 cloves garlic microplaned into paste to the butter!  This was really amazing too and it had a nice garlic flavor and you really didn't realize that butternut squash was in it!  It would be a good hidden veggie dish to make for people!

A side note is that with both versions of this recipe we split it into 4 servings instead of 2!  Split into 2 was just way too huge!  I could even see it split into 6 easily and served with a side salad.

Blue Apron: Week of 9 Sept. Plus Bonus

First we made the Smoky Swiss Chard & Black Bean Tostada!  They were really good but not something we would make all the time because of the Swiss Chard, it's not our favorite green.  It was our first time having Mexican Crema and using Roasted Piquillo Pepper!  We loved both those things!  We both thought that it could have used a tad more spice since beans tend to suck up flavor and can mellow flavor.  We loved the idea and would play around with ideas to make future flavors of Tostadas that aren't typical or traditional because it was fun and different!

 Here's us working on the Eggplant Parmesan!

 The next day we made the Eggplant Parmesan with Chia Seeds.  Instead of egg for a binder they used Chia Seeds, it was our first time working with Chia Seeds they worked okay but I'm not sure that it's not easier to just use egg!!! LOL  We loved the flavors it was good but I felt it didn't have enough Parmesan.  If I made it again I would rework how it was made and would do like what I did the next day with a few extra components we had left over!

Reworked Eggplant Parmesan!  I used a breaded eggplant slice and set it in a little Corningware dish then I topped it with a 1/2 cup of the tomato sauce, placed the basil, then the mozzerella cheese, but I topped it with a 1/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese and popped the whole thing in the Broiler on Lo for about 2 min. and the cheese was nice and browned and crispy and the flavor with the extra parmesan was amazing!  I would make it exactly like this from now on!

Last we made the Heirloom Carrot & Toasted Farro Salad with Labneh Cheese & Pickled Dates!  We LOVED this dish!  It was so wonderful!  We loved everything about it the dates and almonds, the Lebneh Cheese that we had for the first time, the mint, the Toasted Farro, the roasted carrots with sumac!  We would totally make it again!  Now if we can find the Labneh Cheese that would be awesome!  LOL  The Labneh tasted kind of like a cream cheese but with more of a yogurt taste to it and the texture was similar to a Greek yogurt.  If I can't find Labneh I might consider trying to make something using other ingredients to give a similar taste and texture, like say mixing cream cheese with plain Greek yogurt.

For the Bonus we bought the ingredients for the Pork Chops with Smashed Sweet Potato, Roasted Broccoli & Herbs!  And yes we got the wrong kind of sweet potato, not the one with the orange flesh so it looks like regular mashed potatoes in this photo!!! LOL  Ah well!  It was okay, this wasn't our favorite, I prefer my broccoli cooked a bit different I think if I were to try to roast broccoli again I would first steam it half way and then roast it in the oven the other half, by just roasting it was still a bit undercooked but a tad burnt at the same time, the blackened bits were good tasting but ya I would just like it a bit more tender than it was.  The smashed sweet potato was okay as well, the maple flavor wasn't strong enough, I would probably consider using a maple syrup if I tried it again.  But I am happy to have found Maple Sugar and I love it mixed in yogurt now!  Also the pork chop was good but I would have preferred some sort of spice rub on it.  So there ya go!

Baby Kale Maitake Mushroom Salad

I tried out Baby Kale for the first time and found that I really enjoy the taste of it!  So for lunch one day I dressed some Baby Kale in a serving of Panera's Balsamic Vinaigrette and topped it with a serving of Shredded Mozzarella Cheese (28g) and then topped it with some Sauteed Maitake Mushrooms (about 3oz).  It all tasted really good together the brightness of the balsamic really contrasted nice with the earthy flavors of the baby kale, mozz and maitake mushrooms.

Zucchini "Pizza"

Well I had seen an idea for Zucchini "Pizza" on Pinterest but decided to do it my own way instead of following another person's preferred method.  I also had a very LARGE zucchini from the garden that I needed to use up.  You can still use them large though you have to scoop out the more mature middle with seeds.

While the oven was preheating to 400 I simply scooping out the middle, and coated the halves with olive oil, sprinkled with salt, pepper, and garlic powder.  Then added my fave pizza sauce, Mezzetta, and then added 56g which is 2 servings of shredded mozzarella cheese to each half, then I cut some pepperoni into quarters and only used 3 and a half slices total for each half.  Then I stuck them on a parchment paper lined baking sheet and cooked for about 15 min. till the fork could pierce them and then I transferred them to the broiler on low for 2 min.

I tell you the broiler does magical things!  LOL  The result was nice browned cheese, crispy pepperoni, and a nice tender-crisp zucchini flesh!  The favor was amazing, everything you love about pizza but meanwhile transforming zucchini in a new way!  The zucchini flavor was hidden by all the flavors and you just got really yummy pizza to eat!  I would do the same thing for normal size zucchini, simply adjusting the amounts of things, but it's nice that the larger one resembles French Bread Pizza!  And the middle was nice and oooy-gooy cheesy!

I will make this again and again!

Steak, Cauliflower Rice, and Heirloom Tomatoes

I've really been loving Heirloom Tomatoes lately, I mean look at how pretty these are!!!  I simply dressed them with red wine vinegar and salt and pepper.

We cooked the steak in a pan so that we would get the tasty fond, the brown bits, and extra juices left behind to flavor the cauliflower "rice" with.  See I learned that trick from Blue Apron!!!  Fond is your Friend!  LOL

For the cauliflower rice, it was a trying-something-new experience for me!  I used a recipe I found on Pinterest for Roasted Cauliflower Rice from A Spicy Perspective Blog.  After adding a teaspoon of oil and some onion to the pan with fond, and that being ready, I added the "rice" to it so that it would collect up all the flavor there!  It turned out really well!  Now I would NOT say that it is the same as rice because it's not in so many ways...I think it fails as rice.  However, I loved the cauliflower rice itself and would make it for it's own yummy uniqueness but I would not use it the same as I would use rice.  It would simply be a side dish instead.

Last Weeks Blue Apron Meals

This weeks meals were not our favorites so far but there were a few things we did like in a couple.  First we had made the Roadside Noodles with Bell Pepper, Tomato & Broccoli Rabe.  I'm not sure what happened but it did not turn out like the photo on the recipe.  We thought we followed the directions correctly but you never know if we messed something up unknowingly.  But even if we would have done it perfectly neither of us liked the flavors of this one.  We ended up making something else for dinner instead.  You win some and you lose some, not every meal is going to be a perfect love it experience but from what we've been experiencing the ones that are amazing make it all worth it in the end!

The next recipe we tried was the Summer Vegetable Stew with Cranberry Beans & Crispy Mushroom Salad.  We liked this one okay, we ate it willingly but decided we wouldn't make it again.  What we liked about this one was the Crispy Mushroom Salad that had fresh corn cut from the cob and used oyster mushrooms!  I think if it hadn't had that salad topping it we wouldn't have enjoyed it at all so it really saved the day!  We also liked the okra in this dish.  I've always like okra and love the nutty flavor of it!

The last meal we made was the one I was really looking forward to making the most!  It's was the Zucchini Fritters with Endive, Nectarine & Parmesan Salad.  I think what we didn't like about it was simply the mistakes that we made making it.  I think we didn't salt it enough, the directions said to salt to taste but didn't give a good starting measurement to go by so we tended to under season it.  The batter didn't turn out right and I think it was the lack of salt causing the zucchini to not sweat into the batter and liquifying it to the desired consistency.  I would try this again to see if we could perfect making it and have it turn out better the next time.  Because the fritter batter ended up being to dry after all it was more like a hash than a fritter!!! LOL  Oh well, I see it as a good learning experience!  We did eat it all though!  And I really really loved the Endive, Nectarine & Parmesan Salad!  I didn't really know what endive tasted like but it has a very normal lettuce type flavor and I was surprised how the parmesan went so well with the nectarine!

Even those these 3 weren't the most amazing we've had, we learned tons along the way and look forward to what is still to come!  Oh and we've also been making the Spice-Rubbed Pork Medallions with Peach Salsa & Cilantro-Green Bean Rice here and there, and have actually made it a total of 3 times now!  That one is such a hands down winner!  My friend, and also my sister have both made it with success and love it too!  OH and for the spice rub we substituted dried tarragon instead of the ground fennel since we couldn't find it and the flavors are similar and it worked well.

Garlic, Butter, and Olive Oil Angel Hair Pasta with Maitake Mushrooms

Today my order of Maitake Mushrooms arrived today so I was inspired to whip up some Angel Hair Pasta using them!  This is about 100g Maitake Mushrooms browned in a teaspoon of Olive Oil and 1/2 Tablespoon Butter.  I added a cloved of garlic minced up to that when they were near done.  I added the cooked Angel Hair Pasta, I only used 1oz. pasta which is a half serving since it was only lunchtime, added salt and pepper to taste and when it sizzled I plated it!
I was too hungry to take a really good photo but I did snap this one for Instagram/Facebook and then after eating it and being like "OMG this tastes so awesome!" I had to grab the photo and blog it here too.  I can't wait to make this for dinner but I would do a full serving of pasta next time instead of the half serving of 1oz.  I just made less for lunch.
I tell ya, I am in love with Maitake Mushrooms!  The taste is different from the normal mushroom taste.  More nutty!  It went well with the butter and garlic flavors!

Garam Marsala Kale Chips

This was the first time I made Kale Chips!  WOW they are so good!!!  I was so surprised and understand why everyone raves about them!  They are so light and crispy, very delicate!   I love how you get a bit of a crunch and then they just melt in your mouth!  I was scared to make them for a long time, worried that they wouldn't turn out right, but I'm glad I took the risk because these are simply amazing!!!

I went by this recipe's instructions from Jessica In The Kitchen: Three Ways To Make Kale Chips – Salty, Spicy and Cheesy

At first I just used salt and pepper and then I tasted one to see if they were done and it was so good but I thought hmm I bet Garam Marsala spice would be awesome on these so I went ahead and added some Garam Marsala to them. Then let them finish crisping (they aren't as good if not completely crisp so you gotta check them) and WOW I love that flavor with them too!!!  Success!!!

Food Adventure...the results are in on the Garden Greens Chopped Eggs and Whole Herbs Recipe!

I saw some really cool looking salads in the Martha Stewart Living Magazine and decided to take a risk and try one. So I picked this Garden Greens Chopped Eggs and Whole Herbs Recipe first. We couldn't find any fresh tarragon so I just skipped it. Also after putting together the dressing and I tasted it...it was awful!!! So we tossed it and just used the Bolthouse Mango Chipotle dressing instead which ended up tasting great with it. I'm pretty sure it was the anchovies that ruined it, but not sure why, they are supposed to taste like a nice salty umami flavor that you can't tell what it is...but these ones tasted like citric acid which is like a vitamin C tablet! EW! So not sure if it was the brand or what the deal was, but seriously I don't think it was what it was supposed to be like!

Other than that I blanched for the first time! I liked how the green beans (called haricots verts in the recipe) and the snap peas came out that way. I also salted the water tons so that it tasted like sea water. I've seen that tip tons on Food Network from Iron Chef Zakarian to Anne Burrell!!! So I made sure it was strong! I really liked the results and I think I will do it again. I especially liked the Snap Peas done that way and would try it again for another recipe idea in the future! The green beans were okay in the salad but not my favorite part of it either.

I also found that I really enjoyed the egg in the salad too and I have an idea to try and create something that has the flavors of a deviled egg but in salad form. Not sure how it will work up yet but I have it percolating in the back of my mind!

Another thing I found out from this foodie adventure is that I really, really, really, really, really dislike the flavor of parsley!!! I have never really liked it but I thought just give it a chance but it was SO strong in this recipe. I tried eating it anyway but it was so bitter and unpleasant that I ended up picking out what was left half way through my salad and it was so much better without it! So if you really love parsley you might really love this recipe, but if you don't either skip it or skip the parsley! LOL

So I'm 50/50 on this adventure, I liked some things but hated others. The nice thing is that it's a learning experience! Now I'll be able to try other things and maybe have a better idea going in of what I will like or not.

If I was to make it again, I would completely change it!!! LOL I would do a bed of baby arugula instead of the baby spinach, I just prefer the peppery flavor of the baby arugula better.  What I would do again would be the blanched snap peas, the chopped egg, and the Bolthouse Mango Chipotle Dressing with some salt and pepper on top. Everything else I would skip.