Sesame Chicken and Broccoli

The first week of spring weather is here and

Mother Nature, 

if you are listening…

we're good with it, 

so these warmer sunny days can be here to stay. 

No more yanking us around with cold days, 

I'd like to pack up my boots and snow pants and leave them hidden until next winter.

K, thanks! 

With this beautiful weather, 

it can be hard to reel the kids in for dinner, 

but not if you serve up this

Sesame Chicken and Broccoli…

the aroma literally brought them in from the great outdoors

and I couldn't shake them, 

so I let them help me in the kitchen. 

That is another story in itself…

best part about kids helping in the kitchen is that 

soon they will be cooking for me!  

At least that is what I keep telling myself!

For a family size (but no leftovers - because it is THAT good) meal,

started with 3 eggs and 3 tbsp of corn starch

whisked together in a bowl large enough to 

add the chicken to for coating. 

I love this recipe! 

I love starting with eggs and corn starch…

I just know that a great texture will result from those two ingredients! 

Next, cut up 

2.5# of boneless, skinless chicken thighs

and add them to the egg batter.

If you haven't tried them yet, 

these boneless, skinless chicken thighs are the way to go! 

Not only to they have great flavor and texture, 

but they are also about half the price of chicken breasts.  

So, 2.5# of boneless skinless chicken is costing me just over $7

compared with nearly $15 for breast meat.  

When the pan with a couple tablespoons of your preferred vegetable oil 

was sufficiently pre-heated, 

pour the chicken, egg and starch mixture right into the pan. 

Here is where some patience will come into play. 

Don't over-stir!

You have to give the chicken and batter, if you will, enough time to brown up a bit,

in order to achieve that ideal, light, crispy texture. 

Here you can see the browning that is underway. 

While the chicken was cooking, 

my helpers were getting the other fixings prepared. 

Landon chopped up some broccoli,

which can be added to the pan towards the end to avoid mushy-broccoli syndrome. 

Ryker was measuring out the ingredients for the sesame sauce, 

which really makes the meal! 

He added 3 tbsp soy sauce,

2 tbsp water

1 tbsp toasted sesame oil (my favorite!)

3 tbsp brown sugar

3 tbsp rice vinegar

1 inch of freshly grated ginger

1 tbsp minced garlic

2 tbsp sesame seeds

1 tbsp corn starch

It took both of them to grate the fresh ginger…

but, at least they weren't fighting! 

The broccoli was added and tossed a bit!

The sauce was whipped together…

It starts out pretty thin, 

but once added to the pan, 

the corn starch would do its thing

and next thing you know you have a nice, thick, sweet, nutty sauce over all of the delicious-ness.

(Sorry Jerry, I know you hate that word!)

Pour it in, 

stir it up 

and let is start to bubble just a little bit! 

Serve over rice and top with some scallions. 

I was REALLY disappointed that there weren't any leftovers! 

I'm already trying to come up with a time when I can make this again and 

manage to get some more for myself! 

RECIPE:

Time: 45 minutes

Serves: 6

Ingredients:

3 eggs

4 tbsp of corn starch - divided

2.5# of boneless, skinless chicken thighs

3 tbsp vegetable oil

Broccoli

3 tbsp soy sauce

2 tbsp water

1 tbsp toasted sesame oil 

3 tbsp brown sugar

3 tbsp rice vinegar

1 inch of freshly grated ginger

1 tbsp minced garlic

2 tbsp sesame seeds

Directions:

• Whisk together eggs and starch. 
• Cut chicken into bite-sizes chunks, add to egg, toss to coat. 
• Preheat oil over medium high heat, add chicken and egg mixture. 
• Stir occasionally, until no more pink remains. 
• Measure and combine soy sauce, water, sesame oil, brown sugar, vinegar, ginger, garlic, corn starch and sesame seeds. Mix well. 
• Add broccoli to pan and pour sauce over. 
• Allow to heat for about 5 minutes before serving over rice. 

Chicken Broccoli and Quinoa Bake

Well, hello there. 

Today I'd like to share with you a fabulous

One-Dish-Wonder…

They are most certainly my favorite! 

I mean, really,

does it get any better than having

Protein  (Chicken), Veggie (Broccoli), Carbs (Quinoa)

and

(wait for it)

FLAVOR 

all is one dish!?!?!

This whole quinoa-thing is around to stay in my house. 

My kids prefer it over rice and

I would gladly serve it more…

but there is a price point on it, 

(which is a small price to pay for a carb with protein and fiber!)

so I limit it to about once a week. 

This was so easy…

dump it all into a dish

and bake! 

Gotta love the no-brainer dinners! 

This is what 1 cup of quinoa and 2 cups of chicken broth look like in a dish. 

Next, 2 cups of broccoli florets were added. 

(This made for some mushy broccoli, 

if you prefer your broccoli to have a little more texture, 

add it later!)

About 3# of chicken breasts

(which, did you know are less expensive than tenders!)

were cut into tenders and sprinkled with 

poultry seasoning and seasoning salt, 

to your liking. 

Ready to be popped into a 400 F oven. 

After 30-40 minutes, 

I have to admit that I was mesmerized by watching the quinoa cook…

this dish was ready to go! 

There is, of course, the optional cup of shredded mozzarella. 

And, if you wanted crunchier broccoli, 

that could be added at this time instead of at the beginning. 

It may alter the overall nutrition of this dish, 

but it helps to buy me a little more leeway with my next healthy endeavor, 

so I oblige. 

Pop it back in until the cheese melts

or put it under the broiler for some browning…

which I love! 

This dish it out and serve it up! 

RECIPE:

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Bake Time: 30-40 minutes

Serves: 8

Ingredients:

1 cup of quinoa

2 cups of chicken broth 

2 cups of broccoli florets

3# of chicken breasts - cut into strips

Poultry Seasoning - to taste

Seasoning Salt - to taste 

1 cup of shredded mozzarella

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 400 F. 
• Start with 2 cups of chicken broth and 1 cup of quinoa in the baking dish. 
• Broccoli can be added now, if well done is the preference, other wise it can be added later. 
• Layer chicken on top and season. 
• Bake for 30-40 minutes until quinoa is translucent with an apparent spiral or germ present. 
• Top with broccoli, now, for more texture along with shredded cheese, if desired. Bake for another 5-10 minutes.

Fried Rice with Beef and Broccoli

My kids have been loving the fast Asian food restaurant lately and I can even admit that it hits the spot from time to time.

It really got me wondering why I don't cook more Asian food at home if I love it so much?

So, earlier this week I had an idea to make a teriyaki beef and broccoli.

But, then I decided I wanted to try making some fried rice.

The fried rice was so amazing, a perfect blend of soy sauce and sesame oil…that I skipped the teriyaki all together and just enjoyed the fabulous flavors of the rice with some lightly seasoned beef and broccoli.

Starting with the obvious ingredient, 4 cups of Minute rice and 3 cups of beef broth,

for a little extra flavor. 

While the rice was cooking, 1 tbsp of minced garlic was sautéed in 1 tbsp of sesame oil. 

This smelled fabulous throughout the house and the kids were running in asking what I was making that smelled so good! 

Then, 2 eggs were scrambled up in another tbsp of sesame oil. 

This isn't my traditional egg pan nor is it a wok, so it was a little interesting, but delicious, nonetheless. 

Two cups of frozen peas were added to the garlic and egg. 

This would also be where the shredded carrots would be added as well…

if I had any in the house at the time. 

The cooked rice was also added to the pan, along with 1/4 cup soy sauce. 

Stirred up and taste-tested…this is where the meal plan took a turn. 

This was just too good to add anything that would compete with all of the amazing flavors. 

Skip the teriyaki, just cook the beef and broccoli and toss them together. 

Into a pan went just under 1# of stir fry beef strips, seasoned with some salt. 

Then, a couple cups of broccoli were cooked up. 

Tossed all back together. 

Top the rice with the beef and broccoli, perhaps a dash of crushed red pepper and serve. 

I can honestly say that my family was impressed with this meal…

That is a tall order because their expectations have grown. 

RECIPE:

Ingredients:

4 cups of Minute rice

3 cups of beef broth

1 tbsp of minced garlic 

2 tbsp of sesame oil, divided

2 eggs

2 cups of frozen peas

1-2 cups of shredded carrots (would be a great addition)

1/4 cup soy sauce

vegetable oil

1# of stir fry beef strips

salt - to taste

2 cups of broccoli

crushed red pepper - optional

Directions:

Cook rice according to instructions on box. 

In wok, or large pan, sautee minced garlic in 1 tbsp sesame oil. Push aside.

Add another tbsp sesame oil and scramble 2 eggs. 

Add the peas to the pan with the garlic and eggs, to thaw. 

Add in the rice, top with soy sauce. 

*Taste a little bit of heaven!*

Cook up the beef in some hot oil. 

Set aside and trim as necessary. 

Cook the broccoli a bit to soften, leaving plenty of texture. 

Combine the beef and broccoli, add to the rice, top with crushed red pepper, if you are feeling adventurous. 

Curry Broccoli Salad with Bacon

Ahhhh, Sunday night….seems to be the most refreshing night of the week.  Perhaps it's because we all relax, inside the air conditioned house, eating pizza (which was delivery), watching TV and re-living the excitement of the weekend.

We started the weekend with another little adventure down to Rock Cut State Park in Loves Park, IL, just north of Rockford.  Wanted to get some hiking in during the afternoon since we were heading to Belvidere for Landon's baseball tournament anyway.

It took us a little while to find a starting point and get our bearings, but ultimately, we found a nice hiking trail and a creek, which was quite refreshing for the kids to splash around in a bit.

Before we continued on our way we had to get another picture…funny thing about these groupies, is that Landon doesn't want to get too close to Alayna, so instead, he is barely in the picture at all.

The time we spend together in nature is so precious, I am so thankful for the conversations, jokes and silliness, along with a few life lessons, that we share while alone together in the woods.  

On Saturday, we had a overdue and much-needed quiet morning, only scheduled outing was to the Janesville Farmers Market, which is a family favorite.  Then, after more baseball, we met up with some friends for the Freedom Fest fireworks…which is where today's recipe comes in.

Curry Broccoli Salad with Bacon was my dish to pass at the get together and it was a pretty big hit, if I do say so myself.

Another amazing combination of fabulous flavors and textures and with all of that broccoli, it is practically guilt-free!

This salad consists of almost all household staples, the golden raisins were the only special purchase I had to make for this salad.

Starting with about 5 cups of broccoli florets, added 1 medium onion, chopped, 1/2 cup sunflower seeds, 1 cup of golden raisins (could have been less, but was generous with them since I bought them especially for this recipe) and 6 slices of bacon, crumbled on top.

For the dressing, 1 generous cup of mayonnaise, 2 tsp curry power, 1/4 cup sugar, 3 tbsp apple cider all whisked together.

Pour it right over the salad. 

Stir it up and refrigerate.  

I really like the way that the broccoli starts to soften, just a little bit, and the raisins start to plump after sitting in the refrigerator for just a few hours.  

RECIPE:

Ingredients:

Salad:

5 cups of broccoli florets
1 medium onion, chopped
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
1 cup of golden raisins
6 slices of bacon - crumbled

Dressing:
1 cup of mayonnaise
2 tsp curry power
1/4 cup sugar
3 tbsp apple cider

Whisk up the dressing and pour it over the salad, refrigerate before serving. 

Anyway you mix it, still a great summer salad!  

Chicken Broccoli and Rice in less than 30 minutes

Today I want to share with you a fast and easy, multi-tasking, one dish, thirty minute meal…Chicken Broccoli and Rice.

If you are like me, you have the best intentions of making a side of veggies, except while making dinner you are also doing laundry, homework, cleaning out your purse, texting the carpool and catching up with neighbors.

So, if any of those proverbial balls are going to get dropped, it is often the veggies, because they aren't actually calling my name.  I get to serving the meal and look for the veggies which are so often on the counter or worse, haven't even made their way out of the fridge yet.

So, this dish is a godsend because the veggies can be cooked right along with the rice (talk about multi-tasking), that doesn't require any additional time, thought, effort or, thankfully, dishes.

In a large skillet, start with 2# of thawed chicken tenders cooked in olive oil, seasoned with salt and pepper.

When they are cooked, remove them from the pan and chop into bite size chunks.

Meanwhile, in the pan, sauté 1 chopped onion in butter.

After you've soaked up enough of one of the best smells in the world…sweet onions browning in butter…savor it...

The rest of the meal comes together in no time…

Add the chopped chicken back to the pan along with two cups of chicken broth (or water and chicken bouillon cubes, in a pinch), two cups of brown minute rice and two cups of fresh broccoli florets for steaming.

The rice is cooking, the broccoli is steaming…LIFE.IS.GOOD!!! Perhaps it is time to pour a glass of wine.  

Top with some shredded mozzarella, probably about a cup as well as some grated Parmesan, nearly a cup, for some richer nutty notes and a sprinkling of dried basil flakes never hurts either.

Some shredded cheddar is the final topping, for good measure.

RECIPE:

Ingredients:
2# of thawed chicken tenders
3 tbsp Olive oil
Salt and Pepper - to taste
1 chopped onion
2 tbsp butter
2 cups of chicken broth (or water and chicken bouillon cubes)
2 cups of brown minute rice
2 cups of fresh broccoli florets
Shredded Mozzarella
Grated Parmesan
Dried Basil Flakes
Shredded Cheddar

Instructions:
Cook chicken in olive oil until no pink remains, remove from pan to chop. 
Add butter and chopped onion to pan to brown. 
Then, add chicken, chicken broth, rice and broccoli. 
Bring to low boil for 5-10 minutes, until rice is cooked and broccoli is tender. 
Top with cheeses and basil accordingly.