Random Recipe: Baked Pineapple Teriyaki Chicken

Posted by random olio

I have been feeling blah about food lately, and needed some inspiration. Chris made this last night, and it hit the spot and was just what I needed. I only had to control myself a bit and not overstuff myself — which is hard to do when something is so yummy! Now I will tell you, there is a word I pretty much hate using: moist. However, baking this chicken with these specific ingredients meant that when you cut into the chicken it was the absolute definition of moist. The ingredient list looks long, but it is not hard at all (just ask Chris!)

Baked Pineapple Teriyaki Chicken [Adapted from Sally’s Baking Addition]

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon water
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 Tablespoons honey
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1 minced garlic clove
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
1 cup pineapple chunks

Directions:

Whisk cornstarch and water together in a small saucepan. Add the brown sugar, honey, soy sauce, vinegar, garlic, ginger, and black pepper. Simmer over low heat (whisking occasionally). Bring to a boil. Remove from heat and set aside so it will thicken.
Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400°F.
Place chicken and pineapple chunks in any oven safe dish or pan. Pour sauce over chicken and pineapple ensure all sides of the chicken is covered.
Bake (uncovered) for 30 minutes or until the chicken is completely cooked through.

We served it over brown rice and then added some steamed broccoli. Yum!

Random Recipe: Mozzarella Salad with Sun-dried Tomatoes

Posted by random olio

Last weekend we were at a house-warming party for a friend. She made the most amazing salad. Seriously, it has been a while since I have had a new salad and one that truly hit the spot. The guests cleared out the bowl, and she saw how enamored I was with it. She pulled me aside and said she would make more. It is easy and has very few ingredients. We then made it this week, and it was good, but I need to find out what she did. She sometimes cooks in the oh I’ll add more of this here and that there. And, somehow her version just tasted better. Hmmm.

We cut the recipe in half (even though the original recipe says for 2).

Smoked Mozzarella Salad with Sun-Dried Tomato Dressing [Adapted]

Serves 2

Salad_

2 oz mixed greens

1/2 lb smoked mozzarella cheese, sliced

Dressing_

2.5 oz jarred sun-dried tomatoes in olive oil (drained weight)
1/8 c fresh basil, shredded
1/8 c fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
1/2 tbsp capers, rinsed
1/2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1/2 garlic clove, chopped
extra olive oil
salt+pepper to taste

Directions_

Put all the dressing ingredients into a blender. Use the oil from the jar of sun-dried tomatoes and add extra as needed to equal 1/3 cup of oil. Blend until smooth. Toss the mixed greens, sliced mozzarella, and dressing together and serve.

Try it — I am curious what you think, and how it could be tweaked.

Random recipe: Cinnamon Roll Cups

Posted by random olio

Sometimes you need an easy recipe to make and devour. My favorite part about this recipe is how easy it is, but also how it made the house smell so good. The moment that they started baking in the oven the smell filled the house. I am a bit addicted to cinnamon and anything with that warm spice, such as chai, cloves, pumpkin pie spice, oh and nutmeg.

This recipe from Mix and Match Mama’s blog – for Cinnamon Roll Cups. Since I did not have time to get approval to post the entirety of the recipe from her blog, you will have to click the link to read the full post. Just know you will need a few basic ingredients and a can of refrigerated biscuits. It makes 12 muffin sized cinnamon roll cups. Much easier than using yeast when you quickly want that cinnamon roll goodness.

Although I did tell Chris that they are very close to just purchasing the cinnamon roll refrigerated can. Much better, but similar. Will we make them again? Maybe. Total time to make is about 20 minutes. You just have to make sure you have cream cheese (for the frosting) and a can of refrigerated biscuits on hand. While they were baking you can make the frosting.

They are an easy dessert, midnight snack, or breakfast treat. Enjoy!

Random Recipe: Black Bean Avocado Chocolate Chip Fudge Brownies

Posted by random olio

Some of the oddest mixture of ingredients I have seen in a long time. Who ever thought that black beans and avocado could be put in brownies? I grew up with the cheapest brownie mix possible (do you remember Aldi?) I am always an advocate for a different kind of recipe. One that has little to no white sugar (this one does not fit that bill as it has dark brown sugar) but that also uses ingredients that are good for you, but you might not think about them going into a dessert. Chris made them last night, and they are not bad. His only complaint was that he cooked them too long. The recipe says to bake for 25-35 minutes, and he baked them for 25 minutes, and he felt they were too cakey and he should have baked for 20 minutes, so beware.

Only caveat: they are dark, almost black brownies. Most likely the black beans. Makes for an interesting conversation.

Black Bean Avocado Chocolate Chip Fudge Brownies {gluten-free & low-fat}

INGREDIENTS

1 – 15 oz can of black beans, rinsed and drained
1 large egg
2 large egg whites
1/2 of a large extra ripe avocado
1 teaspoon coconut or olive oil
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (important to use a VERY good quality powder!)
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1/3 cup chocolate chips of choice, plus 2 tablespoons for topping

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 8×8 inch baking pan.
Place all ingredients besides chocolate chips into blender or food processor. Process or puree until ingredients form a smooth batter. If the batter is WAY too thick and won’t process then add in a teaspoon or two of water. This batter needs to be very thick in order to produce fudgy brownies. Add in 1/3 cup chocolate chips and fold into batter.
Pour batter into prepared pan, sprinkle with 2 tablespoons of remaining chocolate chips. You can also fold in nuts or swirl in peanut butter. Bake for 25-35 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out somewhat clean and top of the brownies begin to crack.
Cool pan completely on wire rack then cut into 12 delicious squares.

ORIGINAL RECIPE NOTES:

_Vegan version: Use vegan chocolate chip and sub a flax egg for the egg and egg whites.
_These brownies are best once they have cooled. Try them right out of the fridge.

Think Dirty

Posted by random olio

I have a newfound interest in the products that I put on my body. Are they worth touching my skin? What are their ingredients? Would I eat what I put on my hair or skin? With my recent venture into “no poo” I have continued to explore other natural options for skin care and even found something the other day for brushing your teeth with coconut oil. (I have not tried it, but will let you know how it works out).

Have you ever thought about the fact that your skin is the largest organ on your body, and yet we feed it with harmful chemicals every day? Between your hair shampoo, conditioner, shaving cream, and styling products, to your body wash, lotion, your toothpaste, and, if you are a woman, the makeup you put on your face, you are potentially adding chemicals to your body and you might not even know it.

Bring on “Think Dirty.” An app I found last weekend that allows you to scan a product in your bathroom, at the store, your friend’s house, what have you and find out from their “Dirty Meter” how toxic the product is for you. I love this idea. I am always trying to remember which sulfates are bad (most are horrible) and which are okay. Sulfates. Parabens. The list goes on for all the ingredients you should watch for when purchasing a product. What I find more complex is that so often the ingredient list can only be understood if you can decipher the periodic table of elements. They are in another language, with names so long it is hard to really know what is good and what is bad for you.

Think Dirty is free and even has a modern and sleek interface. Just scan the barcode on the product with the scanner within the app. You can then save products to a “Dirty List” or a “Clean List” so you can remember where specific products fall when you go back to the store. There is even some wit within the app. To get you to sign up, they say, “Is your bathroom Kardashian-filthy?” Clever. I spent a bit of time scanning my products, and even my Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s “organic” products resulted in 8-10 (7-10 is considered Dirty) on their Dirty Meter. Yikes.

Be safe, clean yourself responsibly, and take the pulse of what you put on your body.