What do you mean coffee and Reese's Pieces aren't dinner?

Gosh people get cranky when you insinuate that coffee and candy are an acceptable dinner. It isn't like the diabetic doctor knows anything. . .ok, so he might know some things about good nutrition. With that said, it wasn't like I woke up in the morning expecting to have another sixteen hour day, they kinda happen that way. But tonight, oh tonight, I am looking forward to something that isn't candy and caffeine based.

"Grilled" Chicken and Onions on Flatbread with Cucumber Yogurt Sauce

Tools:

Knife

Cutting Board

Oven

Three Bowls

Spoon

Cast Iron Skillet

Container with a lid large enough to hold the yogurt and the cucumber.

Ingredients for Sauce

2 cups of plain yogurt (I like Greek)

2 tbsp mint flakes

1/2 cucumber, seeded and chopped finely

Ingredients for Chicken

1 lb of chicken cut into strips

2 large onions, cut into strips

2 tsp pepper

2 tbsp olive oil

2 tsp garlic powder

2 tsp cumin

1/2 cup lemon juice

Ingredients/Condiments for the Flat Bread

1 package of pita or flour tortillas

2 large tomatoes, diced up

lettuce, shredded (optional)

In a container large enough to hold the sauce ingredients, add the yogurt and the mint flakes and mix well. Cut the cucumber lengthwise, so you can see all the seeds. Take your spoon and just scrape them out in a strait line. You will want to do this because if you leave the seeds the sauce will get all watery and thin, which isn't a good sauce. Chop up the seeded cucumber, add it to the sauce, and mix well. Cover and store in the refrigerator for at least an hour, although overnight is best.

Cut up the tomatoes and shred the lettuce, set them aside in bowls to use later. This should leave you a single bowl. In that bowl you will want to add the lemon juice and spices, and mix well. Chop the chicken and the onion and add it to the bowl, mixing well so the spices infuse the bird and all the onions in wonderful flavor. Feel free to let marinade in the fridge for an hour, but you won't need to.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and place the cast iron skillet inside. Once the skillet is hot, pull it out and add the olive oil to the bottom of the pan, and then pour the chicken/onion mixture into the pan. Quickly return it to the oven and cook for about 25 minutes, then start checking the mixture every 5 minutes to see if it's done. You don't want any pink left in the chicken, which shouldn't be a problem because it was added to the pan cut up. The cast iron will help give a 'grilled' flavor to the bird and veggies, although you can do this equally as well in aluminum foil over a real grill.

Warm the bread by the directions on the package, and then serve the chicken/onion mix on the bread with tomatoes, lettuce, and a generous portion of yogurt sauce. And with that I have my dinner tonight. Yes, be jealous; but also make it yourself!

Bien Camino!

Who needs sleep?

Although I wouldn't mind having a bit of shut eye now and again. Coming off of a week that could be described as "harsh," must like strait lining bleach can be considered "harsh," I am back and only slightly twitchy. Alright, so I'm pushing the boundary of cynicism and good taste on an hourly basis now, but what else is new?

To the fun though, today I'm going to give you a REALLY simple recipe for my favorite ramen based meal.

Beef Ramen and Veggies

Tools:

Knife

Cutting Board

Pot

Measuring Cup

Spoon

Ingredients:

1 inch cube of Ginger, skinned and diced finely

1 small onion, sliced thinly

1 small carrot, sliced thinly

1/6th of pre-cooked roast beef (lunch meat style), sliced up into strips.

1 chili diced up

1 package of Ramen Noodles

3 cups of water.

pepper to taste

1 tbsp diced garlic

1 tsp sesame oil

1/4th cup of mung beans/bean sprouts (rinsed)

Yet again a wonderful one pot meal. Chop up all the ingredients and set aside. Take the pot and put it on medium heat. Pour in the sesame oil in the pan to heat it up. Toss in the ginger, chili, and garlic to the oil and let some of the flavors sweat out over the next minute or two, make sure to stir it every so often so it doesn't burn.

Pour in the water, carrot, and onion; then bring the heat up to high to get the water boiling. Once it is up to high heat open the ramen and you'll see a small packet of flavoring and the ramen. Add the ramen to the water for 5-7 minutes. Now you have that little packet of wonderful flavor, right? Shiny foil that just screams "fit for human consumption"?

Throw that crap out!!!!

Ok, once the noodles are just about cooked, add the bean sprout and beef and turn the heat off. And with that you have a fantastic pot of Ramen noodles! If you feel so inclined to add salt, I recommend using a little bit of soy sauce (the good stuff, don't ruin it with the crappy sauces out there!)

Bien Camino!

The Way

Alright, If you haven't seen it, and I don't think you could have missed it, there is a brand new movie about the Camino de Santiago currently in select theaters or pay-per-view, called The Way. For those who know me, I'm a supporter of any film which shows off the trail which I'm constantly homesick for. With that said, see the movie and support independent films, and remember that the Camino is always calling.

Until next time!

Bien Camino!

Camino:Portuguese

As I dive into my Camino research, I'm reminded how homesick I am for the trail. This is a picture/optical illusion is of a waterfall on the Camino:Portuguese on the second day of travel.

Bien Camino indeed. :)

Dark and Fluffy

Yup, hate to admit it, I have a potty mouth when I'm tired and stressed out. In all fairness, I can keep it shut when others do incredibly stupid things and then try to blame it on me after I told them it was incredibly stupid in the first place. But sometimes I won't take it, and I hit that stage today with one company.

It's kinda like trying to explain to an old man why you're tired of his crankiness as he quits smoking. Sometimes you cause your own problems, so don't take it out on others. I gave one of my older friends who smoked two packs a day for 58+ years and looked surprised when the doctor informed him that he had cancer the "no crap" response when he panicked about it to me: shock, awe, and "why me" aren't acceptable responses in my book for the decades of warnings he's gotten. That and the fact that his prognosis for recovery are very high doesn't hurt either.

So yet again, my mouth got me into trouble (not huge trouble, but they know I'm right and have already emailed an apology) for saying what had to be said after all warnings were given for several weeks leading up to today when it all failed. And of course I did the standard look of "no crap" when they wanted to blame someone for it. Making myself the sacrificial lamb is not in my job description. Although lamb does sound delicious right now. . .

Ok, now that my stomach is growling, I'm going to do a really easy slow cooker recipe for lamb. You don't need good cuts of meat for this since you'll be cooking it for a long time, it will be very tender when you're done.

Slow Cooked Lamb

Tools:

Something Sharp to cut things with. (Knife)

Something flat to cut things on. (Cutting Board)

Something to cook for a LONG time in. (Slow Cooker)

Something to scoop with (Spoon!)

Something you can cover overnight in the fridge (Bowl with a lid)

Ingredients:

1-2 lbs of lamb, chopped into 1-2 inch pieces (doesn't matter what cut, just avoid too many bones)

2 large onion, sliced

2 cups of red wine

1 cup red wine vinegar

2 tbsp pepper

3-4 tbsp fresh mint

1 cucumber, seeded and chopped up

2 cup of greek yogurt

1 package flat bread or rice to serve the tastiness on. (or you can cheat with flour tortillas that you can heat on dry, hot pan to sear the tortillas slightly, it will taste fantastic but you'll have to watch them closely so they don't burn)

Take your lamb and 1 cup of the wine, and add it to the crock pot on low. Cover and drink the other 1 cup of wine. If so inclined, drink the rest of the bottle of wine until the next day, it will make the cooking go faster.

While drinking, take the onions and slice them up roughly. Put them into the bowl with a lid and pour the vinegar on them. Seal and tuck it into the fridge, mix it every few hours. We are making a quick pickle for the next day that'll be delicious.

An hour or two before you serve it the next day, take the cucumber and slice it along the middle, so it splits open longways. See all those seeds in there? Take your spoon and run it along the seeds, scrapping them out. You can throw those away, they won't be any good in the sauce you are making. Chop up the mint finely. Mix this together in the yogurt and put it back into the fridge so the flavors mix together.

When you are ready to eat, serve on either flat bread or rice, with the onions and yogurt sauce. You can also do this recipe with chicken or beef, but I think the lamb brings out the best flavors.

Well until people come to their senses and realize I was right:

Bien Camino!

Healthy Taco Salad

Alright, I guess there really isn't anything known as a 'healthy taco salad', but I have figured out a fairly tasty alternative that doesn't use meat. This has been my go-to meal the last few days when I finally come home so exhausted that I don't want to do anything. It is simple and only has a single 'cooked' item in it.

Meatless Taco Salad (single serving insane sized for a fantastic meal)

Tools:

Cutting board

Knife

Microwaveable bowl with lid

Bowl

Ingredients:

Favorite tortilla chip or corn chips

1 10 ounce can of green salsa or ranchero sauce.

1 can of re-fried beans

1/2 small onion (chopped)

1/2 avocado (chopped)

1 tomato (chopped)

2-3 cups of shredded cabbage (I didn't lie that this was a salad!)

1/2 cup of shredded cheddar cheese (or fake cheddar-like product for those of us who are lactose intolerant)

1/8th cup of green or black olives

Jar hot peppers (to taste)

Your favorite hot sauce (to taste)

Alright, in the microwavable bowl, cook the re-fried beans based on can instructions. In the other bowl, add everything else except the chips for one hell of a huge veggie salad. Mix the salad so all the ingredients are well mixed, and then add half of the re-fried beans.

As you eat it, use the chips to dip the salad out, or crumble them up on top and them as you go. Don't pre-mix the chips! They will get soggy and a soggy chip is a sad chip!

Unlike normal taco salads, this is mostly veggies, so it isn't nearly as lethal to the waste-line as many other are. When I have a choice, I tend to go with a green sauce. But the ranchero is a nice tomato based sauce as well.

Bien Camino!