Chicken Kiev: It Can Be Slimmed Down More Easily Than You Think

I know what you're thinking. "Heather, this is chicken Kiev. There is no way to slim this down at all." Ah, but you would be wrong, my friend.
I was out of regular bread crumbs, so I used some panko I had in the pantry and seasoned it with Italian seasoning, basil, a bit of seasoned salt and pepper. For my egg wash, I used milk which I soured with orange juice and three eggs. I use more milk than eggs in my egg wash because I think it gives a better flavor and keeps the meat moister than when you use more egg.
I did use butter for my filling because the entire point of chicken Kiev is the butter that comes shooting out when you puncture it, but I don't use as much of it as is traditional and I flavored it with some orange zest to add a bit of oomph to my dish.
Traditionalists will tell you that for it to be a proper chicken Kiev, it has to be deep fried. I am here to tell you that is far from the truth. A 350 degree oven for 45 minutes gets the breading nice, brown and crispy without all the guilt that frying will give you.
Again, I hate to waste food, so while I was waiting for my chicken Kiev to cook, I scrambled the egg wash for an appetizer. A little bit of panko in scrambled eggs really makes a difference in terms of fluffiness.
You may be noticing the lack of color in the photo above. No, I didn't forget vegetables; I steamed some cauliflower, so it only looks like I failed to remember vegetables.
Will raved about this dish as well; he says it's one of my best recipes and that I should continue using the panko. Also, for those of you complaining about caloric counts, we each only ate half of the breast on each of our plates. Neither of us can eat a full breast of chicken by ourselves, but it proves quite useful for lunch the next day.

Orzo with Goat Cheese and Garbanzo Beans

I actually made this on Wednesday night, but due to making spaghetti sauce with my mother in-law, I forgot to post it. However, I have officially posted it, and I apologize for the faux-pas.
This was made using a vinaigrette made from olive oil and lemon juice that I then added oregano to. While the orzo was cooking, I drained a can of garbanzo beans and tossed it to coat in my vinaigrette. Once the orzo was al dente, I drained it and then put in in the bowl with my garbanzo mixture. Once I tossed it to coat, I crumbled my goat cheese and stirred it into the orzo.
Will raved about how good it was. Personally, I would have put pine nuts in with it if Will liked them, but you can't have it all.

Bubble and Squeak: Tasty Way of Using Leftover Cabbage

Unfortunately I don't have a picture for you today. My camera phone decided I can't email the picture to myself like I normally do because the picture evidently cannot be sent due to the file size exceeding the size necessary to send.
Anyway, I believe my spleen has had enough draining; onto last night's dinner. Usually bubble and squeak is fried in butter or vegetable oil. I really don't like to use vegetable oil, and I pretty much only use butter when absolutely necessary, so I went with my high heat standby: grapeseed oil.
Most celebrity chefs are telling you to consume lots of olive oil; I just find a few troubles with it. One, it has a very strong flavor, so it's not suitable for every dish. Two, it is very expensive, so if you use it in everything, your food bill can easily go sky high. Three, it has a low smoke point, so you risk burning your food if you don't carefully monitor your heat.
Some of you may be thinking, "Heather, why grapeseed oil? Why do you use that over any other oil?" Well, here's my explanation. For one, it has a light flavor and a high smoke point, so it's great for pan frying and sauteeing. For another, it's the cheapest oil at around four dollars for 24 fluid ounces and browns as well as butter. It also doesn't hurt that it's very high in Vitamin E, a fat soluble vitamin that promotes healthier skin and hair.
The cabbage softened up and complemented the potatoes quite nicely. Even better, it reheats well, so Will can easily take it to work with him, if he remembers to.

Haven't Cooked in a Little Bit; Will Get Back in the Game Tomorrow

I wound up getting an ingrown toenail so severe that I couldn't stand easily. Luckily Will was a big hand in helping me get it trimmed so there is no longer any pain from my nail digging into the bed.
This weekend was pretty busy; we went to a robotics competition and had a blast. I had to wear open toed shoes because of the ingrown toenail, and realized why I don't wear those particular shoes. I wound up irritating the bursitis on my tailor's bunions because of they way the shoes are shaped (yes, I'm in my twenties and have extensive skeletal deformities in my feet).
By tomorrow, with a little further soaking of my foot, I should be able to get rid of the last of the infection and thus, be able to cook again. Stay tuned; tomorrow you will get your dose of my cooking.

Bangers and Mash: My British Ancestors are Rolling in Their Graves

Usually we don't eat meat two days in a row, but we did last night because I needed mashed potatoes for tonight's dinner.
Usually, bangers and mash is just how it sounds: fried sausages with mashed potatoes mixed in. I can't take credit for making the bangers, since I got them from Trader Joe's. Normally I make my own sausage, but it is often very difficult to find hog casings. You can pretty much only find them if you have a good butcher in town.
Now for the reason my British ancestors are either rolling in their graves, weeping in sorrow of my gauche serving of this dish, or cursing my very existence. For one, I grilled the bangers instead of frying them. Bangers are fatty even by the standards for sausage, so I prefer to grill them, plus we have a smoker box that we keep mesquite wood chips in that add fantastic flavor. For another, I didn't mix the bangers into the mash. As I said, I needed the mash for tonight's dinner, so I didn't want to mix the bangers in with the mash. Finally, I served vegetables with my bangers and mash; traditionally, one would only eat bangers and mash.

Splurge Day: Ruebens With Tri Colored Pasta

Like a lot of Americans, I made corned beef and cabbage for Saint Patrick's day. The only problem cooking it for two is, you wind up with a ton of leftovers no matter how small a brisket you select. So, not too long after having corned beef and cabbage, I refrigerate both ingredients at least overnight.
To help cut down on the fat, I use minimal butter; quite frankly, a little goes a very long way. I also remove the fat from the top of the corned beef; you can always freeze this and use it to bard leaner beef to prevent drying out, and that way you get a bit more bang for your buck.
I then use swiss cheese and Bavarian style sauerkraut because thanks to caraway seeds, it lends a stronger flavor.
Rye bread is important in this particular recipe. You want a soft rye like a New York style because it's a little easier to chew. Don't get me wrong; I really like a nice crusty German rye, it's just that it can get too crispy too easily.
As a finish, I made one of Will's favorite sides: tri colored pasta in a butter-seasoned salt sauce. For those of you who have never tried using seasoned salt, give it a shot; it salts but also has garlic and paprika. I personally get it in bulk from Penzey's so I don't wind up having to get a new jar every time I run out, but Lawry's makes a great one that most people will be able to find at their local supermarket.
Just remember: ruebens, like corned beef and cabbage, are definitely in the splurge meal category. They are often quite greasy, so unless you're a marathon runner who needs more than 2500 calories or a ranch hand on their feet for twelve hours, don't do it very often.

Pork Chops with Mushrooms: Improvements Need to be Made

I decided to take a risk and cook this recipe. I made a minor mistake. For one, I didn't like the fact that there was such a strong orange flavor that I couldn't tell if the wine in the sauce had cooked out. Will, on the other hand, loved it. Normally I take the meat that we don't eat and make it into pulled pork since Will doesn't cut his meat to get all of it off the bones, but since it was so strongly flavored, I didn't save the meat left over on Will's plate.
We agreed the mashed potatoes I made were perfect; usually Will complains that I make the mashed potatoes too lumpy, so I now know that a hand mixer works wonders.
When I make my mashed potatoes to get them lump free, I mix in the butter to help get the potatoes down in temperature; as most experienced cooks will tell you, if you add milk and sour cream to your potatoes while they are hot they won't come out as nicely. For a lower fat but slightly more expensive way of making mashed potatoes I add Greek yogurt. I prefer to use Fage total 2% because it is comparable in taste and consistency to sour cream, but any will suffice.

Aloo Gobi: One of My Husband's favorites

This is cauliflower and potatoes stir fried in toasted cumin seeds, ground cumin, turmeric, chili powder, and whole coriander, more commonly known as Aloo Gobi.
 Because I use fresh cauliflower and hate to waste perfectly edible food, I also cook the greens, which taste remarkably like broccoli, in garam masala and curry powder, both of which I toast and grind myself. The next time I make it, perhaps I shall post it here.
This time, Will, my husband, ate more of the cauliflower greens than usual and devoured the aloo gobi like he normally does.  He commented that it was better than the last time I made it; whether it was because of the cold weather or the fact that I didn't measure the spices I used, I shall never know.
The first time I made it Will intimated to me that he doesn't like cauliflower as he got up to get his third helping.

An Explanation of Things to Come

My mother in-law suggested that I write a blog about my husband and my flexitarian method of eating as well as how we save money on groceries. This entry, while it won't have any recipes or pictures (I will have pictures with every entry as well as what my husband thinks of what I've made), will give some background on my lifestyle and how it has affected my husband and me.

My husband is a Buddhist and asked me to make at least one meatless meal for every meal I cook with meat when we moved out of our parents' homes. As a result, I planned my meals to the letter so that I could fulfill his requests. I shopped around to find which grocery store would provide me with the best deal for what I was buying. I found that I was spending roughly $80 to $100 every two weeks on groceries using this method.

This dietary change also resulted in several more positive changes. My husband has lost fifty-one pounds over the year that we have had our own home, and while I have maintained the same weight, I have lost inches in my torso, hips, and thighs.


This lifestyle may sound like we are eating nothing but cheap garbage, but this couldn't be further from the truth. I am getting fresh produce, organic meat, and few to no processed foods.