Chicken (not) Divan

Yesterday I was browsing the internet for inspiration on "what's for dinner" question that pops up every day. I decided I wanted to attack the week with a PLAN. We'll see how that goes, but I did go to the grocery store with a LIST! and a MENU. For those that know me, they know this never happens. It's amazing I put dinner together at all, really. I'm constantly just throwing things together from the top of my head and from whatever ingredients are in the pantry/fridge. I came across a recipe called Chicken Divan. I am sure I've had this somewhere sometime, but I don't think I've ever made it. It sounded good and like it could be easily adapted to REAL food (the recipe called for canned mushroom soup) and I figured I could do nuts on top instead of breadcrumbs. I even got ambitious enough to double the recipe to make two casseroles so I'd have dinner ready another time. In all my enthusiasm, I forgot half of the seasonings that were listed in the recipe. From my general search on Chicken Divan, a common theme is that they all  have curry powder. Mine doesn't have anything but salt and pepper since I totally forgot to add the other spices, but when you use real ingredients that have so much flavor on their own, it still came out a tasty dish. I think the curry would have been great, but perhaps next time! My girls both really liked this dinner.
-Amanda

My Chicken (not) Divan

(makes 2 casseroles)

6 poached chicken breasts, chopped*
1 recipe of mushroom sauce**
1 cup homemade mayonnaise
14 oz grated cheddar cheese
4 heads of steamed broccoli
1 cup chopped nuts for topping

In a very large bowl, mix the chicken, mushroom sauce, mayo, most of the cheese and the steamed broccoli. Pour it into two casserole dishes. Top with the rest of the cheese and nuts. Bake at 350 until bubbly and cheese is melted.

*You can use any kind of cooked chicken, baked, sauted, etc. I poach my chicken by placing breasts in a pot, cover with water. Add salt, bay leaf, all spice and thyme. Bring to a simmer, cover and cook for about 20 minutes. Do NOT boil or the chicken will be tough. The water can then be used as a chicken broth (stock uses bones, but this is a nice delicate broth.)

**Mushroom Sauce:
a lot of mushrooms- 5 cups or so
1/2 large onion finely diced
1 pint of heavy cream preferably not pasteurized, but I haven't been able to get any of that yet.
1/4 cup flour - I used whole wheat
3 tbsp butter

To make the mushroom sauce, chop onion very small and place it in a large skillet with melted butter. Chop mushrooms as small as you like. Since I was again, mimicking the canned sauce, I chopped them fine since the canned stuff almost doesn't even hint at mushroom.... strange, right? Add the mushrooms to the softened, translucent onions and cook until they have cooked down quite a bit. Add more butter if the skillet is dry. Sprinkle flour across mushrooms and stir until there is no dry flour left. Pour in cream and bring to a boil to thicken.

Homemade Cream of Mushroom Soup

I think canned cream of mushroom soup is an ingredient in almost every single American casserole, isn't it? I finally started making it from scratch. It takes a bit more effort, so casseroles aren't as easy to throw together, but the taste is out of this world delicious. Make sure you use organic cream, preferably not pasteurized. I hope to make it out to Urban Acres soon where my friend, Nicole, told me I can get low-pasteurized cream. I'm wondering if this sauce would freeze. Well, haha... ice cream obviously freezes... thoughts on if this mushroom sauce would freeze?
-Amanda

Mushroom Sauce:
a lot of mushrooms- 5 cups or so
1/2 large onion finely diced
1 pint of heavy cream preferably not pasteurized, but I haven't been able to get any of that yet.
1/4 cup flour - I used whole wheat
3 tbsp butter

To make the mushroom sauce, chop onion very small and place it in a large skillet with melted butter. Chop mushrooms as small as you like. Since I was again, mimicking the canned sauce, I chopped them fine since the canned stuff almost doesn't even hint at mushroom.... strange, right? Add the mushrooms to the softened, translucent onions and cook until they have cooked down quite a bit. Add more butter if the skillet is dry. Sprinkle flour across mushrooms and stir until there is no dry flour left. Pour in cream and bring to a boil to thicken.

From Scratch - Traditional Green Bean Casserole

I was asked to bring the green bean casserole to Thanksgiving Dinner this year, which I was more than happy to do since I love, love, love it. The only thing is, I'm no longer cooking from cans for the most part. There was a moment when I thought to myself that I could make an exception since Thanksgiving is all about traditional dishes and the traditional way to make green bean casserole as far as my memory goes is with the cans. Two cans of green beans, 2 cans of mushroom soup, 1 cup of milk and a can of Frenches Onions. But then I thought about it, and wondered if perhaps the dish could be made with real ingredients and still taste like my memories of the dish. I found a recipe on Kelley the Kitchen Kop's blog that I mostly used, putting my own spin on a bit of it.The biggest problem is I didn't really measure anything so this is more of a method than a recipe. Sorry about that! And this was a HUGE hit at Thanksgiving, I guess it lived up to expectations because there was none to take home!
-Amanda

From Scratch- Green Bean Casserole

Green Beans:
A bunch of green beans- about 7 cups
left over bacon grease
garlic clove
1 bay leaf
sea salt
pepper

Mushroom Sauce:
a lot of mushrooms- 5 cups or so
1/2 large onion finely diced
1 container of heavy cream preferably not pasteurized, but I haven't been able to get any of that yet.
1/4 cup flour - I used whole wheat
3 tbsp butter

Crunchy Onion Topping:
2 onions - I used a sweet yellow onion
1/2 cup arrowroot powder
Cajun seasoning
3 tbsp butter + more if needed

Cut the tips off your greenbeans and then cut them in halves or thirds. Put them in a large skillet and cover with water. Add plenty of sea salt, pepper, bay leaf, smashed garlic clove and bacon grease. Bring to a boil, reduce, cover and let simmer for 45 minutes taste and re-season as necessary. WHAT! Yes, you heard me. I'm not making a "Fresh" greenbean dish here... I'm mimicking greenbeans from a can and greenbeans from a can are much softer than beans that have been blanched for 5 minutes. No, they aren't vivid and pretty green but they are GOOD! Plus, this is how my Mema makes greenbeans and she's been doing it that way for years. Drain the greenbeans and set them aside.

To make the mushroom sauce, chop onion very small and place it in a large skillet with melted butter. Chop mushrooms as small as you like. Since I was again, mimicking the canned sauce, I chopped them fine since the canned stuff almost doesn't even hint at mushroom.... strange, right? Add the mushrooms to the softened, translucent onions and cook until they have cooked down quite a bit. Add more butter if the skillet is dry. Sprinkle flour across mushrooms and stir until there is no dry flour left. Pour in cream and bring to a boil to thicken.

Butter a baking dish, I used an oval one so I'm not sure what size. Pour the cooked green beans in it and top with the sauce. Stir them together. You could also mix them in the skillet and then pour in the baking dish, whatever is easiest. Set aside. Be sure to scrape the skillet and lick the spoon.... oh yeah, it's that good.

To make the topping, pre-heat oven to 475. Slice 2 onions (they cook down A LOT) into thin slices and place in a ziplock bag. Add arrowroot and seasoning. Toss until coated very well. Add melted butter and mix again. On a large cookie sheet that has been greased, lay out onions in a very thin layer. Use two sheets if needed. (I should have used two!) Place in the hot oven and stir every 8 or so minutes for about 30 minutes until they start to crisp up and turn brown. Top casserole and serve. If you are doing it the night before, do not top the onions or they will get soggy. If you can save the onions to the next day, do that. If not, store them in a bag with a paper towel and recrisp them in the oven for a little bit before topping the casserole. Enjoy!!!

Bacon Wrapped Salmon Cakes

I came across this recipe about a week ago and I knew I had to make it as an appetizer for Thanksgiving. It was a huge hit! I was worried I made too many and I wasn't sure how they'd taste as leftovers. I didn't have to worry about that, since there was none to bring home! I found the recipe at Food Renegade's website. I stuck to the recipe for the most part with a few minor changes, the biggest being that I used canned wild caught salmon instead of fresh. Please check out Food Renegade's version, but here is what I did (I also doubled her recipe):

2 14 oz cans of wild-caught Alaskan salmon
pat of real butter
2 tbsp finely diced onion
2 garlic clove, finely diced
1 1/3 c. pine nuts
2 tbsp homemade mayo
2 tsp Parmesan cheese
2 tsp dijon mustard
1 tsp old creole seasoning
1 tbsp fresh parsley
1 egg white
bunch fresh asparagus
nitrate free bacon - I used about 1.5 packages

Pulse pine nuts in a food processor just until right before they almost turn into a nut butter. In a large bowl mix the can salmon and pine nuts. In a small skillet, melt butter and saute onions and garlic until they are soft and translucent. Add them to the salmon. Add mayo, parmesan, mustard, seasoning, parsley and one egg white. Mix well and refrigerate for an hour or overnight. Do not add salt, as the bacon and parmesan will add PLENTY of salt to the dish (this is coming from someone who loves salt.)

Cut the tips of your asparagus off at about 2 inches. Then cut about two more inches of the tender part of the apsaragus off. Save the rest of the asparagus for a soup or other dish later in the week. Cut each bacon strip in half. Place 2-3 asparagus pieces in the middle of the bacon. Using a 2 tbsp scoop, scoop out salmon mixture and place on asparagus. Wrap the bacon tightly. You could pin with a toothpick but I didn't have any so I just laid them seam side down on a rack. Place the rack over a cookie sheet. I found that baking them at 325 for 40 minutes was about right. The original recipe said 375 for 20, but my bacon was burning on the edges and raw in the middle. I found slower for longer did the trick with my bacon/oven combo.

I made some homemade tartar sauce to go along with them. I mixed homemade mayo with homemade pickle relish, anchovy paste, tarragon, salt, pepper and lemon juice. I have no idea if this is "authentic" tartar sauce but it was tasty!

Homemade Mayonnaise

I finally had a batch of homemade mayonnaise that came out delicious! I was using extra virgin olive oil to make it which made the final product way too strong for my tastes. So tonight I made it with a mixture of safflower oil and coconut oil and it came out great. I started making my own mayo because most store bought mayonnaise (along with most bottled sauces) contain soy oils. Just spend a moment googling "dangers of soy" to see what people are finding out about soy, something alot of Americans think of as a health food. In truth, only fermented soy products (like traditional fermented soy sauce and natto a fermented soy bean) are healthy and good for you. Almost all of America eats a GMO (Genetically Modified Organism) Soy that is a far cry from traditional Asian fare. So, go ahead and eliminate soy products from your diet. Homemade mayonnaise is so tasty you won't miss the store bought at all!
-Amanda

Homemade Mayo

1 egg - from a pasture raised, cage free chicken
1 egg yolk - from a pasture raised, cage free chicken
2 tbsp lemon juice
1-2 tbsp mustard (I used a dijon today)
1- 1.5 cups of oil in any combination. Untoasted Sesame Oil, olive oil and coconut oil are good to start with
salt to taste

Make sure your food processor has a place where you can drip in an oil. Otherwise you can do this by hand in a bowl with either a whisk or a hand mixer. In your food processor put the egg and the egg yolk. Process a few times until the egg becomes blended. Add the mustard and process a few more times. Slowly add the lemon juice and salt. Then while the processor is running very, very slowly start pouring in your oil. Keep going until you notice the mayo will suddenly lighten up in color and get thicker (if you are using olive oil, it may not lighten too much and may even have a greenish tint, this is okay.) When you can make peaks out of the mayo with your tasting spoon you are done. Store in an airtight container in the refridgerator.

Pesto Chicken with Artichoke

I ended up making a pretty gourmet lunch today. It was mostly re-arranging some leftovers but it came together very nicely. The other day at the store I saw artichokes that looked really awesome. When I was a kid mom used to make artichokes for us and she taught us how to peel off the leaves one by one, dip them into a butter sauce and then pull them between your teeth for the one small bite that was at the base of each leaf. It's a lot of work, but it is worth it because it is so good. To make the artichoke, just put some water in a pan and steam the artichoke for 25-35 minutes or until the leaves pull off very easily. The butter sauce I did today was super simple, melted ghee (clarified butter) with balsamic vinegar and salt. Lemon juice is extraordinary with artichokes but I didn't have any lemons.

For the chicken, I used a left over chicken breast. I've been buying chicken on the bone lately and brining them in a salt water solution overnight in the refridgerator. The next day, I just salt & pepper them, rub a bit of olive oil on the skin and bake on a cookie sheet that has a rack until they are done. Today, I cut off some of the meat from one of the breasts and topped it with some leftover pesto. My basil was plentiful this year, so I made a large batch of pesto and put it in ice cube trays. That way I can take out however much I want at any given time. I thawed the pesto out, crumbled some feta, added a sundried tomato and some kalamata olives and had a feast. I hope you try something similar soon, because this was very tasty!
-Amanda

Soaked Wheat Pancakes

Say what? Soaked Pancakes? I have to tell you when I first heard of soaking wheat bread overnight I was skeptical. Soak it in what? Milk? Water? Buttermilk? I finally learned that buttermilk or water with whey (the runny part of yogurt) or even water with lemon will do the trick. Then the next step is to leave it on the counter loosely covered for at least 24 hours. Sounded pretty strange to me. So I kept digging and found out the 'why' behind soaking your wheat. Grains, nuts and legumes all contain something called phytic asic. This is something that isn't easy to digest for humans that only have one stomach. Not only is phytic acid hard to digest, when it is in your system, it robs you of other minerals such as calcium and magnesium.

Have you ever heard of soaking beans over night to make them more tender? The reason that our grandmas and great grandmas did that wasn't to just make them tender, it actually was breaking down the phytic acid. They may not have known the science behind what they were doing, but through trial and error our ancestors were pretty smart people! Now we know that all grains, seeds, nuts, and legumes should be soaked before digested.

Which brings me back to my recipe....
-Amanda

Soaked Wheat Pancakes

2-3 cups of whole wheat
enough water to fully absorb into the wheat
2-3 tbsp whey

1 egg
2 tbsp butter
2 tsp cinammon
1/4 cup honey
1 tsp baking powder
pinch of salt
splash of vanilla
(raw) milk to thin if necessary

The morning before, place whole wheat flour in a bowl. Mix water and whey together and pour over wheat. Stir thoroughly to get all of the flour wet. It is actually pretty hard to stir. But it should be wet enough to be a gloppy dough, not runny. Cover and let sit on the counter over night.

The day you make the pancakes. In a large bowl, whisk the egg. Add melted butter, honey, cinnamon, baking powder, salt and vanilla. Whisk thoroughly. Add gloppy wheat dough from yesterday. I ended up getting out my hand mixer to try and get the dough to incorporate. For a minute there I thought it was alive! It is a strange dough the first time you do it! Finally I got it incorporated but it was still too thick to make pancakes with. I added a splash of milk and got a great pancake consistency batter! Cook on a greased griddle just like you would any pancake.