Plum Sauce Chicken Recipe

A quick entry today on making some delicious chicken.  A friend posted this recipe some time ago, and is super easy if you are in the need for some good tasting chicken, and appreciate multitasking by having the stove cook for you in the background while you watch TV or hang out at home. 

In case you are wondering, I have decided to have a few postings here and there on recipes to change things up.  We all need some spice in life!  Hope you enjoy this recipe.


Plum Sauce Chicken Recipe

Mix 2/3 cup plum sauce + 1/3 cup chopped scallions + one tablespoon of soy sauce.
Pour over 3 pounds of chicken legs that have been sprinkled with salt and pepper.
Cook on low for about 4 hours.  Serve with rice for best results. :)

A Simple Asparagus Recipe

Asparagus is in season!  Delicious crunch and sweet flavor.  You might want to consider near future application of asparagus to your taste buds!  First things first, how to buy and how to eat.  I will save the nutritional information on asparagus for later postings.

Asparagus is at its peak from February through June.  What to look for?  I prefer thick stalks, although thin works too.  After eating, I have found that the thin asparagus was a bit old.  Tender stalks are a priority since they just taste better!  You want tightly closed tips, no flowering.  Stalks should be bright green and firm.  Flimsy means old produce. 

The vegetable doesn't sit for long in the refrigerator, so you should eat it within a few days. This recipe is from Martha Stewart's collection, with a few of my modifications on seasoning. 


Sauteed Chicken with Asparagus and Mushrooms

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• Minced garlic (4 cloves) with one minced green onion
• 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs (about 6), cut into 2-inch pieces, marinated with some sesame oil (1 tablespoon) and a little soy sauce
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 1 pound button mushrooms, trimmed and thinly sliced
• 2 pounds asparagus, tough ends removed, cut into 2-inch lengths (cut on an angle)
• Cooked noodles or rice (optional)

Directions:

In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high. Gently fry garlic and green onion (less than one minute).  Season chicken with salt and pepper. Cook in two batches, turning occasionally, until browned and opaque throughout, 6 to 8 minutes; transfer to a plate.

To skillet, add mushrooms, asparagus, and 1 cup water; season with salt and pepper. Cook, tossing once and scraping up browned bits, until vegetables are crisp-tender, 4 to 6 minutes. Add chicken; cook, tossing, until warmed through, about 2 minutes. Serve on top of noodles or rice, if desired.

Source: Base of recipe came from Martha Stewart: www.marthastewart.com

I Love Peanut Butter

I cannot even begin to express just how much peanut butter I have eaten over my lifetime thus far.  I think enough jars to fill a middle sized suitcase, for sure!  There is something about peanuts in their creamy state that just want me to get up right now from my typing and eat a spoonful with some puffed wheat, a piece of bread, or a cracker.  Speaking of which, I just did right before I started writing this blog post (many spoonfuls with the puffed wheat, just to be clear).  haha

I still remember growing up, how my Dad would tell me you will get fat by eating all that peanut butter.  Interestingly, he was right, depending on the peanut butter you eat.

In order to IMMENSELY enjoy the nutty, crunchy, creamy peanut butter that drips onto the bread and then straight into your drooling mouth, and yet not really gain weight, one must read labels (and still practice some degree of moderation).  The label is what it comes down to.  Or you make your own (or at Whole Foods).  Your peanut butter label should have only one of these combination of ingredients:
1) Dry roasted peanuts.
2) Dry roasted peanuts and salt.
3) Maybe they forgot the roasted part, so still one of the above sans roasted.

That's it.  Skippy, Jiffy or perhaps other brands ending in -y usually do not abide.  They add sugar.  And, sugar makes you fat!!  My Dad was right, eating that kind of peanut butter will go straight to the waistline.  In addition, these brands add other things you cannot pronounce (to make it shelf stable).  An opened jar of peanut butter should be refrigerated.  If your peanut butter doesn't require you to, then check the label.  It might have a lot more than you thought.

Other notes on peanuts?  "Peanuts rank as high as strawberries in antioxidants." (1).  The Journal of Food Chemistry had an article where researchers at the University of Florida's Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences found that peanuts rivaled many fruits for their antioxidant content.  They were a little shocked.  Peanuts also increase magnesium, folate, fiber, copper, vitamin E and arginine consumption, which all contribute to prevention of heart disease.  As with all things, peanut butter should be eaten in moderation compared to the rest of your diet.  Please don't cut off all other food, especially superfoods, just to eat peanut butter 24/7.  If you do that, then I cannot vouch for the no gain weight scenario.

My most favorite peanut butter--ever--is Trader Joe's Crunchy, Salted Peanut Butter.  Just got the flier today (Culinary Compendium).  Right on the front page is my beloved peanut butter.  Only $1.79.  Can't beat the price or the taste.  I wish I were paid for this commercial!  That's alright, so long as they don't take away my peanut butter!


(1) Source: 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth, by Jonny Bowden
www.traderjoes.com
Picture: www.guidespot.com/guides/best_thing_at_trader

The Need for Clean Air

The events going on around the world these days really saddens my soul.  I hope stability and peace will come soon, especially to those who face immense suffering.  Japan, I will pray for you!

One thing that does not cease to amaze me is the ever growing need for fresh air.  I walk in the city (or in the suburbs), and the cars whiz by, leaving me in their exhaust.  Malls that have trapped air, exposing people to breathing each other's germs.  Our homes may sit with new paint, new furnishings, or no open windows for long periods of time.  I don't know about your case, but I think getting a breath of fresh air will be a growing problem for the world, and air fresheners are the last solution - they just cause you to breathe in more chemicals!

A few happy things for those people who feel like they don't breathe enough clean air: smoking is getting a tighter beatdown, potential higher taxes, and a boot out of public places (for those who do smoke, it's really not good for you anyway!)  Electric cars, clean(er) energy (more debate on this to come), and other initiatives are in place to improve the air we breathe.

One thing that we can all do for ourselves and our families is to grow plants indoors (and outdoor if you would like)!  Indoor plants really help with oxygen.  I have lived in what I call a "sterile" apartment in the past with no plantlife whatsoever.  I could tell the difference.  When I turned off the air while at work, the air when I come home was stale.  Plants don't get rid of all the stale air, but at least it increases the oxygen, and with certain toxins.  NASA came out with a study a couple of years ago that certain plants are better at removing toxins than others.  Some of these toxins include formaldehyde, benzene, and carbon monoxide.  For the full list, check out the link below.

Ones I like? The rubber plant (ficus robusta).  Pretty easy to take care of, just beware of the milky sap, you don't want that on your hands (wear gloves) or on the carpet/floor.  Another, although I have never grown this one, that sounds like a very low maintenance option: peace lily (spathiphyllum "mauna loa").  It tolerates neglect and is supposed to go dry every once in awhile.

Even if you don't decide to get one of the NASA "recommended" plants.  How about an herb box??  Aren't we all foodies who love freshness and clean(er) air? It could even be an experiment.  Take a container, any container, like the tub of nuts or snacks you just finished :), find some potting soil (home depot?), and look online for which herbs will grow alright indoors.  A weekend project for the adventurous. 

http://eartheasy.com/blog/2009/05/the-top-10-plants-for-removing-indoor-toxins/

When Life Gives you a Lemon...

"When life gives you a lemon...squeeze it, mix with 6 ounces of water, and drink twice daily." - Jethro Kloss, Back to Eden.

Call it folk wisdom if you would like, but scientists are finding in their research that there is some real benefit from lemons.  Science is just catching up with what generations have been passing down.  I used to do some singing in choirs and have taken voice lessons.  One of the remedies I learned for prepping my voice was for the week/days before or right before a concert, take hot water, freshly squeeze lemon juice and add honey.  So good, and so soothing!  I loved it so much that I would drink it more than the concerts I sang in.  Guess I didn't sing enough to "have" to drink the lemon concoction.  Good thing I did and do, because fresh lemon juice has some real positive effects on the body, including the liver, the bile, and digestion.

Sick or getting sick?  Lose your voice?  The lemon concoction might help you get better, faster.

Lemons are a good source of vitamin C, a powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory agent.  Two compounds in lemons: limonoids and limonene.  Both have documented anti-cancer properties.  The peel contains limonene (just beware of the wax), and limonene is found to be preventative against liver, skin, lung cancers and against mammamory and pancreatic tumors.  In addition, drink lemon peel with black tea and it is a particular fighter against skin cancer.

I think my earlier quote says so much - life can be full of lemons, of things seeming so difficult, untimely, and unfair.  But, I think when we are given this chance to be tested, to grow as a person, the benefits surpass a life of only green pastures.  Not that we seek out the lemons in life, but perhaps the attitudes we face them with make a big difference on the outcome and on just how much stronger we get, whether we are willing to take the lemon.  Strength comes from the making.  So, don't pass it up!

Source: 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth, Jonny Bowden

Raising Chickens

I have written about my extraordinary experience of eating pasture-fed chicken (the post is here: Really Good Chicken), and since then, have been exploring this idea of raising my own little chickadees!  Btw, thanks to my friends who shared some information with me!  It has been fun learning about this. 

The first question that I looked into, and that every interested person needs to find out is, will the city or village allow me to raise chickens? 

But alas, my village hasn't passed such ordinance...  Guess I have to either start a chicken rally where I live or move to a city that allows me to have my own chicken coup!  Although I currently will not be able to raise chickens (legally), I did learn a few things in the process, which I will share in this posting.

One has to first answer the age old problem: is it the chicken or the egg? 

Well, haha, in a different sense but it is so funny that this all-time great analogy can be used in SO many situations.

Raising chickens for meat and raising chicken for eggs are two separate decisions.  For one, meat chickens and egg chickens need separate coups.  If you want to raise chickens for meat, the time is much shorter; you would raise them for about two months (8 weeks) before the slaughter.  Also, their feed (if you are doing feed or supplement feed) is different than that of egg-laying chickens.  Meat chickens are raised to become plump and fat, otherwise you will have skinny chickens with little meat on the bone.

The egg-laying chickens have a much longer life and don't start laying eggs until 18-20 weeks.  You also don't want them to be too plump because they need to run around and stay fit, which will mean better eggs.  Healthy chickens lay on average one egg a day.  At one a day for a couple of years; you can do the math.  Wow, that is a lot of ovulation! 

Chickens are in some ways like children.  They need discipline!  It is important to feed them on the same hour everyday, once early morning and once in the evening, which is one other reason why I could not commit this moment--the early morning thing doesn't register that well with me (right now).  This is tough if you are out of town at all.  No wonder farmers can't just take a vacation when they want to!  You have to make sure the chickens are well hydrated and fed on a consistent basis; otherwise, they will start to peck at each other (same goes for children).  It is really bad when they start to peck, these wounds are usually the start of disease.

There is a lot more info out there, but for now, no chickens for me.  Maybe the future will hold a few.

Source of picture: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:K%C3%BCken_vor_dem_ersten_Ausflug.jpg
Sources: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicken and Keeping Chickens, by Jeremy Hobson and Celia Lewis