A Vegetarian Supper For Ellen

You won't see that word, vegetarian, on my cooking blog very often, but this is one of the few that even Ellen DeGeneres might eat!

We were sitting around watching a little late afternoon TV, around about news time, when hunger pangs/pains hit us at about the same time.  We had been eating a lot of animal flesh over the previous days, so we wondered out loud what in the world we could have for supper (that's dinner to you northern folks) that didn't involve another meat sacrifice!

Luckily, Judy had been cooking greens beans since about mid-day, so one thing was ready, so, what to go with it!?

We decided on  cornbread, which  was the obvious thing to have if just beans were on the table, but something more was needed.  

She remembered buying some fresh vegetables the day before and mentioned that to me.  A vegetable meal sounded good to me, but I didn't want anything breaded and fried, at least that day!

So, while she finished up the green beans, mixed up the cornbread, put it in the oven, and cleaned up the corn-on-the cob, I busied myself washing and cutting up the other vegetables.

We had bought okra and squash for the purpose of frying up our annual "fried garden meal", but with frying out of the question, I cut the items up, mixed them in a bowl with vegetable oil, sea salt, cayenne pepper, garlic, pepper, and creole seasoning.  

Along the way, I also found one red and one orange bell pepper and a big fat onion, which also fell to my knife and all got mixed into the bowl!

I then spread them on a sheet of aluminum foil over a cookie sheet and waited my turn for the oven.

Judy wrapped the corn in paper towel and placed them in the microwave.  When the time came, a press of a button for about 6 minutes, that would bring everything to the table hot!

The oven dinger went off and out came the cornbread, and in went the vegetables; turned down to 400.  In about 10 minutes the corn was nuking, and in another 10 the broiler came on at 500 (for a little browning), and when I judged them to be fit for consumption, out they came.  They were sizzling and smelling so good!

I think we may have had another meal of leftovers, but as I write this I'm so hungry I think I could have eaten it all!  The cornbread made it all that much better...and especially with an ice cold glass of Mayfield's 1% Nuture milk!  

I sure hope Ellen at least drinks her milk!  If not...so sorry for her!

MESSING WITH "FLAVOR BOOST"

My wife was feeling poorly this afternoon, and we know now that she probably has strep throat!  Anyway, someone had to cook, and it was obviously going to be me!

We usually keep frozen chicken tenderloins in the freezer, so the protein was a given.  We had also been snacking on carrot, squash, and turnip slices for the last week, so the vegetables were also chosen for me!

I fried the chicken in olive oil, letting one side heat up and then flipping it so the thawed and oiled side would hold the  sprinkles of cayenne pepper, sea-salt, and black pepper seasonings.  I then rolled each over and season the opposite side and continue frying.

When the chicken is tender enough to break into bite size pieces using the spatula, pour in the vegetables you've already chopped into stripes and pieces, and add a teaspoon of minced garlic.

When the vegetables are done to your liking (I like mine crisp) add in the Swanson's Chicken Flavor Boost.  I only used one for this recipe, but I may add two the next time.

The Flavor Boost packets are a great way to quickly add flavor to a dish where a lot of liquid is not needed.  It's basically chicken bullion with special seasons, so it works perfectly when you're in a hurry.

If you wanted, you could add a side of rice, but we enjoyed it just right out of the skillet with a cold glass of milk!

See ya next time!

CHICKEN AND VEGETABLE STIR

Chicken tenderloins are always in my freezer and they stand ready for a great salad, a meat side to cooked vegetables, or rice. I use them the most to cook, dice, and mix into an EVOO stir fried mixture frozen or fresh vegetables.

That what you see posted here, and stir fry of broccoli, green, yellow, and orange bell peppers, onions, and water chestnuts! I cooked them in what was left from frying the chicken in EVOO and pickled garlic! If you look closely at the vegetable shot, you can see the browned garlic deep into the mixture near the front of the photo.

It really takes so little effort and time whip up an impressive meal that’s good for you. Add your special touch by adding salt, pepper, and a touch of cayenne pepper to taste to the chicken as it cooks. Remember, frozen chicken does not have to be thawed before you cook it! Just heat up one side, add your seasoning and turn it over and add ingredients to the other side. Then just brown to your liking, cool and cut up, and sit aside until the vegetables are just about ready! Simple!

Of course, as always, I had a little shot of my favorite beverage sitting along side the stove as I cooked. In this case it was Chavis Regal scotch, straight up, but often times it’s Jose Cuervo Black, straight up, or George Dickel over ice. When the stock is being rationed, it will be a pale ale of either Sierra Nevada, Yuengling, or Bass. Anyway, it’s about the only time I drink at home and it makes for an enjoyable experience!

QUICK MEAL - STIR-FRIED CHICKEN

Same meal as below except for some yellow and green peppers, and the chicken!

QUICK MEAL – STIR-FRIED PORK CHOP

Yes, I finally did a little cooking this week, but it was out of necessity…Ms. Mushy refused to cook!

I found two leftover pork chops, a bag of frozen vegetables, some peanuts, and an onion – no problem!

Stir-frying makes anything taste good, even leftovers!

I simply cubed up the pork chops, and sat them aside.

I opened a Yuengling, poured it into a frosty glass, and continued to slave hard over a hot stove.

I put on two servings of brown rice, cooked it until all the water was soaked up, and sat that aside.

I cut up the sweet onion and turned on the heat under a skillet that had a little olive oil, some chopped garlic and some hot sauce in it. When the garlic began to dance I dumped in the bag of frozen vegetables, added salt and pepper, and tossed them until they began to thaw. I then dumped in the fresh onion, the peanuts, and the pork chop cubes.

In about 8 minutes, I had a wonderful meal ready to eat!

Cooking is not hard…it is fun and half the pleasure in it is the freedom of creativity you have. Most anything you can imagine will taste good cooked in olive oil and garlic! Even a man can do it!