August 2018 - Cruisin with the Colemans

Recipe of the Week – One Pan Jambalaya

Posted on August 27, 2018 by Cruisin Brian

We made a decision when we were tent campers that we did not want to create lots of trash so we always use real plates, silverware, and cups to reduce our footprint just a little. Whether you are in a tent or RV, washing dishes is a big bummer so one pot meals are always helpful, especially when we are dry camping. We love this Jambalaya, though it gets toned down a little since Michelle is not a big fan of too much spice. The recipe calls for some time savers such as precooked rice and frozen onion and pepper but we usually use fresh ingredients.
Start out by chopping a small white onion, bell pepper and about 6 oz of andouille sausage. Meanwhile cook rice according to package directions (1 cup of rice to 2 cups of liquid will yield about 3-4 cups of rice needed for this recipe).

Heat a tablespoon oil in a pot, add onion, pepper, and sausage, and sauté until veggies are soft and meat begins to brown.

Dice 12 oz of chicken breast and add it to the pot, cooking until the chicken is lightly browned.

Add 2 cans of diced tomatoes, 2 teaspoons of Tony Chachere’s Cajun Seasoning (we only use about 1/2 teaspoon), and the rice to the pot. Cover, reduce heat to medium, and let simmer until liquid is absorbed. If you really want a one pot dish, add the rice and liquid together before the tomatoes and simmer about 20 minutes then add tomatoes.

Divide into bowls and top with green onions. Add some Crystal hot sauce as desired to give some more heat!

I made several changes to the original recipe from Cooking Light to help tone down the heat a little, but you may want to check out the original. Here’s my version:

One Pan Jambalaya

Chop onion, pepper, and sausage. Heat canola oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Add onion mixture and sausage. Cook until vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally. Add chicken, cooking until lightly browned, stirring occasionally.

Add rice and 2 cups of water and cajon seasoning to pot. Cover, reduce heat to medium and simmer 15 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. Add tomatoes, cover again and simmer 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove pan from heat.
Divide rice mixture evenly among 4 bowls. sprinkle with green onions and serve with lemon wedges and hot sauce, if desired.
Let us know how hot you like your jambalaya in the comments.

Recipe of the Week – Savory Bacon Cheddar Biscuits

Posted on August 20, 2018 by Cruisin Brian

Some mornings we eat a quick breakfast so that we can get out on the trail, the water, or off to whatever adventure awaits, but other days we like to move a little slower and cook a good breakfast. This biscuit recipe is on the side of King Arthur Gluten Free All-Purpose Baking Mix and with a few minor modifications, it has become one of our all-time favorite breakfasts!
Preheat the oven to 400º.

Combine 2 ¼ c King Arthur Flour Gluten Free All-Purpose Baking Mix, 1 c thick shredded Sargento sharp cheddar cheese, ½ c Hormel bacon pieces, ¼ c sliced green onions, and ½ t garlic powder. I also love to use about 2 T minced garlic chives in place of the green onions when I have them. In a pinch, 1 T dried chives will work.

Pour 1 c half and half over the top and break 2 large eggs into the bowl. Mix everything together until a soft dough forms. Unlike traditional biscuits, don’t worry about over mixing, the more you mix, the better the flour will absorb the liquid.

Spoon heaps of dough onto a baking sheet sprayed with cooking spray to make 6-8 biscuits. Pat each biscuit down until it’s about 1 inch thick. If they are too thick, they do not bake as well in the center.

Bake in the oven for 15-18 minutes until golden brown and let cool 10 minutes. Serve warm with butter. When baking any gluten free item, the cook time is often longer than flour counterparts. You cannot always rely on the visual appearance because they may not brown as you would expect, and the center will seem too wet if you use a toothpick to test it. This is why the cooling time is really important with any gluten free baked goods. This setting time allows the biscuit to get crunchy on the outside and lets the starches set in the center giving a texture more like a traditional flour biscuit.

We love these the next day with a scrambled egg in the middle as a sandwich.
Here is the original recipe from King Arthur and our modifications are in the recipe below.

Savory Biscuits

2 ¼ c King Arthur Flour Gluten Free All-Purpose Baking Mix
1 c thick Sargento shredded sharp cheddar cheese (they are even better with small cubes of cheddar)
½ c Hormel bacon pieces
¼ c sliced green onions
½ t garlic powder
2 large eggs
1 c half and half (milk works but the biscuits are not as flavorful, the original recipe calls for cream!)

Preheat oven to 400º
Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl and mix into a soft dough.
Spoon dough onto a baking sheet sprayed with cooking spray. Pat dough into rounds about an inch thick.
Bake 15-18 minutes until golden brown and let cool 10 minutes before serving.

Recipe of the Week – Honey Ginger Scallion Chicken

Posted on August 13, 2018 by Cruisin Brian

Ready for another tasty and easy marinade and basting sauce? Our original recipe for Honey Ginger Scallion Chicken is another great marinade that you can throw together in a few minutes and is sure to please everyone at the campsite.
To prepare the marinade, chop 4 green onions, 2 cloves of garlic, and 1 T of fresh ginger. If you’ve never worked with ginger, don’t worry. Look for it in the produce department, often near the garlic and shallots. Ginger comes in “hands” because the large pieces often have several smaller “fingers.” If you’re like us, you don’t need that much at one time, but you can break off a finger to get as much or little as you need (think like breaking a bunch of bananas in half to buy just a few). I cut off the edges and thin skin to end up with a small piece about the size of 2 dice. Cut thin slices, cut again into julienne, and finally mince. In the picture, the ginger is in the center.

Combine with 1 T honey, 2 T soy sauce (or our favorite, San-J Gluten Free Tamari), a few dashes of Crystal hot sauce and mix well. You could marinate for 2 hours to overnight, but I wanted to try something different this night.

We picked up a grilling mat after hearing lots of people talking about how much they liked them. On this evening, after getting a good fire going, we flipped over the grill, and added the mat. Place the chicken on the mat and pour some of the sauce over. Once the chicken is done on the bottom, flip and add some more of the basting sauce. Flip once more just to make sure that everything is cooked through.

We served this with some store-bought coleslaw, but any deli salad would be a great addition. Let us know in the comments what your favorite deli salad is.

Honey Ginger Scallion Chicken

4 green onions
1 T minced ginger (about 2 inches of a ginger finger)
2 cloves minced garlic
1 T honey
2 T soy sauce
Dash hot sauce to taste

This makes enough sauce for 4-6 chicken breasts.
Combine all ingredients in a bowl.
On a hot grill, place chicken on a grill mat and baste with the sauce, turning and basting again as each side cooks.

Recipe of the Week – Asian Marinated Chicken with Corn and Basil Faux Fried Rice

Posted on August 6, 2018 by Cruisin Brian

When we’re camping, we love meat marinades. Before we leave town, we can weigh out several meals and prep various marinades then throw them into plastic storage bags and toss them into the freezer. While we’re out on the road, lay the prepped bag out in the fridge the night before and it’s ready to cook the next evening.
This Asian marinated chicken works great with the corn and basil fried rice, but it is also good with slaw, a salad, or any other sides that might be convenient at the campground.

To prepare the chicken, place 1/3 c sliced green onions, 2 t minced garlic in a plastic bag with 3 T of soy sauce (we use San-J Tamari since it’s gluten free) and 2 T of mirin. Wait, you didn’t bring mirin to the campground with you?! Mirin is a sweet rice wine common in Asian cooking but a good substitution would be any sweet or semi-sweet white wine that you like. I used Chateau St. Michelle Riesling. To the bag, add 4-6 oz of chicken for each person you are serving. The recipe calls for thighs, but we used boneless skinless breasts this time. Let the meat marinate for at least 2 hours in the refrigerator or overnight. If you’re not going to cook it within 24 hours, put it in the freezer.

When it’s time to cook, get your grill preheated while you prep the fried rice. Rinse 1 cook of basmati rice in a sieve. This will help remove some of the starches and will produce a less sticky rice in the end. Place the rice in a pan with 2 c of cold water, bring to a boil, reduce heat and cover for 15 minutes. Remove from heat, fluff with a fork and leave the lid off to cool a little. Precooked rice in a bag from the grocery is a great alternative to cooking in the RV and getting things hot inside.

In a large skillet over medium heat, add 1 T oil. Add 2 T thinly sliced green onions and sauté for about 30 seconds, being careful not to burn. Add ¾ c of frozen corn (or 2 smallish ears if using fresh) and let cook for another minute or two to thaw out the corn. Finally add the rice and 1-2 T of soy sauce. Let sauté for an additional 5 minutes stirring occasionally. You want the bottom and edges of the rice to get a little crispy. At the last minute, stir in ¼ c of basil cut into a chiffonade. To cut the chiffonade, stack the basil leaves with the largest leaves on the bottom. Roll them into a little cigar and then slice into thin ribbons.

Cook the chicken on the grill, discarding any marinade left in the bag.

To serve, divide the rice among four plates, top with chicken and zest a lime over the chicken. Cut the zested lime into slices and serve on the side.

Find the original recipe from Cooking Light, September 2012, here.

Asian Marinated Chicken with Basil Faux Fried Rice

Chicken:

1/3 c sliced green onion
2 t minced garlic
3 T soy sauce
2 T mirin (or sweet white wine)
4 4-6 oz chicken breast pieces or chicken thighs

Rice:

1 c basmati rice, rinsed
1 T olive oil
2 T sliced green onion
¾ cup frozen corn (or 2 small ears, kernels removed)
1-2 T soy sauce
¼ c basil cut into chiffonade

Place all chicken ingredients into a plastic bag and let marinate 2 hours or overnight.
Prepare rice by adding 2 cups of cold water in a sauce pan. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and cover, cooking for 15 minutes.
Heat a skillet or wok with oil. Add green onion and sauté for 30 seconds. Add corn and cook another 2-3 minutes. Finally add rice and soy sauce, cooking for an additional 5 minutes, allowing bottom and edges to get crispy.
Cook chicken on a medium high grill until done. Discard the bag with marinade.
Divide rice between four plates and top with chicken. Grate lime zest over chicken. Cut the lime into wedge and serve on the side.