Cruisin Brian, Author at Cruisin with the Colemans

Recipe of the Week – Cheesy Risotto

Posted on September 24, 2018 by Cruisin Brian

Today’s blog post starts with a picture of Pepe in front of the fireplace because he’s adorable and it brings us to our favorite fall thing… comfort food! Jessica Vu, swing dancer extraordinaire, teacher, and lovely friend, also happens to be an amazing cook! Her blog Purple Leopard Recipes has some wonderful gluten-free cooking and this Cheesy Risotto will make your never want for mac and cheese again. While we were traveling through Wisconsin this summer, the cheese and sausages made me think of this recipe so I made some adjustments in honor of the Cheese State. I hope that Jessica approves!

Dice 6 oz of kielbasa, a red or sweet onion, and two cloves of garlic.

In a large pot, saute the sausage in 1 tablespoon of canola oil over medium high heat until it begins to get crispy. Don’t worry about the brown bits in the bottom of the pot, but don’t let them burn.

Add the onions and garlic and cook until soft.

Add one and a half cups of Arborio rice. Arborio is a short grained rice that is perfect for risotto because of its high starch content. It has a creamy texture and yet remains firm when cooked for longer periods. Do not make risotto with other types of rice, you WILL be disappointed.
Risotto is notorious for home cooks because it needs to be watched non-stop. Now is the time to focus. Toast the rice in the until some grains begin to pop. You will need 4 cups of chicken broth for the remainder of the cooking process. Put it in a sauce pan and warm it to the point of steaming, but not simmering. This will speed up the cooking process over using room temperature broth. Add broth 2/3 of a cup at a time, stirring frequently with a rubber spatula.

Let the rice simmer until the liquid is absorbed. Run the rubber spatula down the center of the pan. If the rice runs back together, it is not time for more liquid.
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When the rice and broth stays in place, add another 2/3 cup of broth.
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Continue this process until you are down to the last 2/3 cup of broth. Rice will absorb moisture from the air. This means that some times you may need more broth than others depending on the relative humidity in your environment, the age of the rice, and other factors. Taste the rice to see if it is done. There should be a little bite and firmness to it, but you may want to add the last of the broth and cook longer. Our rice is kept in an airtight container and I pretty much always use all of the broth.
Remove the pan from the heat and add 1/2 cup of dry white wine or dry sherry. You can leave this step out, but it does add some nice flavor. Stir until absorbed.
Next add 1 1/2 teaspoons of Coleman’s ground mustard (hello, of course it’s Coleman’s), 1/2 cup of FAGE 2% Greek Yogurt, and 1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese. Stir until everything is well incorporated, creamy, and melty (one of my favorite cooking techniques)!

Now to take things over the top, add two slices of plain old Velveeta cheese slices. Based on the name of the recipe, you didn’t think that this was going to be healthy did you? Add salt and pepper if needed. I also like to stir in a little Crystal hot sauce.

Serve with something green so that you don’t feel bad for going in for seconds. The recipe should serve 6, but good luck! I’ve doubled it and taken it to a carry-in in a crock pot and never come home with leftovers.

If you are lucky enough to have leftovers, it is very good reheated the next day, but try this instead: spoon about 1/2 cup into a frying pan with a little olive oil and press down with the back of a spatula.

Cook on medium heat for about 3-5 minutes and carefully flip to cook the other side until brown and crispy (my second favorite cooking technique when it comes to cheese).

Cheesy Risotto (Mock Mac & Cheese)

4 C chicken broth (or one 32 oz carton), heat in a sauce pan until just steaming
1/2 C dry white wine or dry sherry
1 1⁄2 t Coleman’s ground mustard
1 C shredded cheddar cheese
1⁄2 C FAGE 2% Greek yogurt
2 slices Velveeta cheese
6 oz kielbasa
1 T canola oil
1 medium red or sweet onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 1⁄2 C Arborio rice
salt and pepper to taste

Over medium/high heat, fry the kielbasa until crisp in oil.
To the hot oil and sausage, add onion and garlic. Sauté for 3-4 minutes or until soft.
Add Arborio rice and stir until slightly toasted, just 1-2 minutes should do it.
Add 2/3 cup chicken broth. Gently stir and adjust heat to just a simmer, not boiling. Stir gently and frequently (at least once every two minutes).
When to add more broth: Run the rubber spatula down the center of the pan, making a trough. If the risotto runs back together, it is not ready for more broth yet. If the risotto does not run back together and the trough remains, add another 2/3 cup broth.
Keep adding broth in 2/3 cup increments every time the trough is ready, until you have just a bit of broth left (Making sure you are stirring gently and frequently).
Taste the risotto. Is it done to your liking? It should be soft yet firm to the bite. If not, add the remaining broth until the risotto is the tenderness you desire. If it is done, add the white wine and remove from the heat.
Stir until white wine is absorbed and mostly evaporated. (If this is taking too long, you can reintroduce the pan to the heat momentarily).
Add ground mustard, shredded cheese and yogurt. Stir until melty and creamy.
Add two slices of Velveeta. Stir until fully incorporated. Salt and pepper to taste.

Recipe of the Week – Bourbon Glazed Salmon with Rice Pilot

Posted on September 17, 2018 by Cruisin Brian

While staying in Houghton, Michigan, we decided to try a new experience and chartered a fishing boat with Sand Point Charters in Lake Superior. More on that story later because, true to form, it turned into a much bigger adventure than we expected! We had a successful day on the water and ended up with some salmon and trout. Once we got to Michelle’s parents in Illinois we made dinner for them one night with our freshly caught salmon. Here is one of our favorite fish recipes.

Start off by making the bourbon glaze. Mince a large finger of ginger. I mentioned this a few weeks ago, but here’s how to do it. Begin by cutting the peel off of the ginger and slicing it into 1/8 inch slices. Next stack the slices and cut into julienne strips. Finally mince as finely as you’re able. I like to do a larger amount when I’m home and put it into a mini ice-cube tray with some water. Once frozen, I keep it in a baggy in the freezer to use as needed!

Mix 5 tablespoons of brown sugar (we use Whey Low Gold, a sugar substitute), 5 tablespoons bourbon (I prefer Evan Williams), 3 tablespoons San-J Tamari Gluten Free Soy Sauce, 2 tablespoons minced ginger, 5 cloves of minced garlic, and the juice of one lime in a resealable bag. Add four 6-oz filets of salmon and let marinade for about 30 minutes in the fridge.
While your waiting, dice an onion and shallot finely. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a saucepan and saute onions and shallot until soft. Add 2 tablespoons of butter and 1 cup of rice. Saute the rice until it starts to smell “toasty,” you may even hear some of the grains pop a little. You are adding flavor right now, so don’t skip this step! Add two cups of chicken broth (we prefer Kitchen Accomplice concentrated broths) and 1 tablespoon of dried parsley and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat and simmer for fifteen minutes or until all liquid is absorbed.

While the onions are sauteing, it’s time to heat the grill. Once the broth and rice come to a boil, put the fish on the grill over medium heat. Use either a piece of foil or a cedar plank to keep the fish from falling through the rack! The fish should cook on medium to low heat for about 10 minutes. Do not flip it unless the filets are really thick and are not cooking through.
Take the remaining marinade from the bag and place it in a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer and reduce the liquid to half and allow it to thicken. This will become an amazing glaze to spoon over the finished salmon (I really like it on the rice too).

I like to serve this meal with either sugar snap or snow peas for some additional color on the plate, but the sweet corn had just come in so that’s what we enjoyed on this night.

Bourbon Glazed Salmon

5 T brown sugar
5 T bourbon
3 T San-J Tamari Gluten Free Soy Sauce
2 T minced ginger
5 cloves of minced garlic
the juice of one lime
4 6-oz filets of salmon

Mix all ingredients in a resealable plastic bag and let marinate for about 30 minutes in the refrigerator. Grill salmon over medium heat for about 10 minutes on foil. Turn only if the filets are thick and will not cook through otherwise. While the salmon is cooking, place the remaining marinade in a saucepan and simmer to reduce the liquid to half. Spoon glaze over the salmon at the table.

Rice Pilaf

1 sweet onion, diced
1 shallot, finely minced
1 T olive oil
2 T butter
1 C Jasmine rice
2 C chicken broth
1 T dried parsley

Heat oil over medium heat and saute onion and shallot until soft, about 5 minutes. Add butter and melt. Add rice and cook until it begins to smell “nutty.” Add the broth and parsley and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes or until liquid is absorbed.

Recipe of the Week – CC's Drunken Mushrooms

Posted on September 10, 2018 by Cruisin Brian

Back in 2014 on our More Grand Vaca (which will be featured in a future blog post) our dear friends Michael and Bonita Hutchison invited us to spend the 4th of July with them in Park City, Utah. As the picture below might indicate, it was quite a week!

Bonita is quite the cook and in additional serving us the most amazing elk tenderloin we have ever eaten, she made delicious drunken mushrooms. We’ve tried to replicate them several times and after much trial and error, I think we have finally come up with a version that is a little more calorie conscious but still rich and decadent. These are best served with steak and friends, like our first follower, Bonita.

In a large, heavy bottomed pan, melt 4 tablespoons of butter and 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Once the butter stops foaming, add one thinly sliced sweet onion and 4 cloves of minced garlic.

Saute over medium heat until just soft, about 8 minutes. Be careful not to burn the garlic. If you do, throw the whole thing out and start over!

While the onions are cooking, clean one pound of mushrooms and cut them into halves or quarters if they are big. Do not rinse mushrooms in water to get the dirt off, they will absorb the water and leave you with a soggy mess once you start to cook them. When the onions are ready, remove half of the mixture to a bowl. Add the first pound of mushrooms to the pan and cook about 6 minutes.

They will almost immediately suck up every bit of oil and butter in the pan, but will release it again slowly as they begin to cook. Keep stirring them occasionally while you prep the second pound of mushrooms.

Once they become a beautiful brown color and have released most of their liquid (which will evaporate), remove them to a bowl.

Put the reserved onion mixture back in the pan along with the second pound of mushrooms and cook again for another 6-8 minutes. Here you can see how much volume you lose as the mushrooms cook. Both pounds are plain old white button mushrooms, but you could mix them up with baby bellas or another variety. A note about doing this in two batches: you may have a Dutch oven, stock pot, or something else that will hold all of the mushrooms at once and be tempted to do it all in one batch. STEP AWAY FROM THE STOVE!! Just because you can do them in one batch doesn’t mean you should. Crowding the pan will create more liquid than can evaporate and the mushrooms will not create the brown crust that adds so much flavor. Like Julia Child said, never crowd the pan.

Here is a shocking statement: I love cheap wine. We have a go to party wine that is inexpensive, tastes great, and doesn’t give either one of us a headache: Dark Horse Merlot. It is also perfect for cooking with. Someone said that you should never cook with wine that you wouldn’t drink and that is definitely true, but likewise, I’m not going to pour a $50 bottle of wine into a pot of mushrooms! At $7.99, this wine is affordable and adds great flavor. In other words, it gets me where I need to be! Also, we use Kitchen Accomplice‘s broth concentrates for cooking. They are lower sodium than most broths and in the RV they save valuable space and weight.

Add the first batch of mushrooms back into the pan. If you are in a hurry, add salt and pepper to taste at this point and serve them now. They will be delicious, but the next step is what makes them worthy of company.

Pour an entire bottle of dry red wine and 2 cups of beef broth into the pan and bring to a boil. Do not add salt at this time.

Once they come to a boil, reduce heat and simmer covered for two hours.

After two hours, remove the lid and turn up the heat a little. Notice that about 1/3 of the liquid has evaporated at this point. Continue to simmer for another 45 minutes to an hour until all of the liquid has absorbed. The mushrooms will begin to brown again a little, which is ok, but don’t dry them out. Add salt and pepper to taste.
We serve they atop a medium rare rib eye steak, over a baked potato, or just as a side dish. If there are any leftovers, they are wonderful in an omlette with some raclette or fontina cheese.

Don’t miss any of our recipes of the week, make sure that you subscribe to receive notifications each time a new post comes out!
We are always looking for new red wines, leave us a comment letting us know what your favorite bargain wine or splurge wine is.

CC’s Drunken Mushrooms

INGREDIENTS

4 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoon olive oil
4 garlic cloves
1 large onion sliced thinly
2 pound button mushrooms cut in half or quarters if they are large
2 cups beef broth
1 bottle red drinking wine
Salt and pepper, to taste

INSTRUCTIONS

In a large, heavy-bottomed pan, heat olive oil and butter over medium-high heat until butter is melted.
Add in garlic and onions. Sauté until just soft, about 6-8 minutes.
Remove ½ of the onion mixture to a bowl.
Add 1 lb. of mushrooms and sauté until lightly browned, about 6 minutes.
Remove mushrooms and onions to a plate (try to leave the liquid behind)
Add reserved onion mixture and remaining mushrooms to pan and sauté again until browned.
At this point the mushrooms could be done, salt and pepper to taste and serve or…
Put first batch on mushrooms back in pot and add broth and wine. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer covered for two hours.
Uncover, turn the heat up a little and cook until all the liquid has been absorbed. Salt and pepper to taste and serve.

Recipe of the Week – Jerk Chicken and Stuffed Mini Bell Pepper Poppers

Posted on September 3, 2018 by Cruisin Brian

Who doesn’t love stuffed pepper poppers? Well, probably anyone who doesn’t like too much heat or is trying to eat healthy since they are breaded and deep-fried. The only guilt that you will feel eating these stuffed peppers is how many of them you will end up eating, but don’t worry they are actually pretty healthy too. The grilled jerk chicken is just a bonus yummy!

I know, it looks like a lot of ingredients, but lots of flavor takes a little work and it’s not really so much stuff. By the way, this recipe works best on the grill but it was pouring rain outside, so everything was done on the stove or in the oven and worked out just fine!

Start out by making the world’s worst smoothy. Combine 2-3 green onions (white and green parts), 1 large shallot, 1 T brown sugar, 2 T fresh lime juice, 2 T olive oil, 1/2 t allspice, 4 cloves of garlic, and a large Serrano chili in a food processor (or in our case, the Ninja cup). Someone will notice that in the first picture, we did not use a serrano. The store didn’t have them so I subbed an Anaheim. Use the chili of your choice based on heat and flavor preferences (our favorite is poblano). Blend it until smooth, and remember, be careful of touching your eyes, nose, mouth, or anything else you love. (On a side note, be really careful cleaning up afterwards, those pepper oils can really mess up the next thing you make in the same bowl.)

Pour the mixture into a bowl or baggie and add 6-8 chicken thighs, legs, drums, breasts, or what ever else you have lying around. We’ve used different cuts but prefer thighs for this recipe. Let it sit while you prep the peppers.

In another bowl, combine 1/4 c finely chopped green onion, another finely diced shallot, 1 T lime juice, 2 T chopped cilantro, 4 oz (half a package) of reduced fat cream cheese, 1/2 C FAGE 2% Greek yogurt and mix well. Scoop it all into a baggie and toss it back in the fridge for a minute.

Take a bag of mini sweet peppers and cut in half and core them. Arrange onto a grill pan. Take the bag of filling and snip the corner of the bag off to create a piping bag. Pipe filling into each pepper. I missed taking a picture of this step, guess I was too hungry!

Heat your grill and start the chicken first. The peppers will take almost as long so get them going right away. I usually place them directly on the grate but if the peppers are small, you may want to put down a piece of foil or use a grill pan so they don’t fall through. Turn the chicken and rearrange the peppers if your grill heat is uneven. You want the chicken crispy on the edges and the bottoms of the peppers blistered but not burnt. The filling will not get very melty if you use reduced fat cheese, so you have to peek underneath.

Serve with some fresh lime wedges and some crusty bread. Let us know how hot you like your jerk in the comments below!
Here’s the original recipe from Cooking Light magazine and here is the version with my modifications.

Jerk Chicken and Stuffed Mini Bell Peppers

Ingredients

Chicken topping

2-3 green onions
1 large chopped shallot
1 T brown sugar
2 T fresh lime juice
2 T olive oil
1/2 t ground allspice
4 garlic cloves
1 large Serrano chile, stemmed and seeded (depending on you heat preference, sub another pepper or leave the seeds in)
8 bone-in chicken thighs, skinned

Pepper filling:

1/2 C (4 ounces) 1/3-less-fat cream cheese
1/4 C finely chopped green onion
another finely diced shallot
1 T lime juice
2 T chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 C light sour cream
1 package mini bell peppers

How to Make It

1. Preheat grill to medium-high heat. After preheating, reduce one side to low.

2. Combine topping ingredients (except chicken) in a mini food processor; process until smooth. Combine mixture and chicken in a medium bowl or large baggie; toss well.

3. Combine remaining green onions, remaining shallots, remaining juice, cheese, cilantro, and sour cream. Cut and core the bell peppers lengthwise; discard seeds. Put cheese mixture in a bag, cut off the tip, and pipe filling into peppers. Place peppers on grill rack coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Grill 7 minutes or until peppers are lightly charred.

4. Place chicken on grill rack coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Cover and grill 5 minutes on each side. Move chicken over low heat. Cover and grill 5 minutes on each side or until done.

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.

Recipe of the Week – Taco Rice Salad

Posted on July 30, 2018 by Cruisin Brian

Taco Rice Salad has all the favor of tacos or nachos without the calories of chips or wraps. We enjoy it as a quick dinner or even leftover for lunch. It reminds us a little of the popular bowls at places like Hothead or Chipotle.
Start out mincing some garlic and tossing it a skillet with a pound of ground beef over medium high heat until browned. When it’s almost done add 1 cup of frozen corn kernels to thaw them out. If you are using fresh corn add it to the salad later. In a separate pot, make the yellow rice mix according to instructions. We use Zatarain’s Yellow Rice and Laura’s Lean Beef.

Drain out the fat and add 3 cups of cooked yellow rice, 1 t each ground cumin and chili powder, and 1/4 t each salt and pepper (you may want to omit the salt, some of the rice mixes are pretty high in sodium). Let the whole mixture cool slightly.

On each plate, place about 1 1/2 cups of chopped romaine lettuce, 1/2 cup of chopped tomato, 1/4 cup of drained black beans, and a sprinkling of chopped red onion (also the corn if you’re using fresh).

To make dressing combine 2/3 cup each of Greek yogurt and salsa with 1 t chili powder and 1/2 t ground cumin in a bowl. We like Pace Salsa and Fage 2% Greek Yogurt.

Spoon beef mixture over lettuce and top with Sargento shredded cheddar cheese and dressing. Serves 4-6 hungry people.

Here’s the original recipe from myrecipes.com and here is my modified version:

Taco Rice Salad

Salad:

1 pound ground round
1 garlic clove, minced
3 cups cooked yellow rice
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
6 cups torn romaine lettuce (about 10 ounces)
3 cups chopped tomato (about 1 1/4 pounds)
1 cup frozen whole-kernel corn, thawed or 2 ears
1/2 cup chopped red onion
1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained

Dressing:

2/3 cup fat-free sour cream
2/3 cup salsa
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
Remaining ingredient:
1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded reduced-fat sharp cheddar cheese

To prepare salad, heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add beef and garlic, and cook until browned, stirring to crumble. Add frozen corn (if using). Drain; return beef mixture to pan. Stir in rice, spices, and salt and pepper. Cool slightly.

Layer lettuce, tomato, fresh corn( if using), onion, and beans on plates.

To prepare dressing, combine Greek yogurt, salsa, 1 teaspoon chili powder, and 1/2 teaspoon cumin, stirring with a whisk.
Top with 3/4 cup rice mixture, 1/3 cup of dressing, and about 1 1/2 tablespoons cheese.

Let us know what you think of this make at home version of your favorite restaurant bowl.

Recipe of the Week – Easy Chicken and Potato "Kabobs"

Posted on July 23, 2018 by Cruisin Brian

I love to cook, that is not a surprise to anyone who knows me (Brian). I don’t love to spend a lot of time cooking usually (though I do believe that making a wonderful, intricate recipe can also be very cathartic in the right time and place). This recipe from the Baking Beauties at Faithfully Gluten Free is simply my all time favorite marinade. I call it dump marinade because it has a little bit of everything in, you can dump in any protein you want, and it will come out amazing. Kabobs are a challenge to me. It is difficult to get everything done together without burning the more delicate items, hence the second dump of this recipe, where I just throw it all on the grill and forget the skewer!
First the marinade: Put into a gallon resealable bag put 1/4 t dried rosemary (I didn’t carry rosemary in the RV this time so substituted dried oregano and it worked just fine), 1/2 t each of dried parsley, garlic powder, and black pepper, 1 t stone ground mustard, 1 T each balsamic vinegar, soy sauce, and Worcestershire sauce, and 2 T olive oil. WOW that’s a lot of ingredients! Now throw in about a pound of your favorite protein. We love this with chicken thighs (in the pictures) but beef works well too (or country style pork ribs, chops, or an old tire, seriously this marinade tastes that good!). A note on gluten free: soy sauce is one of those items with hidden gluten in it, always make sure to check labels of sauces and condiments to ensure they are safe if you or someone you are cooking for can’t have gluten.
Let the meat marinade for at least two hours. I put the meat in the marinade the night before but we ended up eating out the next day so I just threw the whole thing in the freezer. A week later, I took the bag out one evening and cooked it up the next day, it was still perfect!
Even the smallest potatoes take forever to cook on a grill. Here’s a great tip stolen from the Baking Beauties: cook them in the microwave first! I put them in and hit the potato button, they always come out a little under done, but then the time on the grill with the other raw veggies, and they are perfect! (Too many explantation points in this post, but I really love this recipe!)
We always add onions and mushrooms at minimum when we cook this meal but bell pepper, asparagus, zucchini, and summer squash are also great additions. Cut your veggies into largish bite sized pieces. The less dense the vegetables are, the bigger the pieces should be so they hold up. Here’s another tip for the mushrooms: if you cut it in half and find lots of dark fins (especially common in portobello), scoop them out with a spoon or knife because they are bitter and turn mushy when cooked.

If you are assembling kabobs, layer meat, potatoes, and veggies (obviously not the asparagus, but if you get one on a skewer, please put a picture in the comments, haha) onto a wooden or metal skewers. Don’t forget that wooden skewers should always be soaked in water for 30 minutes first to keep them from catching on fire. I like the metal ones because they help to cook the food from the inside a little too.
I don’t like to take the time to thread skewers most of the time, so I toss all the veggies together, drizzle with some oil and salt and pepper and toss ’em on the grill.

If you use foil, poke a few holes so the juices run out – you want crispy browned edges, not a soggy mess.

Once the veggies get going, put the meat on the grill and cook to your desired degree of doneness.

YUM!! BTW, thats a little bit of ranch dip on the side. It’s amazing on the potatoes!

Easy Chicken (or Steak) “Kabobs”

For the marinade:

1/4 t dried rosemary (or other dried herb such as oregano or basil)
1/2 t dried parsley
1/2 t garlic powder
1/2 t ground pepper
1 t stone ground or dijon mustard
1 T balsamic vinegar
1 T soy sauce or tamari sauce
1 T Worcestershire sauce
2 T olive oil

For the grill:

1 lb chicken thighs or marinating beef
1 lb of small potatoes (red or Yukon)
Optional bell peppers, onion, mushrooms, etc.

Mix all of the marinade ingredients into a resealable plastic bag and smoosh them around to make sure everything is mixed. Add the meat and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.
Soak wooden skewers in water to keep them from catching on fire.
Cook the potatoes in the microwave until almost completely done. Cut other veggies into similar sized pieces.
Thread all of the ingredients onto skewers and discard used marinade or…
Place veggies in a bowl and drizzle with oil, salt, and pepper. DO NOT put used marinade onto the veggies, as tempting as they may be. No one wants a side of salmonella with their dinner!
Place kabobs onto a medium high grill and turn every few minutes until done or…
Place veggies on grill and toss occasionally to keep searing fresh sides without burning. Place meat along side and turn after about 3-5 minutes.
Serve immediately with a cold beer and enjoy!