Guiltless Cashew Chicken

If you're anything like me, one of the most annoying things in the world is the amount of calories and fat in a lot of Asian food. I crave Asian flavors and am always trying to figure out ways to get the flavor without the guilt. My nutritionist gave me a couple of new recipes this week, and I decided to try this one. I was very happy with how it turned out! It's got a lot of veggies in it so it does make a pile of food. I am the only one eating this so I'll be eating it until Monday. ;-) It serves 4 adults. Enjoy! 

2 tbsp coconut oil

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into thin strips or small pieces

1/2 onion, sliced 

2 cloves fresh garlic, minced (I used 1 tbsp minced garlic from a jar)

15 spears asparagus, ends trimmed, cut into 1" pieces

1 small red bell pepper, sliced

1 medium zucchini, sliced

2 cups shredded cabbage (I used coleslaw mix that has regular cabbage, purple cabbage, & carrots)

1 tbsp cornstarch

3/4 cup chicken broth

2 tbsp hoisin sauce (find this in the ethnic/Asian food section at Publix)

2 tbsp soy sauce

1 tbsp ginger paste (found in a tube in the produce dept) or fresh minced ginger root

1/2 cup cashews

Begin by chopping up your veggies and chicken, and placing them in separate bowls. Next, dissolve the cornstarch and chicken broth in a bowl. Stir in hoisin and soy sauces; set aside. Toss the chicken with the ginger and garlic. Heat the oil to medium-high heat in a large wok or  pan of your choice. Cook chicken until nearly done, probably around 4 minutes. Add veggies and stir-fry an additional 2 minutes. Pour in the sauce and cook 2-3 minutes. Sauce will begin to thicken. Stir in the cashews and serve over white or brown rice. 

Pork Carnitas Burritos

Every once in a while, I get really annoyed by the fact that I can't find any decent Mexican food around here. To remedy that, I take the time to make a dinner with a delightful Mexican flavor. This time around I decided to try pork carnitas burritos. Generally I shy away from anything that has to decided on or prepared more than 20 minutes in advance, but I was really in the mood for something amazing.

This pork carnitas had to be spice rubbed the night before cooking and requires 6-8 hours in the slow cooker. Traditionally, carnitas is slowly braised and sometimes fried. I don't have the time or patience for that, nor the desire to drown perfectly lean pork tenderloin in lard. That's why I decided on the slow cooker method.

I used about 2-1/2 pounds of raw pork tenderloins that I got at Costco. First, I cut them in half, then I mixed the following:

• 4 Tbsp chili powder
• 1 Tbsp kosher salt
• 1 Tbsp brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon cayenne
• 1 teaspoon ground oregano
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• Scant pinch of ground cloves

Rub the spices into the pork well and place into a covered container in the fridge overnight. (Picture shown is only 2 of the 4 pieces) 

This morning around 10am I got the pork out and seared every single side of each piece in a hot pan with a touch of vegetable oil. 

Next, place your pork into the crock pot and turn it on low. You must cook it for six hours!!! 

When you open the lid after SIX HOURS, the pork will be falling apart as soon as you stick a fork in it. It will start to shred in the most delicious way. 

Place the pork onto a cutting board and cut it every 2  inches or so. This will shorten the shreds to make it easier to eat. Put it back in the crock pot to shred with 2 forks. Trust me. If you do it on the cutting board, you will lose the juices and make a huge mess. 

A little less than half of what I made!!! Yum!!! 

I served this with black beans, delicious Mexican rice from this blog, tomalitas (a delicious sweet Mexican corn pudding  type of thing) salsa, queso fresca, guacamole, and mexican shredded cheese for the husband. Seriously, we are going to be eating this for days. We have a crazy amount of leftovers! 

 
You can just make a plate with everything or a very delicious burrito!!! Yum.

Desiderata

Max Ehrmann


Desiderata

Go placidly amid the noise and haste,
and remember what peace there may be in silence.
As far as possible without surrender
be on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly;
and listen to others,
even the dull and the ignorant;
they too have their story. 

Avoid loud and aggressive persons,
they are vexations to the spirit.
If you compare yourself with others,
you may become vain and bitter;
for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.
Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.


Keep interested in your own career, however humble;
it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.
Exercise caution in your business affairs;
for the world is full of trickery.
But let this not blind you to what virtue there is;
many persons strive for high ideals;
and everywhere life is full of heroism.


Be yourself.
Especially, do not feign affection.
Neither be cynical about love;
for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment
it is as perennial as the grass.


Take kindly the counsel of the years,
gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune.
But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings.
Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.
Beyond a wholesome discipline,
be gentle with yourself.


You are a child of the universe,
no less than the trees and the stars;
you have a right to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you,
no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.


Therefore be at peace with God,
whatever you conceive Him to be,
and whatever your labors and aspirations,
in the noisy confusion of life keep peace with your soul.

With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams,
it is still a beautiful world.
Be cheerful.
Strive to be happy.


Max Ehrmann, Desiderata, Copyright 1952.

Crazyville, USA

I am convinced that as of September 5 (the day we picked up Max), we stepped into the twilight zone and I can't get back out. My neatly ordered life turned into what we now refer to as "Max" chaos. (Sidebar: is this how new parents feel??) Suddenly I feel like I never sit down, I never stop moving, I never stop saying no, potty training is like the song that never ends, I live at the vet's office (either working or hauling in Max for a variety of ailments), muddy paw prints are a constant companion...and I feel like I'll never catch up on my sleep.

Last night I noticed my throat feeling a little scratchy, and by this morning I realized I've got a cold. I dragged through a 12-hour work day and stopped at the grocery store on the way home. Just as I'm about to get gas, my cell phone rings. It's the alarm company from my house, telling me that the alarm has been triggered. I turned on the flashers and raced to my house like a lunatic. I made it home in about 2 minutes flat, thanks to 2 green lights and going 60mph in a 45. I figured at least if someone was headed out the door with my pets I could stop them. Lol!

I had to wait longer than I desired for a police officer ( Notice that word OFFICER, singular. At least he wasn't a Barney Fife type.) to arrive, which gave me plenty of time to switch from heart-pounding hysteria to imagining how I would use pure fury to beat up a burglar. I started to plan out how I would grab a rock and smash someone's head if they tried to steal my pets! I let the officer in the front door and I have never heard my pets causing such a ruckus! It sounded like a barn yard in my house. So much barking and evil sounding cat noises! After a couple of minutes it was determined that nothing had been disturbed and this was all some false alarm. Thirty minutes of my life, wasted. Lol! The officer apologized for taking so long to get there, but apparently he was caught up in some drama at the nearby hospital. Since we live in South Florida I just didn't ask... ;-) I did wonder to myself if he is the only officer working in all of Pembroke Pines tonight...lol.

I seriously underestimated the amount of time it would take to calm down TWO dogs who are hyping each other up instead of my one very WELL BEHAVED dog! As soon as I stepped in the house I realized that Max was caught up in a huge panicking fit of histrionics.  I didn't think I would ever get him to calm down! For the last couple of hours they have been barking at EVERY noise. They are still on high alert from having a scary police man bust into their house! Lol.

I have decided this is a punishment for not making the bed, picking up Max's toys, and loading the dishwasher this morning. I excused myself from morning duties because I wasn't feeling well and I leave my house at 7am. Boy did that backfire! I felt like my house looked slightly like a hurricane (ok, maybe a tropical storm) hit it. Of course if nobody is going into your house it will be in perfect, spotless order.

 That is just another typical night in Crazyville. There is apparently never again going to be a dull moment over here.

Must Grill Everything! {Grilled Nachos!}

We have been enjoying a major grill-fest for the last week. Ever since we moved in we can't use our grill enough! This means I have a serious need for garlic, olive oil, and all of my favorite items that are basically useless when you're not grilling out. Go to the produce section, and near the herbs you should fine these delightful tubes of tasty things. It's all of your favorite things basically made into a paste that is PERFECT for marinades. My favorite thing is that you can just keep it in the fridge until you need it. No wilted cilantro leaves, etc.

Tonight I made Mexican-inspired grilled chicken breasts with grilled onions and red bell peppers. I used an 8-oz prep bowl and poured a generous amount of olive oil into it. Next I added about 2 tablespoons of minced garlic and 2 tablespoons of cilantro paste. I added an undetermined amount of red chili paste, probably just under a tablespoon. Next was a few dashes of smoked chipotle peppers, kosher salt, and a bit of Mrs. Dash's southwest seasoning. I allowed the chicken to marinate for about 10 minutes while I heated up the grill. (If you need instructions on just how to grill chicken, then you need more help than I am prepared to provide.)

I put the chicken on the grill and then went inside to skewer a large, thick slice of onion and 1 red bell pepper, which I quarted. I brushed both with a little olive oil, then sprinkled on garlic salt & chipotle powder. By the time I went back out, the chicken had about an 8-minute headstart. I started the veggies over the hottest part of the grill until they began to blacken, and then moved them over. You will love the smoky flavor that the veggies take on as they grill.  

Once everything was done cooking, I diced up the chicken & veggies and made some amazing nachos. Yes, I used store bought queso. If you don't like it, you're totally not invited to my birthday party. It's the one terribly fake food I must have on occasion. ;-) 

Assembled nachos

The perfect chip! 

New House, a Terrible Yard, and the Awesome Bell

Soooo..... Last Thursday was the big moving day. Six days ago. Rich & I, being over the top independent and optimistic, figured we could handle moving 75% of the stuff on our own. And we DID. Dressers, beds, mattresses, and an armchair that borders on loveseat status---all of it got moved. We were both so sore the next day we were laughing at ourselves and each other. We have really enjoyed living in this larger house with 21 windows instead of 3. ;-) The pets, not so much.

First off, our dog HATES the backyard. After almost a week, he has resigned himself to the fact that he must enter the yard of doom in order to do his business, and then the humans will let him back into the house. The first time I put him in the yard and closed the gate he almost had a heart attack. He started trying to scratch through & under the fence & was kicking up a big fuss. He acted that way for almost 3 full days. When we lived in a condo, he would only walk on the grass to potty & then hop back on the sidewalk to go back inside. I'm pretty sure he thinks we are locking him in a giant-sized doggie toilet & he's rather offended. ;-)

The cat was overwhelmed by too many rooms. You wouldn't thinking going from 1100 sq ft to 1500 would be a big deal...maybe it was all the windows? He would slink through the house in "ninja mode" and basically looked like he wanted us to die for the first few days. Finally he has settled in & now he hangs out on his cat nook in the living room. He also enjoys looking out & playing with the dining room draperies.

All tired out from being an obnoxious pain for 3 days. 

Peeking out the drapes

Waiting for someone to walk by...he likes to "bop" people. 

On top of getting things just the way we want them, we are bringing our new puppy home in 1 month. We are going to be using a "potty bell" system to potty train, so I figured why not just teach both dogs and simplify things. I have done two 5-minute sessions so far, and my dog has gotten the hang of touching the bell. Next it will be going by the back door and he will be ringing it when we go out. Eventually the goal is for the dog to ring the bell by himself when he needs to go out. My little man loves to ring the bell. He gets so excited and crazy, jumping all around and whining like a lunatic. I have to calm him down before he can ring it properly. It cracks me up.

It occurred to me briefly that I may have too much time on my hands if I have time to train my dog how to ring a bell. Haha! I'm pretty sure that for now, my dog thinks that the purpose of ringing the bell is to get a treat. He loves to do tricks but mostly because this is the only time he gets treats. Everybody around here has to earn their keep. ;-)

"The humans" are enjoying the new place. So far Rich has enthusiastically mowed the lawn and has been making dinner on the grill. He is seriously the grill master of all grill masters. Yummy!!! I love having a nice big kitchen window & a more counter space. I have also really enjoyed breaking in all of our brand new appliances. It's the little things, I know. ;-) I am also TOTALLY thrilled that we don't have any carpet. All hardwood! It's so much easier to keep things clean that way!

One side of the kitchen

Baby Maxwell

Finally last week we got to see our puppy's 2-week-old pictures. It seems like we have been waiting FOREVER but they were finally born on July 7--6 boys and 3 girls. We don't know which boy is ours yet & I think they look like hamsters. :) Next Monday I will post the 4-week pictures and then we will be getting a video & more pictures at 6 weeks which happens to be on Rich's birthday. How appropriate since I placed a deposit on the pup and gave it to him for an anniversary gift. Lol. We're going to pick up our pup on September 4th.