Rainy Day Recipe: Smothered Okra and Chicken

The weather here in southwest Louisiana is quite dreary.  It has been raining for 2 days.  I had to muster every bit of motivation in my body to get out of my cozy bed before daylight so I could tackle this WOD this morning (finished in 23:21).  Actually, I did a little test to see just how late I could sleep and make it to the box on time.  If the alarm is set for 5:00 and I snooze until 5:10, I still have time to brush my teeth, pull my hair into a bun, put on my workout clothes, and drive to the gym by 5:30.

Of course I am glad I drug myself out of bed and got my workout in, but I'm still sleepy!  

Rainy weather makes me crave warm, comforting food.  Gumbo, chili, soup, or if you do not have hours to let something simmer....
Smothered Okra and Chicken
6 servings
ingredients
1 tbsp oil of choice (I used Paleo friendly coconut oil.)
1 tbsp garlic
3 bags frozen cut okra, defrosted (Fresh would work, too, and probably taste better.)
1 can stewed tomatoes (I used some tomatoes my mom had canned last summer.)
salt, black pepper, and red pepper to taste
1 whole cooked chicken, deboned (I used rotisserie chicken, but leftover grilled or smoked chickens are great.)
1 tiny splash of liquid smoke (Omit if using a smoked chicken.)


directions
Heat oil in large pot.  Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.  Add okra.  Season with salt and peppers.  Cook, stirring frequently.  When it starts to stick to the pot, add a little water and cover with a lid. Okra will get very slimy.  Continue to cook, adding water when necessary and stirring often, until okra is very soft. 

Add the tomatoes and stir.  The acid from the tomatoes reduces the sliminess of the okra.  Cook down the tomatoes.  If it is still too slimy, add more tomatoes.  Taste and adjust seasonings.

Add the chicken and stir.  Add the liquid smoke and stir some more.  Cook until the chicken is heated through.  Serve and enjoy!


What do you like to eat on rainy days?


Oh, and check out my new Recipage!  Click on the "Good Eats" tab.  My recipes are so organized and happy. :)

Do the Clearance Cauliflower Mash

I am sad to report that the DOMS has worsened.   Every move I make is painful. :(

No long walk yesterday and no run today. 

I did walk all the way to our tailgate from my car, even after a friend with a parking pass offered to pick me up. :)  Then I proceeded to sit on my butt for the next 4 hours, eating jambalaya.

It has been a very lazy weekend.

However, I finally used those clearance cauliflower I bought!

I decided to roast them, then I used the yellow ones to make

Roasted Garlic & Cauliflower Mash

ingredients:
-1 head of cauliflower (I roasted 2 heads because that is how much I bought on sale -2 is better than 1- but I only used one for the mash.)
-1 garlic pod
-non stick cooking spray
-salt & pepper to taste
-1/4 cup milk (I used almond milk)
-1/4 cup chicken stock

directions:

- Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.

- Chop cauliflower into florets and wash.

- Coat cauliflower florets in non stick cooking spray and sprinkle with salt and pepper.




Coincidence that it was game day and my cauliflower were purple & gold?!  I think not.


- Coat a baking pan in non stick cooking spray and spread the cauliflower florets evenly in the pan.

- Cut the top off of the garlic pod, spray with non stick cooking spray, and place in the middle of the cauliflower.

- Place in preheated oven for 40 minutes, stirring after 20 minutes.

- Remove from oven and place cauliflower in a big bowl.  Add milk, chicken stock, and 2 of the cloves of roasted garlic.

- Blend with immersion blender until smooth or the consistency of mashed potatoes. (If you don't have an immersion blender, you could use a food processor)

- Serve as you would mashed potatoes. 

I had leftover turkey, peppers, and mushrooms from a taco salad I made the night before, so I ate it over the cauliflower.  I added fat free sour cream, salsa, and jalepeno peppers.  Yum!

BTW, triple victory in the football department.  McNeese, LSU, and the Saints won!  It's a great weekend to be from southwest Louisiana!

I know some football obsessed folks whose wives would get a laugh out of this someecard.  All teams excelled this weekend, so prayers answered! 

Did you have a lazy weekend or were you productive?
Did your team win?

Free Food

I'm sure by now you have noticed a recurring theme in my cooking...  I am a scavenger and revolve my meal planning around food that is given to me.

Whether its vegetables from my dad or grandma's gardens for my Roasted Veggie Frittata, Stuffed Peppers, or Vegetable Chili; ducks from Jeff for my Pot Roasted Duck; or fresh trout from Mike for my Mediterranean Fish Tacos or what I whipped up for dinner last night:


Pan Seared Trout with Asparagus Pesto
2 servings

trout:
2 trout filets
2 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp worcestshire sauce
salt, black pepper, red pepper to taste
non stick cooking spray
1/4 cup chicken stock
1/4 tsp flour (This is used to thicken the sauce.  You could use any type of flour, cornstarch, or xanthan gum. I would have used xanthan gum, but am too cheap to pay $10 for 1/2 lb of it!)

Pesto:
1/2 cup raw asparagus, cut into 1" pieces
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp garlic, minced
1 tbsp parmasean cheese, grated
1 tbsp pecans (You could substitue with walnuts, pine nuts, or whatever you have on hand.)
1-2 tbsp olive oil
1-2 tbsp chicken stock
salt & pepper to taste

- Pour 2 tbsp lemon juice and 2 tbsp of worcestshire sauce over filets of trout.  Salt and pepper both sides of filet.  Leave filets to marinate while you prepare the pesto.

- Add asparagus, 1 tbsp lemon juice, garlic, cheese, pecans, salt, and pepper into food processor. Turn on the food processor and slowly add olive oil.  Then slowly add chicken stock until you have the consistency you want.  (I use the chicken stock to cut down on the amount of oil I need, therefore reducing the fat.)

- Heat a non stick skillet sprayed with non stick cooking spray over high heat.  When pan is really hot, add trout filets.

- Sear for about 1 to 2 minutes on each side.  Reduce heat, add 1/4 cup of chicken broth, and cover with a lid. 

- Continue to cook for about 5 minutes.  Remove trout filets.  Add 1 tsp of flour to remaining juice in the pan and whisk to thicken the sauce. 

- Plate trout over asparagus pesto and finish with sauce from pan.

Chef worthy plating? I think not.

This was my first attempt at asparagus pesto and I loved it!  It was so bright and refreshing. No one ingredient overpowered the others; I could taste every single one and they all worked well together.  Perfect for a hot summer night.

You can't get much fresher than from in the lake on Sunday to in my belly on Monday night! Organic at its finest.


Look who sat at the window and watched me cook. :) 

Roasted Veggie Fritatta

I try to limit my carbs at night, so supper is usually salad with some form of protein.  But, I had no lettuce in my fridge and was too lazy to go to the store.  I did have delicious garden fresh veggies.

(The eggplant and tomatoes are from my my dad's garden, the squash is from my granny's garden, and the basil was grown by yours truly! 3 generations of produce!)

So I decided to make a roasted vegetable egg white frittata, with Greek seasoning and fresh basil.

Roasted Vegetables