Day Four

She Said:

Day Four of our own Julie/Julia Project worked out much better than Day Three, that's for sure! Dinner was really delicious and another easy meal to make.

This is from Serving Up the Harvest by Andrea Chesman.

Grilled Teriyaki Chicken Strips with Sesame Spinach

Marinade
2 garlic cloves, peeled
1 piece (1 inch long) fresh ginger, peeled
1/2 cup tamari
1/4 cup sake or dry sherry
3 tablespoons dark sesame oil
2 tablespoons brown sugar

Chicken and Vegetables
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, cut lengthwise into 1/2-inch strips
1 1/2 pounds fresh spinach, tough stems removed (we used baby spinach)
1 large carrot, grated
1 tablespoon rice vinegar

Hot cooked white rice
3 tablespoons sesame seeds, toasted

1. To make the marinade, mince the garlic and ginger together in a blender or food processor. Add the tamari, sherry, oil, and brown sugar and process until well mixed. Alternatively, mince the garlic and ginger. Mix in a small bowl with the tamari, sherry, oil, and brown sugar.

2. Place the chicken in a nonreactive bowl. Add half the marinade and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate while you prepare the rest of the dinner, or up to 2 hours.

3. Wash the spinach and place in a large pot. Add an inch or so of water. Cook over high heat until the spinach is completely wilted, 3 to 5 minutes, stirring once or twice. Drain well. Transfer the spinach to a medium bowl and add the carrot. Toss to combine.

4. Stir the vinegar into the remaining marinade. Add to the spinach and toss lightly. Refrigerate until you are ready to serve.

5. Prepare a hot fire in a charcoal grill and let the coals burn down until they are covered with white ash, or preheat a gas grill on high. (We went with Option B since we don't have a charcoal grill!)

6. Grill the chicken for 4 to 6 minutes, until tender and no longer pink, turning once.

7. To serve, place a bed of rice in the center of a platter or on individual plates. Arrange the spinach over half the rice. Place the chicken on the other half, sprinkle the sesame seeds over all, and serve at once.

This meal was really, really delicious but for the life of me, I don't understand the cold sides. Our spinach was still a little warm when we served it because we were cooking the chicken while the spinach was still being assembled and, truly, it was delicious. I don't think it needs to be cold or even cool. There's nothing wrong with hot spinach! It's quite good!

So, the leftovers are living happily in one plastic container in the refrigerator. And they'll be heated up all together when we go to eat them.

That's the only objection I had to this meal. The flavors were wonderful and it was easy to make, although it did use quite a few bowls and pots.

Day 4/365:Recipe 5/175.

Easy Summer Meal

She Said:

We made a really nice and easy summer meal this past weekend. It was delicious and quite nutritious.

We started by preparing some fresh veggies - whatever's on hand will do. We had some carrots that we just got from the farmer's market that morning, two onions, a bag of frozen asparagus, and some fresh green beans from the grocery store. They were all prepared the same way - dumped into a roasting pan, drizzled with olive oil, sprinkled with kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper and roasted in a 450 degree oven for about 40 minutes or so.

While the veggies were roasting, I prepared some Rice-a-Roni Nature's Way Parmesan and Romano flavor. I love that Rice-a-Roni came out with all natural rice, no preservatives or artificial flavorings and you make it with olive oil instead of butter. (Not that I have a problem with butter - olive oil is just healthier for you.) This rice is really delicious!

Then He prepared the salmon. A huge fillet from the grocery store. He poured a bottle of Lawry's lemon pepper marinade over it while He prepared the grill. Once the grill was ready, He used a technique we learned from step-Dad-in-law - He made a little pan of aluminum foil, sprayed that with cooking spray, put the salmon (skin side up) on the hot grill and let it go for about 5 minutes. He then easily peeled off the skin and flipped the salmon over for another 3 minutes.

That's it! Easy, delicious, nutritious - it does not get any better than that!

_________________________

He Said:

Ok, fine! I admit it. I have, in the past, been a little (read: a lot) intimidated of grilling salmon. You know, on the grill. With the skin. Salmon. Yikes! Well, folks, I am here to tell you that I am intimidated no more. You got salmon? I say 'Bring It On!'. Yep, I finally learnt how to cook salmon on the grill and, who knew?, it is super easy. She describes the technique up above and I highly recommend that you try it yourself. It's easy, delicious and very healthy. What more could anyone ask?

No, I mean besides winning the lottery. Sheesh!