"Non Mayo" Chicken Salad

I love chicken salad, and I love mayo...so the thought of separating them makes me really upset. However, I keep seeing this recipes on Pintrest using greek yogurt to replace mayo and always wonder if it is just as good (wishful thinking). So since I had some leftover roast chicken, I couldn't resist making this. Roast chicken is the best type to use in chicken salad, especially shredded because it is so moist, tender and not too chewy..nothing worst than dry and chewy chicken..WOOF...I digress...anyway, I found a recipe called "healthy chicken salad" on pintrest using greek yogurt..so in the words of Kel:

Ingredients
2 cups roast chicken (shredded)
1 cup green grapes sliced
1/3 cup craisins
1 green apple peeled/chopped
1/4 cup sliced almonds
1 tablespoon lemon juice
salt, pepper and garlic powder to taste
1/2 red onion chopped
1 (5.3) oz of CIOBANI non-fat greek yogurt- plain
Your bread of choice (will effect the healthiness)

Mix all of the ingredients together in a bowl and put it on bread. Boom- done.

As far as quality chicken salad goes, the greek yogurt does not even come close to mayo. But it was really different tasting and intriguing with the salt from the chicken and almonds really contrasting the sweetness of the grapes and apple. While I would rather have normal chicken salad with mayo, I understand how it could be a nice healthy alternative for folks. I am glad I gave it a try though because I would have always wondered..and now I can just use this new recipe and replace the greek yogurt with mayo.... I'm sorry healthy chicken salad recipe, do you feel used?

Whole Chicken in the Crockpot

I have always wanted to do this! Finally- I made an entire chicken in my crockpot, fit to feed us for two days! Here's what I did:

Ingredients
Whole chicken
1 Onion (in slices)
2 tablespoons minced garlic
Salt
Pepper
Olive oil
Rosemary





Rinse and clean the chicken as you would if you were roasting it. Rub the outer skin with olive oil and then coat with black pepper, salt and Rosemary. Place your onion slices on the bottom of the crock pot with your two tablespoons of minced garlic. Plop that big fat chicken right on top! Cook on LOW for 8-10 hours.

 

When its all done, remove the chicken from the crockpot and get ready to carve as you please. However, there isn't much carving needed, as the meat falls right off the bone! Serve with a starch and veggie and save the leftover meat for our next meal- Healthy Chicken Salad Sandwiches! I will post this recipe next!

Nick's Famous Roast Beef- 139 Dodge Street, Beverly, MA

When I posted my Roast Beef Challenge results on Facebook I got comments from several different folks that Nick's Famous Roast Beef in Beverly, MA had the best roast beef around. Since I would go to the ends of the earth for a delicious roast beef sandwich, and am trying to be a true food journalist, I decided I needed to try it to see if it would in fact give Billys a run for its money.

So me and my bro took the 25 minute trip from Melrose up to Beverly. We both ordered beefs in our typical ways, and although we did not have a Billys roast beef first hand to compare, felt we had sampled enough in our time on this planet to determine which was the better sandwich.

RESULTS: Nick's sandwich actually had better meat than Billys. It was more tender, moist and flavorful. HOWEVER, they probably put half as much meat in the sandwich as Billy's does (BIG no no!). The roll was also disappointing,  comparable to a Stop and Shop Hamburger roll, small and nothing special. While the meat is VERY important... I think it would have taken 2 sandwiches to fill me up as much as 1 Billys beef. So while taking into account bread quality, meat/bread ratio and meat flavor, I still have to go with BILLYS as the better sandwich.

I am now taking suggestions for the next place to take on BILLYS, which now has trumped 3 north shore beef places!! Any takers??

BBQ Honey Garlic Glazed Pork Chops

I've never gilled pork chops before. Is that weird? These chops were a really good change up to the ones I usually make. Makes me want summer and grilling NOW though..P.S. Anything that has honey and garlic in the title makes me salivate.

Ingredients
1/2 cup BBQ Sauce
2 Tablespoons honey
1 Tablespoon Worcestershire suace
2 Teaspoons minced garlic
3 Boneless Pork Chops

 

 

 

 

This recipe is so easy! Just mix your first four ingredients together in a small bowl.

 

Place your chops on the grill and brush it with the glaze. Cook until no longer pink.

 

 

I served this with mashed sweet potatoes and boiled asparagus with a hollandaise sauce. Both of these veggies are super easy to make as well.

 

Mashed Sweet Potatoes: peel and cut your sweet potatoes in 2 inch cubes. Boil until soft and easily cut with a fork. Drain and mash, adding a tablespoon of butter and 2 tbsp of brown sugar.

 

Broiled Asparagus: fill a medium, deep, frying pan with water. Throw in all your asparagus and heat on medium with the cover on. It should only take about 10 minutes for these to be done.

 

Hollandaise: Just buy a little package of the instant hollandaise sauce at the store and follow the package instructions. I usually find this in the produce section. Its a great addition to make the flavor of the asparagus really pop and a great touch if you are having guests over!

 

 

 

Seasoned Turkey Burgers

I am not a turkey burger connoisseur by any means, but I have had a few in my life and they are typically under seasoned, and less than flavorful. I have attempted the turkey burger in the past and it was mediocre BUT in the words of the sweet sweet angel Aaliyah (RIP) I thought I would 'dust myself off and try again..'

Ingredients
1 lb ground turkey
1/2 package dry onion soup mix
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 egg (beaten)
Hamburger rolls of choice
Medium Cheddar Cheese

Any toppings you want!

In a medium size bowl, combine the ground turkey, onion soup mix, pepper, salt, garlic powder, Worcestershire and egg. Mix with your hands until incorporated.

 

 

Refrigerate for 10 minutes and then form into 3 patties.

 

Cook on your grill of choice until the middle is a whitish color. Place your cheese on about 1 minute before its done. Build your burger with your fav toppings of choice. I went with a lil mayo, lil tomato, lil lettuce and of course a lot of avocado. I served it with some roasted brussel sprouts and an avocado/tomato salad. This burger was so flavorful, and I think I would actually prefer it over most beef burgers I have made at home! The onion soup mix realy comes through in the flavor of the meat, and the egg/worceshire really help keep the ground turkey moist. I will def make this again!

 

Ohlin's Bakery- 456 Common Street, Belmont, MA

Who doesn't love baked goods? I think baked goods might be one of my favorite food categories. Croissants, scones, muffins, those little round pastries with cherry, lemon, or cheese center- oh danishes! yes. LOVE.

 

I crave donuts on an every day basis. Sorry, I'm not sorry, its just a fact. I hadn't found my bakery of choice since I moved to Watertown, so I decided I needed a 'go-to' spot to waste away my hard earned dollars on something absurdly delish.  Ohlin's creeped its way to the top of my google search and had OUTSTANDING reviews. Done and done- this is happening.

We got a dozen donuts for the two of us (oops), 5 flavors, 2 in quantity so we didn't have to share aka have a brawl if we both fell in the love with the same one....annnddd then we each picked our extra special donut of choice. We got: Glazed, Maple frosted with chocolate drizzle, Chocolate frosted with maple drizzle, chocolate with chocolate glaze, Boston Creme...and our two single donut choices were Buttercrunch and Strawberry frosted.

wait for it....

 

......

 

 

.......

 

 

BOOM- pure.and.immediate.joy.

My top two favs were the glazed which tastes like a Krispy Kreme (which we don't have the pleasure of having in Boston anymore) and the maple glazed donut with chocolate drizzle NOT TO BE CONFUSED WITH the chocolate glazed donut with maple drizzle. While you might think these would taste exactly the same, you may want to second guess how the ratio of flavors could effect  the overall taste. The chocolate glazed was far too overpowering on the maple drizzle. It basically could have been a chocolate glazed donut and I wouldn't have noticed. HOWEVER the maple glazed donut with chocolate drizzle was outstanding. Perfect maple to chocolate ratio.

 

You know how they say, you know you found the right wedding dress when you wake up thinking about it the next morning? Well lemme tell ya, I knew I found the right donut place, when I woke up the next morning thinking about that glorious maple glazed, little-piece-of-heaven making its way towards my tasting apparatus.

I have a problem, and I'm okay with it.

 

Doubletree Chocolate Chip Cookies

If you have never stayed at a Doubletree and been handed their glorious, little piece of heaven, signature cookie upon arrival, you are truly missing out. We work with the Doubletree a lot for work, so as a thank you, they will drop of a tray of about 30-40 of these cookies every quarter. It is literally paiiinnfulll for me to walk by and only grab 3 at a time. I wrap them up in a little napkins partially to hide them from my coworkers and partially to keep them fresh. Then I proceed to eat them all day for breakfast, snacks and lunch.

Seems like the best day ever right? YA-until I die a painful death all night with an awful stomach ache cursing the cookies and their existence on the planet. Unfortunatley for me, my stomach has short term memory, because the next time that big shiny tray plops itself 10 feet from my desk...it happens all over again.

So last week I got to thinking...what do they put in these things that make me feel like I need to go to rehab after just one bite? So I googled "Doubletree Chocolate Chip Cookies" and found the recipe!  I gave it a whirl this weekend, and they actually tasted pretty close to the original. These things are chock full of chocolate chips, walnuts, oats AND cinnamon. Its a party in your mouth. Here's the recipe in case any of you are interested in joining in on the fun! The only change I made was making them about half the size as the recipe and baking them for 9 minutes. I have a thing for small cookies.

INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup rolled oats
2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1-1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1-1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. lemon juice
2 eggs
3 cups semi-sweet, chocolate chips
1-1/2 cups chopped walnuts

INSTRUCTIONS

Grind oats in a food processor or blender until fine. Combine the ground oats with the flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon in a medium bowl.

Cream together the butter, sugars, vanilla, and lemon juice in another medium bowl with an electric mixer. Add the eggs and mix until smooth. Stir the dry mixture into the wet mixture and blend well. Add the chocolate chips and nuts to the dough and mix by hand until ingredients are well blended.

For the best results, chill the dough overnight in the refrigerator before baking the cookies.

Spoon rounded 1/4 cup portions onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Place the scoops about 2 inches apart. Bake in a 350°F oven for 16-18 minutes or until cookies are light brown and soft in the middle. Store in a sealed container when cool to keep soft. 

https://www.foodgeeks.com/recipes/doubletree-hotel-chocolate-chip-cookies-18302 

Super Fusion- 54 Mount Auburn Street Watertown, MA

I am really picky about my sushi. Bad sushi can really ruin your cravings forever, and overly expensive mediocre sushi can turn me into a raging lunatic. I hate spending that much money on a meal and not being blown away. It has happened to me a few times in the past and angers me. As of a year and a half ago, my favorite sushi place was FuGaKyu in Brookline. Its a popular spot, which most people in the area have tried and love. But when we moved to Watertown, a co-worker recommended we try Super Fusion on Mount Auburn Street. I hesitantly tried it and was SO GLAD I did! The sushi is FuGaKyu quality, if not better, and is significantly cheaper. Most basic rolls are around $6, while specialities can go up to $18. This place is small with 10-12 tables and additional seating along the sushi bar. Its a more intimate feel that your two floor 879 room FuGaKyu.

We typically go with the edammame to start and then pick a few of the basic rolls. Their award-winning Louisiana Maki is probably the most interesting and is SO delicious. It is full of warm fried crawfish, avocado and a orange Cajun mayo sauce. We also always order the spicy tuna maki and my absolute favorite spicy salmon maki! The fish is so fresh and the maki pieces are the perfect size. We order salmon and tuna nigiri for special occasions. It tastes like pure heaven, as it melts in your mouth sending your tastes buds to the pearly gates.

 

Ever since I found this place, we have not gone back to FuGaKyu, or any other sushi place for that matter. I've found my one and only so I'm done lookin! BONUS-they deliver!

http://www.superfusionsushi.com/

CrockPotRoast

Another crockpot recipe- BOOYA! Pot roast is such a homey classic, that is perfect to make when you are serving a big group of people! And its SO EASY!

What you need:
2-3 lb boneless chuck roast
1 bag baby carrots
3 stalks of celery- chopped
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 package onion soup mix
4-5 red potatoes
Crockpot

 

 

 

 

 

Place your beef in the crock pot, and cover it in the carrots and celery. Decision time- you can either cut your red potatoes in 4's and place them in the crockpot OR wait until the meat is done and boil/mash them separately as a side. Either way, its super delish. This time I chose to wait and mash them on the side.

 In a small bowl, mix together the cream of mushroom soup, onion soup mix and 1 cup of water. Pour this mixture over the meat/veggies in the crockpot.

 

 

Cook on low for 8-11 hours

 

 

When its done, pull the meat apart with a fork and serve! The meat makes its own gravy, but if your like me and prefer a thick and hearty gravy on your mashys, I suggest buying a jar or making a gravy mix on the stove. YUM!

 

 

 

Spinach and Mushroom Smothered Chicken

Guys, I'm so sorry its been a whole week. I'm the worst bloggerfriend ever, but I will make it up to you, I promise.
 
So last week I made the stuffed chicken with spinach and ricotta..and I liked it so much I wanted to find something similar, but less time consuming. Sidenote- I forgot how much I adore spinach. How is something so boring looking so delicious, especially with any type of cheese. That got me thinking..I miss my other favorite vegetable- mushrooms. People are weird about mushrooms, you either love or hate them with a burning passion...and I feel like most people hate them, which makes me really sad.

 The reason I never cook with shrooms is because Jake hates them...well TOO BAD FOR HIM this week! I found a recipe with spinach AND mushrooms, and I can't deny myself this culinary treat, I just can't..

What you need:
3 chicken breasts or 4 breast tenderloins
1 package frozen creamed spinach
1 package of sliced mushrooms
Garlic powder
1/2 stick of butter
Minced garlic

 

 

 

 

 

 

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Place the chicken on a cookie sheet and sprinkle a little garlic powder, salt and pepper on top. Cook for 15 minutes (chicken breast) or 10 minutes (tenderloins). In the meantime, start your mushrooms in a medium saucepan, by melting 1/2 stick of butter on medium heat. After its melted add the mushrooms. Continue to stir while the mushrooms turn brown. Once brown, add a teaspoon of minced garlic. Cook for another minute. Next, microwave your frozen creamed spinach per package instructions.

 

 

 

 

 

After the chicken is done, take it out of the oven and flip it over. Cover the chicken with the creamed spinach and mushrooms.

 

 

 

Put it back in the oven for another 15 minutes (chicken breast) or 10 minutes (tenderloins).

 

 

This chicken was so good! A lot quicker and easier than the other chicken, and the mushrooms were divine! I served it with rice and peas! P.S- any recipe with "smothered" in the title, is a guaranteed A+