Hawaiian Chicken and Coca-Cola Quinoa

I decided on Hawaiian Chicken based on the fact that I had all of the ingredients. I love the way pineapple, red peppers, and cilantro taste together. This dish is simple and fast. As for the Coca-Cola Quinoa, well, I'm pretty sure I might be the only person in the universe who has ever made that dish before. But it is very good and the coke gives the quinoa a sweet flavor. For those of you who have never cooked with quinoa, it is a pseudocereal native of the Andean Mountain region. I used black quinoa, which has a rich, nutty taste. It's a great alternative to rice or couscous and is normally found in the health food section of any major chain grocery store. I have to give credit to my mother-in-law for the idea of cooking it in coke. She is the only person I have ever seen cook rice in Coca-cola. I figured it would probably taste just as good in quinoa. This idea gives way to so many other non-typical combinations: Red Wine Rice? Pale Ale Couscous? Imagine the possibilities...


Hawaiian Chicken Ingredients
2 Chicken Breasts
1 can of crushed Pineapple
1 Red Pepper, chopped
1 bunch of Cilantro, chopped
1 hand full of Crackers, crushed
1 drizzle of Olive Oil
salt and pepper

Hawaiian Chicken Directions
Pre heat oven to 350 degrees. Add chicken to an oven safe dish. Top chicken with pineapple, red peppers, cilantro, and crackers crumbs. Salt and pepper to taste and drizzle with olive oil. Put it in the oven for 30-45 minutes or until chicken reaches internal temp of 165.



Coca-Cola Quinoa Ingredients
1 cup of Black Quinoa
2 cups of Coca-Cola
3 stalks of Green Onion, diced
1 bunch of Cilantro, chopped
1 medium Tomato, diced
salt

Coca-Cola Quinoa Directions
Pour 2 cups of Coke into a pot and bring it to a boil. Add quinoa and return to a boil. Cover and turn the flame to low. Cook for 15 minutes or until liquid has been absorbed. Once the quinoa is done, add the remaining ingredients.



Ed's Verdict: Actually I have to be honest. Ed hates the idea of cooking anything in Coca-Cola. Neither one of us drink the stuff, but we happened to have some left over from a certain 4 year-old's birthday party. I hated to throw it out, so it's been sitting unopened in our garage. I remembered that his mom used to cook rice with it, and I couldn't help but wonder what it would taste like with quinoa. Before Ed realized what was in it, he loved it and thought it was fabulous. After I reveled to him the ingredients, he was less than amused. He has made me promise not to cook anything with coke in it again. Apparently its too non-cavemen/migraine causing. I think Ed's diets are stifling my creativity...

Stuffed Pork Chops with Roasted Brussel Sprout Hash (and Almond Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies for dessert!)

Grilled pork chops stuffed with roasted red peppers, granny smith apples, and fresh rosemary along side pan roasted brussel sprout hash with red onions and turkey bacon... mmmm.... wait a minute... I know what you are thinking.

"Did she say brussel sprouts? Well, I might as well just click out of here and go check my facebook page because I'm not going to be making brussel sprouts. I don't like brussel sprouts."

Just wait. Hear me out. This brussel sprout hash is good. I mean really good.

But I have a confession. I like brussel sprouts. Even before finding this recipe. Not the yucky canned kind your mom forced you to eat as a kid, but crisply charred fresh brussel sprouts roasted in olive oil and sprinkled with just the right amount of salt. They are so good. I even converted Ed, whom I recall saying to me when I first brought home the omnious looking plant, "I am NOT going to even try that. I don't eat brussel sprouts." But guess what? He has metamorphosed into a brussel sprout lover. And now he practically begs me to buy them. And I have faith if you just open your mind and let it happen, you will enjoy them, too. This particular recipe comes from the thanksgiving issue of Coastal Living with a few adaptations. Go ahead. Try it.

As for the pork chops, the idea of stuffing them with red peppers and green apples is a direct result of my attempt to use everything in my Washington Green Grocers box. Those items are really what inspire my menu. Sometimes it feels a little bit like Iron Chef where I'm being forced to making delectable meals for a family of four that everyone will like using only the ingredients found in this box. At times, the combinations can get a bit quirky. Tonight it really worked. And as an added tip for cooking stuffed pork chops, you can cut your cooking time in half by grilling them for a few minutes on each side before sticking them in the oven. This also adds those cool criss cross lines that make any meat seem more gourmetish.

Oh yeah, and for dessert, I made Almond Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies. They were inspired somewhat by a basic peanut butter cookie recipe (see here). I added my own twist based on my personal preferences and my husband's desire to find the world's healthiest cookie that has zero calories, zero fat, and zero carbs... Well, this cookie does have calories and fat and carbs. And it also has almond butter, which is a refreshing alternative to peanut butter. I also substituted a few other standard ingredients for more hippified ones. I'm still tweaking the recipe a little, but this batch came out pretty scrumptious :)

Stuffed Pork Chops

Ingredients
2 large Pork Chops
1 large roasted Red Pepper, sliced
1 Granny Smith Apple, peeled and sliced
2 Tbsp. Apple Sauce
2 sprigs of Rosemary
salt and pepper
kitchen twine



Directions
Butterfly pork chops and stuff with slices of red pepper and apples. Add 1 sprig of rosemary to each chop. Close the chop and tie with kitchen twine. Grill pork chops on grill pan for about 5 minutes on each side. Then transfer the chops to a shallow dish. Place 1 Tbsp of apple sauce on top of each chop and garnish with remaining apple slices. Oven bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 160.



Brussel Sprout Hash

Ingredients
1/2 lb Turkey Bacon
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
1/2 stalk Brussel Sprouts, cleaned and chopped
1/2 red onion
1/2 cup Walnuts, chopped
1 bunch of your favorite loose leaf lettuce
salt and pepper



Directions
Cook the bacon in a large skillet until crisp. Remove the bacon reserving the the grease and cut the bacon into bits. Set aside. Add oil, brussel sprouts, onions, and walnuts to the skillet. Cook on medium heat for 5-7 minutes. Remove from heat and toss with bacon bits. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve over loose leaf lettuce.



Almond Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients
1/2 cup Vegetable Oil
1/2 cup Almond Butter
1 Cup Sucanat
1/4 cup Splenda
2 Eggs
2 Tbsp light corn syrup
1.5 Tbsp vanilla extract
2 cups Whole Wheat Flour
1/2 cup Almond Flour
1 tsp Baking Soda
1/2 tsp Salt
2 cups Chocolate Chips

Directions

Preheat oven to 375. In a large mixing bowl combine oil, almond butter, sucanat, and splenda. Stir until all ingredients are well combined. Add eggs one at a time. Then add in the corn syrup, water, and vanilla. In a separate bowl, mix together the whole wheat flour, almond flour, baking soda, and salt. Then add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Carefully fold in the chocolate chips. Drop tablespoons full of cookie dough onto a greased cookie sheet about 2 to 3 inches apart allowing space for the cookies to expand. Bake for 9-11 minutes. Transfer to wire cooling rack. This recipe makes about 24 cookies.

Ed's Verdict: Ed liked the sweetness of the apple sauce mixed with the tartness of the slices of green apples. That is something I hadn't originally intended, but it turned out to be a very good contrast of flavors. He thought the brussel sprout salad was crunchy deliciousness. He insisted that I add that he still hates brussel sprouts and is not convinced that what I have prepared are really brussel sprouts. (I assure you they are). As for the cookies, he thought they were "delicious" and tasted "refreshingly natural". Not exactly the way I was expecting him to describe the cookie, but hey, I'll take it.