Asian Seared Chicken Thighs with Pineapple Slaw…served with Peanut Sauce
CATEGORY: Main Event SERVES: 4 LEVEL: Presto, easy!
INGREDIENTS: 4 Chicken thighs 2 Tbsp The Amazing Rub (or Brown Sugar w/Ginger) 1 Tbsp vegetable Oil 1 Tbsp Soy Sauce 1 tsp Hot Sauce 1 Tbsp Lemon/or Lime Juice 2 Cups Fresh Pineapple bite size chop
SLAW INGREDIENTS: 1 Tbsp The Amazing Rub (or Brown Sugar) 4 C Coleslaw mix (your favorite) or fine Shred Cabbage and Carrots ½ C Dried Fruit/Nut Trail Mix (no choc!) 1 Tbsp Lime Juice 2 Tbsp Oil (light here) 1 Tbsp Soy Sauce ½ Tbsp hot sauce 1 tsp Toasted Sesame Oil to finish Fresh Herbs as in Cilantro, Mint or Basil – fine chopped or 2 Tbsp dried Basil or Amazing Herbes
PEANUT SAUCE INGREDIENTS: ½ C Peanut Butter smooth ¼ tsp Pummull Spice (or Cinn blend) 1 Tbsp Maple Syrup or Brown Sugar 2 Tbsp Soy Sauce 1 Tsp Rice Vinegar (or white) ½ tsp red pepper flakes ¼ C hot water (start with 1/8 C and add to desired consistency)
INSTRUCTIONS: Prepare Chicken thighs by skinning, deboning and cutting into small strips. In a large bowl add chicken, Amazing Rub, oil, soy sauce, hot sauce and citrus juice (lemon or lime). Toss to coat the strips of chicken and set aside for 15-30 minutes or cover and refrigerator overnight.
Drain Chicken from marinade before searing. Get a skillet hot with oil, and place chicken pieces in skillet, do not over crowd, looking to sear these and create a nice golden brown surface on all side. Remove chicken that is cooked thru (no pink in centers) and continue to cook all chicken, set aside on warm plate. In same pan as cooked chicken, add a little more oil and cook the chopped, drained pineapple looking to toss coat and brown (add a little sprinkle of Amazing Rub to season and brown)
Assemble the Slaw with Cabbage/Carrot mix, ½ C Trail Mix, and toss dress with lime juice, oil, soy sauce, hot sauce- when all coated, finish with a drizzle of Toasted Sesame Oil if desired.
Place a cup of dressed Slaw in center of each serving dish, top with seared pineapple and lastly with chicken strips. Can be garnished with a little more trail mix, or chopped basil or Herbs as noted.
The Peanut Sauce recipe above is delicious as a side dressing to use in the entire plated salad or for a dressing for the chicken. This is so very packed with flavor, and you’ll be shouting “encore”. I have found that a prepared plated salad with all ingredients is also delicious to refrigerate (cover with wrap) and do a quick 1 minute warm in micro. Enjoy!!!
KB’s Amazing Skillet Pork Chops stuffed with Apple and White Cheddar Finished with a Dijon, Maple and Lemon-Kissed Sauce
MY INSPIRATION was to make a skillet version of a fork tender pork chop…but keep the applesauce off the plate. These pork shops are slightly stuffed with thin slices of apple and a slice of a very sharp Vermont White Cheddar Cheese. The Cheese virtually melts into the apples and the taste is wonderful! So here is how I prepared these chops…but the sauce may just steal the show here. Pork bits from the skillet (which will have remnants of the Amazing Rub and some corn starch) , loosened and cooked in stock, with spicy Dijon mustard, sweet and pure Vermont Maple Syrup and just to shout it out, a kiss of lemon juice. No need to thicken…just bring to heat, a quick boil and down to a simmer that reduces by one half! YUM!
CATEGORY: Main Event SERVES: 4 LEVEL: Intermediate, you got this!
INGREDIENTS: 4 pork chops (1” thick) 1 small peeled, cored and thin sliced apple 4 pcs Vermont Sharp Cheddar (2” squares) 2 Tbsp Corn Starch 1 Tbsp KB’s Amazing Rub ( or your house sweet n spiced rub) ½ tsp black pepper 1 Tbsp Olive Oil
SAUCE: 1 C chicken stock 1 Tbsp Dijon mustard 1 Tbsp Maple Syrup 1-2 Tbsp Lemon Juice Chopped fresh parsley or 1 teaspoon of The Amazing Herbes
DIRECTIONS: Take the pork chops out of the cooler and pat with paper towel, cover and let come to temperature.
Make a slice into side/middle center of pork chop and stuff with thin apple slices and 1 pc cheese.
In a plate; add corn starch and the Amazing Rub, black pepper. Press all chops each side into this seasoned corn starch.
Heat oil in a skillet that has a cover. When the oil is hot, place the chops down into oil and sear for 2-3 minutes to brown nicely. When browned, carefully flip the chops and start the sear on that side. Almost immediately bring the heat down to low, cover the pan…and put timer on for 10 minutes. Because chop size may vary, start to check done at 5-7 minutes. When juices run clear, remove from the pan, set aside and cover with foil for at least 5 minutes.
This is when you make your sauce
SAUCE: Deglaze the pan with chicken stock working all browned bits from bottom of pan. Bring to a slight boil, lower to simmer adding Dijon mustard, maple syrup and lemon juice. Simmer to reduce by half, at this point taste for seasoning…salt, pepper more mustard…your taste.
Add fresh parsley or 1 slight tsp of the Amazing Herbes if desired for a finish.
Plate the chops, great with potato and mixed veggies.
Delicious French Provencal beef braised in red wine until meltingly tender and sensuously delicious!
CATEGORY: Main Event SERVES: 4-6 LEVEL: Intermediate
INGREDIENTS; 1/4 lb (peppered) bacon, cut into small strips 3 lbs lean stew beef 3 cups red wine (Burgundy) 1 cup beef stock 1-2 carrots, peeled and chopped 1 onion, chopped 2 tbsp tomato paste 3 garlic cloves, minced 1 full orange peel, no pith 1 tsp Amazing Herbes or (2 sprigs parsley; 2 sprigs thyme [1/4 tsp if dried]; 1 sprig rosemary) 1 bay leaf 1 tsp Amazing Rub 1/2 cup flour or corn starch Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
RECOMMENDED TO FINISH WITH: 2 cups tomatoes, crushed or chopped 3/4 cup black (Nicoise) olives, pitted 2 tbsp butter 1 onion, chopped 1 lb mushrooms sliced 1 tsp Amazing Rub (or) 1 tsp sugar
DIRECTIONS: Place orange peel with Amazing Herbes (or create herb bouquet with orange peel, parsley, thyme, rosemary, and bay leaves and place in) with beef, wine, 1 onion, carrots, and garlic in a large, non-reactive bowl. Refridgerate overnight or for up to two days (or just a few hours if that is all you have!). Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Remove the beef from the marinade and set the marinade aside. Pat the beef dry and toss with flour (or corn starch) and Amazing Rub blend to coat, shaking off any excess. Set the beef aside.
In a large frying pan, slowly cook bacon to release fat. Do not brown. Set bacon aside. Brown the stew meat in the bacon fat over high heat. Brown the meat in batches. If you overcrowd the pan, the meat with steam and your stew will not a have a rich brown color. Add a little oil to the pan if needed. Place in a large pot with a lid.
When all of meat is browned, deglaze frying pan with 1 cup of beef stock. To deglaze; pour stock into pan and cook it while stirring to dissolve all of the good crispy stuff in the bottom of the pan. Pour over meat.
Add remaining marinade, tomato paste, garlic, thyme, bay leaf and reserved bacon pieces. Bring to a boil on the top of the stove and season with salt and pepper. Cover tightly with a lid and place in the oven. Cook slowly for anywhere from 3-5 hours, stirring once or twice. (Or, cover and simmer over low heat on stovetop for about 2 hours, until meat is tender.)
Your dish is ready to be served!
Or, finish with this last 30 minute step. In a large frying pan, melt butter. Add the onion and mushrooms and sprinkle with Amazing Rub (or sugar), saute until golden brown. Stir the tomatoes and olives into onion mixture and return to the oven for another 30 minutes.
Serve on individual plates in a ring of whipped Duchess Potatoes.
TRY IT! Terri adds 2 tbs of balsamic vinegar and a couple of dark chocolate squares to add shine and finish just before serving.
Bacon is the Kitchens’ Staple. When you want to turn a salad into something special, when your wrap needs a punctuation point, when your casserole is begging to be more…oh and don’t get us started on breakfast! The Amazing Bacon is crispy, tasty with a sweet n’ spice and the crunch factor is a 10!
This is always on hand and super easy to prepare with an oven roasting…20 minutes and done!
CATEGORY: Favorites! SERVES: 8 (w/ 2 slices person or sandwich) LEVEL: Easy, Presto!
Heat Oven to 400 degrees (conventional or convection/w conv faster). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Lay the slices of bacon on sheet pan and sprinkle with 1 Tbsp Amazing Rub.
Cook for 18 minutes, remove from oven, turn each slice and sprinkle with 1 Tbsp of Amazing Heat, cook additional 3 mins checking continuously for perfect color.
Remove from oven and drain slices on paper towel lined plate. Set, ready go….crunch and have fun!
Yes, this salad has it all. The great sweet and spicy taste of warm broiled grapefruit on a bed of fresh greens, crispy chopped bacon, blue cheese and an egg done so pretty it should be in pictures!(oh wait, it is!) Finish this salad with a drizzle of the best Olive Oil, drizzle of Honey and just because we are being decadent here, I like a little bit of Lime Cilantro Seasoned Greek Yogurt. You add the salt’n pepper and this dish is your complete Brunch on a plate! It also works for Lunch and Dinner!
CATEGORY: Brunch SERVES: 2 LEVEL: Easy, there it is!
INGREDIENTS
Broiled Grapefruits: 1 Ruby Red large Grapefruit (halved and sectioned, or peeled and segmented) 2 tsp of Amazing Rub (Brown sugar based) ½ tsp of Pummull Spice (House Cinnamon blend) Sprinkle the Grapefruit with seasonings and broil watching closely. It takes about 5-7 minutes as the fruit will release juices, slowing the caramelizing down a little. Set Fruit aside when done.
Salad: 4 Cups of Fresh mixed greens 3 chopped green onions 4 Crisp Bacon slices (try the Amazing Bacon recipe below note) 4 Tbsp crumbled Blue Cheese 4 Tbsp Greek Yogurt (or Mayo) with lime juice and chopped cilantro 2 Gently cooked sunny side up eggs 2 Tbsp Olive Oil 1 Tbsp Honey Salt n Pepper to taste
Assemble greens on 2 plates, add broiled grapefruit sections, bacon, blue cheese, egg to each plate. Drizzle with Olive Oil, Honey and garnish with chopped green onions and Lime/Cilantro Yogurt or Aoli. Best served with grapefruit and eggs warm.
Amazing Bacon is great to prepare in advance and make salads, sandwiches and snacking great!
1 lb of THICK sliced bacon, arrange slices on parchment paper on a large baking sheet. Sprinkle up side with Amazing Rub, Cook for 18 mins in a 400 degree oven. Pull out baking sheet, flip each piece of bacon and sprinkle with Amazing Heat…3 more minutes and out of oven, onto paper towels and onto delicious!
These Cabbage Rolls are so savory and bursting with flavor. The bonus to this recipe is using our Bacon-Wrapped Mini Meatloaf Mix, kitchensbounty.com. With this savory meat mixture we suggest first a Meatloaf (or minis) and half of the mixture, a pound, for use in these Cabbage Rolls. Long bake these delicious pockets of flavor and brown rice will absorb all the flavors and elevates the dish!
CATEGORY: MAINS SERVES: 6 LEVEL: Medium, You got this!
INGREDIENTS
CABBAGE ROLLS: 1# of the *KB Meatloaf Mix (see below) 1 Cup COOKED Brown Rice 1 fresh head of Green Cabbage 2 Tbsp of The Amazing Herbes
SAUCE: 28 OZ Can of the best crushed tomatoes (CENTO) 15 oz can of Tomato Sauce 2 TBLS of The Amazing Rub (or brown sugar) 1 TBLS of Balsamic Vinegar Olive Oil to sprinkle (I would stir the above sauce ingredients together and set aside. The cooking of the sauce happens in the oven pan of cabbage leaves – makes a fresher taste!)
Prepare the *KB Meatloaf Mixture, this can be done the day before (while your baking a meatloaf!) and reserve ½ recipe or one pound. Add the cooked brown rice to the meatloaf, toss together to incorporate. Divide into 12 portions and set aside for Cabbage Leaves.
Core slightly a large green cabbage and place in large pot with water, bring to a boil for a full 5 minutes, take off heat, remove from water and let rest 10 minutes to cool.
Next release and gently pry at least 12 great cabbage leaves. (At this point, the remainder of the cabbage can be cooled and refrigerated, Excellent thin sliced, use later in a stir fry!)
Cooled cabbage leaves will be spread out on board, meat/rice mixture at bottom of leave, roll and tuck sides in. Do this for 12 leaves.
In an approx 9 x 13 casserole pan, spray with cooking oil, pour ½ sauce mixture. Set the cabbage rolls into pan, end side down, you should be able to get all rolls in the pan. Pour the remainder of the Sauce over the rolls, sprinkle with remaining Tbsp of Amazing Herbes, cover with foil.
Oven at 350 degrees and cooking time is approximately 90 minutes. Check for tenderness and remember the meat mixture was uncooked, so important to give at least 60 minutes, I prefer 90.
*KB MEATLOAF MIX 1 Medium sautéed onion 1 C Chunky Salsa 2 ½# Ground beef/pork mixture 1 C inst oatmeal 2 lg eggs ½ C Parmesan Cheese 2 Tbsp Amazing Herbes Can be wrapped in 6 slices of bacon, sprinkled with AMAZ Rub to help brown. Bake in 350 degree oven, 1 hour
Follow the process of making stuffed cabbage rolls in photos…
French Onion Soup (with Julia’s lead and Terri’s Nod!)
This classic delish French Onion Soup is a recipe I first made and played with from Julia Childs Cookbook. I have tweaked this recipe, I think there is a little herb flavor that makes a big impact and I prefer to do this as a gluten free recipe with the use of corn starch. However, for the French Bread that is not gluten free, but I do have a great suggestion for that below!
However you slice it, this is a bowl of deliciousness!
Category: Luncheon Serves: 6-8 Level: Intermediate – You got this!
INGREDIENTS:
For the SOUP 6 C thinly sliced yellow onions 2 Tbsp Oil 2 Tbsp Butter 2 tsp The Amazing Rub Seasoning (Sugar/salt/spices) 2 Tbsp Corn Starch 7 C Beef Stock ½ C White Wine
For the Garnish 12 oz. Swiss Cheese finely sliced/chopped 4 oz. Parmesan Cheese grated 3 Tbsp Cognac For the Croute 8 slices French Bread (about 1” thick) (or SCHAR Baguette/Gluten Free Bread but DELIC!) 4 Tbsp Olive Oil for drizzling 1 Tbsp The Amazing Herbes
In a Stock Pot or Dutch oven add 2 Tbsp oil and Butter. Add sliced onions and stir until they are coated with the mixture and cook on medium about 10 mins. Sprinkle the Amazing Rub Seasoning on the onions and continue to cook 10-15 minutes until golden. Once caramelized add 2 Tbsp Corn Starch and continue to cook for a few minutes. Stir in the ½ C white wine, now add 1 cup of stock and continue to stir while scraping up all bits in bottom of pan. Add all remaining stock, bring near boil, reduce heat and simmer for approximately 30 minutes.
To make the Croutes/toasted bread. I definitely prefer the bread broiled toasted and not hard baked. I love an ‘el dente texture …so drizzle the first side of the bread slices with olive oil, toast under broiler til golden, flip and butter second side and sprinkle generously with the Amazing Herbes (our house Herb blend or your house blend). I really think the herbs add such a plus to the final soup experience. If you don’t have this blend, I would say a little Oregano and Sage….
Now take 6-8 Oven Proof Bowls or Ramkins, place 1 Tbsp Parmesan Cheese in the bottom of each. Next ladle the French Onion Soup into Bowls and top with toasted French bread and add the Swiss Cheese in a thick layer making sure to cover bread and edges. Pour ½ Tbsp Cognac into soup/bread mixture, drizzle with a little oil or melted butter. Place Ramkins on baking sheet (for ease into oven).
Place in a 350 degree oven for about 20-30 minutes checking on Cheese melting and slight browning.
Here it is, super flavorful, melting onions and toppings.
