JoeSoGarden Update!

I need to give an update on the garden. A month has passed since I first planted a few seedlings. Things look good overall, but it seems like a slow start. It really just warmed up this week, so I expect things to take off a little bit soon. But I've noticed that the box doesn't get full sun -- close buildings casting shadows, etc -- so we'll see...

The broccoli -- slow going at first -- has started to flourish. 

The row of carrot seeds has sprouted nicely!

My neighbor gave me a big chunk of mint -- need to make sure it doesn't take over the area -- and a chunk of oregano. They both rooted nicely in that little triangle section I have. It has pretty rocky soil, so I don't know.

She gave me some flowering plants and a flowering shrub -- orange and/or yellow or something like that. I planted those in a little pattern in the triangle part as well. So far it looks great -- healthy leaves, new growth, etc.

Back over in the planter box, the coriander/cilantro seeds I planted have sprouted. I only need a few of them to supplement the plant I put in originally. 

from the seeds planted a couple weeks ago

original plant

The row of onions looks fantastic! I keep loosening the soil around them. I think I'm doing it right.

Nicely organized!

I planted a banana pepper seedling and a red pepper seedling, and neither of them has grown at all. I mean seriously nothing -- not a single new leaf. They look fine, but they just look the same as they did the day I planted them. So I had this red pepper that I was about to roast on the grill. I collected the seeds from it and planted them next to the slow-growing seedling -- just in cast. Then I had a banana pepper that I got to make Italian sandwiches, and I did the same thing - -collected and planted the seeds. We'll see how that turns out...

red pepper seeds on the left,
banana pepper on the right

Is this growing at all?

Showing no signs of growth...

Asian Chicken Salad

You might know that I really love Mark Bittman's cooking style and recipes. I cook a lot of chicken on the grill, and I make it really really well. Whenever I make some just for myself, I end up with leftover, so I wanted a good chicken salad recipe. I searched to see if Bittman had one, and came up with this amazing Asian Chicken Salad dish!

Today I cooked chicken to make with this -- rather than use leftover -- and I made some tweaks to suit my tastes and ingredients. It turned out really really well, and I found it simple and easy to make. The man speaks my language. I almost always cook chicken thighs rather than breasts, and when I make my sauce I use a significant amount of sugar. Lo (and behold!) when I read his recipe, I saw this: "Boneless chicken thighs are preferable to breasts here; their flavor and texture are superior, and they remain moist during cooking. Unless you must omit sugar for health reasons, you should really include it here as it adds a certain roundness." Brilliant. Then I realized that I probably use thighs and make my chicken sauce with sugar because of Mark Bittman -- so he doesn't really speak my language; I speak his. תודה

Ingredients

homegrown stevia, natural sweetener

1.5 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs

1/4 C. soy sauce

1 T. soy sauce

1.5 T. peanut butter

1 t. sesame oil

1 clove garlic, peeled

1 t. to 1 T. siracha or hot sauce

salt and pepper

1 t. stevia (or sugar)

1 T. vinegar

1 cucumber

1/4 minced cilantro leaves

Directions

0. Marinate

Cut the chicken pieces in halves or quarters -- but still big enough to cook on the grill. Marinate (in a bowl or plastic bag) chicken with 1/4 cup soy sauce for as long as desired (as short as a few minutes or as long as overnight).

1. Cook

Cook the chicken on the grill over low to medium heat, turning as necessary, for roughly 15 minutes. I like to cook on low for a while, then turn up the heat when it's almost done and get just a little char.

2. Sauce

In a blender (I use a magic bullet) combine the soy sauce, peanut butter, oil, garlic, hot sauce, salt, pepper, sweetener, and vinegar. Turn it on until it makes a nice, creamy sauce. Add some water or oil if too thick.

3. Combine

Cut up or shred the chicken and put in a bowl. Peel the cucumber, cut it in half lengthwise, scoop out the seeds, and dice it. Mix diced cucumber with peanut butter sauce, pour over chicken, and toss. Sprinkle minced fresh cilantro over chicken salad and mix. Serve immediately or cold.

grill just ran out of gas, so had to cook the chicken on the stove ... disappointing I know

Grilled Hot Sausage Sandwich with Red Pepper

You gotta love working from home on a Friday afternoon, cracking a bottle, and grilling hot sausage patties for a late lunch. You really do. I threw on a piece of corn and a red pepper as usual, and sliced up the pepper to eat with the sausage. I made the sandwich on a soft, whole grain roll with yellow mustard, relish, lettuce, and of course the red pepper on top of the hot sausage patty. Delicious.

Grilled Broccoli

Grilled broccoli!

I don't know if I've ever tried to grill broccoli before, but what I made last night turned out really well! I created a simple recipe based on a few things I had seen, so let's take a look...

Ingredients

• 1 head of broccoli
• 1/4 to 1/2 C. balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 C. olive oil
• coarse sea salt
• fresh ground pepper
• (optional) 2 oz. grated cheese

Directions

  1. Cut

Trim the outside of the broccoli stem (almost like peeling a carrot), but don't cut it off. Cut the broccoli into long, thin pieces, keeping a length of stem with each floret. You want to have a couple inches of length in addition to the floret, so you can put it on the grill.

  2. Marinate

Combine oil, 1/4 C. balsamic vinegar, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Use tongs to toss the broccoli pieces in the marinade. Pour a little more balsamic vinegar over the broccoli pieces if desired. Let sit for 30-60 minutes, tossing every few minutes.

  3. Cook

You'll need to figure out how best to cook it on your grill. I did it this way... 

Turn one side of the grill on high and the other side on low. Cook broccoli on the low side. Place thick pieces of broccoli on the back edge of the bottom rack and thinner pieces on the upper rack. (I also cooked chicken on the same side of the grill.) 

I moved a few pieces over to the high heat side for more char.

Cook for 20-30 minutes. Just cook until the broccoli reaches your desired tenderness -- and char level, if any. If it starts to char too quickly, move it to the top rack and/or turn off the heat completely on one side. Depending on your grill, flame level, temperature, etc. move the broccoli and adjust the heat accordingly until done! Remove from grill (and sprinkle cheese over broccoli if using).

grated raw milk cheddar cheese

mmm chicken

chicken, broccoli, and tomato cous cous

Cooking Out Often Lately

I've already dipped balls deep into cookout season over here, so I want to share some pictures from recent meals. 

I'll do a full recipe post for my Amazing Chicken some time soon. You just need chicken and four other ingredients of your choice to make an amazing sauce. 

sweet n spicy chicken

I like grilling my vegetables raw, especially when I have high quality veggies. Red and green peppers, corn, and other veggies supply their own great taste when grilled properly, in my opinion, and don't need anything else.

Hebrew National hot dog grilled corn and green pepper

I make a flavorful curry paste for mixing into burgers, which I really enjoy. I use curry powder, hot sauce, soy sauce, brown sugar, and a few other choice ingredients. I should do a post for that as well. When I moved into the apartment on Penn a couple years ago, and we got the gas grill, I started working on my own recipes for burgers, chicken, pork chops, etc. So I've had a lot of practice with some of these.

Joe burger with avocado and banana peppers

cheddar cheese, avocado, banana peppers

relish and yellow mustard

When I grill corn I leave it in the husk. If I have a chance, I soak it in water for a little while before grilling. I actually peal away a few pieces of husk, leaving maybe 2-4 layers rather than, say, 6-8. I firmly believe in slow grilling -- for almost everything. You can make the corn quickly in about 10 minutes, or go slowly for 20 or more.

grilled corn on the cob and Joe Chicken

sweet and spicy Joe Chicken

For an almost instant meal that takes no preparation, try grilling chicken sausages and whole red peppers. I get the peppers at Donatelli's Italian grocer in Bloomfield for like $1.19 for a bag of 8. Throw them on the grill for about 10 minutes over medium to high heat. I cook the red peppers whole then cut 'em up and serve with the sausage on a roll.

chicken sausages from the store

sweet red pepper -- perfect grilled plain