Cassie’s Ruminations

Buffalo Chicken Breast

Another chicken recipe adapted from this month’s Cooking Light, this buffalo chicken recipe was easy and pretty tasty. It does have a kick, so be cautious if you’re not a fan. You can alter it by using less hot sauce, or a less spicy hot sauce, or if you’re a fire breather, you can always use a hotter sauce 😛 I served this with some roasted brussels sprouts and a quick cucumber and tomato salad – just sliced cucumber and tomato tossed in red wine vinegar, kosher salt, and black pepper.

Buffalo Chicken Breast
Serves 4

1.25 lb thinly sliced chicken breast

1/4 cup melted butter
3/4 cup Frank’s Red Hot
1/8 tsp onion powder
1/8 tsp liquid smoke

Place the chicken in a large zip top bag. Mix together the remaining ingredients and pour 3/4 of a cup of it into the bag, keeping 1/4 cup aside. Marinate the chicken at room temperature for 20 minutes.

Spray a nonstick skillet with nonstick spray and heat over medium. When the pan is hot, add the chicken and cook for 3-4 minutes on each side, or until cooked through and browned a little bit. Move the chicken to a serving bowl and toss with the reserved 1/4 cup of buffalo sauce. Serve warm.

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Dabob Oysters

As is becoming my tradition, I got some oysters to celebrate another week of successful weight loss. This week I got some Dabob oysters from the Hood Canal. These were fairly easy to shuck and had a nice briny flavor. I still like the Sister Point oysters better overall, but these were quite good 🙂

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Asian Chicken Lettuce Wraps

A nice healthy and filling lunch – Asian Chicken Lettuce Wraps.

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Penguin Socks

I almost forgot to post the great socks I got from my Mom for Christmas. I wore the penguin socks just a couple days ago 🙂

Posted in Ramblings | 1 Comment »

Another Weight Loss Goal Met!

Well, I’ve now lost 15% of my former self – 39 pounds so far and going strong 🙂

My sleep apnea is much improved, Shaun tells me, and moving around is much easier. On to the next goal!

Posted in Ramblings, Weight Watchers | 7 Comments »

Shrimp Scampi and Asparagus

Tonight I made my shrimp scampi and some roasted asparagus. An easy, quick meal that still feels like an indulgence 🙂

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Din Tai Fung Dumpling House

Today for lunch, I went to Din Tai Fung Dumpling House in Bellevue.

It’s an internationally renowned dim sum chain with most locations over in Asia. They’re especially famous for their xiao long bao – Shanghai steamed soup dumplings.

I arrived shortly after they opened for lunch, and it was already bustling. Walking to the door, I passed by large plate glass windows in front of the kitchen, where a multitude of cooks were forming dumplings. Luckily, my relatively early arrival allowed me to be seated right away. A waitress was immediately at my table to take my drink order and to answer any questions I had about the menu. My freshly brewed black iced tea was refreshing and promptly refilled as I studied the menu.

After much internal debate, I decided to try the hot and sour soup, the pork and shrimp shu mai, and the pork xiao long bao. The soup and shu mai were quite good, and the xiao long bao were just out of this world good. Their fresh ginger, soy, and black vinegar dipping sauce made right at the table was a beautiful complement to the dumplings. The vegetables, noodle dishes, and rice dishes going by looked gorgeous too. I’ll definitely be coming back!

Posted in Asian, Food, Restaurant Review | 1 Comment »

Chicken with Cherry Tomato Sauce

Another chicken recipe adapted from this month’s Cooking Light. This one was pretty unremarkable – not bad by any means, but very forgettable. Oh well. The roasted broccoli and cauliflower was quite good 🙂

Chicken with Cherry Tomato Sauce
Serves 4

1.5 lb thinly sliced skinless boneless chicken breasts
kosher salt and black pepper
2 tbsp olive oil
5 cloves garlic, pressed
1 lb grape tomatoes
1 cup non fat low sodium chicken broth
5 large leaves fresh basil

Season the chicken on both sides with salt and pepper. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the chicken and cook for 3-4 minutes on each side, or until nicely browned and cooked through. Remove the chicken to a plate and set aside.

Add the garlic to the skillet and sauté until the garlic just starts to turn golden and fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the tomatoes and sauté for another 2 minutes or until the tomatoes are starting to burst. Add the chicken broth and increase the heat to medium high. Bring the mixture to a boil and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

While the sauce is cooking, cut the basil into small pieces with a pair of kitchen shears and set aside.

Reduce the heat to medium low and return the chicken and any accumulated juices to the pan. Turn the chicken to coat and cook for 1 minute to meld the flavors. Serve warm with a generous sprinkle of the basil on top.

Posted in Food, Italian, Poultry, Vegetables | No Comments »

Herbed Chicken

Another of the chicken recipes adapted from this month’s Cooking Light. I made enough for the two of us, and altered the herbs to suit us. This was pretty tasty and nice and fast for a weeknight.

Herbed Chicken
Serves 2

2 skinless boneless chicken breast halves (about 1 lb)

For the marinade:
4 sprigs fresh rosemary
8 sprigs fresh thyme
4 sprigs fresh sage
2 cloves garlic
1 tbsp olive oil

Strip the leaves from the herb stems and place the leaves, garlic, and olive oil into a small food processor or blender and chop finely. Place the chicken into a zip top bag, add the marinade, and turn to coat well. Seal the bag and refrigerate for 2 hours. Remove the bag from the fridge and let sit on the counter for 10 minutes to come closer to room temperature.

Heat a grill pan over medium heat, and, when hot, add the herb coated chicken. Grill for 6-8 minutes or until nicely browned and cooked through. Serve warm.

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Beefalo Burgers

Dinner tonight was some very tasty beefalo burgers. Beefalo (no, that’s not a typo) is a cross-breed between domestic cattle and the North American Bison. It’s significantly lower in fat and somewhat higher in protein and nutrients than beef. I grilled these up in a grill pan on the stove and served the patties on ciabatta bread with romaine and sauteed mushrooms. Very good 🙂

Beefalo Burgers
Serves 2, generously

1 lb ground beefalo
1/8 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/8 tsp garlic powder
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

Mix the beefalo with the spices and Worcestershire sauce until just combined. Form into four patties, about 1/2 inch thick.

Heat a grill pan over medium high heat. Add the patties and grill for 3-4 minutes on each side, or until nicely browned and cooked through. Serve with condiments and veggies as desired.

Posted in Beef, Exotic Meats, Food, Grilling, Vegetables | No Comments »