Cavey Cali Cheesesteak

This recipe won Post of the Day for 5/13/10!

A bit of a California twist to the classic Cavey Cheesteak. It’s just as tasty and you probably won’t even notice that it’s a little healthier.

INGREDIENTS

6-8 Ounces Cooked Chicken, preferably Juicy Beer Can Chicken
3 Medium-Small Baby Bella Mushrooms
2 Thin Slices Sweet Onion
1/4 Medium-Small Red Bell Pepper
1/4 Medium-Small Avocado
1-2 Slices of Cheese
1 Tbsp Oil
1 Tbsp Mayonnaise (we use the Light variety)
1 Fresh Sandwich Roll
Salt & Pepper to taste

RECIPE

Seed, devein, and chop the red pepper. Rinse, lightly scrub, and then chop mushrooms. Chop onions and slice avocado. Set aside.

Cut leftover chicken into one and two-bite pieces. Both white and dark meat are okay. Set aside.

Over a medium-high flame, heat oil on non-stick griddle or in large skillet. Add all veggies and salt & pepper to taste.

Since the chicken is already cooked, and you don’t want to end up over-cooking and drying it out, let the veggies cook a bit before adding the chicken. Just before you are going to flip them the first time is usually a good time to do it.

While everything is cooking, get your roll ready. Butterfly slice the roll, being careful not to cut all the way through. If it’s super fresh like the one pictured here there’s no need to heat the roll up. If it could use a little help, place it on the griddle and quickly heat both sides. Evenly spread mayo, place avocado slices on bottom side, and set aside on plate.
HINT: Choosing the right roll is critical for a really good cheesesteak sandwich. If possible, skip the pre-packaged rolls in the store and get a good, fresh-baked Amoroso roll, Artisan roll, or French Roll. It does make a huge difference!

Just before chicken is ready to come off the grill (you just want to get it hot) add cheese slices. Allow to begin melting before removing from griddle.
NOTE #1: Although we used Swiss Cheese here, any number of cheeses would work well with this sammie. Experiment! Though, the Swiss is gooooood!!

When ready, remove cheese topped chicken with a spatula and evenly distribute on roll.

With the spatula, remove veggies from griddle and evenly distribute on top of chicken. There! You’ve done it!! Enjoy!!!

NOTE #2: I was planning on taking a picture of the Cavekids unabashedly stuffing their faces with this dish, but I was too busy stuffing my own face to notice that they were done before I even got halfway through mine.
On a side note, the Caveboy called “Dibs!” on the remaining leftover chicken so that I could make him another one of these tomorrow!

Prep Time = 10 minutes
Cook Time = 8 minutes
Serves 1

©2010 Caution: Caveman Cooking/UHearMe, Inc. All rights reserved. This recipe originally appeared on the Caution: Caveman Cooking blog at http://cavemancooking.net authored by Caveman. This recipe may be shared and reprinted as long as this entire copyright message accompanies it.

Mom’s Club Meals On Wheels

Last night, the Cavewoman and I teamed up to cook a homemade meal for Yaeera, a local mom of two who had just given birth to her third last week, and her brood. We did this as part of a program our local Mom’s Club chapter does for families with newborns. Each night a different family volunteers to cook for them and then delivers it to them around dinner time.
The funny part is that we just met this new-for-the-third-time mom a few weeks ago when she responded to an email blast from my wife to any local mom’s who wanted the inflatable bouncy the Cavekids had outgrown. Yaeera and I ended up chatting for almost an hour and really hit it off. So, when the Cavewoman half-jokingly asked, “Want to make dinner for your new best friend?”, I was totally game!
READ MORE >>

©2010 Caution: Caveman Cooking/UHearMe, Inc. All rights reserved. This post originally appeared on the Caution: Caveman Cooking blog at http://cavemancooking.net authored by Caveman. This post may be shared and reprinted as long as this entire copyright message accompanies it.

Tasty Enchiladas

Back by popular demand, the Cavewoman returns to share her tasty Cheese Enchilada recipe. Don’t worry fellow carnivores, we’ll still show you how to turn them into awesome Chicken Enchiladas, too!

INGREDIENTS

1 12 oz. package Queso Fresco
2 Cups finely shredded Chedder Cheese
1 16 oz. Can of Corncorn
1 28 oz. Can Enchilada Sauce
12-16 Flour Tortillas
3 Serrano Peppers, finely chopped
2 Tbsp. Vegetable Oil

RECIPE

Heat 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil in a large, flat non-stick fry pan and lightly fry tortillas. Pat dry with a paper towel. If pan dries out after 5 or 6 tortillas add another tablespoon of oil.
I don’t like them too brown, just lightly cooked. Frying them is a must though, I tried it once skipping this step and it was horrible. Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for healthy meals, but sometimes a little grease is a good thing.

Make sure the Queso Fresco is culture pasteurized … otherwise you’ll be playing Russian Roulette with your digestive system. Crumble Queso Fresco into a large bowl.

Mix in the rest of the dry ingredients and then combine with 1/3 of can of the sauce.

The next step is very important. Make sure you have an adorable sous chef! If you don’t have one, I highly recommend getting one.

If you want to do the meat-lover’s version of this recipe add some chicken to the cheese mixture and combine well. My hubby, the Caveman, likes to cook up one of his Juicy Beer Can Chickens and add about 1.5 to 2 cups of it, shredded. He swears by it but, of course, I just skip this step and keep it veggie-friendly.

I always forget, but use a nonstick spray before doing this next step. You’ll be happy later that you did. If you forget like I did, it makes for very messy enchilada’s when you go to scoop them out. They still rock, but they just aren’t as pretty. After you spray, coat the bottom of the large baking dish with some sauce.

Place a mound of the mixture in the center of the tortilla. “Testing” the mixture is a must at this point. I like it almost as much raw as I do cooked. It’s amazing, no need to be patient, nibble away. There’s plenty.

Squeeze lightly but firmly while you are rolling. Yikes, my hands look BONEY!!

Place in pan seam side down and cover them with the remaining sauce. Cook them at 350 covered with foil for 35 minutes. If you like melted cheese on top, uncover at 30 minutes and put more cheese on top.

We like diced up Serrano’s on ours. These are homegrown and so good. But, we have more than we know what to do with! If you have any good Serrano Pepper recipes, please send them our way. We could use them!!

Even though these are Cheese Enchiladas here, the Cavedude found a way to beef ‘em up with some Carne Asada and Rockin’ Guac.
You may think I’m crazy, but my favorite thing about making this dish (besides nibbling on the uncooked filling) is having leftovers for breakfast the next day. And then more for lunch. And, perhaps, even more for dessert! I just can’t get enough of these … yes, I need help.

Prep Time = 15 minutes
Cook Time = 35 minutes
Serves 6-8

©2010 Caution: Caveman Cooking/UHearMe, Inc. All rights reserved. This recipe originally appeared on the Caution: Caveman Cooking blog at http://cavemancooking.net authored by Caveman. This recipe may be shared and reprinted as long as this entire copyright message accompanies it.

Freezer Food Fest #11

It’s official! We’re moving!! So, I have been given a “request” by the Cavewoman to empty the freezer before we hit the road. The pressure is on!

After being down for the count for nearly a week with a nice little bug passed on from one of my walking petri dishes, also known as my daughter, I was itchin’ to get back in the kitchen. Plus, I was long overdue for making another dent in this icy odyssey that only has a few weeks to go. As I was digging through the freezer, I found something I had bought for my Veggie wife to try after her obvious pangs of jealousy over not being able to indulge the last time I made my Easy Chicken Parm. Though, as I pulled it from it’s chilly sanctuary, I realized I had bought the wrong variety. Instead of the plain original MorningStar Chik Patties I had inadvertently picked up the Parmesan Ranch. I was afraid they might be too seasoned … But, these would have to do.
I whipped up a batch of Italian Sauce, dressed up the chicken breasts for the Parm, and got ready to prepare the faux-chicken using the “Oven Method” described on the box. My plan was to get them ready to get sauced and cheesed when I did the same to the real chicken the Cavekids and I would be eating. Surprisingly, everything went perfectly! About 5 minutes after completing the last steps I pulled it all out of the oven, served it all up with some spaghetti, and a nice salad the Cavewoman put together.

Vegetarian Chicken Parm

As usual, the short-people devoured their plates with the sounds of chewing being almost the only thing audible from their sauce-covered faces. The best sound, however, was my wife getting her first taste of Chicken Parm since before her 12th birthday and absolutely loving it. Though, after several bites she did note that the Parmesan Ranch Chik Patties were a bit salty. Ahhhhhh … bummer! My purchasing faux pas had ended up coming back to haunt me after all. I was quickly heartened, though, when my wife said she’d be eager to try it again with the original version of the product. She still somehow managed to “muddle” her way through the salty version.
Regardless, we all had a great dinner together (the first time this week we all sat together for dinner), and I was able to score another notch in my ice pick. Best of all, I also managed to make a couple extra “real” chicken breasts that will be perfect for leftover Chicken Parm Sandwiches. Guess what I’m having for lunch today?!?!

©2010 Caution: Caveman Cooking/UHearMe, Inc. All rights reserved. This originally appeared on the Caution: Caveman Cooking blog at http://cavemancooking.net authored by Caveman. This may be shared and reprinted as long as this entire copyright message accompanies it.

Freezer Food Fest #3

It’s official! We’re moving!! So, I have been given a “request” by the Cavewoman to empty the freezer before we hit the road. The pressure is on!

As I’m rummaging through the freezer to find some skinless, boneless breasts to make Chicken Panang (Thai Red Curry in Coconut Milk) I come across a bag of frozen French Green Beans from Trader Joe’s, and the light bulb over my head goes on, singeing a bald spot onto the top of my head (okay, so the bald spot was already there ). I figure these would probably go great in a Panang and I could “kill two frozen birds with one wok”. So, I decided to forego my usual ingredients of peas and red bell peppers for the beans-with-an-accent and went to work on a meal that is one of my favorites, but hadn’t yet been tried by the Cavekids nor was it (curry) on the Cavewoman’s list of faves. But, in being true to my stubborn Taurus lineage, I trudged forward.

Chicken Panang

I sauteed the curry paste, browned the tofu for the veggie-version I would make for my herbivore wife, cooked the chicken and added the rest of the ingredients including the Haricot Verts. The smells emanating from the kitchen definitely piqued everyone’s curiosity. But, upon first glance the Caveboy’s reaction was “What’s that sauce???”, said with a keen feeling of dread. But when the first bites were taken, all reservations were replaced by comments like “Wow, dad! That’s good!!”. Even the Tofu version met with sincere approval from the Cavewoman who found it “Absolutely delicious!”.

Tofu Panang

While I’m really happy that everyone ended up loving this round of Freezer Food Fest, I am slightly bummed. Now, that the whole family likes Panang with French Green Beans there won’t be much in the way of leftovers for moi! That’s okay, though, because we will be having this dish more often, now that it has received the Cavehold Seal of Approval.

©2009 Caution: Caveman Cooking/UHearMe, Inc. All rights reserved. This originally appeared on the Caution: Caveman Cooking blog at http://cavemancooking.net authored by Caveman. This may be shared and reprinted as long as this entire copyright message accompanies it.

Chicken Panang (Thai Red Curry in Coconut Milk)

This recipe was honored with a FoodBuzz Top 9!

This is delicious, traditional Thai table fare. It has a little heat, but it gets cut by the Coconut Milk. Definitely worth a try!

INGREDIENTS

2 Large Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts
1 Can (19 oz.) Coconut Milk
2 oz. Thai Panang Curry Paste (or substitute Thai Red Curry paste)
3-4 Garlic Cloves
2 Medium Carrots, peeled
1/3 Pound French Green Beans, rinsed
4 Large Fresh Basil Leafs, rinsed
2 Tbsp Vegetable Oil

RECIPE

NOTE: I usually use peas and red bell pepper instead of green beans, but I saw an opportunity to get two ingredients into the Freezer Food Fest. It also goes to show that this recipe can accommodate just about any tweeks you want to attempt. Try broccoli, snap peas, bamboo shoots, etc. They all work incredibly well and help create variety for each incarnation of this delicious dish.
Chop carrots, mince garlic, and slice basil. Set aside.
HINT #1: Try to get authentic Thai Panang curry paste and Thai coconut milk, if you can. The taste and texture difference from their Americanized counterparts is very noticeable. If you can’t find Panang paste use the widely available Thai Red Curry paste and add some ground Kaffir Lime leaves (again, if you can find them) or zest of lime.

Cut chicken breasts into medium bite-sized pieces. Set aside.

Heat oil in wok or stir-fry pan. Add garlic and curry paste, saute for 2-3 minutes.

Add chicken to pan. Cook fully.
HINT #2: If things start to get too dried out in the pan, add a small splash of the coconut milk or some water.

Add green beans and carrots … everyone into the pool!  Stir in for about a minute.

Add Coconut milk and stir in well.

Stir in basil while barely bringing liquid to a light boil (just starting to show bubbles).
NOTE: Notice another great hand-model “headshot”. Though, I’ve decided against a new career in metacarpus modeling … I don’t think I could hang with daily manicures.

Remove from heat and serve over steamed rice along with some Thai Table Sauce (Prik Nam Pla).

HINT #3: This recipe can easily be made veggie-friendly. Just substitute some Extra Firm Tofu for the chicken. Be sure to lightly brown the Tofu in a little bit of oil FIRST. Then proceed as chronicled above.

Tofu Panang

Prep Time = 12 minutes
Cook Time = 15 minutes
Serves 4-6

©2009 Caution: Caveman Cooking/UHearMe, Inc. All rights reserved. This recipe originally appeared on the Caution: Caveman Cooking blog at http://cavemancooking.net authored by Caveman. This recipe may be shared and reprinted as long as this entire copyright message accompanies it.

Easy Chicken Parm

A quick and easy version of the Italian classic … Chicken Parmesan

INGREDIENTS

2 lbs. Chicken Breasts, boned & skinned, 1/2 inch thick
2 Cups of Cave’s Italian Sauce, warmed
8 oz. Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
2/3 Cup Italian Bread Crumbs
1/3 Cup Parmigiano-Reggiano Cheese, finely grated
1/2 Cup Milk

RECIPE

Preheat oven to 415°. If Chicken breasts are too thick, butterfly cut them to the proper size. You will probably end up with about six pieces of Chicken when properly sized.

Put bread crumbs and Parmigiano-Reggiano (Parmesan) cheese on a plate and combine well.

Put milk onto similar sized plate (make sure the plates have raised edges to prevent spillage) and place next to bread crumb/cheese mixture. Take each breast and first fully coat in milk.

Then, take the breast and fully coat with bread crumb/cheese mixture.

Place evenly on cookie sheet or baking pan lightly coated with no-stick cooking spray and place into oven.

Cook for 20-25 minutes until edges turn golden brown and then carefully flip each breast. Return to oven for another 5 minutes. Then evenly spread approximately 1/3 cup of heated Italian Sauce on each breast.

And, cover each breast with Mozzarella Cheese.

Again, return to oven for another 2-3 minutes until cheese is fully melted. Serve with a side of pasta, salad and warm bread.

Prep Time = 5 minutes
Cook Time = 30 minutes
Serves 4-6

©2009 Caution: Caveman Cooking/UHearMe, Inc. All rights reserved. This recipe originally appeared on the Caution: Caveman Cooking blog at http://cavemancooking.wordpress.com authored by Caveman. This recipe may be shared and reprinted as long as this entire copyright message accompanies it.

Thai Red Curry (Pad Prik King)

A Caveman’s take on a classic Thai dish. Besides, I had to give you something to put the Thai Table Sauce (Nam Pla Prik) on!

INGREDIENTS

4 Chicken Thighs or 2 Large Breasts
1/4 lbs. Fresh Green Beans
1 Small Crown of Broccoli
1/4 Sweet Onion
4 Tbsp. Cooking Oil
3 Tbsp. Thai Red Curry Paste
1 Tbsp. Sugar

RECIPE

Skin, then bone chicken and cut into bite sized pieces (approximately 1 square inch).

Chop all veggies into bite sized pieces.

In a Wok or Stir Fry pan, heat oil over a medium high flame. Add curry paste and stir fry for about 3 minutes.

Add sugar and stir in well. Then, add chicken and cook until almost done, stirring often.

Add broccoli and green beans and stir fry for 1-2 minutes. Don’t over cook the veggies, or they get too soft and lose much of their nutritional value.

Add onions and stir fry an additional minute.

Remove from flame, and serve with steamed rice and Thai Table Sauce (Nam Pla Prik).
HINT #1: If this condiment is too spicy for you, just use some plain Fish Sauce to add some additional flavor.

NOTE: Traditionally, this dish is made only with green beans and meat, but I like throwing in the broccoli and onions for added flavor and complexity. This dish can also be made with beef, pork, lamb, shrimp or tofu! While you can make your own curry paste, there are several authentic canned Thai pastes available that are great. Trader Joe’s has a decent one (in a small bottle), too.
HINT #2: If making this recipe with tofu, be sure to lightly brown it in the Wok with a little oil before adding it to the curry paste, oil and sugar.

Prep Time = 15 minutes
Cook Time = 15 minutes
Serves 4

©2009 Caution: Caveman Cooking/UHearMe, Inc. All rights reserved. This recipe originally appeared on the Caution: Caveman Cooking blog at http://cavemancooking.wordpress.com authored by Caveman. This recipe may be shared and reprinted as long as this entire copyright message accompanies it.

Teriyamic Marinade

A favorite Caveman marinade for chicken, lamb or beef.

INGREDIENTS

1/2 Cup Teriyaki Sauce
1/2 Cup Balsamic Vinegar
1/4 Cup Olive Oil
3 Tbsp. World Spice Merchants “Bar-H Beef Rub”
2 Tbsp. Dried Chopped Onion
2 Tbsp. Molasses
1 Tbsp. Garlic
1 Tbsp. Sugar
For chicken or lamb (optional for beef): 3 Tbsp. Fresh Rosemary Sprigs

RECIPE

Mix all ingredients well in medium-sized bowl. Place meat into large plastic zip lock bag, pour marinade evenly over meat, and refrigerate overnight. Be sure to turn the bag over at least once halfway though the process to ensure even marinating.

HINT: I prefer the aged Balsamics and TJ’s “Island Soyaki” … they give an added flavor boost to this savory sauce.

Prep Time = 10 minutes
Cook Time = 0 minutes
Marinates 4-6 pounds of meat

©2009 Caution: Caveman Cooking/UHearMe, Inc. All rights reserved. This recipe originally appeared on the Caution: Caveman Cooking blog at http://cavemancooking.wordpress.com authored by Caveman. This recipe may be shared and reprinted as long as this entire copyright message accompanies it.

Juicy Beer Can Chicken

Easy to make and incredible on the palate. May be the juiciest chicken you will ever eat! Leftovers make great tacos, salads, chicken salad sandwiches, or just old-fashioned cold leftover chicken.

INGREDIENTS

1 Whole Chicken (5-6 lbs)
1 Can of Beer (warm, 2/3 empty)
2 Tbsp of Texas Select Seasonings™ “The Juicy Pig”
1/2 Lemon, juiced
1 Very Shallow, Oblong Aluminum Cake Pan (disposable)

RECIPE

Place cake pan centered under BBQ grill, then light. (NOTE: If using charcoal, first light coals and allow to grey-out. Then spread coals evenly around perimeter of grill, leaving hole in the middle of grill, and place cake pan in hole.) This is important in order to avoid flame-ups!

Remove neck, liver and gibblets from chicken and rinse bird well inside and out in cool water. Rub entire outside of bird with lemon juice, reserving some to put on the inside. Then liberally apply TSS The Juicy Pig seasoning to both inside and outside if chicken.

Take can of warm beer and pour out 2/3 of it. (NOTE: I know this is sacrilege for many of you. So, pour it into a beer mug and throw it in the freezer … it will be perfect by the time the bird is done!) Use a small punch or finishing nail and poke numerous holes in the top 1/2 of the can.

Hold the bird vertically and place the can as far as possible into the large hole between the legs (insert joke here). Then place bird with can centered on grill over drip pan.

If using gas grill, turn off middle burner. If using charcoal, see note above. Cover grill and try to keep hood temperature around 300°. Should be done in 70-80 minutes.

Don’t peek for at least an hour, but keep an eye out for flame-ups or rising temps. Whatever you do, don’t take your kids out for a quick bike ride or your bird may end up looking like this:

The skin should be very crispy. But, even if the skin gets overdone a bit, no worries! Just peel off the burnt parts and the meat underneath will still be the juiciest you’ve ever had … REALLY!

Serve with any sides you’d like. This time, we made rice pilaf and a caprese salad made with homegrown tomatoes and basil:

Prep Time = 10 minutes
Cook Time = 70-80 minutes
Serves 4-6

©2009 UFishClub.com/UFC – Unemployed Fishing Club™ All rights reserved. This recipe originally appeared on the UFC – Unemployed Fishing Club Forums at http://ufishclub.com/ufcfishingforum.html authored by Caveman. This recipe may be shared and reprinted as long as this entire copyright message accompanies it.