Easy Gourmet Pomegranate Chicken: Rice Food Storage Recipe
If you’re like me, you agonize over what to cook for a group gathering or…your in-laws! With the holidays approaching, chances are you’ll be doing some entertaining or maybe even playing host to your in-laws and you’ll be wondering what fabulous holiday dish you can prepare with all you have going on. Well, last night I found just that dish! It highlights pomegranate, which is the new “in” food with all of it’s anti-oxidant powers and delicious taste, and is a PERFECT festive holiday food. This meal should be started in the morning (since it needs to marinate) which means less prep time for you in the evening when it all needs to be made. My suggestion is to get as much ready in the morning as you can while you’re getting the chicken marinating so when it’s time for dinner, you’ll look like super woman just tossing a few things together to make such a fabulous meal that will seem to your guests like you slaved in the kitchen all day for. I’ve included the recipe and what to do in the morning and evening and how to put it together for presenation. Here’s to very successful entertaining by YOU! Good luck!
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Pomegranate Chicken
1 c. unsweetened pomegranate juice (from about 5 large pomegranates or from store bought juice)
3 T. soy sauce
1/2 t. dry rosemary (or about double for fresh)
1/2 t. fresh grated ginger (I don’t peel mine and you can freeze leftover whole ginger in your freezer, just grate what you need)
2 large cloves garlic, minced or pressed
3 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken thighs (really the richness of thigh meat is needed in this recipe)
1/2 c. heavy cream
1/3 c. pomegranate seeds (optional)
fresh rosemary or parsley sprigs
In a 9×13 baking dish, combine pomegranate juice, soy sauce, rosemary, ginger, and garlic. Coat chicen wit marinade. Cover, refrigerate 8 hours or over night.
Drain off and reserve marinade. Arrange chicken pieces slightly apart in baking dish. Bake uncovered in 350 degree oven about 30-45 minutes, basting occasionally with marinade. (Your chicken will be dyed red due to the pomegranate juice so you’ll want to use a thememometer for doneness, it should be 165)
Transfer chicken to platter and keep warm. Then pour drippings into a 1 1/2-2 qt. pan, stir in cream. Bring to boil over high heat and boil rapidly until sauce is slightly thickened and reduced to about 3/4 cup. Spoon sauce evenly over chicken. Garnish with pomegranate seeds and rosemary sprigs. Serve over Pomegranate Rice.
Pomegranate Rice
2 green onions, chopped with the tops (cut the white in half and shop horizontally)
1 T. butter
1 c. long grain rice
2 t. grated fresh ginger
1/8 t. ground cinnamon
2 c. chicken broth
1/2 c. roasted salted pistachio nuts, shelled (or you could sub in coarsely chopped cashews)
1 c. pomegranate seeds
lemon peel strips (optional)
In large saucepan cook green onions in hot butter over medium heat 3-5 minutes or just until tender, stirring occasionally. Add rice, ginger, and cinnamon. Cook and stir 5 minutes or until rice begins to brown.
Carefully add broth to rice. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer covered, 14 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand for 10 minutes or until the liquid is absorbed.
Stir in nuts and pomegranate seeds. Sprinkle with lemon peel.
Putting both recipes together:
In the morning do the following:
- grate 2 1/2 t. fresh ginger (using 1/2 t. for the marinade and reserving 2 t. for the rice)
- get chicken in marinade and soaking in your fridge for 8 hours
- open pomegranate and empty seeds (you’ll need 1 1/3 c.- 1 c. for the rice and 1/3 c. for the chicken)
- chop 2 green onions and place in the fridge for later
- check and make sure you’ve all the needed ingredients (running to the store in the morning is a lot easier than doing it while you’re making dinner)
In the evening:
- Get your chicken cooking
- Start your rice
- While the rice is cooking prepare side dishes (I did asparagus and artichokes- but you could do nice salad, green beans, etc.)
Presentation:
On a large platter overlap chicken thighs around the edge. Fill the center with rice. Pour chicken sauce over chicken and garnish with pomegranate seeds. Place sprigs of rosemary in between the chicken thighs and one in the center of the rice. Place lemon strips on top of rice.
Valentine’s Day for Two Pecan Crusted Salmon: Food Storage Recipes
The great thing about this meal is that usually really expensive types of meat and seafood are on sale around Valentine’s day. So if you love salmon (like me) it’s a great time to buy some…not to mention I have a to die for recipe that is easy but tastes like you just spent $50 for dinner! This salmon requires soaking in milk before you do the pecan crust (obviously so the crust will stick) and there is definitely NO REASON to waste your drinking milk on milk that you’re going to soak fish in and WILL have to throw away afterwards! *sigh* Another great way to use food storage! I LOVE IT!!
Pecan Crusted Salmon
4 salmon fillets (about 6 oz. each)
2 c. milk (1/3 c. dry powdered milk + 2 c. water)
1 c. finely chopped pecans
1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1/4 c. packed brown sugar
2 t. seasoned salt
2 t. pepper
3 T. vegetable oil
1. Place salmon fillets in a large resealable plastic bag; add milk. (Mix your powdered milk together first before you do this step) Seal bag and turn to coat. Let stand for 10 minutes; drain.
2. Meanwhile, in a shallow bowl, combine the pecans, flour, brown sugar, seasoned salt and pepper. coat fillets with pecan mixture, gently pressing into the fish.
3. In a large skillet, brown salmon in oil over medium-high heat. Transfer to a 15-in. x 10-in. baking pan coated with nonstick cooking spray. Bake at 400 for 8-10 minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork. -serves 4
Personally, I served this with mashed sweet potatoes and a mix of yellow squash and zucchini…but you can do whatever side dishes you like!
**Just a little tip** when I first made this I had extras which I put in the fridge. The next day I made a DELICIOUS salad with the salmon flaked, blackberries, avocados, and Ken’s Sweet Vidalia Onion Salad dressing. It tasted SOOOO gourmet and looked beautiful. Just thought I’d give you another option 
Valentine’s Day for Two (Food Storage Style :) : Grilled Pork Chops with Cranberry Applesauce
Okay, today and tomorrow I’m going to put up some very DELICIOUS (and amazingly EASY) recipes that you can make for your honey on V-day instead of eating out (expensive!). Personally, I decided a looong time ago that I HATE eating out on V-day so I always make a nice meal at home. If you need ideas for a gift, make sure to check out Food Storage Made Easy or for some great coupons for date ideas go to The Obsessive Shopper
Considering the recipe I made uses applesauce this is a great time to learn how to make applesauce from your dehydrated apple slices (see it’s so easy to make any recipe a food storage recipe!) It is easy, delicious and no one will know! You can use this in baking to substitute for oil or as a snack.
Applesauce-Food Storage Style!
To reconstitute apple slices use equal parts of dried apples to boiling water. For example:
2 cups dried apples 2 cups boiling water
Let: this set at least 5 minutes.
If you put this mixture through the blender you will have applesauce. For variety add 3 tbsp. Cinnamon Heart Candy to the mixture before you let it set or try some Cinnamon (about 2-3 t.) and Sugar (about 3-4 T.) mixture in it.
With the only thing consistant about gas and food prices is the fact that they are consistantly going up, my husband and I have been doing a lot more dates at home. It is so easy to swap baby-sitting with a neighbor (or if you kids are old enough, eat up stairs while they play downstiars) and spend some one on one time together with little effort and for CHEAP! (and of course some food storage mixed in 
This meal was SO delicious, easy and cost me about $4.00 to make. That wouldn’t even feed my husband and me at a fast food restaurant!
Grilled Pork Chops with Apple-Cranberry Sauce
Again, a great time to practice cooking with an alternate heat source! The topping is simply 2 C. applesauce (I made mine from the dehydrated apple slices) and 1 can Whole Cranberry Sauce (NOT jellied). The topping looks so gourmet with the chunks of cranberry and apple and takes NO time to make!
Roasted Garlic & Rosemary Mashed Potatoes
Potato pearls are great but I have heard of people not liking them. I want to suggest to you to add in some sour cream or cream cheese and butter to them. You add those ingredients into normal mashed potatoes so why not the pearls/flakes? If you really want to fake out the family, make sure and beat them just like you would “real” mashed potatoes.
3 cloves Roasted Garlic, chopped (I roast mine on the grill while I’m grilling the meat. You will need to turn them frequently so they don’t get burned. It will cook in about 3-4 minutes)
1 T. fresh rosemary spriggs or 1 t. dried rosemary
1/2-3/4 C. Sour Cream
2 T. Butter
Add the above ingredients to your 1 batch of potato pearls (directions are on the can). Beating your potato pearls or flakes gives it a great consistency and adds in a little air for that whipped creamy texture. It’s a great way to disguise using potato pearls instead of regular potatoes.
**Oh and before I forget, the girls over at Food Storage Made Easy told me that the Wondermill Wheat Grinder will be going up in price on the 15th. If you’ve had your eye on one make sure you send you significant other to THIS LINK to purchase it before prices go up!!
