Asian Sauteed Greens

Got lots of wonderful greens that are just a little too blah to eat raw? Then come on down to Grubby's for some delicious Asian Sauteed Greens. Look, it even comes with a side salad. Any cooked greens will work, but a variety is best. And toss a turnip in for good measure. Enjoy!

Disney's Sonoma Chicken and Apple Salad

Sonoma Chicken and Apple Salad

Pacific Wharf Cafe

Yield: 4 servings

4 c. water
2 cubes chicken bouillon
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast
1/2 head iceberg lettuce
1/4 c. walnut halves
1/4 c. celery, diced small
1 Granny Smith apple, peeled and cut into wedges
2/3 c. honey mustard dressing (your favorite brand)
4 individual-sized bread bowls
4 leaves Romaine or leaf lettuce
8 fresh chives sprigs, chopped
1/4 c. dried cranberries

1. In a medium pot, boil 4 cups of water. Add chicken bouillon, stirring until the bouillon is dissolved in the water. Lower heat, and bring to a simmer.

2. Add chicken breast; cover pot and cook for about 8 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 165°F. Put chicken in the refrigerator to cool down.

3. Thinly shred the lettuce; set aside.

4. Dice chicken into 1/4" pieces and put it in a medium-sized bowl. Add walnuts, celery, apple wedges, and honey mustard dressing and toss well.

5. Hollow out the bread bowls; fill with the shredded lettuce. Place one lettuce leaf on the edge and place the chicken salad at the center. Sprinkle the salad with chives and cranberries just before serving.

Disneyland's Napa Rose Sea of Cortez Rock Scallops

Napa Rose Sea of Cortez Rock Scallops

Grand Californian Hotel

Yields 6 servings as an appetizer

Ingredients

12 large rock or diver scallops
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons clarified butter
11/2 cups chive potatoes (see following recipe)
11/2 cups lobster sauce (see following recipe)

Directions

Have mashed potatoes ready; they can be held warm and ready to serve.

Make lobster sauce and have it ready as well.

Place scallops on a towel and season with salt. Over medium high heat 2 tablespoons of clarified butter in a large sauté pan. Make sure pan is very hot, then add seasoned scallops.

Sauté for 4 minutes or until golden brown. Using kitchen tongs, turn scallops over and begin browning the opposite side. If they are cooking too quickly reduce the heat to medium. Once scallops are cooked on both sides, serve immediately.

To plate, place the hot chive whipped potatoes in the center of the plate, set two scallops per person on top of the potatoes. Then with a spoon, ladle sauce over the scallops and potatoes.


Napa Rose Sour Cream & Chive Whipped Potatoes

Ingredients

3 Russet potatoes, peeled
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons sour cream
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup snipped chives
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Place potatoes in a pot with enough cold water to cover them by at least 3 inches. Place on burner set to medium heat and bring to a boil. Simmer for approximately 20 minutes or until tender. Drain and transfer potatoes to a mixing bowl. Smash or pass potatoes through a ricer. Season with salt, chives and add the butter and cream until potatoes are nice and moist. Add lemon, taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.

These should be made in advance and can be held warm.


Napa Rose Lobster, Lemon & Vanilla Sauce

Ingredients

1 lobster (steamed, cracked and meat removed)
1 tablespoon clarified butter
2 minced shallots
1 cup white wine
1 cup chicken stock
1 vanilla bean or 1/8 teaspoon good vanilla extract
1 small pinch saffron
3 tablespoons diced tomatoes
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon fresh chopped thyme
6 tablespoons unsalted butter

Directions

In a sauce pan, sauté shallots in 1 tablespoon of clarified butter over medium high heat. Add the white wine and reduce by 70 percent. Add the chicken stock, half of one vanilla bean, saffron and reduce by 50 percent. Add tomatoes, lobster, chopped thyme and lemon juice.

Remove sauce pan from heat and slowly whisk in unsalted butter. Mixture should resemble a creamy lobster and saffron stew. Taste sauce and adjust by adding salt or a few drops of lemon juice if necessary.

Disneyland's Blue Bayou Chicken Florentine

Blue Bayou Chicken Florentine

Ingredients

4 7oz. chicken breast (with skin)
1 cup Florentine sauce (see below)
3 oz. chopped fresh or frozen spinach
3 oz. grated cheddar cheese
2 oz. cooked and chopped bacon
seasoned salt to taste
2 Tbsp. melted butter

Directions

If fresh spinach is used, it must be blanched. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In mixing, combine spinach, bacon and cheese; set aside.

Open chicken breast and sprinkle with seasoned salt. Stuff with spinach mixture.

Fold and place seam side down in baking dish. Brush with melted butter and sprinkle outside with seasoned salt.

Bake in preheated oven for 20 - 25 minutes. Top with Florentine sauce and serve over rice.

Florentine Sauce

Yields 2 cups

Ingredients

2 tsp. unsalted butter
2 tsp. flour
3 tsp. unsalted butter (room temp)
1 1/2 finely chopped onions
3 sliced medium mushrooms
2/3 cup white wine
1/4 cup chicken broth
2 chicken bouillon cubes
1 cup heavy cream
1 Tbsp. diced pimentos
1 tsp. chopped fresh parsley
1 tsp. chopped fresh chives
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
salt and white pepper to taste

Directions

Blend together flour and 2 tsp of the butter; set aside.

Saute' onions and mushrooms in 1 tsp. butter (do not allow onions to brown). Add white wine and reduce completely. Add remaining ingredients. Bring to a simmer and slowly add the flour/butter mixture a little at a time until desired thickness is achieved. Continue cooking at a simmer for 8-10 minutes.

Pulled Marinaded Chicken, Cajun Baked Potato/Plantains, and Garlic Bread

Holy Cow! That's one long title!

But I wanted to capture as much as I could about what this succulent dinner was all about. And do I mean succulent! The chicken turned out so moist, so juicy, so jam-packed full of flavor (even though it looks fairly bland) that succulent hardly begins to describe it.

And the garlic bread! Mmm light, savory garlic bread. The exact same kind that came with the Complete Veggie Dinner.

Paired with plantains (above) and cajun baked potato (below).

So follow along below to find out how to create succulent chicken yourself - a healthy poultry experience everyone will enjoy!

Multi-Baked Potatoes and Veggies with Sauteed Garlic Mushroom Blend and Baked Pear

Yes, this title is overly long. Sorry about that. But how do you convey all of the highlights of dinner in one title when everything was a knock out of the park?

So today it's two kinds of potatoes (purple potato and sweet potato) with carrots that were baked to soft, steaming perfection. Then mushrooms, red onions, green onions, and chives were sauteed with garlic over the flaming stove. And finally, as the dessert of the night, an elegant pear baked in its own juices - succulent and sweet. All paired with our favorite chenin blanc. Read on for more. Enjoy!

Herb and Garlic Crusted Haddock with Oven Baked Ratatouille

Today we have a very special treat for you. Special guest chef J fancied up a beautiful Valentine's Day dinner for moi the other night. Though my horrible pictures do NOT do justice to the beauty and elegance that greeted my eyes that night, rest assured it was one meal I won't soon forget. I believe I'll have her make it as her specialty from now on.

So what ungodly bit of grub did she prepare? Herb and Garlic Crusted Haddock with Oven Baked Ratatouille. Simply amazing. For one there's this plump, juicy piece of white fish, lightly covered with just the right seasoning, texture, and mmm-ness. Then there's this behemoth of a dish - layers upon layers of vegetables (which I love) flavored like there's no tomorrow.

I cannot stress how tempting it was to consume the two other fillets and the rest of the rest of the ratatouille, but I had to save room for the dessert she also made. More on that another day.

Thank you for such an outstanding day. It was definitely worth all the trudging I did in the afternoon.

Simply put: try it. You'll love it. Enjoy!