Category Archives: Chicken
Product Review: Season 1 Blends
I was contacted by Season 1 Blends to test out all of the seasoning blends in the picture above. Their primary reason for approaching me (I think) is my obsession with Montreal Steak Seasoning. Season 1 offers a similar product called New York Steak. Although I’ve only tasted the New York Steak on its own (delish) I have yet to use it in a recipe. I will. I promise. In the meantime, I started with the Peppered Lemon & Herb for roasting a whole chicken and the Riviera Blend on chicken breast and in a tomato, cucumber, and feta salad.
Riviera Blend!
Peppered Lemon & Herb
This stuff is awesome.
I’ll generally tell you how I feel about these blends here and then please stay tuned for them in several upcoming recipes.
I really love these blends. Low sodium, all natural, no preservatives, and gluten-free – what could be better? I know your question, though…what is it that sets these blends a part from other spice/herb blends? This was the question I set out to answer and the answer surprised me…
Using these blends is almost equivalent to using freshly cut herbs. I’m serious. The blends that I’ve used thus far, are so fresh in appearance and so fragrant that I cannot tell them a part from the real deal or more accurately, the “fresh” deal.
I used the Peppered Lemon & Herb to rub the inside and outside of a roasting chicken. The flavoring was so fragrant in the oven! It filled the whole house with fresh smelling herbs. The chicken was pretty darn good too! When I took chicken leftovers to work the next day, I brought my jar of Peppered Lemon & Herb. I sprinkled a little on my plate and dipped my chicken in it as I ate. It was a nice additional to next-day chicken.
The Riviera Blend is a blend of sea salt, garlic, black pepper, oregano, thyme, majoram, and lavender. Season 1 recommends that you use it on poultry, fish, meats, veggies, and salads. So far I’ve used this blend on baked chicken breasts and a cucumber, tomato, and feta salad. But, I think the possibilities are endless. This blend is unique and delicious.
For chicken, preheat your oven to 375 and cut chicken into bite-sized pieces. Toss heavily with the Riviera blend and a little olive oil. Bake for 30-35 minutes. Serve with salad, brown rice, or farro!
For the salad, cut one cucumber into bite-sized pieces. Combine with halved cherry tomatoes. Mix in 1/2 tbsp of olive oil, 1 tbsp of red wine vinegar, and 1 tbsp of Riviera Blend Seasoning. Sprinkle with feta cheese and serve!
HINT: Apparently this is obvious to most people but not to me (thanks, Greg for pointing it out). Season 1 says: “Make sure you use the shaker top. Some people just unscrew the top and try to pinch or tap it out and then it doesn’t come out uniform because the sea salt is heavier.” Hmmm. I didn’t know this. But, it makes sense. What a great tip!
Stay tuned for more Season 1 seasoned recipes!
DiAnn’s Healthy Asian Salad
On a girls’ night in, or more specifically an Alpha night, I was pleasantly surprised by DiAnn’s Healthy Asian Salad! It was so light and tasty, I had to have the recipe! Fortunately, DiAnn was nice enough to share it with me. The following recipe is DiAnn’s; however, I added some shredded grilled chicken for more protein and adjusted a few of the measurements to my own taste. This salad keeps well for several days in the fridge. A great tip (I think) is not to toss the whole salad with the dressing – use it serving by serving. This way, you won’t “over dress” and you can reserve some of the dressing for leftovers. When I make leftovers for work, I pull out my mason jars. I cover the bottom of the jar in dressing and fill the rest of the jar with salad. This way, my salad doesn’t get soggy. When lunch time rolls around, I dump the entire contents of the jar in a bowl and toss. Voila!
Lunch from a jar!
Ingredients:
Salad
Topping
*to crush, pounded the ramen, while in the original packaging with a mallet. They crushed pretty good this way 
Dressing
Protein
Directions
1. Combine sesame seeds, ginger powder, and garlic powder into a rub.
2. Coat the chicken breasts with the rub.
3. Grill the breasts on medium-high heat for 6-8 minutes a side depending on thickness. Chicken is done when the meat is white all the way through.
4. Remove from grill when done and shred the breasts using forks.
5. Preheat oven to 350.
6. Combine all ingredients of the salad and refrigerate.
7. Combine all of the topping ingredients on a cookie sheet and bake for about ten minutes. Check on them after about 7 minutes, you don’t want them to burn (almonds should be slightly brown when done). The almonds will continue to cook after you remove them from the oven.
8. Combine all dressing ingredients and place into a container suitable for pouring.
9. After the topping is cooked and the meat is shredded, get the salad from the fridge.
10. Toss the salad with topping and the shredded chicken.
11. Dress each serving individually and enjoy!
