Da*n good Cooks Wanted - Chopped Challenge

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MochaMixAZ
MochaMixAZ Posts: 844 Member
in Food and Nutrition
If you're like me, you love watching shows like Chopped, Master Chef, Iron Chef, and The Next Food Network Star. I'm wondering if any of you brilliant home cooks would be interested in participating in a 4 week recipe challenge? I've just started thinking about it, but it would go something like this:

- Once a week for 4 weeks, I would post the "secret ingredients." It would be 4 ingredients that you would need to use in creating a healthy, interesting dish. You would post your recipe here, and then we all could vote on which we liked best. Or to make it even less formal, we could just give feedback.

What do you think? I think it might be fun, and a great way to get me back in the kitchen and cooking. If we can get at least 4 people interested in participating, I think it would be a great challenge!

Anyone in?
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Replies

  • Charli666
    Charli666 Posts: 407
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    I'm interested in at least trying the recipe's and feeding back, but i'm generally terrible at inventing things, i try, and i like, but no-one else seems to lol
  • SeasideOasis
    SeasideOasis Posts: 1,057 Member
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    I am a COOKING machine, so ID LOVE to use this challenge to continue branching out.
  • rundgrenfan
    rundgrenfan Posts: 211
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    I'd love to participate!
  • pa_jorg
    pa_jorg Posts: 4,404 Member
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    This sounds really fun.
  • BettyMargaret
    BettyMargaret Posts: 407 Member
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    It DOES sound fun! Count me in! Thanks for thinking of this!
  • doublechinny
    doublechinny Posts: 10
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    Sounds lots of fun! I'm down!
  • RoadDog
    RoadDog Posts: 2,946 Member
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    Definitely in.
  • keepsiejess
    keepsiejess Posts: 51 Member
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    Yes!!
  • MochaMixAZ
    MochaMixAZ Posts: 844 Member
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    WOO HOO!!!!!! I love the interest!!!

    So, I think we keep it loose and open - anyone can jump in at anytime and participate. I'll post the Secret Ingredient list every Wednesday... and we'll have a week to come up with and post our recipe ideas.

    Then we can chat about everyone's submissions and rate them on a scale of 0-10 on 3 criteria, 10 being the highest:
    1) Use of ALL secret ingredients
    2) Overall creativity
    3) And taste (or suspected taste for those of us who haven't tried to make your recipe)

    So total dish points would be 30 for the perfect dish. How does that sound? (I'm TOTALLY open to suggestions here!).

    Secret Ingredient post coming next.
  • MochaMixAZ
    MochaMixAZ Posts: 844 Member
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    Secret Ingredient Basket Number 1:

    -Boneless, skinless chicken breast
    -Blueberries
    -Yellow Onion
    -Almonds

    You can make any course you'd like (entree, dessert, appetizer, etc). You will be rated on the following 3 criteria:
    On a scale of 0-10, 10 being the highest:

    1) Use of ALL secret ingredients
    2) Overall creativity
    3) And taste (or suspected taste for those of us who haven't tried to make your recipe)

    Good Luck!!
  • Blondie007wi
    Blondie007wi Posts: 15 Member
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    Yes! Linda
  • Benji49
    Benji49 Posts: 419 Member
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    Sounds like fun!
  • bmw4deb
    bmw4deb Posts: 1,325 Member
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    OH!! I'm in :smile: I love chopped!
  • RoadDog
    RoadDog Posts: 2,946 Member
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    Roasted Almond Chicken with Blueberry Glaze

    In pot reduce the following:
    -1 Cup Blueberries
    -1 Chopped Yellow Onion
    -1 Cup Orange Juice
    - Chopped Jalapenos (according to your heat factor)
    -2 Tbsp Mustard
    -1/8 cup Teriyaky sauce
    -1/2 Cup sugar

    Cook slowly over low heat to reduce by half.

    -Brush Chicken Breasts with Olive Oil
    -Rub with Salt, pepper, rosemary
    -Roll in diced almonds

    Roast Chicken at 350 until done (Approx. 30 minutes)

    Brush with Blueberry Glaze

    Serve with favorite veggie. Plate with small bowl of glaze on side for dipping.
  • MochaMixAZ
    MochaMixAZ Posts: 844 Member
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    Blueberry Spinach Chicken Salad with Spiced Almonds

    -Boneless, skinless chicken breast
    -Blueberries
    -Yellow Onion
    -Almonds


    Almonds: Toss in egg white wash, roll in spices (garlic powder, paprika, splenda, black pepper), bake in a 350 degree oven for about 20 minutes or until crunchy.

    Build a salad bed of washed spinach. Add very thinly sliced (or shaved) yellow onion, thinly sliced radishes, sliced strawberries, and a handful of whole blueberries.

    Chicken: spritz with olive oil, season with pepper, garlic powder, paprika, and onion powder. In a shallow baking dish, put chunks of onion, celery, and carrots. Nestle raw chicken in the dish, bake until done at 350 degrees (about 30 minutes for medium-thick chicken breast, let rest at least 10 minutes).

    Blueberry vinaigrette: Juice blueberries to gain about 4 TBSP juice. (Or throw in a food processor, then strain to remove the skins). Combine blueberry juice, 1 tsp spicy brown mustard, black pepper, 1 tsp sugar, 2 TBSP olive oil, 3 TBSP red wine vinegar.

    Build salad: Start with spinach mix, top with sliced chicken, toss with blueberry dressing, garnish with spiced almonds.
  • Pebble321
    Pebble321 Posts: 6,554 Member
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    Wow, your recipes sound amazing! I'm not sure if I can get blueberries at this time of year and I don't know if yellow onions exist here... but I'll see what I can do on the weekend and post next week :)
    (Is yellow onion more like a brown onion or a red onion? ie. sweeter or not?)
  • bmpal
    bmpal Posts: 36
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    Oh, I am soooo IN for this challenge! I will post a recipe in the next couple of days for the ingredients listed.

    Rubybelle, a yellow onion is more like a brown onion or vidalia.
  • Pebble321
    Pebble321 Posts: 6,554 Member
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    Oh, I am soooo IN for this challenge! I will post a recipe in the next couple of days for the ingredients listed.

    Rubybelle, a yellow onion is more like a brown onion or vidalia.

    Thanks, I found a pic online, looks like the brown onions I buy, so I can sub one of those (never heard of Vidalia either, I'm learning lots!)
  • RoadDog
    RoadDog Posts: 2,946 Member
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    Wow, your recipes sound amazing! I'm not sure if I can get blueberries at this time of year and I don't know if yellow onions exist here... but I'll see what I can do on the weekend and post next week :)
    (Is yellow onion more like a brown onion or a red onion? ie. sweeter or not?)

    I have three blueberry bushes in my yard. Should start getting berries in a couple of weeks.

    Yellow onion is more like a brown onion. Personally I would prefer a white onion for my recipe. I prefer red onions raw.
  • djthom
    djthom Posts: 651 Member
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    Sauteed chicken w/blueberry compote:

    Sautee Chicken with onion, garlic, red bell pepper and cayenne pepper(to taste)

    Blueberry compote: 1c blueberries, 1 1/2oz. of water and 1/2 tbsp. of honey. Cook in saucepan until blueberries break down. In the meantime roast almonds in oven until toasted. Chop almonds and serve over blueberry compote.

    Add side of Basmati rice

    Edit to add extra chopped roasted almonds also work well added into the rice

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