Guess Who’s Coming To Dinner – Joanne of Eats Well With Others

So I have to admit. I’m a little nervous. This is my first time.

Cue awkward silence.

AS A GUEST BLOGGER!

But have no fear, I will try to make the experience as pleasurable and painless as possible. I am Joanne from Eats Well With Others, a first year MD/PhD student from NYC who spends most of her time avoiding studying by either (a) running or (b) cooking. These may seem like two antithetical things but they are actually one vicious cycle. I run so that I can eat what I want. And then I cook so that I can eat to fuel the running. I also like taking long walks on the beach and watching sunsets. And am just looking for someone who will make me laugh. Just thought I’d throw that in there in case this paragraph didn’t sound enough like a singles ad.

So let’s see, what do I cook? When people used to ask me this I always used to say, “Well, I can do just about anything with a sweet potato.” Which used to be very true and still is to some extent (sweet potatoes are one of my favorite vegetables), except that they have kind of been usurped by winter squash. And pasta. When you train for a marathon, you need to eat a lot of pasta. So that is by far what has been dominating my blog for the past five months. In general, though, I cook mostly vegetarian dishes, not necessarily by choice but mainly because I am a med student on a budget and it is cheaper this way. I use a TON of vegetables in my cooking and I truly believe that no meal is complete without them. I have also recently started baking. Which is infinitely more of a challenge than cooking is. But the end products are usually equally tasty.

Anyway, that’s enough about me. Let’s get on to our feature presentation!

Whenever I go home to visit my parents and siblings, I am the one who does the cooking. Mainly because if I don’t take the reins, we end up eating Chinese take-out at 10PM. And no one wants that. Except, of course, for my brother who is a stereotypical 20-year-old boy and could happily live off of Tex-Mex and General Tso’s Chicken for the rest of his life. Until his metabolism catches up with him. But that is another grievance for another day.

This dish is one of the few successes that I have had when cooking for my family. They are very picky eaters and so every dish I make is scrutinized heavily for spice content (my dad hates almost all herbs and spices. He can handle basil in small quantities. It is a situation. We are working on it) as well as for veggie content.

Two things that they do like, however, are chicken and potatoes. I’ll take what I can get.

Thus, I present you with grilled Hoisin chicken breasts, accompanied by a side of maple mustard glazed potatoes and string beans. I hope they are as celebrated in your kitchen as they were in mine.

Thank you to the ladies of the Krazy Kitchen for gracing me with the opportunity to share these with you all! Enjoy!

Grilled Hoisin Chicken Breasts
Serves 4

1/2 cup hoisin sauce
4 cloves garlic
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp sesame oil
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp rice vinegar
1 1/2 lb chicken breasts

1. Whisk together all of the ingredients except for the chicken in a small bowl. Heat up your grill.

2. Arrange chicken on a platter and brush lightly with the hoisin sauce mixture. Turn to the other side and coat as well. Place the chicken on the grill and cook, occasionally brushing with sauce and turning every 5 minutes, until chicken is cooked through.

Maple Mustard Glazed Potatoes and String Beans
Serves 6, adapted from Vegan With A Vengeance

2 lb red potatoes, scrubbed and diced
1 lb string beans
1 yellow onion, diced
2 cloves garlic
3 tbsp soy sauce
1/4 cup maple syrup
3 tbsp dijon mustard
1 tbsp olive oil

1. Preheat your oven to 400.

2. Arrange the vegetables in a 9×13 casserole dish. In a mixing bowl, stir together all of the other ingredients. Pour over the vegetables and mix until everything is coated. Cover with foil and place in the oven. Bake for 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and toss everything. Turn down the oven to 350 and cook, uncovered, for another 25 minutes. Remove from the oven, toss again, and cook for another 25 minutes or until potatoes are cooked through.

Martha (Menagerie)

What a beautiful meal Joanne! Loved your entertaining and delicious guest host entry today. You are a wonderful writer on top of everything else that you do so well! I’m definitely going to try your recipes. I can tell already it will go right on the family favorites list! YUMMY!

Lea Ann

I think this all looks fabulous. I have a bottle hosien sauce siting on the door of my refrigerator that is screaming “use me”. This recipe is next on the list. Those potatoes sounds wonderful. GREAT post.