*** WARNING: Reading this post may make you drool. But don't run off and get a towel! Stick with it through the end for a fabulous contest that you won't want to miss!!! Oh but don't drool over the keyboard, okay? ***
When we travel for debate, we sometimes stay at hotels with kitchens. It is during those lucky weekends that the team gets to bond during meal time, preparing great eats and making fabulous memories.
This weekend I brought along a couple of delicious seasonings from Garlic Gold. This all organic company has some of the best employment practices a company can have which is something I respect in a business these days. It also amazed me to learn that this company got started with an 8th grade economics project! But in addition to being such a wonderful company, the folks at Seven Oaks Ranch also produce delicious garlic goodness. From garlic oil to dressing to delicious garlic nuggets, Garlic Gold has captured the hearts of garlic lovers, including this debate coach and Emeril Lagasse whose blog called Garlic Gold the "gold standard!"
With all of the concerns over various germs that are making their way across the globe, traveling across the country means I am focusing on ways to keep my debaters healthy. This means cooking delicious foods loaded with antioxidants. The Connecticut Center for Health reports that garlic has been found to be useful against a number of ailments. Which meant that garlic would be a key component of our meal tonight through the application of Garlic Gold's new seasoning Nuggets.
We decided on grilled chicken with Italian Herb Garlic Nuggets, roasted potatoes with Parmesan Garlic Nuggets, and a salad of baby romaine. However, after a long night of travel, it wouldn't be fair to have just one person do all of the cooking which meant that all of the debaters helped make dinner. So here are the instructions for a delicious, teen friendly meal utilizing a community and health friendly product.
What you will need to duplicate the Debaters Dish dinner:
20 oz raw boneless skinless chicken breast tenders
1 lb baby yellow potatoes
Garlic Gold Parmesan Nuggets
Garlic Gold Italian Herb Nuggets
4 tsp olive oil, divided
1 lb baby romaine lettuce
dressing of your choice
Start by preheating the oven to 475 degrees. Wash the potatoes and halve them. This was Kelsey's job. She was very cautious with the knife and is one of our team captains, so we trusted her with this responsibility.
The next step is to toss the potatoes in olive oil and Garlic Gold Parmesan Nugget seasoning. Justine had to do this in several steps because we were limited on kitchen equipment. She found using a sandwich bag made it easier to coat the potatoes. You will need two teaspoons of oil to coat the potatoes. The amount of seasoning is up to you!
Justine layered the potatoes out on a roasting pan and decided there just wasn't enough of the Garlic Gold Parmesan Nuggets, so she sprinkled a bit more on before placing the potatoes in the oven. The potatoes will need 20 to 30 minutes to roast, stirring halfway through to guarantee even roasting.
Once the potatoes were in the oven, Kaavya got started on the chicken. As one of our seniors, Kaavya will be heading off to college soon and wanted to get her hands dirty by prepping the main course. I stand to be corrected, but this may have been Kaavya's first attempt at cooking chicken on the storetop? She started by pouring one teaspoon of olive oil in the pan and bringing it to medium high heat. While you could use cooking spray to reduce the calories, my students can tell you how important healthy oils are for you. Additionally, our frying pan was not of the best quality and needed the extra lubricant to aide the cooking process. When the oil hated up, Kaavya added half the chicken tenders.
The chicken was seasoned with the Garlic Gold Italian Herb Nuggets and turned several times to allow for even and complete cooking. Kaavya had fun making sure the chicken was seasoned and cooked through.
Remember when I said that the debaters and I were in love with Garlic Gold? And how cooking together creates stories we will tell again? Well Kaavya enjoyed seasoning the chicken, but with extra seasoning beginning to blacken on the bottom of the pan...
The smoke detector went off!!!! The entire team jumped to action after ensuring that the chicken wasn't burning (it wasn't!). From opening the front door to fanning the detector and turning on the vent to opening the windows...
Speaking of windows. Apparently they pop out? They luckily also pop back in... but for a short period of time while the kitchen was airing out, we were worried!
[Thanks for the tip from a seasoned Garlic Gold veteran: "I've cooked a lot of recipes with Garlic Gold, and just be careful not to put the nuggets into high heat conditions for very long... They are already fully cooked and so can burn during pan frying (which is probably why the alarm went off). Better to put on during last 3-4 minutes of cooking." While our dinner was delicious, this would also probably make the flavors POP even more!!!]
While Kaavya finished cooking the chicken, Raghav prepped the lettuce by giving it a good wash. Although packaged lettuce looks clean, you still want to wash it to ensure not germs hopped on in transit.
We then sat down to enjoy a fabulous meal, pictured below. Not to be outdone, Mohit hopped up after dinner to wash up the dishes! Not having to cook AND clean the kitchen is one of the highlights of preparing dinner as a team.
What did I do? Supervised and ate of course! As well as wrote up this review :-)
Chicken and Potatoes (1/5 of recipe): 262 calories/6.5 grams of fat/1.4 grams of fiber/29 grams of protein
Garlic Gold Parmesan Nuggets, per tsp: 10 calories/.9 grams of fat/0 grams of fiber/.8 grams of protein
Ingredients: Organic Garlic, chopped and toasted to CRUNCHY perfection in Organic Extra-Virgin Olive Oil, Organic Parmesan Cheese
Garlic Gold Italian Herb Nuggets, per tsp: 4 calories/.4 grams of fat/0 grams of fiber/.2 grams of protein
Ingredients: Organic Garlic, chopped and toasted to CRUNCHY perfection in Organic Extra-Virgin Olive Oil,blended with a proprietary blend of Organic Italian seasonings
Garlic Gold is available online but also in over 4,000 stores across the country. If you need help locating a store near you, contact the fine folks at Garlic Gold and they can direct you to the loot!
*** Remember when I said you shouldn't leave your seat? Here's your chance to score a fabulous gift pack and 1 ounce samples of Garlic Gold Seasoning Nuggets courtesy of Brian and the Garlic Gold family! ***
Garlic Gold is offering one lucky Uncovering Food reader a chance to own their own Garlic Gold. The prize package will include this gift basket above (which is available for purchase at their online store), as well as one ounce samples of their new flavors of Nuggets (Sea Salt, Italian Herb, and Parmesan). The gift basket description: "The perfect combination for the garlic lover in your family--a bottle of Garlic Gold, 3.75 oz, crunchy Garlic Gold Nuggets and our own Garlic Gold Oil, the besting tasting garlic infused organic extra-virgin olive oil. Attractively packaged and ready to give as a gift. Or, treat yourself!"
How can you win? Read through the contest rules completely before leaving your comment. Comments that do not meet the rules will not be counted.
1. Visit Garlic Gold's Web site and choosing one of their products, post a comment with a recipe you'd like to try that utilizes this golden garlic ingredient. It does not have to be a recipe on their site... get creative and come up with your own use for Garlic Gold! This comment must be left before additional entries will be counted.
2. Post about Garlic Gold and this contest on your blog. Post link or let me know you linked back on this post.
3. Sign up for the Garlic Gold newsletter (it includes discounts and subscriber only specials!). Leave a comment letting me know you are now subscribed!
4. Become an Uncovering Food follower. If you have already done this, or when you do this, leave a comment here.
Entries will close May 10th at 11:59pm PST. Good luck getting in on this Garlic Gold Rush!
How can you win? Read through the contest rules completely before leaving your comment. Comments that do not meet the rules will not be counted.
1. Visit Garlic Gold's Web site and choosing one of their products, post a comment with a recipe you'd like to try that utilizes this golden garlic ingredient. It does not have to be a recipe on their site... get creative and come up with your own use for Garlic Gold! This comment must be left before additional entries will be counted.
2. Post about Garlic Gold and this contest on your blog. Post link or let me know you linked back on this post.
3. Sign up for the Garlic Gold newsletter (it includes discounts and subscriber only specials!). Leave a comment letting me know you are now subscribed!
4. Become an Uncovering Food follower. If you have already done this, or when you do this, leave a comment here.
Entries will close May 10th at 11:59pm PST. Good luck getting in on this Garlic Gold Rush!
