Asparayuck

Here's what I made for dinner the other night (courtesy of Pillsbury's Fast and Healthy Cookbook. I can't address the Healthy cause I'm a nutritional dumbass like that, but if by Fast they meant Painfully Slow then yes. Yes indeed.):


Light and Lemony Chicken

Rice

3 cups hot cooked instant rice [when a supposedly healthy cookbook doesn't even specify brown over white rice, it's time to start worrying]

Sauce

2/3 cup ready-to-serve fat-free chicken broth with 1/3 less sodium
1 tsp lite soy sauce
1 tsp grated lemon peel
1/4 cup lemon juice
(I got a lemon and it gave me enough peel but not enough juice, doing it by hand)
1 Tbsp sugar
1 Tbsp cornstarch
dash pepper

Stir-fry

4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, cut into bite-size strips
8 green onions, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 lb. fresh asparagus spears, trimmed, cut into 1-inch pieces (3 cups)
2 cups frozen baby cut carrots

1. While rice is cooking, in small bowl, combine all sauce ingredients; mix well. Set aside.

2. Spray large nonstick skillet or wok with nonstick cooking spray. Heat over high heat until hot. Add chicken and onions; cook and stir until chicken is lightly browned and no longer pink. Remove skillet from heat; place chicken and onions on plate.

3. Spray skillet again with cooking spray. Heat over high heat about 1 minute. Add asparagus and carrots; cook and stir 3 to 4 minutes or until vegetables are crisp-tender.

4. Return chicken and onions to skillet. Stir sauce well; pour over chicken and vegetables. Cook and stir just until sauce thickens. Serve over rice.

The verdict is an official Meh.

Hubs and The Kid thought it was OK but weren't big fans of the asparagus or carrots. It has been suggested that next time I replace the asparagus with bell peppers, and maybe celery.

Me, I can't stand most cooked veggies, so I just picked out the chicken and ate it over rice. That's dedication for ya.

So here's what I wonder: what cruel, petty god cursed me with this set of taste buds?

I did that test thingy where you put some sugar substitute in some water and see if it tastes sweet or bitter to you and bam! Supertaster! This is hard science, people. Physical proof that cooked vegetables make me want to hork.

Or something like that.

Most of them taste eerily similar to me, just different shades of the same flavor: Horror. Peas, broccoli, carrots, asparagus, blah blah blah HORK. I can't even stand the smell.

I can only conclude I pissed off someone powerful in a past life.

PS. Onions though? Rawk!