Recipe Reports

I’ve tried several new recipes this week. I’m somewhat surprised to report that they were all really good.

My daughter and I are both working on musical productions (at two different high schools — she is on the backstage crew for hers and I am the accompanist for mine). We had rehearsals every night this week either after school or evenings, and this weekend we have two concerts plus an extra rehearsal. Next week I have 6 shows (I think!) and two choir rehearsals and she has tech week (also known as Hell week in the theater realm).

SO — I’ve been looking for meals that are quick to fix and either either bake (can be left in the oven for an hour or more) or cook quickly.

Chicken walking through the village image by World Bank Photos via Flickr CC license

Chicken legs and thighs were on sale last week, so these are all chicken recipes.

Moroccan Sheet Pan Chicken

First up is Moroccan Sheet Pan Chicken. The recipe is from The Wanderlust Kitchen website.

Annabel Farley image of olives via Flickr CC license

Ingredients

For the Spice Mixture

• ¾ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon ground cumin
• ¾ teaspoon paprika
• ¾ teaspoon turmeric
• ⅛ teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
• ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon butter, melted
• 4 cloves garlic, pressed

For the Sheet Pan Chicken

• 1 lemon
• 2 large sweet onions, cut into 12 wedges each
• 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• 3 skin-on chicken quarters (I used 8 chicken bone-in skin-on chicken thighs)
• 1 cup green olives, pitted
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves (I forgot to add this!)

Brian Siewiorek image of cilantro, via Flickr CC license public domain

Instructions

1. Preheat an oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. In a small bowl, prepare the spice rub by combining the salt, cumin, paprika, turmeric, cayenne, and black pepper. Stir in 1 tablespoon of olive oil, 1 tablespoon of melted butter, and the pressed garlic.
3. Cut the lemon in half and set one half aside. Cut the remaining half into thin slices, then arrange the slices in a single layer on a rimmed half sheet pan. Scatter the onion wedges over the lemons, then drizzle 1 Tablespoon of olive oil over the onions. Sprinkle the pan with 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1 teaspoon turmeric. (I think you could get by with 1/2 teaspoon of turmeric. It is SO expensive!)
4. Place the chicken quarters on the pan, skin side up. Pat the top of the chicken dry, then brush the prepared spice mixture evenly onto the skin of each quarter. I rubbed the spices all over the chicken with my hands.
5. Transfer the pan to the preheated oven and roast for 45 minutes, until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees and the juices run clear.
6. Scatter the pan with the olives and cilantro leaves. Squeeze the juice from the remaining half lemon onto the chicken. (I baked the olives on the pan with the chicken. I did remember the lemon juice, but forgot the cilantro.)

We had brown and wild rice with this. I poured the sauce from the pan over my rice and it was delicious.

 

Kate Ter Haar, lemons via Flickr CC license

One Pan Greek Chicken

Next up is another sheet pan recipe, this one from Damn Delicious:  One Pan Greek Chicken.

Ingredients

• 16 ounces baby red potatoes, halved (I had Idaho potatoes; I cut them into quarters. They were great.)
• 16 ounces green beans, trimmed (I used a 1 lb. bag of frozen green beans. It worked fine.)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves (optional)

For the marinade

• 8 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano (or Italian seasoning)
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Mike Mozart image of green beans, via Flickr CC license

Instructions

• In a gallon size Ziploc bag, combine chicken, olive oil, garlic, lemon juice, red wine vinegar and oregano; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Marinate for at least 20 minutes to 1 hour, turning the bag occasionally. Drain the chicken from the marinade, discarding the marinade.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly oil a baking sheet or coat with nonstick spray.
• Place potatoes and green beans in a single layer onto the prepared baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Top with chicken in a single layer.
• Place into oven and roast until the chicken is completely cooked through, reaching an internal temperature of 165 degrees F, about 45 minutes.*
• Serve immediately, garnished with parsley, if desired.

This recipe was quick and easy, baked beautifully and was absolutely delicious.

Turmeric image by Steven Jackson, via Flickr CC license

Little Chicken image by poppy via Flickr CC

Pukka Yellow Curry

The next recipe was not quite so easy (my kitchen was a huge MESS by the time dinner was ready), but I think that might be just first-time-working-out-the-kinks issues. Pukka Yellow Curry is a Jamie Oliver recipe. The result was flavorful and very well spiced. It takes a pretty large pan to fit all the ingredients in.

Ingredients

• 2 onions
• 4 cloves of garlic
• 1 thumb-sized piece of ginger
• 2 yellow peppers
• 1 cube chicken bouillon
• 1-2 fresh red chillies (I used a jalapeno)
• ½ a bunch of fresh cilantro
• 1 teaspoon runny honey
• 1 level teaspoon ground tumeric
• 2 teaspoons curry powder (I used Penzey’s Sweet Curry)
• 8 chicken drumsticks
• olive oil
• 1 (14.5 oz can) chickpeas
• 1 teaspoon tomato purée (I left this out.)
• 320 g basmati rice
• 1 lemon
• OPTIONAL:
• fat-free natural yoghurt , to serve

Peel the onions, garlic and ginger and de-seed the peppers. Put 1 onion, 1 pepper, the garlic and ginger into a food processor. Crumble in the stock cube and add the chilli (de-seed it first, if you prefer a milder curry), the cilantro stalks, honey and spices, then blitz to a paste.

Place a very large casserole pan on a medium-high heat and fry the chicken drumsticks (pull the skin off first, if you prefer) with a splash of oil for 10 minutes, or until golden, turning occasionally with tongs. Remove the chicken to a plate, leaving the pan on the heat. Roughly chop the remaining onion and pepper and add to the pan to cook for a few minutes, then tip in the paste and let it cook down for around 5 minutes. Pour in 500ml of boiling water. Drain the chickpeas and add along with the tomato purée and a pinch of salt and pepper, then stir well. Return the chicken to the pan, pop the lid on, reduce the heat and simmer gently for around 45 minutes, or until the sauce darkens and thickens. Sprinkle with chopped fresh cilantro leaves.

With 15 minutes to go, put 1 cup (320g) rice and 2 cups of boiling water into a pan with a pinch of salt and simmer with the lid on for 12 minutes, or until all the liquid has been absorbed. Serve the curry in the middle of the table with a few dollops of yoghurt (if using) and a scattering of coriander leaves, with lemon wedges for squeezing over and the fluffy rice on the side.

One Skillet Chicken with Lemon Garlic Cream Sauce

My last success recipe to share is from Little Spice Jar:  One Skillet Chicken with Lemon Garlic Cream Sauce.

INGREDIENTS

• 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (or thighs)
• salt and pepper
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes (or more to taste)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• ⅓ cup finely diced shallots (or red onions)
• 2 tablespoons salted butter
• ¼ cup heavy cream
• 2 tablespoons chopped parsley or basil

INSTRUCTIONS

 Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Heat olive oil in a large oven proof skillet and then add the chicken. Season with salt and pepper. Brown on both sides. The chicken doesn’t have to be completely cooked through. Remove the chicken from the skillet and set it aside. Add more oil if needed. Saute the onion until softened add the garlic and saute about a minute more. Then add the broth, lemon juice, and red pepper flakes. Reduce the liquid until about 1/3 to 1/2 cup remains. Add the butter and whisk (or use a fork) until it is melted. Remove the pan from the heat and slowly add the cream. Put the chicken in the sauce and then stick the whole thing in the oven for 5 minutes or so to finish cooking the chicken and heat up the sauce. Serve with hot cooked pasta or noodles. Sprinkle with freshly chopped parsley or basil.

image via Flickr CC by cookbookman17; Fresh Parsley — A bunch of fresh hand picked parsley. This parsley is bursting with flavor and ready for use.

Chicken image by Smudge 9000 via Flickr CC

 

 

 

Chicken Tikka Masala ala Tromp Queen

Chicken Tikka Masala; image by Stephen Rees via Flickr CC license.

One of my favorite Indian dishes is Chicken Tikka Masala.  Well, that and Sag Paneer and Samosas and a lot of other Indian foods.  But I digress.  The other night I planned to make Chicken Tikka Masala for dinner using a crock pot recipe. Usually the problem I have with crock pot recipes is that I never seem to have time to actually put the stuff in the crock pot in the morning before I go to work.  So that is kind of a fatal flaw in the whole plan to use a crock pot recipe.

When I got around to making dinner the only option was to make it on the stove top.

I realized I did not have one of the critical ingredients: Garam Masala. I DID have an empty jar of it from Penzeys so I read the list of ingredients on the label then gathered as many of those spices as I could from my spice cupboard (or should I say spice “hoard” — I have a LOT of spices). I looked online for recipes that could be made without Garam Masala and found a couple I thought sounded good. I used those two recipes as a guide, combining them and added a few things of my own. The result was DELICIOUS; maybe the best Indian dish I’ve made at home ever.

Chicken Tikka Masala; image by James via Flickr CC license.

Here is what I made:

Order of operations:  Marinate the chicken, start the sauce, start the rice, cook the chicken, finish the sauce, combine chicken with sauce (add cilantro and cream if desired), serve with rice (and raita and naan if available).

Marinade:

• 1/2 to 3/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
• ½ t. cardamom
• ¼ t. cloves
• ¼ t. nutmeg
• ½ to 1 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
• 1 teaspoons salt, or to taste
• 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces

Combine all the marinade ingredients and mix well. You could use Garam Masala in place of some of the spices or just add 1 or 2 t. to the marinade with all the other spices. Add the chicken pieces. Let the chicken marinate in the yogurt sauce as long as you have time (mine only marinated for about 15 minutes).

Chicken Tikka Masala yogurt and spice marinade; image by JaBB via Flickr CC license.

Either grill the chicken on skewers (which is the better way and makes a more yummy tasting final product) or brown it in small batches in a hot skillet with a little EVOO and butter til nicely browned (which is what I did because it was raining and I didn’t want to run in and out to the grill in the rain).

Grilling the chicken for Chicken Tikka Masala; image by Drew McClellan via Flickr CC license.

Sauce:

• 1 T. butter and 1 T. olive oil
• 1 large onion, minced
• 2 to 3 cloves garlic, minced
• ¼ t. cayenne pepper
• 1 t. ground cumin
• 1 t. paprika
• ½ t. salt, or to taste
• 1 (14 ounce) can petite diced tomatoes, drained
• 1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce

Heat the EVOO and butter in a 3 qt. or larger pan. Saute the onion until it softens. Add the spices and salt and cook about 5 minutes more. Drain the petite diced tomatoes; add the tomatoes to the pan with the can of tomato sauce. Continue to simmer the mixture while you are cooking the chicken (either on the stove or on a grill). Just before you are ready to add the chicken to the sauce, use an immersion blender to puree the sauce and make it somewhat smoother. (You can skip this step, but your sauce will be lumpier).

Add the grilled/browned chicken to the sauce. Heat through and/or simmer for 5-10 minutes or until the rice is ready. Then add the final ingredients below:

• ½ c. half and half (optional)
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Chicken Tikka Masala; image by July Frost via Flickr CC license.

Rice:

I cook my rice on the stovetop. Heat 3 c. of water or broth (you can add 1/2 t. sweet curry or a few strands of saffron) and 1/2 t. salt or so to boiling. Add 1 1/2 c. of basmati rice (can rinse it first, but I don’t always do that). Stir. Turn the heat down so it will still be simmering, cover tightly and set the timer for 13 or 14 minutes.

Serve the Chicken Tikka Masala over hot basmati rice with warm naan bread (Trader Joe’s has frozen naan that is very good) and cool smooth tangy raita.

Raita; image by Jules via Flickr CC license.

Chicken Tikka Masala; image by Guy Dickinson via Flickr CC license.

Best Chicken Curry

RECIPE REVIEW
Penzeys Recipe: Curried Chicken with Basmati Rice pilaf

In a food processor or blender combine and purée:
1 large onion, cut into eighths
3 cloves of fresh garlic
1 piece of fresh ginger root about 1″, peeled (or use 3/4 t. powdered ginger)
2 jalapeño peppers, quartered and seeded

Image by Jutta M. Jenning via Flickr CC license.

Image by Dubravko Soric via Flickr CC license

Image by Daniel R Blume via Flickr CC license

Image by Q family via Flickr CC license

In a large skillet:
Heat extra virgin olive oil (3 to 4 Tablespoons).
Brown 10 – 12 boneless skinless chicken thighs for about 4 min per side until browned.
Remove the chicken to a platter.

Add a little more oil if needed.
Add 1/2 t. whole cumin seeds and stir til they sizzle (1 min. or so).
Add the purée to the skillet along with
2 T. sweet curry powder
1/4 t. cayenne
1 t. salt
Cook all this for 5 to 10 minutes until it is golden and fragrant.

Add the chicken back to the skillet and stir to cover well with the curry.
Add 1 1/2 to 2 c. water or chicken broth.
Bring to a gentle boil. Lower heat, cover, and simmer for 30 min or so.
While the chicken curry is simmering it is time to make the rice.

Image by Laura Turner via Flickr CC license.

Basmati Rice Pilaf:
2 c. basmati rice
3 1/2 to 4 c. water or broth
1/2 t. sweet curry powder
1 t. salt

Heat water or broth to boiling. Rinse rice. Add rice and curry powder to boiling water. Return to a boil, lower heat to simmer, cover tightly and set the timer for 13 or 14 minutes. Check toward the end to be sure the rice doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan. Fluff. Top with any or all of the optional stir ins below.
optional stir ins about 1/4 c. each:
sliced green onion
thawed frozen green peas
chopped fresh cilantro leaves

This recipe might look complicated but it is essentially just a few steps.  The onion/garlic/ginger/jalapeño mixture is a breeze, then the chicken simmers in the sauce. While that cooks, then you are taking care of the rice.

My family really enjoys this curry!  It is very tasty; nicely spiced but not overpowering.  You can serve the chicken with plain rice if you want to simplify it, though.

FIVE FORKS!  This recipe is fantastic!

Another choice for the rice side dish would be to make the pilaf from this recipe:
https://thetrompqueencooks.wordpress.com/2015/07/18/middle-eastern-chicken-kebabs-and-basmati-rice-pilaf/

Penzeys Spices: Sweet Curry

As I’ve said before, use Penzeys Spices if at all possible.  They really do taste better.

 

 

Middle Eastern Chicken Kebabs and Basmati Rice Pilaf

Recipe Review(s):  From “Once Upon a Chef”
Follow the links below for the original recipes.

Middle Eastern Chicken Kebabs:
http://www.onceuponachef.com/2012/09/middle-eastern-chicken-kebabs.html

Basmati Rice Pilaf:

Basmati Rice Pilaf with Dried Fruit and Almonds

Middle Eastern Chicken Kebabs from Once Upon a Chef

Basically the chicken recipe involves marinating the chopped up chicken thighs in Greek yogurt plus gobs of spices: paprika, cumin, cinnamon, crushed red pepper, black pepper, lemon juice, garlic, etc. After marinating, the chicken is threaded on kebabs and grilled. Voila! That is it. The hardest part is finding all the spices (in my messy spice cupboard) and remembering to marinate the chicken. The chef recommends marinating for several hours or overnight, but I usually manage it for about 30 minutes to an hour.

Basmati Rice Pilaf from Once Upon a Chef

For the rice pilaf, the onion is browned in butter and then the spices (turmeric, cumin, cinnamon, garlic) and basmatic rice are added to the skillet. After all those ingredients get acquainted in the hot butter, the liquid goes in. After it simmers for a while, the almonds and raisins get tossed on top before serving.

REVIEW: FIVE FORKS!

Both recipes are EXCELLENT. Yes, there are a lot of ingredients, but once you get organized it is not difficult.
I love the flavor and the healthy eating factor.

Tweaks:

I used chicken broth instead of water in the pilaf. I also added 1/2 cup more rice and about 1 1/2 cups more water. I cook rice in a 1:2 ratio of rice to water usually so I added the extra broth/water to be sure the rice would be moist and cooked through.  One could use brown rice.  A little saffron would be nice, too.

As I mentioned, I couldn’t find all the spices in my cupboard. I couldn’t find the paprika nor the turmeric. They seem to like to hide. I substituted sweet curry powder one time and Maharaja another time. I think I also used tandoori spice in a pinch. Basically anything that has turmeric in it will be fine. As always, I use Penzeys Spices.

I did not use all the salt in the marinade. I used about 1 teaspoon.

I used bottled lemon juice and left out the zest today. Sometimes I’m not in the mood to fiddle with real lemons. I used real garlic because I happened to have some, but the minced or chopped garlic in a jar would be perfectly good for this recipe.

DO use Greek plain yogurt. NO vanilla or anything other flavors!

If you don’t have time to put the chicken on skewers or if it is raining — or if you just don’t feel like grilling out — heat up some olive oil in a large skillet and brown the marinated chicken on medium high heat until the chicken is cooked through. If the marinade sticks to the skillet and begins to burn, add a little water or chicken broth to deglaze the pan. We did it this way tonight and it worked really well and tasted really great!

Recipe Review: White Chicken Chili

image by Joshua Bousel via Flickr CC license.

I got this recipe from a family of food-lovers.  (Thank you, Schoonovers!)  If you like chili but are in the mood for something a little different from the traditional chili (tomato-meat-beans), then I hope you’ll give this recipe a try.

I have made it a couple of different ways.  It works really well in a crock pot.  I also sometimes make it on the stove top.  Either way, it is quick to make and delicious to eat.

The original recipe comes from Taste of Home.

Of course, I always make a few changes to most recipes, so I’ll make note of those changes.

Ingredients:

1 medium onion, chopped
1 T. olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced  (I used the kind in a jar.  Use more or less to taste.  I use more.)
4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (1 lb. total), chopped  (I prefer chicken thighs.  You could also use leftover chicken or meat from a deli roasted chicken.)
2 cans (14 oz) chicken broth (I like the 32 oz. boxes of broth, especially Trader Joe’s organic broths.  YUM.)
1 can (4 oz) chopped green chilies
2 t. ground cumin (If you aren’t sure how much spice, you could cut down on this.  As always, I use Penzeys spices.)
2 t. dried oregano
1 1/2 t. cayenne pepper (I used only about 1/2 t. of cayenne for my family.  The last time I made this I used 1 1/2 t. of regular chili powder instead and it tasted great.)
3 cans (14-1/2 oz each) great northern beans, drained and rinsed (Look for a large jar or can that has close to this total amount to save time opening cans.)
*oh — smash one can of the beans with a fork or potato masher before added them to the soup pot.  This will thicken the soup nicely.

salt and pepper to taste

optional garnishes:
shredded cheese (A good sharp cheddar, colby-jack, or pepper jack would be tasty)
chopped jalapeno pepper  (I haven’t done this one.  You could even use the pickled, jarred or canned jalapeno.)
cilantro  (Always!)
sour cream
crushed taco chips

Procedure:

The easy way is to put all the ingredients in the crock pot, turn it on and walk away for several hours.

I’ve used bone-in chicken to make this, even in the crock pot.  I dug it out of the crock pot shortly before serving time, took the meat off the bones and threw the meat back into the pot.  It was not a big deal.

On the stove top, I’ve browned the chicken and sautéed the onions and garlic in olive oil, then added the rest of the ingredients.  Simmer for 20 min. or until you are ready to eat.

This is good with corn bread or with crunchy cheese quesadillas.  A nice salad is always a good thing, too.

 

Overall:  FIVE FORKS!  This is a great recipe.

Recipe Review: Sesame Noodles with Chicken

Image by John Herschell via Flickr CC license

I am fortunate to live near a Half-Price Books bookstore.  I love books, stationery, music, cards, CDS and LPs — you name it — this store seems to have it.

I tend to browse the cookbooks at this store, even though I already have a HUGE collection of cookbooks at home.  (I also have a really good Goodwill store nearby, too.  Hardback books, including cookbooks, are only $1.79.)

On a recent trip to Half-Price Books I got Food Network Kitchens Favorite Recipes.  

I have a combination of three part-time jobs right now, so cooking dinner has become a somewhat rarer activity than it was previously.

I decided to try this recipe because you can only eat out so many times in a week before you get tired of

• food that involves deep-frying
• food that involves a drive through
• food that begins to all taste the same
• food that has no vegetables in it

Ingredients:  *I tweaked a few ingredients and amounts so this isn’t exactly like the recipe in the book

1 pound of spaghetti noodles (or Chinese egg noodles if you can find them)
2 T. toasted sesame oil
1 whole roasted deli chicken
1 cucumber peeled, quartered, seeded, sliced and diced
4 scallions, sliced (white and green parts)
1/3 dry-roasted salted peanuts
cilantro, chopped
1 clove garlic
1 one-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeeled (I grated mine)
1/2 cup smooth peanut butter
1/4 cup soy sauce or tamari
2 T brown sugar
1 T rice vinegar
1/2 t crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 c hot water (I used the pasta water as it was cooking)

Cook the pasta in boiling, salted water.  Drain and toss with sesame oil

While the pasta is cooking, prepare the garnishes and sauce.
Also de-bone the deli roasted whole chicken.   Cut the meat off the bones; save the “runnin’ gears”– the bones, skin and carcass — to make some quick chicken stock for future use.  Keep the meat warm until the pasta is ready.

Garnishes:
1 cucumber peeled, quartered, seeded, sliced and diced
4 scallions, sliced (white and green parts)
1/3 dry-roasted salted peanuts
cilantro, chopped

Mix the ingredients (listed below) in a blender and blend thoroughly.  Toss this mixture with the pasta.
1 clove garlic
1 one-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeeled (I grated mine)
1/2 cup smooth peanut butter
1/4 cup soy sauce or tamari
2 T brown sugar
1 T rice vinegar
1/2 t crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 c hot water (I used the pasta water as it was cooking)

1. Cook the pasta in boiling, salted water until al dente.  Drain.  Put it in a large bowl and toss it with the 2 T of sesame oil.
2. While the pasta is cooking, combine the ingredients for the sauce in a blender.  Blend.  Add this mix to the sesame oiled pasta.
3. Also while the pasta cooks, de-bone the deli roasted whole chicken.  Prepare the garnishes.
4. To serve:  Put pasta on a plate.  Top with desired amount of chicken plus generous garnishes of cilantro, peanuts, scallions, and cucumber.

Image by Madeleine via Flickr CC license This image is not the actual recipe I’m posting. It looks very similar to this, though.

REVIEW:  This recipe was quick to fix.  It has very good flavor and was delicious.  I happened to have nearly all the sauce ingredients on hand, so it was not a huge amount of items to buy at the grocery store — basically just a deli chicken, a cucumber and maybe some spaghetti, cilantro and scallions if you happen to have none of those things at the moment.  I liked the fact that it tasted a little Thai and a little Chinese — but that it wasn’t overly spiced in either direction.  You could definitely bump up the crushed red pepper if you need more heat or add Siracha sauce at the table.

This could easily be made vegetarian if you leave out the chicken.  You could add tofu.

I think it would be good with grilled shrimp instead of the chicken.  If you have them, fresh bean sprouts would give a nice crunch as well.  You could use honey instead of brown sugar in the sauce.  I grated my ginger into the blender because I didn’t want to chomp down on an unblended chunk of ginger.  I would add more garlic next time, too.

It would be nice to add some toasted sesame seeds.  I didn’t have time or energy for that, but it would be good.

FULL FORKS for this one!  FIVE FORKS! Go fo it!  Please let me know if you try this recipe and how you like it.

Thanks for reading and cooking with me.

Possible recipes for the photo I found on Flickr:
http://leitesculinaria.com/73673/recipes-sesame-peanut-noodles.html
http://leitesculinaria.com/18259/recipes-asian-noodle-salad-peanut-dressing.html

Spicy Black Beans and Rice

I had no idea what to make for dinner this evening.

Every piece of meat I have is in the freezer.  I am too weary to go to the grocery store.

I’ve eaten out too many times in the last couple of weeks and am craving something home-made, with lots of flavor and healthy ingredients.

I came up with something pretty delicious with stuff I have in my pantry, and am very pleased with how it came out!  I hope you’ll try this recipe sometime soon when you are tired and hungry.

 

remolata.net photo credit, via Flickr CC

Ingredients:

1 large chicken breast
Olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 cans black beans, drained
1 can regular original Ro-Tel tomatoes and green chilies
A large squirt of lime juice
Spices — I used Arizona Dreaming and Forward from Penzeys, several dashes of each.
Cooked rice (white or brown)
Shredded sharp Cheddar cheese to sprinkle on top

1. Cook rice:  I usually use 3 c. of water to 1 1/2 cups of rice and add about 1/2 t. salt (or maybe a little more).  Heat the salted water to boiling then add the rice.  Stir, cover, lower the heat to simmer and set the timer for about 14 minutes.  You can also use 4 c. water to 2 c. rice if you want more rice.  When the timer goes off, give it a stir and you are ready to go!
2. Heat olive oil in a pan.  Brown the chicken.  Slice and dice it on a nearby cutting board when it is nearly cooked through.  I had a frozen chicken breast so I cooked it whole until it was soft enough to dice, removed it from the pan, chopped it up, then returned it to the pan to finish cooking.  If your chicken is thawed, you can dice it raw if you prefer.
3. When the chicken is nearly done, add the chopped onion to the pan.  Sprinkle the spices on.  If you don’t have the Penzeys spice mixes try using cumin, oregano and a little chili powder.  I was going for Mexican-ish flavors.  Squirt a liberal dose of lime juice all over the pan. (I used lime in a bottle, such as Real-lime)
4. To the chicken and onion, add the Ro-Tel (drained) and the black beans (drained).  Heat through.
5. When the rice is finished, combine it with the chicken mixture in whichever pan will hold it all.
6. Salt and pepper to taste.  Add more spice if needed, too.  (Crushed red chilies, chili powder, cayenne — whatever you please).
7. Sprinkle with the shredded sharp cheddar.  Cover and let sit til the cheese melts.

SERVE!  Makes 5 or 6 large servings

This would taste good with sliced avocados, cilantro, and/or sour cream.  You could serve it with tortilla chips and guacamole, too.

This could be a vegetarian recipe quite easily if you leave out the chicken.

(Please note that the photo above is not of the dish I created.  We ate it all!  This is the closest thing that I could find on Flickr.  It is similar, and I included it to give you an idea of what the finished dish could look like.)

 

Cilantro Lime Chicken with Corn and Black Beans

Cilantro Lime Chicken with Corn and Black Beans photo by TTQ creative commons 4.0

Cilantro Lime Chicken w/ Corn and Black Beans

Ingredients:

olive oil

1 1/2 pounds chicken thighs or any boneless, skinless chicken pieces

salt and pepper to taste

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp. Arizona Dreaming (from Penzey’s)

2 minced garlic cloves

1 small onion, diced (can use red if you have it)

1 (16 oz) bag frozen corn

Juice from 2 limes

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

1/2 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped

Heat the olive oil in a good skillet.  Chop the chicken into bite sized chunks.  Add to the hot pan, season it with salt and pepper but don’t go crazy at this point.  Brown the chicken til nearly done.  Meanwhile you have chopped the onion and garlic (or opened the jar of chopped garlic you have in your fridge).  Throw the onion and garlic in the pan. Add the cumin and Arizona Dremaing now.  Smells good!  As the onion softens, throw the bag of corn in the microwave to steam (that is the kind I buy).  Or you can just zap it halfway and let it finish cooking in the skillet.  Open your can of beans, drain and rinse.  Add that to the skillet as well.  Chop the cilantro and juice the limes.  Throw those items in at the very end.

I chose to use this chicken mixture to fill corn tortillas which I warmed with a little olive oil in a skillet til they were hot, pliable and just beginning to brown.  I added sour cream and some sliced jalapenos from a jar.

This was a great tasting, healthy, quick to fix meal!

FIVE FORKS!

You could also serve the chicken/corn/bean mixture with tortilla chips and other toppings such as guacamole, salsa, and cheese.  I don’t think it needed any of that, though.

Arizona Dreaming contains ancho chili pepper, black pepper, onion, garlic, paprika, spices, cumin, citric acid, Mexican oregano, cilantro, lemon peel, chipotle pepper, red pepper, jalapeño, cocoa, natural smoke flavoring.

Recipe inspired by:  Over the Big Moon, SixSistersStuff.com; then also further revised and re-adapted by The Tromp Queen! (me).

 

Something New: Recipe Reviews!

I love to try new recipes.  I find them in many places:  online, on TV, in cookbooks, in magazines, from friends, etc.  I make new recipes sometimes several times a week so I thought a new feature for this blog could be for me to report how the recipes turn out for me.

I haven’t thought about a rating system, but I will give that some thought.   Spoons or forks up instead of thumbs up?  Coffee cups instead of stars?  I’m open to suggestions here!

Sometimes I turn on the TV when I am folding clothes or when I am eating lunch.  One day, I discovered a cooking show on the Food Network called “10 Dollar Dinners.”  I watched enough to know I wanted to make all the recipes featured on the show that day.  I set the DVR to record it, and then looked up the recipes online.

Get ready for some Moroccan flavors!

It took me a few days to gather all the ingredients, because one was something I had never heard of before.:  lemon confit.  Basically lemons are preserved in salt with a few spices and left to sit for about 30 days.  The lemons get very soft and salty (of course).  I didn’t want to wait 30 days to make this recipe so I searched for a quicker solution.  I found a method and improvised a bit to make it fit my needs.  I think it worked, but since I don’t know what lemon confit is supposed to taste like I guess I’m not totally sure.  The meal was delicious, at any rate.

I found various recipes for making lemon confit:

Here is one that takes 48 hours.  

This one is very thorough but it takes 2 weeks.  (I learned that preserved lemons are the same things as lemon confit).

This one takes a month.

This one bakes in an oven for 3 hours.

The three-hour recipe was getting close, but I only had about 2 hours.  So this is what I did:  I cut 2 organic lemons into fourths and put them in a small saucepan with 3 T. of kosher salt.  I added just enough water to cover the lemons.  I boiled it and then simmered it until I needed it.  I did let them cool a bit before I chopped 4 of the quarters up for my chicken tangine.

Here is the link for the whole dinner menu:
Melissa’s Ten Dollar Moroccan Chicken Dinner.

First I started on the Carrot and Cauliflower Soup.  Since it is January in Wisconsin, I decided to serve it warm not chilled.

Here is the recipe for the soup.  Please follow the link to read the whole thing. To whet your appetite though, the ingredients needed for the soup are:  olive oil, onion, carrots, cauliflower, red pepper flakes, cumin, lemon zest, chicken or vegetable stock, salt and pepper, and plain yogurt, and a green onion for garnish if you wish.

This is what mine looked like:

Carrot and Cauliflower Soup made by The Tromp Queen following Melissa D’Arabian’s recipe

Mine is little chunky because my pan was too big and when I tried to use my wonderful Cuisinart immersion blender in the pan, the soup was splurting about quite a bit.  Also I wasn’t careful after I added the yogurt and it got a bit curdled.  (This bowl was reheated for my lunch today, so it is a little more curdlier, too!).

I started on the chicken after I got the vegetables going and simmering.  The recipe for Chicken Tangine, the main dish, is here.

The ingredients are: chicken thighs and drumsticks, salt and pepper, butter and olive oil, ginger, turmeric, cinnamon, garlic, wine, chicken broth, lemon confit, olives (I used both kalamata and green), cilantro, and parsley.  I only used drumsticks because they were on sale this week.  I think you could leave out the parsley, frankly.  I don’t think you really have to use the wine, either, though I happened to have some so I did.  The lemon confit does add a distinct flavor but it you have to substitute I would add lemon juice and lemon zest and a bit of extra salt.  It won’t be the same, but it would help in the right direction.

Here is what mine looked like (leftovers for lunch today!):

Chicken Tangine made by The Tromp Queen following Melissa D’Arabian’s recipe from Food Network

The final component to the menu is the couscous you see served under the chicken in the photo above.  The recipe is here.  The ingredients needed for Melissa’s Couscous with Peas and Mint are:  frozen peas, couscous (I used whole wheat), butter, mint, lemon juice, salt and pepper.

I used Trader Joe’s whole wheat couscous in a box.  I only used 1.5 cups, but you could probably use less.  We had way TOO much couscous even with cutting the recipe down.  You decide what is best for your folks, but 2.5 cups of couscous that the recipe calls for could feed a neighborhood pot luck.  I followed the direction on the box of couscous to scale down the amount.  If I remember correctly the amount of couscous is equal to the amount of water, so it is pretty easy to scale up or down.  I kept the other ingredients about the same.

The Review:

Overall:  I thought the meal was delicious.  I would not describe doing all three at the same time EASY, though.  Maybe do just the chicken and the couscous one time, and do the soup another time til you get the hang of what needs to be done.  The colors and aromas of the meal are beautiful and incredibly appetizing.

Soup:  I think it had very good flavor.  I used about 1/2 the amount of red pepper flakes and it was still noticeably spicy.  I like it, but both my other family members thought it was still too much spice.  My husband did not like the texture of the creamy soup and wondered if I could leave more vegetable chunks the next time I make it.  I liked the texture of the creamy soup, so I will have to mull that idea over a bit.  I am also curious what it would taste like cold as the recipe calls for.  It was very good warm (hot, really).  I didn’t figure out the calorie count, but from years of Weight Watcher experience I think this would be a very low point soup.

Chicken:  The main dish has interesting, complex flavors.  My only experience with Moroccan food is from Epcot in Disney World, so I don’t have much real world experience to compare to.  I thought it was delicious.  I love olives, lemon and cilantro.  The spices used were not overpowering at all.  I might make it next time using just lemon zest and juice to see if the trouble of making the lemon confit is worth it.  I will definitely make this dish again.  I might consider using chicken off the bone next time to make eating it easier.  You could easily use boneless, skinless thighs cut into bite sized chunks and get nearly the same effect.  The bones add flavor, granted, but it was a little messy to eat.

Couscous:  Given the fact that the chicken dish is so complex and flavorful, I’m not sure the couscous needs quite so much going on.  I would use fewer peas next time and not use fresh squeezed lemon juice. I forgot to add the mint!  I didn’t have any fresh and would have used dried.  Again, I’m not sure it needs anything extra, though.  The couscous is really there to soak up all the delicious liquid from the Chicken Tangine.

Overall:  I would make this meal again. 4.5 out of 5 forks!