Chili Coconut Chicken

This recipe came from one of many "Quick and Easy" recipe books that I have acquired over the years. And it definitely was quick and easy...and very yummy! I got to enjoy this dish with my girlfriend Andrea who happened to be in my neighborhood this night...how convenient! She gave this recipe rave reviews...thanks Andrea!

Ingredients

2/3 cups chicken stock

1/2 cup coconut milk

1 Tb. vegetable oil

8 skinless, boneless chicken strips, cut into long, thin pieces

1 small red chili, thinly sliced

4 scallions, thinly sliced

1 red pepper, thinly sliced

1 yellow pepper

1 cup sugar snap peas

4 Tb. smooth or crunchy peanut butter

finely grated rind and juice of 1 lime

2 cups cooked rice

red pepper flakes, salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Heat oil in a large, heavy-bottom skillet or pre-heated wok. Season chicken with salt, pepper and red pepper flakes. Add chicken to skillet and cook, stirring, until golden.

2. Add red chili, peppers, and sugar snap peas and cook gently for few minutes.

3. Add warm chicken stock, coconut milk, peanut butter, lime rind and juice and simmer uncovered, stirring for 5 minutes.

4. Serve with rice and garnish with scallions.

G's Side notes:

The original recipe didn't call for any of the vegetables that I added. I love all these flavors in this recipe and I think you could add any veggies you have on hand. Next time, I think I will add pineapple too!

Fish Tacos with Chili Lime Cream

Fish tacos are one of my favs to order at a good Mexican restaurant. I did not have fresh fish on hand but I had frozen cod fillets in the freezer that I wanted to use. This was such a quick and easy recipe, not to mention a light and healthy dinner! It was ALMOST as good as any Mexican restaurant!

Ingredients

1 lb. fresh cod or any fresh white fish

1/2 tsp. chili powder

1 lime, halved

1/2 cup sour cream

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

8 6-inch corn tortillas

2 cups shredded cabbage mix

1 avocado, sliced

Dash of salt

Hot sauce (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat broiler. Sprinkle fish with 1/4 tsp of the chili powder and dash of salt.

2. For chili-lime cream, in bowl squeeze 2 tsp. juice from half the lime. Stir in sour cream, garlic powder, and remaining chili powder. Set aside.

3. Place fish on unheated greased broiler rack. Broil fish 4 to 6 minutes per 1/2-inch thickness, until fish flakes with fork. Break into chunks.

4. Assemble tacos with chunks of fish, cabbage, chili-lime cream, avocado, pepper sauce, and squeeze of lime.

Sunday Dinner: Rigatoni in Creamy Mushroom Sauce

I got this recipe out of an Italian recipe book that I had, but have not used yet. I was craving a hearty pasta with lots of different tastes. This did the trick! The original recipe called for port, but I didn't have port, and I really don't care for it. So, substitute a fruitier red wine and added a little sugar.

Ingredients

4 Tb. butter
1 Tb. olive oil
6 shallots, sliced
1 lb button mushrooms, sliced
salt and pepper
1 tsp. all-purpose flour
2/3 cup heavy cream
2 Tb. red wine
1 Tb. white sugar
4 oz. sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained, chopped
pinch of nutmeg
12 oz dried rigatoni
2 Tb. chopped fresh parsley

Directions
1. Melt butter with the olive oil in a large skillet. Add the shallots and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, for 4-5 minutes, or until softened. Add mushrooms and cook over low heat for an additional 2 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper, sprinkle in the flour and cook, stirring for 1 minute.

2. Remove the skillet from the heat and gradually stir in the cream, red wine, and sugar.Return tot he heat, add the sun-dried tomatoes, and grated nutmeg, and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, for 8 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, bring large pan of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8-10 minutes or until tender but still firm to the bite. Drain the pasta well, and add to mushroom sauce. Cook for 3 minutes. Sprinkle with parsley and Parmesan cheese (optional).

G's side notes:
I have probably mentioned before that I love a lot and extra sauce. Sometimes in cream sauces like this one, I reserve some pasta water and add it to the sauce. Not only does this extend the sauce, but adds another layer of flavor because of the starch and salt in the water.

Curry Chicken Salad

I love when I can use my leftovers and use them for lunch options. A couple of days ago I got a roasted chicken from the grocery store. Obviously too much chicken for just me in one night, so I made this curry chicken salad the next day for lunch! I got this recipe from my Big Book of 30-Minute Dinners, but since I already had the roasted chicken, it only took like 10 minutes!

Ingredients

3 cups roasted chicken

2 cups green grapes

1 8-ounce can sliced water chestnuts

1 cup thinly sliced celery

1/3 cup light mayo

1/3 cup lemon-flavored low-fat yogurt

2 tsp soy sauce

1 tsp curry powder

2 Tb sliced almonds

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, combine chicken, grapes, water chestnuts, and celery.

2. For salad dressing, stir together mayo, yogurt, soy sauce, and curry powder. Pour dressing over chicken mixture, and toss. Season with salt and pepper.

G's side notes:

This was such a good twist on the normal everyday chicken salad! The original recipe called for Mandarin oranges, but I thought that was fruit over kill. I might try the oranges next time and omit the grapes!

Veggie Bean Burgers

I have to say that I am a pretty big meat eater. However, I don't NEED to have meat in every meal. I actually love to be creative sometimes, and cut the meat out. I am constantly looking for tasty vegetarian meals, and this bean burger did the trick! The original recipe was taken from a Guy Fieri creation, and I tweaked it just a little bit. (I apologize for this picture of the final product as it does not do the patty justice!)

Ingredients

2 ounces olive oil

3 Tb diced red onions

2 Tb diced black olives

1 tsp diced jalapeno
1 1/2 Tb diced garlic

6 ounces black beans

6 ounces white beans

6 ounces rolled oats

1/2 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp chili powder

1 tsp dried oregano

1 Tb fresh parsley

1/2 tsp red chili flakes

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1/2 celery salt

1/4 ground sage

2 Tb seasoned bread crumbs

1 egg

Directions

1. In a large saute pan over medium heat, heat 1 ounce of olive oil and all raw veggies except for beans. Saute until translucent. Set aside to cool.

2. Add veggies to beans and mix thoroughly. Add all dry ingredients, and egg. Mix together thoroughly and make four even patties. Cover, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

3. In saute pan, add 1 ounce of olive oil and cook patties for 2 to 3 minutes per side.

G's side notes:

The original recipe called for diced artichokes and another type of bean. This recipe already had so many flavors and ingredients, that I decided to cut out those two. These burgers turned out so flavorful they didn't need the extra ingredients. I did add cheese (of course), and I tried to make a spicy chili mayo spread. However, next time, I think I will try a basil lime mayo as I think the lime will go great with the beans.

For the Co-Workers: Valentine's Cupcakes

I love bringing in treats for my co-workers. Since I don't have a big army to feed at home, sometimes I make them my victims. I don't think they mind all that much, except for my boss thinking I am trying to make him gain weight! These cupcakes weren't anything special, just strawberry cake from a box with confetti frosting. But they were fun to make...and they were gone by the end of the day! One thought of mine was to make them have a tropical twist by adding crushed pineapple and orange zest to the batter and then adding toasted coconut on top the frosting! Next time guys! Happy Valentine's day!

Sunday Dinner: Sauteed Pork with Mushroom Mustard Cream Sauce

I spend almost every Sunday at my parent's house. It has been a tradition every since I was little that Sunday nights were a time to relax until the work week started again, and to cook a big nice dinner. This dinner usually consists of a great steak on the grill or my mom's homemade spaghetti sauce. Occasionally though we will mix it up. A couple Sunday's ago, my mom and I cooked this one together. We found the recipe from my mom's BIG binder of recipes. This is a great website for recipes, and I will probably visit here often.

Ingredients:

2 Tb vegetable oil

4 Tb unsalted butter

Four 4 to 5 ounce pork cutlets, lightly pounded to an even thickness

Salt to taste

Ground pepper to taste

1/4 cup minced shallots

3 cups thinly sliced fresh white mushrooms

1/4 cup dry white wine

1/2 cup chicken stock

2/3 cup heavy cream

1 Tb Dijon mustard

2 Tb thinly sliced green onion tops

Directions:

1. Heat a large saute pan over medium heat until hot. Add the oil and heat until almost smoking. Add the butter and when it becomes foamy, add the cutlets.

2. Saute the cutlets just until they are lightly browned on the bottom. Turn and cook on the other side until lightly browned. They will not be completely cooked through. Season with salt and pepper and transfer the cutlets to a platter.

3. Add the shallots to the same pan and saute over medium heat until soft, but not brown, 3-5 minutes.

4. Turn the heat to high and add the mushrooms. Saute stirring frequently, until the mushrooms release all their liquid. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the mushrooms to a bowl and set aside.

5. Add the white wine and reduce by half.

6. Add the chicken stock and reduce by half.

7. Add the cream and reduce until sauce coats the back of a spoon.

8. Reduce the heat to low and add the mustard. Whisk until smooth.

9. Return the cutlets and mushrooms to the pan (do not boil) and cook just until the pork is heated through.

G's side notes:

This really was a fantastic recipe. There was a lot of transferring things and reducing of liquids, but the end result was worth it. I am a huge sauce lover, so I next time, I would almost double the sauce ingredients. Also, we served this with mashed potatoes and the gravy went excellent with them!

Very Lemony Yogurt Cake

I wanted to serve something sweet and easy after my big Super Bowl dinner with my girlfriends the other night. This was a nice refreshing choice, but it was VERY sweet! Especially after I added the blueberry sauce. This recipe came from Ina Garden.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 cup plain whole-milk yogurt
1 1/3 cups sugar, divided
3 extra-large eggs
2 tsp grated lemon zest
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

Glaze:

1 cup confectioners sugar
2 Tb freshly squeezed lemons


Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8 1/2 x4 1/4x2 1/2-inch loaf pan. Grease and flour the pan.

2. Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt into 1 bowl. In another bowl, whisk together the yogurt, 1 cup sugar, eggs, lemon zest, and vanilla. Slowly whisk the dry ingredients into the wet. With a rubber spatula, fold the vegetable oil into the batter, making sure it is all incorporated. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 50 minutes or until test fork comes out clean.

3. Meanwhile, cook the 1/3 cup lemon juice and remaining 1/3 sugar cup sugar in small pan until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture is clear.

4. When the cake is done, allow to cool for 10 min. Leave in pan, and carefully pour lemon-sugar mixture over cake and allow to soak in. Cool.

For glaze, combine the confectioners sugar and lemon juice and pour over the cake.

G's side notes:
This cake again was VERY sweet and lemony. I chose not to make the glaze, but instead reduced some blueberries, sugar and water together to make a blueberry sauce. Next time, I might not even use the lemon-sugar mixture as I think the cake was great by itself. However, that did keep it very moist.

Super Bowl "Mini" Meatball Subs

My girlfriends and I decided to have a girl's-night-in while watching the Super Bowl...I said I would cook if they brought the beer! Some things just work out perfectly. I also told them to come hungry, because I making a lot of food. I didn't disappoint. This entire recipe really came from Giada De Laurentiis. I am fairly new at making meatballs, and since I was entertaining, I didn't want to mess it up. I think they turned out great though!

Ingredients:

Meatballs:

1 small onion, grated
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 large egg
3 Tb ketchup
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2/3 cup grated Parmesan
1/4 cup dried Italian-style bead crumbs
1 lbs. ground beef
6 ounces ground pork
2 Tb extra-virgin olive oil
Marinara sauce, recipe to follow

Sandwiches:

12 mini sub (or club) rolls
1/3 freshly grated Parmesan
12 thick slices of Provolone cheese

Directions:

Meatballs: Whisk first seven ingredients together in large bowl. Stir in cheese and bread crumbs. Mix in beef and pork. Using about 1 1/2 tablespoons of meat, and roll meat mixture into 1 to 1 1/2 inch diameter balls.

Heat oil in large frying pan over medium heat. Working in batches, add meatballs to pan and saute until brown on all sides, about 5 minutes. Transfer meatballs onto paper towel to soak any excess oil. Once all meatballs are browned, transfer them to pot of simmering marinara sauce.

Simmer meatballs into sauce for 20-30 minutes or until all flavors have blended. Add salt and pepper to taste.

To make sandwiches: Set oven broil on high. Spoon meatballs plus sauce (should fit about 3 balls) onto mini sub rolls. Place provolone cheese on top of meatballs, and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Place under broil for about three minutes or until cheese is melted. Wrap sandwiches into foil to serve.

G's side notes:
This recipe called for ground veal, but I did not use it. First of all, I couldn't find ground veal at the regular grocery store and didn't feel like asking the butcher, but also the ground pork and ground beef came all in one package, so it was nice and easy! The meatballs turned out great without the veal.

Marinara sauce:

2 Tb extra virgin olive oil
1 small onion
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 carrot, grated
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp black pepper
2 (32 ounce) cans crushed tomatoes
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 dried bay leaves

In a large cooking pot, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onions, garlic until translucent, about 10 minutes. Add carrots and season with 1/2 teaspoon of the salt and pepper. Saute another 10 minutes. Add the tomatoes, grated Parmesan cheese and bay leaves and simmer uncovered over low heat until sauce thickens, about 1 hour. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

G's side notes:
I cooked this marinara sauce all day. It just got better and better as it cooked. It didn't originally call for Parmesan cheese, but I thought the cheese would add another layer of flavor, but also help season and thicken. It did start to get a little to thick on me, so I thinned it out with some beef broth.

Prairie Fume Chicken Wild Rice Soup

One of my favorite white wines is Prairie Fume and is produced and bottled at the Wollershiem Winery in Prairie Du Sac, Wisconsin. The original recipe for this Chicken with Wild Rice Soup called for white wine, but I added a little extra to really taste the flavor of the Prairie Fume. You could really use any white wine, but make sure you love it because you can really taste it in this soup!

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups cooked wild rice

7 cups chicken broth

3 cups roasted chicken, cut into pieces

1 cup chopped celery

1 cup chopped onion

2 Tb. vegetable oil

1 cup fresh mushrooms, sliced

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. black pepper

1/2 cup margarine

3/4 cup flour

1/2 cup heavy cream

3 cups milk

1 cup white wine (Prairie Fume)

Directions:

1. Cook the wild rice according to package. Set aside.

2. In a large pot, saute the celery and onion in the oil for 5 minutes. Add mushrooms and cook for another 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until everything is tender.

3. Add chicken broth, diced chicken, and cooked wild rice into pot. Simmer for 15 minutes.

4. Meanwhile, melt margarine in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in flour until smooth. Whisk in milk slowly and continue to cook and whisk mixture until bubbly and thick. Then add all of milk mixture to the broth pot mixture. Stir until fully milk mixture is completely incorporated into broth.

5. In a blender, measure out two cups of the soup mixture. Blend mixture until mostly smooth. Add back to the rest of the soup in the pot. Stir in heavy cream and white wine. Allow all flavors to incorporate uncovered for 20-30 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

G's side notes:

I love to partially blend soups that are supposed to be thick. I feel it just helps the thicken process, and blends the flavors. The soup also freezes very well, so you can make a lot, and save it for a rainy (or snowy) day!

Super Easy 3 Cheese Macaroni

I have never met a cheese I didn't love. Since this will be my first ever blog, I thought it only appropriate to post one of my favorites - Mac n' cheese. I have tried many mac and cheese recipes, but this one intrigued me as the noodles cook in the oven and then cheese is added later. The original recipe called for just cheddar cheese. I added the Colby Jack and Parmesan cheese for an added layer of flavor. Also, my own personal touch was the cheese crackers crumbled on top. You can definitely omit these as it does add a different taste. But, also so yummy!

Ingredients:

1 can (14 1/2 ounces) chicken broth

1 cup plus 2 Tbs. uncooked elbow macaroni

3/4 cup evaporated milk

2 Tbs. butter, cut up

2 tsp. all-purpose flour

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. black pepper

3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese

3/4 cup shredded Colby jack

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

1/2 cup crumbled cheese crackers

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350 F.

2. In a medium baking dish (8x10 inches), combine broth, macaroni, evaporated milk, butter, flour, salt and pepper. Stir to combine. Cover with foil and bake at 350 F for 50 minutes. Stir after 15, and then again after 30 minutes.

3. Remove from oven and stir in cheddar and Colby jack cheeses until melted.

4. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese, and crumbled cheese crackers over mac and cheese. Bake uncovered for 10 more minutes or until golden brown.

G's side notes:

The noodles did taste a little "over done" as they did not have a "bite" to them. This recipe however got better over time. Many macaroni and cheese recipes do not re-heat well, but this one did. This is important for me because I always have left overs!