July 19th: Cinnamon chicken bulgar pilaf

Another winner from olive magazine! I didn't really expect to like this one, but it was awesome! Again, Sadie cleaned her plate! Who would have guessed bulgar would be such a hit?

Cinnamon chicken bulgar pilaf

cinnamon, 1/4 tsp
ground cumin, a large pinch
chicken thighs, 4 small
olive oil
onion, 1 small, finely chopped
garlic, 1 clove, crushed
bulgar wheat, 90 g (1/2 cup)
chicken stock, 2 cups*
spinach, 100 g, chopped (4 cups)
butter
toasted chopped almonds, 2 tbsp

Rub the spices and some seasoning into the chicken thighs and brown all over in a little olive oil. Cover and cook through.

Meanwhile, fry the onion in a little oil until softened, add the garlic and fry for a minute, then add the bulgar and stock and bring to a simmer. Cook for 12-15 minutes, until the stock has been absorbed. Add the spinach and stir until wilted, 1-2 minutes. Fluff the pilaff, dot with butter** and sprinkle with the almonds. Serve with the chicken and any juices.

Serves 2.

*The original recipe called for 150 mL (2/3 cup) of chicken stock. In my large frying pan, this liquid quickly dried up before the time was up. I ended up adding more and more stock, till I used about 2 cups total, and there was some left in the pan. I'm not sure how soft bulgar wheat is supposed to get (it was fairly chewy), but I found lots of liquid made it better.
**Oo ya, don't skip this step! Butter makes all the difference in the flavour!

March 13th: All-Purpose Baking Mix and Chicken Pot Pie

I have blogged previously about my all-time favourite chicken pot pie recipe, which is to die for. Death bed food, right there. For a weeknight supper though, a bit time consuming. This one is a bit simpler. Still a bit of time involved, but not too bad, and the results are pretty tasty. From March 2014's Chatelaine: All-Purpose Baking Mix and Chicken Pot Pie.

First step is to whip up some all-purpose baking mix, which you can keep on hand for a month after making. I see now I should throw out my supply, as I haven't used it in the last month, although Chatelaine has various suggested ways to use it, including pancakes, biscuits and cookies.

All-Purpose Baking Mix

3 cups all-purpose flour (OR 1 1/2 cups each all-purpose and whole wheat flours)
1 tbsp baking powder
1 tbsp granulated sugar
1/2 tsp salt

WHISK all ingredients together in medium bowl until combined. Use right away or store in an airtight container in a cool dry place up to 1 month.

Makes 3 cups.

Chicken Pot Pie

HEAT a large ovenproof frying pan over medium-high. Add 1 tbsp butter, then 2 carrots, cut into 1/4-in. coins; 1 cup chopped red onion; and a 227-g pkg cremini mushrooms, quartered.

COOK until mushrooms are tender, 3 to 4 min. Stir in 2 tbsp butter, then 2 tbsp all-purpose flour. Cook, stirring constantly for 30 sec. Add 1/2 cup white wine and continue cooking, 2 to 3 min. Stir in 2 cups chicken broth, then 1 rotisserie chicken, shredded. Cook until thickened. Stir in 1 tbsp chopped dill.

MIX 2 1/2 cups All-Purpose Baking Mix with 1/2 cup cold butter, cubed, and 1 cup milk in a bowl until mixture comes together. Scrape onto a floured surface and roll out to 11 in. wide and 1/4 in. thick. Use a 3-in. cookie cutter to cut 8 rounds of dough, re-rolling scraps as needed. Place rounds over chicken mixture. Brush tops with 1 beaten egg.

BAKE at 425F until golden, 15 to 20 min.

My cookie cutter must be smaller than 3 inches,
as I cut out 12 rounds, enough to fill the pan,
but I could have kept going.

Life imitating art.

We all liked this recipe. In future, I might try doubling the liquids (wine and chicken broth), as it was a bit dry the first night, and very dry the next day. It was also very meaty, probably not necessary to pick that rotisserie chicken clean.

March 6th: Chicken & Bok Choy with Crunchy Shallots

I was super pleased with this recipe tonight: it was delicious, and both my girls ate bok choy without complaint, and Olivia almost said she liked it. I love bok choy and would make it MUCH more often if others agreed. Post-supper, I was out of the house tonight and when I came home, the whole house still smelled of fish sauce. Maybe not so good. From March 2014's Chatelaine: Chicken & Bok Choy with Crunchy Shallots.

Chicken & Bok Choy with Crunchy Shallots

Cover 125 g fine rice-vermicelli noodles with boiling water in a large bowl. Let stand, stirring frequently, until tender, 5 to 7 min. Drain. Return to bowl.

Dice 2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts. Combine with 3 tbsp brown sugar, 2 tbsp light soy sauce, 1 tbsp fish sauce and 1 tsp hot chili-garlic sauce in a medium bowl. Stir to coat. Heat a very large non-stick pan over medium-high. Add 2 tsp canola oil, then chicken, reserving marinade. Cook until chicken is no longer pink, 2 to 3 min. Move chicken to sides of pan and add 10 baby bok choy, halved lengthwise. Cook, stirring often, until tender-crisp, 2 to 3 min. Transfer chicken and bok choy to a platter.

Add noodles to pan along with reserved marinade. Cook until heated through, at least 2 min. Divide among 4 plates. Top with chicken and bok choy and any liquid. Sprinkle 1/3 cup fried shallots over the plates and serve with a wedge of lime.


Makes 4 servings.

A couple notes: the recipe called for 10 baby bok choy, halved. I find they come in such varying sizes, you have to play this one by ear. I bought 8 (shout out to Farm Boy, who sells them in bulk!) and probably could have bought less, but I do love bok choy and I'll eat them all myself. I split them into leaves, then sliced up the bigger leaves. I fried them in two batches, for 6 minutes each. That almost doubled the overall cook time. Plan accordingly!

The recipe called for packaged fried shallots. I couldn't find these, nor do I imagine they are very good for you, so I made my own: I diced up shallots and lightly fried them in olive oil, then sprinkled panko crumbs on top and fried a few minutes more, then salted and peppered. Delicious.

February 12th: Sweet & Spicy Faux-Fried Chicken, Sesame Carrot Coins, Oven-Roasted Tomatoes

I was really looking forward to this recipe, and it lived up to my expectations! From February 2014's Chatelaine: Sweet & Spicy Faux-Fried Chicken. In the magazine, they pair the recipe with waffles, but we don't have a waffle maker, and I forgot to buy vegetables for the side, so I worked with what I had in the house, and re-made last week's Sesame Carrot Coins as well as one of my go-to recipes from Canadian Living, Oven-Roasted Grape Tomatoes. I usually make the tomatoes to accompany steak, but they went well with this chicken. The whole meal had some spice to it, and Sadie ate it up. I think I have finally figured out the trick with this kid: she likes spicy food! Whoever would have guessed? Too bad Olivia doesn't, or we would be set. Ah well. Kids must keep me on my toes. To the recipes!

Sweet & Spicy Faux-Fried Chicken

2 cups cornflakes
1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
1 egg yolk
3 tbsp honey, divided
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
2 large skinless, boneless chicken breasts (about 500 g)
1/4 tsp salt
1 tbsp water
1/8 tsp cayenne


Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with foil.

Crush cornflakes with your hands in a medium bowl until finely crumbled. Stir in Italian seasoning. Whisk egg yolk with 1 tbsp honey and Dijon in another medium bowl.

Cut each chicken breast in half crosswise and pat dry with paper towels. Sprinkle with salt. Coat each piece with egg mixture, then press into cornflake mixture to completely cover. Lay chicken on prepared sheet.

Bake in centre of oven until golden-brown, about 25 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine water with cayenne in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and stir in remaining 2 tbsp honey. Drizzle cooked chicken with cayenne honey.

Makes 4 servings.

Sesame Carrot Coins

Stir 1 tbsp each rice vinegar and tamari (or soy sauce) with 1 tsp each brown sugar and sriracha sauce in a medium bowl. Set aside.

Heat a medium non-stick frying pan over medium. Add 1 tbsp canola oil, then 6 thinly sliced carrots along with sauce mixture. Cook carrots until tender-crisp, about 5 min. Drizzle with 2 tsp dark sesame oil and stir in 4 sliced green onions.

Makes 4 servings.

Oven-Roasted Grape Tomatoes

4 cups (1 L) grape tomatoes (or halved cherry tomatoes)
2 tbsp (30 mL) olive oil
2 cloves garlic, sliced
1/2 tsp (2 mL) dried oregano
1/4 tsp (1 mL) salt
1 pinch hot pepper flakes (optional)

In 13- x 9-inch (3 L) glass baking dish, toss together tomatoes, oil, garlic, oregano, salt, and hot pepper flakes (if using).

Roast in 400°F (200°C) oven, stirring occasionally, until shrivelled, about 25 minutes.

Makes 4 servings.

February 5th: Granola Bars and Chili-Garlic Chicken with Sesame Carrot Coins

I have been trying maaaaany homemade granola bar recipes this year, trying to find something that is healthy enough to put in Olivia's lunch and tasty enough that she will eat one every day until the whole batch is gone. I have not had much luck. The healthy ones she tires of quickly, the tasty ones are sugar-laden. The latest one I tried, she says she's not crazy about, but so far, they're being eaten, and I think they taste pretty good. I made them awhile back, but was waiting to see her reaction over an extended period of time before blogging about it. It's a good recipe in part because you can alter the ingredients to suit yourself quite easily. Altered slightly, original from smitten kitchen:

Thick, Chewy Granola Bars


1 2/3 cups quick rolled oats
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 cups dried fruits and nuts, your choice*
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
6 tablespoons melted butter (I used 7!) or oil of choice
1/4 cup honey or maple syrup
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1 tablespoon water
1/3 cup peanut butter or another nut butter* (I used soy butter, notes below)


Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line an 8″ x 8″ x 2″ pan in one direction with parchment paper, allowing it to go up the opposing sides. Lightly grease the exposed pan.


Stir together all the dry ingredients, including the fruit and nuts. In a separate bowl, whisk together the vanilla, melted butter or oil, liquid sweeteners and water. Toss the wet ingredients with the dry and the nut butter until the mixture is evenly crumbly. Spread in the prepared pan, pressing them in firmly to ensure they are molded to the shape of the pan.


Bake the bars for 30 to 40 minutes, until they’re brown around the edges — don’t be afraid to get a little colour on the tops too. They’ll still seem soft and almost underbaked when you press into the center of the pan but do not worry, they’ll set completely once completely cool.


Cool the bars in their pan completely on a cooling rack. (Alternately, after about 20 minutes you can use your parchment “sling” to lift and remove the bars, and place them in their paper on the rack to cool the rest of the way. This can speed the process up.)


Once cool, cut the bars into squares. If bars seem crumbly, chill the pan in the fridge for 30 minutes, then cut them cold. To store, wrap the bars individually in plastic or stack them in an airtight container. They also freeze well.


*Suggestions: Dried cranberries, apricots, pecans, sunflower seeds, coconut, walnuts, sesame seeds, pepitas, dried apples or chocolate chips. My mix: pepitas, unsweetened coconut, rice krispies, chocolate chips, raisins, dried cranberries.

Obviously, since I was making these for school, I had to avoid nuts of all kinds. I opted to buy "Wow" Butter, which is soy butter proclaiming to look, smell and taste like peanut butter.

LIES! All lies! Look, yes; smell, almost; taste; NOTHING LIKE PEANUT BUTTER! If someone spread that on a piece of toast for me to eat, I would throw it back in their face. However, for this recipe, it worked.

I think if I made the recipe with peanut butter, peanuts and chocolate chips, it would be a surefire winner. Alas. Maybe this summer.

On to supper! I have had the flu the last two days, but somehow managed to pull off cooking meals, one of them a new recipe. I can't tell you a thing about them; I remember next to nothing of the dizzy, crazy state I was in. Today I felt on the better side, and I can report that supper was yummy! From February 2014's Chatelaine:

Chili-Garlic Chicken with Sesame Carrot Coins

MAKE 2 or 3 shallow cuts, about 1/4-in. deep, diagonally across surface of 4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts. Stir 1 tbsp each rice vinegar, tamari (or soy sauce) and chili-garlic sauce with 1 tsp brown sugar in a medium bowl. Coat chicken with vinegar mixture.

HEAT a large non-stick frying pan over medium. Add 1 tbsp canola oil, then chicken. (Do not discard marinade.) Cook chicken 5 min. Flip and continue cooking, covered, until springy when touched, 6 more min. Transfer to plates.

RETURN pan to heat and add 6 thinly sliced carrots along with reserved marinade. Cook carrots until tender-crisp, about 5 min. Drizzle with 2 tsp dark sesame oil and stir in 4 sliced green onions. Serve with chicken.


I used the full marinade on two chicken breasts, but we found the chicken a little bland; in future I intend to double the sauce recipe so there is some left in the pan to pour over the chicken. I didn't have any chili-garlic sauce, so I used 1 tsp sriracha in its place.  The carrots were spicy and I loved them! You have to understand; I hate carrots! Also, Sadie loved them! You have to understand; Sadie doesn't like anything! I served this with jasmine rice.

January 28th: Garlic and Lemon Roasted Chicken and Veggies

I've made similar recipes in the past, but have never made this one before. With lemon, garlic and olive oil making up the base of the flavour, it was delicious. From the GoodLife Fitness blog.

Garlic and Lemon Roasted Chicken and Veggies

6 tablespoons olive oil
2 lemons: 1 thinly sliced and 1 juiced
8 cloves of garlic, minced
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 pound green beans
8 small-medium red potatoes, cut into large chunks
4 chicken breasts, with bones and skin

Preheat oven to 450°F. Coat a large baking dish with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Arrange the lemon slices in a single layer in the bottom of the dish.

In a large bowl, combine the remaining oil, lemon juice, garlic, salt, and pepper; add the green beans and toss to coat. Using a slotted spoon or tongs, remove the green beans and arrange them on top of the lemon slices. Add the potatoes to the same olive oil mixture and toss to coat. Using a slotted spoon or tongs, arrange the potatoes on top of the green beans. Place the chicken in the same bowl with the olive oil mixture and coat thoroughly. Place the chicken, skin-side up, in the dish. Pour any of the remaining olive oil mixture over the chicken.


Roast for 45 minutes. Stir once, if desired, partway through cooking time. Let chicken rest 5 minutes before serving.

Makes 4 servings.

Greg found the green beans a little strongly flavoured with lemon. I suppose you could put the lemon slices on top of the chicken instead of under the beans. Then the chicken would be strongly lemon flavoured. What's wrong with lemon?!

A month of skinnytaste

If I remember correctly, I first heard about the blog skinnytaste from my former coworker Brittany, a couple of years ago, although I didn't try any recipes from the the website at that time. I recently came across it again, and in need of kitchen inspiration - and with my trusty new/old iPhone in hand - I spent some time trolling the website and came up with a list of recipes to try out. We've been eating skinnytaste almost exclusively in the month of May; happily, we have had a number of hits and only a few near misses. Super excited to have a new bank of inspiration upon which to draw.

I'm only going to talk about the hits...


May 5th: Cheesy Jalapeño Popper Baked Stuffed Chicken and Fiesta Lime Rice

The title pretty much says it all. Create a stuffing of bacon, cream cheese, Cheddar cheese, jalapeño, and green onion, and roll it into flattened chicken breasts. Bread and bake. Cheesy, spicy, gooey goodness.

We ate this accompanied by Fiesta Lime Rice, a delicious and super healthy side dish of rice, beans, corn, tomatoes and green onions. Greg found it bland, but of course, I made his without cilantro, which added tonnes of flavour. His loss. I loved it. I doubled the corn in my version.

Mmm. I want to go make, and eat, this again right now.

On the left side of the plate are the cheesy bits that melted out of the chicken onto the pan. Mmm.
To the right of the plate is my current reading material.

May 7th: Spicy Black Bean Burgers with Chipotle Mayonnaise

Again, with the apt title. Need I say more? Yes. These are probably the best homemade bean burgers I have made to date. The recipe says it makes 4, but I was working with small buns, so I made 6 out of the mixture. I cooked 3: one each for me and Greg, one to split between O and S. I then froze the other 3, and happily ate them in later days as a quick, cook-from-frozen lunch (I found I had to cook them a little longer than suggested). Delicious every time. The burgers are a little spicy, and the mayo is spicier. I left the mayo off O's and S's, and although O said she didn't like the burger, she ate it, which makes me doubt her word. S ate hers; she loves beans.

The recipe calls for 1 jumbo egg; I used 2 large. If you decide to make these, read through all the instructions; there are some good tips there.

May 10th: Broccoli and Cheese Twice Baked Potatoes

Maybe not quite as good as bacon- and cheese-laden baked potatoes, but still good tasting and infinitely better for you. All your veggies in one spot.

May 12th: Blueberry Oatmeal Muffins

I left off the part of the title describing these as "insanely good." They were good, but I don't know if they were that good. We did, however, make short order of them in our house; they were gone in 2 days.

Olivia and I spent Mother's Day morning making these. We haven't done much baking together recently; it was good to do so again.

My girlies and my Mother's Day flowers:

Must Stop Using IPhone To Take Pictures

May 13th: Chicken and Orecchiette Soup

Delicious warm chicken soup after a couple of cold days. I found these fun-coloured carrots at the grocery store:

...but didn't realize the purple carrot would colour the soup an unappealing grey colour:

Luckily, the taste was good. I couldn't find the cavatelli pasta called for in the recipe, so instead bought orecchiette, which Olivia was excited about, because they stick to the tongue. She and Sadie both ate the soup right up.


Looking for cooking inspiration? Check out skinnytaste. More to come...

Birthday week: Red Apron meal plan

I mentioned we ordered Valentine's Day dinner from The Red Apron, and it was fantastic. When ordering the meal over the phone, I gave Justine my email address and apparently she put me on their mailing list (sneaky girl). Now I get weekly emails about what they're dishing up. Between that one and the Cuisine and Passion email I get every week, I am left wanting, a lot. Must ... resist ... buying pre-made food all the time, no matter how good.

In any case, I started scoping out The Red Apron website in more detail and came across their blog. A sucker for food blogs already, I read through several of the more recent posts and came across a 4-day, 4-person meal plan and decided to give it a go. It involved cooking up a big chicken (or two smaller chickens, in my case), then using the meat to make several meals and the carcass to make stock for use in those meals. Rounded out with some fresh winter-available vegetables and a variety of beans, you end up with four healthy, balanced and DELICIOUS meals. They are supposed to feed a family of 4, but when half your 4 don't eat huge portions, we ended up with plenty of leftovers too.

Only one beef with the whole thing: the blog post listed a shopping list, but missed a few of the ingredients it called for in the recipes! So I had to borrow - keep - celery from my neighbour and go back to the grocery store the day after my first venture. The post also referenced the affordability of the meals, and so I added up my bills, and for us, the 4 meals - plus leftovers - came to $100.89.


I'm including the complete grocery list below, plus the recipes, with a few modifications or suggestions according to my own tastes, plus pictures of all this fabulous food. Yum yum.

Grocery List


2 lemons
1 avocado
4 onions plus 1 large Spanish onion
2 heads of garlic
1 leek
2 green onions
2 red peppers
gingerroot
1 medium carrot
1 celery stalk
1 bunch of kale
1 large or 2 medium sweet potatoes
3 medium potatoes
thyme
oregano
parsley
cilantro
bag of baby spinach leaves

green salad or cole slaw ingredients

Parmesan cheese
Cheddar cheese
butter
500 mL 35% cream
sour cream

frozen green sweet peas
frozen corn kernels

crusty bread
1 package small tortillas

whole chicken (3-4 kg/7-9 lb), or two smaller chickens

grapeseed oil
28-oz can whole tomatoes (1 can of tomatoes will be used in 3 recipes)
1 can coconut milk
1 can organic chickpeas
1 can organic white beans
1 can organic black beans
organic brown basmati rice
1 small package organic whole wheat penne or ziti (approx 250 g)
Thai red curry paste
salsa
bay leaves
cumin
chili powder
salt
freshly ground black pepper


Day 1: cook chicken, make chicken stock, cook rice


whole chicken (3-4 kg/7-9 lb), or two smaller chickens
1 onion, peeled and quartered
1 head of garlic, cloves separated and peeled
1 medium carrot, peeled, large dice
1 celery stalk, large dice
1 thyme branch
2 bay leaves
1 tsp salt

Cover the chicken with cold water in a large stainless steel stockpot and bring to a boil. When the stock comes to a full boil, reduce the heat to a low simmer skim off the grey foam that rises to the surface. Add the onion, garlic, carrot, celery, thyme, bay leaves, and salt.

Cook gently for 1-1.5 hours until the chicken is cooked. Remove, and when cool enough to handle, remove breast meat, thighs, and wings. Put the carcass and the wings back in the pot and continue to simmer for another 2 hours, until the broth tastes rich and is a light golden colour. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve or a colander lined with cheesecloth. Save any pieces of chicken and set aside. Return the stock to pot and simmer to reduce to 2 litres.

Allow the stock to cool completely; skim the fat and promptly refrigerate.


Cook 2 cups organic brown basmati rice. The rice will be served with the stew and the tacos.


March 3rd: Chicken Tacos


2 tbsp grapeseed oil, divided, plus more for drizzling
1 large Spanish onion, sliced
1 large red pepper, seeded and sliced
meat from chicken leg and thigh, shredded

cumin
salt
freshly ground black pepper

2 green onions, diced
1/2 28-oz can whole tomatoes, rough chopped (reserve juice and remaining tomatoes for another recipe)
1 cup frozen corn kernels

1 cup organic black beans, drained and rinsed
chili powder
juice of 2 lemons, divided

1 cup cooked brown rice
1 avocado
1 package small tortillas


sour cream, salsa, chopped cilantro, for serving (optional)

Heat 1 tbsp oil in a saute pan and saute onions and peppers until caramelized. Add shredded chicken meat and season to taste with cumin, salt, and pepper. Remove from pan and set aside.

Heat 1 tbsp oil in pan and saute green onions, tomatoes, corn kernels and black beans. Season to taste with chili powder and lemon juice. Set aside half of mixture and add rice to the remaining mixture. Warm to serve.

Slice avocado and drizzle with lemon juice and oil. Season with salt.

Heat tortillas in dry fry pan or according to package directions. Stuff tacos with chicken mixture. Garnish to taste with sour cream, salsa, and chopped cilantro. Serve with rice and garnish with black bean mixture.

Stuff tacos with chicken mixture.

Top with black bean mixture.

Serve with rice on the side.

Best tacos ever.

March 4th: White Bean, Kale, and Potato Soup


2 tbsp grapeseed oil


1 medium onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1 bunch kale, stems removed, leaves rough chopped
1 can organic white beans, rinsed and drained
3 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 litre of chicken stock (plus more if needed)

meat from chicken stock
juice from 28-oz can whole tomatoes (reserves tomatoes for another recipe)
1 tbsp each, chopped fresh thyme and oregano
salt, to taste
crusty bread, for serving
chopped fresh parsley for garnish
grated Parmesan and/or Cheddar cheese



Heat oil over medium in a large soup pot. Saute onion and garlic in oil until softened. Add kale and cook until wilted. Remove vegetables from pan. Add white beans, potatoes, chicken stock, reserved meat, and tomato juice to the soup pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, add herbs and simmer for 10-15 minutes. Return kale and onion mixture to pot and test for seasoning. Add salt to taste and serve. (Add more chicken stock if soup is too thick.)

This meal would be best served with crusty bread. The soup can be garnished with chopped fresh parsley and grated Parmesan and/or Cheddar cheese.

ASIDE: March 5th was my birthday. We dined at The Wellington Gastropub. Excellent Arctic char. Excellent restaurant children.

March 6th: Curried Sweet Potato and Chicken Stew

grapeseed oil
2 medium onions, peeled and diced
1 large or 2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled, cubed (1 inch cubes)
1 red pepper, seeded and sliced
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1 tbsp gingerroot, peeled and grated
1/2 28-oz can tomatoes, diced (reserve juice and remaining tomatoes for another recipe)
1 can coconut milk
1 cup organic canned chickpeas, drained and rinsed
2 cups chicken stock, divided
cooked meat from one chicken breast, cubed
1 tbsp red curry paste
salt, to taste
1/2 bag baby spinach leaves
1 cup cooked brown rice
sliced green onions, optional
minced cilantro, optional
diced avocado, optional

Prepare all of the ingredients.

Saute onions and sweet potatoes in oil in a large saucepan on medium-high heat until soft, 5 minutes. Add red pepper and cook until wilted, 5 minutes. Add garlic and ginger and cook for 1-2 minutes. Add tomatoes and coconut milk and simmer for 1-2 minutes. Add chickpeas, 1 cup of chicken stock, and chicken. Simmer on low heat for 5-7 minutes. Add curry paste and season with salt to taste. If the stew is too thick, thin with remaining chicken stock. Before serving, toss in spinach leaves. Serve on steamed rice.

Garnish with chopped green onions, cilantro, and avocado, to taste.

• 
  
• March 7th: Pasta, Chicken, Pea and Leek Casserole
• 
  
• 1 small package organic whole wheat penne or ziti (approximately 250 g)
• 2 tbsps butter
• 1 leek, cleaned and thinly sliced (white and light green parts only)
• 500 mL 35% cream
• 1 cup frozen green sweet peas
• meat from one chicken breast, cubed
• 2 cups grated Cheddar cheese
• 1/2 bag baby spinach leaves
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 
  
• green salad or cole slaw, to accompany
• 
  
• Cook pasta according to package directions. When al dente, drain, rinse with cold water, and reserve.

Meanwhile, melt butter in a large saucepan over medium. Saute the leek until soft, 5 minutes. Add cream and bring to a simmer, then add peas, chicken, Cheddar cheese and spinach. Stir in cooked pasta and salt and pepper to taste.

Transfer to ovenproof 8L casserole dish and top with Parmesan. Cook at 375 F until warmed through and top is golden brown.

This meal will go well with a tossed green salad or cole slaw.

[NO PIC!!]


In order, Greg and I agreed - a rarity! - that we liked the tacos, pasta, soup, and stew. We likely won't make the soup or stew again, but will make the tacos and pasta. Success.

Cinco de Mayo: Tostadas De Tinga De Pollo

Greg and I have a thing for celebrating Cinco de Mayo, though we have no links whatsoever to Mexico. It's a good weekend to kick off summer, even if summer is still six weeks away. In Ontario, the heat comes early and while there is no guarantee, there is always a good possibility the weather will be warm enough for an outdoor party in early May.

I spent a few hours slicing and dicing.

This year, we kicked the party up a notch. In March, we took a Mexican cooking class at The Urban Element, and learned how to cook some authentic Mexican dishes, not just fajitas from a box. We had some friends and neighbours over and the result of the party was that the main dish was a runaway hit. Credit is due to Maria Amalia Garza, the wonderful chef who taught our class. Here's the star dish, essentially a chicken and sausage stew:


Tostadas of Shredded Chicken with Tomatoes, Onions and Chorizo


4 skinless chicken thighs
1 large onion, cut in chunks
2 cloves garlic


1 tbsp oil
200 grams chorizo, crumbled
1 large onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, diced
2 large tomatoes, chopped
1 tsp Mexican oregano
2 bay leaves
2 canned chipotle chiles, minced, with 1 tbsp adobo sauce
salt to taste
Tostadas, to serve


Garnish:
onion rings, thinly sliced
avocado slices


In a large pot, place chicken with onion and 2 garlic cloves and add enough cold water to cover. Bring to a boil, then reduce to simmer until chicken is cooked through. Remove chicken to cool, and reserve broth. When cool enough to handle, shred chicken.


In Dutch oven, heat oil over medium heat. Add chorizo and fry for about 5 minutes. Discard excess oil. Add onion and garlic and saute until translucent. Add chicken, tomatoes, oregano, bay leaves, chiles and adobo sauce, and about 1 cup of the reserved broth.


Simmer, uncovered, until the flavours blend, about 15 minutes. Add more broth if mixture dries too much. Discard bay leaves and season to taste with salt.


Serve on tostadas, garnished with onion and avocado.


Serves 4.

Best food I've made in months.

Maria had recommended we find chorizo at Mercado, a Latin grocery store in Vanier. I checked my regular grocery store first, but with no luck there, Greg went to Mercado. The chorizo he bought was cured sausage, and I think the recipe intended for fresh, as the sausage we had did not crumble and we had to use the food processor to break it down. The taste was fabulous, however. I used regular oregano instead of Mexican oregano, and I'm glad I decided not to make the trip to Navan to get Mexican oregano at Chilly Chiles, because apparently the store is closed! That is too bad. Perhaps if I had supported them this wouldn't have happened. I found tostada shells at the grocery store in the Asian & Latin American aisle. The chipotle peppers were close by. Taco shells would also work, but would need to be heated first. The only issue I had with the recipe was that my mixture was way too runny. I tried to boil off the liquid, but to no avail, and we had to serve it with a slotted spoon.


Note that this is really, really messy to eat. Napkins are required. So, so delicious though. I had four on Saturday night, and four more Sunday morning for breakfast. On Sunday, the flavour was even better, and I added some sour cream on top (likely NOT traditional Mexican!).