First Father’s Day Pelau

Tags

chicken, Pelau, Rice, Trinidadian food

It’s day “I don’t know” and we still haven’t been able to go out to eat; with this being hubby’s first Father’s Day, I opted to make one of his favorite dishes: Pelau. I don’t have a lot of experience making this but I have had a version of this once or twice and neither of those times yielded a perfect Pelau.

Today will make the 3rd time and once again, it’s not perfect but it was still tasty.

Pelau is a rice and chicken dish, this particular version is Trinidadian, which is where my husband’s family is from. It contains brown sugar and coconut milk; almost like a carribean arroz con pollo. I am listing the recipe as is but will add my modifications for next time. It came out very mushy – still tasty but will def add less liquid next time.

Found the recipe from The Spruce Eats here:

• 3 pounds chicken thighs (and/or drumsticks, cut up into large pieces) 2lbs chicken legs and thighs
• 2 tablespoons green seasoning  sofrito
• 2 teaspoons grated garlic
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon tomato ketchup
• Salt (to taste)
• Pepper (to taste)
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil (or canola oil)
• 3 tablespoons cane sugar (can substitute for brown sugar) brown Sugar
• 2 cups rice (washed, drained and parboiled) long grain rice 
• 3/4 cup onions (chopped)
• 1/2 cup sweet peppers (chopped)
• 2 cups cooked pigeon peas (canned is fine) soaked green lentils
• Optional: 1 cup carrots (diced)
• 2 cups fresh canned coconut milk (dilute milk with water if using canned coconut milk)
• 2 cups 3/4 cup cooking liquid (stock, water or reserved cooking liquid from peas)
• 1 whole scotch bonnet pepper
• 1/2 cup sliced green onions (white and green parts)

At leaset

At least 1 hr before cooking, combine chicken with sofrito, garlic, worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, ketchup, salt and pepper in a bowl or sealed bag and let marinate. I marinated mine overnight.

When ready to cook, I find its easier to have all ingredients ready to go since so much needs to be monitored while you’re cooking.

Heat oil in a large pot over medium- high heat. Get the oil nice and hot and add the sugar. For this part, you want to almost burn the sugar and look for it to be foamy with dark edges. Once the sugar is browned and foamy, add the chicken. The chicken should make a loud sizzling sound and you should brown the chicken for 10 minutes over the medium- high heat.

Add rice, onions, peppers, carrots and peas and fold to combine – about 5 minutes.

Add cooking liquid and coconut milk and bring to boil. Let boil for 3-5 minutes, cover, and reduce heat to low. Allow rice to soften for 35- 40 minutes.

My rice had too much liquid in it so it was really mushy – like risotto. I tend to like my rice a little fluffier so the choice is yours. If you like risotto style rice, the recipe from The Spruce Eats tastes great. I tweaked it so next time it will be fluffy. When cooking rice, you can always add more water but you can’t “fix” mushy rice.

Hubby enjoyed it and there were enough leftovers for the following day- it tastes even better on day 2.

Nando’s Peri Peri

Tags

chicken, DC, Nando's, Nando's Peri Peri, Restaurant Review

And we’re off!

To help Brent look for an apartment and to have one last hurrah before school started, I went with Brent to DC. We booked an early morning Amtrak from NY to DC and planned our weekend.

B and I have both been to DC before but never together so this was an experience.  Our hotel room was ready when we arrived which was fantabulous. Not really knowing the lay of the land meant lots of Ubers. Our first Uber ride from WAS to the hotel was quite memorable as our driver exited her mini-van in her bathrobe, slippers, and rollers to remove the car seat from the back seat- she was super friendly and her car smelled like candy. But having a driver in her pjs was def a first.

After a quick siesta in the hotel room (traveling is exhausting) we needed some Grub. B knew of a place that he visited as a kid and since I had never been before, our first DC experience together was Nando’s Peri Peri.

Nando’s specialty is Chicken. Flame grilled chicken. Flame grilled delicious chicken.

When you walk into Nando’s you are greeted by a host or hostess who escort you to the ordering line. The Brazilian music playing throughout the restaurant is interesting and even catchy.

Once you make your way to the counter you order your meal. They do have other options aside from Chicken but when in Rome… I ordered my size chicken (half), and selected my spice level (mild), then I ordered my two sides (roasted corn and Rice)

You receive a ticket and depending if you are dining here or to go you get a number. We picked a spot and brought our number with us. They serve alcohol so I ordered a sangria (meh).

The chicken was tender and delicious. They offer hot sauces on the side if you want to challenge your palette. I toyed with the medium and realized that level of spicy was out of my league. Gimme sriracha any day!

It is highly recommended you clean your teeth after this meal. I had char in my teeth for a while and i was wishing i had a pocket toothbrush.

We took our time enjoying our chicken at Nando’s and decided to see a movie after. With it being so humid in DC we took a long slow walk to the movie theatre and saw Inside Out which was adorable beyond words.

After the movie we walked around some more and watched some kids feeding the ducks overlooking the Potomac.

It was really starting to sink in that this will be the most difficult trip I have ever taken.

Sweet Potato Hash with Chicken Sausage and Spinach

Tags

apple, chicken, clean, eat clean, healthy, onion, recipes, sausage, spinach, sweet potato

I was inspired by a photo of roasted sweet potatoes on my facebook feed to create dinner for Brent and myself. It was a little off the beaten path since our dinners lately consist of a grilled protein and lots of greens. This was different in every way for us and has instantly become a favorite. It’s easy to make. Healthy. And only soils ONE pan!

This sweet potato hash has everything good in it. Onions. Apples. Sausage. And spinach. Don’t let the apples fool you as they cook with the onions- they take on the delicious flavors that they are surrounded by! I cannot wait to make it again and modify it for lighter days!

Serves 4 or 2 big portions

Ingredients

2-3 large sweet potatoes, peeled and diced

1 lb of chicken sausage (Italian style), sliced

1 medium red onion, diced

1 apple (pink lady preferred), cored and chopped

1 5oz package of fresh baby spinach

Salt

Pepper

Olive oil

Method

Steam the diced potatoes for 8-10 minutes to soften. While they are steaming, sauté chicken sausage in 1 Tbsp of olive oil until browned- about 8 minutes over medium heat. Set chicken sausage aside. Add onions and apples and allow to cook in sausage drippings. If anything is stuck to the pan, add a spoonful of water to the pan to help break up the dried up bits on the bottom of the pan. Allow the onions and apples to caramelize. Add salt and cook on medium to low heat for 10 minutes or until onions are caramelized.

Add 1 Tbsp of olive oil to the pan and add sweet potatoes. Allow to crisp – combine with apples and onions. Add salt and pepper to taste. After about 5 minutes, the potatoes should have a little crispness to them, add the sausage back to the pan.  Add spinach to pan and combine. Allow 2 or 3 minutes to wilt the spinach. Give it a good stir and serve.

This tastes even better the following day!

I enjoyed my leftovers for lunch with a fried egg on top. It was everything! I plan on remaking this again in the near future and swapping out the sausage for black beans and a smoky paprika- and definitely keeping the egg!!!

Getting back on track

Tags

cabbage, chicken, healthy, low carb, paleo, paleo diet, plantains, sweet plantains

 

Its been a while.

Between getting engaged, losing my wedding venue and moving (yes, moving!) I haven’t had the time nor the mental energy to sit down and commit to a post. But in the weeks that have passed, a lot has changed. I am sitting in my new living room with my new view of the Manhattan sky line, I have appointments with potential wedding venues and my healthy diet has been on track. Everything gets put into perspective when you go through trials. Before Brent and I moved, the potential move hung over my head and stressed me out. I was depressed over having to start over looking for a new wedding venue. But that all changed when we got the keys to our new home and started the moving process. Moving in general sucks. The only good thing is the fresh start and forcing yourself to get rid of things you don’t need. For five long days, we made a million trips from one apartment to the other with a shopping cart and a dolly. I didn’t think of our wedding once during the move and when the move was finally done, I was so appreciative that I could check one thing off my list. And you can imagine my relief after Brent and I moved heavy furniture with just the two of us and one out of two elevators out of order. One thing is certain, looking for a venue will be a cake walk compared to this move.

I won’t lie, the next few posts are back logged from when i was cooking regularly. Brent and I have been surviving on take-out for 3 meals a day, for 7 days straight. The day we moved in, I made a breaded tilapia filet with broccoli and mac and cheese. It was all we had in the new place but was so happy to use my new kitchen! Below is a hearty low-carb dinner that was thrown together last minute. If you’re paleo, this is 100% paleo. If you’re not paleo, this is 100% delicious and just so happens to be low carb.

Roasted chicken with sauteed cabbage and sweet plantains.

 

To start, I preheated the oven to 450*. I lined a baking pan with foil (for easy clean up) and placed well seasoned chicken thighs and drumsticks in a single layer. Roast the chicken for 30 minutes on each side.

 

While the chicken is roasting, prepare the sides. For the cabbage, i shredded half a head of cabbage and sauteed with a sliced of chopped bacon. The bacon drippings made for a nice base for the cabbage. Season the cabbage with salt and pepper and saute over a medium heat for about 10 minutes or until cabbage reaches desired texture.

To plate, i served B 3 pieces of chicken, a cup of the sauteed bacon cabbage and half of a plantain that was lightly fried in olive oil. I had 2 pieces of chicken.

A simple, healthy, and delicious dinner for any week night. Just give yourself a little extra time for the chicken. I like mine with a nice crispness on the skin.

Balsamic Chicken and Mushrooms over Creamy Polenta

Tags

chicken, dinner, low carb, mushrooms

 

 

The problem with having a queue of photos to blog about is sometimes you see a photo of something you ate and think “what the H is that?”. I take notes and menu plan but once the week is over, the source of the menu plan disappears. With water stains or even food stains, the piece of paper just never makes it. So, as I am about to upload a whole new slew of photos, i recall this recipe that Lauren from Healthy-Delicious inspired.

For anyone watching their refined carbs, this hearty dish sits atop some creamy and hearty polenta. 

 

 

Lauren jokes that this dish is nothing to look at…while its no masterpiece, its certainly delicious. And i should note, hers looks MUCH better than mine.

I made some changes based on what i had available but I kept to the her instructions for the most part.

Ingredients:

2 thin chicken breasts

2 tsp flour

1 Tbsp olive oil

6 ounces white button mushrooms

1/2 cup balsamic vinegar

1/2 cup chicken broth

 

But please check out Lauren’s recipe here for further instructions and her stunning photography!

 

Asian Marinaded Chicken Thighs with Asparagus bundles

Tags

asparagus, bacon, chicken, dinner, Gluten free, healthy, low carb, paleo, sides

 

 

 

One of my go to, easy put together dinners is this asian marinated chicken. This chicken dish is super quick to put together, not to mention delicious. 

 

Ingredients (serves 4, or two really greedy hungry people)

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs

1/2 cup coconut aminos, or soy sauce

2 Tbsp rice wine vinegar

1 tsp sesame oil

1/4 cup raw honey (regular honey is ok too)

1 tsp fresh grated ginger (1/2 tsp if using powdered ginger)

2 cloves of garlic, minced (or 1 tsp powdered garlic)

1 bunch of scallions, sliced (optional)

 

In a medium sized bowl, whisk together coconut aminos, rice wine vinegar, garlic, ginger, honey and sesame oil. Pour mixture over boneless chicken breasts, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

While the chicken marinates, I prep my side dishes. Since Brent and I follow a low carb diet on a more regular basis these days, I made some bacon asparagus bundles. We found a great hardwood smoked organic bacon, sliced to order with our local grocer that doesn’t run cheap but we find we cant stay away from it! Its so good. 

 

Bacon Asparagus Bundles

1 bunch of asparagus

6 slices of bacon

a sprinkle of natural sea salt

Preheat an oven to 450*. Arrange a baking sheet with parchment paper or non stick foil.

Trim asparagus of woody ends.

Wrap several stalks of asparagus with bacon. Some prefer to tie the bacon in a knot but i prefer the spiral method for more bacon coverage.

Sprinkle the asparagus lightly with sea salt. Roast in the oven for 10 -12 minutes, depending on how you like your asparagus. I like mine with a little char/crunch. 

 

Back to the chicken.

Heat a large grill pan or non stick skillet over a medium high heat. Allow the pan to fully heat to get the desired effect with the chicken. If the pan sizzles wildly after a sprinkle of water hits the pan, place the chicken on the pan and allow to cook undisturbed for 6 minutes. Turn over and cook for an additional 6 minutes or until the center is no longer pink.

Allow the chicken to rest and while resting, garnish with chopped scallions.

 

This is, hands down, our favorite chicken dish. I added a bit of sauteed fennel to the dish.

The leftovers are great for lunch!! (if there are even any leftovers)

Paleo Crockpot Chicken and Veggies

Tags

chicken, crock pot, dinner, low carb, paleo, recipes, slow cooker

 

Love Love LOVE my Crock Pot!

 

I love a freshly cooked meal but I cannot stress enough the relief I feel when I come home after a long day and dinner is already done. Nearly every crock pot recipe I post, I praise my slow cooker for saving the day. Don’t get sick of it- i will never stop loving it. 

One thing I used to LOVE to make was “rotisserie” chicken in the slow cooker.  I’d let a regular chicken, rubbed with everything good, slow cook in the vessel for nearly a day. The chicken would FALL off the bone and even in some parts get a roasted looking skin- but- the parts of the chicken not all golden brown were swimming in their own juices making for one soupy chicken. It wasnt terrible. It just wasnt that roasted effect that I wanted. 

Normally, the solution to keep the chicken from swimming in juices would have been to stick foil wrapped potatoes in the bottom and them problem solved… but not wanting any potatoes I decided to just use balls of foil to prop the chicken up. And for bulk i added some celery and carrots.

The results were a complete dinner in one crock pot. The only job for the night was cleanup. 

Ingredients: (serves 4)

4 drumsticks (skinless)

4 thighs (skinless, bone in)

2 Tbsp of your favorite seasoning (i use a mixture of onion powder, garlic powder, italian seasoning and salt)

4 medium sized balls of foil

1 cup baby carrots

2 stalks of celery, sliced

Directions:

Using a large plate or bowl, arrange chicken in a single layer and generously apply your favorite chicken spices on each side of the chicken. set aside.

place the carrots and celery in the bottom of the slow cooker.

Place balls of foil on top.

arrange the chicken legs and thighs on top of the foil balls.

Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours.

The juiciest chicken ever.

And tons of tender carrots and celery that slowly cooked in chicken drippings.

Complete crock pot dinner? Check!

 

Roasted Chicken

Tags

chicken, dinner, roasted chicken, roasting rack

For as long as I can remember, i have wanted a roasting pan. Watching cooking shows where chefs pull this gleaming roasting pan out of the oven with a perfectly roasted chicken to match. I’ve considered making the purchase but the one thing I cannot justify is where I would store said roasting pan. Known for its impeccable roasting, the pan itself can take up, what seems like, the entire studio sized kitchen. So I have had to improvise.

I have used baking pans and had success roasting chickens… but left with the soggy bottom as the chicken cooks in its own juices without proper elevation.

That’s when I found this beauty:

This adjustable roasting rack from sur la table was not only compact, but it was super cheap at $9.95.

As soon as I brought it home, i had a beautiful chicken waiting for it. I seasoned my chicken with all my reliables: butter, garlic, salt, pepper, onion, and cayenne.

I blasted the chicken at 425* for 50 minutes.

The results were a crisped skin, yet juicy fleshed chicken that stayed crisp on the skill all the way around.

It was delicious! I think i have professed my love of roasted chicken plenty of times on this blog before but I really like this roasting rack. It adjusts to different sizes and heights to accommodate different meats. Ham. duck. chicken, turkey. whatever. it keeps the meat off of the bottom of the pan to swirl in its juices- which isnt a bad thing!

My only gripe is the rack is annoying to clean. But thats what boyfriends are for- doing dishes!

 

 

Slow Cooker BBQ Pulled Chicken

Tags

bbq, chicken, sandwich, slow cooker

 

Slow cooker to the rescue!

After checking the freezer to see I had No Room for anything new, I decided to go on a grocery shopping detox. There were so many things waiting in the freezer for emergency dinner fixes. I figured that clearing the contents of the freezer and fridge would be a great way to challenge myself to use what i had on hand.

A bag of chicken breasts, a bottle of BBQ sauce, and a few frozen heroes and we had dinner!

Ingredients:

1 lb of boneless chicken breasts

1 16 oz bottle of your favorite bbq sauce

4 multigrain hero rolls

Place the chicken in the slow cooker and cover with bbq sauce. Cover and cook on low for 6 hrs.

Carefully remove the chicken from the vessel and shred with a fork. If you like, you can add a little of the sauce to make it super saucy. I dumped quite a bit of sauce onto the chicken…i have zero regrets. 

I placed a good amount of chicken into the heroes and served them alongside some crisp coleslaw.We are suckers for BBQ. Would def use pork next time for some awesome pulled pork sliders but this was fantastic because we had everything on hand to make a brilliant and EASY dinner!

 

Chicken “gyro” Wraps

Tags

chicken, dinner, gyro, wrap

Now that summer is officially over (tear), I am getting into all my warm soups and stews. But in honor of the San Gennaro Festival and the Mount Carmel feast, and all the summers I spent stuffing my face with gyros with extra tzatziki sauce, I decided to make a version at home. And a bonus, BR had never had a “gyro”.

A typical gyro has lamb meat. Its also served in a delicious flatbread. My supermarket had very little selection with regards to flatbreads and pita breads so I decided on a flour tortilla. And instead of lamb, I made boneless chicken thighs, because I love them.

There was an abundance of dill in my CSA and I could think of no better time to recreate my favorite festival street food!

Serves 4

Ingredients

1 lb boneless chicken thighs

salt and pepper

4 8-inch tortillas

2 cups mixed spring greens/baby spinach

Tzatziki sauce

(for the sauce: 8 oz plain yogurt, 1 medium cucumber – shredded, juice of 1 lemon, 1 tbsp chopped fresh dill, 1 clove garlic, crushed, salt and pepper to taste. Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl and allow to chill in the fridge while you prepare the wrap.)

Method: Heat a non stick pan over medium heat. Season chicken with salt and pepper.  Pan fry chicken thighs on each side for 4-6 minutes. When chicken is cooked, remove from heat and assemble wrap.

Place salad, some chicken, and tzatziki sauce in the center of the wrap and roll up burrito-style.

This rocked my socks. And while it wasn’t the greasy, foil wrapped monstrosity that I could have gotten at the street fair, it was a decent homemade version that I felt comfortable eating in front of the TV with BR while watching cheesy reality shows. The dark meat of the chicken kept it juicy, and the soft white tortilla was pliable enough to handle all the stuffing while being amazingly delicious.

I paired it with a side of Alexia fries for good measure. The BR in your life might consume 2 of these. And if you’re like me, you will want extra sauce.

BTW. Not paleo.