Brazilian Style Chicken

Once again, no photo.  I promise I will take one and add it to this post the next time I make this dish.  Anyway, here is this recipe for this simple, tasty weeknight dinner:

Ingredients:

• 4 chicken drumsticks
• 4 chicken thighs
• olive oil
• 1 onion, thinly sliced
• 2 red capsicums, thinly sliced
• 3 roma tomatoes, thinly sliced
• 1 Tbs garlic, crushed
• 1 cup white wine
• brown rice
• broccoli

What you do:

1.  Start cooking the rice.
2. Score the skin on the meat with a sharp knife.  Sprinkly the chicken all over with salt and pepper.  Place large heavy frying pan on medium-high heat.  Drizzle oil into the hot pan and add the chicken, skin side down.  Cook for 5-10 minutes or until golden brown all over.
3. Transfer to a plate and add onions to hot pan.  Sauté for a bit and then add garlic, capsicum, and tomato.  Sauté for a few minutes until capsicums have softened slightly.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.
4. Return chicken to pan and add 1 cup of white wine.  Cover and simmer for 10 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.
5. Serve with brown rice and steamed broccoli.  Enjoy!

Grilled Balsamic Chicken Sandwiches

This chicken is AMAZING! I was a bit weary at first because I thought the chicken would taste like balsamic vinegar, but it doesn't at all. I guess the vinegar taste gets cooked off.  Recipe courtesy of my mom:

Ingredients

• chicken breasts, cut in half
• tomato, sliced
• red capsicum (bell pepper), cut into rings
• red onions, cut into rings
• mozzarella cheese, sliced thinly 
• hard rolls 

Marinade:

• Balsamic vinegar
• olive oil
• salt & pepper
• crushed garlic
• red onion, chopped
• oregano
• basil

What you do:

Mix up the marinade ingredients in a bowl.  Just eyeball it, there should be enough to cover the chicken.  Stab the chicken with a fork and marinate for at least 1 hour.

Throw everything on the BBQ and grill until done.  The tomato doesn't take as long, so put that on towards the end.  Towards the end, put sliced cheese on the chicken.

Load up the sandwiches on the buns: chicken with cheese, grilled onion rings, grilled capsicum rings, grilled tomato slices.      

Serve with a side of mixed salad dressed with balsamic vinegar and oil.  Enjoy! Yum!

Portuguese Chicken on the BBQ

 

We recently bought a BBQ and wow, it has changed my life!  This has expanded my recipe repertoire immensely!  Tonight we had portuguese chicken.  This recipe is incredibly easy and surprisingly tasty:

Ingredients:

• Lots of crushed garlic
• Olive oil (a lot of it)
• a few squirts of lemon juice
• A lot of Portuguese chicken rub (in the spice aisle)

What you do: 
Mix all ingredients in a bowl and brush onto chicken liberally.  Let marinate for a few hours (at least 1 hour).  Cook on a hot BBQ until juices run clear.

Serve with...

Mexican Rice

• olive oil
• 1/2 chopped onion
• 1 tsp minced garlic
• 1 cup brown rice
• low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 15 oz. can diced tomatoes with juice
• water
• 1/2 teaspoon salt, depending on the saltiness of the broth
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 3/4 teaspoon chili powder
• pinch of cayenne pepper
• frozen peas

In a pot, saute the olive oil, onion, and garlic.  Add rice, canned tomatoes, spices, chicken stock, and water (I never measure anything out, so you will just have to experiment.  Just keep adding water if it gets all absorbed and it's not done yet).  Adjust the spices to taste as you cook.   About half way through, add the peas. 

Corn on the cob

Shuck the corn. Put corn on a square of tin foil. Top with freshly ground salt and pepper and a large square of butter. Wrap the corn in the tin foil (1 corn per foil square). Grill for about 15-20 min or until done. 

Chili

 

Of all the vegetarian chili recipes I have made, this one is definitely the best.  You can even add meat if you wish.  It's even better the next day!  The recipe calls for a slow cooker, but I don't have one, so a regular dutch oven worked perfectly!

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 4 cloves of garlic, minced 
• 1 medium red or sweet onion, diced
• 1 large yellow capsicum, seeded, cored, diced
• 1 medium green or red capsicum, seeded, cored, diced
• 2 medium carrots, sliced into coins
• 2 cups butternut quash, diced
• 1 medium sweet potato, diced
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 1 28-oz. (800 g) can fire roasted tomatoes 
• 1 15-oz. (425 g) can red, black or white beans, rinsed, drained
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin, or to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder, or to taste
• Sea salt and fresh ground black pepper, to taste
• Freshly chopped parsley
• A dab of sour cream or Greek yogurt, if desired
• a bit of shredded cheddar cheese, if desired

What you do:

1. Pour the olive oil into a slow cooker or Crock Pot. Add the garlic and onion and stir to coat. 
2. Add in the remaining ingredients. Break apart the tomatoes a bit. Cook on low or high according to the manufacturer’s instruction for your particular make and model.
3. Before serving, taste for seasoning adjustments- add a bit of raw organic agave nectar to tone down the heat. Add lime juice to brighten the flavors.
4. Omnivores add your favorite cooked organic sausage, browned grass fed organic ground beef, or cooked free-range organic turkey or chicken pieces, if you like.
5.  Garnish with shredded cheddar cheese and a dollop of sour cream
6. Serve with either: cornbread, pieces of wholemeal toast, or over top of a baked potato.

Serves 4.

Read more: http://glutenfreegoddess.blogspot.com/2006/02/two-artists-chili.html#ixzz0egzQoSmb

 

Chicken and Sweet Potato Hash

Yum! This one is a winner! It is very similar in taste to my chicken with creamy mushroom wine sauce, which can be found here.

Serves 4
Ingredients:

• 1lb. sweet potatoes, peeled, cut into bite-size wedges (about 2 large ones)
  
• 2 tbsp butter, plus more for toast
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 celery stalks, cut into bite-size slices
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 8 oz. cooked whole chicken, shredded (about 2 cups) **see below
  
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 cup chicken broth
• 1/2 tsp sage
• salt and pepper
• 4 to 6 slices whole-wheat bread, toasted (or your choice of bread)-optional
• cranberry sauce-optional

What you do:

1.   Place the potatoes in a medium saucepan, cover with cold water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat; simmer until just tender, about 7 minutes. Drain and set aside. 
2. Add the butter, onion and celery to skillet; cook until slightly softened, 9 to 10 minutes. 
3. Add the wine and cook until the liquid has almost evaporated. 
4. Add the chicken, potatoes, cream and stock, simmer until the sauce is creamy and the vegetables are tender, about 12 minutes. 
5. Season with sage, salt, and pepper. Spoon mix onto buttered toast and drizzle with sauce. (I added cranberry sauce to the toast and skipped placing the hash on the toast.)

** How to cook a whole chicken to perfection: (this is for shredded chicken)

 Cook the whole chicken in a big pot of water with celery, carrot, onion, peppercorn, sea salt, parsley, tarragon, and bay leaf.  Cook until the meat starts falling off the bone.  Strain the chicken and the broth.  You can save the broth, and chop up the veggies for soup or as stock for later.  Shred chicken with a fork.   

Spinach Bisque

Another good one from Tastespotting!  Very filling! I prefer my broccoli and potato soup, but Mark prefers this.

Ingredients: 

Servings: 6 servings

• 5 oz (140 g) fresh spinach, julienned
• 2 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 tablespoon butter
• 1/4 cup onion, diced
• 4 cup chicken broth
• 2 cup half and half
• pinch salt and pepper to taste
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 4 cup cheese, your choice

What you do:

1. In a large stock pot over medium heat melt butter and olive oil.  Add onions and saute until soft, about 5-7 minutes.  
2. Whisk in cornstarch- the mixture should turn into a paste.  
3. Add 3 cups chicken broth and spinach into pot and simmer until spinach is tender.  
4. Add half and half, cheese, and salt/pepper.  
5. Continue to let Bisque simmer, never bringing to boil.  If soup is too thick, add the remaining cup of chicken broth.  Let simmer for about 20 minutes.  
6. Serve with sprinkle of Parmesan. Bisque is better and slightly thicker the second day.

Chicken and Veggie Stir Fry

 

Here is my latest creation!  It's quick and easy, and of course tasty!
Ingredients:

• 2 cubed large chicken breast pieces
• salt & pepper
• ~ 1 tsp crushed garlic
• Oyster sauce (recipe below, if you don't have store-bought) 
• butter
• 1 Tbsp sesame oil
• 2 eggs 
  
• chopped up veggies: 1 small broccoli head, 2 small zucchinis, 1/2 medium onion, sugar snap peas, 2 carrots
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce  
• 2 cups cooked brown rice

What you do:

1.   Cube 2 uncooked chicken breast into little pieces and seasoned it with salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and a tablespoon of oyster sauce. Heat up butter with sesame oil, then add minced garlic with the chicken. In a wok or cast-iron skillet, cook the meat until it is no longer pink (about 5-8 minutes).
2. Add scrambled eggs to the meat. Cook for 3-4 minutes
3. Add veggies and some soy sauce and sauté until cooked through
   
4. I mix in 2 cups brown rice.  Add the rest of the oyster sauce and stir fry until light golden brown.  Season with salt and pepper to taste. 
5. Enjoy! 
   

Homemade "Oyster" Sauce (w/o oysters)
adapted from various sources

2 overflowing Tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp cornstarch
1 Tbsp water
a few shakes of ground ginger

Add all the ingredients together, and stir them well. Microwave the mixture for 30 seconds.