Tuesday, February 10, 2009

Chicken Almond Curry with Apricots (Food and Wine)

I had a crazy day today. Work was a bit insane and even a little annoying at times. I got up super early to work out and by 4:45, I had a headache and was cranky. I realize that most people just want to go home and order in on nights like tonight, but for me chopping and cooking a comforting meal is just what I need. This recipe is from and old edition Food and Wine Magazine. I have made it before, but not in a few years, so I wasn't sure how the kids would like it. Everyone really enjoyed it, although I did leave most of the sauce off for the kids because it was a little spicy for their tastes. I just pulled the chicken out before I boiled the sauce and then cut it up for the little guys before I covered the rest back with the sauce. I served the dish with steamed green beans and brown rice cooked with saffron and turmeric for a nice yellow color.

Chicken Almond Curry with Apricots (Food and Wine Magazine)

Timing - Active: 25 minutes; Total: 40 minutes

Ingredients

1/3 cup whole almonds
12 dried apricots
Boiling water
1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil
Four 6-ounce skinless, boneless chicken breast halves (cut in thirds)
Salt and freshly ground pepper
2 tablespoons finely grated fresh ginger
2 large garlic cloves, minced
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 1/2 tablespoons curry powder
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 cups chicken stock or low-sodium broth
2 tablespoons plain low-fat yogurt
2 scallions, sliced on the diagonal

How to Make

In a mini food processor, grind the almonds to a powder. In a small heatproof bowl, soak the apricots in boiling water until plump, 20 minutes; drain.

Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large nonstick skillet. Add the chicken breasts, season with salt and pepper and cook over moderately high heat until browned, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a large plate.

Add the ginger, garlic, onion and the remaining 1/2 tablespoon of oil to the skillet and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 10 minutes. Add the curry powder and cayenne and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 3 minutes. Add the ground almonds and chicken stock and bring to a simmer. Return the chicken breasts to the skillet and add the apricots. Simmer over low heat until the chicken is cooked through, about 5 minutes.

Transfer the chicken to a platter. Boil the sauce over moderate heat until thickened, about 8 minutes. Stir in the yogurt and season with salt and pepper. Pour the sauce over the chicken, scatter the scallions on top and serve.

Serves 4

Chicken Burritos

Last week I made burritos when I was in a hurry. I had forgotten how satisfying this meal could be and how much my kids love them. I have said this before and will say it again, sometimes I feel silly posting these 'recipes' because they are so simple. That being said, I feel compelled to share these quick easy recipes because they really are kid friendly, healthy and quick. I most likely have all of these ingredients on hand on any given day and am guessing others do as well. Seriously, my kids ate almost the whole adult sized burrito.

Chicken Burritos

Timing - 20 minutes

Ingredients
1 T olive oil
1/2 a small red onion, minced finely (about 1/3 cup)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1.5 lbs chicken tenders (or cut boneless skinless breasts in about tender size)
1 T chili powder
salt and pepper
the juice of one lime
1 can vegetarian refried beans
shredded cheddar cheese
sour cream
sliced avocado
hot sauce
whole wheat tortillas (burrito sized)

How to Make
Heat skillet over medium-high heat and then add the olive oil. Saute the onion for about 3 minutes until it begins to soften, then add the garlic and chili powder and cook for about 30 seconds more. Add the chicken and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook about 3-4 minutes per side until the chicken is cooked through.

Remove the chicken to a cutting board and use two forks to shred it. Add it back to the pan and stir everything together. At the very end, squeeze a whole lime over the chicken mixture.

Warm the tortillas and then assemble the burritos with beans, chicken and cheese and then any of the other toppings you or your kids like.

Serves 4

Wednesday, February 4, 2009

Paprika Roast Chicken with Sweet Onion (Gourmet Magazine)

I have learned from cooking many a chicken that roasting at a high heat produces the juiciest chicken and the crispiest skin. This recipe from Gourmets "Quick Kitchen" section was ridiculously easy and super yummy. I served it with some 'fancied up' couscous which had sauteed apples and onions and then golden raisins and cinnamon. The boys could not get enough of any of it. In fact, Jacob cleaned the chicken legs ("better than a cat..." - as commented by Dan). Buy the whole chicken cut up to save you time.

Paprika Roast Chicken with Sweet Onion (Gourmet Magazine)

Timing - 40 minutes

Ingredients
1 T extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 T paprika
1/2 t cayenne
1 whole chicken cut up (about 3.5 lbs)
1 sweet onion, cut into half inch wedges

How to Make
Preheat oven to 500 degrees with rack in upper third. Mix oil with spices and 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt and 1 teaspoon of pepper in a large bowl. Add chicken and onion to bowl and toss to coat. Arrange chicken, skin side up, in a large shallow baking dish.

Bake until chicken is just cooked through, about 30 minutes.

Serves 4 to 6

Fennel-Rubbed Pork Tenderloin with Roasted Fennel Wedges (Gourmet Magazine)

When this months Gourmet Magazine came, I tore through it and cut out a bunch of recipes. My problem though, was that while some of the recipes looked great for an adult dinner party, I wasn't sure if I could get the boys to eat parsnips, fennel and the other usual winter fare. This recipe was a crowd pleaser across the board. It was full of great flavor. OK, the truth is that the boys didn't like the fennel, but I roasted some sweet potatoes along side the meat, which they loved. The recipe called for dry white wine, but since I already had a red open, I used it instead. It was still delicious and I could have easily served the dish for a fancy dinner party.

Fennel-Rubbed Pork Tenderloin with Roasted Fennel Wedges (Adapted from Gourmet Magazine)

Timing - 45 minutes

Ingredients
1 tsp fennel seeds
1 lb pork tenderloin
2 medium fennel bulbs, trimmed
2 T extra virgin olive oil
3 cloves garlic, smashed
1/4 cup wine (dry white or I used Pinot Noir because it was open)
1/2 cup low sodium chicken broth
2 T unsalted butter, cut into pieces
the juice of half of a lemon

How to Make
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Crush fennel seeds with a mortar and pestle or wrap in a kitchen towel and crush with the bottom of a heavy skillet.

Pat pork dry and then sprinkle generously with salt and pepper and crushed fennel seeds. Cut fennel bulbs lengthwise into 1/2 inch wide wedges.

Heat oil in a large oven-proof skillet over medium high heat and then sear the pork on all sides for about 6 minutes total. Transfer the pork to a plate and then saute the fennel and garlic until golden brown, about 6 minutes. Add wine and scrape up the brown bits and then stir in the broth and butter. Put the pork on top of the fennel and transfer the pan to the oven. Roast the pork for about 15-20 minutes.

Transfer the pork to a cutting board and let it rest for about 1o minutes. Meanwhile, transfer the skillet to the stove top and boil, stirring occasionally, until most of the liquid has evaporated. Stir in the lemon juice. Thinly slice the pork and serve with the fennel sauce.

Serves 4

Roast Chicken Breasts with Garbanzo Beans, Tomatoes and Paprika (Bon Appetit)

Last week was my birthday and I had a girls night out planned without any of the boys. I had planned to make this recipe earlier in the week, but I just didn't get to it. To make Dan's life easy since he was in charge and all alone. I decided to prep this recipe on Thursday so he could just bake it. He said it turned out really delicious and the kids loved it too. If you want to do this make ahead, just do everything up until the baking and cover it in the refrigerator over night.

Roast Chicken Breasts with Garbanzo Beans, Tomatoes and Paprika (Adapted from Bon Appetit)

Timing - about 10 minutes to prep and 20 minutes to cook

Ingredients
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
4 garlic cloves, pressed
1 T smoked paprika
1 t ground cumin
1/2 t dried crushed red pepper
4 chicken breast halves with bones
1 15 oz can garbanzo beans, drained
1 12 oz container cherry or grape tomatoes
chopped fresh cilantro, to taste

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Mix first 5 ingredients in medium bowl. Place chicken in a large glass baking dish, sprayed with cooking oil. Rub half of oil mixture over chicken and mix remaining oil mixture with the beans, tomatoes and cilantro. Pour bean mixture around over chicken and toss to coat. Sprinkle everything generously with salt and pepper.

Roast the chicken until it is cooked through, about 20 minutes.

Serves 4

Quick Chicken Chili (Fine Cooking)

This chili is more like a cross between a chili and soup since it is somewhat brothy and made with white meat chicken chunks instead of ground meat. What I like about it, is that it's a very flexible recipe. You can really save time if you want to use a store-bought rotisserie chicken and remove the meat. Another idea, which I did this time I cooked it, is to bake the chicken breasts the night before and then having the meat ready to throw in the next day. The recipe is super forgiving across the board. If you don't have white beans, use kidney beans (as I did). If you don't have frozen corn, you can put in about any other thing you might like in a chili (maybe hominy or another type of beans). Whatever combination you choose, this is a fast and easy recipe and the kids both loved the sweet corn and beans.

Quick Chicken Chili (Adapted from Fine Cooking Magazine)

Timing - about 30 minutes if the chicken is pre-cooked or store bought rotisserie)

Ingredients
2 T vegetable oil
1 large onion, cut into medium dice
2 T ground cumin
2 t dried oregano
3 medium cloves garlic, minced
2 lbs cooked boneless skinless chicken breasts, cubed (or chicken pulled from store bought rotisserie)
1 jar or can (about 4 oz.) diced mild green chiles, drained
1 quart chicken broth
2 15 oz cans kidney beans
1 cup frozen corn

How to Make
Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a dutch oven or large soup pot. Add the onion and cook, stirring, until tender, about 4 to 5 minutes. Add the cumin, oregano and garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in the chicken and chiles and then the broth and 1 can of beans. bring to a simmer and then reduce heat to low and simmer, partially covered and stirring occasionally, about 20 minutes.


Meanwhile, puree the second can of beans in a food processor. Stir the pureed beans into the soup along with the corn. Continue to simmer to blend the flavor, about 5 minutes longer.

Serve with cheese, green onions and sour cream.

Serves 6

Tukey Goulash (Rachel Ray)

I made this last week thinking it had everything that both of the kids love: pasta, ground meat and not a ton of sauce. I was right for the most part. Jacob definitely loved it and ate a large serving at dinner and in his lunch the next day. Lucas wasn't as big of a fan, and I am guessing it was the taste of the roasted red pepper that he didn't like. This could easily be left out or substituted with tomato. I made the recipe almost as it was written originally by Rachel Ray, except I used ground white meat turkey instead of the beef/pork/veal combination that was called for. I also used chicken broth instead of beef to lighten it up further.



Turkey Goulash (adapted from Rachel Ray)


Timing - about 30 minutes


Ingredients
Salt
1 pound short pasta, such as macaroni, ziti rigate or gemelli
1/2 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 slices lean bacon, chopped
1 pound ground turkey

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 teaspoons smoked sweet paprika
Freshly ground pepper
3 large jarred roasted red peppers, drained
3 tablespoons tomato paste
2 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup sour cream
Flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped (a generous handful)
Fresh dill, chopped (a generous handful)


How to Make

Bring a large pot of water to a boil, salt the water, add the pasta and cook until al dente. Drain the pasta and set aside.

While the pasta cooks, heat the olive oil in a large, deep skillet over medium-high heat. Add the bacon and cook until crisp, about 3 minutes, then move the bacon to the side of the pan and add the ground meat, crumbling it. Brown the meat for 3 to 4 minutes, then add the garlic and onion. Season with the paprika and salt and pepper to taste. Cook until the onion is softened, about 5 minutes.

In a food processor, puree the peppers until smooth and stir into the meat. Add the tomato paste and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, then stir in the chicken broth and simmer for a couple of minutes. Stir in the sour cream and cooked pasta. Top with the parsley and dill.

Serves 4-6