Archive for the 'Spice' Category

Chicken Pilaff

Published February 24, 2010 Dinner , Must repeat , Spice , Yum! Leave a Comment
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I own this great cookbook called Dinner With Friends by Jane Price. I’ve tried several recipes from this book in the past and they, for the most part, have been amazing. Last night this book introduced me to a new way of cooking rice with chicken or meat without having to first cook the rice. Before you begin the whole cooking process you start by soaking the desired amount of rice in cold water for at least 30 mins. When you start cooking the onions, garlic, and meat or chicken, you drain and the rinse the rice and once the meat is browned you add it to the pot. Cook it for a couple of minutes and then add wet ingredients like broth and in this case, about 6 oz of diced tomatoes. Just enough liquid to cover the chicken and rice. Cover the pot with a lid and let it simmer for about 20 mins or until liquid is absorbed and rice is cooked. Easy! Now I’m excited to try these steps with other types of meat and different spice combinations. Maybe some shrimp, rice, tomatoes, lots of garlic, and heavy cream.

Overall the instructions in the book were clear and shown in order of preparation and cooking, which I like because it means I don’t have to go searching for a step or a missing ingredient. If you’re not crazy about the taste of cloves, like Jay is, you can omit them or just put in very little. The recipe calls for crushed cloves for the chicken rub (called baharat) and later whole cloves for the entire dish. I only added the cloves to the baharat and it was more than plenty. Originally this was supposed to be a chicken and almond pilaff but guess what, I completely forgot about the almonds and I even have a whole stash I meant to use for cooking. No matter, it was still amazing. Unfortunately, once it was cooked it looked like a huge pot of slop. I don’t know what it is about me and slop these days. But, do try it out.

Recipe can be found here on Google Books.

Spicy Chicken Soup

Published October 17, 2009 Dinner , Recipe , Spice , Yum! Leave a Comment
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The best way to thaw after a chilly walk in the park is to eat a big bowl of spicy chicken soup. This soup will definitely make you sweat!

1 chicken leg, cut into pieces, keep bones

1 cup rice, uncooked

Approx 6 cups of water

2 or 3 bay leaves

2 large carrots, cut into small chunks

2 potatoes, cubed

half a leek, chopped

3 garlic cloves, chopped

3 pickled jalapeno peppers

Salt and pepper to taste

Oregano and dried mint to taste

Put the chicken pieces and bones along with the rice in a large pot and fill with the water. Place over medium high heat and bring to a boil. Lower heat to medium low and add the rest of the ingredients. Cover and let it gently bubble for about 40-45 minutes. Near the end, I added two pieces of cooked corn I had in the fridge. “That’s a big garnish, don’t you think,” Jay the smart ass said. For a tangy flavour you can also add fresh cilantro and lime juice.

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What I did with a Tex-Mex Mushroom Ragout

Published September 29, 2009 Dinner , Leftovers , Must repeat , Recipe , Spice , Vegetarian , Weight Watchers Leave a Comment
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A few days ago I made a vegetarian dinner from the Weight Watchers Turn Around Program book. It’s called Tex-Mex Mushroom Ragout and this is how it’s made:

Makes 2 Servings:

1 onion, chopped

1 garlic clove, minced

1/2 lb fresh cremini or white button mushrooms, quartered

1/2 lb fresh portobello mushrooms, stems removed and diced

1 (15oz) can pinto beans, rinsed and drained

1 (4.5 oz) can chopped green chiles

1 tbsp ground cumin

1 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp dried thyme

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 fresh ground pepper

4 tsp fresh lime juice

In a pan, cook onion until soft, about a minute. Add the garlic and stir constantly for about 20 secs then add the mushrooms. Cook until mushrooms have released their liquid and then reabsorbed it, about 5 mins. Stir in the beans, chiles, spices, and salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer and cook until thickened (I’m not sure what they mean by this because I didn’t notice any “thickening”) for about 15 mins. Serve and squeeze some of the lime juice on top. I sprinkled some shredded Havarti cheese.

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It was tasty and flavourful…but not as fantastic as I thought it could be. It’s more of a side dish than as a main meal as the book says it should be. It’s very good because it has lots of protein and fibre but if you’re eating a whole bowl of the stuff, it can be a little boring. Needless to say I didn’t eat a full serving and I put the rest away in a container.

Two days later my little sister came over and she was hungry. “You have food at your place right? I’m reeeeeaaaally hungry.” Unfortunately I hadn’t done any groceries yet and I didn’t have much in my fridge except the leftover ragout. I brought out the container and told my sister to try it but she didn’t seem too keen on it, “Hm, smells spicy…do you have anything else?” Sigh.

1/4 of a jar of Classico pasta sauce

3/4 of a can of diced tomatoes

generous splash of heavy cream

1 1/2 servings of leftover Tex-Mex Ragout

Make 2 servings of whatever pasta you like, I used angel hair. Heat the ragout in a pot along with the tomatoes and pasta sauce, stir. Once it’s heated, add the cream and stir until it’s all blended and heated through. Serve over noodles.

So very yummy! I think I’ll be making more pasta sauces like this one.

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Noodles with Spicy Turkey and Avocado Sauce

Published September 22, 2009 Dinner , Recipe , Spice , Weight Watchers , Yum! Leave a Comment
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Inspired by a Weight Watchers recipe from the Turn Around Program Book, I decided to make this simple meal for myself. The recipe in the book serves 6 but, because Jay is out of town this week, I wanted to make two servings. However, I am terrible at measuring the right amount of pasta noodles so I made way too many. I always grab about a handful because I heard or read somewhere that a handful equals a cup…I obviously need to learn to measure properly.

Anyway, the recipe says to use lean ground beef but I had left over ground turkey from turkey shepherd’s pie I made before. Here is how I made the sauce:

Recipe for approx 2-3 servings

200g Lean ground turkey

1/3 of a large white onion, chopped

1 garlic clove, minced

2 pickled jalapeño peppers, chopped

1/4 tsp cumin

1/8 tsp cinnamon

1 cup of canned tomatoes, chopped

1 tbsp tomato paste

2 tsp fresh cilantro, chopped

1 avocado, mashed

In a pot cook turkey meat and break it up and cook until it’s brown. Add the onions, jalapeño, and garlic, cook until soft. Next add the cumin and cinnamon, stirring constantly for about 30 seconds. Mix in the tomatoes and paste, bring to a boil and then lower heat and let it simmer for about 15 minutes. You can add salt and pepper but I didn’t add any. Remove from heat and throw in the cilantro and avocado until it’s all mixed in. Serve over cooked noodles.

The book says each serving is worth 5 points but I’m wondering if my version is worth less points because I used turkey instead of beef. But, because I used an avocado I probably brought up the points to 6 haha. No matter, it was very tasty.

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Chili Verde

Published August 5, 2009 Dinner , Must repeat , Recipe , Spice , Yum! 1 Comment
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Last night I created something incredibly magnificent. I’ve devoured and enjoyed many fantastic dishes in the past. Dishes that have me tilting my head back as my eyes close in absolute pleasure. A morsel of buttery tender meat, covered in a perfect blend of tang, sweet and spice. The meat is so tender, chewing is almost optional only to further enjoy each bite. I am craving this dish as we speak and I cannot wait for the next time I make this. It would be a crime for me to not share this recipe from my Mexican cookbook.

Chili Verde

Serves 4

1 kg pork, cut into bite size chunks

1 onion, chopped

2 bay leaves

1 whole garlic bulb, cut in half (this confused me for a minute and in the end I peeled an entire bulb and cut each clove in half)

1 bouillon cube (I used chicken)

2 garlic cloves, chopped

450g fresh tomatillos, husks removed, cooked in a small amount of water until just tender, then chopped. Or canned which is what I used

2 large fresh mild green chilies, such as poblano, or a combination of 1 green bell pepper and 2 jalapeño chilies, seeded and chopped (I used green pepper and jalapeño)

3 tbsp vegetable oil

1 cup pork or chicken stock

1/2 tsp mild chili powder, such as ancho or New Mexico

1/2 tsp ground cumin

cilantro

Place the pork in a large pot with the onion, bay leaves and garlic bulb. Add water to cover and the bouillon cube and bring to a boil. Skim off the scum that rises to the surface. Reduce heat to very low and let it simmer gently for 1 1/2 hours or until meat is very tender.

Place the chopped garlic, tomatillos and chilies (and bell pepper if using)  in a food processor and puree. Heat the oil in a deep sauce pan and add the tomatillo mixture and cook over medium-high heat for 10 minutes or until thickened. Add the stock, chili powder and cumin.

When meat is tender, remove from pot and add to the sauce. Let it simmer gently for 20 minutes, or until flavours are combined. Garnish with cilantro and serve with flour tortillas and lime wedges.

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What to make with a block of frozen peas…

Published June 29, 2009 Dinner , Recipe , Spice , Yum! Leave a Comment
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I had returned home from buying a few groceries and I was putting away some frozen juice while thinking of what to make for dinner. My eyes landed on a small lump in the back of the freezer. It was a block of frozen peas in a bag the size of a grapefruit. I’ve kept the peas with the intention of doing something with them but they just kept inching further and further toward the back of the freezer. Tonight was the night that little bag of peas would leave the frigid world of my freezer.

I quickly began to think of ways to cook them besides boiling them. I also discovered a package of mushrooms that needed to be used up fast. So what could I make with frozen peas and some mushrooms?

Peas and mushroom biryani with tandoori chicken breast!

Yeah, sometimes it only takes a block of iced peas to get me inspired.

I was able to find recipes I had scribbled down on some scraps of paper so, unfortunately, I don’t know where I obtained the recipes.

Recipe for peas and mushrooms biryani:

1 cup basmati rice

1/2 cup peas

1/2 cup mushrooms, quartered and sliced

bay leaf

3 green cardamom pods

4 cloves

1″ cinnamon stick

1 tsp grated ginger

1 tsp cumin seeds

3 green chilies chopped (I used pickled jalapeño peppers…need to replace that jar soon…)

1 tsp cumin powder

1 tsp coriander seeds, crushed

Butter, I used about a tablespoon

Oil, I used about one teaspoon

Pepper

Directions:

Heat some butter and oil in a pot and add the cumin seeds, bay leaf, cinnamon, cloves, cardamom and ginger. Things are going to start popping so when that happens add the chilies and fry for about a minute or two. Add some fresh ground pepper, cumin powder, coriander seed and fry for 2-3 minutes on low. Add mushrooms, peas, rice and 2 cups of water. Cover and let it cook until it’s ready. I wasn’t timing it so I don’t know how long that took.

Green chilies, bay leaf, grated ginger, cloves, cardamom, cinnamon and cumin seeds

Green chilies, bay leaf, grated ginger, cloves, cardamom, cinnamon and cumin seeds


Recipe for tandoori chicken:

3 green chilies, chopped (again, pickled jalapeño peppers)

3 tbsp onion paste (I didn’t know what onion paste was so I just grated an onion until I had the required amount)

1/2 tsp garlic paste (same deal only I used my garlic press to get the “paste”)

1 tsp turmeric

1 tsp chili powder

1 tsp coriander

1 tsp cumin

1/4 tsp cinnamon

Directions:

Mix all ingredients with a bit of oil in a bowl. Normally, you’re supposed to make this with chicken parts but I had just bought two chicken breast and I wanted to use those. You’re also supposed to coat the chicken parts with the mixture and let it sit for 6 hours. I rubbed the mixture on the chicken and only let it sit for about 10 minutes. Jay was hungry…so was I. I placed the chicken in the oven and let it cook for about 30 or 40 minutes at 410F. Again, I wasn’t timing it so I don’t know how long it took to cook. It just “looked” ready.

One word of caution; both the rice and chicken are very hot and spicy, so go easy on the chilies if you can’t handle the heat. Also, if you’re rubbing the tandoori mixture on chicken, it might be a good idea to use gloves as now my nails are stained yellow from the turmeric. That’ll look attractive at my friend’s wedding on Sunday!

When everything was ready I was bathed in a wonderful aroma of spices. I could taste the cinnamon and the cardamom in the biryani and the turmeric and cinnamon in the chicken. Oh so good!

Jay sat down to eat and I stared at him expectantly.

“You know that when you do that I’m forced to say your food is amazing,” he said.

“Yeah, I know, that’s why I do it,” I joked.

He became very serious and said, “Wow, this really is amazing…Wow”

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Spicy Chicken Noodle Stir Fry

Published June 20, 2009 Dinner , Spice Leave a Comment
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As we all know, I am obsessed with Frank’s Redhot sauce. I keep talking about it so much I think I should become a spokesperson for that product!

So for last night’s dinner all I wanted was to use that ingredient in whatever dish I made. I settled on making a simple chicken marinade of crushed garlic (about 3 or 4 cloves), the juice of two limes and about a quarter cup of Frank’s Redhot sauce. I cut the chicken breast into bite size pieces and left them to soak in the marinade for about three hours.

I know in my current diet I’m not supposed to eat oily foods but I think it’s safe to say I’m no longer sticking to the diet 100%. At my last bridesmaid dress fitting I was shocked to see that my dress was very loose. With only two weeks until my friend’s wedding it’s probably not a good idea to continue with this rapid weightloss. So last night I used peanut oil to fry up the chicken a bit and sesame seed oil to stir fry the vegetables. Sesame seed oil gives food such a great flavour. I used Thai rice noodles and while everything else was being cooked, I let them soak in cold water. Once the chicken was cooked through I transferred it, along with the cooked marinade juices, to the pan with the stir fried vegetables (I used the No Name frozen veggies, “Oriental Mix”) along with fresh bean sprouts, chunks of onion and green pepper. I added a bit of diced canned tomatoes and rice wine vinegar before mixing in the noodles. I made sure to coat the noodles and blend them well with everything else until it was all nice and hot. Normally I’m not a fan of crushed peanuts on Thai food but for some reason last night I wished I had peanuts to top the noodles. I settled for a squeeze of lime juice.

The taste was amazing! The chicken was so nicely spiced and I love how I could taste the sesame seed oil in the noodles. Definitely have to make this one again.

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The Spice Project

Published June 19, 2009 Projects , Spice Leave a Comment

I was in a Spring cleaning mood today and I decided to go through all my shoes. I know it’s a bit late for Spring cleaning but I tend to be a late bloomer in many things. After putting five pairs of shoes (out of about 30) into the donation bin, I felt inspired and I made up my mind to tackle the pile of spices in our kitchen cabinet. Since moving in together over two years ago, Jay and I just sort of threw all our spices together and we’ve let our collection grow and grow and now it’s one giant mess. We have a handful of spices in jars but we buy most of our spices in baggies with the intention of finding a spice rack with jars. That has yet to happen. Anyway, when I emptied the space where all the spices had been, I found all sorts of powder on the surface of the shelf; yellow, orange, green, brown. Five different scents assaulted my sense of smell and I began to sneeze. My nose is still tingling.

I placed the spices back in the cabinet, after taking inventory, and I think we have over 30 spice packets, jars, baggies, whatnot. Now, armed with this information my next assignment is to find a big enough spice rack to fit everything in. Fun!



Chicken (or Turkey) Meatloaf

Published June 11, 2009 Dinner , Must repeat , Recipe , Spice , Yum! 2 Comments
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I’ve just finished making chicken meatloaf. When I started to make it I had only added tons of garlic, onion and spices and it was already smelling yummy.

Recipe for two-ish:

1lb lean ground chicken or turkey…or I guess beef
1/2 cup onion chopped
1/4 cup celery diced
Garlic, I minced about 4 cloves of garlic
1/2 cup cooked rice, I’m using brown rice
1 egg white, remember no yolks!
1/2 cup sodium free tomato sauce, I used Hunt’s No Salt Added
1/4tsp oregano
1/4tsp thyme
1/4tsp fresh ground black pepper

In a large bowl, mix chicken, onion, celery and garlic. Mix all spices and then add them to chicken. Mix well. Add egg whites, rice and tomato sauce, mixing with each addition. Put the mixture in a loaf pan and spread a bit more tomato sauce on top. Since I like a bit of spice I squirted a generous amount of Sriracha hot chili sauce on top of the tomato sauce. I baked it for about an 1hr 15mins at 350, uncovered.

Love this sauce on meatloaf. Goes really well on tuna sandwiches too! Once that comes out of the oven, let it sit for a bit and serve it with a side of mashed potatoes.

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