Stewed Mexican Chicken

Over ten years ago, I shared a recipe for Chicken Taco Filling that is super easy to make in the slow cooker.  Last year, in conjunction with the slow cooker baked potatoes, I tried a new variation on this to have a heartier version of this dish.  I loved how it came together and worked with the baked potato.  This would also be great over rice or as a quesadilla filling.

Ingredients (makes 5-7 portions):
2 tbsp Dried minced onions
2 1/2 lbs Frozen boneless and skinless chicken breasts
1 Red pepper, diced
1 Green pepper, diced
2 Yellow onions (small), diced (or one medium)
2 packages Taco seasoning mix (low sodium if you have it) - (1.25 oz)
28oz can Petite diced tomatoes (with added flavors if you like), undrained
1 cup Broth (chicken or vegetable)

Directions

1. Place dried minced onions, frozen chicken, red peppers, green peppers and onion in the slow cooker (in that order).
2. Sprinkle the taco mix on top and then add the petite diced tomatoes (with liquid) and broth.  Try to cover all the taco mix.
3. Cook on low for 8-10 hours.
4. When done, take two forks and shred the chicken and mix into the sauce. You can let it cook for an additional half our or so (but it is not necessary).

Enjoy - especially on a baked potato!

Slow Cooker Baked Potatoes

Long time coming to post this recipe.  Every so often, I find myself at a restaurant and I order a baked potato.  I love them, but the time involved in cooking them can be tricky when you start doing meal prep late in the day!  So I was poking around the web looking for a few alternatives to baking potatoes and I found a few references to how to cook them in the slow cooker.  Sounds like a plan.  I read a bit and came up with this recipe that is super easy to do and they come out tasting great.  You do not get that crunchy skin that you get when they are cooked in the oven, but everything else is fantastic.

Ingredients (serves 4)

4 Russet Potatoes (large)
Olive oil spray
1 tsp Kosher salt (adjust to taste)
3/4 tsp Black pepper (adjust to taste)

Directions

1. Scrub the potatoes well and then pierce them 10-12 times with a sharp knife.
2. Cut off four sheets of aluminum foil, each around 1 foot long.
3. Place one potato on the foil and spray with olive oil until all sides have a light coating.  Add a pinch of Kosher salt and pepper and wrap the foil tightly around the potato.  Repeat for the other three potatoes.
4. Place in a slow cooker and set on low.  Cook for 8-10 hours.

Enjoy!

Fried Capers

Pam first noticed fried capers on salads at a favorite local restaurant we frequent.  So I poked around and found a number of different variations.  A nice one I found was from Food & Style. I thought I would play with them and make one for a salad we are having tonight.  These turn out amazing and they give you a really nice flavor for salads or other dishes.  They are also very easy to make!

Ingredients (serves 3-4 on salads)

1 tbsp Cornmeal
1/4 tsp Onion powder
1/4 tsp Oregano
1/4 tsp Black Pepper (adjust to taste)
1/4 cup Small capers
1 tbsp Olive oil

Directions

1. In a small bowl, mix the cornmeal, onion powder, oregano and black pepper.
2. Drain the capers in a sieve.  Then add the capers to the cornmeal mixture and mix with a fork until the capers are coated.  Placed the capers back into the sieve and shake to remove the excess cornmeal mix.
3. Add 1 tbsp olive oil to a pan and place it over medium-high heat.  When the oil is heated, add the capers and shake the pan until they are in one layer.  Lower to medium heat and saute for 3 minutes undisturbed.  Mix the capers and saute for another 2 minutes.  Transfer to a bowl (leaving any oil in the pan).
4. You can let the capers sit for up to a few hours.

Enjoy!

Christmas Quiche

If you have a bunch that you need to bring a dish to - I think I have a good suggestion!  I adapted this recipe from my Spinach and Mushroom Quiche that I have been making for a while.  We wanted something else for a holiday gathering and with Jeremy's help, we came up with this new quiche.  It was going to be called a Western Quiche based on the fact that it was similar to a Western Omelette.  But in the end, I think I will call it as Christmas Quiche, because it has green and red peppers.  This naming comes from Mexican cooking (I think) as it has both red and green peppers in it.  Regardless of how it is named, it is really nice to have another quiche to cook.  This is great for brunch or any meal and we will definitely make it again.

Ingredients (serves 4-5)
1 Frozen deep dish pie crust
2 tbsp Olive oil
1 cup Green pepper, diced
1 cup Red pepper, diced
1 small Yellow onion, diced
8 oz Ham, diced
1 1/4 cup Skim milk
6 Large eggs
1 1/4 cups Cheddar cheese, shredded
1/4 tsp Black pepper
1/2 tsp Kosher salt

Directions
1. Bake pie crust per directions.  Then change the temperature to 400°F for the quiche.
2. In non-stick skillet over medium-high heat, add 2 tablespoon olive oil and cook peppers and onions for around 5 minutes.  Add ham to saute pan and cook an additional 4-5 minutes. Remove from heat.
3. In a large bowl, add ham mixture with skim milk, eggs, cheese, black pepper and salt until well blended.
4. Place the pie crust on a Jelly Roll pan.  Pour vegetable mixture into deep dish pie crust.  Bake quiche 45-50 minutes until filling and crust are golden and knife inserted in center comes out clean.  Let sit 5 minutes and then serve.

Enjoy!

Almond Joy Cookies

When you see someone of facebook sharing a cookie recipe - it is typically one of the easy ones.  In fact, the lasted trend are the video recipes - making a good looking dish super easy to make.  Thus is the case for these really easy and tasty cookies that we are calling Almond Joy cookies.  There are a bunch of variations on the web for these Macaroon-like cookies.  They make a great addition to any holiday tray - or for a cold winter's day when you do not want to leave the house.  They are super easy, super tasty and super....well, maybe not super healthy.  I guess just don't have them as a meal replacement!

We made these a bit big - but just as tasty!

Ingredients (makes around 20-24 cookies)
14 oz bag Sweetened coconut flakes
2 cups (or 12 oz bag) Semi-sweet chocolate chios
3/4 cup Slivered almonds
1/4 tsp Sea salt
14 oz can Sweetened condensed milk

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 325°.
2. Place parchment paper on two cookie sheets
3. Combined all ingredients in a large bowl and mix well.
4. Using a small cookie scoop or large spoon, place balls of the mixture on the parchment paper.  They should be around 1 1/2-2 inches round (or 4-5cm).
5. Bake for 12-14 minutes until brown.
6. Cool on the baking sheets.

Enjoy!

Noodles with Tofu and Black Bean Sauce

I wanted to try some Asian cooking with black bean sauce.  Before you tell me I need to make the black bean sauce from scratch, I will get to that someday.  In the meanwhile, I wanted to make a dish with noddles and tofu with black bean sauce.  I tweaked the recipe that I called Thai Sober Noodles for this dish and I think it came out great.  I hope that I will play with this in the future.  I loved the way it came out and the way it reheated for lunches.

Ingredients (serves 4)

4 tbsp Soy sauce, divided
2 tbsp Rice wine vinegar
1/2 tsp Sesame oil
1/2 tsp Chinese five spice
2 tsp Garlic, chopped (or 2 cloves)
1 tsp Ginger, minced
16oz Tofu (extra-firm), drained and cut into 1 inch cubes
8oz Rice Noodles (large size - though it is not that critical)
1 tbsp Olive oil
3 tbsp Canola oil
1 Yellow onion, diced
1 Red bell pepper, diced
2 Crowns broccoli, trimmed into florets
1 bunch Basil, cut into strips (around a 1/2 cup)
3 tbsp Black bean sauce
1/2 cup Vegetable or chicken broth

Directions

1. In a small bowl, mix 2 tbsp soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, sesame oil, Chinese five spice, garlic and ginger.  Add the drained and cut tofu.  Marinate for 15 minutes.
2. Bring a pot of water to boil. Add rice noodles and submerge in the boiling water. Remove from heat and add 1 tbsp of olive oil. After 10 minutes, drain.
3. Add 1 tbsp canola oil to a non-stick wok or large saute pan over high heat.  Add tofu with marinade to the wok and cook for around 5 minutes.  Stir occasionally.  Remove from pan and keep warm under foil.
4. Lower heat to medium-high and add 1 tbsp canola oil.  Add onion and bell pepper.  Stir-fry for 2 minutes.
5. Add 1 tbsp canola oil and broccoli.  Cook for 3-4 minutes.
6. Add basil and black bean sauce.  Cook for 1 minute.
7. Add the broth and the cooked noodles to the pan.  Cook for 1-2 minutes.
8. Return the cooked tofu to the pan and mix thoroughly.  Once mixed, remove from heat.

Enjoy!

Coconut Shrimp with Apricot Sauce

After the holidays, we did an inventory of the baking ingredients that we had in the house. Not sure how it happened, but we had an extra bag of shredded coconut. So this all got me thinking about something I had long wanted to try - coconut shrimp.  So when you get this at a restaurant, you will normally have something that is deep fried.  So I was really excited when I found a recipe for coconut shrimp from my favorite magazine and cooking site - Eating Well.  I also had a jar of apricot preserves for the longest time - so I wanted to find a sauce that would use this as a base.  This is not really super healthy, but you do not have a ton with the shrimp.  What you see in the picture is a double batch of sauce.  I did find a great recipe to be the inspiration for the sauce from the Simply, Sweet and Savory blog.

This was, simply put, fantastic!  Now while it would go well as an appetizer, it was practically our meal on Oscar night.  I will definitely be making this again as it was fantastic.  I love the idea that this is just as delicious as what I get in restaurants, but a bit healthier.

Ingredients (six portions for appetizers or 3-4 portions for main entree)

Apricot Sauce:

1/2 cup Apricot preserves
1 tsp (or cloves) Garlic, minced
2 tsp Soy sauce
1 tsp Brown sugar
2 tbsp Water

Coconut Shrimp:

1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp Paprika
1/2 tsp Cinnamon
1/2 tsp Garlic powder
2 large eggs
1 1/4 cups Unsweetened shredded coconut
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 lbs Shrimp (raw - 21-25 count per pound)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 450°F.  Place parchment paper on a baking sheet or coat with cooking spray. 

2. Combine all sauce ingredients (apricot preserves, garlic, soy sauce, brown sugar and water) in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil and then lower heat to simmer for 12-15 minutes.

3. In one dish, whisk flour, paprika, cinnamon, and garlic powder. In a second dish, beat eggs. In a third dish, combine coconut and kosher salt.

4. Peel shrimp, leaving the tails on. Butterfly the shrimp by cutting halfway through the back, stopping at the tail. Holding the shrimp by the tail, dredge the shrimp in the flour mixture.  Then dip the shrimp in the egg and then coat with coconut. Stand the shrimp tail-up on the prepared baking sheet. Discard any unused dipping mixtures.

5. Bake the shrimp until the coating starts to brown, 10 to 12 minutes. 

Enjoy!