Mojito Lamb with Naan Bread

Ingredients for Lamb:

3 Servings of Lamb, cubed

Fresh Mint, one handful

4 Cloves of Garlic 

1 1/2 tsp Curry Powder

3 Limes (about 3oz of lime juice)

Salt/Pepper

1 TB Olive Oil

Sour Cream (optional)

Ingredients for Naan Bread:

2 Cups Flour (white or whole wheat)

3/4 Cup of Water (approximately, see below)

1 TB Dried Rosemary

Directions:

1.  Start preparing your marinade about an hour before you want to begin cooking so that the meat has time to absorb the flavours.  Mince the garlic cloves and the mint in a food processor with the TB of olive oil.  Sprinkle the curry powder on the cubed lamb, add the minced mixture and pour the lime juice on top.  Mix with your hands, and cover, letting it sit for at least an hour.

2.  Once the lamb has sufficiently marinaded, fry it on the stove top until it is cooked to your preference.  You can always take one of the cubes and cut it open to see how well cooked it is inside.  You'll want to start the naan bread pretty much as soon as you have the lamb on the stove.

3.  For the naan bread, mix two cups of flour with approximately 3/4 cups of cold water.  I say approximately because you want to add as much water as it takes for the dough to pull away from the side of your mixer (use a dough hook attachment if you have it).  The dough should not be sticky.  You can add herbs to your flour if you like, I added dried rosemary because it goes well with lamb.

4.  Divide the dough into eight pieces and generously flour your cutting board.  Make each piece into a ball and roll out as thin as possible, this will help it bubble up more.  Throw the rolled out naan into a hot pan (I prefer cast iron), do not grease the pan.  Depending on how hot your pan is, the naan will need to be cooked anywhere from 30 seconds to two minutes per side.  You know the naan is done when it starts to create air pockets inside, but make sure they don't burn!

5.  To assemble my naan I put 3 or 4 pieces of meat, and a TB of sour cream on top.  These were sooo good, and reminded me of street food!  I think tzatziki sauce would also be really good with these.

Spinach and Feta-Stuffed Chicken Breast with Accordion Potatoes

We eat a lot of chicken in my house, and I was getting a bit bored of having it the usual way. I thought I would try stuffing it, because what doesn't taste better with cheese, am I right?  This was so delicious!!  We also eat a lot of potatoes, and this is one of the more creative ways to fancy up a normal, baked potato.  Hope you enjoy!

Ingredients:

3 Chicken Breasts (4 - 6 oz)
90 grams Feta (I used goat feta)
6 pieces of sun-dried tomato
2 Eggs
2 Cups Bread Crumbs 
1 Cup White Flour 
Spinach
Garlic
Russet Potatoes
Oil
salt and pepper


Directions:

1)  Start by preheating your oven to 350 degrees.

2)  The potatoes will take about an hour to cook, so you want to put them on before the chicken, which only takes 40 minutes.  Stab each potato with a fork so it won't explode in the microwave.  Microwave each potato for about 2.5 to 3 minutes each, they can all go in together.  For example, if you are doing three potatoes put them in for about 7.5 to 9 minutes.

3)  Give the potatoes some time to cool once they are out of the microwave because you will need to be able to handle them for the next step.  In order to create the accordion effect you want to slice the potato straight down, leaving about .25 to .5 of an inch at the bottom.  Do this across the whole potato, and then add sliced pieces of garlic in between the slats.  Sprinkle with dried rosemary, salt, and pepper.  I would recommend putting these in the oven before you start your chicken so they will be done around the same time.

4)  Using a sharpish knife, cut your chicken breast butterfly style.  Don't worry, it doesn't have to be pretty, just make sure you don't cut it all the way, leave about .25 to .5 inch connecting the two halves.

5)  Combine the chopped spinach, chopped sun-dried tomato and crumbled feta.  Spread 1/3 of the mixture evenly across the chicken breast.  Fold the top back over and place on a baking sheet.

6)  Now it is time to bread the chicken breasts.  This part is totally optional, of course!  The breading helps to keep the chicken moist but it is still awesome without this step.  Put the flour, beaten egg, and breadcrumbs in three separate bowls.  Dip the chicken in the flour, then the egg, and then the bread crumbs.  Place back on greased baking dish.

7)  Bake the chicken for 40 minutes, and the potato for an hour.

This was so good, I think I am going to have it again tomorrow =P

Roast Chicken with Quinoa Stuffing

Happy New Year!!!  I'm still not used to saying 2013.  I usually get the hang of not writing down the wrong year sometime in the middle of January.

Oh yea, and this happened:

Piper

Asher

The white one is named Piper, and the black one is named Asher!  I have been thinking about adopting a kitten for awhile.  Someone suggested to me that getting two was better because they would keep each other company.  Best advice I have gotten so far this year!  They are super affectionate and playful.  

So I thought I would start this year off with something savoury, as I know that I did a lot of sweet, baking recipes toward the end of last year.  This recipe is so easy.  I know that the idea of roasting a chicken can be daunting, but once you get the hang of the basics there is so much you can do with it.  I decided to stuff this one, and because I was lazy and did not want to make bread stuffing, I made some quinoa stuffing!  Hope you guys like it.


Ingredients:

1 Chicken (You want it to fit in a roasting pan)
1 Cup Uncooked Quinoa (Once cooked it makes 4 cups)
1 Large Handful of Kale or Spinach
1 Red Onion
1/2 Yellow Onion
1 Large Carrot
1 Head of Garlic
1 TB Dried Cilantro
 Olive Oil
Salt
Pepper

1.  Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.

2.  Cook your quinoa first, following the directions on the bag/box.  You want it to have time to cool before you stuff the chicken, otherwise it will burn your hands.  Once the quinoa is cooked add a sprinkle of olive oil, the cilantro, half of the garlic and half of the red onion, and all of spinach/kale.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.  Stir and let cool while you get your pan ready.

3.  Grease a roasting pan large enough for your chicken, with room around the chicken to put vegetables.  Rinse your chicken, inside and out.  This is optional.  I've always done it.  Just be careful to not cross-contaminate by getting it on your counter or clean dishes.

4.  Once the quinoa is cool take about half of it and put it on another bowl.  You will only need approximately half to stuff your chicken, depending on the size.  By putting a portion in another bowl you aren't risking it getting contaminated by raw chicken.  The extra quinoa can be served with dinner, or saved for another meal!

5.  Stuff your bird!  I used a small wooden spoon to scoop the quinoa in and stamp it down.  Stuff it as much as you can.  I then sewed the end of the chicken shut using some metal skewers.

6.  This is the tricky part.  Trussing!  You want to get some cooking-safe white string and truss your bird so that it cooks evenly.  Start by making a loop around one of the drumsticks, tighten the loop and wrap the string around the other drumstick.  Tighten the two drumsticks so that they ends are crossing slightly.  Lift the wings up as seen in the picture below and wrap the string around so that they stay.  Tie a knot and you are good to go!  It doesn't have to be pretty, don't stress.

7.  Sprinkle some olive oil in the bottom of the pan and place the chicken inside.  Cook for one hour, stopping halfway through and basting.  I use a brush to take the grease from the bottom of the pan and rub it all over the chicken.  This is going to help the skin on the outside crisp up, but not dry out.

First baste, after 30 minutes.

8.  Once the hour is up baste the chicken again.  Arrange your vegetables around the outside of the chicken and stir them around so they get the drippings from the chicken all over them.  Cook for an additional 45 minutes to an hour, stopping after 20 minutes to baste for the last time.  Do not baste again after this unless you use a clean brush, otherwise you are risking brushing raw chicken back onto your dinner.  If you notice at any point in this last 45 minutes that your chicken is getting too brown on the outside, place a foil tent over top.

Roasted veggies!  YUM!  (Someone took all of the carrots)

9.  Enjoy!  And keep in mind that you can use any roasting vegetables you prefer with this recipe.  You can also change up what goes in the quinoa, this is just what I had on hand.  So much can be done with this!  You can also use cous cous instead of quinoa!

Spinach and Roasted Garlic Soup with Dumplings

Ingredients:

Soup:

1 Yellow Onion
6 TB Margarine
6 TB White Flour
5 cups Broth (Bonus recipe at the bottom for homemade veggie broth)
1 cup Mozzarella Cheese
2 Heads of Roasted Garlic
3 Handfuls of Spinach
Salt and Pepper

Dumplings:

2 cups Flour (I used half white and half whole wheat)
4 tsp Baking Powder
1/2 tsp Salt
1 1/3 cup Liquid


I know some of you are thinking, "Spinach soup, ew?!", but this is actually really delicious.  I've realized lately that you can put large amounts of spinach in things to get the health benefit, and not really have a strong veggie taste.  Spinach seems to be one of those things that will just blend in really well with the surrounding flavours.  I've been putting it in my smoothies lately too, and I can't taste it at all.  The spinach in this recipe takes on a lot of the yummy roasted garlic and cheese flavour and the dumplings are such an amazing comfort food for these cold days.  Give it a try!


Directions:

1. Before you start making the soup you are going to want to begin roasting the garlic.  Do this by cutting the top off of the head of garlic, place it on a tray, and sprinkle with oil.  Cook on 350 degrees for 40 minutes or until golden brown.

2.  Begin the soup by lightly caramelizing the onions.  Cook them on medium heat in some oil in what will eventually be the pot you cook the soup in.  Once that is done, move them to a bowl.

3.  Make a roux, you do this by mixing equal parts margarine (or butter), and flour.  It will have a paste-like consistency.  Add 3 cups of the broth (I used Vegetable) and stir until it begins to thicken.  If you were making a sauce you wouldn't add anymore liquid, but we want the soup base to be a bit thinner because the spinach, garlic and dumplings will thicken it up.  Add the remaining 2 cups of liquid.

4.  Add the cheese and stir until melted.  At this point you can add the garlic, previously caramelized onions, and spinach as well.  Blend until smooth using a blender or emulsifier.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

5.  Mix all of the ingredients for the dumplings and spoon into boiling soup.  It may seem like there isn't enough room for all of the dumplings but trust me, they will all fit.  Let the dumplings cook for 15 minutes, and then you are done!

To make your own vegetable broth you add two stalks of celery, two carrots, 5 cloves of garlic, one onion and some basil (optional) to 10 cups of boiling water.  Simmer on low for 90 minutes, the broth will reduce down to 8 cups and work really well for soups, sauces and gravy!

Poached Salmon

Poaching involves cooking in liquid.  It is one of my favourite ways of cooking because there are a lot of variations, there is very little clean-up afterwards and it is great for those days when you don't want to eat out but you also don't want to spend a ton of time cooking.

This particular recipe is salmon poached in vegetable broth with nugget potatoes, garlic and spinach.  Normally when I poach fish I will just use water, and add something citrus like lemon juice or orange slices.  Cooking in liquid makes whatever you are cooking super juicy and everything you cook with it (like the potatoes and spinach) absorb the flavour of the garlic, juice, broth or whatever else you put in there.  Any kind of fish would be awesome with this recipe, and it doesn't have to be a huge filet, you can do the single serving filets as well.

Ingredients:

4 cups of liquid (I used vegetable brot, but you can use water as well)
Fish (This is a salmon filet, but any kind of fish would do)
Basil (We had some fresh basil from our garden, but you could use dried herbs as well, Dill is great with fish)
Salt and Pepper to taste
3 or 4 cloves of garlic 
15 Nugget Potatoes
2 handfuls of Spinach
2 TB Olive Oil

Directions:

1.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2.  Place fish in a large oven-safe pan.  Pour liquid over fish.

3.  Salt and Pepper to taste.  You want your liquid to be flavourful because it is going to be absorbed by everything in the pan.  If you are using water make sure to add something flavourful, such as lemon juice.

4.  Chop up garlic and cut nugget potatoes in half.  Place these in the broth.  Place spinach on top, making sure most of it is submerged in the liquid.  Drizzle oil on top and add more salt and pepper if desired.

5. Cook for 20 minutes and then stir the spinach so that the rest becomes submerged.  The spinach will float at first but once it has cooked awhile it will begin to wilt.  You want to make sure that it does not spend all 40 minutes of the cooking time above the surface of the liquid or it will get dry and crunchy. 

6.  Place back in oven for an additional 20 minutes making it 40 minutes total.  Check to make sure the liquid is bubbling at this point, if it is not you may want to consider turning your oven up to 425.

7.  Once the time is up take the dish out of the oven.  Poke the potatoes with a fork to make sure they are cooked through.  Also check the salmon, you will know that it is fully cooked when it flakes with a fork, as shown below.

Enjoy!

Balsamic Chicken

Balsamic Chicken

 

Ingredients:

1 Yellow Onion
1 Shallot
4 Cloves of Garlic
Chicken Thighs (anywhere from 10 to 15) or 4-6 Chicken Breasts
1 tsp Salt
Pepper (to taste)
1/2 TB Dried Oregano (optional)
1/2 TB Dried Basil (optional)
1 handful of Kale
1 handful of Spinach
1/3 cup of Butter (I used goat butter)
1/3 cup Balsamic Vinegar

Directions:

1.  Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

2.  Put a large casserole dish on top of your stove and turn the burner to medium heat.  You will want to use one that has a lid for when it goes into the oven later.  Chop onion, shallot, and garlic in oil until the onion becomes slightly transparent.

3.  Place the chicken into the casserole to brown on each side.  I cut mine into bite-sized pieces as they were boneless thighs.  This recipe could be done with bone-in as well, or chicken breasts if you prefer.

4.  While the chicken is browning melt the butter in a small pot on medium heat.  Let the butter bubble and once it begins to turn a golden brown add the vinegar.  Whisk the vinegar and butter together.  Let the balsamic reduce (see picture below).  It will bubble quite a bit but that just means that it is thickening up.  Stir occasionally. 

5.   As you are waiting for the vinegar/butter mixture to reduce season your chicken with the salt and pepper.  We are trying to watch our salt intake in my house so I tend to go for less and let people add to taste afterward.  You may want to add more salt/pepper depending on your preferences.  At this point also add the dried herbs if you have them, this is completely optional, I mostly just like the way they look!

6.  As the chicken is cooking you will notice some liquid at the bottom of the pan as the juice from the chicken mixes with the oil you put in at the beginning.  At this point add the kale and spinach (this just happened to be what we had in our fridge, if you have just spinach, or just kale, that works too!).  It may look like too much at first but they will steam and practically disappear in with the chicken.

7.  Once your vinegar/butter mixture is complete pour it on top of your chicken and mix everything together in the casserole.  Place the lid on top and place it in the oven.  Cook for approximately 30 minutes.  The liquid will further reduce and the flavour will be absorbed into the chicken.  We garnished our's with some goat feta, kalamata olives and cilantro.  Yum!

This may seem like a lot of steps but once you get the hang of this reduction you may find it quite handy.  I've tried it on noodles, fish, chicken, etc. and it is always a big hit!  We had our Balsamic Chicken on quinoa because it really absorbed the reduction well.  I would also recommend rice or cous cous.