Garlic Parmesan Chicken Bake

My husband and I have just started week 4 of the Plant Paradox.  Overall we've had pretty good success; with my husband being much more successful than I have.  The first few days were extremely hard for me, but we are starting to get into a rhythm.
Thanksgiving was this weekend and we knew it would be hard to follow the plan during this weekend.
So I tried this chicken bake for one of our family visits, and we were able to stay compliant without going hungry.

Ingredients:
10 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
1-1/2 tbsp dried basil
1-1/2 tbsp grated Parmesan (or a bit more if you like!)
1-1/2 tsp dried oregano
2 clove garlic, minced
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp black pepper
olive oil

1-1/2 cups brussel sprouts, cut in half (or quarters if large)
1 scallion, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

1 lemon

avocado oil for frying


1. Preheat the oven to 450F.
2. Mix the basil, Parmesan, oregano, garlic, salt and pepper in a small bowl.  Add a few drops of olive oil to combine.
3. Trim excess fat around each chicken thigh.  Then gently lift the skin to create a small pocket.  Rub the herb mixture onto each thigh,

under the skin, being gentle now to rip the skin.  Generously sprinkle both sides of the chicken thighs with salt.
4. Heat a few teaspoons of avocado oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Depending on the size of your skillet, you may have to fry the chicken in batches.  Place the chicken skin-side down for five minutes.  Flip the chicken over and cook for another 5-7 minutes.
5.  Move the chicken to a large baking tray that has been greased, skin side up.  If you are frying in batches, start on the second batch. Otherwise move on the veggies.

Ready to go in the oven

6. When all the chicken has been fried, add all the vegetables to the frying pan and stir to coat in the oil and juices.  Fry for a few minutes until browned and softened.  Add to the pan with the chicken.
7.  Cut the lemon into thirds.  Take the two end pieces and cut into quarters, placing them around the chicken and brussel sprouts.  Take the middle piece and squeeze the juice over the chicken and brussel sprouts.
8.  Bake in the oven, uncovered for 30-40 minutes, until chicken is cooked through.  If it starts to brown too quickly, cover with foil.  When cooked, quickly flip the chicken to get the tops covered in the juices and flip back.  Cover with foil and let sit for 10 minutes before serving

.

The final product

Chicken Curry with Homemade Naan

I watched an episode of Bake with Anna Olson the other day, where she made naan bread.  She is one of my most favourite pastry chefs and every recipe I've ever tried of hers always turns out amazing.  The recipe looked easy enough and I really wanted to make it, so I went on a search for an easy curry recipe.  I've never made a curry before, so that part was a little daunting.  Everything turned out great.
I made the dough earlier in the afternoon so it had time to rise.  As it got closer to dinnertime, I set the rice to cook in our rice cooker and started on the prep for the curry.  As the curry was left to cook for the last 15-20 minutes, I cooked the naan and everything came together perfectly.

Naan 

Ingredients:
3/4 cup warm water
1/2 cup yogurt
2-1/4 tsp yeast
2-1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp vegetable oil

Directions:

1. Add the first three ingredients to a large bowl in order.  Next add the flour, reserving 1/4 to 1/2 cup to use when you knead the dough.  Add the salt on top of the flour so it does not come in contact with the yeast.  Lastly add the vegetable oil.
2. Mix the ingredients with a wooden spoon until blended.
3. Turn the dough onto a floured work surface to knead, using the reserved flour, until the dough no longer sticks to your hands.  This should take 3-5 minutes in total.
4. Place dough in bowl and cover with plastic wrap.  Let it rise for 1 hour.
5. Roll out the naan on a floured work surface.  It will deflate as you start handling it.
6. Cut it into 6-8 pieces; no pre-shaping necessary.  Flatten each piece with a rolling pin to about 8-9" across and 1/4" thick.
7. Put in pan, one at a time, on high heat with no butter or oil.  It will take about 90 seconds on each side; the dough will start to bubble and blister.
8.  Baste with melted butter and sprinkle with sea salt to serve.
9.  Roll out the next piece while it cooks, and repeat until all the pieces are done.

Chicken Curry

Ingredients:
6 scallions
3-4 garlic cloves
2 tbsp vegetable oil
200g tomatoes, chopped
2 tbsp curry powder
1 tsp ground ginger
400g boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1" pieces
100ml Greek yogurt
salt and pepper

cooked rice to serve over

Directions:

1. Thinly slice the scallions, leaving a handful of the green parts for garnish.  Peel and chop the garlic.
2. Heat the oil in a large pan over medium heat and cook the onions and garlic for a few minutes.  Add the tomatoes, curry powder, ginger, and cook for 3-4  minutes.  If the pan gets dry, add some water to ensure the spices don't burn.
3. Add the chicken and cook for 5 minutes.  Make sure all the chicken is coated and is starting to brown.
4. Add 1 cup (250 ml) of water and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to medium-low and cook for 15-20 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through with no sign of pink juices in the middle of the pieces. 5. At this point you can prepare the rice (my rice cooker takes a while so I actually start it before I star the curry) and/or cook the naan.
5. When the everything is ready and the chicken is cooked, take the curry off the heat.  Stir in the yogurt and season with salt and pepper. Serve the curry over rice with a drizzle of yogurt and the naan bread.

Slow-Cooker Soy-Braised Chicken

As I mentioned in my previous post, I've been trying to find easy slow-cooker recipes.  Today I wanted to utilize some chicken breasts that I had and some other ingredients that I don't use too often when cooking dinner.

The results were pretty good.  I'd probably use chicken thighs instead next time as the white meat does tend to get drier.  I would also reduce the amount of soy sauce I used as I found that flavour quite strong.

Ingredients:
2 medium onions, sliced
4 garlic cloves, smashed
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
1/3 cup (low-sodium) soy sauce
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 bay leaf
1/4 tsp black pepper
1.5-2lbs skinless, boneless chicken
1 tsp paprika
1 large head bok choy and/or 2-3 handfuls of kale or spinach, cut into 1" strips

Directions:

1. Combine onions, garlic, vinegar, soy sauce, brown sugar, bay leaf and black pepper.  Place the chicken on top and sprinkle with paprika.
2. Cook on high for 4-5 hours (or on low for 7-8 hours) until the chicken and onions are tender.
3. Ten minutes before serving, make sure the slow cooker setting is high.  Gently fold in the bok choy/spinach/kale and cook, covered, until tender (at least 5 minutes).
4.  Serve over rice.

Slow-cooker Chicken Chilli Tacos

I've been on the search for recipes that are quick and easy and utilize a slow-cooker.  With a new baby, it's hard sometimes to spend a lot of time prepping and cooking meals.  And since we are on a reduced income for the next year, eating out is not always the best option!

I came across this recipe by chance and decided to give it a try.  It turned out really well and makes a great filling for tacos or even quesadillas.  We even used it to dip nacho chips in with salsa.  The chicken has quite a bit of flavour!

Ingredients:
2 lb. boneless, skinless chicken thighs
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup salsa, plus more for serving
1 tbsp chilli powder
To fill your tacos:
taco shells or soft tortillas
1 cup grated cheese (use your favourite or a mix like cheddar, mozzarella, Monterey Jack, etc.)
fresh cilantro
sour cream

Directions:
1. Combine chicken, garlic, salsa and chilli powder in slow cooker.  Cover and cook on high for 4 hours (or 8 hours on low).

2. When chicken is ready, remove it from the slow cooker and place in a bowl or on a plate.  Shred the chicken and combine with juices from slow cooker.

3.   Fill your tacos/tortillas with shredded chicken, cheese, salsa, sour cream and your other favourite toppings.

Another way:  These are great to make as quesadillas.  Warm up your tortilla in a frying pan, flip it over and add the meat, cheese and other toppings.  Fold the tortilla over or cover with another one and flip to heat through.

Slow Cooker Chicken Legs

Tonight's dinner was a team effort!  It's hard being at home with an 8-week old and trying to make dinner.  I had these chicken legs in the fridge that I have been wanting to cook for a few days now but dinner time almost lines up exactly with baby's witching hour.  This means that I don't have much time for prep.  I searched for a quick and easy slow cooker recipe and found several for chicken legs - some more complicated than others.  The one that I settled one seemed quite simple and adaptable with the ingredients I had in my house.  I got this in the slow cooker mid-afternoon so it'd be ready for dinner time.  When my husband came home he got some potatoes in the Acti-fry and we were off for a fairly easy dinner that had no leftovers.  And on top of it all - hubby said it was the best chicken I've made ever (and I make a lot of chicken)!

Ingredients:

8-9 chicken legs (about 800-900g)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1-1/2 tbsp seasoning blend like Adobo (or another one you prefer)
1/2 tbsp paprika
1/2 tbsp cayenne pepper (completely optional - it adds a nice kick, but wasn't a hit with the kid)

Directions:

1. Spray the inside of your slow cooker with non-stick spray.  (I used a large oval one that fit all the chicken in a single layer.)
2. Mix together the brown sugar and seasonings in a small bowl.
3.  One by one, place a chicken leg in the seasoning bowl and sprinkle with the mix.  Make sure the chicken is completely covered, rubbing the mix in well.  Place the chicken (ideally) in a single layer in the bottom of the slow cooker.  Repeat with each leg.
4. Cover and set to High.  Cook 3-4 hours, or until the juices run clear.

Chicken & Nacho Casserole

Mat leave has me watching a lot of daytime tv talk shows.  Today I saw someone make a chicken casserole and thought to myself 'Have I ever had a casserole?'  I remembered having a conversation with some coworkers about how casseroles are just one pot dishes.  If that was the case then I guess I have had and made a casserole before.  Regardless, I wanted to make a chicken casserole tonight so I started searching the internet for a good one to try.

The result was tonight's dinner which was really quite yummy and a hit with the family.

Ingredients:
2 tbsp oil
6 (approx.) boneless, skinless chicken thighs or breasts
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp all-purpose flour
1 cup milk
1/2 cup chicken stock
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/2 cup cream cheese
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup (approx.) crushed nacho chips
1 cup (fresh) salsa
1/2 cup shredded cheese (cheddar-mozzarella mix or whatever you like!)

Directions:

1. Heat oil in a saucepan over medium heat.  Cook the chicken in batches until cooked through and golden brown.  Remove from pan.  While preparing the next step, chop or shred the chicken and save for later; set aside.

2. If necessary add another tablespoon of oil.  Add onion; cook for 6 minutes.  Add garlic and flour; cook for 2 minutes.  Gradually add milk and chicken stock, stirring constantly and scraping up the brown bits from the chicken.  Bring to a boil and cook for approx. 1 minute.  Remove from heat.  Stir in cumin, coriander, salt, pepper and cream cheese.

3. Preheat oven to 350F.

4. Spread about 1/2 cup milk mixture over the bottom of a rectangular casserole dish.  Layer beans, 1-1/2 cups chicken and half the nachos.  Top with 1/2 cup milk mixture.  Layer 1-1/2 cups chicken and  remaining chips.  Top with remaining milk mixture.  Add salsa, covering the entire surface.  Sprinkle with shredded cheese.

5. Bake at 350F for 30 minutes.

Tips: To save time, this recipe works really well with leftover cooked chicken.  Just shred or chop it and start at step 2.  Add the chicken as you layer your dish.  My husband said this recipe would go really well with rice in it.  You can add cooked rice to the bottom of your dish, or cook it separately and serve the casserole over the rice.  My family enjoyed eating the casserole with more nachos on the side.

It got flipped upside-down on the plate!

Chicken Enchiladas & Apple Crisp

Many, many years ago I was at my friend's apartment and she made this recipe.  I absolutely loved and saved it.  I've made it several times over the years.  Every once in awhile I have a craving for it and tonight was one of those nights.  It's also a bonus that everyone in my house loves it!  There's always leftover for lunch the next day too.

Chicken Enchiladas

Ingredients:

1 medium onion, chopped

2-4 tbsp butter

4-6 chicken breasts, chopped

1 - 1-1/2 cups salsa

1 pkg (125g) cream cheese

2 cups grated cheese (I like a mixture of cheddar, mozzarella and asiago)

6 large flour tortillas

Directions:

1. Chop chicken into cubes and fry on stove in butter until it is no longer pink. Remove from pan and set aside in a bowl.

2. Cook and stir onion in butter over medium heat for 2-3 minus until softened.  Stir in cooked onion, about 2/3 cup salsa, and cream cheese.  Cook until thoroughly heated.

3. Stir in 1 cup grated cheese.

4. Spoon about 1/3 cup of the chicken mixture in the centre of each tortilla.  Roll and place seam side down in large (13x9") baking dish.  Top with remaining salsa and cheddar cheese.

5. Bake in preheated 350F oven for 15 minutes.

Cooking the chicken cubes.

Adding in the salsa and cream cheese.

Snapping a picture just before I chow down!

Saving some leftovers for lunch tomorrow.

And now onto dessert - my favourite part of any meal!

Apple Crisp

The great thing about this recipe, is that you can make a large batch and portion it out to freeze.  If you are expecting a large crowd, put this in a large dish and make one portion.  But if you want to have some on hand to give to family or friends or save for another day, then you can do that as well.

Today I made this into 3-8x8" serving dishes.  One went to our neighbour, the other is being frozen for a work function and the last one is the dessert tonight.  My apple crisp recipes have evolved over the years, but this time the crumble part is true to a Barefoot Contessa recipe.

Ingredients:
10 apples, peeled, cored and sliced (fairly thinly)
1/2 cup sugar
the juice of one lemon

2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg

For the topping:
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 light brown sugar, packed
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup rolled oats
1 cup cold unsalted butter, diced


Directions:

1. If you are making a large dish, grease a 9x14" dish.  If you are making smaller portions, grease 3 8x8" dishes.

2. Peel, core and cut the apples into slices.  Combine the apples, lemon juice, sugar and spices.  Pour into the dish.  (I actually like to divide the apples into the three dishes and then squeeze the lemon juice over top.  I then mix the rest of the ingredients and evenly sprinkle it over each dish and toss.)

3. For the topping: Combine the flour, sugars, salt, oatmeal, butter in the bowl of stand mixer with the paddle attachment.  Mix on low speed until the mixture is crumbly and the butter is small.  Scatter evenly over the apples.

4. If you are baking immediately, bake in a preheated 350F oven for 45 minutes, until the top is brown and the apples are bubbly.  Serve warm.  (Consider putting a sheet pan underneath for overflow if your dish is really full.)  If you are freezing, cover in foil and write the instructions on top.  Place in the freezer.  If you are baking one large dish, you will probably have to increase the baking time to 60 minutes.

5. Baking from frozen?  Thaw and bake uncovered at 350F for 45 minutes.

Prepping the apples in their foil dishes.

Check out the delicious crumble topping.

The apple crisp all bubbly and brown!

"It's so yummy mommy!"

And of course, we have to add Birthday Cake Oreo Ice Cream on top!

Coconut Curry Chicken Stiry-Fry

There's nothing like planning to make a stir-fry and then realizing that your husband finished the soy sauce and didn't add it to the "need to buy" list!

I had already prepped everything and was really stumped.  So I took to my good friend Google and found some stir-fries that use coconut milk (which surprisingly I did have in my cupboard).  Working with ingredients I did have on hand, I was able to tweak a recipe and come up with this.  It turned out pretty good, but I wouldn't put it up there as one of my favourites.  Good thing is that it is gluten free (if you need that sort of thing).  I don't know much about paleo, but I think the stir-fry itself could be paleo, if you changed some of the veggies and didn't use the noodles I did.

Ingredients:
Coconut oil for frying (or some other cooking fat)
4-5 boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into stir-fry size
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
4 handfuls of frozen, shelled edamame
1 carrot, thinly sliced
1 can (398mL) coconut milk
1-1/2 tsp curry powder
3/4 tsp ground ginger
salt to taste

Directions:

1. Prepare the sauce by whisking together the coconut milk, curry powder and grated ginger over medium heat.  Bring to a gentle simmer, stirring occasionally.  Lower the heat and continue to stir on occasion.

2. Stir-fry the chicken in a hot wok with about 1 tbsp coconut oil.  Cook until meat is no longer pink and cooked through.  Remove the chicken and set aside.

3. Reheat the wok and add the onion with some more coconut oil.  Cook the onion for a few minutes until it is translucent and tender.  Add the garlic, frozen edamame and carrot.  Stir-fry until the veggies are tender.  Return the chicken to the wok and add the sauce.  Cook until everything is hot once again.

At this point you can eat the curry on its own, or you can serve it over rice or noodles.  I chose to use bean thread noodles.  To prepare them, simply boil water.  Place 4 sets (50g each) in a bowl and cover with the boiling water.  Let them soak for 15 minutes to soften up.  Drain the water and toss them in with your curry.  Mix everything together to coat.

Serves 6.

Moroccan Themed Dinner

Based on the ingredients I had on hand and my cookbook Nourishing Meals, I worked with a couple of Moroccan-themed recipes to come up with tonight's yummy dinner!

Moroccan Pilaf

Ingredients:
2-4 tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
4 carrots, sliced into rounds
1 cup almonds, chopped
1/4 cup raisins
1/4 cup dried apricots, chopped
2 tsp curry powder
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp ground cardamom
1 tsp salt
4 cups chopped kale
4-5 cups cooked and cooled basmati rice (Cook about 2 cups of rice ahead of time and let cool.)
1 small lemon, juiced
black pepper

Directions:
1. Heat a 10" deep skillet or pot over medium heat.  Add olive oil and then chopped onions; sauté about 4-5 minutes.  Add sliced carrots and sauté another 10 minutes more.  Adjust the temperature to prevent the onions from browning too quickly if necessary.
2. Add almonds, raisins, apricots, spices and salt and sauté for another 5 minutes.  Add the kale and sauté about 5 more minutes or until kale is tender.  (It's okay if the kale is still wet from rinsing as the extra water will help it cook.)
3. Add the rice and stir together over low heat.  Add a few tablespoons of water if it seems dry, as well as another tablespoon of oil to prevent it from sticking.
4. Remove from heat and add the juice of the lemon.  Stir together and season with salt and pepper if necessary.

Stuffed Moroccan Roasted Chicken

Ingredients:
8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1 small onion, cut into large chunks
1 lemon, cut into wedges
1/2 - 1 cup dried apricots and raisins (about half of each)
1/4 cup (approx.) Asiago cheese, grated
a few kale leaves, chopped in thin pieces
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground cardamom
1 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp turmeric
pinch cayenne pepper
2-3 tbsp coconut oil

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 425F.
2. Keep toothpicks handy to seal the chicken thighs once they are stuffed. Place a piece of kale, some cheese, a few pieces of raisins and apricots and another piece of kale on each piece of chicken.  Roll up the chicken and pinch together with a toothpick.  Place them in a greased casserole dish seam side down in a single layer. Place the onion chunks, lemon wedges, dried apricots and raisins around the chicken.
4. In a small bowl, mix together the salt and spices.  Sprinkle the spice mixture over the chicken.  Dot each piece of chicken with coconut oil.
5. Roast for 40 minutes, depending on the size and thickness of chicken, or until the juices run clear.  With about 10-15 minutes of cook time remaining, turn the chicken over to coat completely in spices and juices.
6. Serve with the onions, apricots, raisins and juices at the bottom of the roasting dish.  Serve over pilaf.

Serves 6-8

Mushroom Risotto & Grilled Chicken

Tonight's dinner came together in about an hour.  I have been wanting to make this for some time now and my nonna gave me chicken broth on Sunday, so it gave me the perfect opportunity.  You can use whatever broth/stock you have on hand.  First get the stock heating up, set up the chicken to marinate and then get on to the rest of the risotto recipe!

It turned out so delicious that we scarfed it down, almost forgetting to take a picture.  And we had to stop ourselves from eating it all up tonight so we'd have some leftovers for lunch tomorrow.

Mushroom Risotto

Ingredients:

1 pkg (227g) sliced mushrooms (put more if you like)
5-6 cups chicken (or vegetable) stock
2 tbsp olive oil
3-4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
6 tbsp butter
1 onion, finely chopped
1-3/4 cup arborio (risotto) rice
1/4 cup white wine
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (or do a mix of Parmesan and Asiago)

Directions:

1. Bring the stock to a boil in a pan, then reduce the heat and keep simmering gently over low heat while you cook the risotto.
2. Chop the mushrooms into smaller pieces.   Heat 2-3 tbsp butter in a frying pan.  Add the mushrooms and fry for 1-2 minutes.  Add the garlic and cook for another 2 minutes; remove from heat.
3.  Heat the olive oil and 2 tbsp. butter in a large, heavy-bottom pan over medium heat.  Add the onion and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for 2 minutes, until softened.
4. Reduce the heat, add the rice, and mix to coat in oil and butter. (If it seems really dry or sticking a lot, add some more butter or oil.) Cook, stirring constantly, for 2-3 minutes, or until the grains are translucent.
5.  Add the wine and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute until reduced.
6. Gradually add the hot stock, a ladelful at a time.  Stir constantly and add more liquid as the rice absorbs each addition.  Increase the heat to medium so that the liquid bubbles.  Cook for 20 minutes, or until all the liquid is absorbed and the rice is creamy. (You may find that the rice is cooked, but you still have some stock leftover; that is okay.)
7. Add the mushroom/garlic mixture when you have about one ladleful of stock left. Season with salt and pepper and add remaining stock if necessary.
8. Remove pan from heat and stir in 1 tbsp butter and the Parmesan cheese.
9. Serve immediately and grate some Asiago cheese over top.

Grilled Greek-Style Chicken

Ingredients:

4-5 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
The juice of 1 lemon
1/2 tsp dried thyme **
1 tsp dried parsley **
1/2 tsp dried oregano **
1 tsp garlic powder **
salt and pepper to taste

1. Combine lemon juice and spices in a medium bowl.  Place chicken breasts in bowl to marinate in the juice and seasoning.  Let it sit for at least 5 minutes, but longer is better. (Discard the juice when you cook the chicken.)
2. Meanwhile preheat your grill over medium-high heat.  (I like to use my Griddler indoors, but a BBQ is always great.)  Spray the grill with cooking spray or oil.
3. Cook on the prepared grill until the breasts are no longer pink inside and juices run clear, about 10-15 minutes per side.  If you are using a grill like the Griddler and closing the lid, you will probably only need about 10 minutes, but will cook the breasts in 2 batches.

For an extra burst of flavor, squeeze some fresh lemon juice over each breast.  For extra juiciness, place a dollop of butter on the breasts as you cook them.
**I never really measure my spices.  I just sprinkle them in until it looks like there's enough!**

Roasted Chicken & Potatoes

Roasted Chicken & Potatoes

I don't really measure when I make my chicken, so I apologize in advance as I'm only listing the ingredients.  Some of these ingredients will cross over into your potatoes as well.

Ingredients:
1 whole chicken
Butter
Salt & Pepper
Rosemary
Thyme
1 Lemon, quartered
6 cloves Garlic
1 onion, chopped
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
6-7 potatoes, peeled and chopped
Olive Oil
Wine

Directions:

1. Spray your dish with cooking spray or grease it. Preheat your oven to 450F.

2. Generously butter the outside of your entire chicken.  Pour some salt and pepper, as well as your other seasonings into the cavity of your chicken.  Then generously sprinkle those same seasonings over the entire bird.  Pour some olive oil and give your bird a rub down.  If necessary, sprinkle some more seasonings on the top of the bird. Take half of your lemon (2 pieces) and put them in the cavity, followed by 2-3 cloves of garlic.  You can also gently put some cloves of garlic just under the skin of the chicken breast as well.

3. Toss in about 1/3 of your onion and almost 1 of your carrots into the pan. Add another lemon quarter to the pan. Pour some wine (I used white) over the bird and vegetables, as well as some more olive oil.  Cover with foil and put in your oven.

4. Meanwhile spray another dish with cooking spray.  Toss in your potatoes and remaining carrots and onion.  Mince 2-3 cloves of garlic and toss in as well.  Pour some olive oil and then sprinkle with thyme and rosemary, salt and pepper.  I always had in a few other spices, like oregano or basil as well.  Take your last quarter lemon and squeeze the juice over the potatoes. Pour wine over top of the vegetables and give it a quick stir to make sure everything is coated.  Put 4-5 dots of butter over top.  Cover with foil and place in the oven beside your pan of chicken.

5.  Cook in a 450F oven for about 60-75 minutes, it really depends on when the chicken reaches its appropriate internal temperature.  The potatoes will take about an hour, but give them a pierce to check for doneness.  Remove the foil within the last 15-20 minutes of cooking.  Once the food is cooked, place your oven on broil for another 5 minutes to crisp up the potatoes and chicken skin.

Save your chicken carcass for homemade chicken broth.

Dinner & Dessert

Happy New Year!!

Today was not a very productive day for the pile of marking sitting at my front door, but I did get to do some amazing cooking and baking!  I haven't put anything on the blog lately, not because I'm not cooking, but because I don't have time to type up the blog post.

So today you are going to get two recipes: a one pot barley and chicken cacciatore and a lemon-blueberry loaf.

And I apologize in advance for the terrible photos I have included - I always forget to take the photo until the leftovers are packed up.  Maybe that should be one of my new year's resolutions! ;-)

One Pot Barley & Chicken Cacciatore

This recipe takes its inspiration from Giada DeLaurentiis' Everyday Italian Cookbook. It's a modification of her chicken cacciatore recipe.  I decided to add barley because of how much my husband loves it. It is a very filling dinner, and definitely enough for lunch the next day as well.

Ingredients:

4-5 full chicken leg/thighs

salt and pepper

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

3 tbsp olive oil

1 large red bell pepper, chopped

1 onion, chopped

6 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1-1/2 tsp dried oregano

3/4 cup wine (I used red)

1 can (28 fl oz) diced tomatoes with juice

3/4 - 1 cup chicken broth (I put closer to 1 cup since I was adding barley to the recipe)

3/4 - 1 cup pearl barley, rinsed

Directions:

1. Sprinkle each piece of chicken with salt and pepper and dredge the pieces in flour to coat lightly.

2. In a large, heavy saute pan, heat oil over medium-high heat. Working in 2 batches, add the chicken pieces to the pan and saute just until brown, about 5 minutes per side. Transfer the chicken to a plate and set aside. Add the bell pepper, onion, garlic and oregano the same pan and saute over medium heat until the onion is tender, about 5 minutes.

3. Add the wine and simmer until reduced by half, about 3 minutes.  Stir in the barley. Add the tomatoes with their juice and broth. Return the chicken pieces to the pan and turn them to coat in the sauce. Bring the sauce to a simmer.  Continue simmering over medium-low heat until the barley is tender and the chicken is cooked through, about 40 minutes.  Stir occasionally to prevent the barley from sticking, but be careful not to break apart the chicken, and keep the meat covered in the sauce.

4. Remove the chicken and transfer to a platter.  You can boil the sauce a little longer to thicken the sauce and cook the barley.  Spoon the barley onto plates and place the chicken on top or along side it.  This would also go great with pieces of chicken, making it more like a stew.

5. My husband grated some Monterey Jack cheese and sprinkled it over top of the barley.  It made it nice and gooey and tasted great as well.  This also made my 18-month old daughter devour her dinner, but each mouthful had to have some cheese in it!

Serves 4-5.

Lemon-Blueberry Loaf

This lovely loaf comes from my cookbook: Wanda's Pie in the Sky. It will make a 9" loaf. It is my first time trying this recipe, but as I'm sitting here smelling it as it cools, I can tell it's going to be so moist and delicious.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 cup granulated sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 eggs

1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1-1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

2/3 cup milk

1/3 cup lemon juice

1 tbsp lemon zest

1 cup fresh blueberries

For the glaze:

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup lemon juice

Directions:

1.Preheat the oven to 325F. Butter and flour ra 9x5zx3" loaf pan.

2. Using an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar until light. Add the vanilla and eggs and beat until fluffy. Stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture in 3 parts, alternating with the milk and lemon juice. Mix until smooth. Stir in the lemon zest. Fold blueberries into the batter just before turning it into the pan.

3. Spread into the prepared pan. Bake for 55-65 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean.

4. Once the loaf is baked and cooling, start on the glaze. In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the sugar and lemon juice. Heat until the mixture bubbles and the sugar dissolves, stirring occasionally. Pour over the warm loaf in the pan. Allow to cool for 15 minutes.  Turn the loaf out and cool on a rack.

(For this part I would let the loaf cool a bit before actually making the glaze and pouring it over and/or wait more than 15 minutes before removing it from the pan - my loaf was still way too warm and started to break as I took it out of the pan - and it had been cooling for quite a long time!)

The loaf just soaked up the glaze and when I took it out it was so moist all the way through! It looks amazing! FYI It also tastes amazing! It is definitely very moist; the glaze definitely helped with that and gives it a nice sheen. It's a very light loaf - my husband said it'd pair well with ice cream, but even a nice cup of tea would do.

Tonight's Dinner: braised chicken stew with quinoa

Back in November I was watching The Chew and Michael Symon was making this dish with turkey thighs. I was very interested in making that dish, but had to adapt the recipe to what was in my kitchen. It turned out quite good and I decided to make it again for dinner tonight with a side of quinoa. It was so yummy - and a little spicy! There was enough for me and my husband for dinner and leftovers for lunch tomorrow.

FYI: the original recipe can be found here - http://beta.abc.go.com/shows/the-chew/recipes/Braised-Turkey-Thighs-Spicy-Kale-Michael-Symon

Stew of Braised Chicken thighs, potatoes and spinach

Makes 4 servings
Prep time: 30 mins
Ready in: 60-75 mins

Ingredients:

4 chicken boneless, skinless thighs, cut into large pieces

4 potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks

2 carrots, peeled and large diced

1 onion, thinly sliced

3 cloves garlic, sliced

2 heaping tbsp tomato paste 

olive oil

2  tsp bay leaves (dried)

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

1.5 cups red wine

1 cup chicken stock

2 cups baby spinach, roughly chopped (or whole)

Salt

Directions:

1. Let the chicken come to room temperature for approx. 30 minutes. Sprinkle all sides with salt. 

2. Preheat the oven to 375F.

3. In a Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium heat. When the oil is hot, put the chicken down into the pot. Cook for 3-4 minutes, until the chicken is well browned. Flip the pieces and cook for 3-4 minutes to brown other sides. Remove the chicken from the pot and set aside on a plate.

4. Add the onions and a good pinch of salt to the pot and cook for 1 minute. Add the carrots and garlic and cayenne pepper and cook for 2 minutes. Pour in the wine and scrape up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan using a wooden spoon. Cook for about 4 minutes, or until wine is reduced by half. Add the potatoes, bay leaves, chicken stock, and tomato paste and bring to a simmer.

5. Adjust for seasoning, adding salt if needed, and then add the spinach. Cover the pot and cook for 5 minutes. Remove the lid and stir. Put the chicken thighs on top of the spinach, put the lid back on, and put in the oven for 40 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through. 

Quinoa

Ingredients:

1 cup quinoa, rinsed under cold water

1 cup chicken stock

1 cup water

1 tbsp butter

Mrs. Dash original seasoning - to your tastes

I tossed this all in my rice cooker and let it go. My rice cooker is slow so it took about an hour. But you can cook it over the stovetop on a medium-low heat until the liquid is evaporated. 

Spoon a nice scoop on your plate and top with the stew and some of the juicy liquids! If you're a wimp like me - keep a tissue nearby in case the spice makes your nose runny!