{Donna Hay Wednesday} Chilli Cashew Chicken Noodles

We. Are. Back!

We took the summer off (or winter, in Gaye’s and Chaya’s case) and now we are refreshed and ready to start cooking with Donna again. We have changed to a new book -off the shelf:cooking from the pantry and it’s going to be so much FUN!! So without further ado…

Gaye starts us off with ….

Chilli Cashew Chicken Noodles

It was delicious. It is quick and easy to put together. All you need is some chicken breasts, rice noodles {I used soba}, some red bell pepper, unsalted cashew {mine were lightly salted.} along with various asian seasonings and red chillies. I have to admit I left the red chillies out and it was just fine. After sauteeing the onions, the chicken, peppers and chillis are cooked and then everything, including the noodles, is put all together in the wok and briefly cooked a little longer to blend all the flavors together. So good!! And so quick. In less than 30 minutes or so I had a great lunch ready to go.

As a group we decided NOT to publish the recipes but if one is on Donna’s site we will link to it. If not, you will just have to buy the book {I got mine used from Amazon for only 69 cents + s/h.}

This recipe is on Donna’s Site. And on page 58 of off the shelf.

Also cooking with Donna, besides Gaye, is Kayte and Chaya. If you want to join in, just let one of us know. Great cooking is coming every Wednesday!

 

{CEinMB} Chicken Cacciatore

Several years ago when I joined Craving Ellie there were several recipes I had missed and wanted to try. Back then there were weekly choices made by each individual member. Now we only have one monthly member pick and the other Fridays are ‘free’.

Chicken Cacciatore

I haven’t made cacciatore in years and the last time I did it was with a very heavy sauce. Ellie’s has a nice light sauce made with diced tomatoes, garlic, onions, bell peppers, and mushrooms. (I left those last two out because B doesn’t care much for them.) With the white wine the sauce was just right in taste. I decided to use boneless chicken thighs rather than breasts. It may not be as healthy as Ellie’s version, but it was definitely flavorful. The only thing I would change would be to thicken the sauce a little. Not much, must a little.

(I forgot to take a pic of just the sauce before I mixed it with some egg noodles.) It seemed the best way to serve the dish.

Ellie’s cacciatore is on page 204 of The Foods You Crave it is also HERE!!

 

{SRC} Cooking with the Keenens

Today is the first Monday in MARCH!

MARCH??

How did that happen?? Golly time flies….

Anyway….. first Monday means SECRET RECIPE CLUB!! And that means tons of great recipes to look through on a new Foodie blog and come up with something NEW to cook or bake. Wasn’t any easier this month than it was the other months, especially when there are SO MANY good recipes on

THE KEENAN COOKBOOK.

Chris and Rachel are the hosts and two or three days a week they cook/bake and post a delicious dish. Some of them are their own creations, some are modified from other sources. Where ever they come from, it was hard to choose, but…I did!!

For Breakfast:

Bacon Egg Cheese Quiche

I have been making quiche for a while now. But I don’t do them often because they are usually way too big for just two of us and/or they use an extraordinary large amount of eggs. Finding this small recipe on this blog was a Gibb’s style head slap. Just make them SMALL!! 1/2 of the recipe was just enough to make two Texas sized muffin quiches. Perfect!!

Ingredients

5 pieces bacon
1/4 tomato, chopped {Nope, none in the fridge, but did have some white corn/black bean salsa – used about 1/4 cup}
1/4 onion, chopped
1/2 scallion, chopped
1/2 cup frozen spinach, cooked and squeezed dry {I used fresh and chopped it!}
3 eggs {I used 2 whole eggs}
salt and pepper to taste
1/8 cup fat free sour cream
1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Fry bacon in a skillet, plate and pat dry when finished, then chop.
Discard most all of the bacon fat from the skillet.
Add tomato, onion, scallion, spinach and bacon to the pan.
Cook on low until onion is translucent.
In a small mixing bowl, beat eggs with sour cream, salt and pepper.
In a muffin tray, sprayed with non stick cooking spray, divide the egg mixture equally into 4 of the muffin spots (about 1/4 cup of mixture).
Add the vegetable/bacon mixture and top with cheese.
Bake for 22 minutes or until cooked through.

What was somewhat different about this recipe, besides the size, was the fact that the ingredients were layered in the muffin cups rather than mixed before hand. Good idea!

These were just right for a light breakfast. Great flavor!

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For Lunch:

Wild Rice Soup

Soup is NOT something I like in the summer. But since it is still WINTER, officially, in the Deep South soup seemed like a good idea. Soup on a cold day is very comforting. HOWEVER…..it was 78 degrees the day I made the soup. But since it was a really LIGHT soup it was perfect for a light lunch. AND it was delicious!!

Ingredients:

1/2 cup (3 oz) wild rice
1 onion, finely chopped
2 celery stalks, finely chopped
1 green pepper, finely chopped
4 bacon slices
4 white button mushrooms, stems removed, chopped
4 cups (32 oz) chicken stock
1/2 cup (4 fl oz) cream or milk
1 tablespoon fresh parsley, finely chopped

Put wild rice in a saucepan with enough water to cover, bring to a boil and cook for 40 minutes {my rice took over an hour to cook.} until rice is tender, then drain. Or, substitute straight wild rice with a wild rice and long grain rice mix (cooking time will be about 20 minutes instead). Set aside.
In a large saucepan, cook bacon until very crisp. Remove bacon to drain on paper towels and pour out excess bacon fat but don’t scrape or clean the pan.
Return fry pan to heat and add the onion, celery, pepper, and cook until onions are translucent. Add mushrooms and cook additional 2 to 3 minutes.
Pour in the chicken stock and bring to a boil, then add the rice, chopped bacon, cream, and parsley and continue to cook until boiling.
Serve in deep bowls with bread.
I had some Asiago cheese bread and it was perfect with this soup!

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So! That leaves only SUPPER. I needed something quick. And this mac and cheese with a twist filled the bill.

Buffalo Chicken Mac & Cheese

What makes this quick is the use of a rotisserie chicken that is shredded and added into the macaroni. The cheese sauce is made with sharp cheddar and Monteray Jack cheese which adds a little extra kick. That AND the addition of Franks Hot Wing Sauce. {I had Louisiana Brand Hot Wing Sauce which is almost identitical to Franks.}

This was not one of our favs because we are not fans of HOT spicy foods, but as I was making it I was thinking more of THE BOY who is a big fan of Hot Wings and Hot Sauce. AND he did love it. It didn’t take him long to finish it off. Even though I made only 1/2 of a recipe it still made a large dish of pasta. The only chage I made in this recipe was to use Feta Cheese rather than Blue Cheese on top of the dish.

I have been following The Keenen Cookbook for a couple of months but this was the first time I had actually cooked from it. I am glad it was my ‘assignment’ for this months SRC.

If you like exploring new blogs maybe the SECRET RECIPE CLUB is right up your alley. A new blog to cook from each month is great fun! If you click on Mr. Linky below you can see what the other members of Group A (there are four groups all together – lots of recipes) and see what they discovered!!!

 

{CEinMB} Spicy Chicken Rice with Peanuts

Ellie, you are my Hero!! Stir fry with less oil.

YES!!!!!

Spicy Chicken Rice with Peanuts

Craving Ellie in My Belly is trying hard to get back in the swing of things. But we made another change. Seems we all like a litle structure so while we have free choice three Fridays/month on the last Friday one member chooses a recipe for everyone to share. This month it was Chaya’s choice and it was a really tasty choice.

While many fried rice recipes use lots of oil Ellie says,

“This aromatic rice dish is a meal-in-a-bowl you can really cozy up with. It is chock-full of tasty treasures—sweet bell peppers, crunchy water chestnuts, peanuts, and chunks of cooked chicken all stir-fried with just the right spicy kick. Made with a fraction of the oil typically used, you certainly won’t miss the grease—or the extra calories.

Using pre-cooked chicken {Ellie didn’t specify HOW to cook the chicken so I browned mine in just a smidgeon of EVOO} , this rice has just the right balance of crunch {and would have been crunchier if I had actually remembered the peanuts!!}, sweetness, and spice. Perfect!! Thanks, Ellie.

And thanks Chaya, for this pick. You can find the recipe on Chaya’s page or in Ellie’s newest book – Comfort Food Fix: Feel-Good Favorites Made Healthy

If all the recipes in this new book are this good I will have to add it to my shelf!!

{I’m sitting here imagining how good it would be with SHRIMP!!}

 

{FFwD} m. jacques’ armagnac chicken

Do I have to tell you the last time I participated in French Fridays with Dorie?

Well, it was last September when I made creamy, cheesy, garlicky rice with spinach. It was really good. But since then I just haven’t had the time to do my FFwD thing.

I hope to remedy that this year, beginning with …

Pretty isn’t it?

But you should have seen it after the suggested 60 minutes suggested in the 450° oven. Oh, wait…

NOT very pretty. And it wasn’t completely done. So I left it in another 40 minutes. Done! Pretty!

While Dorie calls for Armagnac all I had in the pantry was… –>

I really hoped this got better with age because I know I’ve had it for 10 years. And I had just enough {1/2 cup} for the chicken.

The chicken and veggies are left alone in a heavy dutch oven soaking up the cognac for an hour with a tight lid so the whole chicken and the veggies are steamed. It gives you a nice moist chicken. The potatoes and carrots and broth were really good. The chicken… well, I think it needed more seasoning. The dark meat was okay, but the white meat, while very moist, was a little bland.

I am planning to use the broth/juice/gravy with the cognac for a soup base with the chicken. It was sooo tasty!!

Visit the other FFwD members and enjoy their armagnac chicken. And, hopefully, there will be more FFwD here as we go through 2012

 

Snacks for Everyday.

There are times when a snack is all you want.

Nothing fancy, just something savory and tasty.

Like dip.
Like this dip.
Like this dip my SIL made up. And it is delicious.

Cheesy Chicken Dip

4 chicken breasts cut into small pieces or leftover cooked chicken {could use Rotisseri chicken}
1/4 cup canola oil
4 tsp McCormick Montreal low-sodium chicken seasoning
1 can Ro-tel tomatoes, regular
2 8oz packages cream cheese
1/2 cup milk

Saute chicken and season in oil for 10 minutes.
Add Ro-Tel and cook 10 minutes more, stirring often
Add cheeese and milk and stir often over low heat unti cheese is melted. If too thick add tablespoon milk.
Serve with snack crackers. {or chips}

This is okay eaten cold, but so much better when it is hot.

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Want something a little healthier in a finger-food!! How about…

….Brenda’s Veggie Bars

2 (8 oz.) cans refrigerated crescent dinner rolls
2 (8 oz.}packages low fat cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup light mayonnaise
1 – 1 oz. envelope ranch-style salad dressing mix
1 cup shredded cheese
Chopped vegetables {I used a cup or more of broccoli; a half cup of each of the following: carrots; cauliflower; bell pepper; sweet red, yellow, and orange peppers; celery; lots of sliced green olives}

* Unroll crescent roll dough in a lightly greased jellyroll pan or large cookie sheet, pressing edges and perforations
together to line bottom of pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 7-8 minutes or until browned.
* Combine cream cheese, mayonnaise, and salad dressing mix; beat at medium speed of an electric mixer a minute or
until smooth. Spread over cooled crust in pan. Sprinkle vegetables over cream cheese mixture; then top with cheese.
Cover and chill for several hours. Cut into squares.
*Makes 8 dozen 1 1/2inch squares. Unless your party will be huge, make half the recipe.

Brenda said this is a variation of a recipe from a 1990s Southern Living recipe.

 

{Avatar Fun} January with Donna Hay

Several of us on Twitter who often bake and cook together decided to follow Nancy’s suggestion and do a new chef each month like we did in 2011. I was a huge slacker and have not participated since September when we cooked with Nigella Lawson. I had great intentions but time was not on my side.

Now that it is a new year I will try and do better.

The Chef this month is Donna Hay. Donna Hay is an Australian food stylist, author, and magazine editor. She has 14 cookbooks and is an award winning author. Her cookbooks are known for their simple recipes and beautiful photography. Kayte has been wanting to try some of her dishes, so here we are!!!

Chicken, Prawn and Tomato Paella

1½ tablespoon olive oil
1 x 200g chicken breast fillet, trimmed and chopped
200g green (raw) prawns (shrimp), tails intact
1 small brown onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
½ teaspoon chilli flakes
½ teaspoon smoked paprika
¾ cup (150g) medium-grain rice
1 x 400g can diced tomatoes
1 ¼ cup (310ml) chicken stock
flat-leaf parsley leaves and lemon wedges, to serve

Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a medium non-stick frying pan over high heat.
Add the chicken and prawns and cook for 4–5 minutes or until golden and cooked through.
Set aside and keep warm.
Add the remaining oil to the pan with the onion, garlic, chilli and paprika and cook for 2 minutes or until softened. Add the rice, tomato and stock, reduce heat to low and cover with a tight-fitting lid.
Cook for 20–25 minutes or until the rice is cooked. Stir through the chicken and prawns and cook for a further 1 minute.
Top with parsley and serve with lemon wedges. (Serves 2).

The recipe is from Donna’s Site

I doubled the recipe because I was feeding 3. It was aperfect pick because we had just picked up some fresh shrimp at The Gulf Coast this weekend and I was really craving some good shrimp. We spend the weekend in Bay St. Louis, a little town on the Gulf Coast.

It was one of the towns almost completely destroyed by Katrina in 2005. It is coming back, slowly, but the beach is nice. Even when it is chilly outside.

While Donna calls this a paella I call it a Jambalaya and make one similar to this several times a year. {Someday i will post THAt SOUTHERN recipe!}

Meanwhile enjoy this one!!!

 

{Soup’s On!} Chicken Corn Chowder

FINALLY!!! There is cool weather in the Deep South. And that means it is time for Gumbos, Stews, and Soups. FINALLY!!! I do miss those in the Summer.

I found a recipe for this soup in Secret Ingredients published by the Junior League here in Central Louisiana.

~Ingredients~

4 slices bacon
1/2 cup chopped onion
3 tablespoons flour
3 cups half-and-half **
2 cups chopped cooked chickent
1 tablespoon Creole seasoning
½ teaspoon thyme
1 (17-ounce) can whole Kernel com, drained
1 large potato, peeled, chopped, parboiled
1 carrot, peeled, chopped, parboiled
6 chicken bouillon cubes
¼ teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon flour (optional)
2 tablespoons water (optional)

Cook the bacon in a large saucepan until crisp. Remove the bacon and crumble. Saute
the onion in the bacon drippings until tender. Stir in 3 tablespoons flour. Add the half-and-half, whisking constantly. Add the chicken, Creole seasoning, thyme, corn, potato, carrot, bouillon cubes and pepper and mix well. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat. Simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally; do not boil again. Combine 1 tablespoon flour and water in a
bowl and mix well. Add to the chowder to thicken as needed. Ladle into soup bowls. Sprinkle with the bacon.

** May substitute 1 ½ cups.half-and-half.and 1 ½ cups 2% milk for 3 cups half-and-half.

MAJOR good soup. Filling! Delicious! Comforting! Family liked it! That’s all I need to make it again. Little pieces of carrot and potato add a great texture. As does the crumbled bacon. YUM!!

But I will decrease the amount of Creole Seasoning. It was a little ‘peppy’. But it was very easy. Definitely a repeat here!!

 

{CEinMB} pulled bbq chicken sandwiches

If it’s Thursday it m…. oh wait. We changed to Fridays!!

So..

If it’s Friday it must be Ellie day. Or Craving Ellie in My Belly Day.

Yes, it is!!

Bar-B-Q Anyone?

1 tablespoon canola oil
1 large onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 (14-ounce) can low-sodium tomato sauce
1/4 cup tomato paste
1/2 cup water
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
5 tablespoons molasses
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon liquid smoke {really don’t like this so never have it on hand. left it out}
1 whole rotisserie chicken, skin removed, meat shredded into thin strips (about 4 to 4 1/2 cups)
6 whole-wheat hamburger rolls
6 large green lettuce leaves

Heat the oil in a large saute pan over a medium heat. Add the onions and cook until they are soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute more. Add tomato sauce, tomato paste, water, vinegar, molasses, pepper and liquid smoke and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 15 minutes. Add chopped chicken, return to a simmer, and cook an additional 10 minutes.

Split rolls. Place a leaf of lettuce on each roll, then pile on 3/4 cup of the chicken mixture onto the roll.

I didn’t have any buns so I used two perfectly toasted pieces of bread. Just as good, if not as healthy.
This was, eh, ok, but it’s not a repeat for us. That doesn’t mean it wasn’t good. Just not to our tastes.

This one was on page 141 of Ellie’s So Easy. (And the recipe was also on FoodTV.

These days the ‘rules’ for CEinMB have changed so we don’t all make the same thing every Friday. Visit us and see what others made for Craving Ellie in My Belly today.

 

Madjur Jaffrey’s Quick Chicken Korma

Last night I had a ‘need’ for Indian food. It’s like that sometimes. Sometimes you want chips and salsa. Sometimes PB Ice Cream. But last night I needed to have the fragrance of ginger, garlic, cumin, cloves, etc wafting through the house. It was also The Boy’s 21st birthday and Indian food is about his favorite. The problem was to find a recipe that was really quick and still really good. I knew I could count on Jaffrey for both counts.

Quick Chicken Korma

This was different from other dishes we have made. This is NOT a heavily based tomato sauce dish. It includes a paste made from garlic, ginger, and water that gives it a milder color and depends on light cream for the thickness.

It was delicious and very quick. Perfect for a night with little time to spend on cooking.

INGREDIENTS:

4 cm piece fresh ginger, peeled and coarsely chopped
5-6 garlic cloves, peeled and coarsely chopped
6 tbsp vegetable oil
3 bay leaves
5 cm cinnamon stick
8 cardamom pods, crushed in a pestle and mortar
4 cloves
¼ tsp black cumin seeds (or regular cumin seeds)
130g/4½oz onions, peeled and finely chopped
1 tbsp ground coriander
1 tbsp ground cumin
3 tinned plum tomatoes, chopped {I used regular tomatoes I had canned.}
1.5 kg/3lb 5oz chicken pieces, skinned and cut into serving portions {I used breasts but thighs would be much better}
¼ – 1 tsp chilli powder
¼ tsp salt
3 tbsp single cream
250ml/8 ¾fl oz water

1.Put the ginger, garlic and 3 tbsp water in the container of an electric blender. Blend until you have a smooth paste.

2.Put the oil in a wide frying pan or saute pan and set over high heat.

3.When very hot, put in the bay leaves, cinnamon, cardamom pods, cloves and cumin seeds. Stir once or twice and put in the onions.

4.Stir and fry for about three minutes or until the onions turn brownish.

5.Put in the paste from the blender, and the ground coriander and ground cumin and fry for a minute.

6.Put in the chopped tomatoes and fry for another minute.

7.Add in the chicken, chilli powder, salt and 250ml/8 ¾fl oz water.

8.Bring to a boil. Cover, turn the heat to medium and cook for 15 minutes, turning the chicken pieces over now and then.

9.Remove the cover, add the cream and cook on high heat for another 7-8 minutes or until the sauce has thickened. Stir gently as you do this.

While I made the full amount of sauce I only used 1/2 the amount of chicken. But it was deboned so it was probably about the same amount meat. I think I would make more sauce next time. I served it over Basmati rice. If I had had time I would have made Parathas or Naan to go with it.

Perfect quick meal. I love those.

BTW I found the recipe on the BBC ‘channel’.