Spiced Couscous with Chicken and Broccoli

I don't know about you, but the holidays seem like they get busier every year. With all the shopping, birthdays, a funeral, family gathering out of town, and job hunting, I haven't really been able to make as many new meals and it has been almost a month since my last post!  I finally had some time yesterday to try this dish out and I think it might be my new favorite! I thought the cinnamon might be overpowering, but I was wrong. It's buttery, spicy, and comforting...definitely a keeper.

Ingredients
3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground pepper
1 tsp kosher salt
3-4 medium carrots, thinly sliced
1 bunch of broccoli, rinsed and chopped into smaller pieces
3 cloves of garlic, minced
pinch of red pepper flakes
3 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 cup uncooked couscouse (plain)
2 cups cooked and shredded chicken
3 Tbsp unsalted butter
1/2 cup slivered or sliced almonds
small handful of raisins (about 1/4 cup or more if you like)
3-4 green onions, chopped
1/2 cup fresh chopped cilantro
sour cream and sirracha for topping

Directions
Heat olive oil, garlic, and red pepper flakes in a large skillet over medium heat until garlic starts to brown. Add the broccoli and cook for about 3 minutes. Add the chicken broth, a little salt and pepper to taste and cook for about 3-5 minutes or until tender. Set aside.

Bring 2 1/2 cups of water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add 1/2 tsp cinnamon, the ginger, 1 tsp kosher salt and 1/2 tsp pepper.  Add the carrots and cook for about 3-4 minutes or until tender. Drain the carrots and reserve the liquid.

Put the couscous and chicken in a medium bow and pour in 1 cup of the reserved carrot liquid. Cover with a plastic warp and let sit for 5 minutes. Then fluff couscous with a fork.

While you are waiting for the couscous to cook, melt the butter (in same skillet as broccoli) and add the raisins, green onions, almonds, and remaining 1/4 tsp of cinnamon. Cook for about 2 to 3 minutes then add the broccoli back in for just about a minute to heat it back up. Stir in the cilantro and remove from heat.

Divide the couscous/chicken into seperate bowls. Top with the carrots and add more cooking liquid if desired. Sprinkle with the almond and raisin mixture and more cilantro. Garnish with sour cream and sirracha.


Recipe Source: barely adapted from Food Network-I combined their Spiced Couscous and Chicken recipe with their Sauteed Broccoli recipe

Butternut Squash Pizza

With the abundance of pretty fall squashes available right now, I promised myself I would try and make at least a few dishes with them.  To be honest, I've never really made much with butternut squash (besides a soup I made last fall) or any of the other varieties in season. However, I decided to try and cook with them, whether the dishes turned out or not. The first dish I made was a butternut squash pizza. I have been using a super easy homemade pizza dough recipe I found on a blog called Oven Love, and I have used it several times now. You can throw it together in just a little more time than it takes to call your local pizza shop. We will order the occasional take out (we live in the boonies and the pizza places won't deliver to us..crazy!) but I've been making some pretty good homemade pizza if I do say so myself. It may not be the fanciest or even the most amazing pizza dough/crust I've ever had, but it's simple, it's tastes good, and I know the ingredients that are in it. I got a bit annoyed that my pizza stuck to the peel and messed up my almost perfect circle but I have since found that using parchment paper works wonders. I made 2 different pizzas on Monday (this butternut squash pizza is from a few weeks ago) and used parchment paper instead of cornmeal and flour and it was so easy to slide it onto the pizza stone. Plus, I didn't have to clean the peel!  Anyways, I was skeptical of this pizza at first, but after one bite it is definitely a keeper. I tweaked the original recipe a bit and spread roasted and smashed garlic onto the dough first, and also carmelized my onions in balsamic vinegar instead of roasting. But feel free to make your own revisions if you like. There are endless possibilties when it comes to homemade pizza.

Ingredients
1/2 white or yellow onion, thinly sliced
1/2 medium to large butternut squash-peeled, seeded, and thinly sliced
1 head of garlic
1 tsp chopped fresh rosemary
3-4 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
Salt
Pepper
Asiago or Parmesan cheese
homemade pizza dough-click here for recipe (you can use premade/storebought if you want, but trust me-homemade is so much better)

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 400
2. Combine squash with the rosemary, about 2 Tbsp of olive oil, and a little salt and pepper in a baking or roasting dish
3.Chop the top off the garlic head, place in a small square of aluminum foil, drizzle with a little olive oil, and close up tightly. Place on a seperate baking sheet or right on your oven rack.
3.Bake squash and garlic for about 20 mins or both the squash and the garlic are tender.

4. While squash and garlic are cooking, heat a pan with a little olive oil and add the onions.  Cook for about 5 mins and then add about a tbsp or so of balsamic vinegar. Continue cooking until the onions are nice and soft.
5. Once garlic is cool enough to touch, squeeze out all the cloves and smash up with a fork.
6.Roll out your pizza dough on your pizza peel (unfortunately, my pizza stuck to my peel since I didn't know to use parchment paper when I made this. Cornmeal is supposed to work, but it didn't do the trick for me.)
7. Spread the garlic onto the dough

8. Top with the sliced squash and onions and sprinkle with however much cheese you want.
9.Bake for about 30 mins or until crust is lightly browned and cheese is melted.



Recipe source: adapted from: Allrecipes.com

Herbed Turkey Breast and Gravy

It's been awhile since my last post but I'm finally back again! We made this turkey dish last night (I think this was the 2nd or 3rd time we've made it) and it turned out amazing.The herbs in our garden have gone nuts and we've been trying to cook with them as much as we can. Nothing beats my dad's fried turkey but this is probably my second favorite way to eat it. The fresh herbs give it such a good flavor. We actually saw this recipe being made on Foodnetwork a long time ago by Chef Robert Irvine and decided to look it up and make it ourselves. My husband made the turkey and I did mashed potatoes and squash. He said he doubled the amount of herbs since we used more meat than what Chef Irvine used. This recipe is definitely a keeper!

Ingredients
1 turkey breast half, skin-on, boneless, tenderloin removed
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme.
1 teaspoon chopped fresh sage
1 teaspoon chopped fresh parsley
2-3 tablespoons grapeseed oil, divided

Salt and pepper

1 1/2 cups chicken stock (enough to fill pan up to 1/4-inch...we actually used broth since that's all we had on hand and it worked fine for us)

I love fresh herbs!

This is the turkey we bought. I had looked for a vegetarian fed brand but they didn't have any. It took a little over a day to thaw out once we got it out of the freezer.

Gravy

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 cup chicken stock

1 sprig fresh thyme

1 fresh sage leaf

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

Directions

1. Blend all of the fresh herbs, salt, and pepper with 1 tablespoon of the grapeseed oil and rub over the turkey breast.
2. Heat a large saute pan over medium-high heat and add the remaining1 tablespoon grapeseed oil.
3.Sear the turkey breast until browned, reduce the heat, flip the breast, and add the chicken stock to fill the pan up to 1/4-inch.

4. Cover the pan and cook until cooked through, about 20 minutes. Remove the turkey from the pan and keep warm.

For gravy
Place the turkey pan over medium heat, stir in the flour, and whisk until well blended. Add the chicken stock, thyme, and sage. Cook for 5 to 6 minutes until thickened. Strain sauce into a clean pan and whisk in the butter. Keep on low heat to keep warm.



Recipe source: Chef Robert Irvine (via foodnetwork.com)

Spicy Chicken Lettuce Wraps

I've made lettuce wraps a few times but couldn't seem to find the last recipe I used. After 30 minutes of scouring my cookbooks and online recipes, I just decided to wing it and hope for the best. I really love the fresh ginger in these and they have just enough heat. They also have a lot less fat and salt than many restaurant versions like PF Chang's (although those are really good!) and you could easily tweak to suit your tastes. I opted for Iceberg this time for the added crunch. You can also use Romaine which has added nutritional value unlike the Iceberg. The rice can be served inside the wraps or on the side. I used brown rice but white rice would work as well. These are great if you want a fairly easy meal that doesn't weigh you down. They are also budget friendly (minus the peanuts, but you could nix them).

Ingredients

1 head of iceberg lettuce or Romaine

1 lb ground chicken (I just threw some chicken breast I had on hand in the food processor to chop it up)

1 Tbsp fresh ginger, minced

1 Serrano pepper, minced

2-3 Tbsp green onions, chopped

small handful of unsalted peanuts

small handful of chow mein noodles

salt, pepper, and garlic powder to taste

1 cup uncooked Brown or White Rice

Spicy mustard sauce

few spoonfulls of yellow mustard

few drops of sirracha

touch of reduced sodium soy sauce

Directions

1. Start the rice

2. Cook ground chicken with a little bit of olive oil, salt, pepper, and garlic powder until no longer pink

3. While chicken is cooking, carefully peel a few layers off the iceberg so that they form "cups" and then rinse and dry.

4. Add minced ginger and serrano pepper to chicken and cook for about another minute or so.

5. Mix together the spicy mustard sauce (I didn't have specific measurements, I just kept tasting until I liked it)

6. Add a little bit of butter, reduced sodium soy sauce, and pepper to rice if desired.

7. Spoon rice into lettuce cups (or serve on the side), top with chicken mixture, peanuts, spicy sauce, chow mein noodles and green onions.

*Tip: You can add carrots, mushrooms, or bell peppers if desired. There is really so much you can do with these. Just be creative and use whatever you have on hand. If you don't want to use chicken, pork would work too.

Flour Tortillas

If you read my "Salsa Creamcheese Rollups" post you know that most storebought tortillas have nothing but preservatives and artifical junk that is hard to even pronounce.  I normally buy mine at Earthfare since they at least don't use hydrogenated oils in them. It's easy just to pick some up for whatever you are making with them so I never really thought of making my own.  But then I ran across a post about homemade flour tortillas on a blog that I follow (annies-eats) and saw that it didn't really seem too complicated and I already had all the ingredients on hand. I gave it a shot and I'm so glad I did!  These turned out so good. They did take longer to make than I thought, but I just need to get quicker at rolling them out.  There are really only a few ingredients, all with names you can pronounce. I think we are going to use these to make some Bobby Flay "Spice Rubbed Chicken Breast Tacos" which are amazing. Can't wait!

Ingredients:
3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 heaping tsp. salt
5 Tbsp of unsalted butter at room temperature (you can also use shortening, but I'm definitely not a fan of that stuff. And I've also heard traditional ones are made with lard)
1 cup water

Directions
Combine all dry ingredients in a bowl. Then, cut in butter with a pastry blender until mixture is crumbly (The recipe I used, had a food processor with a dough blade for this but said you could also use a pastry cutter which I did have so I just used that).

I improvised on the next step and added the mixture to my bread machine. If you have a food processor just use that.  With the mixture in the bread machine (or food processor) add in the water in a slow drizzle and mix until the dough forms a ball.  I'm guessing you might also be able to do this by hand, but it might take longer.

Allow the dough ball to knead for a few seconds and then transfer to a lightly floured work surface. Divide into 12 equal pieces (a kitchen scale really helps with this!). Mine were about 2 1/4 ounces each.

Cover with a clean kitchen towel and let rest for about 10 minutes. Then, working with one piece at a time, roll into an 8 inch circle. You can get a measuring mat at a craft or cake decorating store for pretty cheap. It makes it so much easier to measure. I used a pizza cutter to make them all even circles.

Once ready, carefully transfer to a skillet heated over medium low heat and cook on each side for 10-20 seconds. This is also where I had trouble. My first tortilla got all of out shape and then I overcooked it.  I got a little better as I went. They didn't all turn out in exact circles, but I think that makes them look unique.
 


Recipe source: Adapted from Annies-eats

Homemade Fish and Chips

This definitely beats any restaurant or fast food version.  Mahi mahi filets, homemade chips using our mandolin (no, not the instrument), and even homemade tarter sauce.  So good!  My hubby made this one night for us. I helped a little, but it was mainly him.  I'm so glad I married someone who shares my love of food and cooking!  The fish was pan seared in olive oil not fried, so this dish is healthier than a restaurant version. Even the chips were fried in just a little oil and have less salt than most chips.  And I love the fact that he used "Wickles" in the tarter sauce instead of relish since we didn't have any. He's so creative. If you've never tried "Wickles" you should. They don't call them Wickedly Delicious Pickles for nothing.

Ingredients

Fish
2 Mahi Mahi filets (fresh or frozen)
black pepper, salt, and paprika for seasoning
2 Tbps of olive oil

Chips
2 small russet potatoes
vegetable oil for frying
seasoned salt

Tarter Sauce
1/3 cup of mayonaise
1 1/2 tbsp of lemon juice
1 tsp of fresh parsley
1/2 tsp of ground black pepper
3 or 4 wickles finely chopped
1 green onion, chopped


Directions
For fish, heat olive oil in pan over medium heat. Lighlty season fish with salt and pepper and just a small dusting of paprika. Cook for a few minutes on both sides until cooked through. Depending on thickness of filet it takes just a few minutes per side.

For chips, wash potatoes and cut into very thin pieces using mandolin slicer (be careful, this is really sharp!). They should be about 1/8 inch or thin enough to be almost transparent.  Fill pot with about 1/2 inch of oil and pre-heat over medium heat.  Place slices into hot oil, being careful not to overcrowd the pot, and fry for a few minutes until golden brown. Drain on a paper towel covered plate. Sprinkle seasoned salt on top to taste.

 Yes, this is a mandolin and should not be confused with the tiny guitar.

(This might actually be a little too thick, but still turned out pretty good!)

For tarter sauce, mix all ingredients together and enjoy!

Hungarian Goulash

This recipe comes from my awesome grandma on my mom's side (I'm so lucky to have 2 amazing grandmas!).  I've heard my mom talk about it before and how it was one of the recipes they ate a lot growing up.  By "they" I mean my mom, grandma, grandpa, and 7 other kids.  I really don't know how they did it. Eight kids? I can't even imagine. But they've always been there for our family and I am greatful for all they do. 

I wanted to try this recipe because one, it was from my grandma and two, it was something different. I love pasta and I love tomatoes but sometimes regular old spaghetti can be boring. And being that I don't eat or make red meat too often, I thought Nathan might like it too. The paprika in the sauce gives it a distinct flavor.  And although my meat definitely could have been more tender, it was pretty good too. I'm going to need to try it a few times to perfect it.

Ingredients

1 lb of beef  ( I just bought a pound of the pre-cut stew meat. To save money and get more meat you can buy a roast and cut it yourself)

1/4 Cup of Oil (I used Olive oil, Vegetable oil is fine too)

1 cup of chopped onion

1 clove of garlic, minced

1/4 tsp of dried thyme

1/4 cup all purpose flour (I use unbleached)

3 tsp of paprika

1 tsp of salt

1/4 tsp of pepper

1 lb 12 oz can of tomatoes (it's the large can-I bought crushed tomatoes)

2 Bay leaves

Hot buttered noodles (I bought whole wheat egg style noodles)

Directions

In large skillet, brown beef that has been cut into 1/2 cubes in hot oil. Reduce heat and add onion and garlic. Cook until onion is tender, but not brown. 

Blend in the flour, paprika, salt, pepper, thyme and bay leaves.

Add tomatoes.

Cover and simmer stirring occasionally until meat is tender 1 to 1 1/2 hours.  Stir often toward end of cooking.  Stir in 1 cup of sour cream if desired.  Serve at once over hot buttered noodles.

*As a side note, I should have cut the meat into smaller pieces.  And I also screwed up on the oil.  I thought I added too much, so I drained it off a little but when I added the flour and spices I had to add a little more back in.  And I should have cooked it longer.  I also didn't add the sour cream this time (as much as I love it) because I wanted to see how it tasted without it. I'll probably try it in there next time. For the 1st time making it, I'd say it turned out pretty good.  Nathan said he really liked it too, so I'll definitely try this again!

Christmas Food

I wanted to make this post earlier this week, but our family dog Buck, had to be put to sleep on Tuesday so I've been a little down in the dumps. He was a really great pet, and we will all miss him.

Ok, so on to less depressing things. One of my family's Christmas traditions is my dad cooking a big breakfast.  It's one of my favorite things about Christmas day.  We are lucky we were all able to be together and have such yummy food to eat. Another thing my dad and I do (at least for the past few years) is to have a Bloody Mary. I never used to really like these, but my Dad makes them taste really good! So, for breakfast we have eggs, biscuits and gravy, grits, sausage and bacon.  And this year we used some hot sauce left from our wedding. I love it!

Having our families living in different cities is hard. Last year and this year, we spent Christmas Eve and part of Christmas Day at my parents and then drove back to Chattanooga and had Christmas dinner with Nathan's family. The thing I hate the most is losing an hour on the drive back! I'm glad we got to spend the holiday with both families though.  For dinner we had twice baked potatoes, sweet potatoes, 7 layer salad, broccoli casserole, rolls, ham, fruit cocktail and then some yummy desserts!

(Isabella is ready to eat!)

Just want to say thank you to my parents, siblings, and my in-laws for all of the gifts and a memorable holiday. I love all of you!