Chicken Satay

Satay is one of those gold standard dishes that I tend to judge a restaurant by. I've had some realy horrible Chicken Satay that more closely resembled leather on a stick than actual food (usually found at chinese buffets), and I've had some that still makes my mouth water just thinking about it (such as Sakura's Satay- which I had in Paris last year- shown below).

For me, this recipe falls closer on the scale to Sakura's and a bit more even towards the authentic than even Sakura's, which is not a bad thing at all. I must mention that I gleaned this recipe from yet another cookbook find this past weekend. It's called Street Food, by Clare Ferguson. It's a collection of street food recipes from every corner of the world. I was thoroughly impressed by the gorgeous pictures and rich, varied recipes I found... and I got the book for only three bucks!

I didn't really have any issues with ingredients for the recipe thanks to a trip to the Asian market in OKC this past weekend (other than not having fresh lemongrass stalk or tamarind paste), so I think my dish came out pretty close to the book's. I did lack tamarind paste, so I just left it out of the peanut sauce and added a little bit of peanut butter for some consistency, then when my mixture was still too thin, I brought the sauce to a boil, added about a teaspoon of corn starch, and the problem was solved.

Chicken Satays
1 lb. boneless chicken breast
2 T peanut oil
2 T distilled white malt vinegar (I substituted apple cider vinegar for GF purposes)

-Spice paste-
3 garlic cloves, chopped
4 shallots or 1/2 small onion, chopped
1 T coriander sees, crushed
1/2 stalk lemongrass, finely chopped (I didn't have this, but I did have a Thai spice mix with some in it, so I added 1 t. of that mix)
1 t. ground turmeric
2 small, fresh hot red chilies, finely chopped (optional in my opinion)

-Satay sauce-
1 t. fish sauce, toasted on a piece of foil for 1 minute
1 t. tamarind paste (sold in jars- but I didn't have any, so I added some natural peanut butter instead mainly for consistency)
1 oz. macadamia nuts or peanuts, chopped,
1 T brown sugar
1/2 stalk lemongrass, finely sliced (again, same substitution of spice mix here)
4 shallots or 1/2 small onion, chopped
2 small, fresh hot red chilies, finely chopped (optional in my opinion)
1/2 c canned coconut milk

Cut the chicken breasts into thin ribbons about 1 inch wide, then put pieces into a medium bowl. Chop the spice paste ingredients, mixing them all together in a food processor until it becomes a paste-like consistency (if you need to, add 1 T of water to help the consistency). Heat the oil in a skillet, add the spice paste, and saute until aromatic. Let it cool, stir in the vinegar, then add to the chicken. Marinate for about 20 minutes or up to 2 hours. Meanwhile, soak 8 wooden satay sticks in water.

To make the satay sauce, put the fish sauces in a food processor, add the tamarind paste (or peanut butter in my case), nuts, sugar, lemongrass, shallots or onions, and chilies. Heat the coconut milk in a small saucepan to near boiling point, then add to the processor and puree briefly to form a sauce. Preheat your broiler or light your grill until very hot.

Push the meat onto the sticks, threading it on in waves- then grill or broil or cook for about 3 minutes each side until done. Serve with the satay sauce.

Ratings from the Experts*: Hubby gave this (even lacking some ingredients) a solid 10. Better than 95% of the other chicken satay I've had, I gave it a 9, simply for the fact that it was a tiny bit dry for what I prefer, compared to the satay in Paris which is the best experience I've had.

Brazilian Black Bean Stew

I was really in the mood for something flavorful and exotic a few days ago, and I wanted something that combined meat and a fruity, sweet flavor. I did some digging on allrecipes.com and found this recipe. Since I lacked a few ingredients and I can never seem to leave a recipe alone, I made some tweaks to it.

This gorgeous bowl of awesomeness is called Brazilian Black Bean Stew. And it's actually even better as leftovers than the first day of cooking, as I discovered today. The flavors soak through it all and flavor the whole dish to perfection.

Brazilian Black Bean Stew
1 tablespoon canola oil
3/4 lb. chicken sausage, chopped or sliced thin
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
1 large red bell pepper, diced
1 14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes with juice
1 can Rotel (with green chilies)
1 1/2 cups water
2 16 oz. cans black beans, rinsed and drained
1 14 oz. can crushed pineapple, drained
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cumin
pinch of pepper

First, heat the oil in a large cast iron skillet over medium heat, and cook the chicken sausage just enough to warm it. (2 to 3 minutes). Add the diced onion to the skillet, and cook until tender. Stir in the minced garlic, then mix in the sweet potatoes, bell pepper, tomatoes with juice, Rotel, and water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer 15 minutes, until the sweet potatoes are tender. Next, stir the beans into the rest of the mixture, and cook uncovered until they begin to soften a bit more. Mix in the pineapple, and season with salt, cumin, pepper, and other spices to taste. 

I recommend allowing it to cool for at least 10 minutes before serving.
Makes 6-8 servings depending upon portion size.

Ratings from the Experts*: Me- First night I gave it a 7. It seemed way too tomato heavy and the spices just didn't seem to blend through it all. Today... I give it a strong 9. The flavors had melded together and the tomato did not seem overbearing today at all. It was delicious. The spices were great today, although in the future I think I would increase the cumin to 1/2 a teaspoon and add more than a pinch of pepper... and possibly add some basil to the mix for good measure. Hubby gave it a 7 as well but also agreed that it only seemed to get better as leftovers. I'm thinking somehow this might do even better as a slow cooker recipe? Nonetheless... this is a definite yes to making it again.

Day 1: A Fresh Gluten-Free Start....Black Bean and Chicken Tacos with Cabbage & Lime Dressing

I broke down. I couldn't stay away much longer or my hubby would have gone on a hunger strike. I haven't exactly been cooking all that much since starting this journey into Gluten-Free territory over 2 months ago. Truth be told I'm still adjusting to the whole having-to-read-every-label-on-the-earth thing. And I still misstep often and end up in agony sometimes but at least now I know what it's from! I have been diagnosed as severely Gluten-Intolerant and I'm still in the process of a diagnosis for Celiac Disease.

Anyway... back to my reason for posting, I was inspired once again by my organic food goodies. I get a nice little 'recipes of the week' list with my bag of goodies and saw this recipe, and I was immediately intrigued. The ingredients were eclectic and happened to include cabbage which I'd been debating for weeks how to use, so I decided to give it a whirl. Except I added my own twist... like I always seem to do. The chicken wasn't in the original recipe and I had some left over from a previous meal that I needed to use, and I'm allergic to Cilantro, so I replaced the original call for Cilantro with chopped Parsley. (Sorry for the cruddy image quality. This was a posting on a whim and pictures weren't taken in natural light, so I'm claiming that as my excuse.)

Black Bean and Chicken Tacos with Cabbage & Lime Dressing
What you'll need:
1 15 oz. can black beans, drained
1/2 c. shredded chicken
1/2 t. ground cumin
5 teaspoons olive oil, divided
2 T fresh lime juice
2 c chopped cabbage
2 green onions, chopped
1/3 c chopped fresh parsley
4 white or yellow corn tortillas
1/3 c crumbled feta cheese

Place beans and cumin in small bowl; partially mash. Mix 2 teaspoons olive oil and lime juice in medium bowl; add cabbage, green onions, and parsley and toss in a large Ziploc bag, shaking until well coated. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Heat 3 teaspoons olive oil in a large cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add tortillas in single layer. Spoon 1/4 of bean mixture and a 1/4 of shredded chicken onto half of each tortilla; cook 1 minute. Fold tacos in half. Cook until golden brown, about 1 minute per side. Fill tacos with feta and cabbage mixture. Pass hot sauce alongside. 

Ratings from the Experts*: For me, 10/10. These tacos rival one of my favorite local restaurant's puffy tacos and have a richer flavor than most traditional tacos.

Hubby agreed with me because what he could taste was good, but rendered himself incapable of voting due to a stuffy nose. (Wonderful Oklahoma Weather).

Day 16: Whole Wheat Angel Hair with Organic Italian Sausage

After the bloodbath of 2011 this morning, thanks to my toddler getting wild with a toy and busting his lip open and an otherwise hectic day, I wanted something fast and easy. So, this recipe isn't from scratch but it's certainly good! It is my recipe at least. I threw this together in about 30 minutes.

Whole Wheat Angel Hair with Organic Italian Sausage
What you'll need:
12 oz. Whole Wheat Angel Hair
1 lb. Italian Sausage
30 oz. Spaghetti sauce of your choice (I used Garlic Cheese and Spinach)
4 oz.  Mushroom stems and pieces
1 T. Basil
1 t. garlic powder
1/2 t. onion powder

Cook pasta as directed. Cube the Italian Sausage into 1" pieces and brown until cooked through in a large skillet. Once pasta is done, drain and return to the pot, adding in sauce and mushrooms, then add in Sausage. Mix well. Finally, mix in basil, garlic, and onion powder until well blended. Yields 8 servings.

Ratings from the Experts*: 10/10 from Hubby. Same for me. The sausage was tasty and the seasonings were perfect for the sauce! And super easy to make!

Day 12: Veggie Beef Chili

I was craving something different and had a bunch of veggies to try to use up before they went into the moldy abyss, so I decided to slice, dice and throw them into the slow cooker. I ended up making a nice, lean healthy chili with organic ground beef, squash, corn, and celery.

Veggie Beef Chili
What you'll need:
1 1/2 lbs lean ground beef
1 medium zucchini squash
3 stalks celery
1 can Sweet Corn
1- 4oz can Tomato Paste
4 oz. Spaghetti Sauce
3 T. chili powder
2 T. basil
1 t. garlic powder
1 t. onion powder
2 c water
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper (optional)

Lightly brown the beef in a skillet (don't overdo it or your meat will end up dry once it's been slow-cooked for hours). Next dice the celery, then slice squash into halves then making 1/4" slices. Throw the veggies and beef into the CrockPot with the tomato paste, (be sure to drain the corn). Add in 2 c of water and 4 oz. spaghetti sauce and mix well. Lastly, add in the chili powder, basil, garlic, pepper, and onion. Mix very well. Set the cooker to High for 2 hours. Check squash every so  often to ensure it is softening. Once squash is soft, but not so tender it falls apart, turn the cooker off.

Serve topped with the shredded cheese of your choice.


Ratings from the Experts*: Pending. I tasted last night just after cooking it and found it delightful, but until I eat a full dish, I'm going to hold off judgments. UPDATE: Hubby gave it a strong 8/10. He ate it all in fact... for lunches at work. I'm told it was good. I wouldn't know since I didn't get any. (Yes. That is a hint of sarcasm you're detecting.)

Day 11: Mushrooms & Fettuccine with Red Pepper flakes

I'm baaaaaa-aaaack! And so glad to be in my own kitchen after a good night's sleep. I ate some wonderful meals in Dallas, but I'm starting to like my own cooking enough to want to cook! Tonight I ripped off Cathy at Noble Pig's Mushrooms and Fettuccine with Red Pepper Flakes recipe, except I added a couple of my own twists due to my hi-jinks in the kitchen.

I didn't have enough mushrooms and thus didn't create enough sauce. Plus, my husband likes thicker sauces on pasta as a rule, so I ended up adding a 1/2 c of half and half. I liked the effect on the sauce, but still want to try the recipe with double the mushrooms.

P.S. Artificial light sucks for trying to photograph food. Today was rainy, so there wasn't enough natural light to get a decent shot.

Mushrooms & Fettuccine with Red Pepper Flakes
What you'll need:
8 oz. dry fettuccine
3 T butter
1 T olive oil
2 t. minced garlic
1/2 t. red pepper flakes
1 t. basil
1/2 lb. sliced baby bellas
1/2 c red cooking wine
1/2 c half and half
1/2 c grated Parmesan/Romano blend
Salt to taste
Chopped Parsley

Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water according to package directions.  Drain pasta; set aside.

Heat butter and oil in a saute pan over medium-high.  When bubbles subside add garlic and pepper flakes; cook 1 minute.  Stir in mushrooms, cooking until they release their liquid and it's nearly evaporated, about 20 minutes.  Deglaze pan with wine, simmering until nearly evaporated.

Add fettuccine to pan and stir in half and half, 1/4 cup at a time, until it loosely coats pasta.  Off heat, toss pasta with Parmesan/Romano and season with salt.  Garnish each serving with chopped parsley and more Parmesan/Romano.


Ratings from the Experts*: Hubby gives it a 7 (less pepper, more sauce) but loved the zing that the pepper gave the dish overall. I give it the same. I'd be happier with more mushrooms too. I will say, if I figure out the right amounts of spice/sauce/mushrooms, this could easily be a 10.

Day 6: Recipe 2- Chicken Bierocks

My mother-in-law suggested making Bierocks when I put out a request on facebook for recipes that travel well. I’d made them before and found them very filling… but the problem was that I didn’t have enough ground beef or sausage, as is the customary meat filling. So I came up with my own concoction and I think it turned out well!

Chicken Bierocks
What you’ll need:
2 large boneless chicken breast, cubed
1 green bell pepper, sliced
1 can corn
1/2 large onion, sliced
1 - 4 oz. can mushrooms
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1/2 t. Paprika
1 T. Basil
pepper, to taste

Throw all of this into a CrockPot, mix well. Cook for 3-5 hours on high, stirring occasionally.


Dough

2 pkgs. yeast
1 t salt
1 c warm milk
4 c flour
1/4 c sugar
1/2 c warm water
1/4 c butter, softened

Dissolve yeast in warm water. Set in warm place. Add warm milk, butter and salt; let stand for 10 minutes with yeast mixture in it. Add flour and sugar and work together with fingers until all of the dry ingredients are worked in well. Let double for 50 minutes. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Roll out dough into a 1/4” thick layer, then cut into 7” circles of. Take cooked chicken mixture and spoon desired amount into the middle of dough circles, then fold dough over and pinch edges down, ensuring all the mixture is contained within the dough. (It’s easiest to do this on a cookie sheet so you don’t have to transfer them once done.) Bake for 20-25 minutes until dough is firm and slightly crispy on the outside.

This recipe yields 6-8 bierocks.

Rating from the Expert*: Delicious! 9/10, only for the fact that I might like to try adding some Thyme and maybe add potatoes to the chicken mixture next time. The dough is sweet and tasty and the dish is very filling overall.

Day 5: Easy Peanut Butter Chicken

Thanks to a hectic day of a whiny toddler and a lab draw appointment, I was not much in the mood for spending a bunch of time in the kitchen. We tried something very similar to this dish before, but I found this recipe via Stephanie O'Dea's Blog, "A Year of Slow Cooking" and I couldn't be happier with how simple it is to throw into a CrockPot and leave it be, and yet it still tastes like you slaved in the kitchen for hours to make it!

(Easy) Peanut Butter Chicken

What you'll need:

1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken, cut in chunks 

1/2 cup natural peanut butter (creamy or chunky, your choice)

1 red bell pepper, seeded and sliced

1 large onion, coarsely chopped

1 tablespoon ground cumin

1 lime, juiced

1/4 cup soy sauce (use gluten free--La Choy or Tamari wheat-free)

1/2 cup chicken broth

It's suggested to use a 4-quart slow cooker, but you can use larger. Put the chicken into the bottom of your pot and add the peanut butter. Toss in the vegetables and cumin. Squeeze in lime, and add soy sauce and chicken broth. Stir as well as you can to combine (the peanut butter will be clumpy, and that's just fine). Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours, or on high for about 4 hours. (Or if you have a larger cooker like I do, expect it to be done quicker! I have a 7 qt. crockpot. I set mine on High and it was done in just under 3 hours.)

Rating from the Experts*: 10/10 from Hubby! He loved it and actually found it delicious with no complaints. I give it 10/10 as well. Easy to make and awesomely good! Paired wonderfully with rice/vermicelli mixture.

Day 3: Recipe 2- Creamy Chicken Enchiladas

This simple, delicious recipe was given to me by my mother. It's very easy to put together, but is packed with flavor. Two enchiladas was a bit much per person for us and the recipe yields 8 enchiladas, so it's a dish fit for a crowd.

Another wonderful thing about this recipe is that the ingredients are simple enough even if your cupboards are bare (much like mine today), you're likely to be able to scrounge up enough to fix this! This pairs wonderfully with Spanish rice.

Creamy Chicken Enchiladas
What you'll need:
2 c cooked chicken, cubed
1 can low sodium Cream of Mushroom or Cream of Chicken
8 oz. low fat or fat-free Sour Cream
1 c picante sauce
1 c shredded cheese
2 t. chili powder
1/2 t. garlic powder
1/2 t. oregano
8 fajita size flour tortillas

Mix soup, sour cream, picante sauce, chili powder and oregano in a large bowl. Mix 1 cup of the picante sauce mixture, chicken and cheese. Spread about 1/4 cup of the chicken mixture down center of each tortilla. Roll up and place seam-side down in a 9 x 13" baking dish. Pour remaining picante sauce mixture over enchiladas and top off with extra cheese if desired. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes.



Rating from the Experts*: Hubby rates it 9/10 (he doesn't like any part of the tortillas to be crunchy, preferring it to be completely smothered in sauce- picky, picky!) I say 10/10 for the fact that I would order it on repeated occasions if it was at a restaurant.

Day 2: Salsa Cube Steaks

I raised an eyebrow at my husband when he brought home a package of cube steaks from the grocery store the other day, but I shouldn't be surprised considering the fact that every time I send him somewhere for something he always comes back with more than I asked him to. Most of his extracurricular selections are suspect, but some of them are quite genius and inspire me to search for new recipes. I think this was more of the latter!

I love Mexican food, but I also dislike the effect of beans on my husband so I found a happy medium with this vaguely Mexican concoction. Like anything else, smothering it in cheese makes it better, so I added that to the recipe, but I followed everything else to the letter except for some small preferential things like dicing instead of slicing the veggies.

Salsa Cube Steaks
What you'll need:
1 lb. pkg. cube steaks
1/2 t. ground cumin
salt and pepper to taste
1 bell pepper, diced
1/2 large onion, diced
8 oz. salsa
2/3 c shredded cheese  (I used taco cheese)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place the steaks in a 9 x 13" baking dish season both sides of steaks with cumin, and salt and pepper to taste. Scatter diced onion and bell pepper over the steaks, smother with salsa, and cover with foil.

Bake for 30-40 minutes. (I added the cheese about 20 minutes into baking so it wouldn't get overdone.)


Rating from the Experts*: 9/10 It's incredibly quick, simple and smells yummy! The cumin brings out a rich flavor I wasn't expecting. Great when paired with rice (and/or beans if you don't mind the aftereffects).