Spicy Creole Chicken Braised in Tangelo-Olive Sauce

Another really good chicken and citrus pairing! The Creole seasoning gives it a nice heat but does not overwhelm you.  Try it, I think you will be pleasantly surprised.  Tangelo is a hybrid of Mandarin oranges and grapefruit.  If you are not able to find it, use tangerines or clementines.

1 cup fresh tangelo juice (approx. 2-3 tangelos)

1/4 cup lime juice

4 tsp of Creole or Canjun seasoning (divided exactly into 2)

3/4 tsp ground cumin

1/2 cup all purpose flour

3 lbs of cut up chicken (remove skin)

3 tblsp olive oil

1 red bellpepper (cut into strips)

1/2 cup pimiento stuffed olives (roughly chopped)

2 tsp honey

Salt and pepper to taste

In a medium bowl, combine tangelo juice, lime juice, 2 tsp of Creole/Cajun seasoning and cumin.  Whisk until blended.  In another bowl, combine flour and 2 tsp of Creole/Cajun seasoning; mix well. Dip chicken pieces in the citrus blend then into the four mixture, shaking off excess.  Save the marinade for the sauce. In a large nonstick pan/skillet add the olive oil and heat.  Cook chicken in batch approximately 8-10 minutes or until brown. Turn once and brown the other side.  Add oil if necessary.  When all chicken pieces are done, remove excess oil and add the red bell peppers; cook until crisp tender.  Stir in the remainder of the marinade, olives and honey. Bring to a boil, reduce  the heat to low and return the cooked chicken pieces back to the pan. Cover and allow the chicken to simmer in the sauce for 15 to 20 minutes. Remove cover and allow the chicken to cook for another 5 minutes or until sauce has thicken and chicken  is no longer pink in the center. Since the olives provide some of the salt, taste first, add salt and pepper if needed.  Serve over rice.

Asian Citrus Marinated Chicken

Chicken and citrus is such a great pairing you can't go wrong.  I found tangerines, Valencia oranges or clementines are the best.  Again, fabulous over rice! 

Marinade:

4 cloves garlic (minced)

3 tblsp soy sauce

1 tbsp chili-garlic sauce

2 tsp dark sesame oil

4 skinless boneless chicken breasts

Sauce:
2-3 small oranges, tangerines or clementines (sliced in large wedges)
2 shallots (minced)
3 tsp sugar
1 tsp fresh ginger (grated or pureed)
3/4 cups orange juice
2 tblsp lime juice
1/4 cup water
2 tsp water
2 tsp chili-garlic sauce*
1 1/2 tsp fish sauce*
1 tsp rice vinegar
1 1/2 tsp cornstarch
3 tsp oil (canola or olive)

Combine all the ingredients for the marinade except for the chicken.  Pour in a resealable plastic bag; add chicken.  Seal the bag and refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight, turning occasionally.

In a medium sauce pan, combine, orange slices, shallots, sugar, ginger and 1/4 cup of water.  Bring to a boil and reduce heat to medium, allowing to cook for another 10 minutes until reduces to half.  Add orange juice, lime juice, chili-garlic sauce, fish sauce and rice vinegar. Simmer for another 5 minutes. In a small bowl disolve cornstarch with 2 tsp of water. Whisk into sauce; boil for 1 minute until sauce thickens. Keep warm.

In a frying pan/skillet or grill pan, add the oil and heat.  Cook the chicken 6-8 minutes turning once until chicken is no longer pink in center.  Remove from skillet and let it rest for 3-5 minutes. Slice chicken breast diagonally, place on a serving platter and pour warm sauce over the chicken slices.  Serve with your favorite long grain rice (i.e. Jasmine, basmati, etc.)


Note*:  chili-garlic sauce and fish sauce can be found in the Asian section of your favorite grocery store or go to any Asian grocery store or market.  Sea Salt can be used as a substitute for the fish sauce.

Middle Eastern Chicken Thighs

Cinnamon is not only for sweet dishes; it is great in savory dishes like this Middle Eastern Chicken Thighs.  The fragrance makes you feel like you are in some exotic land.  Dark meat is moister and has so much flavor, but if you like breast meat, feel free to use it.  Pair it with a beatiful red wine from Spain - Marques de Caceres Rioja Crianza - an earthy red wine with a hint of spice.  Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp ground coriander

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1 1/2 lbs of chicken thighs

1 tsp olive oil
1 medium onion (minced)
4 garlic cloves (minced)
1 can (14.5) diced tomatoes
1 tsp sugar
1 cup peas (thawed)
Salt and pepper to taste

In a small bowl, mix cumin, coriander and cinnamon.  Coat chicken with the spice mixture. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet until hot but not smoking.  Add onion, cook until soft stirring continuously.  Add garlic and cook for approximately 30 second to release its fragrance.  Transfer onion and garlic mixture to a small bowl.  Add chicken and cook for 10 minutes or until brown turning once. Return the onion garlic mixture back to the skillet.  Stir in tomatoes and sugar until chicken is well coated.  Lower heat and cover.  Allow chicken to simmer until no longer pink.  Add the peas, salt and pepper to taste.  Cook for another 2 minutes.

Cauliflower and Carrot Curry

Ingredients:

4 carrots (cut into 1/2 rounds)

1 medium onion (minced)
3 garlic cloves (minced)
1 tblsp madras curry
1 tsp cumin
1 head cauliflower (cut into florets)
1 cup thawed green peas
1 cup unsweetened coconut milk
1 cup vegetable stock
1 tblsp vegetable or olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

In a dutch oven or deep pan, heat the oil on medium. Add carrots and onion, stirring constantly until onions are a light golden color (approximately 5-6 minutes).  Add the garlic and continue stirring for approximately 1 minute.  Add curry and cumin, stirring continuously for another 30 seconds to bring out the flavors of the spices.  Do not allow the spices to burn (add a little more oil if needed.)  Add the cauliflower and vegetable stock.  Simmer until broth starts to bubble; add coconut milk.  Bring to a boil; reduce heat to low.  Cover and simmer for approximately 12-15 minutes.  Add the green peas and cook for another 2 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Spoon rice into a bowl and top it with the curry vegetables.

Poached Chicken Breast in Lemon Herb Sauce

This takes about 30 minutes to prepare.  Using boneless chicken breasts makes it possible to create an elegant dish in a short time.

Ingredients:                        

1 tbsp olive oil

3 carrots (cut in very thin rounds)
1 medium zucchini, (cut in half moons)
4 scallion (chopped)
2 garlic cloves (minced)
2 cups chicken broth
6 boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 5oz each)
1 large egg (room temperature)
3 tblsp fresh lemon juice
1 tsp cornstarch
2 tsp chopped fresh herb (like dill, tarragon or parsley)
Salt and pepper

Heat oil over medium heat in a large sauce pan.  Add carrots, zucchini and scallion.  Stir often and cover between.  Cook till vegetables have soften (approximately 3 minutes). Add garlic, stir and cook for 1 minute.  Add chicken broth to the pot and bring to a boil.  Season chicken breasts with salt and pepper.  Add the chicken breasts to the pot. Return the broth to a boil. Reduce the heat and allow to simmer in low and cover. Continue to cook until chicken breasts are firm and cooked through (approximately 12 min).
Remove chicken breasts from pot and place on a cutting board. Cover chicken breasts to keep warm with aluminum foil.

In a small sauce pan, whisk egg, lemon juice, cornstarch and herbs. Place sauce pan on stove using low heat.  Slowly stir in 1/2 cup of the broth into the egg mixture. Continue to whisk until the sauce has thickened but not simmering.  Season with salt and pepper.

Slice chicken breast diagonally into thin pieces. Spoon rice onto a place, add the vegetables cooked in the broth and place the sliced chicken breast over the rice.  Spoon sauce over chicken and rice.  Enjoy!

Korean Beef with Spicy Chinese Cabbage

For ten years, a group of us prepared dinners for the terminally ill with AIDS.  They loved spicy foods and one Sunday, we were asked if we could prepare Korean food.  Doing some research, I found this recipe and made some adjustment to "Americanize" it and it turned out better than we had hoped.

Beef w/Marinade:

1 1/2lbs sirloin (cut in 3/4in thick)

1 tblsp sesame seed

1/3 cup soy sauce

2 scallions (finely chopped)

1 tblsp sugar

1 tblsp dark sesame oil

1 tblsp fresh ginger (minced)

1/4 tsp crushed red pepper

Chinese Cabbage:
1 medium (1 1/2lb) Chinese/napa cabbage
1 tblsp vegetable oil
3 scallions (chopped)
1 tblsp ginger (minced)
4 garlic cloves (minced)
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/4 tsp ground hot pepper
2 medium carrots (shredded)
2 tblsp rice vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste

To make the marinade, heat a small skillet.  Add the sesame seeds and stir constantly until toasted and brown.  Do not allow it to burn. Remove and place on a plate to allow to cool.  Crush the sesame seed and place in a bowl.   Add the remaining marinate ingredients into the bowl. Add the steak and rub the marinade into the steak. Cover and allow to marinade as long as possible at least 1 hour or up to overnight.

For the spicy cabbage, cut the cabbage in half and cut into strips. Do not include the core. Heat the oil until very hot. Add the scallions, ginger and garlic. Stir-fry for about 30 seconds. Do not let garlic burn. Add the cabbage, continue to stir fry.  Add chicken broth, salt and hot pepper. Cook stirring constantly.  Add carrots and continue to stir until cabbage is translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in vinegar, stir and cover; remove from heat and keep warm.

Preheat broiler. Remove the meat form the marinade. Reserve the marinade.  Place meat on a broiler rack and broil turning once until cooked to desired doneness (7 minutes for medium rare).

Pour marinade into a small sauce pan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and let simmer for approximately 2 minutes. Set aside.

Remove meat from broiler allow to sit and rest.  Spoon rice into a shallow bowl, top with the spicey cabbage and the sliced meat.  Drizzle some of the heated marinade on top.  Serve immediately and enjoy!

Curried Rice Salad

There are days you don't want hot rice to go with your meal. A cold salad is what you are looking for. The first time I made this I thought "what a wonderful find". I made it for a holiday lunch that included my two best friends Nita and Vera and their husbands. Since Nita and her husband were vegetarians, I wanted to fix something really nice. This was it! They absolutely loved it.  I tried it with ham at another time, but I really like the vegetarian version best. But,  feel free to add 2-3 oz of chopped ham and make it into your one dish meal for a light lunch or dinner with a lovely glass of white wine. This is great served at room temperature.

Ingredients:
1 cup long grain or basmati rice
2 1/2 cups water
4 cloves garlic (minced)
1 tsp of grated lemon zest
1/2 lb sugar snap peas
1 red bellpepper (diced)
1/2 cup green peas (fresh or frozen)
2/3 cup plain yogurt
3 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp mayonnaise
3tsp curry powder
1/2 tsp of ground ginger
1 1/2 cups cherry tomatoes (cut in half optional)
1/2 cup dark raisins
2 tbsp sliced almonds
salt to taste

In a large sauce pan or rice cooker, combine rice, water, garlic, lemon and salt. Rice cooker: cook rice according to cooker instruction. Sauce Pan: bring to a boil in high heat, reduce to a simmer, cover and cook until rice is done (15-17 minutes). Remove from heat and stir to allow rice to cool.

In a large pot, boil water and blanch snap peas, bell pepper, and peas for approximately 30 seconds. Drain and submerge in cold water or ice bath to stop cooking process.  This allows the vegetables hold its bright color.

In a large bowl, whisk yogurt, lemon juice, mayonnaise, curry powder, ginger and season with salt. When blended. When rice is cool, add to the yogurt mixture with snap peas, bell pepper and peas. Stir and combine well.  Before serving stir in raisins, almonds and cherry tomatoes.