Burrito Bowl

On my way home I was really tempted to go to Chipotle but I stopped myself because 1.) Chipotle is kind of expensive and I've been eating out more than usual and 2.) I might as well make that stuff at home. I thought about making a copycat version of their burrito bowl, but I ended up making my own simple version that's more like a normal-ish salad, mostly by cutting out the cilantro rice and adding a scrambled egg.

Burrito Bowl

Serves 1

Handful of salad greens (I used baby kale)

1 chicken thigh

1/2 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp chili powder

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp veg oil

1/4 cup cilantro leaves, rough chopped

1/2 avocado, cut up

1/4 cup pinto beans

1/4 cup mozzarella cheese, shedded

1 egg, scrambled

1/4 tsp black pepper

1 tbsp salsa or hot sauce (I used Trader Joe's Hatch Valley Salsa)

Maybe a squeeze of lime?

Season both sides of the chicken thigh with the cumin, garlic powder, chili powder and salt. Saute the chicken thigh in the oil over medium high heat for a few minutes, until cooked through. Cut it into bitesize pieces.

Combine the salad greens, cilantro, avocado, pinto beans, cheese, scrambled egg, black pepper and salsa. 

Baked Chicken Tenders

Even though it's definitely not a big, dramatic story, one of my family's most-mentioned vacation memories is from our first trip to Prince Edward Island, when my sister and I were both in elementary school.

My dad found out about a lobster supper going on at a nearby church, so we all went for dinner one night. He was all excited about it because he liked to hang out with locals and generally stick to "off the beaten path" experiences on our trips. When we got there and saw the menu, the only options were a big lobster supper, with lobsters fresh from the local fishermen, and dino-shaped chicken nuggets.. and my sister and I both opted for the nuggets.

Fortunately we went to the eastern coast of Canada almost every summer, and I had many more opportunities for great lobster suppers! Pretty much ever since that trip, I would always go for the lobster given the choice, especially when they're caught right by where I'm staying, no matter how dinosaur-shaped the other option might be.

(Another related vacation story from around the same age: the time when we were at a diner and I ordered a BLT without the bacon or lettuce...)

That said, I also love chicken tenders (although not nuggets so much anymore) and get cravings for them every once a while! This recipe is a good quick one when a craving comes around.

Baked Chicken Tenders
Adapted from Natasha's Kitchen

6-7 chicken tenderloins or about 3 breasts cut into 1" strips
salt & pepper
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
1/4 cup mayonnaise
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 cups panko (+ 1/2 cup if necessary)

Honey mustard sauce:
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup mustard
1/4 cup mayonnaise

Salsa Verde Soup

This is the first recipe that I've ever posted with meat. I never thought I would go back to being a carnivore, but being a part of the farming community showed me there's a more sustainable way of consuming meat. In Philly there are a ton of sources for local, organic, free range meat options. I go to my local coop and in the summers, hit up the farmer's market. I am just dreaming of the farmer's market! There's nothing better. I still make the majority of my meals vegan and vegetarian, but I've been throwing in a few meat dishes. This is one of them. I stumbled on this recipe via Laura who recommended a spicy sausage gnocchi stew from Gimme Some Oven. I had never heard of the site before, but it's bright and full of really accessible recipes. This soup stood out to me some I always have salsa verde in the freezer waiting to be used up! Next time, I'm going to try a vegetarian version with peppers and hominy.

Salsa Verde Soup

2 cups tomatillo salsa

4 small chicken breasts 

1 small onion, diced

2 jalapeños, diced

2 cups frozen corn

1 1/4 cups dried small white beans, soaked overnight

1 bottle light summer beer

4 cups water (or chicken broth)

1 tbsp ground cumin
1 lemon, juiced

Toppings:

sliced avocado, cilantro, tortilla chips, sliced green onions, hot sauce

Place all ingredients in slow cooker and cook on low for 6-8 hours. Add more water or broth to thin as you like. Shred chicken. Season with plenty of salt and pepper. Add lemon juice. Add toppings. Enjoy!

Chicken & Dumplings

I've been meaning to make something like this for a long time, and then I was looking through How Sweet It Is and saw this and added it to my list for the week. Tonight I actually make two recipes from that blog - the "Creamy Chicken & Dumpling" and the very very pretty "Winter Chopped Salad with Roasted Sweet Potato and Blood Orange Vinaigrette". They both really hit the spot - it was a very nice winter dinner that didn't take very long to put together.

The moral of the story is that every time I look at How Sweet It Is I want to make EVERYTHING - way more than any other blog. And she's from Pittsburgh, so I think she should be our spirit animal. From now on our blog can just rehash her recipes with a 6 month lag, where we re-make her recipes and post them with way worse pictures. Plus dogs.

CREAMY CHICKEN & BISCUITS

Slightly adapted from How Sweet It Is

1 1/4 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs (about 5 medium thighs)
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp pepper
2 tbsp olive oil
4 tbsp butter
1 sweet onion, diced
1/2 cup sliced or diced carrots
1/3 cup sliced or diced celery
(for the three above ingredients, you could get a pre-diced mirepoix) 
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp dried thyme
1/4 cup flour
5 cups chicken stock
1/3 cup heavy cream

2 1/2 cups flour
1 tbsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 eggs
1 cup buttermilk

Chicken Mango Fajitas

In the past month or so, a lot has happened.  I quit my job of 4+ years, moved away from Pittsburgh (my home of 8 years), and moved with my boyfriend to Takoma Park, MD.  Being in a new area, looking for a job, and living with a significant other for the first time have offered a lot of challenges along with lots of excitement.  Overwhelmingly cliche, I know.  I pretty much agreed to move to Takoma Park, a cute tree-filled community bordering DC, before ever visiting it.  So much of enjoying an area is knowing how to do it right and being a part of the community there.  Luckily, a former coworker of mine was able to give me the info of his sister-in-law and Vince (the boyfriend) has coworkers here that have been giving us some insights.  We've been trying to budget well (emphasis on the trying..) so that of course means smart grocery shopping, packing lunches, and making dinners.  As we meal planned for the week, Vince suggested quesadillas, which turned into this meal.  I had a moment of "should I buy the packaged fajita seasonings?" which was immediately followed with "of course not, I have a recipe!" With advice from one of our TP mentors, we checked out a grocery store called Shoppers, which was priced very well.  I'm not sure if we went on a bad day or what, but our cheap bell peppers needed to be used quickly.  What better way to use them but one of my fav recipes - Chicken Mango Fajitas.

During the few weeks we've been living together I've already made this recipe twice, with the second time being our first time having a friend over for dinner at our new place!  It was also a go to for dinner's in Pittsburgh.  Finally, I'm sharing the recipe.

Chicken Mango Fajitas

From Healthy Chic Eats

Marinade:
1 Tablespoon finely chopped garlic
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2/3 cup fresh squeezed orange juice (about 2 oranges)
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
1/2 jalapeno, chopped (use the other half as garnish)
1 teaspoon lime juice

Chicken with Roasted Rhubarb Sauce

I've never made gravy because I find it too intimidating... but this dish makes it's own delicious rhubarb "gravy" without even trying! It's amazing. This is exactly the kind of simple recipe with very few ingredients that I'm always on the lookout for.

I made this for our roommate dinner. So PREVIOUS ROOMMATES (Michelle, Nick, Britt): check out what you're missing. Aren't you glad you abandoned me for Vietnam/Philly/DC.

Chicken with Roasted Rhubarb Gravy
Adapted from Cooking Books

8 chicken thighs, skin on, bone in (fyi: the family pack at Whole Foods is surprisingly affordable)
3-5 stalks rhubarb, chopped (remember the leaves are poisonous)
1 tsp sugar
sea salt

Preheat the oven to 400. Arrange the chicken thighs skin side up in an ungreased baking dish. Lightly sprinkle with salt. That's all! Cook for 30 minutes.

Chop the rhubarb and mix it with the teaspoon of sugar. Let it sit.

After 30 minutes, add in the rhubarb, fitting it around the chicken in the pan. Put it back in the oven for another 15 minutes.

All done! Serve the chicken and spoon on the sauce. Prepare to be amazed.

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Another very simple but delicious meal to add onto this post:

Avocado Toast/Bagel

Toast or bagel
1 avocado
salt
hot sauce

Smash an avocado onto toast or a bagel. Lightly salt and top with hot sauce. It's nothing new, but I always forget how good it is!

Mustard Maple Chicken

I'm a pretty big mustard fan. It shows up in a lot of my go-to meals - I mix it into salad dressings, I spread it on pizza dough along with olive oil and garlic on sauce-less pizzas (I did that for the first time on this one), and I add some to most grilled cheeses. Check out what my food heroine Dorie Greenspan says about mustard - it "is to the French what ketchup is to [Americans]." (Speaking of ketchup, have you tried the Heinz limited edition flavors, like jalapeño? Interesting.)

That said, I would have thought this mustard maple sauce would be too mustardy even for me - about half of the sauce is pure mustard. But it works, and now I've made this a few times. The sauce is amazing! Evidently the recipe came to Table for Two via the I Love Trader Joe's Cookbook, and Table for Two calls it "Holy Yum Chicken," which I think is kind of a stupid name but I guess it deserves it.

"Holy Yum" Mustard Maple Chicken
From Table for Two

1½ – 2 pounds boneless, skinless, chicken thighs (most of the fat cut and discarded)

½ cup Dijon mustard (must be Dijon mustard, no substitutes)

¼ cup pure maple syrup (again, no substitutes. No fake Aunt Jemima stuff)

1 tbsp. rice wine vinegar (seasoned or unseasoned)

¼ tsp. salt

¼ tsp. ground black pepper

1 tbsp. cornstarch

2 tsp. fresh rosemary for garnish

Lo Mein Noodles

Like the dumplings that I make pretty often and like to have in the freezer, I also like to have fresh noodles from Lotus around to make lo mein. It's very quick, filling dinner that's easy to have on hand and fun to make different variations of based on what's in the fridge. Britt likes lo mein but does not want to learn how it make it because apparently she would rather I make it for her. However, she is very good at baking blondies!

LAURA'S LO MEIN 

1 package fresh noodles 

4-5 tbsp soy sauce (just squirt in as needed)

2 tbsp sesame oil

2-3 tbsp hoisin 

1 tsp + Sriracha

1 tbsp vegetable oil

2 eggs

2-3 cups chopped veggies (peppers, onions, bok choy, spinach, carrots, brocoli...)

Do you want to add in...

2-3 chicken thighs, cut up and sauteed with a little soy sauce and sesame oil

1 cup bean sprouts

Mango Curry Chicken Salad

I love egg salad, potato salad and chicken salad. (And dips and pretty much anything you can spread on bread or crackers.) This mango curry chicken salad is a simpler version of the one Linda made a while ago for her Downton Abbey Extravaganza, the “coronation” chicken salad. 

That version was very tasty and we will be making it again someday, but today I just wanted to use fresh mango rather than make it into a chutney. I used a pretty green mango, which I like because I ate millions of them in Costa Rica, but Linda thinks most people would prefer this chicken salad with a riper mango. 

Mango Curry Chicken Salad

3 boneless skinless chicken breasts, boiled and shredded

1 cup light mayo

1 heaping tsp (or more) curry powder

1/2 tsp cumin

1 tsp mustard

1 tsp to 1 tbsp honey (esp. if the mango is on the green side)

a few drops to 1 tsp Sriracha (optional, for spiciness)

1/4 cup green onions, sliced

1/4 cup thai basil

1/3 cup golden (or regular) raisins, soaked to restore moisture, drained & patted dry

1 mango, roughly diced

salt & pepper to taste

Thai Chicken & Coconut Soup

This soup is one (not at all traditional) version of tom kha gai, a very popular Thai soup, adapted so you don't need things like fresh galangal and kafir lime leaves. I pretty much always get tom kha gai when I go to Thai restaurants, so I've been working on different home versions for a while. 

It's such a light, tasty soup. And like most soups, it's flexible. This time I added in cubed tofu, green onions and baby bok choy to make it even more filling. You could also try brocoli, carrots, radishes, definitely mushrooms... Or just add in everything in the produce section of Lotus, the Asian store at the Strip where you can get the lemongrass and fish sauce.

I've made another shrimpy version where I did a shrimp broth with the shrimp shells, and it was really really good but I'm not sure where I got that recipe from. If I find it, I will make it again and post it!

1. THAI CHICKEN AND COCONUT SOUP
2. From Food & Wine
3. 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 3), cut into 2 1/2-by-1/4-inch strips
4. 3 tablespoons Asian fish sauce (nam pla or nuoc mam)
5. 1 1/2 tablespoons lime juice
6. 1 quart plus 3/4 cup canned low-sodium chicken broth or homemade stock
7. 3 stalks lemongrass, bottom third only, peeled, smashed, and cut into 2-inch pieces, or three 3-inch-by-1/4-inch strips lemon zest
8. 1 1-inch piece peeled fresh ginger, cut into thirds
9. 1/2 cup long-grain rice
10. 1 3/4 cups unsweetened coconut milk (15-ounce can)
11. 2 fresh red chiles or jalapeño peppers, seeds and ribs removed, cut crosswise into thin slices (or Sriracha hot sauce to taste)
12. 3 tablespoons chopped cilantro

Fritada de gallina

I've been thinking about Ecuadorian food lately, and so I'm very lucky to have found the blog Laylita's Recipes, which has pretty much every recipe I'd ever want to make and wish I'd gotten from my host moms. It's amazing. I've made a lot of things from it before, but it's been a while. I really like how she usually has an intro explaining the Ecuadorian context. She explained in the intro for this dish that while a traditional fritada is usually pork, this is a similar chicken version that would also work for rabbit and guinea pig (cuy). 

It would normally be made with chicha (a fermented corn drink), but that's hard to find around here so you can substitute wine or beer. (Interesting background of chicha: "The original method for making chicha was by chewing corn in one’s mouth, then spitting the chewed corn into a clay pot with spices, fruit juices, water and herbs, where it ferments for several days. The current day method uses ground corn flour (instead of chewed).") When I was making my final project in Ecuador I stayed in a small village for a couple weeks and while I was there some ladies made chicha and roasted cuy for a party - it's at at 5:30 in my video project! Warning: the cuy roasting is pretty graphic for anyone who's ever had a guinea pig for a pet! Beware! :)

This chicken is so tender and the marinade simmers down to a great thick sauce. I served it with llapingachos, a curtido of onions and tomatoes and a salad. And lemonade!

Cast Iron Skillet BBQ 'Za

This is the way I will be making pizzas from now on! Probably for breakfast, lunch and dinner, everyday.

There are so many great things about this pizza: I can still use my normal pizza dough but it's a billion times better than the normal baking way, it's so light and fluffy but a little charred for good crusty flavor. It's FAST - about 3 minutes once it goes in the skillet. It'll be easy to make several personal pizzas in just a few minutes. I took the method from How Sweet It Is, where she did a brussel sprouts and bacon pizza that sounds really good!

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CAST IRON SKILLET BBQ PIZZA

Makes 1 big pizza or 2 med, 4 small... 

1 pizza dough 

1/3 cup ricotta

2 tbsp ranch dressing

1 cup cooked shredded chicken

1/3 cup BBQ sauce

1/4 cup onion, diced

1/2 cup shredded cheese, like fontina or provolone

dried basil & oregano

Lavender Lemon Grilled Chicken

Following Michelle's lead (or joining her cult?), I bought some food-grade lavender at Roxanne's at the Strip, the dried flowers place. I will definitely be baking with it, but I was also looking at savory recipes and wasn't finding anything that I felt like cooking. So instead I went with the marinade from one of my favorite chicken recipes, Rosemary-Lemon Oven Fried Chicken, and subbed the lavender for the rosemary. And I grilled it instead of "frying" it in the oven - but that would also be good!

It's kind of spring-ish! At least until about an hour ago... So I'm calling this a spring recipe since it's grilled and you don't need any of the more summery veggies or herbs. Unless you want to use fresh lavender, which would be awesome.

This was on Sunday - the puppy and the plants enjoying the sun.

Coconut Chicken Fingers

I wish I had taken a better picture! We were in a hurry to start eating. These chicken fingers were kind of messy but very tasty, with good texture. I fried these ones up just a little before baking to make them crispy, but you could also spray with cooking oil and just bake them on the baking sheet for a couple extra minutes. 

Coconut, almond and panko breading mix

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COCONUT CHICKEN FINGERS
Adapted (a lot) from Stay for Dinner

3 chicken breasts, cut into relatively even strips, or tenders
1 cup buttermilk*
1/4 cup honey
1/3 cup toasted, chopped almonds
1/3 cup shredded coconut
1/3 cup panko (or breadcrumbs)
salt & pepper to taste
chili powder to taste
1 egg, whisked
2 tbsp oil for frying

Marinate the chicken "fingers" in the buttermilk and honey for at least one hour or up to overnight. I usually put the chicken and marinade in a plastic storage bag and then put that in a bowl to keep in the fridge. 

Mix together the panko, coconut, almonds, salt & pepper and chili powder.

Preheat to 400 and line a baking sheet with parchment paper and wire rack. Take the chicken out of the marinade. Dredge the chicken first in the eggs then in the panko/coconut/almond mixture until well-coated. Cooking in batches, fry in oil in a skillet for 2-3 minutes on each side or until it starts crisping up. Then arrange on the baking sheet transfer to the preheated oven for another 10-12 minutes. Be careful not to overcook since they're pretty small pieces of chicken.

Dip! I like honey mustard (half honey, half mustard) or mayo-mustard (3/4 mayo, 1/4 mustard). 

*Remember that you don't have to go out and buy buttermilk if you don't have any - mix one cup milk with 1 tbsp vinegar and let it sit for a few minutes.

Baked Buffalo Chicken Rolls

By far the hardest part of this very simple recipe was finding egg roll wrappers at Giant Eagle today - turns out they keep them between the carrots and parsnips in the refrigerated produce section. My sister loves buffalo chicken, so I'm making these easy egg roll-type wraps to snack on during the Oscars. 

For more traditional egg rolls that are still baked instead of fried, try Michelle's veggie ones.

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BAKED BUFFALO CHICKEN ROLLS

From Stay for Dinner (check it out for good step-by-step pics) 

Makes 12-14 rolls

12 egg roll wrappers
1 cup cooked and shredded chicken
1/2 – 2/3 cup Frank’s Red Hot sauce
1 cup crumbled blue cheese
1 cup broccoli slaw or cole slaw (dry)
blue cheese dressing, for serving

If you're starting raw chicken, cook it - I boiled 2 boneless chicken breasts with a bay leaf for about 15 minutes. Cool until you can shred it with a couple forks or your fingers. Give some to your dog before it becomes too spicy. In a bowl, mix the chicken and the hot sauce until all chicken is saucy.

Preheat the oven to 400. Prepare a baking sheet by covering with parchment paper and putting a wire rack on top. 

Downton Abbey Tea Sandwich Extravaganza

Laura always makes me delicious food so today I wanted to make her something. I combined the two things she loves most: Downton Abbey and sandwiches. So I embarked on an epic Downton Abbey themed tea sandwich extravaganza. 

I decided to make four kinds of sandwiches: Coronation Chicken, Spicy Tuna, Cucumber, and Salami. I also made an English Trifle for dessert.

Coronation Chicken was by far the most time intensive and the most delicious! I started by preparing the chicken. I combined cooked breasts with sour cream and curry powder, poured the mixture into a bowl, and let the flavors combine in the fridge over the afternoon. Then I started preparing the mango chutney I'd add later. In a saucepan I combined distilled white vinegar, sugar, mango, raisins, garlic, mustard, crystallized ginger, and onions.

Then I started chopping the ingredients while the chutney bubbled. I sliced a cucumber in thin slivers and added some salt to dry them out a little.

Then I checked on the chutney again. Looking good!

Then I made the filling for the spicy tuna sandwiches. Pictured is diced sweet pickles, red onions, and Sriracha. 

Then I checked on the chutney again. The chopped mango and raisins looked more vibrant in color.

Paella Mixta

I really like paella, but saffron is kind of ridiculous. This can be a saffron-optional paella. I'm sure saffron is lovely and makes things a nice color, but I've never been able to bring myself to spend so much on it. 

This Wednesday is my grandpa's 87th birthday, so we had them over for dinner on Sunday afternoon. (Early enough that it wouldn't interfere with Downton Abbey, of course - not because they are early bird special-type elderly people. They stay up way later than I usually do.)

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PAELLA MIXTA
Adapted from Saveur

This makes enough for about 8-10 people, probably more, so halve if necessary.

(optional) 30 threads saffron, crushed (1⁄2 tsp.)
1 lb. boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into 2" pieces
10+ large shrimp, peeled and deveined 
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1/4 - 1⁄2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
4 oz. pre-cooked chorizo or kielbasa, cut into 1⁄4"-thick coins
1 tbsp. paprika, smoked if you have it
1 tsp turmeric (to help make it more yellow if you're not using saffron)
1-2 bell peppers, sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 dried bay leaves
3 medium tomatoes, minced (or canned, stewed - it's wintertime)
1 small onion, minced
1 carrot, sliced
7 cups chicken broth
2 1⁄2 cups rice, short grain if you have it
8 oz. fresh or frozen peas

Lemony Roasted Chicken

I found a copy of Bon Appetit at work the other day in this weird wall indentation by the front entrance that seems like a sort of improvised lost and found, and I was pleasantly surprised! I would actually want to make a lot of those recipes. I had always assumed it was too fancy schmancy. The first recipe I've tried is this "Roasted Chicken Thighs with Lemon and Oregano."

The recipe calls for boneless thighs, but I used bone-in thighs so I cooked it a lot longer, at least 15 minutes in the skillet and 20 in the oven. I wished I'd left it skin down on the skillet a bit longer to get a crisper skin, it could probably sit in there for 20-25 minutes or more at medium heat. I added peas and couscous to make it a full lunch and served it with a croissant to soak up some tasty juices. 

The garlic is from Blackberry Meadows Farm (where Michelle's reception is going to be)!

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ROASTED CHICKEN THIGHS WITH LEMON AND OREGANO

From the December 2012 issue of Bon Appetit

1 lemon

4 large or 8 small skin-on, boneless chicken thighs (or cook longer for bone-in)

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

3 teaspoons olive oil, divided

3 sprigs oregano (I used dried)

1 tablespoon minced shallot (or onion)

1/2 garlic clove, minced

1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

1/4 cup dry white wine (such as Sauvignon Blanc)

1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth (I used water)

Baked Garlic Chicken Wings

Taunting Twilly with a baked garlic chicken wing.

Making the perfect chicken wing is one of my greatest challenges in life. Today I got a little closer to winning that battle.

My mother is a chicken stockpiler. She always keeps an ample supply of frozen chicken - breasts, thighs, and wings - from Aldi in our basement freezer, so I grab a bag of wings and try a new recipe or technique whenever I'm feeling a bit inventive. I haven't found the perfect wing yet. I think the root of my dissatisfaction lies in a fact I try hard to ignore: I will never make chicken wings as good as D's. But I'll keep trying!

This evening I was looking for a healthy recipe. A lot of recipes I found were for fried wings or called for white sugar and brown sugar. So I refined my search to those that were baked and did not call for sweetener. I found this recipe and adjusted it to the one below.

• 24 medium-sized chicken wings
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 6 or so cloves of garlic, chopped
• 3 tablespoons chili powder
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 2 teaspoons onion powder
• 2 teaspoons garlic salt
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice

Combine olive oil, garlic, spices, and lemon juice in a large ziploc bag.

Add chicken and toss it around with mixture.

Pour it all onto a baking sheet. Cook at 400 degrees for 60 minutes. 

About 30 minutes into baking time, pour all the

sauce into a pan, reduce it, and sift out the fat.

Remove wings from the oven when they look nice and crisp.

Add wings to a bowl with your reduced sauce and shake!

Drain sauce again (so they don't get soggy) and serve.

Next time I make wings I'm trying a slow cooker recipe. Bye bye!