Easy Chicken Mole

Delicious!!!

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 can diced tomatoes, drained
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded & minced
1 (10-ounce) can chicken broth
2 tablespoons peanut butter
2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1 (5-pound) chicken, cut into 8 pieces
Toasted pepitas ( pumpkin seeds), for garnish
Brown rice, for serving

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Heat oil in a saute pan over medium heat. Add onion and saute until translucent. Add garlic and spices and continue to saute to toast and develop flavor. Add diced tomatoes, peppers, chipotles, broth, peanut butter, and chocolate. Simmer for 10 minutes. Strain and puree until smooth.
Sear the chicken in a heavy bottomed hot saute pan over medium-high heat until browned on both sides. Add to casserole dish, cover with sauce and braise the oven for 45 minutes to 1 hour. Garnish with pepitas and serve with white rice.

Based on a recipe from Paula Deen.

Crispy Fish Sticks With Pineapple Ketchup

ON MY GOSH!

A recipe from Cooking Light, "Kid in the Kitchen."

So delicious!!!

Ingredients

• Cooking spray
• 2 cups cornflakes
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon rind
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 large egg 
• 1 pound tilapia fillets, cut into 4 x 1-inch pieces (about 12 pieces) (I used Pollock.)
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 cup cubed fresh pineapple 
• 1/3 cup reduced-sugar ketchup (such as Heinz)
• 1 teaspoon lower-sodium soy sauce

Preparation

1. 1. Preheat oven to 425°.
2. 2. Place a wire rack on a large baking sheet. Coat rack with cooking spray. Place cereal in a large zip-top bag; roll with a rolling pin until crushed. Place crushed cereal, rind, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a shallow dish. Combine juice and egg in a shallow dish, stirring with a whisk.
3. 3. Sprinkle fish evenly with 1/4 teaspoon pepper and salt. Dip fish in egg mixture; dredge in cereal mixture. Arrange fish on prepared rack; bake at 425° for 12 minutes or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork.
4. 4. Combine remaining 1/2 teaspoon pepper, pineapple, ketchup, and soy sauce in the bowl of a mini food processor; process until smooth. Serve ketchup mixture with fish sticks.

Christine Burns Rudalevige, Cooking Light
AUGUST 2014

Refrigerator Dilly Beans

Who knew how good these would be---and how wonderful in a Bloody Mary. From Country Living; via The Beekman 1802 Heirloom Vegetable Cookbook © 2011 by Brent Ridge, Sandy Gluck, Josh Kilmer-Purcell.

Ingredients

• 1 bunch(es) fresh dill (from my garden)
• 2 clove(s) garlic, peeled
• 1 teaspoon(s) yellow mustard seeds
• 1 teaspoon(s) dill seeds
• 1/4 teaspoon(s) cayenne pepper
• 1 pound(s) green beans, ends trimmed
• 1 1/3 cup(s) cider vinegar
• 1 1/3 cup(s) water
• 2 tablespoon(s) kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon(s) sugar

---

Directions

1. Place 2 pint-size canning jars and their lids in a pot of boiling water and heat for 1 minute. Lift out, drain, and place on the counter. Divide fresh dill, garlic, mustard seeds, dill seeds, cayenne, and green beans between the 2 jars, packing beans in lengthwise.
2. In a small saucepan, combine vinegar, water, salt, and sugar and bring to a boil over high heat, stirring until salt and sugar dissolve.
3. Pour boiling liquid over the green beans and seal. Cool on a wire rack and refrigerate 2 days before serving.
4.  
   

Bread & Butter Pickled Onions

I have found a new love!

6 medium onions Brine: 1 cup white vinegar 2 quarts water 1 Tbsp. sat Pickling Mixture: 2 cups white vinegar 2 cups sugar 1 Tbsp. salt 3 Tbsp. mustard seed 1 Tbsp. celery seed 1/4 tsp. curry powder

Peel onions, cut in half crosswise, then into 1/4-inch strips. Separate onions into strips and place in a bowl, covering with brine mixture. Let stand several hours or overnight. In a 4 or 5 quart saucepan, combine pickling ingredients and bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Boil 2 minutes. Remove the onion strips from brine, draining well. Add them to the hot pickling mixture, leaving 1/2 inch headroom before sealing with 2-piece lids. Store in the refrigeration for a week, allowing flavors to blend. (It stores well in the fridge). Makes about 8 half-pints. Great on sandwiches!  From: Recipes From A Kitchen Garden This is a great cookbook!

Bobby Flay’s Pan-Roasted Chicken With Mint Sauce

GREAT TASTE!!! As featured in The New York Times Magazine, June 29, 2014.

Because it is summer and it is hot, I grilled skinless chicken breasts. I made a potato pancake with cumin and leftover smashed red potatoes. And a salad with greens from my garden.

"Bobby Flay served a version of this chicken at Bolo, the elegant little jewel box of a restaurant he had on 22nd Street until 2007, when the building that housed it was sold. It came pan-roasted beneath a blanket of what Flay called Spanish spices, with a vibrant green mint sauce rich with chiles, honey, salt and mustard. The dish was one of the restaurant’s best sellers. I ate it about 3,000 times there before getting the recipe and adapting it for those of us who cook at home. Of course you can make the exact same dish with chicken thighs if you want. But some will prefer the breast meat. Some always have."
~~Sam Sifton

For the chicken

• 4 bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts
• Kosher salt to taste
• 2 tablespoons Spanish paprika
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 2 teaspoons ground mustard
• 2 teaspoons ground fennel seed
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

For the mint sauce

• 1 cup fresh mint leaves
• ½ cup fresh parsley leaves
• 4 cloves garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
• 1 serrano chile, seeds removed and roughly chopped (I used a jalapeno from my garden.)
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Preparation

1.

Preheat oven to 425. Rinse the chicken well, then dry it with paper towel. Season the chicken aggressively with salt. Combine the remaining dry ingredients in a small bowl, and rub the mixture all over the skin of the chicken breasts.

2.

Heat the oil in a large, oven-safe sauté pan or skillet set over medium heat. When it is shimmering, put the breasts into the pan skin side down, and cook, unattended, until the skin is golden brown, approximately 6 to 8 minutes. Using tongs, turn the chicken breasts over, and place the pan in the oven. Roast until the chicken is golden brown all over and the meat cooked entirely through, approximately 12 to 15 minutes. Remove the chicken to a warmed platter, and allow to rest.

3.

Meanwhile, put the mint, parsley, garlic and serrano into a food processor, and pulse into a paste. Add the honey and mustard, and pulse again, until combined. With the motor running, slowly add the olive oil until the mixture has become emulsified. Transfer the mixture to a bowl, and if necessary, whisk in a few tablespoons of water to thin the sauce. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

4.

Spoon some of the sauce over each chicken breast, and serve, with the remaining sauce on the side. Roasted potatoes with some thinly sliced lemons makes a fi ne accompaniment, along with sautéed greens.

YIELD

4 servings. 

~~Sam Sifton

Mac & Cheese with Bacon & Broccoli

Out of this world!

The recipe called for chicken, which I did have, but I left it out of this as I wanted to save the chicken for chicken salad. I also added some herbs from my garden: Oregano, Cilantro, and Basil.

Ingredients

• 6 ounces uncooked large or regular elbow macaroni (I used whole wheat.)
• 3 cups prechopped broccoli florets (I used fresh.)
• 3 bacon slices, coarsely chopped
• 12 ounces skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2-inch pieces 
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh garlic
• 1/8 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1 1/4 cups 1% low-fat milk 
• 1 cup unsalted chicken stock (such as Swanson) (I used homemade.)
• 1/4 cup plus 1 teaspoon all-purpose flour
• 5 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (about 1 1/4 cups)

Preparation

1. 1. Preheat broiler to high.
2. 2. Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Add broccoli to pan during last 2 minutes of cooking. Drain.
3. 3. While pasta cooks, place bacon in a large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat; cook 4 minutes or until browned, stirring occasionally. Remove bacon from pan with a slotted spoon; reserve 1 1/2 teaspoons drippings in pan. Sprinkle chicken with 1/4 teaspoon salt. Add chicken to drippings in pan; cook 4 minutes. Sprinkle with garlic; cook 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Sprinkle with turmeric; cook 30 seconds, stirring frequently.
4. 4. Combine remaining 3/4 teaspoon salt, milk, stock, and flour, stirring with a whisk. Add milk mixture to pan; bring to a boil, stirring frequently. Cook 2 minutes or until thickened. Add pasta mixture and 2 ounces cheese; toss to coat. Sprinkle with remaining 3 ounces cheese and bacon. Broil 2 minutes or until cheese melts and just begins to brown.

 Ann Taylor Pittman, Cooking Light
MAY 2014

Banana Coffee Cake with Walnuts and Coconut

Susan and I sat outside in our backyard enjoying this today, exclaiming a few times, "WOW."

Ingredients

• Cooking spray
• 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup mashed ripe banana (about 2 large bananas)
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 large egg
• 1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon water
• 2 teaspoons butter
• 2 tablespoons chopped macadamia nuts, toasted
• 2 tablespoons flaked sweetened coconut

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. Coat a 9-inch round cake pan with cooking spray; line bottom of pan with wax paper. Coat wax paper with cooking spray.
3. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda in a bowl, stirring with a whisk. Combine banana and next 5 ingredients (banana through egg) in a bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed for 1 minute or until well blended. Add flour mixture to banana mixture, and beat until blended. Pour batter into prepared pan.
4. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan 10 minutes on a wire rack; remove from pan. Carefully peel off wax paper.
5. Combine brown sugar, water, and butter in a small saucepan; bring to a boil. Cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat; stir in nuts and coconut. Spread over cake. Serve cake warm.

Cooking Light
NOVEMBER 2002