Ok, so I think some people may read the title of this and say Chicken and Hummus, together, in the same bite? You are freaking crazy lady! But I kid you not, it is delicious. A couple of weeks ago Nick and I went over to some friend's house for dinner. One of the items on the menu was chicken kabobs off the grill and then they put hummus out. I have no idea if that's what they intended it for, but I saw two Mediterranean items and assumed they went together. Holy moly it was good. And I don't even like chicken. So this week, while Nick was away, I decided I would do some experiments in the kitchen one of which was to try to recreate this taste without the grill. I know I can cook, but I have to say, sometimes I even impress myself. I just might get the fixins to make this for dinner on Sunday so Nick's first night back is a nice one. Here's what I came up with:
You need:
-1 large onion
-2 chicken breasts
-regular hummus (or garlic)
-1-2 tablespoons of butter (depends on the size of the onion)
-olive oil
-soy sauce
-A good quality smokey finishing sauce (like this one)
1. Mix equal parts of soy sauce and finishing sauce into a bowl. When picking a sauce, I suggest smelling it first just to make sure the soy sauce will taste good when blended together.
2. Pound down chicken breasts with a tenderizer until thinned out. Cut into cutlet sized pieces. Dredge and let sit in the sauce until you are ready to cook.
3. Heat up a large skillet with butter. While waiting for it to heat up, slice up onion thinly. Then add onion and cook for a few minutes.
4. Next add some olive oil. Give a good turn and let it cook for another minute, then add chicken and the leftover sauce mixture.
5. Cook the chicken for a few minutes on each side (do not get it brown yet). Then remove chicken onto a plate and let the onions continue to cook until brown and tender and the liquid has just about completely evaporated.
6. Push the onions and left over liquid off to one side of the skillet and add the chicken in batches. Now cook the chicken until browned on each side. Dump whatever juices was leftover onto the plate onto the onions to keep them from drying out.
7. When done, serve chicken with onions on the side and spread a generous helping of hummus on top of the chicken.
If you are die hard about having a balanced meal, this would be really great with some small roasted potatoes or pitas or naan to get up those extra juices and hummus with. I'm really into Trader Joe's whole wheat naan at the moment.
Showing posts with label onions. Show all posts
Showing posts with label onions. Show all posts
Saturday, July 23, 2011
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Need a Quick and Easy Side to add to Thanksgiving?
Quick and easy entry about a quick and easy recipe. (Can you tell I'm still stressed about school? We're down to the final days, I'm done Tuesday afternoon.)
This one is brought to you straight from my Granny's kitchen (and of course that means it's super yummy).
You need:
- One Red Pepper
- One Yellow Pepper
- One Orange Pepper
- One Green Pepper
- One Onion
- Small red potatoes (about 1/3-1/2 a bag)
- Olive oil
- Garlic Power
- Salt
- Italian Seasoning
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Put some olive oil in the bottom of a baking dish.
2. Cut up peppers by slicing them lengthwise put them in baking dish.
3. Add sliced onions and cut up small red potatoes into quarters (or smaller pieces depending on your preference)
4. Sprinkle garlic powder, some salt, and Italian seasoning on it tossing it so that vegetables are covered evenly. Sprinkle olive oil on the whole thing.
5. Bake it for about half an hour or until potatoes are soft when poked with a fork.
6. Enjoy and remember to give your Granny a great big hug!
This one is brought to you straight from my Granny's kitchen (and of course that means it's super yummy).
You need:
- One Red Pepper
- One Yellow Pepper
- One Orange Pepper
- One Green Pepper
- One Onion
- Small red potatoes (about 1/3-1/2 a bag)
- Olive oil
- Garlic Power
- Salt
- Italian Seasoning
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Put some olive oil in the bottom of a baking dish.
2. Cut up peppers by slicing them lengthwise put them in baking dish.
3. Add sliced onions and cut up small red potatoes into quarters (or smaller pieces depending on your preference)
4. Sprinkle garlic powder, some salt, and Italian seasoning on it tossing it so that vegetables are covered evenly. Sprinkle olive oil on the whole thing.
5. Bake it for about half an hour or until potatoes are soft when poked with a fork.
6. Enjoy and remember to give your Granny a great big hug!
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Rosemary Chicken with Apple Salad and Onions
If you have not already done so, please look to the left of the entry and see the poll I've started. I have tons of entry ideas, but I'm just curious as to what people actually want me to write about. If you have a second, please take the time to answer the poll this way I know where to tailor my entries. Thanks!
--***--
I hate chicken, and since we don't eat meat I rarely eat it. But about 2 months ago my parents and I checked out a new local farmer's market back home and my mom suggested I make dinner. They all eat meat, and the meat there was local, so I picked out a few things and made an awesome meal that even I, who has NEVER liked chicken EVER loved.
I plan on making this again for Thanksgiving (because I know I would never like turkey, and it was a fluke that I even like this chicken). But since I made up the recipe on the spot, I'm doing my best to attempt to explain it now as a way to share the recipe and recreate it again the next time...that sounds bad, but I've got high hopes it'll turn out fantastic.
For Chicken:
1 whole chicken de-gutted
1 bag of pearl onions
Several full cloves of garlic
rosemary
olive oil
For Apple salad:
1 1/2 gala apples (peeled and chopped up)
1/2 stick of butter
1 1/2 tablespoons of cinnamon
3 tablespoons of sugar
1/2 c walnuts (I'm trying to remember if these were actually in there or not, maybe??)
1/4 c golden raisins
1/4 c regular raisins
3/4 cup sweet white wine or apple juice
Preheat oven 350 degrees.
1. add 2 tablespoons of olive oil. When it starts to get hot add the apples. Give them a stir and after one minute add 4 tablespoons of butter. When the butter begins to brown add the sugar and cinnamon. When the sugar begins to caramelize (that's when it bubbles up like it's boiling), add the wine. After you cook it for 2 minutes add the raisins and walnuts.
2. Cook the apple mixture for 5-8 minutes. Let some of the liquid evaporate, but not all of it. When it's done, spoon out the apple with a slotted spoon into ta big bowl and continue to let the contents of the frying pan cook. Keep your slotted spoon handy and keep stirring it so the liquid doesn't burn. Basically you're trying to make a little syrup, so you want it to be thick. When it's done pour that into the bowl with the rest of your salad.
3. Next, take the skins off all the onions and set them aside.
4. Time for the chicken! cover the bottom of your roasting pan/bakers dish whatever with a little bit of olive oil. Put the chicken on top. Then put some olive oil on top and inside. Next put some salt and rosemary on top and on the bottom of the chicken. Make sure you rub it in. Then put some rosemary in the middle of the chicken (I don't put salt on the inside) (that you don't have to rub in if you don't want to, haha). Put a few cloves of garlic on the inside of the chicken and around the dish as well as a couple underneath. I'd say 6-10 total depending on the size of the cloves.
5. Now stuff the chicken with some of the apple salad and onions (don't over stuff it though, maybe 3/4 full), then put the rest in the dish around the sides of the chicken. If you have any leftover juices in your bowl from the apple salad dump that on top of the chicken. I also like to lift up the chicken to let some of the juices flow underneath then set it back down without letting anything get stuck underneath.
6. Cook until the chicken is cooked. Thanks to the apples and the juice/wine from the salad, this will be juicy enough that you shouldn't have to baste or anything.
7. Enjoy!
I think this recipe is big enough for a chicken that'll feed 4-6 people depending on appetite and the kinds of sides you include (we had this with butternut squash ravioli which was a really good match, but I could also see having mashed potatoes as well). So you can always add more or less depending on what you need.
I hate chicken, and since we don't eat meat I rarely eat it. But about 2 months ago my parents and I checked out a new local farmer's market back home and my mom suggested I make dinner. They all eat meat, and the meat there was local, so I picked out a few things and made an awesome meal that even I, who has NEVER liked chicken EVER loved.
I plan on making this again for Thanksgiving (because I know I would never like turkey, and it was a fluke that I even like this chicken). But since I made up the recipe on the spot, I'm doing my best to attempt to explain it now as a way to share the recipe and recreate it again the next time...that sounds bad, but I've got high hopes it'll turn out fantastic.
For Chicken:
1 whole chicken de-gutted
1 bag of pearl onions
Several full cloves of garlic
rosemary
olive oil
For Apple salad:
1 1/2 gala apples (peeled and chopped up)
1/2 stick of butter
1 1/2 tablespoons of cinnamon
3 tablespoons of sugar
1/2 c walnuts (I'm trying to remember if these were actually in there or not, maybe??)
1/4 c golden raisins
1/4 c regular raisins
3/4 cup sweet white wine or apple juice
Preheat oven 350 degrees.
1. add 2 tablespoons of olive oil. When it starts to get hot add the apples. Give them a stir and after one minute add 4 tablespoons of butter. When the butter begins to brown add the sugar and cinnamon. When the sugar begins to caramelize (that's when it bubbles up like it's boiling), add the wine. After you cook it for 2 minutes add the raisins and walnuts.
2. Cook the apple mixture for 5-8 minutes. Let some of the liquid evaporate, but not all of it. When it's done, spoon out the apple with a slotted spoon into ta big bowl and continue to let the contents of the frying pan cook. Keep your slotted spoon handy and keep stirring it so the liquid doesn't burn. Basically you're trying to make a little syrup, so you want it to be thick. When it's done pour that into the bowl with the rest of your salad.
3. Next, take the skins off all the onions and set them aside.
4. Time for the chicken! cover the bottom of your roasting pan/bakers dish whatever with a little bit of olive oil. Put the chicken on top. Then put some olive oil on top and inside. Next put some salt and rosemary on top and on the bottom of the chicken. Make sure you rub it in. Then put some rosemary in the middle of the chicken (I don't put salt on the inside) (that you don't have to rub in if you don't want to, haha). Put a few cloves of garlic on the inside of the chicken and around the dish as well as a couple underneath. I'd say 6-10 total depending on the size of the cloves.
5. Now stuff the chicken with some of the apple salad and onions (don't over stuff it though, maybe 3/4 full), then put the rest in the dish around the sides of the chicken. If you have any leftover juices in your bowl from the apple salad dump that on top of the chicken. I also like to lift up the chicken to let some of the juices flow underneath then set it back down without letting anything get stuck underneath.
6. Cook until the chicken is cooked. Thanks to the apples and the juice/wine from the salad, this will be juicy enough that you shouldn't have to baste or anything.
7. Enjoy!
I think this recipe is big enough for a chicken that'll feed 4-6 people depending on appetite and the kinds of sides you include (we had this with butternut squash ravioli which was a really good match, but I could also see having mashed potatoes as well). So you can always add more or less depending on what you need.
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Last minute dinner guest - Risotto & Beans
Most of the recipes I make up start one of two ways. 1. I find a recipe somewhere (online, in a book, or from TV) and change it around a lot into something I like better or 2. I need to figure out something to make and throw random stuff together in hopes that it turns out good. In both cases I always warn my husband in advance, "This is an experiment, let me know if this is ok." And then while he eats I grill him with 40 questions about the taste, texture, etc. When it comes to food I am super picky (probably the only area in life I am truly high maintenance), but what is the point of rushing home to cook a nice meal if Nick hates it? The point is to make something with leftovers so I don't have to cook tomorrow, and we have lunch too. Therefore he's got to like it, and I'm willing to sacrifice once in awhile if I make something I don't 100% love so that he doesn't eat the same foods every day.
Peppers are one such food. I really only like roasted red peppers, but I try to throw them in once in awhile to my cooking to keep him happy. And generally every week when I food shop I'll make sure I have some onions, a red pepper, and then another vegetable I can COOK (salad veggies don't count). I'm really bad at planning meals (which is actually really horrible, this is how food gets wasted because you buy too much or forget about things). But onions and peppers last a long time and go in just about everything, so I build most of my meals around them.
Tonight I had one of my co-workers, Noelle, come over for dinner. She was having car trouble and we play soccer together so she came home with me and then I drove her to the game. Since Nick is away on a business trip I have been very lazy about cooking (long story short, I'm currently on a diet---for a secret reason!!!---and if I have no reason to cook, I'll just eat half a peanut butter sandwich and carrots). When I went food shopping I bought some tofu, yogurt, and Mother's Day cards. So when Noelle asked me to drive her to soccer and I said yes, it totally didn't dawn on me that I had no real food in the house (and when we have company that's the one time I actually plan a meal in advance).
Tuesday night I rushed into my kitchen at 10:30pm and rummaged through the pantry. Cooking for Noelle is a special challenge because she is allergic to sugar (not diabetic, actually allergic) and after knowing her for two years and cooking for her a lot, I have learned just how many things have sugar in it that you didn't really realize (tomato sauce? crackers?). So I scoured food labels and pieced together a one pot dish that I hoped wouldn't be too too heavy right before a game and came up with Rice and Beans Risotto--another taken on a Spanish favorite.
Ingredients you may already have:
*2-3 cloves of Fresh Garlic
*3 tablespoons Olive Oil
*2 tablespoons Butter
*4 cups of water or chicken stock
Ingredients you should always have:
*A can of beans (personally, the Puerto Rican in me has brand loyalty to Goya, but I honestly don't know if there's one that's better than another)
*2 small Onions
Ingredients you'll need to buy:
*two handfuls (maybe 1/2 - 3/4 of a cup) of a cheese blend (I used the four Mexican cheese one)
*1/2 of a red pepper
*1 1/2 cups Arborio rice - special rice for risotto
*Adobo - yes, more Goya. A blend of spices, garlic, salt, and cumin. I personally like the version with no pepper.
*Recaito (another wonder Goya invention, I ALWAYS make all my rice and beans dishes with it)
Step 1 - Clean and dice the veggies and garlic. Heat a large non-stick pan and put the olive oil and butter in. Once the butter is melted cook the veggies (and season with Adobo to your taste) until the onions start to look a little opaque.
Step 2 - When the onions look like they are starting to cook, add the rice. Make sure you stir and get the olive oil and butter over everything. While doing this heat up some (or all of the water/stock). I generally just take my measuring cup and nuke it 1 cup at a time (30 seconds-1 minute), but most people heat it up in a pan. For the sake of doing less dishes, I take the lazy route out.
Step 3 - Add a little bit of liquid to the pan, if it sizzles right away it's the perfect temperature, you can add more. The trick to risotto is to add a little bit of liquid at a time. As the liquid evaporates you add more (and stir frequently) because you want to slowly draw the starches of the rice out. While you're doing this, you should do step 4 as well.
Step 4 - Dump one can of beans (I used black) into it's on small pot that you can put a cover on. Add a little bit of water to the can when it's empty (maybe 1/4 - 1/3) and stir to get those good bits that stick to the bottom out and dump that in the pot too. Then add your Recaito. Do this to your own taste. Recaito is very savory. It's tomato based and also has onions, a minimal amount of cilantro, and other spices in it. I usually do 2-3 spoonfuls in my beans, but since this is unseasoned white rice, I did 5 big spoonfuls. Then cover the pot and cook on medium, stirring occasionally.
Step 5 - When the risotto is done, add the beans and stir. Then add your cheese and stir. Make sure most of the liquid is evaporated, it should still be creamy.
Step 6 - Let it cool a little, then serve!
Other options for meat eaters - Add shrimp or chicken. For that you should cook it in a separate pan with Adobo and Olive Oil, then add at the very end.
Other veggies this would go good with - Yellow peppers, zucchini, mushrooms (cook these at the beginning with the Onions and red peppers)
I'd say this was enough food for 4-6 people (depending on if this was your only dish, or just a side dish). And if you need to go out and buy everything (including the olive oil), it should cost you under $25 to make.
PS. I took pictures, as soon as Nick comes home and tells me where the digital camera cord is I'll upload them.
Peppers are one such food. I really only like roasted red peppers, but I try to throw them in once in awhile to my cooking to keep him happy. And generally every week when I food shop I'll make sure I have some onions, a red pepper, and then another vegetable I can COOK (salad veggies don't count). I'm really bad at planning meals (which is actually really horrible, this is how food gets wasted because you buy too much or forget about things). But onions and peppers last a long time and go in just about everything, so I build most of my meals around them.
Tonight I had one of my co-workers, Noelle, come over for dinner. She was having car trouble and we play soccer together so she came home with me and then I drove her to the game. Since Nick is away on a business trip I have been very lazy about cooking (long story short, I'm currently on a diet---for a secret reason!!!---and if I have no reason to cook, I'll just eat half a peanut butter sandwich and carrots). When I went food shopping I bought some tofu, yogurt, and Mother's Day cards. So when Noelle asked me to drive her to soccer and I said yes, it totally didn't dawn on me that I had no real food in the house (and when we have company that's the one time I actually plan a meal in advance).
Tuesday night I rushed into my kitchen at 10:30pm and rummaged through the pantry. Cooking for Noelle is a special challenge because she is allergic to sugar (not diabetic, actually allergic) and after knowing her for two years and cooking for her a lot, I have learned just how many things have sugar in it that you didn't really realize (tomato sauce? crackers?). So I scoured food labels and pieced together a one pot dish that I hoped wouldn't be too too heavy right before a game and came up with Rice and Beans Risotto--another taken on a Spanish favorite.
Ingredients you may already have:
*2-3 cloves of Fresh Garlic
*3 tablespoons Olive Oil
*2 tablespoons Butter
*4 cups of water or chicken stock
Ingredients you should always have:
*A can of beans (personally, the Puerto Rican in me has brand loyalty to Goya, but I honestly don't know if there's one that's better than another)
*2 small Onions
Ingredients you'll need to buy:
*two handfuls (maybe 1/2 - 3/4 of a cup) of a cheese blend (I used the four Mexican cheese one)
*1/2 of a red pepper
*1 1/2 cups Arborio rice - special rice for risotto
*Adobo - yes, more Goya. A blend of spices, garlic, salt, and cumin. I personally like the version with no pepper.
*Recaito (another wonder Goya invention, I ALWAYS make all my rice and beans dishes with it)
Step 1 - Clean and dice the veggies and garlic. Heat a large non-stick pan and put the olive oil and butter in. Once the butter is melted cook the veggies (and season with Adobo to your taste) until the onions start to look a little opaque.
Step 2 - When the onions look like they are starting to cook, add the rice. Make sure you stir and get the olive oil and butter over everything. While doing this heat up some (or all of the water/stock). I generally just take my measuring cup and nuke it 1 cup at a time (30 seconds-1 minute), but most people heat it up in a pan. For the sake of doing less dishes, I take the lazy route out.
Step 3 - Add a little bit of liquid to the pan, if it sizzles right away it's the perfect temperature, you can add more. The trick to risotto is to add a little bit of liquid at a time. As the liquid evaporates you add more (and stir frequently) because you want to slowly draw the starches of the rice out. While you're doing this, you should do step 4 as well.
Step 4 - Dump one can of beans (I used black) into it's on small pot that you can put a cover on. Add a little bit of water to the can when it's empty (maybe 1/4 - 1/3) and stir to get those good bits that stick to the bottom out and dump that in the pot too. Then add your Recaito. Do this to your own taste. Recaito is very savory. It's tomato based and also has onions, a minimal amount of cilantro, and other spices in it. I usually do 2-3 spoonfuls in my beans, but since this is unseasoned white rice, I did 5 big spoonfuls. Then cover the pot and cook on medium, stirring occasionally.
Step 5 - When the risotto is done, add the beans and stir. Then add your cheese and stir. Make sure most of the liquid is evaporated, it should still be creamy.
Step 6 - Let it cool a little, then serve!
Other options for meat eaters - Add shrimp or chicken. For that you should cook it in a separate pan with Adobo and Olive Oil, then add at the very end.
Other veggies this would go good with - Yellow peppers, zucchini, mushrooms (cook these at the beginning with the Onions and red peppers)
I'd say this was enough food for 4-6 people (depending on if this was your only dish, or just a side dish). And if you need to go out and buy everything (including the olive oil), it should cost you under $25 to make.
PS. I took pictures, as soon as Nick comes home and tells me where the digital camera cord is I'll upload them.
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