Quick Dinner: Chicken Tamale Pie

Funnily enough, I had all of the cupboard staples for this recipe. I also had some leftover rotisserie chicken and this recipe was a perfect use for it all. This is a great, hearty and healthy dinner that’s good for any fan of Mexican food. If you don’t have rotisserie chicken, use any cooked shredded chicken you want. This is a great dish for leftovers as well. If you have vegetarians, simply replace the chicken with some sautéed bell peppers. And if you can’t find creamed corn, you can always use a can of regular corn but be sure to add some milk to replace the moisture. Enjoy!

Ingredients

~2 cups cooked leftover chicken, shredded

1 package/can of ready Enchilada sauce

1 package Jiffy corn muffin mix

1 can creamed style corn

~1/2 cup sour cream or milk

1 large egg

~1 cup shredded cheese

1 small can 4.5oz can Green Chilies

~1 tsp ground coriander

~1 tsp ground cumin

~1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

1 can black beans

1/2 yellow onion, chopped

~2 tbsp garlic, chopped

~1 tsp ground cumin

bunch fresh cilantro, chopped

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400F. Combine the corn muffin mix, creamed corn, chilies, sour cream, egg, cumin/coriander and half the cheese. Spray a large casserole dish and add the mixture. Bake about 15 minutes until it starts to set. Meanwhile, chop the onion and garlic and heat with oil in a small saucepan. Add the cumin and can of black beans (do not drain). Simmer for about 10 minutes until it starts to thicken. Shred the chicken and heat through with the enchilada sauce.

Once the corn mix has set, remove the dish from the oven. Using a fork, poke several holes all over. Spread the beans all over, leaving a border. Next layer with the chicken mixture. Finish by topping it off with the remaining cheese (enough to sprinkle all over). Bake for another 15-25 minutes until the cheese is melted and the casserole is puffed up. Finish with some fresh chopped cilantro and enjoy!

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If Ground Beef Is On Sale..

In all aspects of life, I am always happy to find a good sale/offer. In the States (not everywhere), the grocery stores will send out weekly ads in the mail. They’ll highlight offers and coupons etc. If you love to cook or have to cook for a large household, you’ll absolutely love these. I love having a cup of coffee and reading these. I flip through and see what’s available, what’s fresh and come up with meal ideas for the week.

So recently ground beef has been on sale. It’s usually the fattier type (80/20), but let’s be realistic. We can’t all eat everything we want. Food can get really expensive! Sometimes the fattier ground/mince beef is tastier too. So when I see these deals, I stock up if I can. Same goes for chicken which freezes really well. For the beef, I prefer to cook it and then freeze it. Or freeze patties so you can throw them straight onto the grill/grill pan for a burger.

Here are two recipes you can make that would freeze really well. They can be eaten for dinner or lunch and in a variety of ways. There are many shortcuts you can take, but if you have the time on maybe a Sunday you can just cook these. You could do it while the husband is watching Sunday football maybe!

• Beef Meatballs with Homemade Marinara
• Universal Bolognese or Cottage Pie Base

There are so many recipes out there for these dishes. If you have time you can use fresh tomatoes for Marinara (the riper, the better). Lately I like to blanch my tomatoes and remove the skin. Don’t hesitate to use lots of tomato paste too.

For Bolognese, some recipes use milk and/or pork as well (Epicurious) or white wine instead of red (Food Network). Some of you may be surprised to see Cottage Pie or wonder what it is. You’ve probably heard of Shepard’s Pie, but traditionally Shepard’s Pie is made with ground lamb. The beef version is called Cottage Pie. This MyRecipes.com version adds mushrooms. This Epicurious recipe uses dried marjoram. Ultimately, there are many versions. Play around with them and choose the one you like! I personally love it super thick and gravy-like.

As for meatballs, I don’t really measure when I make them. I use whatever ground beef I have, add some breadcrumbs or panko soaked with milk, an egg or two, finely chopped or grated onion and garlic, Italian seasonings and a handful of parmesan or romano. A couple of good recipes are Ina Garten’s or this Epicurious recipe that uses ground fennel. Either way, bake them and then pop ’em into a bubbling Marinara. These freeze so fantastically. Reheat with a bit of olive oil and splash of water.

Beef Meatballs & Homemade Marinara

Universal Base for Bolognese or Cottage/Shepard’s Pie

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Healthy Eating : Grilled Chicken and Portobello

After a weekend of eating with my family (which is often done way over the top), my hubby and I were keen to be super healthy. Over the past couple of years I’ve learned to accept the fact that I am not very good at dieting. If I feel deprived, I will just eat more of something really naughty like brownies or penne alla vodka. So I’m constantly trying to think of healthy recipes that are also filling. Also, as always, I try to cook meals that are great as leftovers or can be altered to make a ’round-two’ meal.

One thing I would like to mention is that my mother has always taught me to look out for the best deals (in all aspects of life really). And that’s no different when it comes to grocery shopping. The shops in the States are great at sending out weekly deals in the post. They often run Wednesday to Tuesday and usually include items that are in season. This should be a clue for what to cook fresh. It’s a great way to get ideas for soups or fruit salads etc.

Recently a new grocery store opened down the street from me called Sunflower Market which (I think) is a joint venture or merger with Sprouts Farmers Market (a HUGE favorite of mine in Arizona). They had some crazy deals going on for their grand opening which included trays of three insanely large chicken breasts (about 2″ or 2.5″ inches thick!!) for something nuts like $1.99 per tray. So my sister and I both loaded up on chicken. You can’t really go wrong with having chicken breast in your freezer. When you do buy in bulk like this, I highly recommend butterfly-ing the breasts (slice in half lengthways). In my case I had to butterfly twice for certain pieces! Then freeze them in a few Ziploc/freezer bags (maybe 2-3 pieces per bag). Then to defrost them, either toss them in the fridge in the morning or place them in a bowl with ice cold water and another pot on top to submerge them. The key is to defrost them at a cool temperature to avoid bacteria.

So this week, I used up about four pieces of chicken breast to make Grilled Chicken and Portobello with Farro Salad. For those of you who follow my blog, you might remember when I first discovered farro at a small Venetian restaurant in Brooklyn (post on my NY trip). I immediately fell in love with this grain that was slightly chewy, slightly nutty and (I think) way better than its similar-looking friend barley. I was delighted to find they sell it at Whole Foods in bulk so you can buy a little if you don’t want to try it out. It’s incredibly filling and heart healthy. You can serve farro as both warm or cold really. I’ve made it before as a hearty winter dish with butternut squash (recipe here). This time around I wanted it as a side rather than the main ingredient. I made a bit extra though for lunch the next day. You can easily skip the cheese like I did for dinner and sprinkle in some feta for lunch!

For the chicken, I went super simple. Sadly I don’t have a grill at the moment. So I call this recipe grilled because that’s what I would do if I had one! Instead I simply pan seared it. Try to turn the chicken only once like with steak. Know your stove and keep it at medium/moderate heat as you don’t want it to burn before it’s cooked through. And the key is to let it rest!! It’s just like steak in that way too in that the juices need to get back into the meat. This is how you get super moist chicken breast. If you’re worried about over cooking, then check it early. It’s always better to be able to continue cooking. You can’t undo it! Simple season it with garlic salt (or salt and garlic powder) and freshly cracked black pepper. Use this simple yet tasty chicken for many leftover dishes! Here are some ideas for leftover grilled chicken breast:

• Grilled Chicken Caesar Salad : you can be quick and just buy the salad kit with croutons and dressing ready made.
• Grilled Chicken Quesadilla : on low/medium heat, toast tortillas with chicken and shredded cheese or melt it in the oven to make a ‘Mexican’ pizza. Serve with salsa, sour cream and/or guacamole.
• Grilled Chicken Pizza : buy ready made pizza crust, add store bought marinara, cheese, chicken. This would be great with some caramelized onions and blue cheese! Or even skip the marinara and use BBQ sauce.
• Vietnamese Chicken Sandwich : using either sliced bread or a baguette (toasted preferably), put some mayonnaise on both sides, add a bunch of fresh cilantro/coriander sprigs, layer the chicken, add freshly cracked black pepper and drizzle some Maggi or light soy sauce.
• Leftover Chicken & Farro Salad with Spicy Yogurt Sauce : to the leftover farro salad, add some fresh arugula/rocket leaves and the sliced chicken. Then make a yogurt sauce with plain yogurt, bit of fresh lemon juice, salt , bit of hot sauce (Sriracha recommended!) and a bit of cumin/coriander/garlic powder. Or if you have it, just yogurt, lemon and harissa. Serve the sauce as a dollop right in the center.

I could go on.. But you get the idea! Grilled chicken is sooo universal! One more thing about this meal is the garlic lemon olive oil ‘sauce’. This came from one of my favorite dishes of slow roasted lamb, a recipe by British Chef Andy Bates who features on the Food Network UK. This olive oil infused with garlic and lemon is also another universal ingredient. I would recommend making a cup or more and keeping it on the side next to your other oils. If you add some lemon juice or white wine vinegar to it, you have salad dressing! Heat it up on a low heat and melt in some feta cheese and you have a sauce. It’s SO delicious and tastes incredibly fresh. I would definitely recommend though that you use a zester or grater for the lemon zest. You could peel it and remove the zest later if need be too.

Hope you like the dish and leftover other ideas! Happy eating 🙂

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Quick Dinner: Portuguese-Style Chicken & Spicy Rice

If you’ve never heard of Nando’s, you’re missing out. It’s a global restaurant chain that specialises in flame-grilled Peri-Peri chicken with a variety of sauces to go with it. With the introduction of the African bird’s eye chilli to the Portuguese, Peri-Peri was born. It’s a spice blend of African bird’s eye chilli, dried oregano, paprika, dried cardamom, ground ginger and onion powder. In the UK you can buy packets of the dry rub or you can make your own by combining a tsp of each dry ingredient except the chilli powder (only half tsp) and adding a half tsp salt. You can’t really go too wrong!

Heat the oven to about 450F/230C. Rub the spices over a few chicken legs and wings. Spread onto a baking tray (flat but with slight lip on edge to catch any juices) and drizzle a little oil all over.

While the oven heats up, get started on the rice and finely chop one red onion (yellow would be fine too) and 1-2 chilli peppers. On moderate heat, cook in a pot with a bit of oil and butter until soft.

The oven should be hot now, so add the chicken into the oven on the top shelf. With a fan assisted oven this should take about 25-30 minutes. Pierce a thick part of the leg to check if juices run clear.

Add about 2 cups of rice and coat with a bit more butter. Add a heaping tsp of cumin, large pinch of salt and a good couple tbsp of ketchup. Mix well and add about 3 to 3.5 cups of chicken stock (or just a bit more than 1.5 times volume of rice depending on how you like it). If you don’t have homemade, add a stock cube and hot water direct to rice. Let simmer on low/moderate heat covered. Stir occasionally so it won’t stick to the bottom. As the liquid is nearly evaporated, keep the lid on without peeking for a couple minutes so it can steam. Stir to fluff the rice and add a drained can of corn. Taste and season as necessary. This should take about 10-12 minutes (may vary on how high a heat you cook it!).

Once the chicken is done, plate them. While they’re resting take the baking tray and put on a very low heat. Add a small splash of stock or water and gently scrape up all the good bits. Pour into a small bowl for a bit of sauce on the side. Serve up your rice with a little bit of chopped coriander/cilantro and enjoy!

The chicken should be moist and full of flavor. If possible, marinate the chicken overnight or as long as possible. I used chicken legs and wings that I had carved from whole chickens earlier in the week. It really is such better value for money. I bought two medium sized chickens over the weekend and carved them into breasts, legs and wings. Just got it all done with plastic wrapped the different portions. I used the carcasses to make stock with 1 carrot, 1 celery, half onion, bay leaves, whole peppercorns and sprigs of thyme. And I just let it go on low simmer for about an hour and a half although it probably could’ve done with 45 minutes. So from 2 chickens, I made a dinner for 4, a dinner for 2, lunch for 2 and have enough stock to make soup for 8-10 people. All of that for £6! Add to that low cost ingredients like pasta, rice, canned corn, olive oil, onions and carrots! It’s such a great way to have several homemade meals and save money. Happy cooking!

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Happy New Year!

Happy New Year everyone! Hope you all had a lovely holiday season. I’ve been crazy busy the past month with a new role, Christmas and even my very first professional experience! While I didn’t intend on it – my new year’s resolution has become to plan as many of our weekday dinners as possible. So here’s a sneak peek of what I’ve been cooking.. Recipes to follow!

* Sweet Potato, Caramelised Onion, Goats Cheese Quiche
* Moroccan Meatballs
* Huevos Rancheros
* Slow Roasted Pulled Pork Sandwich with Cole Slaw
* Creamy Chicken Tarragon Pasta

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MUSHROOM THREE WAYS

At my Chesham high street market, white button mushrooms are sold in abundance. However, when you buy a kilo you have to find creative ways to make meals for two. I absolutely love mushrooms. They’re so hearty and (I think) a great option for a vegetarian weeknight dinner. So when I have a lot of them, I usually prefer to make them the star. Plus it’s an affordable replacement for meat! All three ways are easy to make with minimal ingredients.

• Mushroom Stroganoff
• Curry Noodles with Mushrooms
• Pasta with Gorgonzola Sauce

There are various tips when working with mushrooms. As you know they’re mostly water which is why it’s usually advised not to wash them with water. Rather, it’s better to brush them with a damp paper (kitchen) towel. If you’re making a simple side dish of sautéed mushrooms, then don’t add salt until after they’ve colored otherwise the salt will draw out the water and they’ll be soggy. But if you’re making duxelle (often made for beef wellington), then it’s okay to wash the mushrooms with water as you’ll be cooking them until the water is evaporated anyway.

Right, first up is mushroom stroganoff. It’s more economical than beef stroganoff and can still have loads of flavor if made with good beef stock. The dish was originally created by a French cook employed by a member of the Russian Stroganov family who was raised by Peter the Great. Although there are many recipes out there, according to the Larousse Gastronomique (2009 Edition), beef stroganoff is

“thin strips of beef, seasoned with salt, pepper and paprika…sautéed over a brisk heat, then coated with a sauce made by deglazing the pan juices with white wine, cream and thickened veal stock, to which onions sautéed in butter have been added. The dish is served with pilaf rice and sautéed mushrooms”

Here’s a good recipe for mushroom stroganoff on the British Good Food Channel. In this recipe, both onions and leeks are used. To make it completely vegetarian you can go with vegetable stock but if it’s not necessary I recommend beef stock instead. Some recipes call for crème fraiche but I personally prefer sour cream. Also, this recipe uses vodka instead of wine. Unfortunately I didn’t have either available in the kitchen, but it was still tasty! In the end it’s a super fast dish and great for leftovers as well.

Mushroom Stroganoff with Rice

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REDUCING WASTE – PART 1

Hi All – In perusing a few of my favorite foodie blogs, I thought of starting a new theme to focus on – reducing food waste. This shouldn’t be an entirely new focus for me since I had a “stern” talking to by my boyfriend for leaving him (for a few months in England) with cupboards full of various types of rice and canned goods. I know I’m terrible at this. I blame it on a few reasons:

• I’m female and therefore have an innate desire to hoard.
• I’m Vietnamese (although I’m not entirely sure if this or just being Asian or being female have anything to do with it) and I love a good deal. So much so that I often feel I’m doing myself an injustice if I do not take advantage (for example: a pound of potatoes for $1 or chicken for $0.60/lb)
• I often have food A.D.D. meaning I often change my minds and usually get sick of leftovers after a day.

So to counter act these weaknesses and also to use up all the stuff in our cupboards before adding to them, I am going to really begin seeking new ways to reduce food waste. They can be simple things like saving my egg yolks when I make an egg white omelette. Maybe I can use them for an egg wash if breading chicken. Or maybe I can use them to make an aioli or mayonnaise.

The specific blog I like to read that inspired this new endeavor is Viet World Kitchen. Andrea Nguyen is an author, freelance writer and cooking teacher who is also a contributing editor to SAVEUR Magazine. She always has great recipes for Vietnamese food and also many useful cooking tips.

One of her recent posts explains a great way to use unwanted chicken fat. I don’t know why I’ve never thought of this, but it makes complete sense! I knew to keep a chicken carcus to make stock, but didn’t think to render the skin and trimmed fat. Click here for her full post.

On this thought, I’ve seen a lot of cooks and chefs keep bacon fat. I think that’s a more commonly known trick though.. You could then use that fat for a number of things from quickly sautéing cooked pasta in it for ‘bacon essence’ or (I just thought of this and might sound weird) French Toast.. I now leave the fat from Chinese sausage in the pan when I make Vietnamese Fried Rice. It adds a bit more flavor and richness than plain old vegetable oil would’ve. Plus I like to tell myself it’s healthier than butter.. Of course the Brits are genius about using (maybe) unwanted fat. They traditionally roast their potatoes in goose fat. You can buy a can of the stuff for £1 or so, but here it’s impossible to find! Plus it’s more natural than margarine which I think people use too much of..

So stay tuned for more ways to reduce waste! If you have any ideas to share, please do!

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