Sweet and Spicy Mixed Nuts

I was looking for a snack for the Superbowl that I could make ahead and serve at room temp to bring to my friend Kevin's parents house. These sweet and spicy nuts were a hit! They're well balanced but a bit spicy at the end so it makes you want to take another sip of your beer or cocktail. To elevate the plating I like to use a nice silver bowl so it looks a bit fancier. 

Ingredients:
1 cup mixed nuts (raw, not toasted) I used pecans, cashews, and almonds
1 egg white
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. chipotle powder
1 tsp. cayenne pepper
Olive oil spray

Directions:

1. Preheat an oven to 300 degrees and lightly grease a baking sheet with olive oil spray so nuts do not stick later. 

2. Place the egg white in a bowl and whip with a fork until really frothy. 

3. Add in the spices and nuts to the egg white. Toss until everything is well coated.

4. Place the nut mixture on the baking sheet and cook for about 35 minutes. Make sure to toss the nut mix around every 10 minutes for even baking and to prevent sticking. 

5. Allow to cool on the baking tray, mixing occasionally so the nut mix doesn't clump together. Store at room temperature in an air tight container until ready to serve.

Chicken Skewers with Saffron Rice and Spicy Yogurt Dipping Sauce - Brian Meal Prep

This dish was requested by my Husband, Brian, as I continue to do his meal prep for lunches. We both liked this one so much I had to post about it. If you don't have metal skewers you can use wood skewers but make sure to soak them in water for about 30 minutes before using so they don't burn. 

Ingredients:
2 Chicken Breasts, cut into 1 1/2 inch chunks
1 cup Greek yogurt
1 Tbsp. grated garlic
1 tsp. turmeric
1 tsp. cayenne
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. onion power
1 green bell pepper, cut into 1 inch chunks
1 red bell pepper, cut into 1 inch chunks

Yogurt Dipping Sauce:
1 cup Greek yogurt
1 tsp. grated jalapeno
1 tsp. grated garlic
1 tsp. lemon juice
1/2 tsp. lemon zest
1/2 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. black pepper

Saffron Rice:
1 cup white long grain rice
2 cups chicken stock 
1/2 tsp saffron threads
1 tsp. salt

Directions:

1. Combine yogurt, grated garlic, turmeric, cayenne, oregano, garlic powder, and onion powder in a small bowl and mix together. Add chicken chunks and allow to marinate at least 2 hours. 

2. While the chicken marinates prep the yogurt dipping sauce by mixing all the ingredients together and set aside. 

3. Once chicken has marinated turn your broiler to high. Using metal skewers add a piece of marinated chicken, a piece of green bell pepper, another piece of chicken, and then a piece of red bell pepper. Continue this method until all the bell pepper and chicken pieces are skewered. Season with a sprinkle of salt and pepper over the skewers. 

4. Broil for about 5 minutes until the chicken and bell pepper start to darken or blister slightly getting nice char marks. Turn the skewers 180 degrees and cook on the other side for another 5 minutes. The goal is to get the chicken fully cooked but make sure the bell peppers don't turn into charcoal. 

5. While the skewers broil, make the rice by adding the saffron threads to the chicken stock in a sauce pan and let bloom for about 5 minutes until the chicken stock has a bit of red or yellow coloring from the saffron. Turn heat to medium high and bring the liquid to a boil. Add the rice and salt. Cover and reduce heat so rice is on a low simmer and cook for about 20 minutes or until all the liquid is absorbed. 

6. Allow the chicken skewers to rest for about 4 minutes before serving them over a bed of saffron rice and drizzling them with the yogurt dipping sauce. Enjoy!