Blackened Chicken

I've always wanted to make blackened chicken but didn't want to spend the money buying blackening spice. Luckily, I found out that you can make your own at home with very common spices. yay! I love always being able to learn new things about cooking.

Blackening spice works great on chicken and fish. You can also use this mix in small quantities to season other dishes like risotto or potatoes. I served my chicken with something creamy like mashed potatoes to help with the spice level of the chicken. If you want to make this dish extra special I suggest making a sreamy sauce that doesn't over power the rub on the chicken.

Ingredients:
Chicken Breasts
green onion

Blackening Spice Mix:
4 parts paprika
2 parts kosher salt
1 part white sugar
1 part garlic powder
1 part onion powder
1 part dried oregano
1 part cayenne pepper
1 part freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

1. Combine blackening spice ingredients and place in a container. Store any of the mix that you aren't intending to use immediately.

2. Lightly coat all of the chicken pieces in olive oil. Pour plenty of the spice mixture onto the chicken breasts and rub to make sure everything is coated well. You need a slightly thick coating to get the right amount of blackening on the chicken.

3. Warm a dry saute pan over a medium flame. Place chicken in pan and saute each side for about 3-4 minutes or until chicken is crusty and slightly blackened. You don't want to burn the spices on the chicken but they should darken.

4. Put a thermometer in teh thickest part of the chicken. Place the chicken in the saute pan into the oven. Cook at 350 until the chicken reaches 147.

5. Remove chicken from oven and put on a plate and cover with aluminum foil to rest for 5 minutes.

6. Once the chicken is rested, slice thinly and serve on top of mashed potatoes.

Asian Marinated Chicken

Since I've started working full time I've found that I have no time to cook! This dish was great because I could marinate it the night before and cook it up when I got home from work. This marinade gave the chicken a lot of flavor.

I've also learned how to cook chicken really well so that it stays moist. I sear both sides in a saute pan on the stove then I insert a thermometer into the thickest part of the meat and cook it in the oven at 350 until it reaches 147. With carry over temperature the chicken cooks to a safe 155. I've tried this method a few times now and I've found that it works great every time!

For the rest of the dish I just made some white rice and mixed it with some fresh green onions. You can then use these same ingredients to make a chicken fried rice the next night with left overs.

Asian Marinade
2/3 cup of low sodium soy sauce
1/4 cup of dark sesame oil
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
2 tbsp brown sugar
1-2 tsp hot chili sauce
1 tbsp minced peeled fresh ginger
4 cloves of garlic, minced
3 green onions, sliced (divided)

Directions:

1. combine all the marinade ingredients together in a plastic bag. Whisk well to combine everything. The night before cooking add chicken to the marinade. I stabbed the chicken breast a few times with a fork to try to get the marinade to penetrate completely.

2. Remove from the fridge when you are ready to cook. Let sit at room temp for 15-20 minutes. Cook chicken using any method you like or the method described above.

Oven Roasted Salmon and Potatoes

After a long day of work I was craving something that was easy to make and didn't need constant attention so I could get stuff done while it cooked in the oven. I was also in the mood for something healthy so I bought some salmon filets and potatoes. You could always add a nice side salad or some other roasted veggies. I love this oven method because after I was done eating, the only clean up I had to do was throwing away the foil on the baking sheets.

Ingredients: (per person)

1 6-8 oz Salmon Filet
1 yukon gold or white potato
lemon
shallot
olive oil
salt
pepper


Directions:

1. Pre heat oven to 350. Wash and peel potatoes. Cut into medium sized chunks and put on a foil lined baking sheet. Drizzle olive oil over them, sprinkle some salt and pepper and toss well with you hands so everything is evenly coated. Cover with another piece of aluminum foil (to help potatoes steam) and cook for about 45 minutes or until potatoes are fork tender. Make sure to stir occasionally so they don't get stuck to foil.

2. While potatoes are cooking, Slice up 1 lemon and 1 shallot into thin slices.

3. Take out salmon filets and clean them. Make sure there are no scales or pin bones.

4. Place Salmon on another foil lined sheet tray. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place some of the shallots over the fish. Top with 2 lemon slices per filet. Do this for each filet. Place any extra shallots on the sheet pan and drizzle with olive oil.

5. The salmon will take about 15 minutes to cook so time it right so the potatoes and salmon finish at the same time.

6. When everything is done to your liking, allow salmon to rest for 2-3 minutes. Then put a pile of potatoes on a plate and top with salmon filet. A nice garnish is some extra lemon wedges and some caramelized shallots.

Cheesy Mediterranean Orzo

This dish came about because now that I've started working full time I want quick dinners than can be used for lunch the next day. I wanted something that was creamy and cheesy but not too fatty. To keep it healthy I decided to flavor the pasta with a really bright tasting lemon vinagrette.

For the cheese you can use mozzarella or feta. The mozzarella melted really well into the orzo but feta would bring a nice saltiness. For veggies you can keep it simple with two like I did or you can use other veggies you would find in mediterranean dishes like tomatoes, olives, eggplant, etc.

Ingredients:

1/2 pound orzo pasta
Cubes of cheese, mozzarella or feta
1 small english cucumber, cut into small chunks
1/4 red onion, cut into chunks

For Vinagrette-

1 Lemon, juice and zest
1/4 c good olive oil
2 t salt
1 T pepper
grated garlic or red onion


Directions:

1. Boil a large pot of salted water. Once bubbling vigorously, drop the orzo and cook according to package directions (about 10 minutes).

2. While pasta is cooking combine all the ingredients for the vinagrette and shake or whisk to combine. Also cut up cucumber, red onion, and cheese plus any other items you want to add to the pasta dish.

3. Once pasta is cooked drain and place in a bowl. Immediately add vinagrette so warm pasta soaks up all the flavor.

4. Slightly cool orzo by letting it sit on the counter for 5 minutes. Then add cheese and mix well to combine.

5. Finally incorporate all the veggies and stir gently so you don't break them up.

6. Spoon onto a plate and for extra luxury, sprinkle some fresh parmesan cheese right on top. Enjoy!

Creamed Peas

My Dad requested meatloaf, mashed potatoes and one of his favorite side dishes, creamed peas. I wanted to update these a little bit but still keep them simple. I normally hate peas but when they were smothered with cream they tasted delicious! haha

Ingredients

1 lb bag frozen peas thawed
1 small shallot thinly slice
1 cup heavy cream
Salt and pepper
pat of butter

Directions:

1. Place thinly sliced shallot into a saute pan with some melted butter over medium low heat. Allow to cook until transclucent, stirring often so they don't fry or burn.

2. Once the shallot is cooked add the peas and a pinch of salt and pepper and saute for one minute until heated through.

3. Add cream and cook over low heat for 2 minutes. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Cook until the consistency is to your liking and then serve warm.

Pot Roast

I'm in the mood for something homey that I haven't made for a long time. I looked at my original pot roast recipes from a long time ago and I wanted to try to make it more sophisticated. This dish can be served with roasted veggies to be healthy but I love serving it with something creamy like mashed potatoes or polenta. I also like to serve something green and crispy with this dish since it can be quite rich. I used green beans but you could make a light salad or any other veggies of your choice.

Ingredients:

1 beef chuck roast (3 lbs)
1 onion, thinly sliced
2 carrots, roughly diced
2 ribs of celery, roughly diced
3 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed
1 14 oz. can of diced tomatoes
2 cups of red wine, I suggest burgundy
2-4 cups of beef stock
3 sprigs of fresh herbs like rosemary, thyme, sage etc.
salt and pepper
olive oil

Directions:

1. Season the roast all over with salt and pepper. In a large Dutch oven, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat. Add the roast and sear for 4 to 5 minutes, until nicely browned. Turn and sear the other side and then turn and sear the ends. This should take 4 to 5 minutes for each side. Remove the roast to a large plate.

2. Add the carrots, onions, and celery to the dutch oven and cook over medium heat for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until tender but not browned.

3. Add the wine and tomatoes and bring to a boil. Allow mixture to boil for a few minutes to concentrate the flavor. Add the beef stock and fresh herbs.

4. Put the roast back into the pot, bring to a boil, and cover. Reduce heat and allow to cook on the stove (or in the oven) over low heat for 2-3 hours or until meat is very tender.

5. Remove the roast to a cutting board once it is cooked. Skim off as much fat as possible from the sauce. Transfer half the sauce and vegetables to a blender or a food processor fitted with the steel blade and puree until smooth. Pour the puree back into the pot, place on the stovetop over low heat, and return the sauce to a simmer.

6. If you sauce isn't as thick as you'd like, place 2 tablespoons flour and 2 tbs butter in a small bowl and mash them together with a fork. Stir into the sauce and simmer for 2 minutes, stirring until thickened. Taste for seasonings.

7. Remove the strings from the roast, and slice the meat. Serve warm with the sauce spooned over it.

Sauerkraut

I made some schnitzel, cucumber salad, and potatoes for my Dad and he also requested this sauerkraut. I got this recipe from my grandma and it's super simple but takes about 2 hours to finish. The best part of this recipe is that it is better if you make it a day or 2 ahead.

Ingredients:

2 large 24 oz. glass jars of sauerkraut with white wine
1 onion, roughly diced
½ lb bacon, cut into lardons 
4 t sugar
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Sauté onions and bacon together in a large pot.

2. Add cans of kraut with juice. Cover everything with cold water and put lid on pan, allow to cook for 1 hour over medium low heat. Stir occasionally to prevent burning.

3. Drain the kraut but do not rinse. Add any pan drippings and sugar and taste for correct seasoning. Adjust salt and pepper as needed. Tastes better if allowed to marinate for a day and reheated later.