Lime Fajitas

Lime Fajitas

Your shopping list

• 6 chicken breasts
• 2 large onions, peeled and sliced
• 1 red pepper, cut into strips
• 1 green pepper, cut into strips
• handful of mushrooms, halved (optional)
• 2 Tbsp olive oil

Marinade

• 4 limes, juiced
• 3 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1 tsp dried coriander

To serve (pick your favourites):

• tortillas
• guacamole
• salsa
• greek yogurt or sour cream
• spinach
• fresh coriander

What to do with it

1. Combine marinade ingredients in a large bowl or ziplock bag and add chicken
2. Seal and refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight.
3. Preheat oven to 400F.
4. Place chicken in a large roasting pan or dish and bake, covered for 20 minutes.
5. Uncover chicken and bake for an additional 10 minutes.
6. Sauté the oil and vegetables in a medium frying pan until they are soft and begin to brown.
7. Serve chicken and vegetables in warmed tortillas and top with guacamole, salsa and greek yogurt or sour cream.
8. Enjoy!

Soups on!

My bestie Ashley bought me an amazing cookbook for my birthday - nothing but soup. I was really excited to find a recipe to make and am so happy that I chose this one. With a few modifications, it turned out great. I'm sure the original recipe is delicious but I am not known for following recipes to a tee.
This is a perfect healthy dish for a cool night.

Creole Shrimp Soup with Quinoa

Inspired by Marian C. Hanna's recipe in The Soup Sisters and Broth Brothers Cookbook

Serves 6
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 1 hour 20 minutes

Your shopping list:

1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup quinoa flour
1 medium onion (yellow or white), finely chopped
1 cup diced celery
1 sweet pepper, diced (I used yellow)
1/2 cup green onions
4 cloves garlic, minced
zest and juice of half of a lemon
2 cups of water
28oz can of diced tomatoes, no salt added
4oz can of tomato sauce, no salt added
5.5oz can of tomato paste
2 tsp worchestershire sauce
1 tsp salt (to taste)
1 tsp ground pepper
1/2 tsp cayenne
2 bay leaves
1 lb raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 lb scallops (or add more shrimp)
a handful of chopped parsley for garnish
Optional - cooked quinoa or brown rice

What to do with it:

1. In a large pot, heat oil over medium-high heat until it's shimmering. 
2. Add flour and stir constantly until the roux is the colour of peanut butter.
3. Add yellow onions, celery and pepper to the pot and cook, stirring often, until the onions have softened.
4. Reduce heat to medium and add green onions and garlic. Cook, stirring often, until everything has softened (approx 15 minutes)
5. Add lemon rind and juice to the pot along with water, tomato ingredients, worchestershire sauce, and seasonings. Bring to a boil.
6. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 50 minutes (stir occasionally).
7. Remove bay leaves and add shrimp and scallops
8. Simmer, uncovered for about 10 minutes
9. Serve with cooked quinoa and a sprinkle of parsley!

A taste of thai

I've been somewhat restricted in what I can eat because my dentist wants me to eat "soft foods" to help with jaw issues. On Valentine's Day, Matt and I had a low-key evening and ordered thai. As always, I wanted Pad Thai, but was also tempted by a red curry dish. So, we ordered both! We both agreed that the curry was pretty much amazing. The vegetables were soft enough that I barely had to chew them, and the flavours were amazing. Now it's all that I want to eat!

Last night I came home from the gym and didn't think I had enough of the veggies called for to make the curry myself. I decided to substitute a few things and this is what I got:

Red Thai Curry Chicken & Vegetables

Your Shopping List:

1 Tbsp sesame oil
1/2 Tbsp grated ginger
2-3 garlic cloves, minced
1 lb chicken breast, cut into bite sized pieces
1 medium red pepper, chopped
1 small onion, diced
2 medium carrots, peeled and sliced 
1 medium zucchini
1 can coconut milk
1 Tbsp cornstarch
2 Tbsp red curry paste
1/3 tsp coriander
1 tsp fish sauce
pepper, to taste



What to do with it:

1. Heat sesame oil in a large deep pan or work over medium heat
2. Add garlic and ginger to the pan and stir for 30 seconds
3. Add chicken to the pan and fry, stirring often, for 3-5 minutes (or until chicken is cooked on the outside)
4. Mix in onion and cook for 2 minutes, stirring as needed
5. Add remaining veggies to the mixture and cook for 5 or so minutes
6. In a small bowl, mix together cornstarch, red curry paste and a bit of coconut milk
7. Mix in the cornstarch concoction and the remaining coconut milk to the pan
8. Add fish sauce, coriander and pepper
9. Stir well, and simmer for 5-10 minutes (if you want your veggies soft, cook for longer)
10. Ensure that the chicken is cooked before serving
11. Serve with jasmine rice or rice noodles
12. Enjoy!

Blast From My Past

I really, really, really love pasta.
I really, really, really love cooking.
I really, really, really hate doing dishes.

This recipe is perfect because it only incorporates two of those things: Pasta & Cooking.

This one-pot meal is great because you don't wind up doing dishes for meat, sauce and pasta. It's one of my favourite meals and reminds me of living at home when my step-mama was doing some of the cooking. I've taken the recipe and modified it to suit my taste buds & hatred of doing dishes.

"Blast From the Pasta"

Adapted from Crazy Plates Cookbook

Your Shopping List:

1lb or so of Extra-lean ground beef or turkey
1 medium green pepper, chopped
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1 tray of sliced mushrooms, or a handful that you will slice yourself
1 28oz can of diced tomatoes, no salt added
1 can cream of mushroom soup (look for some without MSG)*
1 can of tomato soup (no msg)
1/4 cup of milk*

1 tsp chili flakes

1/2 tsp paprika

3/4 tsp oregano

1/2 tsp chili powder2 handfuls of washed baby spinach
any other vegetables you like in pasta
3 cups of dry pasta such as penne or fusili

*if you don't have any cream of mushroom soup, you can use extra mushrooms, milk and a bit of plain yogurt or sour cream. The flavour isn't as rich, but it's still tasty!

What to do with it:

1. Cook the meat in a large non-stick pan over medium high heat (I use a deep lagostina pan that a lid)
2. When the meat is cooked through, add in the veggies and cook until they start to become tender - about 5 minutes
3. Add the canned tomatoes and soups; stir well
4. Add the remaining ingredients and bring to a boil
5. Lower heat to a simmer, and cook, lid on, for 30 minutes - stirring occasionally
6. Serve, allow to cool slightly, and enjoy!

One time I ate this and it was amazing.

I bought some thighs for a great price and was trying to find something new and exciting to do with them. I stumbled across an awesome recipe and decided to alter it to suit my taste buds! I served it with a heaping portion of spinach. 

Rosemary Sriracha Chicken Thighs

found here and altered 
Prep time: 5 minutes
Marinating time: at least 1 hour
Cook time: 45 minutes
Serves: 4 if you have side dishes as well

Your shopping list:

1/4 cup plain yogurt (or whatever you have left in a container)

2 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp lemon juice
2 tsp dried rosemary
3 Tbsp Sriracha
2 garlic cloves, minced
salt, to taste
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
8-10 small bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (or fewer if they're larger thighs), trimmed of excess fat

What to do with it:

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together yogurt, olive oil, lemon juice, rosemary, Sriracha, garlic, salt and pepper (if you want to save dishes and only have a bit of yogurt left in your container, you can mix all of these ingredients in the container itself)
2. Place chicken thighs in a large ziploc bag or bowl and add the marinade
3. Mix well to coat each piece and then refrigerate the chicken for at least an hour (I left mine in all afternoon)
4. When your hunger kicks in - preheat oven to 375F
5. Arrange chicken thighs in a single layer in a baking dish or broiler pan
6.  Bake 35 to 40 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through
7. Broil on high for 4 minutes, until skin is crispy and golden brown  (make sure your dish is "broil" safe)
8. Enjoy!

Fries that don't end up on your thighs

I love potatoes. I would eat them all every day if my diet would allow it. Unfortunately, they're not the healthiest side dish. Thankfully, I also love sweet potatoes! This is a recipe that my momma made for us pretty often back in the day and was the only way I enjoyed them until recently. It's a great way to spice up a meal and takes pretty much no time at all to make! I love the combination of sweet and spicy it creates.

"Spicy Yam Oven Fries"

inspired by my wonderful mom!

Your shopping list:

1 1/2 - 2 yams or sweet potatoes
2 Tbsp soy sauce (or use tamari like my mom does. It's the best option if you're gluten intolerant because there's less wheat)
1 1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp mustard powder
1/4 tsp garlic podwer
1 Tbsp olive oil

What to do with it:

1. Preheat oven to 400 F
2. Cut the yams/sweet potatoes into thirds, then slice like fries and place in a medium sized bowl
3. Whisk together the sauce ingredients in a small bowl, and then pour over the fries
4. Arrange the fries on a baking sheet, and bake for approx 10 minutes.
5. Enjoy!

Colder Times Call for Warmer Dinners

I hate fall.

Okay, I don't hate it. I just hate that idea that fall means that winter is coming. I know it's not as serious as it is in Game of Thrones, but it still sucks. I lost my love of winter when I stopped participating in any sort of winter sports. My goal for this year - ski at least once!

My new found love is my 6 qt slow cooker. When Matt and I first bought it last summer I started looking up recipes for delicious meals, but was disappointed to see that most of them weren't quite right for hot weather. I did find inspiration for the most amazing ribs in the world (recipe to come later) but overall, I gave up on slow cooking for the summer. Now that the weather has cooled down a great deal, I'm finally able to pull it out and try all sorts of recipes to warm us up.

I've made this two times and I've got to say - it's delicious. It's not the healthiest recipe because of the skin on the chicken, but it's all homemade which is saying something!

The Best Slow Cooker Chicken in the Whole Wide World

Inspired by Thekitchn.com's recipe

Prep time: 10-15 minutesCook time:  up to 8 hours 

Your shopping list:

Rub:
2 tsp paprika
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp garlic powder
Salt & pepper to taste

The original recipe called for 4 tsp of salt - the most I've used is about 1 tsp. I forgot to add it to the rub last time so I just added a few twists of my salt grinder on to each side and it turned out perfectly.

1 whole chicken - small enough to fit in your slow cooker on top of veggies, but big enough to fill you!
1 medium to large onion, chopped
4 medium potatoes, quartered (or as many as can fit in the slow cooker)
3-4 carrots, scrubbed, no need to peel, chopped in halves or thirds
4 celery stalks, washed, cut in thirds
2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced/pressed
1 lemon quartered

What to do with it:

1. Combine rub ingredients in a small bowl.
2. Arrange vegetables inside your slow cooker insert. Some potatoes may need to be shifted when you add the chicken.
3. Prepare chicken (remove from packaging, wash and pat try with paper towel).
4. Rub garlic all over outside of the chicken and then place it inside. 
5. Cover the chicken with the rub (inside and out).
6. Put the lemon chunks inside the chicken.
7. Place chicken breast-side down on top of the vegetables. Arrange potatoes as necessary.
   Options: Cover your insert and keep it in the fridge overnight to cook the following day or cook your chicken now:
   
8. Return insert to base, cover, and cook chicken on low for 8 hours (or less). Cook until the internal temperature of the leg is at 160 degrees F (or until it looks cooked, which it will!)

The original recipe now says to transfer the chicken to a glass baking dish and broil for 4-5 minutes to brown the chicken. I haven't done that since at this point I just want to eat!

If your chicken has cooked for the full 8 hours, you will barely need a knife to serve it. I use tongs to pick pieces directly from the slow cooker. 

Serve the chicken, potatoes, and carrots (I leave the celery in the slow cooker) with a mixed green salad (recipe to come).

Do not discard the bones or uneaten skin. Return all pieces to slow cooker (refrigerate overnight is necessary), add water to the brim and slow cook for another 8 hours to make great low-sodium broth.