Thursday, April 12, 2012

Bourbon Glazed Chicken - (TGIF)


Bourbon glazed chicken is one of my favorite restaurant picks. The sauce is quite versatile, and can be used on chicken, fish, pork, or right off the spoon J. It’s a perfect go to meal when you are short on time and everyone is hungry and if you already have bourbon on hand then the rest of the ingredients should already be in pantry.

From stove to table should be about 30 minutes. I think the decision between roasting, grilling or pan-frying my chicken took longer than the actual cooking.

Hope you enjoy




For Bourbon Glaze
¼ cup bourbon
¼ cup brown sugar
3 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon sweet chili pepper sauce



Preparing Glaze:
  1. Whisk together bourbon, soy sauce, sugar in a small saucepan until mixed well.
  2. Add in garlic, mustard, and sweet chili pepper sauce
  3. Bring mixture to a boil over medium heat and allow it to come to a boil.
  4. Reduce to a simmer and let simmer for 10-12 minutes, or until mixture reduces by about half.
  5. Set aside and let sit at room temperature while you prepare the chicken. The glaze will thicken a bit at this time.

Preparing Chicken
  1. In a small bowl, combine salt, pepper, paprika, onion and garlic powder.
  2. Heat a skillet over medium-high heat and add olive oil.
  3. Sprinkle chicken breasts on both sides with seasoning mixture.
  4. Add chicken to hot skillet, and cook until juices run clear or golden brown (3-4minutes) , then flip and repeat on the other side.
  5. After all the chicken pieces have been flipped at least once, using a basting brush, begin brushing the bourbon glaze generously onto the chicken pieces.
  6. Cover and let cook another 4 minutes.
  7. When chicken is finished cooking, remove from heat and serve
  8. Serve with additional glaze for topping (optional)
Chicken
4 Boneless Chicken Breast
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon black pepper
teaspoon salt 
1  teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon onion powder
3 tablespoon olive oil
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Wednesday, April 11, 2012

Cajun Rice (Dirty Rice)


My all time favorite Cajun dish is Dirty Rice (aka) Cajun Rice, a tradition Cajun dish made from white rice cooked with ground beef.  I love the idea of adding cooked chicken liver pieces to the rice to give it that rich brown color, its completely optional of course and can be substituted with soy sauce, to get same effect.

Dirty rice is most common in the Cajun regions of southern Louisiana and Mississippi; however, it can also be found in other areas of the American South. In some southern regions, it is also called rice dressing. It is often served as a side dish with salmon.

But in my case, forget about adding anything other than buttermilk biscuits to the side of this dish, because it’s a meal on its own.



Ingredients:


1 lb Ground beef
1/2 pound chicken livers
3 tablespoon butter
1/2 cup chopped onions
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
1/2 cup chopped green onions
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoon garlic powder
2 teaspoon black pepper
2 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)  
3 tablespoon Cajun seasoning
2 cups long-grain rice (cooked)



Directions:

  1. In a small skillet; brown beef, making sure it’s not lumpy. After beef is browned, drain and remove from pot and set aside
  2. In same skillet add 3 tablespoon of butter and chicken liver, let cook on both side for 5 minutes total, then remove from heat and grind or mince with a masher or slotted spoon. (Remove any lumps that’s wasn’t mashed or minced)
  3. Return cooked beef to pot & mix in with chicken liver, add salt, pepper, garlic powder, paprika, cayenne pepper and Cajun seasoning, cover and let cook for 8 minutes, stirring constantly to incorporate the seasoning with the meat.
  4. Lower heat and chopped onion, green onion, peppers and celery, stir and cover and let cook for a few minutes just enough for them to be tender.
Now its time to add the cooked rice
  1. Add half the cooked rice & stir, being sure to combine well, it should begin to change to a darker (dirty) color.
  2. Add the additional rice one spoonful at a time until the overall mixture is solid, but not dry.







  3. Keep stirring until everything is incorporated.

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Tuesday, April 10, 2012

Jalapeno Poppers




In theory jalapeno poppers sound pretty easy; just stuff some pepper with cheese, bread and fry them. But I’ve eaten my share of bad jalapeno poppers, e.g.; too greasy, barely cooked or too bland.

Recently I was asked to make a dish for a party, and since its football season, I figured what the heck …I'mma bring the heat by making up a batch of jalapeno poppers.

Not only was everyone impressed that I took the time to make these but they were so good they disappeared before anything else on the food table was touched.

Was I beaming with Awesome-ness?  OFCOURSEJ, now its time to make some more.

They cook great from frozen, so make enough and pop the extras back into the freezer for the next time you have a taste for some jalapeno poppers




 Yield: 32 servings

 Ingredients
12 ounces cream cheese, softened
½ (8 ounce) package shredded Cheddar cheese
½ (8 ounce) Monterrey jack cheese
2 tablespoon bacon bits
12 ounces jalapeno peppers, seeded and halved
1 cup milk
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup seasoned dry bread crumbs
2 quarts oil for frying

*Be sure to wear rubber gloves while seeding the jalapenos

Directions:
Wash, pat dry & cut jalapenos in half and remove seeds
Filling:
In a medium bowl, combine the cream cheese, cheddar, monterrey jack cheese and bacon bits.
Spoon this mixture into the jalapeno pepper halves.

Batter:
Put the milk and flour into two separate small bowls.
Dip the stuffed jalapenos first into the milk then into the flour, making sure they are well coated with each.
Allow the coated jalapenos to dry for about 10 minutes.
Dip the jalapenos in milk again and roll them through the breadcrumbs. Allow them to dry, then repeat to ensure the entire surface of the jalapeno is coated.

Frying:
In a medium skillet, heat the oil to 365 degrees F (180 degrees C).
Deep fry the coated jalapenos 2 to 3 minutes each, until golden brown.
Remove and let drain on a paper towel.
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Monday, April 9, 2012

Curry Lentils



Lentils typically have a very mild flavor, and if not cooked properly they can be fairly bland or mushy.
But don’t let that scare you from trying them, because there are many advantages to this little bean;  they are budget friendly, they cook up in about half hour, much less than the typical pinto, red or navy  bean. They go perfect with any vegetable and only take a few ingredients to make it a superb meal, not to mention they are packed with health benefits for the heart, adrenal system and the kidneys.

So the next time you are about to pass them over in grocery aisle, pick up some curry paste & coconut milk and take your palette on an adventure.

 
8 servings

 Ingredients

2 cups lentils
1 large onion, diced
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 tablespoons curry paste
2 tablespoon curry powder
½ cup coconut milk
¼ teaspoon tumeric
2 teaspoon ground cumin
2 teaspoon coriander
2 teaspoon salt
1 clove minced garlic
1 teaspoon ginger root, minced
1 (14.25 ounce) can fire roasted tomato


Note: DO NOT ADD SALT to lentils while boiling, somehow it causes the skin to be tough and takes alittle longer cooking time, add the salt after its cooked

Directions
  1. Wash the lentils in cold water until the water runs clear, put the lentils in a pot with water to cover and simmer covered until lentils tender (add more water if necessary). about 20 minutes
  2. While the lentils are cooking: In a large skillet or saucepan, caramelize the onions in vegetable oil.
  3. While the onions are cooking, add the curry paste, curry powder, turmeric, coriander, cumin, salt, garlic, and ginger, Mix well.
  4. Stir in the coconut milk and tomatoes and reduce heat, allow the curry base to simmer until the lentils are ready.
  5. When the lentils are tender drain them briefly and add to curry base mixture.
  6. Cover and let simmer for 8-10 minutes, remove from heat and serve immediately.

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