Moroccan Chicken and Lentils

I love lentils. My husband tolerates them. He loves Moroccan food. I tolerate it. But this recipe had both of us emptying our bowls and going back for more! (UPDATE: Also good chilled on a hot day!)

Lentils
5 cups water
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup dried lentils, rinsed
3-4 dried apricots, chopped

Combine water and salt in heavy large saucepan over high heat. Add lentils and apricots; bring to boil. Cover, reduce heat to medium, and simmer until lentils are tender, which will take about 20-30 minutes.

Dressing
1/6 cup tablespoons olive oil
2 Tbsp cup red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 garlic clove, minced

While the lentils are cooking, whisk olive oil, vinegar, cumin, chili powder and garlic in large measuring cup.

Chicken
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
1 large skinless boneless chicken breast, thinly sliced

Go ahead and start on the chicken while the lentils finish cooking. Heat olive oil in large skillet over high heat. Add onion; sauté until soft, about 5 minutes. Add chicken. Sauté until chicken is cooked through.

Once the lentils are tender, drain off liquid and pour the lentils over the chicken. Stir in the dressing. Simmer five minutes. Salt if needed.

Serve hot with toppings.

Toppings
1 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 large ripe tomato, chopped
lemon slices

Middle Eastern chicken salad

I have no idea if this is actually Middle Eastern, but with the yogurt, mint, cumin and parsley... sure tasted like it to me!

2-3 cups rotisserie chicken, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 pot plain yogurt
1 small tart apple, chopped
1/4 cup onion, finely chopped
1/2 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 small handful chopped mint
2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
1 tsp fresh lemon juice
salt to taste

Mix all ingredients in a large bowl. Let marinate 2-3 hours before serving.

You can serve it with crackers, as sandwich wraps in tortillas, in pita bread pockets, etc....

Broccoli & pasta alfredo

I like my pasta alfredo to be about half pasta, half vegetable - all lightly covered in sauce.

1/2 cup cooked chicken, chopped
1 small handful spaghetti noodles
3/4 cup light cream (15%)
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 Tbsp butter
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
1/2 tsp grated lemon zest
3-4 cups frozen broccoli florets
2 cloves garlic, crushed
Pinch nutmeg
Salt and pepper
1-2 tsp olive oil

Start boiling water for pasta.

Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken, broccoli, garlic. Cook until broccoli is super bright green. Remove from heat, cover and set aside.

Stir the cream and the lemon juice in a heavy pan to blend. Add the butter and cook over medium heat just until the butter melts, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat. Stir in Parmesan, lemon zest, nutmeg, salt, and pepper.

Cook the pasta in boiling water until tender, then drain. Pour the alfredo sauce over the pasta and toss. Stir in the chicken and broccoli... et voilà!

Fried rice with cilantro

Fried rice is a great comfort food, and the cilantro adds just enough pizazz to make it interesting.

1 Tbsp oil
2 eggs, beaten
1/3 cup frozen peas
1-2 carrots, peeled and chopped
1 leek, trimmed and sliced thinly
3 cups cooked, cooled basmati rice
1 Tbsp soy sauce
salt
pepper
1/2 cup cooked chicken, cut into small pieces (optional)
fresh cilantro, rinsed and chopped

Heat A couple drops of oil over medium heat in a wok or large non-stick frying pan. Add eggs, stirring to break up. When almost cooked (not too done!) remove from pan and set aside.

Use paper towels to wipe the pan clean and add remaining oil. Heat to high. When the oil is very hot, add the leeks, peas and carrots and fry until fragrant, about 15 seconds. Add in the rice and stir well to mix in the leeks throughout. Spread the rice all around the surface area and let the rice get really hot, untouched until you hear the bottoms of the grains sizzling. Use a spatula to toss the rice, again spreading the rice out over the surface. Drizzle the soy sauce on top and toss. Add the eggs and chicken, tossing to mix the rice evenly with all of the ingredients. Let everything heat back up again. Serve with soy sauce, cilantro, salt and pepper.

Lavash tostadas

This was the result of an attempt to clean out the fridge. I used lavash Armenian flatbread instead of tortillas - and we actually liked it better! (You can buy lavash at Bahadourian in Lyon.)

lavash bread, heated in a cast iron skillet until soft and browned
chicken breasts, sautéed and cut into bite-sized pieces
yellow squash, sautéed and cut into bite-sized pieces
refried beans (kidney beans, puréed and mixed with taco seasoning and a bit of lemon)
shredded Gouda or Colby Cheese
avocado, chopped
tomatoes, chopped
onions, chopped
crème fraîche or sour cream
cilantro, snipped
lime wedges

Baked HOT wings

I am so, so, so happy. That's happy three times over: 1) hot wings for the first time in 7 years, 2) baked, not fried, 3) they are HOT. I miss spicy food, and I had really missed wings. These are quick and easy, and they go great with Cheryl's blue cheese dressing

3 Tbsp butter, melted
5 Tbsp hot sauce (I found some at Bahadourian in Lyon)
1 Tbsp paprika
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cayenne
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper (or more!)

Clean chicken wings to make sure there are no stray feathers. Cut wings into portions through the joints, discarding wingtips.

Combine all the rest of the ingredients in a bowl, then pour into a large ziploc bag. Add wings and coat in mixture. Cover and refrigerate for 2-3 hours or overnight, stirring occasionally.

Cover a baking dish with aluminium foil. Spread wings over the foil, brush liberally with marinade. Roast for 30-35 minutes in 400° oven until golden brown. Turn the wings half way through the baking, basting again with marinade.

Marinated honey wings

We are now huge fans of this tasty recipe that can be prepared the day before.

1/4 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup honey
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1 clove garlic, crushed
1/2 tsp paprika
1 tsp lemon juice

Clean chicken wings to make sure there are no stray feathers. Cut wings into portions through the joints, discarding wingtips.

Combine all the rest of the ingredients in a bowl, then pour into a large ziploc bag. Add wings and coat in mixture. Cover and refrigerate for 2-3 hours or overnight, stirring occasionally.

Cover a baking dish with aluminium foil. Spread wings over the foil, brush liberally with marinade. Roast for 30-35 minutes in 400° oven until golden brown. Turn the wings half way through the baking, basting again with marinade.

Rosemary chicken and dumplings with vegetables

I was craving 'real food' and also vegetables. This took care of both cravings.

Chicken and broth
6 pieces chicken
1/2 tsp salt (more to taste)
2-3 carrots, sliced OR 1 lg sweet potato, cubed
1 onion, chopped
1 small green pepper, chopped
2 zucchini, quartered and sliced
1/2 cup cream
fresh rosemary sprigs
freshly ground black pepper

Roux
3 Tbsp butter
3 Tbsp flour

Dumplings
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 Tbsp butter, melted
1 cup milk
1/4 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary

First, make the chicken and broth. In a large pot, cover the chicken pieces with water. Add salt and rosemary and bring to a boil for 30 minutes.

Remove chicken and let cool a few minutes. While waiting, skim any foam off the top of the broth. When you can handle the chicken, remove meat from bone and cut it into bite-sized pieces. Add meat back to broth. Add vegetables and simmer over medium heat.

While the chicken and vegetable simmers, start the roux. Melt the butter over medium heat. Stir in flour. Let cook, stirring often, until the color of peanut butter. Should take about 15 minutes.

To make the dumplings, mix together flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Add chopped fresh rosemary. Add melted butter and milk to the dry ingredients. Gently mix with a spoon until mixture just comes together. Don't overmix!

Once the roux has darkened, carefully add 1/2 cup broth and stir to mix. Add another 1/2 cup and mix again. Once smooth, pour roux mixture into broth and stir well. Stir in cream.

Drop dumpling batter into the simmering stew by heaping teaspoonfuls, over the surface of the stew. Cover and simmer until dumplings are cooked through, about 15 minutes. Once you have covered the pan, do not uncover while the dumplings are cooking! In order for them to be light and fluffy, they must steam, not boil.

Serve hot in bowls with freshly ground pepper.

Sweet-n-sour chicken with nectarines and apricots

Another product of this year's amazing peach harvest.

2-3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 red pepper, cut into bite-sized pieces
2 carrots, thinly sliced
1-2 nectarines, sliced and cut into pieces
1-2 apricots, sliced and cut into pieces
1 Tbsp oil

Sweet and sour sauce
1/2 cup vinegar
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup orange juice
1/4 cup ketchup

sliced green onions

First, make the make sweet and sour sauce. In a large frying pan, mix vinegar, sugar, salt, orange juice and ketchup. Bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes or until it has evaporated to the consistency of maple syrup. Add fruit to the sauce and set aside.



Heat oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Cut chicken into bite-sized pieces. Cook in frying pan until no pink remains. Add red peppers, carrots and onions for three minutes. Add to sweet and sour sauce and heat.

Serve the chicken over hot white rice, with sweet and sour sauce pour over and then topped with green onions.

Paprika and peach pizza

This was the result of a craving for BBQ chicken pizza at a time that we had leftover paprika chicken fingers and some amazing peaches. The green onions came from the garden and add a nice fresh touch to the sweetness.

1 batch favorite pizza crust
5-6 paprika chicken fingers
1/3 cup tomato paste
3 Tbsp vinegar
3 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
dash hot sauce
mozzarella
1-2 peaches, sliced
green onions, chopped

Make pizza dough according to instructions thru to spreading out on pizza stone or baking tray.

Prepare sauce by mixing tomato paste, vinegar, sugar, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce and water. Spread sauce over dough.

Slice chicken fingers thinly. Place them on top of the sauce. Sprinkle with cheese, then top with peach slices.

Bake in preheated oven at 375° for 20-25 minutes or until browned and bubbly. Sprinkle with green onions before serving.

Chawarmas de Rodaïna

The other day I was craving the Lebanese chawarmas I grew up eating in West Africa. I got this recipe below from a childhood friend. this is as authentic as it gets! I've translated her recipe, and at the end of the post is the version I adapted from hers based on ingredients I had on hand.

Pour 1kg de viande de boeuf émincé:
2 tomates émincées
2 oignons émincés
1 filet de vinaigre de vin
1 filet d'huile végétale
2 cuil à café de 7 épices
du sel

Bien faire mariner la viande avec tous ces ingrédientspendant 1h avant de l'enfourner pendant 1/2 heure.

For 2.2 lbs of chopped beef:
2 chopped tomatoes
2 chopped onions
splash of red wine vinegar
splash vegetable oil
1 tsp 7 spice mix
salt

Marinate meat with the ingredients above for 1 hour before baking in the oven for 30 minutes.



Pour la sauce (le tarator):
2 cuil à soupe de Tahiné à diluer dans le jus d'1 gros citron et 1 grand verre d'eau
du sel
un peu de persil haché

For the sauce, called tarator:
2 tsp tahini diluted in the juice of a large lemon and 1 cup water. Salt to taste. Chopped parsley.


Adapted recipe



For the meat:
1 turkey leg, roasted and meat pulled off the bone
1 tsp spice mix (cloves, cinnamon, thym, black pepper and ginger)
1 tomato, sliced
1 onion, sliced
1 tsp red wine vinegar
1 Tbsp olive oil

Toss turkey with oil, vinegar and spices. Spread out on a baking sheet and layer onions and tomatoes on top. Bake at 350° for 20 minutes.


Crushing spices

Toppings:
1 tomato, chopped
1 onion, chopped
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
sliced cucumber (opt)
dill pickle (opt)
mint leaves (opt)



Tarator sauce:
1 Tbsp tahini
2-3 cloves crushed garlic
juice of 1/2 lemon
1/2 cup plain yogurt

Blend well.

Serve with fresh pita bread. Place turkey down the center, then add toppingss and tarator. Roll up like a burrito and go to town!

Sweet and sour chicken

2-3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 green pepper, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 red pepper, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 carrot, thinly sliced
1 large onion, sliced into 8-12 wedges
1 can pineapple chunks or rings, with juice
1 Tbsp oil

Sweet and sour sauce
1/2 cup vinegar
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup orange juice
1/4 cup pineapple juice from can
1/4 cup ketchup

First, make the make sweet and sour sauce. In a large frying pan, mix vinegar, sugar, salt, orange juice, pineapple juice and ketchup. Bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes or until it has evaporated to the consistency of maple syrup. Add pineapple chunks to the sauce and set aside.

Heat oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Cut chicken into bite-sized pieces. Cook in frying pan until no pink remains. Add green and red peppers, carrot and onions for three minutes. Add to sweet and sour sauce and heat.

Serve the chicken over hot white rice, with sweet and sour sauce pour over the top.

Buttermilk oven-fried chicken

I was looking for a recipe for oven-fried chicken that a) didn't have a crumb coating à la Shake-n-bake, b) wasn't a pain to make, c) taste like real fried chicken. Tada! This recipe from Cooking Light is it.

1 cup low-fat buttermilk
4 bone-in chicken breast halves or legs, skinned
1/3 cup flour
1/3 cup finely crushed crackers OR biscottes
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons butter

Preheat oven to 425°.

To prepare chicken, combine buttermilk and chicken in a shallow dish, turning to coat.

Combine flour and crushed biscottes in a shallow dish. Transfer chicken from buttermilk to a work surface. Sprinkle chicken evenly with 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper. Working with one chicken breast half at a time, dredge chicken in flour mixture, shaking off excess; set aside. Repeat procedure with remaining chicken and flour mixture.

Melt butter in a large ovenproof nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken to pan, meat side down; cook 4 minutes or until golden brown. Turn chicken over, and bake at 425° for 32 minutes or until a thermometer registers 165°.

Homemade chicken pot pie

1 cup cooked chicken, cut into bite-sized pieces
2 carrots, cut in half lengthwise then sliced thinly
1/2 cup celery, chopped
1/2 cup frozen peas, thawed
2 medium potatoes, cubed
2 sprigs fresh rosemary
1/4 tsp thym
1 tsp chicken bouillon
pepper
2 tsp butter
2 tsp flour
2 cups milk
1 prepared pastry crust

Place potatoes, carrots, rosemary, thym and bouillon in a saucepan and add enough water to barely cover them. Bring to a gently boil and cook until tender.

In a large frying pan, melt the butter over low heat. Stir in flour with a wire whisk. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly. Do not allow the mixture to brown. Gradually stir in milk, whisking constantly. Cook over low heat for 3-5 more minutes until sauce begins to thicken.

Once the sauce thickens (think gravy) stir in the chicken, potatoes, carrots and liquid from cooking. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Stir until mixed evenly.



Roll pastry crust out and place in a slightly undersized baking dish so that the edges stand above by about 1/2 inch. Pour filling into crust, then gently bring the edges in to wrap over filling a little.

Bake on 350° 25-35 minutes until browned and bubbly.

Gumbo with greens

Here's a new spin on Nana's gumbo: stir in 1/4 cup chopped spinach for a little leafy green nutritional boost.

Pasta alfredo

Tonight we decided to make alfredo sauce. (Good thinking on our part.) I didn't want the meal to be heavy, so we made small servings of pasta and added broccoli and red pepper as part of the base for the sauce. We made it with chicken, but you could easily do it without and still have a complete meal.

1-2 chicken breasts
1 1/2 cups vermicelli pasta (uncooked)
3/4 cup light cream (15%)
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 Tbsp butter
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
1/2 tsp grated lemon zest
1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
1 1/2 cup broccoli florets
2 cloves garlic, crushed
Pinch nutmeg
Salt and pepper
1-2 tsp olive oil

Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Cut chicken into small pieces and cook in skillet, stirring often. When chicken is almost done (white all over) add red pepper, broccoli florets and garlic. Keep stirring often and cook until peppers are soft and broccoli is bright green. Once done, remove from heat and cover to keep warm.



Start boiling water for pasta.

Stir the cream and the lemon juice in a heavy pan to blend. Add the butter and cook over medium heat just until the butter melts, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat. Stir in Parmesan, lemon zest, nutmeg, salt, and pepper.

Cook the pasta in boiling water until tender, then drain. Pour the alfredo sauce over the pasta and toss. Stir in the chicken and vegetables. Warm over low heat until the sauce thickens slightly, then serve immediately.

Grilled pineapple chicken kebabs

1 small can pineapple chunks
14/ cup soy sauce
1 Tbsp honey
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 onions
1 red pepper

Cut the chicken into small pieces about 1 inch each. In a bowl mix together 1/2 the juice from pineapple, soy sauce and honey. Stir to mix, then add the chicken. Cover and refrigerate at least 30 minutes - the longer the better.

Peel the onion and cut in half then in quarters. Separate the quarters to be abour 2-3 layers thick. Rinse the red pepper and remove stem and seeds. Cut into 1 onch pieces.

Once the chicken has marinaded, thread it onto skewers, mixing with the pineapple, red pepper and onion. Grill for about 10 minutes or until chicken is done.

**Don't overcook it! The marinade makes it very juicy, but overcooking will give you chicken jerky.

Lentil curry wraps

The base for this recipe came from the Extending the Table cookbook recipes for Dahl (India) and Curried Split Peas (Kenya). My original plan was to make two curries: chicken curry for dinner and lentil curry for lunches. But I decided to simplify things and make a double batch of lentil and chicken curry. It was gone in two days.

We ate it wrapped in pita bread and I put a little crème fraiche on mine. It could also be served over rice. Next time I think I’ll leave out the chicken. Too time consuming, especially when it’s just as good without it. Oh, and I would top it with some chopped tart apples. Yum.

1 Tbsp oil
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 Tbsp curry
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground ginger
1-2 tsp cinnamon
4-5 cloves
1 cup lentils and/or 1 cup diced, cooked chicken
1 Granny Smith apple (opt)
Crème fraiche or sour cream (opt)

In a large frying pan, heat oil over medium heat. Add onions and garlic. Cook, stirring often, until soft. Add spices and stir to coat. Cook until fragrant, just a minute or so. Pour in the lentils. Add enough water to cover. Cover and reduce heat to simmer. Cook until lentils are soft, about 20 to 40 minutes depending on your lentils. Stir occasionally, adding water if needed. Taste and add salt or more curry if needed.

Serve either over rice or wrapped in pita bread (Lebanese flat bread). Top with crème fraiche and freshly chopped apple.

Pair of roasted squab

Rinse the birds and pat dry. Rub generously with olive oil and crushed garlic. Sprinkle with rosemary, salt and pepper all over.

Place the chicken in a roasting pan, breast side up . Roast for about 45 mins at 375°, or until internal temperature reaches 175° and juices run clear.

- OR -

If you have a rotisserie in your oven, slide both birds onto the skewer , separating them with a small orange or lemon.. Cook using the oven's rotisserie settings until internal temperature reaches 175° and juices run clear. Place a pan filled with 1/2 cup water under the birds to catch the drippings.

Let the squab rest for 10 minutes before carving and serving.

Chicken and dumplings

4 chicken leg/thighs
2-3 carrots, sliced into rounds
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 bay leaf
1 tsp dried parsley
1 tsp black pepper
1 tbsp lemon juice
salt to taste

Dumplings

1 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup milk

Place the chicken in a large pot. Cover with water and bring to a boill. Add onion, celery, garlic, bay leaf, and parsley to the pot. Reduce the heat to low boil and cook the chicken, uncovered, for 20 minutes until chicken is cooked through.

Remove chicken from the pot and set it aside. Bring the broth to a boil and skim off any foam. If you want to remove all the vegetables, you can - I don't.

You want to use about 4-5 cups of broth. Add salt, pepper and lemon juice, and keep over medium heat while preparing the dumplings.

Combine the flour, baking powder, salt, and milk in a bowl. Stir well to muix. Spoon out dumplings and drop into simmering broth. I use a tablespoon apiled high. The dumplings will swell and then slowly shrink as they dissolve and thicken the gravy. Simmer for 10-15 minutes, stirring often.

Once the chicken is cool enough to handle, remove skin. Peel chicken from bones and cut into bite-sized pieces. Drop them into gravy and dumplings. Simmer for another 5-10 minutes, then serve with more pepper on top.