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Category Archives: Chicken

Sheet Pan Roasted Chicken with Vegetables Recipe

02 Saturday Dec 2017

Posted by in Chicken, Dinner, quick and easy, Recipe, recipe development, Uncategorized

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Having spent a lot of time in the kitchens, both for work and personal reasons (a girl has got to eat), it’s only natural I have favorites tools and gadgets and oxo happens to be one the brands I’ve loved for years. I was happy to receive a box of oxo tools to help me in executing this flavorful, sheet pan supper with chicken and vegetables.

Pan sheet roasted chicken

In the box, I found the following:

Chef’s Precision Digital Instant Read Thermometer: The Instant Read Thermometer provides quick, accurate measurements for cooked meat. The pivoting head allows reading temperature from any angle.

Silicone Roasting Rack: elevates food above fat and liquid for healthier cooking and allows air to circulate around food for faster, more even roasting.

Flavor Injector: inject marinades and other flavorings into meat for delicious flavor and juiciness. Two needles for thick and thin marinades store inside injector tube when not in use.

Good Gravy Fat Separator: Easily separates the fat for healthier gravies, soups and sauces
Non-Stick Pro Half Sheet Jelly Roll Pan: Square-rolled edges add reinforcement for structure, strength and durability

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Time to get to work and prepare a meal for your family, or perfect for packed lunches for a week.

Sheet Pan Roasted Chicken with Vegetables

Marinate:
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 garlic cloves, grated
1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme leaves
1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Chicken and Vegetables:
1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, trimmed
4 carrots, peeled and cut into bite-size pieces
2 parsnips, peeled and cut into bite-size pieces
1 red onion, cut into bite-size pieces
1 pound Brussels sprouts, halved (or whole if small)

1. Preheat oven to 450 F.

2. White together marinate ingredients and pour half into the flavor injector. Gently insert the injector into each chicken thigh and slowly inject with marinate. Transfer chicken thighs on top of the silicone roasting racks set inside the baking sheet pan.

3. Use the remaining marinate to toss with vegetables and spread in a single layer around the roasting racks. Roast in the oven for 30-35 minutes, turning vegetables halfway through, until caramelized and until the chicken registers 165 F on the instant-read thermometer.

Time to eat!

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Thank you, oxo for letting me play with your tools in my kitchen!cipe

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Chicken Salad with Grapes & Apples

07 Wednesday Sep 2016

Posted by in Chicken, Lunch, Recipe, Salad, Uncategorized, whole30

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Sweet, savory, and fruity, this chicken salad has a little bit of everything. Try the salad over mixed greens, serve it with cucumber slices, or try it stuffed into a tomato or avocado. This makes a big batch, perfect to have on hand for leftovers and packed lunches.

Chicken Salad with Grapes & Apples

Ingredients

2 roasted chicken breasts, diced
1 cup green grapes, sliced
1 red apple, diced
2 stalks of celery, minced
1/4 cup chopped basil
1/4-1/3 cup Homemade Garlic Aioli
salt to taste
Garnish: chopped toasted walnuts

Directions

1. Combine all ingredients and season with salt to taste.

2. Garnish with chopped walnuts.

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Happy Eating!

Quinoa, Chicken, and Kale Salad Recipe

06 Saturday Aug 2016

Posted by in Chicken, Gluten Free, Lunch, Quinoa, Recipe, Salad, Uncategorized

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Find out how to make one salad that will be your lunch for the entire week. No more sad desk lunches! This vibrant quinoa salad with rotisserie chicken and abundance of vegetables is going to get your through the work day keeping your stomach happy and satisfied.

I’ve been making salads like this one for the last couple of weeks. I prep the whole batch on a Sunday night and divide it up among 5 containers. Then each morning, I pop one of the containers out of the fridge, chop up some tomatoes and fresh basil from my garden, and head to work, counting down the hours until it’s lunchtime.

Quioa, Chicken, and Vegetables Salad Recipe

Quinoa, Chicken, and Kale Salad

Ingredients

1 cup quinoa
8 ounces Lacinato kale, chopped
2 rotisserie chicken breast halves, diced
2 bell peppers, seeded and diced
4-6 rainbow carrots, peeled and chopped
1 English cucumber, diced
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 teaspoons salt

Daily add ins: chopped tomatoes, basil, avocado

Directions

1. Add quinoa and 2 cups of water into a saucepan over medium-high heat. Add a pinch of salt and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer, cover the saucepan and cook until quinoa is tender and all the water is fully absorbed, 15-18 minutes. I’m a fan of using red quinoa, but any variety will work here.

2. Cool quinoa lightly and mix with kale. This wilts and softens kale just the right amount without cooking it or leaving it entirely raw.

3. Add the rest of the ingredients. To be honest, I rarely make formal dressings. Instead, I drizzle olive oil and lemon juice over the salad, add salt, and gently toss it together to incorporate. Be sure to taste. Add more lemon juice (sometimes I use rice vinegar) or salt, as needed.

4. Divide the salad among lunch containers and refrigerate. In the morning, add chopped tomatoes, diced avocado, and basil to the day’s lunch portion and head out to work.

As the salad hangs out in the refrigerator, the texture changes, but the ingredients never become soggy or inedible. Instead, cucumbers turn almost slightly marinated, while the kale softens further, and quinoa plumps up as it absorbs the dressing.

So, you guys! Make this salad and don’t have another sad lunch desk ever!

Brine Your Chickens!

20 Thursday Feb 2014

Posted by in Allrecipes.com, Chicken, Cooking, Recipe, Video

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I have a confession to make.  Yesterday I made my first brined chicken.  For someone who has been cooking for quite some time, it’s honestly shameful.  Why have I roasted whole chickens without brining them first in all the previous years?  This overnight brined chicken was ridiculously juicy, tender, and flavorful.

Roasted Chicken Brine Recipe

I got to test the brining method on the set of Allrecipes.com video studio, using the Simple Chicken Brine recipe.  The recipe was indeed, simple.  A mix of water, salt, sugar, soy sauce and olive oil.  I resisted adjusting the recipe by adding extra seasonings and herbs, but will experiment the next time I decide to brine.

The whole chicken bathed in the brine overnight, then got rinsed and patted dry.  I stuffed it with lemon, fresh thyme, onion and celery before getting it into a hot oven, seated on a bed of more onion and celery.

Roast the chicken in a 400 degrees F oven for about an hour – depending on the size.  Make sure the internal temperature registers at 165 degrees F.  Allow the bird to rest, loosely covered with foil, to keep warm, before carving.  One of the benefits of brining, is even a bird that might be slightly overcooked, will still be juicy.

If every chicken I ate came out looking so beautiful and delicious, I’d be a happy girl!

Keep an eye out for a video to show you how we made the brine.

Would love to hear your experience in brining – do you have a favorite recipe to share?

Back to Snacking in the Kitchen

Thanksgiving Turducken – Turkey, Duck and Chicken in one Video Recipe

21 Thursday Nov 2013

Posted by in Allrecipes.com, Chicken, Holidays, Thanksgiving

≈ 1 Comment

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Turducken Recipe Video ~ Happy Thanksgiving!
As a Food Stylist and Editor at allrecipes.com I get many unique opportunities to work on projects I would not tackle in my own kitchen.  Sure, there are a share of casseroles, slow cooker mashed potatoes, and dips.  But then, there’s is also TURDUCKEN!!! The infamous Thanksgiving delicacy that combines turkey, duck, and chicken!  Have you had a chance to prepare or taste this?

With the help of Bill the Butcher, we received all three birds, artfully prepared (boned and properly fabricated) and ready to be layered.  That’s right, rather than stuffing the birds one inside the other, they are layered on top of one another with delicious stuffing in between.  We, of course, used the allrecipes.com recipe for Sausage and Oyster Stuffing (feel free to use your favorite recipe).

Turducken Recipe Video ~ Happy Thanksgiving!

When it comes to preparing the turducken, I would recommend having more than one set of hands and lots of patience.  No squeemish folk here!  The birds don’t look the most attractive, but trust me when I say – the effort is well worth it!

Turducken Recipe Video ~ Happy Thanksgiving!

Another suggestion – remove the skin from the duck and the chicken – you can easily do it yourself or ask your friendly butcher for help.  You ready for your own turducken?  Check out this video we made with allrecipes.com!

Video time!

Happy Thanksgiving from Snacking in the Kitchen!

How to Make Chicken Stock – Basic, Easy Recipe for Success

25 Friday Jan 2013

Posted by in Chicken, Cooking, Recipe, Soup

≈ 4 Comments

The secret is out! You can make chicken stock in your own kitchen.  So unless you are in a hurry, leave the packaged stock at the supermarket and instead, pick up a chicken, a few carrots, onion, celery and parsley. That’s pretty much all that you need to make a flavorful, base chicken stock.

If you can spare a few extra dollars, purchase an organic chicken, you really would be able to taste the difference.

Choose a chicken that weighs about 4 pounds.

Place the chicken in a large soup pot.

Add 1 large onion, quartered; 3 large carrots, halved; 2 celery stalks, halved; bunch of parsley stems; 4 garlic cloves, crushed and 6-10 whole black pepper corns.

Cover the ingredients with cold water and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.

Next, turn the heat to medium low and simmer the stock for 2-3 hours, skimming occasionally.

It’s best to let the stock cool and refrigerate over night.  The next day, remove the fat from the top and strain the broth, if desired.

I personally use the chicken and the vegetables to make soup.  Remove the chicken skin and bones and shred or dice the meat and cut up the vegetables.  What’s next is up to you!

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Chicken 101: Roasted Lemon Butter Garlic Chicken

27 Thursday Sep 2012

Posted by in Chicken, Cooking, Dinner, Recipe

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Kiss your dry chicken good bye and send it away flying.  There’s a new bird in town, this crisp, succulent and juicy Roasted Lemon Butter Garlic Chicken.  Intrigued?  The chicken is flavored with compound butter under the skin, stuffed with lemon and onion and left to hang out in the fridge for several hours or overnight to crisp up the skin.

Then the bird is off to a hot oven, lazily resting on long, unpeeled carrots, that provide the space for the heat to circulate and at the same time soak in the chicken juices and turn into delectable orange flavor vehicles.  Baste the chicken every so often and salt the skin only at the last moment – that way it really truly stays crisp.

Ready to roast?

Roasted Lemon Butter Garlic Chicken

Ingredients

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 lemon, zested and juiced
6 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 chicken
1 onion, peeled and quartered
4-6 carrots

Directions

1.  Mash together butter, lemon zest, lemon juice, garlic, salt, paprika and pepper until smooth.

2.  Loosen the skin of the chicken and gently stuff and massage the compound butter under the skin.

3.  Stuff the chicken cavity with lemon and onion.  Let the chicken hang out and dry in the refrigerator uncovered for a few hours or overnight.

4.  Preheat oven to 425 degrees and take out the chicken to bring it to room temperature.  Rest the chicken on top of carrots in a shallow baking dish.

5.  Roast the chicken in the oven, breast side up for 60-90 minutes, depending on the size of the bird.  Baste the chicken every 20 minutes with the juices and butter that will collect on the bottom of the baking dish.  If the chicken gets a bit too dark, cover it loosely with foil.  Season the chicken outside with extra salt and pepper in the last 20 minutes of roasting.

The chicken is done when its juices run clear, the flesh is no longer pink inside, and most importantly, the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees.

Allow the chicken to sit for about 15 minutes before carving.  Save the carcass and a little bit of meat to make chicken stock or chicken soup.

And you thought roasting a chicken would be complicated.  Enjoy!

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Chicken Curry Salad with Bananas and Almonds

31 Tuesday Jul 2012

Posted by in Bananas, Chicken, Cooking, Lunch, Recipe, Salad

≈ 1 Comment

There is a banana in my chicken salad! And it didn’t get there by mistake.  Say what?  I was thinking of a way to incorporate bananas into a savory dish and was inspired by the recipe from Dole.  Taking the basic ingredients: chicken, curry, and of course, bananas, I created my own version of Chicken Curry Salad with Bananas and Almonds. 

To be truthful, I didn’t know what to expect, but I was thrilled with the results and happily ate leftovers the next day.


Chicken Curry Salad with Bananas and Almonds

Ingredients

2 cooked chicken breast halves, diced
1 stalk celery, peeled and finely diced
1/4 cup diced onion
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1 jalapeno, seeded and finely diced
1 banana, diced
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon lime juice
1/2 – 1 teaspoon curry powder
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup toasted slivered almonds
1/4 cup chopped cilantro

Directions

1. Combine chicken, celery, onion, cranberries and jalapeno in a mixing bowl.

2.  Fold in banana, mayonnaise, lime juice and curry powder. Stir gently and season with salt and pepper.

3.  Refrigerate the salad for at least an hour before serving.

4.  Fold in almonds and cilantro and serve!

You just might be blown away!  The bananas added a nice creaminess to the salad, allowing me to use less mayonnaise.  For even a healthier version, I bet you could leave the mayonnaise altogether and not miss it a bit.

Serve the salad with crackers or on a bed of mixed greens.

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Easy Chicken, Kale and Bell Pepper Frittata Recipe

17 Tuesday Jul 2012

Posted by in Breakfast, Brunch, Chicken, Eggs, Recipe

≈ 1 Comment

Let’s face it – I haven’t been to the grocery store in longer than I would like to admit, but when it comes to making breakfast, I couldn’t present the lack of groceries as an excuse not to cook.  So I turned the contents of my fridge, saving an ingredient or two in the process, into this Easy Chicken, Kale and Bell Pepper Frittata. 

I used leftovers of rotisserie chicken, a cut up bell pepper, and kale, that would’ve completely wilted the next day.  Be sure to scroll down to see my hint for “flipping” frittata to ensure it cooks evenly on both sides.


Easy Chicken, Kale and Bell Pepper Frittata

Ingredients

2 teaspoons olive oil
1 cup chopped rotisserie chicken
1/2 yellow bell pepper, diced
1 shallot, diced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1-2 cups kale leaves, torn
salt and pepper to taste
4 large eggs, beaten

Optional: sour cream, salsa, fresh basil

Directions

1.  Heat olive oil in a large nonstick pan over medium heat.

2.  Add chicken, bell pepper, shallot and garlic.  Saute for 5-7 minutes until pepper and shallot become tender.  Add kale and saute for another 2 minutes, or until it wilts slightly.  Season with salt and pepper to taste

3.  Pour in beaten eggs, and lower the heat.  Cook the eggs gently, until they set on the bottom.  Use a heatproof spatula to gently push uncooked eggs to the bottom of the pan. 

4.  Place a plate over the skillet, and flip the frittata onto a plate.  Gently transfer frittata back to the skillet and cook on the other side for a few minutes.

5.  Flip frittata again, slice into wedges and serve with sour cream, salsa, and basil.

And here you have it – easy, chicken frittata recipe with kale and bell peppers – healthy, quick, and cleans up your refrigerator too!

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Girl Scout Samoas Chicken Tenders and Noodle Salad Recipe Contest

20 Monday Feb 2012

Posted by in Chicken, Lunch, Nuts, Pasta, Recipe, recipe development

≈ 6 Comments


Update:  This recipe has been selected as Top Five! Please, if you like it, vote for the recipe to make it a winner by clicking on this link.  Thank you!


I am not a Girl Scout, but I have eaten plenty of Girl Scout cookies.  When I got a chance to participate in the Girl Scouts of Western Washington Cookie Recipe Contest, I jumped right in.  I picked up 5 boxes of cookies, a combination of Samoas, Thin Mints, and Trefoils and headed back to my kitchen.  I won’t lie, I opened up a box of Thin Mints and ate a few right away, just to get the creative juices flowing.  Creating a recipe with the cookies was going to be a challenge.  I wanted the cookie to stand out and be an integral part of the recipe.  At the end, I chose Samoas – “Tender vanilla cookies, covered with caramel, rolled in toasted coconut, and striped with a rich, chocolatey coating.“

Instead of creating a dessert recipe, I chose to go in a savory direction.  I crushed the cookies in a food processor and used them in combination with Panko crumbs, almonds, and Szechuan and Cayenne peppers as a coating for chicken tenders.  And because you can never have enough cookies, I added extra Samoas to the rice noodle salad.  


Girl Scout Samoas Chicken Tenders and Noodle Salad

Ingredients


For the Chicken
8 Samoas
1/4 cup almonds
1/2 cup Panko bread crumbs
1 teaspoon ground Szechuan pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground Cayenne pepper
pinch of salt
1/3 cup spicy brown mustard
1 pound chicken tenderloins

For the Dressing
2 tablespoons orange juice
1 tablespoon lime juice
1 tablespoon spicy brown mustard
1 Serrano chile, seeded and minced
pinch of salt
2 tablespoons vegetable oil

For the Salad
8 ounces rice stick noodles
1 cup red bell pepper, julienned
1 cup jicama, julienned
1 orange, cut into segments
1/2 cup cilantro, roughly chopped
2 tablespoons mint, roughly chopped
2 Samoas, roughly chopped
2 tablespoons toasted almonds, roughly chopped

Directions


1.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil; set a cooling rack on top of the baking sheet.

2.  Pulse Samoas and almonds in a food processor (separately), until coarsely ground.  Combine Samoas, almonds, bread crumbs, pepper and salt in a bowl.  This is the coating for the chicken tenders.

3.  Brush chicken tenders with spicy brown mustard.  Press the tenders into the Samoas coating and place on top of a cooling rack.

4.  Bake the chicken tenders for 30 minutes, flipping half way through.

 5.  While the chicken tenders are baking, cook the rice noodles according to the package directions.

6.  In a large bowl, whisk together the dressing ingredients.  Once cooked, rinsed, and drained, add the noodles to the dressing and toss to combine.

7.  Add the remaining salad ingredients to the noodles.

 8.  Serve the Samoas chicken tenders on top of the salad.

When it comes to developing a recipe, you can never know exactly how it will turn out until you eat it.  I can’t tell you how many people warned me that chicken and Samoas would be a weird combination.  Eat your words!  🙂  This salad came together like a happy troop of Girls Scouts.  Spicy and sweet at the same time, this is a healthy and fun way to enjoy Samoas for lunch.  And go ahead, have a few extra for dessert!

What is your favorite Girls Scout cookie?

Please vote for the recipe is you liked it!  Thank you!

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One Pot Wonder: Chicken and Rice With Green Olives and Tomatoes

30 Monday Jan 2012

Posted by in Chicken, Cooking, Dinner, Recipe, Rice, Spanish

≈ 8 Comments

When you are your own dishwasher, every dirty plate, skillet and kitchen utensil can set you off (at least that’s my experience).  There are times when I feel that I spend more energy and minutes rinsing, soaping, rinsing and drying than I do cooking.  For those times, there is a miracle solution – one pot meal wonders.  And this is exactly it!  One pot Chicken & Rice with Green Olives and Tomatoes.

Chicken and Rice With Green Olives and Tomatoes


Ingredients

2 teaspoons oil
1 medium sweet onion, peeled and diced
1 poblano pepper, seeded and diced
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 chicken breast, skinless and boneless, diced
1 cup Jasmine rice
2 cups liquid (chicken stock, vegetable broth, or water), at hot temperature
2 tomatoes, diced
1/2 cup green olives, sliced
Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions

1.  Heat oil in a large fryer pan, or a wide pot over medium heat.  Add onion, pepper, and garlic.  Saute for 5-7 minutes.

2.  Add chicken and continue to cook until the chicken is evenly browned.

3.  Add rice and cook for a few more minutes to coat the rice in oil

4.  Add liquid to the chicken and rice, bring to a boil.  Lower the heat, cover the pot with a lid and simmer for 15-20 minutes, until the liquid has completely evaporated and the rice is tender.

5.  Fluff the rice and chicken with a fork, and stir in tomatoes and olives.

6.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Now you eat!  When finished, all you have to do is wash one pan, a cutting board, a knife and a mixing spoon.  How easy is that?

If you have your own favorite version of one pot meal wonder, please share.

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Chick, Chick, Chick, Chicken! Foster Farms Fresh Chicken Cooking Contest

12 Friday Aug 2011

Posted by in Chicken, Food Competition, Seattle

≈ 1 Comment

I’ve seen my share of food competitions, and years ago, went as far as sending my application to the Next Food Network Star show.  I didn’t get selected, and found out, that according to my mom, I just don’t have the personality to be on TV, but that’s another story.

With my hopes and dreams of being on the show fading away, I have instead been picturing myself as a judge on one of the food shows, and one day, hope to get a chance to sit there, hopefully on a pedestal of sorts, and rate contestants’ food.  Slowly, and carefully, inspecting bites of their culinary creations with a fork and a knife, swirling the food dramatically in my mouth, and making undiscerning sounds. 

For now though, I am happy and honored to attend the Foster Farms Fresh Chicken Cooking Contest held today in Seattle, WA at Kathy Casey Studio.  I’m excited to see many of my fellow food bloggers, and especially Jamie Peha (one of the judges!) from Table Talk Radio That Tastes Good who graciously invited me to the event – thank you!

Let the chicken cooking begin!  Good luck to the 5 Washington semifinalists, 2 of which will be moving to the finals held at the Culinary Institute of America at Greystone.  “The winner of the contest will be awarded $10,000 and a one-year supply of Foster Farms fresh chicken.”  – That’s a lot of chicken!

Here’s one of my personal favorite chicken recipes – Roasted Chicken Breast with Lemon and Thyme.

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Summer Tuscan Soup Recipe – Stone Soup Kitchen at Carnations Farmers Market

10 Wednesday Aug 2011

Posted by in Bacon, Chicken, Cooking, Farmers Market, Recipe, Soup, Vegetables

≈ 2 Comments

I’ve had so much fun cooking at the Carnation Farmers Market that I decided to come back for the 3rd time. 

My two previous visits to the Stone Soup Kitchen resulted in Cream of Asparagus Soup and Summer Smoked Salmon Chowder.  (Have you tried the recipes yet?  If not, what are you waiting for?) What would I make this time around? 
You might remember that last time I could not find new potatoes at the market.  So when I heard that these little young spuds made their appearance, I decided to definitely use them!  So young, so innocent, creamy and tender, these potatoes didn’t even need to be peeled.  But the soup shall not be build on potatoes alone.
I took my inspiration from a Tuscan Sausage and Kale soup I have once cooked with my friend Melissa.  That soup was a perfect bowl of comfort on a cold October night, and even though, some of these summer days might have felt like October to you, I wanted to bring the soup into the summertime.  I made a few changes to lighten up this soup. 

Instead of using pork sausage, I used Spicy Italian Chicken sausage, but kept the peppered smoked bacon, both from Whole Foods Market.  Also, I replaced the traditional kale with bright and colorful Red and Rainbow Swiss Chard.  And finally, I added more summer vegetables – rainbow carrots and green zucchini.  Let’s get cooking!
I have to say, the visits to the market have been so successful and well received, that I am strongly considering starting up my own Soup Kitchen delivery service.  Are you interested in placing an order?  Who knows, I just might be the next soup lady 🙂

Summer Tuscan Soup 

Ingredients: 

2 tablespoons olive oil

4 slices peppered bacon, diced

2 pounds mild or spicy Italian chicken sausage, casing removed

2 large sweet onions, thinly sliced

1 bulb fennel, cored and thinly sliced
pinch of red pepper flakes

1 gallon chicken broth

8 small potatoes, scrubbed and diced

1 bunch rainbow carrots, scrubbed and diced

3 medium zucchini, diced

1 bunch rainbow Swiss chard, stems and leaves separated and diced

1 bunch red Swiss chard, stems and leaves separated and diced

1 quart milk or half & half

salt and pepper to taste







Directions:

1.  Heat oil in a large saute pan.  Add bacon and saute for 5 minutes.  Add sausage and cook until sausage is no longer pink inside, about 5-8 minutes.  Be sure to break sausage into small pieces while it’s cooking.  Removed bacon and sausage from a pan (reserving the fat) and set aside.

2.  Add onion, fennel and red pepper flakes to the pan and cook until vegetables are translucent, 8-10 minutes.  Remove from heat.

3.  In a large soup pot, combine chicken broth, potatoes, and carrots.  Season with salt and bring to a boil.  Partially cover the soup pot and lower the heat to simmer.  Cook until potatoes and carrots are tender.

4.  Add the stems of Swiss chard and zucchini and cook for another 3-5 minutes.

5.  Add milk and bring to a simmer.  Be sure not to boil, or the milk will curdle.

6.  Add Swiss chard leaves, cooked bacon and sausage, and onions with fennel.  Cook until Swiss chard is slightly wilted and everything is heated through.  Taste and season with salt and pepper.  Serve with green olive bread from Preston Hill Bakery and butter from Golden Glen Creamery.

Thank you SO much to all the farms for providing beautiful vegetables.

Oxbow Farm for the gorgeous rainbow carrots.

Full Circle Farm for fennel, rainbow and red Swiss chard.

Bautista Farm for onions and potatoes.

Thanks to everyone who came for a taste, cup, and bowl of soup and made this Stone Soup Kitchen another success!

What’s your favorite summertime soup?
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Rotisserie Chicken Salad with Grapes and Apple

26 Tuesday Jul 2011

Posted by in Chicken, Cooking, Nuts, Recipe, Salad

≈ 5 Comments

This completes my series on Summer Picnic.  Remember the Potato Salad, Sour Cherry & Pecan Cookies with Chocolate Chips and Watermelon Lemonade?  While those three are quite delicious together, you probably need some protein – and that’s where this chicken salad comes in.


Rotisserie Chicken Salad with Grapes and Apple 
(Adapted from Whole Foods Market Recipe)

Ingredients 


Dressing

1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 teaspoons poppy seeds
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Salad

1 rotisserie chicken
2 cups red seedless grapes
1 green apple, cored and diced
3 stalks celery, peeled and finely diced
3/4 cup almonds, chopped and toasted
1/4 cup sliced green onions





Directions

1.  Whisk together mayonnaise, sour cream, vinegar, honey, lemon juice, poppy seeds, salt and pepper.

2.  Remove the skin from the chicken and pull meat off the bones. Roughly chop the chicken into bite-size pieces. Combine chicken, grapes, apple, celery and dressing.  Refrigerate for several hours.

3.  Once refrigerated, add almonds and onion.  Serve.

What do you like in your chicken salad?

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Breakfast for Dinner: Chorizo Chicken Sausage with Peppers and Eggs

11 Monday Jul 2011

Posted by in Breakfast, Chicken, Cooking, Dinner, Eggs, Peppers, Recipe

≈ 3 Comments

Good evening!  Hungry?  Let’s eat!  I was cleaning up the refrigerator today and came across a container of bell peppers that have been cored and fillet-ed (leftovers from a knife skills class I taught).  There was also half a jalapeno in the container.  To my surprise, the peppers were still fine. But to be on a safe side, I decided to cook the peppers for dinner.

What shall go with the peppers?  I had half a link of cooked chicken chorizo sausage, an onion,garlic, and eggs.  Breakfast for dinner!


Simple enough, you really don’t need a recipe for this – I have faith in you!

Be sure to saute bell peppers (I had both red and yellow), onion, jalapeno and garlic over medium heat – you want to take your time here and make sure the vegetables really soften and caramelize.

Once the vegetables are tender, add sliced chorizo chicken sausage.  Now, carefully break the eggs over the vegetable and chicken.  Lower the heat slightly, cover the pan with a lid and cook until the egg whites are set and the yolk is still runny.  Season with a little bit of pepper.

This is a gorgeous plate of quite healthy and definitely delicious dinner.  You could go with pork or turkey sausage instead of chicken.  Enjoy!

What’s your favorite Breakfast for Dinner?

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Gift Giving 101 – Mother’s Birthday Mexican Fiesta

06 Monday Jun 2011

Posted by in Avocado, Beans, Beef, Chicken, Cooking, Guacamole, Mexican, Recipe, Rice

≈ 3 Comments

Do you love gifts? Would you rather give or receive?  Gift giving and receiving has changed for me over the years.  I remember being so excited about opening a box, unwrapping the gift paper, shaking a package to find out what is inside.  But lately, the gifts that I appreciate the most have been the moments spent with those that I love, usually over food.  (But I still do love the boxes, bows, gift paper, and what’s inside the package).

Similar with gift giving.  I cook.  I feed.  I gift the food.  And so, as my mom’s birthday rolled around this year, I cooked a family dinner – Mexican Fiesta.  I will skip the deliberation, discussion, compromising, contemplation and back-and-forth that went into making this dinner.  At the end, we came together, enjoyed the meal and the company.  And now I finish up washing the dishes and putting back my kitchen together, while thinking about what I will be cooking for Father’s Day this weekend.

Mother’s Birthday Mexican Fiesta Menu (I thank my brother and his girlfriend Anja for helping me with putting together this meal)

Guacamole – avocados, tomatoes, garlic, white onion, lime juice, jalapeno, salt & pepper.
Salsa #1 – tomatoes, jalapeno, onion, lime juice, salt & pepper, seasoning blend.
Salsa #2 – Salsa #1 plus mango and cilantro.
Spanish Rice – poblano peppers, onion, garlic, tomato paste, rice, lime juice, salt & pepper.

Chipotle braised chicken – chicken, onions, garlic, chicken broth, seasoning blend, lime juice.
Ground beef  – onions, garlic, beef, seasoning blend, lime juice.
Chopped cilantro (apparently my Dad still doesn’t appreciate cilantro, so it needs to be on its own, not to contaminate anything else).
Sauteed bell peppers.
Black beans – beans, onion, lime juice, seasoning blend.
Crema – sour cream, lime juice, seasoning blend, salt & pepper.
Flour tortillas warmed on cast iron skillet.
Juanita’s tortilla chips.



Chilled Moscato D’asti (ok, there might have been a bit of Diet Coke with Lime as well)
Watermelon
Cake

It’s quite possible that I’ve used every single bowl, plate, glass, pot and pan I have in my kitchen.  But it was definitely, all well worth it!

When’s the last time you cooked for someone?  What was the occasion?  What did you prepare?

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Recipe for a Jamaican Jerk Chicken Salad with Mango and Grapes

15 Friday Apr 2011

Posted by in Chicken, Cooking, Mango, Recipe, Salad

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I’m not a fan of jerks.  But lately, I’ve done nothing but think and talk jerk.  Confused?  Don’t be!  I’m talking about a Jamaican delicacy – Jerk chicken 🙂  A few days ago I shared with you my culinary experience at Just Jerk in Maryland.  The platter of Jerk chicken, rice & peas, plantains and cabbage was easily large enough to feed two people.  But since everyone else ordered their own food, I had a challenge of eating it all on my own.  Luckily for me, I failed the challenge, and had half the plate of chicken to take home.

The leftovers didn’t stay in the refrigerator long enough.  That same evening, I used the chicken to make Jerk Chicken Salad with Mango and Grapes.  Normally, I would definitely remove the chicken skin when making the salad.  But with the Jerk chicken, a lot of the flavor is actually in the skin – the skin is charred, crisp and delicious.  Thus, I decided to leave it on.  The sweetness of the mango and grapes went really well with the gentle heat of the chicken.  I served a little bit of rice on the side.  Give this salad a try!

Ingredients
Quartered red grapes
Minced red onion
Chopped cilantro
Mayonnaise
Chopped Jerk chicken
Diced mango
Directions
1.  Combine grapes, onion, cilantro and mayonnaise in a bowl.  Mix in some salt and pepper.
2.  Gently fold in chicken and mango.
Optional: add minced jalapeno and fresh lime juice.

Jamaican Jerk Chicken at Just Jerk in Maryland

13 Wednesday Apr 2011

Posted by in Chicken, Plantains, Restaurant Review, Washington DC

≈ 3 Comments

I was recently introduced to Jamaican Jerk chicken.  Perhaps I’ve had jerk chicken before, but this time around, it was from an authentic restaurant in Maryland – Just Jerk.  My sister and I were invited to the restaurant by her friend and neighbor Andre, who is actually Jamaican (in fact, you can see both my sister and Andre walking into the restaurant in the photo above).  Inside this bright and unpretentious place, on a cold, grey and rainy spring day, we sat at the counter and ate directly from foil to-go-containers using plastic forks and knives – and yet, I couldn’t have been happier.

If you click on the photo of the menu, you can see for yourself that Just Jerk offers quite a few of the Jamaican delicacies.  Under the guidance of Andre, I decided to order a “Large Dark” platter.  The platter, or rather a to-go-container, came packed to its capacity with rice and peas (peas are actually small red beans), stewed cabbage (the cabbage was surprisingly still slightly crunchy) and most importantly Jerk chicken (thigh and a leg).  And did I mention slices of sweet plantains?  The word “jerk” actually refers to the cooking method and the spice rub – traditionally the rub is made from seeds of the scotch bonnet pepper, allspice, thyme, garlic, lime and orange juices, cinnamon, black pepper, brown sugar and nutmeg.  I’m pretty sure that similar ingredients were used to make the sauce for the chicken.  (When I politely asked the lady working at Just Jerk for their combination of spices, she declined to share, saying the recipe was secret).

My first bite was the chicken – I’m trying very hard not to use the word “moist” but that’s exactly what came straight away to my mind.  Apparently, Just Jerk actually steams the chicken which makes for very succulent and tender meat.  (From what I’ve read, steaming is not the traditional method of cooking jerk.  Instead the meat is first marinated and then grilled for a long time over a low burning BBQ).

My version of jerk seasoning was of regular heat – it was by no means completely mild, but had a nice little kick to it.  Turns out, one could ask for a spicy option, but there’s nothing in between.  When I tried the spicy Jerk chicken that Andre ordered I decided that I could’ve definitely tolerated a spicier option – perhaps on the next visit to Just Jerk.

Shamefully, I didn’t choose any of the Jamaican juices for a beverage and went straight for a Diet Coke.  To redeem myself and my palate, I happily shared a small container of mango ice cream that Olga bought on our way out.  And yes, we did use plastic spoons to devour this sweet, frozen delight.

I must admit, that at first glance I thought that paying $12 for a plate of rice and chicken was slightly over priced, but as I was taking close to half of the plate back to my sister’s apartment, both my stomach and wallet were happy.  I welcome you to check in a few days to see what happened to the leftovers of Jamaican Jerk chicken.

And if you have a recommendation for a Seattle restaurant that serves great Jamaican Jerk chicken and other Jamaican dishes, please share!  Thanks.