Peruvian Chicken and Green Sauce

I am always looking for new chicken recipes when my go-to recipes seem to start boring my family. This recipe is it! Once you make this - you may never marinate your chicken any other way. I found a good recipe online that served as the baseline for me. Like every other recipe I find - I always tweak it to turn up the volume as Ina Garten would say. The ones I have come across online - are a little bland in my opinion. If you like flavor - and I mean REAL flavor, follow what I put together below. The great thing about this recipe is you can customize the heat level to your liking with the amount of cayenne used in the marinate and the amount of jalapenos (heat lives in the seeds) used in the green sauce. Live a little - make it spicy!  I can guarantee it'll be a hit with your family or next dinner party! Enjoy!

Butterflied Chicken Roasted and Grilled

Ingredients

For the Chicken (*recipe for one whole chicken )

• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup lime juice, from 2 limes
• 1 tablespoon of distilled white vinegar 
• 6 large garlic cloves, roughly chopped
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• 2 teaspoons smoked paprika (Spanish paprika if you can find some)

• 1 teaspoon course black pepper
• 1 tablespoon cumin
• 1 teaspoons cayenne pepper (if you like it really spicy, add in a little more)
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 4 pound whole chicken

For the Green Sauce

• 3 jalapeño chili peppers, seeded if desired (I use about half the seeds for a medium-hot sauce), and roughly chopped
• 1 cup fresh cilantro leaves
• 3 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise, go with a named brand for best quality 
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice, from one lime
• 1/3 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Instructions

For the Chicken [for roasting a whole chicken. If you grill - scroll down to Grilling Method]

Combine all of the ingredients except the chicken in a blender or mini food processor, and blend until smooth. Remove the giblets from the inside of the chicken and pat the outside of the chicken dry with paper towels place in a bowl, breast side up with the legs facing you. Using the handle of a wooden spoon or your fingers, loosen the skin from the flesh over the breasts and legs, being careful not to tear the skin or push all the way through (you want the marinade to stay inside the bird). Spoon about 2/3 of the marinade evenly underneath the skin, and spread the remaining 1/3 evenly over the skin. Marinate the chicken in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours or overnight. Longer marination results in better tasting chicken.

1. Roasting Method [chicken is cooked in oven from start to finish]. Adjust the oven rack to the lower-middle position, and preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Line a roasting pan with aluminum foil for easy clean-up. Spray a rack (preferably a v-shape) with non-stick cooking spray and place the chicken on top. Tie the legs together with kitchen string. Roast for 20 minutes, until the skin is golden. Turn the heat down to 375 degrees, and continue to roast for about an hour and ten minutes more, or until the juices run clear when you cut between the leg and thigh. (Keep an eye on it -- if it's browning too quickly, cover it loosely with foil.) Tent the chicken with foil and let rest for about 20 minutes. Tilt the chicken over the roasting pan to release the juices, then transfer to a cutting board. Carve the chicken and serve with green sauce.
2. Grilling Method. [chicken can be grilled from start to finish, or start out roasting in your oven and finish off on the grill] For me, I like big flavors and my philosophy - everything tastes better grilled. For better contact on your grill, I take a whole chicken and I butterfly it. I'll even go a step further and place a foiled wrapped brick on top of the chicken to really get some good grill marks. You get that char taste from the grill and the skin gets crispy. For me, there is no other way. I've made this chicken grilling it from start to finish - and it was great but its really easy to burn your chicken, since the grease from the chicken causes the fire from your grill to flair up. You have to play around with your temp. dials so that you don't end up with a chicken that is charred on the outside and raw in the inside. So what I like to do is roast the butterflied chicken in a roasting pan (cover with foil) for about 45 minutes in a 350 degree oven, and then transfer it to a really hot grill for another 15-20 mins.  This results in moist chicken and a nice char flavor from the grill. If your not sure if your chicken is done use a meat thermometer. Chicken is done when your thermometer reads 165 F. Are you thinking, why didn't she just use a thermometer? yeah me too, lets move on. ;)

Can't forget the green sauce! 

For the Green Sauce

1. Combine all of the ingredients except the olive oil in a blender or food processor and blend into a smooth sauce. With the motor running, open lid and slowly drizzle in olive oil. It will seem very runny at this point but, don't worry, it will thicken up as it sits. Transfer the sauce to a bowl, cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. This sauce holds up pretty well in the fridge for about a week. Once you make this sauce - there is no turning back. This will become your favorite condiment to your fries, onion rings, burgers and so much more. I say go ahead and double up when you make this sauce because it will go quick!

Pakistani Beef Biryani with Raita

Beef Biryani, the ultimate "comfort" food in my opinion. Though it does take a little extra effort to  put this together, its totally worth it! This recipe feeds a lot of hungry mouths however, its a great leftover that only get's better as it sits. A dish to impress for sure!

Ingredients

3 lbs of beef with bone, cut into small stew pieces

 Shaan Biryani Masala Mix (1 box)

2 tablespoons of Garlic/Ginger Paste (can buy this at your local international grocery store)

2 tablespoons of Ghee (Clarified Butter)

3 tablespoons of Canola Oil

2 medium size onion, finely sliced

2 medium size tomatoes, diced

2 tablespoons of plain  yogurt

1/2 teaspoon of salt

5 cups of washed rice

1/2 cup fried onions (can buy this in a container at your local international grocery store or  you can fry your own onion)

yellow/orange food coloring (optional, just to give  your dish some color)

1/4 milk

2 cups water

Raita

1/4 cup of plain yogurt

1/4 cup of milk

1/2 teaspoon of Cumin (zeera)

1 cucumber

1/4 cup of chopped onion

1/2 lemon

1 tomato

1 tablespoon of fresh cilantro

Salt to taste

Preparation: 

Rice

Add 8 cups of water to 5 cups of washed rice and cook. I used a rice cooker which makes life a lot easier, if you do not have one you can cook the rice on your stove top. Bring to a boil and cover with lid, and reduce heat and let it cook for 20 mins. Using a rice cooker - the rice comes out perfect every time. Put cooked rice aside. Mix a couple of drops of yellow or orange food coloring to 1/4 cup of milk and drizzle over rice so that you have a mix of white and colored rice.

Beef:

Add ghee and oil to pot over medium-high heat. Add onions and saute until translucent. Add garlic/ginger paste, stir in completely and add diced tomatoes. Once tomatoes breakdown, add 1 packet of the Shaan Biryani mix (add a little less if you don't want it to be too spicy), beef, yogurt, salt, and stir until all meat is fully coated with the sauce.  Add the 2 cups of water and cover for 20 mins, stirring occasionally. Check on the beef after 20 mins, if the meat is almost falling apart, its done. Take off heat.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In another large pot (or a foil sheet pan, which I find is the easiest way to do the next step). Add 1/3 of the cooked rice to the pot/foil sheet pan. Then spoon over the beef mixture with the sauce and all, final layer sprinkle over the fried onions. Repeat until all the rice, beef is in (kind of like building a lasagna). Cover with foil and put into the oven for 20 mins.

Serve with Raita (recipe below) - a yummy side dish/sauce that is a nice pairing to help cool the palette to this yummy but spicy meat/rice dish. 

Raita

Finely cut cucumbers, onions and tomato so that they are all about the same size to a medium bowl. Add cumin, yogurt and milk, chopped cilantro, and salt to taste. Stir everything together - if it looks too thick, add a little milk, if it looks too thin add a little yogurt until its at the consistency you want.

Homemade Chicken Nuggets

Being a mom of three little girls, chicken nuggets seem to always be the "go to" food in my house. I didn't feel so great giving my daughters the frozen ones and thought, how hard could it be to make a homemade version? You can feel good about what you are feeding your kids because you can control the quality of the ingredients going in! These were a sure hit at my house, my daughters loved them as well as my hubby! These were so good, definitely worthy of being on the menu for a kid's party or even an appetizer for the grown ups! Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1lb of ground chicken

1 tbsp garlic powder

1 tbsp onion powder

1 tbsp good quality mayo (helps keep the chicken moist)

1 tsp paprika

1 tsp salt (or to your taste)

1 tsp black pepper

1 cup of all purpose flour

1 egg with a few drops of water

1 cup panko breadcrumbs (makes for a crunchy nugget)

2 cups of vegetable oil for frying (you can also bake them if you like)

Preparation:

In a large mixing bowl, combine all the spices (garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, salt, pepper, mayo) and mix well. Add in the ground chicken and mix (try not to over mix the meat, it'll make your meat become tough). Tip: Make a "test" nugget first to make sure the seasoning is perfect and the salt/pepper is to your taste that way you can add in a little more to the mix before making them all and realizing you needed more salt! Now, set up your "breading station," makes the process go alot smoother. In bowl one, place the 1 cup of flour, bowl two, egg wash (egg/water mixture) and bowl three, the panko breadcrumb.

Drop a teaspoon of chicken into the flour, forming a ball (smaller than a golf ball), then roll in the egg wash, and lastly drop it into the panko breadcrumb. Take the ball in your hand and flatten it out to the shape of a nugget and place on a baking sheet. Repeat until all the chicken nuggets are formed. Should make about 30-35 nuggets depending on how big/small you make them. Tip: Allow your nuggets to rest in the fridge for at least 30 minutes so they become firm. This also allows for the breadcrumbs to absorb the egg mixture so that it doesn't come apart when you begin to fry. In a shallow pot, bring the 2 cups of oil to 375 on medium/high heat. Tip: You can test the oil to see if it's ready by taking a pinch of flour and dropping it in the oil if it starts to fizz up, its ready! Fry about 4-5 nuggets at a time so that you don't bring down the temperature of the oil. Fry the nuggets for about 4-5 mins per side or until the nuggets become a nice golden brown. Place the fried nuggets on a paper towel to absorb the excess oil. Serve with your favorite dipping sauce! (bbq, sweet/sour, honey mustard, ketchup, ranch, etc.) Enjoy!



Cinnamon French Toast Bake

I love cinnamon buns and french toast, so the idea of creating two in one was a no brainer! This recipe is from Pillsbury's website. Very easy to prepare and great for a breakfast or bunch party!

Ingredients

1/4 cup Butter, melted

2 cans (12.4 oz each) Pillsbury refrigerated cinnamon rolls with icing

6 eggs

1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon (I used 1/2 tsp)

2 teaspoons vanilla

1cup Chopped Pecans (or any nuts you like)

1 cup maple syrup (I used 1/2 cup)

Garnish

Icing from cinnamon rolls

Powdered sugar

1/2 cup maple syrup, if desired (I only used 1/4 cup)

Directions

Heat oven to 375°F. Pour melted butter into ungreased 13x9-inch (3-quart) glass baking dish. Separate both cans of dough into 16 rolls; set icing aside. Cut each roll into 8 pieces; place pieces over butter in dish.

• In medium bowl, beat eggs. Beat in cream, cinnamon and vanilla until well blended; gently pour over roll pieces. Sprinkle with pecans; drizzle with 1 cup syrup.
• Bake 20 to 28 minutes or until golden brown. Cool 15 minutes. Meanwhile, remove covers from icing; microwave on Medium (50%) 10 to 15 seconds or until thin enough to drizzle.
• Drizzle icing over top; sprinkle with powdered sugar. If desired, spoon syrup from dish over individual servings. Serve with the additional 1/2 cup maple syrup.

Note: make sure that the egg mixture is completely absorbed by the roll pieces. If not, you might get a thin layer of " cooked egg" at the bottom of your dish.





Rack of Lamb with Chili Garlic Sauce



I've never really worked with lamb before and I was inspiried after watching "rack of lamb" as a featured main dish a thousand times on food network. It looked SO good on the screen, I thought "how bad could this be?" ;)  This recipe is my own and I hope you give it a try, it was simply delicious and makes for a very pretty presentation for you next dinner party!

Ingredients:

Rack of Lamb (I used only 1 rack)

1 heaping tablespoon of garlic/ginger paste

1 tsp salt

1 tsp black pepper

1 tsp red chili flakes

1 tablespoon of soy sauce

1 teaspoon of dried rosemary (if you have fresh go with that and use a bit more)

1 tablespoon of olive oil

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Combine all ingredients in a small bowl with the olive (this is the marinade). Take a plastic storage bag and place the rack of lamb in and pour the entire mixture into bag. Massage the meat with the marinade and place in the fridge for a couple of hours (longer the better).

Take meat out 30 mins prior to cooking to allow the meat to come to room temperature. Bring 1 tablespoon of olive oil to a medium/high heat in a large sautee pan (use a pan that is oven safe). Place the lamb fat side down to get a good sear. Flip over after 3-4 mins. Place a sheet of foil over the lamb loosely and transfer pan to the oven. For medium, cook for 20 minutes. For medium-well 35 minutes should do it. Allow meat to rest for 15 minutes (with foil) to allow the juices from the meat to redistribute. Slice and serve with garlic chili sauce (below) and with your favorite sides!

Chili Garlic Sauce

1/2 cup of good quality mayo

2 tablespoons of thai garlic chili sauce

1 teaspoon of sirachi hot sauce

1 tablespoon of water (to help thin out the sauce)

Mix it all up and drizzle it over the meat. (Its a great sauce to dip anything in really!)

Spicy Chicken Empanadas

Who doesn't love a good empanada? Whether its savory or sweet, I love them all! I get a little help from the store and buy pre-made empanada dough, stock up on a few extra--that way you're always ready to go! This recipe is truly an original. I'm not one to "measure," as I am more of a "pinch of this, and a dash of that" kinda girl. Below is my recipe. These are great to serve as appetizers or even as the main course!

Ingredients

1lb of ground chicken ( ground beef or lamb would work well)

1 medium sized red potato (peeled, cut into cubes)

1 medium sized onion

1/4 cup of peas (thawed out)

1 heaping tablespoon of garlic/ginger paste

1 tablespoon of coriander powder

1 tablespoon of cumin

2 green chilies, finely chopped (can leave out if you want it mild)

1 big pinch of red pepper flakes

salt and black pepper to taste

2 tablespoons of olive oil

1/4 cup of water

1 package of Goya Empanada dough (local grocery, frozen isle)

Preparation

Heat oil in a large saute pot over medium high heat. Add in chopped onion, and saute until the onion is translucent. Add in the ground chicken, garlic/ginger paste, coriander, cumin, pepper(s), salt and black pepper. Break up the chicken as you cook it through so you're not left with big chunks of chicken. When the chicken is cooked through, add in the diced potato and 1/4 cup of water and cover the pot with a lid. Stir occasionally and cook the potatoes until they are fork tender. Throw in the peas in the last five minutes of cooking and set aside.

Take the empanada dough (bring to room temperature before use; follow package instructions), a place 2 tablespoons of the filling in the center of the circle. Remember not to overfill. Fold the empanada dough over and use a fork to press the dough to ensure its sealed completely. It also makes a pretty design. Each package contains 10 discs. Repeat until all discs are filled. At this point, you can start frying them or freeze them to make another day.

I use a deep fryer, set temperature to 375. Drop the empanadas in and turn over after 1 minute until its golden brown. Drain on paper towel and serve with your favorite dipping sauce.

Dipping Sauce: I served it with Raita (yogurt sauce with cilantro), but my husband really likes to dip his in taco sauce. Its a nice cross between Pakistani and Mexican. The flavors compliment each other very well!

Bone Fish Grill's Bang Bang Shrimp

Bone Fish Grill's hands-down best appetizer on the menu is their signature Bang Bang Shrimp. Actually its the best dish on their entire menu! I've ordered this numerous times wishing I had some jasmine rice to go with it and I'd be good to go! I recreated this at home and followed a copycat recipe that I ofcourse tweaked. Recipe with my tweaks below:

Ingredients
1/2 cup good quality mayonnaise (I like Hellmann's)
1/4 cup Thai Sweet Chili Sauce (Can be found in the international isle at your local market)
3 drops Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce (or to taste)
1 pound shelled and deveined shrimp ( I prefer using medium-large sized shrimp)
Dry cornstarch (I added some salt and black pepper to this)
oil for frying ( I used vegetable oil)
lettuce (Romanie, or Butter Letteuce works well)
chopped scallions


Preparation

Mix mayonnaise with Thai Sweet Chili Sauce. Add hot sauce to taste. I added a little water to thin the sauce out a bit. Dredge the shrimp in cornstarch. Deep fat fry the shrimp until lightly brown. Drain on paper towel, put in a bowl and coat with the sauce. Serve in a lettuce lined bowl, top with chopped scallions. Or to load up on some carbs, serve it along the side of white rice, I prefer Jasmine, which has a nice floral aroma and sauteed green beans. Serve right away as you lose the crunchy factor if you let this dish sit out for awhile.


Rice
1 cup of washed jasmine rice, 2 cups of water; cook in the rice cooker. You can make it over the stove too. Serves 2.


Garlic Green Beans
1 lb of fresh green beans, cut off ends; Blanch in hot water for 2-3 mins; remove and drop into a big bowl of ice water (this shocks the beans and stops it from cooking any further and keeps your beans nice and green). In another saute pan, drizzle 1 tbspn of olive oil and throw in 2 minced garlic cloves (more the better, if you love garlic like me!), toss in the green beans and serve!