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!

Almond Flan

I simply love Flan. Its the perfect ending to any meal really! Its smooth and creamy with the bitter-sweet caramel sauce drizzled all over what could be better? How about bumping up the flavor factor and pairing it with ALMONDS. The nutty flavor goes oh so well with this, it was a match made in heaven. A real crowd pleaser, in my opinion. I followed this recipe below that I found at All Recipes.com and tweaked it! Recipe as follows with my tweaks:

Ingredients

• 1 cup white sugar
• 3 eggs (I used 5 eggs)
• 1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
• 1 (12 fluid ounce) can evaporated milk
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract (I substituted Vanilla for Almond Extract)
• 1/4 cup of toasted, sliced almonds

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. In a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, melt sugar until liquefied and golden in color. Carefully pour hot syrup into the 9 inch round glass baking dish , turning the dish to evenly coat the bottom and sides.
3. Evenly sprinkle the toasted almonds over the syrup while hot. Set aside.
4. In a large bowl, beat eggs. Beat in condensed milk, evaporated milk and vanilla until smooth. Pour egg mixture into baking dish.
5. Place pie dish in a larger glass or ceramic baking dish and fill with about 1-2 inches of hot water.
6. Bake for 45 minutes in the water bath and check with a knife just to the side of the center. If knife comes out clean, it's ready.
7. To serve, carefully invert on serving plate with edges when completely cool (I suggest cooling the flan in the refrigerator for one hour prior to serving).