Arroz con Pollo (Chicken with Rice)

Tonight's dinner is a classic Spanish and Latin American dish. The last time I made this dish I was in my high school Spanish class and was pushed to do it by my teacher when we were all making classic dishes to bring in for a food day. Yes, in Spanish class, you make classic Spanish dishes, bring them into class, and spend your period eating a ton of delicious food. Those are some of the best days of high school. 

What You Need:

• 6 chicken breasts, cut in pieces
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 tsp. (about 2 cloves) garlic, minced
• ½ cup red onion, diced
• ½ cup green pepper, diced
• 1 pkg. Goya Sazón
• 1 pkg. Goya Cubitos (I used Chicken flavor)
• 2 cup water
• 1 cup rice
• Goya Adobo

How to Do It:

Shake adobo onto chicken.

Cook in olive oil until brown on both sides. 

While the chicken is cooking, wash and chop vegetables.

When chicken is brown, stir in garlic, onion, and green pepper. Cook until tender

Stir in water, Sazon, and Cubitos. Bring to a boil. 

Add rice and stir. Cover and reduce heat to low. 

Simmer 25 minutes, or until rice is tender. Fluff and serve. My garnish is cilantro.

Lemon Blueberry Cheesecake Cookies

For my sweet tooth tonight, I made lemon blueberry cheesecake cookies. A mouthful of a name, I know. But they are so delicious! Who knew that a combination of lemon and blueberry could taste so good? They are a very cake-y cookie but with a tall glass of milk, they are just beyond words!

What You Need:

• 1 cup butter, room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• 3 Tbsp. lemon juice, fresh or bottled
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 3 cups flour
• 1 cup fresh blueberries
• 1/2 pkg. cream cheese, sliced into 1 tsp. cubes

How to Do It:

First, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.

Next, add in lemon juice and eggs. Mix well.

Combine baking soda, baking powder, salt, and flour in a separate bowl. Add 1/2 cup at a time and mix well before adding more of the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Gently fold in blueberries. Refrigerate for 15 to 20 minutes, or until firm enough to roll.

Roll dough into a heaping tablespoon ball. Flatten, then add the cream cheese and form back into a ball.

Bake for 10-15 minutes on 350°F or until the edges are lightly browned. Cool and enjoy!

Original recipe: http://hotpolkadot.com/2011/08/18/its-12am-do-you-know-where-your-cookies-are/

Hummus

Today for a light snack, I made hummus. I LOVE hummus! Always have. Typically I would use a recipe that my husband found someplace and actually turns out pretty good. However, to make things go faster (his recipe requires you to pressure cook the chickpeas), I bought a 15.5 ounce can of chickpeas. The recipe I am using I have tweaked a bit to suit my tastes. Also, tahini oil is freaking expensive so forget that. I found that peanut butter has essentially the same effect.

What You Need:

• 1 15.5 oz can chickpeas (garbanzo beans)
• 1 clove garlic, halved
• 1/4 cup peanut butter
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• juice of 3 limes
• 3 Tbsp. chickpea water from can
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. paprika
• paprika and olive oil for garnish

How to Do It:

First, remove 3 tablespoons of the water from the chickpea can and set aside. Drain chickpeas of the excess water, do not rinse. Add chickpeas and garlic to a food processor and chop for about 30 seconds. Scrap the sides of the food processor and add peanut butter, olive oil, and lime juice. Chop again for about 30 seconds. Scrap the sides again and add chickpea water. Puree for 15 seconds and scrap sides again. Add salt and paprika and puree for 15 more seconds. Garnish with paprika and olive oil and serve with fresh vegetables or pita bread.

Original recipe: http://www.cookingclassy.com/2014/03/hummus/

Feijoada Brasileira do Ga (Brazilian Beans)

Tonight's dinner is Brazilian beans and rice with chicken and homemade french fries. So, a bit of a full dinner for this evening but every bite was delicious. I am mainly going to focus on the beans because there is a distinct art to making feijoada. But keep in mind that some of the other things listed in "What You Need" are for the other items we cooked.

What You Need:

• 1 lb. pinto beans, uncooked
• 6 oz. smoked beef sausage
• 1 medium red onion, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp. salt
• 2 bay leaves
• 3 potatoes, cut into fries or shredded
• 6 chicken tenders
• 1+1/2 lime
• Jasmine rice, cooked
• salt
• olive oil
• water

How to Do It:

First, we start on the beans. The bag of beans you will get at the grocery can sometimes have bad beans in them so you have to pick through and pull out any that look bad. Keep the ones that have been split open or look as if they are just dehydrated. Any that look like a different bean or are clearly not good, set them aside. When you have all the good beans selected, place them in a strainer or colander and rinse them very well before putting them in a large bowl. Add warm water to the beans, covering them well. The "experts" say that if you can place your hand on the side of the bowl and it looks like the water is higher than the top of the beans by two fingers, that should be plenty of water. Just hold two fingers on top of each other on the side of the bowl, eyeballing where the tops of the beans are and fill the water to the top of the second finger.

So, now that we have that covered, cover the bowl with a clean towel and let the beans sit for anywhere from 6 to 8 hours. While the beans are sitting, marinate your chicken. Place chicken tenders in a Tupperware bowl and marinate them with the juice of one and a half lime and some water and salt to taste. Let the chicken marinate the same amount of time as the beans. 

Next, cut the potatoes into fries or you can shred them with a cheese grater. Put the shredded or cut potatoes in a large bowl with water and refrigerate them until you are ready to fry them. 

Finally, prepare your onion and garlic for the beans. Dice the red onion finely and set aside.

Mince the garlic finely. You can cut them or you can use a garlic presser.

When the beans have been soaked, add the beans with the water to a pressure cooker. Cut the sausage into slices and add 1 teaspoon of salt. 

Cover and cook them on medium high heat. When the pressure weight starts to release pressure, time the beans to cook for 20 minutes. Then let the beans rest for awhile until cooled enough that you can open your pressure cooker. Be careful when you do this though because you could burn yourself with the steam. My pressure cooker has a safety lock on the lid that locks the pan when the pressure starts and when the pan is cool enough to open, it unlocks the lid so you can open it safely. Another good idea to try is to run a thin stream of water on the pan lid to release the pressure quicker.

Open the lid and add 2 bay leaves. Simmer with the lid off.

Add oil to a skillet and heat on medium heat. Add garlic and oil and cook until fragrant.

When cooked, add a small amount of the beans to the skillet, making sure to get some of the liquid, beans, and sausage.

Cook the beans with the garlic and onion for a bit, mashing some of the beans to help make the sauce a bit thicker.

Add the beans back to the pressure cooker and continue simmering. The beans will thicken.

While the beans are simmering, cook the chicken in oil. The chicken will pop because of the lime juice so be careful. The chicken will still taste limey if you use lots of lime juice like I did.

While the chicken is cooking fry the potatoes in oil. When they are crispy enough for you, drain the oil off them and put them on a paper towel-lined plate. Salt as wanted.

Cook the rice according to instructions. When everything is all finished and you're ready to plate, I prefer my beans on top of my rice. Chicken and fries on the side. 

Hearty Vegetable Soup

On a cold, rainy evening in a small town in northern New Jersey, a woman ventured out of her comfort zone to make...(duh, duh, duh) vegetable soup.

Tonight's dinner, aforementioned, is vegetable soup. I have never been a huge fan of the stuff but I thought if I could put my own twist on it and add all the herbs and spices I find appropriate, maybe I could like it more! So I "ventured out of [my] comfort zone" to make a delicious, inviting, warm, hearty vegetable soup. 

What You Need:

• 3 large potatoes, peeled and chopped
• 1 bag of carrots, chopped roughly
• 1 can cut green beans, drained
• 1 green pepper, chopped
• 1 red pepper, chopped
• 1 red onion, finely diced
• 2 tsp. minced garlic
• 1 1/2 tsp. savory spice
• 1/2 tsp. ginger
• 1 tsp. basil
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 qt. (64 oz.) vegetable or chicken broth (I used one of each)
• olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste

Disclaimer: If you have fresh green beans and garlic, those would both be delicious as well, I just did not have them on hand so I used what I had in the pantry. Also, I would have loved to try sweet potato in this recipe as well. Maybe next time...

How to Do It:

First, in a dutch oven, heat a small amount of olive oil over medium high heat.

Add garlic and red onion to hot oil and cook, stirring occasionally so as not to burn, until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Lower heat to medium. Next, add in carrots, green beans, peppers, and potatoes. Stir occasionally and cook for about 5 minutes.

Stir in vegetable or chicken broth with spices. Stir to incorporate well. Add salt and pepper as desired.

Place bay leaf on top of soup and cover. Lower the heat and allow to simmer for about 30 to 45 minutes. Stir occasionally so as not to burn.

Serve with crackers or bread. Garnish with bay leaf or fresh chives if desired.

Fall Vegetable Curry

Tonight's dinner is an Indian comfort food that I found warm and delicious. A perfectly inviting dish that can warm your soul as well as your mouth (if you make it too spicy, you could burn your mouth...). As usual, I have a habit of changing recipes to suit what ingredients I have on hand or personal taste.

There are many different types of curry, including "wet" or "dry" curry, but the main ingredients are typically spices, herbs, and fresh or dried chillies. Curry dishes can be anywhere from yellow colored, orange, red, or brown, depending on the types of spices used in the dish. Being a Western notion, curry powder (what I use in my curry dishes) is a commercially prepared mixture of spices dating back to the 18th century (that's the 1700-1800s, folks)!

What You Need:

• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 3 small sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
• 1 small onion, peeled and diced
• 1 small cauliflower
• 2 tsp. curry powder
• 1 tsp. red pepper flakes, optional
• 1/2 cup vegetable broth
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1 can (15 oz.) chickpeas (garbanzo beans), rinsed and drained

How to Do It:

First, heat oil in a large sauce pan over medium-high heat. Add sweet potato, sauté for 3 minutes. 

Decrease heat to medium. Add onion, cauliflower, curry powder, and red pepper flakes. Cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly. 

Add vegetable broth, salt, and chickpeas. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 10 minutes or until vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally. 

I didn't have any but it's always nice to garnish curry dishes with a sprig of cilantro. Serve with white rice (I prefer jasmine). If the heat of curry really gets to you, I have learned that plain yogurt can help with your burning tongue.

Credit where credit is due, click here for original recipe.

Fettucine Alfredo

Tonight's dinner is inspired by one of my favorite dishes at any Italian restaurant, alfredo sauce. I love the stuff. No matter how garlic-y or if it's alone, with chicken, seafood, broccoli, I don't care. I love it! A couple years ago, I found a recipe on Pinterest that I had to try and I loved it! It's so similar to Olive Garden's in taste, it could be a copycat recipe! It's an easy one that can be made on the stovetop or in a Crockpot. Either way, it's delicious on any pasta, not just fettucine and I love to serve it with tiny cubes of chicken. So, onto it!

What You Need:

• 1 pint heavy cream
• 1 stick of butter
• 1 clove of garlic, minced
• 1 cup of parmesan cheese, grated or shredded
• 2 Tbsp. cream cheese
• 1/2 tsp. black pepper
• 1 tsp. salt
• 2 tsp. cornstarch

How to Do It:

If you're going the Crockpot route, turn the heat to low and let the sauce do it's trick for about 4 hours. On high, it takes about 1-2 hours. On the stovetop, use medium-high heat and cube the butter and cream cheese, it will incorporate things quicker. 

First, add all ingredients, except the cornstarch, to the Crockpot or sauce pan. Stir occasionally and watch that you don't burn your sauce. When the butter and cream cheese is melted, remove 1/2 cup of the sauce in a small bowl or cup. Add cornstarch and stir briskly. Add the removed sauce back to the Crockpot or sauce pan and stir all together. This will help ticken up the sauce better. Serve over any pasta or as a dip for fresh bread.

Original recipe: http://fabulousfoodblog.com/2012/12/20/olive-garden-alfredo-sauce-1-pkg-pasta-we-like-penne-instead-of-fettuccine-1-stick-of-butter-1-clove-of-minced-garlic-1-pint-of-heavy-cream-1-cup-of-fresh-parmesan-cheese-2-tbsp-cream-chee/

Stir Fry

This is the best stir fry recipe I've tried! I have done stir fry before but this is completely my own and is totally delicious! Good luck and have fun with it!

What You Need:

• 1 small red onion, diced finely
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 green pepper, chopped roughly
• 1 red pepper, chopped roughly
• shredded carrots
• 1 cup jasmine rice
• 1 1/4 cup water
• soy sauce
• oil

Disclaimer: You will see baby corn in my pictures but we didn't really care for them so I am omitting them from this post.

How To Do It:

First, dice up the onion finely and mince garlic if not purchased minced. Add oil to a medium sauce pan and heat on medium-high heat until fragrant. 

Chop the peppers roughly (large chunks are okay) and add them to the onion and garlic when your kitchen begins smelling delicious. 

Next, add the shredded carrots and stir all together.

Add soy sauce to suit your taste to the vegetables. When The veggies are cooking, make the jasmine rice. Add 1 cup of rice and 1 1/4 cup water to a large sauce pan and allow to simmer for 15 minutes or until tender. I found that on medium heat, my rice cooked much more quickly, closer to 8 minutes than 15. When the rice is cooked, add a small amount of oil to the rice along with a small amount of soy sauce.

Brown up the rice a little bit and by this time the veggies should be good and tender. Add the vegetables to the rice and stir everything together. After adding everything together, scramble two eggs and add them to the stir fry as well.

Enjoy!

Pork Pad Thai

Tonight's dinner was a repeat from last week's vegetable pad thai, however, this time I used pork in the pad thai. I simply grilled the pork in small chunks and added them to the egg mixture. I also changed the amount of sauce I used as well as using sriracha instead of regular hot sauce.

What You Need:

• 4 Tbsp. soy sauce
• 4 Tbsp. brown sugar
• 2 Tbsp. fresh lime juice
• 2 Tbsp. Sriracha
• 2 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
• 2 tsp. vegetable oil
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 small onion, diced finely
• 4 boneless pork chops
• 8 oz. wide rice noodles, prepared according to package instructions
• 1 carrot, thinly sliced
• 1/3 cup peanuts, chopped
• lime wedges to garnish

How To Do It:

First, in a small bowl, add soy sauce, brown sugar, lime juice, hot sauce, and vinegar and whisk until blended. Cut pork into small cubes and brown them in a skillet. Next, on medium high heat, add vegetable oil, garlic, and onion to a large saucepan. Cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes, and do not let burn. Add beaten eggs to the onion and garlic and scramble as you normally would. Add browned pork and toss. Reduce heat to low and add noodles and prepared sauce and toss all together. Add carrot and toss again. Serve with peanuts and lime wedge and enjoy!




Original recipe: http://www.motherthyme.com/2012/06/vegetable-pad-thai.html

Pasta with Creamy Tomato Sauce

Tonight's dinner is another easy, inexpensive recipe that turned out perfectly. The original recipe included shrimp but as I cook for a vegetarian, I did not include this aspect of the recipe. I think any of my readers can tell that I am a pasta-lover and I'm always looking for new sauce recipes to try! So this was one that ended up on my Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/jdub08 and I decided I should try it tonight. 

What You Need:

• 2 tomatoes, diced
• 1/2 small onion, finely diced
• 1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
• 1/2 tsp. dried basil
• 1 garlic clove, pressed
• 4 Tbsp. butter
• 2/3 cup wine
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• salt and pepper to taste
• cooked spaghetti or angel hair pasta

How To Do It:

Put the tomatoes, onion, red pepper flakes, basil, garlic, and butter in a heavy pan and season with pepper. 

Add the wine and cook over medium-high heat until the mixture is soft and most of the wine has evaporated. Once the sauce has mostly evaporated, stir in the cream and warm for about 2 minutes. 

Toss the pasta with the sauce, serve with parmesan cheese, and enjoy!

Original recipe: http://natashaskitchen.com/2010/01/25/spaghetti-with-shrimp-in-a-creamy-tomato-sauce/

Spinach Lasagna Roll Ups

I've made tonight's dinner before I had this blog and it was certainly  a crowd-pleaser. I changed the sauce I used from last time to make it a little different but it still turned out delicious! Typically I would use my own sauce that I usually make but this time I used pizza sauce instead. 

What You Need:

• 1 lb. lasagna noodles, cooked
• 15 oz. ricotta cheese
• 10 oz. frozen spinach, thawed
• 1 cup mozzarella cheese
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup parmesan cheese
• 1 jar spaghetti or pizza sauce

How To Do It:

First, mix all the ingredients together in a large bowl. When the noodles are cooled, put two heaping spoons of the mixture on each noodle and roll. Place in a baking dish, sprayed with cooking spray. Cover with sauce and place in oven on 350°F. Serve with parmesan cheese and a sprinkling of parsley.

Original recipe: http://www.budgetbytes.com/2011/01/spinach-lasagna-roll-ups/

Chipotle Copycat Dinner

Tonight's dinner is a copycat of Chipotle burritos. We've always liked Chipotle and have tried some different takes on the recipes ourselves but now I've found this website: http://www.chipotlefan.com/index.php which has some recipes that are copycat of Chipotle. They are NOT true Chipotle recipes. However, they all turned out pretty good.

What You Need:

• black beans
• Chipotle copycat fajitas
• Chipotle copycat cilantro-lime rice
• Chipotle copycat guacamole
• salsa
• soft taco tortillas

How To Do It:

First, make up all your ingredients. The rice recipe is found here: http://www.chipotlefan.com/index.php?id=rice_recipe. The guacamole recipe is found here: http://www.chipotlefan.com/index.php?id=guacamole_recipe or here: http://whatsfordinnerjenny.blogspot.com/2014/09/chipotle-copycat-guacamole.html. The peppers and onions recipe is found here: http://www.culinaryhill.com/chipotle-grilled-peppers-and-onions/. You can use my salsa recipe which can be found by clicking the link in What You Need.