Margarita-Braised Chicken Thighs

I was a bit hesitant to make this one because of the dried fruit.  I could see Abe and Jimi wrinkling their noses at me adding fruit to their chicken.  But I couldn't have been more wrong.  They loved it and ate what was supposed to be today's dinner and tomorrow's lunches.  Jimi kept commenting on how much he liked it.

I got the dried fruit right with the raisins.  It was a trio of mango, papaya and pineapple.  I worried that the sweetness would be a problem, but it wasn't at all.  The funny thing is the dish really smelt like a margarita (which really is torture to this pregnant lady) as it went into the oven.

If you're using thighs with bone, you will want to add about 10 minutes or so to the cooking time.  The dish could easily be made with chicken breasts, too.

I served it with rice and steamed asparagus.

I got the recipe (and picture) from Cooking Light.

Enjoy!

Margarita-Braised Chicken Thighs
 Serves 4


1/2  cup  flour (about 2 1/4 ounces)
1  tablespoon  paprika
2  teaspoons  garlic powder
8  skinless, boneless chicken thighs (about 1 1/2 pounds)
1/2  teaspoon  salt
1  tablespoon  olive oil
Cooking spray
1  cup  thinly sliced onion (about 1 medium)
5  garlic cloves, minced
1/2  cup  dried tropical fruit
1/2  cup  orange juice
1/4  cup  tequila
1  lime, thinly sliced

Preheat oven to 400°.

Combine first 3 ingredients in a small baking dish. Sprinkle chicken with salt; dredge chicken in flour mixture.
Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken to pan; cook 4 minutes on each side or until lightly browned. Transfer chicken to an 11 x 7-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Add onion to skillet; cook 3 minutes. Add garlic to pan, and sauté 1 minute.

Combine fruit, juice, and tequila in a microwave-safe dish, and microwave at high 2 minutes. Pour fruit mixture into pan; bring to a boil, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Cook 1 minute. Pour onion mixture over chicken; top with lime slices. Bake at 400° for 20 minutes or until chicken is done

350 Calories and 9 grams of fat per serving

Honey-Hoisin Pork Tenderloin

A quick and easy way to make Asian-style pork. It was not only devoured by Abe, but Jimi had 2 helpings.

I served it with garlic mashed potatoes and green peas.

Recipe (and picture) are from Cooking Light, which means that it's easy on the waistline (it's only 195 calories and 4 grams of fat per serving!).

Enjoy!


Honey-Hoisin Pork Tenderloin
Serves 4

2  tablespoons  sliced green onions
2  tablespoons  hoisin sauce
2  tablespoons  low-sodium soy sauce
2  tablespoons  sage honey
1  tablespoon  hot water
2  garlic cloves, minced
1  (1-pound) pork tenderloin, trimmed
1/4  teaspoon  salt
Cooking spray
1/2  teaspoon  sesame seeds

Preheat oven to 400°.

Combine first 6 ingredients in a small bowl. Pour 1/4 cup honey mixture into a large zip-top plastic bag; reserve remaining honey mixture. Add pork to bag; seal and marinate in refrigerator 30 minutes, turning bag occasionally.

Remove pork from bag; discard marinade. Sprinkle pork with salt. Heat a large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add pork; cook 2 minutes, browning on all sides. Brush 1 tablespoon reserved honey mixture over pork; sprinkle with sesame seeds. Place skillet in oven. Bake at 400° for 20 minutes or until a thermometer registers 160° (slightly pink) or until desired degree of doneness.

Place pork on a platter; let stand 5 minutes. Cut pork across the grain into thin slices. Drizzle with the remaining honey mixture.

Chicken with 40 Cloves of Garlic

What a description, huh?  Nothing hard to figure out with this one.  It's chicken.  It has garlic.  Lots of it.  You can't deny that it sounds goooooood......

Abe loved it.  That's all I have to say.  It's easy to make too.  If you don't have a dutch oven, which I am thrilled to say I finally got mine from Ikea ($50!), you can brown the chicken in a pan and transport to a casserole dish to bake in the oven.  Of if you're using a pan that is oven-safe, you're good to go.

I didn't actually use 40 cloves... I took a tip from one of the reviewers and used 20 cloves that I cut in half.  I just didn't want to deal with all of the cleaning, but if you're brave enough to, go for it.

I used chicken thighs instead of the whole chicken. If you're using pieces like thighs or breasts, make sure you check doneness before the time is up, as pieces cook faster than the whole bird.

I served it with mushroom risotto and warm spinach salad.

I got the recipe from Allrecipes.com.

Enjoy!

Chicken with 40 Cloves of Garlic
Serves 4

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 whole chicken
• 40 cloves garlic
• 1/4 cup water
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1. Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Melt the butter with the olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the chicken to the Dutch oven and brown on all sides in the butter and oil, 5 to 10 minutes. Remove the chicken to a cutting board.
3. Drain all but 2 tablespoons of liquid from the pan; stir the garlic cloves into the reserved liquid. Return the chicken to the pan; sprinkle the water, lemon juice, salt, thyme, and black pepper over the chicken; cover tightly.
4. Bake the chicken in the preheated oven until no longer pink at the bone and the juices run clear, about 90 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh should read 180 degrees F (82 degrees C). Remove the chicken from the oven, cover with a doubled sheet of aluminum foil, and allow to rest in a warm area for 10 minutes before slicing.

Chicken Tandoori

I got this from this month's Food Network magazine.  To quote Abe just now, it's "Yummm-mee!"  And at only 237 calories per serving, you can have an extra piece without guilt!

I couldn't find hot paprika at the grocery store, so I just used sweet paprika with 1/4 teaspoon of cayenne pepper.   If you find hot paprika in the Detroit Metro area, let me know, ok?

I didn't debone the thighs, so if you don't have boneless, don't worry.  Make sure you check the doneness of the meat, though, since the bone will make it need a little bit more time.

I tried to take a picture of the meal, but my camera battery was dead (Aubri's cringing if she's reading this!).  So the pic is from FoodNetwork.com.

I served it with basmati rice and a green salad.

Enjoy!

Chicken Tandoori
Serves 4

8 skinless, boneless chicken thighs (about 2 1/2 pounds)
Juice of 1 lemon
Kosher salt
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons plain yogurt
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/2 small red onion, roughly chopped
3 cloves garlic, smashed
1 2-inch piece ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
4 teaspoons tomato paste
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 3/4 teaspoons hot paprika
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
Cooked rice, for serving (optional)

Preheat the broiler. Make shallow cuts in the chicken thighs with a sharp knife. Toss the chicken with the lemon juice and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt in a large bowl.

Pulse 2 tablespoons yogurt, the vegetable oil, onion, garlic, ginger, tomato paste, coriander, cumin, 11/2 teaspoons paprika and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a food processor to make a paste. Toss the chicken in the mixture and let marinate 15 minutes.

Place the chicken on a foil-lined broiler pan. Broil, turning once, until slightly charred and a thermometer inserted into the center registers 165 degrees F, 5 to 6 minutes per side.

Meanwhile, combine the remaining 1/2 cup yogurt and 1/4 teaspoon paprika, the cilantro and a pinch of salt in a bowl. Top the chicken with the yogurt sauce and serve with rice, if desired.

Apple Crisp

Abe and Jimi love apple pie.  It's their only requested dessert.  Sometimes I don't have the time (or desire) to make pie dough, so I will whip out an apple crisp instead.  It always hits the spot.  It also works really well when I have company... who isn't impressed by a warm dessert being pulled out of the oven?

I got this recipe from Allrecipes.com (along with the photo).

Serve with ice cream. Enjoy!

Apple Crisp
Serves 12

10 cups all-purpose apples, peeled, cored and sliced
1 cup white sugar
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup water

1 cup quick-cooking oats
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup butter, melted

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degree C).
2. Place the sliced apples in a 9x13 inch pan. Mix the white sugar, 1 tablespoon flour and ground cinnamon together, and sprinkle over apples. Pour water evenly over all.
3. Combine the oats, 1 cup flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda and melted butter together. Crumble evenly over the apple mixture.
4. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for about 45 minutes.

Creamy Butternut Squash Soup

 

Yummy smooth and creamy soup...... who doesn't love that?  This is a favorite with Abe and me (Jimi, on the other hand, doesn't even want to try it- More soup for us!) and it's great on a fall night.  Heck, it's good anytime.

Very few ingredients are needed, so it's something you can make whenever you see butternut squash on sale.  Be careful with the clove..... too much will kill the soup.

Serve with fresh crusty bread and a leafy green salad.

I got this from Allrecipes.com (where I got the picture from too).

Creamy Butternut Squash Soup
Serves 8

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 pounds peeled and seeded butternut squash , cut into 1-inch chunks
1 large onion, cut into large dice
1 tablespoon butter
1 pinch sugar
3 large garlic cloves, thickly sliced
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
3 cups chicken broth, homemade or from a carton or can
1 1/2 cups half-and-half (or whole milk)
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

1. Heat oil over medium-high heat in a large, deep saute pan until shimmering.

2.  Add butternut squash, then onion; saute, stirring very little at first, then more frequently, until squash start to turn golden brown, 7 to 8 minutes.

3. Reduce heat to low and add butter, sugar and garlic; continue cooking until all vegetables are a rich spotty caramel color, about 10 minutes longer.

4. Add cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and cayenne pepper; continue to saute until fragrant, 30 seconds to 1 minute longer.

5. Add broth; bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer, partially covered, until squash is tender, about 10 minutes.

6.  Using an immersion blender or traditional blender, puree until very smooth, 30 seconds to 1 minute. (If using a traditional blender, vent it either by removing the lid's pop-out center or by lifting one edge of the lid.  Drape the blender canister with a kitchen towel. To 'clean' the canister, pour in a little half-and-half, blend briefly, then add to the soup.)

7. Return to pan (or a soup pot); add enough half-and-half so the mixture is souplike, yet thick enough to float garnish. Taste, and add salt and pepper if needed. Heat through, ladle into bowls, garnish and serve.

Tilapia with Mustard Cream Sauce

A quick and easy way to make tilapia.   You can substitute spinach or tomatoes for the mushrooms.  Any white fish (or even chicken!) can substitute the tilapia.

I got this from CookingLight.com (pic is from there too since I forgot to take a picture before Abe dug in).

I served it with white rice and buttered spaghetti squash.

Enjoy!


Tilapia with Mustard Cream Sauce
Serves 4

4  (6-ounce) tilapia fillets
1/2  teaspoon  chopped fresh thyme
1/2  teaspoon  freshly ground black pepper
1/4  teaspoon  salt
Cooking spray
3/4  cup  fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
6  ounce  portobello mushrooms, thinly sliced
2  tablespoons  whipping cream
2  tablespoons  Dijon mustard

Sprinkle fish with thyme, pepper, and salt. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add fish; cook 1 minute on each side. Add broth, and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 5 minutes. Add mushrooms; cook, uncovered, 1 minute or until mushrooms are tender. Remove fish from pan; keep warm.

Add cream and mustard to pan; stir with a whisk until well combined. Cook 1 minute or until thoroughly heated. Serve sauce over fish.