Spanakopita-ish

I love spanakopita. It is a fantastic snack, lunch, or dinner. Hubby thinks its a bit bland, so I haven`t made it in a while though.  I decided to yesterday, but with chicken, with the intent on having them for lunch the rest of the week. Unfortunately, the phyllo (filo) dough that I had put in the freezer did not survive. Apparently you can`t do that. You can with the blätterteig though. So, change of plans. I had to improvise, and it turned out quite well. I made tzatziki dip to go with it, and it was quite filling. Oh, and hubby thought this was really good!

What you need:
800 g frozen spinach, thawed and water squeezed out
500 g chicken, cooked and cut into bite size pieces
200 g feta cheese
2 eggs
2 Tbls butter, melted
2 packages blätterteig - puff pastry

One package was 6 rolls, though I could have made them a bit smaller and probably gotten 8. I had leftover filling, so you would do better with 2 packages.

For the dipping sauce, see my tzatziki recipe, but what you need is:
2 containers natural Greek yogurt
1 cucumber
1-2 cloves garlic
1 Tbls dried dill

First, thaw your spinach and cook your chicken. When everything is cooled and pulled apart into small pieces, add the feta and eggs. Mix well.

Melt the butter

Roll out your dough and cut it into 6-8 squares. Brush the edges of the dough with a little melted butter.

Put about 2 Tbls of filling across the edge and roll up, pinch the edges closed. Brush the top with a little of the butter

Bake at 200 C for about 20 minutes.  You can eat these hot, or once cooled, put them in the fridge, and they are great cold as well.

Serve with the dip.

Enjoy!

Blackened Seasoning - and Blackened Chicken

Craving fajitas, but don`t have a lot of time to make a marinade, or do you just want them now? Are you craving something with a Mexican flavor, but don`t want to go all out? This seasoning is very simple to make, and you most likely have all the ingredients already. I used it last night, ran out, and realized I hadn`t posted it yet, so just made a double batch. It will last just as Long as your other spices if you put it in a spice jar, but I`ve used it so many times the past month or so, that I wanted to make sure I wouldn`t run out any time soon :)

There are a few variations out there, but this is what I used

What you need for the seasoning: 

2 large Tbls Paprika
3 1/2 t salt
2 large tsp garlic powder
2 large tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp Cayenne, (+/- depending on your like of spicy things)
4 tsp black pepper
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp Oregano

Mix together well and then store in a sealed bag or jar.

To make the chicken, you will need: 

1 chicken breast for each person

1/2 tsp of seasoning per chicken piece

a handful of cilantro (koriander), roughly chopped

1 lime

olive oil

1 avocado, diced

Put about 1 Tbls of olive oil in a pan and heat up. Sprinkle the seasoning on one side of the chicken pieces, flip over and do the other half. 

When the oil begins to smoke, lay the chicken down and sear it for about 2 minutes. Turn it over and sear the other side. 

Cover, and turn down the heat to medium. Depending on the size of your chicken, cook anywhere from 5-10 minutes per side - flipping once half way through).  

While the chicken is cooking, dice your avocado and add 1/4 cup of chopped cilantro, more if you wish. Squeeze half a lime in as well and mix gently. 

When the chicken is cooked, squeeze the rest of the lime over chicken and then add a scoop of the avocado mixture. 

Thai {Chicken} Salad

A long time ago, in a galaxy far far away....oh wait. Scratch that. A while back, I made a Thai chicken pizza. It was delicious.  I had thought about turning it into a salad as I had a bunch of left over sauce for the base. Well, I finally did it. I`ve made this 3 times now, once with chicken, once without for lunch (hubby thinks the dressing is so good he`s happy to eat it just on lettuce), and once as a spicy version. I have let the sauce/dressing sit in the fridge for a week and then heated it up in the microwave and it was perfectly fine.

What you need:

For the dressing:  1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
1/4 cup hoisin sauce (getting harder to find it seems)
1/8 cup honey
1/8 cup sake, I have been using white wine vinegar since I couldn`t find any the first time, and since it`s tasted great, have not yet tried the sake.
2 tsp grated fresh ginger (or 1/2 - 1 Tbsp powder)
1/2 tsp minced garlic (2 cloves)
1 Tbsp sesame oil
1 Tbsp soy sauce
1/2 Tbsp fish sauce

For the rest:
about 400 g chicken (if using)
your favorite greens
1/2 cucumber, peeled
1 avocado, cubed
coconut milk
cilantro (koriander)

First, add the dressing ingredients to a pot and cook on medium until well mixed. Set aside and let cool.

When the sauce is cool, if you are using chicken, add 1-2 Tbsp of sauce to the chicken and mix well. Refridgerate at least 30 minutes, or overnight.

Put about 1 Tbsp of sesame oil in a pan and let it get hot. Add the chicken and stir fry until cooked through. If you would like to make it a little spicy, use chili oil. You can make your own if you don`t have any available. I shall post that recipe soon. Time the cooking of the chicken to how you would like to eat it. You can have this salad either hot, or let the cooked chicken sit until you are ready. I find that easiest.

Peel some cucumber into strips and dice an avocado (my avocado decided it didn`t want to be ripe enough to eat today, but that`s ok, it will be ready for leftovers!)

Put your greens on a plate or in a bowl, add the cucumber and avocado and toss. Top with chicken.

Take the cooled dressing and add about 2 tsp of coconut milk and mix thoroughly. You want to add enough to get it to the consistency you desire, so add more or less as you prefer. It should be thicker than a normal dressing, but easy to mix in.

Top with a few pieces of cilantro.

If you would like, you could also spread the dressing on a tortilla, add your salad ingredients and wrap it up like a burrito.

Another option is to have it as a side, without the chicken in the salad, but instead making chicken satay. Yum!

Enjoy!

Bibimbap - mixed rice

I think this is one of my favorite things to make. I haven`t made it exactly like I have seen recipes online, mainly because the first time I made it, I didn`t have time to look for the special ingredients, and since I really enjoyed it, I haven`t bothered to look. I will get around to it though eventually, don`t worry.

Traditionally, this is served with beef. The first time, we did have beef. I made it again with pork, then chicken, and then again with beef.  Beef is definitely my favorite, but the others were good as well. I also started with some of the vegetables mentioned in my original recipe. I have now moved on to making it with whatever I happen to have on hand.
You can use:
bean sprouts (mungsprossen)
zucchini
yellow squash
mushrooms
carrots
onion
bell pepper
spinach
cucumber

What you need:

This will vary with what vegetables you like, choose 3 or 4 from the list above.

Beef, chicken or pork. Shrimp if you like (I used 300 g of beef, and it is enough for 3 small or 2 good sized servings)
Rice - I used basmati as that is what I had, but use your favorite. I use 1/3 to 1/2 cup cooked rice per serving
eggs - 1 for each person

Marinade ingredients
1 Tbls soy sauce
2 tsp sugar
2 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp rice wine - I have used dry sherry and sake for this, both taste good
2 cloves minced garlic
1 Tbls chopped green onion (scallion)

Mix the marinade ingredients in a bowl large enough for your meat. Add the meat and refrigerate at least 20 minutes. I do this part whenever I have time during the day so that it is ready when I am.

Cook your rice so that it is ready.

Begin cooking your vegetables. Slice them into thin strips and cook one group at a time with a little olive or sesame oil.

Cook your meat in a separate pan. No need for oil in this one.

As I cooked my vegetables, I lined them up on a plate to keep them separate.

When you have everything cooked, cook your eggs. You want them sunny side up, so a little bit runny. Each person will get an egg on top of their bowl.

First, add your rice

Then your vegetables and meat

Finally your egg, and some finely chopped green onions.

My husband likes to add Sriracha

 

If you have a stone bowl, perhaps a dutch oven, and want to serve family style, you can heat the bowl and then add the rice so that it gets a bit of a crunch. Add your vegetables and meats. Right before serving you can mix it up.

Or, you can do like I did and use regular bowls and let everyone mix their own. The last time I made this, as I was using different vegetables for different people, I put one set in one pan and the other in another and just mixed everything as I cooked. I did cook the meat separately though.

It was faster, but doesn`t look quite as nice. Still tastes great though!

Enjoy, however you decide to make it :-)

Chicken skewers

These are super simple skewers with a great flavor. The picture above is unfortunately the only one I remembered to take at the end, and I`m not sure where some of the others are hiding, so I`ll have to make this again soon. Darn. :-)

You can make this the day before and then just let it marinate until you are ready to grill. Great for parties. Also, I had been planning to see how it handled freezing, but they were so good there were none left. I will try it next time though.

If you do have any leftovers, they are great with either hummus or greek yogurt in a pita pocket or tortilla for lunch. Throw in some greens and you have something yummy and filling.

I found the original recipe online while looking for something new to do to my chicken. They had a chutney with it, which I left out, but if it sounds interesting, check it out.


What you need:

400-500 g of chicken. Either I used the precut pieces to save time, but normally would use tenders
150 g greek yogurt (or regular, plain if you can`t find any)
2 cloves minced garlic
1/4 to 1/3 cup diced onion
1 tsp grated fresh ginger. If you don`t have any, you can use 1/8 tsp of ground
1 tsp ground cumin (Kreuzkümmel)
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp turmeric (Kurkuma)
2 Tbls lemon juice

Either cut your chicken into bite size pieces, or use the pre-cut.

Get a large zipping bag and put it inside a bowl (to help hold the shape while you add things)

Add the yogurt, lemon juice, garlic and onion. Squeeze the bag to mix well (or if you prefer, pre-mix everything in a bowl. I try to do everything as compactly as possible in my small kitchen)

Add the chicken to the bag

Mix the spices in a small bowl and then add to the bag

Seal and mix around to coat. Place in the fridge at least 4 hours, or overnight.

For the skewers, make sure you soak them in water at least 20 minutes before adding the chicken.

Grill.

That`s it, easy, right? :-) Serve with a salad, pita and hummus (I also did vegetable skewers)

Baked Chicken in Hummus

Are you looking for something really quick for dinner, but with a fantastic taste? This is the meal for you. I think it took me about 5 minutes to prepare..and then about 20-25 in the oven. That`s it. Can`t get much easier ( though I will tell you how) Here is the original recipe that I changed a bit.

What you need:

Your favorite easy to cut or out of a frozen bag vegetables. I used zucchini and yellow squash

3/4 of a cup of hummus, store bought or homemade
4 chicken breasts
lemon juice
sumac or smoked paprika to sprinkle








First, slice your vegetables and lay them in a baking pan. Or use thawed frozen vegetables of your choice.

Next, spread some hummus on one side of the chicken, lay it on top of your veggies (hummus side down) and spread over the top. I used about 1 Tbls of hummus per piece of chicken. Make sure your chicken is completely covered.

Drizzle a little lemon juice over everything - I just used the bottled lemon juice and zigzagged it over the dish.

Next, sprinkle with sumac, or smoked paprika (which I haven`t tried)

Place in the oven at 230 C for about 25 minutes. You should have a nice brown crust over your chicken.

Enjoy!