Chicken Verde

Let me give you all a moment to recover from the shock that I am actaully posting a recipe for this months recipe war....better?....take some deep breaths! I may not be able to try all of your recipes as written, but I tried a new ingredient just today for lunch and the result was so good, I just had to share.  I don't know why it is called Chicken Verde though...there is green from the peppers, but really the dominant color is the red from the tomatoes.  The ingredient I had never used is poblano peppers.

I know they're a pretty normal and common ingredient, but frankly? I'm scared of peppers.  I love my bell peppers of all colors, and I like salsa that someone else makes (doing all the pepper dirty work), but hot and spicy just isn't my thing.  These peppers are not too spicy, though! They have a different, deeper and more earthy flavor from green bells, and don't get all mushy when cooked.  I'll be using them again for sure.  So, here's the recipe:

• 3 Chicken Breasts
• 6 Lg. Tomatoes, chopped
• 2 Lg. Onions, chopped
• 2 Poblano Peppers, chopped
• 2-3 Cloves Garlic, chopped
• Salt
• Pepper
• Lime Juice

Boil chicken breasts in just enough water to cover for 45-60 minutes. During last 10 minutes of boiling, heat together the tomato, onion, garlic,  and poblano peppers until tomatoes become saucy, adding a bit of the chicken broth as needed. Remove chicken from water and shred.  Add chicken, salt, pepper, and lime juice to taste (I used one small lime) to tomato mixture, plus enough of the chicken broth to come just to the top of the other ingredients.  Cover and simmer for 1 hour.

Yum!

I have to admit that I was skeptical of boiling the chicken for almost 2 hours by the time this recipe was complete, but it was so tender and good! All the flavors blend together and create the most delicious meal! I think this recipe would be really forgiving, too.  You could increase/decrease any of the ingredients according to your individual tastes.  I personally left the black pepper completely out!

Harira: Moroccan Soup

Harira is a typical soup in Morocco, so I made this soup recently in honor of my trip last Christmas and it definitely reminded me of a lot of the food we ate there. This particular recipe is from Emeril, found on FoodNetwork.com. See the original here.

I had never cooked with lentils before, so that was my new ingredient. In fact, before this I'd only tried a dish with chickpeas once before, so there was a lot "new" for me in this soup. I skipped the chicken, as there was plenty of protein in the soup already, and the version I had on my vacation had no meat. Also, most of what I read said that if adding meat, lamb or beef are more traditional, so you could try that instead if you'd like. I don't think I used quite as much stock as it called for and I threw in extra beans and rice because it didn't look like much. In the end, they plumped up, absorbed practically all the liquids, and I would be hard pressed to call it a soup anymore. When I make this again, I will pay more attention to the measurements and maybe add extra stock just in case.

All in all, I thought it was excellent! Obviously if you're not into bean based soups it might not be your thing. Sorry about the long ingredient list (especially after Joanna's post below), but it's mostly different spices. I measured out each one and then later thought I should've just used the "45 spices" mix I bought at the market. Next time!

Harira: Moroccan Chickpea Stew with Chicken and Lentils

Ingredients

• 1/4 pound dried chickpeas
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 2-inch pieces
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 cup diced onions
• 1/2 cup diced celery
• 2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 2 teaspoons turmeric
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes and their juices
• 1 1/2 quarts rich chicken stock
• 1/4 pound dried green lentils
• 1/2 cup long-grain rice
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
• 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
• Cilantro sprigs, for garnishing

Directions

Pick over the chickpeas, cover with cold water, and soak overnight at room temperature. Drain chickpeas and rinse well with cold running water. Drain and set aside.

Heat the olive oil in a medium stockpot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Season the chicken pieces with 1/4 teaspoon each of salt and pepper. Add the chicken in batches, and cook until well browned, about 4 minutes per batch. Remove the chicken from the pot and set aside. Add the onions and celery and cook until softened, about 4 minutes. Add the ginger, turmeric, pepper, cinnamon, and nutmeg and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Return the chicken to the pan and add the tomatoes and their juices, stirring well. Stir in the chicken stock, lentils, and chickpeas and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and cook at a gentle simmer for 1 hour.

Add the rice and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon of salt and return the soup to a simmer. Cook covered for 30 minutes. Remove the lid, add the cilantro, parsley, and lemon juice and cook, uncovered for 5 minutes.

Ladle into warmed soup bowls and garnish with fresh cilantro sprigs.

GRILLED SALMON PAPRIKA

My new ingredient is smoked paprika. I've been hearing about it for several years but always resisted purchasing it. I finally bought some and this is the recipe I'd like to use with it. It smells divine! I can't wait to use it. I found the recipe at Tasty Kitchen. I really like finding recipes there because it seems like most people have the same sort of mindset about food that I do: make it tasty, make the recipe short, make it quick, but make sure it's tasty. Pioneer Woman is good at making recipes with about 5 ingredients and I really like that. Many, many of her posters at Tasty Kitchen seem to do the same thing. I make my menu almost exclusively from Tasty Kitchen recipes. So thanks to elenaspantry at Tasty Kitchen for the recipe!

Grilled Salmon Paprika *

Added by elanaspantry on August 19, 2010 in Fish, Main Courses

Ingredients

• 1-½ pound Salmon Fillet, Cut Into (6) 4 Ounce Pieces, Leave Skin On
• 1 Tablespoon Smoked Paprika
• ½ teaspoons Ground Cumin
• 1 teaspoon Celtic Sea Salt
• ¼ cups Agave Nectar

Preparation Instructions

Rinse salmon, pat dry and place in an 11 x 7 baking dish. In a small bowl, combine paprika, cumin and salt. Drizzle agave over salmon, then sprinkle with paprika mixture. Marinate for 30 minutes to 5 hours. Grill salmon (skin side down) for 4-5 minutes over medium-high heat, then turn over. Grill on other side for 3 minutes, or until salmon is cooked through. 

Prep Time 10 Minutes Cook Time 8 Minutes

 *Obviously that's not my picture, and this is not my recipe. Please follow the link to Tasty Kitchen to visit the author of the recipe.   

Mujadara

My recipe submission for this month is mujadara. We served it with pita chips, hummus and labne. The recipe that I used is here.

Mujadara
recipe courtesy of Confused Homemaker over at Tasty Kitchen

• 1 cup Lentils
• 4 whole Onions
• 3-½ cups Water
• 1 cup White Rice
• 1 teaspoon Cumin
• 1 teaspoon Salt
• ½ teaspoons Pepper
• 2 Tablespoons Vegetable Oil 

Directions

Slice the onions. The onions should be sliced long, so they look like a rain­bow ver­sus diced into small pieces.
Heat a pot on medium-high heat. Add 1 table­spoon of veg­etable oil and half an onion. Cook until onion is caramelized.
Add lentils, water, salt and pep­per. Bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat and sim­mer for 20 minutes.
After 20 min­utes, add rice and cumin. Cover and sim­mer for addi­tional 20 minutes.
Heat a fry­ing pan over medium-high heat. Add the remain­ing 1 table­spoon of veg­etable oil and the remain­ing onions. Cook until fully caramelized and blackened.
Note: we used green lentils and yel­low onions for this dish.

My recipe for hummus is as follows:
1 can chick peas
2 garlic cloves
2 T of the liquid from the can of chick peas
2 T tahini
salt and pepper to taste
juice of a lemon
Whir it all up in a food processor or blender. Taste it to see if it needs more lemon juice or salt.When I serve it, I drizzle it with a bit of olive oil and sprinkle it with some paprika.

Labne is a Middle Eastern kefir cheese with several different spellings, depending on which country it's from. The stuff I had was Lebanese. My neighbor gave it to us and I don't know where she got it from, so I hope you can find it. But it's still VERY good without the labne.

For the pita chips, I buy thin pita, cut it up into pie shapes, spray it with olive oil spray and then sprinkle it with garlic salt. Bake at 450 for about 5 minutes or until crisp.

They way we ate it was to spread the pita chip with a bit of the labne, put some mujadara on it, the top it with hummus. I liked it just from the bowl. It's very good though!!

Japanese-Style Dumpling Soup

Here is my offering for recipe wars. I totally just made it up, but it's delicious and incredibly easy to make. I thought it was a little too salty when I made it with the bullion so use less bullion than is called for on the directions (usually 1 t. to 1 cup of water).

Japanese-style dumpling soup

3 quarts (12 cups) chicken stock, broth or water/bullion

¼ c soy sauce

1 t. sesame oil

4 green onions (or ½ any other style onion)

½ t. ground ginger

frozen prepared mandu (Japanese or Korean style dumplings)

Combine all the ingredients except for the dumplings and heat over medium heat for about 20 minutes. Add the frozen dumplings and let them heat through. Serve with rice.

Recipe War Prizes

I have a contribution to make to the prize pot for the recipe war winners!

My first offering is for a set of mini baking pans. There are 7 heart tart pans with removable bottoms, 2 mini pie plates, two mini heart cake pans, and two mini teddy bears.

The second offering is for a giant flower cookie pan. I have made the most scrumptious giant chocolate chip cookie in this. There are recipes on the back of the paper. Sadly, I no longer eat cookies, so this pan needs to go.

The final offering is for this Wilton silicone heart muffin pan. My boys failed to see the fun in having heart shaped muffins...

I would like to defer on the tie for the last month's contest to Joanna. Next time we tie, I'll take the win! Anyway, I'll add this post to the side bar for easy reference!

Pumpkin Scones

In honor of fall, pumpkin scones. I like mine with chocolate chips instead of raisins!

Joy of Baking is my very favorite baking website. Anything classic or unusual you could possibly want to make is here and she's got everything you could possibly ever want to know about high tea!! I found her recipe for pumpkin scones three years ago and have been making them ever since.

Now, a few things I do differently:

1) I never put the egg wash on it. I can't get over the feeling it's a waste of an egg. Usually I brush the top with some water and sprinkle some sugar or cinnamon sugar on and it works just fine.

2) Instead of cutting the 7" circle into 6 parts, I cut mine into 8 parts. I think my circle might be slightly larger (don't know why) but I cut it in half, then into quarters, then each quarter into half, so there's eight triangles.

3) I bake them 8 minutes at first and then in 4 or 5 minute increments after that, because I'm paranoid I'm going to burn them. Scones are some of my very favorite treats so I watch them like a hawk while they're baking.

I hope you like them.

Bronco Bread

Or if you don't like the Denver Broncos, you can just call this recipe Orange Blueberry Bread! This bread recipe comes from the Colorado Cache Cookbook which is published by the Junior League of Denver. I have the three of the four cookbooks they have published, and the recipes are all wonderful! This bread is very yummy, especially still a bit warm.

2 Tbsp softened butter
1/4 c. hot water
1/2 c. orange juice
1 1/2 Tbsp freshly grated orange rind
1 egg
1 c. sugar
2 c. flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 cup blueberries (fresh, frozen, or canned - well drained)

Combine butter, water, orange juice and rind in a bowl. Add egg and mix well. Add dry ingredients and fold in blueberries by hand. Bake at 325 degrees in greased 9X5 inch baking pan for 1 hour and 10 minutes. Cool on rack. Note: freezes well.

Goodtime Beef Brisket

Derrek and I made this once and we really liked it, I hope that you all do to. Here is my submisson for Crock Pot recipes courtesy of the Fix it and Forget it Cookbook.

Goodtime Beef Brisket
31/2 to 4 LB beef brisket
1 can beer
2 cups tomato sauce
2 tsp. prepared mustard
2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. ground allspice
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 small green or red bell pepper (chopped)
1 medium onion (chopped)
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper

Place meat in slow cooker. Combine remaining ingredients in a bowl and pour over meat. Cover and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours. Remove meat from sauce and it will fall apart (or you can cut it) and serve on rolls or with potatoes. P.S. We used this meat to make french dip sandwiches and it was delicious!! Ok everyone now go dig your slowcookers out and fire them up! I know I will!

Peach Dump Cake

I am finally posting a recipe for this month's recipe war. I have not avoided posting because I am bored with recipe war or because I don't like this month's theme, but rather because I posted one of the only recipes I ever make in my crock pot last month! Other than that taco meat, I put pork, chicken, or beef in to cook then add BBQ sauce and shred it for sandwiches. Occasionally I make a roast and gravy, but the roast hardly seems like a recipe to post because I just throw in the meat until it is done. Occasionally I put a package of onion soup mix or a couple spices on top, but no recipe. And Joanna already put up a BBQ recipe for sandwiches... So I have sat out until now. Honestly, this is the only other recipe I have made in a crock pot more than a couple of times. It is best made in a medium sized crock pot. If you only have one of the super big ones, you'll probaby want to double this so that the edges don't burn.

1 bag frozen peaches
1 tbsp. cornstarch
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/4 c. brown sugar
1/4-1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 Jiffy white cake mix
4 tbsp. melted butter

Lightly grease the crockpot; place peaches in the bottom. Sprinkle with cornstarch; toss. Drizzle with vanilla and sprinkle brown sugar over all. Sprinkle with cinnamon then cake mix. Drizzle melted butter evenly over cake mix. Cover and cook on high for 3 to 3 1/2 hours.

See, I told you all I only like crock pot recipes where you litterally dump in all the ingredients, plug it in, then eat it!

Easy Crockpot Pulled BBQ Chicken

This is my favorite!!!

Ingredients

3 or 4 chicken breasts
1 cup chicken stock or the equivalent in bullion/water
1 clove garlic, minced
1 1/2 cups of your favorite BBQ sauce (I personally like Sweet Baby Ray's Hickory)

- Toss all of the above in your crock pot. Cook on high for about 3 hours or on low all day long. When it falls apart when you stick it with a fork then use two forks to shred it on a plate and put it all back in the crock pot until you're ready for dinner.

I serve these on buns and Del likes cheese on his. Some onions are tasty (even better sauteed) and a nice fresh salad as a side with some chips and you've got easy all-American fare. Yum-O!!!

Beat that, ladies.

Strawberry and Mozzarella Salad

So I forget, was this supposed to be a main dish? My recipe this month is a salad. If this isn't good enough then I will dig around and try to think of something else. I made this a couple weeks ago and it was delicious, so you all should try it either way. :)

Strawberry and Mozzarella Salad

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 heart romaine lettuce, torn or cut into bite-sized pieces (3 cups lightly packed)
1 8-ounce container of strawberries, hulled and sliced
3 ounces part-skim mozzarella cheese, diced (about 3/4 cup)
(salt and pepper - about 1/4 teaspoon each)

In a small bowl whisk together the oil, vinegar, salt and pepper. Place the lettuce in a large bowl and toss with half the dressing. Place the lettuce onto 4 salad plates.
Toss the strawberries with the remaining dressing and place 1/4 of the berries on top of each mound of lettuce. Top each with cheese.

The original recipe also calls for fresh basil sprinkled on top, but when I made it I completely forgot to do that and it was still really yummy. So I'm submitting without the basil :)

Creole Black Beans and Sausage Or In Other Words "Faking It"

2 cans black beans
1/2 onion, roughly chopped
1/2 cup or so of chicken stock or chicken bullion dissolved in water
1/2 Hillshire Farms Polska Kielbasa (or more if you like)
Tony Chachere's Creole seasoning, to taste

Cut up the Kielbasa into bite size chunks and saute them over medium heat for about 5 minutes until they release some of their fat. Add the onion and saute until it is transparent. Add the beans and chicken stock. Cook for about 10 minutes. Add more stock if it gets too thick. Use the Creole seasoning just like salt. Be careful to add just a bit at a time and taste it before adding more or the concoction will be too salty.

I serve this with/over rice.

**Honestly I had a hard time coming up with a recipe this month. Almost all the recipes I have have at least 6 ingredients, but they are so common to me that I hardly view them as ingredients anymore, such as olive oil and garlic. When I first "developed" this recipe I sauteed the onion and garlic in olive oil and then added everything else. Toward the very end I like to add diced green pepper, I add them at the end so the green pepper doesn't get soggy. But the five ingredients I've listed are the essentials to the heart of the recipe.

Easy Chicken Soft Tacos

Here is my entry for the August Recipe War. There are only three ingredients in this dish, and it is the BEST! I like to make this on Sundays when I know we aren't going out for lunch after church. I throw it in the crockpot before church, and when I get home, it is ready to eat!

Chicken Soft Tacos
1 1/2 lbs. chicken breasts (can still be frozen)
1 pkt. taco seasoning
1 can Rotel tomatoes (I use the mild version)

Lay frozen chicken on the bottom of a crockpot. (If yours aren't frozen, just cut down the cooking time.) Sprinkle the taco seasoning on top of the chicken. Pour the Rotel on top. Cover and cook on high for 3-4 hours, or on low for 4-6. When done, shred chicken with two forks and serve!

I like mine with flour tortillas, topped with sour cream, cheese, tomato, and avocado. But you can eat yours however you like. If you cannot find Rotel, just substitute one can petite diced tomato plus one small can of green chilies. It will still be under five ingredients with that substitution.

I hope this becomes a staple recipe in your home like it is in mine. By the way, it freezes really well, too!

Benefits of a Recipe War

Today, Jerry and I ate with my grandmother who is visiting from Germany at On The Border for lunch. If you're anything like we are, you can make a full meal out of the chips and salsa alone, much less the entree! Mmmmmmm.... But since we're speaking about entrees, let me tell you, we had good ones! Did you click on the "On The Border" link above? No! Well you really need to. Go ahead. Did you see the ad for the all new entree they are serving? That's right, Grilled Enchiladas. Are you drooling yet? We were - before we even got to the restaurant. That's because last week we saw a commercial for this new entree. Jerry was so excited, he actually rewound the TV to see it again. No joke. What can I say? We really like our Mexican food. Especially if it is TexMex. Especially if it is TexMex from On The Border. Anyway, I digress. Since we gorged ourselves, errr, I mean enjoyed a delightful amount of chips, salsa, and grilled enchiladas at lunch, neither of us was really hungry enough for a real dinner. So I heated up some leftover mac & cheese for the boys, and we scrounged the fridge for something to eat. ::here's the part that has to do with the recipe war:: Guess what I had for dinner? Leftover baked beans and corn casserole! Mmmmm.... And you thought that side dishes had to go on the side of something!

mmm... beans...

This month's recipe theme was more difficult for me than I had anticipated. Mainly because when I make sides, they're generally very straightforward. When I make brocolli, I boil it or I steam it. When I make corn I open the can and heat it up. Things get interesting with asparagus in that I'll actually throw them in the over with a little bit of olive oil and salt and pepper. You see, nothing very exciting. I do have some yummy potatoes that I will make on a special occassion, but they are very similar to Joanna's crash hot potatoes, except with cheese and bacon on top.

So I decided to submit my baked beans, the way my mom taught me how to make them. Actually I didn't know what to post and Darren picked this, so you have him to thank. Since my mom taught this to me, I don't really know any measurements, it's more of an eyeballed thing. I made them last night to try to get an estimate of how much of each ingredient I put in. Feel free to change the amounts since they're obviously not exact.

Baked Beans
(my mom says they're called baked beans cause you have to bake them. no heating up a can on the stove allowed)

Ingredients:
1 can baked beans (I ususally buy Bush's vegetarian, but whatever works)
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon molasses
1 teaspoon worcestershire sauce
1/2 small onion, diced into small pieces
2-3 slices uncooked bacon

Stir together all ingredients (except bacon) in a baking dish, then lay the slices of bacon on top. Bake uncovered in a 350 degree oven for appriximately 50 minutes, or until bubbling.

That's it! Enjoy.

Corn Casserole

My recipe for this month is comfort food for sure. Not sure if it really has any redeeming nutritional value, but hey, the category is simply side dishes, not healthy side dishes, so here goes:

1 pkg Jiffy corn muffin mix
1 c. sour cream
1 can cream style corn
2 eggs
1/2 c. melted butter
1 can corn
1 c. mozzerella cheese (also good with Monterey Jack)

Add all ingredients except cheese and bake at 350 for 1 hour. Add cheese to top and continue to bake until melted.

I made this recipe at a family gathering with Jerry's family and they really enjoyed it. One of my nephews dubbed it "Johanna's Corn" so now that is what they all call it! How cool to have a recipe actually named after me!

Recipe War - June

I guess with Tina's vote today, Marie becomes the winner of June's Recipe War! Since Marie is the one who posted all the original prizes, and I am sure she doesn't want to pick one of her own prizes, I am putting these up as an option.

These are quilted coasters in reds, browns, and neutrals - a set of six. If you want them, Marie, they're yours! If anyone else has in item to share, post it so that Marie has a choice!

Great Banana Bread, Marie!

Crash Hot Potatoes

My entry for this months recipe wars comes from The Pioneer Woman Cooks. She's makes some yummy stuff and she's funny. These potatoes are delicious and go well with any meal...except for maybe fish.

Crash Hot Potatoes

And that's as good as it gets when yer sick.

Blueberry Ricotta Cheese Pancakes

Well, I couldn't decide between my very favorite waffles and these pancakes. I decided to go with the pancakes because I'm not sure that everyone has a waffle iron. Make sure you try the honey syrup, it's yummy.

You can find the recipe here, by Giada De Laurentiis.

If you don't want to go to the store and buy a premade pancake mix (like I didn't), just make some of Alton Brown's "instant" pancake mix and use that instead of what she recommends.