Roasted Root Vegetable Soup

Posted on September 28, 2013 by Chatty Kathy

Fall is a great time for getting a few meals out of a roasted chicken …. the house smells great 2 days in a row.

In a roasting dish combine:

beets – quartered

turnips (optional!) – quartered

onion – halved and cut into wedges

carrots – thick slices

squash – peeled and cut into wedges

leeks – cut into pieces

garlic cloves – whole

Season everything with olive oil, crumbled dry basil, oregano and parsley. Toss well and season with salt and pepper.

Place cut pieces of chicken into a bowl, along with the same herb blend, salt, pepper, olive oil, juice of 1 lemon and 1 tbsp of dijon mustard – this can be pretty versatile so if you prefer feel free to use boneless, skinless chicken breasts, or if you would rather use a vegetable stock for the soup just roast vegetables on their own.

Roast in a moderate oven (375) until all vegetables are fork tender and ready for dinner, and the chicken is cooked through.

This is a great fall or winter weather dish – fill up your roasting pan with as many fresh vegetables as you can find and roast away. It does take quite a while for the vegetables to soften, so just keep testing them.

For a complete dinner, whip up some mashed potatoes and you are good to go!

The next day, take all the leftover vegetables (of which I hope there are lots) and simmer in either chicken or vegetable stock. Taste, and adjust seasonings if necessary. If you want a little more flavour in there, simmer a parmesan cheese rind or drop in a little tomato sauce.

Pulverize everything with an immersion blender, or a standing blender. If using a standing blender, PLEASE MAKE SURE TO HAVE A SPACE FOR THE STEAM TO VENT – OTHERWISE YOU RUN THE RISK OF BURNING YOURSELF AND MAKING A DISASTER OF YOUR KITCHEN!!!.

Taste again and adjust for salt and pepper. Serve with some freshly baked biscuits for a great fall dinner.

Sweet Basil Pesto

Posted on September 28, 2013 by Chatty Kathy

I think one of my favorite herbs is basil – always makes me think of summer and freshness – drinking Holy Basil Tea right now in fact!!

3 cloves garlic

4 cups packed fresh basil leaves

1/2 cup toasted pine nuts

1/3 cup finely grated best quality parmesan cheese

2 tbsp lemon juice

2/3 cup olive oil

1 tsp kosher salt

drop garlic cloves into food processor while it is running, continuing with basil, pine nuts, parmesan, lemon juice and salt. Pulse after it is finely chopped, and with motor still running slowly add oil – scrape down the side of the bowl a few times. Do another couple pulses just to make sure it is all finely blended.

This keeps easily in the fridge for up to a week, and will store well in freezer also. Either freeze in small containers, or in ice cube trays. Once they have frozen in the trays, pop them out and store in a ziplock bag.

This makes an amazing pasta dish – toss it with freshly cooked pasta, adding either a bit of the pasta cooking water or heavy cream, whichever is your preference that night!

Other suggestions:

Pizza topping, with prawns and carmelized red onions – sprinkle with fresh spinach

Blend with butter and spread on french bread for an alternative to garlic bread

Top a grilled steak with a tbsp of pesto

blend 1 tbsp with 2 tbsp red wine vinegar & 5 tbsp olive oil for a salad dressing

Kung Pao Chicken

Posted on September 24, 2013 by Chatty Kathy

When the weather turns a little colder I don’t mind standing in the kitchen chopping and stir frying rather than prepping for the grill. Truth be told, I enjoy the methodical prep time after a stressful day at work! I have tried a number of Kung Pao recipes, and was wanting to have a great one before I added it to my list. Finally found/tweaked the one we like best so here it is – hope you love it as much as we did.

Serves 4

3 chicken breasts – diced into bite size pieces

dried red chiles or jalapeno chiles (I needed to use up some chopped jalapenos so that was today’s choice!)

3 tbsp peanut oil

1 tbsp fincely minced ginger

2 cloves garlic, finely minced

2 scallions, sliced thinly on the diagonal

1/2 cup roasted peanuts

MARINADE:

1 tbsp corn starch

2 tbsp soy sauce (low sodium)

2 tbsp rice wine vinegar (or cooking sherry)

1 tsp minced jalapeno (or chile flakes)

1 tsp sesame oil

1 tsp peanut oil

SAUCE:

3 tbsp light soy sauce

2 tsp sugar

1 tsp black vinegar

4 tbsp water

2 tsp corn starch

Prepare chicken pieces and stir into marinade – allow to rest at least 30 minutes.

Mix sauce ingredients in bowl and set aside.

Heat wok, add spash of cookng oil and stir fry the chicken until almost done – remove.

Wipe out wok, drizzle with a little cooking oil and add ginger, garlic and sauce. When sauce has thickened and become glossy add chicken back in. Stir to coat well and complete cooking.

To finish serve tossed with roasted peanuts and sliced scallions.

SUSHI – (deconstructed and in a bowl!)

Posted on July 24, 2013 by Chatty Kathy

On a hot night like this it is hard to think of cooking, or even standing over a grill ….. in fact standing and rolling cold items like sushi seemed a bit of a stretch …. this was just perfect – so cold and refreshing and really hit the spot. Give it a try with any of your favorite sushi ingredients. Great for a family too – serve it the way I did – on a large platter and let each person make their own bowl up as they go.

SUSHI SAUCE

zest 1 lemon and 1 orange, and reserve

juice of each: 1 lemon, 1 orange

1 tbsp. brown sugar

On medium heat cook on a gentle boil for 2 minutes, stir in:

3 tbsp. soy sauce

3 tbsp. rice vinegar

Heat again on a gentle boil for about 3 minutes until it thickens slightly.

Taste!!!! I can’t say this enough …. you need to make sure the flavours are balanced, playing with each of the simple ingredients above. If you think it can stand a bit more citrus, add in the zest. If you like your sushi spicy, add in either wasabi paste or a minced chili pepper.

Toast nori sheets lightly, just until crispy. Slice in thin strips, and again dice if you like small pieces or leave it in strips.

Cook some sushi rice according to directions on rice

Finely slice whatever ingredients you like in your sushi

For us today this included:

imitation crab meat

shrimp

cucumber

carrot

avocado

cabbage

green onions

toasted sesame seeds

But really – use whatever you like! Put a little rice in the bottom of your bowl, assemble a few of each of the ingredients and lightly drizzle with the sushi sauce – have fun – you will love it!

Chicken Chile Soup

Posted on June 15, 2013 by Chatty Kathy

I’m not sure what is going on with the weather, but we are having an unseasonal amount of rain and grey skies. Today just felt like soup and biscuits. After a look into the freezer, I discovered some chicken stock, and chicken breast – perfect – I had lots of vegetables in the fridge so a hearty, warm soup was exactly what we needed.

6 – 8 cups chicken stock

3 chicken breasts, thinly sliced

1 tin (14 oz) tomato

1 dried ancho chile

1 dried guajillo chile

1 onion, minced

1 each red, green, yellow and orange pepper, roughly chopped

3 stalks celery, sliced

1 tsp ancho chile powder

1 tbsp regular chile powder

2 tbsp masa (corn flour)

Throw it all into a pot – leaving the ancho and guajillo chiles whole, and allow it to simmer – taste and adjust for seasoning – add a little salt and pepper. If you like it spicy add more chile.

To dress the soup up a bit, garnish with chives, avocado and fresh herbs.

Sesame Chicken Salad

Posted on June 5, 2013 by Chatty Kathy

Today was a beautiful hot sunny day, just the way we like in the Okanagan. The idea of a Thai inspired chicken salad felt like the ideal dinner item – fresh, crunchy, tasty and not too heavy. You could just as easily substitute the chicken with tofu or any seafood item – delicious either way.

4 chicken breasts

12 ounces chinese egg noodles, cooked and drained

3/4 cup green tea (strong is best)

1/3 cup smooth peanut butter

1/4 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup rice vinegar

3 tbsp light brown sugar

1/4 cup roasted peanut oil

2 tbsp toasted sesame seeds (plus some for sprinkling over top)

2 tbsp chili garlic sauce

2 tbsp Thai sweet chili sauce

1 heaping TBSP Thai red chili paste

zest and juice of 1 lime

1 tsp toasted sesame oil

1 -2 tbsp minced ginger (depending on your ginger love!)

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 carrots, finely chopped

1 long english cucumber, diced

1 cup sliced snap peas

1/4 cup each finely chopped red and yellow pepper

1 cup bean sprouts

1 head red lettuce, washed and leaves torn

kosher salt

cilantro

roasted peanuts

toasted sesame seeds

1 jalapeno seeded and diced finely (optional) To make the sauce combine green tea, peanut butter, soy sauce, vinegar, brown sugar, Thai sweet chili sauce, Thai red curry paste and peanut oil in a blender or food processor. Add sesame seeds, chili garlic sauce, sesame oil, ginger, garlic and 1/2 tsp kosher salt – blend well until creamy and smooth. TASTE and adjust for seasoning – you should have lots of flavour, but also really well balanced – I find depending on the type of soy sauce, chili sauce or even the lime you will have to work with those flavours.

Using a meat mallet pound chicken breasts to an even thickness. Pour just enough of the dressing over to coat well and marinate for at least an hour and preferably overnight. Discard marinade used for the chicken. Grill just until cooked through and thinly slice.

Prepare salad with lettuce, cilantro and vegetables – as well as the diced jalapeno if using.

Cook noodles just until tender, rinse well to cool and dress with a bit of the same dressing the chicken is marinating in.

Toast peanuts and sesame seeds to use as garnish.

To assemble pile noodles on a plate, salad on top – scatter chicken over and drizzle with dressing. Garnish with more cilantro, peanuts and sesame seeds.

Chinese 5 spice Chicken

Posted on March 8, 2013 by Chatty Kathy

serve with chinese noodles for a quick dinner

3 lbs chicken pieces

1/3 cup dark soy sauce

2 tbsp honey

1 tsp 5 spice powder

3 crushed garlic cloves

1 tbsp minced ginger

2 tbsp sesame oil

Put chicken in ziplock bag or container with a tight seal. Combine the rest of the ingredients, mix well and pour over chicken. Refridgerate – the longer the better. (In a pinch I have just thrown it all together and roasted – still fabulous!)

Arrange in a single layer in a roasting dish and roast at 350 for 30 minutes – turn over and roast for a further 30 minutes, basting.

This recipe is for chicken pieces – with skin, and on the bone. If you are using boneless/skinless chicken the cooking time will be much less.

Mac N Cheese

Posted on January 6, 2013 by Chatty Kathy

I have been making lasagne without pre boiling my pasta noodles for years now, so why did it take so long to try it with elbow macaroni? Not sure, but I will always do it that way now! Give this a try and let me know what you think.

1/2 cup unsalted butter, divided

1/4 cup flour

3 cups milk

1 tbsp kosher salt

1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1 tbsp dijon mustard

1 lb (450 gms) elbow macaroni

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided

2 garlic cloves, chopped

1 cup panko or home made bread crumbs

2 tbsp chopped flat leaf parsley

Preheat oven to 400. Melt 1/4 cup butter in large saucepan over medium high heat. Add flour, and mustard, cook, whisking constantly for 1 minute to allow the flour and butter to brown slightly. Slowly whisk in milk until you have a smooth consistency. Add 3 cups water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook, whisking often until you have a thin but glossy sauce. (around 10 min) Stir in 1 tbsp kosher salt and 1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper.

Toss dry, uncooked pasta with 1 1/2 cups grated cheese and put in 13 x 9 x 2″ baking dish. Pour sauce over – do not stir – and cover with foil. Bake for at least 20 minutes – check to see if the pasta is almost cooked through.

Melt 1/4 cup butter in fry pan, stir in garlic – saute lightly and toss with bread crumbs and panko until lightly browned.

Sprinkle remaining 1/2 cup of cheese over pasta, then top with bread crumb/garlic mixture. Return to the oven for another 10 minutes or so until top is bubbling and golden brown.

This is the basic recipe – I’m pretty sure you won’t be pre-cooking your pasta before baking your own mac and cheese again!

Tonight’s version of this included:

aged white cheddar cheese and smoked gouda cheese

cubed cooked chicken

diced roasted red pepper

capers

whole grape tomatoes

The whole family loved it, and you can adapt this very easily to any leftovers or cravings in your household.

Honey Mustard Chicken

Posted on November 27, 2012 by Chatty Kathy

I love using chicken thighs (either boneless, skinless or bone in, skin on!!) for this – they are so full of flavour – and don’t take very long to cook!

12-14 small chicken thighs (bone in tastes great, but boneless if you prefer)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

3 tbsp melted butter
3 tbsp honey
2 tbsp each: dijon mustard and grainy mustard
1 tbsp yellow deli mustard
2 garlic cloves, minced
zest and juice of 1/2 lemon
1 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Place chicken in baking dish, and combine the rest of the ingredients in small bowl. Stir well and drizzle over chicken – rubbing and turning the chicken to coat well. Finish with bone (or under side) up. Roast for 20 minutes, turn chicken and roast for a further 20 minutes, basting with the honey mustard mixture again for the last 10 minutes. Depending on the size of the chicken thighs, they might take longer to cook. It is important for them to cook long enough to get this delicious bit of carmelization on the chicken – yum yum yum.

If you have used skinless, the chicken will still get a nice roasted, browned finish to it, but if you have kept the skin on, it will be irresistible!!

Sundried Tomato and Almond Pesto

Posted on August 18, 2012 by Chatty Kathy

Such a great taste, easy to have on hand and in the freezer. You can use this in a variety of ways – toss with pasta, use it for a burger topping – blend it with mayonnaise for a quick dip – spread on baguette – blend with cream cheese to serve with crackers – top grilled meat … really, so amazing to eat in so many ways. Have fun trying, and let me know if you come up with more creative ways to get that taste of sun drenched tomatoes!

Don’t you just want to taste this?

1 cup slivered almonds, toasted until golden

4 cloves garlic

2 cups dry pack sun dried tomatoes (soak in very hot water for a few moments, then drain)

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

2/3 cup olive oil

This is easiest if you use a food processor, but possible in a mortar and pestle … just be prepared to work hard!

In food processor, pulse roasted almonds and garlic until a coarse grind. Add tomatoes, salt and pepper. Pulse until a smooth paste. With the motor running add the oil in a slow, but steady stream. Finish with any leftover tomato water from soaking them.

This can be used within a few days in the fridge, or frozen in smaller containers to use all year long.

If you can’t get the dry pack sundried tomatoes, just use the oil packed ones but drain well.

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Category Archives: Chicken