Slow Cooker Honey Garlic Chicken

Whenever I find boneless skinless chicken thighs on sale I always think of the slow cooker because they become wonderfully tender and don't dry out with the long slow heat.  I'm normally not a big fan of sweetness in savory foods but I decided to try this recipe anyway and was surprised at how very delicious it is. It's only slightly sweet and slightly garlic (mellow garlic, not harsh) with a very flavorful Asian sauce infusing that delicious, fall-apart tender chicken.

Served with white or brown rice and some sugar snap peas it makes a great Asian bowl dinner.  Maybe an egg roll to start?  This would be perfect for the next time you'll be busy in the afternoon and want a hot, nutritious and delicious dinner waiting when you get home.

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Slow Cooker Honey Garlic Chicken

Serves 4-6

1 package  (5-6) boneless skinless chicken thighs

½ cup low sodium soy sauce

½ cup honey

2 tablespoons hoisin sauce

1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar

1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil

1 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 green onions, sliced thin, white and green parts divided

Sesame seeds for garnish (optional)

Trim any extra fat off the chicken thighs and place in the bottom of a slow cooker.  

In a medium bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, honey, hoisin, vinegar, sesame oil, ginger, garlic, and the white parts of the green onions.  Pour evenly over the chicken.

Cover and cook on low for 6 hours.  Serve garnished with green onions and optional sesame seeds.

Walnut Pesto Pasta

It's finally spring!  That calls for something light and fresh for dinner even though it's not quite salad weather yet in most places.  This vegetarian pasta fits the bill perfectly with hints of lemon, fresh basil and toasty walnuts. I actually like the walnut pesto better than regular pesto because the walnuts (and walnut oil) give it a depth of flavor.  I encourage you to buy the walnut oil rather than using regular olive oil because it does make a difference.  You should be able to find it with the other oils in most grocery stores. I like it in salad dressings as well - particularly if the salad will have some nuts - because it's so aromatic and delicious and will echo the nut flavor.

This pasta dish is very easy to make, and very fast.  Serve with a green salad and crusty bread and you've got a great vegetarian meal.

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Walnut Pesto Pasta

Serves 6

2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped

2 cups firmly packed fresh basil

1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt, plus more to taste

Ground black pepper, to taste

1 teaspoon lemon zest

1/2 cup lightly toasted walnuts, plus finely chopped walnuts for garnish

6 tablespoons walnut oil

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano or Pecorino Romano cheese, plus more for garnish

1 pound fresh fettuccine or linguine

Top of Form

Bottom of Form

Combine garlic, basil, salt, pepper, lemon zest and walnuts in a food processor and pulse until combined, scraping down sides of food processor bowl as needed. Slowly add walnut oil and olive oil, pulsing until combined. Add cheese and process briefly. Do not over process or pesto will have very little texture. Taste and adjust the seasoning, keeping in mind that cheese adds salt, so additional salt may not be needed.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook until al dente, about 3 minutes. Drain, reserving 1/4 cup cooking water. Thin pesto with 1 to 2 tablespoons of the reserved pasta cooking water to achieve a sauce that will coat pasta. Drizzle pesto over pasta and toss to combine. Garnish with chopped walnuts and grated cheese.

Brunch Board

You've heard of charcuterie boards, mezze platters, cheese and cracker boards.....so why not a brunch board?  My inspiration was that two friends were coming over for brunch and I wanted it to be fun and casual, so I decided to go with all finger foods.  OK, there are a few small spoons and knives for spreading things, but everything is grabbed off the communal platter and eaten with your fingers.  For my version, I added:

• Grilled bread
• Homemade ricotta cheese with lemon
• Lingonberry preserves
• Marinated green olives
• Cherry tomatoes
• Hummus
• Deviled eggs
• Smoked Gouda and sharp Cheddar cheeses
• Strawberries
• Watermelon slices

Other options:

• Mini bagels (or toasted bagel slices) instead of bread
• Cream cheese instead of ricotta
• Smoked salmon
• Capers
• Different cheeses
• Different fruits
• Mini fruit tarts
• Etc.

You get the idea - anything you'd associate with brunch that can be eaten with your fingers.  Serve with several fruit juice options, good coffee, and maybe some champagne if you're feeling festive. The best part is that anything you actually have to make (like deviled eggs) can be done in advance and the rest is just assembly.  Put everything on a big tray or cutting board to serve, which makes clean-up a breeze. 

Spring is right around the corner, so there will be plenty of opportunities for a fun brunch for Easter or Mothers Day or just plain celebrating spring.  It's a really easy way to entertain.

Ecuadorian Fried Rice (Chaulafan)

I first had Chaulafan at Cocina Latina restaurant in Minneapolis.  I was fascinated by the concept of Latin/Asian fusion represented by the dish - essentially fried rice (brought to South America by Chinese immigrants) with Latin influences such as cilantro, cumin and ancho chile powder.  It was so amazingly good that I had to re-create it at home, complete with the Colombian hot sauce that was served on the side.

There are quite a few ingredients but it comes together reasonably fast if you do some prep in advance - cook the rice, buy cooked chicken from the deli, and make the hot sauce.  (If you don't want to make the hot sauce you can use any bottled sauce but I've tested several and think the Colombian hot sauce is the best with this dish.) Having a helper also comes in handy for the chopping part.

I assume this is a fairly special-occasion dish since it contains not only bacon and shrimp but also chicken, eggs and even optional shredded pork.  Of course, you can eliminate one or more of the proteins if you want but I'd keep the bacon for flavor.

There are two ingredients that you may not have on hand - ancho chile powder and achiote powder.  Of the two, ancho chile is much easier to find and is important to the taste of the dish.  It's a mild but smokey chile that's really delicious.  Achiote powder is primarily a coloring agent and since the dish uses just 1/4 teaspoon you could eliminate it if you can't find it.

Leftovers heat up really well with the exception of the shrimp, which can get tough if you microwave them.  Leave them out while you reheat the rest of the rice and then stir them in after the rice is hot to gently rewarm them.

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Chaulafan: Ecuadorian Fried Rice

Serves 3-4                           

 Note: To speed up meal prep, make the hot sauce and cook the rice in advance.

Rice

1 T oil

1 T white onion, diced

2 cups chicken broth

1 cup uncooked white rice

Salt to taste

Chaulafan

2 oz pancetta or diced bacon

4 raw very large shrimp, peeled, deveined, tails removed and cut in half lengthwise

2 eggs, beaten

Salt and pepper

 1 T vegetable oil

½ cup diced white onions

1 small carrot, diced 

2 garlic cloves, minced

3 T soy sauce, divided

1 T Worcestershire sauce, divided

3 T finely chopped cilantro, divided

2 tsp Ancho chile powder

1 tsp ground cumin

¼ tsp achiote powder

1/3 red and 1/3 green bell peppers, diced

½ cup frozen peas, thawed

1-1 ½ cups cooked shredded chicken (from the deli department)

½ - 1 cup cooked shredded pork, optional

4-5 green onions, finely chopped

Sliced red onion, for garnish

 Colombian hot sauce (see following recipe)

To cook the rice, heat the oil, add the onions and the rice, stir well. Then add the broth, season with salt to taste, bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for about 20 minutes.  Cool.  May be made in advance and kept cooled and covered in the refrigerator.

Heat a large nonstick sauté pan over medium heat.  Add the pancetta or bacon and sauté, stirring occasionally, until crisp and brown.  Remove and drain on paper towels.  In the same pan, add the shrimp and sauté quickly (1-2 minutes) until barely cooked through.  Remove and set aside.  Add the beaten eggs to the pan, season with salt and pepper, and cooked until softly scrambled.  Remove, chop, and set aside.

Add the tablespoon of oil to the pan over medium heat, then add the remaining white onions, carrot, garlic, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, half the Worcestershire sauce, Ancho chile powder, cumin, and 1 tablespoon cilantro.  Cook for 5-8 minutes until the onions and carrots are cooked. 

Add the cooked rice (and optional pork), chicken, and bell pepper.  Stir well, taste and season with salt and pepper.  Cook over medium high heat for 5 minutes, stirring infrequently, allowing a brown crust to develop on the bottom.  Stir in the remaining soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, cilantro, shrimp, eggs, peas and green onions and stir well.  Cover and heat through for about 3-4 minutes.

Serve garnished with sliced red onion and hot sauce on the side.

 Colombian Hot Sauce

½ cup water

½ cup white vinegar

2 habanero peppers, chopped and seeded

1 to 2 green onions, chopped

1 teaspoon sugar

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 tablespoon lime juice

½ teaspoon salt

½ cup cilantro, chopped

½ cup red bell pepper, chopped

1 medium tomato, peeled and seeded

Add water, vinegar, habanero peppers, onion, sugar, oil, lime juice and salt to a blender and blend well.  Add cilantro, red bell pepper and tomatoes.  Pulse once or twice to mix the ingredients without blending.  Use immediately or store, covered, in the refrigerator for up to a week.  Or, freeze in ice cubes trays for individual use later.

Cauliflower, Cashew, Pea and Coconut Curry

As an adult I've really enjoyed exploring some of the ethnic cuisines that I didn't grow up with, which means basically anything other than meat and potatoes. I started with recipes from Mexico, France, Spain and Greece (relatively safe) and then moved to the cuisines of China, Japan, Thailand and Korea which I think are more exotic.  I've gained enough confidence to finally start exploring Indian food which I consider to be possibly the most exotic and intimidating of all, probably because I think most Indian food is fiery hot, complicated to make, and uses a ton of unusual ingredients.  So, I've been looking for recipes that seem less intimidating and not fiery hot.

I came across this recipe from Meera Sodha's cookbook Made in India, which is "rooted in tradition and complexly flavored yet approachable for a weeknight", so I decided to walk out on the thin ice. Yes, you're going to need a couple of spices, but at least you can find all of them in any normal grocery store.  And if you follow the suggestions in the note below and eliminate the jalapeno seeds and chile powder, it's quite mild.  Hot sauce at the table allows everyone to add heat to their own taste.  Baby steps, as they say.

We loved this dish.  The flavor is very complex and exotic, and the variety of textures (crunchy, creamy, tender) makes it a very satisfying main dish.  The fact that it's vegan makes it even more exceptional. I'm kind of proud of myself.

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Cauliflower, Cashew, Pea and Coconut Curry

Serves 4

Note:  if you remove the seeds and ribs from the jalapeno and eliminate the chile powder, this is a mild dish.  In that case, serve with hot sauce at the table so diners can make it as hot as they wish.

1 (1”) piece fresh ginger, peeled and chopped

4 garlic cloves, chopped

1 jalapeno, chopped (remove seeds and ribs for less heat)

Kosher salt

3 tablespoons canola oil

2 large onions, finely chopped

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1 ½ teaspoons ground coriander

1 ¼ teaspoons ground cumin

½ teaspoon chile powder (see note above)

1 large head cauliflower (about 1¼ lbs), broken into bite-sized florets

1 (14-ounce) can unsweetened coconut milk

4 ounces cashews (about ¾ cup), lightly toasted

½ cup frozen peas

½ teaspoon garam masala

1 small bunch cilantro, leaves chopped

4 lemon wedges

Hot cooked basmati rice, for serving

Place the ginger, garlic and jalapeno in a mortar and pestle with a pinch of salt.  Mash until a paste forms and set aside.  (Alternately, finely chop everything, sprinkle with salt, and mash it into a coarse paste using the flat side of a chef’s knife.)

In a large skillet with a lid, heat the canola oil over medium.  Cook the onions until golden, about 5-6 minutes.  Add the ginger paste and cook, stirring, until fragrant, 3-4 minutes.

Stir in the tomato paste, coriander, cumin, chile powder and 1¼ teaspoons salt.  Stir in the cauliflower and coconut milk and bring to a simmer.  Reduce the heat to low, cover and cook until the cauliflower is tender, 10-12 minutes. 

Add the peas and garam masala to the cauliflower mixture and cook, stirring, 5 minutes.  Taste and add salt if needed.

Divide the hot basmati rice between 4 shallow bowls.  Serve the curry over the rice and top with cashews and cilantro leaves.  Add a lemon wedge to each bowl for squeezing over the top.

Easy Chicken Schwarma Bowl

Everybody has days when they want a delicious and healthy meal, but they don't have much time for prep.  This chicken schwarma bowl can be ready in 15 minutes with the help of some shredded rotisserie chicken from the deli, and precooked rice.  If you don't want to use precooked rice, it can still be ready in just the time it takes to cook the rice.

The veggies make it healthy, the spices make it a little exotic, and the garlicky white sauce ties everything together. (The white sauce reminded me a little of ranch dressing and was so good that I saved the leftovers for a veggie dip.)  Because the rice and chicken are served warm and the veggies are cold, it's like dinner and salad all in one quick, easy, healthy and delicious bowl.  Done.

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Easy Chicken Schwarma Bowls

4 servings

Note:  if you use precooked rice this dinner can be ready in 15 minutes.  If you use regular rice it will take slightly longer.

White sauce:

¼ cup plain yogurt

¼ cup mayonnaise

2 teaspoons lemon juice

1/8 teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon pepper

½ teaspoon garlic powder

Schwarma:

2 packages (8.5 ounces each) precooked rice, brown or white, or 1 cup uncooked rice

2 teaspoons olive oil

2 cups cooked diced chicken

¼ teaspoon each cumin, allspice and garlic powder

1 heart of romaine lettuce, cut into thin strips

½ cup shredded radicchio, optional

2 cups halved cherry tomatoes

1 cup diced cucumber

¼ cup diced red onion

Chopped parsley, optional

To make the sauce, combine all ingredients in a small bowl and whisk until smooth.

Heat the precooked rice according to package directions or cook the regular rice according to directions.

While the rice cooks, heat the oil in a medium skillet over medium heat.  Add the chicken, cumin, allspice and garlic powder and cook, stirring constantly, 3-5 minutes.

To assemble, divide the warm rice between 4 bowls.  Top with warm chicken, lettuce and radicchio (if using), tomatoes, cucumber and red onion.  Garnish with parsley, optional.

Drizzle with white sauce and serve. 

The Secret to Perfect Hard (or Soft) Boiled Eggs

How hard can it be to boil eggs?  Well, if you've ever had shells that stick when you try to peel them, or green rings around the yolks, you know it can be one of life's little enduring annoyances.  My mother taught me to put eggs into a saucepan with cool water and bring to a boil, then simmer for 15 minutes.  After 15 minutes are up, run the eggs under cold water for a minute or two.  After I had a particularly frustrating episode with sticky shells that ended up shredding the eggs into lumpy blobs I decided there had to be a better way.  I did some research and discovered an article written by a guy who tried several different techniques.  His recommendation was to boil the water first, gently lower the eggs into the water, time for precisely 11 minutes, then immediately put the eggs in an ice water bath for 15 minutes.  It's pretty similar to my old method except the temperature change is much faster on both ends. I tried that several times and it did cure the sticky shell and green ring issues, but a few of the eggs tended to crack when lowered into the boiling water.  I did more research and discovered another article by the same guy who said his new (and better) technique was to steam the eggs rather than boil them.  I tried that but still an occasional egg cracked when added to the steamer basket.  I finally figured out the problem - I was taking the eggs straight out of the refrigerator so they were cold when added to the heat.  Once I started taking the eggs out in advance to warm up, the problem was solved.

Note that this technique works for both soft and hard boiled eggs - the only difference is how long you steam them.  If you like those Instagram-worthy eggs where the yolks are just a tiny bit gooey, take them out a minute or two earlier than the hard-boiled time.

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Perfect Hard (or Soft) Boiled Eggs

Eggs - as many as you want
Steamer Insert
Large saucepan with lid

Take the eggs out of the refrigerator at least an hour before cooking.  Put 1" of water in the saucepan and add the steamer insert, making sure the water level is below the insert.  Heat on high until the water starts steaming, then gently add the eggs to the steamer insert.  Turn to medium, cover, and time for 6 minutes for soft boiled eggs and 11 minutes for hard boiled eggs.(If you like the center of your hard boiled eggs to be a little soft, time for a minute or two less.)

For soft boiled eggs, remove at the end of the time and serve hot.

For hard boiled eggs, prepare an ice bath (a large bowl filled with cold water and ice) while the eggs are cooking.  Remove the eggs at the end of the time and immediately place in the ice bath for at least 15 minutes.  Remove, dry, and store in the refrigerator until ready to shell and serve.