Moroccan-Spiced Chicken

October 28, 2012 Sonte Leave a comment

moroccan-spiced chicken — Moroccan-Spiced Chicken

I was flipping through my November Issue of Chatelaine and came upon this recipe in the “it’syourhealth” section on page 155. I had just taken boneless, skinless chicken breasts out of the freezer with absolutely no idea what I was going to make with it. I was only missing the oranges called for in this recipe but did have a can of mandarin oranges in the pantry. I also subbed in a can of coconut milk for the milk.

The husband says the chicken was delicious! I wouldn’t know as I remain a Vegetarian … I rely on smell, A LOT, and I grill the husband about taste, texture, presentation…I usually get, “It was….tasty, very tasty.” <- A quasi quote from 84 Charing Cross Road

2 teaspoons Butter
1 Onion, sliced
1 teaspoon each: Paprika, ground Cumin, Dried Mint
1/4 teaspoon ground Cinnamon
Salt and Pepper, to taste
1 lb skinless, boneless Chicken Breast, cut into strips
1/3 cup chopped Dried Apricots and/or Raisins
2 cups Coconut Milk (or milk)
2 Tablespoons Cornstarch
1 can Mandarin Orange slices, drained

In large non-stick skillet, melt butter over medium heat.
Saute onion, paprika, cumin, mint, cinnamon, salt and pepper until onion is softened.
Add chicken; saute for 3 minutes.
Add dried fruit.
Whisk a small amount of coconut milk into cornstarch, until smooth; whisk in remaining coconut milk.
Stir into skillet.
Simmer, stirring, until chicken is no longer pink inside, 4 – 5 minutes.
Top with mandarin orange slices.
Serve over a bed of Brown Rice or Whole Wheat Couscous with a Green Vegetable.

Serves 4

Isabelle Neiderer, November 2012, Chatelaine, it’syourhealth, Volume November/12, page 155

Moroccan-Spiced Chicken and Brown Rice with Blackened Peppers

Coffee Cakes

Lemon Blueberry Coffee Cake

September 10, 2012 Sonte Leave a comment

When my mother was in hospital over the summer people often brought her fresh fruit from her garden. The blueberries started to pile up so I brought them home and made a Lemon Poundcake, added some Blueberries, a Lemon Glaze and came up with this delicious Lemon Blueberry Coffee Cake.

1 cup Butter, softened
1 cup Sugar
4 Eggs
3 Tablespoons Milk
2 Tablespoon Lemon Zest
1 1/2 teaspoon Vanilla
2 cups Flour
1 teaspoon Baking Powder
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1 1/2 cups Blueberries, fresh or frozen, unthawed

Lemon Glaze
1/4 cup Sugar
3 Tablespoons Lemon Juice

Preheat oven to 350F.
Lightly spray a Bundt pan with vegetable oil spray and dust with flour; tap out excess flour.

In medium mixing combine flour, baking powder and salt; set aside.

In a large bowl beat butter with sugar until light and fluffy.
Beat in eggs, one a time, until light and creamy.
Beat in milk, lemon zest and vanilla.

Stir dry ingredients into creamed mixture just until smooth.
Fold blueberries into batter.
Turn batter into prepared bundt pan and bake in 350F oven until pick inserted comes out clean, about 1 – 1 1/2 hours.
Remove from oven and let rest on wire rack, in pan, for 10 minutes.
Turn out onto cake platter and top with Lemon Glaze.

While cake is cooling, prepare Lemon Glaze by combining the two ingredients in a small microwaveable proof bowl, heat for 30 second intervals on HIGH until sugar is dissolved.
With skewer, poke holes all over top of cake; brush glaze evenly oer top.
Cool completely.

Muffins and Scones

Lemon Poppyseed Muffins with Lemon Glaze

July 18, 2012 Sonte Leave a comment

I love Lemon Poppyseed Muffins. I don’t make them nearly often enough! The problem with making them is that I then have to eat them all…I love the citrus taste of these along with the subtle CrUnCh from the poppyseeds. Alright, truth be told? It is the Lemon Glaze that keeps me coming back for more!

Lemon Poppyseed Muffins with Lemon Glaze

1 cup Milk
1/2 cup Poppyseeds

1/4 cup Butter, softened
1/4 cup Sugar
1 large Egg, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon Vanilla
Juice of half a Lemon (zest it first!)

2 cups Flour
1 Tablespoon Baking Powder
1/2 teaspoon Salt
Zest of half a Lemon

Glaze
2 cups Icing Sugar
Juice from half a Lemon
1 teaspoon Vanilla
Milk, to desired consistency

Combine milk and poppyseeds in a large liquid measuring cup and let stand for 10 minutes.

Preheat oven to 400F.
Line 12 muffin cups with paper liners.

In large mixing bowl combine flour, baking powder, salt and lemon zest; make a well in the centre and set aside.
In mixing bowl cream together butter and sugar; add egg and continue creaming until light and fluffy.
Add vanilla and lemon juice to poppyseed liquid before stirring into the creamed mixture.
Pour wet ingredients into the well in the dry ingredients and stir only to moisten.
Using a #5 Pampered Chef Scoop, fill each muffin cup 3/4 full.
Bake in 400F oven for 20 to 25 minutes, or until pick inserted comes out clean, rotating pan halfway through baking.
Remove from oven and cool on wire rack for 10 minutes before turning out to cool completely.

While muffins are cooling, make the Lemon Glaze.

Lemon Glaze
In medium mixing bowl combine icing sugar, lemon juice and vanilla; stir.
Add enough milk to your desired consistency…go slow here…easier to add a lil milk than to add more icing sugar!
Spread Glaze over cooling Muffins and let cool completely allowing the Glaze to set before storing in an airtight container.

Yield: 12 Muffins

Lemon Poppyseed Muffin_Whole — Lemon Poppyseed Muffins with Lemon Glaze - oh, so good!

Sandwiches and Wraps

Spicy Ground Chicken Wrap

July 18, 2012 Sonte Leave a comment

I bought some Ground Chicken because it is supposed to be better for you than Ground Beef, right? Well, I barely remember how to cook Ground Beef! Can you substitute Ground Chicken into any Ground Beef recipe? So I turned to Yummly to lend a hand and found this recipe for Spicy Ground Chicken; I did make a few changes because I thought the original recipe might be lacking in flavour.
After grilling my husband for info and telling him that the original recipe called for zucchini and green pepper he said:
“It was tasty.”
“No, no zucchini! That would ruin it.”
“Yea, it could use green pepper for colour.”
He went on to say that the texture was good, flavour good, all up? Good. A real critic, right?

What did I change:
Yellow Pepper for Green simply because I didn’t have Green on hand
Omitted Zucchini, again, left out because I didn’t have any on hand which worked out to my favour because I don’t think Luke likes Zucchini
Added 1 teaspoon Chili Flakes, 1 teaspoon Ground Cumin, 1 1/2 teaspoon Dried Oregano, Salt and Pepper, the original didn’t call for any spices at all.
1 cup of Plain Greek Yogurt, I thought it needed something to bring everything together. You could also use Sour Cream but I prefer the Plain Greek Yogurt.
1 cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese, just because I thought it would add flavour and texture to the wrap.

1 lb Ground Chicken
1 Onion, diced
3 cloves Garlic, minced
1 Green Pepper, chopped
1 Red Pepper, chopped
1 cup sliced Mushrooms
2/3 cup Chunky Salsa
1 1/2 teaspoon Dried Oregano
1 teaspoon Chili Flakes
1 teaspoon Ground Cumin
Salt and Pepper
1 cup Plain Greek Yogurt (or Sour Cream)
1 cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese
6 – 10″ Flour Tortillas ( I used Sundried Tomato Tortillas)

In large non-stick skillet cook ground chicken in a bit of olive oil for about ten minutes, or until cooked through.
Remove chicken from pan to a heat proof mixing bowl and set aside.

Add onions and garlic to pan and sautee until translucent.
Add chopped peppers and sliced mushrooms; cook until slightly soft.

Return chicken to the vegetables and add salsa, oregano, chili flakes, ground cumin, salt and pepper and heat to boiling; reduce heat and simmer for about 10 minutes.
Stir in Greek yogurt and continue cooking until heated through.

Place 1/6th of the mixture on a 10″ flour tortilla, sprinkle with a bit of shredded cheddar cheese and wrap up.
Repeat with remaining 5 tortillas.

Serves 6

Coffee Cakes

Strawberry Cream Cheese Coffee Cake

July 4, 2012 Sonte Leave a comment

Canada Day is just not Canada Day around my place if I don’t produce something made with Strawberries! I have been craving Tim Horton’s Coffee Cake lately so I decided to bake up my own coffee cake, using strawberries and let’s see, what else do I have in the cupboards/fridge? Cream cheese, strawberry glaze, slivered almonds….Put it all together…

1 pkg Cake Mix (White, Vanilla, French Vanilla, Golden)
1/3 cup Butter
1 Egg

8 ounces Cream Cheese, room temperature
1/3 cup Sugar
1 teaspoon Vanilla
1 1/2 teaspoon Almond extract
1 Egg

1 pkg Strawberries, washed and sliced
4 ounces Strawberry Glaze

2/3 cup Slivered Almonds

Preheat oven to 350F.
Lightly spray a 9X13 baking pan with vegetable oil spray.

In mixing bowl, using paddle attachment, combine cake mix, butter and one egg; mix for a few minutes while slicing strawberries.
Remove bowl from mixer stand and work the dough between your hands, squeezing and gently crumbling creating coarse crumbs.
Press all but 1 1/2 cups (to which you will add slivered almonds) of the crumb mixture into the prepared pan.
Bake in preheated 350F oven for 10 minutes.
Remove from oven, cool for about 15 minutes on wire rack.

In the meantime, clean mixing bowl combine cream cheese, sugar, egg, vanilla and almond flavouring until no lumps remain.

Top the base cream cheese mixture, spreading evenly then top with sliced strawberries, drizzle glaze over berries and even out.
Add slivered almonds to remaining crumble mixture before sprinkling over strawberry layer.
Bake for 30 minutes, or until lightly golden.
Remove from oven and cool completely on wire rack.
Cut into squares and serve.

Yield 18 squares

Aysontespli's Kitchen

Moroccan-Spiced Chicken

Lemon Blueberry Coffee Cake

Lemon Poppyseed Muffins with Lemon Glaze

Spicy Ground Chicken Wrap

Strawberry Cream Cheese Coffee Cake

Welcome to my Kitchen where the most important ingredient is Love.