It was cold and crazy windy outside today and this is the best kind of days for me to bake and tests recipes, oven on for a long time and that’s for sure will keep the house warm. Also it was clean the fridge from leftovers kind of day…
Made lots of delicious Tex-Mex small bits….
Fresno chili cheese poppers
I been eating healthy for the past few months, and I been testing recipes as I go along on this journey. Continue reading
Normally hamburger helper made with ground beef, but tonight I made it with ground Chicken since my husband cannot eat red meat. Continue reading
Maqluba is the national dish in the middle east..Each recipe has its own variety of vegetables, such as tomatoes, potatoes, cauliflower, carrots and eggplant!
my favorite way to make it with eggplant and cauliflower, chicken or lamb are the meats of choice to be used in Maqluba.
Maqluba latterly translates to “upside down” in Arabic, when the casserole is inverted, the top has the crusty layer of the rice, some chose to have the vegetable on the bottom instead of the rice, but my mom always made it with the rice on the bottom, I love it and so does my family.
4 LB boneless skinless chicken breast or chicken thighs.
8 cups cold water
1 stick of cinnamon
2 bay leaf
1 large onion thinly sliced
1 med cauliflower cut up to floweret OR
1 large eggplant cut up in to 3 inches circles
3 cloves of garlic minced
3 cups of Jasmin rice or long grain rice
1/2 tablespoon of black pepper
1 1/2 tablespoon of salt divided
1 1/4 tablespoon of cinnamon powder
1 tablespoon of curry powder
1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
2 teaspoon ground cardamom
6 cups reserved chicken broth
6 tablespoon olive oil divided
3 tablespoon butter
Preheat oven to 425
In a large stockpot add water, chicken, cinnamon stick and bay leaf, bring to boil, lower the heat to medium low and simmer uncovered to avoid spells for about 25 minutes, making sure to skim off the foam every few minutes until the broth is clear.
In the main time, spread the eggplant on to nonstick or lined baking sheet in single layer, drizzle 3 tablespoon of olive oil and sprinkle 1/4 of tablespoon of salt, rub the oil and the salt into the eggplant, bake for 30 minutes.
Rinse the rice with cold water drain, set a side.
In a medium size nonstick pot add the remaining olive oil, butter and Sauté the sliced onions until golden, add the garlic and sauté for 1 minute, make sure the pot is large enough in order to cook the entire meal in.
Add the sautéed onion and garlic to the rinsed rice, add all the spices and the remaining salt and pepper. mix well.
Remove the chicken from the broth onto a plate and let it cool for a minute, discard the cinnamon stick and bay leaf, reserve the broth.
Shred the chicken into large bite size.
Line the bottom of the pot with a layer of the rice and onion mixture, add a layer of eggplant or the vegetable you chose to use, repeat until all of the eggplant used and end up with a top layer of the rice.
Add chicken broth, cover and bring to boil, lower the heat to simmer and cook for 25-30 minutes.
Let the rice stand in the pot covered for about 10 minutes.
Hold a large serving platter over the pot and invert the rice carefully and serve.
Some recipes have toasted nuts on top but I love this simple one!
Served with plain yogurt or middle eastern salad
Enjoy!
I also used the same sauce to test my homemade Nachos and it turned out as
delicious as the Penne dish.
Also tested this sauce with steamed vegetables and there are no words to
describe the flavor, all I could say that it is absolutely delicious.
I am still in the testing stages with this sauce; I have to try and work on
it few more time, so I won’t post it just yet.
I promise I will once I get it perfect and up to standard to post.
These delicious cupcakes have the taste of apple pie but in a cupcakes shape for an easy eat on the go!
.2 cups chopped Apples, any kind
.1 tbsp fresh Lemon juice
.2 cups All purpose flour
.2 tsp. Baking powder
.½ cup Light brown sugar substitutes
.1 cup Pecan chopped and divided
.2/3 cup low fat Milk
.1 stick of Butter room temperature
.1 large Egg
.1 tsp Cinnamon
.½ tsp grated Nutmeg
.¼ tsp Salt
.1 tsp Vanilla
Preheat oven 375
Peel and chop the apples to small bite sizes, add lemon juice and set aside.
Line a muffin pan with baking paper and set aside.
In a stand mixer bowl beat brown sugar and butter until it is soft, add egg, vanilla and mix well for about a minute.
Sift flour; add salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking powder, chopped apples and half the chopped pecans.
On a low speed add the flour mixture and alternate with the milk starting and ending with the flour, making sure not to over mix.
With ice cream scope, adds the batter to the lined muffin pan, sprinkle the top with the remaining chopped pecans.
Bake for 25-30 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.
It makes 12 cupcakes.
This is the first time I make Brown Rice and I think I will be making it a lot from now on, very testy and healthy.
4 Cups of Brown Basmati rice
9 Cups of Homemade Chicken stock
1 TBS olive oil
1 TBS butter
In a large non-stick pot add olive oil, butter, rice and toast for two minutes, add Chicken stock and bring to boil, reduce to simmer until the rice fully cooked. It will take about 45 minutes.
.3 Cups Cooked Chicken cut to bite size
.1 large Onion finally chopped
.3 Glove of Garlic minced
.1 Tbsp. Salt
.1/2 Tbsp. Black Pepper
.10 Cups of water or chicken stock
.15 Corn Tortilla cut to strips
.1/2 Chili Paper
.1 TBS Maggie seasoning
.1/4 Cup lime juice
.1/2 Tbsp. Cumin powder
.1/2 Tbsp. Coriander powder
.1 Can 14.5 oz. chopped tomato
.4 Tbsp. Chopped fresh cilantro
.2 Tbsp. Butter
.1 Tbsp. Olive oil
In a large pot add butter, olive oil, onion, black pepper, salt, and saute until its soft, add garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes.
Add Cooked Chicken and the rest of the ingredient except Tortilla, lime juice and Cilantro. Bring to boil, reduce heat, and let it simmer for 15-20 minutes.
Add fresh Cilantro, lime juice and cut up Tortillas and cook for 2 minutes.
Serve with sour cream and avocado. Enjoy!
.6 Cups of Chicken white and dark meat cut to bite size
.1 Jar of Teriyaki low sodium paste and glaze sauce
.1 Tsps. Worcestershire sauce
.1 Tbsp. Sesame Seeds toasted
.1 Medium Onion thinly sliced
.1 Tbsp. Fresh Ginger grated
.1 Tbsp. Soy Sauce
.3 Cloves Minced Garlic
.1 Tsp. Sesame Oil
.3 Green Onion Chopped
.1/2 Tbsp. Chopped Fresh Thyme
.Juice of one Lime
.2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
.2 Tbsp. Butter
.1 Tbsp. Black Pepper
.2 Tbsp. Chopped Fresh Cilantro
.1 Tbsp. Maggi Seasoning
In a large skillet add vegetable oil, butter and onion, sauté until soften, add chicken and cook for 20 minutes or until fully cooked, add the rest of ingredient but reserve half the green onion and half the chopped cilantro, cook for 5 minute until the sauce is little thick.
Garnish with the reserved fresh cilantro and chopped green onion.
Serve with White Rice or Brown Rice.
