A Spicy, Spanish Inspired Dinner

Sweet and Spicy Spanish Rice from Betty Crocker's Good and Easy Cookbook

Ingredients
3/4 lb. pork boneless loin, cut into 1/2 inch pieces (I omitted this all together because this was going to be a side dish)
1/2 c coarsely chopped red onion (I used dehydrated)
2 c water
1 c uncooked regular long grain rice (I used a blend I had in the fridge and needed to use up)
3/4 c thick and chunky salsa
1/4 c peach or apricot preserves (I used some orange ones in the fridge that I had to use up)
1-2 TBS lime juice
chopped avocado, if desired (I desired but didn't have any)

Directions
You are supposed to cook the pork in a skillet with the onion but I skipped that step since I wasn't using the pork. I cooked up the rice, then stirred in the salsa, preserves, lime juice and I added some green chilies, let it heat, then served.

Nutrition Facts (Including the pork chops)
Serving Size:
Servings Per Recipe: 4
Amount per Serving:
Total Calories 335, Total fat 5 g, Saturated fat 2 g, Cholesterol 35 mg, Sodium 160 mg, Carbohydrate 57 g, Dietary Fiber total 2 g, Protein 18 g

Spicy Mexicali Drumsticks from Betty Crocker's Good and Easy Cookbook

Ingredients
1/3 c buttermilk
1,4 tsp. red pepper sauce
2/3 c cornmeal
2 tsp taco seasoning mix (this had to be homemade since I didn't have any)
8 chicken drumsticks (about 1 3/4 lbs.) (I used 4 thighs, which were about 1 1/2 lbs. and I removed the skin beforehand)
Salsa, if desired

Directions
1. Heat oven to 400 degrees. Grease 9x13 rectangular pan.
2. Mix buttermilk and pepper sauce in a bowl. Mix cornmeal and seasoning mix in a bowl with a lid. (It said plastic bag, but I thought, lets not waste a plastic bag. Reduce, re-use, recycle).
3. Dip chicken in buttermilk mixture, then shake in the bowl with the lid to coat with the cornmeal mixture. Place in pan. Drizzle with oil. (How much is a drizzle? How coated should it be? I was wishing I had an oil mister to evenly cover the chicken, but not to drown it in oil).
4. Bake uncovered for 40-45 minutes, turning once. Serve with salsa.

Nutrition Facts
Serving Size: 2 drumsticks (or 1 thigh)
Servings Per Recipe: 4
Amount per Serving:
Total Calories 350, Total fat 17 g, Saturated fat 5 g, Cholesterol 95 mg, Sodium 190 mg, Carbohydrate 20 g, Dietary Fiber total 1 g, Protein 30 g

Roasted Apple-Rosemary Chicken Thighs from Shape Magazine

Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 25 minutes

Ingredients
1⁄2 pound tart apples, such as Granny Smith (about 1 large or 2 small)
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch strips
2 tablespoons white wine
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 1⁄2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh rosemary (Yay for our herb garden)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1⁄2 teaspoon kosher salt
1⁄2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 cups cooked brown rice

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Core apples and cut into 1-inch cubes. In a large baking pan, combine apples, chicken, wine, oil, rosemary, garlic, salt, and pepper. Toss to coat. Roast for 20 to 25 minutes or until apples are softened.
2. Divide rice evenly among four plates and top with equal amounts of chicken and apples. Pour pan juices over top and serve.

This was very quick to prepare and delicious. I was expecting a thicker sauce, like apple pie, but this was a bit drier, and its bit of sauce too runny.

Nutrition Facts
Serving Size: ?
Servings Per Recipe: 4
Amount per Serving:
Total Calories 275, Total fat 10 g, Saturated fat 2 g, Sodium 426 mg, Carbohydrate 32 g, Dietary Fiber total 3 g, Protein 23 g

Chicken Cajun Curry from Better Homes and Gardens Magazine, contributed by Pat Banta Kreml

Ingredients
1/2 tsp fennel seeds, crushed
1 TBS olive oil
1 lb skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, cut in 1-inch pieces
1/4 cup butter
1 large green sweet pepper, cut in strips
1 large red onion, cut in narrow wedges
1 stalk celery, sliced (1/2 cup)
6 cloves garlic, minced (2 Tbsp.)
2 - 3 tsp curry powder
1 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 14 1/2 oz. can chicken broth
1/2 cup tangerine or orange marmalade (This makes it too sweet, but I like the tang. Need to find a lower sugar alternative)
1 tsp bottled hot pepper sauce (too many tender mouths. I put sriracha out and let people heat it up too their taste)
4 cups hot cooked basmati or jasmine rice

Directions

1. In a 4-quart Dutch oven cook fennel seeds in hot oil over medium heat for 1 minute. Stir in chicken. Cook and stir for 5 minutes or until chicken is browned. Remove chicken with a slotted spoon.

2. In the same Dutch oven heat butter. Cook sweet pepper, onion, celery, garlic, curry powder, garam masala, and salt in hot butter over medium heat for 5 to 10 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Stir in flour. Gradually add the chicken broth, stirring until combined. Stir in chicken, marmalade, and hot pepper sauce. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, covered, about 10 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink, stirring occasionally. Serve over rice.

This was delicious. The sauce was a great consistency.

Nutrition Facts                       

Serving Size: ?
Servings Per Recipe: 4 (more I think)
Amount per Serving:
Total Calories 641, Total fat 17 g, Saturated fat 8 g, Monounsaturated fat 6 g, Polyunsaturated fat 1 g, Cholesterol 97 mg, Sodium 925 mg, Carbohydrate 88 g, Dietary Fiber total 2 g, Sugar 27 g, Protein 33 g

Chicken, Sweet Potato and Cauliflower Vindaloo from Family Circle Magazine

Ingredients
2  TBS vegetable oil

1  lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs

1/2 tsp salt

1  lb sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes (I used 4 russet potatoes)

1 large onion, chopped

1 medium cauliflower, cut into florets (I used 2 bags of frozen cauliflower)

2 tsp curry powder

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

1 14.5 oz. can reduced-sodium chicken broth

1 14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes

1/2 cup mint, coarsely chopped

2 cups cooked quinoa (I used brown rice)

Directions
1. Heat 1 TBS of the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Season chicken with 1/4 tsp of the salt. Cook for 7 to 8 minutes. Remove to a plate.
2. Add remaining TBS of oil, sweet potatoes and onion to skillet and stir-fry for 5 minutes. Add cauliflower and cook 3 minutes. Stir in curry powder, cayenne and the remaining 1/4 tsp salt; cook 1 minute. Add broth and tomatoes; cook 5 minutes, covered, stirring occasionally.
3. Add chicken and heat through. Stir in mint and serve over cooked quinoa.

Using regular potatoes instead of sweet changed how I made this recipe. I soaked the chopped potatoes in water for 20 minutes to remove some of the starch, changing the water after 10 minutes. I changed the total cooking time for them to 25 minutes which still wasn't quite adequate. It was a bit rough on the pan. Perhaps next time I would use a bag of chapped frozen potatoes. This was pretty good and very filling. The sauce was too runny and I think the spices could use some tweaking.

Nutrition Facts
Serving Size: ?

Servings Per Recipe: 4 (I think this made made double this amount of servings)
Amount Per Serving
Calories 458, Total Fat 16 g, Saturated Fat 3 g, Cholesterol 110 mg, Sodium 762 mg, Carbohydrate 50 g, Dietary Fiber 7 g, Protein 31 g

Bok Choy Salad

My sister-in-law made this salad for us and it was delicious. She got the recipe from allrecipes.com and made her own addition, so I will present it here and, in the interest of giving credit where credit is due, give the link to the original recipe.

Ingredients

1/2 cup red wine vinegar

1/2 cup olive oil

1/2 cup white sugar (I used honey)

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1/4 cup margarine (I used butter)

1/4 cup blanched slivered almonds

1/4 cup sesame seeds

2 (3 oz.) packages ramen noodle pasta, crushed

1 medium head bok choy (it's hard to imagine how it is going to turn out with this as the base of the salad, but it all comes together).

3 green onions

add diced chicken cooked in Teriyaki sauce.

Directions
1. In a small bowl, whisk together the vinegar, oil, sugar and soy sauce. Set aside.
2. Melt the margarine over medium heat in a small skillet. Crush the ramen noodles while still in their packaging, and add to the margarine along with the almonds and sesame seeds. Saute until everything is golden brown. Remove from heat and drain on a paper towel.
3. Chop the bok choy and green onions and add to a large bowl. Just before serving, sprinkle with the noodle mixture and dressing, and toss to coat.

Nutrition Facts

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/rosies-bok-choy-salad/detail.aspx?event8=1&prop24=SR_Title&e11=rosie%27s%20bok%20choy%20salad&e8=Quick%20Search&event10=1&e7=Home%20Page

Cool Chicken & Apple Salad Wrap (from Lin's Marketplace)

My sister-in-law made this for us. I'm not a huge fan of curry spice, but I thought these were delicious.

Ingredients
1 1/2 tsp curry powder, divided
salt
1/2 lb chicken breast tenderloins, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 tsp olive oil
1/4 c unsweetened apple juice
1/4 c sour cream
1/4 c mayonnaise
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1 c diced peeled tart apple
1/4 c raisins
2 flour tortillas (8 inches) at room temperature
2 lettuce leaves
I added some celery as well

Directions
Cook chicken coated with a tsp of curry powder in a skillet over medium heat until no longer pink in the center.
Combine the apple juice, sour cream, mayonnaise, cinnamon, and remaining curry until blended. Stir in chicken, apple, and raisins. Spread over tortillas; top with lettuce. Roll tightly.

I'm not a huge curry fan, but I thought these were delicious, and great for a summer supper.

Chicken Barley Stew (Slow Cooker) from Betty Crocker Whole Grains: Easy Everyday Recipes

Ingredients
3 large carrots, sliced (2 cups)
2 medium stalks celery, sliced (1 cup)
1 large onion, chopped (1 cup)
2 chicken breast (about 1 1/4 lbs)
5 cups water
3/4 c barley
2 tsp chicken bouillon granules
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 can diced tomatoes, undrained
2 TBS chopped fresh parsley
1 tsp dried thyme leaves

Directions
1. In 4-5 quart slow cooker, place carrots, celery and onion. Place chicken breasts on vegetables. Add remaining ingredients except parsley and thyme.
2. Cover, cook on Low heat setting 8-9 hours.
3. Remove chicken from cutter; place on cutting board. Remove meat from bones and chop into 1/2 to 1 inch pieces; discard bones.
4. Stir chicken, parsley and thyme into stew. Increase heat setting to High. Cover; cook 10-15 minutes longer or until chicken is thoroughly heated.

It was a bit bland. But, typing out the recipe I realize that I forgot the tomatoes. Also, I had to adjust the cooking time for this high altitude.