Perfect Paella

• In February, Shawn & I gave my dad a birthday present: a meal of his choice, cooked by the two of us. Three nights ago, he told us that he wanted us to make him this birthday meal… and he wanted Paella. The two of us are leaving on a 'cross country-into Canada-40-day tour on Friday, so this freaked us out a little bit, but there was no way we were going to say no. :)
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• We found a recipe online that had raving reviews, and seemed pretty simple, so we adapted it to include some really yummy seafood, and put our spin on some of the spices & techniques. It turned out to be the perfect paella… not too saucy, yet not dry; tons of flavor, and perfect balance between the chicken/Andouille sausage and the seafood. My dad LOVED it.
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• No need to be afraid of making paella any longer. This recipe is not very involved at all. Enjoy!

• Ingredients:

• 4 chicken thighs, skinned 
• 1 tablespoon Herbes de Provence
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon salt, divided
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon olive oil 
• 2 (4-ounce) links fully-cooked Andouille sausage, sliced in 1/2-inch pieces
• 1 1/3 cup chopped onion 
• 3/4 cup chopped red bell pepper
• 2 cups uncooked Arborio or Valencia rice
• 3/4 cup canned diced organic tomato
• 1 1/3 teaspoon Hungarian sweet paprika
• 1/3 teaspoon saffron threads
• 2 garlic clove, minced
• 4 cups free range, low-sodium chicken broth 
• 1/2 pound large shrimp, shell & tail intact
• 1/2 pound Mahi Mahi (or other fish that will hold it's own), skinned & de-boned, cut into 1-inch chunks
• ~20 high quality fully-cooked frozen Blue Tip mussels, cleaned & de-bearded
• 1 1/4 cup (1-inch) diagonally cut asparagus 
• 3/4 cup frozen green peas, thawed
• 1/4 cup green onion, sliced diagonally in 1/4-inch pieces
• 1/2 lemon, cut into wedges

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2. Directions:
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4. Preheat oven to 400°.
5. Rub chicken down with Herbes de Provence, smoked paprika, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and black pepper. Heat the oil in an 8-quart nonstick pot or large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken; cook 3 minutes on each side or until lightly browned. Remove chicken from pot; cover and keep warm.
6. Add sausage, onion and bell pepper to pot; cook 7 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove & set aside. Add shrimp & fish to pot; cook 2 minutes on each side; remove & set aside (seafood will not be fully cooked). Return sausage, onion, and bell pepper mixture to pot. Add rice, tomato, paprika, saffron, and garlic; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Return chicken to pot. Add broth and 1/2 teaspoon salt; bring to a boil. Cover pot. Bake at 400° for 10 minutes. Stir in shrimp, fish, mussels, asparagus, and peas. Cover and bake an additional 5--8 minutes or until chicken & seafood is completely done. Serve in a large bowl with mussels featured on the top. Finish with sliced green onions & lemon wedges.

Recipe adapted from MyRecipes.com

Oven-Fried Chicken {Gluten-Free}

Serves 4

My parents have been reading the book Wheat Belly and have been cutting back on the amount of wheat/gluten they consume. I'm still in the early stages of researching this way of eating, and since it makes sense that this could be a healthier lifestyle, I've been trying to come up with delicious gluten-free substitutes for the everyday cravings we wheat-lovers want.

My dear friend, Frederiche Gray, who has been my hairstylist for years now, is moving to Oregon today. My family had Frederiche & his husband over for a sending-off dinner last night, and I decided to make a tried-and-true delicious recipe that I've posted on this blog before, but I made a couple changes to make it gluten-free!

Cree LaFavour's recipe from Poulet: More Than 50 Remarkable Recipes That Exalt the Honest Chicken, Oven-Fried Chicken, is one of my all-time favorite dishes to make. It's crispy, juicy, and so much healthier than fried chicken (I actually think it's BETTER)! I researched how to make a gluten-free all-purpose flour, and found this wonderful blog called Gluten-Free Girl and The Chef. The blog explained which flours could be used and what the correct proportions are to make a gluten-free all-purpose flour (see the post here). I decided to use oat flour as my whole grain flour, and potato flour as my starch. My family, who has eaten this recipe before, liked the gluten-free version even more! It was so crispy, and seriously delicious!

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup organic whole milk
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• Juice of 2 lemons
• 1 tsp. Kosher salt, plus 1 tbsp.
• 8-10 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (or 4 bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts)
• 3 oz. oat flour
• 5 oz. potato flour
• 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
• Black pepper
• Flaky salt for finishing
• 1/4 cup coursely chopped fresh chives or parsley

Directions:

In a large bowl, stir together the milk, olive oil, lemon juice and the 1 tsp. Kosher salt.  Add the chicken to the bowl and turn to coat on both sides.  Marinate at room temperature for at least 30 minutes and up to 1 hour, or cover and refrigerate up to 24 hours. If refrigerating, return the chicken to room temperature for 30 minutes or so to take the chill off before cooking.

Preheat the oven to 400° F.

Stir together the oat flour, potato flour, 1 tbsp. Kosher salt, and cayenne in another large bowl.  Season with the black pepper.  Lift the chicken pieces from the marinade and dredge in the seasoned flour to coat on both sides.  Give each piece a little shake to remove any excess flour.  Lay the pieces on a parchment paper-lined or lightly greased baking sheet, skin-side down.

Bake the chicken for 30-40 minutes, turning after 15 minutes, or until the crust is a deep, golden brown.  I covered my chicken with aluminum foil at the end because the crust was very crispy, and I didn't want it to burn. Either insert an instant-read thermometer into the thickest part of a thigh or cut into a thigh with a paring knife.  The thermometer should register 175° F.  If using a knife, look for clear, not red or pink, juices running from the spot where you pierced the meat and opaque, barely pink flesh at the bone.  If the chicken isn't done, bake for 5 to 10 minutes longer and check it again.

When the chicken is done, remove it from the oven, sprinkle with a little flaky salt, and let rest for 5 minutes.  Arrange on a platter or divide among individual plates.  Scatter the chives or parsley on top and serve.

Bombastic Blackened Chicken

Serves 4

Once you have made my dad's amazing blackening spice, and have it stored in your pantry for future use (see the recipe here), this dish is one of the easiest & quickest meals to throw together on a whim! It's spicy, juicy, and so flavorful.. so much so that I actually said "bombastic." ;) Pair with a salad or some southern greens, like I did! 

Ingredients:

• 4-5 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 2-3 tbsp. butter
• My dad's blackening spice (see here)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350º. Wash chicken breasts, pat dry. Pour a generous amount of blackening spice into a shallow bowl. Place chicken breasts, one by one, into the blackening spice, and coat very generously with the spice. Place coated chicken breasts into a baking dish. Put 1/2 tbsp. butter on top of each breast. Bake for 15 minutes on each side. Voila!

Oven-Fried Chicken

Serves 4

Something about Anthropologie makes me the happiest girl on Earth when I'm walking around the store - especially when the clearance section has something I can't live without.  That's just what happened recently when I came across the cookbook, "Poulet - More Than 50 Remarkable Meals That Exalt The Honest Chicken," by Cree LeFavour, sitting alone on the clearance bookshelf.  I opened the book, and after reading only a few pages, I knew I was going to absolutely love cooking from this book.  Not only does Poulet have amazing recipes, but it also has wonderful advice that I've taken and run with in my own recipes.

This is one of my favorites so far... It's super crispy oven-fried chicken.  While it's so much healthier than deep-fried chicken, it's flavor and texture trumps any fried chicken I've had - partly because you don't have guilt from all of the oil you're wiping off of your face at the end of the meal!  The photo above shows the chicken breasts I made (the original recipe calls for thighs).  I've made both the thighs and breasts with this recipe, and although I love dark meat, I really liked how much crispier the breasts were since they have to be in the oven for a longer period of time.  I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I do!  I'm sure that I will be posting another recipe from this cookbook in the near future! :)

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup milk
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• Juice of 2 lemons
• 1 tsp. Kosher salt, plus 1 tbsp.
• 8-10 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (or 4 bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts)
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
• Black pepper
• Flaky salt for finishing
• 1/4 cup coursely chopped fresh chives or parsley

Directions:

In a large bowl, stir together the milk, olive oil, lemon juice and the 1 tsp. Kosher salt.  Add the chicken to the bowl and turn to coat on both sides.  Marinate at room temperature for at least 30 minutes and up to 1 hour, or cover and refrigerate up to 24 hours. If refrigerating, return the chicken to room temperature for 30 minutes or so to take the chill off before cooking.

Preheat the oven to 400° F.

Stir together the flour, 1 tbsp. Kosher salt, and cayenne in another large bowl.  Season with the black pepper.  Lift the chicken pieces from the marinade and dredge in the seasoned flour to coat on both sides.  Give each piece a little shake to remove any excess flour.  Lay the pieces on a parchment paper-lined or lightly greased baking sheet, skin-side up.

Bake the chicken for 30-40 minutes, turning after 15 minutes, or until the crust is a deep, golden brown.  Either insert an instant-read thermometer into the thickest part of a thigh or cut into a thigh with a paring knife.  The thermometer should register 175° F.  If using a knife, look for clear, not red or pink, juices running from the spot where you pierced the meat and opaque, barely pink flesh at the bone.  If the chicken isn't done, bake for 5 to 10 minutes longer and check it again.

When the chicken is done, remove it from the oven, sprinkle with a little flaky salt, and let rest for 5 minutes.  Arrange on a platter or divide among individual plates.  Scatter the chives or parsley on top and serve.

Oyakodon (Japanese Comfort Food)

Serves 4 
(I double this recipe taken from AllRecipes.com)

Oyakodon is a traditional Japanese rice bowl topped with simmered chicken, onions, and egg.  This is one of my father's all-time favorite meals, so I try to make it for him frequently. He describes it as, "Japan's version of meat and potatoes - it's a country-style dish."  This recipe is so delicious, and deceivingly easy to make!

Regarding the rice... My very good Thai friend, Lek, gave me some advice that I'll never forget. She told me that washing Jasmine rice (as you do with other types of rice) will diminish the amazing flavor of the rice, so cook with it unwashed! When cooking your rice in a rice cooker, the instructions will typically say to use a 1:1 water to rice ratio. This is true with washed rice because water will still be present... When cooking your Jasmine rice, add about 1/8 - 1/4 cup of water extra per cup to make up for the water not used. :)

Ingredients:

• 2 cups uncooked, unwashed Jasmine rice (cook as directed on the package, or follow the rice cooker instructions above)
• 4 skinless, boneless chicken thighs, cut into small pieces
• 1 onion, cut in half and sliced
• 2 cups dashi stock, made with dashi powder OR chicken stock (if you can't find dashi)
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 3 tablespoons mirin (Japanese rice wine)
• 3 tablespoons brown sugar
• 4 eggs

Preparation:

Prepare your Jasmine rice.

Place the chicken in a nonstick skillet with a lid, and cook and stir over medium heat until the chicken is no longer pink inside and beginning to brown, about 5 minutes. Stir in the onion, and cook and stir until the onion is soft, about 5 more minutes. Pour in the stock, and whisk in soy sauce, mirin, and brown sugar, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Bring the mixture to a boil, and let simmer until slightly reduced, about 10 minutes.

Whisk the eggs in a bowl until well-beaten, and pour over the chicken and stock. Cover the skillet, reduce heat, and allow to steam for about 5 minutes, until the egg is cooked. Remove from heat.

To serve, place 1 cup of cooked rice per bowl into 4 deep soup bowls, top each bowl with 1/4 of the chicken and egg mixture, and spoon about 1/2 cup of soup into each bowl.

You will probably be sorry that you didn't double this if you're cooking for more than 2 people, so keep this in mind! ;) Enjoy! 

Green Curry Chicken Burgers

Serves 4

A few months ago, my boyfriend and I came up with the idea of a Thai-inspired burger. We discussed all of the different ingredients we could throw together, and got really excited about it, but didn't try to execute the experiment until tonight. There are a million different things you could do with this burger, and it would be fantastic! Next time, I may use red curry paste instead of green, and possibly add a little fish sauce (mine was expired tonight, so I wasn't able to use it). This is a super moist & flavorful burger, and a fun meal since you get to create your own mixture of toppings at the end! I hope you dig this recipe as much as we did!

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. organic ground chicken
• 1 tbsp. chopped sweet red pepper
• 1 tsp. green curry paste
• 1/4 tsp. lemongrass paste or chopped lemongrass
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 tbsp. soy sauce (or Tamari)
• Peanut oil, about 2 tbsp.
• Bean sprouts
• Fresh cilantro leaves
• Sweet red pepper, sliced
• Sweet onion, sliced
• Sriracha pepper sauce
• Vegenaise or mayonnaise
• Seeded hamburger buns

Directions:

In a bowl, mix together ground chicken, chopped sweet red pepper, green curry paste, lemongrass, egg yolk, and soy sauce. With your hands, shape the mixture into 4 patties.

Heat a large skillet on medium heat till well heated, about 4-5 minutes. Add the peanut oil. Gently place chicken patties in the hot oil. Cook over medium heat until a yummy brown crust forms, about 3-4 minutes on each side. Reduce the heat to low, and partially cover the skillet, allowing the steam to escape. Cook for another 8-10 minutes longer, turning once, until the internal temperature reads 160 degrees.

While your burgers are cooking, nicely arrange the bean sprouts, cilantro, sliced sweet pepper, and sliced sweet onion on a plate. In a small bowl, mix together a couple of spoonfuls of vegenaise or mayonnaise, and add desired amount of Sriracha pepper sauce for flavor & heat.

Serve the burgers on the seeded hamburger buns, and allow your guests to dress their burger themselves from the plate of fresh veggies & Sriracha mayo. This burger goes perfectly with my Tangy Thai Nectarine Salad! Enjoy! ♥

Easy, Healthier Fajitas

My best friend, Amy, told me how to make these simple, and more-healthy-than-your-typical fajitas. The veggies & meat are broiled instead of pan-seared in oil. I love making them because they are so easy, but you can give them some pizzazz & they'll impress your guests! 

Ingredients:

• 1 Red bell pepper, cut into 1/4 inch slices
• 1 Green bell pepper, cut into 1/4 inch slices
• 1 Medium red onion, cut into 1/4 inch slices
• Whole baby portabello mushrooms, cut in half
• 4 Cloves of garlic (small bulb)
• 1/2 lb. Chicken breast tenders, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
• 1/2 lb. Beef, cut into 1/2 inch pieces (or just do 1 lb. chicken)
• 1 Lime
• Small sour cream
• Fresh cilantro, chopped
• Small flour tortillas
• Badia fajita seasoning
• Olive oil

Directions:

Arrange veggies on a foil-lined broiler pan or cookie sheet.  Sprinkle with fajita seasoning & drizzle with olive oil.  Broil on high for 6-8 minutes (about 4 inches under heat).

Arrange meat on a foil-lined broiler pan.  Sprinkle generously with fajita seasoning.  Drizzle with olive oil.  Broil on high for 5-7 minutes (about 4 inches under heat).

Serve with warm flour tortillas, lime wedges, and sour cream**. Make it look fancy by sprinkling some chopped fresh cilantro onto the cooked meat. :)

**I like to make a simple cilantro sour cream by mixing chopped fresh cilantro into sour cream.

Enjoy! ♥