Garlic Chicken

 
This garlic chicken recipe is packed with flavor.  You can make the chicken ahead of time and then refrigerate the leftovers so you don't have to cook for the next few days.  This is one of those dishes that gets even better the next day.

INGREDIENTS

1 Tsp red pepper flakes   

1/2 Tsp dried rosemary 

1/2 Tsp dried basil  

1/2 Tsp kosher salt   

1/4 Tsp black pepper 

2 Tbsp chopped parsley  

1 pound(s) uncooked boneless skinless chicken breast(s), four 4-oz pieces   

1 tsp olive oil   

12 clove(s) (medium) garlic clove(s), halved   

1 cup(s) fat-free chicken broth, reduced-sodium, divided   

 
INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat oven to 450 F.

Combine first 5 ingredients in a small bowl. Sprinkle both sides of chicken with herb mixture.

Heat oil in a large ovenproof nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken, and cook 2 minutes on each side. Add garlic and 3⁄4 cup broth. 

Place pan in oven. Bake at 450 for 10 minutes or until chicken is done and garlic cloves are soft.

Remove pan from oven. Transfer chicken to a platter; keep warm. Add remaining 1⁄4 cup broth to pan. Mash garlic with a fork. Cook garlic mixture over medium heat 2 minutes or until thoroughly heated; stir. Serve garlic sauce over chicken.  Sprinkle with parsley.

Onion Stuffed Cornish Hen

Yesterday, I went to Coffee Bean's free Kaldi coffee machine giveaway on the Sunset Strip.  It was a fun event and I met some cool people while I waited in a line that was almost 2 miles long!!  I ended up with a nice, new coffee machine (I'll be posting some drink recipes soon), but the temperature was scorching hot so by the time I got home I was worn out and had absolutely no energy for cooking.  I was beyond happy to have this cornish hen recipe ready to pop in the oven.  Dinner was waiting for me by the time I finished a nap and it was just what I needed after such a long day.  The cornish hen is an easy meal to make and one that you can prepare ahead of time and then bake when you want to eat it.  The best part is that it doesn't require a lot of fancy ingredients so you can really make it anytime.  I like having brown rice to go with it so that I can take out the onion mixture from the hen and mix it with the rice.  It's a heavenly combo.

INGREDIENTS

1 cornish hen
1 medium yellow onion
1/2 Tsp kosher salt
1/2 Tsp black pepper
2 Tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
1 cup water or chicken broth
1 Tsp low-sodium soy sauce to drizzle on hen

INSTRUCTIONS

Pre-heat oven to 370 F.

Wash hen from inside and outside.

Dice onion and put in small bowl.  Add salt and pepper on diced onion.  Add 2 Tbsp soy sauce and stir together.

Stuff hen with onion mixture.

Place hen in a roasting pan.  Sprinkle top of hen with 1/4 tsp salt and a 1/4 tsp pepper.  Drizzle with 1 tsp soy sauce.  Pour 1 cup water or chicken broth into pan.  Roast on bottom rack for about 1 hour and 30 min. or until done and golden brown.  If water/chicken broth evaporates during cooking, be sure to add more.

Spicy Oven-roasted Tri-tip with Potatoes

Tri-tip is one of the best cuts of meat and that makes it perfect for this oven roasted dish.  The meat is so tender that you don't even need a knife to cut it.  This meal is easy to throw together and it'll taste like you've been slaving over a hot stove for hours.  It also has a big kick of heat from the red pepper flakes, which is great for spicy food lovers.  If you don't like too much spice, you can tone down the pepper flakes or leave them out completely.


INGREDIENTS

1 lb tri-tip, cut into six pieces
1 medium green pepper, sliced
2 small roma tomatoes, sliced
1 yellow onion, sliced
4 Tbsp tomato sauce
1 cup chicken broth
2 medium potatoes, boiled for 10 minutes and sliced
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 tsp kosher salt
2 tsp black pepper
2 tsp red pepper flakes
2 cloves garlic, minced

INSTRUCTIONS

Pre-heat oven to 375 F.

Heat saucepan and add olive oil.  Lightly brown onion slices and garlic. 

Push these to side of pan and add meat.  Season meat with a teaspoon each of salt and pepper.  Brown meat on each side, do not cook through.

Spray roasting pan with Pam cooking spray.  Add peppers, tomatoes, potatoes, meat, onions, and garlic. 

Add chicken broth and tomato sauce.  Season everything with teaspoon each of salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes.  Stir ingredients together.  Cover with foil and place on bottom rack of oven for 1 hr. 30 min. or until meat is cooked through.

Spicy Chicken in Tomato Sauce

This chicken has a slightly crispy outside, but is tender inside.  The spices and tomato sauce give it a rich flavor.  It goes perfectly with rice or pasta and it's super easy to make, especially if you're short on time.

INGREDIENTS

Chicken

4 pieces boneless, skinless chicken
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup cornstarch
1/2 cup water
1 beaten egg
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper

Sauce

3 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup chicken broth
1 yellow onion, cut into cubes
1 tablespoon ginger root, minced
1 tablespoon garlic, minced
1 teaspoon cumin
1 tablespoon white vinegar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
3 tablespoon tomato sauce
1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce
3 tablespoons cornstarch, dissolved in 1/4 cup water

INSTRUCTIONS

For the chicken

In a bowl, beat eggs and add flour, corn starch, water, salt, and pepper.  Beat with a whisk until combined.

Cut the chicken into cubes and cover each piece with the egg mixture.

Heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in a saucepan and add chicken pieces.  Brown chicken and cook through.

For the sauce

Heat olive oil and add onions, garlic, and ginger.  Stir until light brown.

Add tomato sauce, vinegar, salt, black pepper, cumin and red pepper flakes.  Stir together and then add soy sauce and chicken broth.  Finally, add the dissolved cornstarch and stir until starch thickens.  Add the chicken to sauce and stir.  Remove from heat and serve.

Pizza with a Mediterranean Twist

I love pizza, but I'm always disappointed when I order a pizza and find the crust is soggy or that there are hardly any toppings on the pizza so I decided to make my own, my way.  I think you'll enjoy homemade pizza even more than ordering out.  You control the crust and add what you want and as much as you want.  Below is my pizza recipe, which I've given a Mediterranean twist.  I've used feta cheese and 2 types of Mediterranean meats.  One meat is called soujouk and it is a spicy, dry sausage and the other is basturma, which is a highly seasoned, air-dried cured beef.  You can find these at your local ethnic market.  However, if you can't find them, you can leave them off and the pizza tastes just as good.  

INGREDIENTS

Dough

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon table salt
1 1/4 cups warm water
1 tablespoon yeast
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon olive oil

Toppings

1 green pepper sliced
1 red pepper sliced
1 yellow onion sliced
1 tomato sliced
8 pieces soujouk, cooked
8 pieces basturma
1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
12 pitted black olives
1 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese (or as much as you want to add)
Ragu Tomato sauce (use as much as needed to spread over crust)

INSTRUCTIONS

Dough

Add yeast, honey, and oil to the warm water and stir.  Let stand for 5 minutes.

Add salt to flour and then add the water mixture.  Knead for 5 minutes .  I use a KitchenAid mixer to make the kneading easier.  Form a ball and put in a bowl lightly coated with olive oil and turn the ball a couple of times in the bowl.  Cover with a towel and place in warm area.  Let stand for 1 hour.

Toppings

In a non-stick pan, add 2 tablespoons olive oil.  Season the vegetables by adding 1 teaspoon each of kosher salt, black pepper and oregano.  Sautee vegetables until they are soft and there is no more water in the veggies.

Sauteeing the vegetables will prevent your crust from getting soggy when the vegetables are added on top of it.

Making the Pizza

Pre-heat oven to 450 F.  To assemble the pizza, roll the dough over a floured surface and make a circle.  Place on a pizza pan that has been sprayed with cooking spray such as Pam.  I recommend using the Food Network's pizza pan.  It allows the crust to bake evenly and makes it crispy.

Add the Ragu sauce to cover the surface of pizza and then add all of your toppings.  Place on bottom rack of oven and bake about 15-20 minutes or until crust is golden brown.  I recommend checking on the crust frequently so that you get it exactly to your liking.

***PIZZA CRUST TIP***
For a thinner, crispier crust follow these steps:

After letting dough stand for 1 hour in a warm place, put dough in a plastic bag and seal bag.  Refrigerate for 48 hours.  Remove from fridge and let stand for 1 hour before rolling it out and baking.