Red Wine Chicken Fajitas with Cilantro & Avocado

Ok, so there are chicken fajitas. Big whoop. (90's <3)

But these have been drinking.

They started out purple. I was a little nervous.

(Don't be nervous if your fajitas are purple at first.)

This overwhelming purple-ness did reminded me of a time when I made purple risotto though. I didn't have any white wine and thought it was an obvious substitution. Wine.. wine.. same... right? The risotto was delicious, but there's something about certain colors that just makes foods weird.

Anyway, no one likes a purple risotto. Fail.

 

These are deeee-licious and totally not purple. Phew. A mostly sweet flavor with a hint of smokiness and a touch of spice. And so much more interesting than boring sober fajitas. But then again, so aren't we all?

Speaking of the '90's I really wish I still had my copy of the original Now. Like, a lot. But.. did you know they're still cranking those out? 'Tis true! Numero 41! Are people still buying these things? Please, someone tell me you know someone who is still buying these things.

I'm a Barbie girl. Foreva.

Soundtrack: Funk is back and boogie is alive.






Red Wine Chicken Fajitas with Cilantro & Avocado


1 medium onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 large green bell pepper, sliced into thin strips
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and diced
3 boneless skinless chicken breasts, trimmed of fat and cut into bite-sized pieces
1 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
2 tbsp brown sugar
1/2 c. red wine
1 Roma tomato, diced
1 avocado, sliced
cilantro
flour tortillas
EVOO, salt & pepper


In a large saute pan, heat a drizzle of EVOO over medium heat. Add onions and garlic and saute for 5 minutes. Add chicken and season with salt and pepper. Continue to saute until chicken is cooked through, about 10 minutes.


Add bell pepper, jalapeno pepper, paprika, and brown sugar. Stir to coat.


Pour in red wine and stir again. Try to make chicken and peppers as level as possible to submerge in the wine. Season again with a couple pinches of salt and pepper. Bring the dish to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally and continuing to cover the chicken as much as possible in the sauce. 


Meanwhile, heat the tortillas in the oven at 200 degrees for 2-3 minutes.


Adjust seasoning on chicken to taste. Serve in warm tortillas, topped with a hearty amount of avocado, tomato and cilantro.

Simple Spicy Chicken Cattiatore

Happy Super Bowl Sunday Amurika! Dip things in cheese! Cover them in buffalo sauce! BBQ something at least...

Right about now we should all be gearing up for the big showdown. The end of the football season  and greatest food event known to February (only b/c we had to extend the football season a few years ago, before that it was a tie between National Pancake Day and various restaurant weeks). 

But I figured everyone is probably sorta bored in a meantime. Unless of course you've started drinking early or you live somewhere warm. I know I sure was; I finished my first and only scrapbook today, which I started to commemorate my first trip to Europe about 4 years ago. So, life points for me.

So I figured I'd share a recipe.

And this. Because it made me laugh.

And this video, because it's relevant and hilarious. 

The Colbert Report
Get More: Colbert Report Full Episodes,Political Humor & Satire Blog,Video Archive

But let's get on with the recipe, shall we?

 I know we've had this discussion before, over this meat sauce. Authentic chicken cattiatore ain't got no tomate-ers either. But I bend the rules because I'm an American. And Olive Garden.

Look at all those tomatoes!

This is a pretty simple chicken dish. Healthy. Perfect for pasta. Or great without pasta on the day after you eat way too much, while pretending to care about football. Delicious, with just a bit of heat (or more if you like!).

Soundtrack:


 

Simple Spicy Chicken Cattiatore

Serves 3-4

1 clove garlic, minced

1 red bell pepper, chopped

1 green bell pepper, chopped

2 medium carrots, peeled and chopped

1 small onion, diced

3 chicken breasts, cleaned and cut into bite-sized pieces

1-28 oz can whole, peeled tomatoes, coarsely chopped, retain about 1/3 cup liquid

1/4-1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (depending on tastes)

1 tsp oregano

1/2 tsp rosemary

1-2 tbsp grated Pecorino-Romano cheese

salt, pepper, EVOO

In a large saute pan, heat EVOO over medium heat. Add garlic, peppers, carrots and onion. Saute for 5-10 minutes, or until the onions are translucent. Add chicken and continue to cook until chicken is cooked through.

Add tomatoes, red pepper flakes, oregano and rosemary. Salt and pepper to taste. Bring liquid to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 10-15 minutes until reduced slightly.

Serve over pasta or rice or with a salad. Top with cheese.

(Told you it was simple...)

Ginger & Spinach Stuffed Chicken with Quinoa and Parsnips

Hey. I'm different today than I was last time I posted!

No, I'm not pregnant. I'm old!

Well, no.. I was old on Tuesday, too. But today I have proof. I've leaped over the great dividing line between the beginning of your 20's and the end. I'm heading towards 30 at an alarming rate, but honestly... I'm loving it.

Why is it that all of our lives we are taught to fear aging? Like it's not going to happen to everyone. As though if we hate it enough our own personal Peter Pan (<3 alliteration) will come knocking at our window and whisk us away with pixie dust.

At 25, the 10 most important things I live my life by are:

1) Love yourself and surround yourself by people whom you love and who love you back

2) Put your Thin Mints in the freezer

3) Truly care about other people's feelings. Really care.

4) Do things that make you feel healthy

5) Then do things that are less healthy, more fun

6) Appreciate the shit out of everything you have

7) Learn how to chop vegetables properly; you'll have a lot more free time

8) Find something you love to do that makes you happy and forget about what anyone else might think

9) A good Yankee candle, a glass of wine, and some chocolate can fix a multitude of problems. They can potentially cause them as well.

10) Dance your cares away. Worries for another day. (Yea, I did just quote Fraggle Rock. That happened.)

See? Who gives a shit about your wrinkles. At 18 I couldn't have even dreamed of putting together that list. And as much as I liked to think I was, I wasn't nearly as happy. (Ok, that doesn't mean I'm not going to go out and buy a wrinkle cream soon...). Of course I don't know everything. And I'm sure I'll find myself changing my mind some day. But I think the most important thing about getting older is that we are all still growing. And we can all do something every day to continue to grow.

 Just don't lose sight of the goal. And that's to enjoy the hell outta your time here.

And of course, eat wonderful things. And share them with others.

Soundtrack:


Magic Tape Nineteen by TheMagician  


Ginger & Spinach Stuffed Chicken with Quinoa and Parsnips


1 tbsp ginger, minced
1 clove garlic, chopped
1-15 oz package of baby spinach
1/2 c. of chicken stock, plus a splash
3 chicken breasts (boneless skinless)
3 parsnips, peeled and chopped
1 leek, diced
1 tbsp soy sauce
1/4 c pecans, chopped
1 c. quinoa
EVOO
salt & pepper


Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.


Heat a drizzle of EVOO over medium heat. Add ginger and garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes. Add spinach and a splash of chicken stock and saute for 2-3 minutes or until it begins to wilt.


Clean and trim the chicken breasts, then cut a slit into each of the breasts on the longer side to open up a pocket. Be careful not to cut through! Stuff the chicken with spinach, then sprinkle each side with salt and pepper.


In the same pan as above, heat a bit more EVOO over medium heat. Sear each side of the chicken for 1-2 minutes.


Meanwhile in a dutch oven, heat a bit of EVOO over medium heat. Add parsnips, leeks, and pecans and saute for 3-4 minutes. Stir in 1/2 c chicken stock and soy sauce and remove from heat.


Place chicken over the parsnips and leeks, keeping the split end facing as upturned as possible. Spread some of the parsnips and leeks over the chicken. Cover dutch oven and place in the preheated oven for 45-50 minutes.


Meanwhile, cook quinoa according to package directions.


Once the dutch oven is removed from the oven, remove chicken breasts to a plate and toss together cooked quinoa and the remaining contents of the dutch oven. To serve, place chicken breasts back into dutch oven.

My new dutch oven's maiden voyage into the oven!

African Peanut Stew

It was brought to my attention yesterday that I am a non-discriminatory snacker. An equal opportune-snackist, if you will. Pretty much... I love all the snacks. I never really thought about it before, but it's so true! 

If someone argued that pretzels were a great snack, I might agree. Cheese and crackers? Delicious. Fruit? Yum. Chips and salsa? Sure!  Fruit snacks? Fruit leather? Muffins? Ok, pretty much all baked goods (I won't waste your time by listing them all). Chocolate (ahhh peanut m&ms)? Oh YES. Marshmallow fluff straight from the jar? Personal fave. Basically if it's in front of me and I'm hungry.. I'm snacking on it. Anyone else? 

I mean, not to say that I sit around stuffing my face.. I totally don't. But ya.. I like to nibble. On all the snacks.

It can't just be me... Please tell me we have snacks in common.

As I made this delicious and aromatic peanut stew tonight, I snacked on some awesome cheese and crackers. And they were awesome. Why is cheese so good? Someone please tell me.

Dill havarti + Toasted Wheats

And why is this stew so good?

It certainly doesn't look all that good. But, I saw it and I had to have it.

And I'm really glad I tried it out! My instincts rule.

I found the recipe for this African stew at this adorable blog Figsinmybelly just this morning... aaanndd less than 12 hrs later I was enjoying my own version. Hey, what can I say? I was sick of soup and needed a new comfort food.

And hooommmyygooodddd I'm sooo glad I tried it! Score, points, winning, etc. I obviously made a few substitutions, as suggested in the blog post, so for the original recipe please go here or here. As you can see from the difference in the photos on Figsinmybelly, depending on the amount of broth or peanut butter added, you can thicken this stew to your liking. I liked the thicker version a lot. A lot. I kept the basic sauce recipe the same (except increasing some spices because I added chicken).

PS Here's a boy who looks bored. Be happy you're not this bored. 
If you are, 

Soundtrack:

  Tensnake RA 187 - Resident Advisor Podcast // 12-28-2009 by Tensnake

African Peanut Stew
Adapted from Figsinmybelly, G-nut Stew
Serves 4

2 tbsp EVOO
1 med onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp fresh ginger, grated
3 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp ground coriander

3 med chicken breasts, cubed
1 large sweet potato, peeled and diced
1 1/2 tsp salt
2 c chicken broth
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 15-oz can chickpeas
1/2 cup chunky peanut butter (or more to taste)

1 15-oz bag baby spinach

4 scallions, diced

In a large stockpot or dutch oven, heat the oil over medium heat. Add onions, garlic and ginger and saute for about 5 minutes (if cooking in a dutch oven add a bit of broth to keep things moist). 

Add cumin, coriander, chicken breasts and sweet potatoes. Continue to saute for another 5 minutes (if using a dutch oven, add broth as necessary to keep things moist).

Add salt, broth, green pepper and chickpeas. Bring the stew to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer. Cover and cook for 8-10 minutes or until chicken is cooked though and sweet potatoes are soft.

Add peanut butter and stir until combined into the sauce. Continue to cook for another 5 minutes.

Remove from heat and immediately stir in spinach, adding a handful at a time until wilted and mixed in completely.

Serve with rice, quinoa or couscous (I served with couscous).

Spicy Stuffed Chicken Breasts

Ok, first of all: THIS !!!!!!!

Second of all: If I could take a picture of my camera, I would. (Ok, I understand how mirrors work people, but c'mon it wouldn't be the same.) I can't stop being obsessed with it. This came to mind yesterday: I actually can't wait until it snows, so I can take awesome pictures in the snow. Of Jagger. And of course other things...

This will have to do for now .. breasts.

Third of all: It has come to my attention that I need to buy some stamps. I haven't bought stamps in maybe 3 years. And I just realized I have literally no idea how much they might cost anymore. Also, do I have to go to the post office? Because their hours are extremely inconvenient! And honestly, my own lack of knowledge/ apparent lack of usage of the good ol' USPS just makes me feel badly for the poor postal system and now I want to buy extra stamps and mail tons of useless stuff. 

Anyone down for a chain letter? Speaking of chain letters, are there people out there right now mailing 10 friends copies of a letter that claims to get them into the Guinness Book of World Records? Or was a phenomenon that died in the '90's with parachute pants? (Dear Lord, please bring back parachute pants.) (Please follow that link and enjoy the epicness that is parachutepants.com. Although, I could just be paranoid, but I wouldn't recommend that anyone actually buy any parachute pants from that site I just linked you too. Seems a tad shady.)

Ahh yumm!

And now that I've gotten us all reminiscing about parachute pants and chain letters, nothing seems more appropriate than this video:

Break it down!

Whooaaaaaaa whoooaaaaaa whoa.

Soundtrack: Hmm.. The new Black Keys album is pretty seriously awesome. Please find a way to download this... legally ;)

Spicy Stuffed Chicken Breasts

Serves 3 (for 4, add an extra breast and 1/3 more of everything, obviously)

3 medium sized chicken breasts, pounded down to about 1/4 inch (the most important thing is uniformity in the thickness)

salt & pepper

1 large egg, lightly beaten

1/2 c Italian-style breadcrumbs

1/4 tsp dried rosemary

1/2 tsp chipotle seasoning (use more or less according to taste)

1/4 tsp dried oregano

1-1 1/2 c. fresh arugula

1/4 c grated Pecorino Romano cheese

cooking twine

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Season chicken breasts with pepper and salt. Allow to sit for 5 minutes.

In a shallow or large bowl, whisk together the breadcrumbs, rosemary, chipotle, and oregano.

One at time, dip the chicken breasts into the egg and coat with breadcrumb mixture. Press the chicken hard into the bread crumbs to make sure they stick. Transfer the breaded chicken breasts to a greased baking dish and arrange side by side.

Top each chicken breast with 1/3 of the Pecorino cheese and 1/3 of the arugula. Working with each breast, one at time, slip a 12" piece of twine under the breast. Gather the arugula together and wrap the chicken around the greens until the ends meet. Wrap the string around the chicken and tie together. Repeat for each chicken breast.

Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Check for done-ness before serving.

This looks so real you could eat it! But don't... it's raw.

White Chicken Chili

How ironic that I am posting a white chili the day after watching one of my best-est friends try on wedding dresses...

And being the first to cry (go me!), I have to say, the dress shopping thing was a little overwhelming. Maybe it's because I can't even fathom the fact that this is where we are in life now and I'm just not ready to grow up. Or maybe it's just because my purse was full of mashed pear and I spilled coffee all over myself, but being so close to things so white and delicate and expensive totally freaked me out at first.

So hard to imagine that just a few short years ago we were bowling
in our prom dresses... and now we are shopping for wedding dresses...

(PS Being overwhelmed always reminds me of one particular Hollywood moment from 10 Things I Hate About You. PPS I have no idea what the second part of that youtube vid even is, but it's all I could find..)

But omgosh, watching her face light up when she found the right dress was a moment that I'm really glad I was able to share. And I finally met her fiance (so now that doesn't have to be an awkward pre-wedding moment). And now I'm really excited for her.

Eek!

I also got to see three of my other favorite people in the world this weekend! Two of which told me they've never even read my blog, so I'm definitely crossing them off the list soon. Losers. Jessica on the other hand, I can't wait to walk down the aisle with you, boo.

But yea, totally worth eight hours of driving in two days. Poughkeepsie, I love you. You have my heart forevs.

Our "21st" Birthday

Anyway... chili...

Soundtrack: Some interesting Christmas music that I found.... Carol of the BELLZ, yo.


 

White Chicken Chili

Serves 4-5


1 medium onion, chopped (I like to chop half and leave the other half in bigger pieces, because I like big pieces of onion)
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 chicken breasts, cleaned and cut into strips
2 medium red peppers, seeded and chopped
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and diced (optional)
2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp chipotle powder
20 oz chicken broth (this is about most of a 32 oz container, you can eye it out if you don't have a scale)
1 can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 can corn, drained and rinsed
1 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground mustard
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp coriander
Juice of 1 lime
Muenster cheese, shredded
EVOO, salt & pepper




In a medium stockpot, heat a small drizzle of EVOO over medium heat. Add onions and garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until the onions just begin to soften; about 3-4 minutes.


Add chicken, red peppers, jalapeno, chili powder, and chipotle to the pot. Saute over medium heat until chicken is cooked through; about 5-10 minutes. Once chicken is fully cooked, remove chicken strips from stock pot to a cutting board. Add broth, kidney beans, chickpeas and corn to the pot. Stir in remaining seasonings (oregano, cinnamon, nutmeg, cumin, mustard and coriander). Raise the heat to high.


Meanwhile, using two forks, shred the chicken strips to bite-sized pieces. Once shredded, return to stockpot.


Once chili begins to boil, reduce the heat and cover the pot. Allow the chili to simmer at least 20-25 minutes. Can be simmered longer to thicken. Before serving, add lime juice to pot.


Serve hot and garnish with cheese.

See? Some small onions, some large onions.. I have issues

Chickpeas. Love.

Imagine you were a giant, and used a giant spoon?

Bahaha. I took a whole bunch of pics of the chili,
then noticed something a bit off...