My Version of Paella

I LOVE LOVE LOVE one pot meals...something about throwing a bunch of ingredients into 1 pot and letting it do its thing makes my heart melt. Not to mention that most one pot meals are flavour central!

Now I hope that my Spanish readers are not cringing at this recipe. I have never been to Spain...nor have I had Authentic Spanish Paella...but I watch a lot of Food Network television and make this concoction which I refer to as Paella. It tastes mighty good and I hope you enjoy it!!

 Take about 8 Chicken Breast Filet's and brown them in a heavy bottomed pot with 1 Tbsp of Olive oil and Salt and Pepper to taste. Remove from the pot and set aside.

 While your chicken is browning heat up 6 Cups of chicken broth with 2 Pinches of Saffron in it. You need Saffron to give this dish colour!

 In the same pot that you cooked the chicken in start to brown 1 chopped up Andouille Sausage. I prefer the smoky flavour of this sausage when I can find it...otherwise I use Spanish chorizo. Cook the sausage until it is nice a browned.

 Now add your veggies. I like to add 1 Chopped Onion and 1 Chopped Red Pepper. Once they also start to brown a little I add 2 Cloves of Garlic.

 Now its time to add your rice. I used a wild rice mixture..mostly because I only had about 1 1/2 Cups left of it and wanted to use it up...and it was a great move...it gave the Paella an awesome nutty flavour! Mix the rice around with the vegetables and sausage to release some of the starches by heating it up.

 Add 1 Tbsp of Tomato paste.

 Now add all of the hot saffron broth to the pot..turn the heat down to medium low and bring to a simmer.

 Place your chicken back in the pot and cover. This wild rice cooks in about 35-40 Minutes...so i let this simmer for about 30 minutes before I added the seafood. I did not stir at all!! The burnt crusty rice on the bottom is the best part!! So leave it alone to simmer!

 After 30 Minutes I added about 20 Shrimps and a half pound of washed fresh clams. Cover again for 10 minutes.

 After the 10 minutes when the clams have opened and your shrimp have cooked through I stirred the mixture around and served.

A hearty dish thats for sure!!

Jerk Chicken

Lately I have been on a little bit of a Caribbean food kick (you probably noticed from my recent posts). And with Caribbean food comes a lot of SPICE!! Which I LOVE! Jerk chicken is the king of spicy Caribbean foods....and there are many many many different variations out there. This one is my favourite and it tastes sooo good without the spice being too overpowering! I tested it out on a couple friends who are headed to Jamaica this month....hopefully this lives up to the real stuff!

Take 6-8 Green Onions and chop them up...using both the white and green parts.

This step is very important...in order to get the real jerk taste..you need to use Scotch bonnet peppers. I used 2 and it was plenty spicy for me. Use rubber gloved when chopping up these babies...trust me.

 Next take about a thumb size piece of fresh ginger...you don't need to peel it or anything.

 Peel 2-3 large Shallots and about 5-6 Garlic Cloves.

 Lastly you will need a handful of Cilantro, 1 orange, juiced, and 2 limes, juiced.

 Assemble all the ingredients above in a blender along with 1 Tbsp Salt, 1 Tbsp Pepper, 1-2 Tbsp Allspice, dash of cinnamon and a dash of nutmeg. 3 Tbsp of Olive Oil and 3 Tbsp White Vinegar.

 Blend until Smooth

 Put your chicken (I used Legs and Thighs) in a large freezer bag and pour the marinade over it. Keep in the fridge for at least 24 hours...2 days is better.

 This is a great marinade to freeze as well. Just defrost and BBQ!

 When you are ready to BBQ the chicken, use indirect heat....meaning turn the heat on medium high on one side of the grill, and place the chicken on the side with no heat. Close the BBQ and let them slowly cook for about 2 hours...checking on it halfway to flip the chicken.

You will be left with perfectly moist chicken! Enjoy!

Lemon Garlic Chicken with Roasted Veggie & Feta Quinoa

Last week I was all about eating super healthy...I had a half marathon coming up on the

weekend and really needed to detox all of the thanksgiving goodness out of me.

So I made this go to recipe of mine that always makes me feel lighter after eating it!

Lemon Garlic Chicken with Roasted Veggie & Feta Quinoa

 First you need to marinate your chicken overnight. The longer it site in the marinade the better. For 5 Chicken Breasts I used 1 Tbsp Olive Oil, Juice of 2 lemons, 1/2 Tsp Lemon Rind, 3 Garlic Cloves Minced, 1 Tbsp Minced Fresh Thyme and Oregano, Salt and Pepper to taste.

 Make sure you cover all the chicken in the marinade and cover in plastic wrap. Place in your fridge until you are ready to grill.

 Place your veggies in a large oven proof pan and drizzle with olive oil, salt, pepper and bunches of fresh oregano. I used Asparagus, Zucchini, Red Pepper and Red Onion. Roast at 400F until veggies are cooked through.

 While your Veggies are roasting cook your quinoa according to package directions. I used about 2 cups of Quinoa since we like leftovers for lunch!

 When quinoa is cooked, pour into a large bowl and add 1 can of rinsed chickpeas to it.

 And all the roasted veggies. Stir to combine.

 Top with crumbled feta just before serving. I like to serve this dish warm, so grill your chicken while you are roasting the veggies.

I served the chicken with homemade tahini...super yum!

Spicy Jambalaya

I will be the first to admit that I know very little about southern cooking...and I am sure that the "southern cooking" I have tried in the great white north would be laughable to anyone who is from the south. But I am so intrigued by this food culture. I love the richness about it and the spice. My god do I ever love the spice.

My husband has a weaker stomach than mine so this is a once in a while dish for us...but man, does this ever clear up a congested sinus. You can make this dish with less spice..I have never tried...but I am sure it would still be just as good!

Spicy Jambalaya

 So here is where I know, this dish stops being authentic "southern". I used Spanish Chorizo. I do not have access to Andouille Sausage, which is what is traditionally used. Chop 1 Spanish Chorizo sausage and brown in a large oven proof pot (I used a cast iron pan to saute everything then transferred it to a oven safe dish....I really need a cast iron pot)

 Remove browned sausage and set aside

 In the same pan with all the sausage yummyness, Brown 3 cubed chicken breasts (lightly seasoned with salt, pepper and flour). You just want to get a nice light brown crust on them.

 Chop 1/2 large Onion, 1 Red Pepper and 4 Celery stalks.

 Add half the chopped veggies to the chicken and saute about 2 minutes.

 Make your spice mix. 1 tsp Cayenne Pepper, 1 1/2 tsp White Pepper, 1 tsp dried Basil, 1 tsp dried Thyme, 1 tsp Salt, 1 tsp Black Pepper, 1/2 Tsp Smoked Paprika

 Add your spice Mixture, 1 Large Chopped Tomato, and 2 minced garlic cloves to the pan. Cook for one minute.

 My pan was wayyyy too full so I transferred everything to a pot to finish up. Add 1/2 Cup Marinara sauce, 2 Cups Chicken Broth, 3/4 cup long grain white rice, and the rest of the chopped vegetables. Stir to combine and stick in a 350F oven for 25-30 minutes.

 After 25-30 minutes of baking in the oven, add 1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley and 3 Green Onions, also chopped.

 I add my shrimp at this point as well..about 1 lb of Tiger shrimp, shelled and de-veined. Cook in the oven for another 10 minutes or until the shrimp are cooked!

And there you have it.. Canadianized Jambalaya in a spaghetti bowl. Yum, yum, yum!

Spatchcock Chicken

Wow...so apparently I took some time off of posting...I apologize for that and in return have an absolutly fabulous recipe!!

To spatchcock a chicken is to remove the backbone of the bird and lay it flat to cook. I have to say...it felt kinda weird butchering the chicken but the result was amazing, juicy, flavourful chicken.

First you take a whole chicken. I like to rinse my chickens and then pat them dry with paper towel

Lay the Chicken, breast side down on your cutting board and have a pair of heavy duty kitchen shears handy

 Cut along both sides of the backbone of the chicken and remove

 The chicken should look all nasty and gross and sliced right open. Really, this photo could convert people to veganism!

 Flip the chicken over and press down inbetween the breasts to flatten. Your chicken is ready!

 Now for the marinade. I used the Juice of 1 Orange, 1 lemon, 1 tbsp fresh chopped taraggon, 1 tsp rosemary, 1/2 tsp savory, salt and pepper and 4 tbsp olive oil.

 Whisk to combine the marinade. You can pour this over your chicken and let sit in the fridge overnight. However, I just poured it over right away and roasted...still had lots of flavour!

 Cut a few slits in the chicken and slide some garlic cloves under the skin.

 Pour the marinade over the chicken and rub all over. Place chicken on a rack over your roasting pan and roast at 375F for 55 minutes.

 Once cooked let the chicken rest for about 10-15 minutes under some tented tin foil before serving.

A perfect Sunday meal!