Recipe Review from 4/30/2018

An uneventful week all in all.  Worked, taught class, walked outside without a jacket(!), and started the yard work.  Two of five flower beds are cleaned off, some light raking in the high traffic/high stick area, and on garden bed raked.  Miniature iris are coming up and if we get the predicted rain on Tuesday, everything is going to POP!    Tho as I write this, I've noticed the leaves leaving out today.  Pretty cool.

And I made a couple new recipes.  Yay!

The Meal Plan went something like:
Sun (L) leftovers      (S) Chicken Biryani 
Mon (yoga/bkgrp)  leftover biryani
Tues - out
Wed -Mediterranean  Chicken bowl
Thurs - leftovers
Fri - leftovers

Lunches/snacks - hummus sandwiches, fruit, nuts, Luna bars

Chicken Biryani (Ckng Lght, March 2018)  gluten free
I love Indian food and I love finding recipes I can make at home without too much fuss.  This...proved to be one of those dishes.  At first I thought this looked like an overly complicated recipe, but it's not.  There is very little chopping and mostly just mixing.  The recipe starts by marinading the chicken in the yogurt mixture for 2-4 hours (I did four). Then prep the spices, and start to assemble in a large (and I do me large) saute pan.  This part goes fairly quickly and suddenly the dish is done and ready to eat. 

I enjoyed the flavors, didn't care too much to chomp down on a cardamom pod, and felt that some naan would have made a great side.  I did skip the cashews, fried onions, and serrano chili - seemed excessively silly.  The cilantro I kept just because I love cilantro.   Recommended!

 Do 2-4 hours ahead:
1 cup plain 2% reduced-fat Greek yogurt
1 tablespoon ground turmeric
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground red pepper
1 1/2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken thighs, cut into 1 1/2-in. cubes




After 2-4 hours:

photo from cookinglight.com

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon minced peeled fresh ginger
5 garlic cloves, minced
4 cardamom pods, crushed
1 1/2 cups uncooked basmati rice
2 cups unsalted chicken stock
1 cup coarsely chopped carrot
1/2 cup raisins
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cinnamon stick
2 tablespoons heavy cream
1/4 cup unsalted dry-roasted cashews,chopped
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons crispy fried onions
1 thinly sliced serrano chile
Lime wedges

Stir together yogurt, turmeric, cumin, and red pepper in a large bowl. Add chicken pieces; toss to coat. Cover and chill 2 to 4 hours.

Combine oil, ginger, garlic, and cardamom in a large, high-sided skillet, and cook over medium-high, stirring often, until ginger begins to sizzle and toast, about 1 minute. Add rice; cook, stirring constantly, until rice is toasted, about 1 minute. Add stock, carrot, raisins, salt, and cinnamon.

Remove chicken from marinade; discard remaining marinade. Place chicken in an even layer on rice mixture. Cover and increase heat to high; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer until chicken is done and rice is tender, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat. Remove and discard cinnamon stick. Let stand 5 minutes. Stir in cream.

Serve in shallow bowls. Sprinkle servings evenly with cashews, cilantro, crispy fried onions, and serrano slices. Serve with lime wedges.

 

 

Mediterranean Chicken and Couscous bowls  (Ckng Lght, March 2018)  

Easy peasy if you have shredded chicken on hand!  This is perfect for leftover chicken.  While the couscous cooks, assemble the "dressing" (go easy on the garlic, it lingers), and prep and assemble the "toppings".  You can assemble the bowls or serve Family Style and let folks build their own bowl.   Change up the veggies, use a ranch dressing or a buttermilk dressing and you have an infinitely versatile dish!   I did skip the raw red onion because we're not fans. The garlic lingered long enough as it was...

This made enough for three meals for two of us.  Recommended. 

 

Cook:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 1/2 cups uncooked whole-wheat Israeli couscous  (I used regular because I can't find ww)
2 1/4 cups water

 

photo from cookinglight.com

Mix together:
1/2 cup plain whole-milk Greek yogurt
3 tablespoons whole buttermilk
1 1/2 tablespoons white vinegar
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 garlic clove, grated
1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill, divided

Assemble:

12 ounces skinless, boneless rotisserie chicken (white and dark meat), shredded (about 3 cups)
1 small English cucumber, halved lengthwise and sliced (about 1 1/2 cups)  (I used zucchini)
1 cup multicolored cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 cup thinly sliced red onion  (skipped)

I added 1/2 cup thinly sliced red pepper
1 ounce feta cheese, crumbled (about 1/4 cup)

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high. Add couscous; cook 3 minutes or until lightly toasted, stirring frequently. Add 2 1/4 cups water; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer 14 minutes or until done. Drain; rinse with cold water. Drain.

Combine yogurt and next 5 ingredients (through garlic) in a bowl. Stir in 1 tablespoon dill. Divide cooked couscous evenly among 4 bowls.

Arrange chicken, cucumber, tomatoes, red onion, and feta evenly over couscous. Top each serving with about 3 tablespoons yogurt mixture; sprinkle with remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons dill.