Peruvian Chicken

I love California, as a matter of fact I'd be hard pressed to name a state within this union that I'd consider leaving California for.  One of the many great things about living here, besides the diversity here, is the weather.  On a great day, the temperature ranges between 78F and 82F.  Since we live by the beach, there is seldom a day without a cool ocean breeze.  Lately however, the temperatures have been 10-20F degrees above normal, and for the last two weeks temps have settled in around 89-98F---HOT!!!!!!  So hot that the last thing I want to do is to turn on the stove.  So we've adapted, I've been marinating meat in the morning for my husband to grill in the evening when things start to cool down a bit.  This marinade is super simple, and if you've ever had grilled Peruvian chicken you know how yummy and it can be.  The vinegar in this really gives this chicken a yummy tang and kick.  I've tried this with Rice vinegar and white wine, both are yummy, but plain white distilled vinegar is just as yummy.

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Here's what you need:

Ingredients

1 lb of boneless skinless organic chicken thighs

1 tablespoon cumin powder

1 tablespoon of smoked paprika

3 cloves of garlic grated

1 tablespoon of white wine vinegar--can sub with white vinegar or rice vinegar

How to Brown Butter

How to Brown Butter

It has been said that butter makes everything better.  In my opinion  brown butter is butter in it's best form.  The nutty, butterscotch notes butter has once it has been browned are heavenly!  I love to use brown butter in everything from sauces to baked goods.  In fact, the other day, Page and I were baking with browned butter, and even she--in all of her 3-year-old astuteness--could not stop saying how good the brown butter smelled.  The aroma had us both in a euphoric trance--I'm not exaggerating--we were both giddy over the smell--and the cookies...the cookies were AMAZING!!!  I'll share that post another day.  You can make as much or as little of this as you'd like.  Once the butter has browned you can place in the refrigerator to use for later.  A good brown butter sauce can liven up everything --even veggies.

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Prep time: none

Cook time: 5-7 minutes

Ingredients:

2 sticks of butter

Directions: Place the butter in a stainless steel or clear bottom sauce pan

and melt over medium low heat.

Once the butter has completely melted, things move along pretty quickly, the solids have already begun to separate for me and it's been about two minutes:

At about 5 minutes in the butter will start to bubble and and splatter, stir, stir, and stir some more:

Now is the time to watch the butter like a hawk, because then this happens:

Foam, a lot of foam, which makes it hard to see if the butter has browned underneath, so move the foam to the side with a spoon to see if the butter has browned. 

You'll be able to tell the butter has browned because you'll start to see brown bits of milk solids on the spoon and in the pan.

The butter will also start to smell AMAZING!! It takes on a sweet, nutty almost butterscotch aroma.  I was happy with the color at this point, but you could go a little longer--just be careful not to go too much longer, because the butter continues to brown even after you remove it from the heat. After you're happy with the color,  remove it from heat and transfer to a heatproof container.  Make sure to transfer all of the butter milk solids--the milk solids are the best part.  They don't look appetizing but they are.  I added them after I took this picture, just so you guys could see what they look like.:

Continue to stir for a  few minutes to help cool it down.

Use it right away or allow the brown butter to cool to room temperature before transferring to an air tight container and then the refrigerator for later use.

Rosemary, Garlic, & Lemon Pototoes

Rosemary, Garlic, and Lemon Potatoes

 

One of my husbands favorite side dishes.  He is a lover of all things potato, so I'm constantly trying to switch up the way that I cook them. The easiest way for me to do that is to switch up the herbs.  In this case fresh is best! The fresh rosemary really makes these potatoes sing! The pungent and earthy flavor of fresh rosemary paired with the lemon and garlic, make for a delicious potato dish!

 

 

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cook time: 10-15 minutes

Ingredients:

4 medium organic potatoes (cubed skin on)

1 Tablespoon of fresh organic rosemary finely chopped

1 teaspoon of garlic finely chopped

1/2 teaspoon of lemon powder (can sub the zest of one small lemon)

4-5 Tablespoons of grape seed oil

Sea salt to taste

Directions: Heat olive oil in a frying pan. Place cubed potatoes in,

Cook potatoes until they start to brown, tip, cook for 5 minutes on one side, brown and then flip to the other side to brown.  Once potatoes are brown and fork tender, add the rosemary, lemon powder, and garlic, toss for ten to twenty seconds, just until you can smell the garlic, turn the fire off.

Transfer to a plate season with sea salt toss and enjoy!

 

If you like these potatoes then you'll love my recipe for Lemon and Garlic Potatoes! You might also like these Ranch Potatoes!

Green Bean Chicken

Green beans with Chicken

We are having a rough week here. Page is finding adjusting to school harder than any of us had hoped. She was fine initially, but has had a delayed reaction to being separated from me.  Yesterday was an especially hard day for us all.  She cried all day at school, and when I picked her up from school my heart just broke.  She looked like she had been crying all day, and the way she fell into my arms...let's just say that I was reduced to one giant puddle! Needless to say, I never got around to posting my blog yesterday.

A few weeks ago we were out running the last of our Christmas errands, and stopped to eat a Chinese restaurant.  As we browsed the menu, I asked Page what she wanted to eat.  She quickly removed the menu from my hands, took a few seconds and said "I want the green beans mom!"  With her tiny finger she pointed to a picture of a plate of glimmering green beans and said " I want this one!" Under normal circumstances I would ignore her, and get her what I think she might eat, but she was so confident in her choice that I ordered the green bean chicken for us to share. I'm so glad I did!  I don't know who enjoyed the dish more, me or Page.  The beans were crisp and fresh, and Page devoured almost all of them!  The moment I tasted this dish, I knew that I had to try to recreate it at home.

 

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 15 minutes

 

 

Ingredients:

1 pound of fresh  organic green beans, ends trimmed

1 tablespoon of garlic paste

1 teaspoon of ginger paste

2 tablespoons of soy sauce

3 tablespoons of rice vinegar

1 chicken breast. cubed

sea salt to taste

Directions: Heat the oil, garlic and ginger paste in a saute pan just until the garlic and ginger become fragrant (about 30 seconds).

 

Season the chicken with sea salt and add it to the hot pan.  Toss well, and allow the chicken to cook through about (5-7 minutes).

Once chicken has cooked through, add in the soy sauce, rice vinegar and green beans.

Cook for an additional 5-7 minutes--the green beans should still be crisp, remove from heat, serve and enjoy!

Pan Seared Sous Vide Rib-eye Steak

Sous Vide Rib-eye Steak

 

I have really been enjoying my Anova Precision Cooker's. I expected my cooking to improve, but I never expected how much sous vide would change the way I cook.  This past Sunday I went to my local farmer's market and Whole Foods and as I was plotting out what I would cook for the week, it struck me: I could cook everything that I needed to make for the week with my sous vide cooker in one day--that day--Sunday--in less than 2 hours--1.5 hours to be exact, of non active cook time!  Que the bells people, this thing is LIFE CHANGING!!!!! I don't think I can cook any other way now.  Cooking sous vide is a lazy girls best friend! I'm 4 meals in and there is no turning back for me! Every meal is fresh, restaurant quality and quick to make.  If you're in the market for a Christmas gift you might want to put an immersion circulator on your wish list--two words--LIFE CHANGING!!!  Now to this steak.  It was delish, the best steak I've eaten in some time!  It's actually the first time that I've cooked a rib-eye inside on a stove top.  I always have my husband grill them.  As great as the steak was I would have liked it a bit more rare than it was.  But my husband likes them medium well, so if you happen to like it the way I do, then set the temperature on your circulator lower than 140F,  138F would probably work better.

 

 

 

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cook time: 1 and 22 minutes hours

Ingredients:

1 pound rib-eye steak

4-5 sprigs of fresh thyme

1 teaspoon butter

1 clove of garlic smashed

sea salt and black pepper

For pan searing

2 Tablespoons of butter

3 tablespoons of a high temperature oil like grape seed or safflower.

3-4 sprigs of thyme

Directions:  Fill a pot with enough water to come to cover the minimum level line on your circulator. Set your circulator to 140F and wait for it to bring the water to temperature.  Meanwhile season both sides of your steak with sea salt and black pepper.  Add the steak to a vacuum bag, top with butter, thyme and garlic.  Seal bag shut using your vacuum sealer or water displacement method.

Once the water has come to temperature add the sealed steak to the pot and cook for 1 hour and 22 minutes.

Once the steak has cooked for 1 and 22 minutes remove it from the water if you are ready to cook it right away, remove it from the bag and pat it dry and let it rest while you heat the oil in a skillet.  If you plan on cooking it later even if it's only a few hours later place into an ice bath (1 cup of salt dissolved in 4 cups of  warm water, then add 2lbs of ice).  Let the steak sit for 1 hour in the ice bath before refrigerating.

When you're ready to cook the steak.  Heat 3 tablespoons of oil in a cast iron skillet. Remove it from the bag, discard the thyme leaves and garlic.  Season the steak with a little more sea salt.

Once the oil is hot add the steak, brown it on both sides making sure to flip it constantly.  Add the 2 tablespoons of butter and allow it to melt.  Add in 3 sprigs of thyme and baste the steak with the oil in the pan. Making sure to focus on the areas of steak that have fat--you want to brown those parts.

Once the steak is nice and golden brown--about 5-6 minutes remove it from the pan, serve and enjoy--no need to rest a sous vide steak.

Sous Vide chicken Thighs with Thyme and Garlic

Sous Vide Chicken Thighs With Thyme and Garlic

OMG! When I tell you, that this preparation of chicken is the best that I've eaten in years, believe me! My husband ordered me the new Anova immersion circulator through a Kickstarter campaign back in May. I waited patiently, and it arrived last week. My first thought when it finally arrived was to make these chicken thighs. I had watched this you-tube video , (there are 3 parts watch them all part2, part 3), of Michael Voltaggio making these chicken thighs sometime ago.  I was just in the early stages of learning about sous vide cooking, which means under vacuum cooking.  All of the things that I had read about sous vide had seemed so complex--holding temperatures, the right temperatures for different meats, cooking times--but Michael made it seem so simple, and it was! Sous vide cooking is the ultimate in lazy girl cooking.  It involves less effort than most slow cooker recipes, and the results are amazing!  This particular recipe literally involved 8 minutes of active cooking time.  If you add in the 5 minutes it took for me to salt, and bag the chicken for cooking, then it's 13 whole minutes of your time.  So super easy! Sous vide cooking is the future of  the slow cooking movement.  After using my immersion circulator, it's not hard for me to see why.  Unlike in conventional stove top and slow cooker cooking, in which flavor and nutrients cook out into the air, with sous vide cooking all of the flavor and nutrients stay in the food.  Every single bite that I took of this chicken was infused with the flavor of thyme, the nuttiness of the butter and garlic, and the umami flavor of the truffle salt that I used.  It was like eating  the juiciest and most flavorful  piece of fried chicken that I've ever eaten, only this chicken wasn't fried. It was cooked slowly in a water bath at a low temperature.  The best thing about immersion circulators is that they can free you from weekday cooking.  You can cook these on Sunday with your immersion circulator, put them in an ice bath, and then refrigerate and "cook" or crisp the skin  3 or 4 days later.  As a side note, if you're wary about cooking foods in plastic, like I was, there are plenty of safe BPA and Phathalate free options for out there to assist you.  Most food grade vacuum bags are both BPA and Phathalate free.  Foodsaver is one brand, even ziplock bags are-yes you can even sous vide in a Ziploc , see how here--but it has to be Ziploc not an off brand.  I use Vacmaster. Here is an article all about plastics and sous vide cooking.  If you are still wary, here is a silicone option, or you can use mason jars to sous vide in--just note that cooking in a mason jar will require additional cook time.

 

 

 

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cook time: 1.5 hours

Ingredients:

3 chicken thighs skin on

6 sprigs of fresh thyme

1 teaspoon of grassfed butter cut 3 ways

sea salt to taste -- I used a truffle salt

3 cloves of garlic smashed

3- tablespoons of a high heat oil

Directions:  Season the chicken with sea salt

Place chicken- flat- into a food saver type bag--must be food grade-and hopefully bpa free--Food Savers are.  Top each piece of chicken with one clove of garlic, and a tab of butter. Lastly add the thyme, then vacuum and seal, using a edge sealer like a food saver, or if you have a vacuum chamber sealer as I do, vacuum it for 25-30 seconds with a 1.6 second seal.

To a stock pot add enough water to fill half of your pot, or above the minimum water level of your immersion circulator.  Turn on the circulator, and adjust the temperature to 149F.

Once your circulator has reached temperature, add the sealed bag and cook for 1.5 hours.

 

 

Make sure that your chicken is fully immersed.

At the 1 hr and 20 minute mark, prepare an ice bath DO NOT SKIP THIS STEP, it's a matter of food safety when cooking foods at low temps in an air free environment!--fill a bowl with ice and a little bit of water about 4 cups of ice to 1 cup of water--I added some frozen lime cubes as a weight. When the chicken has cooked for 1.5 hours turn off your circulator, and remove the bagged chicken from the water--be careful the water is hot--immediately immerse the bagged chicken into the ice bath and let sit for 1 hour undisturbed.  After the 1 hour ice bath, place it in the refrigerator, until you're ready to cook..

 

Once you're ready to brown the skin, cut open the bag, and remove the chicken. It won't look like it has been cooked, but it is fully cooked at this point--except for the skin.  Discard the garlic and thyme.

Add the oil to a skillet/frying pan, and bring to temperature.  Once the oil is hot, add the chicken, skin side down, lower the heat to medium, and cook until skin is nice and crispy--about 6 minutes, flip the chicken over and cook on the other side for 1- 2 minutes.  Remove from the pan and enjoy!!!!! This looks as amazing as it tastes!

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D.I.Y. Taco Seasoning

Taco Seasoning

I used to be the queen of packaged seasoning, if they made it I tried it.  It never really occurred to me that I could just as easily make most of these seasoning with spices that I already had in my pantry.   It wasn't until I was in the middle of browning some ground meat to make tacos that I realized I was missing one key ingredient--the taco seasoning--and I was forced to make due with what I had. That was a fateful day indeed. Enlightening and freeing! I no longer buy pre-made seasonings.  I just make my own.  This taco seasoning is equally as good as the prepackaged mix that I used to buy, except it doesn't have any cornstarch or any of the other fillers that packaged seasonings tend to have.

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Prep time: 5 minutes

Servings: 1/4 cup or one package of taco seasoning

Ingredients:

1 Tablespoon Cumin

1 teaspoon coriander

1/2 teaspoon of smoked paprika

1 teaspoon of onion powder

1 teaspoon of garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon of chili powder (optional)

Directions: Mix all the ingredients in a small bowl until well combined. Add the entire contents to browned ground meat, or try it out in my recipe for Makeover Chicken Taco's

Sauteed Zucchini and Mushrooms

My garden is overflowing with zucchini right now, zucchini and tomatoes!  The great thing about planting zucchini is that it yields a large bounty.  The not so great thing about planting zucchini is that it yields a large bounty.  This is particularly troublesome when you're neighbors also plant zucchini in their own gardens, then giving the zucchini away becomes burdensome. The only solutions in such cases is to come up with new zucchini recipes nightly, or to freeze them.  At the moment, I'm trying to use my zucchini in any way that I can that doesn't include freezing them--at least not yet.  This dish is so delicious and simple to make, it  makes a great addition as a side to any meal. If you're Vegan Paleo, or on the Whole 30 diet, you can do this without the butter, it's still a delicious side.

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Prep time: 5 minutes

Cook time:20 minutes

Total time: 25 minutes

Ingredients:

10 ounces of crimini mushrooms sliced

2.5 cups of zucchini cubed

2 cloves of garlic

2 tablespoons of butter

1 tablespoon of olive oil

sea salt to taste

Directions: Heat the oil and 1 tablespoon of butter in a saute pan.  Add in the mushrooms and garlic. Season the mushrooms with sea salt, they will begin to release water.

Season the mushrooms with sea salt, they will begin to release water. Cook the mushrooms until the water completely evaporates (about 10 minutes) add in the rest of the butter, and cook the mushrooms until they begin to brown (about 5 minutes).

Once the mushrooms begin to brown, add in the zucchini and saute until the zucchini becomes fork tender (about 5 minutes)

Remove from heat, serve and enjoy!