Chicken Fajitas

We’ve eaten these 3 times this month. Why? Minimal dishes, comes together quickly, and amazing flavour. We made these once and it became an instant favourite! You can really make them as simple or as complex as you like, depending …

Chicken Pesto Caprese Sandwich

Apologies for the phone photo. I literally just finished eating this.  This sandwich was so fast to prepare, so summery, and so delicious that I recommend you eat this. Soon. Ingredients 2 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded (we shredded the …

Chicken Parmesan Sandwiches

One of my favourite indulgences is a trip to “California Sandwiches”. I always get the breaded chicken, with peppers and onions. When that monster sandwich is handed to me, loosely wrapped in foiled paper, nothing else matters. With my sleeves …

Buffalo Chicken Quesadilla

This is delicious. It certainly is not fancy. It certainly is a lil’ bit indulgent. It’s quick. It requires little skill.  This meal combines familiar flavours with melted cheese. As a result, this recipe is perfect comfort. Spicy, spicy comfort. I …

Maple Cranberry Chicken & The Sugarbush Maple Syrup Festival

Now that spring is here, I have come down with what I will call a case of “winter amnesia”. It’s a state of mind where once we reach spring, all memories of the recent season become repressed…perhaps as a coping mechanism. It feels …

Braised Chicken and Sausage Pasta

This is one of those meals. It’s one of those uncomplicated meals where time magically coaxes rich flavours from simple ingredients. No step is difficult, but patience with each one is the difference between dinner and comfort food. I love …

Apple and Gouda Stuffed Chicken + A trip to the orchard

There is nothing quite like biting into an apple straight off of the tree.

For Canadian Thanksgiving, I went with my husband and his parents to Birch Farms for some apple picking. We came back with quite the haul, which is great for this ‘apple-a-day’ girl. The apples last for ages in the fridge (considering they’re coming right from the tree) – just be aware to separate your apples from your other produce…it can cause it to spoil faster!

The last time Andrew and I went apple picking was for our engagement shoot with Gail (http://www.imagelegacy.com/) – it was nice to be the one behind the camera…but definitely brought back some lovely memories! 🙂

Apple Gouda Chicken: The Recipe

Many people think of sweet cooking when it comes to apples – pies, crumbles, cakes, apple sauce…the list goes on. Apples truly do have many savoury applications, and this easy recipe is one we’ve made countless times – a family favourite for sure! The salty cheese and the tangy cider vinegar make the filling in this chicken so delicious.

Enjoy!

Recipe makes 2 servings
Ingredients
2 chicken breasts, pounded to ¼ to ½ inch thick
salt and pepper
½ bread crumbs
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
½ apple, thinly sliced (or chopped)
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
1 tablespoon maple syrup or honey
2 slices smoked gouda (or Swiss!) cheese

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 400F. Prepare baking sheet with foil, and wire rack (helps keep the bottom crispier, but not mandatory!)
2. Prepare chicken and season with salt and pepper. Spread breadcrumbs on a plate and season with salt and pepper. Lay chicken breasts on top of breadcrumbs. Set aside.
3. In a frying pan, heat oil over medium. Add garlic and cook until fragrant. Add apples, vinegar and syrup. Cook over medium for about 8-10 minutes until most of until liquid has evaporated.
4. Lay cheese on top of chicken and divide apple mixture among the breasts. Roll the breasts and secure with toothpicks (make sure you count how many you put in!), ensuring an even coating of breadcrumbs.
5. Bake for about 20 minutes (depending on size of your chicken breast). If you like (or have extra cheese), put some on top of the chicken for the last 7 minutes, or so, of baking.

Source: Adapted from: Longo’s Experience Magazine (2011, page 39)

Chicken Pad Thai

A few months ago Andrew and I ordered Thai food. We don’t order in very often (and usually it’s as simple as a pepperoni pizza), but it was one of those days where we were feeling both lazy and uninspired.  And I had a ravenous rice noodle craving. It was a big letdown – the pad thai was cold and ‘ketchup-y’; I prefer pad thai to be more tamarind heavy.

Repeats are fairly rare in this home, but we have made this version about 4 times; I am never disappointed. It’s important to keep in mind that pad thai, generally, is a bit of a ‘drier’ noodle dish. If you’re looking for something a bit saucier, I’d play around with the sauce quantities a little bit. **update we double the sauce as listed below, except the lime.**

Note: The original recipe calls for bean sprouts, instead of coleslaw mix. We usually figure out something to do with the leftover coleslaw…but the rest of the bean sprouts in a pack always get wasted. Do as you wish!

Ingredients
3 tablespoons oil, divided (we use olive oil)
3 eggs
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (or more, if desired)

3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon white vinegar
2 teaspoons chili paste (we use this product from Thai Kitchen)
Juice of 1 lime
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 shallots, finely chopped
1-2 cloves of garlic, minced
1-2 red pepper, thinly sliced
2 ½ cups of water

8 ounces of medium width rice noodles (1/2 of the pack shown below)

1 to 1½ cup coleslaw mix (see note above)

½ cup unsalted peanuts, roughly chopped
½ cup cilantro, roughly chopped
Lime wedges, for serving

Instructions

1. Let’s get everything ready before we get started: prepare the shallots, garlic, and pepper.  Chop the peanuts and cilantro.
2. Prepare the sauce: In a small bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, vinegar, chili paste, lime juice, sugar, and ½ cup of water.
3. In a large frying pan, heat 1 tablespoon of oil over medium heat – make sure the pan is hot! Break the eggs in the pan and quickly stir until cooked. This usually takes a minute or so. Remove from pan and set aside.
4. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. My preferred way to prepare chicken breast is to flatten the breast to an even thickness and pan fry cook the breast whole until cooked through.  Set aside, letting the chicken rest.
5. Heat the remaining oil; cook the shallots and peppers until the shallots are slightly softened. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant.
6. Pour the soy sauce mixture in the pan, and stir.
7. Place the uncooked noodles in the pan (as one large mass) and press the noodles down to flatten them with a sturdy spatula. They will start to absorb the sauce.
8. After about 2 minutes, flip the noodles over. This is a delicate process. If it feels a little awkward, then you’re doing it right. Add another ½ cup liquid.
9. Repeat this process of flipping and adding more water (we usually end up adding another cup) until the noodles can be tossed with tongs.
10. Now, let the noodles cook in the sauce, tossing occasionally for up to 15 minutes, or until noodles are done to your liking.
11. Slice the chicken and add with the egg, peanuts, cilantro and coleslaw mix. Toss and cook for a minute or so to heat through.
12. Serve, and garnish with more cilantro and peanuts…and a lime wedge or two!

Source: Slightly Adapted from:  The Curvy Carrot

 

Thai Crunch Salad

I really enjoy salads. They can be really interesting and diverse and satisfying – we do a disservice to the salad name if we only think of some iceberg with tomatoes and cucumber swimming in ranch or Italian dressing.

This recipe meets my criteria for a tasty salad that can behave as a meal.  It’s really crunchy and fresh while still delivering the health factor that salad for dinner should. The dressing is excellent; we have used it as dipping sauce for rice paper rolls, as a sauce for a wrap, or whatever really. It’s great.

Ingredients
Dressing **(Recipe yields 2 cups!)
1 cup sweet chili sauce
½ cup rice wine vinegar
½ cup coconut milk (we freeze the remainder of the can)
6 tablespoons brown sugar
4 garlic cloves, finely minced
1 tablespoon finely grated ginger
3 tablespoon peanut butter (we use chunky, based on what is in our cupboards)
1 tablespoon low sodium soy sauce
Juice of 2 limes

Salad
2 chicken breasts
2-3 cups Coleslaw mix (or, use shredded cabbage)
½ red pepper, thinly sliced
1 small carrot, shredded
½ cup shelled edamame
¼ cup cilantro, roughly chopped
2 tablespoons unsalted, roasted peanuts, roughly chopped
2 scallions, thinly sliced

Instructions
Dressing

1. Combine all ingredients in a medium saucepan. Whisk together.
2. Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook for 3-4 minutes. The mixture will thicken
3. Remove from heat and allow to cool

Salad

1. Preheat oven to 375F.
2. In a baking dish, brush the chicken with dressing (making sure you do not put the utensil you used to brush the chicken back in the ‘main supply’!!!)
3. Cook chicken for 15-20 minutes, or until cooked through. Allow to cool slightly before shredding or slicing.
4. Prepare the edamame as per package instructions.
5. Divide prepared ingredients among plates.

Adapted slightly from:
Smells Like Home
How Sweet It