Celebrating 5!

As I mentioned last week, Friday was our 5-year “date-iversary.”  So of course we celebrated.

On Friday evening, we kept things low-key.  I chose to make a stir-fry because it’s one of Big Guy’s favorite dinners.  The Szechuan Chicken Stir-Fry was super easy to pull together once all the ingredients were prepped.  The fresh ginger is a must! So much flavor along with a little heat from the chile paste.  I served our chicken stir-fry over Jasmine rice – one of our favorite rice varieties.  On top of the stir-fry, I sprinkling of green onions and peanuts.  Love the salty crunch the peanuts add.  And for once, I didn’t change a thing in this recipe – well, I might have added a little less chile paste.  So delicious!

 

For dessert, we shared a Mini Cheesecake that I had picked up from The Fresh Market.  It was perfect with a glass of bubbles.

On Saturday, Big Guy took me out to dinner to celebrate.  Instead of trying a new restaurant (though we have a long, long list) we went with a tried and true place.  We knew that the food would be amazing and that the atmosphere was what we were looking for.

We were not disappointed.  I didn’t take any more pictures – in fact, as soon as this pic was posted on Instagram, I was banned from taking my phone out of my clutch the rest of the evening.  It was a lovely dinner with the best date I could ask for.

I cannot wait to see what the next 5 years has in store for us.

Happy Monday to you all!

 

Roasted Chicken Thighs with Mustard-Thyme Sauce

This dinner is worthy of a glass of wine.  So go ahead, pour yourself a glass of Pinot Grigio (or whatever you glass of choice may be for dinner) and prepare to have dinner on the table in 40 minutes.

I honestly think that chicken thighs are underused.  Personally I like to buy my chicken thighs at Trader Joe’s.  They don’t have too much fat on them and they’re the perfect size.

The roasted chicken thighs with mustard-thyme sauce starts by simply seasoning the thighs with salt and pepper and searing them on the stove top until lightly browned.  While the chicken thighs are cooking, prep the green beans.  Simply toss green beans with sliced garlic, salt and pepper.  Those will roast at 425 degrees.

Once the thighs are browned, place them in a oven-safe baking dish and place them in the oven with the green beans.  Now it’s time to make the sauce!  Add butter to the pan that you used for the chicken and saute the onions and thyme.  Instead of flour, I used cornstarch to thicken the chicken stock.  The stock is added to the sauteed onions – make sure to scrap off all the yummy “bits” on the bottom of the pan.  Allow this to cook until thickened.  Once the chicken and beans are finished – remove the sauce from the heat and add in the mustard.  Serve the sauce on top of the chicken thighs along with the green beans.

 

The chicken thighs were super tender but so flavorful from the onion and the thyme-mustard sauce.  The sauce was seriously better than I ever imagined.  And the green beans – you simply can’t go wrong with green beans roasted with garlic.

Super simple, super delicious and super healthy.

Monday Confessions.

1.  I wrote this post on Friday.  (The weekends are just too precious to be blogging, folks!)  So you’ll just have to wait until tomorrow to hear about my weekend…unless you follow me on Instagram.

2.  I made an Apple-Stuffed Strata weeks ago when my family was visiting.

 

3.  This breakfast bake is the perfect lazy Sunday breakfast because you make it the night before.

4.  I didn’t eat the breakfast bake because it had good ole bread in it.  But it did smell incredible in the oven.  Just what I wanted my guests to wake up to.

5.  I don’t normally make Big Guy breakfast in the mornings.

6.  He doesn’t really like breakfast.  Though he’s digging Chobani lately.

7.  Big Guy pronounces Chobani differently every time he says it.

8.  Don’t get him started on trying to pronounce Fage.

9.  According to Big Guy, Chobani > Fage.

10. It’s only Monday and I’m wishing it was Friday.

Fat Saturday

Last week was Mardi Gras but I didn’t get a chance to celebrate until Saturday.  Big Guy and I decided to have a Mardi Gras/Cajun-themed dinner Saturday and called it Fat Saturday.  Hey, better late than never, right?

 

We started off the celebration with a cocktail!  Fresh mango chunks, blood orange juice, lime juice and a little agave are muddled together and then combined with light and dark rum to make a Maelstrom.

For dinner, Cajun Crab Dip and Spicy New Orleans Barbecue Shrimp.   I was shocked when Big Guy suggested the crab dip since he’s not a seafood lover but I didn’t ask any questions because I was excited to make a new dip.  The crab dip was awesome!  Best served with veggies and bagel chips (gluten free – Glutino makes awesome ones).  The only change I made with the crab dip was leaving out the panko on top.

 

As for the spicy shrimp, prep them ahead of time.  They can even marinate over night – just make sure the marinade is cool before adding the shrimp or it will start to cook your shrimp.  The only change I made to the shrimp recipe was not using as much butter (ran out) and I used half the amount of liquid smoke the recipe called for.  I find that my taste buds are very sensitive to liquid smoke.  The shrimp are roasted in the oven until perfectly tender.  Finger lickin’ good!

 

The perfect Fat Tuesday Saturday!

Spicy Basil Chicken

This past weekend my family was in town visiting so that they could attend a party (more on the party Wednesday) on Saturday night.  My youngest brother and his girlfriend were able to arrive early enough on Friday night to eat dinner with us.  Living in a small town, you don’t really take out-of-town-guests out to dinner because there just isn’t a lot to offer.  So I cooked!  But cooking for these two is tricky…Jamie (Logan’s GF) is particular about food (Jamie knows I love her regardless).  She’s especially particular about beef – no pink.  Well, “no pink” in beef pains Big Guy.  So I went with chicken.  Because Big Guy doesn’t like pink chicken and neither does Jamie.  On the menu:  Spicy Basil Chicken over Sesame Brown Rice with a side of Sauteed Snow Peas and Peppers.

I only made a few changes to the recipes.  For the chicken, I omitted the fish sauce and used more tamari (gluten-free soy sauce).  And for the rice, I didn’t use brown rice, I used jasmine rice.

Talk about a flavorful dinner!  You can control the spiciness of the chicken by altering the amount of chile paste you add to the chicken.  And the basil adds so much freshness to the whole plate.  From the nuttiness of the sesame oil in the veggies to the brightness of the lime juice in the rice to the saltiness of the chicken.  It was perfection.  Jamie even thought it was a great dinner.  I think we all cleared our plate.

Savory and Southern

Pimiento cheese is totally a Southern thing.  Pimiento cheese is also something Big Guy is obsessed with.  Which makes sense, seeing as though he’s totally Southern and all.  Pimiento cheese is normally loaded with mayo and cheese which makes it a high-calorie food (which isn’t always a bad thing – moderation, people!).  However, this pimiento cheese sammie is totally weeknight approved.  And Big Guy approved.

Open-Faced Pimiento Cheese BLTs.  Oh yes, I combined Southern pimiento cheese and BACON!  The unexpected ingredient, however, is Parmesan cheese.  Totally not Southern.  But it  makes this sandwich spread rock.  I also really loved the splash of cider vinegar.  I used white cheddar because it’s what I had on hand and it’s wasn’t reduced-fat because I don’t believe in reduced-fat cheese.  It’s just my belief system.

 

I left the arugula off the sandwich and served roasted brussels on the side.  Big Guy ate his sandwich with a top.   And have y’all heard of “brown” tomatoes?  I picked them up at Trader Joe’s and they were fantastic!!!  They’re ugly but super sweet.  And the bacon just took it over the top.  Savory and Southern.  Just the way I like it.

Consider it a win.

I always consider it a win when Big Guy thoroughly enjoys a vegetarian meal.

It’s an even bigger win if it’s a Friday night.  Chickpea Curry with Basmati Rice was a crowd pleaser.  And by crowd, I mean, Big Guy and I really enjoyed this dish.

The recipe isn’t super complex.  The chickpeas provide plenty of protein and you won’t even miss not having meat.  The garam masala provides just the right amount of spice and a sprinkle of cilantro at the end gives a burst of flavor.  Please, please, please use 2% fat Greek yogurt.  It’s so unbelievable creamy and adds such depth to this simple super.

A glass of crisp Riesling made this meal complete.

 

Saffron Chicken and Rice with Dates

As promised, a recipe!  This dish has North African inspiration with the use of saffron and dates.  Did you know that saffron costs $500 to $5,000 per pound.  That’s just insane!  Granted, you’d never walk into a grocery store and buy a pound but it is one of the more expensive spices.  I’ve found that the cheapest (I’m talking under $5) is at Trader Joe’s.  The saffron is not only used in the main part of  this meal but it’s also used to flavor the rice.

This dinner is super simple to pull together – the hardest part is giving it time to simmer and cook while your house fills with an amazing smell.  This dish is full of onions, garlic, tomato juice (I actually used V8) and dates.  Yep, dates.  And they were by far the best part of the dish, in my opinion.  I actually picked this recipe because I wanted to used up my dates – I had throwing away food.  The dates soften up while cooking and become super sweet.  Like candy!

 

A sprinkle of green onions on top really added a punch of color and brightness to the warm, comforting dish.

 

I hope you all have a fantastic weekend!!  It’s supposed to be gorgeous in this part of the world.  I can promise you that I’ll be celebrating the end of National Pizza Week with a fun and new pizza combination!!!!

Bombay Shrimp Curry with Coconut Jasmine Rice

We’ve been eating leftovers for days.  I take that back, Big Guy has been eating leftovers for days.  I’ve been throwing together salads while he subsided on food from our NYE dinner party and our New Year’s day feast.  He was ready for something different.  No pork, no beef.  Shrimp for the win.

 

These luscious shrimp were transformed into an Indian-inspired Bombay Shrimp Curry.  Before I began working on the shrimp, I began cooking the rice. I combined the rice with 1 cup of low-fat coconut milk and 1 cup water (recipe suggested using instant rice so I had to up the amount of liquid).  Bring to a boil, stir, reduce heat and cover, simmering until all the liquid is absorbed.

The shrimp are seasoned with salt and pepper and then sauteed until cooked through.  The shrimp are then removed from the pan and set aside while the curry part is made.  Onions are sauteed and seasoned with the spices that make this dish:  curry powder, mustard seeds and cinnamon.  I love when cinnamon adds a special taste to savory dishes.  In addition to the onions, frozen green peas are added (I couldn’t find the combo of peas and carrots) with water and then simmered before warming up the shrimp.

Serve the tender, succulent shrimp on top of the fluffy, coconut-scented rice for a dinner that will make you appreciate not eating leftovers.

Kung Pao Chicken Tacos

Talk about a Mexican-Chinese Fusion!  Would that be Mexinese?  Big Guy is a huge fan of Kung Pao Chicken, and by huge fan, I mean that he says he really likes it (though we’ve never gotten Chinese take-out as a couple).  I’ve made some lightened up Kung Pao dinners in the past but this one was so unique and delicious.  When I first ran across the recipe for Kung Pao Chicken Tacos in the October issue of Cooking Light I knew I had to make this dish.

The recipe isn’t that difficult – in fact, the most annoying/time consuming part was cutting up the chicken thighs.  By the way, chicken thighs are the best.  I’ve said it before, chicken thighs > chicken breasts.  So much more flavor!

First you’ll marinate the chicken in soy sauce (I used gluten-free) for 30 minutes.  During this time, I prepped the other stuff…slicing the celery, chopping the peanuts, cutting the bell pepper and slicing the green onion.  The chicken is then tossed in corn starch and stir-fried in canola oil (2 batches).  The sauce is what makes this dish!  I could have eaten it with a spoon.  Honey, sesame oil, rice vinegar, chile paste and garlic are combined to make the stickiest, tastiest, finger-licking sauce ever.  Once the chicken is cooked through – it’s time to pull together the tacos.  Toss the chicken and celery with the sauce.  Then assemble!

Chicken is piled onto the corn tortillas (which I broiled in the oven to warm) and topped the red pepper for some extra crunch and some peanuts and green onions.

 

The chicken tasted like the real deal!  Incredible.

Mexinese is where it’s at.