cashew-crusted chicken

Happy (belated) New Year! First official post of 2013, kind of (very) late, I know. I've had this recipe on draft mode for about a week and finally remembered to get back to it.

Since all of my bowls and whisks and baking tins have been neatly wrapped and packed, no baking for me for probably the next few months :( I still have one more sturdy paper liner so maybe a nice muffin will come from that. The occasional microwaved mug cakes just aren't as fulfilling as fresh oven-baked goods..I miss my oven dearly.  



But I still have my stove! I rarely make fancy or over-the-top dishes--that's an experiment for later--so here is a really simple cashew-crusted chicken. I think I was browsing on Instagram and someone's photo of nut-crusted chicken inspired me to make this.

star anise and ginger chicken

Even though I've been baking, I realized I haven't been cooking as much. Not enough time spent with the pots, pans, spatulas, or the stove. So today I made Star Anise and Ginger Chicken, a healthy and simple dish that got me kudos from my mom and both my sisters :) The star anise-braised chicken fills the kitchen with an almost exotic fragrance. The recipe called for clementine or orange juice, but I found that tangerine juice worked just fine. It tenderized the chicken and created a delicious sweet and tangy sauce that perfectly coats the meat and even candied the ginger slices, making them tasty on their own.

I love how star anise enhances the flavors and aromas of a dish. Now that I've used it to braise meat, I'll find a way to incorporate it in my baking soon :)

chicken adobo & star anise chia pudding

So my major nuts and spices spree from Sprouts a week ago resulted firstly in Chicken Adobo.

The night of high school graduation my friend D held a small celebration at his house with a group of good friends and delicious food. There was a pot of chicken thighs and a rice cooker filled to the top with steamed rice ready for feasting, and I think I was one of the first to get up and get food (of course I would be...) besides D himself.

The chicken thighs were so tender the meat fell right off the bone, and though marinated, they didn't have too heavy a flavor--just right. I'm pretty sure these were the same chicken thighs and rice D brought for lunch, too. So I spent past months wondering about the name of the recipe--wondering why I didn't just ask him--but I think I've found it, or perhaps something close? Chicken Adobo. But despite finding the recipe that almost exactly matches those chicken thighs from my memory, my re-creation is still missing something. I probably should just ask D for the recipe, or better yet, a cooking lesson, and see what he does that makes his chicken so simply delicious.

There were so many variations on how to make Chicken Adobo: some called for ginger, others specifically for white vinegar (but Martha Stewart wrote rice vinegar, and I'm not sure if they're exactly the same, but it worked), and further recipes noted the need to pan-fry the chicken first while others invalidated that step. 

So I just stuck with simple as simple gets, which is throwing everything into the pot, leaving it to marinate for a few hours, then boiling it and simmering it. Easy enough. Not to forget putting the bay leaves and black peppercorns I bought into good use (though they were actually bought for this specific dish). The aroma of the herb, spice, and sauces in the pot compares to that of the Taiwanese Three Cup Chicken, a dish my mom often makes, but with basil rather than bay leaves and black peppercorns. Even my carnivorous older sister--who RARELY eats anything I bake let alone cook--enjoyed the Chicken Adobo :) The only reason she tried it was because it smelled like Three Cup Chicken, but no matter, she liked it and I'm good with that!

And the shopping spree resulted secondly in Star Anise Chia Pudding.

 

I've heard a lot about chia seeds lately and I've been reading about its health benefits, and to be honest I was surprised that chia seeds were used in food. Chia seeds = food?! I snorted (in my head) at the thought of eating chia pets cause that's the only thing that pops into my mind when I think chia, but I bought a bagful of seeds at Sprouts, just to try them out. Chia seeds have a boba-like texture, squishy from the gel it produces after being soaked, but crunchy and microscopic. The really good thing about chia seeds is that they keep you pretty full for a while :) 

Chia pudding can be as simple as a cup of almond milk to a few tablespoons of seeds, but why not up the flavor with some star anise?! Star anise is mainly used in Chinese cuisine for braising meats and enhancing the richness in slow-cooked dishes. The internet describes star anise as having a licorice taste, but I personally can't tell/don't really know. I don't like licorice enough to remember how it tastes. Sorry licorice fans.

like any normal thursday

Thanksgiving isn't that big in my family. We get past with a small store-bought rotisserie chicken, corn tortillas and a bag of shredded cheese--chicken quesadillas for the past 4 years or so? Even before then we didn't really feast with turkey and mashed potatoes and all. Even today we didn't eat the traditional Thanksgiving meal, but we had more homemade food than usual!

Ratpatootie Ratatouille! My second attempt (my first was two years ago) inspired by Remy after rewatching the movie a few days ago. Lately I've been holding off on cooking and baking a lot since I doubted the process and outcome before I even started. I don't really know why I let my personal issues affect my usual determination and excitement in the kitchen, but it did. So I took the past few days to prepare myself for today. I didn't make what you would call a feast feast but it's more than the annual quesadillas :) Nothing beats cooking for people you love.

I love Smitten Kitchen's recreation of the traditional ratatouille, and you can find the recipe I used here. The dish is bright, lovely, and utters sophistication though it's actually quite easy to make (aside from cutting the parchment paper and slicing the vegetables paper thin, and in my case, WITHOUT a mandoline). I tried plating it all pretty like Remy did in the movie but my vegetables slumped together; nonetheless, the ratpatootie was tasty.

I guess you really don't stray too far from your roots...or something like that. Or in this case if you've almost always had chicken on Thanksgiving you sort of just stick with that. Chicken Piccata! With a lemon caper sauce that turned out a bit too lemony for my taste, but I reduced it by adding more chicken broth. Recipe can be found here.

Kabocha Squash Pie

And of course there was the kabocha squash pie and cheesecake from my midnight prepping. The mini pie stands tall at 1 cm. and the cheesecake, about 2.5 cm. I was dying to test both of the recipes out, and I made mini versions of both because my family could never finish a store-bought pie and they always went bad :( The pie is custard-like while the cheesecake is creamy smooth, both delicious in their own ways! I replaced white sugar with brown in both of the recipes, and though I didn't have pumpkin pie spice, using only nutmeg and cinnamon still brings out the rich, warm aroma. 

Kabocha Squash Cheesecake

 The recipe for the crustless pie can be found here and the cheesecake here.

Okay so maybe not much of a giant feast, but this Thanksgiving spoke out louder than the rest. This Thanksgiving was the first where I prepared a technically three-course meal for my family. Mixed feelings of stress, anxiety, and confusion built up in the past week, and I could finally, happily, release these pent up emotions in the kitchen. Concentrating on slicing the vegetables paper thin allowed me to think about Thanksgiving. It's difficult to put in exact words let alone express my thankfulness for everyone and everything that has found themselves in and out of my life. My family, my friends, the roof over my head, the cold wind to appreciate bodily warmth, the fact that I am writing this blog, that I've actually kept it running and that it's getting viewers?

Well I hope everyone had a delicious Thanksgiving :) and good night!

Update 12/24/12

I made ratatouille again today, but overstuffed the pan with a ton more vegetables and even double-stacked some of them rather than alternate. It took a little bit longer to bake through but still tasted wonderful.

Also I used herbes de province this time, and I like the taste of the ratatouille with the herbs rather than with just thyme. The thyme was sort of a one note, rather fixed, flavor, while the herbes have a much more subtle, rounder, flavor, which I like better as it doesn't overpower the vegetables or tomato sauce in this dish.

Plus my knife skills are getting better! I sliced the vegetables thinly and evenly 95% of the time (with the other 5% being the very few thick and unevenly cut) without the help of a mandolin! I think I'm getting a hang of this :') and ratatouille might just become a holiday tradition.

broccoli swiss stuffed mini chicken breasts

I need to start trying new chicken recipes, but stuffed chicken rolls are so fun to make. The chicken breasts we get at the market are cut smaller than most, so my rolls turn out to be tinier. But tiny food is always cute :)

We had bread at home but I was feeling a bit too lazy to bake the bread and then break it up into small breadcrumbs, and we didn't have any panko in our pantry; so I went with almond meal. The almond meal didn't crisp up like breadcrumbs or panko would have, so I'd suggest to stick to the breadcrumbs instead.

oyakodon

I was first introduced to the deliciousness that is the oyakodon at a sleepover. My friend Y's mom made oyakodon for us for dinner. I was already full, but I took a bite and I knew I would eat it even if it meant bloating. It was that good.

I love the tender pieces of chicken hidden under the simmered sweet eggs, the soft onions that seem to melt in your mouth...add all of that over a bite of steamed rice and you get the warmth and simplicity of down to earth home cooking.

I think that's why I love Japanese food so much. It's amazing how savory dishes can also be sweet but not overpowering. There's this great balance of flavors and aromas that still hold their simplicity and add a lightness to Japanese food that is just so pleasing to the palate. Or maybe I'm just really obsessed, but I absolutely love the culture and the cuisine.

Forgot to photograph before consumption. I ate mine without rice.

If you're going to make oyakodon, make sure to prepare ALL of the ingredients before turning on the stove. I failed and burned the pan before I got everything ready--I really don't know why--but I started over and then successfully made my oyakodon :)

I love the onions the most. Next to the sweet egg, maybe the chicken, too. I love everything about this dish. But the soft, sweet onions have such a light texture and delicate crisp that, for me, really brings the oyakodon together.

quinoa nori wrap

So I figure I'd go with a savory recipe today and stock up on ingredients before attempting another baked good. 

Quinoa nori(seaweed) wrap! I actually got the idea from Cassey Ho's Instagram, Blogilates. Cassey is a super energetic and fun Pilates trainer whom I've been following for quite some time now. Her workout videos on Youtube are INTENSE but AMAZING and she was and still is my inspiration to lead a healthier lifestyle =) Thank you Cassey!

On my Trader Joe's run last night I also bought a pack of red quinoa. MAJOR super food packed with proteins and it's healthier than brown rice! I often find quinoa in salad recipes but substituting it for sushi rice worked out pretty well too :) It tastes amazing with creamy avocados that even my older sister, who rarely eats anything healthy, enjoys it (but she added mayonnaise, of course).

I couldn't find my sushi roller so I put it on my silicone baking liner instead. I had planned to use that as a roller but I ended up rolling it with my bare hands anyway.

Assembled!

 

It tasted somewhat like a California Roll, probably because of the avocados. I attempted using scissors to cut my wrap into bite size pieces but the nori became too soggy so it didn't cut well. My quinoa spilled too :( But if you DO want to cut it into sushi roll pieces I suggest you assemble your wrap as quickly as you can and cut it while the nori is still firm. I ate mine like a burrito, but hopefully your pieces turn out better than mine did if you do decide to cut them :)

peanut butter banana oat cookies & arugula swiss stuffed mini chicken breasts

LONG TITLE I know but this is my first recipe post and I did make two things today :)
So my health kick actually started a while ago (beginning of summer) but only recently have I been trying to alter and make my own recipes to make desserts healthier! Healthy and dessert don't really seem to go together in a lot of recipes but I'm trying to make it happen in my kitchen :) 

I LOVE peanut butter and I LOVE bananas and infusing them with oatmeal and ground flax seed and other stuff = fiber-filled delicious health cookie (except for maybe the peanut butter but eating it in moderation is not too bad! Peanut butter is a good source of magnesium and contains healthy fats :))!

Peanut Butter Banana Oat Cookies

 yields 5-6 mini cookies

Ingredients:

1/2 banana (mashed)
3 tbs oats (steel-cut or rolled would be best)
1 tbs ground flax seed
1/8 tsp baking powder
1 tsp brown sugar 
1 tbs peanut butter

Directions:

- Preheat the oven to 350° F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or silicone mat (I avoid using foil because it requires butter or spray).
- Mash up the banana in a small bowl. Then add in the peanut butter and brown sugar and mix until incorporated.
- In a separate bowl combine all of the dry ingredients. Then pour the dry with the wet ingredients and stir until it becomes a smooth creamy mixture.
- Scoop the batter with a tablespoon onto the parchment paper or silicone mat and flatten into circles.
- Bake for 8-10 minutes until the top is no longer gooey to the touch. 
- Transfer to a wire rack to let cool, then serve.

I sometimes wish I were a photographer so I can take better food pictures.

I've finally made a dish my mom really likes, and it's arugula and Baby Swiss cheese stuffed mini chicken breasts! Arugula has a slight bitter herb taste that perfectly complements the Swiss cheese, and these mini rolls are easy to eat! Even my baby sister likes them :) though she's not a big fan of arugula.