Lime Fiesta Chicken with Spanish Rice and Black Beans

Thank you to everyone that joined me for my Facebook Live event, as well as those who watched the video after the fact! You guys are the best! As promised, here is the recipe that I made yesterday. Such a hit with the hubby bunches of oats and I yesterday. Super easy and anyone can make it.

Lime Fiesta Chicken: * I added both variations that I talked about in my video as 3a and 3b *
2 chicken breasts
juice of 2 1/2 limes (depending on lime size)
6-8 cilantro leaves
ground cumin
ground coriander
salt
crushed red pepper
olive oil
1 jalapeño, minced
2 spoonfuls of minced garlic
oregano

Spanish Rice:
1/2 cup of white rice
1 cup of chicken broth
1/4 cup of tomato sauce
ground cumin
ground coriander
crushed red pepper
oregano
1/4 onion
canola oil

Black Beans:
1 can of black beans
1/4 cup of salsa

Directions:

1) Add jalapeño, cilantro, spices, and oil to a large Ziploc bag. Close the bag and massage the ingredients together. Cut chicken into strips and place in Ziploc bag. Give the chicken a nice massage through the bag and squeeze the air out. Set aside for at least 20 minutes so it can marinate.

2) Heat canola oil in a large pan. Once heated, add onion. Sauté for about 5 minutes before adding rice. Allow rice to reach a golden brown, constantly stirring so you don't burn the rice. Once golden brown, add chicken broth, tomato sauce, and spices. Give a stir and place a tight fitting lid on the pan. Allow rice to quick for 25-30 minutes until rice has soaked up all the liquid.

*3a) While Spanish rice is simmering on low heat, add marinated chicken to a preheated pan at medium heat. Cooking chicken thoroughly (about 15 minutes).

*3b) On well oiled skewers, skewer chicken and place on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil (for skewering instructions, see my recipe for Chicken Satay). Bake at 425 on the top rack for 15-18 minutes.

4) Place black beans and salsa in a small pot over medium heat. Cook for about 5-10 minutes or until beans are heating thoroughly.

5) Serve on tortillas or in a burrito! As always, enjoy!

Coconut Macaroons

This was huge hit at Passover dinner this year! We had to hide them because people were eating them before dinner as soon as I walked through the door. This recipe is quick and easy to make.

Coconut Macaroons:
5 1/2 cups of shredded coconut, sweetened
2/3 cup of all-purpose flour
2 (7.4) oz cans of sweetened condensed coconut milk
2 tsp vanilla
1 tsp almond extract
Sliced almonds, optional

Chocolate Glaze/Drizzle: *optional*
1/4 cup of chocolate chips
1-2 tbsp coconut oil

1. Preheat oven at 350. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. I sprayed the paper with cooking spray the first time I made them but it's not necessary. Set aside.

2. In a large bowl, toss shredded coconut in AP flour. Then add milk, vanilla, and almond extract. Use a wooden or long-handled spoon to combine mixture until moist throughout. Then add almond and stir again.

3. Using a large spoon or ice cream scoop, add macaroons to baking sheet in small mounds. Place in oven for 12-15 minutes or until lightly browned. Set aside and cool completely.

*4.* In a mug, place chocolate chips and coconut oil. Cook in microwave for 30 seconds at a time and stir until chocolate is liquid but still has tension. You don't want it soupy (trust me). Using a spoon, drizzle over the top of the macaroons. Or you can dunk them in bottom first to get the classic look. Allow to cool. I placed mine in the fridge so they would set a little quicker. I definitely recommend doing that! But if you can't wait, enjoy as is.

No Dairy Hot Cocoa

It's not as scary as it sounds. This hot cocoa is delicious! I tried it for the first time tonight and was happy with the result. Trust me. I love dairy, but it has moments where it doesn't love me. So every once in a while, I will cut back on my dairy intake. My hubby bunches of oats and I were craving something sweet after dinner and with all the snow Upstate NY has been getting hammered with the past few weeks, hot cocoa seemed like a good choice.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup of filtered water
1/2 cup of coconut milk (I used unsweetened but whatever you have is fine)
1 tbsp of coconut oil
2 tbsp of cocoa powder
1 tbsp of non-dairy butter
1 tbsp of light brown sugar
dash of cinnamon
splash of vanilla

Directions:
1) Bring water and coconut milk to a boil in a medium saucepan.
2) Remove from heat. Add remaining ingredients to pan. Whisk until well combined.
3) Serve and, as always, enjoy! Yes, it is that easy.

Chicken Satay with Spicy Peanut Sauce and Coconut Rice

This recipe is simply amazing! I have never been so happy with an experiment. My husband said it was phenomenal. That's a compliment I don't get often so I definitely recommend this recipe LOL! It's a combination of three different recipes that I found online. A dash of Pinterest, a sprinkle of this, and that. Voila! The original peanut sauce recipe(s) called for Red Thai Curry Paste. I went to Walmart and Target on my lunch break and neither store had it! Soooo I improvised and used Sriracha. It's not exactly the same but man was it a good addition to this sauce. The measurement below is the same amount that's called for for the curry paste so feel free to use that instead.

Chicken Satay
2 chicken breasts, cut into strips
1 tbsp rice vinegar
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp fish sauce
2 inch segment of ginger, minced (halve it for chicken and sauce)
spoonful of minced garlic
salt and pepper
lime wedges

Peanut Sauce*
1 cup of natural peanut butter
3 tbsp of soy sauce
2 tbsp of apple cider vinegar
1 1/2 cup of light, unsweetened coconut milk
1/4 cup of sriracha (or less if you're not into super spicy food)
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup of water
splash of sesame oil

Coconut Rice
1 cup of rice
salt
3/4 cup of light, unsweetened coconut milk
3/4 cup of water
1 tbsp of sugar (optional)

Directions:

Preheat oven for 375.
Cut your chicken breasts into 3-4" strips. In a large Ziploc bag, add rice vinegar, soy sauce, fish sauce, ginger, garlic, salt, and pepper. Zip bag and shake well. Then add chicken strips and repeat shaking process. Let marinate for 15 minutes at least! No shortcuts! Trust me, it's worth it for the depth of flavor.

Rinse rice so the water runs clear. Add all rice ingredients to a medium sauce pan. Bring to a boil. Then cook on low for 20 minutes or until rice is tender and can be fluffed with a fork.

While the rice is cooking, prep your chicken to be skewered! The original recipe called for bamboo skewers. I used metal skewers and they worked just as well. Apply olive oil on a paper towel and run each metal skewer through the oil. Be sure to oil your towel between each skewer application because the paper towel will soak up the oil. After all the skewers are oiled up like an 80s action star, carefully poke each chicken strip in one end and the other. Place on a cookie sheet that is lined with aluminum foil. Bake in oven for 15-20 minutes.

While your chicken is baking, prepare your sauce. Add all sauce ingredients to the pan and cook on medium-low heat. Stir constantly with a whisk. Plate chicken and rice. Pour sauce over chicken or serve on the side.

Serve and, as alway, enjoy!

*When I made this I had a lot leftover because it was just the two of us. This is fantastic a few days after and holds up really well. Goes great with rice noodles!

Hearty Tomato Soup from Scratch

I finally did it! I made tomato soup from scratch for the first time yesterday and it was amazing! My husband loved it! He said I could make it any time and, with how cold it has been the past few days, I definitely will be making it again. I will warn you. There are a lot of steps but it is worth it! The best part is you don't need to add cream to make it thicker. It's thick on it's own.

Ingredients:
8-10 plum tomatoes, halved or thirds
10 cherry tomatoes, halved
1 cup of chicken stock
1/4 sweet onion
1 red bell pepper
fresh basil, minced
2 spoonfuls of minced garlic
olive oil
1 tbsp of butter
salt and pepper, to taste
crushed red pepper flakes

Preheat oven at 350.

Line two cookie sheets with aluminum foil and spray with cooking spray.

Cut all tomatoes in half (the plums may need to be cut into thirds depending on thickness). Cut bell pepper into strips and cut the strips in half. Cut onion into small chunks. Lay all tomatoes and vegetables on the cookie sheers and lightly drizzle with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Roast in oven for 40-45 minutes.

At the 5 minute mark during the roasting process, add olive oil and butter to a large stock pot that is over medium hear. Melt butter. Add garlic with the crushed pepper and a little salt. Allow garlic to cook until lightly brown. Add chicken stock and stir.

Remove vegetables and tomatoes from oven and add to stock pot, along with fresh basil. Stir and allow them to cook for about 2 minutes. Turn off heat and set aside to cool for about 10 minutes. Once mix has cool, use an immersion blender to blend ingredients until mostly smooth.*

Serve with a classic grilled cheese sandwich. Enjoy!



*Tip: I didn't do this but some soup recipes recommend that you remove the tomato skins after roasting.