Lettuce, Mayo and Spicy Chicken Wrap

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Chicken and Mushrooms in White Wine Garlic Sauce

Ping! Alert. Meow, Meow! Alert. Bzzz. Alert. Chirp, Chirp. Alert. 

No, the above does not indicate that my robot self is currently malfunctioning, it is my calendar alerting me of my next meeting/call/appointment/dinner engagement/happy hour/I think you get the point. 

Side note: I still can't decide on which ringtone provides a less threatening and more serene notification when receiving said alerts. 

I am leaning towards meow, meow.

Basically, what I am trying to say is... right now, I do not have time to cook a braised, succulent and tender dinner for two.  I do have time to use techniques such as delivery and take out, but the idea of low and slow does not apply to my kitchen activities as of lately.   

However, I was getting tired of outsourcing my meals and missed my stove.  That doesn't necessarily mean that my schedule screeched to a halt, it just meant that I had to stick super fast and super easy.  

A perfect example of a super easy and fast meal is Chicken and Mushrooms in White Wine Garlic Sauce.  It's not only quick to make (less than 20 minutes), but also very budget friendly.  

Chicken and Mushrooms in White Wine Garlic Sauce 

Recipe adapted from Cooking Light Magazine

serves 4 

Ingredients

4 ounces uncooked medium egg noodles

1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast halves 

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, divided

1/2 teaspoon salt, divided 

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided

2 tablespoons olive oil, divided 

1 tablespoon minced fresh garlic

1 (8-ounce) package presliced exotic mushroom blend (such as shiitake, cremini, and oyster) 

1/2 cup dry white wine 

1/2 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth 

1 teaspoon chopped fresh tarragon

1/4 cup shaved Parmesan cheese 

Preparation

1. Cook noodles according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain and keep warm.

2. Cut chicken into 1-inch pieces. Place chicken breast halves in a shallow dish. Combine 1 tablespoon flour, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper, stirring well with a whisk. Sprinkle flour mixture over chicken; toss to coat.

3. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken to pan; sauté 4 minutes or until browned. 

4. Remove chicken from pan. Add remaining 1 tablespoon oil to pan. Add garlic, tarragon, and mushrooms to pan; sauté for 3 minutes or until liquid evaporates and mushrooms darken. Add white wine to pan; cook 1 minute. Stir in remaining 1 tablespoon flour; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Stir in broth, remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, and remaining 1/8 teaspoon pepper; cook 1 minute or until slightly thick, stirring frequently.

5. Return chicken to the pan. Cover and simmer 2 minutes. Uncover; cook 1 minute or until chicken is done. Stir in noodles; cook 1 minute or until thoroughly heated. Place about 1 1/2 cups chicken mixture on each of 4 plates; top each serving with 1 tablespoon cheese.

BBQ Chicken on a Beer Can

I've been wanting to do this dish for quite some time now.  Prior to this, I've always stood on the sidelines and witnessed from afar everyone else cook a whole chicken with just a can of beer and a grill.  I'm not entirely sure why it took me so long to try this recipe myself.  It's no secret that I am a lover of any dish that involves cooking with alcohol.  

Once I arrived at my parents' house, I called our photographer friend, Steve to document the whole event.  Steve is used to photographing bikini clad babes, so I wasn't sure how he (a vegetarian, I must add) would feel about shooting us violate a foul with a huge can of Sapporo.  But, like a pro, he hid any reservations he may or may not have had behind a smile and snapped away.  

Here are a few snapshots from that day! 

Before we begin, let's have a collective "Awww..." for the family dog, Dolce. 

Awwwww

It is essential that the can of beer is half full. 

What's that you say? You want to see another picture of Dolce? 

"Where's my chicken?"

I'm sorry that vegetarian Steve had to witness this

Leave it on the grill, close it and forget it. So simple! 

A thing of unflitered beauty. 

Beer Can Chicken

adapted from a recipe found on Food Network

Ingredients

1 (4-pound) whole chicken

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 tablespoons salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

3 tablespoons of your favorite dry spice rub

1 can beer

Directions

Remove neck and giblets from chicken and discard. Rinse chicken inside and out, and pat dry with paper towels. Rub chicken lightly with oil then rub inside and out with salt, pepper and dry rub. Set aside.

Open beer can and take several gulps (make them big gulps so that the can is half full). Place beer can on a solid surface. Grabbing a chicken leg in each hand, plunk the bird cavity over the beer can. Transfer the bird-on-a-can to your grill and place in the center of the grate, balancing the bird on its 2 legs and the can like a tripod.

Cook the chicken over medium-high, indirect heat (i.e. no coals or burners on directly under the bird), with the grill cover on, for approximately 1 1/4 hours or until the internal temperature registers 165 degrees F in the breast area and 180 degrees F in the thigh, or until the thigh juice runs clear when stabbed with a sharp knife. Remove from grill and let rest for 10 minutes before carving.

Chicken Pesto Pizza with Arugula and Cherry Tomatoes

I don't bake.  

Flour is my foe, and most definitely not my friend. 

My style of cooking doesn't really lend itself 

to successful baking.  

I don't really measure. 

I come from the school of 

"a little of this and a little of that". 

That being said, I don't normally like 

to take culinary shortcuts, 

but when you live in a city where Arthur Avenue  

is at your fingertips, I'm okay with using 

prepackaged pizza dough.  

My Arthur Avenue pizza dough made this recipe 

SUPER easy and SUPER cheap. 

This recipe is also perfect for your leftovers 

that you are not sure how to jazz up. 

All of your half eaten food knick knacks will taste 

divine on a pizza.  

I had leftover rotisserie chicken, 1/4 cup of pesto, 

a few leaves of arugula, and marbles of cherry tomatoes 

rolling around aimlessly in my fridge.  

I bought pizza dough, assembled, 

10 minutes in the oven, and I was done! 

The taste was award winning, indeed! 

I may have stretched the truth, just a tad.
The dough requires you to plop it in a lightly oiled bowl,
place a towel on top,
and allow it to rest for an hour or two.

But, seriously, how hard is that?

Drenched in cheese. 

Even better the next day served cold. 

Chicken Pesto Pizza with Arugula and Cherry Tomatoes

Serves 4

1/2 cup pesto basil sauce

1 bag of pizza dough

2 cups cooked chicken breast strips

1/2 cup of cherry tomatoes, halved

1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

1/2  cup arugula

1. Remove dough from plastic bag. Place in a lightly oiled bowl. Cover with a clean dish towel.  Allow to rest for 1-2 hours, until dough is pliable.

2. Preheat oven to 500 degrees.

3. Spread dough on an oiled baking sheet, until the dough is in desired shape.

4. Spread pesto on pizza dough.

5. Top with cooked chicken breast.

6. Sprinkle tomatoes and arugula.

7. Sprinkle with cheese.

8. Once the oven is heated, slide uncooked pizza into oven and allow to cook for approximately 15 minutes.  Slice and serve! 

Tamarind Cooking Class in Luang Prabang

I took a lot of cooking classes while in Asia,
but the most memorable class is without a doubt the one I took with the instructors at Tamarind restaurant in Luang Prabang.

I am not the biggest fan of Laotian food,
but the unique experience that Tamarind's cooking class offered
was as delicious as a meaty slab of ribs!

Before we headed out to the kitchen site, 
we made a quick stop to the town's center market. 

Refrigeration is almost nonexistent in Southeast Asia, 
so the inventory consisted of only produce and 
protein harvested earlier that morning.    


I'm sure you can imagine my excitement 
when the instructor informed us that we were 
allowed to select one unusual item 
to cook during class.  

My ears immediately perked up.

The opportunity to pick something from a market  
that would have made Whole Foods feel not so whole
just tickled me silly.  

Vats of stinky, fishy, intensely flavored fermented fish. MmmmMMmm...

Giddy, I knew exactly what I wanted to cook. I've seen this ingredient plenty of times while strolling the streets of Chinatown, but I had no clue how to use it.

Ribbet.

"Are you sure?"

"Yup."

"Mmmmmk."

After I handed him my toad, I began to roam the 
market with wide eyeballs and inflamed 
nostrils taking in the vibrant colors and  
inhaling unappreciated smells. 

We then regrouped, gathered the rest of the 

ingredients needed and hopped onto the back of a pickup truck. 

After spending 45 minutes turning and swerving down   

bumpy nameless dirt roads, 

we parked near a desolate open area 

in the middle of a jungle.

Alongside swaying banana trees and giggling monkeys 

sat our kitchen. 

 And our oven!

Before we started cooking, the instructor 

asked me if I wanted to butcher my own LIVE frog.  

I have YET to kill any other animal at this point, 

so I lowered my head in shame and declined.

Seriously, though. 

The job of butchering a live frog seemed a bit daunting.

Here's another picture of my lonely frog.

One more. 

I really need to learn not play with my food.

The frog meat was used in the Laotian version of Amok.  

The difference between Cambodian Amok and Laos Amok 

is that the Laotian curry does not include 

the addition of coconut milk.

Other dishes that we made that day 

included a Chicken Lemongrass pop...

and of course dessert! 

Black rice steamed in coconut milk served 

with tropical fruit.  

Because of my raging sweet tooth, 

this was my favorite of all.

Chicken Lemongrass Pops

I chose to feature this recipe because I'm fairly certain people  are not into buying live frogs to cook and eat.  However, if you are feeling adventurous, give me a holler and I will gladly send you the recipe! 

12 stalks of lemongrass

5 cloves of garlic

4-6 spring onions

1/2 – 3/4 cup of fresh coriander

1 kaffir lime leaf

teaspoon of salt

1/2 pound of minced chicken

Preparing the Lemongrass

1. Using a small sharp knife, start cutting about 1cm from the base of the lemongrass stem. Make cuts lengthwise through the stalk about 4-5cm in length – without letting the cuts reach either the base or the cut top end of the stalk.  

2. Rotate the lemongrass and repeat the cuts at small intervals, until the outer stalk are separated – basket-like – creating a central hole for the filling.

Stuffing

1. All of these ingredients except the minced chicken are pounded in a mortar and pestle, then the minced chicken is added and mixed well.

2. The next step is to push a spoonful of the mixture into the central core of each stalk, then shape and smooth it out with your hands.

3. Dip the stuffed lemongrass in beaten egg (you’ll need two eggs) and fry them in a wok (stalks protruding and resting on the side so they can be easily withdrawn) until the meat is browned and cooked.

Momofuku Fried Chicken and Spicy Tamarind Dipping Sauce with Roasted GARLIC Caesar Salad "Steak"

I'm not going to lie.

This fried chicken took a long time to make.

If you don't love and enjoy the process of cooking,

skip this recipe.

BUT! If you are willing to leap over metaphorical mountains inorder to sink your teeth into one of the moistest (I hate that word, moist. Eck.) chickens you'll ever eat, please accept the challenge and begin the fried chicken journey.

I'm not going to post Momofuku's recipe, because it can be found here. BUT! I will warn you that this chicken will require

brining, steaming, AND frying.

Yeah.

Make sure you love the process.

I will, however, post the GARLIC caesar dressing and tamarind recipe. Please see below. Best. Lany :)

Roasted GARLIC Caesar Dressing

Please note that there is a lot of garlic in this recipe (hence the all caps). If you're not a huge fan of garlic, you can reduce the amount used and please use lowercase letters.

P.S. I call it a "steak" because the romaine was left whole.

1 head of garlic
1 1/2 cups of olive oil
6 anchovies, minced (oh, just add it and stop being a wuss!)
1/4 cup of dijon mustard
1 lemon, juiced
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees

2. Peel away the outer layers of the garlic bulb skin, leaving the skins of the individual cloves intact. 

3. Using a knife, cut off 1/4 to a 1/2 inch of the top of cloves, exposing the individual cloves of garlic

4. Place the garlic head on a sheet of foil and drizzle half of the olive oil on top, using your fingers to make sure the garlic head is well coated. Wrap the foil up tightly and place wrapped bulb on baking sheet.  

5. Bake at 400°F for 30-35 minutes, or until the cloves feel soft when pressed.

6. Allow the garlic to cool enough so you can touch it without burning yourself. 

7. Use a small small knife cut the skin slightly around each clove. 

8. Remove the cloves from the oil, reserving the oil, and in a medium bowl, mash until smooth.

9. Stir in the anchovies and mustard. While stirring, add the lemon juice, vinegar. Continue stirring and add the reserved roasted garlic oil and additional oil in a slow steady stream.

10. Stir in the Parmesan cheese and season to taste with salt and pepper.

11. Transfer to a sealed container and refrigerate until needed.


Tamarind Dipping Sauce

I eat this sauce like how I ate mayo in highschool (thank goodness I got over THAT phase). I eat it with everything - fish, chicken, pork, steak, a nice platter of crudite, whatever needs a little kick.


2 tablespoons of tamarind paste
2 limes, juiced
1 red thai chili pepper, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons of fish sauce
4 cloves of garlic, finely minced
salt and pepper to taste

Garnish with 1 tablespoons of chopped cilantro

Mix the first 5 ingredients until well blended. Top with chopped cilantro.

Lazy (Okay, Maybe Not So Lazy) Chicken Curry Burritos with Coconut Corn Lime Salad

I had an idea. My eureka moment came while I was eating curry with my hands because my fork accidently fell on the ground and was left with no utensil to finish my remaining two bites. 

Anyway, this idea came to me as I was licking my fingers clean.  I thought, why couldn't curry be a utensil free dish? Why shouldn't we compact all of my curry bits into something that will allow one to consume while walking or standing? Why couldn't I put curry in a... beautiful, steamed, chewy TORTILLA?! Boom. I began to put my plan into action. Let's begin.

Scoured my spice cabinet for some curry friendly flavors. I added a tablespoon of each into a mug.

Dusted my boneless and skinless chicken thighs with said spice. Set aside to allow the ingredients get to know each other.

I needed a pico de gallo alternative. So, I found these sweet mini peppers that will add the perfect crunch and sweetness to my burrito.

I also added half of a red onion to the mix.

Diced them up and added them to a nonreactive bowl.

Bang up a few garlic cloves with the back of your cleaver. This is a good aggression release exercise.  Mince finely and then add that to your peppers and onions.

Now, segment two limes for optimal juicin' and squirt them into your bowl.

Finally, my favorite, Add two tablespoons of fish sauce. Mix and set aside.

Now for the third component! The garlic and basil rice that will substitute basic spanish white rice.

Chiffonade basil leaves (thai basil would be better, but I didn't have any on hand) and mince three big garlic cloves.

Heat a skillet and melt a tablespoon of butter. Add garlic until fragrant then once cup of rice.  Toast lightly, throw in basil. 

Once basil is lightly wilted, throw everything in a rice cooker and  add water. Turn it on and let the rice cooker work it's magic!

Okay, I guess you realize now that this burrito requires

a lot of prep work.

Hang in there. I assure you, it will be worth it!

Let's start roasting some corn!

Shuck and throw the corn in a cast iron skillet, occasionally rolling it around until a nice char is achieved.  I'm such a sucker for a beautiful char. One of my favorite things in the world is burnt toast. Weird? Maybe.  

Off with their ears!

Usually, I would shave off my own coconut. But today I felt particularly lazy and decided to buy store bought flakes.  Because, hey. That's okay too.

Next, add the juice of two limes.

Squirt.

Sprinkle a touch of salt and pepper to taste and 1 tablespoon of fish sauce. Toss in some thinly sliced green onions...

and, you're done!

Actually, you're not. You still have to cook the burrito.

To make it quick, I created a little montage for you.

I call it the curry swirl.

Add your seasoned and sliced chicken thighs and stir occasionally until chicken is cooked through.

Assemble.

Roll it up and serve with your corn salad.  Now take a bite and smile because you now have one less fork to wash at the end of the end. Oh wait, you need one for your corn salad. Ah... nevermind. Cheers!

Chicken Curry Burritos with Sweet Pepper Pico De Gallo and Basil Garlic Rice

Serves 6

Chicken Curry Burritos

1 lb of boneless skinless chicken thighs (THINLY SLICED)

2 tbs of green curry paste

1 can of coconut milk

1 package of flour tortillas

Seasoning for chicken thighs:

 1 tsp of cumin

 1 tbs of paprika

 1 tbs of salt

 1 tsp of pepper

 1 tbs of cayenne

 1 tsp of dry mustard

1. Mix seasoning in small bowl and dust washed, dried and thinly sliced chicken thighs. Set aside.

2. Begin making BASIL GARLIC RICE and PICO De GALLO.  Recipes are below. 

3. In large shallow heated pan (medium/high heat), add coconut milk.  Once boiled, add curry paste and stir. Add chicken to curry mixture. Once cooked through, remove from heat.

4. Steam your tortillas in a steamer basket or toast on a lightly oiled skillet on medium to low heat.

5. Assemble your burrito with chicken, basil rice and pico de gallo.  Wrap your burrito.  Serve with Roasted Corn and Coconut salad.  Recipe is below.

Basil and Garlic Scented Rice

1 tbs of olive oil

3 large garlic gloves, minced

1/2 cup of chiffonaded basil

1 cup of jasmin rice

2 cups of water

1. Add 1 tbs of olive oil to heated skillet

2. Lightly sautee garlic until fragrant, add your rice until lightly toast.

3. Add basil.

4. Empty contents into a rice cooker and add water. Turn on rice cooker.

Sweet Pepper Pico De Gallo

8 small sweet peppers, diced

1/2 of red onion, diced

2 limes

2 tablespoons fish sauce

3 cloves of garlic minced

1. Combine all of the ingredients into a nonreactive bowl. Toss and allow to marinate for atleast an hour.

Roasted Sweet Corn with Coconut Salad

4 large summer corns

1 cup of coconut flakes

2 limes

2 tablespoons of fish sauce

salt and pepper to taste

1. Heat cast iron skillet on high. Once hot, add corn to skillet. Turn frequently until desired char is achieved. Remove from pan.

2. Shave off corn ears with a sharp blade into a bowl.

3. Add 1 cup of coconut flakes, the juice of two limes, fish sauce and salt and pepper. Toss.