Honey Garlic Chicken

Ingredients

4 Chicken thighs or Rack of Pork ribs

• 3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
• 3/4 cup water
• 3 tbsp. soya sauce
• 2 tbsp. honey + 1 tbsp molasses (optional)
• 2-3 large cloves of garlic, crushed + 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• Hot chili flakes (optional)

Directions

1. Combine sugar with corn starch, and garlic powder if using it.
2. Add water, soya sauce, honey and fresh garlic, if using fresh.
3. Bring to a boil stirring constantly.
4. Pour sauce over your chicken thighs or wings or pork ribs and Cook in oven at 400 degrees for 40 mins
5. OR cook ribs in Slow Cooker for 6-8 hours
6. Excellent with rice.

Rice Bean Veggie Chili

Try this yummy meatless chili version for dinner tonight! Excellent with a bowl of tortilla chips and fresh homemade guacamole.

1 medium onion, chopped
1 green, red or yellow pepper, stemmed, seeded and chopped
1/2 – 1 jalapeno chili, stemmed, seeded and finely diced (add more or less to taste) 1/4 tsp red chili flakes
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cups cooked white or brown rice
1 can diced tomatoes (fresh or canned, liquid reserved)
1 can Kidney beans(or 1 15-ounce can), rinsed well
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon dark chili powder
1/2 teaspoon Cajun spice (or more, to taste) or (chipotle chili powder)
1 tsp cilantro
1 tsp parlsey
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Heat a deep, non-stick skillet (or wok) over medium high heat. Add spices and the onion, garlic and chili flakes or pepper and cook until tender and heated. Add the sweet peppers, jalapeno, herbs and canned crushed tomatoes & liquid, and cook for another 2 minutes. Add the drained kidney beans and rice and bring to boil. Check the flavor, and add salt and additional seasonings to taste. Turn down to simmer and cook for 20-30 minutes or until rice is tender.

Guacamole

1-2 ripe avocados, halved, pitted
1 teaspoon(s) fresh lime juice or lemon
1 tsp Chili powder + Cajun spice
1 tsp dried cilantro or tbsp fresh chopped cilantro
1 – 2 tbsp mayonnaise
2 clove garlic, crushed or minces
Chopped sundried tomato (optional)

Spoon out avocado flesh into a medium bowl. Add the lime juice. Using a pastry blender or a fork, mash avocados just until pasty.
Add in remaining ingredients until combined. Cover guacamole with plastic wrap and refrigerate up to 4 hours before serving.

Antipasto

 

We can make our antipasto platter a whole meal by just adding a hearty vegetable Italian soup to the menu. Lots of leftovers for lunch or snack the next day too! Make sure you go to a local Italian deli for the meats, cheeses and breads to assure good quality & authentic products.

Provolone Cheese, sliced
Havarti Herb cheese, cubes or sliced
Green & Italian brown olives
Italian Salami or Prosciutto ham
Hot & Mild Capicollo ham
Pickled Artichokes
Roasted Red peppers
Marinaded mushrooms
Tomato Burschette (homemade)
Basil Pesto

Crusty Italian Bread or Fresh Baguette and bread sticks

On an oval platter or large wooden cheese board – arrange various of cheeses, rolled up meats, olives, peppers, and artichokes. Put pesto and burschette  into small serving dishes. Cut bread and arrange in basket. Serve with a delicious hot soup and dig in!

Salisbury Steak

1 lb Lean ground beef
1/2 tsp dry mustard
Salt & Ground pepper
1 tsp sage
1 tsp Steak Spice
1 egg
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 tbsp of crushed crackers or bread crumbs

Gravy sauce
1 cup beef stock
Flour
Oil
Browning sauce
Seasoned salt (to taste)
1/4 cup of sliced brown mushrooms

In a large bowl add the mustard, salt & pepper, Steak spice, sage, egg, and onion to the bowl and mix well into the ground beef, then add the cracker crumbs. Form into roughly 4-5 patties.

In a large skillet on med-high heat. place the patties in the pan and sear on both sides until well browned and keep cooking for 10-15 mins until meat is cooked through. Remove and set aside.

To make the gravy: Add a couple of tbsp of oil, then add enough flour to soak up the oil into a wet paste. Start adding the beef stock gradually while stirring into four paste in pan until smooth gravy forms. Then add mushrooms stirring into sauce and seasoning salt (if needed). Place the cooked meat patties back into pan with gravy. Spoon sauce over meat and simmer for another 10-15 mins.

Serve with Hot or Dijon mustard as a condiment.

Also try – great the next day in a sandwich with Mayo Horseradish Sauce, thin sliced onion and lettuce!

Chicken Swiss Broccoli Bake

This dish is one of our absolute favourite meals, especially in the winter. Serve it with mashed carrot and turnip or a combo of a white & sweet potatoes. Tastes just as good the next day!

4-6 chicken thighs, trimmed of any fat
1 tbsp olive oil
Sea salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste
1 tbsp flour
1/2 cup Swiss cheese
1 tbsp basil
1/4 tsp celery seeds
Pinch of nutmeg
Seasoning salt
1/2 cup chopped white onion
1-1/2 cups of chicken broth
1/2 cup milk

Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Season the chicken thighs with sea salt and fresh cracked pepper. Cook for 10 minute until nicely browned  Place chicken  in oven proof dish.

Place fresh rinsed broccoli pieces around the chicken in dish

Heat the skillet used for chicken to medium heat — add more olive oil then add chopped onion and sauté until translucent. Now add the basil and other spices.  Add the flour and blend well with onion in pan, then slowly add chicken stock until it thickens into a sauce. Add the milk and cheese. Stir in sauce until well blended. Let sauce cook on medium low heat for a few minutes.

Pour the sauce over chicken and broccoli in dish. Cover with foil. Bake at 400 degrees in oven for 45 mins.

Enjoy.

Thai Chicken Ginger Stir Fry

Its been awhile since we cooked a Thai dish so tonight had a craving to cook up this flavourful dish. We didn’t have thighs so used breasts instead, but I think chicken thighs work better for Thai dishes. You just can’t resist the wonderful smell and aroma of  Thai cooking and the ginger really adds the heat and taste to this colourful meal!

6 dried shiitake mushrooms or regular mushrooms
1 tbsp sunflower oil
1 tbsp garlic, finely chopped
1/4 cup ginger sliced into fine matchsticks
Chicken thigh fillet or breasts, cut into small pieces or strips
1-2 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp oyster sauce (optional)
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp sugar (palm, brown or caster)
1/4 tsp pepper (or 1 tsp chilli paste)
1/2 tsp of red chili flakes or 1 tsp chili sauce or 2-3 Thai chili peppers, if need more heat
2 spring onions cut in 2 cm pieces
1/2 cup red onion sliced vertically into little moons
1/2 cup zucchini slices halved
1/4 cup carrot sticks
1/2 cup each small red and green capsicum cut into strips
2 tbsp toasted almonds or cashew nuts
1/2 bunch coriander leaves or 1 tsp dried

Soak Shitake mushrooms in very hot water for 20 minutes (I usually put them into a small jug and then weight them down under the water with a heavy glass pressed on top). Drain, reserving the liquid. Remove stems and discard. Cut caps into thin slices.
While the mushrooms are soaking, prepare the chicken and the rest of the veggies and toast the cashews in a dry fry pan.
Heat wok until hot then turn right down, add oil and swirl around to coat pan

Turn heat right up again and add chicken and stir-fry until golden and then add onion and vegetables to chicken and stir fry for a few minutes.
Add a little more oil and add garlic and ginger & chili flakes.
Add mushrooms and stir into mixture.
Keeping heat on Med-high, add fish sauce, sugar and pepper. Add fish sauce or sugar to taste.

Add green onions to stir fry last , then remove from heat and stir in the cashews/almonds and the fresh coriander leaves, toss
Serve with steamed jasmine rice and sprinkle over remaining coriander.

Spinach and Mushroom Lasagna

We had an anchoring for a meatless meal, so decided to cook up this veggie lasagna for dinner. Three cheeses, spinach, mushrooms & zucchini with Direnzo’s fresh made tomato sauce makes this dish so yummy and filling! A long with a simple tossed green salad and homemade Italian vinaigrette, was a refreshing side to this satisfying meal!

1 tbsp olive oil
8 oz portabella mushrooms, sliced
8 oz button mushrooms, sliced
Pinch of red chili flakes or cayenne pepper
1/2 onion, diced
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1-2 tbsp fresh basil, chopped
1/2 tsp dried oregano
Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste
1 zucchini, sliced thin
1 (15 oz) container ricotta cheese or crumbled Feta
1 1/2 cups of baby spinach leaves (or use chopped frozen spinach if you like)
6-7 lasagna noodles Whole wheat (I used no boil noodles)
2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded
1/2 cup of asiago cheese
3 1/2 cups of can tomato/crushed tomatoes or marinara sauce (homemade Direnzo’s sauce

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a skillet over medium heat add the garlic and saute for 60 seconds, stirring frequently. Season with herbs, sea salt and freshly cracked pepper and add the tomato sauce.

In a bowl grate mozzarella cheese & asiago together. crumbled feta cheese together and set aside.

Layer a rectangle baking pan with just enough sauce to cover the bottom of the pan. Lay two lasagna noodles in the pan. Spread some of the cheese mixture & feta on the noodles, then add a layer of spinach, sauce, layer of noodles, cheeses, some sauce, mushrooms and zucchini slices then noodles, sauce & top with remaining grated cheese mixture.  Cover with foil and bake in oven for 45 mins. Remove foil and cook for 15 more mins.

Veal Scallopini in Wine Tomato Mushroom Sauce

An adopted recipe from my mother, its so delicious and simple, just had to share!  We love serving this dish with mashed turnip and carrot. For added richness you could add (half & half) cream to the dish at the end too, but we usually prefer to devour this dish as is…..hope you like it!

(Buy the veal Scallopini thin slices – usually 5 slices to a package.

Preheat oven to 350 F.
Coat the veal slices lightly with flour, salt & ground pepper
Brown them slightly in 1-2 tablespoon of olive oil.
Put them in an over proof dish.

Saute the following for about 5 minutes:
1/2 cup brown or portabella mushrooms, thinly sliced
1-2 clove garlic very finely chopped
1-2 tablespoons parsley fresh or dried
1/2 tsp sea salt or seasoning salt
1 tsp dried basil (or 1 tablespoons fresh)
1/2 cup peeled, seeded, diced plum tomato or fresh made tomato sauce (Direnzo’s)
1/2 cup white wine

Asiago cheese, grated – to use for topping over Scallopini on your plate
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Half and half cream (optional) added to dish on top of stove after baking in oven

Cover and bake for about 40 minutes.

Siam Kitchen

Dave introduced me to Thai cuisine years ago when we first meet and I’ve never looked back since.  This has to be our favourite Thai restaurant  of all time! The aroma and smell of this place is amazing. Staff are very pleasant and service is great. Some of the tasty dishes we order time and time again are the Beef Tamarind Curry and Chicken Ginger stir fry as well as the Chef’s special Seafood sizzling plate on bed of steamed rice leaves our mouths watering for more! We tended to order to much food at first but now only order 2 maybe 3 dishes maximum but you can always take home the remnants  for left overs if you don’t eat it all. You must try this spot out and I am sure you’ll fall in love with the Siam Kitchen like we have!

1050 Bank St.
Ottawa, Ontario.
K1S 3X2
(613)730-3954