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Mustard mashup with smashed potatoes

Week two brings another test of what my little Le Creuset can hold.

And once again, I turned to Jamie Oliver’s wonderful “5 Ingredients” cookbook. So, I know, I know, I keep going on about it, but this week especially demonstrates how versatile and useful it is. Because, scandal, I used way more than 5 ingredients in this list. In fact, I mashed up two recipes, and then still added more. I’m calling it a mustard chicken mashup.

Mustard chicken mashup ingredients.

In doing so, I also tested the limits of the 9-inch braiser.

Tl; dr, I might have gone a tad overboard, but it all still worked out.

If you have a 10-inch skillet, this will be fine; if you are using a 9-incher, perhaps do scant amounts or stir very carefully.

As its name suggests, this recipe has some mustard and chicken. It also has some veggies, some cream, and Worcestershire. I stole the carrots and Worcestershire sauce from a 5-ingredient beef recipe that also called for mustard, but the chicken recipe sounded easier, and creamier.

And aside from some careful stirring, it all worked out really well. My only regret, actually, is that the stone ground mustard was rather mild and I had hoped for it to be stronger. If you love mustard like we do, I recommend getting a stronger mustard or mixing stone ground and Dijon mustards. I liked the way the stone ground looked mixed with heavy cream, but I wanted more of a kick.

Other than that, it was a perfectly wonderful and quick two- to three-serving dinner, especially when served with the smashed potatoes my sweetie made in our new Instant Pot. I also thought about serving it with rice, but potatoes were perfect; plus, then I get to have a mashup and smashed potatoes.

Easy as pie, but tastes like creamy mustard. Noms.

Here’s what I did:

Ingredients

  • 1 lb. chicken, sliced into thin strips
  • 1 carrot, thinly chopped
  • 1 onion, thinly sliced
  • 6 oz. Brussels sprouts
  • ⅔ c. heavy cream
  • ½ c. water
  • 1 T. Worcestershire sauce
  • 2 T. stone ground mustard (or to taste)
  • Pepper, to taste
  • Olive oil

Directions

Add some oil to your Le Creuset (or 9- to 10-inch skillet), and stir in the carrot, onion, and Brussels sprouts. Cook over medium heat about 3 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, to slightly soften. Add the chicken slices, and cook another 3 to 5 minutes until the chicken is mostly cooked through.

Then, add the mustard, cream, water, and Worcestershire. Add pepper to taste.

Bring to a boil, and then simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the liquid thickens slightly into a sauce and the chicken is cooked through.

Season with additional pepper or mustard as desired. Serve with smashed potatoes or rice, or on its own, and enjoy!

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Chicken curry a perfect weeknight dinner

Like many of my recipes, this one was given to me by my mother, has been among my staples for years, and has been endlessly adapted until the original recipe is more of a suggestion than a specific direction.

So, I figured this year was the perfect time to write out what I actually do to make chicken curry versus what the recipe I use calls for.

Chicken (and vegetable) curry ingredients.

I started adapting this one from the start out of necessity. I was poor and prefer chicken breasts, but the original calls for 3 pounds of chicken meat. Maybe I could have afforded that if I bought a whole chicken but as it was, I wanted to make a meal that lasted for days, and I was more likely to eat a boneless dinner.

So, I halved the amount of meat and then substituted in vegetables.

Now that I can afford 3 pounds of meat, it still seems excessive. So, I still make it with a mix of meat and vegetables. My list of vegetables changes but I like cauliflower and carrots with curry, even though they’re not usually my favorites. Peas and peppers rounded out the list this time, but anything works.

I also probably end up adding more than 1 ½ lbs. of vegetables because I don’t quite measure what goes in. I just eyeball it, including in the suggested amounts below.

Otherwise, I tweak a few other things from “The Curry Book” recipe my mom Xeroxed many years ago for me to enjoy.

So much curry goodness.

Here’s what I did:

Ingredients

  • 4 T. unsalted butter (or ghee, if you have on hand)
  • 1 medium onion, halved and sliced
  • 3 T. minced ginger
  • 1 T. minced garlic
  • 1 ½ lb. chicken breast, chopped into bite-size chunks
  • 2 c. cauliflower, chopped
  • 1 medium carrot, chopped
  • 1 bell pepper, chopped
  • 1 c. sugar snap peas (or just frozen peas)
  • 3 T. curry powder
  • ½ T. ground cumin
  • 2 t. ground coriander
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
  • ⅔ c. plain yogurt
  • 2 T. lemon juice
  • Scallions, optional for serving
  • Cilantro, optional for serving

Directions

Heat the Dutch oven on the stove over medium heat, and add the butter. Add the onion, cauliflower, carrot, and bell pepper, and cook for 3 to 5 minutes until just starting to soften. Add the chicken and cook until mostly cooked through. Add peas, ginger, and garlic and cook another minute.

Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine the curry powder, cumin, coriander, salt, pepper, yogurt, and lemon juice, and stir until well mixed. Scrape the yogurt mixture into the Dutch oven, and toss to combine.

Reduce heat to low, cover, and cook stirring occasionally, for about 30 to 35 minutes until chicken is cooked through and the flavor has combined. Serve on rice, with scallions or cilantro if desired, and enjoy!

 

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Weeknight Mexican rice

Taco nights are a wonderful weekday staple in our household, as I suspect they are in many. It’s so simple to whip up, especially when so much already comes pre-packaged and ready.

Our taco nights have become slightly less simple once we reduced our salt intake and therefore actually realized how much salt is contained in those pre-packaged items.

The low sodium beans are easy enough to come by, and a homemade taco seasoning mix can be made in bulk. Skipping out on my salty Spanish or Mexican rice, however, has been a source of frustration.

Mexican rice ingredients.

My sweetie has mostly taken up the duties of making Mexican rice so it’s still a no-fuss process for me. And if I’m being totally honest, the work that goes into homemade, healthier Mexican rice is only slightly more than dumping box contents into boiling water. After all, the rice part takes equally long to cook and is equally easy to ignore.

The worst part of the homemade rice is cutting a carrot and an onion; in other words, not all that much work.

My sweetie has kept the rice flavorful, without the salt, by adding a homemade broth. He has also started cutting out the addition of tomato and tomato paste. Since I was on duty this time, I made it my way.

So tasty, and less salty.

Here’s what I did:

Ingredients

  • 2 T. olive oil
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 1 medium carrot, chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 medium tomato, chopped, optional
  • 1 c. medium grain rice
  • 2 c. homemade vegetable or chicken broth (or water)
  • 1 c. frozen peas
  • 2 to 3 T. tomato paste

Directions

Add the oil to a Dutch oven on medium heat. Saute the onion and carrot for 3 to 5 minutes until just starting to soften. Add the garlic, tomato, if using, and the rice. Saute for another 3 to 5 minutes.

Add the broth and bring to a boil. Cover and cook on low heat for 12 to 15 minutes, until the rice is nearly done and the broth is absorbed. Add the peas and tomato paste, stir to combine, re-cover and cook until the peas are cooked through and rice is ready, about another 3 to 5 minutes.

Fluff the rice and enjoy with tacos … or next week’s recipe.

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Racing the clock against brown rice

My health has been shite for the past month, and so I’ve been relying more heavily on fast and easy recipes, and also relatively healthy.

So, I was so pleased to come across a food blogger — Chelsea’s Messy Apron — who had a sheet pan recipe that met all of my qualifications. My only qualm was it didn’t leave enough leftovers for someone as ill and lazy as me, but that was more easily remedied than my chronic ailment.

It was so easy that I decided to have some fun — at least fun for me — by racing to see whether I could get the recipe ready in less time than it would take to make the brown rice I would serve with my chicken and vegetable meal.

Sheet pan balsamic chicken ingredients.

Alas, I did not, but the delays were my own. Mostly, my damn desire to double the recipe meant the chicken crowded the sheet pan and cooked more slowly. The side benefit was the veggies had a nice crisp to them.

Still, the recipe was a treat and one I’ll return to again.

The best part was the ease at which flavor was added. Balsamic vinegar and Italian dressing combined to form a marinade, coating and dipping sauce that worked wonderfully. Another benefit is that any veggie combination would work, so it works to clip up what’s in the fridge.

Next time, maybe though, I’ll spread it onto two sheet pans so I can beat the brown rice.

Quick, healthy, and most importantly, tasty. What’s not to love?

Here’s what I did:

Ingredients

  • 2 lbs. chicken breast, cut into strips, or chicken tenders
  • 1 c. Italian dressing
  • ⅔ c. balsamic vinegar
  • 2 (12 oz.) packages broccoli florets
  • ½ pint cherry tomatoes, halved
  • ½ lb. baby carrots, halved
  • ½ t. basil
  • ½ t. oregano
  • 1 t. garlic powder
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
  • Olive oil
  • Parsley, chopped, for garnish (optional)

Directions

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Grease a large, sided sheet pan (or sheet pans).

Mix together the balsamic vinegar and dressing. Pour a third of the mixture into a Ziploc bag with the chicken and marinate for at least 30 minutes or up to 6 hours. Split the remaining mixture into two bowls.

Place veggies on the sheet pan, and mix in the herbs, spices, and salt and pepper, as well as 4-5 tablespoons of olive oil. Cook for 10 to 15 minutes while the chicken marinates.

When chicken is ready, move veggies to the side and place the strips in the center of the sheet pan. Brush a third of the marinade onto the chicken (and vegetables), and bake for another 15 minutes or so until the chicken is cooked through.

Serve the meal with the remaining marinade/sauce and serve over rice or another grain, if desired. Enjoy!