IFN: Bahrain

Okay. So either I'm not looking in the right place... or Arabian/Middle Eastern food is pretty similar. They all use pretty much the same spices, and a lot of rice and some tomatoes. But at any rate, it tasted pretty good, and we especially liked the sweet rice.

So... Bahrain is a little island country off the coast of Saudi Arabia. We looked it up. Haha.

We essentially had two things, and they pretty much looked the same. Though they were very different in taste. Machboos and Muhammar.

This is the Chicken Machboos. It's a savory dish with a lot of spices in it.

This is the sweet rice Muhammar. Yum!

Essentially we ate rice with a bit of chicken and veggies for this meal, but it was incredibly filling and we had a ton of leftovers. (They're also pretty much one-pot-wonders, which is a plus.)

Enjoy!

Chicken Machboos
serves 4

2 c. water
1 1/2 c. basmati rice
2 tomatoes, chopped
4 chicken breasts
2 onions, finely chopped
coriander (fresh chopped, or powdered)
hot pepper
cinnamon
paprika
tumeric
cloves
cayenne
cardamom powder
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 slice gingerroot, minced
2 T. butter
1/8 c. lemon juice
3 T. oil
3 t. salt

Heat the water. While heating, mix together paprika, tumeric, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, cayenne. salt, and pepper. Rub onto chicken.

Heat oil and fry onions, garlic, and ginger until golden brown. Add your favorite hot pepper. Add chicken and brown. Sprinkle more cinnamon and the remaining mixed spices. Cook on medium for about 3 minutes, turning often.

Add tomatoes, turn ingredients, and cook for 3 more minutes. Sprinkle additional salt on top of everything and pour water on top while it is still hot.

Cover the pan and let it cook for about 1 hour on medium-low heat until the chicken is cooked. Add coriander about 5 minutes before you remove chicken from the stock pan. While the chicken is cooking, wash the rice in cold water and let it sit for 10 minutes.

Remove chicken from pot, place in pan, brush with oil, and sprinkle more cinnamon on top. Place in oven at 325 degrees and allow chicken to become golden brown.

Add rice to the stock pot. Stir and cook at low heat until the rice absorbs the stock and is almost done. Sprinkle the lemon juice on top, and place butter pieces. Cover and cook on low heat for 30 more minutes.


Heap rice in serving dish and top with chicken.

Sweet Rice Muhammar
serves 4

2 c. basmati rice
1/4 t. saffron
1/4 t. cloves
1/2 t. cinnamon
1/4 c. butter
1/2 c. sugar
 2 T. water

Soak together saffron, cloves, and cinnamon in water.

Boil 6 c. of water and add rice. Boil to half cooked (about 8 minutes) and drain.

Stir sugar throughout. Add butter and stir. Pour spices on top and stir.

Cook on very low heat for 20-25 minutes. Transfer to serving platter. Top with more melted butter.

Enjoy!

Greek-a-licious

This is the perfect tangy meal as we're getting to summer (and grilling season!). Here's a dinner combo you'll love if you like Greek food! Green Marinated Chicken (I baked my chicken since it was rainy and freezing when I made this) and Tzatziki Israeli Couscous!

So, just so you know, there are different kinds of couscous. The one you are probably most familiar with traditional couscous which are essentially tiny granules of durum wheat and have a light, fluffy consistency. The other kind of couscous is called Israeli. It is closer to a pasta. It's definitely chewier than traditional couscous. I used the latter kind in this recipe, although you could try it with something else!

 

Greek Marinated Chicken
1-2 large chicken breasts
3/4 c. plain yogurt (I used whole milk)
1-2 tablespoons olive oil
3-5 garlic cloves, minced
½ tablespoon oregano
1 lemon
1 teaspoon salt
Fresh ground pepper, to taste
¼ c. fresh parsley, chopped (I used curly, but I think I would recommend Italian for flavor)

Preheat oven to 375 (unless grilling). Combine the yogurt, olive oil, garlic, oregano, salt, and pepper in a bowl. Zest the lemon into the mix, then cut and squeeze in the juice from the lemon. Stir until combined. Add parsley and stir.

Cut chicken breasts into slices (I used one large breast and got seven smaller pieces) and place in marinade. Stir to cover. Place in refrigerator. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

If baking, place chicken pieces in casserole dish and bake for 45-60 minutes, until golden brown on top. If desired, you can use chicken pieces with skin as well.

Tzatziki Couscous
1 ½-2 cups Israeli Couscous (or acini de pepe pasta or regular couscous)
½ cucumber, diced to taste (I like my pieces small and you can add more too)
½ c. fresh parsley, chopped (I used curly, I would recommend Italian)
1-2 tablespoons olive oil
1-2 garlic cloves, minced (or sub garlic powder)
½ teaspoon salt
Fresh pepper, to taste
½ c. plain yogurt
1 lemon
Dill, if desired (I didn’t use any)

Cook your couscous in boiling water for about 5-7 minutes until soft (like pasta). Combine other ingredients in a bowl. Drain couscous in a mesh strainer and chill with cold water. Allow to drain. Add to other ingredients. Stir an chill (or can be served at room temperature if desired).

IFN: Japanese Food Night!

One time we pulled Japan. I am half Japanese, so I wanted to try some things that I don't typically make. Even though teriyaki chicken is pretty "standard" Japanese fare, I actually hadn't ever made it before. The menu: teriyaki chicken, Asian slaw (not really Japanese, but a good pairing for this meal), miso soup, and asparagus tempura.

It was really great! So here are the recipes...

Teriyaki Chicken
serves 4

1 T. cornstarch
1 T. cold water
1/2 c. white sugar
1/2 c. shoyu (soy sauce)
1/4 c. cider vinegar
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 t. ground ginger
Freshly ground black pepper
4 chicken breasts

Combine cornstarch and water in a saucepan. Mix together. Add all remaining ingredients except chicken. Simmer until sauce thickens and bubbles.  Set aside 1/8 c. of sauce.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Place chicken in a lightly greased pan. Brush with sauce. Turn pieces and brush again. Bake for 30 minutes or until done and brush every 5-10 minutes with sauce.

Garnish with extra sauce, sesame seeds, and orange (if desired).


Asian Slaw

6 T. rice wine vinegar
6 T. vegetable oil
5 T. creamy peanut butter
3 T. soy sauce
3 T. brown sugar
2 T. ginger root
1 1/2 T. fresh garlic, minced
5 c. thinly sliced green cabbage
2 c. thinly sliced red cabbage
2 carrots julienned
6 green onions, chopped
1/2 c. chopped cilantro
(can also add napa cabbage and red bell peppers)

Whisk together rice vinegar, oil, peanut butter, soy sauce, sugar, ginger, and garlic.

Combine remaining ingredients in separate bowl. Toss with sauce mixture just before serving. Garnish with sesame seeds.


Tempura Batter

1/2 c. flour
1/2 c. cornstarch
1 t. baking soda
1 t. baking powder
1 t. sugar
1/2 t. salt
1 egg
2/3 c. ice water

Stir together dry ingredients and set aside.

In a medium bowl, beat egg slightly and mix with ice water.

Stir in the dry ingredients. Stir only until mixed. Will be slightly lumpy.

Dip whatever you would like (we used asparagus) into the batter and deep fry in hot oil until golden brown. Drain on paper towels.


Miso Soup

4 c. water
4 T. Miso
Green onions
Tofu

Mix together water and miso until miso is dissolved. Add green onions and tofu (firm), simmer until warmed through and ready to eat.

Bringin' Out the Texan - Texas Sheet Cake (Chocolate) Cookies

I lived in Texas 6 whole weeks. But I was born there, so I figure I can claim I'm a Texan when the mood suits me. So The Man loves Texas Sheet Cake. I've never been a chocolate lover, but being married to one has made me eat more chocolatey things, and I like them okay. (I know, not loving chocolate... Something must be wrong with me.)

Anyway. I came across Texas Sheet Cake Cookies in a search, and I thought "Why not?" So I tweaked them a little. And I was torn about them. They were tasty. Very tasty, in fact, but they were not very cake-like. SO, for now these will be Texas Sheet Cake Cookies, but I may eventually switch out the cookie recipe for something more cake-like. But until then, enjoy these delicious chocolatey morsels of goodness.

Texas Sheet Cake Cookies
altered from Cookies & Cups
Cookies
½ cup butter
1/3 cup sugar
1 egg
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 1/3 cup flour
1/2  cup heaping  semi-sweet chocolate chips, melted

Icing
½ cup butter
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
2 tablespoons milk (I used almond milk)
Splash vanilla
1 ½ cups powdered sugar (add more to taste)

Preheat oven to 350. Cream butter and sugar until light. Add egg and vanilla, and mix well. Mix in baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Slowly mix in the flour in three portions. Dough will be thick. Melt chocolate chips (in a microwave safe bowl, heat on high in microwave for 30 seconds, stir, and heat for additional 15 second increments until melted). Mix directly into dough. Drop measured tablespoon mounds onto baking sheet (with parchment paper or a silicone mat) and bake for 7-8 minutes until cookies appear set. Allow to cool until able to move without breaking. Transfer to wire rack set over wax paper to cool. DO NOT OVERBAKE. These will look like they are not completely done.

In a saucepan, melt butter and mix in the milk and cocoa powder. Whisk until melted. Add a spash (1/2-1 teaspoon) vanilla. Remove from heat and whisk in powdered sugar. Pour icing over cookies and allow to set before serving.

Store at room temperature in an air tight container (you won't need to... at least we didn't).

IFN: South African Tastiness

International Food Night strikes again! South Africa was the destination location. I will admit, I was a little wary... mainly because meatloaf is not my favorite food ever, but this recipe is truly fantastic!

Unfortunately... it looks kind of yellow and brown generally, but pair it up with a green salad, and you'll have a fantastic meal! A note, we cut all these recipes in half and they worked out wonderfully, so if you double it, you'll have enough to feed a much larger crowd. With us we had more than enough for both of us to take for lunch the next day.

Bobotie
3-4 servings

1 T. oil
1 onion, thinly sliced
1 lb. ground beef
2 slices bread (the recipe calls for white, we used wheat), crust removed and cubed
1/2 c. milk
1/8 c. lemon juice (can substitute vinegar)
1/4 c. raisins (we used golden)
1 T. sugar
2 T. curry powder (we used spicy)
1/2 t. tumeric
salt and pepper to taste
5 bay or lemon leaves (opt)
1 egg, beaten

Preheat oven to 325 F.

Heat the oil in a large pan or skillet over medium. Add onion and saute until translucent and just starting to brown. Add beef and cook until crumbly. Remove from heat, drain of any excess fat and place in a large bowl.

Put the bread and milk in a bowl and soak for 5-10 minutes. Remove bread and squeeze it dry, adding the excess milk back into the bowl.

Add the soaked bread, lemon juice, raisins, sugar, curry powder, tumeric, salt, and peppter to the bowl with the cooked meat and onions. Mix well.

Pour the meat mixture into a greased casserole dish and smooth out the top. If using the leaves, arrange them in a decorative fashion on the top of the dish. Press them down slightly to make them stick. Bake uncovered for 30 minutes.

Beat the eggs with the reserved milk. After the meat has baked for 30 minutes, pour the egg mixture over the top of the meat and bake for another 15-20 minutes, or until the custard is set and lightly browned.

Remove from oven and serve hot with geelrys and mango chutney.

Geelrys
serves 3-4

2 1/4 c. water or stock
1 1/4 c. long-grain rice
1/2 t. tumeric
1 cinnamon stick
1/4 t. ground cinnamon
1 T. sugar
salt and pepper
1/4 c. raisins (we used golden)

Add the water or stick to a large saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Add the remaining ingredients and return to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover tightly, and simmer for 15 minutes (or until water is absorbed). You might need to add a little more water that noted (since ours was a little crunchy).

Remove from heat and set aside, covered, for 5-10 minutes. Discard cinnamon stick, fluff with a fork and serve hot.

Mango Chutney (Aam ki Chatni)
serves 3
I made mine the night before so it could cool

1 T. oil
1/2 t. ginger, minced
1/2 t. ground coriander
1/4 t. tumeric
1 green or ripe mango, peeled and chopped
1/4 c. lime juice (can substitute vinegar)
1/4 c. sugar
1/2 t. mint, chopped
1/4 t. cayenne pepper
1/4 t. salt

Heat the oil in a small saucepan over medium. Add the ginger, coriander, and tumeric and saute lightly to cook ginger and toast the spices (about 30 seconds).

Add the remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 15-20 minutes, or until the mango softens and the chutney becomes glossy.

Remove from heat and cool completely. Put into a clean glass jar (it will stain plastic) and store refrigerated. (Good for weeks).

Try these out! Seriously they are awesome!

Requested Recipes

Okay, so this isn't an international food night post, but I've had requests for a couple of my recipes, so here's a smattering of them:

Green Goop Pasta*

 

Note: I usually make stuff up, so this is an estimation of what I do...
serves 4-6 (and probably could serve more...)

2-3 medium ripe avocado

½ c cilantro leaves, chopped

1 bunch spinach

1 red pepper

2 T lime juice

1-2 green chilies (jalapeno or serrano)

Garlic cloves (generous to taste, at least 3 cloves)

2 T olive oil

Basil

4 T Parmesan, grated

Salt and pepper

1-2 lb. pasta

1 can chickpeas (garbanzo beans)

Cook pasta according to directions. Drain pasta and chickpeas.

Put a bit of oil in pan and sauté red pepper and then add remaining spinach (after sauce is made) to wilt. Add pasta and chickpeas. Add sauce (to taste, can save some sauce for later). Toss to coat. Garnish with red pepper flakes and/or parmesan (sometimes I garnish with mozzarella if I have it).

Sauce:
Place avocados (skinned and pitted) into blender. Add cilantro, 1-2 c. spinach, garlic, lime juice, chili, parmesan, oil, salt, and pepper. Add 1-2 T. water and blend until smooth.

*We tried this with rice instead of pasta and just had a bowl of the pepper, wilted spinach, and beans on the side in addition to the sauce (instead of mixed all together), and it was fantastic!

Carolina Slaw
1 large head of cabbage, finely shredded
1 medium bell pepper, finely chopped (optional)
1 medium sweet onions, finely chopped (optional)
2 carrots, grated
or
Pick up a bag of cole slaw mix :)

Dressing:
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1 teaspoon celery seed (optional)
1 cup cider vinegar
Spices to taste (garlic, salt, pepper)

Put veggie mix in large bowl. Heat up dressing ingredients over medium heat and bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer until sugar is dissolved. Pour over veggies and mix. Chill until cold.

Tropical Fruit Spring Rolls

Rice wrappers (they sell them at grocery stores in the Asian food section... they are circular and hard... about 8 inches in diameter)
Fruit!
I used the following (putting the last three ingredients all together in a bowl):

• 1 mango (cut into strips)
• 1/2 lb strawberries (chopped)
• 3 kiwi chopped
• 2 bananas (chopped)

Dipping Sauce:
1/2 c. honey
2 t. lime juice
1/4 t. vanilla extract

So the rice wrappers can be a bit tricky... and I've used them quite a bit and still don't have the technique down perfectly, but here's what I do...

Get a frying pan that will fit one rice wrapper and fill with water. Set burner on lowest setting. Dip wrapper in until it becomes flexible. Pull out of the water and place on a plate. Place mango sticks about 1 inch from the bottom. Put about a tablespoon of the rest of the fruit. Pull the bottom of the wrapper up and tuck under the fruit. Pull the sides in and roll up. The wrapper should stick to itself and seal. Repeat until fruit is gone. Place a damp paper towel over them if you're not going to eat immediately.

Add all sauce ingredients and heat up for about 30 seconds. Dip and enjoy!

IFN: A Taste of Thai

Thai food is one of my favorites! These recipes are tried and true and two of my favorite Thai dishes! We had Pad Woon Sen and Gaeng Khiew Waan Gai (Green Curry). Both are awesome!

Plated and scrumptious!

Green Curry
Green Curry Paste (to taste) - I use a whole jar (about 4 tablespoons)
2 cans coconut milk
1 chicken breast
green bell pepper
red bell pepper
onion, sliced
2 red potatoes, or 1 russet potato, cubed
1 carrot
1/2 c. bamboo shoots
2 c. water
1 T. sugar/brown sugar
1 t. salt
fresh ground pepper
1/2 c. fresh basil (preferably Thai)

Cut the chicken in to 1/4" slices. Chop peppers, carrots, and bamboo shoots.

Put a little oil or butter in your pot and saute the chicken and veggies until crisp-tender.

Pour coconut milk into the pot and turn on the stove to medium. When it begins to boil, add the green curry paste. Stir together for 2 minutes. Add sugar, pepper, and salt. Simmer until chicken and potatoes are done. Add basil. Serve hot over rice.

Pad Woon Sen
9 oz. (1 pkg) cellophane noodles (rice)
1/2 c. sliced carrots
1/2 c. sliced cabbage
1/2 c. bean sprouts
1/2 c. green onions, thinly sliced
1 chicken breast, thinly sliced
1 egg
2 T. soy sauce
1 T. fish sauce
4 T. oyster sauce
1 T. minced garlic
2 T. oil
cilantro if desired

Soak noodles in water. Set aside. Scramble the eggs and set aside. Add oil to hot pan. Fry garlic until brown, be careful not to burn it. Add chicken to pan, stir fry until cooked. Add carrots, cabbage, and bean sprouts. Stir fry for  1 minute. Add egg. Cook until done. Add noodles to pan. Add soy sauce, fish sauce, and oyster sauce. Toss well and cook until heated. Add more sauce if needed to taste. Serve hot with cilantro if desired.