Moroccan Spicy Chicken and Coconut Cilantro Rice

Here I am in the middle of studying for finals and facing a major event filled weekend at Fresno State.....And I am offering a very cool blog for your dining pleasure. Tonight I went a little exotic.

Tonight's dinner took approximately 1 hour from start to finish and had amazing flavor. It was a cinch but there are some items that you need to either have on hand or prep ahead of time (speaking of coconut and preserved lemon).

1 c brown rice
2 c water

Cook as directed and set aside

1/2 a bunch of cilantro with the stems removed and chopped
4 cloves of garlic, crushed
1/2 c toasted coconut flakes, packed
4 tbsp olive oil
Salt and pepper

Whirl cilantro, garlic and oil in a food processor. Remove from processor and fold in coconut. Stir in cilantro coconut mixture in to rice and add salt and pepper. Set aside until chicken is done.

In a cast iron (my favorite) Dutch oven (thanks Mom and Dad for actually getting me something "odd" for my birthday, per my request), brown 1 chopped onion, 5 cloves of crushed garlic, 1 chopped red bell pepper in 3 table spoons olive oil. Add 4 boneless chicken thighs and brown. Sprinkle liberally with cumin, turmeric and cracked black pepper. Add ground sea salt to taste and a couple of shakes of Maggie or soy sauce. Stir in 1/2 c preserved lemons (see prior blog post on Meyers lemons), chopped and stir. Add 1/2 c water and cover. Cook for 10 minutes. Add in 2 sliced zucchini and cover completely with the sauce. Cook for an additional 5 minutes at a medium heat. Serve along side the cilantro coconut rice.

Simply fabulous!!

Civap "Polish style"

Well ....my husband never ceases to amaze me.  After 5 days of putting up with my diva -like behavior and asking for everything under the moon and stars, he made civap for dinner.  It wasn't exactly my style of civap but it was delicious none the less.  Here is his recipe and you MUST serve this in the back yard with a candelabra and Pavarotti......

 1 part pork sausage

3 parts deer meat (or beef if you so choose)

 lots of vegeta

Maggi (you do know wht Maggi is, right??) to taste (about 5 shakes)

2 eggs beaten

one onion chopped

parsley and pepper

BBQ sauce.

Mix meats in a bowl  Add all the other ingredients and miss with your hands until fully meshed and mixed   shape into patties or "turd" like shapes.  Grill until done.

Perfection is serving out in the back yard with opera and a great bottle of wine!

Chicken Yassa (Week "whatever")

You gotta love a higher education .... While it fills your brain with knowledge, it drains your bank account, sucks up your free time and consumes every waking thought (more than one can imagine.... I lay in bed thinking of Manovas and Mancovas!!). With that I have lost track of the weeks and I am getting a bit less vigilant with my fresh and local posts.

I did however decide to go gluten free for a couple of weeks (I heard it would improve my joint issues... HA we'll see). That being said, tonight I went a little wild with a recipe from my pal Mona who worked in the peace corp. Chicken Yassa. I paired this with a quinoa and brown rice, tossed with tomatoes, turmeric and garlic.

Polish to go (Week 15)

Easter is here and my hubby was missing "the old country" so I packed up my goodies and took them to my parent's house.....to give him a little Polish Easter in the middle of our Croatian festivities.  His number one favorite is the "French Salad" that his Mom makes.  Forgive the "white bars"....the blog is acting up!!


Francuska sałatka
Ingredients

• 4 cups potatoes (cooked diced)
• 32 oz mixed vegetables (frozen, cooked and drained)

• 16 oz frozen peas (cooked and drained)

• 3 dill pickle (diced)

• 12 cup green onion (chopped)

• 2 tbsp fresh dill (chopped)

• salt and pepper

• 34 cup mayonnaise

• 34 cup sour cream

• 2 tbsp prepared mustard

• 2 hard-boiled eggs (chopped)

• Mix everything together gently and chill for at least 2 hours.  

Cwikla.

Next is Cwikla.  This a beet and horseradish relish that he LOVES.  I can't give you a cool recipe so I will tell you what I do....  Boil 5 small beets.  Peel and throw in the food processor with the blade inside.  Add 3 heaping tablespoons of prepared horseradish   The best is Trader Joe's at this point, unless you are lucky enough to be growing this weed in the garden.  Add a teaspoon on vegeta (or salt and pepper each), then a splash of white vinegar or two.  Whirl till chunky but smooth.  Serve chilled on top of hard boiled eggs.

Westhaven Cake - My Druga Baba's Mysterious Prune Cake (Week 14)

For years, I heard my Mom and her sisters talk of this really moist, insanely delicious prune and chocolate cake (yes....prune!). I have been the "kitchen crash test dummy" for her many failed attempts as my saintly great grandmother took that recipe to her grave (and, if you know old Croatian women....they take those recipes very, very seriously!) My cousin Diane actually followed her Teta Franka around the kitchen with a glass so she could "eyeball" the approximation of her "just a little of this" or "just a little of that." My sister and I never got around to tailing my Baka Maria and her sponge cake went to the great kitchen in the sky!

Last weekend, my pal Genny and I were talking about her grandmother's cake and it sounded similar to the mysterious prune cake (except it had dates). Well.....dried fruit is dried fruit in my book so here is my attempt at the mysterious prune cake (Genny's grandmother's Westhaven cake).

1 c chopped prunes
1 c boiling water (pour it over the prunes)
1/2 lb butter (1 stick) added to the water. Stir till dissolved and let cool.

1 c chopped nuts
1c sugar
2 eggs beaten. Mix in to the prune stuff. I ran this trough the food processor so that the consistency was a bit more smooth.

Sift 1 1/2 c flour
1 tsp cocoa
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt

Pour into a eased and floured 9x13 and sprinkle, with 1 c chocolate chips and 1/2 cup of chopped walnuts (I omitted the nuts on the top since I knew my great grandmothers was "nutlets" on top) Bake at 350 for 1/2 hour. Dust with powdered sugar.

Mizuna and Roasted Potato Salad (Week 13)

This lovely little recipe is a total "keeper". It offers a new and unique twist on potato salad.

This all started with a mid week trip to the Vineyard Farmers Market and Mr. Thao (sp?). He puts up with my poking and prodding....it's my typical "what's this?" "Do I cook it or eat it raw?" This time is was a bright green bunch of what looked like field grass..... It was called "Mizuna".

1 1/2 fingerling potatoes, cut in half
2 cloves of garlic finely chopped
7 T olive oil
1 shallots, finely chopped
1 1/3 T sherry vinegar
1 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp sea salt
3/4 chopped mizuna
1 c chopped yellow cherry tomatoes
1/4 c grated parmigiano reggiano

Preheat oven to 450. Roast potatoes with garlic and a couple of tablespoons of olive oil. Sprinkle with sea salt and shallots. Chop mizuna, remove and discard the stems.

Whisk the remaining olive oil, vinegar, mustard and seasonings. Take warm potatoes and place on top of the mizuna to let them wilt. Toss with dressing and cheese.

Ooooops, I did it again! Genny's Salsa (Week 13)

Genny, Genny......who can I turn to? (are you singing the song with me?) http://youtu.be/axLRUszuu9I

My pal Genny makes the most outstanding salsa! As promised for those who literally vacuumed up the stuff last Saturday night, here is the amazing recipe (but .....ooooops, I did it again.....no photo! It was GONE!)

1 28oz can of whole tomatoes
1 onion quartered
3 green onions halved
3 jalapeños halved and 1/2 of them seeded
1 bunch of cilantro, leaves only
1 T salt
3 T white vinegar

Put it all in the blend and pulse until desired consistency.

Comment: If you are lucky enough to have a tablespoon left, it is killer on scrambled eggs or anything else for that matter!