Squash Risotto

2 Cups fresh yellow, hard squash, any variety (I used winter but butternut or yellow will work)diced into 1/2 inch cubes

4 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon kosher salt

Fresh ground pepper

garlic

2 c Arborio rice

1 large onion, chopped

4 cloves fresh garlic, minced

4 Cups chicken broth

4 T red wine vinegar

2 T honey

2 tsp dried thyme

2 Cups cooked chicken, cubed

1/2 Cup fresh grated Parmesan Cheese

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Place squash, olive oil, salt, pepper and garlic salt into a large bowl; toss to combine and pour onto a lightly greased baking sheet. Bake for 30-40 minutes.

2. In the meantime, heat olive oil in a large saucepan or skillet over medium heat. Stir in rice, thyme and onion; cook and stir for 5 minutes, until onions are softened, rice should be slightly browned and crispy. Stir in garlic for 1 minute. Stir in ½ Cup of chicken broth, stirring constantly. As the broth gets soaked up, stir in another ½ Cup until broth, add vinegar along with broth as desired continuing this process until broth is used up and rice is cooked. (should have a slightly soupy consistency but rice will be al dente)

3. Heat remaining olive oil, add remaining garlic, chicken, honey, and 3 T of red wine vinegar. Cook until chicken is done yet tender. Add to rice with all of the juice from honey and vinegar.

4. Spoon into bowls, top with squash and fresh parmesan and cracked black pepper

Lemon Chicken

My new go-to recipe for Chicken Souvlaki.  Yum!

Chicken
Juice of 1 lemon (3Tbsp)
3 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp minced garlic
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp basil or oregano
2 boneless, skinless chicken breast


Marinate several hours or overnight.  Grill

Creamy Grilled Chicken Piccata

My sister Jaleah and I made this this weekend and it was soooo good.  I am going to use this chicken recipe from now on for my chicken souvlaki.  The lemon sauce was pretty powerful and I had to tone it down a bit with some salt and some Johnny's garlic seasoning.  It was also very good.

Creamy Grilled Chicken Piccata- from Plain Chicken
inspired by The Pioneer Woman


Chicken
Juice of 1 lemon (3Tbsp)
3 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp minced garlic
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp basil or oregano
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Pasta
2 cups dried penne pasta
2 Tbsp butter
Juice of 2 lemons (6 Tbsp)
1 Tbsp minced garlic
1/2 cup half and half (or heavy cream)
2 tsp dried basil
2 Tbps capers
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

Chicken
Combine first 6 ingredients and mix well.  Place chicken in a ziplock bag and pour marinade over chicken.  Marinate overnight in the refrigerator.  When ready, grill until done.  Allow chicken to rest for a few minutes and then slice into strips to serve over pasta.

Pasta
While chicken is grilling.  Cook pasta according to directions (10-12 minutes).  Reserve 1/2 cup of pasta water and drain.  In same sauce pan, melt butter over medium heat.  Whisk in garlic and lemon juice.  Pour in half and half and whisk until hot.  Add some salt and pepper to taste.  Add the parmesan cheese, basil and capers, and heat until cheese is melted.  Check the consistency of the sauce and add some of the reserved pasta water to loosen the sauce if necessary.  Toss in pasta.

Serve in pasta bowls with grilled chicken on top.  Sprinkle with more parmesan if desired.

Crab Rangoon

We made these today to go with our Butter Yakki- they were so good.  Serve with your favorite dipping sauce.

Ingredients

• 1 quart oil for deep frying
• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 2 (6 ounce) cans crabmeat, drained and flaked
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon paprika
• 2 tablespoons water chestnuts, drained and chopped ( I didn't have any of this- so it was omitted)
• 1 (14 ounce) package wonton wrappers

Directions

1. In a large, heavy sauce pan heat oil to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
2. In a medium bowl, mix cream cheese, crabmeat, garlic powder, paprika and water chestnuts.
3. Place approximately 1 teaspoon of the cream cheese mixture in the center of wonton wrappers. Moisten wrapper edges with water, fold over the mixture and pinch to seal.
4. In small batches, fry the wontons 3 to 5 minutes, or until golden brown.

Chicken Tiki Masala

I got this recipe from the Pioneer Woman Cooks.  My sister Jaleah had tried it out and told me how delicious it was.   She was not kidding.  It was so incredible.  Heaven on a plate!

• Chicken Breasts 3-4
• Kosher Salt
• Ground Coriander
• Cumin, To Taste
• 1/2 cup Plain Yogurt (sour cream works in a pinch)
• 6 Tablespoons Butter
• 1 whole Large Onion
• 4 cloves Garlic
• 1 piece (approximately 2 Inches) Chunk Fresh Ginger
•  3 Tbls Garam Masala
• 1 can (28 Ounce) Diced Tomatoes
• Sugar
• 1-1/2 cup Heavy Cream
• 2 cups Basmati Rice
• _____
• OPTIONAL:
• Fresh Cilantro
• Chili Peppers ( I added an anaheim chili- definitely recommend it- or a jalapeno)
• Turmeric
• Frozen Peas

Preparation Instructions

Start by seasoning the chicken breasts with some kosher salt. Next sprinkle them on both sides with some coriander and cumin. Then coat the chicken breasts completely with the plain yogurt. Set the chicken on a metal cooling rack over a foil-lined baking sheet and place it about 10-12 inches below a broiler for 5-7 minutes per side. Watch carefully so as not to totally char the chicken. It should have slightly blackened edges. Remove from oven.  I just grilled it outside.

Next dice one large onion. In a large skillet melt 2 tablespoons butter over medium-high heat. Toss in the onions and sauté until they are slightly browned. As the onions cook, mince your garlic. Next, cut off the outer skin and mince or grate a 1 by 2 inch chunk of fresh ginger. Add the garlic and ginger to the onions. Also throw in about 1 tablespoon of salt.  I halfed the amount of salt.

Next you are going to add about 3 tablespoons Garam Masala spice. And if you like it hot, this is also when you will add your hot chili peppers. Serranos work well. Now you are going to add your can of diced tomatoes. Continue cooking and stirring, scraping the bottom of the pan to deglaze it. Add about 1 tablespoon sugar. Let this mixture simmer on medium for about 5 minutes.

To a rice cooker add 2 cups Basmati rice, 4 tablespoons butter, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 tablespoon Ground Turmeric ( I didn't have any turmeric on hand so I looked it up online and found that I could substitute the same amount of dry mustard.  It tasted good- but I would like to try the turmeric.) and 4 cups water. Cover, turn on your rice cooker and walk away. If you do not have a rice cooker, cook your rice as usual but make sure that you use Basmati rice.

After the Tikka Masala sauce has had a chance to simmer for a little bit, add in the 1 ½ cups of heavy cream. Now, chop up your chicken breasts into chunks and stir them into the Tikka Masala sauce. A handful of chopped fresh cilantro is a nice addition if you like cilantro. You can also throw some frozen peas into the cooked rice, give them a stir, and allow the heat of the rice to cook the peas. It tastes great and gives another nice dash of color. Serve the rice with the Chicken Tikka Masala over top. Make sure to have some Nann bread handy, too.

Vegetable and Wild Rice Soup

• This is the same recipe as one of my favorite soups with chicken in it- but I omit the chicken and add a bunch more vegetables.  It is still really tasty and doesn't miss the chicken one bit.  The mustard powder and curry give it a nice little touch. 
• Saute for five minutes:
  1/2 cup butter
  1/2 cup chopped celery
  1/2 cup sliced carrots
  1/2 cup diced onion
• Add and Saute for 2 more minutes:
  1/2 pound fresh sliced mushrooms
• Add and stir well:
  3/4 cup flour
• Gradually pour in:
  6 cups of chicken broth
  2 ears of corn on the cob- or one can of corn2 small summer squash or one medium
  handful of green beans or peas
  really any vegetables that you would like!
• Stir constantly until all has been added. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and let simmer.
• Add:
  2 cups cooked wild rice
  1/2 tsp salt
  1/2 tsp curry powder
  1/2 tsp mustard powder
  1/2 tsp dried parsley
  1/4 tsp fresh ground black pepper
• Allow to heat through, then pour in:
  2 cups of half and half
• Let simmer 1-2 hours. Do not boil or your roux will break. Can also be cooked easily in a crock pot. Yummy.

Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

• Saute for five minutes:
  1/2 cup butter
  1/2 cup chopped celery
  1/2 cup sliced carrots
• Add and Saute for 2 more minutes:
  1/2 pound fresh sliced mushrooms
• Add and stir well:
  3/4 cup flour
• Gradually pour in:
  6 cups of chicken broth
• Stir constantly until all has been added. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and let simmer.
• Add:
  2 cups cooked wild rice
  1-2 cups cooked, diced chicken
  1/2 tsp salt
  1/2 tsp curry powder
  1/2 tsp mustard powder
  1/2 tsp dried parsley
  1/4 tsp fresh ground black pepper
• Allow to heat through, then pour in:
  2 cups of half and half
• Let simmer 1-2 hours. Do not boil or your roux will break. Can also be cooked easily in a crock pot. Yummy.

Tortilla Soup

TORTILLA SOUP
This is a great recipe.  Toss it in the crock pot and enjoy later.  It tastes really fresh- don't forget the lime juice. Its also a great recipe for an abundant zucchini crop.

• 6 cups of chicken broth
  1-16 oz can diced stewed toms
  2-16 oz cans corn drained
  1 cup of cooked, diced chicken, or 10 oz can chicken drained
  2 tsp cumin
  1 tsp crushed red pepper
  1 tsp dried minced onion
  1/2-1tsp chili powder
  1 small yellow squash cut into small cubes
  1 small zucchini squash cut into small cubes
  • Combine in crock pot and cook on high for 4-5 hours. Ladle into bowls, and serve with shredded cheese, diced avocado, cilantro, tortilla chips, olives and lime juice. It tastes so fresh, I love it.