Braised Moroccan Chicken

Sometimes we get bored of the same old thing. Especially with chicken recipes. It's one of our main proteins, so there's so much you can do with chicken before you get bored with it. It's not like we've been in a rut lately. I have been trying new things in the kitchen, but we have our basics we always gravitate towards.

I'm glad I tried this recipe, even though I forgot about bookmarking it a while back from Weelicious. Even though her blog caters to kids, there are a lot of great recipes for everybody!

I had everything on hand to make this and it was so simple to make. The chicken was moist and flavorful because of the dark meat. If you haven't tried dark meat before because white is technically slightly better for you, try it! I didn't really think the short cooking time and the simple ingredients would yield such fantastic results, but I'm now a believer. Simpler is sometimes better, and this recipe proves it. This will definitely go in my rotation more often.

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Braised Moroccan Chicken

made by cathy's kitchen journey
adapted from Weelicious




ingredients:

• 1 TBSP olive oil
• 1 small onion, cut in half then sliced thin
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1/4 tsp ground ginger
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1 15-oz can diced tomatoes
• 1 15-oz can garbanzo beans (chickpeas), drained and rinsed
• 1 lb (about 4-5 pieces) boneless, skinless chicken thighs

directions:

1. In a hot pan on medium heat, heat the oil. Add onions and saute for 5 minutes or until translucent.
2. Add the spices and tomatoes, then bring to a boil.
3. Add the beans and chicken, and stir to coat thoroughly.
4. Reduce heat to medium low to simmer, cover and cook for 20 minutes, stirring halfway through.
5. Serve over your choice of grains.

Yield: 4 servings when served with rice or other grain

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Peanut Butter Cup Blondies

February is heart health month, and we do various things in our office to raise money for the American Heart Association. We had a bake sale (oh the irony!) and I brought these peanut butter cup blondies plus some red velvet cupcakes decorated to look like roses!

I added a few drops of gel food coloring to get the pink shade of frosting. I used the 2D Wilton tip and piped from the inside out to create the rose effect. Not all of them came out as I liked, but everybody thought they were really cute and some told me they looked like a bouquet of roses.

Back to the blondies. When I first saw this recipe, I didn't think this recipe is in any way light. Come on, peanut butter cups, butter, eggs, and sugar? Then I looked and it was cut into 20 pieces. Well, if you eat an square inch blondie full of fat, I guess it's light? The picture on the site is really deceiving and it looks like it's a giant blondie.

I read the rave reviews, and most mentioned they had to bake for a lot longer, but they didn't mention how much longer. I played it by ear and tested it every few minutes. The batter seemed to come out clean at 23 minutes. When I cut into it, there were still a slight bit that was undercooked, but that's totally fine with me. If you need it cooked a little longer, by all means, go ahead.

To be more realistic, I cut this into 12 pieces, 16 would have worked too if I was sharing with my family. I brought it to the bake sale and it was the first to go within the first half hour of the sale. That has to say something right? Try this, you won't regret it!

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Peanut Butter Cup Blondies

made by cathy's kitchen journey
adapted from Cooking Light




ingredients:

• 5 3/5 ounces (about 1 1/4 cup) all purpose flour
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1/3 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1/4 cup (half stick) butter, melted and cooled slightly
• 2 TBSP milk (whatever you have on hand, I used soy)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
• 15 mini peanut butter cups, chopped

directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350° F. Lightly spray an 8x8 metal baking pan with cooking spray. Set aside.
2. Weigh or lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt into the bowl of your mixer. Stir to combine.
3. In a separate medium bowl, lightly beat the eggs, then whisk in the peanut butter, butter, milk and extract. Add to the dry ingredients.
4. Beat the ingredients until just combined, then stir in chocolate chips.
5. Pour batter into baking pan then use a spatula to spread evenly. Place the chopped peanut butter cups on top and press down.
6. Bake in preheated oven for 23-25 minutes, or until a toothpick in the center comes out clean. You may want to try a different section if peanut butter/chocolate comes up instead.
7. Allow to cool completely in the pan before cutting into 12-16 pieces or however big you want them.

Yield: 12-16 servings

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Lentil Black Bean Stew

I've been looking for more lentil recipes so I can make something other than lentil loaves. This recipe came to me as part of the recipe swap, and it looked good to me. I showed it to Gary, and I'm so glad he's now on board with most vegan, bean, and lots of healthy recipes!

I think this came out ok. I made a mistake of not cooking the lentils enough and they were a little bit undercooked. It does say cook for 25 minutes, but I thought since I used brown lentils I could cook it for less time. I kept testing it out, and individual lentils were fine, but once I had a spoonful, I could tell it wasn't cooked enough. I also added a whole can of black beans instead of the 1 cup. I was a little confused with the ingredients list since it was all in one paragraph, but 1 can worked out. I think there wouldn't have been enough food for Gary if I only used 1 cup.

On a side note, don't you hate buying a can of tomato paste to use only one tablespoon at a time and the rest go to waste? Well, I bought a tube from Whole Foods a while back and left it in the fridge. It's lasted forever, and I can squeeze out as much as I need at a time. Of course, if you have a can of the stuff, you could probably freeze it and it will work the same, but I think the tube is easier.

Also, remember to check out Sarah's blog for the full roundup of soup and stew recipes, including my submission of hearty beef stew.

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Lentil Black Bean Stew

made by cathy's kitchen journey
adapted from Runner's World




ingredients:

• 1 tsp canola oil
• 1 small onion, diced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/2 tsp chili powder
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1/4 tsp paprika
• 2 cups vegetable broth
• 1 TBSP tomato paste
• 1/2 cup lentils, rinsed and picked over for stones
• 1 15-oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
• juice of one lime (1 TBSP)
• salt and pepper to taste
• cilantro for garnish

directions:

1. In a pan on medium heat, add oil, and onion and cook until soft. Add garlic, spices and saute for 1 minute.
2. Add vegetable broth, tomato paste, then cover and bring to a boil.
3. Add the lentils and cook until tender, about 25 minutes.
4. Partial mash the black beans and add to the pot. Add the lime juice, salt and pepper, and cook for another 5 minutes.
5. Transfer to bowls and garnish with cilantro.

Yield: 2 servings

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Spiced Cake Donuts

I finally broke down and bought a donut pan. Gary has wanted me to make donuts for a while now, but I refused to make them. I haven't been the biggest donut fan because they are fried greasy messes. Have you ever eaten one for breakfast, burped hours later and that taste came right back up with the burp? Yea, I get that and it grosses me out. It stays with me all day and it's not the healthiest breakfast out there to start the morning off right.

Another reason I didn't want to fry anything at home was because of the hassle of using a lot of oil, then not knowing what to do with it afterward. The cleanup is a mess, and it's not worth it for a dozen donuts. Then came the baked donut. It's lots easier to make and easy cleanup as well. I've seen many recipes out there, so hey, why not. It'll get Gary off my back and I can have cake for breakfast :). I started off with the recipe right on the back of the packaging, adapting it slightly to make it dairy free. The first words out of Gary's mouth, "Wow, these are good!" I guess these are a winner!

I haven't quite got the hang of how much batter to use yet, as you can see by the different sized donuts in the picture. I'm hoping my future donuts are just as delicious and uniform in size.

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Spiced Cake Donuts
recipe by cathy's kitchen journey
adapted from the back of the Norpro package




ingredients:

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 3/4 cup soy milk
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 TBSP shortening

for the glaze:

• 1 cup confectioners sugar
• 2 TBSP hot water
• sprinkles, optional

directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325° F. Spray the donut pan with cooking spray and set aside.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, spices, and salt.
3. Add in milk, eggs, vanilla, and shortening and mix until just combined.
4. Fill each donut cup about 3/4 full.
5. Bake in preheated oven for 8-10 minutes until donuts spring back when touched.
6. Cool slightly before removing from pan.
7. To make the glaze, whisk together the confectioners sugar and hot water. Dip the donut to coat on one side. Flip over and sprinkle the sprinkles on top if using.

Yield: 12 donuts

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Roasted Sesame Maple Ginger Tofu

I've always liked tofu, but other than putting it in soups like my mom did, I never really ventured out. When I saw this baked tofu recipe, I knew I had to try it. It looked simple enough and the flavors sounded great. Gary was onboard, so that was also my deciding factor in finally making it.

This tasted great and Gary enjoyed it even though it wasn't fried! It had a nice crispy exterior and chewy center that worked very well. I did reduce the sesame oil by half, since Gary doesn't like the taste of it. He's fine with everything else sesame though, go figure.

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Sesame Maple Ginger Tofu

made by cathy's kitchen journey
adapted from Cara's Cravings




ingredients:

• 1 block extra firm tofu, pressed, cut into 1 inch squares
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1 TBSP tahini
• 1 TBSP soy sauce
• 1/2 tsp sesame oil
• 1 TBSP pure maple syrup
• 1 tsp cider vinegar
• 1 TBSP sesame seeds
• pinch of ground ginger
• pinch of red pepper flakes

directions:

1. Preheat oven to 475° F.
   
2. Line a baking sheet with foil, spray with nonstick cooking spray and add the tofu cubes. Lightly spray the top with more nonstick cooking spray and season with salt & pepper.
3. Roast for 10-12 minutes, or until the pieces of tofu are lightly browned on the bottom. Turn the pieces over, and roast for another 10 minutes.
4. Whisk tahini, soy sauce, sesame oil, maple syrup, vinegar, sesame seeds, ginger, and pepper flakes in a small bowl until combined.
5. Remove the tofu from the oven, and toss with the tahini mixture.
6. Pour the the tofu back on the sheet, and drizzle the remaining sauce on top. Return the sheet to the oven and roast for another 5-7 minutes, mixing with a wooden spoon halfway through, until desired crispiness is reached.

Yield: 2-3 servings

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