Herbed Risotto with Chicken and Caramelized Onions

It is so hard getting good food pictures when the meal is in a bowl!

We have been super busy this week.  We had our small group come over on Tuesday so we didn't have time to cook dinner.  Beth brought some yummy snacks so I called that dinner.  Wednesday Alex and I went out to dinner to celebrate his business, Sit Means Sit North Metro, being open for 3 years.  Time flies!  I feel like it was just yesterday that he went to Las Vegas for training.  I am so proud of him and all that he has accomplished in just 3 short years.  The next 3 years look promising and we continue to thank God for all the blessings he has brought our way.

With all that going on, I finally got to cook dinner at home last night.  I took the chicken out of the freezer to defrost earlier this week.  Once I found out I wouldn't be making it sooner, Alex threw them in the oven with some salt and pepper to bake so they wouldn't go bad.  This decreased the total amount of time it took to make this dish.

I love the taste of risotto, but I do not make it often because it takes my undivided attention.  I am a multi-tasker at heart so I have a hard time just standing in one place for close to 30 minutes just stirring rice.  I could get a lot of other stuff done in 30 minutes!  That made this the perfect recipe for me because you don't have to stand and stir.

I have a love/hate relationship with chicken.  I am over eating it this week, therefore, I did not add as much as the recipe called for.  I think it would have turned out great if you decided to omit it all together, but I needed a little protein so I put about 1.5 shredded chicken breasts into the mixture.

Herbed Risotto with Chicken and Caramelized Onions
Source:  Annie's Eats

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 tbsp. olive oil, divided
• 1 yellow onion, thinly sliced
• pinch of sugar
• 5 cups low-sodium chicken broth (I used regular because that is what we had in the pantry and it was not too salty)
• 2 cups water
• 3 boneless chicken breasts (I defrosted 2 and only used about 1.5)
• 4 tbsp. unsalted butter, divided
• 3/4 tsp. salt (add this if you use low sodium chicken broth)
• 2 garlic cloves, minced (we were out of fresh garlic which never happens, so I had to use jarred minced garlic, ~1 tbsp.)
• 2 cups Arborio rice
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 tsp . freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 2 tbsp. minced fresh parsley
• 2 tbsp. minced fresh chives
• ground black pepper to taste

Directions:

Add 1 1/2 tsp. of the olive oil to large skillet over medium heat.  Add the sliced onion and sugar, stirring to coat.  Allow the onion to cook , stirring occasionally, until deep golden brown and caramelized.  Remove the onions to a plate and set aside.

These guys made the dish.  They were delicious!

In a large saucepan over medium heat, combine, the chicken broth and water and bring to a simmer.  In the meantime, add the remaining tablespoon of olive oil to the skillet used to cook the onions set over medium high heat.  Season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper.  Transfer the chicken to the heated skillet and cook, turning once, until each side is a light golden brown.  Remove from the heat and transfer the chicken pieces to the saucepan with the simmering broth mixture.  Let cook until an instant read-thermometer inserted into the thickest part registers 165 degrees or until cooked through (no longer pink).  Remove the chicken from the broth and transfer to the plate with the onions.  

Add 2 tbsp. of the butter to a dutch oven set over medium heat.  Once melted, add the garlic and cook just until fragrant, about 30 seconds.  Add the rice to the pan, stirring to coat.  Cook, stirring frequently, until the grains are translucent around the edges, about 3 minutes.  

Add the wine and cook, stirring constantly, until fully absorbed, about 2-3 minutes.  Stir 5 cups of hot broth mixture into the rice.  Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover and simmer until almost all liquid has been absorbed and the rice is just al-dente, 16-19 minutes, stirring twice during cooking.

Add 3/4 cup of the hot broth mixture to the risotto and stir gently and constantly until the risotto becomes creamy, about 3 minutes.  Stir in the Parmesan.  Remove the pot fro the hat, cover and let stand for 5 minutes.  

Meanwhile, shred the chicken into bite-sized pieces.  Stir the shredded chicken and caramelized onions into the risotto with the remaining 2 tbsp. butter, lemon juice, parsley, and chives.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  If desired, add up to 1/2 cup of the remaining broth mixture to add moisture and loosen the texture.  Serve immediately.  

Butter Chicken

We made this yummy dish last night for our friend's Scott and Katie who recently announced they are expecting their first child!  We were so excited and wanted to celebrate their good news over a meal with friends.

Left to right: Scott, Katie, Chris, Alex, Doug, Summer, and Jessica

I found this recipe a few weeks ago on the Pioneer Woman's website.  She has a section called Tasty Kitchen where other people can post recipes on her website.  She posted, on her cooking blog, her top favorites from Tasty Kitchen.

I wasn't sure why this was called Butter Chicken.  Yes, you use some butter in the recipe, but why not tomato chicken???  When Katie got to our house last night she saw the recipe laying out and commented that she had butter chicken before at a Indian restaurant.  It made me curious so I did a little research.  Here is what I found on wikipedia about Butter Chicken.

The dish was delicious.  You do need to prep the chicken the morning of or the night before.  After that you just throw it all together and serve over rice.  We also had a cesar salad for a side dish.

This was my first time cooking with cardamom.  It added a nice flavor.  It isn't hard to find.  I found it in the spice section at Publix.

Yum, I can't wait to heat up the left overs as soon as I am done typing this up!

I doubled this for all our guests.

I spy a four legged friend in the background.  That would be our cat Callie.

Butter Chicken
Source : Pioneer Woman's Tasty Kitchen

Ingredients:

• 4 pieces of boneless skinless chicken breasts (cut into bite size pieces)
• 5 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. black pepper
• 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
• 1/4 tsp. ground coriander
• 1/4 tsp. cumin
• 1/4 tsp cardamom
• 1 whole lime, juiced
• 1 whole onion, diced
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1 can (14.5 ounces) tomato sauce
• 1 can (14.5 ounces) diced tomatoes
• 1 pint whipping cream
• 1 bunch of chopped cilantro, to taste
• 2 cups basmati rice

Directions:

Combine the first 9 ingredients and marinate overnight.  (I made it in the morning for dinner that night).

Saute the onion in the butter until soft.  Add marinated chicken and cook about 10 minutes.  Add the tomato sauce and diced tomatoes.  Cook for 30 minutes over medium low heat with the lid on.  Add the whipping cream and cilantro just before serving over basmati rice.  

Cesar Salad Dressing

I love cesar salads!  I found this recipe, right after Alex and I got married, in a cook book I got at a shower from Williams-Sonoma.  In the beginning of our marriage I always tried new things and about 50% of the time they came out awful.  I am sure Alex thought this was going to go the same way.  Neither of us had ever made anything with anchovies.  When we made the first batch we were amazed at how delicious it was!  It set the bar high for getting cesar salads at restaurants.  As a matter of fact, I rarely order them out anymore because it just isn't as good.

I made this last night for a dinner at my friend Diana's house.  She hosted a girls night. I signed up for salad and decided to make old faithful.  She made stuffed peppers and cheese risotto.  I do not like peppers, but I loved the stuffing!  The risotto was awesome too.

Anchovies can be found by the canned tuna at your local grocery store.  They are not fun to handle so I just throw them in a bowl and mash them up without thinking about them too much.

We used to make the homemade croutons, but don't anymore now that I am gluten free.  I will include how to do it though.  If you like croutons I would definitely make these.  They are great and easy.

Serve over romaine lettuce.

My good friend Lauren recently posted a yummy looking recipe for using cesar dressing on tilapia.  You can find it here.

I doubled this recipe for ~8 people.

Cesar Salad Dressing
Source:  Williams-Sonoma Simple American Cooking
Ingredients:

• 1 clove of garlic
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 6-8 good quality anchovy fillets in olive oil, drained
• 1 1/2 tsp dry mustard
• 2 tbsp. fresh lemon juice (approximately 1 lemon)
• 1 1/2 tbsp plain yogurt
• 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
• Ground pepper

Chop the garlic and combine with the 1/2 cup olive oil in a blender.  Puree until smooth.  In a small bowl, using a fork, mash the anchovies until they form a paste.  Add to the oil and garlic in the blender along with the mustard, lemon juice, and yogurt.  Blend at a high speed until a smooth emulsion forms.  Add 2 tbsp. of parmesan cheese and blend again.  Season with a little salt if needed.  The anchovies should provide enough.  Add a little pepper.  

Croutons

Ingredients:

• 3 or 4 slices of french or italian bread ~ 1/2 inch thick
• 3 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
• 1 garlic clove, minced

Remove the crusts from the bread slices and discard.  Cut the bread into 1/2 inch cubes.  You should have approximately 2 cups.

In a large frying pan over low heat, warm the 3 tbsp. olive oil.  Add the garlic and saute for 1-2 minutes.  Add the bread cubes and fry, stirring and tossing, until crisp and golden on all sides, 4-5 minutes.  Sprinkle the bread cubes with a little salt.  Transfer to paper towels to drain.  Set aside to cool. 

Blackened Tilapia

This really doesn't deserve a blog entry of it's own, but I know some of you really don't enjoy cooking!  You are just a good friend and read my blog to be nice.  This is a super cheap and easy dinner to throw together.

I bought 2 lbs. of tilapia with the intention of freezing half for another time and using half for the fish tacos we made this weekend.  Well, I stuck all of it in the freezer and forgot to separate it out.  When I took them out to defrost I tried to pry them apart, but it didn't work.  I was stuck with 2 lbs. of tilapia.  We ate the first pound for dinner Saturday and lunch Sunday.  Last night I wanted to go ahead and cook the rest to eat for dinner and lunch this week.  The fish tacos were so good and we had left over condiments so I debated about just making another round with the second lb.  I didn't feel like chopping garlic and cilantro last night so instead I put some olive oil and blackening seasoning on them with a little cumin and garlic powder, delicious.  I plan on cooking some rice tonight and taking the rest to work tomorrow for lunch.

You can buy pre-made blackening seasoning or make your own.  Sprinkle on both sides of tilapia.  Drizzle with a little olive oil.  Bake at 350 degrees until meat thermometer reads 137 degrees or approximately 20-25 minutes.  Pair it with steamed veggies or rice.

Blackening Seasoning
Source:  Southern Food at About.com
Ingredients:

• 4 tsp. dried thyme
• 2 tsp. paprika
• 2 tsp onion powder
• 2 tsp. garlic powder
• 1 tbsp. granulated sugar
• 2 tsp. salt
• 2 tsp. black pepper
• 1 tsp. ground cayenne pepper
• 1 tsp. dried oregano
• 3/4 tsp. ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg

Mix it all together and store in a cool dry place.  

Fish Tacos

Don't be alarmed, I found ANOTHER Mexican recipe to blog on!  Alex and I eat Mexican a lot.  Normally we split a dish of either Tacos de Carne Asada or Fish Tacos.  I was excited to find this recipe in hopes that maybe we can save a little by eating at home more.

This was my first time making fish tacos.  They were great.  We were blessed to have my in-laws over for dinner.  They are so fun and we always have great conversation.  My mother-in-law (Susan) has never tried fish tacos before.  She said they just sounded wrong.  She was pleasantly surprised by how much she like them. She said she will definitely try them when she goes out to eat from now on.

This was taken at Thanksgiving.  

Pop (Alex's Grandpa), Susan (Mother-in-law), Alex, Me, Dakin (Father-in-law)

Tucker had to make an appearance too!

This was a very simple recipe to throw together and healthy too.  We served it with black beans (one can of black beans, one small onion chopped, one garlic clove chopped, 1 tbsp cilantro chopped, 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper, and salt to taste.  Combine all except the last three in a pot, bring to a boil and reduce heat to low until ready to serve, mix in last three ingredients before serving).

I was surprised to see the original author served these with flour tortillas.  Most places always serve fish tacos on corn tortillas.  This was our obvious choice due to being gluten free.

White Fish Tacos
Source:  Adapted from Annie's Eats
Servings: ~8 tacos

Ingredients:
For the fish:

• 2 tbsp. freshly squeezed lime juice (approximately 2 limes)
• 3 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil, divided
• 3 tbsp. cilantro minced
• 1/4 tsp. cumin
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 1 lb. white fish (we used tilapia, but halibut, cod etc. would be fine)
• Salt

For the cilantro cream sauce:

• Juice of 1 lime
• 2 tbsp. cilantro minced
• 6 oz. of sour cream (or nonfat greek yogurt)
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• pepper to taste

For toppings:

• Cherry tomatoes sliced (we omitted this because my picky husband can't stand them)
• Green onions chopped
• Red cabbage, shredded
• Cilantro, minced
• Serve on corn tortillas (or flour)

Directions:

Combine the lime juice, 2 tbsp. of the olive oil, cilantro, cumin, and garlic in a shallow dish.  Whisk together until well blended.  Place the fish in the mixture, turning to coat.  Let marinate 15-30 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare the cilantro cream sauce.  Combine the lime juice, cilantro, greek yogurt, garlic and pepper in a small bowl.  Mix until well blended.  Refrigerate until ready to use.

Heat the remaining 1 tbsp. olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat.  Place the fish in the pan and cook without disturbing, 3 minutes.  Flip the fish and cook on the second side 3 minutes more.  Remove to a plate, season with salt as desired, and let rest for a few minutes.  Shred the fish into bite sized pieces with two forks.

I warmed the corn tortillas in a pan with a small amount of olive oil.  

Assemble tacos on corn tortillas with shredded fish, cilantro cream sauce, and additional toppings as desired. 

Thai Honey Peanut Chicken

This was delicious!  I normally lean towards the Thai dishes made with chili sauce vs. peanut type sauces, but this did not disappoint.  Great flavor with just a little Thai kick at the end.

I used natural peanut butter.  If you use regular (Jiff, Skippy, etc) instead of natural reduce the honey by 1 tbsp.

I let this marinate for over 24 hours.  We were supposed to make it last night, but Alex found out yesterday that his fractured finger needed a few screws today.  He decided he needed a "man meal" at Longhorns instead of this for dinner.  So being the good wife I am, I agreed!

It was super easy to make.  I was thankful for a quick meal so I could get back to tending to my post-operative patient that is lying on my couch.  We served it with steamed broccoli topped with a little soy sauce and basmati rice.  Enjoy!

Thai Honey Peanut Chicken
Source:  Pioneer Woman's Tasty Kitchen Blog

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. chicken cut into pieces
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 2 tbsp. honey
• 1 tbsp. lime juice
• 1 large clove garlic
• 1 heaping tbsp. natural peanut butter
• 1/2 tsp. curry powder
• 1 tsp. sriracha (thai hot sauce, this is optional, but highly recommended)

Directions:

Mix ingredients and marinate chicken in a bowl for 2-3 hours (or 24+:))

Cook chicken and the marinade over medium high heat for 7-8 minutes or until chicken is done.  Reduce heat to medium low and add precooked veggies if desired.  Serve topped with sesame seeds.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

Bad picture, but I promise it tastes great!

While I was snowed in last week I made our menu for this week.  I thought this soup would hit the spot with the cold weather.  I love how you can make it your own with all the different toppings you can add.  This is a great Sunday soup to make since you need a little time for it to cook.

I am sitting here now, snacking on some pistachios, wishing I had a bowl of this soup in front of me!  You get hungry at 10AM when you get up at 5AM.

I made two batches of this soup.  One for my small group co-leader who just had her 5th child right after Christmas.  We lead a group of freshman girls at InsideOut which is the high school ministry at North Point Community Church.  Our girls are awesome!  We have 21 total.  We meet once a week on Sunday evenings for a service just for the high school students.  We then break off and have small group time where we discuss questions from the service.  I also have the pleasure of hanging out with them outside of group too.  We are having a pancake breakfast this weekend which will be so fun!  I get to see these girls grow in their faith over the next four years.  What an awesome experience!  

The other batch was for my other small group.  My husband and I also lead a married couples small group.  We formed this group from close friends.  There have been some changes lately in group members so we wanted to host a dinner with the "new" group and allow everyone some social time to get to know each other.  We had a great time over a great meal.  Lauren made a yummy batch of gluten free Mexican brownies for dessert.  She said she would post the recipe soon so here is a link to her blog.

As I have mentioned many times, I do not like bell peppers so I omitted them from this recipe and it was still great.  Feel free to play with the toppings.  I read the original reviews and everyone said you definitely should add some lime to the finished product.  I agree!  Great flavor!

I cut the tortilla strips and sprayed them with PAM and placed them in the oven at 350 for about 6 minutes then under the broiler for about 1 minutes to make them crisp.  This step is not necessary since you will be putting them in soup and they will get soggy, but I like it anyway:)

Source:  The Pioneer Woman
Servings:  8

Ingredients:

• 2 whole chicken breasts
• 2 tbsp. olive oil, divided
• 1 1/2 tsp. cumin
• 1 tsp. chili powder
• 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 cup diced onion
• 1/4 cup diced green bell pepper
• 1/4 cup diced red bell pepper
• 3 cloves garlic minced
• 1 can rotel tomatoes and green chilies
• 32 ounces low sodium chicken broth (I used 2-14.5 oz cans because that is what we had in the pantry)
• 3 tbsp. tomato paste
• 4 cups hot water (just let the tap water run until hot)
• 2 cans black beans rinsed and drained
• 3 tbsp. cornmeal or masa
• 5 whole corn tortillas, cut into strips about 2-3 inches
• Optional toppings: sour cream, diced avocado, diced red onion, salsa or pico, grated cheese (monterey jack, cheddar), cilantro, and definitely lime.

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  

Mix cumin, chili powder, garlic powder, and salt.  

Drizzle approximately 1 tbsp. olive oil on chicken breasts, then sprinkle a small amount of spice mix on both sides.  Set aside the rest of the spice mix for later.  Place chicken breasts on a baking sheet.  Bake for 20-25 minutes or until your meat thermometer says they are done.  

Use two forks to shred chicken.  Set aside.

Heat 1 tbsp. of olive oil in a pot over medium heat.  Add onions, peppers, and minced garlic.  

Stir and begin cooking, then add the rest of the spice mix.  

Stir to combine, then add shredded chicken and stir.  

Pour in rotel, chicken stock, tomato paste, water, and black beans.  Bring to a  boil, then reduce heat to a simmer.  Simmer for 45 minutes, uncovered.  

Mix cornmeal with a small amount of water.  

Pour into soup, then simmer for an additional 30 minutes.  Check seasonings, adding more if needed.  I added a few more shakes of all (chili powder, garlic powder, cumin, and salt).  Turn off heat and let it sit for 15 to 20 minutes.  Add tortilla strips before serving.  Serve and add toppings.  Enjoy!