Bacon-wrapped smoky chicken thighs + shredded brussels sprouts salad

Zack and I have been eating paleo-style for three weeks now. And it just keeps getting better. We are reaping the benefits. Honestly, I didn't think it would last more than a whopping two seconds, but it's actually turning out to be a well-worthy endeavor. I mean, really. Wouldn't you like some bacon-wrapped goodness for your dinner tonight?

Bacon-wrapped smoky chicken thighs

As adapted from Balanced Bites.

Serves 4.

Ingredients:

4-5 (depending on size) bone-less, skin-less chicken thighs (I got mine at Trader Joe's)

4-5 slices of Trader Joe's apple smoked bacon

Ingredients for smoky spice blend:

Approx. 1 teaspoon chili powder

Approx. 3/4 teaspoon smoked paprika

Approx. 1/4 teaspoon paprika

Pinch of ground cinnamon

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil, place a rack on top, and grease rack with cooking spray. Combine spices for smoky spice blend in a small bowl. Rub chicken thighs with half of the spice blend. Wrap each thigh in a piece of bacon, rub with remaining spice, then place on baking sheet rack. Bake for 40 minutes, or until cooked through. Easy as that. Enjoy. 

Shredded brussels sprouts salad

As adapted from Power Foods.

Serves 4.

Ingredients for salad dressing:

1 tablespoon stone-ground mustard
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (from 1-2 lemons)
Kosher salt
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon pure maple syrup
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Ingredients for salad:

8 ounces brussels sprouts, very thinly sliced (about 3 cups, I used pre-sliced brussels from Trader Joe's)
3 cups of spinach, Swiss chard, and kale (or a combination, thinly sliced if desired)
1/3 cup raw hulled sunflower seeds, toasted if desired

Stir together mustard, lemon juice, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and maple syrup; whisk in oil until emulsified. In a salad bowl, toss together brussels sprouts and greens. Add salad dressing and sunflower seeds; toss to coat and serve.

Spinach, Swiss chard, and kale mixture (buy this "power greens" mix at Trader Joe's)

First of all, this chicken might be one of the most wonderful things I've ever eaten. Why I don't buy chicken thighs more often is beyond me. Seriously, consider trying chicken thighs in place of your usual chicken breast sometime; they are so incredibly flavorful. And I didn't even use bone-in thighs, as the original recipe recommended. Not to mention how tender they are. Now, I know the bacon and spices added a little something special, but I am now convinced that chicken thighs are the way to go. You will not be disappointed with these.

And this salad is great too. It's so simple, but definitely a salad that I would take to friends' houses for dinner, or even for a holiday meal (don't brussels just scream holidays...?). I know many of you may be questioning raw brussels sprouts, but don't question it; they add great crunch, similar to that of broccoli or cabbage, and they blend in beautifully when thinly sliced. Lastly, this salad dressing is delicious - a great, versatile dressing that could be used on many salads.

Well. There are more great paleo-friendly meals coming your way. Whether you're full blown into it, or not, prepare for some delicious and healthy recipes coming soon, here. Cheers.

A potential paleo confession + the soup that heals

You may have seen it coming. I mean, I'm very passionate about healthy and wholesome cooking. It started with strange produce from our former fruit and vegetable delivery. Then it was whole-wheat this, quinoa that. Barley, lentils, beans. Now, I don't know what to think. All I know is that I can't get "paleo" and "wheat belly" off my mind.

Don't freak out - I'm not a convert yet. But Zack and I are headed in that direction; at least for now. You may be seeing a lot of low carb, low sugar recipes coming your way. And to my surprise, Zack is very on board...could this be because there will be more meat involved, I wonder? I'm no expert when it comes down to the nitty-gritty eat this, not that, but we'll see where this goes.

For now, I bring you "the soup that heals." Man. If you need a way to awaken your senses and cleanse your soul, this is the soup for you. The wholesomeness, the spice - it just feels good. It dinner doesn't get much healthier than a homemade broth overflowing with fresh veggies.

A magic healing soup

As adapted from The First Mess.

Serves 2.

Note: whatever vegetables you decide to use, be sure they are sliced or peeled rather finely. The cooking/tenderizing of the vegetables is dependent upon the hot broth alone, so you don't want your veggies to be too chunky. Also, the ingredient portions listed here will serve 2; I doubled the recipe when I made it, saving the broth and fresh-cut veggies in separate containers, re-heated the broth the next day and submerged the veggies in it.

Ingredients for broth:

1 whole lemon, halved

2 celery stalks, cut up into a few pieces

1 onion, quartered

5 shiitake mushroom stems (reserve caps for soup)

1 red chili pepper, halved

1 3-inch piece of fresh ginger

1 clove of garlic, smashed

5 twigs of fresh thyme

Handful of fresh cilantro stems (reserve cilantro leaves for soup)

Heaping 1/4 cup tamari soy sauce

5 cups water

To serve:

1.5 cups finely sliced vegetables per serving (I used carrots, snow peas, shiitake mushroom caps, and whole leaves of baby spinach)

Garnish:

Fresh cilantro leaves

Sliced green onions

Sprouts (I used micro-greens from Trader Joe's)

Sesame oil

Sriracha

Lime wedges

Make the broth: combine all broth ingredients in a medium-large saucepan over medium heat. Pour 5 cups of water over the top and bring to boil. Reduce heat to simmer, cooking for 30-45 minutes (longer if you want a more concentrated broth). Strain the broth and return to pot, keeping hot.

You can slice up vegetables and garnishes while broth is simmering. Arrange vegetables in serving bowls, then ladle/pour hot broth over top. Stir around a bit so vegetables are completely submerged to tenderize. Garnish as desired and serve.

This soup was very delicious. It is light on the appetite though, so we supplemented with a little beef and asparagus Japanese take-out. And it was spicy. We love heat over here, but be sure to not overdue it with the chili pepper if heat is not your thing (don't throw in all the seeds as I did, perhaps). Furthermore, may test taste at 30 minutes; I let it simmer for a good 45 minutes, so it was concentrated. Come to think of it, if you're not into heat, this may not be the soup for you. I think it might be too simple without it. This is a great recipe though.

Well, here's to all the healthy and belly-friendly dishes coming your way. Stay tuned!

Hearty spinach and chickpea soup with turkey

Since I had "mushroom success" with my winter greens and mushroom pasta, I decided to give mushrooms another go. I had tried this recipe before, omitting the mushrooms and adding ground turkey as a protein instead. The soup was wonderful the first time. I find that some good ground turkey adds amazing flavor to soups. Anyways, I decided to make this again with both the turkey and mushrooms.

For some reason, this soup has sort of an Asian feel to me, but that is somewhat strange because it also has dried rosemary and calls for grated parmesan as garnish. Whatever feel you get from this soup, it is a really solid recipe and one that I know I will be going back to again and again. And Zack loves it too.  And it's a nice detour from my usual, go-to tomato-based chilies. 

Plus, you can be assured that this soup is good for you. According to Power Foods, mushrooms are "bursting with compounds that can reduce cholesterol and improve immunity." I didn't realize, but apparently they have not only nutritional benefits, but curative abilities also. I know, it sounds a little hokey-pokey, but they've been shown to have antioxidant and cancer-fighting properties. Guess I'll be cooking with mushrooms more often. And we all know spinach is wonderful - vitamin K, anyone? Lastly, brown rice offers up the antioxidant vitamin E, B vitamins, and plenty of fiber. There's your nutritional overview.

Hearty spinach and chickpea soup with turkey

As adapted from Power Foods - 150 Delicious Recipes with the 38 Healthiest Ingredients.

Serves 4-6.

Ingredients:

1 1/3 cups water

1/2 cup short-grain brown rice

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1 onion, finely chopped (1 1/2 cups)

2 garlic cloves, minced

3/4-1 pound ground turkey

8 ounces fresh shiitake mushrooms, stems removed, caps cleaned and thinly sliced (4 cups)

6 cups reduced-sodium chicken stock

1/2-3/4 teaspoon dried rosemary, crumbled

1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

1 can (15 ounces) chickpeas, drained and rinsed

8-10 ounces baby spinach

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 ounces (1/2 cup) grated parmesan cheese (optional)

Bring the water to boil in a saucepan. Sir in brown rice, return to boil, and reduce heat to simmer. Cover and cook until rice is tender and has absorbed all liquid, 30-40 minutes. Meanwhile, in a large saucepan or dutch oven, heat oil over medium. Cook onion and garlic, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. Push onion and garlic to edges of pot, add additional olive oil if necessary, and add ground turkey to middle of pot. Break up turkey into chunks with a spoon, then add dried rosemary, red pepper flakes, and salt and pepper, mixing to combine. Cook turkey until it is browned and just about cooked through, mixing in the cooked onion and garlic. Add mushrooms, gently stirring, until tender, about 5 minutes. Add chicken stock and bring to boil. Stir in rice and chickpeas; return to boil. Reduce heat to simmer, cover, and continue cooking 5 minutes more to allow flavors to blend. Stir spinach into hot soup immediately before serving and sprinkle with parmesan, if using. 

This soup was actually a little exploratory for me because I had to shift around the original instructions a bit to incorporate the ground turkey and mushrooms. I also added the crushed red pepper flakes for a bit of heat, and chose to add the spices sooner (since I wanted them to really penetrate and flavor the ground turkey). I also "eye-balled" my rosemary and red pepper flake measurements, adding a bit more than called for, to compensate for the added turkey. What can I say, maybe I'm starting to make some of my own judgement calls and am becoming some sort of cook. (Ha ha.)

This is a great, wholesome soup with wonderful flavor. Try it and enjoy! We did.

Indian chicken and spinach curry + herb and spice quinoa

Do you ever see a recipe and you are oh-so-excited to make it, but then as you realize you are not even a quarter of the way through cooking, you realize this meal is going to be a bit of an ordeal? Let's just say, it's always good when such recipes turn out well. And delicious. Especially on a weeknight. Because if they don't, doing dishes afterwards is enough to undo you. That is, if eating the meal hasn't already.

I love when cookbooks include a "goes well with" note at the end of a recipe. It's like free, professional help with food pairing. It's nice. Just remember not to bite off more than you can chew on a weeknight. This is more of a reminder to myself than anything.

All that being said, this curry and quinoa creation was pretty tasty. Maybe try it on a weekend.

Indian chicken and spinach curry

As adapted from Mighty Spice Cookbook - Fast, Fresh, and Vibrant Dishes Using No More Than 5 Spices for Each Recipe

Serves 4.

Ingredients for the curry:

10 oz. baby spinach

1 1/2 teaspoons garam masala

1 teaspoon Kosher salt

1 large onion, roughly chopped

2 large tomatoes (or a few small ones), quartered

4 garlic cloves

1-inch piece ginger root, peeled and roughly chopped

1/2 jalapeño, sliced lengthwise and seeded 

2 tablespoons coconut oil

2 teaspoons cumin seeds

1 lb. 2 oz. boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into bite-size pieces

1/4 cup heavy cream (optional)

Bring large saucepan of water to boil and add spinach. Cook briefly, just until wilting, then strain, reserving cooking water. Put spinach and a scant 1/2 cup of the cooking water into a food processor and puree until smooth. Transfer pureed spinach to a bowl and set aside to cool. Using the same food processor (don't worry about washing), blend garam masala, salt, onion, tomatoes, garlic, ginger, jalapeño, and a little water until smooth. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat and throw in cumin seeds. Wait a few seconds until they start crackling, then pour in tomato mixture. Stir, cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Tip in spinach, chicken, and cream (if using), and stir well. Turn up heat to medium-high and cook, stirring occasionally, 12-15 minutes until chicken is cooked through and tender.

Herb and spice quinoa

As adapted from Mighty Spice Cookbook - Fast, Fresh, and Vibrant Dishes Using No More Than 5 Spices for Each Recipe

This side dish recipe actually calls for basmati rice, but I decided to try quinoa. The quinoa was great, but be warned - it definitely does not look as pretty as the pilaf rice.

Serves 4.

Ingredients for quinoa:

1/2 cup slivered almonds
1/3 cup cashew nuts
2 cardamom pods
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons cumin seeds
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 cup quinoa, rinsed and drained
2 cups chicken stock
1 large handful parsley leaves, finely chopped
2 large handfuls cilantro leaves, finely chopped
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Toast cashew nuts in a large skillet over medium heat. Shake pan constantly for 1-2 minutes. Add almonds and continue shaking pan 1-2 minutes longer until nuts are golden. Transfer to a plate and set aside. Split open cardamom pods on a cutting board with the flat side of a knife. This helps release their flavor. Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat, add split cardamom pods and cumin seeds. Stir-fry 10-20 seconds until seeds start to crackle, then add onion, cooking 3-4 minutes until soft. Bring chicken stock to boil in a medium saucepan. Add quinoa, and onion and spice mixture. Reduce heat to a simmer, cover, and cook until quinoa is tender and has absorbed all liquid, about 15-20 minutes. Remove from heat. Fluff quinoa with a fork and toss together with toasted nuts, parsley, and cilantro. Season with salt and pepper.

First of all, cumin seeds. They are so fragrant, not to mention the way they crackle in the pan. They are the epitome of the word "crackle." Even more so than Rice Krispies. For real. If you haven't cooked with them, you should give it a try. They're fun. Secondly, cardamom pods - at first I thought I was just going to take the easy way out and use the ground cardamom I had on hand. But then I thought, "No, this is Explorations of an Amateur Cook; I should be willing to try anything!" So I did. The funny part is that I snatched two cardamom pods out of a loose leaf tea I also had on hand to use in this recipe. No judging. Ha ha.

It was also quite humorous that the chicken thighs I had purchased for the curry went missing. Not quite sure where they got left or ended up. But Zack, being the wonderful husband and sous chef that he is, picked up some more for me on his way home from work making this meal possible.

This curry and quinoa was a little ambitious for a weeknight, but it was very tasty. Lots of steps, but satisfying in the end. And I cooked with cardamom seeds for the first time, not to mention putting my own spin on the herb and spice pilaf rice (quinoa, in this case). Plus, mixing up my own garam masala spice mixture (follow the link to it as seen in my ingredient list). An Explorations success if I do say so myself.

The recipes are coming at full force, so don't be too long before you check back here again. Cheers.

Brown Rice with Shiitake Mushrooms and Spinach

Power Foods. Brown rice with mushrooms and spinach. Fact of the matter was this. I originally wanted to serve this rice dish with pork tenderloin, but Zack and I ended up just wanting a quick meal after our long days of work. So we just grilled up a couple chicken breasts; nothing fancy.

Stir together short-grain brown rice, water, finely chopped fresh ginger, minced garlic, and salt. Bring to a boil; reduce to a simmer. Cover and cook until rice is tender and all liquid is absorbed (45-50 minutes). Stir in baby spinach, cover, and let steam for 3 minutes. Stir in sauteed shiitake mushrooms, finely chopped scallions (white and pale green parts only), chopped cilantro, tamari soy sauce, rice vinegar, and sesame oil.  

This rice was really delicious (even though it doesn't photograph that amazingly), but apparently, Zack and I need to learn how to saute mushrooms. Because ours were mediocre. Like so mediocre we pulled them out the next day when we were eating leftovers. More on that later I suppose, because I'm sure I'll be cooking with mushrooms again. Other than that, this rice was real comforting and had great chunky texture. And I am totally digging my experiments with Asian-influenced sauces lately. 

Spinach-Chickpea Spread for Pita Sandwiches

Chickpea this, chickpea that. I know. They're good, okay? And iron- and folate-rich too. I've been wanting to make this spread recipe from Power Foods for awhile now. The catch was this: I didn't have a food processor. And somehow, the blender didn't really seem like it was going to cut it for this recipe. But, now we have a food processor (a special thanks to Ron)! Zack and I are so blessed to have people in our lives that support and care about our culinary adventures, so thank you. I know that's kind of corny, but I'm serious. Thank you.

This spread is meant to go on a pita along with some sliced tomatoes (at least that is how it is featured in my Power Foods cookbook), but really, this could be used just as a dip. We've dipped Trader Joe's multigrain pita chips into it as a snack, and we think it would be good with anything you might usually have hummus with. Because that is pretty much what this is; a spinach hummus.

Cook minced garlic in extra-virgin olive oil over medium heat. Add chickpeas and lemon juice. Add spinach, salt, and crushed red pepper flakes. Cover; raise heat. Cook until spinach is wilted, uncover, raise heat to high. Cook, stirring, until most of the liquid has evaporated. Let cool. Then, pulse the chickpea mixture (in a food processor) with some tahini sesame seed paste and a little more lemon juice and salt. Easy as that.

I'm excited to try making some of my own hummus recipes based off of this one. I think you could substitute the spinach with some other vegetables. Think red bell pepper, eggplant, sweet potato, etc. Ahhh yeah. Cheers to cooking experiments, one and all.

Hearty Spinach and Chickpea Soup

Another winner from Power Foods. Although, I left out the shiitake mushrooms (for the sake of not going out to the grocery store), I did add some leftover ground turkey to hopefully make up for it. Brown rice, chickpeas, and spinach make for a hearty soup. And again, you can't go wrong with that ground turkey; its flavor just overwhelms whatever stock you use. It's delicious. Onion, garlic, and rosemary just add to the flavor.

I was mostly excited to make this soup because I had all ingredients on hand, and I got to use my new Dutch oven that Zack got me for Christmas. Yessssss. In fact, I never thought I would get this excited about receiving cookware for Christmas. But oh my word, it's pretty much the greatest. Thanks to Zack's dad, we also have ourselves some mighty fine stainless steel skillets and saucepans. And my parents overjoyed Zack and I with a Sur La Table gift card, which we promptly used to purchase some much needed items we've been somehow living without. The blog will surely benefit; no doubt.  

So. About the soup. Start by making the brown rice. Meanwhile, cook onion, garlic, and ground turkey in your large saucepan or Dutch oven. Throw in a couple sprigs of rosemary. Add stock, bring to a boil, stir in rice and chickpeas, reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook for a few minutes allowing the flavors to blend. Wilt in some baby spinach, season with salt and freshly ground black pepper, then serve with grated parmesan.

I made 6 servings of this soup, so Zack and I will be pulling some out of the freezer to warm up and enjoy in the future. Really comforting. Great variances in texture and flavor. Here's to another delicious soup fit for winter cuisine.

Cooking with Friends: Spinach-Artichoke Stuffed Shells and Red Velvet Cake

Last night, Zack and I got together with friends for dinner. I think it may turn into a regular thing, which would be cool, because they have a really nice kitchen (and we happen to like them too). And they have a dinner table. Which is also good for having people over to eat. Sitting on the floor Asian-style around our coffee table would probably only be fun for so long.

So Zack and I made a trip to Central Market for groceries, I made a red velvet cake, and we took a box of ingredients over to our friends' to cook stuffed shells together. The cake was actually adapted from Ina Garten's Red Velvet Cupcakes recipe. We thought a cake would be more dinner party-like in comparison to cupcakes. And boy, was it party-like. There's something about red velvet. Why is it that a few drops of red food coloring just make a cake like nothing else? So smooth. So moist. And this cream cheese frosting just tops it off perfectly. I'll definitely make this recipe again. Cupcakes or cake.

About the spinach-artichoke stuffed shells. Let's just say, cooking in someone else's kitchen is a little high stress, because you just don't know where anything is. And then your pan of olive oil gets super hot because you can't seem to chop things fast enough, so then your garlic almost gets burned. Eventually, you're just shouting out orders because that's the only way anything is going to get done in a timely fashion. Yep, I make a great guest. Ha ha. No, it was really fun. Everyone helped out and we made these greatest tasting stuffed shells. They were really good. If you like spinach-artichoke dip, you'll like this filling. Ricotta, lemon zest, thyme...so delicious. And all laying in an amazing marinara sauce. San Marzano tomatoes all the way, baby. If you haven't tried San Marzano tomatoes, you have not lived. Definitely the best canned tomatoes, and they make the best sauce. Some fresh basil, and boom, you've got a great sauce.

It was a really fun night. So here's to great food, and great people. And thanks to Naomi and Jim for being the first people (besides Zack) to partake in my still-kind-of-amateur cooking.