Tag: Dinner

Shrimp, Asparagus and Dill Risotto

Risotto is an amazing comfort food and surprisingly simple to make once you have attempted it a few times. Yes it takes a long time and you need to be super attentive but there is something truly mindful about the process. I love this Shrimp, Asparagus and Dill Risotto recipe – a spring take on Italian comfort food.

Buon Appetito!

Simple Brine Recipe

A roast chicken is a perfect Sunday meal. This popped up in my Facebook memories and reminded me of how a brine can bring amazing end results. I must try again.

Simple Brine Recipe

This brine designed for turkey but works perfectly well for a roast chicken. The ingredients below are for a turkey brine. For the chicken picture above, I used 2 oranges and 1/2 of a lemon.

1 cup Kosher Salt

1 cup brown Sugar

5 Oranges – sliced

3 Lemon – sliced

Fresh herbs – Sage, Rosemary and Thyme – chopped

Submerge your fresh bird in water for 24 hours in the refrigerator with your brine ingredients. Drain water, rinse your bird, pat dry and air dry in the refrigerator on a cookie seat with a rack for another four hours to help achieve a crispy bird.

I cover my chicken with a mixture of olive oil, butter and herbs. No real measurements involved. I am especially fond of thyme. Make sure to keep the weight from the package to determine cooking time. I often cook at 350F but sometimes higher for a crispier skin. I always consult a cooking guide before. Make sure to check the internal temperature of your chicken and/or turkey to make sure it is cooked. Let your chicken sit for 15-20 minutes once out of the oven to let the juices flow through. Serve with your favourite roasted vegetables and potatoes – which you could put into your pan during cooking – or anything you else you may fancy.

Enjoy!

Jessica Seinfeld’s Rigatoni Alla Vodka

In the winter months, my perfect comfort food is pasta. To control my sodium intake, I aim to make my own sauces as much as possible and am always on the search for new recipes. I follow Jessica Seinfeld on Instagram (@jessseinfeld) and discovered her recipe for Rigatoni Alla Vodka. Love this simple homemade vodka sauce and definitely will make again.

Recipe: http://jessicaseinfeld.com/recipes/rigatoni-alla-vodka

Ingredients: Longo’s Markets

Olive Oil: McEwans

Vodka: Finlandia

One-pan chicken and veg


Homemade lunches and dinner always seem to go out the window when my life gets busy. The key is definitely prepping in advance. I spent a bit of time this morning making this one-pan chicken and roasted veg to ensure I have some homemade lunches to bring to work. 

I melted coconut oil in a frying pan. Coated the chicken thighs with a tandoori spice purchased from a Indian grocery store. Seared both sides of the chicken thighs and placed on a parchment lined cookie sheet.

Melted coconut oil to toss with the chopped vegetables. My veg mix included orange, yellow and purple carrots, beets, zucchini and red and yellow peppers. I also added finely minced red chilli, garlic and ginger for a bit of flavour.

Combined the chicken thighs and vegetables on the the cookie sheet. Baked until fully cooked. While the chicken and veg were baking, I made brown basmati rice. Once everything was cooked, I placed one chicken thigh, 1/2 cup of rice and the roasted veg into individual containers and froze immediately. 

Lunch simplified. 

Asparagus with Gremolata 

Gremolata is an amazing way to add flavour. Often made with lemon, I made a gremolata mixture with orange zest, juice, garlic and parsley for this asparagus dish. 

Very simple to pull together. Zest the orange peel into a bowl, cut and add the juice of the orange, mince a 1/4 cup of parsley and add a garlic clove or two (or three) and mix. Sprinkle over asparagus. 

Fresh flavours to dress up your vegetable side dishes.