Author Archives: cookingwithcandi

Sheet Pan Chicken with Veggies with Chili Sauce and Honey

Posted on April 25, 2018 | 1 comment

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By now you all know how very much I love Sheet Pan Meals. It makes for delicious dinners and easy clean-up and that’s always a win win for me. This was very easy to assemble and cooks in under an hour. Oven to Table in under an hour is my kind of meal. Of course you can substitute other veggies if you don’t like peppers. I finally got Joel to eat cooked peppers and onions and I try to use them as often as possible. It’s amazing to me that it took him this long to start to enjoy vegetables but I couldn’t be happier. He also eats Brussel Sprouts as well! I think Brussels would be good here as well as Broccoli ( but he won’t eat Broccoli) . I served over Brown Rice and it was just perfect. I used 1 Tablespoon of Sriracha which gives it a little hint of spicy.  I wouldn’t omit it because all the flavor of this recipe is in the honey/chili combo. You can put a little less Sriracha if you like.

Enjoy!

Ingredients:

6 smallish chicken thighs–bone in , skin on

1 Tablespoon Olive Oil

1 red bell pepper, cut up into medium sized pieces — see photo

1 yellow bell pepper, cut up as above

1 green bell pepper, cut up as above

1 red onion, cut up as shown in photos, medium sized pieces

Sauce:

1/4 cup Honey

1 Tablespoon Soy Sauce

1 Tablespoon Sriracha or any hot chili sauce you like

Juice of 1 lemon

5 cloves of garlic –minced

Pinch of Kosher Salt

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees

Spray a large sheet pan with non-stick spray

In a bowl , whisk the ingredients for the sauce and set aside.

Season the chicken with salt and pepper and place 1/3 of the sauce in a gallon size plastic bag  and add the chicken. Squish around the sauce till it’s all over the chicken and place in fridge for about 30 minutes or longer.

Cut up the veggies and place in a bowl. Pour 1 Tablespoon of Olive Oil over the vegetables.  It’s a little oil for a lot of vegetables but it works. You’ll be using the sauce on the veggies.

After 30 minutes–transfer the chicken to the sheet pan and roast just the chicken for about 15 minutes.

After 15 minutes remove the chicken from the oven and arrange veggies around the chicken (see photo). Drizzle the remainder of the sauce over the vegetables and the chicken. Mix with a spoon.

Return to oven and bake for about another 15 minutes, my chicken was done at this point because I had smallish thighs . I removed the chicken placed on a plate and covered with aluminum foil. I continued cooking the veggies for another 10 minutes because I like them cooked well. When veggies were done to my liking I removed from the oven and added chicken to hot baking sheet and mixed veggies up with a spoon over the chicken. I served over rice, quinoa or anything you’d like.

*You will have to experiment with cooking times for veggies and chicken depending on the size of your chicken thighs and your oven.

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Cauliflower, Orzo and Feta Salad

Posted on April 23, 2018 | Leave a comment

 

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Completed Salad

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Before I added the spinach

 

 

This is one of my most favorite salads of all time. The flavors meld together beautifully to make a most delicious salad. I highly recommend this salad if you’re just looking for something new to make for brunch, lunch or even dinner! I got this recipe from Chrissy Teigen’s Cookbook Cravings a few years back and it has gone into constant rotation ever since. Perfect for Meatless Monday!

I made cauliflower and orzo in the morning and put together ingredients as they cooled down. The cooling off of orzo and cauliflower was the only time-consuming event in making this recipe. You can refrigerate salad once cooled down, but I would bring it to room temperature prior to serving.

This salad was a side dish amongst many, it would serve 4-6 just as a salad. I had 11 people and it was one of many side dishes for a luncheon I was making. This one gets a  big thumbs up! If you were making this as a salad I would say it would serve 4-6 very nicely.

If you want to add a protein like chicken this would make a most perfect dinner salad. Or just eat it veggie style! Nothing bad here!

Ingredients:

Cauliflower and Orzo Prep

1 head cauliflower broken into small florets, any color cauliflower will do and purple would be beautiful if you can find it

4 Tablespoons olive oil

3 minced cloves of fresh garlic

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 cup orzo pasta

Dressing and the rest of the salad

3 Tablespoons olive oil

3 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice

 

1 teaspoon honey

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion

1 cup crumbled feta cheese

2/3 cup dried cherries

4 cups baby spinach

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

In a bowl toss the cauliflower with the 3 tablespoons of olive oil, the fresh garlic, the salt and pepper. Spread on a rimmed baking sheet and roast until softened and the edges of cauliflower start to brown up. ( not burned) I did it for 25 minutes. Set cauliflower aside and let it completely cool down.

Cook orzo according to box directions, I cooked for a minute less so it would be more al dente ( just a bit undercooked ) Drain in a colander, rinse under cold water, drain well and while draining toss in the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil right in the colander.

In a big bowl, whisk together 3 tablespoons of olive oil, lemon juice, honey, mustard, salt and pepper.

I allowed about an hour for complete cool down of cauliflower and orzo and added to bowl with dressing along with onion , feta, and cherries . Toss well until completely coated with dressing. Throw in the spinach and toss again till spinach is incorporated. Taste for Salt and Pepper and adjust seasonings to your liking. I added a sprinkle of black  pepper but no more salt.

Enjoy — this was totally delicious.

 

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Roasted Salmon with Corn and Tomatoes

Posted on April 20, 2018 | 4 comments

Sometimes you just need to lighten up the meal and I find Salmon always does the trick . It is filling without being full. Do you know what I mean? This Salmon dish is light but satisfying in every way. This is what I did and I hope you enjoy it as much as we did.

*this recipe should serve 4 nicely–easy to cut in 1/2 for 2

Ingredients:

I asked for 6 oz. fillets– just make sure they are the same size and I like from the middle of the salmon not the end–you will need 4 for 4 people. One fillet for each person

Kosher Salt and Freshly Ground Pepper

1 small container of cherry or grapes in any coloration you’d like-halved

2 cups frozen or fresh whole kernel corn

2 tsp. olive oil

1 tsp. chili powder

1/2 tsp. ground cumin

1/2 tsp. lime zest

1 Tbsp. Lime juice

1 tsp. honey

1/4 cup finely chopped red onion — I used a shallot this time because I didn’t have a red onion in the house

*if you love it snip some fresh cilantro in there at the end –while I love cilantro I don’t always have it to add and have to say equally as delicious

*also makes for delicious leftovers

Directions:

Pick up Salmon from your local fish store or Whole foods type of market

I rinse the salmon off and pat dry with paper towels. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a 15×10 baking dish with aluminum foil or spray with your favorite cooking spray and I prefer to just spray and it’s fine but if no cooking spray then use aluminum foil.  Place fish in prepared pan. Sprinkle with about 1/2 tsp. kosher salt over salmon and about 1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper–you will have to eyeball it but the salmon needs salt and pepper it’s a question of how much. Lightly sprinkle.

In a medium sized bowl combine tomatoes, onion/shallot,  corn, oil , chili powder, cumin and a little more salt and pepper ( app. 1/4 -1/2 tsp. more salt and 1/4 tsp. pepper) Toss to coat. Spread tomato mixture around the fish in the baking pan. Roast uncovered, app. 15-18 minutes or until fish flakes easily and is cooked through. Cooking time will depend on the thickness of your fish so you should check on it after 15 minutes.

Meanwhile in a small bowl , stir together lime zest, lime juice, and honey

When fish is done to your liking remove fish to a platter. Brush fish with honey mixture. Add  cilantro to tomatoes in pan, stirring gently to combine all ingredients. Top fish with tomato mixture and if you’d like a little more cilantro this would be a good time to add it.

 

 

 

 

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Winner Winner Chicken Dinner-Mustard and Balsamic

Posted on April 18, 2018 | 6 comments
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Chicken in Marinade for 1/2 hour

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Chicken finished cooking

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plated chicken

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Lemon and chopped Rosemary

IMG_7545 I made this for dinner the other night and I have to say it was very delicious. I used boneless skinless chicken thighs, of course you can use any cut of chicken you’d like.  All I needed was the chicken and the fresh rosemary.  I had all the other ingredients on hand. You will need to marinate for about 1/2 hour and cooking time is about an hour, no need to marinate over night which is part of what I loved about this recipe.  Balsamic Vinegar and Dijon Mustard and a few other easily obtainable ingredients make this a no fuss recipe.  This recipe is for 8 boneless skinless thighs but feel free to double it up, I used about 10 thighs . It would be perfect on the grill as well. I used my oven and I have to say we both loved this recipe.

The chicken would also be wonderful on day 2 as a leftover in a salad!

Enjoy!

Ingredients:

8 boneless chicken thighs

1 Tbsp. Dijon Mustard ( make it heaping)

1/4 cup of Balsamic Vinegar

1/2 cup of Olive Oil

2 tbsp. fresh lemon juice ( I average lemon)

2 Tbsp. Fresh Rosemary chopped

1 garlic clove, minced

app.  1/4 tsp. of kosher salt, I just sprinkled lightly over the chicken and about 6 grinds on the pepper mill. If you’re doubling recipe you will obviously need more salt and pepper

Directions:

In a bowl, combine the mustard, vinegar, garlic, rosemary and lemon juice. Slowly add in the olive oil with the mixture while you whisk–to emulsify.

Place the chicken in a container or Pyrex  (don’t use metal). I sprinkled about 1/4 teaspoon of kosher salt over the chicken tops.  Pour the marinade over the chicken. I left it out for 1/2 hour and let it marinate, you can refrigerate it.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

Transfer the chicken to a sprayed ( cooking spray ) baking dish and empty any remaining sauce on top of it.

Place in the oven and bake for 1 hour , or until the chicken is cooked through. It got a nice crust without drying out the chicken after one hour. Depending on your oven and the size of your chicken 1 hour should do it. If you’re working with breasts you’ll have to cut into chicken after 50 minutes to check for doneness depending on the size of your breasts. Haven’t tried it on the grill yet but I can’t imagine this would be anything but delicious, just don’t burn it up!!!!!

Once cooked I spooned a little cooked marinade over the chicken and rice!

Yummy!

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Springtime in a Bowl – Shrimp, Asparagus and Tomato Pasta

Posted on April 16, 2018 | 1 comment

Springtime in a Bowl to brighten up this dreary Monday . Try it !

cookingwithcandi's avatarCooking with Candi

It is really Springtime now even if it is feeling cooler than it should today in NY. That being said it is still Spring and it just makes you want to lighten up the menu a bit and my mind immediately goes to asparagus!  This recipe is a variation on my Summertime Tomato Pasta. I wanted to use some of those beautiful asparagus out there. Even though I knew Joel would pick them out , I still made this dish. The asparagus are large enough for him to easily pick out and put on my plate. This dish is light and delicious and pretty quick to prepare. It is like springtime in a bowl!  There are so very many things to do with asparagus but this just appealed to me tonite and if you leave the shrimp out you have a lovely vegetarian pasta dish and if you leave the pasta out you have a super light…

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Springtime Shrimp, Orzo and Herbs

Posted on April 7, 2018 | 1 comment
shrimp in the bowl
plated up
plated up

While this dish is really a mediterranean flavored dish it makes me think of the spring with all its green colors and fresh flavors. Even though it is still pretty cold here in the Northeast I am officially done with Winter. So why not lighten up the menu? I am in a Spring mind-set now and this recipe screams Spring! If you didn’t catch this recipe the first time around here it is again.

The shrimp gets a roasted treatment and the orzo gets it’s flavor from the lemons, feta, dill, scallions and red onions. Yum! It had me at hello. The original recipe is from Ina Garten and this recipe as is should serve 5- 6 nicely. I cut this recipe in 1/2 for the two of us. Simple, easy and delicious that’s the way I like it!
Enjoy and obviously this dish is delicious and right for all times of the year. What’s especially nice about this dish is that it can be served at room temperature which makes it a lovely dish for a luncheon as well. This will be a keeper throughout the summer for a delicious flavorful orzo salad. I have to add that I put this dish together rather quickly which always adds to my general love of a recipe.

You can also modify the amounts of herbs if you don’t enjoy the strong flavors of dill, scallions and onions. My husband is a very fussy eater who usually balks at the sight of anything green thoroughly enjoyed this dish without picking out a single piece of the green stuff! If you don’t like the strong flavor of dill this recipe will probably not be for you but if you enjoy dill, parsley, onion, scallions and cucumbers this is the one for you.

Ingredients:

This is the original recipe and should serve 6 very nicely. I cut in 1/2 and we had a little left over.

Kosher Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper– amounts are listed below in directions

Olive Oil – amounts listed below in directions

3/4 lb. orzo pasta

1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (app. 3 lemons)

2 lbs. shrimp – peeled and deveined . I used Jumbo Shrimp had the fish store peel and de-vein it and I had app. 14 pieces to the pound.

1 cup thinly sliced scallions, white and green parts–this will probably be 2 bunches of scallions

1 cup chopped fresh dill

1 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

1 hothouse cucumber, unpeeled, seeded and medium diced– I scooped out the seeds with a melon baller

1/2 cup small-diced red onion

3/4 lb good feta cheese, cut into cubes

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Prepare all the ingredients while orzo is cooking.

Cook orzo according to the box for al dente. Drain and pour into a large bowl.

Whisk together the lemon juice , 1/2 cup olive oil, 2 teaspoons salt and 1 teaspoon pepper. Pour over the hot pasta and stir well.

Meantime, place the shrimp on a sprayed sheet pan, drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. ( I mix the shrimp with clean hands and get the olive oil all over the shrimp then sprinkle with Salt and Pepper) Then spread in a single layer. Roast for 5-6 minutes till shrimp are cooked through. Do not Over-cook!!! shrimp will turn pink and curl up.

Add the cooked shrimp to the orzo and then add the scallions, dill, parsley, cucumber, onion and start with 1 teaspoon of kosher salt and add more if necessary, and app. 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of black pepper–obviously every one has different taste buds for salt and pepper but taste as you go. Toss well. Then add the feta and stir carefully. (remember that the shrimp has salt and so does the feta)

You can eat and enjoy immediately like we did or allow the flavors to seal in for an hour at room temperature. This would make for a lovely salad in the warmer months served at room temperature. If you make ahead and put in the refrigerator–bring to room temperature and taste for seasonings before serving. This would be fine to make ahead of time as long as you bring it to room temperature before serving .

 

 

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You don’t have to be Jewish to love Matzo Brei

Posted on April 3, 2018 | Leave a comment

One of our all time favorite Breakfast Foods during Passover . It’s so good you may want to eat throughout the year. Yum!

cookingwithcandi's avatarCooking with Candi

It’s all about the Matzo. Matzo and Eggs or so it seems. I always loved Matzo Brei since I’m a little girl, and I always wondered why it is that we only eat this delicious concoction during Passover.  It’s such a delicious treat why don’t we eat it more often? In our house we usually eat it till the matzo runs out. Usually for the week of Passover, then we stop. It’s so good. Everyone has their own little special spin on it.  Before I met Joel I always ate my matzo brei sweet with maple syrup sort of a matzo french toast. Joel loves it crispy and salty with a lot of pepper and since I know him he always asks for it this way. I sort of grew to love it this way as well. What’s not to love?  You definitely don’t have to be Jewish to love…

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Passover Popovers

Posted on March 29, 2018 | Leave a comment

Super easy and Super light and delicious. Give this one a try. These are delicious during Passover with some preserves in the morning as well as with your Seder Meal. Enjoy and Happy Passover Cooking from my kitchen to yours. I used a muffin tin and it worked out perfectly. Bake these light airy treats for your Seder to rave reviews. One per person is perfect , this recipe yielded 9 popovers. photo20130321-113701.jpg photo

Ingredients:

1 cup cake meal

4 eggs — always work with room temperature eggs unless otherwise stated for best results

1 tsp. salt

1 Tbsp. sugar

1 cup water

1/2 cup peanut oil

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Mix the cake meal, salt and sugar in a bowl.

Bring oil and water to a boil, add cake meal mixture and remove from stove.

Beat in one egg at a time and mix a lot. It will be thick.

Allow to stand for 15 minutes.

Drop into a well-greased muffin or popover tin using a tablespoon to 3/4 full. I spray with cooking spray . I used a Canola Oil baking spray, or lightly grease pan with canola oil.

Bake at 400 degrees for 35 minutes till medium golden brown. I placed pan in the center of the oven .

Warm before serving if desired.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Traditional Ashkenazi Charoset–Apple/Walnut

Posted on March 28, 2018 | 1 comment

DSCN2703This is my easiest Charoset. It’s traditional in the sense that it’s an Ashkenazi (Eastern European) recipe. I add a little brown sugar instead of white sugar and it gives it just a bit more character. This makes about 4 cups, but you can easily double it. My family loves it, so I always make a double batch. Remember, while a reminder of the mortar used in making bricks for Pharaoh, charoset is really just a sweet condiment of apples and wine!

Ingredients:

3 medium Fuji apples (or any other kind you like), peeled, cored and finely diced (use processor to make your life simpler) I usually use whatever is in the house, but on Passover I go through so many apples, so buy what you like (I always like Granny Smith because they are nice and tart)

1 1/2 cups walnuts, chopped (buy them pre-chopped)

1/2 cup sweet red wine such as Manischewitz Extra Heavy Malaga or just Concord Grape is fine

*20 pitted dates, chopped; or 1/2 cup golden raisins (optional)

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 tablespoon packed brown sugar

*for a bit of extra added flavor you can add 1/2 teaspoon of powdered ginger (optional)

Directions:

After chopping apples, stir all ingredients in a large bowl. Keep in refrigerator ’til ready to serve. Serve at room temperature. You can also pulse everything together in processor, just be very careful not to over-process. I often do this to save time. You don’t want it too fine, so just go gently with the processor if you go that route. I do it in the processor, and I know exactly how I like it to come out, so go easy with the chopping.  If it’s a little dry or too thick, you can always add more wine. I find this always tastes better after it sits and allows the wine  to really soak and ripen for 24 hours. Before serving, check for consistency and add a little more wine, if necessary.

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Posted in condiment, Holiday Recipes, Passover Recipes, Raw, sides, vegetarian

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Chicken Marbella–perfect for Passover

Posted on March 27, 2018 | 1 comment

This is by far one of my most favorite chicken dishes that I make for the Holidays. It’s a great chicken dish for anytime really. 👍🏻👍🏻

cookingwithcandi's avatarCooking with Candi

This recipe is my “go to” chicken. I’ve made it almost every Passover since I found it. The original recipe is from the”Silver Palate” cookbook. It was many winters ago that I first had it at my friend Susan’s house.  It has been a staple on my holiday table ever since. Not to say that it is not a recipe for every other day of the year and week, because it’s perfect for anytime. There is also the Brisket recipe that I posted during Rosh Hashana which is on the website, as well as the Honey Roasted Chicken, and Meatballs which all work well for this holiday. I usually make the Chicken Marbella and the meatballs as another dish.

Enjoy!

*The key to this recipe is the overnight marination, which is essential to the moistness of the chicken.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup olive oil

1/2 cup red wine vinegar

1 cup pitted…

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