Author Archives: cookingwithcandi

Chicken and Potatoes in one Pan

Posted on June 29, 2015 | 2 comments

photo 1 (2) photo 1 (3) photo 3 (2) photo 3 photo 4 (2) photo 4This is one of those awesome one pan meals which I absolutely love to make and couldn’t be more perfect for the cold winter nights ahead. Not to mention a snow storm about to hit NY where we are now.  I am still cooking my way through Jessica Seinfeld’s ” Can’t Cookbook” even though I can cook. I happen to be a huge fan of one pot meals and I love how easy it is to clean up afterwards.  The chicken crisped up beautifully and the potatoes were out of this world.  The coriander flavor is very strong and is very distinct. If you know ahead of time that you’re not a fan I guess this one isn’t for you although I would maybe try it with a rub of spices like paprika, garlic powder and salt and pepper.  The cooking method is important here, you’ll need a large oven-proof skillet. Give this one a try you won’t be sorry. It tasted as good as it looks. Enjoy and thanks to Jessica Seinfeld for another great recipe.

www.doitdelicious.com

The Can’t Cook Book by Jessica Seinfeld

Ingredients:

1 yellow onion sliced into thin slices

1/2 cup water

app. 5 medium-sized Yukon Gold or Russet Potatoes ( 1 1/4 lbs. app. )

1 Tablespoon olive oil

2 Tablespoons fresh Rosemary Leaves ( I used about 3 sprigs)

1 1/2 tsp. kosher salt

3/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

4 bone-in , skin-on chicken thighs (small ones) app. 1 1/4- 1 1/2 lbs.

4 chicken drumsticks (app. 1 lb.)

1 Tablespoon ground coriander

Directions:

Heat the oven to 425 degrees. Get out a large oven-proof skillet.

Thinly slice the onion and scatter over the bottom of skillet. I sprayed with cooking spray first as I always do. Add the water over the onions. Wash but don’t peel potatoes and slice them into 1/4″ rounds. Lay the potato slices right over the onions, over-lapping as necessary. Drizzle with the olive oil. Wash and dry the rosemary sprigs and sprinkle over the potatoes , just the leaves which you’ll pull from the rosemary sprigs. Sprinkle 1 tsp. salt and  1/4 tsp. of pepper as well.

I wash the chicken and pat it dry with paper towels. In a small bowl you will combine the coriander and the remaining 1/2 tsp. of Salt and 1/2 tsp. pepper. Using your hands rub the spices all over the chicken on both sides. Lay the chicken , skin side up, over the potatoes. Remember to always wash your hands after handling raw chicken and before touching any other foods you may come in contact with.

Roast until the chicken is cooked through, you can always cut into a piece to make sure it’s no longer pink. The potatoes should be tender after about an hour. These were some delicious potatoes! Perfection on a plate.

Continue reading →

2 Comments

Posted in chicken

Tagged , , ,

Summertime Fresh Tomato Sauce–no cook sauce

Posted on June 27, 2015 | 2 comments

IMG_7930 (2)FullSizeRender (3)Nothing better than a really fresh tomato sauce , so fresh that you don’t even have to cook it. Just let the tomatoes marinate for a few hours with some olive oil , basil and a few spices and you’re good to go. So very easy and delicious. A must go-to for summertime and why not anytime? The only down side to making this sauce is that I really feel it needs to marinate in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours and really 4 hours is best. You can taste for salt and pepper during this period.

The other delicious thing to do with this is to add small balls of mozzarella and make a wonderful Caprese salad. I also love this tomato sauce on grilled chicken. And on grilled bread as bruschetta!!!

This recipe is sort of thrown together so there will be a lot of tasting as you go along, depending on the tomatoes you may or may not need extra salt and pepper. I made this for my grandson so I left out the crushed red pepper, if I were making for us I would have thrown in at least 1/2 teaspoon.  Crushed red pepper can always be added at the table.

*This should make about 6 servings, you can adjust to any amount you need, I used 1/2 for the 2 of us .

Ingredients:

app. 3 pints of grape tomatoes ( the little ones), you can use any beautiful fresh tomatoes especially in the summer months.  You’ll just have to eyeball the amounts of tomatoes. I like the pieces cut small but you can just roughly chop up larger tomatoes. If you’re using cherry or plum tomatoes you can cut in half or quarters. It’s not an exact science.

1/2 cup olive oil

app. 4 cloves garlic , minced ( you can adjust this to your liking, a little more or less)

app. 18 basil leaves plus extra for serving. Nothing beats the taste of fresh basil in this so don’t omit. You’ll want extra for serving. I roll up the basil and use a kitchen shear to slice it.

*this is optional –1/2 teaspoon of crushed red pepper–we love it but adjust to your liking or just serve on the table

Kosher Salt–app. 1 teaspoon and then you’ll taste for more

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper–again you’ll have to taste and adjust to your own liking

1 pound pasta of your liking , I like a thin spaghetti best with this sauce. Angel Hair, Cappelini, any of these.

1 cup Fresh Grated Parmesan Cheese, plus extra for serving.

Directions:

Combine the tomatoes, 1/2 cup olive oil, garlic, basil leaves, red pepper, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and just let it sit out on the countertop . The longer it sits the better, at least 2 hours to macerate and 4 hours would be ideal.

Just before you are ready to serve, cook pasta. Cook al dente according to the box directions. Angel Hair cooks up in under 5 minutes.

Drain the pasta and add to the bowl with the tomatoes. Add in 1 cup of parmesan cheese and some more fresh basil if you’d like and toss well. Serve in big bowls with extra cheese on the side . Cheese will melt, so keep giving it some good tosses to integrate tomatoes and sauce.

Yum!

2 Comments

Posted in Raw, Sauce, vegan, vegetables, vegetarian

Cold Noodles with Sesame Sauce (Jewish Girls can cook Chinese Food too)

Posted on June 25, 2015 | Leave a comment

FullSizeRenderThis is one of my old tried and true recipes and also one of our family’s all time favorites.   I will be making this delicious side dish for our Father’s Day Barbecue.  Perfect for a large get together and totally tasty. There are a lot of ingredients but it is very easy to put together and it’s always a hit! I made the sauce a day ahead which I highly recommend doing, it gives flavors a chance to really come together.  I had all the ingredients in the house and day of I will cook the noodles and mix together. If making sauce ahead of time , take it out of refrigerator and let the sauce sit at room temperature before mixing with noodles. I used 1 teaspoon of cayenne, but because I wasn’t sure of everyone’s taste buds for hot and spicy I left out the chili oil. If you want it spicier you can always add some hot chili oil, or more cayenne pepper.  You can actually make the sauce a few days ahead of time. Enjoy this oldie but goodie. I have played around with the recipe a lot, and have found these ingredients work the best for me. I also like to put a little fresh cilantro on the side for those who love it ( like me) and don’t leave out the chopped peanuts they give it that extra yummy crunch. Enjoy!

Ingredients: 

1 lb. linguine or spaghetti ( or you can use Chinese egg noodles)

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

7 tablespoons Peanut Butter ( creamy ) by the way I always use the low-fat one, it’s perfectly fine

2/3 cup warm water

6 tablespoons soy sauce ( use low sodium)

2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar

2 tablespoons sesame oil

1/2 to 1 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper, or more to specific taste

1 tablespoon sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh garlic

3 to 4 scallions , finely chopped

*1 sliced cucumber, peeled, seeded, and julienned (optional) but tasty and crunchy

*fresh cilantro chopped (optional)

*sprinkle of chopped peanuts ( optional) but extra added crunch if you have them on hand

*dash of hot chili oil ( to taste) I usually just throw in a dash of this.

Directions:

In a small mixing bowl, using a fork or a small wire whisk, beat the peanut butter together with the water until it is smooth. Add the soy sauce, vinegar, sesame oil, cayenne pepper, sugar, and salt. Beat till smooth. If you’re adding hot chili oil this is when you would add that.

Add the chopped garlic, and stir well. Because I was using it the next day, I left out scallions till I cooked pasta .

Cook pasta according to directions. Drain immediately and rinse under cold water, until noodles are cooled down sufficiently. Place noodles in a large bowl, drizzle with the 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil and toss well. Refrigerate noodles until you are ready to serve. About an hour or so before I am ready to serve, I pour sauce over noodles and mix well. Make sure sauce has been left out at room temperature for a while till it’s not too cold.  Add the scallions and cucumbers and mix well. Right before serving you can sprinkle the cilantro and chopped peanuts if you like. I pour about 2/3 of the sauce over noodles and mix well, adding more sauce as I feel necessary. I definitely didn’t use all of the sauce that I made, add slowly and taste as you go along.  Right before serving I usually add some more sauce, but leave it out at room temperature. This is a deadly go to leftover the next day.

Leave a comment

Posted in pasta

Tagged , ,

Spicy Stir-Fried Asparagus with or without chicken/shrimp

Posted on June 23, 2015 | Leave a comment

Originally posted back in June 2012. If you missed this wonderful stir-fry check it out. I just love a good stir-fry and so easy to make with any protein you like and really any of your favorite vegetables. Enjoy Summer Cooking!

cookingwithcandi's avatarCooking with Candi

This recipe caught my eye in the NY Times cooking section . The spicy part was what intrigued me the most. I usually make stir fry with a variety of ingredients and use sesame oil. This recipe calls for vegetable oil, and I  just used 2  tablespoons.  You may need to add a little more oil, so add as needed. I made this with just asparagus and brown rice, and chicken. It would be great with shrimp as well. I highly recommend it both ways, and now that the asparagus is so sweet it’s the best time. I have to admit I used a lot of seeds from the jalapeno and it was kick ass, you can remove most of the seeds of the jalapeno and just chop up the pepper, or any other fresh hot chile ( serrano). If you don’t like it spicy , omit the pepper all together and add…

View original post 486 more words

Leave a comment

Posted in Uncategorized

Pasta with Avocado and Tomatoes–Fresh and Easy

Posted on June 19, 2015 | Leave a comment

What a wonderful pasta to make using delicious avocadoes! Fresh and easy as can be. Big thumbs up for summer cooking at it’s easiest. I love pasta and I love avocado– what more can you ask for and a no-cook sauce all at the same time! Enjoy for lunch or dinner.

cookingwithcandi's avatarCooking with Candi

IMG_4523 (2)IMG_4528photo 5 (54)photo 3 (73) Thinking about what to make for dinner and I find myself with some tomatoes, some avocados and I always have pasta. Don’t want to go out, don’t want to really cook a lot and I had lemons and garlic. I love avocados, its possibly my most favorite fruit yes, it is technically considered to be a fruit.  I sometimes have them for breakfast , lunch and dinner . I don’t care, I love them. So for all of you avocado people this one is for you for sure.  I think this whole thing took me all of 20 minutes from start to finish. I used 1/2 a box of spaghetti so I would double for 1 lb. Hate to admit it but I ate almost the whole thing by myself. It was that good! The avocado made like a creamy sauce using a little pasta water which is key . Enjoy! this is my new…

View original post 258 more words

Leave a comment

Posted in Uncategorized

Chicken and Peppers

Posted on June 16, 2015 | 1 comment

IMG_7686IMG_7680IMG_7683IMG_7676IMG_7672I love cooked peppers, probably more than raw peppers. This recipe cooks down the peppers till they are delectably soft and they throw off all their delicious flavors into the chicken that’s cooking along with it. I was not prepared for how really tasty this was going to be. Just another chicken dish –it wasn’t. I don’t like raw green pepper but I love cooked green peppers. I used orange, red, green and yellow because I love the way it looked with all the colors. I suppose a little sliced onion would be great in there too because nothing I love better than peppers and onions but this time out I did it with just peppers. Another winning recipe fromDo it Delicious with Jessica Seinfeld. Give this one a try unless you really really don’t like peppers. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

8 bone-in skin-on chicken thighs ( you can easily modify amount of chicken) for some reason my chicken thighs from the butcher were enormous so I used less. For 4 people you’ll want at least 8 thighs.

1 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, divided 3/4 tsp. + 1/2 tsp.

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper ( divided 1/4 tsp. + 1/4 tsp. )

1 Tablespoon Extra-Virgin Olive Oil

4-5 mixed bell pepper (app. 2 lbs) they cook down a lot

3 cloves garlic minced

1/4 cup white wine vinegar

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper

1/2 cup water

Directions:

Rinse and pat dry the chicken thighs using paper towels. Measure the 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and season chicken with it on both sides.

Place a large skillet on the stove and turn the heat on to medium-high. Add the oil and after about a minute when it starts to shimmer, place the chicken skin-side down in the hot oil. Cook until the skin is golden brown in color and crisp, this can take about 10-12 minutes. Flip using tongs so as not to pierce the skin.

While the chicken is cooking, chop the garlic.

Slice the peppers in half and remove the stem, seeds, and white membranes. Slice into 1/2 inch thick strips. Make sure you wash your peppers and dry them before cutting.

When the chicken has finished cooking, use tongs to transfer to a clean plate. I had enough oil to continue cooking if not you can add a little now, I didn’t have to add any more oil. Add the pepper and cook, stirring and scraping up the brown bits from the bottom of the skillet. Peppers should take about 5 minutes to soften. Stir in the garlic and cook a little longer ( 2 minutes or more) You will be cooking over a medium-low heat.

Add the vinegar, then add the oregano, crushed red pepper and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Add the water and bring to a boil. Place the chicken back into skillet nestling it into the peppers. Let everything just simmer together until the chicken is fully cooked all of the way through. I cooked it on a low simmer for about 20 minutes. If your pan gets dry you can add a little more water (maybe 1/4 cup) You can cut into a piece of chicken to check for doneness –no body likes a rubber piece of chicken.

Perfection on a plate, chicken and peppers .  Would be delicious with rice or potatoes.

1 Comment

Posted in chicken

Tagged , , ,

Orzo with Feta, Tomatoes and Mint

Posted on June 13, 2015 | Leave a comment

IMG_7873IMG_7872 IMG_7864 IMG_7863Totally delicious and fresh tasting that’s what this is. Looking for an easy,  fresh side dish?  This could be it. It’s very easy and took about 1/2 hour to make whole recipe and I served it alongside Mustard Glazed Salmon for dinner. Mint gives this dish the most wonderful layer of flavor, don’t leave it out. Tastes and looks like Summertime in a bowl.  Easy, quick and packed full of flavor, you can even add crushed red pepper for a little heat if you like.

Perfection!!!!

Ingredients:

1 pound orzo pasta

1/4 cup olive oil plus 1/8 cup olive oil

1 medium shallot, finely chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

1 pint cherry tomatoes, quartered

1 cup or more feta cheese use as much or as little as you like but at least 1 cup for that tang and bite. I used crumbled feta which makes it a little easier to work with. Block of Feta is fine and equally delicious, you’ll just have to cut it up.

1 cup or more arugula ( I used a little more) but use at least 1 cup

1/2 cup fresh mint , chopped ( don’t omit)

3 Tablespoons white balsamic vinegar

1 teaspoon kosher salt ( you may want to taste before adding this , I used 1 teaspoon )

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper ( you may want to taste before adding this as well, this is what I did)

Directions:

Prepare orzo according to box directions for al dente and make sure you add salt to water

While the pasta is cooking, heat 1/4 cup of the olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium-low heat. Add the shallots and garlic, and sauté until the shallots soften and the garlic is fragrant, about 3 minutes on a very low heat. Be careful not to burn! Add the cherry tomatoes, and then heat for another few minutes and then I put heat on the lowest setting and let tomatoes just sit on stove-top while orzo cooked. ( about 5 more minutes)

Add tomato mixture to a large bowl along with the feta, arugula, mint and balsamic vinegar.

Drain the orzo and allow to cool a little bit. Add it to the bowl, and drizzle app. 1/8 of a cup of olive oil. Toss well . Taste for Salt and Pepper, I added 1 teaspoon kosher salt and 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper. Adjust seasoning to your taste.  I put it in refrigerator till we ate dinner, it can be served cold or warm, delicious either way.

Toss and Serve.

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Leave a comment

Posted in Healthy Cooking with Candi, pasta, vegetables

Tagged , , , ,

Herb Grilled Chicken–Simple and Speedy

Posted on June 11, 2015 | Leave a comment

IMG_6847 IMG_6841 IMG_6835 IMG_6834 IMG_6829Nothing fancy going on here , just really delicious tasty chicken on the grill in the house or outside. If doing outside just watch closely because nobody likes burnt up chicken. I did it on the grill pan this time and it was just perfect, light and tasty. Just what you might be looking for when you have run out of ideas for dinner. Serve with a salad for a perfect weeknight meal. Simple and Speedy!!!! my kind of meal.

*can easily be doubled up

Ingredients:

4 chicken cutlets app. 1 1/2 lbs. of thin cutlets ( I prefer them a little thinner)

1 teaspoon chopped fresh flat-leaf Italian parsley

1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme

1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary

1 teaspoon olive oil

1 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 lemon quartered

Directions:

Wash and pat dry the chicken cutlets. Mix together all the dry ingredients and  the olive oil, then coat chicken on both sides with mixture. Heat up the grill pan over medium-high heat ( I brushed a drop of olive oil to grill pan) My chicken breasts cooked up pretty quickly ( about 5 minutes each side) you want to get them browned with grill marks but not dried out. You can always check by cutting into chicken after 5 minutes, just keep an eye on them. Cooking time really depends on your pan and the size of your chicken breasts. Use tongs to flip over chicken.

Serve on plate with lemon .  I like a little squeeze of lemon over my chicken.

Leave a comment

Posted in chicken

Tagged , ,

Avocado Salad with Corn and Tomatoes –Fresh and Delicious

Posted on June 8, 2015 | 2 comments

DSCN0190 DSCN0195 DSCN0194 DSCN0199It’s June so let’s break out the delicious summer food. This is a most perfect summer salad and it is a vegetarian delight . It is totally vegan. I am not a vegan but totally love this salad with all it’s fresh flavors . I had 2 beautiful ripe avocados on hand and all the ingredients for this yummy salad.  I had some fresh corn so I just brought the water to a boil threw it in and when it turned yellow took it out and threw it in a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking.   Of course I love  jalapenos , use your own discretion and this would be amazing without as well but it was kick ass with them.  You can make the salad ahead and let juices meld but don’t add the avocados till you’re ready to serve.  You can give them a little squeeze of fresh lime juice so they won’t turn brown so fast.  I like to serve salad at room temperature, you just don’t get the flavors when it’s too cold. It will keep in fridge for a few days, but you’ll have to take out the leftover avocado since it will turn brown. I cut this salad in 1/2 for the 2 of us. This easily will serve 6 as a side. By the way Joel took a bite but too much healthy stuff going on in here for his liking, although he’s gotten better he’s not quite up to this yet, it’s OK because there was more for me with leftovers.

I was inspired for this recipe from the Barefoot Contessa recipe for Guacamole Salad. The corn was my idea.

Ingredients:

2 cobs of fresh corn ( cook and then shuck corn off the cob) if no fresh corn available use frozen . I use frozen when I have to and 1 small bag is usually sufficient. The frozen corn will defrost very quickly so just take it out and when you mix in with other ingredients it will start to completely thaw by the time you’re ready to serve. You want to serve at room temperature anyway.

1 pint grape tomatoes , halved

1 yellow bell pepper, seeded and diced into small pieces ( app. 1/2 “)

1 15 oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained

1/2 cup small diced red onion

2 tablespoons minced fresh jalapeno peppers, seeded ( app. 2 small jalapenos) use at your own discretion . Remove Seeds

1/2 teaspoon freshly grated lime zest

1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice ( 2 limes)

1/4 cup good olive oil

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon minced fresh garlic

1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper

2 ripe Hass avocados, seeded, peeled and cut into small cubes.

Directions:

Place the tomatoes, yellow pepper, black beans, red onion, jalapeno peppers, and lime zest in a large bowl. Whisk together the lime juice, olive oil, salt and pepper, garlic and cayenne pepper. Pour over the vegetables. Toss well. In the meanwhile cook the corn , bring water to a boil throw in for a few minutes to turn bright yellow, then I throw in a bowl of ice water for a few minutes to stop the cooking and lock in flavor and color. Then remove corn from cob. I let the salad sit for about an hour before adding avocados into the salad. Just fold avocados into the salad when you’re ready to serve. Check for seasoning and serve at room temperature.

2 Comments

Posted in Healthy Cooking with Candi, Raw, Salad, salad dressing, sides, vegan, vegetables, vegetarian

Tagged , , , ,

Triple Berry Crisp–Gluten Free

Posted on June 7, 2015 | Leave a comment

IMG_7716 IMG_7709 (2) IMG_7702 IMG_7698 I love sugar as much if not more than the next guy but this was an opportunity to make a berry crisp without any white sugar or flour.  I stumbled upon this recipe on one of the million blogs, sites and posts I see spouting Paleo and Gluten Free recipes. I am not a paleo eater nor am I gluten free but it can’t hurt to have a recipe that is light on the sugar and fairly healthy to boot. If you would like it a little bit sweeter you can add a tablespoon of coconut sugar or a packet of stevia, I didn’t and I liked it just the way it was.  It intrigued me since I love a crisp but hate the amounts of sugar that go into it, even though I do love eating it.

I had some fresh blueberries, some fresh blackberries and a few random raspberries that were going to go uneaten . What better time to try this? You can make this with just blueberries, or any berry or fruit you like. Berries are in abundance now and super delicious. This recipe took me all of 1/2 hour to put together. Use cooking spray on ramekins and baking sheet or use parchment paper for easier clean-up.  I used 4 ramekins but you can stretch this to 6 for sure.

I just sampled and can say that while they are not cloyingly sweet they have a bit of sweetness and crunch and you can really taste the tartness of the berries. I wouldn’t mind topping with some  ice cream or yogurt but I guess that would be defeating the purpose. There are some wonderful dairy-free ice creams out there and I suppose they would work just fine.

Just an addition– I ate it for breakfast this morning!!! with a little greek yogurt!

Ingredients:

app. 2 pints of berries — as I said you can mix them or use any one you like best. I used black, blue and raspberries. This can be made with apples, peaches, strawberries , nectarines and any combination of the above. I like making them in individual ramekins as a way of having portions already prepared which I think is very nice for dessert but equally nice made in a larger baking dish and you may need to double up on ingredients.

Ingredients:

Juice of 1 lemon

1 cup almond flour–available in most supermarkets today ( Whole Foods)

*1/2 cup slivered almonds–obviously can be made without nuts but I love the crunch

1/4 cup coconut oil, melted

2 tbsp. maple syrup ( use pure maple not the artificial one)

1 tsp. cinnamon

pinch of nutmeg

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees

In a bowl, mix together the berries with the lemon juice. Divide between the ramekins ( spray ramekins first) you can also bake this in one large baking dish of course.

You can use the same bowl or a new one, and mix together remaining ingredients until combined. Spoon the almond mixture over the berries. Bake for app. 30 minutes , until bubbly and golden brown. Mine were done in 25 minutes so check your oven after 20 minutes to see where they’re at.

Let it cool slightly before serving.

Leave a comment

Posted in Baked Goods, dessert, fruit cobblers, Gluten-Free, Healthy Cooking with Candi, low calorie cooking, non dairy

Tagged , , ,