One "Pot" Wednesdays: Tomato Feta Tart

A couple of weeks ago, I made this delicious heirloom tomato tart. I'm posting it for One Pot Wednesday since this was so easy....but technically there is no "pot" involved.

All you need is:
2 sheets of Puff Pastry
~15-20 cherry tomatoes, sliced (i used heirloom tomatoes)
1/4 to 1/2 cup of crumbled feta (guesstimate amount to our liking)
~ 10 leaves of fresh basil, sliced thin
1 egg

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Lightly flour your working surface.
3. Make an egg wash with 1 beaten egg and about a tablespoon of water. 
4. Take one sheet of puff pastry and cut strips about 1 inch wide. 
5. Build a box like shown below with the strips around the edge of the 2nd sheet. Place each sheet on the side and brush each layer with the egg wash to make it stick better.
6. Use a fork to poke holes all over the bottom of sheet so it doesn't puff up. 
7. Place the slices of tomato on the bottom, sprinkle with a little salt and pepper, drizzle with olive oil. 
8. Bake in the oven for about 25-30 min, the pastry will be just starting to puff and brown. 
9. Remove from oven, sprinkle with feta.
10. Place back in the oven for another 10-15 minutes and remove once the pastry has puffed and browned and the feta is slightly melted.
11. Sprinkle with basil, drizzle with a little olive oil. 
12. Enjoy!

This tart was super easy to make and soooo delicious and a perfect use for the box of heirloom cherry tomatoes I had sitting in the fridge....give this a try and stay consumed! 

One Pot Wednesday: Papaya Chicken

I know, I know...I've skipped this for 2 weeks...but it was a busy week at work...I think I worked like 60+ hours......and today isnt Wednesday...but I forgot yesterday was Wednesday cuz the work week started on Tuesday this week....lols.

So here is the one pot recipe for this week. I have thinking about making this for a while now....I think it came from the Cooking Channel....cant remember where I saw it now...

So I bought the papaya like over a week ago...it started to get pretty ripe...in fact, the 2nd papaya i bought was molding and kinda started to melt....so ummmm....eeeeeeeew.

The papaya I ended up using for this was pretty big...1 papaya was actually closer to 2 cups so I ended up making a double batch of this. The papaya are pretty easy to work with....Use a peeler to peel the skin, cut it into 4 pieces and scoop out the seeds and then cut the papaya into chunks.

The dish turned out pretty good.....I added a little bit of chili pepper flakes to give it a little bit of extra kick. The smoky-ness of the herbs (cumin, paprika, etc.) goes really well with the sweetness of the papaya and the tartness from the yogurt. I definitely would make this one again.

Ingredients:
2 tablespoon grapeseed oil (or olive oil)
1 onion, chopped
2 tablespoon grated garlic
1 tablespoon grated ginger
1 tablespoon cumin seeds
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 teaspoon fenugreek seeds
1 teaspoon paprika
2 lb chicken breast
1/2 cup yogurt
1 cup papaya chunks.

Directions:

1. Place a large skillet over medium-high heat and add the oil.
2. When the oil is hot, add the onion, garlic and ginger and saute until the onion is softened, about 4 minutes.
3. Add the cumin seeds, coriander, fenugreek seeds, and paprika and toast for 10 seconds
4. Add the chicken pieces and cook until it is nearly done, about 8 minutes.
5. Add the yogurt and finish cooking the chicken, about 2 more minutes
6. Stir in the papaya chunks.

See how easy that was! I would suggest serving it with roti, naan, or rice. Give it a try and let me know what you think...and as always....stay consumed!

One Pot Wednesday: Coconut Chicken Casserole

Sorry for missing Wednesday last week.....I am trying really hard to post at least one recipe a week....but alas! Life gets in the way some times....This week I have an easy thai coconut chicken casserole. Its delicious and super easy--rich, chicken, and veggies all get cooked in one pot!

Ingredients: 
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 Chicken legs (I ended up using boneless skinless chicken breasts ~3 lbs)
1 can light coconut milk
1.5 cups of chicken stock
1-2 teaspoon of Thai red curry paste (depends on how spicy you want it)
1 cup Jasmine rice
2 red bell peppers (cut into 1 in pieces)
8 oz of fresh green beans

Directions: 

1. In a 5-quart Dutch oven or heavy pot, heat oil over medium-high. 
2. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Working in two batches, cook chicken until browned, 6 to 8 minutes; transfer to a plate (chicken will cook more in step 2).
3. To pot, add coconut milk, broth, 1/2 cup water, and curry paste; bring to a boil, and stir in rice. 
4. Add chicken (with any juices), arranging pieces in a single layer. 
5. Cover, and reduce heat to medium-low. Cook, without stirring, until rice is almost tender, 15 minutes.
6. Scatter bell peppers and green beans on top of chicken mixture; cover, and cook until vegetables are crisp-tender, 8 to 10 minutes. 

Easy and Delicious! 

One Pot Wednesday: Crockpot Sundried Tomato Risotto

When I saw this recipe for making risotto in the crockpot on the Year of Slowing Cooking blog , I was rather intrigued....can you really make risotto in the crockpot??! I figured I would test it.

The recipe seems simple enough....4 ingredients:


1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes in oil
1 1/2 cup Arborio rice
4 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup shredded Swiss cheese (to add later) {I couldnt help it...I used Parmesan instead...I mean its risotto!)


Directions: 

1. Use a 4-quart slow cooker. Put the sundried tomatoes into the bottom of your slow cooker.
2. Add the rice and swirl it around in the oil, until the rice is well-coated. 
3. Add the chicken broth. 
4. Cover and cook on high for 2 to 4 hours, or until the rice is tender (if you're out of the house, set the timer for 2 hours, then check when you get home so you don't end up with gummy rice--you can always flip it to high if the rice is still crunchy).
5. Remove the lid of your cooker and stir in the cheese. Turn off the cooker and let the risotto sit for 10 minutes with the lid off before serving.

You know I cant leave well enough alone lols...so i sliced up 2 portabello caps and drops those in about 10 minutes before the rice was done.  You have to watch it.....because it will get gloppy pretty fast. I really liked the way this tasted....but both my mom and my brother said they thought it was too sour...i guess there are a couple of ways to make it less sour: 

1. Use less sundried tomato....but that means less flavor...
2. Add some chicken (you could use rotisserie chicken so you dont have to cook it separately)
3. Add a little bit of sugar
4. Ive also read that you could add alternating pinches of baking soda and sugar until its not so sour, but you cant taste the baking soda (Sounds interesting...but I'm curious if it will work)

Or you could just cook it this way....I liked it...but then again....I like really tart things. 

One Pot Wednesday: Chicken with Potato and Kale

I have some interesting things in the works for this blog.....the first being: One Pot Wednesdays.....every Wednesday I am going to post a 1 pot/pan/dish recipe.....first up this week: Chicken w/ Potato and Kale. Hopefully these recipes will give be easy enough that it inspires you to try them in your own kitchen.....and as always...stay consumed!

This Chicken with Potato and Kale is simple but flavorful.  You basically throw everything in a roasting pan and pop it in the oven. The veggies help keep the chicken moist. Give this a try...you wont be disappointed!

Ingredients:
8 chicken legs (I used the thighs....but you can also use whole chicken legs or chicken breasts. If you use the whole chicken leg or big chicken breasts, make a cut at the joint so the chicken will cook all the way through )
1.5 lb kale (I "cheated" and used the ones from the grocery store that have already been stemmed, cut, and washed)
1 medium onion sliced very thinly
1.5 lb potatoes, peeled and sliced about 1/4in thick
Olive Oil
Salt
Fresh Ground Pepper
Paprika
Lemon wedges (optional, for serving)

Directions: 

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees
2. In a large roasting pan toss the kale, potatoes, and onions with the olive oil, salt, and pepper. Make sure that the kale, potatoes, and onions are well coated with the olive oil. 
3. Sprinkle the chicken (top and bottom) with salt and pepper and paprika. I didn't really measure how much salt and pepper I used...just kind of guesstimated. Sprinkle generously with the salt and the paprika. 
4. Set the chicken in the pan on top of the vegetables (nestle them in a little bit)
5. Cover the pan with aluminum foil and put in the oven for 25 minutes
6. Remove the foil and cook for another 30 minutes
7. Serve the chicken and veggies with a lemon wedge for extra flavor.