Easter Weekend Mixed Grill

It was another orphan holiday for i♥toeat and friends this Easter weekend. Don’t cry, we made the most of it with booze, a mixed grill, and hockey – Go Canucks!

I contributed Rosemary & Garlic Roasted Potatoes. Simple enough I’m sure you can all figure out the recipe. I added lemon juice while they marinated and a little squeeze after they came out of the oven, yum!

TheGlutenFreeDom made a Greek salad, so delicious, so fresh! Much better than any store-bought version. We decided the key to great Greek salad is FRESH FETA and big fat juicy olives.

Last but certainly not least came the mixed grill, provided and cooked by Mr. Phil. What a great idea! We had a juicy steak, spicy SouthWest style chicken and my favourite, Maui Ribs. All the items came pre-seasoned/marinated (except the steak) so we can’t take credit for it but everything was delicious. Way to go Hamilton Beach Grill for turning another basement suit BBQ adventure into a success! Just goes to show you don’t need a fancy grill to get the job done … although if anyone wants to buy me a BBQ this summer I won’t protest!

Holy CRAP look at that steak! Aren't you jealous!?

Oh ya, and there was strawberries.

Ghanaian Peanut Soup

So, I’ve been having a love affair with peanut butter. Like Franks Red Hot Sauce, I’ve been putting that S#%@ on everything.

The soup is hearty and filling but not overly rich.The chicken stock and mashed potatoes evened out the peanut butter’s thickness and kept it from being too decadent ( if there is such a thing). I really enjoyed it, especially the hint of ginger! Oh, and the chicken was sooo tender!

Rice was the perfect side dish, it balanced out the spice and thickness, and the naan was good for sopping up the sauce. It wasn’t nearly spicy enough for me or Phil, so we added the chili pepper flakes to our bowls. Next time I make it I’ll add more spice during the cooking process.

There are quiet a few steps for making this but don’t let that scare you off!! It’s actually very easy to make, and once you’ve read over the steps you’ll see this can be made in 30 minutes.

The original recipe is from Kayotic Kitchen, and I encourage you to check out the beautiful photos she’s take. She has a lot of the step-by-step photos which made it easy to figure out what to do next. My kitchen has horrible lighting so I don’t take as many “making of” photos. Happy Eating!

adapted from Kayotic Kitchen

You Will Need:

1 large boneless skinless chicken breast
1 medium onion
1 chili pepper
1 clove of garlic
1 tbsp oil
1/2 tsp fresh ginger
1/2 cup peanut butter
1 cup mashed potatoes
1/2 cup sieved tomatoes
2 cups chicken stock
2 tbps sugar
1/2 tsp chili powder
1 tbsp parsley
1 green onion
salt to taste** ( The original recipe calls for 2 tbsp salt, which seems like a lot.  I used 1/4 tsp but use your own taste preferences)

What You Do:

Chop the onion and finely chop half of the chili pepper ( you’ll use the other half for garnish, so cut the chili pepper in small rings). I like spicy food so I made sure to put all the chili flakes into the sauce.

Chop the chicken breast into cubes and set aside.

Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large pot. Add onions and sauté on medium until slightly translucent, about 3 minutes. Add the chili pepper and crushed garlic (I used a garlic press, Kayotic Kitchen grated it) and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Finally, add you ginger and let ingredients cook another few minutes.

Next, add the 1/2 cup peanut butter, stirring it around a little to help it melt. When melted, add the mashed potatoes and sieved tomatoes. Stir until ingredients form a paste.

Slowly add your chicken stock, whisking as you go. Whisk until mixture is smooth and creamy.

Add 2 tbsp sugar, 1/2 tsp chili powder,  1/2 – 1 tbsp fresh parsley, and salt/pepper to taste.

Add chicken cubes and bring the pot to a boil. Turn the heat down to low and let it simmer for 15 -20 minutes or until chicken is tender and fully cooked.

Garnish with chili pepper, green onion, and fresh parsley (cilantro works well too). Voila!

Cajun Chicken Pasta

Last week my boyfriend made this zesty pasta dish on my birthday for the whole family (ten people!). This was the first recipe we ever cooked together way back in the day, so it was a sentimental meal as well as a delicious one. Not to mention a big hit with the rest of my family. The dish is easy to make (and impress with) and spice levels are adjustable.

Phil’s Cajun Chicken Pasta
Serves 2

4 oz. Linguini or fettuccine pasta
1 Skinless boneless chicken breasts
1 Large red bell pepper
1/2 Green bell pepper
1 Green onion
5 Mushrooms, sliced
2 Garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp Fresh dill
1 1/2 Cup heavy cream
1/2 Cup grated parmesan cheese
1 1/2 tbsp Cajun seasoning
1 tbsp Lemon juice
A generous dousing of Frank’s Original Red Hot Sauce, about 2 tbsp ( Or 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper)
Salt and pepper to taste

optional: 1/2 tsp basil or oregano

Directions
Cut chicken breasts into strips. In a large bowl combine chicken with minced garlic, lemon juice, pinch of salt and pepper, and sprinkle with cajun spices and a splash of olive oil. Set a side to marinate while preparing the other ingredients.

Bring lightly salted water to a boil in a medium-large pot. Add pasta, a splash of olive oil and cook until noodles are al dente. Drain and set aside.

While pasta cooks, wash and slice mushrooms. Slice red and green peppers into strips. Chop green onion.

In a large skillet heat butter or oil on medium heat. Add chicken and cook until the meat is no longer pink and juices run clear, about 5-7 minutes. Keep the temp on medium to lock in the flavours and keep chicken tender. When chicken is no longer pink add the sliced vegetables and cook another 3-5 minutes, or until the peppers are at a desired firmness.

Add cream to skillet. Stir in spices: 2 tbsp cajun seasoning, 1 tbsp dill, pepper to taste, 1/2 tsp basil or oregano (if using), 2 tbsp Franks Red Hot Sauce, salt to taste and another squirt of lemon juice. Heat through, reduce to simmer for about 5 minutes, or until desired thickness.

Add pasta and heat through. Stir in grated parmesan cheese, allowing it to melt before serving – or add more later. Enjoy!

My boyfriend and I decided Franks Red Hot Sauce is the key to this recipe; it  has an unparalleled flavour for hot sauce and blends nicely with the cajun spices. If you don’t trust me use cayenne pepper or paprika. But you should trust me.

Breakfast Biscuit Burger

Who doesn’t love a breakfast sandwich on a Sunday morning?! Today we woke up and decided to take the leftover buttermilk biscuits from last night and make  magnificent breakfast sandwiches. Yes, magnificent. The beauty of the Breakfast Biscuit Burger (thanks for the great name Phil!) is that you can tailor  it to your liking. I went for a fried egg, sliced chicken, spinach and marble cheese combo.Phil’s sandwich was sans egg, more hot sauce, and lots of sliced chicken. I also whipped up a spicy garlic aioli sauce with a few shakes of cayenne pepper and Franks Red Hot (we put that #$*% on everything).

For the perfect circular egg I used a cookie cutter. Placed the cutter in a buttered pan, cracked my egg inside and let it cook about two minutes. I then removed the cookie cutter and flipped the egg over to cook for another minute.

I don’t know if you can tell but the cookie cutter I used was a balloon shape. Or a speech bubble. The girls from The Little Yellow Kitchen made a Hungry Belly Breakfast Sandwich using Bobby Flay’s recipe for pork sausages and I think pairing the biscuits with Flay’s sausage patties would better suit the “breakfast burger” title I’ve christened these sandwiches, alas more preparation was needed and we were too hungry to go shopping! Enjoy the rest of your weekend everyone!