Copycat

I often eat tasty things when I'm out and about and think, "I bet I could make that" or "I wonder what their recipe is."  Luckily, that's where the internet comes in handy - the source of everything!  Of course sombody had already attempted a copy-cat recipe of a soup I enjoyed at Whole Foods recently. Here's an inexpensive and hearty, fresh twist on traditional chicken soup.

Lemon Chicken Artichoke Soup


2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Zest of one lemon
1/2 cup carrot, finely chopped
1/2 cup celery, finely chopped
1 yellow or white onion, finely chopped
 3 cloves minced garlic
1 teaspoon olive oil
Juice of one lemon
2 cups kale, finely chopped
1 can marinated artichoke hearts,chopped and drained.
3 teaspoons herbes de Provence
1 shake red pepper flakes (optional spice)
4 cups reduced sodium, gluten-free chicken broth
1 cup water
2 tablespoons tapioca or potato

Directions:

1.  In a medium pot, boil chicken breasts in water about 15 minutes until tender and mostly cooked.  Remove chicken and shred or chop forks.  Season chicken with pepper, and lemon zest.  Set aside. 
2. Drizzle the olive oil in the bottom of a large soup pot. Heat to medium-high. Add the carrot, celery, onion, and garlic to the hot oil and saute for 3-5 minutes until veggies have begun to soften. Add herbs and stir to release the fragrances.
3. Add chicken broth, lemon juice, and artichoke hearts to veggies in pot. Cover and bring to a boil. 
4. Add shredded chicken to pot, return to boil. 
5. Add water as needed to thin to desired consistency 
6. Create a roux using tapioca or potato startch and some warm water.  Stir into soup slowly to thicken to desired consistency. 
7. Simmer soup, covered, for 30+ minutes and test flavor.  Adjust as necessary.

Inspired by Whole Foods, 
adapted from http://anickelsworthofnews.blogspot.com/2014/02/lemon-chicken-artichoke-soup.html?m=1

~thanks for looking through my kitchen window~ 

Mmmm....Pumpkin Lattes

I'm not one of those crazy pumpkin people.  You know who they are, the people that count-down to Starbucks' annual release of the coveted pumpkin pie lattes each year.  The people that pay a little more for everything pumpkin flavored because I mean really, who could turn down trader joes O's - pumpkin flavored of course.  Since when did everything from Sept - Dec need to be pumpkin flavored? No, I'm not one of those crazies but I'm fascinated by them.

I've never actually had a Starbucks' pumpkin latte, but I heart they're tasty.  I also hear they're full of "natural and artificial flavorings" and there's really nothing pumpkin related within the syrup bottle.   I wondered what a true pumpkin spice latte would taste like.  After trying one at a local coffee shop which offered homemade pumpkin syrup, I figured it couldn't be that hard to make my own.

Oh, it wasn't hard at all.  And super delicious.
Lucky for my co-workers, it's now DIY pumpkin lattes at work because this recipe makes a full bottle of sauce.

Pumpkin Pie Latte Syrup

• 1/3 cup pumpkin puree (fresh or canned)
  
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 1/4 cups water
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon allspice

1. Combine all ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally to keep syrup from burning.
2. Let mixture cook together until it becomes syrup-y and begins to coat the spoon (for about 10-15 minutes), then remove from heat.
3. Refrigerate in a heat-proof container. The syrup will thicken a bit in the refrigerator, but will become syrup-y again when heated.
4. To make into a coffee drink, you can add equal parts of this syrup to dairy of your choice in the bottom of a mug and then add hot/cold coffee for enjoyment.

 Recipe from: http://domesticatedacademic.wordpress.com/2012/09/04/homemade-pumpkin-spice-latte-syrup/


~thanks for looking through my kitchen window~

Island Flavor

Back in June I was lucky enough to take a relaxing vacation with my sister Mary to the island of Jamaica.  We stayed at a wonderful eco-friendly retreat up in the mountains of Jamaica away from the touristy beaches.  Not only is Zimbali Retreats situated on a 7 1/2 acre organic farm but they have two chefs which prepare all the meals fresh with most ingredients straight from the farm.
Needless to say, the two foodie McKee girls took notes on the delicious cuisine thorughout the entirety of our trip.


Months later, back in the states, I was inspired by a Jamaican meal I enjoyed.  Because our chefs were a bit loose with their idea of recipes I followed a recipe found via Pinterest and adapted with my general knowledge of cooking and tips from the Zimbali chefs.

Here is Brown Stew Chicken with Rice and Peas:

Brown Stew Chicken
2-3 LBS Chicken.  I used bone-in thighs. 
1 teaspoon of salt
1 teaspoon of pepper
1 onion, diced
3 stalks of green onion
1 habanero pepper, chopped very small
1/2 green pepper and 1/2 red pepper, diced
3 cloves of garlic, diced
1/2 inch of ginger, grated
3 tomatoes, diced
2-3 Tbsps oil (vegetable or olive oil)
3 tablespoons of flour, stirred in to 1/2 cup of water
3 sprigs of fresh thyme (or 3 teaspoons of dried thyme)
1 tablespoon of butter
1 tablespoon of browning sauce (Kitchen Bouquet)
2 tablespoons of soy sauce
2 cups of water

Directions

• Slice and cice all the veggies.   Add all of the diced and chopped and grated veggies to a big bowl - onion, green onion, habanero, green and red pepper, thyme, garlic, tomatoes and ginger.
• Place raw chicken pieces into veggie mixture. Let chicken marinate for 1 hour to 5 hours in this mixture. 
• One you're done marinating, remove chiken from veggies - do NOT discard.  Brush veggies off chicken.  
• Heat the oil in a large pot or Dutch oven. Add the chicken and fry for about 5 minutes or until the outside is slightly browned and the chicken is sealed.
• Remove the chicken from the pot and drain off the oil. Heat the pot (med-med high) and add the butter. Add in the veggies from the marinating. Cook for about 3-5 minutes or until the tomatoes break down.
• Add the soy sauce, the browning and the water. Turn up the heat and bring to a boil.
• Make the roux from the flour and water. Stir to get all clumps out.  
• Add this flour slurry to the pot, stirring briskly. This is going to thicken up the mixture to a rich, deep gravy. 
• Add the chicken back in and stew for at least 30 minutes.
  
  
  Rice and Peas 
  
  In Jamaica, peas are really beans.
  I combined these ingredients into my rice cooker and cooked according to cooker's directions.   I always use long grain white rice and rinse rice under running cold water until water runs clear.
  
  1 can of red kidney beans - rinsed
  3/4 cup canned coconut milk
  3/4 cup water
  2 cups of rice
  2 stalks of green onion
  1 clove garlic, smashed
  2-3 sprigs of fresh thyme
  1 Tbsp oil (vegetable or olive)
  1 habanero pepper (whole, do not chop up)
  
  

Adapted from: http://acoopedupchick.com/march-2011/jamaican-brown-stew-chicken/

~thanks for looking through my kitchen window~