Zesty Cook » mustard

Chicken Curry w/ Spinach Lemon Cous Cous

zesty — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 12:58:33 +0000

Happy Friday to you! I have about 8 minutes to complete this post and than head to the office so bear with me for the quick and simple low down on how to make tender chicken legs with little to no effort. Slow roasting food, all be it takes some patience, but it is definitely one of my favorite things to do. Now don’t get me wrong, I am a fan of the bbq, the broiler and of course pan searing – but there is something about the slow roasting technique that really gets me cranked up.

The smell fills the room, people around you get happy and the reward at the end of the wait is well…. worth it! Last Sunday I had some chicken legs thawing on the counter without a whole lot of ideas bouncing thru my head as to how I was going to prepare them. A coated potato chip crust, went thru my head and left. A simple dry roast with some herbs came and left and then I realized that I had some curry paste left in the fridge.

Curry and mustard with some dried oregano and lemon zest was screaming my name. I ran to the fridge – well probably just walked quickly and gathered my lemon, the curry paste and mustard. Quickly turned the corner and grabbed the oregano and I was set. Ripped down a roasting pan, grabbed a bowl and open the chicken legs like someone with a fluffy tail was chasing me.

I had this concoction ready to go before I even preheated the oven. Oh so easy… Oh so good. As it was just finishing up, I tossed in some cous cous and threw in a little chopped spinach and lemon to compliment the chicken and let it cook. Remove from heat and let stand for 5 minutes. Toss it with a fork and garnish with some green onion.

I will be honest here, as I pretty much always am…. I don’t like cous cous but Mrs. Zesty loved it. Needless to say she had the left overs.

Ingredients

8-10 Chicken drumsticks
2 Tbsp. Curry paste
1 Tbsp. Mustard
Splash of soy sauce
1 Tsp. Dried oregano
1/4 Cup water
zest of a lemon
juice of a lemon
Cracked black pepper
3 carrots, peeled and chopped
1 Onion, peeled and chopped

Method

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.
Assemble chicken in roasting pan, add carrots and onions
In a bowl mix together remaining ingredients and toss over chicken and vegetables
Cook uncovered for about 90 minutes, allowing the sauce to thicken and the chicken to caramelize.
Remove from heat and serve with your favorite side dish.

ENJOY!

Zesty Tip: If you find the sauce too thick just add a little water before tossing it in with the chicken. You want the sauce to pour easily. Be sure to baste the chicken during cooking maybe 2-3 times.

Alright, so last day of work before a holiday weekend and lots to get finished up. I hope you have a great day and you know what next week means. Turkey ideas and leftovers for all…. and maybe a recap of the infamous turkey day at the zesty in-laws. Talk on Monday!

Take care

zesty

Maple Salmon with A Lemon Butter Crust

zesty — Fri, 12 Aug 2011 12:30:52 +0000

Hi All! First of all I would like to thank you for all the emails and comments on New York City and listing your experiences and choices for when we land there in full force later next week. I am pretty excited and cannot wait to explore the big Apple.

As we get onto the food of the night last night, I opted for simple flavors with big taste. What do you get when you combine salmon, Canadian maple syrup, mustard, garlic, lemon and butter? To describe in more detail the salmon was very tasty! The crusted bread crumbs on top mixed with lemon zest and butter really brought it over the top. Super simple to make and takes just 8-9 minutes.

I paired the salmon with the nice crunch of homemade Kale chips which turned out to be a great combination. Ever have Kale chips? So delicious and oh so easy!!

Ingredients (Serves 4)

4 Portions of Salmon
2 Tbsp. Maple Syrup
2 Tbsp. Mustard
1 clove of garlic, minced
Salt and Pepper
Sprinkle Red pepper flakes
1/2 Tsp. Lemon zest
1 Tbsp. Butter
3/4 Cup bread crumbs

Method

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a small bowl, combine maple syrup, mustard, red pepper flakes, salt, pepper and garlic and mix together.
In another bowl, melt the butter in the microwave; then add lemon and breadcrumbs. Mix together and set aside.
Lay out the salmon pieces on the parchment paper. Place the maple mustard mixture over the top with a spoon and rub it in gently; continue you for all 4 pieces.
Then spoon the bread crumb mixture on top.
Bake in the oven for about 8 minutes. Switch oven to broil if need be to create a golden brown crust on the top.
ENJOY!

Zesty Tip: You can try whatever type of protein you want with this combination. White fish, chicken, or even pork would work with this flavor profile.

There you go, I hope you enjoyed this simple versatile recipe that really pushes the flavor to the next level by just using simple fresh ingredients. I am heading to work to wrap up the week and than it is back to yard work.

The grass needs to be cut, flower beds need weeding and some pruning is awaiting in the garden. Speaking of garden – it is coming along really well and I will share with you some of the highlights at the first of the week.

Have a super weekend.

Take care

zesty

Chipolte Chicken and Pear Salad

zesty — Wed, 26 Jan 2011 12:00:33 +0000

Holy Salad again! I am starting to impress myself with my eating habits of late. This was just a quick last minute put together dinner that was tasty for sure but I was starving by 8:00pm. Not the end of the world as you know I love eating and it was just in time for the hockey game to start. For my evening snack I went with a bowl of cereal and my traditional handful of “All Dressed” chips well OK, maybe 2 handfuls and a bit of chocolate at the end.

It takes me back to the sweet and salty post from a while ago. I am definitely both!

Back to the salad

For this simple salad I went with the combination of chicken and fruit which I love. The crisp pear was a great match for the spicy chicken. I just had some frozen boneless chicken breasts that were done up chipolte style from the grocery store. I roasted them in the oven for 25 minutes and chopped them up with some other fruits and vegetables. Here is the mix.

Ingredients

Baby Romaine Lettuce
Sliced strawberries
Sliced Pears
Cooked Chicken breast
Balsamic vinegar
Cucumbers
Carrots
Tomatoes
Olive oil

Method

Cook and slice chicken breasts
Prepare all fruits and vegetables in the salad by washing and chopping to your desired sizes
Organize the salad in the bowl
In a small jar, mix 2 parts oil to one part balsamic – add a dash of mustard and shake.
Dress the salad and serve
ENJOY!

Zesty Tip: The addition of mustard to the dressing allows the oil and vinegar to combine into a nice rich texture and not break.

So there you have yet another simple salad for your Wednesday pick me up! I don’t really have much to say other than I hope you enjoy the salad. I am not sure what I am going to post for Friday as of yet but I did make another sweet potato dish a couple of weeks back that may be worthy of sharing. Have an awesome hump day and keep smiling.

Take care

zesty