Broccoli with Sweet Soy Glaze

Here is another quick and easy microwave side. This delicious broccoli accompanied both the Piri Piri Chicken and Microwave Spiced Rice on our plate. Dear sister really enjoyed this one. She asked, "How did you do this?" I think she was most impressed with how tender the broccoli stalks were. I just peeled them and diced them up into small pieces so they would cook with the florets. They steam very fast in the microwave with the onion and garlic. All you have to do is drizzle the cooked broccoli with honey, soy sauce and sesame oil. The combination is a sweet soy glaze. It is delicious with the Piri Piri flavors but I think it would also be great with Asian cuisine. I will definitely make this side again and again.

Broccoli with Sweet Soy Glaze
Serves 4

Ingredients

2 heads broccoli with stems
1/4 cup onion, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
a drizzle of honey
a drizzle of low sodium soy sauce
a drizzle of sesame oil

Directions

Cut stem from broccoli crown. Break or cut broccoli crown into florets. Cut 1” of the broccoli stem to remove dry end, peel stem and cut into 1/2” dice. Place broccoli, onion, garlic and a splash of water in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave covered on high for 7-1/2 minutes. Drain and drizzle with honey, soy sauce and sesame oil. Stir to combine.

Microwave Spiced Rice

A traditional side to Piri Piri Chicken is a spicy yellow rice. I made a microwave version to put on my plate. It was so easy and you can serve it from the very dish you cook it in. I love the bright yellow color. We can all thank the turmeric for the pretty color. In this small amount you really don't taste it. It is just there for color. However you do taste all the other ingredients. They all work together to make this rice delicious and well seasoned. It would make a terrific side for any grilled meat. I look forward to trying it with Piri Piri Shrimp or Fish. I hope you enjoy this easy side.

Microwave Spiced Rice

Serves 4

Ingredients

Olive oil cooking spray

1/4 cup onion, finely chopped

1/4 cup red bell pepper, finely chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

1 cup uncooked white rice

2 cups water

1/4 cup frozen peas

1-1/2 tsp chicken bouillon

1/2 tsp Piri-Piri Seasoning

1/4 tsp turmeric

Directions

Spray a 1-1/2 quart round casserole with lid with cooking spray. Add onion and red bell pepper, microwave on high covered for 1 minute. Remove from microwave and add all other ingredients, stir to combine. Place two layers of paper towel between casserole and lid, microwave on high for 5 minutes. Microwave another 15 minutes at 50% power. Fluff with a fork and serve.

Linking to:
Ms. enPlace: See Ya in the Gumbo

Piri Piri Seasoning

I have told you how much I enjoy Piri Piri Sauce. But did you know that there is also a dry Piri Piri Seasoning? Now that I have visited Boneheads I have got a taste for Piri Piri Seasoning too. They use it to season fish, chicken, shrimp, vegetables and even fries. It is really really good! Several people I know including myself are thrilled that Boneheads has come to Shreveport. They serve such tasty healthy meals. Love it! Well you know me, I love spice blends and re-creating restaurant meals at home. I just had to try making my own Piri Piri Seasoning. I did some research and it appears that there are many different recipes out there. I chose to start with the common ingredients in all blends; paprika, cayenne, garlic powder, sea salt, lemon, pepper and oregano. I left out spices like cumin, ginger and cardamon. I felt like they were more common in Mexican and Indian food. I have no idea if this is authentic. But it sure is good. I have used it on shrimp, chicken, zucchini and in Microwave Spiced Rice. So far it is awesome on everything. The lemon pepper adds some brightness to the smoked paprika and the cayenne some heat. I see using this seasoning often. I can't wait to try it on some fish real soon.

Piri Piri Seasoning

Makes about 1/4 cup

Ingredients

2 Tbsp. smoked paprika

1 tsp cayenne powder

1 tsp garlic powder

3/4 tsp sea salt

1 tsp lemon pepper

1/2 tsp oregano

Directions

Add everything to a small bowl, pour through a funnel into a jar, seal tightly and shake well.

Note: If you are looking for a salt free option, try omitting the salt and using Mrs. Dash Lemon Pepper Seasoning instead of lemon pepper. It is delicious!

Linking to:
Ms. enPlace: See Ya in the Gumbo
The Tumbleweed Contessa: What'd You Do This Weekend?
Reasons To Skip The Housework: Skip The Housework Link Party
Memories By The Mile: Treasure Box Tuesday
Stone Cottage Adventures: Tuesdays with a Twist
Anyonita Nibbles: #tastytuesdays
Dizzy Busy & Hungry: Wine'd Down Wednesday
Love Bakes Good Cakes: Freedom Fridays with All My Bloggy Friends
The Diary of a Real Housewife: Friday Favorites

Piri Piri Chicken

Have you ever heard of Piri Piri? It is Portuguese in origin and popular in South Africa. Recipes vary but the common ingredients are chilli, lemon, oil, red bell peppers and garlic. It is used as a sauce, marinade or seasoning. It was new to me when I saw a recipe for Mixed Grill with Spicy Piri Piri Sauce in a cookbook. But it soon became a favorite in our family. In a previous post, I shared a Father's Day meal where we used piri piri sauce on pork and beef. Well now there is a new restaurant in town call Boneheads that specializes in Piri Piri fish, chicken and shrimp. They have four different sauces ranging from mild to very hot. I have tried them all and they are delicious. I decide to try a twist on the Piri Piri Sauce recipe I had made in the past. I wanted to use birds eye chilies. I only used six even though I saw recipes that called for more. It turned out much spicier than the previous version. You could call this one hot and the other mild. The funny thing is that once grilled, the chicken is not hot at all. The fresh sauce has great heat and lingers on the tongue. But the grilled chicken has more sweetness of the red peppers than the spice of the birds eye chilies. It is so delicious! I chose to make some sides you might find at Boneheads or Nando's another popular Piri Piri restaurant chain. Both serve a spicy yellow rice. While only one serves a sweet soy broccoli. I loved this meal! It was a great healthy plate and the best part, I have more Hot Piri Piri Sauce for experimenting. I see Piri Piri Mayo and Piri Piri Mushrooms in my future. I hope you will put Piri Piri on your menu.

Piri Piri Chicken

Ingredients

2 red bell peppers

6 birds eye chilies* stems removed

4 Tbsp. lime juice

2 tsp sugar

1/4 tsp sea salt

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp olive oil

1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breast

Kosher salt, to taste

Directions

Combine bell peppers, birds eye chilies, lime juice, sugar, salt, garlic and cumin in blender; puree. Drizzle in olive oil and continue to blend until all ingredients are liquefied. Pour sauce into a Mason jar and store any leftovers in the frig. Add chicken to a zip top bag. Pour in enough sauce to cover chicken, squeeze out air and seal the bag; turn to coat the chicken with the marinade. Refrigerate, turning bag occasionally, marinade at least 30 minutes*. Remove chicken from marinade and season both side with salt. Grill chicken on a medium high grill about 6 minutes a side (time may vary depending on your grill) and serve with reserved sauce.

Note: You can make this sauce as mild or spicy as you like. Add jalapeno for a mild sauce, a serrano for a little more heat or use birds eye chilies for hot. If you want more heat add more peppers.

Marinating depends on the protein. If using pork and beef it can go for up to 8 hours; if using shrimp, fish or chicken it should not be marinated that long. Try 30 minutes.

Linking to:
Ms. enPlace: See Ya in the Gumbo
The Tumbleweed Contessa: What'd You Do This Weekend?
Reasons To Skip The Housework: Skip The Housework Link Party
Memories By The Mile: Treasure Box Tuesday
Stone Cottage Adventures: Tuesdays with a Twist
Anyonita Nibbles: #tastytuesdays
Dizzy Busy & Hungry: Wine'd Down Wednesday
Love Bakes Good Cakes: Freedom Fridays with All My Bloggy Friends
The Diary of a Real Housewife: Friday Favorites
Mary's Kitchen: Real Food Friday

Italian Egg Thingy

Messy, messy, messy, but oh so good! Well really it isn't messy, I am messy. I am the one who made that blob of sauce on the plate, I am the one who broke the egg yolk when I flipped it. I was a mess trying to make this post happen. I have made a ton of Egg Thingys with out these technical difficulties. But for some reason this Italian version wants to be shown with all it's or my imperfections. I have made it three times and each time a little something was not photo worthy. However each time it was delicious. So this recipe is for eating and enjoying not for looking or admiring. So devour it's cheesy crispy goodness. Enjoy the Italian flavor of the Parmesan, Italian seasoning and pasta sauce. If you are lucky you can achieve a running yolk to mix and mingle with everything. That's how I like to serve it. If everything goes according to plan you get the rich runny egg yolk to coat the crispy tortilla. I love the bite with a little bit of everything. Such a different breakfast or breakfast for dinner option. I hope you will give it a try.

Italian Egg Thingy
Serves 1

Ingredients

Olive oil
1 - 6" flour tortilla
1 large egg
Kosher salt
Italian seasoning
Parmesan cheese
Pasta sauce

Directions

Drizzle olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Once hot, put a tortilla into the pan. Crack the egg on top of the tortilla and sprinkle with Parmesan. Let the egg cook on top of the tortilla for a minute or two just until eggs starts to set. When the tortilla is brown underneath, flip the tortilla over with a spatula and cook the egg on the other side for another minute. While cooking, sprinkle with a dash of salt and Italian seasoning. Once cooked, remove to a plate and serve egg side up with warm pasta sauce for dipping.

Is Mexican food more your thing? 

Try the Mexican Egg Thingy

Linking to:

Love Bakes Good Cakes: Freedom Fridays with All My Bloggy Friends

Crawfish Ettouffe

There seems to be as many different recipes for Crawfish Ettouffe as there are cajuns. I remember when I went to work for an Architect here. He gave me his recipe for Crawfish Ettouffe and he said he used flour and butter to make a roux. I was shocked? I went home to question my Mom. Were we doing it wrong or was he? I was still a young woman with hardly any years behind me at the time. I don't even think I had cooked an ettouffe yet, I had just helped Mom. She explained that everyone does it differently and it really depends on the ingredients. If the ingredients are dry and don't lend liquid to form a gravy you sometimes have to help them out. She used cornstarch and water if it ever happens to her. Others make a light butter roux. Now with more years behind me and lots of blogs read and cooking shows watched; I know people add everything from a roux, bell pepper, stock, cajun seasoning, etc. Our family recipe is very simple and delicious. The flavor of the crawfish really shines through. Mom was taught by her Mom and they always just used butter, onion, maybe some celery, salt, pepper, green onions and parsley. As dear sister pointed out it is buttery and a little sweet. So good!

For this pot of ettouffe I used some frozen tails dear sister bought from a co-worker. His second job is a seafood business called B&D Seafood. He brings the delicious seafood of south Louisiana to all of us up here in north Louisiana. The crawfish tails were delicious and included the crawfish fat. They were certified Cajun and a product from right here in Louisiana. I will definitely buy from him again. His crawfish were so much better than the brands I find in my grocery store. We have one more pound in the freezer. I look forward to another crawfish dish real soon. I hope you will give our crawfish ettouffe and B&D Seafood a try.

Crawfish Ettouffe

Serves 4 

Ingredients

1 stick butter

1 onion, finely chopped (Mom sometimes adds a little celery, I used 1 rib)

1 lb. crawfish tails, reserve crawfish fat

Salt, black pepper and red pepper flakes (or cayenne), to taste

a handful of parsley, chopped

3 green onions, sliced

Cooked white rice

Directions

Melt butter in a pan add the onion (celery if using) and cook until translucent. Add crawfish fat and crawfish tails. Season with salt, black pepper and red pepper flakes. Simmer covered 30 minutes. Stir in parsley and green onions. Taste for seasoning and adjust if necessary. Serve over rice.

Linking to:
Ms.enPlace: See Ya in the Gumbo
Tumbleweed Contessa: What'd You Do This Weekend?
Love Bakes Good Cakes: Freedom Fridays with All My Bloggy Friends

Snow Feb. 25, 2015

We seldom see snow here in North Louisiana. But it sure arrived today. Ice Monday, re-freeze Tuesday and snow Wednesday. As I type this the snow is melting from the trees. It will be gone as soon as it arrived.