Teriyaki Habanero BBQ Chicken

I was in the mood for BBQ chicken. More specifically, I wanted chicken strips, like the kind you find on any restaurant's appetizer menu. Here's the kicker, I didn't want the chicken deep fried (calorie city) and I didn't want a BBQ sauce saturated with high fructose corn syrup, artificial ingredients, and additives. So I figured I would make my own homemade oven baked fried chicken and sauce. I started with the Teriyaki Habanero BBQ sauce and I wanted a balance of sweet, tangy, and spicy (hot). Then I made an oven baked fried chicken; buttermilk base, like the kind grandma use to make (without the fryer). This is what I came up with:

Teriyaki Habanero BBQ sauce (diabetic friendly)

3/4 cup ketchup

1/2 c reduce sodium soy sauce

1/4 c rice vinegar

3 cloves garlic roasted and mashed

1 1/4 c splenda

1 tsp sugar free breakfast syrup

1 tsp of minced habanero pepper

1 tsp sesame oil

1 tsp garlic chili paste

1 tsp ground ginger

1 tbsp smoked paprika

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

1 tbsp ancho chili powder

1/2 tsp onion powder

1 tsp garlic powder

2 tsp cracked black pepper

Directions

Combine all ingredients together in a heavy bottom skillet over medium heat. Bring sauce to a boil, then cover and simmer for 30 mins.

Right before it hits the oven

Oven fried chicken

4 chicken breast halves

2 cups corn flakes

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 cup low fat buttermilk

1 tbsp dijon mustard

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

2 tsp smoked paprika

1/2 tsp sage

1 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp onion powder

1/2 tsp ground thyme

2 tsp cracked black pepper

sea salt to taste

Directions

Set oven to 400 degrees

Rinse chicken breast thoroughly, pat dry. Using a meat tenderizer, tenderize meat to 1/2 inch even thickness, then set aside. Take corn flakes and put them in a sandwich baggy and process to crumbs, then set aside. Take a medium size bowl and add flour, then set aside. Take another medium size bowl and add buttermilk, mustard, cayenne pepper, thyme, and sage, mix well and set aside. Season chicken with the seasonings listed above (to taste). Then take chicken and lightly coat with flour (shaking off excess), then dredge in buttermilk mixture and roll in corn flakes. Place chicken in a large baking dish and bake for 12 minutes on each side or until internal temperature reaches 165. Bush on sauce during final 5 mins of baking. Remove from oven and set aside for at least 5 mins at which the internal temperature of chicken should reach 170 and the juices will properly distribute. The chicken should be moist, juicy, and tender. You can then slice into strips or enjoy whole. Enjoy!

Southwestern style Black bean tofu burgers

This was an experiment that I thought I would try, since I had tofu left over from my previous post. I have this thing about wasting good food and since the self life of tofu is short, I thought I would keep the "tofu" theme going for this week. It's also a healthy alternative to your beef burger counterpart. Now I first have to say that my favorite type of cuisines with regards to flavor are Caribbean, Jamaican, Southwestern, and Asian fusion. So most of my posts will reflect these flavors. But remember as a foodie, I keep a very open mind about trying new things. I decided on a southwestern flavor for these burgers.

Recipe

15 oz can of black beans drained and rinsed

7 oz tofu drained, dried, and chopped

10 oz diced tomatoes with green chili

1 cup quick cooking oats

3 scallions chopped

1 tbsp ancho chili powder

1 tbsp smoked paprika

1 tbsp garlic powder

2 tsp cayenne pepper

1 tsp of fresh chopped parsley

1 tsp red pepper

2 tsp onion powder

2 tsp crack black pepper

2 tsp cumin

1 tsp thyme powder

1 tbsp splenda or sugar

sea salt to taste

1 egg

Method

In a large bowl, combine all ingredients together. Using a potato masher, mash all the ingredients together until it forms a nice solid mass. The Mass will be very moist, this is fine. Refrigerate the mixture for at least 1 hour so that the flavor is absorb and more pronounced.

Preheat oven to 400

Take a cookie sheet lined with parchment (if you have it) and form the mixture into 1/4 inch disks. Bake in the oven for 30-35mins. It will be nice and browned on the outside and moist on the inside. Let it rest for at least 5 minutes before serving, enjoy.

Just before they hit the oven

Just out of the oven, browned and ready for serving

Enjoy!

Pad Thai Tofu Pizza

I got the inspiration for this dish from the love of Thai food, but more specifically, chicken pad Thai. I don't consider myself any thing close to a vegan, but as a foodie, I like to keep an open mind. I've never had the pleasure of working with tofu and so I figured there is no time like the present. I also choose tofu because it's a healthy alternative to fatty and calorie dense meats. Tofu is known as a beancurd and is made by boiling soy beans, mashing and then sieving them to make soy milk. The milk is then curdled with a coagulant and then pressed into different types. I'm using firm organic tofu from Trader Joes for this recipe. Firm tofu is sold in solid blocks and can be cubed or sliced and used in all sorts of dishes. Tofu alone is quite tasteless, but can readily take on other flavors, when introduced. I Started with a Pad Thai inspired marinade listed below.

Pad Thai Marinade

1/4 cup rice vinegar

3 tbsp fish sauce

1 tbsp soy sauce

1/3 c splenda

2 tsp oyster sauce

1 1/2 tbsp tamarind paste

1 1/2 tsp peanut butter

1 tsp seasame oil

1 tsp garlic chili paste

1 tsp ground ginger

fresh cracked black pepper

Combine all ingredients and whisk until combined

Slice tofu into 1/2 inch cubes, place in a medium bowl, add marinade and place in the frig for at least 1 hour.

Pad Thai Pizza Sauce

1 tbsp minced garlic

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp sesame oil

1/4 cup rice vinegar

3 tbsp of tomato paste

1/4 cup water

1/4 cup splenda

2 tsp ginger

fresh black pepper to taste

Pad Thai marinade

Heat olive oil and sesame oil in a medium size pan over med-high heat, add garlic and cook until light brown. Add rice vinegar and reduce to about half, then add the remaining ingredients and simmer for 30 minutes. The sauce is ready.

Pizza

Whole wheat crust, prebaked - Recipe

sliced red onions

chopped scallions

marinaded tofu

chopped celery

sliced mushrooms

shaved carrots

Bean spouts

chopped peanuts

Pizza blend cheese

The proportions of the ingredients are up to you.

Baked at 500 for about 12 mins or until cheese is melted, bubbling, and slightly brown. Enjoy!

Tazo's African Red Bush Tea - Reviewed

I was given a sample of this tea by my father, who I call, the ultimate purveyor of tea. Since I instantly fell in love with it, I felt it only fitting to discuss my experience. First of all I have to admit that I am a fan of Tazo brand teas and this tea is definitely another favorite. Although they call this tea an herbal infusion tea, I would have considered it a spicy tea, why? Keep reading. The tea gets its name from the ingredient rooibos or "red bush." Rooibos are part of the legume family of plants and are grown in a small area in the South Africa's Western Cape Province region. The tea also contains lemon, orange peel, hibiscus, and rosemary as ingredients.The rosemary is subtle and not overwhelming adding an wonderful earthy profile to the flavor. The tea is traditionally enjoy with a splash of lemon and honey and that is how I enjoyed it. I also suggest adding a splash of vanilla soy, cinnamon, and fresh grated nutmeg to be enjoyed as a dessert tea. Since I was sick last week, the soothing nature of this tea coupled with a squeeze of lemon and splash of honey, certainly assisted with the healing process.

Strawberry Cake

I love when fresh fruits are in season, especially strawberries. What better way to celebrate strawberry season, than with a cake. Making strawberry cake is a real treat only because I rarely get a chance to make them. They don't seem to be everyone's favorite cake flavor, but I like to consider it an "unsung" hero in the cake world. One thing I have to note about this cake, it's not just a white cake with strawberry frosting. It's a strawberry cake (made with real strawberries) with fresh strawberry filling (not preserves), and strawberry cream cheese frosting. Now if that doesn't make your mouth water, than maybe the picture will. A word about dipping strawberries it's not hard and can be fun. I made this cake for my sister-in-law's birthday. Enjoy!

Hawaiian Chicken Pizza on a Honey Wheat

One of my favorite things to make and eat is pizza. Most people think of pizza as the ultimate cheat food, if they're following a healthy diet. On the contrary, I think pizza can help compliment any healthy diet, if you just employ a few guidelines. First, use a whole wheat pizza crust. Whole wheat is much healthier than its white crust counterpart. Second, go easy on the cheese and add extra sauce. Last, use lean meats and plenty of vegetables. Now, I've made plenty of pizza doughs and sauces and if you've never tried it, you are really missing out. Yes I know that you don't have time with work, school, kids, nagging family members....blah blah blah. But I promise you, the time and effort with be worth the investment.

I usually make my pizza dough a day or two in advance because developing flavor takes time and care. I chose "whole wheat," simply because it's better for you and because I don't eat refined or white breads. If you are not a whole wheat fan, then you can try making a "transitional" pizza crust, a mix 50% white and 50% whole wheat flours. I've had exceptional results with Peter Reinhert's method of bread making from his "Whole Gain Breads" I consider him a genius when it comes to artisan bread making and his methods have proven extremely successful results. I used his recipe found here.

I used a "biga" starter and soaker. Starters such as "biga' (Italian) and poolish (French) help to impart extraordinary flavor by a delayed fermented process. A soaker is necessary with whole wheat flour to soften the wheat grains, to help produce a lighter dough. I chose a Hawaiian style pizza, but I don't regularly eat ham, so I replaced that with a pineapple-ginger marinaded chicken breast cut into chunks. I made a tomato base pizza sauce made with roasted garlic, onions, and a habanero pepper, Italian seasonings, pineapple juice, and red wine. I used a store bought 4 pizza cheese blend and I "lightly" dusted the pie with cheese.

The only problem that I did experience, was trying to get the entire crust as crisp as possible, before the toppings started to burn. Even though I do possess a pizza stone, my electric oven still doesn't get hot enough to accomplish this. Next time, I will try prebaking the crust before I add toppings, that way, the crust should have enough time to crisp up before the toppings start to burn. Enjoy!

Adding ingredients to be mixed and kneaded (starter, soaker, flour, olive oil, honey, yeast, and salt)

After ingredients have been mixed and kneaded

About an hour or so the dough has doubled in size

punched down for shaping

Shaped and resting to be hand tossed

Hand tossed and ready for toppings

Topped and ready for the oven

Fresh, hot, and ready for slicing with a nice glass of moscato or reisling

Dark Chocolate Pecan Shortbread

Keebler's Pecan Sandies were always a staple growing up in my household. Their presence was brought on by my father's incredible love for them. Surprisingly, they were the only few "sweets" that he would often buy. My mother on the other hand was more smitten with Keebler's chocolate chip deluxe varieties. Although I did eat pecan sandies (often times because they were the only things around), they didn't leave the same intimate satisfaction that chocolate chip cookies often did. No, my love for pecan sandies didn't bloom until later, when I could truly appreciate them.

Pecan sandies are shortbread type cookies not too sweet, but rich and buttery. Their crisp and crunchy texture, makes them exceptional paired with coffee, tea, ice cream, or an ice cold glass of milk. The texture alone is one that seems to just melt in your mouth. I wanted this cookie reminiscent of Keebler's famous "sandy" cookie, but far superior in taste and flavor. Dark chocolate pecan came to mind, because it's my favorite of their sandy variety.

I always like making cookie dough a day or two ahead chilling it in the refrigerator or freezer. This way, the dough has time to relax, the flavor is intensified, and the dough spreads evenly. I chopped the toasted pecans finely to create a more "nut meal" type texture acting as a flavor enhancer and providing a little more "flour" like structure. Since I didn't have mini semi-sweet chocolate chips, I took the regular sized one and gave them a ruff chop.

3/4 c toasted pecans chopped finely

1 1/2 c pastry flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup + 1 tbsp butter shortening

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1 egg

2 tsp water

1/3 c semi chocolate chips chopped fine

In a medium sized bowl whisk together flour, soda, salt and mix well, then set aside. In another medium sized bowl cream butter and sugar together until the mixture is light and fluffy. Then add egg, vanilla, and water. Blend for about 5 mins to further lighten the batter. Setting the mixer on low, combine flour slowly and blend until combine. Then add toasted pecans and semi-sweet chocolate and blend until combined. Transfer the mixture unto the counter top laced with plastic wrap. Wrap up the dough and shape into a log 2 inches across. Chill the dough for at least 4 hours, but a day or two for maximum flavor. Preheat an oven 350 degrees and remove the chilled dough from the frig. Next cut each cookie about a 1/2 inch thick and place them on a lightly greased cookie sheet. Bake for 12-15 minutes until lightly brown. Place cook sheet on a cooling rack and cool for 5 mins. Remove the cookies from the sheet and place them back on the rack allowing them to cool completely. Enjoy!