tamale all about it!

I love me some tamales! But the only thing is that I don't have the time (or rather kind of lazy) to make tamales on my own. Even though it's not authentic, I find that pot pies that mimic tamales are something that I can definitely do.

Since I like the ease of making casseroles, this tamale pie was something they've been wanting to make. I've been experimenting with different ingredients inside the pie and so far this is the most of that been happy with. It's got a lot of feeling and as much vegetables I can fit in. Add some extra toppings and this makes a great meal!

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Chicken Tamale Pie

(makes one large pot)

Filling:

4lbs skinless boneless chicken, cubed

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp bottled minced black garlic

1 tsp chili powder

1 tsp paprika

1 tsp Jen's everything seasoning

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp ancho chile powder

1/2 tsp onion powder

1/2 tsp pepper

1/2 tsp salt

2 bay leaves

1 large onion, diced

1 large poblano chile, diced

1 can black beans, drained & washed

1 can sweet corn, drained

1 medium zucchini, diced

1/4 cup finely chopped cilantro, divided

1 large can Las Palmas mild/medium enchilada sauce

1 tsp better than bouillon, chicken bouillon​

2 tbsp masa flour

Cornbread Topping:

Dry Ingredients

    2 cups  cornmeal

    1 cup all-purpose flour

    2 tsp baking powder

    1/2 tsp Himalayan pink salt

Wet Ingredients

    2 cups milk (room temperature)

    2 tsp organic apple cider vinegar

    5 tbsp salted butter (melted/liquid)

    1 small can chopped jalapenos, drained 

    1/4 cup canned corn

1/4 cup Mexican cheese blend

sour cream for serving

finely chopped red onion for serving

hot sauce for serving

Heat 6 quart dutch oven. Mix chicken, black garlic, and spices then add to hot pan to brown. Add onions and poblano and cook until onions are translucent. Add black, beans, corn, zucchini, and half of cilantro. Cook for 10 minutes then add enchilada sauce, bouillon, and masa flour. Cook mixture until thickened and reduced by 1/4. Remove from heat set aside.

Preheat oven to 350F degrees.

Combine together wet ingredients for cornbread in a small bowl until frothy.  In a separate bowl, mix dry ingredients together.  Combine wet ingredients with dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Top filling with cornbread mixture then with Mexican cheese blend. Bake in oven until cornbread is cooked through and filling is bubbly, about 30-35 minutes.

Serve with sour cream, finely chopped onions, olives, and hot sauce.

orange with a hint of spice.

I've been juicing lately. As a result, there's a whole bunch of fruits and vegetables clogging the counter and waiting to be used. One such fruit are some navel oranges that I got on sale. I went a little crazy and got a little too much...sales on fruit here in Guam is something that I try to take advantage of. I just went a little overboard this time around...

So, what to do? Cook with it, of course! That's where this recipe comes in. I've made orange chicken before but I kind of wanted to do something a little different, flavor-wise. What struck me as interesting was the use of cumin and coriander. Cumin? Coriander? With orange?? I gotta try this!

Obviously I made some changes to what I had on hand. Navel for blood oranges. Chicken thighs for chicken breast. Also, dried rosemary as opposed to fresh. But what I ended up with did not disappoint! The spices gave the orange chicken a hint of exoticness which complimented the sweet orange sauce. The added zest I threw in also really kicked up the yummy orange flavor. I do, however, wished that I had fresh rosemary...my dried herb was starting to lose it's potency. To round out the meal, I paired this with some sauteed green beans and some creamy mashed potatoes. Yummy! Definitely worth making and hopefully again very soon!

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Spice Crusted Chicken with Blood Orange Maple Glaze
(from Simply Scratch)

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 tbsp toasted and freshly ground cumin
1 tbsp toasted and freshly ground coriander
1 tsp kosher salt
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp light olive oil
2 medium shallots, sliced
3/4 cup blood orange juice, strained {about 4 blood oranges}
1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup maple Syrup
2 tsp chopped fresh rosemary
1/4 tsp coarse ground black pepper

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.

In a small bowl; combine the cumin, coriander and kosher salt. Season both sides of four chicken breasts using all of the spices in the bowl.

Add the two tablespoons of butter and olive oil to a large 12-inch oven-safe skillet and heat over medium-medium/high heat.

Once hot add the chicken in {top side down} and cook for 4-5 minutes or until a nice crust forms and it is easy to turn the chicken. If the chicken sticks, it needs more time.

Once the crust has formed, flip and slide the whole pan into your preheated oven. Bake the chicken for 20 minutes. Once the chicken is fully cooked, use tongs to transfer the chicken to a clean plate and tent with tin foil to keep warm

Heat the skillet over medium-high heat and add in the sliced shallots. Cook, stirring occasionally until they're soft and translucent. Next, pour in the blood orange juice, chicken broth and maple syrup. Add in the rosemary and black pepper and simmer until reduce by half to 75 % and a thick glaze remains... about 8-10 minutes.

Taste and season with kosher salt to taste {if needed} and add the chicken back it to warm up a tad more, then spoon the glaze over top of the chicken and serve.

recipe in pictures: tailgate chili

chili. one of those things that i can cross off the to-do list. picked this recipe to try and added in some homemade ham my mom gave me. the verdict? interesting. boyfriend liked it...i thought it was okay. with the ham added in, it was definitely not your typical chili taste. i'll probably try to do this again but with a different recipe. now on to the show!

Healthier Boilermaker Tailgate Chili
(from All Recipes)

2 pounds extra-lean ground beef
1 pound Italian chicken sausage, diced
3 (15 ounce) cans chili beans, drained
1 (15 ounce) can chili beans in spicy sauce
2 (28 ounce) cans diced tomatoes with juice
1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
1 large yellow onion, chopped
3 stalks celery, chopped
1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
2 green chile peppers, seeded and chopped
1/2 cup beer
1/4 cup chili powder
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 tbsp dried oregano
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp hot pepper sauce (such as Tabasco®)
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp white sugar
3 cups baked tortilla chips

1. Crumble ground beef and chicken sausage into a large stock pot over medium-high heat; cook and stir until evenly browned, 10 to 12 minutes. Drain excess grease.

2. Pour in chili beans, spicy chili beans, diced tomatoes, and tomato paste. Add onion, celery, green bell pepper, red bell pepper, chile peppers, and beer. Season with chili powder, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, oregano, cumin, hot pepper sauce, basil, salt, ground pepper, cayenne, paprika, and sugar. Stir to blend, then cover and simmer over low heat, stirring occasionally, for at least 2 hours.

3. Taste and adjust salt, ground pepper, and chili powder in necessary, after 2 hours. Ladle into bowls and top with baked tortilla chips to serve.