makin' it easy...

Ever since I bought a bag of lentils, the only thing I've ever made with them was with a salmon recipe. They turned out pretty alright, but I wanted an opportunity to make something that wasn't entirely "ethnic" tasting. So, I looked on the internets and found this recipe that seemed promising. No hard-to-find spice....no overly exotic anything except for the balsamic vinegar... and only one pot needed.

Perfect!

I did run into trouble when I found that I didn't have any balsamic though... So, being the experimental type that I am, I decided to sub the balsamic for cider. I also added some honey and a handful other stuff I thought would make the chicken tasty. Also, when I made lentils the first time, I noticed that I wanted a little bit more veggie boost to round out the taste. With that in mind, I threw in some frozen veggies to add a bit of interest and texture to the lentils.

So, while I kind of followed the recipe, a little deviating happened from the original. My guess? I'm betting the original would probably taste just as good as *this* awesome McGyvered version. :)

---- o o o o ---- 

One-Pot Honey Cider Chicken with Caramelized Carrots and Lentils
(adapted from Skinny Ms.)

3 chicken thighs, skinless boneless
1/4 cup honey
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 tsp worcestershire sauce
1 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 plus 1 tsp paprika, divided
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 medium onion, divided (1/2 finely chopped, 1-1/2 sliced)
1 bag baby carrots, divided (3-4 pcs finely chopped, the rest left whole)
1 stalk celery, finely chopped
1 medium tomato, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup frozen vegetables
1/2 cup dried green lentils
2 cups chicken broth
2 bay leaves
extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper, to taste

Combine chicken, honey, vinegar, onion powder, garlic powder and 1/4 teaspoon paprika in a small bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside to marinate.

Over medium heat, in a saucepan with extra virgin olive oil, sautè the garlic, 1/2 onion that has been finely chopped, and the remaining 1 tsp of paprika. After tossing for about 2 minutes, add the carrot that has been finely chopped, celery, tomatoes, and frozen vegetables and cook for 5 minutes. Add the lentils and toss for 1 minute in the saucepan. Pour the broth and add the bay leaves, let it boil and cook for 30 minutes or until they are tender. If they are drying up, add more hot broth or hot water. Season with salt and pepper. When they are cooked, set them aside in a bowl.

Wipe the saucepan with a paper towel to prepare cooking the chicken and carrots. Over medium heat, add extra virgin olive oil to the saucepan and cook the chicken with the marinade. Brown both sides. Half-way through cooking the chicken, add the remaining whole carrots and sliced onions. Cook until tender. Note: I found I had to remove the chicken from the pan and let the carrots and onions caramelize for a little bit so my meat didn't overcook. Afterwards, I returned the chicken to the pan before proceeding to the next step...

Push the chicken on one side of the saucepan and the carrots and onions to the other side. Return lentils to the saucepan in the cleared space and cook some more for 2 minutes to warm. Once warmed, serve immediately.

Makes 2 to 3 servings.

going moroccan...

Surprisingly, when I decided to do a Moroccan theme for tonight's dinner, the hubby liked it a lot! The idea popped into my head when I saw the bag of lentils that I had bought to try a recipe out. I've never tried making lentils before so this seemed like a good recipe to start with. I'm all for quick and simple. :)

Looking over the ingredients list, it kind of reminded me of something I made before. I really liked the flavors but I wasn't too sure if the hubby would. But I decided to say, "Fuck it!" and then thought of what to make with it. So googled "Moroccan" and saw this salmon recipe and decided to give it a go. Made a few changes along the way, but not too much. Pretty tasty and now I have spice to make some hummus! Yay!

Moroccan Baked Salmon
(adapted from SparkRecipes)

For the Spice:
1 tbsp ground coriander
1 tbsp cumin
1 tbsp paprika
1/2 tbsp smoked paprika
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp turmeric
1/2 tbsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp cayenne
2 tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp crushed cardamom
1/2 tsp crushed anise
1/2 tsp fenugreek seeds

For the Salmon:
4 oz wild skin-on salmon fillet
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp Moroccan spice

Make the Moroccan Spice:
In a spice grinder or mortar, combine all the "spice mixture" ingredients, grinding well to a powder. Remove 1 tbsp of the mixture for the salmon and store remaining blend in a tightly covered container for later use.

Make the Baked Salmon:
Line a small baking sheet with foil. Combine olive oil and reserved Moroccan spice mixture then spread on flesh side of the salmon and place skin side down on lined sheet. Cover and refrigerate 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 450F and bake fish 10-13 minutes, to desired level of doneness. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil before serving.

 

Lentils with Smoked Paprika and Coriander
(adapted from How To Become A Vegan Domestic Goddess)

3/4 cup dried lentils
2 cups water
1 bay leaf
olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
1/4 cup frozen peas
1 to 2 cloves garlic, minced
1 large tomato, diced
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tbsp butter
cayenne pepper
salt and pepper to taste
handful of parsley, chopped

Place the lentils in a sauce pan and add the water and the bay leaf. Bring to a boil on high then turn down to the lowest heat. Simmer for 20-25 minutes until al dente. Drain.

Heat some oil in a skillet on medium heat. Add in the onions, ground coriander, and cayenne pepper, cook until fairly translucent. Add in the garlic, cook for 2 minutes then add the tomatoes, salt and pepper. Cook until the tomatoes break down, about 5 minutes. Add in the drained lentils and frozen peas and mix. Throw in the smoked paprika and parsley and mix well. Taste, add in more salt and pepper if needed.

To serve, spoon the lentils in the serving dish and sprinkle more smoked paprika on top.