Kitchen Conundrum

Za’atar Crusted Chicken with Pomegranate Cous Cous

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Tired of the same ole chicken dinner on a Tuesday? Well tonight we bring a hint of the middle east to dinner.

Israeli cous cous, is one of our home’s favorite grains. If you can call it  a grain. It’s more like a pasta side dish that is on it’s own is nothing fancy but adding pomegranate arils to the cous cous offers a sweet juicy crunch  that makes this otherwise dull dinner a bit more lively.

We actually started using za’atar after a trip to Israel. There was a restaurant there that coated the ends of the pitas that they sliced to use for falafel sandwiches with oil, crusted them with za’atar and fried them. It was a delicious treat made with something that most places just threw away. Now, we can’t get enough of this spice mix. It’s perfect to add to your chicken breading. Try it!

 

Ingredients

4 Boneless Chicken Breast (trimmed and pounded thin)

2 eggs beaten (plus 1 tbsp water)

¼ cup za’atar

1 cup Panko

1 Tbsp Paprika

Salt and pepper

¼ cup vegetable oil

1 Lemon, cut in quarters

Method

Season the chicken breast with salt and pepper.

In a small bowl beat the egg and water together.

In a shallow bowl combine the za’atar, panko, and paprika.

Dip the chicken breast into the egg to coat, and then dredge in the panko/za’atar mixture.

In a large sauté pan heat the oil then add the chicken, if the pan isn’t large enough you may have to cook the chicken in two batches.

Cook approximately 4-5 minutes per side.

Serve with a slice of lemon.

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Israeli Cous Cous with Pomegranate

Ingredients

1lb Israeli cous cous

½  shallot, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 tbsp olive oil

2 cups water

1 tsp salt

½ tsp ground pepper

¼ cup chopped parsley

½ cup fresh pomegranate arils

Method

In a medium sauce pan heat the oil, add the shallots and garlic then sauté until translucent.  Add the cous cous and stir to coat with oil.

Season with the salt and pepper.

Add the water and bring to a boil.  Reduce the heat to a simmer and cover the pot.  Cook until all the water is absorbed and tender.

Fluff with a fork to separate.

Before serving fold in the parsley and pomegranate arils.

 

Spicy Pumpkin Soup

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We love the fine line between sweet and savory that an ingredient like pumpkin conveys. In our pumpkin soup, we created  a balance of sweet and spicy with the addition of curry and cayenne but added  honey and milk  for a rich, creamy soup. The sour cream added right at the end gave the soup a luxuriously velvety finish while the fried onions added a chewy and flavorful mouthful.

This soup is perfect for a cold snow day, like today!

 

Makes 1 quart of soup

Ingredients

3 tbs. olive oil

1 yellow onion, ½ chopped, ½ sliced for garnish

1 garlic clove, minced

3/4 tsp. curry powder

1/2 tsp. coriander powder

1/4 tsp. cinnamon powder

1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg

1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper

¼ cup honey

2 cup  vegetable stock

1 15-oz. can pumpkin puree or 2 cups fresh pumpkin puree

½  cup whole milk

Salt and pepper to taste

Sour cream for garnish

Method

In a small frying pan over medium heat, add 1 tbs. olive oil. When hot, add the sliced onions and fry until crispy. Set aside.

In a medium saucepan, heat the remaining 2 tbs. olive oil over medium heat. Add the chopped onion and garlic. Sauté until softened. Add in the spices and the honey. Cook for another minute.  Add stock and pumpkin puree, mixing thoroughly. Add salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer soup for 10 minutes. Add the milk and continue to cook for 5 minutes more.

Into a small bowl, ladle soup and add a dollop of sour cream and a sprinkling of fried onions.

 

Quinoa, Apple, and Dried Cranberry Salad with Honey- Curry Vinaigrette

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Our curried quinoa salad is a variation on this recipe from Jennifer of Savor the Thyme. She was motivated to try something new from My Spice Sage, Goji Berries , for her December Progressive Party submission to Kitchen Play.

While we did not happen to have any Goji berries today, we did have dried cranberries and they added that sweet, chewy texture along with  the other zesty ingredients to our quinoa salad.

Here’s our take on this very easy, yet very tasty dish that would be perfect served as a salad or as a cold side dish. The vinaigrette is delicious and would make an excellent marinade for chicken or seafood as well.

 

Quinoa:

1 cup cooked quinoa

½ cup fresh baby spinach leaves, chopped fine

¼ cup dried cranberries

¼ cup pine nuts, toasted

1 small apple, diced

Vinaigrette (Makes about 1 cup):

½ cup canola oil

4 tbs. red wine vinegar

1 tbs. honey

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 shallot, minced

½ lemon, zested

½ tsp. Dijon mustard

¼ tsp. garam masala

1 tsp. turmeric

salt and pepper to taste

¼ cup lettuce leaves of your choice (we prefer baby mesculn)

Combine the quinoa, chopped spinach, dried cranberries, pine nuts, and the apple.  Set aside.

Wisk together the ingredients for the vinaigrette until blended.

Combine the quinoa with the vinaigrette until it is well coated.

You can now serve it alone as a cold side dish, or top with lettuce and serve as a salad course.