Vietnamese Flavored Chicken & Rice Soup

This soup can be made in the slow cooker or pressure cooker. In the slow cooker, cook the chicken for 4 hours, cook the rice separately and stir in at the end.

• 8 c chicken stock
• 1.5 lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs
• 1 – 4 inch long piece of ginger, peeled and sliced thin
• 6 star anise pods
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 4 whole cloves
• 3/4 c sushi rice
• 2 tbsp fish sauce
• 4 scallions, sliced thin
• 2 jalapeños, sliced thin
• 1 c cilantro, chopped
• 1/2 c onion, sliced thin

Combine stock, chicken, ginger, star anise, cinnamon and cloves in a pressure and cook on high pressure for 8 minutes.

Shred chicken and set aside. Remove spices from the pot.

Stir in the rice and fish sauce into the broth and cook on high pressure for 1 minute.

Return chicken to the pot. Serve with scallions, jalapeño, cilantro and onion.

Serves 6.

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Picadillo Tacos

 These spiced beef tacos are out of this world! Perfect for Taco Tuesday.

Ingredients:
1/2 c sliced almonds, toasted
3 TBSP canola oil
1 onion, finely chopped
1 jalapeno, chopped
3 large cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp ground coriander
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1 lb ground beef
2 TBSP tomato paste
1/2 c golden raisins
2 TBSP lime juice
salt and pepper

Corn tortillas
Shreedded lettuce
Cotija cheese
Salsa
Lime wedges

In a large skillet heat 2 TBSP oil over moderately high heat, add onions, jalapeño, garlic and cook unti onions are golden. Add the spices and stir until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add remaining oil and meat, cook over medium heat until brown. Stir in tomato purée and raisins, simmer 7 – 8 minutes. Add lime juice, season with salt and pepper.

Serve in warm corn tortillas with lettuce, cheese and salsa.

Serves 4 – 6.

Baked Cinnamon Donuts

I’m not a huge fan of donuts but this baked donuts/muffins are amazing! Thanks Food52 for sharing!

Ingredients:
1/3 c butter, melted
1/2 c sugar
1 large egg
1 1/2 c all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp allspice
1 pinch ground cloves
1 pinch ground ginger
1/2 c milk

Cinnamon-sugar coating:
6 TBSP butter, melted
1/2 c granulated sugar
2 tsp ground cinnamon

Pour butter into a mixing bowl and allow to cool completely to room temperature.

Preheat your oven to 350F. Grease and lightly flour a 12 cup muffin tin.

Add the sugar and egg to the cooled butter. Beat with an electric mixer until all creamed together.

In a separate little bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt, spices, and zest.

Add the dry ingredients in increments to the butter-sugar mixture, alternating with the milk and beating well after each addition.

Divide the batter evenly into the cups of the muffin tin. Pop into the oven and bake until golden brown and fragrant, about 20-25 minutes.

While the puffs are puffing, put the melted butter in one shallow bowl and combine the sugar and cinnamon in another one.

When the puffs come out of the oven, use a knife to gently pop them all out of the muffin tin. One by one, dip each puff in the melted butter – get it all over it – then roll it in the cinnamon sugar. Serve warm.

Makes 12.

Chicken with Spiced Rice

Another amazing dish from Jerusalem! This one is perfect for a weeknight and only requires one pot. I made some minor changes, used a little lesson love oil, left out that currents because I did not have any. I also added some extra ground spices. This dish is amazing!

Ingredients:
Olive oil
2 medium onions, thinly sliced
1 1/5 lb chicken thighs
Salt and pepper
10 cardamom pods
Rounded 1/4 teaspoon whole cloves
2 long cinnamon sticks, broken in two
2 tsp ground cardamom
1/4 tsp ground clove
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 2/3 c brown basmati rice
2 1/4 c boiling water
1 1/2 TBSP parsley, chopped
1/4 c cilantro, chopped
1/3 cup Greek yogurt mixed with 2 TBSP olive oil

Heat 2 TBSP olive oil in a large sauté pan for which you have a lid over medium heat. Add the onion, and cook for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onion has turned a deep golden brown. Transfer the onion to a small bowl and wipe the pan clean.

Place the chicken in a large mixing bowl and season with 1½ tsp salt and black pepper. Add 2 TBSP olive oil, cardamom, cloves and cinnamon and use your hands to mix everything together well.

Heat the frying pan again and place the chicken and spices in it. Sear chicken for 5 minutes on each side and remove from the pan. The spices can stay in the pan, but don’t worry if they stick to the chicken. Remove most of the remaining oil as well, leaving just a thin film at the bottom. Add the rice, caramelized onion, 1 tsp salt and plenty of pepper. Stir well and return the seared chicken to the pan, pushing it into the rice.

Pour the boiling water over the rice and chicken, cover the pan, and cook over very low heat for 40 minutes. Add the herbs and use a fork to stir them in and fluff up the rice. Taste and add more salt and pepper if needed. Serve hot or warm with yogurt mixture if you like.

Serves 4.

Saffron Tagaitelle with Spiced Butter

If I lived in London I would be at Jerusalem every night, but I don’t so cooking recipes dork ottolenghi’s cookbooks will have to do. This one is from plenty, I used trader joes tagliatelle instead of making my own pasta. The flavors in this dish are out of this world!!

Ingredients
8 oz tagliatelle
Pinch of saffron

Spiced butter
1 stick butter
2 TBSP olive oil
4 shallots, sliced thin
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp cayenne
1/2 tsp chili flakes
1 tsp salt
Black pepper
2/3 c pine nuts

Garnish:’
4 TBSP mint, chopped
4 TBSP parley, chopped

Cook pasta according package with saffron in the water.

Combine butter ingredients in a 12 inch skillet and cook over low heat until melted and combined.

Drain pasta and toss with butter, stir in herbs and serve.

Serves 2.

Baked Cinnamon Apple Donuts

My oldest loves donuts, so I try to fit them into the breakfast routine on occasion. I love these because they also make great muffins.

Ingredients:
1 c oat flour
1 c flour
1/2 c sugar or coconut palm sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
3/4 c milk
2 eggs
2 TBSP butter, melted
1 tsp vanilla
2 apples, finely chopped

Topping:
1/2 c sugar
1 TBSP cinnamon

Preheat oven to 400. Prepare muffin or donut pan – or both.

Combine dry ingredients in a bowl. Combine wet in a bowl. Stir wet and dry together and spoon into pan.

Bake 10 – 12 minutes for donuts. 15 – 17 for muffins.

Toss sugar and cinnamon in a bowl and toss donuts in mixture whirl warm.

Makes 18 donuts or 12 muffins.

Gingerbread Cookies

I love using applesauce in place of butter, but with cookies I just can’t get alway with swapping out all the butter. These Gingerbread cookies have all the flavor with half the guilt.

Ingredients:
4 TBSP butter at room temp
3/4 c firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 c unsweetened applesauce
1 egg
1/3 c dark molasses
1 1/2 c all-purpose flour
1 1/2 c whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp allspice
1/4 tsp ground cloves

In a large mixing bowl, beat butter, sugar and applesauce until smooth. Add egg and molasses and mix well. In another large bowl, combine flour, baking soda and spices. Add to sugar and molasses mixture, stirring well. Divide dough in two; cover with plastic wrap and chill for 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Roll out dough to 1/4 or 1/8-inch thickness. Cut gingerbread men with a cookie cutter.

Place 1-2 inches apart on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake 10-12 minutes. Add frosting or more decorations when cool.

Makes 40 cookies
2 WW PP per cookie