chicken, spinach & cashews

This is the first dish I made to serve with my first batch of cauliflower rice. It was basically just thrown together with stuff I had on hand but it turned out so well that I thought I’d put it up here. One thing I didn’t happen to have on hand was fresh coriander, which I think would have been fabulous, so I’ll add it to the recipe below…

pollo al ajillo con espinacas

It’s been awhile since I’ve posted something here that wasn’t a rice or noodle dish. But today I came up with this variation on pollo al ajillo which could be served with rice or, as a low-carb option, is perfectly tasty on its own. If you don’t fancy spinach you can just leave it out. Likewise the guindilla (hot chilis). From start to finish it takes about 45 minutes.

Unlike traditional pollo al ajillo recipes, which use the whole chicken chopped up into stew-size pieces, I am using boneless chicken breast. I’ve also made something similar to this with chicken thighs. So you can see it’s pretty versatile. I throw in my garlic right at the beginning, but those who prefer less “toasted” garlic should add it with the peppercorns (and chilis) after turning the chicken pieces to brown on the other side.

Ingredients and instructions below…

chicken in spicy peanut sauce

I kind of just threw this together one day last week and have ended up making it three times since. It’s very satisfying and also low-carb, though my flatmate had it over basmati rice and said it was wonderful. I’d never made peanut sauce before so just used some crunchy peanut butter as a base and it turned out quite well. Measurements for the sauce are a bit slapdash, but it’s easy to just add and taste as you go along.

Ingredients and instructions below…

chicken pesto risotto with portobellos

It’s been awhile since I’ve posted a risotto recipe (or for that matter – anything!). This one actually happened “by accident” when I was planning to make some chicken pesto with spaghetti for my friend and she informed me she’d had a rather pasta-heavy week. So I improvised and used the same ingredients in this risotto. It was really good!

Ingredients and instructions below…

paella

Well, it had to happen sooner or later, that I would get around to posting about what is probably Spain’s most emblematic dish. Truth is, I only started making paella a couple of years ago, once again using Janet Mendel’s fabulous Cooking in Spain as a guide. Here I’ve made a few small changes from her original and the result was very satisfying.

Recipe and instructions below the links.

dijon chicken thingys

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So these are just quick snacky chicken thingys … the difference is the dijon mustard.  Not greasy at all, but very crispy, tender and tasty. Served here with a wilted spinach, onion and mushroom salad, with caesar salad dressing.

Instructions below the links.

pollo al ajillo

pollo al ajillo = chicken with garlic

This is a very typical Spanish dish that you can find in many tapas bars, traditionally made with stewing chicken, garlic, olive oil and dry sherry. My version is a bit spicier and uses boneless chicken breasts.  I’ve also added some portobello mushrooms & baby setas.

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Recipe and instructions below the links…