I think I enjoy the cooking more than eating, there is nothing better than to watch the smile grow after someone’s first bite. Note from Steve: I am a flow of thought writer and apologize up front if I lose you. My family is used to it.
I had some bone in chicken thighs in the freezer and was looking for ideas on line and found fitfoodiesfind which looked simple and delicious. I was being lazy so simple fit the bill.
I like dark meat rather than white meat to me it remains moist and I reserve cooking them when Lyn is fasting, I call them my bachelor nights. The one key difference between the two is the fat content. Chicken thighs are fattier than the breasts and are also moister in comparison. However, both thighs and breasts have the same relative content of iron, sodium, and good cholesterol, they differ in the amounts of calories, fat and saturated fats.
Anway…. This baked chicken thigh recipe has the crispiest skin and the juiciest inside. You can’t go wrong with this recipe any day of the week.
Pictures borrowed form fitfoodiesfind
INGREDIENTS
1.5lb. – 2 lbs. bone-in and skin-on chicken thighs (~4 large chicken thighs)
1.5 tablespoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon honey
2 tablespoons olive oil
How
Preheat the oven to 400ºF and line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and place a metal cooling rack on top of the aluminum foil.
Add the granulated garlic, salt, and pepper into a small bowl. Set aside.
Next, prep chicken thighs by using kitchen shears to trim any excess skin. Next, draw out moisture from the chicken thighs by patting them with a paper towel.
Sprinkle the spices on the chicken thighs and use your hands to massage the spices into the chicken. Be sure the chicken thighs are covered with spices. Let the chicken sit for 10-15 minutes in the dry rub.
Place the chicken thighs on top of the metal rack.
In a small bowl, whisk the olive oil and honey together and drizzle the mixture over the chicken thighs.
Place the chicken in the oven and bake the chicken thighs for 30-35 minutes or until they reach 160ºF.
I love what they call Peking Ravioli and have bought from restaurants, and frozen. My fondest memories are when I used to commute into Boston via the train, a there was a group of us and maybe once a month take turns going into China Town and buying a huge box of frozen ravs. On the way back we would split them up and distribute to our coolers. Many good meals were had. Well our Son Mike’s is married to a wonderful woman, Gail, who happens to be from China. I innocently (ya right) ask if she ever made them. Her mom had visited recently and left her with a freezer full. She said yes and she would show me how. I jokingly called Chef Gail and it stuck at least while she was here.
It was like getting a recipe from your mom, a little of this, a handful of that a splash of rice vinegar and she went by smell. When she felt it smelt right, we were ready to start making the dumplings. Now that I think about it that makes sense there are dishes, I make that I’ll know it is correct and ready to cook by the smell, I just never thought about it that way.
The frozen dumplings I’ve made I would pan fried and then add water cover and steam until done. Gail said the authentic way is to boil them (at least the ones you have on the Chinese New Year). So, we made the stuffing (pork) added scallions, napa cabbage, ginger, five spice, canola oil, soy sauce then mix and then stuffed. using chopsticks mix stirring in only one direction (this way the filling becomes very sticky and absorbs more water to bring the juicy flavor). She showed me her way of sealing the wrappers and I soon got the hang of it. Lyn and Mike joined in and before we knew it the pound of pork was gone. Into some lightly salted boiling water and this is where we used her mom’s trick. You bring water to boil then boil for a few minutes add a little less than a cup of cold water and bring to a boil again and repeat. Essentially boiling three times. Drain and eat with dipping sauce.
Now my challenge is to figure out the measurements (double checked with Gail).
Stuffing: Keep in mind these are estimated amounts so you have to use your judgment
1 lb. ground pork (>20% fat is ideal)
2 cups of Napa cabbage copped finely
About 3/4 inch of ginger, finely chopped or grated
4 scallions, finely chopped
2-3 tbsp soy sauce (I like low sodium)
1 tsp 5 spice powder
2 tbs canola/vegetable oil …add more if the stuffing turned out too dry
1/3 tsp salt
Dipping Sauce: • 4 tbsp soy sauce • 1/2 cup water • 2 tsp sugar (optional for sweet) • dash rice vinegar • dash sesame oil • pinch garlic powder • two dashes hot pepper flakes
Scoop about 1 tablespoon (or less, so you can easily fold the dumpling) of dumpling filling and place it in the center of the wrapper. Rub the edge of dumpling with water (acts like glue) Hold the dumpling with one hand and start sealing the edges with the other hand (refer to the video to see how to fold a dumpling). Be careful, when you press the edges together to seal the dumpling, do not let filling touch the sealing area (the dumpling will fall apart if you do). After folding, press edge again to seal well. You don’t need to fold beautiful dumplings here, that will come with time, your goal is to make the dumplings hold their shape during boiling.
How
Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
Carefully add dumplings one at a time into the water. Use a big ladle to stir the water gently, until the water starts to boil again, so the dumplings don’t stick to the bottom, for about 1 minute. Adjust the heat so the water is at boiling point but isn’t bubbling too fiercely.
When the dumplings float to the surface, add about 3/4 cup cold water bring to a boil add another 3/4 cup cold water continue boiling until the dumplings are filledwith air and swollen and the dough starts to become transparent, about 1 minute or 2 (time may vary depending on temp, size of dumplings etc)
Gail note: I only see dumplings made from commercial wraps filled with air, the ones my parents made from home-made dough didn’t fill with air,
Remove and place aside and cook the next batch.
For the dumpling already boiled, the pan-fried left-over also great:)
I got a red cabbage with my Misfits Market order thinking it would be a small head that I could add to my salads, but it turned out to be huge. I like stuffed cabbage and figure why not. If your interested in trying Misfits use my code (COOKWME-FG1DCQ) that way we can both save some $$. This is a quick, easy and pretty good. I have made other recipes like sweet and sour but I kind of like this one.
Ingredients
1 large head purple cabbage
3 cups water or unsalted chicken broth
1 cup brown rice, cooked and cooled
1 ¼ pounds ground sirloin
1 egg beaten
1 tablespoon garlic powder
½ cup chopped onion
1 green bell pepper, seeded and diced
2 teaspoons ground sage
2 teaspoons Italian seasoning (optional)
Sea salt and black pepper
2 ½ cups low-sodium marinara sauce (my mother in-law used to use tomato soup)
How
Carefully cut or remove 6 large leaves from a head of cabbage—the bigger, the better; they are your vessels in this recipe. Bring a pot of water to a boil, then drop in the leaves. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until soft and malleable.
Bring the 3 cups water or broth to a boil, then add the rice. Cover and cook until the farro has softened and can be fluffed with a fork, about 30 minutes. Set aside to cool.
Preheat oven to 400˚F.
In a large bowl, mix turkey, egg, garlic powder, onion, bell pepper, sage, Italian seasoning (if using), salt, black pepper, 2 tablespoons marinara sauce, and rice.
In a baking dish, spread 1 cup marinara sauce over the bottom.
Take a scoop of the meat mixture ( I used my medium ice cream scoop) and roll into a cylinder or ball. Place at the bottom of a cabbage leaf; roll up the bottom, fold in the sides, then continue rolling the leaf to seal. Repeat. Depending on the size of the leaf, I had some left over so I just made small meatballs with leftover and placed in pan. I think they are called porcupine balls, I call it chef’s treat.
Place the rolls side by side on top of the sauce in the baking dish. Pour the remaining sauce over the rolls Cover the baking dish with tin foil and bake at 400˚F for 55 minutes.
You could also use this for stuffed peppers, acorn squash
I don’t think that this recipe needs more than what my wife texted to our son and new daughter “I made this soup and it is really good!”. They are both avid soup lovers and Gail’s favorite restaurant is a hot pot place I think it was Spring Shabu-Shabu.
Who doesn’t love a good lentil soup? This one came from
1 large potato (white), peeled and chopped into bite size pieces
4 teaspoons Fody Foods vegetable soup base dissolved in 4 cups of boiled water (or 4 cups of Low FODMAP vegetable broth)
3 cups canned lentils, rinsed and drained (about 2, 14 ounce cans, you may have a little lentils leftover, this can vary depending on the product you use.)
1, 14 ounce can diced tomatoes, not drained
3 cups kale, stemmed and chopped
1 tablespoon tomato paste
¼ teaspoon coriander
½ teaspoon cumin
½ teaspoon cayenne
1 teaspoon oregano
Salt and pepper to taste
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1/2 cup parsley, washed and chopped, for garnish
Instructions
In a large stockpot, add olive oil.
Over medium-high heat, sauté carrots, celery and potato in olive oil for about 10-12 minutes or until soft.
Add soup broth and cook for 5 minutes.
Then, lower heat to medium, and continue to cook the vegetables for 15 minutes.
Next, add the lentils, diced tomatoes, kale, tomato paste, coriander, cumin, cayenne, oregano, salt and pepper, to taste.
Let soup simmer on medium-low heat for about 12 minutes, then stir in the lemon juice.
Garnish with parsley and serve!
About Lentils
Lentils are particularly high in protein, fiber, folate, iron, zinc and magnesium! Let’s talk a bit about these important nutritions.
Lentils contain 6 grams of protein in a 1/2 cup canned portion.
For those following a vegan or vegetarian diet, lentils make a great protein option. For those of us who do consume meat, they’re still a tasty, fiber rich, protein rich and nutrient dense ingredient!
Fiber is key for digestive health. One serving of Delallo canned lentils provides 6 grams of fiber; that’s about 25% of your daily requirement!
Lentils provide a great source of folate, a water-soluble B vitamin. While folate is crucial for all (it helps the body make healthy new cells), it is particularly important for women of reproductive age. Adequate folate intake can prevent birth defects of the baby’s brain, making it an important nutrient for those planning to conceive and during pregnancy.
Lentils provide a nice dose of plant-based iron too.
There are two types of iron – heme and non-heme – with heme iron being found in meat, poultry and fish, and non-heme iron being found in plant foods (whole grains, legumes, nuts, seeds and leafy greens). Non-heme iron is less readily absorbed in the gut, but pairing it with foods high in Vitamin C has been shown to increase absorption.
In my lentil recipe, we’ll be using lemon juice, tomato paste and kale as sources of Vitamin C, but some other foods high in Vitamin C include: bell peppers, strawberries, oranges and broccoli.
Lentils contain a good amount of zinc.
Zinc levels have been shown to be low in some GI conditions, such as chronic diarrhea, inflammatory bowel disease and celiac disease. Boost your zinc intake with lentils, or other zinc rich foods such as oyster, pork, or pumpkin seeds. For more information on zinc click here!
Lentils contain magnesium too!
Did you know that most of us don’t get enough magnesium?
Magnesium is an important mineral that helps regulate blood pressure and blood glucose, among a plethora of other crucial bodily functions. Lentils are a good source of magnesium. Pumpkin seeds, almonds, spinach, peanuts and avocados are some other food sources of magnesium.
Now that we know lentils can fit into the low FODMAP diet, let’s get to the fun part – cooking!
Lentils can be cooked in advance and kept in the fridge to be reused throughout the week, or you can opt to buy some of the canned varieties when on a low FODMAP diet. Whether you decide to sprinkle some over your salad or stir some into your soup, you’ll be adding a nutrient-dense ingredient to any dish.
My brother told me the other day that he gave into an urge and went to KFC. He said it was good, I still won’t go back I know it won’t hit the taste buds like my mind remembers. Once on our yearly trip to visit our sister in MN while looking for something to eat we found The coop restaurant if I remember correctly it was a small 2 or 3 tables on the corner restaurant that said they had the best fried chicken. We were very excited as was my sister. We got there went in and strolled up the the counter and ordered, the first thing they asked us was did you call the order in? Thought at was odd but they took our order and we sat down. Susan who was the most excited about the chicken ordered a burger. Soon our food came and a line started to form. We didn’t think anything of it but by the time we were done eating and heading out the line at the counter was out the front door and around the corner. We understood why it was great chicken, pressure cook then fried up juicy and delicious.
Anyway Lyn was fasting so I grabbed some boneless chicken thighs and the Air fryer.
I put flour in one bowl, beat an egg with some hot sauce in another, then gluten free panko bread crumbs in the last, you can make this all gluten free on not at all.
After dredging the chicken in flour
Coat with egg
Then into the breadcrumbs.
I had preheated the air fryer to 400 and before putting chicken in I did quick spray of oil placed the chicken in and then another quick spray.
Set the temp to 400 and 10 minutes.
Turned the chicken over 1/2 through and check with instant thermometer it was done 162 degree let sit the temp would rise to 165ish
A couple of reasons I’ve been very busy campaigning since I retired in January and I do cook a lot of duplicates and like to try out new recipes until I either perfect my way or like it. Like you I’ve tried things, that remind me of that commercial where they make a disgusting face as they taste.
But I’m back and my cooking of new things is starting up again. Next is authentic Chinese style Ravs / dumplings thanks to my new daughter Gail.
Lyn and I were looking for something for dinner and we came up with making Ravioli Puttanesca but use some of my meatballs chopped up and some Fusilli instead of raviolis. It’s the same basic recipe but I chopped up two meatballs and added some sundried tomatoes to the sliced cherry tomatoes.
I really like the results and will duplicate in future.
What was a Sunday dinner at Rose’s without meatballs? This is a dish that a pinch of and a handful of that really comes to play. A dish that my side of the family would kill for, a plate of pasta topped with some of Rose’s meatballs. You really have to make these every week so you get it down. But then I would be 900 lbs. Quick easy but soooooo good.
This is my take of her recipe.
Ingredients
2 lbs. of ground sirloin I used 93% lean
3-4 eggs – 2 per lbs
About 1.5 handfuls of seasons bread crumbs and 1.5 handful of oat bran, each handful was about 1/4 cup
splash of milk maybe around 1/4 cup
Heaping tablespoon or dried parsley
About 1/3 cup grated parmigiana Reggiano cheese
Heaping tablespoon of dried basil
A couple of teaspoon of garlic powder
About a tablespoon of onion powder
1 tsp. Salt and fresh ground pepper if you want a spicy meatball either use more pepper or add 1/4 teaspoon of red pepper flakes
How:
Preheat oven to 350◦
Line a backing sheet with high sides with tin foil and drizzle with then and spread olive oil
in large bowl mix bread crumb and oat bran with milk let sit for 3-5 minutes
now mix all other ingredients together thoroughly. Using a medium ice cream scoop, scoop out and shape into 2” balls. (Approximately) and line the pan with meatballs leaving a little space between each.
Hint: I always have a small bowl with some olive oil in it to keep dipping my hand in it for when I form the meatballs
Convection Bake for about 15-30 minutes, checking after 20 minutes. The will be firm but not too firm. You can place sauce until ready to serve. if you want check with instant thermometer temp 138ish
Note: I think when going to serve that putting in sauce and let them simmer with the sauce make them come out very moist and as Lyn said melted in your mouth.
Gourmet Dad, Don’t Let The Title Fool You 