Make Ahead | I Can Cook That

Spicy Moroccan Chicken Skewers

I know, I know. I really need to up my chicken recipes. Cooking Light must realize this too because they had a recipe for Spicy Moroccan Chicken Skewers that I couldn’t pass up. The original recipe suggested serving the skewers with Greek yogurt, so I made a quick raita to go with them. I also served it with a simple couscous. This recipe does involve marinating the chicken for 2 hours, so prepare accordingly. (I made this over a weekend, I think this might be tough to make on a weeknight.)

Ingredients:

1 1/2 tablespoons minced fresh garlic
1 1/2 tablespoons chile paste (such as sambal oelek)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
5/8 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
4 skinless, boneless chicken thighs, cut into 30 pieces
1/2 yellow bell pepper, cut into 12 pieces
12 cherry tomatoes
Cooking spray
1/4 cup plain 2% reduced-fat Greek yogurt
1/2 a cucumber, chopped
2 tablespoons chopped mint
the juice of 1 lime
Salt and pepper, to taste

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Coconut Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins

Muffins are the perfect Sunday baking activity to set yourself up for breakfasts throughout the week. I haven’t made a batch in so long so I’m happy I finally had time to do so! I was given the opportunity to try Tropical Traditions Coconut Oil and I thought the best way to try the oil out would be in baking. (I adapted this recipe for Coconut Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins from the 1 Mix, 100 Muffins cookbook.)

Coconut oil can be used like butter in its solid state and like oil in its liquid state. It does have a slight coconut flavor to it so it’s a great way to enhance the flavor of many dishes. These Coconut-Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins have just a hint of coconut that is really complementary to the Lemon flavor.

Tropical Traditions is also sponsoring a giveaway! One lucky reader will win their very own jar of coconut oil! Details below.

Ingredients (this recipe makes a dozen muffins):

2 cups all-purpose flour, leveled with a knife

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/8 teaspoon salt

2 eggs

1 cup milk

6 tablespoons Coconut Oil, melted and allowed to cool slightly

the zest of 2 lemons

1/2 cup sugar, plus 1 tablespoon sugar

2 tablespoons poppy seeds

Note: The method I will list below is the one I ended up using for this recipe. And the reason I used this method was because I completely forgot to add in the sugar and poppy seeds at the correct time! Anyways, the muffins turned out fine. Whew.

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Line a cupcake/muffin pan with 12 paper liners. Add 6 tablespoons coconut oil to a small saute pan over medium heat until completely melted. Remove from heat and reserve.

Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt. (If you have a stand mixer, add the dough hook and turn it on low for a minute or two. It will break up all the chunks, just as good as sifting!)

In a separate bowl, lightly beat the eggs.

Add the milk, melted coconut oil, and lemon rind. And mix with a whisk to combine.

Make a well in the flour mixture and add the wet mixture to the bowl.

Stir until just combined (I used the lowest setting on my stand mixer. You can just use a spatula.)

Add the sugar and poppy seeds, stirring until just combined.

Add the batter to the muffin pan. To get equal sized muffins, use a small ladle or an ice cream scoop to portion out the batter.

Bake the muffins for 20-22 minutes; you want the muffins to have risen and be slightly golden brown on top, or when a toothpick inserted into the center of the cupcake comes out clean.

Allow to cool for 5 minutes in the pan and then remove.

So everyone knows how delicious normal Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins are. The coconut oil brings the muffins from good to great!

They are so fragrant. I was having trouble photographing them because I kept trying to eat them!

There is definitely a taste of coconut present without it being overwhelming; I find that coconut can really overtake a dish sometimes.

The lemon still shines through and is wonderfully sweet (due to all that sugar!)

Disclaimer: Tropical Traditions provided me with a free sample of this product to review, and I was under no obligation to review it if I so chose. Nor was I under any obligation to write a positive review or sponsor a product giveaway in return for the free product.

So on to the giveaway!

Win 1 quart of Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil!

Tropical Traditions is America’s source for coconut oil. Their Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil is hand crafted in small batches by family producers, and it is the highest quality coconut oil they offer. You can read more about how virgin coconut oil is different from other coconut oils on their website: What is Virgin Coconut Oil? You can also watch the video they produced about Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil:

Tropical Traditions also carries other varieties of affordable high quality coconut oil. Visit their website to check on current sales, to learn about the many uses of coconut oil, and to read about all the advantages of buying coconut oil online. Since the FDA does not want us to discuss the health benefits of coconut oil on a page where it is being sold or given away, here is the best website to read about the health benefits of coconut oil.

To enter, use the widget below. You have 8 chances to win (Writing a comment is mandatory, the rest are optional)! Giveaway ends this Friday, May 11 at 11:59PM EST. Good luck!

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Tandoori Chicken Thighs with Saffron Rice

Adding spices to your meal is a great way to add tons of flavor to a dish without adding calories. Because you need so little of the spice to enhance a dish, it’s a pretty cost-effective way to add flavor as well. (I try to buy my spices outside of supermarkets where they are really marked up. Spice Terminal in Reading Terminal was my favorite spot — I hope it’s coming back soon! update: The Head Nut is now open!) This dish in the latest Cooking Light for Tandoori Chicken Thighs incorporates traditional Indian spices which I absolutely love. I also made a quick saffron rice to go with the chicken.

Ingredients (this recipe makes 2 servings):

For the chicken:

1 cup plain 2% reduced-fat Greek yogurt
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
1 1/2 tablespoons grated peeled fresh ginger
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon cayenne
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
5 garlic cloves, minced
4 skinless, boneless chicken thighs
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon canola oil

For the rice:

1 cup uncooked basmati or similar rice
1 1/2 cup boiling water
1/2 tsp saffron, crushed
1 tablespoon ghee, or butter
6 cardamom pods
1 cinnamon stick
4 whole cloves
1/4 teaspoon tumeric
Salt, to taste

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Creamy Fresh Tomato Soup

Naturally, the day after I made my Grilled Tomato Orzo Salad in a Tomato Bowl pretending it was summer, the weather decided to do a 180 and veer into rainy cold sadness. Sigh. So what better way to use some of my Lipman Tomatoes than to make Creamy Tomato Soup? I found this recipe on Food Network and I had most of the ingredients already, win! I changed the recipe slightly for my tastes.

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons olive oil
1 red onion, chopped

1 carrot, unpeeled and chopped
3 cloves minced garlic
12 plum tomatoes, roughly chopped
1 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1/4 cup packed chopped fresh basil leaves, plus julienned basil leaves, for garnish
3 cups chicken stock

1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup heavy cream
Croutons, for garnish

Heat a large pot or a Dutch oven over medium-low heat. Add the olive oil. Chop the onion and carrot.

Saute for 10 minutes.

While waiting for the onion and carrot to soften, mince the garlic and set it aside. Roughly chop the tomatoes. Chop the basil.

Add the garlic to the pot and cook for 1 minute.

Add the tomatoes, sugar, tomato paste, basil, chicken stock, salt and pepper to the pot.

Stir well and bring to a boil.

Lower the heat and simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes.

If you have an immersion blender, at this stage, use to puree the soup. If you don’t, remove half the mixture and add it to a blender. Blend until smooth; be sure to keep the center of the top off of the blender and cover with a paper towel. Repeat with remaining mixture. Return to the pot over medium-low heat.

The soup is honestly good to go at this point. Feel free to just stop here.

To make a creamy soup, add the cream to the soup and mix.

Serve with basil and croutons.

Oh my goodness. Not only is this super easy, but it is absolutely delicious.

Because the soup is made with so many fresh tomatoes, it’s important to use tomatoes at their peak.

This is a wonderfully thick soup so it’s a meal in itself, but rainy, cold days always make me want a favorite childhood staple:

Note: The original recipe used a food mill but I don’t have one. And I was not willing to peel the tomatoes so I blended them, and it worked out great. The soup ended up completely creamy.

Grilled Tomato Orzo Salad in a Tomato Bowl

We have been having such a warm spring in Philadelphia. So if the weather is going to pretend it is summer, I will as well! To me, summer means tomatoes, corn, pesto, pasta salad, and of course, grilling.

Before I go into this recipe for Grilled Tomato Orzo Salad in a Tomato Bowl, first I want to tell you about Lipman Tomatoes. Lipman Tomatoes, a business-to-business company that has been supplying tomatoes and other vegetables to grocery stores and restaurants for 70 years, is about to launch a consumer-focused brand and website. Lipman contacted me about developing a recipe to celebrate their launch, which is the perfect opportunity for me to give into my “summer fever”. I decided to make a Grilled Tomato Orzo Salad served in a Tomato Bowl. (Update: the site is now live! Check out my recipe here!)

Lipman sent me an awesome assortment of their tomatoes. I decided to use the grape tomatoes for grilling, and the Vintage Ripe (a beautiful heirloom tomato) as my tomato bowls. The assortment also came with some cherry tomatoes and plum tomatoes so expect me to be on quite the tomato kick in the coming days!

Ingredients:

4 large Vintage Ripe tomatoes

1 cup orzo

4 cups vegetable broth

1 pint grape tomatoes

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 corn on the cob (or 1/3 cup frozen corn kernels, thawed)

8 oz mozzarella balls (if you cant get marinated mozzarella balls, even better!)

1 cucumber, seeded and chopped

Mint, for garnish

For the pesto:

2 bunches fresh basil leaves (about 2 cups packed)

1/3 cup walnuts

3 garlic cloves, minced

the juice and zest of 1 lemon

Salt and pepper, to taste

1/4 cup grated Parmiginao-Reggiano cheese

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

White Bean Hummus

Have you ever had a craving for something that you just can’t shake? Even after eating? I desperately wanted hummus. And even after filling up on delicious pizza I still wanted that hummus. But I don’t have any chickpeas in my place right now. (Note to self: stock up on cans of chickpeas so that I am never in this terrible situation again) So I went in search of a recipe for hummus that I could use something, anything else I happened to have on hand. White bean hummus to the rescue! (I found this recipe in Southern Living)

Ingredients:

2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
1 (15.5-ounce) can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
the juice and zest of 1 lemon
2 tablespoons tahini
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoonpaprika, plus more for garnish
1/4 cup olive oil

Rinse and drain your cannellini beans.

Add all the ingredients except for the olive oil to a food processor and blend. You may need to stop the food processor one or two times to scrape the sides to make sure everything is evenly blended.

While the food processor is running, add an even stream of the olive oil until well blended. Add to a bowl and sprinkle with some paprika. Serve with pita chips, cucumber, or green peppers.

Due to my craving, I had none of these on hand. Junk. But I did have some of the Kitchen Table Bakers Rosemary Parmesan Crisps that went perfectly with the hummus!

Oh so satisfying.

Cannellini beans make one fantastic hummus, who knew?

The hummus was nice and creamy. And I loved the fresh rosemary!

I’d suggest adding some extra fresh chopped rosemary on top for added flavor. You can store this overnight or for a few days beforehand. I like to bring it with me as a snack at work.

Black Bean Mango Salsa on Jalapeno Parmesan Crisps

You can never have too many quick appetizers on hand. I am loving the Kitchen Table Makers Crisps. I already did one post on the Rosemary Parmesan Crisps, so it was time to get a little spicy. I used Kitchen Table Makers Jalapeno Parmesan Crisps and topped it with a yummy Black Bean Mango Salsa. The original recipe had jalapenos within the salsa, but after tasting the Crisps, I decided they had enough heat that the additional jalapeno might be too much. If you’re a huge spice fan, feel free to add a bit of chopped jalapeno to the salsa.

Ingredients:

1 can (15 oz.) black beans, rinsed and drained
1 firm, ripe mango, diced
1 tomato cored and chopped
1 orange bell pepper, diced
1 yellow bell pepper, diced
1/4 of an onion, diced
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1 clove garlic, peeled and minced
the juice of 2 limes plus zest
Salt, to taste
Jalapeno Crisps

Continue reading Black Bean Mango Salsa on Jalapeno Parmesan Crisps

Banana Berry Pecan Granola Bars

There are so many fantastic food bloggers out there. One food blog I regularly check is Cookin’ Canuck. Dara makes the most appealing looking recipes and her photos are always stunning. She has also cooked her way healthy and has a wonderful post about her journey. Dara has a great recipe for Low Fat Granola Bars with Bananas, Dried Cranberries, and Pecans that I just had to try. I switched it ever so slightly, but you can find the original recipe here.

Ingredients:

3 1/2 cup rolled oats
3/4 cup pecan pieces
3 ripe bananas
2/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
2 tablespoons honey (to make vegan, substitute agave nectar)
3/4 cup dried berries (I used Trader Joe’s Golden Berry Blend)
3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
3 tbsp whole flax seeds
1/2 tsp salt

Salmon Croquettes with Lemon Tarragon Aioli

I am so excited to share this recipe with you. I loved it so much! I found this recipe from Saveur and knew I had to try it. This recipe is perfect for a Friday night meal, but I suggest making them ahead of time if you can. They need to be chilled for at least one hour so that they retain their shape when cooking.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup white wine
3 tbsp. Old Bay seasoning, divided
1 tbsp. plus 1 tsp. kosher salt, divided
1 1-lb. boneless salmon filet
1 1/2 cups panko bread crumbs
3 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
4 scallions, finely chopped
2 eggs, beaten
Juice of 1 lemon
Canola oil for frying, or olive oil to pan fry

To make, add 4 cups water, wine, 2 tablespoons Old Bay, and 1 tablespoon salt in a large saute pan (make sure you have a top for the saute pan). Bring to a boil.

Add the salmon, skin side down.

Turn off the heat and cover the salmon. Let the salmon cook in the liquid for 10 minutes. Transfer the salmon to a plate skin side up and let cool. The salmon will not be fully cooked through.

Peel off the skin and discard. Break the salmon into small pieces and place in a bowl with the remaining Old Bay and salt as well as the bread crumbs, butter, scallions, eggs and lemon juice. Stir and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Using a 1/3-cup measuring cup to evenly size the croquettes, form the 1/3 cup mixtures into patties with your hands. Transfer to a parchment paper lined baking sheet. (I ended up with 8 patties plus one little baby patty). Refrigerate for at least an hour (I refrigerated mine overnight).

You can fry the patties in canola oil in 1/2″ of oil at 325 degrees, but I decided to just pan fry mine in a little olive oil. Cook for 3 minutes on each side. Transfer to a paper towel to remove excess oil then serve.

Serve with a wedge of lemon and a lemon tarragon aioli. To make the aioli, add 1/2 cup mayo, 2 tablespoons chopped fresh tarragon, the juice of 1/2 a lemon, 1 minced garlic clove, and 1 teaspoon of Dijon mustard, and 1/4 teaspoon Old Bay in a food processor. Refrigerate for 30 minutes and serve.

I served three croquettes per person with 1 teaspoon aioli.

I loved the flavor of this so so much! The Old Bay comes through in the salmon croquette, and an extra squeeze of lemon on top brings this from good to great.

The aioli was really nice with it too! I had some tarragon in my fridge so I decided to make it and I was afraid tarragon wouldn’t go with the salmon. That wasn’t an issue at all; they worked great together!

This is a great quick night meal if you have the ability to plan ahead and prep the night before. If not, just make sure to give yourself a good 2-3 hours to make the whole thing which doesn’t make it very feasible for a weeknight.

Chilled Raspberry Shooters

I fell in love with this recipe for Chilled Raspberry Shooters initially just on the photo; they are so pretty! The original recipe from Taste of Home is actually more of a savory dish but one of the comments mentioned using vanilla yogurt instead of sour cream so I decided to take their suggestion. This take some preparation, so if you plan on using this to impress guests with a slightly different but amazing dessert, be sure to give yourself a few hours before the event.

Ingredients (makes 6):

2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons cranberry juice
2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons sugar
3 pints plus 6 fresh raspberries, divided
2/3 cups french vanilla yogurt
1 tablespoon whipped topping, divided

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Strawberries with Chocolate Cream

Valentines Day has come early to I Can Cook That! Ok, not really. I made them for a party recently, but they would be perfect for a Valentines Day dessert, or with your coffee in the morning! I found this recipe on Taste of Home. After reading the reviews, a few people suggested adding some powdered sugar to sweeten up the chocolate cream. I love anything sweet, so I took their suggestion!

Ingredients:

1-1/2 ounces dark chocolate, grated, divided

1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup powdered sugar

1 cup whipped topping

2 containers of fresh strawberries, halved

I used dark chocolate bars from Trader Joe’s. They come in 1.75 oz little bars so I used two of those 1.75 oz bars. Take the first bar and melt over low heat, stirring until smooth. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature.

In a small bowl, add the cream cheese, vanilla, powdered sugar and whipped topping. Beat with a hand mixer until smooth.

Add the melted chocolate and beat until combined. Add the mixture to a plastic zip lock bag.

Cut off the lower corner and pipe onto the strawberries, with the cut side up.

Using a grater, grate the remaining chocolate over the strawberries.

These are really simple, and really tasty too!

I think the addition of the powdered sugar was a good idea. Fresh strawberries can be a bit tart, so it was nice to add some extra sweetness within the chocolate cream.

The cream cheese adds a nice smoothness to the chocolate cream. They are so pretty too, aren’t they?

You can make these ahead of time and then pop them in the refrigerator until needed.

Homemade Macaroni and Cheese

So I realized today that this post for Homemade Macaroni and Cheese is my 200th! How crazy is that? Okay, back to your regular programing… time for an awesome recipe for Homemade Macaroni and Cheese!

Winter weather really makes me crave comfort food. When it snows (like it did this weekend) my need for comfort food escalates.

I’ve been looking for any excuse to make another mac and cheese recipe, so I jumped at the chance to make it during the snow.

I originally printed out this recipe from Cooking Light, but I changed it so much to fit what I could find it’s barely recognizable. The overall method is basically the same though.

Ingredients:

1/2 an onion, diced
1 bay leaf
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 1/4 cups 1% low fat milk
1 box uncooked elbow macaroni
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg
4 ounces cubed sharp cheddar cheese
4ounces cubed gouda cheese
Panko breadcrumbs
Grated fresh Parmesan cheese
Fresh parsley, chopped

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Stuffed Peppers

I have been a part of a food swap for about 6 months now, and I am already running low on ideas. As I was frantically looking for an idea, I realized no one had made stuffed peppers yet, win! Stuffed peppers are a perfect, hearty meal for relatively little cost. They are pretty adaptable and can honestly be made with whatever you want. To make vegetarian, sub in beans or just omit the ground beef all together.

Ingredients (this makes 10 stuffed peppers)

10 peppers

2 tbsp butter

2 tbsp olive oil

3 onions

3 garlic cloves, minced

2.5 lbs ground beef

1 teaspoon Worcestershire

1 can diced tomatoes

½ teaspoon each of basil, oregano and parsley (dried)

¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes

Salt and pepper, to taste

5 cups cooked rice

½ cup grated Parmesan

Cut off top of peppers, removing the seeds and membranes. Dice the edible parts of the tops of the peppers.

Add the whole peppers to a pot and cover with salted water. Bring to a boil and lower heat to a simmer. Cook for 3 minutes. Remove from water and set aside.

Add the butter and olive oil to a pan over medium heat. Add the onion, diced peppers, and garlic and sauté for 5 minutes.

Add the ground beef, stirring to break up the meat.

Cook until browned. Add the Worcestershire, diced tomatoes, and tomato puree, stirring to combine.

Season with oregano, basil, parsley, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper. Simmer for 10 minutes. Stir in cooked rice and parmesan cheese.

Stuff peppers with mixture, sprinkling with more parmesan cheese if desired.

Because I made these for a swap, I froze the peppers at this stage.

To cook, thaw completely then bake at 350 degrees for 55-65 minutes.

I hope they like them!

Homemade Pancake Mix

Now don’t get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with store-bought pancake mix. However, are you aware of how easy it is to make your own at home? This recipe makes 16 pancakes; you can store the dry mix in a cool, dry place for up to 6 months. I found this recipe on allrecipes.com.

Ingredients:
4 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups whole wheat flour
2/3 cup sugar
2 tablespoons baking powder
1 tablespoon baking soda

Snickerdoodles

I am back in cookie baking mode. This time around, I’m going the more traditional route. First on my list, classic snickerdoodles.

Ingredients

3/4 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (about 6 3/4 ounces)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

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