Tag: recipe

Spicy Peanut Crusted Chicken with Coconut Peanut Dipping Sauce

I’m always looking to do something a little different with plain chicken and love adding a little spice to things, so I decided to try making a Spicy Peanut Crusted Chicken with a Coconut Peanut Dipping Sauce. I used chicken thighs for this recipe, but it would work great for chicken breasts too.

The Fresh Roasted Almond Company sent me a great sample box with a variety of their nuts and flavors. I ate some, shared some and still had a lot left so I got the idea to try using their buffalo flavored peanuts instead of the usual plain peanuts I use when I make this dish. They have a sweet and spicy taste (not an overtly a “buffalo wings” kind of flavor) that I thought would go well with the sauce I usually make with Thai peanut chicken.

I started with 1/2 cup of flavored peanuts. I usually just crush them with a mortar and pestle but I found these a little harder than the plain nuts due to their flavored coating. After a few rounds I gave in and brought out the food processor so I could grind them up better. You still want them to be a little crumbly though, so don’t grind them to dust!

Buffalo Peanuts by the Fresh Roasted Almond Co.

I combined the peanuts with 1/2 cup of panko (Japanese breadcrumbs) that I gave a few extra crushes to so they were a little smoother than usual. You can use regular breadcrumbs, but all I had was the panko or seasoned breadcrumbs and I didn’t want to throw the flavor off with the extra seasoning.

Next beat two eggs in a separate bowl and mix together your peanut and breadcrumbs in their own bowl. First dip the chicken in the eggs, then the crumb mix. Press the chicken into the crumb mix really well on both sides so you get a good coating.

I baked them on a Copper Crisper, but you can also just use a baking sheet or pan. Put them in the oven at 350 degrees for 30 min. I always check after 30 minutes and see if they need more time. While the chicken is cooking, it’s time to make the sauce!

img_0676

Really Easy Coconut Peanut Sauce:

1/2 can of coconut milk (Give or take depending on how thick you want it. I usually pour a little in, mix, then pour more in. You will probably have to stir the coconut milk in the can first because it usually separates)

1/3 cup of peanut butter (At can be creamy or chunky. And again, you can add more or less depending on taste)

3 Tbsp. soy sauce

2 Tbsp. lime juice

1 Tbsp. chopped cilantro

Dash of red pepper flakes if you like it a little hot.

Stir it up until it’s bubbling, then lower the heat and keep warm until ready to serve.

Garnish with fresh chopped cilantro.

All done and ready to serve!

img_0677.jpgThis meal goes great with plain white rice and green beans. You can also pour some of the sauce on the rice or drizzle it on the chicken. I like to put it in a little bowl for dipping but my husband takes the bowl and just dumps it on everything.

You can make this with any kind of nuts too! The Fresh Roasted Almond Co. even makes nut crumbles so you can skip the food processor part and just go straight to the dipping.

You can check them out on Facebook and Instagram, as well as their website Fresh Roasted Almond Co.

*There’s a Buy 2 Get 2 Free special on their website right now, where if you buy two of any item, you get another two products free – details on the site.

Sweet Potatoes in the Copper Crisper

My grandmother surprised me with a Copper Crisper, so I had to give it a try right away. My husband keeps getting sweet potatoes with the intention of cutting them up and making little tater tot type things for his lunch, and then doesn’t follow through with it, so I figured this would be the perfect thing to use for that.

I chopped up three sweet potatoes into cubes, and in hindsight that was too many to fit on the pan but I went through with it anyway!

I didn’t want all the sugar and sweetness so I just tossed the potatoes in a little olive oil and sea salt and then put them in the oven at 400 degrees for 20 minutes, as per the directions. I was very skeptical that 20 minutes was going to be enough, and I was right, so I put them back in for 20 more. And then a little longer.

I took them out and mix them in the butter like the recipe said, but I probably would’ve been better off skipping that part. They were OK, but not as crunchy as I’d hoped. I realize this was probably my fault for overloading the pan, although I did go in and move them around every time I added more time so that they could all cook.

Here’s the recipe if you are interested in trying it yourself!

I do plan on giving it another try but with less sweet potatoes next time and no butter! I have started using the Copper Crisper for other things like breaded fish and chicken and it actually works pretty good so I’m sure I can get a crisper potato if I adjust the amount.

Anybody else use one of these? Any tips or favorite things to cook in it?

The Sneaky Zucchini Turkey Burger Recipe

Zucchini Turkey Burger
Viola! A super tasty turkey burger

Because sometimes you have to sneak those veggies in! But also, because the addition of grated zucchini makes these turkey burgers nice and juicy. I made these last night and was really happy with the result. They are a little mushy when raw, so it helps to stick them in the freezer before grilling. You can also pan fry or broil them without freezing first.

Ingredients for turkey burger recipeIngredients:
1 1/4 lb. ground turkey
1/2 cup finely grated zucchini
1/3 cup mayo (I used Miracle Whip)
1/2 cup unflavored breadcrumbs
2 Tbsp. finely chopped sweet onion
2 Tbsp. chopped parsley
1 Tbsp. minced garlic
1/2 Tbsp. Kosher salt (more or less to taste)

Makes 6 Burgers

Instructions:

  1. Use a large cheese grater to grate the zucchini. I followed up with a little extra chopping to make it nice and fine. Then put it into a paper towel and squeeze out the excess water.Grated zucchini
  2. Finely chop the sweet onion (I used Vidalia onions) and garlic. Or cheat like me and use minced garlic that comes ready-to-use.
  3. Chop the parsely
  4. Mix everything up in a big bowl
  5. Form into 6 pattiesIMG_9207
  6. Put them in the freezer until firm if you want to grill them, or you can pan fry or broil them.
  7. Enjoy a glass of wine while patties are firming up, if you chose that method. This is also a good reason to freeze them.A glass of wine for the cook
  8. Cook ’em up and enjoy 🙂

    *So how did the toddler react? He threw a fit, yelled “I don’t want the stinky burger!,” then ate all of it.

My Best Roast Pumpkin Seed Recipe

I love saving the seeds after carving pumpkins and then roasting them. This year they turned out the best ever! I’ve been snacking on them all week. I’m ready to run out and get more pumpkins just so I can do it all over again and try different flavors!

I think the secret to their deliciousness was letting them soak in the spices overnight. I just rinsed off the pumpkin goo, and then added a hefty dash of garlic salt, a sprinkle of white pepper and a little bit of steak seasoning from Omaha Steaks. It was just something random I threw in there and it worked out really well. I covered the bowl with plastic wrap and then let them sit in the fridge overnight.

pumpkin seeds

The next day I took them out, mixed in 1 tsp of melted butter and spread them out on a foil lined pan. I set the oven to bake at 350 degrees, and put the pan on one of the upper shelves.

Roasting pumpkin seeds

I checked them after 30 min and they were cooked but not enough. I tried stirring them around and they kind of stuck to the foil and didn’t budge so I put them back in for another 10 min.

The next time I peeked in, I was greeted by the sight of perfectly roasted pumpkin seeds! They had toasted up a nice brown and looked really crispy. After letting them cool for a moment I was able to confirm, yes, they were crispy and delicious!

Perfectly roasted pumpkin seeds

If you have a favorite seed recipe, tip or seasoning mix, I’d love to hear about it. Our carved pumpkins already rotted in the Florida heat, so I’ll be getting some more pumpkins soon and I want to try out a few different flavor mixes.

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