Chicken Fried Rice

Ingredients:

1 T olive oil
1 T garlic, crushed or diced
1 T ginger, shredded or diced
1/2 sweet onion, diced
2 chicken breasts, cubed
about 1/4 c soy sauce (to taste)
4-5 cups cooked rice
2-3 carrots, diced
1 c frozen peas
3 stalks green onion, diced
1 egg, scrambled
1 t sesame oil

Directions:

Sauté garlic, ginger and onion together in olive oil until onion is tender. Remove from pan while reserving as much liquid in the pan as possible. Add chicken and soy sauce to the pan and cook until no longer pink inside. Add back onion/garlic mixture. Add carrots and peas. Cook about 3 more minutes over med/high heat. Reduce heat to med/low. Add in rice, sesame oil, and scrambled egg and blend well.

Cardamom Chicken and Chickpeas

4 chicken breasts, cut into 3 pieces each
2 T cumin powder (or toasted seeds, ground with a mortar & pestle)
8 cardamom pods (opened, pods removed, and seeds ground with a mortar & pestle)
2 T honey
1T fresh ginger, grated
2 t minced garlic
Pinch dried chili flakes (optional/You can also use jalapeno stuffed olives, below, instead of regular ones to add the spiciness)
6 T olive oil
Salt & pepper to taste
1 large red onion, finely sliced
1 1/4 cups chicken broth
14 1/2 oz can chickpeas, rinsed & drained
Handful pitted green olives, sliced
1/2 - 1 cup chopped cilantro
Hot, cooked jasmine rice

1. Combine cumin, cardamom, honey, ginger, garlic, chili (if using), and 4 T of olive oil in a small bowl.
2. Place chicken pieces in a Ziplock bag and add combined seasonings. Mix well and allow to sit for 2 hours (or more) in the refrigerator.
3. Gently fry chicken in remaining oil until golden brown on all sides. Place in a tagine pot (or heavy casserole dish, or you can cook this in your crockpot). Drizzle remaining marinade mix on top.
4. Cover with onion, tomatoes, chickpeas and olives. Pour in the chicken broth.
5. Cover and cook in a 375 degree oven for one hour.
6. Stir in chopped cilantro just prior to serving.
7. Serve over rice.

Tip: If you are using a tagine or casserole dish, place a cookie sheet beneath your dish to catch unintentional drippings.

Gluten-Free Broccoli Rice Casserole

Ingredients:
1 Stick of butter, divided.
1/2 cup diced onion
1 T diced garlic
2 cups fresh broccoli heads and some stems, diced
1-2 T cornstarch
1 1/2 cups milk
3 cups shredded cheese (cheddar & Monterrey jack cheese blend)
6 cups cooked jasmine rice


Directions:
Melt 1/2 stick butter in large wok. Saute onions and garlic. Add broccoli. Cook 1 minute. Add cornstarch and mix well. Stir in milk, remaining butter and 1 1/2 cups shredded cheese until it makes a thick sauce. Remove from heat and stir in rice until well blended. Pour into greased 9 x 13 casserole dish. Top with remaining cheese and bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes.

TIP: Add 2-3 cups shredded chicken to make this a full meal instead of a side dish.

African Peanut Chicken

African Peanut Sauce

2-3 tbsps Oil
1 Chicken, cut up (can use beef chunks)
1 medium Onion, chopped
3-4 Hot Peppers (do not cut up, for flavor only)
1 1/2 tsps Salt (or to taste)
1/4 Cabbage, chopped or in large chunks (optional)
2-3 tsps bouillon granules
1 1/2 cup peanut butter, natural
2-3 tbsps Tomato Paste
5-6 drops Tabasco, Or, chop the cooked hot peppers and serve on side
Cooked Rice

In dutch oven or stew pot, heat oil and fry chicken and onions lightly.
Add water to cover chicken by 1/2 to 1 inch.
Add salt and hot peppers and boil until chicken is cooked.*
Add bouillon, and tomato paste and peanut butter.  (Mix peanut butter with some of the liquid and add. )
Bring to a good boil and add cabbage.
Cook well to blend flavor.  (Cook until you see till the surface of the sauce has little red dots of oil forming.  This shows that the peanut butter is cooked.)  Add liquid if needed.
Remove the whole hot peppers.
Serve over rice.

* When chicken is cooked, can be removed from broth and de-boned, but this is not traditionally African.


from Marilyn Hanscome, West Africa