Friday, June 27, 2014

Coconut Chicken With Sweet Chili Sauce


I've had this recipe for about a year and I LOVE it. Coconut chicken has the most amazing flavor. I have used this coating recipe for shrimp as well and it's great! I served this tonight with some store bought sweet chili sauce, but normally I like to make a tasty apricot sauce to dip it in. Both are incredible though.
 
Ingredients: chicken breasts, eggs, flour, panko, shredded coconut, sea salt and vegetable oil.
 

Slice chicken breasts into strips.

Prepare breading station. (flour and salt...eggs...and panko with coconut)

Heat vegetable oil in large skillet.

Dredge chicken in flour, then egg and panko/coconut mixture.

Put breaded chicken in hot oil in skillet.

Cook a few minutes until golden brown and flip over. Continue cooking until second side is golden brown and chicken is cooked through.

Drain on paper towels.

Serve with sweet chili sauce, apricot sauce or sauce of your choosing and enjoy!
 
INGREDIENTS:
2 lbs chicken breasts
2 eggs
1/2 cup flour
1 cup panko bread crumbs
1 cup shredded coconut
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup vegetable oil
Dipping sauce of your choosing 

DIRECTIONS:
Cut chicken breasts into about 1 inch strips. Prepare breading station. Put flour and salt in one bowl. Crack and lightly scramble eggs in separate container. (You can add 1/4 cup coconut milk to the eggs if you have it on hand. It's good either way). Mix panko and coconut in 3rd bowl. Heat 1/4 cup oil in large skillet over med/high heat. Dredge chicken in flour, then egg and finally in panko/coconut mixture. Place breaded strips in hot pan being careful not to over crowd. Cook a few minutes until chicken is golden brown. Flip and cook a few more minutes until second side is golden brown and chicken is cooked through. Place on paper towels to drain. Repeat with remaining chicken, adding oil to the pan if needed. Serve with dipping sauce of your choosing and enjoy! 
 
 
Here are two apricot dipping sauces you can use with this chicken. I like and use the apricot mustard recipe. It's delicious.
 
Apricot Honey Sauce:
1/4 cup apricot preserves
1/4 cup honey
 
Mix well.
 
Apricot Mustard Sauce:
1/4 cup apricot preserves
2 Tablespoons Dijon mustard
 
Mix well.
 
 
 

Wednesday, June 25, 2014

Baked Peaches With Vanilla Bean Ice Cream



I had a couple of peaches hanging out in my fruit basket and I came across a recipe on Pinterest that looked SO good. I took my inspiration from there and put my own spin on it. It was the one of the easiest things I've ever made and oh my G-O-S-H...SO GOOOOOOD! Amazing. The recipe I saw used marscapone and toasted slivered almonds, for mine I just topped it with vanilla bean ice cream. Best thing ever. 


Cut peach in half and put in foil lined baking dish. It makes for super easy clean up!

Top with a little bit of butter.

Drizzle with honey.

Bake for around 20-25 minutes.

Mmmmmmm

Top with ice cream. Yum!!

Ingredients:
Peaches
Butter
Honey
Ice Cream

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut peach or peaches in half and discard the pits. Line baking dish with aluminum foil. Place peaches in dish. Top with a little bit of butter. Drizzle with honey. Bake in oven for 20-25 minutes. Remove from oven and top with vanilla bean ice cream. Enjoy!

These turned out so good that I made them like four nights in a row. Mr. T LOVED them. After I ran out of peaches I used nectarines. I have to say that while they were still very tasty, they were not as good as the peaches :)


I got the inspiration for this from paleoeatsandtreats.com

Tuesday, June 24, 2014

Cherry Cake With Cherry Cream Cheese Frosting

 
I hardly ever make cakes. I make the obligatory birthday cakes for everyone in the fam, but other than that, not so much. Not because I can't or don't like them, but if I'm making a dessert, I usually choose something else. I came across this recipe on Pinterest and decided it would be good do something different. So I tried it.
 

Ingredients: cake flour, baking powder, salt, butter, shortening, sugar, maraschino cherry juice, whole milk, almond extract, maraschino cherries and egg whites.

Cream butter, shortening and sugar until fluffy, about 5 minutes.

Fluffy :)

Measure out milk, almond extract and cherry juice into measuring cup.

Mix in flour mixture and cherry mixture alternating wet and dry ingredients. 

Cut up cherries.

Add to batter.

Whip egg whites until stiff.

Fold egg whites into batter.

Done :)

Grease and flour cake pans.

Pour batter evenly into cake pans and put in oven to bake.

Cream together butter and cream cheese with half of the powdered sugar. 

Add cherry juice.

Mix the remaining powder sugar.

Done.

Baked and cooled cakes.

Cut the rounded tops off of the cakes.

Cake surgery...frosting, STAT!

Frost bottom layer completely.

Put second cake on top.

Frost top layer.

Garnish with left over cherries.

Enjoy!
 
INGREDIENTS:
 
CAKE:
3 cups sifted cake flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup butter, room temperature
1/3 cup vegetable shortening
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/4 cup maraschino cherry juice
3/4 cup whole milk
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
16 maraschino cherries cut into eighths
5 egg whites, room temperature, stiffly beaten
 
DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Generously grease and flour two 9 inch round cake pans, set aside. Sift flour, baking powder and salt together in medium bowl, set aside. Cream butter, shortening and sugar in a large bowl until fluffy, about 5 minutes. Measure out milk, almond extract and cherry juice into a liquid measuring cup. Beginning and ending with dry ingredients, alternately add the wet and dry to the creamed mixture. Beat well after each addition. Fold in the cherries. Stiffly beat egg whites in a separate bowl. Fold in 1/3 of egg whites into batter to lighten it. Fold in the remaining egg whites until mixture is well combined. Divide batter evenly between pans and bake for 30-35 minutes. Cool cakes on wire baking racks for about 10 minutes. Remove cakes from pans and place on racks. Let cool until room temperature. In the meantime, make the frosting.
 
FROSTING:
8 oz cream cheese, room temperature
3/4 cup butter, room temperature
1/4 cup maraschino cherry juice
6 cups powdered sugar
 
DIRECTIONS:
Cream together cream cheese and butter with half of the powdered sugar. Add the cherry juice.. Mix in enough of the remaining powdered sugar to get taste and consistency desired.
 
Even out the tops of the cooled cakes my cutting off the rounded top with a serrated knife. Frost the bottom layer completely. Add the top layer and frost. Garnish with remaining cherries. Enjoy!
 
I got this recipe from laurassweetspot.com
 

Sunday, June 22, 2014

The Ultimate Fish Tacos With Pink Chili Mayo And Mango Radish Salsa

 
I haven't made these tasty little tacos in a long time. These take a little bit of time, but I promise it's is BEYOND worth it :) This radish mango salsa is to die for...ridiculous. I like to make the pink chili mayo and mango radish salsa ahead of time. It's a real time saver and very easy. They keep well in the fridge and they're ready right when you need them!

Ingredients for the radish mango salsa: radishes, mangos, red onion, cilantro, limes, olive oil, chili powder, salt and pepper.

Put diced radishes in food processor. (I use my ninja for this)

Dice mangos

Throw mangos in food processor. 
 
Add chopped onions. 

Add cilantro on top of onions

Add chili powder, lime juice, salt and pepper.

Pulse in food processor. You can make it as chunky or as smooth as you'd like. I usually like mine a little chunkier than I did it this time.

Ingredients for pink chili mayo: chipotles in adobo, sour cream, mayo, lemon juice, salt & pepper

Put chili and adobo in food processor and blend until smooth. 

Add remaining ingredients and blend.

Done :)

Ingredients for fish: mahi mahi, flour, eggs, panko, salt & pepper.

Cut mahi mahi into strips.

Dredge fish strips in flour.


Coat in egg/water mixture.

Then into panko.

And fry!

All done frying...so pretty.
 
Oh yeah!!! Mmmm
 
Get tortillas ready.

Spread pink chili mayo.

Add fish

Add chopped cabbage

Add sprigs of cilantro

Top with radish mango salsa...

And garnish with lime wedges.

YUUUMMMMM.

INGREDIENTS:

MANGO RADISH SALSA:
2 limes
2 mangos, diced
4-5 radishes, diced 
1 red onion, diced
1 Tablespoon chili powder
1/2 bunch of cilantro, chopped
1/4 c. olive oil
Salt
Pepper

DIRECTIONS:
Dice ingredients and place into food processor. Add remaining ingredients and pulse until the consistency of your liking. (You can also just do this without the food processor. This is the method I like to use, unless I'm in a hurry. Just remove peel and pith from limes. Cut between membranes and remove the segments. Put in a bowl and squeeze membrane juice over. Add remaining ingredients and mix. Season and refrigerate until ready to use.)

PINK CHILI MAYO:

INGREDIENTS:
1 c. sour cream
1 c. mayo
3 chipotles* in adobo +
2 Tablespoons of adobo
1/2 lemon, juiced
Salt
Pepper

*I only use 1 chili because we are not a fan of heat in our house. Feel free to use as many or as few as you'd like...just start with a little because you can always add more. Mix and taste and adjust to your liking :)

DIRECTIONS:
Put chipotles and adobo sauce in a blender or food processor and purée until smooth. Add sour cream, mayo and lemon juice and continue to process until mixture is consistent and creamy. Season with salt and pepper and refrigerate until ready to use.

FISH TACOS:

INGREDIENTS:
2lbs mahi mahi skinned, boned and cut into strips
2 c. all purpose flour
3 eggs lightly beaten
4 Tablespoons water
2 c. panko bread crumbs
Salt
Pepper
Vegetable oil (for frying)
1/2 head cabbage, finely chopped
1 bunch cilantro
1 bunch chives (optional)
3 limes cut into wedges for garnish
Tortillas

DIRECTIONS:
Prepare the fish. Cut pieces of fish into 1 oz. strips. Set up breading station of flour, lightly beaten eggs plus water and seasoned panko. Season all with salt and pepper. Dredge pieces of fish in flour then egg, then panko. Once all fish is breaded, fry in small batches in 375 degree oil. Drain on paper towel and season with salt and pepper. Keep warm until ready to serve.

TO ASSEMBLE:
Lay out tortilla. Spread some pink chili mayo on tortilla. Place a few fish strips on mayo. Top with shredded cabbage. Add a few sprigs of cilantro and finish with mango radish salsa on top. You can squeeze lime on top...and enjoy!!! It's SO GOOD! 



This recipe was inspired by and adapted from a recipe I saw a million years ago by Tyler Florance (I love him!) Thanks for stopping by!