Santa Fe Chicken and My George Foreman

While I wish every weeknight dinner could consist of home-made salad dressing, slowly cooked risotto, and 3-layer cake, the reality is something very different when life gets in the way. This post features a super easy marinade from Rosie Daley that is ideal for the grill, but in this case, my George Foreman grill works as a fine substitute. The dressing has kind of a tangy southwestern flavor, so when I want to make a more elaborate meal out of it, I serve it with slow-cooked Cuban black beans and rice. Tonight, I just served it with 5-minute couscous.

I feel I should tell the story of how I came to own a George Foreman grill for no particular reason other than as a tribute to my dad. My parents immigrated from Spain back in the 70s, and while I give them credit for how well they have immersed themselves in the American lifestyle, they have somehow managed to remain completely oblivious to cultural trends and phenomenons.

I told my dad that while I really enjoy living in an apartment in the city, sometimes I really miss being able to just grill some burgers out in the backyard on a summer night. My dad took to the Internet, determined to find a solution. He searched and searched, and finally, he found a grill that I could use indoors. This grill supposedly made burgers that tasted like they just came right off the grill. I was perplexed/amazed. When a box arrived from Bed, Bath, and Beyond for my birthday, I could not stop laughing when I opened it only to find a George Foreman Grill. This was my dad's solution to my grilling problem. In his mind, he had discovered a totally new product. I have to admit, it's not quite the same as a nice charcoal grill, but it does make a really juicy burger. That night, we even plugged the grill into an outlet on our rooftop and pretended like we were actually hosting a BBQ. Thanks, Dad!


My dad, in his "wild youth" as a Galician bagpipe player. I think they were sort of like the Spanish version of the Beatles:


(second person from the left)



Here is what you will need:



Step 1: Slice the limes



(I love this juicer)



Step 2: Start dumping in the ingredients--low-sodium soy sauce, olive oil, chili powder, cumin seed, ground coriander, minced garlic, honey, white wine, and cilantro. (The original recipe says to wait until the end to pour in the white wine right before cooking, but I include it with the marinade.)




Step 3: Cover and refrigerate for one hour or up to two days (the longer the better--I like to make this in the morning). Depending on how you are cooking this--grill, broiler, foreman--preheat as necessary.



Step 4: I cooked this on a Foreman grill, and since it keeps the chicken really juicy I didn't need to baste. I have cooked it under a broiler before, and according to the directions---Broil the chicken under a medium flame for 8 to 10 minutes, basting it with the juices to keep it moist.



The Foreman doing it's magic...



Step 5: Enjoy! Leftovers make great sandwiches or salads.


Ingredients for the Marinade:
Juice from 3 limes
1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
1 1/2 teaspoons cumin seed
1 1/2 teaspoons ground coriander
6 cloves garlic , minced
1 1/2 teaspoons honey
2 whole boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/4 cup white wine
3 tablespoons chopped cilantro leaves

1 packet of chicken breasts (they only had chicken tenders when I went, but I almost prefer that).

Topping Suggestions:
Sour cream
1 lime , sliced into 6 thin slices
Fresh salsa or Papaya/Fruit Salsa

Side dish:
Black Beans and Rice

Arroz con Pollo

Today, we are making Arroz con Pollo, english translation "chicken and rice," but please please resist the temptation to call this chicken and rice. This is Spanish Arroz con Pollo. If my gringo husband can finally learn to call it arroz con pollo, you can too.

This is my mother's recipe, and it probably goes back several generations. Getting recipes from my mom is a lot like pulling teeth. She cooks from instinct, so when giving amounts, she says "oh, you know...a little bit of this..." or "as much as it looks like it needs..." After a few trials and lots of errors, I finally got the recipe just right and somehow made it my own. Please enjoy, and feel free to add your own twist too.


Here is what you will need:



Step 1: Heat the pan on medium-high heat with 3-4 tablespoons of olive oil. Chop 1 medium onion and add to the pan when the oil is hot. Sprinkle a generous amount of garlic powder all over the chopped onion (see step 6; I forgot to add the garlic powder in Step 1).



Step 2: Chop up 1 small tomato and add it the pan.



Step 3: Add 1 chicken bouillon cube and 1 packet of saffron.




Stir it around, and it will look nice and yellow like this.



Step 4: Chop up a couple of small carrots and one small red pepper, and throw them in the pan. Stir.




Step 5: Now chop up 1 pound of chicken tenderloins, and once the vegetables have softened, add the chicken to the pan. Continue to move the chicken and vegetables around, so they don't burn.




Step 6: Everyone makes mistakes...I got a little distracted with the photo taking and forgot to add the garlic powder in the first step, so I tossed it all over the chicken. Ideally, you would it add it at the same time as the onion. Whether it is in Step 1 or Step 6, sprinkle a generous amount.





Step 7: Once the chicken has browned, add 1 cup of rice, sprinkle 1 teaspoon of salt over the entire dish, and then add about 3/4ths of a small can of peas to the dish. After letting the rice soak up the flavors for a little less than a minute, I add 1 cup of water and 1 cup of white wine. The older the wine, the better. Turn the heat down to medium.





Step 8: After about 20 minutes, I needed to add another 3/4 cups of water because the water was almost soaked up, and the rice wasn't quite ready. And then, for good measure, after 10 more minutes, I tossed a 1/4 cup of wine (my mother would dissaprove,but I love the flavor of wine).
If the rice still seems a little dry, maybe add another 1/4 cup of water. It really shouldn't need more than that. I let it simmer for another ten minutes until the water was completely absorbed, and then, it was ready to serve!






List of ingredients:

1 lb of chicken tenderloins (no more than 1 lb--we've determined, that's too much)
3-4 tablespoons of olive oil
1 medium onion
1 chicken bouillon cube
2-3 carrots
1 small tomato
1 small red pepper
1 packet of saffron
1 small can of sweet peas
garlic powder
1 teaspoon of salt
1 cup of rice
1 cup of old white wine

Sunday Roast Chicken

Finding time during the week to make a home-cooked meal can be hard, so on Sunday nights I like to make something big that will last for a couple of days. This Sunday I made a roast chicken with vegetables. While cooking a whole chicken can seem intimidating at first, it is really quite easy. This doesn't involve any real measuring or counting, so that makes the whole process much more enjoyable for me.

Here's what you will need:


Step 1: Preheat the oven to 450°F. Rinse the chicken in cold water. Remove that pleasant little bag of "stuff" from the cavity of the chicken. One day, I'll try and do something with it, but for now, it just seems kind of unhealthy/gross. Place an entire lemon and some herbs (rosemary, thyme, and anything else you may like) inside the cavity of the chicken.



Step 2: Place the vegetables around the chicken. You can use any assortment of vegetables you want. I used a combination of carrots, parsnips, different types of potatoes, and some root vegetables---and garlic cloves, of course! Season the chicken with salt and freshly ground pepper, and then squeeze a lemon all over the chicken and vegetables.



Step 3: Drizzle the chicken and vegetables with olive oil, and make sure to rub the olive oil into the chicken (I sprinkled it one more time with salt and pepper, for good measure). Then pour 1 cup of white wine over the vegetables.


Step 4: Place the chicken in the oven and cook 30 minutes at 475°F. Then, lower the temperature to 375°F and cook for another hour until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part reads 180°F. The skin should be crisp and brown.



List of ingredients:

1 6-pound roasting chicken
2 lemons
2-3 Sprigs of fresh rosemary (and any other herbs you might like)
8 cloves of garlic
Assortment of potatoes, carrots, parsnips, and at least 1 onion.
1 cup of white wine
olive oil
coarse salt
freshly ground pepper