Asian Chicken and Asparagus Dinner

On March 17, 2021March 17, 2021 By Living The Q Life Travel AdventuresIn RecipesLeave a comment

Asian Chicken Dinner

When we get Asian food, more often than not it is either chicken or pork. One of the things that we like about this dish is that you can vary the amount of spice to make it have a little tang or you can turn up the heat if you want. We chose to keep it on the milder side this time, but if you make extra marinade, you can always make that a little spicier and allow people to choose how much of the sauce to add to their finished dish. Asparagus is in season at the moment, so we chose to pair it with the chicken, but broccoli would work equally well. We also chose to serve it over white rice, but if you prefer brown rice, it will pair nicely as well. We made it for just the two of us, but obviously it is easy enough to increase the size to make it for more people.

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Prep Time 1

Cook Time 30

Servings: 2

Ingredients Equipment Method

Ingredients

2 Chicken Thighs Preferably deboned
8 stalks Asparagus Cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces
1/4 cup Potsticker Sauce
1/3 cup Low Sodium Soy Sauce
1 tbsp Hot Chinese Mustard
1 tbsp Chili Paste (Sambal)
2 tbsp Vegetable Oil
1 package Quick Cooking Rice cooked to the package directions

Equipment

Skillet

Method

Combine the potsticker sauce, soy sauce, Chinese mustard, and chili paste
Marinade the chicken for at least an hour or overnight
Heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium heat
Place the chicken in the hot pan, skin-side down
Sear the chicken for about 10 minutes or until the skin is golden brown
Turn the heat down to medium-low and turn the chicken over and continue to cook until firm, about 15 minutes
Remove the chicken and let rest while the asparagus cooks
Turn the heat back to medium
Add the asparagus to the same skillet that the chicken was cooked in
Cook the asparagus until tender, the time will depend on the thickness of the asparagus. Ours were thin, so it only took 4 to 5 minutes
Cut the chicken into bite size pieces and serve with the asparagus over rice

Fresh Seafood Paella with Clams, Mussels, and Shrimp

On January 13, 2021January 13, 2021 By Living The Q Life Travel AdventuresIn Food, Recipes, Spain5 Comments

Like many people, we really enjoy paella because it is versatile and not particularly complicated to make. Obviously we associate paella the time that we spent in Spain, but we’ve also had it in resorts in Mexico as well as the Caribbean. The key to making seafood paella is making sure that you are using the freshest seafood possible. We actually had the clams and mussels shipped to us from a company called Maine Lobster Now, which is also where we got our fresh lobster from last year for our anniversary when we were all in lockdown. The other key is using short-grain rice such as Bomba or Calasparra. Fortunately, in these days those are also available online if not in a store near you. Even though it is a simple dish to make and very rustic, it is perfect for a gathering where you can simply put the paella in the center of the table and let people serve themselves. Although we limited it to seafood, you can definitely add chicken thighs to make the dish even more hearty. It is quite common to add peas to a paella, but we have a food allergy in our family, so we did not add them. We made a slightly smaller batch that would serve 3 to 4 people, but it is easy to increase it to serve for a crowd.

INGREDIENTS

6 to 8 Live Clams – scrubbed and cleaned
8 to 10 Live Mussels – scrubbed, cleaned, and debearded
8 to 10 Large Shrimp – peeled and deveined
1 cup Bomba Rice
1/2 Yellow Onion – finely diced
1 Small Clove of Garlic – minced
1/4 cup Red Bell Pepper – cut into strips
1/3 cup Tomato Purée
2 3/4 cups Chicken Stock – preferably homemade
1/4 tsp Saffron
1/2 to 3/4 tsp Smoked Paprika
2 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Green Onion for garnish
Salt and Pepper to taste

INSTRUCTIONS

Add the olive oil to a large cast-iron skillet (or a paella pan if you have one, but it isn’t necessary) and heat the oil to medium-high heat. Add the onion and simmer for 2 minutes and then add the garlic to the oil and simmer for and addition 2 to 3 minutes. Add the tomato purée and simmer for another 4 to 5 minutes and the liquid has reduced. Add the chicken stock, saffron, paprika, salt and pepper, and turn the heat to high in order to bring the liquid to a boil. Evenly distribute the rice around the pan and cook the rice for 10 minutes. Place the clams, mussels, and shrimp into the pan, being sure that the seafood doesn’t touch one another, and press them down into the rice and liquid. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 10 to 12 minutes. At this point some of the clams and mussels might have opened. Add the red pepper to the pan and cover (if all of the liquid has absorbed, add a little more stock) and cook for another 5 to 10 minutes, checking every few minutes, until all of the clams and mussels have opened. If any of the clams or mussels don’t open, discard them, but if your seafood is really fresh, there shouldn’t be too many that don’t open. Garnish with the green onion and serve.

Slow Cooked Ropa Vieja – A Cuban Style Beef Stew

On September 2, 2020September 2, 2020 By Living The Q Life Travel AdventuresIn Central America, Recipes3 Comments

Although Ropa Vieja is considered to be the national dish of Cuba, it is also something that is popular in Panama and we saw it on several menus during our trip there. We are always on the lookout for meals that we can slow cook and this was a delicious weeknight dinner. The meat was very tender and the spices subtle, but still very flavorful. It is a simple recipe to make and works great for a large party, although we made it just for the two of us.

INGREDIENTS

1 lb Chuck Roast
2 tsp Ground Cumin
2 tsp Ground Coriander
1/2 medium Red Onion – sliced
1 small Green Bell Pepper – sliced
1 Poblano Pepper – seeded and diced
3 cloves Garlic – finely chopped
4 cups Chicken Stock
1/3 cup Golden Raisins
2 tbsp Capers
1/4 cup Fresh Lime Juice
2 to 3 tbsp Vegetable Oil
Salt and Pepper to taste
Parsley or Cilantro for garnish
White Rice

INSTRUCTIONS

Combine the coriander, cumin, salt and pepper in a small bowl and then thoroughly rub the roast with the spice mixture. Heat the vegetable oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Simmer the roast on all sides until the meat is browned, about 8 minutes total. Move the meat to the slow cooker and then add the onion, bell pepper, and poblano pepper. Cook until the vegetables are soft, approximately 4 minutes, and add the garlic and cook for a minute or two more. Transfer the vegetables and any remaining oil to the slow cooker and cover with the chicken stock. Add the raisins, capers, lime juice, and cover. Cook for 6 hours on low heat. Cook the rice to the package directions. When the roast is done cooking, use a fork to shred the meat, and then use a slotted spoon to the finished Ropa Vieja over the rice and serve.