Honey Jalapeno Chicken

This recipe calls for a barbecue seasoning, which deserves its own post. Here's the link to the original: myforkinglife.com/homemade-bbq-seasoning

Ingredients:
4 chicken breasts
4Tbsp honey
1 jalapeño
4 Tbsp all-purpose flour
2 Tbsp cornstarch
2 Tbsp barbecue seasoning
4 small to medium Russet potatoes
1 1/2 cups sugar snap peas
2 cups green beans
oil
salt and pepper

Directions:

Preheat oven to 450°.

Cut potatoes into 1/2" wedges. Add potatoes, 1 Tbsp oil, and half of the BBQ seasoning to a baking sheet. Season with salt and pepper, toss to coat. Roast in the middle of the oven, flipping halfway through, until golden-brown, approximately 25 minutes.

While potatoes roast, pat chicken dry with paper towels. Cover each chicken breast with plastic wrap. Using a mallet, rolling pin, or heavy-bottomed pan, carefully pound each chicken breast until 1/2" thick. Season with salt and pepper. Combine remaining BBQ seasoning, flour, and cornstarch in a large bowl. Add chicken. Toss to coat.

Heat a large pan over medium-high heat. When hot, add 2 Tbsp oil, then chicken. Cook until golden-brown, 2-3 minutes per side. Don't overcrowd the pan. Cook in 2 batches if needed, using 1 Tbsp oil per batch. Transfer chicken to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake in the top of the oven until cooked through, 10- 12 minutes. Wipe pan clean.

While chicken cooks, trip snap peas. Trim, then halve green beans. Heat the same pan over medium-high heat. When hot, add beans and 6 Tbsp water. Cook, stirring often, until water evaporates, 3-4 minutes. Add snap peas and 1/2 Tbsp oil. Cook, stirring occasionally, until tender-crisp, 2-3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, then set aside.

Core, then finely chop jalapeño, removing seeds for less heat. Stir together jalapeño and honey in a small microwavable bowl. Microwave on low until warmed through, 25-30 seconds. Season with salt.

Divide the potatoes, chicken, and veggies between plates. Drizzle hot honey over chicken.

Notes:

You may want to use gloves when handling the jalapeño.

Chocolate Protein Bites

Another Instagram keeper! This is from @hustleandsquats 

In a bowl:

2 1/2 cup oat flour
1/2 cup protein powder, vanilla or chocolate
1/2 tsp salt
2/3 cup honey
1 cup natural peanut butter
2 Tbsp melted coconut oil
2 tsp vanilla
3/4 cup mini chocolate chips


STEPS:

Roughly combine everything but the chocolate chips in a bowl.

Add chocolate chips and mix the rest with your hand.

Press evenly into an 8x8 pan

Refrigerate 1 hour

Cut into 12 even bars and wrap individually in plastic wrap

Refrigerate

Notes:

I assume a person can buy oat flour. I just threw oats in a blender until finely ground and used that.

Line the pan with plastic wrap, wax paper, or parchment for easier removal. Lift from pan, place on cutting board, cut into desired size and shape. We preferred small cubes and stored them in a container for easy addition to work and school lunches.

Cucumber, Avocado, Feta Salad

I'm starting a social media fast so I need to write out the recipes I have saved on Instagram. This is a keeper for sure. @howtofoodprep 

Salad:
4 Persian cucumbers
1 avocado
1 shallot
1/4 cup fresh dill, finely chopped
1/2 cup feta cheese

Dressing:
1/4 cup olive oil
2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
1 Tbsp lemon juice
2 cloves garlic, minced
salt and pepper to taste

Toss and serve

Notes:
This recipe would be flexible in various ways, including adding more avocado, less cucumber, using red onion instead of shallot, adding red pepper, etc.

Roasted Cauliflower with Creamy Coconut Sauce

I came across this epic-sounding recipe on Instagram, courtesy of themodernnonna ⠀⠀

The Cauliflower:

5-6 cups of cauliflower florets — I used a small head of cauliflower

1 tablespoon avocado oil

salt and smoked paprika to taste

The Sauce:

1 tablespoon oil — avocado oil or olive oil

1 small finely chopped onion

3 minced garlic cloves

salt and pepper to taste

1/2-1 teaspoon turmeric powder — I measure with my heart

1/3 cup tomato sauce or Passata

4 tablespoons of the cream that sits on top of a can of coconut milk — add some of the coconut milk if you need to thin it out

1 cup finely chopped spinach is optional

parsley or cilantro for garnish is optional⠀⠀

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

You will also need cooked Jasmine rice or any you enjoy. I used 1 cup of dry jasmine rice and boiled it with 1 3/4 cup water and some salt

Preheat the oven to 450F. Add the raw cauliflower florettes on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Drizzle on the oil, add salt and smoked paprika to taste. With clean hands massage it really well and bake for 25 minutes or until roasted. In a pan on medium-high heat start sautéing the onion until translucent. This should take 1 to 2 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté for another 30 seconds. You do not want anything to burn. Add the spices to taste and stir again. Add the tomato sauce, the cream that sits on top of a can of coconut milk and stir. Let it simmer on low heat for 3-4 minutes. Add the roasted cauliflower and let it simmer for another 2-3 minutes. Optionally stir in some chopped spinach and take it off the heat. Garnish with parsley, cilantro, or even basil it’s totally up to you. Top it off on top of rice and enjoy.

Jalapeno Cheese Sourdough Bread

Many thanks to Rachel Braun for giving me all of her tips and tricks for this recipe! She uses a scale to weigh ingredients, but I measure. It works for her and it works for me.

This is an approximate recipe because I didn't measure precisely.

1/2 cup sourdough starter

3 cups flour (can be whole wheat, all-purpose, or a combo)

1 1/3 cups water

1 tsp salt

1 Tbsp olive oil

At the end of the rising time, add:

3 jalapeños, finely chopped (1/4 cup)

1/2 cup cheese, cut into small cubes (1 cup shredded)

I mix this in my stand mixer, while some insist on mixing my hand.

When I mix the dough, it stays sticky but it did all pull together to form a ball. This could take several minutes.

When the dough has been mixed, I leave it in my Kitchen Aid bowl, cover it with clear plastic wrap, and put it in a very warm place.

Leave it for 4 hours.

After four hours, I do a series of dough stretches, pulling it up and folding it over on itself. Four of these are good enough. Let sit for another 30 minutes, do the stretches again. I did this four times.

Two things happen at the third stretch-and-fold: fold in the peppers and cheese. Also, preheat the oven to 450. The oven needs to be very very hot.

Some people preheat the baking dish. I do not.

This is where I'm experimenting: do I oil the baking dish or use butter? Butter might burn but the oil is making it stick a bit....

Third stretch-and-fold, preheat oven, let dough rest 30 minutes, do the fourth stretch and fold, let the dough rest for the final 30 minutes. 

Scrape the dough into the baking dish. I use a Corningware casserole dish that's deep, with a lid. The lid is important. It helps build steam and allows the dough to rise more in the oven.

Bake WITH LID for 20 minutes, take lid off, reduce heat to 425, bake for 30 minutes. 

Take out of the oven. If you let it sit for a while, the bread should release from the baking dish.

Let it cool, even though you will be tempted to eat it while it's hot.

Sriracha Snack Mix

Updated December 2023:

I've made it with salt in past years and it was good, but added none this year and it was fine! Plenty salty because I used mostly pre-mixed snacks. 

If using the oven instead of the microwave, it's 30 minutes at 300, stirring every 10 minutes.

12 cups of cereal possibly including but not limited to Chex, Cheerios, Shreddies, Corn Pops, crunchy cheese sticks (like Cheetos)

1/2 cup of salted butter, melted

1 Tbsp Worchestershire sauce

1 Tbsp Sriracha

1 tsp seasoning salt

1 tsp garlic powder

Combine cereals in a very large bowl.

Melt butter, mix in remaining ingredients. Pour half of the butter mixture over the cereal mix, stir or toss, add remaining butter, stir again.

Microwave for 5 minutes, stirring every minute. 

Spread onto large baking sheet to cool.

Notes:

Options for snack mix ingredients:
Honeycomb cereal

pretzels

pre-mixed snack mix (Munchies, etc)

Cheezies crackers

corn nuts

peanuts

Goldfish crackers

bagel chips

Cooking Beans Without Soaking

Beans do not need to be soaked! I got permission here: https://www.epicurious.com/expert-advice/soaking-salting-dried-bean-myths-article

I find it much easier to throw everything in the pot and just let it simmer.

Grab a bag of beans and dump them in a large pot.

Add enough broth (chicken, beef, or vegetable) to cover the beans by about an inch. I generally do a box of stock and the same amount of water.

Add a chopped onion. 

This is also when you could add a little salt, but I'd advise against it as store-bought broth is loaded with salt. You could get creative and add taco seasoning or other herbs and spices.

Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover, simmer until tender.