Tag Archives: Alternative

Spanish Style Chicken & Rice

Posted in Recipes by

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Last week I bought myself a chicken fully intending to make us a roast dinner. However when I woke up the sun was shining and it was a gloriously warm day. The idea of sweating away in hot kitchen making roast potatoes and stuffing suddenly lost its appeal. I decided that something a little bit different was in need. A quick rifle through the fridge and cupboards and I came up with this Spanish inspired meal. I bunged the chicken in the oven, the rice and veg in the rice cooker and went outside to enjoy the sunshine. When I returned the dinner was cooked and the house smelled delicious. Some may be put off by the appearance of the very dark brown chicken but the flavour is amazing. So I will certainly be making this again.

Ingredients 

chicken

1 whole chicken

2 tablespoons of mexican spice

A handful of coriander (cilantro)

2 tablespoons of olive oil

1 tablespoon of lemon or lime juice

Rice

450g of rice

800ml of chicken stock

1 red pepper

1 green pepper

1 onion

5 cloves of garlic

1/3 of a courgette

1 tablespoon of turmeric

1 1/2 tablespoons of paprika

1 tablespoon of mexican seasoning

A pinch of salt and pepper

Directions

To make the chicken marinade, put the coriander, (cilantro) lemon juice, Mexican seasoning, and olive oil into a blender and pulse until it resembles a dark green smooth paste. Rub your paste all over the chicken, you can even push some under the skin and all over the breasts as I did. Put the chicken on a tray, cover with foil and cook in the oven for about an hour on 185 degrees. After an hour take the chicken and out and stab the thickest past of the thigh with a knife. If the juices are running clear, it’s done, if there is still blood cover back over and cook for another 20-30 minutes, checking every 10 minutes or so. Once the chicken juices run clear, remove the foil and cook for another 15 minutes to crisp up the skin.

To make the rice, chop the onion, garlic, peppers, and courgettes into medium sized pieces. Measure out your rice, I used 450g which is equal to one the containers I have, then I put in twice as much chicken stock, so 2 containers worth. Add in the spices and the vegetables and mix. Then set the rice cooker to cook. The rice should be done when the rice cooker finishes its cycle. Serve on a large platter and sprinkle with freshly chopped coriander and top with the chicken. Voilà Spanish style chicken, the perfect summer alternative to a Sunday roast.

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BBQ Tofu Wings with Ranch Dressing

Posted in Recipes, Vegan / Veggie Friendly by

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Since learning how to prepare tofu properly we have been eating it by the truckload. I just can’t get enough of that squishy white goodness. This recipe is adapted from one I tried while at the Seoul Vegan Potluck. It was first devised by  the lovely Claire Harrison,  Queen of the Vegans or The Quegan if you will. Sadly she is departing the peninsula but don’t despair tofu fans I am picking up the tofu torch and continuing her good work. The Seoul Vegan Potluck is still going strong, so if you want to see more vegan recipes, check out their website or facebook group for more details.

This is a bit of a doubled edged sword on the vegan front, while the tofu can be adapted to be completely vegan friendly the ranch dressing is less so. These babies are so good we had them three times in one week and when I had run out of tofu I made them with chicken instead. However my boyfriend and I both agreed the tofu version was far tastier.

Ingredients

Tofu Wings

2 blocks of tofu

100g flour

100g nutritional yeast (i-Herb)

2 tablespoons of Mexican or BBQ seasoning

A pinch of salt and pepper

300ml of milk (I used regular but you could change to soy)

4 tablespoons of BBQ sauce (In a pinch you could use bulgogi marinade)

Oil for frying  (enough to cover the bottom of your pan)

Ranch Dip

100g of buttermilk powder (i-herb)

2 tablespoons of dried parsley

2 teaspoons of dried dill weed

2 teaspoons of garlic powder

2 teaspoons of onion powder

2 teaspoons of onion flakes

1 teaspoon of dried chives

1 teaspoon of black pepper

1 teaspoon of salt

3 tablespoons of mayonnaise

3 tablespoons of sour cream

Directions

The tofu needs to be prepared in advance. Buy your blocks, pour away the water, and then put them on a plate and top with a board and put something heavy on top for a few hours. You may need to remove the water every hour or so. This helps remove the water from them. Once they have been sufficiently dehydrated wrap them in cling film and put them in the freezer. They need to freeze at least overnight but you can leave them in there as long as you like. Take it out the day you want to use it and let it defrost. You will notice that the tofu has now become much firmer and spongier. Squeeze out as much extra water as you can. Then cut it into chunks.

Mix the flour, nutritional yeast, 1 tablespoon of your seasoning and the salt and pepper together in a bowl and set aside.

To make your marinade, mix together the milk, barbecue sauce, and one tablespoon of your chosen seasoning. Then pop your tofu chunks into it to soak. Leave them for a minute or so then take out and shake off the excess. Then roll them in the flour and nutritional yeast mixture so they are completely coated.

Heat the oil in your frying pan and then cook the tofu chunks in batches, turning them so all of the sides are cooked and are golden brown. Repeat until they are all done.

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To make the ranch dip. Measure out all your dry ingredients and mix together in a tub. This will make much more seasoning than you need so you can pull it out any time you need it.

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Mix two tablespoons of the ranch spice mix with 3 tablespoons of mayonnaise and 3 tablespoons of sour cream, then mix thoroughly

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Serve your delicious dips with your totally terrific tofu. Voilà the best vegan barbecue chicken wings you will ever have!