#CilantroLimeChicken

 This was a spur of the moment type meal and it ended up being very yummy. It was my firsts time cooking with cilantro and a meat. Usually I see specks of it sprinkled throughout my burrito bowl from chipotle(haha), but today cilantro and lime are taking over. 

Sis, I wish this was me…

Ingredients & Measurements 

1pk(8 medium size thighs)of boneless skinless chicken thighs(my preference cause chicken breast tend to dry out faster and thighs are juicy!)

1 bunch of cilantro roughly chopped

2 limes (juice 1.5 leave .5 thinly sliced for garnish)

2 cloves of garlic (mashed)

4 tbsp of coconut or vegetable oil

2 tbsp of browning(aka burnt sugar will be on the label - don’t worry it isn’t sweet, it’s more for color and slight flavoring)

2 tbsp of Sriracha (or some type of pepper sauce)

1/2 chopped onion

1 stalk of scallion chopped

1 bunch of fresh thyme

Sea salt

Black pepper

Onion powder 

Garlic powder 

Directions

CHICKEN PREP

Clean chicken by removing excess fat and “washing” it with vinegar and lemon(bump what CDC says you need to wash the impurities off your chicken— just make sure you clean your area afterwards to prevent cross contamination and salmonella!)

Split chicken thighs into halve pieces. 

Dry(remove excess water) and place in a gallon ziplock bag

SEASONING

In the ziplock with the clean chicken add chopped cilantro, mashed garlic, lime juice, scallions, powdered seasonings(use to your liking), browning, sriracha and 2tbps of the oil. 

Now close the bag and distribute seasoning evenly and let it sit for 45 mins.

STOVETOP

In a skillet on medium, heat the remainder 2tbsps of oil. Add the chopped onions and sauté until translucent. 

Next add the chicken evenly in the skillet. 

Allow chicken to develop slight crust on each side( about 5 minutes per side). 

Once chicken is brown, turn down heat and pour in some water- no more than 1/2 cup( this creates a gravy) and let it simmer for about 20-25 mins, covered. 

Voilà!

  I paired mine with Jasmine rice and topped with a wedge of lime and garnished with cilantro. I felt like “salt bae” when I did that……and not one piece of cilantro dropped on my dish facepalm Enjoy! 

#Salmon

I am not a chef! lol

Usually during lent, Christians around the world give up eating red meat leading up to Easter Sunday. I gave up a couple other things but in addition to meat my mom and I decided to give up chicken as well(it wasn’t as hard as I expected). During week we kept it simple, but on Sundays we always ended up eating salmon. It was quite hilarious because we didn’t get tired of it. Our local supermarket  carried high quality fresh salmon, so every week we purchased it. Not only was it delicious but it literally took no more than 15 mins to cook. So I’ll be sharing 4 easy recipes for salmon(3 fresh, 1 canned) and our ultimate arugula salad. Usually we paired the salmon and salad with some type of rice. 

As i looked back at the pictures I took, I was beginning to feel like Bubba Gump…

If your going to do salmon, it crucial to focus on it alone because it’s very easy to overcook it so doing all the prep work ahead is best. A 4-5oz portion with the skin on(we remove later or keep if desired) usually takes about 12-15 mins to cook in the oven at 320 degrees. 

Lemon and herb salmon

• 5  4-6oz Salmon fillets(wild is best, if farmed make sure it’s from Norway, Alaska or Chile) 

• 1 large lemon or 2 small ( you will need the juice and a small slice to place on top of each fillet. 

• Sea salt(or grinder)

• Black peppercorns(powder or grinder)

• 2 tsp of dried tarragon 

• 2 tsp of fresh or dried thyme

• 4oz melted butter(I use smart balance) 

Pat dry salmon and place in greased shallow pan skin side down. Season to taste with salt and pepper on each fillet. Place in oven at 320 degrees. 

While in oven mix butter, dried seasoning together and pour on salmon halfway through cook time and place lemon slices on top. When time is done,  squeeze lemon juice on each fillet and let it broil on high for 2 mins(no more!)

---

Honey Sesame glazed Salmon

• 5 4-6oz Salmon fillets

• Sea salt (or grinder)

• Black peppercorns(powder or grinder)

• 3 tbsp honey mustard 

• 1 tsp ginger powder

• 1 tbsp brown sugar

• 1 capful of sesame oil

• 3/4 capful of soy sauce(low sodium)

Pat dry salmon and place in greased shallow pan skin side down. Season to taste with salt and pepper on each fillet. Place in oven at 320 degrees. 

While salmon is cooking whisk together the honey mustard, ginger, sugar, oil and soy sauce. Once salmon is done, pour a generous amount of sauce on top of each fillet and push back in oven and broil it on high for 2-2.5 mins. 

---

Garlic, butter and herb Salmon

• 5 4-6oz Salmon fillets

• Sea salt (or grinder)

• Black peppercorns(powder or grinder)

• Garlic powder

• Paprika

• Onion powder

• 4oz Kerry gold herbed butter

• 2 cloves of garlic minced

• 1 tsp dried thyme

• 1/2 small onion chopped

Pat dry salmon and place in greased shallow pan skin side down. Season to taste with salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder and paprika on each fillet. Place in oven at 320 degrees. 

Melt Kerrygold butter and add minced garlic, chopped onion and dried thyme. Let it simmer and allow onions to become translucent. Add about 2-3 tbps of water to mixture. Once salmon is past halfway cook time, brush 1/2 mixture onto each fillet. When salmon is done brush the second 1/2 of mixture and broil on low for three mins. 

---

Stewed canned salmon (the Jamaican way, similar to mackerel)

• 1 can of Alaskan Wild Salmon

• 1/2 small onion chopped

• 6 cherry tomatoes chopped

• 2 scallions chopped

• 2 cloves of garlic chopped

• 2 tsp of dried thyme 

• 2 capfuls of Apple Cider vinegar 

• 3 oz of ketchup

• Season-up(or sea salt)

• Black pepper

• Garlic powder

• Onion powder

• Scotch bonnet sauce(or hot sauce/sriracha)

• Vegetable oil 

Drain salmon and remove soft bones and skin from interior. If your careful you’ll be left with large chunks of salmon. 

Place oil and chopped ingredients into skillet and allow them to soften(medium heat). Squeeze in ketchup and add ACV. Once everything comes together add salmon chunks, sprinkle with powdered seasoning to taste and mix. Cover and turn down heat to low and let it simmer for 10 mins occasionally stirring. Usually we pair this with boiled or fried dumplings, but it can be eaten with any starch. 

---

Ultimate Arugula salad 

• 1 5oz container of washed and dried arugula

• 1/2 medium side cucumber chopped 

• 8 cherry tomatoes quartered

• 1/4 yellow bell pepper chopped

• 1/4 green bell pepper chopped

• 1/4 red onion finely diced

• 1/2 handful of craisins or golden raisins

• Paired with Virginia Brand vidalia onion or vidalia onion raspberry dressing 

Hopefully, you’ll give salmon a try. I fell in love with it and once I get a cast iron skillet, I will be trying some other recipes. Below you will find a short slideshow of the salmon dinners mentioned above.

#NomNom

Fluffies. FLUFFIES... now you know I had add the topic of food. Like who doesn’t like food?!?! Probably a white walker since...you know...nevermind lol (where my GOT fans at?!?). Overtime, I’ve dabbled in the art of cooking(and plating..hehe) and not to toot my own horn, but I’m more than decent. This day will be dedicated to trying different recipes, exploring your pallet(cause chicken tenders n fries ain’t gonna cut it anymore, your an adult!), meal prepping and even catering a dinner. We have a few guest writers chiming in on their kitchen adventures. Others will tell us about some of the best spots in different cities. Hopefully you’ll try them out on your next outing or create a twist to one of our recipes. To take a different turn, whats the weirdest thing you’ve tried and ended up liking?????