Paella!

I've tried various versions of paella, and I've finally settled on this one. I think what I like most about it is how it blends different types of meats. Give it a go and let me know.

It helps if you have a large paella pan. If you don't, you can either halve the quantity and use a large frying pan, or just use a large, deep pot. If you do use the pot, make sure to stir occasionally to ensure all of the paella gets heated more or less evenly.

Ingredients	Quantity	Preparation
Chicken	1 lbs	Chopped into pieces or strips
Sausages (I prefer spicy chicken)	1 lbs	Diced
Shrimp	1/2 lbs	Peeled & Deviened
Mussels	1 pound	Debearded & Scrubbed
Rice	2 cups	Rinsed
Olive oil	As needed (not more than 1/4 cup)
White Onions	1 piece	Diced
Red Peppers	1 large	Cut into strips
Tomatoes	2 pieces	Crushed
Garlic	1 tbs	Crushed
Chicken Stock Cube	1 piece
Chilli Powder	1/2 tsp
Paprika	1/2 tsp
Turmeric	1/4 tsp
Salt & Pepper	To taste
Frozen Peas	1 cup
Parsley	1/4 cup	Leaves only

Method:

1. Heat a little bit of olive oil in a frying pan.
2. Smoke the red peppers and shrimp (if not already cooked) and set aside.
3. Add the chicken & the sausages. Stir until you hear that the frying has started.
4. Stir in the chopped onions and garlic. Fry away gently for another 5 or so minutes until the onions start to change color. Turn off the flame.
5. Add 6 cups water to another deep saucepan and throw in the mussels. Boil for 5-10 minutes or until all shells are open.
6. Strain the mussels, leaving the liquid in the pot and set aside. Discard any mussels that do not open.
7. Add chicken stock cube and turmeric to the water & bring to a simmer.
8. Meanwhile, heat up the paella pan (or large stockpot) and add the contents of the pan containing the chicken, onion and garlic.
9. Once these start sizzling, throw in the rice and tomatoes. Make sure to spread evenly with a spatula.
10. Pour in enough of the yellow stock to cover the rice and a little more. Stir and boil very gently.
11. Add the spices, frozen peas, and arrange the mussels, shrimp and strips of red peppers around the pan.
12. Sprinkle the salt and pepper around the pan.
13. Cover and allow the paella to cook gently for around 20 minutes, turning the pan occasionally to ensure even heating. Add more stock if required to ensure rice cooks.
14. Garnish with parsley and serve!

Makes 8-10 servings, depending on how hungry your guests are.

Serving suggestions:

1. The paella can be reheated and served in a large frying pan. Just cover the pan with a lid or foil and put it on very low heat for 15-20 minutes.

Variations:

1. Experiment with the meats. Instead of doing all chicken, try a mix of chicken and fish or even rabbit.
2. Also, you could use clams instead of or in combination with the mussels.

Good Luck!

Steamed Mussels

Adapted this one from a few youtube videos saw. I had plenty of mussels left over after making the Paella (coming soon!) but nothing to do with them, so I came up with this! Tastes great and is fun to serve and eat in a group!

Ingredients	Quantity	Preparation
Mussels	1 pound	Debearded & Scrubbed
Butter	3 tbs
White Onion	1 small piece	Diced
Garlic	1 tsp	Crushed
Red Peppers	1/2 piece	Diced
Tomato	1 piece medium	Crushed
Sparkling Cider	1/2 cup
Vinegar	1/4 cup
Lemon	1 medium
Parsley	1/4 cup	Chopped
Cumin	1/2 tsp
Curry Powder	1 tsp	Optional

Method:

1. Heat a pot on medium heat that's deep enough so that the closed mussels would only fill it up half way. If you overfill, the mussels will open up and may pop out of the pot!
2. Add the butter. Once it melts, add the onions, garlic and parsley and stir.
3. After 2-3 minutes when the onions start to become translucent, add the cider and increase the heat a bit.
4. Once the mixture starts simmer, add the mussels. Cover and steam for 5-10 minutes, till all the mussels have opened up.
5. Drain and remove the mussels, being careful to save the juice in the pot. Discard any that have not opened after 10 minutes in the pot.
6. Remove and throw the top half of the mussels. Arrange the bottoms in a flat dish that's at least an inch deep.
7. Coming back to the liquid, add curry powder, cumin, red peppers and tomato to the pot and bring to a boil on slow heat. Let it simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, being careful to not let it dry out.
8. Once the mixture is ready, pour evenly over the mussels in the dish and top with juice of squeezed lemon. You're ready to serve!

Makes ~6 servings, depending on the size of the mussels.

Serving suggestions:

1. Instead of pouring the mixture over the mussels, serve it in a separate bowl. Allow your guests to scoop it up with the mussels!
2. Garnish each mussel with a thin slice of lemon and a bit of parsley to make it look more appealing.
3. Keep a spoon handy to allow your guests to pile on the sauce into the mussels. Some people are finicky with their hands.

Variations:

1. I used sparkling cider as the base for the sauce. You could use dry white wine, apple juice, or even water. Experiment around for different flavors!

Bon Apetite!

Spicy Basque Chicken

Picked this one up on a fitness forum. Adapted it for a little more flavor. This thing has a great aroma when you're cooking it, although admittedly, not the best looker!

Ingredients	Quantity	Preparation
All-purpose flour	4 tbs
Chicken Breasts	4 pieces	Skinless & Boneless
Cooking Spray
Water	1/2 cup
Red Bell Pepper	1 piece	Chopped into 1 inch strips
Spanish Onion	1 piece	Sliced thin
Tomato	2 pieces, med.	Diced small or Crushed
Red Chilli Powder	1/4 tsp
Paprika	1 tsp
Garlic	1 tbs	Crushed
Olives	1/4 cup	Deseeded & Sliced
Salt & Pepper	To taste
Oregano	To taste
OPTIONAL: Green Chilli	1 piece	Chopped & deseeded

Method:

1. Coat both sides of the chicken with the flour.
2. Heat a medium sauce-pan on medium-high. Spray with cooking spray.
3. Add the chicken. Sear for about 2-3 minutes on each side until browned. Remove and set aside.
4. Add the bell pepper, onion, and garlic to the sauce-pan. Stir fry for 3-4 minutes until vegetables are crisp-tender.
5. Add the paprika and red chilli powder. Cook for another minute.
6. Add the tomatoes, water and olives. Raise heat to bring to boil.
7. Add chicken, green chilli, salt and pepper. Spoon the sauce over the pieces.
8. Lower the heat to Low/Med-Lo. Cover the dish and allow to simmer for 15-20 minutes, being careful to not let it dry too much.

Makes 4 regular-sized servings.

Serving suggestion: Serve with sauce spooned over chicken, garnished with oregano.

Variations:

1. Try it with olive oil instead of cooking spray. Adds a little more flavor, and quite a bit of fat.
2. Might try it with Salmon instead of chicken some day.

Here's a close approximation of the nutrition information per serving:

Calories	223
Fat	3g
Carbohydrates	19g
Fiber	3g
Sugar	0g
Protein	30g

Bon Apetite!

Shrimps on a Life Raft

This is a great shrimp & bruschetta appetizer! The beauty of this one is, it can be made up to a day in advance and then just toasted before serving without any loss in flavor.

Ingredients	Quantity	Preparation
Cooked small shrimp (71-90 count)	18 pieces (3 per serving	Defrosted
Red Bell Pepper	1/3 cup	Diced
Onion (yellow/white)	1/3 cup	Diced
Garlic	1/3 cup	Diced
Goat Cheese	To sprinkle	Crumbled
Cherry Tomatoes	1/2 cup	Halved
Pasta/Tomato sauce	1/2 cup	Try a Sweet Peppers sauce if you can find one
Olive oil	1/4 cup
Bruschetta	6 1-inch thick slices
Fresh ground pepper	To taste
Oregano	To taste

Method:

1. Line serving dish with aluminium foil.
2. Brush or gently dip bread slices in olive oil, and lay them in the serving dish, oily side up.
3. Heat oil in a small saucepan on Med-High.
4. Add onions and garlic. Fry & stir till the onions start to look clear.
5. Add shrimp, red peppers, tomatoes and pepper. Fry & stir for ~2 minutes.
6. Reduce heat to low. Add tomato sauce and oregano, and cover.
7. After 5-10 minutes, when the sauce becomes thick, remove from oven and spoon over bread.
8. Sprinkle goat cheese over generously.
9. Cover & refrigerate until 30 minutes before serving.
10. Before serving, preheat toaster oven to 450 F / 230 C.
11. Pick up the bruschetta using the foil and place in oven.
12. Once cheese starts to brown, remove and serve!

Makes 6 servings.

Serving suggestions: None

Variations:

1. Try using different cheeses, like feta.
2. Spread over flatbread to make a pizza!
3. Stuff in a hollowed-out dinner roll.
4. Try ranch sauce instead of the pasta sauce.

Apple/Pomegranate Salad

This one is my own creation, based on several other salad recipes I've made and tried. Great when served with other entrees, or as part of a multi-course meal as a palate cleanser.

It's a very feel as you go recipe, so take the quantity suggestions very loosely (double or halve as you like).

Ingredients	Quantity	Preparation
Mixed Greens	1/2 lbs	I like a blend of baby spinach, romaine, etc.
Pomegranate Seeds	1/2 cup	Yes, you have to take the seeds out by hand and its not hard
Small Apple	1 piece	Chopped to look like 1 inch fries
Goat Cheese	2 tbs	Crumbled
Cherry Tomatoes	1/2 cup	Halved
Olives	1/2 cup	Sliced, whole, halved, or blend
Fresh Cilantro Leaves	1 tbs	Optional

Method:

1. In a big bowl, add the greens. Shake the bowl a bit to let the greens settle.
2. Spread the tomatoes, olives, and apple.
3. Sprinkle with pomegranate seeds. Add more if necessary
4. Sprinkle with goat cheese. It should look like a green field with a little dusting of snow!
5. Spread the Cilantro leaves around.
6. Refrigerate until serving time.

Makes ~4 regular-sized servings.

Serving suggestion: Serve with salad dressing (Vinaigrettes work best), extra pomegranate seeds and goat cheese sprinkles on the side.

Variations:

1. Sprinkle slivered almonds for a little more crunch.
2. Use feta cheese instead of goat cheese.
3. Diced red/yellow peppers add more color to the salad.

I'll attempt my own salad dressings soon enough, and will provide a link on this post.

Spiced Split-Pea Soup

I picked up this recipe on a fitness forum. Great winter soup: high in protein, high in fiber, low in fat. Not so spicy that it'll burn your tongue, but will leave you with a warm feeling inside!

Ingredients	Quantity	Preparation
Split Peas	1 cup	Rinsed & Sorted
Ginger	1/4 tsp	Crushed
Garlic	1/4 tsp	Crushed
Red Chilli Powder	1/4 tsp
Turmeric	1/8 tsp
Cilantro	1 tsp	Chopped
Small Green Chilli	1 piece	Chopped & deseeded
Salt & Pepper	To taste
Lime	1 piece	Quartered

Method:

1. Rinse and sort the split peas in a bowl.
2. Put 4 cups of water in a medium saucepan and set to boil on high.
3. When the water boils, add the chicken stock cube, garlic, ginger, red chilli powder & turmeric to the split peas.
4. Once the mixture starts boiling again, lower the heat to simmer (I do between gas mark 2-3) and cover.
5. Let it boil for about 30 - 45 minutes, depending on how firm you like your split peas (30 for al dente, 45 for mushy). Stir it every 10 minutes or so to make sure it doesn't dry out. If its getting too dry, add some hot water.
6. Once the split peas become mushy, add the chopped cilantro, green chilli, salt and pepper. Stir & let it simmer for a few minutes (2-3). The soup is now ready!

Makes 3 regular-sized servings.

Serving suggestion: Serve with lime wedges, fresh chopped cilantro, and crusty sliced bread on the side.

Variations:

1. Use half a chicken stock cube for more flavor.
2. Use red lentils instead of split peas. You should only need to boil lentils for 15 minutes and it has almost the same nutritional values.

Here's a close approximation of the nutrition information:

Calories	216
Fat	0g
Carbohydrates	36g
Fiber	20g
Sugar	0g
Protein	18g