A week of good eating!
I’ve cooked three times since Saturday and everything has turned out great! There’s been a lot of happy belly rubbing in our house. On Saturday, I made chicken fajitas with Pioneer Woman’s Pico de Gallo and guacamole. On Tuesday, I tried a pasta dish I found linked on Facebook and on Wednesday I made the Mexican Jambalaya my bff texted to me. I thought I’d share those recipes.
First up, Mexican Jambalaya:
1 c rice (zataran’s preferred)
2 c chicken stock
1 lb chicken tenders, cubed
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 bunch cilantro, chopped
Zest of one lime plus juice
2 packs Goya sażon
1 jalapeño, finely diced
4 cloves garlic
1/2 T kosher salt
Fresh ground pepper to taste
Brown chicken in olive oil. Add stock and sażon seasoning. Add rice .Bring to boil. cover and simmer for 25 minutes.
Finely mine garlic. Add kosher salt and use knife to make paste. Add mixture to rice. Don’t stir. Add rinsed beans, zest, and cilantro and jalapeño, too. Don’t mix. Recover. Let steam for 5 more minutes. Uncover and “fluff” all together. Add lime juice and pepper.
Then, Tomato Basil Pasta
Pasta, Tomatoes, Veggie Broth, Olive Oil, and Seasonings (details below)
Throw it all in the pot, INCLUDING the uncooked Pasta, and cook! – Bring it to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. The starch leaches out of the pasta and makes a rich, warm sauce for the noodles. The other ingredients cook right along with the pasta
Ingredients
12 ounces pasta (I used Linguine)
1 can (15 ounces) diced tomatoes with liquid ( I used zesty red pepper flavor)
1 large sweet onion, cut in julienne strips
4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 teaspoons dried oregano leaves
2 large sprigs basil, chopped
4 1/2 cups vegetable broth (regular broth and NOT low sodium)
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Parmesan cheese for garnish
Directions
Place pasta, tomatoes, onion, garlic, basil, in a large stock pot. Pour in vegetable broth. Sprinkle on top the pepper flakes and oregano. Drizzle top with oil.
Cover pot and bring to a boil. Reduce to a low simmer and keep covered and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring every 2 minutes or so. Cook until almost all liquid has evaporated – I left about an inch of liquid in the bottom of the pot – but you can reduce as desired .
Season to taste with salt and pepper , stirring pasta several times to distribute the liquid in the bottom of the pot. Serve garnished with Parmesan cheese.