Artichoke Chicken Hodgepodge

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Artichoke Chicken Hodgepodge
From Naomi's Kitchen

1 small onion
2-3 garlic cloves
1 lb chicken breast, cut into cubes
1-2 cans artichoke hearts, chopped
1 small can black olives
Several cherry tomatoes, quartered
Olive Oil

Heat a small amount of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic and saute until soft. Add chicken and cook until no longer pink. Add tomatoes and cook until slightly soft. Add artichoke hearts and olives and heat through.

Serve over rice or noodles.

My Notes:
This is one of those dishes that my friend made by just tossing together a few things that she had in her cabinet. It has since become one of her and her husband's favorite dishes. I've had it twice, and I've liked it both times. And it's my sort of dish... it has all the major food groups and only requires two pans (one for the dish, one for the rice/noodles) and about a half hour of preparation.

I recommend rinsing the artichoke hearts and olives, as both are rather salty, so this dish can get very salty very fast. I'm also the type of person who doesn't add salt to anything, so keep that in mind.

If you want more sauce, add 1/2 cup or a cup of chicken broth. Enjoy :)

Moroccan Chickpeas

They disappeared before I could take a picture. Sorry.

Moroccan Chickpeas
Originally found at Dinner with Julie

canola oil, for cooking
1 yellow onion, finely chopped
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp cardamom
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp cayenne
1 Tbsp grated fresh ginger
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 small can tomato paste
3 cans chickpeas
1 roasted red pepper, chopped
Water, as needed

In a large skillet, saute the onion in a bit canola oil over medium-high heat, until soft. Add the cumin, coriander, turmeric, cardamom, nutmeg and cayenne and cook for a minute. Add the garlic and ginger and cook for 30 seconds. Add the tomato paste and a splash of water. Bring to a simmer. Add the chickpeas to the pan and stir to coat. Cook for a bit to cook off any excess liquid if need be. Serve warm or refrigerate until chilled. Add the red pepper as desired.

My Notes:
First off, I just want to state that you should definitely check out the original recipe. I left a bunch of stuff out of mine (some of it by accident, some by design). It was still really good, and I wish I would've had some sort of flatbread to go with it, but it might be better if you follow the original recipe.

I didn't add the red pepper and it was plenty spicy. I think it would've made a good addition, but because I was bringing it to a potluck, I didn't want it to be too spicy for anyone. So I left it out.

Tropical Salsa

Tropical Salsa
From Bingjie's Kitchen

2 bell peppers (any color)
2-3 avocados
2 mangos
1 small red onion
2 cans black beans
2 pints cherry tomatoes
1 bunch of cilantro
4-5 cloves garlic
Salt & pepper, to taste
Red pepper flakes, to taste
lime and lemon juice, to taste

Dice all ingredients (finely for the garlic). Add salt and pepper and red pepper flakes as desired. Add equal amounts of lime and lemon juice, to taste. Serve with chips.

My Notes:
This is a recipe that I got from one of my friends. It's amazing, at least when she makes it. When I make it, my mangoes aren't ripe enough and I leave out things like avocado. But it's still good.

Seven Spice Mix

Seven Spice Mix
Originally found at All Recipes

1/2 cup ground black pepper
1/2 cup ground cumin
1/2 cup paprika
1/4 cup ground coriander
1/4 cup ground cloves
4 teaspoons ground nutmeg
4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons ground cardamom

Mix together all ingredients. Store in an airtight container.

My Notes:
This. Is. Spicy. There's a whole lot of black pepper in there, so I'm just giving you a heads up. It smells great, though. I've used it a few times on chicken, and it's always turned out marvelously. I tried to mix it together in a rice dish with the chicken, and it was way too spicy for me to finish. So you definitely need something to balance out the heat.

The easiest thing to make with this, other than just chicken and rice, is wraps. Throw a little hummus and lettuce along with the seasoned chicken (cooked however you want; I generally pan fry) into a whole wheat tortilla. Roll up and enjoy.

Spicy Corn and Chicken Chili

Yes, the picture sucks. Forgive me. I need to get some new bowls.

Spicy Corn and Chicken Chili
Originally found at Whole Foods

1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 large onion, coarsely chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 Tbsp chili powder
2 tsp oregano
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
Cayenne powder to taste
1 tsp chipotle chili en adobo
1 pound chicken breast, diced
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can corn, drained
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup water

In a large soup pot or Dutch oven, heat oil over medium heat. Add onions and garlic and cook 5 minutes, stirring frequently until onions are translucent. Stir in chili powder, oregano, cumin, coriander and cayenne and cook 1 minute, stirring constantly.

Add chicken. Cook Stir to break up and brown for 3 minutes. Add tomatoes, corn, beans, and water and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook for 20 minutes, stirring often, until flavors have melded and chili is thick.

My Notes:

This actually tastes a fair amount like my black bean chili. Same sort of deep flavor, with the corn and black beans, I guess. I didn't add any cayenne personally, because I was weary with the chipotle, but it certainly could've used it. Maybe a teaspoon or so.

I think I need to play with some flavors a bit more. But this was definitely good. The website says it feeds 4... I can get about 3 servings out of it. So I guess if you have two kids, it'll be fine, but adults will probably want more.

And one of these days I'll get a really good dairy-free cornbread recipe to go with these.