Orange & Chili BBQ Chicken

My Orange Chili BBQ dish is Asian-inspired with the sweet flavouring of orange combined with the chili pepper to add a touch of heat.

The Ingredients: Orange & Chili BBQ Chicken

Makes 6 - 8 servings

1 whole 6 lb chicken, broken down into 12 pieces (breasts in half, the wings split and the thighs & drums separated)
Orange juice (squeezed fresh from 1 orange)
4 cloves of minced garlic
1 fresh chili pepper, minced
1 tsp fish sauce (can substitute 1 tsp salt if necessary)
1 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp corn starch
2 tbsp olive oil

Mix the following ingredients to make a marinade:
Orange juice (squeezed fresh from 1 orange)
4 cloves of minced garlic
1 fresh chili pepper, minced
1 tsp fish sauce (can substitute 1 tsp salt if necessary)
1 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp corn starch
2 tbsp olive oil

Marinade the chicken in the above mixture for 1 hour in the fridge.

Cook on a BBQ (full heat) over indirect heat. For a BBQ at 600F, cook the chicken for 30 min or until meat is no longer pink (use a meat thermometer to best determine when the chicken is ready).


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Quinoa with Orange, Spinach & Peppers

Quinoa is something we started adding to our dinner options last year as some of our family is on a gluten-free diet. In addition to being gluten free, Quinoa comes with a lot of other benefits making it a great vegetarian option for everyone in the family. It is a complete protein as well as a good source of dietary fibre, iron, magnesium and phosphorus.

I developed this recipe as a staple that is packed with flavour.. You can eat it as is or add any vegetable or protein you have on hand. It's a great alternative to rice or pasta and the kids love it.

The Ingredients: Quinoa with Orange, Spinach & Peppers

Makes 5 - 6 servings (as a side dish)

1 onion
3 cloves of garlic
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground pepper
1 1/2 cups Quinoa
3 cups chicken or vegetable stock
1/4 cup orange juice
1 diced red pepper
2 cups fresh spinach
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley (can substitute 1 tbsp dried parsley)
pinch cayenne pepper
1 tbsp paprika

Saute onions, red pepper, garlic & salt in olive oil for 5 minutes on medium heat. Add paprika, cayenne & Quinoa. Stir for 30 seconds before stirring in the orange juice. Add the stock, peppers and parsley. Let simmer with lid off for approx 15 minutes. You should see the Quinoa shell split open a bit when done. Stir some spinach in at a few seconds before plating to avoid the spinach from getting too soggy.

Enjoy!

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Sunday Morning Pancakes

Life got busy for us at Our Kitchen Island, but we're back! We thought we'd kick off our new recipe posts with an old family favourite.

Sunday mornings are always something the whole family looks forward to as we make something special for breakfast. These homemade pancakes are especially popular in our house as their quick and easy to make plus they're a light, fluffy, delicious breakfast treat. We often make a few pancakes the shape of our kids' initials or age which makes it even more fun for the kids.

The Ingredients: Sunday Morning Pancakes

Makes 18 - 3" pancakes, Prep time: 15 minutes, Cook time: approx 2 - 3 min per side.

2 large eggs, separated
1/2 cup carbonated water
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp melted butter
1/2 cup milk
1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 Tbsp oil

In one bowl with egg yolks, mix in:
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp melted butter (whisk in slowly)
1/2 cup milk

In a separate bowl, ombine dry ingredients:
1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon

Lightly stir in dry ingredients to wet. The mixture should be very lumpy and thick. Add 1/2 cup of carbonated water (I use Perrier but anything will do) and carefully fold to maintain lumps.

In a separate bowl, combine egg whites with 1/4 tsp cream of tartar. Beat egg whites until you get stiff peaks. Mix 1/3 of the egg whites into the pancake batter and then fold in remaining egg whites until mixture is uniform.

On a hot oiled griddle or frypan, pour the pancake mixture into 3" circles. The time it takes to cook will vary depending on how hot your griddle is, what type you of griddle you're using and how big you make your pancakes. For 3" pancakes, it should take approx 3 minutes to cook on the first side. You can check to see if the bottom is a golden brown. If it is, flip the pancakes over for approx another 2 minutes. Store cooked pancakes in a warm oven until you've completed cooking all of the batter.

Top your pancakes with butter and maple syrup (or whatever you prefer - fresh fruit is a nice touch as well) and they're ready to enjoy!

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Decadent French Onion Soup

French onion soup is a real treat for me, I am not sure why I do not cook it more as it doesn't take any longer than most things that I cook, but I usually only cook it once or twice a year. As with anything else, the quality of the products you start with have a huge impact on what you end up with. This version is truly a decadent soup, hence you do not need a lot to satisfy as it borders on almost too much flavour. Also starting with a homemade broth is always the way to go when it is so prominent in the soup.

The Recipe: Decadent French Onion Soup

Makes 4 servings, Prep time 20 minutes, Cook time 1 hour

4 medium sized cooking onions diced
3 large shallots diced
4 pieces of bacon diced
3 tbsp of butter
3 cloves of garlic minced
1 pinch of cayenne
1 tsp of fresh ground pepper
pinch of Sea Salt (you may want more depending on how salty your broth is)
1/2 cup of red wine or sherry (this will change the flavour but I don't always have sherry on hand)
1 tbsp of corn starch
6 cups of chicken broth
4 slices of french bread
1 tbsp of oil
1 tbsp of additional butter for the croutons
Gruyere Cheese

Heat a large skillet (large enough to hold seven cups of liquid) medium high heat for 2 minutes. Add the bacon and cook until it just starts to crisp (time will vary depending on how thick the bacon is).

Add the butter, onions, shallots and sea salt. Cook for about 2 to 3 minutes, stirring frequently. Reduce the heat to medium low and continue cooking for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. DO NOT LET THE ONIONS BROWN.

Add the garlic and continue cooking for another 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Increase the heat to high, add the cayenne, black pepper and deglaze the pan with the red wine.

Add the corn starch to the broth and mix in well (the corn starch will slightly thicken the soup making it just a richer). Add the mixture to the pan bring to a boil.

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Remove the crust from the bread and cut into large cubes. Combine the bread with the olive oil and butter and place in the oven for about 5 minutes or until the croutons start to brown.

In oven safe bowls, add the soup and place croutons gently on the top. Grate as much cheese as you can afford over top and place the bowls under the broiler until the cheese starts to bubble.

Remove and carefully enjoy!

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Vegetable and Rice Soup

So it is a new year and I am finally getting around to doing another post. Long story short, too much the holiday baking, travel and a bout of the flu for the family has brought us well into the new year. Although I am assuming most people have already forgotten their New Year's resolution and are at the point were they are about to start looking forward to spring, I thought a nice healthy, easy soup would be a great way to start the year. This vegetable soup is great with homemade broth but can use a high quality store bought broth if necessary (I use an Imagine organic chicken broth). This soup really is great when you need something warm and healthy, my wife had me make it three days in a row last week!

The Recipe: Vegetable and Rice Soup

Makes 4 servings, Prep Time 15 minutes (I like to make sure vegetable are very precisely chopped), Cook Time 20 minutes

2 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil
1 red pepper diced into small cubes
3 stocks of celery split down the middle and diced
3 large carrots diced
3 medium sized shallots finely diced
2 cloves of garlic minced
1 tbsp of chili powder
1 tsp of cayenne powder(reduce if you don't want the heat, but cayenne been proven to have many healing properties and improves circulation)
2 tsp sea salt (adjust based on the the salt in your stock)
1/3 cup of white rice (you can use brown rice but you will have to adjust the cooking time accordingly)
6 cups of chicken broth

Heat a large pot over medium high heat and add the olive oil, peppers, carrots, celery, sea salt and shallots. Saute for about 5 minutes, while stirring, then add the garlic.

Continue cooking another 2 minutes. Add the chili powder, cayenne, rice and cook for another minute.

Add the stock, bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook for about 10 minutes or until rice is done. Enjoy!

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Marinated Flank Steak: Korean Style

The flank steak is very flavourful and can be quite tender if prepared and cooked properly. It also has the benefit of being about half the price of a New York strip. The flank steak should be marinated to break down the connective tissue. By using a vacuum container, you can significantly reduce the marinating time and generate great flavour. Creating a vacuum opens the pores of the meat and allows the Korean style marinade in this recipe to penetrate the meat more deeply and quickly, while the acid from the vinegars tenderizes the meat.

The Ingredients: Korean Style Marinated Flank Steak

Serves 2-3 people, prep time 5 minutes, marinade time 2-4 hours, cook time 7 minutes, rest time 5 minutes

Marinade:
½ cup soy sauce
¼ cup mirin
¼ cup roasted sesame seed oil
2 tbsp brown sugar
2 medium sized cloves of garlic minced
3 tbsp fresh ginger finely chopped
½ tsp of crushed chili flakes

1½ lbs of flank steak
1 tsp of fine sea salt
1 tsp of fresh ground pepper

Combine the brown sugar, garlic, ginger and chili flakes in a bowl. Rub the mixture into flank steak.

Place the steak in a vacuum container.

Pour the soy sauce, mirin and roasted sesame seed oil over the steak. If the steak is not completely covered by the marinade you can add more liquid in the same ratio.

Pump the air out of the vacuum container and place it in the fridge for one to three hours. Remove the steak from the fridge one hour before you are ready to cook. The steak should be grilled at room temperature to ensure it’s evenly cooked and tender.

Ten minutes before cooking, remove the steak from the marinade and sprinkle sea salt and pepper on both sides.


BBQ Method:

Turn on your BBQ to high heat, close the lid and allow it to heat up. The BBQ should be 500-600 degrees before grilling the steak.

Place the steak over the flame, close the lid and do not touch.

After 3 1/2 minutes flip the steak and close the lid once again.

Wait another 3 ½ minutes and remove the steak from the BBQ. It is not recommended to cook flank steak much more than medium-rare or it will become tough and chewy.

Place the steak on a plate, cover loosely with aluminum foil and let rest for 5 minutes.

When slicing a flank steak always cut thin slices on a diagonal against the grain to ensure tender bites. Serve with rice and salad, and enjoy!

Stove Method:

Turn on the oven broiler to 500 degrees (or high). Heat a large oven safe pan over the stove top on high heat for about 5 minutes (the pan should be as hot as it can get).

When you place the steak in the pan it should sear immediately (make sure you have the exhaust fan on as it will probably smoke).

After 30 seconds, flip the steak and sear for another 30 seconds.

Place the pan in the oven directly under the broiler for 3 minutes.

Remove the pan, flip the steak and return the steak to the oven for another 3 minutes. It is not recommended to cook flank steak much more than medium-rare or it will become tough and chewy.

Place the steak on a plate and cover loosely with aluminum foil for 5 minutes.

When slicing a flank steak always cut thin slices on a diagonal against the grain to ensure tender bites. Serve with rice, salad and enjoy!


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Tomato Soup with Roasted Paprika, Balsamic and Basil

This savory tomato soup recipe is the answer to a quick dinner on a cold winter night. Reach into the pantry to use tomatoes canned at their peak ripeness to provide a rich flavour base. With a perfect balance of smoky sweetness and acidity, this soup is a great way to highlight your tomato harvest. If you don’t have home canned tomatoes, good quality store bought canned tomatoes will do.

The Ingredients: Tomato Soup with Roasted Paprika, Balsamic & Basil

Serves 4, prep time 5 minutes, cooking time 25 minutes

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves of garlic minced
4 medium shallots diced
3 tbsp roasted paprika
½ tsp of cayenne
4 cups tomato puree
4 cups of chicken stock
4 tbsp freshly chopped basil
4 tbsp of balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp sea salt
Aged cheddar cheese (optional)

Heat a large soup pot over medium-high heat for one minute. Add the olive oil and shallots and stir for about three minutes.

Add the garlic and continue stirring for another minute until the shallots are soft and translucent.

Add the roasted paprika and cayenne. The spices can burn quite easily, hence stir consistently for about 30 seconds.

Increase the heat to high and add the tomato puree. Continue cooking for about four minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add the chicken stock, balsamic, basil, brown sugar and salt. Bring the soup to a boil, stirring occasionally, and reduce heat to medium-low.

Let the soup simmer for about 10 minutes to let the flavours meld.

Just before serving, strain the soup through a fine sieve to ensure a beautifully smooth consistency. Shave some aged cheddar cheese on top and sprinkle with fresh basil.



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