Cheesy Pasta Bake with Chicken and Cauliflower

Pasta Bake with Cauliflower & Chicken

Pasta with Chicken & Cauliflower

Ingredients

100g dried macaroni

200g cauliflower, cut into small florets

1 teaspoon olive oil

1 small onion minced

2 teaspoons minced garlic

½ teaspoon oregano

200g skinless boiled chicken chunks

1 tablespoon plain flour

250ml (1 cup) milk

Freshly ground black pepper

40g (1⁄3 cup) grated cheddar cheese

Directions

• Cook the pasta in a large saucepan of boiling water for 10 minutes until al dente, adding the cauliflower for the last 1 minutes of cooking. Drain well.
• Meanwhile, heat oil in a medium saucepan on medium. Add onion & garlic and fry for 2 minutes and add the chicken pieces. Cook for 1 minutes. Add cauliflower cook for another 2 minutes. Transfer to a plate and set aside to rest for 2-3 minutes.
• Put the flour in the saucepan and gradually whisk in the milk. Cook, stirring, over a medium heat until the sauce thickens and comes to a simmer. Simmer for 2 minutes. Preheat oven to medium.
• Add the pasta, oregano, cauliflower and chicken to the sauce. Season with pepper. Toss to coat.  Put the mixture in oven-proof dish. Sprinkle the cheese over.
• Bake for 5 minutes or until the cheese melts.
• Serve the pasta bake with the salad.

Jamie Oliver's Beer Butt Chicken (*_*)

It's definitely not my recipe. It's Jamie Oliver's
It's really worth a try. All credit goes to Jamie Oliver.

http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/chicken-recipes/beer-butt-chicken

Recipe in his words.....

Ingredients

1 large whole chicken (approx. 1.5kg), preferably free-range or organic

1 x 473 ml can of Budweiser or other lager

For the rub:

1 heaped teaspoon fennel seeds

1 level teaspoon cumin seeds

1 level teaspoon smoked paprika

1 heaped teaspoon brown sugar

1 level teaspoon mild chilli powder

Sea salt & freshly ground black pepper

Olive oil

Method

I've never seen this done in Britain, but it's a really fun and effective way to cook chicken. I'm giving you two methods, one in the barbecue and one in the oven – both will give you tasty moist chicken. You need a standard kettle-style barbecue with a lid and a thermometer. Make sure it's tall enough to hold the upright chicken. The steam from the beer cooks the inside of the bird, so the meat ends up lovely and juicy.

Preheat your barbecue or oven to 200°C/400°F/gas 6. Take your chicken out of the fridge while you make your rub. In a pestle and mortar, bash up your fennel and cumin seeds and mix with the paprika, brown sugar, chilli powder, salt and pepper. Stir in about 3 tablespoons of olive oil until you get a nice paste. Drizzle this rub all over the chicken, inside and out, using your hands to make sure you get it into all the nooks and crannies.

Crack your beer open, have a couple of good swigs so your can is just about half full, then lower your chicken's cavity on to the top of the can so it looks as though the chicken is sitting on the can. A bit undignified, I know, but trust me – it's going to be delicious.

If you're using the barbecue, try to strategically move a small amount of coals to the sides rather than directly underneath the chicken, so the heat radiates around it and cooks it from all angles rather than grills it. The same principle applies to roasting.

Carefully sit the chicken on the bars of your barbecue or in a tray on the very bottom of your oven. Cook for around 1 hour 10 minutes to 1 hour 30 minutes or until it's golden and delicious and the meat pulls away from the bone and the juices run clear. If this isn't the case (all barbecues and ovens are slightly different) just cook for a bit longer.

Once done, remove the can and loosely cover your chicken with foil and a tea towel while you get some grilled veg, salad or warm breads together – but trust me, it tastes so good you won't need much else.

Mashed Sweet Potatoes (made with Greek Yogurt)

Introduction

This is a very healthy, low-cal method for making mashed sweet potatoes, from Weight Watchers

Minutes to Prepare: 5

Minutes to Cook: 20

Number of Servings: 4

Ingredients

2 small sweet potatoes
0.5 cup non-fat Greek yogurt
salt and pepper for taste

Directions

Peel and chop sweet potatoes, place in medium sized sauce-pan and cover with water. Boil until potatoes are soft enough to mash. Drain potatoes, add yogurt, salt, & pepper. You can either mash with potato masher, or for a really good consistency, mix in a food processor.

Source: http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-detail.asp?recipe=1439597

Moussaka - Classic Greek Moussaka with Eggplant

Moussaka is a casserole made by layering eggplant with a spiced meat filling then topping it off with a creamy bechamel sauce that is baked to golden perfection.

Prep Time: 2 hours

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Total Time: 2 hours, 45 minutes

Ingredients:

• 3-4 eggplants, about 4 lbs. total
• 1 1/2 lbs. ground beef (or lamb)
• 2 large onions, finely diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup red wine
• 1/4 tsp. ground allspice 
• 1/2 tsp. ground Cinnamon powder
• 2 tbsp. tomato paste
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 2 cups grated Carrots
• 1 cup grated Kefalotyri or Parmesan cheese
• 
  
• Bechamel Sauce:
• 1 cup salted butter (2 sticks)
• 1 cup flour
• 4 cups milk, warmed
• 2 cups water, warmed
• Pinch of ground nutmeg

Preparation:

Prep the Vegetables:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Slice the eggplant in to 1/2 inch slices (length wise). Line baking tray with aluminum foil and lightly grease. Place the eggplants on baking stray and sprinkle some salt & olive oil and bake at 400 degrees for 15 - 20 minutes until the top is golden brown.

When eggplant is finished cooking, lower the oven temperature to 350 degrees.

Make the Meat Filling:

In a large sauté pan, brown the ground beef (or lamb) until the pink color disappears. Add onion and sauté until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.

Add wine to pan and allow it to simmer and reduce a bit before adding cinnamon, allspice, tomato paste and carrot. Allow the sauce to simmer uncovered for approximately 15 minutes so that excess liquid can evaporate. Season to taste with salt and pepper (I use crushed red chilly flakes).

Make the Béchamel Sauce:

Melt butter over low heat. Using a whisk, add flour to melted butter whisking continuously to make a smooth paste. Allow the flour to cook for a minute but do not allow it to brown.

Add warmed milk & water to mixture in a steady stream, whisking continuously.

Simmer over low heat until it thickens a bit but does not boil.

Remove from heat, and stir in pinch of nutmeg. Return to heat and stir until sauce thickens.

Assemble the Moussaka:

Lightly grease a large deep baking pan (lasagna pan). Leaving a 1/4 inch space around the edges of the pan, place a layer of eggplant slices.

Add 1/2 of the meat sauce on top of eggplant layer and sprinkle with 1/4 of the grated cheese. Top with another layer of eggplant slices and add remaining meat sauce on top of eggplant layer and sprinkle once again with 1/4 of the grated cheese.

Pour the béchamel sauce over the eggplant and be sure to allow sauce to fill the sides and corners of the pan. Smooth the béchamel on top with a spatula and sprinkle with remaining grated cheese. Bake in a 350-degree oven for 45 minutes or until béchamel sauce is a nice golden brown color. Allow to cool for 15 – 20 minutes before slicing and serving.

You can make this dish ahead up until the béchamel sauce and refrigerate. Make the béchamel sauce right before you intend to bake it.

Best Grilled Chicken

Best Grilled (Roasted / Grilled / Pan fried) Chicken

This recipe is easy, time saving and very tasty. Thanks to my best friend for sharing this recipe with me.

Ingredients:

1 Chicken (1.2 Kg) cut into 4 Pieces

5 – 6 Garlic cloves (chopped)

Salt around 1 tsp. (to taste)

¼ tsp. Turmeric power

1 tsp. Chicken Masala Powder

1 tsp. Oregano

2 – 3 tbsp. Olive oil

Method of preparation:

1. To make everything very easy, take a roasting tray big enough to place all the chicken pieces. Line it with Aluminium foil.
2. Mix the entire ingredients on lined tray and set it aside for half an hour.
3. If roasting in oven, roast it for 30 minutes on medium heat. If frying on a pan / grill, 5- 7 minutes on each side.