Week 8: Southwestern Chicken

The Recipe
1 tbsp olive oil
400g chicken breast, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 can (400g) diced tomatoes with chilli
1 bell pepper, thinly sliced
1/2 tsp chilli powder
1 tbsp Mexican seasoning (I used taco seasoning)
Juice from 1 lime
1 tsp sugar

Heat the oil in a pan, add chicken and cook for 4-6 minutes until brown. Transfer to a slow cooker. Add bell pepper. Combine remaining ingredients and pour over chicken. Cover and cook on LOW for 2-3 hours.

Serve with rice.

The Verdict
I liked it, DH found it a tad too spicy. Usually I wouldn't have added the extra chilli, but last time I made a crock-pot meal where I left out the chilli it ended up too bland! I still need to find the perfect balance. But wonderfully easy to make, and tastes good too :)

Week 7: Chorizo Casserole

The Recipe
2 bell peppers
1-2 onions, chopped
1-2 cloves garlic, chopped
300g boiled potatoes
300g brunch or chorizo sausages
Fresh basil
1 400g can tomatoes (optional)

In a wok, cook onions and garlic in olive oil until translucent. Cut the bell peppers, potatoes and sausages into bite sized pieces and add to the onions. Cook for 10 minutes. Add the tomatoes and cook for another 10 minutes. Garnish with fresh basil and serve.

The Verdict
The original recipe didn't call for tomatoes, but I thought it looked like it needed it, and I definitely think it made it better that way. Easy enough to make - especially if you have potatoes left over - and it tasted great! Definitely worth a repeat.

Week 6: Macaroni-topped Mince

The Recipe
1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion
3 gloves garlic
600g lamb mince (impossible to find in DK - I used a mix of pork/beef)
2 400g can tomatoes
2 tsp oregano
2 tbsp tomato paste
150-200g corn (~1 small can)
400g macaroni
3 eggs
200ml Greek yoghurt
1 cup grated cheese
100g feta cheese, crumbled.

Boil the pasta according to the instructions on the package.

Chop onion and garlic and cook in olive oil until translucent. Add mince and cook for 10 minutes. Add corn, tomatoes, oregano and tomato paste and cook for another 10 minutes until the meat is done.

Mix together eggs and yoghurt - season well with salt and pepper.

Pour meat sauce into an oven-proof dish and cover with macaroni. Add the egg-yoghurt mix and cover with the two cheeses.

Cook at 200C for 25 minutes.

The Verdict
Hmmm... I wasn't terribly impressed. It was macaroni bolognese just made in the oven. Easy enough to make, but tasted only average. The feta did make a nice touch.

I served it with hot taco sauce which did improve it somewhat though.

Week 5: Greek Shrimp Pasta

The Recipe
20gr shrimp, thawed
2 cloves garlic, pressed
1 tbsp butter
½ tbsp olive oil
90gr crumbled feta cheese
3 green onions, finely chopped
2 tsp oregano
2 fresh tomatoes cored, seeded and coarsely chopped
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Cooked pasta

In a large mixing bowl, combine feta, green onions, oregano, tomatoes and salt and pepper to taste. Let mixture stand at room temperature for at least one hour.

In a pan, add the butter and olive oil and heat. Add the garlic and stir till starting to brown, then add the shrimp, toss together and cook for 5 minutes or until the shrimps are done. Remove from heat.

To the shrimp mixture, add the pasta, toss together, then top with the feta cheese mixture.

The Verdict
I think I would have enjoyed it more if the tomatoes and green onions had been cooked and the shrimps left cold ;-) I'm not usually one for warm shrimps (with a few notable exceptions found on this blog) and the raw green onions were too overpowering. A quick and easy meal though, so if neither of those things bother you, I'd recommend it.