New Food and Recipes

     I know Ashley Williams, I’ve been really bad keeping you updated on my food adventures. This is partly due to the fact that I can’t show pictures of meals, since my camera has stopped working. But here are some new recipes I’ve tried with chicken:

1. Chicken Masala – Add “meat masala” mix (you buy the masala seasoning) and oil to uncooked, cubed, chicken. Sauté onion, ginger, yellow curry. Add tomatoes and sauté again. Add chicken. Mix well, then add water to taste. If you find this a little too spicy, you can serve with a dollop of plain yogurt. Yes, that’s right, yogurt. Trust me, it’s very good and can really tone down the spice.

2. Pesto, Tomato, and Feta Chicken – Season chicken with Italian herbs and spices, cook in olive oil. When almost cooked, cut into cubes. Add halved cherry tomatoes, sun-dried tomatoes, red pesto, and onion. Cook until done. Add feta cheese and black olives while still cooking or when served. You can serve with rice, pasta, or just with veggies on the side. I like it with green beans and bell peppers, or sautéed squash.

3. Gooseberry Chicken – Ok, here’s the really new food. Gooseberry. I was walking in the produce section, and saw the sign for this “berry.” I recalled that one of my students just finished a book “Gooseberry Girl,” so I thought it only fitting to find out for myself exactly what a gooseberry is. To me, it looks and somewhat tastes like a muscadine (if you’re from Georgia or Alabama, you should know what that is. If not, you’re missing out.) To eat it, I simply cut around the hard seed. But, I didn’t really like the taste fresh. I figured, I tried it with chicken. I “followed” this recipe (http://www.foodnetwork.co.uk/recipes/ukrainian-roast-chicken-with-gooseberry-sauce-ru312753.html), but didn’t have celery, lemon zest, or the creams, and I substituted the honey with brown sugar and cooked it on the stove with chicken cubes. Try it for yourself, and I’m sure you’ll find it delicious!

This is what a gooseberry looks like.

     I’ve also recently started eating snow peas (think fake edamame). It’s super easy; you just wash, sauté with olive oil and a little water, and season to taste with salt. Or you can add in feta cheese, since that’s pretty salty. It’s especially nice with my gooseberry chicken; kind of an Asian style meal, but not.

     A new favorite snack of mine is caramel rice cakes with peanut butter. Talk about good and healthy! But I’ve tricked myself into thinking that it’s so healthy I can eat 6 at a time. SMH. Well, at least it’s replaced my Ritz cracker, Nutella, and yogurt addiction.