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June 2010

Curry Chicken Kabobs

Another fabulous recipe to bring in the summer.

In honor of Father's Day and the warmer weather, I wanted to experiment with a recipe that goes perfect on the grill. My family LOVED these kabobs and I wanted to experiment with newer flavors and spice things up a bit. Enjoy!

What you'll need:

1 lb boneless chicken breasts, not frozen

1 red onion

2 red bell peppers (you could use green or yellow)

3 roma tomatoes

5-10 skewers (for kabobs)

2 lemons

1 clove of garlic

fresh cilantro

chili powder

ground cumin

yellow curry powder (I used Spice Islands, Calcutta Heat)

olive oil

First the chicken and marinade:

Cut the chicken into small bite-sized squares, whatever you like for kabobs.

In a separate bowl, combine half a cup of chopped cilantro, lemon juice (use about half a lemon), 3/4 cup of olive oil, 2 tablespoons of curry powder, chopped clove of garlic and 2 tablespoons of cumin. (chili powder is optional, but if you want more spicy add chopped jalapeños or cayenne pepper) Stir together without adding in chicken yet. Place in microwave safe bowl and heat up for about 20 seconds in the microwave. Add cut up chicken, stir until chicken is saturated in marinade. Let sit for about 10-15 minutes.

Next:

Chop the red pepper, onion, and tomato in suitable portions for kabobs and begin to assemble on skewer. I usually alternate veggies and meat, but it depends on what you like.

*If you have marinade from the chicken left over, use to pour or paint over the kabobs before grilling. I did not have extra, so I made an additional marinade (the same for the chicken) and placed it onto of the kabobs just before they went on the grill. I also used the remaining lemon to squeeze lemon juice over the top, which was delicious!

Grilling/Cooking Instructions:

Kabobs do not take very long, but you want to make sure the chicken is cooked properly. No longer than about 20 minutes on the grill, and continue to check on them.

Summer Lovin'

Summer is here!

I am planning to embark on a serious journey to be healthier--that means healthier food consumption, plenty of fresh air, and exercising regularly. I have also heard that writing your goals down increases their likelihood of being accomplished, so I am doing that now:

A few summer goals...

1) Drink more water. 8 glasses of water a day is supposed to be the average water intake for humans to maintain a healthy and hydrated lifestyle.

2) Make a conscious effort to eat less sugar and sweets. (This will be a great excuse for me to work on blogging some new recipes!) And NO more trips to get Julie's Moca Java Organic ice cream...not matter how delicious it is!

3) More fruits and veggies!

4) TONE: utilize the gym at my apartment complex at least once a week.

5) Sugar Free and Low Fat, everything...oh and no soda. (seriously, this time...sorry Coke...)

So HELLO Summer and HELLO to a healthier and happier me!

Grad.u.ation

2006.

Graduation from High School.

GRADUATION from College.

The two so similar, yet undeniably different at the same time. Both marking milestones of education, accomplishments, involvement and essentially life. In high school, its our journey from teeny-bopping wannabe to being an invested and society contributing adolescent. (Some contributing progressively and other's retroactively, but that is not what is important)

Whether it was a path to continue in the work world or the college world was a choice for some of us, but for other's it was decided for them by some mom and dad. For me, my "graduation from high school" experience happened a while ago, but I can still remember that feeling of one part of my life coming to an end, and another beginning to happen.

The summer before I started as a college freshman, I really was not sure what I wanted to be, but I definitely knew what I wanted to do: go to college. More than ever did I want to learn beyond the standardized public education and know more about language, politics, humanity, literature, sociology, and technology. I wanted to be able to adequately argue about the injustices I saw in contemporary society, but also learn about systems outside of the idealized United States of America nation, and explore concepts within the global world and as a globalist. My experiences freshman and sophomore year led me to understand myself and my life through the context of notions of socio-economic institutions dividing society. It was my realization that geographical locations are tied with enormous class divisions inherently influencing locative culture. I then spent the next two years in San Diego and was able to further explore the de-contextualized and theoretical shift in communication contemporary society is facing. I was also able to familiarize myself with the importance of tactical media using social network sites and how threatening and powerful our societal dependence upon them is transforming communication human interaction entirely. A senior seminar course required a senior project in which I participated in creating a platform in the virtual world in regards to the current immigration climate in our country @

www.whyarizona.tumblr.com

As a college student, I have learned to question and analyze the societies and realities within contemporary society with more understanding and completeness more than ever. I would have to say that this is a bittersweet experience, for questions are followed with concerns and often fear, but I am learning to cope with the unknown. I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to continue my education and have parents who have supported all of my decisions. I cannot thank them enough for their patience and guidance!

2010.

So, here is to an end of one chapter and beginning of a new!

♥

Fajita Chick

I like to cook, but more importantly I enjoy cooking and then eating the food that I create.

One of my absolute favs are fajitas. I have come to realize that no matter what I put in them, they still manage to be deliciously satisfying. A friend of mine recently asked for my recipe and as I wrote up the recipe, I thought it would be a good idea to clog about it. So here it is! Enjoy :D

What you'll need:
1 lb boneless chicken meat (could use steak if desired)
1 tomato
2 red onion slices (too much onion is too much!)
1 green bell pepper
1 clove of garlic

1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 package of Lawry's Fajita spice (available at Vons in regular and spicy)*see other spices for substitutes)
2 tbspn olive oil
1 package corn/flour tortillas
*sour cream & salsa are optional but HIGHLY recommended!

To begin:
Cut chicken into small, chunky pieces--bite size is best, brown in skillet using 1 tbspn olive oil. Cook thoroughly and then add half of lawry's seasonings to chicken as well as a 1/4 of water, I usually only add half of the package because it can get pretty strong. Add in cut up cilantro (fresh is always better), half a cup is perfect. Continue to cook and allow to simmer in spices and cilantro. Add crushed clove of garlic for bolder flavor while browning the chicken.

While waiting for chicken to simmer, cut up veggies into likable portions.

Using a separate skillet:
Using 1 tbspn Olive oil, sauté the onion and green pepper on pan for a few minutes while chicken is simmering on low heat.

Take chicken off heat and drain access juice. Add sautéed bell pepper and onion to pan with already cooked chicken. Add in tomatoes and keep on heat for a minute. Pair with tortillas, put on a salad or just eat by itself, and you're done :D

Some spices/extras I use sometimes just to add more flavor:

ground cumin: Indian spice, but super secret ingredient for all delicious Mexican food. A few pinches is all you'll need
ground cayenne pepper: really hot, but adds that extra spicy kick
ground chili powder: adds for a chipotle flavor
lime/lemon: great to use a slice of lime or lemon to squeeze on top of chicken or grilled veggie