baking pan chicken (air fryer version)

I felt like making that baking pan chicken recipe again but didn’t want to use the oven (it’s 40º here this week!) and I also didn’t fancy cooking a whole chicken’s worth of pieces. So as I had two free range chicken thighs in the freezer it seemed like the perfect amount for the air fryer, and also for two people. You could use any chicken pieces, of course, but it’s important to have the skin still on. I changed the original recipe a bit, using a 50/50 mix of lemon/lime juices instead of just lemon, and I used cumin in the marinade too (that last change was actually an accident but a happy one as it turned out).  Also, I wilted the spinach before adding it to the garbanzos this time (used the microwave, just a couple of minutes on medium heat does the job).

And wow was it delicious. The chicken was super tender and the garbanzos so full of flavour. In the original recipe the chicken sits in the middle of the tray with the garbanzos around the sides, in this case the chicken was directly on top and so the beans soaked up more of the chicken juices. I don’t remember it being quite this fabulous last time. Anyhow, you’ll notice I didn’t have any red onions, so I used sweet onions instead. And I forgot to sprinkle the fresh cilantro/parsley on top afterwards (oops). Served here with some crispy baked garlic chiabatta, also done in the air fryer.

Ingredients and instructions below…
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spinach hummus

I was at a friend’s restaurant the other day and saw that they had spinach hummus on the menu and, although we didn’t try it that day, I decided to try it at home as soon as possible. So here it is. It’s actually just a riff on my basic hummus recipe with a bit more garlic and, of course, spinach. Also, after linking to that original recipe (posted in 2009), I am reminded that I really need to update those photos!

Ingredients and instructions below…

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espinacas con garbanzos 2

I’ve already posted a nice recipe for espinacas con garbanzos here, a very traditional version, and it’s delicious. But it turns out that I almost never make this dish the same way twice and the other day I looked up a few more recipes, got confounded by some that add tomato (wut) and then made this version, which is kind of what I’ve been doing for a while, except this time with added ground almonds (game changer!). So here it is. Oh, and as I didn’t have any bread in the house I used some olive oil regañas (kind of a cracker, and as they were already baked with olive oil I didn’t have to fry them). I like using the baby spinach because then you don’t have to boil anything and the spinach comes out much brighter and tender, and (I think) has more flavour.

Ingredients and instructions below…
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baking pan chicken

sheet pan chicken (1)
I found this recipe via Twitter. The original is by Alison Roman (New York Times). I’ve made a couple of small changes from the orignal here – added bit more cumin, left out the ground fennel seed (but feel free to add 1 tablespoon to the garbanzos), and added white wine to the marinade. But the biggest change was adding fresh spinach to wilt in the hot garbanzos at the end. This of course means it’s no longer a “one pan meal”, but oh well.

Ingredients and instructions below…
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hummus

hummus

I love hummus and I especially love this very simple recipe sent to me by a friend in Toronto many years ago.  I also love how versatile hummus is, as well as it being low-fat and very nutritious. I usually use hummus in a variety of tortilla rollups that are mostly vegetarian, and lately I’ve added oven-baked pita bread and flour torilla “chips” to my repertoire, with hummus as a dip. Any other suggestions will be gratefully accepted.

Ingredients and instructions below…

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