Loaded, Spicy, Crispy Oven Baked Fries

Tags

appetizer, baked, crispy, food, fries, gluten free, loaded, oven, side dish

I know it is hard to believe that these fries are crispy without being fried. I promise you that they are! The spice, the crunch, and the delicious toppings make for an amazing side dish without the unnecessary extra calories.

Loaded, Spicy, Crispy Oven Baked Fries

The Fries:

• 6 potatoes, scrubbed well
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 tbsp chili powder
• 1 tbsp chipotle chili powder
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp onion powder

The Toppings:

• 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 6 slices of bacon, cooked crispy then crumbled
• 3 or 4 green onions, thinly sliced
• Sour cream

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Slice each potato horizontally then slice into fries no thicker than 1/4 inch thick. Add them to a bowl and toss with olive oil, salt, and pepper. On two parchment paper lined baking sheets, lay out the potatoes in a single layer, making sure none of them touch. Bake for 30 minutes. While they are baking, in a small bowl, combine the spices. When 30 minutes is up, remove and turn up the oven to 425 degrees. Pour the fries into a large bowl and toss with the spice combo. Place baking racks on each baking sheet, spray with cooking spray, and lay out the potatoes in a single layer again. Bake for 10 to 15 more minutes or until crispy.

Remove the potatoes from the oven and spread out on a large plate or serving platter. Top with the cheddar cheese, bacon crumbles, sliced green onions, and sour cream. Serves 4.

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Cheesy Baked Chicken Taquitos

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appetizer, baked, cheese, chicken, easy, main dish, Mexican, taquitos

I love taquitos, even the frozen ones. But I don’t love the price, the high sodium levels, or that they are so processed with ingredients I can’t even begin to pronounce. I didn’t want something complicated, though. This recipe is a perfect match for my food needs. You can make up a whole bunch of these and then freeze them for later use. Plus, they are easy to make so you can get your kids evolved.

• Servings: 4 to 6
• Time: 40 minutes
• Difficulty: easy
• Print

• 3 oz cream cheese, softened
• 1/3 cup salsa verde
• juice of 1/2 a lime
• 1 tsp chipotle chile powder
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• pinch cayenne pepper
• A couple of shakes of red pepper flakes
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 3 tbsp finely chopped onions
• 2 cups cooked and shredded chicken
• 1 1/2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
• 12 to 15 (6-inch) corn tortillas
• Cooking spray

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees and spray a baking sheet with cooking spray.

In a large bowl, combine the first 11 ingredients. Stir in the chicken and the shredded cheese. Taste then season with salt and pepper as needed.

When you make the taquitos, the tortillas need to be pliable. Dampen a couple of paper towels and layer the tortillas on a plate in this order – two tortillas, paper towel, two tortillas, paper towel. Microwave for 20 to 30 seconds, until they are soft and pliable.

Spoon 3 tablespoons of filling onto the tortilla and roll tightly.  Place seam side down on the prepared baking sheet.  Repeat until all the filling is used.

Spray the taquitos lightly with cooking spray and sprinkle with salt.  Bake 20 to 25 minutes, or until the tortillas are crisp and golden-brown.  Serve with salsa, sour cream, and/or guacamole. Inspired by this recipe from Pink Parsley. 

Baked Brie with Mushrooms and Onions

Tags

appetizer, baked, brie, celebrate, food, holiday, mushrooms, new years, onions

I love brie. The umami flavor is one of my favorites. Combined with the mushrooms, onions, garlic and wine, this cheese appetizer is divine. I love that it does not include puff pastry or the like. With this recipe, the flavors shine through, unencumbered by extra breading.

Baked Brie with Mushrooms and Onions

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 onion, finely diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 8 ounces mushrooms, sliced
• 1 tsp thyme
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1/4 cup white wine
• 1 small wheel of brie
• 1 baguette, sliced

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Heat the oil in a pan. Saute onions until clear and starting to brown. Add mushrooms, garlic, thyme, salt and pepper. Saute until mushrooms are tender. Add wine and deglaze the pan. Cook until most of the juices are reduced. In a small oven safe dish, place the wheel of brie. Top with the mushrooms mixture. Bake for approx 10 minutes, until cheese is melted. Serve with slices of baguette.

Loaded Baked Potato Soup

Tags

baked, crockpot, fall, food, loaded, potato, soup

Our poor trick-or-treaters had to brave the 40 degree weather last night. I hope their mommies fixed them something filling and belly-warming like this tasty soup. Because it is a crockpot soup, it can be put together before work or school. It makes a pretty big pot so we will be having left-overs for the next few days.

Loaded Baked Potato Soup

6 large potatoes, peeled and diced
1 large onion, diced
3 (14 oz) cans chicken broth
3 cloves garlic, microplaned
Salt and pepper to taste (Be sure to use quite a bit of salt, think a tsp or two)
1 cup cream

Toppings: sharp cheddar cheese, green onion, sour cream and bacon.

Combine all ingredients; cover and cook in the crockpot on high for 4 hours or low for 8 hours (potato should be tender). Mash mixture until potatoes are coarsely chopped and soupy is slightly thickened. Top with desired delights. Serves 8.

Sweet and Sticky Baked Drumsticks

Tags

Asian, baked, chicken, drumsticks, food, meat, sticky, sweet

When I first saw a  photo of this chicken by The Novice Chef, I was amazed by how appealing it looked. I am not normally a drumstick fan. They are gristly and too hard to eat. Though her photos are way better than mine, I was pleased with the results. I can imagine that most small children and adults with discerning tastes will appreciate this recipe.

Sweet and Sticky Baked Drumsticks (thanks to the Novice Chef!!)

• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
• 2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper
• 6 chicken drumsticks, about 1.25 pounds
• 1 tablespoon sesame seeds, lightly toasted
• a few pinches chopped fresh parsley

In a medium bowl, whisk together balsamic vinegar, honey, brown sugar, soy sauce, garlic, ginger and cracked black pepper. Pour into a large ziplock bag and add chicken drumsticks. Shake to coat chicken and refrigerate for 8 hours, or overnight, giving the bag a shake whenever you think about it.

Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil and place a Cooling Rack on top.

Remove the chicken from the bag, reserving the marinade, and place the drumsticks on the rack. Bake the drumsticks, on the middle oven rack, for 25 minutes.

While the chicken is baking, place the leftover marinade in a small saucepan. Bring the marinade to a boil, then reduce the heat to a slow simmer. Cook over low heat, stirring as needed, for about 15 minutes or until thickened.

Remove drumsticks from oven (after first 25 minutes of cooking) and heavily coat with the thickened marinade, using a silicone pastry brush. Return to the oven and cook for 10 more minutes. Coat the drumsticks again and return to oven to cook for 5 more minutes, or until an internal temperate of 160°F is reached.

Coat the drumsticks one last time, with any remaining sauce, and sprinkle with sesame seeds and parsley. Serve immediately.

Oven Roasted Chicken with Lemon and Tarragon

Tags

baked, chicken, food, gluten free, lemon, tarragon

I planted tarragon this year for the first time. I am struggling to find ways to use it. Maybe just because I haven’t searched enough yet. Do you have any suggestions?

This chicken turned out juicy with a complimentary, not overwhelming, flavor of tarragon even though I used more than the original recipe suggested. The leftovers will be nice to take to work. I served it with garlic and asiago mashed potatoes with a salad.

Oven Roasted Chicken with Lemon and Tarragon 

• 1 lemon
• 6 chicken thighs
• 1 tsp kosher salt
•  Freshly ground pepper
• 4 sprig (4-inch) fresh tarragon
• 1 head garlic, separated into cloves, lightly crushed with side of knife, and peeled
• 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

Heat oven to 400 degrees F. Cut 6 very thin slices of lemon and remove seeds; juice the remaining lemon and reserve.

Season chicken all over with salt and pepper; arrange in a 13x9x2-inch baking dish, skin side up. Slide fingers under skin of each chicken breast to separate skin from meat; slip a tarragon sprig and lemon slice under skin of each chicken breast. Smooth skin to cover meat. Add garlic cloves to baking dish. Drizzle with olive oil. Pour on lemon juice.

Bake, uncovered, 45 to 50 minutes, basting with pan juices and occasionally turning over chicken and rotating baking dish, until chicken is nicely browned and just cooked through to the bone. Serve with roasted garlic cloves. Spoon pan juices over chicken.

Pan-Roasted Chicken With Lemon-Garlic Green Beans

Tags

baked, chicken, green beans, lemon, pan roasted

This recipe is a good start for a lemon chicken, though I think it needs some tweaking. Maybe less lemon and more herb/garlic. Let me know what you think would improve this.

Pan-Roasted Chicken with Lemon-Garlic Green Beans (from Real Simple)

 

• 6  tablespoons  olive oil
• 2 lemons
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1  teaspoon  kosher salt
• 1/2  teaspoon  freshly ground black pepper
• 3/4  pound  trimmed green beans
• 8 small red potatoes, quartered
• 6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs

Preheat oven to 450°F. Coat a large baking dish or cast-iron skillet with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Zest one lemon; then with a sharp knife, cut off the white pith. Slice the lemon and arrange the lemon slices in a single layer in the bottom of the dish or skillet.

In a large bowl, combine the remaining oil, lemon juice, lemon zest, garlic, salt, and pepper; add the green beans and toss to coat. Using a slotted spoon or tongs, remove the green beans and arrange them on top of the lemon slices. Add the potatoes to the same olive-oil mixture and toss to coat. Using a slotted spoon or tongs, arrange the potatoes along the inside edge of the dish or skillet on top of the green beans. Place the chicken in the same bowl with the olive-oil mixture and coat thoroughly. Place the chicken, skin-side up, in the dish or skillet. Pour any of the remaining olive-oil mixture over the chicken.

Roast for 50 minutes. Remove the chicken from the dish or skillet. Place the beans and potatoes back in oven for 10 minutes more or until the potatoes are tender (mine were already tender at this point). Place a chicken breast on each of 4 serving plates; divide the green beans and potatoes equally. Serves 4.

Hasselback Potatoes with Garlic and Rosemary

Tags

baked, Dinner, garlic, potato, rosemary, side dish, Supper, vegetarian

I was looking for a snazzy but easy side for dinner tonight…  Wow was I impressed by this! So fantastic! Way better than a regular baked potato and the spice combinations are endless. I just love the garlicy-ness and the fact that I don’t have to use tons of butter to make it taste good. I think this potato is just perfect.

Hasselback Potatoes with Garlic and Rosemary

• 3 potatoes
• 1 large sprig of rosemary, finely chopped
• 3 cloves of garlic, very thinly sliced
• Olive oil
• Salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Using a sharp knife, carefully make very thin cuts in the potato, being careful not to cut all the way through to the bottom. The cuts should look like a fan. Gently slide the garlic slices between every two potato slices. Oil the potato and sprinkle with salt, pepper, and rosemary. Roast in the oven until tender. Remove from oven and serve with sour cream if desired.