Easiest Chicken Bake Ever

It's funny how I find encouragement and insight in notes I've left myself in various places. For example, my Skype updated this week and as a result I was forced to read over my profile. This blurb was quickly written about three years ago and then its existence promptly forgotten. It was the quote underneath my profile picture that jumped out at me amid the outdated personal information. The simple two lines had no context and no author credited, though I'm sure it came from some author I had been admiring at the time. Here it is:

The journey of faith cannot be made without rest and peace. Faith depends upon our capacity to rest in the nature of God.

Well then

Original recipe credit to Stove Top by Kraft http://www.kraftrecipes.com/recipes/bruschetta-chicken-bake-65546.aspx (if you get lost while making this dish, the recipe is right on the back of the Stove Top box)

What you'll need
2 Chicken Breasts, cubed
1 box Kraft Stove Top Chicken Stuffing Mix
1 14.5 oz can Diced Tomatoes (do not drain)
1 cup Shredded Cheese of your choice
2 cloves Garlic, minced
1/2 cup Water

Mix your water, tomatoes (with juice), stuffing mix, garlic and any additional spices you want together in a medium size bowl.

Place your chicken in the bottom of a greased 9x9 dish. Spread your stuffing mixture evenly over the top of your chicken. Top with any additional cheese or spices.

Bake at 400 F for 30 minutes. Your chicken should be done and the top of your stuffing should be crispy.

This recipe is great for any night that you may be running late or for any office party that you need something equal parts easy and impressive. I've made this a couple times now and it never fails. 5 stars

Homesick and Falafel

It's hard to believe it's been a year since I returned from my time overseas. Jordan has taken up an irreplaceable corner in my heart and I am missing my sandy home terribly. 

I've found the best way to deal with these feelings is to eat them, so let's get cooking. Falafel is one of the easiest things to find in the Middle East and one of the most difficult to find state side. Difficult but not impossible. The way you know if it's good is if it's green. You wouldn't expect this to be so seeing as it is mainly chickpeas. If plain chickpeas are what you're after I recommend hummus; for falafel however color is essential.

Original recipe credit to Just a Taste 

http://www.justataste.com/2011/08/homemade-falafel-with-tahini-sauce/

What you'll need:

A food processor or blender

1 15oz can Garbanzo Beans or Chickpeas, drained

6 cloves of garlic, pealed

1/2 White Onion

1 cup Parsley leaves

1 cup Cilantro leaves

1/2 tsp Salt

1/2 cup All Purpose Flour

2 tsp Baking Powder

4 Tbs Tahini

3/4 cup Plain Yogurt

Pita bread

 

Start by running your onion and garlic through your food processor until well chopped. Add your chickpeas, cilantro, parsley, salt and any other spices you want to your onion and garlic; blend in your processor until well blended but you don't want your mixture to be pureed. Dump in your flour and baking powder in; pulse your food processor until your dry ingredients are well mixed into the rest of the ingredients. Refrigerate your falafel for about an hour.

In the mean time, mix up your yogurt and tahini to make the sauce for your falafel. Refrigerate this as well until you're ready to eat.

Decide what size your want your falafel to be. I rolled mine to be about the same size as meatballs, you may want yours to be a bit smaller. Cover the bottom of your pan in oil of your choosing (I used extra virgin olive oil). Drop your falafel balls into the oil and saute until the outsides are brown and crispy (about 3 minutes on each side). Set up a wire rack over-top a baking sheet so that once your falafel are finished cooking you can place them on top of the wire rack to allow any excess oil will drip off.

After you've cooked up all your falafel you can either eat it with your hands or make it into a sandwich. Break open a piece of pita bread, cover the inside of the bread with the tahini sauce, add some tomato and falafel, and enjoy!

Who knew this Mediterranean staple was so easy? This recipe serves 2-3. If you're expecting a larger crowd it might be easier to blend the ingredients separately and then mix them together by hand. Otherwise you might be asking too much of your food processor.

My falafel balls wen't as crispy as I would've liked but I think that has to do with how big I made them. Next time I'll be sure to roll them up smaller. Other than that, this recipe was perfect. 5 stars for sure.