moroccan chicken stew 9/10

mmm mmm good! this was a really yummy and flavorful dish that tom cooked up one night while i was at work. it's really got a rich flavor and the spices in the couscous and sort of an exotic taste which is delightful! tom made this with bone-in, skin-on thighs because it adds a lot more flavor while it cooks. just take the skins off to decrease the fat. i don't know if it was any trouble to make but he didn't complain about it after the fact so i'm guessing it was fine. and everything is so much easier with our le cruset oven. we love it!! it's absolutly perfect for all these fall stews and meat we've been cooking up lately! yumm yumm!




Moroccan Chicken Stew with Sweet Potatoes
from martha's edf oct 07
Serves 4
Prep: 15 minutes Total: 45 minutes

Cinnamon and ginger complement the sweet potatoes in this easy but exotic-tasting chicken stew. Fluffy couscous absorbs the aromatic sauce.

Ingredients
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs (about 1 1/2 pounds)
Coarse salt and ground pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
1 piece fresh ginger (2 inches long), peeled
1 cinnamon stick
1 can (14 1/2 ounces) reduced-sodium chicken broth
2 medium sweet potatoes (about 1 pound total), peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
Pinch of saffron (optional)
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 cup couscous
Cilantro sprigs, for garnish (optional)


Directions
-Place flour in a wide, shallow bowl. Season chicken with salt and pepper; dredge in flour, shaking off excess. In a 5-quart Dutch oven or heavy pot, heat oil over medium-high. Add chicken, and cook until browned, 4 to 6 minutes per side; transfer to a plate.
-Add onion, ginger, and cinnamon to pot. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onion starts to soften, 2 to 3 minutes. Return chicken to pot. Add broth, sweet potatoes, and, if using, saffron. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, and simmer until chicken is cooked through and sweet potatoes are tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Discard ginger and cinnamon. Stir in lemon juice, and season stew with salt and pepper.
-While stew is simmering, prepare couscous according to package instructions. Serve chicken stew with couscous, garnished with cilantro, if desired.

hopefully if you make this you'll enjoy it as much as we did! keep eating...

wild-rice stuffed squash 10/10

this was a great dinner for fall flavors! super yummy and pretty easy! we made everything the same but stuffed only 1 squash so we ended up with a lot of stuffing! really great if you love squash (and we do!). the dried cherried really added a tasty zing and the pecans make it rich. great meal that can be paired with a chicken breast if you want some more meat/protein.


Wild-Rice Stuffed Squash
from martha's edf nov 07
Prep: 15 minutes Total: 1 hour

Grace vegetarians at the Thanksgiving table (and beyond) with stuffed baked squash, flecked with crunchy pecans and sweet dried cherries.

Ingredients
Serves 4.
2 acorn squashes (1 1/2 pounds each), halved lengthwise, seeds removed
2 tablespoons butter
1 shallot, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon dried rubbed sage
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1 box (6 ounces) wild-rice blend (seasoning packet discarded)
1/2 cup dried cherries
1/2 cup pecans, chopped

Directions

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. On a rimmed baking sheet, arrange squash cut side down; cover sheet tightly with aluminum foil. Roast until tender when pierced with the tip of a paring knife, about 40 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, heat butter over medium. Add shallot, garlic, and sage; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Add rice and 1 3/4 cups water; bring to a boil, cover, and reduce heat to low. Cook until tender, without stirring, about 25 minutes.
Remove rice from heat, and stir in cherries and pecans; season stuffing with salt and pepper. Season the inside of each squash half with salt and pepper. Dividing evenly, mound stuffing into halves, and serve.


keep eating!..