Arroz Con Pollo (Mexican Chicken & Rice)

This is a recipe I have wanted to try for a very long time, but all the versions I found included some spice mixes that are not available outside of USA (typical haha!) so I was keeping my eyes peeled for one I could make without them.

Cue my friend Fien, whose house I was at last week.  We were thinking about what to have for dinner, and looking through cookbooks to find something because her partner is gluten-free so obviously had to be something he could eat.  Then I saw this and was like "let's make this!  I've always wanted to try it!".  

So all our good intentions were there.  And then, just after the slowcooker was turned on and we just sat down to start watching a movie... powercut.  -_-  Less than ideal.  By the time it was eventually turned back on, it was almost 8pm, and dinner would need a further 2 or 3 hours to cook! By which stage, we had given up and got pizza.

The dish however, did keep cooking, and when it was done, was put into leftover containers, for Fien and Hamlin to eat the following night, and they said it was delicious.  So tonight, I made it at my house too!

INGREDIENTS
1 chicken (3-4lb/1kg ish) cut into serving pieces or 6 chicken pieces of your choice (I used chicken breast cut into large cubes)
1/3 cup olive oil
1 large onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 red capsicum, diced
1 tablsepoon paprika
1 tablespoon chilli powder (or less - it is very strong!)
1 tablespoon ground cumin
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 can diced tomatoes
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup chicken stock (gluten-free if you're intolerant)
1 bay leaf
1 cup uncooked long grain rice
1 cup peas
salt and pepper

METHOD

• Put tomatoes, wine, stock and bayleaf in slow cooker
• Brown chicken (but don't cook all the way through) and add to slow cooker
• Heat oil in a pan
• Add onion, garlic, and capsicum
• Cook 3 min
• Reduce heat to low and stir in paprika, chilli powder, cumin, and oregano
• Cook 1 min, stirring constantly
• Scrape mixture into slowcooker and stir well
• Cook on LOW for 4-6 hours, or HIGH 2-3 hours, or until chicken is almost cooked through.
• An hour before it finishes, cook rice in a pan and some oil, until it goes opaque (maybe 3 or 4 minutes), stirring often
• Pour rice into slowcooker and raise heat to HIGH if cooking on LOW
• 15 minutes before end, add peas
• Salt and pepper to taste, and serve hot

 
 To be honest, while it was nice, it didn't taste as strongly or flavourfully as the smell of it cooking.  It was spicy, and I even skimped on the chilli, so you don't need much chilli to get a kick.  It was filling, but the chicken was a little dry, so in future I may either add more stock, or use bigger pieces of chicken.

Recipe: in "Gluten-Free Slow Cooking" by Ellen Brown, pg. 133

Quick & Easy Nachos

Mexican food is not common in my diet.  The only time we eat it is if I cook it myself.  Until now, my limit was burritos.  Don't get me wrong, they are delicious, I love them to bits.  But I felt like expanding my Mexican repertoire, and had got Mum to buy a can of Mexican style chilli beans at the grocery store a while ago.  The can has been sitting there, tormenting me, going "You don't know how to cook me!  You don't know what to do with me!  You suck!".  Yes, cans of food have been talking to me.  (Maybe I need to see someone?)

So the other day, I thought "Screw YOU.  I AM going to cook you" and started googling easy nacho recipes.  Funnily enough, a recipe popped up using the exact can of chilli beans I had sitting in the pantry.  It was meant to be.  I asked Mum to grab some chopped tomatoes in a can (because I've used all the ones we had haha oops) on her way home, plus a few of the other ingredients. 

Making the nacho chilli was pretty easy, and there wasn't much prep, so I was pleased.  And to serve, everyone can assemble their own - always fun!

INGREDIENTS

500g lean mince

1tsp oil

420g can mild (or hot) chilli beans

420g can Mexican style chopped tomatoes

1 tsp garlic salt

1 tsp onion salt

pinch of dried chilli powder (to taste, be frugal is my advice - that stuff is POTENT!)

1 onion

1 carrot, grated and peeled

Diced capsicum (bell peppers) - I used red, orange and yellow, just add as much as you want.

Serve with:

Cheese flavoured corn chips

Sour cream

Tomato salsa

Grated cheese

METHOD

• Heat some oil in a frypan, and brown the mince, capsicum, grated carrot and onions together.
• Add the tomatoes and chilli beans, and the salts and chilli powder.  Make sure you taste as you go to adjust seasonings to your preference - I found the original recipe that inspired this meal a bit bland, so all the seasonings are my own ideas, trying to flavour it up a bit!
• Simmer for 10 mins, until cooked and you're happy with the seasoning.
• Assemble!  Nacho chips on the bottom, pile on some mince, grated cheese on top (can be grilled if you can be bothered, but the heat from the mince melts the cheese anyway - just as good!), salsa and sour cream!

Quite possibly my favourite part of the meal was the sour cream haha.   I'm a sour cream fiend!  Om nom nom.  Mum and Dad really enjoyed them, but I still wasn't 100% happy with the seasoning in the mince.  However, when all together with the garnishings, it came together nicely and was just like bought nachos (but better, cos I added more veges!  Woot!)

Again, no photo sorry, but I can assure you it looked delicious.  :D

Recipe Inspiration: http://www.foodinaminute.co.nz/Recipes/Quick-Easy-Nachos