Chicken Souvlaki with Tzatziki Sauce
Ingredients:
- 4 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts
- 2 Cloves Garlic Minced
- 1 cup Olive Oil
- 2 Tbsp Red Wine Vinegar
- Zest and Juice of 1/2 a Lemon
- 2 Tbsp fresh chopped parsley
- 1\2 cup Auntie Natt's Mediterranean Blend
- 8 8"Bamboo Skewers
Tzatziki Sauce
- 2 Cups Greek Yogurt
- 1/2 a cucumber grated and squeezed dry(approx 1/2 a cup)
- Zest and Juice of 1\2 a Lemon
- 1 tsp minced Garlic
- 1/4 cup fresh chopped dill
- 1 tbsp Olive Oil
- 1 Tbsp Auntie Natt's Mediterranean Blend
Directions: Combine all ingredients for the tzatziki sauce together. cover and chill. Soak Bamboo Skewers in water for minimum half an hour to prevent scorching during cooking.
Cut Chicken breast into approximately 2" cubes. Combine remaining ingredients to make a marinade. Add chicken to marinade coating evenly. Cover and chill. Allow chicken to marinate anywhere from 2-12 hours.
If using a grill preheat to 375F-400F and grill for 6-7 minutes on each side. Alternatively roast in an oven set to 425F for approximately 15-20 minutes. Internal temperature should reach 160F.
Enjoy on a pita with tzatziki sauce and veggies or alongside potatoes, rice, or a salad.
Cajun Rice with Shrimp and Chicken
Ingredients:
2 cups long grain rice
41/2 cups chicken, beef or vegetable stock
1 large chicken breast sliced
1 lb shrimp peeled and deveined
1 medium onion diced
1 bell pepper (any colour) diced
2 ribs celery sliced
2 cloves garlic minced
6-8 tbsp Auntie Natt's Cajun Blend divided
Juice of 1/2 a lime
4-6 Tbsp Olive or vegetble oil (more if needed)
1/2 cup chopped cilantro (optional)
Salt to taste
Directions:
In seperate bowls coat shrimp and chicken in half of your Auntie Natt's Cajun Blend reserving about 4 Tbsp for later. Set aside.
Heat a deep skillet, cast iron pan or dutch oven over high heat. Quickly sautee chicken in 2 Tbsp oil. These will cook through fairly quickly and become nice and brown, approximately 5 minutes. Remove chicken from pan and quickly add 1-2 Tbsp more oil and shrimp to pan and cook in the same manner. Remove Shrimp from pan.
Lower heat to medium high and add remaining oil along with onions and celery. Sautee till onions become translucent, 2-4 min. Add bell pepper and garlic and sautee for another 2 minutes. Add remaining 2-4Tbsp Auntie Natt's Cajun Blend to pan and sautee for another minute coating all the vegetables in the spices.
Add rice, stockand lime juice, stir and cover. Bring to a simmer and then lower heat to medium low. Allow to gently simmer for approximately 10 minutes. Uncover and add shrimp and chicken. Cover again and cook for anther 5-10 minutes or until rice is tender. Uncover and fluff with a fork. Add cilantro and salt if desired. Enjoy
*For a vegan option, opt for vegetable broth and omit chicken and shrimp. Add 1 cup of cooked red kidney instead
Smokey Mac n' Cheese Gratin
Ingredients:
1 lb macaroni (you could use penne or fusilli or any other similar sized pasta)
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1/2 cup all purpose flour
2 cups whole milk
2 cups half and half
6 cups grated medium cheddar cheese divided into 4 equal parts (1 1/2 cups each)
4 Tbsp Auntie Natt's Mequite Blend
1 clove Garlic minced
half a medium onion diced small
2-4 Tbsp Olive oil
For the Crumb Topping:
1 cup Bread crumbs
1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese
1 Tbsp Auntie Natt's Mequite Blend
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 375F
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook pasta till "al dente" and toss with Olive oil to prevent sticking.
- Combine all ingredients for the crumb topping and set aside.
- Melt butter in a large saucepan over Medium heat. Add diced onion and cook until translucent, about 1 minute. Add garlic and flour and whisk to combine. Continue to cook for another minute whisking constantly.
- Slowly pour in about 2 cups of the milk/half and half while whisking constantly until smooth. Slowly pour in the remaining milk/half and half continuing to whisk until smooth. Continue to heat over medium heat, whisking often until thick.
- Remove from the heat and add Auntie Natt's Mequite Blend along with 1 1/2 cups of cheese, stir until completely melted and smooth. Add another 1 1/2 cups of cheese, and stir until completely melted and smooth.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine drained pasta with cheese sauce, stirring to combine fully. Pour half of the pasta mixture into the prepared baking dish. Top with 1 1/2 cups of grated cheeses, then top that with the remaining pasta mixture. Sprinkle the top with the last 1 1/2 cups of cheese and crumb topping and bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes. Enjoy!
** for a fun variation try adding cooked broccoli and bacon to your mix prior to baking.
