Fricase de Pollo

2 tbsp.olive oil
2 ounces ham, finely diced
1 medium onion, diced
1 green pepper, diced
2 tsp. minced garlic or 4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. dried oregano
2 sprigs of fresh cilantro, chopped
1 3-lb. chicken, cut into pieces
1/2 cup tomato sauce
1 bay leaf
12 stuffed olives
1 tsp. capers
1/2 cup wine or beer
3 tsp. Adobo Seasoning with Pepper
2 medium potatoes, peeled and cut in 1/2-inch cubes
1 can (15.5 oz.) sweet peas, drained, liquid reserved

Heat oil in a pot over medium heat. Add the ham and brown. Add the onion, pepper, garlic, oregano, and cilantro, reduce heat to medium low and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the chicken and cook on medium for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the tomato sauce, bay leaf, olives, capers, vinegar, adobo, and potatoes. Combine the liquid from the peas with water to equal 2-1/2 cups, and add. Mix well. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat to low, and cook for 45 minutes until chicken is tender. Stir occasionally. Stir in the peas. Cook uncovered for 5 minutes or until sauce reaches desired consistency. Makes 4 servings

*This recipe is inspire by my moms fricase de pollo! Coqui

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Cornbread Dressing or Stuffing

1 package cornbread mix
3 chicken breast
3 cups chicken broth
2 cups turkey or pork Jimmy Dean sausage render of all grease (cook and drain)
2 onions cut into small pieces
1 sweet pepper cut into small pieces
1 cup chopped celery
1/2 bunch fresh parley cut into small pieces
8 minced garlic cloves
1/2 bunch green onions cut into small pieces
1/2 cup raisins
3 bay leaves
3/4 butter stick or 1/2 cup virgin olive oil
2 teaspoon fresh thyme
2 egg
1 1/2 tablespoon crushed red pepper optional (spicy) or black pepper
salt to taste

Day before
Make corn bread and let it cool outside so it will crumble and not get mushy

Boil chicken breast in salted water until tender. Let it cool and chop small, set aside. Saute and crumble sausage, set aside. Crumble corn bread, set aside. In a big pan melt butter over medium, saute onions, sweet pepper, celery, green onions, parsley, thyme, garlic with some salt until very soft. Use lots of crushed pepper (spicy) or just black pepper
Remove from heat, add chicken, sausage, egg, raisins and stir. Then start adding corn bread and chicken broth a little at a time folding into mixure until done. Bake in a rectangular dish at 325 degrees for 1 hour or until dry and crisp. For stuffing just stuff the cavity of turkey with mix before baking. Serves 8-10
*This recipe is a southern version with a Caribbean twist!

Fricase de Pollo

2 tbsp.olive oil
1 red or yellow pepper
6 recao leaves, chopped
2 ounces ham, finely diced
1 medium onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. dried oregano
2 sprigs of fresh cilantro, chopped
1 3-lb. chicken, cut into pieces
1/2 cup tomato sauce
1 bay leaf
1 tsp. capers
1 tbsp. vinegar
3 tsp. Adobo Seasoning with Pepper
2 medium potatoes, peeled and cut in 1/2-inch cubes
1 can (15.5 oz.) sweet peas, drained, liquid reserved
2 cups beer
pimientos morrones

Heat oil in a pot over medium heat. Add the ham and brown. Add the onion, pepper, garlic. Cook for 3 minutes, reduce heat to medium,low, add recao, oregano, cilantro and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the chicken and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the tomato sauce, bay leaf, olives, capers, vinegar, adobo, and potatoes. Combine the liquid from the peas with beer, and add. Mix well. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat to low, and cook for 45 minutes until chicken is tender. Stir occasionally. Stir in 1/2 of the peas and pimientos. Cook uncovered for 5 minutes or until sauce reaches desired consistency.

Puerto Rican Style Waffle Cones with Chicken in a Yogurt Sauce

4 chicken breast halves
1 chicken stock cube
24oz plain Greek yogurt
1 tablespoon garlic salt
1/2 cup diced fresh mint
1 cucumber peeled and cut into small pieces
1 medium celery cut into small pieces
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
waffle ice cream cones
salt and pepper

Optional
1/2 to 1 tablespoon of honey for a sweet and sour touch!

In a tall pan boil water, cook chicken with cube and plenty salt. Lower heat to medium and boil chicken for 15 minutes. Cool chicken and shred. In a bowl mix chicken with rest of ingredients and refrigerate for 20 minutes. Serve the mix with cone on the side so people can fix the cones as needed. Making the cones ahead of time can make them saggy. Serves 8 to 10

*This recipe is a very popular appetizer in Puerto Rico. The original recipe is well kept but my version is equally good, and fun!

FYI- Yogurt is a very good source of calcium, phosphorus, riboflavin-vitamin B2 and iodine. Yogurt also emerged from our analysis as a good source of vitamin B12, pantothenic acid-vitamin B5, zinc, potassium, protein and molybdenum. These 10 nutrients alone would make yogurt a health-supportive food. But some of the most interesting health information about yogurt comes from a different context—its potential inclusion of live bacteria.

Chicken Marsala Puerto Rican Style

2 cups chicken broth
2 tablespoons finely chopped shallot
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 package mushrooms trimmed and sliced
2 tablespoons finely chopped garlic
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 cup all-purpose flour or whole wheat
6 skinless boneless chicken breast halves
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup plus 3 tablespoons dry Marsala wine
1/2 cup tomato sauce or 1 teaspoon tomato paste
2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

Bring broth to a boil in a 2-quart saucepan over high heat, then boil, uncovered, until reduced to about 3/4 cup, about 20 minutes. Or just use chicken stock and cut the water in half.
Cook shallot in 3 tablespoons butter in a skillet over medium heat, until shallot begins to turn brown. Add mushrooms, 1 teaspoon garlic, salt, pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid mushrooms give off is evaporated and mushrooms begin to brown, around 8 minutes. Remove from heat.
Put flour in a wide shallow plate. Gently pound chicken between 2 sheets of plastic wrap. Pat chicken dry and season with salt and pepper, then dredge in flour, 1 piece at a time, shaking off excess. Transfer to wax paper.
Heat 2 tablespoon oil in a skillet over medium high heat, then sauté chicken, turning over once, until golden and just cooked through, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer cooked chicken to a large platter. Add 1/2 cup wine to skillet and boil over high heat, stirring and scraping up brown bits, about 1 minute. Add broth, tomato sauce, and mushrooms, then simmer, stirring occasionally, until sauce is slightly thickened, 6 to 8 minutes. Add chicken, lemon juice, rest of garlic and remaining 2 tablespoons wine, cook for 2 more minutes stirring carefully. Turn heat off and serve warm. Serves 6

*This is my Puerto Rican version. The tomato sauce and garlic gives this dish a caribbean but delicious twist!

WARNING!
*Do not make this recipe if you are trying to imitate restaurant food (mine is better, jaja)

FYI- The most sought after health benefit of mushrooms is weight loss. As a lean protein, your body already burns plenty of fat just breaking down the protein (and fiber), but when you consume foods low in fat and carbs that fat burned increases for additional fat burning.

The vitamins C, B6 and B12 found in mushrooms are responsible for boosting your immune system. This helps flush toxins out of your body that could compromise your immune system. A healthy body means you can focus more on fat burning rather than healing.

Rustic Chicken Breast Rolls

6 pieces pounded chicken breast
6 pieces of your favorite ham for me is jamon serrano or Prosciutto
1 bunch chopped fresh parsley
1/2 cup dried cranberries
28oz Italian crushed tomatoes
1 cup freshly ground basil
1 tablespoon italian herbs
salt and pepper
3 tablespoons olive oil
4 minced garlic cloves
1 teaspoon red pepper
2/3 cup red wine
top with freshly grated parmesan cheese

Preheat oven 350 degrees. Season breast with salt and pepper. Prepare the chicken by layering ham, then parsley, cranberries. Roll and secure with toothpicks. In a round pan heat olive oil over medium high, add garlic and red pepper, cook for 2 minutes. Stir oil, sear chicken 2 minutes per side. Add wine, crushed tomatoes, basil, italian herbs and stir. Cover and place in oven for 30 minutes. Check for salt and pepper. Top with parmesan cheese and serve.

Red Quinoa-Roasted Garlic-Turkey Burgers

1 pound ground turkey
6 garlic cloves
3/4 cup red quinoa
1/2 cup chopped fresh greens like parley, spinach or basil
2 tablespoons BBQ sauce
salt and black pepper to taste

Preheat oven 375 and roast garlic cloves with some olive oil on foil paper for 8 minutes. Cut garlic into small pieces. Mix all ingredients and make burgers. Cook over medium high for 4 minutes per side.

FY!; Quinoa helps to regulate blood sugar levels. Lysine found in red quinoa helps with tissue repair and growth. High protein and fiber content in red quinoa delays gastric emptying and hence keeps you feeling fuller and more satisfied than white rice. Red quinoa provides a rich source of protein for vegans and vegetarians. Red quinoa provides us with 10% daily value of iron, it is low in fat and contains only healthy unsaturated fat that helps to keep cholesterol levels low and helps maintain heart health. The iron content is used by the body to transport oxygen.

Since it is gluten-free, red quinoa suits those who cannot eat gluten-rich foods and who avoid dairy products. The high manganese content helps to regulate blood sugar levels and maintain strong and healthy bones. It is easy to digest and can make a good diet for diabetics too for it contains a low glycemic index.

Lime Chicken Breast strips in a Broccoli sauce

10 chicken breast tenders
2 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
2 teaspoons lime zest
1 juice of lime
2/3 cup of 2% milk
1 can low fat cream of broccoli
2 cup fresh broccoli pieces or lots more if you love broccoli (just top dish with additional cooked broccoli after dish is done)
1 cup lite cheddar cheese
salt and pepper to taste

Pat dry chicken and season with salt and pepper. In a pan heat the oil over medium high. Seared chicken 2 minutes each side and set aside. In the same pan lower the temperature to medium, add the milk, lemon juice, lemon zest, cream of broccoli and fresh broccoli, scrapping the bottom, cover and cook for 4 minutes. Stir and cook for another 3 minutes. Stir and place chicken on top of mix and sprinkle with cheese. Cover cook for 1 minute then uncover and cook for 3 more minutes. Let it sit for 1 minute minute and serve. Serves 4-6

*pair it with a salad, baked potato, rice or pasta.

Even my very picky son will eat this dish, Coqui!

FYI-Broccoli is a rich source of a variety of biochemicals that are known to fight cancer. One of the most well known and extensively studied is the isothiocyanates. These powerful chemicals are though to stimulate certain enzymes produced by the liver which act to neutralize the effects of cancer causing agents that enter the body. The result is less damage to DNA which can give rise to tumors. These chemicals are so powerful they have even been shown to slow down the progression of existing cancer cells.

Parmesan/Garlic Chicken Breast Strips

This recipe is one of my favorite for kids

8 pieces chicken breast strips
1/2 cup shredded parmigiano reggiano (better consistency than grated)
1/2 cup garlic and herbs bread crumbs
3 garlic cloves, crushed very well
2 tablespoons butter
salt and pepper
3 tablespoons sunflower oil

In a bowl mix cheese, bread crumbs with some fresh pepper. In a cup heat butter and mix with garlic, pour into mix and stir until blended. In a pan big enough to fit all chicken heat sunflower oil. Dry chicken with paper towel, season with salt and pepper and press hard each side into the mix. Cook over medium heat until golden brown, around 3 to 5 minutes per side. Serve warm

BBQ Lemon-Garlic Chicken

1 1/2 pounds chicken pieces
the juice of 4 lemons
2 tbsp lemon zest
6 crushed garlic cloves
2 tbsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp BBQ sauce
3 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp black pepper
2 tbsp sea salt

1 lemon for garnish

Mix all ingredients but chicken. Place chicken pieces in a gallon ziplock bag. Pour seasoning on top and mix well. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Take chicken out of the refrigerator 30 minutes before cooking. Heat BBQ high for 15 minutes. Lower BBQ to medium and place chicken pieces. BBQ for 6 minutes on that side. Lower heat to low and BBQ the other side for 6 to 8 minutes for chicken breast with bones and 3 to 6 minutes for smaller pieces.

Serve it with your favorite sides. For me is rice, beans and plantains