BIG STUFF today!
1) I went to my first spinning class since my ACL tear occurred way back in July. I can’t believe it’s been so long since I’ve spun and I was so excited. I left a puddle of sweat below my bike (delish I know) and had a huge smile on my face walking out of the gym. My instructor said he was proud of me for showing up and bringing it, and that made me feel even better…if that was possible. I physically felt pretty good afterward, could not do any jumps or sprints off of the seat yet, but I did get up for a hill in position 3. Toddler steps. I am slowly getting over my mental blocks of reinjuring my graft.
2) I now have a facebook fan page…come like me and say hi!!! https://www.facebook.com/kristastes
3) Even bigger stuff is the cool new recipe I have for you tonight.
I have met a number of interesting characters at my job, but none who are as passionate about food as me. That is, until my newish cube mate, Taahir, showed up a couple of months ago. He is originally from Guyana, and is always bringing in amazing looking foods for me to taste. Yesterday morning, I had some black bean pie (saywhat!)…tastier than you might think!
Guyanese cuisine is inspired by a combination of East Indian, Caribbean, African and Chinese cuisines. Taahir is about to begin documenting his mom’s traditional recipes to co-author a cookbook, in addition to launching a Philly food truck blog called Aphroeatiac. Lucky for you and ME, he gave me a sneak recipe for the base marinade/rub used in the majority of his family’s cuisine. This is also used in rice and bean dishes. I incorporated it into a baked chicken recipe the other night and it is perfection. One of the keys to baking meat the Guyanese way, is that you remove all skin and fat, thereby seasoning the meat directly.
I hope you enjoyed your cultural lesson for the day, but I guarantee you will enjoy this recipe even more! And it is ridiculously simple. Hey, Real Simple, get this ish in your mag.
Guyanese Baked Chicken and Taters
Ingredients:
- 4 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1/2 medium yellow onion, chopped
- large handful italian parsley (could use regular)
- 1-2 jalapeno peppers, seeds removed (traditional type of pepper is a pimento)
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- ~1/4 cup unseasoned breadcrumbs
- 1-2 lbs organic chicken legs or quarters, all skin and fat removed
- baby red bliss potatoes (or your choice), halved
- sea salt
- olive oil
Directions:
- Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees F.
- Wash chicken thoroughly in cold water, then soak/clean in a mixture of about 1/4 cup vinegar and a few cups of water (enough to cover all of the chicken), then rinse with water and pat dry.
- In a blender with a grinder attachment or a food processor, combine garlic, onion, parsley, jalapeno or pimento, paprika and black pepper until smooth, add in breadcrumbs (optional) and pulse to incorporate. Spread mixture all over chicken legs.
- Coat a baking dish with olive oil, add potatoes and mix around to coat. Add chicken and spread evenly. Sprinkle with sea salt and a little extra paprika.
- Cook, covered, for 60 minutes, turning chicken mid-way through. Depending on your oven, cooking time may vary slightly.
Enjoy!!! This produces flavorful, fall off the bone chicken amazingness.
