Climbing in the Red

Climbing in the Red

September 20, 2012 by ·

It’s finally prime climbing season! Not too hot, but not too cold. Thus, it’s time for trips to Red River Gorge!!!!!

Can you tell I’m excited? It’s amazingly beautiful there. The trees are full of life, the hikes go to beautiful places, and there are tons of crags to climb.

It’s only going to get better as the leaves begin to turn too. Oh how I love the fall weather, especially when it’s still somewhat warm and not wet.

Here’s J and I after a long day of climbing. A bit sweaty and tired, but loving the beautiful outdoors!

Where’s your favorite place to escape to? Do you love fall too?

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Citrus Chili Chicken (Wings and Thighs)

Citrus Chili Chicken (Wings and Thighs)

September 10, 2012 by ·

Since I’ve started eating chicken lately, J and I have been buying whole chickens. They’re so much cheaper per pound! The problem, what do you do with things like wings and thighs? Heck if I know! I’m still getting into this whole chicken thing! (I promise I won’t just keep posting meat recipes too! I’m just trying so many chicken things right now as I incorporate it into my diet!)

This dish is quick and easy and gives a wonderful “Asian” flavor. I say “Asian” because it’s more like the “Americanized” chicken you find in many Chinese restaurants in the state. Rice would go great with this dish, but we had some orzo that just couldn’t leave our kitchen pantry. Thus, I decided to add it to our dinner. We paired this meal with a wonderful salad. If you eat meat, I hope you enjoy it with thighs or wings too! If not though, I’m pretty sure it would make a wonderful sauce for tofu.

Citrus Chili Chicken

  • 1 teaspoon olive oil, extra virgin
  • 2 wings and 2 thighs of chicken
  • 1/2 vidalia onion, thinly chopped (sweet onion)
  • 1 teaspoon dried garlic
  • 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
  • 3 dried chilis (I used Thai, but you can just used dried chili flakes if you don’t want to buy something special)
  • 1 cup orange juice (use a natural kind so you truly are getting orange juice, or juice your own)
  • 1 tablespoon tapioca starch (the natural version of corn starch)
Heat the olive oil over medium heat. 
Add the onion and chicken. Brown the chicken till the skin is crispy. (I don’t usually eat the chicken, but this helps sear in the chicken juices)
Season the chicken with the garlic, paprika, and dried chilis. Once seasoned, add the orange juice.
Turn the heat to low and let simmer for 45 minutes. This will allow the chicken to slowly cook with the orange juice flavoring deep down.
Once the chicken is cooked, remove the chicken and add the tapioca starch to the sauce. This will thicken the sauce. 
 
Serve over rice (or orzo like I did!). Enjoy!
 
Nutrition Info
Calories 190
Total Fat 8.92g
Saturated Fat 2.27g
Cholesterol 38mg
Sodium 40mg
Total Carbohydrate 14.34g
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Greek Olive Chicken

Greek Olive Chicken

September 9, 2012 by ·

Sorry for the break loyal readers! Unfortunately, the Labor day weekend through me off my game. Cramming a 5 day work week into 4 days is tough. Okay, I actually did really work on labor day, but not the full day. When everyone else is on vacation too, there’s only so much you can get done.

This dish is super fast and easy though! You won’t be disappointed with it. J and I served it with a salad, but you could serve it over pasta and with crispy bread if you like. We needed veggies though! :) I love having a quick Italian meal that tastes liked it has cooked all day, and this dish definitely does the trick!!

Greek Olive Chicken

  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 3 medium tomatoes, chopped
  • 1 cup olives, black or kalamata (I love kalamata in this dish, but we only had black in the pantry!)
  • 6-8 ounces dark chicken (we used two small thighs)
  • 2 tablespoons finely chopped Italian flat-leaf parsley
Cut chicken into small pieces (1inch)
Heat 1 Tbs olive oil on high heat. Once hot, place chicken into pan and brown all sides quickly. Then remove chicken and place on side plate.
In same pot, heat other Tbs of olive oil and add garlic. Stir until browned.
Add chopped tomatoes, olives, and parsley. Wait until tomatoes start to simmer, then turn down heat to low and add browned chicken.
I cook for around 30 minutes. You can add more time if needed since it’s cooking in liquid and won’t dry out.
 
Nutritional Info
Calories 262
Total Fat 21.56g
Sat Fat 4.12g
Cholesterol 59mg
Sodium 57mg
Total Carbohydrate .25g
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