Hello, my friends! Sorry for the delay on blogging! I honestly missed it but couldn't get myself to sit down and actually write (which I love).
I started my new job and before I knew it, a whole month went by. I'm now ready to jump into new recipes, arts and craft projects, jewelry, organization tips, etc! Over the next couple of days, I'll post projects I've done and recipes I'm quite fond of (as in I've made them multiple times, LOL).
Life is good though. I'm really happy with how things panned out. Like REALLY happy.
And I'm happy to see that spring is approaching. It's almost March, folks. Pretty soon there will be Cherry Blossoms out here in D.C., some extremely green grass, and more tourists! Even if it means that the metro will be CRAZY. Bring it, ha! I know what it's like to be a tourist when you're in vacation mode and everything is great. So, all I'm trying to say is, be nice to tourists!
So, with that said, here is a recipe that I love to make and it's soooo easy! It also makes a ton of food so that means nice leftovers or an impressive dish to woo company.
Let me introduce you to Grilled Seafood and Meat Paella. Paella is great because you can really add anything you want to it. Chorizo sausage, clams, shrimp, chicken, mussels, whatever you're heart desires. Then throw in some arborio rice, chicken broth, spices, onion, etc, and you have a wonderful, flavorful dish. It is so tasty!
Let me introduce you to Grilled Seafood and Meat Paella. Paella is great because you can really add anything you want to it. Chorizo sausage, clams, shrimp, chicken, mussels, whatever you're heart desires. Then throw in some arborio rice, chicken broth, spices, onion, etc, and you have a wonderful, flavorful dish. It is so tasty!
Servings: 8
Serving size- 3/4 cup
Calories: 388.5
Fat: 12.4 g
Fat: 12.4 g
Carbs: 43.1 g
Fiber: 1.37 g
Fiber: 1.37 g
Protein: 23.55 g
Points: 10
Ingredients:
16 large shrimp (I use fully-cooked, frozen shrimp at Target)
1 pound boneless, chicken breast cut into 1-inch pieces
8 ounces Spanish chorizo, cut in 1/4-inch diagonal pieces
16 clams or mussels (fresh or frozen)
2 cups paella rice (or arborio rice)
1 medium onion
2 medium garlic cloves
3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup white wine
1 large pinch saffron threads (please see note below)
1 teaspoon smoked Spanish paprika
1 to 2 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. coarsely chopped fresh parsley leaves (optional)
Freshly ground black pepper (optional)
2 medium lemons
oversized skillet
medium skillet
1 pound boneless, chicken breast cut into 1-inch pieces
8 ounces Spanish chorizo, cut in 1/4-inch diagonal pieces
16 clams or mussels (fresh or frozen)
2 cups paella rice (or arborio rice)
1 medium onion
2 medium garlic cloves
3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup white wine
1 large pinch saffron threads (please see note below)
1 teaspoon smoked Spanish paprika
1 to 2 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. coarsely chopped fresh parsley leaves (optional)
Freshly ground black pepper (optional)
2 medium lemons
oversized skillet
medium skillet
*Saffron is expensive if not purchased at the right store. Some saffron can cost up to $20 for a teeny-tiny portion! That is a little ridulous. I purchased my saffron at World Market for under $6. They are also just starting to offer saffron at Trader Joes (yay!) for about the same price. Don't overpay for saffron. Just don't.
1. Chop the onion and place it aside.
2. Cut the chicken and place it aside.
3. In an oversized skillet, cook the chicken, olive oil and onion.
4. While cooking, season with salt and pepper.
5. Chop garlic while the mixture is cooking and add it at the end (once the chicken is fully cooked).
6. Pour in the chicken broth and turn up the heat to high.
7. Add the rice and place a lid over the pan. The rice needs to simmer for at least 15 minutes.
8. In the meantime, prep the clams or mussels. If you have mussels, they need to be scrubbed and cleaned. Throw away any shells that are opened (these are spoiled).
9. In a smaller skillet, add wine and the clam or mussels. Turn on high and cover with a lid. The clams or mussels need to steam for at least 5-8 minutes or until most of them have opened. Throw away any shells that haven't opened (these are spoiled). Put the clams or mussels aside.
10. By this time, the rice should be almost halfway done. Add the chopped chorizo, shrimp, saffron and paprika.
11. Let cook for an additional 5 minutes and add the clams or mussels at the end.
12. Top with chopped parsley and cut the lemons in wedges to place on each plate. Once the paella is served, the lemon can be squeezed per liking.
2. Cut the chicken and place it aside.
3. In an oversized skillet, cook the chicken, olive oil and onion.
4. While cooking, season with salt and pepper.
5. Chop garlic while the mixture is cooking and add it at the end (once the chicken is fully cooked).
6. Pour in the chicken broth and turn up the heat to high.
7. Add the rice and place a lid over the pan. The rice needs to simmer for at least 15 minutes.
8. In the meantime, prep the clams or mussels. If you have mussels, they need to be scrubbed and cleaned. Throw away any shells that are opened (these are spoiled).
9. In a smaller skillet, add wine and the clam or mussels. Turn on high and cover with a lid. The clams or mussels need to steam for at least 5-8 minutes or until most of them have opened. Throw away any shells that haven't opened (these are spoiled). Put the clams or mussels aside.
10. By this time, the rice should be almost halfway done. Add the chopped chorizo, shrimp, saffron and paprika.
11. Let cook for an additional 5 minutes and add the clams or mussels at the end.
12. Top with chopped parsley and cut the lemons in wedges to place on each plate. Once the paella is served, the lemon can be squeezed per liking.
Cooking clams or mussels (Fresh mussels are pictured) Nice clams can be purchased at Trader Joes in the frozen section.
Cooking the rice, shrimp, chorizo and chicken
Finished product
Stay classy my friends...
This is another one of those recipes where I stepped way out of my comfort zone. I've never cooked mussels before and couldn't believe they required "scrubbing off of the beard." Some mussels have fuzzies or a "beard" that need to be taken off of the mussel. Also, mussels have a VERY fishy smell once they have cooked. If you'd like to bypass the fishy smell, then clams are for you. They also don't require scrubbing.
This dish really can't be messed up unless you overcook the rice (and it becomes dry) or if the mussels or clams become overcooked (they become rubbery). The rice can be fixed just by adding more broth. The mussels or clams can't really be fixed so be extra careful when cooking them.
Hope you have a wonderful Friday!
