Really. I'm not kidding.

Ha.
I told you I was back and promptly went AWOL again.
Sigh.
Life Interruptus, as usual.

Ok.
So to tide you over (sorry for the pun, lol), and since it's Sunday, I thought I would put in a quick "Cooking To Knit By" AKA Cooking That Gives You More Time In General. :)

MY SUNDAY COOKING TO KNIT OR "VEG" BY

Since moving here, I have noticed that the population of Brazilian immigrants (legal and otherwise) has been growing here, as it has in every other resort area, to meet the pressing needs of the Hospitality and Services industry.

And here, more than other places on the mainland, it seems a more likely point of entry as Cape Cod, the Islands and the South Shore of MA is home to the largest Portuguese American community in the United States. Historically, whaleships visiting the Portuguese Islands, the Azores and Cape Verde in the 1830's brought eastern Atlantic islanders, immigrating permanently to America. Brazil was once a Portuguese colony so... we have many Portuguese Festivals and the best kale soup in the world!

I digress. But it's a good thing, lol.

So today I give you a great - HA - chicken recipe (again with the chicken! WTH? lol) straight from the brazilian luncheon plates so prevalent here in the restaurants. This recipe, Grilled Brazilian Chicken with Rice and Beans, is what they call a - ha-ha - "rice and beans" recipe - ie. the basics. Usually the "brazilian plates" consist of rice, beans, a small amount of protein (chicken, beef or pork), at least one green veggie and salad greens. It is healthfully cooked and it is delicious!

So, voila - my own version of a brazilian lunch plate.

Grilled or Sautéed Portuguese Chicken
Ingredients:
olive oil
crushed or fresh minced garlic clove ( adjust to preference)
salt ( enough to bring out the simple tastes of the oil, garlic and chicken)
boneless chicken - enough to serve your crowd
use deboned legs and white meat boneless raw chicken tenders
optional: adding rosemary and oregano and a little Louisiana-style hot sauce to the marinade

Grilling:
Mix up a good amount of oil and garlic (and optionals) as a "marinade" and pour into a large ziplock bag. Put chicken in the bag and refrigerate shaking it around so that all the chicken is covered, from time to time, at least 2 hours, if not all day.
Remove from marinade when ready to cook and grill away till done!

Sautéing (my current fave method):
You can either make up the marinade and let it go in the frig. all day, then sauté, or you can just:
Heat olive oil in the pain medium heat, sauté the fresh garlic to bring out the flavor, add the chicken and cook till done.

On the plate you may add:

Brazilian Rice - which is basically adding a little sautéed onion to the rice when you cook it.
I use a rice steamer so the cooking is done for me - I recommend it!

And:
Brazilian Beans

a little oil
a Tbs. of diced bacon
a garlic clove
1 16 oz. can of pinto beans (cooked with salt only)
about a cup of water
salt to taste
green onions/chives finely chopped

Drain and rinse the beans thoroughly till there's no frothing on top of the beans.
Heat the oil, add the bacon and garlic, and sauté till golden brown, then add the beans, mashing a few into a paste.
Add the water. Bring to a low boil and cook till the broth is kinda thick and brown colored - you might need to add a little water. Salt to taste and garnish with the chopped green onions or chives.

Then you can add your own have green veggie - I like broccoli - and a salad and you are done!

I like this recipe because it stretches my intuitive cooking skills (do I even have any of those? lol) in a safe way. It helps me just "wing it." :)

This isn't a slow cooker recipe, but you can prep the chicken in the morning, cook the beans a short while before dinner, like when the rice is cooking, add a bagged salad, store-bought dressing, and you are good to go, giving you some great knitting or beach time.

Enjoy!


Have a Good One. :)