Our nephew Brian and girlfriend Adrienne were over for dinner at The Upper Deck this past weekend and we made Paella! This recipe is a condensed version without the clams and mussells (because of transport time and number of days before we had them!).

- 1 cup brown rice (because it is gluten free)
- 4 small chicken thighs (skinless, boneless is good)
- 2 gluten free sausages
- 1 cup calamari rings
- 12 shrimp (I like to peel and remove tails so you are not having to dive into the food with hands and feet to eat!)
- 1 pinch saffron
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- salt
- 3 finely minced cloves garlic
- 1/2 frozen peas
- 1/2 cup chopped red pepper (into 1/2″ cubes)
- 1 can chopped tomatoes (low sodium)
- 1/2 cup chopped Vidalia onion
- 2-3 tbsp EV olive oil
- 3 cups chicken stock
- 1/2 cup of chopped fresh parsley
- Lemon and lime slices for garnish
Steps 1-4 may be done 2-4 hours in advance.
- Make a paste out of 1 clove garlic and 1 tsp smoked paprika and salt and spread it over the chicken thighs; set aside.
- Soak saffron in 2 cups chicken stock for about 10 minutes (or any stock for that matter).
- Cook rice in saffron soaked chicken stock to about 70% doneness and set aside.
- BBQ Chicken thighs and Sausage until fully cooked. Set aside in refrigerator. Cut into slightly larger than bite-sized pieces.
- Just before you wish to serve, preheat oven to 350°F.
- Heat olive oil in a pan and sauté onions until translucent. Add remaining garlic and stir just until you can smell its aroma.
- Add already cooked chicken and sausage.
- Add rice, peppers, peas and canned tomatoes. Stir well, if too dry, add a bit of the remaining 1 cup chicken stock until a desired wetness is achieved.
- Add shrimp and calamari and stir well and place into oven for about 10-12 minutes until shrimp is no longer translucent.
- Stir in chopped parsley and serve with lemon and lime wedges. Serve hot.
- Enjoy!
Cottage Paella
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We were invited to two BBQ’s this weekend, so I whipped up two batches of a favourite, Mexican Three Cheese Layered Dip. This dip is great because of the variety of flavours in each bite, it’s never the same.
Mexican Three Cheese Layered Dip
Serves 10-12

Mexican Three Cheese Dip
Layer 1 Cream Cheese:
- 1 250g Low Fat Cream Cheese, room temperature
- 1 250g No Fat Yogurt (drained 12 hours to make yogurt cheese)
- 1 cup Shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- 1 cup Salsa (home made recipe below)
- 1 cup Avocado Paste or guacamole (home made recipe below)
- 1 tsp Cumin
- ¼ tsp Smoked paprika
- 1 Clove garlic, finely minced
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 tbsp Chives, finely sliced for garnish
Layer 2 Avocado Paste
- 1 Ripe avocado
- 2 tbsp Lime juice (or more for a smooth paste consistency)
- 2 tbsp Cilantro, finely chopped
- 1 tbsp Shallot, finely chopped
- 1 clove Garlic, finely minced
- Salt
Layer 3 Salsa
- 250 g Mini tomatoes (if you use regular tomatoes, remove seeds as they will make this salsa too runny).
- ¼ cup Cilantro, finely chopped
- 1 Clove garlic, finely minced
- 1 Green onion, finely chopped
- ¼ cup Cucumber, finely diced
- Pinch of Cayenne pepper, or to taste
- 1 tsp Cumin
- ¼ tsp Smoked paprika
- Splash of lime juice
- ¼ tsp grated lime zest
- Prepare yogurt cheese the night before by lining a fine sieve with coffee filter paper. Pour content of yogurt container into the lined sieve and allow to sit covered in the refrigerator overnight.
- Whip room temperature cream cheese with yogurt cheese. Add finely minced garlic, cumin, smoked paprika and salt and pepper. Whip until evenly distributed. Set aside.
- Salsa, combine all ingredients and mix well. Set aside (this is best made the day before; if you find it is too liquid, strain using a fine sieve).
- Avocado Paste: put content into a food processor and process until you achieve a smooth paste, adding lime juice to adjust the consistency.
- Assembly: In a clear bowl (we picked these up from Loblaws, and I love them because they doubled as a ‘gift’), evenly distribute the cream cheese mix. Then smooth the avocado paste over it. Next is the salsa, reserve about a tablespoon, evenly spread the remainder. And last but not least, sprinkle the cheddar and garnish with a little reserved salsa and chives. Serve at room temperature with flat breads, tortilla chips or corn chips. Enjoy!


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