Baked Crispy Chicken Drumsticks

Hello my fellow travellers,

So yesterday I decided to experiment our dinner meal by baking chicken drumsticks. I wasn’t sure of what kind of dry rub seasoning to make, which is why I threw a bunch of spices on a plate hoping for good flavor.

Its safe to say that this is now one of my favorite recipes and I’ll be making it for dinner again tonight. It was that good, alhumdullilah. Its a simple recipe and really easy to whip up when you’re out of dinner ideas. My favorite part is the kick of oregano. It tastes great with salad and cauliflower rice.

Ingredients

4-6 organic drumsticks (I used 4)

1 tsp salt

1 tsp dried organic oregano

1/2 tsp red chilli powder

1/2 tsp pepper

4 small cloves of garlic, crushed

Method

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees celsius. Wash chicken drumsticks under water and dry with paper towel. Make sure you soak up as much moisture as possible – the skin will be crispier. Cut off any loose skin or bone.
2. On a plate, mix salt, pepper, red chilli powder, oregano, and garlic. I used my fingers to get the seasoning mixed up (the texture is almost sand like).
3. Place a grill on top of a baking sheet. Use a pastry brush to cover the grill with olive oil (or oil of your choice). Take the dry rub and cover the chicken legs.
4. Bake for 35 minutes. Use a meat thermometer to check if the chicken is done (usually around 165 degree celsius)

Enjoy with a side of salad!

Grain free Spinach Quiche

Hello fellow travellers,

I’ve been doing a lot of research into grain-free and gluten free over the past few months. I’m slowly lowering my grain intake because I’ve found that too much grain causes unwanted digestive issues in my body. I’ve read tons on the Paleo diet and other low-carb, high-fat diets.

I try to incorporate more meats, vegetables, and fruits in my diet and leave out the starch and sugar. So far so good. I was able to find this recipe for a grain free coconut flour pie crust from Coconut Mama. I didn’t make any changes to the recipe since this was my first time trying a grain free crust.

I would say the crust did not turn out as delicious as I expected. It fluffed rather well but overpowered the taste of the quiche. I could taste more crust than egg. Which is why next time I’ll make a thinner crust since coconut flour tends to swell up after baking.

Overall it was a different experience but also tasty!

Ingredients for Quiche filling

1/2 a large onion, chopped

1 cup fresh spinach

3/4 cup bell peppers, chopped (use different colors)

1 tbsp coconut oil

1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded

5 eggs

1 cup milk

1 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

Method

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. After preparing pie crust, press it into a 9 inch pie dish.
2. In a pan, heat coconut oil and fry onions till translucent, then add chopped bell peppers and spinach. Let spinach wilt and soften.
3. In a large bowl, whisk eggs, milk, salt, pepper, and cheese together.
4. Spoon spinach mixture into a pie plate and then pour egg mixture on top. Bake for 30-40 minutes. I checked mine at the 30 minute mark and the cheese still burnt a little so keep a close eye.

Enjoy!

 

Galle Fort and Peddler’s Inn Cafe

Galle Fort – a 16th century Portuguese fort perched by the Indian Ocean. Waves lap against jagged rocks and from the top of the fort wall you can occasionally spot a giant turtle swimming against the current. I love Galle Fort. One of my favorite places in all of Sri Lanka. I think I’m biased because of my history background and my love for cobbled streets and colonial architecture.

I went to Galle about three times on day excursions due to the ease of travel on the Colombo-Galle highway. If you know anything about Sri Lankan highways most of them are two way streets where you have to maneuver (and overtake) past hordes of buses, tuk tuks, and other cars if you ever want to reach your destination. The Colombo-Galle Highway, which recently opened is a lot nicer with two lanes for each side and the best part is that most people don’t even travel by highway. You have the whole road to yourself and can reach Galle in 45 minutes.

After walking around half of the fort we were famished. We decided to drive up and down the streets (which are meant more for walking) looking for a place to eat. We happened upon Peddler’s Inn Cafe – an old colonial house converted into a cool lunch time eatery. The menu was mostly Western cuisine like sandwiches, pasta, and steaks. As you walk further into the restaurant try to get the table at the end where there’s an antique rusty old motorbike and a giant tree in the middle of the house.

The chicken club sandwich we ordered was tasty minus the charred pieces of bread. The chicken was juicy and I liked the sauces lathered between the bread. The french fries were a little too salty. I was pretty hungry so I didn’t really mind. The dish I actually ordered for myself did not appeal to me at all after the first bite:

Don’t let looks fool you. This was supposed to be penne pasta with capers, broccoli, and parmesan but in the end all it tasted like was flat, chewy pasta with no flavor. I was disappointed. But after the server brought in our rice pilaf with some sort of secret sauce I was cheered once again. The rice was well done and the spice combo of red peppers and cumin was thoughtfully crafted.

And of course we bought dessert but I forgot to take pictures of the brownies because they were packed to go. The brownies were awesome – not too sweet, really chewy but slightly cakey. Though what I loved the most was Peddler’s chocolate gelato which was available across the street from the cafe. The waffle cone in which they served the gelato was fresh and crunchy. Soooo good. I had it every time I visited Galle.

If you’re ever in Sri Lanka make sure you dot Galle on the map as part of your itinerary. Its an amazing history filled place where the people are friendly, the food is delicious, and streets lively.

Suggested Places to Visit: 

1. Maritime Museum

2. Historical Mansion

3. Orchard House (store)

I’m back with lots more to come

Hello my fellow travellers,

I’m finally back from my two-month long vacation in Sri Lanka. I soaked up the sun and ate different types of cuisine but now I’m ready to settle back in at home and start posting some healthy desserts, entrees, and more! So keep a look out on Travel Sized Bites for new posts. I will be posting every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.

Thanks for sticking around!

Fatima