Ginger Soy Chicken Meatballs with Chinese Broccoli
With temperatures finally beginning to cool down, dinner table dishes are about to start getting a lot heartier. This dish of Ginger Soy Chicken Meatballs with Chinese Broccoli is the perfect mix of hearty and healthy.
The broth is full of flavor, just like the meatballs and the Chinese broccoli. I like it spicy so feel free to edit the spices out of your preparation.
Chinese broccoli, aka Chinese kale, is a bitter green with thick stems.
- 1/2 piece of ginger, minced
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 4 scallions, sliced and divided into light and dark
- 12 oz. Chinese broccoli, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 12 oz. ground chicken
- 1 TBSP chili oil
- 2 TBSP soy sauce
- 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper (optional)
- 1 cup coconut milk
- 1 cup reduced sodium chicken broth
- Salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
- In a large bowl, combine ginger, garlic, light scallion slices, chicken and soy sauce. Season with salt and pepper.
- Mix ingredients by hand until well combined, then form into roughly 10 one-inch balls. (Side note: Make sure you wash your hands after this step — we all know how nasty raw chicken is.)
- Heat the chili oil in a large pan over medium heat. When oil is shimmering, add the meatballs and cook until they’re browned on all sides (roughly 8-10 minutes).
- Transfer meatballs to a plate.
- Add Chinese broccoli to pan along with crushed red pepper. Saute broccoli four minutes over medium heat until it’s bright green.
- Add chicken stock and coconut milk to pan and stir to combine, scraping up brown bits from bottom of pan.
- Add meatballs, increase heat to high, and bring to a boil.
- Reduce heat to medium low and simmer everything for 5-8 minutes.
- Taste broth and add salt and pepper, if needed.
- Divide broth, meatballs and Chinese broccoli between two bowls. Garnish with dark scallions and serve.
Simmering all the ingredients.
The meatballs will hit you with a nice bit of ginger and soy and the broth should hit you with a nice heat from the chili oil.
Plus, the Chinese broccoli adds a nice crunch to the dish so you’ve just about got it all in one dish.
This recipe was adapted from Plated.com.
Tags: Chicken, Chinese Broccoli, Fall Dish, Garlic, Ginger, Healthy Dish, Hearty Dish, Meatballs, Scallions, Soy, Winter Dish
Curried Leg of Lamb Pot Pie
This recipe for Curried Leg of Lamb Potpie gets five stars in my book. It’s full of flavor and a very tender cut of lamb.
I went the non-traditional route and served this as my Thanksgiving meal this year instead of turkey. Give it a try this holiday season. I promise you won’t be disappointed.
Ingredients:
For the Pastry Dough:
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 stick chilled unsalted butter, cubed
- 1/4 cup ice-cold water
For the Potpie Filling:
- 3 TBSP olive oil
- 2 lbs. leg of lamb roast, cut into 1-inch cubes
- 1 white onion, diced
- 5 small turnips, diced
- 2 cups peeled butternut squash, cubed
- 2 cups Tuscan kale, chopped
- 1 cup crimini mushrooms, chopped
- 2 medium carrots, chopped
- 2 tsps curry powder
- 1 can unsweetened coconut milk
- 1/2 cup dry white wine
- 2 1/2 TBSP all-purpose flour
- 2 cups chicken stock
- 1 large egg (beaten with 1 tsp of water)
- Salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
For the Pastry Dough:
- In a food processor, pulse the flour and salt.
- Add the butter and pulse to the size of peas.
- Sprinkle in the ice water and pulse until a dough starts to come together.
- On a work surface, knead the dough a few times then shape into a disk. Wrap in plastic wrap and store in refrigerator for at least 90 minutes.
For the Potpie:
-
- Preheat oven to 375F.
- In a Dutch oven, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil.
Tender leg of lamb is combined with vegetables and coconut milk to make this delicious Curried Leg of Lamb Pot Pie.
- Season the lamb with salt and pepper and add half to the Dutch oven. Cook over high heat until browned on 2 sides, about 3 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the lamb to a bowl; repeat with 1 more tablespoon of oil and the remaining lamb.
- Add the first half of the lamb (in the bowl) back to the Dutch oven.
- Add the onion and cook over moderate heat, stirring, until softened. Add the curry powder and cook, stirring, for 1 minute.
- Stir in the flour, then gradually stir in the wine until smooth. Add the chicken stock and bring to a boil, stirring, until thickened, about 1 minute. Cover and simmer over low heat until the lamb is very tender, about 1 hour.
- Add the squash, kale, carrot, turnips, mushrooms and coconut milk to the casserole and simmer over moderately low heat until the vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
- Spoon the curry into a buttered 8-by-11-inch casserole or baking dish. Brush the dish rim with beaten egg.
- On a lightly floured surface, roll out the pastry to a rectangle or oval large enough to cover your dish. Fold the pastry in half, unfold it over the curry, and gently press onto the edge of the dish.
- Brush with beaten egg then cut 4 small steam vents in the top.
- Bake the potpie for 30 minutes. Raise the heat to 450°; bake for 20 minutes longer, until the pastry is browned and cooked through. Let rest for 20 minutes, then serve.
The lamb in this Curried Leg of Lamb Potpie cooks to a nice tenderness and goes well with the curry and root vegetables. It’s a perfect filling for potpie.
So, this holiday season, forget about chicken, beef and even turkey pot pie and do yourself a favor by trying lamb in your pot pie. It may be the best gift you give yourself this year.
Tags: Butternut Squash, Carrots, Coconut Milk, Curry, Dutch Oven, Hearty Meal, Kale, Lamb, Lamb Recipe, Leg of Lamb, Mushrooms, One Pot Meal, Potpie, Potpie Recipe, Recipe, Turnips, Winter Recipe
Spicy Chicken Chili
Cold temps may be on the way out (fingers crossed), but there’s still time to make chili. Using chicken thighs, I made this Spicy Chicken Chili.
This is a very simple dish to make that’s full of healthy ingredients. I used dark meat, but if you want it even healthier, you can use white mean. But I actually prefer dark meat for the flavor in slow-cooked dishes.
Ingredients:
Directions:
- In a large pot or saucepan, heat the oil over medium-low heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook for 3 minutes, or until they soften.
- Increase the heat to medium and add the chicken. Cook about two minutes until the strips are no longer pink.
- Stir in the salt, white pepper, chili powder and cumin.
- Add the jalapeños and the tomatoes with their juice.
- Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 15 minutes.
- Uncover and stir in the beans and black pepper. Simmer until the chili has thickened (about 15 minutes longer).
- Spoon chili into bowls and garnish with cilantro, sour cream and shredded cheese (if desired)
If the chili seems to spicy for you, remove a tablespoon of chili powder and take out a jalapeño or two. Also, if your chili is a little too thick, cut it with some chicken broth (or water if you don’t have chicken broth).
I served my Spicy Chicken Chili with Jalapeño and Cheddar Cornbread (cornbread I don’t share the recipe for). You can also sub in different kind of beans as you see fit. Chili is a really versatile dish so use your culinary imagination.
Tags: Chicken, Chicken Thighs, Chili, Cumin, Jalapeno, One Pot Meal, Spicy
Chickpea, Piquillo Pepper and Chicken Soup
Need a quick recipe for a busy weeknight? This recipe for Chickpea, Piquillo Pepper and Chicken Soup takes no time at all. The secret is using ingredients with lots of flavor, like hummus and piquillo peppers.
A perfect, creamy soup for Fall weather.
You’ll save a ton of time without sacrificing flavor. And it’s perfect for the upcoming (or already arrived) cold weather.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup drained piquillo peppers, 1/4 cup cut into thin strips
- 2 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
- 1 cup shredded rotisserie chicken
- 1/2 cup cooked rice (white or brown)
- 3/4 cups hummus
- 2 TBSP cilantro
- 1 tsp hot sauce
- Olive oil, for serving
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Directions:
- In a food processor, puree the whole piquillo peppers, hummus and chicken stock until smooth.
This recipe uses very few ingredients.
- Transfer the soup to a Dutch oven.
- Add the chicken, rice and hot sauce, season with salt and pepper, then bring to a boil.
- Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with olive oil, cilantro, sliced piquillo peppers and more hot sauce (if desired).
Four pretty simple steps, right? It’s not a backbreaking recipe by any means and the flavors are awesome for such a quick recipe.
I had no problem finding jarred piquillo peppers at my local grocery store, but if you can’t find them, roasted red peppers are a suitable substitution.
Tags: Chicken, Chickpea, Dutch Oven, Hummus, One Pot Meal, Piquillo Pepper, Quick Recipe, Soup, Soup Recipe
Butternut Squash, Chicken and Quinoa Stew
This recipe for Butternut Squash, Chicken and Quinoa Stew combines three of my favorite ingredients: Fall/Winter favorite butternut squash, chicken thighs and superfood quinoa.
This stew is full of flavor, nutrients and warmth. It’s a hearty stew perfect for cold weather and serving family style.
A healthy update on chicken stew
- 1 butternut squash, peeled, seeded and chopped into 1/2-inch pieces
- 4 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
- 6 chicken thigh filets
- 1 TBSP olive oil
- 1 medium red onion, diced
- 6 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tomatoes, diced
- 1 cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed
- 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, minced
- 1/2 TBSP chili flakes
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Directions:
- In a large pot, steam the butternut squash until barely tender (about 10-12 minutes). Remove half of the squash pieces and set aside in a large bowl.
- Steam the remaining squash an additional 4-6 minutes. Mash this squash with a fork or potato masher then add to non-mashed squash in the bowl.
Parsley is pictured as the garnish, but I would suggest cilantro instead
- In a large Dutch oven (or saucepan), over medium-high heat, bring the chicken broth, some salt and pepper and chili flakes to a simmer.
- Add the chicken thighs, cover and cook until chicken is cooked through, about 12-15 minutes.
- Transfer the chicken thighs to a cutting board and let cool. Pour broth into a medium-sized bowl.
- Add the olive oil to the Dutch oven and return to the stove, reducing heat to medium.
- Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is starting to turn brown, about 8-10 minutes.
- Add garlic and cook for an additional minutes, still stirring.
- To the Dutch oven, add the tomatoes and all the butternut squash. Stir to combine.
- Stir in reserved chicken broth and quinoa (make sure you’ve rinsed it). Bring to a simmer, cover and cook until the quinoa turns translucent, about 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, shred the chicken with a knife and fork on the cutting board.
- Stir the chicken into the stew and simmer, uncovered, to heat, about 5 minutes.
- Adjust seasoning as necessary.
- Stir in cilantro and serve.
Some of you smartypants may notice parsley is pictured in the dish in the photos I have. You’re correct, but honestly, I didn’t like the parsley in this dish so I replaced mine with cilantro and it was much much better.
This Butternut Squash, Chicken and Quinoa stew is the perfect meal for all those cold nights quickly approaching. Enjoy it with a nice glass of wine and some freshly baked bread.
Tags: Butternut Squash, Chicken Recipe, Chicken Stew, Chicken Thighs, Cilantro, Dutch Oven, Healthy Recipe, One Pot Meal, Quinoa, Recipe, Stew Recipe
Coconut Shrimp Curry
I’m pretty sure is the third curry recipe I’m posting, but the stuff is just so damn good. This one is a sort of a hybrid of coconut shrimp and Thai curry, hence the name Coconut Shrimp Curry.
Curry is so full of flavor, it’s quickly become one of my favorite dishes. And it’s not that hard to make — especially with the assistance of a food processor.
Coconut Shrimp Curry blends shrimp, vegetables, pineapple and toasted coconut in a Thai curry.
For the curry:
- 1 lb. peeled and deveined shrimp
- 2 cups fresh pineapple chunks
- 1/2 cup red bell pepper, diced
- 1/2 cup green bell pepper, diced
- 1/2 cup sugar snap peas
- 1/3 cup dry toasted coconut
Directions:
- Place all curry sauce ingredients in a food processor and process well. Alternatively, whisk the ingredients together and stir well to combine.
- Pour sauce into a deep pot and heat over medium-high heat until boiling, stirring occasionally.
- Once boiling, reduce heat to medium. Add the vegetables, pineapple and shrimp, stirring to mix. Simmer until shrimp look plump and turn pink.
- Remove from heat and cover to keep warm while you toast the coconut.
Toasted Coconut in Curry
- Place dry shredded coconut (sweetened or unsweetened) in a dry frying pan over medium-high heat. “Fry” the coconut, stirring continually until it turns golden-brown and is fragrant. Then turn off heat.
- Add half of the toasted coconut to the curry and stir to combine.
- Taste for salt and sweetness, adding more fish sauce if not salty enough, and more brown sugar if you want it sweeter. Also, you can also add chili sauce if you’d like it spicier.
- To serve, transfer curry into a serving bowl. Sprinkle the rest of the toasted coconut on top of each dish and serve (over rice if desired).
As I live in New Orleans, I’m lucky enough to have access to fresh Gulf shrimp. They really make this dish stand out from using frozen shrimp, but you gotta use what you have access to. I recommend fresh over frozen any day.
As this is a curry, it goes great over rice, but it’s good enough to eat it without. The choice is yours. Enjoy this Coconut Shrimp Curry!
Tags: Asian Food, Asian Recipe, Coconut, Coconut Milk, Coconut Shrimp, Curry, Curry Recipe, Louisiana Seafood, One Pot Meal, Pineapple, Recipe, Seafood, Seafood Recipe, Shrimp, Thai, Thai Curry, Thai Food, Thai Recipe
Chicken Noodle Soup Close-Up
The day I made this Chicken Noodle Soup recipe, I was recovering from a massive hangover. So I can officially state this is a great recipe to help cure/soothe a hangover.
It’s not the most traditional Chicken Noodle Soup — I added a few extra veggies. However, it came out well and it’s the perfect soothing meal for those days you just don’t feel like getting of the couch.
Ingredients
- 1 whole chicken (3-4 pounds)
- 1 medium red onion
- 4 carrots, chopped
- 3 celery stalks, chopped
- 5 oyster mushrooms, chopped
- 1/2 cup sugar snap peas, chooped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 6 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 1/2 package whole wheat spaghetti, uncooked
- 2 TBSP Cajun seasoning (like Tony Chachere’s)
- 2 bay leaves
- 1/4 cup cilantro, finely chopped
Sauteing Veggies
- 2 TBSP olive oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
- In a large stockpot, saute garlic and onion in olive oil for about 1 minute.
- Add in remaining vegetables, bay leaves, seasoning and chicken broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer then place in whole chicken and cook, covered, for 1 hour.
- After 1 hour, remove chicken from pot and cut into small skinless pieces and add back to pot along with pasta. (If the chicken isn’t fully cooked, you can throw undercooked pieces back into the pot so don’t worry.)
Chicken Noodle Soup
- Simmer/boil until pasta is cooked.
- Remove soup from heat and serve, garnishing with fresh cilantro.
You can add whatever vegetables you want to this as Chicken Noodle Soup is a very versatile soup dish. Also, this is a great nutritious meal if you use reduced sodium chicken broth.
I garnished mine with fresh cilantro and served with fresh avocado and cornbread. The cornbread goes really well with the overall dish and the avocado adds a cool element to the hot temperature of the soup.
Tags: Chicken, Chicken Noodle Soup, Pasta, Recipe, Vegetables
Chicken and Dumpling Dough
No lie, this was my first attempt at making chicken and dumplings from scratch, and I’m pretty damned impressed with my first effort. The dish is called Chicken and Jalapeño Dumplings and it’s phenomenal.
To prep the chicken, I lightly fried it in seasoning, flour and fresh cilantro. For the dumplings, I used Pillsbury Crescent Rolls dough and rolled it in fresh jalapeños. This is the quintessential cold weather dish. I will definitely be making it again and inviting more people over next time so get on the waiting list…
Be forewarned, it’s a pretty intense dish and took me about three hours from start to finish.
Ingredients
Directions:
- To prepare dumplings, roll up all dough from Crescent Rolls and knead in the diced jalapeños. Set aside on a non-stick surface.
- In a frying pan, melt 2 TBSP butter over medium-high heat.
- In a medium bowl, (using the chicken ingredients) combine flour, seasoning and cilantro.
- Dust chicken pieces with flour mixture and drop pieces into frying pan in batches, using 2 TBSP butter per batch.
- Once chicken is browned, set aside on a plate covered with paper towels. (It’s ok if the chicken isn’t cooked through.)
Finished Chicken and Dumplings
- In the same pot, melt remaining stick of butter, gradually whisking in the 10 TBSPs of flour. Stir until golden brown, about 3 to 4 minutes.
- Whisk in chicken broth, remaining seasoning and water and cook until the sauce thickens (about 5 minutes). If it’s too thick, gradually add in additional water.
- Once sauce has thickened, add in celery, carrots and onion and cook until tender-crisp (about 15 minutes).
- Add in the reserved chicken meat, heavy cream and peas, seasoning with salt and pepper to taste.
- Tearing from the dough, drop in 1- to 2-inch dumplings on top of the chicken mixture then cover and simmer until dumplings are cooked through (about 15-20 minutes).
- Serve in large soup bowls.
Technically, this should make 6-8 servings, but if my experience is anything to go off of, most people will have seconds. This is a hearty dish that is something most Southerners grew up eating.
You really can’t beat the nostalgia of chicken and dumplings, and this recipe lives up to any chicken and dumplings you’ve had in the past. It’s that good.
Tags: Chicken, Chicken and Dumplings, One Pot Meal, Recipe, Southern Recipes
Thai-Style Beef Short Ribs with a Side of Bok Choy
Here’s a great slow cooker recipe. I love my Dutch oven (almost as much as I love my iron skillet) so it’s something I cook in quite a bit. This short ribs recipe features Thai flavors that are bold and intense.
While this recipe does take several hours, it’s definitely worth it. The short ribs will melt in your mouth once slow cooked. The sauce soaks into the rice making a great bed for the rich flavors of the short ribs.
Ingredients
- 2 tsp chili oil
- 2 tsp salt
- 2 lb beef short ribs, trimmed
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/3 cup minced shallots
- 3 TBSP minced fresh ginger
- 3 minced garlic cloves
- 2 TBSP red curry paste
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 TBSP sugar
- 1 TBSP fish sauce
- 1 tsp lime rind
- 1/4 cup coconut milk
- 1 TBSP fresh lime juice
- 4 cups cooked brown rice
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 200F.
- Heat chili oil in a medium Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Season ribs with salt and pepper. Add half of the ribs to the Dutch oven and cook 2 minutes on each side until browned. Set aside and repeat with remaining ribs.
Thai-Style Beef Short Ribs in the Pan
- Saute garlic, shallots and ginger in Dutch oven for about 2 minutes.
- Stir in 1/4 cup water and curry paste and cook another minute.
- Stir in coconut milk, sugar and fish paste.
- Add ribs pack to Dutch oven and cover and cook in over for 6 hours.
- Remove ribs from cooker and set aside, but keep warm.
- Strain remaining liquid through a colander over a bowl. Place a zip-lock bag in a 2 cup measuring cup and pour liquid into the bag and let stand for about 10 minutes.
- After the fat has risen, seal the bag and cut off one of the bottom corners. Drain the drippings into a bowl, stopping before the fat drains.
- Stir salt, pepper, lime rind and lime juice into the sauce.
- Shred the rib meat while removing the bones.
- Serve the ribs over rice and top with sauce.
If you don’t have a Dutch oven, you’re welcome to cook this in a Crock Pot. I’m sure it will work just as well. You can also kick up the spiciness of the dish by adding in some sriracha. Serve with a side of sauteed bok choy.
Photos courtesy of Miguel Solorzano Photography.
Tags: Curry, One Pot Meal, Recipe, Short Ribs, Slow Cooker Recipe, Thai Food
Tofu-touille
Tofu-touille is a take on the French vegetable dish ratatouille. This is a great way to add some extra protein to ratatouille without sacrificing calories. If you’re wary to try tofu A) you shouldn’t be and B) you can omit without changing up the dish too much.
This makes a great casserole for Fall that’s loaded with nutrients and low on calories.
Ingredients
- 2 TBSP olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 block firm tofu, drained and dried
- 2 tsp Italian seasoning
Sauteeing Eggplant
- 1 eggplant, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1 zucchini, sliced
- 1 cup oyster mushrooms
- 1 cup button mushrooms
- 1 large yellow onion, sliced into rings
- 1 green bell pepper
- 1 red bell pepper
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350F. Coat bottom and sides of a 2 quart Dutch oven with olive oil.
Tofu-touilee Out of the Oven
- Saute garlic until lightly browned, mix in parsley and eggplant. Saute until eggplant is soft, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Spread eggplant mixture evenly across bottom of the Dutch oven. Sprinkle with some mozzarella cheese. Spread zucchini in an even layer over top. Lightly season and sprinkle with more cheese. Continue layering in the order of your choice with onion, mushrooms and bell pepper. Cover each layer with seasoning and cheese.
- Bake for 45 minutes and serve.
This is a delicious one-pot wonder that can serve as an entree or a side dish. You can also add in any vegetables of your choice making this version of ratatouille a truly versatile vegetarian dish.
Photos courtesy of Miguel Solorzano Photography.
Tags: One Pot Meal, Ratatouille, Recipe, Tofu, Tofu Recipe, Vegetarian, Vegetarian Recipe
Po' Boy Livin' Rich 