Creamy pesto chicken and orzo

 Ingredients: 

- 2 chicken breasts

- 2 carrots

- 3 Tbsp dried currants

- 8 oz orzo

- 2/3 c basil pesto

- 8 oz grape tomatoes

- 2 Tbsp capers

- 1/4 cup mayo 

- 2 cloves of garlic

1. Prepare ingredients: Boil a pot of water.  Peel carrots, half lengthwise and then thinly slice crosswise.  Half tomatoes.  Roughly chop the garlic.  Combine pesto and mayo in a bowl.

2. Drizzle olive oil in a pan, heat to medium-high and cook carrots for 4-5 minutes.  Add in tomatoes and garlic, season with salt and pepper and cook 2-3 minutes or until softened.  Transfer to a bowl, wipe out pan.

3. Cook pasta 7-9 minutes, drain, then return to pot.

4. Cut chicken into bite sized pieces.  Pat the chicken dry, season with salt and pepper, then cook until browned, about 3-4 minutes.  Add the currants and capers and cook until the chicken is cooked through.

5. Add the veggies to the pasta, drizzle with olive oil, then serve with the chicken and drizzle with the pesto.

Bahn mi

 

Ingredients

Pork + Marinade

• 1 1/2 – 2 lb. pork tenderloin or pork roast no bone
• 1/3 c. fish sauce
• 1/4 c. real maple syrup
• 2 tbsp. brown sugar
• 1/4 c. soy sauce
• 1 tsp. sesame oil
• 4 cloves garlic, minced finely
• 2 tsp. fresh grated ginger
• 2 green onions, sliced thin
• 1 shallot, sliced thin
• 3-4 tbsp. vegetable or canola oil, for cooking meat

Pickled Veggies

• 10-12 oz. shredded carrots
• 10-12 oz. thin sliced daikon radish or jicama
• 1 c. water
• 1 c. sugar
• 1 c. white vinegar

Sriracha Mayo

• 1/2 c. mayonnaise
• 1/2 c. sriracha sauce (adjust to how spicy you like it)
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 tbsp. rice vinegar

Sandwich Ingedients

• 6-8 small baguettes
• pickled carrot and radishes (see my note below about making this yourself)
• fresh cilantro, chopped
• 1-2 cucumbers, cut into thin strips
• sliced jalapenos, optional

Instructions

Pickled Veggies

1. You can buy pickled daikon and carrots or make it yourself. If you make it, you’ll want to do this the day before or early in the morning the day of making the sandwiches. It tastes best chilled.

2.  To make, boil water with sugar and vinegar. Let boil for 3 minutes to dissolve sugar, then remove from heat. 

3. Place sliced veggies into a large mason jar. Once boiled mixture has cooled slightly, pour over veggies in jar. Then close lid tightly and place in fridge for 6-8 hours, or longer.

Sriracha Mayo

1. Whisk mayo ingredients together and place in fridge before you make sandwiches. Mayo will taste best when chilled. Adjust levels of sriracha according to how spicy you like it. I think it tastes best with a bit of spice!

2. Leave in fridge until you’re ready to assemble sandwiches. 

Pork + Marinade

1. Before prepping meat, mix marinade ingredients. Mix all marinade ingredients except vegetable/canola oil. Set aside.

2. Start slicing pork roast. Be sure to use a serrated knife so you can get it pretty thin. You want it about 1/4 inch thick. (Not so thin it’s falling apart, but not so thick that it will get tough when it cooks.) The pieces will cook down a bit, so make them a little longer and wider than you’d want on a sandwich. 

3. Place sliced pork into a heavy duty ziploc bag. Pour marinade on top. Place in fridge for 4-6 hours.

4. Once meat has marinated, remove from fridge. Set out a large pot (I used an enameled dutch oven) and pour about 3 tbsp. of vegetable or canola oil on bottom of pan (enough to cover the bottom about 1/4 inch, depending on your size of pot).

5. Turn heat up to medium high to heat oil. Meanwhile, lay out a large baking sheet lined with paper towels. This will be a great place to set your meat after each batch has cooked in the oil.

6. Once oil has heated, remove pieces of pork one-by-one with tongs from ziploc bag and slowly place into oil (you want oil to sizzle when you place meat in, but if it pops too much, turn heat slightly down).

7. Flip meat over to cook both sides evenly. Once edges start to brown, remove from pot with tongs and set on paper towel lined baking sheet.

8. Sear meat in batches until it’s all cooked. Let rest on baking sheet while you assemble the other sandwich ingredients. 

Mini Salmon Cakes

 

Ingredients

For The Salmon Cakes:

• 2 pounds salmon fillet
• 11/2 teaspoon salt
• 11/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1 large onion, diced, sautéed
• 2/3 cup plain dried breadcrumbs (or almond meal for Gluten-Free & Low-Carb)
• 1/2 cup finely chopped fresh parsley
• 1/3 cup mayonnaise (or Greek yogurt if you prefer)
• 1/4 cup Dijon mustard
• 1 large egg (or 2 egg whites), lightly beaten
• 4 tablespoons lemon juice

For The Sriracha Lemon Aioli:

• 1/2 cup mayonnaise (or Greek yogurt if you prefer)
• 4 teaspoons Sriracha sauce
• 4 teaspoons lemon juice
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper

Instructions

For The Salmon Cakes:

1. Preheat oven to 400.  Rinse and pat dry the salmon, then place on a parchment-lined baking sheet and season with 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper.  Roast until cooked through, about 15 minutes.  Allow to cool 5 minutes then using forks flake or separate the salmon into small pieces.
2. Place salmon in a large bowl.  Add onions, breadcrumbs, parsley, mayo, mustard, egg, & lemon juice.   Season with 1 teaspoon salt and pepper, then mix gently. 
3. Using a 1 1/2 inch scoop (or your hands), form the mixture into balls and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. 
4. If you are freezing the salmon cakes, leave them on the baking sheet and place them in the freezer.   Once firm, store them in a resealable freezer bag until needed.
5. To finish the cakes, bake on 400 for about 15-20 minutes, just until they start to crisp and become golden.  

For The Sriracha Lemon Aioli:

1. Combine all ingredients in a small mixing bowl, and whisk thoroughly.  Adjust salt and pepper to taste.

Easy Clam Chowder

 

INGREDIENTS:

• 4 slices bacon, diced
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 onion, diced
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup vegetable stock
• 2 (6.5-ounce) cans chopped clams, juices reserved
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 russet potatoes, peeled and diced
• 1 cup half and half*
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves

DIRECTIONS:

1. Heat a large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium high heat. Add bacon and cook until brown and crispy, about 6-8 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate, reserving 1 tablespoon excess fat; set aside.
2. Melt butter in the stockpot. Add garlic and onion, and cook, stirring frequently, until onions have become translucent, about 2-3 minutes. Stir in thyme until fragrant, about 1 minute.
3. Whisk in flour until lightly browned, about 1 minute. Gradually whisk in milk, vegetable stock, clam juice and bay leaf, and cook, whisking constantly, until slightly thickened, about 1-2 minutes. Stir in potatoes.
4. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer until potatoes are tender, about 12-15 minutes.*
5. Stir in half and half and clams until heated through, about 1-2 minutes; season with salt and pepper, to taste. If the soup is too thick, add more half and half as needed until desired consistency is reached.
6. Serve immediately, garnished with bacon and parsley, if desired.

Honey BBQ Chicken Wraps

 

Ingredients

• 1/2 recipe baked popcorn chicken
• 4 large flour tortillas
• 2 cups packaged coleslaw (or broccoli slaw)
• 1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Honey BBQ Sauce

• 1 cup barbecue sauce (I like Sweet Baby Rays Original)
• 1/4 cup honey
• 2 Tablespoons ketchup
• sriracha hot sauce (optional), to taste

Instructions

For the sauce:

• Heat the sauce ingredients in a small saucepan over medium heat for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Place the baked popcorn chicken bites into a large bowl. 
• Pour most of the warm honey BBQ sauce on top (reserve a little extra for dipping or adding to the wraps) and gently toss to coat. 

Assembly:

• Sprinkle a handful of shredded cheese on the base of the tortilla. I like to place them on a hot skillet for a minute or two for the cheese to begin to melt. 
• Top with 5-6 pieces of bbq popcorn chicken. 
• Drizzle with a little more BBQ sauce if you like a lot of sauce. Top with a handful of coleslaw mix. 
• Roll and secure with a toothpick, if needed. Serve immediately. 

One Pot Cajun Chicken Pasta

 

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 onion peeled and chopped
• 1.5 tbsp Cajun seasoning
• 2 chicken breasts cut into bite-size pieces
• 2.6 oz (75g) chorizo, cut into small chunks
• 2 cloves garlic peeled and minced
• 1/2 red bell pepper deseeded and sliced
• 1/2 green bell pepper deseeded and sliced
• 1/2 yellow bell pepper deseeded and sliced
• 7 oz (200g) dried pasta shapes (see notes for different types of pasta)
• 14 oz (400g) tin chopped tomatoes
• 2 cups (480ml) chicken stock
• 1/3 cup (80ml) double (heavy) cream
• Large handful of fresh baby spinach
• 10 fresh cherry tomatoes sliced in half
• 1/2 cup (50g) grated cheddar cheese
• 2 tbsp freshly chopped parsley

Instructions

• Heat the oil in a large frying pan (skillet) and add the onion. Cook on a medium heat for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onion begins to soften.
• Sprinkle the Cajun seasoning on the chopped chicken breast, then add to the pan with the onion. Heat for 5-6 minutes until the chicken is sealed on all sides.
• Add in the chorizo and garlic and fry for a further two minutes, until the chorizo starts to release it’s oils, then add peppers. Stir, then add the pasta shapes, tin of tomatoes and chicken stock. Bring to the boil, stir, then place a lid or some foil over the pan. Turn the heat down and let the pasta simmer for 15 minutes. Check and stir once or twice during this time.
• After 15 minutes, remove the lid and test the pasta. It should be just cooked (if it isn’t, cook for a couple of minutes more with a splash of boiling water if needed). Stir in the cream, heat through for a minute then turn off the heat and stir in the spinach. It should wilt very quickly.
• Sprinkle on the sliced tomatoes, grated cheese and parsley, then serve.

Slow Cooker Chicken Stew

 

Ingredients

• 4 1/2 Cups Chicken Thighs 3 pounds, diced
• Canola Oil
• 3 Tablespoons Butter
• 1 Onion yellow, finely chopped
• 1/3 Cup Flour
• 6 Cloves Garlic minced
• 1 Stalk Celery small, minced
• 1 Tablespoon Tomato Paste
• 2 teaspoons Thyme fresh, or 1 teaspoon dried
• 1/4 teaspoon Sage dried
• 4 Cups Chicken Broth
• 2 Tablespoons cooking white wine (real wine is fine but use double the amount)
• 1 Cup Red Potatoes chopped 1/2” pieces
• 1 Cup Potatoes Yukon Gold, chopped 1/2" pieces
• 3 Carrots large, peeled and sliced
• 2 Bay Leaves
• 1 Cup Peas frozen
• 1/2 Cup Heavy Cream *optional see note
• 1 Tablespoon Parsley fresh, minced

Instructions

• Pat the chicken dry so that cooking brings out more caramelization and color. Season with salt and pepper.
• Heat a large skillet over medium high heat and add a drizzle of oil. Cook the chicken in batches, about 5-6 minutes, flipping occasionally until golden and cooked through, and remove to a plate while you cook the next batch.
• Heat the butter in the skillet and add the onions and celery, cooking until softened and stirring occasionally, about 6-8 minutes. add the flour and garlic, and stir for 20 seconds and then add the tomato paste, thyme and sage, cooking until fragrant, about 1 minute. 
• Slowly whisk in half of the chicken broth and the cooking wine, scraping up any bits from the chicken. Add the potatoes and carrots along with the remaining broth and cooking wine and simmer with the lid on over medium-low heat for 10 minutes. 
• Add all ingredients except the peas and cream into the slow cooker and cover. Cook for 4-5 hours.
• Discard the bay leaves and stir in the peas and cream. Add the lid and cook for 5 more minutes. 
• Serve with fresh parsley and salt and pepper to taste.