Chicken Pot Pie with Butternut Squash and Kale

Dinner made in one skillet = less dishes.  Yes!  I love the colors in this dish as much as the flavors.  There is no cream in this recipe yet it makes a wonderfully creamy chicken pot pie.

1/4 cup olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 TBSP chopped fresh sage
1 small bunch kale, center ribs and stems removed and leaves chopped
kosher salt and fresh ground pepper
3 cups low sodium chicken broth
1/4 cup flour
1/2 small butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1/2" pieces
rotisserie chicken, meat torn into bite size pieces about 1 1/2 cups
1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed
1 egg

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Place the rack in the top third of the oven.  Heat oil over medium heat in an oven proof skillet and saute onions stirring occasionally for about 4 minutes or until they become translucent.  Reduce the heat to medium low and add minced garlic and sage.  Cook for another 2 minutes.

Add the chopped kale and stir, stir stir.  Add salt and pepper.  Cook until the kale is wilted.

 Now sprinkle the flour over the top of this mixture and stir, cooking for about 4 minutes to cook out the raw flour taste.  It's going to look lumpy and weird but don't worry!  You are making a roux.  Add the chicken broth slowly scraping the brown bits off of the bottom of the pan. Add the squash.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until the squash is softened and broth is thickened about 10 minutes.

Add chicken, season with salt and pepper.  Unfold the pastry and place over the skillet.  Whisk the egg and 1 tsp of water in a bowl and brush the egg wash over the pastry.

Cut 4 small slits into the pastry to allow steam to vent.  Bake the pot pie until the pastry starts to brown about 15-20 minutes and then reduce oven temp to 375 degrees and bake for another 15-20 minutes.  Look for a crispy, deep golden brown crust.  Let cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Recipe adapted from Bon Apetit Magazine

Kale, Mushroom and Cranberry Saute

Kale, kale, kale!!!  I'm on a kale kick.  I am absolutely loving the Farmers Market salad from True Foods.  It is absolutely delicious.  We have been making kale chips at home and they disapear as fast as I make them.  When I saw this recipe in Giada's new cookbook, I had to try it.  Its quick, easy, and oh so yummy.  

Ingredients:

2 TBSP unsalted butter, at room temp

1 TBSP olive oil

1 large or 2 small shallots, thinly sliced

1 medium leek, thinly sliced and rinsed

8 ounces cremini or button mushrooms, sliced

kosher salt

freshly ground black pepper

12 oz kale, stemmed and coarsely chopped

1/4 cup low sodium chicken or vegetable broth

1/3 cup dried cranberries

This is a leek.  Chop off the root and the dark green parts of the leaves.  Only use the white and very light green part.

Leeks have a mild onion like flavor.

De stem the kale before you give it a rough chop.

In the largest skillet you have heat the butter and olive oil over medium heat.  Add the shallots, leek, mushrooms, 1tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper.  

Cook for about 8 minutes until the vegetables are soft.  

Add the kale and cook until it is all wilted.  It looks like a ton of kale but it cooks down to nothing!  Cook for about 6 minutes.   

I think its easier to use tongs to turn the kale.

Add the broth and the cranberries.  Scrape up the brown bits that are sticking to the bottom of the pan.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.  That's it!

Pretty colors remind me of the holidays :)

Celariac (Celery Root) Puree

What the heck it that?!  Its a celery root!

Who knew something so weird looking could taste so good!  Some of you may have made cauliflower "mashed potatoes".  This is the same consistency, still has a smooth texture but this has a really surprisingly fresh taste.  Celery root or Celeriac is sold in almost all grocery stores.  You have probably just walked right past it.  I sure did. Try this and you'll have another great side dish. I don't always make the truffle butter but it is really nice if you're having company. 

                                    

For the puree:

1/2 pound celery root, peeled with a sharp knife and cut into 1/2-inch cubes (1 cup)

1 small garlic clove

1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth

1/4 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons heavy cream

1 teaspoon unsalted butter

Chopped fresh parsley for garnish

For the truffle butter:

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature

Splash of white truffle oil

Kosher salt

Make the truffle butter:  Mix the softened butter and truffle oil in a small bowl until smooth.  It will look like it isn't going to mix but just keep stirring.  Season with a little salt.  Roll the butter in plastic wrap to form a “log”, twisting ends of plastic wrap.  Place in the freezer for 15 minutes (or refrigerator for up to 24 hours). 

Make the puree:  Take the celery root and chop off the top part with the celery stalks.  After that carve around the outside of the root taking off the thick outer skin all the way around.  You feel like you are peeling away half of the root but don't worry there is plenty there. 

Peeled celery root.

 Cube the root into 1/2 inch to 1 inch cubes. Place celery root, garlic, broth, and salt in a 1- to 2-quart heavy saucepan over medium  high heat.  

Bring to a boil.  Lower heat, cover and cook until celery root is very tender, 12 to 15 minutes. Pour the cooked celery root and 1/2 cup of the liquid into a food processor with cream and butter and blend until its smooth.

Transfer puree to a serving platter.  Slice truffle butter and place slices over puree.  Garnish with chopped parsley.


The purée can be made 1 day ahead.  Cool and store covered in the refrigerator. Reheat in an ovenproof dish, covered with foil, in a preheated 425 degree oven 10-15 minutes. 

Siracha Chicken and Pineapple Fried Rice

This is by far the tastiest fried rice dinner ever!  The original recipe calls for pork chops but chicken works well also.  Grilled pineapple, peas, caramelized onions and Siracha really make this fried rice out of this world. I usually double the sauce because its just that good and we all really like our fried rice extra saucy. 

Ingredients:
1 whole pineapple, cut into rings
3 cups white or brown rice, cooked
6  Chicken breasts (or 3 large breasts cut in half)
1 TBSP butter
1 TBSP  peanut oil or canola oil
1-2 large onion, sliced
6 TBSP Soy Sauce (or more to taste, or if more liquid is needed)
1 TBSP rice wine vinegar
2 TBSP honey
1 TBSP Sriracha, or other hot sauce
3 cloves minced garlic
2 eggs
1 jar (small) drained pimentos
2 cups frozen peas
2 TBSP soy sauce (additional)

Cook rice according to package instructions. Set aside.
Grill or saute pineapple rings until they have good marks/color on the outside. Slice, then set aside.

Pineapple slicer in action.

Ta Da!  Isn't that awesome?!

 If your chicken breasts are large pound them so that they are an even thickness all the way across.  This way you don't have a cooked end and the thick part of the breast is still raw.  If they are really big, cut the breasts in half.  Heat butter and oil over medium high heat, then add the chicken breasts to the pan. Saute on both sides until they have nice caramel brown color.  
Add the sliced onions a few minutes after you flip the chicken and work them into the crevices between the chicken. Saute the onions for a few minutes.  When the onions are starting to soften, add soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, honey, and hot sauce.  Let it cook for a few minutes until the chicken is completely cooked, the onions are a lovely brown color and the sauce is thicker. Remove the chicken to a bowl, then let the sauce bubble up and cook for another 30 to 45 seconds. Pour it over the chicken. Set aside.

Add a small amount of oil to the same pan (without cleaning it) and return it to the stove top over medium-high heat. Add garlic and stir it around, then crack in the eggs and immediately stir them to scramble them a bit. Add peas, pimentos, and a couple of tablespoons (additional) soy sauce or if you doubled the sauce like I do add it here. Add cooked rice and stir it around to cook for a couple of minutes.

To serve, pile rice on a plate, then top with chicken and onions from the sauce. Drizzle a little bit of sauce over the top.  Go back for seconds. 


Recipe adapted from tastykitchen.com

Vegetarian Jap Chae

Audrey has been begging me to make Jap Chae for weeks.  It is her birthday week so my mom and I made this and the Chicken with Pineapple fried rice for her birthday dinner.  

Jap chae is a Korean dish that dates back to the 17th century.  It is made of sweet potato noodles (dangmyeon) stir fried in sesame oil with various vegetables flavored with soy sauce and sweetened with sugar.  It is usually garnished with sesame seeds.  The hardest part about making this is cutting the carrots into little matchsticks.  I think the carrots are the best part though.  Crunchy and sweet.  It is really important to stir fry all of the vegetables separately even though it is tempting to throw them all into the pan together.  You want to keep the flavors and colors of each vegetable to themselves until you mix them with the noodles.  The noodles are a Korean glass noodles and almost disappear into the water when they are boiling.  Its pretty neat to see (or not to see haha).  Hope you love it! 

Ingredients:

1 bundle of potato starch cellophane noodles (at the Asian market it is called dangmyeon)
5 oz of fresh spinach
1/2 medium yellow onion, julienned
2 carrots, peeled and cut into match sticks
1/2 red bell pepper, julienned
8-10 fresh shiitake mushrooms, sliced
2 stalks green onions, sliced in 1.5” slices (green parts only)
2 cloves garlic, minced
Canola oil  (amounts will vary, please see directions)
soy sauce  (amounts will vary, please see directions)
sesame oil (amounts will vary, please see directions)
salt and pepper
2 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds

Make the noodles:  Boil one bundle of noodles for 5 minutes until they are al dente.  Drain the noodles and do not rinse.  Add noodles to a large mixing bowl and cut them three or four times with kitchen shears.  Add 2 tablespoons of soy sauce and two tablespoons of sesame seed oil to the noodles and toss until the sauce is evenly distributed and set aside.
Using the same pot as the noodles, add just a little bit of water (2 inches or so) and boil the spinach for 1 minute.  Drain the spinach and let it cool just enough and then squeeze as much water out as possible.

 Massage the spinach with 1 teaspoon of sesame oil and a pinch of salt and pepper.  Really massage it don't be afraid to get your hands dirty here.  Add spinach to the large noodle filled bowl.

Heat a wok or large frying pan on high.  Add 1 teaspoon of canola oil and cook sliced onions for 2 minutes stirring them as they start to turn translucent.  Season with a 1/2 teaspoon of sesame oil and a pinch of salt and pepper.  Add the onions to the bowl of noodles.  Repeat the same process as the onions except reduce cooking times to 1  minute for the carrots, 2 minutes for the bell red pepper, 1 minute for the shiitake mushrooms, and 10 seconds for the green onions.

Add 2 tablespoons of soy sauce, 1 tablespoon of sesame oil, and 2 tablespoons of sugar, and ½ teaspoon of ground pepper to the noodle bowl and use your hands to mix everything together.

Add 1 tablespoon of canola oil to the hot wok and add minced garlic.  Allow garlic to cook for a few seconds and add the entire bowl of  noodles and vegetables to the wok/pan.  Stir-fry everything for 2-3 minutes.  

Transfer noodles to a large serving platter and sprinkle toasted sesame seeds on top.  Serve warm or cold.  Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from  herbivoracious.com

Roasted Beets and Sauteed Beet Greens

I didn't think I really liked beets but we got some from a Farmers Market basket the other day so I was kind of forced to make them.  I know the best way to bring out the flavor in most veggies is to roast them.  Its no different for a beet.  These are definitely not the canned beets your parents tried to get you to eat when you were a kid.  These are delicious.  The greens are also amazing.  Together its a perfect pairing.  The beets are sweet and the greens just a little bitter.  I just realized I didn't get a picture of the gorgeous beets before I chopped them all up.  I will have to add next time I make this dish. 

Ingredients:
1 bunch beets with greens
1/4 cup olive oil, divided
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons chopped shallot (optional)
salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar or orange juice (optional)

Roast the beets:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Wash the beets thoroughly, leaving the skins on, and remove the greens. Rinse greens, removing any large stems, and set aside. Place the beets in a small baking dish or roasting pan, and toss with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. If you wish to peel the beets, it is easier to do so once they have been roasted.
Cover, and bake for 45 to 60 minutes, or until a knife can slide easily through the largest beet. 

Make the greens:  When the roasted beets are almost done, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil in a skillet over medium-low heat. Add the garlic and shallot, and cook for a minute. Tear the beet greens into 2 to 3 inch pieces, and add them to the skillet. Cook and stir until greens are wilted and tender. Season with salt and pepper. Add the red wine vinegar or orange juice last.  

When the roasted beets are cool to the touch you can remove the skins.  Slice the beets and serve on the greens.  

Recipe adapted from Allrecipes.com

Mandarin Chicken Salad (Sandwiches)

This is my favorite chicken salad recipe.  It can be a chicken salad salad served on lettuce or a chicken salad sandwich.  I serve it on a croissant.  I really like all of the textures of the ingredients and the slight sweet flavor that comes from the green grapes and mandarin oranges.  This is a great salad for summer time lunch.

Ingredients:
4 cups chopped or shredded cooked chicken
1 cup diced celery
2 TBSP lemon juice
1 TBSP minced onion
1/2 cup mayonnaise or plain greek yogurt
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup seedless green grapes quartered
1 (2 oz) package slivered almonds, toasted
1 (11 oz) can mandarin oranges, drained
Croissants and or lettuce

For the chicken I always roast a whole chicken or bake chicken breasts.  I'm sure a rotisserie chicken would be good too. You want to make sure the chicken is cold or at least cooled to the touch. 

Combine first four ingredients; cover and chill at least one hour.

Combine mayonnaise or plain greek yogurt, and salt.  Add mayo mixture, grapes and almonds to chilled chicken mixture; toss gently.  Stir in mandarin oranges.

Serve on lettuce for salad or on a croissant or your favorite bread for a yummy sandwich.
Makes about 6 servings.

Recipe from The Ultimate Southern Living Cookbook.

Coconut rice, black beans, fried plantains, mango salsa and avocado

Meatless Mondays

We try to go meatless a few days a week.  One of Wills favorite things is coconut rice. This is a great dish for kids too.  They love the mango's, rice and beans. To add some heat for the adults there is the mango salsa.  Plantains are kind of like a starchy banana and not as sweet.  Try to find a ripe plantain if you can.  The coconut rice reheats really well and the salsa can be made a day ahead so this dinner can be thrown together in 15 minutes if those elements are done ahead of time.

Serves 4

Rice

2 cups Basmati Rice

1 13oz can coconut milk
2 3/4 cups water

Salsa

1 ripe mango, cubed
1 to 2 jalapeno or Serrano pepper seeded and roughly chopped
1 clove garlic, thinly sliced
1/3 cup finely diced red onion
1 handful cilantro
1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt

For the Dish

2 TBSP  vegetable oil
2 ripe plantains, peeled and sliced into 1/4″ thick coins
Kosher salt
2 cups cooked black beans, heated, seasoned with salt (or if you like, with garlic, onions, etc. to your taste)
2 ripe avocado, sliced
1 ripe mango, cubed (get 2 mangos if you really like mango)
1 handful cilantro
flaky sea salt
1 lime cut into quarters

First make the rice:  Either in a rice cooker or using your stove top method add the 2 cups of rice, 1 can coconut milk and 2 3/4 cups water.  Cook the rice.

Make the salsa.  In a food processor add the mango, jalapeno, garlic, red onion, cilantro and kosher salt.  Pulse for about 10 seconds.  You want it to have a somewhat chunky texture.  Taste it and add salt and pepper if you think it needs it.

Put the dish together.  Peel the plantain.  Score the outside of the peel with a paring knife to make peeling the plantain easier.  Slice into 1/4 inch coins.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  When the oil is shimmering add the plantains in a single layer.  Fry for about 3 minutes until they are brown then flip and fry for another 2 minutes they should be brown and tender.  Sprinkle with kosher salt.

Slice the the avocado and cube one mango and set aside.  Cut lime into quarters and tear cilantro from stems and set aside.  

Divide the rice into 4 bowls and top with beans, salsa, mango, avocado, cilantro and plantains.  Squeeze lime quarters over the finished plate as desired. Delish!!

Recipe adapted from Herbivoracious.com