Recipes

Slow Cooker Chicken Andouille Stew

Ingredients

• 4 teaspoons olive oil
• 2 large onions, chopped
• 2 tablespoons garlic, minced
• 2 teaspoons oregano
• 2 teaspoons creole seasoning
• 3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into pieces
• 40 ounces chicken Andouille sausage, cut into ³⁄₄-inch slices
• 2 jars (12 ounces each) roasted red pepper, drained and cut into bite-sized pieces
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1 pound cream cheese, cut into pieces and softened
• 1 bunch green onions, thinly sliced

Instructions

1. Spray slow cooker insert with non-stick spray.   
2. Heat oil in medium skillet over medium-high heat and sauté onion until starting to brown, about 5 minutes.  Add garlic, oregano, and creole seasoning and sauté 1 to 2 minutes more, or until fragrant.  
3. Place chicken, sausage, roasted red pepper, and onion mixture in the slow cooker.  
4. Add broth to skillet and cook over high heat until reduced by half, about 6 minutes.  Remove from heat and stir cream cheese into broth until mostly melted.  Pour into slow cooker.  Cover and cook on LOW for 4 to 6 hours or until chicken is cooked through.  Stir stew in slow cooker and top with green onions before serving.  

Comments

This recipe is from Kalyn’s Kitchen.  The guys both enjoyed it, and all the leftovers were finished, but I couldn’t eat it.  It was much too spicy for my tastes, sadly.  If I were to make it again, I’d choose a much milder sausage.  I served this on top of rice.

Lemon and Dill Chicken

Ingredients

• 3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 4 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 2 teaspoons flour
• 2 tablespoons fresh dill, chopped
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• ¹⁄₄ cup onion finely chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced

Instructions

1. Season chicken on both sides with salt and pepper.  Heat 2 teaspoons oil in large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add chicken and sear until well browned on both sides, about 3 to 5 minutes per side.  Transfer chicken to a plate and tent with foil.  
2. Combine chicken broth, flour, dill, and lemon juice in a measuring cup.  
3. Reduce heat to medium.  Add remaining 2 teaspoons oil to the pan.  Add onion and garlic and cook, stirring, for 1 minute, or until fragrant.  Add broth mixture and continue cooking, stirring often, until slightly thickened, about 3 minutes.  
4. Return chicken and any accumulated juices to the pan and reduce heat to low.  Simmer until chicken is cooked through, 10 to 20 minutes depending on thickness of chicken.  
5. Season with additional salt and pepper, if desired.  Serve chicken with sauce.  

Comments

This recipe is from Eating Well.  I actually made it quite some time ago and never got around to posting it, but it turned up in my meal plan again recently as it’s a great way to use up fresh dill.  It’s very tasty.

Grilled Chicken with Lemon and Oregano

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon lemon zest
• ¹⁄₃ cup fresh lemon juice (about 2 lemons)
• ¹⁄₄ cup fresh oregano, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons olive oil 
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• 3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 4 lemons, halved 

Instructions

1. Whisk lemon zest, juice, oregano, oil, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper together in small bowl.  Place chicken in large zip-top bag, add marinade, and seal.  Marinate at room temperature for 30 minutes, turning bag halfway through to ensure even coverage.  
2. Heat grill to medium and lightly oil grates.  Remove chicken from marinade, pat dry with paper towels, and place chicken on grill.  Cover and cook until lightly browned and cooked through, 5 to 10 minutes per side depending on the thickness of the breasts.  An instant read thermometer should register 165*F.  
3. Remove chicken to plate and cover with foil.  Meanwhile, place lemon halves on grill, cut side down, and cook until slightly charred, 8 to 10 minutes.  Serve chicken breasts with lemons.  

Comments

I picked this recipe to use an abundance of fresh oregano that I’d picked up at the farmers market.  Art did the grilling and the chicken was very tasty and moist.  The grilled lemons definitely added a nice punch to the recipe.  The recipe is from Recipe Girl.

Grilled Cabbage with Bacon

Ingredients

• ¹⁄₂ small shallot, minced
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 6 slices bacon, cut into small pieces and cooked until crisp, 1 tablespoon fat reserved
• ¹⁄₄ cup olive oil, plus more for drizzling
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 head green cabbage, cut into quarters

Instructions

1. Prepare grill for medium heat grilling.  
2. Whisk together shallot, vinegar, mustard, and sugar.  Gradually whisk in bacon fat and ¹⁄₄ cup oil.  Stir in bacon and season with salt and pepper.  
3. Drizzle cabbage with oil then season with salt and pepper.  Grill over medium heat, turning occasionally, until tender and lightly charred, about 15 to 18 minutes.  
4. Serve cabbage topped with vinaigrette.  

Comments

This recipe is from Bon Appetit.  I had picked up cabbage from the market and wanted something new to do with it.  I did end up using an entire package of center-cut bacon instead of just six slices and I also blended the vinaigrette, pre-addition of bacon, with an immersion blender in a blender cup.  It was super delicious and extremely easy to bring together.

Baked Sesame Tofu Sticks with Peanut Butter, Tahini, and Ginger Sauce

Ingredients

• 14-16 ounces extra firm tofu
• 4 teaspoons toasted sesame seeds
• 1 teaspoon peanut oil 

For the marinade

• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 1 ¹⁄₂ tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon rice vinegar
• 2-3 teaspoons sugar
• 1-2 teaspoons Sriracha
• ¹⁄₂ teaspoon fresh ginger, finely minced or grated

For the sauce

• 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, finely minced or grated
• 2 tablespoons smooth natural peanut butter 
• 2 tablespoons tahini
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1-2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 teaspoons rice vinegar
• 3 tablespoons water

Instructions

1. Remove tofu from package and drain in colander for 5 minutes.  Cut tofu in half, lengthwise, to make two thinner pieces.  Place double layer of paper towels on cutting board and place tofu on the towel.  Top with another double layer of paper towel and place a heavy object on top of paper towels to press water out of tofu.  (I used my Dutch oven.)  Press for 10 minutes.  Discard paper towels, replace with new towels, and press again for 10 more minutes.  
2. While tofu is pressing, whisk together sesame oil, soy sauce, rice vinegar, sugar, Sriracha, and ginger to make the marinade.    
3. Heat oven to 400*F.
4. Cut each pressed tofu piece into 10 strips, each about ¹⁄₂ inch wide.  Lay tofu strips larger side down in baking dish.  Pour marinade over tofu, turning pieces to fully coat.  Marinate 10 to 20 minutes, then sprinkle with sesame seeds.  
5. Brush baking sheet with peanut oil.  Lay tofu strips on baking sheet and bake 20 minutes.  Turn carefully and bake 10 to 20 more minutes, or until browned and, hopefully, crisp.  
6. While tofu bakes, combine all sauce ingredients in immersion blender cup or food processor and process until smooth.  
7. Serve tofu hot, cold, or room temperature with dipping sauce.  

Comments

This recipe is from Kalyn’s Kitchen.  I wanted something vegan, yet high in protein, to take to my end of semester choir party and this recipe fit the bill.  It was surprisingly well received and a lot of the people at choir devoured them.  I was very pleased!  

My sticks never crisped up, but they did firm up and have great flavor and color.  Since I did end up with leftovers of the sticks and the sauce, I used them both in stir fry.  I cut the sticks in half and added them to stir fry and then I used the sauce on top for an added kick.  Very delicious.

Slow Cooker Italian-Style Bean Soup

Ingredients

• 1 package (16 ounces) bean soup mix, flavor packet discarded if there is one
• 1 pound sweet Italian sausage, casings removed
• 1 jar (26 ounces) pasta sauce (I used tomato basil.)
• 2 empty pasta sauce jars of chicken broth
• Parmesan cheese, grated or shredded

Instructions

1. Rinse beans well in sieve with running water.  Pour beans into large pot, cover with water, and bring to boil.  Boil for 10 minutes, remove from heat, cover pot and soak beans 1 hour.  Drain in sieve and rinse well with running water.  Transfer beans to slow cooker.  
2. Meanwhile, cook sausage in large skillet until cooked through, breaking into pieces as sausage cooks.  Drain sausage then add to slow cooker.  Pour in pasta sauce and two jars of chicken broth.  
3. Cover and cook on LOW for 8 to 10 hours or HIGH for 4 to 5 hours.  Serve topped with parmesan cheese.  

Comment

This recipe is from A Year of Slow Cooking.  It was really delicious and I enjoyed it quite a bit!  I think that the guys might have tried it over rice, but I just ate it plain.  Very flavorful and yummy.

Basic Stir Fry Sauce

Ingredients

• ²⁄₃ cup soy sauce
• ¹⁄₂ cup chicken broth
• ¹⁄₃ cup rice vinegar
• 3 ¹⁄₂ tablespoons sugar
• 1 tablespoons sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon ginger, minced
• 2 tablespoon cornstarch

Instructions

1. Combine all ingredients in medium bowl and whisk well to combine.  Or combine all ingredients in an immersion blender cup and blend.  

Comments

This recipe is from Food and Whine.  It’s from a great list of 15 basic stir fry sauce recipes and I have a feeling I’ll be revisiting the list in the future.  This recipe made enough for two stir fries and it was really delicious.  After stir frying the meat and the veggies, I added the sauce and let it heat through until the sauce had thickened and the veggies and meat were coated.  Yum!

Dilled Bean Salad

Ingredients

• 3-4 cans beans of any variety, rinsed and well drained (I used garbanzo, black bean, and small red beans)
• 3 stalks celery, chopped
• 1 white onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons fresh dill, minced
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar (I used lemon balsamic)
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

1. Mix together all ingredients in large bowl.  Cover and refrigerate at least three hours before serving.  

Comments

This recipe is from A Couple Cooks.  I found it because I had some fresh dill to use up and it worked well.  I did find the onion to be overpowering.  I used a standard yellow onion and I think the recipe would have been much better with either red onion or green onion.  Otherwise it was really tasty!

Silken Tofu With Spicy Sausage

Ingredients

• 5 whole dried shiitake mushrooms
• ¹⁄₂ cup boiling water
• ¹⁄₂ pound sweet Italian sausage, removed from casings and crumbled
• 4 teaspoons soy sauce
• 1 ¹⁄₂ teaspoons sesame oil
• ¹⁄₄ teaspoon sugar
• 1 box (20 ounces) soft silken tofu
• 2 teaspoons oyster sauce
• ¹⁄₂ teaspoon cornstarch
• Kosher salt
• 1 green onion, chopped
• ¹⁄₄ cup fresh cilantro, roughly chopped

Instructions

1. Combine dried mushrooms and boiling water in small bowl.  Cover and set aside for 5 minutes.  Remove mushrooms, squeeze out excess liquid (reserving all liquid), and slice.  Set aside mushrooms and liquid.  
2. Combine sausage with 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 1 teaspoon sesame oil, and sugar in small bowl.  
3. Place steamer insert in large Dutch oven and fill with 1 inch water.  Bring to simmer.  Place tofu on plate and place plate in steamer.  Cover and steam until hot, 5 to 10 minutes.  Remove tofu from steamer, carefully pour off excess liquid, and cover with foil.  
4. Combine mushroom liquid, ¹⁄₂ teaspoon sesame oil, 1 teaspoon soy sauce, oyster sauce, and cornstarch in small bowl and mix with fork to blend.  
5. Heat sausage and mushrooms in medium nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, stirring and breaking up sausage until cooked through, about 5 minutes.  Stir sauce mixture then pour into skillet and heat, stirring, until thickened, about 1 minute.  
6. Uncover tofu and pour sauce over it.  Top with green onion and cilantro.  Serve with rice if desired.  

Comments

This recipe is from Serious Eats and, well, we didn’t love it.  I think it was the texture and amount of tofu.  If I end up making this again, I’ll try a number of tweaks.  First, I’ll use firmer tofu and cut it lengthwise into two thinner pieces.  I’ll sauté that to add some color and texture.  I’d also double everything except for the tofu, so that there’s half as much in relationship to everything else.  This had potential, the flavors were great, the texture of the tofu was just a distraction.

Lamb Meatballs with Feta, Lemon, and Mint

Ingredients

For the meatballs

• 8 tablespoons water
• 2 pounds ground lamb
• 1 large egg
• 1 ¹⁄₄ cup panko breadcrumbs
• ¹⁄₂ cup feta cheese, crumbled
• ³⁄₄ teaspoon salt
• Pinch of red pepper flakes
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 tablespoons parsley, minced
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• Zest of half lemon
• 2 tablespoons olive oil

For the sauce

• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• ¹⁄₄ cup red wine
• 1 can (28 ounces) crushed tomatoes
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• Zest of half lemon
• ³⁄₄-1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon fresh mint leaves, thinly sliced
• 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, minced
• Juice of one lemon
• ¹⁄₄ cup feta cheese, crumbled

Instructions

1. Mix all meatball ingredients together, except oil, in large bowl.  Using disher or hands, make meatballs with about 3 tablespoons of meatball mixture each.  
2. Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat.  Evenly space meatballs in skillet and cook until browned on one side.  Turn and continue cooking until browned on opposite side.  Remove to paper towel lined plate to drain.  Repeat with remaining meatballs if you weren’t able to fit them all in one batch.   
3. Remove all but 1 tablespoon fat from skillet and return to medium heat.  Add onion and garlic and cook until beginning to soften, about 5 minutes.  Add wine and scrape up any bits stuck to the pan.  Cook until liquid almost evaporates.  Add tomatoes, oregano, lemon zest, salt, mint, and parsley.  Bring mixture to simmer and return meatballs to pan.  Cover with lid, reduce heat to low, and cook, 20 to 25 minutes, until meatballs are cooked through.  
4. Sprinkle lemon juice and remaining feta cheese over meatballs and serve.  

Comments

This recipe is from the ever fantastic Smitten Kitchen and it was fantastic.  I loved these meatballs.  They were delicious and tender and so full of flavor.  I served this with Greek Orzo.