Gingery Chicken Breasts

This super-hot weather has thrown a couple of curve balls my way. We had a few weeks of reasonably warm weather so if I had a stove top cooked dinner in the menu plan it wasn’t a big deal. Then… heat wave! I had picked a yummy looking meal on Pinterest that I was excited to cook for dinner but I was not going to stand over a hot stove in this heat. I had to throw together some sort of pantry meal or find a recipe that had most of the same ingredients as my originally planned recipe.

I still had a cookbook that I had checked out from the library so I began to scour the chicken section. I found a few recipes that had similar ingredients but finally settled on one that had ingredients that were on hand. No trips to the store. The best part about the recipe (aside from being yummy) was that it was cooked in the slow cooker. This means I didn’t have to heat up my kitchen.

This recipe is easy to make and well worth the extra minutes needed to sauté the vegetables. I used boneless skinless chicken breasts because that was what I had. That meant I had to shorten the cooking time. I also forgot to add the extra ginger in at the end. Other than that nothing changed. The writers of this cookbook really really really have this cooking thing down. One of the reasons I picked up this cookbook is because I have so much faith in America’s Test Kitchen and I just knew they could help me solve my slow cooker dilemmas. This cookbook is now on my wish list…please take note husband!

Enjoy!

6 (12oz) bone-in, skin on split chicken breast, trimmed

Salt and pepper

2 Tablespoons vegetable oil

1 onion, minced

3 Tablespoons minced or grated fresh ginger

6 garlic cloves, minced

¼ cup flour

1 cup chicken broth

1 Tablespoons soy sauce

1 Tablespoon sugar

2 scallions, sliced thin

Dry chicken with a paper towel and season with salt and pepper. Heat one tablespoon of oil in a 12 inch skillet over medium high heat until just smoking. Add half of the chicken, skin side down, and brown lightly for about five minutes. Transfer to a plate. Repeat with remaining oil and chicken. Let cool slightly and discard skin.

Add onion, two tablespoons ginger and garlic to the fat left in the pan and cook over medium high heat until onion is softened and lightly browned. Stir in flour and cook for one minute. Slowly whisk in broth scraping up any brown bits and smoothing out any lumps. Transfer to the slow cooker.

Stir soy sauce and sugar into the slow cooker. Nestle chicken and accumulated juice in the slow cooker. Cover and cook until chicken is tender, 4-6 hours on low.

Transfer chicken to a serving platter and tent loosely with foil. Let braising liquid set for five minutes then remove fat from the surface using a large spoon. Stir in remaining ginger and season with salt and pepper. Spoon one cup of sauce over the chicken, sprinkle with scallions and serve with remaining sauce.

Adapted from Slow Cooker Revolution by America’s Test Kitchen.

Slow Cooker Swedish Meatballs

I’ve said it before and I will say it again. I l-o-v-e my slow cooker. For years and years I thought slow cookers should be reserved for the colder months. After all, I never really want beef stew in the middle of a really hot day. Then I read something somewhere that proclaimed slow cookers as the perfect thing to use in the summer months. After lots of consideration I couldn’t agree more. Sure, slow cooker meals are usually heartier than a typical summer meal but a slow cooker doesn’t heat up your kitchen. The lack of heat in the kitchen completely sold me on pulling out my slow cooker much more often.

The first person to make this recipe in our house was actually my husband. I had it on the menu and I wasn’t home to throw everything in the slow cooker so I had to have him get dinner ready. Husband never cooks. Ever. So the fact that he was able to throw this together for our family proves what an easy recipe this is. I decided to make it again (myself) when out of the blue little one started talking about meatballs. When I mentioned this to husband he told me had been thinking about meatballs too. I was so amused that I decided to put meatballs on the menu.

This recipe is good as it is and really doesn’t need adjustments, but I couldn’t help myself. I love mushrooms so instead of ½ cup of fresh mushrooms that the original recipe calls for I put in a whole 4oz. can of mushrooms. They won’t shrink down in size and they won’t release more liquid into the slow cooker. I’m thinking of reducing the amount of beef broth to 1 ½ cups or 1 cup. The sauce is really saucy and since slow cookers trap in the moisture I think reducing the beef broth would be the right choice for our family.

Noodles and mashed potatoes would be my go to side in the winter since the heat from making those would not be a problem. This time I served rice on the side. Using my rice cooker means my kitchen stay cool! Now, if I get the mini slow cooker that is on my wish list (hint hint) I could easily cook some mashed potatoes in the summer.

Enjoy!

10¾ oz. can cream of mushroom soup

4 oz. canned mushrooms, drained

2 cups beef broth

Onion, finely diced

1 ½ teaspoons garlic powder

2 Tablespoons A1

¼ teaspoon paprika

salt and pepper to taste

28 oz. bag frozen meatballs  

1 cup sour cream

In your slow cooker, combine the soup, mushrooms, beef broth, onion, garlic powder, A1, paprika, salt, and pepper. Add meatballs and toss to coat.

Cook on low for 8 hours.

Before serving mix in sour cream and serve with mashed potatoes, rice, or noodles.

Adapted from http://realmomkitchen.com/15369/slow-cookerswedish-meatballs/

Spicy Black Bean Cakes

Here is another very yummy meatless meal. Another plus…this recipe won’t heat up your kitchen during the summer. Oh, and I can’t forget to mention that it’s quick, cheap and crazy healthy. How could you pass up this gem? We sure haven’t in our house. I’ve made these several times this summer and I’ve been super happy with dinner every time.

Since this is a pantry meal I have been able to shift this meal around on the menu as needed. If something fun and summery comes up where I need a quick meal I don’t have to worry about dinner taking too long. The thing that takes the longest is shredding the sweet potato. While the cakes are cooking away in the broiler I mix together the sour cream and put together a salad.

Enjoy!

2 Tablespoons olive oil

4 scallions, thinly sliced

6 garlic cloves, minced

1 jalapeno, finely chopped

1 Tablespoon ground cumin

30 oz. black beans, drained and rinsed

1 large sweet potato, peeled and coarsely grated (2 cups)

1 large egg, lightly beaten

½ cup plain breadcrumbs

Heat broiler. In a small skillet over medium heat, warm one tablespoon olive oil. Cook scallions until softened, about one minute. Add garlic, jalapeno, and cumin and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Transfer to a large bowl.

Add beans to the bowl and mash with a fork or a potato masher, leaving about a quarter of the beans whole. Season generously with salt and pepper. Fold in sweet potato, egg, and breadcrumbs. Divide into 8 balls of equal size and flatten into patties.

Brush a baking sheet with remaining olive oil and place patties on sheet about half an inch apart. Broil four inches from the heat until golden brown, about eight to ten minutes. Carefully turn cakes over and broil until crisp, two to three minutes more.

Lime Sour Cream:

½ cup sour cream

2 teaspoons fresh lime juice

1 small jalapeno, minced

Mix all ingredients in a small bowl. Season with salt to taste and serve with the black bean cakes.

 

Adapted from Everyday Food: Great Food Fast by Martha Stewart

Risotto with Lentils

A soon as I took my first bite of last night’s dinner I was pleasantly surprised. The sad truth is I’m starting to get used to trying a new recipe and being disappointed. Pictures and ingredients entice me into thinking that I am about to make the most amazing dinner ever. Many times I’m not happy with the meal I made for my family. But that’s what trying new things is all about right? Finding what you like and what you don’t?

When I put this recipe on the meal plan I was thinking about adding some more meat free options to our diet. I liked that everything is typically in the pantry so if we liked it I could always use it as a side dish or a main dish with a salad. Then, last night while I was gathering everything for dinner I had the feeling I was going to be disappointed. It seemed too simple. The cook time looked too short for a slow cooker meal. As everything simmered away in the slow cooker I started looking for dinner alternatives. I scoured my restaurant coupons. I looked for anything in the freezer that I could defrost and serve quickly. Finally I put together the salad, set the table and braced myself for another disappointment. I am pleased to say I was wrong. Dinner was perfect in its simplicity. Husband was very happy and even little one gobbled his risotto up, after it cooled of course.

I made a few adjustments to the original recipe because I knew they would help add the flavor I was sure was going to be lacking. Instead of just water for the cooking liquid I used chicken stock. I also sautéed a little garlic with the onion and butter. I didn’t top the risotto with olive oil because I just didn’t have spectacular eating olive oil. I just have olive oil that is great for cooking. Topping the risotto with parmesan is a must. The nutty salty flavor makes the risotto complete and oh so deliciously satisfying. Eat this, be happy.

 

Enjoy!

½ cup dried lentils

¼ cup Arborio rice

4 cups chicken or vegetable stock

2 Tablespoons butter

½ yellow onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

Black pepper to taste

1 Tablespoon good, fruit olive oil

½ cup Parmesan, grated

Thoroughly rinse the lentils and rice, being sure to remove any small stones or dirt. Place them into the slow cooker along with the chicken stock.

In a small sauté pan heat the butter and sauté the onion over medium heat until the onion is golden, about eight minutes. Add the garlic and sauté for an additional one to two minutes.

Add the onions and garlic to the slow cooker. Cover and cook on high for about two hours or until both the lentils and rice are tender. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Top each serving with a drizzle of olive oil and a generous sprinkle of Parmesan.

Adapted from The Gourmet Vegetarian Slow Cooker by Lynn Alley

Chocolate Banana Parfaits

Little one enjoyed his dessert!

I am happy to share Valentine’s Day dessert – four months late. Not sure why it’s taken so long to share this but better late than never right? I really don’t like going out for dinner on Valentine’s Day. I’d rather make a nice dinner at home and enjoy spending the day of love with the man I love than competing with everyone in town for a table at a restaurant. This year wasn’t any different. I made a tasty dinner for three (I have two men I love now!) and we enjoyed quality time together at home.

This year I had fun making dessert. It uses only three ingredients and takes a few minutes to whip up. I decided to make it more Valentine-y by putting all the ingredients in red glasses. What I really like about this dessert is how versatile it is. Try any pudding and fruit combination to make this dessert work with any meal you are making. The original recipe called for lite/fate-free/sugar-free ingredients. I went full-fat on everything. I’m a rebel.

Enjoy!

1 pkg. (1.4 oz.) JELL-O Chocolate Instant Pudding

2 cups cold milk

2 bananas, sliced

¾ cup thawed Cool Whip

Beat pudding mix and milk with whisk for two minutes. Spoon half the pudding evenly into four dessert glasses then cover with layers of bananas and half the Cool Whip. Top with remaining pudding and Cool Whip. Chill for one hour before serving.

Adapted from www.kraftrecipes.com/recipes/low-fat-chocolate-banana-parfaits-51211.aspx?cm_mmc=eml-_-rbe-_-20120410-_-1074&cm_lm=4D7D535C64198320269D1D91F8C91141