Braised chicken with veggies over polenta

from Everyday Food

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 8 chicken thighs (about 2 1/2 pounds total)
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved if large
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano leaves
• 1/2 cup water
• 3/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth
• 3 small zucchini, quartered lengthwise and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
• 3/4 cup yellow cornmeal
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter

** For a richer polenta, use chicken broth instead of water and stir in 1/3 cup grated Italian cheese, such as Parmesan, at the end of the cooking.

Directions

1. In a large Dutch oven or heavy pot, heat oil over medium-high. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Working in two batches, cook chicken until browned on all sides, 6 to 8 minutes per batch. Transfer to a plate. Pour off all but 1 tablespoon fat and return pot to heat.

2. Add garlic, tomatoes, and oregano; cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add water and cook, scraping up browned bits, until almost evaporated, about 1 minute. Add broth; return chicken, skin side up, to pot. Bring to a boil; reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook 15 minutes. Add zucchini; season with salt and pepper. Cover; simmer until chicken is cooked through, 10 to 15 minutes. Stir in lemon juice- or just provide sliced lemons to squeeze during dinner- I like this better.

3. Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, combine 4 1/2 cups water, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and teaspoon pepper and bring to a boil. Whisking constantly, slowly add cornmeal. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook, whisking frequently, until polenta has thickened, 20 to 25 minutes; whisk in butter. Serve chicken and vegetables over polenta.

Chicken Salad with Pineapple Lime Dressing

from Everyday Food

the kids gobbled it up- lettuce included

Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon lime zest, plus 2 tablespoons juice (from 1 lime)
• 2 teaspoons minced shallot
• 1 1/2 teaspoons honey
• 3/4 to 1 teaspoon minced habanero or jalapeno chile, stemmed and seeded (I omitted this)
• 6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 1/4 cup finely chopped pineapple
• 1 bunch (3/4 pound) watercress, thick ends trimmed
• 5 ounces baby spinach (or substitute all greens for any lettuce, it's still good)
• 1/3 cup toasted cashews, chopped
• 3/4 pound cooked chicken breast, shredded

Directions

1. In a large bowl, whisk together lime zest and juice, shallot, honey, and chile. Add oil and whisk until combined. Season with salt and pepper and stir in pineapple. Add watercress, spinach, cashews, and chicken; toss until greens are coated with dressing.
   

Crispy quinoa over greens with hazlenuts

from Sprouted Kitchen

Probably my favorite salad to date. Serves 6

When cooking quinoa for this salad, especially to help it crisp up here, you want to use a 1/1.5 ratio of quinoa to liquid when cooking. For example, I cooked 1/2 cup rinsed quinoa in 3/4 cup vegetable broth. You want a drier, slightly undercooked quinoa before you fry it up so it gets crispy.

• 1 Tbsp. coconut oil
• 3/4 cup cooked and completely cooled quinoa
• 1 head butter lettuce
• 2 cups arugula (or just more regular lettuce if you don't have arugula- like I didn't)
• 3/4 cup toasted hazelnuts, roughly chopped
• 1 cup pomegranate seeds (I didn't have these and it was still delicious)
•  
• // meyer lemon yogurt dressing //
• 1/4 cup meyer lemon juice
• 1 clove garlic, finely minced or grated
• 2 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
• 1 Tbsp. honey
• 1 tsp. sea salt
• 1 tsp. dried italian herbs (mine is a mix of oregano, parsley + basil)
• pinch of pepper
• 1/3 cup whole milk greek yogurt or sour cream
• 3 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

1. Heat the coconut oil over high heat in a frying pan. Once it's hot, add the cooked quinoa and saute for about 2-3 minutes until dry and crisp. You want the steam to release and hear the crackling, add a bit more oil if needed. Set aside to cool completely.

2. Prepare the dressing. Whisk the lemon juice, garlic, vinegar, honey, salt, herbs, pepper and yogurt in a bowl. Whisk in the oil, taste for seasoning and alter as you wish. This can be made up to a week in advance.

3. Toss both greens in the dressing to coat, top with the crispy quinoa, hazelnuts and pom seeds and serve immediately.

Baked Blueberry Oatmeal

from the Sprouted Kitchen and Lottie + Doof

Oh Wow. Completely and utterly delicious and so easy.

• 2 cups rolled oats
• 1/2 cup walnut pieces, toasted and chopped
• 1/3 cup maple syrup, plus more for serving (I used a bit less and it was plenty sweet)
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• Scant 1/2 teaspoon fine-grain sea salt
• 2 cups  milk
• 1 large egg
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly (I used coconut oil and it tasted incredible (and it's healthier to boot!))
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 2 ripe bananas, cut into 1/2-inch pieces (I didn't do this, and it was still delicious)
• 11/2 cups  huckleberries, blueberries, or mixed berries

1. Preheat the oven to 375F / 190C with a rack in the top third of the oven. Generously butter the inside of an 8-inch / 20cm square baking dish.

2. In a bowl, mix together the oats, half the walnuts, the sugar, if using, the baking powder, cinnamon, and salt.

3. In another bowl, whisk together the maple syrup, if using, the milk, egg, half of the butter, and the vanilla.

4. Arrange the bananas in a single layer in the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle two-thirds of the berries over the top. Cover the fruit with the oat mixture. Slowly drizzle the milk mixture over the oats. Gently give the baking dish a couple thwacks on the countertop to make sure the milk moves through the oats. Scatter the remaining berries and remaining walnuts across the top.

5. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes, until the top is nicely golden and the oat mixture has set. Remove from the oven and let cool for a few minutes. Drizzle the remaining melted butter on the top and serve. Sprinkle with a bit more sugar or drizzle with maple syrup if you want it a bit sweeter.
serves 6 generously, or 12 as part of a larger brunch spread

Lentil "meatballs" with lemon pesto

from Sprouted Kitchen

I think I like these even more than traditional beef meatballs. Delicious.

2 Cups Cooked Lentils
2 Eggs, lightly beaten
3/4 Cup Ricotta
1/4 Cup Fresh Grated Parmesan Cheese
1 Large Clove Garlic, minced
1/2 tsp. Fennel Seed, crushed
2 Tbsp. Finely Chopped Fresh Parsley
Hefty Pinch of Dried or Fresh Thyme
1 tsp. Each Sea Salt and Pepper
2/3 Cup Breadcrumbs (fresh or panko, preferably)

Lemon Pesto Sauce

1 Clove Garlic
1/4 Cup Pinenuts
Zest and Juice of one Meyer Lemon
1/2 tsp. Sea Salt
1 Cup Packed Basil Leaves
1/4 - 1/3 Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 Tbsp. Grated Parmesan
2 Tbsp. Water to thin

1. In a food processor, pulverize the lentils into mush. Put them in a large mixing bowl.
Add the beaten eggs, ricotta, parmesan, garlic, fennel seed, parlsey, thyme, salt and pepper and stir to mix well. Stir in the breadcrumbs and let the mix sit for 20 minutes.

2. For the pesto sauce, put the garlic, nuts, lemon zest and juice and salt in a food processor or blender and run until smooth. Add in the basil leaves and olive oil until you get a smooth, sauce-like consistency. Add water, oil or lemon juice to thin as desired. Stir in the parmesan and set aside. The sauce will keep covered in the fridge for about a week.

3. Preheat the oven to 400'. Check the lentil mix by rolling a 1'' round ball between your palms, it should hold together fairly well. If it seems pretty wet and it falling apart, stir in another Tbsp. or two of breadcrumbs until the ball with stay together.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Roll the mix into balls and line them up on a baking sheet (they don't need lots of space between, they won't spread). If you like a bit more of a crust, brush them with olive oil.

4. Bake on the middle rack for 15-20 minutes until the tops are golden brown, gently turning the balls over halfway through baking. Remove to cool slightly.
Serve with your favorite noodles, on a bed of sauteed greens, or simply on their own with a nice drizzle of the pesto sauce.

Pineapple Bran Muffins

from Everyday Food, tweaked by me.

I've come to renew my quest not to ingest refined sugar at home. So these were awesome. And actually- almost too sweet for my liking. Even our sugar-loving friends loved them.

• 1 cup raisins
• 1 cup wheat bran
• 1 3/4 cup whole-wheat flour (spooned and leveled)
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon coarse salt
• 3/4 cup plain or vanilla low-fat yogurt
• 1/4 cup molasses
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
• 1 large egg
• 1 can (20 ounces) pineapple chunks, drained and chopped, or frozen pineapple chunks. Diced peaches or pears would be delicious too.

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two 12-cup muffin pans with 18 paper liners. Soak raisins in 1 cup hot water until soft, about 10 minutes; drain raisins and transfer to a food processor. Puree until smooth, about 30 seconds.
2. In a medium bowl, combine bran, flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a large bowl, stir together yogurt, molasses, butter, egg, and raisin puree. Add dry ingredients and stir to combine; fold in pineapple. Divide batter evenly among liners. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center of a muffin comes out clean, about 25 minutes, rotating pans halfway through.

Pho Ga

aka: Vietnamese Chicken Soup
from Everyday Food- tastes like the soup at Saigon Noodles in Madison

* I was craving this a couple weeks ago, and I found a quick, simple recipe that tasted pretty close. For sure not the real thing, but it did my taste buds some good.

Ingredients

• 4 ounces vermicelli rice noodles
• 10 cups chicken broth
• 4 cups shredded chicken
• 3 tablespoons fish sauce
• 4 teaspoons soy sauce, plus more for serving
• 2-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled, very thinly sliced crosswise (or just dump in some dried ginger)
• 2 scallions, thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves
• 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, torn if large
• 1 jalapeno, thinly sliced (I omit these)
• Lime wedges and lots of bean sprouts, for serving

Directions

1. Soak noodles according to package instructions. Meanwhile, in a large pot, combine broth, fish sauce, soy sauce, and ginger and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until ginger is fragrant, 5 to 8 minutes. Stir in chicken and rice noodles and cook until warmed through, 2 minutes. Divide soup among six bowls; top with scallions, cilantro, basil, and jalapeno. Serve with lime wedges and bean sprouts.