Tuesday, October 27, 2015

Slow Cooker Chicken Curry from the Lemon Bowl


Slow Cooker Chicken Curry - The Lemon BowlWe made this last night for our evening of pumpkin carving. I really like the incorporation of Sweet potatoes in this and need to be honest that I really doubted they would be done in time. I procrastinated as long as possible to open the crock but to my pleasurable surprise everything was done completely. Even the kids ate it adding a dollop of sour cream/ yogurt to it. We will definitely do this again, maybe adding a bit more kick next time.



Slow Cooker Chicken Curry from The Lemon Bowl

Ingredients
  • 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts
  • 1 medium onion - thinly sliced
  • 15 oz can chickpeas - drained and rinsed
  • 2 medium sweet potatoes - peeled and diced
  • ½ cup coconut milk - light
  • ½ cup chicken stock - low sodium
  • 15 oz can tomato sauce
  • 2 tablespoons curry powder - salt-free
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon cayenne powder - optional
  • 1 cup green peas - frozen
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • cilantro - optional garnish
Instructions
  1. In the bottom of the slow cooker, whisk together coconut milk, chicken stock, tomato sauce, curry powder, salt and cayenne.
  2. Add chicken breasts, onion, chickpeas and sweet potatoes. Using tongs, gently toss ingredients together to ensure evenly coated.
  3. Cook on Low for 8 hours or High for 4 hours.
  4. Stir in peas and lemon juice 5 minutes before serving.
  5. Serve over rice and with plenty of fresh cilantro.

Tuesday, October 20, 2015

Butternut Squash & Bacon Deviled Eggs


Butternut Squash Deviled Eggs with Bacon 

















 Another Must do recipe from Snixy Kitchen! She is my new favorite and I love her for her ingredient transformations!

Butternut Squash & Bacon Deviled Eggs

Butternut Squash and Bacon Deviled Eggs
Author: 
Yields: 12 deviled eggs
 
Ingredients
  • 1 small butternut squash (.75 to 1 pound)
  • 6 large eggs
  • 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
  • ⅛ teaspoon cayenne, plus more for sprinkling
  • ⅛ teaspoon salt
  • ⅛ teaspoon nutmeg
  • 2 slices of cooked bacon, crumbled
Instructions
  1. Cook the butternut squash. Prick the squash with a fork several times. You can roast the whole pricked squash at 375°F for about 30 minutes, until tender. Alternatively, you can microwave it for 5 minutes, cut it in half lengthwise, and microwave both halves cut-side down for another 5-8 minutes, until tender. When the squash is tender, remove and discard (or save) the seeds and scoop out the filling.
  2. Place the cooked squash in a food processor or blender and blend until smooth. Measure out 6 tablespoons of squash for the deviled eggs.
  3. Meanwhile, hard-boil the eggs. Place the eggs in a large pot and cover with at least 2 inches of cold water (*see note). Bring the water to a rolling boil over medium-high heat. Remove the pot from the heat and cover for 11 minutes. Remove the eggs from the pot and run them under cold water to stop the cooking. When they're cool enough to handle, peel the eggs, slice them in half lengthwise and scoop out the yolks into a mixing bowl.
  4. Add the 6 tablespoons of butternut squash purée to the bowl with the yolks, and mix. Add the mayonnaise, cayenne, salt, and nutmeg and mix until smooth (you can also return this mixture to the food processor or blender if you want it super smooth).
  5. Divide the filling among the egg halves (either using a spoon or pipe it in using a piping bag).
  6. Top with a few crumbles of cooked bacon and sprinkle cayenne on top. Refrigerate until serving.

Friday, October 16, 2015

Spaghetti Squash Fritters with Dill Yogurt Sauce


Spaghetti Squash Fritters with Dill Yogurt Sauce 


This was such an amazing meal that truly transformed the main ingredient - Spaghetti Squash! Thank you Snixy Kitchen - you are a wonderful find!



Spaghetti Squash Fritters with Dill Yogurt Sauce

Spaghetti Squash Fritters with Dill Yogurt Sauce
Author: 
Yields: About 16 fritters
 
Ingredients
Spaghetti Squash Fritters
  • 1 small or ½ large spaghetti squash
  • 2 teaspoons olive oil
  • 3 large shallots, finely chopped
  • ¼ cup parsley, finely chopped
  • ½ teaspoon ground cumin
  • ½ teaspoon turmeric
  • ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 egg white
  • ½ cup chickpea/garbanzo flour
  • 3 tablespoons sweet rice flour
  • 2 tablespoons tapioca starch or flour
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • 1 egg
  • ½ cup whole milk
  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
Dill Yogurt Sauce
  • ¼ cup greek yogurt
  • ¼ cup sour cream
  • ½ cup packed parsley
  • 2 tablespoons fresh dill
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
  • 1.5 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 clove garlic
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
Instructions
Spaghetti Squash Fritters
  1. Cook the spaghetti squash. Prick the squash with a fork several times. You can roast the whole pricked squash at 375°F for about 45 minutes to an hour, until tender. Alternatively, you can wrap the pricked squash in parchment paper and microwave it for 15-20 minutes, until tender. When the squash is tender, slice it in half lengthwise and use a fork to scrape out 2 cups of filling. If the filling is super moist, let it sit in a fine mesh strainer while you cook the shallots.
  2. Heat the olive oil in a pan and cook the chopped shallots until tender, about 5 minutes. If you're roasting the squash, you can also roast the shallot whole and then peel and chop it when it's tender.
  3. Combine the 2 cups of squash, cooked shallots, parsley, cumin, turmeric, cinnamon, sugar, and salt in a large bowl.
  4. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, by hand, or with a hand mixer, whip the egg white until soft peaks form. Gently fold the egg white into the squash mixture.
  5. In another bowl, mix together the chickpea flour, sweet rice flour, tapioca starch, and baking powder.
  6. Add the egg, milk, and butter to the flour and whisk to combine.
  7. Gently add the batter to the squash mixture and stir to combine.
  8. If using an electric waffle iron, cook small waffles according to manufacturer directions, lightly spraying the iron with canola oil.
  9. If using a stovetop waffle iron, be sure to heat up both sides for at least 3 minutes on medium heat. Lightly spray the top and the bottom of the waffle iron with canola oil. Pour scant ¼ cup of batter into each section of the waffle iron and cook for 2-3 minutes. Flip the waffle iron and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Gently open the waffle iron to check the waffle and, if needed, continue cooking until both sides are crispy. (Every stove is slightly different, but mine is ready after 2.5 minutes both sides).
  10. Use a chopstick to help you gently remove the waffles from the iron and transfer to a plate while you finish cooking the batter. The outsides should be crispy and the insides will be soft and moist.
  11. If you don't want to use a waffle iron, you can cook the fritters over medium heat on a griddle. Scoop ¼ cup of batter onto the griddle and cook for 2 minutes on each side, until crispy on the outside, but still soft on the inside.
  12. Serve waffles with dill yogurt sauce (below). Store leftovers for up to 3 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator and reheat in the toaster.
Dill Yogurt Sauce
  1. Combine all of the ingredients in a blender or food processor and pulse until smooth.

Sunday, October 4, 2015

Watercress Pesto


















Watercress Pesto




From The Bite House

Ingredients

• 1 cup pecans (or walnuts)
• 1/2 cup sunflower seeds
• 2 cups packed watercress
• 1 1/2 cup grated parmesan
• 3/4 cup olive oil
• juice of one lemon
• 3 garlic cloves
• salt + ground black pepper
Dry toast the nuts and seeds in a pan, shaking, until they’re ready.
In a food processor, whizz the nuts and seeds until finely shredded.
Add all the other ingredients, and whizz again.
Season with salt and pepper and adjust to desired consistency with olive oil.
Serve with fresh bread.

Freezer Salsa
























I made this tonight from nearly the last of my sun gold tomatoes. I will make one last ground cherry salsa with the truly last of them tomorrow night. I am exhausted. It has been a huge weekend on the homestead.

Thank you to Emilie and The Clever Carrot for posting this recipe for 10 Minute Sun Gold Salsa For the Freezer!

Ingredients

4 cups sun gold tomatoes, or red cherry tomatoes
½ cup diced red onion
¼-1/2 clove of garlic
1 large or 2 small bell peppers, roughly chopped with white ribs attached (I used both red & orange)
1 heaping cup of cilantro leaves, plus their thin stems from the top of the bunch
juice of 1 lemon or lime
½ tsp cumin
½ tsp coarse salt, plus more to taste
¼ tsp red pepper flakes (or less depending on preference)
drizzle of extra virgin olive oil

Process
  1. Add all of the ingredients into a food processor. Pulse a few times until the texture is roughly smooth. Give it a taste, and add more salt or lemon juice as needed. Sometimes, I'll throw in more cilantro when in the mood. Adjust to your liking.
  2. Working over a large bowl, strain the salsa reserving the liquid. Transfer the liquid into a small ziplock bag and freeze for future use (use as a base for rice, grains, soups etc.)
  3. To finish, drizzle your salsa with olive oil, to taste. Serve right away, or portion into snack size ziplock bags and freeze.
  4. Note: after defrosting, strain the salsa if necessary, depending on use. Salsa (with chips) is best enjoyed on the same day that it is made.