High Protein Veggie Dip + Nut Thins

 In a bowl add:

Finely chopped romaine or other green lettuce
Black Beans
Fire Roasted Corn
Red Onion--finely minced
Guacamole/Avocado
Chicken
Banana Peppers
Scoop of Greek Yogurt
Fajita Seasoning
Drizzle of Hot Honey
Lime Juice

Mix together well and serve with cheddar cheese Nut Thins.

Chicken Caesar Smash Tacos

 Ingredients

QUICK CAESAR DRESSING

• ⅔ cup (160 g) whole-egg mayonnaise (see note 1)
• 2 tbsp freshly grated parmesan
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp dijon mustard
• ½ tsp freshly minced garlic
• 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• ¼ tsp sea salt flakes
• ¼ tsp freshly cracked black pepper

CHICKEN SMASH TACOS

• 4 slices streaky bacon (about 200 g/7 oz in total), chopped
• 500 g (1 lb 2 oz) minced (ground) chicken
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp sweet paprika
• ½ tsp sea salt flakes
• ½ tsp freshly cracked black pepper
• 8 small flour tortillas (15–20 cm/6–8 inch)
• Olive oil, if needed, for frying

• CRISPY PANKO TOPPING

  • 1 tsp olive oil
  • 1 tbsp unsalted butter
  • ½ cup (30 g) panko breadcrumbs
  • ¼ tsp sea salt flakes
  • 1 tbsp freshly grated parmesan

  TOPPINGS

  • 2 cups (120 g) shredded cos (romaine) lettuce
  • ¼ cup (25 g) freshly grated parmesan

Drop Biscuit Chicken Pot Pie

 Fluffy Drop Biscuits:

Ingredients:

1 C unbleached all-purpose flour
1 TBS baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp fine sea salt
2 tsp sugar
6 TBS cold, unsalted butter--cut into 12 pieces
1 1/4 C buttermilk

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425. 

Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar to a deep bowl. Whisk to combine. Scatter the over the dry ingredients and rub together quickly with your fingers, until it forms a sandy-looking texture with some pebble-sized pieces. Pour in the buttermilk and stir until it just comes together into a thick dough and there are no visible signs of flour. This step should only take a minute: be careful not to overmix the dough. 

Drop by scant 1/4-C onto an ungreased baking sheet--I use an icecream scoop for this so they come out even in size and shape. Bake until golden on the bottoms and around the edges, 15-17 minutes. Serve hot. 

Chicken Pot Pie:

Ingredients:

1 TBS unsalted butter
4 medium carrots
2 TBS unbleached all-purpose flour
1 C chicken stock
1/2 C milk
2 C cubed chicken [I use rotisserie]
1 onion, minced
1/2 C frozen peas & corn
Handful of fresh, flat-leaf parsley
Fine sea-salt and pepper
1/2 batch fluffy drop biscuits, unbaked

Directions:

For the pot pie filling: Melt the butter in an 8 inch cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add the carrots and onions, and cook, 1 to 2 minutes, until they are bright orange and barely tender. Sprinkle the flour over the carrots, and stir vigorously for 1 minute to cook the flour a bit. 

Slowly pour in the stock, and then the milk. Raise the heat to medium-high and let it come to a very gentle boil. Immediately reduce the heat to a summer and let cook for 10 minutes. 

Add the chicken, peas, corn, and parsley. Let cook until the carrots are tener, and the peas, corn, and chicken are heated through. Season with salt and pepper. 

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 425. Prepare the drop-biscuit dough. Drop dollops of the dough over the top of the pot pie filling to mostly cover the surface. Transfer the skillet to the oven and bake for about 18 minutes until the biscuits are golden brown. 

Serve immediately. 

Ricotta Pancakes

 Ingredients:

2 C all-purpose flour
1/4 C sugar
1 tsp baking soda
2 C milk
3/4 C ricotta cheese
2 large eggs
1 TBS pure vanilla extract
Butter for pan
Maple Syrup

Directions:

In a large bowl, whisk dry ingredients together.

In a medium bowl, whisk together wet ingredients until well blended.

Add the wet to the dry and stir until just combined.

Heat a large skillet over medium heat until hot. Add butter to hot skillet and coat the pan. 

Pour batter about 1/4 C at a time to form as many pancakes will fit without crowding. Cook until the tops are covered with bubbles and the edges are crispy brown, about 3 minutes. Then flip and cook for 2-3 minutes on the other side, until browned on the bottom. Transfer the pancakes to a platter.

Repeat with rest and serve with butter and syrup.

Everyday Pork Meatballs with Magic Miso-Mayo

 Ingredients:

1 egg
2 garlic cloves
2 scallions
1 TBS grated ginger
1 1/2 TBS soy sauce
1 TBS rice vinegar
1 tsp sesame oil
grated lime zest
salt, pepper
1 lb ground pork
1/4 C panko or breadcrumbs

1/2 C mayonnaise
1 tsp white miso paste
fresh lime juice

Preheat oven to 400.

In a medium bowl, beat the egg. Add garlic, scallions, ginger, soy sauce, vinegar, sesame oil, lime zest, 1/4 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp pepper, and stir. Add pork and panko and gently mix together with a fork or your hands. 

Shape the meat mixture into about 16 ping pong sized balls and put it on a baking sheet lined with foil for easier clean-up. Bake until just cooked through, about 15 minutes. Serve hot. 

In a small bowl, stir together miso mayo ingredients until smooth. Brush the tops of meatballs before baking if desired. 

Chicken Schnitzel with Mushroom Sauce

 

Ingredients

CHICKEN SCHNITZEL (see note 1)

• 1 kg (3–4 large) boneless, skinless chicken breasts (halved horizontally to form 6–8 thinner “steaks”)
• 1 tsp sea salt flakes (or ¾ tsp table salt), plus extra to taste
• ½ tsp freshly cracked black pepper
• ½ cup (75 g) plain (all-purpose) flour
• 3 eggs, whisked
• 3 cups (180 g) panko breadcrumbs (see note 2)
• Oil, for cooking

CREAMY MUSHROOM SAUCE

• 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 4 cups (360 g) sliced mushrooms (see note 3)
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter
• 1 tsp freshly minced garlic
• 2 cups (500 ml) thickened (heavy) cream
• 1 tsp dijon mustard
• 1 tsp chicken stock powder (bouillon)
• 4 thyme sprigs, leaves picked, plus extra to garnish (can be substituted with 1 tsp thyme leaves) (optional)
• ⅓ cup (35 g) freshly grated parmesan (see note 4)
• Sea salt flakes, to taste
• Freshly cracked black pepper to taste, plus extra to finish

SERVING SUGGESTIONS

• Freezer-friendly mashed potatoes
• Green beans, steamed

Instructions

1. Prepare the schnitzels – Season the chicken with the salt and pepper. Pound to an even thickness (about 1 cm/½ inch) for even cooking.
2. Set up your crumbing station with the flour, whisked eggs and panko breadcrumbs.
3. Coat each piece of chicken in the flour (shaking off the excess), then the egg, then the breadcrumbs, pressing to coat evenly.
4. Choose your cooking method and cook the schnitzels –
   Shallow-fry: Heat ¼ cup (60 ml) of olive oil over medium–high heat. Cook the schnitzels in batches for 4–5 minutes each side until golden and cooked through. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate and season with extra salt.
   Air fry: Preheat the air fryer to 200°C (400°F). Spray both sides of the schnitzels with olive oil. Cook in batches for 8–10 minutes, flipping halfway, until golden and cooked through.
   Oven-bake: Preheat the oven to 220°C (425°F) (200°C/400°F fan-forced). Bake the schnitzels on a wire rack set over a baking tray for 12–15 minutes or until golden and cooked through. For best results, toast the panko breadcrumbs before crumbing (see note 2).
5. Make the creamy mushroom sauce – Heat the oil in a large, heavy-based frying pan over medium–high heat (if using the same pan you used for the chicken, wipe out any excess crumbs and oil first).
6. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring, for 4–5 minutes until golden and the moisture has evaporated.
7. Add the butter and garlic and cook, stirring, for a further 30 seconds until fragrant.
8. Add the cream, mustard, chicken stock powder and thyme, if using. Cook, uncovered, over medium–low heat, stirring, for 2–3 minutes or until the sauce has thickened.
9. Turn the heat off and stir through the parmesan. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
10. Serve – Serve the chicken schnitzels with a side of creamy mashed potatoes, steamed greens and a generous drizzle of the mushroom sauce on top. Garnish with extra thyme leaves (if using), sea salt flakes and cracked black pepper.

Tiny But Intense Chocolate Cake

 Ingredients:

6 TBS butter (plus more for pan)
4 ounces semisweet chocolate
3 large eggs, separated
1/3 C light brown sugar
1/4 tsp vanilla
1/4 sea salt
Pinch of cinnamon (optional)

To Finish:

1/2 C whipping cream
2 tsp granulated sugar

Preheat your oven to 350. Line a 6-inch round springform pan with a circle of parchment paper. Generously butter sides of pan and parchment round.

In a small saucepan, melt your butter over medium heat, stirring for even cooking. After the butter melts, it will hiss and spatter a bit as the water cooks off, and then fragrant brown bits will form at the bottom of the saucepan. The whole process will take about 3 minutes. Quickly remove from the heat and stir in the chocolate until it is melted and smooth. Cool the chocolate mixture to lukewarm, a process that can be sped up by transferring the mixture from the hot saucepan to a small bowl set in a puddle of cold or ice water. If quick-cooling the chocolate like this, be sure to stir it every minute or two for even cooling. 

With an electric mixer, beat egg yolks, brown sugar, and vanilla together until the mixture thickens and takens on a, frankly, kind-of icky pale-yellow-brown color. Slowly beat in the lukewarm chocolate mixture, and a pretty color will return. The mixture will become very thick but loosen significantly once we add the egg-whites. 

Wipe clean, wash, and dry your electric beater(s), and beat egg whites and salt in a separate bowl until firm peaks form. Add a pinch of cinnamon if using. Stir one-third of egg-white mixture into chocolate mixture. Fold the remaining two-thirds in gently, trying to keep the batter as light as possible. Pour into the prepared pan, and bake in preheated oven for 20-25 minutes, or until it is puffed with a lovely dome on top (which you shouldn't get too attached to), and a tester or skewer comes out clean or with just a couple crumbs attached. 

To Serve

Let cool on rack for 10 minutes--it will immediately begin to sink in the middle--then run a knife around the cake to make sure it's not stuck to the pan, and release the springform sides. Let it cool the rest of the way on its base. Once it's cool, flip out onto a plate or second rack, remove parchment round (if it's stuck) from the bottom, and flip cake back onto a small plate. To serve, beat whipping cream with granulated sugar until soft peaks forms. Dust cake with confectioners' sugar and dollop with whipped cream and berries.