Grilled Thai Chicken Skewers (Recipe 50 of 125)

Photo from My 
Kitchen Escapades

Another Thai marinade! And another delicious marinade. The mistake I made on this one is that I didn't let it marinade long enough. I only did 1.5 hours. I think a longer marinade will really force in the flavor. 

I'll make this one again. Served it along a BIG salad and some sautéed asparagus. Delicious.

Grilled Thai Chicken Skewers
Recipe from My Kitchen Escapades

Serves 4

• 5 large boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into 1 1/2″ pieces
• 1 heaping Tb of peanut butter
• 1/4 c sweet thai chili sauce
• 1/4 c rice wine vinegar
• 1/4 c soy sauce
• 1/3 c lime juice
• 3 large garlic cloves, minced
• 2 T honey or agave
• 2 T sesame oil
• 2 T fish sauce
• 2 T sriracha
• chopped cilantro and lime wedges for finished dish

Mix together all the ingredients and let the chicken marinade for 3-4 hours.

Preheat your grill to medium-high and put the chicken pieces on skewers. Place the skewers on the hot grill and grill for 5-7 minutes, flip and then cook for about another 5 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through. Serve with a generous squeeze of lime juice and fresh cilantro sprinkled over the top.

Chicken Taco Poblano Rice Bowls (Recipe 49 of 125)

When I go to Chipotle or Qdoba I order the bowls. I like doing bowls instead of trying to deal with a burrito. They just seem simpler.

This kind of recipe I find super easy when I'm doing meal prep. Making enough for 4 meals and then popping them in prep containers ready for lunches throughout the week. 

If you didn't want to do rice, this mix could easily be put in a tortilla and made into a burrito if you felt inclined. Also would be easy to swap the rice with cauliflower rice.

Chicken Taco Poblano Rice Bowls

Recipe from SkinnyTaste

Serves 4

• 1 1/4 pounds organic boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut 1/2 inch cubes, from 3 small
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1 medium red onion, peeled and diced
• 1/4 c cilantro, minced plus more for garnish
• 1 poblano pepper, seeded and diced
• 1 roma tomato, cored and diced
• 1 lime, halved
• taco seasoning, see below
• kosher salt
• 1 c frozen or fresh corn kernels
• 3 c cooked brown rice, heated (use cauliflower rice for low-carb)
• 1/4 c cheddar-jack cheese
• 1/4 c 2% sour cream or Greek yogurt, optional

Taco seasoning:

• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp chili powder
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp oregano

Dice the chicken into small pieces. Combine taco seasoning in a small bowl and set aside.

To make the pico de gallo, set 3 tablespoons of the diced onion aside and place it in a bowl with tomato, cilantro, 2 teaspoons lime juice, 1/4 teaspoon salt. Set aside.

Add oil to a large skillet over medium-high heat. When hot, add the chicken and cook until it starts to brown, 2 to 3 minutes.

Add the remaining onion, poblano pepper and taco seasoning to the skillet and cook until it softens, 2 to 3 minutes. Add 1/2 cup water and corn. Cook 1 to 2 minutes then remove from heat.

Divide rice in 4 bowls, top with chicken, cheese, pico de gallo and optional sour cream.

Easy Sirloin Skillet with Vegetables (Recipe 48 of 125)

Photo from Sweet C Designs

After a weekend of eating restaurant food, it was nice to get back into the kitchen.

This recipe ... so easy and so good. I'm a big fan of McCormick's Montreal Steak seasoning. I put it on veggies, beef, anything really. 

It's only now that I'm reviewing the recipe that I realized I forgot the onion. It'd be so much better with an onion. I served it with a side of broccoli, nothing fancy. It'd be fantastic on bread. 

Easy Sirloin Skillet with Vegetables

Recipe from Sweetcsdesigns.com

Serves 4

• 2 T olive oil
• 1 1/2 lb top sirloin, thinly sliced
• 1 white onion, skin removed, halved, and sliced into thin strips
• 1 zucchini, sliced into thin half rounds
• 8 oz cremini mushrooms, cleaned and sliced thin
• 2 tsp pepper, freshly cracked
• 1 T montreal steak seasoning

Heat large pan or skillet on high until hot to the touch.

Add olive oil to pan and swirl until thin and shimmery, about 30 seconds.

Add sliced sirloin to pan, making sure to not stack on top of itself or in big clumps - don't crowd together.

Let sliced sirloin brown, then stir to flip and brown on other side - about 1-2 minutes per side.

Add onions to pan, let cook until softened, another 3 minutes.

Add zucchini, mushrooms, and seasonings and continue to cook until vegetables are softened and lightly browned, about 3-4 minutes.

When vegetables are lightly browned, remove from heat and serve immediately in a sandwich, over rice or cauliflower rice, with vegetables, or on a plate and enjoy!

Beef with Snow Peas (Recipe 47 of 125)

Photo from The Pioneer Woman

I'm a big fan of beef with broccoli. But after a while I get tired of broccoli, so I start looking for something else. I found this recipe and knew it was on I had to try. 

First, I love The Pioneer Woman. Her recipes always make me smile.  Second, this recipe came together in a snap.

Third, I need to eat more snow peas. They really are great. 

What I would do different? I wouldn't use as much cornstarch. It made the sauce VERY thick. I like a little more "saucy" with my sauce.  You also don't need to double the sauce. It makes plenty. 

I'd for sure use low-sodium soy sauce. I didn't have low sodium so I mixed 1/4c soy sauce and 1/2 c water. If not it'll be too salty.

Beef with Snow Peas

Recipe from Pioneer Woman

Serves 4

• 1-1/2 pound Flank Steak, Trimmed Of Fat And Sliced Very Thin Against The Grain
• 1/2 c Low Sodium Soy Sauce
• 3 T Sherry Or Cooking Sherry
• 2 T Brown Sugar
• 2 T Cornstarch
• 1 T Minced Fresh Ginger
• 8 ounces, weight Fresh Snow Peas, Ends Trimmed
• 5 whole Scallions, Cut Into Haf-inch Pieces On The Diagonal
• Salt As Needed (use Sparingly)
• 3 T Peanut Or Olive Oil
• Crushed Red Pepper, For Sprinkling
• Jasmine Or Long Grain Rice, Cooked According To Package

In a bowl, mix together soy sauce, sherry, brown sugar, cornstarch, and ginger. Pour half the liquid over the sliced meat in a bowl and toss with hands. Reserve the other half of the liquid. Set aside.

Heat oil in a heavy skillet (iron is best) or wok over high heat. Add snow peas and stir for 45 seconds. Remove to a separate plate. Set aside.

Allow pan to get very hot again. With tongs, add half the meat mixture, leaving most of the marinade still in the bowl. Add half the scallions. Spread out meat as you add it to pan, but do not stir for a good minute. (You want the meat to get as brown as possible in as short amount a time as possible.) Turn meat to the other side and cook for another 30 seconds. Remove to a clean plate.

Repeat with other half of meat, allowing pan to get very hot again first. After turning it, add the first plateful of meat, the rest of the marinade, and the snow peas. Stir over high heat for 30 seconds, then turn off heat. Check seasonings and add salt only if it needs it. Mixture will thicken as it sits.

Serve immediately over rice. Sprinkle crushed red pepper over the top to give it some spice.

Chocolate Chip Loaf (Recipe 46 of 125)

Photo from Love From the Oven

I am not a huge fan of baking. I can cook until the cows come home, but baking requires measuring and conciseness. I like to just "wing" it mostly. But every now and then a recipe comes along that I'm willing to be precise with. This was one of those recipes. 

This will be breakfast for the week and I may freeze half to take with me on a little weekend trip coming up....assuming I don't eat it all. This tangy loaf has sweet and tangy going on thanks to the buttermilk.  It doesn't require any additional butter on top either. Just eat it as is. 

Chocolate Chip Loaf
Lovefromtheoven.com

Serves 10

• 2 c all purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 6 t butter softened
• 2/3 c sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 c buttermilk
• 1/2 c chocolate chips I prefer minis

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a bowl, combine flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

In a separate bowl using your mixer, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add in vanilla. Mix well.

Add half the dry mixture to the wet mixture and stir until just combined. Add half the buttermilk and stir until just combined. Repeat with remaining ingredients. Do not over mix, you just want to make sure the dry and wet ingredients are combined. Fold in chocolate chips.

Spoon batter into a 9x5 loaf pan that has been coated with non-stick spray.

Bake for approximately 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out almost clean . Remove from oven and allow to cool on a wire cooling rack . Remove from pan and enjoy!

Baked Pork Chops (Recipe 45 of 125)

If you're playing along at home, there are approximately 40 weeks left this year. That's 2 new recipes a week. I have NO doubt I'll hit and pass the goal of 125. My original goal thought was 150 - so we'll call that a stretch goal. I did 135 ish last year. 

Anyhow, every now and then I come across a recipe that I don't like to count as a "recipe" because it seems so simple. I'm still counting it though. 

I choose to not bake the pork chops. I feel like the grill makes a much better tasting piece of meat and I don't think baking makes a bit of difference in the flavor. I'm using a gas grill, so there's no "grill" flavor really. 

The most exciting thing about this recipe is I actually was patient enough to do the indirect heat on the chops so I could baste them and not overcook them. I still slightly overcooked them but they were still juicy and delicious. Look at those grill marks! 

This recipe was good and easy. It could easily be a go to for BBQ chops.

Baked Pork Chops
Recipe from Cafedelites.com

Serves 4

MARINADE

• 3 T Bbq sauce
• 1 T low sodium soy sauce
• 1 T olive oil
• 2 tsp packed brown sugar
• 2 tsp balsamic vinegar
• 1 tsp Worcestershire Sauce
• 1 tsp minced garlic
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp pinch cayenne pepper)

PORK CHOPS

• 4 pork chops or cutlets, around 7-8oz each (bone in or boneless)
• 1/2 tsp each garlic powder, onion powder and paprika
• Seasoning salt and cracked black pepper, to season

Move oven shelf is about 8-inches from the top heat element. Preheat oven to 430°F for standard oven, or 390°F for fan forced/convection. [Jenn note: Or just heat up the grill]

Lightly grease a baking sheet/tray with oil. Line with foil or parchment paper, set aside.

Combine together BBQ sauce, soy sauce, olive oil, brown sugar, balsamic vinegar, Worcestershire Sauce, minced garlic, salt and cayenne pepper in a bowl, Mix well, set aside.

Rub pork chops with salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder and paprika. Arrange chops onto prepared baking sheet.

Take two-thirds of the marinade to slather each chop generously all over. Reserve the rest for basting later.

Bake for 15 minutes. Remove from oven. Flip pork over and baste each chop with the reserved marinade, brushing all over to evenly coat (or spread using the back of a spoon).

Change oven setting to broil (grill) on medium-high heat setting. Broil until edges are caramelized, about 7-10 minutes (please make sure oven shelf is about 8-inches/20cm from the top heat element).

Remove from oven. Flip once more and baste all over with the pan juices. Return to broiler for a further 1-3 minutes until nice and golden.

To serve, brush all pan juices back onto the pork. Season with a little extra cracked black pepper and garnish with parsley or fresh herbs of choice.

Jenn Note: If you choose to grill, I had the grill at 400F - all burners - and seared one side for about 2 minutes. Turned off one of the burners (my grill has two). Flipped and moved the chops to the side without the heat. Slathered them with BBQ sauce. Turned the other burner down to about 300. Flipped and glazed every five minutes or so. Last flip I turned up the heat to caramelize the BBQ sauce a bit.

Spanish Rice Dinner (Recipe 44 of 125)

This recipe sounded better than it was. I mean it was a good recipe, but I had Spanish rice in my head and this wasn't really Spanish rice to me. 

The green beans threw me in this recipe. In fact it threw me so much I ate the green beans earlier in the week because I couldn't figure out why I bought them. Green beans do not go in Spanish rice. 

This is a meal that would feed a family for sure. It's hearty. I won't likely ever make it again though. It wasn't good enough to make it to the recipe hit parade. 

Spanish Rice Dinner

Recipe from Tasteofhome.com

Serves 4

1 pound ground beef

1-1/2 cups cooked long grain rice

1 can (14-1/2 ounces) stewed tomatoes

1 can (14-1/2 ounces) cut green beans, drained

1 T dried minced onion

1 T sugar

1 tsp salt

1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

1/2 tsp ground mustard

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1/8 tsp pepper

1/8 tsp hot pepper sauce

Precook your rice.

While the rice is cooking, in a large skillet, cook beef over medium heat until no longer pink; drain.

Stir in the remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 5-10 minutes or until heated through.

Creamy Orecchiette with Spinach and Prosciutto (Recipe 43 of 125)

Tonight was another "virtual" dinners with friends Paul and Suzanna. You remember right? Where we send each other one of our favorite recipes. We make the recipe then FaceTime and have dinner. It's always fun and we always end up talking for at least a couple of hours. 

Tonight Paul made my the Brown Sugar Bourbon Steak Tips. It sounded like a success for him. His recipe to me was this yummy, creamy, pasta-y goodness. 

First let me say, I RARELY like cooked spinach. I've learned, though, if I chop the spinach up (like julienne it) then I'm ok with it cooked. Less slimey. 

The other is I accidentally bought pancetta instead of prosciutto. Turns out pancetta was just fine. This could be a very versatile recipe. Paul, for example, does cheese tortellini instead of orecchiette. That would be brilliant in this recipe.

I will make this recipe again. In fact, I may make it for people! Like family or the Pantry Goat. 

The big surprise in this recipe, to me, was the lemon zest. That little tsp of lemon zest adds a nice back ground lemon flavor that is so refreshing.

Creamy Orecchiette with Spinach and Prosciutto
Recipe from FineDining (and from my friend Paul)

Serves 4 

Kosher salt

3/4 lb. dried orecchiette or medium shells

8 oz. baby spinach leaves (about 8 lightly packed cups)

1/2 c mascarpone

2 oz. coarsely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (about 1 cup using a box grater)

1 tsp finely grated lemon zest

2 oz prosciutto (about 4 thin slices), coarsely chopped

Freshly ground black pepper

Bring a 6- to 8-quart pot of well-salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook according to package directions until al dente. Gently stir in the spinach and cook until wilted, a few seconds. Reserve 1/4 cup of the cooking water and drain the pasta and spinach.

Return the pot to the stove over low heat, add the mascarpone, Parmigiano, and lemon zest and cook until the mascarpone has melted, about 1 minute. Add the pasta, spinach, reserved pasta water, and the prosciutto and toss gently. Season to taste with pepper and serve.

Coconut Curry Chicken Meatballs (Recipe 42 of 125)

Photo from A Saucy
Kitchen

As I was cooking this tonight I couldn't help but wonder if I shouldn't do a week of "Cooking Around
the World" in which each day is a different country. It could be an interesting adventure. 

Tonight was all about Indian. This was a solid dish. Flavorful and filling. Ground chicken is a nice switch up for a protein. I don't use it too often and I should use it more. It makes a nice meatball. 

The combination of lime, coconut, and curry make this dish extra yummy to me. It made about 12 meatballs for me. I served myself up 4 and it was just the right amount. You could totally get away with 3 per person. 

Coconut Curry Chicken Meatballs
Recipe from Asaucykitchen.com

Serves 4

MEATBALLS

1 pound ground chicken or turkey 

3 whole spring onions, finely chopped

1 green chili pepper, deseeded and chopped

1 tsp minced garlic

1 T coconut aminos (I didn't have aminos so I used soy sauce)

3/4 tsp salt (omit if using soy sauce)

CURRY

2 T coconut oil

1 medium white onion, chopped

1 T minced ginger

1 T minced garlic

1 red bell pepper, deseeded and cut into slices

3 T red curry paste

1 T curry powder

1 14 ounce can unsweetened full fat coconut milk

1 c chicken stock

2 T lime juice

1 large handful spinach (I -um - left this out. I am not a fan of cooked spinach)

MEATBALLS

Preheat oven to 400°F/200°C.

In a bowl combine all of your meatball ingredients. Mix well and form into tablespoon sized balls. You should end up with about 20 meatballs.

Place balls on lined baking sheet and bake for 18 minutes.

CURRY

While the meatballs are baking, melt the coconut oil in a large skillet over a medium heat on the stove. Add the onion and cook for 4-5 minutes to soften.

Add the garlic, ginger and red pepper and cook another 2-3 minutes. Stir in the curry powder and curry paste. Cook 1 minute.

Add the coconut milk and chicken stock. Stir and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat slightly and simmer. Let simmer for about 10 minutes or until the mixture begins to thicken and reduces down in volume.

Stir in meatballs. Cook another 5 minutes or until the curry sauce has reduced down to your preference. The longer it cooks the thicker the sauce.

Add the spinach and lime juice to the skillet. Stir and let the spinach wilt. Taste and season with salt if needed.

Serve over rice or cauliflower rice and enjoy.

Beer and Honey BBQ Chicken Skewers (Recipe 41 of 125)

Photo from Jo Cooks

This is a keeper...definitely a keeper. Only, I missed a major ingredient, Dijon mustard. Oops. Without it this marinade was fantastic. With it, it'll be even better. 

I will make this again. No doubt about it. I marinated the chicken for 3 hours. I'd do more next time for sure.

So do yourself a favor and make this. 

Beer and Honey BBQ Chicken Skewers

Recipe from Jo Cooks

Serves 4

• 1 1/2 lb chicken breasts boneless and skinless, cut into small cubes
• Marinade
• 3 cloves garlic minced
• 3/4 c beer
• 1/3 c honey
• 1 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• 1/4 c soy sauce low sodium
• 1 T olive oil
• Garnish
• 2 T cilantro chopped

Cut chicken in small pieces, about 1 1/2 inch cubes.

In a medium bowl whisk all the marinade ingredients together. Add chicken, there should be enough marinade to cover the chicken. Cover with plastic wrap and place in fridge. Let it marinate for at least 2 hours to 24 hours.

Fire up the grill.

Thread chicken on skewers, about 5 pieces per skewer. Do not throw away the leftover marinade.

Place chicken skewers on grill and turn every couple minutes or so, at the same time brushing some of the leftover marinade over the chicken, if preferred. Grill until chicken is cooked through.

Garnish with cilantro and serve.

The Best Chicken Tikka Masala (Recipe 40 of 125)

Photo from The Food Network

When you put the words "the best" in the title of a recipe, you'd better bring it. This recipe done brung
it!

Tikka Masala is one of my favorite Indian dishes. I don't LOVE Indian food, but there are a couple items I do love and this is one. It's a bit spice, super flavorful from the garam masala, and oh so delicious. 

I can't figure out how Indian restaurants can get the sauce cream and smooth. Maybe then blend it for a thousand years. Either way, mine had a bit texture to the sauce. It was fan-freaking-tastic so it didn't matter. I will figure out the secret though. 

Did I mention this was spicy? See what happened was, one of the ingredients I couldn't find anywhere; Kashmiri red chili powder. I googled what you can use as a substitution and Sweet Paprika and cayenne works in a pinch. I think I might have miscalculated how much cayenne should be used. No matter...it was so good. 

It'll be a repeat in this house for sure. Don't be scared away from the ingredient list or the instructions. I promise you it's easy. You do need to plan though so you can marinade the chicken (I marinated it for 3 hours.)

The Best Chicken Tikka Masala
Recipe from The Food Network

Serves 6

Chicken Marinade:

1 1/4 c whole milk yogurt

1 T finely grated ginger

4 tsp kosher salt

1 tsp Kashmiri red chili powder (or Combine sweet smoked paprika with a little cayenne for heat)

1 tsp garam masala

1 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1/2 tsp ground turmeric

2 cloves garlic, finely grated

8 boneless skinless chicken thighs (about 2 1/2 pounds)

Sauce:

4 T ghee (I used regular butter here.)

1 large onion, sliced

2 serrano chiles, stemmed, seeded and chopped

Kosher salt

1 T finely grated ginger

4 cloves garlic, finely grated

2 tsp dried whole fenugreek leaves (Another ingredient I couldn't find and so ignored entirely)

2 tsp garam masala

1 tsp Kashmiri red chili powder

1 tsp Hungarian paprika

One 28-ounce can whole peeled tomatoes

1/4 c heavy cream

Chopped cilantro leaves and tender stems, for serving

Basmati rice, for serving

Naan, for serving

For the chicken marinade: Whisk together the yogurt, ginger, salt, chili powder, garam masala, pepper, turmeric and garlic in a large bowl until combined. Toss the chicken in the spiced yogurt marinade until evenly coated. Wrap tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 3 hours and up to 24. (Overnight works best.)

For the sauce: Melt the ghee in a large Dutch oven or wide heavy pot over medium heat. Add the onions and serrano, season with 1 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are golden and beginning to caramelize, 8 to 10 minutes. Add the ginger and garlic and cook, stirring, until very fragrant and the ginger starts to turn golden and sticks to the bottom of the pot, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the fenugreek leaves, garam masala, chili powder and paprika and cook, stirring occasionally, until very fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the tomatoes, breaking them up into pieces with a spoon, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the sauce has reduced by half and the tomatoes are very tender, about 30 minutes.

Let the hot sauce cool for about 5 minutes or so, then transfer it to a blender filling no more than halfway. (If your blender is small, you may need to work in batches.) Remove the center cap from the lid and place it on the blender. Cover the lid with a kitchen towel to catch splatters, and pulse until smooth. Add 1/4 cup heavy cream and puree until creamy. Pour into a clean pot and bring to a simmer. Season with salt.

Meanwhile, position a rack directly under the broiler and preheat to high. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil and set a wire rack inside.

Arrange the chicken in a single layer on the rack. Broil until the chicken starts to brown in spots, 3 to 6 minutes per side (it will not be cooked through). Remove from the broiler. When cool enough to handle, cut the chicken into 1-inch pieces. Add the chicken to the simmering sauce, cover and cook until the chicken is cooked through, 8 to 10 minutes.

Top the chicken and sauce with cilantro. Serve with rice and naan.

Cheesy Garlic Bread (Recipe 39 of 125)

Who doesn't love cheesy garlic bread? I mean bread, garlic and cheese! Yum.
 

I made this to go alongside the Clean out the fridge veggie soup. It was not overwhelming or overly cheesy. It's a good "go to" cheesy garlic bread.

Cheesy Garlic Bread

Recipe from Cuisine at Home

1/2 c packed parsley leaves

2 T butter, softened

2 T olive oil

2 T shredded Parmesan cheese

1 clove garlic

salt and pepper

1 baguette, halved lengthwise

Preheat broiler to high.

Puree parsley, butter, oil, parmesan, garlic, salt and pepper in a mini food processor until smooth. 

Spread over cut sides of bread and broil until golden brown.

Clean-Out-The-Fridge Vegetable Stew (Recipe 38 of 125)

This recipe confused me. It says it's a vegetable soup, but ground beef was on the list of ingredients. After reading the REAL recipe on their website I see why it says ground beef. The real recipe calls for "meatless crumbles". I'm 100% positive I said no thank you to meatless crumbles and swapped it with ground beef. 

Ahem. 

Here's the thing, this recipe was SPOT on. It was a great vegetable soup that will definitely be a keeper. It's simple and flavorful. A couple of thoughts:

1. You don't need the meatless crumbles or ground beef. Just the vegetable side would be filling.

2. I didn't add the potatoes. It felt like there was enough in the soup already. 

3. I used full salt vegetable broth. Doing that I didn't need to add much more salt to the recipe. 

4. I also didn't put in the mushrooms. Two reasons: 1 - I didn't have any and 2 - I don't like mushrooms in veggie soup. 

Clean-Out-The-Fridge Vegetable Stew
Recipe from Eating Well

Serves 6

3 T unsalted butter

1 ½ c chopped yellow onion (from 1 medium onion)

2 medium carrots, cut diagonally into 1 1/2-inch pieces (1 1/2 cups)

3 large garlic cloves, smashed

1 c chopped portobello mushrooms

1 c sliced celery (from 2 large stalks)

4 (15 ounce) cans no-salt-added fire-roasted diced tomatoes

2 c unsalted vegetable stock

1 ½ c thawed frozen corn

6 ounces baby Yukon Gold potatoes (about 8 potatoes), halved

2 c thawed frozen meatless beef crumble

1 c thawed frozen cut green beans

¾ c thawed frozen sweet peas

1 tsp kosher salt

½ tsp black pepper

Melt butter in a large, heavy pot over medium-high. 

Add onion, carrots and garlic; cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is tender, about 4 minutes. 

Add mushroom and celery; cook, stirring occasionally, until mushroom starts to soften, about 4 minutes. 

Add tomatoes, stock, corn and potatoes; bring to a boil over high, stirring occasionally. 

Reduce heat to medium-low; cover and simmer until potatoes are almost tender, about 15 minutes. 

Stir in meatless crumbles, green beans, peas, salt and pepper; cover and cook until potatoes are tender, about 5 minutes.

Cooking with ground beef:

I started the veggies in a pan (onions, celery and carrots) sautéing for just a couple of minutes. Then I added the beef and browned it. After that I added everything else.

Thai-Style Chicken Stir-Fry (Recipe 37 of 125)

This is an OLD recipe. On MyRecipes' site it has the date as 2004. That's how long I've had it in my recipe book. It amazes me that I've never made it. Or if I have I have no memory of it - so that counts as new too right? 

This is just a meh recipe. The flavors are good, but boring to me. 

Adjustments: Since I'm not a fan of red bell peppers, I had some shredded carrots and some cabbage left over from another recipe so I tossed them in as well. 

Thai-Style Chicken Stir-Fry
Recipe from MyRecipes

Serves 4

• 1 1/2 T fish sauce
• 1 T low-sodium soy sauce
• 1 T bottled minced fresh ginger
• 3 T fresh lime juice, divided
• 1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 1 T canola oil
• 2 c (1/4-inch-thick) slices zucchini
• 1 c (1/2-inch-thick) slices onion
• 1 c (1/4-inch-thick) slices red bell pepper
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 jalapeño peppers, seeded and minced
• 1/4 c thinly sliced fresh basil
• 1/4 c minced fresh cilantro
• 1/4 c chopped green onions

Combine first 3 ingredients in a large zip-top plastic bag; add 1 1/2 tablespoons lime juice. Add chicken; seal and marinate in refrigerator 25 minutes. Remove chicken from bag, reserving marinade.

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken; stir-fry 2 minutes or until chicken begins to brown. Add zucchini and next 4 ingredients (through jalapeños); stir-fry 5 minutes or until chicken is done. Add reserved marinade, and cook 1 minute. Remove from heat; stir in 1 1/2 tablespoons lime juice, basil, cilantro, and green onions.

Seared Steak with Roasted Mushrooms and Spinach Salad (Recipe 36 of 125)

Note: Turn on your oven! Wait. Cancel that.

Note: Read your recipe, then turn on your oven. 

I didn't read the recipe and therefore didn't roast my mushrooms. I sauted them instead with a little balsamic and garlic. Sooo good. 

Overall this recipe was just ok. There's nothing special about it other than it's what I call a "full menu meal". Meaning it has your entire menu for the meal in one recipe. 

Seared Steak with Roasted Mushrooms and Spinach Salad
Recipe from Martha Stewart

Serves 4

1 pounds white mushrooms, trimmed and quartered 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

5 T olive oil Coarse salt and ground pepper

1 T paprika 1 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 tsp red-pepper flakes

1 flank steaks

2 T balsamic vinegar

10 ounces baby spinach

Preheat oven to 475 degrees, with racks in upper and lower thirds. Divide mushrooms, garlic, and 1 tablespoon oil between two large rimmed baking sheets; season with salt and pepper, and toss. Roast, tossing occasionally, until mushrooms are tender and browned, 15 to 20 minutes. Set aside.

In a small bowl, combine paprika, oregano, red-pepper flakes, and 2 teaspoons salt. Rub steaks with 1 tablespoon oil, then spice mixture.

In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium-high. Sear steaks in two batches, 5 to 7 minutes per side for medium-rare (lower heat if skillet gets too dark). Tent remaining steak with aluminum foil to keep warm.

In a large bowl, whisk together vinegar and remaining 2 tablespoons oil; season with salt and pepper. Add spinach; toss to combine. Thinly slice steak against the grain; serve with mushrooms and spinach salad.

Crunchy Chinese Chicken Salad with Wonton Chips (Recipe 35 of 125)

I have a favorite Asian chicken recipe and it's hard for me to not compare any new on to it. This one compares very well. 

This recipe was refreshing and super easy to make. I didn't make my own wonton chips. I mean why when you can buy them. 

The Sister-In-Law was over and enjoyed this salad. It's one of those recipes that simply satisfied. All the flavors came together real nicely. 

This on is a keeper for me for sure. 

Crunchy Chinese Chicken Salad with Wonton Chips
Recipe from MyRecipes

Serves 4

Dressing:

1/4 c canola oil

1/4  c fresh lime juice

3 T dark sesame oil

2 T creamy peanut butter

2 T brown sugar

1/2 tsp kosher salt

2 green onions, cut into 2-inch pieces

1 garlic clove, peeled

Chicken:

2 (6-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

1/4 tsp kosher salt

1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1 T grated peeled fresh ginger

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/4 c finely chopped green onions (about 2 onions)

Cooking spray

Chips:

6 wonton wrappers

1/4 tsp kosher salt

Remaining ingredients:

2 c thinly sliced napa (Chinese) cabbage

1 c thinly sliced red cabbage

2 c thinly sliced romaine lettuce

1 c matchstick-cut carrots

1/2 c coarsely chopped whole natural almonds, toasted

1/3 c thinly sliced green onions (about 3 onions)

To prepare dressing, place first 8 ingredients in a blender; process until smooth. Cover and chill up to 3 days.

Preheat oven to 350°.

To prepare chicken, sprinkle with salt and pepper; rub ginger, garlic, and 1/4 cup green onions over chicken. Place in an 11 x 7–inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 26 to 28 minutes or until chicken is done. Cool slightly, and cut crosswise into 1/4-inch slices.

 Preheat broiler.

To prepare chips, stack wonton wrappers. Cut wrappers diagonally into quarters to form triangles; place in a single layer on a large baking sheet. Coat quarters with cooking spray, and sprinkle evenly with 1/4 teaspoon salt. Broil 30 seconds to 1 minute or until browned. (Watch closely to prevent burning.)

Place chicken, cabbages, and remaining ingredients in a large bowl. Drizzle with dressing; toss gently. Divide salad evenly among 6 plates. Serve with chips.

Tips: For quick and easy prep, place the cabbage and veggies in a bowl and make the dressing in the morning. Then, cook the chicken and chips right before dinner. If you're in a pinch, you can use leftover shredded chicken from Simplest Roast Chicken Ever. If you'd like to make this salad completely gluten free, simply omit the wonton chips.

Peasant Bolognese (Recipe 34 of 125)

This is one of the recipes the Pantry Goat picked when she was over the other day. Since she benefits from my cooking I thought it'd be fun for her to pick a few. I did point out to her she should pick ones that would have lots of leftovers. And so this one was picked. 

This was an interesting twist on Bolognese. The chili powder and chorizo made it feel more like chili than Bolognese. All I could think was how good it'd be with beans. 

I'd make this one again for sure - but with beans as chili. 

I also didn't read the recipe right and didn't use slices of chorizo. I got the ground chorizo and I think that made this better.

Peasant Bolognese

The Pasta Cookbook

Serves 4

• 1 T olive oil
• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1 T Worcestershire sauce
• 2 T flour
• 2/3 c beef broth
• 4 chorizo sausage, sliced
• 7oz canned tomatoes
• 1 T chopped basil
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Cooked spaghetti

Heat the oil in a skillet and cook ground beef thoroughly. Add the onion and chili powder and cook for 3 more minutes. 

Stir in the Worcestershire sauce and flour into the pan, making sure it's combined well. Continue to cook for 1 minute, then pour in the beef broth. 

Slice the chorizo sausage and stir into the sauce with the tomatoes and chopped basil. 

Season with salt and pepper. Bring sauce to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes. 

Serve with spaghetti.