One Pot Cauliflower Chicken

Ingredients

• 2-3 lb. chicken thighs, boneless and skinless
• 2-3 tablespoon paprika
• 2 tablespoon whole cumin
• 1 tablespoon ground coriander
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded
• 2 lemons, juiced
• 5 sprigs of fresh thyme
• 8oz spinach (or arugula or 1 bunch chopped kale)
• 1 cup chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 1 head cauliflower, cut into small florets (can add stems cut into batons)
• 8oz mushrooms, sliced
• 4oz artichoke hearts

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 425F.
2. Season chicken liberally with paprika, salt and pepper.
3. Melt 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large dutch oven over medium high heat
4. Add chicken, top side down, and sear both sides until golden brown, about 2-3 minutes per side.
5. Remove the chicken and set aside on a separate plate.
6. In the same pan, with the chicken juices, deglaze with 1/2 cup water.
7. Add sliced mushrooms and boil saute until mushrooms have collapsed, then add 2 tablespoons butter and saute until brown, about 5 minutes
8. Add 2tablespoons cumin seeds and toast in the oil along with the mushrooms until fragrant, about 1 minute.
9. Add 1 tablespoon coriander and chopped garlic and briefly saute, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 1 minute.
10. Add diced onion and saute until translucent and slightly browned at the edges, about 5 minutes.
11. Stir in chicken broth, heavy cream, Parmesan, lemon juice, and thyme sprigs. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat. Check seasoning and adjust salt and pepper - should be just overly salty, since the rest of the fresh ingredients going in will be unseasoned.
12. Stir in arugula (or spinach), and simmer until the arugula has wilted and the sauce has slightly thickened, about 3-5 minutes.
13. Add the chickpeas, artichokes and cauliflower; cook for an additional 5 minutes.
14. Return chicken to the skillet, nestling the chicken into the veggies but leave the tops exposed. Optionally, sprinkle additional paprika on top for visual interest.
15. Place the pan in oven and roast until completely cooked through, about 30 minutes.

Adapted from thetoastedpinenut.com (link)

1. Increased to one head of cauliflower, increased greens, increased lemon, increased garlic, added artichoke hearts, onion & mushrooms
2. Swapped olive oil for butter at the chicken browning phase
3. Added cumin and coriander for more complexity
4. Make in a dutch oven, too large for a skillet. Acidity can damages the seasoning in cast iron.

Australian Meatpies!

Filling Ingredients

(Makes 6 large Meat Pies)

• 3 lbs beef roast (chuck, blade, or brisket), cubed
• 4 Tbsp olive oil (halved)
• 2 Tbsp flour
• 1/2 nutmeg kernel
• 2 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp pepper
• 1 Tbsp Vegemite
• 1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 cup chicken stock (optional)
• 1 can chopped tomatoes (12 oz)
• 2 red onions, diced
• 3 celery sticks, diced
• 5 garlic cloves, finely diced
• 8 oz mushrooms, chopped
• 1 cup red wine
• 1/4 cup fresh thyme leaves (1/2 to 1 bunch), finely chopped
• 1 bunch fresh parsley, chopped
• 1 egg yolk, beaten

Shortcrust Ingredients

• 21 oz (4 cups) all purpose flour
• 10 oz (2.5 sticks) butter
• 8 oz (2 cups) cold water

Filling Instructions

1. (If you are making shortcrust, put a metal bowl in the freezer)
2. Heat dutch oven on the stove top over medium heat.
3. Cut meat into 3/4" chunks. In a bowl, mix the meat with 2 Tbps of olive oil, salt, pepper, nutmeg, and flour.
4. Turn stove top up to high and add 2 Tbsp of olive oil to the dutch oven. Once the oil is just beginning to smoke, work in batches to brown the meat. While the meat is browning, dice onions, garlic, and celery and set aside.
5. Near the end of browning, preheat oven to 350 °F.
6. Once all the meat has been browned and removed, add onions and celery to the dutch oven and deglaze. Keep the heat high to remove moisture from the onions and keep everything moving. Sweat the onions until they are translucent and begin to caramelize. 
7. Once the onions are partially caramelized, add garlic and saute for a few minutes.
8. Add red wine, canned tomatoes, chicken stock (if used), Worcestershire, Vegemite, and thyme leaves. Cover and place the dutch oven in the preheated oven for 90 minutes, stirring occasionally.
9. (If you are making shortcrust, start that while the filling is in the oven)
10. After 90 minutes, add 2 Tbsp flour and mushrooms to dutch oven, mix well, and put back in the oven for another hour.
11. Remove from the oven, stir in the parsley, uncover and let stand to cool. Filling can be made days ahead and stored in the fridge. 

Shortcrust Instructions

1. Remove the metal bowl from the freezer and combine flour and butter. Cut the butter into the flour using a biscuit cutter, two forks, or bare hands that have been chilled in cold water. Gently integrate the butter into the flour until it has turned golden and there are no butter chunks larger than a small pea.
2.  Add cold water and gently mix. Press the dough together but do not knead (gluten formation makes it tough!)
3. Roll the shortcrust int a ball, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and place in the refrigerator for at least one hour.

Meat Pie Assembly

Do eet. Get some egg wash on it. Bake at 350 for 40 minutes.

Zucchini Curry Bowls (aka, Basil Chicken Zucchini Curry Bowls)

(Based on Half Baked Harvest Recipe)

Ingredients

• 1 pound raw boneless, skinless chicken, diced*
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 poblano pepper
• 1 red onion
• 2 ears corn, kernels removed from the cob (or about 1 1/2-2 cups frozen corn)
• 2 tablespoon fresh ginger, grated
• 5 cloves garlic, grated or minced
• 1 tablespoon spicy curry powder
• 2-3 tablespoon Thai red curry paste (I used 3)
• 1 (14 ounce) can coconut milk
• 1 cup chicken stock (optional)
• 1  Tablespoon soy sauce
• 1/2 cup each, fresh basil + cilantro, chopped (one bunch each)
• 4 zucchini, spiralized
• 2 peaches, diced
• 1 jalapeño, seeded + diced
• 4 ounces goat cheese, crumbled
• One bunch Broccolini, sliced lengthwise
• 6 to 8 ounces Roasted Cashews

Instructions

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and add 1 tablespoon olive oil. Once hot, add the diced chicken and cook the chicken until browned all over and cooked through, about 5-10 minutes. Remove the chicken from the skillet and place on a plate.

Add another tablespoon olive oil to the skillet. Add the red peppers and corn, cook 3-4 minutes and then toss in the ginger and garlic. Continue cooking the veggies another 5 minutes or until they just begin to soften. Add the chicken back to the skillet and toss everything together. To the skillet add the curry powder and curry paste and give everything another good toss. Cook 1 minute and then add the coconut milk and soy sauce. Stir to combine, bring the mixture to a boil, cook 5 minutes or until the sauce thickens slightly. Remove from the heat and stir in the basil + cilantro. Add the zucchini and toss to combine and heat through.

In a small bowl toss together the peaches and jalapeño.

Divide the curry among bowls. Add a spoonful of the peaches + jalapeno, and a sprinkle of goat cheese. Eat with Naan!

Roasted Cauliflower and Mushroom Carbonara (Egg-less)

Ingredients
1 small head cauliflower, cut into florets
8 ounces mushrooms, halved
1 tablespoon olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
2 large chicken breasts
8 ounces fettuccine (or pasta of choice)
4 ounces diced pancetta or bacon lardons
1 clove garlic, chopped
1/2 cup (2 ounces) parmigiano reggiano (parmesan), grated
1/2 cup Half-and-Half
plenty of fresh cracked black pepper
salt to taste
1 small bunch fresh parsley, chopped

(Optional)
1 large bunch of kale, shredded


Directions
Toss the cauliflower and mushrooms in the oil, salt and pepper, place on a baking sheet in a single layer and roast in a preheated 400F/200C oven until they start to caramelize, about 20-30 minutes, mixing half way through.
Start cooking the pasta as directed on the package.
Cook the pancetta in a large pan. While it renders cut the chicken breasts into cubes, about 3/4 inches in size. When crispy and brown transfer the pancetta to a paper-towel lined plate. Leave the rendered fat in the pan and keep the heat up. Carefully place the chicken breast cubes in the hot pan, season lighting and flip each cube halfway through so you get those brown crispy bits (about 5 minutes each side). When done, transfer the chicken to paper towel lined plate.

Pour off all but a tablespoon of the grease from the pan, add the garlic, cook for 30 second and turn off the heat.
Mix the half-and-half, cheese, pepper and salt and parsley in a bowl.
Drain the cooked pasta reserving some of the water.
Mix the pasta, egg mixture, cauliflower and mushrooms into the pan with the pancetta, adding reserved pasta water as needed.

Note: To speed things up, about 20 minutes into roasting the cauliflower and mushrooms, get your pot of water for the pasta on the stove and start bringing it to a boil.
Option: Replace the parmigiano reggiano with pecorino romano.

Sweet & Spicy Chicken Chard Wraps

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup sweet Thai Chile sauce
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon creamy peanut butter
• 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
• Juice of 1 lime
• 1 teaspoon fish sauce
• 1-2 cloves garlic, minced or grated
• 2 teaspoons fresh ginger, grated
• 2  chicken breasts
• 1 red bell pepper, sliced thin
• 1 red onion, sliced thin
• 1 large bunch of Swiss chard leaves
• 1 pomegranate, seeds (arils) removed
• fresh cilantro + toasted sesame seeds, for serving
• Peanut Ginger Sauce
• 1/3 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce or tamari
• 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
• 2 teaspoons fresh ginger, grated

Instructions

Slice chicken and toss in olive oil. Sear in a skillet on medium-high heat, flipping when the first side is golden brown. Brown second side, remove and set aside on a plate lined with paper towel. Combine the sweet thai chili sauce, soy sauce, peanut butter, pomegranate juice, rice vinegar, lime juice, fish sauce (if using), garlic and ginger in a medium sauce pot. Bring the sauce to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 5-10 minutes or until sauce has thickened slightly. Remove from the stove.

Add the chicken and bell pepper to a bowl and toss with the thai chile sauce. Remove the thick stems from the Swiss char leaves. Spread a tablespoon or so of the peanut ginger sauce (recipe below) down the center of the leaf. Place a spoonful of the chicken mixture in the middle of the leaf. Add a handful of pomegranate arils and sprinkle of cilantro + sesame seeds. Roll up to enclose the filling. Serve the wraps with the peanut ginger sauce for dipping.

!Peanut Ginger Sauce

In a bowl, combine the peanut butter, soy sauce, ginger and rice vinegar. Add 2-4 tablespoons of water to thin the sauce out. Keep any leftovers covered in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.