As I’m writing this post it is cold, rainy and seriously gloomy outside, making it the perfect time to write all about cozy comfort food. This is an easy veggie-packed turkey chili that gets scooped into creamy roasted butternut squash halves. I’m feeling warmer just looking at these photos! I’m kidding, I’m still chilly, but now I’m also hungry.

Of course because I’m me, aka food-obsessed, I still remember the first time I made this dish. I made it for Matt and I in a teeny kitchen; I have no idea how I sliced the butternut squashes in half since our knife was horrible and probably missing the tip. Side note: for best and safest results, make sure you use a good, really sharp, big knife for halving the squashes. It probably took a lot of muscle, cursing, almost cut fingers and help from Matt, but when you’re determined to eat some chili in butternut squash bowls you can make anything happen!

When we sat down to eat it on our tv trays – there was no kitchen table – we were both in love. Then I didn’t make it again until now because my never-ending waiting list of recipes got in the way. Thankfully when I was looking back through my Rachael Ray’s Look + Cook cookbook I stumbled across it and knew I needed to make it again immediately.

My version is a bit different from the original for quite a few reasons, but one in particular is because I’ve added ground turkey instead of keeping the recipe vegetarian. If you do want to eat the meal meatless, skip the ground turkey and instead add in a can of black beans per Rachael’s recipe.

Since there’s a gooey layer of cheese over the top it’s a little difficult to see all the different vegetables packed in there. We have mushrooms, bell pepper, zucchini, corn and onions – and don’t forget the butternut squash! Although I actually just Googled butternut squash and it’s a fruit because of its seeds, but it “is used as a vegetable,” whatever that means. I’ll take that to mean we’re “using it as a vegetable” in this dish so you’re being super healthy and can splurge on dessert, okay? Enjoy!

Autumn Harvest Chili Stuffed Butternut Squash

 

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Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients

• 3 small butternut squash, halved lengthwise and seeded
• 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
• 8 ounces ground turkey
• 8 ounces cremini mushrooms, quartered
• ½ medium onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
• 2 small zucchini, cut into ½” dice
• 2 cups vegetable stock
• 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• Chili powder, see note
• 1 can diced hatch chiles
• 10 ounces frozen corn, or 3 ears of corn on the cob shucked
• 3 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup or honey
• 1 cup shredded yellow cheddar cheese

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
2. Arrange the butternut squash, flesh side facing up, on a large baking sheet. Drizzle the squash halves with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil then season with salt and pepper. Flip the squash over so they’re flesh side down and roast for about 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, carefully turn the squash over and bake for another 15 minutes to brown the edges. If your squash are larger they will need more time to cook to become tender.
3. While the squash is cooking, heat a tablespoon of the olive oil in a large high-sided skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the ground turkey, season with salt and pepper and cook until browned, breaking up in the pan as needed. Remove the cooked turkey from the skillet and set aside.
4. Heat the remaining tablespoon of olive oil. Add the mushrooms, onion and garlic. Season with salt and pepper and cook for about 5 minutes. Then add the bell pepper and zucchini. Season with salt and pepper and cook until the vegetables are tender, about 8 minutes. Turn the heat to medium and add the vegetable stock, smoked paprika, dried oregano, chili powder, can of hatch chiles, corn, tomato paste and maple syrup or honey. Using an immersion blender or a food processor, puree a cup or two of the chili mixture. This helps thicken it. Add the pureed chili back in (if you used a food processor) and add the ground turkey back in. Let cook for 5 more minutes then reduce heat to low until the butternut squash is done.
5. When the butternut squash halves are done roasting and the chili is ready, scoop the chili into the butternut squash. Sprinkle the shredded cheddar over the mounded chili. Broil the filled squashes for 3 minutes to melt the cheese then serve.

Notes

I don’t like spicy food so I only used about ¼ teaspoon of chili powder. The original recipe calls for 2-3 tablespoons of chili powder so use according to your preference.

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Lauren Uncategorized 4 Comments

Did you know that tomorrow is National Taco Day? I have zero idea who decided Thursday, October 4th should be National Taco Day instead of a Tuesday, but maybe they just wanted people to celebrate tacos twice this week instead of stacking the celebrations. It also seems a little odd to have National Taco Day in October instead of some spring or summer date when tacos seem to be more on people’s menus, but I am definitely not complaining. Just curious. I’m especially not complaining because it prompted me to create these outrageous Thai Peanut Chicken Tacos! Spiced chicken thighs are layered inside warm tortillas along with some cabbage, cucumber and carrots before being drizzled with an Asian peanut sauce. The tacos are then topped with chopped peanuts and pickled red onions.

The initial inspiration for doing a Thai flavored taco smothered in peanut sauce came from my favorite burrito chain, Boloco. You might remember them from my New England Harvest Salad post, where I even mentioned their Bangkok Thai burrito. I knew if peanut sauce could work so well in a burrito that it would easily translate to tacos. Even though the easy microwave peanut sauce, similar to the sauce for the Sesame Peanut Noodles with Chicken, is delicious, the real star is the marinated chicken thighs. Lately I’ve been experimenting with spices I’m not as familiar with, such as turmeric and coriander, and Matt and I have surprised ourselves by being really into all the dishes I’ve tried so far. I also have been using chicken breasts for all my recipes for so long that I forgot how succulent and juicy chicken thighs can be.

The chicken only needs to marinate for one hour or it can be left overnight if you want it ready when you come home from work. The spiced chicken thighs get baked in the oven for about 18 minutes and after sampling a bite it was really hard to save all the chicken for the tacos and not dive right in. The seasonings along with the lime juice and zest have such a good balance of citrus, nuttiness and warmth, without being spicy. Unless you want it spicy and then you can certainly kick up the chili powder.

Another element in this recipe that I totally took from Boloco is the pickled red onions. Pickled red onions are sweet, vinegary, crunchy and have a very subtle onion flavor. They’re also bright pink and really amp up most burrito or taco combinations. The recipe here is for quick pickled red onions so all you need to do is heat apple cider vinegar, water, sugar and salt before pouring over the thinly sliced red onions to let them sit for one hour. That’s it! It’s so simple I’m shocked I don’t pile pickled red onions on every dish I make.

All together this taco has a winning combination of savoriness, acidity and sweetness and I am declaring it definitely worthy of being enjoyed on National Taco Day – and all subsequent Taco Tuesdays!

Thai Peanut Chicken Tacos

 

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Yield: 4 servings, 8 mini tacos

Ingredients

for the peanut sauce

• 3 tablespoons lime juice
• ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
• 1½ tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon water
• 1½ teaspoons sesame oil

for the pickled red onions

• ½ cup water
• ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
• 1½ teaspoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ red onion, thinly sliced

for the tacos

• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon lime juice
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1½ teaspoons ground cumin
• 1½ teaspoons ground turmeric
• 1½ teaspoons ground coriander
• ½ teaspoon ground ginger
• ⅛ to ¼ teaspoon chili powder (depending on spice tolerance)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
• Zest from ½ lime
• 1 pound boneless skinless chicken thighs
• 8 6-inch tortillas, warmed
• ½ cup sliced red cabbage
• ½ cup matchstick cut cucumber (see note)
• ½ cup shredded carrot
• ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley or cilantro
• ¼ cup chopped peanuts

Directions

for the peanut sauce

1. Combine the lime juice, peanut butter, soy sauce, water and sesame oil in a small bowl. Microwave for 45 seconds and stir until smooth.

for the pickled red onions

1. Combine the water, apple cider vinegar, sugar and salt in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir until the sugar dissolves then remove from the heat.
2. Place the sliced red onions in a bowl then pour the vinegar mixture over top. Let sit at room temperature for 1 hour.

for the tacos

1. In a container or bowl large enough to hold the marinating chicken, combine the minced garlic, lime juice, olive oil, cumin, turmeric, coriander, ginger, chili powder, salt, black pepper and lime zest. Add the chicken thighs and toss until they’re fully coated. Marinate the chicken for at least one hour (it is safe to marinate for as long as overnight if you would prefer).
2. You can grill or bake the chicken. See the recipe note for grilling instructions. To bake the chicken, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line the baking sheet with nonstick aluminum foil then place the chicken in a single layer. Bake the chicken for 18-20 minutes, or until they reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees F. Let the chicken rest for a couple minutes then slice.
3. Top each warmed tortilla with the sliced chicken, red cabbage, cucumber, carrot, parsley and peanuts, dividing between the 8 tacos. Top each taco with some pickled red onions then drizzle each taco with the peanut sauce.

Notes

To cut the cucumber into matchsticks, first cut off the ends of your cucumber. Then, cut your cucumber in half or thirds if it’s really long so you have two (or three) pieces of cucumber. Then cut each piece into ¼” thick slabs. Stack the slabs and cut them into ¼” thick matchsticks.
To grill the chicken: Heat a grill to medium-high heat. Grill the chicken for 4-5 minutes per side, until they reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees F. If you want to make sure you don’t overcook your chicken, you could grill them until they reach just over 160 degrees F and then allow for some carryover cooking. This is when the chicken continues to cook after it’s been removed from the grill. Temp it after a few minutes and make sure it has risen to 165 degrees F.

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Lauren Uncategorized 2 Comments

I’m back with another delicious family-friendly dinner recipe, courtesy of Rachael Ray’s Look + Cook cookbook. When I was flipping through the cookbook to get to the Pesto Presto Chicken recipe a few weeks ago I kept seeing all these recipes I made from the book when I first got it that were so good. I was suddenly craving all these dishes I hadn’t made in years because I always have a million new recipes on the agenda. I decided these Crispy Baked Chicken Cutlets with an Orange and Arugula Salad needed to be pulled out of the archives immediately so here we are.

I’m so excited I rediscovered this dish because I am always looking for new ways to cook chicken for dinner. This dish has a fresh twist on your classic baked chicken cutlets by including some orange zest in the breadcrumb mixture. The chicken cooks at a high temperature to get super crispy without any frying. One quick tip is to move the cooked chicken cutlets to a wire cooking rack as soon as they are done cooking in the oven so they stay extra crispy until you’re ready to eat them.

Since I tend to cook and photograph during the day when the light is best, Matt and I eat a lot of reheated food for dinner. I was so bummed Matt couldn’t try this dish right when I made it because it definitely lost its crispiness. He still loved it, but this isn’t a dinner you will want to make ahead of time. Which is fine since it’s so quick to make!

I love recipes that are an all-in-one deal so I don’t have to worry about additional side dishes. While the chicken is baking, you make a very simple salad of peppery arugula, juicy orange segments, fresh yellow tomatoes, red onion and a little extra virgin olive oil. Season with some salt and pepper and it’s the perfect fresh accompaniment to the crispy chicken. I especially love the sweetness the oranges bring to the chicken when you get a bite of the two of them together.

I hope you all enjoy this quick and tasty dinner dish!

Crispy Baked Chicken Cutlets with an Orange and Arugula Salad

 

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Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

• ⅔ cup all-purpose flour
• 1 egg, beaten
• ¾ cup panko bread crumbs
• ⅓ cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1½ tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley leaves, divided
• 2 seedless naval oranges
• 2 large boneless skinless chicken breasts, about 1 pound
• 2 yellow tomatoes
• ½ small red onion
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 4 cups baby arugula leaves
• Salt & pepper

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with nonstick aluminum foil or parchment paper and set aside.
2. Set up your breading station with 3 shallow bowls. Place the flour in the first bowl. In the second bowl, add the beaten egg. In the third bowl, combine the panko bread crumbs, the Parmesan, and 1 tablespoon of the chopped parsley. Add zest from 1 of the oranges. Stir to combine.
3. Split the chicken breasts in half lengthwise so that you have 4 chicken cutlets. Season both sides of the chicken cutlet with salt and pepper then coat the cutlet with the flour mixture, shaking off any excess. Dip the flour-coated cutlet into the egg mixture, letting any excess drip off. Then place it in the panko mixture and make sure the cutlet gets completely coated, pressing panko on if necessary. Place on the prepared baking sheet and repeat for the rest of the cutlets.
4. Spray the breaded chicken cutlets with cooking spray then flip them over to spray the other side. Bake for 10 minutes then flip the cutlets over and bake for another 12 minutes, or until they reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees F. When the cutlets are done, place them on a wire cooling rack if you aren’t ready to serve them right away so they stay crispy.
5. While the chicken is baking, make the orange and arugula salad. Peel the oranges, then section and dice them. Seed and dice the tomatoes. Finely chop the red onion. In a medium mixing bowl, stir together the diced oranges, tomatoes, chopped red onion and the remaining ½ tablespoon chopped parsley with the olive oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste. When you’re ready to eat, add the arugula, toss and season with additional salt and pepper if needed.

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Lauren Uncategorized 0 Comments

I don’t know where to start with these Greek Chicken Bowls. I know it’s unusual for me to be at a loss for words when it comes to food, but I think it stems from there not being an interesting or exciting reason as for why I created this dish. There’s no restaurant meal these bowls are based on. The recipe isn’t adapted from some cookbook I like. I wasn’t making them with anyone particular in mind that loves Greek food or anything. I was simply trying to create a healthy lunch I could meal prep for Matt and I that wasn’t anything like any of the dishes I normally make. So that’s how these Greek Chicken Bowls came to be. Super uninteresting and definitely not exciting. But what is exciting is how a healthy meal can be so packed with flavors and textures.

These Greek Chicken Bowls have a few more components than my normal prepped meals, but all the components are so simple that I don’t even mind it. The star of the dish is the marinated chicken. It took me a couple tries to get it right, but the version I landed on imparts plenty of lemon and oregano flavor after the chicken has been baked with only thirty minutes of marinating time.

I also love that I always have all the ingredients right in my pantry or fridge so I can whip this Greek marinated chicken up any day of the week. I like using chicken tenders because they take less time to bake than chicken breasts. They also have more edges to soak up the Greek vinaigrette marinade making for even more flavorful Greek Chicken Bowls.

If you would rather grill your chicken, go for it! The juicy chicken gets served alongside some lemon cous cous, a quick cucumber salad and an easy yogurt mint sauce. I’m lemon obsessed and Greek food is big on lemon flavors so you knew I had to sneak it into multiple components! You could definitely make the chicken on its own and serve with different sides, but if you’re going to make more components than just the chicken I strongly recommend you make all four components. The chicken, cous cous, cucumber salad and yogurt sauce all balance each other and bring unique flavors to the dish creating that perfect bite!

Greek Chicken Bowls

 

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Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

for the chicken

• 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts or tenders
• ¼ cup olive oil
• ¼ cup lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon dried parsley
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

for the cous cous

• ½ cup uncooked cous cous
• 1 tablespoon packed parsley leaves, finely chopped
• Zest from ½ lemon

for the cucumber salad

• 2 cup diced English cucumber, about ⅔ of a large English cucumber
• 1½ tablespoons finely diced red onion
• ½ - 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1½ tablespoons olive oil
• 2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon feta cheese crumbles
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 tomato, for garnish

for the yogurt mint sauce

• 1 container plain nonfat Greek yogurt, about 5.3 ounces
• 2 leaves fresh mint, chopped
• 1 teaspoon honey
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon olive oil

Directions

for the chicken

1. In a shallow bowl or container big enough to fit the chicken, whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, dried oregano, dried parsley, garlic powder, salt and black pepper. Add the chicken and make sure all the pieces get completely coated. Marinate in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
3. When the chicken is done marinating, bake for 30 minutes (22 minutes for tenders) or until they register 165 degrees F with a meat thermometer. Let cool slightly then dice and divide among the 4 containers.

for the cous cous

1. Bring ½ cup water to boil in a small saucepan. Remove the pan from the heat. Add the cous cous and a pinch of salt. Stir then cover, letting sit for 10 minutes. The cous cous should absorb the water and be soft. Fluff with a fork then stir in the lemon zest and chopped parsley. You can add some olive oil if you would like, but I skipped it since I was trying to reduce the amount of oil in the overall dish. Divide the cous cous among the 4 containers.

for the cucumber salad

1. Combine the diced cucumber, diced red onion, minced garlic, olive oil and red wine vinegar in a small bowl. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Divide among the 4 containers then divide the feta cheese between the 4 containers and sprinkle on top of the salad.

for the yogurt mint sauce

1. Combine all the ingredients in a small bowl. Divide among the 4 containers.

Notes

This bowl is meant to be eaten cold because of the cucumber salad and yogurt sauce.

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Lauren Uncategorized 4 Comments

Welcome to the second recipe I made to use up my batch of Basil Pesto! This recipe is adapted from another cookbook I’ve had for a while and really love – Rachel Ray’s Look + Cook. The cookbook has awesome step-by-step photos to 100 different recipes that make my mouth water every time I flip through it.

It seems like people either love or hate Rachel Ray. I love her because all her recipes that I’ve made have come out so good. Matt, on the other hand, can’t stand when she comes on the Food Network and starts saying “EVOO” and “GB” (garbage bowl). Whatever Matt thinks about her acronyms, he is definitely a fan of this dish.

Rachel Ray named it Pesto Presto Chicken in her cookbook, so I kept the title since that’s how I always think of it. My version is chicken breasts stuffed with a pesto goat cheese mixture and topped with tomatoes and a little Parmesan. I know a lot of people don’t like tomatoes for textural reasons so you can certainly leave off the tomatoes if you are not a fan. If you are a fan, they add a fresh and juicy element to the dish that you don’t want to miss!

The first time I made this dish was for my Dad and I. As I’ve mentioned before, my Dad is very picky, especially when it comes to dinner meals. The chicken got rave reviews and he said he would definitely eat it again, which shocked both me and Diane! It’s kind of hard not to like this dish, though. Creamy pesto stuffed inside chicken? Yes, please!

The presto part comes from how quick the dish is to make. The only thing that takes me some time is butterflying and pounding out the chicken breasts so sometimes I will do that the day before so I can just fill and bake them the next night. Pesto Presto Chicken is perfect alongside some pasta or eaten with a side of asparagus or broccoli – yes, I know, my answer to everything! My Dad is my ultimate picky-meter so I guarantee your family will like this dish!

Pesto Presto Chicken

 

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Yield: 4-6 servings

Ingredients

• ⅓ cup pesto
• 4 ounces goat cheese
• 3 tablespoons milk (whatever you have in your fridge is fine)
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• ½ cup Parmesan, divided
• 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 1 tomato
• Cooking spray

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with nonstick aluminum foil or spray with cooking spray. Set aside.
2. In a small mixing bowl, combine the pesto, goat cheese, milk, garlic, Italian seasoning and ¼ cup of the Parmesan. If your goat cheese is too hard to stir, microwave it for 15 seconds or so until soft.
3. Butterfly each chicken breast so it resembles an open book. You do this by using a sharp knife to slice the chicken horizontally, but don’t cut all the way through to the other side because you want to be able to open it like a book. Lay plastic wrap over the butterflied chicken breast then evenly pound with a meat mallet or rolling pin until it’s ¼-inch thick. Place the chicken breast on the prepared baking sheet, still open. Spread ¼ of the prepared pesto mixture on one half of the chicken breast then fold the other half over top of it. Repeat with the remaining 4 chicken breasts.
4. Lay the tomato slices over top of the folded over chicken breasts. Lightly spray with cooking spray. Sprinkle the remaining Parmesan over the tomato slices. Bake for 20 minutes or until they reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees F. If you want more color on the tomatoes and Parmesan on top you could always broil them for 1 minute towards the end of baking.

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Lauren Uncategorized 0 Comments