Corn Dumpling Soup

Ingredients

Soup

1 bone-in chicken breast (about 1 ¼ pounds)

1 small yellow onion, peeled 

1 small carrot

1 stalk celery

1 large clove garlic

¾ teaspoon salt

8 cups water

4 cups diced butternut squash

Dumplings

1 large egg plus 1 egg yolk

¼ cup grated white onion

1 cup fine stone-ground cornmeal

2 tablespoons ghee or unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 cup grated queso blanco or ricotta salata

Chopped fresh parsley or scallion greens for garnish

Instructions

Place chicken, yellow onion, carrot, celery, garlic and salt in a large pot. Add water, cover and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to maintain a simmer and cook, covered, until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the meat without touching bone registers 165°F, about 25 minutes. Allow the chicken to cool in the broth for 10 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a plate. Strain the broth and return it to the pot. 

Meanwhile, to prepare dumplings: Mix egg, egg yolk and onion in a large bowl with a fork. Add cornmeal and stir to combine. Add ghee (or butter) and mash it in with the back of the fork. Add cheese and knead until a smooth dough forms. Cover and let rest for 10 minutes. 

Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil over high heat. Shape the dough into 18 dumplings, about 1 inch in diameter. Reduce heat to a simmer and add half the dumplings. Cook until they rise to the surface, about 4 minutes, then continue to simmer for 5 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer them to a large plate. Repeat with the remaining dumplings. 

Add squash to the broth in the pot. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to maintain a simmer, cover and cook until the squash can be easily pierced with a fork, 10 to 15 minutes. 

Shred the chicken and return to the broth, along with the dumplings. Simmer until the chicken and the dumplings are heated through, about 5 minutes. Serve topped with parsley or scallion greens, if desired.

Escarole, Cannellini Bean and Sausage Soup

 Ingredients

12 ounces dried cannellini beans (about 1 ¾ cups), soaked overnight

6 large eggs

1 cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley

½ cup grated Parmesan cheese

¼ cup all-purpose flour

½ teaspoon salt, divided

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

8 ounces Italian turkey sausage, casings removed

½ medium onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, chopped

4 cups low-sodium chicken broth

1 head escarole, coarsely chopped (10 cups)

¼ teaspoon ground pepper

Lemon wedges for serving

Instructions 

Drain the soaked beans and rinse. Place in a large pot and add water to cover by 2 inches. Bring to a boil over high heat. Adjust heat to maintain a gentle simmer, cover and cook until tender, 1 to 1 1/2 hours. (Alternatively, cook beans in a pressure cooker or slow cooker.) Reserve 2 cups of the cooking liquid and drain the beans.

Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350°F. Line the bottom of a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with parchment paper.

Whisk eggs, parsley, Parmesan, flour and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a large bowl. Pour into the prepared baking dish. Bake until firm, about 15 minutes. Loosen the edges with a spatula. While still warm, invert onto a cutting board. Remove the parchment and cut the frittata into 1/4-inch cubes.

Heat oil in the pot over medium heat. Shape sausage into 3/4-inch balls and add them to the pot. Cook, turning occasionally, until browned all over, about 5 minutes. Add onion and garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until the onion is translucent, 5 to 8 minutes. Stir in broth and the reserved cooking liquid, scraping up any browned bits. Increase heat to high and bring to a boil

Add escarole, the beans and the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper. Return to a boil. Cook until the escarole is just tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Serve the soup topped with the egg “croutons” and with lemon wedges, if desired.

Sausage, Cabbage and Root Vegetable Soup

 Ingredients

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided 

1 pound Italian turkey sausage, mild or spicy, casings removed

1 cup chopped onion

3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

⅛ teaspoon salt

1 Freshly ground pepper to taste

2 medium carrots, diced (1/2 inch)

2 small turnips, peeled and diced (1/2 inch)

1 medium celery root, peeled and diced (1/2 inch)

1 large Yukon Gold potato, peeled and diced (1/2 inch)

10 cups very thinly sliced green cabbage (about 1/2 medium head)

8 cups low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth 

¾ cup dry white wine

1 cup chopped fresh tomato

1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary

1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme

½ cup grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large soup pot over medium-high heat. Add sausage and cook, stirring frequently, until well browned, about 10 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon to a paper towel to drain.

Reduce heat to medium and add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil, onion, garlic, salt and pepper; cook, stirring, until starting to soften, 2 to 3 minutes. Add carrots, turnips, celery root and potato and cook, stirring once or twice, until starting to get tender, 4 to 5 minutes. Add cabbage; cook until starting to wilt, about 2 minutes. Return the sausage to the pot and stir in broth, wine, tomato, rosemary and thyme. Increase heat to high and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to maintain a simmer, cover and cook for 1 hour.

Uncover and simmer for 15 minutes to reduce the broth and intensify the flavor of the soup. Taste and add more pepper if desired. Serve topped with Parmesan.

Chicken and squash soup

 Ingredients

2 teaspoons canola oil

2 leeks, trimmed, chopped and rinsed

1 red bell pepper, chopped 

3 cloves garlic, minced

4 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth

Butternut squash, (1 small to medium), peeled, seeded and cut into 1-inch cubes

2 teaspoons dried thyme

1 ½ teaspoons ground cumin

1 pound turkey cutlets, cut into 1/2-by-2-inch strips

2 cups frozen corn kernels

2 tablespoons lime juice

½ teaspoon crushed red pepper

¼ teaspoon salt

1 Freshly ground pepper, to taste

Instructions

Step 1

Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add leeks and bell pepper; cook, stirring often, until the vegetables begin to soften, 3 to 4 minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring, for 1 minute more. Stir in broth, squash, thyme and cumin; cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook until the vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes.

Step 2

Add turkey and corn; return to a simmer and cook until the turkey is just cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes. Add lime juice and crushed red pepper. Season with salt and pepper.

Thai chicken curry casserole

 Ingredients

¼  cup Thai red curry paste or whichever color you prefer, use only 2 tablespoons if you’ve got a spicy Thai paste and you want it more mild

1 14-ounce can full-fat coconut milk

1 tablespoons Red Boat fish sauce

1 tablespoon coconut aminos

1½ teaspoon Diamond Crystal brand kosher salt  use ¾ teaspoon salt if using Morton’s kosher salt or fine grain salt

1½ pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs, trimmed of excess fat and thinly sliced

1 small yellow onion thinly sliced

3 large carrots peeled and cut into ¼-inch slices

1 pound broccoli florets

Juice from 1 lime

½ cup fresh basil leaves

¼ cup fresh cilantro leaves

Preheat the oven to 400°F with the rack in the middle position. Prep the ingredients as the oven heats up.

In a large bowl, combine the curry paste, coconut milk, fish sauce, coconut aminos, and kosher salt. Whisk well.

Add the sliced chicken, and the onion, carrots, broccoli, and bell pepper. Toss well.

Transfer the contents to a 9-inch by 13-inch casserole or baking dish. Cover tightly with foil and shove it in the oven.

Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until cooked through and bubbly. Stir in the lime juice and herbs, and serve immediately. This Thai Chicken Curry Casserole pairs perfectly with Simple Cauliflower Rice!

Orange chicken meatballs

 Ingredients

Meatballs:

1 pound ground chicken

1 egg

1/2 cup almond flour

1 teaspoon onion powder

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

zest of 1 orange, minced

olive oil

Sauce:

1 1/5 cups orange juice

1/4 cup orange juice concentrate

2 tablespoons fresh orange zest

2 teaspoon garlic, minced

2 tablespoons + 2 teaspoon coconut aminos

1 teaspoon sesame oil

1 teaspoon tapioca starch (added later)

Add-Ins:

2–4 cups fresh broccoli florets

Instructions

Combine orange juice, orange juice concentrate, orange zest, garlic, coconut aminos and sesame oil in a small saucepan. Let simmer while making the meatballs.

Combine ground chicken, egg, almond flour, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, black pepper and orange zest in a medium mixing bowl.

Scoop out approx. 1 1/2 tablespoons of meatball mixture, forming a ball, and place on a large plate.  Continue until all of the meatball mixture is used. (See Notes)

Take large/medium cast iron skillet and bring to medium-high heat. Add a tablespoon of oil and use a spatula to spread evenly to coat the pan.  Add chicken meatballs and sear on all sides, about 3 minutes.

Turn down heat to medium and cover.  Let cook 10-15 minutes, moving around frequently, until fully cooked (165 internal temperature – I recommend using a meat thermometer).

Once meatballs are fully cooked remove them from the skillet and place on a plate; set aside. In the same skillet you cooked the meatballs, pour in the sauce that has been simmering. Add in the tapioca starch and whisk continually, bringing the sauce to simmer. It will slowly start to thicken.  Once sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, add the meatballs back in.  Toss to coat the meatballs. Remember the sauce will thicken even more as it cools a little.

If you are making broccoli to go with this you can add that in at this point, cover the dish and let the broccoli steam for a few minutes (just don’t let the sauce go above a small simmer or it may get gummy).  You can also just steam your broccoli separately and then add in to the sauce or serve it on the side.

Serve immediately.

Cantonese chicken

 Ingredients

1 tablespoon  ghee or avocado oil

1 cup thinly-sliced shallots about 3 large

Kosher salt

4-6 chicken breasts

4 oz shitake mushrooms

2 inch fresh ginger peeled and cut into thin coins

6 garlic cloves peeled and smashed

¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 cup  bone broth

1 teaspoon  fish sauce`

¼ cup sliced green onions

¼ cup roughly chopped fresh cilantro

Instructions

Heat the oven to 450°F with the rack in the middle position.

Heat a 12-inch oven-safe heavy bottomed skillet over medium heat. Melt one tablespoon of ghee in the hot pan, add the sliced shallots, and a sprinkle of salt.

Cook until the shallots are softened, stirring occasionally. This should take 5-10 minutes.

While the shallots are cooking, sprinkle kosher salt liberally (about 2 teaspoons) on both sides of the chicken pieces.

Once the shallots have wilted, add the sliced mushrooms, ginger, and garlic to the pan.

Stir-fry for about a minute or until aromatic. Transfer the vegetables to a plate.

Return the pan to the stovetop, wipe out any remnants with a paper towel, and increase the heat to medium-high. Then, sear the chicken pieces skin-side down in the hot pan until nicely browned and crispy, about 4 to 5 minutes.

Flip the pieces over and cook for 2 minutes more.

Stir the fish sauce into the broth and pour it in the pan, making sure to avoid pouring the liquid on the crispy skin.

Add the reserved shallots, mushrooms, and garlic back to the pan, tucking them in between the chicken pieces. 

Transfer the pan to the hot oven and roast the chicken for 15-20 minutes or until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 165°F.

Taste the sauce for seasoning and adjust as needed. Garnish the chicken with a shower of sliced scallions and cilantro, and dig in!