Thai Style Pesto with Rice Pasta

Ingredients

• Kosher salt
• 1 pound rice pasta, penne or wide noodles
• 1 cup packed fresh basil leaves
• 5 tablespoons sesame seeds, toasted, divided
• 2 tablespoons tamari
• 2 large cloves garlic, pasted
• 1 lime, juiced
• 1 Fresno chile, seeded
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• Toasted sesame oil, for drizzling
• Thinly sliced scallions, for garnish

Directions

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Salt the water, add the pasta, and cook to al dente.

Place the basil, 3 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds, tamari, garlic, lime juice, and chile into a food processor. Pulse into a paste. Drizzle in the extra-virgin olive oil. Pour the pesto into a large bowl and add a splash of starchy cooking water. Drain the pasta, add to the sauce, and toss to combine. Drizzle with sesame oil, garnish with scallions and the remaining 2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds.

Thai Green Chile Stir Fry

Ingredients

• 1 stalk lemongrass
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 2 jalapeno chilies, seeded and coarsely chopped
• 1 Fresno chile, chopped
• 1 large shallot, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, peeled
• 1-inch piece ginger, grated or minced
• 1 tablespoon dark brown sugar
• A handful fresh cilantro leaves
• A handful fresh mint leaves
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin, 1/3 palmful
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander, 1/3 palmful
• 2 tablespoons tamari or 1 tablespoon fish sauce
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 2 limes, juiced
• Kosher salt (if not using fish sauce)
• 2 tablespoons high-temperature cooking oil
• 1 1/2 pounds thinly sliced chicken
• 1 sweet red bell pepper, thinly sliced
• 1 sweet yellow onion, thinly sliced
• 1 large head iceberg lettuce, well chilled, cored, quartered, and very thinly shredded

Directions

Peel the tough outer layers of the lemongrass to expose the inner pale yellow layer. Trim 2-inches from the bottom, cutting away the bulb. Slice until the tops become tough. Add the pieces to a small pot over medium heat and add the stock and 1/2 cup water. Bring to a simmer and allow to reduce by half. Strain, reserving liquid.

Into a food processor add the cooked lemongrass, chilies, shallot, garlic, ginger, sugar, cilantro, mint, cumin, coriander, tamari, pepper, lime juice, and salt (if not using the fish sauce). Process into a paste.

Heat the oil in a wok or large saute pan over high heat; add the chicken and brown. Remove to a plate. Add a drizzle more oil and stir-fry the bell peppers and onions for 2 minutes. Stir in the paste for 1 minute, and then add the reserved liquid and stir. Return the chicken to the pan. Serve stir-fry on a bed of shredded lettuce.

Note: Can use any protein - chicken, beef, pork or shrimp

Source: Rachael Ray

Chicken with Goat Cheese and Sun-dried tomatoes

Ingredients
3 boneless chicken breasts, skin-on
4 to 5 ounces garlic-and-herb goat cheese (recommended: Montrachet
3 sun-dried tomatoes, julienned
Good olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Place the chicken breasts on a sheet pan. Loosen the skin from the meat with your fingers, leaving 1 side attached. Cut the goat cheese into 1/2-inch-thick slices and place 1 or 2 slices plus 1/3 of the julienned sun-dried tomatoes under the skin of each chicken breast. Pull the skin over as much of the meat as possible so the chicken won't dry out. With your fingers, rub each piece with olive oil, and sprinkle them very generously with salt and pepper. Bake the chicken for 35 to 40 minutes, until the skin is lightly browned and the chicken is just cooked through. Serve hot or at room temperature.

Source: Barefoot Contessa

Chinese Chicken-Peanut Salad

2 cups chopped cooked chicken
1 cup grated carrots
1/2 head roughly chopped iceberg lettuce, about 4 cups
2/3 cup chow mein noodles
1/3 cup canned sliced water chestnuts
4 T peanut oil
3 T creamy peanut butter
3 T seasoned rice vinegar
1 T lite soy sauce
1 T sugar
1/4 cup chopped dry roasted peanuts
2 T chopped green onions
3 pita breads halved

In large bowl, mix together chicken, carrots, lettuce, chow mein noodles and water chestnuts, set aside. To make dressing: In separate bowl, mix together peanut oil, peanut butter, rice vinegar, soy sauce and sugar until smooth. Stir in peanuts and green onions. Stir until blended. Pour dressing over salad and toss well. Fill pita pockets with even portions of chicken salad.

My note: would probably make a tasty wrap too.

Mexican Hot Chocolate

4 cups whole milk
1 (3.1-ounce) disc Mexican chocolate*
*Can be found in Hispanic and gourmet grocery stores

Directions
In a heavy sauce pot, over medium-high heat, bring the milk and chocolate to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 20 minutes, whiskingconstantly until the mixture is frothy and the chocolate has dissolved completely. Remove the pan from the heat and serve immediately.

Source: Mexican Made Easy, Foodnetwork

Lemon Chicken Soup with Spaghetti

6 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice (about 2 lemons)
1 dried bay leaf
1 (2-inch) piece Parmesan cheese rind, optional
2 medium carrots, peeled and sliced into 1/4-inch pieces
1 cup (about 2 1/2 ounces) spaghetti, broken into 2-inch pieces, *see Cook's Note
2 cups diced cooked rotisserie chicken, preferably breast meat
1 cup grated Romano cheese
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
Kosher salt

Directions
In a large stockpot, bring the chicken broth, lemon juice, bay leaf, and Parmesan rind, if using, to a boil over medium-high heat.

Add the carrots and simmer until tender, about 5 to 8 minutes.

Add the broken pasta and cook until the pasta is tender, for 4 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the chicken and heat through, about 2 to 3 minutes. Remove the bay leaf and the Parmesan rind and discard. Stir in 1/2 of the cheese and the parsley. Season with salt, to taste. Ladle the soup into serving bowls and sprinkle with the remaining cheese.

*Cook's Note: You can use any short pasta from your pantry as a substitute for spaghetti

Source: Giada at Home, Foodnetwork

Cowboy Beans

Ingredients
2 cups pinto beans, cleaned, soaked overnight in a non-reactive bowl and drained; liquid discarded
1 ham hock
1 bay leaf
3 cloves garlic, peeled
1 whole jalapeno chile
5 cups water
2/3 cup finely chopped white onion,
2 slices thick-cut bacon, finely chopped
4 ounces pork chorizo, casing removed
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Directions
In a large saucepan, bring the soaked beans, ham hock, bay leaf, garlic, jalapeno, and 5 cups of water to a boil over high heat. Cover the pan, reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 2 hours or until beans are tender. If the beans absorb too much water, add 1 cup of water after 1 hour and continue cooking (Beans mixture should remain soupy while cooking). Turn off the heat.

Cook the bacon in a large saute pan over medium-high heat until almost crisp, about 10 minutes. Add onion and cook for about 3 minutes or until translucent. Transfer bacon and onion mixture to the pot with the beans. Wipe pan clean. In same pan cook chorizo over medium heat until crisp, about 1 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, remove the chorizo and drain on paper towels. Add to the beans. Season lightly with salt, if necessary. Stir the beans over medium-high heat until heated through. Remove the bay leaf and ham hock and discard. Ladle into bowls and serve.

Cook's Note: In place of soaking the beans, you can use 3 (15-ounce) cans rinsed and drained pinto beans. Proceed as above but reduce the cooking time to 1 hour.

Source: mexican made easy