Tag: Main Dish

Recipes

Easy Red Beans and Rice

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The “Holy Trinity” of Cajun cooking featured here. Adjust or leave out the spice out if you want!

~ 12 oz or 1 lb smoked sausage (or andouille sausage for extra spice!)
2 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, diced
2 ribs celery, diced
1 big green pepper, diced
1 jalapeno, seeded & diced (optional)
1 tsp minced garlic
1.5 Tbsp Cajun seasoning (optional or use less)
1/4 or 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)
2 tsp thyme
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
2 can red kidney beans, drained
2 bay leaves
2 cups chicken broth

  1. Slice sausage into 1/2″ rounds. Brown in a sauté pan or skillet over medium heat with 1 Tbsp olive oil. Set sausage aside. Use another Tbsp of oil to sauté veggies until soft, about 8-10 minutes.
  2. Add garlic and seasonings, cook 1 min.
  3. Add beans and broth. Bring to a boil, reduce and simmer ~15 min.
  4. Return sausage to pan and simmer everything on medium low 5-10 min.
  5. Serve with rice.
Recipes

Chicken Keema

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Turmeric has anti-inflammatory benefits. Try it today if you like curry!

1 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut in bite sized pieces
1/2 onion, diced
1 Tbsp ground turmeric
1 Tbsp cumin
1 tsp curry powder
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp garlic salt or regular salt
3 medium sized potatoes, scrubbed and diced (can leave peel on if you’d like or remove)
OR 1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 (14.5oz) can diced tomato

  1. Sauté the onion in large sauté pan or skillet over medium heat until soft. Add spices and cook ~1 min.
  2. Add the diced chicken thighs and cook, stirring occasionally, until mostly done. Add potatoes and tomatoes. Bring to a boil, reduce to simmer and cover, cooking 20-25 minutes until potatoes are tender.
  3. Serve with yellow rice or pita bread/naan.
Recipes

Ful Mudammas

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We make this as part of a traditional near east meal* featuring ingredients from Bible times

2 cups canned fava beans (16oz)
2 TBSP extra virgin olive oil
1/2 onion, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp cumin
1/2 cup water
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
2 lemons, juiced

Optional:
Tomato wedges
Sliced hard boiled egg
Chopped parsley
Thinly sliced red onion

  1. Heat olive oil over medium heat. Fry the onion until translucent/golden. Add garlic/cumin, saute 1 minute. Add fava beans then ½ cup water to the skillet.
  2. Bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat to medium, season with salt, pepper. Cover skillet and simmer for 10 minutes, until beans are tender. Remove lid and continue to cook until liquid is reduced about half.
  3. Pour bean mixture into a bowl. Squeeze in fresh lemon juice. Mash to a semi smooth consistency. Should be more chunky than creamy.
  4. Serve with warm pita bread, tomatoes, egg, parsley, onion if desired.

As part of a biblical meal, serve with flatbread (pita), cucumber, olives, crackers, goat cheese, cantaloupe (muskmelon), and whole or chopped dates.

Recipes

Lemon Chicken Pasta

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A comforting meal that makes so much food with just a few ingredients!

1 lb (~2) boneless skinless chicken breast, cut in bite sized pieces
Paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, thyme, oregano, salt and pepper
3 tbsp olive oil
2 green bell peppers, chopped
1 cup cherry or grape tomatoes, sliced in half
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 cup sour cream
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1.5 lbs bowtie pasta
Zest and juice of ½  lemon (~2 tbsp juice, 1 tsp zest)

  1. Season the diced/sliced chicken with seasonings (generously shake over chicken and stir to combine, suggested 1/2tsp ~ 1tsp each to taste). If time allows, let sit on chicken for up to 1 hour to marinate.
  2. Cook pasta according to directions in a large pot. While pasta is cooking, sauté chicken in melted butter on medium heat in a sauté pan or deep skillet. The pan needs to be able to hold a large amount of ingredients. Set chicken aside.
  3. Sauté veggies in olive oil until crisp tender. You may need to do this in 2 batches.
  4. Once veggies are done, add chicken, soup, sour cream, lemon zest and juice. Heat through till bubbly.
  5. Toss with cooked pasta in a large bowl (or the pot the pasta cooked in). Serve with warm crusty bread.
Recipes

Hashbrown Breakfast Casserole

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Good for breakfast or dinner. A carry-in favorite!


2 lb frozen hash browns, southern style/diced
1 lb pork sausage (such as Bob Evan’s original)
1 small onion, diced (optional)
6 eggs
½ cup milk
½ tsp onion powder
1/8 tsp garlic powder
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper
12 oz shredded cheddar

  1. Preheat to 350 F. Grease a 9×13 casserole dish with cooking spray. Spread hashbrowns in casserole dish as is (can thaw or fry them but I find it doesn’t make a difference), making sure to break up any clumps.
  2. Brown sausage and onion on medium until cooked. Drain grease.
  3. Beat together eggs, milk, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, pepper. Pour egg mixture evenly over potatoes.
  4. Sprinkle half of the cheese over the potatoes, then all of the sausage, then the remaining cheese over the sausage.
  5. You may refrigerate or freeze the casserole (covered tightly) at this point***, or bake in a 350 F oven for 50 – 60 minutes (check at 50, if egg in center still liquid/goopy continue to bake until it is set).

***If baking from frozen, let it thaw overnight or at least 12 hours in fridge before baking. If baking from fridge, do so within 24 hours.

Recipes

Honey BBQ Chicken Wings

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Sweet, sticky wings that always hit the spot

3 or 4 lbs chicken wings (~20 full wings, or 40 drumettes/flats)
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 Tbsp kosher salt
¼ tsp pepper

Sauce:
1 c hickory bbq sauce (or any other bbq sauce you want)
½ c honey
4 tbsp butter
2 tbsp ketchup
½ tsp garlic powder

  1. Preheat oven to 400F. Line a large baking sheet with foil. Place a wire rack on top and spray with oil or grease.
  2. If using full wings, use a large knife or a pair of kitchen shears to remove the tip and cut the chicken wings along the elbow joint into wings/drumettes. Toss with oil, salt and pepper in a large bowl.
  3. Bake chicken on wire rack for ~45 minutes.
  4. While wings are baking, heat together the sauce ingredients in a medium saucepan over medium heat until smooth/bubbly. Remove from heat. Optionally you can use whatever sauce you’d like, but we love this one. You can also add hot sauce if you like them on the spicy side.
  5. Remove tray from oven and brush chicken with sauce, covering both sides. Bake for 5 minutes with sauce. Remove and serve.
Texas Chili
Recipes

Texas Chili

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A hearty bowl of chili with plenty of protein and flavor

2 lbs ground beef
½ cup diced onion (~ ½ small onion) or 1 tbsp dried minced onion or 2 tsp onion powder
1 tsp minced fresh garlic (~2 cloves) or 1 tsp dried minced garlic or ½ tsp garlic powder
2 cans diced tomatoes
2 cans red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
8 ~ 15 oz tomato sauce (or leftover pizza or pasta sauce)

Seasoning Mix:
2 tbsp chili powder
1 tsp oregano
½ tsp paprika
1 ½ tsp cumin
1 ½ tsp salt
1/8 tsp cayenne (optional)

  1. Brown beef and onion until cooked. Drain fat. Add seasonings and garlic, cook and stir 1-2 minutes.
  2. Add tomatoes, tomato sauce, and ~1-2 cups of water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to simmer and cook 30-45 minutes.
  3. Add beans at the end, cooking for 10-15 minutes until tender.
  4. Serve with cheese and cornbread, or crackers, or over corn chips aka walking taco/frito pie