entree Archives - Ari's Menu

Creamy Thai Ginger Skillet Chicken

December 15, 2014 · by Ari · 4 Comments

This post is sponsored by Swanson®. All opinions are my own.

Creamy Thai ginger skillet chicken with perfectly browned, juicy chicken thighs and a creamy Thai ginger sauce. One pan, tons of flavor.

This chicken.

Me: What do you think I should say about the chicken?

Steve: (in a weird, high, sing-song voice) La da da da da chicken is goooood! I like chicken!

Ummmm, yeah. But, I have to tell you that he was super excited about it when he came home for dinner the other night. You see, using chicken thighs is a pretty rare treat in this house. I just honestly prefer white meat 95% of the time, but when I was at the store grabbing my ingredients, the chicken thighs just spoke to me, so I went with it.

My mom always complains about cooking chicken. She says that, no matter what she does, it turns out dry. Usually I just make Steve grill up all the meat because I’m not super into cooking meat. I love to eat it, but I don’t necessarily feel like it’s my forte, so I was really pleasantly surprised when this chicken turned out just as I had imagined it in my head; better even!

The bold and creamy sauce is to.die.for. I kept trying to spoon more out over my chicken, and I wished I had a big plate o’ carbs to soak it up with. I hardly had to use any seasonings because the Swanson® Thai Ginger Flavor Infused Broth was so flavorful, and brought so much to the table!

The chicken is first browned on the stovetop in a little coconut oil, then transferred to the oven to cook throughout. Browning on the stove, and then baking allows the best browned outside while still keeping the inside soft and juicy. Then you just add in your sauce ingredients right into your skillet, and scrape up some of the extra flavor from the bottom of the skillet, and boom! You’ve got a new, amazing, and unique dish to serve to your friends and family this holiday season. You won’t regret trying something new, and your family will appreciate this unique dish year round!

Creamy Thai Ginger Skillet Chicken

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes

Yield: 3 servings

Serving Size: 1 chicken thigh

Creamy Thai Ginger Skillet Chicken

Creamy Thai ginger skillet chicken with perfectly browned, juicy chicken thighs and a creamy Thai ginger sauce. One pan, tons of flavor.

Ingredients

1 tablespoon coconut oil
1 pound boneless skinless chicken thighs, fat trimmed (about 3 medium)
pinch pepper
1/4 cup Swanson® Thai Ginger Flavor Infused Broth
1/4 cup canned coconut milk
pinch turmeric
dash cumin
Sriracha for drizzling (optional)
fresh cilantro for serving (optional)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350. Heat coconut oil over medium heat in an oven-proof skillet, preferably cast iron. Season chicken breasts with pepper only (I found that salting them made the entire dish taste like salt) and brown in your skillet, about 3-5 minutes per side. You will know chicken is ready to be turned when it easily releases from the pan. If you're having trouble, let it continue to cook. It will release when it's browned and ready.
Transfer skillet to the oven and bake until chicken is cooked through and juices run clear, about 15 minutes.
Return to stove and, over medium low heat, pour in broth, coconut milk, turmeric and cumin. Use a wooden spoon to stir, scraping up all the browned bits from the bottom of the pan and incorporating them into your sauce. Serve with a drizzle of sriracha and fresh cilantro. Make sure you spoon extra sauce onto that chicken for serving--it's the best part! Leftovers may be refrigerated in an airtight container for 5-7 days.

http://www.arismenu.com/creamy-thai-ginger-skillet-chicken/

This blog post is sponsored by Swanson®.

Crockpot Taco Chili

October 13, 2014 · by Ari · 13 Comments

Disclosure: I was asked to participate in the McCormick Gluten-Free Recipe Mixes Launch as a member of the Healthy Aperture Blogger Network. I received free samples of McCormick Gluten-Free Recipe Mixes from McCormick mentioned in this post. I was compensated for my time. All opinions are my own.

Creamy crockpot taco chili is the perfect, easy, weeknight dinner. Warm and comforting while still healthy and gluten-free. So good you’ll be fighting over the leftovers…if there are any!

So…I have to go back to work today. And I’m totally whiney about it, which makes me feel like a total tool because in what other job do you get a week off for fall break when you’re a grown up? But ugghhhh, I just don’t wanna. And things are about to get so busy. Two shows in October and one at the beginning of November. Although, once that’s all over, it should be smooth sailing for the rest of the semester.

As life gets busier, cooking dinner every night becomes more challenging, and my love for my crockpot grows into more of a deep dependence, can’t-live-without-ya kinda thing. In fact, if I could make every single meal in the crockpot for the rest of my life, I probably wouldn’t be even a little bit sad. I mostly only like cooking because I like eating, and I really like eating.

Especially this chili. I really, really, really like eating this taco chili. Like, I was fighting Steve over the leftovers. I almost always make enough food to have leftovers for 2-3 lunch / dinners, and sometimes I make entirely too much and end up trying to guilt Steve into finishing it because I just am soooooo sick of it by the 4th time I’ve eaten it. But not this chili. I was hoarding, calling dibs, hiding it in the back of the fridge, and pulling out every trick I had up my sleeve to keep it allllll to myself.

This is the second part of my series with McCormick. You may remember from my Crockpot Taco Dip that McCormick now has an entire line of seasonings that are certified by the National Foundation for Celiac Awareness. Their gluten-free line includes Gluten-Free Taco Seasoning, Gluten-Free Chili Seasoning, Gluten-Free Brown Gravy and Gluten-Free Turkey Gravy. The best part is, ya know how normally as soon as something is labeled gluten-free the price magically shoots up? Not here! They’re the same price as all of their other seasonings, and they contain no MSG or artificial colors /flavors. I stocked up on the taco seasoning! It’s something I use all the time anyway, and I was so in love with the way these recipes turned out. It’s going to become a staple in my kitchen.

This chili is bold and flavorful, rich and creamy, healthy and loaded with fresh veggies. It’s the kind of weeknight dinner you never get tired of, and something you will feel excited to come home to!

Crockpot Taco Chili

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 6 hours, 15 minutes

Total Time: 6 hours, 30 minutes

Yield: 8 servings

Crockpot Taco Chili

Creamy crockpot taco chili is the perfect, easy, weeknight dinner. Warm and comforting while still healthy and gluten-free. So good you'll be fighting over the leftovers...if there are any!

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 sweet onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 pound extra lean ground beef (93% or higher)
2 x 15 ounce cans fire roasted tomatoes
2 x 15 ounce cans black beans, not drained
1 x 15 ounce can corn, drained
2 bell peppers, chopped (I prefer red or orange)
4 ounces reduced fat cream cheese, room temperature in 1" cubes
1 packet McCormick Gluten-Free Taco Seasoning

For topping:

freshly shredded cheese
fresh cilantro
nonfat plain Greek yogurt

Instructions

Heat olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. Sautee garlic and onion until fragrant, about 3-5 minutes. Add beef and cook until browned, about 10 minutes, stirring constantly.
Add cooked beef mixture, tomatoes, beans, corn, bell peppers, cream cheese, and taco seasoning to your slow cooker. Cook on low for 6 hours, stirring once in between if possible. Once chili is finished, stir together to ensure cream cheese melts fully and combines. Serve topped with shredded cheese, cilantro and Greek yogurt if desired. Leftovers may be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to one week.

http://www.arismenu.com/crockpot-taco-chili/

Other gluten-free seasoning options include Gluten-Free Chili Seasoning, Gluten-Free Turkey Gravy, and Gluten-Free Brown Gravy. For more from McCormick, you can follow them on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram!

Thai Turkey Meatballs with Peanut Dipping Sauce

June 10, 2014 · by Ari · 11 Comments

All the delicious flavor of pad Thai in fun, healthy and delicious meatballs! These Thai turkey meatballs are so good, they stand alone without pasta, and are even more fantastic dipped in the creamy peanut sauce.

I have so much to tell you! I just got back from the most incredible weekend at Blend (incredible hosted by Lindsay, Janetha & Lauren)! I’ve been dying to go after reading about the last two years, and I was pee-my-pants-excited to meet some of my favorite people from the internet. That makes me sound like a total nerd, but it’s cool. I am a total nerd.

I shared a room with Nicole & Katie (because…duh) and I was so stoked that Ashley ended up in our room too. It was the perfect energy and we stayed up both nights chatting and laughing until I literally fell asleep mid sentence. I wish that was every night. Although, Steve might be a little annoyed.

I was so excited to finally meet Lindsay and Brittany. I feel like I’ve known them for years, and they are two of the kindest, most supportive people I have ever met. In fact, for a long time I felt like I was blogging to no one, and I don’t even remember who found who, but I can say that both of them have given me a huge sense of community, and it was even better to get to play in real life!

Gahhhh, I feel like I could go on for YEARS about every cool person I met, but how about we get talk about some meatballs, and I’ll make you a lovely little list at the end of new blogs you absolutely must check out because the humans behind them are incredible. Sound good?

Okay, so….these meatballs. They are seriously so so easy. And they involve mixing with your hands, which is always my favorite. Whisk together a little peanut sauce, then mixing and rolling your meatballs will only take you a matter of minutes. While they cook, you catch up on Netflix…or if you’re a better person than me, you get ahead on cleaning. I’m not sure I can say I’ve ever gotten ahead on cleaning…

I use the “cooling rack inside the baking sheet” method (very technical term) + a little olive oil to ensure even cooking and a perfectly textured meatball. Ya know, when it has the browned outside, but still super tender and juicy on the inside? The.best. Not to mention, these meatballs are super healthy–lean, packed with protein, and with some veggies inside for good measure! It will only take a few of them to fill you up, and the sweet and spicy peanut sauce makes you feel like you’re going to town on your favorite Thai take out. Literally the best of every world, and a dinner you will want to make over and over again!

Thai Turkey Meatballs with Peanut Dipping Sauce

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes

Yield: approximately 20 meatballs

Serving Size: 4 meatballs

Thai Turkey Meatballs with Peanut Dipping Sauce

Ingredients

For the meatballs:

20 ounces lean ground turkey (I suggest 93-96%)
1/4 cup finely chopped red onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup quick cooking oats (use gf if necessary)*
2 tablespoons peanuts, finely chopped
1/4 cup chopped bean sprouts
generous pinch salt and pepper
1-2 tablespoons peanut sauce (recipe below)
1 tablespoon olive oil, optional

For the peanut sauce:

1/2 cup peanut butter, melted
1 1/2 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon coconut aminos (or gf soy sauce, or regular soy sauce)
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon Thai chili sauce (or Sriracha)
water, as needed for thinning

Optional for serving:

fresh cilantro
fresh lime
Sriracha

Instructions

To make the peanut sauce, whisk together peanut butter, lime juice, coconut aminos, honey and chili. Add warm water 1 tablespoon at a time until sauce has reached desired consistency.
To make the meatballs, preheat oven to 400. Place a cooling rack inside of a large baking sheet** and spray with nonstick spray. Set aside. Combine all ingredients for the meatballs in a large bowl until incorporated. Roll into approximately 2 inch (about 1 ounce) balls and place onto prepared baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil if desired***.
Bake until browned and cooked throughout, about 25 minutes. Serve with prepared peanut sauce**** a squeeze of fresh lime, a pinch of cilantro and a drizzle of Sriracha if desired. Leftovers may be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 5 days. Store peanut sauce separately.

Notes

*If you only have slow cooking oats on hand, simple throw them in the food processor for about 30 seconds, or even chop by hand. **Using the cooling rack inside the baking sheet helps the meatballs to bake evenly on the bottom and for any extra fat to cook off. It is not 100% necessary, but recommended. ***The extra olive oil helps the meatballs brown and get a a nice outer texture. This is also optional, but recommended. ****If peanut sauce becomes too thick, simply whisk in more water 1 tablespoon at a time until it reaches desired consistency.

http://www.arismenu.com/thai-turkey-meatballs-peanut-dipping-sauce/

And because I love them, please check out some of my amazing friends that I hung out with this weekend. Tons of health tips, motivation & inspiration!

Creamy Thai Ginger Skillet Chicken

Crockpot Taco Chili

Thai Turkey Meatballs with Peanut Dipping Sauce

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