Friday Foodday

Happy Friday lovebugs! Here are my favorite recipes this week.

The Classic Rob Roy
c/o The Kitchn

Ingredients
2 ounces of Blended Scotch Whiskey
1 ounce sweet vermouth
2 dashes of Angostura bitters
1 lemon peel, for garnish

Directions

In a shaker filled with ice, add the Scotch whiskey, the sweet vermouth and the bitters. Stir to chill. Strain into a martini glass (or an equally alluring vessel) and top with a lemon peel.

BBQ Cheddar Jalapeno Chicken Meatballs

c/o Slender Kitchen

Ingredients

• 
  
• 1 lb. 90% lean ground chicken
• 1-2 jalapenos, seeded and diced (adjust according to your spice preference)
• 1/2 cup reduced fat shredded cheddar cheese
• 1/4 cup cilantro
• 1 egg
• 1/2 tsp. cumin
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. pepper
• Splash of Worcestershire sauce
• 2 tbsp. diced onions
• 1 tbsp. minced garlic
• 1/2 cup barbecue sauce

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil and spray with cooking spray.
2. Mix together the chicken, jalapenos, cheese, cilantro, egg, cumin, salt, pepper, Worcestershire, onions, and garlic.
3. Roll into about 16 meatballs.
4. Bake for 20-25 minutes until completely cooked through.
5. While still hot, toss with your favorite barbecue sauce.

Asian Noodle Bowl with Fried Eggs

c/o Cassie Craves

Ingredients

2 packages of ramen noodles (any flavor, the seasoning is getting tossed anyway)

1 teaspoon vegetable or peanut oil

3 cloves minced garlic

1 tablespoon freshly-grated ginger

4 cups low-sodium chicken stock

4 eggs, cooked to desired doneness

Green onions

Soy sauce

Sriracha

Directions

1. Heat the oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and fresh ginger; cook and stir for 30 seconds. Add the chicken stock, raise heat to high, and bring to a boil. Add the ramen (discard the seasoning packet) and cook, stirring occasionally, until done (about 3 minutes).

2. Meanwhile, cook the eggs to desired doneness.

3. Add ramen to a bowl (with as much or as little liquid as you like). Top each bowl with an egg, a sprinkling of green onions, and soy sauce and sriracha to taste.

Friday Foodday

We made it! Happy Friday lovebugs! Here are my favorite recipes this week.

Chorizo and Andouille Postickers
c/o Table for Two

Ingredients

2 fresh chorizo sausage links, casings removed (I went to Whole Foods & got it from their meat section so you don’t have to buy an entire package)

2 fresh andouille sausage links, casings removed (got them at Whole Foods too)

1 large green bell pepper, diced

1 large onion, diced

2 cloves of garlic, minced

50 round dumpling wrappers (you can typically find these at any Asian mart or International mart)

Water (to seal the potstickers)

3 tbsp. vegetable oil

Directions

1. In a large bowl, combine the two kinds of sausages and set aside.
2. In a skillet, with 1 tbsp. of vegetable oil, sauté green bell pepper, onion, and garlic until tender, about 5 minutes. Remove and let cool for 5 minutes.
3. Add the veggie mix to the bowl of sausage. With your hands (jewelry off!), mix the meat and veggies together until just incorporated. You don’t want to overwork the meat.
4. Wash your hands with soap then assemble your workstation to have a tiny bowl of water, a pastry brush, a large cookie sheet, a teaspoon, a fork, your bowl of meat, and of course, your dumpling wrappers.
5. Place a dumpling wrapper in one hand, scoop 2 tsp. of meat filling into the middle of the dumpling wrappers. Dip your pastry brush in the water and brush the edge of the entire dumpling wrapper. Bring one side of the dumpling wrapper up to meet the other side, press gently in the middle then seal all around. Using a fork, press down the edges, sealing the potsticker. Repeat until all the meat filling has been used up.
6. In a large skillet, oil the bottom of the skillet with 2 tbsp. of vegetable oil. Place the potstickers all over the skillet, covering as much space as you can. Pour 1 cup of water onto the potstickers, place the lid on the skillet, and turn the heat to medium high.
7. Let the potstickers cook until all the water has evaporated, about 7 minutes, then let it sear for another 2-3 minutes. Through all this, do NOT touch them! Remove the lid and flip the potstickers. You may wish to remove them at this time or sear the other sides of them.
8. Serve hot.

Baked BBQ Onion Rings

c/o Slender Kitchen

Ingredients

• 2 yellow onions, sliced into rings
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 2 egg whites
• 1/4 cup buttermilk
• Dash of hot sauce
• 1.5 cups panko bread crumbs
• 1/4 cup nonfat Greek yogurt
• 1/4 cup barbecue sauce

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
2. Whisk together the flour, salt, paprika, chili powder, red pepper flakes, and garlic powder in a shallow bowl.
3. In another shallow bowl, whisk together the egg whites, buttermilk, and a dash of hot sauce.
4. Add the panko bread crumbs to a plate or shallow bowl.
5. Dip the onion ring in the flour mixture, then the egg, then the panko bread crumbs. Repeat until all the onion rings are coated with bread crumbs. Lay in a single layer on two baking sheets covered with parchment paper.
6. Bake for 12 minutes and then carefully flip and bake for an additional 10-12 minutes.
7. While the onion rings are baking, mix together the barbecue sauce and yogurt to make your barbecue dipping sauce.

Spinach Artichoke Mac and Cheese

c/o Country Cleaver

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 6-ounce bag fresh spinach*
1 14-ounce can quartered artichoke hearts, drained, rinsed, roughly chopped, and divided
4 ounces (1/2 cup) cream cheese, softened
1 cup (4 ounces) Wisconsin Parmesan Cheese, shredded and divided
2 tablespoons shallots, minced
2 tablespoons garlic, minced and divided
1 12-ounce box whole wheat penne pasta
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour
2 1/2 cups milk
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 cup (4 ounces) medium Wisconsin Cheddar Cheese, shredded
1 cup (4 ounces) Wisconsin Havarti Cheese, shredded
1 tablespoon sriacha sauce

Directions

Preheat oven to 400°F. If using fresh spinach, heat olive oil in large sauté pan over medium heat, add spinach and wilt. Remove to plate to cool. Squeeze excess water from spinach. Set aside.

In small bowl, combine half of drained spinach and half of chopped artichoke hearts. Stir in softened cream cheese and ½ cup Parmesan Cheese. Stir in shallots and 1 tablespoon garlic. Pour mixture into oven- safe baking dish and bake for 15 minutes or until the mixture is toasted on top and heated through. Remove from oven; cover to keep warm and set aside.

Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package directions; drain and set aside. In medium pot, melt butter and whisk in flour. Continue whisking vigorously over medium high heat until roux becomes golden brown. Add milk slowly, 1/2 cup at a time, whisking during each addition. Bring mixture to boil. Add mustard, pepper, 1 tablespoon garlic, remaining cheeses and sriacha sauce. Stir in reserved spinach and artichokes, mixing until evenly incorporated.

Pour pasta into cheese mixture; mix to ensure all pasta is coated evenly. Plate and top with a generous spoonful of warm spinach and artichoke mixture. Serve and devour.