Curried Chicken with Pumpkin

This recipe was developed to use up the last remaining half cup of pumpkin purée that seems to always be remaining after baking with pumpkin. Now that its fall and its starting to cool down a bit I’m craving warms spices and hearty stews. Chicken curry falls right into that category. You could easily skip the first step of this recipe and use a shredded rotisserie chicken but I think its just as easy to throw chicken thighs into the crockpot and walk away for a few hours, it helps develop the flavors.

What you need:

1 lb skinless, boneless chicken thighs

salt and pepper

1 small onion, diced

2 large carrots, peeled and diced

1 red pepper sliced into thin strips

1 cup of chicken broth

1 can of coconut cream

2-3 tsp curry past (pick a favorite, Thai or Indian would work)

1/2 cup pumpkin purée

1 cup fresh spinach

*Cooked rice to serve with, hot sauce, hot peppers to garnish…

Begin by setting your crockpot to high and pour in your one cup of chicken broth. Salt and pepper your chicken thighs well and place them in the crock pot with onion, carrots, 1 tsp curry paste, and red pepper. Walk away for 3 hours until the chicken is falling apart. Turn off the crockpot and pour contents through a strainer to reserve the vegetables and chicken but remove excess liquid. Now set the slow cooker to low and place in 2 tsp of curry paste and let it warm through, add your pumpkin puree and coconut cream and stir to combine. Lastly add in your shredded chicken and vegetables plus one cup of fresh spinach, allow to warm for about 30 minutes. You can easily do this last part more quickly on the stove top or do the whole thing on the stove top. It’s important to keep an eye on it because if it boils the coconut cream will separate, so don’t let it bubble too much. That’s it…really simple and a perfect autumn meal. We served with rice and hot red peppers, plus plenty of squirrel ninja which is our current favorite hot sauce : )

Cricket Hill Chicken Casserole

(Not the greatest picture because this was made for an impromptu friend gathering…living in the present means no-time to waste staging photos : )

Every home needs a go-to casserole recipe and ours is a compilation of childhood and nostalgic favorites. Think classic green bean casserole meets chicken and wild rice….however, there are no condensed soups involved. It’s quick to prepare and can be enjoyed right away or later. This is a great weeknight meal for family or company and a great recipe to have in your repertoire for Thanksgiving leftovers. It’s so good, promise!

What you need:

1 whole rotisserie chicken

2 tbsp olive oil

1 cup sliced baby portobello or white button mushrooms

1 1/2 cups pre-cooked brown or wild rice

1 zucchini chopped into bite sized pieces

1 cup artichoke hearts (1 8 oz jar) chopped into pieces

1/2 cup chicken broth

1 tbsp dried parsley

1 cup half and half

2 tbsp butter

1 cup grated parmesan cheese

1 cup crispy fried onions, plus more for topping

salt and pepper

Prepare your casserole dish, I like to do this by taking the paper off of a stick of butter and rubbing what’s left on the bottom and sides of the dish. Now place in your pre-cooked rice (I like to buy frozen brown rice…you can easily find at Trader Joe’s or Whole Foods) into the dish. In a large skillet drizzle about 2 tbsp of olive oil and place over medium heat. Add in your mushrooms and zucchini and a pinch of salt and pepper. Gently stir around and lightly brown your mushrooms and zucchini. After about 5-7 minutes pour in your chicken broth and parsley and let simmer to reduce down the broth.

While the veggies are simmering and reducing debone and remove all the meat from the chicken and place in the casserole dish with the rice. Also add your artichokes and 1 cup of fried onions to the dish. Keep an eye on the veggies and stir occasionally. When the broth has reduced by half add in your butter and half and half and lower the heat to low. You want the cream to gently simmer, but stir often so that it doesn’t curdle. After a few minutes of low bubbles the sauce should start to thicken up. Now turn off the heat and stir in your parmesan cheese. Remove the pan from the stove top and pour the mushroom/cream mixture into the casserole dish with all of the other ingredients. Stir everything well to combine and top another half cup or more of crispy fried onions on top so that they are evenly distributed across the dish. This should be baked at 350 for about 30 minutes or so until heated through and slightly browned on top. It can be made and stored in the refrigerator 1-2 days in advance. Enjoy!

***this recipe is highly adaptable, I used zucchini because we are at the end of September and its still abundant, you could use broccoli, spinach, green beans, or just double the mushrooms and artichokes…anything goes really but I would never make this without the mushrooms or crispy onions!

Swiss Chard Cacio e Pepe

Sometimes a simple pasta dish really hits the spot. I am always looking for ways to incorporate vegetables into dishes. Adding Swiss chard to this meal lightens it up a fair amount and makes it more of a balanced meal. It takes very little effort and tastes great. I find myself often quickly sautéing swiss chard or kale in olive oil, adding tons of salt and pepper and then finishing with Parmesan and butter. This is basically that, but improved with noodles : ) You could really use either green depending on your preference. Some might say this isn’t traditional Cacio e Pepe and I don’t really care, I like butter and I prefer parm to pecorino. Whatever you want to call it, its delicious.

What you need:

-About two cups Swiss chard washed thoroughly and sliced into thin ribbons

-1/2 lb of spaghetti or similar style noodle

-1 cup grated Parmesan cheese (or more, whatever makes you happy :)

-2 tbsp good quality olive oil

-3 tbsp butter

-1 tsp freshly ground salt

-1 tbsp or more of fresh ground pepper

Wash and prepare your Swiss chard and set aside. Next boil; a pot of water and add your pasta to cook according to the package directions. While the water is coming to a boil, prepare your cheese, grate it, and set aside. When the pasta is cooking and has about 1 minute left, add in your Swiss chard and stir to combine. This will cook it just enough but allow it to remain bright. Drain your pasta and chard and then add it back to the pot. It’s good to keep a few spoonfuls of the pasta water to add starchy/creaminess to the dish but I have found that if you drain it hastily and pour it right back in without shaking the colander too much, enough liquid will remain. Stir in your butter, olive oil, cheese, salt and pepper. Give it a good toss and make sure everything is evenly distributed. If you like add more pepper and more parm to finish at the end. I like a lot of pepper. We had a tomato and burrata salad to round out the meal and it was perfect.

** I made this with gluten free corn and rice pasta for my gluten free husband and it was just as good as the gluten noodle version. I used Barilla gluten free fettucine : )