Indian Chicken Curry

🎶Turn on your light now baby and stay with me awhile… and rock steadyyyyy 🎶 Shout out to Bad Company for that banger of a song. It’s stuck in my head today, probably due to this rock solid recipe for Indian Chicken Curry. It’s kind of a big deal, guys, ’cause it’s a copycat recipe from our one and only amazing local Indian restaurant, Masala Bay.

Yup – they gave us a recipe. Or, at least a version of a recipe, that is definitely not their exact, top secret recipe, full of special Indian ingredients and techniques. But, with one or two tiny tweaks, it’s pretty darn close if you ask me. I’m a self-proclaimed expert on the food at Masala Bay; half of my thoughts on a day-to-day basis are centered around their chicken curry and vegetable fritters. So, I can safely say, if you love curry from Indian restaurants, this recipe will meet your at-home curry needs.

Indian chicken curry over basmati rice in a bowl, with a little cilantro on the side.

spice, spice baby

Disclaimer: your spice cabinet is gonna get worked today. You can get every last one of the spices you need at the shop my mom and I own in Duck and I reeeeaallly recommend that you do for this recipe because our spices are freshy-fresh. If you can’t wait and need this curry in your belly right now, I get it. Just try to use new-ish spices and not ones that have been in the cabinet forever. Freshness makes all the difference.

OK, less talk, more curry. Here’s what’s loveable about this Indian chicken curry, aside from the deep, warm-your-insides, sauce and tender chicken: it’s, like, 4 steps. Brown some chicken, saute onions/garlic/ginger/spices, add tomatoes & chicken stock, and simmer. Bing bang boom – chicken curry for you. It smells awesome, it tastes amazing, and if somehow you have leftovers, it’s even better the next day. Joey and I inhale this with basmati rice and naan on the side. Ok friends, curry on. You’re gonna 💖 it!

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Indian Chicken Curry

Indian chicken curry over basmati rice in a bowl, with a little cilantro on the side.

Tender chicken simmered in a deep, warmly-spiced sauce with over-the-top flavor makes this Indian Chicken Curry a perfect, comforting meal!

  • Author: Megan
  • Prep Time: 5 minutes
  • Cook Time: 35 minutes
  • Total Time: 40 minutes
  • Yield: 4 servings
  • Cuisine: Indian

Ingredients

  • 3 T olive oil
  • 3 t salt
  • 1 1/2 lbs boneless chicken thighs or breasts, cut into 1 1/2″ chunks (I used chicken thighs, if you use breasts, simmer them for less time so they don’t dry out)
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 1 T ginger, minced
  • 1 T garlic, minced
  • 1 T Indian yellow curry
  • 1 t turmeric
  • 1 t ground coriander
  • 1/2 t ground cumin
  • 1 15oz can diced tomatoes
  • 1/2 C chicken stock
  • 1 1/2 t garam masala
  • 1 T lemon juice
  • chopped cilantro for garnish

Instructions

  1. Heat 2 T of oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Season the chicken with 2 t of salt. Brown the chicken on the outside for just a couple minutes, then transfer to a plate. 
  2. Reduce the heat to medium and add the remaining tablespoon of oil. Add the onion and ginger and cook until soft, about 7 minutes. Add the Indian yellow curry, turmeric, coriander, cumin, and the garlic; cook, stirring, for about a minute.
  3. Stir in the remaining teaspoon of salt, the tomatoes with the juice from the can, and the chicken stock. Return the chicken to the pan. Sprinkle the garam masala over the top of everything, cover and simmer for about 20 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.
  4. Stir in the lemon juice and sprinkle the cilantro on top. Serve over basmati rice.

Notes

The nutritional info is just for the curry, it does not include rice.

If you try this recipe, I would love to hear about it! Leave me a comment and/or post it on Instagram with #servingtonight!

P.S. Here’s another recipe for ya if you want to use up the rest of that Indian yellow curry powder: Roasted Veggie Bowls.

Healthy Peanut Butter and Jelly Bars

Woot! Sharing some delicious snacky-snacks with you guys today! I feel a little shady calling these “peanut butter” and jelly bars because there is a negligible amount of actual peanut butter and a lot of peanuts, oats, coconut oil, and honey all pulsed together to make a magical crust and crumble topping. Are you picking up what I’m putting down here, though? The oat/honey/coconut oil combo means these are healthier than traditional peanut butter and jelly bars and still duh-lish-us. No added refined sugar… no butter… no flour. You could even make them gluten free if you buy GF oats. It’s spring, you guys, and my bathing suit and I need to be friends by summer, but I still need sweet things for my 3:00 snack attacks. So, here we go: Healthy Peanut Butter and Jelly Bars!

healty peanut butter and jelly bars on parchment paper

These take about 5 minutes of hands-on time. Just pulse together peanuts and oats in the food processor, then pour over some melted coconut oil (love this kind), a bit of peanut butter, and honey. Pulse pulse pulse. Press most of that crumbly crust love down into an 8×8 pan and bake for a bit. Smear on your favorite strawberry jam, top with the rest of the crumbly crust, and bake one more time. Chill, slice, and ta-da: snacky delight.

The sweet and tart strawberry jam mingling with the oats and honey, plus a little salty crunch from the peanuts = dream status. It’s basically like a PB&J in treat form, with honeysweet crust and crumble instead of mushy bread. Look out snack time, I’m comin for ya!

*This post contains Amazon Affiliate links!

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Healthy Peanut Butter and Jelly Bars

healty peanut butter and jelly bars on parchment paper

A recipe for Healthy Peanut Butter and Jelly Bars with tart strawberry jam mingling with a crunchy honeysweet crust and crumble. A PB&J in treat form!

  • Author: Megan
  • Prep Time: 5 minutes
  • Cook Time: 33 minutes
  • Total Time: 38 minutes
  • Yield: 9 bars

Ingredients

  • 3 C oats
  • 1 C roasted, salted peanuts
  • pinch of salt
  • 1/2 C coconut oil, melted
  • 1/3 C honey
  • 2 T peanut butter
  • 1 C strawberry jam

Instructions

  1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Line an 8×8 pan with parchment paper so the bars are easy to pull out later.
  2. In a food processor, pulse together the oats, peanuts, and pinch of salt until it becomes a coarse flour. In a separate bowl, stir together the melted coconut oil, honey, and peanut butter. Add this to the food processor, on top of the peanut/oat mixture, and process until it all comes together.
  3. Transfer all but 3/4 of a cup of this mixture to the baking pan and pat it down to form a crust. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove it from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes.
  4. Spread the strawberry jam on top of the crust. Crumble the 3/4 C of crust you reserved over top of the jam. Bake for 18 minutes.
  5. When you remove the pan from the oven, chill it in the freezer for 30 minutes. Once chilled, you can slice the bars and store them in the fridge.

Notes

This recipe was inspired by these Strawberry Oat Crumble Bars on Pinch of Yum – if you want to make them allergy free and vegan, try that one out for sure. I can’t resist a peanut though.

Meatball Banh Mi

This Meatball Banh Mi is a FIYACRACKER 💥 I mean, pickled carrots and onions, cilantro and mint, jalapenos and cucumber? Juicy meatballs, soft bread, creamy sriracha mayo, and salty peanuts? Come on, now… Gimme 30 minutes of your time and make this sandwich so we can be Bahn Mi Besties.

meatball banh mi math

When I made this the other night, I had everything except for, ahh, the main ingredient… pork. But, I did have hot Italian sausage. And I had mushrooms. So here’s my banh mi math:

Typical banh mi = steamed or roasted pork, Vietnamese sausage, and pate.

Italian sausage + mushrooms (because mushroom pate is a thing, somewhere) + a few Asian things from the pantry = Almost the Same and Very Delicious Meatball Banh Mi

a meatball banh mi sandwich with pickled carrots and onions, fresh herbs, jalapeno, cucumber, and chopped peanuts on a board

Truth: the spice, the fennel, and the fat in the hot Italian sausage combined with sugar and fish sauce make an amazing meatball. You will be seeing these again soon on the blog because Joey mentioned some sort of appetizer situation with these meatballs and peanut sauce and now I can’t get it out of my head.

I know, I know. You need to get this juicy, sweet, sour, spicy sandwich out of your head and into your hands right now! Just calm down, and quick-pickle some carrots and onions (yep, the lazy way with just vinegar with a pinch of sugar and salt). Mix up your sausage/mushroom meatballs with some fish sauce, sriracha, brown sugar, garlic, and onions. While they bake in the oven, chop any herb you can find in your fridge – cilantro and mint are wonderful. Slice up some jalapenos and chop a fistful of peanuts. Swizzle together mayo and sriracha… slice your rolls open… OMG I’m getting so excited for you… stuff those juicy meatballs into the rolls, stuff in everything else… stuff, stuff, stuff… Then, live happily ever after in banh mi bliss💕

a meatball banh mi sandwich with pickled carrots and onions, fresh herbs, jalapeno, cucumber, and chopped peanuts on a board
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Meatball Banh Mi

a meatball banh mi sandwich with pickled carrots and onions, fresh herbs, jalapeno, cucumber, and chopped peanuts on a board

Juicy sausage and mushroom meatballs on a soft, sriracha-mayo-y roll, with pickled veggies, tons of fresh herbs, jalapeno and cucumber, and chopped peanuts to top it off!

  • Author: Megan
  • Prep Time: 5 minutes
  • Cook Time: 25 minutes
  • Total Time: 30 minutes
  • Yield: 4 sandwiches

Ingredients

Quick pickled carrots and onions

  • 3 small carrots, cut into matchsticks or shaved into ribbons with a vegetable peeler
  • 1/2 a red onion, sliced thin
  • 1/4 C rice wine vinegar
  • 1/4 C brown sugar
  • 1 t salt

Whisk together the vinegar, brown sugar, and salt. Toss the carrots and onions in this mixture and let sit for about 30 minutes.

meatballs

  • 1 lb hot Italian sausage
  • 4 oz. mushrooms, diced small
  • 3 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 3 green onions, sliced thin
  • 1 T fish sauce
  • 1 T sriracha
  • 1 T brown sugar
  • 2 t corn starch
  • 1 t salt
  • 2 T sesame oil for the pan

sriracha mayo

  • 1 C mayonnaise
  • 3 T sriracha, or to taste

Mix to combine

bread and toppings

  • 4 rolls (baguettes are traditional but a soft roll works fine too, dig out the center to make more room for the filling)
  • chopped cucumber
  • sliced jalapeno
  • chopped herbs (cilantro, mint, parsley, basil, whatever you have)
  • chopped peanuts

Instructions

  1. Preheat your oven to 425. Oil a baking sheet with the sesame oil. Combine all ingredients for the meatballs in a bowl, mix gently with your hands. Shape into balls the size of golf balls and arrange on baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes, flip the meatballs over, then bake for another 10 minutes or until a thermometer reads 150.
  2. Slice the rolls open and spread with the sriracha mayo. Place the meatballs in the rolls followed by the pickled carrots and onions, chopped cucumber, jalapeno, herbs, and finish with the chopped peanuts.

Notes

Toast the rolls for a few minutes before assembling if you like.

P.S. If you love recipes like this one (heavily spiced meat, piled high with super colorful, fresh and pickled veggies, and a creamy sauce), please also try my Chicken Shawarma Nachos!

Homemade Dog Food

Shout out to all the old, picky, stubborn dogs! Ours has lumps and bumps, is slowly losing his guard-dog sense of hearing, and occasionally treats us to a #2 in the house. He’s sweet and funny and 100% part of the family. All of you pet owners know how real the feelz are for your animals. Caesar has really been perfecting his stubborn, picky eating game in the last couple months. Read: not eating, except for treats. Well, no one in my house is gonna not eat. I mean… Imma feed you… it’s kinda what I do. Enter: turmeric egg muffin cups for breakfast and ground beef and sweet potatoes for dinner for this enormous pumpkin head:

cane corso with big ears

healthy edible love for your dog

Please (pretty please) check with your vet about your own dog’s needs, but eggs are very (like, very) nutritious for dogs. They’re loaded with protein and amino and fatty acids and are good for digestion. Instead of sleepily scrambling an egg for Caesar every morning, I whisked together a dozen with a couple teaspoons of turmeric (a natural anti-inflammatory – hello, achy senior dog hips), and poured them into a muffin pan. Next, because I have a heart and Caesar’s one true love is dairy, I sprinkled some mozzarella in the center of each one and baked them at 350 for 20 minutes. Each morning, these little single-serving muffin cups are waiting for me in the fridge, I can pop one in the microwave for 15 seconds, and Caesar happily wolfs it down.

dog-friendly Mozzarella Egg Muffin Cups stacked on a board

For dinner, we have 2 quart containers (love, love these for meal prep and leftovers) of ground beef and shredded sweet potato that I cooked in a skillet with a little olive oil. This gets mixed into dry dog food, sometimes with a little warm chicken stock or greek yogurt. Lean ground beef is a healthy source of protein for dogs with lots of vitamins and minerals for those old joints and muscles. Same with sweet potatoes – full of vitamins, low in fat and high in fiber. Caesar snubs vegetables that look too much like vegetables so I shred the potato rather than dicing it up. If your dogs is not so picky… good for you😊


cooked ground beef and sweet potato, mixed into dry dog food in a stainless steel dog bowl

Both these recipes were about 30 minutes worth of work for 10-12 days worth of food … and it cost less than $10. Most importantly, Caesar is eating it! He’s actually absorbing some nutrition from real food rather than relying on snacky treats for his health. #worthit! For now, all is right with the world and I feel good about our life choices. Check back with me in a couple weeks when Caesar’s pickiness will undoubtedly rise again. He’ll decide he’s over these options, and I’ll let you know what we figure out then!

*This post contains Amazon Affiliate links!

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Turmeric Egg Muffin Cups for Dogs

dog-friendly Turmeric Egg Muffin Cups stacked on a board

My dog-friendly version of Turmeric Egg Muffin Cups are an easy and nutritious option for picky dogs!

  • Author: Megan
  • Prep Time: 2 minutes
  • Cook Time: 20 minutes
  • Total Time: 22 minutes
  • Yield: 12

Ingredients

  • olive oil or coconut oil
  • 12 eggs
  • 2 t turmeric
  • 1/2 C mozzarella

Instructions

  1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Coat a muffin pan really well with olive oil or coconut oil, or use a silicon pan.
  2. Whisk together the eggs and turmeric. Pour the eggs into the muffin cups and sprinkle a little mozzarella cheese into each one.
  3. Bake for 20 minutes.

Notes

I whisk the eggs in a big measuring cup like this one to make it easier to pour. My friend Jamie at Savory Saver has super helpful info on measuring cups if you are on the hunt for a good set.

Store these in the fridge and reheat them in the microwave for 15-20 seconds.

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Beef and Sweet Potatoes for Dogs

cooked ground beef and sweet potato, mixed into dry dog food in a stainless steel dog bowl

Dog-friendly sweet potato and lean ground beef mixed into dry dog food is a nutritious and easy dinner for your pup!

  • Author: Megan
  • Prep Time: 3 minutes
  • Cook Time: 10 minutes
  • Total Time: 13 minutes
  • Yield: 12 servings

Ingredients

  • 1 T olive oil
  • 1 lb lean ground beef
  • 1 sweet potato, grated or diced small

Instructions

  1. Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium high heat.
  2. Add the ground beef and cook until mostly browned.
  3. Add the sweet potato and cook for a few minutes, until the beef is browned all the way. (If using diced sweet potatoes and you want them soft, give it a few extra minutes.)

Notes

Store this in the fridge. 

We like to mix this into our dog’s dry dog food, sometimes with a little warm chicken stock or greek yogurt.

Chicken and Broccoli Bowls with White Wine Pan Sauce

It’s me, back again with the broccoli! I can halfway promise you these broccoli recipes will taper off as we inch towards spring/summer. Maybe. For now, I can’t not share these chicken and broccoli bowls that are SO easy, completely delicious, good for your body, and yep – totally suitable for meal prep!

I’m feeling like quite the champion this week, with a fridge full of prepped veggies, chicken, and this wine saucy-sauce. Technically, you could use any vegetable in this bowl. I’m just having a moment with super-charred, crispy broccoli right now. Helloooooo:

roasted broccoli on a sheet pan

While these tiny green angel trees roast away in the oven, you can get this show on the road by searing some diced chicken breasts in a skillet. This is actually just a means of prepping that skillet to make the most drool-worthy pan sauce to coat all the things later. The seasoning the chicken leaves behind in that pan bubbles away with some sliced shallot, a dollop of djon mustard, a big glug of white wine, and is finished off with a small chunk of butter for a little coating of the tongue decadence.

white wine pan sauce in a skillet with a wooden spoon

How about some crunch and tang for these contentment-delivery bowls? Almonds (roasted + salted, pretty please!) and dried cranberries for the win! And let’s pile all this onto a bed of healthy, chewy grains. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – the quinoa and brown rice blend from Seeds of Change Is. My. Jam.

I don’t know guys… I think this is a job well done in 30 minutes or less. Green thing + seared chicken + buttery, wine-y sauce + love-your-body grains + fruit and nuts? We’re just doing it right today.

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Chicken and Broccoli Bowls with White Wine Pan Sauce

seared, diced chicken, roasted broccoli, and brown rice in a bowl with chopped almonds, dried cranberries, and a white wine pan sauce on top

Crispy, charred broccoli and seared chicken over a bed of grains with crunchy, salty almonds and dried cranberries, topped off with a coat-your-tongue-in-yum white wine pan sauce!

  • Author: Megan
  • Prep Time: 5 minutes
  • Cook Time: 25 minutes
  • Total Time: 30 minutes
  • Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

  • 1 T olive oil
  • salt & pepper
  • 4 C of broccoli florets, roasted following these instructions
  • 2 chicken breasts, cut into 1/2″ pieces
  • 1 shallot, sliced thin
  • 2 t dijon mustard
  • 1/2 C white wine
  • 1 1/2 T butter
  • brown rice or any grains you like (I used these from Seeds of Change)
  • chopped almonds (I prefer roasted + salted)
  • dried cranberries

Instructions

  1. Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Season the chicken with salt and pepper and add it to the pan. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is cooked through. Transfer to a plate, using a slotted spoon.
  2. Lower the heat to medium and add the shallot to the pan. Add a little more oil if needed and cook until soft. Stir in the dijon, then the white wine, and let it bubble for a minute.
  3. Turn off the heat and add the butter to the sauce, stirring to melt. Taste and season with salt and pepper, if needed.
  4. Serve the broccoli and chicken over the rice, sprinkled with almonds and cranberries, and drizzled with the white wine pan sauce.

Notes

Complete step 1 while the broccoli is roasting.

Try any seasoning you like on the chicken. I really love it with Montreal Steak Seasoning.

Roasted Garlic Miso Butter Noodles

Prepare yourselves for this perfect bowl of joy, aka Roasted Garlic Miso Butter Noodles. It’s about to seduce you with grandiose, pungent pleasure. When I made these the first time, my taste buds read all the flavors together, lit up my brain, and the only word I could use to describe the taste was funk. Mouthwatering, going-back-for-seconds-and-thirds, funk. Miso is synonymous with umami, which in Japanese (and in my house) is literally synonymous with ‘deliciousness’. It’s made from fermented soybeans, rice, or barley and has the world’s most perfect funky,savory flavor. It’s rich, salty, tangy, and amazing. So, it wasn’t too much of a stretch for me to mix this flavor dynamo into some soft butter with my personal food superhero, roasted garlic, swirl in some pasta, and call it a day.

effort=1, flavor=1,000,000

There’s nothing to even break down here – soft butter, miso paste (I like the light-colored kind, sometimes labeled sweet or shiro miso), a head of roasted garlic, some minced scallion, crushed red pepper and (optional) cayenne. Plus, whatever pasta you want – I like spaghetti with this. Garnish with scallion greens, and, if you’re truly a glutton for umami like me, grated Parm.

Can I also suggest using this butter on a steak? That’s a whole other level. Try Chirssy Teigen’s recipe for Seared Steak and Spicy Garlic Miso Butter. This is almost the same recipe, except with roasted instead of raw garlic, crushed red pepper, and scallions instead of chives.

*The link above is an Amazon Affiliate Link!

Guys, go make this the best day ever and make these noodles.

roasted garlic miso butter noodles swirled in a bowl, garnished with Parmesan and green onions
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Roasted Garlic Miso Butter Noodles

roasted garlic miso butter noodles swirled in a bowl, garnished with Parmesan and green onions

Rich, salty, savory miso butter with a little bit of heat and a lot of roasty, garlic goodness, coating your favorite pasta for a perfectly simple and delicious dish.

  • Author: Megan
  • Prep Time: 3 mintues
  • Cook Time: 12 minutes
  • Total Time: 15 minutes
  • Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients

  • 1 stick of butter (I used salted but unsalted is ok), softened
  • 1 head of roasted garlic
  • 1/4 cup of miso (I used the light-colored shiro or sweet miso)
  • 1 bunch of scallions, just the white parts, minced (save the green tops for serving)
  • 1/2 t crushed red pepper
  • 1/4 t cayenne pepper (optional)
  • 1 lb cooked pasta
  • Parmesan and sliced scallion greens for serving

Instructions

  1. Combine the butter, garlic, miso, scallion whites, and peppers in a bowl. Stir to combine.
  2. Add warm, cooked pasta to the butter, stir to combine.
  3. Serve, topped with grated Parmesan and sliced scallion greens.

Notes

You can cut this recipe in half to serve fewer people. The leftover butter freezes well for 3 months.

Roasted Garlic

Is there an easier way to add bulk flavor to your food than squeezing in some soft, caramely, roasted garlic? I think not. It’s my go-to for bumping up the interest in a simple recipe and a day when I have some waiting for me in the fridge is a good day. Make a bunch in advance and arm yourself with maximum tastiness for any situation. Like, a noodle situation, a cassoulet situation, or a chili situation.

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Roasted Garlic

a head of roasted garlic in aluminum foil

Smooth, creamy, caramely roasted garlic – the perfect thing to bump up the flavor in any savory recipe or to spread on crostini for an easy appetizer.

  • Author: Megan
  • Prep Time: 1 minute
  • Cook Time: 45 minutes
  • Total Time: 46 minutes
  • Yield: 1

Ingredients

  • 1 (or more) head of garlic
  • olive oil
  • salt & pepper

Instructions

  1. Preheat your oven to 425 degrees.
  2. Slice just the top off the head of garlic, drizzle with oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper.
  3. Wrap the garlic in foil and roast for 45 minutes. When done, just let it cool and use your hands to squeeze out the soft cloves.

Chicken Shawarma Nachos

Sunshine, lollipops, rainbows, and Chicken Shawarma Nachos! So excited to bring these to light today, guys. Along with this recipe, comes to light my love of couch-eating off a big platter or, in this case, sheet pan. There are other ways to eat nachos but they’re no good, I promise. The best way is seated on the couch, with the coffee table pulled up to your knees, hunched over a hot pan of colorful, crispy Chicken Shawarma Nachos, devouring them with your husband/partner/best friend/imaginary friend (the extra body there helps you feel like it’s a super fun thing you’re doing and not just a weird, messy, stuff-your-face session). So now you know what Joey and I did on Saturday night while we caught up on TV. This is pretty much an ideal night for me.

colorful chicken shawarma nachos on a sheet pan with a glass of wine and a hand grabbing a chip

Can we please explore this rainbow of chicken, chips, cheese, and veggies? Work. Of. Art. Right? Chicken Shawarma, in its classic form, is a love letter to my taste buds. It’s Middle Eastern street food that usually combines that hot, juicy shaved meat that rotates on a vertical spit all day, seasoned with all the warm spices we love: cumin, turmeric, cinnamon, paprika, etc., with fresh and pickled veggies, sometimes served as a sandwich on flatbread or pita. So, I’ve just morphed all that action into nachos for our collective couch-eating delight.

DIY Shawarma flavor

As much as I want a vertical, rotating rotisserie in my house, one has not appeared yet. My work-around is roasted, skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs. You can use whatever chicken you prefer, even leftover cooked chicken works and will shave about 40 minutes off this recipe. Buuuuuttt… I like chopping up the chicken skin after its absorbed all those spices, then crisping it up in a pan while I’m searing the roasted chicken in the leftover juices. Not necessary, but will increase your enjoyment of this by, like 10. (I also shortcut some of the individual spices by using curry powder and garam masala.)

chicken thighs, rubbed with spices, roasted on a pan
Save those juices to sear the chicken in later.

Back to the nachos, there’s two layers of salty, crisp yellow corn tortilla chips here with melty smears of cheese and hunks of warmly spiced chicken. Then, because contrast is king, tangy purple cabbage, crisp cucumber and tomato, spicy jalapeno, sweet and sour pickled onions, salty feta, crunchy pistachios and a smooth, sour cream/tahini drizzle to tie it all together. It’s a bed of flavor, adorned with gobs of more flavor.

Get after it!

chicken shawarma nacho on a sheet pan with someone grabbing a chip
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Chicken Shawarma Nachos

Spiced, seared chicken nachos with fresh veggies, pickled onions, feta, and a sour cream/tahini drizzle! All the flavors of shawarma, in nacho form!

  • Author: Megan
  • Prep Time: 30
  • Cook Time: 50
  • Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
  • Yield: 4-6 servings

Ingredients

for the chicken

FOR THE CABBAGE

  • 1/4 of a head of purple cabbage, sliced thin
  • 1/2 t salt
  • 1 t lemon juice

Toss the cabbage in the salt, let sit 15 minutes. Toss with lemon juice.

for the pickled onions

Combine the following (stir to make sure sugar dissolves), let sit 15 minutes.

  • 1/2 a red onion, sliced thin
  • 1/4 C apple cider vinegar
  • 1 1/2 t sugar
  • 3/4 t salt

for the creamy drizzle

Whisk together the following:

  • 1/4 C sour cream
  • 2 T mayonnaise
  • 3 T tahini 
  • 2 T water

for the rest

  • 1/2 a bag of tortilla chips (I use Mission brand yellow, round chips)
  • about 4C shredded mozzarella cheese
  • 1 jalapeno, diced
  • 1/2 C cherry tomatoes, cut into quarters
  • 1/2 an English cucumber, diced
  • crumbled feta
  • pistachios, finely chopped

Instructions

for the chicken

  1. Preheat your oven to 425 degrees. Coat the chicken with olive oil and spices, let sit for 30 minutes, if you have time. Bake for 35 minutes or until the internal temp reaches 160. Remove from the oven and let cool. *Save the juices that are on the pan!
  2. When cool enough to handle, remove the skin and chop it into small pieces. Remove the chicken from the bones and slice into strips. 
  3. Pour 2 tablespoons of the juices from the pan into a skillet over high heat and add the chicken and chicken skin. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the skin is crispy and the chicken has some char marks – 8 to 10 minutes.

assembling the nachos

  1. Switch the oven to broil.
  2. Spread 1/2 the tortilla chips in a single layer on a baking sheet and top with 1/2 the mozzarella cheese and 1/2 the chicken and chicken skin. Top with the remaining chips and mozzarella and place under the broiler for 2-4 minutes, until the cheese is melted.
  3. Top with the remaining chicken and chicken skin, followed by the cabbage, pickled onions, jalapeno, tomatoes, and cucumber.
  4. Drizzle with the sour cream/mayo/tahini mixture and sprinkle with crumbled feta and chopped pistachios.

Notes

If you don’t want to deal with bone-in, skin-on chicken, use whatever chicken you prefer. Even leftover, cooked chicken would work – just shred it up, toss it in the spices, and sear it w/ a bit of oil in the pan for a minute. That’ll shave about 40 minutes off the time for this recipe.

If you have leftover ingredients/toppings/drizzle sauce, they make a super delicious rice bowl the next day!

Healthyish Chocolate Banana Muffins

Woah… you guys… It’s our buddy Chocolate’s first appearance on the blog! A) Welcome, sweet, fragrant, endorphine-producing friend. B) You’re late. I’ve been waiting, like, all morning for chocolate. Yes, I’ve already had breakfast and Joey and I have a lunch date in a few hours, buuuuut, no chance I’m skipping my mid-morning snack, K? And chocolate’s presence is required. These are *Healthyish* Chocolate Banana Muffins though, so, lemme at them for snack, snack #2, dessert, and breakfast tomorrow. Pats on the back, all around.

scrounging around for muffin items

These muffins are especially perfect if, like me, you have old, overripe bananas looking weird in a ziplock bag in your freezer and half an avocado quickly going brown in your fridge. Those two things, plus some Dutch process cocoa powder I brought home from the shop, are kicking off this muffin party. Never baked with avocado? It’s rich and fatty! Throw it in there! Overripe bananas? They add moisture and replace some of the sugar you’d normally need to add, plus, you know, yummy banana flavor. The rest of the ingredients were cobbled together from what I had on hand: an egg, chocolate chips, sour cream (chocolate’s sassy co-worker; she adds a tangy kick to the mix), olive oil, vanilla, and a little brown sugar:

brown sugar, ripe bananas, avocado, egg, and sour cream in a bowl before mixing for muffins

Plus, the usual muffin components: flour, baking powder, salt … aaaaand this super convenient baking powerhouse from our shop called Baker’s Spice Blend. I know it seems like a small thing, but being able to scoop out a teaspoon of this blend of cinnamon, allspice, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, cardamom, and star anise in a one-and-done motion, instead of gathering and measuring out all 7 individual spices… guys, come on. I am taking the flavorful and lazy route every time.

chocolate banana muffins in a muffin tin

Moving on: mix mix, dump dump, bake bake and here we have delicious muffins! Super chocolaty, tangy from the sour cream, rich (and healthyish) from the creamy avocado/banana/olive oil, and happily studded with melty chocolate chips. Mmmm hmmm, I’ll have 2 please!!

Ok, gotta go wash the chocolate off my fingers. Time to muffin!

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Healthyish Chocolate Banana Muffins

chocolate banana muffins in a muffin tin, one with a bite taken out

Super chocolaty and rich muffins (to use up your overripe bananas) plus olive oil, a little avocado, and lots of chocolate!

  • Author: Megan
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 28 minutes
  • Total Time: 38 minutes
  • Yield: 10 big muffins

Ingredients

dry ingredients

  • 1 1/2 C flour
  • 1/4 C Dutch process cocoa powder 
  • 4 t baking powder
  • 1/2 t salt
  • 1 t Baker’s Spice (optional, or add a big pinch of cinnamon)
  • 1 C semi-sweet chocolate chips

wet ingredients

  • 1 egg
  • 1/4 C sour cream
  • 2 T olive oil
  • 1/2 an avocado, mashed (about 1/4 C)
  • 2 ripe bananas, mashed
  • 1/2 C brown sugar
  • 1 T vanilla

Instructions

  1. Preheat your oven to 425 degrees and grease a muffin tin or line it with muffin liners.
  2. Whisk together the dry ingredients in a large bowl.
  3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients.
  4. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir until just combined – be careful not to overmix – a few streaks of flour in the batter are ok.
  5. Divide the batter evenly among muffin cups. *see note
  6. Bake at 425 for 5 minutes, then lower the oven temp to 375 and bake for 23 minutes. *see note

Notes

I filled the muffin cups all the way to the top and got 10 big muffins.

This method of blasting the muffins with high heat and then lowering the temp to let them finish baking is part of what helps them get big and fat. I learned that tip (plus the correct amount of baking powder to use) from this post on Sally’s Baking Addiciton. So smart!

Goat Cheese Sweet Potato Empanadas

The universe has been speaking to me in empanadas lately. My mom and I discovered 2 amazing empanada places on our road trip to Greensboro the other week. I have zero problems with eating empanadas two lunches in a row, so, I definitely did that. Cut to this week, we’re organizing our plans for a Cinco de Mayo cooking class for the shop and we decided on an empanada class to fit the theme. Then yesterday, I see a picture of some empanadas from Topolobampo, the Rick Bayless restaurant, where the filling was this yummy-sounding white sweet potato with the flavors of chorizo. Ok, you don’t have to tell me 4 times, I’m making empanadas.

Didya see me make these on my instagram story this week? We have some stuff to break down here, empanadas from scratch are slightly involved… but guess what your reward is? Perfect little hand pies of spicy/sweet nutty goodness dipped in a chipotle crema. Mmmmkayyy? Worth it! You can do this! We can do this! Let’s do this!

baked empanadas on a baking sheet with parchment paper and a lttle owl of chipotle crema
Continue reading “Goat Cheese Sweet Potato Empanadas”