Category Archives: One Pot Meals
Pasta with Chicken and Zucchini
I love making roast chicken for many reasons. One reason is the leftovers. I like coming up with something completely different with yesterdays leftovers.
In this case, I had about a cup of shredded chicken from the delicious roast chicken. I also always keep fresh tomato sauce in my fridge all the time. Once a week I buy fresh tomatoes and make a quick fresh sauce. I wanted to add some vegetables and noticed a zucchini in my fridge. I then remembered my daughter’s look every time I serve zucchini- so I decided to peel it, chop it and add it to the mix with some carrots- she noticed the carrots but not the zucchini. The chicken and tomato sauce mixture was delicious. I quickly boiled some pasta and we had a delicious, quick and healthy meal.
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Swiss Chard Pasta with Sausage
Swiss chard is my new favorite greens to buy. For a very long time, I would walk by it in the super market and not think about it.
After I took part in a farmer’s market program sponsored by my daughter’s school- I found myself convincing kids to pick up the Swiss chard to take home. I did the same myself and forced myself to come up with recipes using this delicious green.
When I made this pasta with sausage and Swiss chard, my daughter asked me what the green was- I told her it is like spinach and served her a big portion. She loved it!
This dish is very simple with homemade tomato sauce and a pack of chicken sausages- both are a staple in my house. I had the pasta cooked in no time and again, this is a one pot meal- yay!!
- 1 bunch Swiss chard, stalks trimmed and chopped, kept aside; the leaves cut into 2 inch pieces
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 3 garlic cloves, chopped
- 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
- 4 to 5 chicken sausage links, casings off and crumbled
- 2 cups fresh or store bought marinara sauce
- Salt
- ½ to ¾ pound pasta, cooked al dente
Heat a wide frying pan with the olive oil. Add the stalks, onion and garlic. Saute on medium heat, stirring constantly for about 4 to 5 minutes. Add the sausage and sauté for another 5 minutes. Add the tomato sauce and salt. Add the cooked pasta and taste for seasonings. Fold in the greens and serve right away.
Chicken with Spinach and Dill
This dish is my daughter’s favorite Indian dish- well, one of her favorites. Most of the time I forget to make it and she is the one to remind me. She loves the delicious combination of spinach and chicken thighs cooked together with onions, ginger and garlic with some tomatoes. I grew up with this dish and absolutely love it as well. read more …
Ma Po Tofu with Peas
This is my husband’s favorite thing to order in Chinese restaurants. It is a Szechuan dish and so not really available in a lot of the restaurants. The dish is also on the greasy side- like any other that we tend to order in the restaurant. As usual I try to make it at home. It doesn’t taste exactly the same but it tastes good and I know it is healthy.
Usually the dish is made with ground pork and soft tofu with a delicious sauce. I used my usual ground turkey, which is my ‘go to’ ground meat. It is much healthier- I use dark turkey meat so the taste is really good.
I marinated the meat with some tamari and corn starch. The corn starch was to thicken the sauce while cooking the dish. I then prepared a sauce consisting of black bean sauce, chili garlic sauce, ketchup and vinegar. I made a delicious sauce and got the tofu ready. I decided to make the dish a one pot meal and added some peas to it. I thought it was a good addition to the dish and I didn’t have to worry about serving a vegetable on the side.
Try this dish- it is easy, quick and super delicious….
- ½ pound ground turkey
- 3 teaspoons tamari
- 2 teaspoons corn starch
Mix the tamari with the cornstarch. Marinate the turkey meat with the cornstarch mixture for 2 to 3 hours.
- 1 tablespoon tamari
- 2 teaspoons black bean sauce
- 1 teaspoon chili garlic paste
- 2 teaspoons ketchup
- 2 teaspoons rice vinegar
- 1 teaspoon honey
Mix the tamari, bean sauce chili paste, ketchup, vinegar and honey in a small bowl. Keep aside.
- 1 pound silken or firm tofu, cut into 1 inch squares
- 1 tablespoon extra light olive oil
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 2 teaspoons corn starch
- 2 teaspoons water
Mix the cornstarch and water in a small bowl and keep aside.
Heat a wok-like saucepan with the oil. Add the ground turkey and sauté on high heat and separating the meat with the back of the spatula. Cook on high for 4 to 5 minutes till golden brown. Add the tamari sauce and mix well. Add the tofu and frozen peas. Mix well and bring to a boil. Add the cornstarch mixture and bring to another boil. Check for seasonings and serve with brown rice.
Moroccan Vegetable Tagine
Recipe number two. I made this dish at a cooking class for a gentleman who wanted to learn vegetarian dishes so he could feed his family healthy food. I suggested a Moroccan dish called Tagine. It is typically made with meat and cooked in ‘Tagine‘, which is a special ceramic cooking pot with a cone like lid. It is nice to have one at home but it isn’t necessary to make a delicious tagine at home.
We started with a spice mix consisting of cumin, coriander, turmeric and cayenne pepper. We then sautéed some onions, garlic, tomato paste and harissa- a moroccan hot paste. We added potatoes, turnips, carrots and chickpeas to the mix including some broth.
This is a delicious dish for a crowd, especially with some whole wheat couscous. Try it next time you are entertaining…
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