Mushroom Kale Chicken, Squash, and Quinoa

Happy New Year! Hope that everyone had a wonderful holiday break, I know I did. But it is back to work and back to cooking. Today I wanted to welcome people back from the holiday glut with something healthy. Everything is made with simple and healthy ingredients. The two dishes bellow are served with quinoa to round out the meal, but feel free to pair with brown rice, bulgar, orzo pasta, fresh baked bread, or any other grain.

Mushroom Kale Chicken
Serves 12

3 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs, cubed
3 bags of sliced cremini mushrooms
1 bag kale (this avoids having to wash and chop it)
2 Tbs olive oil

Preparation:
1. Heat olive oil in a large pot over high heat until it becomes fragrant.
2. Add chicken and saute until no pink is visible.
3. Add mushrooms and continue sautéing until the mushrooms start to change color.
4. Add kale and carefully stir contents of pot so that the kale is under the mushrooms and chicken.
5. When the kale has wilted and turned a brighter green, remove pot from heat and drain off liquid. (I'm reserving this for a mushroom gravy for another meal.)

Squash
Serves 12

2 acorn squash
1 butternut squash
Pinch everyday seasoning (from Trader Joe's) to taste.

Preparation:
1. Preheat oven to 370 degrees F.
2. Cut the squashes lengthwise.
3. Scoop out seeds and anything stringy. (I'm reserving the seeds for another meal.)
4. Cut squashes in half widthwise.
5. Place on a tray with 1/2 cup of water.
6. Bake until able to be easily pierced with a fork, 30-35 minutes.
7. Remove rind with a spoon after the squash has cooled enough to touch.
8. Chop squash and season with everyday seasoning to taste. Alternatively, use salt and pepper to taste.

Polenta topped with a Mushroom, Bacon, Greens Compote

Good morning. On my hunting through the world of food porn I stumbled across the idea to make polenta, which I adore. This is great because I have a ton of cornmeal and recently made corn bread, but managed to forget to use any of the huge bag of yellow corn meal to do so. This means that I've made more of a corn mush than a traditional polenta, the difference being the grind of the meal being fine rather than corse, but I'm still calling it polenta. Because it sounds tastier.

Polenta
Makes way more than I intended for 12 people

Ingredients:
3 cups cornmeal
3 cups cold water
9 cups boiling water
4 1/2 tsp salt

Preparation:
1. Bring larger portion of water and salt to a boil.
2. Mix corn meal and equal amount of cold water together in a bowl, then add to boiling salted water.
3. Cover and cook over medium heat for 10-15 minutes. Stir frequently to avoid scalding the bottom.
4. Serve immediately or pour into a pan to set.
Optionally: cool in fridge overnight, then cut into cubes and fry in butter or olive oil until golden brown.

Mushroom, Bacon, Greens Compote
Serves 12

Ingredients:
3 bags of sliced cremini mushrooms
1 carton of yellow cherry tomatoes, chopped in half
2 packages of bacon, cut into bite sized pieces
1 bunch of spring onions, roughly chopped discarding whites
1 bag of Super Greens
1 cup of marsala wine
2 Tbs cornstarch mixed in 2 Tbs cold water

Preparation:
1. In a very large skillet (or multiple batches for a large skillet) over medium to medium high heat, start cooking bacon pieces until there is some grease in the pan.
2. Add the spring onion and mushrooms. Saute, stirring frequently, until the mushrooms have started to change color.
3. Add the wine and continue cooking until the alcohol has all evaporated (put your face over the pan and inhale through your nose, if you feel a little buzz, the alcohol is still being cooked away).
4. Add the tomatoes and greens, cook until the greens have wilted.
5. Remove all of the solid stuff to serving bowl, reserving the liquid in the pan.
6. Add the cornstarch mixture and stir with a wooden or silicone spoon until the liquid thickens evenly.
7. Mix the solids and the gravy together. Serve with polenta.