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.

Chicken Fennel Quinoa, Persimmon Arugula Salad, and Baked Pears

Hope that everyone is chowing down with delight. For lunch we have a hearty, yet healthy, quinoa dish that features chicken, fennel, celery, and onion that is reminiscent of chicken noodle soup. This sturdier dish is contrasted with a lighter salad that has an arugula (also called rocket) base with sliced persimmons and prosciutto bits and a light champaign vinaigrette. For dessert there is baked pear that is spiced with clove and ginger as well as a splash of amaretto. Alas, the pears baked down a bit more than I anticipated, so if I do make this dish again I will double and possibly triple the recipe.

Chicken Fennel Quinoa
Serves 12

Ingredients:
1 small onion, roughly diced
2 bulbs fennel, diced to the size of onions
3 stalks celery, diced to onion size
2 cups quinoa
3 cups water
6 chicken thighs cut into bite size pieces
1/2 cup cooking sherry
4 Tbs olive oil, divided
salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:
1. In a large pot heat half of the olive oil over high heat.
2. Saute the onion, fennel, and celery until the onion is glassy.
3. Add quinoa and saute for 2 more minutes, this helps to bring out the nutty flavor of the quinoa. Salt and pepper to taste.
4. Add water and reduce heat to low, simmer for 15 minutes or until all liquid is absorbed by the quinoa.
5. While the quinoa is cooking, in a skillet heat the remaining oil over high heat.
6. Saute the chicken, when it is half way cooked add the sherry.
7. Saute chicken until it is cooked all the way through. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.
8. Combine the chicken and quinoa once everything is finished cooking.


Persimmon Arugula Salad
Served 12

Ingredients:
2 boxes of arugula (or 4 bags)
3 persimmons, peeled, cored, and sliced thin
1 package of prosciutto, broken into small pieces
Champaign dressing

Preparation:
1. Dress the arugula with the dressing to fully coat all the leaves.
2. Layer on top persimmons then prosciutto.
Optional: This salad would also do well with the addition of a light cheese like mozzarella , pomegranate seeds, or nuts.


Baked Pears
Serves 4-6

Ingredients:
6 pears, peeled, cored, and diced (choose ones that are less sandy, like the brown skinned pears rather than the green ones)
2 tsp ground cloves
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 Tbs butter, cut into small pieces
1/4 cup chopped walnuts

Preparation:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. In a baking dish place pear pieces, evenly cover with clove, ginger, and brown sugar, stir to combine. Dot with butter to prevent sticking.
3. Bake for 45 minutes or until they smell so good you can't wait any more. the goal is to have them be a little mushy without falling apart.
4. Top with walnuts for garnish and added richness.

Falafels, hummus, and quinoa tabbouleh

The first challenge is that two of the 12 people I'm making lunch for are celiac, which means no gluten in their diets. The second challenge is that one of those two celiac individuals is lactose intolerant. The third challenge is that the group wants healthy meals and flavorful dishes. The fourth challenge is that there has to be more than one dish, preferably three dishes, to offer diversity. The final challenge: it all has to be delivered by noon. 

I may be a little insane to take this on, but only time will tell. 

To start, I made gluten free falafels. The lesson I learned from this experience is that I needed xanthan gum and didn't have it, but the recipe bellow has it added in for your convenience. 

Gluten Free Falafels

Ingredients:
1 (19 oz) can of chickpeas (also called garbanzo beans) drained
1/2 large sweet onion, roughly chopped
2 Tbs chopped fresh parsley (about one bunch with stems removed)
2 Tbs chopped fresh cilantro (about one bunch with stems removed)
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp red chili flakes
4 cloves garlic
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp baking powder
4-6 Tbs almond meal for stability
1/4 to 1/2 tsp xanthan gum for stability
2-4 Tbs olive oil for frying

Preparation: 
1. In a food processor, chop together the chickpeas and onion until there are no large pieces. 
2. Add in the parsley, cilantro, salt, red chili flakes, garlic, cumin, and baking powder. Process until combined. 
3. Add in the almond meal and xanthan gum until the batter can be molded into a ball without sticking to your hands. 
4. Heat oil in a frying pan over medium to high heat, it is ready when you can smell olives but is too hot if the oil smokes.
5. Use a small ice cream scoop or a large spoon to scoop out the batter into walnut sized dollops and carefully place them into the hot oil. Make sure to not splash hot oil, it sucks to get burned. 
6. When the underside of the falafels have browned, flip them. 
7. Once the falafels are golden brown all over, place onto a plate with two layers of paper towels. Serve over a salad of freshly chopped lettuce, tomatoes, hummus, tahini, and yogurt. 

Because the gluten free option didn't hold together very well without that key binding ingredient of xanthan gum, I opted to also make these with all-purpose unbleached flour in place of the almond meal and xanthan gum. Those turned out much better in terms of retaining shape and ease of cooking. Serve the with gluten falafels in pita pockets along with all the goodies mentioned above or on top of a salad.

Hummus 

Ingredients: 
2 cloves garlic
1 (19 oz) can chickpeas, drained with liquid reserved 
4 Tbs lemon juice 
2 Tbs tahini
1 tsp salt
dash black pepper (optional)
2 Tbs olive oil (optional)

Preparation: 
1. In a food processor chop the garlic.
2. Add the chickpeas, lemon juice, tahini, and salt into the food processor, blend. 
3. Add the reserved liquid until you get a good consistency to the hummus (about half the liquid)
4. Optional, for serving sprinkle black pepper and drizzle olive oil over hummus. Enjoy with pita, chips, or veggies. 

Quinoa Tabbouleh 

• Ingredients: 
• 1 3/4 cups water
• 1 cup uncooked quinoa
• 1/2 cup coarsely chopped seeded tomato 
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley (or mint if that's what you have)
• 1/4 cup currents (or raisins if that is all you have) 
• 1/4 cup chopped cucumber
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons chopped green onions 
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 teaspoons minced sweet onion 
• 1/2 teaspoon salt (to taste)
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper (to taste)
• 
  
• Preparation: 
• 1. Combined water and quinoa in a medium saucepan; bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to low, simmer for 20 minutes or until the liquid is absorbed. 
• 2. Remove from heat and fluff quinoa with a fork.
• 3. In a small dish, combined lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Pour mixture over quinoa and mix thoroughly.
• 4. Stir in all remaining ingredients. 
• 5. Cover and let stand 1 hour. Serve chilled or at room temperature.