Ham and Cheddar Lunch Box Muffins

Ham and Cheddar Lunch Box Muffins

Makes 12 muffins

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup stone-ground yellow cornmeal
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups buttermilk
2 large eggs
7 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled, divided
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
8 ounces thick-cut deli ham (1/2-inch thick), diced
3 tablespoons finely chopped chives, divided
Freshly ground black pepper

Arrange a rack in the middle of the oven and heat to 375°F. Line a standard 12-well muffin pan with papers liners or coat the wells with cooking spray.

Whisk together the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, garlic powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. Whisk the buttermilk, eggs, and 5 tablespoons of the butter in a medium bowl until combined. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry, and mix with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula until just combined. Some lumps are fine. Fold in the cheese, all but 1/2 cup of the ham, and 2 tablespoons of the chives.

Spoon the batter into the muffin wells, filling each about 3/4 full. Top the muffins with the reserved ham, sprinkle with the remaining chives, and sprinkle with pepper. Top each muffin with 1/2 teaspoon of the remaining melted butter.

Bake until the tops just begin to brown and a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool the muffins in the pan for about 5 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Recipe Notes

• Storage: Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days, or in the freezer for 3 months. Eat cold or reheat in the toaster oven for a few minutes before serving.

How To Cook a Whole Chicken in Coconut Milk in the Slow Cooker

How To Cook a Whole Chicken in Coconut Milk in the Slow Cooker

Serves 4 to 6

What You Need

Ingredients
1 (3- to 4-pound) whole chicken
2 teaspoons kosher salt
2 (15-ounce) cans coconut milk
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
2 cups tightly packed fresh basil leaves, plus more for serving
6 cloves garlic
1 (2-inch) knob fresh ginger, peeled and thinly sliced
1 fresh Thai red chile
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice

Equipment
Rimmed baking sheet
6-quart or larger slow cooker
Tongs
Immersion blender

Instructions

1. Brown the chicken under the broiler. Arrange a rack in the middle of the oven and heat the broiler to high. Place the chicken on a rimmed baking sheet and season on all sides and inside the cavity with the salt. Broil, breast-side up, until the skin has browned and crisped slightly, about 8 minutes. Remove the chicken from the oven, carefully flip it, and broil until the underside is also golden-brown, about 6 minutes more.
2. Make a fragrant coconut broth. Set your slow cooker to low, add the coconut milk and chicken broth, and whisk until smooth. Add the basil, garlic, ginger, and chile, and stir to combine.
3. Add the chicken to the slow cooker and cook on low for 4 to 6 hours. Place the chicken in the slow cooker breast-side down. Cover and cook until the chicken is tender and fragrant, on the LOW setting for 4 to 6 hours.
4. Remove the chicken and blend the sauce (optional). Transfer the chicken to a serving platter. Stir the lime juice into the sauce. You can serve the sauce as is, or blend with an immersion blender right in the slow cooker's crock and add a handful of fresh basil before serving.

Recipe Notes

• Storage: Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

Cheesy Hash Brown Breakfast Casserole

Serves 6 to 8

• Cooking spray or oil, for coating the pan
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 pound uncooked breakfast sausage, casings removed
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1 medium red bell pepper, cored, seeded, and diced
• 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
• 1 (20-ounce) bag frozen shredded potatoes (do not thaw)
• 10 large eggs
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 cup whole or 2% milk
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 1 1/2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese (about 6 ounces)
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Arrange a rack in the middle of the oven and heat to 375°F. Lightly coat a 9x13-inch baking dish with cooking spray or oil; set aside.

Heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium heat until shimmering. Add the sausage and cook, breaking it up into small pieces with a wooden spoon, until browned and no longer pink, 6 to 8 minutes.

Add the onion, pepper, and 1/4 teaspoon of the salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are soft, about 5 minutes. Transfer the mixture to the baking dish, add the potatoes, stir to combine, and spread into an even layer.

Whisk the eggs in a large bowl. Add the sour cream, milk, mustard, cheese, remaining salt, and pepper and whisk to combine. Pour over the vegetable mixture.

Bake until the top is light golden-brown and a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean, about 45 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes before slicing.

Recipe Notes

Make ahead: The casserole can be assembled, covered, and stored in the refrigerator overnight. Let sit at room temperature for 20 minutes before baking.

Storage: Leftovers can be stored in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Crispy Rice Salad

NAM KHAO TOD

Total time: 20 minutes, plus chilling and drying time for the rice | Serves 4

Note: Adapted from a recipe from Kris Yenbamroong of Night + Market. Thacan be found in local Thai markets or well-stocked Asian markets. Fermented Thai sausage is uncooked, which is how Yenbamroong uses it. As with uncooked eggs, the U.S. Department of Agriculture recommends that you cook all meat products.

About 2½ cups cooked jasmine rice, preferably day-old

1 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 to 2 tablespoons red curry paste (nam prik kang ped)

About ½ cup rice flour

Vegetable oil for deep frying

1 heaping tablespoon chile jam (nam prik pao)

1 tablespoon sugar

6 tablespoons fish sauce

2 heaping tablespoons red chile flakes

1 1/2 to 2 teaspoons chopped Thai bird’s eye chiles

1 cup slivered red onion

1 cup roughly chopped green onion

1 cup roughly chopped cilantro, plus more for garnish

Juice of 1½ limes

About ¼ cup Thai fermented sausage (naem), crumbled

1/2 cup roasted peanuts

1/2 cup julienned ginger

1. Fluff the rice and spread it out on a baking sheet. Chill the rice, uncovered, until ready to fry, at least 1 hour.

2. Remove the rice and season it with salt and red curry paste, mixing it in by hand to separate the rice into individual grains. Taste and adjust the seasoning if desired.

3. Sprinkle a few tablespoons of rice flour over the seasoned rice and continue working by hand, gently rubbing the rice to separate it into individual grains. Add more rice flour a little at a time as necessary. When you are done, the rice should feel very dry and separate. Return it to the refrigerator for 30 minutes to finish drying.

4. Meanwhile, add enough vegetable oil to a deep pot so it goes halfway up the sides. Heat the oil until a thermometer inserted reaches 355 degrees.

5. Rain in the rice, a handful at a time, to the oil. The oil will bubble profusely and slowly settle down as the rice fries to a light golden color. When the bubbles have subsided, about 45 seconds, remove the rice, using a fine mesh strainer, to a paper towel-lined tray to drain. Repeat with the remaining rice.

6. In a large bowl, combine the chile jam, sugar and fish sauce, stirring or whisking until combined to form a sauce. Stir in the red chile flakes, Thai chiles, red onion, green onion, cilantro and lime juice. Fold in the sausage, peanuts and ginger, then the rice, tossing quickly to mix. Divide the mixture into servings, and garnish each with a little more chopped cilantro. Serve immediately.

Moroccan-Spiced Chicken Kabobs with Whipped Feta Sauce

Moroccan-Spiced Chicken Kabobs with Whipped Feta Sauce

Ingredients
3 pounds chicken breasts or thighs, cut into 1.5-inch cubes
1/2 cup plain unsweetened yogurt or buttermilk
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup lemon juice
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon each: ground cumin, ground cinnamon, ground coriander, paprika
1/2 teaspoon each: ground ginger and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper

For Whipped Feta Sauce:
4 ounces feta cheese
7 ounces Greek yogurt
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup fresh mint, chopped
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

For kabobs:
Metal or pre-soaked bamboo skewers
1 medium zucchini, cut into 1/2″ rounds
1/2 medium red onion, cut into 1″ pieces
1-2 bell peppers, cut into 1″ pieces (you won’t need an entire pepper, but the alternating colors are fun)

For serving:
8 soft flatbreads or pitas, warmed
Hummus
Lettuce
Cucumber slices
Tomato slices

Instructions
For kabobs:
1. Place the cubed chicken in a casserole dish or large resealable plastic bag.
2. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the yogurt or buttermilk, olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, salt, sugar, and spices. Pour over the chicken cubes and toss to coat. Cover dish or reseal bag and refrigerate for at least 30-45 minutes, or preferably several hours to marinate.

For Whipped Feta Sauce:
While chicken is marinating, place all of the sauce ingredients, except the mint, into a blender or food processor. Blend until smooth. Add the mint and pulse a few times. Transfer to a jar or bowl and refrigerate until ready to serve.

For kabobs:
1. Preheat a barbecue grill for direct heat. If using a charcoal grill, spread coals out evenly under the grate to prevent hot spots. Clean and oil the grill grates.
2. While the grill is preheating, thread the chicken cubes, zucchini, red onion, and bell peppers in alternating layers on the skewers. Set aside until ready to grill.
3. Place the prepared kabobs on the grill and allow to cook for 3-4 minutes on the first side, then rotate the skewers and allow to cook for several minutes each on the other three sides. The grill lid doesn’t need to be on for this. The kabobs cook fairly quickly.
4. Transfer the kebabs to a serving platter and keep warm until ready to serve.

For serving:
Serve kabobs on the skewer or folded into a pita with a little hummus, lettuce, cucumber, and tomato, topped with a drizzle of the Whipped Feta Sauce. Serve warm.

Serves 4-6

Notes:
– Cubed lamb or beef can be substituted for the chicken.
– Other vegetables can be substituted for the ones listed above.
– For a thicker feta sauce, use a little less yogurt. It will thicken slightly as it sits.
– To warm up the pitas or flatbreads, I use long tongs and place them directly on the grill after I’ve removed the kabobs. (This may require a little bit of scrubbing if the grates aren’t clean.) About 15-30 seconds per side is perfect

Chicken Korma

INGREDIENTS

 

Makes 4–5 servings

• 2 lbs skinless chicken, preferably dark meat, cut into 2" pieces
• + salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 t turmeric powder
• 3 cloves garlic, pounded into paste
• 1/2 C yogurt
• 1 1" piece ginger, finely chopped
• 2 T vegetable oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2–3 green chilies, seeded if desired
• 1 t garam masala
• 1 t ground coriander
• 1 t ground fennel
• 1/2 C cashews
• 1/2 C cilantro leaves
• + ghee rice or chapati, for serving

PREPARATION

1. In a large bowl or plastic bag, combine the chicken pieces, salt, pepper, turmeric powder, ginger, garlic paste, and yogurt. Marinate in the refrigerator overnight.
2. When you are ready to cook, heat the oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Sauté the onion and chilies with the garam masala until fragrant and brown, about 10 minutes. Add the marinated chicken, and fry for about 10 minutes.
3. In the meantime, grind the coriander and fennel with the cashews and cilantro leaves in a small food processor or mortar and pestle. Add this mixture to the chicken, and cook until the chicken is cooked through, about 40 minutes. You will see the oil rise to the top of the mixture and it will smell awesome with all of the spices. I usually cook some ghee rice to go with it, or some chapati.