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Category Archives: Main Entrees


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Spicy Coconut Shrimp with Coconut Rice

Spicy Coconut Shrimp with Rice | doughseedough.net

We eat a lot of chicken in our house. A lot of chicken. So, when we do have some red meat or seafood, Mike is pretty darn excited! I was assigned Jaida’s blog Sweet Beginnings for this recipe swap. I was on her blog for hours. She has no shortage of recipes – whether you’re looking for a dessert, main entree, appetizer or drink, her blog has got it all. It took me a really long time to settle on this shrimp dish. I loved how easily this came together, Mike loved that he got to eat something other than chicken, and I’m sure you will love this dish, too 🙂

Spicy Coconut Shrimp with Rice | doughseedough.net

Spicy Coconut Shrimp with Coconut Rice

1 – 13.5 ounce can light coconut milk
1 jalapeno pepper, halved
3 cloves garlic
1-inch piece fresh ginger, skin removed and chopped
1/4 cup fresh parsley
1 lime, juiced
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/2 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined, tails left on
1 cup uncooked white rice
salt and freshly ground black pepper

  1. Prepare the marinade: In the bowl of a food processor, combine 1/2 cup of the coconut milk, jalapeno, garlic, ginger, parsley, lime, and olive oil. Blend until smooth. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
  2. Place shrimp in a small bowl and pour the marinade over it, tossing to coat. Cover and refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours.
  3. Rice can be prepared in a rice cooker or medium pot over medium high heat. Combine remaining coconut milk with rice and stir to combine. Cook according to package directions. If using brown rice, add in 1 cup of water.
  4. When rice is almost done cooking (white rice will take about 15 – 20 minutes and brown rice about 40 – 45 minutes, in my experience), start cooking the shrimp.
  5. Heat a medium skillet over medium high heat. Remove shrimp from the marinade and place in the skillet in a single layer. Cook the shrimp for 2 minutes on one side. Flip and cook for an additional minute, or until shrimp are fully cooked.
  6. Pour the marinade into small saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and let cook for 3 minutes.
  7. Serve shrimp over prepared rice and drizzle with reduced sauce.

recipe slightly adapted from Sweet Beginnings, originally from Bev Cooks

A big thanks to Sarah at Taste of Home Cooking for hosting! Click on the link below to check out the other delicious swap recipes!


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Chicken Enchiladas

Chicken Enchiladas {Freezer Meal} | doughseedough.net

I’ve been prepping freezer meals for Mike to eat when we’re apart. Whether it’s because he’s back in Appleton for work, or because I’m traveling for work, or both… I worry about him. He’s more than capable of cooking for himself (I think), but I’m happier knowing that he has a good meal waiting for him at home. I’ve made a ton of stuffed shells and baked fettuccine Alfredo for him so far. Basically, foods that I can’t eat because they’re loaded with cheese. I haven’t documented any of those meals because I haven’t had the opportunity to take photos of the finished product. I’ve now realized that that is a little silly. I’m spending hours making new meals that I’m not sharing.

Since I’m pretty sure that there can be no shortage of freezer meals in the world, here you go – my first contribution to the Freezer Meal World – chicken enchiladas.

Chicken Enchiladas {Freezer Meal} | doughseedough.net

Freezer-Friendly Chicken Enchiladas

1 teaspoon canola oil
1 medium onion, diced
2 jalapenos, seeded and minced
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 tablespoons chili powder
2 teaspoons cumin
1 tablespoon sugar
1 cup tomato sauce
2 tomatoes, chopped
1 cup water
salt and pepper
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast or thighs (I used both)
1 cup shredded montery jack cheese, divided
1 cup shredded white cheddar cheese, divided
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
10 10-inch flour tortillas
olive oil spray

  1. Heat oil in large pan over medium heat. Add in onion, jalapenos, and garlic and cook, stirring often, until onions have softened, about 5 – 8 minutes. Stir in chili powder, cumin and sugar and cook, stirring frequently, for about 30 seconds. Add in tomato sauce, tomatoes, and water and stir to combine. Bring sauce to a simmer. Lower heat, and let sauce cook until thickened, about 5 minutes.
  2. Place chicken into the sauce and cover the pan. Reduce heat to low and cook for about 15 minutes, or until chicken is completely cooked through. Remove chicken to a plate to let cool slightly.
  3. Meanwhile, strain the sauce through a fine mesh strainer. Press down on the tomatoes and onions to push out as much liquid as possible. Place the tomatoes and onions into a large bowl and set aside. Set sauce aside.
  4. Shred chicken and add into bowl with tomatoes and onions. Stir in 1/4 cup of reserved sauce, 1/2 cup of montery jack, 1/2 cup of cheddar, and the cilantro.
  5. Preheat oven to 425°F. Spray a 9×13 baking dish with cooking spray. Spoon ~1/3 of the filling into the middle of each tortilla. Roll up tightly and place, seam-side down, into the prepared baking dish. Repeat with the remaining filling and tortillas. Lightly spray the tops of the tortillas with olive oil. Place the enchiladas into the oven, uncovered, for 7 minutes to slightly brown the tortillas.
  6. Remove the enchiladas from the oven and pour the remaining sauce on top. Sprinkle with the rest of the cheese.
  7. To cook right away: Preheat oven to 375°F. Cover the dish with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for 5 more minutes to brown the cheese. Remove from oven, and let cool slightly before serving.
  8. To freeze: Cover the baking dish with a lid and freeze until ready to eat. When ready to eat, take the dish out of the freezer. Preheat oven to 375°F. Cover the dish with foil and bake for 30 minutes or until heated through. Remove foil and bake for 10 more minutes or until cheese is lightly browned. Remove from oven, and let cool slightly before serving.

 

recipe slightly adapted from Annie’s Eats


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African Chicken Peanut Stew

This delicious stew was accompanied by one of my biggest cooking fails. Ever.

I’ve had this recipe on my “to-cook” list forever. I was inspired by a local restaurant, Buraka. They have to-die-for peanut stew and they serve it with really, really great injera. For those of you who haven’t had injera, it’s an Ethiopian flatbread that has a spongy texture and a bit of a tang. Like a cross between a pancake, crepe and… sourdough bread? I’m not sure how to explain it, but it’s awesome.

Sadly, Buraka was forced to close at the end of October. The building it was in is being torn down and turned into another residential building. Sigh. To make it worse, two more of my fave Madison restaurants were also displaced because of this – Husnu’s and Kabul. This closing meant the end of any peanut stew and injera deliciousness. So, I set off to recreate it. I was partly successful. The stew was pretty good. The injera? A total fail. As in – the smell and taste of it made me want to curl up into a ball and die. I obviously won’t be sharing the injera recipe with you today (or ever – I don’t think I’ll attempt it again), but I do have the chicken peanut stew for you.

African Peanut Stew | doughseedough.net

African Chicken Peanut Stew

2 tablespoons canola oil
2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 large onion, chopped
3-inch piece of ginger, peeled and minced
8 garlic cloves, minced
3 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 2-inch pieces
1 – 15 ounce can crushed tomatoes
4 cups low sodium chicken stock
1 cup natural creamy peanut butter
1 cup roasted peanuts
1 tablespoon ground coriander
2 teaspoons cayenne, or to taste
salt and freshly ground black peppers
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped

cooked rice, for serving

  1. Heat oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Salt chicken pieces and, working in batches, brown them in the oil. It’s important that you don’t overcrowd the pot. Set the browned chicken aside.
  2. In the pot, saute the onions for 3 – 4 minutes, scraping the browned pieces off the bottom of the pot as you cook. Add in the ginger and garlic and saute for another minute.
  3. Add in sweet potatoes, chicken broth, tomatoes, peanut butter, peanuts, coriander and cayenne and stir well to combine. Taste the sauce, and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper as needed. Place chicken pieces into the pot and bring to a simmer. Cover and let cook for about an hour, or until the chicken is fully cooked and sweet potatoes are tender.
  4. Remove chicken pieces to a bowl and let cool slightly. When cool enough to handle, shred the chicken and place back into the pot. Stir in cilantro and serve hot with rice.

recipe slightly adapted from Simply Recipes


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Turkey Sausage Stuffed Bell Peppers & Race Day Recap

Turkey Sausage Stuffed Bell Peppers | doughseedough.net

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend. I know we did! Mike ran his first half marathon and I accompanied him as I ran my fourth. My husband, the man that detests running, laced up his shoes day after day after day to get ready for this race. I am so, so incredibly proud of him. I (lovingly) pushed him and we finished in 2:15. This was a full 15 minutes before our goal finish time (and a PR for me)!

Madison Half Marathon Fall 2013

The day was perfect. A mix of sunshine and clouds. A start temp of 35°F (ish) and some wind. To celebrate his first half and my fourth, I’ve decided to sign up for my second full marathon. I ran my first one September 2012 and vowed to never do it again. But here I am, one year later, starting my training for another marathon. A spring marathon. Which means I’ll be doing my runs in the Wisconsin winter. What the heck was I thinking?! Marathon training is hard. Winter marathon training may prove to be impossible 😉

Ok, so on to these stuffed peppers. I was originally going to remake the last pre-race meal I had of sausage and bell peppers, but I changed my mind last minute and decided to make some stuffed peppers instead. These were easy to make and easy on my pre-race jittery stomach, too!

Turkey Sausage Stuffed Bell Peppers | doughseedough.net

Turkey Sausage Stuffed Bell Peppers

6 bell peppers
1 pound mild turkey sausage, casing removed
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 large onion, diced
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup tomato sauce
1 cup crushed tomatoes
2 cups low sodium chicken broth
1 cup white rice
3 tablespoons Parmesan cheese, grated, optional (omit for DF)
1/2 cup cilantro, roughly chopped

  1. Preheat oven to 425°F. Lightly spray a baking dish with olive oil and set aside.
  2. Cut tops off peppers and remove the core and seeds. Place them into prepared baking dish and set aside.
  3. Brown sausage in a large pan over medium-high heat. Use a spatula or wooden spoon to break the sausage up into crumbles. When sausage is browned, carefully drain off most of the grease. Add in onions and garlic and saute for 3 minutes. Add in red pepper flakes, garlic powder, paprika, oregano, pepper, tomato sauce and tomatoes. Stir to combine and bring to a simmer.
  4. Pour in chicken stock and rice and stir to combine. Bring to a simmer, cover, and cook until rice is tender, about 20 minutes. Remove pan from heat and spoon filling evenly into the 6 prepared bell peppers. Sprinkle with cilantro and cheese, if desired.
  5. Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes or until heated through and cheese is melted and browned. Enjoy!


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Dairy Free Zuppa Toscana

This soup is my take on Olive Garden’s Zuppa Toscana without all the dairy. This soup is one of the few things I actually like from OG. I was worried that it wouldn’t taste as good, but it completely met all my expectations. I got the idea to make this soup when a reader suggested that I make a kale and bean soup with my leftover kale.

Dairy Free Zuppa Toscana (Italian Sausage & Kale Soup) | doughseedough.net

Dairy Free Zuppa Toscana

1 pound hot Italian sausage, casings removed
2 yellow onions, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes, optional
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
6 medium russet potatoes, cubed into 1/2 – 3/4″ pieces
6 cups low sodium chicken broth
1 – 15 ounce can white beans (such as great northern or cannellini), drained and rinsed
4 cups dino kale leaves, washed, dried and chopped (or spinach)
1 cup unsweetened almond milk
6 pieces crisp cooked bacon, crumbled

  1. Brown sausage in a dutch oven over medium-high heat, breaking it up as it cooks. When sausage is browned, add in onions, garlic, black pepper, and red pepper flakes and cook until onions are translucent, about 3 – 5 minutes.
  2. Add in potatoes and broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook until potatoes are almost fork-tender, about 20 minutes. Add in beans and kale and cook for an additional 5 – 10 minutes, or until potatoes are fork-tender. 
  3. Stir in almond milk and allow to heat through. Serve hot with bacon sprinkled on top.


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Maple Balsamic Quinoa Salad

I’ve been hunting for quinoa dishes ever since my co-worker picked up the world’s largest bag of quinoa from Costco for me. I’ve come across some seriously drool-worthy dishes laden with cheese and other delicious dairy-ness. While I’ve been able to introduce dairy back into my diet with some success, I’m still wary – one bite too many is bad news.

Fortunately, this super easy maple balsamic quinoa salad is 100% dairy-free. As an added bonus, the ingredients in the recipe are fridge and pantry staples for me. I found the original dressing proportions of oil, vinegar and syrup to be way too sweet, so I decreased the amount of syrup and oil. If you prefer a sweeter dressing, use a 1:1 ratio of oil, vinegar and syrup.

maple balsamic quinoa salad | doughseedough.net

Maple Balsamic Quinoa Salad

1 2/3 cup quinoa, rinsed
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
1 cup dried cranberries
1 cup raw unsalted almonds, roughly chopped
4 to 5 scallions, thinly sliced
1 tsp sea salt, plus additional to taste

  1. Cook quinoa according to package directions. Refrigerate until completely cooled, stirring occasionally.
  2. Meanwhile, prepared the dressing by whisking oil, vinegar and maple syrup together in a small bowl.
  3. Add dressing to the cooled quinoa. Stir in cranberries, pecans, scallions and salt until well combined. Refrigerate at least 1 hour, preferably overnight. Serve cold or at room temperature.

Slightly adapted from Clean Eating Magazine


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Kale BLT Salad

Ok, so there isn’t any “L” in this BLT salad. It should probably be called BKT or BKaleT.  As it turns out, raw kale isn’t really my jam. It tastes like what I think grass might taste like. But, raw kale covered in dressing with bacon? Right up my alley.

My coworker gave me three huge bags of kale – two curly kale and one dino kale. The curly kale went into this salad and I’m still contemplating what to do with the dino kale. I might just make another BKT salad because I’m seriously lacking in the kale recipe department. My coworker kindly included a recipe for this salad along with the kale. A little internet searching led me to the original source – Vegan Yum Yum. Needless to say, I completely un-veganfied it. Not only did I use mayo and bacon, I went and ate my salad with some grilled chicken, too. No regrets 🙂

Kale BLT Salad | doughseedough.net

Kale BLT Salad

2 heads curly kale
12 strips bacon, cooked and sliced into 1/4-inch pieces
2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced

for the dressing:
1/3 cup low fat mayonnaise
1 1/2 teaspoon dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon lemon juice
2 teaspoons honey
freshly ground black pepper, to taste

  1. Wash and dry kale. Remove the stem from each leaf with a pair of scissors, a knife, or your fingers. Stack leaves on top of each other and slice into thin strips. Place kale strips into a large bowl and toss with bacon, cherry tomatoes, and red onion.
  2. To make the dressing, whisk all ingredients together. Pour over salad and toss to coat. Serve immediately or refrigerate until serving.

slightly adapted from Vegan Yum Yum


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Southwestern BLT

Mike and I have had more bacon over the last month than we have over the last year. We’ve gone through two packages (gasp). I’m normally not a huge fan of bacon. When I go out to eat and get a sandwich or salad that customarily comes with bacon, I ask for it without. Or, I pick it out and give it to Mike.

But sometimes, sometimes, bacon is exactly what you need. I mean, can you imagine a BLT without bacon? I can’t. To be honest, BLTs are one of the very few ways I will actually eat bacon. I’ve been tossing around BLT variations in my head for a while, but never acted on it. Then, the BLT fairies took pity on me and assigned me this Southwestern BLT sandwich for our “lunch food” recipe swap! This recipe is from fellow Wisconsinite Ashley over at Cheese Curd in Paradise.

Bonus: I bought most of the ingredients for this sandwich at the farmers’ market! Win-win-win.

Southwestern BLT {dairy free} | doughseedough.net

Southwestern BLT
serves 4

for the chipotle mayo:
1/3 cup fresh cilantro
1/3 cup low-fat mayo
1 chipotle pepper in adobo + 2 teaspoons adobo sauce
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

for the BLT:
8 strips thick-cut bacon
8 slices of sourdough bread
4 romaine lettuce leaves, ripped into sandwich-size pieces
1 large yellow tomato, sliced into 8 pieces
1 avocado, pitted, peeled, and sliced into 8 pieces

  1. Make the mayo: combine cilantro, mayo, chipotle pepper, adobo sauce, and lime juice in a food processor. Blend until smooth. Set aside.
  2. In a large skillet over medium heat, cook bacon until crispy. Move to a paper towel-lined plate to drain the fat.
  3. Lightly toast the bread, if desired.
  4. To assemble: spread chipotle mayo on 4 slices of bread. Top the bread with bacon, lettuce, tomato, and avocado. Spread remaining 4 slices of bread with mayo and place, mayo-side down, on the sandwiches.

very slightly adapted from Cheese Curd in Paradise

Thanks again to Sarah at Taste of Home Cooking for hosting! Click on the link to check out the other delicious swap recipes!


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Three Cup Tofu

Once in a while I dream of “san bei ji”, or three cup chicken. It’s a Taiwanese dish I associate strongly with my mom. She gave me her recipe for three cup chicken and I’ve tried to recreate it. Even though I follow her directions exactly, it never tastes right. It’s mystifying – there are so few ingredients. Literally no room for error. I’m not sure what her secret is, but I’ve given up.

Luckily, I can create a little magic of my own. Specifically in the form of three cup tofu. It follows her basic three cup chicken recipe, but with a few adjustments. And folks, this is good. Even if you’re not a tofu fan, you have got to give this a try. I fell in love with the texture of the tofu in this dish – it’s silky, but not mushy. The sauce is rich, but not heavy.

This may be my ultimate comfort food.

three cup tofu | doughseedough.net

Three Cup Tofu

14 ounce container firm tofu, drained
2 tablespoons canola oil
3 tablespoons sesame oil
1.5-inch piece of ginger, peeled and thinly sliced
5 cloves of garlic, smashed
3 tablespoon Chinese cooking wine
3 tablespoons dark soy sauce
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 cup water
1 teaspoon corn starch dissolved in 1 tablespoon water
1 cup fresh Thai basil leaves, ripped into large pieces

cooked brown rice, for serving

  1. Press tofu with paper towel to soak up excess moisture. Heat oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Fry tofu on both sides until golden brown, about 4 minutes. Place tofu on paper towels to drain.
  2. Reduce heat to low and add in sesame oil. Add ginger and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until fragrant, about 3 minutes.
  3. Stir in cooking wine, soy sauce, brown sugar, and water. Increase heat to medium-high and bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer sauce for 5 minutes. Stir in corn starch mixture and cook until sauce thickens, about 1 minute.
  4. Gently stir in tofu and Thai basil and cook for 1 more minute.
  5. Serve immediately over brown rice.

 

adapted from my mother’s three cup chicken recipe 


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Curried Chicken with Zucchini and Eggplant

I’ve been a little scattered lately. I wrote up a menu plan for the week, made a grocery list, and set off to the store with Mike. We finish shopping and go back home only to find out that I had been shopping off a partially completed grocery list. This meant that I didn’t have enough ingredients to make any of the meals that I had planned on. Oops. Thankfully, I had some garden zucchini and a cute little eggplant from a coworker to work with. I whipped this up with what we did have on hand and it ended up being not only edible, but pretty darn good!

Curried Chicken with Zucchini and Eggplant over Couscous | doughseedough.net

(P.S. It’s really, really good with a health drizzle off sriracha 😉 )

Curried Chicken with Zucchini and Eggplant with Pearl Couscous
serves 4

for the couscous:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 1/3 cup pearl couscous
1 3/4 cup low sodium chicken broth, hot

for the chicken:
1 teaspoon olive oil
2 boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch pieces
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 medium eggplant, cut into ½-inch pieces
1 large zucchini, cut into ½-inch pieces
1 large onion, chopped
15 ounce can tomato sauce
1 teaspoon curry powder
1/2 teaspoon garam masala
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 cups cherry tomatoes

  1. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a medium pot over medium heat. Add couscous and cook until lightly golden, about 5 minutes. Add broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer, cover, and let cook for 10 minutes or until all the liquid is absorbed and the couscous is tender. Set aside and keep warm.
  2. While couscous is cooking, heat 1 teaspoon olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. Season chicken with salt and pepper and cook until brown on all sides, about 5 minutes. Remove chicken to a bowl and keep warm. Add eggplant to the pan and cook for about 3 minutes. Add in zucchini and onion to the pan and saute for an additiona 2 minutes. Stir in tomato sauce, curry powder, garam masala, and red pepper flakes. Taste, and add additional salt and pepper, if desired. Stir to combine and bring to a simmer. Add chicken and cherry tomatoes to pan and cook until chicken is cooked all the way through and tomatoes burst, about 5 minutes.
  3. Serve hot over prepared couscous.