Mediterranean Chicken with Yogurt Sauce

I forgot to take a picture of this one so I'll have to update this post next time I make it. This was quick and can be prepared ahead of time. I served this chicken with some quinoa stuffed tomatoes but it would also be good with a Greek salad and pita. 

Ingredients:

Marinade:
1 tsp. lemon juice

1/2 tsp lemon zest

1 clove grated garlic

1/2 tsp dijon mustard

1/2 tsp italian seasoning

1/2 tsp paprika

2 tsp honey

1 tsp red wine vinegar

salt and pepper to taste

1 lb chicken breast

Yogurt Sauce

3 Tbsp. Greek yogurt

1/2 tsp espelette

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1 tsp. lemon juice

1/2 tsp lemon zest

1 clove grated garlic

1/2 tsp italian seasoning

Directions:

1. Make marinade by combining all ingredients except chicken into a bowl. Reserve half of the marinade to use as a sauce for the quinoa. Put rest of the marinade on the chicken and let sit in fridge at least 2 hours and up to 5 hours. 

2. While chicken marinates, make the yogurt sauce. Combine all ingredients into a bowl and whisk until combined. Taste for salt and pepper. Set aside in the fridge until ready to serve. 

3. Grill chicken. You can do this on the stove in a pan or outside on the grill. It should take about 4-5 minutes per side until the chicken reaches 155. 

4. Allow chicken to rest and then serve with yogurt sauce and any side you decide to make. 

For my Quinoa Salad - sauté finely diced shallots and 1 clove garlic finely diced. Add chicken broth, bring to boil, add quinoa and cover for 15-20 minutes. Once cooked, fluff with a fork. Add reserved marinade. Add feta and halved cherry tomatoes. 

Asian Chicken Meatballs with Rice Noodles in Peanut Sauce

I was planning to make my Asian Chicken Lettuce Cups but there is a worry about lettuce at the moment so I made this new dish into a version of spaghetti and meatballs with all of the same ingredients. 

One trick I love when making meatballs is tasting the mix first to make sure the seasoning is right. You obviously can't taste raw chicken so what I do is make a 1 tsp small flat patty of the meatball mix into a skillet over medium low heat. Cook about 2 minutes per side and remove. Allow to cool and then taste. You can then adjust the seasoning of the meatball mix as needed. 

Ingredients:

Meatballs

1/2 egg, scrambled (put a full egg into a small container, whisk to combine, and then remove half of it to get 1/2 egg)
3 Tbsp. panko
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
2 Tbsp. hoisin sauce
3 Tbsp. grated carrot
1 tsp. grated ginger
1 tsp. grated garlic
1/2 - 1 tsp. siracha (depends on your spice tolerance)
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. black pepper
1 lb ground chicken  
Olive oil spray

Peanut Sauce

⅓ cup natural peanut butter
1 tsp. grated ginger
1 tsp. grated garlic
1 tsp. maple syrup
3 Tbsp. low sodium soy sauce
1 Tbsp. hoisin sauce
1 tsp. rice wine vinegar
½ tsp. siracha
1/4 cup hot water

1/2 lb vermicelli rice noodles
2 Tbsp. fresh cilantro, chopped
2 Tbsp. roasted peanuts, chopped

Directions:

1. Make the meatballs by combining all ingredients into a bowl except the ground chicken. Stir all of the "filling" first to combine so you don't over mix your meatballs. 

2. Add ground chicken and stir just enough to combine. To taste you have the seasoning right, make a 1 tsp small flat patty of the meatball mix into a skillet over medium low heat. Cook about 2 minutes per side and remove. Allow to cool and then taste. You can then adjust the seasoning of the meatball mix as needed. 

3. Once you're happy with the flavor of your chicken mix, make golf ball size meatballs. This step can be done a few hours in advance by storing your meatballs covered in plastic wrap in the fridge. 

4. When you're ready to eat, preheat the air fryer to 425. Spray each meatball with a little olive oil and cook meatballs for about 8 minutes or until they reach 155 degrees internally. 

5. While the meatballs cook, make your peanut sauce for dressing the rice noodles. Combine all ingredients into a small bowl and whisk until combined. Set aside. 

6. Bring a pot of water to boil and cook vermicelli rice noodles according the the package directions. Drain and rinse noodles and add back to pot. Toss in some of the peanut sauce and stir to coat noodles, add a little dressing at a time so they don't get soggy. 

7. Once the pasta and meatballs are ready, place on a plate and garnish with chopped cilantro and chopped roasted peanuts (options). 

Shrimp Ceviche

It was hot today and shrimp ceviche sounded cool and refreshing. It's super quick to make and great for parties, just make sure to find a way to keep it cool while serving like putting it in a bowl with ice. 

Ingredients: 

1 lbs raw shrimp (frozen or fresh) - peeled and deveined, cut each shrimp into 4 even pieces 
Lime Juice – about 5 limes or more as needed
1 cucumbers, small diced
¼ red onion, small diced
2 small tomatoes, small diced
2 serrano or jalapeño peppers (or one of each) - finely chopped – seeds optional
⅓ cup of fresh cilantro, finely chopped
1 cup of clamato juice
Salt & Pepper to taste
Avocado – small diced
2 Tbsp. Ketchup – optional but recommended

Directions:

1. Combine shrimp and lime juice in a large bowl. Add enough lime juice to just submerge the shrimp. Allow this to sit in the fridge for 30 minutes. This will "cook" the shrimp and start turning it pink. 

2. Dice all of the vegetables. After 30 minutes add everything except the avocado into the bowl with the shrimp. Stir to combine. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper but wait to taste and add more until the shrimp is cooked. 

3. Allow the shrimp to sit for about 2-3 hours until shrimp are pink. Add the avocado and stir gently to keep avocado chunks whole. Taste and adjust salt and pepper if needed. 

4. Serve with tortilla chips and a cool beer and enjoy.