Chicken Marsala is one of my favorite dishes of all time. It's easy enough to make at home, and healthy to boot! Converting it into an easy-to-share dip was really simple..... and necessary. The Roasted Cauliflower Ricotta Dip serves as the perfect {optional but highly recommended} accompaniment.
Chicken Marsala Dip
Serves 8
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 yellow onion, chopped
1 lb ground chicken
2 Tbsp flour
1 clove garlic, minced
16 oz baby bella mushrooms, chopped
12 oz marsala cooking wine, divided
1/2 tsp low sodium chicken bouillon paste
1/2 tsp salt, or to taste
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
Fresh parsley, chopped
Heat olive oil in a nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Add onion and sauté for 3-4 minutes, or until golden brown. Add ground chicken, mincing it into small pieces as it cooks through. Sprinkle mixture with flour and stir to coat onions and chicken. Add garlic and 4 oz marsala and mix well. Stir in bouillon paste and chopped mushrooms, then reduce heat to medium. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Cook for 3-4 minutes, or until marsala is absorbed and mushrooms soften. Add remaining marsala and cook for additional 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until mixture is thickened.
Transfer mixture to a serving dish, sprinkle with chopped parsley, and serve with slices of toasted baguette.
Roasted Cauliflower Ricotta Dip
Serves 8
14 oz chopped cauliflower
1 tsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic
Dashes of salt and ground black pepper
1/4 cup low sodium chicken broth
4 oz part skim ricotta cheese
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place chopped cauliflower and cloves of garlic on the baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and use your hands to mix well.
Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until cauliflower is lightly browned. Remove from the oven and transfer mixture to a blender. Add ricotta cheese and chicken broth and mix until smooth.
Transfer mixture to a serving dish, sprinkle with chopped parsley, and serve.
Nutrition info per 1 serving (~1/4 cup chicken dip and 2 Tbsp ricotta dip): 190 calories, 9 g fat, 12 g carbohydrates, 16 g protein, 3 g fiber
No, I didn't create this recipe to conform to the Keto diet trend. You know I don't play those games. I did, however, create this recipe to help you increase your intake of vegetables! Don't be skeptical of this one- the cauliflower is such an amazing pasta replacement in this recipe!
Cauliflower Chili Mac
Serves 6
CAULIFLOWER
2 heads cauliflower, chopped into small pieces
Olive oil spray
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
Dashes of salt and pepper
3 Tbsp nutritional yeast
MAC
1 Tbsp butter
1/2 yellow onion, chopped
1 lb lean ground turkey
1/4 cup chicken broth
3 Tbsp flour
1 cup milk (I used 2% Fairlife dairy milk)
8 oz shredded cheddar cheese
1 can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
1 can chipotle diced tomatoes
2 Tbsp chili powder
2 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Place chopped cauliflower on a large baking sheet, spray with olive oil spray, and toss with seasonings and nutritional yeast. Bake for 20 minutes (some florets may be lightly browned). Remove from oven and reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees.
While cauliflower is roasting, heat butter in a large dutch oven over medium high heat. Add onion and cook until fragrant, 2-3 minutes. Add ground turkey and cook until cooked through. Add in chicken broth, then sprinkle in flour and mix until onions and turkey are coated. Saute for 1 minute, then pour in milk. Bring to a low boil, reduce heat to low, and stir in shredded cheese. Mix until cheese is melted.
Stir in cauliflower, and toss until coated. Add remaining ingredients and seasonings and fold to mix.
Transfer dutch oven to the oven, heated to 350 degrees. Cook for 20 minutes, then remove from oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes prior to serving.
Serve garnished with chopped tomatoes, additional shredded cheddar cheese, and/or chopped spicy peppers.
Nutrition info per 1 serving: 435 calories, 22 g fat, 36 g protein, 26 g carbohydrates, 10 g fiber
Edamame. The tasty protein powerhouse of the plant world. If you're not familiar with them (have you NEVER eaten at a Japanese restaurant?), they are immature soybeans. Most often you find them on menus in whole pod form, lightly salted and ready to have the peas "sucked" out of them. There's really no other way to put it. Find them in your grocer's freezer section, in or out of their pods. Use the shelled versions to make your life easy when making this recipe.
Edamame Chicken Chili
Serves 5
2 tsp sesame oil
1/2 yellow onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 - 1 1/2 lb lean ground chicken breast
2 cups low sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup dried green lentils
3 celery stalks, chopped
5 oz shredded carrots
4 oz can diced green chiles (or diced jalapeños if you like spice)
3 cups unsweetened coconut milk (in refrigerated section)
2 Tbsp yellow curry powder
2 tsp garam marsala
2 tsp tumeric
1 tsp green chile powder (New Mexican variety works well)
2 cups frozen edamame
1 tsp salt
Ground black pepper to taste
2 Tbsp cornstarch
Fresh chopped cilantro (optional)
Fresh chopped green onions (optional)
In a soup pot, heat sesame oil over medium high heat. Add onion and cook until fragrant. Add garlic and chicken, sautéing until cooked through. Add chicken broth and lentils. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium and cook for 20 minutes, or until lentils are softened. Add celery, carrots, chiles, coconut milk, and seasonings. Cook for 10 minutes, then add in edamame. Cover and cook for 5 minutes.
While soup finishes cooking, combine cornstarch with 2 Tbsp water and mix to form a slurry. Stir into the soup to thicken.
Serve garnished with chopped cilantro and chopped green onions if desired.
Nutrition info per 1 1/2 cups: 390 calories, 13 g fat, 40 g protein, 23 g carbohydrates, 9 g fiber
Truth: This blog partly serves as my own personal recipe book that I reference OFTEN.
Here are just a few of the recipes that I will be using on the regular this fall season!
As if you need a reason to eat dinner for breakfast, or vice versa, this dish works great for both meals! And adding a runny egg yolk to fried rice is amazing!
This fried rice has some riced cauliflower added to the brown rice base to add some vitamins, minerals and fiber, but keep the carbohydrate count in check. Add veggies to your liking- and don't forget about the freezer section. Frozen vegetables can be just as nutritious as fresh (and sometimes more so in the winter months where fresh vegetables have traveled a LONG way to get to your table). The riced and spiraled options are plentiful in the freezer section, just watch out for the versions with added sauce or seasoning, which can have lots of sodium.
Breakfast Fried Rice
Serves 6
1 cup short grain brown rice, dry
1 3/4 cups low sodium chicken broth
1 Tbsp sesame oil
3 cups crumbled cauliflower (rice cauliflower)
1 10 oz bag frozen riced veggies (butternut squash, broccoli, carrots, sweet potato are options)
1 12 oz bag frozen peas and carrots
1 cup frozen shelled edamame
1/4 cup coconut aminos or low sodium soy sauce
12 slices uncured Canadian bacon, sliced into strips
1 Tbsp Hoisin sauce
6 eggs, cooked to order
3 green onions, chopped
Add broth and rice to a saucepan and bring it to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and cook for 40 minutes, unless otherwise specified on packaging. Remove from heat when broth has been absorbed.
In a large skillet, heat sesame oil over medium high heat. Add cauliflower and sauté for 4-5 minutes, or until softened. Mix in cooked rice, frozen vegetables, and soy and Hoisin sauces. Cook for 5-6 minutes, stirring frequently, until vegetables are warm. Add Canadian bacon strips.
Remove from heat and cook eggs to order (scrambled or sunny side up work great). Top each portion with an egg and sliced green onions. Season with additional soy sauce and/or Sriracha if desired.
Nutrition info per 1 serving: 340 calories, 8 g fat, 21 g protein, 47 g carbohydrates, 5 g fiber
Creamed corn is so dreamy! It's the perfect starchy addition to any summer meal. However, traditional versions are often loaded with butter and cream, which can make it a pretty calorie-dense option.
This version utilized some of that corn as a creamy base (thanks to the blender), but still has a bit of butter and milk to get that yummy flavor! Add your own combination of spices to match your meal (Mexican, Indian, Thai.....) or keep it basic like I did here.
Healthified Creamed Corn
Serves 6
7 large ears corn, husked
1 Tbsp unsalted butter
1/2 cup milk (I used whole, but you may opt for reduced fat)
1/2 tsp sea salt
Heat a grill or grill pan to medium-high heat. Place corn eats onto the grill, reduce heat to medium, and cook for ~15 minutes, turning every 5 minutes to ensure even cooking/charring. Remove from grill and allow to cool to the touch.
When slightly cooled, cut the corn from three ears and place into a blender or large food processor along with butter, milk and salt. Puree until smooth. Cut the corn off of the remaining four ears. Add corn kernels and pureed corn mixture to a saucepan and heat over medium heat for 3-4 minutes or until warm. Serve immediately!
Nutrition info per 1 serving: 119 calories, 2.7 g fat, 4 g protein, 24 g carbohydrates, 3.5 g fiber
