Sweet Love and Ginger

12 Quick & Easy Meals for the Holiday Season

12 Quick & Easy Meals for the Holiday Season

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12 Quick & Easy Meals for the Holiday Season

This is the time of year when we are all busy running to and from holiday parties, baking, decorating, gift buying and everything else. I thought it might be a good time to share a collection of quick, easy and hearty meals to help you get through this crazy season. Enjoy!

One Pot Chicken Broccoli Alfredo

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This is the time of year when one pot meals are like the
best thing ever. It’s because we are all running around like chickens, with no
heads, on no sleep, and with all the stress of the holidays (the fun too).
These meals are lifesavers. It’s especially great when it feed 4 or more. I mean 4
people out of one pan! Yeah it’s a pretty big pan, and it’s a pretty wonderful
pan. I probably should also mention that it takes about 30 minutes from start
to finish.
Do I sound a bit crazy? It’s probably because I am. That
whole book writing frenzy set me a bit behind on the holidays so I’m trying desperately
to catch up now. Eeekgatz!
Anyway you’re here for the recipe so I’ll just get on with
it.

One Pot Chicken Broccoli Alfredo (Serves 4)
4 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tbsp olive oil
1 lb of chicken, cut into strips
1 lb of pasta
3 cups of water
2 small heads of broccoli (or 1 large), cut into florets
1 cup of cream
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese

In a large pan or Dutch oven heat oil over medium high heat
and sauté the garlic for 1 to 2 minutes or until it begins to brown. Add the chicken
and cook until it becomes opaque on all sides, 3 to 5 minutes. Add pasta and
water and bring to a simmer. Cover and cook for 10 minutes. Add the broccoli
and cream and cook for another 5 to 10 minutes. The pasta should be aldente,
and the broccoli tender. Stir in the Parmesan cheese and serve.

A Lighter Holiday Dinner Party Menu

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Lighter Holiday Dinner Party Menu

Today is a special treat since I’m participating in Amy & Annes, #WeDo: The holidays. For this post I’ve put together an awesome Dinner Party Menu that is lower in calories than traditional menu’s tend to be. Also don’t forget to scroll down for the giveaway!

The holidays are always a time for extra celebrations and get-togethers. It’s also a time that many of us pack on the extra pounds due to all of the festivities. There are a million tips and tricks out there to help us keep of those extra pounds, but why not just serve healthier lower calorie food at your next soirée? Not only will it save your waistline, but your guests won’t need a nap after dinner to be festive. Try this simple holiday menu that is designed to be full of flavor as well as low in calories.

Appetizers:
    Crudités with Lemon Parsley TahiniDip
    and/or
                Deviled Eggs with Smoked Salmon
Main Course:
                RoastChicken with Pomegranate Glaze & Chopped Brussels Sprout Salad
                Or
                QuickCoq au Vin with Egg Noodles, Rice or Couscous
                Or
                MapleMustard Glazed Ham  & Maple RoastedRoot Vegetables
Desert:
                ChocolateMouse
                Or
                WhiteChocolate Holiday Bark

15 Minute Lo Mein

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So I’ve been really into Asian food lately.

It seems like I go through ethnic spurts every few months. This time last year it was all things German (evidenced here, here, and here). Over the summer it was Mediterranean food (note here, here, here, and here), then Indian food (this is the only one that made it to the blog, I have a lot to learn with Indian spices).
So lately I have been learning how to make homemade wonton soup, ramen, and sticky chicken. Some things may be showing up here in the near future, be prepared.
Today I want to talk about easy lo mein. This is one of those recipes that have been my go to lately since Chuck has been away for work for whole weeks at a time. I like it because I can add, chicken, shrimp, beef or whatever else I feel like and have a totally different flavor profile. I usually make the lo mein and serve it to myself with a side of steamed veggies. This way I can get to meals out of this recipe, who doesn’t want an awesome hot lunch the next day?
So the cooking time on this is actually way less than 15 minutes, however I’m calling it 15 minutes because I’m counting the time it takes to cut the vegetables. If you wanted to make this entire thing in say, 5-10 minutes you could opt for frozen stir fry mix. I’ve totally done this, more than once.

 

15 minute Lo Mein (Serves 1)
1 tbsp low sodium soy sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
1 clove of garlic, crushed
½ tsp ground ginger
Pinch of sugar
½ tbsp canola oil
½ cup shredded cabbage
½ cup bean sprouts
1 small carrot, julienned
½ a small red pepper, julienned
½ cup sliced mushrooms
½ cup snow peas
1 scallion. Julienned
3 oz lo mein noodles
1 cup broth
Toasted sesame seeds for garnish (optional)
 

In a small bowl whisk together soy sauce, sesame oil, crushed garlic, ginger, and sugar. Set aside. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add in all vegetables, except the dark green parts of the scallion, and the snow peas. Turn the heat to high and cook for one minute while tossing the vegetables. Stir in the broth and noodles then cover and cook for 3-4 minutes. Add the snow peas. Stir in sauce mixture and toss. Cook until the liquid has evaporated and all of the veggies and noodles are coated, about 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat and top with dark green parts of scallion, sesame seeds and serve. 


PS: Tomorrow is Thanksgiving and around here things are busy, what with the NaNoWriMo Challange and all, so I have opted to take the next few days off. I will be back on Dec. 1 with the usual Recently Post. Have a good weekend!

Maple Chipotle Turkey Chili

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Maple Chipotle Turkey Chili

Thanksgiving is on its way and of course I’m already thinking about what I can do with the leftovers. My priorities are on point.

Lately I have been in a love triangle with chipotle and maple.
What is it about maple in the fall? We typically make this stuff by the gallons in the spring, but I’m all jazzed up to use it in the fall. I don’t know what the deal is with that, but the combination of maple and chipotle is seriously holding the reins around here.
I’m putting it in everything, even my tea. Ok that was a lie, but you see where my obsession is going here. It’s an awesome combination that I think you should try soon and preferably with this recipe or this one. There may be more similar recipes coming soon, I know you’re as excited as I am.
This recipe is a pretty simple recipe you can make for a different twist on leftover turkey. Don’t get me wrong I love a good, hot turkey sandwich, pot pie or soup, but sometimes you just need a little something different.
Maple Chipotle Turkey Chili

 

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