Chili garlic chicken with yogurt dipping sauce

I realize that we can't all spend 6 hours in the kitchen every day. Even I have recently become more practical in my kitchen endeavors. My kitchen marathons have become fewer and further between. I still make dinner 3 nights a week and once a week make us muffins for breakfast. But I have tried to make the dinners a little more reasonable. No more homemade pasta on Wednesday nights. No more making the pumpkin puree to then make the pumpkin muffins to then go on and make coq au vin.

This week for example, all I wanted was to make jagerschnitzel with braised cabbage and spaetzle (my husband's german family would be proud). This meal has four fairly labor intensive components. My goal was to do this on a Wednesday night but I then thought the better of it and decided to wait for the weekend, where I could put my husband in charge of part of the meal. Look how practical we've become. 

This meal is a perfect example of one of those nights where I needed dinner to be really easy but still tasty, always tasty. This does require you plan ahead and either marinate the chicken the night before or at least two hours before. The marinade only takes about 5 minutes to throw together. After the marinade, the dinner takes about 15 minutes to get ready. 

The chili garlic sauce gives the chicken great depth of flavor. The honey in the marinade gives the chicken a nice crisp in the pan. The yogurt sauce is simple but provides a nice tangy counterpart to the sweet garlic burst of the chicken. This has the making of a new staple in our household. 

Chili garlic chicken with yogurt dipping sauce 

Serves 3, adapted from How Sweet It Is

1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into 1" cubes

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon honey

3 tablespoons chili garlic paste (Asian aisle of the grocery store) 

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

2 tablespoons olive oil (to cook chicken)

Yogurt sauce

1 cup plain greek yogurt (I used 2%) 

2 tablespoons snipped chives

1 lime juiced

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

In a large tupperware, whisk together olive oil, honey, chili garlic paste, salt, and pepper. Add the chicken a stir until coated. Marinade in the refrigerator at least 2 hours or overnight. 

In a large saute pan over medium high heat, add the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Once the oil is hot add the chicken to the pan and cook until browned on both sides and cooked through, about 5 minutes a side. 

In a small bowl, mix together all the yogurt ingredients. Either dip the chicken straight into the yogurt or serve over the top of the chicken. 

Beef stroganoff

I'm supposed to be sharing something healthy with you today. I'm sure of it. Those New Year's resolutions have yet to wane. I will say this though-if you want to eat healthier, I think that starts with cooking meals at home. No fad diet necessary. No silly cleanses. This is a simple place to start. Cook at home more often. Cooking at home is not only better for your health than eating out but cooking with others and sharing a meal brings us together. All good things for the New Year.

Growing up beef stroganoff was my favorite family meal. I have requested stroganoff for all of my birthdays. In fact, next week I turn 30. 30! And you can bet I will be eating stroganoff. And cake! And pizza! And I will drink wine! I intend to celebrate all week with good food.

Stroganoff is a comfort food. We don't eat red meat often but I make an exception for stroganoff. This stroganoff is slightly adapted from my mom's version. The worchestire sauce and mustard are new additions and I love them. My husband and I agreed that this was our favorite stroganoff recipe to date. Our only complaint is that the beef is a little tough. Next time I intend on trying this baby in the slow cooker.

Beef stroganoff
Adapted from Bon Appetit, serves 4

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 pound crimini mushrooms, rough chopped
2 teaspoons thyme
1 pound top round steak, cut into 1" cubes
3 1/2 cups low sodium beef broth
1 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons worchestire sauce
1 tablespoon dijon mustard
Salt and pepper to taste
12 ounces egg noodles
2 tablespoons unsalted butter

Heat olive oil over medium high heat in a large skillet. Add onion, garlic, and mushrooms. Stirring occasionally cook until the onions are translucent, 7-8 minutes. Add thyme and stir to combine.

Add beef to the skillet and cook until brown on each side. About 3-4 minutes a side.

To skillet add broth and cook until reduced by almost half, about 20 minutes.

While the broth is reducing, cook the egg noodles according to the package directions. Once cooked and strained mix the noodles with the butter.

Once the broth has reduced, add to the skillet sour cream, worcheshire, and mustard. Stir to combine and add salt and pepper to taste.

Spoon stroganoff over the top of the buttered noodles.