Tzatziki Sauce

INGREDIENTS 

• ½ cup finely grated cucumber
• 1 cup thick whole milk Greek yogurt
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• ½ tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 garlic clove, grated
• ¼ teaspoon sea salt
• 1 tablespoon chopped dill
• 1 tablespoon chopped mint, optional

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Place the cucumber on a towel and gently squeeze out a bit of the excess water.
2. In a medium bowl, combine the cucumber, yogurt, lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, salt, dill, and mint, if using. Chill until ready to use.

From: https://www.loveandlemons.com/tzatziki-sauce/

Easy Salmon Patty

INGREDIENTS

• 3 six oz cans of skinless, boneless salmon drained (reserve the liquid)
• 4 green onions, chopped
• 3/4 C breadcrumbs
• 1/12 C dried parsley (or 3/8 C fresh parsley chopped)
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 t salt
• 1/4 t pepper

DIRECTIONS

1. Combine salmon, green onion, breadcrumbs, parsley, eggs, salt, and pepper.
2. Form mixture into patties.
3. Add some reserved liquid as needed to make patty stick together well
4. Brown salmon patties on both sides

Based on: https://www.food.com/recipe/so-easy-salmon-patties-433523

Chickpea and Beef Curry With Spinach And Rice

INGREDIENTS

• 2lbs Stew beef
• 1/2T curry powder
• 1 t sea salt
• 1 T avocado oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 T brown sugar (more to taste)
• 1 1/2 T red curry paste
• one 14-ounce can full fat coconut milk
• 1 1/2 T soy sauce
• one 14-ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 2–3 C fresh spinach, chopped
• 1/2 C cilantro, chopped
• 1 1/2 C jasmine rice, uncooked

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Cook rice according to package directions.
2. Marinate Beef in curry and sea salt for at least 1 hour
3. Sautee the beef for 15 - 20min; then add enough water to cover the beef. Cover and simmer for 1hr or until the beef is fall apart tender. 
4. Heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and curry paste; sauté until softened and fragrant, about 1-2 minutes.
5. Add the brown sugar, coconut milk, and soy sauce. Add cooked beef. Bring to a low simmer until thickened slightly.
6. Add chickpeas, spinach, and cilantro; cook until chickpeas are heated through and spinach is wilted. Mash the chickpeas ever so slightly with the back of a wooden spoon if you want to change up the texture and make it more creamy.
7. Taste and adjust to your liking – we often add a squeeze of lime or some extra ginger or lemongrass, but it’s really not necessary. The flavor is totally there even with the most basic ingredient list. Serve over rice with a dollop of chili crisp (affiliate link) and a side of pickled cucumber salad if you want (and I promise you do want this – see notes). Top with more cilantro, if you want! 

Adapted from: https://pinchofyum.com/chickpea-curry

Chicken Avocado Soup

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts,* or 3 cups shredded rotisserie chicken
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 1/4 cups chopped green onions (including whites, mince the whites)
• 2 jalapeños, seeded and minced**
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 4 (14.5 oz) cans low-sodium chicken broth***
• 2 Roma tomatoes,**** seeded and diced
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/3 cup chopped cilantro
• 3 Tbsp fresh lime juice
• 3 medium avocados , peeled, cored and diced
• Tortilla chips , monterrey jack cheese, sour cream for serving (optional)

Instructions

1. In a large pot heat 1 Tbsp olive oil over medium heat. Once hot, add green onions and jalapenos and saute until tender, about 2 minutes, adding garlic during last 30 seconds of sauteing.
2. Add chicken broth, tomatoes, cumin, season with salt and pepper to taste and add chicken breasts if using (otherwise wait to add rotisserie chicken until the end). Bring mixture to a boil over medium-high heat.
3. Then reduce heat to medium, cover with lid and allow to cook, stirring occasionally, until chicken has cooked through 10 - 15 minutes (cook time will vary based on thickness of chicken breasts).
4. Reduce burner to warm heat, remove chicken from pan and let rest on a cutting board 5 minutes, then shred chicken and return to soup. Stir in cilantro and lime juice, and rotisserie chicken now if using.
5. Add avocados to soup just before serving (if you don't plan on serving the soup right away, I would recommend adding the avocados to each bowl individually, about 1/2 an avocado per serving). Serve with tortilla chips, cheese and sour cream if desired.

Notes
*For thicker chicken breasts, cut breasts in half through the length (thickness) of the breasts, they will cook faster and more evenly.
**You can leave seeds if you want soup spicy, replace jalapeños with 1/2 cup chopped bell pepper if you don't like heat.
***For a less brothy soup you can reduce to 3 cans chicken broth if desired.
****1 (14.5 oz) can canned tomatoes (regular, petite cut, or fire roasted may be used) in place of fresh tomatoes.

From: https://www.cookingclassy.com/chicken-avocado-lime-soup/

Garlic Butter Steak Bites

INGREDIENTS

• 4 cloves garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves
• 2 pounds thick-cut New York strip steaks
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Mince 4 garlic cloves. Transfer to a bowl and add 1/2 teaspoon black pepper. Chop until you have 1/4 cup fresh parsley leaves, then transfer to a small bowl. Cut 2 pounds New York strip steak into 1-inch cubes, then season them with 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt.
2. Melt 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter in a large skillet over medium high-heat. Add the steak cubes and sear until browned, flipping them halfway through, 6 to 8 minutes total. Add the garlic and pepper and cook for 1 minute more. Remove from the heat and garnish with the parsley.

From: https://www.thekitchn.com/garlic-butter-steak-bites-22947830

Greek Lemon Potatoes

Ingredients

• 1.2 kg / 2.5lb potatoes (Aus: Desiree, US: Yukon Gold, UK: Maris Piper) (Note 1)
• 1 1/2 cups chicken stock/broth , low sodium (Note 2)
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/3 cup lemon juice
• 5 garlic cloves , finely grated using microplane (Note 3)
• 1 tbsp dried oregano
• 2 tsp salt
• Garnish (optional): Lemon wedges, fresh oregano leaves

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 200°C/390°F
2. Cut potatoes: Peel potatoes and cut large ones into thick wedges - about 3cm / 1.2" thick - and medium ones into 3 (see photo in post).
3. Coat potatoes: Place potatoes in a roasting pan with all the other ingredients. Toss well.
4. Roast 45 minutes: Roast for 20 minutes. Turn potatoes, roast for a further 25 to 30 minutes until the liquid is mostly absorbed by potatoes/evaporated and you're left with mainly oil in the pan.
5. To crisp the potatoes (optional): Transfer potatoes to a separate tray. (Note 3) Tilt the original roasting pan and scoop off as much of the oil as you can (some juices is ok), then drizzle over the potatoes.
6. Roast 35 minutes: Transfer potatoes to oven and roast for 35 - 40 minutes, turning once or twice, until potatoes are golden and a bit crispy on the edges.
7. Heat pan juices: Return pan #1 with the garlic juices to the oven for the last 5 - 10 minutes or so to reduce down and make the garlic golden. (Optional, Note 4)
8. Plate up: Transfer potatoes to serving platter. Drizzle over the reduced garlic pan juices (or toss potatoes in the pan). Serve, garnished with lemon wedges and oregano if desired. 

Notes

1. Potatoes - use starchy, not waxy potatoes, as they absorb flavour better.
2. Braising liquid - Can use water + 2 stock cubes or 2 tsp powder instead, but liquid stock is tastier. Can use veg stock instead of chicken.
3. Garlic - it's best to use a microplane to finely grate the garlic so it dissolves in the stock so you don't end up with burnt little garlic bits at the end. This is a recipe improvement added in March 2021.

From: https://www.recipetineats.com/greek-lemon-potatoes/

Slow-Cooker Sweet Potato Chocolate Mole Soup

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large sweet onion, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons chili powder
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon dried tarragon
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tablespoons tequila, optional
• 1 carton (32 ounces) reduced-sodium vegetable broth
• 1 can (14-1/2 ounces) reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 4 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
• Optional: Cubed avocado, Cotija cheese, chopped red onion, corn and cilantro leaves

Directions

1. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add onion and seasonings; cook and stir until onion is tender, 5-7 minutes. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. If desired, add in tequila, stirring constantly.
2. Transfer to a 4- or 5-qt. slow cooker. Add broths and sweet potatoes. Cook, covered, on low until potatoes are tender, 6-8 hours. Stir in chocolate until melted. Cool soup slightly. Process in batches in a blender until smooth. Serve with toppings as desired.

From: https://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/slow-cooker-sweet-potato-chocolate-mole-soup/