November 16, 2015
In the Kitchen: Ultimate Comfort Food
Nothing helps take the edge off of cold weather quite like comfort food. Walking in the front door to the smell of a pot roast simmering in a crock pot — ahhh, November!
I decided to share a few of my old (and new!) favorite comfort food recipes that help me beat the winter blues. So let's all hit the kitchen and start cookin':
Creamy Spinach Sweet Potato Noodles With Cashew Sauce
Recipe & photo from Pinch of Yum:
Ingredients:
1 cup cashews
¾ cup water (more for soaking)
½ teaspoon salt
1 clove garlic
1 tablespoon oil
4 large sweet potatoes, spiralized
2 cups baby spinach
a handful of fresh basil leaves, chives, or other herbs
salt and pepper to taste
olive oil for drizzling
Instructions:
Cover the cashews with water in a bowl and soak for 2 hours or so.
Drain and rinse thoroughly. Place in a food processor or blender (I got better texture with the blender) and add the ¾ cup water, salt, and garlic. Puree until very smooth.
Heat the oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add the sweet potatoes; toss in the pan for 6-7 minutes with tongs until tender-crisp. Remove from heat and toss in the spinach - it should wilt pretty quickly.
Add half of the herbs and half of the sauce to the pan and toss to combine. Add water if the mixture is too sticky. Season generously with salt and pepper, drizzle with olive oil, and top with the remaining fresh herbs.
Full recipe here!
Biscuit Pot Pie
Recipe & photo from Damn Delicious:
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 small onion, diced
3 carrots, peeled and diced
2 ribs celery, diced
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups chicken broth
1 1/2 cups milk
1/2 teaspoon thyme
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
3 1/2 cups shredded chicken
1/2 cup frozen peas
For the biscuits
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, cut into cubes
3/4 cup buttermilk
Instructions:
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat; set aside.
In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, sugar, baking soda and salt. Add cold butter, using your fingers to work the butter into the dry ingredients until it resembles coarse crumbs. Add buttermilk and stir using a rubber spatula until a soft dough forms.
Working on a lightly floured surface, knead the dough 3-4 times until it comes together. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough into a 10- by 7-inch rectangle, about 1-inch thick. Cut out 6-8 rounds using a 3-inch biscuit or cookie cutter. Place biscuits onto the prepared baking sheet; set aside in the refrigerator.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly oil a 9x13 baking dish or coat with nonstick spray.
To make the filling, melt butter in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add garlic, onion, carrots and celery, and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 3-4 minutes. Whisk in flour until lightly browned, about 1 minute. Gradually whisk in chicken broth, milk and thyme, and cook, whisking constantly, until slightly thickened, about 1-2 minutes. Stir in chicken and peas; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
Add chicken mixture to prepared baking dish. Place into oven and bake for 15 minutes. Top with prepared biscuits and bake until tops are golden brown, an additional 10-12 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes before serving.
Full recipe here!
Slow Cooker Chicken and Dumplings
Recipe & photo from Love Bakes Good Cakes:
Ingredients:
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
¼ tsp. poultry seasoning
¼ tsp. paprika
¼ tsp. pepper
2 cans (10.5 oz. each) condensed cream of chicken soup, undiluted
1 can (14.5 oz.) chicken broth
1 soup can water (use the empty soup can to measure)
2 tubes (10 oz. each) refrigerated biscuit dough, torn into pieces
Chopped parsley, for serving (optional)
Instructions:
Place the chicken in a slow cooker. Sprinkle with the poultry seasoning, paprika, and pepper.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the 2 cans of soup, chicken broth, and water; pour the mixture over the chicken in the slow cooker.
Cover and cook for 5 to 6 hours on HIGH.
About 90 minutes before serving, remove the chicken from the slow cooker and roughly chop into pieces. Return the chicken to the slow cooker. Add the torn biscuit dough, pressing down gently to make sure they are all submerged. Cook until the dough is no longer raw in the center.
To serve, sprinkle with chopped parsley.
Full recipe here!
We want to know your favorite comfort foods! Share with us in the comments or via Instagram with the hashtag #VLinTheKitchen.
Until next time, wear (and eat!) happy!
Xoxo,
VL