Pork and Noodles with Zucchini and Carrots

Here’s another really nice recipe from *HelloFresh, about whom I did a review back in 2013. It’s nice to have a change from chicken in recipes like this, and I like this recipe because it’s not hard, doesn’t take a lot of time, and it’s spicy! The thing is, you can obviously adjust it to kick it up or knock it down a little, according to your taste. Or the kids’. ;) It’s all about making the recipe yours and being creative.

So, let’s get cooking!

Cut the pork into cubes about ½ inch in size. You can make them bigger, obviously, but I prefer to make them smaller; you can get by with less meat and it makes it “spread” farther in the recipe. ;)

Mince the garlic and in a bowl, place the cubed pork, the garlic, and the soy sauce. Stir to coat thoroughly and marinate for at least 10 minutes, preferably 30.

Meanwhile, julienne the carrots and slice the zucchini thinly into circles. Slice the onion by cutting in half, laying it cut side down, then slicing thinly.

Set a pot of water on the stove to boil for the noodles. When it boils, cook the soba noodles until al dente, about 5 minutes, stirring to keep from sticking. Drain and mix in a little oil to keep them from sticking, and set aside.

In a large skillet, sauté the marinated pork in 1 Tbl oil until just tender, stirring as needed. Set aside.

In the same skillet, heat 1 Tbl oil using medium high heat and sauté the carrots and onions, cooking for 2 minutes.

Add in the zucchini and sriracha, cooking another 3-4 minutes, tossing to cook evenly. Pour in the chicken stock and cook down until thickened.

Stir in the cooked pork and the soba noodles, mixing well and heating.





Serve with lemon wedges if you’d like. Enjoy! ~TMMF

                                                                                                     
                                                                                                        Pork and Noodles with
                                                                                                            Zucchini and Carrots

1 to 1 ¼ lbs pork
2 big carrots
2 zucchinis
1 large red onion
4 cloves garlic
1 c chicken stock
¼ c soy sauce
2 Tbl sriracha
2 Tbl oil
12 oz soba noodles

1 lemon (optional)


Now, for The Magic Meal Fairy’s 2nd anniversary celebration mug: Hop on over to TMMF’s Facebook page and click Like if you haven’t already. I feel that’s only fair that the winner is someone who has liked the page. Share the page’s post about this recipe, and that’s it! The names of everyone who does will go into a hat and my sweet  Megan, my daughter who has Down syndrome and is usually my cooking cohort, will reach in and pick one. The picking will be done on Friday, January 23, 2015, around 7:00 a.m. EST. Winner will be notified on The Magic Meal Fairy’s Facebook page and on here.

**if you're interested in trying out HelloFresh, my friend referral code is: 3GYSLR.

Lemony Chicken Risotto

Okay, here we are on January 19th, 2015, and 3 days ago was the second anniversary of The Magic Meal Fairy! As I said on the Facebook page, today I will give details for how to be the recipient of a unique TMMF mug of your very own. As of this moment, there are only 2 in the whole entire world. ;) More on that later.

But first, let’s talk about Lemony Chicken Risotto. This is a recipe that I got from *HelloFresh, a home delivery company for whom I did a review back in 2013. This recipe turned out as delicious as I had anticipated. Chicken, fresh asparagamoosus (Veggie Tales reference!), and risotto rice?? Good gravy marie, what more could you ask for?

So, let’s get cooking!

Cube the chicken breasts into about 1” pieces, and set aside.

Slice the asparagus into 1” cuts, finely chop the Vidalia onion, and slice the scallions thinly. Strip the leaves off the fresh thyme.

Zest the lemon. I used the small grating side of my grater.

In a large skillet, heat about 1 tablespoon of oil and sauté the asparagus for about 3 minutes, until slightly tender. Set aside in a bowl.

In the same pan, sauté the cubed chicken, stirring, until golden brown. Add to the bowl of asparagus.

In the skillet, heat 1 Tbl oil and sauté the onions and thyme. Cook for 5 minutes until softened.

Add the Arborio rice and cook for one minute. Begin adding the chicken stock, ½ cup at a time. Cook and stir until the rice absorbs the stock.

Keep adding stock about ½ cup at a time, stirring and cooking until absorbed, until the rice is al dente. Add the chicken and asparagus. Stir in the butter and lemon zest.





Serve with the sliced scallions and grated fresh parmesan cheese on top if you'd like. Enjoy! ~TMMF

Lemony Chicken Risotto
   (serves 4)

The mug!! 

2 large chicken breasts
½ md Vidalia onion
1 lb fresh asparagus
1 c Arborio rice
2 scallions (optional)
1 sprig fresh thyme
   (or ½ tsp dried thyme)
2 tsp lemon zest
2 Tbl butter
2 Tbl oil
4-5 c chicken stock
fresh grated parmesan
   (optional)


Now, for The Magic Meal Fairy’s 2nd anniversary celebration mug: Hop on over to TMMF’s Facebook page and click Like if you haven’t already. I feel it’s only fair that the winner is someone who has liked the page. Share the page’s post about this recipe, and that’s it! The names of everyone who does will go into a hat and my sweet  Megan, my daughter who has Down syndrome and is usually my cooking cohort, will reach in and pick one. The picking will be done on Friday, January 23, 2015, around 7:00 a.m. EST. Winner will be notified on The Magic Meal Fairy’s Facebook page and on here.

*if you're interested in trying out HelloFresh, my friend referral code is: 3GYSLR.

Chicken Jalapeño Popper Soup

I love all things Jalapeño Popper, so when my writing friend Doreen Gadow (Our Homeschool Ohana) shared the link for this recipe, I knew I had to try it! It was originally found on Trim Healthy Momma, and is it ever GOOD! I only changed a few things around (haha): I used green peppers for red, less jalapeños, spices, and chicken, increased the black beans, and threw in a carrot. It worked, so I shall now share it with you.

So, let’s get cooking!

First prepare the cauliflower, because you can set it to cooking and then do the rest of the prep work while it’s on the stove. You want to cut the cauli into florets if you’re using fresh cauliflower, which is what I did. Place them in a large soup pot with the chicken broth and cook, covered, until tender.

Dice the onion, bell peppers, and jalapeños. Be sure to wear gloves when handling the jalapeños, and don’t touch your face, especially your eyes. Wash the knife, cutting board or surface, and your hands immediately when done. Mince the garlic.

Cut the chicken into small bite size pieces.

When the cauliflower is done, set it aside in a large bowl.

In the same soup pot you used for the cauliflower, add a little oil and sauté the diced chicken until tender and cooked through. Set aside when done.

While the chicken is cooking, you need to blend the cooked cauliflower with the chicken broth it was cooked in. You can use a blender if you choose. I used my handy dandy hand blender. I love that thing!

Cut up the cream cheese and add to the cauliflower/broth mixture. Blend in thoroughly.

Grate the carrot.

Now sauté the onion, bell pepper, jalapeños, and garlic in the large soup pot with a little oil until tender. After a few minutes, add in the grated carrot and cook for about a minute or so.

Add the blended cauliflower/broth mixture to the veggies in the soup pot. Use a rubber spatula to get every tasty drop! ;)

Drain the black beans (and rinse!). Add the beans, the chicken (plus any juices), the diced tomatoes, and the spices. Heat through for a few minutes.

Enjoy! ~TMMF

Chicken Jalapeño Popper Soup

1 large head cauliflower

   (or 2 bags frozen)

4 c chicken broth

1 Vidalia onion

1 green bell pepper

4 jalapeños

3 cloves garlic

1 1/4 lbs chicken breast

8 oz cream cheese

1 large carrot

1 can black beans

2 tsp chili powder

1 tsp ground cumin