Chef Kelly Unger - What's for Dinner recipes

What's for Dinner?

This question is asked of us every single day. Some days we know the answer. Other days, it is a question of dread because we are stressed, tired or just plain old out of ideas. So here is my offer of help. These recipes are designed for easy, quick, healthy and delicious weeknight family meals and this page is designed to be your go to spot when, inevitably, the question is asked. Here, is the answer!

Pumpkin Curry

1 large onion, diced

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 tablespoons fresh ginger, minced, optional

2 medium yellow or sweet potatoes, medium dice

2 medium carrots, medium dice

2 generous cups pumpkin or butternut squash, medium dice

1 cup pumpkin puree if using butternut squash

1 ½ cups Bob’s Red Mill red lentils

2 (32 oz) boxes organic low sodium chicken broth or 64 oz homemade

1 can lite coconut milk, optional

2-3 tablespoons curry powder, adjust amount to your taste, using a red curry blend is preferable

Oil for sautéing, salt and pepper to taste

In a large soup pot (I use an All-Clad 10 inch soup pot), saute onions in oil until golden brown. Turn heat down to medium, add another tablespoon of oil, add garlic and ginger and cook for 1 minute. Add curry powder and a little more oil if needed and allow to warm for 1 minute. Add the rest of the ingredients (salt and pepper too) and stir to combine evenly. Increase heat to high and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook covered for 20 minutes. In the meantime, cook jasmine rice. I use Goya, follow the package directions for water/rice ratios. The rice will take 10 minutes to cook once it has come to a boil. Taste curry and adjust seasonings. It is easy to add more curry here is you feel it needs it. Serve curry over jasmine rice. If you feel the need for a garnish and/or crunch, crushed peanuts, fresh cilantro, julienne of raw apple are some suggestions.

Chicken Chili

Ready in about 30 minutes, excellent leftover (you'll have to make a double batch for that to happen though) and super versatile, this recipe will be your go to. I use ground chicken because it has more flavor than turkey and tons less fat than beef. You can add diced pumpkin or butternut squash if you want to add some seasonal flair or just keep it simple. For dinner time, I serve this over Goya medium grain rice made with chicken broth, for extra flavor. I use low sodium organic broth so that I can control the amount of sodium eating. You can always add salt at the table. For game day, I pour this over tortilla chips and garnish heavily with cheddar cheese. One recipe serves four very hungry chili lovers or 6 normal people. The recipe doubles and triples easily. Enjoy!

1 lb ground organic chicken

1 large onion diced

2 tablespoons oil, preferably grapeseed, plus more if needed

1 can (14.5 ozs) diced tomatoes

1 can (15.5ozs) black or red beans

2 tablespoons chili powder

1 tablespoon adobo or 3 cloves garlic minced and 2 teaspoons salt

1 box (32 ozs) low sodium chicken broth

1 1/2 cups Goya medium grain rice, 2 tablespoons oil and 1 teaspoon salt

Saute diced onion in preheated soup pot in the oil over medium high heat until browned. Push onions to one side of the pan and add the ground chicken in a slab shape. Allow to brown slightly on one side. Push aside 3 inches of space in the pan, reduce the heat to low, add a small amount of oil and then add the chili powder and adobo to the oil. Warm the spices for a minute then add the tomatoes and beans with liquid and stir the whole pot, breaking the ground chicken into small bite sized chunks and making sure everything is mixed well. Add about one cup of chicken broth and increase the heat to medium high, bring to a boil, cover and reduce to a simmer. Let this cook for about 10 minutes then start your rice. Set the timer on the chili for 20 more minutes and continue to simmer on low heat. Total chili cooking time should be 30 minutes.

In a seperate pot, add the rice, oil, salt and 3 cups of chicken broth. Turn the heat on high, stir and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes. Turn off heat, keep lid on and let the chili and rice rest covered for 5 minutes before serving. I use Cabot Seriously Sharp cheddar cheese grated liberally on top. Enjoy!

originally posted October 5,2016

Mushroom & Chicken Dinner Rice

1 large onion, diced

2 cloves of garlic, minced

3 small bunches or 1 1/2 cups chopped or chiffonade of kale or greens of your choice

2 large carrots, unpeeled and diced

salt and pepper to taste

1 cooked chicken breast, torn into bite sized peices

2 cups Goya medium grain rice

5 cups Cold Killer Chicken Stock (Recipe in blog) or good quality chicken broth plus more if more sauciness is desired - to taste

about 1/2 cup dried porcini mushrooms or 1 small box fresh mushrooms as described above

freshly grated Parmesan, Romano or other strong flavored Italian cheese of your choice for garnish and fresh microgreens or pea greens for garnish

Saute onion in oil over high heat until golden brown, add greens and saute for 2 to 3 minutes then add garlic and cook for only one minute more. Add rice and stock, stir to deglaze bottom of the pan then add carrots, mushrooms, salt, pepper (herbs if using) and chicken. Stir to combine. Bring to a boil, stir, reduce to a simmer, cover and cook for 10 minutes without lifting the lid. After 10 minutes taste for doneness and seasoning, adjust as necessary. Garnish with cheese and fresh microgreens. Enjoy!

Coconut Lime Chicken Curry

3 tbsp canola oil

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 can low fat coconut milk

1 handful- about ½ cup shredded, sweetened coconut

2 medium potatoes, medium diced

1 large onion in medium slices

1 red pepper, medium diced

1 jalepeno pepper, diced - optional

1 tbsp fresh ginger

1 tbsp fresh garlic

1 tbsp dried lemongrass (if using fresh, use about 2 tablespoons)

1 tbsp yellow curry powder (add a teaspoon or two more if you like a stronger flavor)

2 tsp turmeric powder

Zest and juice of 1 large lime

10 dashes of hot sauce, more or less to your taste

Salt and pepper to taste

4 cups chicken broth

2 other seasonal vegetables of your choice, diced (green beans, zucchini, yellow squash, corn, sweet potato as an example)

Start adding ingredients from the beginning of the list to the end. Start with the canola oil at the bottom of the pot, add the chicken next and so on. When all the ingredients are in the pot, turn the heat on to high and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, cover and continue to simmer for 20 minutes. Remove the chicken breasts, after checking for doneness, put on a plate and allow to rest and cool for 10 minutes. Replace the lid on the pot and continue to let curry simmer on lowest heat. Once chicken breasts are cool enough for you to handle, cut or tear the meat into bite size pieces and return to the pot. Taste the curry and adjust the seasoning as necessary. Serve over jasmine rice. Enjoy!

Chicken Burgers

To make the burgers, all that's needed is one pound of ground chicken, one egg and the seasonings of your choice: Italian, garlic, soy sauce, hot sauce, curry powder, etc. Let your imagination and taste buds go wild. Add fresh herbs, shredded vegetables, whatever you like to add flavor. Put all of these ingredients in a bowl, mix with a fork until fully mixed. I recomend you let the mixture sit for 5 minutes to allow the flavors to mingle. Scoop out with a large spoon into four portions and cook in (preferably cast iron) a saute pan for about 5 minutes per side. Voila! That's it! Add your favorite toppings, the bread of your choice and enjoy. I always serve with a salad. In 20 minutes, it's dinner!

Grits & Greens

For the grits:

1 cup Castle Valley Mill grits

1 1/2 cups Chicken Stock

1 1/2 cups whole milk, plus more if necessary

2 teaspoons salt

2 tablespoons butter

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese, plus more to taste

1 to 2 large handfuls (1 1/2 to 2 packed cups) of greens of your choice (spinach, swiss chard, kale, spring mix)

Put all ingredients except cheese and greens into a medium pot, stir, bring to a boil. Stir, reduce to simmer, cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Stir, add more milk or chicken stock if necessary, add cheese and stir. Turn off heat, add greens and cover. Let rest for 10 minutes covered. Uncover and stir in wilted greens. Grits should have thickened a bit and will continue to thicken as they cool. Adjust seasoning if necessary and serve.