Katsu Chicken + Sauce

2 large chicken breasts

Salt

Pepper

2 eggs

Panko bread crumbs

Vegetable oil

Thaw chicken. Slice the chicken breast horizontally into two equal sized slices (so chicken is even and thin.) Pat dry with paper towel.  Season with the salt and black pepper. Leave to stand for 10 minutes. Lightly pat dry again.

Heat up a pot of cooking oil for deep-frying. Ideal temperature is about 350°F. In a deep sauce pan (4-5 inches deep, you want about 3 inches of cooking oil in pan.) Place oil on medium heat and let it heat up for 5-10 minutes. The less time spent in the oil the less oil your chicken will absorb. While oil is heating, dip each piece of the chicken into the beaten egg, then immediately coat it with the panko. Shake off the excess. Dip the chicken into the egg again, and then coat with the panko for the second time. Make sure that the chicken is evenly coated with a thick layer of panko. Repeat the same for the other piece of chicken.

Once the oil is fully heated, gently drop each piece of the chicken into the pot and deep fry until both sides turn golden brown. Likely 2-3 minutes. If you have a meat thermometer your chicken should reach 165°F.

Dish out the chicken onto a plate lined with paper towels. Cut the chicken into strips, and serve immediately with steamed rice and tonkatsu sauce.

Katsu Sauce

1/2 c ketchup

1 1/2 - 2 t dry mustard powder

3/4 t garlic powder

1/4-1/2 t ground black pepper

1 1/2 T worcestershire sauce

In a small bowl stir together all ingredients. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour to blend all flavors together prior to serving. 

One Pot Burrito Bowls

1/2 cup red bell pepper diced small
1/2 cup diced sweet onion
1 pound lean hamburger
1/3 cup Old El Paso Medium Thick n' Chunky Salsa
1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 (15-ounce) can corn, drained
1 (14.5-ounce) can Rotel
1 cup jasmine rice
1 Tablespoon taco seasoning
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
2 1/2 cups chicken broth
Flour tortilla shells (or chips)

Optional toppings:
Cheese
Sour cream
Green Onions
Tomatoes
Lettuce
Salsa
Guacamole or sliced avocados

In a large pot place the hamburger meat, red pepper and onions. Cook until meat browned. Stir in salsa, black beans, corn, Rotel, jasmine rice, taco seasoning and chili powder. Pour in chicken stock and then bring to a light boil. Cover the pan and reduce heat to low. Cook for an additional 15-20 minutes, or until the rice is all the way cooked.
Top with your favorite toppings. I like to have warm flour tortillas on the side, and topped the meat with lettuce, sour cream, and cheese. For variation you could also make this with chicken. Dice the chicken into 1-inch cubes and cook in place of the hamburger.

(adapted from Iheartnaptime's recipe.)

Creamy Alfredo Tortellini

1 (18 oz) package refrigerated three cheese tortellini
4 T unsalted butter
6 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 t crushed red pepper flakes
4 T flour
2 c milk
1 c half and half
4 oz cream cheese, cubed (Or you can substitute with some sour cream)
1/2 c Parmesan cheese
salt and pepper, to taste

In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook tortellini according to package instructions; drain well.
Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic and red pepper flakes, and cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Whisk in flour until lightly browned, about 1 minute.
Gradually whisk in milk and half and half, and cook, whisking constantly, until slightly thickened, about 2-3 minutes. Stir in cheeses until melted, about 1-2 minutes. If the mixture is too thick, add more milk as needed; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Stir in tortellini and gently toss to combine. Garnish with Parsley.

Quinoa Black Bean Tacos

1/2 cup uncooked quinoa
1 (10-ounce) can (Rotel) diced tomatoes and green chiles, undrained
1/2 cup chicken broth
(Or taco seasoning in place of chili powder, cumin, garlic, onion, paprika and cayenne)
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 1/2 cups frozen corn kernels
Juice of 1 lime
Taco shells or Juanita chips
Sour cream, Cheddar, Lettuce, Salsa, Avacado or anything else you'd top a taco with.

Heat quinoa and 1 1/2 cups water in a large pot over medium high heat. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, cover and simmer until water is absorbed, about 15-20 minutes; uncover and fluff with a fork.
Stir in diced tomatoes, vegetable broth, chili powder, cumin, garlic and onion powder, paprika and cayenne pepper; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, cover and simmer until thickened, about 10 minutes.
Stir in beans and corn until heated through, about 2 minutes. Stir in lime juice.
To serve, spoon quinoa mixture into the center of each tortilla. Top with sour cream, cheese, lettuce etc. if desired.

*I typically prefer to just use Juanita chips in place of taco shells.
*Bonus on this one, depending on your taco shell selection... this recipe also happens to be Vegan + Gluten Free. And it's absolutely delicious.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread

1 and 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 t. baking soda
2 t. ground cinnamon
1/4 t. ground nutmeg
1/4 t. ground cloves
3/4 t. salt
2 large eggs
3/4 c. sugar
1/2 c. packed brown sugar
1 1/2 c. pumpkin puree (canned or fresh)
1/2 c. vegetable oil
1/4 c. orange juice (or milk)
1 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips

Adjust the oven rack to the lower third of the oven and preheat to 350F degrees. Lowering the oven rack prevents the top of your bread from browning too much too soon. Spray a 9x5 inch loaf pan with non-stick spray. Set aside.
In a large bowl, mix the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and salt together until combined. In a medium bowl, mix the eggs, granulated sugar, and brown sugar together until combined. Mix in the pumpkin, oil, and orange juice. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and gently mix together. There will be a few lumps. Do not overmix. Gently fold in the chocolate chips.
Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Bake for 60-65 minutes. The bread is done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean with only a few small moist crumbs.
Allow the bread to cool completely in the pan on a wire rack before removing and slicing. The bread will stay fresh in an airtight container (it tastes better on day 2!) at room temperature or in the refrigerator for up to 10 days.

Make ahead tip: Baked bread can be frozen up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and bring to room temperature before serving.
This recipe makes incredible pumpkin chocolate chip muffins too – about 20 minutes in the oven, same oven temperature.

No explanation necessary..