cozy cold-weather meals

hey folks!  ready for some cozy cold-weather recipes?  i've had fun jumping back into health(ier) recipe testing and have found a few winners in the past couple of weeks.  although, if i'm being completely honest, my taste buds cannot be trusted at the moment.  i'm recovering from a nasty cold which left me couch-bound for three straight days and completely destroyed my ability to taste (and smell and breathe).  so if the recipes seems questionable, i apologize.  :-)

honey bbq chicken meatballs

these honey bbq chicken meatballs were a big hit.  the homemade bbq sauce provided great flavor!  a great tip i read in the recipe was to handle the ground chicken as little as possible -- incorporate the ingredients until they are just mixed.  overworked ground chicken has a tendency of becoming tough.  (as an aside, yes, i made baked mac 'n cheese with this meal.  definitely not "diet approved," but i was sick and the temperature outside was in the single digits, so comfort food was my top priority.)

marinated kale and whipped ricotta pizza

 

here we go, pizza again.  not a low calorie food, BUT this one has kale on it!  marinated, crispy, mouth-watering kale!  so it was a fun, clear-conscience splurge.  great for the weekend!  i loved this.  like truly, madly, deeply.  my pictures are so ugly and do it no justice whatsoever.  you simply must try this marinated kale and whipped ricotta pizza.  even kale-haters (ahem, keri altland....) might enjoy this one!

slow cooker quinoa chicken chili

 

i thought this recipe for slow cooker quinoa chicken chili seemed like a bit of a gamble.  a little outside of my taste preference comfort zone... but it was really good!  very hearty, extremely filling, and super cozy for a cold winter's night.  i only added one can of black beans instead of two, and i thought it was just right.  next time, i might add a chopped onion to the mix.

spicy sausage, kale, and orecchiette soup

this spicy sausage, kale, and orecchiette soup is another superstar kale recipe.  kale is so perfect for soup because it doesn't get all mushy and gross.  the simplicity of this recipe almost scared me away because i thought it would be bland.  but no.  it was basically perfect.  definitely get the hot/spicy sausage (instead of sweet or country style)  -- it adds a lot of kick!

chickpea salad

in my search for some good lunch ideas, i found this recipe for black-eyed pea salad.  however, whilst at the grocery store, i could not find black-eyed peas anywhere.  i must have searched the canned food aisle for 10 minutes.  so after a bit of annoyance and a few black-eyed pea band jokes from my super helpful husband ;-) i decided to go with chickpeas instead.  so, i followed the recipe in the link above and substituted two cans of chickpeas... i also substituted a tiny bit of honey for the sugar (because Lent started on wednesday, and i'm officially off sugar until Easter).  i sprinkled on some feta just before i ate it.  and oh my, delish!  lots of flavor and very filling.  it keeps well in the fridge for several days, and the flavor gets better with time, so make this on a monday, and you've got lunch for the week.

chicken mozzarella pasta with sundried tomatoes

one last recipe, and no, it's not a healthy one.  but it was too good not to share.  if you're looking for a tasty splurge meal, you might want to try this chicken mozzarella pasta with sundried tomatoes.  i made this over valentine's weekend, and wow.  even my 3-year-old liked it.  i've honestly never cooked with sun-dried tomatoes before, but this recipe made me a believer!  (again, i apologize for the less-than-appealing picture... check out the link for prettier pictures of this yummy meal!)

and that's a wrap, folks!  oh, except to mention that i'm down a few pounds, but i think that has more to do with my illness than my eating habits.  i'm still trucking along and trying to make good choices... one step at a time. :-)

happy cooking, folks!