Chicken and Kale Hand Pies with Cheddar Crust

From Everyday Food Magazine
Makes 6

Ingredients

• Flaky Pie Dough, recipe doubled and 1 cup shredded cheddar added with flour, or store-bought
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1 leek (white and light-green parts only), halved lengthwise, cut crosswise 1/4 inch thick, and rinsed well
• 1 small bunch black (Tuscan) kale, tough stems removed, coarsely chopped
• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme, leaves
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 cup cooked chicken, torn into bite-size pieces (about 5 ounces)
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Divide dough in half. On a floured sheet of parchment paper, roll out one half to a 14-inch round. With a knife or biscuit cutter, cut out six 4 1/4-inch circles (rerolling dough once if necessary) and transfer, on parchment, to a baking sheet. Repeat with remaining dough, cutting out six (larger) 4 1/2-inch rounds. Chill rounds on sheet until ready to use.
   
2. In a large skillet, melt butter over medium-high. Add leek and cook, stirring, until soft, 3 minutes. Add kale and thyme, season with salt and pepper, and cook until kale wilts, 3 minutes. Sprinkle flour over mixture and stir to combine. Add broth and bring to a boil. Cook, stirring often, until mixture thickens, 2 minutes. Transfer to a medium bowl, season with salt and pepper, and stir in chicken. Let cool slightly.
   
3. Place a heaping 1/4 cup chicken mixture on each of the smaller dough rounds, leaving a 1/2-inch border. Brush edges with egg and top with larger dough rounds; using fingers, press edges firmly to seal. Cut a small vent in each pie. Bake until browned and crisp, 30 minutes, rotating sheet halfway through. Let cool slightly on sheets on a wire rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.
   

Cook's Note

If using store-bought rolled pie dough, add 1 tablespoon cheddar inside each hand pie.

Sausage Gumbo

From Eating Well Magazine
Serves 8

Ingredients

• 12 ounces hot Italian turkey sausage links, removed from casings
• 2 teaspoons canola oil
• 1 large onion, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 4 cups chopped tomatoes
• 4 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 2 1/2 cups frozen chopped okra
• 3/4 cup instant brown rice
• 1 bunch scallions, trimmed and sliced (optional)

Preparation

1. Cook sausage in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat, breaking it up into small pieces with a wooden spoon, until cooked through, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a medium bowl lined with paper towels.
2. Return the pan to medium-high heat and add oil. Add onion and cook, stirring often, until translucent, about 2 minutes. Add garlic and Cajun seasoning and cook, stirring often, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add flour and cook, stirring to coat the vegetables, until the flour browns, about 1 minute. Add tomatoes and cook, stirring occasionally, until they begin to release their juices, about 2 minutes. Stir in broth, cover, increase heat to high and bring to a boil.
3. Return the sausage to the pan, along with okra and rice; reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook until the okra is heated through and the rice is tender, about 10 minutes. Serve sprinkled with sliced scallions, if using.

Indian-Spiced Braised Chicken

From Everyday Food Magazine
Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken thighs
• 1 medium onion, halved and thinly sliced
• 1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes, drained
• 2 Tbsp. tomato paste
• 1 Tbsp. grated ginger (from a 1-inch piece)
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 tsp. ground coriander
• 1/4 tsp. ground cayenne pepper (I used a scant 1/4 tsp. because of the kids)
• coarse salt and ground pepper
• 1/2 c. plain yogurt
• 1/4 c. chopped fresh cilanto
• 1/2 tsp. garam masala (optional)
• cooked white rice, for serving

1. In a 5-6 qt. slow cooker, stir together chicken, onion, tomatoes, tomato paste, ginger, garlic, coriander, and cayenne; season with salt and pepper.
2. Cook on high 4 hours (or low for 8) until fork-tender. Stir in yogurt, cilantro, and garam masala, if using. Serve with rice.

Slow-Cooker Carne Guisada

From Everyday Food Magazine
Serves 8

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 pounds beef chuck roast or bottom round, cut into 1-inch pieces
• coarse salt and ground pepper
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 medium white onion, diced medium
• 1 medium green bell pepper, seeded and diced medium
• 1 large jalapeno, seeded and diced small
• 5 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 3/4 teaspoon chili powder
• 3/4 teaspoon dried oregano
• 6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 3/4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 can (14 ounces) diced tomatoes
• 2 bay leaves
• Flour tortillas, warmed, grated cheddar, and cilantro, for serving

Directions

1. Season beef with salt and pepper. In a large skillet, heat 2 teaspoons oil over high. In two batches, cook beef until browned on all sides, 5 minutes per batch (add 2 teaspoons more oil for second batch). Transfer to a 5- to 6-quart slow cooker.
   
2. In same skillet, cook 2 teaspoons oil, onion, bell pepper, jalapeno, and garlic over medium, stirring and scraping up browned bits with a wooden spoon, until vegetables are tender, 5 minutes. Add cumin, chili powder, oregano, and flour and cook 1 minute. Slowly pour broth into skillet, stirring until liquid is smooth. Simmer 2 minutes, then transfer mixture to slow cooker, along with tomatoes and bay leaves. Season to taste with salt and pepper and stir to combine. Cover and cook on high 6 hours. Serve in tortillas with cheese and cilantro.