As we head squarely into soup season this creamy delicious pot of love deserves to be on rotation.

Yes this soup is loaded with tender chicken and rice.

Making the Soup

However it is the signature ingredients (Avgo-lemono = egg + lemon) that give this comforting soup it’s fresh bright flavor and soothing creamy finish.

When time permits, begin by making a big batch of Homemade Chicken Broth. I even do this a day or two in advance. Then I have some for the soup pot and some for the freezer.

To make this classic Greek Chicken & Rice Soup, begin with a mirepoix sautéed in olive oil. Then add garlic and fresh parsley, followed by good quality chicken stock.

When the broth comes to a gently boil, add rice and simmer until just tender. Then juicy chicken meat is added along with fresh squeezed lemon juice.

Tempering the Eggs

The one important step in making this soup is tempering the eggs before adding them to the hot broth. We don’t want our eggs to scramble in the hot liquid.

To do this, beat eggs in a small bowl. Add a ladle full of the hot soup to the egg and whisk quickly. Then return this mixture to the soup pot, whisking continuously until well combined.

The result is a silky broth loaded with tender chicken and rice, with a kiss of lemon.

There’s no reason not to bring the Greek Islands into your kitchen with this delightfully fresh and beautiful soup.

Don’t forget to follow us @LemonyThyme on Instagram and Facebook! And check out our latest TikTok videos and Pinterest boards too!

All my best,
xo Libby

Pin It For Later

Print

Agolemono (Greek Chicken & Rice Soup)

Greek Chicken & Rice Soup, also known as Avgolemono, is a wonderfully hearty soup with fresh bursts of lemon throughout.

Course Soup

Cuisine Greek

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Servings 6

Author Libby with Lemony Thyme

Ingredients

• 1 Tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 large onion, about 1 cup fine diced
• 3 carrots, about 1 cup fine diced
• 2 celery stalks, about 1 cup fine diced
• 2 garlic cloves minced
• 2 Tablespoons fresh parsley fine chopped
• 8 cups chicken broth
• 1 cup rice triple rinsed
• 2 lemons, juiced about 1/2 cup
• 3 cups cooked chicken, cubed or shredded 2 breasts or a rotisserie chicken
• 3 eggs
• salt & pepper to taste

Instructions

• Over medium heat, heat olive oil in large dutch oven or soup pot. Add onion, carrot and celery and saute until just tender, about 5-7 minutes. Add garlic and parsley and cook an additional minute. Add chicken broth and bring mixture to a gentle boil. Reduce heat to low, add in rice and simmer for 20 minutes or until rice is tender. Stir in lemon juice and cooked chicken and heat through.
• To temper the eggs, beat eggs in a small bowl. Add one ladle of hot soup broth to eggs and whisk quickly. Return egg/broth mixture to soup pot and whisk to combine. Remove from heat. Season with salt & pepper to taste.

The post Avgolemono {Greek Chicken & Rice Soup} appeared first on Lemony Thyme.

You know I love to roll my favorite flavors into Meatballs of Love!

The warm Indian spices found in Butter Chicken were the perfect pairing for meatballs. And the sauce is pure heaven!

The Curry Spice Blend

Curry in its most basic form is a type of sauce used in Indian cooking. These sauces or gravies are seasoned with a blend of spices, typically including cumin, turmeric, coriander and others like garam masala (which is a blend on its own) and chili powder.

I’ve found preparing the curry spice blend first when making a recipe like this to be a great time saver. Measure once, use twice.

We’re going to incorporate the same seasoning blend in the meatballs and the curry sauce.

• Ground cumin
• Garam masala
• Ground coriander
• Turmeric
• Red chili powder
• Salt

The Chicken Meatball Ingredients

Ground chicken is a wonderful protein that loves big bold flavors. The meatball ingredients come together quickly!

• Ground chicken
• Onion
• Garlic
• Ginger
• Curry Spice Blend
• Egg
• Panko breadcrumbs

Meatball Preparation

• Mix all the meatball ingredients (except chicken)
• Then add the ground chicken and mix until just combined
• Roll into 1 1/2″ meatballs
• Place on a parchment lined baking sheet
• Bake the meatballs at 400 degrees F. for 20 minutes

The Butter Curry Sauce Ingredients

Like Chicken Tikka Masala, the curry sauce is savory with hints of ginger and garlic. However Butter Chicken also brings a smooth buttery consistency.

• Ghee
• Onion
• Garlic
• Ginger
• Curry Spice Blend
• Tomato paste & sauce
• Chicken broth
• Cream or coconut milk
• Butter
• Salt & sugar to taste

Butter Curry Sauce Preparation

• The sauce begins by sautéing grated onion with melted ghee or butter for 4-5 minutes
• Then the garlic & ginger are added and sautéed for an additional minute
• Add the curry spices and cooked off for a minute
• Add the tomato paste and tomato sauce along with a little chicken broth to bring the ingredients together

• The sauce is then blended until smooth and returned to the pan
• The cream and butter are whisked in
• A final seasoning of salt and a touch of sugar to taste bring the sauce together
• Serve meatballs over basmati rice, covered in curry butter sauce, garnished with fresh cilantro

This sauce is fragrant and full of spice flavor without heat. It’s luscious served over a bed of basmati rice topped with the tender butter chicken meatballs.

Simple Butter Chicken Meatballs over Basmati Rice is on our comfort food rotation!

Don’t forget to follow us @LemonyThyme on Instagram and Facebook! And check out our latest TikTok videos and Pinterest boards too!

All my best,
xo Libby

Pin It For Later

Print

Simple Butter Chicken Meatballs Over Basmati Rice

The warm Indian spices found in Butter Chicken were the perfect pairing for meatballs. And the sauce is pure heaven!

Course Entree

Cuisine Indian

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Author Libby with Lemony Thyme

Ingredients

For the Curry Spice Blend

• 1 1/2 Tablespoons garam masala
• 1 1/2 Tablespoons ground cumin
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground coriander
• 1 1/2 teaspoons red chili powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons turmeric
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt

For the Chicken Meatballs

• 1 pound ground chicken
• 1/4 cup grated onion squeezed dry in kitchen or paper towel
• 3 cloves fine minced garlic
• 1 Tablespoon grated ginger
• 2 Tablespoons Curry Spice Blend see above
• 1 egg
• 1/3 cup panko breadcrumbs (gluten free for GF Version)

For the Butter Curry Sauce

• 2 Tablespoons ghee or butter
• 1/4 cup grated onion
• 3 cloves fine minced garlic
• 1 Tablespoon grated ginger
• 3 Tablespoons Curry Spice Blend see above
• 1 Tablespoon tomato paste
• 8 ounces tomato sauce
• 1/2 cup chicken broth
• 1/2 cup full fat coconut milk or heavy cream
• 2 Tablespoons butter
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• salt to taste

For the Basmati Rice

• 1 cups basmati rice triple rinsed and drained
• 1 Tablespoon ghee or butter
• 1 3/4 cups water
• Cilantro leaves for garnish

Instructions

For the Curry Spice Blend

• Combine the curry spices in a jar.

For the Chicken Meatballs

• Preheat oven to 400° F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Combine all ingredients, except the chicken in a large bowl. Add in the ground chicken and mix until just combined. Roll meatballs into 1 1/2" diameter and place on prepared baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes.

For the Basmati Rice

• Meanwhile, melt ghee in a skillet with a tight fitting lid. Saute rinsed and drained basmati rice for 2-3 minutes until all grains are nicely coated with ghee. Add water and stir. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Cover and cook an additional 15 minutes or until rice is tender. Fluff with a fork before serving.

For the Butter Curry Sauce

• While meatballs bake and rice cooks, prepare the sauce. Melt ghee in a heavy bottom saucepan. Add in grated onion and saute for 4-5 minutes. Stir in garlic and ginger and cook for an additional minute. Add remaining curry spice blend and stir for 1 minute. Add tomato paste and stir to combine. Then add tomato sauce and chicken broth and whisk until incorporated well. Bring sauce to a gentle boil and simmer for 5 minutes.
• Transfer sauce to a blender and process until smooth. **Careful with hot liquids when removing blender lid** Add sauce back to saucepan and whisk in cream and butter, heat through. Season with sugar and salt to taste.

  Serve meatballs covered in butter curry sauce with a side of basmati rice. Garnish with cilantro leaves.

The post Simple Butter Chicken Meatballs Over Basmati Rice appeared first on Lemony Thyme.

Sofrito is a flavor base of herbs and aromatics used in Latin cooking, much like a French mirepoix or the Cajun holy trinity. While there are many versions of Sofrito, this recipe most resembles one found in Puerto Rican cooking also known as recaito.

Sofrito is the foundation for dishes like Arrow Con Pollo (Latin Chicken & Rice), soups, stews and braises. Simply stirred into white rice will elevate the flavors. It’s great to have on hand to enhance the flavor of so many dishes.

Sofrito Ingredients

Culantro

The one ingredient that is sometimes difficult to locate is Culantro. Culantro is an herb, similar in taste to cilantro but quite different in appearance. Culantro leaves are long with ruffled edges. It has a deeper more pungent flavor than cilantro. It also holds up much better when cooked.

I have no problem locating it at our International market. Or you can try an Asian market under the name of ngo gai (Vietnamese). If you can’t locate culantro, fresh cilantro is your best substitute but double the volume called for in the recipe.

Peppers

For the peppers, I use green bell pepper and cubanelle peppers. Aji dulces (sweet peppers found in Latin-America) are also a common ingredient.

Onions & Garlic

I used both red onion and white onion, as well as garlic cloves.

The Process

Rough chop the ingredients then add to a food processor or high-powered blender. Blend until mostly smooth.

When ready to use, Sofrito is typically sauteed in oil to begin the recipe. You can store Sofrito in the refrigerator for up to a week or freeze it for up to 6 months.

Sofrito Variations

As mentioned above, a sofrito is to Latin cooking what a mirepoix is to French cooking or the holy trinity is to Cajun or Creole cooking. There is also a Spanish sofrito which also contains peppers and onions, but also includes tomatoes or tomato paste, as well as paprika.

Mastering a Simple Sofrito Recipe opens the doors to a wonderful array of recipes!

Don’t forget to follow us @LemonyThyme on Instagram and Facebook! And check out our latest TikTok videos and Pinterest boards too!

All my best,
xo Libby

Print

Simple Sofrito Recipe

Sofrito is a flavor base of aromatics used in Latin cooking, much like a French mirepoix or the Cajun holy trinity.

Cuisine Latin-American

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Ingredients

• 1 medium white onion large dice
• 1 small red onion large dice
• 1 green bell pepper large dice
• 2 cubanelle peppers large dice
• 6 cloves garlic
• 6 culantro leaves
• 1 Tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Instructions

• Combine all ingredients in a food processor or blender. Blend until mostly smooth. Store in refrigerator for up to 1 week or in freezer for up to 6 months.

The post Simple Sofrito Recipe appeared first on Lemony Thyme.

You know the kind even your manly man will eat. But packed full of nutrients without extra calories. 

Because let’s face it, most of us don’t need empty calories and are perfectly happy as long as we’re satisfied.  This chili is definitely satisfying.

Building the Chili Flavor

The sweet potato is the star ingredient as it balances the chili seasonings so well. 

Because I was making this chili to share the love with one my work family members, I kept the heat out of it and instead focused on flavor.  Chili powder, ground oregano, garlic powder, and cumin will never let you down.

I also fire roasted the corn and poblano peppers, adding a little smoky flavor to the chili.

If you want to stretch this Turkey & Sweet Potato Southwest Chili a little farther, double the quantity of veggies & diced tomatoes and season accordingly.  In addition to the sweet potatoes, I added carrots, onions, red bell & poblano peppers, zucchini, corn, diced tomatoes and black beans.

I hope you’ll give this dish a try and as always I welcome and enjoy your feedback.

Recipe inspiration.  My Healthy Choices lunch buddy shared a new favorite dish, which was baked sweet potato topped with taco seasoned ground turkey and salsa.  It was delicious and has been lingering in my mind ever since.

We are so ready for chili season and have a collection of recipes for your enjoyment.

Don’t forget to follow us @LemonyThyme on Instagram and Facebook! And check out our latest TikTok videos and Pinterest boards too!

All my best,
xo Libby

Print

Turkey & Sweet Potato Southwest Chili

My motivation for this Heart Healthy Turkey & Sweet Potato Southwest Chili was to deliver a flavor packed hearty chili.

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 30 minutes minutes

Servings 8

Author Libby with Lemony Thyme

Ingredients

• 1 lb. lean ground turkey cooked and drained
• 2 small sweet potatoes peeled & cubed (about 2 cups)
• 2 Tbl. olive oil divided
• 1 carrot peeled and sliced
• 1 med. onion diced
• 1 red bell pepper optional
• 1 poblano pepper fire roasted, skins removed
• 1 zucchini diced
• 2 ears corn on the cob or 1 cup frozen
• 1 28- ounce diced tomatoes
• 1 4.5- ounce can diced mild green chiles
• 1 14- ounce can black beans drained & rinsed
• 2 Tbl. chili powder
• 1 Tbl. dried oregano
• 1 Tbl. garlic powder
• 1 Tbl. cumin
• 1 tsp. salt
• cayenne pepper optional

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Spread diced sweet potatoes on a cooking spray coated baking sheet. Bake for 15 -20 minutes or until just tender.
• Meanwhile in a Dutch oven, add 1 Tbl. olive oil and brown ground turkey. Remove from pan and reserve. Add additional 1 Tbl. of olive oil and diced onion and carrot to pot. Saute until onion is tender. Add in remaining veggies and tomatoes, chiles, black beans and seasoning and bring to a gentle simmer; cook for 10 minutes.
• Add cooked sweet potatoes and ground turkey to the pot; heat through. Adjust seasoning to taste.
• Serve with favorite toppings, such as shredded cheddar cheese, sour cream, cilantro.

Notes

Seasoning chili should be done according to taste. Adding gradually as the dish builds is how we arrive at the right balance.

The post Heart Healthy Turkey & Sweet Potato Southwest Chili appeared first on Lemony Thyme.

When the farmers markets are bursting with zucchini, summer squash and eggplant you know it’s Ratatouille season!!

I still recall the first time my husband made it and now I request it every summer!! On repeat.

I remember walking through the door after work and being greeted by incredible aromas. The kind of smells you get from lasagna baking or a bit pot of bolognese on the stove. Garlic, onion, tomatoes, herbs….

This weekend’s trip to the farmers market had exactly what we needed. When selecting your squash and eggplant, try and find similar diameters. Some variation is fine.

This recipe begins with a base of sauteed onion and garlic. Next you’ll add tomato paste and sauce to create the savory base for the sliced veggies. You’ll spread that in the bottom of a round oven proof baking dish.

We find it easiest to assemble stacks of alternating eggplant, zucchini and yellow squash then lay them on top of the sauce layer as shown.

To finish, drizzle with a nice garlic herb oil. We included minced fresh basil and thyme.

Then it’s into a 375 degree F. oven for an hour. We topped with parchment paper for the first 30 minutes.

Before serving the Ratatouille, add a generous dollop of herbed mascarpone cheese. The slightly sweet creamy flavor combination is incredible. The mascarpone melts down into the savory roasted veggies.

Are there recipes that remind you of a favorite vacation that you’d like to see us recreate? I’d love for you to comment below. Your feedback is so important to me (and keeps the recipe love fresh).

Don’t forget to follow us @LemonyThyme on Instagram and Facebook!

All my best,
xo Libby

Pin It For Later!

Print

Ratatouille with Herbed Mascarpone

This Ratatouille with Herbed Mascarpone is what dreams are made of. Tender roasted veggies with the most incredible herby mascarpone melting throughout each bite.

Course Entree or Appetizer

Cuisine French

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 1 hour hour

Servings 6

Author Libby with Lemony Thyme

Ingredients

For the Ratatouille

• 1 Tablespoon olive oil
• 1 cup fine diced sweet onion
• 3 cloves garlic minced
• 2 small diameter eggplant About 1 1/2" – 2" thickness
• 2 small diameter zucchini About 1 1/2" – 2" thickness
• 2 small yellow summer squash About 1 1/2" – 2" thickness
• 1 6 ounce can tomato paste
• 1 cup tomato sauce we used marinara sauce

For the Garlic Herb Oil Drizzle

• 3 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves only fine chopped
• 1 handful fresh basil leaves fine chopped
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

For the Herbed Mascarpone

• 1/2 cup mascarpone cheese
• 1 sprig fresh thyme, leaves only fine chopped
• 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves fine chopped

Instructions

For the Ratatouille

• Saute 1 cup diced onion with 3 cloves minced garlic in olive oil until onion is translucent. Add in tomato paste and sauce and heat through. Pour into bottom of 10-inch round oven proof baking dish.
• Slice eggplant, zucchini and yellow summer squash into very thin rounds. Assemble them into stacks, alternating eggplant, zucchini, squash. Lay stacks on top of sauce as shown in pictures above.

For the Garlic Herb Oil Drizzle

• Mince thyme leaves and fresh basil. Combine with minced garlic and olive oil. Drizzle over vegetables.
• Cover with either parchment paper or foil and bake for 1 hour, removing parchment paper after 30 minutes.

For the Herbed Mascarpone

• Mince thyme leaves and fresh garlic. Stir into mascarpone cheese. Spoon over warm ratatouille.

Recipe adapted from Disney’s Ratatouille Recipe

The post Ratatouille with Herbed Mascarpone appeared first on Lemony Thyme.

Healthy eating police stand down.

We all have our guilty pleasures and while it’s been years since I’ve ordered a McDonald’s Big Mac, the saucy beefy cheesy classic lingers in my mind.

The way I see it is when the attack happens you have two choices. You can either drive to the closest McDonald’s OR you can make this double decker delight at home!

I vote for homemade all day – every day!

The Big Mac Ingredients

• Two all beef (Grass-Fed) patties
• Homemade special sauce
• Shredded lettuce
• Yellow American cheese
• Sliced dill pickles
• Fine diced onion
• All piled high on sesame brioche buns

Here’s how we build our Big Macs

Make the special sauce –

• Mayonnaise
• Sweet pickle relish
• White distilled vinegar
• Ketchup
• Mustard powder
• Minced onion
• Chili powder
• Paprika

For maximum flavor, chill the Big Mac sauce in refrigerator for a couple hours or overnight if possible.

For the beef patties –

• Use ground chuck vs. sirloin for a juicy burger
• For each Big Mac, split 1/3 pound of ground beef into two thin patties and press to bun size
• Season with with salt and pepper, then pan fry in a little butter or ghee (trust me)
• Add slice of cheese to each burger just when finished cooking

Assembly –

• Toast buns, then spread with generous layer of special sauce
• Sprinkle bottom bun with fine diced onion and shredded lettuce
• Top with one of the cheese burgers and dill pickle slices
• Top with middle bun (I used an extra brioche bun and cut two middles out of it)
• Repeat: sauce, onions, lettuce, cheese burger, pickles, top bun

The hardest thing about making these Big Macs was having to wait to eat them while I took their beauty shots.

Here’s how we eat our Big Macs

My husband is a saint for waiting. And he’s not a shabby hand model either :)

There is so much love going on right here! These Big Macs were such a treat!

They are so satisfying and mouthwateringly delicious. You’re going to need a lot of napkins for these juicy burgers.

I’m lovin’ it!

We even made shoestring fries like McDonald’s. They weren’t quite as good as theirs but still pretty tasty. Our homemade Big Macs on the other hand were far better than the drive thru version!

Take a look at these cuties.

For my gluten free friends you can handle your Big Mac Attack by making mini burgers and using sweet potato ‘buns’.

Oh yes I did!

These gluten free sliders still give you all that juicy, beefy, cheesy saucy flavor without sacrifice!

And how about a side sweet potato curly fries!!

Burgers, fries, and milkshakes?? Try our Malted Peach Milkshake!

Are there recipes that remind you of a favorite vacation that you’d like to see us recreate? I’d love for you to comment below. Your feedback is so important to me (and keeps the recipe love fresh).

Don’t forget to follow us @LemonyThyme on Instagram and Facebook! And check out our latest TikTok videos and Pinterest boards too!

All my best,
xo Libby

Pin It For Later!

Print

Homemade Big Mac

There is so much love going on right here! There's something so satisfying about a Big Mac. You're going to need a lot of napkins for these juicy delicious burgers. I'm lovin' it!

Course Burger, Entree

Cuisine American

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes minutes

Servings 3

Author Libby with Lemony Thyme

Ingredients

For the Special Sauce

• 2/3 cup mayonnaise
• 2 Tablespoons sweet pickle relish
• 1 Tablespoon ketchup
• 1 Tablespoon minced onion
• 1 teaspoon white distilled vinegar
• 1/4 teaspoon dry mustard powder
• 1/4 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/4 teaspoon paprika

For the Big Macs

• 1 pound ground beef preferably grass-fed chuck
• 6 slices yellow American cheese
• 4-5 brioche buns or sesame seed burger buns
• 1 cup shredded lettuce
• 1/2 cup fine diced white onion
• 18 dill pickle slices
• special sauce see recipe above
• 1 Tablespoon butter or ghee for pan frying burgers
• salt & pepper to season burgers

Instructions

For the Special Sauce

• Combine all special sauce ingredients in a small bowl. Refrigerate until ready to use. For best flavor, chill for 2 hours or overnight.

For the Big Macs

• Divide the ground beef into 1/3 pound sections. Split each 1/3 in half and roll into a ball. Press each ball between parchment paper to make 6 thin patties total. Season with salt & pepper. Pan fry burger patties in butter until cooked through. Top each burger with a slice of cheese.
• You'll need a top, bottom and middle bun for each Big Mac. Lightly toast buns.
• Spread a generous amount of special sauce onto each bun. On bottom bun add fine diced onion and shredded lettuce. Top with cheese burger and three pickle slices. Repeat with middle bun, sauce, onion, lettuce, cheese burger, pickles. Finish with top bun.
• Delicious served with shoestring fries and a milkshake!

For Gluten Free Sweet Potato 'Buns'

• Slice sweet potato into 1/4-inch thick rounds. Brush with olive oil and bake in oven at 425° F for about 25 minutes until golden and tender. Build Big Mac as instructed above using sweet potato in place of buns.

The post How To Handle a Big Mac Attack appeared first on Lemony Thyme.

When you have family from New Orleans come into town during Crawfish season, it can only mean one thing!

We’re having a Crawfish Boil!!

And what a glorious boil we had.

But in the end, that 40 pound sack of crawfish was more than we could eat in one sitting and that’s how Crawfish Étouffée came to be.

The Crawfish Boil

I’m no expert on Crawfish boils, I’ll leave that to my husband’s side of the family.

But I have learned that there’s a system and precise timing and incredible layers of flavor building in that gigantic pot!

• Start with a rolling boil of crawfish boil seasoning
• Add in the potatoes
• Followed by heads of garlic, celery, onions and lots of lemons
• Then add the corn on the cob, mushrooms and then finally the crawfish
• Cook the crawfish for 5 minutes
• Extinguish the flame and allow the pot to rest while the mixture soaks in the spicy seasonings
• If I recall correctly our soak was 20 minutes.

We all sat (or stood – apparently that’s a crawfish boil thing too) around our paper lined table peeling and eating and laughing and enjoying the first chance to be together in over a year.

The last time we saw this NOLA crew was at Mardi Gras 2020, just before covid sent us into lockdown.

It was a bit like a scene from Forest Gump!

We sat around the table peeling the last mountain of tiny shellfish trying to decide what ‘crawfish’ dish we would make the next day.

So many choices, but looking into the beautiful bowlful of tail meat it was declared, we shall make Crawfish Étouffée.

The Crawfish Étouffée

We read dozens of étouffée recipes, including several in Nick’s beloved “Talk About Good” cookbook that belonged to his grandmother.

In the end we incorporated a little of this and a little of that to come up with our own version of Crawfish Étouffée.

The Process

Like many Cajun or Creole dishes you begin with a roux made with flour and fat.

Traditionally Cajun and Creole roux is made with oil which allows it to cook longer developing the deep rich color. Because I wanted to keep this dish ‘lighter’ I opted for butter which is used in the French version.

Our target was ‘peanut butter’ color and if roux came in a dozen shades we’d be somewhere near the middle.

Making a roux takes patience and a good stirring arm. It’s meant to be a slow process to allow the incredible flavor to build. We used 1/4 cup flour and 1/4 cup of butter and ours took about 15 minutes, cooking over low heat.

Meanwhile (aka while Nick stirred the roux), I sautéed the Holy Trinity, equal parts of diced celery, onion, and green bell pepper – we used one cup of each and 2 cloves of chopped garlic.

Recipe note: to all my cajun family and friends please don’t scold me, but I don’t like green bell peppers and more importantly they don’t like me. So I replaced bell pepper with diced poblano pepper and they worked beautifully.

Once the roux reaches the desired color, its stirred into the tender sautéed veggies, along with one cup of chicken broth and a tablespoon of chopped fresh parsley.

This mixture is brought to a gentle boil, then reduced to low before folding in the the crawfish meat. We had exactly one pound of crawfish tails leftover, which was the perfect amount for 4 servings of Crawfish Étouffée.

While crawfish tails plucked from a giant pile sitting on your backyard picnic table is preferred, for this dish you can replace freshly boiled crawfish meat with a pound of frozen crawfish tails or shrimp, both of which are readily available.

They won’t come seasoned so you’ll need to add cajun seasoning when you add in the broth.

How to Serve Étouffée

We served our Crawfish Étouffée over white rice topped with a generous sprinkle of sliced green onions.

The tender crawfish tails are bursting with cajun spices! However, the buttery roux and veggies balanced the heat.

I can’t wait for our next crawfish boil, but I’m equally excited to see what crawfish recipe we try next.

There’s crawfish bisque, crawfish pie, crawfish gumbo, fried crawfish, creole crawfish, jambalaya with crawfish…..

Don’t forget to follow us @LemonyThyme on Instagram and Facebook! And check out our latest TikTok videos and Pinterest boards too!

All my best,
xo Libby

Print

Crawfish Étouffée

The tender crawfish tails bursting with cajun spices were balanced by the buttery roux and veggies. The perfect post-crawfish boil meal.

Course Entree

Cuisine Cajun

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Author Libby with Lemony Thyme

Ingredients

For the Crawfish Etouffee

• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1 Tablespoon olive oil
• 1 cup diced yellow onion
• 1 cup diced celery
• 1 cup diced green bell pepper or substitute fire roasted poblano pepper (skin removed)
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1 Tablespoon fresh parsley finely chopped
• 1 pound seasoned crawfish tails add 1 teaspoon cajun seasoning if using frozen
• salt & pepper to taste

To Serve

• 1 1/2 cups uncooked basmati rice prepared according to package instructions
• 2 green onions thinly sliced

Instructions

For Crawfish Etouffee

• Melt butter in a skillet over low heat. Stir in flour, continue stirring until roux reaches the color of peanut butter. Note: the roux will continue to cook in pan if you're not using immediately.
• Meanwhile, saute onion, celery, green pepper and garlic in 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium-high until tender. Add cooked roux to veggie mixture along with one cup chicken broth and fresh parsley. Bring to a gentle boil and stir to combine. Reduce heat to medium-low and fold in crawfish tails. Cook for 2-3 minutes until heated through. Season with salt & pepper to taste.

To Serve

• Serve Etouffee over cooked white rice with a generous sprinkle of sliced green onion.

Here are a few pics from Mardi Gras 2020.

The post Crawfish Étouffée & A Crawfish Boil appeared first on Lemony Thyme.

In Hawaii the plate lunch is their most popular dish. Yes, the poke bowl is a close competitor, but every road side stand, food truck, and hole-in-the-wall restaurant offers a plate lunch.

Classically your ‘plate’ will include a protein, then they add two scoops of white rice and a generous serving of this macaroni salad.

It’s a carb lovers dream!

Elbow macaroni, finely shredded carrot, a little shredded white onion, and thinly sliced green onion all tossed in a mayonnaise dressing.

This Hawaiian Style Macaroni Salad is Simply Delicious. It’s creamy, simple and satisfying!

The dressing is where the flavor builds by combining mayonnaise with milk, apple cider vinegar, brown sugar, salt & pepper.

It’s ever so slightly sweet with a gentle tang. It’s just really good macaroni salad that pairs perfectly with our Kalua Pork Meatball Sliders!

I’ll leave you with a couple of my favorite Hawaii pictures to get you in the mood :).

• A killer hike in Waimea Canyon State Park.
• Wailua Falls – made famous in the opening scene of Fantasy Island
• Hawaiian Gold Tree
• The view from the top of Diamond Head State Park
• Nā Pali Coast (from a helicopter)

Are there recipes that remind you of a favorite vacation that you’d like to see us recreate? I’d love for you to comment below. Your feedback is so important to me (and keeps the recipe love fresh).

Don’t forget to follow us @LemonyThyme on Instagram and Facebook! And check out our latest TikTok videos and Pinterest boards too!

All my best,
xo Libby

Print

Hawaiian Macaroni Salad

Hawaiian Macaroni Salad is simple and satisfying with a delicious mayonnaise dressing. You can easily double this recipe.

Course Side Dish

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 12 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Author Libby with Lemony Thyme

Ingredients

For the Salad Dressing

• 1 1/2 cups mayonnaise
• 1/2 cup milk
• 2 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 1 teaspoon brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

For the Macaroni Salad

• 1/2 pound elbow macaroni
• 1/2 cup carrot finely grated
• 1 Tablespoon onion grated
• 2 scallion thinly sliced

Instructions

For the Salad Dressing

• Whisk together dressing ingredients. Makes 2 cups.

For the Macaroni Salad

• Prepare the pasta accoring to package instructions, drain and allow to cool to room temperature. Toss cooked macaroni with shredded carrot, onion, and green onion. Pour 1 1/2 cups of dressing over pasta mixture and stir to fully coat. Reserve 1/2 cup of dressing to add just before serving as pasta will absorb some as it sits.

The post Hawaiian Style Macaroni Salad is Simply Delicious appeared first on Lemony Thyme.

Savory beef meatballs stuffed with provolone cheese, nestled on a bed of sautéed onions, mushrooms and peppers all under a blanket of provolone cheese sauce.

I mean!

The meatball ingredients are pretty straight forward.

I know that the classic Philly Cheesesteak does not necessarily have sautéed onions – you can order ‘wit’ (with) or ‘wit-out’ (without) fried onions.

I’m definitely a ‘wit’ onions girl, so I sautéed some fine diced onion and put them right into the meatballs.

Along with cubes of provolone cheese.

Yes, I stuffed a 1/2″ cube of cheese inside each of the meatballs before baking them at 400 degrees F. for 15 minutes.

These Philly Cheesesteak Meatballs fresh from the oven were melt in your mouth delicious! Nice and juicy with an oozy cheesy center.

But we didn’t stop there.

The meatballs alone would make a dynamite appetizer served with a provolone cheese dipping sauce.

But load them into a hoagie roll with some sautéed onion, mushrooms and peppers and drizzle of cheese sauce and you’ll think you’ve died and gone straight to Philadelphia!

Which I’ve had the pleasure of doing several times.

What a great city!

Lovely architecture, loads of history, Philly Cheesesteaks of course, and a great street culture scene painted with colorful murals.

If you haven’t been to Philadelphia I hope you get the chance one day.

Until then, you can get a taste of it by making Philly Cheesesteak Meatballs at home!

Don’t forget to follow us @LemonyThyme on Instagram, TikTok and Facebook!

All my best,
xo Libby

Print

Philly Cheesesteak Meatballs

These Philly Cheesesteak Meatballs fresh from the oven were melt in your mouth delicious! Nice and juicy with an oozy cheesy center.

Course Entree or Appetizer

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Author Libby with Lemony Thyme

Ingredients

For the Meatballs

• 1 Tablespoon olive oil
• 1/4 cup onion fine diced
• 18 1/2 inch cubes provolone cheese about 2 ounces
• 1/3 cup panko breadcrumbs (Gluten Free for GF Version)
• 1/4 cup parmesan cheese grated
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley chopped
• 1 large egg
• 1 clove garlic minced
• 1/2 teaspoon Garlic & Herb Seasoning recipe on blog
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1 pound ground beef

For the Cheese Sauce

• 1 Tablespoon butter
• 1 Tablespoon flour (or arrow root for gluten free)
• 1 cup milk
• 6 ounces provolone cheese grated
• 1/2 cup parmesan cheese grated
• salt & pepper to taste

For Serving (optional)

• 4 hoagie rolls or party toothpicks
• 1 medium onion sliced
• 8 ounces mushrooms sliced
• 3 Italian long hot peppers or 1 green bell pepper sliced
• 1 Tablespoon olive oil for sauteeing vegetables

Instructions

For the Meatballs

• Preheat oven to 400° F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper. Saute onion in olive oil over medium high heat, just until beginning to brown. Cut provolone into 18 – 1/2-inch cubes.
• Combine remaining meatball ingredients, except ground beef. Fold in ground beef and mix just until combined. Form into 18 meatballs, pressing a cheese cube into the center of each, and rolling with hands to encase. Place on parchment lined baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes.

For the Cheese Sauce

• Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in flour, continue whisking until flour is bubbling 1-2 minutes. Whisk in cold milk and continue to stir until sauce comes to a low boil. Add in shredded provolone and parmesan cheese. Stir until melted. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

For Serving (optional)

• Saute mushrooms, onions and peppers in olive oil until begining to caramelize. If serving as hoagies, toast rolls. Fill with sauteed veggies, meatballs and drizzle with cheese sauce. If serving as appetizer meatballs, place sauteed veggies in serving bowl, topped with meatballs and cheese sauce. Serve with party toothpicks.

The post Philly Cheesesteak Meatballs appeared first on Lemony Thyme.

If you’re craving a low-carb or vegetarian alternative to traditional fried rice, this is the recipe for you.

A little sesame oil and soy sauce and you’ve got the flavor profile down.

I always add carrots, onion and green peas but sometimes I also add zucchini, broccoli, mushrooms, shrimp, or even bacon.

I keep bags of Cauliflower Rice in my freezer. It’s such a versatile ingredient that cooks very quickly. However you can easily make Cauliflower Rice from a head of fresh cauliflower.

I start in a large skillet with a little sesame oil over medium-high heat. Sauté the onion and carrots until just tender then pour in the cauliflower rice and spread into an even layer. I let that cook undisturbed for 3-4 minutes, then stir and repeat until the cauliflower is nice and hot. Add the frozen peas and soy sauce, then create a well in the middle with a touch more sesame oil.

Scramble the eggs until cooked through then stir them into the rice. If you like nice pieces of egg in your fried rice be sure to cook the egg all the way before stirring into the rice, otherwise it will just coat the rice. Season with salt, pepper and additional soy sauce to taste.

This fried rice pairs perfectly with Asian Salmon Meatballs and makes a great lunch bowl too. I promise you that Cauliflower Fried Rice packs all the flavor of your favorite takeout version.

Don’t forget to follow us @LemonyThyme on Instagram and Facebook! And check out our latest TikTok videos and Pinterest boards too!

All my best,
xo Libby

Print

Cauliflower Fried Rice

If you're craving a low-carb or vegetarian alternative to traditional fried rice, this is the recipe for you.

Course Main Course, Side Dish

Cuisine Asian

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Author Libby with Lemony Thyme

Ingredients

• 2 Tablespoons + 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 1 bag frozen cauliflower rice
• 1/3 cup onion diced
• 1/3 cup carrot shredded or fine diced
• 1/3 cup frozen peas
• 2 Tablespoons coconut aminos or soy sauce
• 2 eggs beaten
• salt & pepper to taste

Instructions

• In a large skillet add sesame oil over medium-high heat. Sauté the onion and carrots until just tender then pour in the cauliflower rice and spread into an even layer. Cook undisturbed for 3-4 minutes, then stir and repeat until the cauliflower is nice and hot.
• Add the frozen peas and soy sauce, then create a well in the middle with a teaspoon more sesame oil. Pour in beaten eggs and allow to set before scrambling. Keeps eggs in well until cooked through, then stir into rice. Season with salt, pepper and additional soy sauce to taste.

The post Cauliflower Fried Rice appeared first on Lemony Thyme.