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

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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.

This dish is one of our family favorite comfort foods. The layers of flavor build from the spice blends to the sofrito to the savory aromatics.

Arroz Con Pollo (Spanish for chicken and rice) is a one-pan traditional Latin-American dish full of culture and history.

As with so many classic recipes there is much debate about its origin. No question it shares many similarities to Spanish Paella but this dish also has roots in the Caribbean. While traveling I’ve enjoyed versions of this chicken & rice comfort food in Cuba, Puerto Rico, and Haiti. All delicious!

The recipe that I’m going to share will most resemble the Puerto Rican profile with a few influences from the other islands.

Arroz Con Pollo Components

Let’s break this recipe down into components as follows:

• Achiote Oil (made from Annatto Seeds)
• Sofrito (made from peppers, onions, garlic & culantro leaves)
• Adobo Seasoning
• Sazon Seasoning
• Chicken (we use bone-in, skin-on thighs and legs)
• Rice (medium grain is best)
• Cooking liquid (chicken broth is best)
• Aromatics (we added pigeon peas, green peas, and Spanish olives)

Don’t let the number of components deter you from making this dish. There are a few short cuts if needed that we’ll walk through.

Achiote Oil

Achiote Oil is made by gently heating annatto seeds in olive oil. The result is a gorgeous crimson colored oil that has a slightly sweet peppery flavor.

Shortcut – you can purchase premade Achiote Oil at specialty markets or online. However it is so simple to make and we’ll use those annatto seeds for the Sazon Seasoning as well.

Sofrito

Sofrito is a flavor base of herbs and aromatics used in Latin cooking, much like a French mirepoix or the Cajun holy trinity. This Simple Sofrito Recipe consists of peppers, onions, garlic, culantro leaves, olive oil and salt.

Shortcut – Premade Sofrito can be found on most grocery store shelves. But trust me – it’s hard to beat the fresh flavor of homemade for this key component.

Adobo & Sazon Seasoning Blends

You’ve likely noticed both of these seasoning blends on the grocery store shelves in the Latin/Mexican sections. Adobo and Sazon are widely used in Latin, Mexican and Caribbean cooking. The ingredients are similar but different and neither are hot and spicy, just full of spice flavor.

As I’ve said before, making your own seasoning blends at home is a great way to use ingredients you likely have on hand. And you can exclude ingredients you don’t want or need. Bye, bye MSG! Click on the links below for the exact measurements.

Adobo Seasoning contains: garlic powder, turmeric, oregano, cumin, salt and black pepper.
Sazon Seasoning contains: garlic powder, oregano, coriander, cumin, ground annatto seeds, and salt.

Shortcut – as mentioned above, Adobo and Sazon seasonings are readily available on the shelves in most grocery stores. Just be mindful of the added MSG and sodium.

Chicken

For this Latin Chicken & Rice recipe I prefer skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs and legs. And more specifically I am a HUGE fan of Springer Mountain Farms chicken.

Springer Mountain Farms is located an hour north of us, in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Their chickens are raised on a hormone, antibiotic and pesticide-free diet. Their PLUS line of products is 100% American-grown, non-GMO verified, vegetarian and gluten free. The best part is the juicy delicious flavor. And no, I was not paid to say this. I just love this product!

Rice

Medium Grain White Rice is the best choice for this recipe. It’s moist and tender and slightly sticky. Long grain would be too dry in this recipe and short grain, which is typically used for making sushi is too sticky. I was able to locate medium grain rice at my local market and it’s readily available online. Here’s a quick reference guide to rice if you’re interested.

Cooking Liquid

Another way to infuse flavor into this rice based dish is to use chicken broth instead of water to cook the rice. Homemade Chicken Broth is so nutritious and easy to make. I freeze two-cup containers to have on hand.

Aromatics

In addition to the achiote oil, the sofrito, the adobo seasoned chicken, and the sazon seasoning….there’s another way to bring extra flavor to this classic dish. That’s through aromatics.

• For this recipe I added pigeon peas which are actually a kind of bean and the key ingredient in Arroz Con Gandules.
• I also added green Spanish olives and green peas.
• At the end I garnished the dish with fresh cilantro and diced red pepper for a bright look and flavor pop.

The Cooking Process

Prepare the Achiote Oil, Sofrito, Adobo & Sazon Seasoning Blends.

Liberally season the chicken pieces with Adobo Seasoning. Render the pork fat in a heavy bottom shallow pot or caldero, then pan brown the chicken pieces over medium heat until deep golden brown on both sides.

Remove browned chicken pieces and reserve. Discard all but 1 tablespoon of oil.

Add 3 Tablespoons of achiote oil. Saute 1/2 cup Sofrito in oil for 5-7 minutes until vegetables are tender.

Add 2 1/2 cups of medium grain rice that has been triple rinsed to remove excess starch. Toast rice for 3 minutes, which yields a rich slightly nutty flavor.

Return chicken pieces to toasted rice. Add drained pigeon peas if using. Pour in 3 cups chicken broth, 2 bay leaves and sprinkle with 2 teaspoons of Sazon seasoning.

Bring to a boil and simmer until the broth has reduced to just below the rice level. Then cover the pan, reduce the heat to low and continue to simmer for about 20 – 25 minutes until the rice is tender. Remove from heat. Adjust seasoning to taste.

Add green peas, Spanish olives and diced red sweet pepper. Cover again and allow to sit for 5 minutes. Garnish with fresh cilantro leaves.

Latin Chicken & Rice is a wonderful Sunday Supper, comfort food dish, family-gathering kind of meal. You can just taste the rich history in every bite.

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

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How To Make Latin Chicken & Rice (Arroz Con Pollo)

Arroz Con Pollo (Spanish for chicken and rice) is a one-pan traditional Latin-American dish full of culture and history.

Course Entree

Cuisine Latin-American

Prep Time 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time 1 hour hour

Servings 6

Author Libby with Lemony Thyme

Ingredients

• 2 pounds skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs & legs about 8 pieces
• 1/3 cup Adobo Seasoning Blend see recipe link in post
• 1/4 cup salt pork or diced bacon pieces
• 3 Tablespoons Achiote Oil see recipe link in post
• 1/2 cup Sofrito see recipe link in post
• 2 1/2 cups medium grain white rice triple rinsed
• 3 cups chicken broth
• 1 cup canned pigeon peas drained
• 2 teaspoons Sazon Seasoning Blend see recipe link in post
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 cup frozen peas thawed
• 1/2 cup Spanish olives
• 1/4 cup red sweet pepper diced
• 1 handful fresh cilantro leaves

Instructions

• If making from scratch, prepare Achiote Oil, Sofrito, Adobo and Sazon Seasoning Blends.
  
• Liberally season chicken pieces with adobo seasoning.
  
• In a large heavy bottomed shallow pot or caldero, render pork fat over medium heat. Remove cooked pork pieces. Pan brown chicken pieces in batches until deep golden brown on both sides. Remove and reserve. Pour off all but about 1 Tablespoon of oil from pan.
  
• Add 3 Tablespoons of achiote oil to pan. Saute the sofrito for 5-7 minutes until the vegetables are tender. Add the rinsed rice to the pan and toast, stirring frequently for about 3-5 minutes just until the rice starts to turn color.
  
• Return the browned chicken pieces to the pan, along with the pigeon peas and bay leaves. Sprinkle with 2 teaspoons of sazon seasoning. Add 3 cups of chicken broth. Bring to a boil and allow to simmer until liquid is reduced to just below rice level. Reduce the heat to low and cover with tight fitting lid or aluminum foil. Simmer for 20 – 25 minutes or until rice is tender. Remove from heat and adjust seasoning to taste.
  
• Stir in olives, green peas, and chopped sweet red pepper. Cover and allow to sit for 5 minutes. Garnish with fresh cilantro.
  

The post How To Make Latin Chicken & Rice (Arroz Con Pollo) appeared first on Lemony Thyme.

A mezze (or meze) is a popular style of eating in the Mediterranean and Middle East.

Similar to Spanish tapas, each dish is meant to be shared and the various flavors compliment each other.

Here’s a little walk around our Middle Eastern Mezze Platter.

Each Recipes is linked to the dish titles.

Because many of the dishes are dips of one kind or another, most always a mezze will include fresh herbs & veggies such as cucumber, bell peppers, radish, and mint or parsley and nuts (we included walnuts).

You’ll also want to include pita bread and/or other flatbread type crackers.

Jerusalem Salad brings nice fresh bright flavors to your mezze platter. This side dish is loaded with cucumber, tomatoes, red onion and fresh parsley. It’s tossed in a simple lemon vinaigrette that really gives the salad a burst of citrus flavor.

Tabbouleh is a traditional Lebanese salad made with grains like bulgar, couscous or quinoa that’s tossed with lots of fresh parsley, cilantro and mint, diced tomato and cucumber and dressed with olive oil and lemon juice.

It’s absolutely delicious and gorgeous on a mezze platter.

Baba Ghanoush, a creamy smoky eggplant dip, is a personal favorite and a classic Levantine dish. The rich flavor plays so nicely with the other bright dishes being served.

Labneh (soft Middle Eastern cheese made from strained Greek yogurt) with roasted beets is an easy dish to include on your meze platter.

We also love Kofta Kebab made with ground lamb or beef. They’re packed with fresh herbs and spices and are delicious served on a bed of saffron rice.

With their crispy outside and tender most center, these Falafel are a crowd pleaser.

They get their bright green color from fresh herbs and you know that makes me happy. Falafel are perfect served with a side of creamy Lemon Tahini Sauce.

Marinated Olives & Feta bring a nice salty briny flavor component to our mezze platter.

Every mezze platter should include Hummus. Roasted Garlic & Herb Hummus is a favorite, but we also love Sweet Potato Hummus, Golden Beet Hummus, and Pumpkin Hummus.

Sharing a Middle Eastern Mezze Platter with friends and family is a fantastic way to allow everyone to sample so many wonderful Levantine dishes.

Whether you serve it as an appetizer with cocktails or as light dinner, your guests will be delighted by it’s beautiful presentation and bright fresh flavors.

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

The post Middle Eastern Mezze Platter appeared first on Lemony Thyme.

Imagine you are behind the counter at Chipotle building the burrito bowl of your dreams with all your favorite toppings.

That’s what we’re doing, but in your kitchen, no shoes or shirts required.

The Loaded Burrito Bowl Ingredients

• Our Chicken Burrito Bowl has a base of lettuce
• Topped with grilled chicken (rotisserie chicken works great too)
• Shredded cheese
• Sliced avocado
• Fire Roasted Corn & Poblano Salsa
• Black Beans
• Pico de Gallo
• Cilantro Lime Rice
• We then give it a generous drizzle of Southwest Ranch Dressing

Recipe links above.

We ate on this great big burrito bowl for two days and it was delicious!

There’s nothing like a salad (or bowl) made ahead, waiting for hunger to strike.

Optional Burrito Ingredients

This Loaded Chicken Burrito Bowl is meant for you to incorporate your favorite toppings.

Sub pinto beans for black beans, Spanish rice for cilantro lime rice, guacamole for sliced avocado.

You do you all day long.

I recently spent some time with my college senior and his buddies. If there’s one thing for certain, they love Chipotle. I witnessed a full on discussion of how superior that particular chain is over any others that were mentioned. Apparently they’re doing things right! Good for them!

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

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Loaded Chicken Burrito Bowl

When I say Loaded Chicken Burrito Bowl, I mean find your biggest serving bowl and prepare to make your family oh so happy.

Course Salad Entree

Prep Time 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Author Libby with Lemony Thyme

Ingredients

• 2 hearts of romaine lettuce chopped
• 3 cups cooked chicken cubed
• 1 avocado sliced
• 1 cup shredded cheese
• 2 cups Cilantro Lime Rice Recipe link in post
• 1 cup Fire Roasted Corn & Poblano Salsa Recipe link in post
• 1 cup Pico de Gallo Recipe link in post
• 1 cup black beans or Black Bean Puree Recipe link in post
• 1 cup Southwest Ranch Dressing Recipe link in post
• lime wedges, fresh cilantro & tortilla chips optional garnishes

Instructions

• In a large family-style bowl, layer chopped lettuce with cubed chicken, sliced avocado, shredded cheese and remainging ingredients. Drizzle generously with Southwest Ranch Dressing. Garnish with lime wedges, fresh cilantro and tortilla chips.

The post Loaded Chicken Burrito Bowl is a Family Favorite appeared first on Lemony Thyme.

When I decided to share a different meatball recipe for the month of March I needed to enlist my loved ones for some recipe inspiration.

For Nick, we would transform his favorite Beef & Broccoli in a meatball meal.

The results were out of this world!

You know that sweet, salty, slightly spicy sauce that IS Beef & Broccoli, I incorporated that inside our meatballs and then gave them a quick stir-fry in it to glaze them before serving.

Our sauce combined coconut aminos (or soy sauce), honey, sesame oil, garlic, ginger, chili crisp oil, and black pepper.

The meatballs consisted of ground beef, Panko breadcrumbs, an egg, sliced scallion, and 1/4 cup of our stir-fry sauce. I baked them at 400 degrees F. for 10 minutes before giving them a swirl in the wok with the remaining sauce.

These meatballs are stop-you-in-your-grazing-tracks good!

Without question they are the star of Meatball Beef & Broccoli, however they are now going straight to the top of any appetizer or game-day spread we put out.

The only thing I’d change is to double (or triple) the recipe.

These went way too fast!

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

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Meatball Beef & Broccoli

Without question they are the star of Meatball Beef & Broccoli, however they are now going straight to the top of any appetizer or game-day spread we put out. The only thing I'd change is to double (or triple) the recipe.

Course Entree or Appetizer

Cuisine Asian

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Author Libby with Lemony Thyme

Ingredients

For the Stir Fry Sauce

• 3/4 cup coconut aminos or low sodium soy sauce
• 2 Tablespoons sesame oil
• 2 Tablespoons honey
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 1 teaspoon ginger finely grated
• 2 teaspoon chili crisp oil or sriracha sauce recipe link in post
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

For the Meatballs

• 1 pound ground beef
• 1/3 cup panko breadcrumbs (Gluten Free Panko for GF version)
• 1 large egg
• 2 scallion thinly sliced, about 1/2 cup
• 1/4 cup Stir Fry Sauce (above)

To Serve

• 2-3 cups broccoli florets blanched
• 1 cup rice prepared according to package
• 1 Tablespoon high heat oil such as avocado or sesame
• 1 Tablespoon sesame seeds
• 1 scallion thinly sliced

Instructions

For the Stir Fry Sauce

• Combine all the sauce ingredients in a bowl. Reserve.

For the Meatballs

• Preheat oven to 400° F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper. In a bowl combine panko breadcrumbs, egg, scallion, and 1/4 cup of prepared Stir Fry Sauce. Add ground beef and mix gently until combined. Form into 1 1/2" meatballs (about 20) and place on parchment lined baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes.

To Serve

• While meatballs are in oven, bring a pot of water to a boil. Blanch broccoli for 2 minutes. Drain and reserve. Prepare Rice according to package instructions.
• In a wok or heavy skillet, heat 1 Tablespoon of high heat oil. Add meatballs and remaining stir fry sauce. Cook for 3-4 minutes until meatballs are cooked through and sauce is slightly thickened.
• Serve in bowls with rice, broccoli, and meatballs. Garnish with sesame seeds and scallions.

The post Meatball Beef & Broccoli appeared first on Lemony Thyme.

There are times when you just need to use up ingredients already in your fridge or pantry.

These Southwest Stuffed Bell Peppers are made for those days.

Change up the filling according to what’s on hand and you have an easy week night dinner that the whole crew will love!

The key ingredient categories in Southwest Stuffed Bell Peppers are:

Ground meat (chicken, turkey, beef or vegetarian meat substitute): we used ground chicken

Canned beans (black, kidney, white, or chickpeas): we used black beans

Cooked rice or grain (white rice, brown rice, quinoa, or couscous): we used leftover cooked rice and quinoa

Tomatoes (canned or fresh diced tomatoes, salsa, or tomato sauce): we used canned fire roasted diced tomatoes

Shredded Cheese (cheddar, monterey jack, pepperjack, or colby): we used monterey jack

Aromatics (onion, shallot, garlic, jalapeno, scallion, and/or cilantro): we used diced onion and jalapeno, and fresh cilantro

Seasoning (chili powder, cumin, oregano, garlic powder): we used them all

Besides being as satisfying as a casserole or comfort food, Southwest Stuffed Bell Peppers are a healthy and hearty meal.

Did you know that red bell peppers compared to green bell peppers have 10 times more beta-carotene and are loaded with Vitamin C, Vitamin A and are rich in antioxidants?

And they make terrific leftovers for lunch the next day!

Enjoy!!

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

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Southwest Stuffed Bell Peppers

Change up the filling according to what's on hand and you have an easy, healthy and hearty week night dinner that the whole crew will love!

Course Main Course

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Ingredients

• 4 bell peppers halved, seeds removed
• 2 cups cooked rice or favorite grain such as quinoa or couscous
• 1 Tbl olive oil
• 1 sweet onion diced
• 1 jalapeno fine diced
• 1/2 pound ground chicken or turkey, beef or meat substitute
• salt & pepper
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp ground oregano
• 1 15 ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed or kidney or white beans
• 2 1/2 cups shredded monterey jack cheese, reserve 1/2 cup for topping or cheddar or pepperjack or colby
• 1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves chopped

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Place halved bell peppers cut side up in a shallow baking dish.
• In a large skillet, saute onion and jalapeno in olive oil until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add ground meat, season with salt & pepper and brown until cooked through, breaking into pieces with wooden spoon. Add the garlic powder, chili powder, cumin and oregano, stir to combine. Remove from heat and fold in beans and cooked rice (or grain), 2 cups shredded cheese, and chopped cilantro.
• Stuff pepper halves with filling. Bake for 30 minutes covered in foil. Remove foil, top with remaining 1/2 cup shredded cheese and bake uncovered for an additional 15-20 minutes until peppers are tender.

Notes

For Vegetarian version, substitute meat substitute for ground meat.

The post Healthy Southwest Stuffed Bell Peppers appeared first on Lemony Thyme.

This Coconut Shrimp Fried Rice is bursting with fresh coconut flavor (and all the other reasons we love fried rice).

Coconut lovers unite!

This also happens to be the first NEW recipe published on Lemony Thyme in a really long time. It took spotting these young coconuts at a local farmers market to bring me back!

It was a couple years ago while having dinner in a little Vietnamese restaurant that this recipe inspiration was born.

Imagine my delight when my order of shrimp fried rice arrived table side peaking out of a fresh young whole coconut. I was smitten before taking the first bite.

Flash forward to this past weekend when Nick and I experienced the Dekalb Farmers Market for the very first time!

This place is insane in the best way.

They have the most gorgeous (and often exotic) produce from around the world and on this particular Saturday they had a mountain of young whole coconuts begging to come home with us.

Coconut Shrimp Fried Rice

The layers of flavor in this dish are incredible.

• Begin with cooking the rice in coconut milk and fresh-from-the-coconut water
• Stir-fry rice in a little sesame oil
• Add all your favorite fried rice ingredients. Shrimp of course, but also carrots, scallion, egg, and soy sauce (I use coconut aminos).

Everything comes together quickly and is ready to be served in what I’ve now named Coconut Tandoori Ovens.

How To Open a Young Coconut

We made a video on how to open a young coconut. Check it out here —>

https://youtu.be/tPNKVlN0KsY

Young coconuts are full of delicious coconut water (bonus) and tender coconut meat that you can scrape into bites of your Coconut Shrimp Fried Rice!

And it’s amazing how nice and hot the rice stays in these individual serving ‘ovens’.

A few pics of the Dekalb Farmers Market glorious produce…

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Coconut Shrimp Fried Rice

This Coconut Shrimp Fried Rice is bursting with fresh coconut flavor (and all the other reasons we love fried rice).

Course Main Course

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 40 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Author Libby with Lemony Thyme

Ingredients

• 4 each whole young coconuts
• 2 cups Jasmine rice rinsed
• 1 14 oz can coconut milk
• 2 cups coconut water
• 1 tsp salt
• 2-3 Tbsp sesame oil
• 1 pound small-medium raw shrimp peeled & deveined
• 1 cup carrot fine diced
• 3 each scallion thinly sliced
• 3 each eggs beaten
• 2-3 Tbsp coconut aminos or Soy Sauce
• salt & pepper to taste
• cilantro to garnish

Instructions

For the Coconuts

• Remove tops of coconuts leaving a 3-4 inch opening. Reserve coconut water. See video link in post.

For the Rice

• Rinse rice until water runs clear. Bring coconut milk and coconut water to a boil in a medium sauce pan, add rice and salt. Stir and reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Turn off heat and allow to rest undisturbed for 5 minutes. Fluff with fork. Can be made a day or two in advance.

For the Fried Rice

• Heat wok or large skillet over high heat. Add 2 Tbl. sesame oil and swirl to coat pan. Add carrots and scallion and saute 2 minutes.
• Add cooked rice and season with coconut aminos/soy sauce. Push rice to sides of wok creating a well in the middle.
• Add remaining 1 Tbl. sesame oil to center of pan, pour in beaten eggs and allow to set briefly before scrambling until cooked. Fold scrambled eggs into rice. Season with salt & pepper to taste.
• Spoon fried rice into prepared coconuts. Sprinkle with cilantro. Serve immediately and enjoy!

The post Coconut Shrimp Fried Rice {served in young coconuts} appeared first on Lemony Thyme.

I hope you’ve been enjoying my mini-series on Lunch Bowls.  I’m a bit obsessed with portion controlled meals.  Mostly though, I’m quite fond of a theme.

It helps my brain get organized.

We recently celebrated National Crabmeat Day.  When Bowl Week meets Crabmeat a California Roll Lunch Bowl is born.

Lunch Bowls are a fantastic way to incorporate leftovers into a meal.  Cooked chicken has found a new sexy purpose.  Who among us??

Yet, for our California Roll Lunch Bowl, crabmeat was a key ingredient.  Not so good leftover.  We are fortunate to have competing grocery stores all about town.  One snow-crab cluster will set you back about $4.00 and 2 WW Pts+.  That’s winning.  Add a couple more points for rice, avocado, a drizzle of sesame soy srirachi dressing and this bowl weighs in at about 7 WW Pts+.

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California Roll Lunch Bowl

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 5 minutes minutes

Total Time 15 minutes minutes

Author Libby with Lemony Thyme

Ingredients

For each California Roll Lunch Bowl…

• 1 snow crab cluster
• 2 cups fresh spinach
• 2 radish sliced
• 1 baby cucumber thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup cooked rice
• 1 tsp. sesame seeds
• 1/2 avocado sliced

For sesame soy sriracha dressing…

• 1 Tbl. soy sauce
• 1 Tbl. sesame oil
• 1 tsp. sriracha sauce

Instructions

• Whisk together soy sauce, sesame oil and sriracha sauce. Reserve.
• Place crab cluster on a steamer basket over boiling water and cook for 5 minutes.
• Layer bowl with spinach, rice, avocado, cucumber, radish and crab. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and drizzle with dressing.

The post California Roll Lunch Bowl appeared first on Lemony Thyme.

We needed a side dish to go with one of our most favorite grilling recipes, Jamaican Jerk Marinated Turkey Breast.  I was pleasantly surprised to learn how easily this Jamaican Red Beans & Rice {aka Rice & Peas} Recipe, courtesy of Jamaica Travel and Culture.com, came together.

Jamaican Jerk Marinade is bursting with flavor and every one of the many ingredients that goes into it matters.  So when looking for a side dish to compliment this meal the simplicity of Red Beans and Rice was ideal.

The rice is infused with aromatics; garlic, scallion, thyme and the peppery flavor of an uncut Scotch bonnet pepper.  We’re looking for flavor but not heat.  Coconut milk is added to the cooking liquid adding yet another mild flavor layer.

If you can’t get to The Islands this weekend, these two dishes will bring that wonderful island flavor to you.

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Jamaican Red Beans & Rice {rice & peas}

Author adapted from Jamaican Travel and Culture.com

Ingredients

• 2 cups rice I used basmati
• 3 garlic cloves chopped
• 1 uncut scotch bonnet pepper can sub jalapeno or serrano
• 3 scallions crushed
• 2 sprigs fresh thyme
• 1 can Red Kidney Beans rinsed and drained
• 1 can coconut milk
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. black pepper

Instructions

• Combine 4 cups water with garlic, scotch bonnet, scallions and thyme. Bring to boil. Add in rice, drained beans, coconut milk, salt & pepper. Return to boil, then reduce heat to a low simmer and cook for 30 minutes or until rice is tender.

The post Jamaican Red Beans & Rice {rice & peas} appeared first on Lemony Thyme.

Mushroom Sage Chicken & Rice Soup

My guess is we have just as many Roast Chicken recipes as we do Chicken Soup recipes.  Why am I guessing?  Let me count and get back to you.

Actually we have 11 Whole Roast Chicken Recipes and only 9 variations of Chicken Soup.  That would explain why our freezer is overflowing with Homemade Chicken Broth and why this recipe needs to be shared (since we made it back in July).

This particular soup started with this gorgeous bird and a whole lotta flavor love.  Our Mushroom & Sage Roast Chicken is one of my favorites.

The glorious broth infused with flavor made my task of soup queen quite a breeze.

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Mushroom Sage Chicken & Rice Soup

Cook Time 35 minutes minutes

Total Time 35 minutes minutes

Servings 2

Author Libby with Lemony Thyme

Ingredients

• 4 oz. fresh mushrooms sliced
• 1 Tbl. butter
• 1/2 onion diced
• 1 carrot diced
• 1 celery stalk diced
• 1 tsp. olive oil
• 1 garlic clove minced
• 2-3 fresh sage leaves minced
• 1/2 cup long grain rice
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 4 ounces cooked chicken breast diced
• salt and pepper

Instructions

• Sauté mushrooms in butter over medium heat until golden brown, about 10 minutes. Remove and reserve.
• Sauté onion, celery and carrot in olive oil until tender, about 7 minutes. Add in garlic and sage and sauté an additional minute.
• Add in rice and stir until coated. Add chicken broth and bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer covered 15 minutes or until rice is tender. Add in chicken and reserved mushrooms and heat through. Season with salt & pepper to taste.

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