Chicken Meatballs in Pho

 Meatballs:

1 lb. ground meat
1/2 cup bread crumbs (GF panko)
4 cloves of garlic, finely minced
several stalks of green onion, finely minced
half a bunch of cilantro, finely chopped
3-4 T coconut aminos
1 t honey
1 t salt
1 t pepper

Preheat oven to 375. Mix all ingredients in stand mixer. Form 2" balls and place in cast iron pan or baking sheet. Bake for 45 minutes. Broil for 5 minutes to brown tops.

Pho:

Simply Asia Pho Broth (or homemade)
Rice noodles cooked according to directions
several stalks of green onions, sliced
remaining bunch of cilantro with stems removed
Thai basil with stems removed
lemon or lime wedges
jalapeno pepper, sliced
bean sprouts if desired
sriracha sauce

Roast Duck

duck
3-4 citrus fruits, such as Meyer lemons or oranges
rosemary
sea salt

Preheat the oven to 375. Spray a 9x13 pan with nonstick spray, place a metal rack (roasting rack, toaster oven rack on top of its broiler pan, or small cooling rack- the goal is to lift the duck out of the duck fat that accumulates during the roasting) in the pan, and spray well with Pam. Empty the innards out of the duck and save for stock.

Cut the rinds off the fruit and cut in halves or thirds. Sprinkle with dried rosemary. Breast up, stuff the cavity with the fruit. If you are using fresh rosemary rather than dried, stuff the sprigs of rosemary in with the fruit rather than chopping and sprinkling on the fruit.

Cut slits in the skin of the breasts to allow the fat to drain and the skin to get crispy. Be careful not to slice into the meat. Spread a generous amount of salt on the skin. Roast in the oven for about an hour, or until the skin is browning and getting crispy. Turn the oven off until ready to carve, leaving the duck in the oven after pouring off the fat, and use the duck fat to fry up potatoes or veggies. Don't cover the duck as that will soften the skin.

One duck has two breasts and two drumsticks- 2 large servings or 4 small servings. They have much less meat than chickens. Serve the breasts with the skin on.

Chicken Piccata

4 chicken breasts
1/4 cup flour
salt
pepper
paprika
garlic powder

chicken broth
white wine
2 T oil
lemons
capers
artichoke hearts (marinated or unmarinated)

angel hair pasta
Parmesan cheese to garnish

The chicken breasts should be thin, which can be achieved by either tenderizing them with a meat hammer, or butterflying them. Mix the flour and spices in a bowl.

Heat water for pasta.

Heat about an inch of chicken broth in a Dutch oven, large saute pan, or nonstick pot on medium- medium high heat. Thinly slice and seed the lemons. Set a few lemon slices aside for the garnish. Add some generous splashes of white wine. Add the lemons to the chicken broth and cook to soften. Add the oil, capers, and artichoke hearts. Add more chicken broth and wine if the liquid level is getting below an inch. Dip the chicken breasts into the flour mixture, and lay in the pan such that they are in contact with the pan and mostly covered by the sauce. Add angel hair pasta to pasta water (it only takes 3 minutes to cook- plan the timing carefully- if you want to have the pasta ready before putting the chicken in, add oil or butter. Angel hair is the worst sticky.) Flip the chicken when golden brown. Cook until lightly browned on both sides.

Make a bed of pasta, and put the chicken with generous spoonings of sauce on top. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, and put a lemon on top. Enjoy!