Tag: one pot meal

Omni

Cashew Chicken Noodle

Spicy Cashew Chicken Noodles

This is a sweet, interesting, one-pot weeknight meal that can be made quickly with fresh mango, pineapple, peach, or preserves. Throw in some Thai basil or spinach for a little hint of green and choose your favorite rice vermicelli noodle! If you’re a fan of cashews, this one is a winner. 🍜

what you need

1 1/2 cups pureed mango, pineapple, or peach

1/2 cup mango, pineapple, or peach preserves

1/4 cup soy sauce or Tamari

1 tablespoon honey (you can skip this if using preserves)

1 squeeze fresh lemon juice

1 small knob of fresh ginger, minced

2 medium chicken breasts, diced

1 handful Thai basil or spinach, cut into ribbons

1 cup cashews, lightly toasted in the oven

1 package vermicelli rice noodles or noodle of choice

1 tablespoon sesame oil

1 large clove garlic, minced

1/4 cup red onion or shallot, sliced thinly

1 tablespoon red chili flakes

sesame seeds, for garnish

4 tablespoons coconut milk or cream

how to make it

Toast the cashews. In the oven until lightly browned.

Marinate the chicken. Mix together pureed fruit, soy sauce, honey, lemon juice, and ginger. Pour 1/3 of mixture over diced chicken and allow to marinate for at least one hour.

Cook the noodles. Heat one small pot of water to boiling, remove from heat, and insert noodles. Stir and let stand for ~5 minutes. Strain and toss with salt and coconut milk. Set aside.

Make the sauté. Heat the sesame oil over med-high heat. Add garlic, red onion, and chili flakes, stirring about 2 minutes. Reduce heat to medium and add marinated chicken chunks and cook almost through, about 7 minutes. (The longer you leave the chicken undisturbed in the pan, the more likely it is to caramelize). Once almost cooked through, add the remaining marinade and stir for an additional 3-5 minutes.

When ready (when chicken is cooked through and/or caramelized), add the toasted cashews and spinach, and stir until spinach begins to wilt.

Presentation. Using a spoon, push all the chicken to the sides of the pan leaving a hole in the middle. Twist the vermicelli noodles into four bouquets to fill this hole and then arrange the chicken back around it so that all the food is in the center of the pan. Sprinkle with additional Thai basil and sesame seeds.

Watch a live video of this one-pot meal being made on the @oneandahalfslices Insta!

Crystal Miso Salad

September 3, 2025 No Comments

Single serve. Veggie forward. Cold. Clean. Fresh. & Crunchy.🍋‍🟩🌶️🫑🥒🥕🫚🥜🫛🥢

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Fried Rice

July 24, 2025 4 Comments

A quintessential fried rice recipe. AKA what to do with leftover rice, weeknight style. This hits. Make it spicy. 🌶️ Get some sake. Fuck it, go to Japan.

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one and a half slices cucumber healthy summer sesame side dish salad

Cucumber Sesame Salad

July 22, 2023 1 Comment

There is nothing not to like about this salad side dish: crunchy, cool, tangy, imminently refreshing, conveniently hydrating. Picnic ready and good in the fridge for a couple days.

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one and a half slices authentic katsu chicken ramen recipe

Katsu Ramen

March 19, 2022 1 Comment

You all know that 2021 was the year of the Ramen for me… I discovered it in the summer of 202 (thanks Christian and Hadlee 💜) and set to work recreating less sodium-intense, more veggie-friendly versions at home. Taking the extra step to make the chicken katsu isn’t as straightforward as the veggie ramen but it does add another dimension which is very much appreciated on cold winter nights or crisp spring evenings.

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Miso Ramen

April 17, 2021 2 Comments

This is a hearty, complex take on Ramen with about 1/3 of the sodium and no fatty meat. Using eggs as protein, this dish is bolstered with thick-cut Portobello mushrooms and crunchy veggies like broccoli and bok choy.

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Thai Curried Noodles

March 11, 2021 2 Comments

This is a unique, Thai-style curry with the poignant flavors of shallot, turmeric, coconut, and ginger over noodle. It is somehow hearty enough for winter but light enough for summer at the same time, and it is likely my new favorite Thai-style curry. So throw in a Thai chili, spice it up, and get to marinating!

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Tags Asia, Asian, cashews, chicken, honey, main course, mango, noodles, one pot meal, peach, pineapple, ramen, spicy, stir fry, weeknight

Omni

30 Minute Curry

30 Minute Curry

I know there is already a recipe up for my beloved Chicken Korma curry, best served with naan, over basmati rice or, my favorite, with arugula dressed with lemon juice, salt, and pepper. As I’ve been chatting with more and more folks, I continue to hear that homemade, restaurant-grade curry is intimidating to make because of all the grinding, mortar-and-pestling, and slow cooking that is required. So I decided to make a video with the 30 minute version of my chicken korma to show that, as long as you have enough forethought to marinate some chicken in some lemon juice, this really doesn’t have to be all that difficult. So for those who don’t follow OneandahalfSlices on Instagram (which you totally should), here you go! You could have this in 30!

Tags almonds, cashews, chicken, coconut, curry, India, indian, korma, main course, one pot meal, qorma, quick, spicy, weeknight

Veggie

Miso Ramen

Miso Ramen

This is a hearty, complex take on Ramen with about 1/3 of the sodium and no fatty meat. Using eggs as protein, this dish is bolstered with thick-cut Portobello mushrooms or crunchy veggies of your choice like broccoli and bok choy. For a first foray into Ramen, I’m pretty pleased. Actually, Fall of 2020 was the first time I had Ramen without the Maruchan label… ‘real’ Ramen. It isn’t my favorite food but Ramen, like Pho, comes in handy on cold winter days. This is the first of many one-bowl, Asian-inspired noodle recipes you’ll find alongside Thai Curried Noodles!

what you need

1 package ramen noodles of choice (I like these Hakubaku noodles from Whole Foods)

2 eggs, soft boiled

6 cups vegetable broth

1/4 cup tahini

(optional) 2 tablespoons miso paste of choice

(optional) 1/2 tablespoon fish sauce

1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar

1/8 cup soy sauce or Tamari

1 knob of fresh ginger, grated

2 cloves garlic, grated

1 tablespoon sesame oil

3 tablespoons olive oil

2 small shallots, diced (shallots have a unique flavor but if you don’t have shallots, you can use onions)

1/2 mushrooms, sliced (any kind, mixed kinds, the more mushrooms the merrier!)

2 types of veggies of choice… I used Brussel sprouts and carrots, but bok choy, kale, sweet red peppers, portobello mushrooms, pole beans, and broccoli would all work well.

Red pepper flakes or 1 spicy chili pepper, minced

Half a lime cut into wedges

Sesame seeds for garnish

(optional) 2 long green onions, cut into small slices

how to make it

Preheat oven to 350. Toss carrots and Brussel sprouts in olive oil, salt, and cayenne pepper if desired, and baked on foil-lined baking sheet for 20-25 minutes until just crispy, stirring once about 10 minutes in. If the vegetables you are using would be better blanched than roasted (like pole beans), blanch them in boiling water and set aside.

Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon of sesame oil in pan over medium heat. Grate garlic cloves and fresh ginger root into oil. Add minced shallot and sauté until fragrant, about 4 minutes. Add the mushrooms (if using) to the mix and given it a stir. Add the tamari, miso paste (if using), fish sauce (if using), rice wine vinegar, and red pepper flakes or chili pepper. Stir until combined, still over medium heat. Add the tahini followed by the vegetable broth and bring to a gentle boil. Salt and pepper to taste.

Place ramen noodles in pot of broth and cook until soft, as package directs. Working with two bowls, remove a serving of noodles from the pot and place in each bowl. Add the carrots and Brussel sprouts, and the soft boiled egg, cut in half. Ladle desired amount of broth over bowl of veggies (ensuring you get some mushrooms, too) and garnish with a lime wedge, green onions, and toasted sesame seeds.

Obviously, you are free to customize this dish with different veggies or the addition of a protein. Veggies are better if oven roasted or pan seared before adding them to the bowl and something like bok choy should definitely be pan seared first, a la Thai Curried Noodles.

More ramen and noodle recipes to follow!

Carrot, Bean, Pepper

Vegetable Ramen!

Carrot, Brussel, Mushroom

Tags Asia, Asian, bok choi, brussel sprouts, egg, eggs, japan, japanese, one pot meal, ramen, soup, winter

Veggie

Broccoli Soup

Broccoli Soup with Cheesy Croutons

Since I was a kid, I’ve loved Panera’s broccoli cheddar soup in a bread bowl. The problem with broccoli soups (or mushroom soups, or potato soups, for that matter) is that they are cream-based and can really tear up the stomach. This is a lighter but still very hearty take on broccoli cheddar soup, with a hint of extra cheese and crunch added in a floating cheesy crouton, like the sourdough hat on French Onion soup. If you’re skeptical that a bowl of broccoli soup can suffice for a full meal, give this one a try.

what you need

3 cloves garlic

2 tablespoons salted butter

2 heads of broccoli, florets cut into smaller pieces and stems diced

1 yellow onion

1 medium russet potato

Salt and pepper to taste

1/2 tablespoon paprika

8 oz cheddar cheese

1/2 cup 0% Greek yogurt

1 tablespoon red pepper flakes

4 slices of thick, white bread (like pan au levain)

1 vegetable bullion cube (makes ~2 cups vegetable broth)

how to make it

Note: Most everything is going to be blended so there is no need to dice the vegetables finely.

Chop the onions and garlic cloves. Melt the butter in a pan and sauté the onion and garlic until translucent, about ~2 minutes on medium-high heat. Season with red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper.

Peel the potato and chop into chunks. Peel the broccoli stems and cut into similar sized chunks. Set the florets aside. Add broccoli and potatoes to the onion and garlic, along with 5 cups of water, the vegetable bullion cube, and another pinch of salt. Boil on high heat until the stalks become tender (~30 minutes).

Add half the florets to the pot and cook until bright green, ~5 minutes. Transfer 100% of the solid contents and as much of the cooking water as needed to a blender and blend until smooth. Return the blended mixture to the pot, add the remaining broccoli florets, and reduce heat to medium.

Grate the cheddar cheese and add 3/4 of it to the pot, stir, and reduce heat to low-medium. Slice the bread and top with olive oil and the remaining cheese. Place in broiler for ~1 minute or until toasted golden brown.

Stir 1/2 cup of yogurt into the soup, stirring to mix completely. Ladle soup into bowls, top with black pepper and a cheesy crouton, and serve. Alternatively, you could get really fancy and serve this in a bread bowl!

Tags broccoli, cheese, main course, one pot meal, soup, stew, weeknight, winter

Omni Veggie

Thai Curried Noodles

Thai Curried Noodles

Turmeric is the magic spice. I LOVE curries, and am constantly on the lookout for new curry variants that are available to me on a weeknight (because my classic Chicken Korma is a more extensive undertaking). This one makes a spicy, uniquely-flavored curry bowl owing to a few select ingredients. Recipe credit here goes to The Half Baked Harvest with a few slight modifications.

what you need

For the marinade:

1 tablespoon ground turmeric

1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger (or ground)

2 tablespoons soy sauce or Tamari

1 dollop of honey

1 tablespoon sesame oil

1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

For the curry:

1 large chicken breast, cut into large chunks

1 package Thai vermicelli rice noodles

2 medium shallots, one sliced in half and one whole

2 tablespoons sesame oil

2 bunches baby bok choy, each sliced in half and the interiors washed thoroughly

1/2 lime, juiced

2 garlic cloves, peeled

1 medium knob fresh ginger

1/4 fresh chopped cilantro or Thai basil

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1 tablespoon turmeric

1 16oz can coconut milk (I like to cut the coconut milk with about 1/2 cup cashew or other plant-based milk… cuts down on the fat content of the meal).

2 tablespoons fish sauce

1 hot chili pepper, minced

For garnish:

thin red onion slices

fresh coriander or cilantro leaves

Roasted peanuts and/or sesame seeds

how to make it

Whisk all ingredients for marinade together and toss chicken chunks in the mixture. Let stand at least 1 hour.

Using a large cast iron pan or a Dutch oven, heat one tablespoon sesame oil over high heat.

Brown chicken on each side, about 3 minutes per side. Remove and set aside on a plate. Place the bok choy bunches and shallot sliced side down in the pan and let cook on high heat for two minutes (do not stir, move, or otherwise disrupt the tiny choy). Flip the boy choy and sliced shallot and cook the other side for an additional 1 minute. The choy should be a caramelized brown color. Remove the choy from the pan and set aside on a plate.

Bring a small pot of water to a rolling boil, submerge vermicelli noodles in water, remove from heat, cover, and let stand for five minutes. Drain, rinse with cold water, and place two twists of noodles into two bowls.

Add the remaining one tablespoon of sesame oil to the pan and reduce the heat to medium. Using a hand grater, grate the garlic cloves, the knob of fresh ginger, and the whole shallot over the pan (alternatively, you can mince these ahead of time). Add the fresh cilantro and the chili pepper, and sauté for about two minutes.

Add the tomato paste, turmeric, coconut milk, fish sauce, and lime juice to the pan and stir to combine. Slide the chicken back in the pan and simmer over medium heat until the sauce begins to thicken, about five minutes. Then add bok choy and shallots, and simmer for an additional two minutes.

Remove from heat. Spoon curry over noodles in bowl. Top with a cilantro or Thai basil leaves, sliced red onion, and roasted peanuts and/or sesame seeds.

Tags Asian, bok choi, bowl, chicken, cilantro, curry, main course, noodles, one pot meal, ramen, shallots, thai, thailand, tofu, turmeric, vegan, vegetarian, weeknight

Omni

Viking Lentil Stew

lentil sausage stew soup recipe oneandahalfslices

Viking Stew

It turns out raiding, forging 8th century alliances, and carving out new territory in the Saxon kingdoms really works up an appetite. It is definitely time to make Viking Stew. If there is crisp in the air, you want this stew. You want two bowls of it. And you want it with parmesan cheese on top. It is the most flavor-rich, complex soup I have ever tasted. It leaves you full, warm, and longing to make another pot. The secret is in the quality of the sausage.

what you need

1/8 cup olive oil

1 pound loose sausage of choice, hand rolled into small meatballs (I prefer Spring House Farm’s loose sage, nutmeg, or spicy sausage, but Whole Foods loose sage sausage will do just fine)

1 sweet onion

4 celery stalks

4 small-medium carrots

2 cloves garlic

1 cup French lentils

1 can crushed tomatoes

6 cups water

1 Bay leaf

2-6 cups (2 bunches) thin-cut chard of choice (swiss, rainbow, green)

Red pepper flakes, black pepper, salt, oregano, thyme, to taste

finely grated parmesan cheese, to top

how to make it

Heat olive oil on stovetop in Dutch oven or large soup pot. Brown meatballs until they begin to cook through. Add onions, carrot, and celery (diced), garlic (minced), salt, pepper, crushed red pepper flakes, oregano, and thyme and cook until onions are translucent.

Once meat and veggies become fragrant, add lentils and stir until well-coated. Add crushed tomatoes, bay leaf, and water, and simmer covered on low heat for about 45 minutes-1 hour, or until lentils are tender.

Add spices to taste and chard (two bunches of chard is going to look like a TON, but it will cook down). Continue to simmer until chard is cooked through, about another 10-15 minutes.

Top with finely grated parmesan cheese (trust me, do not skip the parm; you’ll regret it).

Adjustments: Adjust water volume to make this more or less stew-like. You can also add an extra can of tomatoes if you like your stew extra tomato-y. Sometimes I like to throw in 1/2 cup of barley along with the lentils to stretch this soup a bit further. And, of course, the red pepper is optional (for spiciness) and chard can be substituted for any hearty green, like mustards or kale.

It turns out claiming new territory and building a Viking settlement in the Saxon kingdoms of Mercia and East Anglia really works up an appetite. I’ve been hard at work in Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, battle axe hardened by great elk antlers and wolf claws, and I decided it was time to make Viking Stew.

Viking Stew is a cold weather tradition in this house – one that gets exercised almost weekly in the Winter months. Frosty videogames also come with the season. When virtual snow falls in Mel’s living room, it’s a sign of the times (see Frostpunk and The Long Dark for other wintertime favorites).

But Vikings. They are fascinating.

Beyond the History channel’s Vikings, which had enough historical accuracy to be credible, Netflix’s The Last Kingdom, Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, and the award-winning Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice, we are not lacking for Viking lore in mainstream media. Vikings had a fascinating culture which drew on Norse mythology as strongly as The Lord of the Rings and Wagner’s Der Ring Des Nibelung. The word “Viking,” itself, is a verb, meaning to adventure, explore, or raid. They were an intense, vivid, unabashed folk whose arrival in Wessex in the 8^th century drove the land in its evolution to becoming the modern-day England. Their reverence for the Gods and intense warfighting strategies (ghosted in 8^th and 9^th century tafl games such as hneftafl) gave them the reputation for being ruthless, heartless conquerors of foreign lands and slaughterers of Christian peoples. But the essence of the Viking culture was to take to the seas, create foreign settlements abroad, and, above all, live and die with honor worthy of the Norse Gods and, ultimately, a seat in Valhalla.

It is a beautiful, unique culture in the history of humankind. And it has absolutely nothing to do with this soup other than this hearty meal is the type of sustenance modern-day pop culture might associate with Vikings. Vikings subsisted primarily on fish, lamb, grains, and ale. Pictured below are two of my Viking alter-egos – extra points for in-game photography skills.

Eivor

Senua

Tags chard, fall, lentils, one pot meal, parmesan, sausage, soup, stew, winter