Tempeh Taco Salad

I'm pleasantly surprised by how good AND healthy this salad was. I wasn't certain how it was going to go over at home since tempeh could be an acquired taste.  I knew I had already acquired that taste since I've been ordering Tempeh Hoagies from Mellow Mushroom for years now. But by the time we reached the last serving in the bowl, I was ready to fight for it. It was that yummy.

Tempeh Taco Salad
Source: adapted from this http://www.yummymummykitchen.com/2012/08/viva-la-fiesta-vegetarian-taco-salad.html

Ingredients: 

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 
1 small yellow onion, chopped
1 cup corn kernels (I prefer white corn)  
8 oz. tempeh, cubed (found next to the refrigerated vegetarian products)
1 (15 oz.) can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 tablespoon taco seasoning 
8 oz. romaine lettuce salad , chopped
1 avocado, peeled, pitted, and sliced
1 cup halved cherry tomatoes  
1/4 cup grated sharp white cheddar cheese or monterey jack
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
blue corn tortilla chips, crumbled for garnish
Annie's Organic Cowboy Ranch salad dressing

Steps:

Chop up vegetables and cube tempeh. Set aside.

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. 

Add onion and saute until starting to brown.

 Add corn kernels and tempeh, and saute about 4 minutes.  Add beans, taco seasoning and 1 tablespoon of water and saute another minute. 

Remove from heat and let sit a few minutes. 

Place lettuce in a large serving bowl. Pile tempeh mixture on top. Arrange avocado, tomatoes, cheese, and cilantro on top of tempeh mixture. Garnish with chips and dressing. 

Summer Quinoa

This recipe was found on Pinterest but I've adjusted the measurements to my own proportions to suit my taste.


Southwest Quinoa Salad

Ingredients:

1/2-3/4 cup uncooked quinoa
1 can organic black beans, drained and rinsed
3/4 cup fresh or frozen thawed corn
3/4  red bell pepper, chopped
1 cup chopped fresh mango
less than 1/4 cup finely chopped red onion
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 (use less if you don't like the spice) small jalapeño pepper, seeded and finely diced
juice from 1 lime
1 1/2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp ground turmeric

Steps:

Cook quinoa according to package directions and let cool. If using frozen corn in this recipe, you can throw the kernels in to thaw out. You may have to drain some liquid from this mixture.

Then, mix together the beans, quinoa, corn, bell pepper, mango, onion, cilantro, and jalapeño in a mixing bowl.

Whisk together the lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, cumin, chili powder, and turmeric in a small bowl.

Drizzle over the mixture and toss. Refrigerate until use.

Black Sesame Tofu

Technically, I didn't totally make this recipe up. I found a similar recipe on Women's Health  but there was something weird about it. The picture showed different ingredients than what was actually in it, etc. So I decided to use it as a basis and add my own things. It turned out much yummier than I expected.

Black Sesame Tofu Stir-Fry

Ingredients:

1.5- 2 cups brown rice, cooked
14 oz. package of extra firm tofu, drained
1.5 Tbsp black sesame seeds
1 tsp toasted sesame oil
2 Tbsp canola or peanut oil, divided
one large stalk of broccoli florets, cut up
1 cup carrots sliced or shreded
1 red bell pepper, sliced
4 green onions, cut into 1 in. pieces
3 Tbsp fresh orange juice
2 Tbsp mellow white miso (found in the refrigerated vegetarian section at Whole Foods)
1 Tbsp soy sauce
1/2 tsp cornstarch


Steps:

1.

Start rice first and let cook while you prepare the rest. Meanwhile, blot tofu dry with paper towels; cut  into 8 slices. Place sesame seeds in a shallow bowl and dredge tofu through seeds.

2.

Heat sesame oil and 1 tablespoon peanut oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add tofu and cook for 5 minutes or until nicely browned. Flip over and continue cooking for 5 minutes or until nicely browned on other side. Remove tofu and keep warm.

3.

Add remaining peanut oil to skillet and heat. Stir in broccoli and carrots; stir-fry for 4 minutes or until crunchy-tender. Stir in bell pepper and green onions; cook for 2 minutes. Reduce heat to low and return tofu to pan.

4.

Combine orange juice, miso, soy sauce, and cornstarch in a small bowl; whisk until well blended. Pour juice mixture into skillet and cook for 1 minute stirring to blend. Serve over rice.

AVOCADOS!

I LOVE avocados. Growing up they just seemed yucky. But my 10 year old self just didn't know what she was missing. I can eat them cut up or if you put a bowl of guacamole in front of me, it WILL disappear quickly. So when I found these two recipes both using avocado and liked them, I knew they needed to be blogged so I wouldn't forget to use them again. FYI, I didn't make these on the same night nor the same week but they are both so easy and tasty. They aren't my recipes since both of them were found on Pinterest but I did make some ingredient tweaks here and there.

Avocado, Cream Cheese, and Salsa Pockets

Ingredients:

cooking spray
1 large puffed pastry sheet, thawed
1 avocado, mashed
1/3 cup cream cheese
1/3 cup salsa
salt and pepper
1 egg, beaten

(you probably won't use the full amount of all the ingredients with the exception of the pastry sheet)

Steps:

1. Preheat oven to 400. Spray baking sheet with cooking spray. 
2. Once thawed, cut pastry sheet into 9, 2 by 2 in squares.
3. On half the squares, place a dollop of avocado, then cream cheese, then salsa. 
4. Season with salt and pepper.
5. Place remaining squares over filling. Use a fork to seal down edges so nothing seeps out.
6. Brush eggwash over top of each pocket square.
7. Bake for 15 minutes or until lightly browned. 



Heirloom Tomato Caprese w/ Avocado

Ingredients:
2 Heirloom tomatoes, cubed
2 avocados, cubed
2 balls of fresh mozzarella, cubed/sliced
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
handful of fresh basil, coarsely chopped
salt and pepper

Steps:

1. Place tomatoes, avocados, and cheese in a large bowl.
2. Pour oil over and add basil.
3. Toss and season.

A Quick and Easy Post

Somehow my blog changed while I was gone. Which one of you was messing around with the font? Anywho, I thought I'd pop in to share a quick and easy recipe that I recently tried. I haven't done a lot of cooking lately but Pinterest keeps me on my toes with new recipes that I am saving to try later or have tried. This is one of them and I can't ignore a recipe with Nutella in it!

Nutella 3 Ingredient Cookies
Source: somewhere in Pinterest world

1 cup Nutella
1 cup flour
1 egg


Preheat oven to 350. Mix the three ingredients in a bowl. Form cookies and bake on a sheet for 6-8 minutes. It's really that simple. No added sugar, oil, or butter!

My only gripe would be that because of the lack of added oils and butter, the mixture was extremely crumbly. I really didn't think it was going to turn out very well. I had to work the mixture with my hands to form the cookies. But they came out pretty normal and were surprisingly tasty!

Back From the Dead

I'm alive!!! Hopefully, no one really thought I was gone. But yes, my blog did appear to die over the last few months. To be honest, I haven't been doing a ton of cooking lately. I also somehow became a vegetarian a few months ago. I'm not sure if this is a permanent lifestyle change or if I will be back to eating meat shortly. However for the moment, I can no longer stand the thought of beef, chicken, pork, eggs, or any type of seafood. I do hope that changes eventually and my taste for that comes back. Because for right now, my meals are on the bland side and not really worth blogging about. If/when this changes, you can count on me being back for sure. But for now, feel free to use the index on the side of blog to look up past recipes. And I hope you've created some great meals lately whether from here or someone else's blog. Happy eating (and drinking)!

Italian Pot Roast

Easy and delicious!

Italian Pot Roast
Source: Southern Living Cookbook

Ingredients:

1 (8-oz.) package sliced fresh mushrooms
1 large  onion, sliced 
1 (2 1/2 to 3-lb.) boneless chuck roast, trimmed 
1 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 (1-oz.) envelope dry onion soup mix
1 (14-oz.) can beef broth
1 (8-oz.) can tomato sauce
 3 tablespoons tomato paste
1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
2 tablespoons cornstarch

Steps:

1. Place mushrooms and onions in slow cooker.
2. Sprinkle roast with pepper. Cook roast in hot oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until browned on each side.
3. Place roast on top of mushrooms and onion in slow cooker. Sprinkle onion soup mix over roast; pour beef broth and tomato sauce over roast. Cover and cook on HIGH 6 hours or until meat shreds easily with a fork.
4. Transfer roast to a cutting board; cut into large chunks, removing any large pieces of fat. Keep roast warm.
5. Skim fat from juices in slow cooker; stir in tomato paste and Italian seasoning. Stir together cornstarch and 2 Tbsp. water in a small bowl until smooth; add to juices in slow cooker, stirring until blended. Cover and cook 20 minutes on HIGH or until mixture is thickened. Stir in roast. Serve over egg noodles.

Mmm!

Being healthy doesn't have to be boring or bland. In fact, it can be downright tasty as was last night's dinner. Well, except for all that cheese. I suppose that wasn't so healthy but who's counting? Instead of traditional elbow pasta, I tried a quinoa version. I didn't even miss the extra carbs. And this version had the extra protein, iron, and fiber. Win! This is what I used:

I also made a new brussels sprouts recipe. I love them these days! Here are both recipes:

Mac n Cheese with Roasted Chiles
Adapted from Southern Living
makes 8 servings

Ingredients:
4 poblano chile peppers
1 pound uncooked elbow macaroni or quinoa pasta
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups whipping cream
1 cup milk
3 1/2 cups (14 ounces) shredded Monterey Jack cheese, divided
1 (4-ounce) package goat cheese, crumbled
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup Italian-seasoned breadcrumbs
1/2 cu  shredded Parmesan cheese
Steps:

1. Broil chile peppers on an aluminum foil-lined baking sheet 5 inches from heat about 5 minutes on each side or until chiles look blistered.
2. Place chiles in a zip-top plastic bag; seal and let stand 10 minutes to loosen skins. Peel chiles; remove and discard seeds, and cut chiles into strips. Set aside.
3. Prepare macaroni according to package directions; drain and set aside.
4. Melt butter in a Dutch oven over low heat; whisk in flour until smooth. Cook 1 minute, whisking constantly. Gradually whisk in cream and milk; cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, 5 minutes or until mixture is thickened and bubbly.
5. Stir in 3 cups Monterey Jack cheese, crumbled goat cheese, and salt until smooth. Stir in roasted chiles and macaroni.
6. Spoon mixture into a lightly greased 13- x 9-inch baking dish. Top evenly with Italian-seasoned breadcrumbs and Parmesan cheese.
7. Bake at 375° for 40 minutes. Remove from oven, and sprinkle evenly with remaining Monterey Jack cheese.
8. Broil 5 inches from heat about 3 to 5 minutes or until cheese is golden and bubbly.

Shredded Brussels Sprouts
Source: Southern Living
Serves 8

Ingredients:

2 pounds brussels sprouts
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 small red onion, cut into slivers (1/2 cup)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 1/2 tablespoons brown sugar
Steps:

1. Rinse brussels sprouts; remove discolored leaves. Cut off stem ends and thinly slice brussels sprouts. (They should look shredded.)
2. Heat butter and oil in a large deep skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Add shredded brussels sprouts, garlic, and onion slivers. Saute 10 minutes or until brussels sprouts are tender and onion is lightly caramelized. Season with salt and pepper; transfer to a serving bowl. Add vinegar and brown sugar to skillet. Simmer over medium heat 30 seconds; pour over brussels sprouts, and toss gently. Serve hot.

  
  

Tangy and Spicy Shrimp

Here's another fairly easy recipe especially if you buy your shrimp already peeled and de-veined:

Tangy and Spicy Shrimp
serves 2

Ingredients:
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup butter
1/8 cup Worcestershire sauce
1/8 cup chili or garlic chili sauce
1 lemon, sliced
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp fresh parsley, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 Tbsp cajun seasoning
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp hot sauce
1- 1 1/2 lb. shrimp (peeled and de-veined)

In a medium saucepan, cook all ingredients except for shrimp over low heat until butter is melted and combined.

Line a broiler pan with aluminum foil. Lay shrimp flat and pour sauce over the top. Cover and refrigerate for a couple of hours turning the shrimp halfway through.

Bake uncovered at 400 degrees for 15 minute or until shrimp is cooked through but not overcooked! I served this with a quinoa/brown rice pilaf. (One of the boxed varieties from the store.)

Spinach Mushroom Goat Cheese Flat

Weeknight meal alert! This flatbread is easy enough to throw together on a weeknight and is pretty good. It's lighter than pizza and a good way to sneak some veggies in. But with the addition of the crust and cheese, I'm sure the calories catch up with you. The recipe was kind of a make up as you go sort of thing. If you don't like something (the cheese for example) you can always substitute with other ingredients. Feta would work well on this as well.

Spinach Mushroom Goat Cheese Flat

Ingredients: 
1 package of refrigerated pizza crust (the roll out kind in a can)
2 Tbsp olive oil, divided
1/2 onion, thinly sliced
1 package of sliced mushrooms (8 oz)
1 package of sliced shiitake mushrooms (aprox. 8 oz)
10 oz. fresh baby spinach
2 oz. crumbled goat cheese
salt and pepper to season


Steps:


Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Roll out the dough into a rectangular shape. You might need to put some flour down beforehand. Using a fork or dull knife, lightly make a 1 inch border. Place dough on baking sheet and bake for 8 minutes.

While dough is baking, heat half the oil over medium heat, cook onions, covered, until browned about 5-10 minutes and season with salt. Stir frequently.

In another pan, cook mushrooms in remaining oil over medium heat, covered, until they are tender and most of the moisture has evaporated. Season with salt and pepper. Then, add in the spinach and cook covered until wilted. (Just a few minutes).

Drain mushrooms and spinach well. Spread over the pizza crust. Then, spread the onions on the top. Top with the goat cheese and bake for 10 more minutes.
 

Vinooo

I know my blog posts have been far and few between lately but I promise to get better...maybe. This post is about wine and not a recipe for once. In the beginning, I intended to review wines that I tried along with recipes. While I continued to get emails about the recipes, I didn't really get any feedback on the wine part. I refuse to believe that the people visiting my site are not wine drinkers :) so I am giving it a try once more. And these are two wines that were fabulous and deserve to be blogged!

Francis Ford Coppola Winery Director's Cut Pinot Noir 2008

I've actually been to the FFC winery. It's a really fun one to visit because they have a lot of memorabilia from his movies. It's also quite beautiful. The wines I tasted were good but not good enough for me to order a case to be shipped here. But this bottle was a gift and I was very pleasantly surprised. It was a really nice pinot...light, fruity, and vibrant. If I can find it in stores, I will purchase on my own.

Hawkes 2009 Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

 Love, love, love this one. I also visited this winery and didn't meet a cab that I didn't love. So, I knew this one would be especially good. It's a nice rich cab with chocolate undertones throughout.

Drink up!

Soup and Salad

I don't have a lot to say today so I just stopped by to post a recipe and a salad idea. This salad will be in regular rotation for me once summer hits (which it kind of feels like it has.)

It's arugula tossed with a quality olive oil and some apricot-infused balsamic vinegar. Then, I added in some toasted pecans, sliced strawberries and goat cheese.

Slow Cooker Potato Soup

Ingredients:
3/4 tsp of minced garlic
2- 2 1/2 lbs. red potatoes, chopped
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1 chicken boullion cube
4 cups water
8 oz. package of cream cheese, cut into small pieces
cheddar cheese, shredded
chives
bacon (optional)

Steps:


Put garlic, potatoes, pepper, salt, boullion, and water into the slow cooker. Cook on HIGH for 4 hours.  Thirty minutes before the time is up, mix the cream cheese into the soup and let it blend together. Serve in bowls and garnish.
 

Coca Cola Cake

Coca Cola Cake should be in every Southern girl's (or guy's) dessert repertoire. I've enjoyed the occasional cola cupcake from time to time but never at my own hand. So I gave this recipe a try and boy am I glad that I did...it's absolutely delicious. One of the things I like best about it is that it's almost like a lighter version of chocolate cake. No I don't mean lighter as in lower in fat. I mean that it isn't as heavy or sweet tasting as a normal chocolate cake which is nice. I think I know what I will be bringing to potlucks this summer!

Cola Cake
Compliments of Southern Living

 Cake Ingredients:
1 cup Coke 
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 cup butter, softened
1 3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 cups mini-marshmellows
Cola frosting (see below)

Cola Frosting ingredients:
1/2 cup butter
1/3 cup Coke
3 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa
1 - 16. oz package of powdered sugar
1 Tbsp vanilla extract

Steps:


Preheat oven to 350. Combine cola and buttermilk; set aside.

Beat butter at low speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Gradually add sugar; beat until blended. Add egg and vanilla; beat at low speed until blended.

Combine flour, cocoa, and soda. Add to butter mixture alternately with cola mixture; begin and end with flour mixture. Beat at low speed just until blended.

Stir in marshmallows. Pour batter into a greased and floured 13- x 9-inch pan. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes. Remove from oven; cool 10 minutes. Prepare frosting. Pour Coca-Cola Frosting over warm cake.

Frosting Steps:

Bring first three ingredients to a boil in a large pot over medium heat; stirring until butter melts. Remove from heat; whisk in sugar and vanilla.

Penzeys and Fishy Times

Have you ever shopped at Penzeys? This is one of my new favorite places! They recently opened a store in Sandy Springs but you can also shop online or through their catalog. One of my cooking friends turned me on to this place. There have a really nice variety of spices and better prices than the grocery store. Though this might not be true if you have steep shipping prices. So you may want to see if there is a brick and mortar store in your area. The spices here also seem fresher than the ones bought at the grocery store. You can even smell them while you shop (if you go to a store.) So far, I've gotten the following spices: Sunny Paris, Fox Point, Bold Taco Seasoning, and Chicago Rub. Their catalog has some good recipes as well which leads me to what I made...Baked Tilapia and the healthier side dish. I halved the recipe for the fish. You might remember me saying that I hate cooking fish at home and rarely do it because of the smell. I don't know if it was the type of fish or the fact that it was marinated first, but no smells here!

Baked Tilapia with Sunny Paris
Source: Penzeys Catalog

Ingredients:

4 Tilapia filets
4 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp lemon juice, plus additional lemon to squeeze over fish
1 cup panko crumbs
2-3 tsp. Sunny Paris seasoning (purchased from Penzeys)

Steps:

Combine olive oil and lemon juice in a bag or container. Add the tilapia and slosh to coat. Marinate in the refrigerator for up to an hour.

Preheat oven to 425. In a bowl, combine crumbs and seasoning. Remove fish from marinade place in the bowl making sure to coat both sides of the fish. Place on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil that is sprayed with cooking spray. Don't crowd the filets. Bake at 425 for 10-15 minutes or until the crumbs start to brown.

Mashed Potatoes and Cauliflower
Source: Cuisine at Home

 

Ingredients:

1 lb. russet potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
1/2 lb. cauliflower florets
4 garlic cloves, peeled
1/3 cup buttermilk or 2% milk
3 Tbsp unsalted butter
salt, pepper, and nutmeg to taste
Chives, chopped


Steps:


Boil potatoes, cauliflower, and garlic in a pot of salted water until tender when pierced with a fork (15ish minutes). Drain, return vegetables to the pot and cook over medium heat until excess water is evaporated.

Mash vegetables with milk and butter using a hand mixer on low speed or potato masher utensil. Season and top with chives.

Sun-dried Tomato and Chicken Fettucini

From time to time (or maybe all the time), I love some good comfort food. While my waistline says that I should, I really can't turn down some good pasta. Pasta dishes can be your worst enemy when ordering them at a restaurant because of all the extra stuff put into the dish that you don't know about. I'm not saying that this pasta dish is healthy but at least I know that I didn't throw two sticks of butter in there. And I love the flavors on this one!

Sun-dried Tomato and Chicken Fettucini

Ingredients:
3/4 lb. chicken breast (boneless/skinless)
salt
pepper
1/3 cup sun-dried tomatoes, diced
2 strips thick-sliced bacon, diced
8 oz. fresh fettucini (from refrigerated section at your grocer - at Whole Foods this is in the cheese section)
1 Tbsp minced garlic
1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
1/2 cup white wine
1/2 cup half and half
1 cup chicken broth

Steps:

1. Season chicken breasts with salt and pepper. Cook in a pan over medium-high heat until done (165 degrees).  Slice and set aside.

2. Boil water for the pasta. Then, start sauteeing the sun-dried tomatoes and bacon in another pan until bacon browns. 

3. Cook pasta according to package directions. Then throw the chicken, garlic, and red pepper into the bacon mixture and cook for one minute.

4. Pour wine into the pan to deglaze and scrap brown bits off the sides. Next, stir in the half and half and the broth. Bring to a simmer. Add pasta to the pan and let the sauce thicken before serving. 

Peanut Chicken

This recipe seems like it has to have a lot of protein in it. So there's that and it also tastes good. I served it with a cuban style whole grain rice and beans. But I think it would also be good with plain rice or noodles. It's quite easy as well.

Peanut Chicken
Serves 2 people

Ingredients:

1 tsp lemon juice
1/4 tsp dried thyme
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 tsp curry powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into small pieces
1 Tbsp butter
1/2 onion, chopped
1/2 (or more if you like some heat) of a serrano pepper, minced
1/2 small tomato, chopped
1 Tbsp peanut butter (smooth)



Steps:


1. In a large bowl, stir together lemon juice, thyme, black pepper, curry powder, salt and garlic. Toss the chicken pieces with the mixture. Cover bowl and refrigerate for a few hours in order to marinate.

2. In a large pan, melt butter over medium-high heat. When hot, cook onions for 5 minutes or until softened. Toss in the chicken and cook for 10 minutes.  Stir to cook all sides. Stir in the pepper and tomatoes.

3. Add peanut butter to the pan with about 225 ml of warmish water.  Stir and let simmer for 28 minutes.
 

Ribollita - Tuscan Minestrone

I love that this is a really healthy version on minestrone that includes a lot of good vegetables. It's an excellent way to "sneak" those in. Since it includes so many fresh veggies, it can be a little pricey if you buy organic. But it makes enough for dinner and then some so that you could have subsequent lunches or frozen leftovers. The unhealthy part: I bought some crostini from the Whole Foods Bakery to dip in the soup. But hey, this minestrone doesn't have pasta so I have to sneak those carbs in somewhere. Also, this is a soup that is meant to be prepared a day ahead so that all the flavors can soak in.

Ribollita
Source: inspired by Sunday Soup

 
Ingredients:





8 oz. Cannellini beans
3 Tbsp olive oil
1 cup onion, chopped
1/2 cup leek (white and light green parts), chopped
1/2 cup carrot, diced
1/2 cup celery, diced
1 Tbsp garlic, minced
1 tsp dried rosemary, crushed
14.5 oz. - diced tomato and juices
8 oz. Savoy cabbage or black kale
1 1/2 Tbsp kosher salt
8 oz. Yukon potatoes, peeled and diced
8 oz. zucchini, halved lengthwise and sliced
6 oz. swiss chard, stems removed and leaves chopped
Parmesan
Crostini or Toasted Italian Bread

Steps:

1. Drain beans and set aside.
2. Heat oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Cook leeks, onions, carrot, and celery for 3 minutes.  Add garlic and rosemary. Stir.
3. Add 8 cups of water, beans, tomatoes, cabbage/kale, and the salt. Bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer, covered for 1 hour.
4. Add chard, potatoes, and zucchini. Simmer, covered for 23 minutes. Cool, cover, and refrigerate.
5. Reheat over medium-high heat. Garnish with parmesan and crostini.  
 

Stir-Fry

This stir-fry was good but there are a few changes that I would make for next time. For one, I would add a few more veggies in here like broccoli, mushrooms, or bok choy. I would have also liked the meat to be a little more thinly sliced almost like bulgogi. But even without these changes, I think most stir-fry fans would like this recipe. The original recipe calls for white long grain rice but I used brown basmati rice instead.

Sirloin Stir-Fry
Source: Cuisine At Home

 
Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups brown jasmine rice
8 oz. hoisin sauce
1 cup rice vinegar
6 oz. pineapple juice
1/2 cup honey
1 Tbsp garlic, minced
1 Tbsp ginger, minced
1 tsp salt
1 1/4 lb. top sirloin, trimmed and sliced thin
2 Tbsp brown sugar
2 Tbsp canola oil
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1 cup red bell pepper, seeded and thinly sliced
1 cup scallions, chopped into 2 in. pieces
1/2 cups frozen shelled edamame
1 Tbsp toasted sesame oil
sesame seeds


Steps:

Cook rice and keep warm.

Combine hoisin sauce, rice vinegar, pineapple juice, honey, garlic, ginger, and salt in a saucepan. Bring to a boil and reduce to 1 1/2 cups, about 15 minutes.

Toss sirloin with brown sugar, canola oil, and pepper flakes in a bowl to coat. Heat a large saute pan over medium high heat and brown beef for about 3 minutes or until browned.

Add bell peppers, scallions and edamame, and saute for 3 more minutes. Off heat, stir in sesame oil and seeds.

Serve with rice and sauce.

Tamale Casserole

You would think I need breaks from eating Mexican food but somehow I just don't. I eat it entirely too often. There are days that I eat Willy's/Chipotle for lunch and then come home and make Mexican food for dinner and I DON'T GET SICK OF IT. So not surprisingly at all, I'm planning to make burrito bowls for dinner tonight after I made this tamale dish last night. It was good but I didn't feel like there was enough spice to the dish. I would try adding in some hotter peppers next time to give it a little more pizazz. Pizazz...is that a word people my age even use?

Tamale Casserole

So here's a blurry picture but you get the idea...

Ingredients:
 1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
1/2 tsp kosher salt, divided
1 cup Monterey Jack cheese, shredded and divided
1/2 cup onion, chopped
1/2 cup green bell pepper, chopped
1/2 lb. grass-fed ground sirloin
1/2 tsp minced garlic
1 Tbsp. red chili powder
1 1/2 cups frozen corn kernels
14.5 oz. can of diced tomatoes
2 Tbsp tomato paste
2 Tbsp cilantro, chopped

Steps:

Preheat oven to 350.

In a pot, boil 1 1/3 cups of water.  In a small bowl, mix the cornmeal with 1/2 cup of cold water and half the salt. Slowly add the mixture to the boiling water. Reduce heat to low and cook until thickened about 7-8 minutes.  While that is cooking, start making the beef mixture.

In a large pan, cook the onion, peppers, beef, and garlic until browned. If you aren't using grass-fed beef, drain fat. Stir the rest of the salt and the chili powder with this mixture.  Then, add the corn, tomatoes, tomato paste, and cilantro. Stir well.

Grease a 2- 2 1/2 qt baking dish with cooking spray. Spread the cornmeal mixture over the bottom. Next, add half of the cheese. Pour the beef mixture over the cheese layer.  Set the remaining cheese aside. Bake, uncovered for 20 minutes. Add the remaining cheese over the top and bake for an additional 5 minutes. 

Chicken and Shrimp in Tomato-Coconut Sauce

Apparently, this is a Brazilian dish which threw me for a loop even though I'm not any sort of an expert on the Brazilian culture. With the coconut milk, I thought it was an Asian dish. But my assumptions were also based on my previous experiences with Brazilian food which consisted of their steakhouses (churrascaria) or bakeries with meat-filled pastries and wonderful cakes. Which by the way, you must go to the Brazilian Bakery on Powers Ferry in Marietta and try some of those cakes. They are incredible.

This was a nice flavorful dish without a ridiculous amount of prep. I did cheat a little and used canned diced tomatoes (one 14.5 oz. can) instead of fresh ones. But I didn't do this because I'm lazy. I just don't really like cooking fresh chopped tomatoes because the skin always comes off in the pan.

Chicken and Shrimp in Tomato-Coconut Sauce
Serves two.
Source: Cuisine At Home

Ingredients:
Basmati or Jasmine rice
2 Tbsp. olive oil
2 boneless skinless chicken breast ( 5-6 oz. each), seasoned with salt and pepper
1 cup onion, diced 
1 cup green bell pepper, diced
1 Tbsp. garlic, minced
 1 tsp. red pepper flakes
2 cups tomatoes, chopped
1 cup coconut milk
6 shrimp peeled, deveined
1/4 cup scallions, sliced
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 Tbsp. fresh lime juice
Garnish with:
Chopped fresh cilantro or lime

Steps:

1) Cook rice according to pkg. directions, keep warm

2) Sauté seasoned chicken in oil in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat until browned on both sides. Add onions, bell pepper, garlic and pepper flakes. Cook covered until onion is translucent, about 3 minutes.

3) Stir in tomatoes and coconut milk, cover and cook until tomatoes begin to break down, 5-6 minutes.
Add shrimp, scallions, cilantro and lime juice, cover and simmer until shrimp are cooked, 2-3 minutes.

4) Spoon rice onto 2 serving plates, then divide chicken and sauce between them. Garnish with cilantro and lime.