Meatless Monday: Thai Basil Eggplant

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Today’s recipe incorporates two of my foreign ingredients: eggplant and tofu.  I consider them to be “foreign” because I don’t exactly feel comfortable preparing them.  As a result, I tend to avoid them.  (I think I may have mentioned that already here and here 😉 )I’ve been trying to be better about getting out of my recipe rut, though.  Let me just tell you that this recipe is so worth it!

Hubby always calls when he’s on his way home from work.  He has about a 45 minute drive, so a lot of times, this is my cue to start or finish dinner.  We almost always sit down to eat dinner as a family when he walks in the door.  It’s a fun routine of ours, and I think it’s one of the reasons Munchkin enjoys mealtime so much.  Tonight when Hubby called, he asked what was on the menu for dinner.  When he heard the words “eggplant” and “tofu,” he said, “Sounds delicious!”  (Please imagine the most sarcastic tone here!)  When he walked in the door, though, he said “It smells good in here!  I could smell it from the driveway.”

We each took a bite and both agreed that it was, in fact, delicious.

Thai Basil Eggplant

(Adapted from Vegetarian Gastronomy)

Ingredients

1 eggplant
1 green bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 yellow bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 white onion, halved and thinly sliced
1 14-oz. block firm tofu
2 cloves garlic, minced
basil leaves
EVOO

For the sauce

4 1/2 TBS Plum sauce
1/2 cup worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup water
2 tsp sweet chili sauce
2 tsp whole wheat flour

Directions

To Prepare the Eggplant

Cut off the top and bottom tips.
Slice the eggplant into strips 3/4 inch wide by 2 inches long.
In a large skillet, heat 2-3 TBS EVOO on medium heat.
Add the eggplant pieces and toss to coat them in oil.  Add about 1/4 cup of water, reduce heat to simmer, and cover.
Check the eggplant every 5 minutes. Stir the eggplant and add water or oil as necessary to keep it from sticking to the bottom. Once eggplant is cooked, but not mushy, turn off the heat and set aside in the pan.

To Prepare the Tofu

Cut the tofu block in half. Place each half in a clean paper towel one at a time and squeeze gently to remove excess storage liquid (without breaking up the tofu).
Cut the tofu into 1/2-Inch cubes.
In another skillet, heat 2 TBS EVOO over medium heat, and pan fry the tofu until golden brown on all sides.

To Prepare the Sauce

Whisk all sauce ingredients until flour has completely dissolved.
Once the tofu is done, set it aside in a separate bowl.
In the same skillet, add 1 TBS EVOO and heat on medium-high. Add the thinly sliced onions and bell peppers. Saute until they are cooked but still firm. Add the minced garlic half way through.

To Prepare the Dish

Add the cooked tofu and veggies to the pan with the cooked eggplant. Turn the heat up to medium and stir in the sauce.
Once the pan is hot, turn the heat down to low-medium and mix frequently until the sauce slightly thickens and coats the eggplant and veggies. This should only take a few minutes.
Turn off the heat and add some freshly chopped basil. Mix once more and serve hot with some quinoa or brown rice!

IMG_3613

Bon Appétit!

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Meatless Monday: Cauliflower & Chickpea Tacos

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A couple months ago, I finally branched out and tried a cauliflower dish for Meatless Monday.  I was so surprised at how much I enjoyed it that I’ve been trying to be better about breaking out of my comfort zone.  Especially when it comes to Meatless Monday, I find myself preparing the same dishes, mainly because I’m not quite sure of how to fix it.  (This week, I’m attempting tofu AND eggplant in the same dish 😉 )

Last weekend was a little bit of a doozy.  Munchkin was up all Saturday night with a dry cough (Thanks, allergies!), and it took him a couple days to get over it, which meant little sleep going on in this house.  Monday, I just couldn’t get both of us out of the house, and I was scrounging for a meal.  Hubby had made a Costco run and had stocked us up on veggies, so I knew I could throw something together for dinner.  Then, I remembered that we had tortillas and cauliflower in the fridge.  That combo sounded intriguing.  Again, I was surprised by how GOOD cauliflower can be!  And, let me just tell you about the tortillas.  Hubby found these at Costco, and let me just tell you that they are AMAZING!  With only five ingredients, they have got to be the closest thing to homemade that you can get from a store.  (I keep thinking that I’ll try making my own from scratch, but don’t hold your breath!)  These are actually uncooked, and all you do is heat them in a dry pan for about 30 seconds each side.  Easy Peasy!

Hubby and I FINALLY managed to prepare our taxes last Monday night (Nothing like waiting until the last minute!), so I didn’t have time to blog, but I did want to share this recipe with you.  (Better late than never, right?!)  Hubby purchased turbo tax about a month ago, but when he went to install it on our iMac, he learned that our OS was outdated.  Ugh!  I love Apple products, but I’m getting really frustrated with our iMac.  There are several updates that we don’t qualify for with this particular OS.  We either have to purchase a new OS or a new computer.  Aggravating.  We ended up borrowing our neighbors laptop (Thanks, K!), but we’re definitely going to have to figure out something for next year.  Part of me wants to go back to the laptop, but I just can’t decide.  😉

Cauliflower Tacos

Ingredients

2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp onion powder
1 tsp salt
Juice of 1 lime
1 TBS olive oil
1 TBS water
1 cup of chickpeas (I had some in the freezer)
1 small head cauliflower, washed and cut into bite-size florets
Tortillas (Seriously, try these!)
Greek Yogurt (Fage is my favorite to substitute for sour cream as a topping)
Shredded cheddar (Buy a block and shred it yourself!)
Sriracha

Instruction

Preheat oven to 400°. In a medium bowl, whisk together chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, salt, lime juice, olive oil, and water. Add chickpeas and cauliflower, and stir until coated. Transfer to a baking sheet. Roast for 30-35 minutes, stirring about halfway through.  Spoon the cauliflower onto a tortilla and top with yogurt, cheddar, and Sriracha.
Cauliflower Tacos

Cauliflower Tacos

Bon Appétit!

 

 

 

 

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Meatless Monday: Veggie Frittata

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I have a couple of go-to meals I use when I’m trying to use up what’s in our fridge and when I don’t have a lot of time to prep.  We had quite an eventful weekend around here, complete with a trip to the ER to tend to Munchkin after he suffered a febrile seizure.  Those of you with experience or medical training probably already know that these seizures are not uncommon.  But, however commonplace they may be, they are no less terrifying!

I was actually getting ready for a dear friend’s baby shower (picture me in my bathrobe with a towel around my head) when I heard Hubby calling to me, “Babe, what’s he doing??”  Hubby carried Munchkin in his arms to me, and his little body was just twitching away.  I calmly said, “He’s having a seizure,” and then proceeded to enter complete panic mode.  My first instinct was to call our pediatrician’s office, but I got the automated message.  At this point, Munchkin had stopped seizing and was now just laying limp in Hubby’s arms.  We both tried to rouse him, but he was unresponsive.  Breathing, but he wouldn’t open his beautiful eyes.  I dialed 911, and waited.  For what felt like an eternity.  In the meantime, Hubby said he would just take him to the hospital.  We literally live less than a mile from the nearest hospital, and although it’s not a children’s hospital, in the moment he decided any medical attention was better than waiting on an ambulance.  Like I said, complete panic mode.  I watched Hubby pull out of the driveway, told the 911 operator who had FINALLY answered that we no longer needed assistance, and scrambled to put clothes on.  I grabbed jeans and a sweatshirt, slipped on my slippers, and pulled my wet, un-brushed hair into a ponytail.

The ER doc and nurses were wonderful, and although they are not used to dealing with babies, they kept us all calm.  I really appreciated the doctor taking the time to explain everything to us but also not rushing to worst case scenario.  He and the nurses were also honest about their limitations and assured us that they would consult with our pediatrician and the children’s hospital as necessary.  After about five hours in the ER, we were discharged, and ALL of us were exhausted.

For those of you not familiar with febrile seizures, they are caused by a sharp increase in temperature in a short amount of time.  We knew Munchkin was warm and not feeling well when we woke up Saturday morning.  We took his temperature and got a reading of 100°.  We usually let fevers ride so that they can fight whatever needs fighting in his little body, so we decided to just watch him throughout the day.  About 45 minutes later, Hubby noticed his little body twitched a couple of times.  He registered that that may not be normal, and then Munchkin began seizing.  The actual seizure lasted for probably a minute and half, which felt like an eternity but apparently is not too terribly long for a seizure.  (Some febrile seizures can last up to 15 minutes!  I cannot. even. imagine.)  Thankfully, we were able to rule out any serious cause of the seizure, but we were also left with practically no explanation as to what caused his fever in the first place.  Most likely a virus of some sort.

We visited our pediatrician today to go over Saturday’s events and to make sure nothing else was going on.  They worked us in, right in the middle of Munchkin’s usual nap time.  He was a trooper, but he passed out as soon as we got home and ended up sleeping a lot longer than I thought he would.  I also found out at his appointment that he had the beginnings of an ear infection.  After all of the weekend excitement, our doctor prescribed an antibiotic to keep us out of the ER.  😀  I spent the afternoon researching gut flora after antibiotics.  Such a fun topic 😉  This is Munchkin’s first round of antibiotics, so I’m hoping to avoid any nasty side effects.  He’s also gotten a little finicky about taking his fermented cod liver oil, so I also looked at recipes for vitamin gummies.  I found some great ideas for gummies and popsicles that will hopefully get us back on track quickly!

At any rate, I did not have time to menu plan this afternoon, and after Munchkin woke up from his nap, I was running out of time to get something on the table.  That’s when I thought of one of my favorite scrounge meals: Frittata!  We almost always have eggs in the house, especially now since they make such a great breakfast for Munchkin.  Frittatas are also a great way to use up any veggies that may be on their way out.  Because you’re sautéing them, you won’t notice if they aren’t the freshest.  Serve with a side salad and a baguette for a complete meal.  Or, embrace “breakfast for dinner” and serve up a fruit salad and maybe a buttermilk biscuit 😉

Veggie Frittata

Ingredients

2 TBS EVOO

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 onion, coarsely chopped

1 zucchini, quartered lenthwise and sliced

8 oz mushrooms (my local grocery store often runs “manager specials” on mushrooms that need to be eaten pronto; this is a great use!)

1/2 pint cherry tomatoes

1 handful kale (I had some in the freezer that I threw in; no need to thaw!)

1 large pinch herbes de provence

Salt

Pepper

1/4 cup white wine

4 oz goat cheese

8 eggs, beaten

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400°F.  Heat EVOO over medium high heat in an oven proof skillet.  Add garlic.  Cook for about 30 seconds, then add onion.  Cook for a couple minutes, then add zucchini and mushrooms.  Add salt, pepper, and herbes de provence.  Cook until mushrooms, zucchini, and onions have softened.  Meanwhile, lightly beat eggs in a small bowl and add cheese.  Deglaze the pan with the white wine and allow to cook down.  Add the kale and tomatoes, and cook until warmed through.  Add the egg and cheese mixture and reduce heat to low.  Once eggs begin to set around the edge of the pan, place in the oven to finish cooking for about 10 minutes.

Veggie Frittata

Veggie Frittata

Bon Appétit!

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Meatless Monday: Baked Brie

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One of Hubby’s favorite menu requests is baked brie.  Almost every time he’s in charge of a Costco run, he comes back with a wheel of brie to ensure it makes it onto the next week’s menu.  Who can blame him?  Cheese and crackers is a always a favorite.  We love to make it a complete meal with a side salad, some fruit, and maybe some charcuterie (on non-meatless days, that is 😉 ).  And, don’t forget the wine!

I’ve been making baked brie for so long that I don’t even remember where my recipe originated.  I actually have two ways of making it:  1) with brown sugar and 2) fruit preserves, which is how I prepared it tonight.  Both are equally delicious, and we often have a tough time deciding which way to go.  So tough, in fact, that a lot of the time I end up doing both – half a wheel for each!  I decided to just go with fruit tonight.  Munchkin picked out cherry preserves at the store today – great choice!  Blackberry and raspberry are also top picks.

I also added caprese salad to the cheese plate, mainly because Munchkin LOVES tomatoes, and we had two left from making tomato soup last week.  Just enough for him!  (He ate almost the entire selection of caprese himself!)  This is a great meal for these early Spring nights when all we want to do is soak up every last second of sunshine rather than worry about what’s for dinner.  Munchkin literally cried when we had to come in for the night.  We are all SO over winter and rainy weather!  A week and half of colds and sore throats in this house has not helped.  Tonight, we are thankful for daylight savings time, a later sunset, and warmer weather on its way.

Baked Brie

Ingredients

1 Wheel of Brie Cheese

Fruit Preserves (choose one without corn syrups!)

Filo dough, thawed

3 TBS butter, melted

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°.  Cover the top of the wheel of brie with fruit preserves.  I used about 3 TBS, but use more or less to your liking.  Place preserves-side down on top of a stack of filo dough.  2 layers at a time, fold the filo up around the wheel and brush with butter to seal together.  Turn the wheel 90° or so with every layer so that the cheese is completely covered.  When finished, brush the entire outside with butter.  Bake for about 30 minutes or until lightly browned.  Let sit for about 10 minutes before serving.

Baked Brie

Baked Brie

Bon Appétit!

 

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One Pot Wonder Wednesday: Chicken Quinoa Chili

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This recipe has quickly become one of our favorite cold-weather dishes.  It cooks in the crock pot, and it will feed a party!  It makes plenty to eat, freeze and give away!  Just serve with some tortilla chips and any of your favorite chili toppings.  To reheat, add a little chicken stock.

Chicken Quinoa Chili

Ingredients

1 cup quinoa, rinsed with boiling water

1 28-oz can crushed tomatoes (low sodium)

1 15-oz can diced tomatoes (low sodium)

1 can green chilies

2 cups black beans, cooked (or 2 15-oz cans)

1 cup frozen corn

2 1/2 cups chicken stock

3 chicken breasts

1 large green pepper, chopped

1 tsp onion powder

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp crushed red pepper

1 tsp chili powder

Instructions

Season chicken with salt and pepper and place at the bottom of the crock pot.

Mix remaining ingredients and pour over chicken.

Cook on low 5-7 hours.

Remove chicken and shred, then return to crock pot and stir.

 

Chicken Quinoa Chili

Chicken Quinoa Chili

Bon Appétit!

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Meatless Monday: Thai Spaghetti Squash

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I tend to get into ruts when I discover a new ingredient.  Lately, I’m all about cooking with spaghetti squash.  It is so easy and so delicious! It’s just an added bonus that this mysterious vegetable can masquerade as one of the ultimate comfort foods: pasta.  While it’s not an invisible substitution in that I don’t forget that I’m not eating pasta, what is amazing is that I don’t miss it.  The spaghetti squash has such a creamy consistency that it complements all of those usual pasta dishes seamlessly.

Most of the recipes I’ve tried so far have instructed to roast the squash in the oven, but I discovered a short cut that involves one of my favorite kitchen gadgets: the crock pot.  That’s right – you can cook spaghetti squash in the crock pot in about 2 hours. It requires no water or seasoning. Amazing!  Seriously, I’m beginning to wonder if there’s anything the crock pot can’t do.  (So far, I haven’t found a way for it to do my dishes; anyone? 😛 )

The peanut sauce in this recipe was also easy.  Just dump all the ingredients into a small saucepan and heat.  I think I would have liked the sauce to be a little thicker, but it still had a lot of flavor and even a little hidden curry spice that added a nice complexity.

Thai Spaghetti Squash

(Adapted from Leelalicious)

Ingredients

1 spaghetti squash

1 large garlic clove, minced

1/4 cup cilantro, chopped

2 TBS chopped peanuts

Sauce

1 can coconut milk

1/4 cup natural peanut butter

1/4 cup water

1/4 cup coconut sugar

2 TBS red curry paste

2 TBS soy sauce (I like Bragg Liquid Aminos)

2 TBS sesame oil

Instructions

Cut spaghetti squash in half, remove seeds, and place in crock pot cut sides down.  Cook on high for about 2 hours.  One cooked, shred the meat of the squash with a fork.

In a small saucepan, combine the sauce ingredients.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer for 5 minutes.

In a sauté pan over medium heat, combine garlic, cilantro and about 1/2 cup of the peanut sauce.  Once bubbling, add the squash and peanuts and stir to combine.

Serve with additional sauce.

Thai Spaghetti Squash

Thai Spaghetti Squash

Bon Appétit!

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Meatless Monday: Adventures in Beets & Pomegranates

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I recently discovered beets. Yes, you read that correctly: BEETS. I guess they haven’t technically been hiding from me my whole life, but I just have never noticed them before. I’ve had several opportunities recently, though, to try them out, and each time, I LOVED them! This past Friday I was out for a girls’ dinner, and we decided to try the restaurant’s beet and goat cheese ravioli. Yum!  So, I was inspired to somehow incorporate beets into my Meatless Monday meal this week.  I searched Pinterest and found some delicious looking recipes, but I needed something that didn’t involve too much prep because, well, Mondays.  Enough said, right?!  We’ve been having cold and rainy weather, so soup and salad was calling my name!

I chose this Rainbow Winter Salad from Pinch of Yum.  It called for another new-to-me ingredient: pomegranate.  I was recently at a friend’s house for dinner, and she mentioned how much she loved pomegranates in the winter.  I do love pomegranate juice, but I have never attempted to buy a whole pomegranate.  It always seemed like so much work.  She assured me it wasn’t, so I picked one up at the store.  I’ll confess that a whole week had gone by without me looking at it again.  When I saw this salad recipe, though, it was just the nudge I needed.  Let’s make it an adventure!

To go with this salad, I thought a butternut squash soup would be good.  Let’s just round out the rainbow while we’re at it!  I had made a recipe previously intending to share it for Meatless Monday, but it just fell short.  I mistakenly only had beef stock in the house, rather than the veggie stock the recipe called for.  I attributed the miss to that substitution.  So, I decided to give the recipe another go.  Well, turns out, the stock was not the reason, or rather, it’s actually the entire reason.  I just felt like there wasn’t enough butternut squash flavor in the dish.  I don’t think I’ll be making that one again.

Nick and I usually agree on most tastes and flavors (except for cucumbers and asparagus – for me; and sriracha on EVERYTHING – for him), but tonight we were total opposites.  I was happy how my roasted beets turned out, but he saved all of his for the munchkin.  (Don’t all toddlers love beets? 😉 )  He thought the soup was delicious, and I told him to not get too attached.  Oh well!  You win, you lose some.  While I enjoyed the salad, I don’t think it will be going on my normal rotation.

So, tonight, instead of sharing actual recipes with you, let me share with you some kitchen tips I learned in my experiment with new ingredients.

Beets

I mentioned in my pizza post that I’ve been trying to make more items at home instead of buying them already prepared.  Tonight’s salad recipe called for either pickled beets or freshly roasted beets.  Now, there are two really good reasons to cook at home:  1) it’s cheaper and 2) I know all of my ingredients.  I decided I didn’t want to have to sift through jars or cans of beets looking at ingredient lists.  I looked at one of my favorite kitchen tips website The Kitchn and found instructions for roasted beets.  Easy enough.  Now, I’ll share with you!

You will need:

1 bunch of beets

Foil

Paper Towel

Method

Preheat oven to 400°F.  Cut greens off beets, leaving about an inch of the stems at the top.  Wash beets and wrap individually in foil.  Roast in the oven for about an hour, until soft.  Once cool enough to handle, wrap in a paper towel, and peel off the skin.

Watch out for beet-stained fingers 😛

Pomegranate

So, if you’re not familiar with pomegranates or only with pomegranate juice that comes in a bottle at the store, you may not realize that pomegranates are mainly just seeds.  Tiny little seeds.  To enjoy the pomegranate, you must first release all of those seeds from its skin.  The method I used tonight was super easy, and as an extra bonus, it’s a great way to release any pent up frustration.  😉

You will need:

Pomegranate

Knife

Rubber Spatula (or similar)

Small bowl

Method

Cut the pomegranate in half horizontally so that you have a top and a bottom.  Hold one half over the bowl, cut side down.  Then, muster up all that frustration and smack the top of it with the rubber spatula.  The seeds should start falling into the bowl.  Continue until all seeds have been loosened, and then, repeat with the other half.

Bon Appétit!

 

 

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Meatless Monday: Black Bean Chili

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Tonight I’m taking it back. This recipe was one of my first adventures in cooking back in college. Let’s just say that the first trial was more of a learning exercise because the end result was just short of a disaster.

Life lessons from Black Bean Chili:
1. Black beans will turn a wooden spoon PURPLE (Sorry, Roomies!)

2. Black beans take A LONG TIME to cook

I had faith, though, that this recipe was a keeper.  Even through the semi-cooked beans, I could taste the delicious flavor.  (Hello, Chipotle Peppers!)  I’ve tweaked the recipe over the years into this version.  No matter how many times I tried, I could never get the beans to fully cook within the time frame noted in the recipe.  It would take HOURS longer, in fact.  Finally, after too many times of eating semi-cooked beans or eating what could be considered dinner-for-breakfast, I decided to throw it all in the crock pot and see how I fared.  Success!  Recently, I also replaced the called-for chili sauce after discovering it had too many ingredients on my “do not eat” list.

Hubby specifically requested this recipe this week.  What’s better than a bowl of chili on a cold freezing night?!  It was definitely the perfect day for chili today!  (The icy rain is still falling as I type.)  This recipe is great served in a bowl with all of the usual chili toppings; you can also throw it over some tortilla chips for some black bean nachos or spoon some onto a tortilla for a quesadilla.  And, trust me, you will have enough left overs to try all of these serving suggestions. 😉 You could also throw some into the freezer for another rainy day!

Black Bean Chili

Adapted from Food Network

Ingredients

3 lbs black beans, dry
2 quarts water
2 onions, chopped
2 green peppers, chopped
2 TBS chipotle chili pepper*
1 TBS salt
1 TBS black pepper
1 15-oz can tomato sauce
1/2 cup brown sugar
4 TBS apple cider vinegar
1/2 tsp allspice
1 15-oz can diced tomatoes, no salt added
3 TBS chili powder
1 TBS cumin
Juice of 1 lime
1 bunch cilantro, chopped

Toppings

1 bunch cilantro, chopped
Greek Yogurt
Fresh diced tomato
Tortilla Chips

Instructions

Throw all the ingredients into a slow cooker, and cook on high for 6 hours or until beans are soft.  Serve with suggested toppings.
*Chipotle peppers are sold on the ethnic aisle in your local grocery store.  These peppers are what give the chili its distinct flavor.  Feel free to adjust to your liking.  Most recipes only call for one or two at a time, so I stick the leftovers in the freezer.
Black Bean Chili

Black Bean Chili

Bon Appétit!

 

 

 

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One Pot Wonder Wednesday: Roasted Salmon with Veggies

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This recipe just might be the easiest one you’ll ever make.  Really.  I try to put fish on our menu once a week.  It’s so good and so good for you!  All of those omega-3 fatty acids are great for so many reasons.  I’m always looking for ways to make fish more interesting, but this is one recipe I keep coming back to.  We usually roast veggies for dinner anyway, so this falls right into our normal meal.  Any fish and any veggie combination really will do!

You could definitely get away with seasoning your fish and veggies, roasting, and then serving, but this recipe also includes the addition of a yummy dill dressing.  Salmon and dill go great together!  I think salmon has a distinct flavor, and dill, being a strong herb on its own, pairs nicely with it.  If you decide to use another type of fish, I would probably just use my favorite salad dressing, or skip it altogether.

Roasted Salmon with Veggies

Adapted from Martha Stewart

Ingredients

4 salmon filets

1 bunch kale, thinly sliced

1 cabbage, thinly sliced

1 butternut squash, peeled and chopped

EVOO

Salt

Pepper

Zest and juice of 1 lemon

1/4 cup dill, chopped

1 tsp dijon mustard

Instructions

Preheat oven to 450°F.  Combine veggies in a large bowl and toss with EVOO, a pinch of salt, and a few grinds of pepper.  Spread onto a large baking sheet.  Bake for 20 minutes (butternut squash will still be firm).

Rub salmon with EVOO and season with salt and pepper.  Add to baking sheet, skin side down.  Bake for about 10 minutes.

Whisk dijon with lemon zest, lemon juice, and dill.  Slowly whisk in about 1/4 cup EVOO.  Salt and pepper to taste.  Drizzle over salmon and veggies before serving.

Roasted Salmon with Veggies

Roasted Salmon with Veggies

Add a baguette and your meal is complete 😉

Tip:  If you’re using a few-days-old baguette, just put your hands under the faucet running cold water, then pat the bread, and bake in the oven for about 5 minutes.  The moisture will freshen up the dry bread, but eat it quickly!

Bon Appétit!

 

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Meatless Monday: PIZZA!

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Pizza is usually our go-to fallback meal when we don’t feel like cooking.  We currently have three favorite spots within a mile of our house.  We alternate by which toppings we’re in the mood for.  (We have a favorite combination at each place.)  But, pizza is super easy to make at home! If I’m in charge, I just throw it in the oven on a pizza stone; if Hubby is in charge, he kicks it up a notch and throws it on the Big Green Egg.  If you have kiddos at home who love to help in the kitchen, this is a great meal to get them involved.  You could even make personal pizzas so that everyone can have his or her favorite topping combination!  (Just thinking out loud here, but this would be a fabulous choice for a family movie night. 😉 )

Most grocery stores sell prepared dough in their bakeries.  (Trader Joe’s even has a whole wheat option!)  I used to make my own pizza dough all the time, but I got into the habit of picking it up at the store instead.  I usually ended up grocery shopping on my way home from work, and pizza was a quick meal to throw together when getting home late and out of energy.  (Grocery shopping is exhausting, y’all! 😀 ) I’m trying to do a better job of grocery shopping either on the weekends or first thing in the morning, so that I’m not too worn out to cook after filling up my fridge and pantry! I’ve always loved the irony of unpacking a kitchen full of fresh fruits and veggies only to pick up the phone to order take-out instead of throwing together an easy meal.  Trust me, I am very guilty of this!  One of Michael Pollan’s Food Rules that has stuck with me, though, is to make your own junk food.  I have an *unofficial* goal of trying to make at home those processed foods we do buy, primarily bread.  I tend to shop out of the fresh bakery section of whichever grocery store I’m in, but some of their “artisinal” recipes can really put a dent in my wallet.  Breads are actually easy to make at home; it just takes a little trial and error to find your favorite recipe!

As I said before, I used to make my own pizza dough all the time, and I’ve decided it’s time to bring back the homemade dough.  I “cheat” and make it in my bread maker.  While not a necessary piece of equipment, it certainly simplifies the process!  (You can also use a stand mixer with a dough hook!)  All I do is throw in my ingredients, select pizza dough, and wait about an hour.  At this point, the dough has been kneaded and risen.  I just leave it in the bread maker until I’m ready for it, and it’s ready to go. Now, the fun begins!  Use your favorite toppings or follow the recipe below for our favorite combination.

I mentioned above that we have three favorite pizza spots.  Well, we actually have four.  All of you ATLiens know the spot of which I speak:  the one that quickly became and continues to be a hot spot, the one where you can BYOB, and the one where you MAY just have to stand around with pizza box in hand until a seat opens up at one of the communal tables.  😉  Antico is not on our normal rotation just because of the convenience factor;  parking can be difficult, and while they take phone orders, they don’t actually place your pizza in the oven until you have shown up and paid.  But, the pizza is AMAZING!  Our favorite is their San Gennaro.  It’s a little bit sweet and a little bit spicy with the best little red peppers I’ve ever tasted.  Seriously.  So.  Good.  One night we were making pizza at home, and we were at The Fresh Market (around the corner from us = very dangerous!) picking up the ingredients.  Lo and behold, we saw those same little red peppers on the antipasto bar.  Could it really be?  We, of course, grabbed some, and now, no pizza is complete without their bright cherry red goodness.  You will thank me for this tip 😉

Sweet Pepper Pizza

Ingredients

1 1/2 plus 2 TBS water

2 TBS EVOO

4 cups whole wheat flour

1 tsp salt

1 tsp cane sugar

2 tsp yeast (I buy the jar that I then keep in the refrigerator; more bang for your buck, and it will last awhile.)

Pizza sauce (Just use some tomato sauce or crushed tomatoes)

Salt

Italian Seasoning (a couple pinches)

Fresh Basil

8 oz Mozzarella Log (Use the fresh stuff; I’m a fan of whole milk dairy – none of that low- or non-fat for me!)

1/4 LB sweet red peppers (Fill the smallest container at the antipasto bar)

Cornmeal

Instructions

In a bread maker, pour in the liquid ingredients first (water and EVOO).  Then, add the flour, salt and sugar without mixing with the water.  (I like to use a knife or spoon to gently scoop the flour out of the measuring cup to avoid splashes!) Make a small indentation in the middle of the pan right next to the mixing blade.  Add the yeast.  My bread maker has a pizza dough setting, and it takes 55 minutes.

Once the dough is ready, preheat the oven to 500°F.  Cover a pizza stone with cornmeal and place in the oven to preheat.  On a flat surface (I like to use a pizza pan or other sheet pan for easy transfer), spread a generous amount of cornmeal and roll out the dough.  Keep your fingers wet to avoid sticking.  Don’t worry too much about making a perfect circle.  Next, add the sauce.  If using tomato sauce or crushed tomatoes, add a sprinkle of salt and a few pinches of Italian seasoning.  Next, spread whole fresh basil leaves on top of the sauce.  Then, add slices of mozzarella, and finish off with the sweet red peppers.  Bake for 10-15 minutes until the crust is starting to brown.

Pizza

Bon Appétit!

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