After dinner tonight, Hubby said, “I like polenta.”

Agreed.  I don’t fix it nearly often enough.  It’s delicious.  And, easy.  And, hearty.  It’s really a great winter dish.  When I think of polenta, I think of sophisticated grits.  Polenta is generally made with yellow corn, whereas Southern grits are generally white corn, but they are basically the same thing.

I adapted this Williams-Sonoma recipe due to time.  I really MEANT to go to the grocery store yesterday.  And, when I knew it just wasn’t going to happen, I really MEANT to AT LEAST menu plan last night.  That didn’t happen either.

I quickly threw together a menu during Munchkin’s nap, then managed to also shower (Thank The Lord!), then waited for him to wake up.  (He always seems to choose the days that I need to run an errand after nap to sleep the longest!)  After giving him some time to fully wake up, let the fur babies out, and put on shoes, it was after 5.  Eek!  I thought I was very efficient, but shopping for four dinners just takes time, especially when comparing food labels.  (No fun, and an activity that usually leaves me frustrated and annoyed with the food industry.  There are SO many things on my “look out” list, and it feels like a new item gets added every. single. day.)  Before I knew it, Hubby was calling me to say he was on the way home from work.  And, I still hadn’t checked out, yet!  Yikes!

I game-planned on the way home where somehow I managed to get only green lights and NO after-work traffic.  Hallelujah!  Get Munchkin out of car seat.  Leave car unlocked.  Unlock house, turn off alarm, preheat oven, thaw Munchkin’s frozen snack that I forgot to take out of the freezer before leaving for the store. Let Munchkin run around with the fur babies outside (within eyesight) while I unload the car (in 3 stages).  Lock car (to avoid waking up at 2 am wondering if I locked it!).  Pull out only the veggies needed for dinner and get busy chopping!

Munchkin really wanted to play outside ALL DAY today, but it was freakin’ COLD!  The sun barely came out.  We played outside for a few minutes this afternoon before nap, but we did not get in our usual Vitamin D quota.  Our backyard is not exactly baby toddler-proofed.  Munchkin can now manage the step down from our kitchen door onto our breezeway and the proceeding steps down;  one goes toward the courtyard that is enclosed by a picket fence, and the second goes toward our paver patio that leads to a set of steps flanked by a 3-foot retaining wall.  With no railing or gate.  It’s been on our list for YEARS, but we’ve never had a physical need for a railing.  Aside from the fact that building code requires one, we just figured we would get around to it before placing the house on the market.  Little did we know that we would actually WANT one prior to that.  (I wonder how many baby gates I could rig together to create one long railing?)  Poor Munchkin was heading towards the stairs just as I was picking up the chef’s knife!  (Don’t worry – no one was harmed during dinner prep!)  As I put the knife down and ran out to follow (i.e., distract) him, he headed towards the kids outdoor chairs we have set up around his sensory bin.  Aha!  I grabbed the chair and the munchkin and brought them both inside without so much as a “Maaaaom.”  Success!  He happily played with that chair for the next 15 minutes until Hubby got home.  I’m always relieved when something so simple as bringing a chair into the kitchen avoids a before-dinner-hunger meltdown, or an anytime meltdown for that matter.  Then, I begin to wonder if EVERY meltdown is so easily avoided?

Hubby walked in just before I put the veggies in the oven to roast, and then I realized just how long this recipe was going to take.  Way too long to consider actually feeding Munchkin this dish for dinner.  That’s when I realized that I could cut the time in half by leaving off the last half of the instructions.  Luckily, I’ve made polenta often enough to know that it doesn’t have to bake in the oven.  I actually have NEVER baked it.  I’ve always served it warm off the stove, just how one would serve grits for Saturday morning breakfast.

Munchkin asked for seconds, and Hubby approved with the aforementioned statement.  I think I pulled it off.   😉   You can be the judge. . .

Polenta with Roasted Veggies

Adapted from Williams-Sonoma

Ingredients

3 TBS EVOO

1 small eggplant, cut into 3/4-inch pieces

2 small zucchini, cut into 3/4-inch pieces

2 small yellow summer squash, cut into 3/4-inch pieces

1/2 red onion, cut into 3/4-inch pieces

1 orange bell pepper, seeded and cut into 3/4-inch pieces

Salt and freshly ground pepper

1 cup stone-ground polenta (I purchase corn meal; Hodgson Mill is what I used tonight to be exact.  As with any corn product, verify that it is non-GMO!)

2 TBS unsalted butter

1 cup (4 oz) grated Parmesan cheese (Buy a wedge and grate it yourself!)

2 cups (8 oz) shredded fontina cheese

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 450°F.

In a large bowl, combine the eggplant, zucchini, summer squash, red onion and bell pepper. Drizzle with the 3 tablespoons oil, season with salt and pepper, and toss to combine. Arrange in a single layer on a large baking sheet. Roast, tossing once, until the vegetables are caramelized, about 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a heavy saucepan, bring 4 cups water to a boil over high heat. Add a large pinch of salt.  Reduce heat to medium.  Stirring constantly, very slowly add the polenta. Cook, whisking constantly, until the polenta begins to thicken and all lumps are gone, about 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to low and continue to cook the polenta, stirring frequently, until the polenta is soft, about 25 minutes. Add the butter, Parmesan and fontina and stir until the cheeses melt.

Serve the polenta in a bowl topped with the roasted veggies.  Add more cheese if desired 😉

Bon Appétit!

I love a good curry.  Panang curry is my current go-to when ordering out.  And, while I usually satisfy my curry craving with take-out, it is surprisingly easy to incorporate curry into home-cooked meals.  Each time I’ve attempted a curry recipe at home, I’ve been rewarded with nothing short of yumminess!  (Very technical term, here!)

Tonight’s meal does not disappoint!  Cauliflower is not one of my staple vegetables.  It just seems to me, well, boring.  And, I’ve found that if I find an ingredient or recipe “boring,” I don’t get excited about fixing it.  That usually leads to me suggesting a spontaneous eat-out.  I find myself pinning lots of cauliflower dishes to my recipe board, but I think this is the first one to make it onto my menu.  During dinner, I said to Hubby, “The cauliflower actually tastes GOOD!” We both had seconds. I even opted to have leftovers instead of going out to eat. For burgers. That’s saying something!

I followed the suggestions in this recipe completely:  incorporating papaya and apricot preserves.  I would suggest you do the same – SO GOOD!

Cauliflower Lentil Curry

(Pinch of Yum via Pinterest)

Cauliflower Lentil Curry

I’m cheating this week.  I actually made this Sunday, but it is too good not to share!  This recipe has been in my folder for several years.  I really should make it more often than I do.  It’s super easy and super good for you.  It’s also an impressive-looking dish.  The one-pot aspect makes it perfect for company.  (In fact, I have made it several times for dinner parties!) I also like using whole chickens because it gives everyone his or her favorite kind of meat.  My preference is dark meat, but I find that most people prefer white meat.  And, a bonus is that you can then use the discarded carcass for some awesome homemade chicken stock! (If you’re really being resourceful, save the peels from all the veggies you use in this recipe to add to the stock, too!)

I mentioned yesterday that Hubby and I are attempting to organize our lives this year.  One example of our reorganization is advanced meal planning.  Now, I also mentioned that I’m pretty good about dinner prep, but we’ve been lacking in our breakfast and snack selections.  We usually have leftovers for lunch (Hubby brown bags it everyday!), but there are the occasional nights when I’m not feeling up to my original plan or maybe I forgot to thaw a key ingredient (that doesn’t happen to anyone else, does it?!).  On these *rare* (wink, wink, nudge, nudge) occasions, we’ll grab a pizza or one of our other take-out favorites (Malaya or Hankook), and there are not always leftovers.  Hubby then either scrounges for lunch, which usually turns into him skipping it altogether, or he picks up another favorite:  Chick-fil-A (Oh so delicious, but the #1 is not especially good for the waistline).  While at Costco last weekend, we picked up lots of healthy snack options for him and also decided to grab one of their 2-packs of organic whole chickens.  This way, we could have something on hand in case our menu changed over the course of the week.  Since it rained all. freakin’. weekend., I decided to make this recipe, so that Hubby wouldn’t have to stand over the Big Green Egg with an umbrella (that has definitely happened before).

This is also a great recipe to use up whatever you have in the fridge.  It calls for sage and thyme, but any herbs would be delicious.  Any vegetables you have that you would normally roast would also be great!  This time, my onion was rather large, so I ended up using only half for the cavity; I spread the other half with the other veggies around the chicken.  Delicious!  I couldn’t find celery root this time (if you haven’t tried it before, please give it a go!), so my picks were turnips, parsnips, and some old carrots.  You could easily use baby carrots to save on the prep time.  I’ve used sweet potatoes and regular potatoes before, too.  I considered throwing in some Brussels sprouts, but they were earmarked for another dinner, so I stopped myself.  My point is: use whatever sounds good!  Have I sufficiently talked-up this recipe?  😉

Whole Roasted Lemon-Herb Chicken on a Bed of Vegetables

(Via Eating Well)

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup fresh sage leaves, divided
• 1/4 cup fresh thyme sprigs, divided
• 2 lemons, divided
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 1 teaspoon salt, divided
• 3/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper, divided
• 1 small onion, quartered
• 1 4- to 4 1/2-pound chicken
• 4 large carrots, cut into 1/2-inch chunks
• 3 medium turnips, peeled (see Tip) and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 2 celeriac roots (1 1/2-2 pounds total), peeled (see Tip) and cut into 1/2-inch cubes

Preparation

1. Position rack in lower third of oven; preheat to 400ºF.
2. Chop 8 sage leaves and place in a bowl with 2 teaspoons thyme leaves. Squeeze the juice from 1 lemon into the bowl. Add garlic, 1 tablespoon oil, 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper; mix well. Set aside.
3. Pierce the remaining lemon all over with a sharp fork. Cram the lemon, onion and the remaining sage and thyme into the chicken cavity.
4. Place the chicken breast-side up on a cutting board. Use your hands to gently loosen the skin covering the breast, thighs and the top end of the drumsticks. Smear the lemon-herb mixture under the skin, covering as much of the meat as possible.
5. Toss carrots, turnips and celeriac in a large bowl with the remaining 1 tablespoon oil and 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper until well coated.
6. Place the chicken breast-side up in a large roasting pan (but not on a rack). Scatter the vegetables around the chicken. Bake, stirring the vegetables occasionally, until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of a thigh without touching bone registers 165°F, 1 to 1 1/4 hours.
7. Transfer the chicken to a clean cutting board and let rest for 10 minutes before carving. Transfer the vegetables from the roasting pan to a serving dish with a slotted spoon, leaving behind as much of the fat as possible. Serve the chicken with the vegetables.

I have a good size round Le Creuset (thanks to my MIL) that is perfect for this dish!  Best part:  oven-to-table, and it’s festive enough for company!  I also use the probe setting on my oven.  Do y’all have this option?  It’s pretty great!  Hubby usually cooks the big pieces of meat on the Egg, so I don’t pride myself on being a great judge of “doneness.”  (Apparently, “doneness” isn’t a word 😉 )  We’ve tried several different kitchen thermometers, but I must have a knack at breaking them!  So far, though, the probe has worked well for me.  On my oven, I preheat to the desired temperature.  Then, I go into the options and select probe cooking.  I then have the option to select the temperature at which the meat should be considered done AND the temperature at which I want it to cook.  Insert one end of the probe into the port in the oven and the other end into the meat.  Then, just wait for the oven to beep and tell you “probe cooking end.”  Easy peasy!  No fooling with a hot oven and hot piece of meat trying to get an accurate read!

Unfortunately, I didn’t get a picture of the finished chicken before Hubby cut into it, so all I have is a picture of my favorite part: the leg with a spread of yummy veggies!

Whole Roasted Chicken

Remember when I said sometimes plans change and we MAY pick up a pizza instead?  Well, my plan was to cook this Sunday evening for dinner and then have the leftovers available for Hubby for the week.  But, our grocery trip was delayed, and there was no way I could prep AND cook in time for dinner.  (The only downside to this meal is the cook time.)  So, we picked up Fellini’s, and I made the chicken AFTER we ate dinner.  It cooked while Munchkin had bath and story time, and Hubby was able to prep his salad for lunch the next day before bed.  Not what we had planned, but it ended up just fine!

Bon Appétit!

It’s the first Monday of the new year!  ! – ?  I’ve always had a love/hate relationships with Mondays.  To me, Monday has always been the start of a new week.  I’m sure this is a big debate for some of you.  The fact that one can select either Sunday or Monday as the first day of the week in any e-calendar is an indicator that this is a dividing subject.  Yes, Mondays can be tough in the sense of getting back into a routine, having that alarm clock go off rather than easing into wakefulness, and having to go back into the office.  (Those of you with kids may be laughing at any of the three previous statements!  Fur babies count, too! )  For some reason, Mondays are to me the first chance to get things right in the new week.  Hubby had both the 1st and the 2nd off from work, so we’ve been in extended vacation mode since last Wednesday.  I’d like to call this Monday the first chance to get things right in the new year!

So far, I think we’re off to a great start!  (Let’s revisit in a week 😉 )  I managed to menu plan for the first half of the week yesterday.  Lately, I feel like I’ve been scrambling to meal plan, grocery shop, and cook on Mondays, which leaves me feeling unorganized.  Hubby and I did some pseudo-organizing in the kitchen yesterday, and we decided we wanted to work on cleaning out the pantry.  How many open boxes of pasta do we have?  Too many!  How about containers of rice?  Again, too many!  So, this first meal of the week is attempting to use up some of that rice.  I found a mushroom risotto recipe on Pinterest that is made in the (gasp!) crockpot!  We’re giving it a go!  I LOVE risotto, but it is a time-consuming dish with all the necessary stirring.  You probably know by now that I LOVE my crockpot (French Onion Soup, Enchiladas, Chicken Stock, or BBQ chicken anyone?), so anytime I can put it to use AND simplify a complicated dish, that’s a win-win in my book!

Slow Cooker Risotto

(Wilderness Wife via Pinterest)

Instructions

1. Heat the oil in a saute pan and over medium heat saute the shallots until they are translucent.
2. Coat the inside of the slow cooker with olive oil.
3. Add the sauted shallots and oil to the slow cooker.
4. Add the rice and coat with shallot/oil mixture.
5. Add ¼ cup of wine and chicken broth.
6. Add the salt and thyme and stir ingredients together.
7. Place cooker on slow cooker and cook on high for 2 hours or until liquid is absorbed into rice.
8. minutes before the rice is done, sauté mushrooms in sauté pan with 1TBS of olive oil and ¼ cup of white wine.
9. Stir cream and cheese into slow cooker and stir. Let the mixture heat for another 5 minutes.
10. Serve with mushrooms on top. (And, of course, my favorite side salad!) (And, of course, a glass of white wine – the one already opened for the recipe would be perfect 😉 )

Mushroom Risotto

I’ll be 100% honest and confess that this risotto is not AS good as the real thing, but it is pretty darn close.  And, the fact that I didn’t have to stand by the stove and stir it for 20 minutes while trying to entertain a toddler more than makes up for the slight difference in texture.  😀

Bon Appétit!

Well, it’s definitely that time of year.  Time for sneezes, sniffles, and coughs, and just plain yucky-ness!  (That is my official term!)  The cold windy weather doesn’t help either.  It just makes me want to snuggle up under a blanket on the couch with a good book and stay there until Spring 😉  Too bad (or maybe thankfully) Munchkin doesn’t agree.  There is not much that slows him down, not even a cold.  So, if I can’t escape, I might as well embrace this wintertime with a little feel-good recipe: Chicken Noodle Soup!

I mentioned the other day that we’ve been battling colds in our house for over two weeks now.  Munchkin came down with a cold first, and then Hubby caught something.  I thought I had escaped it because I wasn’t having any symptoms, and then one day it hit me.  And, it hit me hard.  It took me the longest to get over it, and so, I decided I needed the magic that is chicken noodle soup to get me over the hump.  I think it helped 😉  Along with multiple trips to the new Arden’s Garden just down the street from us.  (Thanks, Hubby!  He even stopped one morning before going to work to get me a fresh smoothie plus reinforcements, including the ginger shooter, for the day.)  We all seem to have a lingering tickle in our throats, but we are almost fully recovered.

I’ve made a couple versions over the years, and they have somehow morphed together into this recipe. It’s so nice to have a straightforward recipe on days when you’re not feeling 100% yourself or when you’ve been caring for someone else not feeling his or her best. (Aren’t babies just pitiful when they’re not feeling well?)

You could make this recipe in the crock pot by just throwing all the ingredients in and cooking on high for 4 hours or low for 8 hours, but I think it’s just as easy and actually quicker on the stove.  Plus, I like to sauté the veggies first for an added layer of flavor.

Chicken Noodle Soup

Ingredients

2 lbs skinless chicken thighs (The dark meat has extra nutrients to battle sickness and bone-in will add some extra flavor to the broth; skip the skin, though, or you’ll end up with a fattier broth.)

5 carrots, peeled and chopped

1 onion, peeled and chopped

4 celery stalks, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 TBS herbes de provence

1 inch fresh ginger, peeled and grated

3 TBS EVOO

1 TBS turmeric

Fresh thyme sprigs

Water

2 bay leaves

Egg noodles  (Look for ones made of just flour, egg and water)

Fresh dill

Fresh parsley

Juice of 2 lemons

Instructions

In a large stockpot, heat EVOO on medium and sauté chopped veggies with garlic, ginger, and herbes de provence.  Once the veggies are soft and the onions are translucent, add the chicken, turmeric, bay leaves and thyme sprigs.  Fill the pot with water, bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer.  Simmer for about 45 minutes, until chicken has cooked through and the broth has developed its flavor.  Remove the chicken and pick the meat off the bones.  Turn up heat until broth is boiling.  Then, add the dill, parsley, and noodles and cook to al-dente.  Add the chicken meat back and juice 2 lemons into the stock.

Chicken Noodle Soup

Bon Appétit!

We don’t eat a lot of eggplant usually.  I like eggplant – when I order it out, but it always somehow falls flat when I cook it at home.  Maybe it’s like tofu and requires a secret club to know how to prepare it?  Is it just me?  So, I see recipes including eggplant that look delicious, but I hardly ever work up the courage to try them.  Well, not this time!  This is actually the second time I’ve made this recipe – it’s that good!

I think the secret for this recipe is letting the eggplant sit.  The first time I made it, I didn’t have the full 40 minutes to allow it to sit.  It was still good, but this time was even better!  (I also omitted the olives and the capers.  We’re a little selective on olives in our family.  I don’t have anything against capers – I just forgot them!)

Eggplant Pomodoro With Angel Hair Pasta

Ingredients

• 1 medium eggplant, (about 1 pound or 5 cups), cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 shallots, quartered
• 1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (1 lemon)
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 8 ounces angel hair pasta (sub quinoa pasta for gluten free)
• 1/4 cup chiffonade basil

Instructions

1. Place eggplant in a colander and season generously with salt. Fill a 1-gallon plastic bag with water, seal tightly and place over eggplant to weigh down. Let stand for 40 minutes
2. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add eggplant and cook, stirring occasionally, until just softened, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and shallots and cook, stirring, until fragrant, 30 seconds to 1 minute.
3. Add wine, lemon juice, tomatoes, olives, and capers. Cook, stirring, until the tomatoes begin to break down, 5 to 7 minutes more.
4. Remove from heat, add butter and stir till it’s melted.
5. Bring 4 quarts of water to a boil in a large pot
6. Cook pasta in boiling water until just tender, about 6 minutes or according to package directions.
7. Drain and divide the pasta among 4 bowls. Spoon the sauce over the pasta and sprinkle basil on top.

Munchkin was such a fan of this dish, too.  He had 3 servings of eggplant to go with his pasta.

Bon Appétit!

Tonight’s recipe is such a staple in our house that I’m surprised I haven’t already shared it.  It was adapted from an old Rachael Ray recipe; I say “adapted” because I no longer use a recipe and make a different variation every time; I say “old” because this recipe is not even on the Food Network website!  My whole family has gone through a big 30-minute-meals phase over the years.  Between us, we probably own all of the cookbooks.  (I think I’ve mentioned how fondly Hubby thinks of 30-minute-meals, right?)

I can safely say that this is a guaranteed 30-minute-meal.  While this meal is actually two separate recipes, they go perfectly together for a couple of reasons:  1) The oven temperature is THE SAME.  (Hallelujah!  How many times have you attempted to prepare several recipes for a meal only to find that they all need a different oven temperature.  So. Annoying.)  2) You can easily prep one recipe, pop in the oven, and then prep the other recipe.  No overlap.  This is especially beneficial to someone like me who forgets what she’s saying mid-sentence.  I often tell 5 stories within 1 story.  Oh, wait. . .were we discussing Meatless Monday here?  😀

Aside from the ease of preparation, I love this recipe simply because it lends itself so well to variation (what I also call improvisation).  Seriously, as long as you have the portobellos, you can make do with whatever you have in the fridge.  Don’t let the lack of specific ingredients keep you from making this.  I promise:  It will still be delicious!

Roasted Potatoes with Rosemary & Garlic

Ingredients

1 bag of small potatoes (I used Yellow Dutch tonight; red or purple are also great!)

3 TBS EVOO

Salt & Pepper

5 Pinches Dried Rosemary (Recipe technically calls for fresh, but use what you have)

2 large cloves of garlic, minced

Directions

Preheat oven to 450°F.  Cut potatoes into small wedges.  (I cut them in quarters lengthwise and then in half.) In a bowl, drizzle the potatoes with the EVOO, then add salt & pepper to taste along with the rosemary.  (If using dried rosemary, I like to crush it in between my palms as I’m adding it.  I feel like this step releases the flavor of the dried herb.  I could be totally making that up.)  Place on baking sheet.  Roast for about 12 minutes.  Then, add in the garlic and stir the potatoes around.  Roast for another 12 minutes or until the potatoes are soft and starting to brown.  (I like my roasted potatoes especially crispy, so you can continue to cook for an additional couple of minutes to your liking.)

After you have put the potatoes in the oven, you can now work on the portobellos.

Roasted Portobellos

Ingredients

4 portobello caps (1 cap is usually enough for each of us, although the recipe calls for 2 caps per person to make a “burger.”)

EVOO

Balsamic Vinegar

Salt & Pepper

Arugula (or other baby greens)

4 slices of Mozzarella (any cheese will do; I actually used provolone because that’s what I found in the store.  You want 1 slice per cap)

OPTIONAL:

Roasted red pepper

Prosciutto (obviously not suitable for Meatless Monday, but a delicious addition nonetheless.  😉 )

Directions

Place portobellos gill side up on a baking sheet.  (I choose not to trim out the gills; some people prefer an actual cap.  If you do choose to scoop out the gills, you will definitely need 2 caps per person!)  Sprinkle with salt & pepper; then, drizzle with EVOO and balsamic.  Roast for about 12 minutes.  Add the cheese slices and roast until melted, about 2-3 minutes.  (If using prosciutto, add it now as well.)  Add a handful of arugula to each cap.  Sprinkle again with salt & pepper and a drizzle of EVOO and balsamic.  (If using the roasted red pepper, chop and add with the arugula.)

Your potatoes and portobellos should finish cooking at about the same time.  Perfection!

Roasted Portobellos with Arugula and Roasted Potatoes

Bon Appétit!

I thought of tonight’s Meatless Monday recipe last week.  I was trying to remember some of my other go-to soup recipes as we got hit with a full-on winter cold spell around here!  I remembered how good this soup tastes!  It may appear to be a difficult recipe because of roasting the broccoli, but it takes no time at all and really adds another depth to the flavor.  Hubby was satisfied with one bowl!

We were down at my sister’s for Halloween last Friday, so we were able to check out the PTC Farmers Market Saturday morning.  If y’all live in the area, check out the “almost perfect” table at Annie’s Baking table.  I got a bag of muffins and a whole wheat loaf of bread for $5.  What a deal!  While, soup and grilled cheese is a favorite cold-weather meal, somehow cheese soup AND a cheese sandwich just seems like a bit much.  (My Hubby would disagree, I’m sure!)  Instead, I toasted a couple of slices in the oven with a small pat of butter after the broccoli was done roasting and then rubbed it with the cut side of a garlic clove.  I also fixed a small side salad with red onions, cherry tomatoes, and feta cheese.

Munchkin is still learning how to use a spoon to actually eat, rather than just make noise, but we dipped some pieces of bread into the soup for him.  I’m a firm believer that kids should eat what the rest of the family eats.  Thankfully, our little eater hasn’t made it an issue, yet.  (I’m hoping it never happens!)  He happily gobbles up whatever is put in front of him.

I found this recipe several years ago on The Kitchn.  This is one of my favorite sites for recipes and general kitchen know-how.  Check it out!

Roasted Broccoli & Cheddar Soup

Ingredients

2 tablespoons oil, divided
1 leek, washed (I bought a pre-trimmed leek to save on prep time)
1 medium waxy potato
1 bunch broccoli (about 1 1/2 pounds)
6 cups vegetable stock, chicken stock or water (I used a combination of vegetable stock that I had leftover from this recipe and made up the difference with water)
1 cup grated extra-sharp cheddar cheese
Salt and pepper
Lemon wedge
Crème fraîche or yogurt (optional) (I used Crème fraîche; sour cream or even goat cheese would work as well!)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 425°F. Thinly slice the white and light green portion of the leek. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large pot over medium heat and add the sliced leek. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the leek is soft. While the leek cooks, peel and chop the potato into 1-inch chunks. Add the stock and potato to the pot and bring the mixture to a boil.

While the stock is coming to a boil, chop the broccoli into florets and spread onto two sheet pans. If the excess broccoli stalks are tender and tasty, they can be peeled and added to the pans. Drizzle the remaining tablespoon of oil over the broccoli, sprinkle with a little salt and put the pans in the oven. Roast for 5 minutes. Stir the broccoli and return to the oven for 5 more minutes.

Once the stock is boiling, add the broccoli and bring to boil again. Simmer until both the potatoes and broccoli pieces are tender when pierced with a fork, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat. Puree soup with an immersion blender or in batches with a regular blender. Add the cheese and stir until it has melted and incorporated into the soup. Taste soup and adjust the seasoning. If you are not serving the soup with crème fraîche or yogurt, add a squeeze of lemon. Serve topped with a small dollop of crème fraîche or yogurt, or a grind of fresh pepper.

Roasted Broccoli & Cheddar Soup

My favorite kitchen gadget during cold weather is my immersion blender.  If you don’t have one, I would seriously recommend investing in one.  You will save so much time (and sanity!) not having to transfer soups in and out of a blender or food processor.  It doesn’t have to be anything fancy;  ours is actually a hand-me-down from Hubby’s grandfather.  I’m not sure what he was doing with an immersion blender to begin with, but we definitely lucked out as a result!  I had no idea what I was missing!

Bon Appétit!

Wednesdays can be tough. It isn’t called “hump day” for nothing! Middle of the week; last weekend is a distant memory; the coming weekend not quite close enough. (Although, I think I could give an explanation as to why each day of the week can be hard! 😯 ). For the past few weeks, I’ve been experimenting with one-pot meals, and I have to tell you that I’m hooked! So far, these have been easy prep AND easy cleanup. Can’t beat that!
Tonight’s pick was no exception. I went in a new direction tonight with a Mexican dish, unlike the previous pastas (Meatless One Pot Pasta and One Pasta with Andouille, Tomatoes & Basil). It’s also a double whammy in that it qualifies as a one-pot wonder AND a Meatless Monday pick. I served it with some tortilla chips; a little shredded Monterey Jack or cheddar would have been a great addition. (You can also see that I served it on our fine china in honor of our *GASP* 9-year anniversary!) We all had seconds! If you happen to have leftovers (we barely scraped together a small Tupperware container), they would be delicious rolled up in a tortilla.

One Pan Mexican Quinoa

Damn Delicious via Pinterest
Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 jalapenos, minced
• 1 cup quinoa
• 1 cup vegetable broth
• 1 (15-ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 (14.5 oz) can fire-roasted diced tomatoes
• 1 cup corn kernels (use frozen organic corn)
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 1 avocado, halved, seeded, peeled and diced
• Juice of 1 lime
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves

Instructions

• Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add garlic and jalapeno, and cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 1 minute.
• Stir in quinoa, vegetable broth, beans, tomatoes, corn, chili powder and cumin; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat and simmer until quinoa is cooked through, about 20 minutes. Stir in avocado, lime juice and cilantro.
• Serve immediately.  Serve with tortilla chips, and top with a little shredded cheese.

One Pan Mexican Quinoa

Bon Appétit!

I can’t take FULL credit for finding tonight’s recipe. I pinned it recently from my sister’s board. We hung out last week for a jewelry party (so fun!), and she mentioned she had just made it. I remembered the pin when she mentioned it and decided it would go on this week’s menu.

I LOVE butternut squash and love finding creative ways to incorporate it into a meal. This was a perfect pick for Meatless Monday: it highlights all the best flavors of the veggies, AND it’s filling enough to be the mainstay of the meal. Although I was a little behind schedule today, I was still able to get it on the table within an hour – about half an hour active prep and another half-hour cook time.  I served it with (what else?!) my favorite side salad; tonight’s selection included spring mix, craisins, and white balsamic vinegar.  YUM!

Butternut Squash & Spinach Stuffed Shells

(Key Ingredient via Pinterest via Pinterest 🙂 )

(My comments in red)

Ingredients

1 box jumbo shells (Look for whole wheat, although very difficult to find; I had to settle for white pasta because I had run out of time to stop at Whole Foods!)

Butternut squash (buy whole and chop yourself or buy pre-chopped to save yourself a little prep time)

2 cups ricotta cheese

1/3 cup Parmesan cheese

1 clove garlic, smashed and coarsely chopped

1/4 cup frozen spinach

1 egg

Salt

Pepper

Peel of 1 lemon

Freshly grated nutmeg (this is a delicious addition to both greens and squash!)

1 stick butter

10 sage leaves

Juice of 1 lemon

Directions

Peel, chop and toss in olive oil your butternut squash, then in a hot oven roast at 425F for 15-20 minutes. Cook your jumbo pasta shells according to directions. In a bowl add 2 cups of ricotta, 1/3 cup parmesan cheese, 1 fresh smashed garlic clove (coarsely chopped), 1/4 cup frozen chopped spinach, 1 egg, salt, pepper, your cooled down roasted squash, around 2 cups, and grated lemon peel. (And, grated nutmeg!) Stuff the shells with the mixture and place in a buttered baking dish. Make a sage brown butter sauce by melting 1 stick of butter in a sauté pan until golden brown and bubbly. Add at least 10 sage leaves until slightly crisp. Turn off heat, and squeeze in fresh lemon juice. Place your shells in a 400F oven until heated through around 20-25 minutes. When finished, spoon your warm sage sauce all over, and sprinkle with grated Parmesan.

Bon Appétit!