Salsa Verde

This is probably not the most traditional Salsa Verde recipe. I made it up on the fly, but I really love the fresh flavor and bright green color. It's delicious eaten with tortilla chips, or you pour it over pork roast or chicken.

If you're not familiar with tomatillos, they look like little green tomatoes but they're actually a member of the gooseberry family. Because of this, they grow covered in a papery outer covering

Stuffed Zucchini

I has some leftover quinoa and lentils from other recipes I had made today, so I decided to throw them together as a stuffing for some baked zucchini boats. I have to say, it turned out even better than I expected!

This recipe was quick and easy, inexpensive and super healthy. 

My take on an classic Indian dish (Aloo Gobi)

Sometimes inspiration hits at the strangest times. Case in point, I was watching "An Idiot Abroad", the Ricky Gervais series (you MUST watch it!!). I made it to the second episode where Karl visits India. Suddenly, I couldn't stop thinking about how badly I wanted Indian food for dinner. I did a quick google search and compared the recipes to my pantry items. After a few ingredient adjustments, I settled on this version of Aloo Gobi. It was exactly what I was looking for: healthy, hearty, and easy to prepare. Plus, it's vegetarian/vegan and grain free (if you're interested)

(Confession: This photo was from a google search because my cooking skills are MUCH better than my photography skills. However, this photo looks just like my dish did... minus the fancy garnish)

Recipe: Side Dishes part deux

If you've been following along with my ramblings, you now have some leftover crock-pot chicken, homemade chicken broth, Spanish rice and some Latin style black beans. Sounds like the makings of a delicious soup to me!!

Cheesy Chicken Enchilada Soup

Easy Recipes: 2 side dishes for 2 meals

Made a Mexican themed dinner the other night and decided to make everything (mostly) from scratch...

I served the following recipes as side dishes to pan grilled burritos stuffed with seasoned ground beef, black olives and cheddar cheese, topped with a little sour cream and Tapatio hot sauce. 

The BF isn't a fan of Mexican food (he HATES cumin), but he asked me to write these recipes down so that I'd be able to make them again.

Note: A bad side effect of making up recipes on the fly is not being able to reproduce them... Oops. 

Good thing I have a blog to save all my recipes now!

Latin-Style Black Beans

1 c Dry black beans, soaked per package directions

1/2 onion, chopped

3-4 strips bacon, chopped

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp chili powder

2 Tbls cilantro (fresh, if available)

pinch Cayenne pepper

salt to taste

Rinse and drain beans

Return beans to pot, add 3 c hot, salted water

Bring to boil. Cover halfway. Reduce to simmer for 90-120 minutes (until beans are tender and remaining liquid is thickened)

Fry bacon until crispy. Add onions to bacon pan and saute until soft. Season mixture with cumin, chili powder and pinch of cayenne. Stir over heat for another minute or two to release the flavors of the dried spices. Add onion/bacon/spice mixture and cilantro to cooked beans. Stir to combine.

Spanish Rice

1 Tbls Olive oil

1/2 onion, chopped

garlic, minced

1 c rice (brown is most nutrient dense)

1/3 c tomato sauce or crushed tomatoes (I had some roasted, pureed and frozen from last season)

1 2/3 c chicken broth (home-made if you have it)

1/2 c diced tomatoes (also frozen after last season)

salt and pepper

Add olive oil to pot, heated over medium heat. Saute onions and garlic until tender.

Add dry rice and continue to cook over medium heat until golden and slightly puffed (about 5 minutes)

Add tomato sauce and chicken broth and salt (to taste)... homemade broth may need more salt

Bring to boil. Cover and reduce heat. Simmer for 15 minutes (until all water is absorbed)

Stir in diced tomatoes

Each recipe makes about 6 servings. Save 2 servings of each if you can. Posting a soup recipe tomorrow :)

Homemade Beef Stock

I just posted a similar entry on last Friday about making chicken stock. Beef stock is even easier. Plus, there are a lot of benefits you get from homemade stocks and broths that you won't get from store bought...

"When you ingest bone broth, it feeds the body with collagen, which is the building block of cells to bones, ligaments, cartilage and the brain.  Gelatin, a form of collagen used in food, is used (among other benefits) to help digestion because the liquid gets absorbed into the body quickly and without much effort. Making bone broth excellent for people with food sensitivities and gastrointestinal disorders because it is usually very safe and tolerable for the body." (http://doctorauer.com/benefits-of-bone-broth/)

Button Soup (AKA: Stone Soup)

One of my favorite stories growing up was "Button Soup" ( sometimes called Stone Soup... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stone_Soup). In a nutshell, it's about a community coming together to make a meal for everyone when they all thought they had nothing... probably thinly veiled Communist propaganda, but I digress. The story is really sweet, and I think of it whenever I make this soup. The basic recipe is the same each time, but the outcome varies depending on what I have on hand.

Quinoa with Sauteed Kale and Dijon Vinaigrette

I threw together a delicious, easy, healthy lunch to use up the odds and ends in my fridge. Thought the recipe should be shared here:

New Year's Resolution: Pursuit of the Perfect Pizza

I don't make New Year's resolutions. Why resolve to make a MAJOR change ONCE a year? That's way too much pressure for this lazy hippie. Instead, I like to set up frequent, attainable goals for myself. My latest goal was to learn how to make the perfect homemade pizza. I vowed that I would accomplish this by the end of winter. 
I started my journey in mid-December and was able to accomplish it by New Year's Eve. Looks like I can relax until Spring