Caramelized Apple Salad

This dressing was absolutely delicious to me. The one thing I would do differently, though is dice the apples for the salad instead of slicing. As visually appealing as nice thin slices of apple are, they are somewhat harder to eat in a salad. I would definitely do this again. You could put whatever salad veggies you want as long as you keep the bacon, pecans (or other nut) and apple chunks.

This recipe was adapted from Food52.

Caramelized Apple Salad

For the salad:

• 4 handfuls or 1-2 bags lettuce (your preference)
• 1/4 celery root, peeled and cut into matchsticks (I couldn't really taste this with everything else, so it's up to you to put it in or not)
• 1/2 fennel bulb, very thinly sliced
• 3/4 cups pecans, toasted (or your preferred nut - make sure to toast them though. Spritz with cooking spray and cook about 5 min in a 350 degree oven.)
• 5 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled/cut
• 1 green apple, diced

Caramelized Apple Vinaigrette:

• 2 ounces brown sugar
• 3 ounces plus 1 ounce apple cider vinegar
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 gala apple, peeled, cored and medium diced
• 1-2 Tbsp lemon juice
• 4 ounces olive oil
• 2 ounces canola oil
• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme
• salt

In a small skillet over medium heat add 3 ounces vinegar and the sugar. Let it reduce until the color turns a dark caramel color and begins to thicken. You will start to see big foamy bubbles on the surface.

Add the apples and garlic and sauté until the apples are cooked through, about 5 minutes. Stir occasionally.

Remove from heat and put in the blender with the oil, 1 ounce of vinegar, thyme, lemon juice and a pinch of salt. Blend until the dressing is emulsified. 

Mix all of your salad ingredients together and top with the dressing. Enjoy.

Raw Granola Bars

The interesting thing about these granola bars is you are supposed to eat them directly from the freezer. Not the most convenient of granola bars but man are they good. I've made 3 different batches, all with different kinds of nuts. The cashew bars were a bit too salty for my tastes, so I would make them with the unsalted, or 1/2 salted nuts next time. 

Then I made some with smoked almonds (I would have used regular, but that was what we had at home - still very tasty, though) and another batch with pecans (my favorite kind of nut and thus my favorite bar). 

Long story short, just use whatever nuts you prefer. You could even use mixed nuts if you wanted to.

This recipe was adapted from Shutterbean.

Raw Granola Bars

• 10 Medjool dates, pitted and chopped (about 1 cup)
• 1 cup nuts of your choice
• 1/2 cup raw oats
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• heavy pinch sea salt

Place the dates, cashews, oats, maple syrup, cinnamon and a heavy pinch of sea salt in the food processor. Process for about 30 seconds until you have a dough that resembles oatmeal raisin cookie dough. 

Place parchment paper in the bottom of an 8-inch square baking pan (I used some spring clips to hold the paper in place - See this picture for reference, if needed). Place the oat mixture in the pan, and spread evening with your hands. Pat the mixture down evenly and then cover with more parchment paper (it was somewhat difficult to pat down with the paper under it, but doable with the clips). 

Put the baking sheet in a freezer for at least 4 hours (overnight works a bit better). When relatively firm, remove from the freezer and cut into about 1.5x4 inch rectangles (you should be able to get 12 bars at this size). I wrapped them up into individual parchment paper

If they are served at room temperature, the squares apparently get too soft and sticky. They remain chewy when they eaten right out of the freezer.

California Roll Salad

I love Japanese food (including edamame) and I love avocados. This salad is a great blend of flavors and the miso vinaigrette tastes just like something you could find in a Japanese restaurant. I would definitely make this again. I was too lazy to cut the nori nicely, so it was not as pretty as it should have been, but it was tasty.

This recipe was adapted from Shutterbean.


California Roll Salad

• brown rice, cooked and cooled (I made 2 cups for 3 people)
• 1 cup shelled frozen edamame, thawed
• 1 Tbsp rice vinegar
• 1 tsp honey
• romaine lettuce, chopped (or your preferred lettuce type)
• 1 cucumber, cut into small pieces
• 1 medium size carrot, shredded
• 4 tsp sesame seeds
• 2 sheets nori, chiffonaded
• 1-2 avocados, chopped
• 1 recipe Green Onion-Miso Vinaigrette (recipe below)

In a small bowl, mix the edamame, rice vinegar and honey together, set aside.

Set out your bowls and divide the ingredients evenly among them. Start with the lettuce, then drizzle dressing on top. Add rice, cucumber, carrot shreds, sesame seeds, and avocado to the lettuce. Drizzle more green onion miso dressing, top with nori, and serve. (Feel free to use more or less of the toppings per serving to taste.)

Green Onion-Miso Vinaigrette

• 1/4 cup red miso
• 1 cup roughly chopped green onions
• 3 tbsp rice vinegar
• 2 tsp minced ginger
• 1 clove garlic
• 2 tsp honey
• 2 tsp toasted sesame oil
• 1/2 cup water

Put everything in a blender and blend until smooth. Chill until ready to use.

Cinnamon Biscuit

As my brother said...dinner was good but then dessert came out. And it was good! I may not make the most  visually appealing food, but it sure does taste delicious. Yummy, moist biscuits with cinnamon and sugar with a hint of vanilla - what could be better? I apologize for the blurry picture, I thought I had a good one...I was wrong. This was the least blurry of the lot.

This recipe was taken from Two Peas & Their Pod.


Cinnamon Biscuits

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3 Tbsp dark brown sugar, divided
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon, divided
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 cups heavy cream, divided
• 1/2 cup cinnamon chips, divided
• 3/4 cup confectioner's sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Heat the oven to 425°F. Lightly grease an 8 x 8-inch baking pan and set aside.


In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, 1 tablespoon brown sugar, baking powder, 1 teaspoon of cinnamon, and salt, breaking up any large clumps in the brown sugar. Pour in 1 1/2 cups of the cream and mix just until combined. Dump the dough onto a lightly floured surface and pat into a long, thick rectangle (about 8x16). The dough will be firm, yet wet and sticky.


Slice the rectangle into 8 equally-sized squares. Lay four of the squares in the prepared baking pan. Sprinkle the remaining 2 tablespoons of brown sugar, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, and half of the cinnamon chips over each square. Place the remaining biscuit dough squares on top and lightly press the edges to seal. Top the biscuits with the remaining cinnamon chips.


Bake for 14 to 16 minutes, or until the biscuits are slightly golden brown on the outside and just cooked through.


Whisk together the remaining 1/2 cup cream, confectioner's sugar, and vanilla extract. Lightly drizzle the biscuits with this glaze. Serve immediately.

Rieska

This is apparently a bread originally from Finland. In honor of my plans to go there this summer, I decided to make it. And man was it good. My parents actually went back for more after dinner. That never happens. I was very shocked. It's good plain, or with butter or even with jam too. It seems to be very versatile with toppings. It sort of reminds me of a thick oatmeal pancake - delicious.

This recipe was adapted from King Arthur Flour.


Rieska

• 1/2 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
• 1 cup barley flour (they said pumpernickel or rye flour, but my dad doesn't like those, so we chose the last option of barley)
• 1 cup King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 Tbsp sugar
• 1/4 cup (4 Tbsp) unsalted butter
• 1 1/2 cups buttermilk

Preheat the oven to 500° F. Grease a 9" x 13" pan (I used parchment paper as well to more easily get it out of the pan).

In a large bowl, whisk the oats and flours with the baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar.

Work the butter into the dry ingredients until thoroughly distributed. Stir in the buttermilk. The mixture will be very sticky.

Transfer the dough to the prepared baking sheet and, using wet hands, pat it out so it fills the pan and spread evenly with a spatula (or something similar).

Bake the bread for 15 to 17 minutes, until the top is light golden brown and springs back when gently touched. Remove the bread from the oven (be careful, the pan will be REALLY hot) and cool it on a rack before slicing. (Pulling the bread from the pan bent the bread slightly and made a crease in it, but that's not a big deal - if that happens, just cut along the crease if it bothers you.)

Apple Chili and Oat Scones

This turned out very well. The chili was slightly tart from using green apples and the scones were slightly sweet from the brown sugar (they pair really well with cinnamon butter). I would definitely make these again. Though with the chili, I used chunks of chicken and I felt that is wasn't chili-like enough for my tastes and I would use ground chicken next time - which I changed in the recipe here.

The apple chili was adapted from Kitchen Trial and Error.


Apple Chili

• 2 lbs ground chicken
• 4 tsp chili powder
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 2 apples, cut into bite size cubes (I used green)
• 1 onion, chopped 
• 4 Tbsp unsalted butter 
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour 
• 2 cups chicken broth 
• 3/4 cup 2% or whole milk (I used 1% though, so just use what you have available)
• 15 oz can pinto beans, rinsed 
• 15 oz can white beans, rinsed 
• 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese (original used Monterey Jack cheese and I totally didn't realize it)

Coat the bottom of a large sauce pan or Dutch oven with olive oil and place over medium heat. Add the chicken, chili powder, and cumin and cook until the chicken is cooked through, about 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a bowl and set aside.

In the same pot, coat the bottom with olive oil again. Add the apple and onion and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the apple onion mixture to the chicken and set aside.

In the same pot, melt the butter over medium low heat. When melted, whisk in the flour and cook a couple minutes until the flour browns. Add the chicken stock and milk, whisking continuously, and cook until thickened, a few minutes.

Stir the apple chicken mixture and the beans to the stock mixture and bring to a simmer. Stir in the cheese and serve.  

The oat scones were adapted from The Cilantropist.


Oat Scones

• 2 cups white whole wheat flour
• 2 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/3 cup rolled oats
• Zest of 1 lemon (about 1 Tbsp)
• 1 1/3 cups heavy cream
• 1 tbsp butter, melted
• 2-inch cookie cutter 
• Extra rolled oats for sprinkling (optional)

In a large bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, salt, brown sugar, oats, and lemon zest.  Slowly stir in the heavy cream, and mix until the dough just comes together.  It will be sticky and crumbly at the same time, so turn it out onto a well-floured surface, knead it for a minute or so, then pat it into a circle or rectangle that is between 3/4- and 1-inch thick.  

Cut into rounds using a plain or fluted 2-inch round cutter, then transfer the scones to a baking sheet lined with parchment.  (To make it easier, dip the cutter into a small bowl of flour each time before you cut out the scones.  Then shake the cutter slightly to pop out the scone from the cutter - don't push it out.)  Or, if you don't have a cookie cutter, cut the scones into triangles that are about 2 inches long.  

Before baking, brush the tops of the scones with some of the melted butter.  If you like, you can sprinkle the top with some extra oats.  Bake the scones at 400 degrees for 18-20 minutes, checking occasionally, or until the tops are a dark golden brown.  

Once they are finished, remove them from the oven and cool completely.  Serve immediately, or store in an airtight container. 

Spicy Turkey Meatballs

I love spicy food - not the spicy food like my mouth goes numb, but I like some heat on occasion. These meatballs fit the bill perfectly. I was worried they would turn out too hot, but I pleasantly discovered they weren't. Super easy to make, which is also a big plus to any recipe. And it's easy to alter the heat by adding or leaving out the Sriracha.

This recipe was adapted from Life's Ambrosia.


Spicy Turkey Meatballs

• 1 pound ground turkey
• 1 egg beaten
• 1/2 yellow onion, minced
• 2 green onions, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 2 teaspoons sesame seeds
• 2 tablespoons sriracha
• 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 tablespoons oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine all ingredients except oil in a bowl. Mix well to combine. Roll into meatballs (I made 21).

Heat oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Cook meatballs until browned (I found flipping them the hardest part of this as they were very fragile and wanted to fall apart). Transfer to a baking dish.

Bake in the preheated oven for 20 more minutes or until cooked through. Serve immediately.

3CPB Monkey Bread

YUM! I love monkey bread so I decided a while back to make my own. It's not difficult since you use pre-made dough and yet it's super yummy. First, I ran across a banana monkey bread and thought that sounded wonderful. Then, I ran across a cream cheese filled monkey bread and decided that sounded even better so I was going to make that. Then I had an epiphany! I could combine them! Awesome! 


THEN...I found a caramel pecan cinnamon roll bread and decided to take the topping from THAT and put it on my delightful creation. I have to say that MAN did it turn out beautiful! (I even broke out the GOOD camera to take pictures of this amazingness!) Thus the caramel, cream cheese, pecan, banana monkey bread - or 3CPB for short! 


This turned out really well. I was worried it would end up too sweet with all the sugar and caramel, but it wasn't.

This recipe is adapted (a combination) from Pip and Ebby, Plain Chicken, and Pinch of Yum.


3CPB Monkey Bread

• 6 Tbsp butter, melted
• 1/2 cup caramel ice cream topping 
• 1 cup chopped pecans

• 2/3 cup dark brown sugar
• 2/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1 Tbsp cinnamon

• Two 12-ounce tubes refrigerated flaky buttermilk biscuits
• One 8-ounce package cream cheese, cut into 20 cubes
• 2 large bananas, cut into 20 slices
• 10 Tbsp butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 12-cup bundt pan with cooking spray; set aside (I totally forgot to do this step but luckily it didn't stick to the sides at all with all the caramel and butter in there). In a medium bowl, combine the sugars and cinnamon; set aside. Combine the 6 Tbsp melted butter, caramel and pecans; set aside.


Slice 10 discs of dough from each tube of biscuits. Set discs on a flat surface and set one slice of banana and one cube of cream cheese in the center of each piece of dough. Wrap edges of dough up and around the cheese so all that is visible is the top side of cream cheese cube. 


Dip 10 of the dough-wrapped cheese cubes, cheese-side-up, into the caramel pecan mixture and place in the bottom of prepared pan. Top with half of the sugar mixture and half of the butter (5 Tbsp). Top with the remaining dough-wrapped cheese cubes, cheese-side-down, the remaining sugar and remaining butter.


Bake in the preheated oven for 40 minutes. Invert onto a serving platter and serve. (When I got it out of the oven I thought it looked good, but then I inverted it and wow it was out of this world!)

Bran Muffins

I have always loved bran muffins but the problem is the only boxed mix available that I used to buy started putting raisins directly in the mix instead of in a separate packet as an optional add in. I do not like raisins in my muffins (or anywhere else, really) so to make that mix I had to sift out all the raisins. Too much work. So I looked around and found myself a recipe I thought looked good and wasn't too difficult.


I am glad I went with this one as it turned out excellent. The original recipe gave the option to put in some raisins but I've found out recently that I really like dates, so I decided to put some dates in instead. That was a wonderful idea also - the honey-like taste of the dates blended very well with the bran muffins. I ended up making 12 muffins (as I gave half the batter away) and I seriously wanted to eat all of them they were so good.

This recipe is adapted from the Joy of Baking.com.


Bran Muffins

• 1 1/2 cups oat bran (the original recipe called for wheat bran, but I couldn't find wheat so I substituted with oat - use whichever you prefer)
• 1/3 cup boiling water
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 1 cup light brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 2 Tbsp unsulphured molasses
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup white whole wheat flour (or whole wheat...w.w.w. is what I had available)
• 2/3 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 Tbsp freshly grated orange zest (about 1 medium-large orange)
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 3/4 cup milk (I ended up running out of milk and used 1/2 cup milk and 1/8 water and 1/8 cup heavy whipping cream to substitute)
• 3/4 cup buttermilk
• 1/2 cup chopped dates (to about the size of a raisin)

Place the oat bran in a bowl and stir in the boiling water (it gets a bit clumpy - don't worry). Set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, or with a hand mixer, beat  the butter with the brown sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the vanilla and molasses and beat until well blended. Add the oat bran and beat until combined.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flours, oats, cinnamon, orange zest, salt, baking soda and powder.   

In a small bowl or measuring cup combine the milk and buttermilk.

Add the flour mixture (in three intervals), alternating with the wet ingredients (in two intervals) to the bran mixture, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Fold in the chopped dates. Cover and place the batter in the refrigerator until well chilled (several hours or overnight, like I did). 

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F and place the rack in the center of the oven. Line a 12 cup muffin pan with paper liners or else spray with a nonstick vegetable spray.

Fill the muffin cups, using two spoons or an ice cream scoop, about 3/4 full (and if desired, sprinkle muffins with extra oats). Bake about 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool slightly before serving. Serve with butter and honey, if desired.

Banana Nut Baked Oatmeal

Wow...if you love banana nut bread and oatmeal this is the perfect dish for you. Super delicious and wonderfully filling. Plus it is super easy to make. I'm sure you could put in the nut of your preference, so I use pecans because they are my nut of choice.

This recipe is adapted from Budget Bytes.


Banana Nut Baked Oatmeal

• 1.5 cups (about 3 large) mashed bananas
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp nutmeg
• 2 cups milk
• 2.5 cups old-fashioned oats
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans

Begin preheating the oven to 350 degrees. Mash the bananas well with a fork (the riper they are the easier to mash). Measure the bananas to make sure you have about 1.5 cups.

Whisk the mashed bananas together with the brown sugar, eggs, salt, vanilla, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Next whisk in the milk, then stir in the oats. Roughly chop/break the pecans and stir them in as well.

Spray the inside of a glass baking dish (8x8 inch or similar size) with non-stick spray. Pour in the oat mixture. Cover with foil and bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for another 15 minutes or until the center is solid and the edges are slightly golden brown.

Serve warm or refrigerate and enjoy cold! Can eat with maple syrup or milk (or a combination of both is good, too).

Chili Relleno

I was home alone so it was egg-speriment night for me. I decided after making that quiche to try my hand at making actually chili relleno, and it turned out better than I expected. I did use a bit to much oil and it was a little oily tasting, but otherwise it was quite yummy. We have a sun-dried tomato spread with jalapenos that I decided to put on top and it went really well together.

Chili Relleno

• 2 pasilla peppers
• 2 eggs, separated
• 1/4 cup green pepper, diced
• 1/4 cup onion, diced
• 1-2 green onions, sliced
• 4 veggie sausage links (or any equivalent ground meat of your choice)
• 1-2 cloves minced garlic
• salt and pepper to taste
• olive oil

Place peppers on a small metal tray and broil in a toaster oven on high for 10 minutes per side, or until the skin is blistered and blackened. Place in a bowl covered in saran wrap for 5 minutes (or a sealed bag). Remove the skin carefully and make a slit down one side of the pepper. Carefully de-seed the pepper (you can cut the seeds at the top out and rinse the rest of the seeds out, then pat the pepper dry).


Meanwhile, saute your onions, bell pepper and sausage with garlic until soft. Stuff your peppers with this filling and seal edges with toothpicks.


Beat your egg whites until stiff peaks form. Beat/whip your egg yolks with salt and pepper and gently fold into your whites. Coat your stuffed peppers with the eggs and cook in a pan with oil over medium-high heat until cooked, flipping over to cook all sides (about 3 minutes per side). Serve with tomato sauce or salsa, if desired, and enjoy!

Pottage

Yummy, comforting stew. Can't get better than that on a cold day (Not that it was a cold day when I made it this time). The nice thing about pottage is you can put whatever you want in it, really. I usually make mine with beef so I use beef broth, but you could easily use pork or chicken meat and chicken or vegetable broth and it would be an entirely different stew. The original recipe also calls for oats in it, which I'm sure would be really tasty.


Just beware that this recipe calls for a lot of chopping. Takes me at least an hour to chop everything up. I like to chop everything the night before if possible (which is probably why I like making this on Monday...leaves me Sunday night to chop things up).


I am thinking next time I'll season the beef somehow before putting it in the stew. Not sure with what yet, though.

This recipe is adapted from King Arthur Flour. If you want to make this, I recommend going over to the site as they have some useful tips and a very interesting and informative article on the origins of pottage. (I do plan on making the bread that is featured in that article as well, soon - I'll let you know how it turns out.)


Pottage

• 1 Tbsp oil
• 2 turnips, diced
• 2 medium-large rutabagas (the same size as the turnips), diced
• 1/2 large onion, diced
• 1 large celery root, diced (if desired - I left it out this time as they can be pricey and the ones at the store currently are pretty small)
• 1 cup mushrooms, sliced
• 1 cup leeks, rinsed, diced and washed
• 1 cup cabbage, diced (I use red cabbage, but either is fine)
• 1 cup drained, rinsed canned beans or diced fresh green beans (I use green beans)
• 2 quarts (8 cups) stock (chicken, beef, or vegetable work - I used beef)
• 1 large or 2 small bay leaves
• 1/2 tsp ground sage
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme leaves
• 1/2 tsp finely chopped fresh rosemary
• 1 tsp dried or 1 Tbsp fresh parsley
• 1-2 lbs meat of your choice (I used 2 lbs of beef top sirloin, diced)
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/2-1 cup gluten-free rolled oats, optional (I do not use them)

Place a large kettle over medium heat. Add the oil, onions, rutabagas, and turnips. Cook, covered, for 5 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Once the harder vegetables start to get a little tender, add the mushrooms, leeks, cabbage, and beans. Cook another 2-5 minutes, then add the stock and herbs.

Bring everything to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes to an hour. (How long I simmer this for depends on how long I have left until I want to serve dinner.)

Season to taste, then add the meat and oats (if using). Cook for at least 20 minutes or as long as you like, replenishing liquid as necessary.

Swiss Chard and Meatball Soup

I LOVE this soup. I've made it several times and each time it comes out just a tiny bit different - sometimes the meatballs are mild and sometimes they pack some kick. Either way, it's so comforting and yummy. 


The original recipe uses white beans, but I find it's great without them. It's also pretty simple to make.

This recipe was adapted from Kitchen Culinaire. Feel free to try theirs if you want the white beans.


Swiss Chard and Meatball Soup

Meatballs:

• 1 pound ground turkey (ground pork also works as well, if you prefer)
• 1/4 teaspoon red chilli flakes
• 1/4 teaspoon coarse sea salt
• dash of cayenne and ancho chili powder (use more or less depending on how spicy you like it)
• 2 tablespoons minced yellow onion (I probably use more, but be careful not to use too much our your meatballs will be harder to form)
• 1 tablespoon chopped parsley

Soup:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 medium leek, sliced and cleaned well of any grit or dirt
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 bunch of swiss chard, tough stems removed and sliced into thin ribbons (about 6 cups)
• 6 cups (1 49.5 oz can) chicken stock/broth
• Salt and freshly ground pepper

To make the meatballs place the turkey meat in a medium bowl and add the minced onion, and parsley.  Add the spices to the ground meat, onion and parsley. Season with some more salt and pepper, if desired and mix gently. Form into meatballs (I scoop out portions with a very full Tablespoon then roll with my hands gently to keep them together). Set aside.


In a medium soup pot heat the olive oil and add the sliced leeks. Sauté leeks over low heat until soft and fragrant but take care not to allow the leeks to brown. Once the leeks are cooked down, add the minced garlic and sauté for a minute or so before adding the sliced swiss chard. Cook the mixture until the chard is wilted, about 2 to 3 minutes. 


Add the chicken stock, salt, and pepper to taste and bring to a simmer. Add the meatballs (With the pot I use, most of the meatballs poke above the liquid a tiny bit, so I usually put them all in, turn them all over immediately, cover the pot, and cook in the simmering soup for 13 minutes or until the meatballs are cooked through. Check and adjust seasonings. Serve hot!

Pasilla Pepper and Onion Carnitas

Just fyi.....poblano = pasilla. Not very spicy peppers, but very tasty.


And ok, so it was not my night to cook but I chose this recipe so I'm posting about it anyways. (^_^) We had the missionaries over for dinner and they LOVED it. They each had 2 huge tortillas full of the stuff. No leftovers for me that night. It was only marginally harder than just throwing dinner into a crock-pot.


I did try making some cauliflower tortillas (which is basically the cauliflower crust baked in small circles for 12 minutes, flip them and 5 minutes more). They didn't work out at all without the cheese, though I'm told the cheese ones I made for the others worked well with dinner. It just seemed like a lot of work for very little gain. I don't think I'll be making those again. Keeping them in one piece was difficult.

This recipe was taken from In Sock Monkey Slippers.

Pasilla Pepper and Onion Carnitas

• 2 1/2 to 3 pound pork loin center cut roast
• a blend of Kosher salt, black and red pepper, garlic powder, paprika (If you have Montreal Seasoning, use it here. We don't have it, so we rubbed a mix of these spices on the pork - use your judgement on amounts.)
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
• 3 poblano peppers
• 1 yellow onion
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/4 cup low-sodium chicken stock or broth

Cover all sides of the pork loin with the Montreal seasoning mixture and chili powder.


In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat and place the pork loin in the pan. Sear the meat for 3 to 5 minutes until browned. Repeat with all sides until the entire roast is seared. (This was cooked extra long to make sure it got nice and browned with all those lovely flavors.)

Place in a slow cooker, fat side up.


Cut the poblanos and onions in half rings and place in the same skillet as the meat was seared in. Add the garlic. Stir and saute  for 5 minutes until barely cooked but picks up any remaining flavor that the pork loin had previously left.


Place the peppers and onions on top of the roast in the slow cooker and add the chicken stock or broth. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours or high for 4 hours.


Once finished, remove the pork loin and shred with a fork. You can serve on a warm toasted tortilla and top with the poblanos and onions and whatever else you choose. 

Fiery Roasted Jerk Rutabagas

First off, when it says fiery, it means it! But it's not an instant heat, it creeps up on you as you eat them. I thought the flavor was really good. I would definitely do them again. I made them will some grilled pork chops with Penzeys Spices' Tsardust Memories seasoning on them, which complemented the rutabagas nicely.


[Try to ignore the lame Photoshop job. I forgot...again...to take a picture before I ate so I took one before I ate them for lunch and didn't care about getting a perfect picture at that point - but it turned out the bowl was SUPER bright and painful to look at...so there you go.]

The rutabagas were adapted from Girl Cooks World (and by adapted, I mean I used rutabagas where they used potatoes).


Fiery Roasted Jerk Rutabagas

• 6-7 medium russet potatoes, scrubbed and cut into a 3/4" dice
• 1 medium red onion, chopped
• 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
• 1  sweet bell pepper, chopped
• 5 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1 Serrano pepper, finely chopped (remove seeds if you’d like to lower the heat)
• 3 Tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon allspice
• 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 Tablespoon Sriracha
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and toss well to coat.  Spread evenly on a lightly greased half sheet pan (I used a 9x13 dish).  Roast for 40-50 minutes, turning the potatoes once 20 minutes in, until the potatoes are browned and crisp (My rutabagas didn't end up crispy, but that may have something to do with the fact that they sat in the cooling oven with foil over them for about 2 hours until I ate).  For extra crispy potatoes, broil for a couple minutes at the end of the baking time, keeping a watchful eye on the oven to prevent burning. 

Chicken & Rice

I bet you wouldn't guess that this is actually mostly cauliflower. It ended up looking like stuffing and it tasted great! I went back for seconds. Don't mind the messy plate in the picture...I almost forgot to take a picture of it at all!

I do admit I cheated a little for this recipe and I just bought a roasted chicken from Los Pollos (a local Mexican chicken restaurant). It went perfectly. If you feel up to actually making your chicken, just season it with spices that are similar to the spices in the rice.


This recipe was adapted from Perry's Plate.


Chicken & Rice

• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 green onions, chopped (optional alternative - 1 medium onion, diced and sauteed for 10 minutes prior to the celery being cooked)
• 1 cup celery, finely diced
• 1 head cauliflower, trimmed
• 1 (4 ounce) can diced green chiles
• 1-2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken (I just shredded the whole chicken)
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp chili powder
• 1/2 tsp oregano
• chopped fresh cilantro (I don't care for cilantro much so I only put in a tiny amount- if you like cilantro, feel free to use as much as you desire)
• 2 Tbsp lime juice
• salsa, to top 

In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add celery to skillet and saute for 5 minutes, until tender.

Meanwhile, place cauliflower in a food processor with the "S" blade and process until it becomes the texture of rice. (If you don't have a large food processor, I recommend doing this in 2 batches rather than trying to fit it all in at once.) Add cauliflower to skillet, cover and cook 5-10 minutes, until tender. (At about the 5 minute mark I was planning on putting in the green onions, but forgot to do so.)

Mix chilies and chicken into skillet, then stir in salt, cumin, oregano, chili powder, cilantro, and lime juice.

Serve, topping with salsa if desired.

Makes about 4-5 servings.