Roasted Sweet Potatoes

Watching TV one night, we saw Jessica Seinfeld on a show talking about her new cookbook for people who can't cook.  It contained very simple step-by-step recipes, limited to a few ingredients and perfect for those intimidated.  My hubby expressed interest in learning how to cook and this seemed like a perfect solution.  Me to him: "are you really going to use this book if I buy it?".  Him: "I promise".  (I remember thinking, geez, you have a blog at your disposal where you have a personal history with both of the ladies writing it, and you need a cookbook?)  Anyway, I ordered it for him.  That was 4 months ago and he has yet to look at it. 

Ugh :- /

To make a long story short, this is where I got this recipe.

INGREDIENTS:

3 Medium sweet potatoes
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
2-3 Tablespoons olive oil 


1.  With a vegetable brush, clean sweet potatoes and cut off edges.  (No need to peel)  Slice into 1/2 inch pieces. 
 2.  Mix sugar, salt, cumin and pepper in a small bowl

3.  Transfer potatoes to a rimmed sheet pan.  Drizzle with the olive oil and sprinkle the brown sugar mixture over the potatoes.  Mix to coat all the potatoes.

4.  Bake @ 425 degrees until tender...about 30 minutes.  

Like us on Facebook!

Cous Cous Stuffed Peppers

I was looking for a healthy recipe to add to my new year's resolution recipes...this was the first one I came across that I wanted to add to my recipe box! Its a healthier version of traditional stuffed peppers that have tons of meat, cheese and rice! The cous cous I used was whole wheat and you could really put any combination of vegetables inside the peppers, but I decided to use onions, zucchini and tomatoes. This is a great dish for vegetarians and you could also eliminate the feta cheese to make it vegan. Very yummy and felt good to eat! 

Ingredients

3 Bell peppers, halved and seeded

1 small zucchini, chopped

½ onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

Cherry tomatoes, about 10, halved

1 cup dried Cous Cous

¼ cup feta cheese

½ cup chickpeas

1 15 oz. can tomato sauce

1 TBS. dried Basil

½ tsp. pepper

1. Prepare the cous cous according to the box directions, mine says to boil 1 cup of water with a TBS. of olive oil. Once the water is boiling, add in 1 cup of cous cous and stir. Cover and remove from heat, fluff with a fork after 5 minutes.

2. In a large pot, bring water to a boil. Add in pepper halves and boil for 10 minutes. Remove and set aside. 

3. In a medium saucepan, sauté onions, zucchini and garlic for about 5 minutes. Add in cherry tomatoes and sauté for another 5 minutes. Remove from heat.

4. In a large bowl, mix together cooked cous cous, chickpeas, onions and zucchini mixture, dried Basil, pepper, ½ cup tomato sauce and feta cheese.

5. In a glass baking dish, pour the rest of the can of tomato sauce and placed in finished boiled pepper halves. Fill each pepper with cous cous mixture.

6. I had extra of the cous cous mixture because I could only fit 5 pepper halves in the pan, so I poured the extra cous cous mixture all around the peppers.

7. Cover with aluminum foil and cook in a 350 degree oven for 50 minutes.

Like us on Facebook!

Grilled Corn on the Cob

Mmmmmmmm...there's nothing better than buttery, sweet corn on the cob in the summer time!  I am always looking for ways to cook corn on the grill, since we typically have it going so much in the summer.  I have grilled with the ears completely cleaned and directly on the grill, and I have grilled with the husks still on, but not with much luck.

I was looking on a recipe site and found this winner!  And since you cook it in foil, it stays quite warm, rather than keeping the corn sitting in the boiling water, only to get soggy.  So it is great if you are entertaining.  Haha-we always laugh at all the couples on HGTV shows who MUST purchase a house or renovate a house for "entertaining", even if they are moving to a foreign country where they know no one!

Ingredients
Corn on the cob, fresh and shucked
Melted butter
Salt, pepper
Basil and Parmesan cheese (optional)
Aluminum foil
Ice cubes (you'll see...keep reading)

1.  On a piece of foil large enough to wrap cob twice, place the ear of corn and slather each ear liberally with melted butter, using a pastry brush.

2.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper; I used fresh ground peppercorns.  I also added a little basil and Parmesan cheese.  

3.  Here comes the wacky part...place 1 ice cube next to the ear of corn and wrap cob so the foil covers the ear twice, folding over the edges.

By adding the ice cube, it keeps the corn moist.  

4.  On a gas grill, cook 8-10 minutes on medium-high heat (low rack); turn over and grill for an additional 8-10 minutes.  The site where I found this recipe added this note for preparing on a charcoal grill..On a charcoal grill, lay them directly on the prepared coals (red inside, completely covered with grey ash). Still you'll want to flip the corn after 8-10 minutes.

Like us on Facebook!

Grilled Mixed Vegetables

This dish could really be made with any vegetables you have on hand. I love cooking vegetables on the grill because I think they get so much more flavor. My favorites to cook on the grill are zucchini, yellow squash and onions. Mix everything together in a bowl and then coat with olive oil. Add a little bit of salt and pepper, parsley flakes and a little bit of red pepper flakes and you have a really tasty dish! One thing that makes this dish so easy is that I have a grill basket. If you don't have one...you should definitely check it out and possibly invest in one! You can obviously use skewers instead, but the grill basket makes for a very easy dish and ensures that all of the vegetables get that delicious charred effect on the outside.

Ingredients
Zucchini, chopped
Yellow Squash, chopped
Onion, chopped
Salt & Pepper
Parsley flakes
Pinch of red pepper flakes
Olive oil

1. Chop all of the vegetables and mix in a bowl.

2. Coat with olive oil and then add in salt, pepper, parsley flakes and a pinch of red pepper flakes.

3. Place vegetables in your grill basket (or place on skewers) and grill until the vegetables are tender.

Like us on Facebook!

Broccoli & Cheese Casserole

I originally tried this recipe at one of my friend's house and loved it! I repeatedly asked her for the recipe (just kidding, I only asked twice) and finally decided it was time to try it out on my own. The only problem...the recipe was so hard to follow! I don't know what she was thinking (or drinking) when she typed it up but it gave little direction on how to actually assemble the dish. No worries, I tackled the recipe anyways and made it easier for all of you! The recipe she gave me called for rice instead of the orzo pasta...but I didn't have rice in my house for some reason so I swapped out the rice for orzo and it worked out great. Either would be good, but we really liked it with the pasta. This casserole tastes like broccoli cheese soup and was a big hit at our house. You could also add some cornflakes or french fried onions to the top of the casserole to make it a little crunchier.

Ingredients
1 box frozen chopped broccoli, thawed
1 8 oz. package velveeta cheese
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 cup dried orzo pasta
1 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup milk

1. Thaw the frozen broccoli in a microwavable dish and set aside.

2. Cook 1 cup dried orzo pasta (or 1 cup rice) in boiling water, drain and set aside.

3. In a skillet, add the chopped onion and saute until tender.

4. When the onions are almost finished, add the can of soup, milk, and velveeta cheese (cut the cheese into slices so it will melt easier).

5. Gradually stir the mixture on medium heat until everything is blended and cheese is fully melted.

6. In a large bowl, mix together broccoli, cooked orzo pasta and the soup/cheese/onion mixture.

7. Place mixture in a casserole dish and cook at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

(Optional: In the last 5 minutes of cooking, add some cornflakes or french fried onions to the top of the casserole for added crunch)

Like us on Facebook!

Black Bean Tacos with Cabbage & Feta Slaw

I actually got this recipe from my friend Erin’s recipe blog a few years ago. My husband loves this dish (score for another vegetarian dish that he likes!) and he always requests it whenever I say “what do you want for dinner?” To be honest…I’ve actually gotten sick of this dish because he wants it ALL THE TIME! Anywho…the black beans are substantial enough that you do not need any meat, but I suppose you could mix them with a little bit of ground turkey or beef. The slaw is where it’s at though! So tangy and crunchy with the lime juice and the cabbage and then salty with the feta cheese…everything’s betta with feta! Plus the best thing about this dish is that there is absolutely no cooking! Just mash the black beans and prepare the slaw and then you’re all set…so simple!

Ingredients

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 TBS. cumin

2 cups shredded cabbage

1/3 cup chopped cilantro

1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese

1 TBS. olive oil

Juice of 1 lime (or more if you like more)

Dash of hot sauce

1. Start by draining and rinsing the black beans and placing them into a bowl. Add in cumin and then mash the black beans together with a fork. (This will take some muscle and some time so be patient! Consider it your after-work workout!)

2. In a separate bowl, mix together the rest of the ingredients and taste to see if it needs more lime juice. We like a little more than a dash of hot sauce also.

3. On a warm tortilla, spread the black bean mixture and then top off with a scoop of the slaw. Then, promptly grab a Corona and enjoy on your porch like we do!

Like us on Facebook!

Green Bean Salad with Feta

Every now and then I come across a recipe that I go crazy over…this is one of them. A few months ago I visited my friend in Indianapolis and we went to a local farmers market at a creamery outside the city. One of the stands had a little recipe card with this green bean salad on it and I took one and put it into my purse. When the weather actually got warmer I decided it was time to make this salad and wow did I LOVE it! My husband was making fun of me because I wouldn’t shut up about how good the salad was. It is so light and refreshing and healthy that I would eat it every single day if I could! I will definitely be taking this to some summer picnics this year.

Ingredients:
1 lb. fresh green beans
1 cup cherry tomatoes, quartered
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
1/2 cup almonds
2 TBS. lemon juice
2 TBS. olive oil
2 TBS. chopped fresh dill
Salt & Pepper

1. Cut the green beans into bite-sized pieces and cook them in boiling water until cooked but still crunchy. About 6-7 minutes.

2. Drain the green beans and rinse with cold water, set aside.

3. In a salad bowl, whisk together olive oil, lemon juice, dill and a dash of salt and pepper. (I also zested about half of the lemon into the bowl for extra flavor).

4. Add in cooled green beans and toss.

5. Lastly, add in quartered cherry tomatoes, feta cheese and almonds and gently toss everything. Taste and add more salt and pepper if needed.

Like us on Facebook!

Roasted Brussels Sprouts

OK so I know what you’re gonna say… “Ewww brussels sprouts?! Who eats those, seriously?” But please, stay with me on this one! I think brussel sprouts have a bad reputation but if you treat them like any other vegetable (equality for all!) then they can be delicious. For this recipe, I cut the brussels sprouts in half and then roasted them with onions, olive oil and salt and pepper, that’s it! So easy and very delish…a perfect side dish for any meal. (Side note: when you take the leftovers to work, they will stink up the lunch room and everyone will wrinkle their noses at you. Don't worry, they're just jealous of your lunch...hold your head up high, brussels sprout-lover!)

Ingredients

1 bag brussels sprouts or 4 cups
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup olive oil
Salt & pepper

1. Slice brussels sprouts in half and place on baking sheet.

2. Toss with diced onion, olive oil, salt & pepper.

3. Roast in oven for 40 minutes or until crispy and browned all over! Yumm

Like us on Facebook!

Eggplant Rollatini

Another good vegetarian dish to add to your recipe box. I found this recipe in a magazine that was centered around recipes that have very few ingredients, so at least you know this one won’t be too complicated! I like roasting the eggplant because it gives a lot of good flavor to the dish…add cheese, marinara sauce and more cheese and it’s a winner! When I made this for the blog, I cut the recipe in half because I was only making it for two people. Usually, you would have a lot more eggplant rolls if you make the full recipe and use 2 whole eggplants.

Ingredients:

- 2 eggplants
- olive oil
- 1 15 oz. container of ricotta cheese
- 2 eggs
- 2 cups mozzarella cheese
- 1 1/2 cup marinara sauce
- 1 tsp. oregano
- salt & pepper

1. Slice the eggplants length-wise into strips. Place on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil and salt and pepper.

2. Roast eggplant slices in the oven at 450 degrees for 15-20 minutes.

3. In a bowl, mix together ricotta cheese, eggs, 1 cup of the mozzarella cheese, oregano and a dash of salt and pepper.

4. Once eggplant is out of the oven and slightly cooled, place about 3 tablespoons of the ricotta mixture at one end of the eggplant and roll up until you have a little bundle of deliciousness! Place eggplant rolls into a baking dish with a layer of marinara sauce on the bottom.

5. Top the eggplant with more marinara sauce and the rest of the mozzarella cheese.

6. Place back in a 400 degree oven for 20-25 minutes until fully cooked. I served with a little bit of pasta, but you probably don't even need a side with this dish!

Like us on Facebook!