Roasted-Vegetable Tacos

*So, I'm not sure what it is...but I really love this meal!

Roasted-Vegetable Tacos

Olive oil flavored cooking spray
1 Medium onion, cut into wedges
1 Medium bell-pepper, cut lengthwise into eighths
1 Medium zucchini, cut into 1/4 inch slices
1 Cup sliced mushrooms (3 oz)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 Cup shredded Cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese (4 oz)
8 taco shells (I use soft corn tortillas or flour tortillas)
3/4 Cup salsa
Chopped fresh cilantro (optional)

1 Heat oven to 425. Spray cookie sheet pan with cooking spray.

2. Place onion, bell pepper, zucchini and mushrooms in single layer in pan. Spray with cooking spray. Sprinkle with salt and red pepper. Bake uncovered 20-25 minutes, turning vegetables once, until vegetables are tender.

3. Sprinkle cheese into taco shells or tortillas. Top with vegetables and salsa. Sprinkle with cilantro.

Honey-Dijon Roasted Fingerlings

I was at Harmons (my favorite grocery store) searching for food to serve for Sunday dinner. In the produce section, I noticed the fingerling potatoes, which I've always wanted to try, and right above them was a recipe. I figured it was worth a shot, but I didn't expect it to be nearly the hit it was. They were so easy and amazingly delish.

2 lbs assorted fingerling potatoes
4 Tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 tsp sea salt
1 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
2 Tbsp Dijon mustard
2 Tbsp honey
2 tbsp chives, freshly chopped

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Wash fingerling potatoes in cool water, pat dry and set aside. In a large mixing bowl toss together olive oil, salt, pepper, mustard and honey. Add fingerlings to mixture and coat each potato well. Transfer fingerlings to a 9x13 pan. Place in the center of oven and bake fingerling potatoes uncovered for 25 minutes or until easily pierced with a fork. Rotate frequently to cook evenly. Garnish with chopped chives and serve while hot.

Easter Turkey

I cooked my first turkey yesterday - yahoo! Here's what I did:

Turkey
Reynold's turkey bag
2 tsp. flour
Half cube butter
Lemon, cut in half
Bunch fresh parsley

Put the flour in the bag and shake it around. Dab butter all over the turkey and put lemon and parsley in cavity. Put it in the oven til it's done (so technical, huh?)

And to go with it (aside from the obvious mashed yukon gold potatoes):

Stuffing
2 bags Mrs. Cubbison's seasoned stuffing mix
3 links sweet Italian sausage, cooked and drained
3/4 cup each diced yellow onion, celery, waterchestnuts and corn
1 cup butter
1 cup broth

Mix it all together and bake in a covered cassarole dish at 350 for 25 minutes.

Asparagus
2 lbs asparagus, washed & trimmed
2 tbsp butter
zest of 1 lemon
salt & pepper

Blanch asparagus and add butter and seasoning. Toss and serve.

Roasted Carrots
3 lbs carrots, peeled and cut on a diagonal into 1-inch pieces
1/2 cup olive oil
salt & pepper
fresh dill

Toss carrots in olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast on cookie sheet at 350 for 45 minutes. Add fresh dill just before serving.

4 Side Dishes = 1 Meal

On my quest to eat healthier (eat less meat, more veggies) I found that there are a lot more side dishes than main dishes to choose from. So, I made these four side dishes into a complete meal. It was delicious. (I found these recipes in Betty Crocker's November 1999 Holiday magazine...and I don't think St. Patrick's Day was the holiday they were thinking of...but I made it anyway.) Perhaps to make it looks like like 4 side dishes I would add more squash and put it over the rice.

Included in my meal:
Butternut Squash Saute
Hazelnut Parmesan Asparagus
Brown Rice
Beets (I didn't put recipe on...since I just got it from a can)

Butternut Squash Saute
Prep: 20 mins. Cook: 20 mins.

4 Slices of bacon (for vegetarian, take out bacon and add a little butter instead)
1 Medium onion, chopped (1/2 cup)
6 Cups 1/2 inch pieces peeled butternut squash (2 small)
1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh or 1/8 dried thyme leaves
1/8 teaspoon pepper
3 Cups firmly packed baby spinach leaves

Cook bacon in 12-inch skillet over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until crisp (or just melt butter for vegetarian style). Stire in onion. Cook about 2 minutes, stirring occasionally, until onion is crisp-tender. Stir in squash, thyme and pepper. Cover and cook 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until squash is tender. Stir in spinach just until wilted.

Hazelnut Parmesan Asparagus
Prep: 15 mins. Cook: 10 mins.

2 Cups water
2 lbs asparagus spears (or 3 pkgs, 10 oz, frozen)
2 Tablespoons margarine or butter
1 Package (8 oz) sliced mushrooms (3 cups)
1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh or 1/2 teaspoon dried basil leaves
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon coarsely ground pepper
1/4 Cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1/4 Cup chopped hazelnuts (filberts)

Heat water to boiling in 12-inch skillet. Add asparagus. Heat to boiling; reduce heat to medium. Cover and cook 4-6 minutes or until crisp tender. Drain; set aside. (If using frozen, cook according to package directions.)

Melt margarine in skillet over medium-high heat. Stir in mushrooms. Cook 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently, until mushrooms are light brown. Stir asparagus, basil, salt and pepper into mushrooms until vegetables are coated with seasonings and asparagus is heated through. Sprinkle with cheese and hazelnuts.

*We had the cheese and nuts on the side as optional...I actually forgot about them and ate without them...which was still really tasty but kind of defeated the purpose of it being called "Hazelnut Parmesan Asparagus".

Brown Rice

1 cup brown rice
2 cups water
(Just make sure you have the 1 to 2 ratio of rice to water.)

Put rice and water in a pan on the stove. Heat uncovered until water boils, reduce heat to low/simmer. Cover and let simmer for 40 minutes.

Pasta with Tomatoes, Arugula and Goat Cheese

Like most of my favorite recipes, this is super fast, easy and delish. This comes from my favorite cook book, like many of my favorite recipes. 

Kosher salt

3/4 lb cavatappi, fusilli or ziti (or any pasta shape that traps and holds sauces)

2 cups loosely packed arugula leaves (I substitute spinach sometimes)

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

2 cups grape or cherry tomatoes, sans stems

1 clove garlic

1/4 cup crumbled fresh goat cheese

Freshly ground pepper

Bring a large pot three-fourths full of water to a boil. Add 2 tablespoons salt and the pasta and cook according to package directions. Drain the pasta, reserving about 1/2 cup of the cooking water, and place the pasta in a warmed serving bowl. Mix in arugula and keep warm.

Just before the pasta is ready, in a large frying pan over medium-high heat, warm the olive oil. Add the tomatoes and, holding the pan handle, roll the tomatoes around by jerking the pan toward you, then pushing it away. While the tomatoes cook, sprinkle on the garlic. Keep the tomatoes moving until their skins crack, 1-3 minutes. Remove from the heat and season with 1/2 teaspoon salt. Spoon the tomatoes over the pasta. 

Dollop the goat cheese, 1 tablespoon at a time, on top of the tomatoes. Using a large fork and spoon, toss to combine, adding 1 or 2 tablespoons or more of the cooking water if the pasta seems dry. Season with pepper and serve.

Twice baked potatoes

One of my goals for the new year is to cook a lot more often and try new recipes. As a result, I'm hoping you'll see an increase amount of content on this blog from me. 

Tonight for dinner I made twice baked potatoes and steamed broccoli. I had also planned on making a steak for Jason, but I forgot to get it out of the freezer yesterday to start the thawing-out process. Oops! Anyway, Jason loves twice baked potatoes, and they're not hard, but for some reason I've only made them once since we've been married so today I decided to change that. Here is the recipe I used, it's a real winner!

4 Yukon Gold potatoes (higher nutritional value than your traditional russet)

1 cube butter

1/2 cup sour cream

bacon bits (fake ones for us)

1 cup shredded cheese

black pepper

seasoning salt

Bake the potatoes naked (sans foil) on a cookie sheet at 400 degrees for an hour. When the potatoes are done cooking, cut them in half.

In a mixing bowl combine butter (easier if you've pre-sliced it), sour cream, bacon bits and the insides of the potatoes. Smoosh around with a potato masher, mix up in a mixer. Then add the cheese, a pinch (or more) of pepper and a dash (or more) of seasoning salt and mix. 

Spoon the mixture into the potato shells then put a little pile of cheese on top of each stuffed potato. Put them back into the oven at 350 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes.

Roasted Mushrooms, Potatoes and Green Beans

For our wedding, Jason and I received the most wonderful cookbook. Everything I've made out of it has been amazing, and I recommend you all go and buy it. It's called Essentials of Healthful Cooking and can be found at Williams-Sonoma. This is one of the many recipes Jason and I have loved, and it's super easy.

8-10 white mushrooms
2 Yukon gold potatoes(my favorite potato)
1 yellow onion
1/4 lb green beans
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
2 tablespoons Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme

Preheat oven to 400. Trim the ends of the stems from the mushrooms and discard. Cut the mushrooms in half through the stems. Cut the potatoes into 1-inch pieces. Cut the onion into wedges 1/2 inch thick. Trim the green beans and cut into 1-inch lengths. Set the green beans aside.

In a shallow 9x13 baking dish, combine the mushrooms, potatoes and onion. Drizzle the vegetables with olive oil, toss to coat evenly, and spread in an even layer in the dish.

Roast until the vegetables begin to brown on the edges, about 30 min. Remove the dish from the oven, add the green beans and carefully turn and rearrange the vegetables in an even layer. Sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper to taste. Continue to roast until the vegetables are browned and tender when pierced with a knife, about 15 minutes longer. Sprinkle with the Parmigiano-Reggiano and thyme. Roast for 5 minutes longer to melt the cheese. Serve the vegetables directly from the baking dish or transfer to a serving bowl.

Calories: 90 Protein: 4 grams Carbohydrates: 10 grams Total Fat: 4.5 grams Saturated Fat: 1 gram Cholesterol: 5 mg Dietary Fiber: 3 grams Sodium: 150 mg

Veggie/Black Bean Fajitas

Beans:
1 can black beans
1/2 tsp lime juice
1/2 tsp cumin
pinch of salt
Pinch chopped cilantro

Combine all ingredients in saucepan and simmer until warmed through.

Fajitas:
1/2 cup sliced bell pepper
1/3 cup sliced yellow onion
1/2 cup each sliced zucchini and yellow squash
non-stick cooking spray

Saute until soft and slightly brown

Toppings:
Cheddar cheese
Chopped tomato
Sour Cream
Lime juice
Cilantro

Combine sour cream with lime juice and cilantro. Pile everything on a tortilla.

Sweet Potatoes with Spicy Black Bean Chili

You guys are going to love me for this one. It is quite possible the easiest, healthiest, yummiest meals I have ever made.

Ingredients:

4 medium (or 2 large) sweet potatoes
1 can black beans, drained
1 can kidney beans, drained
1 can Mexican-style tomatoes (diced or stewed) with jalapeños and spices, undrained
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon cumin or cayenne pepper

Heat oven to 400. Pierce potatoes with fork to allow steam to escape. Bake 50 to 60 minutes (more if the potatoes are larger) or until tender.

While potatoes are baking, put beans, tomatoes and spices in a saucepan. Heat to boiling, reduce heat to medium low. cook uncovered 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally until hot.

Split potatoes and mash slightly. Top each potato with chili mixture and, if desired, sour cream.

The best green beans

Pioneer Woman does it again! I think these are the best green beans because they are soooo good and sooooooooo easy! I made these for dinner last night (with spinach calzones, recipe coming soon!) and Jason and I practically inhaled them.

Fresh Green Beans, One Way

1 lb green beans
1 cup chopped onion
2 cloves garlic
1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper
2 tablespoons bacon grease (can substitute 1 T butter and 1 T olive oil)
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 to 1 teaspoon kosher salt (can substitute regular table salt; use 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon)
Ground black pepper

Snap the stem ends of green beans, or cut them off in a big bunch with a knife if you’d like. Just don’t tell Granny. Melt bacon grease in a skillet over medium low heat. Add garlic and onions and cook for a minute. Then add green beans and cook for a minute until beans turn bright green. Add the chicken broth, chopped red pepper, salt, and black pepper. Turn heat to low and cover with a lid, leaving lid cracked to allow steam to escape. Cook for 20 to 30 minutes or until liquid evaporates and beans are fairly soft, yet still a bit crisp. You can add more chicken broth during the cooking process, but don’t be afraid to let it all cook away so the onions and peppers can caramelize.