Tex-Mex Turkey Soup

Several weeks ago, in an attempt not to waste all of the leftover (but still unfrozen) turkey from Thanksgiving, I whipped together this tasty dish. Jeff LOVED it and so did I. It's a great way to use up leftover holiday turkey, but I'm sure it would also taste great with chicken. Have I ever said how much I love homemade soups?!

Original recipe, here.

Prep Time: 10 min
Cook Time: 40 min
Ready in: 50 min

Ingredients:

• 1 Tb olive oil
• 1/2 c minced onion
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tsp chili powder
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp oregano
• 4 c water
• 1 (10.75 oz) can condensed tomato soup
• 1 (28 oz) can diced tomatoes
• 1 c salsa
• 4 c shredded cooked turkey
• 1 Tb dried parsley
• 3 chicken bouillon cubes
• 1 (14 oz) can black beans, rinsed, drained
• 1 (14 oz) can corn
• 1/2 c sour cream
• 1/4 c chopped fresh cilantro

Toppings

• tortilla chips
• chopped green onion
• shredded Cheddar-Monterey Jack blend
• fresh cilantro
• sour cream
  

Directions:

1. Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add minced onions and cook until onions begin to soften, about 4 minutes. Add garlic, chili powder, cumin and oregano and cook, stirring, for 1 minute.
2. Stir in water, tomato soup, diced tomatoes, salsa, shredded turkey, parsley and bouillon cubes. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, and simmer 5 minutes or until bouillon cubes dissolve. Add black beans, corn, sour cream and cilantro. Simmer for 20 to 30 minutes.
3. Serve soup with crushed tortilla chips, chopped green onion, shredded cheese and additional cilantro and sour cream.

Pumpkin Pie Bites

I've been in a bit of a cooking funk lately due to the first trimester of my pregnancy. Luckily (or unluckily for my pregnancy weight gain), as the holidays approach, I am finally starting to feel like cooking again. Tonight my husband and I made these little treats for a work meeting he has tomorrow. They are SO cute, SO easy, and SO tasty! The website I found this recipe on may just be my new favorite place. I'm typically not much of a baker, but she seriously makes some SUPER cute stuff!

Original recipe, here.

Ingredients:

• 3 refrigerated ready-to-roll pie crusts (the original recipe only calls for 2, but we had so much extra filling, that we used 3.)
  
• 8 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 cup canned pumpkin
• 3 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Use cookie cutter to cut approximately 12 shapes from each pie crust. You will need to roll the dough thinner than it comes out of the box. (We were able to get a few extra.)
3. Press dough shapes into a 24 cup mini muffin tray.
4. Apply egg whites from one egg to the top edges of each pie.
5. Mix cream cheese, sugar, canned pumpkin, remaining 2 eggs, vanilla and pumpkin pie spice together until thoroughly combined.
6. Spoon mixture into each pumpkin-shaped pie crust, until full.
7. Bake for 12-15 minutes.
8. Remove pies to cool and repeat with second pie crust. Place the muffin tray in the freezer to cool it quickly for re-use.

Makes: 30 mini pies. Keep refrigerated.

Yum!

Chicken Enchiladas Verde

I can tell I am starting to get more confident in my cooking because I am getting better at improvising (even though it was just enchiladas, which are pretty straightforward) . After making salsa verde using our tomatillos, I wanted to find a meal I could incorporate it into. I used my favorite allrecipes.com to find a few recipes and then blended them together, using what I had on hand, to make these. They turned out quite tasty and I wouldn't be surprised if my husband took the leftovers to work for lunch tomorrow. That is always a sign of a great meal - if my husband can eat it the very NEXT day for lunch. (And sorry this picture isn't the best. It mostly looks like a ton of cheese, but really they were good, I promise!) The sad thing is that I used cheddar cheese and an Italian cheese mix to make these. During dinner my husband asked if I had used our monteray jack cheese (he thought it tasted like I had because of the salsa verde flavor). I had completely forgotten that we had some! Oops!

Recipe adapted from this and this.

Ingredients:

• 2 chicken breast halves
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1/4 white onion
• 1 clove garlic
• 2 teaspoons salt
• Green Salsa - recipe on this site, here.
• 1/2 c sour cream
• 2 c cheese
• 4 large flour tortillas
  

Directions:

1. In a saucepan, combine chicken breast with chicken broth, one quarter onion, a clove of garlic, and 2 teaspoons salt. Bring to a boil, and then boil for 20 minutes. Set chicken aside to cool, and discard onion and garlic. When cool enough to handle, shred chicken with your hands.
2. Preheat oven to 350F.
   
3. Coat 8x8 inch baking dish with enough green salsa to cover the bottom. In a small bowl, stir together sour cream and 1/2 of the green salsa.
   
4. In each tortilla, spread chicken, sour cream and salsa mixture, and top with cheese. Roll up and place in dish with seam on bottom. When all tortillas are filled and rolled, add remaining green salsa over the top and top with cheese.
5. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes in the preheated oven, until the enchiladas are browned and heated through.

Serves: 4

Green Salsa

Our tomatillo plant is finally producing, so I wanted to find a great recipe that could use them. This green salsa turned out great and I used it to make chicken enchiladas. Yum!

Original recipe taken from "Vegetarian Classics" by Jeanne Lemlin.

Ingredients:

• 12 oz tomatillos (about 18 small golf ball sized, or 10 medium)
• 1 very small onion, chopped
• 1 garlic clove, chopped
• 2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and chopped (wear rubber gloves)
• 1 Tb lime juice (just under 1 lime)
• 1/4 tsp sugar
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 Tb minced cilantro
  

Directions:

1. Remove the husks from the tomatillos, then rinse under cold running water to clean off any sticky residue. Place in a medium-size saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil, lower the heat to a lively simmer, and cook 10 minutes, or until softened. Drain thoroughly and let cool.
2. Place the onion, garlic, jalapenos, and lime juice in the container of a food processor or blender and pulse a few times until coarsely chopped. Add the tomatillos and process until finely chopped but not completely smooth. Scrape the mixture into a bowl.
3. Stir int eh suger, salt, and cilantro. Serve at room temperature.
   

Makes: 1 2/3 cups

Classic Guacamole

I decided to have a Mexican-themed dinner tonight and since I had several ripe avacados around, I decided to make some guacamole. Tasty! Next time I might try to cut back on the lime juice and add a little more onion, but even then it was good!

Original recipe taken from "Vegetarian Classics" by Jeanne Lemlin. This is a fabulous book that my friend lent me. It has so many great recipes! The pesto recipe on this site is from this book.

Ingredients:

• 2 ripe Haas (dark pebbly-skinned) avacados
• 4 tsp fresh lime juice (approx 1 lime should give you enough)
  
• 2 Tb minced red or white onion (I used white because that is what I had, but I bet red would add nice flavor)
  
• 1/4 c minced tomato
• 1/4 tsp salt
• Minced cilantro and jalapenos can be used to add flavor

Directions:

1. Scoop avacado into food processor or blender and add lime juice. Process or blend until smooth and fluffy. Scrape the mixture into a bowl. Stir in the remaining ingredients. Serve immediately or cover and chill up to 24 hours, then bring to room temperature before serving.
   

Serves: 4

Creamy Mushroom Pork Chops

We have a lot of pork chops in our freezer, so I wanted to find a new recipe I could use to make some. My husband LOVED this recipe and ate up his entire pork chop before he even thought about putting salad and potatoes on his plate.

Original recipe, here.

Ingredients:

• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 4 pork chops
• 1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of mushroom soup
• 1 cup chicken broth
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add onions and garlic and saute until translucent. Add pork chops and brown about 4 to 6 minutes each side, stirring often to avoid burning onions and garlic.
2. Meanwhile, in a separate bowl, whisk together soup and broth. Pour soup mixture over browned chops, stirring well to loosen onions and garlic and to deglaze skillet. Reduce heat and gently simmer for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring and turning chops occasionally, until chops are cooked through (internal temperature should reach 160 degrees F/70 degrees C). Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve.

Serves: 4

Sweet & Sour Chicken

I've made this several times, but I keep forgetting to post it on here. Instead, I have to go back to the draft folder in my email account and find the recipe that I have pasted in there. Every time I make it, I am reminded how yummy it is! Jeff and I both like it very much. I made it for my family when they were in town a few months ago and accidentally added some spicy peppers. It definitely made it more "hot," but Jeff liked it that way. I like it better with sweet peppers, although the spicy ones definitely gave it a kick! Jeff must like it with sweet peppers too because last time I made it he ate ALL of the leftovers!

Original recipe, here.

Ingredients:

• 1 pound of boneless and skinless chicken thighs or breasts, cut into 1" chunks
• 1 egg white
• 1/4 teaspoon table salt
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 1 10-ounce can pineapple chunks (reserve juice)
• 1/4 cup juice from the canned pineapple
• 1/4 cup white vinegar
• 1/4 cup ketchup
• 1/4 teaspoon table salt
• 2-3 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon cooking oil
• 1 bell pepper, cut into 1 inch chunks
• 1/2 onion, sliced
• 1 carrot, grated
  
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 cup of rice
  

Directions:

1. Prepare rice according to packaging directions.
2. In a bowl, combine the chicken with the egg white, salt and cornstarch. Stir to coat the chicken evenly. Let sit for 15 minutes at room temperature or up to overnight in the refrigerator.
3. In the meantime, whisk together the pineapple juice, vinegar, ketchup, salt, and brown sugar.
4. Heat a large frying pan or wok over high heat until a bead of water instantly sizzles and evaporates. Pour in the 1 tablespoon of cooking oil and swirl to coat. It's important that the pan is very hot. Add the chicken and spread the chicken out in one layer. Let the chicken fry, untouched for 1 minute, until the bottoms are browned. Flip and fry the other side the same for 1 minute. The chicken should still be pinkish in the middle. Dish out the chicken onto a clean plate, leaving as much oil in the pan as possible.
5. Turn the heat to medium and add the remaining 1 teaspoon of cooking oil. Let the oil heat up and then add the bell pepper chunks and ginger. Fry for 1 minute. Add the pineapple chunks and the sweet and sour sauce. Turn the heat to high and when the sauce is simmering, add the chicken pieces back in. Let simmer for 1-2 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through. Timing depends on how thick you've cut your chicken. The best way to tell if the chicken is done is to take a piece out and cut into it. If it's pink, add another minute to the cooking.

Serves: 4

Winter Pesto

My friend, Rebecca, is a fabulous cook and so when I want to try something new, I usually steal a recipe from her blog. I have been wanting to try pesto for a while and since she had a recipe for it on her blog, I decided to give it a try. Yum! This is so quick and easy and is a nice alternative to red pasta sauce. I also loved it because my one year old seemed to like it! I've heard you can use pesto on bread and crackers as well. This recipe makes a decent amount of pesto, but it keeps well in the fridge if it is covered with one tablespoon of olive oil.

Recipe from here.

Ingredients:

• 2½ cups tightly packed triple-washed fresh spinach, stems removed
• ½ cup chopped fresh parsley
• 1 tablespoon dried basil
• 3 garlic cloves, chopped
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ¼ cup walnuts (optional - we didn't have any, but I am curious to try it with walnuts next time)
  
• ⅔ cup olive oil
• ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese (I used an Italian cheese mix)
  
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, very soft (we only had salted and it worked fine)
  

Directions:

1. Combine the spinach, parsley, basil, garlic, salt, walnuts, and oil in a blender (preferably) or food processor and process until it is a smooth puree. Turn off the machine and scrape down the sides as necessary.
2. Pour the pesto into a container with a tight-fitting lid and stir in the cheese and butter by hand until well blended. If the pesto is to be used as a sauce for pasta, stir in a few tablespoons of boiling pasta water to thin it out before using.

Get those leafy greens! I love spinach!

Mexican Rice

Yesterday I was in the mood for Mexican food so I made chicken fajitas and served them with beans and rice. The fajitas were good, but the recipe isn't worth posting. On the other hand, I really really really liked this Mexican rice recipe and I don't even like Mexican rice. So, it's a keeper. The only thing Jeff would like to add is some hot peppers. We'll see.

Original recipe, here.

Prep Time: 5 min
Cook Time: 25 min
Ready In: 30 min

Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 cup uncooked rice
• 1 teaspoon garlic salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 cup chopped onion
• 1/2 cup tomato sauce
• 2 cups chicken broth

Directions:

1. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat and add rice. Cook, stirring constantly, until puffed and golden. While rice is cooking, sprinkle with salt and cumin.
2. Stir in onions and cook until tender. Stir in tomato sauce and chicken broth; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes. Fluff with a fork.

Roasted Vegetables

I signed up to provide a side dish for a funeral a few weeks ago and since I had a plethora of vegetables from our farm, I decided to make roasted vegetables. I've made roasted vegetables several ways before, but this was the first recipe that used balsamic vinegar. I kept a few spoonfuls to taste (to make sure I didn't send NASTY food!) and I thought it turned out quite nicely! I must say, I like roasted vegetables! :) Also, I decided to add okra to this recipe because I had some on hand and I must say that I like the flavor of okra. I want to try cooking with it more. Expect to see some additional okra recipes in the future!

Original recipe, here.

Prep Time: 15 min
Cook Time: 40 min
Ready In: 55 min

Ingredients:

• 1 small butternut squash, cubed
• 2 red bell peppers, seeded and diced
• 4 potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 1 onion, chopped
• Additional vegetables as desired (I added okra and carrots because I had some on hand)
  
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 2 tsp dried rosemary
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 475 degrees F.
2. In a large bowl, combine all vegetables.
   
3. In a small bowl, stir together thyme, rosemary, olive oil, vinegar, salt, and pepper. Toss with vegetables until they are coated. Spread evenly on a large roasting pan.
4. Roast for 35 to 40 minutes in the preheated oven, stirring every 10 minutes, or until vegetables are cooked through and browned.

Serves: 12

Vegetarian Quesadillas

I needed to use some leftover zucchini and squash, but wanted to try something more "familiar" to my palette. I love "Mexican" food so when I found this recipe, I decided to give it a try. It was REALLY good! Even Jeff who LIVES for meat found them satisfying. Mmmmm...posting these recipes is making me hungry! This recipe is really simple (yet full of natural flavor from the veggies) and you can use any vegetables you like. The author said that eggplant and spinach work well. I bet adding chicken would taste good too.

Original recipe, here.

Prep Time: 15 min
Cook Time: 15 min
Ready In: 30 min

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup chopped bell pepper
• 1/2 cup chopped zucchini
• 1/2 cup chopped yellow squash
• 1/2 cup chopped red onion
• 1 can black beans
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• cooking spray
• 6 (9 inch) flour tortillas
• 1 1/4 cups shredded Cheddar cheese

Directions:

1. In a medium size pot, warm up black beans. Using a large nonstick pan, cook red pepper, zucchini, yellow squash, and onion in olive oil over medium to medium-high heat for about 7 minutes, or until just tender. Remove vegetables from pan.
2. Coat the same pan with cooking spray, and place one tortilla in pan. Sprinkle 1/4 cup of cheese evenly over tortilla, and layer 3/4 cup of the vegetable mixture and beans over the cheese. Sprinkle another 1/8 cup of cheese on the vegetables, and top with a second tortilla. Cook until golden on both sides, for approximately 2 to 3 minutes per side. Remove quesadilla from pan, and repeat with remaining ingredients. Cut each quesadilla into 8 triangles with a pizza cutter. Serve hot.

Serves: 6

Butternut Squash Risotto

Well, this is my third squash post in a row! Can you tell that we had a lot of squash from our farm that we needed to eat?! I decided that we should probably eat something OTHER THAN soup, so I decided to make this risotto. So far, risotto has been one of my favorite types of meal to eat and this one was no exception. YUM! I wonder how it would taste with some sauteed greens mixed in?

Original recipe, here.

Prep Time: 10 min

Cook Time: 35 min

Ready In: 45 min

Ingredients:

• 2 cups mashed butternut squash (Easy to mash once you cook it - see previous two recipes for both an oven and microwave method)
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1/2 onion, minced
• 1 cup rice, cooked in chicken stock
• 2 cups hot chicken stock (I changed the recipe a little because I cooked the rice first, so I'm not 100% sure how much chicken stock I used. I think I used about 2 cups - not including the stock used to cook the rice.)
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan or Mozzarella cheese
• salt and ground black pepper to taste

**I've started to add sauteed spinach to this as well. I just saute it separately in olive oil and garlic and then add it at the end. Both of my little boys will eat it this way! Yay!**

Directions:

1. Melt butter in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion; cook and stir for 2 minutes until the onion begins to soften, then stir in the rice. Continue cooking and stirring until the rice is glossy from the butter, and the onion begins to brown on the edges, about 5 minutes more.
2. Pour in 1/3 cup chicken stock, stirring constantly, until it has evaporated. Stir in the mashed squash and remaining hot chicken stock; reduce heat to medium. Continue stirring until the risotto is creamy. Finish by stirring in the Parmesan cheese, and seasoning to taste with salt and pepper.

Serves: 4

Butternut Squash Soup

It looks like I'm in the middle of a squash obsession! I promise that all of these recipes are really good! I love making soups, so here is another one. Butternut squash is one of my favorite varieties of squash. I feel like it has such a creamy and cheesy flavor! Yum!

Original recipe, here.

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes (depends on how you cook the squash)
Ready In: 1 hour

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 stalk celery, chopped
• 1 medium carrot, chopped
• 2 medium potatoes, cubed
• 1 medium butternut squash
  
• 3 cups chicken stock (I can't remember exactly how much I used - enough to get the texture I wanted)
  
• salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• sour cream
  

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Place butternut squash on cookie sheet and bake for approximately 1 hour. Once cooked, the skin peels right off and it is much easier to seed and cube. Alternatively, you can use the microwave method (see post for Acorn Squash Soup) which is much quicker and works well when making soup.
   
2. After the squash is cooked and cubed, melt the butter in a large pot, and cook the onion, celery, carrot, potatoes, and squash 5 minutes, or until lightly browned. Pour in enough of the chicken stock to cover vegetables. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover pot, and simmer 40 minutes, or until all vegetables are tender.
3. Transfer the soup to a blender, and blend until smooth. Return to pot, and mix in any remaining stock to attain desired consistency. Season with salt and pepper.
4. Serve with a dollop of sour cream.

Serves: 4

Acorn Squash Soup

I think one of my newest favorite vegetables (well, fruit really) is squash. It's hearty, tasty, and healthy. I don't really remember eating it growing up so I wasn't sure what it would be like. I must say that I haven't really been disappointed in any of the recipes I have tried. Squash seems to have a naturally rich flavor - it's GOOD!!! This soup is made from acorn squash and is quite delicious. I used Carnival Squash, which is a variety of acorn squash and it turned out really well! Enjoy!

Original Recipe, here.

Prep Time: 20 Min
Cook Time: 10 Min
Ready In: 30 Min

Ingredients:

• 1 small onion
• 1 stalk celery, chopped
  
• 2 tablespoons butter or margarine
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon chicken bouillon granules
• 1/2 teaspoon dill weed
• 1/4 teaspoon curry powder (I didn't have curry powder, so I used a dash of cumin and a piece of corriander)
  
• dash cayenne pepper
• 2 cups chicken broth
  
• 1 (12 ounce) can evaporated milk
• 3 cups mashed cooked acorn squash (You can bake it in the oven, but I was in a hurry so I put it in the microwave for 8 minutes, then cut it in half and put each half in again for 4 minutes each)
  
• salt and pepper to taste
• 5 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled

Directions:

1. In a large saucepan, saute the onion and celery in butter. Stir in flour, bouillon, dill, curry and cayenne until blended. Gradually add broth and milk. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes. Add the squash, salt and pepper; heat through.
2. In a blender, process the soup in batches until smooth (I skipped this step and instead left it kind of chunky). Pour into bowls; garnish with bacon (I don't like bacon, so I just ate it plain - still yummy!).

Serves: 6

Grilled Veggie Sandwich

I found this recipe online while I was trying to decide how to use some of my vegetables. My husband and I ate it together for lunch this weekend and it sure was TASTY! I would definitely make this again! (Of course, we included chicken in this "veggie" sandwich for my husband's sake).

Original recipe here

Prep Time: 30 min
Cook Time: 20 min
Ready In: 50 min

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1/8 cup olive oil
• 1 chicken breast, cubed
  
• 1 cup sliced bell peppers
• 1 small zucchini, sliced
• 1/2 red onion, sliced
• 1 small yellow squash, sliced
• 2 (4-x6-inch) focaccia bread pieces, split horizontally [Update: I tried this again with just plain bread (toasted) and it turned out fabulous! I think I'll always use regular bread in the future]
  
• 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese

Directions:

1. In a bowl, mix the mayonnaise, minced garlic, and lemon juice. Set aside in the refrigerator.
2. Preheat the grill for high heat.
3. Season chicken according to preference and brush vegetables with olive oil on each side. Brush grate with oil. Place bell peppers and zucchini closest to the middle of the grill, and set onion and squash pieces around them. Cook for about 3 minutes, turn, and cook for another 3 minutes. The peppers may take a bit longer. Remove from grill, and set aside. (Or, if you use a griddle, cook veggies and chicken in olive oil).
   
4. Spread some of the mayonnaise mixture on the cut sides of the bread, and sprinkle each one with feta cheese. Place on the grill cheese side up, and cover with lid for 2 to 3 minutes. This will warm the bread, and slightly melt the cheese. Watch carefully so the bottoms don't burn. Remove from grill, and layer with the vegetables.
   

Serves: 4

Home Made Chicken Salad

I made this chicken salad for a baby shower I hosted a few weeks ago. By the end of the shower, all of the food was gone and so I made it again tonight so that my husband could finally try it! He liked it a lot (although before trying it he was a little worried about the ingredients) and so do I!

Original recipe, here.

Ingredients: (I just use how ever much I have on hand, not necessarily these amounts exactly.)

• 4 cups cubed, cooked chicken meat
• 1 cup mayonnaise (or Miracle Whip - if I use Miracle Whip, I leave out the paprika)
  
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 1/2 cups dried cranberries
• 1 cup chopped celery
• 2 green onions, chopped
• 1/2 cup minced bell pepper
• 1 cup chopped pecans
• 1 teaspoon seasoning salt
• ground black pepper to taste

Directions:

In a medium bowl, mix together mayonnaise with paprika and seasoned salt. Blend in dried cranberries, celery, bell pepper, onion, and nuts. Add chopped chicken, and mix well. Season with black pepper to taste. Chill 1 hour. Serve on a croissant or with crackers.

Serves: 12

Jerusalem Artichokes and Potato au Gratin

Our last CSA shipment included Jerusalem Artichokes (aka sunchokes). Well, I had never heard of these, so I searched and searched on the Internet to find a way to cook them. This was one of the recipes I found (amazingly NOT from allrecipes.com) and it actually turned out really well. The picture doesn't do it justice (since you just see the top crust). My husband LOVED it!

Original recipe, here.

Ingredients:

• 6 Jerusalem artichokes, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch slices
  
• 2 large baking potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch slices
• Salt
  
• Black pepper
• Cayenne
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1/2 cup chopped onions
• 2 teaspoons chopped garlic
• 3/4 cup grated cheddar cheese
• 1 tablespoon flour
• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup dried fine bread crumbs (I used a cup of crushed Ritz crackers)
  
• 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
• Essence seasoning, recipe follows

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Place the Jerusalem artichokes and potatoes in a mixing bowl and season with the salt, black pepper, and cayenne. Mix in 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and toss to coat.
3. Butter the bottom and sides of a 2 quart baking dish. Put half of the artichoke-potato mixture in the bottom of the pan, then sprinkle with 1/4 cup of the chopped onions, 1 teaspoon of the chopped garlic, and 1/4 cup of the cheese and the flour. Top this with the remaining artichoke-potato mixture. Sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 cup onions, 1 teaspoon garlic, and 1/2 cup cheese. Pour the milk over the mixture.
4. In a bowl, mix together the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil with the bread crumbs, parsley and season with Essence. Spread this topping evenly over the mixture. Bake for 1 hour, or until the potatoes are tender.

Essence: (Emeril's Creole Seasoning)

• 2 1/2 tsp paprika
• 2 tsp salt
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 tsp dried leaf oregano
• 1 tsp dried thyme

Combine and store in an airtight container.

For those of you who aren't familiar, this is a picture of a sunchoke. They are a PAIN to peel and cut and look a lot like a little Alien plant to me. Although, once peeled and chopped, they remind me of a potato or turnip.

Ratatouille

I've been wanting to try this dish ever since we got eggplant last fall. Unfortunately, last fall we JUST had the eggplant and nothing else. But today my kitchen was full of all the right vegetables and so I gave it a try. Wow, this was a delicious and flavorful blend of vegetables and was pretty quick to make! I ate WAY too much!

Original recipe, here.

Prep Time: 15 min
Cook Time: 45 min
Ready In: 1 hour

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 teaspoons dried parsley (I used a few bunches of fresh parsley and fresh oregano)
  
• 1 eggplant, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
• salt to taste
• 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese (I used mozzarella instead, since that is what I had on hand)
  
• 1 zucchini, sliced
• 1 squash, sliced
  
• 1 large onion, sliced into rings
• 1 green bell pepper, sliced
• 2 large tomatoes, chopped (I think if I had sliced them, it would have been "prettier" - I'll probably try that next time)
• 1 cup rice
  

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Coat bottom and sides of a 1 1/2 quart casserole dish with 1 tablespoon olive oil.
2. Heat remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Saute garlic until lightly browned. Mix in parsley and eggplant. Saute for about 5 minutes, then add zucchini and squash. Saute for approximately 5 minutes more, or until eggplant is soft. Season with salt to taste.
3. Spread eggplant mixture evenly across bottom of prepared casserole dish. Sprinkle with a few tablespoons of cheese. Spread zucchini/squash in an even layer over top. Lightly salt and sprinkle with a little more cheese. Continue layering in this fashion, with onion, bell pepper, and tomatoes, covering each layer with a sprinkling of salt and cheese.
4. Bake in preheated oven for 45 - 60 minutes.
5. Prepare rice according to package instructions. Serve with rice.

Serves: 4

Soft Giant Pretzels

Oh man, these take me back to when I was 15 and worked at Pretzelmaker. I LOVED those pretzels. Mmmmm... Anyway, tonight my husband said he REALLY wanted a soft pretzel so I thought, "I bet I could make one!" and ran upstairs to my good friend, allrecipes.com. Sure enough, it didn't disappoint and I had all of the ingredients on hand! Unfortunately, my quick pretzel flipping and folding skills are lacking. I'll have to work on that. But they sure tasted good and were super easy!

Original recipe, here.

Prep Time: 30 min
Ready In: 30 min

Ingredients:

• 1 1/8 cups water (70 to 80 degrees F)
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 3 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast
• 2 quarts water
• 1/2 cup baking soda
• butter/course salt/cinnamon/sugar/whatever you want on your pretzel
  

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
   
2. (The original recipe says to use a bread mixture, but I don't have one, so I improvised.) Mix yeast, water, and sugar together to dissolve. Add flour and knead until well mixed. Cover and place on warming oven for about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, grease cookie sheet.
   
3. Divide dough into eight balls and roll into rope on a lightly floured surface. Form pretzel shape or cut into bite-sized pieces.
   
4. In a shallow saucepan, bring water and baking soda to a boil. Drop pretzels into boiling water for 10-15 seconds. Remove with a slotted spatula and drain on paper towels.
5. Transfer pretzels to the greased baking sheet and bake in preheated over for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown.
6. Lightly brush with butter and sprinkle on course salt or cinnamon/sugar mixture.
   

Serves: 8

"Mom's" Cucumber Salad

So, this isn't MY Mom's Cucumber Salad, but apparently it is SOMEONE'S Mom's Cucumber Salad, since that is the name. We had a ton of cucumber left from our last veggie box AND we are going to get more tomorrow, so I knew I needed to use it up. I had all of the ingredients on hand for this, so I decided to give it a try. I actually liked it quite a bit. I LOVE cucumbers! (Sorry this picture isn't the best...just ignore the large pork chop!)

Original recipe, here.

Prep Time: 15 min
Ready In: 35 min

Ingredients:

• 1 cup mayonnaise (I used Miracle Whip and it was fine - and I used a little bit less than a cup)
  
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 4 teaspoons distilled white vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon dried dill weed
• 1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt
• 4 medium cucumbers, peeled and sliced

Directions:

1. Salt cucumber slices and put in a strainer for about 20 minutes to help bring out some of the water.
2. In a large bowl, stir together the mayonnaise, sugar, vinegar, dill, and seasoned salt. Mix in the cucumber slices, tossing to coat.

Serves: 8

Classy Chicken

Original recipe, here.

I have a plethora of zucchini and don't cook with meat nearly enough, so I wanted to find a recipe that used both. Plus, it has sour cream and I LOVE sour cream! This was SO tasty! I can't wait to eat the leftovers!

Prep Time: 10 min
Cook Time: 25 min
Ready In: 35 min

Ingredients:

• 1 cup rice
  
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 tablespoons butter or margarine
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1 zucchini cut in half lengthwise, then sliced diagonally
• 3 tomatoes, chopped
• 1/2 green bell pepper, chopped
• 1 carrot, chopped
  
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dill weed
• 1/3 cup sour cream

Directions:

1. Cook rice according to package directions.
   
2. Place the flour into a shallow dish. Season chicken with salt and pepper, and then dredge in flour. Shake off excess. Heat the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Brown the chicken breasts on each side, about 3 minutes per side.
3. Pour the chicken broth into the skillet and scrape any chicken residue from the pan for flavor. Stir in the mustard. Cover, and cook for a few minutes until chicken is 'springy', but not cooked through. Add the zucchini, tomatoes, green pepper, and carrot, then season with garlic and dill weed. Cover, and cook until the chicken is cooked through, about 5 to 10 minutes.
4. Remove the chicken to a platter, and remove the pan from the heat. Stir sour cream into the pan liquid. If most of the liquid has evaporated, stir in a bit more broth first. Season with salt to taste, and serve chicken with sauce poured over it.

Serves: 4

I thoroughly LOVE cooking with FRESH ingredients!

Bean Soup With Kale

I've made this soup several times using my CSA vegetables and I absolutely love it! I think I am slowly and unintentionally becoming a vegetarian.

Original recipe, here.

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
  
• 8 large garlic cloves, crushed or minced
• 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
• 4 cups chopped raw kale
• 4 cups low-fat, chicken broth
• 2 (15 ounce) cans white beans, such as cannellini or navy, or red kidney beans, undrained
  
• 1 (15 ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained
  
• 2 teaspoons dried Italian herb seasoning
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Grated Parmesan Cheese
  

Directions:

In a large pot, heat olive oil. Add garlic and onion; saute until soft. Add kale and saute, stirring, until wilted. Add 3 cups of broth, 2 cups of beans, and all of the tomato, herbs, salt and pepper. Simmer 5 minutes. In a blender or food processor, mix the remaining beans and broth until smooth. Stir into soup to thicken. Simmer 15 minutes. Ladle into bowls; sprinkle with grated cheese.

Serves: 8

Potato, Carrot, and Summer Squash Soup

This was actually a recipe that MY HUSBAND found online and made (although I helped). The picture really doesn't do it justice. It was delicious and tasty and my mouth salivates just thinking about it. We will definitely make this again! (Oh and I find it amusing that, even with the name, the original recipe doesn't call for squash).

Original recipe, here.

Ingredients:

2 Tb Olive Oil

1 medium onion, chopped
5 cloves garlic, minced
3 baking potatoes, diced
1 large zucchini, cut into half moons
1 large carrot, sliced into rounds
1 large squash, cut into half moons

1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes, undrained

5 cups chicken stock
Salt and lots of freshly ground black pepper
2 Tb dried basil

2 cups kale, chopped
Grated Mozzarella or Parmesan Cheese

Directions:

Heat oil in a deep pot over medium-high heat.
Add the onion, garlic, potatoes, zucchini, squash and carrot.
Cook until softened and brown, about 7-8 minutes.
Add tomatoes and stock to the pot.
Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Bring the soup up to a boil then turn it down to a simmer.
Cook for 10 minutes.
Add the kale and basil, cover and simmer 5 minutes.
Taste and re-season before serving.
Top with cheese

Irish Soda Bread

Original recipe, here.

I wasn't working on St. Patrick's Day, so I decided that I wanted to make something festive. Of course, corned beef and cabbage are also a given, but I didn't have corned beef or access to the car to go buy some. Instead I searched for some St. Patty's Day recipes and found this recipe for Irish Soda Bread. It was really easy and had a great flavor. My husband told me that we needed to make it part of our annual St. Patrick's Day Meal!

Prep Time: 15 min
Cook Time: 50 min
Ready In: 1 hr, 5 min

Ingredients: (I did not have buttermilk on hand, so I made "my own" using a ratio of 1 c regular milk and 1 TB lemon juice)

• 4 cups all-purpose flour
• 4 tablespoons white sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup margarine, softened
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup butter, melted
• 1/4 cup buttermilk

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly grease a large baking sheet.
2. In a large bowl, mix together flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt and margarine. Stir in 1 cup of buttermilk and egg. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead slightly. Form dough into a round and place on prepared baking sheet. In a small bowl, combine melted butter with 1/4 cup buttermilk; brush loaf with this mixture. Use a sharp knife to cut an 'X' into the top of the loaf.
3. Bake in preheated oven for 45 to 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean, about 30 to 50 minutes. Continue to brush the loaf with the butter mixture while it bakes.
4. Serve with jam or on its own!
   

Cowboy Mashed Potatoes

Original recipe, here.

A couple of months ago, I needed to use up some vegetables (do you sense a theme, here?) so I decided to try these mashed potatoes. They are very unique, but also very yummy! (Can you really go wrong with mashed potatoes?!)

Prep Time: 20 min
Cook Time: 20 min
Ready In: 40 min

Ingredients:

• 1 pound red potatoes
• 1 pound yellow potatoes
• 1 fresh jalapeno pepper, sliced
• 12 oz chopped carrots
• 12 oz chopped turnips
  
• 4 cloves garlic
• 1 15 oz can sweet corn
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Place red potatoes, yellow potatoes, jalapeno pepper, carrots, turnips, and garlic cloves in a large pot. Cover with water, and bring to a boil over high heat. Cook 15 to 20 minutes, or until potatoes are tender. Drain water from pot.
2. Stir in corn and butter. Mash the mixture until butter is melted and potatoes have reached desired consistency. Mix in cheese, salt, and pepper. Serve hot.

Serves: 10

Beet and Cheddar Risotto

Original Recipe here

I needed to find something quick to make using the beets that have been hanging out in our fridge and I found this tasty little dish. I decided to go out on a limb, since I usually don't try making recipes that aren't tried and true, but this one turned out great! Plus, it used the beet greens, which I was excited about! I'm finding more and more that I REALLY like risotto. Plus, this one has a very unique color!

Prep Time: 20 min
Cook Time: 30 min
Ready In: 50 min

Ingredients:

• 1 beet, peeled and chopped
  
• 2 cups loosely packed beet greens, chopped
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 onion, minced
• 1 cup rice
• 8 ounces shredded Cheddar cheese
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Start cooking rice following package instructions.
   
2. Bring the broth to a simmer in a large pot over medium-low heat.
3. Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat; cook and stir the onion in the oil until tender, about 3 minutes. Add the rice; cook and stir another 2 minutes. Mix in the beet and beet green mixture, cooking another minute. Pour in the broth mixture 1 cup at a time, allowing the liquid to be absorbed before adding each batch, stirring continually; reduce heat to medium and simmer 20 minutes. Stir in the Cheddar cheese. Season with salt and pepper. Continue stirring until creamy and thick, about 3 minutes more.
   

Serves: 6

Pineapple Chicken Stir-fry

Original recipe, here.

I made this recipe a few months ago, but looking at the picture makes me salivate. I'm definitely making this again.

Ingredients:

For the marinade
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon rice vinegar
1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast cut into 1-inch cubes

For the rice
1 1/3 cups water
2/3 cup brown rice

For the sauce
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
3 tablespoons unsweetened pineapple juice
1 teaspoon rice vinegar
1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 garlic cloves, minced

1 tablespoon peanut oil, divided
1 small carrot, thinly sliced into diagonal strips
1 cup chopped red bell pepper, cut into 1/2-inch diamonds
1 cup chopped bok choy
1 cup unsweetened canned pineapple chunks
1/2 cup sliced green onion
1 cup snow peas

Directions:

1. In a small bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, rice vinegar and ginger. Pour the marinade into a sealable bag and add the cubed chicken. Seal and place in the refrigerator until ready to use.
2. Add the water to a saucepan and place over medium-high heat. Cover and bring to a boil. Add the rice, reduce heat to low and simmer about 5 minutes, or according to package directions. Remove from heat, stir and cover. Let stand until the water is absorbed and the rice is tender.
3. In a separate bowl, mix together the ingredients for the sauce. Set aside.
4. Assemble and measure out all of the remaining ingredients.
5. In a large wok, heat 1/2 tablespoon of the peanut oil over medium-high heat. Add carrots and red pepper and stir-fry for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the bok choy and pineapple and stir-fry 1 minute. Add onions and snow peas and stir-fry for another minute. Remove vegetables from the wok into a large bowl and set aside.
6. Return the wok to the burner. Add 1/2 tablespoon of the peanut oil and the marinated chicken. Stir-fry about 3 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through. Add cooked vegetables. Stir-fry for 1 minute more.
7. Stir the sauce mixture to make sure the cornstarch is completely dissolved. Add the sauce to the wok and bring to a boil. Cook until the sauce thickens and appears clear and shiny, about 1 minute.
8. Serve immediately, over rice.
   

Serves: 4

Kale and Black-Eyed Peas

Original Recipe here.

I read an article the other day that had ideas for using those "trouble" vegetables from CSA farms. (The ones that you just can't use before they go bad.) We have had a plethora of kale lately and so I wanted to try something new (that wasn't soup). The article mentioned that kale went well with black-eyed peas. Then I remembered that we just so happened to have a bag of black-eyed peas in our pantry so I searched for recipes. This is what I found and it turned out well. I served it with a roll and some fresh fruit. Tasty!

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1/2 cup diced ham
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 bunch kale, stems removed and washed
• 1/2 cup chicken stock
• 2 cups cooked black-eyed peas/beans

Directions:

1. In large nonstick skillet heat oil over medium heat. Add onion, ham and garlic and cook, stirring for about 5 minutes or until onion is softened.
2. Meanwhile, slice greens thinly and add to skillet and cook, stirring occasionally for 5 minutes. Add stock and cook for 5 minutes or until wilted and tender crisp. Add black-eyed peas and cook, stirring occasionally for about 5 minutes or until beans are warmed through.

Balsamic Chicken and Vegetables

Recipe found here.

A few days ago, my husband assigned me the task of finding a way to use our asparagus, which was on the verge of going bad in our fridge. Then, while I was catching up on my blogging, I stumbled across my friend's food blog and found this tasty little dish. I happened to have everything on hand and the dish looked easy enough so I whipped it up for dinner tonight. My husband loved it. There are NO leftovers. I liked it too - it's a very flavorful blend of veggies!

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup bottled/prepared Italian salad dressing
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 12 ounces chicken breast, cut into strips
• 10 ounces asparagus, cut into 2-inch pieces (2 cups), or one 10-ounce package frozen cut asparagus, thawed and well-drained
• 1 carrot, chopped
• 1 small tomato, seeded and chopped

Directions:

1. Stir together salad dressing, vinegar, honey, and crushed red pepper in a small mixing bowl. Set aside.
2. Heat oil in a large skillet. Add chicken; cook over medium-high heat for 5 to 6 minutes or till chicken is tender and no longer pink. Transfer from skillet to a serving platter; cover and keep warm.
3. Add asparagus and carrot to skillet. Cook and stir for 4 minutes, till asparagus is crisp-tender; transfer to serving platter.
4. Stir dressing mixture; add to skillet. Cook and stir for 1 minute, scraping up browned bits. Drizzle over chicken and vegetables. Sprinkle with tomato.