Vegetable Scrap Broth

You know what's great about this recipe? The ingredients are basically FREE. I learned this awesome trick from one of my best friends, aka Martha Stewart junior. For the past week or so, I've been saving most of my scraps (herb stems, onion skins, potato skins, greens, mushrooms, leftover bones, etc) and freezing them in a gallon bag, skipping really potent stuff like bell peppers. Once the freezer bag fills up, it's time to make broth. The steps are quite simple. Place the frozen scraps in a slow cooker, fill it up with water, and add about a tablespoon of salt and a tablespoon of peppercorns. Cook it on high for about 4 hours, or low for 8 hours (I used my pressure cooker on the "stew" setting for about an hour). The finished product is a beautiful dark broth that's healthy too! When it's done, strain it and put it in some mason jars. It will last in the fridge for about an hour. It made about 3 quarts of broth.

Herb Dijon Chicken Thighs with Sweet Potatoes

This is a perfect weeknight dish. It's all cooks together in one pan, makes minimal dishes, and tastes delicious! I've experimented with a few types of mustards for this recipe from Eating Well. So far, a mix of whole grain mustard and Dijon is my favorite. I substituted shallots for the red onions. You could use pretty much any root vegetable if you'd prefer to mix it up with something like celery root or parsnips.

Lemon Asparagus Pappardelle with Poached Eggs

Guess what? Making poached eggs might seem like a too-fancy-to-try method, but it's totally not. I've always been a bit intimidated by the process, but after following these super simple instructions I will be making poached eggs regularly. Check out this yummy recipe from Sur la Table! It's light but also filling at the same time.

Roasted Mushrooms and Pan Fried Trout with Red Wine Butter

Trout was never on my fish list before moving to Colorado. Now that I've discovered the flaky goodness that is fresh trout, I try to scoop up any fillets I find at the store. Maybe someday I'll be badass enough to catch my own trout and cook it at home! I halved this mushroom recipe from Food and Wine Magazine but made the full amount of the red wine butter sauce to pan fry the trout for a few minutes per side. I wasn't disappointed.

Green Goddess Salad with Avocado and Radishes

If you're looking for a healthier alternative to mayo-based salad dressings, this recipe uses avocado to create a silky smooth herb-filled dressing. It makes way more dressing than is needed for the salad, so I'd recommend halving the recipe or making a game plan for how to use the leftovers (I used it as a sauce for grilled chicken). I made almost this exact recipe, skipping the quinoa to keep the greens fresh and crispy and adding a bit of extra liquid to the dressing to thin it out a bit.

Arugula Pesto Pasta with Sauteed Vegetables

I almost always serve arugula in it's natural, whole form, but that started to get boring after several salads or using it as a burger topping. Pesto has historically always been a basil-only zone for me, but lately, I've been mixing it up with different greens. Arugula pesto is a bit spicy and adds the perfect kick to pasta. Here's another recipe (modified slightly) from my favorite blog, TheKitchn.
Arugula Pesto with Veggies
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups arugula
3/4 cup chopped fresh basil
3/4 cup toasted walnuts
4 cloves garlic
1 lemon, zested and juiced (about 2 tbsp juice)
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 lb pasta
Sauteed veggies (mushrooms, tomatoes and broccoli work nicely)

1. Put a pot of salted water on to boil.
2. In a food processor, blend the arugula, basil, walnuts, garlic, lemon zest and juice and salt with a bit of freshly ground pepper until smooth.
3. With the motor running, drizzle in the olive oil and pulse to combine.
4. Add the cheese and pulse a few more times.
5. While the pasta cooks, saute your veggies. Toss with pasta and pesto and serve!

Turnip Soup with Chickpea Croutons

I don't care what anyone says - turnips kind of suck. In years past, I'd pretend that I was going to eat undesirable produce like kale and turnips only to throw them away after I'd lost the battle in my fridge. Turnip soup to the rescue! I modified the recipe from TheKitchn a little bit based on what I had around the house. I did not regret substituting mushroom broth for veggie broth. This soup was earthy and smooth, and did a great job covering up the usual funkiness of turnips.

Turnip Soup with Chickpea Croutons

Serves 4-6

Ingredients

Croutons

1 can cooked chickpeas, rinsed, peeled and patted dry

2 tsp garlic powder

1 1/2 tbsp olive oil

Pinch of sea salt

1 tsp z'atar seasoning (optional)

Soup

2 tbsp olive oil

1 small bunch Egyptian walking onions, sliced thin, white and light parts only

4 cloves of garlic, minced

4 medium turnips, scrubbed and cut into 1-inch pieces

1 large russet potato, scrubbed and cut into 1-inch pieces

3 tsp chopped fresh thyme

1/2 tsp paprika

4 cups mushroom broth

Salt and pepper to taste

1. Preheat oven to 400F. In a large bowl, toss the peeled chickpeas with oil and seasoning. Spread on a parchment-lined baking sheet in a single layer and bake until golden and crisp, about 25 minutes, tossing halfway through. I added a little extra time at the end to make sure they were crispy. Remove from oven and set aside to cool.

2. Heat olive oil in a large soup pot over medium-high heat. Add the onions and saute until soft, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook for one more minute. Add remaining ingredients (except broth and salt/pepper) and stir to combine. Add the broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until veggies are tender, about 25 minutes. *I actually used my pressure cooker for this step, sauteeing the veggies in the pot, adding the rest of the ingredients, and setting to "Soup" to cook for 15 minutes.*

3. Puree the soup with an immersion blender or transfer to a blender and puree, adding more broth if the soup is too thick. Season with salt and pepper and top with chickpea croutons.