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. 

Skillet Chicken Pot Pie Two Ways

Sauteeing the kale and onions

Kale and I have an interesting relationship. No matter how many ways I try to cook it, it still tastes like...kale. Hiding it in a pot pie is a brilliant solution. On Wednesday, I made this recipe, following it exactly. It was delicious! Only problem was I didn't thaw the puff pastry correctly, so the looked a bit funky and bumpy instead of smooth. Definitely not worthy of the front cover of Bon Appetit, but yummy nonetheless.

The broth comes very close the edge, of the pan so be careful!

Finished product with an "artsy" crust

Since the recipe only calls for half a rotisserie chicken and one puff pastry crust, I decided to make a second pot pie on Thursday, using slightly different ingredients. Following the same recipe as before, I used spinach instead of Kale, a smaller amount of pearl onions, and an entire bag of mixed frozen vegetables. I can't decide which one was better - the first one or the second variation.

Lime Cilantro Scallops with Orzo

I've been avoiding cooking scallops for way too long. I order them whenever I see them on a menu, but have always had this fear that if I cook them myself, I'll mess them up, waste a ton of money, and be sad sad sad. Man, was I wrong! Scallops are easy peasy to make, and you can buy them relatively inexpensively in the frozen seafood section. I used orzo, since we didn't have any fettuccine lying around the house like the original recipe called for, and decided to serve the broth on the side. While we ate dinner, my husband asked, "Do we have about 14 more pounds of these in the kitchen? Because that's how many I could eat right now". I'd call that a win.

Slow Cooker Asian Pork Shoulder with Snow Peas, Green Beans and Red Peppers

Whenever pork shoulder goes on sale, I scoop it up. Normally, it gets turned into some sort of BBQ sandwich, but I wanted to try something different this time. If I could bathe in this sauce, I probably would. Yum yum yum yum yum is all I have to say about it. Once again, I modified the original recipe for my pressure cooker (1 hour 45 minutes on the stew setting), but I'm sure it would be just as delicious, if not more, in a slow cooker. I added some frozen green beans, too. 

Two Meals in One - Barbacoa Beef Tacos and Shredded Beef Shepherd's Pie

Over the past year, I've gotten better and better at manipulating slow cooker recipes to work with my pressure cooker. This one's a keeper. If you don't have a pressure cooker, follow the recipe as directed, and use a slow cooker instead. I used a 4 lb brisket, and cooked the meat in the pressure cooker on the "stew" setting for about an hour and 45 minutes. After shredding the meat, serve in corn tortillas with sour cream, salsa, and diced avocado. There were plenty of leftovers after the three of us had about 2 tacos each, which was good, since I needed the leftovers for the second recipe the next day.

Blending Up the Ingredients for the Sauce

One of my favorite blogs, The Food in My Beard, posted a recipe awhile back that I've been dying to try, but alas, have been too lazy, because it requires slowly cooking short ribs in the oven. I decided to use the leftovers from the tacos in his version of Shepherd's Pie.

 Ingredients
Leftover shredded beef
A bag of frozen corn
1/3 of a red cabbage, chopped
3 tomatoes, diced
3 fresno peppers, seeded and diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
A drizzle of olive oil
5 cups mashed potatoes (see this post for recipe)
Shredded cheddar cheese



Preheat the oven to 400F. In baking pan, layer the leftover beef on the bottom, being sure to add some of the cooking juices. In a mixing bowl, blend together the corn, cabbage, tomatoes, peppers and olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Add on top of the shredded beef layer.  Top with a layer of mashed potatoes and sprinkle with shredded cheese. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until the top is slightly crispy and the juices are bubbling. Get ready for your mind to be blown...

Green Tea Salmon with Sriracha Quinoa and Veggies

This is one of those recipes that makes you feel good, and I mean really good, when you're eating it. It's extremely filling, and also extremely healthy. Adding a tea bag to a simmering pan of fish was a bit strange to me at first, but it adds subtle flavor to the fish. I added twice as much Sriracha to the quinoa, and wasn't disappointed.

Green Tea Salmon

Strisce alla Chiantigiana

While cooking this, I had a moment of panic. While the wine simmered, I thought to myself, "Is this going to taste like pasta with wine juice?" Nope. It was amazing. Don't let the slightly purple color freak you out. This recipe from Bon Appetit was hearty and uber tasty. I made a few adjustments - using bacon instead of pancetta, channeling my Wisconsin roots by adding about two times the suggested amount of parmesan, and adding some fresh chopped parsley on top.

Sauteed Shrimp with Butternut Squash and Roasted Brussels Sprouts

I got a great cookbook from one of my favorite people a few years ago, and at first many of the recipes appeared to be way beyond my culinary abilities. It wasn't until I realized that just because there are more steps, and it's a bit more complicated, it doesn't mean you can't make something successfully. Sometimes you just have to save recipes like these for the weekends, to allow plenty of time for tinkering (and for mistakes).*

Sautéed Shrimp with Butternut Puree

Ingredients

Puree

1/2 a small butternut squash

1 1/2 T butter

1/4 c chopped onion

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 1/2 tsp peeled fresh ginger

1/3 c broth or water

1/3 c heavy cream

Salt and pepper

Shrimp

3 T extra virgin olive oil

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 tsp sambal oelek chili paste

1 lb tail on shrimp, peeled and deveined

2 T butter

Salt

1. Preheat the oven to 375F.

2. Scoop out the seeds of the squash, place 1/2 T butter in the cavity, flip over, and roast on a rimmed baking sheet until the skin browns and the squash softens, about 45 minutes (I did this the day before and kept the cooked squash in the fridge).

3. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, stir together all shrimp ingredients except the butter and salt. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour and up to overnight (I let it marinate for an hour and it was yummy).

3. Melt the remaining 1 T butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic and ginger.

4. Once the onion is translucent, scoop out the squash flesh and add it to the pan.

5. Add the broth and cream, then simmer over low heat until the cream takes on a nutty smell and the mixture thickens, about 25 minutes.

6. Use an immersion blender or transfer everything to a blender and puree until smooth. Season with salt and pepper.

7. Pull the shrimp from the fridge. Melt 2 T butter in a large saute pan over medium heat.

8. Season the shrimp with a bit of salt and saute until pink but slightly translucent in the middle, about 1 minute per side.

9. Serve the shrimp over a heaping spoonful of puree.

*This recipe also calls for a cider gastrique, which requires slowly simmering sugar and cider vinegar until it thickens. I failed miserably and my gastrique turned into tooth-crushing candy/caramel. It turned out just fine without it :)

Roasted Brussels Sprouts

Preheat the oven to 400F. Cut the Brussels sprouts into halves or quarters depending on the size, making sure to cut off the tough end. In a mixing bowl, toss with olive oil, salt, pepper, and a dash of balsamic vinegar. Place them on a rimmed baking sheet and roast for about 25 minutes, tossing halfway through.

Asian Sloppy Joes and Green Bean Fries

Sometimes, my meal plan starts with just one ingredient, usually some sort of protein in my freezer. This week, I typed ground pork into my personal recipe database, which I've been adding recipes to for the past two years, and this recipe for Asian Sloppy Joe Sliders popped up, and I decided to turn it into a meal. I halved all ingredients in the recipe, omitted the ground chicken, and used a pound of ground pork on its own. While these yummy sandwiches would make a great appetizer, they resulted in a delicious main course, and the leftovers were quite good too! I'll admit, the Green Bean Fries recipe made me pretty skeptical, and even though they probably lost a good portion of their nutritional value in the process, they were a fun alternative to potatoes. I skipped the dip portion of the recipe. These fries were yummy all on their own.

Quick Chicken Kiev and Mashed Potatoes

If you're on a diet, stop reading this post immediately. If you're okay with cheating every once in awhile, read on.

I love recipes like this on a cold evening. Who doesn't warm up to creamy potatoes and crispy fried chicken? I was pretty proud of my first attempt at stuffing a chicken breast because I honestly thought it might be a disaster! Luckily for me, this recipe is relatively foolproof. Also, since I'm not a huge fan of dill, I used cilantro instead, since I had some leftover from a previous recipe.

Mashed Potatoes
Thanksgiving is kind of about the turkey for me, but it's mostly about the potatoes. My mom's side of the family does it right.

Peel enough Yukon gold potatoes for the number of people you'll be serving. A good rule of thumb is that I try to allot about 1-3 potatoes per person depending on the size, and I'll add an extra serving's worth or two or potatoes for leftovers. Never skimp on the mashed potatoes! You do about the same amount of work for small portions and larger portions, minus the peeling.

While you're peeling the potatoes, heat a medium to large sized pot of water (filled about halfway) over high heat. Quartering the potatoes will reduce the overall cooking time, so I typically with leave the potatoes whole if the other things I'm cooking will take a bit longer than 30 minutes or so to cook. Place the potatoes in the water and bring to a boil (add more water if needed, the potatoes should be barely covered). Lower the heat, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes if cut up, 30 minutes if whole. Don't leave them in the hot water for too long after that, or they will start to get grainy. You'll know that they're ready when they are easily poked with a fork. Drain the water and place the cooked potatoes in a large mixing bowl. Add a tablespoon of butter for every 4 servings, and a splash of milk (go easy on this step, you can always add more later.) Season generously with salt. With a hand mixer, mash and whip the potatoes in the bowl, adding small amounts of milk as you go, until you reach the desired consistency. I usually end up adding about 1/4 c of milk when I make 4 servings. Taste the potatoes and add more salt, butter or milk and whip one last time with the hand mixer. Serve immediately. *Tip - if you ever end up in a situation where your mashed potatoes are done too soon before the rest of your meal is ready, you can put them in a slow cooker on low heat to keep them from losing their creamy texture.

Grilled Ginger-Orange Pork Tenderloin and Skillet Sweet Potatoes

I'll be honest. Normally, when I see a recipe that includes two days' worth of steps, my first instinct is to find a lazier recipe that can be completed all in one day. However, the day-before marinade for this recipe was so easy, and so tasty, that this will be going on my make-again list for sure. Recipes requiring grilling used to deter me, too, because apartment living doesn't always lend itself to grilled goodness. That all changed a few years ago when I got a stellar indoor grill which I now use regularly.

The recipe makes enough for about two people, but can easily be doubled or tripled.
Ginger-Orange Pork Tenderloin

Skillet Roasted Sweet Potatoes
Preheat oven to 400F.
Peel and dice 3-4 small sweet potatoes and toss with olive oil, salt and pepper.
In an oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the potatoes for about 15-20 minutes until starting to brown.
Transfer to the oven and cook for an additional 15-20 minutes, flipping the potatoes a few times.

Soy Cilantro Salmon and Roasted Asparagus

For the past few years, it's been my mission to perfect the art of baking salmon, and I think I've finally got the the hang of it. The suggested cooking time in this recipe from Martha Stewart was perfect for my oven (and the altitude, which has taken some getting used to). You'll know the salmon's done when it flakes easily with a fork. This would go well with Jasmine rice, but to keep it healthier, I served it with a mixed greens salad and some Asian dressing. This is another weeknight favorite that requires very little prep time and has an added bonus of using very few dishes.

Roasted Asparagus

Toss asparagus with some olive oil, salt and pepper on a baking sheet. 

Add to the 450-degree oven during the last 7 or so minutes of cooking the salmon, flipping the asparagus halfway through.

Flank Steak Stir Fry with Snow Peas, Broccoli and Red Peppers

I think I have soy sauce in my blood (low sodium soy sauce, that is). I would be perfectly happy eating Asian flavors every week. This newly-discovered recipe is an easy weekday meal - the marinating flank steak doesn't need to sit for long in the delicious sauce, so all of it can be accomplished in about an hour or so. I added some sliced red peppers and blanched broccoli to the mix, too, since broccoli is my all-time favorite stir fry vegetable. I love the way it soaks up the sauce. Add some Sriracha towards the end for some added kick.

Beef with Snow Peas (Pioneer Woman Cooks)

Homemade Buttermilk Pancakes

Last week, a friend was over, and she made some cornbread with buttermilk. This morning, when I realized we still had buttermilk in the fridge, I was excited to try making these pancakes for the first time.  For three people, a half recipe was the perfect amount, with a little left over. These pancakes are going on the "make again" list. I love that I was able to keep some of them warm in the oven until they were all cooked up.

 I couldn't believe how crispy yet fluffy these amazing pancakes were. Even more delicious with some sautéed fruit. In a wok, I sautéed two sliced bananas and a cup of diced pineapple on medium heat for about 15 minutes in a little bit of butter with some cinnamon.

Homemade Buttermilk Pancakes (The Kitchn)