Roasted Veggie and Black Bean Burrito

Broccoli and Bow Tie Pasta

Pan-Browned Brussels Sprouts

Pan-Browned Brussels Sprouts

Recipe from Epicurious.com

INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 pound Brussels sprouts
• 2 large garlic cloves
• 1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 tablespoons pine nuts

PREPARATION

Trim Brussels sprouts and halve lengthwise. Cut garlic into very thin slices. In a 10-inch heavy skillet (preferably well-seasoned cast iron) melt 1 tablespoon butter with oil over moderate heat and cook garlic, stirring, until pale golden. Transfer garlic with a slotted spoon to a small bowl. Reduce heat to low and arrange sprouts in skillet, cut sides down, in one layer. Sprinkle sprouts with pine nuts and salt to taste. Cook sprouts, without turning, until crisp-tender and undersides are golden brown, about 15 minutes.

With tongs transfer sprouts to a plate, browned sides up. Add garlic and remaining 1/2 tablespoon butter to skillet and cook over moderate heat, stirring, until pine nuts are more evenly pale golden, about 1 minute. Spoon mixture over sprouts and sprinkle with freshly ground black pepper.

Curried Sweet Potato, Carrot, and Red Lentil Soup

Curried Sweet Potato, Carrot, and Red Lentil Soup
Recipe from Spilling the Beans
Serves 6

Canola or olive oil
1 Onion, chopped
1-2 Garlic cloves, crushed
1 Tbsp grated fresh ginger
1/2 Cup dry red lentils
1 Medium sweet potato, peeled and cut into chunks]
1 Carrot, peeled and chopped
2 tsp curry paste or powder
4 Cups chicken or vegetable stock
Salt to taste
1/2 to 1 Cup half and half (optional)
Plain yogurt or sour cream, for serving (optional)
Cilantro, chopped, for serving (optional)

In a large saucepan, heat a drizzle of oil over medium high heat.  Saute the onion, garlic, and ginger for about 5 minutes, until the onion is soft.  Add the lentils, sweet potato, carrot, curry paste, stock and salt, along with a cup of water.  Bring to a boil, then turn the heat down, cover and simmer for 30 minutes or so until the vegetables are very tender.  Add the cream, if you are using it, and use a handheld immersion blender to puree the soup right in the pot.  Taste and adjust seasonings if needed.  Serve immediately or cool and refrigerate to reheat when you want it.  Serve hot, with a dollop of yogurt or sour cream and cilantro, if you like.

Chana Masala

Chana Masala
Recipe from Spilling the Beans
Serves 6

Canola or olive oil
1 Onion, chopped
1 Jalapeno or other small chili pepper, seeded and chopped
3-4 Garlic cloves, crushed or chopped
1 Tbsp grated fresh ginger
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp turmeric
3 Tomatoes, chopped
1/4 Cup chopped fresh cilantro (stems too)
1 Cup chicken, vegetable, or beef stock or water
4 Cups cooked chickpeas, or 2-19 oz cans, rinsed and drained
(Finlinson addition:  Yellow squash, diced.  Saute with other veggies)

Steamed rice or couscous, for serving.
Extra cilantro, for serving (optional, leave out the stems)

Drizzle a generous amount of oil into a large, heavy skillet set over medium high heat.  Saute the onion for a few minutes, until soft; add the jalapeno, garlic, and ginger and cook for another few minutes, until everything is soft and fragrant.  Add the paprika, cumin, coriander, garam masala, salt, and turmeric and cook for another minute.  Add the tomatoes and cilantro and cook for about 5 minutes, breaking up the tomatoes with a spoon.  Add a little of the water or stock if the pan is too dry.  When the tomatoes are breaking apart, add the stock and chickpeas, bring to a simmer, turn the heat down low, and cover.  Cook for about 30 minutes, until everything is nice and soft and the sauce has thickened.  Serve immediately over rice, scattered with extra cilantro, or cool and refrigerate for a day or two for a little better flavor (good leftover meal), then reheat.

Red Lentil and Sweet Potato Curry

Red Lentil and Sweet Potato Curry
Recipe from The Bean Book
Serves 4-6

Canola or olive oil
1 Onion, chopped
1 Jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely chopped
1 Tbsp grated fresh ginger
3 Garlic cloves, crushed
2 tsp curry paste or powder
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp salt
1 Medium dark-fleshed sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch chunks
1/2 Cup dry red lentils (can use brown lentils but precook in water for 20 minutes prior)
14 oz can coconut milk
1 Cup water
1 Cup packed baby spinach leaves

Steamed rice, for serving

In a large, heavy skillet, heat a drizzle of oil over medium high heat.  Saute the onion for about 5 minutes, until soft; add the jalapeno, ginger, garlic, curry paste, cumin, turmeric, and salt.  Cook for a few more minutes.  Stir in sweet potato, lentils, coconut milk, and water; bring to a simmer, then cover, turn the heat down to medium low, and cook for about 20 minutes, until the potato is tender.  Uncover the skillet and tear in the spinach; stir, replace the lid, and cook for another minute or two, just until the spinach wilts.  Serve immediately, over rice.

Stuffed Acorn Squash

Stuffed Acorn Squash
Recipe from Martha Stewart Living
Serves 4

2 acorn squash (1 lb each) halved crosswise, seeded, and bottoms trimmed to lie flat, salt and pepper
3 Tbsp olive oil, divided
1/2 lb cremini or button mushrooms, trimmed and diced small
1 medium yellow onion, diced small
3/4 tsp dried thyme
1 cup long-grain white rice
2 cup grated Parmesan (2 oz)

Preheat oven to 450.  On a rimmed baking sheet, season cut sides of squash with salt and pepper, drizzle with 1 tbsp oil, and turn cut sides down.  Cover sheet tightly with foil and roast until tender, about 35 minutes. (Time may be increased if cooking more than 2 squash).

Meanwhile, in a medium straight-sided skillet, heat remaining 2 tbsp oil over medium-high.  Add mushrooms, onion, and thyme; season with salt and pepper.  Saute until mushrooms are golden, 8 minutes.  Add rice and broth and bring to a boil; cover and reduce heat to low.  Cook until liquid is absorbed.  20 minutes.

Remove squash from oven and heat broiler.  Carefully scoop out 2-3 tbsp flesh from each squash half and stir into rice; season with salt and pepper.  Divide rice mixture among squash halves, sprinkle with Parmesan, and broil until melted, 2 minutes.  (Or mix in cheese and then sprinkle a little on top for looks.)

Tortellini Soup (Two Recipes)

Tortellini Soup

Recipe from Breta Finlinson

2 Tbsp butter

1 Clove garlic

1 Medium carrot cut into julienne strips

1 Medium onion, chopped (1/2 cup)

I Medium stalk celery, sliced (1/2 cup)

6 Cups water

2 tsp vegetable bouillon granules

1 15-16oz Can kidney beans, rinsed and drained

1 10-oz pkg dried cheese filled tortellini (2 1/2 cups)

1 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley

1/4 tsp pepper

6 Tbsp Pesto

6 Tbsp freshly grated parmesan cheese

Melt butter in dutch oven or large pot over medium low heat. Cook garlic, carrot, onion, and celery in butter 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in water and bouillon granules. Heat to boiling; reduce heat. Stir in beans and tortellini. Cover and simmer about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until tortellini are tender. Stir in parsley and pepper. Top each serving with pesto and cheese (or mix in pesto). Serve immediately.

Tortellini Soup

Recipe from Liz Cox

2 tsp olive oil

1/2 Cup onion, chopped

1 Garlic clove, minced

2 Cans chicken broth

1 Cup dried tortillini

1 Can diced tomatoes, undrained

1 Dried basil leaf, 1 1/2 tsp

1 Pkg spinach (frozen chopped) or fresh

Grated Parmesan Cheese

Heat oil over medium-high heat in a 3 quart sauce pan. Add onion and garlic and cool until tender. Add broth and bring to a boil. Add tortellini and cook like directions say until tender, don't drain. Add tomatoes, basil, and spinach. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Sprinkle cheese on top.

Tomato Rice Pilaf

*I changed this up a bit, what I changed I'll put in parenthesis next to it, including cooking instructions.

Tomato Rice Pilaf
Recipe from the Taste of Home Cookbook

2 tsp butter
1/2 cup uncooked long grain rice (1 cup rice)
1 small onion, sliced (1/2 medium onion)
1 1/4 cups chicken broth (1 can broth)
2 Tbsp chopped green onion (1 chopped green onion)
2 Tbsp chopped tomato (cut up until looked good)
2 Tbsp minced fresh parsley

In a 3-cup microwave-safe dish, melt butter. Stir in the rice and onion. (I stuck the butter, rice, onion, and chicken broth in the rice cooker and cooked like normal rice.) Microwave, uncovered, on high for 2-3 minutes or until rice is lightly browned and onion is tender, stirring once. Add broth. Cover and cook on high for 13-15 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. stir in the green onion, tomato and parsley. (Once rice was cooked I just added the green onion, tomato, and parsley.)

Jalapeno Poppers and Essence Seasoning Recipe

*This can take a little time to make (especially if you don't have the Essence on hand) and definitely dirties a decent amount of dishes. But these were really good...that coming from someone who isn't big into jalapenos. My husband loves jalapenos and thought this was great.

Jalapeno Poppers
Recipe from foodnetwork.com

12 Fresh jalapeno peppers (halved lengthwise, stemmed, and seeded)
6 Ounces cream cheese, softened
1 1/2 Cups Monterey Jack or mozzarella cheese, grated
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon cayenne, or less to taste
2 Large eggs
2 Tablespoons milk
8 teaspoons Essence (or recipe below)
1 Cup Panko breadcrumbs
1/2 Cup flour

Preheat oven to 350. In a bowl, cream together cream cheese, Monterey Jack cheese, cumin, and cayenne. In another bowl, beat together eggs, milk, and 2 teaspoons Essence. In a shallow dish, combine breadcrumbs and 4 teaspoons Essence. In another dish, combine flour and remaining 2 teaspoons Essence. Fill jalapeno pepper halves with cream cheese mixture. One at a time dredge in flour, dip into egg mixture, then dredge in breadcrumbs, pressing to coat. If necessary, repeat the process. Place the coated jalapeno peppers, cut side up, on a lightly greased baking dish and bake until the filling is runny and crust is golden, about 30-40 minutes.


Essence (Emeril's Creole Seasoning)
(Makes more seasoning than is needed for above recipe)

2 1/2 Tablespoons paprika
2 Tablespoons salt
2 Tablespoons garlic powder
1 Tablespoon black pepper
1 Tablespoon onion powder
1 Tablespoon cayenne pepper
1 Tablespoon oregano
1 Tablespoon thyme

Mix together.

Tortilla Soup

*When making this I'm always skeptical...but when I taste it I remember how much I love this dish. Eden even loved it. After every slurp she said, "MMM!!"

Tortilla Soup
Recipe from the Finlinsons

1-2 Medium tomatoes, cut up
1/2 Onion
1-2 Garlic cloves
8 Cups chicken broth (1 quart or 5 cans)
Salt and pepper, to taste

Toppings:

Tortilla strips or chips
Salsa (preferably with tomato chunks)
Shredded cheese
Avocado (optional)

Blend tomatoes, onions, and garlic in a blender until smooth. Put in a large pot and heat until boiling, stirring frequently. Simmer on low, uncovered, for 10 minutes. Add chicken broth, salt, and pepper. Heat to boiling. Turn down and simmer, covered, for 15 minutes. Add toppings.

Butternut Squash Saute

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

*Tip on cutting squash: Use a peeler to peel off skin first, cut in half, dig out the seeds, and then dice. Can use frozen, chopped onion as well.

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.

Sun Dried Tomatoes

Sun Dried Tomatoes
Recipe from somewhere online

Tomatoes (Roma recommended)
Salt

Slice tomatoes lengthwise. Place on cookie sheet lined with parchment paper, so they don't overlap each other. Lightly salt tomatoes (or maybe try add some seasonings to them). Place in an oven at 200 or the lowest setting oven will allow. Bake for 6 hours. Let cool and store in bag until ready to use.

Grandpa Fin Carrots

Grandpa Fin Carrots
Recipe from the Finlinsons

6 Carrots, peeled and cut
1 Can chicken broth
3 Tablespoons honey

Put carrots and broth into a saucepan and let it come to a boil. Add honey. Let simmer until carrots are soft.

Southern Vegetable Casserole

Southern Vegetable Casserole
Recipe from Debbie Huffman (ward cookbook)

1 16-oz sour cream
1/2 cup celery, chopped
1/2 cup green pepper, chopped
1/2 cup onion, chopped
1 can French style green beans (I used regular cut)
1/2 box Ritz crackers (or other similar type cracker)
1/3 cup slivered almonds
1 stick butter
1 can Shoe Peg corn (I used regular canned corn)
Salt and pepper

Mix sour cream with salt and pepper to taste. Add vegetables. Put in greased 9x12 baking dish. Crush crackers and mix with almonds. Melt stick of butter and add to cracker mix. Place topping on casserole. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

Simple Coleslaw

*I'm not a big coleslaw fan....but I loved this.

Simple Coleslaw
Recipe from Picky-palate.com

16 Oz bag of coleslaw mix
1/2 Cup miracle whip
2 Tablespoons sugar
1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon honey

Place coleslaw mix in one bowl and combine all the other ingredients in another bowl. Once well mixed together, combine with the coleslaw mix.

*Coleslaw is good as a side dish or on BBQ sandwiches instead of lettuce. BBQ pulled pork sandwich recipe here.

Mexican Corn on the Cob (2 recipes)

Spicy Corn on the Cob
Recipe from Picky-Palate.com

Fresh Corn on the cob
Mayonnaise
Cholula hot sauce
Salt and Pepper

Spread the mayo on the corn on the cob. Then roll it around in the Cholula. Then sprinkle it with dashes of salt and pepper.

A Different Recipe:

Elote: Mexican Style Corn on the Cob
Recipe by Our Best Bites

4 ears corn
3 T mayo
2 T sour cream
1/4-1/2 t lime zest
1/2 t fresh lime juice
1/4 t cayenne pepper (optional)
1/4 t chili powder
tiny pinch kosher salt
1 C crumbled Cotija Cheese* (use fresh parmesan or queso fresco if you can't find Cotija)

Cook corn (however you like). While cooking corn, prepare the rest of the ingredients. Grate cheese with a fine grater and put on plate. In a small bowl, mix sour cream, mayo, some zest from the lime, the lime juice from the lime, chili pepper, cayenne, and salt. When corn is cooked and hot, spread the sauce over the corn and roll in grated cheese. If desired, sprinkle with a little extra chili powder and squeeze a little extra lime juice.

Black Bean Chili

*Original recipe is served over baked sweet potatoes. You could do it over sweet potatoes, regular potatoes, or like I have it here as a side dish.

*For these kinds of meals, it is nice to have already chopped green peppers that I've prepared in the freezer. This saves time and then I could also make this a pre-made mix with the spices.

Black Bean Chili
Recipe from Betty Crocker

2 teaspoons vegetable oil
1 Small green bell pepper, chopped
1 Can stewed tomatoes (Mexican or plain)
1 Can black beans
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/16 teaspoon cayenne
1/16 teaspoon paprika
1/16 teaspoon cumin
1 Fresh jalapeno, chopped

Heat oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Cook bell pepper in oil 3-5 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in beans and tomatoes. Heat to boiling; reduce heat to medium-low. Cook uncovered 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until hot.

Fresh Tomato Pizza with Avocado (and Pizza Dough Recipe)

*Tips to try: I don't have a baking stone so I looked up tips online to cooking without. Try baking the pizzas on a cookie sheet with parchment paper underneath. After 8 minutes slide the parchment paper off the cookie sheet and put directly on the oven rack for the rest of the cooking. You can also take the parchment paper out from under 2 minutes after the 8 minutes since the parchment paper will get pretty brittle and crispy. This way it is an easy transfer to the oven without the mess of the cornmeal on bottom. This definitely seems worth trying.

*My own thoughts: Oddly enough, I almost wouldn't miss the avocado/lime mixture if it weren't there. A plain tomato pizza would be amazing. You could put other things on top of the oil mixture and sliced tomatoes. I bet mushrooms, olives, bacon pieces, etc. would be great. Or I could always try just squirting some lime juice and chopped cilantro on top.

*Another thought: I hear that you can use feta cheese instead of queso fresco although feta cheese has a stronger taste. I'm not sure the price difference but I'm pretty sure queso fresco is pretty expensive. I would even just try sprinkling on some regular cheese that I have on hand, it's not that much cheese anyway.

Fresh Tomato Pizza with Avocado
Recipe from A Year in a Vegatarian Kitchen
Serves 2-3 people

Pizza dough recipe (found below)
2 Large ripe tomatoes
2 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 Medium garlic cloves, minced
1 Medium jalapeno chile, stemmed, seeded, and minced
Cornmeal for sprinkling on pizza peel or baking sheet
Salt
3 Ounces queso fresco or farmer cheese, crumbled (about 3/4 cup)
1 Medium avocado
1 Tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 Tablespoon minced fresh cilantro leaves

1. While the pizza dough is rising, place a baking stone on the lower oven rach and heat the oven to 500 degrees for at lesat 30 minutes. Cut the tomatoes into 1/4 inch thick slices. Place the tomatoes between doubled sheets of paper towels and press lightly to absorb excess moisture. Combine the oil, garlic, and chile in a small bowl.

2. Once the pizza dough has finished rising, cut the dough into two equal pieces. (If cooking two pizzas, double the recipe on top. If cooking one, take the other half of the dough and put into an airtight container and freeze for up to several weeks. Take out of freezer for several hours to thaw.) Turn the remaining half of the dough out onto a floured work surface and shape it into a 12-inch round with your hands. Slide the dough onto a pizza peel or rimless baking sheet that has been dusted liberally with cornmeal.

3. Brush the dough with the oil mixture. Line the dough with slightly overlapping tomatoes, leaving a 1/2 inch border around the edge. Sprinkle the tomatoes with salt to taste and then with the cheese.

4. Slide the pizza from the peel onto the baking stone. Bake until the edges of the crust are nicely browned, 12-15 minutes.

5. Meanwhile, halve, pit, peel, and cut the avocado into thin slices. Gently toss the avocado, lime juice, cilantro, and salt to taste together in a small bowl.

6. When the pizza comes out of the oven, distribute the avocado slices evenly over the top. Cut the pizza into slices and serve immediately.


Basic Pizza Dough
Recipe from A Year in a Vegetarian Kitchen
Makes 2 12-inch pizza crusts

1/2 Cup warm water
2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
4 Cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 1/4 Cups cold water
2 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1. Place the warm water in a 2-cup measuring cup. Add the yeast and stir with fork to combine. Set aside for 5 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, place the flour and salt in a large food processor and process for several seconds to combine.

3. Add the cold water to the measuring cup. (You can measure this water directly into the cup, stopping once the total amount of the liquid equals 1 3/4 cups). Add the oil and stir with a fork to combine roughly.

4. Turn the food processor on and add the yeast mixture through the feed tube. Continue to process until the dough comes together and forms a smooth ball, about 30 seconds.

5. Pour a little oil into a large bowl and use your hands to grease the bowl. Transfer the dough to the oiled borl and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Set the bowl aside and let the dough rise until doubled, about 2 hours. The dough is now ready to be divided and shaped.

*Other pizza dough recipes. For my mom's recipe, click here. For Rachel's recipe, click here.

Yummy Salsa

Yummy Salsa
Recipe from Macie Finlinson

1 Can corn, drained
1 Can black beans, drained & rinsed
1 Bunch cilantro, chopped
1 Bunch green onion, chopped
4-6 Medium tomatoes, diced
1-2 Avocados, diced
1 Envelope "good seasonings Italian dressing" made according to package directions.

Mix everything well and stir in the dressing. Add avocados right before serving. Serve with chips, salsa or quesadillas.