Baked Tilapia with Lemon, by Cheryl

On my quest to add more fish to my diet that isn't salmon, I found this easy, quick, and healthy recipe! I don't usually cook with a lot of lemon, but it added a refreshing taste to the fish. I served it over farro with a side salad. This dish is light and would be perfect for summer, which is when I'd probably make it next. Yum!

Ingredients (recipe from here): 

1 pint cherry tomatoes, cut in half

1 large shallot, thinly sliced

3 garlic cloves, minced (oops forgot this!)

1 small lemon, thinly sliced into rings

2 tbsp olive oil, divided

salt

4 oz feta cheese

1.5 lbs tilapia

1 tbsp Italian seasoning

1 pinch red pepper flakes

1 tsp smoked paprika

2 tbsp drained capers

finely chopped fresh parsley or basil

fresh ground black pepper

Directions: 

1) Preheat oven to 425. 

2) Place the chopped vegetables and lemon slices in the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish. Mix with 1tbsp olive oil, salt, and pepper. 

3) Crumble the feta cheese over the top. 

4) Pat the tilapia dry. Rub with 1 tbsp olive oil and salt. Place on top of other mix in the dish. Sprinkle the tops with black pepper, smoked paprika, and red. pepper flakes. Sprinkle the capers on top. 

5) Bake for 20-25 minutes. Serve over a grain of your choosing. 

Paccheri with Shrimp in a Tomato White Wine Sauce, by Cheryl

Oh paccheri, how I love you! This is my favorite pasta and I fell in love with it during my time in Naples. I also fell in love with their classic white wine tomato sauce. I can't ever seem to replicate it as well as they do, but this dish definitely brought me back. I loveee it. Yum!

Ingredients: 

1 package paccheri

1 8oz container of grape tomatoes

1 cup white wine

1 onion, chopped

A couple tbsp minced garlic

A couple handfuls of spinach

1 lb shrimp, seasoned

Salt

Olive oil

Directions:

1) Cook pasta according to directions.

2) Meanwhile, heat some olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions and cook until softened. Add the white wine, tomatoes, and garlic and simmer, mixing occasionally until sauce thickens. 

3) Cook shrimp in separate pan and then add to the sauce. 

4) Pour everything over the pasta. 

Coq Au Vin, by Cheryl

We had a little French theme going on in our household this week. With an endless summer full of no possibilities I felt like I needed something to keep us entertained besides our backyard and afternoon movies. I suggested a learning about different countries theme and J was super into it. She picked France as the first country to learn more about since she was just there. The kids loved coloring rainbows with the French names for colors, learning that the rooster and iris are the country's animal and flower (who knew??), and making fun Eiffel Tower snow globes!

Ok, back to the food. I made a French dinner with the help of my sous chefs and this was fantastic. It didn't take nearly as much time as I thought it would and the sauce and chicken were heavenly. I have never made such a flavorful crispy skin! I love a crispy skin. I will definitely be making this again when the cooler months come rolling in. I forgot to make a side of mashed potatoes so I cooked up some pasta to go with it. It was delicious. Yum!

Ingredients (recipe from here):

• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 6 slices bacon diced
• 8 ounces mushrooms
• 6 small white onions cut in half or quartered depending upon size
• 2-3 cloves garlic mashed
• 2 carrots peeled and rough cut
• 1/2 bottle of full-body red wine
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 8 ounces Chicken Stock 
• unsalted butter
• 1 sprig thyme
• 1 sprig rosemary
• sea salt and black pepper to taste
• 4 large skin on, bone in chicken thighs

Directions:

• Add chicken to a 1-gallon zipper-lock bag. Pour in one cup red wine and seal bag, pressing out air. Let stand while you prepare the remaining ingredients or overnight for the best results.
• Preheat oven to 350°
• In a large Dutch oven or rondeau, cook bacon over medium-high heat, stirring and reducing heat as necessary to prevent scorching, until browned and fat has rendered, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and, using a slotted spoon, transfer bacon to a paper towel-lined plate.
• Remove chicken from zipper-lock bag, discard wine, and pat dry.
• Season chicken with salt and pepper. Return Dutch oven with rendered bacon fat to medium-high heat.  Add chicken thighs skin-side down, and cook until browned, about 7 minutes. Turn and brown the other side, about 5 minutes.   Don't move the chicken around while cooking, allow it to sear in place.  Use a spatula to get under the chicken when turning being careful not to rip the skin.
• Remove Chicken from pan setting aside until needed
• Add mushrooms to pan and cook over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until browned, 10 to 12 minutes. Add onions, carrots, and garlic and cook, stirring, until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Add bacon, the remainder of the wine, tomato paste, chicken stock, thyme and rosemary and bring to a simmer, stirring up any browned bits.
• Add chicken back to pan, leaving skin side up and not submerged if possible. Transfer to oven and cook, uncovered, for 1 hour.
• Remove pan from the oven and take the chicken out of the pan.
• Add in two tablespoons of unsalted butter that has been rolled in flour, getting as much flour into the butter as possible.  This is called a beurre manie and will thicken your sauce. Mix the beurre manie in well and allow to simmer over medium heat.
• Return chicken to pot, spooning sauce on top. Garnish with remaining sprig of thyme or rosemary.  Serve with potatoes, pasta, or rice.

Fresh Corn Salad, by Diane

This was a part of a dinner I made virtually with a friend last night- it was delicious!! The best part is that it came together in under 10 minutes, and was just really great with the ripe summer corn and fresh basil. I will definitely make this again!! Recipe by Ina Garten


Ingredients:

5 ears of corn, shucked
1/2 red onion, chopped small
3 tbsp cider vinegar
3 tbsp EVOO
1/2 tsp each Kosher salt and fresh black pepper
1/2 cup fresh basil, julienned


Directions:

1. Bring a large pot of water to boil and prepare and ice bath.

2. Boil the corn for 3 minutes, then place in the ice bath until cool.

3. While the corn cools, mix all ingredients together except basil and toss well.

4. Cut the kernels off the cobs and mix them into the salad along with fresh basil. Toss well and serve at room temperature or chilled.

Antipasto Salad, by Diane

Last night it felt like summer, and all I wanted was a fresh and light dinner. I created this mix of deliciousness and afterwards I realized it kind of reminded me of an antipasto salad- but way better! To make it whole30 compliant, just check the meat doesn’t have any sugars in it. This was delicious, quick, and exactly what I wanted after a hot day in the sun.


Ingredients:

30 baby multicolor heirloom tomatoes, halved
1 small red onion, diced
1 large cucumber, peeled and diced
1 cup black or kalamata olives
1 14.5 oz can hearts of palm, sliced into inch rings
1 14.5 oz can artichoke hearts, cut into bite size pieces
1 package prosciutto, rough chopped
1/4 cup EVOO
2 tsp dried oregano
2 tsp dried parsley
Sea salt and black pepper to taste
A splash of balsamic or red wine vinegar


Directions:

Toss everything together and adjust seasonings/oils/vinegars to taste. Eat fresh!

Stuffed Acorn Squash, by Cheryl

First post of 2020! Woohoo! This meal was like having a spoonful of Thanksgiving in each bite! It was soooo delicious and sooo comforting! And obviously healthy and hearty! The recipe is from Paleo Running Momma who has many scrumptious Paleo and Whole 30 meals. The recipe is whole 30 compliant and absolutely a favorite. I'll definitely be making it again. Yum!

Ingredients:

2 acorn squash
1 tsp coconut oil or ghee
1 lb pork sausage (I used compliant chicken apple sausage)
1 small onion, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 small apple, diced
1 tbsp fresh sage, minced
1 tbsp fresh rosemary, minced
1 tbsp fresh thyme, minced
1/3 cup dried cranberries
1/3 cup raw pecans, chopped
sea salt and pepper to taste
fresh parsley for garnish if desired

Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 425. Cut the squash in half and scoop out the seeds and strings. Brush each half with some coconut oil or melted ghee. Roast top down (I do top up) for 25 minutes.

2) While the squash roasts, prepare the stuffing. Heat a large skillet over medium high heat with ghee. Add the sausage, breaking up the lumps so it all cooks evenly. Once browned, remove from heat. Leave the fat in the skillet.

3) Add the onions and celery and soften, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another minute.

4) Add the diced apples, fresh herbs, salt, and pepper and stir to combine. Cook for 1-2 minutes.

5) Add the dried cranberries, pecans, and browned sausage to the pan. Lower heat to medium low and cook for another 1-2 minutes.

6) Preheat the broiler. Scoop the sausage mix into each of the acorn squash halves. Broil until the tops of the stuffing are lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Garnish with fresh minced parsley.

Brazilian Fish Stew, by Cheryl

As of today I'm on Day 22 of Whole 30. The pros: I feel great! Definitely have more energy, digestion has been top notch, I'm not craving sweets all day, my clothes fit better, and I'm feeling leaner. The cons: Going out to eat is a major pain in the butt and I have total food boredom. This recipe saved me a few days ago when I wanted to throw the entire contents of my fridge outside. It's delicious, healthy, easy to make, and delicious (so good I said it twice). I can see this becoming a staple in our house during the colder months. One note: I found out during this whole 30 that coconut milk with guar gum (which is allowed on whole 30 only bc it's hard to find coconut milk without it) causes me to have a ton of bloating so I now use coconut milk without guar gum. Something I learned already that I can use after this is over! Also, I roasted some chopped sweet potatoes and added those in as well. Yum!

Ingredients (from here)

2 lbs firm white fish (I used cod)
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 tbsp lemon or lime juice (I used lime)
salt and pepper
olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1/4 cup green onions, chopped
1/2 yellow pepper and 1/2 red pepper, seeded and chopped
2 cups chopped tomatoes
1 tbsp paprika
pinch of red pepper flakes
1 large bunch cilantro, chopped, with some set aside
1 14-ounce can coconut milk

Directions:

1) Coat the fish with the minced garlic and lime juice. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper.

2) In a large Dutch oven coat the bottom with 2 tbsp of olive oil and heat on medium heat. Add the onion and cook until softened. Add the bell peppers, paprika, and red pepper flakes. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Cook for a few minutes.

3) Stir in the onion greens and tomatoes. Cook for five minutes uncovered. Stir in the cilantro.

4) Use a large spoon to remove half of the mixture. Spread the remaining veggies on the bottom of the pan to make a "bed". Arrange the fish pieces on the vegetables. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Add the rest of the mixture on top of the fish.

5) Pour the coconut milk over the fish and vegetables (I added another half a can).

6) Bring soup to a simmer, reduce the heat, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes. Taste and adjust seasonings. You'll likely need to add more salt. Garnish with cilantro.

Chimichurri Beef Kabobs, by Cheryl

So we're doing it.. Jon and I have embarked on the journey of Whole 30. It just kinda came about and I dove into research and recipes! I have the first two weeks planned out and things seem to be going well so far (I'm on day 5). I feel like a lot of the meals that I make are pretty Whole 30 compliant anyway, but the snacking is killing me! I'm so used to just grabbing whatever I want! Anyway, this is the first dinner we had on Whole 30 and it was soooo good! We loved it. Actually it would have been good with some rice, lol. But seriously, it was super tasty and fairly easy to make although making the kabobs took a little bit. I'd make it again! I got this recipe from the Whole 30 book. Yum!

Ingredients:

1 lb lean steak (I used flank) cut into 1 inch dice

1.5 cups Chimichurri sauce

1 red, yellow, or orange bell pepper, cut into 1.5 in squares

1 onion, cut into 6 wedges

1 zucchini, cut into 1.5 in thick rounds

Chimichurri sauce:

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

1/4 cup lime juice

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 shallot, minced

1/5 cups EVOO

1/4 cup cilantro

1/4 parsley leaves

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

Directions:

1) If using wooden skewers, soak them in water for 30 minutes to 1 hour to prevent them from burning. 

2) Place steak in a resealable bag. Cover the steak with enough chimichurri sauce to coat thoroughly. Seal the bag  and marinate the steak in the fridge for 1-8 hours, more is better. 

3) Remove the steak 30 min before cooking. Preheat the grill to high heat (500).

4) Remove the steak from the marinade, discard the marinade. Prepare the kabobs by threading the steak, bell pepper, onion, and zucchini onto the skewers, alternating meat and veggies. 

5) Grill the kabobs directly over high heat for 2 minutes on each side. Reduce heat to medium and grill to desired doneness (12 min). Serve with the remaining chimichurri. 

Chimichurri directions:

1) Combine the vinegar, lime juice, garlic and shallot in a food processor and mix on low speed. Drizzle in the olive oil while mixing, the dressing will being to emulsify. Add the cilantro, parsley, salt, and pepper and continue to mix on low until the dressing is uniform in texture and the herb pieces are chopped quite small. 

It'll last 2-3 days in fridge. 

Cacao Beef Chili, by Diane

This recipe comes from @daniellewalker on IG. I was intrigued by the combo of spices and the addition of the unsweetened chocolate, and it's been freezing again here, so this was an easy choice to make for dinners last week! I really liked the way this came out, it was similar to mole sauce and not as heavy as traditional chili can be. I got to use some of the raw cacao paste I got in Belize recently for this as well!

Ingredients:

1 tbsp. oil
1 small yellow onion, chopped
1 green and 1 red bell pepper, diced
3 lbs ground beef
1 28 oz can chopped tomatoes with juice
1 cup beef broth
2 tbsp. tomato paste
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 bay leaf
2.5 tbsp. chili powder
2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp each: sweet paprika, curry powder, cinnamon
1/4 tsp each: cayenne and red pepper flakes
Salt and pepper to taste
1 oz. unsweetened chocolate

Directions:

1. In a large soup pot, heat the oil over medium high heat and saute onion and peppers for 3 min.

2. Add the beef and cook until it's browned, the drain and return the mixture to the pot.

3. Add remaining ingredients except the chocolate, bring to a boil, and reduce to a simmer.

4. Add in the chocolate, continue to simmer for 45 minutes.

Steak & Veggie Kabobs, by Cheryl

I made steak and veggie kabobs last night and they were oh so good! We had zero leftovers which I was happy and sad about. Happy that everyone loved them, but sad that I couldn't enjoy them for lunch today. Julia enjoyed putting the meat and veggies on the skewers and it kept her busy for a while! For my veggies I used onions and zucchini (was also supposed to have red pepper, but ate that earlier in the day), but you can put whatever you want on them. I marinated the meat in a soy sauce and honey mix that was great. Yum!

Ingredients:

1 lb flank steak
zucchini
onion
red pepper
mushrooms
whatever other veggies you want
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup soy sauce
3 tbsp honey
1/4 rice vinegar

Directions:

1) Combine the last 4 ingredients in a ziplock bag. Put the meat in the bag and marinate in the refrigerator for 30 minutes - 8 hours.

2) Grab some skewers and start putting things on in whatever order you want!

3) Broil on high for 3 minutes each side. Eat on its own or with rice.

Spicy Fermented Tomatillo Salsa, by Diane

A coworker recently made us jars of this salsa for holiday presents, tied with a little bow. I hadn't tasted fermented salsa before, and I had my doubts, but let me tell you that one bite of this stuff led to me eating almost the whole jar in one sitting- until I remembered it was fermented and full of good bacteria, which made me stop and save some until the next day to be safe (nothing happened!). This is so easy to make and customize. The flavor is delicious, even though I typically don't love tomatillos. What makes it fermented is the salt, so it doesn't have a typical sour fermented taste like other items (kombucha, kimchi, etc). The recipe calls for red fresno peppers, which are smokier than the green version, but after 5 grocery stores with no red fresnos I got so desperate to have more salsa and knew I already had to wait a while for it to ferment that I just made it without (but it looks prettier with the pop of red, and festive for the holidays!). This batch makes about 9 1/2 pint jars, but trust me you'll want it all for yourself :)

Note: this tastes AMAZING with salted corn tortilla chips, but also would go really well as a topping or condiment in Mexican dishes! It would go perfect on my chicken al pastor egg bake, which is what I plan to try next!

Ingredients:

2 28 oz. cans tomatillos (keep the liquid)

6-7 jalapeno peppers, halved with seeds removed (you can reserve one pepper's worth for extra heat)

2 fresno (red) peppers, halved with seeds removed

1 large onion, rough chopped

4-6 cloves garlic

1+ bunch cilantro- discard stems, rough chop

juice of 2.5 limes

2 tablespoons salt Directions: 1. Place the peppers, onions, garlic, salt, cilantro, lime juice, and tomatillo liquid in a blender and blend at high speed until desired consistency (I made them small). 2. Add the tomatillos, blend until desired consistency (small chunks). Taste and adjust for salt and heat. 3. Pour into mason jars up to the neck, then top with a pre-measured circle of wax paper. Flatten the paper onto the salsa ensuring no air bubbles, then place the lid on tightly. 4. Store on a counter away from light for 2-14 days. Refrigerate after fermenting.

Sloppy Joes, by Cheryl

These are a family hit!!! The recipe is from 100 Days of Real Food and is a very tasty and very healthy version of an otherwise heavier dish. I also put spinach in the food processor and added it in so that not only is everyone getting some yummy carrots in there, but some greens as well. We ate these with whole wheat buns, but it can easily be eaten on it's own or on top of a salad. Yum!

Ingredients:

Olive oil
1/2 cup onion, diced
1 celery stalk, diced
2 carrots, peeled and diced
1 lb. ground beef
1 clove garlic, minced
1 can tomato sauce, 15 oz
1 tbsp honey
1.5 tsp chili powder
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 tsp yellow mustard
1/4 tsp cinnamon
salt and pepper

Directions:

1) Heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion, celery, and carrot and cook 2-3 minutes.

2) Add the ground beef and garlic and cook. Season with salt and pepper. Brown the meat and then drain the excess fat.

3) Add the rest of the ingredients and simmer over low heat until it thickens, about 10-15 minutes. Serve warm with whole wheat buns or on its own.

Rosemary Chicken Salad, by Diane

Wow!!!! I made this for lunches this week, another Whole30 week, and I have never had a better chicken salad recipe! This was the best lunch I've had in a very long time! I got this recipe from Instagram @therealfoodrds, it was originally for a blueberry chicken salad but the blueberries I got for this week went bad so I subbed in currants. I also subbed in pecans for walnuts since that's also what I had on hand. What makes this so delicious is the fresh rosemary – usually in recipes I use dried herbs since it's cheaper and that's what I have in my pantry but I am so glad that I picked to use fresh rosemary for this recipe because the flavor in combination with onions and sweetness of the currants makes this salad so addicting! Make this now.

Ingredients:

1.5 lbs chicken breasts, cooked and cubed
1/4 cup diced red onion
2 tbsp chopped fresh rosemary
1/4 cup chopped pecans
4 tbsp currants
Salt and pepper
1/2 cup mayo
Bibb lettuce cups

Directions:

Mix all ingredients in a large bowl, place into lettuce cups to eat.

Chicken Al Pastor Egg Bake, by Diane

This week I decided to combine two recipes that I had saved on Instagram from the Whole30 feed- chicken al pastor and carnitas breakfast bake. I liked the chicken al pastor recipe but couldn't figure out what to eat it with, and I liked the carnitas breakfast bake but had just finished off pork from this week and wanted a change. I thought the two dishes would perfectly complement each other, and I was a fan of using the crockpot this week since my gas bills have been insanely high from using the oven so much in the past few weeks of summer when I've been baking everything from scratch for lunches and dinners. This turned out really good!!

A note on the marinade for the chicken- I tasted it and thought it was disgusting and got pretty upset that the flavor of this whole dish was going to be off on the first step. However, I decided to let it go and see if cooking it changed the flavor and I was right, it did! The result after 3 1/2 hours was chicken that practically fell apart when I went to shred it and was so flavorful and delicious! This would have been awesome in tacos. Another note, this dish took way longer to cook than the posted 30 minutes, closer to an hour for me until the eggs on the top were fully cooked (there goes my attempt to lower the gas bill).



Ingredients:

For the chicken al pastor:

2 lbs chicken breast
1/2 c each pineapple and orange juice
2 chipotle peppers (I couldn't find these in my store so I subbed in extra chili powder, Tony Chachere's, and some cholula)
4 cloves garlic
2 tsp each cumin and paprika
1/2 yellow onion
1 lime, juiced
2 tsp vinegar
1 tsp chili powder
Salt and pepper (I left these out be I had already used Tony's)

For the egg bake:

12 eggs
3 tbsp milk of choice
12 mini sweet peppers, thinly sliced
1/2 yellow onion
1 small can diced green chiles
1 cup pico de gallo
Salt and pepper


Directions:

1. Place all of the chicken al pastor ingredients EXCEPT chicken into a blender until smooth. Place the chicken in the bottom of the crockpot, pour the marinade over top. Cover and cook on high for 3 1/2 to 4 hours.

2. Shred the chicken and return to the pot for another 10 minutes.

3. Preheat oven to 350.

4. Whisk together the eggs, some of the liquid from the crockpot, and milk until frothy, then pour into a large casserole dish along with the remaining ingredients and chicken. Mix well and even out the top.

5. Bake 30-35 minutes, top with avocado or guacamole and cilantro.

Mexican Breakfast Hash, by Diane

Since I’m continuing on Whole30, I decided to make a dish inspired by quite a few of the breakfasts that I’ve seen on Instagram Whole30 accounts. This is delicious, fairly easy to make and super filling! Not to mention, it may be one of our best photos on this blog!!!  I didn’t picture this but I added fresh sliced avocado is to this as well!  Green chilies or sauce I would also be fantastic accompaniments!

Ingredients:

1 lb ground beef, lean (I used grass fed)

1 tbsp coconut oil 

1 yellow onion, chopped

8 sweet peppers, various colors, deseeded and thinly sliced 

2 medium sweet potatoes, cubes into 1/2 inch pieces

2 cups greens (I used baby kale)

4 eggs

Seasoning: chili powder, garlic powder, cumin, salt, red pepper flakes, pepper (I used my beloved Tony Chacere’s seasoning instead of the last 3 of these)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350.

2. Heat a cast iron skillet on medium high and brown the beef with the seasoning to taste. Set aside.

3. Add the peppers, onions, and sweet potatoes to the skillet, along with seasoning to taste. Cover with a baking tray to expedite the potatoes cooking. Cook until the potatoes are soft.

4. Add the beef and greens into the skillet, turn off the heat, and stir well. Adjust seasonings if necessary. 

5. Make 4 wells evenly divided ( I used the back of a large cooking spoon for this and it worked well!) and crack the eggs into the wells.

6. Bake until the eggs are cooked to your preference. I had a hard time balancing the whites and the yolks because I wanted the whites to be fully cooked but the yolks to be a bit runny, so you’ll have to experiment with this until you get it right, and don’t forget that the eggs continue to cook after you take the skillet out of the oven a bit.

Egg Roll in a Bowl, by Diane

Finally, after a long hiatus I'm back to making new recipes! This recipe is a combo of what I've seen on the internet, and it was easy and really really good! Looking forward to lunches this week already...


Ingredients:

Sesame oil
1 lb ground chicken
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp. minced ginger
1 medium yellow onion, sliced in thin rings
1.5 cups matchstick carrots
1 bunch scallions, chopped (green and white parts!)
1 box sliced mushrooms (I used shitake)
1 large head green cabbage, cut into strips
1 tsp salt
3 tbsp low sodium soy sauce
3 tbsp hoisin sauce


Directions:

1. Heat a large pan on medium high and put appox. 1 tbsp of sesame oil in. Cook the chicken, crumbling with a spoon into smaller pieces, until fully cooked through and set aside in a large bowl after draining.

2. Add another 2 tbsp sesame oil into the pan, and add in the garlic, ginger, and onions. Cook until browned and fragrant. Add in the carrots, scallions, and mushrooms, and cook until softened. Add into the bowl with the chicken and set aside. If you have a big enough pan, you can add the cabbage in at this step and cook with the other ingredients. I didn't- hence step 3!

3. Add 2 tbsp more sesame oil into the pan, add the cabbage and salt, and cover. Uncover and stir until the cabbage is softened and brown. Add the cabbage to the bowl.

4. Add the soy sauce and hoisin sauce into the bowl and mix well. Enjoy!

Old Bay Shrimp Boil, by Cheryl

We have a great farmer's market on Saturday mornings about a mile away from us. I'm really going to miss it when we leave because one stand has the BEST peaches every summer! They got me to love peaches when I was never really a fan. Anyway, there's a sausage guy there that has maybe 15 different kinds of flavored sausages. He had an old bay flavored kind that I ended up buying and per his recommendation I decided to make a sausage and shrimp boil. So this was good, not great. I found it to be very one dimensional and although I do love old bay, it just didn't do much for me as it being the only spice in the recipe. The recipe itself has great reviews, and it wasn't bad at all, but it's just not something I would make again. That being said, it was tasty and tender and reminded me of Maryland. Yum!

Ingredients (makes 4 servings) Recipe from here:

1/4 cup old bay seasoning
2 quarts water
6 ounces beer
4 medium red potatoes, quartered
1 large vidalia onion, cut in wedges
4 ears frozen corn on the cob (I used 3 large ones and cut them in half)
2 lbs shrimp (I used only 1 lb)
I added some cauliflower as well and it soaked up a lot of flavor!

Directions:

1) Bring Old Bay, water, and beer to a boil.

2) Add potatoes and onions, cook for 8 minutes.

3) Add sausage, cook for 5 minutes.

4) Add corn, cook for 7 minutes.

5) Add shrimp, cook for 4 more minutes.

6) Drain cooking liquid. Pour contents of pot into several large bowls or pails. Sprinkle with a litle Old Bay.

Papas Rellenas (al horno), by Diane

A shot of the inside!

I've only been home for 3 days from my epic 2-week South American vacation and I'm already craving the food. While in Peru, we took a cooking class and had time for all but one dish- papas rellenas (stuffed potatoes). We had these in with varied fillings all over both Peru and Colombia, and they were delicious! They sent us a copy of the recipes afterwards (expect more in the coming weeks!), and I decided to give these a shot this weekend.

They are pretty tough to master without having them fall apart during the stuffing or cooking stage. There are a lot of instructions in here on how to really dry the potatoes out, but having never done this before it was quite tricky to get the right moisture balance. Nevertheless, these were really good and the topping was delicious with it! I decided to bake them instead of fry them (al horno =  in the oven), because all we had was fried food in the latter part of our Colombian travels and I needed a break. The adaptation still left them crispy which was good! You can also serve this with a kind of ketchup/mayo sauce they use down there or a guacamole salsa combo (you can easily make both of these at home), or it was just good plain with the topping!


Ingredients:

5 potatoes
2 garlic cloves minced
1 red onion (1/2 diced very small, 1/2 sliced thinly into strips)
1 tomato (1/2 finely chopped, 1/2 sliced thinly into strips)
Red wine vinegar
1 lime
1⁄4 cup of dark raisins
1⁄4 cup of carrots diced small
1⁄4 cup of cooked peas
1⁄2 cup of beef cut in small pieces (I used 1 lb. ground beef)
1⁄4 boiled egg
1/8 cup of fresh roasted peanuts
8 olives
1⁄2 cup of beef broth
Salt and pepper
Cilantro or parsley chopped
Oil


Directions:

1. Try to get at least two potato varieties and boil them in separate pots, starting with cold water and adding salt to water. Once they are boiled strain the water and return the pot to the stove on low heat to remove any moisture. Let the potatoes cool down and peel them.

2. While the potatoes cook, brown the beef and set aside. 

3. Mash the potatoes with a fork mixing both varieties trying to get a consistent texture while making sure they are neither sticky nor dry. In case they are sticky use some flour to get the right consistency as you did during the class. If dry add more potato. Season the potato mix with salt and pepper (use a bit as they can taste bland). Set aside.


4. Heat a pan on medium high heat and add a couple circles of oil. Add the chopped onions and cook until light golden brown. Add garlic, chopped tomatoes and salt and cook for 5 minutes on medium low heat. Then add raisins, carrots, peas, cilantro, peanuts, pepper and beef broth. Mix well
and let cook all together for 10 minutes. Let sit for an hour before using.


5. Take a hand of potato mix and shape it flattened in your palm. It should be about the size of your hand. Take a spoon and place the stuffing in the middle, adding a 1/8 of an egg and a couple of olive strips. Then shape it like an egg making sure all of the stuffing is covered with potato.

6. Preheat oven to 375. Coat the balls in egg and seasoned panko/breadcrumb mixure and place on a well oiled baking sheet. Spray the tops of each ball with oil and bake for 10 minutes, flipping halfway and re-spraying before baking another 10 minutes.

7. You can make the topping at any point by combining the strips of onion and tomato with salt, pepper, red wine vinegar, and lime juice to taste. It should be fairly tart. Mix well and refrigerate until ready to use.

Spanish Rice, by Diane

My mom makes this dish a lot, and it's been a comfort food since I was little. When I was in Istanbul a while back I stocked up on some newer spices to try and I figured this was a good dish to try them in! It's super quick for a weeknight hit of comfort. The recipe is pretty basic and easy to modify, and I can see this going well with ground turkey or different kinds of rice/grains too. I'm posting the version you see here, with the added spices and immune boosting ingredients!


Ingredients:

1 tbsp coconut oil
1 spanish onion, chopped
2-3 garlic cloves, minced
1 lb. ground beef
Salt and pepper
2 tsp spanish paprika
1-2 tsp dried oregano
1-2 tsp turmeric
1/2 jar spaghetti sauce (or one 14.5 oz can of tomato sauce)
1.5 cups instant white rice
1 cup water
Goya seasoning (to taste)


Directions:

1. In a large saucepan, add the oil through beef and cook until the beef is brown and crumbled and the onions are translucent.

2. Drain the beef mixture and add in the remaining ingredients, cooking on low-medium heat until the rice is cooked through and most of the liquid is absorbed.

Chicken and Orzo with Butternut Squash Sauce, by Cheryl

It was a nice and cozy night for some warm butternut squash. The sauce that I made was amazingly delicious! When deciding how to make this I thought of what I did for a soup I made last year and modified that to make the sauce. The addition of a roasted apple really added a nice sweetness to the butternut squash and onion. It really went well with the chicken and orzo. Yum!

Ingredients:

1 butternut squash, peeled and cubed (I was lazy and bought it pre-cut)
1 Fuji apple, cubed
1 onion, sliced
chicken broth
olive oil
sage
salt
orzo
boneless, skinless chicken breast, cubed
shredded Parmesan cheese, optional

Directions:

1) Preheat the oven to 400.

2) In a bowl combine the butternut squash, apple, and onion and lightly cover with olive oil, salt, and sage. Spread out onto a baking sheet and roast for about 30 minutes.

3) Cook the orzo according to the directions on the box.

4) In a pan cook cook the chicken with some olive oil, sage, and salt.

5) When the veggies and apple are done roasting, put them into a pot and add some chicken broth. Heat for about 5 minutes, then use an immersion blender to blend together. Add about 1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese and mix it into the sauce. The sauce will still be good without it if you don't want the cheese.

6) Combine everything together and top with cheese.