Click here to get a printable version of this week's meal plan and recipes
Grocery List:
The grocery list is color coordinated by meal so you can easily pick and choose which meals you would like to make. Either print and use the grocery list as is and make all the meals I have planned, or easily cross off the meals and corresponding ingredients you would rather not make.
The snow hasn't let up here at all. As a matter of fact, there's big huge puffy snowflakes falling as I gaze out the window and type this. My goal this week once again is to stay warm and cozy...so apparently that means "creamy" food. I really didn't intend this, but as I glanced at the meal plan I had just made I realized the running theme of the word "creamy" through out. Creamy is comforting, so I can roll with that. And since I can only find buttermilk in one litre containers, I slotted in 3 different recipes that utilize it to use up as much of it as I can.
Day 1: Lemon-Parsley Pork Chops with Buttermilk Mashed Potatoes and Green Beans
This is a super simple Sunday supper idea with big fresh flavor from the lemon and parsley.
Day 2: Creamy Cauliflower Soup with Herb Cheddar Biscuits
A warm and creamy soup that is deceiving...there's no cream in this one! A healthy satisfying choice with homemade biscuits. You'll have fresh parsley and green onions on hand from the other meals, so use those herbs to make the biscuits.
Day 3: Creamy Beef Taquitos with Rice and Salad with Chipotle Ranch Dressing
These taquitos with homemade chipotle ranch dressing on salad are awesome! Use the dressing as a dip for the taquitos for extra creamy spiciness. Also make double the amount of rice to use later in the week.
Day 4: Crunchy Oven-Fried Chicken with Salad and Corn
Ignore my terrible photography skills from back in the day, this chicken really is incredibly crunchy and delicious.
Day 5: Chinese Orange Chicken over Rice
Since rice reheats so well, use the rice you made earlier in the week as a bed for this amazing homemade take out dish.
For more great meal plans, check out my complete list of meal plans or the Menu Plan Monday links at Orgjunkie.
In the beginning of my marriage, I once in a while would be making mashed potatoes and think "I should make these really special for Steve. Maybe I'll add some sour cream and chopped green onions, and maybe even some crumbled bacon." I'd be so excited to serve him my special mashed potatoes, I'd dish him up while grinning from ear to ear and wait for his reaction.
And nothing.
I'd get all offended and be like "aren't these mashed potatoes SOOO GOOD?! Don't you love that I added sour cream and bacon? JUST FOR YOU TO MAKE THEM SPECIAL!" and without even flinching he'd be like "Isn't that how mashed potatoes are supposed to be?"
Turns out his mom never made regular mashed potatoes with butter and milk. Nope. Every time she made mashed potatoes she always added onions, sour cream, grated cheese and sometimes bacon. He had been ruined for regular mashed potatoes. All these years of being married I've had to ween him off of the cheese and bacon, but could never ditch the sour cream. I always wince every time I make mashed potatoes, seeing all the high-fat sour cream and butter being mashed in, but he really won't eat them any other way.
And enter Buttermilk Mashed Potatoes. All the creamy tangyness of sour cream and about an eight of the fat. Seriously! 8 grams of fat in a 1/4 cup of sour cream and 1 gram in a 1/4 cup of buttermilk. That's a switch I'm willing to try.
Recipe from Everyday Food: Great Food Fast
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Serves 4
1 1/2 lbs (4 medium) potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces
Coarse salt and fresh pepper
1/4 to 1/2 cup buttermilk
2 tbsp butter
Peel and chop potatoes, and place them in a large saucepan. Add enough cold water to cover by 2 inches. Turn heat to high, and bring to a boil. Add 1 tbsp of salt and cook until very tender about 20-25 minutes. Drain and place back in the same pot. Mash with a potato masher, then add buttermilk and butter. Season with salt and pepper. Mash until smooth and combined.
Click here for printable version of Buttermilk Mashed Potatoes
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THE RESULTS?
Oh Martha, what a great idea! The mashed potatoes were creamy and full of flavor but lower fat because of the buttermilk. I've FINALLY converted my husband! He agreed that these fluffy mashed potatoes were just as good as the full fat ones.
One feature I like about Everyday Food: Great Food Fast is that some of the recipes have suggestions of what to serve it with, like I started doing here on my blog. I really like that because it takes the guess work out of it for you. Meal planning is much quicker and easier when someone tells you what goes well with that dish. These potatoes were the suggested side dish for serving with Lemon-Parsley Pork Chops and they went fabulously together. If you start the potatoes first, both dishes will finish at the same time.
Meal Ideas:
Over a year ago, I dove into the debate of flauta versus taquito since they are both made from a tortilla filled with meat, tightly rolled and then deep fried. Ummm...yep I'm still slightly confused, except that maybe I figured out taquitos are smaller than flautas. A reader commented and said that using corn tortillas is more Mexican, while using flour tortillas is Tex-Mex.
In any case, those baked Flautas were such a big hit both with readers and in our family, I wanted a baked taquito using ground beef (since it's so inexpensive). The addition of cream cheese and salsa stirred right into the meat gives these puppies full flavor with a slightly creamy texture.
Recipe adapted from Our Best Bites
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Serves 4
1 lb lean ground beef
2 tbsp taco seasoning (homemade or store-bought)
1/3 cup light cream cheese
1/4 cup salsa
1 tbsp lime juice
3 tbsp cilantro, chopped
2 tbsp green onions, chopped
1 cup grated cheese (cheddar, mozzarella or pepperjack)
12 small flour tortillas (can also use corn tortillas)
Heat oven to 425. Line a baking sheet with foil and lightly coat with cooking spray.
In a large frying pan over medium-high heat, brown the ground beef and break it up into crumbles as it cooks. Add the taco seasoning and cook the beef about 8 minutes until cooked through.
Heat cream cheese in the microwave for about 20-30 seconds so it's soft and easy to stir. Add salsa, lime juice, cilantro and green onions and stir to combine. Once the beef is browned, add the beef and cheese and combine well. You can prepare up to this step ahead of time. Just keep the mixture in the fridge.
Place 2-3 tbsp of beef mixture on the lower third of a tortilla, keeping it about 1/2 inch from the edges. Roll it up as tight as you can. If your tortillas are cracking or breaking, you can microwave them for 10-20 seconds with a damp paper towel over top. Once rolled, place seam side down on the baking sheet. Lay all of the taquitos on the baking sheet and make sure they are not touching each other. Spray the tops lightly with cooking spray or brush with a bit of oil and sprinkle some kosher salt on top. Place pan in oven and bake for 15-20 minutes or until crisp and the ends start to get golden brown.
Dip taquitos in salsa, sour cream, guacamole, or Chipotle Ranch dressing.
Click here for printable version of Creamy Beef Taquitos
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THE RESULTS?
Oh my these things are good! Loved by the kids and the adults in our family, I made these for dinner one week, then made them the next week for company (who also raved) and made some more a few days later for couple from our church that just had a baby. Both creamy and crispy you'll love these for dinner or for an appetizer.
These also reheat really well for lunch the next day by placing in a 350 degree oven just to warm through and crisp up a bit. You could also freeze them after they have baked and cooled. For a quick meal, pull them from the freezer and place on a baking sheet in a 350 degree oven to heat through and crisp up.
Meal Ideas:
It's become my mission to spice up our side dishes and make them more exciting, including our salads. I've always loved the flavor of a spicy ranch dressing or dip so this one was right up my alley for adding that kick of flavor to a Tex Mex salad.
Recipe by Kalyn @ Kalyn's Kitchen
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Makes 1 1/4 cup.
1/2 of 28 gram (1 oz) packet of Ranch Dip mix
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup salsa
1/2 tsp chipotle chile powder
Put all ingredients into a blender and process until smooth. Store in a resealable jar in the refrigerator for two weeks.
Click here for printable version of Chipotle Ranch Dressing
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THE RESULTS?
I absolutely loved this dressing and thought it added great flavor to an otherwise boring side salad.
Ideas for salad mix-ins:
- diced avocado
- diced tomato
- black beans
- corn
- green onions
- crushed tortilla chips
- diced red pepper
- shredded cheese
- southwest spiced chicken or shrimp
Meal Ideas:
Thank you so much for voting for my hubby's song. It made me smile reading your comments, so thank you, thank you, thank you! If you didn't vote yet and have a second to click a button and cast him a quick vote go here. Their band is "Stars from Streetlights".
Okay, onto the food. Recently I was visiting my friend Bree and saw this cookbook Everyday Food: Great Food Fast on her cookbook shelf. As I began rifling through it, marveling at each recipes short list of ingredients and the beautiful pictures, she started to tell me how much she loved this cookbook and often she found herself cooking from it.
I've noticed lately in my own cooking that I am beginning to gravitate towards food that can be cooked quickly yet still deliver big flavor. Some of my older recipes from a year or two ago, while delicious can be quite ingredient heavy making them more daunting to cook when you want dinner on the table fast. I am finding that whenever I put a slightly more labor-intensive recipe on my meal plan it continually gets bumped from one week to the next as I groan with tiredness.
With Bree's recommendation and my need for fast, flavorful meals this cookbook has become my next to review. I was so excited to find that my library carried it and after reading it all in one sitting, have already written down over 20 recipes to try.
First on my list, were these Lemon-Parsley Pork Chops. I chose this one because I bought a massive package of pork chops on sale and have been slowly cooking different variations of them for the past couple weeks, our favorite being Maple Mustard Pork Chops but I wanted something with a completely different flavor. The thing that makes these chops special is the lemon-parsley mixture, exactly the same concoction as the gremolata that makes my Spanish Roast Chicken so incredibly delectable. Simple with a big bang of flavor. I can dig that.
Recipe from Everyday Food: Great Food Fast
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Serves 4
1 lemon, zested
2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
Coarse salt and fresh ground pepper
2 tbsp olive oil
4 bone-in pork chops (about 8 ounces each)
Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan over high heat. Season both sides of the pork chops with salt and pepper and place in the hot pan. Brown the pork for 2-3 minutes on each side. Add a 1/2 cup of water to the skillet, cover and turn down to low to let the pork chops simmer until finished cooking, about 8-10 minutes.
While the pork is simmering, zest the lemon using a rasp or peel the zest with a vegetable peeler and finely mince (avoid the bitter white pith). Add to a small bowl along with the finely chopped parsley, minced garlic and a pinch of coarse salt and fresh ground pepper.
Serve the pork chops drizzled with a bit of pan juices and the lemon-parsley mixture sprinkled over top.
Click here for printable version of Lemon-Parsley Pork Chops
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THE RESULTS?
I loved how ridiculously simple this recipe is to make. Plain ol' pork chops sauteed with salt and pepper and topped with lemon, garlic and parsley. That's it. For such an easy preparation, the flavor is great and the gremolata gives it a fresh boldness. We did have a problem with the saltiness of the gremolata as written in the cookbook. It calls for 1/2 tsp of salt and when you are topping that over already seasoned pork chops, the saltiness factor was way overboard. You really only need a pinch so as you can see I amended it.
Since this book is all about preparing delicious food quickly, every recipe has a listed prep time and total time it should take to make each recipe. I decided to time myself making the recipes to see how accurate they were. This one says it should take 25 minutes total, and to my surprise and delight, even after making mashed potatoes and roasted fennel on the side, I still finished at exactly 25 minutes. All in all, this was fantastic.
Meal Ideas:
So this has nothing to do with food, but did you know that my husband Steve is an amazing musician?
He and our friend Austrian together form a band called Stars from Streetlights. Austrian has a beautiful smooth and melodious voice and Steve creates these wicked glitchy electronic beats. They are currently writing an album together, and entered one of their songs into a nation-wide contest. To our shock and honor they made it to the TOP 6!
The winner is decided by a public vote. I'm wondering if you could pretty pretty please with a cherry on top click on this link: Roland Synth Contest and cast them a quick vote. It takes like 2 seconds and you don't have to register or anything. It would be pretty amazing if they won.
Thank you!!
The printable meal plan and grocery list is back! This time it's easier to use and printable as well. It is color coordinated by meal so you can easily pick and choose which meals you would like to make. Either print and use the grocery list as is and make all the meals I have planned, or cross off the meals you would rather not make. Hopefully this is useful and helpful to you!
Click here to get a printable version of this week's meal plan and recipes
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It's been so cold and snowy here all week, I just want to bundle up with warm sweaters and drape blankets over my body and eat soup. I posted a question on Facebook the other day and asked what your favorite soup's are to make. Some seriously great ideas were posted and I really want to try ALL of them (ok except for maybe yours Tara ;) ) and it got me thinking about my favorite soups.
Last winter I was on the search for the best Taco soup recipe, and I probably made 4 or 5 different recipes trying to find the perfect one to share with you, but I did it! I made this soup for the second time this weekend (just to make sure I was right last winter) and love how hearty it is; kind of reminiscent of a taco chili. The package of dry ranch dressing mix is a weird addition but it really does add great flavor. My favorite way to serve this is with a little dollop of sour cream that you stir in as you eat, blushing the soup and adding a great tangyness.
Recipe adapted from Paula Deen via For the Love of Cooking
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Serves 4-6
1 lb lean ground beef
1 small onion, diced
3-4 garlic cloves, minced
2 tbsp taco seasoning (homemade or store-bought)
1 15 oz can pinto beans, rinsed and drained
1 15 oz can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup of frozen corn
1 28 0z can diced tomatoes
1 4.5 oz can diced green chilies
28g pkg ranch salad dressing mix
2 cups water
Optional Toppings:
Sour cream
Cheese, grated
In a large pot, turn heat to medium-high and brown the ground beef with the onions, garlic, and taco seasoning breaking it up as it cooks. It will take about 8 minutes for the beef to brown and the onions to soften. Once browned, add the rest of the ingredients and bring up to a boil, then turn the heat down to low and let simmer for 2 hours. I like to serve this with a dollop of sour cream on top of each bowl for each person to stir in. You can also add a bit of grated cheese if you like.
Alternatively, you could cook this in a slow cooker. Brown the beef, onions, garlic and taco seasoning in a frying pan on the stove top. Once cooked, dump into a large slow cooker and add the rest of the ingredients. Cook 4-6 hours on high or 6-8 hours on low.
Click here for printable version of Taco Soup
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THE RESULTS?
It's possible that I ate most of the pot of this soup by myself. It is also quite possible I ate it for breakfast one morning. This soup is easy and low maintenance to make and I loved the results. Think chili or hamburger soup but like, taco style.
Meal Ideas:
The snow has finally hit us here in Southern Alberta and it came with serious force. The roads have been treacherous for days, the wind has howled and blown causing white outs and most people are opting to stay inside if at all possible.
On days like these, I love the warmth and ease of my slow cooker so I wanted to share with you one of our family's favorite ways to use the slow cooker: Sweet Pork Tacos. Just as the name suggests the meat is slightly sweet with just a hint of heat, topped with a cool, creamy and tangy avocado cream. I'm big on contrast of textures so I love these with hard shell tacos.
Recipe for sweet pork by Jamie Cooks It Up!
Recipe for avocado cream by Ellie Krieger
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Sweet Pork:
3 lb pork loin roast (or pork shoulder roast-they are much cheaper)
2 cups salsa
4 oz can green chilies
½ cup brown sugar
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
Avocado Cream:
2 green onions, thinly sliced
1 avocado
2 tbsp reduced-fat sour cream
2 tbsp lime juice
1/4 cup cilantro leaves
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 tsp salt
Other toppings:
Shredded lettuce
Thinly sliced onion (optional)
Hard shell tacos
In the bottom of a large slow cooker mix salsa, green chilies, brown sugar and black beans. Add the pork roast and cook on high for 4-6 hours or on low 6-8 hours. Take the meat out of the slow cooker and shred it up with a fork. Return it to the pot and mix with the sauce and beans.
To make the avocado cream add green onions, avocado, sour cream, lime juice, cilantro, garlic and salt to a food processor and puree until smooth.
To serve, scoop the sweet pork into hard shell tacos and top with a dollop of avocado cream, shredded lettuce and onions if desired.
Click here for printable version of Sweet Pork Tacos with Avocado Cream
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THE RESULTS?
I always use pork shoulder in this dish. It's such a great way to tenderize a cheap cut of meat, so this meal is quite inexpensive. My girls can't resist the sweet pork and everybody loves tacos so this dish is a total winner.
If you came over to my house and went to grab a piece of bread from the bread bag, you'd be guaranteed to find the "bread bums" floating around in there. We call those pieces of crusts on the end the "bums" and it's the piece of bread NO ONE wants. Being "out of bread" means that there's only bread bums left, and it used to get tossed in the garbage.
But not anymore!
A couple years ago I started saving the bread bums in a large ziplock bag in the freezer. Every time we go through a loaf of bread and have just the end crusts left, I add it to the ziplock bag. I also add other odds and ends of bread like a hamburger bun or dinner roll that didn't get eaten, or pita's that are a little too dry to eat. Just put it all in the bag and when it's full, it's time to make bread crumbs.
Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Roughly chop the bread and/or buns up into about 1 inch cubes and place in a single layer on a cookie sheet.
If you have pitas, just break them into pieces and place them on a cookie sheet.
Place in the oven and bake for about 10 minutes. Toss the bread around and turn over and bake another 5 minutes or so. You want the bread to really dry out and become lightly golden. Dump into a food processor and whiz up for a minute or two until you have nice fine bread crumbs. Pour the bread crumbs back onto the cookie sheet and let them cool and dry for about 10 minutes or so until you put them in a sealed container. Pour them into a resealable container and store in the pantry.
From there you can also turn them into Italian breadcrumbs:
1 cup plain breadcrumbs
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp dried parsley flakes
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp dried basil
Mix these all together, label and store in a separate container in the pantry.
It's so handy to have homemade bread crumbs in the cupboard, since they can be used in a ton of recipes:
If you missed other ideas in the
Something from Nothing series, check them out:
A couple years ago I had Coconut Shrimp as an appetizer at a restaurant and couldn't stop thinking about it afterward. I attempted my own version of Coconut Shrimp but REALLY hate deep frying at home. It makes my house reek like a greasy diner for days and breading all those little shrimps was just too much of a pain. I loved the flavor and crunch too much to let the idea go, so I decided to coat some chicken cut into strips and bake it in the oven for ease and to make them healthier.
BINGO. That's what I'm talkin' 'bout.
Recipe by Meal Planning 101
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2 large chicken breasts
1/2 cup flour
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
1/2 cup sweetened coconut
For dipping: Thai Sweet Chili Sauce
Preheat oven to 475 degrees.
I like to use bone-in chicken breasts and save the bone for Freezer Chicken Stock. If you are using bone-in chicken breasts, slide your knife along the breast bone to remove it. The tender fillet will remove easily, so set it aside. The chicken breast will be about an inch thick, so slide a sharp knife along the middle of it so you have two cutlets (now about 1/2 inch thick each). Then cut each cutlet into even strips about the size of the fillet. Season all pieces with salt and pepper.
Set up a breading station with:
Bowl #1 - flour, garlic powder and onion powder (mixed together well).
Bowl #2 - 2 eggs, beaten well.
Bowl #3 - panko and coconut (mixed together well).
Place a rack on a baking sheet and spray with non-stick spray. Coat each chicken finger first in the flour, then egg, then the coconut/breadcrumbs and place on the prepared baking sheet. When all chicken fingers are done, spray with cooking spray or drizzle with a bit of oil.
Bake in oven for 10 minutes, then flip over and bake for 4 more minutes. You can broil for a final minute or two just to get the coconut to toast and go a little more golden.
Serve with Thai Sweet Chili sauce for dipping.
Click here for printable version of Coconut-Crusted Chicken Fingers
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THE RESULTS?
According to my kitchen journal, I actually concocted these back in August of '09, but I just wasn't satisfied with the dipping sauce yet. I've tried dipping them in spicy mayo (sriracha hot sauce mixed into mayo), which was good but heavy. I tried this fancy lime and sweet chili sauce, that was just too bitter and STILL not what I was looking for. In the end, we tried one night dipping them in Thai Sweet Chili sauce poured straight from the bottle and my husband and I both looked and each other in agreement: that's the one. Simple and easy, it gives the chicken fingers a nice bit of sweetness with a touch of heat.
I'm always amazed at the crunch you can get by coating things in panko. These are crunchy, savory and slightly sweet, pleasing to both kids and adults alike.
Meal Ideas:
- Coconut-Crusted Chicken Fingers + Ultimate Oven Fries + garden salad or sliced fresh fruit like peaches, mango, etc.
I love to serve my family delicious nutritious meals, but if I am not on the ball at the beginning of the week by Thursday or Friday I've only got enough energy for a box of macaroni or a frozen pizza. Even though I don't have cable to watch it, I was inspired by Rachael Ray's A Week in a Day concept. I'm home all day Monday with time enough to cook and prep a few things for when things get hectic later in the week.
This recipe fits in perfectly with that concept. When you've got some free time, throw the chicken breasts in the oven to bake. Put them in a container in the fridge for later in the week. You could even pre-bake the tostada shells and store them in a plastic bag when they've cooled. Our family loves this recipe and it could easily be adapted with other cuts of chicken. You could use this recipe to use up leftover shredded chicken, or I've even done it where I put a whole chicken in the crockpot on low for the afternoon, then shredded up the meat to use for both this meal and another.
Versatile, easy and delicious!
Recipe adapted from Kraft What's Cooking Summer '10
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Serves 4
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (or 4 cups cooked shredded chicken)
1/2 cup BBQ Sauce
8 small flour tortillas
1 tsp taco seasoning (homemade or store-bought)
lettuce, shredded
1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
3 tbsp ranch dressing
2 tbsp BBQ sauce
Avocado Corn Salsa*:
1 cup frozen corn, thawed
1 medium tomato, diced
1 avocado, diced
1/4 cup green onion, chopped
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped (optional)
1 tbsp lime juice
salt and pepper
1 tsp Poco Picante Salsa seasoning (optional)
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place chicken in 9x13 baking dish and season with salt and pepper and pour over BBQ sauce. Bake for 25 minutes, then shred. This can be done one or two days beforehand. Alternatively, you could use leftover shredded chicken heated up with BBQ sauce mixed in.
Take your small flour tortillas and place on a baking sheet*. Drizzle with a bit of vegetable oil and spread on with a pastry brush. To give the tostadas added flavor, sprinkle with a little bit of taco seasoning. Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes, turning halfway through until the tortillas are golden brown and crispy.
While the tostadas are baking make the avocado corn salsa by mixing together all salsa ingredients. Make the sauce by mixing together the ranch dressing and BBQ sauce.
To serve, put a tostada shell on the plate and top with shredded chicken, shredded cheese, lettuce and some avocado corn salsa. Drizzle over BBQ ranch sauce for added flavor.
*For kid size tostadas or to serve tostadas as an appetizer, use large 10 inch flour tortillas and cut out smaller circles with a cookie cutter. If you don't have a cookie cutter, you can use a jar lid and press down to indent the tortilla and then use a pair of kitchen scissors to cut it out. Bake the same as above.
Click for printable version of BBQ Ranch Chicken Tostadas with Avocado Corn Salsa
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THE RESULTS?
This is the perfect balance of flavors. The avocado corn salsa is amazing. Every time I make it my husband exclaims he could eat an entire bowl of just the salsa for supper and be totally happy. Mixed with the flavors of the smokey BBQ sauce and the tangy ranch dressing this dish pleases all members of the family. Fun for the kids with familiar flavors and delicious for the adults.
*Avocado Corn Salad: To make this salsa into a salad that can be served as a side dish, double or triple the quantities and serve with your favorite Mexican foods.
One of the most boring parts of meal planning for me can be the side dishes. It's really easy to find delicious looking meats and main course dishes but then pairing it can become rather drab and blah. Rice? ....maybe. Mashed potatoes? ....I guess. Garden salad? ....ugh why not.
I wanted to shake things up (and spice things up) a bit in my kitchen so I made these baked sweet potato wedges with a really lovely and interesting mix of spices. If you are serving them to kids I recommend cutting out the red pepper flakes entirely. I thought my kids had a pretty high spice level tolerance but each bite was met with an "Ahhh! Water! WATEERRRRR!!" Guess not. However, each bite they took without red pepper flakes they loved. But give them anything in fry form with a squirt of ketchup and they are golden.
Recipe from Gourmet, January 2002 via Smitten Kitchen
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Serves 4-6
1 tsp coriander seeds
1/2 tsp fennel seeds
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/4 to 1/2 tsp dried hot red pepper flakes (the latter will make them quite spicy, so use according to your preferences)
1 tsp kosher salt
2 lbs medium sweet potatoes
3 tbsp vegetable oil
Preheat oven to 425°F. Coarsely grind coriander, fennel, oregano, and red pepper flakes in an electric coffee/spice grinder or with a mortar and pestle. Stir together spices and salt.
Cut potatoes lengthwise into 1-inch wedges. Toss wedges with oil and spices in a large roasting pan and roast in middle of oven for 20 minutes. Turn wedges over with a spatula and roast until tender and slightly golden, 15 to 20 minutes more.
Click here for printable version of Spicy Sweet Potato Wedges
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THE RESULTS?
I used 1/4 tsp of red pepper flakes and my husband and I thought it was perfect. A little heat, but not in your face spicy. I really love the combination of coriander and fennel, it's just perfect with the sweet potatoes. And don't worry if you don't have all the spices in seed form or a spice grinder. Already ground spices work perfectly fine. I had ground coriander and put the fennel seeds on my cutting board and chopped them up a bit, which worked great. My family will definitely see these sweet potato wedges on our meal plans more regularly.
Meal Ideas:
Wow I'm on a roll here folks! Thanks for all your wonderful comments and encouragement on this post as well as the chatter and buzz happening on facebook. It's giving me the kick in the pants I needed to be inspired to post here again.
Around this house we are in love with Indian food, and I make a lot of it. If you check over on the far right menu bar and scroll down, you'll also see that the top two most popular posts on this blog are both Indian dishes as well. The spices and the smells have so much depth and comfort to them.
These sloppy joes are no different. Warm comforting spices with subtle heat mixed into a standard comfort food like sloppy joes. There's sweet little pops as the meat is studded with raisins, as well as added texture from the crunch of the pistachios. A delicious change from the ordinary.
Recipe from Aarti Sequeira
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Serves 4-6
Sauce:
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tbsp ginger, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 serrano chile, seeded and finely minced (save the other half for the turkey)
1 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp paprika
1 15oz can tomato sauce
1 cup water
Turkey:
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1/4 cup shelled pistachios
1/4 cup raisins
1 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 large white onion, finely diced
1 red bell pepper, seeded and finely diced
1/2 serrano chile, seeds intact (don't chop it up unless you like things spicy!)
Kosher salt
1 lb ground turkey
1/2 tsp honey
1/4 cup half-and-half
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
4 to 6 hamburger buns
To make the sauce, warm the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat, until it shimmers. Add the ginger, garlic and serrano pepper. Saute until the ginger and garlic brown a little. Add the garam masala and paprika and saute for 30 seconds. Stir in the tomato sauce and water. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, until thickened, about 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a large skillet, warm 1 tablespoon of oil. When shimmering, add the pistachios and raisins. Cook until the raisins swell up and the pistachios toast slightly. Remove from the pan and set aside.
Return the pan to medium heat, add 1 more tablespoons of oil, and warm until shimmering. Add the cumin seeds and allow them to sizzle for about 10 seconds, or until some of the sizzling subsides. Stir in the onions and bell pepper; saute until softened and starting to brown. Add the serrano pepper. Saute for another couple of minutes, seasoning with a little salt. Stir in the turkey, breaking up the big lumps. Cook until opaque, about 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, your sauce should be ready. Pour the sauce into the skillet with the turkey. Stir and bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer until the mixture has thickened slightly, about 10 minutes.
Once the turkey is cooked and the sauce has thickened a little, remove the serrano pepper. Add the honey, half-and-half, pistachios and raisins. Stir through and taste for seasoning. Before serving, garnish with fresh cilantro. Toast the buns, fill with the turkey mixture and serve.
Click here for printable version of Bombay Sloppy Joes
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THE RESULTS?
We don't eat very much ground turkey, but I really loved it in these sloppy joes. If it wasn't more than double the price of ground beef I'd definitely cook with it more often. The spices and the sauce were a nice compliment to the lean meat. I almost considered not adding the raisins since neither my husband or myself are big fans, but decided in the end to keep them in. So glad I did! Loved the little bits of sweetness they added.
To keep things mild for my kids, I only added the chili to the sauce and left it out of the meat. The sauce had a touch of heat to it, but once I added the cream it really mellowed out. Both the kids and the adults in our house devoured these!
Just for time's sake you should know these take a bit longer to make than a regular sloppy joe since you are making the sauce from scratch. I'd say between 45 minutes to an hour.
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