Rainbow Chard Bowls

This is an easy, quick dish that Sarah and I really like. With her celiac diagnosis she needs to make it with gluten free orzo or quinoa instead of orzo these days. I have some chard growing in my garden and I'm hoping to make this someday soon with it.

Rainbow Chard Bowls

serves 2

 

1 c orzo

1+ Tbsp olive oil

1 garlic clove, minced

1/2 tsp Dijon mustard

a few squeezes of lemon

1 small bunch of rainbow chard (4-5 stems)

1/3 c feta cheese

1/4 c toasted walnuts

sea salt & fresh black pepper

Prep your chard by slicing off the coarse parts of the stems and dicing them. Coarsely chop the greens and set aside. Cook orzo in a pot of salted boiling water according to package directions (or about 9 minutes).

In a medium bowl add 1 tablespoon olive oil, minced garlic, Dijon mustard, lemon, salt, and pepper. Once your orzo is done cooking, drain it and add it to this bowl and toss. Taste, adjust seasonings and set aside.

In a medium skillet, heat a few teaspoons of olive oil, then add the chard stems, salt and pepper. Next, add the chard leaves and toss until just wilted. Finish with a squeeze of lemon and remove from heat.

Assemble bowls with orzo, chard, feta, and toasted walnuts. 

from Love & Lemons

Roasted Veggie and Orzo Bowl

This could either be a salad or a bowl, a main dish or a side, you decide. We had it as a bowl and everyone here really liked it. Super easy and quick, once you're done chopping the veggies. If you're not a fan of the veggies in the recipe feel free to substitute ones you do like. I think it'd be really good with butternut squash instead of the sweet potatoes.

Roasted Veggie & Orzo Bowl

Serves 6

 

1.5 c orzo

2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled & cut into 1/2 inch pieces

1 lb Brussels sprouts, trimmed & halved or quartered, depending on size

1 medium red onion, roughly chopped

Olive oil

Salt

15 oz canned chickpeas, drained & rinsed

1 c walnuts

 

Dressing

1/4 c extra virgin olive oil

1 Tbsp + 1 tsp red wine vinegar

1 Tbsp maple syrup

1/4 tsp dried basil

1/4 tsp dried oregano

1/4 tsp crushed red pepper

1 clove garlic, minced

1/4 tsp salt

Freshly ground black pepper

 

1/3 c dried cranberries

 

Preheat oven to 425*. Cook the orzo according to the package directions until al dente. Put the sweet potato, Brussels sprouts, and red onion into a large bowl. Toss with a generous drizzle of olive oil and salt to taste. Transfer to a large nonstick rimmed baking sheet (you may need two so the veggies can lay in one layer). Roast about 20 minutes or until the sweet potatoes are fork tender. Toss after 10 minutes so they cook evenly.

 

Toss the chickpeas with a drizzle of olive oil and salt and put on a small rimmed baking sheet. Also toss the walnuts with olive oil and salt and put on the other half of the baking sheet. Roast with the veggies on the lower rack. Remove the walnuts after about 5 minutes or once they are golden and fragrant. Continue cooking the chickpeas until the vegetables are ready.

 

Meanwhile add the dressing ingredients to a small jar with a lid. Cover and shake until well combined.

In a large bowl, combine the orzo, sweet potatoes, Brussels sprouts, red onion, chickpeas, and walnuts. Add the dressing and cranberries, toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper.

This can be enjoyed warm or chilled.

from Cooking for Peanuts

Chicken Avocado Soup

Well this one was a surprise! Bob was the one that found it, said it sounded good and I should make it. I looked at the list of ingredients and was surprised and really wasn't sure he'd like it but it was a BIG hit. It's a quick and easy recipe.

Chicken Avocado Soup

serves 6

 

1 1/2 lbs boneless chicken breasts or 3 c shredded rotisserie chicken

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 bunch chopped green onions (roughly 1 1/4 c)

2 jalapenos, seeded and minced

3 cloves garlic, minced

4 14.5 oz cans low sodium chicken broth

1 14.5 oz can fire roasted diced tomatoes

1/2 tsp ground cumin

salt & pepper

1/3 c chopped cilantro

juice of a lime

3 medium avocados, diced

for serving - tortilla chips, shredded monterey jack cheese, sour cream

 

In a large pot heat the olive oil over medium heat. Once hot add green onions and jalapenos and saute until tender, about 2 minutes, adding garlic during last 30 seconds of sauteing. 

 

Add chicken broth, tomatoes, cumin, salt and pepper to taste and chicken breasts. If using rotisserie chicken add at the end. Bring mixture to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium, cover with lid and allow to cook, stirring occasionally, until chicken has cooked through (10-15 minutes). 

 

Reduce heat, remove chicken from broth and shred; return to soup. Stir in cilantro and lime juice (and rotisserie chicken if using).

 

Add avocados to soup just before serving or to individual bowls. Serve with chips, cheese, and sour cream if desired.  

from Cooking Classy

Oktoberfest Stew

 This is a quick and easy "stew" but more like soup. It's good for those early fall evenings when the cool weather has hit and you want to celebrate Oktoberfest.

Oktoberfest Stew

serves 4-6

 

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 (14oz) pkg beef smoked sausage, cut into bite size pieces

1 onion, thinly sliced

1/2 small head of cabbage, halved, cored and thinly sliced

1/2 tsp ground pepper

1/4 tsp ground caraway seeds

pinch salt

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 c German lager beer/Oktoberfest variety

2 russet potatoes, peeled and cut into bite size pieces

2 1/2 c chicken stock

1 1/2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar

 

Place a soup pot over medium-high heat and add olive oil. Once the oil is hot add in the smoked sausage and all to caramelize and brown for about 4-5 minutes. When the sausage is browned add the sliced onions, stir and allow the onions to caramelize with the sausage for another few minutes until golden brown and softened. Once the onions are caramelized add in the sliced cabbage, stir to combine and allow the cabbage to soften and take on the flavors of the sausage and onions for a few minutes. 

 

Add the pepper, caraway seeds, salt, and stir to combine. Stir in the garlic and once it becomes aromatic, add in the cup of lager and stir the mixture to combine; allow the beer to slightly reduce for about 3 minutes or so. Add the potatoes and chicken stock, stir and allow the mixture to come to a boil; once it comes to a boil place a lid on (slightly askew) and reduce the heat to low to gently simmer for about 40 minutes. After 40 minutes turn off the heat and finish by stirring in the apple cider vinegar.

Serve in large bowls with some hearty rye bread or rustic rolls.

very slightly modified from The Cozy Apron

Pork and Peanut Dragon Noodles

This recipe! Since Whitney had an apartment last year (for her senior year in college) and since she was on a budget she used the Budget Bytes website and recipes a lot. This was one she made often, told me how good it was, and made it for me one time when I was up visiting. I've made it a couple of times for the two of us this fall when Bob was gone (he's not a spicy food kind of guy). It's so good! And spicy! And best of all it's pretty inexpensive and quick to make and leftovers are good for the next day's lunch.

Pork and Peanut Dragon Noodles
serves 3

dragon sauce
1/4 c chili garlic sauce (found in the Asian aisle with the sriracha)
1/4 c soy sauce
1/4 c brown sugar

pork and noodles
1/2 lb ground pork
6 oz. ramen noodles*
3 green onions, sliced
1/4 c unsalted peanuts, chopped

Combine the dragon sauce ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.

Add the ground pork to a skillet and cook over medium heat until it is fully browned. If there is excess fat drain the skillet. Once browned, add the prepared dragon sauce and chopped peanuts. Allow the pork and peanuts to simmer in the sauce for another 5 minutes or until the sauce has reduced by half.

While the pork is browning begin boiling water for the noodles. Once boiling add the noodles and cook according to the package directions. Drain the noodles in a colander.

Once the sauce has reduced add the noodles to the skillet and toss until everything is combined and coated in sauce. Top with sliced green onions and serve.

*you can either use a couple of ramen packages(or however many equals 6 oz) and toss the seasoning packets or we have found Simply Asia brand ramen noodles in the aisle with the Japanese/Asian foods.

Another great recipe from Budget Bytes

Tomato Soup

I had gotten some tomatoes in my veggie box last week and hadn't yet figured out what to do with them. Then I saw Debbie Macomber's blog post about tomato soup and grilled cheese. Bingo! And today was the perfect day. This was really good and pretty easy as well, perfect for lunchtime. Goes perfect with a grilled cheese.

Tomato Soup
serves 2-3

1/4 c olive oil
4 tomatoes
1 small onion
2 garlic cloves
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp basil, more to taste
1 c vegetable broth (or chicken broth)
1 Tbsp half & half, optional

Preheat oven to 425*. Pour oil onto a baking sheet. Slice tomatoes in half and arrange on baking sheet, cut side down. Cut onion into eights and put onto baking sheet. Peel garlic, leave whole, and add to baking sheet. Roast in the oven about 35 minutes, until tomatoes are blistered and the onion and garlic are soft.

Transfer the vegetables to a pot and scrape all the leftover oil into the pot as well. Add the salt and basil. Puree with an immersion blender until no chunks remain. Add broth, puree until smooth. Heat the soup over medium, just until boiling, stirring occasionally. Add salt and pepper to taste, stir; add half and half, if using.

modified from Debbie Macomber's recipe

Chicken and Broccoli Stir Fry

We were out of town over the weekend and I haven't had time to hit the grocery store so I had to make dinner with whatever was at home. I pulled some chicken out of the freezer last night and knew I had some broccoli in the fridge. I was thinking stir fry, chicken, broccoli, carrots since I was pretty sure I had some. When I got home from work I found facebook was reading my mind and had a Food Network chicken and broccoli stir fry recipe waiting for me. Creepy. But the stir fry was so good!

Chicken and Broccoli Stir-Fry
serves 4

2 chicken breasts, cubed
3 scallions, whites only, thinly sliced on the bias
2 cloves garlic, minced
1-inch piece peeled fresh ginger, minced
1 Tbsp soy sauce
2 Tbsp sugar
1 Tbsp plus 1 tsp cornstarch
1 1/4 tsp salt
1 Tbsp dry sherry
1 Tbsp dark sesame oil
about 1/3 c water
3 Tbsp vegetable oil
5-6 c broccoli, trimmed, sliced stalks and medium florets (keep them separate)
3/4 to 1 tsp red chili flakes, optional
1 Tbsp hoisin sauce
toasted sesame seeds, for garnish

In a medium bowl toss the chicken with the scallions, about half the garlic and ginger, the soy sauce, sugar, 1 teaspoon of the cornstarch, 1 teaspoon of the salt, the sherry, and the sesame oil. Marinate at room temperature for 15 minutes. Mix the remaining cornstarch with 1/3 cup of water.

Heat a large nonstick skillet or wok over high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of the oil and heat. Add the broccoli stems and stir-fry for 30 seconds. Add the florets and the remaining garlic, ginger, 2 tablespoons of water, season with 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper. Stir-fry until the broccoli is bright green but still crisp, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a plate or bowl.

Let the skillet heat up hot again then heat 2 more tablespoons oil. Add the chicken and chili flakes if using. Stir-fry until the chicken browns, about 3 minutes. Add the hoisin sauce; return the broccoli to the pan and toss to heat through. Stir the cornstarch/water again then add and bring to a boil to thicken. Add more wwater if needed to think the sauce. Taste and season with salt and pepper.

Serve over rice and garnish with sesame seeds.

Thai Turkey Burgers

Tonight was the earliest that I ate dinner in a long time! I'm used to eating a bit later, either waiting for Bob to get home or just eating closer to 6:30 or 7, not 5:30. But the girls are home for a few weeks and Sarah was hungry early since she was used to eating around 5 at camp. I'm sure there will be snacking later on.

I was looking for some new dinner ideas for the week that were healthier and also for later in the week ones that used veggies that are coming in my veggie box tomorrow. I perused my Pinterest boards and found a couple of good ones for this week. These Thai turkey burgers are quick and easy as well as healthy.

These can be served on buns or bibb lettuce leaves. The original recipe called for a slaw and almond butter sauce which didn't sound appealing to me. I meant to serve on the lettuce leaves but totally forgot.

Thai Turkey Burgers
makes 4 burgers

1 pound ground turkey
1/2 c shredded carrots
1 Tbsp chopped cilantro
1 green onion, chopped
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1 Tbsp olive oil

For serving - hamburger buns or bibb lettuce leaves

In a bowl combine all the ingredients except the oil using a wooden spoon or your hands. Form into four patties about palm size. Heat a skillet or grill plan over medium high heat then add the oil. Place the patties in the pan and cook about 4 minutes on each side, until the internal temperature is 165*.

Serve on buns or lettuce, with mayonnaise.

Rigatoni with Roasted Broccoli

This is another quick and easy recipe. I'm doing a bit of cleaning this week and part of that is reading through magazines that I haven't gotten to yet. In this case, it was Women's Day from February. Good news is that I found this great recipe. We all love roasted broccoli and here it's roasted with red onion and garlic. Add some pasta and bacon, what more could you ask for? This could easily be made vegetarian by leaving out the bacon.

Rigatoni with Roasted Broccoli
serves 4

4 cloves garlic, smashed
1 head of broccoli, cut into small florets
1 red onion, cut into 1/2" thick wedges
2 Tbsp olive oil
4 slices bacon
8 oz. rigatoni
1/2 c grated Parmesan

Preheat oven to 425*. On a large rimmed baking sheet toss garlic, broccoli, onion, oil, and 1/2 tsp salt and pepper. Roast until golden brown and tender, 20 to 25 minutes. Arrange bacon on a second rimmed baking sheet, cook until crisp, about 12-15 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel lined plate and break into pieces when cool. Meanwhile, cook pasta per package directions. Reserve 3/4 cup cooking water; drain pasta and return it to the pot. Add 1/2 cup reserved water, sprinkle with 1/4 cup Parmesan, and toss to coat (add more reserved cooking water if pasta seems dry). Add roasted vegetables and bacon to pasta and toss to combine. Top with remaining Parmesan.

Garlic Beef and Broccoli Lo Mein

This claims to be a 20 minute recipe; I think it took me longer but it was still fast and easy to make. This was perfect for a Sunday after church when everyone who was home needed to get out of the house fairly quickly. No time to grill yesterday! This had good flavor, maybe needed more garlic or maybe some Siracha. Still, very good and Bob would have liked it if he had been home.

Garlic Beef and Broccoli Lo Mein
serves 5-6

8 oz lo mein noodles or spaghetti
3 c broccoli florets
1 Tbsp olive oil
8 oz flank steak, sliced against the grain
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 medium carrot, shredded
1/4 c brown sugar
1/4 c soy sauce
2 Tbsp hoisin sauce
2 tsp sesame oil
1/2 tsp minced ginger
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 tsp pepper

In a small bowl whisk together the brown sugar, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, sesame oil, ginger, red pepper, and pepper.

In a large pot cook the noodles according to package directions. Add the broccoli the last 5 minutes of cooking and cook until tender. Drain the noodles and broccoli and put in a large bowl. While the noodles are cooking add the olive oil to a medium sized skillet. Cook the steak until no longer pink. Add the garlic and carrots and cook for a minute more. Add the steak to the bowl with the noodles and broccoli, give the sauce another stir and pour over the noodles and steak, toss to coat everything.

NOTES: I used angel hair pasta but I think if you're not going to use lo mein spaghetti would be a better choice. The recipe calls for flank steak which would have been delicious but I used pre-sliced stir fry meat. Any sort of meat, thinly sliced is fine.  

slightly modified from The Recipe Critic

Southwestern Salad with Avocado Dressing

I've seen several versions of this salad around, this is just the one I happened to print out and make the other night. It was really good. I also cooked some chicken tenders, sliced those, and added them for some additional protein but it doesn't really need them.

Southwestern Salad
serves 5

dressing
1 avocado, halved
1 clove garlic
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/4 c olive oil
1 Tbsp fresh cilantro
1 lime, juiced

salad
1 head lettuce, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped (any color)
1/4 c fresh cilantro
15 oz black beans (1 can)
1/2 red onion, chopped
15 oz corn (1 can)
1/4 c scallions, sliced
1 medium tomato, chopped

Add all dressing ingredients to a blender, blend until smooth. In a large bowl add all salad ingredients and toss to mix. Top with avocado dressing, toss to coat.

from Tasty

Chicken and Spinach Quesadillas

It's been over the top hot here. Like crazy hot and humid, not wanting to cook anything hot. But eating still has to happen. I was mulling over what to make, what I had in the fridge, what was easy that didn't require the oven or grill and these quesadillas were born. They were really good!

Chicken and Spinach Quesadillas

sliced mushrooms
minced garlic
olive oil
baby spinach
sliced or chopped cooked chicken
shredded mozzarella cheese
tortillas

Heat the olive oil in a skillet and add the mushrooms. Sauté for a couple of minutes then add the garlic and a sprinkle of salt, sauté for another minute or two and add a couple of handfuls of spinach. Cook until the spinach wilts.

Layer a tortilla, some cheese, cover with some of the spinach mixture, add some chicken, then more cheese and a top tortilla. Cook on a griddle until the cheese is melted and the tortillas are nicely browned.