Leek & Potato Pie

 I had some leeks and one gluten free pie crust that needed to be used so I perused the web for a leek and potato pie recipe. I found this Jamie Oliver recipe and swapped out the puff pastry it called for and used the gluten free pie crust I had. It turned out really good! You can serve it as a side, it would be good with a roast or it can be the main, served with a side salad.

Leek & Potato Pie

2 Tbsp olive oil

4 large leeks, washed and sliced (be sure to clean them well to get the sand out)

600g potatoes, peeled and sliced thinly

2 garlic cloves, minced

100g grated sharp cheddar cheese

300ml heavy cream

1 Tbsp Dijon mustard

1 tsp fresh thyme or 1/2 tsp dried thyme

1 gf pie crust (or 1 sheet of puff pastry)

salt & pepper

 

Preheat the oven to 400* and grease a large pie dish or baking dish with butter or oil.

 

In a large frying pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the sliced leeks and cook for 5-7 minutes, until they are soft and starting to caramelize. Add the minced garlic and cook for another 1-2 minutes until fragrant. Season with salt and pepper, then set aside. 

Meanwhile, boil the potato slices in salted water for about 10 minutes until they are just tender, but not falling apart. Drain the potatoes.

In a large bowl, combine the leeks, potatoes, grated cheese, cream, mustard, and thyme. Stir everything together until well mixed. Season with more salt & pepper to taste. Transfer to the prepared pie dish, spreading out evenly. Place the pie crust on top, trimming any excess and press down the edges to seal the pie. Cut a small slit in the center to allow steam to escape during baking. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until the crust is browned and the filling is hot and bubbling. Remove from the oven and let cook a few minutes before slicing and serving.

I don't remember the exact website this was from and it's not on the copy I printed out.

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

Vegetarian Skillet Stuffed Shells

This is SO good! It does take a bit of time but is totally worth it. One pan, cooks on the stove, makes plenty for dinner and some leftovers (at least in our family). The shells are stuffed with a mixture of mushrooms, spinach, and ricotta; while the recipe calls for crimini mushrooms I used a mixture of two different kinds of mushrooms because that's what I could get in the amount I needed.

Skillet Stuffed Shells

serves 4-6

 

18 jumbo pasta shells

 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt, divided

2 Tbsp olive oil

1/2 lb crimini mushrooms, thinly sliced

1 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1/2 c dry white wine

5 oz. baby spinach

6 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

2 Tbsp unsalted butter

3 c marinara sauce

1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

2 c ricotta

3 oz finely grated Parmesan (about 1 cup), more for serving

2 tsp dried oregano

Cook shells in a large pot of boiling water, stirring occasionally until very al dente, about 9 minutes; drain. Run under cold water to stop the cooking; drain again.

Meanwhile, heat oil in a large skillet over high. Add mushrooms and cook stirring occasionally, until they release juices, then are dry again and nicely browned, 5-6 minutes; season with black pepper and 1 tsp salt. Reduce heat to medium, add wine, cook stirring until reduced by half, 1-2 minutes. Add spinach, cover and cook until beginning to wilt, 1-2 minutes. Uncover and continue to cook, stirring occasionally until spinach is completely wilted and most of the liquid is evaporated, 2-4 minutes more. Transfer mushroom mixture to a large bowl.

Cook garlic and butter in the same skillet over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally until garlic is fragrant and beginning to brown, 2-3 minutes. Add marinara sauce and red pepper and bring to a simmer over low heat. Cook stirring occasionally until warmed through, 6-8 minutes.

While sauce cooks, add ricotta, 3 oz Parmesan, oregano, and remaining 1/2 tsp salt to the mushroom mixture and stir to combine. Spoon about 2 Tbsp of mixture into each shell. The shell should be filled to capacity but not overstuffed.

Nestle stuffed shells into hot sauce in skillet. Cover and cook over medium heat until shells are warmed through, 4-6 minutes. Remove from heat and let sit 5 minutes. Sprinkle with Parmesan, serve. 

from epicurious

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

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.

Slow Cooker Enchilada Quinoa

I used the instantpot again. I hadn't really planned to the other night but it fit the need. I was looking for a Mexican recipe but didn't want chicken since it was on the menu a couple of other times last week. I found something I thought looked good (we'll see how the other two like it) and it was made in the crockpot. Sarah said to make it in the instantpot so I could test out all the functions. Good idea there. Plus it was easy - the instantpot was on the dining room table while my crockpot is put away in the cabinet. We'll see how this works out, especially since I got things going a bit late.

After making this I'm not sure it's a total keeper but it was good. Sarah and I thought it needed more heat/spice/something (I used regular fire-roasted tomatoes since I couldn't find ones with chiles and I used mild enchilada sauce in deference to Bob). I'm not sure Bob liked it much at all. As for the instantpot it worked fine as a crockpot; could have just as easily have made it in a crockpot.


Slow Cooker Enchilada Quinoa
serves 4-6

1 15-oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 15-oz can yellow corn, drained
2 15-oz cans mild or medium enchilada sauce
1 15-oz can diced fire roasted tomatoes with green chiles
1 c uncooked quinoa + 1/2 c water
4 oz cream cheese (light is fine), room temperature
salt & pepper to taste
1 c shredded Mexican style cheese
optional - chopped cilantro, diced tomatoes, diced avocado, sour cream

Stir together the beans, corn, 1 can of enchilada sauce, fire roasted tomatoes, quinoa, water, cream cheese, salt, and pepper. Mix well to make sure the cream cheese is mixed in. Pour remaining can of enchilada sauce on top, then sprinkle with cheese. Cover and cook on high 4-5 hours or low for 6-7 hours. Uncover, top with cilantro, tomatoes, avocado, and sour cream.

from Creme de la Crumb

Sweet and Spicy Pumpkin Chili

My aunt and uncle are in town visiting and my mom invited us up for dinner. I ended up making dinner for all of us and made both the Three Bean Chili and this recipe since they are vegetarians. This was really good! Just the right hint of spice and heat, balanced by a touch of sweet. I had just enough leftover to eat for lunch today.

Sweet and Spicy Pumpkin Chili
slightly modified from The Hearty Herbivore

1 large onion, diced
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 heaping tsp unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp chili powder
1 15-oz can pumpkin puree
1 15-oz can chili beans
1 15-oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can fiesta corn (corn with diced red peppers)
1 4-oz can green chilis
1 15-oz can diced tomatoes
cilantro, for garnish

In a large stockpot, saute the onion and garlic in the olive oil until onion is translucent. Add cocoa powder, cinnamon, and chili powder and saute one more minute.

Add the rest of the ingredients and stir until all are combined. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Remove from heat, serve hot and garnish with chopped cilantro.

White Bean Soup

This is one of those dishes that I wanted to make, didn't really read the recipe first and assumed I had what I needed in the pantry. As usual, didn't exactly work out that way but I still made a really good soup. I told Bob last night I probably would have eaten the whole pot if I wasn't full and they didn't need to eat still. The base recipe came from my Joy of Cooking cookbook, Mediterranean White Bean Soup. It calls for large dried white beans, like great Northern or cannelini but I only had Navy beans; they worked fine but large ones would have been better. This was really easy to make, even starting with dried beans.

White Bean Soup

1 c dried white beans
7 c water
3/4 tsp dried rosemary
8 cloves garlic, chopped or sliced
1 can diced tomatoes
1/4 c olive oil
4 tsp red wine vinegar
2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground pepper

Pick over, rinse, and soak the beans.* After the beans are drained, put in a soup pot along with the water, rosemary, and garlic. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer until the beans are tender, about 1 to 1.5 hours. Stir in the undrained diced tomatoes and the rest of the ingredients. Serve with crackers or crusty bread.



*I used the quick soak method - cover the beans with water by 2 inches in a pot, bring to a boil, turn off the heat, cover, and let sit for an hour or until doubled in size; drain, discarding the soaking water. The other way you can do it is to put them in a pot, cover by 2 inches with water, cover, and let soak overnight. I usually never plan far enough ahead to do this.

Mexican Pizza

I made chicken enchiladas the other night for dinner and had a lot of enchilada sauce leftover. I decided that a Mexican pizza sounded good and I could use the enchilada sauce in place of pizza sauce. This is a pretty healthy dinner, full of veggies and beans. For the corn, you can used canned or frozen; I had some fresh ears that I got from the farmer's market on Sunday and used two ears.

Mexican Pizza
makes 2 pizzas

cornmeal pizza dough (recipe below)
enchilada sauce
1 tomato, diced
1/2 red pepper, diced
1 can black beans, drained
2 or 3 green onions, thinly sliced
corn
shredded cheddar (or Colby Jack or Mexican blend)
optional toppings: sour cream, salsa, diced avocado

Preheat the oven to 425*. Roll the crust onto a pizza stone or other baking pan. Poke several times with a fork so it doesn't rise. Bake 10-12 minutes until slightly browned.

Remove from the oven and spread on the enchilada sauce then top with tomato, red pepper, black beans, corn and green onions (split toppings between the two crusts, use an amount that looks good to you, I didn't use the full can of beans). Top with cheese. Bake 12 minutes until the pizza is cooked and the cheese is melted.

Cornmeal Pizza Dough

2-2 1/2 c all purpose flour
3/4 c yellow cornmeal
1 pkg active dry yeast
1/4 tsp salt
1 c warm water
2 Tbsp cooking oil

In a mixing bowl, combine 1 1/2 c flour, cornmeal, yeast, and salt; add water and oil. Beat with mixer on low speed for 30 seconds. If you have a mixer with a dough hook, use that. After the dough is mixed, add in at least another 1/2 c of flour. Mix, then knead for 5 minutes. Add in enough of the remaining flour to make a moderately stiff dough that is smooth and elastic. Divide dough in half; cover and let rest 10 minutes.

Vegetable Stir Fry

I'm a little surprised at how well this went over last night! It was just something I threw together (got to get dinner on the table, you know) and they all liked it. I guess it's one I'll keep around!

Vegetable Stir Fry
serves 4

2 Tbsp. oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp. minced ginger (I used a hefty squirt of minced garlic in a tube)
2 small zucchini, cut into half moons
8 oz. pkg. sliced mushrooms
1 medium onion, sliced
most of a 6 oz. pkg of baby spinach
3 Tbsp. soy sauce
2 Tbsp. sherry
2 tsp. cornstarch
1 tsp. sugar
rice for serving

Mix the soy sauce, sherry, cornstarch, and sugar together in a small bowl and set aside. Heat the oil in a wok or really large skillet. Add the garlic and ginger, stir-fry for a minute, then add the other veggies except the spinach. Stir-fry until the veggies are cooked but still crunchy. Add the spinach, stir until it starts to wilt. Make a space in the middle of the veggies and add the sauce (stir it before adding); stir the sauce until it starts to thicken, then stir everything to combine. Serve over rice.

*This can be adapted to whatever veggies you have on hand. I was going to add some thin sliced carrots but didn't have any.

Fried Rice

Sweet Pea and Rosie Jane, this one's for you. I got this recipe years ago from a little cookbook called The Starving Student's Cookbook that I got from Pops and Nana when I went to college.  It's full of great, cheap, easy recipes.  I used to use it a lot, when it was just Dad and I and life was simpler. This is super easy, a great way to use up leftover rice, meat, and veggies. You can really throw in whatever you have around, just chop it up small.

Fried Rice
modified from The Starving Student's Cookbook

1 Tbsp oil
1/2 small onion chopped
1-2 c leftover rice
soy sauce
salt & pepper
1 egg

Add the oil to a skillet or wok and heat.  Add the onion and stir fry for a few minutes until softened.  If you want to add any chopped meat or other chopped cooked veggies, now is the time to do it.  When the onion is soft, add the rice and soy sauce.  I usually do a couple of swirls around the skillet.  Season with salt and pepper and continue stirring.  Add the egg, continue to stir until the egg is cooked.  Check seasoning, especially soy sauce.

One good thing to add if you have them is peas.  If they're frozen, defrost them first before adding.

New Year's Day dinner - pork and black-eyed peas

Happy New Year!!  I hope everyone has a wonderful new year in 2012.  To start off our new year, we got up early to meet family for brunch in Baltimore.  We got home and basically relaxed all afternoon, then had a nice dinner.  I fixed a pork roast and hoppin' John with rice. [As a side note, the name "hoppin' John" reminds me of my uncle whose nickname back when he was racing motorcycles was Jumping John.]  For those not in the know, hoppin' John is a black-eyed pea dish traditionally served in the south on New Year's day to bring good luck in the new year.  Bob asked me where the collard greens were, since they symbolize riches in the new year and that comment was met with groans from the girls.  We had greens on Thanksgiving which my brother made, so I guess that'll have to do.  I got this recipe last year from Parade magazine and pulled it out again since it seemed to be one everyone liked.

For those that desire a picture, here's one I took before everyone dug in tonight.

Hoppin' John
serves 6

1 Tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 15oz can black-eyed peas, rinsed and drained
1/4 c vegetable broth or water
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
2 green onions, thinly sliced
1/4 c flat-leaf parsley, minced
cooked rice
shredded white cheddar
hot sauce (optional)

Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat.  Add onion, bell pepper, and garlic.  Saute until onions are translucent, about 5 minutes.  Stir in black-eyed peas, broth, salt, and pepper.  Reduce heat to low; cook 10 more minutes.  Stir in green onions and parsley. 

Serve on top of cooked rice and garnish with cheese.  Add hot sauce, if desired.

Three Bean Chili

This is a dish I found on the internet when Rosie Jane was a vegetarian.  That lasted for several months before she decided to eat meat again.  She's always tended to eat less meat than the rest of us so it wasn't a surprise that she tried this and I wouldn't be surprised if she did it again.  I blame this stint squarely on the shoulders of Mike Rowe and Dirty Jobs.  Rosie Jane watched the episode where he went to a small butcher and butchered a cow.  Totally turned her off from eating meat for months.

Three Bean Chili

1 can dark red kidney beans
1 can black beans
1 can Great Northern or cannelini beans
1 can diced tomatoes
1/2 c frozen corn (optional)
1 Tbsp. chili powder
1 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. garlic powder
3/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. black pepper
salt to taste
hot sauce to taste

Add all ingredients to a large saucepan or Dutch oven.  Bring up to a simmer, cook covered for about 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Zucchini, Tomatoes, and Mozzarella Cheese

This is a yummy, easy summer dish.  My mom found it years ago when my vegetarian aunt and uncle were coming to visit.  We all enjoy it a lot here.  It's another of those dishes that don't have specific measurements, just adjust to how many you are cooking for that night.  For the four of us tonight I'm using:

Olive oil
2 zucchini, sliced
1 onion, half moon slices
2 tomatoes (you can also use a can or two of diced tomatoes), sliced
a few sprinkles of Italian seasoning
salt and pepper, to taste
a couple of handfuls of shredded mozzarella cheese

In a large skillet (I use my large cast iron one), to some olive oil add the zucchini and onion.  Cook until softened (we like them on the browned side) then add the tomatoes and seasonings.  Cook for a few more minutes until everything is warm.  Put a couple of handfuls of mozzarella cheese on top and cook until melted.


I usually serve this with some kind of bread; rosemary foccacia would be really good.  I should have bought some at the farmer's market this morning.  I don't have any tonight and didn't have time to make any today so we'll do without it.  I just thought that this would be really good if you put it under the broiler a few minutes at the end to finish melting and brown the cheese.  Think I'll give that a try.