Roasted Root Vegetables

Here's another one that I've made that I'm already craving again!!!  Roasted root veggies.  Be adventerous with your choices at the grocery store, I found I loved many of these that I had never even tried before!!  A great recipe for fall.  Oh how I will miss this one in the summer!

2 pounds of root vegetables
(Experiment with turnips, rutabagas, beets, sweet potatoes, parsnips and carrots!!!)
1 onion peeled and cut into 1/3" wedges
3 Tbs olive oil
Sea Salt (or kosher salt) and Pepper to taste

Heat oven to 375.  While oven is warming chop all your root veggies in bite sized pieces.  Toss the veggies with the olive oil and salt & pepper to taste. 

Place chopped veggies on a roasting pan (I covered mine with parchment), don't over crowd them.  Roast for 45-50 minutes, stirring 3 or 4 times throughout.  They are done when they are lightly brown and soft.


Makes 4 servings (you will fight with yourself to keep this at 4 servings)  :)


Tip:
You can cut the sweet potato a litte bigger than some of the other root veggies, I found it cooks faster than some of the others it was almost too soft by the time the others were tender.

Credit:  This also came from the PCOS Diva!  I had to find a place to put a couple or her recipes so I wouldn't lose them.  She is all about clean eating!  If you want more information on how to find her or do the Jumpstart program she offers, let me know.  I'm happy to give you more information!

Garlic Kale

SO simple and SO good!  You will love this!  This is my first time to cook Kale myself...and this one goes down in the books as a KEEPER!

 

Ingredients

2 Tbs organic butter

1 Tbs olive oil

4 garlic cloves (I like the pre-minced)

One bunch of kale, chopped (remove fiberous stems)

2 tsp tamari soy sauce (or low-sodium soy sauce)

1 tsp fresh lemon juice

 

Melt butter/olive oil in pan and add garlic.  Saute garlic in oil for 10 min at a low heat (or until garlic has flavored the oil), just don't let the garlic burn or get too brown...this will make a bitter flavor.  Turn the head up to medium and place the kale into the pan.  Toss as it wilts (about 5-7 min).  You can cover for period of time too to speed up the process a bit.  While waiting, combine your lemon juice and soy sauce.  When ready, pour over the top of the wilted kale and toss.  Serve warm.

 

Makes 4 servings (but you will eat at least 1/2 of this YOURSELF, guarenteed)

 

Note:  The original recipe comes from the PCOS Diva Jumpstart program.  She uses peeled smashed garlic.  Then she removes it from the pan after it has been sauted for a while.  I LOVE garlic...so I use the minced garlic and just leave it in the final dish instead of removing it.  YUM!!

Zucchini Boats

2 large zucchini (at least 12 inch if possible)
1/2 onion
Garlic, minced
1 lb turkey or pork sausage
2 medium sized tomatoes
1/4 cup green, red or orange bell pepper (or all three)
Salt/pepper
Olive oil
1/2 cup cheddar cheese (they are also really yummy with parmesan cheese sprinkled on top)
2 eggs
1/2 sleeve ritz crackers
2 Tbs butter

Sauté sausage. Try to break up into really small pieces. Combine with vegetable mixture. In the same pan, after sausage is removed, saute onions and garlic then add sausage back to the pan.

Slice zucchini in half lengthwise and spoon and throw out seeds. Carve out the rest until about 1/2 inch of zucchini is left in the "boat." Make sure to keep this part of the zucchini to put back into the veggie mixture. Rub a small amount of olive oil and salt and pepper and put on a cookie sheet in the oven on 375 degrees while you dice the rest of the veggies.

Dice tomatoes, bell pepper and rest of zucchini. Grate some cheese maybe 1/4 to 1/2 cup and add to vegetable mixture. Add sausage, onion and garlic mixture. Whisk 2 to 3 eggs depending on how much vegetable mixture you have. Add in with vegetable/sausage mixture.

Remove boats from the oven and spread mixture evenly into prepared zucchini boats. Top with a little more cheese (cheddar or parmesan).

Lastly, crush ritz crackers in a gallon baggie and combine well with melted butter. Top each boat with these crumbs.

Bake for about 30-40 minutes at 375 degrees or until zucchini boats are fork tender and topping is golden brown

Chinese Salad

This makes a big bowl of salad...so if you aren't a large family, or you aren't bringing it to an event, you should probably 1/2 the recipe. This is also really delicious with grilled chicken on top! :)

Salad Ingredients

2 Romaine Hearts Chopped (approx.)
1/2 Head of Green Cabbage
Chopped Green Onions or Chives
1/4 Cup Sunflower Seeds
1/3 Cup Slivered Almonds
Aprox. 3/4 Cup Chow Mein Noodles

(all amounts are flexible, as desired)

Dressing Ingredients

1/2 Cup Sugar
1/2 Cup Oil (she uses Canola)
1/4 Cup Vinegar
Aprox. 1 Tbsp Soy Sauce

Mix all together, put dressing and Chow Mein dressing on last, just before served.

__________

I got this recipe from Lori S. She goes to church with me, we team teach Primary together. Her family and her extended family have "taken me in", so to speak. They feed me on Sundays and I have family home evening with them Sunday night too. I love their company and I'm so glad to be able to hang out with them! :) I've eaten this 2 times now and loved it BOTH TIMES! Lori was nice enough to share the recipe. I hope you enjoy it as much as I have.

Also, if you want to bring this to an event, Lori tells me that you can make your dressing in a sealable, shakable container, and take it with you that way. Save the chow mein noodles to the side...then everything will be nice and crisp when you get there. Combine remaining ingredients just before serving.

Pot Luck Dinner

This is definitely a one-pot wonder, your meat and veggies cooked all in one pot. I really like it so, even though it's very simple, hardly a recipe, I'm adding it here.

Link Sausage (also good with Venison sausage)
Bag of frozen mixed veggies (your choice of mix)

Cut some link sausage up (your choice on flavors)

Brown it for a few minutes in a hot pot. This should be a tall-sided pot.

Put a little bit of water in the bottom of the pot and put your frozen vegetables on top. Do not stir in vegetables, just let them rest on top.

Cover and 'steam' the vegetables until tender.

Serve.

Layered Potato Salad

New Potatoes (Boil, remove peel)
4 Boiled Eggs, more if desired
Serendipity
Small Cottage Cheese
Mayonnaise
1/2 Purple Onion

While you are waiting on the eggs and potatoes to cook, slice the purple onion in very thin slices. It will enhance the flavor of this salad, but should not be chunky or overwhelming.

Let the eggs and potatoes cool so you can cut them. Cut both into slices...no bigger than what you would want to stick your fork through.

Layer each ingredient until all is gone. There is no exact science to this. Here's the layer order:

Potatoes
Sm. Dollops of Mayo
Coat with thin layer of Cottage cheese
Serendipity (spices)
Eggs
Lite sprinkle of onions

then do again...ending with onions or Cottage Cheese.

This is best when it's had time to sit for a bit so the onion and spices can do their thing.

I don't have exact amounts now, but it's not that important. For those of you that don't have Serendipity, you can use an All-Purpose Seasoning, or Salt Pepper and Garlic Powder. I'll try and measure out what I do the next time I make it.

It's YUMMY! Be brave...you don't need measurements...just try it as is! :)


This recipe was given to me by Michelle H. I know she probably got it from someone else. It's delicious and easy!

Crockpot Sweet Potatoes

2 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled, grated
1/3 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
1/4 cup melted butter
1/4 cup coconut, flaked
1/4 cup coursely chopped pecans, toasted
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

In a slow cooker, combine potatoes, sugar, butter, coconut, pecans and cinnamon. Cover and cook on LOW for 6 to 8 hours or on HIGH for 3 to 4 hours. Stir in vanilla extract.

Source: http://southernfood.about.com/od/crockpotvegetables/r/bl87c10.htm

COMMENT: I made these for Thanksgiving 2007 at Maw's house. Everyone liked them. I liked them too. It was also nice to free up a space in the oven. So many times you have SO many things to bake that day. One less thing to time in the oven was GREAT! Try it, let me know what you think.

How to Cook a Spaghetti Squash

TO PREPARE: Cut squash in half lenthwise and clean out seeds.

BOIL: Place squash cut side down in a pot with 2" of boiling water, cover, boil for 20 minutes.

MICROWAVE: Place squash cut side up in a dish with 1/4 cup water, cover with clear wrap and cook 7 - 8 minutes. Run fork over inside of cooked squash to get spaghetti like strands.

Scoop spaghetti from 1/2 cooked squash. Add 1 cup grated zucchini, 1 cup tomato sauce, 1/4 tsp each of salt and pepper, 1/8 tsp, crumbled basil leaves and a dash of garlic powder.

Mix well and spoon back into empty squash. Sprinkle on 2 tbs. grated parmesan cheese and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.

When cooked this exciting squash will separate into spaghetti-like lenght and have the texture of firm cooked spaghettie, and only has 66 calories in an 8 oz. serving.

Source: Label off a spaghettie squash.

Middle Eastern Potato Salad

2 lb. new potatoes, unpeeled
6 green onions, sliced
5 garlic cloves, minced
1/3 cup olive oil
5 tablespoons lemon juice
3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
Dash allspice
Dash ground coriander
1/2 to 1 cup chopped Italian parsley (sometimes I use Cilantro, very tasty)
1 1/2 cups cherry or grape tomatoes, halved

Cook potatoes in large pot of boiling salted water 10 to 12 minutes or until fork-tender. Cool; quarter or cut into 8 pieces, depending on size.

Meanwhile, in another large bowl, stir together all remaining ingredients except parsley and tomatoes. Add potatoes and parsley; toss well. Garnish with tomatoes (I usually just toss these in too at the last minute).

Makes 6 (about 3/4 cup) servings

Nutrition Information Per Serving: 245 calories, 12.5 g total fat (1.5 g saturated fat), 4 g protein, 32.5 g carbohydrate, 0 mg cholesterol, 685 mg sodium, 5 g fiber.

Source: Cooking Pleasures - July 2006
(The Official Magazine of The Cooking Club of America)

Author: Warda A. (Brooklyn, NY)

Magazine Recipe Story: As a child of Palestinian immigrants, ...Warda A. grew up enjoying a wonderful array of Middle Eastern specialties prepared by her mother. " I learned to love to cook from watching my mother, and I soon became the aspiring chef of the house," Warda says. " I was always trying to mix my two cultures, giving American meals a Middle Eastern flair." That passion, and an aversion to mayonnaise, led to the birth of this potato salad, which makes a wonderful picnic dish.

Zucchini Casserole

1/2 lb ground beef or sausage cooked
2 cups grated zucchini
1/4 cup onion chopped
1/2 cup cracker crumbs
1 slightly beaten egg white
2 Tbs butter or margarine, melted
Salt and Pepper to taste

Mix and put in an 9-inch casserole pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes. Grate cheese on top and bake for 10 minutes more or until melted.

Source: Sherie K

Texas Caviar

2 cans (15.5 oz) Black-Eyed Peas w/ Jalapeño
1 can (10 oz) Rotel
2 Avocados
1 Green pepper
1/2 Purple Onion
3/4 cup Zesty Italian Dressing
1/4 tsp salt

Rinse and drain the black-eyed peas. Stir all ingredients and chill. Serve with Tortilla chips.

Yield: 6 cups

Source: Sherie K
Recipe Author: Unknown

***NOTE: I've never had such a requested recipe! EVERYONE LOVES THIS RECIPE! When I first saw it at my Mom's house, I said, "Raw Green Peppers? Raw Purple Onions? No way, I ain't eatin' that stuff" My Mom told me to just try a bite and I was in love after that. This seems like an odd combination of ingredients, but it is DELICIOUS! This is one that I make for every New Year's party I go to. It's supposed to be good luck to eat black-eyed-peas on New Years...this is so much better than eating a warm soupy bowl of them... :)

Sweet Potato & Apple Gratin

Sweet Potato Layers:
2 Tbs margarine or butter
3 large Golden Delicious Apples (peeled, cored and cut into 1/4 slices)
1 jumbo onion
2 Tbs applejack brandy (or white wine)
6 medium sweet potatoes (2 1/2 pounds)
3/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg (maybe cinnamon too or allspice)
1 cup apple cider or apple juice

Pecan-crumb topping:
2 Tbs margarine or butter
3 slices firm white bread (cut into 1/4-inch pieces)
1/2 cup pecans, coarsely chopped

Prepare Sweet-potato layers: Grease shallow casserole. In skillet, melt butter. Add apples and onion and cook, stirring frequently, until tender and golden (25 min). Stir in wine and cook 1 more minute, remove from heat. Meanwhile peel and slice sweet potatoes. In a cup mix salt, pepper and nutmeg. Preheat oven to 400. Arrange 1/3 of sweet potatoes in pan over-lapping. Sprinkle with 1/3 of salt mixture. Repeat till all ingredients used. Pour cider over layers and bake covered for 1 hour. Meanwhile make pecan-crumb topping.

Topping: Melt margarine in skillet. Cook bread pieces and pecans until bread and pecans are lightly toasted (about 5 minutes). Put on top of casserole just before serving.

Source: Ann (a Secretary from Halliburton)

Sweet Baked Acorn Squash (with apples and pears)

1 medium acorn squash, halved and seeded
1 large apple, peeled, cored and diced
1/2 of 1 ripe pear, peeled, cored and diced
1/8 cup dried currants or raisins
1 Tbs packed dark brown sugar
Grated zest from an orange (to taste)
1/8 tsp ground cinnamon
1 pinch nutmeg
1 Tbs butter
1/4 cup apple cider or orange juice
1 1/2 tsp dark rum (optional)

Preheat oven to 325°F. Place squash in a buttered pan, cut side down. Add ¼ inch hot water to pan and bake for 45 minutes.

Meanwhile, mix the following in a medium bowl: apple, pear, currants or raisins, brown sugar, zest, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Melt butter in a large skillet and put fruit in. Cook for 5 minutes or until fruit is browned. Add cider or orange juice as well as rum and cook 8 minutes or until fruit is tender. When squash is done pour off water and turn cut side up. Put back in oven for another 15 minutes or until squash is tender and heated thoroughly.

Stuffed Zucchini

1/2 cup bread crumbs (seasoned)
2 Tbs parmesan cheese
4 Tbs butter softened
1 clove garlic minced
1/2 cup onion, chopped
1 large tomato peeled, seeded and chopped
(or you can use some canned tomatoes)
2 medium zucchini, seeded, pulp set aside
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350°. In small dish toss breadcrumbs, cheese and 2 tablespoon of the butter. Set aside. In remaining butter, sauté garlic and onion till soft. Add tomatoes and zucchini pulp; heat through and mix well.

Place zucchini shells in a greased baking dish and fill with stuffing. Top with breadcrumb mixture. Cover and bake for 30 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve right away.

Source: Simple Country Pleasures Cookbook

Spaghetti Squash

1 To Bake: Cut lengthwise, remove seeds. Pierce skin with fork. Place cut side down, bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Turn squash, bake until skin is tender.

2 To Microwave: Cut lengthwise, remove seeds. Pierce skin with fork. Place cut side down in ¼ cup water. Cover with clear wrap, cook 7 to 10 minutes.

3 To Boil: Place in covered pot in 2" of water for 20 minutes.

4 Run fork over inside of cooked squash to release spaghetti-like strands. Season with salt and pepper, parmesan cheese, spaghetti sauce, or bacon bits.

Source: Sticker on Squash

Sausage Stuffed Acorn Squash

1 medium acorn squash
dash of salt
6 oz bulk pork sausage
1/2 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
1/4 cup thinly sliced celery
2 Tbs thinly sliced green onions
1/4 cup dairy sour cream
2 Tbs grated Parmesan cheese

Heat oven to 375°F. Cut acorn squash in ½; remove seeds. Place squash cut side down in a 2 quart baking dish. Bake for 45 minutes or until just tender. Turn squash cut side up and season with salt.

Meanwhile, in medium skillet combine sausage, mushrooms, celery and onions. Cook until meat is brown and vegetables are tender; drain well. Stir in sour cream and cheese into sausage mixture. Spoon this evenly into the two cooked squash halves. Return to oven and bake for 10 to 15 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Try cutting out the bottom of the bowl before serving, it's sour.

Servings: 2

Roasted Garlic

Cut the top off a head of garlic. Brush with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper then wrap in foil. Bake at 200-250° for 1 hour.

Source: Williams-Sonoma Catalog

Parsley Potatoes

1 1/2 pounds Small red potatoes
1 medium Onion, chopped
1 Garlic clove, minced
1 Tbs Vegetable oil or Conola oil
1 1/2 cups Chicken broth
1 cup Fresh parsley, minced, divided
1/2 tsp Salt, optional
1/2 tsp Pepper

Clean potatoes. In a large skillet, saute onion and garlic in oil until tender. Stir in broth and 3/4 cup of parsley; bring to a boil. Add potatoes. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 20 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Sprinkle with salt if desired, pepper and remaining parsley

Yield: 4 Servings

Nutrition (per serving): 116.0 calories; 37% calories from fat; 5.0g total fat; 2.0mg cholesterol; 393.0mg sodium; 15.0g carbohydrates; 6.0g fiber; 9.0g net carbs; 4.0g protein.

Cooking Tips
This would be good with some bacon in it as well.

Source: Taste of Home Magazine - Oct/Nov 2002

ROASTED PEPPERS (Pablanos and Green Chiles)

Lightly oil the surface of the peppers.

Roast the peppers over a flame or under a broiler until they are charred on all sides.

Set them aside in a plastic bag for 10 minutes to allow the steam to loosen the skin from the pepper.

Peel off the charred skin and discard the seeds, and set the peppers aside until serving time.

Peeled, roasted peppers can be stored in the refrigerator for 2 or 3 days or for up to 3 months in a resealable plastic bag in the freezer.

APPLE-PABLANO CHUTNEY

1 Tbs unsalted butter
1 cup peeled, cored, diced Granny Smith apples (about 1 large apple)
1 cup diced red onion (about 1/2 onion)
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup Roasted Pablano Peppers, diced (see next recipe)
1/2 cup white wine
1 cup Jalapeno Jelly
1/2 cup julienned fresh sage leaves
Kosher salt to taste
Freshly ground pepper to taste

*Heat 1 tablespoon of butter in a large, nonstick sauté pan over medium heat.
*Add the apples, onions, and garlic, and cook for about 5 minutes, or until they are just beginning to soften.
*Blend in the pablanos and sauté briefly.
*Pour in the wine and cook until the wine has reduced, shaking or stirring to prevent sticking, *Add the jelly and stir until jelly has melted.
*The mixture will be thick and jam-like.
*Remove the pan from the heat, fold in the sage, and season with salt and pepper.
*Set aside until serving time.

Chutney may be served warm or at room temperature.
Yield: 3 ½ cups