Fancy Franks and Beans

 Fancy Franks and Beans

1 1/2 lbs lean Italian Turkey Sausage Links
2 pints grape or cherry tomatoes
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
2 Tbs. Olive Oil
1 Tbs. Balsamic Vinegar
1 Tsp. Dried Oregano
1/2 Tsp. Salt
1/2 Tsp. Pepper
1 lb. Kale Roughly Chopped
1 16 ounce can Navy Beans, drained and rinsed

1. Preheat the oven to 375. Arrange the sausage in a 9 x 13 inch baking dish.

2. In a large bowl, toss together the tomatoes, onion, garlic, olive oil, vinegar, oregano, salt, and pepper. Pour the mixture over the sausages.

3. Bake for 30 minutes. Add Kale and beans to the casserole and stir to mix. Bake for 20 minutes, or until the casserole is slightly browned on top. Remove from the oven and let rest for 5 minutes before serving

Brick Chicken with Collard Greens and Easy Scalloped Potatoes

I love chicken!!! So naturally I was pumped about this dish and it doesn't disappoint in the slightest!

Spice Blend

1 tbs ground cumin
1 1/2 tsp black pepper
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper


Brick Chicken

3 1/2 - 4 lbs Chicken, cut lengthwise in half
2 Tbs. Olive Oil
Spice Blend

1. Preheat the oven 375

2. Brush chicken with olive oil. Rub the seasoning mix into the skin side of both halves of the chicken.

3. Heat a griddle of grill pan over high heat. Place the chicken skin side down on the griddle. Cover the chicken with aluminium foil. Wrap a clean brick in foil and carefully place it on top of the chicken to weight it down and flatten it. (You can also use a heavy cast- iron pot of skillet to weight it down). Sear for 7 to 10 minutes, until the chicken forms a golden- brown skin.

4. Remove the brick and flip the chicken. Place the pan in the oven and cook the chicken for 15 to 20 minutes or until the juices run clear when a thigh is pierced.

Collard Greens

2 Tbs white wine vinegar
2 bunches collard greens, stems removed and cut into bit sized pieces
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper

1. Fill a large pot with water and bring to a boil. Add Vinegar and greens and cook for 20 minutes.

2. Drain and stir in the Dijon mustard, salt and Pepper

Easy Scalloped Potatoes

2 Tbs unsalted butter
2 large russet potatoes, peeled and sliced into 1/8 inch slices
1 cup 2% milk
2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
2 ounces Gruyere Cheese, grated

1. Preheat the oven to 375. Lightly butter an 8 x 8 inch baking pan or small casserole dish

2. Layer the potatoes evenly in the baking pan.

3. Combine the milk, butter, herbes de Provence, salt and pepper in a small saucepan, and warm over low heat just until the butter melts.

4. Pour the milk over the potatoes and cover with foil. Carefully place the potatoes in the oven and bake for 25 to 30 minutes.

5. Remove the foil and top the potatoes with the cheese. Return the potatoes to the oven and cook uncovered, for 10 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and potatoes are cooked through.

Croque Mama with Marinated Collard Salad

This little open faced sandwich is so yummy.  The Collard Salad is a great complement to this sweet ham!

Croque Mama with Marinated Collard Salad

Croque Mama

1 whole wheat baguette
1 Tbs Dijon Mustard
1 lb thinly sliced lean Black Forest Ham
4 ounces Gruyere Cheese, grated (1 cup)

1. Place a rack in the top third of the oven and preheat the oven to 425.

2. Slice the baguette lengthwise in half and cut each half into 6 equal pieces. Lightly spread some of the Dijon mustard on each piece then top with 1 or 2 slices of ham and the cheese

3. Place in the oven for 10 to 12 minutes or until the bread has lightly browned and the cheese is melted and bubbly.

Marinated Collard Salad

2 Tbs Olive Oil
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
1 garlic clove, minced or pressed
Pinch of red pepper flakes
1 tsp Kosher Salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 bunch collard greens, stems removed and trimmed, cut crosswise into thin ribbons
1/2 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
1/2 green bell pepper, thinly sliced
1/4 sweet onion, thinly sliced

1. In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, vinegar, garlic, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper

2. In a large bowl, combine the collard greens, bell peppers, and onion with the dressing then with your hands, gently massage the dressing into the collards to wilt them. Chill until ready to serve.

Chicken and Rice with Fennel and Peppers

So this meal I was very excited about for a couple of reasons. 1. Its a one pot meal! 2. I've never had Fennel before. 3. Its chicken and rice!

This recipe packed so much flavor I'll definitely be cooking this again.  I'm definitely a fan of trying new veggies and the fennel was delicious.  The other great thing about it is its in season, which means its cheap.  I'm on a kick right now where I'm trying to only purchase veggies and fruits that are in season.  Typically this will mean you can buy locally too.

Chicken and Rice with Fennel and Peppers

For the chicken:

1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. Paprika
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 1/2 lbs. boneless skinless chicken thighs
2 tbs. grapeseed oil

For the rice:
1 onion, thinly sliced
1 green bell pepper sliced
1 Fennel bulb, thinly sliced
1 tbs. olive oil
2 cups rice, dry
Heaping tbs. tomato paste
4 cups low sodium chicken broth
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 garlic clove minced
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper

For the chicken:

1. Combine Cumin, Paprika, Salt and Pepper in a small bowl.  Season the chicken thighs on both sides with the spice mix.

2. Heat the oil in a large deep skillet over medium heat. Once it is hot, add the chicken and sea until golden brown on both sides, about 3 minutes per side. Remove from the pan and set aside.

For the Rice:

1. Add the onion, bell peppers, and fennel to the pan, stir to combine, and cook until the vegetables begin to soften and the onions become translucent, about 3 minutes. Remove from the pan and set aside.  While the veggies are cooking slice the chicken into bite sized pieces (don't worry if its a tad undercooked it'll finish cooking in a minute).

2. Add olive oil to the skillet and heat over medium heat. Add rice and stir to coat. Cook the rice until its lightly browned. Add tomato paste and stir to combine.

3. Add chicken and veggies back to the skillet. Pour in the broth and stir to combine. Season with oregano, cumin, garlic, salt and pepper.  Cover and bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook, covered for 20 - 30 minutes.

 

 

Check back on Friday I'll be Cooking up some Salmon and Bok Choy.

Refrigerator Oatmeal

So ii started hearing about this overnight oatmeal a year ago.  It always sounded delicious but I could never find a recipe until recently (horray)

Let me tell you a little about me in the mornings grow in up my family referred to me as "Crabby Abby" (real original I know right) or "Eeyore"... needless to say I'm not a morning though to an extent that seems to be changing. But the idea of making breakfast doesn't make me super thrilled so ive always stuck to breakfast bars, meal replacement drinks and what not. Now I love oatmeal in the morning, but only if someone is going to prepare it for me.

When I found the overnight oatmeal recipe I was ecstatic cause then it would be like the bars or drinks take no thought. I made it last night (just one to see if I liked it) I loved it so today I made four more for this week. :-)  its a super easy and CHEAP recipe. Feel free to substitute for different fruits, milk, or make additions.. Hope you'll give it a shot!

Banana Overnight Oatmeal

1/4 cup oats
1/2 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
1/2 tablespoon ground flaxseed (optional)
1/4 banana diced

1. Combine all ingredients into a container with a tight lid. (I used mason jars)

2. Screw lid on and shake.

3. Put in fridge overnight at least

Serves:1

Its a great no hassle meal to prepare. As you can tell it easy to make four at a time however if u don't want to make 4 right now you could eat the rest of your banana or freeze it for a smoothie.

Sweet Potato Stew with Red Beans

The great thing about this recipe is its a cook ahead dish.  I cooked this about a month ago and we divided it up and froze it for those days that I had too much going to on to cook.  Last night was suppose to be one of those nights.  So on Sunday I pulled out one of the containers I had froze the stew in and put it in the fridge, by Tuesday night all I had to do was heat the stew up.  I was a little nervous on how this meal would tasted but it turned out delicious!  The flavors reminded me of chili.  The sweet potatoes were just barely tender.  I fixed up some garlic bread to dip in and MAN it turned out perfect!

Sweet Potato Stew with Kidney Beans

2 teaspoons olive oil
1 1/2 cups chopped onion
1 garlic clove, minced
4 cups cubed peeled sweet potato
1 1/2 cups cooked kidney beans
1 1/2 cups vegetable broth
1 cup chopped bell pepper
1/2 cup water
1 teaspoon grated, peeled fresh ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 chopped tomatoes
1 can chopped green chiles, drained

Directions:

1. Heat oil in a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add onion and garlic; cover and cook 5 minutes or until tender

2. Place onion mixture in a 5 quart slow cooker. Add sweet potato and next 10 ingredients (ending with chiles).  Cover and cook on low 8 hours or until vegetables are tender.

Garlic Bread

Sara Lee 45 calorie wheat bread
1 teaspoon butter (or alternate butter spread) per piece of bread
Garlic Salt
Onion Powder

Preheat Broiler. Put garlic bread into oven and cook until crispy!

PUMPKIN PUMPKIN and more PUMPKIN

I don't know about anyone else but growing up I loved getting those pumpkins to carve because it meant we made pumpkin seeds!!!!!!!!  YUM my favorite.  So this fall I bought a pumpkin, I didn't carve it because I wanted to try and cook the pumpkin for dinner.  But first I made Pumpkin seeds! They were delish I might add

Pumpkin Seeds

1. Place pumpkin seeds and strings in a colander and run under water to rinse and separate the seeds from everything else.

2. Measure pumpkin seeds in a cup. Place the seeds in a medium saucepan. Add 2 cups of water and 1 tablespoon of salt to the pan for every half cup of pumpkin seeds. Add more salt if you'd like saltier seeds.

3.  Bring saucepan to a boil and let simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and drain.

4. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Coat the bottom of a roasting pan or thick baking sheet with olive oil, about a tablespoon. Spread the seeds out over the roasting pan in a single layer, and toss them a bit to coat them with the oil on the pan. Bake on the top rack until the seeds begin to brown 5- 20 minutes, depending on the size of the seeds.  Keep an eye on the pumpkin seeds so they don't get over toasted.  When lightly browned, removed the pan from the pan from the oven and let cool on a rack.

 

Sweet Pumpkin over Nutmeg Quinoa

 

 

1 cup Quinoa, cooked

Nutmeg, to taste

2 cups chopped pumpkin

1 tablespoon butter

1 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander

1 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom

 

 

Directions

 

1.  Cook quinoa according to box (I use chicken stock instead of water, but that is optional). Once quinoa is cooked add in just a dash of nutmeg so you can taste just a hint of it.

 

2. While quinoa is cooking add a tablespoon of pumpkin into a medium frying pan. Add chopped pumpkin sauté until carmelized then add ground coriander and ground cardamom.

 

 

 

Herbed Sauted Pumpkin over Wild Rice

 

1 cup Wild Rice

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 cups Pumpkin

1 1/2 teaspoon Rosemary

1 1/2 teaspoon Thyme

 

1.  Cook wild rice according to directions, (I used chicken stock and lemon juice).

 

2.  Add 1 tablespoon olive oil into a medium frying pan. Add chopped pumpkin and sauté until caramelized.  Add Rosemary and Thyme to the pumpkin and cook until just fragrant.

 

 



Browned Butter Gnocchi with Pumpkin

 

1 16 oz package prepared gnocchi (on pasta aisle)

3 cups chopped pumpkin

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 tablespoons olive oil

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

3 tablespoons soy nuts

1.5 oz Parmesan Cheese

 

1.  Cook gnocchi in a large Dutch oven according to package directions.  Add pumpkin during the last minute or two of cooking.  Drain

 

2.  Heat a large skillet over medium-heat.  Add butter and oil; cook 7 minutes or until butter browns. Add gnocchi mixture and pepper to pan; toss to coat. 

 

3. Spoon about 1 1/2 gnocchi mixture into each bowl. Sprinkle each serving with soy nuts and 2 teaspoons of cheese.