Leek and Potato Galette

This was really yummy. I didn't mess with the parchment paper or inverting it, so I just baked it in my round stoneware.

Ingredients

Serves 8

• 6 tablespoons butter, melted
• 3 pounds (5 to 6 medium) baking potatoes, peeled
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 1 leek, white and light-green parts, thinly sliced crosswise, well washed
• 6 ounces Gruyere cheese, coarsely grated (about 1 1/2 cups)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees, with rack set in top third. Line bottom of a 9-inch cake pan with a round of parchment paper. Place melted butter in a large bowl. Using a mandoline or cutting by hand, slice the potatoes 1/8 inch thick; add to bowl with butter. Season with salt and pepper, and toss to coat. In prepared pan, arrange some of the potatoes around edge of pan, overlapping the slices.

   

2. Fill center of pan with more overlapping slices. Sprinkle with half the leek and half the cheese; season with salt and pepper. Repeat with another layer of potatoes and remaining leek and cheese; season with salt and pepper. Top with remaining potatoes. Using a spatula, press galette down firmly.

   

3. Bake until potatoes are tender, 70 to 80 minutes, pressing down firmly twice with a spatula during cooking. Run knife around edge of pan. Carefully invert galette onto a plate, remove parchment, and reinvert onto serving plate. Cut into wedges, and serve.

   

Baked Acorn Squash

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 2 tablespoons butter, plus more for baking sheet
• 2 medium acorn squash
• 2 tablespoons light-brown sugar
• Coarse salt and ground pepper

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Generously butter a rimmed baking sheet.
2. Halve 2 medium acorn squash (about 1 1/2 pounds each) crosswise. Scoop out seeds; discard. Slice a small piece off bottom of each squash half just enough to level.
3. Set squash halves, scooped sides down, on prepared sheet. Bake until golden, 20 to 25 minutes. Turn squash; prick insides all over with a fork. Divide 2 tablespoons butter and 2 tablespoons light-brown sugar among halves; season with coarse salt and ground pepper. Continue to bake until flesh is easily pierced with the tip of a paring knife, 25 to 30 minutes. Serve warm.

Eggplant Parmesan

This recipe is delicious but definitely a little more time consuming. Make sure you've read through the directions so you've given yourself enough time for prep work. To save time I used jarred spaghetti sauce (TJ's tomato basil) and salted the eggplant earlier in the day.

Source: Everyday Food

Prep: 45 minutes

Total: 2 hours

Ingredients

Serves 6

• 2 cans (28 ounces each) whole peeled tomatoes (I used 2 jars spaghetti sauce)
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 2 large globe eggplants (about 2 pounds total), cut crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 3 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 cup plain dried breadcrumbs (I used Panko breadcrumbs)
• Vegetable oil, for frying
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan
• 1/2 pound whole fresh mozzarella, cut into large chunks (this totally makes the dish! yum!)

Directions

1. In a food processor, puree tomatoes; transfer to a medium saucepan and stir in olive oil. Bring to a boil; reduce to a simmer and cook until thickened, 30 minutes. Season tomato sauce with salt and pepper. (or gladly skip this step if you use jarred spaghetti sauce).
2. Meanwhile, in a colander, toss eggplant with 1 1/2 teaspoons salt. Let stand 30 minutes. Press slices between a double layer of paper towels to dry. Dredge eggplant in flour (shaking off excess), then dip in eggs (allowing excess to drip off), and sprinkle lightly with breadcrumbs.
3. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place a wire rack on a rimmed baking sheet; set aside. In a large skillet, pour enough vegetable oil to come halfway up side. Heat oil over medium-high until pinch of breadcrumbs dropped in skillet sizzles. In batches, fry eggplant until golden, 2 to 3 minutes per side; transfer to rack to drain.
4. Spread 1 cup tomato sauce in a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Layer half the eggplant over sauce and sprinkle with cup Parmesan. Top with 1 1/2 cups sauce, then remaining eggplant. Finish with remaining sauce, cup Parmesan, and mozzarella. Bake until lightly browned and bubbling, 40 to 45 minutes.
5. To Freeze: Assemble dish but do not bake; wrap tightly with foil and freeze, up to 3 months. Thaw completely, then bake as directed.

Cucumber Dip

This is a yummy dip from Mara-Liisa. My only tweak was to add a clove of minced garlic.

Ingredients:

● 1/2 cup mayonnaise or half sour cream (I use sour cream)

● 1/4 cup onion, finely diced

● 1 medium cucumber, peeled, seeded, finely diced

● 1 package cream cheese, softened

● salt and pepper to taste (generally needs a good amount of salt)

● 1 garlic clove, minced

Directions:

Mix ingredients and use salt and pepper to taste. Best chilled overnight before serving. Serve with veggies, pita chips, etc.

*Make sure to seed the cucumbers first or it will make the dip too watery.

Pickled Beets

This is the same sauce my friend Kyla uses on her Simple Cucumber Salad.

Ingredients:

5 or 6 medium red beets

1/4 C vinegar

1/2 C sugar

1/4 tsp salt

Directions:

Cut off tops and bottoms of beets.

Boil beets for at least 10 minutes. Do a fork test to see if tender.

Rinse beets under cold water.

Squeeze beets out of their skin. Should slip off easily.

Slice Beets and put in glass jar.

Mix vinegar, sugar, and salt and add mixture to beets.

Refrigerate until well chilled.

Swiss Chard Bake

Origin: Simply in Season Cookbook

Ingredients:

● 1 lb. Swiss Chard, chopped leaves (discard stalk)

● 4 eggs, beaten

● 1 cup milk

● 1 cup shredded cheese (swiss suggested)

● 1 cup bread cubes

● 1/2 cup green onions, sliced

● 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

Directions:

Boil Swiss Chard leaves thoroughly and drain.

Combine ingredients with cooked greens. (I added 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper to the mixture). Pour into a greased 2-quart baking dish. Cover and bake in preheated oven at 375 until set, 25-30 minutes. (I covered halfway and then uncovered rest of the way.)

Roasted Salmon With Zucchini, Lemon, and Dill

We also made a quick "tartar" sauce by squeezing some of the roasted lemon juice and adding some roasted dill into a couple spoonfuls of mayo. It really helped as the salmon can get a little dry while roasting.

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 1 1/2 pounds (about 3 medium) zucchini, cut diagonally into 1-inch-thick pieces
• 2 lemons, quartered, seeds removed
• 8 sprigs fresh dill
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 4 (about 8 ounces each) skinless salmon fillets

Directions

1. Heat broiler, with rack 4 inches from heat. Combine zucchini, lemons, and dill on a large rimmed broiler-proof baking sheet. Drizzle with oil, and season with salt and pepper; toss to coat.
2. Nestle salmon fillets among vegetables; season generously with salt and pepper. Broil until vegetables are tender and fish is opaque throughout, 15 to 20 minutes.

Sausage and Kale Soup

I also like to add a little half-and-half or heavy whipping cream before serving, for a little extra creaminess. :o)

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 onion, diced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red-pepper flakes
• 5 waxy potatoes (1 1/2 pounds), peeled and cut into 1/2-inch chunks
• 3 cans (14 1/2 ounces each) reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 1 bunch kale (12 ounces), stemmed and shredded
• 12 ounces smoked chicken sausage, cut into 1/2-inch half moons

Directions

1. In a large pot (6 to 8 quarts), heat oil over medium. Add onion and cook until soft, stirring, 2 to 3 minutes. Add garlic and red-pepper flakes; cook unti fragrant, 1 minute. Add potatoes and broth; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer until potatoes are tender, 10 to 15 minutes.
2. In a blender, puree half the soup. Return to pot; add kale and sausage. Simmer until kale is wilted, 10 to 15 minutes.

Simple Cucumber Salad

This is a simple, but yummy cucumber recipe from my friend Kyla.

A perfect summer side!

Ingredients:

2 large cucumbers , thinly sliced

1/4 red onion, thinly sliced

1/4 cup vinegar

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 tsp salt

Directions:

1. Wash and thinly slice cucumbers and put them in a medium bowl. Add thinly sliced onion.

2. Mix sauce ingredients (vinegar, sugar, and salt) and pour over veggies.

3. Refrigerate salad to let flavors soak in and marinate.

Enjoy!

Easy Slow Cooker Pot Roast

We also make a quick gravy using some of the meat juice and mixing it with flour, salt and pepper.

Also I rarely have dry onion soup mix in the house, so I just caramelize some onions and toss them in there.


Source: All Recipes

INGREDIENTS 

• 4 pounds chuck roast
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 packet dry onion soup mix
• 1 cup water or beef broth
• 3 carrots, chopped
• 1 onion, chopped
• 3 potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 1 stalk celery

DIRECTIONS

1. Take the chuck roast and season with salt and pepper to taste. Brown on all sides in a large skillet over high heat.
2. Place in the slow cooker and add the soup mix and water. Then add carrots, onion, potatoes and celery half way through cook time.
3. Cover and cook on low setting for 8 to 10 hours.

Pesto

Ingredients

Makes 1 3/4 cups

• 1/2 cup pine nuts (or walnuts)
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 4 cups (2 ounces) lossely packed fresh basil leaves
• 1 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spread nuts evenly on a rimmed baking sheet; toast in oven until golden and fragrant, tossing once, 5 to 8 minutes. Let cool completely.
2. In a food processor, combine nuts, basil, Parmesan and garlic; season generously with salt and pepper. Process until nuts are finely chopped. With machine running, pour oil in a steady stream through the feed tube; process until smooth. Use immediately, or freeze. To freeze, spoon pesto into an ice-cube tray (2 tablespoons per cube); cover with plastic wrap. Freeze overnight, then transfer cubes to a resealable plastic bag; keep up to 6 months. Defrost pesto at room temperature, about 20 minutes (or at 30-second intervals in the microwave). Mash with a fork before using in recipes.

Chicken and Veggie Gyro

Sauce:

1 cup plain yogurt
1/2-1 whole cucumber diced (or chopped)
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp fresh dill, chopped
pinch salt and pepper

Stir together in a small bowl and refrigerate for 30 minutes

4 whole wheat pitas (I used whole wheat with flax flat bread instead)
1/2 head lettuce
1/2 small red onion
fresh green beans (raw)
tomatoes sliced
feta cheese
2 chicken breasts (cooked and shredded)

Stuff your pita or flatbread with all of these yummy fresh ingredients and top with the yogurt sauce. Enjoy!

We made these last night for dinner and they were delish. It's a great way to use up any of your veggies. Cabbage would be a nice addition as well.

Broccoli Salad

INGREDIENTS

• 8 slices bacon (or real bacon bits)
• 2 heads fresh broccoli, chopped
• 1 1/2 cups sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded
• 1/2 large red onion, chopped
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 1/8 cup white sugar
• 2 teaspoons ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2/3 cup mayonnaise
• 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
• handful of raisins (optional)
• handful of sunflower seeds (optional)

DIRECTIONS

1. Place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium high heat until evenly brown. Drain, and crumble.
2. In a large bowl, combine broccoli, cheese, bacon and onion.
3. Prepare the dressing in a small bowl by whisking together the red wine vinegar, sugar, pepper, salt, mayonnaise and lemon juice. Combine dressing with salad. Cover, and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Grilled Basil, Ham & Cheese with Pineapple

Ingredients

Serves 1

• 2 slices sandwich bread
• 2 slices Swiss cheese
• 2 ounces thinly sliced ham
• 2 thin rounds pineapple
• 3 fresh basil leaves
• 1 tablespoon butter

Directions

1. Layer 1 slice sandwich bread with 1 slice Swiss cheese, ham, pineapple, fresh basil, and another slice of cheese; top with bread.
2. In a skillet over medium-low, melt butter. Add sandwich. Cover; cook until golden, 2 to 3 minutes.
3. Flip; cook, covered, until cheese is melted.

Lemony Swiss Chard

INGREDIENTS

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1/2 small red onion, diced
• 1 bunch Swiss chard, stems and center ribs cut out and chopped together, leaves coarsely chopped separately
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, or to taste
• 2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• salt to taste (optional)

DIRECTIONS

1. Melt butter and olive oil together in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Stir in the garlic and onion, and cook for 30 seconds until fragrant. Add the chard stems and the white wine. Simmer until the stems begin to soften, about 5 minutes. Stir in the chard leaves, and cook until wilted. Finally, stir in lemon juice and Parmesan cheese; season to taste with salt if needed.

Springy Shells

Source: Pioneer Woman

Springy Shells

16 ounces medium pasta shells (or other short pasta)
1 pound asparagus, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces (avoid tough parts)
1/2 pound broccoli, cut into small florettes
1/2 pound zucchini (about 1 medium zucchini), diced
1/2 cup frozen peas
3 green onions, sliced (white and light green parts)
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
20 to 22 ounces whole milk ricotta cheese
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon salt
freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
Extra olive oil, for drizzling

Cook pasta until extremely al dente—with still quite a bit of bite.
Melt butter with the olive oil over medium-low to medium heat, then add in the garlic.
Add the asparagus to the pan and cook for five minutes. Sprinkle in a little salt. Add the broccoli and cook for one minute, then add the zucchini and cook for one or two more minutes. Add the frozen peas and green onion, stir together, then turn off the heat. Set aside.
In a separate bowl, mix the ricotta, eggs, salt, and pepper until well combined.
To assemble, butter a 9 x 13-inch baking dish. Add half the pasta, then spread 1/3 cup of the ricotta mixture over the surface. Sprinkle 1/3 of the Parmesan over the ricotta, then 1/2 of the vegetables. Repeat with the rest of the pasta, the rest of the ricotta, and another 1/3 of the Parmesan. End with the rest of the vegetables and the rest of the Parmesan.
Drizzle with a couple of tablespoons olive oil, then bake for 25 minutes on 350 degrees or until nice and hot.

I served with crusty French bread and chilled lemonade. :o)