This simpler than you can imagine. Take 5 large carrots. Peel them and slice them the long way. Preheat the oven to 400. Put them on a greased baking sheet and toss with olive oil. Roast until tender, about 20 minutes, turning them once. Mix 2 tbsp honey with 1 tbsp Dijon mustard. Brush on the carrots and return to the oven for about 3 minutes. Voila – amazing carrot dish packed with flavor that is something totally different. Feeds 3-4.

This simpler than you can imagine. Take 5 large carrots. Peel them and slice them the long way. Preheat the oven to 400. Put them on a greased baking sheet and toss with olive oil. Roast until tender, about 20 minutes, turning them once. Mix 2 tbsp honey with 1 tbsp Dijon mustard. Brush on … Read more →

If you go to Nassau, you’ll want to be sure to visit Arawak Cay, just outside town, a little group of restaurants also called The Fish Fry. Here you’ll experience native Bahamian food, including fried fish and conch and peas and rice. If you’ve never had peas and rice, it’s not what it sounds like. It’s made with pigeon peas, similar to black-eyed peas, coconut milk and spices and sometimes, ham. It’s a very tasty dish. It also turns out that it’s the perfect vehicle for leftovers. I had leftover rice, leftover ham, and leftover veggies hanging around. All I needed was a can of black-eyed peas and some other pantry items and this super quick dish came together for a weeknight meal.

Leftovers: Bahamian Peas and Rice

 

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Ingredients

• 1 slice bacon, chopped
• ½ medium onion, chopped
• ½ stalk celery, chopped
• 2½ cups cooked rice (any kind - I used a mix of brown and wild)
• 1 can 15 oz can black-eyed peas, rinsed and drained
• ¾ cup chopped cooked carrot
• ½ of 15 oz can coconut milk
• ½ cup chicken broth
• salt and pepper
• leaves from 3 sprigs fresh thyme
• ¾ cup diced ham

Instructions

1. Cook the bacon in a large skillet or pot until it begins to brown. Add onion and celery and cook until onion is translucent.
2. Stir rice, black-eyed peas, carrot, coconut milk and chicken broth. Add salt and pepper to taste. Stir in ham.
3. Cook until liquid is absorbed and celery is cooked through, about 5 minutes.

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If you go to Nassau, you’ll want to be sure to visit Arawak Cay, just outside town, a little group of restaurants also called The Fish Fry. Here you’ll experience native Bahamian food, including fried fish and conch and peas and rice. If you’ve never had peas and rice, it’s not what it sounds like. … Read more →

I often make this recipe with chicken, but recently I gave it a try with shrimp and it was fantastic. Buy your mangoes a couple days ahead so they can ripen. I love this dish because it’s sweet and creamy,  but with a kick and it cooks so quickly.

Mango Shrimp

 

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Ingredients

• ½ cup yogurt
• 2 garlic cloves
• ⅛ cup lemon juice
• ¼ fresh cilantro
• ¼ cup fresh parsley
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp cumin
• ¼ cup olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 lb shrimp, peeled
• 2 mangoes, peeled, diced
• Cooked rice

Instructions

1. Place the yogurt, garlic, lemon juice, cilantro, parsley, paprika, cumin, olive oil and salt and pepper in the food processor and blend completely.
2. Marinate the shrimp in this mixture for 2-4 hours.
3. Place in an 8x11 baking dish and bake at 400 for 15 minutes, or until the shrimp is cooked through.
4. Serve with rice and mangoes.

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I often make this recipe with chicken, but recently I gave it a try with shrimp and it was fantastic. Buy your mangoes a couple days ahead so they can ripen. I love this dish because it’s sweet and creamy,  but with a kick and it cooks so quickly. Mango Shrimp   Print Ingredients ½ … Read more →

Chicken legs are one of my weeknight panic dishes. On the nights when I can’t think of a single thing to make or don’t have time to stand in front of the stove, I pull a package out of the freezer, dump them on a baking sheet and bake them while I am doing something else. If they’re thawed, they bake in a little over an hour. If they are frozen, it takes about an hour and 45 minutes to two hours. Usually I make a quick barbecue sauce. Every single person in my household eats theses, so it is always a winner.

One night last week when I was dealing with a deadline, had a kid to drive to his volunteer job, and had no time to think about dinner, I pulled my trusty chicken legs out of the freezer again. Only this time, I decided to change up the sauce and made this 3 ingredient maple mustard glaze that was fabulous!

Maple Mustard Chicken Legs

 

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Ingredients

• 12 chicken legs
• ¼ maple syrup
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

Instructions

1. Season the chicken legs with salt and pepper and bake at 400 for about an hour and 15 minutes, until they are brown and crunchy.
2. Spread the glaze on the legs and bake another 5 minutes.

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Chicken legs are one of my weeknight panic dishes. On the nights when I can’t think of a single thing to make or don’t have time to stand in front of the stove, I pull a package out of the freezer, dump them on a baking sheet and bake them while I am doing something … Read more →

OMG. That’s what I’m filing this recipe under. I found it online (this recipe is all over the Internet, so I’m not sure who to credit – it is on the King Arthur site so I’ll say it came from there). I tweaked it and then we ate it for a week, moaning each time. It’s rich, fudgy, satisfying and evil.  Except it’s made with zucchini so it must be totally good for you. Right? I’m going to make this every year with my overabundance of zucchini.

One ingredient that you might be unfamiliar with is chocolate extract. I ordered it from King Arthur, but you can also find it on Amazon. It’s like vanilla extract and I add it to chocolate recipes. It enhances the chocolate flavor and makes it even deeper and richer.

5.0 from 1 reviews

Chocolate Zucchini Cake

 

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Ingredients

• 2¼ cups flour (I used Cup4Cup gluten-free)
• ½ dark cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1¾ cups sugar
• ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
• ½ cup vegetable oil
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon chocolate extract
• ½ cup buttermilk
• 2 cups grated unpeeled zucchini (about 2½ medium)
• 1 6-ounce package (about 1 cup) semisweet chocolate chips
• Read More http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Chocolate-Zucchini-Cake-907#ixzz2fMCr6F8p

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Spray a 13x9 baking pan with cooking spray.
2. Cream butter, sugar, and oil together. Stir in the dry ingredients, alternating with the buttermilk, until completely blended.
3. Stir in the zucchini and pour into the pan.
4. Sprinkle the chocolate chips on top.
5. Bake for 50 minutes.
6. Spread the chocolate chips around the top of the cake to make a frosting as soon as you take it out of the oven.

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OMG. That’s what I’m filing this recipe under. I found it online (this recipe is all over the Internet, so I’m not sure who to credit – it is on the King Arthur site so I’ll say it came from there). I tweaked it and then we ate it for a week, moaning each time. … Read more →

 This is one of my go-to recipes because it’s fast, I always have the ingredients on hand and my teenage son loves it. I’m making a lot of soup lately. My mother-in-law fell and broke her arm and is in a rehab facility. My father-in-law loves soup so I’m making 2-3 pots a week so he has something to eat. This recipe is adapted from the one in Martha’s Cooking School book by Martha Stewart.

Easy Cream of Broccoli Soup

 

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Ingredients

• 1 onion, chopped
• 5 tbsp butter
• ¼ cup flour (I used gluten-free)
• 64 ounces chicken stock (two cardboard containers: I like low-sodium organic
• 5 big broccoli crowns cut into smaller pieces
• salt and pepper to taste
• ¼ cup shredded cheddar cheese
• ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
• ¼ cup heavy cream
• pinch of dry mustard
• pinch of nutmeg

Instructions

1. Cook the onion in the butter over medium high heat until it is softened in a large pot. Stir in the flour and cook for about a minute.
2. Whisk in the chicken broth. Bring to a boil and add the broccoli. Cover and cook until tender.
3. Add salt and pepper. Using an immersion blender, blend the soup until it is smooth.
4. Stir in the cheeses, cream, dry mustard, and nutmeg until cheese is melted.
5. Taste and adjust the seasoning (I find it always needs more salt than I originally think. If you don't add enough, this tastes very bland. It needs at least 1½ teaspoons).

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 This is one of my go-to recipes because it’s fast, I always have the ingredients on hand and my teenage son loves it. I’m making a lot of soup lately. My mother-in-law fell and broke her arm and is in a rehab facility. My father-in-law loves soup so I’m making 2-3 pots a week so … Read more →

I’ve never had pickled carrots, but with the big bag of carrots I’m bringing home each week from the CSA, I needed to come up with something new to make with them. I found this recipe in Food Network Magazine.  It really was very easy to make. I let the carrots sit about 5 days before we tried them. They were really, really good. Crunchy, dilly, slightly sweet, and with a great tang. I’m a fan. This got two thumbs up from my pickle lovers as well.

Pickled Dill Carrots

 

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Ingredients

• 7 medium carrots (1¼ pounds), peeled and sliced ¼ inch thick
• 4 sprigs dill
• ¾ cup white vinegar
• ½ cup sugar
• 2½ teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon dill seeds
• ½ teaspoon caraway seeds
• ½ teaspoon pepper

Instructions

1. Boil a medium pot of water and add the carrots until crisp-tender, about 1 minute. Drain and rinse under cold water until cool. Place in a 1 quart jar with the fresh dill.
2. Combine vinegar, ¾ cup water, sugar, salt, dill seeds, caraway seeds and pepper in the saucepan and bring to a boil.
3. Pour the hot brine into the jar and allow to cool completely. Cover and refrigerate for up to a week.

3.2.1249

I’ve never had pickled carrots, but with the big bag of carrots I’m bringing home each week from the CSA, I needed to come up with something new to make with them. I found this recipe in Food Network Magazine.  It really was very easy to make. I let the carrots sit about 5 days … Read more →

There are two things my family loves: meatloaf and Greek food, so why not combine the two? This easy meatloaf was a quick solution for a weeknight meal recently.

Greek Chicken Meatloaf

 

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Ingredients

• 3 garlic scapes (substitute 2 garlic cloves if you would rather)
• 1 pound ground lean chicken
• ¼ cup feta cheese, plus additional for topping
• salt and pepper to taste
• 6 cherry tomatoes
• 5 large leaves of fresh oregano
• 2 tbsp breadcrumbs (I used gluten-free)

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grease a loaf pan.
2. Process the scapes in a food processor until finely ground. Add the other ingredients and process until completely mixed.
3. Place the mixture into the loaf pan and smooth it. Sprinkle the top with additional feta.
4. Bake for about 25 minutes or until the meat reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees.

3.2.1249

There are two things my family loves: meatloaf and Greek food, so why not combine the two? This easy meatloaf was a quick solution for a weeknight meal recently. Greek Chicken Meatloaf   Print Ingredients 3 garlic scapes (substitute 2 garlic cloves if you would rather) 1 pound ground lean chicken ¼ cup feta cheese, … Read more →

I came home with more garlic scapes from the CSA. I’m trying to make something fresh with them and also freeze some as pesto so I will have a stash for the winter as well. This week I had some leftover rice hanging out in the fridge, so I decided to combine that with the scapes to make a crust for salmon. The scapes are really garlicky if you taste them raw, but they always mellow when you cook them. This was delicious and easy. I made mine on the grill, but you could also do yours in the oven. I just love the super fresh taste the sacpes give this and it saved me from having just boring grilled salmon for dinner!

Salmon with Garlic Scape Rice Crust

 

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Serves: 2

Ingredients

• 8 garlic scapes
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• ¼ cup breadcrumbs (I used gluten free)
• ½ cup cooked rice (any type)
• 1 tablespoon tamari or soy sauce
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 6 ounce pieces of salmon filet

Instructions

1. Put all ingredients but the salmon in the food processor and process until it is finely chopped and completely combined. Heat the grill to medium high and place the salmon on a greased fish grill pan. Place the filets on it and cover them with the rice mixture, patting it down so it is firmly in place. Grill until salmon is cooked through.

3.2.1249

I came home with more garlic scapes from the CSA. I’m trying to make something fresh with them and also freeze some as pesto so I will have a stash for the winter as well. This week I had some leftover rice hanging out in the fridge, so I decided to combine that with the … Read more →

Cherries are a sign of summer for me. When my husband and I were on our honeymoon in Maine, we stopped at a grocery store and bought a bag of cherries to snack on. So I always know that cherries just come into season right after our anniversary and it’s something I look forward to. I have to confess that I’m picky about my cherries. I like them to be a very dark red, almost black and they must be firm. This means I pick through the bags of cherries I bring home and many don’t make the cut. Instead of throwing them out or hoping someone else in the family would eat the ones I rejected, I decided to use them up to make this easy and flavorful sauce for pork tenderloin. The sauce would also be great with beef or bison. The sweetness of the cherries is contrasted with the tang of the balsamic vinegar to create a deep, rich sauce you won’t be able to get enough of.

Herbed Pork Tenderloin with Black Cherry Sauce

 

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Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 1 pork tenderloin
• olive oil
• Fresh thyme, sage, and chives, chopped (a few leaves of sage, some stalks of thyme and about 15 chives - adjust this to reflect what you have available)
• salt and pepper
• 35 sweet cherries, pitted
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 cup water
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch

Instructions

1. Preheat the grill to medium.
2. Rub the tenderloin with olive oil, salt, pepper and herbs and allow to rest a few minutes before grilling. Grill meat until it reaches 145 degrees.
3. While the meat is grilling, place the cherries, balsamic vinegar, water, salt, pepper, and butter in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer about 15 minutes.
4. Scoop out a few tablespoons of the sauce and whisk the cornstarch in it, then return to the pan and stir until thickened. Serve with the meat.

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Cherries are a sign of summer for me. When my husband and I were on our honeymoon in Maine, we stopped at a grocery store and bought a bag of cherries to snack on. So I always know that cherries just come into season right after our anniversary and it’s something I look forward to. … Read more →