Sausage Tomato Stew

We've been on a huge soup kick over here lately. I'm trying to eat less carbs and more veggies and protein, so soup is turning out to be one of my favorite meals. Not to mention, it's warm, hearty, and freezes wonderfully. 

If you have all the ingredients chopped and ready to go, this stew comes together fairly quickly, so it's perfect for a night when you don't have dinner planned. Of course, like most soups, this tastes better the next day (or even weeks later if you freeze it), but it also has a rich flavor fresh out of the pot! 

 Sausage Tomato Stew

adapted by Lia Huber from Cooking Light

Ingredients 

1 teaspoon olive oil
1 onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced 

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)

1/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
1 pound ground sausage (turkey, pork, chicken, whatever)
1/4 cup tomato paste
2 (15 1/2-ounce) cans chickpeas (garbanzo beans), rinsed and drained
4 cups chopped kale

1 can diced tomatoes
1 cup water
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
3 (14-ounce) cans fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth

Directions: 

Heat oil in a large Dutch oven or pot over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic; sauté 1 minute. Add sausage; sauté 4 minutes. When is brown, add red pepper flakes and ground pepper; stir around until meat is completely cooked.  Add tomato paste; cook 1 minute. Add chickpeas, kale, and remaining ingredients; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes.

Taco Pie

UPDATE: See updated recipe here!

When we make dinner around here it's almost always something simple, and without a doubt, tacos debut at the top of our menu each week. They're just too easy to make: brown and season meat, chop up fresh veg, make some quick Spanish rice and you're pretty much good to go. The problem with having Taco Tuesday (or Wednesday, Thursday or Friday) weekly is that it can start getting mundane. We switch it up every once in awhile by having nacho cups (recipe coming soon) or even burritos, but my tastebuds have been craving a little something more.

The second I saw this Taco Pie I knew I hit dinner jackpot. I mean, come on, it's taco in pie form—what's not to love? The fact that it's also ridiculously simple to assemble and is bursting with zesty southwestern flavors are just added bonuses. This kind of reminded me of a Mexican version of shepherds (or cottage) pie, or even a taco enchilada, but I'm happy to keep calling it Taco Pie, because seriously, pie rocks.

Taco Pie

adapted from Food Network Magazine

Ingredients:

• 6 or 7 taco shelves, halved (12-14 pieces total, or make your own)
• 1/2 tablespoon oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 teaspoon of cayenne pepper
• 1 pound lean ground beef
• 1 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 1 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
• 1 15-ounce can crushed tomatoes (or one can diced tomatoes + 2 Tbs tomato paste)
• 1/4 cup salsa (optional depending on how much spice you like)
• 8 ounces chopped green chiles
• 1 can corn, drained
• 7 ounces of cheese, divided (sharp cheddar, mozzarella, Colby & Monterey Jack, etc.)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 Celsius). Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions to the skillet and cook, stirring until soft and translucent. Add minced garlic and cayenne; stir and mix for about 30 seconds. Add ground beef, salt, garlic powder and cumin; cook, breaking up the meat, until browned. Stir in tomatoes, salsa, chile and corn; mix well. Bring to a simmer and cook until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat.

Arrange half of the tortillas in the bottom of a 9-to-10-inch pie plate (overlapping is fine; about 5 halves). Top with half of the meat mixture, then half of the cheese. Repeat with the remaining tortillas, meat and cheese. Cover loosely with foil and bake until the cheese melts, about 10 minutes. Slice, serve, and enjoy! 

p.s. I could use some advice on how to take pictures of food when it's pitch black outside, your stomach is growling, and the last thing you want to do is let the food get cold to get a decent shot. 

Chocolate Lover's Cake Brownies

We've been in a brownie frenzy over here lately. To be honest, it's because the boxed brownie mixes were on sale at the store and I picked up way more than we'll ever need. They're just so convenient and let's face it, they taste pretty fantastic.

But the other day I was in a mood to bake, so I used a recipe I've had my eye on and got my bake on. Once I started mixing everything together I was a little surprised at how liquidy the batter was, so I decided to forego adding nuts to the mix (I love pecans or walnuts in my brownies). That turned out to be a good decision, since these were great all on their own.

The end result produced a definite cake-like brownie that was light and fluffy, moist, and had a smooth chocolate flavor. I added cinnamon to the recipe and I loved tasting a hint of spice with each bite. I'd like to try making these a bit healthier in the future, because I had a really hard time not eating the entire batch; I sent them all (minus one or two) with my husband to work. He said they were gone within a couple hours.

Chocolate Lover's Cake Brownies

slightly adapted from Kikkoman

Ingredients:
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour 
1 teaspoon baking powder 
1/4 teaspoon baking soda 
1/4 teaspoon salt 
1-1/4 cups granulated sugar 
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa

1 teaspoon cinnamon 

2/3 cup vegetable oil 

2 eggs 
1-1/2  teaspoon vanilla extract 
3/4 cup Pearl Chocolate 
Organic Soymilk 
Powdered sugar (optional)

Directions:
Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in small bowl. Mix together granulated sugar, cocoa, cinnamon, and 1/3 cup boiling water in large mixing bowl with wooden spoon. Add oil, eggs and vanilla; beat lightly until just combined. Alternately add flour mixture and soymilk, beating after each addition.


Pour batter into nonstick 15 x 10-inch jelly roll baking pan.Bake in preheated 350°F oven 18 minutes, or until wooden toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool completely on wire rack. Dust with powdered sugar, if desired.

*These brownies are part of a giveaway sponsored by Kikkoman on Jessica Lynn Writes

Gnocchi Mac & Cheese

I love Gnocchi. And I also love Mac and Cheese. I came across this recipe and thought I would faint! It was super easy, and it's really customizable! I love recipes that you can tweak and change and make them your own (partially because I hate following recipes). Gnocchi is an Italian potato dumpling, I consider it in the pasta family. I hope you enjoy this as much as my husband and I did. Perfect for the cold Fall evenings coming up!

Gnocchi Mac and CheeseRecipe adapted from thecuttingedgeofordinary

Ingredients:

1 lb store bought or homemade gnocchi
2 Tbsp butter or butter subst. (I used Brummel and Brown)
1 Tbsp garlic- minced
1 Tbsp flour
3/4 cup milk
1/2 C shredded cheese- I used Tillamook mac and cheese blend (FABULOUS)
Salt and Pepper to taste
1/3 C shredded Parmesan
4-5 slices bacon-cooked and crumbled
Parsley- Optional, as a garnish.

Directions: Preheat oven to 375. Cook gnocchi according to package, once they float to the top of the water take them out! You don't want to overcook it! Drain them and put them in a prepared baking dish. Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat, add garlic and cook until you can smell it quite a bit. Whisk in flour until it thickens and bubbles. then add milk. Continue to whisk it until slightly thickened about 4 minutes. Add cheese a handful at a time, stirring until melted each time. Once it's melted and combined season with salt and pepper. Pour the cheese sauce over the gnocchi and sprinkle with Parmesan and crumbled bacon. Bake until they puff up and cheese is browned, about 30 minutes. Near the end of the 30 minutes sprinkle on some more cheese and let it get bubbly! Sprinkle with parsley. Let it rest for a few minutes before serving so the sauce can settle.

Tarragon Chicken Salad

I'm going to be completely honest, I thought I hated tarragon before I even tasted it. It was one of those herbs that just sounded overpowering and unpleasant, so I avoided it whenever I saw it in a recipe.

My suspicions about not liking it where further confirmed when I smelled it for the first time. It was musky, bitter, and smelled like licorice—and I'm not talking about the delicious cherry-flavored vines you get at movie theaters; I mean the black, anise-flavored licorice, which is not my cup of tea.

The first time I eventually tried it was at my friend's house for lunch. I winced and pleaded with her to only add half the amount in the chicken salad in case I ended up actually hated it. Since it was her first time trying it, too, she happily obliged and added less than half than what the recipe called for. When we tasted the salad we both had one of those "AHA!" moments. It was delicious. So fantastic that we didn't just put in the missing half of the herb, but added more.

The scent of tarragon turns out to be absolutely nothing like the actual taste of it when it's mixed with poultry and fish. It completely enhances the flavor of the chicken salad and takes that simple meal to an entirely new level. Mixed with chicken it becomes peppery, sweet, tangy, and completely addicting. It also goes great with tuna salad, and I'm anxious to start using it in other recipes.

Made with a few less ingredients than below (only what I had on hand) and served on Wasa Flatbread with avocado. Yummy.

Tarragon Chicken Salad

adapted from Life with the Cappellano Family

Ingredients 

1 pound cooked chicken breast, shredded or diced

½ cup mayo

¼ cup sour cream

¼ cup fresh tarragon

2 celery stalks, diced

¼ cup onions, diced

½ pint cherry tomatoes, cut in half

4 oz. red or green grapes, cut in half

½ teaspoon garlic powder

salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon green chile or jalapenos, diced (optional)

Directions:

Mix all ingredients together, chill and serve!

(Use this recipe as a starting off point! If you like creamier chicken salad, add more mayo or sour cream. If you want to be a bit healthier, use the low-fat varieties. Skip the onions and tomatoes if you don’t like them, and don’t fret if you’re out of grapes! Use what you have on hand, just don’t forget the tarragon!)   

{Head on over Jessica Lynn Writes for your chance to win a Barilla pasta-sauce pack! Deadline to enter is tomorrow night!}

I'm back, with Salmon :)

Where in the world have I been?! That's a good question! You're probably thinking that I'm not the most reliable person in the world, that's alright, I look like a flake. Really it's just been a season of non-cooking. Dieting and hot weather definitely doesn't make me want to cook. So I got in a slump. But I'm here! Don't let me fail!! Hold me to it, I wanna be here!!! So on to the food. Considering it's blazing hot here in Albuquerque I absolutely don't want to turn on the stove or oven. This is the time of year I'll grill everything.... or get take out. Instead of take out I turned on the grill and made the EASIEST salmon I've ever made. You could do this with any fish really, but salmon is just so wonderful! And very very diet friendly. So if you managed to sit through that entirely too long blog post and are still interested here's the recipe!!

Salmon a La Easy

Ingredients:
1 large salmon fillet- cut into 4 steaks
1 lemon- sliced and seeded
Garlic- 2 Tbsp minced
Salt- to taste
Pepper- to taste
Olive Oil- 2-3 Tbsp
Fresh Basil- handful chiffonade (long strips)

Directions:
Season the salmon steaks with salt and pepper. Cover each steak with a generous amount of olive oil and rub them with garlic. Sprinkle the basil over each one and place a lemon slice on each steak. You can let this sit in the fridge all day or 1/2 an hour, your choice. If they look dry put more oil on, you can't hurt em! Make four foil packets. Fold three edges of a square piece of foil, leaving one end open. Pour a little oil in the packet so the fish won't stick. Place a piece of salmon in each packet and close it up! When your grill is hot and ready take each salmon packet and place them on the grill. I grilled mine on low for about 8-10 minutes. Close it up and leave it alone! Take them off the grill when the meat is still pink but firm. If you overcook them the meat will be dry and lacking in flavor. Take them out of the foil, pour the juices out of the foil onto the fish and ENJOY! I served mine with brown rice and green beans. I cooked the green beans in foil packets on the grill as well!!! Easy peasy!!!!

Marinate

Place salmon in packet

Close it up.

Put on the grill until cooked!

Easy easy easy!!

Ginger Glazed Mahi Mahi

We had this for dinner tonight and it was so good and so easy to make that I had to share it with you ASAP.

This fish was sweet, spicy, and even a little tangy, and would be great served over rice and with grilled or roasted veggies. My husband licked his plate and said he wants it again soon. We baked it in the oven, but it would be just as delicious—if not better—grilled.

Ginger Glazed Mahi Mahi

adapted from Sunny Side Up in San Diego

Ingredients:
3 tablespoons honey or agave nectar
3 tablespoons soy sauce
3 tablespoons red or white wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon ginger
Pinch of red pepper flakes (kick it up a notch with 1/2 teaspoon!)
3 cloves garlic, crushed or to taste
1 teaspoons olive oil
4 mahi mahi fillets (tilapia would be great, too)
salt and pepper to taste
sliced scallions (optional for garnish)

Directions:
In a shallow glass dish, stir together first seven ingredients. (If the honey is too thick, heat mixture in microwave for about 20 seconds). Season fish fillets with salt and pepper, and place them into the dish. If the fillets have skin on them, place them skin side down. Cover, and refrigerate for 30 minutes to marinate. If fillets don't have skin, flip fillets and continue marinating after 15 minutes.

After marinating, pour the marinade into a small pot and bring to a boil on medium heat. (Keep an eye on it that it doesn't boil over quickly.) Turn down to a simmer and let it thicken while you grill/bake the fish.

Grill the Mahi Mahi for 4 minutes on each side or bake at 400 degrees for around 10 minutes are until flaky and done.

Serve by pouring the glaze over the fish and sprinkling with scallions.