It really takes me a while to adjust to colder weather. I feel like I’m always freezing! So a warm and hearty meal is a must this time of year, especially a soup or stew.
My husband says he doesn’t like soup, but he honestly just doesn’t like thin broth soups, like traditional chicken noodle soup. So I’m always in search of soup recipes that are thicker based — not necessarily from cream. Pureed vegetable soups have become a favorite in my house!
This recipe from Saveur for Red Lentil and Butternut Squash Soup mentions that it originates from Palestine, but I haven’t been able to find a similar butternut squash and red lentil soup to confirm that. No matter where this recipe originally comes from, the result is a perfect colder weather soup- creamy, filling, with a little bit of heat!
Ingredients:
1/4 cup olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
3 medium carrots, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 medium white onion, chopped
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon crushed red chile flakes
1 pound peeled, seeded, and chopped butternut squash
salt and pepper, to taste
6 cups chicken stock (or vegetable stock to make vegetarian/vegan)
I came across a recipe for Sri Lankan Coconut and Turmeric Chicken Curry a while back, but was unable to find all of the ingredients to actually make it. (Curry leaves are difficult to come by near me!)
Recently, I just gave up and decided to make it with some substitutions.
This recipe from Delicious.com, even with my adjustments, is so fantastic that I can only imagine how good the original is!
Ingredients:
1 medium white onion, roughly chopped
~1 1/2 inch piece ginger
3 garlic cloves, crushed
1 small jalapeno, seeds and membranes removed
8 boneless skinless chicken thighs
4 tablespoons coconut oil, divided
1 tablespoon ground turmeric
1 tablespoon ground cumin
2 teaspoons ground coriander
2 teaspoons smoked paprika
3 cardamom pods, smashed
1 piece of cinnamon
2 whole cloves
3 bay leaves
1 (13.5 oz) can coconut milk, well shaken
1 cup chicken stock
2 tablespoons cashews, finely chopped, plus extra to serve
Note: I was sent a Cosori Premium 6qt multicooker in order to write this post. Opinions are mine alone.
I’m not going to lie, pressure cookers have always kind of intimidated me. I was under the impression that they were difficult to use, and easy to mess up.
Well, after trying out the Cosori Premium 6qt pressure cooker over the past couple of weeks, I’m here to tell you they are actually quite easy to use!
source: cosori.com
Pressure cookers are definitely having a moment right now, but they’ve actually been around since the 1600’s in some form or another. Pressure cookers use steam pressure to help cook food faster. When cooking tough meat, pressure cookers help tenderize the meat and cook it surprisingly quickly in the process.
source: cosori.com
The Cosori Premium 6qt pressure cooker is actually a multicooker – it’s a pressure cooker, hot pot, steamer, slow cooker, food warmer, sauté pan, yogurt maker, and rice cooker – all in one! The unit has 17 smart cooking programs, but you can also adjust the cooking time, temperature, and pressure cooking levels to customize your cooking.
source: cosori.com
I couldn’t wait to test the pressure cooker out! I immediately thought of barbacoa – super tender and shredded meat (typically lamb or beef) with seasonings, so it’s time to try making Pressure Cooker Barbacoa Beef Tacos!
We eat a lot of tacos in my house, so I knew this would be a perfect test of the pressure cooker’s ability. This recipe actually uses two of the features available -” sauté/brown” and “meat/stew” pressure cooking. The Cosori premium pressure cooker is quite large (6 quarts!), so I decided to make a huge batch for future dinners. (It’s always helpful to have a full freezer for busy fall weeknights.)
Note: If you’ve been considering purchasing the Cosori Premium 6qt pressure cooker, click on this link and use code UCS9PK3K to receive 10% off! (The code is only good through October 31, 2018, so be sure to purchase before then!)
Ingredients: (makes 12 servings)
6 garlic cloves
1 medium onion, peeled and quartered
1 chipotle in adobo, plus 3 tablespoons chipotle in adobo sauce
2 tablespoons ground cumin
2 tablespoons ground oregano
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground cloves
zest and juice of 1 lime
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 cups beef broth, plus a tablespoon or two, divided
Because I usually have a recipe in mind when I go food shopping, it’s pretty rare that I come home with a rogue ingredient. But recently, while picking up ground beef and sausage for my Meatballs and Tomato Sauce at Primal Supply, I noticed that they had ground lamb, and felt compelled to buy it.
I didn’t exactly have a goal for the ground lamb, but decided to work with ingredients that I know work well with the flavors of lamb: cumin, saffron, mint, and cinnamon.
The result was Spiced Lamb with Saffron Couscous: saffron couscous, topped with flavorful ground lamb, pistachios, feta, dried apricots, and fresh mint!
Ingredients:
Couscous:
1 1/4 cups chicken broth
1/4 teaspoon saffron threads, crushed between your fingers
One of my favorite new-ish shows is PBS’s No Passport Required with Marcus Samuelsson. Each episode explores the immigrant communities and food within different U.S. cities. There have only been 6 shows, but I’m hooked. Each episode includes Chef Samuelsson meeting, hanging out, and eating with members of the different immigrant communities in Detroit, New Orleans, Chicago, Queens, Miami, and Washington, D.C.
Not only is the show really interesting and informative, it’s difficult to not get hungry while watching,! PBS luckily includes some recipes on their website. But there was one I was hoping they’d post and at least as of this post, it’s not there: Ful Medames from the Washington, D.C. episode which highlighted the Ethiopian community in our nation’s capital.
Ful Medames is a breakfast dish of mashed fava beans, topped with hard boiled eggs, feta cheese, tomato, and jalapeno. I’ve had a bag of dried fava beans sent to me from Bob’s Red Mill in my pantry for a while now, and I knew they were destined for this recipe. Not only does Ful Medames sound fantastic, but my husband is currently training for a marathon, and this sounded like the perfect fuel after a long training run.
Ful Medames gets a lot of its flavor from a spice blend called berbere. Berbere is an Ethiopian spice mixture that usually includes chilies, garlic, ginger, basil, fenugreek, coriander, and cardamom. It is spicy, but I adjusted so this version doesn’t have too much heat. Feel free to add more for spiciness. For my local Philadelphians, I found berbere in The Head Nut in Reading Terminal, but there are recipes online to make your own at home if you don’t live near a spice shop. Penzey’s also has a version of berbere.
My version isn’t terribly authentic, but the general idea is there. I used soft boiled eggs instead, solely because I don’t love hard boiled eggs. Feel free to substitute in hard-boiled.
Note: Before cooking with the fava beans, be sure to soak them overnight.
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups dried fava beans, soaked overnight
5 cups water, plus more as needed
4 tablespoons olive oil, divided, plus more for serving
1 medium sized onion, finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 teaspoons berbere, divided
3/4 teaspoon cumin, divided
Salt and pepper, to taste
4 eggs (omit for vegan)
1 tomato (or ~4 oz cherry tomatoes), finely chopped
1 jalapeno, seeds and membranes removed, finely chopped
I’ve mentioned before that once warmer weather is here, I make it a priority to use my grill instead of my oven/stovetop whenever I can, like with this recipe for Grilled Lamb Pita Pockets. It keeps the temperature down in my house, and it’s super easy to grill! Plus, who doesn’t love the flavor that grilling adds to food?
I had a craving for lamb this week, so I decided to make grilled lamb pita pockets for dinner one night. I grilled lamb meatballs on skewers and then topped the meatballs with a drizzle of tzatziki and a Greek-inspired pesto sauce with some extra feta and cucumbers for good measure. I unfortunately didn’t have any tomatoes on hand, but would strongly suggest adding chopped tomatoes as well!
Psst. Save this recipe for Easy Grilled Marinated Chicken. It will definitely become a go to grilling recipe for you! If you’ve been following my blog for a while, you probably know how much I love my grill. I would grill absolutely everything if I could (and honestly, I’ve tried, including grilled guacamole, a grilled cocktail, and a grilled cheese plate.)
So, be prepared for plenty of grilling recipes this summer! I wanted to start off a bit simple – an easy grilled marinated chicken recipe.
This does involve some prep time, you want the chicken to sit in the marinade for a few hours at least. For the most flavor, add the chicken to the marinade the night before.
Note: I was sent a Labell Board to write this post. Opinions are mine alone.
Cutting boards are a staple of any kitchen. They (of course) are used to cut, chop, mince, and dice vegetables, fruits, and protein for meals, but I love to also use them for presentation. There are some cutting boards, like this one from Planches Labell, that need to be shown off!
Labell boards are made from premium Canadian recovered/recycled hardwoods and are produced with the highest production standards. With the new abilities in wood manufacturing Planches Labell has the capacity to take this raw material, otherwise disposed of, and turn it into culinary works of art. Offerings include Rustic Tree-Cut Serving Platters, Paddle Boards, Utility Boards and Butcher Blocks.
To show off this beauty, I decided to make a White Bean-Tahini Dip inspired by a recipe I found on Food Network. This dip is very similar to hummus but uses cannellini beans instead of chickpeas. The added spices of cumin, za’atar, chile powder and garlic powder really amp up the flavor! (Za’atar, specifically the blend I used, is a combination of sumac, thyme, sesame, and salt.)
Ingredients:
Toasted Pita Chips:
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons za’atar
1 teaspoon chile powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
4 pitas
2 tablespoons olive oil
White-Bean Tahini Dip:
1 (15 oz) can cannellini beans, drained with liquid reserved
You’ve probably noticed that I’m a huge fan of slow cooker recipes; I have almost 50 slow cooker recipes on this blog! Slow cooker meals work great for make ahead meals, feeding a crowd, and getting that “cooked-all-day” flavor.
I was sent Phyllis Good’s latest cookbook Stock the Crock, which is right up my alley. The cookbook has 100 delicious, tried-and-true recipes, plus 200 easy to follow variations for any dietary preference, such as gluten-free, paleo, vegan, etc.
There are a ton of awesome sounding recipes, but a recipe for Slow Cooker Chicken Tikka Masala caught my attention. Gotta love a make-at-home takeout favorite!
This recipe for Slow Cooker Chicken Tikka Masala is incredibly simple but really delivers on flavor.
Note: I was sent a box of various Bob’s Red Mill products to make the below recipe. Opinions are mine alone.
Lentils are one of those foods that I wish I had experimented with earlier in my cooking. They are easy to cook, really tasty, and packed with nutritional goodness. Just one serving (1/4 cup) of red lentils has 14g of fiber and 13g of protein. Red lentils in particular are great for soups and stews because they cook really quickly and break down when heated, making for a nice thickened base.
This Lemony Red Lentil Soup is adapted from a New York Times Cooking recipe. I mostly kept to the original recipe, but increased the spice and lemon and added in another carrot.
The half chunky half smooth soup is super comforting and makes for a really satisfying lunch or dinner.
My friend and I made this during our cooking day and froze it for future meals.
Ingredients:
3tablespoons olive oil, plus more for drizzling
1large onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1tablespoon tomato paste
1teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, more to taste
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground chile powder, plus more for garnish
1quart chicken broth (or vegetable broth to make vegetarian)
Note: This post is sponsored by Moyer Beef. All opinions are mine alone.
One of the biggest bummers of cooking a lot (and, boy do I cook a lot) is that the dishes are never ending. I can basically fill up my entire dishwasher with some meals! But some weeknights, you just do NOT want to deal with all those dishes. Which is why it’s great to have a couple of one pot, or in this case, one sheet pan recipes.
Fajitas work really well as a sheet pan meal. You just add the onions and peppers to a pan, broil until they begin to brown, and then add your protein of choice.
For these Sheet Pan Steak Fajitas, I decided to use Moyer Beef’s London Broil to make steak fajitas.
Ingredients: (serves 4)
Seasoning: (or can use Mexican seasoning mix)
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon onion powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
Other ingredients:
1 cup olive oil
the juice of 3 limes, divided
1 (~3 lb) London Broil
4 medium-sized bell peppers, multi colored if desired, thinly sliced
To make, combine the garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, salt, pepper, coriander, smoked paprika, and chili powder in a small bowl (Note, if you don’t have all of these spices on hand, you could use a Mexican seasoning mix as well. You’d need 3 1/2 tablespoons).
Add the olive oil and the juice of two limes to a large gallon zip top bag. Add the spices, seal, and move the mixture around in the bag to evenly combine.
Add the London broil to the bag, seal, and evenly coat in the mixture. Let sit at room temperature for 2 hours, turning the bag over at least once. (You could also add this to your fridge overnight to marinate. Just let come to room temperature before cooking).
Thinly slice your bell peppers and onion and add to a large bowl. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper, toss to combine.
When ready to cook, preheat your broiler. Add the pepper and onion mix to a sheet pan in a single layer. Broil for approximately 8 minutes or until some of the mixture begins to brown.
Move the mixture to each side of the pan.
Remove the London broil from the ziptop bag and add to the pan, discarding the marinade.
Broil for approximately 5-7 minutes per side, or until the meat is browned and cooked through (135 to 140 degrees F for medium rare). Be sure to watch your veggies in particular, they can burn really quickly when using a broiler. Remove from the oven and let stand for 5 minutes.
After 5 minutes, thinly slice the beef, or cut into bite sized pieces.
Add to the tortillas and top with pico de gallo, sour cream, and fresh cilantro. Squeeze the remaining lime over top of the fajitas and serve.
If you like heat, I’d suggest also topping with jalapeno, or adding a bit of hot sauce on top.
This is a really satisfying dinner that’s really simple to make!
The little bit of char on the veggies adds a bit more flavor to the seasoned beef and sweetness of the onions and peppers.
After a yummy meal, it’s even better knowing that you only have one sheet pan and two bowls to clean!
To make, combine the garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, salt, pepper, coriander, smoked paprika, and chili powder in a small bowl (Note, if you don’t have all of these spices on hand, you could use a Mexican seasoning mix as well. You’d need 3 1/2 tablespoons).
Add the olive oil and the juice of two limes to a large gallon zip top bag. Add the spices, seal, and move the mixture around in the bag to evenly combine.
Add the London broil to the bag, seal, and evenly coat in the mixture. Let sit at room temperature for 2 hours, turning the bag over at least once. (You could also add this to your fridge overnight to marinate. Just let come to room temperature before cooking).
Thinly slice your bell peppers and onion and add to a large bowl. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper, toss to combine.
When ready to cook, preheat your broiler. Add the pepper and onion mix to a sheet pan in a single layer. Broil for approximately 8 minutes or until some of the mixture begins to brown.
Move the mixture to each side of the pan.
Remove the London broil from the ziptop bag and add to the pan, discarding the marinade.
Broil for approximately 5-7 minutes per side, or until the meat is browned and cooked through (135 to 140 degrees F for medium rare). Be sure to watch your veggies in particular, they can burn really quickly when using a broiler. Remove from the oven and let stand for 5 minutes.
After 5 minutes, thinly slice the beef, or cut into bite sized pieces.
Add to the tortillas and top with pico de gallo, sour cream, and fresh cilantro. Squeeze the remaining lime over top of the fajitas and serve.
If you like heat, I’d suggest also topping with jalapeno, or adding a bit of hot sauce on top.
Note: I was sent a box of various Bob’s Red Mill products to make the below recipe. Opinions are mine alone.
This past weekend, a friend and I got together to stock our freezers. The fall is a super busy time of year for most, so we wanted to have a variety of meals ready to make some nights (and mornings) easier. We settled on eleven (11!) recipes, organized a shopping list split between the two of us, and set up prep work (chopping veggies for the most part) for the night before. The next morning, we met at my place and got to cooking!
Chili is a go-to freezer recipe. Not only does it freeze well, but it works great on its own, with cornbread, over polenta, as a “dip” with corn chips, with eggs for breakfast, etc. This recipe originally began as a vegetarian chili, but we had more ground beef leftover, so in it went!
I am a firm believer that dried beans make for a tastier dish than canned beans. There is some prep work needed, but it is very much worth it. I used Bob’s Red Mill Red Kidney Beans and Cannellini Beans for this recipe.
source: bobsredmill.com
We made a LOT of this chili, somewhere around 20 servings, so I’ve scaled it down for this post to make it more appropriate. Feel free to double if needed.
Note: I will share and link all of our recipes below. It was quite a successful cooking day!
Ingredients (makes 8-10 servings):
12 oz dried Bob’s Red Mill Red Kidney Beans (~1/2 bag)
12 oz dried Bob’s Red Mill Cannellini Beans (1/2 bag)
Note: This post is sponsored by Moyer Beef. All opinions are mine alone.
This past weekend, we had my parents over for dinner. I had a hankering for Lamb Kofta, which is a dish of ground lamb with spices formed into meatballs and grilled.
My dad isn’t exactly the most adventurous eater, and doesn’t like lamb, so I instead decided to adapt the spices added to kofta into a marinade for beef kebabs. Kofta can be made with any ground meat, but I had some beautiful Moyer Beef’s Rib Kebab meat on hand, so kebabs it is!
Kofta can be made with quite a range of spices, so this recipe is very adaptable. This version uses fresh parsley as well as dried spices to add a different dimension of flavor. I also served it with some tzatziki for dipping.
Ingredients:
Tzatziki (omit to make dairy free):
1 cup plain low-fat Greek yogurt
1/2 cucumber, seeded, finely diced
1 garlic clove, minced
the zest of one lemon
the juice of one lemon
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh dill, chopped
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
Kebab:
4 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped
1/4 cup chopped yellow onion
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 tablespoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cardamom
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 cup olive oil
2 lbs kebab meat (I used Moyer Beef’s Rib Kebab meat)
