Recipes

SRC: Gnocchi with Sweet Potato in Garlic Cream Sauce

~ lk529 ~ 30 Comments

newsrcbanner

Today is another Secret Recipe Club Reveal Day! In the secret recipe club, each participating blogger is assigned a blog from another participating blogger and secretly searches their site for something to recreate. The accompanying blog post then goes live on reveal day! So while I was immersed in my assigned blog, someone else was picking through mine! I’m so excited to be part of this group, to see what on my blog peaks other’s interests and to stumble upon new blogs and new recipes.

This month I was assigned the blog Food Baby Life written by Susan. Susan blogs all the way from Australia! (No wonder I stumbled upon ingredients I’d never heard of!) Susan has three boys who are growing up in a happy home with some healthy food. Susan has decided to cut most processed foods out of their diet and opts to make as much as she can from scratch and uses alternative sweeteners in place of sugar.

I have to say, I found and made my recipe for today’s reveal within the week of being assigned Susan’s blog. I don’t think I’ve every accomplished a task so quickly. Trust me, with a very busy almost 10-month-old son who is on the move, very curious, and highly interested in eating paper, I’ve been feeling very “scrambled” when it comes to my blog. I’m always frantically typing up posts, replying to comments, and visiting blogs during his short naps. And most nights I find myself crawling into bed after he falls asleep (he has a late “bedtime”).

So, I knew I didn’t want to let my SRC assignment fall into neglect. I was intrigued by Cornmeal and Fruit Loaf, tempted by Oat Pancakes with Strawberries, and inclined to try her Healthy Bread.

I ultimately went with a hearty meatless meal which I served on Good Friday. Stuart and I really like gnocchi but very rarely eat it. I am always a sucker for a creamy sauce. And sweet potato is a favorite of not only my husband, but my little man, too. Mushrooms aren’t my favorite and I tend to pick around them, but my brother was in town for the Easter holiday and he and Stuart enjoy them. (Recent discovery indicates that my son also likes mushrooms.) I figured I couldn’t go wrong with this dish although I had an inkling that I’d be wanting bacon in it. Fun fact: it doesn’t need the bacon, although I’m sure it wouldn’t hurt.

This recipe makes 6 servings and can easily be halved if desired.

Gnocchi with Sweet Potato in Garlic Cream Sauce

Ingredients:

  • 1 large sweet potato, cut into bite sized cubes
  • ~1 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 pkgs (16 oz) gnocchi
  • 2 tbsp butter
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 1 tsp minced garlic
  • 1 pkg (8 oz) mushrooms, chopped
  • 1 3/4 C heavy cream
  • 1/2 C shredded Parmesan

Steps:

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Toss sweet potato in olive oil, season with S+P. Place in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake 20 minutes, or until tender.
  2. In a large, high-sided skillet, melt butter over medium-high heat. Saute onions, garlic, and mushrooms until onions are translucent and mushrooms browned. Add the cream and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and season to taste with S+P.
  3. Cook gnocchi according to package directions. Drain and add to the sauce along with Parmesan and sweet potatoes.
  4. Serve with extra Parmesan cheese, if desired.

*This recipe is adapted from Susan at http://www.foodbabylife.com/2012/03/meatless-monday-gnocchi-with-roasted.html*

gnocchi with sweet potato in garlic cream sauce | sew you think you can cook

To see the other bloggers who participated in the Secret Recipe Club this month click here:

#SundaySupper: Tropical Food

~ lk529 ~ 38 Comments

Today #SundaySupper gathering together for a virtual luau of sorts and enjoying a wonderful selection of Tropical Food. Be sure to scroll past my recipe(s) for great recipes filled with coconut, pineapple, and mango. A big thank you to Marlene of Nosh My Way and Cindy of Cindy’s Recipes and Writings for hosting this bash!

Like most, my mind first traveled to Hawaii given the theme, but I wanted to do something different. As much as I enjoyed our vacation to The Big Island a couple of years ago, I took the opportunity to create a recipe from a different island in the Tropics.

The Tropics fall between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn and create a belt around the middle of our planet.

The Dominican Republic happens to fall in this tropical region. I’ve been wanting to explore more Dominican food as my father’s family is from there. When we left Illinois when I was in 2nd grade we were also leaving his parents so I didn’t get to experience, at least in memory, a lot of Dominican cooking. The only thing my mom made were rice and beans and the closest we’d get to the cuisine would be the occasional Cuban fare at a nearby shop. When we would return to visit, my parents would always request mangu for breakfast from my grandfather. When I made Chicharrones de Pollo for my Dad’s birthday (a report from my father tells me my bites of chicken were too small) I knew I would have to try more Dominican food as we greatly enjoyed it.

That was a long story to tell you that my recipe today comes not from Hawaii but from the DR.

Majarete is a corn pudding made with lots of cinnamon. I’d never had it, and my dad hasn’t either, but it sounded fun so I thought I would give it a go. My favorite thing about this recipe is how simple it is. It can even be made with a baby in one hand. (In related news, I think my little man is getting over his fear of the blender!)majarete pudding | sew you think you can cook

Even in all it’s simplicity, I still managed to mess it up. Never having made pudding before, I pulled the concoction off the heat too quickly and we were left with a corn drink. I probably could have returned it to the stove and let it cook and thicken some more, but I thought it’d be much more fun to turn the majarete into majarete ice cream!

Majarete Ice Cream

Ingredients:

  • 3 C corn kernels
  • 2 C milk
  • 1/4 C water
  • 3/8 C sugar
  • 1 tbsp cornstarch
  • 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 2 cinnamon sticks

Steps:

  1. Put corn, milk, water, sugar, cornstarch, and ground cinnamon in a blender. Puree until smooth. Strain into a saucepan and discard the solids.
  2. Add a pinch of salt and the cinnamon sticks to the corn milk and cook over medium heat until thickened, stirring constantly. (If making pudding, make sure it coats the back of a wooden spoon.)
  3. If making pudding: Pour into serving glasses or bowls. Allow pudding to cool to room temperature before covering with plastic wrap and allowing to chill in the fridge before serving. Optional – serve with a little grated nutmeg.
  4. If making ice cream: Pour into a glass bowl. Allow mixture to cool to room temperature before covering with plastic wrap. Chill in the fridge until completely cold.
  5. Follow your ice cream maker instructions. Freeze ice cream. Allow ice cream to soften on the counter 5-10 minutes before serving.

*This recipe is adapted from Clara at http://www.dominicancooking.com/964-majarete-corn-pudding.html*

majarete ice cream | sew you think you can cook
Tidbits and Pupus

Breakfast

Companions

Condiments and Sauces

Coolers

Main Event

Delectable Delights

Tropical Foods and Drinks Sunday Supper

Wine Pairings

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Join the #SundaySupper conversation on twitter on Sunday! We tweet throughout the day and share recipes from all over the world. Our weekly chat starts at 7:00 pm ET. Follow the#SundaySupper hashtag and remember to include it in your tweets to join in the chat. To get more great Sunday Supper Recipes, visit our website or check out our Pinterest board.

Would you like to join the Sunday Supper Movement? It’s easy. You can sign up by clicking here: Sunday Supper Movement.

Sweet and Sour Chicken

~ lk529 ~ 2 Comments

Hey everyone! Stir Fry Day Friday is back! Well, sort of. Sweet and Sour Chicken isn’t exactly a stir fry, but it’s meat and veggies cooked in a pan and tossed in a sauce.. close enough, right?

Now that Lent is over our Stir Fry Day Friday theme can continue more regularly. While there are great shrimp and fish stir fries out there I much prefer stir fries made with meat!

There are a LOT of recipes on the internet that boast that they taste exactly like restaurant or take-out, and while all of them are delicious I’ve always found something to be missing – usually that extra bit of sweetness that makes take-out not the healthiest option.

This sweet and sour chicken actually tastes like take out! I was so excited. Stuart and I both went back for seconds – and thirds. I’m not sure if it’s really healthier – it might have less sodium and no MSG, but there’s still a good amount of sugar in this delicious sauce. I forgot to coat the chicken in cornstarch prior to frying so maybe I cut out half a calorie there? I was afraid I’d miss that take-out fried chicken texture but I didn’t! I even enjoyed the bell peppers, which aren’t my favorite vegetable. I used yellow and red because the green did not look good at the store that day – use whatever you like.

Sweet and Sour Chicken

Ingredients:

  • 3/4 C sugar
  • 1/2 C apple cider vinegar
  • 1/4 C ketchup
  • 2 tbsp soy sauce
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp onion powder
  • 1 tbsp cornstarch
  • 2 tbsp canola oil
  • 1 lb chicken tenderloin, cut into bite sized pieces
  • 2 bell peppers, chopped (any color you prefer)
  • 1/2 onion, chopped

Steps:

  1. In a saucepan over medium-high heat, combine sugar, vinegar, ketchup, soy sauce, garlic powder, onion powder, S+P. Bring sauce to a boil.
  2. In a small bowl whisk the cornstarch with 2 tbsp cold water until smooth. Whisk into the sauce. Reduce heat to low and allow sauce to thicken.
  3. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Season chicken with S+P and brown on both sides. Add the veggies to the skillet and cook until just tender and the chicken is fully cooked.
  4. Add the sauce to the skillet and toss to coat. Serve with white rice.

*This recipe is adapted from Tiffany at http://lecremedelacrumb.com/2014/12/healthy-sweet-sour-chicken.html*

Sweet and Sour Chicken | Sew You Think You Can Cook

Weagle Weagle Chicken Salad

~ lk529 ~ Leave a comment

They always say you find things when you stop looking for them. Unfortunately you can’t trick that universal law into working faster!

A couple of weekends ago we had some friends over for game night. As is customary before company arrives the house becomes cleaner in ten minutes than it does all week. Unfortunately, that rush also means things are relocated and forgotten about.

One of those things that needed to be removed from my kitchen counter was a sheet of paper with some recipes on it. (Normally I write my recipes in a notebook, but laziness kept preventing me from grabbing that notebook and bringing it back in the kitchen.) Two of the four recipes were originals! So you can imagine my frustration when I couldn’t find that piece of paper. I may or may not have had a mini meltdown.

I needed one of those recipes to participate in Weekday Supper. #WeekdaySupper is a great movement by the #SundaySupper crew. Easy weeknight meals that can be done in under 30 minutes, without crazy, hard-to-find ingredients. I participated last month with my Green Eggs and Ham. The theme this month is Wraps. Conveniently my New Year’s Resolution recipe for March was a chicken salad, and one that I hadn’t yet shared with my readers.

I couldn’t find the recipe in time to submit to the Sunday Supper Movement webpage and thankfully was relieved of my stress by a good blogging friend, Wendy over at A Day in the Life at the Farm. While I don’t know Wendy personally, I feel like I do! We both participate in numerous blogging groups – Sunday Supper, Secret Recipe Club, Blogger CLUE, etc. So please go check out her page today, I know she put in great effort at the last minute to cover for me.

I was going to post a Thursday Thoughts today instead and this would’ve been the end of the post (along with the photos). But as luck would have it, I found that piece of paper a couple of days ago! Yay!

I created this chicken salad in response to a call for a new flavor at Chicken Salad Chick. While my concept didn’t make it to the voting round we were very happy with the resulting recipe. Chicken Salad Chick is an amazing chicken salad restaurant in Auburn – and have expanded to multiple locations in the south. (My favorite flavor is the Fruity Fran with apples and grapes.)

I wanted to create a chicken salad inspired by Auburn and chose fruits that were orange and blue. I chose to use clementines instead of oranges because they’re not as wet and dried blueberries instead of fresh because they’re sweet, tart, and unique. I added a little celery because I like having a crunch in my chicken salads. (I think adding pecans would be great, too!) In the dressing I used agave instead of honey in case my little man gave it a taste.

I hope you give my recipe a try and let me know what you think!

An Original Recipe

Weagle Weagle Chicken Salad

Ingredients:

  • 2 C cooked, shredded chicken
  • 1/2 C halved clementine segments
  • 1/4 C dried blueberries
  • 1/2 stalk celery, very finely diced
  • 1 scallion, thinly sliced
  • 1/4 C mayonnaise
  • 1 tsp agave
  • 1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar
  • 1/2 tsp Kosher salt
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper

Steps:

  1. In a large bowl, toss together chicken, clementines, blueberries, celery, and scallion.
  2. In a small bowl, whisk together mayo, agave, vinegar, S+P. Add as much dressing to the chicken salad as desired.
  3. Serve on a sandwich, in a wrap, with crackers, or simply eat it with a fork!

chicken salad with clementines and dried blueberries from Sew You Think You Can Cook

CIC: Cardamom and Parsnips

~ lk529 ~ 10 Comments

CIC-header

Happy Crazy Ingredient Challenge day! I wasn’t sure I was going to make it this month again. Strange things were happening behind the scenes in the Facebook world where the group votes on ingredients and we keep track of the events. If you’d like to join our fun monthly challenge contact Dawn from Spatulas on Parade at spatulasonparade[at]gmail[dot]com!

I was looking through my planner last week and realized I hadn’t written down the winning ingredients for April’s CIC event. Off to the Facebook page I went desperately searching for the answer. I found it. Parsnips and Cardamom.

I’d only ever had parsnips once before – roasted with carrots, potatoes, and a whole chicken – I recalled liking them. Cardamom was a spice I didn’t have in my collection. I’ve always thought I had it and then every single time realized it was coriander in my pantry instead and would always substitute with a combination of nutmeg and cinnamon.

Thanks to a Kroger gift card I got for Christmas, which I only use for fun ingredients which I’d normally find substitutes, I coughed up the $9 for a bottle of cardamom. And that was the sale price!

I wanted to do a play on carrot cake with today’s ingredients. I decided to go with oatmeal. I whipped together a very quick baked oatmeal recipe, added shredded parsnips, dried blueberries, and of course, cardamom. It can be served warm in a bowl with some milk or eaten as a flour-less oatmeal cookie bar!

Parsnip and Blueberry Baked Oatmeal

Ingredients:

  • 1 1/2 C quick oats
  • 1/2 C dark brown sugar
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp Kosher salt
  • 1/4 tsp cardamom
  • 1/4 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 C shredded parsnips (peel the parsnips first)
  • 2 tbsp dried blueberries
  • 1 egg
  • 1/2 C milk
  • 1/2 stick butter, melted and cooled

Steps:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9×9″ cake pan.
  2. In a large bowl combine oats, brown sugar, baking powder, salt, cardamom, cinnamon, parsnips, and blueberries.
  3. In another bowl whisk together egg and milk. Add in the cooled butter.
  4. Pour wet ingredients into dry and press into the prepared pan. Bake 25-30 minutes, or until set.
  5. Allow oatmeal to cool slightly before cutting into bars. Eat as is or warmed with milk.

*This recipe is adapted from Taste of Home at http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/baked-oatmeal*

Parsnip and Blueberry Baked Oatmeal | Sew You Think You Can Cook

To see the other bloggers who participated in this month’s Crazy Ingredient Challenge click on the link below.

#SundaySupper: Picnic

~ lk529 ~ 19 Comments

Picnics. Now there’s a word that means something different to everyone. You might not have thought that before, but think about it.

Do you think of a romantic meal for two on a blanket in a meadow? Maybe sandwiches on the beach? A backpack meal on a hike?

For me, picnic is almost synonymous with family reunion.

Every year my dad’s family has a huge reunion in July. My grandparents came to America from the Dominican Republic along with many cousins from their generation. We rent out a park space and everyone comes together. Much of the family is still in the Chicago area so that’s where we all convene. Growing up we would always travel back to spend the Fourth of July at my mom’s parents lake house in Lake Geneva, WI and spend time with my dad’s parents in Illinois, ending our vacation with the family picnic.

Everyone is assigned a category of food to bring based on last name. Except for my aunt – she’s required to bring her 7 layer dip. And my mom used to be “the candy lady” – she’d buy huge bags of candy (and those giant pixie sticks) and all the kids would love her for it. All the kids are grown up now so she still brings a little something but it’s definitely not to the scale she did when we were younger.

It’s a wonderful gathering of family and I hope to make it this year! Now that I’m an E last name I think I’m supposed to bring veggies instead of salad. Maybe I’ll find some great ideas from the rest of my Sunday Supper family.

A big thank you to T.R. of Gluten Free Crumbley for hosting this event. For more fun picnic ideas scroll past my recipe!

When I think picnic food I think hotdogs and macaroni salad. Stuart doesn’t like macaroni salad so I thought I’d try something new to tempt him. We were having people over for grilling and this spicy version was a huge hit! I used veggies typically served with buffalo wings – celery and carrots – and added tomato to cool it down a bit. Be warned: this macaroni salad gets spicier the longer it sits!

Buffalo Macaroni Salad

Ingredients:

  • 1 C uncooked macaroni noodles
  • 1/4 C finely diced red onion
  • 1/4 C finely diced celery
  • 1/2 C finely diced carrot
  • 3/4 C diced tomato
  • 3/4 C mayonnaise
  • 1/4 C buffalo sauce
  • 1/4 C red wine vinegar
  • 1 1/2 tsp minced garlic
  • 1/2 tsp chili powder

Steps:

  1. Cook macaroni in boiling salted water according to package directions.
  2. In a small bowl whisk together the mayo, buffalo sauce, vinegar, garlic, and chili powder.
  3. In a large bowl toss cooked pasta with the veggies.
  4. Coat pasta salad in as much dressing as desired. (I only used about half of the sauce)

*This recipe is inspired by Whitney at http://littleleopardbook.com/2012/05/29/whats-for-a-side-spicy-buffalo-macaroni-salad/*

Buffalo Macaroni Salad | Sew You Think You Can Cook

Appetizers:

Beverages:

Main Dishes:

Sides:

Soups and Salads:

Desserts:

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Join the #SundaySupper conversation on twitter on Sunday! We tweet throughout the day and share recipes from all over the world. Our weekly chat starts at 7:00 pm ET. Follow the#SundaySupper hashtag and remember to include it in your tweets to join in the chat. To get more great Sunday Supper Recipes, visit our website or check out our Pinterest board.

Would you like to join the Sunday Supper Movement? It’s easy. You can sign up by clicking here: Sunday Supper Movement.

#BundtBakers: Hidden Surprise

~ lk529 ~ 37 Comments
BundtBakers

This month #BundtBakers issued quite the challenge but the result is a great collection of beautiful bundts! #BundtBakers is a group of bundt loving bakers who get together once a month to bake bundts with a common ingredient or theme. We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme or ingredient. This month’s theme is Hidden Surprise and our creative host is Anshie of SpiceRoots.

When I told my mom the theme she laughed and asked what I was going to do! I’ve been very forth coming in my bundt baking failures – most of which had to do with attempting to put something inside the cake. Cherry pie filling didn’t stay in the middle of the pan but sunk to the bottom creating a pseudo-frosting in my All-American Chocolate Cherry Pie Cake. My attempt at an “upside down” bundt using orange segments for a Mimosa Cake ended up having almost dissolved citrus randomly strewn about the cake. The white chocolate chips I placed in my Green Velvet cake sunk to the bottom and created a catastrophe in trying to dislodge the cakes from the pans.

The plan for this month was to find a cake recipe with a hidden surprise that is supposed to be baked in a bundt pan. I wasn’t about to get all creative this time around! A hidden surprise cake is creative enough with trying to invent my own. I’m not a professional baker or cake recipe developer! And you know what, it worked! Well… kinda… some of the cake stuck to the pan but I was able to get enough to take some pictures. And no one would know, except that I just told you. I brought my slightly mangled cake to a potluck and no one seemed to mind. I was surprised to find that I was only bringing two pieces of cake back home with me – good thing I left a slice for my husband! And hey, on the bright side, I didn’t have to make a frosting. Sure, a frosting would have definitely covered up the imperfections, but my filling acted like a frosting for me. And I don’t care for overly sweet desserts and this cake did not need the extra frosting. But, by all means, go ahead and make some chocolate frosting for a more beautiful bundt.

Chocolate Cheesecake Filled Peanut Butter Bundt

Ingredients:

  • 1 C peanut butter
  • 2 1/2 C sugar, divided use
  • 6 eggs, divided use
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract, divided use
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 2 C + 2 tsp flour, divided use
  • 1/2 C milk
  • 8 oz cream cheese
  • 2 tbsp cocoa powder

Steps:

  1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Heavily grease a bundt pan.
  2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat together peanut butter with 2 C sugar until combined. Add in 1 tsp vanilla extract and 5 eggs, one at a time. Mix in the baking powder. Add 1 C of flour and mix until combined. Add the milk. Once combined add the remaining 1 C of flour.
  3. In a large bowl, use a hand mixer to combine the cream cheese, cocoa powder, remaining 1/2 C sugar, 1 egg, 1 tsp vanilla, and 2 tsp flour.
  4. Pour half of the cake batter into the prepared bundt pan. Top with the chocolate cream cheese filling, be sure not to touch the edges. Cover the filling with the remaining batter.
  5. Bake cake 60 – 70 minutes, or until a knife inserted comes out clean. Allow cake to cool before removing from the mold.

*This recipe is adapted from Miriam at http://overtimecook.com/2014/03/25/peanut-butter-bundt/*

Chocolate Cheesecake Filled Peanut Butter Bundt Cake | Sew You Think You Can Cook

If you are a food blogger and would like to join us, just send an email with your blog URL to foodlustpeoplelove@gmail.com. All recipes and photographs can be found on our individual blogs, on our Pinterest board, and the #bundtbakers homepage.

And don’t forget to take a peek at what other talented bakers have baked this month:

Almond Crunch Cake by Renee at Magnolia Days

Balsamic Strawberries Bundt Cake by Terri at Our Good Life

Banana Maple Bundt Cake with Chocolate Star  by Samantha at Un Mordisco Un Pecado

Black and White Surprise Bundt Cake by Patricia at Patty’s Cake 

Chocolate and Vanilla Polka Dot Bundt by Kelly at Passion Kneaded

Chocolate Bundt Cake with Oreo Cheesecake Filling by Mary at Recipes, Food and Cooking

Citrus Raspberry Bundt by Tara at Noshing With The Nolands

Confetti Zebra Cake by Julie at Eat, Drink, Be Mighty

Cookie Dough Bundt Cake by Olivia at Liv for Cake

German Mozarthupf by Jelena at A Kingdom for a Cake

Graham Cracker Bundt Cake with Key Lime Cheesecake Swirl by Tux at Brooklyn Homemaker

KitKat Surprise Bundt Cake by Shilpi at Simply Veggies

Lemon Blueberry Van Halen Bundt by Stacy at Food Lust People Love

Orange and Strawberry Jam Bundt Cake by Deepti at Baking Yummies

Pear and Blue Cheese Bundt by Jane at Jane’s Adventures in Dinner

Polka Dot Bundt Cake by Linda at Brunch with Joy

Raspberry Filled Lemon Bundt by Wendy at A Day in the Life on the Farm

Real Nutella Bundt Cake by Laura at Baking in Pyjamas

Savory Monkey Bread Stuffed Bundt by Andrea at Adventures in All Things Food

Sour Cream Boozy Hazelnut Bundt Cake by Pam at Sidewalk Shoes

Spring Break S’mores Cake by Margaret at Tea and Scones

Strawberry Cheesecake Bundt Cake by Kathya at Basic N Delicious 

Strawberry Twinky Bundt Cake by Beatriz at I Love Bundt Cakes 

Strawberry Swirl Cream Cheese Pound Cake by Kris at Big Rigs ‘n Lil’ Cookies 

Surprise Bundt by Esti at Mummy & Cute

Surprise Filled Chocolate Bundt Cake by Anna at Media Ración Doble, Por Favor

Surprise Inside Carrot Bundt Cake by Rebekah at Making Miracles

Triple Lemon Bundt Cake by Avril at Baking and Creating with Avril

Tropical Surprise Bundt Cake by Anshie at Spice Roots

Black Bean Dip

~ lk529 ~ 1 Comment

Let me tell you about my new favorite snack. Well, healthy snack. I’m still a sucker for Sour Cream and Onion potato chips. Which is why I tend to not buy them. Unless I have a good excuse. Like people coming over for a grill out and game night. Such as happened over the weekend. And why I’m now sitting here munching on processed food deliciousness.

Salty and crunchy foods are always my mid-afternoon craving, so I try to keep a smarter option on hand. A bean dip is a great snack – full of protein and fiber – and I can enjoy it with a slightly guilty pita or tortilla chip along with carrots and celery. I think the biggest challenge with eating healthy is satisfying those unhealthy cravings, so it’s important to “cheat” in a smart way. By combating salty chips with a filling and healthy dip you end up feeling satisfied.

This black bean dip is a huge hit! I’ve made it three times now. If it’s still on the table when my husband gets home I find I don’t have any left the next day. My son even enjoys it – he’ll eat it with his hands, off a spoon, or even gnaw it from a piece of celery.

Black Bean Dip

Ingredients:

  • 2 cans (15 oz) black beans, rinsed and drained
  • 1/2 C salsa
  • 1 tsp minced garlic
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 1/2 tsp chili powder
  • 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 tbsp lime juice
  • 2 tbsp fresh cilantro

Steps:

  1. Place beans in food process and pulse until they’re broken up. Add salsa, garlic, cumin, chili powder, olive oil, and lime juice. Puree until smooth.
  2. Season to taste with S+P and add in the cilantro. Pulse until combined.
  3. Serve with multi-grain tortilla chips, pita chips, pita bread, or veggies.

*This recipe is adapted from Bobbi at http://www.bobbiskozykitchen.com/2015/02/chipotle-black-bean-dip-sundaysupper.html#.VSrAH_nF_0e*

Black Bean Dip | Sew You Think You Can Cook

Slow Cooker Chicken and Chorizo

~ lk529 ~ 6 Comments

Whenever you’ve seen chorizo on my blog in the past it’s always been the Mexican version. Even in recipes that originally called for Spanish chorizo. I’d never been able to find it before.

But now, I’ve found a store that sells it!

Friday mornings I go to a Mommy and Me yoga class and right next door is this adorable grocery store. The store has the most beautiful produce section, a fabulous butcher counter with sausages made in-store, and an outstanding bakery. After church we like to pick up some sausages and some salted focaccia rolls for lunch.

We found Spanish chorizo in the international aisle and Stuart really wanted to get it. I knew immediately of one recipe I’d use it in (I’m waiting for the perfect day to share that one, though). The leftover chorizo ended up in this slow cooker dish!

Slow Cooker Chicken and Chorizo

Ingredients:

  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 6 skinless chicken thighs (bone-in recommended)
  • 1/2 lb Spanish chorizo, diced
  • 1 red onion,diced
  • 2 leeks, sliced and cleaned
  • 1/2 red bell pepper, diced
  • 1/2 yellow bell pepper, diced
  • 1 tsp coriander
  • 1 tsp dried thyme
  • 1/2 tsp minced garlic
  • 1 can (14 oz) chopped tomatoes
  • 1/2 C chicken stock
  • 1/4 C cooking sherry

Steps:

  1. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Sear the chicken thighs on all sides until golden. (Do this in batches if necessary.) Place chicken in slow cooker.
  2. In the same skillet, saute the chorizo for 3 minutes until it’s lightly charred. Remove with a slotted spoon and add to the slow cooker.
  3. Saute the onions and leeks in the chorizo oil and cook until softened. Add the peppers, coriander, thyme, and garlic. Cook until peppers are tender.
  4. Add the tomatoes, chicken stock, and sherry. Bring to a simmer. Season to taste with S+P and pour over the chicken in the slow cooker.
  5. Cook on LOW 6-8 hours.

*This recipe is adapted from Abbe at http://abbescookingantics.blogspot.co.uk/2013/12/slow-cooker-chicken-with-chorizo.html*

chicken and chorizo

Blogger CLUE: Spring Green Risotto

~ lk529 ~ 28 Comments

blogger CLUE

Today is my first month posting with Blogger CLUE. Much like the game, this blogger society involves secrecy, fun, challenge and cooperation with the other game playing members. The good news about this, however, is that in the end, everyone’s a winner. All of the participating bloggers are assigned a blog to find, pick, and make a recipe. But the twist with this group is that there’s a theme! 

This month I was assigned A Spoonful of Thyme and had the task of finding a recipe utilizing spring vegetables. I was on a personal mission to use asparagus. It’s my favorite spring vegetable, and while we do enjoy it year round, it’s always better in season! I found three contenders: Spring Green Risotto; Pasta with Proscuitto, Asparagus, and Peas; and Warm Salad with Grilled Asparagus.

I chose the risotto for a few reasons: I already had mascarpone in my fridge, which is very rare, I’ve been wanting to try fennel, and my husband had been asking for risotto for a few weeks. Win – win – win!

We enjoyed this risotto for Easter supper! My 9 month old even enjoyed it! I wasn’t sure how he’d handle the peas but they didn’t phase him. Which makes me very excited. It’s been hard getting him to eat vegetables – other than sweet potato.

I made a couple changes to the recipe: by using what I had I combined chicken stock and vegetable stock to have enough liquid and instead of blanching the asparagus and adding it later, I chopped it up to about the size of peas and added it with the leeks and fennel.

Spring Green Risotto

Ingredients:

  • 5 C stock (chicken, vegetable, or a combination of both)
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tbsp butter
  • 2 leeks, sliced
  • 1 fennel bulb, chopped
  • 1/2 lb asparagus, diced
  • 1 1/2 C arborio rice
  • 2/3 C white wine
  • 1 1/4 C frozen peas, thawed
  • zest of 1 large lemon
  • 2 tbsp lemon juice
  • 1/3 C mascarpone cheese
  • 1/2 C grated parmesan cheese

Steps:

  1. In a pot bring the stock to a simmer.
  2. In a dutch oven, melt butter in olive oil over medium high heat. Saute leeks, fennel, and asparagus for 5 minutes.
  3. Add the rice, stirring to coat in the veggies, cook a minute or two. Deglaze the pan with the white wine. Once the wine has been absorbed add the stock a ladleful at a time. Stir often and add more stock after the previous addition has been absorbed.
  4. At the halfway point, add the peas and lemon zest. Season to taste with S+P.
  5. When rice is creamy remove from heat. (Note: You might not use all of the stock, although I did.)
  6. In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice and mascarpone. Stir into the risotto along with the parmesan cheese.

*This recipe is adapted from Kate at http://aspoonfulofthyme.blogspot.com/2010/05/two-fer-one-grilled-herb-shrimp-and.html*

spring green risotto | Sew You Think You Can CookHere’s a list of the other players of Blogger CLUE this month:

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