Month: January 2017

Are you looking for a healthy meal that is not bland, boring and void of flavor? Or, just looking for something new to add to your menu? Have you given up pasta? Are you a vegetarian? This recipe is for YOU! Even meat and pasta eaters will gobble this one up. I won’t tell you that spaghetti squash tastes just like pasta. It does not. But, I promise, you will not wish you were eating pasta. So healthy and SO GOOD! Feel free to add, or substitute with, your favorite veggies. Most of my recipes are created with what happens to be in my pantry and refrigerator. This combination is DELICIOUS, but the variations are endless and limited by only your imagination and tastebuds.

You will need:

1 large spaghetti squash (serves 2 – 3 hefty servings)

8-10 stalks of asparagus, ends trimmed & roughly chopped (could use frozen)

1 package of mushrooms (portobello or a mix of your faves), sliced

2 shallots, roughly chopped (or 1 small onion)

1/2 cup of sun dried tomatoes in olive oil, chopped

2 -3 cloves of garlic, minced

olive oil

kosher salt

freshly ground black pepper

1 tsp of red pepper flakes (more if you like a little more kick)

1/2 teaspoon of oregano (could use Italian seasoning)

1 small can of crushed tomatoes

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees

Cut the squash in half, lengthwise, scoop out the seeds and stringy stuff. Drizzle with olive oil (approximately one tablespoon) and 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of salt and pepper. Place the squash, cut side down, on a wire rack in a baking sheet and bake for 35-40 minutes or until a knife goes into the squash easily. The wire rack will allow the squash to be raised, a bit, and any liquid will drain away from the squash. Remove and set the squash aside until it is cool enough to handle. With a fork, scrape the flesh to create long strands. They will resemble angel hair pasta.

While the squash is baking, heat a saute pan over medium high heat. Add one tablespoon of olive oil, the asparagus, mushrooms, onion and sun dried tomatoes. Cook for 5 minutes. Add the garlic, oregano and cook for another minute before adding the crushed tomatoes. Simmer for five to ten minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve over the spaghetti squash. Top with grated parmesan if you’d like.

#yumola

Are you are looking for a simple, yet absolutely DELICIOUS, pot roast recipe? Look no further! This pot roast turns out perfectly EVERY SINGLE TIME. No, really. I guarantee it. It is fork tender and literally melts in your mouth. And, it’s even better the next day! But, if you don’t have a dutch oven, please do yourself a favor and get one.  NOW! I use mine all of the time and it is especially good for this recipe.

You will need:

3-5 pound roast of your choice (bottom round, chuck, rump roast)

kosher salt

freshly ground black pepper

paprika

2 tablespoons of olive oil

3 tablespoons of unsalted butter

2 onions, peeled and halved

6 whole carrots, peeled and sliced (doesn’t have to be precise)

1 cup red wine (one you would drink .. NOT cooking wine)

2-3 cups beef broth or stock

2 sprigs fresh rosemary or 1 tsp dried

2 or 3 sprigs fresh thyme or 1 tsp dried

3 whole cloves of garlic, peeled

Preheat the oven to 275F.
Generously sprinkle the roast with the kosher salt, black pepper and smoked paprika. GENEROUSLY. And, all over the roast. Don’t skimp here. Heat the olive oil and butter, in a dutch oven, over medium-high heat. Place the halved onions into the pot and brown them on both sides. Remove them from the pan and put them on a large plate. Add the carrots into the pot and cook them until slightly browned. Remove them and place them with the onions. If needed, add a bit more olive oil to the pot and add the roast. Don’t touch it until you get a nice sear (approximately 2 minutes). Turn and repeat until all sides are seared/browned. Remove the meat from the pan and place it with the onions and carrots.

With the heat still on medium-high, slowly pour the wine into the pot. Scrape the browned bits from the bottom of the pan while the wine boils for one minute. Turn off the heat. Place the meat back into the pot and top with the onions and carrots. Add the herbs and garlic and enough beef broth/stock to cover the meat halfway.

Put the lid on the pot and place it into the oven for 3 – 4 hours or until the roast is fork tender.

For the gravy, remove the cooked roast from the pot and place on a board. Remove the sprigs of rosemary and thyme (if you used fresh herbs). If you have an immersion blender, blend the contents of the pot until smooth. You may have some larger pieces of onion or carrot that are more difficult to blend with an immersion blender. You can remove those. If you don’t have an immersion blender, you can put the contents of the pot into a regular blender. But, be careful because it will be hot. If the gravy is a little on the thin side, combine 2 tablespoons of corn starch or flour with two tablespoons of cold water then pour the mixture into the gravy. Bring the gravy to a boil and then simmer until the desired thickness is reached. Season with additional salt and pepper if needed.

Once the roast has cooled enough for you to handle it, thinly slice it across the grain and place on a platter. Serve with your favorite sides and the gravy.

#yumola

I took out boneless skinless chicken breasts for dinner tonight, but needed to stop at the store to get a few things to complete the meal I had planned on making. However, after going to the UPS store and taking my son to basketball shooting practice in the FRIGID temps, all I wanted to do was get HOME! I knew I’d have to brave the weather, later, to take him back out to basketball practice. So, stopping at the store just wasn’t happening. Besides, I figured I could come up with something for dinner using whatever I already had at home. And, boy, did I ever! I looked in my fridge and pantry and decided SOUP it is! You can modify this recipe to suit your tastes … sub coconut milk for regular milk; use vegetable broth instead of chicken broth and even omit the chicken altogether. But, if you follow it to the letter, I GUARANTEE you, you will not be disappointed. It is so hearty and delicious! Yumola, even!

You will need:

2 – 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 T grape seed oil or your oil of choice

kosher salt

freshly ground black pepper

1/2 stick of butter

4 carrots, scrubbed & diced (peel if you like)

3 stalks of celery, diced

1 medium onion, diced

1 1/2 t dried thyme

1/2 c of flour

6 cups of chicken broth

2 cups of milk

4 – 6 potatoes, peeled and cubed

2 cups of sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

Season the chicken on both sides with salt and pepper. Heat a large dutch oven or stock pot on medium high heat and add the oil. Add the chicken and cook on one side for 3-5 minutes. Turn the chicken, turn the heat to medium low, cover and cook for 5-10 minutes or until done and no longer pink. Remove the chicken to a cutting board and set aside.

In the same pot, add the butter, carrots, celery and onion. Cook, on medium heat, for 3-5 minutes until tender. Stir in the thyme and cook for 1 minute. Whisk in the flour and cook for 1 minute. Gradually add the chicken broth and milk and whisk constantly for 3 minutes. Add the potatoes and bring the pot to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer until the potatoes are tender (around 15 minutes).

        

While the soup is simmering, dice the chicken. Once the potatoes are tender, remove about 2 cups of the soup and place it into a blender or a bowl and use an immersion blender to puree. You can skip this step, but it gives the soup body and a creamier consistency.

Add the puree back into the pot and stir in the diced chicken and cheddar cheese. Season with salt and pepper to taste. You can omit the cheese, if you’d like, and it will still be delicious, but the cheese makes it OUT OF THIS world good.

#yumola