White Bean & Andouille Sausage Stew from the Crock Pot

So, to get it out of the way (and, okay, because I'm really happy about it) I would like to share with you all that I've finished my master's degree! I am a Master of Science! What a world. And, since the next big steps for me are moving back to MA to be with Brady in two weeks and starting the hunt for my first real job in the New Year, for the sake of my short-term sanity I've chosen to focus on the Holidays with my family and on all the delicious things I can cook before that "What next?" moment comes. 

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When I was a kid, I didn't like a lot of food. I know how unlikely that now seems, but for a while there around ages 8-10, one of the only things my Mom could make that I would always eat happily was her soup made with kale, sausage (maybe kielbasa?), and other delicious things that I have since forgotten. In a sense, I think the details of the recipe are less important than how gleeful I felt when I ate it, and how she enjoyed making something that I loved so much.

This recipe is a variation on a theme: I added white beans and tomatoes and swapped the kale for other veggies, but the substantial texture and subtle spiciness of the sausage remains. Of course, you could easily add chopped kale or collard greens in the last 30 minutes or so of cooking, but I am myself just coming off a bit of a kale binge (is that even a thing?) so I decided to go a slightly different route.

It is SUPER HARD to photograph steamy food.

Ingredients:
About 1/4 lb. Andouille (or other smoked) sausage links, halved lengthwise and sliced crosswise
1/4 cup dry white beans, sorted, rinsed and soaked overnight, or 1 15 oz. can prepared white beans
1 15 oz. can diced tomatoes, with or without green chiles
1 (above) can of water (if you are using dry beans, add another 1/2 can)
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, smashed
1 tablespoon mixed dry Italian herbs
1 bay leaf (optional)
1 dried chili pepper (optional)
Salt and pepper, to taste


[Written for a 2 qt. crock pot]


Directions:
1. Combine all ingredients in crock pot and cook on "low" for about 4-6 hours if you used prepared beans (more like 8-10 if you're using dry-soaked beans), or on "high" for about 4 (or more like 6 if, you guessed it, you're using dry beans), or some combination of high and low until beans and veggies are tender. The exact time will depend on your machine.
2. If necessary, remove the lid for the final hour or so of cooking to reduce liquids.
3. Remove bay leaf and serve with butter and a good crusty bread. (If you're looking for a super no-knead, healthy, rustic bread recipe to make with your soup, check this out).

The great thing about smoked sausage (besides the fact that it is sausage, and that it is smoked) is that since its fully cooked, you just need to be sure it is well-heated and it's ready to go. But better still, when you slow cook smoked sausage like this, it lends such great flavor to your soup without a ton of different seasonings. Win-win. As a different twist, you could use chorizo, the "with green chiles" tomato option, serve topped with fresh cilantro and some shredded cheese, and if you happen to have some corn chips on hand, you've made grown-up taco soup.

Maybe it is my imagination, but it seems to me that while I've been living alone (and especially now that it is winter) my posts have been mainly about easy, comforting food. In so doing, I hope I haven't strayed too far from the other part of my mission, of cooking and writing about healthy food. But, GK is also about my life, which heaven knows is a moving target. It's sort of crazy to me that I've been sharing my kitchen exploits with you all for the majority of my life as a graduate student. I guess the moral of the story is, life is short. Way too short not to eat well.

Super Easy Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread from Two Peas & Their Pod

Hey everybody! I know I haven't been the most attentive of bloggers lately, but if its an acceptable excuse... I've finished my master's thesis! And in two days, my graduate school experience will be over and I'll be packing up to move to MA. So life is good, and I feel like writing about delicious treats.

I made this pumpkin and chocolate chip bread for the first time this Thanksgiving, and I have to say, it's kind of the perfect Holiday bread. It's great with coffee for a breakfast treat, or with dessert. Did I mention it's super easy, and this recipe makes three super-moist 9"x5" loaves? If you're looking for something new to make this Christmas, this is a good egg. So to speak. Though there are actual eggs in it, too. And if you bring a loaf to a friend or relative's house, you will be very popular. This is experience speaking.

Thanksgiving baking workshop! Photo credit to the fantastic Kathy Koplik.

This recipe came from a really fun blog, Two Peas & Their Pod. I made mine according to the recipe (unbelievable, right?) and I wouldn't change a thing:

Ingredients:
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon ground nutmeg
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
3 cups granulated sugar
1 15 oz. can pure pumpkin puree
1 cup canola oil
2/3 cup water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 large eggs
1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips


Directions: 
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray three 9x5 inch loaf pans with cooking spray and set aside.
2. In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl, combine sugar, pumpkin, canola oil, water, vanilla, and eggs. Mix until smooth.
4. Slowly blend in flour mixture. Fold in chocolate chips. Evenly divide batter between the three loaf pans.
5. Bake for 60 minutes, or until browned and a toothpick comes out clean. Remove loaves from oven and cool in pans on a wire rack for 15 minutes. With a knife, go around the bread and loosen the loaves. Remove from pan and cool completely before slicing.
*Note-this recipe makes a lot of bread, so be prepared to share or put a loaf in the freezer for later.

Photo credit to Two Peas & Their Pod

The recipe kind of speaks for itself. I'm pretty sure this will become a regular Thanksgiving thing for me, but it would also be perfect for any winter celebration.

Quote of the Day: There's nothing better than a good friend, except a good friend with chocolate. ~ Linda Grayson, the Pickwick Papers


EDIT: I suspect this would also be delicious using raisins instead of the chocolate chips, if you're not the chocolate type.

Spiced Apple Cider from the Crock Pot

To tell the truth, this was intended to be the last post of Crocktober. But, as we found ourselves in MA with no power on that particular day, the cider didn't quite happen. So here it is, a bit late, but hopefully better late than never.

This afternoon I set up the crock before we took off for an Autumn drive-then-walk in the woods, and it was warm and yummy by the time we got back. And what could be nicer to come home to? Also the apartment still kinda smelled like bacon from this morning. A pretty winning combination, if you ask me.

It was a pretty nice walk.

 This cider is seasoned with yummy fall spices, tangerine zest, and just a little bit of honey. If you're craving a sweet, coffee house-style cider, try Crockpot 365's Crock Pot Caramel Apple Cider, which is made with caramel syrup. Of course, buying a pre-mixed tin of mulling spices is never a bad idea (many of which can be used both for cider and for red wine), but the odds are pretty good that you already have everything you need for my version.

Setting up the 5-quart crock.

Ingredients

1/2 gallon unsweetened apple cider (this is an estimate; we had a gallon jug that was maybe a little more than half full)
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon (to taste)
1 tbsp honey
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1 pinch each ground allspice and ground cloves
Grated zest of 1 ripe tangerine or orange

Directions

1. Combine all ingredients in crock pot, and heat on "low" for 2-4 hours, or until cider is well-warmed and flavors have diffused. (If you're squeamish about the zest solids, you can pour it through a wire strainer to get the bulky stuff out but leave the spices behind).

This is so seasonal I almost can't stand it. Almost.

Of course, this being a chilly Autumn night, we eventually turned our spiced cider into - as my Dad would say - an "adult beverage" with spiced rum. This would be a great party beverage, too. Just heat it up a couple of hours ahead of time, then keep on the "warm" setting with a ladle at the ready, either as a festive punch or an equally festive non-alcoholic beverage. (I don't know whether or not the alcohol would cook off, but I think I would add the rum just before serving, just to be sure).

Quote of the Day: An apple a day keeps the doctor away. ~ Dreamt up by American apple growers in the 1900s who were concerned that the temperance movement would cut into their hard cider sales. [Source]

Crocktober: Vegan Sweet Potato and Pinto Bean Chili

After an unexpectedly long shift at my retail job this evening, I'm feeling a little short on poetic banter, but that doesn't mean that this recipe isn't a good one. The spice factor is totally up to you, but personally I'm a bit heavy-handed with them, so my three teaspoons of chili powder were probably more like "heaping teaspoons." Do whatever makes you happy.

Ingredients:

1 cup dry pinto beans (2 1/2 cups prepared)

1 large sweet potato or yam, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch-ish cubed 

1 cup water

1/2 onion, chopped

1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes with jalapenos

2 tsp orange or tangerine zest

3 tsp chili powder

1/4 tsp paprika

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)

Pinch ground allspice (optional)

Fresh cilantro leaves, torn, for serving 

Salt and pepper, to taste (I used about 1/2 tsp seasoned salt)

Cooking spray

Directions:

1. If you're using dry beans, sort, rinse, and soak them in the refrigerator overnight (or for up to 24 hours) in plenty of water. Change the water at least twice in this time. If you are using canned or pre-cooked beans, just skip this step and rinse them well just before you add them to the crock.

2. Combine everything but the cilantro in a sprayed crock, and cook on low for 7-9 hours or high for 4-5. Serve with some fresh cilantro on top.

Easy peasy. I don't have a zester (or a grater, for that matter) so I used a vegetable peeler to peel off just the outer skin of my tangerine (no white stuff!) and minced it, which I think worked just fine.

 The only significant thing I would change about this is to alter the bean-to-potato ratio by adding another sweet potato. In my 2 qt machine another sweet potato wouldn't have fit, but in a larger crock it would. As a technical thing, I might add the sweet potatoes a couple of hours into the cooking time, in the future. Even with dry beans that had been soaking for about 20 hours, the sweet potato was done well before the beans were. I also think this would be yummy with butternut squash instead of the sweet potato.

If you're not bound to the "vegan" thing, this would be yummy with some grated cheese on top.

Quote of the Day: Said Aristotle unto Plato, "Have another sweet potato?,"Said Plato unto Aristotle, "Thank you, I prefer the bottle." ~ Owen Wister (1860-1938), American novelist

Crocktober: Vegan French Market Soup and a Holiday Shopping Hint

 I might have lied when I said that crock pot marinara was the easiest crock pot recipe I would be sharing with you this Crocktober. The only real effort involved with this soup is remembering to rinse and soak the beans ahead of time. (And no, this post doesn't end with a list of things I want for Christmas).

Traditional French Market Soup involves a ham hock, but I made it once with the hock, and didn't feel like it added all that much, so this time I skipped it. But, you can add a smoked hock if you want to, or even thick-cut bacon. The traditional method also tells you to soak your beans overnight in a dutch oven, which sounds like a very bad idea for those of us with cast-iron dutch ovens, but if you want to do it by the book you can find a recipe here.

...But you're here to read my version (right?) so here it is:

Ingredients:

about 8 oz. canned tomatoes (I used diced, without any added herbs or garlic)

2 tablespoons lemon juice

Salt, and a hefty pinch ground black pepper

Fresh thyme, for garnish (optional)

1 cup mixed dried beans (1/2 of 1 lb "16 bean soup" package; mine also had a little barley in it)

1/2 clove garlic, minced (I know 1/2 seems weird, but 1 is too much)

1/2 large onion, chopped

1 dried chili pepper or fresh pepper, diced

1 quart water

Directions:

1. Sort and thoroughly rinse the beans. Soak in plenty of water in the fridge overnight or for up to 24 hours, changing the water at least once in this time. When you're setting up your crock pot, rinse them one more time before they go in.

2. Place everything but the thyme in a crock pot, and cook on low for 8-10 hours. Turn to high to cook for another 3 hours or so, or as needed until beans are tender. (Mine cooked for 8 hours on low, plus about four hours on high. Basically forever. Plan accordingly). Garnish with thyme, and serve with butter and a crusty bread, if you want.

I am grateful for the timing of Crocktober. I just started an internship on Wednesdays at a museum in Center City, which involves kind of a weird commute and often draining days, but being in crocking mode has made it so easy to come up with yummy dinners that I can have basically ready by the time I get home.

Making your own bean mix is easy, inexpensive, and actually makes a super-cute gift. Just combine 1  lb. of each of the following (or your own variation):

dried navy beans

dried pinto beans

dried great northern beans

dried green split peas

dried yellow split peas

dried black-eyed peas

dried brown lentils

dried baby lima beans

dried large lima beans

dried black beans

dried red beans

dried soybeans

pearled barley

                    ... Yep, that will make you about 13 pounds of bean soup mix.

BUT! Packaged in ball mason jars with a recipe printed on a pretty card or tag, its quite visually pleasing. This mix will fill 14 2-cup jars, which around the holidays is nice to have on hand for coworkers, family friends, or teachers, and according to my math comes out under $1.10 worth of beans per jar. If you want to go all out - maybe for a housewarming gift, joint holiday present, or even a wedding gift for a special couple in your life - you could make a nice gift package with the jar of beans, printed recipe, bag of dried chilies and a crock pot. Perhaps with a gift card to a bakery? Voila!

Crock pots vary widely in size and in price, but from all of my internet sleuthing it seems that the only real difference between the cheap ones and the pricey ones is the option to pre-set cooking times rather than relying on a switch. This recipe fits perfectly in a 2-quart crock, which you can easily get for $20 or less. (I know because I got mine from the Home Depot website for $18.) And don't get all nervous if your intended recipient isn't much of a cook. This recipe is so stupidly-easy-yet-delicious-in-its-simplicity that it will appeal to cooks and non-cooks alike. Also my mantra for holiday shopping this year is "thoughtful but cheap," so this idea is definitely appealing!

Mushroom & Barley Risotto

Since it has been steamy and rainy in Philadelphia for about a thousand straight days, it doesn't quite feel like fall just yet, and I kind of wish it would just hurry up and get here. Still, I'm keeping the faith and since the sun actually did come out today, I felt like cooking a fall favorite that I started making at just about this time last year.

You'll be happy to know that this dish is much less annoying than your average risotto. Not that I'm hating on risotto; I respect and admire anyone with the patience to make a good one. Still there is really no need to stand over this, the barely version, adding the liquid one eye-dropper at a time, so you can do other things instead. Like call all your friends and tell them how yummy this smells while it's cooking, and how jealous they are that they're not having dinner with you tonight.

Ingredients:

1 8 oz. box of mushrooms, sliced, or 8 oz. assorted varieties
1 bay leaf

1/2 cup pearl barley

1/2 large onion, finely chopped

2-3 tsp fresh thyme leaves, plus one single sprig for serving

1 14.5 oz. can or about 1 1/2 cups vegetable stock or chicken stock, low-sodium

Salt & pepper

2 tsp butter

grated Parmesan for sprinkling (optional) 

about 1/4 cup of wine, white or red (optional and recommended)
Toasted walnuts or pine nuts for sprinkling (optional and recommended)

Directions.

1. In a medium frying pan or sauce pan over medium-high heat, melt butter and saute onion and mushrooms until they release their juices and the juices have mostly evaporated. Add salt and pepper. Add wine, and continue to cook for about 2 to 3 minutes. (This is my favorite part. It smells so good you practically want to climb inside).

2. Add barley and bay leaf, and stir to toast the grains for about a minute. Once the barley soaks up the juices, add stock and thyme and bring to a boil. Turn heat down to low, cover and let cook until barley is tender and liquid is absorbed, about 20-25 minutes. (About halfway through, check to be sure more stock is not needed.)

3. To serve, plate and garnish with a single spring of fresh thyme and Parmesan. Serve with freshly ground pepper.

I'm sure some people would yell at me for opening a lidded pan while it's cooking, but those people weren't around this evening. If there is too much liquid and the barley is ready, just simmer uncovered for a couple of minutes at the end.

It might seem weird to use red wine in a risotto, but it's what I had on hand so I tried it out, and it was completely delicious. There might be a rule against this, but if you're anything like me (meaning that you like things that are delicious), the rules are irrelevant. White wine might be better, but I'm not disappointed with how this turned out. I believe wine is necessary for a really great risotto, but I've made this dish without it in the past and while it's less attention-grabbing, it's still yummy. If you're not the boozing kind, don't fret; I'm pretty sure all the alcohol cooks off anyway.

The original recipe that I read for this dish many moons ago called for thyme and dried marjoram. Since then I've tried all thyme, mostly thyme and a little marjoram, and thyme and marjoram with a dash of dried, ground sage, and all have been delicious. The rich flavor of the sauteed mushrooms with the hearty chewiness of the barley and the herbs... Yum! You can't lose.

Quote of the Day: “In the age of acorns, before the times of Ceres, a single barley-corn had been of more value to mankind than all the diamonds of the mines of India." ~ Henry Brooke

P.s. Good luck finding a quote about barley that isn't from the Bible. Weird.

Note: To veganize, use veggie stock, olive oil instead of butter, and obviously skip the Parmesan - but not the wine! You really need one or the other.

Marinated, Grilled Tempeh Steak & Green Salad

I won't try to convince you that there is anything that can really take the place of a deliciously juicy piece of beef. Even (or perhaps especially) if you are a staunch vegetarian who would never think of tasting any, I'm sure you would agree that it is singular and unique, and without substitute. But just for funsies, I keep on trying to find one in an ongoing effort to alleviate my meat-eating guilt.

I've had only one previous adventure in cooking with tempeh, but I was pleasantly surprised by its firm, meaty texture and slightly nutty flavor, and I still think it's among the best non-meat burrito fillings out there. Though I realize nothing can replicate the juicy grilled flavor of a rare steak, I nonetheless got the urge to soak it in Worcestershire sauce and grill it to see how far I could take the whole "fake meat" thing.

 I made mine with soy tempeh, but I don't see a reason why you couldn't use the multi-grain type. They say that one 8 oz. package is about two servings, which seemed about right to me.

Marinaded tempeh:

3 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

3 tbsp Soy sauce

1/4 cup vegetable broth

1 tbsp dark brown sugar

1 tsp cider, apple or white wine viengar

1/4 tsp paprika

1 clove garlic, minced or pressed

1 8 oz. package unseasoned soy tempeh

Directions:

1. 2-24 hours before mealtime, whisk together all marinade ingredients in a shallow dish or container. Cut tempeh in half, into two almost-square rectangles, and place in marinade, turning to coat. Cover and refrigerate until you are ready to start cooking, flipping one time near the middle of the marinading period.

4. Grease or spray and heat a grill pan, George Foreman Grill or regular grill. (I used a grill pan over medium heat). Grill for about 4-5 minutes each side, or until it gets nice dark grill marks. (I didn't do a great job of this, but I did get the crispy, salty-sweet bits of caramelized Worcestershire sauce, so all was not lost.)

 I've only just realized that in some places - I assume places with real grocery stores that don't tempt any halfway motivated cook to take up drinking wine in bed rather than continue to be disappointed in her shopping efforts - one can buy pre-seasoned tempeh. In concept I think this is great, since it soaks up flavors so well and lacks much flavor of its own when "untreated." I can't recommend them per se, but if anybody has adventures with seasoned tempeh, I want to hear about it!

I had initially planned to serve my tempeh with a green salad and some honey-glazed sauteed sweet potatoes, but when I cut into my monster of a sweet potato (which I bought only two days ago, by the way) I discovered that something small and gross had already started eating it. Imagine my chagrin. I was heavily chagrinned. I'm still a bit chagrinned about it, to be honest. Bleh. So instead, I had my tempeh on a Balsamic-dressed salad of arugula, green lettuce, cherry tomatoes, onion, Feta cheese and pine nuts, which I certainly cannot complain about. I added Feta on a whim but without it this is a yummy vegan meal.

I'm not sure I'm a great lover of tempeh, but it surely seems to have its place, if only in vegetarian burritos. Try it - it couldn't be easier!

Crock Pot Southwestern Three-Bean Stew with Delicious Toppings

It's been said a million times before, but I'll say it again for good measure: Slow cookers are are a busy person's best friend. With a teeny bit of planning and an idea or two, you can have dinner hot and ready for you when you come in the door at night. Though the charming Stephanie O'Dea (better known as the Crock Pot Lady of Crockpot 365) has found a way to cook nearly anything you can think of in her slow cookers, and I do love her recipes, I still think there are a few things that are especially good when cooked all day long, and both beans and stews are on this list.

This stew has pinto beans, chickpeas and 2 types of lentils, but black beans, navy beans, black eyed peas or almost any other bean would also be delicious.

This seems like a ton of ingredients, but if you keep yourself stocked in spices, the odds are pretty good that you will have just about everything on hand. Also keep in mind that you can buy "bean soup mixes" of assorted beans, so my measurements on the bean front might be totally irrelevant. All the better (and easier) for you! So this is totally open to adaptation. I also ended up adding some red pepper flakes at the very end because I was afraid of throwing in too much cayenne earlier in the day. And there's always Sriracha!

For this recipe you will need a 2 or 3 qt crock pot, and some understanding of how it cooks. Some machines will need slightly more or less liquid for a similar effect based on temperature and the fit of the lid, but I would say as long as you've used yours a few times, you should have a good sense of this. This recipe seems to make about 3 servings.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup dry chickpeas

1/4 cup dry pinto beans

1/4 cup brown lentils

1/4 cup red lentils

1 medium red potato, cubed-ish

1/2 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp taco seasoning, or 1/4 tsp chili powder

1/2 tsp salt, seasoned or regular

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1/4 tsp paprika

1 envelope Saizon seasoning, cilantro and anchiote, made by Goya

1 clove garlic, smashed

1 jalapeno, diced and seeded

1 1/2 cups water or vegetable broth (subject to the behavior of your machine)

Cheese for topping (optional, but I used Monterrey jack)

1 green onion, thinly sliced

Fresh cilantro, to taste, torn

Tortilla chips (optional)

Directions:

1. The Day Before: Rinse, and soak beans in refrigerator, allowing plenty of room for them to expand (about 30% more space) and covering with at least two inches of water. Soak for 12-24 hours, changing the water at least twice in this period.

2. Place beans, spices, jalapeno, potato, garlic, and water or broth in the crock pot, and cook on "low" for about 9 hours. 

3. When beans are tender, serve and top with green onion, cheese and cilantro. Bonus points if you also serve tortilla chips for scooping.

The whole point of the crock pot is that you don't have to be home to check on it, but if you are, checking once in the afternoon will give you a better sense of how long it will really take. You can bump it up to "high" for a brief period if you need to, since most machines estimate that 1 hour on high is about equivalent to 2 1/2 hours on low. Handy! Though I don't recommend cooking it on "high" the whole time, since everything will get a bit mushy.

My verdict on this is "Good," but to me not great, since I think it could have used a bit more spice, but this is easily remedied. Use your favorite spices or try new ones, but if you ask me, the cheese and cilantro are crucial. Try this soup with some sliced avocado on top. Yum!

Quote of the Day: Society is like a stew. If you don't stir it up every once in a while then a layer of scum floats to the top. ~ Edward Abbey

15-Minute Penne with Tuna, Tomato & Black Olives

This dish wins in a lot of ways: It's nutritious, yummy, and super fast. Basically, the only downside is that it's way too much food for one person, which I guess isn't really a downside in and of itself. While leftover pasta never quite lives up to its former glory, I think this will make a very tasty lunch tomorrow.

Eating at my desk like the classy lassie that I am.

 I know some people aren't the biggest fans of black olives, and I can understand this. I hated them as a kid (except for when I was allowed to wear them on my fingers) and even now they are an occasional thing for me, but I feel like they really belong in this dish. If you're still not buying it, you can substitute for any other dark sort of olive, like kalamata, if you prefer. And if you still need convincing, I say this: They're good for you! No, seriously. Olives (which are technically fruits... weird) contain anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant and anti-cancerous phytonutrients. So maybe give them another chance?

Ingredients:

1 cup (or to taste) sliced black olives 

1 can diced tomatoes (I used "Italian herbs," but you can use plain or another herby variety)

1 can solid white albacore tuna, drained

1 1/2 cups penne pasta

1 clove garlic, peeled and smashed

Salt and pepper

Olive oil

3ish sprigs of fresh parsley

Grated Parmesan cheese (optional)

Directions:

1. Cook your pasta according to the package directions.

2. Meanwhile, heat about 2 tablespoons of olive oil and the garlic over medium heat and cook for about 2-3 minutes. Add tomato, olives, tuna (breaking it apart), and a little salt and pepper. Cook over medium-low heat for about 5 minutes, or until the pasta is done, whichever comes first.

3. Drain your pasta, then add the tomato mixture to the pasta and toss.

4. Transfer the pasta to a bowl or serving dish, and garnish with parsley. Serve with grated Parmesan, if you like, and enjoy immediately.

I went very simple with the herbs, but you could certainly add some dried oregano and/or basil to the tomato mixture, or garnish with other fresh herbs in place of or in addition to the parsley. This dish feels "real" - yummy, but healthy and hearty - and is very easy at the end of a long day.

Obviously I tore up the parsley about twelve seconds later, but it looked pretty there for a sec, right? Also that is my 21st birthday happening in the background, in case you were wondering.

Quote of the Day: Except the vine, there is no plant which bears a fruit of as great importance as the olive. ~ Pliny the Elder

Semi-Asian Slaw Salad & Chicken Kabobs

My Mom makes this super fab salad with a bag of broccoli slaw, Ramen noodles for crunch, and some kind of magical and mysterious dressing that is tangy, slightly salty, and sweet. It's a really good salad. Like eat-a-giant-bowl-of-it-in-front-of-the-TV-late-at-night good. It could almost take the place of popcorn, in that regard. But not quite.

For my dressing, I started with a sesame soy salad dressing. I also marinated the chicken for the kabobs in some of the same dressing. I used an all-natural one made by Olde Cape Cod, just because I couldn't stop myself from buying the bottle with the lighthouse on the label. And I regret nothing.

For the salad, I added a few other things to the dressing partially to thin it out, and to give it more of that tangy-sweet kick. You want the consistency to be quite thin so that it just barely coats all the slaw-ed veggies without being too heavy. I truly wish I'd had some sesame oil on hand, but since I didn't, I improvised. Just be sure to add each ingredient in small increments so you can get to exactly the flavor that you want.

Ingredients:

Dressing

Olive oil

Salt and pepper

Apple cider vinegar or rice wine vinegar

Sesame/Ginger/Soy type salad dressing (For marinating the chicken and as a base for the salad dressing)

Honey

Chili oil - Just a few drops

Soy sauce

Salad

Sesame seeds

Slivered almonds

1 green onion, sliced

Crumbled Ramen noodles

1 small can mandarin orange slices, drained

1 bag broccoli slaw veggies. (For an easy egg roll recipe using the same veggies, try this. You could even use leftover slaw salad!)

Chicken

2 chicken breasts, cut into pieces and marinated in sesame dressing

Directions

1. Stick chicken onto bamboo or steel skewers and cook in a grill pan or skillet over medium-low heat until cooked through. (You could also use a George Foreman Grill, too).

2. Whisk dressing ingredients together in a small bowl until you are happy with the flavor.

3. In a large bowl, combine veggies, mandarin oranges, and sesame seeds. Drizzle with dressing and combine until ingredients are just coated.

4. Plate the salad, then sprinkle with slivered almonds, Ramen noodles, and green onion. Serve with kabobs.

To the dressing, you could also add fresh ginger, hot sauce, or some garlic, if you're in the mood.

For us, this made three servings, which to me is just about perfect. We had a yummy dinner and Brady will have a yummy lunch tomorrow. When I'm home during the day I enjoy my lunchtime meal experiments, so this works out well for everybody. 

In other news, tomorrow is my birthday! I suppose I'm not mentioning this for any particular reason other than to say that we will be having dinner at my very favorite Philadelphia restaurant, The White Dog Cafe, which I am very excited about. We don't go there often (I think I've been four times or so) but each time has been a fantastic experience. I can't wait!

Quote of the Day: “Maturity has more to do with what types of experiences you've had, and what you've learned from them, and less to do with how many birthdays you've celebrated.” ~ Anonymous

Quinoa with Sauteed Spinach & A Fried Egg on Top

Tomorrow is a 5:00 alarm day, so tonight's post is kind of a short one, but that's fitting for this recipe. It's simple, easy, and one of the quickest dinners I've come up with so far.

I'm not really sure where the idea for this dish came from, which might be obvious by the seemingly random nature of it. But I promise - it's tasty! And as a bonus, it's vegetarian and super nutritious, with lots of iron, protein, and fiber.

...But photogenic, it is not.

 This recipe serves two:

Ingredients:

2 eggs

1/2 cup quinoa, rinsed in a mesh strainer

1/2 onion, chopped

1 bunch spinach, washed

1 clove garlic, thinly sliced

Grated Parmesan cheese

Pat of butter

Olive oil

Salt and Pepper

Directions:

1. In a small pan, boil about 2 cups of water, and add quinoa. Bring back to a boil, then simmer until water is gone.

2. In a large skillet, saute onions in olive oil (about 1 1/2 turns of the pan) until they start to become translucent. Add the garlic and saute another two or three minutes.

3. Start heating up a frying pan, melting a small pat of butter.

4. Add spinach to the garlic and onion, add about a tablespoon of water, and cover. Cook until spinach is fully wilted. Add cooked quinoa and salt and pepper, and saute with spinach for one or two minutes, or until combined.

5. In the frying pan, crack and fry an egg - one per serving, up to 3 - and cook them according to your preference. To serve, just plate the quinoa, place an egg on top, and sprinkle it with a little Parmesan.

Since I have half of a bunch of asparagus left from last night's dinner, I was tempted to add that. I didn't but you definitely could add some, chopped up, with your spinach. Sliced yellow squash would also be good, and would add another pop of color to the plate. This dish is tasty with hot sauce on the egg, if you're into that.

Crock Pot Beef Roast with Potatoes, Onions & Tomatoes

I know what you're probably thinking right now - beef roasts don't exactly fit with the premise of this blog, especially the "healthy" bit. But this blog is also about real life, and in real life sometimes you have a crap day at work and decide to make a juicy beef roast for dinner because a salad just wouldn't cut it. Also sometimes your job is great and you just want some beef, and for all of your sakes I hope that this is the case. Not to mention the numerous benefits of a crock pot for anyone with a "real life" schedule.

You'll just have to trust me when I say that I made much healthier food in between the butter-loaded mushroom balls with gravy, and the beef roast... also with gravy. Because I did.

... But I digress.

One of the most wonderful things about crock pots, and slow cookers in general, is that you can slow-cook a very inexpensive cut of meat and turn it into a tender, juicy, buttery meal. For this roast I used a just-under-two-pound center-cut chuck steak.

Ingredients:

seasoned or kosher salt

garlic powder

thyme or paprika

2ish lb center-cut chuck steak

1 onion, chopped

2 potatoes, chopped

2 cloves garlic, smashed

1 can whole or stewed tomatoes (I used about 14 oz of whole tomatoes, and I think more would be even better)

1 packet onion soup mix

about 1 tablespoon cornstarch, or white flour

Directions

1. In your crock pot, toss in 2 large-chopped potatoes, a chopped onion, the garlic, and some whole or stewed tomatoes with all their juices. Combine the soup mix with about a cup of water, and pour it in.

2. Rub the meat with seasoned salt, a little garlic powder, and thyme or paprika. (I used thyme). In a pan, brown the meat on both sides, then plop it on top of the veggies and set the crock to "low". This is important: DON'T wash the pan. You'll want those crusty bits later.

3. Cook for about 5-8 hours on low, depending on your machine. 

My 5 quart machine was a bit large for this, but there was no way it would have fit in the 2 quarter. Just keep in mind that if your crock is less than 2/3 full, you should check on it occasionally to be sure nothing is getting overdone. After about 6 hours the roast was tender and juicy, and the potatoes were not over-mushy.

4. Gravy: When cooking is complete, switch crock to "warm," and ladle out about 1.5 cups of the brothy juices into the pan you used to brown the meat. Over medium-low heat, use a metal spatula to scrape the pan while the juices heat up. Then, whisking constantly, GRADUALLY add about a tablespoon of cornstarch, or some flour. Cook gravy until it has thickened and reduced slightly.

Yes, that is a paper towel pretending to be a napkin. Don't judge me.

Cut the meat, spoon out some veggies, pour a little gravy on top and enjoy! This should really be served with a good fresh bread to soak up the delicious juices. Of course, this made much more meat than we could eat, but I am looking forward to using in a steak & eggs creation for brunch tomorrow.

You can easily experiment with the veggies in this dish. Root vegetables will fare best, so think carrots, parsnips, turnips, etc. You could also use mushrooms, but I would add those about 30-40 mins before you want the dish to be done. They are otherwise apt to turn into mush.

Brady said that this tasted like something his Grandma would make, and though I've never had the pleasure of experiencing her cooking, I took it as a big compliment!

Quote of the Day: "The feeling of friendship is like that of being comfortably filled with roast beef; love, like being enlivened with champagne."  ~ Samuel Johnson