Shepard's Pie with Sweet Potato topping

INGREDIENTS
1 pound ground sirloin (turkey, chicken or lamb also work)
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon ground sage
1 teaspoon dried thyme
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon cayenne
2 carrots - diced
1 medium onion - diced
3 garlic cloves - grated
2 tablespoons white whole wheat flour (or all-purpose)
2 cups beef or chicken broth - low sodium
1 cup peas - frozen
4 cups Maple Whipped Sweet Potatoes
6 ounces shredded Manchego cheese (or other sharp cheese)

INSTRUCTIONS
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
Heat a large, deep sauté pan over medium-high heat and spray with cooking spray.
Add ground sirloin to the hot pan along with Worcester sauce, sage, thyme, salt and cayenne. Cook until browned, 7-9 minutes, using a wooden spoon to break down meat. Remove cooked beef from pan and set aside.
In the same pan, sauté carrots, onions and minced garlic over medium heat until tender, about 6-7 minutes, stirring frequently.
Add reserved beef back to the pan and sprinkle entire mixture with flour. Cook for 60 seconds then pour in chicken broth. Bring back to a boil then reduce heat to low. Simmer until gravy starts to form.
Stir in frozen peas and cook until heated through, 1-2 minutes.
Spread beef and vegetable mixture in an even layer on the bottom of a casserole or 8 x 11 baking dish.
Top the beef mixture with the whipped sweet potatoes and use a rubber or offset spatula to spread evenly.
Sprinkle with shredded cheese then bake in the oven until bubbly and golden brown on top, 45-55 minutes depending on oven strength.
Garnish with fresh parsley before serving.

INGREDIENTS

• 6 large sweet potatoes - peeled and cubed
• 2 cups whole milk plain yogurt (I used plain Greek yogurt)
• ¼ cup pure maple syrup
• 3 tablespoons butter - unsalted
• 2 teaspoons orange zest (I did not use this)
• 1.5 teaspoons salt
• ½ teaspoon pepper

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Place sweet potatoes in a large pot and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to low. Simmer until potatoes are fork tender, 7-9 minutes. Strain potatoes and set aside to cool slightly.
2. Add all remaining ingredients to a food processor (yogurt through pepper) as well as the strained sweet potatoes. Pulse on high until smooth and creamy.
3. Check for seasoning and adjust accordingly before serving.

Italian Sausage-Potato-Spinach(or Kale) Soup

A hearty, comforting soup that's so easy and simple to make, loaded with tons of fiber and flavor! 329.5 calories.

Very Delicious!

INGREDIENTS

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 pound spicy or milld Italian sausage, casing removed
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 onion, diced
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, optional (can put in ind. bowls)
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 5 cups chicken broth
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 pound red potatoes, diced
• 3 cups baby spinach
• 1/4 cup heavy cream (used whole milk and was fine--what I had)

INSTRUCTIONS

• Heat olive oil in a large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add Italian sausage and cook until browned, about 3-5 minutes, making sure to crumble the sausage as it cooks; drain excess fat.
• Stir in garlic, onion, oregano, basil and red pepper flakes. Cook, stirring frequently, until onions have become translucent, about 2-3 minutes; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
• Stir in chicken broth and bay leaf, and bring to a boil. Add potatoes and cook until tender, about 10 minutes.
• Stir in spinach until it begins to wilt, about 1-2 minutes. Stir in heavy cream until heated through, about 1 minute; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
• Serve immediately.

Glaze for salmon

We made this just for 4 filets and we set some aside before grilling to pour over the salmon after, although it didn't really need it.  Also, we put vegetable oil on the grates to keep it from sticking especially because ours didn't have skin on either side.

• 3 tablespoons light brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1/4 cup Dijon mustard
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon finely grated ginger
• Vegetable oil
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 8 salmon fillets, 6 ounces each

On the side burner or stove top, melt the brown sugar, honey and butter in a small saute pan over medium-high heat. Remove from the heat and whisk in the mustard, soy sauce, olive oil and ginger. Let cool.

Preheat grill to medium heat. Brush salmon with vegetable oil and season with salt and pepper to taste. Place the salmon skin side down on the grill. Coat the flesh of the salmon fillets with the brown sugar mixture. Grill for 6 to 8 minutes to medium doneness, turning once after 5 to 6 minutes.

Spinach Garlic Pasta Sauce

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 Cloves of garlic, sliced
• 2 8oz/240g bags of fresh baby spinach
• salt & pepper
• 8 oz/240g spaghetti (any pasta, great on tortellini)
• ½ cup/40g grated Parmesan or Pecorino Romano Cheese (plus more for serving)

Instructions

1. Heat the olive oil In a large deep frying pan on medium high heat.
2. Add the garlic and cook to soften but not quite brown.
3. Add the spinach and saute with the garlic until wilted. Season with salt and pepper, remove from heat and set aside.
4. Cook the pasta according to the package instructions. Reserve a cup of the pasta water before draining. Drain, and set aside.
5. Add the spinach and garlic mixture to a food processor or blender with the cheese and half of the pasta water. Puree until it forms a sauce (adding more pasta water if needed).
6. Add the and sauce back onto the pan to combine and heat through, again adding more pasta water if needed.
7. Once heated through, taste and season with more salt and pepper if necessary.serve sprinkled with extra grated cheese.

Stir-Fried Bok Choy

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
8 cups chopped fresh bok choy
2 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
Salt and ground black pepper
Directions

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and ginger and cook 1 minute. Add bok choy and soy sauce cook 3 to 5 minutes, until greens are wilted and stalks are crisp-tender. Season, to taste, with salt and black pepper.

We paired this with fried rice (found on this blog) and shrimp (took out bok choy when it was done and sautéed shrimp up in same pan).  This could be paired with steak or chicken too.

Crockpot BBQ shredded chicken-

Serves: 4-6

Ingredients

• 2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1 cup BBQ sauce
• ¼ cup Italian dressing
• ¼ cup brown sugar
• 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• salt to taste

Instructions

1. Season chicken breast lightly ( a small pinch per breast) with some sea salt and place in your crockpot.
2. In a mixing bowl combine BBQ sauce, Italian dressing, brown sugar and Worcestershire sauce. Stir until well combined.
3. Pour over chicken, cover and cook on HIGH for 3-4 hours or 6-7 on low.
4. Once time is up shred with 2 forks, recover and let cook in sauce for about 10-15 more minutes to soak up all that delish flavor.
5. Serve on buns, over rice, in wraps, on a salad or eat a plateful as is or on fresh rolls, topped with coleslaw. (We served it with cornbread casserole found on this blog.)

PERFECT M&M and Chocolate Chip cookies

Ingredients

• 1 stick unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1-1/2 cups all purpose Gold Medal Flour
• 3 tablespoons Instant vanilla pudding mix
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 3/4 cup mini chocolate chips
• 1 or 1-1/2 cups Mini M and M’s

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. and line a large baking sheet with a silpat liner or parchment paper.
2. In a large mixing bowl cream your butter and sugars until well combined. Add your egg and vanilla mixing to combine. Add your flour, pudding mix, baking soda and salt, stirring to combine. Add chips and m and m’s stirring to combine.
3. With a medium cookie scoop, place dough 1 inch apart from each other. Bake for 10-12 minutes until cooked through. Let cool on cookie sheet for 10 minutes before transferring to cooling rack. Enjoy!

Makes 2 dozen cookies

cinnamon bun coffee cake

CINNAMON ROLL CAKE

 

INGREDIENTS

• 3 cups flour
• ¼ tsp. salt
• 1 cup sugar
• 4 tsp. baking powder
• 1½ cups milk
• 2 eggs
• 2 tsp. vanilla
• ½ cup butter, melted

TOPPING

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 2 Tbsp. flour
• 1 Tbsp. cinnamon

GLAZE

• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 5 Tbsp. milk
• 1 tsp. vanilla

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9×13 glass baking pan with cooking spray. Set aside.
2. In an electric or stand mixer add the flour, salt, sugar, baking powder, milk, eggs, and vanilla. Once combined well , slowly stir in the melted butter. Pour into the prepared 9×13 baking pan.

For topping

1. In a large bowl, cream butter, brown sugar, flour and cinnamon together until well combined and creamy. Drop evenly over the batter by the tablespoonfuls and use a knife to marble/swirl through the cake.
2. Bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes or when a toothpick inserted near the center comes out nearly clean.

FOR GLAZE

1. In a medium bowl, mix the powdered sugar, milk and vanilla together with a whisk. Drizzle evenly over the warm cake. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Thai Spring Soup

Ingredients:

• 1 teaspoon canola oil or coconut oil
• 1 large shallot, minced
• 3 to 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1" piece of ginger root, peeled and grated
• 6 cups chicken broth
• 3 pieces (about 5" each) peeled fresh lemongrass, crushed with the back of a knife
• 2 cups boneless, skinless chicken breast, cooked and shredded or rotissari chicken shredded or we used shrimp 
• 4 baby bok choy or 1 regular boy choy, roughly chopped (approx 1" pieces)
• ¼ cup cilantro leaves
• ¼ cup small basil leaves or Thai basil leaves
• 2 tablespoons lime juiced (1 small lime)
• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 ounces dry rice noodles (see Note)
• ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)

Directions:

PREP:

1. Mince shallots and garlic. Peel ginger and grate into a small dish. Combine garlic and ginger and set aside. 
2. Use back of knife to smash the lemongrass (don't worry, it is being removed from the soup prior to serving!).  
3. Wash Bok Choy and chop into 1" pieces. Measure ¼ cup cilantro leaves and ¼ cup (small) basil leaves and combine in a bowl with salt and lime juice. Weigh 2-ounces of rice noodles and set aside. 

COOK:

1. Heat a soup pot over medium high heat. Once hot, add oil.
2. Add shallots; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. 
3. Add ginger and garlic; cook 30 seconds, stirring constantly. 
4. Add chicken broth, stir to loosen any rough bits of garlic, etc. from bottom of pot. Raise heat to bring to a boil. 
5. Once boiling, add smashed lemongrass stalks, reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes. 
6. Remove lemongrass and discard. 
7. Stir in shredded chicken and Bok Choy; simmer 3 minutes. (If using shrimp add after bok choy has been in for a min. or so.)
8. Add dry rice noodles directly to soup, cook for 2 minutes. 
9. Remove from heat and add cilantro, basil, salt and lime juice. Stir to combine. Serve immediately with crushed red pepper flakes sprinkled on top and Enjoy!

Inside-Out Cabbage Rolls

YIELD:6 servings---- Total time about 45min

Ingredients
1 pound lean ground beef
1 large onion, chopped
1 large bell pepper, chopped
1 small head cabbage, chopped
1 can (10 ounces) diced tomatoes and green chilies
1 cup reduced-sodium beef broth
1 can (8 ounces) pizza sauce
1 cup cooked brown or white rice
Salt (I used seasoning salt), Pepper, oregano to taste
Red Pepper Flakes (optional and we put in individual bowls)


Directions
1. In a Dutch oven, cook the beef, onion and green pepper over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain.

2. Stir in the cabbage, tomatoes, broth and pizza sauce.  Season with salt, pepper, and oregano.  Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 20-25 minutes or until cabbage is tender, stirring occasionally.

3. Stir in rice; heat through. Remove from the heat. Enjoy

Banana Chocolate Bars

ingredients

BANANA CHOCOLATE CHIP BARS

• 2 cups flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup butter (softened)
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 cup brown sugar (packed)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 cup mashed ripe bananas (about 3-4 bananas)
• 1 Egg
• 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips or m&m candies
• powdered sugar for garnish

step-by-step directions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 16x12 sheet pan (cookie sheet with sides) with butter.
• Using an electric mixer beat together butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar. Add the egg and continue to beat until fluffy.
• Add vanilla and bananas and continue to blend.
• In a separate mixing bowing combine flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt.
• Mix the dry ingredients into the wet mixture just until incorporate then stir in chocolate. Spread evenly in the prepared sheet pan.
• Bake for 20-25 minutes until edges are golden brown and springs back when pressed gently with your finger. Cool completely, garnish with powdered sugar and slice.

Sausage and Chicken Gumbo

Ingredients

1 tablespoon plus 1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 pound smoked sausage, such as andouille or kielbasa, cut crosswise 1/2-inch thick pieces

4 pounds chicken thighs, skin removed

1 tablespoon Essence or Creole seasoning, recipe follows

1 cup all-purpose flour

2 cups chopped onions

1 cup chopped celery

1 cup chopped bell peppers

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon cayenne

3 bay leaves

9 cups chicken stock or canned low-sodium chicken broth

1/2 cup chopped green onions

2 tablespoons chopped parsley leaves

1 tablespoon file powder

White Rice, recipe follows

Hot sauce

Directions

In a large enameled cast iron Dutch oven or large pot, heat 1 tablespoon of the vegetable oil over medium-high heat. Add the sausage and cook until well browned, about 8 minutes. Remove the sausage with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Set aside.

Season the chicken with the Essence and add in batches to the fat remaining in the pan. Cook over medium-high heat until well browned, 5 to 6 minutes. Remove the chicken from the pan, let cool, and then refrigerate until ready to use.

Combine the remaining 1/2 cup oil and the flour in the same Dutch oven over medium heat. Cook, stirring slowly and constantly for 20 to 25 minutes, to make a dark brown roux, the color of chocolate.

Add the onions, celery, and bell peppers and cook, stirring, until wilted, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the reserved sausage, salt, cayenne, and bay leaves, stir, and cook for 2 minutes. Stirring, slowly add the chicken stock, and cook, stirring, until well combined. Bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, uncovered and stirring occasionally, for 1 hour.

Add the reserved chicken to the pot and simmer for 1 1/2 hours, skimming off any fat that rises to the surface.

Remove the pot from the heat. Using a slotted spoon, remove the chicken thighs from the gumbo and place on a cutting board to cool slightly. Remove and discard the bay leaves. Pull the chicken meat from the bones and shred, discarding the bones and skin. Return the meat to the gumbo and stir in the green onions, parsley, and file powder.

Spoon rice into the bottom of deep bowls or large cups and ladle the gumbo on top. Serve, passing hot sauce on the side.

Emeril's ESSENCE Creole Seasoning (also referred to as Bayou Blast):

2 1/2 tablespoons paprika

2 tablespoons salt

2 tablespoons garlic powder

1 tablespoon black pepper

1 tablespoon onion powder

1 tablespoon cayenne pepper

1 tablespoon dried oregano

1 tablespoon dried thyme

Combine all ingredients thoroughly.

Yield: 2/3 cup

Recipe from "New New Orleans Cooking", by Emeril Lagasse and Jessie Tirsch Published by William and Morrow, 1993.

White Rice:

2 cups long-grain white rice

4 cups water, chicken stock, or canned low-sodium chicken broth

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 bay leaf

In a 2-quart saucepan, combine the rice, water, butter, salt, and bay leaf and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer until all the liquid is absorbed, about 20 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and let sit, covered and undisturbed, for 5 minutes.

Uncover and fluff the rice with a fork. Discard the bay leaf and serve.

Yield: 7 cups

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Inactive Prep Time: 5 minutes

Recipe courtesy Emeril Lagasse