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