Pepper Pasta Sauce

Original Recipe HERE

 

I thought this was a sneaky way to get a bit of vegetables into my kids.  Except *J*'s picky streak continues and he barely ate any.  *N* had seconds but declared, "It tastes...vegetable-y."  And so I came clean, and the thought of a pepper (normally something they avoid like the plague) diminished her enjoyment of further bites.

 

Husband and I really liked this.  I thought the pepper gave the sauce a nice twist and a slight sweetness.  I made several variations on the original recipe: amount of onion and garlic, addition of tomato paste, different type of sausage and tomatoes.

 

Ingredients

1 lb (16 oz box) dry pasta [I used small shells]

1 Tablespoon olive oil

1/4 cup onion, finely chopped

1 orange bell pepper, chopped

2 to 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 lb sausage [I used pre-cooked chicken]

1 can (14.5 oz) diced or crushed tomatoes

1 to 2 Tablespoons tomato paste [I used 2]

1/2 to 1 cup heavy cream [I used 1/2 cup]

1/2 to 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese [I used 2/3 cup]

 

Directions

(1) Cook pasta according to package directions.

(2) Meanwhile, heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.

(3) Add onion and pepper to skillet.  Saute until just tender, about 3-5 minutes.

(4) While vegetables are cooking, cut sausages in half length-wise and then into small slices.

(5) Add garlic to skillet.  Saute until softened but not browned.

(6) Stir in tomatoes and heavy cream.  Reduce heat to medium-low; cook about 5 minutes.

(7) Use an immersion blender to puree sauce to desired consistency.

(8) Add sausage to sauce; heat through.

(9) Stir in Parmesan cheese until mixed well.

(10) Serve sauce over pasta.

 

Kid Participation: None.

Slowcooker Corn & Bean Soup

Original Recipe HERE

 

This is a standard, sturdy recipe that doesn't open new culinary horizons, but it's tasty and healthy and light enough that you don't feel like you have five gallons of soup sloshing around in your stomach afterward.

 

Ingredients

1 Tablespoon olive oil

1 medium onion, diced

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 teaspoon chili powder

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 can (28 oz) diced tomato

2 cans (15 oz each) beans of choice, drained & rinsed [I used black and pinto]

1 bag (1 lb) frozen corn kernels

1 medium zucchini, grated & drained

1 bell pepper, chopped

1 box (32 oz) vegetable stock

accompaniments

 

Directions

(1) Heat oil on medium heat in a large skillet.

(2) Add onions; cook for 3 minutes.

(3) Add garlic, chili powder, and cumin.  Cook 1 minute.

(4) Transfer onion mixture to slow cooker.

(5) Add remaining ingredients; stir to combine.

(6) Cook on low 6-8 hours or high 3-4 hours.

(7) Serve with accompaniments: sliced green onions, shredded cheese, sour cream, salsa, etc.

 

Kid Participation: None.

Sausage, Pepper, & Potato Bake

Original Recipe HERE

 

I made some tweaks to the original recipe - namely, adding turmeric.  It wasn't sure if the dish would have enough flavor for my liking.  And there's only so many times you can dump garlic salt into something before your taste buds start getting immune to the flavor.  I fished around my spice shelf, opened a few containers and sniffed, and decided it was turmeric's night to shine.  I liked the result and resolved to use this unappetizingly colorful spice more frequently.

 

Ingredients

4 precooked sausage links [I used chicken]

4 Tablespoons olive oil, divided

3 cups red potatoes, cubed

1/4 teaspoon turmeric [or to taste]

2 peppers, diced [red, green, yellow, or orange]

1 leek [white part], cleaned and sliced

4 cloves garlic, smashed and coarsely chopped

14-oz can diced tomatoes, drained

1-1/2 cups chicken broth

salt & pepper

3/4 cup shredded cheese of your choice [I used garlic & herb]

 

Directions

(1) Preheat oven to 350 F.

(2) Slice sausage in half lengthwise and then into thin slices.

(3) Heat 1 Tablespoon olive oil in a large, deep skillet over medium heat.  Add sausage; brown.  Remove from skillet; set aside.

(4) Add 2 Tablespoons olive oil to skillet.  Add potatoes; cook 6-8 minutes or until a light brown crust forms.  Halfway through cooking, add turmeric.

(5) Add peppers; saute 2-3 minutes or until peppers are tender-crisp.  Remove mixture from skillet; set aside.

(6) Add remaining olive oil to skillet.  Add leek; saute 2-3 minutes or until tender.

(7) Add garlic; saute 1 minute.

(8) Add tomatoes to skillet; stir mixture well.

(9) Add broth; bring to a gentle boil.  Season with salt and pepper.

(10) Pour mixture into 2-quart casserole dish.  Cover with foil; bake 45 minutes.  Remove foil; sprinkle with cheese; bake an additional 10 minutes.

 

Kid Participation: None.

Black Bean Burgers

Original Recipe HERE

Husband loves him some cheeseburgers.  Bacon cheddar burgers, to be exact.  If there is one on the menu at a restaurant, he will order it.  It's maddening...it's like "Groundhog Day" every time we go out to eat.  And he also loves to grill at home, though he himself has dubbed his offerings "bronto-burgers" because of their extreme girth and density (he packs the meat so tightly...wait, that doesn't sound right...).  I'm always on him to please not use so much breadcrumbs and to flatten them out more.

Finally I took matters into my own hands and made these.  And we all liked them!  I may have just earned myself a permanent job as burger master.  As expected, the kids took the patties out of the buns and ate everything separately, but even Husband had to concede that these non-bronto-burgers were good.  The ingredient list below made eight full-size burgers.

Ingredients

3/4 cup panko

3 Tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons olive oil, divided

2 (15 oz.) cans black beans, drained and rinsed

2 large eggs

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika [optional]

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 red or orange bell pepper, finely diced

1 shallot, minced

1/2 cup shredded cheese [optional]
cheese slices [optional]
buns

Directions

(1) Combine panko with 2 teaspoons of the olive oil; mix with a fork to blend.

(2) Heat a small skillet over medium-high heat. Add panko mixture to the skillet.  Toast, stirring frequently, until light golden brown. Remove from the heat; cool to room temperature.

(3) Place 2½ cups of the beans in a large bowl.  Mash with a potato masher or a fork until mostly smooth.

(4) In a separate bowl, combine eggs, 1 Tablespoon of oil, and spices. Whisk to blend.

(5) Add egg mixture, toasted panko, remaining ½ cup beans, bell pepper, shallot, and cheese to the mashed beans. Stir until evenly combined.

(6) Divide mixture into 8 equal portions, about ½ cup each. Lightly pack into 1" thick patties (I used my 15-oz can strainer to make uniform patties).

(7) Heat 1 Tablespoon of oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Carefully lay half of the patties in the skillet; cook until well browned on both sides (8-10 minutes total).  Top with cheese slices during last minute of cooking if desired.

(8) Transfer cooked burgers to a plate and tent with foil.  Repeat with remaining oil and bean patties. Serve warm.

Kid Participation:

* Mash beans

* Mix together ingredients

* Form patties (if you don't mind cleaning up the resulting messy hands)

Couscous & Feta-stuffed Peppers

Original Recipe HERE

I was nervous about this dish because I don't always like cooked peppers.  Roasted, yes.  But so often they're served as part of something else and are mushy, limp, and almost bitter.  I'm pleased to announce that this dish has assuaged my fear and will be made again.  I assume the trick is to use sweeter peppers instead of green.

*J* ate the filling but didn't like the pepper shell, which was not a surprise.  What did shock me was how much *N* loved the entire thing, even asking for seconds.  I was so excited that she was eating peppers for once, instead of fastidiously picking them out of her meal, that I even let her use a "grown up knife" (under eagle-eyed supervision) to cut the pepper into bite-size pieces.

Ingredients
Vegetable-oil cooking spray
1 1/4 cups fat-free chicken or vegetable broth
2/3 cup couscous
4 extra-large or 5 large bell peppers [red, yellow, or orange]
2 teaspoons olive oil
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 zucchini or yellow squash [or a combination of both] peeled, quartered lengthwise, and sliced across thinly
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup cherry tomatoes, cut in half [or one large tomato, diced with seeds removed]
15 ounces canned chickpeas, drained and rinsed
4 ounces crumbled feta cheese
3 tablespoons tomato paste

Directions
(1) Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat a small baking dish with cooking spray.
(2) Bring the broth to a boil in a small pot.  Add the couscous; cover and remove from the heat.
(3) Cut stems and top half inch off peppers.  Scoop out seeds and membranes.
(4) Place peppers upright in the baking dish.  Roast for 15 minutes or until they soften.  Remove from the oven.
(5) Heat oil in a nonstick skillet. Add onion, zucchini, squash, oregano, and salt. Cook, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes or until vegetables are softened.
(6) Remove from heat and stir in tomatoes, chickpeas and tomato paste. Scrape the couscous into the skillet and toss with the vegetables. Stir in crumbled feta.
(7) Fill peppers with the couscous mixture. Bake 15 minutes. Serve immediately.
 
Notes: Only change I would make is to make the tomato flavor more pronounced (via pasta sauce or more tomato paste) to fit my personal preference.
 

Kid Participation: None.

Veggie Pizza Appetizers

This is a dish for which I pulled inspiration from several sources...several years ago.  It's a "make it up as you go to suit your own taste" kind of thing.  But it's always a hit at parties because people feel good about themselves for eating something loaded with vegetables.  It justifies going back for seconds (or fifths) of the queso dip or barbecue meatballs.  Using a variety of colorful vegetables - and chopping them very small so no one veggie dominates a particular slice of the pizza - draws attention to this appetizer.

Ingredients for "Sauce"

2 tubes crescent rolls

8 oz low-fat cream cheese [or to taste]

4 oz low-fat sour cream [or to taste]

bottled ranch dressing [or powdered ranch dressing mix]

1/4 cup salsa [optional]

grated parmesan [optional]

seasonings [garlic powder, salt, pepper, chili powder, cayenne, smoked

paprika etc.]

Ingredients for Toppings

green onions

broccoli

carrots

red onion

radishes

peppers [red, green, yellow, or orange]

shredded Mexican cheese [optional]

Directions

1) Put cream cheese in mixing bowl and allow to soften slightly.

2) Unroll crescent rolls and spread onto baking sheet.  Distribute as evenly as possible and seal all seams.

3) Bake crescent rolls according to package directions.  Remove from oven and allow to cool completely or until just slightly warm.

4) Add sour cream and ranch (and optional salsa) to cream cheese in several increments.  Mix thoroughly each time until desired consistency is reached (should be spreadable but not runny). 

5) Mix in optional parmsean and seasonings.  Evenly spread cheese mixture over crescent rolls.

6) Finely chop vegetables into smaller-than-bite-size pieces.  Toss together to mix well.

7) Scatter chopped vegetables over cheese mixture.  Top with shredded cheese (optional).  Gently press toppings to ensure they stay in place.

8) Cut pizza into pieces of desired size.  Refrigerate until serving.

Notes: None.

Kid Participation:

* Seal crescent roll seams

* Mix sauce ingredients together

* Spread sauce over crescent rolls

* Add toppings to pizza