Recipe of the Week

The following recipe is definitely one of our favorites!  It's one of our recurring meals.  Partly because it's not only delicious, but "souper" nutritious! ;)

Lentil and Vegetable Soup
Serves 4+, Total Time 30 min

Ingredients:
1 Tbsp olive oil
4 medium carrots, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
1 tsp ground cumin
1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes
1 can (14.5 oz) vegetable broth
1 cup lentils
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp ground black pepper
1 bag (5 oz) spinach

Directions:

1. In a 4 quart saucepan, heat oil on medium until hot.  Add carrots and onion and, and cook 6 to 8 minutes or until lightly browned and tender. Stir in cumin; cook 1 minute.
2. Add tomatoes, broth, lentils, 2 cups water, salt, and pepper; cover and heat to boiling on high.  Reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, 8 to 10 minutes or until lentils are tender.  Stir in spinach.

 This recipe is actually for red lentils and calls for a cup of red dried lentils.  I, however, didn't find any dried red lentils, so I just bought a bag of "regular" lentils.  When I made this recipe as written with the lentils I bought, it took forever for the lentils to become tender.  The last time I made it I let the lentils soak in the 2 cups of water for a couple of hours or so before making the soup; that really helped.  Obviously, it's a soup, so use your own preferences for size of pot/pan for cooking the onion and carrot, as well as the size that you'd like the carrot and onion pieces to be.  I've made this recipe with both fresh spinach and frozen chopped spinach; both ways are delicious, though my favorite was the fresh spinach.

I found this recipe on the Delish.com website.

Recipe of the Week

I tried a few different whole wheat pumpkin pancake recipes, and this is the one that I liked the best.  Although, it really does just depend on what you like.  This recipe does not yield the fluffiest pancakes, but they aren't too "cakey" either.  It contains a lot of pumpkin! :)

Whole Wheat Pumpkin Pancakes
Serves 4

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
3 tsps baking powder
2 Tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 cup milk
1 cup pumpkin puree
1 large egg, beaten slightly
2 Tbsp butter, melted

Directions:

1. In a large batter bowl stir together flour, baking powder, sugar, salt, cinnamon, and pumpkin pie spice.
2. Make a well in the center and add in milk, pumpkin puree, egg, and butter.  Stir until well combined.
3. Preheat a large greased skillet and pour desired amount of batter.  Flip pancakes when tiny pin sized bubbles appear and/or edges are solid.
4. Serve warm.

I did two things slightly different than as the recipe was written.  I used dark brown sugar instead of regular granulated sugar, and I mixed all of the wet ingredients prior to adding them to the well of dry ingredients.

This recipe comes from the Mother Thyme website.

Recipe of the Week

Maybe I should switch to calling this "Recipe of the Month", haha.  Well, I'll give it another try to post a recipe weekly.

Savory Spaghetti Squash
Serves 4, Total time 45 minutes

Ingredients:
1 spaghetti squash, halved lengthwise and seeded
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 1/2 cups chopped tomatoes
3/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
3 Tbsp sliced black olives
2 Tbsp chopped fresh basil

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Lightly grease a baking sheet.
2. Place spaghetti squash cut side down on the baking sheet, and bake 30 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a sharp knife can be inserted with only a little resistance.  Remove squash from oven, and set aside to cool enough to be easily handled.
3. Meanwhile, heat oil in a skillet over medium heat.  Saute onion in oil until tender.  Add garlic and saute for 2-3 minutes.  Stir in the tomatoes and cook until tomatoes are warm.
4. Use a large spoon to scoop the stringy pulp from the squash, and place in a medium bowl.  Toss with sauteed vegetables, olives, feta cheese, and basil.  Serve warm.

 After reading some of the reviews for this recipe, I took a user's suggestion and poured a bit of water at the bottom of the baking sheet that the squash was placed on.  The squash did take longer than 30 minutes to cook, so be prepared for that.  I also just used dried basil to taste, as opposed to fresh basil, and that worked out well!  I served this dish with meatballs!

I found this recipe on the Allrecipes website.

Recipe of the Week

Sweet-and-Sour Green Beans
Serves 2-4, Total Time 15 min

Ingredients:
3/4 lb green beans
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 medium shallot, minced
2 Tbsp cider vinegar
1 tsp sugar
Salt and Pepper

Directions:

1. Place the green beans in a steamer basket set over a large saucepan of boiling water.  Steam until bright green and crisp-tender, about 5 minutes.
2. In a medium skillet, heat the oil.  Add the shallot and cook over high heat, stirring until softened, about 2 minutes.  Add the vinegar and sugar; stir to dissolve the sugar.  Remove from heat and stir in the beans.  Season with salt and pepper.  Toss well and serve.

I did a few things differently when making this recipe.  I used yellow onion in place of the shallot, but only an amount equivalent to about the size of a shallot (maybe 1/8 medium onion).  I also did not cook the onion on high heat.  I cooked it on med-med/high.  I did not have a steam basket, so I placed only about an inch or so of water at the bottom of a pot, added the green beans, covered the pot, and let boil for about 5 minutes that way.

I found this recipe on the Delish.com website.

Recipe of the Week

Made-over Meatloaf
Serves 4-6, Prep time 10 min, Total Time 1 Hr 10 min

Ingredients:
2 cups bran flakes
1/2 cup BBQ sauce, divided
2 egg whites
3/4 lb extra lean ground beef
1 yellow onion, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
1 carrot, shredded

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Mix cereal, 1/3 cup bbq sauce, and egg whites in large bowl until well blended.  Add remaining ingredients and mix lightly.
3. Shape into loaf; place on foil lined loaf of broiler pan.  Brush with remaining sauce.
4. Bake one hour or until done (160 degrees).

This recipe is very vegetable-y, which is one reason it's healthier than traditional meatloaf.  I served mine with mashed potatoes.  I found this recipe on the Kraft recipes website.

Recipe of the Week

Slow Cooker Pepper Steak
Serves 6, Prep time 20 min, cook time 4-10 hours

Ingredients:
2 lbs beef sirloin, cut into 2 inch strips
garlic powder to taste
3 tbsp vegetable oil
1 cube beef bouillon
1/4 cup hot water
1 tbsp corn starch
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 large bell peppers, roughly chopped
1 (14.5 oz) can stewed tomatoes
3 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt

Directions:

1. In a large skillet over medium heat, heat the oil and brown the beef strips seasoned with garlic powder.  Transfer to slow cooker.
2. Dissolve bouillon cube in hot water then add corn starch, mix until dissolved.  Pour into the slow cooker with meat.
3. Stir in remaining ingredients.
4. Cover and cook on high 4-6 hours, or low 6-8 hours.

I used olive oil instead of vegetable oil, and I served the dish over brown rice. I found this recipe on the allrecipes website.

Recipe of the Week

Spicy Garlic and Lime Chicken
Serves 4, Total time: 25 min.

Ingredients:
3/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/8 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/8 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp dried thyme
1/4 tsp dried parsley
4 boneless skinless chicken breast (halves)
2 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 tsps garlic powder
3 Tbsp lime juice

Directions:

1. In a small bowl, mix together salt, black pepper, cayenne, paprika, 1/4 tsp garlic powder, onion powder, thyme, and parsley.  Sprinkle seasoning mixture on both sides of the chicken breasts.
2. Heat butter and olive oil in a large heavy skillet on medium heat.  Saute chicken until golden brown, about 6 minutes each side.  Sprinkle with 2 tsps garlic powder and lime juice.  Cook 5 minutes, stirring frequently to coat evenly with sauce.

I'm sure you could use less butter or substitute something else for it for a healthier option.  I found this recipe on yummly.com

Recipe of the Week

I found the following recipe on allrecipes.com.  It's actual title there was "Grilled Salmon I", but I renamed it, haha.  Also, since I only cook for 2, typically, I reduced the amount of ingredients as necessary.  The ingredients shown are as they are in the original.  Also, instead of seasoning the fish prior to marinating, I did it afterwards... So, do whatever floats your boat.

Sweet & Tangy Grilled Salmon
Servings: 6, Time: 2 hours to marinate, 30 minutes prep/cook

Ingredients:
1-1/2 lb salmon
lemon pepper, to taste
garlic powder, to taste
salt, to taste
1/3 cup soy sauce
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup water
1/4 cup vegetable oil

Directions:
1.  Season salmon fillets with lemon pepper, garlic powder, and salt.
2.  In a small bowl, stir together soy sauce, brown sugar, water, and oil until sugar is dissolved.
3.  Place fish in a resealable plastic bag with soy sauce mixture, seal, and turn to coat.  Refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
4.  Preheat grill, or pan.  Place salmon on grill/pan and discard marinade.  Cook salmon on each side until it flakes easily with fork (about 6-8 min per side).

Recipe of the Week

BBQ Roasted Chicken with Parmesan Potatoes
Total time:  55 min, Servings: 4

Ingredients:
1 lb red potatoes, quartered
1/4 cup italian dressing
1 1/2 tsp chili powder, divided
4 small boneless skinless chicken breast halves (1 lb)
1/4 cup bbq sauce
2 Tbsp grated parmesan cheese

Directions:
1.  Heat oven to 400 degrees F.
2.  Toss potatoes with dressing in 13x9 inch nonstick pan; sprinkle with 1/2 tsp chili powder.  Bake for 25 minutes.
3.  Stir potatoes, push to sides of pan.  Place chicken in single layer in center of pan; sprinkle with remaining chili powder.  Drizzle with bbq sauce.
4.  Bake 20 min or until chicken is done and potatoes are tender.  Transfer chicken to platter.  Stir potatoes to evenly coat with pan drippings.  Spoon around chicken on platter; top with parmesan.