Roasted Carrot Fries

You will not believe me until you try it yourself but these “fries” made out of carrots taste exactly like sweet potato fries, no lie. I was skeptical myself but decided give it a go just for fun and now I don’t think I’ll ever make homemade fries out of potatoes again.

Recipe originally found on Fast Paleo.

Ingredients

• carrots
• olive oil
• salt & pepper

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees

Cut carrots into match sticks {I go pretty thin on them}

Place on baking sheet, drizzle olive oil over them. Sprinkle salt + pepper. Toss them around so it’s even.

Into the oven they go for 20 {ish} minutes, these suckers can go from done to burnt fast so a little after the 15 minute mark watch them. If they’re not done at the 20 minute mark, I’d keep watching them at three minute increments {So I’d set my timer for another 3 minutes, check again, another 3, etc}

When done…try to let them cool for a minute before eating them.

This was our dinner yesterday: bun-less burgers with lettuce, tomato, avocado, pickles, bacon, a fried egg, mustard and homemade ketchup along with roasted carrot fries.

Preparation & Cooking Notes:

• As per their suggestion, I cut the carrots up pretty thin so they wouldn’t take forever in the oven.
• You only need a couple tablespoons of olive oil, just enough to coat everything. To make things a little easier and less messy I tossed my carrots, olive oil, salt & pepper in a bowl before spreading them onto a foil-lined baking sheet.
• After about 15 minutes at 350 degrees my carrots weren’t browning at all so I upped the temperature to 375 and made sure to watch them carefully. With my second batch I baked them at 375 the entire time and it took a little less time for them to brown.

Taste Notes:

• No kidding, they taste exactly like sweet potato fries…except they’re carrots!
• I have yet to find a way to perfectly bake fries, I always end up with some burnt and some mushy. I don’t know if this is a thickness issue or if fries are only 100% ideal when fried but they still taste great and I’m not complaining.

Cost Notes:

• Ingredients already owned: olive oil, salt & pepper.
• Ingredients purchased at HEB: 1 lb bag of whole carrots.
• Total spent: $1.98

Roasted Brussels Sprouts & Bacon

Never in my life have I ever eaten Brussels sprouts. I always thought that they were cute, like little mini cabbages grown for dolls, but it never occurred to me that they might actually taste good. Enter this recipe…it contains two things that I love: bacon and balsamic vinegar…need I say more?

Recipe originally found on Nom Nom Paleo.

Ingredients

• 1.5 pounds of Brussels sprouts
• 2-3 T avocado oil, melted lard or macadamia nut oil (or olive oil)
• 4 slices of bacon, diced
• salt & pepper
• balsamic vinegar

Preheat your oven to 400° F. Trim the ends and any old outer leaves from the Brussels sprouts.

Cut the sprouts in half and toss them with extra virgin olive oil, salt, and pepper. Dump them on a foil lined baking sheet, making sure to keep everything in one layer. Sprinkle the diced bacon over everything and pop the tray in the oven.

Photo borrowed from here.

The sprouts take about 30-35 minutes to roast, so set your timer for 10 minute intervals x 3 to regularly rotate and flip the sprouts ‘n swine. Check for seasoning and drizzle some of your favorite vinegar on the finished dish.

Preparation & Cooking Notes:

• This is really a very simple recipe and it only takes a few minutes to prep the Brussels sprouts for the oven.
• To avoid having a baking sheet to clean, cover it with a sheet of foil before pouring on the sprouts.
• Make sure to stir and move the sprouts around every 8-10 minutes with a spoon or spatula.

Taste Notes:

• Both my husband and I had never eaten Brussels sprouts before so I wasn’t sure what to expect but this recipe was a pleasant surprise! The crunchy bacon pieces and the balsamic vinegar add a wonderful flavor to the cabbage taste of the sprouts.
• Be careful not to over cook these or they will get mushy.
• These Brussels sprouts are perfect fresh out of the oven but not so great leftover because they lose their crispy-ness.

Cost Notes:

• Ingredients already owned: olive oil, salt, pepper & bacon.
• Ingredients purchased at HEB: 1.5 lbs of Brussels sprouts.
• Total spent: $3.98

Chicken & Kale Hand Pies

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and a very Happy New Year!

This recipe was adapted from this one originally found on Martha Stewart’s website.

Ingredients

• Flaky pie dough, two 12″ round (homemade or store bought)
• 2 T flour
• 1 T butter
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1 bunch kale
• 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves
• salt & ground pepper
• 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 cup chicken, shredded
• 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten

Preheat oven to 350 degrees (if baking immediately). Roll out pie dough. With a knife or biscuit cutter, cut out six 4 1/4-inch circles and transfer, on parchment, to a baking sheet. Repeat with remaining dough, cutting out six (larger) 4 1/2-inch rounds. Chill rounds on sheet until ready to use.In a large skillet, melt butter over medium-high. Add chopped onion and cook, stirring, until soft, 3-5 minutes. Add kale and thyme, season with salt and pepper, and cook until kale wilts, 3 minutes. Sprinkle flour over mixture and stir to combine. Add broth and bring to a boil. Cook, stirring often, until mixture thickens, 2 minutes. Transfer to a medium bowl, season with salt and pepper, and stir in chicken and shredded cheddar cheese. Let cool slightly.

Place a heaping 1/4 cup chicken mixture on each of the smaller dough rounds, leaving a 1/2-inch border. Brush edges with egg (or water) and top with larger dough rounds; using a fork, press edges firmly to seal. Cut a small vent in each pie. Bake until browned and crisp, 30 minutes, rotating sheet halfway through. Let cool slightly on sheets on a wire rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Preparation & Cooking Notes:

• Here are the main adjustments that I made to the original recipe: I substituted chopped onion for the leek and added cheese to the filling instead of having it in the crust.
• I just happened to have two store-bought pie crusts in my refrigerator so I used those instead of making my own, but I bet it would taste even better with a homemade crust.
• These little pies can be prepared the day of or stored in the refrigerator/freezer and popped in the oven later on (this is what I did and they turned out great).
• Be sure to thoroughly seal the top and bottom crust with a fork to avoid a blow-out.

Taste Notes:

• These little pies were absolutely delicious! The filling stayed nice and thick through baking and it has a wonderful classic pot-pie flavor.
• My only complaint is that the crust to filling ratio was a little off, there was too much crust. This could be solved by making the pies larger or maybe making them in a muffin tin or mini pie pan. Fun thought: these could make great little party appetizers if made in a mini muffin tin!

Cost Notes:

• Ingredients already owned: pie crust dough, flour, butter, onion, salt & pepper, cheddar and egg.
• Ingredients purchased at HEB: bunch of kale, fresh thyme, chicken broth and chicken.
• Total spent: $6.22

The Best Broccoli of Your Life

I have to admit, I was a bit skeptical myself when I ran across this blog post on the Amateur Gourmet but it definitely caught my attention. Broccoli is my favorite vegetable to eat and when someone claims they have a method of preparing it that makes it taste “better than steak,” I have to try it for myself.

The recipe is originally from The Barefoot Contessa’s book Back to Basics.

{Sorry I don’t have any pictures this time, I was too busy eating delicious broccoli! The Amateur Gourmet has some great pictures on their site though}

Ingredients

• 4-5 pounds of broccoli (2-3 large bunches), cut into florets
• 5 T olive oil
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 4 cloves garlic, sliced
• 1 lemon
• 1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan

Preheat your oven to 425F.

Be sure to rinse your broccoli ahead of time, it needs to be thoroughly dried before going into the oven or it might turn out mushy. Toss the broccoli with the olive oil, salt, pepper and sliced garlic cloves. Spread out on a large baking sheet and bake for 20-25 minutes, until “crisp-tender and the tips of some of the florets are browned.”

When it’s done, take it out of the oven and zest a lemon over the broccoli, squeeze the lemon juice over the broccoli, add 1.5 Tbs more olive oil, 3 Tbs toasted pine nuts {I left those out}, and 1/3 cup of freshly grated Parmesan cheese. The original recipe also has you add 2 T julienned fresh basil, but I left that out too. Serve immediately.

Preparation & Cooking Notes:

• Since the broccoli needs to be especially dry to ensure proper roasting, I would highly suggest rinsing ahead of time and letting it set out on a paper towel or simply not rinsing at all.
• About half way through the baking time I used a wooden spoon to stir the florets around just so they wouldn’t stick. As an alternative you could line your baking sheet with foil.
• This recipe is very easily adjustable for larger or smaller quantities but as written it will serve 3-4 people.

Taste Notes:

• This was quite possibly the best broccoli I have ever tasted {broccoli, cheese and rice is a close second though}. I’ll definitely be saving this recipe for future use!
• It was a bit too lemon-y for me so I think next time I’ll only use 2T or so of the lemon juice.
• The crunchy little bits of roasted garlic add an amazing flavor, I might throw in a few more cloves next time.

Cost Notes:

• Ingredients already owned: olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic, lemon and Parmesan cheese.
• Ingredients purchased at HEB: 3 broccoli crowns.
• Total spent: $3.42

Sweet Potato, Corn & Kale Chowder

Now that the weather is finally starting to cool down, it’s time to make some yummy, heart-warming soup!

This recipe was first found on A Busy Nest.

Ingredients

• 3 slices thick cut bacon, cut in small pieces
• 1 celery rib, chopped
• 1 sweet onion, chopped
• 1 small red bell pepper, chopped
• 2 large sweet potatoes, cubed
• 4 cups chicken stock
• 1-1/2 cups corn (fresh is best, but frozen will work)
• 1 cup kale, torn into small pieces
• 1 tablespoon flour
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 cup skim milk
• Salt and pepper, to taste

In a large pot, cook the bacon until crisp. Set the bacon aside on a paper towel to drain and remove all but a tablespoon of the bacon grease and discard. Add the celery, onion and bell pepper and cook over medium heat until the onions begin to soften. Add the sweet potatoes and chicken stock. Bring to a simmer and cook on low heat until the sweet potatoes are almost cooked through, about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, make a roux by whisking the flour and butter in a small saucepan over medium low heat until bubbly. Whisk in the milk and cook for about 2 minutes until it begins to thicken.  To the soup, add the kale and corn along with the milk mixture. Simmer for 10 or so more minutes on low heat. Season with salt and pepper. Ladle into bowls, sprinkle with the crisp bacon and serve. Serves 4.

Preparation & Cooking Notes:

• Total prep and cook time was about an hour including the time it took to chop all of the vegetables.
• I forgot to buy bacon so I just used a tablespoon of butter to saute the veggies in.
• Make sure you give your onion, bell pepper and celery plenty of time to soften, I sauteed mine for probably 15 minutes.
• I also let my sweet potato chunks simmer for longer than 10 minutes to ensure they were nice and soft.
• I’ve found that soups are pretty flexible, you don’t have to adhere to the recipe exactly :) so I added more kale than it called for.

Taste Notes:

• This chowder was amazing! I made it for myself, my husband and my brother and they both agreed that it was very tasty.
• The sweet potatoes really are the star of this recipe, their flavor is nicely complimented by the red bell pepper and the kale.
• This recipe could easily serve 6 and it’s also great leftover.

Cost Notes:

• Ingredients already owned: chicken stock, flour, butter & milk.
• Ingredients purchased at HEB: celery, sweet onion, red bell pepper, sweet potatoes, frozen corn & kale.
• Total spent: $9.87

Stuffed Tex-Mex Squash

Though it calls for yellow squash specifically, this recipe is a great way to use up your over-sized zucchini or squash; they make great boats for filling with other yummy things!

This recipe was first found on Martha Stewart’s website.

Ingredients

• 4 yellow squashes
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• salt & pepper
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 2 scallions, thinly sliced, white and green parts separated
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/2 lb. ground beef chuck
• 1 cup frozen corn kernels, thawed
• 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

A couple over-sized zucchinis were more than enough for this recipe.

Heat oven to 400 degrees, with rack set in the top third.

Halve each squash lengthwise; slice a sliver from the rounded part of each half so it sits flat. Leaving a 1/4-inch border, scoop out halves with a small spoon; roughly chop flesh, and reserve. Place squash halves, skin side down, in a shallow baking dish. Season with salt and pepper, and set aside.

In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high. Add reserved chopped squash, bell pepper, scallion whites, and garlic; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until bell pepper begins to soften, 3 to 4 minutes. Add tomato paste and chili powder; cook, stirring, until fragrant, 1 minute. Add beef; cook until no longer pink, breaking up meat with a spoon, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in corn and 1/4 cup Parmesan; season with salt and pepper.

Dividing evenly, spoon mixture into squash halves. Sprinkle with remaining 2 tablespoons Parmesan. Cover with aluminum foil, and bake until squash is tender, 30 to 35 minutes. Uncover, and bake until top is browned, 7 to 10 minutes more. Garnish with scallion greens.

Preparation & Cooking Notes:

• Total prep and cook time was about 1 hour and 15 minutes (including baking time).
• Instead of using yellow squash I decided to make use of a couple over-sized zucchini.
• I skipped thawing the frozen corn and just added it with the ground beef instead of at the end, giving it more time to cook.

Taste Notes:

• This recipe was so simple and delicious, I loved it! It’s very versatile too; you could add some diced jalapenos to spice it up a bit or top with a little sour cream or cilantro.
• As I was adding in the ground beef to the zucchini flesh and bell peppers I though to myself that this could also serve as a very tasty taco filling.

Cost Notes:

• Ingredients already owned: zucchini and yellow squash from Sunfood Farm, olive oil, salt and pepper, scallions, chili powder and Parmesan cheese.
• Ingredients purchased at HEB: garlic, red bell pepper, tomato paste and lean ground beef.
• Total spent: $5.88

Zucchini Quesadillas

I love cheese, therefore I love Mexican food, therefore I love quesadillas, therefore I love this recipe, ha! These are very simple to make and they are a nice veggie-filled alternative to your typical chicken or beef quesadillas.

This recipe was first found on Martha Stewart’s website.

Ingredients

• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
• salt
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1lb. zucchini, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced crosswise
• 1 cup frozen corn kernels
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro (optional)
• 4 flour tortillas
• 2 cups grated pepper jack cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In a large skillet, heat 3 tablespoons oil over medium heat. Add onion and 1 teaspoon salt; cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is soft, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic; cook 1 minute more.

Add zucchini and frozen corn kernels; cook, stirring occasionally, until zucchini is soft and corn is tender, about 6 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in cilantro, if using.

Brush one side of all tortillas with remaining tablespoon oil; lay 2 tortillas, oiled side down, on a baking sheet. Place half of the filling on each, and sprinkle with half the cheese. Place remaining 2 tortillas on top, oiled side up; press down gently with a spatula to seal.

Bake until cheese has melted and tortillas are golden brown, turning once, about 10 minutes. Remove from oven; let cool slightly. To serve, slice each quesadilla into wedges.

Preparation & Cooking Notes:

• Total prep and cook time was about 35-40 minutes.
• I used both zucchini and yellow squash (in my mind they are pretty much interchangeable)
• There’s no need to throw and entire teaspoon of salt in with the sauteing onion, just a dash will do.
• I found that this recipe makes enough to fill at least 4 large quesadillas, not just two as the ingredients suggest.
• When assembling your quesadillas put a little grated cheese on both tortillas, this will help to hold the whole thing together so it doesn’t fall apart on you while you’re eating it.
• Instead of baking the quesadillas (which seems like way too much work) I just heated a small skillet and cooked them in that with a bit of butter. I let each quesadilla cook a couple of minutes on each side until the tortilla started to brown, covering the pan with foil in between flipping to keep in the heat.
• Another way to cook the quesadillas that is even more simple is to cook them in a George Foreman grill; it’s an easy way to cook both sides at once.

Taste Notes:

• These quesadillas were amazing! I was expecting them to be a little bland but the onion, cilantro and pepper jack cheese really gave them a great taste.
• I also added some diced avocado to mine because what’s Mexican without avocado? :)
• The husband exuberantly approved as well; we’ll definitely be making these again.

Cost Notes:

• Ingredients already owned: zucchini and yellow squash from Sunfood Farm, olive oil, salt and garlic.
• Ingredients purchased at HEB: one avocado, one yellow onion, fresh cilantro, frozen sweet corn, jalapeno jack cheese and wheat tortillas.
• Total spent: $11.93