Category: Side dishes…veggies

Enchilada Farro with Beans and Corn

grains, One pot meal, Pantry Raid, potatoes, Side dishes...veggies, Vegetarian

Hey guys! I know that it has been awhile. It has been a pretty busy week and there has not been a lot of innovative cooking. Mostly old stand bys…BBQ chicken, pasta, and a few more quick dinners out and clean out the fridge nights than normal. This week there will probably be more of the same. 3 kids equals a lot of busy nights…

We have been trying to avoid going to the store and spending money, so I raided the pantry for this meal. It will serve as a quick lunch and dinner for the next week. Since I have a whole pot of it, I may try different things with it throughout the week; thinking of topping it with shredded cheese and bake it or even make it into veggie enchiladas. For tonight, I found it super satisfying the way it is. Look for more variations coming soon. I hope you give it a try!

Enchilada Farro with Beans and Corn

Ingredients
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 can garbanzo beans
1 can black beans
1 can cannellini beans
1 can corn
1 can chopped green chilies
1 can enchilada sauce
1 cup farro (or quinoa)
2 cups veggie stock (or water or chicken)

Directions

Using a large heavy pot, cook your onions down in 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil on med/low heat for about 5 minutes. Add in your garlic. Cook down for 3 more minutes. Add in your farro. Cook for a few minutes then add all your canned ingredients. Mix together well. Add in your stock and mix well. Cover and cook until farro is tender; about 25 minutes.

I can’t stop eating this. It is SO good! I have a whole pot to much on throughout the week!
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Veggie Stir Fry with Orzo

One pot meal, Side dishes...veggies, Vegetarian

Happy hump day! I went to my farmer’s market yesterday afternoon and hit the jackpot! Tons of amazing veggies and lots of watermelon, peaches, and berries. Planning it all out? Nope. Just going with the flow and making stuff up as I go along. Last night I made this … https://funfoodiefamily.com/2014/07/23/orzo-and-cheese-stuffed-tomato/
I also quick pickled okra, beans, tomatoes, and peppers. I am going to put up that recipe soon.

Tonight I decided to make a veggie stir fry and add in the rest of my leftover orzo. One pot vegetarian wonder! I added beans (purple and green (taste the same and the purple ones turn green when you cook them), peppers (sweet and spicy- 1/2 jalapeno with seeds ), and halved cherry tomatoes added to 3 tablespoons oil and 1 tablespoon of butter. I cooked them down for a few minutes with a touch of salt and pepper. Then I added a bit of hoisin sauce, teriyaki sauce, and stir fry sauce. Not a lot…I really just eye-balled it, adding about 1 tablespoon of each. Then at the end, I added in my orzo and stirred very well.

Such a gorgeous dish! The jalapeno added a subtle heat that just kept building as I ate each bite. You can just taste that these veggies came straight from the garden. Fresh and tender; each amazing veggie’s flavor came through.

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Ultimate Potato Salad

Crockpot /Make Ahead Meals, Dips, Dressings, and Spreads, Pork, Sandwiches, Side dishes...veggies

Today has been a great day! The girls spent the night at my parents, so I got to sleep in a while. After I woke up, I put a pork shoulder in the crock pot to have for BBQ sandwiches. I went for a leisurely stroll through the farmer’s market with a nice iced coffee, had a nice long walk with my dog in the neighborhood, and read a few magazines, where I came up with the idea to make this potato salad. I made it and put it in the fridge until dinner. Then everyone came home and we spent the afternoon at the pool.

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Ultimate Potato Salad

5 medium potatoes, boiled for about 25 minutes until tender, cut up in bite sized pieces
4 boiled eggs, cooled and sliced or chopped
about 1/4 of mayo
about 1/4 cup of honey mustard (I made mine- Add 3 tablespoons of stone ground mustard, a few squeezes of honey, and about 1/2 cup or so of olive oil in a Bell jar and shake it up. I just added a pinch of salt and pepper.)
1 cup or more of shredded cheese- I used a combo of cheddar/colby, but you can use whatever you have on hand.
6 pieces of bacon, chopped

I added the potatoes and eggs in a large bowl. I added the mayo and honey mustard and carefully folded in to the bowl. If it looks too dry, just add more mayo and honey mustard. Then I topped with cheese and bacon. Cover with wrap and refrigerate. This was a big hit at the table. Plates were cleaned!

Here is my recipe for easy crock pot pulled pork…
https://funfoodiefamily.com/2014/03/04/easy-crock-pot-pulled-pork/

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Tilapia with Pesto and Cauliflower Gratin

Dips, Dressings, and Spreads, grains, potatoes, Seafood, Side dishes...veggies

I have heard some people say they don’t like cooking fish because they think it will stink up the house. They think it is hard to make. Well, I am here to prove them wrong. It couldn’t be easier and the house smells amazing. I also made a spinach and basil pesto to go with the fish. It matched perfectly. There were no leftovers…

Pan fried Tilapia

Ingredients
2-3 filets of tilapia cut in half
2 cups of flour
salt and pepper to taste
a couple tablespoons of oil AND butter

Directions
Sprinkle both sides of fish with salt and pepper; coat in flour. In large skillet, heat oil and butter over medium-high heat; fry fish in batches, turning once, until golden and fish flakes easily when tested, 4 to 5 minutes.

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Spinach Basil Pesto

Directions- Mix the following ingredients in a food processor and stream in olive oil to make smooth and creamy;
1/2 container of pine nuts
1 handful of both spinach and basil
1/2 container of parmesan cheese
2 cloves of garlic
salt and pepper to taste
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Cauliflower Gratin

Ingredients

1 head cauliflower, cut into florets
Sea Salt and Pepper
3 tbl butter
2 tbl flour
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup milk
2 cups of shredded cheese- I used mild cheddar and colby jack

Directions

Place cauliflower on a cookie sheet sprayed with cooking spray. Generously salt and pepper your veggies. Toss and cover well all pieces with olive oil or cooking spray. Place in preheated 425 degree oven for 20 minutes. Turn to broil for the last 5 minutes to get the pieces golden brown. Meanwhile, prepare the sauce. Over medium heat, melt the butter in a large skillet. Add in the flour, stirring to make a paste. Continue stirring for about 5 minutes. Slowly add in heavy cream stirring and blending. Do the same with the milk. Reduce heat to low and add the cheeses a little bit at a time, stirring and allowing it all to melt. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Place roasted cauliflower in a large mixing bowl. Add creamy cheese mixture and blend well. Pour into a cast iron skillet and add more shredded cheese to the top. Bake for 20 minutes in a preheated 425 degree oven or until the top is golden brown.

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Oh, and we had a side of couscous. That is always a hit. =) Hope you have a great week!

Date Night: Steak Kabobs and Twice Baked Potatoes

Beef, Date Night, grains, potatoes, Side dishes...veggies

Date Night. I love being able to spend time with my husband on date night, but it can be costly. So tonight we made a pact. Date night will take place at least every other week. I will cook a meal he wants, and we will eat at home. By saving money going out, we get to eat at a fancy or hip place every month or so. Sounds like a great plan, right? I will blog about date night each time. It will usually be Friday night, but it may be some Saturdays instead. I am pumped!!!

Steak Kabobs- We went to the local butcher shop and got these already made. They would not be too difficult to make myself, but, hey, date night needs to have a few shortcuts, right? Steak chunks and cut peppers and onions. I cooked for 2 1/2 minutes on each side. Then I took off the heat and turned a few times in the hot pan. Then I took them out and let them rest for 10 minutes. PERFECTION!

Wine for Date Night:
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Twice Baked Potato:
Cook the potatoes (3 large, 6 small) in a 400 oven in aluminum foil about 45 minutes. Cook about 4 pieces of bacon. Once your potatoes have cooled, take out the potato filling leaving the skins. Mix in 2 tablespoons of butter, 3 tablespoons of sour cream, and all your chopped bacon. Spoon into skins. Add shredded mild cheddar on top. Put back in a 350 oven for about 15 minutes or until the cheese has melted all over the top.
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