Five-Herb Roasted Carrots and Potatoes

Nonstick spray coating


2 pounds tiny new potatoes

3 medium carrots, peeled and cut into bite-size pieces 2 tablespoons

snipped fresh chives

1 tablespoon snipped fresh oregano

1 tablespoon snipped fresh Italian parsley or regular parsley 2

teaspoons snipped fresh rosemary

1 teaspoon snipped fresh sage

3 cloves minced garlic (optional)

2 tablespoons butter, melted

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 4 fresh basil leaves, cut

into thin slivers

Fresh basil sprig (optional)

Spray a 13x9x2-inch baking pan* with nonstick coating and set aside.

Scrub the unpeeled potatoes with a stiff brush. Cut into quarters. Place

in prepared pan. Add the cut-up carrots.

In a small bowl, combine chives, oregano, parsley, rosemary, sage,

garlic (if you like), butter and oil. Drizzle mixture over the potatoes

and carrots; toss. Sprinkle with salt and black pepper. Cover with foil.

Bake in a 400 degree F oven 30 mins. Stir potatoes. Bake, uncovered, 15

to 20 mins more or until potatoes are tender. Garnish with basil, if you

like. Makes 6 to 8 servings.

*Note: You also can prepare this dish on the grill. To grill, tear off

two 22x18-inch pieces of heavy foil. Make a double thickness of foil

that measures 22x18 inches. Place potatoes in center of foil; drizzle

herb mixture over potatoes and sprinkle with salt and black pepper.

Bring up two opposite edges of the foil and seal with a double fold.

Fold the remaining edges to completely enclose the potatoes, leaving

space for steam to build. Place the foil packet on the rack of an

uncovered grill directly over medium** to medium-hot heat for 35 to 45

mins or till the potatoes are tender, turning packet after 20 mins.

**Note: For medium heat, you should be able to hold your hand over heat

at the height of the food for 4 secs. For medium-hot, it's 3 secs.

POTATO AND VEGERABLE BAKE

INGREDIENTS:


3/4 cup(s) chicken broth

2 tablespoons margarine or butter

1 1/2 pounds russet potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced

1 1/2 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced

1 pound celery root, trimmed, peeled, quartered, thin sliced

1 pound parsnips, peeled and thinly sliced

Salt and pepper

1 cup heavy or whipping cream

2 tablespoons snipped fresh chives



DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In shallow 3 1/2- to 4-quart

baking pan or shallow casserole, combine broth and margarine;

place in oven while oven preheats to melt margarine, about 5

minutes. Meanwhile, in large bowl, toss potatoes, celery root,

and parsnips with 1 1/4 teaspoons salt and 1/2 teaspoon freshly

ground black pepper until well mixed. Remove baking pan from

oven. Add broth mixture to vegetables and stir to coat. Spoon

vegetable mixture into same baking pan; cover with foil and

bake vegetables 40 minutes. Remove pan from oven. In 1-cup

liquid measuring cup, heat cream in microwave on High 45

seconds to warm. Pour cream evenly over vegetables. Return

baking pan to oven and bake vegetables, uncovered, 30 to 35

minutes longer or until top is golden and vegetables are

fork-tender. Let stand 10 minutes before serving. Sprinkle

with chives to serve.



YIELD: 8-10 Servings

Categories: Potato, Casseroles, Gratin, Side Dishes, Seasonal

Carrot Broccoli Casserole

PREP TIME 20 Min


COOK TIME 30 Min

READY IN 50 Min



SERVES 6





INGREDIENTS :

1 cup diced carrots

1 cup diced celery

1 cup chopped onion

4 teaspoons butter, divided

1 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese, divided

2 cups fresh broccoli florets

1/4 cup chicken broth

salt and pepper to taste





DIRECTIONS:

In a large skillet, saute the carrots, celery and onion in 3 teaspoons butter until tender. Transfer to a greased 1-1/2-qt. baking dish. Top with 3/4 cup cheese. In the same skillet, saute broccoli in the remaining butter for 1 minute. Place over cheese; pour broth over all.

Cover and bake at 350 degrees F for 25 minutes. Uncover; sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake 5 minutes longer or until cheese is melted and vegetables are tender. Season with salt and pepper. Serve with a slotted spoon.

SUGAR SNAP PEAS WITH LEMON & BASIL

SUGAR SNAP PEAS WITH LEMON & BASIL








2 teaspoons olive oil

1 1/4 pounds fresh sugar snap peas, or two (10-ounce) pkgs thawed frozen

sugar snap peas

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper

1/3 cup coarsely chopped fresh basil

1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest

1/2 lemon, cut in wedges



Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the peas

season with salt and pepper. Stir-fry until the peas are crisp-tender 3

mins for fresh or 2 mins for thawed frozen sugar snaps. Add the basil

and lemon zest stir-fry until the basil is wilted and fragrant. Serve

immediately with lemon wedges

Spicy Southern Collard Greens with Sweet Maple Cornbread

Recipe courtesy Jamika Pessoa




Prep Time:

10 min

Inactive Prep Time:

--

Cook Time:

1 hr 10 min

Level:

Easy

Serves:

6 to 8 servings



Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 to 2-pound smoked salt pork (thickly sliced) or turkey wings

1 onion, halved

1 quart chicken broth

1 teaspoon red chili flakes

1 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons white vinegar

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

2 pounds fresh collard greens, washed, stems removed and roughly chopped

6 cloves garlic

Sweet Maple Cornbread, recipe follows

Directions

Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the pork pieces and brown on both sides, about 6 to 8 minutes. Add the onion, cut sides down, and brown, about 5 to 6 minutes. Stir in the chicken broth. Season with chili flakes, salt, vinegar and garlic powder. Bring to a boil, then turn down the heat to a simmer. Adjust seasoning, if desired. Add the collard greens and garlic cloves, stir to combine and cover. Cook until greens are tender, approximately 35 to 45 minutes. Remove the onion halves, garlic cloves, pork pieces, for better presentation. Transfer the greens to a serving bowl.

Frijoles Negros (Black Beans)

Frijoles Negros (Black Beans) are a staple of Mexican cuisine. This vegetarian and vegan black beans recipe is flavorful, simple to prepare and makes a great side dish or a filling for black bean burritos. If you've never had black beans cooked from scratch, you're missing out. Fresh frijoles negroes are so much better than anything that comes from a can.


Ingredients:

•1 pound dried black beans

•2 green bell peppers, halved and seeded

•8 cups water

•1 medium onion, quartered

•2 cloves garlic

•1 tsp dried oregano

•1 tsp ground cumin

•1 bay leaf

•salt to taste

•1/4 cup dry white wine

•1 tbsp red wine vinegar

•1 tbsp sugar

•1/4 cup olive oil

Preparation:

Soak the beans with one of the green peppers in the water for 8 hours or overnight.

After soaking, bring the beans, pepper and water to a boil, then immediately turn the heat to a simmer and cook, covered for 1 1/2 hours, or until the beans are almost tender.



Prepare a sauce, called sofrito, by combining the other green bell pepper, the onion, garlic, oregano, cumin, bay leaf and a little of the cooking water in a blender. Blend on low until the mixture is smooth.



Add the sofrito to the beans. Bring to a boil again, then immediately reduce the heat to a simmer.



Add salt and the wine, vinegar, and sugar. Continue to simmer, uncovered, until the bean mixture becomes thick, about 2 more hours.



Add olive oil immediately before serving. Serve over steamed rice.

Easy Crock Pot Spanish Rice Recipe

If you like Spanish rice, try this simple vegetarian Spanish rice recipe that you can make right in your crockpot. Using vegetable broth or water instead of a meat-based stock makes this crock pot Spanish rice recipe both vegetarian and vegan, and using prepared and canned ingredients makes it a snap to prepare.


Ingredients:

•2 cups rice

•1 onion, diced

•1 green bell pepper, diced

•1 15 ounce can diced tomatoes, including liquid

•1 3/4 cups water or vegetable broth

•1 1/2 tsp garlic powder

•2 tsp chili powder

•1 tsp onion powder

•1/4 cup salsa

Preparation:

Combine all ingredients in a crock pot or slow cooker. Cook on low for 6 to 8 hours.

Slow Cooker Barbecue Ribs

Prep Time:


10 MinCook Time:

8 Hrs 30 MinReady In:

8 Hrs 40 Min
 
Ingredients


4 pounds pork baby back ribs

salt and pepper to taste

2 cups ketchup

1 cup chili sauce

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

4 tablespoons vinegar

2 teaspoons dried oregano

2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

1 dash hot sauce

Directions

1.Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).

2.Season ribs with salt and pepper. Place in a shallow baking pan. Brown in oven 15 minutes. Turn over, and brown another 15 minutes; drain fat.

3.In a medium bowl, mix together the ketchup, chili sauce, brown sugar, vinegar, oregano, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, and salt and pepper. Place ribs in slow cooker. Pour sauce over ribs, and turn to coat. Cover, and cook on Low 6 to 8 hours, or until ribs are tender
 
Nutritional Information


Amount Per Serving Calories: 498
Total Fat: 29.7g
Cholesterol: 117mg

Broiled Salmon w/ Fresh Tomato Salsa

Broiled Salmon with Fresh Tomato Salsa

Salmon fillets, bones removed

Olive oil

Lime juice

Garlic cloves, minced

Coriander powder

Salt and pepper



Tomatoes

Red onions, chopped

Olive oil

Lime juice

Parsley, chopped



Preheat your broiler and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place your salmon fillets, skin side down on the prepared sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and lime juice, then sprinkle with the chopped garlic. Add as much coriander powder, salt and pepper as you like. Broil the fillets for about 10 minutes, until the salmon is opaque and flakes easily with a fork.



While the salmon is broiling, prepare your salsa. Chop up a large tomato, or a few smaller ones, removing some of the seeds so it's not too watery. Add some chopped red onions, a drizzle of olive oil and lime juice and some parsley. When the salmon is cooked, remove it from the oven, scatter the salsa on top of the fillets and put it back under the broiler for a few minutes, just to warm the salsa. Serve with some rice and a crunchy green salad on the side.

Chilli Cheese Dog

Chili Cheese Dogs


For the chili

2 cups water

1 lb. lean ground beef (I use 80/20)

2 cups onion, chopped (about 3/4 medium onion)

6 oz. tomato paste

1/2 cup ketchup

2 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce

2 tsp. apple cider vinegar

1/2 tsp. kosher salt

1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

1/2 tsp. paprika

1 tsp. cumin

1/2 tsp. ground ginger

1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper



For the ‘dogs

hot dog buns

hot dog franks, preferably grilled (I use Ball Park all-beef franks)

shredded cheddar cheese



Directions

Heat water and ground beef in a large pot or Dutch oven over high heat. Once boiling, add onion and reduce to medium heat. Use a wooden spoon or spatula to break up the meat into small pieces.



Add tomato paste, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, vinegar, and the spices and stir together, making sure all the meat is broken up into pieces.



Stirring occasionally, simmer over low heat until chili is very thick, about 15-20 minutes.



Serve over grilled hot dogs and garnish with shredded cheese.



Enjoy!

Basil Tomato Salad

Basil Tomato Salad


tomatoes
a few sprigs of fresh basil

salt and pepper

olive oil



Slice the tomatoes, season with salt, pepper and fresh basil. Drizzle with olive oil. Serve immediately

Blueberry Topped Lemon Cheesecake

Blueberry Cheesecake


Blueberry Cheesecake Ingredients:

2½ cups graham cracker crumbs

½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted

¼ cup sugar



4 8 ounce packages cream cheese, room temperature

1½ cups sugar

2 tablespoons all purpose flour

4 large eggs

1 16 ounce container sour cream

1 tablespoon lemon juice

zest from 1 lemon

1 teaspoon vanilla extract



2 6 ounce containers of fresh blueberries

¼ cup blueberry jam or preserves

2 tablespoons water



Blueberry Cheesecake Directions:

Preheat oven to 325. Butter the bottom and sides of a 10″ springform pan. Place the springform pan on a large baking sheet.



In a large mixing bowl, combine graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and melted butter. Press buttered crumbs into bottom and up sides of springform pan. Place on a baking sheet and bake until crust starts to brown, about 10 minutes.



In the KitchenAid stand mixer fit with the flat beater attachment, beat softened cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Add flour. Add eggs one a time, and beat until fully incorporated. Beat in sour cream, lemon juice, lemon zest, and vanilla. Do not overbeat, as it will incorporate air into the batter, which will cause the cheesecake to rise and fall too quickly, leaving the top cracked.



Pour filling into crust.



Bake cheesecake until the top begins to turn golden, and darker at the edges, about 1 hour.



Let cheesecake cool for about an hour in the springform pan. Run a knife carefully around the edge to loosen the crust from the sides of the pan, but keep the cheesecake in the pan. Chill in refrigerator for 6-8 hours, or overnight.



Remove cheesecake from springform pan. Top with fresh blueberries. Glaze blueberries with blueberry preserves that has been thinned with water. You can also toss the blueberries with the thinned preserves in a medium bowl before topping the cheesecake.