Garlic Basil Squash

Little yellow summer squash have long been a problem for me.  I know they're healthy, but I don't love them.  I don't even know what to do with them.  I used to throw them in a pasta dish with some zucchini and tomatoes, but even then, they were the pieces that got picked around and left behind in the serving bowl...and not just by me!  Joey feels the same way.  You see the problem.  So when we got like 6 of these bad boys in our bountiful basket I knew I had to find something!  Can't just let them go to waste.  Some googling later and I found the only recipe I will ever make with summer squash (Thank you Everyday Paleo!).  It is soooo good.  There is so much flavor you don't even know you're eating squash - perfect!  However, you will know you're eating garlic, and so will everyone around you, so don't bring the leftovers to work the next day.

2 lbs summer squash, cut into bite size pieces
1 red onion, thinly sliced
8-10 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1/4 cup coconut oil
sea salt and black pepper to taste
1/2 cup fresh basil, finely diced

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Toss everything except the basil together in a glass 9x13 baking pan, and bake for 30 minutes, stirring halfway through.  Once it comes out of the oven, toss the squash with the fresh basil and get ready to enjoy your new favorite summer squash dish!

Spiced Pear and Pomegranate Salad

If you're looking for a fun new recipe to spice up your holiday meals, then this is the one for you!  Pomegranates, in addition to being delicious, always seem so festive, and are one of my favorite winter fruits.  This salad is super quick to throw together and always gets rave reviews.  The recipe is just a jump off point, as I always use more fruit than it calls for.  Also, if you want to save time and don't care as much for presentation, you can skip peeling the pears; it will still taste delicious.

3 pears, peeled and cut into slices
1 pomegranate, (skin and membrane removed)
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Place the pears and pomegranate seeds (arils) in a bowl and toss with the lemon juice.  In a separate bowl combine the brown sugar, nutmeg, and cinnamon, then stir into the fruit.  Cover and chill until ready to serve.

Cinnamon Butternut Squash

Sorry for the crappy pic on this one.  Someone (Joey) started eating it as fast as they could before I got a nice shot of the whole pan, so I did the best I could.  Whatever.  It really is that good that you want to eat it before dinner's even been served!  In fact it is our favorite way to eat any kind of squash lately.  It's like candy, cinnamon squash candy.  It took the 3 year old a few tries to like it, and now we're kind of sad that she does....less for us.

Ingredients
1 butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1 inch chunks
2 Tablespoons (approx.) coconut oil, melted
cinnamon
ginger
sea salt

Directions
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.  Combine the squash chunks, oil, and spices in a 9x13 glass baking pan, stirring well to ensure each piece is coated.  I don't really measure the spices, just give a few good shakes of each (I tend to do a little less ginger than cinnamon and salt) and then stir away.  Pop in the oven for 40-60 minutes, until squash is tender.  Pull it out to stir every 15-20 minutes.  Your cooking time will depend mostly on how big your squash chunks are.  Bigger chunks take longer to cook, small ones take less time.  By pulling it out every so often to give it a stir you'll be able to monitor how done they are and lessen your risk of overcooking.  My 3 year old does NOT like mushy pieces!

Zucchini Boats

What to do with the mountain of zucchini that my garden is producing.  It is out of control!

Luckily for me, I saw this recipe on Facebook.  My garden is also producing tomatoes and basil, so this was a perfect fit.  It is now my all time favorite zucchini recipe.  We have made it several times and love it!

Zucchini Boats

Cut several small zucchinis in half and place on a cookie sheet.  Slice a little off the back if they will not lie flat.  Brush with olive oil.  Sprinkle with garlic powder, salt and pepper.  Cover with thinly-sliced tomatoes.  Sprinkle with mozzarella, and Parmesan cheese.  Bake in a 375 degree oven for about 20-25 minutes.  Top with fresh basil after baking.

These are the best!

Oopsies

This recipe has been going around on Facebook and they looked delicious, so we decided to give them a try.  They are super simple and quick to make, and they don't taste bad.  Problem is that they really don't taste that good.  They are like eating air.  I could probably eat about ten and not even realize that I had eaten any.  The recipe on Facebook said that you could use them for hamburger buns, but they were much too delicate to hold up to a hamburger.  Here's the recipe, if you are interested.

Oopsies
6–8 depending on size.

3 eggs
100 grams (3.5 ounces) of cream cheese
a pinch of salt
1 teaspoon baking powder or cream of tarter (can be excluded)

Separate the eggs, with the egg whites in one bowl and the egg yolks in another.
Whip the egg whites together with the salt until very stiff. You should be able to turn the bowl over without the egg whites moving.

Mix the egg yolks and the cream cheese well. If you choose, 1tsp of cream of tarter or baking powder (this makes the Oopsie more bread-like).

Gently fold the egg whites into the egg yolk mix – try to keep the air in the egg whites.

Put 6 large or 8 smaller oopsies on a baking tray.
Bake in the middle of the oven at 150° C (300° F) for about 25 minutes – until they turn golden.

You can eat Oopsies as bread or use them as a bun for a hotdog or hamburger. You can also put different kinds of seeds on them before baking them, for instance poppy, sesame or sunflower seeds.

Cilantro Buttered Corn on the Cob

It's summer and that means corn on the cob! My Kroger had 6 corns for 2 dollars so I got 'em, took 'em home and boiled 'em.  I wanted them to be a little spiced up (more so that Taylor wouldn't be upset that the only thing I was making for dinner was corn on the cob (it was just one of those days...))
So I found a nifty recipe for Cilantro Butter which was perfect since I had a little tupperware full of chopped cilantro left over from some fresh salsa I had made earlier in the week.

Cilantro Butter (enough for 6 ears of corn)

2 Tbs room temperature butter
1 Tbs chopped fresh cilantro
pinch of salt
1/8 tsp cumin
1/8 ground chipotle pepper (I left it out since I didn't have it)

Mix it all up in a little bowl and shmear it all over your hot corn.  Mmhmm mhmm good!

Tuna Patties and Sweet Potato Pancakes

Dinner in the Round

Natalie sent me a recipe for sweet potato pancakes that we were excited to try--KC's favorite food is sweet potatoes.  We paired them with tuna patties and the result was what we ended up calling "dinner in the round." 

Paleo Sweet Potato Pancakes

• 1 Giant Baby Yam (or several normal yams…whatever)
• 1 onion finely diced
• 3 eggs
• 1-2 Tbls of Coconut Flour (This is just a binder- you can use whatever flour is on hand)
• Dash of Nutmeg (for a different flavor try smoky paprika or chili powder)
• Salt and Pepper
• 1/4 cup of coconut oil

Instructions

1. Bake the yam at 350 for about 45 mins (varies depending on size). You do not want it to get soft all the way through. You want it cooked soft enough to pierce but staying firm enough that a knife will not go all the way through easily (think al-dente pasta)
2. Place the yam in the fridge until it is cool enough to work with.
3. Peel the yam. Use a box grater or the grating attachment to a mixer to grate the yam into "hashbrown" style strings. (Be careful- it mushes easily but this recipe tastes better with some texture.)
4. Season the grated yam with the coconut flour, nutmeg, salt, and pepper to taste.
5. GENTLY mix in the diced onion
6. Beat the eggs and pour into the yam mixture. Use a fork to gently toss the egg into the yam.
7. Melt the coconut oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
8. Spoon 1/4 cup of yam mix into the coconut oil gently pressing to spread and flatten into a pancake shape. Repeat for as many pancakes as your skillet will comfortably hold.
9. Flip when the first side is crispy and browning.
10. When both sides are done remove onto paper towels and sprinkle with sea salt.

These were so delicious.  I used regular size sweet potatoes.  I peeled them first and put each one in the microwave for four minutes, and then put them through my food processor.  Worked great.

Tuna Patties

2 cans of tuna (7 oz.), drained
2 eggs
1-2 Tablespoons pickle relish
1/2 cup grated cheese
1/4 cup mayonnaise (enough to kind of hold it together)
coconut oil

Mix ingredients together, except for the coconut oil.  Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Form patties and cook in the oil for 2-3 minutes per side.  We served them with Garlic Lemon Aioli.

Garlic Lemon Aioli (from Everyday Paleo Family Cookbook)

1/2 cup Mayonnaise
Juice from 1/2 lemon
1 garlic clove, finely minced
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Mix and serve.

Zucchini Herb Casserole

This recipe is a great way to use up zucchini and tomatoes, which always seem to be in plentiful supply as the weather turns hot and the garden gets out of control.  I'll serve it on its own as a weeknight meal, but it also makes a great side dish with some kind of meat hot off the grill!

1 cup uncooked rice
2 cups water
1 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 lbs zucchini, cubed
1 cup sliced green onions
1 clove garlic, minced
1 1/4 teaspoons garlic salt
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 1/2 cups seeded, chopped tomatoes
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Combine the rice and water in a saucepan.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer, covered for 20 minutes or until rice is done.

Meanwhile preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Heat the oil over medium heat in a saute pan and cook the zucchini, green onions, and garlic 5 minutes or until tender.

Add the garlic salt, basil, paprika and oregano.  Give it a stir.  Mix in the cooked rice, tomatoes, and 1 cup of the cheese.  Stir until everything is combined and the cheese is melty.

Pour into a 1 1/2 quart casserole dish, and top with the remaining cheese.  Bake uncovered for 20 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly.

Brussels Sprouts w/ Garlic & Parmesan Cheese

Now I know what you're thinking, "Brussels sprouts?  Really??  Does anybody actually like those things?!"  Well the answer is Yes!  They are delicious!  Honestly I was a bit of a skeptic myself until I tried this simple way of preparing them (thank you Ashley!) and now Joey and I fight over the last few bites every time I make them.  Enjoy!

1-2 lbs Brussels sprouts
2-4 tablespoons of butter
4-6 cloves garlic, minced
chicken broth, about 2-3 cups
Shredded Parmesan cheese

Prepare the Brussels sprouts by cutting off the hard bottom/stem part and cutting in half.  Melt the butter in a large saute pan, add the minced garlic.  Cook while stirring for a couple of minutes until fragrant.   Add the Brussels sprouts and enough chicken broth to nearly cover them.  Bring to a boil and cover, reduce heat and simmer covered until desired tenderness.  I like mine pretty tender, but be careful to not overcook since they are not delicious if you turn them into mush.  Drain off most of the broth and transfer sprouts to serving dish.  Pour a generous amount of Parmesan cheese over them, give them a quick stir, and they are ready to eat!

Cucumber Salsa

In my weekly farmer's market produce basket I got a lot of cucumbers and tomatoes so I decided to find a salsa recipe for my salsa loving hubby.  I found this and have made it twice. It is super fresh and delicious!

Cool Cucumber Salsa

2 medium cucumbers - peeled, seeded, and chopped
2 medium tomatoes, chopped
1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
1 small onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tablespoons lime juice
1 teaspoon minced fresh parsley
2 teaspoons minced fresh cilantro

1/2 teaspoon dried dill weed
1/2 teaspoon salt

In a medium bowl, stir together the cucumbers, tomatoes, green pepper, jalapeno pepper, onion, garlic, lime juice, parsley, cilantro, dill, and salt. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour. Serve with tortilla chips.

The best way to get the seeds out of the cucumber is to get a teaspoon and use it to scrape out the seeds.    They come out super easy that way.  

I didn't add the fresh parsley because I didn't have any.  I also didn't feel like adding any dill weed.  One time I added too much of it to a recipe one time and now I have been turned off by it.  Enjoy!

Turkey Quinoa Meatloaf and Rosemary Roasted Vegetables

I always thought I didn't like meatloaf, but I tried this recipe from Allrecipes a year or so ago on the advice of a good friend (Thanks Yvonne!) and love it!  Now my deep dark secret is I've never made meatloaf using hamburger, just ground turkey.  Jenna loves to dip hers in ketchup and is always concerned I don't share her great love of that dipping sauce.  To each her own.  The roasted vegetables are something super simple to throw together and I'm always amazed at how many we can eat.  Plus they go well with a wide variety of entrees.  You can leave the rosemary out if you want, or try your own spice combo depending on what you like and what you're serving them with.  

Turkey and Quinoa Meatloaf

1/4 cup quinoa

1/2 cup water

1 teaspoon olive oil

1 small onion, chopped

1 large clove garlic, minced

1 (20 ounce) package ground turkey (I use whatever size the package at Costco is)

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1 tablespoon hot pepper sauce (I only use 1/2 tablespoon of Tabasco)

2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

1 egg

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

2 tablespoons brown sugar

2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon water

Bring the quinoa and water to boil in a small saucepan over high heat.  Reduce heat and simmer, covered, until quinoa is tender, and the water has been absorbed, about 15-20 minutes.  Set aside to cool.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat.  Stir in the onion; cook and stir until the onion has softened and turned translucent, about 5 minutes.  Add the garlic and cook for another minute.  Remove from heat to cool.

Stir the turkey, cooked quinoa, onion/garlic mixture, tomato paste, hot sauce, 2 tablespoons Worcestershire, egg, salt, and pepper in  a large bowl until well combined.  The mixture will be very moist.  Shape into a loaf on a foil lined baking sheet.  (Make sure you do this!  Ground turkey cooks differently than beef and will be dry if you bake in a loaf pan)  Combine the brown sugar, 2 teaspoons Worcestershire, and 1 teaspoon water in a small bowl.  Rub/drizzle the paste over the top of the meatloaf.

Bake in the preheated oven until no longer pink in the center, about 50 minutes.  Let the meatloaf cool for 10 minutes before slicing and serving.

Rosemary Roasted Vegetables

Potatoes

Sweet potatoes

Baby carrots

An onion

Olive oil

Salt

Pepper

Rosemary (I used dried crushed Rosemary)

Cut up all the vegetables into bite-sized chunks and toss into a glass baking dish.  I tend to make the potatoes smaller than the sweet potatoes as they don't get tender quite as quickly.  Toss the veggies in olive oil, salt, pepper, and rosemary to taste.  Make sure to get them all good and coated.  Bake at 350 for about an hour or until desired tenderness. 

Fish Tacos with Spicy Slaw

This is a delicious recipe I tried out of Everyday Paleo Family Cookbook by Sarah Fragoso.   The spicy slaw is amazing.  I served it with corn tortillas lightly fried in coconut oil.  We loved them.

Fish Tacos

1-2 pounds wild-caught cod filets
Freshly squeezed juice from 1 lime
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 teaspoon chipotle powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspooon sea salt

In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the marinade ingredients.

Put the fish filets in the bowl of marinade and gently rub the marinade into them; let the fish soak for at least 15 minutes.

In the meantime, prepare the Spicy Slaw.

Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add the fish and all the remaining marinade to the hot pan.

Cook the filets on each side for about 3-4 minutes or until the fish flakes easily, but do not overcook.

Spicy Slaw

2 cups shredded green cabbage
1 cup diced mango
1/2 cup diced cilantro leaves
1 1/2 cups peeled and diced jicama
1 fresh jalapeno, seeds removed and minced  (I used a half of a jalapeno and it was just right.)
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/8 teaspoon chipotle powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
(I added a splash of vinegar for a little tang.)

Toss all of the ingredients in a large mixing bowl and use to top your fish taco.

Mongolian Beef

I feel like meat has been a little under represented in the blog and I don't want anyone to get the wrong idea about my status as a self-respecting carnivore.  Enter this next recipe.  Pulled from the Cooking Light: Fresh Food Fast cookbook, (one of my very favorites from my glutenous days, and still very adaptable) this is one of those meals that Joey and I fight over who gets the leftovers (since there's never enough left for both of us!)

Mongolian Beef

1 lb. of flank steak, trimmed and cut into thin slices
cooking spray (I use a little olive oil)
1/3 cup hoisin sauce (make sure yours is gluten free - I use the Sun Luck brand)
2 tablespoons water
2 teaspoons minced peeled fresh ginger
1 teaspoon minced garlic
2 teaspoons sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper (or to taste if you want it more/less spicy)
4 green onions

1. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat.  Coat steak with cooking spray (or olive oil).  Cook steak in pan over medium-high heat 3 minutes or until browned and liquid has almost evaporated, stirring occasionally.
2.  While steak cooks, combine hoisin sauce and next 5 ingredients in a small bowl.  Cut onions crosswise into 1-inch pieces.  Add sauce mixture and onions to meat in pan; cook 1 to 2 minutes or until sauce is slightly reduced (do not overcook meat).  Serve immediately.

I like to have the sauce made before I start cooking the meat - I find I am less stressed while cooking if I don't have to worry about grating ginger while I'm supposed to be not overcooking the meat.  I like to serve with sticky rice and Sesame Buttered Broccoli.

Sesame Buttered Broccoli

1 1/2 lbs broccoli, cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces (about 4 cups)
2 tablespoons butter, melted
2 teaspoons soy sauce (make sure it's gluten free!)
1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil

Cook/steam/boil your broccoli however you normally do.  Mix the rest of the ingredients in a small bowl.  Toss with the broccoli to coat, and serve.  Note - I usually cut the recipe in half.

Cilantro Black Bean Quinoa

Some nights you just need a quick and easy dinner, and this is one of our favorites.  Found it on Allrecipes a while ago when I was first experimenting with quinoa, and it quickly found its way into our regular rotation.  I ususally serve as a main dish/complete meal (hence the quick and easy dinner label) but it could be used as a side dish, or served with a salad.

Cilantro Black Bean Quinoa
(I've made a few minor modifications from the original recipe)

1 teaspoon olive oil
1 onion, chopped (our personal preference is for about 1/2 a good sized onion)
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup uncooked quinoa
2 cups vegetable broth (I use chicken broth)
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/8 -1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (depending on your taste)
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup frozen corn kernels
2 (15 oz) cans black beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1. Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the onion and garlic, and saute until lightly browned.
2. Mix quinoa into the saucepan and cover with broth. Season with cumin, cayenne pepper, salt, and pepper. Bring the mixture to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes,
3. Stir frozen corn into the saucepan, and continue to simmer about 5 minutes until heated through. Mix in the black beans and cilantro.

Purple Carrot Soup

Purple Carrot Soup, Coconut Flour Cheddar Drop Biscuits, and  fresh Lemonade

So this past week in my Bountiful Basket I got a couple of purple carrots.  I don't know about you, but before they landed in my kitchen, I had no idea they even existed.  Naturally, I went to the web to help me figure out what to do with them.  Turns out you can use them for anything you would do with regular orange carrots, but I wanted to do something special with them since I've never seen them before!  Thus I found a recipe for Purple Carrot Soup courtesy of The Indolent Cook.

Purple Carrot Soup (makes 2 entree-sized serves)

1 tablespoon olive oil
2 medium French shallots
1 small clove garlic, finely chopped
1 cm fresh ginger, finely chopped
1/2 tablespoon fresh chopped rosemary leaves
1/4 teaspoon ground coriander seed
1 very large purple carrot
1 medium potato
1/2 cup water
2 cups vegetable stock
salt, black pepper, and balsamic vinegar to taste

- Heat up the olive oil in a saucepan and fry the shallots until they brown at the edges. Add in the garlic, ginger, rosemary and and ground coriander seed and fry until fragrant.
- Add carrot and potato pieces. Pour in the water and vegetable stock, bring to boil, then simmer, partially covered, for 30 minutes.
- Let it cool for 10 minutes and then puree in a blender in small batches. You may blend all of the mixture for a smooth soup or half of it for a semi-chunky soup.
- Return the soup mixture to the pot and continue to simmer for another 10 minutes.
- Season with salt, black pepper, and a drizzle of balsamic vinegar to taste.

*This makes a light, yet still deliciously comforting soup. For a rich, creamy, non-vegan version, add cream to the soup at the step where the pureed soup is returned to the pot. Or you can still keep it vegan, and use coconut cream instead. Either way, the soup should turn a pretty pastel purple, and taste quite luxurious!


My Notes:  I didn't have any French shallots on hand so just used 1/2 of a small onion.  Couldn't find any coriander seed either (seriously, must be the only spice I don't have!) so I just didn't use it.  I used a couple of purple carrots, two small potatoes, and chicken stock instead of vegetable.  I opted not to add cream as the soup was plenty creamy on its own.  Also only added balsamic to my dish - my husband and daughter don't love it the way I do.  As a note, the soup didn't need it.  It turned out delicious!   The fresh ginger and rosemary flavors were YUM!  Will definitely be making this again, with any color carrots I can find!

My Bountiful Basket also came with a plentiful supply of lemons, so what was I supposed to do besides make a pitcher of fresh lemonade?

Lemonade

6 lemons
6 cups cold water
1 cup sugar

-Juice the lemons to make approximately 1 cup of lemon juice (I got slightly more, which is good because I like a strong head-banging lemonade!).  In a pitcher combine the lemon juice, sugar, and water (I strained my lemon juice as I added it to catch any seeds/pulp).  Serve chilled, over ice garnished with fresh lemon slices.  Enjoy!

Finally, in my world no soup is complete without some kind of biscuit side dish.  I opted to try a recipe for coconut flour biscuits that Jessica found, and they did the trick!  Thanks to the Heavenly Homemakers for this one.


Coconut Flour Cheddar Drop Biscuits

¼ cup coconut oil or butter, melted
1/3 cup sifted coconut flour
4 eggs
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon onion powder
¼ teaspoon baking powder
½ cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

Blend together eggs, coconut oil or butter, salt, and onion powder. Combine coconut flour with baking powder and whisk into batter until there are no lumps. Fold in cheese. Drop batter by the spoonful onto a greased cookie sheet. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes. For a cheesier biscuit increase cheese to ¾ cup.

This recipe makes about 10 biscuits.

My Notes:  I used coconut oil, and did add more cheese.  Also, I don't sift flour regardless of the recipe.  Sorry, just lazy.  They turned out awesome, although my 3 year old preferred them dipped in ketchup.  Oh well, to each his own.  Will definitely make again!