Sausage & Pasta Pot

This is another one of those epic-yet-too-simple-to-be-true, throw-everything-in-a-pot recipes that takes nearly no effort to make and wows everyone.

You will need:
-3 Pork Sausages (I chose a spicy sausage)
-2 large or 3 medium stalks of celery, chopped
-1 medium yellow onion, chopped
-a clove of garlic
-1 cup of red wine (good time to use the leftovers that are going a bit bad)
-1/2 tsp thyme
-1 bay leaf
-1 cup orzo pasta
-2- 2 1/2 cups water
-adobo, salt, pepper - to taste

-Begin by adding the garlic clove (chopped or pressed) to a pot with a little olive oil, the onions, and the celery.
-Add adobo, salt, and pepper
-Add the sausage, sliced into 1/2" thick pieces
-Cook until the onions are soft
-add the water, bay leaf, wine, thyme, and orzo, and cover and reduce the heat to medium low.
-Stir every few minutes until the pasta is tender. Enjoy!!

To-Die-For Spinach Sandwich

2 Slices of Arnold Oatnut Bread (it's my favorite, and it's low calorie, but you can really use whatever you want. If you want to keep it healthy choose something wheat or multi grain that is high in fiber.)

2 Thin Slices of Fresh Mozzarella Cheese (I usually buy Belgioso)

1/2 Cup Frozen Spinach Thawed

Sweet Roasted Red Peppers

1. Place Spinach on one slice of bread with mozzarella on top.

2. Put both sides in the toaster until cheese is melted.

3. Take out, put roasted red peppers on top of cheese

4. Put plain slice on top, and cut in half

**I know it so easy, but this is my new favorite. It's quick and deliciousss. Give it a try. ;)

My Take On Latkas

Ingredients:

1 Zucchini

1 Russet Potato

1 Carrot

2 Eggs

2 Tbsp Flour

1/4 Large sweet onion

1 Clove minced garlic

Salt & Pepper to taste

1 Tsp Turmeric

Canola Oil (I like to use the organic kind made by Spectrum)

Directions:

1. Peel & grate potato, grate carrot & zucchini onto a large kitchen towel

2. Spread out the grated vegetables on the towel, then roll it up, and wring it out to remove all of the excess water.

3. Place dried out veggies in a large mixing bowl

4. Chop onions, mince garlic, and add to the bowl

5. In another bowl beat eggs, and slowly add in flour and turmeric

6. Pour egg mixture into vegetable mixture, then mix the whole thing up, adding in salt and pepper.

7. Place a large frying pan on lit stove with about 2 tbsp of Canola oil, and let it heat up.

8. Place tbsp-sized balls of mixture into frying pan. Once they've been in for a few seconds squish them down with the spatula so that they become flat, like a latka.

9. After a few minutes flip over, and cook until both sides are med-dark brown.

10. Be sure to place them on paper towel when you take them out, and layer paper towel between the layers. This way any extra grease gets soaked up, and saves you the fat.

11. Each time you put new pancakes on the fryer you will have to add more Canola oil to the pan.

Ham & Potato Soup

I got a new Crock Pot for Christmas, and decided to try making a soup with some leftover Christmas ham. Turned out pretty well! The onions, though, are NOT just a garnish - they are an important part of the soup's flavor, so don't leave them out!

-Serves about 4-

You Will Need:
-3 small potatoes. I had an assorted bad of baby potatoes, so I used one red, one blue, and one yellow, for color interest.
-About 1/3 cup of ham cut into about 1" pieces - I used already sliced ham, so it wasn't cubes.
-1 can of Cream of Mushroom Soup
-2 cans of water
-2 tbsp dried parsley - rub between palms before throwing in the pot - it helps release the flavor
-Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper
-Splash of Adobo seasoning
-1 tsp Paprika
-1/2 tsp Cumin
-One yellow onion
-Grated Cheddar Cheese- for garnish

Here's How You Do It:
-Cube the potatoes (about 3/4" to an inch)
-Add all ingredients, EXCEPT onions and cheese, into your crock pot on high.
-Set on Med. High or High (depending on the power of your crock pot. Mine is small, and not too powerful. You DO NOT want this to start to bubble. If it heats up quickly, reduce the heat to medium.)
-Allow to cook COVERED until potatoes are tender. I was able to turn it on in the morning, and it was ready when I came home from work. 8 hours - I guess it really IS a SLOW cooker.

Before Serving
-Dice your onions, and brown them in butter on the stove. You want them to be crispy and very browned.
-Grate cheese over the soup once ladled into bowls, and then top with a pile of fried onions.

ENJOY!

Helpful Tips
-You can replace the ham with bacon
-Feel free to chop up carrots, or add some pearl onions to the soup
-You could cook half of the onions and add to the soup about an hour before serving, to let the flavors fuse, and then use the rest for garnish
-If you're serving to guests, fresh parsley leaves look lovely, and croutons add a nice crunch.

Mexican Shepherd

Props to Naomi for naming this recipe.
I heard of a recipe for shepherd's pie made with sweet potatoes instead of regular potatoes,
but i decided to do a vegetarian version with beans and (hey, why not) a hint of curry.
Turns out, this was the best concoction I've come up with in a long time.

You will need:
one 8oz can of black beans
one 8oz can of red kidney beans (I used light, but dark would be fine)
3 large sweet potatoes
one large onion
one can (12 oz) of diced tomatoes
one 8 oz can of sweet corn
Adobo seasoning
Yellow curry powder
basil (about a tsp)
milk
1/3 stick of butter
1 tbsp sugar
salt and pepper to taste

-Start by scrubbing and cutting your sweet potatoes into large chunks
-Put in water with a few shakes of salt and the sugar, bring to a boil
-While the water is coming to a boil, dice your onion. When the water comes to a boil, add the onion to a separate pan with a tbsp of olive oil. sprinkle Adobo seasoning over them lightly and cook on medium low heat until clear-ish.
-Add to a medium pot the two cans of beans (rinsed), corn, tomatoes, curry powder ( I sprinkled it across the top until there was a fine coating on everything), basil, salt and pepper.
-When the onions are cooked, add them to this mixture and place on medium heat; stir.
-When the potatoes are soft when speared with a fork, drain them and then add them back to the pot with a few tbsp of milk and the butter. Mash!
-The bean mixture should simmer for only about 5-10 minutes, and then it is ready to eat!
Put the potatoes in a bowl, top with the bean mixture, and (optional) grated cheddar cheese.

Enjoy!

Perfectly (Easy) Paella

This meal serves about four people, seconds included!

You will need:
2 1/2 cups stock (vegetable or chicken)
1 bag (small - should call for 2 1/2 c water) saffron rice mix (comes with the seasonings in the bag!!)
1 red bell pepper, cut into 1" pieces (you can add half green and half red, too)
one medium onion, diced
1/2 cup corn
1/2 cup black beans (drained)
shrimp, chicken, sausage, calamari, clams, mussels (all optional and interchangeable - you will need about 3 cups total of whatever you are putting in)

-Saute the onions and peppers in olive oil in a LARGE pot until the onions are clear (not browned).
-add the chicken or vegetable stock, and bring to a simmer
-add the rice mix, corn, and black beans
-cover on medium heat, stirring occasionally
-If you are adding meat or clams/mussels, add to the pot after ten minutes; re-cover and continue to cook on medium heat
-Add all other seafood after about 15 minutes
-Its done when the rice has absorbed the liquid and is tender. (about 25 minutes after adding rice)
- Enjoy!

Fiery Tofu and Coconut Curry Soup

3 tbsp of canola oil
2 tsp minced garlic
3 tbsp red curry paste
2 cans of lite coconut milk
2 1/2 cups vegetable broth
1/4 cup of shredded ginger root
3 tbsp soy sauce
3/4 bag of shredded carrot
1/2 bag of frozen green beans
1 14oz package of extra firm cubed tofu
1 cup of brown rice

1. heat canola oil in large saucepan add garlic and let saute for 30sec.
2. add curry paste, and stir for about a minute.
3. add brown sugar, continue stirring for another minute.
4. add coconut milk, broth, ginger, and soy sauce. cook for 1/2 hr. over low heat
5. add brown rice, cook for another 15 min on med. heat
6. add green beans, carrots, and tofu, cook for another 10 min over high heat.
7. serve it up!! makes enough for like 7ppl. so it's great for leftovers to heat up when you don't want to cook another time.