Cauliflower parsnip puree with cream cheese

It's all about the richness from the butter and cream cheese, this came out much better than expected. I used whipped cream cheese because it's easier to work with. Having made this several times now, I’ve stopped measuring and just go by taste.

Ingredients

1 small head of cauliflower , cut into florets
1-2 medium parsnips, peeled and cut into 1/2” slices
salt and pepper to taste
2 tbsps butter
3 oz cream cheese

Instructions

Steam cauliflower and parsnips until soft, about ten minutes. Save the water to add to purée. 

Transfer vegetables to a blender and add salt, pepper, butter and cream cheese. Pour in about a half cup of reserved water from steaming veggies. Blend until smooth. 

Taste and season with more butter, cream cheese, salt and pepper if needed. If the purée is too thick add more of the hot water.

From: https://cookinglsl.com/easy-roasted-pork-tenderloin/

Easy fruit cobbler

Adapted from: https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/12148/easy-fruit-cobbler/

Ingredients

1/4 cup butter
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2/3 cup sugar (I did half white half brown)
3/4 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla
1 can apple pie filling OR 2 cups sliced fresh peaches OR 2 cups frozen fruit of your choice
Optional - shake or two of cinnamon and cardamom to go with the apple pie filling

Directions

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Melt butter by placing it in the oven in a in a 9 x 9 or 8 x 8 inch baking dish.
Blend together flour, baking powder, sugar, and milk.
Pour batter in baking dish over the butter. Sprinkle fruit on top of the batter, do not stir.
Bake for 1 hour or until golden brown.

Saag paneer in the crockpot

INGREDIENTS

• 2 bags frozen spinach (baby leaves = sweeter taste; adult leaves = earthier taste)
• 1 14 ounce block extra firm tofu
• 14 ounce can coconut milk
• 1.5 cups tomato sauce
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1 yellow onion, diced
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons fresh ginger, grated
• 1 tablespoon garam masala
• 1 teaspoon coriander
• 1 teaspoon tumeric
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon mustard seed

PREPARATION

1. 1. Chop the onion, garlic, and ginger.
   2. Cube the paneer (or halloumi/tofu).
   3. Optional: place all of the ingredients except the paneer (or halloumi/tofu) in a blender or food processor set to "chop", and blend until you achieve the desired texture. If not everything fits, divide the ingredients across multiple batches and then stir the batches together in the slow cooker. Blending is extra helpful if using fresh spinach. 
   4. I simply put all ingredients except the tofu into the slow cooker, and set it on high a few minutes to thaw the spinach. Next time I may microwave it to defrost faster. I added 4oz water because it was not quite the texture I wanted, then added the tofu and mixed well. 
   5. Set the slow cooker on low for 4 hours.
   6. (If cooking with paneer or halloumi, add it to the slow cooker after the other ingredients have cooked for 3 hours so that the cheese only cooks for 1 hour with the other ingredients.)
   7. Serve with naan, rice, or your preferred carbohydrate.
   8. Adapted from:

https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/member/views/slow-cooker-saag-paneer-56d3207915dc71625d4da1b1

Tuscan Pasta

Yummy vegetarian pasta dish thats easy to break into ateps for spread out prep. I had to buy the herbes de Provence but it was worth it.
http://www.geniuskitchen.com/recipe/tuscan-vegetarian-pasta-392763?ref=amp&ftab=reviews

INGREDIENTS
8 ounces mushrooms
1 lb broccoli cut into florets
2 red bell peppers, julienned
1 large onion, chopped
1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
1 cup tomato sauce or marinara sauce
2⁄3 lb pasta (fettuccine or penne works well)
1⁄3 cup parmesan cheese, grated
3 tablespoons herbes de provence (approximately)
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste


DIRECTIONS
Mix mushrooms, broccoli, pepper, and onion.
Spread on two baking sheets.
Drizzle 1 T. olive oil and sprinkle liberally with seasonings. Mix around until well coated.
Bake vegetables at 450 for ten minutes.
Boil pasta until "al dente".
Mix with mozzarella, vegetables, and sauce and transfer to casserole.
Drizzle remaining olive oil on top and coat top with Parmesan.
Bake at 450 for approximately 20 minutes

Kale salad with white beans

https://minimalistbaker.com/white-bean-kale-salad-with-tahini-dressing/

I didn’t make the croutons or the dressing from scratch, and adjusted some amounts. What I did is below but you can click for the original recipe. 

Ingredients:

BEANS

• 1 15-ounce can white or butter beans (rinsed and drained)
• 1/2 lemon, juiced (1/2 lemon yields ~1 Tbsp or 15 ml)
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 generous sprinkle salt
• 1 Tbsp fresh parsley, chopped

SALAD

• 6 ounces kale (chopped // large stems removed)
• 1 lemon, juiced (1 lemon yields ~2 Tbsp or 30 ml)
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 drizzle syrup
• 1 sprinkle each salt + black pepper
• 1 tsp minced garlic

Directions:

1. Add drained beans to a bowl and add lemon juice, olive oil, sea salt, and fresh parsley. Toss to combine. Set aside.
2. Add kale to a large mixing bowl with lemon juice, olive oil, syrup, salt, pepper and minced garlic. Use your hands to massage the kale and break down its texture a bit, and to season the salad. Refrigerate for an hour or so to let it settle together. Serve with goddess tahini dressing and the beans mixed in.

Roast yams with honey and chickpeas

https://smittenkitchen.com/2016/02/roasted-yams-and-chickpeas-with-yogurt/

Roasted Yams and Chickpeas with Yogurt
Adapted from Gjelina

You’re going to end up with more yogurt and more chickpeas than you probably need — or fewer potatoes. It’s all a matter of perspective, really.

Serves 2, hungrily, 4, humbly

3 large yams or orange-fleshed sweet potatoes, cut into 4 lengthwise wedges, or 8, if your yams are very thick
1 to 2 tablespoons honey (I used 1; 2 are called for)
1 tablespoon crushed red-pepper flakes (Espelette are called for; I used mild Aleppo)
1 3/4 cups (1 15-ounce can) chickpeas, drained and patted dry on towels
4 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup Greek-style plain yogurt
4 tablespoons fresh lime juice, from approximately 2 limes
2 scallions, both green and white parts, trimmed and thinly sliced, for garnish

Heat oven to 425 degrees F.

Line two baking sheets with foil, for minimal mess. Coat one, the one you’ll use for the yams, with 1 tablespoon olive oil.

Toss yams with honey, 1 tablespoon olive oil and 1/2 tablespoon of pepper flakes. Let sit in bowl for 5 to 10 minutes. Toss chickpeas with 1 tablespoon olive oil, smoked paprika and salt, to taste.

Spread yams out on olive oil-ed baking sheet in one layer. Season with salt and pepper. Roast for 30 minutes, until nicely toasted underneath. Flip/move wedges around and roast for 5 to 10 more minutes, until soft and singed. For extra color, run them under the broiler for a final minute.

Meanwhile, spread chickpeas on second uncoated baking sheet. Roast in oven for 20 minutes, rolling around once or twice so that they cook evenly, until lightly browned and crispy on the outside. Set aside.

Whisk yogurt, remaining tablespoon olive oil and lime juice together in a small dish, then season with salt and pepper to taste.

Arrange yams on plate or platter, drizzle some of the yogurt over, then about half the chickpeas. Garnish with scallions and remaining pepper flakes, plus flaky sea salt, if you have any. Keep extra chickpeas and yogurt on the side. Dig in.

Lemon pepper chicken orzo

https://www.budgetbytes.com/2015/08/lemon-pepper-chicken-with-orzo/

This is tasty and doesn't take as long as you might think. I stuck the thighs in the oven this time instead of including them in the skillet while the orzo cooks, mainly because I hate feeling uncertain about whether or not chicken is cooked through. 10 minutes on the stovetop plus 35 minutes in a hot oven was enough to have them no longer pink with juices running clear. Get the thighs in the oven ASAP before prepping other things, and it should end up ready around the same time. We did a salad on the side and that was that! Yum!! This makes a lot more pasta than we usually eat so I may do 5 or 6 thighs next time for additional full servings.

INGREDIENTS

4 or 5 chicken thighs, bone in, skin optional (I take it off)
3ish tsp lemon pepper seasoning (lawrys)
2 Tbsp cooking oil - I used vegetable oil
5 cloves garlic
2.5 cups chicken broth (2.5c water plus 2 t knots chicken bouillon powder)
1.5 cups orzo pasta (delallo brand cut #65)
(Optional, I do not use - handful fresh parsley, 2 oz feta, crumbled)

Side dish: steamed broccoli florets

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 400 convection or 425 regular.

2. Remove skin from the chicken thighs, then season both sides liberally with lemon pepper seasoning.

3. Heat a large, deep skillet over medium flame. Add 1-2 Tbsp oil. When the oil is hot (it should be shimmering not smoking), add the chicken thighs, skin side down. Allow the thighs to cook 5 minutes, until browned, then flip and brown 5 minutes on the second side. Remove to a baking dish and pop in the oven for 35 minutes.

4. While the thighs are baking, mince the cloves of garlic and prep the vegetable or other side dish. Wait until there’s 20 minutes left on the oven timer, then start cooking the orzo:

5. Reusing the skillet where you cooked the chicken, turn the heat down to low. Add the garlic and sauté for about one minute, until fragrant but not browned or burned. 

6. Add the chicken broth and stir to dissolve the browned bits from the bottom of the skillet. Add one additional teaspoon of lemon pepper seasoning and the orzo to the skillet. Stir to combine.

7. Cover the skillet and turn the heat up to high. Allow the broth to come to a boil, then turn the heat down to low. Let the skillet simmer on low for 10-12 minutes, or until the orzo is tender. (If the broth stops simmering, increase the heat slightly to keep it simmering.) Stir several times to prevent the orzo from sticking, especially towards the end when the liquid has reduced. Don’t forget to make your veggie at this point, it’s a good time to steam some broccoli!

8. After 12 minutes, the orzo should be tender and most of the broth absorbed. If there is still too much liquid, allow it to simmer without the lid for a few minutes. It's okay if the orzo is slightly saucy. Just grab the chicken out of the oven whenever the orzo and broccoli are ready and dinner is served.

9. If using, sprinkle the parsley over top along with the crumbled feta. I skip this part and it's still plenty flavorful.