Easy Roasted Veggies

One of my favorite go-to sides is roasted vegetables.  So easy and so flavorful! This is perfect way to get your veggies into your day.

My favorite roasted veggie "mix" is a combination of zucchini, mushrooms, garlic, onions and Roma tomatoes.  You can use any vegetable really...potatoes, asparagus, etc.  Cooking times may vary depending on the vegetable, but generally the directions below are accurate for most varieties.

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees Farenheit.

2. Chop selected vegetables to be about 1/4" to 1/2" thick.

3. In a mixing bowl, combine vegetables and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil.  Gently mix to coat.

4. Season with salt and pepper (& other herbs, if desired).  Gently mix again.

5. Spread evenly in a roasting pan (I use my Pampered Chef Stoneware Bake Pan).  Make sure it's a single layer and the pan is not over-crowded. If so, vegetables will steam instead of roast.

6. Allow to roast in oven for 25-30 minutes, checking occasionally. They are ready when just beginning to brown and carmelize.  Sometimes, I broil them at the last minute for just a few seconds so they crisp up a little.

These are delicious as a simple side.  But, tonight I tossed them with some whole wheat rotini, feta cheese and a little more olive oil.  For lunch tomorrow, I will wrap the cold, left-over vegetables in a tortilla with a little hummus for a tasty and health lunch!

Salsa Verde Soup

This month I made it a goal to make at least one new recipe each week and share the food with others.  This week, I made a scrumptious soup that I just loved.  It's adapted from a Rachael Ray recipe, but I made a lot of changes, actually.  I shared the soup with one of my co-workers and she loved it as well.  Here it is!

Salsa Verde Soup

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast

1 (16 oz.) jar of medium salsa verde

3 c. crushed tortilla chips

1 (4.5 oz) can of green chilis

1 c. shredded cheddar cheese

sour cream

1. In a large pot, combine the chicken with enough water (or even chicken broth!) to cover; bring to a boil, lower the heat, cover and simmer until just cooked through, about 30 minutes.  Strain the broth into a medium bowl and shred the meat. 


2.  Return the chicken and broth to the pot and stir in the 3 cups crushed tortilla chips, the green chilis and the jar of salsa verde.  Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring, until thickened, about 5 minutes. 


3. Stir in the cup of shredded cheddar cheese and season with salt. Divide among bowls, sprinkle with more cheese and top with more salsa verde, pepper and sour cream.


Makes 4-6 servings.

Foodie Friday: Great Northern Bean Soup

I'm linking up with Eliz's Foodie Friday today!

Here in South Alabama, we've had our first tease of truly fall weather.  It's cold enough in the morning to wear a light sweater or jacket when I walk the pup, and it's chilly at night, too.  I leave the door to my screened porch open while I am at home because it's just so fabulous and beautiful.  The weekend promises more of this, in my opinion, perfect weather! I love it.

With all this fall weather comes the desire to make soup, of course.  And, boy have a made a good bit of soup over the last few days.  The recipe I want to share today is from my dear friend Jamie. It's easy, can be made in the crockpot if you want to and is perfect for the cooler weather.  It sticks to your bones, if you know what I mean.

(Sorry, I don't have pictures.)

Great Northern Bean Soup

1 lb ground beef or turkey

1/4 c dried minced onion

1 tsp paprika

3 cans great Northern beans, drained and rinsed

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce

1 can Rotel tomatoes

Brown ground meat.  Combine all the other ingredients. Allow to heat through and simmer.  Eat and enjoy!

You can make ahead in the crockpot by putting the setting on low and allowing to cook throughout the day.

Foodie Friday: Taco Soup

I love soup at this time of year, and it's about all that I've been cooking lately.  It' great for me because soup is usually quick, easy and easy to freeze.  I'll eat it for 2 meals and freeze the rest for later.  Love it.

For more great recipes, visit Eliz's Foodie Friday page.

Taco Soup

(adapted from cooks.com)

1 lb. lean ground beef or turkey (I prefer the turkey)

1 med. onion, diced

1 pkg taco seasoning

1 pkg ranch seasoning

2 large cans diced tomatoes, undrained

1 can of Rotel tomatoes, undrained

1 can of black beans, drained

1 can of pinto beans, drained

1 can of whole kernel corn, drained

Brown meat and onions.  Drain.

Add your spice packets.

Add the corn, beans and tomatoes.

Simmer until warmed through and all the flavors combine.

Top with sour cream, shredded cheese, green onion, tortilla chips...whatever you like!

ENJOY!

...Foodie Friday...Homemade Pancake Mix

For today's Foodie Friday @ Eliz in ATL, I want to share with you a recipe given to me by my friend Linda Sue.

In India, pancakes tended to be a go-to meal.  Part of the reason for this is that Linda Sue gave us a plastic storage container with homemade pancake mix in it.  All we had to do was add oil, water and an egg.

(this image came from the Web...)

It is so easy and so tasty! This mix keeps well in an air-tight container.  You can eat pancakes about three times before having to make the mix again.

Pancake Mix

4 c. flour

4 Tbsp. baking powder

4 Tbsp. sugar

1 1/3 c. powdered milk

2 1/4 tsp. salt

TO USE: Simply mix 1 1/2 c. of pancake mix with 1 egg, 1 c. water and 2 Tbsp. of oil.

Foodie Friday...Pumpkin Bread

 

In honor of FALL, my recipe this week for Eliz's Foodie Friday is Pumpkin Bread.   I first tried this recipe last year in India after my mama sent over a can of pumpkin.  I found the recipe for this tasty treat on the Grace Violet blog HERE.  Here's my adaptation. 

Pumpkin Bread

   

1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin

4 eggs

1 cup vegetable oil

2/3 cup water

3 cups sugar

3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

(I add 1 tsp of vanilla extract to the wet ingredients.)

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F (that's 175 C for you folks not in the U.S.).  Grease whatever baking dishes you are going to use.  I used my Pampered Chef stoneware mini loaf pan plus a cool little muffin tin-type thing that looks like pumpkins!  I made 4 mini loafs and 12 muffin-sized pieces with this batter.  Each mini loaf had about 1 cup of batter, and each muffin-sized piece had about 1/2 cup of batter.

In as big a mixing bowl as you have, mix the wet ingredients (pumpkin, eggs, oil, water and vanilla extract) with the sugar.  Blend well.

In another bowl, combine the dry ingredients (flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon).  Then slowly add the dry ingredients into the mixing bowl with the wet ingredients until "just blended." Pour the mixture into your greased pans. 

Bake for 30-40 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.  Then, enjoy the goodness!

Easy as pie.

Thanks, Grace Violet, for the excellent recipe!

It's Fall, Y'all!

Even though the weather in South Georgia still feels like summer, I'm still wearing my flip-flops and the leaves aren't changing yet, I know it's fall. And how do I know that?

This:

The smell of peanuts being picked.

I love the smell of the earth during harvest season for some reason. Whenever I smell it, it conjures up the memories of my childhood when I used to ride with my Papa Milton in his pick-up while he was hauling trailers full of just-picked peanuts to the local peanut company.

I also know it's fall because I'm eating a lot of these.

Boiled Peanuts

A Southern delicacy, boiled peanuts could probably be considered "the official snack food of the South."

If you're not from these parts and are unfamiliar with boiled peanuts, click HERE. You start by pulling up some green ("raw") peanuts, picking them off the plant and then washing them.

Place as many as you can get in a large pot to boil. Season with as much salt as you like and let them slowly boil for about three hours. If you prefer, add Cajun seasonings with the salt.  It's your preference.  Taste them along the way to see how they're coming. After they are completely boiled, let them soak in the brine for a while to absorb some more of that saltiness. Eat 'em warm or after cooled down with an ice-cold Coca Cola. 

There's nothing like Georgia peanuts right from your papa's farm and boiled by your grannie.

...Foodie Friday...Spicy Chicken and Black Bean Chili

Today I am tagging along with Eliz's Foodie Friday. Last week I was in the mood for something spicy and filling, but I hadn't been to the store. So, I raided the pantry to see what I would come up with. This easy chili was made quickly with simple canned items that I almost always have on hand.

Spicy Chicken & Black Bean Chili

- 1 (15 oz.) can black beans, drained
- 1 (10 oz.) can Rotel (or diced tomatoes with chillies)
- 1 (8 oz.) can tomato sauce, Mexican HOT style (or regular if you don't like so much spice)
- 1 (4 oz.) can white meat chicken (The can pictured is more than you need unless you like it really meaty)

Add all the ingredients in a saucepan and heat through. Garnish with whatever you like: a dollop of sour cream, a sprinkle of shredded cheese, chopped green onion, etc. Serve with tortilla chips or crackers. Makes 3-4 large bowlfuls.

Yummy.

Playing Catch-up- Teaching the neighbors how to make salsa

A couple of weeks ago our neighbor needed to learn how to make something completely from scratch and without any kind of electricity for a school project. She asked us to help her because she didn't want to do anything traditional. She wanted to try something new that the judges of the contest may have never had before. So...we decided to teach her how to make my "famous" salsa (people around here sure like it and always ask me to make it for get-togethers). I have been able to perfect the recipe since coming here because I am always craving it. Here are some pictures from the night we taught our neighbor.

Chopping tomatoes...little brother was a great help!

Posin'

Writing down the recipe and chowing down

Brittany's "Famous" Fresh Salsa
(super simple and super tasty)

1 kg of tomatoes (about 2.2 lbs.)- peeled, seeded and diced
(my trick to peeling is to stick the tomatoes in boiling water for a few seconds and the peel comes right off)

1 medium size onion, diced

4 cloves of garlic, minced

1 small green chili, diced into tiny pieces
(probably half of a small jalopeno, if you're in America)

the juice of one lime
(or lemon if you're in South Asia)

2 handfuls of cilantro, stems removed and chopped roughly

salt, pepper and cumin to taste
(if I have it available, I will replace the spices with a McCormick Salsa Seasoning packet)

THAT'S IT!