Moroccan Lentil Stew

I know what you're thinking...

Stew? In the middle of the summer in Texas? Are you insane?

Maybe, but I love stew, and I won't let 100-degree weather keep us apart. Also, today happened to (officially) be the first day of summer. Now this means absolutely nothing to people in Texas, but still...kind of funny that I chose to make this of all meals. Oh well! It's so good and hearty and totally worth it.

Moroccan Lentil Stew Recipe:

• 1 cup lentils
• 3 garlic cloves, pressed
• 1 celery stalk, chopped
• 2 cayenne peppers, diced ( also added a few tbsp of homemade hot sauce)
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp garam masala
• 1/2 tsp ground coriander
• Pinch of ground cardamom
• Generous salt, black and cayenne pepper
• 1 bay leaf
• 5 cups beef broth (chicken or vegetable)
• 1 can diced tomatoes

• 1 sweet potato, NOT peeled and diced into small cubes
• 1 zucchini, diced
• 1 cup red cabbage, shredded
• 1 tbsp brown mustard
• 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• Green onions for garnish

Add the first set of ingredients to a large stock-pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and let simmer for 15 minutes. Add the potatoes, cover and let simmer for 15 more minutes. Check to make sure lentils and potatoes are tender; using an immersion blender, puree some of the stew. This will give it a thicker, creamier texture. Add the remaining ingredients (sans green onion), simmer for an additional 10 minutes and serve!

Turkish Chicken Shish Ka Bobs

There's nothing like eating chunks of delicious charred meat and veggies off of a stick, nah mean?

Pair it with some turmeric-basil-lemon rice and a spiced yogurt sauce, and you have one fine Turkish-inspired meal. This is super easy with minimal clean-up and it tastes incredible. Perfect for a summer bbq!

Turkish Chicken Shish Ka Bobs Recipe:

• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 cayenne pepper, diced
• 1 cup yogurt
• 2 tsp ground cayenne pepper  
• 2 tsp cinnamon 
• 1 tsp cumin
• generous salt and black pepper
• 1/2 lemon, juice+zest
• 2 tsp Greek oregano
• 2 tbsp fresh parsley, minced
• 1 tsp roasted garlic powder (optional)

• 2 chicken breasts, cubed
• 1 green bell pepper, cubed
• 1/2 red onion, cubed (see a pattern here?)
• 1 zucchini, sliced into thick circles (or cubed)
• 2 Roma tomatoes, quartered
• 2 cups Jasmine rice
• 3 cups water
• 2 tsp turmeric 
• salt and cayenne pepper  
• 3 tbsp fresh basil, minced
• 1 tbsp fresh parsley, minced
• 1 lemon, juice+zest

Combine the first set of ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Pour half of the sauce in a gallon ziplock bag, add the chicken and coat well. Set in fridge for a few hours, at least. Cover the remaining yogurt sauce and reserve for later.

When ready to grill, assemble skewers with marinated meat and assorted veggies. This recipe makes 3 large skewers. While the shish ka bobs cook, add the rice and remaining ingredients in a rice cooker (is that cheating? oh well!). Serve with leftover yogurt sauce and enjoy!

Pre-grill

Post-grill. Mmm, look at that char!

Spicy Bechamel Pasta

This is a very simple pasta dish based on one of the classic French sauces--Bechamel. It's relatively easy to make and tastes light years better than any pre-made white sauce out of a can or package. We paired with salad and leftover grilled pork chop.

Spicy Bechamel Pasta Recipe: 

• 1 tbsp. butter or margarine
• 1-2 tbsp flour
• 1 cup milk
• salt, black and cayenne pepper
• 3 cloves garlic minced
• 1/4 onion, diced very finely
• 1 fresh cayenne pepper
• 1 tbsp dried thyme
• 1/2 pkg thin spaghetti, cooked

Melt the butter or margarine in a medium sauce pan over medium low heat. Whisk in the flour until clumped and then pour in the milk. Whisk together. Add in the garlic, onion and fresh pepper, bring to a boil, then reduce, add seasonings and simmer for about 15 minutes or until thickened to your desire. Toss in the pasta and enjoy!

Thanksgiving Pasta Bake

Here I go again with the Thanksgiving food...

This dish actually wasn't planned out to be Thanksgiving themed; however, a quick exploration of the fridge and pantry led to its creation. Darn tasty too! Sorry about the one (and only) terrible photo.

Thanksgiving Pasta Bake Recipe:

• 1/2 lb ground turkey
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 red chilies, diced (optional)
• 2 tsp fennel seed
• 1 tsp dry mustard powder
• 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• salt, black pepper
• 1 tbsp Greek oregano
• 1 tbsp dried rosemary 
• 2 cups chopped frozen broccoli, thawed
• 1/2 pkg cooked spiral pasta 
• 1 can cream of chicken
• 1/2 can water
• 1 tbsp brown mustard
• 1/3 cup dried cranberries

Cook pasta according to package instructions. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a medium saucepan, add ground turkey, garlic, chilis, seasonings and Worcestershire sauce. Cook over medium until turkey is cooked through and garlic has softened. Add the remaining ingredients and mix until well-combined. 

Pour into 9x13 baking dish, cover with foil and bake in oven until warm and bubbly, about 25 minutes.

The turkey + fennel seed + cranberries really do make this dish taste like a Thanksgiving spread!

Stir-Fry Veggie Udon

This is one of the prettiest dishes I have ever eaten, if I do say so myself. 

I think spinach + purple cabbage= my new favorite culinary color combo.

It also tasted really, really, really good! I was very pleased, especially since I was just throwing something together quick to use all the fresh veggies in the fridge before I go out of town for the weekend. I would definitely recommend this meal.

Stir-Fry Veggie Udon Recipe:

• 1/2 package Udon noodles (for 2 people)
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tbsp minced fresh ginger
• 1 carrot, diced
• 4 Thai chiles (spicy!), diced
• 1/4 head of purple cabbage, diced
• 1/2 bunch of fresh spinach, torn
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp red chile paste
• 1 tsp fish sauce
• 1 tbsp peanut butter
• 1/2 tsp rice wine vinegar
• Black pepper
• Sesame seeds and chiffoned fresh basil for garnish

Cook the Udon according to package instructions.

Heat olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium low heat. Add the ginger, garlic, chiles and carrot. Cook for about 5- 10 minutes to soften. Add the purple cabbage, soy sauce, chile paste, fish sauce, pepper and vinegar. Cook until the purple cabbage becomes tender (another 5-10 minutes). Add the peanut butter and spinach. Be sure to incorporate the peanut butter well so as to not to have big lumps. Cook until the spinach has wilted. Add cooked Udon noodles. Garnish with sesame seed and basil. Enjoy!

No-Bake Pumpkin Pudding Pie

You know the problem with seasonal dishes?

We think we can ONLY eat them during that particular time of year.

I don't know about you, but I crave roast turkey, stuffing and pumpkin pie ALL the time. But I guess if I indulged in that craving all the time, Thanksgiving would no longer be so awesome.

Well anyway, this is a pumpkin pie recipe that's perfect for summer. It's cool, refreshing and requires no oven time (well excluding the crust, but you could totally just serve this in a bowl).

Obviously the pudding to crust ratio is overwhelmingly uneven, but I swear there is a crust under there!

No-Bake Pumpkin Pudding Pie Recipe:

• 1 can solid packed pumpkin
• 1 package vanilla pudding mix
• 2/3 cup milk
• 1 tsp cinnamon + more for topping
• 1/2 tsp all-spice
• 1 pre-made crust (I made a weird one that I'll share, but you can use store-bought)

Mix pumpkin with milk in a medium bowl. Add in the pudding mix and spices and whisk together until smooth (no grainy pudding lumps, people!). Pour into prepared crust in a pie dish and refrigerate at least for 4 hours to set (overnight is best). Enjoy with whipped cream or by itself!

Crust:

• 2 packages instant cinnamon oatmeal
• 1/3 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 tbsp margarine
• 1 tbsp applesauce
• 1 tsp honey

So I wasn't originally going to use a crust, which is why I kind of panicked and threw together something from on-hand ingredients. But it actually turned out quite delicious! Because I used instant oatmeal that was already chock full of cinnamon and sugar, I only added a little bit of honey. If you use plain oats, you'll need to add more sugar. 

Basically just mix it all together, pat evenly into a 9-inch pie pan (greased) and bake for about 10 minutes in 425-degree oven or until browned. 

Turkey Zucchini Verde Enchiladas

This ain't nothing special, but it sure tastes good. Easy peasy enchiladas and side salad. Enjoy!

Turkey Zucchini Verde Enchiladas Recipe:

• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• 1/2 lb ground turkey (obviously any meat would work)
• 1 zucchini, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 Anaheim chili pepper, diced ( just had it on hand, you could use jalapeno, poblano, serrano, etc.)
• salt, black and cayenne peppers, cumin, chili powder
• 2 tbsp sour cream
• 9-12 corn tortillas, warmed so they're flexible
• 1 can green enchilada sauce (or make your own)
• shredded jack cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a pan. Add the ground turkey and separate into small, fine pieces with a wooden spoon. Add the zucchini, garlic and pepper and stir together. Season liberally with spices. Cook for about 10 minutes or until turkey is cooked through and veggies are tender. Remove pan from heat. Add the two tbsp of sour cream and stir to combine. Pour about 1/4 of the can of enchilada sauce in the bottom of a greased baking dish (this will prevent the enchiladas from sticking). Heat the corn tortillas in the microwave just so they are soft. Fill each tortilla with a spoonful of the mixture, wrap up and place fold-side down in the pan. Finish by pouring the rest of the enchilada sauce over the top and sprinkle with shredded cheese. 

Cover with foil and bake in oven for about 30 minutes. Serve with simple Mexican side salad (lettuce, corn, green onions, fresh tomato and salsa!).