Veggieful Beef Chili

Background: I needed, as in, NEEDED a good, relatively easy chili recipe this autumn that had lots of veggies, so I checked out some of the best rated ones on allrecipes.com and made up my own.

Serves ~12  (I can usually get 12 out of it for our family of four eaters, including 4- and 6-year-old boys who eat like teenagers. They will eat us out of house and home in 10 years...)

Approximate time, from prep to table: ~1 hour, plus simmering time as desired

Ingredients:
2 lbs ground beef (I use ground round), browned (could also use leftovers from a pork roast)
3 big stalks of celery, chopped finely
3 huge carrots, chopped finely
1-2 green peppers, chopped finely
4 medium onions, chopped
1 tsp garlic
16 oz can of tomato sauce (2 8 oz)
30 oz can of diced tomatoes
2 cans rinsed beans (black, chili, navy, great northern--whatever)
15 oz can of pumpkin (not the pumpkin pie filling, which has added sugar)
(or, leftover sweet potato, mashed up)
1 tsp bouillon
4+ Tbsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp cloves
~1 cup of water
Shredded cheese to garnish
Serve with corn bread, tortilla chips, crackers, fritos, etc.

Directions:
Brown the beef in your stock pot, adding S and P to taste.  Transfer to a medium bowl.  Pour the grease back into the stock pot if you want your chili to taste good.  Any leftover bacon grease that you happened to save?  Add some! Those depression-era grandmas know what they're doin'! Yum!

before onions are added

Saute the celery, carrots, green peppers, onions, and garlic in the good stuff, or use coconut oil or butter or whatever.  I chop as I go on this step, but always chop from celery down to onions because of how long it takes the celery and such to cook.

sauteed veggies!

When your onions are translucent and even the celery seems soft, stir in the tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, beans, and pumpkin/sweet potato (optional).

just veggies so far

Stir in bouillon (or 1 cup stock, if you have it!), chili powder, cumin, cloves, and browned beef.

Better Than Bouillon Vegetable Base is my fave.

before adding water

Add water as needed so that you can simmer it properly for as long as you want.  I prefer a stew-ish chili.

De-liiiii-cious!

Serve with shredded cheese to garnish and corn bread, tortilla chips, crackers, fritos, etc.  I have to say, Jiffy Corn Muffin mix is easy, delish, and cheap!

Enjoy!

Note/Tips: This freezes well and is great for making to take to someone with a new baby because you'll still have dinner for your own family! Win-win!

Indian Harvest Shepherds Pie

Background: I enjoy finding ways to incorporate seasonal ingredients and tastes into many of my dishes, replacing more common ingredients with new and interesting ingredients, and mixing themes from different cultures into the same dish. This recipe has all of those elements! The Indian Harvest Shepherds pie is a twist on a traditional shepherds pie, but uses ground turkey instead of beef, sweet potatoes instead of traditional, and it incorporates quinoa as a low carb/high protein grain. The spices are a mix of American harvest spices and traditional Indian Spices. The combination is a textural and palatable adventure that is low carb, low fat, and full of flavor.

Originally from: Inspired from plain ground turkey meatloaf!

Serves ~ 4 -5

Approximate time, from prep to table: 1:15

Ingredients:

- 1 to 1.25 lbs of ground turkey

- 4 large sweet potatoes

- 1 large red onion, chopped

- 2 cloves of garlic, chopped, or 1 Tbs garlic powder

- 1 pint grape tomatoes

- 1/2 cup of quinoa, uncooked

- 1 egg, beaten

- 1.5 cups of raisins (best if mix of golden and red)

- 2 Tbs finely chopped fresh ginger, or 1 tsp powdered ginger

- olive or canola oil

- 2 Tbs butter

- 1 cup whole milk, or cream

- 1.5 tsp cury powder

- 2 tsp salt

- 1 tsp red pepper flakes, or clancy's fancy hot sauce (optional)

- 1.5 tsp cinnamon

- pinch of nutmeg

- 2 cups of water

Directions:

Cut the Sweet Potatoes into quarters, or another chunky shape, and set them on a baking sheet drizzled with oil. You will be mashing or blending them later, so how you bake them is up to you. Bake the potatoes at 375 for 35 min.

In a large pan, saute on medium high heat 1/2 of the chopped onion, the chopped ginger (if powder add later), chopped garlic in oil. Saute until the onions begin to become translucent and the garlic is lightly browned. Garlic will brown faster than onions so you may wish to add it later. Once the onions are translucent, stir in the quinoa and 1 cup of raisins, and let them absorb some of the oil and flavors for 1 minute, then add the 1 cup of water and let it cook down on medium high heat - it should be bubbling. Once most of the water has simmered off, test the quinoa, if it is still hard, stir in 1/2 cup of water and let it simmer until the quinoa becomes softer but still somewhat firm (it will never be as soft as rice, it is more like couscous). Once the quinoa is ready and all water is simmered away, set the pan off the heat and to the side.

In a large glass mixing bowl, mix the ground turkey, egg, salt, cinnamon, curry powder, red pepper flakes or clancys fancy hot sauce (optional heat and yum). Now add the saute mix from the pan you set aside and stir until all is evenly mixed. Take out a 8x12 to 8x16 inch baking pan, lightly coat the base in butter or oil, and spread in the turkey mixture - it should be about 1.5-2 inches thick.

By now your potatoes should be done baking, and out of the oven. Place them into a blender or mixing bowl (I prefer a submersion blender for this part), pour 2/3 cup milk or cream, butter (optional), nutmeg, and a dash of salt and cinnamon. Blend or hand mash until nice and soft. Take the mashed potatoes and spread them evenly over the turkey in the baking pan. Bake for 20 minutes at 400 F, and then broil for 1-2 min on High, until the top of the potatoes have a very light browning on top.

While the shepherds pie is baking, saute the remaining 1/2 onion, pint of grape tomatoes, pinch of cinnamon and salt, and raisins in a pan with oil. Add a little cream or whole milk for consistency if you desire once the onions start to brown. Cook this until the grape tomatoes "pop" and their skin visibly breaks in one spot. This is your "chutney" base.

Once the shepherds pie is done baking take it out and allow it to cool briefly. Put a few scoops of the chutney in the base of a large bowl or plate, and place a few square of the pie on top and serve!

Moroccan Chicken Casserole

***We interrupt the quest for seasonal recipes with this newly discovered dish.***

Background:  Does anyone else love a good casserole?  Three days worth of dinners?  I can't be the only one. I just made this for the first time on Sunday and it was a hit in a major way.  I don't want to build up your expectations too much, but I had done two days of teeth whitening and even though I was already in minor agony from sensitivity, I still ate this citrus-y, pepper-y dish because I couldn't not eat it!  I changed up the directions a little for efficiency, but it is pretty much the same as on the original website.

Just ignore that pan... I am not the neatest cook when I'm trying to get dinner done on schedule!

Originally from: Mark's Daily Apple (see here for prettier pictures than I took)
Serves ~ 6-8
Approximate time, from prep to table: ~ 90 minutes, 55 of that is baking time

Ingredients:
2-3 pounds of chicken (I used 6 chicken breasts)
2+ Tbsp butter
1 onion, chopped
2 Tbsp ginger root, finely chopped or grated (let's be real: less than 2 Tbsp of powdered ginger)
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped (don't be a food snob: 1/2 tsp minced or powdered garlic)
3 carrots, peeled and sliced into thin coins
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp coriander
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp cayenne (optional: only add the cayenne if you want a really spicy dish)
1 green pepper, chopped (generally cheaper than red pepper)
28-ounce can of diced tomatoes (do not drain)
1/2 cup minced parsley or cilantro
2 tsp salt
1 head cauliflower
1 lemon

Directions:

Salt and pepper the chicken. Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a deep pan over high heat. Add the chicken, browning well, about 3-5 minutes a side.

Remove the chicken from the hot pan, cover to retain moistness, and set aside. Turn heat down to medium and add onion, ginger, garlic and carrots and as much butter or olive oil as needed to saute. Cook until the onions are soft. Add remaining tablespoon of butter and all spices. Stir well. Add red pepper, the can of tomatoes, and minced parsley or cilantro. Don't forget the salt (like moi)! Simmer during the next step.

Preheat oven to 375. Meanwhile, chop the head of cauliflower into small pieces. Push the pieces through a food processor using the grating blade to create a nice rice-like texture. (Alternatively, shred with a grater by hand or just grate in a food processor until cauliflower is the size of rice.)

Pour the cauliflower into the vegetable mixture and mix well, so that the cauliflower is completely covered by the sauce.

Coat the bottom of a 9x13 pan with some of the vegetable mixture. Place the chicken pieces on top with space in between them.  Pour the remaining vegetable mixture over the top, pushing it down in between the chicken pieces.  Slice a lemon into thin slices and lay on top of the casserole. Cover the pan with tin foil and bake for 35 minutes. Remove the tinfoil and cook for 25 more minutes.  Enjoy!


Note/Tips:
-I think this will be great for leftovers over the next few days because these types of spices combine well over night.
-Don't let the ingredient list intimidate you--it is mostly spices or easily prepped vegetables.
-Check out penzeys.com for a great variety of spices at good prices.  For more expensive spices, I buy a larger quantity from Penzey's in a bag and then store in my fridge or freezer to retain freshness.  It is generally less expensive than a small container from the grocery store.  I love Penzeys Spices!

"Karenitas"

Why, hello there...

Background:
I'm recently on a Primal kick when it comes to eating after running the gamut from Standard American Diet, Vegetarianism, and Veganism... We eat mostly primally (with awesome health and energy benefits!), but this is an exception to the rule with the flour tortillas I use instead of the egg white version from the original recipe.  I renamed them Karenitas because my Argentinian/Mexican sister-in-law (whom I adore! If you ever read this: Hi Nancy!) told me that they aren't enchiladas the way I make them. So, we're playing off of the carnitas word.

Originally from: Mark's Daily Apple, the "Easy Chicken Enchiladas" toward the bottom of the list.
Serves ~ 4-8
Approximate time, from prep to table: ~ 1.5 hours, but you can bake the chicken the morning of or the day before if desired.  This will get a few days' meals out of the way with leftovers!

Ingredients: 
3 chicken breasts, cooked and diced
4 Tbsp total of olive oil or butter
2 tsp cornstarch
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp cocoa powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
3+ Tbsp chili powder
1 3/4 Cup water
8 ox tomato sauce
1 small onion, diced
1 zucchini, diced
1 yellow squash, diced
8 burrito-sized flour tortillas
1 - 1 1/2 cups cheese (cheddar, colby jack, mexican blend--whatever)
1-2 scallions, diced (optional)


Directions:
Chicken: I cook the chicken at 400 for 45 minutes: pat dry, rub with olive oil or coconut oil, season with pepper and garlic, bake for 45 minutes at 400.  When done, cover with foil and let sit 5 minutes before dicing. Store in an airtight or covered area so that it doesn't dry out before adding to karenitas.  I sometimes bake it the day before.

Reuse that 9x13 pan right after the chicken is done--put those karenitas right in to bake!

 Enchilada sauce:
Warm butter/oil over medium heat in a large, vertical-sided skillet.  Add all dry ingredients and whisk in water and tomato sauce.  Stir occasionally (to prevent burning) until sauce thickens, at least 10 minutes.

Whisk, whisk, whisk!
Reality check: Yeah, my stovetop gets dirty...I use it!

Meanwhile, in a second skillet, saute onion, zucchini, and squash in olive oil or butter.

Healthy additions!

Reserve about 1 cup sauce in a liquid measuring cup or bowl.

When veggies and sauce are done, preheat oven to 350.  Combine veggies and sauce in the larger sauce pan with the diced chicken.

Coat bottom of 9x13 pan with 1/2 cup of reserved sauce.

Place a tortilla on a plate. Fill with 1/8 of chicken mixture (to have an even amount of filling in each of the eight tortillas). Sprinkle some cheese over the filling and roll up.  Place in 9x13 pan.  Repeat for all tortillas.

Drizzle remaining 1/2 cup of sauce over karenitas, coating them to avoid drying them out. Top with remaining cheese and sprinkle with optional scallions.

Bake at 350 for 10-15 minutes, until cheese is melted.

Note/Tips:
-Great for leftovers and Mexican-themed parties!  Just make beforehand, refrigerate, and then stick in the oven at 350 until heated through and cheese is melted.
-If you want to use corn tortillas instead of flour, that should be fine. They just broke on me too often and annoyed me.
-About a pound of Ground beef or chopped steak is also delicious!
-Great to send in hubby's lunch for work.

Chicken Fajitas

Background: At the bridal shower hosted by my mother-in-law, she had each person write one of their favorite recipes on a 3-by-5 recipe card. This recipe comes from the book she made up of all the recipe cards.

Originally from: Sophie Hamberg

Serves ~4
Approximate time, from prep to table: ~2.5 hours (due to a 2+ hour marinade)

Ingredients:
1.5 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 clove garlic
1.5 tsp. seasoning salt
1.5 tsp. ground cumin
1 T. chili powder
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper
2 T. vegetable oil
2 T lemon juice

Sliced Vegetables:
1 yellow pepper
1 red bell pepper
1 green pepper
1 onion
1-2 green onions (or more if desired)

tortillas
sour cream

Directions:

Preparation:
Cut chicken into thin strips; add garlic, seasoned salt, cumin, chili powder, red pepper, oil, and lemon juice and mix thoroughly. Marinate at least 2 hours or longer.

Cooking:
Cook chicken until done in fry pan; set aside. Cook vegetables in fry pan with 1 T. oil and cook, covered, until done. Then add chicken and cook together for a few minutes.

Serve: Put on tortillas and serve with sour cream.

Note/Tips: Someone gave us a set of the sizzling platters that they use at restaurants. If you like this recipe, I highly recommend getting a couple of them and heating them in the oven until time to serve. They add that "wow" effect for guests. I wouldn't recommend marinading the chicken all day; it can become too strong.

Trivoli Casserole

Background: At the bridal shower hosted by my mother-in-law, she had each person write one of their favorite recipes on a 3-by-5 recipe card. This recipe comes from the book she made up of all the recipe cards. When I first got married, I didn't think I liked casseroles...now this is a family favorite!

Originally from: Christy Vollink

Serves ~6
Approximate time, from prep to table: ~an hour

Ingredients:

Group 1:
2lbs ground beef
1 green pepper
1 medium onion
celery & salt & pepper to taste

Group 2:
1 can cream-style corn
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can tomato soup

1 package penne pasta
4 c. sharp cheddar cheese (can be reduced)

Directions:

Start boiling water for the pasta so that you can cook it during step 2. Drain. (step 1)
Fry ingredients in group 1 until brown (step 2)
Add ingredients from group 2 to the fried ingredients (step 3)
Mix noodles and 2 cups of the cheese with other ingredients (step 4)
Put into a 9-by-13 baking dish and cover with the remaining cheese (step 5)
Bake @ 350 for 45 minutes (step 6)

Note/Tips: Great for leftovers.

Pasta Salad

Background: I found this recipe in the coupons from my newspaper. I made it last week and this week and it is so glorious with some leftover baked chicken for lunch!

Originally from: Marzetti Dressing Coupon Recipe

Serves ~ 4-8 (depends on whether this is a side or part of a lunch)
Approximate time, from prep to table: ~25 minutes (pasta has to cook)

Ingredients:
8 oz rotini pasta (Barilla Whole Grain is awesome)
1/2 - 3/4 Cup Ranch or Italian dressing (I prefer non-dairy Italian)
1/2 Cup grated Parmesan cheese (non-dairy substitute works well)
Choose from among these vegetables:
1 Cup broccoli florets
1 small can (6-8 oz) artichoke hearts, quartered (look for glass containers in the canned veggies section)
1 zucchini, quartered lengthwise then sliced
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
1/2 Cup frozen peas, thawed
1 Cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 Cup asparagus, cut into 1 inch pieces
1/2 Cup carrots, quartered lengthwise then sliced
1/4 Cup pitted and halved kalamata olives (I get mine from the "olive bar" at Meijer)
small can chickpeas

Directions:
Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, cut the broccoli into florets and put into strainer. Prep the rest of the veggies above and toss into a large bowl. Drain cooked pasta over broccoli (this will bring out the nice green color). Run cool water over the pasta and broccoli and drain well. Pour the drained pasta and broccoli into the large bowl. Add Parmesan cheese and dressing. Toss gently to coat. Serve or store covered in fridge until serving time.

Note/Tips: This has kept well in my fridge for 4 days. It tastes yummy and you just feel good after eating it--it is such pure, vegetable goodness! You could probably substitute olive oil and red wine vinegar for the Italian dressing if you wanted to. Experiment with which combination you like best!

Veggie Pot Pie

Background: This is one of Grant's favorite dinners. If I mention we're having this for dinner, I usually get a "sweeeeeet" or "cha-ching." I've modified the recipe slightly to include more protein and more nutritious flour. If you're a meat-eater, I think that chicken would go well in this. Just increase the stock or water or milk to get the correct filling consistency.
Originally from: Skinny Bitch

Serves ~4
Approximate time, from prep to table: ~1:30
Crust Ingredients:1 Cup Bob's Red Mill Whole Wheat Pastry Flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 Cup margarine/butter; sub vegan margarine as needed
2 Tbsp milk; sub unsweetened non-dairy milk as needed

Directions:Blend the flour and salt together in a small bowl. Add the margarine and mix by hand until mixture resembles a coarse meal. Add milk and knead until well combined and dough forms. Remove the dough, roll into a ball and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour prior to using. Prep below ingredients while dough is in refrigerator.
Filling Ingredients:1 small onion, chopped1 Tbsp olive oil
1-2 celery stalk, chopped (depending on how much you like celery)
1 large carrot, chopped
1 medium potato, finely chopped
1/3 Cup frozen peas
1/2 Cup red lentils
1 1/4 Cup vegetable stock (I use 1 tsp Better Than Bouillon and 1 1/4 Cup water)
1 1/2 tsp Mrs. Dash Garlic and Herb
2 Tbsp flour
1/2 Cup milk; sub unsweetened soy milk as needed

Preheat oven to 400F.

Lightly oil a deep dish 10 inch pie plate or an 8x8" baking dish (or even a casserole dish) and set aside.
In a large, deep saucepan over medium heat, saute the onions in oil until translucent. Add the celery and carrots; saute for an additional 2-3 minutes. Add the potatoes, peas, lentil, stock, and spices. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat. Cover with lid and simmer for 4-8 minutes or until lentils are soft. (You should have a hard time seeing a particular lentil--they blend in rather well when ready. It is sort of like how a dry grain of rice is very defined while cooked rice almost seems out of focus...if that makes any sense at all.)

Stir in the flour and milk and simmer until sauce begins to thicken.

Transfer cooked vegetables to baking dish. Roll out dough and place evenly over top of vegetables and bake for 20 minutes, then broil for 1-3 minutes, until crust is lightly browned.

Note/Tips: I highly recommend the Whole Wheat Pastry Flour from Bob's Red Mill and using Mrs. Dash as a short cut for the below spices. All-Purpose (as in the above photo), Bread, or Whole Grain flour should work just as well. I usually roll the dough out between two pieces of saran wrap (re-using the one it had been wrapped up in) so that I don't have to wash my rolling pin or mess with the dough sticking.

*Can instead use: 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp ground black pepper, 1/4 tsp sage, 1/4 tsp thyme, and 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper.

Coconut Bean Soup

Background: I met my friend Morgan in high school, where we pretty much had all the same science classes. Our friendship continued as we both decided to go to Michigan, do the whole pre-med thing, and major in Cell and Molecular Biology. We bonded over more than just science, though. We both enjoyed all things 80's, which lead to many great 80's parties (and once even an Early 90's party), sitting in coffee shops, procrastinating and food. Once, sometime during senior year, we decided that we were going to find one weird-sounding recipe to make per week, and turn the project into a cookbook. Our first recipe was for a Garbanzo Cake. We had to take the thin little skins off of about 1,000 garbanzos, and the cake wasn't really that good, but hey, it sounded weird. We printed the recipe, and even drew a picture of the cake decorated with pineapple slices, using Morgan's fat Crayola markers. Though clearly we were destined for greatness in cookbookery, this is where our project ended. We graduated, and my would-be coauthor went off to Kenya to be a Peace Corps Volunteer before going on to med school. In the meantime, I went to grad school, got married, and adopted a baby. When Morgan came back from Kenya about a year and a half ago, Jeff and I invited her over for dinner. Not only was I excited to see her again, but we also wanted to hear all about her post-Peace Corps travels around Ethiopia, since we would soon be travelling there ourselves. The night she came over was just a couple weeks before our trip, so it was a ridiculously busy time. Though I would never ask a dinner guest to bring the main course (my mother taught me better than that!), I quickly accepted Morgan's offer to bring over one of her favorite Kenyan dishes, Coconut Bean Soup. It sounds weird, and would have definitely make the cut for our cookbook. However, unlike the Garbanzo Cake, it is delicious. It's rich, hearty and nice and coconutty. Morgan described how to make it, and from her verbal instructions, after a few tries, I have a working recipe. Morgan adapted the recipe for American kitchens and ingredients, which basically means that we're allowed to use coconut milk instead of fresh coconut. This is good, because the one time I bought a fresh coconut, which had a blue ribbon tied around it proudly proclaiming "E-Z Open" or some such thing, was a disaster. It was far from easy to crack open. About an hour and a few dozen tools and kitchen utensils after I started working on it, I had shards of coconut covered in little bits of brown peel from the outside...totally not worth it. Despite her two years in Kenya, Morgan never mastered the coconut either. Whenever she wanted to eat coconut, or make coconut bean soup, she would take her coconut over to the neighbors' house, where their 7-year old daughter would deftly split open the coconut for her with a machete. Canned coconut milk is a wonderful thing. Due to our last-minute dinner plans (did I mention that Morgan and I are great procrastinators?), Morgan made this for us using canned beans, but when she gave me the recipe, she highly suggested that I use dried beans instead...it takes longer, but she was right, the results are definitely worth it. The beans actually cook in the coconut, which adds to the complexity of the dish and just makes the whole thing a lot more interesting. And perfect for nights like this, when the weather is far from Kenyan.

Originally from: Morgan's Kenyan friends

Serves ~4
Approximate time, from prep to table: ~1 day plus 2 1/2 hours (you need to soak the dried beans overnight)

Ingredients:
1 pound dried red kidney beans
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 large onion, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
2 carrots, diced
1 tomato, diced
1 Tablespoon curry powder
8 cups water
1 can coconut milk
salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:
The day before you're going to make the soup, rinse the beans and pick out any stones. Place beans in a large bowl, cover with cold water, and let soak overnight.

When you are ready to cook, drain the beans. Heat olive oil in a stockpot over medium heat. Add onion, bell pepper and carrot, and cook until they begin to soften, about 5-7 minutes. Add chopped tomato and curry powder, and stir for about a minute. Add beans, 8 cups of water, and half the coconut milk. Bring to a boil, then lower heat and simmer for 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally. At this point, the beans should be tender. Add the rest of the coconut milk, and salt and pepper. Using a potato masher or fork, mash about half the beans in the pot, to thicken up the soup. Simmer for another 1/2 hour, stirring occasionally.

Note/Tips:
-I usually serve this over rice, but it's also great with a good crusty bread.
-To make the shortcut canned bean version, just cook the vegetables as directed, then add a couple cans of beans, a can of coconut milk, and as much water as you need to get the consistency you want. Mash some of the beans, bring to a boil, and serve. I really recommend making this with dried beans at least once though...it's definitely worth it.
-This makes great leftovers...the flavors meld together more the longer they sit.
-I once did a google search the suggests that this recipe is actually originally Tanzanian. Not surprising that it would have found its way across the border into Kenya. I'm going to keep thinking of it as Kenyan, since that's where Morgan learned it, but feel free to call it Tanzanian, which may or may not be more accurate.

Blue Pizza

Background: I have a mild obsession with blue cheese. Not the dried-out flavorless crumbles that they sell for salads, but wedges of real, buttery, creamy pungent blue cheese, like gorgonzola or roquefort, or even maytag. I remember watching my parents eat blue cheese as a kid, and thinking that it was one scary cheese. I didn't know as much about food safety then as I do now, but I knew enough to know what mold looked like, and to me, that cheese did not look safe, despite my parents' reassurance that the mold was there on purpose. But once I got old enough to look past that and see what the big deal was about, it was love at first bite. I love the stuff- the smellier the better. Since we got married three years ago, Jeff and I have also developed a not-so-mild obsession with homemade pizza. It started out innocently enough- the refridgerated bags of pizza dough at Trader Joe's were only 99 cents, and who doesn't love food that's covered in melted cheese? We began having pizza about once a week, even making it on the grill in the summer. Now we're obsessed to the point where we only use homemade dough, and actually have a pizza peel and pizza stone, to obtain the best possible pie. Despite the fact that we have about a pizza per week, it's very rare that we have the same pizza twice. Our pizzas are as varied as the seasonal produce, and whatever combinations of cheeses I happen to have on hand. About a year ago though, I hit on a combination that was so good, it had to be repeated. I had a wedge of blue and some pizza dough, and decided to combine the two. I started playing the "What goes well with blue cheese?" game, throwing things on the pizza as I went. First were the red onions and spinach, followed by mushrooms and bacon. I spotted a few apples on the counter, and thought, "Apples go well with blue cheese!" Then I hesitated. Apples are fantastic with blue cheese, sure, but apples on a pizza? Then I remembered that California Pizza Kitchen has a pizza with pear on it. If they can put pear on their pizzas, why can't I put apples on mine? Hell, some people even put pineapple on their pizzas, a topping that I just cannot understand. So I threw some apple slices on there, and it turned out to be the perfect match. The sweetness of the apples is the perfect balance to the tanginess of the cheese- a great fall pizza, which is only really improved by a glass of dry white wine alongside. I've tweaked the recipe a bit since that first time- I don't put bacon on it anymore (several months ago we decided to cut our meat consumption down to one serving per week, so we rarely have bacon on hand anymore), and the mushrooms are an occasional thing...I usually walk right by the mushrooms at the grocery store without even realizing they're there...and once I think about it we're on the other side of the store and when you're shopping with a two-year-old, going all the way back is just not an option. But you're welcome to add bacon and/or mushrooms to the pizza- it's delicious either way. I'm going to go out on a limb and assume that most of you don't have a pizza peel and pizza stone, so I'll write out the cookie-sheet directions, and assume that anyone with a pizza stone knows how to use it and can adapt the recipe accordingly. Enjoy!

Originally from: this one's an Ani Pennings original

Serves ~4
Approximate time, from prep to table: ~45 minutes

Ingredients:
1 T. olive oil

1 medium red onion, sliced

1 bunch of fresh spinach (about 1 lb), or a 1lb bag of baby spinach
1 apple, any variety, sliced into 1/4-inch thick slices
8 oz. fresh mozarella, torn into small pieces

2-3 oz. wedge of nice blue cheese, such as gorgonzola, crumbled

1 lb. pizza dough, either homemade or store-bought

cornmeal to sprinkle on cookie sheet

extra olive oil for drizzling

Directions:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Heat 1 Tablespoon olive oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add red onion, and sautee until golden brown, about 10 minutes. In the meantime, cut the tough stems out of the spinach, and slice into 1/4-inch wide ribbons. Wash thoroughly, but do not dry- the water that clings to the spinach will help it wilt. When the onions are done, add spinach to skillet, one handful at a time, waiting until spinach is wilted before adding more. Once spinach is wilted, season to taste with salt and pepper.

Sprinkle cornmeal liberally over a rimless baking sheet. Roll pizza dough to 1/4 inch thickness, and place on baking sheet. Spread onion and spinach mixture evenly over pizza, leaving a 1-inch border. Top with apple slices, then blue cheese, then mozarella. Drizzle a little olive oil over the whole thing, and add a little freshly ground black pepper if you like.

Bake for 15-20 minutes, until the crust is golden brown on the bottom. Cut into pieces and serve immediately.

Note/Tips:

-If you want to add mushrooms to this, I suggest either crimini or assorted wild mushrooms. Clean and slice the mushrooms, and add to the skillet when the onions are almost done. Sautee for a couple minutes, then add spinach as directed.

-If you want to add bacon, just cook a couple slices in whatever way you like, then crumble over the top of the pizza just before baking.

-Try to have your toppings ready to go before you roll out the pizza dough. If the dough sits on the baking sheet for too long, it might sneak past the cornmeal and stick.

-When I make this (or any other pizza) for guests, I usually slice it into random sized and shaped pieces, and serve them on a platter. It just looks cool like this.

Lentil and Rice Casserole

Background: I really enjoy this casserole--it is so yummy! When people are over for dinner and I've told them that I'm making a lentil and rice casserole, they pretend to be interested while secretly wishing they had stopped at McDonalds on their way over. Then they eat it and want the recipe. :) It is great for when dinner is still a while away and I don't want to spend a lot of time making it! I always keep the ingredients around so that I can make it without running to the store. This is my go-to, lazy dinner.

Originally from: La Dolce Vegan? I changed it slightly to increase the protein.

Serves ~4-6
Approximate time, from prep to table: ~1:50 (for 1:30 of this, the casserole is in the oven--just stay within hearing distance of your oven's timer for stirring)

Ingredients:
1 Cup dried red lentils
1 Cup uncooked brown rice
1 large or 2 small onions, chopped
1 Tbsp Better Than Bouillon Vegetable Base
4 Cups water (or just substitute 4 cups of desired stock for the Base and water)
1 14-oz can crushed tomatoes, not drained (or diced--whatever is in your pantry will work)
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp dried oregano
3/4 Cup cheese (any kind will do--I like cheddar; substitute soy cheese as needed), grated

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees even before getting ingredients lined up.

In a large casserole dish or 9x13 pan (did I mention that this recipe is very laid back?), combine the lentils, rice, onions, stock, tomatoes, basil, and oregano. Cover with lid (or not) and bake for 1 1/2 hours, stirring every half hour. After the hour and a half, remove lid, sprinkle cheese on top of casserole, and broil for 1-3 minutes, until cheese has melted. (Keep an eye on it so that it doesn't burn!)

Note/Tips: I like to serve this with a side of green beans and baked sweet potatoes. I bake the sweet potatoes in my toaster oven while the casserole is taking up the oven. Just scrub and poke all over with a fork after putting the casserole in. Put them in the toaster oven and wait until the first stirring of the casserole. Then set it to 450F and bake for about an hour, until fork tender. Too good!

Tortilla de Patatas (Spanish Tortilla)

Background: This summer, being the Ann Arborite hippies that we are, we decided to sign up for a CSA. Each week, since early June, we receive a share of produce from a local farm. Overall, this has been a lot of fun, and I've particularly enjoyed the challenge of coming up with ways to use the vegetables that we get each week, since it's never quite what I would have picked out had I been shopping for vegetables myself. The biggest challenge by far has been figuring out how to use all the potatoes. I did not grow up eating potatoes, and though I enjoy potatoes in some way or another every once in a while, I do not typically enjoy them in a two-quarts-a-week kind of way. I first had tortilla de patatas when I was in France the summer after senior year in high school; my part-Spanish host mother made it pretty regularly, and though I enjoyed it, I didn't give it much thought...until this summer. Our farm raises lots of chickens, so we get wonderful farm-fresh free-range organic eggs every week, in addition to our produce. Though using up the eggs is typically a lot easier than using up the potatoes, I did find myself at one point with an excess of both. After considering a few "breakfast for dinner" eggs and hash-brown type scenarios, I suddenly remembered tortilla. Not to be confused with Mexican tortillas, the Spanish variety fall more into the camp of a crustless quiche, or a cheeseless frittata. The few ingredients are all staples that most people usually have on hand anyway, and it comes together very quickly. It also keeps well, so the leftovers can be eaten cold the next day. And it is delicious. The onion carmelizes, adding a touch of flavor and sweetness, the potatoes provide bulk and earthiness, and the eggs bind everything together and wrap it up with a velvety richness. We've had this dish several times this summer, typically together with fresh tomatoes on the side, sliced up and drizzled with a bit of good olive oil and sprinkled with sea salt. With everything except olive oil, salt and pepper coming from within 25 miles of our house, this really is farm-to-table cooking. However, now that tomato season is over, we'll most likely eat this with a simple green salad on the side. A glass of red wine (Spanish, of course) makes it even better. We have two more weeks until our CSA season ends, so I'm sure we'll be enjoying this dish at least a few more times before my potato supply runs out. And who knows, I might even start buying potatoes on purpose now.

Originally from: Madame Pommeret

Serves ~4
Approximate time, from prep to table: ~30 minutes

Ingredients:
1 large onion, chopped

6 medium potatoes, peeled and chopped into 1/2-inch cubes

6 eggs

1/4 cup olive oil

salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:
Heat olive oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add onion, and cook until golden, stirring often, about 5 minutes. Add potatoes, and cook until potatoes become tender, but before they begin to brown, about 7 more minutes.

In the meantime, beat eggs in a large bowl with a fork or whisk. Add salt and pepper to taste.

When potatoes and onions are done cooking, add them to the eggs, then pour the whole mixture back into the skillet. Use a spatula to flatten out the top. Cook over very low heat, shaking the skillet every once in a while to prevent sticking. Once the tortilla is set, and the top is still wet slide the tortilla out onto a plate. Flip the tortilla back into the skillet, and use a spatula to straighten and smooth the edges. Cook until the egg is completely set, another 2-3 minutes. Slide or flip out on to plate, cut into wedges, and serve.

Note/Tips:

-As I mentioned above, this makes great leftovers- tortilla is just as good eaten cold as warm. It also reheats pretty easily.

-The flipping process can be a little tricky- I've read some recipes where they suggest putting a plate over the skillet, and using oven mitts, flipping the contents of the skillet out onto the plate, then sliding the tortilla back in the skillet so that the uncooked side is at the bottom. I think about this every time, but frankly, it freaks me out to attempt to hold a skillet and plate like that. If you'd like to try it, however, feel free.

-I've seen recipes that add things like garlic, roasted red peppers and/or oregano to tortilla de patatas. Personally, I like it prepared simply, allowing the great, super-fresh ingredients to really shine, but there definitely is room to experiment here.

Semi-Butter Chick'n

Background: Another recipe from my quest for good, home-made Indian food! This is definitely not the butter chicken that is in restaurants, but it's good. I'm still searching for the correct butter chicken recipe...
Originally from: ???
Serves ~4
Approximate time, from prep to table: ~30 minutes

Ingredients:6 Tbsp margarine (or vegan margarine)
2 onions, diced1/2 tsp cinnamon
4 cloves garlic, minced4 tsp ginger powder
1 tsp turmeric2 tsp paprika or Aleppo
2 tsp chili powder2 Tbsp ground coriander
One of the following:-4 cups of chicken, cooked and diced
-4 cups chicken-flavored seitan, diced
-4 cups of chick'n strips, diced -4 cups of cubed tofu (frozen, thawed, and drained well)Optional: 1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
30 oz can petite diced tomatoes
2 Tbsp tomato paste
1 Cup sour cream or plain yogurt (or vegan versions)
Directions:
Melt margarine in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the onions and cinnamon and saute until soft:Blend turmeric, paprika, chili powder, and ground coriander in a small bowl. Add garlic and ginger and cook for 1 minute. Add spice mixture to saucepan. Cook, stirring, for 1-2 minutes until fragrant:Add the chicken or chicken substitute, (optional peanut butter), diced tomatoes, and tomato paste. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes:Add the sour cream or yogurt and heat through:I like to let it simmer on the lowest setting for a few more minutes to really blend the flavors while I finish the rice or sidedish, or set the table. Serve over basmati or other rice with naan, chapati, or pita bread.

Note/Tips: This is even better the next day because the spices blend so well over night.

Aloo Dal

Background: I received this recipe from one of my old coworkers. It is one of my husband's favorites--he has even requested it for his birthday dinner.

Serves ~4
Approximate time, from prep to table: ~30 minutes

Ingredients:
2 Tbsp oil
1 large onion, chopped
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
1/4 tsp ground cumin
1 hot red pepper (or 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes, more if you like spicy food; I usually use aleppo pepper for less spice)
1 bay leaf
1 Cup red lentils
3/4 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
2 Cups warm water
2 Cups zucchini, shredded and water squeezed out

Directions:
Heat oil in large saucepan. Add onion, turmeric, cumin, red pepper, and bay leaf. Fry for 1-2 minutes.

Add lentils, salt, sugar, and water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for 7-15 minutes (less for more tender lentils).

Add zucchini and stir to mix. Return to a boil and cook, covered and stirring occasionally, until water is absorbed and lentils and zucchini are tender. Serve hot over rice, preferably with naan or chapati.

Note/Tips: This recipe re-heats well for leftovers! I like to serve it with the Potato-Pumpkin curry, chapati or naan, and basmati rice.