At least I know Spring is on its way - on my last two trips to/from the Cities before and over Easter, I saw a couple of swans and Sandhill cranes. Two redwing blackbirds have stopped at my bird feeder, but I haven't seen either since. The pine sikins are voracious eaters right now, easily wiping out he feeder in a day. Fund to watch the siskin swarm in the morning before I head off to work.
The Meal Plan from the week of 4/2/2018
Mon (yoga) NCAA College basketball championship! Take n bake pizza. Michigan lost...
Tues - pasty (with pork and rutabaga filling - my favorite!)
Wed - Sweet Potato Tacos
Thurs (yoga) - leftovers
Fri - Baked sausage and cheese rigatoni
Sweet Potato Tacos (Smitten Kitchen Blog) vegetarian, gluten free option**
Made as written, using avocado, slaw, and cilantro as sides. Simple, filling, flavorful. I loved the brightness of the sweet potato with the cumin, chili powder and smoked paprika. This made enough for two of us for two dinners. Recommended.
2 pounds (about 4 medium) sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2 to 3/4″ cubes
Olive oil
1 heaped teaspoon kosher salt
1 heaped teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1 to 3 teaspoons chili powder, to taste (see Note)
Chipotle powder, cayenne, or shakes of hot sauce, to taste (see Note)
1/2 teaspoon sweet smoked paprika
12 small (6-inch) or 6 medium (8 to 9-inch) flour tortillas (or corn tortillas)
1 15-ounce can refried black beans
1 lime, in wedges
Sliced avocado, pickled red onions, pickled jalapenos, chopped fresh cilantro, hot sauce, Lazy Taco Slaw, or your choice(s) thereof, to finish
Olive oil
1 heaped teaspoon kosher salt
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| Photo from Smitten Kitchen |
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1 to 3 teaspoons chili powder, to taste (see Note)
Chipotle powder, cayenne, or shakes of hot sauce, to taste (see Note)
1/2 teaspoon sweet smoked paprika
12 small (6-inch) or 6 medium (8 to 9-inch) flour tortillas (or corn tortillas)
1 15-ounce can refried black beans
1 lime, in wedges
Sliced avocado, pickled red onions, pickled jalapenos, chopped fresh cilantro, hot sauce, Lazy Taco Slaw, or your choice(s) thereof, to finish
Per Smitten Kitchen:
Heat oven to 400 degrees F. Toss tweet potatoes with 2 tablespoons of
olive oil, then add salt, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, chili
powder, chipotle powder, and paprika and toss to evenly coat. If you’d
like to roast the vegetables (for easier cleanup) on parchment paper,
line a large baking sheet with it and spread the potatoes in a single
layer. If you’d like to roast them directly on your baking sheet (I find
they get more crisp this way), first coat it with 1 more tablespoon of
olive oil, then spread potatoes in an even layer.
Roast potatoes for 40 to 45 minutes, tossing once or twice for even color.
To assemble, if you have a gas stove, I love running flour tortillas over an open flame to give them a little char and complexity. Otherwise, you can wrap the stack of them in foil and let them warm in the oven while the potatoes roast for 5 minutes.
Schmear some refried black beans on each tortilla. Add a big spoonful or two of roasted sweet potatoes. Squeeze a little lime juice over the potatoes and black beans (don’t skip this, please), and finish with toppings of your choice, shown here with a shake of hot sauce, sliced avocado, pickled red onions, and cilantro. Repeat with the remaining ingredients.
To get ours ready for the family meal, I get the tacos as far as the black beans, sweet potatoes, lime juice, and avocado, and let everyone take it from there. They stay warm for about 15 minutes nested, as shown, in a casserole dish.
Baked Sausage and Cheese Rigatoni (Pinterest)
With temps still bouncing between 7* and 30* (at least there isn't a negative sign in front of the 7*), and a pound of Italian sausage in the freezer, this recipe popped up on a Pinterest search. It comes together fairly quickly, since the assembly steps can happen somewhat simultaneously.
I had a couple of substitutions: I used hot Italian Sausage instead of regular, and cottage cheese for the ricotta (I have it on hand and I prefer the texture). I skipped the fennel seeds since I didn't have any. This was tasty, filling, and hit the spot on a chilly late Winter evening. This easily made a 9x13 pan, so we'll be eating it for at least three meals, if not four. Recommended.
1 Olive oil, Extra virgin
1 lb ground, Sweet Italian sausage (I used hot Italian sausage)
1 tbsp Fennel seeds
1small onion, chopped
1 25 ounce jar marinara sauce
1 12 ounce jar roasted red bell pepper, chopped
16 ounce package rigatoni
8 oz grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup Italian flat leaf parsley
15 oz Ricotta cheese (I used cottage cheese)
8 slices Provolone cheese
1. Preheat oven to 375*. Grease a 2 1/2-3 quart (I used a 9x13 glass baking dish).
2. Cook pasta according directions on package.
3. Heat oil in a large saucepan. Cook sausage and fennel seeds until lightly browned and fragrant. Add onion and cook until just softened. Add roasted bell pepper and marinara and heat through. Add pasta add stir until coated.
4. Combine parmesan cheese, parsley and ricotta cheese.
5. In prepared pan, layer pasta mixture, ricotta cheese mixture, and 4 slices of provolone. Repeat layers. Bake until heated through and cheese is browned and bubbly about 20-25 minutes.
And a Whoops! I somehow forgot to blog about this chili dish and this was one I want to give a shout out too:
Vegan Three Bean Quinoa Chili (Oh My Veggies Blog) vegan, vegetarian, gluten free
This was, simply, fantastic. I loved the veggies, the chewiness of the farro (a sub for quinoa), and how this turned out thick and saucy. I might have been short on liquid, or the farro soaked up a bit of extra liquid, which might explain the saucy. My chili powder is Penzey's "medium-hot" so I did cut back a bit so it wouldn't overwhelm the rest of the spices.
To assemble, if you have a gas stove, I love running flour tortillas over an open flame to give them a little char and complexity. Otherwise, you can wrap the stack of them in foil and let them warm in the oven while the potatoes roast for 5 minutes.
Schmear some refried black beans on each tortilla. Add a big spoonful or two of roasted sweet potatoes. Squeeze a little lime juice over the potatoes and black beans (don’t skip this, please), and finish with toppings of your choice, shown here with a shake of hot sauce, sliced avocado, pickled red onions, and cilantro. Repeat with the remaining ingredients.
To get ours ready for the family meal, I get the tacos as far as the black beans, sweet potatoes, lime juice, and avocado, and let everyone take it from there. They stay warm for about 15 minutes nested, as shown, in a casserole dish.
Baked Sausage and Cheese Rigatoni (Pinterest)
With temps still bouncing between 7* and 30* (at least there isn't a negative sign in front of the 7*), and a pound of Italian sausage in the freezer, this recipe popped up on a Pinterest search. It comes together fairly quickly, since the assembly steps can happen somewhat simultaneously.
I had a couple of substitutions: I used hot Italian Sausage instead of regular, and cottage cheese for the ricotta (I have it on hand and I prefer the texture). I skipped the fennel seeds since I didn't have any. This was tasty, filling, and hit the spot on a chilly late Winter evening. This easily made a 9x13 pan, so we'll be eating it for at least three meals, if not four. Recommended.
1 Olive oil, Extra virgin
1 tbsp Fennel seeds
1small onion, chopped
1 25 ounce jar marinara sauce
1 12 ounce jar roasted red bell pepper, chopped
16 ounce package rigatoni
8 oz grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup Italian flat leaf parsley
15 oz Ricotta cheese (I used cottage cheese)
8 slices Provolone cheese
1. Preheat oven to 375*. Grease a 2 1/2-3 quart (I used a 9x13 glass baking dish).
2. Cook pasta according directions on package.
3. Heat oil in a large saucepan. Cook sausage and fennel seeds until lightly browned and fragrant. Add onion and cook until just softened. Add roasted bell pepper and marinara and heat through. Add pasta add stir until coated.
4. Combine parmesan cheese, parsley and ricotta cheese.
5. In prepared pan, layer pasta mixture, ricotta cheese mixture, and 4 slices of provolone. Repeat layers. Bake until heated through and cheese is browned and bubbly about 20-25 minutes.
And a Whoops! I somehow forgot to blog about this chili dish and this was one I want to give a shout out too:
Vegan Three Bean Quinoa Chili (Oh My Veggies Blog) vegan, vegetarian, gluten free
This was, simply, fantastic. I loved the veggies, the chewiness of the farro (a sub for quinoa), and how this turned out thick and saucy. I might have been short on liquid, or the farro soaked up a bit of extra liquid, which might explain the saucy. My chili powder is Penzey's "medium-hot" so I did cut back a bit so it wouldn't overwhelm the rest of the spices.
I will also note, this made a lot. Seriously - I had this for lunch during the week, then at least two-three weekend meals for two. So...roughly 10-12 servings. This might be my entry in our office chili cook-off this year. Highly Recommended!
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 large yellow onion, diced
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 jalapeño pepper, deseeded, deveined, and finely minced
1 large carrot, peeled and diced
1 stalk celery, diced
1 medium zucchini, diced
1 red bell pepper, deseeded, deveined, and diced
1 green bell pepper, deseeded, deveined, and diced
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 tablespoon ground cumin
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon fine ground sea salt
1 (14 ounce) can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 (14 ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 (14 ounce) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 large yellow onion, diced
4 garlic cloves, minced
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| Photo from Oh My Veggies Blog |
1 large carrot, peeled and diced
1 stalk celery, diced
1 medium zucchini, diced
1 red bell pepper, deseeded, deveined, and diced
1 green bell pepper, deseeded, deveined, and diced
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 tablespoon ground cumin
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon fine ground sea salt
1 (14 ounce) can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 (14 ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 (14 ounce) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
(I detest kidney beans and subbed navy - the author notes you can use any combo of beans you like)
2 (14 ounce) cans crushed tomatoes
1 cup frozen corn kernels
4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
1/2 cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed (I used Farro, same amount)
Heat the olive oil in a large heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, add the onion, garlic, and jalapeño, and sauté, stirring frequently, until the onion is just translucent, about 3-5 minutes.
2 (14 ounce) cans crushed tomatoes
1 cup frozen corn kernels
4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
1/2 cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed (I used Farro, same amount)
Heat the olive oil in a large heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, add the onion, garlic, and jalapeño, and sauté, stirring frequently, until the onion is just translucent, about 3-5 minutes.
Add the carrot and celery and sauté 3-5 another minutes, stirring frequently.
Add the zucchini and diced peppers and sauté for another 3-5 minutes, stirring frequently.
Add chili powder, cumin, oregano, smoked paprika, and salt. Stir well to ensure spices are well distributed, and sauté for about 1 minute.
Add the kidney beans, black beans, chickpeas, crushed tomatoes, corn kernels, vegetable broth, and quinoa (farro). Stir to combine. Increase the heat to high and bring the chili to a boil, then reduce to low, cover, and let simmer for 30 minutes.
After 30 minutes the quinoa (farro) should be fully cooked and the chili nicely thickened. Taste, and adjust seasonings if necessary.
Serve with diced avocado, cilantro, and tortilla chips alongside–or whatever toppings you like.
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