Marinara Sauce

Homemade marinara sauce is simple and simply delicious. Store-bought sauces inevitably have sugar or other unnecessary additives. This is a great recipe to double and, when cool, keep extra jars in the refrigerator (or freezer) for busy nights. Cook some pasta, add shrimp or quickly sauce some veggies, toss with marinara sauce and dinner is ready.

It also makes a lovely gift. Place in a jar, tie with a ribbon and a “homemade” or “made with love” note.

 

Marinara Sauce
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Marinara Sauce
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Ingredients
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Instructions
  1. Heat oil in saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and cook until onion is translucent.
  2. Add garlic, oregano, basil, marjoram and crushed red pepper, stir and cook 2 - 3 minutes.
  3. Add tomatoes and simmer gently, partially covered, stirring occasionally, about 1 hour. Mash with a potato masher. (I like it somewhat chunky, but if you prefer smooth, put it in blender or use immersion blender.
  4. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Recipe Notes

Note: Can be prepared one or two days before and refrigerated.

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Southwest Chicken Lasagna

This is one of the recipes that triggered colormyfood, I’ve had so many requests for it. The combination of black bean, corn and cilantro give this lasagna a southwestern twist.

Variations:

  • Vegetarian: Eliminate the chicken
  • Spicy: Add 1 – 2 chopped jalapeños
Southwest Chicken Lasagna
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Southwest Chicken Lasagna
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Ingredients
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Instructions
  1. Mix chicken, black beans, corn and cilantro into marinara sauce.
  2. In a separate bowl mix ricotta, Parmesan and mozzarella
  3. Place just enough marinara sauce on the bottom of Pyrex so pasta won’t stick.
  4. Place a layer of uncooked lasagna noodles
  5. Spoon think layer sauce to cover lasagna noodles
  6. Place a layer of the mixed cheese over the sauce (about half of the cheese mix)
  7. Repeat: lasagna noodles, sauce and cheese
  8. Cover with aluminum foil
  9. Put in oven preheated to 375 for 45 minutes
  10. Remove aluminum foil, reduce oven to 350 and bake another 30 – 40 minutes until cheese is golden.
  11. Remove lasagna from oven and let sit for 10 minutes before cutting and serving.
Recipe Notes

This recipe makes two lasagna dishes. I make one with chicken and one vegetarian when hosting dinner for omnivores and vegetarians. Or I freeze the second one for another time.

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Sweet Potato Shepherd Pie

Because it’s tasty, hearty and nutritious, this is a regular fall dinner at our house. It can be made a day or two early for those busy weeknights.

Variations:

  • Use only with sweet potatoes or only with butternut squash.
  • Use ground turkey, beef or bison instead of turkey sausage
  • Make it spicy, adding a chopped jalapeño or two
  • Give it a Southwest twist When preparing the sausage filling, add 1 teaspoon chili 1 teaspoon paprika 1 1/2 cup corn kernels (I used defrosted frozen corn) Instead of bell pepper, use a poblano pepper
  • Make it vegan by using cooked lentils instead of turkey sausage.

It’s a great way to use leftover Butternut Squash and Sweet Potato Puree after Thanksgiving. Layer it over the leftover Wild Rice, Turkey Sausage and Leek Stuffing.  If no stuffing is left, make the filling with leftover turkey instead of turkey sausage.

Serve it with Kale, Apple and Cranberry Salad with Pumpkin Seeds

Sweet Potato Shepherd’s Pie
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Servings
4 - 6 servings
Servings
4 - 6 servings
Sweet Potato Shepherd’s Pie
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Servings
4 - 6 servings
Servings
4 - 6 servings
Ingredients
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Instructions
  1. Steam sweet potatoes and butternut squash until tender. Drain. Return to saucepan and mash with a potato masher. Add broth, mix until smooth and season with salt and pepper to taste.
  2. Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter 8 x 8 x 2-inch glass baking dish.
  3. Heat expeller-pressed canola oil in skillet over medium-high heat and cook sausage, breaking up with spoon and occasionally stirring, until it is brown (about 10 minutes). Transfer sausage to a bowl.
  4. Add onions to the same skillet and sauté, stirring occasionally, over medium-high heat until onions are translucent, about 8 minutes. Add celery, garlic, cumin, coriander and red pepper flakes (if using red pepper flakes). Season to taste with salt and pepper. Mix sausage back into skillet. Season with salt and pepper.
  5. Place sausage mixture into prepared baking dish. Spoon sweet potato mixture over; smooth top.
  6. Bake until it begins to brown around edges, about 45 minutes (or about 1 hour if it was refrigerated).
  7. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.
Recipe Notes

[su_original_recipe]

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Sweet Potato and Kale Pizza

The colors and flavors of sweet potato and kale take this pizza to a whole new delicious and nutritious place. Truly a superfood pizza loaded with carotenoids and other phytochemicals (naturally occurring plant chemicals) linked to health-promoting and disease-fighting activities.

For a vegan meal, replace goat cheese with toasted pumpkin or sunflower seeds

Simplify by making the sweet potato puree the day before.

If making homemade pizza crust,  my favorite recipe is  100 Days of Real Food: Whole Wheat Pizza

Sweet Potato and Kale Pizza
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Sweet Potato and Kale Pizza
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Ingredients
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Instructions
  1. Heat oven to 425°F.
  2. Steam sweet potatoes 8 - 10 minutes or until potatoes are tender when poked with a fork. Remove sweet potatoes from pot, drain and cool.
  3. Place sweet potatoes in food processor with broth and red pepper flakes, pulse until smooth.
  4. While sweet potatoes are cooking, heat 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil in skillet. Add onion and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally until it starts to turn golden brown. Add garlic, and cook another 2 minutes, stirring. Turn off skillet and let cool.
  5. Roll out dough until 1/4 inch thick. Spread potato sauce evenly over dough. Spread onion over Toss kale in remaining 1/2 tablespoon oil, place on top of onion.
  6. Top pizza with kale and goat cheese. Bake until crust is golden, 10 to 15 minutes, sprinkling on walnuts in final 2 minutes.
Recipe Notes

Variations:

Use butternut squash instead of sweet potatoes, or a blend of butternut squash and sweet potatoes.
Add 1 red bell pepper with cut in quarters and steamed with sweet potatoes or, sliced, to sauté with the onion. It pumps up the flavor and the nutrients

Vegan Pizza
Use vegetable broth when pureeing the sweet potatoes
Instead of goat cheese, toast 1/4 cup of sunflower seeds and sprinkle on pizza the last 2 minutes of baking

NOTE: I steam vegetables rather than boil in water to preserve more nutrients and I think it the vegetables have a brighter color. New to steaming? Check out How to Steam Vegetables

Modified from

Epicurious: Sweet Potato and Kale Pizza

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Sweet Potato and Poblano Pepper Salad

Oh la la the contrasts in this dish: color, texture, sweet and spicy. Now here’s a potato salad I love!

Add the black beans and it’s robust and filling enough to be a main entree.

I serve it at room temperature. You can make it a day ahead. If so (the dressing gets absorbed over night), mix 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar with 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil and toss again before serving.

It’s very popular at our summer dinner parties. I like to serve it with pork tenderloin (grilled or roasted), a quinoa pilaf and a green salad. Vegetarians/vegans can skip the pork and still have a well-balanced, delicious meal.

It also pairs well with grilled chicken.

Sweet potatoes are rich in cartenoids, orange, yellow or red-colored fat soluble compounds that protect plants from sun damage while they help them attract birds and bees for pollination. Cartenoids help protect us from free radicals, modulate our immune response, enhance cell-to-cell communication and play a major role in protecting the skin and eyes from damaging effects of ultraviolet light. Foods rich in cartenoids have been linked to a host of health-promoting and disease-fighting activities. They have been shown to decrease the risk of various cancers, including lung, colon, bladder, cervical, breast and skin.
Superfoods RX: Fourteen Foods that Will Change Your Life, Steven Pratt, MD and Kathy Matthews

 

Sweet Potato and Poblano Pepper Salad
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Servings
4 servings
Servings
4 servings
Sweet Potato and Poblano Pepper Salad
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Servings
4 servings
Servings
4 servings
Ingredients
Dressing
Salad
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Instructions
  1. For the dressing: Mix everything (vinegar, honey, water, rosemary, onion, mustard) except extra-virgin olive oil in a small bowl. Gradually whisk in olive oil. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
  2. If organic, simply scrub the sweet potatoes. If not organic, peel sweet potatoes. Cut sweet potato into bite-size pieces and place in a pot with a steamer basket, cover and cook over medium heat for 6 - 8 minutes until sweet potatoes are tender. Run under cold water and drain.
  3. Cut poblano pepper in half, remove seeds and cut into bite size pieces. Place in a bowl, add cooled sweet potatoes, black beans (if using) and onion in large bowl and toss.
  4. Add parsley and drizzle dressing; toss to coat. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Recipe Notes

Modified from

Epicurious: Sweet Potato and Poblanos Salad with Honey and Rosemary

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Southwest Hummus Wraps

For a delicious lunch or light supper, spread this Southwest Hummus , enriched by red bell pepper and cilantro, on a wrap or into a pita bread, add black beans, avocado and spinach for a healthy, delicious quick lunch or light supper. For an extra-kick add some chopped jalapeño, locoto or serrano.

Southwest Hummus Wraps
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Southwest Hummus Wraps
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Ingredients
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Instructions
  1. Spread 2 – 3 tablespoons on one side of the wrap.
  2. Place spinach leaves somewhat off center, keeping clear of the edges of the tortilla.
  3. Spread 1 tablespoon of black beans down center of spinach; layer tomato, avocado, cilantro. If using jalapeño, sprinkle on top.
  4. Fold in ends of the wrap and roll up.
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Coconut Red Lentil Curry

Red lentils are made from whole yellow lentils that are peeled and split in half, exposing the red color under their outer seed coat which makes them cook quickly.

This dish comes together easily and leaves bellies full and happy.
If cooking for children or those who don’t enjoy spicy food, leave the Serrano/jalapeño peppers out of the pot; serve them on the side so people can add them as desired.

I serve it over brown rice; start cooking the rice first as it takes longer than the curry.

Variations:

  • Use green or brown lentils instead of red; add 10 minutes cooking time
  • Replace cauliflower with broccoli, zucchini with butternut squash, or bell peppers
  • Use parsley instead of cilantro
Coconut Red Lentil Curry
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Servings
4 servings
Servings
4 servings
Coconut Red Lentil Curry
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Servings
4 servings
Servings
4 servings
Ingredients
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Instructions
  1. Heat oil in a medium pot over moderate heat. Cook onion, stirring occasionally, until edges are golden, about 6 minutes. Add carrot, ginger and garlic and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Add cumin, coriander, turmeric, salt, and chile and cook, stirring, 1 minute.
  2. Stir in water, lentils, and coconut milk, then simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes. Stir in zucchini and cauliflower and simmer, covered, until lentils and vegetables are tender, about 15 minutes.
  3. Serve with cilantro scattered on top.
Recipe Notes

Modified from Epicurious: Coconut Red Lentil Curry

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Spicy Kale and Garbanzo Stew

This hearty chili-like stew is loaded with flavor. It’s delicious the first night, even tastier the next day and is one of my favorites to freeze for weeknights when I won’t have time to cook dinner. The trick is to remember to take it out of the freezer and defrost for dinner!

It can easily be a one-dish meal as is, but sometimes I serve it over couscous or mix in leftover grains (barley, rice, quinoa).

Serve it with dollop of plain Greek yogurt and some chopped parsley or cilantro on top.

Spicy Kale and Garbanzo Stew
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Servings
8 servings
Servings
8 servings
Spicy Kale and Garbanzo Stew
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Servings
8 servings
Servings
8 servings
Ingredients
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Instructions
  1. In a medium saucepan heat oil and cook the onions over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until they become translucent. Add garlic and bell peppers and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes
  2. Add all remaining ingredients and bring the liquid to a boil. Turn down heat simmer the stew, stirring ocassionally, for 45 minutes.
  3. Add the kale and cook another 5 – 10 minutes just until the kale wilts.
  4. Season with salt and pepper.
  5. Serve the stew on the couscous or rice, with a dollop of yogurt if desired.
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Asparagus and Barley “Risotto” with Tomatoes

Fresh, tender asparagus says “Hello Spring!” in a most deliciously way. Buying local means buying seasonal. Shopping at the local Farmer’s Market past couple years has become a marvelous way to connect with nature.

Ditto on the tomatoes.  The sun-ripe flavor of local fresh tomatoes is burst of sunshine in the mouth, utterly incomparable to the grocery store variety shipped from thousands of miles away. Because we are in Texas, tomatoes come early.

Asparagus and sunshine tomatoes join whole-grains for a nourishing meal in this recipe. I made it both as a one-dish dinner for weeknights and also as a lovely side dish with roasted fish fillets or sauteed chicken breasts and the Spinach Orange Salad or any green salad.

Variations:

  • Vegan: skip the Parmesan
  • Replace asparagus with green beans or broccoli
  • Replace barley with short-grain brown rice
Barley and Asparagus Risotto
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Servings Prep Time
4 servings 15 minutes
Cook Time
45 minutes
Servings Prep Time
4 servings 15 minutes
Cook Time
45 minutes
Barley and Asparagus Risotto
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Servings Prep Time
4 servings 15 minutes
Cook Time
45 minutes
Servings Prep Time
4 servings 15 minutes
Cook Time
45 minutes
Ingredients
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Instructions
  1. Trim one-inch off the asparagus ends and cut into bite-size pieces.
  2. Over medium heat, warm up extra-virgin olive oil in saucepan. Add onion; sauté until transparent about 5 minutes. Add barley and garlic and toast 3 minutes, mixing occasionally. Add 2 cups broth and bring to a boil; reduce heat to medium-low, cover and simmer until liquid is absorbed, stirring frequently, about 7 minutes.
  3. Mix in 2 more cups broth and simmer over low heat until absorbed, stirring occasionally. Add 2 more cups broth and simmer until barley is tender and creamy but still slightly firm to bite, stirring frequently and adding more broth if mixture is dry, about 35 minutes. If it is dry, add another 1/2 cup of broth and place the asparagus on top, cover and steam asparagus for 8 - 10 minutes or until crisp-tender.
  4. Add tomatoes; stir in gently until heated through, about 3 minutes.
  5. Mix in cheese, arugula and lemon peel. Season with salt and pepper. Serve
Recipe Notes

Modified from

Epicurious: Toasted Barley and Asparagus Risotto

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Roasted Tomato Goodness

Tomatoes invoke the flavor of sunshine. Roasted tomatoes rise to a new level of delicious. And they are so good for our bodies. This is a dish to love.

For a vegetarian entree, add 1 cup of diced potatoes and cook the potatoes with the fennel and serve with Kale, Apple and Walnut Salad.

For omnivore dinner guests, serve it with Broiled Chicken Breasts and Artichoke Hearts and the Spinach Pea Salad.

 

Health Benefits of Tomatoes

Roasted Tomatoes with Fennel and White Beans
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Roasted Tomatoes with Fennel and White Beans
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Ingredients
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Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 425°F. Chop enough fennel fronds to measure 1/2 cup.
  2. Trim fennel bulbs and cut in half vertically. Cut each bulb half ito 1/2-inch-wide wedges.
  3. Heat oil in large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat until very hot, about 3 minutes. Add fennel wedges in single layer; sprinkle with 1 teaspoon coarse salt. Cook until fennel begins to brown and soften, turning occasionally, 10 to 12 minutes. Add tomatoes, oregano, garlic, and crushed red pepper; sprinkle with 1 teaspoon coarse salt and 1 teaspoon pepper. Fold together gently.
  4. Transfer skillet to oven. Bake fennel and tomatoes until soft, stirring occasionally, about 30 minutes.
  5. Mix in beans and 6 tablespoons chopped fennel fronds. Bake 5 minutes longer to heat through. Transfer mixture to large shallow bowl. Sprinkle with remaining chopped fronds. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Recipe Notes

Source: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/printerfriendly/Olive-Oil-Roasted-Tomatoes-and-Fennel-with-White-Beans-360271#ixzz0wHjQFTXk

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