Oven Roasted Carrots & Asparagus

Looking for a great side dish for Thanksgiving?  Roast up some carrots & asparagus.

 

Couldn’t be easier, and together they are so tasty!

Oven Roasted Carrots & Asparagus

Ingredients

• 1-2 C baby carrots (or large carrots quartered)
• 1/2 lb. asparagus
• salt
• pepper
• minced garlic
• olive oil

Directions

Line a baking sheet with tinfoil and lightly spray the tinfoil with olive oil.  Wash carrots and asparagus, and trim as needed.  Then, arrange the carrots over the tinfoil.  Spritz with olive oil and season with salt, pepper and minced garlic. 

Roast at 450 for 15 minutes.  Then, remove from the oven and add the asparagus, spritzing the asparagus with olive oil and seasoning it also with salt, pepper and garlic.  Roll the carrots around too at this point, and return the veggies to the oven for another 15 minutes. 

Serve warm. 

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Grilled Steamed Mediterranean Vegetables

These have to be some of the easiest veggies to make during the summer!  Toss your favorite veggies into tinfoil and grill. 

No, seriously, it is that easy. 

Grilled Steamed Mediterranean Vegetables – Adapted from a newspaper clipping

Ingredients

• 4 C fresh or frozen broccoli, cauliflower and carrot mix
• dash or two of oregano
• olive oil
• salt and pepper
• splash of balsamic vinegar
• Ice cube (if fresh veggies are used)

Directions

Lightly grease the tinfoil.  Then, place 4 C frozen veggies into the center of the tinfoil.  If you use fresh veggies, than add 2 ice cubes to the veggies. 

Sprinkle with oregano, salt and pepper. 

Wrap up the veggies in the tinfoil. 

Place on the grill over medium heat for 5-7 minutes, then turn the package.  Continue grilling for 5-7 more minutes, or until tender. 

Open the tinfoil package and splash with balsamic vinegar. 

Serve warm. 

Enjoy!

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Roasted Vegetable Summer Salad

For my grandparent’s 65th Wedding Anniversary all the grandkids brought side dishes.  I decided it was high time to create a new pasta salad. 

I roasted up a whole bunch of veggies because, let’s face it, roasted veggies taste amazing.  And, I can actually eat them when they are roasted. 

Then, I tossed them in some pasta cooked in chicken broth, marinated with some olive oil, garlic, onion, and herbs. 

The result was a delicious salad – perfect served hot or cold. 

Roasted Vegetable Summer Salad

Ingredients

• 2 C chicken broth
• 2 1/2 C small shaped pasta
• 1/2 tsp. minced garlic
• 1 tsp. minced onion
• 4 C water
• 1 C chopped broccoli florets (fresh or frozen)
• 2 C baby carrots
• 2 medium red bell peppers
• 1 medium zucchini
• 8 oz. baby bella mushrooms
• 4-6 oz. cherry tomatoes (optional)
• 1 can (~15 oz) Great White Northern Beans, rinsed & drained
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 tsp. basil
• 1 tsp. oregano
• Olive oil

Directions

Place 2 1/2 C small pasta (we used rings, but small shells would work well too) in a large stockpot.  Add 2 C chicken broth (should be enough to nearly cover the pasta; if not, top off with water).  Sprinkle in up to 1/2 tsp. minced garlic and 1 tsp. minced onion.  Bring to a boil, stirring frequently.  Once the pasta has absorbed most of the liquid (about 3 minutes of boiling), add in the 4 C of water and continue cooking according to package directions.  Drain. 

Meanwhile, chop up your veggies.  Chop the bell peppers into 1-inch pieces, zucchini into quarters, and mushrooms into quarters.  Halve the cherry tomatoes, if using (I highly recommend doing so!).  Note – it the carrots are thick “baby carrots”, slice them in half lengthwise. 

Arrange the veggies on a large cookie sheet lined with a piece of foil coated lightly in olive oil.  Spritz with additional olive oil.  Season with salt and pepper, basil and oregano. 

Roast at 450 for 30-45 minutes until crisp tender and nicely roasted.  Stir occasionally during this time and, if you are using frozen broccoli, you may need to remove the broccoli sooner than the other veggies. 

When pasta is ready and veggies are done, stir them together.  Mist lightly with olive oil to maintain moistness.  Season with additional salt, pepper, basil, & oregano.

Stir in white beans and garnish with dried parsley, if desired. 

Serve warm or chilled. 

This makes a great stand-alone salad, but would also be delicious with chicken either in the salad or along side it.  Grilled chicken would be even better!  Enjoy!

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Zucchini, Carrot & Black Bean Rice

One of my all-time favorite meals is a whole wheat tortilla filled with zucchini, carrots and black beans.  You can find that recipe here. 

There is just something about shredded carrots and zucchini sautéed together with delicious black beans and a hint of cheddar cheese.  Yum, yum, yum. 

This time, I added these veggies to brown rice.

The result was a delicious dinner and the leftovers in my lunch were even better!

Zucchini, Carrot and Black Bean Rice

Ingredients

• 2 C brown rice
• 1 C chicken broth
• 1 C water
• 1 tsp. minced onion
• salt & pepper, to taste
• 1 medium zucchini, quartered
• 4 oz. mushrooms, quartered
• 2 medium carrots, finely chopped
• 1/2 tsp. olive oil  
• 1 can black beans, rinsed & drained
• Shredded cheese for garnish (e.g., cheddar, Parmesan)

Directions

Begin by cooking the 2 C rice in 1 C chicken broth and 1 C water along with 1 tsp. minced onion.  Cook according to package directions. 

Meanwhile, sauté the carrots in 1/2 tsp. olive oil for 3-4 minutes. 

Toss in the quartered zucchini and mushrooms.  Cook for 5-7 minutes until veggies are crisp-tender and the liquid from the mushrooms is evaporated.

Add in the black beans. 

Then, when the rice is ready, pour in the hot rice to the skillet. 

Garnish on the top with some shredded cheese.  I used a little bit of cheddar and some Parmesan. 

Serve warm. 

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Crockpot Chicken Pot Pie

If you are just joining us, we are in the middle of Crockpot Chicken Week!  All week long, 5 recipes using leftover crockpot chicken… and all recipes are made in the crockpot.  I had a great question yesterday from a reader about if you can feed 5-6 people on one chicken.  While I haven’t tried it, I would venture yes. 

Here’s how: Use smaller amounts of meat in each dish and load up on the veggies.  For example, in yesterday’s soup – use 3/4 C shredded cooked chicken rather than the 1 to 1 1/2 C suggested.  Add more carrots, celery, barley, rice & lentils.  Think of meat as the side dish, adding flavor to your favorite veggies.      

For today’s recipe, up the veggies; go for 5-6 C!  It’s easy and delicious.  The recipe comes from one of my favorite food bloggers, Megan from What Megan’s Making.  It takes about 4 hours from start to finish if you use frozen veggies.  If you use fresh veggies, plan for 6-8 hours, which will provide enough time for the veggies to cook completely. 

Crockpot Chicken Pot Pie – Adapted from Megan

Ingredients

• 8 oz mushrooms, fresh or canned
• 3 T minced onion
• 4-5 C frozen mixed veggies (peas, corn, green beans, carrots preferred)
• 1/3 C white whole wheat flour
• 1/2 – 3/4 C leftover shredded cooked chicken
• 1/3 C chicken broth
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 1/3 C milk or cream
• Pinch of thyme
• 1 recipe cheesy biscuits

Directions

In a large crockpot (4-6 quart), combine 8 oz mushrooms (we used canned, drained) with 3 T minced onion and 4-5 C mixed frozen veggies. 

Sprinkle the veggie mixture with 1/3 C white whole wheat flour.  All purpose may also be used, but we go for all whole wheat all the time. 

Add 1/2 – 3/4 C shredded cooked chicken, leftover from your whole chicken cooked earlier this week.  Alternatively, if canned chicken is your thing, you could use that here. 

Stir the mixture and season with salt and pepper. 

Pour in 1/3 C leftover chicken broth.  Stir. 

Season with a pinch of thyme.  Cover and cook on low for 3-4 hours until warmed through, veggies are hot and the sauce has thickened. 

Thirty-minutes before serving prepare cheesy biscuits.  You can find the directions here.  Additionally, at this point, add 1/3 C milk to the pot pie cooking away in the crockpot.  Turn the heat up to high and cook until the biscuits are done. 

Top each serving with 1-2 biscuits. 

Enjoy!

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Crockpot Chicken Noodle Soup (homemade noodles)

This whole week we’re focusing on chicken recipes – we started yesterday with a whole chicken.  After the chicken, toss the carcass and some celery, carrots, onion and seasoning into the crockpot and make broth overnight.  See directions here.

Using your overnight broth (directions here), skim the fat by either chilling the broth for a little while, or using a fat separator. 

Return the broth to the crockpot and get ready for a delicious soup! 

Allow the soup to simmer all day in the crockpot and then prepare some homemade noodles (see below) 30 minutes before serving.  Boil them up and add them to your soup for some good, old fashioned chicken noodle soup. 

Serve with a side salad and bread and you have chicken recipe #2. 

Crockpot Chicken Noodle Soup

Ingredients

• 3 C sliced carrots
• 1 C sliced celery
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 8 C chicken broth
• 1 C brown rice, uncooked
• 1/2 C soaked lentils 
• 1/2 C barley (quick cook)
• 1-1/2 C shredded cooked chicken (leftover from your chicken)
• Poultry seasoning, McCormick’s Grill Mates (chicken seasoning), to taste
• 1/2 C flour
• 1 egg
• salt and pepper, to taste

Directions

Begin by taking the meat that you deboned from the chicken after your dinner and after you made broth.  You’ll want to use the little shreds of chicken (from wings, neck, legs, etc) for the soup and save the bigger breast pieces for your later meals. 

Place the chicken pieces and broth into the crockpot.  Add in sliced carrots and celery.  Season liberally with salt, pepper, poultry seasoning, and our personal favorite McCormick’s Chicken seasoning.

Add in 2 handfuls of brown rice, 1/2 C soaked lentils, and cover, cooking on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 4.   One hour before serving, add 1/2 C quick cook barley.  Turn to high and cook until barley is done. 

Meanwhile, prepare the pasta.  To do so, mix the flour with with salt and pepper.

Mix in the lightly scrambled egg. 

In the end you’ll have a semi-crumbly mixture.

Roll the dough out until it is about 1/4 inch thick.  Using a pizza cutter, slice through the noodle dough making 1/4-inch thick noodle pieces. Slice them short, until they are about 2 inches in length. 

Toss them into a pot of salted boiling water and let them boil for 2-3 minutes. Drain. 

Add to your soup and serve.   

Mmm!

Join us tomorrow for a yummy crockpot casserole! 

reade more... Résuméabuiyad