Tasty Tuesday

This recipe has been on my to-try list for a few months now, and I finally made it on Sunday. Everyone devoured it! It is very simple and inexpensive to make and has a great flavor. I served it with homemade hummus and pita bread.

Mujadara

Ingredients

• 1 cup Lentils
• 4 whole Onions
• 3-½ cups Water
• 1 cup White Rice **I used basmati rice**
  
• 1 teaspoon Cumin
• 1 teaspoon Salt
• ½ teaspoons Pepper
• 2 Tablespoons Vegetable Oil

Preparation Instructions

Slice the onions. The onions should be sliced long, so they look like a rain­bow ver­sus diced into small pieces.

Heat a pot on medium-high heat. Add 1 table­spoon of veg­etable oil and half an onion. Cook until onion is caramelized.

Add lentils, water, salt and pep­per. Bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat and sim­mer for 20 minutes.

After 20 min­utes, add rice and cumin. Cover and sim­mer for addi­tional 20 minutes.

Heat a fry­ing pan over medium-high heat. Add the remain­ing 1 table­spoon of veg­etable oil and the remain­ing onions. Cook until fully caramelized and blackened.

Wordless Wednesday

Tasty Tuesday

I'm doing a pantry/freezer challenge this month. I'm "shopping" from my supply and only buying fresh fruits, veggies and dairy and any exceptional bargains that I find. I'm finding it fun to create the menu based on what I have in stock.

I'd been hungry for some chili, but didn't have any ground beef in the freezer (and I was actually a little tired from beef after eating all the leftover prime rib!), I did have some ground chicken. We didn't miss the beef at all in this recipe and I love that it had chickpeas in it. We are all legume lovers in our house!

Easy Turkey Chili

Ingredients

• 1 lb ground turkey ( you can sub ground chicken)
• 1 small onions, chopped
• 1 (4 1/2 ounce) cans chopped chilies, drained **I used frozen jalapenos**
• 1 (14 1/2 ounce) cans black beans, undrained
• 1 (14 1/2 ounce) cans chickpeas, undrained
• 1 (14 1/2 ounce) cans kidney beans, undrained
• 1 (28 ounce) cans diced tomatoes, with juice **I used frozen, diced tomatoes**
• 1 (16 ounce) cans tomato sauce
• 1 -2 tablespoon chili powder, to taste

Directions

1. Cook turkey and onion in a medium fry pan over medium high heat, scramble fry until no longer pink.
2. Drain off fat and transfer cooked meat and onion to crock pot.
3. Add all remaining ingredients and mix well.
4. Cook on high 6 to 8 hours.

I froze a bushel of local roma tomatoes at the end of the summer. All I did was wash them, stem them and threw them in freezer bags. It's been really nice having them in the freezer, obviously they are only for cooking, but I use a lot of tomatoes in soups, sauces, etc. This pasta tasted great, we fought over the leftovers!

Penne with Tomato Herb Cream Sauce

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons oil
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 medium onions, chopped
• 1 (28 ounce) cans diced tomatoes or 4 medium tomatoes, diced
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 cups penne
• 1/2 cup whipping cream

Directions

1. Saute onion and garlic in oil.
2. Add tomatoes, sugar, basil, oregano, salt.
3. Bring to a boil, then simmer 20-25 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, cook pasta.
5. Stir cream into sauce and heat through.

I made this pot pie earlier this fall but forgot to post it. The biscuit crust is great and easy to make.

Chicken Pot Pie with Biscuit Crust

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup butter
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup chopped onions
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1 3/4 cups chicken broth
• 2/3 cup milk
• 3 cups cooked chicken, cut into small pieces or cubes **or turkey**
• 1 (16 ounce) bags frozen peas and carrots **I use whatever veggies I have on hand**

Crust

• 1 cup flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1/3 cup milk

Directions

1. Crust: This is for just a top crust.
2. if you would like a top and bottom, double the recipe.
3. Combine dry ingredients and cut in butter until it resembles small peas.
4. Add milk all at one and stir just to moisten.
5. Pour out onto a floured surface and knead about 8 times.
6. Roll into desired shape, depending if you are using a round or square casserole dish.
7. If you are making two crusts, make sure you roll the bottom one larger.
8. Filling: Melt butter over low heat in a large saucepan.
9. Stir in flour, chopped onions, salt and pepper.
10. Cook until mixture is bubbly, stirring constantly.
11. Remove from heat and whisk in broth and milk.
12. Put back over heat and heat to boiling, stirring constantly for a couple minutes, until thickened.
13. (YOU CAN IGNORE THE ABOVE IF YOU HAVE ABOUT 2 CUPS OF LEFTOVER GRAVY--JUST HEAT IT UP IN A SAUCEPAN).
14. Add chicken and frozen peas and carrots into the mixture and combine.
15. Remove from heat.
16. Putting it together: Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
17. Pour chicken mixture into 2 quart casserole (lined with one crust if you want a bottom crust).
18. Lay crust over mixture and press into the inside edges of dish.
19. Make a couple slits in the center of crust with a sharp knife.
20. If you are doing a top and bottom crust, crimp edges to seal.
21. Bake for about 30 minutes, until golden brown.

Target had carrots super cheap last week, $1.50 for 5 lbs. These roasted carrots went great with crockpot turkey breast and mashed potatoes. I'm convinced that any vegetable tastes fantastic when roasted.

Thyme Roasted Carrots

Ingredients
Carrots
Olive Oil
Salt
Pepper
Thyme

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400.
2. Scrub the carrots, then chop off the ends. Slice in half, and then in half again.
3. Place the carrots on a cookie sheet and then drizzle with olive oil.
4. Season with salt, pepper, and thyme. Toss to combine.
5. Bake for 20-30 minutes. I like them roasted on the longer end so they get nice and caramelized.

Last Race

Ryan had his last race of the year on New Years Eve. It was a mudfest and he had unexpected issues with his cyclocross bike (like someone crashed into him as he was warming up, breaking the parts he just replaced!!!). He raced on his mountain bike and still ended up having the best race of the season finishing 21st out of 50. My parents came along to experience the craziness of a cyclocross race. Mom thought the crowd was a little rowdy, but I think that's part of the fun.