Corn and Lima Bean Succotash

I don't think I have ever tried a succotash before, it's a very American dish to me, certainly not something we ate when I lived in England, and lima beans were also not something we ate, actually I don't think I ever tried them before I had a lima bean succotash in one of our favourite grocery stores here in Houston, Central Market.  They were sampling this succotash with a spiced tilapia, we both loved it so much we decided to go home and make our version of it, only we had cod not tilapia.

 1 large onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
2 tbsp olive oil
3 cups chopped fresh tomatoes
2 cups corn kernals
2 cups lima beans
3 tbsp fresh basil, sliced
salt and pepper

Heat the oil in a large pan.  Add onion and saute until soft, about 5 minutes.  Add the garlic, cook for another minute.  Add the tomatoes, corn and lima beans.  Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 20 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper and stir in the fresh basil.

Greek Lemon Potatoes

One of my favourite restaurants in Houston is Niko Niko's.  Their lemon potatoes are so addictive that I usually buy an extra order to reheat the next day.  Now these lemon potatoes are not really the same as Niko Niko's because theirs doesn't have an oven roasted feel to them at all, but the flavour of these potatoes wedges are as equally addictive as the ones at Niko Niko's, so lemony and delicious!

4 large potatoes
1/2 cup lemon juice
1/3  cup olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp dried oregano
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper

Peel potatoes and slice into wedges.

In a large ziploc bag, combine the olive oil, garlic, oregano, salt, pepper and chicken broth.  Add the potatoes to the bag and leave to marinate for at least 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 400.

Pour the potatoes and marinade into a baking pan.  Bake for 1 hour, turning half way.

Caprese Quinoa Bake

One of Randal's favourite meals is roasted Italian sausages with spaghetti and marinara sauce.  I am not really a fan of Italian sausages so when I make that for him I either have just the spaghetti and marinara or I make something for myself that I know Randal wouldn't eat, just so I can try out a new recipe, which is exactly what I did with this quinoa bake from  Half Baked Harvest.  I really like quinoa but I know that Randal doesn't, but he surprised me and actually had a small bowl of this along with his sausage spaghetti.

2 cups cooked quinoa

1 cup pasta sauce

2 tbsp tomato paste

1/3 cup heavy cream

1/3 cup parmesan cheese

1 cup mozzarella, divided

1 cup grape tomatoes, halved

fresh basil, chopped

1/2 tsp red pepper

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

 

Preheat oven to 350

 

In a large pan, heat the pasta sauce and tomato paste, add in the heavy cream, parmesan, red pepper flakes and salt and pepper.

Remove from heat and stir in the cooked quinoa, half the mozzarella, half the tomatoes and a handful of chopped fresh basil.  

Grease an 8x8 baking dish and pour in the quinoa mixgture.  Top with the remaining mozzarella and tomatoes and bake for 15 minutes.

Tomato and Basil Bake

This is a Rachael Ray recipe.  I always feel like we are stuck in a rut when it comes to sides with our dinners, so when cherry tomatoes were on sale last week I found this recipe and for side that was so quick and easy to make we both enjoyed this a lot.

1 pint cherry tomatoes
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp olive oil
1/3 cup panko
2 tbsp butter, melted
2 tbsp fresh basil, chopped

Preheat oven to 450

Cut the tomatoes in half and toss them with the garlic and olive oil.  Season with salt and pepper and place in an 8x8 baking dish and cook for 15 minutes.

Combine the panko and melted butter and sprinkle over the tomatoes.  Cook for another 5 minutes, then top with the fresh basil.

Hard Cider Macaroni and Cheese

This recipe is from  Bakeaholic Mama and even though macaroni and cheese isn't something I eat often, I knew I had to give it a try once I had seen the ingredient list, does it get any better than warm cheese and cider baked into macaroni? the apple cider flavour was really string in this but I loved it.

1 box of macaroni
1 cup hard cider
1 cup heavy cream
3 tbsp flour
3 tbsp all purpose flour
1 granny smith apple, peeled and diced
1 onion
18 oz sharp cheddar

Prepare the pasta according to package directions.

In a medium pan, melt the butter and add the diced onion and apple, cook for 5 minutes.  Sprinkle over the flour and cook for another minute before adding the cider and heavy cream.  Bring to a boil, stirring constantly, reduce heat and add in 12 oz of the cheese and stir until melted.

Combine the cheese sauce and cooked pasta, pour into a large baking dish and top with the remaining cheese. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes.

Cauliflower Cheese

Cauliflower cheese is quintessentially British.  I grew up eating it but I haven't made it in many years and thanks to an enormous cauliflower I bought last week I decided to give an old favourite recipe a try again.

1 cauliflower
2 oz butter
2 oz all purpose flour
1 tsp colemans mustard powder
1 pint milk
2 oz cheddar cheese
salt and pepper
dash of nutmeg
1/4 cup panko

Steam the cauliflower for 10 minutes.

In a large pan, melt the butter, add the flour and cook for a minute before slowly adding the milk.  Once combined add in the mustard powder, salt, pepper and nutmeg.  Continue stirring until the sauce comes to a boil.  Reduce heat and add the cheese and stir until the cheese has melted.

Place the cauliflower into a large baking dish and pour the cheese sauce over the top.  Top with the panko and some extra grated cheese and bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

Zucchini Boats

I was under no illusion that Randal would actually eat these, so I planned to make them on a night I was making Randal a dinner that I don't really like. So while Randal enjoyed his roasted Italian sausages and spaghetti, I enjoyed these stuffed zucchini (or courgettes as I call them) boats from Proud Italian Cook.

2 large zucchini
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp dried Italian herbs
1 garlic clove, crushed
12 cherry tomatoes
1/4 cup panko breadcrumbs
1/4 cup mozzarella

Preheat the oven to 375. In a small bowl mix together the olive oil, dried herbs and garlic.

Cut the zucchini in half and scoop out the middle, brush with the olive oil and herb mixture. Cut the tomatoes in half and place in the zucchini boats.  Sprinkle with the panko and bake for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and top with the grated cheese, bake for an additional 5 minutes.

Quinoa, Black Bean and Corn Tacos

We eat tacos fairly often, so as soon as I saw these quinoa, corn and black bean tacos from Cooking Classy I knew I had to make them. I am loving quinoa these days and I really loved the idea of using this mix in place of the standard beef taco filling we make.  Randal of course did not eat these, but that's okay because there are plenty of leftovers to freeze for next time.

 

1 1/2 cups quinoa, cooked

1 tbsp olive oil

1onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, chopped

1 can mild rotel

1 8oz can tomato sauce

1 tsp chili powder

1 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp paprika

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1/4 tsp coriander

1 cup corn

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

juice of 1 lime 

Heat the olive oil in a large pan over medium heat.  Add in the onion and cook for about 5 minutes.  Add in the garlic and cook for another minute before adding the rotel, tomato sauce, cooked quinoa, black beans, corn, chili powder, cumin, paprika, cayenne and coriander.  Heat through for about 10 minutes, add in the lime juice.  Serve with taco shells, lettuce, diced tomatoes, avocado, grated cheese, sour cream or whatever your favourite taco toppings are.

Fruited Quinoa

I made this to go with cherry glazed ribs. Both recipes came from The Midnight Baker and the quinoa went so well with the ribs, I really loved it but I am on a bit of a quinoa kick these days. 

1 cup quinoa
1 cup orange juice
1 cup water
1 tsp orange zest
1/2 cup dried cherries
1/2 cup toasted almonds

Rinse the quinoa well and place in a medium saucepan with the orange juice and water.  Bring to a boil then reduce the heat to simmer until the quinoa has absorbed all the liquid.  Add in the cherries and toasted almonds.

Black Bean Burgers

I have been really loving black beans recently, so when I found this black bean burger recipe over at Smells Like Home I couldn't wait to try it.  I have never made or even actually eaten a black bean burger before so I don't have anything to compare this to, but I was so surprised by these burgers... they are good, really good, I think they have just become my new favourite lunch as unfortunately Randal wouldn't eat these at all.

3/4 cup panko breadcrumbs
2 tsp olive oil
2 (15 oz) cans black beans, drained and rinsed
2 large eggs
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 red bell pepper, finely diced
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, minced
1 shallot, minced

Mix the breadcrumbs and 2 teaspoons of olive oil in a small bowl.  Heat a small frying pan over medium heat, add the breadcrumbs and toast until lightly browned. Set aside.

In a large bowl mash all but half a cup of the black beans.  Add in the red bell pepper, shallot and cilantro.

In a small bowl beat the eggs, salt, cumin and cayenne together. 

Mix the egg mixture into the bean mixture, add in the half cup of black beans and the panko breadcrumbs, mix together and refrigerate for half an hour.

Shape the mixture into 6 half cup patties.  Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet and cook the patties for around 10 minutes, turning half way through cooking.

Vegetable Lo Mein

I made these noodles to go with chinese bbq pork (I'll be posting that recipe soon).  We both really loved this lo mein recipe and would definitely make this again.

Lo mein noodles

3 tablespoons hoisin sauce

1/4 cup chicken broth

2 tablespoons soy sauce

2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil

1 teaspoon cornstarch

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh ginger

1 medium onion, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced

5 mushrooms, thinly sliced

1/2 cup thinly sliced carrots

1 cup sugar snap pea pods

1/2 red bell pepper, sliced

Cook noodles according to package directions.

In a small bowl, mix the hoisin sauce, chicken broth, soy sauce, sesame oil, and cornstarch. Set aside.

Heat 1 tablespoon of the vegetable oil in a large wok or nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Stir-fry the ginger for 30 seconds. Then add the onion and stir-fry for 2 minutes. Add the mushrooms, bell pepper, peas and carrots and stir-fry 2 minutes.  Add the cooked noodles and the sauce, turn the heat down and stir fry for anotherminute or two.

Indian Summer Stew

I bought some butternut squash last week without anything in mind to make with it, so I went looking through my pinned recipes and found this summer stew recipe from the food network. I made a few changes, I added some carrots and potatoes because I had a few needing to be used up, and I cooked it for quite a while longer than the original recipe as it took about an hour for the split peas to soften.
 
 

1 cup yellow split peas

2 cups butternut squash, diced

1 tomato, diced
2 carrots, peeled and diced
2 potatoes, peeled and diced

1/2 cup shredded coconut

1/2 tsp turmeric

1/2 tsp ground cumin

4 cups vegetable broth

2 tbsp vegetable oil

1 tsp mustard seeds

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

1 garlic clove, minced

1 1/2 tsp salt

1 tbsp honey

1 lime, juiced

 

Rinse the split peas and place in a large soup pot with the squash, tomato, carrots, potatoes, coconut, tumeric, cumin, and the vegetable broth. Bring to a boil, and then simmer, covered for an hour.

In a small skillet, heat the oil Add the mustard seeds and when they stop popping, add the red pepper flakes, garlic, and salt, cook for 10 seconds. Add the spices to the soup pot along with the salt, lime and honey.

Minted Quinoa and Cucumber Salad

I made this to go with dinner tomorrow night, but it's so good that I can't stay out of it, so I'm not sure it will make it to the dinner table tomorrow!
 
 

1/2 cup quinoa
1 cup water
1 bay leaf
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup sliced english cucumber
1/2 cup fresh mint
1 jalepeno
1 tsp salt
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar

Put the water, quinoa, bay leafand salt in a sauce pan and bring to a boil.  Cover and let simmer for 15 minutes, leave to cool.

In a food processor pulse together the mint, jalapeno, salt, olive oil and vinegar.

In a medium bowl mix together the cooled quinoa, sliced cucumber and the mint sauce.  Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
 
 

Potato Salad

This is the potato salad recipe that my mum always made when I was a kid, it's our go to potato salad recipe and Randal loves it as much as I do. I had to adapt the recipe a little bit from my mum's to make it something that Randal would love, as my mum definitely did not use yellow american mustard, but I think she would approve of the final result.
 
 

I had to include this picture to show how my husband eats his potato salad.  Covered in bbq sauce.  I'm pretty sure my mum wouldn't approve of that!

 
 

3 pounds potatoes

1/2 cup chopped celery

1/2 cup chopped red onion

4 chopped hardboiled eggs

1/4 cup chopped sweet gherkins

1 cup mayonnaise

2 tablespoons yellow mustard

2 tablespoons dill pickle relish

Salt and pepper

Place the potatoes in a large pot of salted water, cook potatoes until fork tender. Leave to cool.

In a small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, mustard, relish and salt and pepper. 

When the potatoes are cool place them into a large bowl, add the celery, red onion, hardboiled eggs, gherkins, and the mayonnaise mixture. Stir together and season with salt pepper.  Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Curried Orzo Salad

I have had this recipe from The Perfect Pantry saved for a long time, I don't know why I have not made this before because I love all things curry flavoured and this was no exception.  Randal also really liked this salad, and we will definitely be making this again.

8 oz orzo
2 tsp curry powder (I like Penzey's sweet curry)
1/2 cup mayonnaise
Juice of half a lemon
1/4 cup raisins
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
1/2 cup diced english cucumber

Cook the orzo according to package directions.

In a large bowl mix the mayonnaise, curry powder and lemon juice together.  Add in the orzo, bell pepper, cucumber and raisins and mix well.  Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.





Linked to: Mom On Timeout, Michelle's Tasty Creations, Frugal Follies, A Little Nosh, Momnivores-Dilemma, Miz Helens Country Cottage, Two Yellow Birds, Simple Living

Lemon Pepper Fettucini

Randal loves fettucini alfredo, I'm not really a fan of it though, so he never really gets to eat it because I  won't make it.  So when I said I was making a lemon pepper version he was all for it even if it had lemon in it.  Turns out that we both really enjoyed this and we both said we would make this again.

12 ounces fettuccine

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

1 large shallot, minced

1 1/4 cups heavy cream

1 large egg yolk

1 to 2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest

1/3 cup grated pecorino cheese, plus more for garnish

Freshly ground pepper

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the fettuccine and cook until tender. Drain, reserving about 1/2 cup cooking water.

Meanwhile, melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add the shallot and a pinch of salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly golden, about 3 minutes. Whisk the cream, egg yolk and lemon zest in a bowl. Reduce the heat to low and add the cream mixture and cheese to the skillet. Cook, whisking, until slightly thickened, about 2 minutes. Season with salt and 2 to 3 teaspoons pepper.
Add the pasta to the skillet and toss, adding enough of the reserved cooking water to loosen the sauce and garnish with more pecorino.
 

Watermelon Salsa

I made this salsa to go along with the tex mex egg rolls. Randal and I both love fruit salsas but we usually make them with pineapple or mango, so a watermelon salsa was new to us and we both really liked it.

3 cups watermelon, diced
1/2 an english cucumber, diced
2 jalapeno, seeded and minced
1/4 cup red onion, finely chopped
1/4 cup fresh basil
Zest and juice of 1 lime
1 tbsp sugar
3/4 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp salt

In a large bowl whisk together the lime juice, zest, sugar and pepper.  Add in the watermelon, cucumber, jalapenos and basil, stir together and refrigerate.  Add the salt just before serving.



Linked to: Kitchen Fun, It's a Blog Party, Fingerprints on the Fridge, Tutus and Tea Parties, Crumbs and Chaos

Potato and Green Bean Salad

Randal and I both love potato salad, but it seems I only ever make the same one I grew up eating.  There is nothing wrong with that, it's a great potato salad recipe, but when I found this recipe for a lemony potato and green bean salad it looked so different from our usual potato salad that I had to try it.

1 pound potatoes, peeled and cut into 2-inch chunks

1/2 pound green beans, trimmed and halved

1 tablespoon whole-grain mustard

1/4 cup mayonnaise 

3 tablespoons sour cream

1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

Juice of 1 lemon, plus 1 teaspoon grated zest

1/4 red onion, thinly sliced

Salt and pepper

Cover the potatoes with cold water in a saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and cook until tender, about 15 minutes. Transfer to a colander with a slotted spoon. Add the green beans to the boiling water and cook until crisp-tender, about 3 minutes. Transfer to the colander with the potatoes, run under cold water and pat dry.

Mix the mayonnaise, sour cream, 1 tablespoon mustard, the parsley, lemon juice and zest, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and pepper to taste in a bowl. Add the potatoes, green beans and onion. 

Linked to:  Flour Me With Love, Couponing and Cooking, Sweet and Savory, All The Small Stuff

Jalapeno Popper Quiche

Randal loves jalapeno poppers, especially the ones from Arby's that come with that bronco berry sauce that contains no berries.  Usually though, quiche and Randal do not mix, but when I saw this jalapeno popper version from Closet Cooking I thought he might actually eat this one. 

We both really liked this quiche, although I will say that it is quite spicy so if you prefer a milder quiche clean out the seeds from the jalapenos.  I left the seeds in one of the jalapenos even though the recipe says to leave them in both, but I knew that would be too spicy for me, and even with one it was still hot!

1 frozen pie crust, defrosted

1/2 cup cream cheese, room temperature

2 jalapenos, diced

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup cream

5 large eggs

1/4 teaspoon paprika

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 jalapeno, sliced

1/2 cup cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 400.

Place the pie crust in a 9 inch pie pan, prick the bottom of the crust with a fork and bake for 10 minutes.

While the pie crust is baking, heat the milk and cream in a small saucepan until barely simmering.

When the pie crust has baked for 10 minutes, remove from oven and lower the oven to 350.  Spread the softened cream cheese over the bottom of the crust, and top with the diced jalapenos.

In a bowl lightly beat the 5 eggs, and slowly add the warm milk and cream.  Stir in the spices.

Pour the mixture into the pie crust and bake for 30 minutes.

Remove from oven and top with 8 jalapeno slices, bake for 10 minutes.  Then top with the grated cheese and bake for 5 minutes.

 Linked to: Simple Living, Kitchen Fun, House of Hepworths, Tutus & Tea Parties, Six Sisiters Stuff, I Should be Mopping the Floor, Addicted to Recipes, Couponing & Cooking, The Southern Institute, Serendipity and Spice, Making the World Cuter, Skip To My Lou, Sweet and Savory, Cozy Home Scenes, It's a Blog Party, Jaqs Studio, Newlyweds 

Chile Rellenos Casserole

Another pinterest recipe originally from Winner Dinners. I followed the recipe as is but next time I think I would change the tomato paste layer, maybe use an enchilada sauce or something, the paste was just a little too strong for me. This is actually quite good though, and very crustless quiche like with all that baked eggs and cheese!




3 7-oz. cans whole green chiles
1 pound cheddar cheese, grated
1 pound jack cheese, grated
4 eggs
1 can evaporated milk
3 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 6 oz. can tomato paste
​
Wash the chiles, removing the seeds, and dry on paper towels. Grate the cheeses. Reserve 1/2 cup of each of the two cheeses, mixing them together in a small bowl. This will go on top of the casserole later, so you can place it in the refrigerator for now. In a medium-sized casserole dish, layer 1/2 of the chiles, all of the cheddar cheese, the remaining chiles, then all of the jack cheese. Separate the eggs. Beat yolks and add evaporated milk, flour and salt, beating until frothy. Beat whites separately for about a minute. Combine the two egg mixtures and beat for a few seconds longer so that they are well-mixed. Pour the egg mixture over the chiles and cheese. Bake at 300 for 1 hour. Then spread the tomato paste over the top. Sprinkle with the reserved cheese you placed in the refrigerator. Bake 1/2 hour longer. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.