Some new and some and tried and true favorites I’ve made lately are listed below. Yes, we are a predominantly meatless family (until this past Sunday). Though we do give in to burgers and fries as need be, we have generally scaled back our meat since we were observing lent. Fortunately, my eldest could live without most meat except bacon and burgers and my husband could just as happily be a vegetarian. My youngest, however, oh man, that girl loves her meat so we chose not to cut it out entirely this year.
•Cumin sweet potato black bean quesadillas
1. Clean a sweet potato or two if you’re making this for four. Poke it twice with a fork, stick it in the oven. I cook mine for about 45 min at 400, but the sweet potatoes here are small.
2. Once you’ve determined it’s cooked use a food processor or a hand emulsifier. Mix in cumin, turmeric, black pepper and any other spices you like and blend. Put it aside.
3. Cook black beans or drain and rinse a can of black beans.
4. Get out your tortilla. Spread some of the sweet potatoes on half the tortilla, sprinkle on cheese of your choice and black beans. Fold over the top. Microwave for 30 seconds. Serve with sour cream, guacamole, salsa. Whatever your heart desires!! Delicious and healthy!
•Black bean burgers – I used the recipe below except substituted the salmon for black beans. I read that if you’re using canned beans you have to dry them out, which I did in my oven for about 10-15 minutes at 350. Be sure to watch them. Every oven is different. I also added some ketchup for an additional adhesive.
•Salmon cakes – Delicious and a hit! https://natashaskitchen.com/salmon-cakes-recipe/ I added extra bell pepper. This is a good example of a recipe that I would couple with fries or something fun that’ll get the kiddos, and your condiments, excited. Since there’s so much good in those salmon cakes you can get away with a few empty calories!
•Zucchini bread – both my girls are obsessed with zucchini bread which is awesome given that it is full of zucchini. If you’ve never made it before, do it! What a win!
•Ethiopian lentils – My eldest loves lentils and Ethiopian food. We eat beans at least three times a week. So I have been looking for a new lentil recipe and came across this one. Delicious and mild enough to give to the kiddos. https://www.acouplecooks.com/ethiopian-spiced-red-lentils-and-rice-mesir-wat/
•Sunday casserole – A Lenten family favorite. My crew can’t get enough. My mom gave me this recipe about 8 years ago and I’ve been making it regularly since. This year I spiced up the recipe with fresh red bell pepper (yes, I got approval from my 5yo because I’m not that brave). I serve this with a tomato salad and or some fresh salsa. Enjoy! https://www.google.com/amp/s/parade.com/31595/nickjonas/nick-jonass-chile-cheese-egg-casserole/amp/
•Cold summer borscht – by Barefoot Contessa https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/summer-borscht-recipe-1947169.amp
I paired this delicious soup with the aforementioned Sunday casserole for a delicious leftover/new item combo. What a delight. Also, can I just say, I LOVE Barefoot Contessa. I want to be her, with kids and a smaller following. 😂But we do have a decent amount in common, I love food and cooking for people. I adore my husband and I love my home (wherever it may be). Oh and we both have a thing for similarly gray shingled small New England towns.
(A rushed picture of this gorgeous soup – the color is unreal!)
More random parting thoughts…
Part of the appeal in moving aboard was that it comes with new tastes and flavors. Given the fact that we are on lockdown I’m serving up some simple favorites because once our life returns, you better believe we will be out there eating all the flavorful things. I love eating. Truth is I would probably be obese if I didn’t also suffer from a healthy (I hope?) dose of vanity. I exercise to eat and feel healthy physically and mentally. Let me repeat, I love to eat.
I wake up at night dreaming about food. Really. I can’t wait to try cooking or baking new things. I wonder about ingredients at all hours of the day and when I try something new I react just as Meryl Streep did when she played Julia Child. When we watch that movie, my husband and I laugh because it’s me. I do almost the exact same thing when I eat something delicious, which has happened quite a lot since we moved abroad…
And, because I love a lot about that movie and relate so intensely to the clips of Julia Child, the way she adores food, I thought I’d share a little more about me. The first minute of this clip is me right now, EXACTLY. (Caveat: Minus the comment about the wives. That part does not apply to the amazing mamas who have been so kind to welcome me into their crews.) But the exchange between Julia and Paul, it’s both the joke my husband and I always exchange when I’m over the moon about a food item and is a good example of where we are in our lives in one short scene. ❤️ I’ve adopted her line, “I’m growing in front of you!” I love how she doesn’t take herself too seriously.
Happy cooking, folks! Stay home, stay safe, stay healthy. Try to breathe in the amazing smells you produce in the kitchen and pat yourself on the back. We will get through this together!
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Yay! She’s back!!