Pumpkin Everything - Crockpot Chili and Pumpkin Cornbread

Or maybe just Pumpkin Chili and Pumpkin Cornbread.  I love everything pumpkin so when my friends decided to have a fall party at work I jumped at the chance to make something new.  I will admit though that I cheated and used butternut squash instead of pumpkin for the chili since ShopRite sells it already cubed. 

Chili Ingredients:
2 Packages Cubed Butternut Squash (20 oz each)
1 Red Bell Pepper Chopped
1 Medium Onion Chopped
3 Cups Broth (could have used less, maybe 2 cups)
1 Cup Beer
4 Tomatoes Chopped (about 1-2 inch cubes)
1 Jalapeno Diced
2 Cans Black Beans drained
1 1/2 Tbsp Chili Powder
1 Tbsp Paprika
1 1/2 tsp cumin
1 tsp Red Pepper Flakes
1 tsp cinnamon
Salt and Black pepper to taste
 

Once everything is chopped and diced just throw it in your 6qt Crockpot and cook on low for 8 hours

Once this was finished it was a bit more watery than I would have preferred.  As I noted in the ingredients you can remove a cup of broth or even remove the beer.

Next up is the Pumpkin Cornbread!  Yup, you heard me right and it's just as awesome as it sounds!

Cornbread Ingredients:
1/2 Cups Brown Sugar
1 Cup Cornmeal (I used corn grits for more of a bite)
1 Cup Flour
1 tsp Salt
1 1/2 tsp Baking Powder
1 1/2 tsp Baking Soda
1/4 tsp Cinnamon
1/8 tsp Nutmeg
1 Tbsp Molasses
2 Whole Eggs
1 Egg White
1 Cup Pumpkin Puree
1 Stick Butter softened (minus about 1 Tbsp to grease 8"x8" baking dish)

Add all of the dry ingredients to one mixing bowl and the wet ingredients to another. 

Stir the wet mixture into the dry mixture until smooth. Do this by hand so you don't over work the batter.  Pour the batter into baking dish and bake at 350 for 40 minutes. 

This is a great fall meal!  Or if you like pumpkin (or butternut squash) this is a great all year round meal!

Garlicy Flounder Sandwich

 I could NOT wait to share this one with you!  It's the best sandwich I've ever had!  You MUST make this!!  Even if you're not a fish person, try this with thin strips of chicken or slices of London Broil.  This is TOO good to pass up!  Can you tell I'm excited?

I started by roasting a bulb of garlic.  I sliced the top off of a bulb, placed it over foil and drizzled olive oil over the top. 

I added the wrapped garlic to a oven safe bowl to be sure the oil didn't drip in the oven if the foil didn't hold.  I roasted it for 45 minutes at 400 degrees.  Once it's done you can just squeeze the garlic out one by one.  This can be done a few days ahead of time. 

I then made a basil Aoili with:
2-3 Cloves garlic
1/2 - 3/4 tsp Salt
About 6 leaves Basil
1/2 Tbsp Lemon Juice
1 Cup Mayonnaise

Mash the garlic and salt together with a fork or mortal and pestel.  Once you form a paste add the basil and blend well.  Add the lemon juice and mix together.

Add everything to the mayonnaise and place in the fridge until you're done with the rest of the meal.  This can be done a few days ahead of time.  

The rest of my ingredients were:
2 baby Leaks
2 Flounder Filets
1/2 cup or more of Flour
2 Whole Wheat Rolls
Butter
Tomato
Basil Salt (I follow this recipe)
2-4 Roasted Garlic Cloves

Slice the baby leaks in half and rinse under water.  Heat a mixture of butter and oil in a pan and add the leaks.    

 Once they are crispy, transfer them to a plate.  I don't have any pictures of me cooking the fish, but salt each side of the filet and lightly flour them.  Fry in the same pan you made the leaks in.

While the fish is cooking slice the rolls and spread butter and mashed roasted garlic on each side.

Bake bread for a few minutes until butter is melted and edges are browned.  

 

Spread Aoili on bread.  Use your judgement on how much to add!

 

Top with Flounder

Top with Leaks... omg this smelled so good!

Top with Tomato 

(fun fact, I sprinkled the rest of the tomato with the left over basil salt and ate it like an apple)

Top with the other half of the bread

OMG I want to eat this every night!!!

Lemony Eggplant Rollatini

I know it's been a long time since I've written anything.  After my accident I found it hard to get back into the swing of things at home.  But I'm back and I have a lot of creative dishes to share with you.  The Husband has gone back to eating some meats so I may even through in a recipe for pork chops or steak every once in a while!  My first dish I want to share with you is a yummy Rollatini dish.  It's surprisingly easy to make and delicious to eat!

 I started with:
2 Medium Eggplants
2-4 Minced Cloves Garlic
1 Diced Medium Onion
6 Skinned and Chopped Plum Tomatoes (like I did here)
1 1/2 Cups Ricotta Cheese (preferably Homemade!)
Zest from 1 Lemon
1/2 Cup Parmesan Cheese
3 Tbsp Chopped Basil

Start by carefully slicing the eggplant into 1/2 inch strips.  You can peal them before hand to help reduce some bitterness from the skins, but I didn't bother today.  Lightly coat each slice with olive oil, salt and pepper and bake at 375 for about 10-15 minutes.  Turning over half way.

Meanwhile, heat a Tablespoon of oil in a pan and add the garlic. 

Once the garlic begins to cook and become fragrant, add the onion and saute until it starts to turn translucent.

Make sure not to let the garlic burn!

Add the tomatoes

 While the tomatoes reduce you can begin making the filling for your rollatini!  Add the Ricotta and Parmesan cheeses to a bowl with 2 tablespoons basil and the lemon zest.   Mix thoroughly and add salt and pepper to taste.  You may want to add the lemon zest in small additions until you feel it has the flavor you're looking for!

 Once the eggplant is soft, you can start filling it.

Add about 2 tablespoons of the cheese mixture to each slice of eggplant.  Begin rolling from the filled side upward to create the Rollatini shape.

Place on a plate, seam down so they don't unroll.

 Once the tomatoes have softened and their juice has reduced, add the left over tablespoon of basil to the sauce. 

 Top the rollatini with sauce and some fresh Parmesan cheese and enjoy with a side salad.

 Instead of assembling the left overs I decided to create a casserole of them.  I added a layer of cheese to the bottom of my Pyrex dish followed by a layer of diced eggplant and another layer of cheese.  I finished it off with the last of the sauce. 

It made for a great lunch the next day!

Greek Salmon with Tomato-Feta Sauce and Grilled Zucchini

It's been a ruff week.  Sunday the 21st I fell hiking and ended up with 36 stitches in my knee.  I'm thankful that nothing was broken and no tendons or ligaments were torn.  I'm very very lucky!  I'm also thankful that I had some pictures of meals I had made that I hadn't blogged about.  So here is an amazing Greek-Style Salmon dish I had made before I fell.  Enjoy!

Ingredients for 2:
1lb Wild Caught Salmon
2 Cloves Garlic
4 Plum Tomatoes
2 Tbsp Dill
1/2 container Feta
1 Lemon
2 Zucchini
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper to taste
Cedar Plank for grilling

Peal the skins off the tomatoes and then chop them.  Chop the garlic and slice the Zucchini and lemons.  Preheat the grill.

Add the tomatoes to a pan with 1 Tbsp dill and the juice from one slice of lemon.  Let reduce on low to medium while you cook the rest of the food.  Keep an eye on it and remove from heat if it's getting too thick. 

Add the remaining olive oil to the zucchini and toss.  Add the zucchini to the grill and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place the Salmon on the cedar plank and squeeze the remaining lemons on top.  Spread the garlic and the remaining dill over the Salmon and place the plank on the grill.  Keep a spray bottle filled with water handy in case the plank catches fire. Flip the zucchini once they start to get grill lines and sprinkle with more salt and pepper.  If you've never grilled with wood planks before, be sure to read the directions first.  You're supposed to soak them in water for a few hours so you'll need to prepare ahead.  I was experimenting with this plank.  I had soaked it a few days before I made this recipe and then placed it in a bag in the freezer.  This way I could have cedar planked fish without thinking ahead 3 or 4 hours!

Add the Feta cheese to the tomatoes and pour over salmon.  This dish was fantastic!  Just writing about it makes my mouth water!  I think I need to make it again soon!

Quick Meal - Shrimp, Spinach and Tomato Bowl

Hi!! I know it's been a while, but July has been a crazy month so far!  Every day has been busy and I haven't had much time in the kitchen.  The few times I have cooked have been very quick meals, which I will show you.  Just because you're swamped with plans doesn't mean you can't cook a good meal!  I had about 10 minutes in the house before I had to run out again and I was famished!  The only things we really had were shrimp, spinach and tomatoes so I quickly racked my brain for what I could do.  This meal was great because it could be so versatile, but it could also be very simple and eaten alone.  

 I started with:
About 9 Shrimp per person
1/2 cup of Spinach per person
1 Tomato per person

Add some olive oil to a pan and heat over medium.  Add the shrimp and cook until almost completely pink.  Add some salt and pepper.

Add the spinach to the pan and cook down.

While the spinach cooks, cut the tomatoes into 1 inch chunks and add to the pan.  I added a bit more salt and pepper and threw in about 2 teaspoons of chili powder.  It was a last minute addition that really made the dish pop!

I grated some parmesan cheese on top and devoured the whole thing in record time!  This would be great over pasta or in a wrap, but it was still very filling on it's own!  It kept me going until I was able to get home again at 11pm!  If summer days are longer, why do they feel so short?!

Tilapia with Spinach and Faux-Risotto

I really love the way a well made risotto compliments a meal, but it's a bit too much carbs for me.  I'm not a huge fan of carbs because they're my weakness!  I'd rather stay away because one small portion of white rice will turn into eating an entire pot!  I can't control it!  I was so happy to stubble across this recipe while at a friends house.  We wanted to make mashed "faux-tatoes" and didn't have a food processor so we used a potato masher instead.  The result was somewhat like risotto.  I quickly took note of what we used and decided I needed to share with all of you.  So here goes... Tilapia with Spinach and Faux-Risotto

 1 Head Cauliflower
2 or more Cloves Garlic
1 tsp Butter
1 Cup Finely shredded Parmesan Cheese
2 Tilapia Filets
About 1/2 Cup Flour
Juice from 1 Lemon
6 oz Spinach
Salt and Pepper to taste

Remove the greens from the cauliflower and cut into 1 inch slices

Arrange on a cookie sheet and sprinkle with olive oil, salt and pepper.  Let roast in a 400 degree oven until it starts to turn brown on the bottom.  Flip each piece and roast again until both sides are browned and can be easily pierced with a fork. 

Add a tsp of butter to a pan and cook the garlic slightly until it starts to turn brown. 

Add the cauliflower and garlic to a bowl and mash until you have your desired consistency.  Add about half of the cheese to the cauliflower and transfer to a pie pan.

Sprinkle the rest of the cheese on top and place back in the oven at 300 degrees until ready to serve.  

I'm not sure what happened to the pictures of me cooking the fish and the spinach.  Add the lemon juice to a plate or pie dish, add the flour to a separate dish and season with salt and pepper.  Dip the tilapia in the lemon juice and sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper.  Next, dip the fish into the flour and coat evenly.  Heat about two tsps of oil in a pan and add the tilapia.  Cook on one side until slightly browned and then flip.  Cook again until the fish easily flakes with a fork. 

Transfer to a plate and heat two more tsps of oil in the pan.  Add a chopped clove of garlic to the oil and brown lightly.  Add a few handfuls of spinach and toss in the oil to coat, once it has wilted add it to a plate and top with a piece of tilapia.  Remove the Faux-Risotto from the oven and spoon onto the plate. 

For extra lemony flavor add a touch of garlic lemon dressing. 

Crush a clove of garlic with a pinch of salt.  Add the juice of one lemon and drizzle over everything!

The Husband and I loved EVERYTHING about this dish!  I hope you do too!