Salmon Black Bean Tacos with Pineapple Salsa

But R, it's winter. Why are you blogging a summer dish in winter? Several reasons:

1. This is what I was craving for lunch
2. It was in the 70's in SC
3. Lastly, most of the ingredients were canned or put up in summer!

Cannellini Bean “Meatballs” with Tomato Sauce

We are constantly on the look out for delicious vegetarian cuisine. While both The Other Williams and I love meat, we do try to have 1-3 vegetarian dinners a week. We like our vegetarian meals to make us feel like we're eating meat.

Texture plays a big part in making a good vegetarian dish great. We added mushrooms to the original recipe to give us a little firmer texture. The meatballs are outstanding and the red pepper really makes these balls pop.

Whenever we make meatballs of any kind we make a full batch and freeze the rest. These bean balls were no different. They froze beautifully. You could certainly freeze them with or without the tomato sauce.

Canning Dried Beans

I love canning. I wish we were able to do a garden at our house but since we can't we still try to can local/regional produce. Pulling a jar of delicious food from the cabinet that you lovingly "put up" is a great feeling. Mainly we can tomatoes and  green beans, but this weekend we're trying our hand at dried beans. We canned black, navy, and kidney beans.

Haricot Verts & Edamame with Shallot-Soy Vinaigrette

This tasty little side dish really could not be any easier. A while back I blogged about some of our favorite homemade dressings. One of our favorites of the favorites was this Shallot-Soy Vinaigrette. For this dish we just took some frozen hericot verts (or green beans) and some frozen edamame, tossed them with the dressing and tah-dah!

The vinaigrette is delicious as a sauce over chicken or fish also. It's thick and creamy and coats very well. You could add a protein of your choice (like chicken or tofu) to this meal and call it lunch or dinner also. Give it a shot and let us know how it turned out!

Kale Chickpea Pesto on Soba with Asparagus and Peas

We've been trying to incorporate a lot more vegetarian dishes into our diet and this one caught my eye while perusing the TasteSpotting website. At first I was like, "eww, kale..." Then as I looked at the recipe I realized the kale is in a pesto. So then I was all like, "Hmmm, maybe.."

Soba noodles are a staple in our house now. They are buckwheat noodles which means they are also Gluten-Free! Without even trying we scarfed down a vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free dinner!

 
And you know what?

It was awesome!! The textures and flavor were so awesome! We bulked up the veg a little and used a little of the pasta water to get the right consistency in the pesto.

The pesto is so creamy you might think there is cheese in it, but nope, it's the chickpeas and oil! We cut the recipe in half and still had leftover pesto. We're planning to use it in a sandwich for a picnic but it could be used in a variety of ways.

If you're looking for a superfood recipe that tastes amazing, this is it!

Salad Nicoise & Rainy Day Cooking

We had planned a bike ride but woke up to a cool southern rainy morning. So instead of hitting the road on our bikes we decided to go ahead and pre-prep some of our meals for the week. This saves us time during the week and makes getting dinner on the table a little faster.

So PJ’s and cooking it was. Whenever both of us are in the kitchen together I like to think that it’s like a well-directed and blocked play. We move as one, gracefully through our kitchen from one activity to the next. However, it’s not quite so graceful and it’s messy, very messy. We’re normally preparing 3-6 dishes or some aspect of those dishes. Cleaning up is my job and there is always a lot of clean up.

Had to share my hydrangeas! Aren't they gorgeous? These are in my dinning room and I love walking in and seeing them. Such a beautiful shade of blue.

For lunch we stopped the madness for a delicious salad that was supposed to be a picnic salad on the bike ride. Even without the ride this salad was amazing!

Last month I talked about Nice, France and it's close proximity to Italy in our Pan Bagnat Post. If you haven't read that one you should! I also talked about exploring this region a little more and this recipe happened to fit the bill very nicely!

Basically this is the French version of the chopped salad. Salad Nicoise (pronounced niˈswaz) has lots of yummy ingredients and is a lot of fun to eat because each bite is a little different. It's also very forgiving, we substituted and added things we had on hand. It was really delicious and worked even on the back porch while listening to rain.

After the cooking and cleaning madness, which really isn’t so bad, we relaxed on the back porch for the rest of the day. The Other Williams playing guitar and me editing photos and surfing pinterest. It never got above 70 degrees, which in the south in June, is pretty much unheard of. Even though a little work was involved overall it was a really relaxing day.

Kale, White Bean, & Potato Stew

Normally we reserve soups for fall and winter but recently we've been eating soups in the spring. Spring veggies are prefect for soups and they make for a light lunch.

Another thing that I love about soup is that you can make one big pot of it and portion it out into smaller containers for a week's worth of grab-and-go lunches. We do this often in the winter but it's great for Spring too!

This kale, white bean, and potato stew is a recipe from our cleanse and we've decided to keep it around because its also delicious! It's packed with nutritious kale and the beans and potatoes lend some great texture!

It's a broth based soup but when you mash or blend half the soup it creates this creaminess that's very lovely. This is one of those comforting soups and would be great for a cool fall or winter day!

White Bean Huevos Rancheros

 A few weeks ago I charged The Other Williams with a challenge, to come up with some yummy dinner dishes with eggs as the main ingredient. This is the first answer to that challenge and boy it doesn't disappoint.

The Other Williams made homemade tortilla's, which I highly recommend, but you can also buy corn tortilla's. We also didn't use the chipotle sauce but feel free to add it to yours if you like some serious heat!

This is a lighter version to the traditional Huevos Rancheros because instead of refried beans it uses white beans. However, don't let that fool you into thinking this isn't amazing! The beans really give this one LOTS of flavor and an excellent creamy texture.

You can also make this vegetarian by not using ham or substituting vegetarian refried beans for the beans in the recipe.

Fall Pinic - Italian Sausage Soup

 We recently took a picnic to a local apple farm/pumpkin patch. It was a gorgeous day and just perfect for this delicious soup. We also brought a BBLT panini, but you'll have to wait for that recipe in a few days.

The soup was so simple to make that I, as in, the non-cook, made it the day before. The morning of our picnic I just took it out of the fridge and reheated it.

The farm was packed but we managed to find a shade tree off by ourselves. We brought out the blankets, pillows, and wine. We breathed in the fresh air, shared a delicious lunch, and just enjoyed each others company. I don't think it could have been more awesome. We watched families hunting for that perfect pumpkin and listened to Ole McDonald way too many times as the hayride passed us.

We made a full batch of this soup and ate it for lunches the following week. It's really so good. I can't wait to make it again! Try it, it's amazing!

Crispy Chickpea Salad with Grilled Prawns

"Fried Chickpeas? I'm not so sure about that." That is what I said to The Other Williams when she suggested this recipe for a quick weeknight dinner. I decided to give it a try anyway because I'm normally very open about new foods and ways of cooking them.

And as usual, I'm glad I did. When the chickpeas are fried their nutty flavor seems to intensify times 100. They really give more than just an amazing flavor to this dish though. They give it major texture! The crispy, crunchiness of the chickpeas are just fun and very delicious.

The whole salad comes together very nicely with a variety of textures and flavors. Definitely a delicious light meal and if you're sick of the same on garden salad this will definitely liven things back up!

Falafels - Deconstructed, "Building the Bite"

Every so often we get into a "new thing". The "new thing" can last for days, weeks, or sometimes, but rarely, months. We've just gone through the homemade pasta thing and the homemade pizza thing, although these are still very much in play in our kitchen, we're moving on.

There is now a NEW "new thing". It's what we are calling the "Build a bite". Interested? Oh but you should be!

The above is an example of the Build a Bite concept. This is a deconstructed version of our Falafel Pita Sammie recipe. Instead of all the components being constructed into a pita sammie, this version allows us to build the perfect bite each time, or maybe we want a different bite each time. Regardless we get to decide.

Pictured (clockwise) are diced fresh tomatoes, naan bread, falafels, cucumber slices, lettuce and in the middle is The Other Williams' yummy Greek Tzatziki Sauce! So for this I would tear a piece of naan load it up with the fixin's I wanted in that bite and then pop it in my mouth. I built my bite.

We also did this with shrimp, naan, and fixin's. Soooo good!

So where in the world did this idea come from? We recently had some friends suggest an amazing Peruvian restaurant to us and they have an appetizer that you build the bite. There is bread, sauce, and toppings and you add what you want. We loved the idea and have tried to replicate that experience several times in our kitchen.

So what do you think? Neato or nutso?

Salmon in Lemon Brodetto with Pea Puree

On Sunday's we love lazing on the couch and watching food network. Recently, while taking full advantage of a lazy Sunday, we saw this delicious recipe from Giada.

The presentation here is truly breath-taking. I'm a firm believer that we eat with our eyes and this recipe is just beautiful! The bright green of the puree and the contract of the salmon really make this dish just pop!

You're say, "that's great, R, but how bland is it?" I was thinking the same thing when The Other Williams set this down in front of me. I was very, VERY wrong. The star of this dish is all in the Lemon Brodetto. A brodetto is the Italian cousin of the bouillabaisse. It's a light, non-fussy, broth that, at least in this recipe, packs a huge punch of flavor.

The lemon, mint and acid from the brodetto really play well and contrast with the smooth and sweet flavor of the peas. I basically mixed them together on my plate.

Because the flavor of the brodetto and the puree really are the main stars here you might think that the salmon takes a back seat. Not a chance. The salmon doesn't lend a ton of flavor but where it comes in is with the texture. The steak-like texture of this meaty fish really bring it all home to mama.

Overall this dish might in one of my new favorites. It's light, very healthy and the flavor-factor just can not be over looked here. Give it a try, you'll love it!

Lemon Asparagus, Peas & Basil

Spring is in the air here in the South! Our tulips are popping up and the azaleas are blooming. Whenever I think of Spring I think of sweet, fresh, crispy asparagus. The Other Williams likes to eat it raw but I prefer mine lightly steamed.

We spent the entire weekend in the yard planting, weeding, mowing, raking, and mulching. The yard looks amazing but after a day of working hard we decided a steak dinner was in order. Along with our grass-fed local sirloin we piled up a huge portion of this delicious, fresh side dish.

Not only is this dish healthy but it's beautiful! The textures really make this dish just delicious. The asparagus is crunchy and the peas pop when you bite into them. Try to stay away from canned peas and only grab fresh asparagus, preferably from a local farm. Our local asparagus farm has the best asparagus I've ever put in my mouth. If you're not a fan of asparagus, now is the season to give it another try.

This dish would make a great lunch or picnic salad and could be served warm or cold! You could also toss in some tuna or smoked chicken. Enjoy!

Paneer Veggie Curry

Looking for a flavorful but not too spicy Indian recipe? This here is for you then. I'm not a big hot-spicy fan but the other Williams is. What's great about this dish is you can adjust the heat yourself!

So what's Paneer?
Most Indians are vegetarians and their main source of protein comes from dairy products. While perusing our local Indian grocer (you have one too, check out the yellow pages) we ran across paneer in the refrigerator section.

If you're not a fan of tofu but are a fan of cheese, this is your substitute. It's truly delicious and while it does take on some of the flavor in the dish it remains very much cheese-flavored. I would describe it as a milder, solid version of cottage cheese.

The veggies in this dish are also on the sweet side and along with the paneer allow you to kick the heat up a little to enjoy the flavor without burning your face off.

If it's just 2-4 of you, make a full batch and freeze it, or take leftovers for lunch. Feel free to modify the recipe with veggies you like or that are in season. Enjoy!

Italian Feast Part 1 - Escarole & Edamame Salad

This beautiful salad is part one of a three part post on an amazing Italian-style dinner we cooked this weekend. We are both huge fans of Italian food, and not just the pasta. What we really enjoy about Italian food is the simplicity of it. The fresh ingredients and the connection to the food.

In this super light and simple salad a few steps make it amazing. First cooking the edamame in salted water is genius! Next try to resist adding more to it. It's so hard, I know, but the simple ingredients really do make it taste great. Also don't substitute the escarole lettuce. This giant, light, fluffy, and delicate head lettuce is perfection! Lastly, get the best parm you can find and grate it yourself.

Because the salad have so few ingredients it really is important to fine the best of each ingredient. This makes a great side salad or add some grilled fish or good canned tuna for a lunch salad. Enjoy!

Check out!
Part 2 - Souffléed Gnocchi
Part 3 - Anchovy & Rosemary Roasted Lamb with Salsa Verde

Vegetarian Chili

 

This might be the best Vegetarian Chili recipe we've ever tried. In fact it might be better than our beef chili recipe. There was talk about replacing the beef recipe with this one and just add beef to it. Yea, it really is that good.

The variety of beans with the addition of the couscous really makes this dish awesome. Originally this was a slow cooker recipe but The Other Williams cooked it on the stove top for about an hour. Because you are using canned beans it's too simple not to just cook it on the stove top, but if you're short on time the crockpot is the way to go.

Serve with Sour Cream on top!

Serves: 4-5

Ingredients

* 1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes
* 4 cups reduced-sodium vegetable or chicken broth
* 1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
* 1 (15-ounce) can white (cannellini) beans, rinsed and drained
* 1 (15-ounce) can red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
* 1 cup frozen baby lima beans or regular lima beans
* 1 cup chopped onion
* 1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
* 2 cloves garlic, minced
* 1 tablespoon minced pickled jalapeno (from can or jar)
* 1 tablespoons chili powder
* 2 tablespoons dried Mexican oregano or regular oregano
* 2 teaspoons ground cumin
* 1 teaspoon ground coriander
* 1 to 2 teaspoons hot sauce
* 1/3 cup couscous
* 1/2 cup shredded Monterey jack cheese
* 1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
* Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

In a slow cooker, combine all ingredients but the couscous, shredded cheese, cilantro and salt and pepper. Cover and cook on LOW for 6 to 8 hours or on HIGH for 3 to 4 hours.

Five to 10 minutes before serving (depending on temperature of slow cooker) add couscous, cover and cook, until couscous is tender. Season, to taste, with salt and black pepper.

Just before serving, top each serving with shredded cheese and cilantro.

Pasta e Fagioli with Sausage

We have another Pasta Fagioli on our blog but this one takes the prize, in my opinion. The taste and texture of this one was just outstanding. I really enjoyed the tiny pasta in this, but The Other Williams preferred larger pasta for next time. And the sausage really added a new element to the dish. Very good!

We made a full batch and froze the rest for another quick dinner and I'm certain it will turn our just as wonderful from the freezer. Making your own broth for things like this, really does make all the difference in the world in the taste category. I think this would also be kid friendly if they like beans. Cheap and easy to make, this was a great tasting meal!


Ingredients

1. 2 tablespoons olive oil
2. 1 pound mild Italian sausages
3. 1 carrot, chopped fine
4. 1 onion, chopped fine
5. 1 rib celery, chopped fine
6. 4 cloves garlic, minced
7. 1 teaspoon dried rosemary, or 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
8. 6 cups drained and rinsed canned kidney beans (three 19-ounce cans)
9. 2 3/4 cups canned low-sodium chicken broth or homemade stock
10. 1 bay leaf
11. 1 teaspoon salt
12. 1/2 cup tubetti or other small macaroni
13. 1/2 teaspoon fresh-ground black pepper

Directions

1. In a large pot, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil over moderate heat. Add the sausages and cook, turning, until browned and cooked through, about 10 minutes. Remove. When cool enough to handle, halve the sausages lengthwise and then cut crosswise into slices.
   
   
2. Heat the remaining tablespoon of oil in the pot over moderately low heat. Add the carrot, onion, celery, garlic, and rosemary. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables start to soften, about 10 minutes.
   
   
3. Puree 4 cups of the beans with 1 1/4 cups of the broth in a blender or food processor. Add the puree to the pot along with the remaining 1 1/2 cups broth, the whole beans, bay leaf, and salt. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, partially covered, for 15 minutes.
   
   
4. Stir in the pasta. Cook the soup over moderate heat, partially covered, stirring frequently, until the pasta is done, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove the bay leaf. Stir in the sausage and the pepper. Cook until the sausage is warmed through, about 1 minute.

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Freezer Stuffing - Mama's Beef Vegetable

This past weekend we did some major stuffing of our freezer. We made both lunches and dinners for future grab-n-go use and stocked our stand up freezer heavily with the goodies. We did the Adult Beanie-weanies, Minestrone & Beef Vegetable Soups (see recipe below), and Chili. I also made some trail mix that is super yummy for some healthy snacking! These were low cost meals that were easy to make in big batches and freeze well.

Having homemade grab-n-go lunches and dinners will allow us to eat more at home even when we're too busy to cook.

I've been eating this Beef Vegetable soup recipe all my life. My mother got the recipe from my Nannie and although it uses a lot of canned vegetables instead of fresh, for me you can't substitute the canned. It just doesn't have the flavor. My mom and grandmother would cook this soup for a minimum of 3 hours but I've had success condensing it down to 1.5 hours before. I would go any less than that.

This is also fabulous reheated. I remember coming home from school, pulling out the big pot with leftovers in it and heating up a small bowl in the microwave for a snack. This is great for lunches the next day or week.

This soup is very forgiving. You can't mess it up and you can use just about anything in it but I stick to my tried and true ingredients. I've also added my own touches to the soup, just as my mother did when she got the recipe from my Nannie. With each generation it gets better.

This is the kind of soup you want to take your time with. Open the windows on a fall afternoon, sit down with a good book, and pour all your love into the pot while the wonderful aromas fill your house. Patience is important for this one, it's not a quick fix. This soup will fill your tummy with warmth and love.

If I'm making a double batch I'll make it in two pots so as not to mess with the flavor too much. Great for freezing or on a cold day with some warm cornbread-everyone will love this one.


Mama's Beef Vegetable Soup

Servings: 6-8

1 lb Ground Beef
1 tbsp Italian Seasoning
2 large cans of Stewed Tomatoes (Or 2 Quarts of home-canned tomatoes)
1 can Succotash (between canned veggies and tomatoes at the store)
1 tbsp Tomato Paste
1 can Veg-all (don't get the low or no sodium)
1 small can of whole corn kernels
1 potato, peeled and diced
1 cup Elbow Mac noodles
Kosher Salt, to taste

Add beef & seasonings to a large soup pot and cook until browned. Drain grease.
Add tomatoes, succotash, and tomato paste. Then fill tomato can twice with water and add. Bring to a boil then turn down to a simmer. Let simmer for 30 minutes to and hour.
Add Veg-all and simmer 30 minutes to an hour. Add water if needed.
Add potato and corn and simmer 30 more minutes
Taste broth and season with salt, pepper, or other seasonings as you see fit.
Add Mac and simmer for 10-15 minutes. Serve hot with cornbread or cool and freeze.

Enjoy this tummy warming meal made with love.

Note: We have tried canning this soup and the noodles didn't hold up to well. If you want to can this soup leave out the noodles and follow canning instruction for tomato based soups.

Zucchini with Chick Pea and Mushroom Stuffing

Using zucchini as a vessel for other things has been a favorite in our kitchen for a couple of years now. We love stuffing these "boats" with canned tomatoes, corn, and just about anything but this recipe takes the cake. The chickpeas and mushrooms really add so much body and flavor to these "boats". It's healthy, fun, tasty, and the presentation is beautiful.

The recipe didn't call for the cherry tomatoes but we thought they brightened up the dish and gave it some color.

Great as a side dish, for lunch, or a vegetarian dinner!

INGREDIENTS
* 4 zucchini, halved
* 1 tablespoon olive oil
* 1 onion, chopped
* 2 cloves garlic, crushed
* 1/2 (8 ounce) package button mushrooms, sliced
* 1 teaspoon ground coriander
* 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin, or to taste
* 1 (15.5 ounce) can chick peas, drained and rinsed
* 1/2 lemon, juiced
* 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
* sea salt to taste
* ground black pepper to taste


DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a shallow baking dish.
2. Scoop out the flesh of the zucchini; chop the flesh and set aside. Place the shells in the prepared dish.
3. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Saute onions for 5 minutes, then add garlic and saute 2 minutes more. Stir in chopped zucchini and mushrooms; saute 5 minutes. Stir in coriander, cumin, chick peas, lemon juice, parsley, salt and pepper. Spoon mixture into zucchini shells.
4. Bake in preheated oven for 30 to 40 minutes, or until zucchini are tender.

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Kelibasa 'n' Beans

OK, people, listen up! This dish is in the running for one of my favorites! Do you see all the exclamation marks? We've dubbed this dish Adult Beanie Weanies! It tastes just like beanie weanies and although I won't go so far as to say it's healthy, it is healthiER than traditional beanie weanies because of the added grean beans and veggies.

But don't get me wrong, it's totally the Kelibasa that's the star here. I mean, come on, it's Kelibasa!

This was a super quick fix meal that can be done in a slow cooker and it could be frozen for a quick re-heat, which we have done.

We also felt like this would make a great camping dinner and work beautifully in the dutch oven over some coals. We're hoping to test that theory soon. So, basically this might be the best dish ever!

Oh and kids, they might just love you for this one!

INGREDIENTS

* 1/2 cup thinly sliced carrots
* 1/2 cup chopped onion
* 2 cups frozen lima beans, thawed
* 2 cups frozen cut green beans
* 1 pound Kelibasa or other smoked sausage, cut into 1/4 inch slices
* 1 (16 ounce) can baked beans
* 1/2 cup ketchup
* 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
* 1 tablespoon cider vinegar
* 1 teaspoon prepared mustard

DIRECTIONS
1. In a slow cooker, layer carrots, onion, lima beans, green beans, sausage and baked beans. Combine ketchup, brown sugar, vinegar and mustard; pour over beans. Cover and cook on high for 4 hours or until vegetables are tender. Stir before serving.

2. For the stove top just throw everyone in a pot on med-high heat until everything is warmed through. Everything in this recipe is already cooked so your just warming them together.

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