Vegetable Stuffed Shepherd's Pie

This recipe takes traditional Shepherd's Pie and stuffs it completely full of vegetables! It's more veggies than anything else and the layered flavors taste wonderful! I apologize in advance for the sheer number of ingredients, but I promise you, this dish is awesome. All the veggies that you really have to admit to are the peas if you chop things really small. A wonderful dish for kids!

 

1 Tbsp butter

2 sweet potatoes

1 large roasting potato

1 lb ground beef, chicken, or turkey

2-3 shallots

1 celery stalk

1/2 small pepper

1 garlic glove

1/2 packet taco seasoning

1 Tbsp cilantro

1 carrot

10-12 cherry tomatoes

1 bag frozen peas, thawed

1 Tbsp olive oil

1/2 cup milk

1 Tsp thyme

1/8 cup ketchup

2 Tbsp tomato paste

2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce

1 Tsp Dijon mustard

 

Peel potato, sweet potatoes, and carrot and dice into pieces. Boil in a pan of water on the stove top until soft, 20-25 minutes. Drain and mash in a food processor with milk. Set aside.



Heat oil in a skillet. Chop shallots, celery, pepper, garlic, tomatoes, and add to heated skillet. Add taco seasoning and mix well. Cook until the vegetables begin to caramelize, about 10 minutes. Add meat to skillet and mix thoroughly. Cook until meat is cooked all the way through, about 10-15 minutes. Add in remaining ingredients, except the peas and potato mixture, and mix thoroughly.

Spray a baking dish with non-stick spray. Empty in meat mixture and flatten down. Empty in bag of peas. Spread evenly over meat mixture and press down. Spoon potato mixture evenly on top. Score top of casserole with a fork. Take butter and cut into small squares. Lay out around the top of the casserole, spread equally apart, and bake in a 350 degree oven for 35-40 minutes, until the crests begin to brown.

Greek Style Green Beans

My mother always made green beans this way. Who knew it was "Greek style"? I tried some new Greek restaurants and saw this on the menu. Apparently adding tomato sauce to them makes them Greek? I'm not sure but, I always make them this way.

 

2 cups fresh green beans, cut

1 cup of your favorite tomato sauce

2 Tbsp minced onion

1 Tbsp garlic powder or 1 minced garlic glove

1 Tsp Italian seasoning

2 Tbsp water

 

Cut and clean fresh green beans and place in a baking dish. Top with sauce and seasonings. Add water. Cover with aluminum foil, which will help the water partially steam the vegetables. Bake in a 375 degree oven for 25-30 minutes, until beans reach desired tenderness.



Mac & Cheese Surprise

Yet another recipe to get vegetables into unsuspecting husbands and children. They will never know!

 

2 cups chicken broth
1 head cauliflower
1/2 box of your favorite pasta
1 1/2 cups shredded cheese
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tsp Dijon mustard
1/8 Tsp nutmeg
salt and pepper to taste
Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup breadcrumbs

1 Tsp garlic powder

1 Tsp onion powder

1 Tsp Italian seasoning

 

Recipe Adapted from Virginia Sweet Pea

Grate the cauliflower on a cheese grater. Boil pasta according to package directions but when you add the pasta to the boiling water, add the cauliflower as well. Drain as usual and empty mixture into a baking dish.

 

In a separate saucepan, combine the remaining ingredients, saving the Parmesan cheese and breadcrumbs for the topping. Stir constantly until sauce begins to boil. Then, pour the sauce into the cauliflower and pasta mixture. Mix in and top with breadcrumbs and Parmesan cheese. Bake in a 400 degree oven for about 15-20 minutes, until it just begins to brown.



Sweet Potato Patties

2 sweet potatoes

1 small onion, chopped

2 celery stalks, minced

2 beaten eggs

salt and pepper, to taste

1 Tbsp parsley

1/8 Tsp caraway seeds

1 Tsp garlic powder

Chop the sweet potatoes up finely in a food processor.

Mix with the remaining ingredients and form into patties. You should really use some pressure to get these together so they stay shaped. Forming the patties first and then refrigerating them for a little while on some parchment paper helps too.

Then heat up a few tablespoons of vegetable oil in a saute pan. Cook the patties until slightly browned on each side 3-4 minutes.



Low Fat Banana Cookies

I originally pinned this recipe because they were guilt free cookies. I ended up needing to bake for someone who was eating gluten free. You really can't get much simpler than these cookies though. And what better to do with bananas if they are starting to turn? I usually made some Low Fat Banana muffins with them but, I now switched to these. I now make these cookies EVERY time I have bananas that are starting to brown!

 

Recipe Adapted from The Burlap Bag

 

For each banana you have, mash them and add 1/2 cup of oats. I threw in some vanilla extract and cinnamon because I can never just leave a recipe alone. I'm sure I will be trying these with all kinds of mix-ins in the future! Each banana should yield about 2 cookies (apparently I made big ones), and it's so easy to keep track of what you are eating if you use an app like I do.

 

I added chocolate chips to them. I like to put them on top of cookies too because it looks nicer and you can count them out!



Lay your cookies out on a well greased cookie sheet! Bake in a 350 degree oven for 15 minutes. When they come out of the oven, you have to let them cool for a few minutes so they will stay together. Don't leave them too long though, because they can be hard to get off the pan (maybe 5-10 minutes). Next time, I think I will try parchment paper and see if that makes it easier.

 

Hindsight: When I first started making these cookies, I used to puree the banana to an almost liquid. I have since figured out that the chunkier you leave the bananas, the easier the cookies come off the pan and the better they stay together!



Potato Parsnip Smash

I'm always looking for ways to sneak vegetables into food. I hardly ever make a meat or starch without it having vegetables in it. So, I'm always on a quest to find new vegetables I really haven't tried like parsnips, turnips, etc. I really didn't even know what a parsnip was when I came across a recipe, thumbing through a magazine. I didn't come across it for a while, I guess because I really didn't know what I was looking for!

Here is a parsnip! Basically, it looks like a white carrot, right? I actually love carrots in my mashed potatoes so this recipe sounded like a good thing to try.

 

3 parsnips
10-12 mini red potatoes

salt and pepper, to taste

1 oz cream cheese
1 Tbsp chives

1 Tbsp fresh parsley, chopped

2 Tsp garlic powder

2 Tsp onion powder

1 Tbsp butter

 

Recipe Adapted from Daily Unadventures In Cooking

Scrub the potatoes with a brush under water to clean. Cut them up, without peeling them, into bite-sized pieces. Peel the parsnips and chop them up as well. Boil them in water with the parsley for about 30 minutes. Mash them in a mixer or with a hand blender and add the remaining ingredients.

If you use gluten free butter and cream cheese, you can easily adapt this recipe to be gluten free!

BBQ Pulled Pork

I'm pretty sure this is my husband's favorite meal that I make. Consider that because I feel like I am giving away a huge secret with this post! I'm sure you could find out this recipe other places but, this is what I do. It's simple and made in a crock pot and the smell will taunt you all day as it cooks! You won't be disappointed!

Pork roast (picnic shoulder)

1 packet Lipton onion soup

1-2 bay leaves

2 garlic cloves, sliced

1/2 cup shallots

3 Tbsp fresh parsley

2 Tbsp Italian seasoning

1 Tsp garlic powder

1/8 tsp lemon pepper

 

 

Throw all ingredients in the crock pot. Cover with water just until the entire roast is covered.

After about 7-8 hours on low or about 4 hours on high, pull out the roast, fishing out any stray pieces. DON'T get rid of the broth! This is great as a soup base or broth for other recipes! Let it sit out until it's cool enough to touch. You may want to put on a plastic glove to handle it sooner and save yourself some mess.

Pull apart with your hands into shredded pieces. Mix with your favorite barbecue sauce, probably about 1/2 cup to 1 cup depending on the size your roast was. I always add back in a bit of the broth to lessen the need for extra sauce. You need to mix thoroughly and still pull meat apart with your hands. Get in there and get messy, that's why I use a plastic glove.

 

Serve by itself as a meat or as sandwiches!

I love mine on a hamburger roll with some extra barbecue sauce, caramelized onions, and cheese...mmm!

Honey Glazed Carrots

This is a wonderful and sweet side that's simple enough for a family dinner, yet impressive enough for a holiday side. I sometimes add raisins to this dish for a holiday.

 

I don't buy many organic foods but if I'm going to buy baby carrots, I do! I don't want to further spread a possibly exaggerated truth about baby carrots but I don't want anything soaked in chlorine or bleach as my vegetable. Whether this is true or not, I can tell you that I sometimes buy carrots for my bunny and when I buy whole ones, they last a few weeks or a month at most before getting mushy and gross. I've had mini bags of carrots that look the same after 6 months! You be the judge.



Take 3 cups of raw baby carrots and toss with 3 Tbsp honey, 2 Tsp cinnamon, 1/2 Tsp nutmeg, and 1 Tsp brown sugar. Add to a baking dish sprayed with non-stick spray and filled with 3/4 cup of water or broth. Bake in a 350 degree oven until the carrots begin to caramelize and the edges of the baking dish turn a bit brown like in the top right corner of the title photo.

Spinach & Cheese Stuffed Mushrooms

If you'd like another recipe for stuffed mushrooms other than Easy & Savory Stuffed Mushrooms, you've picked a great one to try. This robust cheese flavor is great for a party or family meal, especially if you're a fan of spinach dip.

 

2 cups of tightly packed fresh spinach

1/4 cup chopped onions

2 small garlic cloves, chopped

2 Tbsp bleu cheese crumbles

2-3 Tbsp goat cheese crumbles

1 oz cream cheese

2 Tsp Italian seasoning

 

Boil spinach, garlic, and onions in a pot of unsalted water for 30 minutes. The cheese will be salty enough that you don't need to add anything to this mixture. Drain thoroughly and press into a paper towel to get out as much water as possible. 

Transfer to a food processor and press chop until the mixture is in tiny shreds. Add in cheeses and seasoning and mix for 30 seconds more.

Scoop out and mix generously into peeled and rinsed mushroom caps. Top with a sprinkle of breadcrumbs and Parmesan cheese and bake in a 350 degree oven for 15-20 minutes on a greased baking dish.

Summer Berry Salad

Anyone that knows me can tell you, I LOVE strawberries! When salads like these started becoming popular and readily available in restaurants, I couldn't have been happier! There is really no set recipe to this one. It's a salad! Throw in what you like, leave out what you don't.

 

Start with a spring mix lettuce.

Toss in some romaine or spinach.

Sprinkle in a few veggies like celery and red onion.

Mix in your fruits like strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, grapes, raisins, or dates.

Layer with some nuts like pecans, walnuts, almonds, or peanuts.

Top off with some goat cheese, bleu cheese, or Gorgonzola!

Personally, I think the best dressing on salads like these is poppyseed! It adds just enough tartness, flavor, and punch for a mix of fruit and veggies.

Other options are ginger sesame or a raspberry vinaigrette.

I loved Wishbone's Bountiful Berry Delight but alas, it got discontinued!

I didn't have anything suitable on hand so I made some dressing in a pinch.

 

Raspberry Vinaigrette Dressing:

3 oz olive oil

3 oz red wine vinegar

2 Tsp sugar

Pinch of salt and pepper

1 Tsp Dijon mustard

2 Tbsp raspberry preserves

Shake Well!

Thai Chicken Pasta

Reflecting on my most recent blogs, I seem to be cooking very healthy and be on quite the veggie kick. While that is true and I'm watching what I eat, I've been neglecting my comfort food and dessert blogging for those interested. So, here's an indulgent meal that is one of my absolute favorites!

 

I've been obsessed with peanut sauce since I was a little girl and my father took me to La Piment Rouge in Montreal on a business trip. They served Chicken in Peanut Sauce and it was awesome!

I love Pad Thai! There's a restaurant in my childhood hometown, Out Of Asia, that makes the best one, in my opinion, because it's packed full of variety in the meat and you don't have to pick just one. And I love their sauce.

I used to swear by Thai Chicken Pasta at The Cheesecake Factory every time I went! The last time I went there, I was crushed that out of all things, they took this off their menu! I mean, they have a HUGE menu, of all things to get rid of! This type of thing happens to me a lot! I don't know if I typically just like the things nobody else does, but it's sad when it happens and I hate it. A waitress even tipped me off that they would sell me a bottle of the sauce like their salad dressing and I always took one home. So, I picked their recipe apart and made my own recipe to savor it at home.

I have been on a quest for the perfect peanut sauce. I hadn't found one until now so I usually made my own concoction. Mostly I find them too spicy and not so genuine, but I can tell you out of all the open bottles of it in my fridge used once, this is the winner. It's readily available on Amazon.

 

1/4 cup chopped onions

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 Tsp grated fresh ginger

1 garlic clove, grated

1 Tbsp peanut sauce

2 Tbsp soy sauce

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast

2 Tbsp Italian seasoning

1 Tsp Chinese 5 spice

1 Tsp onion powder

1 Tsp garlic powder

1 1/2 cups chicken broth

1 Tbsp butter

1 package sprouts

1/2 cup julienned carrots (2 stalks)

1 box your favorite pasta, cooked

chopped peanuts for topping

 In a saucepan, mix together onions, olive oil, ginger, garlic, peanut sauce, and soy sauce. Cook over medium heat until onions begin to caramelize (5-10 minutes).

Add in your chicken, browning on one side.

Add in Italian seasoning, Chinese 5 spice, onion powder, garlic powder, and mix thoroughly. Brown chicken on other side until the chicken is cooked through (10-15 minutes).

Add in the butter and chicken broth. Bring mixture to a boil. Add in julienned carrots and cook an additional 2-3 minutes.

Toss the mixture into the cooked pasta and mix thoroughly. Mix in as much additional peanut sauce as you would like as a pasta sauce. The broth will coat the pasta lightly enough for it not to stick but, I used about 1/4-1/2 cup for an entire pound of cooked pasta.

 

When serving this dish, scoop mixture out into plates or bowls. Then top with sprouts, as they will wilt and get soggy if they get warmed from the dish. You can mix it in before you eat it if you like. Then top with some chopped peanuts. I always serve with chopsticks! I hope you enjoy one of my favorite signature dishes!

Chicken with Lemon

I went crazy over this recipe! It really tastes restaurant genuine. This may have been my first time using flour to dredge chicken and I'll surely be trying it more in the future! I loved it so much that after making it for someone else's dinner, I ran home and whipped up a batch for my own dinner and served it over...(you guessed it) spaghetti squash. Omg, awesome and filling! I was definitely satisfied and there was no snacking after dinner this night.

 

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Salt and pepper, to taste
Flour, for dredging
2 Tbsp olive oil

2 garlic cloves, whole
1 Tbsp capers
1 cup white cooking wine
1 1/2 tbsp unsalted butter
zest and juice of 1 lemon
1 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley

1 Tsp onion powder

 

Recipe Adapted from The Recipe Club

Cut your chicken into bite sized pieces, you can do this right in the package it comes in. Coat the chicken in enough flour just to cover it. Add salt and pepper to taste.

 

In a saucepan, heat up oil on medium heat. Add the garlic and capers and cook for a minute or two. Add the chicken, browning on all sides. You will see the "sauce" start to thicken naturally as the dredged chicken makes it's own roux! Add the remaining ingredients, cooking for an additional 5 minutes or so. The sauce should be thick and look creamy. If you don't want someone to mistake a garlic clove for a piece of chicken and get a big surprise, find the cloves and smash them at this point and then mix thoroughly.

This can be served over almost anything and it will taste great. The flavors are very bold. Throw it over pasta or mashed potatoes if you are in the mood for carbs.

Zucchini Pizzas

 If you didn't get enough vegetable pizza goodness from my recent post of Cauliflower Crust Pizzas, here is another great pizza recipe with a vegetable base. I'm not as crazy about them as the cauliflower ones but they are still a good healthy option. They may not be as acceptable to kids and husbands, but give them a try. They are so easy that this recipe barely has an ingredient list.

 

Cut zucchini in 1/4-1/8 inch slices. Spray or brush a baking sheet with olive oil. Then lay out the zucchini. Spray or brush the top of them with olive oil again. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 5 minutes. Then take them out and assemble your pizzas. I added tomato sauce, pizza shredded cheese blend, and then topped off each one with a slice of turkey pepperoni. You can add any toppings you desire. Raise the oven temperature to 500 degrees and bake an additional 5-7 minutes until cheese bubbles. Let sit for 5 minutes after they come out of the oven, as this will help stop the topping from sliding off the zucchini when you try to eat them.

Spaghetti Squash Pasta

In case you hadn't noticed, I'm in love with spaghetti squash! You will see a lot of recipes using it on here in the future! See my blog on the vegetable in all it's glory and how to cook it here.

This recipe takes the low carb "phony pasta" and spins it with actual pasta to create a great side. Maybe try this recipe first if you've never had it before or use it as a trial on picky kids or a picky husband.

 

1 minced shallot

1 clove garlic, minced

2 chopped scallions

1 Tbsp butter

1 Tsp olive oil

1 cup milk

1 Tbsp Italian seasoning

1/2 cup shredded cheese

1/4 cup Parmesean

1 cooked and shredded spaghetti squash

1 box of your favorite pasta

 

Recipe Adapted form Piece of Cake

In a large skillet, heat oil and saute garlic and shallot for about 5 minutes. Add butter, shredded cheese, Parmesan, seasoning, and milk. Stir constantly until mixture comes to a boil. Cook pasta in separate saucepan and drain. Empty pasta into a baking dish and toss in spaghetti squash. Pour sauce in and mix. Top with 1/8 cup of extra shredded cheese and a sprinkle of breadcrumbs if desired. Bake in a 350 degree oven until cheese bubbles (10-15 minutes).

Twice Baked Butternut Squash

Holiday squash will never be served simply boiled and mashed ever again! Everyone will be blown away with all the savory fall tastes in this dish. I may have gone a little crazy with this one, throwing in everything but the kitchen sink, but it got rave reviews. And who doesn't love a food served in its own bowl?

 

whole butternut squash

1 Tbsp chives

2 oz cream cheese

2 Tsp cinnamon

1 Tsp nutmeg

1 Tsp butter

Cut the squash lengthwise and scoop out the seeds. Place it in a baking dish, cut side down in 1/2 inch of water and roast in a 450 degree oven for 35-45 minutes. When it's done, flip it over and allow to cool enough to handle. Then, scrape out the innards, being careful to preserve the skin. Mix the innards in a mixing bowl with remaining ingredients. Spoon back into the skin. I topped mine with a sprinkle of breadcrumbs and brown sugar and it was amazing!

Cauliflower Crust Pizzas

I try to pass healthy things off on my husband and people all the time. In fact we have the same conversation every night, yet it never stops him from trying to get it out of me what he's getting served.

Husband: "What's for dinner?"

Wife: "Food!"

Husband: "What kind of food?"

Wife: "The kind you eat!"

Husband: "I love that kind!" (Starts lifting pot lids and peeking in fridge)

This happens EVERY night in our house, I kid you not. So when I tried to pass this off on him, I was pretty convinced he would not go for it. He was outside working so he didn't see me making it at all and I brought it out to him so we could enjoy it on the patio. After eating one, he clearly knew something was up and I admitted what it was. He was pleasantly surprised. He knew it wasn't pizza crust but couldn't even attempt to put his finger on what it was. After devouring his plate, he exclaimed, to a very stunned wife: "That was great! Is there more?". I think we found a winner in this house! It's picky husband approved!

Crusts:
3 eggs
1 1/2 cups pizza cheese blend
1 grated cauliflower head
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup fresh chopped parsley

 

Combine ingredients and spoon out crusts onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and sprayed with nonstick spray. Don't use wax paper because it will be hard to pull the crusts off. Shape them into squares and they will stay together remarkably well. Bake in a 500 degree oven for 15 minutes. I liked them crispier. Don't be worried if the oven smokes a bit, it's just the spray baking off.

 

Recipe Adapted from Fat Girl Trapped In A Skinny Body

 

Top with whatever you like. I used some tomato sauce and turkey pepperoni with extra cheese on top. Then I baked it for 5-7 minutes more until the top cheese melted.



Hindsight:

What is it about cauliflower that is SO smelly? The first night I went to make this, I realized I didn't have eggs so I hung onto it in a bowl in my fridge. My house smelled like farts for DAYS! If I have one complaint about this versatile vegetable, that would be it!

I still haven't found a great and quick way to grate the cauliflower. The first time I made it, I used a cheese grater. The second, I tried a food chopper but it didn't do a great job and you had to load it a little at a time so it took just as long. Either way, it's going to make a mess. I'll update this if I discover a better way and if anyone else finds one, please comment and share the knowledge!