Simple Bok Choy Side Dish

 Simple Bok Choy Side Dish

(recipe from love & lemons)

Ingredients:

1 package of bok choy (about 4-5 bok choy), halved or quartered (rince them because they may

be dirty)

1 tbsp soy sauce

1 tbsp water

½ tbsp rice vinegar

1 tsp mirin (or honey)

½ tsp sesame oil

1 garlic clove, chopped

Red pepper flakes, to taste

Olive oil for cooking

Sesame seeds for topping

Recipe

In a small bowl, sGr together the soy sauce, water, rice vinegar, mirin, sesame oil, garlic, and the

red pepper flakes.

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the bok choy, cut side down, and

sear unGl browned on each side.

Add the sauce. Toss, then cover and cook 1-2 minutes or unGl the bok choy is tender. You want

a crunch to the base and wilted leaves on top.

Sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve.

Creamy Boursin Orzo Bake

 Creamy Boursin Orzo Bake

(recipe modified from facebook)

Ingredients: 12 oz cooked chicken breast, diced. NOTE: The recipe calls for chicken, but I don’t like chicken. We used left over pulled pork. But even that was my least fav part. I’d say instead of meat, add 1 or 2 more veggies of choice to make it better and vegetarian.

200 g dry orzo (cooked with chicken stock) 3 cups or 650 g cherry tomatoes 2 zucchinis, chopped 150 g (one full container) Boursin Garlic & Fine Herb Grated parmesan cheese to top Avocado/olive oil spray Fresh basil Chili flakes Oregano Black pepper Salt Preparation Start by making the orzo. 200g of orzo to 200g of liquid. I did half chicken stock half water. Boil the liquid, then turn down the heat to a simmer, add the orzo and cook about 12 minutes or until orzo is ready (uncovered, stirring once in a while). I kept cooking until all the liquid had evaporated.

Place the Boursin in the center of a baking dish. Add the cherry tomatoes and chopped zucchini around it and whatever other veggies you want to add. Season with chili flakes, oregano, salt and pepper. Slightly spray everything with oil.

Bake at 350 degrees for about 35 minutes, or until the tomatoes have wilted and the Boursin is hot and creamy

Remove the baking dish from the oven and mix everything together until the Boursin, tomatoes, zucchini and extra veggies create a creamy sauce.

Add the cooked orzo, meat (if you are using meat) and fresh basil. Mix until everything is completely coated.

Top with grated parmesan and place it back in the oven for another 5-10 minutes.

I also broiled it about 3 minutes to get a nicer colour on top.

Lemon Zucchini Bread

Lemon Zucchini Bread

(recipe from tastesbetterfromscratch)

 

Equipment needed:

 loaf pan

 

 

Ingredients:

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour (180 g)

½ tsp salt (3 g)

½ tsp baking soda (2.3 g)

½ tsp baking powder (2 g)

¾ cup granulated sugar (150 g)

Zest of 1 large lemon

2 large eggs

½ cuo oil (vegetable, avocado or canola oil)

1 ½ tsp fresh lemon juice

1 cup grated zucchini (120 g), unpeeled

 

Glaze:

1 cup powdered sugar (115 g)

4 tsp fresh lemon juice

 

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 8x4 inch loaf pan. Set aside.

 

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda.

 

In another bowl, combine sugar and lemon zest and stir well.  Add eggs, oil, and lemon juice and stir until smooth. Stir in the dry ingredients until combined.

 

Grate zucchini on the large holes of a box grater.  If it’s really wet, squeeze some of the moisture out.  Fold the zucchini into the batter and pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan.

Bake for 45-50 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to rest in the pan for 10 minutes before removing the loaf onto a wire cooling rack to cool completely.

 

While the bread is cooling, make the glaze byb combining the powdered sugar and lemon juice in a small bowl until smooth

 

Drizzle the glaze over the bread.  Slice and serve.

Ground Beef and Sweet Potato Skillet

 

Ground Beef and Sweet Potato Skillet (Recipe from NonnaFood.com)

Prep time: 10 minutes Cook Time: 20 minutes Total time: 30 minutes Ingredients: • 1 lb lean ground beef 90% lean recommended (can substitute other meat or vegan options) • 2 medium sweet potatoes peeled and cubed into 1/2-inch pieces • 1 medium onion diced • 3 cloves garlic minced • 1 tablespoon olive oil • 1 teaspoon ground cumin • 1 teaspoon paprika • 1/2 teaspoon chili powder • Salt and pepper to taste • 3/4 cup beef broth or water beef broth preferred for richer flavor • 1 bell pepper diced, optional • 1 can (15 oz) black beans drained and rinsed, optional • 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese • Fresh cilantro or parsley for garnish. • Sour Cream for garnish Directions: 1. Heat olive oil in a large 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat for about 1 minute until properly hot. 2. Add diced onion and cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until translucent and starting to soften. 3. Stir in minced garlic and cook for 30 seconds until fragrant, being careful not to let it burn. 4. Add ground beef, breaking it up with a wooden spoon as it cooks, and brown for 5-7 minutes until no pink remains. 5. While beef cooks, peel and cube sweet potatoes into uniform 1/2-inch pieces for even cooking. 6. Add cubed sweet potatoes to the skillet with browned beef. Sprinkle cumin, paprika, chili powder, salt, and pepper over everything and stir well to combine. 7. Pour in 3/4 cup beef broth, reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for 12-15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until sweet potatoes are fork-tender. 8. If using bell peppers or black beans, stir them in during the last 5 minutes of cooking to heat through. 9. Remove lid and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes to allow excess moisture to evaporate. 10. If desired, sprinkle shredded cheese over the top, cover until melted, then garnish with fresh cilantro or parsley before serving. And then add a spoon of sour cream.

Creamy vegan butternut squash pasta

 

Creamy Vegan Butternut Squash Pasta

(Recipe modified from Love & Lemons)

Serves 4 

Prep Time: 10 minutes 

Cook Time: 40 minutes

 Total Time: 50 minutes 

Ingredients:

• ½ small butternut squash, halved vertically and seeded

 • Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper 

• 2 shallots, coarsely chopped (⅔ cup) 

• 3 garlic cloves, unpeeled

 • ¾ cup water 

• ½ cup raw cashews 

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling 

• 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast 

• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar 

• 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves, plus more for garnish 

• 12 ounces rotini pasta 

• Sauteed broccoli 

Instructions: 

 Preheat the oven to 425°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. 

 Drizzle the squash with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and place cut side down on the baking sheet. 

Wrap the shallots and garlic cloves in foil with a drizzle of olive oil and a pinch of salt and place on the baking sheet. 

Roast for 30 minutes, or until the squash is soft. 

 Measure 1 cup of the roasted squash flesh and transfer to a blender with the shallot, peeled garlic, water, cashews, olive oil, nutritional yeast, vinegar, thyme, ¾ teaspoon salt, and several grinds of pepper.

 Blend until creamy. 

 Cook the pasta according to package directions in a pot of salted boiling water. 

Reserve 1 cup of the hot pasta water. 

 Drain the pasta and return to the pot. 

Stir in the sauce, adding ½ to 1 cup of the reserved pasta water to loosen the sauce and coat the pasta.

 Add the broccoli. 

Season with ¼ to ½ teaspoon salt.

 Top with freshly ground black pepper and a few thyme leaves.

Best & Fastest Mac + Cheese

 

Best & Fastest Mac + Cheese

Meat (optional step) In a bowl, mix: 1 pound beef 2 cloves garlic 1 tbsp fresh ginger 1 tsp chili flakes 1/3 cup soya sauce 1 tbsp sesame oil A dash of lime juice A dash of hoisin sauce Salt and pepper Transfer from bowl into a pan and cook until meat is cooked through and liquid is drained. Set aside Mac and Cheese 1 box of macaroni, cooked al dente in boiling water ¼ cup butter ¼ cup flour Salt and pepper to taste 2 cups milk 2 cups grated cheddar cheese ¼ or 1/3 cup of Velveeta cheese ¼ tsp cayenne pepper Melt the butter in a pot over medium heat

Add the flour, salt, and pepper and stir until smooth, about 5 minutes. It should get golden but do not let it burn

Slowly pour in the milk, stirring continuously. Continue to cook and stir until mixture is smooth, thickened, and bubbling making sure it isn’t sticking to the bottom or burning.

Add in the Velveeta, dissolving it into the mixture.

Add in the cayenne pepper

Add in the cheddar until melted.

Fold in the drained macaroni.

Serve either as is or with the meat mixture on top

Quick & Easy Cucumber/ Tomato Salad

 Quick & Easy Cucumber/ Tomato Salad

2 tbsp soy sauce 3 tbsp sesame oil 1 tbsp white vinegar 1 tbsp apple vinegar 1 tbsp garlic chili crunch 1 tbsp olive oil 1 tsp sugar Lots of sesame seeds Shake well Pour on cut cucumbers and tomatoes