Happy Valentine's Day

Ground Meat Anything

When doing ground meat anything, you want to add FLAVOR! So, grate a few cloves of garlic into the meat, along with some chopped onion, fennel seed, crushed sage/or oregano. Add a can or two of diced tomatoes with a teaspoon of sugar or honey. A splash of red wine in the sauce does wonders, as long as you let it simmer for a good 15-20 minutes. Adding a ¼ cup of puréed pumpkin does wonders for adding depth to a sauce, and not to speak of all the extra vitamins pumpkin gives you. You won’t even know it’s in there; it just gives the sauce a nice richness.

Garlic Smashed Sweet Potatoes

Garlic Smashed Sweet Potatoes

I know we usually think of sweet potatoes as a sweet, cinnamon/sugar kind of dish....but I like them in more savory setting also.

While boiling 2 large sweet potatoes (cubed up), I sauteed in 2 tblsp of butter and a little olive oil, 1/4 of a red onion finely chopped, 4 cloves of garlic chopped and some black pepper. Cooking them only for about 5 minutes over medium heat. I drained the potatoes, then set them right back on the stove to try and cook off any leftover water. I added the sauteed onion/garlic/butter mixture to the pot of sweet potatoes, along with about 1/2 cup of sour cream, a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes and salt.

Roasted Vegetables

It's winter.
I do not have a grill or a farmer's market.  My latest kick has been buying a HUGEmongus bag of frozen veggies (cauliflower, brocoli, and carrots) and roasting them in the oven. 
This isn't really a recipe, like the majority of what I post on here, but it's what I eat, so I'm sharing it with you guys. 
Spread frozen veggies on a cookie sheet with sides. Drizzel with olive oil, salt, and pepper.  Cook at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.  Check and cook longer if needed to achieve desired done-ness.

The brocoli gets blackened and sweet and the carrots are delish!

Cauliflower I'll Actually Eat

1 package of frozen cauliflower florets, (about 3 cups) or a head of fresh cauliflower cut into pieces.

5 teaspoons grated Parmesan cheese

2 teaspoon chopped fresh parsley leaves

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

 Salt, to taste

2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil

Preheat oven to 425°F.

In a medium bowl, combine the cauliflower, cheese, parsley, garlic powder, and pepper. Season with salt. Toss to mix. Drizzle on the oil and toss again. Transfer the mixture to a small nonstick baking dish.

Bake for 15 to 17 minutes, tossing once, or until lightly browned and crisp-tender. Serve immediately.  Cooking time varies if florets are frozen or fresh...

Quick Shepherd’s Pie

Ground sirloin

Frozen green beans

Frozen carrots

Frozen cauliflower

Beef stock (gluten free)

Steam cauliflower. Drain and place in food processor.  Place meat in skillet and cook. I pressed the meat into hamburger patties and served individual portions, but you can do whatever you feel like.  Empty the pot you cooked the cauliflower in and pour in some beef stock, green beans, carrots and simmer. I added the beef stock because I wasn’t using gravy or any type of thickener. The meat was so flavorful that it probably didn’t make a difference, so next time I will most likely just steam the veggies with water.  Pulse the cauliflower in the food processor with butter. I used a few cups of cauliflower and about 3 tbls of butter. Scoop the cauliflower “potatoes” on top of the veggies. 

Egg Cups

Great to grab from the fridge early in the morning!

1 small pkg of sausage

1 dozen eggs

¼ cup of chopped onion

1 cup shredded cheddar

Place a spoonful of sausage onion mixture in bottom of each cupcake wrapper. Pour egg mixture up to ½” from top of wrapper. Sprinkle a pinch of cheese over each.  Bake at 350 for 10-15 minutes.

Can add spinach, green onions, bell peppers.