pozole verde

 

Hall of Fame.  My husband had seen this recipe and printed it out and was hoping we could try it.  It was a lot of work but it was worth it!

pozole verde

for the soup:

1 bunch cilantro

1 white onion

6 garlic cloves

2 pounds tomatillos

3 large poblano chiles

1 jalapeno

1 lime, plus wedges for serving

4-6 tablespoons olive oil

salt

2 teaspoons ground cumin

2 teaspoons dried oregano

1 bunch lacinato kale, torn into bite-sized pieces (8 cups)

2 (15 ounce) cans hominy, drained

4 cups vegetable broth

for the toppings:

2-3 cups shredded green cabbage

2-4 radishes, thinly sliced

1 jalapeno, thinly sliced

queso fresco, about 3 tablespoons per bowl

crema or sour cream, about 2 tablespoons per bowl

flaky salt

sliced avocado

Heat oven to 475 degrees.

Prepare the soup:  Separate the cilantro leaves and tender stems from the thicker stems.  Place the thicker stems on a large sheet pan and refrigerate the remaining until ready to serve the soup.

Halve and peel the onion.  Cut into rough wedges and place on the sheet pan; finely dice the second half and set aside.  Peel the garlic cloves; place 3 whole cloves on the sheet pan, then mince the remaining 3 cloves and set aside.  Peel and quarter the tomatillos; halve, seed and stem the poblanos and jalapeno; and halve the lime; add all to the pan.

Drizzle the contents of the sheet pan with a hearty amount of olive oil and a very generous tablespoon of salt.  Toss together until well coated.  Roast until the vegetables are well-browned yet there is still plenty of liquid in the pan, 25 to 30 minutes.

While the vegetables are roasting, heat a large pot over medium.  Add 3 tablespoons of olive oil, the diced onion and a generous pinch of salt.  Turn down to medium-low and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and fragrant, 7 to 9 minutes.  Stir in the minced garlic, cumin and oregano, and cook for 2 to 3 minutes to open up the flavors, then stir in the chopped kale.  Cover and adjust the heat to low, stirring occasionally to cook down a bit; continue cooking while you tend to the roasted vegetables.

Take the roasted vegetables out of the oven and immediately transfer the poblano chiles to a bowl, cover with a plate and set aside to steam.

Let the remaining roasted vegetables cool for 5 minutes.  Remove the lime halves and squeeze the juices and pulp onto the roasted vegetables; discard the peels.  Using tongs, transfer the vegetables to a food processor.

Carefully pour and scrape the juices and any roasty bits from the sheet pan into the pot and stir into the kale mixture.

With the vent on the food processor lid open to allow the steam to escape, pulse the vegetables until combined yet still chunky, then scrape into the pot.  Turn the heat to medium-high. Add the hominy and broth, and salt to taste.  Stir well to combine and bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat.

While the pozole comes to a simmer, peel off the clear outer skins of the poblanos and discard. Roughly chop the poblanos and add to the soup.  Let simmer for 20-30 minutes, until the flavors have melded.  Taste and adjust salt; don't be shy here- the salt will help pull all the flavors out and balance the acidity from all the tomatillos.

To serve, ladle a hearty portion into each bowl, top with cabbage, radishes, jalapeno slices, queso fresco, crema and the reserved cilantro.  Add a generous pinch of flaky sea salt to finish and serve with avocado and more lime, if you like.

chicken and veggie patties

 

My friend Dee-Anna shared this recipe with me so I thought I'd give them a try.  My family really enjoyed them dipped in some tzatziki sauce.  My son was disappointed when we'd eaten them all.  I think he was hoping for more.

chicken and veggie patties (my friend Dee-Anna)

1 small zucchini, grated

1 small carrot, grated

1 pound ground chicken breast

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon dried parsley

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

1/2 teaspoon dried dill

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

2 teaspoons fresh sage

1/4 teaspoon white pepper

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 egg

1/4 cup panko breadcrumbs

1-2 tablespoons oil, for cooking

The instructions were missing so I just mixed everything together with the exception of the oil for cooking.  I formed them into small patties and refrigerated them for about a half hour before I cooked them in hot oil in a frying pan.

Serve with tzatziki sauce and enjoy!

creamy chicken vegetable soup

 

My friend Dee-Anna shared this recipe but I altered it to fit my taste (I lightened it up quite a bit) so I renamed it to reflect what it turned out to be.  It's a really versatile recipe, a good recipe and next time I may even add some more veggies like diced zucchini or sliced mushrooms.  My kids love eating veggies when they're in soup.

creamy chicken vegetable soup

1 cup chopped onion

3/4 cup diced carrots

3/4 cup diced celery

2 teaspoons minced garlic

2 tablespoons butter 

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

1 teaspoon vegetable or chicken bouillon

1/2 teaspoon parsley

1/2 teaspoon oregano

1/2 teaspoon thyme

5 tablespoons flour

3 cups chicken broth

2 cups milk

1 bay leaf

1 small head cauliflower, diced

2 cups chopped spinach

2 cups diced rotisserie chicken (I used 3 cups)

In a soup pot, melt the butter.  Sautee the onion, carrots, celery and minced garlic.  As the vegetables start to soften add the salt, pepper, Italian seasoning and bouillon.  Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables and stir for one minute or so.  Slowly stir in the broth while whisking rapidly.  Add the milk, parsley, oregano, thyme and bay leaf.  Cook on medium heat until the soup thickens just a little bit.  Add the cauliflower, spinach and rotisserie chicken.

At this point I transferred it to a crock pot and let it cook on low all day but that's not necessary.  If you don't transfer it to a crock pot you just cook it until the veggies are soft, the spinach is wilted and the chicken is hot.

lavash bread pizza

 

This is my new go-to.  It's SO easy to throw together especially if you have some things already prepped in the fridge like I did. 

It was just my son and I home for dinner and I had some leftover lavash bread from when I made pinwheel sandwiches.  I thawed some homemade marinara sauce I had stored in the freezer and made some pizza for myself and some for him.  You can see we like different things. 

lavash bread pizza

It's one of those recipes you don't really need a recipe for.

Spray some nonstick spray onto a rimmed baking sheet.

Place a sheet of lavash bread on it.

Spread some marinara sauce or pizza sauce all over it.

Sprinkle with cheese.

Add the toppings you love.

My favorites tonight were chicken (that was already in the fridge), diced red onion (already in the fridge), jarred red peppers and capers.  Sometimes I add mushrooms and spinach too.

delicious shrimp tacos

 

These were SO delicious!  I used a combination of two recipes that I found.

delicious shrimp tacos (pinch of yum for the shrimp spice, natasha's kitchen for the sauce)

shrimp spice mix

2 teaspoons chili powder

2 teaspoons cumin

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon cayenne

1 teaspoon salt

sauce for tacos

1/3 cup light sour cream

1/3 cup light mayo

1 1/2 tablespoons lime juice

3/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon hot sauce

you'll also need

1 pound shrimp, pre-cooked, deveined and peeled and tail off

1 tablespoon oil

corn tortillas

toppings:  diced red onion, shredded cabbage, avocado, cilantro, lime

To prepare the shrimp for the tacos, mix the shrimp spice mix with the shrimp.  Heat a frying pan with 1 tablespoon oil.  Get the oil nice and hot.  Add the shrimp and stir-fry until heated through and a little crisp.

Assemble your tacos the way you like them with all the toppings.

roasted bell peppers

 

Great recipe!  Loved it.

roasted bell peppers (slightly adapted from healthyrecipesblogs.com)

4 bell peppers

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or foil.

Cut the bell peppers into quarters then remove the seeds and membranes.

Put the following into a gallon sized ziploc bag: oil, salt, pepper, garlic powder, oregano and red pepper flakes.  Add the bell peppers.  Seal bag.  Coat the bell peppers with the oil and seasonings.

Place peppers on the lined baking sheet.  Roast until tender and charred in spots, about 20 minutes.  Serve immediately.