Roasted Potatoes with Parsley, Parmesan and Bacon

The potato is one of those foods that is pretty versatile.  You have baked potatoes, mashed potatoes, hash browns, potato hash; you can make them into chips or fries, or make potato salad.  The list is quite long.  And unlike some foods such as fish, potatoes are a safe bet when you're hosting since pretty much everyone will eat them.

I've made several of the aforementioned dishes and have always had pretty good results.  It's always great when you can throw a few potatoes in the oven and let them bake while you fix the rest of your meal.  I mean, can I get a shout out for baked sweet potatoes topped with brown sugar, cinnamon and butter?!  

But when about when you want to add a little more of a different flavor to potatoes?  This recipe adds parmesan cheese, bacon and parsley to roasted yukon gold potatoes to create a flavor combination that is second to none in my humble opinion.  The bacon and cheese add a wonderful richness while the parsley brightens it just a bit to keep it from getting too heavy.  

I used baby yukon gold potatoes since they would cook faster, but the regular sized ones will produce the same result.  And the original recipe called for the removing of the potato skins, but I liked the rustic look and decided to leave them.

These potatoes are just as delicious as they look and they have most definitely earned a spot on my list of go-to recipes for when I'm hosting a get together.  After all, I'm pretty sure no one would complain about anything that has bacon and cheese :)

Best Ever Roasted Broccoli

I swear I'm done with the veggie streak after today.  Promise.  Not that I'm anything less than super stoked to be sharing this recipe.  Because it's simply divine, even if I do say so myself!  Plus, I tend to do a lot of sugary sweet recipes on this blog and it's always good to balance things out.

In the past I've always roasted broccoli with butter, salt and pepper.  And I might throw a few cloves of garlic in there.  But I've never used lemon on it.  I guess I've just never really thought of the two complementing each other.  I tried it for the first time with this dish and couldn't have been more pleased with the flavor.

This recipe couldn't be easier to throw together and will therefore be my new staple side dish for get-togethers.  And if you chop your broccoli before hand it literally takes a matter of minutes before it's ready for the oven.  Yes please!

Zucchini Boats

I for one have always had a soft spot for zucchini.  I still remember walking over to my great grandmother's house and helping her pick it fresh from her garden.  I've loved the stuff for as long as I can remember and will pretty much eat it any way it can be prepared: zucchini chips, zucchini cakes, zucchini bread, fried zucchini, grilled zucchini, baked zucchini....need I go on?

But I know a lot of people who aren't so chummy with this veggie.  And that's what this dish is for.  These zucchini boats are simply pieces of zucchini halved with a bit of the middle scooped out.  In that little hollow I stuffed them with tomatoes and onions.  And a bit of cheese of course.  I'm pretty sure even the most zucchini averse 4 year old might give these a try.

The good thing about this recipe is that you can adapt it pretty much any way you like.  The recipe below is a super simple version, but I would have loved to have added some turkey sausage or some bell pepper if I had had any on hand.  Go with your personal preferences and spiffy this up to suit yourself and your family.

Enjoy!

Balsamic Roasted Carrots

Did you think I had completely abandoned the blog?  I haven't logged an entry in a full 7 days...yikes!  That's the longest lapse I've let go by in quite a while.  So sorry!

The hubs and I have spent the past few days doing a bit of traveling and vacationing and unfortunately it's not as easy to compose a post from my ipad as I thought.  I could do the text but inserting photos didn't exactly go as planned.  And thus the cyber crickets.

So I figured I'd better make my first post back a good one.  And oh a good one it is.  At least in my humble opinion.  These balsamic roasted carrots are a snap to throw together and are so big on flavor.  And in the spirit of being superficial I must say I just like the way they look so rustic.  Good thing they have the taste to back it up.

While I definitely enjoyed these veggies during these warm summer temps, I think they would also be perfect during the fall and winter.  I'm thinking right alongside the turkey late in November??

Next time I might add some other veggies in there too....if you end up doing so let me know how they turn out!

Quinoa Salad with Cucumbers, Tomatoes and Feta

I'm pretty sure I've already hit my whining capacity with regards to the heat this summer, but just in case you've missed my less than positive thoughts on Georgia's hot and humid summer I'll revisit the subject.  It's.flippin.HOT.  There are actually mornings where I debate whether or not to shower because I know the second I put a foot out the door my hair will have a meltdown, my makeup with smear due to the excessive oil and I'll get those nasty little sweat spots on my shirt because I'm literally baking alive.

On days like these I don't exactly want something heavy to eat.  Okay, let's rephrase that: if there's a slice of rich chocolate cake sitting there I'm going to eat it, but ideally I would be just as satisfied with something light and summery.

This quinoa salad hits the spot though.  Quinoa, being the superfood that it is, is packed with fiber and protein which means you'll feel fuller longer.  And because fresh produce is bountiful during the summer I'm sure you'll have no problem finding some locally grown cucumbers and tomatoes.  Top it off with some fresh parsley, feta cheese, and a lemon-olive oil dressing and you've got yourself a winner.  It's light, full of flavor, and because it's healthy you won't mind indulging in more than your fair share of it.

Mmm mmm good.

I'm not ashamed to say that I ate this stuff for breakfast, lunch AND dinner yesterday.  Yes, it was that good. [Insert sound of me tooting my own horn.]

FYI It's pronounced KEEN-wah.  I know I can't be the only one who spent all of last year pronouncing it KWEE-no-uh.....yikes!

Oven Roasted Cabbage

When you think of a delicious and flavorful veggie side dish, what comes to mind?  Probably sweet potato casserole, green beans, roasted zucchini, garlic mashed potatoes, etc.  But what about cabbage?  Yeah, I didn't think that one was very high up on your list.

I'm all about eating healthy, but when I see cabbage I usually think "rabbit food".   That or I wonder what kind of slaw is fixing to be made.  And I don't like slaw.

But this cabbage recipe just might change your mind.  It's the easiest side dish you'll ever make.  It takes next to no time to throw together and gives you a bit of time to prep other parts of your meal while it's roasting.

And since it's summer and there is plenty of fresh produce to be found, there's no excuse not to make this.

And since all you need is a head of cabbage, that means this dish can be prepared on the cheap.

And since you roast it on a pan lined with tin foil there is virtually no clean up.

Okay, there are four reasons right there to make this dish!  Do you need more convincing?  If so, hopefully these pics will do the trick :)

Those lightly browned parts are where the

flavor is.

Quick and Easy Stir Fry with Noodles

Many apologies for being MIA yesterday.  I fully intended to post this and then got sidetracked.  And by sidetracked I mean a stranger rang our doorbell yesterday afternoon and I went full swing into all of the Criminal Minds and and CSI possibilities.

I'm sure the person was harmless, but instead of being normal and answering the door I crawl into our bedroom to peak and scope the person out through the blinds.  Then of course I go through the entire list of (highly unlikely) scenarios.....if they got in through the front door I could grab my phone and run back to our bathroom.  Then they would have 3 doors (bedroom, closet and bathroom) to get through before they got to me.  By then surely the cops would have arrived.

Or if they came in through the back porch I could run to the computer room.  But then they would only have 1 locked door to get through.

Better hope they come in through the front door....

Seriously?!  I get overly dramatic when it comes to things like that.  Needless to say, I didn't get this recipe posted yesterday.  Whoops.

This stir fry is easy, full of flavor, and highly adaptable.  You can add any veggies or protein you like depending on what you're in the mood for.  I chose chicken and a combo of fresh broccoli and bagged rainbow slaw (shredded broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower and carrots) just because I didn't feel like chopping veggies all night long.  But add whatever you're craving.

Also, the recipe makes quite a bit of sauce.  I double the recipe from the original post because I ran out. I'd rather have too much than not enough :)

Summer Salad with Corn, Tomatoes, Avocado and Chickpeas

I'm not sure about where you are, but here where I live in Georgia it hit the upper 90's this past week.  Ugh.  I hate to be a negative Nancy, but unless there is a body of water (i.e. lake, pool, ocean, or heck, even a sprinkler) nearby I don't enjoy temps that hot.  You're sweaty by 9:00 in the morning if you dare venture outside and your car doubles as an oven in which to toast your morning bagel.

On days like these I want something light to eat.  Filling, but light.  

Enter this summer salad.

On Saturday the hubs and I stopped by Jaemor Farms (a-mazing local farmers market for those not familiar) and they had tons of fresh produce just begging to be adding to some yummy dish.  So of course I obliged :)

We picked up some grape tomatoes, avocado and corn that I paired with some chickpeas from home for the most delicious, light and refreshing summer salad.  This bowl of fresh goodness is topped with a honey lime dressing that brings out all of the bright flavors of each and every ingredient but at the same time isn't overpowering in and of itself.

Serve this dish as an appetizer when hosting your favorite friends or as a side dish.  Then keep it to snack on late at night.  Or in the afternoon.  Or right after lunch even though you're not really hungry anymore.  [Guilty.]

Ginger and Honey Glazed Carrots

I know I may be in the minority, but I've always loved carrots.  I'll eat them raw with hummus, roasted alongside some beef, or glazed on their own.  One of my favorite ways to cook them is with a bit of butter and honey to add some just a bit of sweetness to them.  

I had seen a recipe by Alton Brown for some ginger and butter glazed carrots quite some time ago and ended up adding some honey to Alton's original take on the dish.  We were recently gifted some honey by a family friend who keeps bees (not sure what the official name for this is....would he be a bee-keeper??) and I simply couldn't pass up the opportunity to add some of this gooey goodness to the carrots.  

I was a bit skeptical when I saw that Alton's recipe called for the use of ginger ale soda to achieve the ginger taste, but I have to admit it made the dish so incredibly quick and easy to put together.  I'm sure you could achieve this same affect through the use of freshly grated ginger, but since I had just enough ginger ale left in our fridge I decided to give the soda method a go. 

And what do you know...it worked.  The ginger flavor wasn't incredibly prominent, but it was still there.  The flavor was so great and the dish was so easy to put together that it is now my go-to when I need a vegetable side dish in the future.

Enjoy!

PS Not sure why the carrots are flaming red/orange in the pics...trying to fix that.

Spaghetti Squash with Basil and Parmesan

Spaghetti squash is one of those foods that always sounded so terribly awful to me.  That is, until I tried it.  I have always loved veggies, but for some reason  I put spaghetti squash in the same mental category as butternut squash.  Make sure and read about my endeavor with butternut squash  here too.

The first time I tried spaghetti squash was this past year during my birthday dinner.  I order some scallops and they came served over a bed of spaghetti squash.  Needless to say, I saw the light and have never looked back when it comes to this delicious orange/yellow dish!

Spaghetti squash could certainly be served as a side dish in its own right, but it's usually paired with something else.  For this night's dinner I served some fresh salmon over a bed of it.  It also pairs well with scallops.

MMMM Yummy goodness!

My version below is a very basic one that can be paired with a variety of other ingredients.  Add some tomatoes or olives and feta in place of the parmesan if you're looking for a slightly different flavor.

In closing, I'd like to point out that I had a TERRIBLE time getting my squash sliced open.  Maybe I just got a stubborn one, but be aware that you might need a really sharp knife and some serious elbow grease :)

Crock Pot Country Green Beans

I just love green beans, don't you?  To me they just have "southern" written all over them.  I guess that's because I associate them with my grandmother and great grandmother who always fixed them.

I grew up in a house next to my great grandmother who had quite an impressive garden.  She grew everything from okra to squash to zucchini to tomatoes (including green beans).  She passed away when I was really young, but I still remember running over to her house to see what she had picked from the garden and had brought back to her house in her wheel barrow.

My grandmother also always brings an amazing dish of green beans to every family get together.  I remember sitting on a stool at her house trimming them from time to time when she would get some fresh beans from her neighbor.

Look how fresh those little guys look!

So I guess I should say that to me green beans bring back fond memories of family.  Maybe they do for you too.

Either way you'll love this dish!  This is so easy to throw together and the flavor is fantastic!

Roasted Butternut Squash

When someone mentions butternut squash the first thing that comes to mind is butternut squash soup that restaurants will often feature.  Unfortunately it has never sounded appealing to me.  I have this mental image of the squash being pureed like baby food and then heated.  And that's coming from someone who LOVES veggies, so I positively can't imagine what it's like for someone who won't eat their peas and carrots.

But I decided to venture into the butternut squash realm this past week when I went to my local produce market, Jaemor Farms, and saw heaping piles of the in-season vegetable.  Okay, well actually I picked it up thinking it was spaghetti squash (which I love), and was highly disappointed when I got home.  But we'll just say that I purchased it on purpose :)

Now what to do with it?  I scoured the internet for a recipe that looked interesting and finally came across one on one of my favorite sites, AllRecipes.  The recipe simply added a bit of flavor directly to the diced squash, but then let some roasting time in the oven take care of bringing that flavor to life.

While I still couldn't say that I like butternut squash more than regular squash or zucchini, the hubby and I were pleasantly surprised with how it turned out.  Hopefully you will be too!

Roasted Butternut Squash via AllRecipes
2 Tbsp fresh minced parsley
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
3 1/2 lbs butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes
1/3 C finely grated parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In large bowl toss butternut squash with parsley, olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper.  Spread out onto lined baking sheet.  Bake 25 minutes and then sprinkle with parmesan cheese.

Continue baking for approximately 20-30 more minutes, or until squash is just tender.

*Make sure to check on the squash periodically.  I cubed mine a bit smaller and they only took ~40 minutes to cook.

Honey Dijon Pork Loin with Veggies

Most of the time I feature confections loaded with sugar on this site (hey, I've got to stay true to my title), but for this post I'm bringing you something you could actually eat without going into a sugar coma.  I love honey and mustard together, and I think pork is such a great alternative to chicken....thus, honey dijon pork!

Another great thing about this meal is it's done all in one dish.  Adding some vegetables into the bottom of the pan allows the juices from the pork to marinate them throughout the time in the oven.   I'm sure you could also add some herbs to the veggies as well if you're looking for even more flavor.

Honey Dijon Pork Loin with Veggies
1 3-4lb pork loin, boneless
2 tbsp white wine vinegar
3/4 C Dijon mustard
2 tbsp honey
1 tbsp freshly chopped parsley leaves
1 tbsp freshly chopped chives
1 tbsp freshly chopped tarragon leaves
3 tbsp canola oil
Salt and pepper
Fresh "roasting" vegetables (I used carrots, onions and potatoes)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Season the pork with salt and pepper to taste and set aside.   Combine vinegar, mustard, honey and herbs in medium bowl and set aside.

Cut vegetables into even pieces and place in the bottom of pan lined with tin foil and misted lightly with pam (makes for an easy clean up).  Sprinkle vegetables with salt and pepper.  Set aside.

*If you are using larger cuts of vegetables go ahead and let them get a head start on cooking while you prep your pork.  Larger portions of vegetables take some time to cook all the way through and might not be done within the 30 minutes alloted for the pork*

Heat canola oil in sautee pan over medium-high heat.  Sear pork loin evenly on all sides.  This seals all of the juices in so that the pork stays nice and flavorful!

Brush pork loin with mustard and honey mixture and place directly on top of vegetables in roasting pan.   Cook at 350 degrees for  approximately 30 minutes.   Remove from oven and let rest before slicing and serving.

Ready to go with the mustard and honey sauce.

*Please note that cooking times may vary greatly depending on the size of the pork loin.  To be safe, make sure that the internal temperature of the pork is 145 degrees.

DELICIOUS!!