lamb kebabs with mint pesto

Ingredients

For the pesto:
1 cup (packed) fresh mint leaves
1/2 cup (packed) fresh cilantro leaves
2 tablespoons pine nuts
2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 medium garlic clove, peeled
1/2 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
1/2 cup olive oil
 
For the kebabs:
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil plus additional for brushing
4 large garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons coarse kosher salt
1 1/2 teaspoons coriander seeds, ground in spice mill or in mortar with pestle
2 pounds trimmed boneless leg of lamb, cut into 1 1/4-inch cubes
2 large red bell peppers, cut into 1-inch squares
1 large red onion, cut into 1-inch squares

Instructions

For pesto:
Blend first 7 ingredients in processor to coarse puree. With machine running, gradually pour in 1/2 cup oil; puree until almost smooth. Transfer pesto to bowl. Season with salt and pepper.

For kebabs:
1. Mix 1 tablespoon oil, garlic, coarse salt, and coriander in medium bowl. Add lamb; toss to coat. Cover and chill at least 2 hours and up to 4 hours.
2. Prepare grill (medium-high heat). Thread lamb on skewers alternating with peppers and onions. Place on baking sheet. Brush with oil; sprinkle with pepper.
3. Grill to desired doneness, turning occasionally, 7 to 9 minutes for medium-rare.
4. Arrange kebabs on serving platter. Drizzle each kebab very lightly with pesto and serve remaining pesto alongside.

*From Epicurious.com

grilled vegetable antipasto- aka "the pile"

Recipe inspired by all of my sister's effortless antipasto creations, Cooking Light's "Fire-Seared Antipasto Platter" and Ina Garten's "Roasted Tomato Caprese Salad." I think I've rolled all the best ideas into one recipe- enjoy!

Ingredients

2 tsp. sugar 
1/8 cups plus 2 teaspoons olive oil
4 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
6 garlic cloves, minced
3 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
salt and pepper

6 plum tomatoes, halved and seeded
2 red bell peppers, quartered and seeded
2 yellow bell peppers, quartered and seeded
2 zucchini, cut into 1/2-inch-thick discs
1 red onion, cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices
1 eggplant, cut into 1/2-inch-thick discs

3 ounces prosciutto, thinly sliced
3 ounces capocollo, thinly sliced
1 fresh mozzarella ball, thinly sliced
3 ounces provolone, thinly sliced
fresh basil
mixed olives

Consider also including marinated artichoke hearts and grilled portobello mushroom caps to the platter.  

Instructions 

1. Get the tomatoes going!
Preheat the oven to 275. Whisk together 1/8 cup olive oil, 1 tbsp. balsamic vinegar, 2 garlic cloves minced, 2 tsp. sugar, 1/2 tsp. salt, and 1/4 tsp. pepper. Arrange the plum tomatoes on a sheet pan. Drizzle dressing over the tomatoes. Roast for 2 hours. Then cool to room temperature.

2. Get the other veggies going!
Preheat the grill to high heat. Whisk together 2 tsp. olive oil, 3 tbsp. balsamic vinegar, 3 tbsp. lemon juice, 4 garlic cloves minced, and 1/4 tsp. salt. Toss veggies in dressing. Grill veggies until desired charring is achieved. Then cool to room temperature. 

3. Arrange on a platter.

grilled vegetable and fontina pizza

 

Ingredients

2 portobello mushroom caps
1 tbsp. minced garlic
1 large red bell pepper, cut in half, seeded, and flattened with hand
1 medium zucchini, cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices
1 red onion, cut into 1/2-inch wedges
5 tsp. olive oil
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
pizza dough
4 ounces (1 cup) shredded fontina cheese
1/4 cup thinly sliced fresh basil leaves
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper

 

Preparation

1. Turn all burners to high if using a gas grill.
2. Prepare the veggies. Remove brown gills from undersides of mushrooms with a spoon; discard. Combine mushrooms, garlic, bell pepper, zucchini, onion, and oil in a bowl; toss to coat. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Skewer the red onion and zucchini slices on BBQ skewers.
3. Arrange vegetables on grill rack coated with vegetable oil; grill 8 minutes or just until tender. Slice mushrooms and red bell pepper to 1/2-inch slices.
4. Meanwhile roll dough on a lightly floured surface. 
5. Brush and re-oil the grill. 
6. Using a wooden pizza peel transfer the dough to grill and place directly onto the grill grates. Cover and cook 45 seconds. Using grill tongs and/or pizza peel flip the dough and cook for 1 more minute. Using grill tongs and/or pizza peel remove the cooked dough from the grill and bring inside to top with ingredients. 
7. Sprinkle cheese over dough. Arrange vegetable mixture over cheese. 
8. Place pizza on a metal grill plate until cheese melts, about 5 minutes. (The grill plate helps protect the bottom of the crust from burning). 
9. You may consider popping it under the broiler if the cheese is melted, but not crispy enough.
10. Sprinkle pizza with basil leaves and red pepper.

*Adapted from Cooking Light

cuban rice and beans

Ingredients

3/4 cup brown rice, dry
1 (15 oz can) black beans
1 medium yellow onion, diced
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
1 jalepeno pepper, seeded and diced
1 tsp chili powder
2 tbsp tomato paste
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
4 cup low sodium chicken stock
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Instructions

1. Saute garlic, pepper, onion and jalepeno in olive oil on medium heat until soft, 4-6 minutes
2. Add tomato paste, vinegar, and chili powder and cook an additional 3 minutes
3. Add rice, beans and vegetable stock and cover
4. Bring mixture to a boil and then reduce heat to medium low
5. Keep covered and simmer for 20. Uncover and simmer for an additional 20-30 minutes, or until rice and beans are cooked through and stock is absorbed.

*Adapted from GenerationYFoodie.com

baked ratatouille

Ingredients

1 large eggplant
2 zucchinis
2 red or green bell peppers
1/2 lb. fresh mushrooms
1 yellow onion
1/3 cup tomato paste
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup water
2 tbsp. olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. dried thyme
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. freshly ground pepper
1/2 cups fresh basil, chopped

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Coat a large roasting pan with nonstick cooking spray.
2. As you prepare each of the following vegetables, add it to the prepared pan. Cut the unpeeled eggplant into 1-inch cubes. Cut the zucchini crosswise into rounds 1/2-inch thick. Halve the bell peppers through their stem ends and remove the stems, ribs, and seeds. Cut the peppers in to 1-inch thick squares. Depending upon the size of the mushrooms, cut them into halves or quarters. Thinly slice the onion.
3. In a small bowl, combine the tomato paste, vinegar, water, oil, garlic, thyme, salt, and pepper and stir until blended and smooth. Add to the roasting pan, then stir and toss to combine and coat the vegetables evenly.
4. Bake until the vegetables begin to soften, about 30 minutes, stirring once at the halfway point. Reduce the heat to 325 degrees F. Cover the roasting pan and bake until the vegetables are soft and tender but not mushy, about 30 minutes longer, stirring every 10 minutes.
5. Remove from the oven, uncover and let stand for 10 minutes. Stir in the basil and serve hot, at room temperature, or cold.

*From Healthy Cooking cookbook

eggplant and goat cheese sandwiches

Ingredients

8 (1/2 inch-thick) eggplant slices
2 tsp. olive oil
1 large red bell pepper
4 slices ciabatta bread
2 tbsp. pesto
1 cup baby arugula
1/8 tsp. freshly ground pepper
1/4 cup goat cheese

Instructions

1. Preheat broiler.
2. Arrange eggplant slices in a single layer on a foil-lined baking sheet. Brush both sides of eggplant with 1 tsp. olive oil. Cut bell pepper in half lengthwise; discard seeds and membrane. Arrange bell pepper halves, skin sides up, on baking sheet with eggplant; flatten with hand.
2. Broil 4 minutes; turn eggplant over (do not turn bell pepper over). Broil an additional 4 minutes; remove eggplant from pan. Broil pepper an additional 7 minutes or until blackened.
3. Place bell pepper in a plastic bag; seal. Let stand for 15 minutes; peel and discard skin.
4. Broil bread slices for 2 minutes or until lightly browned, turning once.
5. Spread 1 tbsp. pesto on each of 2 bread slices. Layer each bread slice, pesto side up, with 2 eggplant slices, 1 bell pepper, and 2 eggplant slices.
6. Toss arugula with remaining 1 tsp. oil and black pepper; divide arugula mixture evenly between sandwiches. Spread 2 tbsp. goat cheese over each of 2 remaining bread slices; place cheese side down, on sandwiches.

*Adapted from Cooking Light

spinach and feta chicken

Ingredients

2 chicken breasts

1 red bell pepper, sliced

1 box of frozen spinach, defrosted and any excess water squeezed out

1 cup feta cheese

olive oil

Instructions

1. Place chicken breasts in a baking dish.

2. Layer the following ingredients on top of the chicken in this order: spinach, red bell pepper, then feta cheese.

3. Drizzle olive oil over the chicken breasts.

4. Cover and bake for 60 minutes at 350 degrees F.

sausage, pepper, and mushroom pizza

Ingredients

2 sweet Italian sausage links
1 cup thinly sliced onion
1/2 cup thinly sliced red bell pepper
8 oz. mushrooms (can use shiitake, cremini, portobello or a mixture of those)
3-5 garlic cloves, minced
1 prepared pizza crust
1/2 cup pizza sauce (I recommend Rao's)
3/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
2 tbsp. thinly sliced fresh basil

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
2. Remove casings from sausages. Cook sausage in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat until browned, stirring to crumble (I like to use a potato masher to crumble the sausage). Add onion, pepper, and mushrooms to pan; saute 8 minutes or until tender. Stir in garlic; saute 1 minute. Place pizza crust on a pizza stone. Spread pizza sauce evenly over crust, leaving a 1/8-inch border. Top evenly with mushroom mixture. Sprinkle evenly with cheese.
3. Bake for 8 minutes.
4. Remove from oven; sprinkle with basil.

*adapted from Cooking Light

stir-fried beef with broccoli, bell peppers, and asparagus

Ingredients

1 lb. flank steak, trimmed
2 tbsp. low-sodium soy sauce
1 tsp. minced garlic
1/2 tsp. black pepper
3 1/2 tsp. water, divided
2 tbsp. oyster sauce
1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper
3/4 lb. broccoli
1 bunch of asparagus
2 tbsp. canola oil, divided
1 large red bell pepper, halved, seeded, and cut into 1-inch pieces
4 cups hot cooked long-grain rice

Instructions

1. Cut steak in 1/8-inch thick slices. Combine beef, soy sauce, garlic, and black pepper; toss well. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
2. Combine 1 1/2 tbsp. water, oyster sauce, and crushed red pepper in a small bowl; set aside.
3. Cut broccoli into florets. Peel broccoli stems; cut stems diagonally into 1/4-inch-thick slices.
4. Snap off hard ends of asparagus. Slice diagonally into 1-inch pieces.
5. Heat 1 tbsp. canola oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add beef mixture to a skillet; cook 3 minutes or until beef is browned, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Transfer beef mixture to bowl.
6. Heat the remaining 1 tbsp. canola oil in pan over medium-high heat. Add broccoli and asparagus; cook 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add the remaining 2 tbsp. water; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add bell pepper; cook 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Return beef mixture to pan. Stir in the oyster sauce mixture; cook until thoroughly heated. Serve over rice.

*adapted from Cooking Light

three bean chili

Ingredients

1 lb. of lean ground beef, turkey, or bison
2 white onions, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
5 cloves of minced garlic
1/4 cup chili powder
1 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 tbsp. cumin
2 tsp. red pepper flakes
2 (15.5 oz) cans of kidney beans, drained and rinsed
2 (15.5 oz) cans of black beans, drained and rinsed
1 (15.5 oz) can of cannelinni beans, drained and rinsed
1 (15.5 oz) can of corn, drained and rinsed OR half bag of frozen corn
2 (28 oz) cans of crushed tomatoes
1/2 cup chicken stock
2 tbsp. Tabasco sauce (or more to taste)
salt

Instructions

1. Brown meat in Dutch oven over medium heat.
2. Once meat is just browned, add onion, red bell pepper and garlic. Cook until onion is soft.
3. Add all dry spices. Cook until well incorporated, about 30 seconds, stirring constantly.
4. Add beans, corn, tomatoes, chicken stock, and Tabasco sauce.
5. Salt to taste.
5. Cover and simmer for 30-40 minutes until beans are soft.