Tag: onion

Dairy-Free, Entrée, Gluten-Free, Instant Pot, Italian, Lightened Up, Meal Prep, One Pot Dish, Slow Cooker

Comfort Food: Meatballs & Potatoes Edition (Instant Pot)

Annie

IMG_8769

I love this recipe for Italian Meatball Stew over Smashed Potatoes. I haven’t had it in a few years, but this is one that my mom made regularly in the slow cooker. I decided to switch things up and use meatballs instead of chicken Italian sausage after spotting meatballs when doing a last-ditch quarantine preparedness run at Wegman’s. (Let me just interject that their prepared beef meatballs are mini and cute and delicious.) I made the potatoes extra creamy using mascarpone instead of EVOO. Using an Instant Pot allows for a much faster simmer compared to a stovetop or a slow cooker. This is quite aromatic and your kitchen will smell amazing during while cooking this stew, only adding to its maximum comfort level during this crazy self-quarantining and social distancing time. If you’re feeling industrious, trying making bread to pair!

Continue reading “Comfort Food: Meatballs & Potatoes Edition (Instant Pot)” →

Dairy-Free, Gluten-Free, Meal Prep, One Pot Dish, Soup, Vegan, Vegetarian

Delightfully Spicy Harissa Soup

Annie

Hearty veggie stew alert! If you haven’t figured out, I enjoy “cleaning out my fridge” and trying to use up every veggie–and sauce–possible. Harissa is a Northern African spicy chili pepper paste, consisting of mostly roasted red peppers. Depending on the style, some can be really mild or wildly spicy. If you use up any veggies in your fridge like onions, peppers, greens, and sweet potato with stuff in your pantry like a can of tomatoes or leftover grains and lentils, you can easily pull together a simple, hearty stew like Harissa Vegetable Soup. By using plant-based ingredients, it’s still high in protein. Plus, it’s a win-win for a deliciously health meal in exchange for cleaning out your fridge and pantry.

Continue reading “Delightfully Spicy Harissa Soup” →

Dairy-Free, Entrée, Gluten-Free, Meal Prep

Umami-Packed Chicken & Lentils

Annie

Do you ever finish a meal and then think, “Wait, is there more?” That’s how this meal was because it’s that good, and another meal prep option. Black garlic is at the heart of this bringing an umami flavor into play. Simply roast the vegetables and chicken, while quinoa and lentils cook. Assembly is easy, making Garlic Chicken with Veggies, Quinoa, and Lentils a fantastic dinner or a nice lunch on the go.

Continue reading “Umami-Packed Chicken & Lentils” →

Dairy-Free, Entrée, Gluten-Free, Italian, Meal Prep, Soup, Vegan, Vegetarian

Roasted Vegetable Soup in Time for Winter

Annie

My mom has made this soup, which became a spontaneous meal with friends for Ted’s birthday on Saturday. Roasting the vegetables before assembling the soup allows all the natural flavors to come alive. Your kitchen will also smell amazing, I promise. I whipped up a batch for lunches this week, and on the day I happened to make this, Ted’s friends came over with some freshly baked bread and charcuterie boards purchased in our neighborhood, Boston’s North End, for an impromptu birthday dinner. The Roasted Tomato Eggplant Soup was the perfect veggie main course after indulging in cheese, prosciutto, salami, and fresh bread. Dipping warmed bread directly into the soup is highly encouraged, and only adds to the heartiness of this all-veggie, flavorful soup.

Continue reading “Roasted Vegetable Soup in Time for Winter” →

Dairy-Free, Entrée, Gluten-Free, Italian, Meal Prep, One Pot Dish, Slow Cooker

The “Feel Good” Italian Sausage Soup

Annie

img_8536.jpg

Can we talk about these color? Ermahgawd, this soup was almost too pretty to eat. Having a cold, this warm and hearty veggies made Slow Cooker Italian Sausage Soup hit the spot. The only downside to these beautiful, rainbow veggies is that the purple carrots and potatoes give the broth a purple, rosy hue, but I’m not complaining. For not knowing what I was going to cook this past Sunday, this came together quite nicely. The soup is basically veggies, Italian chicken sausage, some Italian spices and homemade veggie stock. Let it cook and simmer in a slow cooker until the potatoes and carrots are tender.  (In the market for a new slow cooker? Check out Reviews.com for The Best Slow Cooker.)

Continue reading “The “Feel Good” Italian Sausage Soup” →

Better Than Takeout, Dairy-Free, Entrée, Gluten-Free, Meal Prep, One Pot Dish, Vegan, Vegetarian

Easy Peasy Indian Chickpea Curry

Annie

IMG_8644

Trader Joe’s Palak Paneer is the puréed spinach with Indian spices and a soft paneer cheese dish pictured below. (P.S. I would totally buy this again), and it pairs so perfectly well with whole wheat naan and this Indian Chana Masala. It’s spiced, has a little heat and is balanced with the palak paneer. Grab some naan with dipping or scooping or serve it over rice, and you have a filling, meatless dish.

Continue reading “Easy Peasy Indian Chickpea Curry” →

Asian, Better Than Takeout, Dairy-Free, Entrée, Gluten-Free, Lightened Up, Meal Prep, One Pot Dish, Slow Cooker

Simply Savory Sesame Chicken

Annie

img_5168

There’s been two things going on with me: 1). I’ve been trying to meal plan and meal prep lately, especially since we had a busy exam schedule this week; and 2). I’ve been craving some really greasy Chinese foods. Ok, maybe not really greasy, but something sweet, salty and savory with an Asian fusion all wrapped into one. I got this idea for Asian meal prep bowls from Damn Delicious, which I especially like because she includes nutritional facts for each serving. I had ingredients for sesame chicken (since Damn Delicious makes a teriyaki chicken) and used Skinny Taste for the chicken, but swapped ground chicken for chicken breasts. I popped everything in the crock pot while studying on Monday, let it brew while reviewing cardiac nursing and dished it up just in time for dinner. Garnished with sesame seeds and green onions, these Slow Cooker Sesame Chicken Brown Rice Bowls are *almost* better than take-out.

Continue reading “Simply Savory Sesame Chicken” →

Breakfast/Brunch, Dairy-Free, Gluten-Free, One Pot Dish, Vegetarian

Sinfully Sweet & Savory Sweet Potato Hash

Annie

IMG_3157

Happy Meatless Monday! Here’s a breakfast to satisfy all of your cravings: Cilantro Sweet Potato Hash. Brunch might be my favorite meal; it can be sweet and savory, hearty or light, multi-dish or simplistically plated — there’s just so many possibilities. A few weeks ago, I had a sweet potato bison (yes, bison) hash for brunch in Boston. It was sweet and savory, but also totally decadent and fatty. I wanted to recreate a hash in a nontraditional and also a faster way. Microwaving the sweet potato is much faster than roasting in the oven and the sweet potato still ends up deliciously browned with the onions. Instead of  baking the egg directly in the hash, fry it separately and top the hash. All in all, you have a healthy, colorfully tasty and aesthetically pleasing breakfast that comes together in about 10 min. Enjoy!

Continue reading “Sinfully Sweet & Savory Sweet Potato Hash” →

Asian, Better Than Takeout, Dairy-Free, Entrée, Gluten-Free, Lightened Up, Meal Prep, One Pot Dish

Deconstructed is Still Delicious

Annie

IMG_2594

One of my good college friends works near a bar that she and her coworkers frequent on Thursdays and Fridays. The drinks and food aren’t that special, but they’re always in great company. (It’s the place I met my future Southie roomies!) Meeting with Steph and Ali on more than one occasion, we’ll order lettuce wraps to accompany our spirits. Seemingly simple, I decided to try my hand at making them. Instead of wraps, I deconstructed them to make transport and eating easier. The fresh ginger is brightly fresh with a sharp bite, while the edamame and water chestnuts add crunch and texture to Deconstructed Asian Chicken Lettuce Wraps.

Continue reading “Deconstructed is Still Delicious” →

Dairy-Free, Entrée, Italian, Vegan, Vegetarian

No-Cream-Added Creamy Squash Pasta

Annie

IMG_5253

Another fall classic — Creamy Hubbard Squash Linguine with Zoodles & Sage. When my mom and I went to buy local orchard apples and pumpkins at Wallingford’s Orchard, we also picked up spaghetti, delicata and hubbard squash. (Hubbard is a light grayish-blue in color, teardrop in shape and similar to butternut squash in taste.) Maybe I just needed a break from pumpkin, or I’ve just been dying to try this delicious squash linguine recipe I found on Pinterest. The puréed squash is rich and creamy, so much so, you’d never know there’s no cream; the sage amplifies natural flavors and resembles thyme in taste. The hubbard and sage sauce might be bursting with so much flavor that it could be a knockout on its own — soup anyone? Having previously roasted the squash, the only thing to do next was to try this linguine recipe. I added in both “zoodles” or zucchini noodles and sautéed spinach for some needed veggies, and whole-wheat linguine for better carbs. The zoodles and whole-wheat linguine seamlessly blend; you’d never know you’re eating zucchini instead of pasta at times. The modifications were delectably perfect, and I can’t wait to have this again.

Continue reading “No-Cream-Added Creamy Squash Pasta” →