This meat-free dinner is adapted from a recipe my husband found on his favorite cycling podcast website. So you know it’s got to be good if it was developed with athletes in mind, right? Well, we made this and dug into it and thought we went to heaven. The spicy smoky flavor of the black beans combined with the creamy sweet potato is a marriage of flavors that’s meant to be. I’m not kidding, try it and if you don’t see angels I will eat my cycling socks. Continue reading “Black Bean and Salsa Stuffed Sweet Potatoes”
Category: Budget Friendly
Creamy Rice with Salmon
I got this rice with salmon (arroz con salmon) recipe from a food blog written by a Columbian woman. I’m so sorry I’ve lost track of the url of that web site but I made a lot of changes to the recipe anyway, so it barely resembles the original.
I removed several ingredients, changed several others, and used leftovers to compile the dish instead of creating it from scratch. It was surprisingly good! I served it with sautéed beet greens but I recommend choosing a side veggie that’s more neutral in flavor, like broccoli or green beans. The beet greens were good but the strong flavor overpowered the more subtle taste of the rice dish. Continue reading “Creamy Rice with Salmon”
Freezing Rice and Other Grains
Ever make more rice than you can eat? If you aren’t going to use it in the next few days, you can freeze it for later use. Here’s how:
- Put 1-1/2 to 2 cups of plain cooked (cooled) brown rice in a quart-size, freezer-grade ziplock bag. Don’t seal it shut yet.
- Flatten the bag out, then gently roll from the bottom up to remove as much air as possible, and zip closed.
- Flatten it back out and freeze flat.
To thaw, simply massage the bag briefly to break up the frozen rice, then empty it into a microwave safe bowl, cover with a paper towel, and microwave for 30 seconds or so (depending on the wattage of your microwave).
This works for most other cooked whole grains as well. I used to buy frozen pre-cooked brown rice at Trader Joe’s, but this is more economical and tastes fresher.
Basic Roast Chicken
Here’s a great, but rather complicated article on how to make the simplest of deliciously roasted meats – the basic roast chicken.
Read the article if you want a deep dive into the numerous ways you can make this wonderfully succulent food. Or just follow my very simple recipe below and be done with it. Continue reading “Basic Roast Chicken”
BBQ Beef-Stuffed Potatoes (Slow Cooker)
I am in love with the simplicity and efficiency of this recipe for BBQ Beef-Stuffed Potatoes. Everything is made in one pot and then assembled in a very appealing way just before serving. Plus it makes enough that you can reuse the finished ingredients in a variety of subsequent meals.
| Prep Time | 20 minutes |
| Cook Time | 8 hours |
| Passive Time | 8 hours |
| Servings |
people plus leftovers
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Ingredients
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt divided
- 1 teaspoon black pepper divided
- 2 pounds Chuck roast boneless, trimmed
- 2 cups red onion sliced
- 1 tablespoon olive oil divided
- 4 russet potatoes 6-8 oz each
- 3 ounces sharp cheddar cheese shredded (about 3/4 cup)
- 6 tablespoons light sour cream or plain greek yogurt
- 1/4 cup sliced green onions
- 1/4 cup sliced green onions
Ingredients
|
Instructions
- Combine brown sugar, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, chili powder, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in a small bowl; rub generously over roast.
- Coat a 5-6 qt slow cooker with olive oil. Place red onion slices in a layer in the bottom of cooker, then place roast on top of onions.
- Rub potatoes with oil and wrap each potato individually in parchment paper. Arrange on top of roast. Cover and cook on LOW 8 hours or until tender.
- Unwrap potatoes; Cut each potato in half crosswise and split each half lengthwise, cutting to but not through the other side. Squeeze each potato half to open for stuffing. Shred roast with 2 forks, and stir to combine with onion mixture.
- Top each potato piece with 1/3 cup beef mixture, 1 tablespoon cheese, 1 tablespoon sour cream or yogurt. Then sprinkle with green onions, and salt and pepper to taste. Note: Each 1/2 potato makes one serving. Depending on how many people you are serving you can save the remaining potatoes and beef for later in the week.
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Healthier French Fries
I love both regular french fries and sweet potato fries, so I created this recipe for healthier french fries to make both at the same time without deep frying.
I used my Breville Oven which has an air fryer, but if you don’t have an air fryer you can use a roasting pan with a wire rack in it. Convection heat is best because it gives the fries more even crispness.
The trick is to start at a lower heat to cook the potatoes, then end on a higher heat to crisp up the outside. Continue reading “Healthier French Fries”