That means that for the first time in a long time, I’m going to be buying groceries for four people instead of three. Now, that doesn’t sound like a big deal, but with grocery prices continuing to climb, it really, really is.

One thing I’ve been working on is prepping meal components for people to use for breakfasts and lunches. My younger kiddo loves most Asian cuisines, so it’s easy to make a big pot of rice and a bunch of vegetables and proteins for her to customize her lunches. (It also makes my lunchtime decision making much easier.)

For this recipe, I adapted the younger sprog’s favorite Chinese protein, char siu pork. This marinade can be used on pork (chops, belly, or tenderloin) or on chicken thighs. I like to grill the pork or chicken, but you could pan sear it or roast it in the oven just as easily. We put it over rice or in ramen. I’ve even put it on a salad and on sandwiches! However you use it, I hope you enjoy it as much as we do!

Char Siu Marinade for Pork or Chicken

Ingredients

4 to 6 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
3 to 4 green onions, finely sliced
1/3 cup hoisin sauce
¼ cup honey or agave syrup
¼ cup low sodium soy sauce or tamari
¼ cup ketchup
½ teaspoon Chinese five-spice
¼ teaspoon white pepper
1 ½ tablespoons toasted sesame oil

Directions

Combine everything in a bowl or a large, zippered bag. (I always use a zippered bag for marinating. It makes cleanup easy, and as I use compostable bags, I don’t feel as bad as I would if I were to use a plastic bag.) Marinate your meat of choice for at least 30 minutes or overnight. Bring the meat to room temperature before cooking. You can grill your meats, sear them in a skillet over medium heat, or roast them in a 425° oven until done. I try to find chicken thighs or pork chops on sale, but if I’m going all fancy, I use pork belly that I’ve cubed.

The post Healthy Waists, Healthy Wallets: “Char Siu” Marinade first appeared on Tanglewood Moms.

Chef Juan Ramón Cárdenas and his son, Chef Rodrigo Cárdenas, are known for their contemporary approach to Mexican cuisine. They have shared three recipes with us that are sure to entice your family and friends’ palates.

Lamb “Doves”

In Chef Juan Ramón Cárdenas’ hometown of Saltillo, tacos made with flour tortillas are called “palomas” or “doves.” The original recipe calls for cabrito, or kid goat, but Chef Cárdenas suggests substituting lamb for kid goat, as it’s difficult to find kid goat in family-friendly amounts.

Ingredients

For the árbol chile salsa

1 tablespoon oil

8 dried árbol chiles

8 green tomatoes

¼ onion

2 cloves garlic

salt and pepper to taste

For the cabbage salad

½ of a green cabbage, sliced into thin ribbons

½ of a red cabbage, sliced into thin ribbons

1 large tomato, cut into small cubes

¼ cup olive oil

2 to 3 tablespoons lime juice

salt and pepper to taste

For the palomas (doves)

1 ½ cups lamb confit (see recipe below)

6 to 8 flour tortillas

sliced avocado

Directions

For the salsa

Heat the oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Fry the dried chiles until they turn from red to brown. Remove the chiles from the skillet and place in a blender with the green tomatoes, onion, and garlic cloves until smooth. This will last in the fridge for 3 to 4 days.

For the cabbage salad

Mix all ingredients in a large bowl. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

For the palomas

Pour the salsa into a large skillet over medium-high heat and add the lamb confit; stir to combine. Cook, stirring frequently, for about 8 minutes, or until the liquid has reduced and the mixture looks dry.

Heat the flour tortillas and fill with lamb confit in salsa. Place the tacos on a comal or griddle over medium heat, and toast lightly on each side.

Serve the palomas with the cabbage salad and sliced avocados. You are welcome to add your favorite salsa. Serves 4.

Lamb Confit

A confit is a well-seasoned piece of meat cooked slowly in its own fat. As lamb fat is hard to find, substitute lard or beef tallow. [Editor’s Note: Yes,  this sounds rich. It is. However, you don’t use a lot in the recipe, and it freezes beautifully. Additionally, I adapted Chef Juan Ramón Cárdenas’ recipe to make it more family-friendly.]

Ingredients

2.5 to 3 pounds of lamb shoulder chops

1 heaping tablespoon of kosher salt

2 cups lard or beef tallow

2 cups neutral oil, like canola

Directions

Rub the lamb all over with the salt. Place them into a resealable bag and refrigerate overnight.

Place a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the lard or tallow and the oil. Once the lard or tallow has melted and the mixture is shimmering, pat the lamb pieces dry and add them to the oil mixture. Reduce the heat to medium-low to low, depending on your stove, and cook the lamb for 3 to 4 hours, or until the bones slide out of the meat. If you have a meat or frying thermometer, keep the oil between 190° and 199° during cooking.

Remove the lamb from the pot. [Editor’s Note: I placed the lamb on a rack that had been placed on a baking sheet lined with paper towels and allowed the lamb to drain.]

Cut the meat into small pieces or shred it. The confit will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 4 to 5 days or can be frozen for use within 6 months.

Ceviche a la Mexicana

Ingredients

6 to 8 ounces firm, white fish (such as snapper, halibut, seabass, grouper, or mahi mahi), cubed

¼ of a yellow onion, thinly sliced

1 jalapeño, seeds and ribs removed, sliced

1 Persian cucumber, diced

1 ripe tomato, seeded and diced

2 tablespoons chile sauce from palomas recipe (optional)

½ cup lime juice

2 teaspoons olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

1 scallion (green onion), sliced

¼ peeled beet, grated (garnish)

¼ peeled carrot, grated (garnish)

Directions

Mix the onion, jalapeño, tomato, and cucumber in a bowl.

In another bowl, combine the lime juice and chile sauce (if using), then add the fish so it can “cook” in the mixture. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and no longer than 4 hours.

Before serving, combine the marinated fish with the vegetables and season with salt and pepper. To serve, place on a plate or in a pasta bowl, then drizzle with olive oil. Garnish with the grated carrot, beet, and scallion. Serve with good-quality tortilla chips. Makes enough for 2 as an appetizer.

Ceviche de Coliflor (Vegan)

Ingredients

1 white cauliflower, cut into small pieces

½ red onion, thinly sliced

1 serrano chile, thinly sliced

½ cup lime juice

1 teaspoon kosher salt

½ bunch cilantro leaves, chopped

1 large mango, cubed

1 Persian cucumber, grated and drained

½ peeled carrot, grated

½ cup corn kernels

2 tomatoes, seeded and diced

salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil. Cook the cauliflower for 4 to 5 minutes, or until tender. Drain, place in a large bowl, cover, and refrigerate.

Once the cauliflower is chilled, add the onion, serrano, lime juice, and kosher salt and stir to combine. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or no longer than 4 hours.

Before serving, add the cilantro, mango, cucumber, carrot, corn, and tomato to the bowl with the marinated cauliflower, then toss to combine. Season to taste. Serve with tortillas or as a salad. Makes enough for 8 as a starter or 4 as a salad.

The post Creativity Takes Courage’s Fresh Family Recipes first appeared on Tanglewood Moms.

No, I’m not trying out a new standup comedy routine. Meal planning and grocery shopping is just one of those chores that can get overwhelming. We’ve all been there. End of the day, no energy to shuffle through the aisles, trying to figure out something to feed your beloved family that insists on eating at least three times a day. It’s enough to make a person weep.

On a recent weekday, I just couldn’t face the trek to the store, so I pulled together bits and bobs that I had in the fridge that needed to be used up and threw them together into a soup. Surprisingly, my “kitchen sink soup” was a hit. Of course, everyone will have different things in their fridge, but this is a good outline that you can fill in with whatever you might have on hand.

Kitchen Sink Soup

Ingredients

• Vegetables – I used carrots, celery, an onion, half a bulb of fennel leftover from something else, a leek, about 3 cloves of garlic, and some spinach that was on its last leg. If you have some tomato puree, diced tomatoes, or even tomato sauce, you can use it.
• Olive oil to sauté the vegetables
• Broth or stock – I had some low-sodium chicken broth, but you can use what you have on hand. If you don’t have broth, you can use water. If you have a bit of wine left over (I know, I know), you can bunge that in there.
• Beans, pasta, or grains – I had a bag of frozen tortellini, so I used that
• Leftover meat – We didn’t have any leftover meat the first time I made this, but since then, I’ve used leftover roasted chicken, grilled pork tenderloin, sauteed shrimp, and country ham.
• Herbs – You can use fresh or dried, whatever you have. I had a bit of fresh parsley and a few sprigs of leftover rosemary and thyme, as well as a couple of bay leaves. I’ve since used dried fine herbes and Italian seasoning
• Kosher salt and pepper to taste – I season as I go. When I’m sautéing the vegetables, I season them. I taste the soup as it’s cooking and season as needed. If you just add salt and pepper at the end, your dish (whatever you’re making) will be tasteless because the individual components won’t be seasoned, and you’ll need to add a lot more salt to compensate.
• Garnishes – We had some leftover pesto, and it was delicious dolloped on the soup. I also made some croutons out of stale bread. You can top it with grated cheese, more herbs, a drizzle of sour cream that’s been thinned with milk, or a splash of good olive oil.

Directions

In a large pot over medium heat, sauté the vegetables until softened, about 5 minutes. If you’re using tomato puree, diced tomatoes, or tomato sauce, throw it in now and cook for a minute or two.

Add your cooking liquid and herbs and bring to a simmer. If you’re using pasta, beans, or grains, add them now and cook according to the package directions. If you’re using a filled pasta like tortellini or ravioli, wait until you’re ready to serve as they don’t take long to cook and if you overcook them, they disintegrate.

To serve, ladle into bowls and garnish as you wish.

I know this isn’t a “real” recipe; it’s merely a guideline that you tailor to your family’s tastes and what you have in your fridge.

The post Healthy Waists, Healthy Wallets: Kitchen Sink Soup first appeared on Tanglewood Moms.

No, The Love Boat hasn’t been rebooted. (Yes, I’m showing my age there, thank you very much.) Valentine’s Day is this Saturday, and so people are beginning to lose their minds about chocolates and flowers and cards. But what if you could forget all those things and cook a romantic dinner for two, chock full of aphrodisiac ingredients to rekindle the flames?

In a former life, I was a chef who taught cooking classes on my days off, and every year, I taught a couple’s class all about cooking with aphrodisiacs. Bear with me while I slip back into my teacher persona.

There are three reasons that a food can be considered an aphrodisiac.

• The food is full of nutrients. When the body goes into starvation mode, the reproductive system is the first thing the body neglects in favor of more important systems. Foods like oysters, chile peppers, watermelon, and honey contain vitamins and minerals that affect the reproductive system.
• The food is rare or considered expensive. Caviar or saffron, anyone? If a partner can afford expensive foods, they must be able to support children. Or so our lizard brains tell us.
• The food looks like… well. Avocados grow in pairs. (In fact, the Nahuatl word that is the base for “avocado” means “testicle”.) There’s a reason that bananas are used to demonstrate condom usage. Cut figs are said to resemble lady bits. You get the idea.

So here are some recipes for an intimate dinner for two. Enjoy!

Roasted Asparagus with Romesco Sauce

Asparagus are packed full of vitamins and minerals, and they look quite suggestive. And you can eat them with your fingers. You can buy romesco sauce at Central Market or Whole Foods, but it’s easy to make and so much better than the stuff that comes out of a jar.

Ingredients

For the asparagus

1 bunch thin asparagus, wood stems removed
1 tablespoon olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

For the romesco sauce

1 12-ounce jar of roasted red peppers, drained
½ cup jarred Calabrian chiles, drained
8 cloves garlic, smashed and peeled
2/3 cup slivered almonds, toasted
1 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
¼ sherry vinegar

Directions

For the asparagus

Preheat the oven to 425°.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or foil. Toss the asparagus with the olive oil.

Roast the asparagus for about 15 minutes or until the spears are just barely tender. Remove from the oven and season with salt and pepper.

For the romesco sauce

In a small skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the garlic cloves and turn off the heat. Stir the cloves for a minute off heat.

Add the red peppers, Calabrian chiles, almonds, and the garlic cloves to a blender or food processor bowl. Process to until smooth. While the blender or food processor is running, drizzle in the olive oil from the skillet and the sherry vinegar, scraping down the sides as necessary. Taste for seasoning. This can be made ahead and kept in the fridge for about  5 days.

To serve

Place the asparagus on a serving dish and pour the romesco into a bowl. Place both between you and your date and enjoy with your fingers.

Rack of Lamb with Pomegranate Molasses

Roasting a rack of lamb and slicing it into ribs to be eaten with your fingers is a lovely Valentine’s main course. Lamb is luxurious and nutrient-dense, while pomegranates are full of vitamins and minerals that affect both the male and female reproductive system.

Ingredients

1 rack of lamb, frenched and trimmed (the butcher should be able to do this for you)
2 to 4 cloves of garlic, peeled
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon fresh rosemary, finely chopped
1 teaspoon olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
2 tablespoons pomegranate molasses (available at Whole Foods or Central Market
Pomegranate arils for garnish

Directions

Preheat the oven to 425°.

While the oven is preheating, grate the garlic cloves into a small bowl. Add the Dijon mustard, rosemary, olive oil, and salt and pepper. Stir to combine and use to coat the rack of lamb.

Heat an oven-safe skillet or sauté pan over medium high heat. Place the rack of lamb in the hot skillet, fat side down. Sear for about 4 or 5 minutes or until a crust forms. Flip the rack and sear for another 3 to 4 minutes.

Put the whole skillet or pan in the preheated oven and roast the lamb for 15 to 20 minutes, or until a meat thermometer inserted into the middle of the rack (not touching any bones!) reads 125°. This will make for the perfect medium rare lamb.

Remove the pan from the oven and allow the lamb to rest for at least 10 minutes. To serve, slice the rack into chops and place on a serving plate. Drizzle the meat with the pomegranate molasses, sprinkle with the pomegranate arils, and serve. Be sure to use your fingers to eat!

Roasted Figs with Mascarpone and Honey

This is quite easy and definitely delicious! Figs are said to resemble the lady bits, while the lemon, nuts, and honey are packed full of vitamins and minerals. Be sure to feed each other.

Ingredients

6 fresh figs (available right now at Central Market)
Juice and zest of 1 lemon
1 tablespoon salted butter, melted
1 tablespoons honey, plus more for drizzling
8 ounces mascarpone (available at Central Market or Whole Foods)
½ cup roasted almonds or pistachios (both are full of those lovely nutrients that boost the libido)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375°.

Place the figs, cut side up, in a baking dish, and drizzle with the lemon juice, melted butter, and honey. Roast for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the figs are tender.

While the figs are roasting, stir the lemon zest into the mascarpone.

To serve, spoon the mascarpone into a shallow bowl (I use a pasta bowl) and place the figs over it. Sprinkle the nuts over the figs and drizzle with a little more honey.

The post A Sweet (and Sexy!) Valentine’s Dinner first appeared on Tanglewood Moms.

Welcome back to getting kids up, making sure they eat, making sure they brush their teeth, making sure they have their backpacks and homework and shoes and instruments and lunches, and making sure the little darlings get to school before the bell rings.

Let me be frank here. School mornings are not easy. Anything that I can do to make it easier is welcome. So when Victoria sent me this recipe, I was THRILLED. It’s easy. It’s healthy. And, most importantly, it’s delicious. Your kids will actually eat it!

Pumpkin Bread

Ingredients

For the bread

2 eggs
1/3 cup coconut oil
1/2 cup maple syrup
1 cup pumpkin purée
1 tsp vanilla extract
11/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 tbsp pumpkin pie spice

For the maple glaze

1 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup maple syrup
Dash of vanilla extract

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°F and line a loaf pan with parchment paper.

In a bowl, whisk together eggs, maple syrup, and coconut oil. Stir in pumpkin purée and vanilla.

In another bowl, combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and pumpkin pie spice. Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until everything is just combined. Bake 45-50 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Allow the loaf to cool completely on a wire rack. Turn the loaf out onto a serving plate and  drizzle on that sweet maple glaze.

The post Easy School Mornings: Pumpkin Load with Maple Glaze first appeared on Tanglewood Moms.

There are many superstitions surrounding the new year. Whether you eat 12 grapes or wander around your house with an empty suitcase, you’re joining millions of people across the world.

In our house, we eat Hoppin’ John and greens with cornbread. The greens signify dollar bills, the cornbread represents gold, and the black-eyed peas of the Hoppin’ John represent coins. My grandfather grew up in Tennessee, and I lived in South Carolina and Georgia as a young adult, and this tradition is ingrained in me. (I acknowledge that there’s something problematic with a white woman encompassing what are essentially the foods of enslaved West Africans.)

Hoppin’ John is a beans-and-rice dish that originated with the Gullah people of the South Carolina and Georgia Lowcountry. Beans and grains have been paired for millennia; the legumes and grains combine to provide a full protein, and there are examples of this across the globe. It’s easy, inexpensive, and healthy. Oh, and it tastes really good with greens and hot sauce!

Hoppin’ John

Ingredients

5 or 6 slices thick-cut bacon, diced
1 onion, diced
3 or 4 stalks celery, sliced
1 green bell pepper, diced (optional – I don’t use it but I know many who do)
4 cloves garlic, smashed and roughly chopped (divided use)
3 bay leaves (divided use)
2 teaspoons dried thyme (divided use)
1 cup long-grain white rice, rinsed
3 cups low sodium chicken broth
4 cups dried black-eyed peas
Salt and pepper to taste
Hot sauce of your choice to serve (I like a vinegary Louisiana style hot sauce like Tabasco or Crystal with this)
Chopped parsley and/or green onions to garnish if you’re feeling fancy

Directions

In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, combine the black-eyed peas with 1 clove of garlic, two bay leaves, and 1 teaspoon of dried thyme in enough water to cover the beans by 2 inches. Cover the pan and bring to a boil; reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for about 30 to 40 minutes or until the peas are tender.

While the peas are cooking, render the bacon in another large saucepan or sauté pan over medium heat. Once the bacon is crispy and brown, remove the pieces to a paper towel on a plate and set aside. Sauté the onion, celery, optional bell pepper, and 2 cloves garlic in the bacon fat until the vegetables are translucent, about 5 minutes.

Add the rinsed rice to the vegetables and sauté for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until the rice is translucent and lightly toasted. Add the chicken broth, 1 bay leaf, and 1 teaspoon of dried thyme, stir, and cover the saucepan. Bring the pot to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cook until the rice is tender, about 15 minutes, more or less.

Once the peas are tender, drain and remove the bay leaves. Gently stir the peas into the rice mixture with a fork to avoid smashing the peas or mushing the rice. (Yes, this is a technical term.) Remove the remaining bay leaf. Serve with greens and cornbread. Makes enough for 4 with leftovers.

The post Healthy Waists, Healthy Wallets, New Year’s Edition: Hoppin’ John first appeared on Tanglewood Moms.

So what is doner kebab? Traditionally, it’s a seasoned meat cooked on a vertical, rotating skewer that is sliced thinly and served with flatbread and various sauces and vegetables. It is, essentially, the Turkish version of gyros or shawarma.

The TikTok videos are all variations of a recipe by a user called Meze Mike. The seasoned meat is rolled between two sheets of parchment paper, which is then rolled and cooked. It mimics the thinly shaved slices of doner or gyro meat. And of course, both of my spawn have sent me videos of this, asking me to make it when everyone is home over Thanksgiving.

I think they want me to make this (this is unconfirmed, but I’m fairly sure I’ve got it correct) because I have long made gyro meat, and they love it. My recipe is loosely based on Alton Brown’s recipe; over the years, I’ve fiddled with it enough that it’s now mine. My kidlets both like it, which is a HUGE win here because I swear they enjoy driving me crazy by not liking what foods the other enjoys. (I mean, one only likes raw carrots, while the other only likes cooked carrots. Honestly, kids. Knock it off!)

So before I try Meze Mike’s doner kebab recipes, I decided to make my gyro recipe and share it with you. I hope you like it as much as we do!

Lee’s Easy Gyro Meat

You can cook this in the oven or, if you’re feeling fancy and have a rotisserie attachment for your grill, on a rotisserie on your grill. I am decidedly NOT fancy, so I use my oven.

Ingredients

1 pound lean ground beef
1 pound ground lamb
1 small onion, halved and peeled
2 to 5 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1 tablespoon dried marjoram or oregano
1 tablespoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cumin
2 teaspoons kosher salt
lots of freshly ground pepper

Directions

Using a box grater over a bowl, grate the onion. Pour the grated onion into a (clean) kitchen towel. Gather up the corners of the towel and twist the onion up in the towel. Squeeze out the juice. Place the grated onion into the bowl of a food processor.

Add the remaining ingredients to the food processor and process until you have a fine paste. You will need to scrape down the sides of the bowl several times.

To cook your gyro meat in the oven, preheat said oven to 325°. Scrape the gyro meat into a loaf pan. Slam the loaf pan onto your countertop several time to make sure that all the meat is settled into the corners of the pan and that any air bubbles are removed. You want this to be a solid loaf of meat.

Place the loaf pan in a baking dish and fill said dish with hot water halfway up the side of the loaf pan. Bake the gyro loaf for about an hour, until the internal temperature reaches 165°. Remove the pan from the oven.

Drain the fat from the gyro loaf and discard. Now this is important, so DO NOT skip this step. (I have, and my children have told me never to skip it again.) Place the loaf pan on a wire rack and place a foil-wrapped brick (yes, you read that correctly) directly onto the top of the gyro loaf. Allow the loaf to sit for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the internal temperature has reached 175°. This allows the loaf to come together so that you can slice it thinly.

Once the meat has rested under its foil-wrapped brick (and please, be sure to wrap your brick in foil – safety first!), turn the loaf out onto the wire rack and allow to cool for another 10 minutes. Then slice and serve on pitas, over a salad, or with rice pilaf. It’s delicious with my tzatziki recipe, which you will find below. The gyro meat keeps in the fridge for about 5 days. Serves 6 with leftovers.

Lee’s Tzatziki

Ingredients

1 English or hothouse cucumber, peeled
1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon sugar
16 ounces plain Greek yogurt (you can use the low fat stuff, but please, for all that’s holy, do not use the fat free stuff)
4 to 6 cloves garlic, minced or grated
Pinch kosher salt
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
1 teaspoon dried mint or dried dill

Directions

Grate the cucumber into a colander and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon kosher salt and ½ teaspoon sugar. Allow to sit for 10 minutes while you assemble the rest of the tzatziki.

In a bowl, combine the garlic, kosher salt, dried mint or dill, vinegar, and olive oil and whisk to combine. Add the Greek yogurt and stir to combine.

Once you’ve got the yogurt mixture combined, rinse the cucumber in lots of cold water. Like you did with the grated onion in the gyro recipe, place the grated cucumber onto a clean kitchen towel, gather up the edges and twist the towel to squeeze the liquid out of the cucumber. Once the cucumber is squeezed, tip it into the yogurt mixture and stir to combine. Allow the tzatziki to sit for at least an hour to allow the flavors to get happy.

Ideas for Serving

Gyro sandwich: spread some tzatziki onto a warmed pita, lavash, naan, or other flatbread, pile up some sliced gyro meat, and garnish with thinly sliced red onion, sliced tomatoes, and shredded lettuce

Gyro salad: in a bowl, combine chopped romaine and leaf lettuce with sliced cherry tomatoes, chopped cucumbers, thinly sliced red onions, sliced Kalamata olives, pickled banana pepper or pepperoncini slices, crumbled feta cheese and sliced gyro meat tossed in a “Greek dressing” (juice of 1 lemon, olive oil, dried oregano, dried dill, 1 clove minced garlic, kosher salt and freshly ground pepper)

Gyro bowl: rice pilaf (rice that’s been cooked in chicken broth with aromatics), sliced red onions and tomatoes that have been tossed with ground sumac, a dollop of hummus or baba ganoush, a dollop of tzatziki (see above), sliced Kalamata olives, crumbled feta, sliced gyro meat, and served with warmed flatbread

Gyro scrambled eggs: this is my younger daughter’s recipe – 2 eggs, whisked with a pinch of salt and a pinch of granulated garlic, 4 or 5 gyro slices, and feta cheese all scrambled over medium heat in a nonstick pan

The post Family Tested and Approved: Lee’s Gyro Meat first appeared on Tanglewood Moms.

Needless to say, I’m thrilled that my pickier eater wants to eat vegetables. Not that she doesn’t eat vegetables. She loves roasted broccoli and green beans. She’ll peel and eat a whole carrot when she’s feeling peckish. But that’s about it. So this salad phase marks an expansion of her palate, and as a former chef, I’m all for it.

Of course, autumnal salads are different that summer salads. Not better or worse. Just different. They require a bit more effort, as the “easy” vegetables like tomatoes and summer squashes are not in season. But that’s not a problem. I just do a bit more meal prep on weekends now. I roast vegetables, cook off grains and beans, and make a couple of different salad dressings. That allows my spawn to mix and match for her lunches.

So here are three different salad dressings with some ideas of fall salad ingredients for you to mix and match. I hope you enjoy them as much as my sprog does!

Mustard and Maple Vinaigrette

Ingredients

2 tablespoons maple syrup
2 tablespoons whole-grained mustard
1 small shallot, peeled and finely minced
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon dried tarragon
1 teaspoon kosher salt
lots of freshly ground pepper
2/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Directions

Combine all ingredients except for the olive oil in a jar with a tight-fitting lid and shake until the salt is dissolved. Add the olive oil and shake to combine. Taste for seasonings. This will keep in the fridge for about a week.

Creamy Guajillo-Garlic Dressing

Ingredients

2 dried guajillo chiles (available at Fiesta or Central Market)
1-2 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
juice and zest of 1 lime
½ cup mayonnaise
1 cup Greek yogurt
1 to 2 tablespoons honey or agave syrup
½ teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

Directions

Heat the chiles on a dry griddle or in a dry skillet over medium-high heat. You want them to warm through and soften, not burn.

Cut the stems off the chiles and tap out the seeds. Guajillo chiles are pretty mild, so if you want the dressing to be spicier, leave the seeds in. Soak the chiles in a cup of boiling water, making sure to cover the bowl so that chiles steam. Set aside for about 30 minutes.

Remove the chiles from the water and chop them roughly. Combine all the ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Taste for seasoning and consistency. If you want the dressing to be thinner, add a little of the soaking water. This will keep in the fridge for about a week.

Citrus Poppyseed Dressing

Ingredients

Juice of 1 large sweet orange
juice of 1 lime
1 to 2 tablespoons honey
¼ white onion, grated
1 tablespoon poppyseeds
1 teaspoon dried mustard
1 teaspoon kosher salt
¾ cup avocado oil

Directions

Place all ingredients except the oil in a blender or a food processor and pulse to combine. With the machine running, drizzle in the oil. Taste the dressing for seasoning. Store in a jar with a tight-fitting lid in the fridge for up to a week.

Fall Salad Mix-and-Match Ingredients

Greens

• Romaine
• Arugula
• Shredded Brussels sprouts
• Radicchio
• Chicory
• Dandelion greens
• Spinach
• Curly kale
• Fennel greens
• Shaved cabbage (I get bags of cole slaw mix and broccoli slaw mix to use in salads, and we all love it!)
• Fresh herbs

Grains and Beans

• Lentils – brown or green
• Farro
• Bulgur
• Brown rice
• Pearled barley
• Quinoa
• Kamut berries
• Sorghum
• Einkorn
• Freekeh
• Black beans
• Chickpeas
• Black-eyed peas or field peas
• Borlotti or cranberry beans
• Flageolet
• Pinto beans
• Red beans

Vegetables

• Roasted sweet potatoes or butternut squash
• Roasted broccoli or cauliflower
• Roasted or blanched green beans
• Roasted beets
• Jicama
• Sliced fennel
• Sliced green or red onions
• Shaved kohlrabi
• Carrots
• Roasted potatoes
• Radishes
• Roasted turnips or rutabagas
• Mushrooms
• Peppers

Seeds and Nuts

• Pumpkin seeds
• Sesame seeds
• Sunflower seeds
• Chia seeds
• Hemp hearts
• Pine nuts
• Almonds
• Pecans
• Peanuts
• Cashews
• Walnuts (I mean, if you want. I don’t judge. Much.)
• Pistachios
• Hazelnuts
• Corn nuts (Not a nut, but really good in salads!)

Fruit

• Apples
• Pears
• Pomegranate arils
• Grapefruit segments
• Orange or tangerine or mandarin segments
• Avocados
• Dried fruit
  • Cranberries
  • Apples
  • Apricots
  • Cherries
  • Pineapple
  • Raisins or currants
  • Mangoes
  • Banana chips
  • Crystallized ginger
  • Prunes (They’re just dried plums and are delicious!)
  • Figs
  • Kiwi

The post Mix-and-Match Fall Salads for Easy Lunches and Dinners first appeared on Tanglewood Moms.

We all want to be enjoying warm, spiced drinks while wearing our cozy sweaters and boots, but we’re gulping ice water and wearing as little as possible to avoid spontaneous combustion. We want hearty soups and stews that bubble away on the stovetop, making the whole house smell delicious, but it’s just too hot for soups and stews.

I came up with this recipe to try to bring some flavors of fall into a healthy meal for my family. It’s a way I can get some vegetables into them, while making a meal for four for under $20. Fortunately, they like it. I hope you will, too.

Spaghetti Squash with Sausage and Greens

Ingredients

For the squash

1 large spaghetti squash, halved and seeded
1 tablespoon olive oil (if roasting, see below)
salt and freshly ground pepper

For the stuffing

1 package Jimmy Dean All Natural Breakfast Sausage (this stuff is great – far less fat than the regular stuff with lots of flavor)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, diced
2 to 4 cloves garlic, minced
1 10-ounce bag greens (spinach, collards, country blend – I prefer the country blend for more flavor)
¼ teaspoon each dried thyme, ground sage, and dried rosemary
¼ to ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
salt and freshly ground pepper
1 6-ounce bag shredded Parmesan & Romano (divided use)

Directions

To prepare the squash

If roasting the squash, preheat the oven to 400°. Rub the cut surfaces of the squash with the olive oil and season with the salt and pepper. Place the squash, cut sides down, on a foil or parchment paper-lined baking sheet and roast for approximately 30 minutes or until the squash is soft enough to be pierced with a fork.

If microwaving the squash (I mean, who wants to heat up the kitchen with the oven?), season the cut surfaces of the squash with salt and pepper and place, cut side down, on a microwave safe dish or plate. Add about ½ an inch of water to the bottom of the dish or plate to help steam the squash. Microwave on high for approximately 12 minutes, or until the squash is soft enough to be pierce with a fork. (Microwaves vary in cooking power, so start checking at about 8 minutes.)

For the stuffing

While the squash is cooking, prepare the stuffing.

In a large skillet or sauté pan over medium-low heat, brown the sausage. Once it’s crumbled and no pink remains, add the olive oil and onions to the sausage and sauté until the onions are translucent, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté for about a minute.

Add the greens, the herbs, and the salt and pepper to the sausage mixture. Stir to combine and cover the pan to allow the greens to wilt. Once the greens are wilted, remove from the heat.

To assemble

Regardless of how you’ve cooked the squash, allow it to cool until it is able to be handled.

If you’ve microwaved the squash, be sure to preheat the oven to 400°.

Just before you stuff the squash, stir in half the cheese into the stuffing mix. Place the squash halves, cut side up, on a foil or parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Divide the stuffing between each squash half and top with the remaining cheese. Bake the squash halves for about 15 to 20 minutes, or until the stuffing is warmed through and the cheese is melted. Serves 4.

The post Healthy Waists, Healthy Wallets: Sausage and Greens Stuffed Spaghetti Squash first appeared on Tanglewood Moms.

Recipes go in and out of fashion, just like hemlines and bangs. We get caught up in the newest trends and forget that some older recipes, while dated, are really yummy. This series examines those recipes in your parents’ or grandparents’ recipe boxes that deserve to be resurrected.

For our first Resurrected Recipe, I’ve decided to resurrect risotto. (And no, not just because I enjoy alliteration. Okay, maybe.) You couldn’t go to a restaurant or turn on Food Network in the ‘90s without coming across some version of what was originally a Northern Italian dish. A lot of people are turned off by the constant stirring that’s needed to achieve the perfect creamy texture. But how did all those restaurants do all that stirring?

I was cooking professionally when risotto hit its peak, and I’ll let you in on a little secret. Most restaurants were not making each order of risotto individually, adding stock and stirring furiously. We would par-cook the rice and finish it per order.

How does this translate to your kitchen? Trust me. I do risotto fairly frequently, and it’s easy. It’s also a great fridge raider recipe. As long as you have a bit of oil or butter, some medium- or short-grained rice, some allia (onion, garlic, shallots, or leeks), stock or broth, and a bit of grating cheese, you’ve got a risotto. I use it for leftover meat, all sorts of vegetables, and it always turns out well.

Reduced Stirring Basic Risotto Recipe for Four to Six People

Ingredients

2 tablespoons butter or olive oil
1 small onion, 1 large shallot, 2 to 4 garlic cloves, or 2 medium leeks (white and pale green parts only), cut into a fine dice (onions and shallots), minced (garlic), or sliced into 1/4” rings
1 cup medium- or short-grained rice (Arborio rice is easy to find in most grocery stores these days), DO NOT RINSE
5 cups liquid (I typically use 4 ½ cups stock or broth – vegetable, chicken, fish, seafood, etc. – and ½ cup wine)
1/3 cup grated hard cheese, plus a little more for sprinkling over the top – depending on what I’m putting in the risotto, I like Parmigiano Reggiano, Grana Padana, Pecorino Romano, Manchego, Gruyere, or a hard Asiago

Directions

Bring your liquids to a simmer.

In a large sauté pan or deep skillet over medium heat, sauté the allium of your choice in the butter or olive oil until the allium is translucent. If you’re using garlic, sauté it for less than a minute or just until you can smell it. If you’re using leeks, sauté them until the rings collapse, about 4 to 5 minutes.

Add the rice to the oil and stir until each grain of rice is coated in the butter or olive oil. Sauté the rice for about 5 to 8 minutes, or until the rice grains are toasted. Be sure to stir constantly. (Yes, this is a reduced stirring recipe, but this first part is important.)

Now here’s the part where my recipe departs from those Food Network recipes from the ‘90s. (I’m looking at you, David Rosengarten and Michael Lomonaco.) Instead of adding one ladle of liquid into the risotto and frantically stirring until it’s all absorbed before adding another, just add all the liquid in at once. Yes, you read that right. Add all the liquid in at once. Bring the liquid to a simmer, stir it about every 5 minutes, and that’s it.

The risotto should take about 20 minutes to cook to al dente. At about 15 minutes, test a few grains. They should be chewy but not grainy. Once you’ve achieved al dente, stir vigorously for about 2 minutes. This is how you get that lovely, creamy texture. A good risotto does not need heavy cream.

If you’re adding meats, herbs, or vegetables, this is the time to do it. Once everything is warmed through, remove the risotto from the heat and add the cheese. Stir through and serve with an extra sprinkle of cheese.

Here are some combinations my family likes:

• Chicken broth, white wine, leftover chicken, and broccoli, asparagus, green beans with some basil or tarragon
• Chicken broth, red wine, leftover pork tenderloin, frozen peas, and diced butternut squash with sage or rosemary
• Shrimp or lobster stock (or chicken broth), white wine, shrimp, kale, and leeks with dill or tarragon
• Vegetable broth, white wine, green beans, zucchini, Roma tomatoes (seeds removed), and baby spinach with oregano and thyme

The post Resurrected Recipes: Reduced Stir Risotto first appeared on Tanglewood Moms.