Cranberry Meatballs

These were tasty.  Could have easily used more kraut.  Cabbage for the win!

Large bag frozen meatballs
1 bottle chili sauce
1 bottle of water
1.5 c fresh cranberries
16oz sauerkraut - but add more!
1 c. brown sugar - did we use this much??

Cook it all day in the crock pot.

Served it with roasted potatoes.

Kale Tortellini Soup

http://letnacholibre.blogspot.com/2013/10/kale-tortellini-cannellini-and-sausage.html

Green Chili Chicken Posole

http://letnacholibre.blogspot.com/2013/11/tom-havers-chicken-chile-posole.html

Yum

Cauliflower Rice With Tilapia

Made some cauliflower rice with Tilapia.  Simple and easy.

Chili & Cranberry Cornbread

Standard beef chili. Made cranberry cornbread to go with it. Followed a nytimes recipe sorta. One cup cranberries with quarter cup powdered sugar. Tasty. Plenty sweet.

Chorizo Tacos

Extra yum. Red onion a la chorizo salad. Cotija, salsas. Yum.

Carne tacos

Carne from la carniceria. Yum.

Sauerkraut

http://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-make-homemade-sauerkraut-in-a-mason-jar-193124

We basically followed the recipe below.  Used the big FYIPA-sized mason jar.  It didn't really work to keep something on the cabbage to keep it submerged though.  We did add caraway seeds, and cut it off after about 3 days.

Ingredients
1 medium head green cabbage (about 3 pounds)
1 1/2 tablespoons kosher salt
1 tablespoons caraway seeds (optional, for flavor)

Equipment
Cutting board
Chef's knife
Mixing bowl
2-quart wide-mouth canning jar (or two-quart mason jars)
Canning funnel (optional)
Smaller jelly jar that fits inside the larger mason jar
Clean stones, marbles, or other weights for weighing the jelly jar
Cloth for covering the jar
Rubber band or twine for securing the cloth

Instructions
Clean everything: When fermenting anything, it's best to give the good, beneficial bacteria every chance of succeeding by starting off with as clean an environment as possible. Make sure your mason jar and jelly jar are washed and rinsed of all soap residue. You'll be using your hands to massage the salt into the cabbage, so give those a good wash, too.

Slice the cabbage: Discard the wilted, limp outer leaves of the cabbage. Cut the cabbage into quarters and trim out the core. Slice each quarter down its length, making 8 wedges. Slice each wedge crosswise into very thin ribbons.

Combine the cabbage and salt: Transfer the cabbage to a big mixing bowl and sprinkle the salt over top. Begin working the salt into the cabbage by massaging and squeezing the cabbage with your hands. At first it might not seem like enough salt, but gradually the cabbage will become watery and limp — more like coleslaw than raw cabbage. This will take 5 to 10 minutes. If you'd like to flavor your sauerkraut with caraway seeds, mix them in now.

Pack the cabbage into the jar: Grab handfuls of the cabbage and pack them into the canning jar. If you have a canning funnel, this will make the job easier. Every so often, tamp down the cabbage in the jar with your fist. Pour any liquid released by the cabbage while you were massaging it into the jar. Optional: Place one of the larger outer leaves of the cabbage over the surface of the sliced cabbage. This will help keep the cabbage submerged in its liquid.

Weigh the cabbage down: Once all the cabbage is packed into the mason jar, slip the smaller jelly jar into the mouth of the jar and weigh it down with clean stones or marbles. This will help keep the cabbage weighed down, and eventually, submerged beneath its liquid.

Cover the jar: Cover the mouth of the mason jar with a cloth and secure it with a rubber band or twine. This allows air to flow in and out of the jar, but prevents dust or insects from getting into the jar.

Press the cabbage every few hours: Over the next 24 hours, press down on the cabbage every so often with the jelly jar. As the cabbage releases its liquid, it will become more limp and compact and the liquid will rise over the top of the cabbage.

Add extra liquid, if needed: If after 24 hours, the liquid has not risen above the cabbage, dissolve 1 teaspoon of salt in 1 cup of water and add enough to submerge the cabbage.

Ferment the cabbage for 3 to 10 days: As it's fermenting, keep the sauerkraut away from direct sunlight and at a cool room temperature — ideally 65°F to 75°F. Check it daily and press it down if the cabbage is floating above the liquid.

Because this is a small batch of sauerkraut, it will ferment more quickly than larger batches. Start tasting it after 3 days — when the sauerkraut tastes good to you, remove the weight, screw on the cap, and refrigerate. You can also allow the sauerkraut to continue fermenting for 10 days or even longer. There's no hard-and-fast rule for when the sauerkraut is "done" — go by how it tastes.

While it's fermenting, you may see bubbles coming through the cabbage, foam on the top, or white scum. These are all signs of a healthy, happy fermentation process. The scum can be skimmed off the top either during fermentation or before refrigerating. If you see any mold, skim it off immediately and make sure your cabbage is fully submerged; don't eat moldy parts close to the surface, but the rest of the sauerkraut is fine.

Store sauerkraut for several months: This sauerkraut is a fermented product so it will keep for at least two months and often longer if kept refrigerated. As long as it still tastes and smells good to eat, it will be. If you like, you can transfer the sauerkraut to a smaller container for longer storage.

Recipe Notes

Sauerkraut with other cabbages: Red cabbage, napa cabbage, and other cabbages all make great sauerkraut. Make individual batches or mix them up for a multi-colored sauerkraut!

Canning sauerkraut: You can process sauerkraut for longer storage outside of refrigeration, but the canning process will kill the good bacterias produced by the fermentation process. See this tutorial from the National Center for Home Food Preservation for canning instructions.

Larger or smaller batches: To make larger or smaller batches of sauerkraut, keep same ratio of cabbage to salt and adjust the size of the container. Smaller batches will ferment more quickly and larger batches will take longer.

Hot and cold temperatures: Do everything you can to store sauerkraut at a cool room temperature. At high temperatures, the sauerkraut can sometimes become unappetizingly mushy or go bad. Low temperatures (above freezing) are fine, but fermentation will proceed more slowly.

Acorn Squash with Kale and Sausage

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/reviews/acorn-squash-with-kale-and-sausage-51203850

Turned out pretty good.  Kids didn't like it that much, but was good otherwise.  We did quite a few (smaller) acorn squash.

INGREDIENTS

2 medium acorn squash, halved down the middle, seeds removed
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Olive oil cooking spray
3 teaspoons olive oil, divided
8 ounces hot Italian turkey sausage, casings removed
1 large leek, white and light green parts only, halved and sliced
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
4 cups tightly packed torn kale
1/3 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
2 tablespoons grated fresh Parmesan
2 tablespoons panko breadcrumbs

PREPARATION

Heat oven to 375°.

Cut a thin slice off round side of each squash half to create a stable base. Sprinkle with salt and pepper; coat with cooking spray. Place squash flesh side down on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil; bake until golden and tender, 30 minutes. Remove from oven; flip squash and set aside.

Heat broiler.

In a large nonstick skillet over medium heat, heat 1 teaspoon oil.

Add sausage; cook, breaking into coarse pieces, until brown, 6 minutes; transfer to a bowl.

To same skillet, add remaining 2 teaspoons oil and leek; cook until leek is soft, 3 minutes. Add garlic; cook, 30 seconds. Add kale and toss; add broth. Cover and cook until kale is tender, 5 minutes; stir in sausage.

Divide kale-sausage filling among squash.

In a bowl, combine walnuts, Parmesan and panko; sprinkle evenly over squash bowls and coat with cooking spray.

Broil until panko is golden, 2 minutes.

Chicken Noodle Soup

Made the crock pot stock last night.  Sauteed some carrots, celery, onion, threw in some chicken plus veg from last night, cooked some noodles on the side.

Tasty.

Proper Roast Chicken Sunday Feast

Roasted a while chicken according to Jamie Oliver's Sunday feast directions. Potatoes, parsnips and carrots were delicious. Beets needed more time. Yorkshire pudding was fab.

Roasted Veg Kale Pasta

Roasted some butternut squash (separately), plus beets, turnips, rutabaga, and kohlrabi.  Oil, salt, pepper and a bit of sage. Took 40 or so for the beets at 400. Caramelized an onion. Steamed some kale.

Mix it all together with some pasta water and butter. Not too shabby.

Fish Tacos

This came from 100 days of real food.  We made a simple limey slaw (cabbage, carrots, lime, cumin, etc.) to serve with it.  It needed just a bit more accouterments and toppings though.  Some pico de gallo would have been good, or the standard fish taco sauce.  Fresh cilanto maybe.  Radishes.

Ingredients

1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 pound white fish (cod, rockfish, tilapia), cut into 1 inch chunks
2-3 tablespoons butter or olive oil
1 lime, halved

Preparation

Mix the flour and seasonings on a plate. Dip the fish chunks into the flour to coat on all sides. Transfer to a clean plate.

In a large sauté pan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the fish and cook until the fish is a golden brown on the bottom, 3 to 4 minutes (depending on the thickness of the fish). Flip and cook until it is golden brown on the other side and the center is white, flaky, and cooked all the way through, 7 to 8 minutes total (depending on the thickness). Add more butter to the pan if necessary to keep it from drying out. Squeeze the lime on top.

Serve the fish with warm tortillas and freshly made pico de gallo.

Vegetarian Feijoada

http://letnacholibre.blogspot.com/2014/06/vegetarian-feijoada.html

 Made it with collard greens this time.

Thanksgiving

We hosted turkey day this year.  We dry-brined the turkey as described here:

http://letnacholibre.blogspot.com/2013/11/dont-forget.html

Turkey got just a little bit overcooked.  Took about 3 hours cooking total.

We also made the brussels sprouts sweet potato thing.

http://letnacholibre.blogspot.com/2016/11/roasted-brussels-sprouts-and-sweet.html

Pepperoni pizza

Pepperoni, caramelized onions, mushrooms, red pepper. Yum.

Leek mushroom frittata

Caramelized some leeks. Added mushrooms and bok choy. Caesar salad.

Turkey Chipitle Chili

http://letnacholibre.blogspot.com/2012/12/turkey-chipotle-chili.html

Thai Larb

One pot, pg. 112.  Bell pepper, ground beef, cabbage, snow peas, rice.  Was pretty good.

Baked Squash and veg

Baked some pumpkin and red squash in wedges. In a pan caramelized some leeks, added mushrooms, chickpeas, chard. Scallions. Lime juice.

Was ok. Nothing fancy. Pumpkin is boring.

Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Sweet Potatoes

http://thefoodcharlatan.com/2015/11/23/roasted-sweet-potatoes-and-brussels-sprouts-recipe/

Served these with some fried tilapia.  The veg only took a half hour or so.

Ingredients

    1 pound Brussels sprouts, trimmed
    1 large sweet potato (1 pound)
    2 cloves garlic, smashed
    1/3 cup olive oil
    1 teaspoon cumin
    1/4 or 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
    1 teaspoon salt
    pepper to taste
    1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
    fresh thyme, to garnish

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F.

Trim your Brussels by cutting off the little brown end. If there are any yellow leaves, pull them off. Cut any large ones in half. Add to a large bowl.

Peel your sweet potato and chop into 1-2 inch pieces. Add to the large bowl.

Smash 2 cloves of garlic and add it to the bowl.

Pour 1/3 cup olive oil over the vegetables. Add cumin, garlic salt, salt, and pepper to taste. Stir to coat.

(Line a large sheet pan with foil if you want super easy cleanup)

Drizzle a little olive oil onto the sheet pan and rub it all over the pan (or foil) with your hand. Or you could spray it really well with nonstick spray.

Pour the veggies onto the pan. Roast at 400 for about 40-45 minutes. The veggies are done when they are brown and a fork slides into them easily.

Place the veggies in a serving bowl and toss with 1-2 tablespoons red wine vinegar to taste. Garnish with fresh thyme if you want. Eat hot!

Notes

The garlic is there to add flavor, not necessarily to be eaten, although I do think it's quite tasty.


If you want to reheat these, take them out of the oven and let cool. (Skip adding the red wine vinegar.) Store in a tupperware in the fridge for up to 2 days. When you are ready to eat, spread the veggies on a greased pan and roast at 400 for about 5-10 minutes until you can hear them sizzling and they are hot. Remove from the oven, add a little red wine vinegar, and serve!

Leek Mushroom Asparagus Frittata

Caramelized some leeks. Mushrooms, asparagus. Baked it. I don't think there was anything else in it.

Glorious Mac and Cheese

Made the standard. Added the tomatoes thus time which turned out quite good.

Chili

Fairly standard beef chili. Except we put poblanos in ours. Served with some guac. Yum.

Cauliflower Fried Rice

Added shrimp this time.

Sausage pasta

Mushrooms, sausage, red sauce, zucchini.

Chicken Tacos

Grill panned some chicken.  Sauteed some poblanos and onions.  Guac.  Yum.

Carnitas

http://letnacholibre.blogspot.com/2016/09/crock-pot-carnitas.html

Made these suckers again. Added some pineapple too. Which was amazingly good.

Chili

Standardish chili. Added potatoes and poblano peppers though.

Sausage Frittata

Sausage, tomatoes, chard, sweet potatoes.

Cilantro Salmon

Baked salmon with cilantro lime sauce.

Grilled brats and veg

Potato Leek Soup

Chicken Apple Hash

Scallop Chorizo Tacos

https://letnacholibre.blogspot.com/2015/10/seared-scallops-with-chorizo-and.html

Breakfast Burritos

Yum

Pesto Shrimp

Whole 30 somewhere.  Pretty good.

Fresh Sauce with Sausage

http://letnacholibre.blogspot.com/2012/09/fresh-marinara-sauce.html

What do you do with 40 pounds of tomatoes? Make sauce and give the rest away!  The standard delicious sauce.  With some sausage mushroom goodness over spaghetti squash and linguini.

Roasted Veg

Roasted some veg - broccoli, squash, potatoes, kohlrabi. Made some romesco sauce. Served with sausages.

Tilapia with Kale & Squash

http://letnacholibre.blogspot.com/2015/09/brats-kebabs-and-squash-with-kale-and.html

Made the squash kale thing.  Baked some tilapia to go with it.

Crock Pot Carnitas

http://www.mariamakes.com/home-1/2015/11/1/crock-pot-carnitas-whole30

Served with slaw.

Ingredients:

~6lb bone-in pork shoulder (sometimes called pork butt) (we use 3-4lb)

1 1/2 Tbsp table salt or 2 1/4 Tbsp sea salt flakes

2 tsp black pepper

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 Tbsp ground cumin

2 tsp smoked paprika

1 onion, finely diced

1 green bell pepper, finely diced

2 Tbsp minced garlic

3 oranges, juice of

2 bay leaves

Instructions:

Line slow cooker stoneware insert with a Reynolds Slow Cooker Liner.  You will be glad you did, but if you don't have any, this step is totally optional :)

Place your giant hunk of pork into the slower cooker and sprinkle with the salt and pepper, rubbing it around to coat the pork evenly.

In a small bowl, combine olive oil, cumin, and smoked paprika.  Pour that combo over the pork and massage it in, flipping the pork over and making sure the entire surface is coated.  Flip it back over so that the fat cap side is up.

Top the meat with the chopped onions, pepper, and garlic.

Squeeze orange juice over everything and throw 2 bay leaves into the bottom of the slow cooker.

Set your slow cooker to cook on low for 8-10 hours or on high for 6 hours.  I actually cooked it on high for 4 hours to get it going, then dropped it to low for another 3 hours until it came up to temperature.

At this point, the bone should come right out and the meat should be falling apart.  Internal temperature should be at least 195 degrees -- which is WAY above the safe eating temperature, but that's when the meat is really fall-apart tender.

Remove the pork from the slow cooker in large chunks, placing in a bowl to shred it with two forks.  Discard the bay leaves and reserve the broth.

NOW FOR THE BEST PART... THE CRISPY BITS.

Heat a drizzle of oil or ghee in a skillet over medium high heat.  Add some pork and DON'T TOUCH IT.  Let it cook, without stirring or moving it around, for a few minutes until the bottom is nice and crispy.

Pour some of the juices over to season the meat (the juices should be nice and salty). 

Enjoy however you wish.  In tacos, on a salad, in scrambled eggs, straight from the pan... we don't judge.

Notes:

As you can tell, this makes a TON of pork.  If you want to freeze some, portion it out into freezer-safe plastic containers, add some of the cooking juices for flavor, allow to cool completely, then freeze.  To serve it later, just allow it to thaw out completely then re-heat in a skillet following the above instructions.

Even though this is a Mexican recipe (adapted), the meat ends up being super flavorful yet non-flavor-specific, so feel free to get creative!  I fried some up and ate it with sauerkraut and mustard and it was killer.

Chicken Meatballs with fresh Tomato Sauce

http://letnacholibre.blogspot.com/2015/09/chicken-meatballs.html

Doubled the meatballs.  Made a fresh tomato sauce out of the book too - it was delicious, but not saucy enough.

Chicken Veg Soup

Sauteed onions til soft, add garlic, celery, carrots, leeks. Saute til soft. Add broth, some water. Once veg are soft add shredded chicken.

Cauliflower Fried Rice

http://letnacholibre.blogspot.com/2016/06/cauliflower-fried-rice.html

Made this again. With green beans and a bit of cabbage. Served it with some tilapia fillets.

Tex mex casserole

http://popularpaleo.com/paleo-tex-mex-casserole/

Turned out pretty good. Made a lot.  Whole30 approved.

Tex mex casserole

http://popularpaleo.com/paleo-tex-mex-casserole/

Turned out pretty good. Made a lot.  Whole30 approved.

Tex mex casserole

http://popularpaleo.com/paleo-tex-mex-casserole/

Turned out pretty good. Made a lot.  Whole30 approved.

Romesco Garlic Shrimp

Whole30, pg 244. Used 2 pounds of shrimp. Was delicious but not quite enough for two dinners. Zucchini noodles and rice for the grain-eaterd. The romesco sauce was delicious.

Chicken Primavera

Whole30, pg 338. Chicken, timaties, green beans, zucchini, fresh herbs.

Sausage and veg

Grilled some sausages with some veg.

Chicken stir-fry

Based on whole 30 pg 340. Mushrooms, peppers, broccoli.

Pretty tasty.

Burgers and Veg

Grilled up some burgers and veg.

Chard Frittata

Slowly sauteed some onions. Blanched a boatload of chard. Hotly sauteed some squash. Added a dozen eggs. Ready go.

Baked Tilapia, Roast Broccoli

Baked some tilapia with lemon, butter and herbs. Roasted some veg. Made the whole 30 red pepper sauce. Rice for those that eat it. Quick and delicious.

Thai Turkey with Zucchini Fritters

Whole 39, pg 234. We didn't do the silly cucumber cup business. Whole pepper, mushrooms, Anaheim pepper, turkey. Used a while lot of ginger for the sauce, and cooked it all together for a few minutes at the end. Turned out pretty well.

Deborah Madison, pg 424. The fritters were pretty good, but would have been better with Bread crumbs as the recipe called for and not flax meal. Zucchini, scallions. Herbs.

Shrimp Al Pastor

We marinated some shrimp in the pastor sauce from earlier this week. Made some calabacitas to go with. Yum.

Cold Thai Salad

Whole30, pg 274.  Zucchini, cucumber, carrots, bean sprouts, peppers, cashews, cilantro, scallions, sunflower butter sauce.

This was pretty good.  Served it with hard-boiled eggs this time.

Tacos Al Pastor

http://letnacholibre.blogspot.com/2014/04/tacos-al-pastor.html

Yum.


Ingredients
- A 3 1/2ounce package achiote paste
- 3 canned chipotle chile en adobo, plus 4 tablespoons of the canning sauce
- 1/4cup vegetable or olive oil, plus a little more for the onion and pineapple
- 1 1/2 pounds thin-sliced pork shoulder (1/4-inch-thick slices are ideal—the kind Mexican butchers sell for making tacos al pastor)
- 1medium red onion, sliced 1/4- inch thick
- Salt
- 1/4of a medium pineapple, sliced 1/4-inch-thick rounds
- 20 warm corn tortillas
- About 1 1/2cups raw tomatillo salsa

Instructions
In a blender, combine the achiote paste, chiles, canning sauce, oil and 3/4 cup water. Blend until smooth. Use 1/3 of the marinade to smear over both sides of each piece of meat (refrigerate the rest of the marinade to use on other meat or fish). Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour.

Light a charcoal fire and let the coals burn until covered with gray ash but still very hot; bank the coals to one side and set the grill grate in place. Or, heat one side of a gas grill to high. Brush both sides of the onions slices with oil and sprinkle with salt. Lay in a single layer on the hot side of the grill. When richly browned, usually just about a minute, flip and brown the other side; move to the cool side of the grill to finish softening to grilled-onion sweetness. Oil and grill the pineapple in the same way. Finally, in batches, grill the meat: it’ll take about a minute per side as well. As the meat is done, transfer it to a cutting board and chop it up (between 1/4- and 1/2-inch pieces). Scoop into a skillet and set over the grill to keep the meat warm. Chop the onion and pineapple into small pieces as well, add them to the skillet and toss everything together. Taste and season with salt, usually about 1/2 teaspoon. Serve with the tortillas and salsa for your guests to make soft tacos.

Quinoa Black Bean

Made the black bean quinoa bake. Used zucchini and carrots. Mushrooms. Didn't bake it. Still pretty good.

Salmon and Cauliflower

Baked a salmon fillet that was topped with some lime, cilantro, olive oil goodness.  Made some Whole30 cauliflower rice.  "More salmon please" says Elliot.

Rice Beans Chorizo

Made the crock pot refried beans. Rice - sautéed a diced onion first. Chorizo. Made a cabbage jicama limey slaw.

Zucchini Frittata

Sautéed some onions, zucchini, scallions and a bit of pepper until fairly caramelized. Took 35 or so minutes. A dozen eggs, dill and tarragon. Fontina cheese. Not too shabby.

Roasted and sautéed veg

Roasted some turnips, beets and onions. Sautéed some green beans squash and chard. Also cooked some sausages.

Turned out quite well.

Chicken Hash

Whole 39, pg 228. We doubled it. Grill panned the chicken thighs. Walnuts, sweet potato grated in the food processor, apples, arugula. Used about 1/3 c apple cider vinegar.

This turned out pretty well this time.

Fasty tacos

Yum

Broccoli, Chickpea & Avocado Sandwiches

http://cookieandkate.com/2016/broccoli-chickpea-pita-sandwiches/

We put two cans of chickpeas in it.  And probably used a whole lot of broccoli.  Pretty tasty really.  We roasted the broccoli. It could have used more sun-dried tomatoes too.

Ingredients

Broccoli chickpea salad

• 1 bunch of broccoli, florets removed and sliced thin
• 1 can (15 ounces) chickpeas, rinsed and drained, or 1½ cups cooked chickpeas
• ⅓ cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes*
• ⅓ cup finely chopped red onion
• ⅓ cup crumbled feta cheese or thinly sliced Kalamata olives
  

Lemon dressing

• ¼ cup olive oil
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice, to taste
• 1 ½ teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 1½ teaspoons honey or maple syrup or agave nectar, to taste
• 1 clove garlic, pressed or minced
• ¼ teaspoon salt, to taste
• Pinch red pepper flakes
  

Everything else

• 2 medium avocados, or about ¾ cup of your favorite hummus
• Salt, to taste
• 4 whole grain pita breads, or 4 large, thick slices of hearty whole grain bread
  

Instructions

1. To prepare the broccoli chickpea salad: In a medium mixing bowl, combine all of the ingredients as listed. Toss to combine.
2. To prepare the lemon dressing: In a small liquid measuring cup or bowl, combine the ingredients as listed. Whisk the ingredients together until emulsified. Taste, and add additional salt if necessary. The dressing should be a little tart, but if it’s too tart, add a little more sweetener to balance the flavors. If it’s not tart enough for your liking, add a little more lemon juice.
3. Pour the dressing over the broccoli chickpea salad and toss to combine. Set the bowl aside to marinate while you work on the rest.
4. To make the mashed avocado, halve and pit the avocados, then scoop the flesh of the avocados into a bowl. Mash them with a pastry cutter or a fork until they are mostly mashed, and spreadable. Season with a pinch of salt, and add more to taste.
5. To prepare the pita breads, warm them for a few minutes in the oven, or in a toaster oven, or even in the microwave. (If you’re using slices of bread, pop them in the toaster until golden.)
6. Spread mashed avocado (or hummus) over one-half of the top surface of each pita round, and cover the other half with a few generous spoonfuls of broccoli chickpea salad. (If you’re serving on toast, spread avocado over the top surface of each slice, and spoon broccoli chickpea salad on top.) Serve immediately.
   

Brats

You know, your standard, run of the mill, light the grill on fire, brats.

Chimichurri steak and kabobs

Made a rando Chimichurri sauce.  Sort of based on the grill books version. Skewered some zucchini, mushrooms, onions, tomatoes and peppers. Grill. Also grilled a couple steaks.

Pretty tasty.

Also made some watermelon agua Fresca. Blended watermelon with a couple limes and some water.

Green Lentils and Spinach with Hard-boiled eggs

http://letnacholibre.blogspot.com/2014/07/green-lentils-and-spinach-with-hard.html

Yum. Should have one and a halved in like last time but it worked out.

Glorious Mac and cheese

http://letnacholibre.blogspot.com/2014/01/glorious-macaroni-and-cheese.html

Used some smoked cheddar this time which was pretty good.

Veggie Frittata

Bok choy, zucchini, etc.

Huevos Rancheros

Crock pot refried beans. Huevos.

http://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2011/08/29/recipe-easy-slow-cooker-refried-beans/

I think we tend to double this recipe and cook it in the big crock pot.

INGREDIENTS

1 onion peeled and halved
2 cups pinto beans dry, rinsed
½ jalapeño seeded and chopped (or other hot pepper)
2 cloves garlic minced
¾ teaspoons salt
½ teaspoon pepper
1 pinch cumin
6 cups water

INSTRUCTIONS

Combine all ingredients in slow cooker.
Cook on high for 8 hours, or overnight while you're sleeping.
Remove the bigger onion chunks and drain the excess liquid. If desired, save the excess liquid to add back to the final product to get the optimal consistency (i.e. not too dry).
Mash remaining beans with a potato masher and voila! You have homemade refried beans.

Saag Paneer

http://letnacholibre.blogspot.com/2014/09/saag-paneer.html

Saag Paneer. Made paneer lemony. Not enough for two dinners. Mustard spinach assorted greens

Cauliflower Fried Rice

http://www.familyfreshmeals.com/2013/03/cauliflower-fried-rice.html

Carrots, green beans, mushrooms, bok choy, cauliflower, 3 eggs.

Crock pot meatballs

Some crock pot meatballs. They didn't need that long to cook - they got dry and rach turned them to low. Baked spaghetti squash and noo noos. Ground turkey.

Too much tomato paste.

Mommy's Mexican Stir-fry

Sautéed mushrooms, black beans, corn, tomatoes, spices.

Made some Mexican rice but with millet.

Avocado, cilantro, lime, spicy.

Kind of a random dinner but it was quite good.

Mac and cheese

100 days of real food Mac and cheese. On 6/13

Brats and veg

Brats and veg on 6/11

Grilled Salmon and Veg

Grilled some salmon. And some veg. Made a salad. You know. Yum.

Overnight Chicken Stock.

http://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2012/01/24/recipe-overnight-chicken-stock-in-the-crock-pot/

INGREDIENTS
Leftover chicken bones or carcass roughly equivalent to one small or medium sized chicken
1 onion, peeled and loosely chopped
1 rib of celery, roughly chopped
1 carrot, roughly chopped (no need to peel)
1 bay leaf
1 sprig fresh parsley
1 sprig fresh thyme
Salt, to taste
Note: If you are missing any of these ingredients I wouldn't let that stop you from making it anyway.

INSTRUCTIONS
After removing all edible meat from the chicken put/leave the bones, skin, cooking juices, etc. in the crock pot. If you are using the chicken carcass from the “The Best Whole Chicken in the Crock Pot” recipe just leave every single thing that's leftover (except the good meat of course) in the crock pot including the original onion and spices you used when making the chicken.

Add the onion, celery, carrot and spices on top of the bones and fill the crock pot almost to the top with tap water (leaving about ½” at the top).

Turn the slow cooker onto "low" after dinner and cook all night long or alternatively you could start it in the morning and cook on "low" for 8 – 10 hours during the day.

After the stock is done cooking turn off the heat and, using a soup ladle, pass the stock through a fine sieve to remove all herbs/bones/etc.

Either refrigerate or freeze the stock for future use. I usually freeze some in both 1 and 2-cup portions, and I also sometimes freeze stock in ice cube trays just in case I just “need a little” for making sauce or rice. This stock is great in soups like chicken noodle soup and also in rice like risotto.

Crock Pot Whole Chicken

http://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2011/02/25/recipe-the-best-whole-chicken-in-a-crock-pot/

We shredded this and added to chicken broccoli casserole.

INGREDIENTS
2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon thyme
½ teaspoon garlic powder
¼ teaspoon cayenne (red) pepper
¼ teaspoon black pepper
1 onion
1 large chicken

INSTRUCTIONS
Combine the dried spices in a small bowl.
Loosely chop the onion and place it in the bottom of the slow cooker.
Remove any giblets from the chicken and then rub the spice mixture all over. You can even put some of the spices inside the cavity and under the skin covering the breasts.
Put prepared chicken on top of the onions in the slow cooker, cover it, and turn it on to high. There is no need to add any liquid.
Cook for 4 – 5 hours on high (for a 3 or 4 pound chicken) or until the chicken is falling off the bone. Don't forget to make your homemade stock with the leftover bones!

Chicken Broccoli Casserole

Whole chicken in a crock pot. Shred.  Use it for chicken broccoli casserole

http://letnacholibre.blogspot.com/2015/05/chicken-broccoli-casserole.html

Make crock pot stock afterwords

Burgers and Veg

Grilled up some burgers with assorted veg. Tater, mushrooms, asparagus, peppers.

Carne Asada Tacos

Yum. Guac. Yum.

Peruvian bean thing

Pinterest on 5/23

Chili

Browned some burger. Added some onions, mushrooms beans, etc.

Brats and veg

Grilled some brats and veg. Yum.

Sausage Guac Beets

Sort of a random dinner. Roasted some Beets and asparagus in the oven. Also made some tortilla chips (brush with oil, salt, bake for 10-15).  Served with chicken apple sausages.

Chicken Cacciatore Stoup

http://letnacholibre.blogspot.com/2015/02/chicken-cacciatore-stoup.html

We cooked the taters for quite a while at the beginning - almost until tender.  Much better that way.

Springtime Bows

http://letnacholibre.blogspot.com/2016/03/springtime-bows-with-asparagus.html

Did this using Manchego cheese.  Grill-panned some chicken to go with it.  Yum.

Asparagus Mushroom Frittata

Sauteed some onions, mushrooms and asparagus.  Frittata'd it up.

Black Bean Quinoa Crock Pot

http://letnacholibre.blogspot.com/2016/04/black-bean-quinoa-crock-pot.html

Definitely not as good as the regular recipe, but very easy.

Chicken Green Chili Tacos

http://letnacholibre.blogspot.com/2013/10/shredded-chicken-and-green-chile-tacos.html

Yum!

Veggie Curry

http://letnacholibre.blogspot.com/2016/03/chicken-curry.html

Rather similar to this, but did not use chicken.  Added sweet potatoes.

Spaghetti Lasagna

http://letnacholibre.blogspot.com/2016/01/spaghetti-lasagna.html

Made sorta this again.  Happy bday Elliot!

Quinoa Stir-Fry with Veg

http://letnacholibre.blogspot.com/2014/06/quinoa-stir-fry-with-vegetables-and.html

Made this sorta.  No chicken.

Sweet Potatoes and Veg

http://letnacholibre.blogspot.com/2014/07/sweet-potatoes-and-greens.html

Sorta did this again.  Put salsa on top instead of the tahini bit.

Aloo Gobi

http://letnacholibre.blogspot.com/2014/01/aloo-gobi.html

Turned out pretty well.  Doubled it.

Vegan Enchiladas with Cilantro Avocado Cream Sauce

http://ohsheglows.com/2011/05/04/vegan-enchiladas-with-cilantro-avocado-cream-sauce-2/

We mostly doubled this.  Yum.  And may have drank entirely too many margaritas...


Yield: 4 Enchiladas

Ingredients:
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 onion, chopped (~2 cups)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup sweet potato, chopped (or zucchini)
1 bell pepper, chopped
2 handfuls spinach, chopped
1 can black beans (~2 cups), drained and rinsed
Enchilada sauce or Pasta sauce (about 2.5 cups)* see note
1 tbsp nutritional yeast (optional)
1.5 tsp ground cumin
1-2 tbsp fresh lime juice, to taste
1/2 tsp kosher salt, or to taste
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp chili powder, or to taste
4 whole grain tortilla wraps (I used Food for Life Ezekiel)
Cilantro Avocado Cream Sauce, to pour on top (recipe below)
Green onion & chopped cilantro, to garnish

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350F and grab a baking dish large enough for 4 enchiladas. Pre-cook the chopped sweet potato, by simmering it in a small pot of water for about 5-10 minutes until just tender. Do not overcook. Drain and set aside.

2. In a large skillet or pot, add 1 tbsp oil and bring to medium to low heat. Add in the chopped onion and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring often, until translucent. Add in garlic and reduce heat to low and cook for a couple more minutes. Now add the chopped pepper, pre-cooked sweet potato, drained black beans, and chopped spinach. Cook for about 5-7 more minutes on medium-low heat.

3. Now add in your enchilada or pasta sauce. Stir well, and add in your seasonings: nutritional yeast (optional), cumin, fresh lime juice, salt, garlic powder, chili powder- all to taste. Adjust seasonings if necessary. Stir well.

4. Scoop about 3/4-1 cup of the mixture onto the bottom of your casserole dish and spread out in a thin layer. Scoop about 1/2-3/4 cup of the mixture onto each tortilla and wrap, placing the fold down on the casserole dish. Repeat for the remaining 3 tortillas and leave a bit of filling left to spread over the top. Sprinkle with vegan cheese if preferred.

5. Bake tortillas at 350F for 18-20 minutes. Meanwhile, make your Cilantro cream sauce (see below). When enchiladas are cooked, remove from oven and pour the sauce over top. Garnish with chopped cilantro and green onion. Serve immediately. Makes 4 enchiladas.

Note: Depending on what kind of sauce you use, you will have to adjust the seasonings to taste. I used a pasta sauce so I likely needed more seasonings to achieve the taste I desired.

Cilantro Avocado Cream Sauce

Yield: ~1.25-1.5 cups

Ingredients:

1 & 1/4 cup avocado flesh (i.e. 2)
2 tbsp water, or more as needed to thin out
2-3 tbsp lime juice, to taste
1 tsp apple cider vinegar (optional)
1 cup packed fresh cilantro
1 tsp kosher salt, to taste
1/2 tsp garlic powder
3/4 tsp ground cumin
Black pepper, to taste
Red pepper flakes or cayenne pepper, to taste


Directions:


1. In a food processor, process the avocado flesh and water until creamy. Now add in the rest of the ingredients and process until smooth and well blended. Use immediately for best results.

African Peanut Butter Stew

One pot, pg 116. Chicken, peppers, sweet potato, rice. Next time halve the chicken breasts or more.  Needed an extra 5-10 minutes. It was rather rice heavy, but still pretty filling and good.

Sausage + Taters

Made some sausages with onions and apples.  Sauteed some sweet taters with greens and added almonds.

Broccoli Marranca

Moosewood, pg 129.  It was supposed to be with cauliflower, but we used broccoli instead.  Mushrooms, millet, onion, garlic, paprika.  Sautee the veg while the millet cooks, then combine, add cheese and bake for 30 minutes.

The millet cooked weirdly.  It was kind of mushy and crunchy at the same time.  Not sure what the deal is with that, or if we cooked it wrong.  We added maybe an extra 1/4 to 1/2 cup water.

Kitchari

http://letnacholibre.blogspot.com/2016/01/brown-rice-mung-bean-kitchari.html

Made this again.  Basically did it like last time (tripled it).  Used mushrooms, asparagus and cauliflower.  Was going to use broccoli but it didn't fit.

Soaked the rice and mung beans together.

It probably need 15 minutes or so under pressure to fully cook the rice.

Fish Tacos

http://letnacholibre.blogspot.com/2013/02/fish-tacos.html

Chorizo Salad

http://letnacholibre.blogspot.com/2013/07/warm-chorizo-spinach-salad.html

Black Bean Quinoa Crock Pot

http://letnacholibre.blogspot.com/2014/06/black-bean-and-quinoa-enchilada-bake.html

But we did it in the crock pot this time. Added a can of diced tomatoes, and used mild diced green chilis instead of the jalapeños. Put all ingredients in the crock pot and cook on high for 3 hours.

This made this even easier than it usually is. The only beef was the onions were a bit crunchy still.

Kale Tortellini Cannellini and Sausage Soup

http://letnacholibre.blogspot.com/2013/10/kale-tortellini-cannellini-and-sausage.html

Made it with ravioli again.  And some kale cabbage mix I think.

Mushroom Bourgingnon

http://letnacholibre.blogspot.com/2014/03/httpsmittenkitchen.html

Made this again.  Again, as  noted, a bit shy of two dinners.

Chicken Curry

Made up a chicken curry.  Broccoli, carrots, zucchini, chicken, coconut milk, a few tablespoons of curry paste. Top with peanuts and lime juice.  

Turned out pretty well.

Turkey Chili

1 lb turkey
2 cans beans (pinto, kidney)
Mushrooms
Red peppers
Carrots
Celery
Onion
Garlic
28 oz diced tomatoes (or more)
Oregano
Cumin
Cayenne

Brown the meat (add spices) and remove.  Dice the veg fairly small and sautee for a while.  Add spices.  Add the meat back with the beans and the tomatoes and simmer for 20 or so.

Green Posole with Cod

http://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/green-posole-with-cod-and-cilantro

This was pretty tasty, and was pretty easy.  Nice and spicy, so the kids had mac and cheese.

Ingredients
SERVINGS: 4
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 shallots, chopped
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 serrano chiles, thinly sliced, divided
8 medium tomatillos (about 1¼ pounds), husks removed, rinsed
Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper
1 cup cilantro leaves with tender stems, plus more for serving
1 pound cod fillet
1 15-ounce can white hominy, rinsed
1 8-ounce bottle clam juice
3 small radishes, trimmed, thinly sliced
Lime wedges (for serving)

Preparation
ACTIVE: 40 MIN TOTAL: 40 MIN

Heat oil in a large pot over medium. Cook shallots, garlic, and half of chiles, stirring occasionally, until soft and fragrant, 6–8 minutes. 


Meanwhile, purée tomatillos in a blender (food processor) until smooth. 


Add half of tomatillo purée to pot and cook, stirring often, until thickened, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Add 1 cup cilantro to remaining purée in blender and blend until smooth; set aside. 


Add cod, hominy, clam juice, and 1 cup water to pot. Bring to a simmer and gently cook over medium-low until cod is opaque throughout and beginning to flake, 8–10 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in reserved raw tomatillo-cilantro purée, breaking cod into large chunks; season with salt and pepper. 


Divide stew among bowls and top with radishes, cilantro, and remaining chile. Serve with lime wedges.

Minestrone

http://letnacholibre.blogspot.com/2014/10/minestrone.html

Sweet and Sour Pork

Jamie Oliver, pg 65.  Pretty fast and easy to make, and it turned out quite well.  I probably over 5-spiced it though.  Pork, peppers, pineapple, garlic, ginger,

Springtime Bows with Asparagus

Rachel ray, pg 266.  Recipe 305.  This is pretty tasty.  Asparagus, add mushrooms, peas, prosciutto, farfalle.  Asparagus was pretty good, although we're a bit early for local.

We've made this quite a bit in the past, but not recently.

Beef Stroganoff

Mom's beef stroganoff recipe.  Lots of mushrooms.  Turned out pretty well, although the beef was not that good.  Maybe it was a bit rushed as I didn't realize how long it needed to cook.

Quick Salmon Stir-Fry

http://letnacholibre.blogspot.com/2012/07/quick-salmon-stir-fry.html

Yum.  Don't forget the carrots!

Glorious Macaroni and Cheese

http://letnacholibre.blogspot.com/2014/01/glorious-macaroni-and-cheese.html

Added mushrooms this time.  And no cauliflower, just lots of broccoli.

Red Peppers, Mushrooms and Barley

One pot, pg 187.  Doubled it, but did not double the feta. Used a whole small container of that. I thought it could have used a bit less. We needed to cook it for maybe 10 more minutes for the barley to be cooked. 

This was quite good, although the kids didn't really like it. 

Aloo Mattar

http://www.forksoverknives.com/recipes/aloo-mattar/

This was pretty tasty.  Used a bit more spices than they said.  4 taters.  Sliced them into 2 inch rounds to cook them.  Peeling them was kind of annoying.  Used a 28oz can diced tomatoes, plus extra peas and carrots. Served with brown rice and naan.  Yum.

INGREDIENTS:

¼ teaspoon black mustard seeds
1-2 pods cardamoms
4 pods clove
1 inch cinnamon stick
¼ teaspoon cumin seeds
1 pinch asafetida (optional)
5-6 medium tomatoes, cubed
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper powder
1 teaspoon cumin powder
1½ teaspoons coriander powder
Salt to taste
3 medium russet potatoes
1 cup fresh, canned or frozen green peas
2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh cilantro (optional)

Instructions: 

In a pan dry roast the mustard seeds, cardamom, cloves, cinnamon stick, stirring once the mustard seeds start to pop, add the cumin seeds and asafetida. Add the tomatoes; cook till the tomatoes soften, about 3-4 minutes. Add 2 cups of water and let cook for 2-3 minutes, add the cayenne pepper, cumin powder, coriander powder, salt and cook for 10-15 minutes.

While the tomatoes are cooking, in a pan bring 2-3 cups of water to boil, add the potatoes un-peeled and cook till the potatoes are soft, about 10-15 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool. Peel the skin and cut into 1 inch cubes. Rinse green peas in water and strain the water out. Add the potatoes and peas to the tomato sauce and cook for 7-10 minutes.
 Sprinkle cilantro (if using) and serve hot with steamed rice or whole grain bread.

Ropa Vieja

Don't remember where the recipe was for this.  I think we combined a few.  But it was really good.

http://www.food.com/recipe/cuban-ropa-vieja-crock-pot-oamc-232788

Crock potted it.  Served with beans and rice.

Boulder Polenta

One pot, pg 168.  Polenta, tofu, mushrooms.  I think it was good.  Maybe.

Roast Salmon and Veg

Not sure if we were following a recipe, but roasted some salmon with broccoli and cauliflower.  Maybe put some lemon on it.  Or something else.

Stuffed Peppers

http://letnacholibre.blogspot.com/2015/06/stuffed-peppers.html

Chicken Cacciatore

http://letnacholibre.blogspot.com/2015/09/chicken-cacciatore.html

Ah, had we had roasted taters.  Alas.  Did make some noodles though.

Tlacoyos con Pintos Borrachos

http://letnacholibre.blogspot.com/2013/02/little-masa-boats-with-drunken-pintos.html

Yum.  Also yum: mezcal.

Sausage with Squash and Kale

Made the whole30 squash thing. 

http://letnacholibre.blogspot.com/2015/09/brats-kebabs-and-squash-with-kale-and.html

Sautéed some apples with onions to go along with it. Pretty tasty.

Fasty Tacos

Yum

Chili Con Carne

Good old chili con carne. Turned out pretty well.

Quinoa Stir-Fry with Shrimp

http://letnacholibre.blogspot.com/2014/06/quinoa-stir-fry-with-vegetables-and.html

Made this, but with shrimp this time.

Spaghetti Casserole

https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/recipe-spaghetti-casserole-makeover/

Ingredients

1/2 pound whole-wheat spaghetti
2 eggs
3/4 cup parmesan cheese, grated and divided
1 tablespoon olive oil, + extra for greasing the casserole dish
1/2 onion, peeled and diced
1/2 green bell pepper, deseeded and diced
1 pound ground beef
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
red pepper flakes, to taste (a few firm shakes for us)
1 - 26 oz pasta sauce, or 3 cups homemade (link in notes)
3/4 cup ricotta cheese
1 cup mozzarella cheese, grated
1/4 cup whole-wheat breadcrumbs

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Brush a rectangular baking dish with olive oil and set aside.

Cook the spaghetti noodles al dente, drain, and then mix with the eggs and 1/2 cup of the Parmesan cheese. Put in the bottom of the casserole dish.

In a large saute pan over medium heat, warm the olive oil. Add the onion and bell pepper and cook until soft, but not brown, about 5 minutes.

Add the beef to the pan and break up the meat with a spatula. Cook until the beef is brown all the way through. Drain and discard the fat (I find putting a lid on the pan helps with this job).

Add the garlic, salt, and red pepper, and cook for 1 more minute before adding the red sauce to pan. Heat for an additional few minutes.

Pour the meat/sauce mixture on top of the noodles in the casserole dish. Top with dollops of ricotta cheese, grated mozzarella, breadcrumbs, and remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese. 

Bake for 30 to 40 minutes or until golden brown on top. Serve warm and enjoy.

Brown Rice Mung Bean Kitchari

http://www.veganricha.com/2015/08/brown-rice-mung-bean-kitchari-mung-bean-stew.html

This was pretty tasty.  I think I roughly tripled it, which did fit in the pressure cooker barely.  The recipe below says serves 2.  I don't remember if we used mung beans or something else.

INGREDIENTS
½ cup mung beans (dry whole green mung beans)
½ brown basmati rice
½ tsp oil
½ tsp cumin seeds
½ cup chopped red onion
2 medium tomatoes
5 cloves of garlic
1 inch ginger
½ tsp turmeric
1 tsp ground coriander
½ tsp garam masala
¼ to ½ tsp cayenne
¼ tsp black pepper
4 cups water
1 tsp lemon juice
¾ to 1¼ tsp salt

INSTRUCTIONS
Soak the beans and rice for at least 15 minutes. Soak at this step as the next few steps take 15 to 20 minutes

Blend the onions, tomato, garlic, ginger, spices with a few tbsp of water to a smooth puree and keep aside.

Start the Instant Pot (IP) on saute at normal heat.

When hot, add oil, let the oil heat up for a few seconds, then add cumin seeds. Roast the seeds for half a minute or until fragrant.

Add the puree carefully, stir and cook until the puree thickens and smells roasted. 15 to 17 minutes. Switch the saute to off.

Drain the beans and rice and add to the IP. Add water, salt, lemon juice. Mix. Add chopped veggies if you like.

Close the lid. Press Manual and adjust time for 10 minutes. (or pressure cook for 10 minutes after the pressure has released). * Brown Basmati Rice soaked for 15 minutes will cook in the 10 minute time. You might need to cook longer depending on the rice used (15 to 20 mins).

The IP will start heating, and show "On" and then count down the minutes when the pressure has reached.

Once done, let the pressure release naturally. Or if you are are in a hurry. Try the quick release after 5 to 7 minutes. * If the rice or beans are not cooked to preference, you can cook them on saute until they are tender.

Taste and adjust salt and spice. Serve hot with crackers or toasted bread.

NOTES

To make this without oil: Add the cumin seeds directly to the hot IP. Roast until they change color. Add the pureed tomato onion and continue with the steps.

To make this in a saucepan: follow all the steps in till Step 6 . Add 4.5 cups of water, Cover the saucepan and cook over medium heat for 20 minutes then reduce to medium low and cook for 20 minutes. Stir once in between. Add more water if needed and cook longer if needed.

To make this in a stove top Pressure cooker: Cook all the steps in a pressure cooker over medium heat through step 6. Add the beans, rice and water, close the lid, Pressure cook for 10 minutes once the pressure has reached.(or 1 whistle on high and 8 minutes on medium low heat)..

Black Bean and Quinoa Enchilada Bake

http://letnacholibre.blogspot.com/2014/06/black-bean-and-quinoa-enchilada-bake.html

Used sprouted quinoa this time, which is different.

Chicken Tacos

Real simple chicken tacos with fancy guac.  And queso fundido. Oh yum.

Minestrone

http://letnacholibre.blogspot.com/2014/10/minestrone.html

Yum, as per usual.

Pacific Island Seafood

One pot, pg 70.  Used shrimp.   And probably some extra sweet taters.  It took longer to cook because of the sweet taters which ended up over-cooking the shrimp.  Next time slice the taters thinner.  It was pretty good though.  We added maybe a 1/4 c. water instead of the 1/4 tbsp called for.  It seemed silly to add that little amount of water, but ours ended up rather liquidy.

BBQ Pulled Pork

http://letnacholibre.blogspot.com/2014/09/the-best-pulled-pork-in-crockpot.html

This is tasty.  Was a bit to spicy for the kids though.  Made some simple slaw based on a whole-30 recipe to go with it.

Pepperoni Pizza & Shadow

Made some standard pizza.  Pepperoni, bell peppers and mushrooms.

And hello Shadow!

Kale Caesar + Daikon Radish Patties

http://letnacholibre.blogspot.com/2012/11/daikon-radish-patties.html

Made these suckers, and served them with a kale caesar.

http://letnacholibre.blogspot.com/2012/07/tuscan-kale-caesar-salad.html

Tasty.

Turkey Chili

Made some turkey chili tonight.  Was kind of a rush job but it turned out pretty well.  Could have standed to simmer a bit more to make the flavors meld.  Turkey, beans, peppers, probably some other stuff.

Baked Salmon and Veg

http://letnacholibre.blogspot.com/2015/07/baked-salmon.html

Used tomatoes and broccoli maybe.  Probably not the massive amount of butter, which is delicious but not helpful.

Three Sisters Stew

Moosewood, pg 272.  Mushrooms, beans, squash, bell pepper, corn.  Was pretty good but seemed like it was missing something.  Maybe a little spice but not sure.  We used delicata squash, but maybe acorn or something else with more flavor would have helped too.

Beef Stir-Fry with not Chinese Greens

Wok book, pg 72.  Use broccoli, sugar snap peas, added mushrooms.  Left the chili out for the kids.  Pretty tasty.

Fasty Salad

http://letnacholibre.blogspot.com/2014/06/fasty-salad.html

Slow Cooker Black Eyed Peas & Collard Greens

http://letnacholibre.blogspot.com/2015/01/slow-cooker-black-eyed-peas-collard.html

Did a pre-boil on the peas this time.