Tomato & Red Potato Gratin

{Meatless Monday}

I LOVE this recipe.  And I wouldn't even say that I LOVE slices of tomatoes normally.  I could not believe how delicious the flavor was!!  I made it twice in one week.  That's how good it was.  

With an abundance of tomatoes and red potatoes from our own garden, one day I just googled "Red potato Tomato Recipe" and this is what came up.  The recipe called for leeks and Gruyere cheese and  I only had yellow onions and mozzarella....but it was amazing anyway.

1 1/2 Tbs. olive oil 
3 cups sliced leeks, OR ONE LARGE WHITE ONION, chopped

1  1/4 lb. red potatoes, unpeeled, cut into 1/4-inch slices 
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 Tbs. olive oil 
2 tsp. chopped fresh rosemary, or 1 tsp dried rosemary

1 tsp. chopped fresh rosemary, or 1/2 tsp dried rosemary
1 1/4 lb. ripe tomatoes, cut into 1/4 inch slices
1 3/4 cups grated Gruyère cheese OR MOZZARELLA 
1/2 tsp. salt 
Freshly ground black pepper to taste 
1 1/2 Tbs. olive oil 

2/3 cup breadcrumbs mixed with 2 tsp.olive oil  

3 T Parmesan cheese, grated  For Topping, if desired

Heat the olive oil in skillet over medium heat. Add the leeks/onions and sauté, stirring frequently, for about 15 minutes. Spread the onions evenly in the bottom of an oiled 2-qt. shallow gratin dish. Let cool.

Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, cover the potato slices with well-salted water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a gentle boil and cook for 5 minutes or until the potatoes are just barely tender. Drain and rinse under cold water until cool. Pat dry. Toss the potatoes with the salt, olive oil, and rosemary.

Heat the oven to 375°F. Sprinkle 1/2 tsp. (1/4 tsp. dried) of the chopped rosemary over the leeks/onions. Starting at one end of the baking dish, lay a row of slightly overlapping tomato slices across the width of the dish. Cover the row of tomatoes with a generous sprinkling of Gruyère or Mozzarella. Next, arrange a row of potato slices over the tomatoes. Sprinkle again with cheese. Repeat with alternating rows of tomatoes and potatoes, sprinkling each with cheese, until the gratin is full.

Sprinkle about 1/2 tsp. salt and the remaining 1/2 tsp. rosemary over all and season with pepper. Drizzle with the olive oil. Mix any remaining cheese with the breadcrumb mixture and spread this over the whole gratin. Top with Parmesan, if desired. Cook until the gratin is well-browned all over and the juices have bubbled for a while and reduced considerably, 60 to 65 minutes. Let cool for at least 15 minutes before serving.

Then ENJOY a scrumptious dish full of yummy flavors and creamy cheese and rosemary.  Just typing this up makes me want to make it again!!

You all know how much I love roasted vegetables...and this is made even better by the cheese and the breadcrumb topping.  So, next time you are looking for a new side dish...try this! You'll love it.

Roasted Vegetables and Chickpeas

{Meatless Monday}

When I saw this recipe in my Better Homes and Gardens, I just knew I had to try it out.  I am sure by now you know my undying love for roasted vegetables! ; )

I was curious how the chickpeas would be...and also curious how my husband would like them because he is not normally a fan.  But we both loved them in this recipe.

I planned on serving this with some rice, but since my husband still hates brown rice (someday I hope that will change) and since I am trying to avoid white rice as much as possible, I cooked up some Pearl Barley.  It has a very different texture than either brown or white rice, but for some reason he prefers the barley over brown rice.

It is a very simple dinner to make because most of the time, the veggies are just in the oven!

Here's what you'll need:

1 lb. carrots, peeled and cut into 1-2" pieces
1 lb. sweet potato, peeled and cut into chunks
1 large red onion, peeled, halved and cut into wedges
1 lb. red potatoes, cut into cubes
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 16 oz can chickpeas (garbanzos), drained
2-3 T vegetable or olive oil
1 tsp dried rosemary, crushed
1 tsp. packed brown sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

Preheat oven to 425*. Place all vegetables, garlic, and chickpeas in roasting pan (or cookie sheet). Combine the oil, rosemary, sugar, salt, and pepper.  Drizzle over vegetables; toss well to coat.

Roast uncovered about 45 minutes or until lightly brown and tender, stirring twice.


You could eat this alone as a side dish, or serve or rice or barley as a main dish.  I think next time I would makeup a little more sauce and save some to drizzle over the whole dish just before serving...just to give it a little more liquid.  I always love rice or barley covered in a yummy sauce.

If desired, top each serving with parmesan cheese and additional rosemary.

Cauliflower and Brussels Sprout Gratin

{Meatless Monday}

Sorry for the multiple breaks I have taken from posting my weekly recipes.  I have had a wonderfully full summer.  We have enjoyed wonderful vacations.  I just spent the last hour clearing all photos off of my camera and sorting/deleting them.  Here's a few of my favorite from this summer:

            This is all but 5 of my parents' grandchildren at our Family Reunion in California.

 I LOVE LOVE LOVE this little beach area.  This is where I grew up camping every summer and I am SO glad that my kids are going to have memories at this exact same place.  It is so beautiful and peaceful!

 My two youngest got to enjoy their first day ever at Disneyland and it happened to be my birthday!  It was probably the best birthday I have ever had as a Mom!  I love Disneyland and what better gift to a Mom than to have all 5 kids happy and content the whole day?!?

 This is those same little ones at the end of the day konked out in bed.  So cute how they were cuddling.  I wish that happened more often when they were awake! ;)


Here's all of my kids waiting to go on Buzz Lightyear.  Have any of you been on this ride?  Are you good at it?  Well.....I STINK!!! And I mean REALLY STINK.  Even my little four year old got over 16000 points and I got about 1400.  I am not kidding.  I don't know what it is about me, but I did just as poorly the last time we came here!

And this is my four girls (after Dad had already taken the tired boy back to the resort) waiting in line for Big Thunder Railroad.  My 7 year old just wasn't too sure about if she really wanted to ride it.  I think it scared her pretty badly, but it ended up being the thing that she is the most proud of.  She has been telling everyone about how she rode it!

And here's two more of us at the beach in Oceanside, CA.  It was so beautiful and so relaxing!

Now...on to our recipe....

I found this recipe on The Pioneer Woman's Tasty Kitchen site.  I have only tried a few recipes off of there...but each one has been well-loved!  I don't normally love Brussels sprouts, but a friend had given me hers out of her Bountiful Basket, so I went searching for a good recipe.

Here's what you need:

¾ heads of cauliflower, cut into small florets
¾ pounds brussels sprouts, trimmed, quartered lengthwise
1 teaspoon salt 
4 tablespoons butter, divided 
3 tablespoons flour 
2 cups hot milk 
½ teaspoons freshly ground black pepper 
1 pinch ground nutmeg 
¾ cups grated Gruyere, divided     --I just used Medium Cheddar--SO not the same, but it's cheap!
½ cups grated Parmesan 
¼ cups bread crumbs

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Cook the cauliflower florets in a large pot of boiling salted water for 5 to 6 minutes, until tender but still firm. Drain. Throw the cooked cauliflower into the bowl of ice water to stop them from cooking any further. Bring the pot back up to a boil and put in the quartered Brussels sprouts and cook for 3-4 minutes. While the sprouts are cooking, the cauliflower should be completely cooled. Drain them and set aside.

After the Brussels sprouts are done, throw them in the bowl of ice water and ice.

Meanwhile, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in a medium saucepan over low heat. Add the flour, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon for 2 minutes. Pour the hot milk into the butter-flour mixture and stir until it comes to a boil. Boil, whisking constantly, for 1 minute, or until thickened.

Off the heat, add 1 teaspoon of salt, pepper, nutmeg, 1/2 cup of the Gruyere, and the Parmesan.
Pour 1/3 of the sauce on the bottom of an 8 x 11 x 2-inch baking dish. Place the drained cauliflower and brussels sprouts on top and then spread the rest of the sauce evenly on top. Combine the bread crumbs with the remaining 1/4 cup of Gruyere and sprinkle on top. Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter and drizzle over the gratin. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the top is browned.

 I really LOVED the top...who doesn't love crispy browned parmesan cheese with bread crumbs and a creamy sauce.  Oh, and yeah, I guess the vegetables were good too! ;)
So the next time you get some Brussels sprouts...give them a try.  I have never had them taste so good!

Bruschetta Biscuits with Feta

Got this one out of my Better Homes and Gardens magazine.  We loved these!!  I love making biscuits when I want a "bread" to go along with a meal, but I need it FAST!

These ones are packed with everything delicious!

3/4 cup milk plus extra for brushing
1/3 cup olive oil
1 cup baby spinach leaves, finely chopped
1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, finely chopped
(I just threw in some of our frozen pesto--you have to scroll down for the pesto recipe)
1/4 sun dried tomatoes, finely chopped
1/4 cup olives, pitted & chopped
2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3 Tbsp. crumbled feta cheese
1 Tbsp. pine nuts (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 425. In bowl combine milk, oil, spinach, basil, tomatoes, and olives.
2. In another bowl combine flour, baking powder, & salt. Make a well in the middle of the flour mixture; add milk mixture. Stir with a fork until moistened.
3. Gently knead dough on lightly floured surface. Pat into about an 8X8 square and cut into squares.

4. Place biscuits 1 inch apart on oiled baking sheet. Brush lightly with milk; sprinkle with feta and pine nuts.. Bake 15 minutes or until golden.  Serve with your favorite soup!

Artichoke Parmesan Sourdough Stuffing

{Meatless Monday}

MOVE OVER STOVETOP!!!

Oh my, we had this for Thanksgiving and it is definitely a keeper!!!  I am NOT a stuffing fan...never have been.  But that's just because my mom didn't use this recipe!! ; )

I found this recipe online through a blog that I follow and it just looked divine.  We've never had a certain stuffing recipe that was a tradition in our family...but NOW we do!

Here's what you need:

• 1  pound  mushrooms, rinsed, ends trimmed, and sliced
• 1  tablespoon  butter
• 2  onions (3/4 lb. total), chopped
• 1  cup  chopped celery
• 2  tablespoons  minced garlic
• About 2 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 1  loaf (1 lb.) sourdough bread, cut into 1/2-in. cubes
• 2  jars (6 oz. each) marinated artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
• 1  cup  freshly grated parmesan cheese
• 1 1/2  teaspoons  poultry seasoning--I couldn't find this, so I left it out!
• 1 1/2  tablespoons  minced fresh rosemary leaves or 3/4 tsp. crumbled dried rosemary
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1  large egg

In a frying pan over high heat, cook mushrooms, butter, onions, celery, and garlic, stirring often, until vegetables are lightly browned, about 15 minutes. Pour into a large bowl. Add a bit of broth to pan and stir to scrape up browned bits. Add to bowl.

Pour 2 cups broth into bowl and add bread, artichoke hearts, parmesan, poultry seasoning, and rosemary; mix well. Add salt and pepper to taste. Make a well in stuffing. Add egg and beat with a fork to blend; mix egg with stuffing.

 Preheat oven to 325° to 350° (use temperature turkey requires)

Spoon stuffing into a shallow 3-qt. (9- by 13-in.) casserole. (I ended up preferring it cooked on a cookie sheet...see below!) For moist stuffing, cover with foil; for crusty stuffing, do not cover.   Bake until hot (at least 150° in center) or lightly browned, about 50 minutes.

Make ahead: Up to 1 day ahead, make stuffing, put in casserole, cover, and chill. Allow about 1 hour to bake.

NOTE: We both wanted a nice crusty stuffing, so I didn't cover it and it still turned out too sticky.  So the next time I make this, I am going to cook it on a cookie sheet instead of the 9X13.  I think that will help it to dry out a little bit more.  The chunks of sourdough are larger and so they won't completely dry out...they'll just get crunchy on the outside, but stay soft inside.  I can't wait to try it again!


Updated:  I got the chance to try it again and this time I cooked it on a cookie sheet completely uncovered and it was FABULOUS!!   This is what it looked like when I spooned it into a bowl.  It was heavenly...the bread chunks are large enough that they are lightly crunchy on the outside and still soft on the inside.  

Spicy Cucumber Slices

{Meatless Monday}

These are fairly easy to make and my husband and I really liked them.  They are a great side dish for a yummy summer meal.  We got some cucumbers from the Farmers Market and they were fresh and crisp.  They do have a little bit of heat.  Some bites there seemed to be a little more red pepper than others ; ).  Hope you enjoy them!  This is such a better way to use up cucumbers than making pickles! ; )  I hate pickles!

3-4 medium cucumbers, peeled, halved lengthwise, and thinly sliced
1 tsp kosher salt (recipe called for 2 t. and it was a little too salty)
1/2 cup rice vinegar, seasoned or regular
1/2 cup water
3 T. sugar
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
2 T. minced red onion

Place cucumber slices in a colander sitting over a bowl, sprinkle with salt and stir well.  Let sit in refrigerator for about an hour.

Combine vinegar, water, sugar, and red pepper in a small saucepan.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat a little and cook until reduced to 1/3 cup (about 10 minutes).  Remove from heat and add onion.  Let mixture cool to room temperature.

When the cucumbers are done resting, combine cooled reduction with them.  Refrigerate until well chilled.

Spicy Cilantro Coleslaw

{Meatless Monday}

Here's the recipe for this yummy coleslaw.  As I said previously, I'm not a real coleslaw person, but my friend said it was a good coleslaw and she's tasted a lot!  : )  I am just barely getting a taste for coleslaw or potato salad, so I really haven't tried out a lot of different recipes.

This is what you need:
1 c. sour cream (I used light)
1/2 c. mayonaisse  (I used light)
1 T sugar
3 T fresh lime juice
1 tsp lime zest
1 clove minced garlic
1 whole jalapeno, chopped
3/4 c. fresh cilantro
8 c. cabbage, sliced
4 whole green onions, diced

I am LOVING my new little dishes (I just wish I had more of them!) for all these little ingredients while I'm cooking.  You see, I actually have a thing for beautiful dishes, just not the money or the storage space to go along with it.  So I have to get great joy out of SMALL things with SMALL price tags! ; )

Mix together sour cream, mayo, sugar, lime juice and zest, garlic, jalapeno and 1/4 cup FINELY chopped cilantro for the sauce.


Mix together the remaining 1/2 c. COARSELY chopped cilantro with the cabbage and onions.  Pour sauce over cabbage mixture.

Stir to coat and let sit one hour!  You don't need a very large cabbage head to produce 8 cups.  It sounds like a lot, but when you start chopping up that head of cabbage, it seems to multiply!  Ours was a fairly small head from our garden and it gave us a full 8 cups.  Enjoy!

Stuffed Zucchini

{Meatless Monday}

I am becoming increasingly forgetful about taking any shots of the ingredients.  It has been a while since I have leisurely cooked anything!  It seems I am always up against the clock to get our dinner on the table.  Oh well, I guess that's just how life is...I will try to accept it.  I just DO NOT understand how the Pioneer Woman can homeschool her 4 kids, blog about 6 posts a day, bake and cook up a storm, go out and brand a few cattle, and still take a picture every 6.5 seconds to document it all!

Here's what you need for these VERY YUMMY stuffed zucchinis:

 4 medium zucchini, halved lengthwise
1 T olive oil
1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
ground pepper
7.5 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
1 pint grape or cherry tomatoes, halved

Preheat oven to 475*.  Using a small spoon, scoop out zucchini centers to form "canoes", leaving a 1/4 inch border.  Roughly chop centers.  Set aside.

Arrange zucchini cut sides down on baking sheet.  Bake 15 minutes.  

Meanwhile, heat oil in a large skillet over medium.  Add onion and 1/2 tsp. pepper.  Cook for 3-5 minutes.  Add chopped zucchini, and cook about 8 minutes, until liquid is mostly evaporated.  Remove from heat and let cool slightly.  Stir in feta and tomatoes.

Turn zucchini canoes cut side up and fill with mixture and bake until top is lightly browned, about 20 minutes.   Before cooking:

And after cooking:

These were so flavorful...of course, I absolutely love feta cheese! You could substitute another soft cheese.  Really small cubes of pepper jack would be yummy...maybe I'll have to try that!

I spent about $4 on one little container of grape tomatoes and next time I think I would just buy the cheapest tomatoes and chop them into small pieces.  It wouldn't be quite as pretty, but it would save a couple of dollars!

Enjoy!  Let me know if you try any super yummy variations!

Cheese and Spinach Tart with Glazed Carrots

{Meatless Monday}

I got these recipes from Parents Magazine.  They were both a hit with my family!

I only got a before shot of the carrots.  They were simple but very tasty.  All my kids love them.  They like carrots in the first place...so who wouldn't love them with a little butter and brown sugar?

  

The recipe calls for frozen carrots, but I found these carrot "chips" in the fresh produce and thought they would be perfect.

Glazed Carrots:

1 12 oz. bag frozen carrots

1 T. butter

3 T. brown sugar

1/2 cup water

1/4 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. pepper

Place all ingredients into skillet or small pot and bring to a boil.  Cover.  Reduce heat to medium for 7 minutes.  Uncover and cook another 10-12 minutes until liquid evaporates and carrots are tender.

Cheese and Spinach Tart

1 tsp. olive oil

2 cups diced onion (I used just over 1 cup)

1 9 inch pie shell

1 cup milk

3 eggs

1 cup mozzarella cheese

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1 10 oz. frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed out

Preheat oven to 350.  Heat oil and onions in skillet on medium for 10 minutes to carmelize the onions.  Set aside.  Whisk together milk, eggs, cheese, garlic,  Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper.  Add onions and spinach.  Pour into pie shell and bake 45-50 minutes or until knife comes out clean.  I recommend putting strips of foil on your pie crust for at least 15 minutes of the baking time, so they don't get too dark.  

Here's how mine looked when it came out of the oven:

I've been using my whole wheat flour for pie crusts and they are so flavorful!  Just use a little less flour so that they don't get too tough.  I've been really pleased with how flaky and tender they still are!  Of course, I still do the cold butter trick, so that probably helps a lot. (Reduce shortening by 2-4 T and add 2-4 T. of sliced cold butter).

**I actually made more filling by using 5 eggs and 1 1/2 cups milk and just adding a little bit more of the seasonings.  I wanted my "tart" to be a little bit thicker.  Depending on the size of your family, you can easily increase the amounts.  Don't worry too much about it, as long as the egg to milk ratio is roughly the same...it will cook up fine!

I've made a lot of quiche in the last few years.  This was REALLY good.  My whole family liked the entire meal.  No complaints, no whines, no exclamations of "Gross!"  It was a beautiful evening!

We were given a bag of GIGANTIC potatoes from our neighbor, so I microwaved one really quick and made hashbrowns to go with our meal.

Wow...I'm hungry right now and that looks really good!  I think I'll go have the last leftover calzone in the fridge.  I love leftovers!

Have a great week!