Veggie Pasta
May 17, 2013 § Leave a Comment
This is the easiest dinner.
And you really don’t even have to add the pasta (though I’ve titled this ‘Veggie Pasta.’) The veggies are delicious on their own. The vegetables in this recipe are interchangeable with whatever vegetables you like (I just really enjoy this combo!) I’ve also added tomatoes to the mix and it’s delicious.
Ingredients
Coconut oil
Salt
Pepper
Garlic
Fresh oregano (roughly chopped)
Red pepper (chopped)
Asparagus (chopped)
Yellow pepper (chopped)
Parmesan cheese
Sweet onion (chopped)
Directions
In a large saucepan, heat the coconut oil (about a tablespoon or so.) Add the veggies, about a teaspoon of minced garlic, and a handful of roughly chopped fresh oregano. Use at least half of a red pepper, yellow pepper, sweet onion, and about 15 sprigs of asparagus. If you make more, just use more coconut oil, herbs, and spices. Cook on medium to medium low heat for about 15 to 20 minutes until the vegetables soften. Then, add two tablespoons of grated parmesan cheese, and salt and pepper to taste.
Meanwhile, cook pasta (as much or as little as you’d like) separately. Once the pasta has cooked, drain the noodles, leaving about a tablespoon of pasta water in the pot. Add the pasta and the reserved pasta water to the veggies, stir, and enjoy!
You can add some freshly shaved parmesan to the top if you so desire. I love that stuff.
Enjoy!
Anna
The best lentil soup.
February 21, 2013 § Leave a Comment
Yesterday was kind of a tough day.
And gosh darn it, it’s not spring yet. I am so ready for some genuinely warm weather.
Last night was the kind of night that my feet were cold, and I wanted some hot soup for dinner. OK, I’m honestly kind of tired of soup (and winter) and I’m ready for grilling out on the patio in my bare feet. But, I had half a bag of lentils, three carrots, an open carton of vegetable stock, and half an onion that needed to be put to use.
This is my mama’s recipe, and I don’t really know where she got it. But I love it, and it makes me think of her. Another reason I wanted soup when I didn’t really want soup.
I hope you love it, too.
Lentil Soup | “Lentils Monastery”
- 1 dry cup of lentils (Rinse them)
- 1/4 cup of olive oil
- 1 onion (Or half of a big onion if that’s what you have on hand, like me.)
- 3 carrots (Recipe calls for 2, but I had 3 so I put them all in there and it didn’t mess anything us.)
- 3 cups of vegetable or chicken stock (Please don’t use water, makes it bland. But, OK, you can if you must!)
- 1 teaspoon of marjoram
- 1 teaspoon of thyme
- salt and pepper
- 1 can of chopped tomatoes, and their juice
- 1/4 cup of cooking sherry (Promise me you won’t skip this step. OK? It makes the soup.)
In a big soup pot (with a lid) saute the onions and carrots in the olive oil with some salt and pepper for about 5 minutes. The onions will start to soften. Add the thyme and marjoram and saute for another minute or two. Add the vegetable or chicken broth, the lentils, and the tomatoes. Bring all that to a boil. Then, reduce the heat to low and simmer (covered) for about 45 minutes. The lentils will soften. When the soup is ready, add the cooking sherry and heat it through (I usually give it a minute or two to heat through.)
All done!
We like to eat our lentil soup with sharp grated cheddar cheese or sour cream on top. Or both.
And I love the leftovers for lunch the next day.
Love, Anna
The perfect marinade.
February 13, 2013 § Leave a Comment
It really was perfect, y’all. And not many things are.
Over the weekend my husband decided to try out his new gas grill. It wasn’t freezing outside (thanks, North Carolina!) and we had a fire going in our patio firepit, too. I love a man who can grill and make fires!
We’ve used a Weber charcoal grill for the two years we’ve been in our home, and while we love the added flavor, it makes grilling time consuming and a little annoying. So, with the beautiful new gas grill (a wonderful Christmas gift for my man from my parents) fired up and ready in 10-15 minutes, we were ready for some filets.
I’ve been on a make-your-own-salad-dressing kick lately, so I thought: “Why not a DIY marinade for these juicy steaks?” I had no idea where to start, so I turned to Real Simple. Duh. The first marinade recipe I found turned out to be a winner! And so easy. I modified it a bit from the original recipe because I ran out of red wine vinegar and didn’t have fresh oregano on hand. Oh well!
Rosemary Garlic Marinade
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
4 fresh garlic cloves, chopped
2 tablespoons chopped, fresh rosemary
1 bay leaf
salt and pepper
Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and soak those steaks (up to two pounds) for at least 30 minutes, covered in the fridge. Voila! Bam! So good. Jason basted the steaks throughout the grilling process with the marinade as well to give it some extra flavor. We were not disappointed with the result!
And to go along with our perfect steaks, we threw some chopped zucchini, sweet onions, red peppers, jalapeños, balsamic vinegar, extra virgin olive oil, and salt and pepper in some tin foil and grilled it alongside the steaks (about 20-30 minutes for the veggies.) The end result was to-die-for. And I even made that recipe up and everything!
Love
Anna
