Tag Archives: recipe[dinner]

Gnocchi with Herbs, Peas, and Parmesan

by Sarah | Leave a comment

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I’m certainly not the first person to pair gnocchi with peas, parmesan and herbs, but it was such a great combination that I had to share it here in case you haven’t tried it yet.  I made gnocchi the day before with vodka sauce and it was AWFUL. Like so bad I couldn’t finish it so I tried again with an even easier take on the sauce.. garlic and herbs all day in this house. I was able to put this all together in less than twenty minutes, which means it’s the perfect ‘I don’t wanna cook, but I want a nice warm meal’ type of dish.  If you’re vegan, leave out the parmesan and maybe substitute in some toasted pine nuts.  You’ll also have to replace the butter, but that’s an easy one.

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Easy Peasy Creamy Chicken Soup

by Sarah | 2 Comments

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Why is it so damn easy?! Here’s why: It only takes a handful of ingredients, most of which are probably in your fridge or pantry already. It’s a one-pot meal. It all comes together in twenty minutes. No fibbing here!

Creamy Chicken Soup Ingredients:

  • two TBSP olive oil OR butter
  • one onion, chopped
  • two celery stalks, chopped
  • three big carrots, chopped
  • one cooked chicken breast, shredded
  • 1/3 cup of flour
  • three cups chicken broth (or two cups chicken broth and one cup mushroom broth)
  • three cups milk
  • one cup peas, cooked
  • salt, pepper and thyme to taste

Creamy Chicken Soup Instructions:

  • Heat olive oil or butter in a big soup pot over medium heat.  Toss in the chopped onions, carrots and celery. Sauté until onions are clear and veggies are soft.
  • Add the shredded chicken and mix.
  • Toss in a third cup of flour.  Mix all the ingredients so the flour coats everything.
  • Add three cups of broth. I always use bouillon to make a tasty stock, but this time I also added some mushroom broth.
  • Add three cups of milk and mix.  Watch the soup and stir occasionally.  After about five minutes the broth will thicken.
  • Add a cup of cooked peas (I used frozen!) and a bunch of salt, pepper and thyme.

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Crowd pleaser, am I right?

Winter Salad

by Katie | 2 Comments

Before we even get started, let me acknowledge that this salad won’t be for everyone. But, if you have a palette for a few strong flavors, then this is the perfect antidote to those slightly depressing and less-than-fresh produce shelves. Why? Because, as you’ll see, other than the lettuce, we rely on a few key canned ingredients to prepare this uber-delicious twist on the Ceasar salad.

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While this may be the simplest recipe we’ve ever published, don’t underestimate it’s quality. I realized we had to share the dish after Calder and I ate it at least a half dozen times over the course of a few weeks!

Ingredients

  • romaine lettuce
  • hearts of palm
  • artichoke hearts
  • black olives
  • anchovies
  • hard boiled eggs (approximately 1 per person or serving)
  • grated parmesan
  • Caesar dressing (we like this creamy one)

Preparation & Serving Suggestions

  • I make this as a large side salad for the two of us, and find that I only need about 1/3 of the can of artichoke hearts and hearts of palm and about a quarter of a can of olives, but you can easily adjust those amounts to suit your taste.
  • Since anchovies aren’t for everyone, they can easily be served on the side, which is what I also do with the egg since I eat them but Calder doesn’t.
  • Finally, we think it’s fun to grate the cheese directly over our servings, so I put that on the table with a grater.
  • And what else can I say about a salad? Add your dressing, give it a thorough toss, and enjoy!

liveseasoned_w2015_wintersalad2_wmSo easy. So good. So perfect for a meal between the many holiday indulgences that arise at this time of year! enjoy*

 

Roasted Root & Squash Soup

by Katie | Leave a comment

Last week Sarah shared her fantastic recipe for squash soup with a citrus zing. Then we debated: should share another soup recipe this week, especially another one that uses squash? The answer was yes, because for us, it’s most definitely soup season and squash season! I was also jumping at the bit to share this recipe before Thanksgiving because I think it could make a fantastic addition to your feast, but it’s also a great way to use up leftover roasted vegetables, turning them into a completely new dish so you’re not eating the same leftovers for days.

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I made up this recipe a few years ago, and I never make it exactly the same way twice. I truly believe that anything goes when it comes to the vegetables. In this post I’m giving you an example of a typical vegetable mix in our house, but you could easily add more vegetables to the mix and subtract the ones you don’t like. The same goes for the garnish. I don’t buy anything special for the garnish and always make a point of using what I have on hand. If you do the same, I’m sure you’ll come up with some pretty surprising and delicious combinations.

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Soup Ingredients

  • olive oil
  • 4 cups vegetable or chicken broth + additional water
  • 1 medium/large butternut squash
  • 3 large carrots
  • 1 medium/large onion
  • 2 large beets
  • 3-5 medium potatoes

Garnish Suggestions

  • beet or chard greens
  • tuffle oil
  • parmesan cheese
  • sour cream

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 How To

  • Prepare the vegetables for roasting. Cut the squash in half and clean out the seeds. Coarsely chop the beets, potatoes, and two carrots. Place all vegetables on an oiled cooking sheet or baking pan and roast until soft (about one hour), stirring halfway through.
  • While the vegetables are roasting, dice the onion and remaining carrot and saute them in olive oil until the onions are translucent.

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  •  When the vegetables are done roasting, add them to the soup pot (removing the squash from its rind) with the broth and enough water to reach the top of the vegetables. Bring this mixture to a boil and then turn down to low heat for blending.
  • Carefully puree the soup using either an immersion or upright blender. Return the soup to the pot and bring to a slow simmer. Simmer for about 10 minutes, and then you’re done!

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About the Garnishes

I think garnishes add a special touch to what is otherwise a homogeneous soup (not that that’s a bad thing). As I mentioned, there’s no particular right or wrong when it comes to the garnish, but you may want to think about using things that will add a different color, texture, or flavor to the soup. I often use some cooked greens because they add both color and texture to the smooth, pureed base. I like parmesan or cheddar cheeses for their nutty taste, but the tang of yogurt or sour cream is also a great compliment to the sweet flavor of the vegetables. And, as you know, I love the taste of truffles, and a dash of truffle oil works really well on this soup.

If using greens, saute them in some olive oil to prepare them. You can do this with a touch of salt and some diced onion and/or crush garlic or garlic powder.

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Alex loves this soup, I’m sure it has something to do with the sweet/savory combination from the roasted vegetables and the easy-to-eat pureed texture. I love knowing that he’s eating such a wide variety of vegetables with every bite. Oh, and I already have two quarts of this frozen for when I’m too tired to cook!

There you have it! A relatively simple soup that is so easy to prepare, packed with flavor, and with so many different veggies! Try making this for friends and family over the holiday season and I’m sure it’ll be a hit… if not, just send it to my house, I have a freezer that I’m looking to fill ;-).  
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Squash Soup with Citrus

by Sarah | Leave a comment

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If you’re starting to feel the chill of winter (shoutout to the northern peninsula of Michigan with its 15 inch snowfall forecast!) this squash soup with citrus is exactly what you need.  The butternut squash will warm your belly and the time it takes to roast in the oven will warm your house.  It all comes together in about thirty minutes so you can quickly cozy back up on the couch.

My mom actually blended up this soup when I was visiting last weekend and it was so tasty that I had to share it.  Usually I find squash soups a little bland, but that is not the case here.  The lemon and orange zest add a lot of flavor, so please don’t skimp on those two ingredients.  While this soup fits perfectly into the fall since squash is in season, the citrus flavors really remind you of summer, which seems so far away now.  It’s also a hearty vegetarian dish to add to your soup rotation for the coming cold months.

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Ingredients:

  • 1 medium to large butternut squash
  • 5 TBSP olive oil
  • 2 carrots
  • 1 celery stalk
  • 1 onion
  • 4 cloves garlic
  • 1 TBSP orange zest
  • 1 TBSP lemon zest
  • handful of roasted pumpkin seeds
  • 1 small sweet red pepper
  • small pinch of saffron threads
  • sprinkle of nutmeg
  • salt and pepper to taste

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The how:

  • Preheat the oven to 400°. Cut the ends off of the butternut squash, peel it, cut in half, remove the seeds and cut into chunks. Spread the squash on a baking sheet and drizzle with 2 TBSP olive oil and sprinkle with salt, pepper and a dash of nutmeg.  Roast in the oven until the squash begins to caramelize, about thirty minutes.
  • While the squash is roasting, chop the onion, garlic carrots and celery.  In a large soup pot, drizzle the bottom with the remaining 3 TBSP of olive oil (no measuring necessary-just drizzle enough olive oil to coat the bottom of the pan).  Turn the pot onto medium-low and add the carrots, onions, garlic and celery.  When the veggies start to turn translucent and soft, stir in the saffron, lemon and orange zest.  After a few minutes, add a quart of water, turn the heat up to medium and allow the veggies to fully soften, about 15 minutes.
  • By now your squash should be starting to caramelize.  Add the soft squash to the soup pot.  Using an immersion blender, puree the soup. If you don’t have an immersion blender (welcome to the club!) simply add the soup to your regular blender little by little and puree.  It’s a little bit messier and delicate since the soup is hot, but it works just as well. Once the entire contents of the pot is pureed add salt if necessary.
  • Dish out the soup into small mugs and sprinkle roasted pumpkin seeds and finely chopped sweet red peppers on top.
  • This recipe is enough to feed 8-10 people.  If you plan on reheating the soup, I recommend doing in on the stovetop on low heat.

 

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I don’t know about you, but I am chest (cheeks?) deep in soup season.  This is the fourth soup I’ve made in two weeks!  I love the simplicity of only having to watch over one pot and I have to admit I love standing next to a hot stove.  My fingers and toes are always freezing so I tend to stand over the soup and stir it the entire time.  Maybe I was a witch in a past life?

*This recipe was slightly altered from a recipe found in Rachel Ray magazine.

Ridiculously Easy Fish Tacos

by Katie | Leave a comment

The title says it all. These are so easy, it’s almost like you didn’t cook, except you do make the slaw, so that counts for something. While everyone will love these, I immediately thought of them as the perfect dish for busy families, because they are relatively healthy, can easily feed a crowd, and again, are so. darn. easy. But beyond that, their simplicity  would make them a great party food, especially for an end-of-summer shindig. I’d serve these with some agua fresca and mojitos followed by toasted coconut and avocado lime popsicles for dessert. BAM.

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Spring Rolls {Vegetarian & Vegan}

by Katie | 5 Comments

Mint is our ingredient of the season. Our archive of mint posts is rich with ideas for drinks, salads, main dishes, and cosmetic uses!

Before last week I had eaten my fair share of spring rolls, yet never made them, but with mint as our ingredient of the season, this was one of those recipes that I was excited to stretch my muscles and try making at home. I was totally intimidated before my first wrapper hit the water, but I’m happy to report that these were surprisingly easy to prepare!

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Making spring rolls at home is so much fun because you can personalize them to your tastes, choosing your favorite protein (tofu, shrimp) and vegetables (sky’s the limit!). On this particular night, we opted for veg rolls with tofu as our protein and nappa cabbage, carrots, and cucumbers as our vegetables. I did the rolling while Calder and A.Max were out on a bike ride, but while doing it, I thought about how this would be even more fun to do with a group of friends ~ setting up a big spring roll bar and letting everyone roll their own. If you try that, let us know how it goes!

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Six Summer Spice Blends

by Sarah | 1 Comment

What’s better than barbecuing in the summer? I argue nothing. Absolutely nothing. Oh and what is worse than smelling your neighbors delicious barbecue and knowing that you have nothing to grill in the house? Don’t you hate that?  Well hopefully you have some type of meat, seafood or veggie protein in the house because today we’re talkin’ spice rubs.  Sometimes I get caught in flavor ruts where I end up putting salt, pepper, onion and garlic on everything.  I don’t know how it happens. I have an entire cupboard of spices, but my hands gravitate to the usual suspects.  I’m proud to report that that is not the case this summer! I started mixing up a few spice blends and keeping them in jars so that I have the perfect concoction in a pinch.  Today I’m sharing some of my summer favorites.

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Mint in your Lamb Meatballs?

by Katie | 1 Comment

Mint is our ingredient of the season. Of course we made mojitos. We also made some salads, iced tea, agua fresca, a body scrub, and… deodorant!

I’ve been sitting on this recipe ever since Sarah and I picked mint as the ingredient of the season. It’s not that mint is the star of the dish, it’s just that, when do you ever expect to see mint in a meatball recipe? You might think it’s expected in a lamb meatball recipe, but the cookbook actually refers to these as beef meatballs. And mint isn’t the only thing flavoring this dish; it calls for four different fresh herbs and over a half dozen spices! If that sounds complicated, it’s worth the effort.

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This recipe comes from the cookbook Jerusalem. If it sounds familiar, I shared a couple of recipes from the book in April. Or maybe you read a review of the book, or heard that a Jerusalem craze is taking over the nation (it’s the #1 cookbook on Amazon in the natural food cooking category). I have to admit that I didn’t realize it was that popular until writing this post, but I completely understand the compassion for this book. The range of recipes are exciting, they are made from ingredients that I want to eat, the book’s photographs are wonderful, the descriptions of places and history transport you… Through food, this book blends religions and cultures, if only it could bring peace to a troubled land.

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Pizza: Four Ways (and some more ways)

by Sarah | 5 Comments

Show me a person who doesn’t like pizza and I’ll show you a liar.  Pizza is the perfect party pleaser because everyone loves a slice once in awhile a day.  There are trillions of topping combinations and with a little planning, it’s relatively quick and easy to throw together.  Pizza is also the perfect party food because you don’t need utensils or even a plate.  With all that in mind, we decided to throw a little pizza picnic in Saxis, Virginia this past week.  If you’re entertaining for the fourth of July, you may want to give one or four of these pizzas a try!

Start with a cold hors d’oeuvre pizza with lime crema, avocado, cilantro and grilled corn.  Next serve a classic margarita pizza with roasted tomatoes and then bring out the caesar salad pizza (inspired by this idea) and lastly the pesto, pea, parm and artichoke pizza.  We used this recipe for the dough, which we originally read about in this article.

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