Ginger Beer Braised Carrots

This side dish came together really quick. Great for a weeknight dinner when you're in a hurry. The ginger beer balanced the sweetness of the carrots. The gremolata mixture adds a nice bit of freshness at the end as well. Will definitely make this dish again!

Ingredients:
1 cup ginger beer - fevertree if possible
1 cup chicken stock
2 lbs. carrots, peeled and cut into 2-inch segments
2 tsp. butter
4 tsp. chopped parsley
1 tsp. minced garlic
1 tsp. lemon zest

Directions:
1. In a large pan, boil ginger beer and chicken stock until reduced by half (1 cup), about 10 minutes.

2. Add carrots and butter. Season with salt and pepper. Cook over medium high heat, stirring occasionally, until tender and glazed. About 15 minutes.

3. While carrots cook, chop together parsley, garlic, and lemon zest. Once carrots are tender, move to a serving platter and sprinkle with gremolata (parsley mixture).

Quick Tomato Pasta

Summer is wrapping up so I finally have some time to work on posting recipes. This one was quick and utilized the cherry tomatoes that are growing in my back yard. The pasta was fulfilling but not overly heavy. In the winter, you could add a splash of cream to this dish to add more depth to the sauce.

Ingredients:
cherry tomatoes - 1 container, about 12 oz
1 box short noodle of choice (I like penne or bowtie)
1 clove garlic, minced (could add more if you like garlic)
1 cup pecorino, shredded
1 cup parmesan, shredded
1-2 cups reserved pasta water
chopped basil, for garnish

Directions:
1. Bring a large pot of water to boil. Cook pasta to package directions (typically 8-10 minutes).

2. Cut the cherry tomatoes in half. Heat a pan over medium high heat. Add a drizzle of olive oil to pan. Add tomatoes to pan with a pinch of salt and pepper. Allow to cook down slightly, no more than 5 minutes, until the tomatoes soften.

3. Add chopped garlic and allow to cook a minute more. Add pasta immediately so garlic doesn't burn. (If pasta is not done yet, pull pan off heat). Make sure to save the water the pasta was cooked in. Remove pasta with a spider strainer or a slotted spoon.

4. Once pasta is in the pan, add the shredded cheese. Stir to combine. Add a little of the pasta water to get the sauce to a consistency we like. Once all combined, put onto a plate. Top with chopped basil to garnish and serve.

Tomato-Braised Rotisserie Chicken

found this recipe in Bon Appetit magazine. I thought it was a great way to use a rotisserie chicken which I usually buy each week but flavor it in a new way. It also added kale which I don't typically eat but I really liked it in this dish. Any way I can trick myself into eating vegetables, I'll do it. LOL

This dish was always really quick. It took me about 30 minutes total so it's a great after work dinner that used a lot of pantry staples. I suggest adding some potatoes or bread as a side dish so you have something to soak up all the tasty sauce.

Ingredients:
4 oz bacon (about 4 slices), sliced crosswise 1/4" thick
1 shallot, thinly sliced
1/3 cup dry white wine
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 tsp. finely chopped rosemary
1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
1 cup low sodium chicken broth
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp red pepper flake
1 rotisserie chicken, cut into 8 pieces
1 bunch curly kale, ribs and stems removed, leaves torn into bite-size pieces
roasted potatoes or bread for soaking up sauce

Directions:
1. Place bacon into a large Dutch oven or skillet with a lid over medium heat. Cook bacon, stirring occasionally, until starting to brown, about 5 minutes.

2. Add shallots and cook, stirring occasionally, until shallots are softened and bacon is brown and crisp, about 8-10 minutes.

3. Increase heat to high and add wine, garlic, and rosemary to pot. Cook, stirring, until wine is reduced by half, about 2 minutes.

4. Add tomatoes along with their juices, chicken broth, salt, and red pepper flakes and bring liquid to a boil. Reduce heat to medium; nestle in chicken piece, skin side up. Top with kale, cover pot, and cook until kale is wilted, about 5-7 minutes.

5. Stir kale into sauce and continue to cook, uncovered, until chicken is warmed through, about 5 minutes more.

6. To serve, transfer a small amount of sauce and kale to a plate. Place chicken piece over kale and top with another spoonful of sauce.

Pot Roast Sandwich

This sandwich is one of my new favorite sandwiches. It's like a philly cheese steak met a pot roast and had a delicious sandwich baby. I especially liked this dish because it was a great way to use up my left over pot roast and put a twist on it to make it interesting again. If you don't have any left over shredded beef you could use sliced steak or purchase some shredded beef precooked at the grocery store.

Ingredients:
(these ingredients make enough for 1 sandwich so multiply accordingly)
1 ciabatta bread roll
1/4 cup shredded beef or pot roast
1/2 cup beef stock
small handful of arugula
3 tbsp. shredded mozzarella
1 clove garlic, peeled but left whole

Horseradish Sauce
(this makes 1 cup, enough for multiple sandwiches)
3/4 cup sour cream
1/4 cup prepared horseradish
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper

For Horseradish Sauce:
Combine everything into a small bowl. Taste for seasoning. If you like it really strong, add more horseradish. If it's too strong, add more sour cream.

For Sandwich:
1. Reheat shredded beef. If you have left over pot roast, reheat it in the sauce from the pot roast. If you have store bought shredded beef you can reheat it in beef stock. Just add the beef and sauce to a small saute pan over medium high heat until heated through.

2. Split bread roll in half. Toast in a broiler until lightly toasted, about a minute.

3. Once bread is toasted, rub with garlic clove while warm.

4. Spread the bread with the horseradish cream on the bottom half. Put pot roast on top of horseradish cream.

5. Sprinkle beef on sandwich with shredded mozzarella. Put back under broiler to melt cheese.

6. Once cheese is melted, remove from broiler and top with arugula. Close lid on sandwich and serve! I suggest serving it with the extra beef stock for dipping.

BBQ Chicken with Biscuits and Broccoli

This was a quick meal I threw together. It uses store bought ingredients so it's really simple too.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup BBQ Sauce
1 tbs. White Wine Vinegar
Chicken breast fillets
2 heads of broccoli, cut into florets (about 2-3 cups of florets)
1 shallot or garlic
1 can biscuit dough (your choice, I liked pilsbury)

1. Put biscuits into preheated oven. Follow the directions on the dough.

2. Season chicken breast with salt and pepper. Cook in a saute pan with a drizzle of olive oil over medium high heat. Brown both sides until chicken is cooked through.

3. While chicken cooks, saute broccoli. Sweat shallot or garlic with a drizzle of olive oil over medium low heat until translucent. Then add broccoli florets. Cook for 2-3 minutes. Then add 1/8 cup water to the pan and cover with a lid. That way the broccoli steams a little to cook through. Once broccoli is tender remove lid and cook until water is evaporate. Season with salt and pepper.

4. Once chicken is cooked, remove from pan. In same pan, add BBQ sauce and vinegar. Stir together. Add chicken back to pan and coat with sauce.

5. Remove biscuits from oven and plate your meal! Total time takes about 20-25 minutes

Crispy Cauliflower

I'm always trying to find a way to make cauliflower less boring and this dish delivered. The mix of texture between the tender cauliflower with the crunchy panko made this side dish much more interesting. It reminded me of fried food and made me feel like I was eating something bad when I was eating vegetables.

Ingredients:
1 head cauliflower, cut into florets
1/3 cup panko breadcrumbs
1 tbs. olive oil
salt and pepper
1 tsp. chopped parsley

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 425.

2. Toss cauliflower, panko, olive oil, salt and pepper in a medium sized bowl.

3. Pour cauliflower mix onto a foil lined baking sheet. Make sure to get panko breadcrumbs all over the cauliflower.

4. Cook in oven for about 25 minutes until the cauliflower is tender and the breadcrumbs are browned.

5. Serve as is or you can get fancy and add some chopped parsley on top.

Roasted Broccoli with Garlic Lemon Dressing

I wanted a way to elevate broccoli besides my usual sauteed broccoli florets. Serving it in a larger piece is not only more impressive, you save prep time with less chopping!

Ingredients:

2 small broccoli crowns (about 8 ounces each)

4 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil, divided

Salt and Pepper

1 tsp. lemon zest

1 Tbsp. lemon juice

1 clove garlic, finely grated

1/4 tsp. cayenne 

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425°F.

2. Slice broccoli crowns in half. Toss with 2 tablespoons oil and ¼ teaspoon salt in a large bowl. Place cut-side down on a baking sheet. Roast until the stems are tender and browned, 25 to 30 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, combine lemon zest, lemon juice, garlic, pepper and the remaining ⅛ teaspoon salt in a small bowl. Slowly whisk in the remaining 2 tablespoons oil. Drizzle the vinaigrette over the roasted broccoli.