Beef Chili

My former roommate called this chili “the best chili yet”. While I still plan on switching it up from time to time, it is a pretty yummy classic chili recipe.  Serve with sweet potato biscuits.

Sweet Potato Biscuits

I love biscuits in every form, but especially when they’re this darn healthy.

Vegetarian Moussaka

This is one of those vegetarian meals that is so hearty and satisfying (and really, really healthy), that you won’t even notice you’re not eating meat. Both of my dining partners balked at the sizeable portion size at first, yet we all ate every last bite. Yum!

Fresh Cranberry Beans with Tomatoes, Onions, and Cinnamon

I received this great ol’ bag of pretty pink beans from my CSA this week, and didn’t have a clue what to do with them. Confession: I have never cooked a fresh bean before. I admit, I am a fan of the canned bean. I see nothing wrong with the canned bean. Call me a bad foodie, but it is what it is. Nevertheless, I found a darned tasty way to cook up these beans. They are creamy, and the cinnamon lends a nice warmth that is so perfect for fall. Try it.

Crispy Skin Salmon

This salmon is pretty much perfect. Simply seasoned, perfectly moist, amazingly crispy. I love crispy skin on fish, but believe it or not, crispy skin is a bit of an art — and ima tell you how to do it.

Chicken Paillard with Figs, Gorgonzola, and Pancetta Salad

I am whole-heartedly convinced that figs are a miracle fruit. They literally make everything else taste better, and they’re so pretty!

This meal was so delicious. I love the sweet figs, stinky cheese, peppery arugula, crispy pancetta all together. Add in the tarragon, and this is a really special combination.  YUM.

Porky Blue Cornbread

Ok, so what do you do with 2+ pounds of leftover pulled pork??

You stick it in cornbread, that’s what! What a good idea this was. The pork added a nice substantive meaty factor without being overwhelming. The bread itself was buttery, moist, and just a wee bit spicy.

*Sorry for the crappy pictures… I took this to a friend’s football party and left my camera behind 😦

Mango BBQ Pulled Pork

My favorite time of year is all of a sudden here (wasn’t it summer, like, last week?) and that means it’s also time for my favorite type of cooking. Sloooowly. I love food that can bubble away at the stove all day, requiring minimal attention and producing maximum yumminess. This is one such meal. The picture here is on an Ezekiel sprouted grain bun, but I actually ditched the bun and just ate the porky goodness by itself. A lettuce wrap, or in a salad, would also be yum. Serve with crisp cole slaw and enjoy.

Salsa Verde Sour Cream Enchiladas

Nom. Nom. Nom.

These enchiladas were easy and delicious. This was my first experience making a home-made enchilada sauce (I’ve frequented the red jarred sauce many times).  You can make this as spicy or mild as you like (mine was on the milder side as my guest was not a spice-lover. 

Stuffed Figs with Prosciutto di Parma

If you make nothing else from this blog, make this (and now, while figs are in season!).

While visiting with my parents this weekend, my mom whipped up a little fig snack with these very same ingredients (minus the prosiutto), and it was delicious. And then, Sunday morning, I was thumbing through Mario Batali’s Molto Italiano (I have a goal to cook more from my multitudes of cookbooks!), and was super excited to see this recipe. This recipe is like a hug on a plate. Eat it now!

Chicken Gyros

Greek gyro sandwiches are one of my favorite things of all time. The lamb “special” gyro at my local greek restaurant is to die for, and this is a pretty excellent at-home option. This made for a perfect healthy lunch.

Whole Wheat Banana Nut Sour Cream Pancakes

One word about these pancakes: ohmygod.

This week, my beloved moved in. To celebrate this, I had planned some special breakfasts for us this weekend, like irish soda bread and lemon-poppy ricotta pancakes. Since I used all of the ricotta in last night’s pasta (oops :)), and I didn’t quite have the time for the bread, this morning I made some of these fluffly little babies.

Holy banana nut pancakes.

Corn, Kale, and Leek Fritters

All of the veggies in these delicious fritters came from my CSA this afternoon. I was trying to find a way to use up the kale and corn in one fell swoop, and stumbled across this recipe. These fritters are really yummy and I can’t wait to have one with a fried egg on top for breakfast tomorrow morning.