Sloppy Joes

Don't buy the canned stuff when you can make it yourself!  These Sloppy Joes are so easy to make.  You can substitute ground turkey or chicken if you don't want to use beef too.  I served these Sloppy Joes in wraps instead of the typical buns.  I topped them with shredded cheddar cheese and some spring lettuce mix.  They are filling and perfect for a quick weeknight dinner.  Enjoy!

 Yum!

Sloppy Joes

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

1 pound ground beef

1 carrot, diced

½ onion, diced

¾ cup ketchup

3 teaspoons brown sugar

1 teaspoon garlic, granulated or powder

1 teaspoon dijon mustard

salt and pepper

Directions

In a medium pan over medium-high heat, add ground beef, onion and carrot.  Cook until beef is browned.  Drain liquids (fat). 

Stir in ketchup, brown sugar, garlic and mustard.

Reduce heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes.

Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Serves 4 to 6.

Honey Lime Chicken with Asparagus

This honey lime chicken with asparagus is so flavorful.  You can bake, saute or grill the chicken too, whatever is easiest for you.  The key thing is to make sure you marinate the chicken for at least 30 minutes or longer to get the great flavors.  The sauce is bright and refreshing which is why I used it for the asparagus too.  You can probably use it for another vegetable like green beans or broccoli.  I was really excited to use my new pampered chef stoneware for the chicken too - cleanup was easier than I thought it would be.  Enjoy!

Honey Lime Chicken with Asparagus

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

5 chicken breasts, thin-sliced

1 bunch of asparagus, ends trimmed

¼ cup olive oil

3 tablespoons soy sauce, low sodium

2 tablespoons honey

3 tablespoons lime juice

2 to 4 cloves garlic, minced (I used 4 cloves since I like garlic.)

½ teaspoon ginger, minced

1 teaspoon cumin

½ teaspoon cayenne

salt and pepper

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

In an 8x8 inch baking dish, whisk together olive oil, soy sauce, honey, lime juice, garlic, ginger, cumin and cumin.

Season chicken breasts with salt and pepper.

Add seasoned chicken to marinade.  Flip chicken halfway through marinating time.  (I marinated for about 45 minutes  – you may marinate overnight in the fridge too.)

Place chicken on a baking sheet.

Bake chicken for 20 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.  Flip chicken halfway through cooking time.  

Place asparagus on a foil lined baking sheet and drizzle with remaining marinade.  Bake for 15 to 20 minutes.

Serves 4.

Cheesy Lasagna

I made this Cheesy Lasagna for my sister-in-law's baby shower this weekend.  I went with an Italian theme and it seemed like everyone enjoyed the food.  My mom even called me after the shower and told me how good the lasagna was!  If my mom likes it, then it must be good right?  I noticed it was the first thing to be eaten by the guests too.  This Cheesy Lasagna is actually quite simple to make ahead of time.  I did use my homemade tomato sauce, but you can substitute store bought sauce.  I was able to make this cheesy lasagna two days earlier and reheat it in the oven before serving.  I personally think this lasagna was even better after reheating.  Now I wish I made an extra lasagna for myself! Thank you to my cousins Stephanie and Cathy from Petite Therapy for the photos from the baby shower.  They really make this cheesy lasagna look extra delicious!

Cheesy Lasagna

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

1 box (9 ounces) Barilla lasagna sheets (no boiling required)

2 eggs

15 ounces ricotta cheese

4 cups shredded mozzarella (or Italian mix) cheese

1 cup parmesan cheese, grated

6 cups homemade tomato sauce (or your favorite store bought marinara sauce)

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  Grease a 13x9 inch baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.

In a bowl, beat eggs and stir in ricotta, 2 cups mozzarella and ½ cup parmesan.

Spread 1 cup of tomato sauce on bottom of baking dish.

First layer 4 uncooked lasagna sheets, 1/3 of ricotta mixture 1 cup of mozzarella and 1 cup of tomato sauce.

Second layer 4 uncooked lasagna sheets, 1/3 of ricotta mixture and 1 ½ cups of tomato sauce.

Third layer 4 uncooked lasagna sheets, remaining ricotta mixture, and 1 cup of tomato sauce.

Last layer 4 uncooked lasagna sheets, remaining tomato sauce, 1 cup of mozzarella and ½ cup parmesan cheese.

Cover baking dish with foil and bake for 50 to 60 minutes.  Uncover and continue baking until cheese is melted, about 5 minutes.

Let stand at least 15 minutes before cutting.

*If making ahead of time, reheat by baking at 350 degrees F for 45 minutes and be sure to cover with foil.  Uncover in the last 5 minutes.

Spinach and Kale Roll

This is probably the most easy dish you could make, and it is perfect as a vegetarian appetizer or main dish too.  You only need 2 ingredients basically - frozen puff pastry and Trader Joe's spinach and kale greek yogurt dip.  If you don't have eggs, you could omit the egg wash but it gives it a nice color when baking.  I love Trader Joe's obviously, and their spinach and kale greek yogurt dip is awesome.  I usually like to eat the dip with Trader Joe's Whole Wheat Lavash Chips!  But you will love this spinach and kale roll instead, enjoy!

Spinach and Kale Roll

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

1 sheet frozen puff pastry, defrosted

16 ounces spinach and kale greek yogurt dip (from Trader Joe’s)

1 egg, beaten

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Unfold puff pastry sheet and lay puff pastry sheet flat.

Spread spinach and kale greek yogurt dip on the puff pastry sheet.

Roll the dough and place seam side down onto parchment lined baking sheet.

 

Brush with beaten egg.

Bake for 45 minutes to an hour, until slightly browned.

Let stand at least 5 minutes before slicing.

Pumpkin Chicken

Pumpkin chicken?  Yup!  I needed to use up some leftover pumpkin puree so I thought why not.  I adapted this pumpkin chicken recipe from Witty in the City (original recipe here).  I had to use honey instead of maple syrup since I didn't have any.  This pumpkin chicken was actually a little on the spicy side, so if you like a kick, this is your type of chicken dish.  Serve this pumpkin chicken over rice or egg noodles and definitely spoon some of that extra sauce on top.  Enjoy!

Pumpkin Chicken

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

1 pound chicken thighs, boneless and skinless (4 pieces)

1 cup pumpkin (plain puree)

1 cup chicken stock

1 teaspoon brown sugar

1 teaspoon honey (or maple syrup)

½ teaspoon cinnamon

½ teaspoon red chili pepper flakes

½ teaspoon garam masala (or curry powder)

salt

freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.  Spray a baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.

Season chicken thighs with salt and pepper.  Place in baking dish.

In a bowl, whisk together pumpkin, chicken stock, brown sugar, honey, cinnamon, red chili pepper flakes and garam masala.

Pour pumpkin sauce over chicken.

Bake for about 40 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.  Rotate baking dish halfway through baking and baste chicken with the pumpkin sauce.

Serve over rice or egg noodles.

Slow Cooker Pork Loin with Beer

Fall has arrived in DC, and I am loving this cooler weather.   I had some Sam Adam's Oktoberfest beer and I thought why not use it with a slow cooker pork loin.  This was another easy dish to make, but pretty much putting anything in a slow cooker makes it easy right?  I served this pork loin over pearl couscous (also called Israeli couscous).  Just spoon some sauce over the couscous and top with veggies and slices of pork loin.  This pork would also be great served over rice or mashed potatoes.  Leftovers would make awesome sandwiches too.  Enjoy! 

Slow Cooker Pork Loin with Beer

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

1.5 to 2 pounds marinated pork loin (I used Smithfield Garlic & Herb.)

16 ounce bottle beer (I used Sam Adam’s Oktoberfest.)

1 onion, sliced

8 ounces mushrooms, sliced

salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Combine beer, sliced onions and mushrooms in slow cooker.   Season with salt and pepper, if desired.

Place pork loin on top of vegetables.

Cook on low 8 to 10 hours.

Note:  To thicken sauce, remove pork and vegetables, and whisk in a couple tablespoons of cornstarch or flour directly in slow cooker.  Cover and cook on high for about 10 to 15 minutes.  Add in a tablespoon of butter for a richer sauce.

Spinach and Ricotta Stuffed Shells

Sometimes I have leftover ingredients from a recipe and I am able to reuse it for another recipe like this spinach and ricotta stuffed shells.  I used the leftover ricotta mixture from my recent lasagna recipe and just added spinach to it.  What is also great about these stuffed shells is that it is freezer friendly and I even tested it out for all you already.  I made the spinach and ricotta stuffed shells and froze them in freezer bags.  You would just need to bake the frozen stuffed shells longer, about 45 to 50 minutes instead of 30 minutes.  These spinach and ricotta stuffed shells went great with my basil tomato sauce.  Top with extra parmesan cheese if you want it to be extra cheesy.

Spinach and Ricotta Stuffed Shells

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

12 ounces jumbo pasta shells, cooked

2 cups basil tomato sauce (recipe here)

7 ounces ricotta cheese

1 egg, beaten

2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded

¼ cup parmesan cheese

6 ounces baby spinach

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Spray a baking dish with cooking spray and spread 1 cup of basil tomato sauce on bottom of baking dish.

In a medium bowl, combine ricotta, egg, mozzarella, parmesan and spinach.

Spoon filling into each pasta shell. 

Arrange stuffed pasta shells in baking dish.  Spread remaining 1 cup tomato sauce over shells. 

Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. 

Freezer Option:  You may prepare the stuffed shells ahead of time and place in a freezer bag (without the tomato sauce).  When ready to bake, there is no need to defrost, just place in baking dish with tomato sauce and bake for 45 to 50 minutes.