Shepherd's Pie

Rolling back in from vacation I didn't have a lot of food in the house but I did have most of the ingredients to put together a shepherd's pie casserole type dish. This is both hearty and healthy as well as yummy. The peas, carrots, onions, green pepper, and mushrooms give it a lot of pretty color and flavor and the ground turkey with gravy holds everything together. Of course the mashed potatoes on top really help to fill you up too. I added in cheese and horseradish to them for a little extra zing. This is kind of time consuming to put together because of all the chopping but if you do that in advance you can have this on the table in about an hour. 

Shepherd's Pie

10 oz or more Frozen Peas

6-7 Carrots sliced thin

1 1/2 Onions diced

2-3 tablespoons minced Garlic divided

1 Green Bell Pepper diced

8 oz. fresh Portabella Mushrooms diced 

1 Gravy packet or 2 tablespoons Flour
1 1/2 cups (about) Beef Broth
1 lb Ground Turkey

7 red Potatoes diced

2 teaspoons Horseradish

3/4 cup shredded Cheddar Cheese

1/2 cup Sour Cream

1/2 - 3/4 cup Milk

2 tablespoons Butter

Salt

lots of fresh ground Pepper

Oil

In a large pot of salted water bring potatoes to boil and cook until just tender.

Right before mixing

Drain and mash the potatoes with the butter, sour cream, horseradish, and milk until creamy then add in the cheese and one tablespoon garlic and mix. Set aside.

In a large skillet in some olive oil saute onions, mushrooms, two tablespoons garlic, and bell pepper until onions start to become translucent and caramelize - season with salt and pepper.

Onions and peppers before they have been cooked

Add in the ground turkey and cook until browned then sprinkle on the gravy packet or the flour and mix around until everything is coated then slowly pour in the beef broth and bring to a slow boil to thicken.

Gravy, yum!

Mix in the peas and carrots.

Pour into a 13x9 inch pan and top with the mashed potatoes.

Bake at 350 for about 30-40 minutes and let cool for 10 minutes or so before eating.

Serves 8 or more.

Pepper and Black Bean Filling

All the peppers and Onions

This is my go-to meal when I am by myself or don't feel like doing a lot of cooking. Mexican is probably my favorite cuisine and this is a mexican-ish tasting filling that works for pretty much anything. I use them as a filling for a quick burrito, sprinkle them on top of nachos along with other toppings, in quesadillas...you see where I am going with this.

Nachos!

I can make this in about 20 minutes and have enough to use for several days (if it is just me eating it). I never get tired of eating it either, yesterday I had a burritos filled with these beans and today I had nachos.

Enjoy!

Pepper and Black Bean Filling
2 15 oz cans Black Beans
1 Onion chopped
1 Orange Bell Pepper diced
1 Poblano Pepper diced
1 Red Chili Pepper diced
3/4 cup Frozen Corn
Oil
To taste:
Salt
Pepper
Chili Powder
Cumin
Coriander
Cheese
Heat oil in a large frying pan on medium heat and saute onions, bell pepper, poblano pepper, and chili pepper until browning then add in the corn, black beans and spices and cook on medium low for about 10 minutes; sprinkle with cheese and continue to heat until melted then take off of heat. Wrap these beans in a tortilla, sprinkle over nachos, or whatever you want to do.

BBQ Chicken and Roasted Veggie Pasta Salad

Chopped up roasted veggies - so good!

I made this last fall for a party and got the craving again last week. Also my partner's parents were coming to town so I thought it would be good to have some extra food in the fridge. This pasta salad is so yummy I have to stop myself from eating it until I get sick and it tasted even better this time around because I added in some cubed extra sharp cheddar cheese. The balsamic vinegar and bbq sauce contrasted perfectly with the sharpness of the cheese. 

Since I was going to be bbqing chicken anyway I made a few extra breasts so that I could use it as pizza topping later on for my super awesome bbq chicken and spinach pizza. (I just made that for the in-laws the day before yesterday so that recipe will be going up soon.)

Shredded BBQ Chicken

Also, I added the zucchini in because I had some extra lying around and it tasted just fine in the pasta salad, so I am guessing you could try any number of different vegetables roasted in this salad. Be creative and use what you have on hand!

BBQ Chicken and Roasted Veggie Pasta Salad

1 (1 lb.) box whole wheat Barilla Pasta

3 colored Bell Peppers quartered

2 Vidalia onions cut in large slices

2-3 Tomatoes quartered

1 Zucchini quartered

3-4 Chicken Breasts

BBQ Sauce (I prefer Famous Dave’s “Devil’s Spit” or “Rich and Sassy”)

1/4-1/2 cup Balsamic vinegar

Salt

Pepper

Olive Oil

Put chicken breasts in a 13X9 pan and salt and pepper to taste, then coat with bqq sauce and bake at 350 until juices run clear (about 30-45 minutes). Meanwhile clean tomatoes out so that only the flesh remains. Coat onions, peppers, zucchini, and tomatoes lightly with olive oil, pepper, and salt. Put veggies on a paper towel to drain off some of the oil if there is excess. Put all of the veggies onto a large baking sheet and roast at 425 for about 25 minutes or until desired doneness (vegetable skins should be browned in most places). While veggies are cooling, cook pasta according to package directions. Chop up veggies and chicken into bite sized pieces and toss with pasta. Add balsamic vinegar to taste. Serve warm or chilled. Serves about 6. 

Squash, Zucchini, and Chicken Saute

I made this simple saute a few days ago. It is great as is but it can also be served over pasta or rice. If you do that I would recommend adding in a little white wine or broth so that there is some sauce to coat the pasta or rice. Tonight I am making a new roasted veggie and sausage pasta sauce. Will post once I see how it turns out!

Happy cooking!

Squash, Zucchini, and Chicken Sauté

2 Yellow Squash diced

2 Zucchini sliced

2 Bell Peppers diced

3-4 Chicken Breasts chopped

½ Onion diced

3 tabl. Garlic minced

2 teas. Basil

2 teas. Tarragon

½ teas. Cayenne Pepper

Salt

Pepper

Olive Oil

Sauté onions, garlic, and chicken until chicken is browned and cooked through. Add in bell peppers, zucchini, squash, and spices and sauté until squash and zucchini are soft. Serve over pasta if desired. 

Mango Paneer Curry

Some of the fresh ingredients used

It looks odd close-up but it tastes so good!

Yesterday I had the pleasure of cooking for a group of people, as I had company for dinner and so I decided to make this curry. Normally I use chicken but I have been wanting to experiment with paneer (a type of cheese used in Indian cooking) and one of my guests was vegetarian so I went ahead and stopped by this adorable Indian Grocery and picked some up.

While I was there the lady running the store recommended a spice mix for the paneer curry that did not disappoint, it was spicy, a little sweet, and savory all at the same time and worked great paired with the mango and other ingredients. I absolutely love this meal! Have fun making this!

Mango Paneer Curry

14 oz. Paneer (fresh cheese) diced

1 Green Pepper diced fine

1 Red Pepper diced fine

1 Onion diced fine

3 Tomatoes diced fine

2-3 Mangoes diced fine

5 Thai or Serrano Peppers – seeded and finely chopped

1 15oz. can Coconut Milk

1 package (1.76 oz) Paneer Tika Mix (Rasoi Magic Brand is the one I used)*

2-4 tsp. Garam Masala powder

4-5 whole Cardamom

4-5 whole Cloves

Basmati Rice

Heat frying pan to medium high and brown paneer on both sides (you don't have to use oil to brown but I spritzed on the pan). Meanwhile chop up onions, mangoes, tomatoes, bell peppers, and Serrano peppers. Remove paneer from pan and put in onions, bell peppers, and Serrano peppers. Sauté until browned and sticking to bottom of skillet and then put in tomatoes and mangoes. Sauté for a while until tomatoes start to break down (about 10-15 minutes). Meanwhile mix together coconut milk and paneer tika mix and pour into skillet. Add in paneer and cook on low until the flavors are blended together. Serve over Basmati rice. 

This also tastes good with a sweet Riesling wine as an accompaniment.  

*This is what the packaging looks like: http://www.rasoimagic.com/paneer_tikka.html