Zatar Seasoned Roasted Veggies & Potatoes

Heyyyy you! Are you busy during the week? Ugh, yea man, I know what that's like. Are you busy on the weekend too? Yea.. totally hear ya. 

Would you like an easy, throw-together kinda side dish? Thought so!

I know that I love this one so I thought I would share. I love this because it's so easy to commit to memory. You get your veggies and a healthy starch all in one dish so you're minimizing dishes to wash. And while the veggie combo that I list for this recipe is a great combo to roast together with potatoes, if you don't have red pepper you could substitute green. You could use sweet potato or russet potatoes. You could even nix the carrots and switch it up with brussell sprouts. Basically, it's easy to work with what you have in the fridge. 

I'll keep this short, you know, because you're busy. But totally save this and give it a try next time you're pressed for time. 

Zatar Seasoned Roasted Veggies & Potatoes

Serves 2-4 (I'll be honest, Adam and I split it. But it should probably serve 4 as a side.)

5-6 yukon gold potatoes, cut into 1/2 inch cubes

1 small red onion, coarsely chopped into large slices

1 small red bell pepper, coarsely chopped

1/2 c baby carrots

1 tbsp EVOO

2-3 tsp of zatar

1/2 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a large bowl, toss together all ingredients until potatoes are coated by oil and seasoning.

Bake in a ceramic or glass dish for about 1 hr or until potatoes are easily pierced with a fork.

 

Curried Turkey Chili

Sometimes I wish that a picture could capture and share taste. I can post a picture for you and make you drool over what I've made, but unless you feel like laboring in the kitchen yourself, I can't really share with you. And.. I'm all about sharing.

Today, I wish I could share the feeling of eating something warm on a the first chilly (or in this case chili.. har har har) day of the fall. The smell of a newly lit pumpkin candle. The satisfaction of a few crunchy leaves on the ground. The beauty of a bright sunny day that doesn't make you run and hide indoors because it's just too hot. 

I wish I could share opening a new jar of my mom's homemade concord grape jelly. Or pulling on a sweater outside for the first time in months (I've been rocking one every day indoors for months now, but that's just an over-air conditioning issue).

But I'm sure you have your own favorite fall stuff. Please share it in the comments! Fall is my favorite season so get ready to listen to me raving on about it for the next couple months.

Make a chili. Make a soup.. or a stew. Make an apple dessert. Throw some butternut squash into something. Drink a pumpkin beer or three. Fall is about comfort. It's not too hot, not too cold. It's cozy. Let's share that.



Curried Turkey Chili
Serves 3-4

1 tbsp EVOO
1 lb lean ground turkey
2 cloves garlic, smashed
1 small onion, diced
2 tbsp chili powder, divided
2 tsp curry powder, divided
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 c chicken stock
1 tbsp flour
1/2 tsp oregano
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp coriander
1 can diced tomatoes
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 sweet potato, peeled and cubed
salt & pepper

In a medium dutch oven or stock pot, heat 1 tbsp EVOO over medium heat. Add turkey, garlic, onion, 1 tbsp chili powder, 1 tsp curry powder, and 1/2 tsp smoked paprika. Add a couple small pinches of salt and pepper. Saute the meat until browned, stirring every couple of minutes.

While the meat is browning, whisk flour into the chicken stock until combined.

Once the meat is browned, add flour and stock mixture, oregano, cumin, coriander, diced tomatoes (including juices), bell pepper and sweet potatoes. Increase the heat to medium-high and bring this to a boil.

Once chili is boiling, reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, covered, for 35-40 minutes, stirring occasionally. Salt & pepper to taste. Serve warm.

Blueberry & Fennel Frittata

Hello!

Logging in to my little blog again after almost a month hiatus is so exciting! Wee! I'm still sort of in between kitchens. As I sit here in Philadelphia, PA, everything I own is in Washington, DC gathering dust. I'm here until Monday, but then I'm a representative-lacking-Washingtonian for good. This has literally been the l o n g e s t move in the history of the world.

I did do a little dabbling in my new kitchen last weekend on Saturday morning. It was a day which I was going to also dedicate to baked goods, but that was cut short by a power outage in the afternoon. Literally walked in the door with an armful of groceries, excited to finally mix butter with flour again, and.. pop! and everything shuts down. 

Fortunately, it came back the same evening and merely deterred my culinary endeavors. My ice cream didn't even melt. YES! And I guess the grilled cheese party I was baking for wasn't REALLY lacking in the fat department anyway. I'm still sweating butter. (PS if you ever find yourself in need of a new party idea.. grilled cheese is the way to go.)

I should also let you know that I owe the inspiration for this frittata came from my poor eyesight. I was driving down 95, heading to work last Thursday, when I noticed a WaWa billboard with an egg wrap. At first glance (and ok,  and the next 2-3 seconds as well) it looked like egg and blueberry. Which.. was interesting to me. Obviously it was sausage, but it got me thinking. So thanks, WaWa, for making your sausages look conspicuously like blueberries.

 I made this with swiss for myself and mozz for Adam. Swiss won in my book, but mozz is an acceptable substitute if your pallet is a little funny and you don't like the swiss.

Blueberry & Fennel Frittata
Serves 2

1/4 c coarsely chopped fennel bulb
2 heaping tbsp blueberries
4 eggs, beaten
salt & pepper
2 oz swiss cheese (or mozzarella), shredded

Grease a small cast iron pan (or a non-stick fry pan) and heat over low heat. Season eggs with salt and pepper. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Add fennel and saute for 3-4 minutes until it begins to soften and becomes slightly translucent. Pour in eggs and drop blueberries gently around the pan evenly. Cook eggs over low heat for 5-7 minutes, or until eggs begin to firm up in the center.

Sprinkle cheese evenly over the top. If using cast iron, place pan in the oven and bake for 3-4 minutes, or until cheese is completely melted and just begins to brown. (If using non-stick, continue to cook over low heat on the stovetop until cheese melts).

Cut into 2 pieces and serve with toast for breakfast or salad for lunch (or dinner of course!).