This is a great recipe that comes together quickly. And, you can vary the ingredients depending on what you have on hand, as long as you use about the same volume.
Ingredients
1 large sweet potato, peeled/cut in ½” cubes
1 red bell pepper, cut into 1” pieces
½ head cauliflower, cut into ½” pieces (about 2 cups)
1 yellow onion, cut into ½” slices
3 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder
Salt and pepper
2 ½ cups mild or medium red salsa (from a jar or homemade)
¾ cup cilantro leaves, chopped
9-10 corn tortillas, cut in half
1 15-oz can black or pinto bean, rinsed/drained
1 cup frozen corn kernels, thawed and drained
2 handfuls baby spinach
1 ½ cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
½ cup shredded white cheddar cheese
Lime wedges, for serving
Directions
Preheat oven to 400°. Line 2 rimmed sheet pans with parchment paper.
On one pan, combine bell pepper and onion; on the other put sweet potato and cauliflower. Drizzle olive oil, and then sprinkle cumin, chili powder, salt and pepper evenly over both pans. Add more olive oil if needed.
Toss veggies on each pan gently to coat in oil/spices and arrange an even layer on each pan. Bake until veggies are tender, about 30-35 minutes, tossing veggies on each pan halfway through baking time.
Lower oven temp to 350°; grease a 9-inch baking pan.
Stir ½ cup cilantro into the salsa. Add ½ cup salsa to baking pan and spread out evenly. Add a single layer of tortilla pieces so they completely cover salsa. Top with ½ of beans, ½ of corn, 1/3 of veggies, ½ spinach leaves and 1/3 of the cheese.
Add second layer of tortilla pieces, pressing down slightly on mixture to make room. Top with ½ remaining salsa, all remaining beans and corn, ½ remaining veggies, the rest of the spinach and half of remaining cheese.
Add third (final) layer of tortillas, again pressing gently so there’s room for everything. Top with remaining salsa, veggies and cheese. Cover with parchment paper or aluminum foil and bake 20 minutes.
Remove parchment/foil and bake 10 more minutes, or until casserole is heated through.
Remove from oven and let cool 10-15 minutes. Sprinkle remaining cilantro on top before serving with lime wedges on the side.
Here’s the perfect opportunity to try buffalo, which is very lean and lighter tasting than beef. This casserole is comforting, yummy and perfectly rib stickin’.
Ingredients
1 lb ground buffalo/lean ground beef (vegan sub tempeh or beans)
½ tsp garlic powder
1 can (10.75 oz) condensed cream of mushroom soup (vegan sub tomatobased soup)
In large skillet over medium heat, cook ground buffalo until completely browned, 7 to 10 minutes. Season with garlic powder, salt and fresh-ground pepper. Add onions, green beans and corn if using.
Stir soup into ground buffalo and pour into 9”x13” baking dish. Layer tater tots evenly over mixture and top with cheese.
Bake until tater tots are golden brown and hot, 30 – 45 minutes. Top with chopped chives and serve.
This is a fun and delicious recipe. Try it once as/is and then use it as a base to which you can add your own combos of herbs, roasted veggies, mushrooms and meat!
Ingredients
12 oz bucatini or spaghetti
1 cup milk
½ cup heavy cream
2 large eggs, beaten
1 large egg yolk, beaten
1 cup grated Parmesan, divided
1/3 cup shredded mozzarella
1/3 cup shredded smoked gouda
½ cup grated asiago
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp black pepper, plus more to sprinkle on top
1 ½ tsp kosher salt
Optional topping: Pan-crisped pancetta
Directions
Preheat oven to 425°. Lightly grease 9” springform pan and place on a baking sheet.
Cook bucatini/spaghetti according to directions, but just until al dente – only around 5-6 minutes – with more bite than usual since you’ll be baking it too.
Drain pasta in colander and set aside.
In large mixing bowl, whisk together milk, cream, eggs, ¾ cup Parmesan, mozzarella, smoked gouda, asiago, garlic, pepper and salt until fully combined. Add pasta to milk mixture; toss until evenly coated.
Pour mixture evenly into springform pan, gently pressing pasta down to create a flat top. Sprinkle about ½ tsp more pepper on top, cover tightly with foil and bake for ½ hour.
Remove foil, sprinkle remaining Parmesan on top and bake until pie has set in center, about 20-30 minutes more.
Meanwhile, if using pancetta for topping (about 4 oz is good), heat a large frying pan over medium heat. In batches, add pancetta and cook until browned and crisp, about 5 minutes per side.
Remove to a paper-towel-lined plate and let drain/cool briefly. Cut or break into small pieces to add as garnish once pasta pie is done.
Remove pie from oven, cool for about 15 minutes. Release from pan, top with pancetta, slice and serve.
This is an easy recipe for a busy night as it uses several pantry items and shredded rotisserie chicken. Also great with whatever protein you have on hand (lookin’ at you, leftover turkey!). It’s fun to put out an assortment of toppings so everyone can customize their bowl!
Ingredients
1 small yellow onion, diced
1 Tbsp olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 cups chicken stock, low sodium
1 7-oz can diced mild green chiles
1 ½ tsp cumin
½ tsp smoked paprika
½ tsp dried oregano
½ tsp ground coriander
Pinch cayenne pepper
2-3 Tbsp masa harina
Salt and pepper to taste
1 8-oz. package light cream cheese, cubed small
1 ¼ cups fresh or frozen corn
½ cup carrots, grated on the big whole of the grater
2 15-oz cans cannellini beans
2 ½ cups shredded cooked rotisserie chicken (can also use leftover chicken/turkey)
1 Tbsp fresh lime juice
2 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro, plus more for serving
OPTIONS
Dash of liquid smoke, like Lazy Kettle Hickory Liquid Smoke available at BriarPatch
Over medium-high heat, heat olive oil in large pot. Add yellow onion, sauté 4-5 minutes. Add garlic, sauté 30 seconds longer.
Add chicken broth, green chiles, cumin, smoked paprika, oregano, coriander, cayenne and salt/pepper to taste. Bring mixture just to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer 15 minutes.
Drain/rinse beans in fine-mesh strainer/colander; measure out and set aside 1 cup whole beans. Transfer another 1 cup beans to a food processor with ¼ cup broth from soup; purée until almost smooth. (If you don’t have a food processor, mash beans with potato masher or a fork and then stir in broth.)
Add light cream cheese to soup along with corn, 1 cup whole beans you set aside earlier, puréed beans and masa harina (sprinkled in, use all 3 Tbsp if you want it thicker). Stir well and simmer 5-10 minutes longer.
Stir in chicken, fresh lime juice and cilantro. Serve with other toppings as desired.
These are sweet-salty-spiced flavor bombs that’re sure to get your party started right! A hint of pumpkin pie spice gives ‘em that unmistakably Fall feeling.
Ingredients
DATES
8 slices thin-cut bacon
16 medjool dates
4 oz goat cheese
¼ cup honey
¼ – ½ tsp pumpkin pie spice (pre-mixed, or use recipe below)
Toothpicks
Pumpkin Pie Spice
3 Tbsp ground cinnamon
2 tsp ground ginger
1 ½ tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp ground cloves
1 tsp ground allspice
Pinch fresh-ground black pepper (less than 1/8 tsp)
Directions
Bacon Wrapped Dates
Preheat oven to 350°, line a raised-edge sheet pan with parchment paper.
Slice dates lengthwise on one side to create an opening. Remove pits/crowns.
Using a spoon, stuff small amount of goat cheese into each date. Press sides together to close. Cut bacon slices in half; wrap each date with a slice of bacon and secure with a toothpick.
Arrange evenly on prepared sheet pan, bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and, holding toothpicks, turn each date so it’s lying on another side. Bake another 5-8 minutes and repeat, turning dates so each side of the bacon gets crispy.
While dates cook, combine honey and pumpkin pie spice in a small bowl.
Remove dates from oven and place on paper-towel-lined plate to drain. After 3-5 minutes, move dates to serving plate and drizzle with spiced honey. Serve immediately.
Pumpkin Pie Spice
In a small bowl, whisk everything together evenly, making sure to break up any clumps of ground ginger.
Special thank you to our friends at Friendly City Food Co-op in Harrisonburg, Virginia for this delicious treat!
In the month of October, we celebrate co-ops. Why? Because they are awesome! We feature recipes from co-ops around the country in our special Co-op Recipe Guide.
Ingredients
1 lb firm or extra firm tofu
Dry Mixture:
3 cups corn starch
1 tsp sage
1 tsp ginger
1 tsp garlic
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
½ tsp red pepper flakes
¼ cup parsley, chopped fine
Sauce:
1 ½ cups sweet Thai chili sauce
¼ cup hoisin sauce
¼ cup soy sauce
1 T lime juice
Directions
Mix all dry mixture ingredients together.
Cut tofu into 1 inch cubes.
Toss tofu in dry mixture. Allow to sit for one hour.
Fry tofu pieces in 330° oil – fry in small batches to prevent spattering, carefully turning the pieces in oil for even cooking.
