Carrots and parsnips roast up crispy and kinda sweet.
Ingredients
1 large carrot, sliced lengthwise in 1/4″ (or slightly thinner) slices
2 parsnips, sliced lengthwise in 1/4″ slices
1 t olive oil
tiny pinch salt
tiny pinch pepper
pinch smoked garlic sea salt (or regular sea salt)
1/2 T butter
1 T honey
Instructions
Pre-heat oven to 375F and place rack in the center (if using only one baking sheet).
Toss veggies with olive oil and a tiny pinch of salt and pepper. Place on a baking sheet*, with a bit of space between each slice. Bake for 20 minutes.
Remove from oven and toss with smoked garlic sea salt, butter, and honey. Back onto the baking sheet, and return to oven. Bake 5-10 minutes more, or until veggies are slightly crispy, and tender in the middle (thicker slices may require more time).
Remove from baking sheet while still hot.
Notes
*If using more than one baking sheet, rotate position after tossing with honey.
Originally, I was going to suggest making this dinner for Valentine’s Day. I was going to make heart shaped meatballs. Then I tasted it and it was so yummy and delicious and full of garlic. I love garlic. But, maybe it isn’t the best thing for Valentine’s Day? Unless you’re both eating garlic? Maybe? You can make an educated decision on this one. I started shaping the meatballs, but they kinda just looked awkward, and not really like hearts. So they are just round.
My new idea: just make this. Make it today. Make it for dinner. Or lunch. Is it lunchtime now? I think that’s a perfectly good time to eat Spaghetti and Meatballs.
The meatballs are simple. Since the rest of the meal has lots and lots of flavor, I didn’t feel the need to add too much to these guys. A little mustard, some lemon juice, garlic, yeah, more garlic, olive oil, salt, and pepper. They cook up pretty quickly and are nice and tasty. Oh and PS: You could easily flatten them and turn them into sliders (hello Oscar party idea!).
In today’s episode, there are quite a few veggies that co-star. Things like napa cabbage, Korean daikon radish, carrots, and kale… (You could chop them as small as you’d like, or purée them, making them hide-able, if you have any picky eaters in your home.)
I paired it with some Caesar Salad. I could eat this salad for every meal. Ummm, maybe not breakfast. Might not go so well alongside my cereal… but if I’m having eggs and toast??! No. Stop… The Caesar Salad that I make as a side for our dinners is my usual recipe, sans chicken and fava beans.
We had this for dinner last night. Here’s Tim’s response after a few bites, (almost yelling) “Is there more of this?!!???” Be still my heart.
Add pasta to salted, boiling water. Cook according to package directions. Reserve 2 C pasta water before draining*.
Heat skillet. Add 1 T olive oil. When it's hot, add onion, carrot, radish, salt, and pepper. Cook for 10 minutes over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Add garlic and balsamic vinegar, cook 1 minute more. Add kale, cabbage, herbs, cayenne, tomato sauce, and pasta water. Stir, bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer for 5-10 minutes. Add more water if needed.
Combine beef, salt, lemon juice, dijon, garlic, and a drizzle of olive oil. Using hands, mix (but don't over mix). Divide in 8. Shape each of the 8 pieces into a ball. Heat skillet, add 1 T oil, when hot, add meatballs and flatten ever so slightly. Cook, covered, over medium heat for 5 minutes. Flip and cook, uncovered, for 5-10 minutes more (or until internal temperature of meatball reaches 160F).
Top pasta with sauce, meatballs, parmesan, and basil.
Notes
*If pasta is finished cooking before sauce and meatballs, drain, return to hot pot, toss with olive oil, and cover to keep warm. This works best with whole wheat and not as well with rice pasta.
I used to live in Texas. For five years. In between growing up in Ontario and my curent residence in California. In that time, one thing that I learned about the good ole folks, deep in the heart of Texas, is that they love them some barbecue. Oh boy, do they know how to grill.
There’s a restaurant that we used to go to called Rudy’s. Their slogan is “The worst BBQ in Texas.” I’ve no idea why they say this. Mmmm, Rudy’s… You stand in line, (I have to interrupt myself for a second. I’m reading this aloud as I type and all of a sudden I’ve developed a Southern accent. What?!), so, as I was saying, you stand in line, you order your brisket, beans, coleslaw, creamed corn, peach cobbler, and sweet tea. You pick up your order a few steps to your right, and they give you about a quarter of a loaf of white bread to go with it. I don’t know why. They just do. And you just eat it, because that’s the way it is at Rudy’s.
This Shepherd’s Pie is a tribute to my Texas friends and family. It has collard greens, barbecue sauce, sweet corn, shredded chicken, polenta, and a whole buncha other stuff. You can read the recipe. I’m not going to write it all out again. I’m not a true Southerner, so this is my take on it, from my brief stint there. If I got it wrong, well, it still tastes good, y’all.
My heart feels happy right now. I’m thinking of Texas memories. What a sweet time that was in my life. I think I’ll go look at some old photo albums for a while.
Heat oven proof skillet (cast iron works great). Add butter, bacon grease, and olive oil and let them brown. Add all veggies (except garlic), vinegar, and seasonings. Cook over medium heat for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add garlic and chicken and cook 5 minutes more.
Whisk together water and cornstarch. Whisk in barbecue sauce, mustard, and maple syrup. Pour over chicken mixture. Cook over medium to medium-high heat for 3-5 minutes, or until chicken is heated through. Remove from heat. Stir in cream. Stir in lemon juice. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed.
Top with polenta and smooth over meat and veggies. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake at 350F for 10-15 minutes, if using hot, fresh polenta (or 30-40 minutes, or until polenta reaches 165F, if using leftover, cold polenta). (*If the pan is really full, you may want to put a drip catching baking sheet under the pan just in case it overflows.) If you're using hot polenta, you could also just top with cheese and serve. It will melt from the heat of the polenta.
Pre-heat oven to 375F. Toss beets with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Lay on a baking sheet and bake for 10-13 minutes, or until beets are slightly crispy and tender.
