Pot Roast

Yankee Pot Roast

Pot Roast is one of those meals and fills you up and warms you from the inside out.  This is a staple in our house using venison, but the freezer is empty so I had to visit the butcher counter for some grass bed beef.

Traditional Yankee Pot Roast
adapted from Cooking Light Complete Cookbook

Ingredients

• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1 (2 pound) boneless beef roast or venison roast
• 1 tbsp kosher salt
• 1 tbsp freshly ground pepper
• 1 tbsp rosemary
• 1 dried bay leaf
• 2 cups beef broth
• 1/4 cup ketchup
• 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 can crushed tomatoes
• 1 pound carrots, cut into 1 inch rounds
• 1 pound small potatoes, halved

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 300.
2. Using a spice grinder, grind rosemary, bay leaf, salt, and pepper. Rub mixture all over roast.
3. Heat olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add roast to pan, browning on all sides. Combine broth, ketchup, and Worcestershire; pour over roast. Add tomato, bring to a simmer.
4. Add carrots and potatoes, cover and bake at 300 for 1 hour or until tender.

Drop Biscuits

Drop Biscuits

Besides tasting fantastic, these biscuits are a breeze to whip up.  They can be on the table within 20 minutes of reading the recipe!  Shhh, don’t tell anyone how simple making fresh biscuits really is!

RECIPE: Drop Biscuits  Adapted from Cooking Light: Complete Cookbook Ingredients 2 cups all purpose flour 2 tbsp baking powder 1 tsp sugar 1/2 tsp salt 1/4 cup chilled butter, cut into small pieces 1 cup cream or milk cooking spray Directions Preheat oven to 450.  Add dry ingredients to food processor with dough blade attached; pulse to mix.  Add butter; pulsing until dough resembles a course meal.  While pulsing, slowly add milk; until just moistened.  Drop batter onto parchment lined cookie sheet or spoon batter into 12 muffin cups coated with cooking spray.  Bake 10-12 minutes or until golden.  Remove from pan immediately and serve hot.

Falafel

Falafel is one of those things that you stumble upon.  I had a lunch with a girlfriend at a mediterranean restaraunt and she suggested that I try it.  Of course, I loved it.  The first time that I saw it on a menu when I was out with Forrest, I suggested he try it.  And, so, a love affair began.



Falafel
Adapted from Cooking Light Way to Cook Vegetarian

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup water
• 1/4 cup uncooked bulgur
• 4- 15.5 oz cans chickpeas
• 1/2 cup chopped each- fresh basil and parsley
• 1/4 cup chopped each- fresh sage & thyme
• 1/3 to 1/2 cup water
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• fresh ground pepper
• Cooking spray

Instructions

To prepare falafel, bring 3/4 cup water to a boil in a small saucepan; add bulgur to pan. Remove from heat; cover and let stand 30 minutes or until tender. Drain and set aside.

Preheat oven to 425°.

Combine chickpeas and the remaining ingredients, except cooking spray, in a food processor; pulse 10 times or until well blended and smooth (mixture will be wet). Spoon chickpea mixture into a large bowl; stir in bulgur.

Divide mixture into 12 equal portions (about 1/4 cup each); shape each portion into a 1/4-inch-thick patty. Place patties on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Bake at 425° for 15-20 minutes or until browned.

Tuscan White Bean Stew

This stew is warm, comforting, and super simple.  You can use dried cannellini beans in place of the canned, as long as you cook them ahead of time.

Tuscan White Bean Stew
adapted from Food to Live By

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 cup carrots, diced
• 3 slices bacon, diced
• 5 cups chicken stock
• 3 cans cannellini beans
• 1 can crushed tomatoes
• 1 tbsp chopped fresh rosemary
• 1 tsp balsamic vinegar
• 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt 
• freshly ground pepper

Instructions

1. Heat olive oil in a dutch oven over medium high heat.  
2. Add bacon and cook until crispy, about 5 mins.  Remove the bacon bits, but keep leave the grease in the pot.  Add carrots and cook about 5 mins.  
3. Add the stock, 2 cans beans, tomatoes, rosemary, salt and pepper; bring to a boil.  
4. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer gently until heated through.  
5. Meanwhile, puree remaining can of beans and stir into soup.  
6. Add the balsamic vinegar and top with bacon bits..  Serve hot.

Pretzel Rolls

These rolls make great sandwich rolls, they just need a little less sugar.

Bavarian Pretzel Rolls
Adapted from Food.com

Ingredients

• 1 1/3 cups warm water
• 2 tbsp warm milk
• 2 1/2 tsp active dry yeast
• 1/3 cup light brown sugar
• 2 tbsp butter, melted
• 4 cups all-purpose flour
• kosher salt for sprinkling
• 1 quarts cold water
• 1/2 cup baking soda

Directions

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, mix 1/3 cup warm water with the yeast and let stand until foamy.
2. Add remaining water, milk, sugar, and melted butter and mix to dissolve.  
3. Add 2 cups of flour and mix on medium low speed, adding remaining flour as needed.
4. Turn dough onto floured surface and knead for 2 minutes.  
5. Roll into a 24 inch log and cut into 12 2 inch pieces.
6. Cover and let sit for 10 minutes.  
7. Form into rolls and cover.  Let sit for 30 minutes.
8. Preheat oven to 425.  
9. In a large stockpot, bring water to boil and add baking soda.  
10. Drop rolls, 2 at a time, into the boiling water and boil for 30 seconds, turning once.
11. Arrange rolls on lined baking sheet.  Lightly sprinkle rolls with salt.
12. Bake about 8 minutes, or until golden brown.  
13. Let cool on wire rack.

Pumpkin, Black Bean, And Corn Chili

With Forrest out of town for a few days, I decided to make myself some chili.  I wanted to use ingredients that I had on hand, so I came up with the idea to make black bean chili.  I consulted Dara over at Cook in Canuck, because I've liked some of her soups before.  As luck would have it, she has a great recipe for Smoky Black Bean and Corn Chili.  I used her recipe as a template and modified it to both fit my tastes and what I had in my pantry.  While this isn't a traditional "chili," it hit the spot to satisfy my craving!

Pumpkin, Black Bean, & Corn Chili
Adapted from Cook in Canuck

Ingredients

• 3/4 pounds dried black beans, cooked with water in pressure cooker
• 2 10 oz bags frozen corn
• 1/2 of a 15 oz can of pumpkin puree
• 1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
• 2 tsp dried oregano
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp chipolte powder
• 1 tsp allspice
• 1 tsp salt
• sour cream
• spicy cheese blend

Directions

Combine all ingredients except sour cream and cheese in a large dutch oven.  Bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer until heated through.  Serve with a dollop of sour cream and a sprinkle of cheese.

Homemade Peppermint Patties

Peppermint Patties have always been a favorite treat in my house.  We used to keep bags of bite sized York Peppermint Patties in the pantry to always have an after lunch treat.  Once we went natural, the originals were replaced by Trader Joe's Dark Chocolate Mint Creams.  Now, the poor TJ's version has been replaced by these homemade treats.

Homemade Peppermint Patties are easier than you'd think.  The downside is, they don't last very long!  I imagine I'll have to make a batch a week to keep up with demand.

Homemade Peppermint Patties
Adapted from Design Sponge

Ingredients

• 2 1/4 cup powdered sugar
• 2 1/2 tbsp cold water
• 1 tbsp coconut oil
• 1 tbsp light corn syrup (Wholesome Sweeteners makes an organic option)
• 2 tsp peppermint oil
• 1 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
• 1 tbsp coconut oil

Instructions

1. Combine powered sugar, water, coconut oil, corn syrup, and peppermint oil in the bowl of a stand mixer and mix until it comes together.  
2. Dampen your hands and form mixture into a ball.  Place on parchment paper and flatten into desired thickness.  Add powdered sugar as necessary to keep from sticking.  Use a small cookie cutter to cut into desired shapes.  
3. Place shapes onto a parchment lined cookie sheet.  Put finished shapes in freezer for 30 minutes.  
4. Meanwhile, melt chocolate and coconut oil, stirring until smooth.
5. Coat peppermint shapes with chocolate mixture, working quickly to avoid too much softening.  I don't worry about the messy extra chocolate, it's just bonus chocolate! 
6. Allow candies to set in refrigerator on a parchment lined cookie sheet.  Store in refrigerator.