Author: Megan

Here’s another ‘Meatless Monday Meal’ to make before or after the ‘oh so delicious’ Thanksgiving Day Feast! Are you looking for something light and delicious? Then you HAVE to try this concoction I conjured up after I came home from Italy where I had the one-in-a-lifetime-opportunity to study the ‘Mediterranean Diet’ when I was in college. Little did I know then, that Romans actually do not follow “diets” but rather the ‘Mediterranean Diet’ is just their way of actually eating. This experience only elevated my love, passion, and interest in nutrition and all things food. So I arrived home with a new found knowledge of food and sought out to make something delicious as well as highlight the simplicity of any dish using fresh herbs. And Viola…this became my new recipe.

Honestly, since this Italian experience I have never looked at food the same way. I have a better appreciation for the simple meals that make your taste buds jump for joy! I make food more specifically geared around my surroundings, or what season we’re in, or the specific occasion the food is the star, all the while using ingredients for those purposes. The blending of flavors to make simple yet, out of this world combinations, add the wow factor to any dish. Simple ingredients in my humble opinion, take food from ordinary to extraordinary!

Upon returning back to the U.S. and before my senior year in college started, my dad, who always had a large garden, always had yellow and green zucchini growing. So zucchini would be my starting point as to what vegetable I was going to use for my new recipe, but what else could I add? So I started sautéing onions and garlic in a pan with olive oil while adding fresh parsley and basil to the mix. I chopped my freshly picked zucchini and thought now this is exactly something that I would have seen on the menu in Italy. But, I didn’t stop there; I wanted to add protein to this so that if I wanted to have this for lunch I would be satisfied for a longer period of time. I also knew that I did not want meat of any kind with my zucchini because to me it just didn’t look quite right. So being also equally obsessed with garbanzo beans I open, rinsed and dumped a can of garbanzo beans (aka chick peas) to the mixture and allowed the flavors to blend. I knew I was on to something when my dad walked in and said ‘you know whatever your making I could smell from outside.” I knew then that if this aroma of blended fresh herbs and onions and garlic could lure him in to tell me this from outside then it must be good! And so the old adage goes without saying…thus my homemade recipe of sautéing garlic and onions in olive oil with sliced zucchini and adding garbanzo beans was born.

Ingredients:

• 1 medium yellow onion
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 2 zucchini (1 yellow 1 green)
• 1-2 cans of garbanzo beans
• 1 tsp. each of dried parsley and basil
• OR use a bunch of fresh parsley chopped and 5-7 leaves of fresh basil

Directions:

1. Chop medium onion in skillet with some olive oil
2. Chop garlic and place on top of onion so the garlic does not burn and cook until translucent. 
3. Add herbs to the skillet 
4. Slice zucchini in even pieces add to the skillet once and cook until tender. 
5. Open 1-2 cans of drained garbanzo beans and add to the mixture for about 5 minutes

Trick or Treat…

There is nothing that says Trick or Treat like Taco Tuesday….wait what???

With trick-or-treating and the inevitable sugar overload that will surely follow, why not meal prep ahead with quick and easy tacos for dinner??

Everything can be made ahead of time and safely placed in the refrigerator before all you ghost and goblins head out for the evening. My husband and I just LOVE Tacos.

Let’s be honest any Mexican food is always a favorite!!

Recently, I started using these Stand-N-Stuff Tacos along with the Dinner Kit from Olde El Paso, where everything is included, well except the stuffing part which generally includes lean ground beef and black beans in our house. What I love about Taco Tuesday, is the easiness of making tacos at home or even on the go. Tacos are that one food you can take with you and eat as you go with your trick-or-treaters.

So here’s to dinner on this ghoulish night. Happy Halloween ?

P.S. For my Gluten-Free friends Olde El Paso also has gluten-free options too!

Ingredients:

• Olde El Paso Stand-N Stuff Taco Dinner Kit
  
• 1 pound of lean ground beef
• 1 can of black beans
• 1medium onion
• 1 can of diced red tomatoes with green chilies
  
• 1 bunch of fresh cilantro
• 1-2 avocados
  
• 1 package of grape tomatoes
  
• ** optional shredded cheddar cheese
  
• **optional shredded lettuce

Directions:

1. Chop medium onion and place in frying pan with some water or oil and cook until translucent.
   
2. Add lean ground beef and cook thoroughly
   
3. Add can of diced tomatoes with green Chile’s and the can of rinsed and drained black beans.
   
4. Add packet of sauce and spices to mixture
   
5. Add chopped cilantro and turn meat mixture off of heat.
   
6. On a cutting board cut and dice avocado(s) and place in small dish
   
7. Fill your Stand-N-Stuff taco shells and add your toppings.
   

Check out this amazing Stand-N-Stuff Taco Dinner Kit from Olde El Paso: https://www.oldelpaso.com/products/stand-n-stuff-taco-dinner-kit
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With football, tailgates, or get together with friends and family for weekend games the looming question always comes down to…‘What are we going to eat?’
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I have my go-to favorites but sometimes you need a new recipe to add to the weekend mix.

Enter Shepard’s Pie or is it Cottage Pie??? Nothing says comfort food like this simple and delicious recipe.

My mom starting making this for my Scotch-Irish brother-in-law when he was dating my sister and it’s become a family favorite. I added a twist of course to this recipe and trust me if you do any search online for ‘Shepard’s Pie’ you will no doubt have a smorgasbord of ingredients which can be added or omitted depending on your preferences.

Honestly, I have never heard of ‘Cottage Pie’ and until I looked further into this recipe, I realized the ‘Cottage Pie’ is actually older but other than the time frame both of the pies are quite similar generally topped with a mashed potato crust.

The notable difference between Cottage or Shepard’s Pie boils down to the type of meat used:

• Lamb = Shepard’s Pie
• Beef = Cottage Pie

The history of ‘Cottage Pie’ dates as far back as the late 1700s to the early 1800s in Northern England and Scotland. Families often times did not have much food but the food they did have from meals in the week, they would take the leftover food, combine it all together and bake it into what we now know as Cottage Pie. This time frame in northern England and Scotland is right around time potatoes were introduced as a staple crop. Not to be confused to when potatoes were actually introduced at the end of 16th century and actually grown in London, but this crop did not have the popularity in the rest of the United Kingdom as it had primarily in Ireland.

It appears as though ‘our’ version of what we think of Shepard’s pie is actually ‘Cottage Pie’ under the wrong identity. But at any rate, this recipe is sure to be a hit at any gathering. Now, you have a bit of history behind this comforting and savory dish!

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs of Ground Beef
• 1-1 ½ cup of Beef broth
• 2 Tbsp Tomato Paste
• 1 medium Onion
• 2 cloves Garlic
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• 2-3 Tbsp of Namaste Quinoa Flour (or any flour of your choice)
• ½ tsp of Salt and Pepper
• 2-3 stalks of Celery
• 1 8 oz fresh Mushrooms
• 1 ½ cups of peas and carrots (optional you can add 2-3 regular diced carrots)
• *1/2 cup frozen corn
• 3-4 large yellow potatoes
• 1 tsp Paprika

Directions:

1. In a large pot and boil water to cook potatoes
2. Wash and chop potatoes.
3. Add potatoes when water comes to a boil
4. Mash potatoes and set aside **optional to add butter and milk to potatoes for a creamier finish
5. Chop onion, garlic, celery, carrots and place in the pan to sautee
6. Add and cook ground beef
7. Once beef is cooked, add beef stock and mushrooms, and a frozen bag of mixed vegetables. Simmer for 10-15 minutes.
8. At this point, when everything has had a chance to marinate I add some Namaste Quinoa flour to thicken the broth in the pan. This allows the mixture to be more casserole like without adding dairy.
9. In a lightly sprayed glass dish or baking dish, layer meat mixture on the bottom and then add your mashed potatoes over the meat mixture. Sprinkle paprika over the top.
10. Bake 375 degrees in lightly sprayed 9 x 13-inch baking dish. Bake uncovered for 35 minutes. Let stand for 10 to cool before serving.