Holy Mole | Sweet Potato Chorizo Mole

This is a recipe I found months ago and have been waiting and waiting to find a chance to make it. I, of course, cut the recipe in half and it easily fed three ladies. It comes from Almost Meatless a great little cookbook about utilizing meat as a flavoring instead of as a main event. It's perfect for people who don't eat a lot of meat, trying to reduce meat, or simply trying to save money (meat is expensive, yo!).  You could easily get four servings out of the halved recipe if you served it with two generous sides. This might even make a nice romantic meal for a Valentine's dinner (or for yours truly's pity party). It's spicy and comforting - just what we need to combat the winter nights!

Honestly, this isn't hard. I will say that I used corn that I froze last summer and black beans that I cooked and seasoned from a dried state. I also had two different colors of sweet potatoes and used both - just to jazz it up a bit. You do have to plan a little because the bake time is kind of long. Pop it in the oven, open a bottle of red wine, get Pandora going, and stare into the eyes of someone you love. You'll be screaming Holy Mole once it pops out of the oven.

How awesome are sweet potatoes, by the way?!

Sweet Potato Chorizo Mole
(Serves 4 to 6)

2 teaspoons vegetable oil
4 ounces (about 2 links) chorizo sausage
1/2 small onions, cut into 1/4 inch dice (about 1/2 cup)
2 cloves garlic, minced (about 1 tablespoon)
2 teaspoons chopped fresh oregano leaves, or 1 teaspoon dried
1 (28-ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes, juices strained and reserved, tomatoes chopped
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 tablespoon ancho chili powder
1 ounce bittersweet chocolate, chopped (about 2 tablespoons)
1 cup fresh or frozen corn, or 1 (11-ounce) can, drained and rinsed
2/3 cup water
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 pounds yellow or orange sweet potatoes, peeled and cut lengthwise into 1/8 inch slices, or in disks
8 ounces Cheddar cheese, shredded
1 avocado sliced for garnish
2 limes, cut into wedges, for garnish
Cilantro sprigs for garnish

1. Preheat the oven to 375F. Brush a 9 by 13-inch baking dish lightly with oil.

2. To prepare the tomato mixture, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Slice the surface of the sausage lengthwise to remove the meat from the casings. Crumble the meat into the hot pan and saute for about 5 minutes, breaking it up further as it cooks and begins to brown. Add the onion and saute for 2 minutes. Add the garlic and the oregano and cook for 30 seconds more.

2. Pour the reserved tomato juices into the pan to delgaze, scraping the bits from the bottom. Add the chopped tomatoes, cumin, chili powder, and chocolate. Stir to combine while the chocolate melts. Add the corn and black beans, reduce heat to medium, and allow the mixture to simmer for about 10 minutes. Stir in the water. Taste for seasoning and add salt and appear if necessary.

3. Meanwhile, to assemble and cook, spread one-third of the sweet potatoes on the bottom of the prepared baking dish, overlapping the slices. Scoop half the tomato mixture (a heaping cup) and spread evenly across the first layer of potatoes. Top with one-third of the shredded cheese and spread evenly across the first layer of potatoes. Top with one-third of the shredded cheese. Repeat this layer process, ending with a layer of potatoes. Top with one-third of the shredded cheese.

4. Once assembled, cover with foil, pushing it onto the surface of the top layer, and bake for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, until the potatoes are fork tender (yellow sweet potatoes tend to take longer). Remove the foil and sprinkle the remaining third of the cheese atop the potatoes. Bake for an additional 10 minutes.

5. Remove from the oven and let rest for at least 10 minutes to allow the layers to set up. Cut and serve with avocado and lime wedges. Garnish with cilantro as desired.

Grits and Greens Casserole

This is probably my last greens recipe for a while (one can hope). Now that I've gathered up some recipes I like, I'll probably just recycle those for a while. You'd think from the way I've been carrying on that I don't care for greens. Honestly, until this season I only really ate spinach. I'd eat a green if it was served to me, but I didn't go out of my way to cook them. I think also is that it's hard to cook the way I want to (one to two servings at a time) when you literally have a bushel of greens in your fridge. And every day I open the fridge they look a little sadder, forcing me to cook double batches or large serving recipes to use them up.

However, at the time I made this Eating Well recipe I was actually able to cut the recipe in half. But let me tell you, my excitement about this recipe could hardly be contained. Everything in it was something I liked grits, greens, cheese, and bacon! (Once again, this recipe could easily be made vegetarian with a few modifications.) It seemed a little odd to make this and I was really worried it would turn out gross, but I was quite pleased with the results. I served it with ham steak and salad and asked my friend Linc to come share this meal with me. He seemed to enjoy it, and Mallory enjoyed the ham and salad part. I actually ate the leftovers with a fried egg, and it was a great breakfast/brunch kind of thing!

Do you make any strange casseroles that sound like they'd be horrible (IE tater tot casserole), but are actually really tasty? Please tell me all about it in the comments section. If anything, just say hi and let me know you actually read this.








Grits and Greens Casserole
(Serves Six)

4 slices bacon, chopped (optional)
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 small onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth or vegetable broth, divided
1/4 teaspoon salt
16 cups chopped collard greens or kale, stems removed (about 1 large bunch, 1 1/2-2 pounds)
2 cups water, plus more as needed
1 cup grits (not instant)
3/4 cup shredded extra-sharp Cheddar cheese, divided
1/4 cup prepared salsa
1 large egg, lightly beaten

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Coat an 8-inch-square baking dish with cooking spray.

2. Place bacon (if using) in a large Dutch oven. Cook over medium heat, stirring often, until crispy, 4 to 6 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon to a paper towel-lined plate to drain. Pour off the bacon fat.

3. Return the pot to medium-low heat; add oil, onion and garlic and cook, stirring often, until fragrant and starting to brown in spots, 2 to 8 minutes (cooking time will be quicker if you started with bacon). Add 1 cup broth and salt; bring to a boil over high heat. Add collards (or kale); stir until wilted down to about one-third the volume and bright green, 1 to 2 minutes. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until tender, 18 to 20 minutes. Adjust heat during cooking to maintain a simmer, and add water, 1/4 cup at a time, if the pan seems dry.

4. Meanwhile, bring 2 cups water and the remaining 1 cup broth to a boil in a large saucepan. Pour in grits in a steady stream, whisking constantly. Bring to a simmer, whisking constantly. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook, whisking often, until thick, about 5 minutes. Combine 1/2 cup cheese, salsa and egg in a small bowl. Remove the grits from the heat and quickly stir in the cheese mixture until combined.

5. Working quickly, spread about half the grits in the prepared baking dish. Top with greens, spreading evenly. Spread the remaining grits over the greens. Sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 cup cheese and the reserved bacon (if using).

6. Bake the casserole until hot and bubbling, about 20 minutes. Let stand for about 10 minutes before serving.

Sausage & Lentil Casserole

Don't shoot me... this is another recipe from Eating Well Serves Two. I can't resist the perfectly portioned healthy recipes they offer in this collection.

I was looking up spinach recipes in the index to see if any recipes would allow me to easily sneak in collard greens. My roommate had said she had a thing for lentils and she is trying hard to try new foods. She doesn't like cooked greens, so I was worried this wouldn't work out for her. However, I cut the collards up into smaller pieces and I feel that the texture of the greens was somehow hidden by the rice and lentils. She and I both tasted it and agreed it was pretty good.

However... let me tell you this was not an easy one for me to make. First of all, I love how recipes call for canned lentils. I am certain I have never seen a can of lentils. I thought they all came in bags. So I looked up the conversion chart for dried lentils. I was told 1/2 cup dried lentils makes one cup. Since one can roughly equals two cups, I made a whole cup of lentils. Suddenly I had four cups of cooked lentils. That's okay! Because half of the lentils went into the freezer for another day.

Now I also I had to prep the collards. I had to soak the grit off, slice them up, and cook them. I also didn't have any instant rice, so I decided I would just half way cook some regular rice. And this is where things got out of proportion. I measured out the rice called for in the recipe, and it cooked out a lot of rice. So perhaps if you also do not have instant rice, you should reduce your rice from 3/4 to about 1/4 to 1/2 cup. I decided at the time I didn't give a crap and just dumped everything into the casserole dish and baked it.

This is way more than two servings, honestly it's more like 3 or 4. But that's okay... cause it tastes pretty good and I am never going to complain about large servings of healthy casseroles. However, I am sure next time when I reduce the amount of rice it will actually be two servings. FYI, the picture does not do it justice. It tastes a lot better than it looks.

Do you have any healthy(ish) casseroles that you'll be making this winter? Are you sneaking greens into dishes and hoping no one will notice? Please share in the comments section.




Sausage & Lentil Casserole
(Serves Two)

1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 link hot Italian sausage, casing removed
1 small onion, chopped
1 14-ounce can lentils, rinsed
1 cup frozen or fresh spinach
3/4 cup reduce-sodium chicken broth
1 teaspoon dried oregano
3/4 cup instant brown rice
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/4 cup shredded extra-sharp Cheddar cheese

1. Preheat oven to 400F. Coat a 1-quart casserole or loaf pan with cooking spray.

2. Heat oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add sausage and onion; cooking, stirring, until the onion softens, about 5 minutes. Add lentils, spinach, broth and oregano. Increase heat to medium-high and cook stirring often, until heated through, about 3 minutes. Stir in rice and pepper. Transfer the mixture to the prepared baking dish and cover with foil. Bake until the rice is tender, 30-35 minutes. Top with cheese and bake, uncovered, until the cheese melts, about 2 minutes more.

Meatless Monday | Mediterranean Vegetable Casserole

Let's be honest, Fall is just around the corner. I am getting my first head of cabbage this week (didn't I just finish eating that stuff?). Not that I am complaining, but the summer produce is about be a faint memory. I think Americans love summer produce. In fact, I know it. Because every recipe I find tucked away in Winter magazines has corn, green beans, or tomatoes in it. Whenever have you been walking around in December and come across fresh tasty tomatoes? (Sub-tropical areas don't count!) Modern day agriculture has created the ability to have seasonless meals. I've tried to enjoy tomatoes (from the grocery store) in January, they just aren't that great.

So because sometimes I can't keep up with all the produce in my box, I am freezing a lot of it to enjoy later. I've frozen batches of Corn Chowder, Stuffed Peppers, green beans, and squash. All of which will be eaten with delight later. On top of that, I made something called Mediterranean Vegetable Casserole. It's from the Weight Watcher's cookbook Turn Around. I imagine eating it in December over some couscous with grilled fish or roasted chicken. But for now, it's frozen into small portions to be enjoyed by two at a later date.

It takes a while to make and isn't something I would make on a weeknight, but this would make an excellent Saturday evening side or vegetarian entree. However, if you know how to slice vegetables and turn on an oven, you'll be fine and dandy. I used dried herbs instead of fresh. I don't remember how much of each, but there are conversions somewhere on the Internet. I also used green bell peppers and double yellow squash instead of zucchini.

Post prep work.

Cooled and ready to go into the freezer.

Mediterranean Vegetable Casserole
(Makes 6 Servings)

1 small eggplant (about 3/4-pound) eggplant, peeled and cut into 3/4-inch slices
4 teaspoons olive oil
1 large yellow squash, cut into 1/4-inch diagonal slices
1 medium zucchini, cut into 1/4-inch diagonal slices
1 red bell pepper, seeded and cut into strips
1 onion, very thinly slices
3 garlic cloves, very thinly sliced
1/4 cup tomato paste
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh basil
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh thyme
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 tomato, thinly sliced

1. Heat oven to 400F. Spray 2 nonstick baking sheets and a 1-quart casserole with nonstick spray.

2. Combine the eggplant and a 1 teaspoon of the oil in a bowl. Transfer to a baking sheet and arrange in a single layer. Repeat, first with the squash and then with the zucchini, tossing each vegetable with 1 teaspoon of the oil and arranging in a single layer on the second baking sheet. Bake the vegetables for 12 minutes. Turn the vegetables over and bake 8 minutes. Remove the vegetables from the oven and reduce the oven temperature to 350F.

3. Heat the remaining 1 teaspoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the bell pepper, onion, and garlic; cook, stirring frequently, until softened. Cover the skillet and cook, shaking the skillet occasionally, about 5 minutes.

4. Combine the tomato paste and water in a small bowl. Combine the parsley, basil, thyme, salt, and pepper in another small bowl.

5. Arrange half of the eggplant in the casserole and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of the herbs. Continue layering with half of the tomato, half of the sauteed vegetables, and half of the squash and zucchini, sprinkling 1 teaspoon herbs between each layer. Repeat the layers, ending with the squash and zucchini. Pour the tomato-paste mixtures over the top. Cover and bake until the vegetables are tender, 50 minutes. Uncover and bake until browned, about 15 minutes.

Meatless Monday | Veggie Stuffed Peppers

I have talked about the Don’t Panic method before when I made Tuna Noodle Bake. It was okay, not the best thing I ever made. I actually still have the stuff on hand to make another pan, but it may not happy. As summer vegetables are at their peak and only have a couple of months left, I am going to start making larger dishes that can be easily frozen. Casseroles in August? I must be crazy. But it’s the easiest way to use up the large quantities of produce. Cooking for two is great, but using half a squash and a small onion doesn’t get you through your Grow Alabama box.

Let me tell you about summer’s bounty. I somehow had 11 ears of corn in my fridge last week. What the heck was I going to make with 11 ears of corn? Well first off I made two batches of Corn and Bacon Chowder and froze them in freezer bags. That will be tasty in December when my fridge won’t know what fresh corn looks like.

Last week I made Veggie Stuffed Peppers. It’s a Weight Watcher’s recipe (from the cookbook TurnAround) that I decided to make because I was feeding three people and because I had corn, tomatoes, and bell pepper that was taking up way too much space in my fridge. The recipe actually calls for using frozen corn and canned tomatoes… but I had it on hand, so I just used fresh. They were a hit with the roomie and the boyfriend. So I decided to make them again and freeze them (because I still have corn, pepper, and a can of tomatoes to use up).

And because it's Meatless Monday, I thought this would be the perfect recipe to share.

The pictures below show the first go round when I had the pretty yellow and red peppers. Later, I only had green peppers and so that’s what I used. These would even be tasty with pablano peppers (probably my favorite mild green pepper).

I added a little bit of cheese.

Veggie Stuffed Peppers

(Serves Four)

4 red bell peppers, halved and seeded

1 onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 (14 1/2-ounce) can diced tomatoes

1/2 (10-ounce) box frozen corn kernals, thawed

1/2 teaspoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1 cup cooked brown rice

1. Preheat the oven to 375F. In a large pot of boiling water, cook the bell peppers until tender, about 4 minutes, then drain.

2. To prepare the filling, spray a large nonstick skillet with olive oil nonstick spray and set over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic; cook, stirring frequently, until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, corn, chili powder, salt, and pepper; bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the flavors are blended, about 10 minutes. Stir in the rice.

3. Stuff the filling into each bell-pepper half. Place the stuffed peppers in a shallow 2-quart casserole. Cover with foil and bake until heated through, 20-25 minutes.

A note on freezing: The peppers could have been frozen several different ways. Firstly, I baked them before I froze them. Next time I might just wait to make them until the day I decide to make them. They could have been frozen on cookie sheets, wrapped in paper, and put in a freezer bag. I could have taken out one or two peppers depending on who I was feeding. But I chose to get some small aluminum pans and put two servings (4 halves) in each pan. I am not sure how I will reheat them yet. Either I’ll let them thaw and microwave or I’ll put them frozen directly into the oven and baked them until they are warmed through.

Meatless Monday | Eggplant Parmesan

Ugh, this post started as a background story on how I came to eat the way I do now. But it was turning into a memoir, and I would like to keep some of my life a mystery. Basically, over the last few years I have realized the importance of eating fresh vegetables and high quality ingredients. I am not a vegetarian, but I don't eat a lot of meat. I do not believe meat is evil, I believe the modern meat industry is. I read a great article on Civil Eats about this topic, please read it here. The author explains Meatless Monday campaign in a way that makes sense. It's not just PETA protesters throwing paint on hummers, it's also people who want quality nutritious meat that doesn't have huge environmental impacts. She also points out, if you eat less meat on an every day/every meal basis - then you can afford to buy the better quality. She has definitely inspired me to really step up the quality of my meat.

So every Monday I will post a new meatless recipe. Today's recipe is a very in season and yummy classic, Eggplant Parmesan. I got it from the William-Sanoma cookbook Cooking for Yourself. It's not the deep fried version that grandma makes, but something a little more waistline friendly. Don't worry... there is cheese on it! And there is a very cool homemade tomato sauce with it (perfect for the bountiful crops here in Alabama). I made this last week while Dennis was out of town. One of my friends from college came over and ate with me. We caught up, ate, and drank wine. It was good times.


It's pretty easy to make. Takes about an hour from start to finish. The recipe claims to serve one, but I think my eggplants may have been bigger than what the writers intended. They probably purchased the cookie cutter produce from some upscale market. Mine came from a local farm through my Grow Alabama box. Maybe if I ate only the casserole, it could have passed as a single serving. But I actually got about 3 servings out of it. If Dennis had been there, it would have been a solid two. He is bummed he missed out and I've promised to make it the next time I get eggplant. This time last year I got eggplant on a regular basis until about September.

The recipe calls for grated Roma tomatoes. I did not use Roma, I used whatever the tomato was in my box. And I put mine through the food processor. Easy peasy. I did add a pinch of chili flakes to my sauce and one extra clove of garlic, but that was it. At first, I didn't think there would be enough sauce, but it was just the right amount. For kicks, I added the left over breadcrumbs from the Spaghetti with Fried Eggs recipe. This recipe instantly earned it's spot in my soon to be made binder.

I served it with whole wheat pasta and a cucumber salad.

The ingredients, tres simple.

Testing out my new cast iron griddle pan.

Making the sauce.

Fresh out of the oven.

Eggplant Parmesan
(Serves 1-2)

Ingredients:
2 Asian Eggplants, 6-8 oz total weight
1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons olive oil
Salt and ground pepper to taste
1 clove garlic, minced
2/3 cup grated plum (Roma) tomatoes
4 fresh basil leaves, torn into small pieces
2/3 cup shredded whole-milk mozzarella
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

1. Preheat a broiler (griller).

2. Trim ends off the eggplants, then cut lengthwise into slices ¼ inch thick. Using the 1 tablespoon olive oil, lightly brush both sides of the eggplant slices and arrange on a baking sheet. Season with salt and pepper. Slip under the broiler and broil (grill) until lightly browned, 4-5 minutes. Turn and broil until lightly browned on the second side, about 4 minutes longer. Transfer the slices to paper towels to drain.

3. Preheat an oven to 375F.

4. In a small frying pan over medium heat, warm the 2 teaspoons olive oil. Add the garlic and sauté for 1 minute to release its fragrance. Add the tomato and basil and season with salt and pepper. Simmer briskly, stirring often, until the mixture forms a sauce, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat.

5. Choose a baking dish just large enough to hold the eggplant in 2 layers. Arrange half of the eggplant in the baking dish, then spread with half of the tomato sauce. Top with half of the mozzarella. Repeat the layers, then top with the Parmesan cheese.

6. Bake until bubbling hot and the cheese is nicely browned, about 20 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes before eating.

Tuna-Noodle Bake

This week's post has multiple points. First, it's a pantry recipe. Which means it's there for you on the nights when you get home and you have absolutely no fresh produce left in your fridge. Secondly, it's a Weight Watchers (c) recipe. So it's a healthi-fied version of a comfort classic. And thirdly, I decided to test the Don't Panic method. Which is great for cooking for singles and doubles. You can literally make your mom's lasagna recipe and not eat it every night for a week. No cutting recipes in half!

I had never made tuna casserole in my life. My mom made tuna helper from time to time, but was often met with groans. Canned tuna still isn't my favorite food, but because it's so cheap I incorporate it to keep my food budget down. Dennis said his mom cooked something that was basically a tuna noodle bowl (not baked in the oven), but was covered in lots of cheese. So I decided to use this Weight Watchers recipe to help strike a balance.

First of all, the recipe serves four. It says to use a 2 quart casserole dish. After looking through the Don't Panic books I was inspired to take their idea and scale it down. I'll explain the Don't Panic Method below. Just about every recipe in the book fed 6 or more. Instead, I could simply make the single casserole for six put it into two pans (with 3 servings each) or three pans (with 2 servings each). My tuna bake serves four so I used two meatloaf pans with 2 servings in each. It was a PAIN to try to line the pan with the aluminum foil and plastic wrap. When I later cooked the other half, the plastic wrap got stuck in the grooves and we literally had to wait till it was cooked to pull out the bits I couldn't dig out. So I am going to try to wrap and freeze method a few more times. If it doesn't get easier with practice, I'll switch to disposable aluminum pans (which can be reused a few times before discarding).

The recipe advocates cooking it for 50 minutes. This should certainly be decreased for the smaller servings, I put it in for 30 and it was pretty much overcooked. The eggs had all gone to the bottom and baked into a slightly overdone fritata consistency. The noodles on top were very dry. The second time, we baked it while frozen and it took about 40 minutes and it was good. Not dry at all. I wanted it to be a little runny (personal preference). Basically, I am saying start checking your casserole after 15-20min just to see the progress and decide how well done you want your casserole.

I am posting the original recipe. You can make it all at once and eat left overs (it's a small casserole), just make half, or divide it and do the Don't Panic Method. It's cheap and quick, and relatively tasty.

Don't Panic Method:

1. Follow your casseroles instructions with minor tweaks. Instead of one pan, divide it into smaller pans/dishes for 1-3 servings each. However, be sure to line your pans (with a lot of excess) with aluminum foil first, then plastic, and finally put the food inside.

2. Freeze your casseroles.

3. Once frozen solid, pop them out of the casserole dish. You may have to run some hot water on the bottom.

4. Make sure your casserole is wrapped well and possibly placed in a freezer bag. Put it in the freezer until ready for use (I don't advocate more than 3-6 months).

5. When ready, take casserole out and unwrap it (probably with a little help from some hot water). This does have a small yuck factor.

6. Put the unwrapped casserole back into the pan it molded to.

7. Thaw completely or slightly and then bake.

Tuna-Noodle Bake

(4 Servings)

2 cups wide whole-wheat egg noodles

1 (16oz) bag frozen mixed vegetables

1 (6oz) can or pouch of water-packed solid white tuna, drained and flaked

1 1/2 c. fat-free milk

2 large eggs

3/4 c. shredded fat-free sharp cheddar cheese

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper

1. Preheat oven to 375 F. Spray a shallow 2 quart casserole dish with canola oil nonstick spray. Cook the noodles according to package directions, adding the mixed vegetables during the last minute of cooking. Drain and pour into the casserole dish. Scatter the tune over the top.

2. Lightly beat the milk and eggs in a medium bowl. Stir in about 1/2 c. of the cheese, the sale, and pepper; pour over the pasta mixture. Sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 c. cheese. Bake uncovered, until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean and the top is golden brown, about 50 minutes. Let stand about 5 minutes, then cut into four servings.