Zucchini Quinoa Patties

I recently made zucchini quinoa "meatballs" for a second time (see previous for recipe link and info). I made meatballs for the kids and patties for my husband and I to have burgers. I spread some mayo on my bun (husband hates mayo so he got ranch) and put a good amount of spinach on both of our burgers. They were delicious! 

I also made a side of potatoes by cooking some cut up potatoes in a good amount of olive oil, some rosemary, salt and pepper for about 40 minutes or so. I think they come out so much better when you cook them lower and slower. In addition, I  had a ripe organic cantaloupe from Trader Joes that I thought I'd serve as well. 

Beef Curry

Partially inspired by a meal my in-laws made us when we visited them a couple months ago and partially inspired by this recipe I found on Pinterest, I made a version of beef and vegetable curry for dinner. I used the ingredients for the sauce in the recipe and then added that sauce to the version that my in-laws made (beef and veggies). 

Beef is a rare treat in our house so I was really looking forward to this meal! I bought a pound of organic, grass-fed beef at Whole Foods and cut into stir-fry strips. I stir fried the meat in some hot coconut oil until it was cooked through (just a few minutes). I transferred the meat to a bowl and then cooked the bell peppers and carrots in the wok. After about 5 minutes or so I added the softer veggies (mushrooms and zucchini) and cooked the veggies for about 5 more minutes. Once the veggies were stir fried I added the beed and then stirred in some of the sauce. I didn't add too much of it bc I wasn't sure how it would come out and I didn't want to risk ruining the entire pan full of food. I heated the sauce and served it on the side. My husband of coursed used most of it on his plate while I was satisfied with the sparse amount on mine. 

I had also made some brown rice to go along with this meal. It was my first ever experience with curry and I'd say it come out well. 

Broccoli Cheese Soup

For the first time, I made Broccoli Cheese Soup following this recipe that I found on Pinterest. It was de-freakin-licious! I wanted to make a larger batch so I doubled most of the ingredients except the cheese and the heavy cream. I didn't add heavy cream at all; I used whole milk instead. I also added much more broth than the recipe called for (even after I had doubled it) bc the amount didn't even cover the veggies in the saucepan. 

Lastly, I used my immersion blender to break up some of the pieces bc I wanted a creamier soup. I only pulsed it a couple of times bc I wanted there to be a couple of small chunky bits here and there. It came out perfectly, exactly how I was hoping and it tasted amazing! 

Cauliflower Pizza Crust

A couple weeks ago I made pizza using this recipe for Cauliflower Pizza Crust. It was slightly time consuming but not too bad. It was definitely pretty easy to do; at least it was easier than I had anticipated. The end result was really good. Kids and husband loved! 

A while ago I started following this recipe for Kale Pesto. I made it according to the recipe a few times but now I just eyeball the ingredients. I also add quite a bit of basil and oregano bc I just like those flavors in a pesto. I just add more and more olive oil to my food processor until I get the consistency that I like for pizza "sauce". 

The cooked crust with pesto sauce ready to spread. 

This pizza was topped with homegrown zucchini, slices garlic, tomatoes (on my half), pine nuts and mozzarella. 

So good!

Baked Lentil Veggie Tacos

I recently saw a post for baked tacos on Pinterest and it inspired me to make some of my own. I didn't follow the recipe I had glanced at; I just went with what sounded good to me. I started by making a batch of taco seasoned lentils (I made these the night before in order to save time). I also had a batch of homemade beans on hand (a variety of black, pinto and kidney). For the veggies, I cut up some bell peppers and portabellos and sautéed them in a little olive oil to soften them up a bit.  

From there I started my assembly...lentils, beans, veggies and cheese. I baked them at 350 for about 20 minutes or so, just until the cheese was melted. I let them rest for a couple minutes before serving them and quickly learned that baked tacos (at least the ones I made) don't hold up as a taco! This ended up as a knife and fork mess on my plate but it was still really good! I also doused mine in salsa. My kids loved this dinner! 

Such pretty veggies! 

I like a lot of cheese! 

Steak, Mushrooms and Spinach

On Father's Day, my husband took our boys and went to his parent's place in the mountains to go dirt bike riding with his dad. I got to stay home and have the entire day to myself. This was extraordinary as I haven’t had a significant amount of time (let alone an entire day) to myself in lord knows how long. I won’t get into that here though, this blog is supposed to be about food! Since hubby was gone all day, I made him Father’s Day dinner on Monday. When asked what he would like for his meal, it was no surprise at all that husband responded, STEAK! We don’t eat a lot of meat at home and we never, I repeat NEVER have steak. In fact, I had never even cooked a steak before. This was kind of a big deal. Additionally, this meal was to be prepared on Monday and I usually opt for "Meatless Mondays" in our house. I gave myself a little break though bc the rest of our meals that entire week were meatless. We just got our days mixed up; big deal! The folks at Meatless Monday will forgive me, no doubt.

I bought some beautiful, organic, grass fed steak at Whole Foods (don’t ask the cut bc I don’t remember) and some gorgonzola cheese (per husband’s request). I took the steaks out of the fridge and coated them in worcestershire, salt and pepper. I let these sit out while I prepped the sides (I remember hearing or reading that you shouldn’t put meat directly from fridge to heat rather you should let it rest for a bit on the counter---whatever). On medium-ish heat I sautéed the steaks for roughly 3-4 minutes per side. The butcher warned me not to overcook these cuts of meat so I stuck to his strict instruction. Once the steaks were done, I let them rest for a few minutes and then transferred them to a foil lined baking sheet. I topped them with gorgonzola and then threw them in the broiler for a few minutes. They were so delicious! 

I made some mushrooms to go on the side (sort of) following this recipe for Mushroom Stroganoff. I say sort of bc I eyeballed all of the measurements and I did not add the sour cream at the end. As for the spinach, I just sautéed a bag full with some minced garlic and a little lemon. Unfortunately I did not take any pictures of the finished plate. But rest assured, it was good! 

I'm coming...

I'm coming I swear. Lot's of posts pending. Just been super busy working and having summer fun! Hang tight, I'll get it together real soon, I promise!