Ah, one-pot meals! I love them. And I’ve been looking for some easy do-ahead meals, as well. So when I saw Anne Burrell make this chicken and cauliflower dish, I decided it was the perfect thing to make for dinner…It was delicious! The chicken had a strong flavor from all the coriander, the texture of the veggies was great due to the nuts I added, and it was so easy to get dinner on the table.

Coriander Chicken with Hammered Cauliflower, adapted from Anne Burrell:

Serves 4 (or two, with some shredded for a baby and leftovers to make chicken salad for lunch the next day).

Ingredients:

• Kosher salt
• 2 tablespoons coriander (I used ground, but you can use whole and grind them yourself).
• 4 bone-in skin-on chicken breasts
• 1 head cauliflower, cut into bite-size florets
• Extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 celery stalks, thinly sliced on the bias
• 2 cloves garlic, smashed and finely chopped
• 1 giant red onion, thinly sliced
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1/4 cup white wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup sliced almonds
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 cups vegetable broth (or chicken stock, but I had some veggie broth in the freezer, so used that)
• 1/2 bunch fresh chives, finely chopped

Directions:

1. Prep the cauliflower: Toss the florets into salted boiling water and cook for about 5 minutes, until soft but not mushy. Strain and reserve.

2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

3. Sprinkle the chicken generously with salt and ground coriander.

4. Coat a cast iron skillet with some oil and put over medium-high heat.

5. Brown the chicken on both sides and set aside on a plate.

6. Mix the cauliflower with the celery and onions and brown for about 5 minutes in the cast iron skillet (I did this in two batches)

7. Add cauliflower and veggies the a large roasting pan.

8. Combine the white wine, honey, vinegar, almonds, and bay leaves and cook in the skillet until aromatic, about 10 minutes.

8. Place the chicken on top, skin side up, and nestle it into the cauliflower.

9. Cover with foil and bake for 40 minutes, removing the foil for the last 10 minutes of cooking time.

10. Serve and enjoy!

I’m always looking for new and interesting quinoa recipes. It gets boring to only put roasted vegetables or canned corn with dressing. So when I found a recipe for quinoa with golden beets and raisins, I knew I wanted to try it out, just tweaked a little bit. First of all, I can never find golden beets in the fruit store or supermarket! So I used the regular red ones. Anyway, I like red ones better anyway. Also, the original recipe called for feta cheese. And I don’t like feta cheese, so I left it out.

I have never eaten raw (not baby) spinach. I’m also not sure it really added much flavor to the dish, though maybe that’s because I cut it so small. It did add great color, though. So I still recommend it.

This makes a great lunch dish. It’s filling, pretty, and really delicious. I squeeze some fresh lemon juice over the top right before eating. It makes it a little more refreshing.

Quinoa Salad with Spinach and Beets, adapted from Tyler Florence:

Ingredients:

• 1 cup quinoa, rinsed and cooked
• 5 small beets
• A handful of spinach
• 3 tablespoons raisins
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 2 tablespoons olive oil

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

2. Scrub the beets and roast for 20-30 minutes, until soft.

3. Let the beets cool and peel (the skin should come off easily with the back of a knife

4. Chop into small cubes and add to the cooked quinoa.

5. Remove the stems from the spinach and chop up into tiny pieces. Add to quinoa.

6. Add raisins and mix.

7. Dress quinoa with olive oil and lemon juice. Taste and add salt and pepper, as desired.

8. Serve and enjoy!

Another baby recipe by Tyler Florence! And another one-pot all-in-one meal! Can’t go wrong here. I think I’m just trying to work my way through this cookbook until I find my favorite recipes. Why? Not only are they healthy recipes geared towards your family’s eating, they’re also SO easy and quick to make. And easy but still super delicious recipes are my favorite!

This recipe is great because it has many different vegetable mixed in with the rice. Plus, baby carrots are amazingly cute, though you can use whatever veggies you have on hand or find at the farmer’s market or on sale at the supermarket. The recipe was actually a little bit bla when I first tried it, but with a few tweaks, including adding some soy sauce and seasoning along the way, it was definitely a hit. Next time maybe I’ll use some more interesting veggies, as well.

You can use whatever type of chicken you have on hand; I chose to use thighs because that’s what I had in my freezer. The recipe called for two boneless skinless breasts, though I always find those get dry quickly. So i swapped it for chicken with bones, and I’m glad I did. The chicken stayed moist.

Chicken with Rice and Veggies, adapted from Tyler Florence:

Serves 2-3 adults or 6 children

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 chicken thighs
• 1 head broccoli, cut into florets and stalks cut into rounds
• 6 baby carrots
• 1 yellow onion, cut into rings
• 1 cup sugar snap peas
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 1/2 cups white rice
• 3 cups chicken stock or water
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees

2. In a roasting pan or dutch oven heat 2 tablespoons of the oil over medium heat. Add the chicken and cook until browned, about 7 minutes on each side. Remove chicken and set aside.

3. Add the vegetables and cook for about 5 minutes, until they start the brighten and the onions start to soften (do this in batches if necessary)

4. Transfer veggies to a plate and set aside.

5. Add the remaining tablespoon of oil and add the rice. stir until coated.

6. Add the stock/water and bring to a boil over high heat.

7. Place the chicken and veggies on top of the rice and place in oven, uncovered.

8. Bake for 30-40 minutes, until chicken is done (165 degrees) and the rice is cooked.

My husband loves Brussels sprouts. Problem is, he always eats them the same way: cut in half and roasted. Boring! So when I saw a recipes for Israeli (pearled) couscous with brussels sprouts and chick peas, I decided to try it. I would see if Zeke would actually eat couscous, and have a more original way to eat his favorite veggie.

I loved this dish! It was easy to make, healthful, and just delicious. I made it with a stew and it was even better with the sauce over it. But it’s great just plain or in a salad. Of course, the recipe called for bacon and parmesan cheese, and I didn’t use either. I thought about making duck prosciutto again just to add that dried meat flavor to the dish, but opted against it. Instead, I cooked the couscous in stock. That added a ton of flavor. Sure, it wasn’t vegetarian, but I ate it with a meat meal, so it didn’t matter. You can easily use veggie broth or water. It’s still delicious.

Oh, and this dish really reminded me of keskesoon, just a healthier version, which is another reason I really had to make it.

Israeli Couscous with Brussels Sprouts and Chick Peas, adapted from Tyler Florence:

Serves 2 adults or 4 children

Ingredients:

• 1 package Israeli (pearled) couscous (4.7 ounces)
• 1/2 pound Brussels Sprouts, cut into thin wedges
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 cup canned chickpeas, rinsed and drained
• 1 3/4 cups beef, chicken, or vegetable stock or water

Directions:

1. In a medium saucepan, bring the stock or water to a boil.

2. Add the couscous, stir, and reduce the heat to low. Cook uncovered until all the liquid is absorbed, about 5 minutes. Set aside.

3. In a large skillet, add a tablespoon of olive oil and place over merium heat.

4. Add the Brussels sprouts and cook until soft, 7-10 minutes.

5. Fold in the chickpeas and couscous, stir to combine.

6. Serve!

I love making lasagna for company. It’s not so easy, but it’s something that can be made ahead of time, making the day-of much easier to handle. This lasagna is a little different and “dressier” than the classic cheese-and-tomato-sauce or meat-and-tomato-sauce kind. Plus, it is a nice filling main dish! We all really enjoyed it, and I’m glad I made the entire box of lasagna noodles and made a little extra of this for the freezer. That’s right, lasagna is a great freezer food!

I made this over the course of two days. The first morning, I washed, peeled, de-stemmed, sliced, and sauteed the mushrooms. I refrigerated them and waited until nighttime when Richie was sleeping to do the rest. That night, I made the bechamel and assembled the lasagna. I put it in the fridge. I took it out a few hours before dinner the next night, baked it for the regular amount of time, and voila, a no-fuss main dish for my dinner party.

Does anyone else peel their mushrooms? I don’t know why I do it, and I guess I don’t have to clean them if I do. I actually find it kind of fun to do, so maybe that’s why whenever I cook mushrooms I sit there peeling off the outer layer. Any thoughts on this?

Mushroom Lasagna, adapted from Ina Garten

Serves 6

Ingredients:

• Kosher salt
• Olive oil
• 12 lasagna noodles (3/4 pound)
• 4 cups whole milk
• 1 stock unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
• 1 1/2 pounds mushrooms (I used plain old white buttons)
• 1 cup shredded muenster cheese

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees

2. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add lasagna noodles and cook according to package directions. Drain and lay each noodle out on a piece of wax paper so they don’t stick together.

3. Make the bechamel: Heat the milk either in a small pot or in the microwave.

4. Melt the stick of butter in a large saucepan over low heat. Add the flour and stir constantly with a wooden spoon for one minute.

5. Pour the milk into the butter-flour mixture all at once and stir until combined.

6. Add 1 tablespoon salt, the pepper, and nutmeg. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring with a wooden spoon and then a whisk until thickened. Set aside.

7. Separate the mushrooms from the stems and discard the stems (or save them for mushroom broth!). Slice the caps into 1/4 inch thick slices.

8. Cook the mushrooms: Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large saute pan. All half the mushrooms and sprinkle with salt. Cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes, until the mushrooms are tender and release some juices. Repeat with the remaining mushrooms.

9. (This is a step I didn’t do, and resulted in a watery lasagna, nothing like Ina’s picture: drain the mushrooms!)

10. Assemble the lasagna: Spread some sauce on the bottom of an 8x12x2 baking dish. Arrange a layer of noodles on top (3) then sauce, mushrooms, and cheese. Repeat two more times. Top with a final later of noodles and the sauce, and sprinkle with the remaining cheese.

11. Bake the lasagna for 45 minutes, until the top is browned and the sauce is bubbly and hot.

12. Allow to sit for 15 minutes before serving.

We have a baby foodie in the house! He’s older than 6 months, which means we are thinking about food. And although right now he survives only on breastmilk and single veggies, pretty soon he’ll be sharing family meals with us. Which is why when he was born I had to buy Tyler Florence’s new baby food cookbook Start Fresh. First of all, Tyler Florence is awesome. Second of all, I love people’s takes on what babies should eat. He thinks baby’s first food should be baby carrots (the real kind, not the cut and bleached processed kind).

At around 9-12 months, babies can really start eating what the family is eating, only a little differently. Tyler recommends cooking one meal, and pureeing some for baby’s portion. Thing is, this recipe looked so great that I had to try it even before Richie was able to eat this kind of food! So I altered the recipe for our tastes just a bit, and alas our dinner was a delicious family-friendly meal. I will remember it when it’s time for Richie to be eating meats and many different veggies.

When I saw this recipe, I really wanted to use a pressure cooker to make it. First of all, it’s super fast that way, and secondly, the recipe was created for a pressure cooker. Alas, I don’t have this kitchen gadget! Though I think it might be useful for really quick weekday meals. And I think they are super safe now, so I wouldn’t blow up the kitchen, even if I tried to. I had to settle on using my Le Creuset, which isn’t really settling at all because I love that pot. It turned out great, and I actually just left it simmering on the stove on Sunday and reheated it for dinner the next night. That’s a quick dinner.

Oh, and another great thing about this baby/family-friendly recipe is that it basically requires no steps. Just brown the meat and throw everything in the pot. Cover. Simmer. That’s it. Can’t get any easier than that.

Short Ribs with Apples and Roots, adapted from Tyler Florence:
Serves 4 grown ups or 8 kids

Ingredients:

• 1 pound beef short ribs (bone in)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Salt and pepper, to taste (but not so much salt – this is for baby!)
• 3 carrots, peeled and cut in half (or 6 baby carrots)
• 2 medium parsnips, scrubbed and sliced into the same shape as the carrots (1/2 inch thick and in half if long)
• 1 beet, cut into wedges (Tyler uses a golden beet. I used a regular red one)
• 1 Rome apple, cut into wedges, seeds removed
• 1 sprig rosemary
• 2 cups beef stock
• 1 cup apple juice

Directions:

1. Season the ribs with a little bit of salt and pepper.

2. In a large pot, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the ribs and brown, about 5 minutes on each side.

3. Add the carrots, parsnips, beet, apple, rosemary, stock, and apple juice. Cover and cook on medium heat for 2 1/2 hours until the meat is tender and falling off the bone and the vegetables are soft.

4. Remove the pot from the heat and let stand for 5 minutes.

5. For adults, serve the meat and veggies with some of the liquid spooned over. For kids, transfer to food processor and pulse on and off, adding some of the cooking liquid, until at desired consistency. Eat your meal at the table together!

Can you tell that I like soup? It’s a warm, wintry way to add a vegetable to your dinner, and leftovers make the perfect lunch alongside a simple sandwich. Ever since I watched Mario Batali make broccoli soup (and it looked so easy!) I knew I had to try it. Someone recommended the recipe for broccoli soup from Chef at Home, thickened with oatmeal, and I knew I had to try it for a few reasons. 1. I never had soup thickened with oatmeal, and I wondered how it would taste, and if it would really make it thick enough (could’ve used more), 2. Oatmeal is good for milk production and it’s always nice to add it to dishes when I can, 3. We like finding gluten free recipes, and oats, unlike chunks of day-old bread, make this soup gluten free. Turns out, we like broccoli soup!

So it turns out that pictures of pureed soups are kind of ugly. Pictures of fresh veggies, on the other hand, are quite pretty. So I made the main picture both, to entice you to actually click on the recipe. And maybe you’ll then actually try it?

Also, I really like leeks. And this recipe called for leeks instead of onions, so I knew I should try it. Don’t forget to wash them really well so they don’t get your soup all sandy!

See this oatmeal? It’s basically indistinguishable in the soup. Makes it a tiny bit thick, and you can’t taste it. Next time I’m going to double to oats to make it a little thicker, and maybe the flavor will poke through that way. The broccoli starts out beautiful and green (see above photo), and after cooking and boiling for a while, turns this mushy brown. Normally I wouldn’t want my broccoli to be this color, but when making a soup, it’s just perfect! It’s soft and delicious, just the right texture and flavor for a winter soup.

The picture in the cookbook is way more green than my picture of the soup is. I don’t know how they got their broccoli to stay so bright. And it couldn’t have just been the lighting.

Broccoli soup, adapted from Chef at Home:

Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 1 head leeks
• 4 stalks celery (leaves included), diced
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 heads of broccoli florets (save the stems to roast or for veggie broth)
• 4 cups vegetable broth
• 1/3 cup oatmeal (like I said, I’d increase this to 2/3 cup)

Directions:

1. In a large pot, saute the leeks and celery in the oil until soft.

1. Add the broccoli florets and saute for about 10 minutes, until the edges just begin to turn brown

3. Add the broth to the pot and bring to a boil.

4. Once boiling, add the oatmeal.

5. Lower the heat and cover. Simmer for one hour. Let cool slightly.

6. Using an immersion blender (or a food processor, regular blender, food mill, or your preferred method of pureeing soups), puree. Reheat on the stove.

The book recommends garnishing with blue cheese. I don’t like blue cheese, but if you do, give it a try!

I love Yemenite soup. Lucky for me, I live pretty close to David’s and I can order it in any time. But like any foodie, I had to try to make it myself. The first time I tried, it was a major fail. It was too thin, not meaty enough, and I really just wouldn’t share the recipe. Fast forward a few months, and someone told me that the Taste cookbook had a great recipe, and I knew that I needed to find someone with a copy and look at the recipe. And I did. I changed the recipe just a bit, and prepped all the ingredients. Much to my surprise, the soup was SO easy to make! Except for the spice mix, but that was Zeke’s job.

As you can see, the hawaiij took a little bit of prep. We couldn’t find ground cardamom, so Zeke bought whole pods and spent some time peeling them and then mashing them with our trusty mortar and pestle. it worked out, and now next time we make Yemenite soup, we’ll have it ready. It’ll be super easy.

Basically you just throw the ingredients in a pot and let it boil for hours. It results in a thick, meaty soup/stew. Okay, it’s not the same as David’s. It’s definitely not as thick. But the flavor is definitely there. And I got to serve it with one of my favorite things, fresh cilantro; they don’t do that at David’s.

Yemenite Soup, adapted from Taste

Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 1 pound flanken
• 6 cups chicken stock
• ½ tablespoon hawaiij*
• ¼ teaspoon curry powder
• ¼ teaspoon ground coriander
• ¼ teaspoon cumin
• A pinch of chili powder
• Kosher salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 large tomato
• 2 onions, peeled
• ¼ cup cilantro, finely chopped
• 5-8 whole garlic cloves, peeled
• ½ cup tomato sauce
• 2 idaho potatoes, peeled and cut in half

Directions:

1. Place flanken in a large pot and add the stock. Bring to a boil and allow to boil for 20 minutes.
Skim the foam from the top.
2. Add spices.
3. Cut an X on the tomato and add it to the pot.
4. Add the onion, cilantro, garlic and tomato sauce. Bring to a boil.
5. Reduce heat and simmer, covered for 2 hours.
6. Add the potatoes and simmer another hour.

**To make ½ cup Hawaiij spice mix, mix together 5 tablespoons cumin, 2 tablespoons ground cardamom, 5 teaspoons black pepper, 3 teaspoons turmeric, and 2 teaspoons ground coriander.

I never realized how much I like split pea soup. And not just because it’s the easiest soup to make. Ever. Seriously. The. Easiest. Soup. Ever. Chopped onions optional. I really don’t even think I need to give you a recipe for this, because once you’ll read it, you’ll probably say, “That’s it?!” But when you make it, you might want to eat this soup a few times a week. Or not, but if you’re like me you’ll like the deliciousness paired with the yumminess, you’ll probably make it pretty often. Or, if you’re not like me and have endless time to cook dinner, you can try this soup anyway. Unless you don’t like soup. But who doesn’t like soup? Okay, fine. So that picture isn’t so appetizing looking. How can you make a green pile of mush look appetizing? Do you have a better picture of split pea soup? I should just take a picture of it every time I make it. Which is often. Because, you know, that screaming baby makes complicated meals a little more difficult.

So it has to simmer for a little while, but it’s still super easy. And if you have 45 minutes to just sit and wait for dinner to happen, or put the baby to sleep, you can make this. Mmmm…

Split Pea Soup:

Serves 2 (and can be multiplied to serve WAY more)

Ingredients:

• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 cup split green peas, washed and picked over
• 3 cups chicken stock or veggie broth or water
• Salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Saute the onions in a pot over medium heat, until translucent.

2. Raise heat to medium-high and put the split peas and stock and bring to a boil.

3. Turn to low, cover partially, and cook until the peas are soft, about 45 minutes

4. Blend with an immersion blender.

5. Serve it with grated cheese, croutons, toasted pine nuts, whatever you please…

Want the taste of Chinese food in your very own kitchen? This beef and broccoli dish really tastes like Chinese food! And there’s no MSG. And you can make it with brown rice and not charge $1 extra. I just wish I had a wok, because that would make cooking this dish extra fun. Try it even if you don’t have one. Cast iron works wonders. So do dutch ovens. No, but seriously. This meal was super easy to make. I can’t actually take credit for it, either. After prepping all the ingredients and starting to brown the meat (prepping is key in a dish like this – so prep everything before you start, even if you don’t have a tired/hungry/cranky baby!), Richie started crying. He was ready for dinner. And that meant that I couldn’t slave over a hot stove and sear meat. So I put Zeke in charge on dinner. He was a champ (thanks, husband!) and really cooked dinner for us that night. And it was tasty. And pretty healthy, too.

So next time I’ll remember to slice the meat instead of being a bit lazy and buying the pre-cubed meat from the butcher. I think that as my only mistake. And while the original recipe called for shallots, I only had regular onions – I don’t think it made such a big difference in overall taste in the dish (this is starting to be a popular occurrence in this house).

Oh, and broccoli. Don’t throw the stems away! Just shave them, cut them into strips, and cook alongside the rest. It’s really the tastiest part. Sure, they don’t look as pretty, but they’re less bitter than the flowery part. And they are bug-less, so some people only eat the stems as it is (the kosher Chinese place in Manalapan?). I eat both, but I like having both stems and flowers for the contrast and uber-broccoli-ness of the dish. Mmm.

Beef and Broccoli (Chinese food style!) Adapted from Chef and Home:

Ingredients:

• 8 ounces beef filet, sliced (this is important! I cubed it and it was a little tough)
• Salt and pepper
• 3 tablespoons flavorless oil
• 3 tablespoons diced onion (about ½ small white onion)
• 3 tablespoons diced garlic
• 4 scallions, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 ounce ginger, cut into long strips
• 3 cups broccoli, cut into 1-inch pieces (I used more, an entire bunch. I really like broccoli)
• 1/2 cup beef stock
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 1 ½ cups rice, cooked

Directions:

1. Heat a cast iron pan, wok, or Le Creuset over high heat
2. Season the beef with salt and pepper
3. Place beef in pan and seat on one side for 3 minutes.
4. Flip and sear on the other side for 3 minutes.
5. Remove from pan and set aside.
6. Lower the heat to medium and oil to the pan and sauté the onions and garlic for 3 minutes., stirring occasionally
7. Add the scallions and ginger. Stir fry for an addition 2 minutes.
8. Add the broccoli, beef stock, and balsamic.
9. Cover, turn the heat to high, and cook for 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
10. Add the cooked beef to the broccoli and sauté for an addition 2 minutes.
11. Serve over rice.