Moroccan Vegetable Tagine

I tried this meat-free dish out of The Whole Foods Allergy Cookbook. The ingredient list is a little intimidating, but really not that much and its a very nice and hearty dish for cold days.

Any good dish starts with sauteing onions….

Root vegeatbles include carrots, turnips and potatoes.

Safran!

Souzoukaki Kebab

I know a certain someone who was really anxious for me to post this, so here you go:)

This recipe was discovered by my mother while we were visiting them in Germany. It was published in the local paper in conjunction with an article about a restaurant that supported my favorite soccer club. I have never needed that many onions for a recipe. It is split up in two parts, the meat and the sauce. Other than the prep, meaning the dicing of the onions, the recipe is pretty simple and easy and it is delicious as well. The meat is seasoned with fresh mint, which is just wonderful, so make sure you try it too.

For 4 servings you need the following:

2lbs. Ground meat (the recipe actually calls for mixed pork and beef)
3 ½ Tbsp. Olive Oil
4 Onions, diced
6-8 Mint leaves, chopped
1 bunch Parsley, chopped
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste

For the sauce:
7 Tomatoes, cut into small pieces
1 Big Onion, finely chopped
1 Tbsp. Tomato Paste
6 Tbsp. Olive Oil
Oregano
Salt
Pepper

So, we start chopping the onions for the meat, cop chop:

And since we're in a choppy mood we might as well take care of the onion for the tomato sauce as well:
Don't they look yummy?

Ok, back to the meat. Add the chopped parsley and mint leaves as well as the oil, salt and pepper, mix thoroughly and form meat balls, about 4 per person.

For the sauce cut the tomatoes into small pieces and sauté with the finely chopped onion in a large pan in some olive oil. Add the tomato paste and the rest of the olive oil. Add oregano, salt and pepper to taste. For some reason I didn't take pictures of that part, so just trust me on that:)

Next, spread the sauce on a baking sheet and arrange the meatballs on top of the sauce. Bake at 350 for about 35-40 minutes.

That picture didn't turn out too good, but I just had to share it:

Serve over rice and with some wine and you will be happy for at least the rest of the meal.

Enjoy!

My new favorite Tomato Sauce

This is another great recipe from my favorite cookbook. it's the simple red sauce, and simple it is!
At first I was a little scared, as the recipe calls for fresh tomatoes, meaning you have to blanch and peel them, but it's not as hard as I thought.

Wash the tomtatoes:

Chop garlic and add it to olive oil in large pot. Don't heat until tomtatoes are done:
Add the tomtatoes to a pot of boiling water and boil for about 1 minute and a half. Note, that it will take a while for the water to boil again. Once the tomtato skins start spliting open, they're done:
Let them cool some:
Peel them and cut them into smaller pieces:
Sautee the garlic and add the tomatoes. The recipe calls for a few other ingredients, like sugar, which you add at this time too:
At the end add chopped basil and that's it:
Serve with spaghetti:
And don't forget the parmesan (only if you can eat dairy):
Our little one enjoyed each bite, without the cheese:
I have made this sauce several time since then. I love it. It's so yummy in the warmer months and pureed it was great to use for my meat loaf.

Did I say that I love this recipe?

The Pioneer Woman - Rigatoni and Beefy Tomato Sauce

When I saw this recipe, I know my hubby and Wonderboy would love it, so I decided this had to be on the menu right away.
below are the ingredients:
Chop up the onion and garlic:
Heat olive oil in the pan:
And add the onion and garlic...I love that smell!
Add the ground beef and brown it:

Add the tomatoes:
Cover and simmer for 30 minutes:
Remove the lid and cook for an additional 30 minutes:
Serve it with the pasta, Rigatoni in this case, and some freshly grated parmesan:
Very, very good.
Note, without the parmesan this is a non-dairy dish.

The Pioneer Woman - Chicken with Tomatoes and Garlic

It was really easy to make and the end result was just wonderful. For a long time I only cooked/baled/grilled chicken breasts, because I didn't think I could handle anything else, but after attempting this chicken recipe and then this one, I am convinced that chicken isn't scary at all.

So, I recently re-discovered The Pioneer Woman and was overwhelmed by all the yummy recipes, so I tried this one.

So, here are all the ingredients I used:


I know The Pioneer Woman didn't chop the herbs, but I did just a little.
Also, I used chicken drumsticks. I got five and that was just right for my hubby, I and the little Wonderboy.
Heat the butter in the olive oil. I know butter is a no-no with us, but it was so little and Wonderboy never reacted to cooked dairy before we got the diagnosis, so I cheated. Bad mommy!
Add the ckicken and brown:
Flip them over and brown some more:
Deglaze the pan with some wine:
Add the tomatoes. At this point is when I realize that an apron would help tremendously in keeping my new shirt clean.
Stir the ymmy goodness some:
Make sure Wonderboy is occupied running around the kitchen:
Add the herbs. I had basil, parsely, sage and rosemary:
Lay the chicken on top:
Put the lid on and put the pot in the oven:
After an hour or so you get this:
I was so proud of myself:
I served it with some Ziti and a little bit of freshly grated Paremsan:

Without the parmesan this dish is dairy-free.