Lamb Koftas

Another Indian dish I have taken to attempting is koftas. I’m not exactly sure where I saw this recipe…probably on Food Network and I tweaked it so it worked for me.When I’ve made this for a crowd I used ground beef (cause it’s cheaper) but for just Will and I we prefer lamb.

I start by cooking red lentils on the stove with water, turmeric and curry powder. 

Add them to the ground lamb with salt, pepper and garam masala and mush together with your hands. Then squeeze them into these knobbly football shapes and bake in the oven. 

The knobbly shapes gives the opportunity for lots of dark yummy edges.

The sauce is 4 tomatoes, half an onion, half a red chilli, garlic, ginger, curry powder, garam masala and salt blended until smooth. Heat up over a low heat. This makes enough for 2 dinners so I freeze half and use it the next week.

Add the lamb to the sauce and give them a few minutes to let them get to know each other. 

Serve with rice and/or naan. Top with a dollop of plain yogurt.

It gives me heart burn but it's so worth it!

--Siobhan xo

Baked Parmesan Zucchini Bites

I needed a quick side dish to go with a curry I was making the other day and I saw someone post a recipe similar to this on a blog somewhere...why can't I ever remember where? I get inspiration from lots of websites and blogs but I never follow a recipe exactly. So once I understand the basic concept I'm done with the site...and then later I realize I should keep them to give credit where it is due.

Anyway, on with the show... 

It's just baked zucchini but it's topped with parmesan cheese.

I had two small zucchini so mine we're bit sized but I think I preferred it that way. So I cut those into coins. Pretty thin...although they was nothing uniform about the knife work this evening so they were all different sizes.

Laid them all out on a baking sheet with parchment paper on it.

 Top them with pepper...

And a hefty pinch of parmesan cheese. 

I'm always happy to add these fast/multi-purpose recipes to my arsenal. The goal is always to get as many veggies into us as possible without too much work.

Then I baked them at 425 for 20 minutes...or until all the cheese is melted and golden.

What a glorious thing melted cheese is. Tell me one thing you could put it on that wouldn't improve it. Ok, fine, there might be a few things...

In this situation there is nothing better than these golden tops.

The parm melts off the sides of the coin and creates a crunchy cheese ring around each piece. 

It truly tastes decadent.

The perfect side to my tofu curry and brown rice. Perfect for snacking. Perfect for hors d'oeuvre. 

I think it would be great with garlic salt instead of just pepper. With feta or cheddar or mozzarella. 

And you're not allowed to feel guilty about the cheese because of the zucchini. Also, it's just a really fast and easy recipe that tastes good and could satisfy a crowd.

-- Siobhan xo

Fast Meals

I have what the "parenting experts" call a velcro baby. Which means exactly what it sounds like. She is STUCK to me all damn day. She hates to be put down and will not nap unless I let her nap on me. She goes to bed sometime between 6(if we're lucky) and 8(those rough days) so dinner for Will and I are scheduled around her. For those days she doesn't go to sleep until 8 I have to have an arsenal of very fast meals I can whip together so we aren't eating after 10pm.

I'm a HUGE red onion fan so this is great if your the same. It's cucumber, chicken, red onion and feta. I keep a bottle of homemade dressing in the fridge so this salad takes only as long as your knife skills dictate.

I typically use a slow cooker for my stew. If I can get 10 minutes in the morning I put a roast beef, carrots, potato, turnip, and rutabaga in a slow cooker with 1 cup of beef broth and let her go for 8 hours. Once Lady D is in bed I sauteed mushrooms and make a gravy with corn starch and beef broth and add it to the slow cooker. Cut the roast into bite sized pieces and eat it.

Burgers are a fast go to. I taught my hubs how to make really good shoe string fries so once the lady is in bed I get him started making those while I do the burgers. For lamb burgers I usually add salt, pepper and curry powder. For turkey or chicken I add salt, pepper, garlic, and rosemary. For beef burgers I add salt, pepper and salsa. The fries take 25 minutes in the oven which is enough time to mix and cook the meat and clean up some of the mess. 

TACOS!!! I LOVE TACOS! You literally just have to prep the veggies and cheese, cook the ground meat and add spices (salt, pepper, cumin, paprika, chilli powder, cayenne pepper) 

When I was pregnant there were days in a row we ate this exact thing for dinner every night. My little lady was breech and had her head jammed HARD into my ribs, so doing anything other than sitting reclined was hard. Spread hummus on pita, add cucumber, chicken, red pepper, and lettuce. 

After 12 hours of holding a screaming baby on 4 hours sleep these recipes save my life. Fast, easy, and healthy.

--Siobhan xo

Spicy Peanut Pasta Salad w/ Pork Tenderloin

Another easy meal for tonight! Pork tenderloin on a peanut noodle salad with shit loads of veggies.

Seasoned the tenderloin with cumin, paprika, chili powder, salt and pepper.

Seared on all sides before baking in the oven at 350 for 15 minutes.

The sauce for the noodles is soy sauce, peanut butter, garlic, ginger and oil.

I blend it and then add some hot water from the noodles to smooth it out.

Cut up all the veggies. I like cucumber, red onion, carrot, red pepper and radishes.

Cut meat into thin medallions.

I served it with crushed peanuts on top.

Just a little spicy, creamy peanut sauce, meaty pork. So good and so easy.

--Siobhan xo

Chocolate Sugar Cookies w Peanut Butter Frosting

My mother informed me that when she makes sugar cookies she typically just uses a premixed variety. Especially since sugar cookies are just a vehicle for other deliciousness. So I had an idea for a chocolate sugar cookie sandwich with peanut butter frosting. My mom gave me some mix so I used it and added cocoa powder.

It was actually kind of a pain in the ass. It took about 4 tablespoons extra flour to make it stable enough to roll out.

Initially I intended just to frost them which is why I made some in Christmas shapes (yes I did this in December and just posting it now)….buuuuuut that was taking a long time. And I was not feeling 100% the day I did this….so sandwich cookies it is.

They were not as chocolatey as I wanted, but the frosting is really good. I think I want to get more mix and make like a drop cookie with raspberry jam in the middle and a drizzle of dark chocolate.

 Like I said, they are vehicle to deliver other things into my face.

--Siobhan xo