vegetarian

Jalapeño Popper Dip

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Jalapeno Popper DipI originally made this dip for a party and it was gone in no time. In fact, I think I only got about 1 bite that I scraped off the bottom of the dish. Everyone was raving how good it was so of course I had to make it again to see what the hype was all about! Turns out the hype is that this dish is scrumptious and warm and gooey and makes your tummy happy.

Jalapeno Popper DipI’ve realized that I am very much in love with spicy food. Everything I’ve made recently somehow has ended up spicy. I blame it on our garden this year that resulted in an abundance of jalapeño peppers. Those peppers ended up in a lot of things. They also made a lot of things oh, so yummy.

Jalapeno Popper DipThis dip is a perfect blend of spicy and creamy. In fact, you might be surprised that this dip isn’t as spicy as you might think. I mean it does have 6 fresh jalapeño peppers in it. Seems super spicy…but, milk is supposed to offset spicy food so I think the package of cream cheese, cup of sour cream, and cups of cheese do the trick. Yep. They also make this dip so delicious and gooey and melty and creamy.

Bottom line is that this is bound to be a hit at any party. Maybe make an extra that you can devour once the party is over because the one you bring will be gone in a flash!

Jalapeno Popper Dip

Jalapeño Popper Dip
Serves 8
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Prep Time
5 min
Cook Time
15 min
Total Time
20 min
Prep Time
5 min
Cook Time
15 min
Total Time
20 min
Ingredients
  1. 4-6 fresh jalapeño peppers, finely diced + jalapeño slices for decoration (optional)
  2. 1 package cream cheese (8 ounces)
  3. 1 cup sour cream
  4. 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
  5. 3/4 cup + 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
  6. 1/2 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs
  7. 4 tablespoons butter, melted
  8. 1 tablespoon dried parsley
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
  2. Combine the cream cheese and sour cream in a bowl by hand or with a mixer.
  3. Add the cheddar cheese, 3/4 cup of Parmesan cheese, and jalapeño peppers. Mix until combined.
  4. Transfer cream cheese mixture into an 8x8 inch pan and spread evenly.
  5. Mix together bread crumbs, 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, and melted butter in a small bowl.
  6. Sprinkle breadcrumb mixture over cream cheese mixture and spread until evenly distributed. Top with jalapeño slices, if desired.
  7. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes, until the breadcrumbs start to brown.
Notes
  1. I served my dip with tortilla chips, which was wonderful! You can also serve with bread or crackers. Heat immediately before serving for the best results.
Adapted from Spend with Pennies
Adapted from Spend with Pennies
Flavor From Scratch https://www.flavorfromscratch.com/

Orange Pomegranate Coleslaw

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I have no clue why pomegranate popped into my head the other day but it did. When something pops into my head I tend make it a personal challenge to use that ingredient. Well, I happened to have about half a head of red cabbage left after making veggie packed peanut butter pasta for the 1,000th time. Hence, the orange pomegranate coleslaw was born.

If you are afraid of pomegranate, please don’t be! It’s really simple to work with. I just cut mine in half and put both halves in a bowl of water. I broke it apart easily with my hands, pulling the seeds out as I went. The theory is that the white pulp/shell will float and the seeds will sink. It works simply enough with a little time. Once you have the seeds pulled out, skim the pulp off the top of the water and drain the seeds.

Pomegranate seeds are like little explosions in your mouth. It’s seriously a strange sensation at first. It’s like a little pocket of sweet juice with every bite. The seeds are also a bit crunchy so it adds nice flavor and crunch to the coleslaw!

I am not a huge fan of coleslaw. I’m not opposed, but it is for sure not my go-to side dish. I think it’s the mayonnaise and the bland looking mix of cabbage. It’s so…well, blah. It’s time to take your coleslaw to the next level! The red cabbage definitely adds some visual appeal to the mix and the bright pomegranate seeds are a beautiful addition.

Orange Pomegranate Coleslaw
Serves 8
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Prep Time
10 min
Prep Time
10 min
Ingredients
  1. 1/2 large head of red cabbage, shredded (about 8 cups)
  2. 1 pomegranate, seeds removed
  3. 1 1/2 cups roughly chopped walnuts
  4. 1 cup raisins
  5. 1/4 cup orange juice
  6. 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
  7. 1/4 cup honey
  8. 1 tablespoon mustard
  9. 1 teaspoon salt
Instructions
  1. Toss together red cabbage, pomegranate seeds, walnuts, and raisins in a a large bowl.
  2. In a small bowl, whisk together orange juice, apple cider vinegar, honey, mustard, and salt. Pour over coleslaw mixture and toss until combined.
Notes
  1. This recipe lasts in the refrigerator for 2-3 days. To remove the seeds from the pomegranate, I cut the pomegranate in half and placed it in a bowl of water. The white pulp should float as you break the halves apart with your hands and the seeds will sink. Skim off the pulp and drain the water to get the seeds.
Flavor From Scratch https://www.flavorfromscratch.com/
 

Goat Cheese & Pesto Grilled Cheese

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I first had goat cheese on a grilled cheese when I went out to a local restaurant and WOW was it good. Grilled cheese is gooey and crunchy and delicious by itself. Goat cheese is tangy and creamy and salty. Combined, this is like a grilled cheese that got promoted to grilled cheese boss. The boss of grilled cheeses.

Oh wait…how could I forget about the pesto???? In addition to the gooey, crunchy, delicious, tangy, salty, creamy grilled cheese I already had, I added pesto. Yep. You heard me. This grilled cheese is out of this world!! Specifically, I added my carrot top & basil pesto but you can also make this with regular pesto or good quality pesto from the store.

I’m going to be honest. This is barely a recipe. It’s more of a suggestion of how I did it. Once you have the ingredients you can totally play with the proportions to your taste. Since it was so delicious I just felt the need to share! If you come up with your own awesome combination of grilled cheese, let me know!

Goat Cheese & Pesto Grilled Cheese
Yields 1
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Prep Time
8 min
Cook Time
5 min
Prep Time
8 min
Cook Time
5 min
Ingredients
  1. 2 slices of multi-grain or whole wheat bread (I like mine with a good, crunchy crust)
  2. 1-2 tablespoons butter
  3. 1-2 tablespoons pesto
  4. 2 tablespoons crumbled goat cheese
  5. 2-3 slices of Gouda cheese
  6. tomato slices
  7. spinach leaves
Instructions
  1. Heat large skillet over medium-high heat.
  2. While the pan is heating, spread butter on one side of each piece of bread.
  3. On the non-buttered side of one piece of bread, spread the pesto.
  4. Add cheeses, tomato, and spinach on top of the pesto. I like to sandwich the tomato and spinach between cheese so that the cheese melts all around it and keeps it in.
  5. Top with the other piece of bread, buttered side up.
  6. Place the sandwich in the pan and cook until the bread becomes toasted and the cheese starts to melt. Flip and repeat.
Notes
  1. Add your own combination of veggies, cheeses, and sauces to make it your own. This is just how I made mine!
Flavor From Scratch https://www.flavorfromscratch.com/

 

 

Carrot Top & Basil Pesto

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I’m not going to lie…this is a weird sounding one. I got some pretty strange looks from my family when I told them I was going to make carrot top pesto. Even my sister, who I have to admit makes some weird stuff of her own, looked at me like I was out of my mind. I questioned my sanity for a brief moment. My official conclusion was that I was sane…at least in regards to this pesto.

This pesto is just as, if not more, delicious than your run of the mill pesto. It’s got a bit of a bite to it that typical pesto doesn’t have. Plus, it’s also a great use of otherwise overlooked, yet perfectly good food!

My husband and I grew some gorgeous carrots in our garden that were scrumptious in my balsamic & orange roasted carrots. We had a RIDICULOUS amount of carrot tops from these carrots. We worked so hard to grow those pretty little carrots and, by golly, I was determined to use the carrot tops. This is great for those of you who grow carrots or that get carrots with the tops on at the farmer’s market or store. I would recommend organic because you never know what ends up on vegetables these days.

I wish I had taken a picture of our refrigerator full of carrot tops while I decided what to make with them. It was like a jungle in there! Every day my husband comes home looking for a pre-dinner snack. I’m pretty sure he didn’t even question the fact that when he opened the fridge he couldn’t see through the forest of carrot tops. Apparently it’s like a don’t ask, don’t tell situation with the weird food that pops up around our house waiting to made into something delicious. I suppose he just trusts that I have a plan with the random food he finds. And I usually do have a plan…usually.

Carrot Top & Basil Pesto
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Prep Time
10 min
Prep Time
10 min
Ingredients
  1. 3 cups carrot top leaves, roughly chopped
  2. 1/2 cup basil, roughly chopped
  3. 1/4 cup pine nuts, lightly toasted (see directions)
  4. 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
  5. 1/2 cup olive oil
  6. 3 cloves garlic
  7. salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
  1. To toast the pine nuts, place in a dry skillet over medium-low heat until they start to lightly toast. You will know they are starting to toast when they start to become more fragrant. Stay close during this process because they can burn quickly!
  2. Place all ingredients into a food processor or blender and blend until mixture turns into a paste/puree.
Notes
  1. We made pesto grilled cheese sandwiches with these (recipe to come). We also used some of the pesto to top grilled chicken, which was also delicious!
Flavor From Scratch https://www.flavorfromscratch.com/

 

 

Jalapeño Cilantro Mac & Cheese

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Mac and cheese. Oh my. Yum. Something about mac and cheese in general makes my mouth water. But then sandwich a jalapeño, cilantro, and spinach puree of wonderfulness between 2 layers of mac and cheese and WOW! Flavor explosion in your mouth.

Mac and cheese has the creamy, melt in your mouth, comfort food thing that everyone loves. The jalapeño cilantro layer gives the classic dish a punch that makes you think of mac and cheese in a whole new way! *Bonus* that it’s really not hard to pull together. Classic dish + extra punch + easy = AWESOME!!
 
I came up with this recipe after my husband asked for mac and cheese for the 1,000th time. Let’s be honest here…I love mac and cheese as well so it’s not usually hard to convince me to make it. Except that I wish I had a special contraption to make rotini from scratch since I’m on such a homemade pasta kick. I’m pretty sure I’ll get over it. With the help of some delicious mac and cheese, of course. 
 
I have recently been completing the “I would actually love to eat this again” test on food because I don’t want to torture you with just average recipes. That would just be mean. I can assure you that this definitely gets two thumbs up and passes the “eat this again” test with flying colors. 
 
One great thing about this recipe is that you can alter it to fit your taste! If you want it more rich, replace more of the milk with cream. If you want it less rich, use only skim milk. If you want it more spicy, include the jalapeño seeds. If you want it less spicy, remove the jalapeño seeds or even reduce the amount of jalapeño in the puree. If you have a favorite cheese that you are dying to use, you can use basically any kind of shredded melting cheese for the sauce! Isn’t that great?? I think it is.
 
Jalapeño Cilantro Mac & Cheese
Serves 4
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Prep Time
25 min
Cook Time
15 min
Prep Time
25 min
Cook Time
15 min
For the mac and cheese
  1. 1 pound dried pasta (I used rotini)
  2. 1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
  3. 1/2 cup flour
  4. 4 cups of milk (I used 3 cups of milk and 1 cup of cream but you can use any combination of milk and cream to make it more or less rich)
  5. 1 teaspoon salt
  6. 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
  7. 4 1/2 cups grated cheese (I combined 1.25 cups Gouda and 3.25 cups of cheddar)
For the jalapeno cilantro layer
  1. 1 cup roughly chopped fresh cilantro
  2. 2-3 jalapeño peppers
  3. 4 cups roughly chopped fresh spinach
  4. 1/4 cup heavy cream
  5. pinch of salt
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
  2. Boil the pasta until al dente, as instructed on the box.
  3. Melt the butter in a saute pan over medium-high heat. Once melted, add the flour and whisk together for about 1 minute. Add the milk/cream, salt, and pepper. Whisk continuously until the mixture starts to bubble, then continue to whisk for about 1 more minute until it is thick and creamy. Remove mixture from heat and add 4 cups of the cheese (I saved the last 1/2 cup for the top). Stir until the cheese is melted into the sauce.
  4. Combine the cheese sauce with the pasta in a large bowl or pot. Set aside.
  5. In a food processor or blender, add the cilantro, 2 jalapeño peppers (I used seeds and all but remove the seeds if you don't like it as spicy), spinach, cream, and salt. Blend to a puree.
  6. Spray a 9x13 pan with cooking spray and pour half of the mac and cheese into the pan. Spread to even out the layer. Spoon the jalapeño cilantro puree over the mac and cheese in an even layer. Spread the remaining mac and cheese evenly over top. Top with the remaining 1/2 cup of shredded cheese and a sliced jalapeño (optional).
  7. Bake for about 15 minutes to heat through. Broil for another 3-5 minutes until it is golden brown on top.
Notes
  1. You can add more or less jalapeño depending on how spicy you like food. If you remove the seeds, it will cut down on the heat. Remember to wash your hands after working with jalapeño and don't touch your eyes or they will burn!
Flavor From Scratch https://www.flavorfromscratch.com/
 
 
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