Chicken Cacciatore in the Slow Cooker

If you're not already aware, I love using my crock pot.  Thank you, Simply in Season, for another great use of my slow cooker.  I thought it needed a little extra salt, but was otherwise a tasty full-meal-deal in a bowl.  

2-3 pounds of whatever form of boneless/skinless chicken you want to use

4 cups tomatoes, chopped

1 bell pepper (color doesn't matter), cut into strips

2 onions, thinly sliced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 bay leaf

1 tsp. salt

1 Tbsp. fresh oregano, chopped, or 1 tsp. dried

1 Tbsp. fresh basil, chopped, or 1 tsp. dried

1/4 tsp. pepper

1/4 cup white wine (optional)

1 cup mushrooms, chopped (optional)

Combine in slow cooker, cover, and cook on low for 8 hours.  Serve over pasta or noodles.

Eggplant Cheese Pie

Remember how I mentioned those eggplants I received in my veg box?  I let my kids pick between a couple different recipes for how we would eat them up, and this is what they decided on.  After adding more salt, it was tasty and surprisingly filling served with a fresh fruit salad. 

4 1/2 cups eggplant, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

1 medium onion, minced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 Tbsp fresh oregano, chopped, or 1 tsp. dried

1 Tbsp. fresh basil, chopped, or 1 tsp. dried

1 small zucchini, sliced

2 cups grated mozzarella cheese

2/3 cups evaporated milk

1 egg

Heat 1 Tablespoon oil in large frying pan.  Add eggplant, onion, and garlic and saute for two minutes.  Cover and cook until eggplant is soft, about 5 minutes, stirring as needed.  Add oregano, basil, and salt to taste.

Line bottom and sides of greased 10-inch pie pan with zucchini slices.  Spoon eggplant mixture on top.

Combine cheese, milk, and egg in a bowl.  Pour mixture over vegetables.  Bake in preheated oven at 375 for 30-45 minutes.  Let set 5 minutes then serve warm.

Kohlrabi, Carrot & Sesame Slaw

A while back, I purchased a Groupon for three boxes of organic veg to be delivered to my door.  I've just finished up my third box and I'm afraid they've got me.  The enhanced flavor of our veggies is noticeable, plus we're eating a lot more greens.  I thought I did a pretty good job of keeping a variety of vegetables circling on our table, but then I was given a kohlrabi, two eggplants, and some big leafy greens (which I'm still not entirely sure what exactly they were) and I realized that I haven't been branching out as much as I thought.  What to do with these exciting new treasures?!  I loved that challenge!
Thankfully, the kohlrabi came with a recipe card, which I will now gladly pass on to you.  Best served the same day, this slaw has a great crunch and vibrant sweet flavor with a little kick.  It'd go great with Thai turkey burgers!


1 kholrabi, peeled and cut into fine matchsticks
4 carrots, peeled and cut into fine matchsticks
1 small onion, thinly sliced
2 Tbsp sesame seeds
2 Tbsp chopped cilantro

Dressing:
2 Tbsp sweet chili sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp rice wine vinegar
1 tsp soy sauce
a good squeeze of lime juice

Put the sesame seeds in a dry frying pan and gently heat them, stirring every now and then, for about 1 minutes, until they are golden.  Remove from the heat and transfer to a large bowl.  Add the carrot, kohlrabi and onion and stir together.  In a small bowl, whisk the chili sauce, sesame oil, vinegar and soy.  Add a squeeze of lime juice to taste.  Pour over the veg, add the cilantro and toss together.  Serve immediately.

Blueberry Zucchini Bread

This was another tasty recipe shared by Jessie.  I made two standard sized loaves, froze one, but pulled it out of the freezer promptly after we finished the first in a couple days!



3 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup vegetable oil
3 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups white sugar
2 cups shredded zucchini
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 pint fresh blueberries

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease 4 mini-loaf pans.
2. In a large bowl, beat together the eggs, oil, vanilla, and sugar. Fold in the zucchini. Beat in the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon. Gently fold in the blueberries. Transfer to the prepared mini-loaf pans.
3. Bake 50 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a knife inserted in the center of a loaf comes out clean. Cool 20 minutes in pans, then turn out onto wire racks to cool completely.

Chipotle Corn Chowder

We were big fans of this soup!  I loved the chipotle kick.

6 ears corn

Drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO)

4 slices smoked bacon, finely chopped

1 large onion, finely chopped

2 yellow-fleshed potatoes, such as yukon gold, cut into small cubes

2 ribs celery from the heart with leafy tops, finely chopped

2 large cloves garlic, grated or finely chopped

1 bay leaf

2 tablespoons fresh thyme

Salt and pepper

2 canned chipotle peppers in adobo sauce

One 32-ounce container (4 cups) vegetable or chicken broth

2 cups heavy cream 

Lime wedges, chopped flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped scallions and crumbles cotija cheese or queso fresco, for garnish (I used cheddar cheese)

Preheat a grill or broiler. Grill or broil the ears of corn until charred, 7 to 8 minutes (cover the grill to give the corn a smoky flavor). Scrape the kernels from the cob.

While the corn is charring, in a soup pot, heat a drizzle of EVOO over medium-high heat. Add the bacon and cook until crisp, 3 to 5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the bacon to a plate. Add the onion, potatoes, celery and garlic to the pot. Add the bay leaf and thyme, season with salt and pepper, cover the pot and cook until the vegetables are softened, about 5 minutes.

Using a food processor, puree the chipotle chiles. Stir into the vegetables, then stir in the broth and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and keep warm. Rinse the food processor bowl.

Add one-third of the corn kernels to the food processor, pour in 2 cups of the soup and puree. Pour the mixture into the remaining soup and lower the heat to a simmer. Stir in the remaining corn kernels, the cream and reserved bacon and cook until thickened, about 2 minutes. Serve the chowder in bowls with the lime wedges, parsley, scallions and lots of cheese.

Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Chicken Spaghetti

This was probably my favorite meal from the week.  I couldn't find any spaghetti squash, which is what the original recipe calls for, so I made some changes that I'll include below and served everything tossed with linguine.  I'd like to try it again some day using squash.

1 lb. linguine, cooked per instructions on package

1/3 cup sundried tomatoes, chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup frozen peas

1 broccoli crown, chopped

2 cups cooked, shredded chicken

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 cup chicken broth

grated parmesan cheese (about 1/4 cup)

salt/pepper, to taste

Cook pasta according to directions on package.

While pasta is cooking, in a large, deep skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add garlic. Saute one minute.  Then add 1/4 cup of chicken broth, sundried tomatoes, and broccoli.  Season with salt and pepper.  Saute 5 minutes.  Add peas, chicken, and remaining 3/4 cup chicken broth. Shake about 1/4 cup parmesan cheese into mixture (just enough to thicken the chicken broth).  Reduce heat to medium-ow. Cover skillet and simmer for about 3 minutes.

Add cooked noodles and toss gently with chicken mixture.  Serve with fresh shaved parmesan cheese.

Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad

I completely agree with Jessie - this is a perfect salad for a summer picnic.  

1 (12 ounce) package uncooked tri-color rotini pasta

10 slices bacon

1 cup mayonnaise (I used 2/3 cup)

3 tablespoons dry ranch salad dressing mix

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon garlic pepper

1/2 cup milk, or as needed

1 large tomato, chopped

1 (4.25 ounce) can sliced black olives, drained

1 cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Stir in rotini pasta and cook for 10 to 12 minutes or until al dente; drain.

Place bacon in a skillet over medium-high heat and cook until evenly brown. Drain and chop.  (I chopped my bacon first and then fried it, that way it all can cook in one pan at the same time)

In a large bowl, mix mayonnaise, ranch dressing mix, garlic powder, and garlic pepper. Whisk in milk until smooth. Place pasta, bacon, tomato, black olives and cheese in large bowl and toss to coat with dressing. Cover and chill at least 1 hour in the refrigerator. Toss with additional milk if the salad seems a little dry.

Mango Blueberry Quinoa Salad

I loved this salad!  Very light, summery, and refreshing.  I served it with a baguette and some brie.   


For the quinoa
1/2 cup quinoa
1 cup water

For the fruits and veggies
½ cup fresh blueberries
½ cup cubed ripe mangoes (I used frozen chunks, chopped them into bites, and they'd thawed by the time we were ready to eat)
½ cup cubed cucumbers
1/4 cup dried cranberries

For the lemon basil dressing
1½ tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon lemon zest
10 Basil leaves, chopped finely
Salt and pepper

Place the quinoa and water in a medium skillet and bring to a boil. Then reduce heat, and simmer covered for about 15 minutes or till the quinoa is cooked. Remove the lid, and fluff the quinoa with a fork. Let it cool to room temperature.

While the quinoa is cooking, combine the fruits in a bowl and refrigerate till you are ready to serve the salad.

Whisk together all the dressing ingredients, except the chopped basil. Refrigerate till you are ready to serve. Chop and add the basil to the dressing just before serving. 

Add half the dressing to the quinoa and mix gently.

Assemble the salad just before serving – toss the quinoa, fruits and cucumbers together. Serve other half of the dressing on the side. Serve immediately.

Thai Turkey Burgers with Broccoli Slaw

Jessie and I did another week-long menu swap - so fun!  Trying the recipes she sent was even more fun than picking out the ones to send her.  This week, each post will be one of the recipes she sent for me to make.

I started with these burgers  which I was really excited about.  In the end, we didn't get to eat the burgers with the slaw, but topped them with some chard that I spiced up and sautéed.  It worked even though I was disappointed that I could not find any slaw or even raw cabbage.  But the flavor of the burgers was fantastic and everyone enjoyed them.

Served with Sesame-Ginger Asparagus - delicious!


1/2 cup of bread crumbs
1 egg
1 lb of ground turkey or chicken
1 carrot, shredded
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp ginger, grated
1 tsp chili paste (I used sweet chili sauce)
2 Tbsp cilantro, finely chopped
2 scallions, finely diced
juice of 1 lime
1 tsp of lime zest
1 tsp curry powder 
Salt and pepper

Preheat your grill to medium-high heat for 15 minutes.

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix to combine. Form ground turkey mixture into patties.  

Grill - flipping once - for about 8 to 12 minutes, checking to make sure they are properly done before serving.  Serve with broccoli slaw as a side or on top with toasted buns.

Broccoli slaw
1 bag broccoli slaw fixins
1/4 cup mayo
juice of 1 lime
bunch of cilantro
1 tbsp chili paste
1 teas of sesame oil
salt and pepper

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest 20 minutes so that the flavors mingle before serving.

Greek Dressing & Marinade

We've been enjoying some warmer weather this month, so I'm trying to keep the oven off and outdoor eating on!  This dressing/marinade is versatile and so delicious.  I used half the batch for marinating chicken skewers that we grilled.  The rest was drizzled over raw vegetables, cooked veggies, salad, pasta, and whatever else I thought might remotely work.

1/4 c. freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/4 c. white vinegar
2 tsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. seasoning salt
1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes (this will not make the dressing spicy, just flavorful)
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
4 cloves garlic, smashed and peeled
1 c. canola oil (or other salad oil)
1/2 c. crumbled feta cheese
3/4 tsp. Italian seasoning
1/4 tsp. dry oregano

In the jar of a blender, combine all the ingredients through the garlic. Blend until smooth. While the blender is running, add the oil in a steady stream. Turn off the blender and add the feta and pulse the blender a few times (more if you want a creamier consistency). Whisk in the herbs. If possible, refrigerate for at least an hour before serving. Use as a marinade for chicken, lamb, or flank steak or drizzle over a Greek salad.