spicy baked falafel

Y'all know how much I love falafel. I ate it more times than is remotely acceptable on our trip to Paris last summer, and ever since then I get it whenever possible. I hesitated to make it at home because 1) my fear of frying and 2) my fear that I wouldn't be able to replicate its goodness.

But! I saw this baked recipe that sounded fabulous, so I had to go ahead and try it out. And y'all -- it was soooo good. The spices are just perfect, it couldn't be easier to make, and it totally exceeded my expectations.

Serve it on its own, over a salad, in a pita... try it out!

Spicy Baked Falafel (adapted from How Sweet Eats)
serves 2-4

you'll need:
2 (14 oz.) cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
4 garlic cloves, chopped
4 green onions, sliced
1 egg
juice of 1 lemon
1/2 cup chopped Italian parsley, plus more for serving
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes, plus more for serving
dash of cayenne pepper
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
tzatziki, for serving

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Combine all ingredients (except tzatziki) in a food processor or blender. Pulse until crumbly and combined.

Scoop about 2 tablespoons worth and form a small patty with your hands. Place falafel on a greased baking sheet and bake for 20-25 minutes, until slightly crisp on top. Serve with tzatziki sprinkled with parsley and red pepper flakes.

You can also pan-fry these if you'd like! Just heat a bit of olive oil in a skillet and cook each patty until browned on both sides.

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tomato artichoke penne

I'm officially in the last month of school for this year (what?!), which means I am running around like a crazy person pretty much at all times. It's just what we do at the end of school -- final projects, field trips, programs... it's all happening. It's fun but exhausting!

During this super busy time of year, dinners like this are total lifesavers. I saw this recipe a while ago on Shutterbean and knew just from reading the ingredient list that I would LOVE it. And it turned out even better than I was expecting! It has awesome textures and flavors and - best of all for this time of year - the leftovers are maybe even better, which means I can pack it for my lunches all week long! Like I said... life. saver.

Tomato Artichoke Penne (slightly adapted from Shutterbean)

serves 4-6

you'll need:

1/3 cup pine nuts

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 yellow onion, chopped

5 cloves garlic, minced

1 (28 oz.) can diced tomatoes

1 (12 oz.) jar marinated artichokes, drained and roughly chopped

1 tablespoon dried basil

10 oz. brown rice penne pasta

salt & pepper to taste

1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese, plus more for serving

In a medium saucepan, toast pine nuts over medium heat for about 3 minutes, until fragrant and lightly browned. Remove from pan and set aside.

Wipe saucepan clean, then add olive oil to the pan. Saute onion over medium-high heat for 3-4 minutes, until translucent. Add garlic and saute for 1 more minute. Add the tomatoes, artichokes, and basil and stir. Continue to cook over medium-high heat for about 20 minutes, until sauce is reduced and thick.

While sauce is cooking, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Salt well, then add pasta and cook according to the package directions.

When pasta is done cooking and sauce is ready, add the pasta and pine nuts to the sauce and stir. Stir in 1/2 cup parmesan. Taste and add seasoning as desired.

Serve in bowls with more parmesan on top. YUM!

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slow cooker balsamic cherry pork over parmesan polenta

Before you tuck away your slow cooker for the warmer months ahead, let's get at least one more good, cozy meal out of it. This lovely meal takes mayyybe two minutes to prep and turns into such a satisfying dinner. I prepped ours the night before so that the next day all I had to do was plug it in and go on with my day. Weeknight win!

The balsamic and cherry flavors are magical together, and over that creamy, dreamy polenta... well, you know.

Balsamic Cherry Pork over Parmesan Polenta (adapted from Ladies' Home Journal)
serves 4-6

you'll need:
1 (10-12 oz.) jar of cherry preserves
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 onion, diced
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon dried basil
2 lb. boneless pork shoulder, trimmed of excess fat
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup polenta
1/4 cup grated Parmesan
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
chopped fresh basil, for serving

Combine the cherry preserves, balsamic, onion, garlic powder, and basil in the slow cooker. Rub pork with salt and add to slow cooker. Cover and cook on high for 4-5 hours, or on low for 8-10 hours.

When pork is finished cooking, remove from the slow cooker and slice or shred with two forks. Prepare the polenta according to the package instructions. Stir in the Parmesan and pepper.

To serve, spoon polenta into bowls and top with pork. Garnish with fresh basil.

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greek lamb naan pizzas

Happy Monday, friends! How was your weekend? I'm heading back to school today after a glorious Christmas break. While I'm not relishing waking up early again, I am always glad to settle back into more of a routine. And since one of my intentions for 2014 is to become more organized, I kinda need to be busier to put myself to the test. :)

Another goal I have for this year is to try to plan our meals for the week. Do you do this? I never have, but rumor has it that it saves time and money, so I thought I'd give it a go. If you're a meal planner, I'd love to hear any tips or tricks you have!!

One of my go-to meals that will definitely show up in our planning is naan pizzas! I love them because they take no time at all to make (it's really more assembling than cooking!), you can top them with whatever you want, and most of all because they're super yummy.

Since Miles and I are crazy about Greek flavors, we absolutely loved these! They were fast, fresh, and flavorful... perfect for a weeknight dinner!

Greek Lamb Naan Pizzas
makes 4 pizzas

you'll need:
4 naan breads
olive oil
1/2 cups tomato puree (like Pomi)
1/2 lb. ground lamb
1 cup shredded mozzarella
1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced
1/2 cup Kalamata olives, halved
1/2 cup sundried tomatoes, chopped
1 English cucumber, seeded and sliced
1/2 cup crumbled feta

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. If using a pizza stone, place it inside the oven to preheat.

While the oven is preheating, heat a bit of olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Cook lamb until completely done, breaking up the meat as it cooks. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate and set aside.

Lightly brush naan with olive oil. Once the oven is preheated, place the breads on the pizza stone or baking sheet and bake for 5 minutes. Remove from the oven. Spread about 2 tablespoons tomato puree over each pizza. Divide the lamb, mozzarella, onion, olives, and sundried tomatoes evenly over each pizza. Return to the oven and bake for 10 more minutes, until cheese is bubbly.

Remove pizzas from the oven and top with cucumbers and feta. Enjoy!

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lemon rosemary shrimp scampi

Hey, hey y'all! Thanks for all your sweet words and encouragement as we moved into our first home last week. I'm happy to say that we are feeling settled and -- as of about 5 minutes ago -- actually have working internet again!

I'm curious - what are you cooking for Christmas dinner? Do you always do the same meal, or change it up every year? We never do the same menu twice, and I love it that way. Every year my mom picks a food theme and we create the menu together around it. We've done Italian, French, Spanish, etc., and this year all of our recipes are coming from my dearly beloved Jerusalem cookbook. So. excited.

Beyond actual Christmas dinner, there is Christmas Eve to think about, and New Year's Eve and Day just down the line. For those meals, I like something super simple and quick that still feels special and festive. Enter Campbell's Skillet Sauces! Y'all know I love these, and this Scampi variety is absolutely fabulous for an elegant holiday dinner that comes together in 15 minutes!

I'm thinking this is just perfect for New Year's Eve because it would go brilliantly with a glass of champagne!

Lemon Rosemary Shrimp Scampi
serves 2

you'll need:
1 cup uncooked orzo pasta
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 shallot, minced
1/2 lb. peeled and deveined shrimp, tails on
1 (9 oz.) package of Campbell's Scampi Skillet Sauce
2 tablespoons butter, softened
1/3 cup panko breadcrumbs
1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
juice of 1 lemon
zest of 1 lemon
for serving: lemon wedges, fresh rosemary

Preheat broiler.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Salt well, then cook orzo according to the package directions. Drain when done.

While the orzo is cooking, heat olive oil in a cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add shallot and cook until translucent. Add shrimp and cook until just beginning to turn pink. Add Skillet Sauce and bring to a boil. Bring heat to low and simmer until shrimp are completely cooked through. Remove from heat.

In a small bowl, mix butter, panko, rosemary, red pepper, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Top each shrimp with a bit of the butter mixture. Transfer skillet to the oven and broil until the butter has melted and the breadcrumbs are beginning to brown (this took about 2 minutes in my broiler).

Spoon shrimp and sauce over cooked orzo. Serve with lemon wedges and chopped rosemary.

Happy holidays, y'all!

This post brought to you by Campbell’s Dinner Sauces. Weekend-worthy dinners with only weekday-level effort needed! Learn more at http://www.campbellsauces.com/

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black bean and corn enchilada stack

Happy Monday, y'all! I'm home again today from school (not complaining) because of this crazy, icy weather we've been having. I know that those of you who live up north are probably laughing at us right now, but just remember that here in Texas we get over 50 days of 100+ degree weather every year... so we get a pass when the cold finally hits. :)

As promised, here's another fast, easy supper for you guys. This one is a total no-brainer that I just made up on the fly as I was trying to use up what's left in our pantry and fridge. I knew I'd like it because I love all the ingredients, but it turned out even better than I expected! We absolutely loved this, and it made great leftovers for dinner the next day as well. During this hectic season, doesn't a delicious, no-brainer dinner sound just right?

Black Bean and Corn Enchilada Stack
4-6 servings

you'll need:
2 (15 oz.) cans of black beans, drained and rinsed
1 (15 oz.) can of red enchilada sauce
1 cup frozen corn
4 jalapenos, seeded and diced
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
dash of cayenne pepper
1 cup shredded pepper jack cheese
12 corn tortillas
sliced green onions, for garnish

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Spray an 8x8 baking dish with cooking spray.

In a large bowl, combine black beans, 1 cup enchilada sauce, corn, jalapenos, salt, chili powder, garlic powder, cayenne, and 1/2 cup cheese.

Pour a bit of enchilada sauce into the bottom of your baking dish, swirling to coat. Place a layer of 4 corn tortillas on top. Add 1/2 of the black bean and corn mixture on top. Repeat. Add a final layer of tortillas, then top with remaining enchilada sauce and cheese.

Bake for 20-25 minutes, until hot and bubbly. Allow to stand for about 5 minutes before serving. Garnish with green onions if desired.

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crockpot italian beef sandwiches

I've been failing you as a food blogger this holiday season, I know. Posts have been more sparse and lacking any seasonal awareness whatsoever (no cookie or candy recipes yet, and we're already 4 days into December?! sigh...). But, I do have an explanation!

No, I'm not pregnant.

But we are MOVING! (Insert hallelujah chorus here.) After almost 2 years in our teeny tiny, impractical, maddening loft apartment, we are moving into our first home!

All that being said, most of our kitchen is completely packed up, and we are cooking just enough to survive as we prepare for the move. And by cooking I mostly mean transferring food from takeout containers to paper plates.

So until we're in our new place, it'll be slower around here, and mainly focused on simple, easy dinner ideas. You do need to eat dinner in between all that holiday baking, right? So, another slow cooker recipe for y'all today! It's supposed to get reeeeeally cold in Dallas by the end of the week (fingers crossed for a snow day!), so meals like this one are exactly what I'm craving. This couldn't be easier to make, and it is soooooo delicious and flavorful.

Crockpot Italian Beef Sandwiches (from Iowa Girl Eats)
makes 6 sandwiches

you'll need:
3 lb. chuck roast
1 envelope Italian salad dressing mix
1 cup pepperoncini pepper slices + splash of juice (plus extra for serving)
1 cup Chicago-Style Italian sandwich mix (I used this one)
2 cups beef broth
shredded provolone cheese
5 hoagie buns (I used pretzel bread hoagies...amaze)

Place chuck roast into the bottom of a crockpot and sprinkle with salad dressing mix. Add peppers and a splash of their juice, sandwich mix, and beef broth. Cover and cook on low for 9 hours. Shred meat with two forks, then cook on low for 1 more hour.

To serve, split buns, then scoop the shredded meat on top. Top with provolone cheese and extra peppers. And enjoy!

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one-pot spicy sausage pasta

Hello dears! How has your week been? I've been all over the map this week, hence the lack of posting. But, I'm back today with a seriously delicious recipe that you will absolutely love. It's spicy, hearty, and cheesy, and - maybe best of all - only dirties one pot! This makes a perfect weeknight dinner, but I'll take it any old night of the week.

One-Pot Spicy Sausage Pasta (adapted from Kevin & Amanda)
serves 4

you'll need:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 lb. spicy Italian sausage (I used turkey), casings removed
1 cup diced onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 (10 oz.) can Ro-Tel tomatoes and green chiles (I used the Hot variety)
1/2 cup heavy cream
8 oz. rigatoni pasta
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup pepper jack cheese, shredded
1/3 cup chopped scallions

Preheat the broiler.

Add olive oil to a Dutch oven or large, deep skillet over medium heat. Add sausage and onions and cook until browned and cooked through, breaking up with the back of a fork as it cooks. Add garlic and cook for 1 more minute.

Stir in broth, Ro-Tel, cream, pasta, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil. Cover and reduce the heat to medium-low. Simmer until pasta is tender, about 15 minutes.

Remove from the heat and stir in 1/2 cup cheese. Top with remaining cheese and sprinkle with scallions. Broil until cheesed is browned and bubbly.

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toasted sesame turkey joes with #campbellsauces

Happy Monday, friends! Can y'all believe it's already November? I honestly feel like New Year's was, like, a month ago. But here we are, headed straight into holiday season! November has always been my favorite month - the weather in Texas is fantastic, and it's busy and festive but not too hectic yet. Plus - duh- THANKSGIVING. Favorite holiday, hands down.

But before we get into all things holiday meal, we still need to make dinner! And it should be quick, easy, and healthy! Enter Campbell's Skillet Sauces. Have you guys tried these out yet? They're super flavorful sauces that create an instant meal when you add them to your meat or veggies. So, so simple, and a total lifesaver for a weeknight dinner during this busy time of year.

I used the Toasted Sesame Skillet Sauce to whip up these yummy sammies in about 15 minutes. 15 minutes! The Toasted Sesame sauce gave the turkey a slightly sweet, spicy, nutty goodness that we couldn't get enough of. Fast, simple, delicious - what's better than that?

Toasted Sesame Turkey Joes
yields 4 sandwiches

you'll need:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 yellow onion, chopped
1 lb. ground turkey breast
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 to 1/2 red pepper flakes (depending on how spicy you like it!)
1 (9 oz.) package Campbell's Toasted Sesame Skillet Sauce
4 Pepperidge Farm Sesame Topped Hamburger Buns
coleslaw, for serving (optional)

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and cook until translucent. Add turkey, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Cook until the turkey is completely done, breaking up with the back of a fork to separate meat.

Stir in Skillet Sauce and simmer until the sauce is absorbed and the mixture is bubbling, 5-7 minutes.

To serve, spoon the mixture onto hamburger buns and top with coleslaw if desired.


This post brought to you by Campbell’s Dinner Sauces. Weekend-worthy dinners with only weekday-level effort needed! Learn more at http://www.campbellsauces.com/.

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