Category: Dinner

I was searching all over the internet a few weeks ago for a good vegetarian alternative to beef stew in the crock pot.  When I was younger, I loved eating the root vegetables from the beef stew, but since I’m a vegetarian, I don’t prefer eating the vegetables when they were soaked in beef broth.

I wasn’t able to find a direct alternative, so I modified a recipe I did find to meet my needs.  I hope you give this a try, because it’s super delicious and the perfect dinner for the fall season.

Crock Pot Veggie Soup

Prep time: 40 minutes          Cook time: 4 hours          Yield: 4-6 servings 
    

Ingredients     

• 1 large white onion, chopped
• 1/2 butternut squash, peeled and chopped
• 5 Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and chopped
• 2 sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped
• 3 large carrots, peeled and chopped
• 6 cloves of garlic, peeled and thinly sliced
• 3 cups veggie broth (approx. 1.5 cans)
• 1 tbsp. sage, finely chopped
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. pepper
  
  

Instructions

Add all ingredients to a slow-cooker, and carefully stir to combine.  Cook on high heat for 4 hours until the veggies are tender.  Add additional salt and pepper if preferred.  Turn off slow cooker.  Serve and enjoy!

*By the way, I recently added a “pin it” button to all of my blog photos.  So if you go up and scroll over the image in this post, you’ll see a “pin it” button that you can then click on and pin directly to your pinterest to save for later!

Talk to Me

• What’s your favorite crock pot recipe?
• What’s your least favorite veggie?
• How often do you use your crock pot?

Before last week I never had soba noodles.  Maybe in a restaurant, but never at home.  I came across a recipe in a cookbook using tofu and the noodles with sesame oil.  Since I don’t care for sesame oil, I used soy sauce instead.  I also decided the I’d rather just come up with my own recipe and make the entire dish to my liking.  It came out perfectly. 

This recipe makes enough for 2-3 people.

[Ingredients]
1 contained of extra firm tofu cubed
1/2 a container of soba noodles (or how ever much you think you’d eat)
2 cups of arugula
1 large red pepper sliced
1/2 cup of chopped green onion
3 tablespoons of soy sauce (or enough for your liking)

[Instructions]
In a large pot, bring 4 cups of water to a boil
Cook soba noodles for 3-4 minutes.  Rinse and drain.

In a large saucepan, add the cubed tofu
Add the soy sauce and cook on medium temperature
Cook the tofu until fried on all sides

Bring the soba noodles back into the large pot
Add the tofu, peppers, green onion and arugula
Mix thoroughly
Serve and enjoy!

My recipes are very vague sometimes in how much of a particular sauce or seasoning to use, because it’s honestly up to you and your own preferences.  I love soy sauce, so I probably add more than most people and I don’t really care for salt so you’ll almost never see me adding salt to my recipes.  Make each dish the way you like it, not the way a particular cookbook or blog tells you to. 

Bry and I really enjoyed this meal. It took under 15 minutes to make and was super delicious.  Next time, I will probably not cook the noodles as long.  When I made it, I originally cooked the noodles for 5-6 minutes, which is why in my recipe above I recommend 3-4.  They were still very good though! 

Talk to Me

• Have you ever made a recipe with soba noodles?
• What’s your favorite veggie to add to pasta?
• How often do you cook dinner at home?

I’m really loving making dinners this week.  I made dinner every night this week so far (except for yesterday, because we went out for dinner with one of Bryan’s friends).  On Tuesday night I decided that I wanted to make a Moroccan-inspired recipe, so I found a recipe in one of my cook books and adjusted it to fit our tastes.  I kept saying, “This is the best dinner I’ve ever made” over and over again as we ate.  I’m serious.  This stuff is THE BEST.

Moroccan Chicken & Tilapia
[Ingredients]
Meat/Fish:
1 boneless chicken breast
1 tilapia filet
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons cumin
1 tablespoon chili power

Vegetables:
4 large carrots skinned and sliced
2 large potatoes skinned and cut to your preference
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon dried rosemary
Sea salt and ground black pepper to taste

[Instructions]
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F
Mix together all items for the meat/fish in a small bowl (EVOO, red wine vinegar, cumin & chili power)
Split the mixture and pour into two Ziplock bags
Place the fish into one Ziplock and the meat into the other
Make sure the meat/fish is completely coated and place in the refrigerator

Toss all vegetables in the oil, rosemary, salt and pepper
Line a baking sheet with non-stick foil
Arrange the vegetables on the non-stick foil and cover tightly with another piece of foil
Bake for 25 minutes

After 25 minutes, uncover and turn the vegetables with a large spoon
Roast at 425 degrees F for another 20-30 minutes or until the veggies are thorough cooked

When there is 10 minutes left for the potatoes, begin your meat/fish
Remove the meat/fish from the Ziplock bags and place in two different pans on the stove
Sauté the meat/fish until cooked through

Remove the vegetables from the oven and top with the meat/fish
Pour any additional marinade from the pan on top of your dish
EAT!

(source)

That’s it!  By far the best recipe I think I’ve ever made.  I haven’t made too many dinners, but this one was easy, delicious, and stepping outside of my comfort zone.  When I make fish or meat for Bryan and I, I tend to just stick to salt and pepper for flavor.  The cumin and chili powder was the perfect spice combo for this Moroccan-inspired meal. 

I hope you try it out, because I know that you’d LOVE it as much as I did. 

Talk to Me

• Have you ever made Moroccan chicken or fish?
• What’s the best thing you’ve recently eaten?
• Given the choice do you prefer chicken/steak or a piece of fish?