Roasted Vegetables

INGREDIENTS:


Olive oil (extra virgin)
Salt
Pepper
2 large garlic cloves, pressed
Broccoli
Red pepper
Sweet potato
Zucchini
Yellow Squash
Onion

1. Preheat oven to 375. Cut vegetables to appropriate sizes for eating. Place cut veggies in a large bowl. Drizzle with olive oil. Mix around so that every thing is well coated. If needed drizzle more olive oil. Season with salt, pepper and garlic cloves.
2. Place vegetables on a baking sheet or stone. Bake for 30 minutes, turning the veggies at the 15 minute mark. Serve as a side for dinner.

NOTE: If needed you can make this ahead and marinate it in the fridge, covered. Also, feel free to use what ever veggies are in season or which ones you love!

 VARIATIONS:

• Roasted vegetables taste good hot or cold over a bed of field greens and drizzled with balsamic vinegar.
• Use the veggies in a wrap for lunch. Melt mozzarella cheese over them and roll them up in your favorite type of wrap.

Corn Muffins

These are the BEST corn muffins you've ever tasted. If you try them and don't think so you can punch me in the gut. (Dave uses this "guarantee" with books. I thought I'd give it a try.)

INGREDIENTS:
1 1/4 sticks butter at room temp
1 cup yellow cornmeal
1 cup flour
3/4 tsp Baking powder
3/4 tsp Baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup sugar
1 large egg
3/4 tsp vanilla
3/4 cup sour cream

1. Preheat oven to 375. Line muffin pan with paper wrappers. In a med bowl combine dry ingredients of cornmeal, flour, baking powder & soda and salt. In a large bowl cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg and beat again until well mixed. Add vanilla and beat again.
2. In four alternating batches, starting with flour, add flour mixture and sour cream to the butter mixture.  Beat until well blended. Spoon into paper lined muffin tins. Fill each one 1/2 to 2/3 full. Bake for 15-17 min. HINT: The lighter the top, the more moist. If the top gets dark at all they will be a bit dry. Cool on a wire rack.

Chili

I love when we hit colder weather because that means chili! It's easy, inexpensive, delicious and makes for leftovers, which I'm pretty sure is the best part! There are SO many variations to chili...spicy, sweet, serve it over rice or in a bowl. I'm sure you've got your own recipe for chili, but maybe you'll try mine. I hope you like it if you do!

INGREDIENTS:
2 29 oz cans tomato sauce (get a good one because this is the base of the flavor.)
1 14.5 oz cans diced tomatoes
1 can dark red kidney beans (rinsed & drained)
1 can black beans (rinsed & drained)
1 can great northern beans or cannellini beans (rinsed & drained)
1 bag frozen yellow corn (or scrape off summer's corn from the cobb and freeze for later)
1 package (approx 1 lb) ground meat (beef or turkey)
1/2 large onion diced
1 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp chili powder
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp garlic powder or 2 cloves fresh garlic pressed
1 tsp salt

1. In a large stock pot or crock pot add sauce, diced tomatoes, all beans and corn. Add spices and stir well. Cook over medium heat stirring occasionally.
2. In a large skillet cook meat. I usually season the meat with salt, cumin, and garlic powder. (I just eyeball it and the measurements in the recipe are for the sauce.) Part way through add onions and cook until meat is no longer pink and onions become translucent.
3. Add the meat and onions to the sauce and simmer for at least an hour. Serve with your favorite side whether it be cornbread or Scoops tortillas! (We prefer Scoops.)

Vegetable Pie

Here's a great dish any time of year. In the summer you can keep it light with only vegetables or in the winter you can make it more hearty by adding chicken. Either way the texture and flavors are exciting!

INGREDIENTS:
2 frozen pie crusts (or make your own if you're up to it!)
1 head broccoli, chopped
1 yellow squash, quartered
1 zucchini, quartered
1/2 of a small onion, diced
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 clove garlic, pressed
salt & pepper to taste
1/2 cup shredded pepper jack cheese
1/4 shredded mozzarella cheese
1 tbsp parmesan cheese
olive oil
1 tbsp melted butter
(Add sliced smoked turkey sausage that's been cooked for a non-vegetarian addition)

1. Keep the pie crusts in the freezer until the vegetables are cooked and you are ready to assemble.
2. Preheat oven to what ever the packaging says to for baking the pie. In a large skillet heat olive oil. Add all vegetables, garlic, salt & pepper. Cover with a lid and cook on medium heat until everything is tender, about 10 minutes or so.
3. Place 1 pie crust on a baking sheet or baking stone; keep it in the foil container. Brush the bottom of the pie crust with olive oil and sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Add 1st layer of sauteed vegetables. Sprinkle with pepper jack & mozzarella cheeses until coated evenly. Add 2nd layer of vegetables and repeat with cheese.
4. Now take the second pie crust out of the aluminium plate and turn it upside down. Peel or cut off the very edge of the pie that would normally sit on the rim of the plate. You are going to put the inverted pie crust on top of the one with vegetables to create a lid. Poke several holes in the lid with a fork. Brush the lid with melted butter (not optional) and sprinkle with salt (optional).
5. Bake for 25 minutes or until crust is golden brown. Let sit for 5 minutes, then serve.

NOTE: This is originally called Eggplant Pie. You can use your favorite vegetables in this pie and if you love eggplant then add it in! Leave some out or add whatever you like best, but remember; fresh is always better!