#1, 108: Tomato Balsamic Pot Roast

Once my family saw there was tomato chunks in this pot roast, I knew I was going to have to entice them to eat this for dinner by putting it on a roll.  Thankfully that did the trick.  This carb loving family will eat almost anything on a small, crusty roll.  :)

I however, ate this over some riced cauliflower.  It was really good.  I loved it...and so did my family! 
1 chuck roast (appx. 3 lbs. but you can modify based on your needs!)
1 onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, diced
1 can fire roasted tomatoes (I used a can of whole tomatoes)
3/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. paprika

Place onion and garlic in the bottom of your slow cooker. Mix all of your spices in a bowl and rub into the roast on all sides. Put the roast on top of the vegetables.

Add fire roasted tomatoes and balsamic vinegar to slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 10 hours. The roast will be extremely tender! Plate using a slotted spoon and enjoy.

#1, 107: Pumpkin Breakfast Pudding

This recipe is super, super easy and I often have all of the ingredients on hand.  The only thing I disliked about this recipe was the texture.  It truly is more like a baked pudding, but I prefer crunch/texture in my foods.  So I added some raw cashews and it made it much better.  This isn't my favorite breakfast, but it was good and a nice make-ahead breakfast for a change.

2 cups coconut milk
1 can mashed pumpkin
1 ripe banana
cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice
salt
1 tbs. coconut oil, melted (I omitted)
3 tbs. almond meal (I used raw cashews instead)

Preheat oven to 350. Place the first five ingredients in a blender and pulse until smooth.  Season to taste with cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice and salt.  Add to a lightly greased 8x8 pan.  Pour mixture into a greased baking dish. Combine melted coconut oil with almond meal. Again, season to taste and then sprinkle over top of baking dish. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes, until topping is browned.

#1,106: Bacon-wrapped breakfast cups

Can you tell I've had a lot on my mind lately?  With school starting again and now going through my Master's program, not only am I posting recipes as frequently, but I keep forgetting to take pictures of them!  Sorry...I hate that!

Now this is my kind of breakfast recipe!  Bacon and eggs....yes please!  I wasn't sure I was going to like the shredded sweet potato in this, but I loved it.  LOVED it!!  These are great reheated during the week.

6 Slices of All Natural Bacon
10 eggs
1/2 c Shredded Sweet Potato
1/2 of a Red Bell Pepper, finely chopped
3/4 c Baby Bella Mushrooms, finely chopped
1/2 t Garlic and Herb Mrs. Dash
Salt and Pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350. Partially pre-cook the bacon if you want to ensure it’s crispier (that’s what I did.) While it cools, whisk all other ingredients together in a mixing bowl. Once bacon is cool, line 6 muffin pan cups (not the little cups because it won’t be enough room. Use medium to large.)

Next, pour the egg mixture into the bacon, acting as though it is now the cup, and bake on 350 for 20-25 minutes or until you can stick a fork into the cup and it comes out clean.

#1,105: Cinnamon Chile Roasted Potato Bites

 

Oh how I love sweet potatoes and these little babies were the perfect combination of sweet and spicy.  This is a great breakfast, snack or side dish....I may have made it more than just a few times.  :)

3 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for greasing the baking sheet
5 cups sweet potatoes, diced into small bite size pieces, about 3/4" in size
1 1/2 teaspoons chile powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
dash of two of cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Grease a large baking sheet very well with oil.

Combine all the spices in a small bowl, mix together and set aside. Place the potatoes in a large mixing bowl and drizzle generously with 3 tablespoons of oil. Sprinkle with spices and toss well to coat thoroughly. Spread the potatoes across the greased baking sheet and roast, stirring every 20 minutes, until browned and slightly crispy. Increase the heat to broil for 5 or so minutes at the end if they aren't crispy yet.

#1,104: Orange Chicken with Asparagus

I've not been having much luck with new recipes lately.  We either seem to not enjoy it or we are a house divided.  This recipe was one that the girls and I enjoyed but Brian did not.  This is a sweet chicken and sauce, which is exactly why Brian wasn't a big fan.  I definitely enjoyed it though!

Serves 2:

1 tbsp. sesame oil
4 oz chicken, sliced into 1/2 inch strips
1 minced garlic clove
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
2 c chopped asparagus
1 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp honey
1 tsp sesame seeds
juice and zest of 1 orange
1/2 c cooked brown rice (I omitted)

Heat sesame oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Sauté chicken, garlic and red pepper flakes for 7 minutes. Add chopped asparagus and cook 3 minutes more.

In a small bowl, whisk together soy sauce, honey, sesame seeds, and juice and zest of 1 orange. Add to skillet and cook 1 minute. Serve over 1/2 cup cooked brown rice.

#1,103: CrockPot Lime Beef Stew

I'm a bad blogger...I forgot to take a picture...again

 

After making and eating this recipe there is one thing I learned very well....lime does not meld well with beef stew.  Ech!  I wanted to like this because I made a big pot of it, but I could only stand to eat this for two days and had to throw out the rest.  The lime just ruined the flavor of this.  Thumbs down from me!

Beef Stew Meat - 1 kg, diced

Sweet Potato - 1, peeled and diced

Red Onion - 2, chopped into rings

Lime - 2, quartered

Garlic - 4 cloves, peeled and coarsely chopped

Kaffir Lime - 3 leaves (I omitted)

Salam Leaves - 2 leaves (you can use bay leaves instead)

Ground Cumin - 1 tsp

Ground Coriander - 1 tsp

Ginger Powder - 1/2 tsp

Salt - 1/2 tsp

Pepper - to taste

Coconut Milk - 1 can

 

Combine all ingredients in your CrockPot and mix well.  Set the CrockPot on low and allow the dish to cook for 7 to 8 hours.  Serve hot and enjoy!

#1, 102: Slow-Cooked Reuben Brats

So I didn't make this recipe as exactly as intended.  Since I'm not eating bread or cheese right now I had to omit it.  Would it have made this better?  Probably!  But did I enjoy it as is anyways....yes!  This recipe got mixed reviews in our house.  I was the only one who enjoyed the sauerkraut, but that wasn't a surprise.  Brian thought the brats were a little too mushy (steamed) for his liking, but the taste was still good.  I loved the sauce, but again, no one else did.  Not a shock from this picky eating family.  

This would be a great meal to make when you have company coming over.  It's super easy and takes such minimal effort! 
 
10 uncooked bratwurst links (I used Italian sausage instead)

3 cans (12 ounces each) light beer or nonalcoholic beer

1 large sweet onion, sliced

1 can (14 ounces) sauerkraut, rinsed and well drained

3/4 cup mayonnaise

1/4 cup chili sauce

2 tablespoons ketchup

1 tablespoon finely chopped onion

2 teaspoons sweet pickle relish

1 garlic clove, minced

1/8 teaspoon pepper

10 hoagie buns, split

10 slices Swiss cheese
 

In a large skillet, brown bratwurst in batches; drain. In a 5-qt. slow cooker, combine beer, sliced onion and sauerkraut; top with bratwurst. Cook, covered, on low 7-9 hours or until sausages are cooked through.

Preheat oven to 350°. In a small bowl, mix mayonnaise, chili sauce, ketchup, chopped onion, relish, garlic and pepper until blended. Spread over cut sides of buns; top with cheese, bratwurst and sauerkraut mixture. Place on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake 8-10 minutes or until cheese is melted. Yield: 10 servings.

#1,101: Slow Cooker Shredded Chicken Barbacoa

Sorry, I forgot to take a picture of this!

This recipe was supposed to be made with pork, but I had so much chicken that I figured I'd just substitute that instead.  This is pretty sweet but not too bad.  This recipe got mixed reviews from our family.  Brian and Allison enjoyed it, but the rest of us weren't huge fans. 
Maybe it was because we used chicken instead of the pork but I highly doubt that would have made that much of a difference.

For the marinade:
2.5 pounds pork loin roast, fat trimmed
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
6 ounce coke zero
1/4 cup brown sugar (unpacked)
1/4 cup water

Step two:
8 ounce coke zero
6 oz can sliced green chilies
8 ounce tomato sauce
1 chipotle chili in adobo sauce
1/8 tsp garlic powder
1/8 tsp cumin
1/8 tsp chipotle chili powder
1/3 cup unpacked brown sugar
salt and pepper to taste

Mix together the salt, pepper, coke zero, and brown sugar.  You can place the roast with this marinade into the crockpot or gallon size bag and let it marinate overnight or for at least two hours.

Take the pork out of the fridge and add 1/4 cup water to the marinade.  Cook on low 4-6 hours or high 3-4.  The pork should be able to shred very easily with fork.

Drain all liquids and shred the pork with two forks.  Mix ingredients for step 2.  The coke zero, green chilies, tomato sauce, chipotle chili, garlic powder, cumin, chipotle chili powder, brown sugar, and salt and pepper to taste.  Mix with the shredded pork and continue cooking for an hour.

#1,100: Easy Raspberry Salad Dressing

I found a recipe for raspberry salad dressing, and since I had just bought a package of raspberries at the grocery store, I figured this would be a great time to try this recipe.  I love my raspberries on the firm size and sometimes I feel like I throw so many raspberries away because they are over-ripe and mushy.  Well not any more!  This is the recipe I'm going to make each time with those leftover raspberries.  Not only did I enjoy this recipe, but the girls loved it too!  Both wanted to eat it right out of the jar and I had to keep reminding them that it was salad dressing!!

1/2 cup raspberries

2-3 tbsp of olive oil

1 tbsp of balsamic vinegar

salt

pepper

juice of half an orange

 

Place all of the ingredients into a blender and pulse to combine. 

#1,099: Sweet Potato Sloppy Joes

Our family loves sloppy joes.  I'll admit, I love my mom and husband's grandma's recipes because it calls for brown sugar, mustard and worchestershire sauce.  I love quadrupling the sauce.  So this recipe scared me a little bit because there really wasn't much "sauce" to it.  I felt like I had to add some sort of liquid/paste, so I added some canned pumpkin.  :)  Not exactly the "sauce" I was going for but it was mushy and an added veggie.  Personally, I love this!  I tried giving it to my kids but they thought it was too spicy with the jalapeno and I have to agree with them...but that's only because we don't like heat in our food.  None of them liked this (or would even try it) with the sweet potato so I gave them just the ground meat.  And no one had any idea there was pumpkin in this! 

2 large sweet potatoes, scrubbed clean
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp sea salt
16oz ground beef
1/2 white onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 jalapeno, finely chopped
2 tbsps tomato paste
2 tbsps yellow mustard
I added about 1/3 cup of canned pumpkin

Brush the sweet potatoes with olive oil, prick the skin a few times then dust with sea salt. Place on a baking tray at bake at 400 for 45 minutes or until soft inside, crispy outside.

While the sweet potato is roasting, prepare the sloppy joe mix by add the onion, garlic, jalapeno and beef to a skillet or large saucepan. Gently fry until the beef has browned and broken up into small chunks.

Stir in the tomato paste and mustard. Let the mixture simmer for 15-20 minutes over a low heat.

Cut the sweet potatoes in half lengthways and scoop out the soft filling (I set this aside and mashed with butter to serve separately). Spoon the sloppy joe mixture into the empty potato shells. Serve immediately and top with grated cheddar cheese for extra goodness.

1,098: Balsamic Sweet Potato Salad

Doesn't the name of this recipe just sound yummy?  I absolutely love sweet potatoes.  Hard to believe I once used to hate them.  They are SO good.  I've been enjoying them baked/mashed with some coconut milk, salt, pepper and bacon.  Delish!  This recipe is much different than my mashed sweet potatoes, but so good. 

1 large sweet potato
1 tbsp pomegranate balsamic vinegar (I used plain balsamic)
2 tbsps chopped red onion
1/4 cup chopped walnuts, briefly toasted (I used chopped cashews)
1 tbsp chopped coriander/cilantro
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Peel the sweet potato and cut into cubes. Put in a pot, cover with salted water and bring to a boil. Boil for 5 minutes – potatoes should be tender but still firm. The trick is not to get them mushy or your salad won’t hold up as well. Set aside and let cool.

Whisk together the oil, vinegar and cilantro. Stir in the walnuts and onion then toss together with the potato.  Store in the fridge for up to 3 days.

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