Raab Greens with Sausage

After a month-long unintentional hiatus from the blog, I have racked up many recipes to share. Unfortunately, my Mac broke right after Valentine's Day, which basically means my lifeline to blogging had to be sent in for repair and I was left with many ideas and the old fashion pen and paper. Alas, I have been reunited just in time for Spring.

Today, I'm sharing a super easy recipe using raab. Probably the most common is broccoli raab, which is often referred to as Rapini. Raab is a cruciferous veggie, usually appearing as thin stalks and greens with little florets speckled throughout. I don't see types of raab in the grocery store very often, but it is all over the Farmers Market lately. 

Several farmers at the Market have offered different kinds in the last few weeks; chard raab, winter greens (brassica) raab and this week I found a mixture of mizuna and tatsoi raab. Thank you ColorFields Farm!

Raab can be, and usually is a bitter vegetable, which I know the Hubby isn't a huge fan of. However, with a little sausage, spice and acidity, it turns into a side dish that he goes back for seconds of. 

This recipe for Raab and Sausage is very versatile. You can use your favorite kind of sausage and whatever kind of raab you can find. You could even just use a bitter green like mustard or turnip greens. Sauté away!!

Raab Greens with Sausage

Yields: 4 side servings
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 3-5 minutes

1 bunch broccoli raab or other kind of raab or leafy green, roughly chopped

3-4 sausage patties or links

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1/4 cup water

salt and pepper

Olive oil

Lemon juice

In a large sauté pan over medium heat, cook the sausage and break into smaller pieces. Once the sausage is cooked through, remove to a paper towel lined plate, reserving the rendered fat in the pan. 

Add the prepared greens/raab to the pan and cook for about a minute, stirring several times to coat the greens/raab. Pour in the 1/4 cup water and cover the pan over the heat for 2-3 minutes (this will steam and cook the greens without burning them). Remove the lid and make sure the greens/raab are cooked to your desire, then stir the sausage back in along with a pinch of salt, pepper and the red pepper flakes. Remove from heat and serve with a small drizzle of olive oil and lemon juice if you want. 

If the raab mixture is still to bitter for you, add a bit of sugar or honey to balance out.

Roasted Carrots with Honey Drizzle

Hello 2015!! Goodbye holiday treats!!

That's it folks, the indulgence of the holidays has passed and the Nation's obsession with health and weight loss begins. I am definitely all for a healthy lifestyle, but not the biggest fan of the influx of new members at the gym in January! 

This year I have even more reasons to stay healthy though, I am drug-free! Late last year I decided to stop taking a medication for my Crohn's. I felt good enough to try managing the disease through food, exercise and low stress. So far, so good...although the low stress part is hard to accomplish, but I am trying. 

The best way for me to maintain a healthy diet is by keeping a ton of vegetables in the kitchen. The more I have in the fridge, the more inclined I am to eat them. The tough part about having Crohn's is that I can't always eat raw vegetables as they can be hard to digest. Over the past year, I have been playing around with vegetable side dishes, adding flavors and testing different cooking techniques. Thank goodness I have a patient Hubby who likes vegetables!!

Carrots are my current favorite veggie to cook up, especially the cute little sweet gems from Color Fields Farm. 

Raw carrots have always been a favorite snack of mine. Not only is the crunch one of the best ways to reduce stress, but they are naturally sweet and help bite those mid-afternoon cravings for candy. The thought of cooked carrots wasn't high on my list considering most of the time they are way over cooked, mushy and bland. It wasn't until Moms roasted them one night for a family dinner that I became intrigued. The honey was just a lucky addition resulting in me standing in front of the pantry searching for a finishing touch for the carrots.

I have made this side dish dozens of times now and hope you will enjoy it. If you can find the smaller whole carrots, they are perfect for roasting and really pack a punch of flavor.  

Roasted Carrots with Honey Drizzle

Yields: 4 servings
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes

1 pound small whole carrots, ends trimmed and halved
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon Herbs de Provence
Salt and pepper
1 teaspoon honey

Preheat oven to 400F and place the rack in the middle of the oven. Line a large roasting pan or baking sheet with parchment paper and lay the halved carrots on the sheet. Drizzle the olive oil, herbs, salt and pepper on the carrots and mix around with your hands until well coated. Roast in the oven for 30 minutes, stirring half way. For more cooked/charred carrots, continue to cook for 10 minutes longer, otherwise remove from the oven. 

Drizzle the honey evenly over the carrots and serve. Don't do too much honey since the carrots themselves will be sweet. A little goes a long way with this dish!

Fairytale Eggplant with Farmers Cheese

Fairytale Eggplants are the cutest and most delicious little vegetables! I first came across them about a month ago and I couldn't help but think how cute they were. I hesitated to buy them because I wasn't quite sure how to cook the little purple gems. After circling the market twice, I decided to go for it.

Eggplants are tricky. Unfortunately, there hasn't been a lot of success with the vegetable in my kitchen and the Hubby usually won't eat them because of the mushy texture and chewy skin. I agree with him. In theory, eggplants are hearty and filling and would be perfect for a vegetarian meal. They just never settle well with my stomach. So, why did I buy them?? Well first of all, they were adorable. And second of all, I love a good challenge in the kitchen!

The farmer informed me that the skin on the smaller eggplants are much thinner and easier to chew. Selling point #1. He also informed me that they cook pretty quickly, so it makes a wonderful weeknight side dish. Selling point #2. And finally, small eggplants, like Fairytale's, don't have many seeds in them (which is what usually bothers my stomach). Selling point #3...and sold!

When thinking about cooking the eggplant, I decided to build in some layers of flavor. I knew that in order to get the Hubby to at least try to eat them, I had to add two elements; creamy (that is where the cheese comes in) and crunchy (crispy shallots and fresh parsley).

Changing things up, I went for the cast iron skillet instead of a roasting pan and I pulled out shallots. I started with the shallots not only to infuse the oil, but also to create crispy, caramelized shallot slices for garnish and flavor.

I didn't tell the Hubby I was making eggplant at first, and honestly didn't expect he would even try it. Much to my surprise, he was feeling adventurous and ended up LOVING them! It was such a win for me. Not only did my stomach handle them with ease, but the taste was fantastic AND the Hubby approved!

Many of my friends and followers ask me about eggplant all the time, and I am officially here to tell you not to be scared of it! I have literally avoided buying eggplant for most of my adult life because I was never able to find a good way to cook and never enjoyed it. Well, friends, today is a new day!

Fairytale Eggplant 

Yields: 4 servings
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes

1 pound Fairytale eggplants, halved lengthwise (or other small eggplant)
1 small shallot, sliced
2 tablespoons Grapeseed oil (or olive oil)
1/4 cup Farmers cheese, crumbled (could also use Feta or Chèvre)
1 tablespoon fresh parsley, roughly chopped
salt and pepper to test

In a large cast iron skillet, heat the oil over medium heat and sauté the shallots, stirring constantly until slightly crispy and caramelized. Remove the shallots and place on a paper towel reserving the oil in the skillet.


Place the halved eggplants skin side down first in the heated oil and sauté for 2-3 minutes. Flip the eggplant and sauté on the other side for 2 more minutes until slightly browned. 

To serve, place the eggplants on a plate and add the crumbled cheese, parsley and reserved crispy shallots on top. Season with salt and pepper.

Oyster Stuffing

Two more days until the best excuse to stuff your face and nap with your whole family in front of a huge television with a muted football game. Yea, that happens!

And traditions can be wonderful, but this year, we are starting a few new ones around the Thanksgiving table. I combined culinary minds with both my Moms and came up with an amazing menu for Thursday:

• Deep fried turkey
• Roasted turkey (brined)
• Gravy (regular and gluten free)
• Stuffing
• Oyster stuffing (recipe below)
• Roasted garlic smashed potatoes
• Bourbon bacon Brussels sprouts
• Sweet potato salad with maple dressing
• Green bean casserole
• Rolls (regular and gluten free)
• Cranberry sauce
• Pumpkin pie
• Chocolate chess pie
• Apple pie (gluten free)
• Pumpkin trifle
• Cherry torte

Even though we have several new dishes around the table this year, we always stick to our traditional stuffing recipe - oyster stuffing. I often find myself having to explain this phenomenon to people around me.

My Dad grew up at the beach, so seafood was always a part of his life. Naturally, I grew up eating a lot of it during family get-togethers, so adding oysters into the stuffing was only normal. The Hubby was a little thrown by this (remember, he comes from the Midwest). So this year, we will have two types of stuffing - one with oysters, and one without.

Onto the goodness...Fall is oyster season, so they shouldn't be too hard to find. You can be chef extraordinaire and get fresh oysters and shuck yourself, or be lazy like me and buy them in a jar at Whole Foods. Hey, no judgement here, I have lots of cooking to do on Thursday!

Oysters in their natural juice are the best, since a little of the juice makes the stuffing even better. Unfortunately for this test run, the ones we bought were cleaned and stripped of all their saltiness.

I asked my Mom to go through the recipe with me since she has made it MANY times and watched my Grandma make it year after year. We decided to try a gluten free one as well. I am happy to say that Mom and I successfully created a gluten free one that we plan on making Thursday!

For the sake of tradition and this amazing Thanksgiving side dish, the recipe below is for the regular version. Grandma always used Pepperidge Farm Herbed Stuffing mix, so that is what we use year after year. Why mess with an amazing thing!

Also, we usually buy our oysters the day before (or day of if possible) so they are fresh, fresh! Depending on the size of the oysters, most of them should be cut in half (easily done with scissors). Careful because they are slippery little suckers!

Oyster Stuffing

Makes: 8x8 pan
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 35-45 minutes

1 package seasoned stuffing cubes (Pepridge Farm is the best) - about 6 cups
3/4 cup celery, chopped
3/4 cup onion, chopped
1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
1 teaspoon dried sage (can reduce if you don't like this flavor)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 to 2 1/2 cups turkey or chicken broth, warmed
1/2 pint oysters in juice
Bastings from roasted turkey (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350F. If you don't have turkey bastings, grease an 8x8 baking dish. Start by adding the stuffing cubes to a very large bowl. Stir in the onion, celery, poultry seasoning, sage, salt and pepper. Pour in half of the broth and mix with your hands until the cubes start to soften. Mix in the oysters and about 1 Tablespoon of the oyster juice if salted. If roasting a turkey, add in about 1 Tablespoon of the bastings here. Mix in the remaining broth 1/2 cup at a time, until the desired consistency is met.

It should be moist, with no standing liquid in the bowl. I always purchase an extra bag of stuffing in case I go overboard on the liquids (been known to happen). In this case, you can just add a few more stuffing cubes to soak up the extra liquid.

Once the stuffing is a mushy consistency and well combined, add this to the pan and press in. Bake for 35-45 minutes, until the top is browned and the center is cooked through.

How I made this gluten free:
Whole foods has a 10-minute gluten free stuffing mix. We started with that, added hot broth to the cubes, veggies and spices and let this sit for about 10-15 minutes. Then mixed it up with our hands and added in the oysters. IT WAS AMAZING!! Nice work Whole Foods

Spring Vegetable Crunch Salad and Blogiversary

One year ago today, I published my first ever blog post - I Now Pronounce You Man and Wife.

Happy Blogiversary

Reaching this milestone made me look back on some of my early posts and realize how much I have grown as a writer, chef, blogger, and person overall. The blog has been a channel where I can share my thoughts and opinions about the field I love - cooking. Kettler Cuisine challenges my creativity, writing skills and culinary knowledge every day.

Lessons in Blogging

There are several things that I have learned from the past year of blogging. It certainly isn't as easy as one would think:

1. A post takes time. As simple as it sounds to type up your thoughts and a recipe, it requires drafts, edits, HTML and multimedia. I have never been able to just "throw" a post together in 20 minutes.
2. You must think ahead. Different seasons bring different produce, ingredients and food trends. In order to stay relavant, I try to think a few months ahead and plan for dishes or ingredients I want to write about. 
3. Proper SEO is important. Search engine optimization is key to a good blog. This helps others find your site, and when you are taking the time and effort to write and create, you want people to read it! I have to thank my hubby and BoostSuite for this lesson. 
4. Promotion is a must. Food blogging is a wonderful, collaborative community of awesome people. I have posted and commented on other blogs, and in return, received blog-love in the form of shares, retweets, likes, comments, and shout-outs!
5. Give credit when deserved. I love to create my own recipes, but I often find inspiration from others. There are so many great recipes out there. When I get inspired by them, I make sure to give them some love!
6. This is not a job, but a hobby. I could spend all day, every day writing, cooking, posting, researching, editing, designing, etc. I have to limit my time on the blog so that I don't ignore other aspects of my life, like my job, friendships, health and most importantly, my husband!

Speaking of Ryan, I've got to thank him for all the support and advice. I also want to thank him for his patience, waiting to eat while I fiddle with the camera and lighting to capture our meals. Bless his heart,...as we say in the South.

Speaking of South, Spring has arrived! Well, at least for a day. I am so ready for it that I decided to start posting Spring recipes (see lesson #2). This particular one is a Spring Vegetable Crunch Salad.

The great thing about this salad is that there are no specific measurements or dressings. The amount of ingredients can depend on the number being served (or how many leftovers desired). The combination of these vegetables just screams Spring - a nice refreshing salad for a beautiful Spring day.

The key is to chop all the ingredients into uniform sizes. It was a split decision on dressing though - I went light vinaigrette and Ryan opted for his beloved Ranch.

We have a lot more in store for everyone, so keep following and compromising!

Thanks again for all your support.

Love,
Jess

Spring Vegetable Crunch Salad

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cucumbers

Radishes

Yellow cherry tomatoes

Pea sprouts (or other sprouts)

Chop all ingredients and toss with salt and pepper. Dress with favorite salad dressing right before serving. Salad can be made ahead and stored in the refrigerator.

New Year, New Eats and Cultured Vegetables

I'm back! It was amazing to take a few weeks off from work, training, cooking and, well life in general. However, now my body is in dire need of cleansing and my normal routine! Then there is the inevitable New Year's resolutions. Not me. This will mark the first year that I WON'T make a New Year's resolution. Not that I don't appreciate the whole "fresh start" mentality, I just don't think it should be limited to one day out of the year. A "fresh start" can happen any day of the year.

My fresh start comes in the form of cleansing, eliminating sugar and digestive enzymes! After all the sweets, heavy food, alcohol and several days of no exercise, my body just gets mad at me, forcing me to return to my healthy ways. I thought I would share some of the healthy habits that I have picked up over the last year, mostly in search of a better lifestyle to deal with Crohn's.

First and foremost - cultured vegetables. This has been the single-most important food I have incorporated into my diet since I was diagnosed several years ago. They are simple to make and a batch lasts about a month. The recipe I am sharing today was created by Rose, my mother (who we all know is a big part of why I am healthy today). She read a book called Body Ecology, that changed her life (and system)!

Before I get to the recipe, here are a few other healthy habits worth trying this New Year.

Raw Brownies

One of the benefits of cultured vegetables is the natural ability to control sweet cravings. Sugar is one of the biggest culprits of my flareups, and also one of my biggest weaknesses, or at least it used to be. After a year of cultured vegetables in my diet, I can honestly say, I do not really crave sweets anymore. However, when I need a little sweet treat, I turn to these Raw Chocolate Brownies (which contain no sugar). The sweetness comes from Medjool dates. I always have a little bag of these brownies in the freezer for a quick and easy sweet satisfaction.

Habit #2 (Lemon-Cayenne cleanse)

I picked up this habit from the Food Babe, a healthy food blogger that is located in NC as well. She starts every morning with hot water, lemon and cayenne. This is a natural liver cleanse that eliminates toxins from the digestive tract. Considering my condition, I jumped on this habit right away and have been pleased with the outcome ever since. Thank you Food Babe!!

If you can't quite stomach cayenne-lemon water, at least try Dandelion Tea (add a few drops of stevia for sweetness). I drink tea with lunch every day instead of water to help break down the food. I only drink water before and after meals, never during. This helps keeps bloating down and eases digestion.

Ways to Eat Cultured Vegetables

Back to cultured vegetables, which is a form of fermented food. Many people ask me why I eat fermented foods and I usually respond with "why not eat the most healing of foods?!?!"

For starters, fermented foods have been around for centuries and now come in several forms: yogurt (plain), kefir, sauerkraut, kimchi and soaked grains. For this post, I am focusing on cultured vegetables (sauerkraut or kimchi), which are defined as "cut or shredded vegetables that are left in an airtight sanitary environment for several days or longer at room temperature" according to Body Ecology. This allows the enzymes on the vegetables to proliferate creating a mineral-rich food that aids digestion and eliminates toxins. They help fight yeast and other unhealthy pathogens in your intestines, which is great for controlling sugar cravings (see above). Finally, and most importantly, they are alkaline and very cleansing for the body.

First of all, NEVER heat cultured vegetables. It won't kill you or anything, it will just kill all of the digestive enzymes and good bacteria that you want. Other than just adding them to the side of any meal, here are a few other ways I like to eat them:

• with blue corn chips or other tortilla chips (the veggies act like a salsa)
• similarly, mix with avocado for a guaco-cultured-mole!
• over scrambled or fried eggs
• with cheese and crackers
• use some of the brine as a salad dressing. TONS of great nutrients in the dressing!
• spread on sandwiches in place of a condiment

Fall Spinach Salad

Fall into Spinach

Leftover night! Our attempt to clean out the fridge before Sunday Fun Day! And yes, Sunday Fun Day is my favorite day of the week, because it usually means going to the Farmer's Market and grocery store, then cooking all day! Oh and not to mention, football!

But, I digress. So, we were eating leftovers and I decided to use the remaining fresh spinach for a side salad to accompany the leftover soup (for me) and pasta (for him). I literally did not have any dressing in our fridge, so decided to make my own. A little homemade dressing, a little nuts and dried fruit and this became a "throw together" that turned into a delicious salad, especially for the Fall.

We devoured the salad so fast, that I didn't take a picture. So I woke up the next morning and remade it. 

Ryan is a Ranch-lover, we all know this. I have been on a mission to create (or buy) other dressings that he will equally love. This was one such success. The key for Ryan is to create a creamy texture that mimics the thickness and richness of ranch. However, I am not a fan of the fat content that accompanies ranch dressing. So I improvised a bit. Yes, I do add a little bit of mayonnaise to this dressing, but only in moderation to get the texture. I have to face the fact that Ryan will never stop eating Ranch, but if I can get him to use it less, then I consider that an accomplishment!

This is a very easy and quick salad, especially in the fall, when apples are crisp and abundant in most kitchens.

Fall Spinach Salad

Yields: 4 salads
Prep Time: 10 minutes 

2 cups fresh spinach

1/2 cup apple, julienne (we use Honeycrisp)

1/3 cup raisins (can use dried cranberries, cherries or currants as well)

1/2 cup raw walnuts, toasted, chopped (can use hazelnuts or pine nuts here too)

Sharp cheddar or Gruyere cheese, grated or chopped into small squares

2 tablespoon cup mayonnaise

3 tablespoon  honey

2 tablespoon white balsamic vinegar (or white wine vinegar)

1/3 cup olive oil

salt and pepper

For the salad, place spinach on a small plate and equally distribute the apple, walnuts, raisins and cheese among the plates. 

In a small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, vinegar, honey and salt and pepper. Slowly add in the olive oil, while whisking. 

Drizzle the dressing over the salad and serve.

Light Macaroni Salad

We all know I can't resist a good recipe makeover!! Ryan and most of my friends like creamy- (a.k.a. mayonnaise) based salads. However, I have never been a huge fan of mayo, except for on a BLT sandwich. To make matters worse, creamy salads never agree with my stomach, although I do crave the creamy consistency sometimes. Ice cream is the thing that I miss the most! In addition to creamy, I try to stay away from gluten.

Although I don't have a huge problem with gluten, it is usually advised that people with Crohn's Disease should avoid it. After my diagnosis a few years ago, I researched and found various helpful sites, books, discussion boards and even a support group that Ryan and I frequented when my symptoms were bad. However, learning how to eat for my disease was a whole different story. Unfortunately, patients with Crohn's are all effected differently by different foods.

The best way for me to understand safe foods was to keep a food journal, which I did for the better part of a year. I learned a lot in that year, mostly the "trigger" foods. Anything fried was out of the question (although this wasn't too upsetting for me). Beets, popcorn, peanuts, ice cream and red meat are always painful. Corn, sugar-loaded things and creamy salads (tuna, chicken, creamy cole slaws) can trigger symptoms as well.

Recreating Delicious

As for the foods I had to leave behind, I learned how to substitute ingredients or recreate recipes so I didn't always have to miss out on great flavors. Comfy Belly is one of the blogs that I follow. The author focuses on healthy, healing recipes for her son with Crohn's. I like her recipes because they usually shy away from my trigger foods and include healing, power foods. I decided to try her macaroni salad, which I have not had in about three years. I made some changes and substituted greek yogurt for most of the mayo to cut down on the fat. I was secretive and didn't tell Ryan it was gluten free and light, to get his full reaction. He thought It was delicious!

I should point out that this is great for parties, but not tailgates in 85 degree weather! The creaminess of the pasta starts to break down in the sun and the gluten free pasta gets hard and clumps together.

I also had some the next day after all of the flavors melded together and it was delicious,  so this is a great make ahead side dish.

You can substitute whole wheat pasta or regular pasta in this recipe as well.

Light Macaroni Salad

Adapted from Comfy Belly

Yields: 4 cups
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: Pasta cooking time

4 cups of cooked pasta (I used gluten-free pasta - Quinoa pasta)

1 red bell pepper, finely chopped

2 stalks of celery, finely chopped

1/4 cup of mayonnaise (can use low fat)

3/4 cup of plain greek yogurt (can use low fat)
1 tablespoon whole grain mustard

1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

1 teaspoon honey

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

salt and pepper to taste

Cook the pasta per the instructions on the box. I reserved some of the pasta water just in case the dressing got too thick. Drain and rinse the pasta in cool water and set aside.

Mix the pepper, celery, mayo, yogurt, mustard, vinegar, honey, cayenne, salt and pepper into a large bowl. Stir in the pasta and mix to combine. Store the pasta salad in the refrigerator for at least and hour and up to overnight. Serve chilled.

7-Layer Bean Dip

Football Season - a time for excitement, disappointment, camaraderie and a lot of yelling. Unfortunately, it is also a time for very unhealthy foods! Since my Crohn's doesn't usually let me indulge in anything cheesy, fried or creamy, I usually always volunteer to bring something myself. And one of my favorite crowd pleasers, that happens to also be a waistline pleaser, is my 7-Layer Bean Dip. 

All you need to do is dedicate a little bit of time and make a few substitutions, and you can make your own easy layer dip that doesn't include all of the calories. 

I thought this would be a perfect addition to the Live Draft Party for my all-girls-fantasy football league. Why should the guys have all the fun???

All the gals brought something over to our friends house, where we setup our computers for draft time. There was a lot of yelling, cursing, a few drinks here and there, and some very good food. Katie decided to make these yummy bits (Oreo Cheesecake Pretzel bites....remember the Chocolate Peanut Butter ones)??

And the table was filled with delicious food from everyone's kitchens.

We put on our jersey's (paused for a very girly picture) and got down to business with the draft. 

The great thing about this dip, is that you can make several layers ahead of time and assemble right before the party or get together. The best way to keep this healthy is to make your own bean layer instead of the mystery refried beans that come from a can.

Here is the layer breakdown:

Layer 1 - "refried" black beans - by starting with whole black beans and adding healthy coconut oil and spices, it cuts back on a lot of the fat
Layer 2 - guacamole made with just avocado and salsa
Layer 3 - light sour cream
Layer 4 - salsa (fresh or your favorite brand)
Layer 5 - sharp cheddar cheese - since there is no melting in this dip, use a sharp cheese and less of it
Layer 6 - fresh chopped lettuce - for a little health benefit
Layer 7 - fresh chopped tomatoes - for a little extra health benefit

7-Layer Bean Dip

Yields: 8x8 dish of dip
Prep Time: 30-45 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes

1 Tablespoon oil (coconut or olive)
1 (15.5 ounce) can of black beans, drained and rinsed well

1/4 cup onion, finely chopped

1/2 teaspoon chili powder

1 teaspoon cumin

1/3 cup vegetable broth

1 avocado, mashed

Salsa

Light sour cream

Sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

Romaine lettuce, finely chopped

2 roma tomatoes, chopped

Fresh chives, chopped
Tortilla chips

Start with the bean layer. In a large saute pan over medium heat, warm the oil and saute the chopped onion for about 5 minutes. Stir in the cumin, chili powder and pinch of salt until well combined. Add the black beans and stir to warm up. Stir in the vegetable broth and bring to a simmer. With a potato masher or back of a large spoon, start to mash the beans in the pan. Continue to cook on medium-low heat, stirring and mashing along the way, until the mixture has thickened. Another method to "mashing" the beans is to place them into a food processor. Set the beans aside to cool.

Make the guacamole to your preference. We like to simply mash the avocado and mix in a little of our favorite salsa. Set this aside. 

Once the bean layer has cooled, get ready to assemble the dip. Spread the bean mixture in the bottom of an 8x8 glass dish (or dish being used for the dip). Then spread the guacamole on top of the beans, being careful not to blend them. Next, spread a layer of sour cream, then salsa and shredded cheddar cheese. Place this in the refrigerator until ready to use.

Layer the shredded lettuce and chopped tomatoes on top of the dip right before serving. Garnish with chopped fresh chives.

Serve with your favorite tortilla chips and enjoy!!

Kettler Tomato Pie

Tomato Season!!!

I don't really have a cute story to tell beyond the fact that we love tomato season in the Kettler house! We purchased about 5 lbs at the market with no plan on how to use them. We just walked around the market tasting all the tomatoes and couldn't stop buying them. 

One of my favorite recipes is a tomato pie - not the stereotypical Southern, mayo-loaded pie, but a fresh, basil-kissed one!

This is possibly the most simple "pie" to assemble, but the tricky part is getting the right tomatoes. If you use really ripe tomatoes, they will create so much juice during the cooking process that you end up with more of a soup than a pie. But if you get tomatoes that are not ripe enough, they are not sweet.

Curry Broccoli and Couscous

Yay!! I am so happy to be back in the kitchen! July was a whirlwind of traveling to every corner of North Carolina and beyond. We had A LOT of great times with friends and family, by all the traveling messed with my weekly routine of training for the marathon, healthy eating and sleep! So when I actually had a day off of training and no errands to run after work the other day, I told Ryan that he could find me in the kitchen for the next 4 hours! I was so happy, cooking, taking pictures, blogging (and maybe drinking a martini or two). Ryan snapped this pic when I turned to get my camera!

Back in the Kitchen

I had several things on the docket for the evening cooking event:

• Cherry Chocolate Brownies - to be posted later
• Mango Black Bean Salsa for my weekend girls beach trip
• Roasted Red Pepper dip - to be posted later
• And dinner - a new Kettler creation - Curry Broccoli and Couscous

I believe I have mentioned this before, but Ryan and I LOVE Indian cuisine. We have our dear friends Dhruv and Karishma to thank for this. We kept telling them how we disliked Indian cuisine and one day Dhruv said, "We are going to cook you a traditional Indian meal, then we will see." Karishma made 7 or 8 dishes, and each of them blew us away! Ever since then, we have been hooked. Dining out, making our own curries, shopping at the local Indian market for better spices, yum! 

I started playing around with different types of sauces, spices and Indian flavors based on a cookbook I had bought. I am certainly no expert yet, but at least my dishes can keep the Hubby happy :)

So after a lot of basic American cooking this past month, I decided to change it up and try a new curry recipe starring Ryan's fav - broccoli. (And you know me, anytime I can get him to eat more veggies, I am happy)!

I started by chopping up all the vegetables, then played around with the sauce flavors. After about 3 attempts at the sauce, I finally was happy with the results. I then made the couscous, steamed the broccoli, sauteed the veggies and mixed everything together.

Curry Broccoli and Couscous

Serves: 4
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes

2 small broccoli heads, chopped into bite size florets

3 carrots, shredded (about 1 cup)

8 mushrooms of choice, sliced (about 1 1/2 cups)

1 small red onion, chopped (full 1 cup)

2 T ghee or butter

salt and pepper

1 1/4 cup vegetable broth

1 cup plain dried couscous

salt

2 tsp white balsamic vinegar
4 T olive oil
1 tsp agave or honey
1 tsp curry paste (we used red)
3 tsp curry powder
1/4 cup low fat milk

Optional - golden raisins for garnish

Start by chopping and shredding all the vegetables (broccoli, carrots, mushrooms and onion). Feel free to add in other vegetables of choice as well. I like to chop and cut all the ingredients first before cooking, so I am ready for steps when needed.

Steam the broccoli florets. I like to use a microwave steamer for ease, but anyway you can steam them is fine. Set aside.

In a small bowl, combine the vinegar, olive oil, agave/honey, curry paste, curry powder and milk together. Whisk well until all the ingredients are well incorporated. Set the curry sauce aside.

In a small saucepan, bring the vegetable broth to a boil, then add the couscous and a pinch of salt. Quickly stir this, remove from the heat and cover the saucepan. The couscous will be done in about 5 minutes, at which point you can fluff the couscous.

Once the couscous is cooking, start sauteing the vegetables. In a large saute pan, melt the ghee or butter and add the onions. Saute the onions for about 2-3 minutes and add in the shredded carrots. 

Cook this for another 2-3 minutes and add the mushrooms (and any other raw vegetables except the steamed broccoli). Let this saute for about 5 minutes until cooked down. Add in the broccoli and curry sauce and lower the heat to medium-low. Stir to combine all the ingredients and cook on low for about 5 minutes to incorporate the flavors. 

To serve, either add in the couscous to the vegetable mixture or serve the vegetable mixture over the couscous. Either way, it is delicious with some Naan and mango chutney! Ryan likes to add some heat, so he has a hot garlic chutney that Dhruv had recommended.

*Note, if you like more sauce, just double the recipe, except for the vegetables.

*Note, this can easily be served over quinoa or other gluten-free grain for specific dietary needs. I put the leftovers over lettuce and it was a fantastic salad for lunch!