Asian Pickled Zucchini & Carrots

My youngest son Sam and I planted two zucchini plants in our garden this year and they've yielded a bumper crop of large, hearty squash. We're down to just one plant now – thanks to an attack of squash beetles – yet as I write there are several tiny zucchini making their way into the world.

Now that I've made many of my usual zucchini recipes, I decided to use some for pickles. The results are surprisingly good. I removed the seeds (because they were quite large) and cut the squash into sticks.

Carrots add color and variety. And the zucchini stayed firm and crunchy, absorbing the pickling flavor well – just like a cucumber.

Mangia! Mangia!
Andrea

Asian Pickled Zucchini & Carrots
Inspired by a recipe from McCormick

2 medium-large zucchini, seeded and cut into sticks
4-5 carrots, peeled and cut into sticks
2 cups water
1 1/2 cups white vinegar
1 cup rice vinegar
1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons salt
2 teaspoons Korean style red pepper flakes (Gochugaru)
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon minced onions

Place cut vegetables in a large glass bowl or a 9 x 13 inch glass dish. Set aside.

Add water, vinegars, spices, sugar and salt to a large saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Then reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes.

Pour liquid spice mixture over vegetables in bowl and let sit until everything cools to room temperature.

Place vegetables into canning jars. Then fill jars with pickling liquid, leaving 1/2 inch at top of jar. Top with lids and bands and refrigerate. Let sit in fridge for 3 weeks before eating for best flavor and crunch.

Our zucchini plants earlier this summer.

Pork Loin Roast with Apple Gravy

Pork and apples are a perfect pair. I mean, if there's a Brady Bunch episode about something, it must be good. But there are a couple aspects of today's recipe that take "pork chops and applesauce" to the next level.

First we brown the seasoned pork loin roast to create a tasty crust. Then we nestle the pork into sauteed vegetables and apples so all the flavors meld while they cook in a hot oven. Now—here's the key to juicy, tender pork—use your instant thermometer to check the temperature and pull that roast out of the oven when it reaches 135-140 degrees. It will continue to cook while the meat rests. Finally, we create a rich-but-simple apple pan sauce. You'll be going back for seconds. Probably thirds.

Pork Loin Roast with Apple Gravy is the kind of hot dinner that would make Peter Brady proud.

Let's get cooking!
Erin

Pork Loin Roast with Apple Gravy
Adapted from The Food Network

2 pounds pork loin roast
Salt and pepper
3/4 teaspoon Fines Herbes*, divided
2 tablespoons olive oil
5 carrots, cut into 1" chunks
3 ribs of celery, sliced 1/2" thick
1 onion, peeled and sliced 1/4" thick
2 apples, peeled, cored, and cut 1/2" thick
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 cup apple juice or cider
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard or grainy mustard
1 tablespoon butter

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Season pork generously on all sides with salt and pepper and half of the Fines Herbes. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Add pork and cook until browned on all sides, about 4 minutes per side. Remove pork to a plate and set aside.

Add carrots, celery, and onion to now-empty skillet. Season with salt and pepper and remaining Fines Herbes. Cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are beginning to soften, about 8 minutes. Stir in apples.

Move veggies and apples to the side and nestle pork in the center. Place skillet in the oven and cook until pork reaches an internal temperature of 135-140 degrees, about 45-50 minutes. Transfer pork, vegetables, and apples to a plate and tent with foil. Allow pork to rest until it reaches an internal temperature of 145-150 degrees.

Meanwhile, return skillet with cooking juices to high heat. (TIP: Put an oven mitt over the handle of the skillet so you don't accidentally grab the hot handle. I learned this the hard way, and it hurts.) Whisk in vinegar, scraping the bottom of the pan to incorporate any browned bits, and allow to cook until it's reduced by half, about 3 minutes. Whisk in apple juice and allow to cook until reduced by half again, another 7 minutes. Turn off the heat and whisk in mustard and butter.

Serve sliced pork with apples, vegetables, and apple gravy.

*Don't have Fines Herbes? I'm a big fan, and this might be a perfect excuse to try something new! But if you don't feel like it or if you've gotta get dinner on the table stat, just skip it or try substituting tarragon or thyme. Honestly, I often sniff around (literally) in my spice cupboard and see what smells good. Make it your own!

Cranberry Pot Roast

Happy autumn, guys! It's always a bummer when summer comes to a close, but the cozy days of fall are some of my favorites. Sweater weather, apple picking, and comfort food? Yes, please!

Growing up, one of my favorite fall meals was Cranberry Pot Roast. My mom used cranberry juice in place of chicken broth. (Knowing my mom, she was out of broth one day and made an on-the-fly substitution. Way to get dinner on the table, Mom!) It's been years since I've had Cranberry Pot Roast, and when the crisp weather rolled in, I decided it was time to give it a whirl. Instead of cranberry juice, I used cranberry sauce. Just the canned stuff because...life, people. But if you have leftover homemade cranberry sauce, by all means, use that.

In addition to being delicious and make-ahead friendly, I love Cranberry Pot Roast because it's forgiving. After adding the veggies and popping the roast back in the oven for the final 45 minutes of cooking time, I decided to take the kids to the park. "Oh, we'll be back in time to turn off the oven. No prob!" So an hour later when we were flying down the slide, and I finally looked at my watch...whoops! We hustled back to rescue the roast, and this baby was no worse for wear. It was perfectly tender. Now this is the kind of meal that fits with my lifestyle.

Let's get cooking!
Erin

Cranberry Pot Roast
Adapted from Pot Roast with Bacon and inspired by my mom

2 tablespoons olive oil
3-4 pound beef bottom round roast
Salt and pepper
1 rib of celery, diced
1 onion, peeled and diced
1 1/2 pounds carrots, divided - dice 2 carrots, and cut the rest into 1" chunks
2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
1 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1 (14 ounce) can whole cranberry sauce (or use homemade)
1-2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 bay leaf
3 parsnips, peeled and cut into 1" chunks
8 ounces whole cremini mushrooms
Cooked egg noodles or mashed potatoes for serving
Chopped fresh parsley for garnish, optional

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

In a large Dutch oven, heat oil over medium-high. Season beef generously with salt and pepper. Add beef to pan and cook, turning as needed, until all sides are browned, about 8-10 minutes total. (You'll know it's time to turn the beef when it's easy to flip. If it's sticking to the pot, it's not ready. Give it another minute to cook then try again.) If the browned bits on the bottom of the pan start to burn, turn the heat down to medium. When the roast is browned, remove to a plate and set aside.

Add diced carrot (set aside the carrots cut into 1" chunks until later), celery, and onion to the pot. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are soft, about 8 minutes. Stir in garlic, sugar, and thyme until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

Stir in cranberry sauce, scraping up any browned bits on the bottom of the pan. Return meat to pan. Pour in enough chicken broth so the liquid reaches about halfway up the side of the roast. (For me, this was about 1.5 cups of broth.) Add bay leaf to the pan. Bring liquid to a boil. Cover, turn off the stove, and put the covered pot in the oven.

Allow the beef to cook for 3 hours, turning the meat over a few times while it cooks. Add the remaining carrots and parsnips to the pot, making sure they're submerged in liquid. Re-cover the pot, and cook for an additional 45 minutes to 1.25 hours (if you're at the park), until meat and vegetables are tender.

Remove meat and vegetables to the serving dish and cover with foil to keep warm. Skim any fat from the liquid remaining in the pot. (If you have one, you can use a fat separator to remove the fat and then return the liquid to the pot.) Bring the cooking liquid to a boil over medium-high heat and allow to simmer for 5 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Pour cooking liquid over meat and veggies and serve over buttered egg noodles. Garnish with parsley if you're feeling fancy.

Shepherd's Pie II (The Remix)

Several people (including Mo. Hey, Mo!) have told me that Shepherd's Pie II is their favorite recipe here on HDHH. This is the perfect simple, make-ahead meal to get through the insanity that is September. And true confession: I usually don't make my own mashed potatoes. As I mentioned in my original post, I hate making mashed potatoes. So I buy the pre-made ones. No shame here, people. Sometimes I need to make my life easier, ya feel me?

It was high time I took some new, better pics of Shepherd's Pie II, but you know what I discovered? It's dang hard to take a good pic of Shepherd's Pie! So I gave it my best shot. Better than the originals.

Shepherd's Pie II (The Remix)

Adapted from Real Simple
Serves: 8

2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 large onion, peeled and chopped
1 cup peeled and sliced carrots
Salt and pepper
1.5 pounds ground beef (I used ground sirloin.)
1/4 cup tomato paste
1.5 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup flour
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1.5 cups frozen peas
1 cup corn kernels (optional, but delicious)
5 cups mashed potatoes*

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a 10" oven-safe skillet, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium high. Add onion and carrots. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, for about 6 minutes, until vegetables are beginning to soften. Transfer to a separate bowl.

Heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in the skillet. Add the beef and salt and pepper to taste. Cook, stirring often to break up the beef, about 8 minutes, until meat is no longer pink. Drain the grease from the skillet. Stir in tomato paste and Worcestershire sauce. Sprinkle in flour and cook, stirring, for one minute to cook off the raw taste of the flour.

Stir in broth, scraping the bottom of the pan to incorporate the flavor bits that have accumulated there into the sauce. Add peas, corn, and cooked onions and carrots. Bring to a simmer, then turn off the heat.

Spoon mashed potatoes on top of the meat and vegetable mixture in your skillet. Bake 40-45 minutes, until filling is bubbling and potatoes are lightly browned. Let cool for 5 minutes before serving.

* If you're a better person than me and decide to mash your own potatoes, Real Simple suggests the following:
3 pounds potatoes (I like to use Yukon Gold when I do mash my own.)
Salt and pepper
1 cup milk
4 tablespoons butter

Place the potatoes in a large pot and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil and add 1 teaspoon salt. Reduce heat and simmer for 15-18 minutes, until potatoes are tender when pierced with a knife. Drain and return potatoes to the warm pot. Add milk, butter, and salt and pepper to taste. Mash potatoes.

Honey Roasted Carrots with Tarragon

Recently the husband and I attended a very grown-up party. The buffet table was piled with swanky things like miniature pieces of rye bread with herbed cream cheese and smoked salmon, teeny tiny crab cakes, and a crudites platter that included three—yes, THREE—colors of carrots. Orange, purple, and yellow. What the what!? I didn't even know carrots came in that many colors. So of course I created a little taste test for myself to see which was my favorite.

Although I won't turn down carrots of any hue, I determined that my preference is the yellow variety. They tasted just a little bit sweeter and milder than the traditional orange carrots—almost like a carrot crossed with a parsnip. They were delicious.

So you could imagine my glee when I stumbled upon yellow carrots at the farmers market. It seemed like a no-brainer to roast them with a drizzle of honey to bring out their natural sweetness. A little bit of tarragon added an herbal note that took these babies to the next level. The husband and I were fighting for the last carrot. (I let him have it because I'm a good wife. Or maybe it was because I knew I'd already eaten way more than he had. We'll never know.)

Let's get cooking!
Erin

Honey Roasted Carrots with Tarragon
Serves: 4

2 small bunches of carrots*, trimmed, peeled, and sliced 1/4"-1/2" thick (about 3 cups sliced)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon honey
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon dried** tarragon leaf

Preheat oven to 425 degrees and line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. (Since we're using honey in this recipe, the parchment will make clean-up easier. The honey tends to stick to the pan once it's cooked, and I don't want to spend all night scrubbing it off.)

Toss together carrots, oil, honey, salt, and tarragon so the carrots are evenly coated. Spread the carrots into a single layer on the prepared baking sheet. Roast for 15-20 minutes, stirring halfway through, until carrots are tender and caramelized on the edges.


*If you can find yellow carrots, I heartily recommend giving them a try!

**If you happen to have fresh tarragon growing in your garden, by all means, use it here. Just keep in mind that you may need to use more when you're cooking with the fresh stuff.

Teriyaki Chicken with Ginger Veggie Couscous

Take-out meals definitely serve their purpose, but making your own versions at home is more fun, healthier and budget-conscious, too.

I always have chicken in the freezer and a box or two of couscous on hand, so this was easy to whip up. A bag of matchstick carrots in the crisper drawer is the perfect add to the couscous, along with green onions and broccoli. As for the ginger, here's my tip: Instead of buying a piece of ginger root and using a micro-zester or a grater, I buy a tube of minced ginger. It lasts longer in the fridge than the root and speeds things up quite a bit.

You can use this teriyaki sauce as a marinade for grilled chicken or you can pour it over the chicken and bake it in the oven. Either way the flavor is restaurant-worthy.

Mangia! Mangia!
Andrea

Teriyaki Chicken

1 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup cider vinegar
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon minced or grated ginger
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons cold water
3 to 4 pounds chicken pieces (skinless breasts or skinless thighs)

If oven baking, preheat oven to 425 degrees. If grilling, preheat your grill to medium about 10 minutes before you plan to cook the chicken.

In a saucepan, combine soy sauce, cider vinegar, garlic, ginger, pepper, brown sugar, cornstarch and cold water. Simmer over low heat until sauce thickens and begins to bubble. Remove pot from heat and set aside.

Place chicken in a 13 x 9 inch pan. Pour teriyaki sauce over chicken, turning the chicken pieces to coat both sides.

If baking, place in oven for 30 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink. Remove chicken from baking pan and place on serving platter. Top with remaining teriyaki sauce from baking dish.

If grilling, cover pan and put in refrigerator to let chicken marinate for 30 minutes. Preheat your grill. Remove chicken from marinade and grill on medium for 5 to 8 minutes per side, brushing with the extra marinade as you turn the chicken pieces. Cook until chicken is no longer pink inside.

Ginger Veggie Couscous

1 box wheat or plain couscous
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 and 1/2 teaspoons minced ginger
1 to 2 teaspoons minced garlic
1/2 cup sliced green onions
1/2 cup carrots, finely chopped
1 cup broccoli florets, chopped
1 to 1 and 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
2 tablespoons soy sauce

Prepare couscous according to package directions, except omit oil or butter.

Heat oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium heat. Add ginger, garlic, onions, carrots and broccoli. Cook, stirring frequently, for about 5 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Remove from heat.

Add couscous to skillet and stir to combine. Add sesame oil and soy sauce, and gently mix to combine the sauces.

To serve, plate chicken (slicing breast meat is a nice touch) with veggie couscous and enjoy!

Coconut Carrot Muffins

Everyone's talking about coconut oil these days. It's the new thing. (Actually, I'm pretty sure it's been a thing for a while now, and I'm just behind the times.) I've heard the virtues of using coconut oil for cooking, cleaning, baking, moisturizing...pretty much everything under the sun. It was high time I gave this newfangled oil a whirl, and Coconut Carrot Muffins seemed like the perfect opportunity.

These healthy muffins are vibrant with carrots and pineapple, studded with sweet raisins, and rich with coconut flakes and coconut oil. And with a pinch of orange zest stirred in, each bite is fragrant with citrus. Geez, are these babies good.

Let's get cooking!
Erin

Carrot Coconut Muffins
Makes 36 mini muffins
Adapted from these Morning Glory Muffins

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour*
2 tablespoons oat bran
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 whole eggs
2 egg whites
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/2 cup coconut oil, melted and cooled
8 ounces crushed pineapple
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 teaspoon orange zest (optional)
1 1/2 cups grated carrots
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup sweetened flaked coconut

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a muffin tin or line with paper liners and set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together all-purpose flour, whole wheat pastry flour, oat bran, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon. In a separate bowl, stir together whole eggs, egg whites, brown sugar, applesauce, coconut oil, pineapple, vanilla, and orange zest. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Stir in carrots, raisins, pineapple, and coconut.

Fill prepared muffin tins with batter. I filled my mini muffin cups to the top and ended up with 36 muffins. Bake at 350 for about 15 minutes, until muffins spring back when you touch them and a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean. Allow to cool in the muffin tins for 5 minutes, then remove the muffins to a wire rack to finish cooling.

I made mini muffins, but you could certainly make regular-sized muffins. I would guess they'd need about 25 minutes to bake. If you try it, let me know!

*I happened to have 1/2 cup of whole wheat pastry flour that I was looking to use up. If you don't have whole wheat pastry flour, feel free to use entirely all-purpose flour or substitute whole wheat flour. Also, if you have more whole wheat flour on hand than I did, by all means use more!

Apricot Glazed Carrots

I had a jar of apricot preserves languishing in my fridge after making Apricot Mustard Glazed Ham, Although as you know, I'm a huge fan of PB&J sandwiches, I'm strictly a strawberry jam kind of gal. So I had to come up with a plan to use up my leftover condiment more creatively.

Enter Apricot Glazed Carrots.

Sweet and subtly spiced, these babies are just the ticket to round out any meal. You can stir them together on the stovetop in about 10 minutes, so it's a speedy side dish, too.

Apricot Glazed Carrots
Serves: 4

1 tablespoon butter
1 small clove garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon curry powder
1/4 cup chicken or vegetable broth
2 tablespoons apricot preserves
1 pound carrots, peeled and sliced 1/4" thick
Salt and pepper

Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Stir in garlic and curry and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in chicken broth, apricot preserves, and carrots and bring to a simmer. Cover and cook for 5 minutes. Remove lid and continue to cook until carrots are tender and sauce has thickened, about 5 minutes longer. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Ginger Glazed Roast Carrots

We eat a lot of carrots at our house. It's because I always have them on hand. They stay fresh in the crisper for a long time, and they're delicious raw or cooked. Throw them in your lunchbox, use them to scoop up Spinach Dip or hummus, or roast them with some ginger...

Ginger Glazed Roast Carrots
Serves 4

1 pound carrots, sliced on the bias 1/4" thick
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
Salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place the carrots on a rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with honey and olive oil. Sprinkle with ginger and salt and pepper to taste. Toss everything together until the carrots are evenly coated. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until the carrots are crisp-tender and golden around the edges, stirring halfway through.

Apricot Curry Glazed Carrots

Recently, the husband's parents came to Milwaukee for a visit. I don't even kid myself into thinking they came to see the husband and me...they came to see our boy. He's much cuter than we are.

While they were here, I made Turkey Meatloaf Florentine. (As an aside from today's recipe, you should totally put Turkey Meatloaf Florentine on your menu for this week. I forgot how good it is. Turkey dotted with spinach and glazed with honey mustard...Mmmmm.) I also made potatoes au gratin. From a box. I have no shame.

But these carrots were not from a box. You use a few simple ingredients that you probably have lying around your kitchen. Crisp-tender with a sweet glaze that gets a kick from the curry.

Apricot Curry Glazed Carrots
Adapted from Kalyn's Kitchen
Serves 4

1/4 cup chicken broth
2 tablespoons apricot preserves
1 tablespoon butter
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
3/4 teaspoon curry powder
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1 pound carrots, sliced 1/4" thick (I used baby carrots because I had them on had. Use what you've got!)

Place broth, preserves, butter, and spices in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Bring mixture to a boil, stirring occasionally. Once it's boiling, add the carrots. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and allow the carrots to simmer for about 8 minutes. Remove the lid and allow the carrots to continue simmering until the liquid is reduced to more of a thickened glaze and the carrots are crisp-tender, 2 to 4 minutes longer.

Carrots with Herbes de Provence

Last time I went to Costco, I bought a gigantic bag of carrots. Not baby carrots, big carrots. It's a pain in the patootie to peel and cut them up compared to the ease of baby carrots, but I think they taste better. And, if I have to be honest about the reason I really bought them, they were cheaper.

Needless to say, the husband and I have been eating a lot of this delicious orange vegetable. Glazed carrots, carrot sticks, roasted carrots... You get the picture. I was pawing through my spice cupboard looking for a way to add pizzazz to our now standard side dish, when I came upon Herbes de Provence. It was a delightful pairing.

Carrots with Herbes de Provence
Serves: 3

4 large carrots, peeled and sliced into 1/4" thick circles
1/2 cup chicken or vegetable broth
1 teaspoon butter
1/2 teaspoon Herbes de Provence
Salt and pepper

Place carrots and chicken broth in a skillet over medium high heat. Once it reaches a boil, cover, reduce heat, and allow to simmer for about 6 minutes. Remove the lid, increase heat to medium, and allow to continue bubbling for 5-7 more minutes, until the liquid is reduced and carrots are tender. Stir in butter, Herbes de Provence, and salt and pepper to taste.