Meatless (some)day

Brian and I have recently started to buy (mostly) organic, grass-fed, antibiotic free, etc. meat. Those of you who know me know I am on the frugal side, so the jump in cost makes a cry a little on the inside.

To make myself feel better about the money we're spending on better quality meats, I've been cooking a meatless meal 1-2 days a week. I see many bloggers calling this a "Meatless Monday" but for us, it's more like "Forgot to defrost the ground beef day."

Anywho, from the girl who doesn't believe in recipes, here are five that I have been making lately :) I stole most of these from blogs or Martha, but a couple are my own creations. I will note any modifications I usually make :)

1. Crunchy Black Bean Tacos: I don't know why I haven't been making my tacos like this for forever. Cooking them in a skillet makes them beyond delicious. I like to sub the pepper jack for feta, but these are good with any type of cheese (or without!).

2. Enchilada Rice: This one is not meatless originally, but it's still super filling without the ground beef or turkey! I usually just add an extra can of black beans, and it makes enough leftovers for days.

3. Vegetarian Chili: I usually just  make up a recipe, but I don't feel like trying to remember everything I throw in there :) Haha. This link is to a basic chili recipe that happens to be vegan. I usually use chicken broth, and just one can. If I'm feeling like a spicy-sweet treat, I add red pepper flakes and a few tablespoons of brown sugar. It's most excellent. This is super versatile and you can add basically any other veggie to it...corn, carrots, etc.

4. Tortilla and Black Bean Pie: I made this for the first time last week, and oh man, it's a keeper. I have to change it around to make it gluten free. First, I use corn tortillas. They don't fill my 9 inch springform pan, so I put one tortilla in the middle and surround it with halves of two other corn tortillas :) Second, instead of the beer, I use a cup of chicken broth to simmer it. I would recommend baking it for about 17 minutes if you make it my way since the corn tortillas dry out faster than flour!

5. Sweet Potato Scramble: Brian made this up, haha. I love making breakfast for dinner (any excuse to eat syrup, really) and many breakfast foods are naturally healthy and packed with protein, especially eggs. Here's what we usually do:

Cut up 2 sweet potatoes into little squares. Heat some coconut oil in a skillet and throw 'em in. Next chop 1 onion and toss it in with the sweet potatoes. We usually add in a handful or two of whatever veggies are going to be icky soon - think broccoli and/or spinach. When the vegetables are tender, add 8 eggs and scramble them up. Stir everything together and season with salt and pepper. I like to top with some shredded cheddar but that's up to you :) Even though this is egg-based, it's very filling and the sweet potatoes make it feel like dinner food!

Enjoy!! :)

Recipe Shmecipe

If you've ever eaten at my house or asked for the recipe to something I've brought to a potluck, you probably know this: I don't really believe in recipes. For better or worse ;)

I follow the recipe for baked goods and things I've never made before, but other than that, I pretty much improvise. I blame my Italian dad. The first thing he taught me how to make was french toast. I remember him saying "Splash milk in there until it looks like this..." "Dad, how much milk is that?" " Oh I don't know, just put enough in there with the eggs until it looks like this. Same with the cinnamon and nutmeg." You can see where I'm going.

I also learned how to make homemade spaghetti sauce. I have never used a recipe for spaghetti in my life despite making it a million times, and I probably never will :) My great grandma ALWAYS had a pot of tomato sauce on the stove when I was little. You know, in case of a hunger emergency.

"Are you hungry, Katie?"
"No, gramma."
"I'll get you some spaghetti/bake you cookies/make you a sandwich..."

I love starting with a pile of veggies, spices, and other ingredients and ending up with a delicious meal.
Beyond the fun of cooking, making and sharing food is a huge comfort for me. My family is a little chaotic, but even as it grew, my parents always insisted we eat dinner as a family. I was being an angsty teenager holed up in my room because my parents/friends/the entire world hated me? I still had to come sit with the family for dinner haha. I am SO thankful for that, though. I never left the table feeling worse or even as bad as before dinner :) I plan to do the same thing with our kids.

Food for me is a sign of love and affection, from eating mom's home-cooked meals with my family every night to learning my dad's grandma's spaghetti sauce "recipe." Family gatherings center around eating a HUGE spread...last weekend we went up to my Grandma and Papa's house to eat a "spaghetti dinner." I put "spaghetti dinner" in quotes because when we got there, he'd also made two chickens, two egg souffles, and a pile of fancy Italian sausages in addition to all the stuff that goes on the side like bread and salad. Let's just say no one goes hungry if they eat with my family haha.

When we go camping, if you ask where my dad is, the answer is usually "Making breakfast/lunch/dinner!" Here are some awesome "vintage" pictures teehee.

Here he is with the Thanksgiving turkey about 15 years ago :)

I would like to say that my mom does the majority of the cooking - she makes dinner every night for my gaggle of sisters - but there is not as much photographic evidence. She generally tries to avoid cameras. Observe this picture from Thanksgiving 1997:

Teeheehee. Now that I'm probably abandoned by my mother because I put this picture on my blog, I leave you with one last food story.

I remember almost getting into a car accident when I was 17. It was terrifying and involved me spinning around on I-5 until I was facing the wrong direction. I called my dad, crying, to tell him what happened before I calmed down enough to drive home. When I pulled up, he greeted me at the front door with my favorite tea and a big hug. He then asked, of course, if I was hungry :)