Easy Recipe

SWEET TURMERIC ROASTED VEGETABLES

March 4, 2019 by Sarah Baade 2 Comments

Throughout college I spent my summers working at YMCA residential summer camps. While working at Camp Cosby, we would have snacks for the staff who had a little time off in the evenings. Leftover desserts from dinner, potato chips, I even learned to love cheesy toast (literally just sandwich bread with a slice of cheese on it, toasted up in the oven). Since my specialty in the kitchen was baking, I made a blackberry cobbler one evening – made from fresh blackberries we had picked that week. It was such a treat to have a made from scratch dessert but it wasn’t the most impressive snack we had that summer. There were two staff members from New Orleans who whipped up some fried chicken for us like it was no big deal. I watched them gathering spices and I was amazed by how they knew exactly what they needed and/or knew which spices would go well together. I had never seen someone my own age put a dish together like that without a recipe. Not only that, it was some of the best fried chicken I’ve ever had.

Fast forward 15+ years and I’ve become more confident in exploring spices and using my pantry to the best of my ability. I love roasting vegetables but I’ve been needing to get out of a flavor rut with them. I’ve been wanting to try and incorporate turmeric so I just went for it, adding some additional spices and a little bit of honey. Guys, I shamelessly ate the ENTIRE pan of vegetables!!! Sure, these experiments don’t always turn out on a first go or even a fifth go but when they do it totally makes up for the frustrating moments that can happen in the kitchen. I hope you are encouraged by this recipe to explore your pantry or spice rack and try something new.

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SWEET TURMERIC ROASTED VEGETABLES

Lightly sweetened with spices and honey, you'll love these roasted vegetables!

Ingredients

1 large head cauliflower, cut into florets
3 carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2" slices
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 teaspoons honey
1 teaspoon sesame seeds

Instructions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
Place cauliflower and carrots in a large bowl and drizzle with olive oil. Stir until vegetables are evenly coated with oil.
In a small bowl, mix turmeric, cinnamon, coriander and black pepper. Add spices to vegetables and stir until evenly coated. Spread vegetable mixture onto a sheet pan and roast in the oven for 30 minutes or until vegetables are for tender, stirring halfway through cooking.
Drizzle vegetables with honey and sprinkle with sesame seeds.

SHEET PAN SHRIMP FAJITAS

October 12, 2018 by Sarah Baade Leave a Comment

When I graduated from college I had a semester off before starting grad school. Rather than stick around Kansas (I graduated from K-State – Go Wildcats!), I took the opportunity to head out to California for a few months. I grew up super shy but for whatever reason, God gave me wanderlust and the bravery to explore new places. At 22 years old, I drove halfway across the country to find out what coastal living is like. I lived with my cousin and his now wife while working a part time job at the local YMCA. Coming from a land-locked state, it was incredible to see the ocean every day even on days when I was just driving to work. I learned a lot about myself during that time. Post college, pre-real world is an awkward stage of life. You’re somehow both younger than most people and older than most people you encounter. This can create a level of loneliness but for me, it also created a greater level of independence.

While I was in California I was also scoping out local food trends. I’m generally willing to at least sample a dish I’m not familiar with but, looking back, maybe I wasn’t so adventurous at 22 years old. I kept seeing fish tacos and shrimp tacos and I just couldn’t get myself to try them. Clearly, there was something to it because I saw them on menu after menu. Truth be told, though, I didn’t end up trying seafood in a taco until several years after leaving California. Fast forward to today and fish or shrimp in my Mexican food has become an absolute favorite of mine. They are part of the reason I don’t go full out vegetarian. Combine this with busy mom life and I give you sheet pan shrimp fajitas!

Tips:

If you want to make this vegetarian/vegan rather than pescatarian, you can swap out the shrimp for cubes of tofu.

You can cut the vegetables a day ahead to make meal prep even faster on the day you cook the fajitas.

SHEET PAN SHRIMP FAJITAS

1 medium red bell pepper, seeded and thinly sliced

1 medium yellow bell pepper, seeded and thinly sliced

1 medium orange bell pepper, seeded and thinly sliced

2 medium jalapeños (optional), seeded and thinly sliced

½ medium yellow onion, thinly sliced

1 lb raw shrimp, peeled & deveined

1 Tablespoon olive oil

Juice of 1 lime

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon black pepper

1 teaspoon cumin

½ teaspoon paprika

½ teaspoon chili powder

1 teaspoon garlic powder

Flour or corn tortillas

Optional toppings: shredded cheeses, sour cream, avocado, guacamole

Preheat oven to 400°F. Place all bell peppers, jalapeños, onion and shrimp in a large bowl. Coat with olive oil and lime juice. Add all spices and stir until vegetables and shrimp are evenly coated in spices. Spread ingredients out on a sheet pan and bake for 14 minutes, stirring halfway through. Wrap a few strips of vegetables and pieces of shrimp in a tortilla, adding optional toppings as desired.

SHEET PAN SHRIMP FAJITAS

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: Slice Of Honey

Recipe type: Entree

Ingredients

1 medium red bell pepper, seeded and thinly sliced
1 medium yellow bell pepper, seeded and thinly sliced
1 medium orange bell pepper, seeded and thinly sliced
2 medium jalapeños (optional), seeded and thinly sliced
½ medium yellow onion, thinly sliced
1 lb raw shrimp, peeled & deveined
1 Tablespoon olive oil
Juice of 1 lime
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon cumin
½ teaspoon paprika
½ teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
Flour or corn tortillas
Optional toppings: shredded cheeses, sour cream, avocado, guacamole

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400F. Place all bell peppers, jalapeños, onion and shrimp in a large bowl. Coat with olive oil and lime juice. Add all spices and stir until vegetables and shrimp are evenly coated in spices. Spread ingredients out on a sheet pan and bake for 14 minutes, stirring halfway through. Wrap a few strips of vegetables and pieces of shrimp in a tortilla, adding optional toppings as desired.

Rainbow Fruit Salad

August 28, 2018 by Sarah Baade Leave a Comment

My husband and I are pretty active in our church and this naturally leads to potluck meals a few times per year. My husband’s answer to bringing a dish is always “Let’s just pick something up from the store on the way to the party.” I, on the other hand, never even think of this as an option until he mentions it. Instead, I go through my mental rolodex of easy recipes and some sort of cookie usually wins out. I’m honestly not sure why I feel obligated to bring something homemade. I don’t expect it of others and I’m pretty confident others don’t expect it of me. Then again, homemade always tastes better than store bought, even with a simple recipe.

This weekend we attended a pool party and you guessed it, it was a potluck situation! I’ve been obsessed with fresh fruit lately so cookies didn’t even make the short list of ideas for once. Instead, I made my rainbow fruit salad. Guys, this is so easy and so delicious! I promise, the hardest part of this recipe is cutting some fruit and there isn’t even very much to cut. This fruit salad is so refreshing but it will also satisfy your sweet tooth – this counts as a win-win in my book!

Tips:

Don’t be afraid to swap out some of the fruits for whatever is seasonal. Ultimately, the goal is about 8-10 cups of FRESH fruit.
I always like to add a few berries to my fruit salad because they don’t require cutting. Just wash and toss them into the mix!

Rainbow Fruit Salad

1 large peach, rinsed and cut into bit sized pieces (I left the skin on)

3 kiwi, peeled and cut into bit sized pieces

1 mango, peeled cut into bit sized pieces

12oz raspberries, rinsed

11oz blueberries, rinsed

2 teaspoons agave syrup (or honey if you prefer)

1 teaspoon fresh mint, chopped

Juice of 1 lime

Directions:

Toss all fruit into a large bowl. Drizzle with agave syrup then add mint and lime juice. Gently stir until fruit is evenly coated with the syrup and lime juice. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Watermelon Salad

August 1, 2018 by Sarah Baade 2 Comments

I keep wondering if I’m getting wimpier with age or if this summer really has been excruciatingly hot. I’m leaning toward the latter but the honest answer is that it’s probably both. I’ve been thinking back on all those summers I spent working at YMCA camps (shout out to Camp Wood and Camp Cosby!) and wondering how I survived living in little cabins with no air conditioning. I’m confident that I survived by being preoccupied with lots of fun activities and friends. I mean, who has time to think about the heat when you’re guiding a group of kids through a mud hike?! Still, we’ve been hitting triple digit temperatures on a daily basis with not much relief in sight. I give a lot of credit to all the summer camp staffers out there who have pushed through this heat to give kids the best week(s) they could imagine.

When it’s this hot outside, I have no interest in turning on the oven. Simple fresh ingredients are the way to go and summer provides such delicious seasonal produce! Naturally, I had to use this to my advantage. My daughter has been on a watermelon kick lately so I opted to use that as my base. I’m all about use what you’ve already got at home when possible. With just five ingredients, the hardest part of this salad will simply be cutting the watermelon. Other than that, this is as easy as a recipe can get. Enjoy!

Tips:

Although more expensive, you can certainly buy pre-cut watermelon to make this recipe even easier to make.
You can certainly toss the salad together a day ahead. Just be sure to cover and store in the refrigerator and don’t add the salad dressing until you are ready to serve it.

Watermelon Salad

Salad:

8 cups watermelon, cut into bite sized pieces

2 cups blueberries

½ cup feta cheese, crumbled or cubed

1 Tablespoon fresh mint, chopped

Dressing:

1 cup blueberries

¼ cup balsamic vinegar

Directions:

In a large bowl, toss together all of the salad ingredients. In a blender, liquefy the dressing ingredients. Drizzle dressing over individual servings of salad, as desired.

Market Couscous Salad

April 28, 2018 by Sarah Baade Leave a Comment

The weather is finally getting warm again and I am looking forward to scouring my local farmers market for my favorite summer produce. In particular, I’m already craving fresh tomatoes and cucumbers. I feel fortunate to have access to most produce all year long at my local grocery store but there is something special about meeting your local farmers and buying their fresh from the farm products.

With warm weather also comes outdoor potlucks. The great thing about this dish is that it can be served warm or cold (I actually prefer it cold). With just ten ingredients, this dish is easy to put together and you can make it ahead of time.

Tips:

Don’t feel limited by the grape/sweet tomatoes I used here. Grab whatever is freshest at your local farmers market or grocery store. Even better would be homegrown tomatoes!
Make sure you add that 1 teaspoon to the water as you’re cooking the couscous – it helps to keep it from turning into one huge blob as it cools.

Market Couscous Salad

Ingredients:

1 teaspoon + 1 Tablespoon olive oil

1 cup uncooked pearl coucous (I used tri-color)

¼ cup red wine vinegar

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon fresh thyme

1 cup cucumber, chopped

1 cup tomatoes, chopped (I used a mix of sweet tomatoes)

¼ cup red onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

¼ cup crumbled feta cheese

Directions:

In a medium pot, bring 1 ½ cups water and 1 teaspoon olive oil to a boil. Add couscous then reduce heat and simmer for 7-9 minutes or until water is absorbed and couscous is tender. Remove from heat. Add remaining ingredients to couscous and stir until ingredients are evenly dispersed. Salad can be served warm or cold.

Five Spice Citrus Salad

February 25, 2018 by Sarah Baade Leave a Comment

It has been such a long and rainy winter here in San Antonio. I’m not used to needing a heavy coat for more than a day or two at a time, let alone weeks at a time. I find myself daydreaming about bright colors and warmer climates. I won’t be going on a tropical vacation any time soon so my next best bet is eating bright, flavorful fruit.

We are currently right in the middle of prime orange and grapefruit season. There are so many varieties of citrus available and I took full advantage of that for this recipe. I love the variety of colors as well as flavors from these fruits. Given the tartness that sometimes comes along with citrus, I wanted to contrast that with a little bit of sweet and a little bit of spice. The result is a perfect dish to serve with brunch or eat as a snack.

Tips:

Place some paper towels under the edges of your cutting board, this will help to catch any juice that runs off the edge as you’re cutting the fruit.
Feel free to mix and match your citrus fruits to your liking or based on what is available seasonally. The main idea is variety.

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FIVE SPICE CITRUS SALAD

The perfect salad to take advantage of seasonal citrus.

Ingredients

6 oranges (I used blood oranges, tangelos, sumo citrus)
3 grapefruit (I used one large and two small)
1/4 cup pomegranate seeds
1/4 cup feta cheese, crumbled
1 Tablespoon fresh mint leaves
1/4 cup honey
1/2 teaspoon Chinese five spice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

Cut citrus fruits into ¼' slices, removing seeds as they are found. Cut rinds off of slices then place slices on paper towels to absorb excess any juice. Move citrus slices to a serving platter and top with pomegranate, feta and mint. In a small bowl, mix together honey, Chinese five spice and vanilla. Drizzles honey mixture over citrus salad as desired.