This new blog feels like a giant, open room that I can’t wait to furnish. I am excited to fill this blog with new, fresh recipes.. maybe some old favorites, too.. I am loving it!
This recipe is a little bit old and a little bit new. I’ve always (I mean, since I’ve been a grown adult and learned how to roast vegetables) loved brussel sprouts and potatoes, but adding in fresh herbs takes it up a notch in sophistication. Luckily, it doesn’t increase the work much. What is it about fresh herbs that seems so fancy?
I’m planning on fashioning a special herb garden for myself this season- I’ll keep you updated on how that goes (or if it goes at all- I’m notorious for not keeping up with plants). My little man is eager to help me- maybe he’ll be the key to keeping things green this year. (Lord knows he loves a watering can.)
Sometimes the easiest recipes are the most satisfying. (Thank goodness!!) What are your favorite ways to use fresh herbs?
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
Ingredients
- 1 small bag brussel sprouts, rinsed and halved
- 1 small bag fingerling potatoes, rinsed and halved (or quartered)
- melted butter or olive oil to coat
- 1 tablespoon sea salt
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
- cracked black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
- In a 9x13inch baking dish, combine brussel sprouts, potatoes and butter or olive oil and toss to coat.
- In a small bowl, combine the salt, rosemary, thyme and pepper and crush together with your fingers. Sprinkle over the vegetables and toss again.
- Roast for 45 minutes or until the potatoes are fork tender and the brussel sprouts are starting to caramelize and turn brown.
- Let cool a bit and serve along side your favorite main dish.
]]>
This new style of eating has been an adjustment. It’s hard to wrap my head around new rules for meal-planning and eating. So much of my day is spent thinking about food, and planning out when and what we’re going to eat and making grocery lists. I know it’s not permanent (I mean, I hope! Ack!) and I know it’s going to help to heal my stomach, but it is mentally draining.
This meal is one of my first attempts at branching out from the plain-meat-and-veg dinner. I am semi-obsessed with meatballs lately, so when I saw ground lamb at Publix I had to grab it. It was exxxxpensive, but it made delicious meatballs.
When I was combining the meatball mixture, I wasn’t sure they would come together without some kind of binder. I swore by panko or soaked bread in my old meatball recipes and that obviously wasn’t happening, so I grabbed some coconut flour- my new BFF. It’s basically magic, that stuff. It soaked up the extra moisture right away.
To go along with the lamb, I made a quick yogurt dip in the food processor with mint and feta cheese. I hadn’t ever had the mint/feta combo, but it is surprisingly delicious. A little goes a long way for me (as usual when it comes to dips and sauces), but I’m a fan.
I also roasted up some cauliflower and carrots in spices that compliment the lamb- oregano, garlic, parsley.. as well as some cinnamon, cloves, allspice and a touch of cumin. You don’t have to add the “sweeter” spices, but I like the way they taste when paired with the lamb.
I had my meatballs and veggies over a salad; hubs made pita sandwiches. The kids gobbled up the veggies in no time. I feel like I finally had a win in the kitchen after weeks of scraping by.. not really knowing what to eat or serve my family. Huge sigh of relief!
Lamb Meatballs (gluten-free, grain-free, paleo) with Yogurt Dip and Spiced Vegetables
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
Author: Oven Love
Recipe type: Main Dish, Appetizer
Serves: 8
Ingredients
- ½ onion, peeled
- handful of parsley (maybe ¼-1/3 cup packed?)
- 3 garlic cloves, peeled
- 1 pound ground lamb
- 1 egg
- 2 tablespoons coconut flour
- 1 tablespoon oregano
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon cloves cloves
- salt and pepper to taste
- Feta Yogurt Dip (below), Spiced Vegetables (below), pita bread, salad greens, etc for serving
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
- In the bowl of a food processor, combine onion, parsley and garlic. Process until finely diced.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine onion mixture, lamb, egg, coconut flour and spices until well combined. Form into meatballs and line up on a foil or parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Bake the meatballs at 400 degrees for 20-30 minutes or until lightly browned. Serve with feta yogurt dip, spiced vegetables, pita bread, or whatever you like. (If you’d like the meatballs to be even more brown, turn on the broiler for 5 minutes and them pull them out).
Feta Yogurt Dip
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
Author: Oven Love
Recipe type: Condiment
Serves: 6-8
Ingredients
- 4 ounces feta cheese
- ⅓ cup yogurt, plus extra if you like a thinner dip
- 2 sprigs fresh mint
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar or fresh lemon juice
Instructions
- In a food processor, combine feta, yogurt, mint and vinegar/lemon juice. Process until smooth. If the dip isn’t smooth enough for you, add some more yogurt until you reach your desired consistency. Serve with the lamb meatballs.
Spice Roasted Cauliflower and Carrots
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
These can bake in the oven at the same time as the lamb meatballs.
Author: Oven Love
Recipe type: Side Dishes
Serves: 6
Ingredients
- 1 head cauliflower, chopped into florets
- 5-6 carrots, peeled and cut into chunks
- 2-4 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley or a few sprigs freshly chopped parsley
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder or 2 fresh garlic cloves, minced
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon, optional
- ¼ teaspoon cloves, optional
- ¼ teaspoon allspice, optional
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
- In a mixing bowl, combine the vegetables, olive oil and spices. Spread on a foil or parchment-lined baking sheet and bake for 30-45 minutes until beginning to brown. Serve warm.
I have a lot of good cookbooks, and I really don’t pull them out enough. When I do, I usually just find some inspiration and end up making a new recipe instead of following the recipes provided. Typical food blogger, ahem.
This recipe came about after a meal-planning session with a friend this week (and I use the word “session” loosely- I spent most of the time chasing my children and only found one useful recipe). The original recipe is from Robin Miller’s The Newlywed Cookbook, which I love. The front photo is a little cheesy, but don’t let that deter you from gifting it when wedding season rolls back around. It’s a great find and I always regret not pulling it out more often.
Anyways- this recipe is quick and you will probably have most of the ingredients ready in your pantry. You could switch it up with any protein or add veggies, if you like. It’s gluten-free, too. Yay!
Sesame Beef Stir Fry (gluten-free)
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
adapted from The Newlywed Cookbook by Robin Miller
Author: Oven Love
Recipe type: Main Dish
Serves: 2-4
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 bunch green onions, chopped (set aside some of the green parts for serving)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
- 1 tablespoon grated/minced fresh ginger
- 1- 1½ pounds beef tenderloin or top round steak, sliced into thin strips
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds, plus more for serving
- 3 tablespoons gluten-free soy sauce
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon corn starch
- ½-1 cup beef broth
- cooked rice, for serving (I used white rice cooked in beef broth- very flavorful!)
Instructions
- In a large skillet or wok, heat the sesame and olive oils over medium heat. Add the green onions, garlic and ginger and cook until fragrant; about 2 minutes. Add the beef and sesame seeds and cook for 5 minutes or until beef is browned, stirring frequently.
- When beef is brown, add the soy sauce and black pepper and stir to deglaze the pan.
- Dissolve the cornstarch in ½ cup beef broth and add to the pan. Simmer until the sauce thickens, adding more broth if necessary.
- Spoon over cooked rice, top with additional green onions and sesame seeds and enjoy.
It’s a miracle that I have this recipe to share with you today. Not because I’m busy, but because my oven is on the fritz! The ol’ Oven Love oven is breaking down on me. Not the whole thing, oddly enough.. the stove top is still working. So weird! And so inconvenient since oven-using season is upon us. Maybe a new oven is in my future?!
Anyways, roasting vegetables is nothing new, but here’s what I like about these:
- I can throw just about any fall vegetable or fruit in the mix.
- It’s perfect finger food for babies!
- Adding allspice to the spice mix gives it that special, savory something.
This is one of our go-to side dishes throughout fall and winter. We just switch out the veggies/fruits, depending on what we have on hand. You can use the leftovers, too- they would be delicious as a filling for white lasagna, as a topping for a salad, added to alfredo pasta, inside a grilled cheese sandwich, or added to a fritatta. Lots of options, lots of yum.
Oh, and if you know anything about fixing ovens, email me at ovenloveblog@gmail.com!
Roasted and Spiced Autumn Vegetables
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
Feel free to substitute any fall produce or root vegetables here- fresh pumpkin, potatoes, parsnips, turnips, onions, etc. You can also switch up the spice mixture- adding ginger, cloves, etc; or substitute 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice.
Author: Oven Love
Recipe type: Side Dish
Serves: 6-8
Ingredients
- 1 small butternut squash; peeled, seeded and chopped
- 1 large sweet potato; peeled and chopped
- 2-3 carrots, peeled and chopped
- 1 large or 2 small apples; peeled, cored and chopped
- 1 large or 2 small pears; peeled, cored and chopped
- extra virgin olive oil, melted butter or melted coconut oil
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon allspice
- ⅛ teaspoon fresh grated nutmeg
- salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
- Combine all the chopped vegetables and fruits in a large bowl and toss with a few tablespoons of olive oil, butter or coconut oil. Add the spices and toss. Spread the mixture on a parchment or silicone-mat-lined baking sheet in a single layer. Roast in the oven for 30-45 minutes tossing once or twice. Serve warm.
This soup is exceptional.
Exceptional!
It’s so good that every fall for the last four years, we’ve remembered it and had to have it again. You know how rare it is for me to make a recipe twice.. so I think this is going to be a Herr family favorite.
There is nothing more satisfying than a creamy soup on a cool night, am I right? The roasted garlic in this thing is no joke- so, so good- do not skip that step! If it weren’t for the garlic breath, I would eat a head of roasted garlic every. single. day. (TMI?)
The soup is filling as a meal all it’s own, but makes a great starter for a holiday spread as well. And I just love the roasted cauliflower florets on top with their cheesy, herbaceous flavor. Great presentation for company, but also a perfect supper to share with your family.
Cauliflower and Roasted Garlic Soup
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
via Martha Stewart Recipes serves 10-12 This recipe is for a crowd (think holidays)- but can be easily halved and it’s freezable, too.
Author: Oven Love
Recipe type: Soup
Serves: 12
Ingredients
- 3 heads garlic
- salt and pepper
- ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
- 3 white onions, peeled and thinly sliced
- 4 heads cauliflower, 3 cored and thinly sliced and 1 broken into florets
- 8 sprigs thyme, tied with twine, plus one tablespoon chopped (you can sub. 1T dried thyme)
- 1 cup dry white wine
- 6 cups chicken stock, plus more to thin, if desired
- 2 cups heavy cream, plus more to thin, if desired
- 2½ cups plus 3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Cut off the tops of garlic heads. Place each on a piece of aluminum foil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and drizzle with olive oil. Wrap tightly in foil, and bake until garlic is very soft, about an hour. Let cool. Squeeze garlic from peel; set aside. Increase oven to 350 degrees.
- Heat ¼ cup olive oil in a large pot over medium low heat. Add onions and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring, until soft but not browned. Stir in sliced cauliflower, thyme and wine. Simmer until wine is reduced by half. Add stock, bring to a simmer. Cover and cook for 20 minutes. Remove cover and simmer until cauliflower is soft, about 15 minutes more. Remove from the heat.
- Remove thyme bundle and stir in cream and 2½ cups Parmesan. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in garlic. Puree with a stick blender or in batches until smooth. Thin with more stock or cream, if desired. Return to pot; keep warm on low heat.
- Heat remaining ¼ cup olive oil over high heat in a saute pan until almost smoking. Add cauliflower florets, stirring until browned. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer pan to oven and cook until tender, about 10 minutes. Stir in thyme, parsley and remaining 3 tablespoons Parmesan. To serve; ladle soup into bowls and garnish with cauliflower florets.
I have awesome friends.
I have awesome friends who let me borrow their fancy blenders, no questions asked. And friends who tell me about secret local food co-ops. And friends who dehydrate our spent grain from homebrewing and then spin it up into flour for me. Just because.Are you jeal? My friends are AWE-SOME. Just full of love.
Remember when I wasn’t sure about moving to GA? Well now I’m not sure about leaving. I love these crazy Southerners! They really grow on you.
These tiny crackers were my first project with my spent grain flour. If you’re curious, spent grain flour is just dried spent grain (leftover from the brewing process) that is ground into flour. I just used a little bit in this recipe- it’s pretty powerful stuff. You don’t need much to get that robust, deep-grain flavor.
If you don’t have any spent grain flour, you can certainly substitute another whole grain flour or seed. I think the crackers would be great with the addition of sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, chia seeds or maybe some millet. Whatever you have on hand, just throw it in and see how it goes. You can’t really ruin these. Unless you leave them in the oven too long.. I can’t help you there.
If you make your crackers tiny like I did, the recipe makes approximately a bazillion crackers. It will seem like you will never run out of dough. To make it easy on yourself, you can just cut them into squares- no need to get fancy with the little cutters.
The nutty, whole-grain flavor goes great with sharp cheddar, by the way.
Share them with your awesome friends (I know you have them, too).
Spent Grain Crackers
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
based on a recipe by Whisk and Whimsy
Author: Oven Love
Recipe type: Snack
Ingredients
- 1 cup rye flour (you can sub another whole grain flour if you like)
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- ⅓ cup spent grain flour (use a dehydrator or oven to dry your spent grain and run through a grain mill; directions here)
- ⅓ cup ground flax seed
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt, plus more for topping
- ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- ½-3/4 cup water
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flours, flax seed, baking powder, and salt. Then add the olive oil and mix with a fork until combined. Slowly mix in a ½ cup of water, working it in with your hands. If needed, add up to ¼ cup more water until the dough holds together. Knead the dough in the bowl until it is smooth and easy to work with, about 2 minutes.
- Dust a clean surface with flour, dump out the dough, and press it into a flat disc. Use a rolling pin and roll out the dough until it is ⅛ to ¼ inch thick. Cut the crackers into 2-inch squares or circles, re-rolling the dough as needed.
- Carefully transfer the cut crackers to un-greased or parchment paper lined baking sheets, and sprinkle each cracker with a little salt. (I also poked holes in mine with a fork). Bake for 20 to 22 minutes, rotating the sheets halfway through, until the crackers are crisp and hard to the touch. Transfer the crackers to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container for up to 7 days.
]]>
As I declared and made official in my last post, summer is not over.
It’s still August (I think?). And it’s still warm. And Labor Day is still a few days out.
Since I know you don’t mind, I will carry on with my summer-related nonsense. Sorry I didn’t get my act together for you guys about three months ago, but you can just pin this little number on your “Summer 2013” board and get pumped for next June.
I usually don’t eat salad with dressing (I know, I know, it’s weird), but when I make salads for dinner, I feel like I should provide Nick with a dressing option that actually complements the salad (he will typically just balsamic-vinegar-and-oil anything in a bowl). And then I just do a teeny, tiny drizzle on mine just to test it out.
The last time my mom was in town, she took me on an amazing throw-anything-in-the-cart-because-I-am-the-best-mom-ever Whole Foods shopping trip (love you, Mama!). While we were there, she recommended the O Citrus Champagne Vinegar that I used for the dressing. It’s light, fresh and not too sharp- you can taste it, but it doesn’t interfere with the other flavors of the salad.
What can I say? My mom and I are a couple of geniuses. 
Before I go, have we talked about getting kids to eat salad?
It is one of my great quests as a parent to have my children enjoy salads. I was completely against salads as a child. My cousin used to eat lettuce straight from the bag and I thought she was IN-SANE. (Turns out she was the smart one and the healthy one- can’t imagine why.)
Sometimes the whole idea seems futile, but I hope they’ll appreciate the effort someday.
I try to make salads as meals pretty frequently, so when I fix a toddler plate, I just use a smaller bed of lettuce and more of the toppings. Then, gradually, as the kids grow and get used to it, they will get more greens. I also try to sneak spinach or kale into everything- eggs, smoothies, wraps/sandwiches, desserts- I think that helps with flavor recognition (which is totally a real thing, I’m sure).
This particular salad was a toddler win for us- you really can’t go wrong if you’ve got fruit and bacon in the mix. If you want your kids to eat salad, just try adding a leaf or two of spinach to their plate each time. Eventually, they will wonder what it is and put it in their mouth.
End of Summer Chopped Salad with Citrus Honey Viniagrette
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
Author: Oven Love
Recipe type: Salad
Serves: 2
Ingredients
- 4 cups fresh spinach
- 10-12 cherry tomatoes, halved
- ½ medium cucumber, sliced or diced
- 1 ear grilled corn, kernels removed
- 5 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
- ½ avocado, diced
- 8-10 cherries, pitted and halved
- ⅓ cup feta cheese
- 2 tablespoons citrus champagne vinegar
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- sea salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Divide spinach, tomatoes, cucumber, corn, bacon, avocado, cherries and feta cheese between two bowls.
- Whisk vinegar, honey and olive oil in a small bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Pour over salads and enjoy!
I’m not sure what took me so long, but I am on board with this quinoa business.
I’m pretty late to the party, I know.
You might have seen the salmon/spinach/feta/quinoa concoction on MPMK last week?
Since I’m on this quinoa kick, I pulled up Jessica’s recipe (which I’ve had pinned for aaaaages) and had to make it happen.
(My sesame kick is a close second to my quinoa kick.)
The recipe was genius to start- all I did was add some snap peas, a teensy bit more soy sauce and another handful of sesame seeds and I was good. to. go.
I am not ashamed to say I scarfed this down in under five minutes.
Mostly because there was a little baby trying to pull it directly away from me and onto the floor, but also because it tasted amazing. Or as Elliott would say- “Mama, it’s dewishus!”
Sesame Quinoa with Chicken and Snap Peas
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
adapted from How Sweet It Is
Author: Oven Love
Serves: 4
Ingredients
- 1 cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- ½ tablespoon toasted sesame oil
- ½ tablespoon olive oil
- 2 cups low-sodium chicken stock
- 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
- 1 cup sugar snap peas, rinsed and rough chopped
- 6 green onions, sliced
- 2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds, plus more for serving
- 3 tablespoons olive oil, for dressing
- 2 tablespoon toasted sesame oil, for dressing
- 1 Tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce, for dressing (gluten-free if necessary)
Instructions
- Heat a saucepan over medium heat and add ½ tablespoon of sesame and olive oil. Add in garlic and quinoa and stir to coat, then toast for 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add in chicken stock and increase heat to high, bringing the quinoa to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cover, cooking for 15 minutes, or until water is absorbed and quinoa can be fluffed with a fork. Whisk together dressing ingredients and set aside.
- Add in chicken, snap peas, green onions and dressing, tossing well to coat. Add in sesame seeds and toss once more. Top with more sesame seeds and serve.
]]>
What I have for you today is simple.
Just peaches and peppers. An easy side dish.
It never occurred to me before that peaches might complement peppers, but somehow they do. I sauteed the peppers in grapeseed oil (you can use whatever fat you fancy) until soft and added in the thinly sliced peaches just before the peppers were done.
This is a smart combination for the grill, too- you can drizzle halved peppers and peaches with oil, grill them until they’re soft, then slice up and serve alongside your main dish if you’re not in the mood to use the stovetop.
Keeping it simple today.
No muss, no fuss.
Peaches and Peppers
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
Author: Oven Love
Ingredients
- 3 medium/large bell peppers, cored and thinly sliced
- 1-2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, grapeseed oil, butter, lard, coconut oil or other cooking fat
- 2-3 peaches; peeled, pitted and thinly sliced
Instructions
- Heat a medium skillet over medium heat. Add cooking fat to the pan and heat through (when the fat is hot enough, it will sizzle when you flick a little water into the pan). Add peppers and cook until soft. When the peppers are just about done, add in the sliced peaches, toss, and heat through. Serve immediately
I’ve been a little scared to get back to baking. My brain is trained to grab the sugar immediately!
But I am retraining.. and grabbing the honey instead.
These brownies came about after a long internet search for a brownie recipe without refined sugar. I found black bean brownies, gluten-free brownies, vegan brownies.. but nothing seemed to be appropriate for me. So I started my own little brownie experiment.
These brownies are made with whole wheat flour, carob powder, mashed banana, honey and olive oil- a little different than your typical ingredients. The texture is not like your traditional brownie (I don’t know if you can ever really get that signature brownie bite without refined sugar), but it is pleasing, and doesn’t leave that sugary coating on your mouth.
I hesitate in calling these “healthy” – I am finding that word means many different things to different people and doesn’t really define food anymore. I do believe they are nourishing, won’t give you a crazy sugar rush and are appropriate as a daily treat or snack. If you want to cut back on the sugar a bit, these are a good way to ease into it.
I’m getting back in my baking groove..
surely some sweet, strange concoctions are on the way.
Banana Carob Brownies
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
Author: Oven Love
Ingredients
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- 1 cup carob powder (cocoa powder can be substituted, carob is what I had on hand)
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- 1 cup mashed banana (about 3 small bananas)
- ½ cup honey
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 eggs
- ¼ cup mini carob or chocolate chips, or chopped chocolate
- ½ cup chopped nuts (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 8×8 pan with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, combine whole wheat flour, carob powder, cinnamon, baking powder and salt. In another medium bowl, whisk mashed banana, honey, olive oil, vanilla and eggs. Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Add the carob/chocolate chips and/or nuts. Spread into the prepared pan
- Bake brownies for 20-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Pull the full pan of brownies out to cool completely on a rack. Cut brownies when cool and serve. Keep in an airtight container.