Roasted chickpeas

These are the perfect snack - they are crunchy, salty, and (best of all) healthy. You could really season these however you'd like, but I really like the smoky and barbecue-like flavor that paprika gives. These will keep for a few days if you put them in tupperware or a ziplock bag. The chickpea skins tend to burn a little more easily so if you're worried about burning them you may want to peel them first.

Ingredients:

1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon smoky paprika (there are two kinds, get the smoky not the sweet)
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Line a pan with sides (jellyroll pan) with aluminum foil. In a medium bowl combine your drained and rinsed chickpeas with your seasonings. Mix and massage with your hands until they are evenly coated. Pour onto the foil-lined pan and bake for 30-40 minutes total. At the 15 minute mark take them out and shake the pan to prevent sticking. At the 30 minute mark shake the pan again. Bake for increments of 5 minutes shaking after each until you've achieved your desired level of crispiness. Let them cool for a few minutes and then transfer to a dish to serve.

Tortellini tomato soup

I know a lot of people hate tomato soup, and to be honest, I don't always love it. Something about it usually tastes sort of tinny, which doesn't taste well with a creamy soup. This version of tomato soup is rich and flavorful but doesn't have any milk or cream in it. Instead, I used red wine to deepen the flavor. The alcohol cooks out so don't worry about any alcohol content in the soup. Even if you think you hate tomato soup you should try this one, it might just change your mind.

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 large onion, diced (or 1/2 a small)
1 medium carrot, diced
1 stalk celery, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon tomato paste
5-6 cracks of black pepper
1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon italian seasoning
3/4 teaspoon sugar
1/2 cup red wine
1/2 cup crushed tomato
1 1/2 cups veggie stock
1 handful mini cheese tortellini
mozzarella cheese

Directions:

Heat oil in a medium sauce pot over medium-low heat. Add onion, carrot, and celery and cook until veggies are soft but not brown (maybe like 5-7 minutes). Add garlic, tomato paste, black pepper, italian seasoning, and sugar and cook about 1 minute more. Add wine and scrape the brown bits off the bottom of the pan. Cook until the wine has reduced just a bit, maybe about two mintues. Add crushed tomato and veggie stock and increase heat to medium-high. When the soup begins to simmer add the tortellini. Mine said to cook for 16 minutes but cook yours according to the package. If the soup is getting too thick just thin it out with a little water as it cooks. Cook until the tortellini is done making sure to stir occasionally so that nothing sticks to the bottom. Top with mozzarella cheese when you're ready to eat.

Candy canes

I will fully and readily admit that making your own candy canes is sort of a crazy thing to do. You can buy a pack of them in pretty much any flavor for about a dollar. This recipe will cost you more than that and will require much more work. All of that being said, these are still really fun to make and they are delicious. Plus there is just something sort of nice about making them from scratch and being able to control the flavor and color. I adapted this recipe from Taste of Home. Their recipe was great, but the instructions were lacking a few things that really helped the canes come together so I've done things my own way. A few suggestions: have all your equipment and ingredients ready before you start, use an accurate candy thermometer or learn how to test the temperature of candy using the cold water method, and finally pick up some latex gloves and some knit stretchy gloves and put them on before you attempt to pull the candy.

Ingredients:

1 cup sugar

1 cup corn syrup

1 cup water

1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon flavored oil (or 1 - 1 1/2 teaspoons extract) like cinnamon, vanilla, or peppermint

food coloring

Directions:

In a large, heavy bottomed pot combine the sugar, corn syrup, water, and cream of tartar together. Heat over medium-low heat and stir until the sugar is dissolved. Once dissolved, stop stirring completely. Clip a candy thermometer on the pot and heat the candy to 280 degrees (soft crack stage). Remove from heat and add flavoring. Divide the candy between two oiled cookie sheets. Add food coloring to one of the pans and stir to combine. Put on knit gloves, then put latex gloves on top of that. After the candy has cooled for about a minute or so pick up the non-colored candy and stretch and pull it for a while until it turns shiny and white. Place this back on the pan and pick up the colored candy. Stretch and pull it the same as you did for the white part. Once both have been stretched and are soft and pliable, press the colored part onto the white part and massage until they form one smooth log. Stretch and smooth that log until it forms a long, thin rope. Cut into smaller sections and twist each section so that the typical candy cane stripes appear. Cut into 4-6 inch lengths and curve the top around so that it forms a cane shape. Place on a plate and allow to dry for 24 hours before eating to prevent them from being sticky. 

Ginger dressing (sushi restaurant style)

Whenever I tell people that I like going out for sushi they always give me this weird look until I tell them that I only order veggie rolls (and then I'm told that's not real sushi). Anyway, I really do love it, especially the tempura rolls or anything with eel sauce. Seriously, it's amazing. Aside from the rolls one of the best things is the salad that comes with it. It's usually a simple iceberg lettuce salad but is always topped with this insanely delicious dressing that was a mystery to me until recently. I looked at a few different recipes before concocting my own, so I can't really take full credit for this since it is just a conglomeration of recipes already out there, but who cares? It's incredible.

Ingredients:

1/4 of an onion
2 large carrots
3 tablespoons of chopped fresh ginger
1 rounded tablespoon of miso paste
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 rounded tablespoon sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons sesame oil
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 tablespoons water
1/8 teaspoon salt

Directions:

Throw the onion, carrot, and ginger into a food processor and process until the pieces become very fine. Add miso, vinegar, sugar, oils, water, and salt and process again for a minute or two or until it becomes liquefied. Scrape down the sides of the food processor and turn it on again until you're sure the dressing is as smooth as it is going to get. Taste it and season according to your tastes. I added a little more salt and a little more sesame oil and will probably thin mine out a little more too.

Peanut noodles

I ordered spicy peanut noodles at a chinese take out place once and fell in love with them. The place I ordered from didn't add any vegetables or anything, which for me made the dish sort of dull so I tried making my own and realized that they are incredibly easy. They are equally good hot or cold as well, so leftovers are not a bad thing. You could really add whatever veggies you'd like to these, but if you add broccoli or something you may want to boil it with the noodles while they cook.

Ingredients:

2 servings of soba noodles (or spaghetti if you want)
1 large carrot, julienned
3 inches (or so) of cucumber, julienned
6-8 strips of green pepper, cut in thirds
1 large handfull of cilantro
2 tablespoons peanut butter
1/2 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon (plus a little more) of rice vinegar
1/4 cup water
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1 good squirt of sriracha sauce (as spicy as you'd like it)
2 teaspoons sesame oil

Directions:

Boil noodles according to package directions, drain and set aside. In a medium sauce pan melt peanut butter over low heat. Add soy sauce and stir. Slowly add water, whisking the entire time to thin out the peanut butter. Once the water is incorporated and things start to thicken, add the vinegar, garlic powder, sriracha, and sesame oil and stir to combine. Turn the heat off and add the noodles and veggies to the pot and mix to coat everything in the sauce. Toss cilantro in right before serving.

No knead bread (by Mark Bittman/Jim Lahey)

Ok, Jim Lahey is a genius. He came up with this recipe and then shared it with Mark Bittman, who then published it in the New York Times. This might be the best thing the Times has ever published, and that is saying a lot coming from me. I (obviously) did not invent this recipe myself, but I think everyone should try making it at least once. I will also be posting (in the future) variations of this bread and recipes that call for this bread as one of the ingredients, so I thought I'd include it here as well. It really is as easy as everyone says it is, except for my dad who has an inexplicable amount of trouble with it.

Ingredients:

3 cups flour
1/4 teaspoon yeast
1 teaspoon salt
1 3/4 cup water

Directions:

In a large plastic bowl combine all the ingredients and mix it all up. The dough should be what Mark calls "shaggy" but I have no clue what that means so I took it to mean "wet-ish". It definitely should be a little loose. If you add the 1 3/4 cup water and it looks dry for some reason go ahead and add more, but don't use more than 2 cups. Cover the bowl with saran wrap and keep it on your counter at room temperature for about a day (at least 18 hours). After you've let it rise for 18-24 hours, sprinkle a good handful of flour on your counter top and pour the dough on top. Fold your dough over on itself a few times until you can shape it into a rough ball. Cover it with a clean towel. Let it rest for an hour. After an hour, place an enameled cast iron dutch oven (one with a lid) in the oven and preheat to 450 degrees. Let the dough rest for another hour while the pan heats up in the oven. After the hour is up, transfer the dough into the pan, cover it, and bake for 30 minutes, then uncover and cook for an additional 15.

That's it. Homemade, crusty, delicious bread.

Cough drops

It is starting to get cold out, which means that getting sick isn't far behind. I caught a cold early this year and after trying to find a flavor of cough drops at the store that didn't make me cringe I decided to try my own. These aren't medicated at all but if your sore throat isn't bad these will do the trick. The two pictured are vanilla/peppermint and honey/lemon/sage but you could really flavor these however you'd like.

Ingredients:

For vanilla peppermint:

1 cup sugar
1/3 cup corn syrup
1/3 cup water
2 drops green food coloring
1/4 teaspoon peppermint extract
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
powder sugar mold (just pour 2 cups powdered sugar in a 9x13" pan and press a measuring spoon in it until little holes remain)

For honey, lemon, sage:

1/2 cup water
1 tablespoon sage
zest of one lemon
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup honey
1/3 cup water
juice of one lemon
2 drops yellow food coloring
powder sugar mold (see above)

Directions:

(If making the honey, lemon, sage option: boil 1/2 cup water, 1 tablespoon sage, and lemon zest together. Remove from heat and allow to steep for 20 minutes. Strain and measure out 1/3 cup) Both versions follow the next steps: Combine water (or sage/lemon water), sugar, and corn syrup (or honey) in a large, heavy bottomed pot. Heat over medium-low heat and stir until sugar is fully dissolved. Stop stirring and boil mixture until it reaches 300 degrees*. Remove from heat and add flavorings and coloring. Spoon the syrup into the holes that you created in your powdered sugar and transfer to the refrigerator. After a few minutes remove from the refrigerator and shake the pan so that the powdered sugar coats all the sides. Let them rest until they fully harden.

*you can either use a candy thermometer (which is great if yours is accurate) or you can do what I did and do the cold water test. All you have to do is fill a dish with cold water and spoon a bit of your syrup into it. If it is at 300 degrees it will harden instantly and you can hear a "clink" when it hits the bottom. It will not form a ball and there will be hard strings of candy throughout the water.

Vegetable barley soup

Despite not having a ton of things in it this soup is one that always fills me up quickly. I love the chewy texture of barley too, which makes its longer cooking time more worth it. This soup does need to sit on the stove for longer than most of my other soups, but the prep work is pretty easy so I feel like it all evens out. Somehow the barley turns the broth sort of buttery and silky while it's cooking, which I like because it makes it sort of different from a typical broth-based veggie soup. This recipe makes a lot of soup, like enough for a few servings.

Ingredients:

1 onion, diced
1 stalk celery, diced
1 large carrot, sliced in thin half moons
2 tablespoons olive oil
4-5 mushrooms, cut in half, then sliced
1 large clove garlic, minced
1/2 bottle of beer*
1/2 cup medium barley
4 cups veggie stock
1 bay leaf
salt
pepper

Directions:

In a large soup pot, heat olive oil over medium-low heat and add onions, celery, and carrots and cook for several minutes until they start to soften. Add mushrooms and garlic and continue to cook until the mushrooms have softened and have started to turn brown. At this point there may be some brown bits on the bottom of the pan, which is good. Add your beer and stir up all those brown bits. Add the barley, the veggie stock, the bay leaf, and salt/pepper. Cover the pot and simmer over low-ish heat for about 45 minutes, checking it at 30 minutes to make sure it doesn't need more stock, Stir occasionally during this time to make sure nothing sticks to the bottom. When barley is tender and has opened up then the soup is done. Transfer to bowls and enjoy!

*Ok, two things. First: if you only use half a beer then you get to drink the other half. Second: use what you like to drink. I used an amber ale in this one, which was nice because it matched the mushroom flavor. You could also use a pale ale or an IPA. Don't use a fruit beer though, obviously.

Red lentils and rice

I really like indian spiced dhal but I lived with a friend who hated the smell of curry and any indian spices, so I decided to change up the spices in traditional dhal (and made it less labor intensive) so that I could eat them without making the house smell like indian food. I used red lentils here because they don't have the same earthy flavor that brown lentils do and they cook much more quickly.

Ingredients:

1/3 cup of rice
1/4 cup red lentils
3/4 cup veggie stock
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1 dash crushed red pepper
salt
1/2 lemon, juiced
1 handful cilantro
diced tomato
minced onion

Directions:

Cook rice according to package directions (I used a rice cooker). While the rice is cooking, combine lentils and veggie stock in a small sauce pot and heat over medium heat. Add garlic, cumin, and crushed red pepper and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and cover. Simmer about 15 minutes, or until the lentils have broken down and are extremely tender. Check on them a few times to give a stir and to add a little more stock if they are getting dry. Remove from heat and taste. Season with salt if necessary, Add cooked rice to serving bowl and top with a scoop of lentils. Squeeze the lemon juice on top (I usually do about a quarter of a lemon per bowl). Top with a generous amount of cilantro, some diced tomato, and minced onion,

Cheaters' stromboli

Ok, so I say "cheaters" stromboli because I didn't make the dough. I used Pillsbury Crescent Dough. That stuff is amazing!And I'm not even getting paid to say that (hint, hint, Pillsbury!). They now make this product that is a seamless sheet of dough for things like this stromboli, so now you don't have to press several triangles together to get a nice big piece. Anyway, the dough is light and flaky, which I like but you could easily use pizza dough for this too if you want. You'd have to cook it a bit longer though.

Ingredients:

1 crescent roll sheet, cut in thirds
1/4 a small onion, sliced
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
4-5 mushrooms, sliced
5-6 florets broccoli
1 cup spinach, cut in ribbons
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella
1 tablespoon parmesan cheese
dash of garlic powder
dash crushed red pepper flakes
salt
pepper
1 egg mixed with 1 tablespoon water
tomato sauce for dipping

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375. Place broccoli in a pot with water and boil until it is tender, drain and set aside. In a large sautee pan, cook onions and garlic in oil over medium-low heat for a few minutes, or until onions become soft. Add mushrooms and do not stir pan - just leave them. Cook about 2-3 minutes and then stir the mushrooms. Cut broccoli into small pieces and add to pan. Cook until mushrooms are soft and brown. Add spinach to pan and cook until it turns soft, adding a splash or two of water when it looks like it is drying out. Season with garlic powder, crushed red pepper, salt, and pepper. On a pan lined with aluminum foil, unroll your dough sheet. Cut off 1/3 of dough and set the rest aside. On the 1/3 in front of you pile a small amount of cheese about an inch from one of the long sides and make a line down the dough. Top this with your cooked veggies. Top with more cheese and the parmesan. Carefully roll the dough around the cheese and veggies and press to seal, making sure to seal up the ends as well. Cut a few slits in the dough. In a small bowl, mix egg and water together and whisk. Brush top of dough with this egg mixture. Transfer to over and bake for about 15-18 minutes or until the dough is fully browned. Cut and serve with tomato sauce for dipping.

Boozy worms and dirt dessert

I am super proud of this one, I have to admit. It combines all the things I love: pudding, gummies, alcohol, and cookies. This is certainly not the version you grew up with as a child and you should definitely be careful while eating this because there is a LOT of vodka in it. If you're not making it for halloween you don't have to decorate it like a graveyard - I just thought it was cute.

Ingredients:

2 packages of chocolate pudding
3 cups milk
1 cup whipped cream flavored vodka
1 package cool whip
1 individual size package of oreos, crushed
12 milano cookies, with the bottoms cut off
1 package gummy worms
1 cup vodka

Directions:

Two days before you need the dessert soak gummy worms in vodka and cover. They will absorb it over the next couple days, just make sure to stir every once in a while to prevent them from sticking together. A day before you need the dessert mix the pudding with milk and beat for a few minutes with an electric beater or stand mixer. Mix in the whipped cream (or vanilla, or regular) vodka and beat for another couple minutes. Fold in the cool whip and mix gently until it is combined. Transfer mixture to a 9x13 pan and freeze. It won't freeze solid because of the vodka. The day you need it take it out of the freezer and scoop out spoonfuls of pudding, in the hole you created bury the vodka soaked worms, then place the pudding back on top and smooth out. Do this all over the pan. When all the worms are buried top with the crushed oreos. Place milano cookies in the pudding to look like tombstones. Place in freezer until you're ready to serve. The texture will be sort of mousse like at the beginning but the longer it sits out the more pudding-like it becomes.

Buttermilk drop biscuits

I did not originally come up with this recipe, and honestly, I have no idea who did or where I found it. I've been making these biscuits for so long that I've pretty much memorized the amounts but I can't take credit for them at all. These bake up fluffy but still nice and crunchy on the outside, which is exactly how I want my biscuits. The recipe below makes about 5 biscuits but if you're making these for more than 2 people you'll want to double the recipe.

Ingredients:

1 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 tablespoons shortening
1/2 cup buttermilk

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Mix flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda together in a medium bowl. Add shortening and mix together with your hands until things come together in crumbles, it should be dry and almost sandy. Gently stir in the buttermilk until just combined. Loosely form into balls, but don't make them smooth. The spikier the better. The spikes brown up and get all crunchy and delicious. Bake for 13-15 minutes.

Butternut squash soup

Yes, another soup recipe. This one is an important one though because I promise that it will feature heavily as the base for a few more meals as well. When I make this soup I make it plain and then season it as needed since it can be so versatile. If you know you're not going to use the leftovers for anything else then go ahead and season the whole pot. If you're doing that some good suggestions would be curry powder, or a vanilla bean, or cinnamon. I usually add cream to each individual bowl as well. The one pictured was topped with cream and cinnamon (although you can't see it) as well as granny smith apples, walnuts, and raisins.

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons butter
1 onion, diced
1 small butternut squash, peeled and cubed (scrape out the seeds too)
2-3 cups veggie stock
salt
pepper
toppings/seasonings

Directions:

Melt butter in a large stock pot over medium-low heat. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are very soft and translucent but be careful not to brown them. Add squash and stir. Add just enough stock to cover the squash. For me this was about 3 cups. Bring things to a boil and continue to cook until the squash is very, very soft. Maybe about 20-30 minutes. Either use an immersion blender or a regular blender to puree the soup and then thin to the consistency you like with more stock. Simmer for a few more minutes, transfer to bowls, and season each with the toppings of your choice.

Cheddar cheese grits

I was talking with someone recently who told me that they hated grits. I was shocked and then asked them how they made them. They told me that they tried to microwave them, which obviously didn't create the creamy and smooth texture of properly cooked grits. The recipe below is simple and comes together quickly, but still manages to turn out thick and rich. You can use any sort of cheese you'd like, but I've found that sharp cheddar or white cheddar work the best.

Ingredients:

1 cup veggie stock
1/4 cup quick-cooking grits
1 dash garlic powder
1/2 tablespoon butter
1/3 cup sharp cheddar cheese, grated
black pepper
hot sauce, optional

Directions:

Bring veggie stock to a boil in a small pot, slowly stir in grits and garlic powder and reduce heat to medium low. Cover and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Grits are done cooking when they are thick but not dry. Turn off heat and stir in butter. Add cheese and season with black pepper. Serve right away and top with hot sauce if using.

Overnight oatmeal

Oatmeal always seems like a lot of work on weekday mornings. I'm certainly not going to wake up 15 minutes early to make a pot of oatmeal when I could just grab a yogurt and run out the door. This is the perfect solution and it will keep you much more full than yogurt will. I was a little worried about eating cold oatmeal, but it was actually really good! You could always pop it in the microwave for a little bit if you want it warm though.

Ingredients:

1/3 cup quick oats
1/3 cup water (or milk/almond milk/juice/etc)
1 small handful of nuts/fruits/seeds (really whatever you want)
Sweeteners (honey, brown sugar, maple syrup, etc), to taste
Flavorings (cinnamon, nutmeg, cocoa powder, vanilla, almond extract, etc), to taste

Directions:

Place oats and whatever liquid you want in a mason jar. Top with fruit, nuts, seeds, sweeteners, and flavorings in any combination you'd like. Put the lid on and seal tightly. Shake until everything is mixed. Store overnight in the refrigerator. The oats will absorb the liquid and become soft and plump.

*The oatmeal in the front of the picture has raisins, walnuts, vanilla, and cinnamon. The ones in the back have chopped dates, walnuts, and vanilla. I didn't use any sweeteners other than the dried fruit and it was plenty sweet for my taste.

White bean and spinach soup

Soup is the perfect comfort food. Now that it is officially fall chances are good that I'll be making it at least once a week. This soup comes together relatively quickly and tastes delicious. The best part is that it is nice and creamy without actually having any cream in it. I've made this soup a lot and I've substituted kale for the spinach before and it turns out well, you just have to cook the kale a little longer.

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 small onion (or 1/4 large), chopped

1 large (or 2 small) cloves garlic, minced

1 can of white beans, drained

1 cup veggie stock (or a cup of water with a bouillon cube dissolved)

1/4 teaspoon rosemary

dash of cayenne pepper

a few good cracks of black pepper

1 large handful of spinach leaves, cut into ribbons

shaved parmesan cheese

balsamic vinegar

lemon oil 

Directions:

In a medium pot, heat oil over medium heat and add onion and garlic. Cook onions and garlic until they are soft, about 4-5 minutes. Add the beans and the stock, then sprinkle in the rosemary, cayenne, and black pepper. Simmer over medium-low heat until beans are soft, approximately 10 minutes. Pull out about 1/3 cup of the beans, then puree the remainder. Add the beans back in and continue to simmer for a few more minutes. Add the spinach to the pot and cook for 1-2 minutes, or until it has wilted. Transfer to bowls and top with shaved parmesan slices, a few drops of balsamic vinegar, a few drops of lemon oil, and a good crack of black pepper.

Hot sauce

Full disclosure: this is absolutely not a recipe I created. This comes from Bon Appetit. I've made this a few times and it is seriously some of the best hot sauce I've had and I really didn't see the need to change it or adapt it at all. It doesn't have the consistency of mass produced hot sauce - it is pretty thin so it pours rather than drips like store bought so just be careful when you're using it.

Ingredients:

1 pound of hot peppers (jalapeno, serrano, cayenne, habenero, etc)*
2 tablespoons of salt
1 1/2 cups white vinegar

Directions:

Throw the peppers and the salt into a food processor and pulse until you have a nice puree going. It won't be smooth yet, but that's ok, you're going to process it again anyway. Transfer the mixture to a non-reactive container (preferably glass) and let it sit, covered, at room temperature for anywhere between 1 and 7 days. I usually let mine go for 3-4, otherwise it gets too intense for me. Put the puree and the vinegar into a food processor and turn it on continuously until you get a nice, smooth consistency. Strain the mixture through a coffee filter, pressing slightly on the solids to extract all the sauce. Store in a glass container and keep in the refrigerator for up to four months. Shake it before using.

*Sometimes I'll add a clove or two of garlic as well. The one pictured is made with 100% serrano peppers. If you don't want it so spicy you could replace some of the hot peppers with a bell pepper of the same color.

Spicy potato tacos

I love tacos. There are so many delicious kinds you can make whether you're a vegetarian or not. Tacos are one of those meals where you can make several fillings and then people can decide what kind they want, making it a good choice for when you are serving meat eaters and non-meat eaters. I love this version because it is a little different than you're typical taco. Feel free to adjust the level of spice to your liking. The amounts listed below made three tacos (enough to feed just me), obviously increase the amounts if you're making it for more than one person.

Ingredients:

4-5 red potatoes, diced (I cut each potato in 6ths)
1 1/2 cups veggie stock (or water with a bullion cube dissolved in it)
1 teaspoon tomato paste
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1-2 good shakes crushed red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 of a large jalapeno, minced
3 corn tortillas
Toppings: avocado, tomatoes, red onion, sour cream, shredded lettuce, chives, cilantro, hot sauce, etc.

Directions:

Combine potatoes, stock, tomato paste, and spices in a sauce pan and bring to a boil. Cover the pan with a lid that is tilted to the side to allow some of the steam to escape. Continue to cook the potatoes until they are a step or two past fork tender - they should be soft but not falling apart. Mash a few of them and continue to cook until most of the water has evaporated. Add oil and jalapenos and keep cooking, uncovered, until potatoes begin to crisp up, making sure to scrape the pan every once in a while to make sure nothing burns. Heat tortillas by wetting them and then placing them on a hot saute pan, flipping them after about a minute. Fill tortillas with crisped up potatoes, then top with whatever toppings you'd like.

Fried green tomatoes

I recently bought my first cast iron skillet (finally!) and I had been trying to think of the perfect thing to break it in when the idea of fried green tomatoes came to me. It's such a southern dish that it just felt like the right choice (other than cornbread of course, but my skillet is way to big for cornbread unless I'm cooking for others too). I made mine on the spicy side and served them with sour cream and hot sauce, but feel free to adjust the seasonings however you'd like. If you want them smoky but not spicy some smoked paprika would be really nice in the bread crumbs.

Ingredients:

2 - 3 green tomatoes
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 1/2 cups panko bread crumbs
1/2 cup flour
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
5 or 6 good cracks of black pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon butter

Directions:

Slice your tomatoes horizontally in 1/4" to 1/2 inch slices. Pour your buttermilk into a small bowl (I used a teacup, which was the perfect size to dunk each slice) and, in a separate shallow dish, mix together your bread crumbs, flour, garlic, cayenne, salt, and pepper. One at a time, dunk a tomato fully under in buttermilk, then transfer to the breadcrumbs and coat completely. Repeat for each tomato. Heat your skillet (doesn't have to be cast iron) over medium heat and add oil and butter. When the butter is melted add your tomato slices and fry for 2-3 minutes, flip and fry 2-3 more minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack and season with salt. Serve immediately (they really don't keep well).

Black bean soup

I love soup. I once told someone that soup was my favorite food but I was told that soup isn't a food, it is a method of cooking. I'm sticking by it though. Soup is delicious. This soup can be easily adjusted to your preferences (just like most soups) so feel free to play around with it. I like to top this soup with lots of things but it is good just on its own as well.

Ingredients:

1 large clove (or 2 small cloves) of garlic, minced
1/2 small (or 1/4 large) red onion, chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
4-6 slices green pepper, chopped
1/2 a tomato, chopped
1/2 a jalapeno, minced (adjust to your taste)
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 1/2 cups veggie stock (or 1 bouillon cube mixed with 1 1/2 cups water)
1/4 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon chili powder
Toppings: sliced avocado, chopped red onion, chopped tomato, sour cream, cilantro, hot sauce, etc.

Directions:
In a medium sauce pot saute garlic, onion, and green pepper in olive oil over medium low heat for a few minutes or until the onion softens but before it browns. Once soft, add the tomato and jalapeno and continue to cook for another minute or two. Add black beans, stock, cumin, and chili powder and stir to combine. Turn heat up to medium and bring to a low boil for 5-10 minutes or until the beans are soft and can be easily smashed. At this point you can puree the whole thing and make it smooth, or you can do what I do and smash the beans with a potato masher until most of them have broken down but stop before it becomes smooth. Turn heat down to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the soup thickens up to the consistency you like. Ladle into bowls and top with any combination of toppings you like.