Bacon-Wrapped Potato Wedges

You only need two ingredients to make these bacon-wrapped potato wedges,
and they're perfect paleo football food!

It's football season! Are you into it? I have no idea what's going on, but my fiancé Ben is a big Broncos fan and is also in a fantasy football league. It's my job to complain about how much the TV is on and to make delicious snacks, like these bacon-wrapped potato wedges.

We moved this past weekend--we'd been staying with Ben's sister and her family, and now we're renting a little guest house from some friends of ours while we look for a house to buy. The guest house is just two rooms plus a bathroom, but it's really cute. The kitchen and living area are in one room, but it's a pretty good size and I'm really happy with the kitchen area. Unfortunately, the TV is right nearby, so I have to listen to football while I cook.

Since things have been pretty hectic with our move from Boston to Chattanooga last month and our mini move into the guest house more recently, I've been on the lookout for easy recipes. I was assigned Rebekah's blog, Making Miracles, for this month's Secret Recipe Club, and found so many great possibilities in her recipe index. Her blog is full of fast, easy, family-friendly recipes, and I highly recommend you check it out!

I was planning to make her baked paleo chicken tenders, since I loved chicken fingers as a kid and haven't yet tried making a paleo version. In fact, I'm still planning to make them--I have all the ingredients and everything--but once I saw these bacon-wrapped potato wedges, they jumped to the top of my list. I had to have them right away.

Smashed Potatoes with Hatch Chile Tomatillo Crema

These crispy smashed potatoes served with an addictive hatch chile tomatillo crema

are perfect for game time or anytime. The recipe is grain free 

and there's a paleo vegan version, too!

Have you ever smashed a potato? If not, you're missing out. It's an easy and fun way to get roasted potatoes that are actually crispy, and shaped like beautifully abstract flowers to boot.

I saw this smashed potatoes idea over on Oh She Glows about a year ago, pinned it enthusiastically, thought about it often, and didn't actually try it until last week. That's one of the perils of reading as many food blogs as I do: there are so many great recipes to try, and so little time!

These smashed potatoes are going into the regular rotation, though. I'm going to offer a brief explanation of why they're better than plain old roasted potatoes (which are pretty delicious to begin with). When you roast whole small potatoes, only a very small portion of their surface area comes into contact with the hot pan below, and they don't have any jagged edges elsewhere to crisp up. Thus, it's really only a tiny spot on the bottom that becomes sufficiently crunchy.

Creamy Whipped Feta

This post is sponsored by Nikos Feta.

Have you ever whipped feta cheese? 

If the answer is no, buckle your seat belt and get out your food processor. You are in for quite a ride (or at least, your food processor is in for a quite a workout).

This recipe is super simple, but totally changes the character of feta. The rich and tangy flavor that's usually packaged in chewy little crumbles infuses this smooth, creamy, and versatile dip. I enjoyed this whipped feta with fresh asparagus spears, carrot sticks, and my favorite gluten-free crackers, but the possibilities are limitless. (It MAY have crossed my mind to use this instead of tomato sauce on a pizza, maybe with roasted red peppers and fresh mozzarella balls, too. Doesn't that sound amazing?)

Nikos Feta works beautifully in this dip. It's not as overwhelmingly salty as some fetas are, but still has the wonderfully sharp and distinctive flavor that feta is famous for. It's sold in a block or in a tub of crumbles, and either one will work for this recipe! I used their traditional feta, but I bet this would also be great with one of their other flavors (tomato basil, perhaps?). You can see all the different flavors here.

Roasted Romanesco with Za'atar Yogurt Sauce

Strange coincidence: last year, on January 25th, 2014, I wrote about romanesco in a post entitled 7 Uncommon Vegetables for your Produce Bucket List. I had never seen romanesco in a store. I kept my eyes peeled for it all year, but could never find any. That is, until last Wednesday, when I finally spotted some at my local Whole Foods . . . on January 25th, 2015. Weird, right?

Coming across this gorgeous vegetable exactly one year after posting about it has me wondering if it might be magic. I mean, look at those spirals! According to Wikipedia, the number of spirals on a head of Romanesco is a Fibonacci number, and its form approximates a fractal. How is it possible that something like this exists?

In addition to its special properties, romanesco is delicious. I roasted it whole because I couldn't bear to slice it up any sooner than I had to. Its flavor is similar to cauliflower and broccoli, but a little milder and nuttier. And, just like with cauliflower or broccoli, the browned bits are extra delicious. If you can't find romanesco, you could definitely use one of its brassica cousins for this recipe instead.

Tahini-Glazed Chicken Wings

My only appreciation for winter comes from the fact that it's pretty much a prerequisite for spring, at least in this part of the world. And, in my optimistic opinion, we're on the road to spring beginning on December 22nd, when we start getting an additional minute or two of light each day. Spotting a vestige of light in the sky after 5 pm gives me hope.

Even when a blizzard comes through, dumping two feet of snow on my city and leaving my street virtually impassable for days afterward, I know that we are on the up and up, the unstoppable vector leading to spring.

In the meantime, let's eat some chicken wings!

Slow-Cooker Carnitas Lettuce Wraps with Pineapple & Avocado Salsa

Ben is out of town this week, so I have been left to my own devices.  Last night I got home and decided to read the first chapter or two of the kids' novel Because of Winn-Dixie, which I needed to preview before using it in a lesson.  Turns out the book is really good, and also a bit sad.  A girl named India Opal, whose mother left when she was little, moves to Naomi, Florida with her dad and ends up adopting a stray dog who helps her make all kinds of interesting friends.  Each friend has their own poignant story.  I may have ended up crying several times (just enough to need a tissue, not straight-up bawling), and finishing the whole book in less than two hours.  Now, that's what I call a fun evening!  Tonight I might watch the film version.

Sweet Potato & Roasted Garlic Hummus

Is it spring yet?  It's still freezing here.  Also, yesterday was so windy that I ended up getting dust and tiny pebbles blown into my eyes several times during my ten-minute walk to the train.  A little early-spring sandstorm right here in Boston.  Needless to say, I was not a fan.

I'm trying to keep my food springy, in hopes that the weather will follow suit.  So, here is some paleo (chickpea-free) hummus.  It's a little sweet from the sweet potato, but with lots of savory flavor from the tahini, a whole head of roasted garlic, and some garlic-infused olive oil.  Don't be intimidated by the large quantity of garlic--it mellows out as it roasts, and the flavor is amazing.  Your house will smell amazing, too.

Fried Okra with Avocado Crema (Whole30 Day 18)

My mom grew up in Austin, and that's where I learned to love fried okra.  We used to go every year to visit our family, and we always ate at this amazing cafeteria called the Marimont that has now been closed for several years.  We would stay for a week, and eat there everyday for lunch.  Here's what I used to get: two or three sides of macaroni and cheese (theirs was the best!), an order of fried okra, and a slice of chocolate cream pie.  I miss that place so much!

Fortunately, there are other places to get great fried okra (I recently had some really delicious okra at Tupelo Honey in Chattanooga).  However, as far as I know, none of those places are in Massachusetts, and none of them offer fried okra that's paleo, gluten-free, vegan and fried in coconut oil.  I still consider my version an indulgence since it uses a lot of oil, but treats like this are important, especially when you're doing a Whole30 and can't have any desserts.

I made an easy avocado crema to go with my okra.  If you have extra crema, it would also be great on eggs or as a dip for veggies.  Of course, the okra is also amazing plain, with just good coarse salt sprinkled on top!

Chicken Meatballs with Garlic Kale Marinara (Whole30 Day 4)

I've always been more of a baker than a cook, but I'm working hard to change that, especially since starting my Whole30.  It's exciting to try lots of different meats in lots of different forms.  Yesterday I made pork belly (you can see the before & after pics on Instagram--it was good, but not quite good enough to share with you!).  Today I used ground chicken to make meatballs.  I am so happy with the way this dish turned out--it's one of the best savory recipes I've made!  The meatballs are moist and rich, and the sauce provides the perfect level of tart tomato and roasted garlic flavor.

Figs & Pancetta

This simple appetizer is an amazing way to showcase some delicious figs.  I'd been wanting to wrap figs in prosciutto for a while now, but accidentally got slices of pancetta instead.  I think in my mind I'd filed them as being the same thing.  I did a little research and it seems like pancetta is thicker and less pliable, and cured with more spices than prosciutto.  You can use either one here--prosciutto would probably be easier to wrap around the figs, and you might not even need the toothpicks.

Chickpea Mushroom Spread

In my last post, I shared a recipe for gambas al ajillo inspired by my meal at Solea.  The other thing I was dying to try at home was Solea's chickpea spread, which they bring at the beginning of the meal with a basket of crusty bread.  It's really delicious!  I could tell it had chickpeas in it (plus, it was adorably garnished with one whole chickpea), but I couldn't tell what made it so much richer, and so different from, hummus.

Luckily, our waiter didn't mind telling us the other key ingredient--porcini mushrooms!  I had never cooked with them before, and they smelled really funky before they were reconstituted.  But, it was worth it.  I was rewarded with this hearty dip, which I think is just as good as what I had at Solea.

Ingredients (makes about 1 1/2 cups):

1 15 ounce can of chickpeas, rinsed and drained
Juice of half a lemon, or to taste
Salt to taste
1/2 cup plus 1 teaspoon olive oil, plus more for serving
1/4 ounce dried porcini mushrooms
Paprika for serving, optional

Place the porcini mushrooms in a small bowl, and pour in very hot water to cover.  Let sit for 30 minutes.  Drain, reserving the soaking water, rinse, and pat dry.

Heat 1 teaspoon of olive oil in a small skillet over medium heat, and saute the mushrooms for about five minutes.

In a food processor, combine the chickpeas, lemon juice, salt, and mushrooms.  Turn the processor on and add the half cup of olive oil in a steady stream (you can use less oil and more mushroom water if you'd like).  If the spread seems too dry, add the mushroom soaking water a tablespoon at a time and process until smooth.

Taste for seasonings and adjust if needed.  Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with paprika, if desired.  Serve with crusty bread or vegetables for dipping.

Gambas al Ajillo--Sizzling Garlic Shrimp

For my birthday, we went to dinner at Solea, a fabulous tapas restaurant in Waltham.  If you live in the Boston area and haven't been, you need to try it!  It's one of my absolute favorite restaurants.

Ben, my mom, and I ordered six tapas to share.  We got sizzling garlic shrimp, scallops in saffron cream, lamb meatballs in truffle cream sauce, greens sauteed with pine nuts and raisins, and baked goat cheese.  Everything was amazing.  I ordered a blood orange sidecar to drink, which was delicious, and we started out snacking on a really good chickpea-porcini mushroom spread (my take on that coming soon).  The whole meal was great and I highly recommend everything we ordered.

I decided the sizzling garlic shrimp would be fun to recreate at home.  At Solea they serve them still bubbling in a small cazuela.  You could achieve the same effect by putting the shrimp into ramekins and sticking them under the broiler for a couple of minutes before serving.  If you try that, don't cook the shrimp all the way on the stovetop since they'll finish cooking under the broiler.

Ingredients (inspired by Solea, serves 4-6):

1/2 cup olive oil
10 cloves garlic, peeled and thinly sliced
1 pound raw shrimp, peeled, deveined, and tails removed, defrosted if frozen
Salt and pepper to taste
1/4 teaspoon paprika
Pinch or two of red pepper flakes, optional

Preheat the broiler, if using.  Heat the olive oil in a heavy skillet over medium-low heat.  Add the garlic and saute, stirring frequently, for about five minutes, until the garlic is softened but not browned.

Add the shrimp, raise the heat to medium high, and sprinkle with salt, pepper, paprika, and red pepper.  Cook for three minutes on each side or until the shrimp are completely opaque.  Serve hot.  If you decide to broil the shrimp in individual ramekins, cook on one side in the skillet, flip over into the ramekins, top with some of the oil and garlic, and broil until opaque throughout, about 3 minutes.

Lentil & Corn Fritters (plus Lentils & Couscous)

I made lentils the other day, and was really surprised at how good they were.  They were easy to make and flavorful.  We served ours on top of pearl couscous, my new favorite grain product.  It made a great  healthy dinner, and we had tons of lentils left over.

I got the idea to make lentil fritters, and invented the fritter recipe using masarepa (my other favorite grain product).  If you have leftover lentils, these are very easy and quick to make.  If not, you should make this first recipe and have it for dinner with rice or couscous.  The next day, you can make the fritters with the leftovers.

Ingredients for lentils:

1 pound red lentils, picked over and well washed

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 teaspoon cumin

4 cups water

1 cube chicken or vegetable bouillon

Salt and pepper to taste

3 tablespoons red or white wine

2 wedges Laughing Cow creamy Swiss cheese (optional)

Chopped scallions and cilantro for garnish

Cooked rice or couscous for serving

Heat the olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat.  Add the onion, garlic and cumin and saute until softened, about five minutes.  

Raise the heat the medium high.  Add the lentils, water, and bouillon.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, covered, for about twenty minutes.  The lentils should be tender and lightened in color, with almost all the liquid absorbed.

Add the wine and salt and pepper to taste.  Raise the heat and cook for another 2-3 minutes.  Stir in the cheese, if using, and stir until smooth.

Serve over rice or couscous with scallions and cilantro on top.

Ingredients for the fritters:

1 1/2 cups leftover lentils (from above recipe, or any well-cooked red lentils)
1 cups frozen corn kernels (no need to defrost)
3 scallions, sliced
3 tablespoons chopped cilantro
1 cup masarepa
Sea salt
1 cup hot water
Canola oil or olive oil for cooking
Lime wedges for serving

In a large bowl, mix the leftover lentils, corn, scallions, cilantro, masarepa, and a pinch or two of salt.  Add the hot water and stir to combine.  Let sit for five minutes.

Meanwhile, heat about 1/8 inch of oil in a heavy skillet over medium-high heat.  When the oil is hot enough, a droplet of water should bounce and skitter across the skillet.

Using your hands, make balls of dough a little larger than golf balls and flatten them slightly to form patties.  Fry until golden brown on both sides, about 3 minutes per side.  Be gentle when you flip them--you'll lose a few pieces of corn, but that's okay.

Drain on paper towels.  Serve hot, with sea salt sprinkled on top and lime wedges for squeezing over.

Extra uncooked fritter mixture can be kept for up to three days in the refrigerator.

Creamy Beer & Black Bean Queso

We had a party last night!  The main feature was the decorate-your-own cupcake station (more on that later).  However, we did have one delicious thing from the savory side--this queso!  I highly recommend it.

This is adapted from a recipe on How Sweet It Is, one of my very favorite food blogs.  I was so excited that Jessica posted this just in time for me to make it for my party!  All the recipes I've tried from her site have been fabulous.  Plus, her blog is really fun to read.  I had to take out the chorizo because of all my vegetarian friends.  I'm sure it would be fabulous with sausage, but it's hard to imagine it being more fabulous than it already is!

This morning, I used the leftover queso to make delicious chilaquiles.  I fried up some onions and garlic, added two eggs and a handful of crushed tortilla chips, and stirred in a few big dollops of this queso.  I served it with sliced avocado, cilantro, and scallions with a squeeze of lime.  Most delicious hangover cure ever!

Ingredients (serves 8 as an appetizer):

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 shallot, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1-2 jalapeños, deseeded and diced (I used 1, but the dip was not very hot.  Try 2 for more spice, or use the seeds.)
1 15 ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 1/2 cups beer (your favorite kind--or use a Mexican beer)
1/4 teaspoon cumin
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
12 ounces freshly grated white cheddar cheese
Chopped scallions and cilantro for garnish

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat.  Add the shallot, jalapeño and garlic and saute until fragrant.  Stir in the black beans, and raise the heat to medium.  Add the beer and cumin and stir to combine.  Cook for five more minutes, until some of the beer has bubbled away.

Add the cream cheese, and stir until melted and the mixture is smooth.  Add the cheddar and stir until smooth and creamy.

Serve with scallions and cilantro on top, and a big basket of chips for dipping.

If the queso hardens up, you can microwave it for a minute or so with a bit of water and stir until it's creamy again.