Colcannon is a hearty Irish dish that combines kale (or cabbage) with mashed potatoes. There are four main ingredients in Colcannon; potatoes, kale, milk and butter. The dish should be served with extra pats of butter on top so that they melt over the Colcannon while it is being served. Ok, so this is not one of my healthier dishes but even my keto loving husband had to stick a fork in the Colcannon after I made it. The white potatoes mixed with the green kale and melted butter on top is quite irresistible. It is absolutely delicious to grab a forkful of the potatoes and kale and dip it in the melted butter. If you serve colcannon in individual portions it makes it even easier to achieve this experience. Try serving the Colcannon in individual ramekins with a pat of butter on top.
What should I serve with the Colcannon?
Typically Colcannon is served with ham, sausages or corned beef. It would also make a nice side dish with stew. If you’re looking to keep the main dish a little lighter then broiled salmon with a lemon sauce would work well.
Tips for making great mashed potatoes:
You must dry the potatoes after you boil them and before you mash them. When the potatoes are tender drain the water and put the potatoes back into the pot over a low flame to remove excess water. Stir the potatoes over the heat for a few minutes to dry them out. This step will insure that you you have fluffy, light mashed potatoes. If your mashed potatoes are dense and gummy it’s because there was too much water left in the potatoes.
Return the potatoes to the pot after draining the water. Stir over low heat to remove excess water before mashing potatoes.
Roasted Butternut Squash with Sweet and Spicy Sausage and Fresh Sage
This keto friendly sausage and butternut squash dish is a cinch to prepare and is packed with flavor. This roasted butternut squash and sausage recipe is surprisingly low in calories. It’s so good, you won’t believe that it is diet friendly. The sausage flavor balances perfectly with the butternut squash and fresh sage. I also add a little spinach to the dish for a little extra color and vitamins. This sheet pan recipe is so easy to prepare and is filling enough to serve as a main course. The recipe calls for a three pound butternut squash peeled, seeded and cut into one inch pieces, often you can find butternut squash already cut in the supermarket which will greatly reduce the prep time. Roasting the sausage and butternut squash in the oven results in butternut squash that is a little crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. Butternut squash season is almost over so I recommend making this recipe before the end of March. I like to serve it with an arugula salad on the side and a crispy baguette for those not watching their carbs.
Some Other Variations:
You can serve the roasted butternut squash and sausage over pasta with a sage butter sauce. If you choose to serve it with pasta then do not roast the sage with the sausage and butternut squash. Sauté chopped shallots with a little olive oil, add sage leaves and butter to pan. Toss with pasta of your choice and then mix in the roasted butternut squash and sausage.
Another option is to serve the roasted butternut squash and sausage as a side dish. Doubling the amount of spinach in the dish will create an interesting leafy green side dish that pairs well with roasted or grilled chicken. Try serving it on top of thinly pounded chicken paillard.
My mother gifted to me her beloved asparagus dishes. I absolutely love these dishes. They have a beautiful vintage feel and are specifically designed to be used only for asparagus. It’s a pleasure to pull these dishes out of the cabinet to serve asparagus. I don’t use them often but when I do it reminds me of how detailed my mother was when she entertained. It’s very special to acquire some kitchen pieces that you can pass down to future generations. There is a closeness that is felt when you know that you are eating off the same plates that your ancestors ate from.
Should I buy thick or thin asparagus?
There are different size asparagus available. Some are pencil thin and others are thicker. If you are roasting the asparagus in the oven the thin asparagus will work great. You do not need to peel thin asparagus. You simply trim off the bottom, rinse them off, toss with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. The asparagus will be done in under 5 minutes in a 400 degree oven. You can serve them with a little salt and pepper or shave some Parmigiana Reggiano on top. This makes a beautiful appetizer or side dish.
The thicker asparagus need to be trimmed and peeled from below the tip to the bottom. In this recipe I boil the asparagus for around 6 minutes until they are tender but still bright green. You do not want to serve a brown, over-cooked asparagus. After six minutes you should spill out the water and rinse asparagus with cold water and place in an ice bath to stop the cooking. After 5 minutes you can remove the asparagus from the ice bath and place on plates. The asparagus can stay at room temperature for an hour so this is a great appetizer to make when you are entertaining.
How to make a perfect hard boiled egg:
The perfect hard boiled egg should not have dark area between the yolk and white. That does not look nice. You need to pierce the bottom of the egg with an egg piercer before you gently submerge the egg into water. I like the Endurance egg piercer available on Amazon. Take the eggs out of the refrigerator 5 minutes before you place them into the boiling water so they are not shocked by the water. After the eggs have boiled for 10 minutes, turn off the heat and allow them to remain in water for a few minutes. Then set them aside or refrigerate until you are ready to use them. You will have beautiful yellow and white hard boiled eggs.
Some other serving ideas for asparagus:
A simple dressing made with Olive Oil, Red Wine Vinegar, a touch of Dijon and salt and pepper
Chilled chopped crabmeat or shrimp mixed with mayonnaise and dill
Shredded Gruyere or Parmigiana Reggiano. Place under the broiler for a minute to melt if desired.
Hard boiled eggs are chopped and sprinkled over the Asparagus before adding thin slices of prosciutto
Prep Time5 minutesmins
Cook Time15 minutesmins
Total Time20 minutesmins
Course: Appetizer, Side Dish, Salad, lunch
Cuisine: American
Keyword: vegetable, Side Dishes
Servings: 4people
Calories: 272kcal
Equipment
egg piercer
Ingredients
16pcasparaguslarge not pencil thin
2eggs
¼lbprosciutto di parmasliced thin
Dressing
¼cupolive oil
2tbspred wine vinegar
1tspdried mustard
½tspsalt
¼tsppepper
Instructions
Eggs
pierce eggs with egg piercer
boil water in a sauce pan and gently add eggs
boil eggs for 10 minutes and then turn off heat. Leave eggs in hot water.
Asparagus
peel the stem of asparagus and cut an inch off bottom. Rinse in cold water.
Boil water in a large, deep frying pan. Asparagus need to lay flat in pan.
add asparagus to pan so they are completely submerged in water
boil for 5 or 6 minutes until bright green and fork tender
remove from heat and place asparagus in ice and water to stop cooking
Dressing
Mix ingredients together and whisk rapidly until emulsified.
Taste to adjust salt and pepper
Assemble Plate
Peel eggs and separate yolk from white. Chop each separately
Lay 4 asparagus on each plate
Drizzle dressing over asparagus
Top with a line of chopped egg yolk and chopped egg white
Add sliced prosciutto and serve
Notes
I always pierce my eggs with an egg piercer before I boil them. This prevents the dark line appearing between the yolk and white and will also make the egg easier to peel.
I decided to make the ravioli heart shaped in honor of Valentine’s Day but you can make them square or round. I use an egg pasta dough for ravioli because I like the silkiness that the eggs give the pasta dough. This is a fresh pasta so it is best made and eaten the same day. You can freeze the ravioli for up to a month.
I use the Antree stand mixer attachment available on Amazon to roll the pasta into long thin sheets. Remember, you are placing two layers of pasta on top of one another so you do not want the pasta sheets to be too thick or else the ravioli will be too doughy.
Humidity plays a big roll when you are making pasta dough. If it is very dry like it is in the winter you will need to add a bit more moisture to your dough to achieve the right texture and consistency. The dough needs to come together in a ball before you begin kneading it. Kneading will take about 10 minutes. You will know that you have kneaded enough when you are able to stretch a piece without it tearing. The dough should look silky and not stick to your hands. If the dough feels too wet add a little flour and keep kneading. It is much more difficult to add moisture to dry dough so make sure the dough is moist enough and comes together in a shaggy ball before you start kneading. If it feels too crumbly and dry you should add another egg and a tablespoon of water.
This Is Important:
You MUST let the dough rest for a half hour before you start rolling it. After you have kneaded the dough and it looks silky and is not sticky and you can take a little piece off and stretch it without breaking you are now ready to let the dough rest. Wrap the Pasta dough in plastic wrap and let it sit on the counter for a half hour. If you are planning on making ravioli than use this time to make the filling.
Pasta Dough Ingredients
Resting Pasta Dough
What Type Of Flour Should I Use?
I like to use all purpose flour with a little semolina flour mixed in. Typically I use 3 parts all purpose and 1 part semolina. You can also use “00” flour but I prefer to use “00” for pizza dough, not pasta dough. It’s really up to you. All purpose flour makes the pasta silkier, the semolina adds a little roughness to it. The semolina flour helps the sauce stick to the pasta.
What Can I Fill The Ravioli With?
In this recipe I fill the ravioli with a puree of garlic, prosciutto and white beans. You can fill the ravioli with ricotta or ricotta and spinach. You can also puree green peas to fill the pasta. The possibilities are endless so be creative. You just need to make sure that the filling is a puree and not clumpy. When you make the ravioli you need to make sure that there is no air trapped in the ravioli so make sure the ravioli fits snug around the filling.
Egg pasta dough is perfect for making ravioli and fettuccini
Prep Time15 minutesmins
Resting Time30 minutesmins
Total Time45 minutesmins
Course: Main Course, Side Dish
Cuisine: Italian
Keyword: fresh pasta
Servings: 6people
Calories: 237kcal
Equipment
pasta roller
Ingredients
1½cupsAP flour
½cupsemolina flour
3eggsroom temperature
2tbspolive oil
1tspsalt
1tbspwaterif dough is too dry
Instructions
Mix flours and salt together and pour on counter
make a large well in flour
add eggs and oil in center of well
slowly incorporate flour using a fork
when all the flour is mixed in gather dough into a ball
knead dough until smooth and silky. About 10 minutes
Take a small piece of dough off and try to stretch it. If it stretches a couple of inches without breaking then you have kneaded enough.
Wrap dough in plastic and let is rest at room temperature for 30 minutes
cut dough into 4 pieces and roll dough into an oval shape with a rolling pin. Then roll through a pasta roller until desired thickness. Start with the widest setting #1 and keep making the roller more narrow. For ravioli roll dough until #6. Fettuccini can be rolled to #6 or #7. Very thin pasta like cappellini should be rolled to #7 or #8
A blend of meat and beans with just the right amount of heat topped with melted cheese
A warm bowl of chili on a cold day is amazing. This chili recipe comes together very quickly and then simmers on the stove for an hour. I use two different kinds of beans in this recipe because I like the layers of flavor and texture that they add to the chili. Chili can be made ahead of time and reheated as needed. It’s great to serve when you know that people in your family will be eating at all different times. I also like serving chili on a buffet when there is a sporting event on so people can help themselves when they’re ready to eat and help themselves to seconds if they’re still hungry. If you are serving chili on a buffet put out toppings that will compliment the chili like shredded cheddar cheese, sour cream, tortilla chips, jalapeño, avocado and chopped tomatoes
Preparation:
It is important to sauté the onions until translucent and then add the ground sirloin. Once the ground sirloin is brown you should drain most of the oil from the pan before adding the spices. My chili recipe is a medium heat chili, you can increase or decrease the chili powder to suit your taste. I like to keep the ratio of chili powder to cumin as 3 to 2. The recipe calls for 3 tablespoons of chili powder and 2 tablespoons of cumin so if you increase the chili powder make sure you increase the cumin. I suggest making the recipe as it is written and adjusting the spice after the chili has had time to simmer. The flavor will increase as the chili cooks.
Serving Chili:
Serve the chili with a little melted shredded sharp cheddar cheese on top and sour cream on the side. I like to serve the chili with a salad and homemade cornbread.
Variations:
Vegetarian: omit the meat and use a third type of bean like white beans or you can simply increase the amount of pinto and kidney beans that are already in the recipe.
You can substitute ground turkey or chicken for the meat.
Add jalapeño to the chili to increase the heat
Add crumbled hot and sweet sausage to the meat
Corn will add color and flavor to the chili
Add chopped kale for a healthy kick
Storing Chili:
Chili will last for 5 days in the refrigerator and two months in the freezer. It reheats perfectly in the oven or microwave. It is a good idea to freeze the chili in portions so you can defrost it as it is needed.
mix flour, cornmeal, baking powder, salt, pepper, sugar together
in a seperate bowl whisk together milk, egg and melted butter
mix wet ingredients ito dry ingredients
grease an 8×8 pan and pour in batter
bake for 15-20 minutes until golden brown on top
Notes
You can use this recipe to make muffins as well. If you want the muffins to be a little sweeter increase sugar by 1/4 cup and do not add the pepper.Some variations:Add chopped jalapeno to create a little spice or dried cranberries to make the cornbread a little sweeter.
These enchiladas are quick and easy to make and are much healthier than traditional enchiladas. I buy the rotisserie chicken at the supermarket and use the white and dark meat in the recipe. I do not use the skin. I load up the filling with corn and black beans in addition to the chicken. This allows you to add layers of healthy flavors in the enchiladas. The homemade enchilada sauce is so easy to make and is much better than store bought. I have a few variations of enchiladas that I make depending on whether we are in the mood for chicken, meat or only vegetables. The dish can be altered to fit your taste so feel free to experiment. This is a perfect mid week meal to make since it will be ready in under an hour and if you make the enchilada sauce ahead of time then the enchiladas will be ready in 20-25 minutes.
Can I make the Enchiladas Vegetarian?
Yes, you can leave out the chicken and add in chopped zucchini, yellow squash, spinach or broccoli. Just make sure you blend all the ingredients together in a pan before filling the tortillas. You can also serve them as all bean enchiladas and substitute the meat with kidney beans. I would not add seafood to this recipe. I do have a great recipe for Baja Style Fish Tacos that I will be sharing later on.
Can I make the Enchilada’s Ahead of Time?
You can make the enchilada sauce a day or two before and heat it up when you are ready to make the enchiladas. This will cut down on the prep time before dinner. The sauce can also be frozen for a month. You can roll the enchiladas earlier in the day and refrigerate, do not top with sauce and cheese. When you are ready for dinner, top with enchilada sauce and cheese, cover with foil and bake in oven for 15 minutes at 350 until warm.
What Should I Serve with the Enchiladas?
I like a crisp green salad like romaine with tomatoes and a simple red wine vinegar and olive oil dressing. An easy Mexican rice is also perfect to serve with this. Sauté a cup of chopped onion in a tablespoon of butter until translucent, add uncooked long grain rice and cook as directed but substitute a quarter of the water with the enchilada sauce. When the rice is done toss in some green peas and allow to heat up in the rice.
This quick and easy enchilada recipe can be ready in 30 minutes. Serve with Jenn’s Spanish style rice.
