Navy Bean and Ham Soup

So, I'm not sure recipes can get easier or have fewer ingredients than this one. Like, for real. There's no spices. There's no added salt or pepper (I know, WHAT?!?) I was skeptical, but this is a deliciously smoky, creamy (thanks to the beans) and slightly sweet (thanks to the glaze on the ham) soup that is even tastier with some bread dunked in it. Try it. It does take some time - completely hands-off time, but plan accordingly. You'll need about 4-5 hours from start to finish.

From Home Made Interest, with a few tweaks by me

Ingredients:

*Ham Hock with some meat attached (we used the hock previously in split pea soup, but still had meat left over, so that's what we used - from a Smithfield ham in the "pretty blue package" - my favorite kind. We also added the leftover glaze that was in the container with the ham)
*16 oz. dried navy beans (or any white bean)
*8 cups chicken stock (the original recipe called for water - Evan will tell you I always use chicken stock instead when a soup or sauce calls for water)

1. Wash and rinse beans.

2. Quick-soak the beans in a dutch oven or soup pot with enough water to cover them with an inch of liquid. Bring to a boil for a few minutes and then turn off the heat. Let them soak for an hour. Then drain and return to the pot.

3. Add hock, ham pieces, and chicken stock to the pot. You want the hock to be completely covered with liquid, so you may need to add slightly more stock (the 8 cups was fine for us since we did not have the hock).

4. Bring to a boil and let cook for 5 minutes before turning the heat to low. Cover with a lid. Cook for at least 3 hours (ours took about 3 and a half), or until beans are soft.

Glazed Buttermilk Donut Cake

Old fashioned sour cream doughnuts are my favorite kind. This cake is very reminiscent of those - not too sweet, slightly dense, and topped with a light and slightly crunchy glaze. We ate it for dessert, but it could easily also be served for brunch as a coffee cake option.

From Southern Living

Ingredients:

*nonstick cooking spray (preferably a baking one with flour added)
* 1 and 1/2 cups granulated (regular) sugar
*1 cup (8oz.) unsalted butter, softened
*4 large eggs, brought to room temperature
*2 tsp. vanilla extract
*3 and 1/2 cups all purpose flour
*2 tsp. baking powder
*1 tsp. kosher salt
*3/4 tsp. ground nutmeg (I recommend freshly grated! It makes a huge flavor difference)
*1/2 tsp. baking soda
*1 cup whole buttermilk (make your own with just under a cup of milk and 1 tbs. lemon juice)
*2 cups (about 8oz.) powdered sugar
*1/4 cup water

1. Preheat oven to 350. Coat a 12-15 cup capacity Bundt pan with the baking spray.

2. Beat granulated sugar and butter in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy (about 2-3 minutes), stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add eggs one at a time (I recommend cracking them into a separate small bowl before adding so you don't get shells in your batter!), mixing to just combine after each egg. Add vanilla and beat until just combined.

3. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, nutmeg, and baking soda. Turn the mixer to low and gradually add the flour mixture to the batter, alternating with the buttermilk - starting and finishing with the flour mixture. Beat until just combined after each addition.

4. Spoon the batter into the prepared Bundt pan and gently tap on the counter 3 to 5 times to release any air bubbles.

5. Bake in the preheated oven for about 50 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool in the pan on a wire cooling rack for about 15 minutes.

6. Invert the cake onto a cutting board or platter and then gently flip the cake back over so the rough doughnut-looking side is facing up (this step may or may not have been missed in our house). Let cool completely, about an hour.

7. Whisk together powdered sugar and water in a medium bowl until smooth. Brush or drizzle over cooked cake. Slice, serve, and enjoy!

Salsa Verde & Brown Rice Chicken Tortilla Soup

If you know me well, you know soup's my favorite. This one is appropriately spicy, and slightly thicker than your traditional tortilla soup - which I really appreciated. And even though it sounds weird, PLEASE do yourself a favor and top it with fresh mango. You won't be sorry.

From Half Baked Harvest

~1 medium onion, diced
~2 garlic cloves, minced or grated
~1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken thighs
~1 tsp. kosher salt
~freshly ground pepper
~3 cups red enchilada sauce
~3 cups salsa verde
~3/4 cup uncooked brown rice (you could also use white)
~3 cups chicken stock
~juice of one lime
~1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped, plus more for serving

~toppings could include crushed tortilla chips, mango, avocado, cheddar cheese, and crema

You could easily make this in the slow cooker - put all ingredients in the slow cooker except for the lime juice and cilantro. Cook on low for 6-7 hours on low. Stir in lime juice and cilantro before serving. Divide into bowls and add toppings.

For the stovetop:
1. In a large pot or dutch oven, combine onion, garlic, chicken, salt, and a grind or two of pepper. Pour in the enchilada sauce, salsa verde, and chicken stock. Stir in the rice.
2. Place the pot over high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cover.
3. Simmer, stirring occasionally until rice is cooked through and chicken shreds easily - about 45 minutes. Remove pot from heat.
4. Transfer chicken to a cutting board. Allow it to cool slightly and shred using two forks or kitchen scissors. Return to the pot and stir in lime juice and cilantro. Taste and season with salt if needed.
5. Divide into bowls and add toppings.

Greek-style Garlicky Shrimp with Feta

Two words: MAKE. THIS.
It's incredibly flavorful and saucy, so it's delicious served with warm crusty bread. Or serve with a simple salad on the side. Or put on little toasts and have a great appetizer. It doesn't matter to me. Just make it.

From Panning the Globe

Ingredients:
~3 lbs. peeled and deveined shrimp (you can leave tails on, but we took them off for easier eating)
~4 tbs. unsalted butter
~8 garlic cloves, finely minced
~6 tbs. lemon juice
~1 tbs. chili powder
~1 tsp. salt
~10 oz. crumbled feta cheese
~olive oil
~crusty bread slices for serving

1. Chop butter into pieces and scatter around the bottom of heavy pot or dutch oven.
2. Scatter half the shrimp over the butter.
3. Sprinkle half the garlic, half the parsley, half the chili powder, and half the salt over the shrimp. Drizzle 2 tbs olive oil over the top.
4. Arrange the rest of the shrimp on top and sprinkle on the remaining garlic, parsley, chili powder, and salt.
5. Drizzle 2 more tbs olive oil on top and cover.
6. Heat pan to medium-high and cook for 8 minutes or until shrimp have lost their raw color.
7. Pour in lemon juice and scatter the feta cheese on top.
8. Baste shrimp with a few spoons of sauce from the bottom of the pot and gently jiggle pot to distribute sauce.
9. Lower heat to medium-low, cover, and cook another 8 minutes or until the feta is just melted.
10. Serve hot with crusty bread for dipping.

Beet Pesto Pizza with Kale & Goat Cheese

This can be a smidge (or alotta smidge) time-consuming, but I promise it's worth it. You can save a little time by using store-bought dough, but I'm including the recipe Evan (our in-house pizza maker) swears by. As far as doughs go, it's about as easy as you can get.
The pesto can include any color beet, but I'm partial to orange ones, so that's what we used.

Dough recipe from Smitten Kitchen
Pesto/Pizza recipe from The Roasted Root

Ingredients:
For the dough:
~1/2 cup warm water
~1 and 1/4 tsp active dry yeast
~1 and 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
~1 tsp salt
~olive oil for coating
~1/4 cup cornmeal

For the pesto:
~1 cup beets (1 medium beet of any color) chopped and roasted
~3 cloves garlic
~1/2 cup pistachios (you can also use pine nuts or walnuts)
~1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
~1/2 cup olive oil
~2 tsp. lemon juice
~salt

For the pizza:
~2 cups kale leaves, thinly sliced
~1 and 1/2 cups grated mozzarella cheese
~2 ounces goat cheese, crumbled

To make the dough:
1. Preheat oven to 225. Keep warm for 5 minutes then turn off.
2. Pour water in a bowl and sprinkle with yeast. Let stand for 5 minutes.
3. Add flour and salt to mixture and stir until a rough, craggy dough forms.
4. Place dough on counter sprinkled with cornmeal and knead until the dough becomes smooth.
5. Coat a glass bowl with olive oil and add dough. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the warm oven for 30 minutes.
6. Take out of oven and let sit while you prepare the pesto.

To make the pesto:
1. Preheat oven to 375.
2. Wash and scrub the beet and pat it dry. Peel and chop it into 1/2 inch cubes. Wrap beets and garlic in foil and make a foil packet.
3. Place on a baking sheet and roast in the oven for 50 minutes or until beets are soft and juices are seeping out.
4. Allow beets to cool completely.
5. 6. Add all ingredients except oil into a food processor and pulse several times.
7. Leaving the food processor running, slowly add oil until the ingredients are well combined.

To assemble the pizza:
1. Preheat oven to 400.
2. Roll out dough and put on pizza stone dusted with cornmeal. Bake for 6 minutes with no toppings and remove.
3. Spread pesto over crust. Add kale leaves, top with mozzarella and finish with goat cheese. (the kale will cook down in the oven)
4. Bake pizza for 20 minutes.
5. Remove from oven and allow to cool 5 minutes before serving.

Baked Gnocci with Sage and Cheese Sauce

Resembles a thick, gooey, mac & cheese. Definitely worth a try.

From Culinary Ginger

Ingredients:
~1 package gnocci
~4 tbs. unsalted butter
~2 cups chicken stock, warmed
~1 cup Fontina cheese (you could also substitute Gruyere), grated
~1 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
~6 fresh sage leaves, finely chopped
~pinch of nutmeg

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Prepare gnocci according to package instructions
3. In a medium saucepan, melt butter over medium heat
4. Whisk in flour until it turns golden brown, about 3 minutes
5. Add Fontina and Parmesan and stir until melted
6. Stir in sage, nutmeg, and gnocci and transfer to a baking dish
7. Bake for 15-20 mins until the top is golden brown and bubbly (I would recommend a minute or two under the broiler for that yummy brown cheesy goodness)

Butternut Squash and Black Bean Enchilada Skillet

All the yumminess of enchiladas thrown into one pot for an easy dinner.

From Ambitious Kitchen

Ingredients:
~2 tsp. olive oil
~3 cups butternut squash - peeled and cut into 1/2 inch cubes (about a 2 lb. squash)
~salt and pepper
~1 medium yellow onion, diced
~3 cloves garlic, minced
~1/2 jalapeno, seeded and diced
~1 tsp. cumin
~1 tsp. chili powder
~1 15oz. can black beans
~8 yellow corn tortillas, cut into thick
~1 15oz. can red enchilada sauce
~1 cup colby jack cheese or chihuahua cheese, shredded
~cilantro, avocado or guacamole, and sour cream for serving

1. Heat olive oil over medium-high heat in a large oven-proof skillet (cast iron would be great - I used my dutch oven)
2. Add onions, garlic, and jalapeno and cook for 2-3 mins until onions become translucent and garlic is fragrant.
3. Add squash, cumin, and chili powder and season with salt and pepper. Cook until squash is fork-tender, about 10-13 minutes.
4. Mix in black beans, tortilla pieces, and enchilada sauce. Reduce heat to medium-low and stir in 1/2 cup of cheese.
5. Turn on broiler (500 degrees)
6. Sprinkle the rest of the cheese on top and place under broiler for 3-5 minutes until cheese melts and tortilla edges become golden brown.
7. Serve immediately topped with cilantro, sour cream, or avocado/guacamole