Category Archives: Sidekicks

Store Bought Savior

Posted on by

This is for the people like my sister that never really want to cook food and are 100% ok with just “preparing food”. Luckily, this quick and yummy week night fix requires no actual cooking. Simply assemble and bake. I got the idea from an appetizer at one of my favorite fusion Indian spots. Hope you guys dig it as much as I do. It’s ridiculous easy and tasty, what’s not to love about Naan Pizza.

  • Store bought naan (I buy the Trader Joe’s garlic naan, but plain or onion naan works)
  • Store bought tikka masala curry (Again the TJ stuff is great)
  • Spinach salad packet (I mean ‘cuz your not actually gunna make salad out of it, are you?)
  • Fresh mozzarella (Any cheese would work really)
  • Rotisserie chicken (or if you wanna make it veggie friendly try eggplant slices or mushrooms)

Smear a tablespoon or two (depends on how saucy you want your “pizza” to be, I do 2 myself) on to the slice of naan then take a fistful of spinach and layer on with the cheese and shredded chicken. Bake for 10-12 minutes at 350 degrees or until the cheese melts and everything is warmed through. You can cut up and serve as an appetizer or have it as dinner with wine at about a naan piece per person. Package has four naan pieces usually and that’s generally enough for the chicken, spinach, curry, and cheese to cover.

Happy Eating, XO.

Shaved Brussels Sprouts

Posted on by

IMG_8285

Fall produce is my favorite! The veggies are just amazing and although most people associate salad with Summer, Fall has some legit salad options. This one is great with some pan seared chicken or fish as a meal, or can be great as a side. Let’s face it, you have to eat some lighter meals in the cooler months to offset the casseroles, desserts, comfort foods, etc. Hope you enjoy the dressing & can use it on multiple salads, like a cold noodle one like good ole Chrissy Teigen makes on her blog. Because who doesn’t want to eat, act, look like her! haha.

  • 1 ½ pounds Brussels sprouts
  • 2 lemons
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • Fresh ground black pepper
  • ¼ cup tahini (sesame paste)
  • 1 tablespoon miso
  • 1 tablespoon water**
  • 1 orange (4 tablespoons fresh orange juice)
  • ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
  • ¼ teaspoon honey
  • ½-3/4 cup pecan halves

Sauté the BS shavings for one minute (no joke, not a second more) with EVOO and the lemon juice of 1 of the lemons. Then shake up/whisk the remaining ingredients and lemon juice into a vinegarette. (**Thin out w/ water if you want a lighter consistency)

Happy Eating, XO.

Squash It!

Posted on by

Squash Gratin, or as some may refer to as Squash Casserole, is a great way to utilize fall produce for a yummy side dish. There are many variations out there, but I gotta say this came out so tasty during the test run, I barely tweaked it. Also if you don’t have creme fraiche, sour cream will do just fine.

  • Pinch of cayenne pepper
  • 2 cloves of garlic, minced (the seasoning has some garlic powder in it but I love the flavor of fresh too)
  • Salt & pepper to taste
  • 1-2 tbsp. of veggie seasoning (herb & seasoning blend from McCormick’s)
  • 1 sleeve of ritz crackers, crushed
  • 2 yellow squash, sliced in rounds
  • 1 medium onion, finely chopped
  • 3 zucchini, sliced in rounds
  • 3 eggs
  • 7.5 oz. Crème Fraiche (or sour cream)

Layer the sliced squash and zucchini rounds in a non stick baking dish. Pour over the cream, eggs, onion, and spices mixture, evenly coating all the veggies. Sprinkle with the crushed crackers and cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes (based on how deep your dish is) but then broil for 5 minutes to get the crust to crisp & the cheese to melt.

IMG_8265

PS I know I forgot to crop out my feet, but honestly, my toes look cute so whatever 😛 Obviously Jess is the true photog of this relationship, not I.

Happy Eating, XO.

Get Sauced – Slow Cooker Applesauce

Posted on by

Apple butter is all the rage right now, right?! Apple butter is the new fall recipe. Pumpkin can suck it. (I mean, pumpkins have been coming up a little short. Ba da bum.) Jk, we still love you pumpkins.

Anyway, why are we talking about apple butter when the title says “applesauce”? Well, because in my haste to try to get together an apple butter recipe…I ended up making applesauce. Clearly, I missed the key step where you remove the top from the slow cooker to thicken the apple mush. But you know what this means? You now have two recipes in one! *Mic drop.

  • 6-8 gala apples (or whatever you have handy)
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1 tbsp cinnamon
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • Dash or two of all spice, or pumpkin pie spice

Core the apples and roughly chop. It’s ok if the skin is still on. Place the apples in the slow cooker and mix with the water, cinnamon, sugars, and spice (and everything nice). Once the apples are fully sugar coated, cook them on low for 4 hours, stirring occasionally throughout until the apples are soft.

For applesauce:

At this point, toss the soft apples in a blender until fairly smooth. Some chunks are ok. Refrigerate up to a week in a sealed container or freeze.

For apple butter:

After 4 hours, remove the slow cooker lid and cook for 1 more hour. You’ll notice the apples begin to thicken and become dark brown. Toss them into a food processor and blend until completely smooth and the consistency is like peanut butter.

Apple Sauce | damndelish

Happy Eating, XO.

Fall Corn Chowder

Posted on by

By now you probably have more corn than you know what to do with. So rather than eating ANOTHER corn on the cob (seriously, my floss is running low…) put it into some chowder. This steamy dish is perfect for those cooler nights. And if you have leftovers, freeze it in some Tupperware for a middle-of-the-winter treat.

  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 3 stalks of celery, chopped
  • 1 medium potato, cubed (add in 1 additional for a heartier meal)
  • 5 ears of corn (or 2 12oz cans)
  • 4 cups of chicken broth
  • 1 can evaporated milk
  • 1 sprig of thyme
  • 1 tbsp corn starch
  • 1 tsp of salt
  • 1 tsp of pepper

Toss all of the ingredients in a crock pot and cook on low for 6-8 hours. Easiest. Recipe. Ever.

Corn Chowder - damndelish2

Happy Eating, XO.