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My 5 Favorite Pantry Meals for the Busy Family

Sep 10 by Chef Hollie Greene 2 Comments

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8-10 veggie pizza cover photo

With the right pantry staples, you can make weeknight dinners a breeze. In my home, it’s not about fancy chef meals during a busy work week, but it’s about creating dishes that are packed with flavor and require very little time. These are my five favorite pantry meals and my chef tips for how to stock your pantry with the staples and fresh organic ingredients needed to make cooking easier.

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MONDAY (go meatless!): Late Summer Eggplant and Tomato Pizza

Make Monday your meat free meal with a family favorite, pizza night. It’s late summer, and in our family we’re eating lots of Chinese and fairytale eggplant (hint: these varieties cook fast!) and tomatoes. The key with this pizza recipe is that with our ricotta base, you can really add any sauteed vegetable you love to the topping, more cheese and some fresh herbs. It literally takes 20 minutes to make!

8-10 veggie pizza in body of post

  • Organic vegetables and fresh herbs: eggplant (fairytale or Chinese variety), tomatoes, basil
  • Pantry staples: frozen pizza crust, ricotta cheese, onions
  • Chef tip: saute the eggplant with onion and finish with a glug of balsamic vinegar
  • Variation: on another night, try cumin roasted sweet potato and some fresh arugula on top of your ricotta base and throw in some goat cheese on top!

To make our sweet-n-spicy eggplant and tomato pizza, see the recipe below, and for more inspiration on how to build a pantry pizza, don’t miss our recent post for loads of ideas.

TUESDAY: The Perfect 15 Minute Orange Curry Chicken and Spiced Roasted Veggies

If you talk to my husband, he’ll tell you that we always build our fastest meals around which veggies can we roast and which organic lean protein can we cook quickly! If you’re like me, I’ve eaten one too many sad dried chicken breasts to last me a lifetime. This method, inspired by Jacques Pepin, is sure fire and works every time. Watch my video to see just how easy moist chicken breasts can be!

8-10 Curry chicken and roasted veggies

  • Organic vegetables and fresh herbs: sweet potatoes, broccolini, thyme
  • Pantry staples: curry powder, cumin, aleppo pepper, olive oil, sriracha, mayo
  • Chef tip: roast the veggies on the same pan for faster clean-up and be sure to let your chicken rest for 5 minutes before you slice into it to maintain that moisture!
  • Variation: use the same method to cook the chicken but use lemon, rosemary, and garlic as your seasoning and throw in some canned artichokes while the chicken is cooking. This makes an amazing sauce and complete dish when served over quick cooking polenta.

To make this meal, check out our detailed recipe below.

SM 8-10 quesadilla in progress

WEDNESDAY: Roasted Fall Squash and Mozzarella Quesadillas

It’s hump day, and let’s face it, some weeks it’s all we can do to get through the day! But with my roasted fall squash quesadillas, you’ll be smiling in no time, and for the parents it may just be the excuse you need for a mid-week Margarita. Cheers!

SM 8-10 Quesadilla plated

  • Organic vegetables and fresh herbs: acorn squash, green onions, cilantro
  • Pantry staples: salsa, quesadilla wraps, mozzarella cheese
  • Chef tip: the minute you walk in the door, preheat the oven. It will take 5 minutes to cut open an acorn squash and scoop out the seeds. Get it roasting while you do other things. That will make the assembly so much faster when you’re ready to eat!
  • Variation: use pre-cut butternut squash and boil it for 10-12 minutes, drain, and smash. Add some canned organic black beans for a little extra protein in this veggie quesadilla!

To make our fall squash and mozzarella quesadilla and my amazing avocado sauce, check out our post.

SM 8-10 quiche ingredients 2014-08-12 10.33.44

THURSDAY: Best of Fall Potato and Leek Quiche

This quiche is the ultimate no-brainer. We use our favorite GF frozen pie crust from Whole Foods Market, and each season we change the veggies that go in but keep the egg, cheese, and spice ratios the same. Crack those eggs, crumble that cheese, and do a quick saute and you’re ready to pop this quiche in the oven and forget about having to make dinner for the next 45 minutes. It’s so easy, you could technically put your kiddos in charge of making it (with a little adult supervision of course)!

SM 8-10 quiche slices 2014-08-12 12.30.14

  • Organic vegetables and fresh herbs: leeks, potatoes, and spinach
  • Pantry staples: eggs, garlic salt, cheddar cheese, and frozen pie crust
  • Chef tip: if you don’t have leeks, use onions! This quiche is a great day two morning breakfast or lunch with a quick reheat in the microwave. We like to serve a simple green salad on the side.
  • Variation: substitute bok choy for the spinach and mix it up by adding half cheddar/half feta to the mix and a dash of worcestershire sauce to your veggie saute!

To make our Best of Fall Leek and Potato quiche recipe, check out our detailed recipe below.

SM 8-10 turkey meatball option 1 2013-05-26 12.51.10

FRIDAY: Baked Turkey Meatballs Over Penne with my 15-minute Tomato Sauce

My moist and meaty florentine turkey meatballs are beyond delicious. I created these little gems for a teen class I was teaching in New York years ago. Trust me, the teenaged boys liked them and so does everyone I serve them to! Over the weekend, my husband and I love to take leftovers and make them into day two pita burgers with all kinds of Greek fixings. Make this your Friday night family treat!

Use for 8-10 Greek burger image IMG_2533

  • Organic vegetables and fresh herbs: spinach, parsley, thyme
  • Pantry staples: pureed boxed Italian tomatoes, onion, garlic, dried pasta, ketchup, bread crumbs, eggs
  • Chef tip: add a simple green salad with my homemade vinaigrette to the meal
  • Variation: instead of putting spinach and parsley in your turkey meatballs, go with a spicy Mediterranean vibe and add harissa paste and mint. Grill them like burgers, and serve them on pita bread with cucumbers and feta cheese!

To make my moist and meaty florentine baked turkey meatballs with my simple 15 minute tomato sauce and to see how we love to play with this recipe for a variation of a Greek themed pita burger meal, check out our posts on the joyful blog!

Sweet and Spicy Eggplant Tomato Pizza
2015-08-04 19:11:25
Serves 4
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Prep Time
15 min
Cook Time
20 min
Total Time
35 min
Prep Time
15 min
Cook Time
20 min
Total Time
35 min
Ingredients
  1. Eggplant, Chinese variety, 2 medium
  2. Onion (yellow), 1
  3. Ricotta cheese, 1 cup
  4. Olive oil, 3 TBS (divided)
  5. Salt, 1 1/4 tsp (divided)
  6. Black pepper, ¼ tsp
  7. Garlic powder, 1 tsp
  8. Balsamic vinegar, 2 TBS
  9. Tomatoes, 1-2
  10. Hot chili flakes, 1/2 tsp
  11. Pizza crust (We use Udi’s frozen gluten free crust), 2 crusts in 1 package
  12. Basil (fresh), 1 small bunch
  13. Goat cheese, plain, about ½ cup
Prep
  1. Take 5 minutes to get out all your ingredients, measuring and cooking equipment needed, and place them on a cookie sheet within easy reach. Wash all fresh ingredients.
  2. Preheat an oven to 500F. This will ensure a nice crispy crust on your pizza dough.
  3. Cut off the tips of the eggplant. Then cut them into halves and then into a small dice. Note: for Chinese or Japanese varieties of eggplant, you do not need to peel them or salt them before cooking.
  4. Dice the onion.
  5. Season the ricotta with ¼ teaspoon salt and black pepper.
Cook
  1. Sauté diced onion in 2 tablespoons olive oil on medium-high heat for about three minutes.
  2. Add the diced eggplant, plus 1 additional tablespoon olive oil, 1 teaspoon salt, and the garlic powder. Continue sautéing on medium-high heat for another two minutes.
  3. Add 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar to the mixture. Scrape up any brown bits that have formed on the bottom of the pan with your spoon as the eggplant absorbs the vinegar. This technique is called “deglazing” the pan. Cook another few minutes on low heat.
  4. Spread ricotta onto the pizza crusts.
  5. Top with crumbled goat cheese, then the sautéed eggplant and onion, and lastly slices of tomato and torn basil leaves on top. Sprinkle hot pepper flakes as desired.
  6. Bake at 500F for 10 minutes. You can rotate the pizza midway through cooking. Enjoy served with more fresh basil on top.
Note on substitutions
  1. we recommend you use the smaller Japanese or Chinese eggplant in this dish, as they do not require pre-salting and have a milder, sweeter taste.
How to add protein
  1. this pizza is a perfect meal as is. The ricotta provides protein and it’s very filling. However, if you wanted to add some extra protein, ground turkey or ground pork sautéed with olive oil, salt and pepper, could be a nice extra along with the other toppings.
JoyFoodly http://www.joyfoodly.com/
The Perfect 15 Minute Orange Curry Chicken and Spiced Roasted Veggies
2015-08-04 19:14:16
Serves 4
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Print
Prep Time
15 min
Cook Time
15 min
Total Time
30 min
Prep Time
15 min
Cook Time
15 min
Total Time
30 min
Ingredients
  1. Organic boneless, skinless chicken breasts, 4
  2. Sweet potatoes, 2
  3. Broccolini, 1 bunch (or 2-3 stalks/person)
  4. Olive oil, as needed
  5. Salt, as needed
  6. Curry Powder, ½ tsp
  7. Cumin, ½ tsp
  8. Orange, 1
  9. Fresh thyme, 1 bunch
  10. Aleppo pepper, ½ tsp
Prep
  1. Take 5 minutes to get out all your ingredients, measuring and cooking equipment needed, and place them on a cookie sheet within easy reach. Wash all fresh ingredients.
  2. Preheat oven to 425F.
  3. Take your chicken breasts out of the refrigerator and set aside while you get your other ingredients prepped.
  4. On both sides: dry off raw chicken breasts with paper towels, sprinkle with a pinch of salt (about ¼ teaspoon each) and curry powder and drizzle a small amount of olive oil onto both sides of chicken.
  5. Juice the orange.
  6. Cut sweet potatoes into french fry slices (with the skin on). Lightly drizzle with olive oil, salt and cumin powder and place on the cookie sheet you’ll use to roast them.
  7. If broccolini is bigger, you can cut each stalk in half. If it’s on the small and skinny side, just toss them with a good drizzle of olive oil in a bowl, sprinkle with salt and aleppo pepper and place on the cookie sheet you’ll use to roast them.
Cook
  1. Put the vegetables into the oven to roast at 425F for 15 minutes. You may want to cook the broccolini just a little short of 15 minutes (around 12 minutes), but the french fries will need the full 15 minutes. While the vegetables are roasting, we’ll sear our chicken breasts.
  2. Get out an aluminum sauté pan and turn your flame on medium high heat (no oil in pan).
  3. Place the chicken breasts down (rounded side down) in hot pan. If you wiggle them a little when you put them in the pan, they will keep it from sticking. Do NOT touch it for 3 minutes.
  4. Flip chicken over in pan; turn heat on low; add juice of the orange and place thyme branches on top of chicken; cover with lid and set timer for 12 minutes to cook on low.
  5. When the 12-minute timer buzzes, take off the lid, remove chicken and let rest for 5-10 minutes before cutting or serving.
  6. While the chicken is resting, don’t waste the delicious juices that have gathered in the pan into the orange juice. Turn the heat on high and let that sauce reduce down by about ½. Now you have the perfect pan sauce to drizzle on top of your chicken!
  7. Serve your perfectly moist chicken with your delicious roasted vegetables. We love to make a sriracha mayonnaise dipping sauce for our sweet potato fries!
JoyFoodly http://www.joyfoodly.com/
Best of Fall Leek and Potato Quiche
2015-09-08 20:36:21
Serves 4
Note on substitutions: If you don’t have cheddar, use swiss, jack, or gruyere cheese. If you don’t want to use a pie crust, you can also pour this into a pyrex dish and bake at the same rate and it will be delicious! This is a great dinner or breakfast. Next day, just reheat a piece in the microwave.
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Prep Time
25 min
Cook Time
1 hr
Total Time
1 hr 25 min
Prep Time
25 min
Cook Time
1 hr
Total Time
1 hr 25 min
Ingredients
  1. pie crust (gluten free), 1
  2. leeks, 2 medium
  3. olive oil, 3 TBS (divided)
  4. potato (Yukon Gold), 1 large
  5. spinach, 2 cups
  6. salt, 1 tsp
  7. cheddar cheese (white, sharp), 7-8 oz
  8. eggs, 6
  9. garlic powder, 1/4 tsp
  10. black pepper, 1/4 tsp
Prep
  1. Take 5 minutes to get out all your ingredients, measuring and cooking equipment needed, and place them on a cookie sheet within easy reach.
  2. Wash all produce. Be sure to clean leeks thoroughly to remove dirt. The best way to do this is to first cut and set aside the dark green tops, then cut from the root up through the length of the leek and under a stream of running water, peel back the layers with your fingers and let the water wash out the dirt.
  3. Preheat oven to 350F.
  4. Remove pie crust from freezer. Let come to room temperature.
  5. Cut leeks into thin half moon slices.
  6. Cut the potato into quarters, then slice into thin pieces.
  7. Grate the cheddar cheese. Set aside.
  8. In a mixing bowl, crack and beat eggs. Stir in salt, pepper, garlic powder, and grated cheese.
Cook
  1. In a preheated skillet, saute potatoes in 2 tablespoons olive oil for 7 minutes over medium high heat.
  2. Add the leeks and spinach, plus 1 more tablespoon olive oil, and cook another 2-3 minutes, or until spinach has wilted and leeks have softened.
  3. Let this mixture cool slightly.
  4. In a bowl, mix the egg and cheese mixture with the cooked veggies.
  5. Transfer to the pie crust.
  6. Bake uncovered for 40 minutes at 350F.
JoyFoodly http://www.joyfoodly.com/

Filed Under: Enthusiastic Eater, Joyful Updates Tagged With: broccoli, dinner, eggplant, fall, greens, leeks, onions, potatos, squash, summer, tomato

Guest feature with the Vegetarian Momma–Sweet n Spicy Eggplant Pasta

Aug 17 by Chef Hollie Greene Leave a Comment

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eggplant easy 0

This week, I’m over the moon thrilled to have my Sweet n Spicy Eggplant Pasta recipe from the Joyful 12 featured by the Vegetarian Momma on her beautiful site. What I love most about Cindy’s site is that she’s dedicated to helping families feel confident that they can cook real foods that are allergen friendly (primarily gluten and nut free), vegetarian focused, and easy for busy families. Her approach is to have joy in the cooking process, and that’s how I know we’re kindred spirits!

eggplant easy 1

This recipe was created as a “throw-it-together” simple seasonal meal. It’s based in my love of Italian cooking and the beauty of convenience plus bright flavors. Head on over to Cindy’s site to get the recipe, and if you’d like to learn more about my Joyful 12 Online Kitchen Learning Lab where we explore cooking 48 vegetables and fruits through family friendly recipes and videos over the course of a year together (all gluten free!), start cooking now with this 50% off coupon code: joyfoodlyfriends

learning-lab-ad

Filed Under: Guest Post Tagged With: dinner, eggplant, gluten free, onion, summer, summer 2015, tomatoes, vegetarian

Sumac Grilled Chinese Eggplant Dressed with Tomatoes, Basil and Feta

Aug 3 by Chef Hollie Greene 1 Comment

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#1 cover

How often has this happened to you? The smell of someone grilling in their backyard stops you in your tracks. The rich smoky wafts of something caramelizing on the bbq are intoxicating. And while I do adore grilled meats and fish, where I really spend most of my creative cooking energy is on those summer grilled vegetables. Vegetables are meant to be grilled. And not just in the form of a kabob.

#2 grilled vegetables

Recently, I heard the best public radio chat on how to grill like a pro over the summer. Mostly the banter between the three chefs was meat focused, but then, one of the chefs brilliantly suggested that taking a large globe eggplant and stuffing it with garlic, wrapping it in tinfoil, and throwing it on top of the charcoals was the way to go. The finished grilled eggplant was cut open like a potato and dressed like a mozzarella and tomato salad–with olive oil, salt, and a little balsamic vinegar.

#3 basil and cheese #4 tomatoes

Are you drooling? I was. No, really. It was hard to concentrate on driving! I knew I wanted to try to recreate this luscious image he has planted into my brain, but I was stuck. We don’t have a charcoal grill, just a mini gas Weber grill that literally sits on top of a table out the back door of our small San Francisco apartment. Hmm….grilled globe eggplant was not in my immediate future.

#5 eggplant and ingredients

I couldn’t give up. So I figured I’d opt for another variety that would work for my grill, Chinese eggplant. These thinner light purple eggplants are so popular today you can find them in grocery stores all over the country. The best thing about them is that they cook quickly, have great taste and don’t require salting. Now I was ready to grill!

#6 dipping in olive oil

First, I brushed each cut half with a generous amount of olive oil before salting them and placing them down on the searing hot grill for about three to four minutes.

#7 brushing the olive oil

Once I had some nice grill marks on the cut side of each eggplant, I pulled them off the grill. More olive oil was brushed on, and at this stage I added big pinches of my sumac and paprika spices and a little more salt. Placing the two halves back together, I wrapped each eggplant in tinfoil and put them back on the grill for seven to ten more minutes.

#8 putting bowl of tomatoes down

The first night we ate them immediately after grilling with all of the fixings I’d dreamed up, but then I discovered something that worked even better–letting them cool in the refrigerator and serving them later to guests as a cool antipasti appetizer helped the smoky but sweet flavors of the grilled eggplant to develop.

#9 dropping tomatoes

Scattered with red and yellow cherry tomatoes.

#10 putting on feta

Crumbled salty feta on top and freshly torn basil.

#11 tearing basil

Drizzled with generous spoonfuls of good balsamic vinegar and fruity extra virgin olive oil.

#12 drizzling with balsamic

This is my new favorite antipasti summer side that is sure to make you relish eggplant and want to grill vegetables all summer long. Don’t be shy! Share your favorite summer grilling tips with me–I’m officially addicted to vegetable grilling!

Special thanks to Elle Wildhagen, our photographer and videographer, for this beautiful shoot.

 

Sumac Grilled Chinese Eggplant Stuffed with Tomatoes, Basil and Feta Drizzled with Balsamic Vinegar and Olive Oil
2015-07-28 10:36:34
Serves 4
Save Recipe
Print
Prep Time
15 min
Cook Time
15 min
Total Time
30 min
Prep Time
15 min
Cook Time
15 min
Total Time
30 min
Ingredients
  1. Chinese eggplant (or fairytale), 4
  2. Olive oil, about ¼ cup (divided)
  3. Salt, 1 tsp. (divided)
  4. Sumac spice, ½ tsp.
  5. Sweet paprika, ½ tsp.
  6. Cherry tomatoes, 1 cup
  7. Balsamic vinegar, 2 TBS
  8. Feta Cheese, 6-7 oz.
  9. Basil, ½ cup
Prep
  1. Take 5 minutes to get out all your ingredients, measuring and cooking equipment needed, and place them on a cookie sheet within easy reach.
  2. Wash all produce.
  3. Pre-heat grill.
  4. Cut eggplants into halves. Brush with olive oil and sprinkle with ½ teaspoon salt.
  5. Get toppings ready: cut tomatoes into halves, crumble feta, tear basil with your hands.
  6. Toss cut tomatoes in 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar and 2 tablespoons olive oil and set aside.
Cook
  1. Grill eggplant cut side down on the hotter side of your grill for 4 minutes.
  2. Take off of the heat and place on a plate. Sprinkle the seared side with the sumac and sweet paprika. Then, wrap each eggplant (the two cut halves back together) in tinfoil. Place them back on the grill over medium low heat, close the lid, and cook another 7-10 minutes (depending on how thick your eggplant are).
  3. To serve, place cooked eggplant on a big platter. Drizzle with a little more olive oil and balsamic vinegar, top with tomatoes, crumbled feta and basil. Sprinkle more salt and cracked black pepper on top, as desired.
Notes
  1. Culinary note: we tested this recipe with the small light purple variety of eggplants, called Chinese eggplants. They are very different from the globe eggplant we are used to, as they do not require pre-salting and cook very quickly. Another summer variety that would work is called fairytale eggplant. They are small, round and a beautiful speckled purple and white color.
  2. Cooking equipment: we grilled our eggplant on a very small Weber gas grill (like it fits on a table top!), so do not worry about your grilling equipment—this is an easy summer recipe! Find the hottest part of your grill to sear the eggplant and build some nice flavor. After 3-4 minutes, we pulled ours off the highest heat, and wrapped each one in tinfoil to create the ability for the eggplant to steam and therefore cook quicker on the lower heat area of the grill.
By Chef Hollie
JoyFoodly http://www.joyfoodly.com/

Filed Under: Meatless Monday Tagged With: dinner, eggplant, summer, tomatoes, vegetarian

Hey, I’m Chef Hollie!

Here at JoyFoodly we help families joyfully eat more fruits and veggies each season. I am passionate about helping parents feel good about the food they feed their kids.

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The information on this website is designed for educational and entertainment purposes only. It is not intended to be a substitute for informed medical advice or care. You should not use the information found on this website to diagnose or treat any health problems or illnesses. Always seek the advice of a physician or other qualified healthcare providers (such as a pediatric dietitian) with any questions regarding a medical condition, nutritional issue or any eating/feeding problem.