Jenn’s Cook Book

Interesting story about this recipe: during one of my visits to the doctor’s office, I spotted a great recipe for Vegetable Couscous Pilaf in Food & Wine magazine while in the waiting room. I figured I would find it online afterwards, but after trolling Food & Wine’s website as well as countless Google searches, I finally gave up my quest. Fortunately (or not, depending on your view of the situation), I returned to the doctor’s office two weeks later and hunted down the magazine. I was in the middle of hand copying the magazine when the doctor interrupted me and tore out the pages. What a nice guy!

While I did make some minor adjustments, the recipe was excellent. The spice combination of cumin, paprika, and caraway seed gave the dish a subtle, exotic seasoning complimented by hearty carrots, parsnips, and fresh zucchini. This couscous is flavored with spinach and sun-dried tomatoes, which adds to the overall flavor. It is not quite an all-in-one meal, but a simple side of eggplant, mushrooms, or meat would create a balanced dinner.

Above: Sauteed veggies simmer in a stockpot. 

Moroccan Vegetable Couscous
adapted from Food & Wine

1/4 cup olive oil
1 medium parsnip, peeled and finely sliced
1 medium carrot, finely sliced
2 medium zucchini, quartered lengthwise and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 medium onion, diced
1 garlic clove, minced
salt and pepper
1 1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1/4 tsp caraway seeds
1 1/2 cups couscous
2 cups low-sodium chicken or vegetable stock
1 cup golden raisins

Heat oil in a large stockpot or deep skillet. Over high heat, saute parsnip and carrot until almost tender, about 5 minutes. Add zucchini, onion, and garlic. Season with salt and pepper. Saute an additional 5 minutes, until vegetables begin to brown slightly.

Add cumin, paprika, and caraway. Saute until fragrant, 1-2 minutes. Add couscous and cook, stirring frequently, until toasted, about 2 minutes. Stir in chicken stock, then cover pot and remove from heat. Let stand 5 minutes, or until liquid is absorbed. Fluff couscous with a fork and stir in golden raisins just before serving.

Above: Just after fluffing the couscous.

Economically Friendly: Fresh veggies are always inexpensive, along with onions and garlic. Things like chicken stock, couscous, and golden raisins are pantry staples for me and can often be found on sale. The spices in this recipe are fairly common, caraway seed is not something I normally use but is in the spice rack. At only 1/4 teaspoon, it could be omitted without sacrificing too much flavor. Fennel seed or anise seed would be adequate substitutions.

Environmentally Responsible: Root vegetables are typically considered “all season” even though they peak in autumn, as they keep for longer than most produce. Zucchini can be purchased locally in most areas this time of year as well. A dish like this also makes meat a “side” item rather than the main attraction.

Excellently Healthy:Vegetables, spices, and couscous are great for balancing a diet. Keep the rest of the meal in check and this is a very healthy (and delicious) dish.

Sweet potatoes are another staple of vegetarian cuisine, and not just because sweet potatoes are tasty. Try swapping sweet potatoes for regular white potatoes, like this take on traditional mashed potatoes.

2 large sweet potatoes
1 small onion, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp black pepper 
3 tbsp butter, divided
1/2 cup milk

Wash and scrub potatoes, cut into cubes. In a large stockpot, cover potatoes with 1 inch water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 25-30 minutes until potatoes are tender when pierced with a fork.

Meanwhile, melt 1 tbsp butter and saute onions over medium-high heat until softened, 3-5 minutes. Add garlic, paprika, salt and pepper. Saute an additional 2-3 minutes until paprika is fragrant. Remove from heat and add remaining 2 tbsp butter, stirring to melt.

Drain potatoes and return to pan along with onion-paprika mixture and milk. Smash with a large spoon, masher, or electric beaters. Top with additional paprika if desired.

Above: Sweet potatoes do not photograph well, but I promise they are tasty.

Economically Friendly: Kitchen staples like onion, garlic, and butter are inexpensive and add flavor. Sweet potatoes are usually pretty cheap, too.

Environmentally Responsible: Sweet potatoes, like regular potatoes, are considered a “year-round” produce item.

Excellently Healthy: Sweet potatoes are low in calories and high in nutrients, and delicious!

Is there anything a little Spicy Paprika Rub can’t do? Aside from flavoring meat, this spice mixture of paprika, salt, ginger, cinnamon, cayenne pepper, and allspice is excellent on sweet potatoes. Sweet potatoes lend themselves perfectly to this savory-sweet application. Like white potatoes, sweet potatoes need a long time in the oven in order to soften, so the smaller you cut the pieces the less time this dish will take.

2 medium sweet potatoes, scrubbed and cut into wedges or chunks
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 1/2 tsp Spicy Paprika Rub
1 tbsp honey

Preheat oven to 400F and coat a roasting pan heavily with cooking spray.

Combine sweet potatoes in a large, zip-locked bag with vegetable oil and paprika rub. Seal and toss contents to coat potatoes thoroughly.

Spread potatoes in a single layer in roasted pan. Drizzle with honey and bake for 30-40 minutes, depending on the size of the potato pieces. Stir every 10-15 minutes.

Bake until potatoes are tender when pierced with a fork. Serve immediately.  

Here is a hearty dinner dish with a kick of spicy flavor. This recipe uses the Spicy Paprika Rub from Everyday Food with ground beef and boxed Velveeta shells and cheese. You could also use ground chuck or sirloin, and pick the meat/fat ratio you like best (I used 94/6).

1 lb ground beef
3 tsp Spicy Paprika Rub
1 family-size pkg of Velveeta Shells ‘n Cheese boxed dinner

Bring a pot of water to a boil over medium heat. Add shells and cook until al dente, about 8 minutes. Drain well and set aside.

Meanwhile, brown beef in a large skillet over medium heat. Once beef is no longer pink, add Spicy Paprika Rub (drain beef first if desired). Saute for 3-5 additional minutes.

Add shells to beef and pour cheese pouch over dish. Mix well, combining beef with shells and cheese (to warm the pouch, place on a non-burner part of the stove while everything else cooks).

Serve immediately.

Shown below, with Apples Roasted with Root Vegetables:

This recipe has appeared in several different forms, and here is the latest reincarnation. If you like cheesy broccoli soup and one-pot dishes, this is the recipe for you.

1 small onion, minced
2-3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp smoked paprika
3 cups chicken broth
1 pkg frozen broccoli florets, thawed
2 cups whole milk
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp black ground pepper
1 pkg (12-14 oz) processed cheese, such as Velveeta, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Coat a large stockpot with cooking spray. Over medium heat, saute onions and garlic for 3-5 minutes or until onion begins to soften. Add paprika and saute 2 minutes, until fragrant.

Add chicken broth and broccoli, bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes. Whisk flour into milk and add to soup. Add pepper and stir well until thickened, about 5 minutes (do not boil).

Remove from heat and stir in cubed cheese. Stir until melted. Serve topped with shredded cheese.

An adaptation from my Mexican Potatoes, this recipe combines the tastes of chili, smoked paprika, cumin, garlic and cayenne pepper with onion and potato.  

6 large potatoes
1 medium onion, chopped
1/4 olive or vegetable oil
2 tsp chili powder
1 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1 1/2 tsp cumin
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp brown sugar
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

Preheat oven to 425F

Wash and scrub potatoes. Use a knife to remove any bad spots and cut into wedges. Place all ingredients in a large, heavy-duty zip locked bag. Turn or shake bag until potato wedges and chopped onion are well coated in seasoning.

Grease a 13×9 inch baking pan. Spread potato mixture into an even layer. Bake for 30-40 minutes or until potatoes are tender (depending on the size of the wedges), stirring every 15 minutes or so.

To serve: top with sour cream, green onions, cheese, salsa, tomatoes, peppers, and/or bacon bits.

This 8-ingredient rub from Cooking Light magazine combines sweet (brown sugar, orange zest) with spicy (chili powder, coriander) and smokey (paprika, cumin). This rub works best on fatty fish such as salmon or on pork. Add an extra kick by using Hot Hungarian Paprika. This tasty rub in going in as a “Jenn’s Favorites.”

2 tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp orange zest
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1/4 tsp coriander
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper 

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl. Use rub generously on 1 1/2 lbs of meat.

This is a quick and easy dinner option using the Sweet Orange Rub with salmon fillets (from Cooking Light magazine). Instead of the usual lemon wedges, this dish is served with orange.

2 tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp orange zest
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1/4 tsp coriander
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper 
4 (6 oz) salmon fillets, skinned
cooking spray
1 large orange, cut into 4 wedges

Preheat broiler.

Combine first 8 ingredients in a small bowl. Rub spice mixture over both sides of salmon fillets. Place fillets on a broiler pan coated in cooking spray. Broil 8-10 minutes or until salmon flakes easily when tested with a fork. Serve each fillet with an orange wedge.

Here is another option for the Sweet Orange Rub using pork chops (from Cooking Light magazine).

2 tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp orange zest
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1/4 tsp coriander
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper 
4 (6 oz) boneless pork chops
cooking spray

Preheat oven to 425F

Combine first 8 ingredients in a small bowl. Rub spice mixture over both sides of pork chops. Place pork chops on a baking pan coated in cooking spray. Bake 15 minutes or until done.

Here is a recipe I whipped up with the last of my Spicy Paprika Rub (see Sauces, Dips & Rubs category). I prefer using extra lean (4% fat) ground beef and skip draining. This is a  grown-up version of Beef & Mac from a can, but lower in sodium and much, much tastier.  If you don’t have macaroni, use another shaped pasta like shells, corkscrew, or small penne.

1 lb extra lean ground beef
1 small onion, diced
3 cups uncooked macaroni
3 (8 oz) cans tomato sauce with roasted garlic
1 heaping tbsp Spicy Paprika Rub, or to taste
fresh ground black pepper
1 cup shredded cheese, such as Monterey Jack or Cheddar

Bring a large pot of water to boil. Cook macaroni until al dente. Drain and add tomato sauce. Keep warm.

Meanwhile, brown and beef over medium-high heat until it crumbles and is no longer pink. Mix in paprika rub, coating beef. Saute 3-5 minutes or until beef mixture is mostly dry. Remove from pan and keep warm.

Saute onion until tender and translucent, about 3 minutes. Fold onion and beef into macaroni. Season with pepper as desired.

Serve in bowls topped with shredded cheese. Make it colorful by adding your favorite vegetables, such as sauteed mushrooms, zucchini, corn, or diced tomatoes.