Lamb Curry

Ingredients:

  • 4 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 large onions, thinly sliced
  • 2 large tomatoes, diced
  • 4 garlic cloves, smashed
  • 1” portion fresh ginger
  • 2 teaspoons ground coriander
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
  • 1/2 teaspoon red chili powder
  • 2 teaspoons garam masala
  • 2 pounds lamb stew meat, cut into 1 1/2-inch chunks
  • 1/2 cup chicken broth plus more for cooking
  • 1 15oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
  • Kosher salt, to taste
  • Chopped fresh cilantro, garnish
  • Naan, optional for serving
  • Steamed basmati rice, optional for serving

Directions:

  1. Heat the oil in a heavy-bottomed pan over medium heat. When hot, add the onions. Sauté until the onions begin to turn pale golden brown, about 8 minutes. Remove from the oil with a slotted spoon and reserve in a bowl. Turn off heat.
  2. In a food processor, pulse the onions into a smooth paste, adding a teaspoon of water if necessary to blend. Transfer back to the bowl and reserve.
  3. Blend the tomatoes, garlic, and ginger together in the food processor until you have a smooth paste. Transfer to a separate bowl and reserve for later use.
  4. Reheat the oil left over from frying the onions over medium heat and add the reserved onion paste. Sauté for 2 to 3 minutes.
  5. Add the tomato mixture, coriander, cumin, turmeric, red chili powder, and garam masala, and mix well. Sauté until the oil begins to separate. This can take up to 10 minutes.
  6. Add the lamb pieces to the mixture and stir to fully coat. Sauté until the lamb is well browned, about 8 minutes.
  7. Add 1/2 cup of broth to the pan and stir to mix well. Bring to a boil, add chickpeas, reduce the heat to a simmer, and cover the pan. Cook until the lamb is tender. You will need to keep checking on the lamb as it cooks and adding more broth if all the liquid reduces. Stir often to prevent burning. The dish should have a fairly thick gravy when done. Season with salt to taste. This should take roughly 45 minutes.
  8. When the lamb is cooked, garnish with chopped cilantro and serve with naan or hot steamed rice.

Beef Stew

Ingredients:

  • 2 pounds stewing beef trimmed and cubed
  • 3 tablespoons flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 6 cups beef broth
  • 1 pound potatoes peeled and cubed
  • 3 carrots cut into 1 inch pieces
  • 3 stalks celery cut into 1 inch pieces
  • 8 oz baby bella mushrooms, quartered
  • 3 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
  • 2 tablespoons cornstarch
  • 2 tablespoons water

Directions:

  1. Combine flour, garlic powder and salt & pepper. Toss beef in flour mixture. 
  2. Heat olive oil in a large Dutch oven or pot over medium-high heat. Cook the beef and onions until browned.
  3. Add beef broth scraping up any brown bits in the pan with a wooden spoon.
  4. Stir in all remaining ingredients except for cornstarch and water. Reduce heat to medium low, cover and simmer 1 hour or until beef is tender.
  5. Mix equal parts cornstarch and water to create a slurry. Add the slurry to the boiling stew. Simmer 5-10 minutes before serving . Season with salt & pepper to taste.

Creamy Potato and Beef Soup

Ingredients:

  • 2 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1 pound ground beef
  • Kosher salt and ground black pepper
  • 1 medium onion, diced
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • 6 cups of chicken broth
  • 6 cups of peeled & diced Russet or red potatoes
  • 2 carrots, peeled and sliced
  • 2 cups frozen corn, thawed
  • 1 Tbsp dried basil
  • 1 Tbsp dried parsley
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 1/2 cups milk
  • 2 tablespoons cornstarch
  • 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:

  1. Heat the oil in a large stock pot over medium-high heat. Add the ground beef and onions; season with salt and pepper and stir until the onions are soft and the ground beef is browned.
  2. Add the garlic, basil, parsley, and bay leaves. Stir until fragrant. About 1 minutes.
  3. Add the carrots, potatoes and corn. Season with salt and pepper. Now add the broth. Bring to a boil then cover and reduce heat to low. Simmer for 20 minutes or until potatoes are fork tender.
  4. Whisk the cornstarch into the milk, then whisk into the soup. Let soup simmer for another 10 minutes. Remove bay leaves.
  5. Stir in the cheese and let it melt. When it has melted in completely, spoon into bowls and serve.

Pumpkin Curry with Chicken Thighs

Ingredients:

  • 2 lbs bone in, skin on chicken thighs
  • Kosher salt and ground black pepper
  • 2 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1 medium shallot, minced
  • 2 Tbsp fresh ginger, minced
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 small red chili or serrano pepper, seeds removed, thinly sliced
  • 2 red or yellow bell pepper, thinly sliced
  • 4 cups chopped broccoli
  • 3 Tbsp red Thai curry paste
  • 1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin purée
  • 1 (14-ounce) can coconut milk
  • 2 Tbsp maple syrup
  • 1 tsp ground turmeric
  • 1 Tbsp coconut aminos (or sub tamari or soy sauce if not gluten-free)
  • 2 Tbsp lime juice
    FOR SERVING optional
  • Fresh cilantro
  • Lime juice
  • Cooked rice

Directions:

  1. Heat oil in a large skillet over high heat. Season both sides of chicken thighs liberally with salt and pepper. Once oil is hot, add chicken thighs skin side down. Cook until skin is browned, about 3-4minutes, flip and repeat on other side. Remove chicken to plate (chicken will not be cooked through at this time).
  2. Reduce heat to medium. Add shallot, ginger, peppers, and broccoli. Sauté for 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently.
  3. Add curry paste and garlic and stir. Cook for 2 minutes more. Then add pumpkin, coconut milk, maple syrup, turmeric, and coconut aminos and stir.
  4. Return chicken to the pan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Once simmering, slightly reduce heat to low and cover. Cook for 10-15 minutes.
  5. At this time, add lime juice. Also taste and adjust the flavor of the sauce as needed.
  6. Serve as is or over rice. This dish gets elevated with the addition of fresh lime juice and cilantro for serving.

Bell Pepper Pesto Pasta with Ground Beef

Ingredients:

  • One pound ground beef
  • 1 red bell pepper, diced
  • 1, 8 oz can tomato sauce
  • 1 jar Freak Flag Organics Bell Pepper Pesto
  • Kosher salt and ground black pepper
  • 8 oz elbow macaroni
  • Feta cheese, optional

Directions:

  1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Salt liberally and add pasta. Cook according to package directions. Reserve one cup of cooking water. Strain and set aside.
  2. Heat a medium skillet over medium high heat. Add ground beef and season with salt and pepper. Break apart using a wooden spoon and cook until meat is no longer pink.
  3. Add the bell pepper and season with more salt. Cook for about 4-5 minutes or until pepper has softened.
  4. Add tomato sauce and 1/2 cup reserved pasta water; bring to a simmer. Add bell pepper pesto and cooked noodles. Mix to combine and heat through.
  5. Optional: top with feta.

Corn Chip and Ground Beef Casserole

Ingredients:

  • 1 pound ground beef lean variety works best
  • 1 ounce taco seasoning
  • 1 large onion, diced
  • 1 bell pepper (any color), diced
  • 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 1/2 cups frozen corn
  • 1 cup enchilada sauce
  • 2½ cups Monterey Jack or cheddar cheese shredded
  • 9.25 ounces corn chips like Fritos*

Instructions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a 13 x 9 casserole dish with nonstick spray; set aside.
  2. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add ground beef, bell pepper and onions. Cook until beef is browned. Drain any excess grease. Once grease is drained, add taco seasoning, corn, and beans, stir, and set aside.
  3. Add beef mixture to the casserole dish. Pour the enchilada sauce evenly over the top. Top with 3/4 of the shredded cheese, and then cover the cheese with chips. Add the rest of the cheese over the chips.
  4. Bake for 12-15 minutes until cheese is melted. Allow casserole to sit for 5 minutes before serving.
  5. Garnish with your favorite toppings such as cilantro, green onions, sour cream, lettuce, guacamole, or black olives- enjoy!


Pomodoro Sauce

Ingredients:

  • 1 1/2 lbs. fresh tomatoes
  • 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/2 yellow onion, diced
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 3 tablespoons chopped fresh herbs (such as a combination of basil, oregano, and parsley)
  • Kosher salt and ground black pepper
  • For serving: cooked pasta; grated Parmesan cheese; additional fresh herbs

Directions:

  1. Halve the tomatoes and squeeze tomatoes over a garbage bowl to remove a majority of the seeds.
  2. Pulse tomatoes in a food processor. Leave some chunks if you like more texture in your sauce. Transfer to a colander and set aside to strain excess liquid (you do not need to squeeze the tomatoes totally dry).
  3. Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and onion and sauté until soft, about 3-4 minutes. Be sure to stir the garlic and onion constantly so that the garlic doesn’t burn.
  4. Add the strained tomatoes and the fresh herbs; bring to a simmer.
  5. Reduce the heat to low; simmer uncovered for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  6. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Depending on the sweetness of your tomatoes, you may need to add a dash of sugar too, to taste.
  7. Serve over pasta and garnish with cheese and additional fresh herbs.

Butter and Herbs Sheet Pan Chicken and Veggies

Ingredients:

  • 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
  • 1/2 pound cremini mushrooms, cleaned
  • 1/2 pound green beans, trimmed and cut in half
  • 1/2 pound asparagus, trimmed and cutters into 2” pieces
  • 1/4 cup butter melted
  • 1/3 cup chicken stock
  • 1 teaspoon fresh parsley, chopped
  • 1 teaspoon fresh oregano, chopped
  • 1 teaspoon fresh rosemary, chopped
  • 1 tsp onion powder
  • 1 tsp seasoning salt
  • Kosher salt and ground black pepper

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 400° and spray a sheet pan with nonstick oil.
  2. Place the chicken onto the sheet pan in the middle. Season with salt and pepper.
  3. Place the vegetables around the chicken on the sheet pan.
  4. In a small bowl stir together your butter, chicken stock, parsley, oregano, rosemary, onion powder and seasoning salt.
  5. Pour the butter mixture over the chicken and vegetables making sure it’s evenly distributed.
  6. Bake in oven for 25 to 35 minutes until chicken reaches 165°.
  7. Spoon pan dripping over chicken and vegetable before serving.

Sage Pesto

Ingredients:

  • 3 cloves garlic, chopped
  • 1/2 cup sunflower seeds
  • 1 cup fresh sage, loosely packed
  • 1 cup fresh Italian parsley
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1/4 cup olive oil

Directions:

  1. Mince the garlic and the sunflower seeds in a small food processor.
  2. Chop the sage and parsley by hand then add with the salt and pepper to the food processor and blend in short bursts while pouring in the olive oil.
  3. Store in the fridge for up to three days.

Tabbouleh

Ingredients:

  • ⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 3 tablespoons lemon juice
  • ¼ cup extra fine bulgur wheat
  • 2 bunches parsley, about 2 cups chopped (I prefer flat leaf parsley)
  • 1-2 vine-ripe firm tomatoes
  • 2 green onions, chopped, both green and white part
  • ¼ cup fresh mint leaves, chopped
  • Kosher Salt and ground black pepper

Directions:

  1. In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil and lemon juice until well combined. Then add the bulgur to the dressing and let it soak until it is soft and plumped, about 15 minutes.
  2. Meanwhile, prepare the other ingredients. When preparing the tomatoes, it helps to use a colander to drain the excess juice. I happen to have an excess amount of red current tomatoes in my garden that I used in the photo!
  3. Place the chopped ingredients in a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Then pour the bulgur and dressing mixture over. Gently toss to combine.
  4. Serve at room temperature or cold, with lettuce if desired.