Crockpot Madras Lentils

2 cups of cooked lentils*
2 cups of canned tomato sauce
1/2 a large onion
1 large potato, peeled and cubed
1/2 cup of unsweetened coconut milk
3 Tbls butter
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp cumin
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
red pepper flakes, to taste

Lightly grease the sides of your crock-pot then dump everything into the slow cooker. Set to high for 3.5-4 hours.

Once time is up, taste and add any additional seasonings your taste buds prefer. This dish comes out super thick but you could thin it a bit with some additional coconut milk or veggie broth as desired. Simply amp up the seasonings to compensate!

Garnish with an optional sprinkle of parsley or basil and serve over a bed of fluffy rice, quinoa, or alongside a big green salad!

*** Prefer to used dried lentils? Simply add 1 cup of raw dried lentils to your crock-pot and increase the amount of tomato sauce used to two 15 oz cans total of sauce, plus add 1/2 cup of veggie broth to the mix. The lentils will soak up the extra liquid as it cooks.

(Source: https://peasandcrayons.com/2012/08/madras-lentils.html)

Ultimate Waffles

1 3/4 Cup Flour
2 1/4 Teaspoons Baking Powder
1/4 Teaspoon Baking Soda
2 Tablespoons Cornstarch
3 Tablespoons plus 1 Teaspoon Sugar
1/2 Teaspoon Fine Sea Salt
3 Large Eggs
3/4 Cup Buttermilk
3/4 Cup Heavy Cream
1/2 Cup Unsalted Butter, melted and cooled slightly

In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, corn starch, sugar and salt.

In another bowl, whisk together the eggs, buttermilk and heavy cream.

Using a wooden spoon, stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until a few streaks of flour remain, but the batter is almost mixed together.

Add the butter and stir until just combined. Important!! Allow to rest for 15-30 minutes.

Heat a waffle iron. Brush butter on both sides of the waffle iron. Pour about 1/3 cup onto the iron and cook per instructions.

(Source: https://ohsweetbasil.com/ultimate-waffle-recipe/)

Melt In Your Mouth Buttermilk Pancakes

1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups of sifted flour
2 tablespoons sugar
2 eggs, slightly whisked
2 cups of buttermilk
2 tablespoons butter, unsalted and melted

Preheat a griddle to medium heat.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the salt, baking powder, baking soda, flour and sugar.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs and buttermilk. Drizzle in the butter as you continue to whisk. Switch to a wooden spoon and make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients.

Pour in the wet ingredients and stir until almost completely combined. The more you stir pancakes the more flat and tough they will be so please mix until a few streaks of flour are remaining.

Butter the griddle and scoop 1/3 cup of batter and cook until bubbles begin to form, flip and cook until golden.

(Source: https://ohsweetbasil.com/melt-in-your-mouth-buttermilk-pancakes-recipe/)

Thai Red Curry Noodle Soup

INGREDIENTS:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 1-inch chunks
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 onion, diced
3 tablespoons red curry paste
1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
6 cups low sodium chicken broth
1 (13.5-ounce) can coconut milk
1/2 (8-ounce) package rice noodles
1 tablespoon fish sauce
2 teaspoons brown sugar
3 green onions, thinly sliced
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice

DIRECTIONS:

Heat olive oil in a large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Season chicken with salt and pepper, to taste. Add chicken to the stockpot and cook until golden, about 2-3 minutes; set aside.

Add garlic, bell pepper and onion. Cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 3-4 minutes.

Stir in red curry paste and ginger until fragrant, about 1 minute.

Stir in chicken broth and coconut milk, scraping any browned bits from the bottom of the pot.

Stir in chicken. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until reduced, about 10 minutes.

Stir in rice noodles, fish sauce and brown sugar until noodles are tender, about 5 minutes.

Remove from heat; stir in green onions, cilantro, basil and lime juice; season with salt and pepper, to taste.

(source: https://damndelicious.net/2018/04/18/thai-red-curry-noodle-soup/)

Sheet Pan Shrimp Fajitas

Fajitas
1 1/2 pounds medium uncooked/thawed shrimp shelled, deveined, tails removed*
3 bell peppers sliced (any color combo)
1/2 large red onion thinly sliced
3 1/2 tablespoons olive oil divided
1 pineapple chopped (optional)
1/2 tablespoon brown sugar (optional)

Fajita Seasoning
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoons ground cumin
1 tsp EACH garlic powder, onion powder, salt
1/2 tsp EACH smoked paprika, chipotle chili powder, dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Whisk the fajita seasoning together. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a Jelly Roll Pan with foil and lightly spray with cooking spray. If you are not using pineapple, then use a regular size baking sheet.

Add pineapple and 1/2 tablespoon olive oil and 1/2 tablespoon brown sugar to prepared pan. Toss until evenly coated. Push to one side of the pan and spread into an even layer.

Add onions and bell peppers to pan. Drizzle with 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon Fajita seasoning. Toss until evenly coated then spread evenly on baking sheet next to pineapple. Bake for 10 minutes at 400 degrees F. Stir veggies and pineapple separately and place back into an even layer.

Meanwhile, add shrimp to a large bowl along with 1 tablespoon olive oil and remaining Fajita seasoning. Stir until evenly coated.
After veggies/pineapple have baked 10 minutes, remove from oven and place shrimp evenly on top of veggies.

Bake at 400 degrees F for 6 minutes then broil for 2 minutes or until shrimp are opaque.

Serve shrimp and veggies in a tortilla as fajitas OR see my serving options in the Notes. However you serve them, don't forget the freshly squeezed lime juice!

(Source: https://carlsbadcravings.com/shrimp-fajitas/)