Incredibly easy.

Drain

2 25 ounce cans whole roma tomatoes.

Chop coarsely;  drain, pushing liquid through strainer.  (Save this juice for bloody marys)  To a blender, add

1/2 small onion
3 cloves garlic
1 T cumin, roasted and ground
3 dashes smoke seasoning
2 red jalapeno peppers, whole
1t smoked paprika
juice of one lime

Put drained tomatoes on top.  Blend thoroughly.  To the blender, add

2t kosher salt (more or less to taste)
1 small bunch cilantro, stemmed (about one small handful of leaves)

Pulse until cilantro leaves are in small pieces.  Drain one last time, adding juice to the bloody mary mix.  Serve with freshly fried flour tortillas (if you have time to make them!).

This recipe is very easy, and almost anything can be adjusted.  If you are not in a hurry, use fresh tomoatoes and roast the tomatoes, onion, and pepper at 400F for 30 minutes.  Omit smoke seasoning.

Prep time: 10 minutes
Taste:  [rate 3.5]
Ease: [rate 5]

Split a

Medium butternut squash

lengthwise.  Scoop out any seeds.  Brush skin and flesh lightly with

about 1 T peanut or canola oil. 

Place face-down on a rimmed baking sheet and bake at 375 F for 45-55 minutes or until flesh is soft and easily removed with a spoon.  While squash bakes, peel

2 large red apples (overripe is fine).

Chop into very fine dice, about 1/4 inch cubes.  Immediately toss cubes with

juice of one small lemon.  In a small bowl, combine

2t cinnamon
1t allspice
1/2t freshly ground nutmeg
1/4t pickling salt
1/2 cup dark brown sugar, lightly packed

Toss seasonings with apples until well combined.  Set aside until squash is done baking (at least 20 minutes marination).  When squash is finished, remove from oven and turn broiler to medium.  Turn squash halves flesh-side up and carefully scoop out flesh with a large spoon.  Leave a 1/2 inch border of flesh so that the skin stays firm.  Gently fold squash into apple mixture; refill the squash skins with this filling.  Cut

3T unsalted butter

into pats.  Place pats evenly on top of the stuffed squash.  Broil squash for 2-4 minutes, or until butter is melted and stuffing begins to turn golden.

This side dish was invented based on looking around my kitchen at what was on hand.  Feel free to do spice substitutions such as ground cloves.  The type of apple should be a red or pink sweet; granny smith and other tart apples are too firm and too tart once the lemon juice is added.  The apples need to marinate in the sugar/juice so that the flavors meld- the broiler cooking time is to short for the cooking process to marry the flavors.  I’ve added 1/4 cup slivered almonds for additional crunch; don’t let them marinate with the apples or they’ll be mushy.  This recipe can also be done with two medium acorn squash instead of the butternut.

Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 1 hour

Taste: [rate 4]
Ease: [rate 2.5]

Looking for a quick recipe that tastes long-simmered?  Look no further…

Into a large, heavy pot, over medium high heat, add

¼ c extra virgin olive oil (or butter)

and heat until oil shimmers (or butter stops foaming).  Roughly chop

1 medium yellow onion
12 ounces Portobello mushroom caps (or baby bellas, aka criminis)

Sauté onions until soft; add mushrooms.  Sauté mixture until onions are golden and mushrooms have given off all water.

Turn heat to high; deglaze pan with

3/4 cup Burgundy wine (white or red)

and allow to reduce by half.  Turn heat to medium; add

1 1/2 c vegetable or chicken stock
1 T fresh thyme leaves
1 bay leaf
1-2 t freshly ground black pepper
Tiny pinch cayenne pepper

Simmer for 10-15 minutes, or until mushrooms are tender.  Add

1 c heavy whipping cream
2 green onions, chopped, green part only
2 sprigs parsley, chopped fine
Salt to taste (about 1t)

Bring to a simmer again.  Use an immersion blender to blend about half of the soup, leaving some chunks of onion and mushroom.  Taste and adjust salt/pepper as needed.

Makes 4 servings. This is delicious with toast dressed in extra virgin olive oil and shredded parmesan, toasted until golden.  The mushroom caps are very robustly flavored and I recommend the red wine version.  Using baby bellas lends less woodsy flavor and the white wine will not overpower the more delicate flavor.
 
Prep time: 15 minutes
Total time: 25 minutes
Taste [rate 5]
Ease [rate 4]

This is one of my favorite craves, so I looked at some recipes online and improvised based on ingredients on hand.  Pretty delicious…but definitely NOT low fat!

To a spice grinder, add

1 T kosher salt
1 T cayenne pepper
1 T paprika (smoked, if available)
1 T freshly cracked black pepper
1 t Mexican oregano, whole

Buzz until all is a fine powder.  This is your cajun seasoning.  Set aside.

Into a large saucier, cut

8-10 dry sundried tomatoes

into strips with scissors and soak in

4 T warm olive oil

for at least 2 hours. With tongs, remove the tomato strips and heat the oil over medium high heat.  Add 

6 green onions, chopped white part only
5 garlic cloves, finely chopped

and saute until golden and transparent. Turn heat to high; deglaze with

2/3 cup dry white wine

and reduce by at least half.  Reduce heat to low-medium low and add

1 1/2 c heavy whipping cream

and reduce by half.  Add about

2 T cajun seasoning
1/4 c Parmesano-Reggiano, ground to a very fine powder in a food processor

Taste; add more seasoning, if desired, to increase spiciness.  Meanwhile, in a large pot, bring

1 gallon water

to a rolling boil.  Add

2 T kosher salt
1 pound brass-cut fettucine;

boil 8-10 minutes or until al dente.  With tongs, move finished pasta to saucier; toss with sauce.  Garnish with

6 green onions, chopped, green part only

and serve immediately.  Garnish with walnuts, if available.
Makes 4 servings. I actually used dry sundried tomatoes; if you can only find pre-marinated (which are much more expensive), skip the warm oil step. Use the drained sundried tomato oil to fry onions and garlic.  Using brass-cut pasta will greatly improve the sauce’s adhesion to the pasta and the overall creaminess of the sauce.
Prep time: 25 minutes
Total time: 2.5 hours (30 minutes if using premarinated tomatoes)
Taste [rate 4]
Ease [rate 3]