Category: Fall/Winter

Posted on

Kale & Delicata Squash Salad with Lentils, Toasted Walnuts & Quinoa

 

This is a wonderful warming and unique winter salad that will fill you up and make you feel oh so good for your day. I like to roast a bunch of squash or different kinds of vegetables all in one go, and then have them on hand to throw together salads like this. It might look like a number of steps in the recipe below, but if you do this once a week, then many of these components can be re-used and re-created into new and different meals all week long.

Cook once, and assemble several interesting, delicious and good-for-you meals. That’s what makes life simpler mentally, and is good for your physical health too.

If you roast some of this delicata squash, you can use some to make soup, add to a risotto, serve as a side to chicken or fish, or use in any variety of salads. I’m sure there are so many other ways to use it too! Let me know in the comments what dishes you like to make with it.  I hope you love the recipe below.

This is how to cook more efficiently. Quinoa top left. Lentils top right. Roasted squash half moons on bottom left. The start of a delicata squash soup bottom right. The soup can be made and frozen for future weeks if desired, but you’ve maximized the use of your time and the heat of your oven by roasted the squash all at once and cooking multiple meals in one session.

Feel free to play around with the spices in this dish and change out the rosemary. Moroccan spice blends also go great with the squash and lentil combination. Yum!

Kale & Delicata Squash Salad with Lentils, Toasted Walnuts & Quinoa

Yields: 6 hearty salads

Serves: 6

Ingredients:

1 bunch kale, you want about 8 cups of torn leaves (Lacinato or curly leaf)

½ – ¾ cups walnuts

2-3 tablespoons olive oil

2-3 tablespoon safflower, sunflower or grapeseed oil

1 small/medium delicata squash

1 cup dried lentils

½ cup raisins (optional)

1 cup dry quinoa 

6-8 ounces feta cheese (optional)

Freshly cracked black pepper to taste

Toasted delicata squash seeds for garnish

½ cup Honey Lemon Vinaigrette (recipe below)

 

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 400°F. Cut off the stem of the delicata squash and then slice it down the middle longways. Use a spoon to scoop out the seeds. Place squash guts and seeds in a colander to rinse under water so you can separate the seeds. Save the seeds for toasting later. There is no need to peel the delicata, as you can eat the peel. Remove the seeds and separate from the strings. Discard the strings/guts and compost if you have access to compost. * Now slice each of the sides of delicata squash into ½ inch half moons. Place the half moons in a bowl and coat with the safflower, sunflower or grapeseed oil, a sprinkle of salt and black pepper. You can add dried or fresh rosemary or thyme if you’d like.

Once coated, place squash half moons on baking sheet and spread them out so they don’t touch too much. This helps them caramelize better. Roast for about 15-25 minutes, or until pieces are golden brown and cooked to your liking. A fork will go easily through the pieces. Check them after 15 minutes, and according to how hot your oven runs. Flip them at 15 minutes so they cook evenly.

While squash is roasting, rinse and dry the squash seeds. Coat with a bit of the sunflower or other oil, salt and pepper to your taste. You can always adjust the flavor of these with spice blends of your choice. Spread seeds evenly on a baking sheet and place in oven for 8 minutes. Check at 5 minutes if your oven runs hot. Flip or toss with a wooden spoon if needed. They’re toasted when lightly golden brown, but watch them because they can burn quickly. Remove from oven and set aside on a plate to stop them from cooking further.

Prepare the quinoa and lentils according to package directions. It’s best to rinse quinoa and to cook it with 2.5 cups of water for every 1 cup of dry quinoa. Lentils can be cooked to your liking. I prefer them still with a tiny bit of firmness. 

Prepare vinaigrette:

*See instructions below.

Assemble Salad:

Hold the stem of the kale and use your other hand to pull the leaf from the stem. Tear the leaves into bite sized pieces. You can save the stems to compost them, or freeze in a sealed bag to make vegetable broth later. 

Place the leaves in a large salad bowl. Coat with olive oil and massage the kale leaves with your hands, crushing the leaves and massaging the oil into the leaves well. This breaks down the cellulose and makes the kale much more palatable. 

Heat a small skillet over medium heat. Add the walnuts to the dry pan and toast for 5-8 minutes, or until barely golden brown and fragrant. Turn off the heat and set aside. Add walnuts, raisins, lentils, and quinoa to the kale and toss with a few tablespoons of the vinaigrette. Taste and adjust dressing. Add black pepper, toasted squash seeds, and feta cheese if desired and enjoy! 

Any extra quinoa and/or lentils can be saved and used for other meals. 

If making salads for 2-3 days of lunches, follow these directions:

Tear the leaves and massage with oil. Then add to your meal prep containers. Add the walnuts and raisins to the salad. Put cooked quinoa and lentils on the side or in a separate compartment from the salad. 

The morning you are going to eat your salad you can combine the quinoa and lentils with the rest of the ingredients.

Take the vinaigrette and optional feta in small containers with you to lunch and dress your salad with a few tablespoons when ready to eat. Enjoy a hearty lunch or dinner!

 

Honey Lemon Vinaigrette

Yields: 1 cup vinaigrette

Serves: Covers about 10-12 salads. 

Ingredients:

2 large lemons 

⅔ cup olive oil

½ small shallot (optional)

1 or 2 cloves garlic (adjust to taste)

3 teaspoons honey

1 tablespoon Dijon or brown mustard (optional)

¼ cup parsley leaves

½ teaspoon salt (adjust to taste)

 

Directions:

Mince garlic cloves. Remove the parsley stems and save for stock. Rough chop the parsley. 

Roll lemons under your forearm to release juices before slicing in half. [Tip: Zest them first if you need zest for another recipe. Can keep in a small amount of oil in the fridge for a week or so until use.]

Juice lemons and add to small bowl. Add remaining ingredients and whisk well to emulsify. Taste with a lettuce leaf and adjust ingredients to your taste. 

Label and date before refrigeration. 

Empowered Kitchen Tip:

I recommend doubling this recipe so you always have a stock of it in your refrigerator.

Posted on

Carrot, Turmeric & Ginger Soup

This is a delightfully delicious soup that warms you from the inside out. It has so many great health properties,  from the beta carotene in the carrots, to the anti-inflammatory properties of turmeric, and the digestive aid of ginger. These are all wonderful ingredients to incorporate into your diet, and stay healthy during the winter months. You’ll even get a bit of vitamin C from the lime at the end.

But let’s be real, the most important part is that this soup is a huge crowd pleaser for eaters of all ages! 🙂 It’s sweet, creamy, flavorful and can easily be made vegan if you choose the coconut milk option. Enjoy and let me know what you think in the comments!

Yields: 16 cups

Serves: 10-12

Ingredients:

1 small yellow onion

1 clove garlic

1 tablespoon coconut oil

1 inch fresh turmeric root

2 inches fresh ginger root

8 carrots

4 cups vegetable broth (low-sodium)

2 teaspoons salt

⅓ cup cream or coconut milk

½ medium lemon or lime

Freshly cracked black pepper to taste

Optional Toppings:

Roasted Squash seeds

Cilantro 

Aleppo pepper

Plain Greek yogurt

 

Directions:

Roast Carrots:

Heat oven to 400°F. Place whole carrots on baking sheet. Coat lightly with olive oil and salt. Roast in oven for 25-30 minutes, or until soft and cooked through. Once cooled, cut off the ends and cut carrots into 2 inch pieces. 

 

Soup

Heat a large saucepan to medium heat. Dice the onion. Add oil to heat up before adding onion. Stir occasionally until transparent. Mince the garlic and add to onion. Saute for 1 minute. Peel the ginger and turmeric root with a spoon. Mince or grate them and set aside. Slice the lime in half. Juice the lime and set aside. 

Add the turmeric and ginger to pan with onion and garlic. Allow to cook for 1 minute. Add the chopped, roasted carrots, broth and salt. Raise the heat to bring to a slow boil. Then lower heat to simmer and cover for 15-20 minutes. Add the coconut milk or cream. Blend with an immersion blender to blend all onion, carrot and liquid together. If soup is too thick, add more broth or water a little at a time until desired consistency. Add the lime and then adjust seasonings to taste. Top with your choice of toppings listed above. 

 

This soup freezes really well and tastes great as leftovers for up to 5 days in the fridge.

If freezing, place in mason jar with 1 inch of empty space left at the top and the lid slightly off. Once frozen you can tighten the lid well to prevent freezer burn. Label with kind of soup and the date. Best used within 2 months.

Posted on

French Endive & Green Apple Salad

This salad is so hearty and refreshing. It’s a huge crowd pleaser and a great palate cleanser. It’s typically a winter salad, but I’d recommend it any time of year. It’s a meal in and of itself, but great with a side of soup, or in the picture below, a French Tartiflette. Mmmm….lots of potatoes and cheese. 🙂

Give this salad a try and you’ll really impress your guests. It’s a good one to have on hand for about 2 days. Just leave out the mushrooms and dressing until you’re ready to serve. If you sprinkle the apple slices with a little lemon they’ll be less likely to brown over the 2 days, if you decide to use this for a meal prep day.

French Winter Alpine Meal. Yum!

Yields: 6 cups salad

Serves: 6

Ingredients:

 

  • 3 endives
  • 2 cups of mâche (or mixed baby greens)
  • 1-2 fennel bulbs, depending on size
  • 1 green apples
  • 1/3 cup walnuts
  • 3-4 ounces button mushrooms (any white mushroom)
  • 1/2  small white onion
  • 1/3 cup olive oil
  • 3 tablespoons balsamic or champagne vinegar
  • 1- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard, according to your taste
  • Salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste
  • 1 teaspoon honey

 

Directions:

Cut off the ends of the endives and then slice once lengthwise. Place flat side down, and continue to slice into 1-2 inch pieces. Place in a salad bowl with mâche or mixed baby greens

Thinly slice the fennel bulbs and add to the salad bowl. Rough chop the walnuts. Cut the apples in half and core them. Slice into thin slices. Thinly slice the mushrooms and finely dice the onion. Add everything to the salad bowl and toss to combine.

To make the vinaigrette, in a small bowl, add the olive oil, vinegar, mustard, honey, salt and black pepper. Whisk to combine well. Toss over salad and serve.

You can also make this salad a few hours ahead and chill it. Just wait to add the mixed greens or mâche and the vinaigrette until time of serving.

Posted on

Winter Squash Soup with Green Apple & Spices

We’re (thankfully) nearing the end of winter, but I always love me some winter squash soup! Mmm…this one is the best I’ve ever made, with the beautiful warming flavors of cinnamon and nutmeg that combine with the squash and apple to make a perfect marriage. 🙂 Maybe I’m going a little overboard, but this soup is seriously delicious. It would be great with a couple dashes of freshly ground cardamom too. 

It’s so fun and easy to experiment with roasted, pureed soups for meal prep. I do this all the time, so I always have some in the freezer, ready to thaw out and enjoy for lunch the next day with a salad or a sandwich.  Try meal prepping by just making 2 kinds of roasted soups that taste really different and freezing half of each. You’ll be so glad you did in a few weeks when you can thaw some out and have a fabulously satisfying and hearty meal.

Winter Squash Soup With Green Apple & Spices

Yields: 12-14 cups

Serves: 12 as a starter or 6 as an entrée

Ingredients:

 

  • 1 large pumpkin, butternut or kabocha squash
  • 2 tablespoons canola or safflower oil
  • 1 medium yellow onion
  • 2 teaspoons minced garlic
  • 2 green apples
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1 inch fresh ginger
  • 2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
  • 2 cups water
  • ½ teaspoon cinnamon
  • ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
  • ½ cup heavy cream
  • ½ lemon

Directions:

Heat oven to 425°F. Cut squash into large chunks and remove the strings and seeds. Place squash pieces on baking sheet. Coat lightly with canola or safflower oil and salt. Roast in oven for 25-30 minutes, or until soft and cooked through. Once cooled, remove the flesh from the peel with a spoon.

Heat a large saucepan to medium heat. Thinly slice onion. Heat the butter in the pan until barely melted. Add sliced onions to the hot pan and stir occasionally until transparent, for about 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, peel and core the apple and cut into wedges.  Peel and mince the ginger and garlic. Then add ginger and garlic to the onion. Add the cinnamon and nutmeg, and saute for 1 minute.

Add the squash, apples, broth, water and salt. Raise the heat to bring to a slow boil. Then lower heat to simmer and cover for 15-30 minutes. Remove from heat and blend with an immersion blender. Taste and adjust salt and liquid amounts as needed. Add the heavy cream and juiced ½ of a lemon.

Blend again and taste. Adjust as needed. Enjoy topped with roasted squash seeds, cilantro, pomegranate molasses, croutons, or freshly cracked black pepper.

Posted on

Butternut & Kale Salad with Feta & Honey

I LOVE this kale salad recipe. This is a wonderful meal prep recipe because you can roast a butternut squash and make 2 or 3 different recipes out of it. That way you don’t get tired of the same flavors all week, but you’re still getting great nutrition and even better….great tasting food! 🙂

I’ve kept this salad in my fridge for up to 5 days, even with the dressing on it, and it’s held up really well. Just leave out the cheese until you’re ready to eat it that day, and don’t put in ahead of time.

Butternut & Kale Salad with Feta & Honey

Butternut & Kale Salad With Feta & Honey

Yields: 12 cups salad

Serves: 12

Ingredients:

 

  • 2 medium butternut squash
  • 2 bunches kale
  • 6 tablespoons olive oil
  • 4 tablespoons sesame seeds
  • 6 tablespoons honey
  • 4 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
  • 8 ounces feta cheese
  • 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • Salt and pepper to taste

 

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Cut butternut squash in half, at the part where the skinny end meets the fat end. Use a spoon to remove seeds. Set seeds aside on a separate pan. Coat them in oil, sprinkle with salt and seasonings if desired and toast for 6-10 minutes or until lightly browned. Watch closely with the oven light on.

Use a vegetable peeler to carefully peel the squash, scraping the peel away from you. Alternatively you can peel the squash with a knife. When cutting always keep a flat end of squash on a cutting board.

Dice peeled squash into 1 inch pieces and place on baking sheet. Coat lightly in olive oil and place in oven for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and coat with sesame seeds.

Return to oven for 10 minutes. While roasting, mix honey, balsamic vinegar and red pepper flakes in small bowl and stir to combine well. Remove stems from kale leaves. Tear leaves into bite sized pieces and place in large salad bowl. Coat leaves with light coating of olive oil and massage oil into all leaves to soften them.

Remove squash from oven and drizzle with honey and vinegar mixture. Coat all pieces with liquid. Add squash to salad bowl with kale. Top salad with feta and toss gently.

This dish is great served hot or cold and kale salads last well for several days refrigerated.

Adapted from: http://www.notquitenigella.com/2013/10/10/roast-pumpkin-recipe/

Posted on

Tuscan Kale & Bean Soup

This hearty, winter bean soup is the perfect Italian comfort food on a cold February night. You can make it vegetarian or with some Italian sausage. Either get ground sausage and cook it up in a skillet with some oil and add to the soup for the last 10 minutes of cooking time. Or you can slice sausage (remove the casings first) and cook it in a pan with a bit of oil and add to the soup for the last 10 minutes it’s simmering.  Mmmm….enjoy a little slice of easy, satisfying and warming comfort food.

Tuscan Kale & Bean Soup

Tuscan Kale & Bean Soup

Yields: 8 cups of soup

Serves: 4 heartily

Ingredients:

 

  • 1 large yellow onion
  • 2 tablespoons safflower or sunflower oil
  • 3-4 cloves garlic
  • 1 bunch curly leaf or lacinato kale
  • 2 cups cooked cannellini or white navy beans (canned or cooked from dry beans)
  • 4 cups vegetable or chicken broth
  • 1  (28 ounce) can whole tomatoes or 3-4 large fresh tomatoes
  • 1 tablespoon dried oregano and/or dried basil
  • Salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste
  • 1 lemon
  • 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
  • ¾ cup heavy cream (optional)
  • ⅓ cup parmesan cheese (optional for serving)

 

Directions:

Slice the onions thinly. Heat a large saucepan or stockpot (with lid) over medium heat and add the oil. Saute the onion for 5 minutes, or until translucent. You can saute longer if you want the onion to be sweeter. Mince the garlic and add to the onion.

Cook for 30 seconds and then add cooked (drained) beans, vegetable or chicken broth, tomatoes (crush them in bowl first if using fresh tomatoes), dried herbs, salt and red pepper flakes if using. Season with black pepper. Start with 1 teaspoon of salt and you can always add more later if needed.

Bring to a boil. Then cover and reduce to medium low. Cook for 20 minutes. Remove the stems from the kale and then tear the kale into 2 inch pieces. Add kale pieces to the soup for the last 2 minutes of cooking time. Taste and adjust salt and seasonings as needed. Remove from heat and add heavy cream. Juice the lemon and add ½ the juice of the lemon to the soup. Taste and add more lemon if needed. Serve hot. It’s great with crusty bread for dipping! You can even drizzle the soup with a little olive oil and top with parmesan or more red pepper flakes. Enjoy!

The Empowered Kitchen Tips:

To make this a meat dish, you can add cooked Italian sausage to this dish near the end, about 5-10 minutes before the end of the simmering time. You can also substitute 1 inch cubes of potato for the beans if you prefer to make it a potato soup. This soup doesn’t freeze well, so you can enjoy it for the next 5 days when kept in your refrigerator.

Posted on

Citrus & Fennel Salad with Toasted Almonds

This is a WONDERFUL side dish for Thanksgiving or any holiday meal. It’s fresh, light and a huge crowd pleaser. This is a simple, gourmet salad that’s easy to throw together, and perfect to make ahead!

Fennel is great for digestion and the citrus gives you a boost of vitamin C. An added benefit to help ward off sickness this time of year. 🙂

Any extra fennel you have can be used to make homemade stock or you can roast it and throw it in a puréed soup!

Citrus Fennel Salad on Mixed Baby Greens

Citrus & Fennel Salad With Toasted Almonds

Yields: 8 ½ cups

Serves: 8 as a small side salad

Ingredients:

 

  • 2 ruby red grapefruits
  • 2 blood oranges
  • ½ fennel bulb thinly sliced
  • Vinaigrette
  • ¼ cup freshly squeezed lime juice
  • (1 medium or 2 small limes)
  • 2 tablespoons honey
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • ½ small shallot
  • pinch of salt

 

Topping

 

  • ¼ cup roasted almonds

 

Directions:

Carefully peel and segment the fruits using a paring knife. Slice the fennel bulb where it meets the branching part of the stems. Thinly slice the bulb and cut a wedge out of the heart of the bulb, which is fibrous and difficult to eat.

Finely mince the shallot. Combine all vinaigrette ingredients in small bowl and whisk well. Alternatively, put ingredients in shaker or mason jar. Fit tightly with lid and shake well. Label with name of dressing and date if there is extra and refrigerate.

Arrange fruits and fennel slices/shavings on serving plate(s).

You can toast the almonds if you’d like. If doing this step, heat a small skillet over medium heat. No oil is needed. Add whole almonds to the hot pan and toast for about 8 minutes. Stir occasionally. Once they smell fragrant and become golden brown, they’re ready. Remove almonds from the pan.

Coarsely chop the almonds (toasted or raw) and rough chop a few fennel fronds. Top the salad with almonds, fennel fronds and vinaigrette. Toss well to combine and enjoy!

The Empowered Kitchen Tips:

You can put this on a bed of fresh greens to make it even heartier. If you want to meal prep this, you can make the recipe as above and even add the dressing. It will last up to 3 days in the refrigerator. If putting on fresh greens, add the greens right before serving, so they stay crisp and fresh.

Posted on

Sweet Potato Soup with Garam Masala & Lime

This recipe is demonstrated with sweet potato, but you can riff on the same soup with parsnips, potatoes, carrots, butternut squash and so much more. Once you’ve made this soup, you can start to experiment with different vegetables and spices to make fabulous soups without a recipe for the rest of your days! 

Have fun with it. 🙂

Yields 14 (1 cup) servings

Ingredients

  • 8 sweet potatoes
  • 2 tablespoons coconut oil
  • 1 medium shallot
  • 10 cups water or veggie/chicken broth
  • 2 teaspoons garam masala
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 lime
  • ½ cup heavy whipping cream or full fat coconut milk
  • Optional Garnishes
  • Pumpkin Seeds
  • Pomegranate molasses
  • Whole plain yogurt
  • Cilantro

 

Directions

Preheat oven to 400° F. Place sweet potatoes on a sheet pan and lightly coat with olive oil. Roast sweet potatoes in oven for 45 – 55 minutes. They are finished when a knife easily slides through the entire sweet potato.  Let them cool and peel off the skins.

Once cool, cut into large diced pieces. (No need to dice them perfectly.)

Heat a large saucepan to medium heat. Add coconut oil to the hot saucepan.

Dice the shallot and add to the heated oil. Sauté shallot until translucent.  Add the garam masala to the shallot and sauté for 1 more minute.

Add the roasted sweet potato pieces, water or broth and salt.  Bring to a low boil and then lower to a simmer for 20-30 minutes.  

Use an immersion blender to blend the shallot and sweet potato together. Squeeze the lime and add to the soup, along with the heavy whipping cream or coconut milk. Taste and adjust salt, lime and cream to your preferences if needed.

You can optionally top this with a dollop of yogurt, a sprinkle of pumpkin seeds, a swirl of pomegranate molasses, and/or chopped cilantro.

Posted on

Citrus Beet Green Salad & Roasted Vegetable Skillet with Sofrito

Beautiful late summer evening at the Denver Botanic Gardens Chatfield Farm in Littleton. What a dream to cook outside in this gorgeous setting with such a great audience.

Members of the farm’s CSA program were enjoying their cocktails for the start to their Farm to Fork Dinner. Before heading off to dinner they gathered around this outdoor kitchen to watch a cooking demonstration and get a sampling of the farm’s fabulous fresh produce, which is so stunning and bountiful this time of year.

Raw beet stems and greens ready to go into the skillet. 

Here are the recipes!

Citrus Sautéed Beet Greens

Serves 4 to 6

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 bunch beets with stems and leaves

1 shallot

1 garlic clove

1 1/2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

1 teaspoon honey

2 oranges

salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 375º F. Cut the stems from the roots of the beets. Cut the beets in half and place in a loaf pan with ½ inch of water. Cover tightly with aluminum foil. Steam for 30-45 minutes, or until a sharp knife goes easily through the beet. Remove the foil, let cool and then use your hands to remove the skins of the beets and discard. Be careful, as this can stain anything the beet juice comes in contact with. Dice beets into ½ inch pieces.
  2. Cut leaves off of stems. Chop the stems into ¼ inch pieces. Rough chop or tear beet leaves. Set aside on cutting board.
  3. Dice the shallot and garlic clove. Set the shallot aside. Zest the oranges and keep the zest in a small bowl.
  4. Juice the oranges into a small bowl and add the minced garlic, vinegar and honey. Mix well. Set aside.
  5. Place oil in a medium skillet, over medium high heat. Add stems and shallot and sauté for 4 to 5 minutes. Add beet leaves and continue to sauté for 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
  6. Add the bowl with the orange juice mixture to the skillet and simmer until all juice has evaporated, 2 to 3 minutes. Depending on the size of the oranges, you may just add half the orange juice mixture and taste.  You can save the rest for a salad later in the week. Adjust salt and pepper seasoning to taste.
  7. Top with steamed beets, orange zest and enjoy!

Inspired by: http://www.spoonforkbacon.com/2013/06/citrus-sauteed-beet-stems/

Cherry Tomato Skillet With Potatoes, Bok Choy And Garlic Sofrito

Serves 4

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 cup cherry tomatoes

6 fingerling or small new potatoes

2 cups baby bok choy leaves

Salt and pepper to taste 

Sofrito:

9 garlic cloves

½ cup olive oil

2 onions

2 large tomatoes

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon black pepper

½ teaspoon dried thyme (optional)

½ teaspoon dried rosemary

½ dried bay leaf

Directions:

  1. Roast the vegetables. Preheat the oven to 375º F. Slice the cherry tomatoes in half and place on a baking sheet. Dice potatoes into ¼ inch pieces and place on a separate baking sheet. Coat all vegetables with a coating of olive oil and a sprinkle of salt and pepper. You can optionally season them with herbs such as rosemary, sage and thyme. Use your hands to coat them well.
  2. Place in oven and bake for 10 minutes. Then remove the potatoes and tomatoes from the oven. If the tomatoes look fully cooked and kind of caramelized, you can stop roasting them now.  If they are not finished, put them back in the oven for 5-10 minutes.
  3. For the potatoes, turn them with a spatula. Test them with a sharp knife for doneness. Coat again with a light coating of oil if they are very dry. Bake for another 10-15 minutes or until golden brown and a sharp knife goes right through the potatoes. Watch these closely, as they are cut in small pieces and have a risk of burning.
  4. Remove from the oven when fully cooked and remove from the pan. Place tomatoes and potatoes in a cast iron skillet.

Make Sofrito

  1. Finely mince the onion and garlic. Dice the tomatoes to a medium dice.
  2.   Heat the skillet to medium heat and then add the oil. Add the onion and garlic first, and saute for a minute. Crush the bay leaf. Then add the tomatoes, salt, pepper and herbs.
  3.   Stir occasionally. Reduce heat to medium low. Cook for at least 10 minutes and up to 30, but stir to make sure it doesn’t burn or stick to the pan.
  4.   Enjoy on a variety of dishes. In this case it will be added to the skillet with the potatoes and tomatoes.

Make the Skillet

  1. Rough chop the baby bok choy.
  2. Heat cast iron skillet to medium heat with 2 tablespoons olive oil and add the already roasted tomatoes and potatoes. 
  3. After 1-2 minutes of warming the roasted vegetables, add the bok choy.
  4. The bok choy will wilt quickly. Stir to combine. Once the greens are wilted, remove the skillet from the heat, top with a fried or poached egg and top with a bit of the sofrito. 
  5. This dish is great topped with a fried or poached egg.