One Pot Meals

An eastern redcedar/juniper was an unfortunate casualty from a felled dying ash tree but it at least provided a glimpse of its beautiful red heartwood and growth rings.

Everyone is rushed these days, and who wants to spend a lot of time in the kitchen doing dishes? Here are a few ideas for delicious dinners with easy clean up:

If you don't already have a slow cooker, it really is a worthwhile investment. It is a fine tool in both the winter and the summer - in the summer it is a great way to cook without heating up the house and it also saves a lot of time in doing dishes! If you are able to, purchase a pressure cooker that is also a slow cooker. I received one for Christmas a couple of years ago, and I love it. It sears, pressure cooks, slow cooks and even makes deserts and rice. And...it is one pot clean up! This week, I slow cooked pulled pork - so simple and delicious!

Cabbage, spinach, celeriac - I made a large batch of cole slaw to go with the pulled pork - many of the root veggies we are receiving are delicious in cole slaw - kohlrabi, celeriac, turnips, daikon - I added a little spinach for a dark green contrast and a nutritional boost. Use your favorite recipe - I typically use equal parts of neutral oil, white wine or apple cider vinegar and mayo. Add a bit of cayenne, dried mustard, salt and pepper to taste - whisk it up, mix with the veggies and let sit in fridge for taste to go through. This keeps for several days.

Beets, sweet potatoes, onions, potatoes, kohlrabi, turnips, daikon, rosemary, garlic - to continue on my one pot plan, in a large baking dish, cut up all the veggies you want to include - add much more than you can eat in one meal. Toss with some olive oil, salt and pepper and rosemary leaves. Put some type of meat on the top and roast all in a 375 degree oven until the meat is a desired doneness. If you use a small cut of meat such as chicken parts, roast the veggies for a little while on their own so they will be nice and tender when the meat is cooked through.

I like to use the leftover roasted veggies in a frittata - heat up the veggies in a skillet - I had a few leaves of kale, so I chopped those and added - then add eggs, allow to set on bottom for a couple minutes and then put in a 375 degree oven until the entire pan of eggs is set up - it depends how much you are making, but approximately 15-20 minutes for 8 eggs.

I also reaped some of the rewards of cooking back in September - I had made a batch of minestrone soup with the last of several veggies - beans, okra, tomatoes and greens and labeled and froze. This past week I thawed it out, browned some sausage and added to the soup, along with pasta and some fresh spinach. Topped with grated cheese - yum - a really satisfying winter dinner with very little clean up.

Enjoy the harvest!