Chorizo, Potato, and Roasted Veggies Bowl

With the craziness of life these days, get togethers with my girlfriends feel way too few and far between.  But a few months back, two friends and I managed to carve out some time on a Sunday for brunch.  The menu options at the restaurant were amazing but I finally settled on a dish similar to this one.  I couldn't believe how delicious it was...and how happy I was that the portion size was huge so that I could take some home for lunch the next day.  I raved about it and thought about it for weeks until I decided that I needed to reproduce it somehow.  Right around that same time, we were contacted by Mulay's Sausage to give their products a try.  When I saw that one of their products was a minimally processed chorizo, my immediate reaction was to make this meal, and I couldn't wait.  (Incidentally, I loved every product of theirs that I tried and everything about their company - like their compassionate farming standards and the fact that their products have no artificial ingredients and are minimally processed.)  I tried a couple of variations of this simple recipe until I settled on this one that is pretty similar to my brunch memories.  I cannot express to you how much my family loves this meal.

P.S. When I ordered this at the restaurant, there was a poached egg on top, which was awesome.  I do not include that when I made this for dinner for my family, but it is an option to consider.

INGREDIENTS:

• Chorizo (Mulay's ground chorizo is awesome if if is sold near you; if you can't find ground chorizo, using links with casings removed works, too)
• 2 red or orange peppers, chopped
• red or baby potatoes, cut into wedges
• 1 medium to large onion, chopped
• olive oil
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• salt and pepper
• goat cheese (an absolute must!)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Prepare a large baking sheet with foil sprayed lightly with cooking spray.
2. In a large bowl, drizzle potato wedges with olive oil.  Add garlic powder, oregano, and a sprinkle of sea salt and pepper; spread on 2/3 of the baking sheet.
3. In the same bowl, toss the chopped peppers and onions with a drizzle of olive oil and some sea salt and pepper, spread on the remaining 1/3 of the baking sheet (or a second baking sheet if there isn't room).  Roast veggies for 25-30 minutes or until potatoes are golden, checking and gently rearranging veggies after about 15 minutes.  
4. In the meantime, cook sausage over medium high heat until browned.  
5. Gently mix the roasted potatoes and veggies; Serve in bowls topped with chorizo and goat cheese.

Time: ~40 minutes total

Difficulty: easy

Source: inspired by a restaurant brunch

Savory Deviled Eggs

'Tis the season for finding ways to use hard boiled eggs! I have made these Deviled Eggs for a few Easter Sundays in a row, and this year the tray was gone within 5 minutes of arriving at my parent's house. My mom happened to have some hard boiled eggs on hand and asked me to make another batch! Needless to say, this recipe is a hit and a great way to use up some of those colorful eggs you may not know what to do with!

INGREDIENTS: 

• 6 hard-cooked eggs, halved (instructions on hard boiling can be found here)
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1 teaspoon rice wine vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh dill
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 12 sprigs fresh dill to garnish (optional)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Cut eggs in half length-wise. Remove yolks and add them to a bowl. Set the whites aside.
2. Smash the yolks and thoroughly mix in remaining ingredients. Spoon the mixture into the egg whites, top with additional dill and a sprinkle of sea salt.

Difficulty: Very easy (my 9 year old daughter made them with no problem!)

Time: 10 minutes, not including the time to boil the eggs

Source: modified from a recipe from allrecipes.com