Veggie by Season: January 2008

Thursday, January 31, 2008

Vegetarian Classics

When I was a vegetarian, I went to dinner at a friend's house and she made these amazing quesadillas (5 years ago, maybe?). She got her recipe from the Moosewood Cookbook. I've bought a few and looked for this recipe all over, but I can't find it! I think she might have taken their sweet potato quesadilla recipe and just added the black beans, but I'm not sure...so i just created this from my own taste memories!

Moosewood cookbooks are very popular with vegetarians because they contain so many diverse recipes for food throughout the day from many different regions of the world. I highly recommend checking one out if you like to experiment with different vegetables and non-meat protein products. The Moosewood Restaurant is located in upstate NY.

Black Bean and Sweet Potato Quesadillas with Fire Roasted Red Pepper Soup

Black Bean and Sweet Potato Quesadillas

Flour tortillas, burrito size

1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

2 sweet potatoes, peeled and grated

½ yellow onion, grated

1 tsp. chili powder

1 tsp. ground cumin

Salt and pepper

1 can drained and rinsed black beans

1 cup cheddar cheese

Fire Roasted Red Pepper Soup

1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

½ yellow onion, minced

Salt and pepper2 cloves garlic, minced

2 red peppers, roasted, peeled and chopped

1 15 oz. can crushed fire roasted tomatoes

2 cups chicken stock

1 tsp. chili powder

1 chipotle in adobo, minced

¼ cup reduced fat sour cream

Chopped cilantro

Directions:

Turn broiler on high.

Preheat a large skillet and a medium soup pot to medium heat and add 1 tbsp. olive oil to each.

To the soup pot, add the minced onion and garlic. Add salt and pepper to each and continue to cook until softened. Add tomatoes, chicken stock, chili powder, and chipotle to soup pot and cover.

Place red peppers on a sheet pan and place under broiler. Turn the peppers over until all sides are charred, about 2-3 minutes per side. Place in a food storage container and let them sit on the counter for 10 minutes until the skin peels off easily. Peel skin off peppers and add to a blender with half of the soup mixture. Puree mixture until it reaches desired consistency, add back to soup pot, and bring back to a bubble.

To the large skillet, add grated onion and sweet potato, cover. Periodically stir the mixture and recover for 15 minutes, until potato is softened and cooked through.
Once cooked through, add potatoes to a mixing bowl, and gently fold in black beans, cumin and chili powder.

Clean out skillet with a paper towel, spray with nonstick cooking spray, and return to heat. Add one tortilla to skillet, brown on one side, flip over. Sprinkle with cheese, then add ½ cup of potato mixture, then sprinkle with more cheese. Fold one side over, brown for 4-5 minutes,then flip and brown the other side. Two skillets can be used to make multiple quesadillas at once.

Slice each quesadilla in half and plate with sour cream, ladle soup into a bowl and top with sour cream and cilantro.

Wednesday, January 30, 2008

Making Popeye Proud

I don't have much to say about this meal other than it's delicious and very healthy! However, if you're not a fan of spinach, you might want to pass on it. The pasta salad is great hot or cold, when eating leftovers, if it's dry, you can add a splash of olive oil and vinegar to moisten it. This will also make leftovers of meatballs, which canbe eaten on a sub, or sliced on a pizza, or added to a lasagna (see Resolution helper, sub it for the sausage).

Spinach Chicken Meatballs and Orzo Pasta Salad

2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

1 lb. ground chicken breast

1 box frozen chopped spinach, defrosted and drained

½ cup bread crumbs

1 egg

½ cup parmiggiano reggiano cheese

1 tsp. oregano

Salt and pepper

½ tsp. crushed red pepper flakes

1 cup marinara sauce (optional)

½ lb. orzo

4 cups baby spinach leaves, packed

1 can quartered artichoke hearts in water

5 sundried tomatoes in olive oil

10 Spanish olives, sliced

2 roasted red peppers, sliced

¼ cup toasted pine nuts

1/4 red onion, diced

2 oz. herbed goat cheese, crumbled

Splash of balsamic vinegar

Bring a large pot of water to a boil, salt heavily.

Heat a large nonstick skillet to medium. Add 2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil. In a mixing bowl, add chicken, spinach (separate with fingers), bread crumbs, egg, ¼ cup parmiaggiano reggiano, oregano, salt and pepper, and crushed red pepper flakes. Gently toss with fingers to incorporate. If mixture is too wet, add more bread crumbs a few tablespoons at a time. Shape meatballs into golf ball sized balls and drop into skillet. Brown on the first side, flip, and continue to cook until meatballs are browned.

Heat marinara sauce over low in a sauce pot.

While meatballs cook, add orzo to boiling water and cook 6-7 minutes.

While pasta cooks, prep all other vegetables, but leave on the cutting board in little piles. Chiffonade spinach leaves, and add to theserving bowl. Drain pasta, and dump on top of spinach to help wilt spinach, but not fully cook it. Let it sit for a few minutes, then add all other pasta salad ingredients on top of orzo and toss. Plate meatballs and top with marinara or serve on the side, and sprinkle with remaining cheese.

(This is the orzo pasta salad ingredients all prepped, waiting for the spinach to wilt a little)

chiffonade – this word is often used to describe cutting basil, but can be used with any leafy item. Take a bunch of leaves and roll them into a log, then slice thinly to create what looks like confetti. I use about 20 spinach leaves at a time and slice them a little thicker than I would basil.

Tuesday, January 29, 2008

Set it and forget it!

My husband is an athletic trainer and often has to work games at night, so I try to find meals that will hold over well for those nights, like soup, casserole, or crock pot dinners. I have the luxury of going home for lunch every day, which allows some dinner prep time. Today at lunch I put this meal together in the crock, and tonight when I get home at 6pm it will be ready, and when JJ gets home at 9pm, it will be just as good (or maybe even better)! This chili is very healthy, light, and spicy!

Spicy Turkey Chili in the Crock with Corncake Bottoms

Chili:

1 lb. 99% fat free ground turkey breast

1 can crushed fire roasted tomatoes

1 can dark red kidney beans, drained

1 red bell pepper, diced

1 red onion, diced

2 garlic cloves, minced

3 chipotles in adobo, minced

2 tsp. chipotle in adobo sauce

2 cups chicken stock

1 tbsp. chili powder

1 tsp. ground cumin

1 tsp. ground coriander

2 tsp. kosher salt

Corncakes:

1 box jiffy corn muffin mix

¾ cup skim milk

1 egg

Toppings:

½ cup cheddar cheese

2 tbsp. reduced fat sour cream

In a large nonstick skillet, cook the turkey over medium high heat. Break up with a spatula as it cooks, about 10 minutes. Add all other ingredients to the crock pot, when turkey is cooked, add in turkey. Stir and taste for seasonings. Turn crock pot on high and simmer for 4-5 hours (low if simmering all day).

Clean out skillet and heat on medium. Spray with nonstick cooking spray. In a mixing bowl, combine corn mix, egg and milk. Ladle into the skillet and cook 4-5 minutes per side, or until browned.

To serve, put corn cake in the bottom of the bowl, ladle chili over, top with cheese and sour cream.

Monday, January 28, 2008

Burned a little... but still delicious!

Philly Cheesesteaks and Sweet Potato Fries

1 tbsp. olive oil

1 carton button mushrooms, sliced

1 green bell pepper, sliced

1 yellow bell pepper, sliced

1 red onion, sliced

1/2 lb. flank steak sliced thin

1 tbsp. penzeys chicago steak seasoning

4 slices provolone cheese

1 loaf italian bread

1 sack frozen sweet potato fries

ketchup

Preheat oven to 425, spread fries on a baking sheet and put in the oven.

Add over medium-high heat, add olive oil to pan, followed by mushrooms, green peppers and onions. Sautee for 10 minutes until vegetables are softened. Season with salt and pepper and half the steak seasoning.

In another skillet on medium high, add steak and sprinkle with half the steak seasoning. When browned on one side, flip and brown the other, sprinkle with more seasoning. When steak is cooked, add to vegetable mixture.

Hollow out roll and add half the mixture to each side. Top each half with 2 slices provolone, put on a sheet pan and put in the oven with the fries for 3-5 minutes until toasty and brown.

Happy New Year!!!

Maggie and Justin (see Maggie’s wedding cake) hosted a New Years Eve party this year, and my sister and I told her we would take care of the cooking. We planned the party for 20 people, and there were tons of leftovers. We chose to make dishes that can be eaten at room temperature, as it wasn’t possible to keep everything hot all night. We had a very diverse menu of appetizers, which we split the cooking on. It just so happened that Kristine (see Kristine’s wedding cake) was given all of the meat dishes, which she gave interesting names to…

New Years Eve Menu

What I Made:

Caramelized onion and goat cheese crostini
Pear and Walnut Rolls
Mini Twice Baked Potatoes
Mini Ham and Swiss Quiche
Pesto and Olive Tapenade Palimers
Spinach and Artichoke Empanadas
Cranberries and Brie with Baguettes

What Kris made:

Chicken Wang Dip (buffalo chicken dip)
Schwetty Balls (meatballs in the crock)
Wieners (pigs in a blanket)
Cocktail shrimp

My brother-in-law, Dan, enjoying the deliciousness! We labeled everything so people would know what they were eating!

New Years Appetizer #1

Top Left - Carmalized Onion and Goat Cheese Crostini
Bottom Left - Ham and Swiss Mini Quiche
Top Center- Chicken Wang Dip
Next Center - Mini Twice Baked Potatoes
Next Center - Pesto and Olive Tapenade Palimers
Bottom Center - Pear and Walnut Rolls
Middle Right - Spinach and Artichoke Empanadas
Bottom Right - Cranberry and Brie with Baguettes

Mini Twice Baked Potatoes (makes 40)

20 new potatoes
2 russet potatoes
8 slices cooked bacon
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
2 cups reduced fat sour cream
Salt and pepper
2 tbsp. chopped chives

Preheat oven to 400. Pierce russet potatoes with a fork and put on oven rack. Bake for 30 minutes. Pierce new potatoes with a fork and put on a baking sheet. Put new potatoes in the oven, and cook with russets for 30 more minutes. Take potatoes out. Cut in half, and use a melon baller to scoop out insides of all potatoes into a mixing bowl. Lay new potato cups on baking sheet, discard russet potato skins. Add all additional ingredients to mixing bowl and smash together. If mixture seems dry, add chicken stock or milk to loosen it to desired consistency. Put potatoes back in oven and bake 20 minutes or until top is brown and crispy. These can be made ahead and frozen.

New Years Appetizer #2

Spinach and Artichoke Empanadas (makes 48)

2 tubes of Pillsbury golden layers biscuits or 4 sheets of puff pastry
1 16 oz. sack or frozen spinach, thawed and drained
1 can of artichoke hearts in water, drained and chopped
2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 yellow onion, minced
1 brick of reduced fat cream cheese
Salt and Pepper

Heat a large skillet to medium heat. Add olive oil and onion, season with salt and pepper, and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Turn to low, add cream cheese and allow it to melt, add in spinach and artichokes and combine. Turn heat off and let mixture sit.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Open biscuits and peel each biscuit into 3 layers. If you can only get 2 out of each, it’s ok, you’ll just have fewer empanadas. Lay each shell on a cookie sheet and place 1 tbsp. filling in each. Close them up and pinch edges together. Bake for 12-14 minutes until puffy and golden.

New Years Appetizer #3

Pesto and Olive Tapenade Palimers (Makes 24)

2 sheets puff pastry
1/2 cup basil pesto (recipe below)
1/2 cup olive tapenade (recipe below)

Preheat oven to 400. Carefully unfold puff pastry and roll out with a rolling pin. Smear pesto on one sheet, and olive tapenade on the other. From the long edges, roll each side halfway towards the middle. Put on a cookie sheet and back in freezer for 15 minutes to harden. Take out rolls and slice ½ inch thick slices. Place on a cookie sheet and bake 12 minutes until golden brown.

Olive Tapenade

½ cup mixed green and black olives
5 sun dried tomatoes packed in olive oil
¼ cup parmiggiano reggiano cheese
Extra virgin olive oil, if necessary

In a food processor or blender, add first 3 ingredients. Pulse until mixture is chopped, stream in olive oil until it reaches desired consistency, a little chunky but spreadable.

Basil Pesto

1 cup basil leaves
1 garlic clove
¼ cup parmiggiano reggiano
¼ cup toasted pine nuts
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper

Chop first 4 ingredients in a food processor. Stream in olive oil until it reaches desired consistency. Season with salt and pepper.

New Years Appetizer #4

Spinach and Pear Rolls (Makes 48)

1 package honey wheat tortillas
1 block reduced fat cream cheese
1 cup toasted walnuts, crushed
2 tbsp. butter
1 bag baby spinach, shredded
2 pears, peeled, cored and diced small
Salt and Pepper

Set cream cheese on counter to soften. Heat a large nonstick skillet to medium-low heat. Melt butter and add pears, cook until pears are slightly softened, about 10 minutes. Add spinach a few cups at a time and wilt it into mixture. Season with salt and pepper, turn heat off and cool mixture. Lay out 4 tortillas at a time and smear with cream cheese, top with crushed walnuts, and some of the pear and spinach mixture. Roll up and put into a food storage container seam side down. Finish all rolls and chill for at least 4 hours, or overnight. Before serving, slice off edges of tortillas, then cut each roll into 6 pieces.

New Years Appetizer #5

Mini Ham and Swiss Quiche (makes 40)

1 box Pillsbury pie crust
12 eggs
½ cup milk
1 tsp. tobasco
1 cup diced ham
2 cups shredded Swiss cheese
1 tsp. dried thyme

Roll out pie crust and use a biscuit cutter to make disks. Spray a mini muffin tin with nonstick cooking spray, and press disks into tin. In a mixing bowl, combine all other ingredients. Spoon 1 tbsp. of mixture into each quiche. Bake at 375 for 10-12 minutes until tops are golden and puffy.

New Years Appetizer #6

Cranberries and Brie with Baguettes (makes 30)

1 wheel of Brie
½ cup dried cranberries
¼ cup honey
1 baguette, sliced on an angle

Brie is so simple yet elegant, and so easy to prepare. Slice baguette on a heavy angle, and toast in a 400 degree oven for 2 minutes on each side. Place brie on a microwave safe serving plate, and heat for 2 minutes. Top with cranberries and drizzle with honey. Serve with toasts all around the wheel of brie.

New Years Appetizer #7

Caramelized Onion and Goat Cheese Crostini (makes 30)

1 baguette
2 tbsp. butter
2 large white onions, sliced thin
Salt and pepper
1 8 oz. log goat cheese

Heat a nonstick skillet to medium-low heat. Melt butter and add onions. Stir and cook for about 30-40 minutes until onions are golden brown. Slice baguette and toast 1 side in a 400 degree oven for about 2 minutes. Slice goat cheese log in half, then into 15 pieces per half. Remove and baguettes, flip and place half moon of goat cheese on each baguette. Let it melt for a minute, then spread. Top each toast with 1 tsp. of onions, place back in oven and toast for another 2 minutes. These can be served at room temperature.

Sunday, January 27, 2008

Poll Winner!

I was watching Rachael Ray’s $40 a Day last weekend, and I saw her get this dish in the Black Hills episode. I looked up the actual recipe, and it contained many seafood ingredients, which I wouldn't eat. If you like seafood, check out the recipe - Spontaneous Heating Gumbo at www.foodnetwork.com. I decided to make it my own way without all of the seafood, and to change the portions to feed 2 people. This recipe was also the winner of my weekly ‘What Should I Make’ poll, but I was going to make it anyway!

Chicken and Andouille Gumbo

2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 large chicken breast, diced
2 links andouille sausage, sliced
Salt and pepper
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 yellow onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tbsp. flour
1 cup tomato sauce
1 cup beer
½ cup chicken stock
2 tsp. hot sauce
1 tsp gumbo file seasoning (which is ground sassafras leaves)
1 cup frozen okra
2 cups brown rice

Heat a pot to medium high, add 1 tbsp. olive oil. Add diced chicken and andouille. Cook 7-8 minutes until browned. Scoop out into a bowl. Add 1 tbsp. olive oil to pot, and then add peppers, onion and garlic. Season with salt and pepper, sauté for 5 minutes. Add chicken and andouille back to pot, sprinkle in flour and stir to coat. Cook for 2 more minutes, turn to high and add beer. Allow alcohol to cook off, turn to low and add tomato sauce, stock, hot sauce, seasoning, and okra. Stir to combine, cover and simmer for an hour. Serve over brown rice.

Spin on Leftovers

I love to take my leftovers and create a whole new meal. Here is one way to remake the roasted vegetables.

Roasted Winter Vegetable Soup

3 cups roasted vegetables
3 cups chicken stock
Splash of milk or cream
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tbsp. Parmiggiano Reggiano
Crusty Bread

Warm chicken stock in a pot on the stove. Add vegetables to a blender with half the chicken stock. Blend until desired consistency. Pour into pot with chicken stock, stir in a splash of milk and season. Bring to heat, ladle into a bowl, top with cheese and serve with crusty bread.

Saturday, January 26, 2008

Seasonal Fare

I try to make seasonal meals, so when I find one ingredient that looks good or is in season, I base a meal around it. I also try to find meals that will use up the ingredients later on in the week since I cook for 2, and products generally are sold in serving sizes of 4 or more. I knew I needed goat cheese for my orzo salad, so I decided to make goat cheese chicken to use the rest. Risotto is a staple in our home, and I always have a jar of Arborio rice on hand.

Goat Cheese Chicken with Risotto and Roasted Winter Vegetables

Chicken:
½ lb. thinly sliced chicken breasts (I like Tyson trimmed and ready, or pound out regular)
1 4 oz. log herbed goat cheese
Salt and pepper
¼ tsp. thyme

Risotto
1 tbsp. butter
2/3 cup Arborio rice
1 yellow onion minced
1/2 cup dry white wine
2 1/2 - 3 cups chicken stock, warmed
1/4 cup parmaggiano reggiano, grated
Salt and pepper to taste

Winter Vegetables:
About 3 cups of winter vegetables (I make 6 cups and make soup with the leftovers)
Any selection, such as butternut squash, acorn squash, carrots, parsnips, small new or Yukon gold potatoes, and Brussels sprouts

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Process all winter vegetables into a large dice. Toss on a greased baking sheet with salt and pepper. Roast for 30 minutes.
While vegetables cook, prepare risotto.
Melt butter in a sautee pan, add onion, let soften 5 minutes. Add rice and let it toast for a few minutes. Add white wine, when most of the liquid is evaporated, add stock a few ladles at a time and stir. I added about 1/3 cup every 2-3 minutes. When rice stops absorbing stock, add in parmiggiano reggiano and salt and pepper. It should cook for about 20 minutes from the time you add the white wine.
While making risotto, begin chicken. Preheat nonstick sautee pan to medium heat, drizzle in 1 tbsp. olive oil. Cut goat cheese log in half, save the rest for another meal. Crumble half the log into a small dish, place next to cutting board. Lay chicken breasts out on a plastic cutting board, season one side with salt, pepper and thyme. Flip over. Sprinkle goat cheese in the middle of chicken. Roll the chicken up and place into sautee pan seam side down. After 3 minutes, turn the chicken over, then place in the oven with vegetables and cook for about 15 minutes, or until cooked through.

Week's Menu 1.26-2.1

Here is the menu for this week to help others in planning their own. When writing a weekly menu, there are a few ways to do it. You can base everything around meat, 2 chicken dinners, 1 beef, 2 turkey, 1 seafood, etc., or you can base it around starches - 2 pasta, 2 rice, 2 potato, 1 bread. You can also base it on ethnicity, one mexican night, one italian, one asian, etc. or you can have categories and choose one from each every week - pasta, pizza, burger, roast, stew/soup, casserole, etc. By sticking to a plan like that, you'll find that you don't repeat meals very often. I try to not repeat a dinner because I like a culinary challange (unless it's something we really enjoy)!

January 26 to February 1, in no particular order

Sweet Potato and Black Bean Quesadillas with Roasted Red Pepper Soup

Philly Cheesesteaks and Sweet Potato Fries

Goat Cheese Chicken with Risotto and Roasted Winter Vegetables

Spontaneous Heating Gumbo

Shephards Pie

Chili with Corn Cakes

Spinach Meatballs and Mediterranean Orzo Salad

Friday, January 25, 2008

Pizza Night

Friday night is often pizza night in our house. Our favorite is Hawaiian pizza, which is pretty basic, but I use a few things to jazz it up. Firstly, I always use fresh pineapple. It makes such a difference! I peel and core it the day before, cut it into wedges and put it in the fridge so it can dry out a bit and the pizza doesn’t get soupy. I also got this idea from Bobby Flay – tomato paste instead of sauce on a pizza. I love the concentrated flavor of the tomato paste, and it also keeps the pizza from staying wet and not crisping up. My third go to for pizza night is Penzey’s pizza seasoning. I never make a pizza without it. It is delicious and reminds me of the flavor of pizzas we ate when I lived on Long Island. For tonight’s I’m using Pilsbury pizza dough, but any pizza dough will work. I’m going to experiment with rapid rise yeast next week and try out making whole wheat herbed dough.

Hawaiian Pizza

1 pizza crust or ball of dough
1 6 oz. can Italian style tomato paste
2 cups shredded mozzarella or Italian blend of cheeses
1/2 pineapple diced
1 cup diced ham
½ red onion, sliced thinly
1 tbsp. penzey’s pizza seasoning
½ tsp. crushed red pepper flakes

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Roll out dough, smooth tomato paste over, top with red onion, then cheese, then ham, and finally pineapple. Make sure to put the pineapple on top so the heat can draw out some of the moisture. Top with seasonings, bake about 14 minutes until golden brown.

Tip: If your pizza is still a little wet, turn the broiler on for a minute or two, but be careful not to burn the pizza!

Thursday, January 24, 2008

Thanksgiving + Lightened Up Burger & Fries =

I'm always trying to lighten up basic meals, and incorporate classics into every day food. This meal has all of the flavors of Thanksgiving (maybe not all...) but it's also a burger and fries, a classic! It's great because it can be made any time of the year. I use a grill pan, but of course it would be great on the grill. I never thought of using cranberry sauce as a condiment until I went to Atlanta Bread Co. and had their turkey sandwich, it's sweet and delicious, and balances out well with some brown mustard.

Thanksgiving Turkey Burgers and Squash Fries

1 large butternut squash (or you could sub sweet potato fries, found in the freezer section)

1 lb. 99% fat free ground turkey

1/4 cup minced dried cranberries

1/4 cup minced red onion

1 tbsp. worstershire sauce

1/2 tsp salt and pepper

1 tsp. poultry seasoning

1 small can cranberry sauce

4 whole wheat buns

Brown Mustard

A few lettuce leaves

Ketchup

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Spray a cookie sheet with nonstick spray. Trim the neck of the squash into large fries. Arrange on cookie sheet and sprinkle with salt.

Bake for 20 minutes, turning over half way.

Preheat a grill pan to medium-high. Add turkey, cranberries, onion, worstershire sauce, salt, pepper and poultry seasoning to a mixing bowl. Gently mix and make sure the poultry seasoning is well incorporated. Divide meat into fourths and form into patties. Drop onto grill pan and cook for 7 minutes on one side, flip and grill for 5-7 minutes on the next.

Toast buns, squirt the bottom with mustard and spread cranberry sauce on the top. Add the burger and top with lettuce. Take the squash fries out and plate. Serve with ketchup or a maple brown sugar sour cream (recipe below).

1/2 cup sour cream

1 tbsp. maple syrup

1 tbsp. brown sugar

mix and chill.

Wednesday, January 23, 2008

Twist on a Classic

I love to take a classic dish and put a spin on it somehow. I wanted to try out soyrizo, and the grocery store has had some beautiful poblanos, so I decided to make a tex-mex macaroni and cheese. I made JJ's with regular chorizo links that were fully cooked, and I used soyrizo in mine, which has a ground beef consistency. If all your market has is mexican style chorizo (the crumbly kind) that can be used, but the spanish style chorizo, precooked and dice-able is preferred in this recipe.

Tex-Mex Mac and Cheese

½ lb. pasta, any short cut (recommended barilla plus elbows)

2 poblano peppers

1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

1/2 red onion, diced

salt and pepper

1 tomato, diced

½ Haas avocado, diced

2 chorizo links

2 tbsp. flour

1/2 cup chicken stock

1 cup milk (or a little more)

2 cups shredded monterey jack cheese

Turn broiler on high.

Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil.

Place poblanos on a baking sheet, place under broiler. When the pepper is charred, turn over until all sides are charred, about 3-4 minutesper side. Place poblanos in a bowl with plastic wrap or a food storage container with a lid. Let peppers sit for 10 minutes.

While poblanos are cooking, heat a large skillet to medium high heat. Add diced chorizo and sautee until golden brown and some fat cooks out.Add pasta to boiling water, cook 7-8 minutes until al dente. Peel skin off peppers, and slice into strips.

Scoop chorizo out of the skillet onto a paper towel. Add diced red onion to the pan, sautee for 2-3 minutes. Sprinkle with flour and allow it to cook until no long white, about 2 minutes. Whisk in milk and chicken stock, add seasonings and bring to a bubble. Add in cheese and whisk until smooth. Add pasta and poblanos to skillet and heat through.

Scoop into a bowl and top with diced tomato and avocado.

Tuesday, January 22, 2008

Dinner in a Hurry

I love chicken/turkey/beef pot pie because of the versatility. There are so many methods with the "pie" part, such as pie crust, puff pastry, mashed potatoes, polenta, or tonight's method, biscuits. There are also so many different meat and vegetable combinations to fill it with, and spice blends can take the pot pie to a different ethnicity. (In my mind I'm creating a jerk chicken pot pie with smashed plantains on top right now!)
This pot pie was created for a busy weeknight. By cooking the vegetables on the stove, making a roux to thicken it, and topping it with biscuits that cook while the vegetables cook, it should not take more than 30 minutes to prepare.

Quick Chicken Pot Pie

1 tbsp olive oil
1 large carrot, diced
3 new potatoes, diced
5 mushrooms, quartered
½ small yellow onion, diced
1 garlic clove, minced
½ cup green beans cut in 1 inch segments
½ cup frozen corn
½ cup frozen peas
1/2 cup frozen okra
2 chicken breasts, poached and diced
1 tbsp butter
2 tbsp flour
2-3 cups chicken stock
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. black pepper
½ tsp. thyme

biscuits
1 cup all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
2 tsp. baking powder
½ teaspoon sugar
½ teaspoon fine salt
3 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, finely diced
1/3 cup skim milk

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Mix together all dry biscuit ingredients, then use fingers to squish in butter. Butter should be about the size of a pea or smaller. Mix in milk with a wooden spoon. When milk is just absorbed, turn mixture onto a floured surface. If it's too wet, add some flour. Pat dough out until it's about ½" thick. Flour a biscuit cutter and cut out 5-6 biscuits. Drop onto a greased cookie sheet, brush a little more milk on top of each to help with the browning. Bake for 9-10 minutes, until golden on top.
While biscuits are in the oven, start on the filling. Preheat nonstick soup pot to medium. Add a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. Add potatoes, carrots, mushrooms, green beans and onion. Cook for about 5 minutes. Move vegetables to the outside of the pot, add the butter, let it melt, then add the flour evenly over it. Allow the flour to cook a bit, then mix it all around all of the vegetables and let it cook for another minute until there is no white flour left. Add in the chicken stock, salt, pepper, thyme and chicken and stir until mixture is thick and somewhat creamy. Add frozen corn, okra and peas, and bring back to a low bubble.
Ladle filling into a bowl, top with a biscuit.

Store bought biscuts can be used, of course, as well as a frozen mixed vetegable blend.

Kristine's Wedding Cake

My sister's wedding cake was the first wedding cake I made. Kristine is a chocoholic, so we knew it would have to be chocolate with raspberry and chocolate mousse fillings. I used Ina Garten's chocolate cake recipe exactly, a raspberry filling I made (following the basic fruit filling recipe) and the mousse is a traditional recipe. I covered it in white chocolate fondant.

Ina's Chocolate Birthday Cake

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar
3/4 cups good cocoa powder (I use penzeys dutch process cocoa)
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup buttermilk, shaken
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup freshly brewed hot coffee (Starbucks sumatra)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter 2 (8-inch) round cake pans. Line with parchment paper, then butter and flour the pans.
Sift the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and mix on low speed until combined. In another bowl, combine the buttermilk, oil, eggs, and vanilla. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry. With mixer still on low, add the coffee and stir just to combine, scraping the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Pour the batter into the prepared pans and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean. Cool in the pans for 30 minutes, then turn them out onto a cooling rack and cool completely.

Chocolate Mousse

4 large eggs

1/3 cup sugar

12 oz. semisweet chocolate, chopped

1 1/2 cups cold whipping cream

1 tsp. vanilla

Whisk egs and sugar in a metal bowl set over a double boiler, whisk constantly for about 5 mins or until a candy thermometer reaches 160 degrees. Remove bowl from water, use an electric mixer and beat mixture for 10 minutes until cool and thick.

Place chocolate over double boiler and melt until smooth.

Beat whipping cream and vanilla until stiff peaks form.

Pour melted chocolate over eggs and fold together, fold in cream a bit at a time.

Cover and chill for at least 4 hours.

White Chocolate Fondant

1 lb. white chocolate cand coating

3/4 cup corn syrup

4 lbs. powdered sugar

8 tbsp. hot water

1 cup glucose

2 tsp. vanilla

1/2 tsp. salt

4 tbsp. white crisco

Melt coating in a pot, add corn syrup. Stir to combine and spread on plastic wrap to cool.

Put powdered sugar in a bowl and make a well in the center. Set aside.

Mix glucose, vanilla, salt and vegetable shortening in a saucepan. Heat until shortening is almost melted. Pour into powdered sugar, stir until thick with a spoon. Pour onto counter and knead smooth. Knead the two mixes together and add more powdered sugar until it reaches a dough like consistency.

To store, wrap in plastic wrap and put in a plastic bag.

Fondant will be somewhat hard when it sets, knead it out slowly to bring it back to original consistency.

from www.cincicakeandcandy.com

Monday, January 21, 2008

Resolution Helper!

my layering stations all set up

what the first layer looked like

This is my healthy version of lasagna. I use part skim cheese products, but whole milk cheeses could be used instead. Also, I use chicken sausage, and I add spinach. The whole wheat lasagna noodles are somewhat hard to come by, I only found one brand – Ronzoni healthy harvest. This batch made 3 rows 3 noodles high (because I have a shallow dish). It can be made higher though, or doubled to feed 8 people.

I remember watching my mom make lasagna when I was a child, and she would boil all of the noodles at once, drain them into a colander, and then proceed with the layering. Many of the noodles would stick and tear, which was great for us because she would give us the broken noodles, but I have found my method to work really well by only making the noodles one layer at a time. I cook the noodles to al dente so they don’t get too soggy and they also suck in the sauce so the lasagna isn’t watery.

This meal can be made a day or two ahead of time and kept in the refrigerator, or it can be frozen.

Chicken Sausage and Spinach Lasagna

1 tbsp. olive oil
1 small yellow onion, diced
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tbsp. penzeys Italian seasoning blend
1 6 oz. can tomato paste, Italian style
1 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes
2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
½ tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
10 basil leaves, torn
1 box whole wheat lasagna noodles
3 links chicken sausage (recommended spinach and asiago from Sam’s club)
8 oz. part skim ricotta
8 oz. box frozen chopped spinach, defrosted and drained
1 egg
2 cups shredded part skim mozzarella

First make the sauce: Heat skillet to medium, add olive oil, onion and garlic. Sautee for about 5 minutes, until softened. Add seasoning, salt and pepper, tomato paste and crushed tomatoes. Cover and simmer while you prepare the other elements.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Salt heavily.

Sausage: The sausage I use are precooked, but I like to brown them. Add ¼” of water to a skillet and a drizzle of olive oil over the sausage. Cook on high until water evaporates, sausage will begin to brown, flip over to brown all sides. Remove from pan and put on a plastic cutting board to cool.

In a mixing bowl, combine ricotta, spinach, egg, ½ cup mozzarella and salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.

Drop 3 noodles into the pot (if you’re making a lasagna with 3 rows). Cook for 5-6 minutes.

Tear basil leaves into sauce and turn heat off.

Ladle some sauce to coat the bottom of a baking dish.

Slice sausage links into 12 pieces each (if making 3 rows)

Remove noodles from water with tongs and line the dish, drop in 3 more.

Spread ricotta mixture over each noodle row, top each row with 4 sausages, a sprinkle of cheese, and some marinara.

Add next layer of noodles and repeat.

Add 3^rd layer of noodles, top with ricotta, sausage, and sauce first, then the remainder of the cheese.

Bake in a 375 degree oven until brown and bubbly, about 30 minutes if you bake it off right away, and 1 hour if it’s been refrigerated.

Our Wedding Cake

I love gingerbread, so I decided to make half of our wedding cake gingerbread, and half red velvet. I varied a bit from a recipe at foodnetwork.com for the gingerbread. I filled each cake with a cream cheese mixture that I bought. When it comes to cakes that will be worked on for a few days, I don’t like to use homemade cream cheese filling because I worry it will spoil. The cream cheese filling at the Cincinnati Cake and Candy Company is amazing though, especially when I add a little flavor to freshen it up. I added minced crystallized ginger to the gingerbread cake, and cherry to the red velvet. I used a red velvet recipe from foodnetwork.com as well. For this cake, I followed the recipe exactly.

Gingerbread Wedding Cake

1 cup vegetable oil, like soy, peanut, or corn
1 cup sugar
½ cup mild molasses
½ cup full flavor molasses
2 large eggs
3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 ½ tablespoons ground ginger
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
¼ teaspoon fresh grated nutmeg
1 cup water
1 tablespoon baking soda

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

In a stand mixer, beat together the oil, sugar, and molasses. Add the eggs and whisk until smooth.

In another large bowl, whisk together the flour, ground ginger, cinnamon, salt, nutmeg and cloves. On low, beat the flour mixture into the wet mixture until evenly combined.

Heat water in a mug for 1 minute, stir baking soda in water with a fork and beat the water into the batter until just combined.

Pour batter into 2 9” well greased pans. Bake the cake in the center of the oven, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 25-30 minutes.

Slice each layer in half to make 4 layers.

Ginger cream cheese filling

1 tube of cream cheese filling from Cincinnati Cake and Candy Company http://www.cincycakeandcandy.com/
¼ cup crystallized ginger, finely minced

Whisk ingredients together in a bowl, set aside

Sylvia’s Red Velvet Cake

2 1/2 cups sifted cake flour
2 teaspoons cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
2 large eggs
1 cup buttermilk
2 ounces red food coloring
1 teaspoon distilled white vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla

For the cake: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour 2 (9-inch) cake pans. In a medium bowl or on a piece of waxed paper, sift together flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt; set aside. In a large bowl, cream together sugar and butter. Beat in eggs one at a time. Alternately add flour mixture and buttermilk. Beat in food coloring and vinegar, then add vanilla. Spread the batter evenly in the pans. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Turn out onto a rack to cool.

Cherry Cake Filling (or you can use a can of cherry pie filling)

1 16 oz. sack frozen cherries, thawed and chopped, juices reserved
½ cup sugar
4 tbsp. butter
2 tbsp. cornstarch

Heat a nonstick skillet over medium, add all ingredients, bring to a low boil. Stir constantly, about 10 minutes, until no longer milky looking.

Cool at room temperature.

To fill the red velvet cake, I swirled the cream cheese and cherry in each layer.

I iced the cakes in stardard white buttercream (see Maggie’s Wedding cake) and used white chocolate fondant, which I will post later!

JJ's grooms cake was a carrot cake with walnut cream cheese filling, iced in buttercream and covered in fondant. It was so much fun making his cake and everyone loved it. Charm City has nothing on me...

The recipe I decided on was for cupcakes from wilton.com's website. I tried out a few, we found this one to be the most moist. We had tried some with and without vanilla extract, and we decided we like the cakes without the vanilla best.

Carrot Cake

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups granulated sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons baking soda
4 eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
4 cups freshly shredded carrots
2/3 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350°F.
In medium bowl, combine flour, sugar, cinnamon and baking soda; mix well.
In large bowl, beat eggs with electric mixer until foamy; add oil in a thin stream and beat well.
Add flour mixture to egg mixture; mix well.
Fold in carrots and nuts.
Pour into well greased pan.

1 recipe made the car, and 1 for each of the 3 layers.

Make sure you use fresh grated carrot, it makes a world of difference and keeps the cake especially moist.

Sunday, January 20, 2008

Let's Just Take it Apart

Today it was 12 degrees. That's just rediculous! However, it's the perfect day to make a big pot of stew. I saw Rachael Ray start making a version of this one day, but I could not watch it because she's really begun to annoy me (yet I love her cookware - the orange pot, way cheaper than le creuset). So anyway, thank you for the idea, Rachael, but I went on my own with the method.

Stuffed Cabbage Stew

12 oz. 96% lean ground beef

1 yellow onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 carrots, sliced

1 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes

3 cups chicken stock

1 small head of green cabbage shredded

1 tbsp. penzeys italian herb blend

1 tbsp. salt

2 tsp. ground pepper

1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes

2 cups brown rice (i use boil in bag quick cooking)

Brown beef in a dutch oven over medium high heat. Drain off grease. Add onion, garlic and carrots, sautee for 5 minutes. Add chicken stock and scrape up the beef bits on the bottom of the pot. Add crushed tomatoes and seasonings. When it reaches a rolling boil, add cabbage and stir until it begins to wilt. Turn to low and simmer for an hour. After an hour, you may need more stock if the cabbage didn't give off enough water.

In a seperate pot, prepare the rice.

Spoon rice into a soup bowl and ladle stew on and around.

Serve with parmaggiano reggiano cheese.

What else can I add pumpkin to...

I LOVE soft pretzels. I LOVE pumpkin. In fact, I had a dog named Pretzel, and I have a dog name Pumpkin.

My mom always made soft pretzels with us growing up, and I barely ever see them anymore (except at Sam's club, thanks, Sams!) I had 1/2 cup leftover pumpkin and some yeast, so I decided to try making pumpkin pretzels. I took my Mom's basic German soft pretzel recipe, and changed it a bit to compensate for the wet pumpkin. They came out great, but honestly, I couldn't really taste the pumpkin... next time I'd probably leave it out, unless I had some left over in the fridge.

1 pkg. dry yeast

1 cup warm water

1 tsp. salt 1 tbsp. sugar

4.5 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup pumpkin puree

1 large egg, beaten

Coarse salt

Dissolve yeast in water, add salt and sugar. Blend in all the flour and knead until smooth. (I used the dough hook on my kitchenaid). Let rise in the oven (turned off) for an hour. Cut dough into 12 pieces and roll into balls. Let rest another hour.

Roll into ropes, twist ropes into pretzel shapes and place on a cookie sheet. Brush pretzels with beaten egg, sprinkle with coarse salt. Bake in a 425 degree oven for 12-15 minutes, or until brown.

Maggie's Wedding Cake

I was asked to make my sister's best friend's wedding cake. It was so fun because the couple is very non-traditional and fun! The dinner was chicken and steak fajitas in an outdoor venue, so we decided pina colada cake would be a hit.

Coconut Cake:
3 sticks unsalted butter
2 cups sugar
5 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk
8 ounces sweetened, shredded coconut, chopped a little further in a food processor (makes cutting the cake easier)

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Cream the butter and sugar on high speed until it's fluffy, and almost white. With the mixer on low speed, add the eggs, 1 at a time. Add the vanilla.
In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In 3 parts, alternately add the dry ingredients and the buttermilk to the batter, beginning and ending with the dry. Mix until just combined. Fold in coconut.
Pour into 2 well greased 10" round cake pans. Bake 30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

To make a 4 layer cake, cut each cake in half.

Pineapple Rum Filling:
1 28 oz. can crushed pineapple
1/2 cup sugar
4 tbsp. butter
3 tbsp. cornstarch
1 tsp salt
2 tbsp. rum extract

In a nonstick skillet, add first 4 ingredients. Bring to a bubble and constantly stir until mixture is no longer milky, about 10 minutes. Cool, add extract. Refridgerate for up to a week.

White Vanilla Buttercream
(derived from the Cincinnati Cake and Candy Recipe)
*shortening is used to keep the icing from melting, if temperatures are moderate or cake doesn't need to travel, it can be omitted and everything can be scaled back)
1 cup butter (2 sticks)
1/2 cup white shortening
2 lbs. confectioners sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. almond extract
1/2 tsp. butter extract
1 tsp. salt
1/4 cup water

Beat together butter and shortening. Add extracts and salt. Alternate sugar and water, using more water if necessary to loosen up icing for easy spreading.

All cakes were covered in white chocolate fondant, which will be posted later!

It's Wedding Season, Kids!

I made these tuxedo and bride strawberries for my sister's bridal shower. They are so easy to make, and people love them!

Tuxedo Strawberries

36 large strawberries with stems

1 bag white chocolate chips

1 bag dark chocolate chips

Flower candies, or I made royal icing and piped a star tip "flower"

Melt chocolate in seperate bowls over a double boiler. Dip all strawberries in white chocolate. While a little wet, press a candy into 18 (bride).

When dry, dip each side of 18 to create a dark chocolate V (the tuxedos). Use a toothpick or a piping bag to create buttons - I think 3 looks best - and the bowtie.

I used royal icing to make the flowers on mine, but I think buying candies would have been much easier as making royal icing and piping it takes a while, and you only need a few tablespoons to get 12 flowers!

Sinking Cinnamon

I wanted to make muffins, but I didn't have any baking powder. I remembered I had some baking mix, and they came out just as well. I call them sinking cinnamon muffins because i put a crumble topping on and it sank to the middle, which was good, but unexpected. If you want your crumble topping on top, I'd make the muffins and take them out with 2-3 mins. to go and add the topping.

Sinking Cinnamon Muffins

1 egg

1/2 cup skim milk

2 tbsp. vegetable oil

1 1/2 cups baking mix

3/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup + 1/2 cup brown sugar (I used dark)

2 tsp. cinnamon

2 tbsp. butter, diced

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Baking spray

Mix egg, milk, and vegetable oil until well combined. Add in mix, granulated sugar, 1/4 cup brown sugar, and 1 tsp. cinnamon. Batter will be runny.

Mix the remaining ingredients in a bowl, sprinkle evenly over the muffins, or wait until muffins have been in the oven 16 minutes, then add on top.

Spoon into 6 well sprayed jumbo muffin cups. Bake at 375 for 20 minutes.

This recipe can also be made into a coffee cake, in an 8x8 pan.

The topping will settle in the center and create a gooey nutty cavity.

My First Risotto

I was very excited to try making risotto for the first time, sad, I know. I was up for a challange, but it really wasn't a challange! I really enjoyed making it, and standing over the stove for 30 minutes wasn't a big deal because I was busy making the other elements to the dish. I have since made many variations which will be posted as they're photographed.
I decided to make a bistro like dinner for JJ and I since risotto seemed so elegant, here's what I came up with...

Balsamic Fig Chicken with Risotto and Asparagus

Risotto

1 tbsp. butter

1 cup arborio rice

1 yellow onion minced

1/2 cup dry white wine

2 1/2 - 3 cups chicken stock, warmed

1/4 cup parmaggiano reggiano, grated

salt and pepper to taste

Melt butter in a sautee pan, add onion, let soften 5 minutes. Add rice and let it toast for a few minutes. Add white wine, when most of the liquid is evaporated, add stock a few ladels at a time and stir. I added about 1/3 cup every 2-3 minutes. When rice stops absorbing stock, add in parmiggiano reggiano and salt and pepper. It should cook for about 20 minutes from the time you add the white wine.

Balsamic Fig Chicken

1 cup balsamic vinegar

8 figs quartered

2 chicken breasts

1 tbsp. grill seasoning

In a small saucepot, bring 1 cup balsamic vinegar to a rolling boil. Add in quartered figs and let the vinegar reduce until it becomes a sweet syrup, about 10 minutes.

Season chicken and pan fry in olive oil, cooking for 6-7 minutes on each side.

Steam one bunch of asparagus.

Assemble by spooning risotto onto place, top with chicken breast, asparagus, and drizzle figs and syrup on top.

Pumpkin Bread Variations

I made these mini loaves for the women who hosted my bridal shower in October. This past weekend, I didn't have any chocolate chips in the house, but I had walnuts, so I figured I'd sub the chocolate chips for walnuts, and it tasted great both ways. The original recipe is from Bon Appetit, November 2000.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Loaves

1 3/4 cups unbleached all purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

1 teaspoon baking soda1 teaspoon baking powder

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature

1 1/4 cups sugar

3 large eggs

1 cup canned pure pumpkin

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/3 cup whole milk (i used skim)

3/4 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips or 3/4 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter and flour 9x5x2 1/2-inch metal loaf pan. Sift first 5 ingredients into medium bowl. Using electric mixer, beat butter in large bowl until smooth. Gradually beat in sugar, then beat in eggs 1 at a time. Beat in pumpkin and vanilla. Beat dry ingredients into pumpkin mixture alternately with milk. Stir in chocolate chips or nuts. Transfer batter to prepared pan. Bake loaf cake until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 55 minutes.

The Buffalo Chicken Experiment - Take 1

JJ and I absolutely love Buffalo Chicken. The tang, the spice, the cool bleu cheese... and the versatility! I have made buffalo chicken so many ways, but never posted or pictured it, so this will be my first entry of many for buffalo chicken. Stay tuned for pizza, salad, burgers, dip, and many other buffalo chicken deviations! This one is pretty basic, a sandwich I made for JJ for lunch one day.

Buffalo Chicken Sandwiches

2 slices whole wheat bread

4 slices buffalo chicken deli meat (boars head)

1/4 cup crumbled bleu cheese

lettuce

sliced tomato

sliced red onion

3 tsbp. buffalo sauce

Toast the bread lightly on one side, turn over, add the sauce to one slice, the blue cheese to the other slice, and put 2 slices of chicken on each slice. Toast again for 2 minutes. Add the tomato, lettuce, and red onion, close the sandwich and enjoy!

Let's Go To Tripps!

One of our favorite restaurants is Tripps, however it's located in Hickory, NC, where we went to school. We are now in Bloomington, IN. I decided to try to make their Santa Fe Chicken Pasta at home, it came out pretty close, it's not as creamy as Tripps', but that's because I cut out the cream in the sauce. I also added more snow peas, our favorite part of the dish. At the restaurant, you'd get maybe 10 in your bowl, but I changed that!

Santa Fe Chicken Pasta

1 lb. penne
4 chicken breasts
1 red onion, sliced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 red bell pepper
1 cup snow peas
1 15 oz. can tomato sauce
2 cups cheddar cheese
1 tbsp flour
1 cup milk
1 can black beans
2 tbsp + 1 tsp chili powder
2 tbsp + 1 tsp cumin
1 tbsp coriander
2 tsp salt
2 tsp ground black pepper
Extra Vigrin Olive Oil
Sour cream for garnish

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Season heavily with salt when boiling. Drop in penne and cook for about 8-9 minutes, until al dente. In the last minute of cooking, drop the snap peas into the pot and let them blanch. Drain the pasta and peas and set aside.
Heat a grill pan over medium high. Season chicken breasts on each side with 1 tsp. each of salt, pepper, cumin and chili powder. Grill for about 6-7 minutes on each side, depending on how thick chicken is.
In a large skillet, sauté sliced onion, garlic, and red bell pepper over medium heat in about 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil. After vegetables are softened, about 5 minutes, sprinkle in flour. Toss to coat and cook through. Add milk and heat until thickened. Stir in most of cheddar cheese. When melted, stir in tomato sauce, black beans, and the remainder of the spices. When everything is warmed through and combined, add in pasta and peas.
Take chicken off the grill and slice on an angle. Plate pasta and arrange chicken over it. Top with cheddar cheese and a dollop of sour cream.

It's Cookie Time!

My husband is always checking the cookie jar to see if I've added something new. White chocolate is his favorite, so I decided to take an average chocolate chip cookie recipe and change it a bit to his liking, specifically with white chocolate and brown sugar.

White Chocolate Chip and Walnut Cookies

2 ½ cups flour
½ teaspoon salt
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup unsalted butter
1 cup light brown sugar
¾ cup sugar
2 eggs
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
¾ cup white chocolate chips
¾ cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350°. Cream together sugars, vanilla and butter. Add eggs and mix until smooth. Sift together flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda in another bowl. Add dry ingredients to butter mixture slowly. When flour is just mixed in, fold in walnuts and chocolate chips with a spatula. Drop rounded tablespoons full of dough onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for 12-14 minutes or until light golden brown.

*Any nut can be substituted for the walnuts, such as macadamia nuts, pecans, or almonds

Eat Your (Mediterranean) Veggies!

Mediterranean Vegetable Subs

When I find a combination of vegetables that work well together, I try to make them into a pasta dish, a pizza, and for my husband, a sub! He loves sandwiches, and this one is one of his new favorites!

1 8” loaf of whole wheat sub bread
¼ cup basil pesto (recipe below)
1 15oz. can quartered artichoke hearts in water
1 roasted red pepper
1 cup fresh spinach leaves
4 slices provolone cheese
2 roma tomatoes
4 oz. (about 10) cremini mushrooms
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon olive oil

Basil Pesto

2 cups basil leaves

1 garlic clove

1/4 cup pine nuts

1/4 cup parmesean cheese

salt and pepper

1/4 cup olive oil

Add first 5 ingredients to a food processor or blender, pulse until chopped small, turn on and stream in olive oil until it reaches desired consistency. I like mine thicker and less oily.

Preheat broiler in oven. Cut bread open lengthwise and hollow out. Place on a sheet pan and let insides toast under broiler for 1 minute.
Slice mushrooms and add to a nonstick pan on medium-high with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Toss around mushrooms every 1-2 minutes until they’re soft and moisture is out. Add balsamic vinegar and let it caramelize on mushrooms. Turn heat off and let mushrooms sit.
Spread pesto evenly on top and bottom of bread. Add a layer of the artichoke hearts and bell peppers on one side, and tomatoes, spinach, and mushrooms on the other. Top each sub half with 2 slices of provolone. Place sub under the broiler until cheese is melted and slightly golden, about 2 minutes.

A Winter Fiesta!

This is my mexican version on chicken and dumplings. I paired it with black bean cakes, they're a little spicy, perfect for a cold night!

Mexican Chicken and Dumplings

1 small yellow onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tbsp. chili powder
1 tsp. cumin
2 cups chicken stock
pinch of dry oregano
salt and pepper
1 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes
1 15 oz. can tomato sauce

1/3 cup cornmeal
pinch of salt
3 tbsp. hot water
1 tbsp olive oil

2 cooked chicken breasts, diced (poach or bake)

Heat 2 tbsp. olive oil in a soup pot on medium, add onion and garlic. Sautee 3-4 minutes until softened. Add spices, broth, tomato sauce and crushed tomatoes. Bring to a boil, simmer 10 minutes. While simmering, prepare dumplings. Add all ingredients to a bowl, stir until soft dough forms, it will be dry. If necessary, add more water 1 tsp. at a time. Drop teaspoon sized balls of dough into tomato soup. Cook uncovered 3 minutes. Turn heat to low, add in diced chicken. Gently stir to distribute chicken and dumplings evenly.
Ladle into a bowl and serve with queso fresco or sour cream and cilantro.

Black Bean Patties

15 oz. can black beans, drained but not rinsed
1 garlic clove minced
1/2 small red onion, minced
1/4 cup, or 1 jarred roasted red pepper chopped
1/2 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. chili powder
salt and pepper
1 egg white1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup cornmeal
1/2 cup cheddar or monterey jack cheese

Turn a nonstick skillet on medium, spray with nonstick baking spray.
Add black beans to a bowl, gently mash about half the black beans. Add the remaining ingredients and fold with a spatula to incorporate. Batter will be somewhat loose. Drop heaping tablespoons into skillet. Cover and let patties brown on first side, about 3-4 minutes, flip patties and cook for another 3 minutes or until browned.
Top each patty with sour cream and chopped red onion.