Carmelized Onion and Roasted Red Pepper Pizza

I make pizza fairly frequently because both of us love it.  This pizza is fairly healthy because it doesn't have much cheese on it.  I make it this way when the craving for pizza hits but we don't have any mozzarella in the apartment.  It's not quite the same, but it's still delicious.

We usually top our pizza with crushed red pepper flake and garlic powder after it's baked.  This works really well with any combination of veggies or meat you have on hand.  And if you don't want to use pizza sauce, a simple drizzle of olive oil before topping is also delicious.

I've just started making my pizza dough in my kitchenaid mixer (thanks Mom!) and it's wonderful.  It's much less messy than making the dough by hand.  This dough is really nice and flavorful and easy to work with.  If you're having trouble with the dough, this pizza can also be made on a sheet tray (this also works if you don't have a pizza stone).  Just oil a sheet tray with some olive oil and press the dough into the pan.  Then top as desired and bake.  Also delicious. :)

Pizza:
1 recipe pizza dough (below)
1 onion, sliced thinly
2 roasted red bell peppers (yes, from a jar), sliced thinly
1 tomato, chopped
1 tsp. minced garlic
1/3 c. pizza sauce
3-4 tbs. parmesan cheese
1/3 c. cornmeal

1. Place a pizza stone in the middle of the oven.  Preheat to 450 degrees.
2. Spread cornmeal on a pizza peel.  Using a rolling pin, roll out the dough to desired thickness (I roll mine out to 1/4" or so).  Make sure the dough slides easily by giving the peel a few shakes.  If it's stuck to the board, add some more cornmeal wherever it's sticking.
3. Top with pizza sauce, parmesan cheese, and veggies.
4. Bake for 15-20 minutes until the crust is crispy and golden brown.
5. Remove pizza from oven with peel. Allow it to rest for 5 minutes before slicing and serving.

Pizza Dough:
1 c. warm water (about 105-115 degrees)
4 tsp. instant dry yeast (this is about 2 small envelopes if you're using that instead of bulk yeast)
3 tsp. olive oil, divided
1 tsp. sugar
~2 1/2 cups AP flour
1 tsp. kosher salt

1. In a mixer fitted with a bread hook (or a large bowl*), dissolve yeast in water.  Add 2 tsp. olive oil, sugar, 1 1/2 c. flour and salt.  Start mixer on low speed (my bread hook always runs on speed 2) and mix for 2 minutes to incorporate.  Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides.
2. Turn the mixer back on (on speed 2 or a low speed) and add the remaining flour. Allow the dough to knead for about 10 minutes until the dough cleans the sides of the bowl and it becomes elastic and springy.  (It's hard to over-knead pizza dough so just let it work.)
3. Put 1 tsp. olive oil in a large bowl.  Remove the dough from the mixer and place in the large bowl, rolling it to coat it in the olive oil.  Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise in a warm place for half an hour.
4. Once the dough has doubled in size, punch the dough down and allow it to continue to rise for 1-2 hours.  If you're not using it right away, put the dough into the fridge after punching.

* If you don't have a mixer to mix the dough in, you can do it by hand.  In a medium bowl, dissolve yeast in water.  Add 2 tsp.olive oil, sugar, 1 1/2 c. flour, and salt and mix to combine just until it's easy to handle.  Pour the mixture out onto a well-floured surface and knead the dough, adding the rest of the flour as you go.  Continue kneading until the dough is elastic and springy (probably 10-15 minutes depending on how fast you work).  Place the dough in an oiled bowl as directed above and allow to rise the same way.

Cod and Couscous en Papillote

The finished dish -- Right after opening.

I've been meaning to try to cook fish en papillote (in parchment paper) for a while.  I bought some cod at the grocery store yesterday so I decided to try it today.  It was really simple and turned out really well.  This was more food than the two of us needed... although it's all gone now.  :)

The fish stayed really moist in the packet.  It was flavorful from the veggies and herbs in the packet and was nice and flaky when done.  I will definitely make fish this way again.

The couscous cooked up well although some of the bottom was a little crunchy.  I think this may have been caused by not enough rinsing of the couscous before putting it in the packet or the need to get more of the wine to the middle of the packet.

The veggies cooked up really well.  I would have liked the onions cooked more (so I gave them to Jeremy) and he dislikes tomatoes so he gave me his slices of tomato.  Worked out well in the end. :)  Next time I might try making separate packets so each of us gets just the veggies we want.

Overall this was a really healthy and easy meal.  It was simple because all I really had to do was assemble everything in the packet and bake it.  No tending anything on the stove.  And it was quite healthy since it was just steamed together in the packet.  Definitely something I will make again.

You can certainly change up the veggies and fish you use in this.  It would be delicious with other herbs and seasonings as well.  The whole meal tasted really fresh without a lot of other flavors covering up the goodness of the veggies and fish.  Delicious. :)

Before baking.

Served up. Not the prettiest gal at the ball...

Recipe:
1 lb. fresh cod (or other firm white fish)
1/2 green bell pepper, thinly sliced
1/2 medium onion, thinly sliced
1/2 medium tomato, thinly sliced
1/2 lemon, thinly sliced
1 c. couscous (uncooked)
1/2 c. white wine (I had chardonnay on hand)
1 tsp. dried parsley flakes
1/2 tsp. dried thyme leaves
1/2 tsp. salt, divided
1/4 tsp. pepper, divided
1 tbs. olive oil

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Place a piece of parchment paper about 20 inches long on a baking sheet.
3. Rinse couscous under cold water and spread into an even layer about the size of the fish on the parchment paper. Sprinkle1/4 tsp. salt and 1/8 tsp. black pepper over the couscous.
4. Lay the fish on top of the couscous and top evenly with the lemons and tomatoes. Season with the remaining salt and pepper and sprinkle the parsley and thyme evenly over the fish. Spread the onions and peppers around the fish.  Pour the wine over the fish and drizzle with olive oil.
5. Fold the edges of the parchment paper together and secure using a stapler.  Make sure it's as sealed as possible to trap the steam.
6. Bake for approximately 30 minutes until the fish is cooked through and the veggies are tender.  (The package will puff slightly from the steam.)
7. Cut open the parchment paper and serve.

French Toast

A few days ago I made (or attempted to make) a loaf of bread.  It was from the bread machine cookbook but it didn't rise much in the machine.  So we ended up with a very dense loaf.  We've been eating it a little but had a lot left.  So this morning I decided to make french toast.

Jeremy was reluctant at first because he thought it was really unhealthy... then I showed him that it wasn't that bad (given that I was using skim milk, not cream) so he agreed that we could have it for breakfast.  I made 2 slices for each of us and ended up giving him about a third of one of my slices.  Very filling toast - probably because I used such a dense bread.

This recipe will work with whatever bread you have on hand.  Just use a dish big enough to allow all the pieces to sit flat in the custard before cooking.  It can be doubled as needed.  It's not a picky recipe so  you can certainly adjust things to fit your taste.  I topped our pieces with powdered sugar and maple syrup.  Yum!

It's a really simple recipe that doesn't take a lot of work to put together.  And the results are delicious and comforting.  I will definitely make this again with other breads that I have on hand.

My toast -- before the maple syrup drizzle.

Recipe:
4 slices bread
2 eggs
1/2 c. milk
2 tsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/8 tsp. salt

1. In a large shallow dish beat eggs, milk, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt together.  Place bread in the mixture and turn to coat both sides.  Allow to sit for about 15 minutes, turning once or twice, to allow the bread to evenly soak up the liquid.
2. Heat a griddle on medium heat.  Place bread in an even layer and cook, 3-4 minutes per side, until golden brown on both sides.  (Depending on how high the heat is this may happen faster or slower... so keep an eye on the bread so it doesn't burn.)
3. Serve topped with whatever you like. :)

Pulled Pork Sandwiches with Spicy BBQ Sauce

When Jeremy and I visited his parents for Thanksgiving, his mom had earned a free item from the grocery store.  Since we didn't feel like getting another turkey, we chose a pork shoulder -- a picnic cut.  So tonight (or really today... since it took about 11 hours total to complete it) I made pulled pork.  I baked my own hamburger buns for this using our bread machine.  I served this with some buttered corn but cole slaw would also be delicious.  I just didn't have any this time.

We have a huge pile of pulled pork left -- which I'm sure Jeremy will polish off as soon as he can. The pork was really moist and flavorful.  The rub gave it great flavor -- to the point that we didn't even miss the smoky flavor of normal bbq pulled pork.

The sauce I made for this is a bit spicy, which we really enjoy.  But this would also be delicious with any sauce you wanted.  I just topped each sandwich with a spoonful of sauce rather than mixing the pork into the sauce.  That way I can keep both separate in the fridge in case one lasts longer than another.

This did take a long time to make.  But for about over 10 hours I did nothing but walk into the kitchen to turn the roast or remove foil every few hours.  I did make the sauce just after lunch, but that meant that I had very little to do when dinner was finally coming together (albeit a bit late tonight).  And the result was definitely worth the work. :)

The whole roast

The pile o' pork

Pork:
7 lb. pork shoulder (I had a picnic roast but boston butt would be just as good)
1 1/2 tbs. salt
1/2 tbs. black pepper
1/2 tbs. paprika
1/2 tbs. chili powder
1/2 tbs. cayenne
1/2 tbs. garlic powder
1 tbs. cumin
1/2 tbs. onion powder
2 tbs. brown sugar
1 12 oz. beer (I had Saranac Black and Tan)

1. Preheat oven to 225 degrees.
2. Mix all ingredients except the pork and beer together.  Rub the pork with the mix, pressing it into the flesh on all sides.  Place the pork roast on a rack over a roasting pan (fat/skin side up).  Pour beer into the bottom of the roasting pan.
4. Cover pork with foil.  Roast for 6 hours, turning the pork over every 2 hours.  Remove foil and continue to roast until the internal temperature reaches 190 degrees. (It took 4 1/2 hours post-foil for me.)
5. Allow the meat to rest for 20 minutes.  Then remove skin/fat and shred the rest using two forks or chop it finely with a knife.
6. Serve topped with bbq sauce in a bun.

Sauce:
1 tbs. olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 tsp. garlic, minced
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1 c. apple cider vinegar, divided
2 c. ketchup
3 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/4 c. brown sugar
1 tbs. soy sauce
1 tsp. parsley flakes
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. cayenne

1. Heat a small saucepan over medium heat.  Add olive oil.  Add onion and garlic and saute until slightly softened, 4-5 minutes.
2. Add the rest of the ingredients, except for 1/3 c. apple cider vinegar.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, for 1 1/2 hours.  Turn off the heat and allow to cool.
3.  Blend the sauce in a blender.  Return to pan and thin, as needed, with the additional 1/3 c. apple cider vinegar. Adjust seasonings as desired.

Lemon and Thyme Roast Chicken

Tonight I decided to roast a chicken.  It takes almost no tending once it's in the oven so it's a great choice when I'm just home all day studying.  I went fairly simple on the seasonings and used just salt, pepper, lemon, and thyme.  I decided to try roasting the chicken without adding any oil or butter to the skin (every other time I've used a tablespoon or two of butter or oil to crisp up the skin).  It turned out great!  The skin was surprisingly still crispy and delicious.  And the chicken tasted fantastic -- very clean and delicious.

I served this with stuffing and green beans.  My mother-in-law sent us home with stuffing from Thanksgiving that just needed to be baked.  It is fantastic.  This year she made a sausage stuffing with lots of veggies and herbs.  It's one of the first things to go during the leftover meals.  But luckily this year she made extra.  And we enjoyed it tonight.  :)  As for the green beans, they're just frozen beans, cooked in the microwave, with a little butter added for taste.

This gave us quite a bit of chicken left over.  We had one whole breast, both thighs, and a lot of random pickings.  Overall a very good meal.

Recipe:
1 chicken (mine was 5.4 pounds)
1 lemon, quartered
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. dried thyme

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
2. Rinse the chicken, inside and out (remove giblets etc. if necessary).  Pat dry.  Cut off any extra fat or skin.
3. Place, breast side up, in a roasting pan.  Tuck the wings under the chicken.  Squeeze half the lemon onto the skin.  Place the whole lemon inside the cavity.  Sprinkle the salt, pepper, and thyme over the skin and inside the cavity.
4. Roast for approximately 90 minutes (depends on size of the chicken -- a good rule of thumb is 20 min. per pound, plus 15-20 minutes).  The chicken is done when a thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the thigh registers 165 degrees and the juices run clear.

Rotini with Spinach Sauce and Roasted Red Peppers

Yay for post #2 in November!  It's been a busy month... not that I haven't been cooking, but I've had no time to write up a post.  I don't really have time to write one tonight... but I don't want to work.  So procrastination wins. :)

Jeremy and I bought a bag of spinach at the grocery store this past weekend and I wanted to use some.  I don't like the texture of cooked spinach but didn't want a salad tonight - hence spinach sauce!  It had great flavor and was a lovely green color.  Made me think I was eating the Grinch or something... with the addition of the roasted red peppers, maybe I should call this Christmas pasta.  But since it's still November, I won't.

This took me only about half an hour to make.  It would have been even quicker if I'd made the pasta while making the sauce.  But since I had started dinner a bit before we wanted to eat, I had the sauce completely made before I put the pasta water on.  It would probably take only about 20 minutes if everything was started together.

This had a lot of veggies in it and was an overall healthy meal.  I will certainly be making it again.  I have one serving left in the pot so one of us will have some great leftovers tomorrow.  (And since I leave earlier, I'll probably get to them first.  Yay!)

When I first asked Jeremy how he felt about it he said, "I'm not sure."  After two minutes he said, "I like it."  I just looked over at him and I don't see any food in his bowl and he was licking his fork... I call that a success. :)

You could adapt this to your tastes - tomatoes in addition to or in place of the roasted red peppers, or other veggies altogether.  It would also probably be great with some grilled chicken.  Overall a very easy and tasty meal. And now that I don't really have any excuse not to work, back to the grind.

Recipe:
1 box (13.25 oz.) rotini
1 onion, diced
2 tsp. minced garlic
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flake
1 tsp. dried basil leaves
1 tbs. dried parsley flakes
5 oz. fresh spinach
1 jar (15.5 oz) roasted red peppers, drained and diced
1/4 c. chicken stock
1/2 c. milk (I used skim)
2 tbs. grated parmesan (plus more for serving)
1 tbs. olive oil
salt and pepper

1. Heat a large saute pan (w/ a lid) over medium heat.  Add olive oil.  Add crushed red pepper flakes and swirl to heat for 20 seconds.  Add onions and saute for 5-6 minutes until translucent.  Add garlic, basil, and parsley.  Cook for 1-2 minutes to heat through.  Add chicken stock and scrape the bottom of the pan to remove any bits.  Add spinach and mix.  Cover with lid to allow spinach to wilt.  When wilted turn off heat.
2. Place spinach mixture in a blender and add milk and parmesan cheese.  Blend until smooth.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Set aside until pasta is done.
3. Heat a large pot of water over high heat.  When boiling, add salt (to taste, you don't need to add it... I added about 1 tsp.)  Add rotini and cook until al dente, 9-10 minutes.  Drain and return to pan. (You could do this step while making the sauce if you wanted.)
5. Combine pasta, sauce, and roasted red peppers and heat over low heat until hot through.  Serve topped with extra parmesan cheese.

Lemon-Garlic Roast Pork with Sauteed Cabbage and Oven-Roasted Carrots

A couple weeks ago, pork was on sale at the grocery store, so I bought a roast even though I didn't have time to cook it then.  I froze it and thawed it out this weekend for tonight.  I decided to marinate it in garlic, thyme, and lemon and serve it with a lot of veggies.  It was awesome.  The lemon gave it a really fresh, bright flavor.

Since most of the time it took to make dinner tonight was roasting the pork, I got some work done while it sat in the oven.  The cabbage and carrots didn't take too long so it was a fairly easy meal.  I gave the pork roast about a 40 minute head-start before I started the sides. The sides were still done a little early but they stayed hot so it wasn't a problem.

The cabbage had a great (slightly sweet) flavor and the roasted carrots were almost succulent.  There's almost nothing I like better than roasted vegetables. The caramelized edges they get are delicious.  And they're so easy since you just stick them in the oven until they're tender.

The pork was tender yet crunchy on the outside. I used a probe thermometer to monitor the temp while it was cooking.  That has probably been one of the best investments I've made.  It only cost about $20 but it makes all the difference when roasting a large cut of meat or a whole bird.

Overall a very successful meal. And one that was fairly healthy with all the veggies.  I know we'll enjoy eating up all the leftovers. :)

Pork:
zest and juice of 1 lemon
1 tsp. minced garlic
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. dried thyme
1.5-2 lb. pork roast (mine was 1.76 lbs.)

1. Mix lemon zest and juice, salt, pepper, and thyme together in a large ziploc bag, add pork roast and zip closed.  Massage the marinade into the meat.  Refrigerate overnight (or a few hours if that isn't possible).
2. Preheat oven to 325.  Place pork roast on a rack over a roasting pan.  Roast for 1-1 1/4 hours until the temperature inside is 160 degrees.
3. Remove from oven and cover loosely with foil.  Allow the meat to rest for 10 minutes before slicing and serving.

Cabbage:
1 medium onion, diced
1 lb. (about 1/2 head) cabbage, sliced thinly
1 tbs. olive oil
1 tbs. margarine
1 tbs. cider vinegar
1 tsp. chipotle tobasco (optional)
salt and pepper to taste

1. Heat a large frying pan over medium high heat.  Add 1 tbs. olive oil.
2. Add onion and saute until mostly carmelized, 10-12 minutes. Remove from pan.
3. Add 1 tbs. margarine, cabbage, and salt and pepper to taste.  Saute until cabbage is to desired tenderness, approximately 10 minutes. (I like mine slightly firm so if you want it softer, keep cooking.)
4. Add the onions back to the pan.  Add cider vinegar.  Mix to combine and cook for 1-2 more minutes until liquid is gone. Add chipotle tobasco if using (if you don't want it spicy, leave it out... but it's delicious) and mix to combine.
5. Serve.

Carrots: (I had them mixed and then cranked the heat on the oven up as soon as the pork came out. The carrots were done just about when I finished slicing the pork.)
4 medium carrots, quartered and then cut into 2" sticks
1 tbs. olive oil
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Mix everything together on a baking sheet.
2. Bake for approximately 10-15 minutes (turn/stir the carrots once halfway through) until tender and slightly browned on the edges.
3. Serve.

Whole Wheat Buttermilk Pancakes

I've been trying to make whole wheat buttermilk pancakes for a while now. This recipe finally turned out how I wanted it - nice and fluffy. :) The recipes I'd been following were either too runny or without enough flavor.

Jeremy ate these as is.  I added maple syrup to mine. :) These were really easy to make (just a few more steps than a boxed mix...) and they're healthier since they're made with white whole wheat flour. 

You could use actual buttermilk rather than the powder and water.  You might need to decrease the flour slightly depending on how thick your buttermilk is.  Buttermilk thickens as it sits so the longer it's been in the fridge, the thicker it will be.  Just eyeball the batter and see if it looks to thick.   

And now back to work... 

Recipe:

1 c. plus 2 tbs. white whole wheat flour

1 egg

1/4 c. buttermilk powder

1 c. water

2 tbs. margarine, melted

1 tbs. sugar

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

1. Crack egg into a medium bowl.  Beat lightly.  Add the rest of the ingredients and beat until just mixed (don't over-mix. lumps are ok.)

2. Heat a griddle over medium heat.  Use a 1/4 c. measuring cup to portion out the batter. (I got 8 pancakes out of it.) Flip the pancakes when bubbles form and the edges start to appear dry. 

3. Serve. :)

Chicken "Shepherd's" Pie

Ok. I know true shepherd's pie is made with lamb... but I had leftover chicken to use and topping my pie with mashed potatoes sounded awesome.  But in this recipe I even used *gasp* instant mashed potatoes.  I didn't have any potatoes and since it was snowing I didn't want to go out.  I had the instant mashed potatoes around because a lot of the bread recipes Jeremy and I have been making in our bread machine call for them.

I made this using 5" pie dishes so that each of us got our own pie.  :)  You could certainly double this recipe and make it in a normal size pie dish to make it for 4 people.  I made sure to put the pie dishes on top of a sheet tray when baking to keep the oven clean in case of any spillovers.

This was incredibly comforting and delicious.  The herbs I used in the filling were reminiscent of a great thanksgiving meal (mostly due to the sage...).  The mashed potatoes were fine (a little like potato grits if you ask me...) but would probably have been better if I'd made them from fresh potatoes -- I'd recommend doing that and if I have them around in the future I probably will.  But this was a good substitution in the meantime -- and they were easier.

You could also substitute other types of meat.  Like I said above, real shepherd's pie is lamb, cottage pie is beef.  But you could also use turkey or pork and it would be delicious.  This would also probably make a great veggie pie if more veggies (and veggie stock) was used.

This was a great way to use up a lot of veggies and chicken that wouldn't have lasted too much longer.  And since it was in the oven for a while, I got some work done while it was cooking.  Overall a great success.

The filling

Recipe:
1 1/2 c. shredded, cooked chicken
2 carrots, diced
2 celery stalks, diced
1 medium onion, diced
1 tsp. minced garlic
1/2 c. frozen corn kernels
3/4 c. chicken stock
1/4 c. skim milk
1 1/3 c. garlic mashed potatoes (I put 1 tsp. of minced garlic into my instant mashed... just follow the directions or make your own.)
1/2 tsp. minced sage (I had fresh that needed to be used)
1/2 tsp. dried thyme leaves
1 1/2 tsp. dried parsley leaves
1/2 tsp. dried rosemary (I crush this in my hands before putting it in the filling)
2 tbs. margarine
1 tbs. olive oil
2 tbs. AP flour
salt and pepper to taste

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add olive oil.  Add carrots, onions, and celery.  Saute for 3-4 minutes until they begin to soften.  Add garlic, sage, thyme, parsley, and rosemary, saute for 1-2 min.  Add margarine and allow to melt.  Add flour and mix well to combine.  Add chicken stock and milk and stir to combine.  Bring the liquid to a boil to thicken.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Add chicken and corn and mix well to combine.  (It should be a fairly thick mixture. If it's too thin, boil longer or add a little flour.)
2. Spoon the filling into two individual pie dishes or oven-proof bowls.  Top with mashed potatoes.  Smooth the mashed potatoes evenly to cover the filling.  Place the pie dishes on top of a sheet tray.
3. Bake for 30-40 minutes until golden brown on top.

Chicken and Quinoa Stuffed Peppers

I had some tomatoes that I needed to use.  Given that Jeremy doesn't like the taste of raw tomato, I decided to cook them down and use them in a stuffed pepper filling.  I've been trying to find more uses for quinoa and since I also had some leftover chicken (from the whole bird I roasted about a week ago) I came up with this recipe to combine them all.

This turned out really well.  Jeremy thoroughly enjoyed it and it was quite filling. One pepper each (with a little extra filling on the side) was a great dinner.  This didn't make any leftovers for us but since I've made quite a few meals recently with leftovers it's not a bad thing that I don't have to find any more room in the fridge. :)  This recipe could certainly be scaled up to feed more people though.

Because I had chicken already cooked, I just stirred that in at the end.  You could easily use rotisserie chicken or cook some while the rest of the filling was cooking.  This could also be made vegetarian by substituting other veggies, cheese, or tofu/tempeh for the chicken (and replacing the chicken stock with vegetable stock or water).

If you don't have quinoa on hand, you could certainly substitute rice or barley or any other grain.  The amount of liquid and the cooking time may need to be adjusted.  I've only recently started using quinoa but I love its chewy texture.

Overall this was a very healthy meal that was really easy to prepare.  While it took a bit of time, most of that didn't require attention since it was just sitting in the oven for nearly an hour.  Definitely a meal I'd make again. :)

Recipe:
3 tomatoes (I had two tomatoes on the vine and 1 roma)
1 small onion
2 green bell peppers
2 tsp. minced garlic
1/3 c. quinoa (uncooked)
1 1/3 c. chicken stock, divided
2 tbs. tomato paste
1 c. shredded chicken (I used all white meat)
1/8 tsp. crushed red pepper
1/8 tsp. black pepper
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. dried parsley flakes

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Dice the tomatoes and the onion. Cut the tops off the peppers and dice the pepper tops (leaving the rest intact -- set aside for later).
2. Place a sauce pan over medium heat.  Add 2 tbs. olive oil. Add the tomatoes, onion, diced peppers, and garlic.  Mix to combine.  Add crushed red pepper, black pepper, salt, oregano, and parsley.  Saute for approximately 5 minutes until the veggies begin to get tender and most of the liquid from the tomatoes has evaporated.
3. Stir in the tomato paste. Cook for 1-2 minutes until it disappears and cooks out a bit.
4. Add quinoa and 2/3 c. chicken stock. Cover the pan and reduce the heat to maintain a simmer for approximately 15 minutes until the quinoa gets tender and white strings appear from the quinoa.
5. Stir in the shredded chicken.
6. Spoon the filling into the peppers and place in a deep casserole dish. Spread any remaining filling around the peppers and pour over the remaining 2/3 c. chicken stock.
7. Cover the casserole dish with a lid or foil and bake for 50-60 minutes until the peppers are tender, removing the lid for the last 10-15 minutes.
8. Serve and enjoy.

Sesame-Crusted Scallops with Veggie Noodle Stir-Fry

This morning/early afternoon, Jeremy and I went to the gym and did some quick grocery shopping. We wanted to get some seafood (of some type) for dinner. When we looked at what BJ's had (because we didn't want to make multiple stops), the scallops looked the best. So we brought a little under a pound home. :)

As I contemplated how I was going to cook them, I kept thinking about a meal I had at the Ginger Man Restaurant - sesame crusted divers scallops with vegetable nori rolls. I had those the first time we went there (for our anniversary a few years ago) and they're still on my mind now. Delicious. I decided to try to recreate them here. These were also great.

This was a very quick recipe. It took me less than a half an hour total (and it didn't take long for the food to disappear either!). We have a serving of stir-fry leftover but all the scallops are gone (which is good since they wouldn't reheat well anyway). It had a great salty flavor and the scallops were still sweet and tender.

Be careful when you cook the scallops so you don't overcook them. They can get tough and rubbery if overcooked. You want a nice sear on both sides and close to raw in the middle. This is accomplished by having a super-hot pan that cooks them very quickly on each side. When you're preparing the scallops, remember to remove the adductor muscles. Sometimes they have already been removed when they were taken out of the shell... but if not it has to be removed because it's tough. The adductor muscle looks like a strip of scallop that sticks off of the rest of it - it will look out of place on the otherwise nice circle/oval. Just rip them off and throw them away. I usually don't even need to use a knife to remove them.

The stir fry was nice and simple. You could substitute any veggies you had on hand. Tamari is an aged soy sauce. If you don't have that you can certainly substitute soy sauce. And if you don't want it spicy, eliminate or reduce the amount of sriracha or crushed red pepper flake. This wasn't overly spicy but since I eat a lot of spicy food my tastebuds probably don't notice or mind spicy foods as much as others. I made the stir-fry completely before I even started the scallops since they cook so quickly.

Overall this was a great success - Jeremy just wishes there were more scallops in the kitchen. Even though scallops are more expensive than most things I make, just think what it would have cost if Jeremy and I had gone out to a restaurant for this meal! Definitely worth it to make this at home and enjoy some tasty scallops while watching football. :)

Recipe:
Scallops:
~ 1 lb. sea scallops, adductor muscles removed (if they aren't already) (I had 12 scallops)
3 tbs. toasted sesame seeds
1 tbs. vegetable oil
1 tbs. margarine
1 tbs. reduced sodium tamari
1 tbs. rice wine vinegar

Stir Fry:
1/4 of a head of cauliflower (about 2 cups), cut into bite-sized pieces
1 small onion, diced small
1/2 carrot, sliced into matchsticks
1/2 c. frozen shelled edamame
1 tsp. minced garlic
1/4 lb. whole wheat spaghetti
1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flake
1 tbs. reduced sodium tamari
1 tsp. sriracha sauce
1/4 tsp. toasted sesame oil
1 tbs. vegetable oil

1. Heat a large pot of water to a boil. Add spaghetti and cook according to package directions. 3-4 minutes before the spaghetti is done, add the cauliflower and cook until slightly tender. Drain.
2. When the cauliflower is added, heat a wok over high heat. Add 1 tbs. vegetable oil. Add crushed red pepper flake and garlic and swirl to combine the flavors. When the garlic is fragrant, add the onion and cook 1-2 minutes until it starts to get tender. Add carrots and edamame and stir fry for 2-3 minutes. Add the spaghetti and cauliflower and mix to combine. Add the tamari, sriracha, and sesame oil and mix to combine. Turn off heat and cover.
3. Spread sesame seeds in a shallow casserole dish. Place the scallops on a paper towel and pat dry on both sides. Press into the sesame seeds, coating one flat side of each scallop.
4. Heat a large frying pan over high heat. Add 1 tbs. vegetable oil and 1 tbs. margarine. When the pan is hot and the margarine is melted, add the scallops, sesame seed side down. Cook for 2 minutes, turn the scallops over and cook for 1-2 more minutes until nicely seared on the second side.
5. While the scallops are cooking, plate the stir fry. When the scallops are done, place on top of the stir fry.
6. Turn the heat on the scallop pan down to low. Add the tamari and rice wine vinegar to deglaze the pan. Stir to pick up any browned bits. Turn off the heat and pour the sauce over the scallops and stir fry. Enjoy!

Chicken and Veggie Noodle Soup

Since today was a little cooler, I decided to make a soup for dinner. I had some parsnips that I wanted to use so I put them in along with typical soup veggies. They added a delicious gingery flavor to the soup. I never ate parsnips growing up but I've discovered I love them.

This had lots of veggies in it. Everything was nice and tender by the time the soup was finished. I love veggies so most of my dishes are pretty veggie heavy. This was no exception. My cutting board was overflowing with veggies when I started the soup and the combination of them in this soup had a spicy, sweet flavor. Definitely delicious. :)

I roasted a whole chicken a couple nights ago so I had a lot of leftover chicken meat in the fridge. I tore the meat into smaller pieces and dropped it in the soup. I used a mix of white and dark meat since that's what I had. This could easily be made with meat from a rotisserie chicken or by poaching some chicken in the soup and then chopping it. Either would be fantastic.

I also cooked my own dried beans for this. If you wanted to substitute canned beans, it would be about 2 cans worth of beans. Using dried beans helps me control the sodium in the soup since I don't add salt to the beans while they cook. Some of the canned beans can be quite high.

Speaking of sodium, I also used an unsalted chicken stock. This was the first time I bought Kitchen Basics stock and it was delicious! It was much darker in color than most boxed broths and stocks and it had a much richer flavor. If you don't use unsalted stock, go easy on the salt and pepper in the recipe until you see how it tastes.

This was a delicious soup that I'll certainly make again (ok... probably with some variation... I rarely make the same thing exactly the same way twice). It made a nice large pot of soup that will feed us for several more meals. Nothing beats a hot bowl of soup on a cool day. Yum!

Recipe:
3 stalks celery
3 carrots
2 medium onions
1 lb. parsnips
2 tsp. minced garlic
2 bay leaves
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. dried rosemary (crushed)
1/2 tsp. thyme leaves
1 1/2 tsp. parsley flakes
6 c. chicken stock
1 c. dried beans, cooked according to package
1 1/2 c. shredded chicken
6 oz. whole wheat egg noodles
salt and pepper to taste

1. Chop the celery, carrots, parsnips, and onions into bite sized pieces.
2. Heat a large soup pan over medium heat. Add 2 tbs. olive oil. Add veggies, 1 tsp. salt and 1/2 tsp. pepper. Saute for 5-7 minutes until they begin to get a little tender.
3. Add chicken stock, garlic, bay leaves, rosemary, thyme, and parsley. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer. Simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
4. Add beans and chicken. Continue simmering for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
5. Right after adding the beans and chicken, in a separate pot, bring 6-8 cups of water to a boil to cook the egg noodles. Boil the noodles until tender. Drain and add to the soup. Mix well to combine. Allow to simmer together for 3-5 minutes.
6. Taste soup and adjust seasoning as needed. Ladle into bowls and enjoy!

Cheesy Baked Penne

I've made this several times. The most recent being last night.  I almost always eyeball the amount of sauce to just use what looks right (basically the amount I'd normally eat if I was just eating the pasta without the cheese/baking). It's quite easy and very delicious. Jeremy and I both love it when the pasta around the edges gets a little chewy.

I've sometimes added spinach to this or peppers, onions, and sausage. All delicious. It's definitely a base recipe that you can play around with.

I split this recipe approximately into thirds. Jeremy got a slightly larger third, I got a slightly smaller third, and a third was leftover. I'm sure it will be very tasty leftovers for whichever of us gets to it first. :) I served this with a salad so that we got a few more veggies in us. Definitely delicious.

3/4 box (13.25 oz.) whole wheat penne
1 c. skim milk ricotta
1 c. part skim mozzarella
1/2 c. parmesan cheese, grated
1 1/2 c. marinara sauce

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Cook pasta according to package directions.
3. Mix in the sauce, ricotta, 1/2 c. mozzarella, and 1/4 c. parmesan.
4. Spread into an 8x8" glass baking dish.  Top with remaining mozzarella and parmesan.
5. Bake in oven for 20-25 minutes until the cheese on top is melted and begins to brown. (Be careful toward the end... once it starts to brown, it will go quickly.)
6. Enjoy!

Beer-Battered Fish and Sweet Potato Chips with Green Beans

Today Jeremy and I went grocery shopping after hitting the gym.  I like to take advantage of the days we go grocery shopping to pick up some fresh seafood.  Today some haddock looked great.  I have quite a soft spot for beer battered fish so I decided to make it. Yum.

I had a sweet potato lying around so I decided to oven fry it to make some "chips" (french fries for those not across the pond).  And I just microwaved some frozen green beans to round out the meal.  Overall this was fairly simple (although Jeremy isn't looking forward to the dishes... but he never is.).

This was probably more food than we needed to eat in one meal but it ended up getting eaten anyway.  Maybe next time I'll get a little less fish and save some of the fries for the next day.

This could be made with any kind of white fish (or probably any fish you wanted to fry for that matter). I used a deep fryer but you could certainly just put a few inches of oil in a pot and watch the temp with a thermometer.

Fish:
2/3 - 3/4 of a pound of haddock or other white fish
1 1/4 c. flour, divided
3/4 c. beer (I used Yuengling light but any beer you like will do - it will just taste slightly different)
1 tsp. hot sauce
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tbs. vegetable oil (plus oil for frying)

1. Mix 3/4 c. flour, salt, cayenne, and baking powder in a medium bowl.  Add oil, beer, and hot sauce and mix well to combine. Refrigerate until ready to fry.
2. Heat oil to 375 degrees. Cut the fish into 3"x1" strips.
3. Put 1/2 c. flour into a shallow dish. Working in batches of 2 or 3 pieces, dredge the fish strips in the flour. Dip into the batter. Fry for 4-5 minutes until crispy and golden brown.
4. Place on a cooling rack over a paper towel for a couple minutes to cool slightly. Enjoy!

Sweet potato "chips"
1 large sweet potato, cut into 1/4"x3" sticks
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
2 tbs. olive oil

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2. Place parchment paper on a baking sheet.  Add sweet potato fries.  Top with salt, pepper, and oil. Mix well with hands to coat.
3. Bake for 20-30 minutes until the potatoes are tender.

Chicken Parmesan

I make chicken parmesan quite frequently.  It's one of the most comforting, and delicious, things I make on a regular basis.  I usually eyeball the ingredients but I actually took the time to measure this out tonight so I know it's accurate.

I've scaled this up and down depending on how many people I'm feeding but this is a good amount in that it gives us at least one more meal of leftovers.  It's not a quick meal but it's not overly complicated.  I usually serve this with a salad and some spaghetti.

Tonight I made it with a whole pound of whole wheat spaghetti (which was way too much food).  So we have a lot of spaghetti and about half the chicken left over -- not that that's a bad thing. :)

The breadcrumb mixture is a little more than you need to actually coat the chicken, but I never like to risk running out.  I don't reuse it though as I'm leery of keeping raw chicken soaked breadcrumbs to reuse at some point in the future.

Overall, this is a delicious and simple meal that I will continue to make over and over.  We just never tire of it.  :)

2 chicken breasts (about 1.5 lbs)
2 eggs
1 c. plain breadcrumbs
6 tbs. grated parmesan (divided)
1 c. shredded mozzarella cheese
1 tbs. garlic powder
1 tbs. parsley flakes
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. salt
~1 c. spaghetti sauce
3-4 tbs. olive oil

1.  In a medium bowl, mix breadcrumbs, 3 tbs. parmesan, garlic powder, parsley, salt, and pepper.  In a second bowl, beat eggs.
2.  Butterfly the chicken breasts and then cut each half in half (so you have 8 relatively thin pieces of chicken).
3.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Heat a large frying pan over medium heat and add 3 tbs. olive oil.  (You may need to add more oil to the pan while the chicken is cooking if the pan looks dry - just keep an eye on it.)
4.  Dip each piece of chicken into the egg, then coat in breadcrumbs. Repeat with all 8 pieces, placing each piece into the pan as you coat it.  Fry until golden brown, flipping halfway through to brown on both sides (about 4-5 minutes on the first side and 3-4 on the second).
5.  While the chicken is cooking, spread 1/2 c. of spaghetti sauce on the bottom of a lasagna pan or casserole dish.  When the chicken is browned, transfer to the lasagna pan.  Top each piece of chicken evenly with the remaining sauce (about 1 tbs. on each piece).  Top with mozzarella cheese and the remaining parmesan.
6.  Bake for 25-30 minutes until the cheese is melted and slightly browned on top.

(To serve it with the pasta, I started the pasta water just before I was about to put the chicken in the oven.  Everything was done at about the same time.)

Chicken Enchiladas with Green Chile Tomatillo Sauce

I was craving Mexican food today.  I had been wanting to use green chiles for a while now and finally bought some at the grocery store.  I decided to make chicken enchiladas so that I had an excuse to eat corn tortillas (and lots of cheese!).  These were AMAZING.  I will definitely be making this again.

The sauce is a little spicy but is nicely balanced by the sweetness of the corn tortillas.  (If you want it more mild, just omit one or both of the jalapeños.) The chicken is gently poached so it's nice and healthy.  And the sauce is all vegetables - what could be better!  Oh right... the pepperjack cheese... :)

This took a while to make but during several of the steps I was able to come back into the living room to do some work.  All-in-all it was well worth the effort.  In the future, I might make a double batch of the sauce so that I can have that already prepared.  With the sauce already made this would be a snap to make.  It would also be easy to use some leftover roasted chicken rather than cooking it that night.

I served this with a simple salad on the side.  There was enough flavor in the tomatillo sauce that I didn't even bother to dress mine.  (Jeremy scraped the sauce pot to get every last drop to dress his salad.)  Definitely a successful meal. We ate only half the enchiladas.  I'm looking forward to my share of the leftovers. :)

Recipe:
Sauce:
1 lb. tomatillos, husks and stems removed
2 jalapeños, stems removed
1 1/2 c. water
2 4.25 oz. cans of green chiles, drained
1/2 large onion, diced
1 tsp. cilantro
1 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper

Chicken:
2 bay leaves
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
2 chicken breasts
water to cover

Enchiladas:
12 6" soft corn tortillas
2 c. shredded pepper jack cheese, divided (or monterey jack if you don't want the spice)

1. Place the tomatillos, jalapeños, and 1 1/2 c. water in a medium sauce pan.  Bring to a boil over medium-high heat.  Reduce to a simmer and cook for 15-20 minutes until the tomatillos begin to fall apart and the peppers soften.  Turn off heat and allow to cool for 10 minutes.  Transfer the liquid, tomatillos and jalapeños to a blender.  Add green chiles, onion, cilantro, cumin, salt, and pepper.  Blend until smooth.  Return to saucepan and return to a simmer.  Allow liquid to evaporate until it reduces by half (about 30 minutes).  Turn off heat and set aside.
2. Place chicken, bay leaves, salt, and pepper in a large sauce pan.  Add water until the chicken is covered. Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to a simmer and simmer for approximately 10 minutes until the chicken is cooked through.  Remove from the liquid and set aside until cool enough to handle.  Shred or chop the chicken into very small pieces.  Place chicken in a bowl.
3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
4. To the chicken, add 1/2 c. of the green chile tomatillo sauce and 1/2 c. of the cheese. Mix to combine.
5. Wrap the tortillas in plastic wrap and microwave on high heat for 60 seconds, flip them over and microwave for another 30 seconds. (This step is to soften the tortillas so that they don't break when filled - you can also soften them however the package directs.)
6. Place 1 1/2 tbs. of chicken filling on the middle of each tortilla and roll the tortilla.  Place it seam side down in a casserole dish. Repeat for all of the tortillas, keeping them in one flat layer.
7. Top the enchiladas with the remaining green chile tomatillo sauce and cheese. Bake for 25-30 minutes until bubbly and the cheese is melted. Enjoy!

Penne Arrabiata

This morning, Jeremy and I ran the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure.  We spent the rest of the day hungry from the run. :)  So tonight, we did a little reverse-carbo-loading and had pasta and fresh-baked rolls for dinner.  I decided to make my own arrabiata sauce.  This definitely had a kick after you'd eaten a whole bowl (at least I thought so... Jeremy thought it wasn't too spicy).  Still, if you don't like spicy food, you should probably cut back on the  red chili flakes.

I baked these rolls by making a dough in my bread machine and then rolling it out and cutting it with a cookie cutter.  I brushed each of them with a little olive oil, and sprinkled them with garlic powder and sea salt.  A perfect complement to the pasta (and it was delicious to mop up the extra sauce with them).  But any nice chewy roll or bread would go great with this.

This sauce recipe sauced a whole box of whole wheat penne and gave me enough to freeze another serving.  I'm looking forward to thawing that at some point and seeing how spicy it has become by then. :)

Arrabiata Sauce:
1/4 c. olive oil
1 tsp. crushed red chili flake
1 tbs. minced garlic
2 tbs. tomato paste
1 28 oz. can tomato puree
1 15 oz. can diced tomatoes
1/2 tbs. dried basil leaves
1 tbs. parsley flakes
1 tsp. dried oregano leaves
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1/2 tsp. salt (my canned tomatoes are salt free... if your tomatoes have salt in them, check the seasonings before adding the salt)
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 box (13.25 oz.) whole wheat penne (or whatever pasta you like)

1. Heat a medium saucepan over medium heat.  Add oil, crushed red chili flake, and minced garlic.  Heat, stirring frequently until the oil turns slightly orange and is fragrant.
2. Add tomato paste.  Stir to incorporate. Cook for 1-2 minutes to allow flavors to combine.
3. Add remaining ingredients.  Lower heat to maintain a bare simmer.  Stir occasionally.  Simmer for 30-40 minutes until flavors combine and the diced tomatoes break down a little. (Make the pasta according to package directions so that it is finished when the sauce is finished.)
4. Mix sauce with pasta and serve.  Add parmesan cheese if desired. (I had a little under half the sauce left after saucing my pasta... so don't just dump the whole pot of sauce into the pasta.)

Spicy Turkey Chili

Since the weather has turned slightly colder the last few days, Jeremy and I have started craving warmer foods.   I decided to make chili tonight and it hit the spot.  I have lots of leftovers... the pot ended up making what will become 9 servings of chili.  We ate 2, I have 3 in the fridge, and I have 4 in the freezer for sometime in the future.

This was nice and spicy and also had great flavor besides the heat.  If you don't like spice, you can omit or reduce the cayenne pepper, crushed red pepper flake, chipotles in adobo, or the serrano peppers.  It will still be very tasty.  Don't be intimidated by the long list of spices... most of them are pretty common and it's just a matter of having a measuring spoon next to the pot.

I usually make venison chili but since I'm out of venison we picked up some ground turkey at the grocery store.  It was really delicious and was a nice change from my normal chili.  I've also made vegetarian versions of chili just by adding more veggies and beans and leaving out the beef stock.  Still very tasty.

I always use similar combinations of spices but the amounts vary depending on what I feel like that particular night.  Chili is a great way to experiment with just throwing things at a pot (my specialty) since it's pretty hard to screw up.

I used dried beans for this and spent the early afternoon in and out of the kitchen as they simmered.  You could certainly substitute canned beans if you don't want to take the time cooking the beans.  I've been using more dried beans recently because they are so much cheaper and so much lower in sodium (since I don't salt them as they cook...).

I almost always make corn muffins to go along with chili - tonight was no exception.  I buy the cheap little boxes of corn muffin mix in the grocery store.  I've tried making my own cornbread but it's never as tasty.  And these are just too convenient.

Recipe:
2 1/2 lbs. ground turkey (93% lean)
1 c. dried red kidney beans
1 c. dried great northern beans
1 c. dried small red beans
3 medium green bell peppers, diced
3 medium onions, diced
3 serrano chiles, half the ribs removed, minced
1 1/2 tbs. minced garlic
3 tbs. chili powder
2 tbs. + 1 tsp. ground cumin, divided
2 bay leaves
1/2 tbs. paprika
1/2 tbs. garlic powder
1/2 tbs. onion powder
1/2 tbs. + 1/2 tsp. dried oregano, divided
1 tbs. dried parsley
1 1/2 tbs. minced chipotles in adobo
2 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flake
1 1/4 c. beef broth
3 15 oz. cans of tomato sauce
1 6 oz. can of tomato paste
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper

1. Soak the beans in cold water overnight.  Cook the beans according to the directions on the package. Drain and set aside until ready to go into the chili.  (This can be done way ahead of time and reserved in the fridge.)
2. Heat a  large pot (mine was an 8 qt.) over medium high heat.  Add 2 tbs. olive oil.  Add ground turkey and break up with a wooden spoon.  Add crushed red pepper flake, salt, pepper, 1 tsp. ground cumin, and 1/2 tsp. oregano.  Cook, stirring occasionally, until the turkey is browned.
3. Add garlic, green bell pepper, serrano chiles and onion.  Stir to combine and stir occasionally until veggies begin to get tender (about 5 minutes).
4. Add remaining ingredients, except the beans, and stir to combine.  Cover and reduce heat to medium low to maintain a simmer.  Simmer for 1 hour.
5. Add cooked beans.  Stir to combine.  Continue to simmer with the lid on for 45-60 minutes until flavors combine.  Enjoy! :)

Puffy Pancakes

So this morning I was craving pancakes.  I was trying to decide whether to make blueberry pancakes (with the frozen berries I keep in the freezer) or "puffy pancakes."  One of my cookbooks has a recipe for a puffy pancake.  I'd never tried it before so I decided to see what it was like. The cookbook said it served 2-4 people... I can't see this serving more than 2 unless everyone eating was under the age of 5.  But it was a decent breakfast for Jeremy and me.  We'll see how long it keeps us full. :)

It was really simple to make.  After melting the butter, all I had to do was pour the batter in the pie plate and let it go.  It puffed up like crazy in the oven.

I cut the finished "pancake" into quarters and gave each of us two. I poured some maple syrup over mine and just dusted Jeremy's with a little powdered sugar.  It was delicious! It was crusty on the outside but fluffy and chewy on the inside.  It was almost custard-y... like french toast. I will definitely be making this again... possibly with some chocolate sauce or berries. :)

My "pancakes"

Jeremy's "pancakes"

Recipe:
2 tbs. margarine
2 eggs
1/2 c. AP flour
1/2 c. skim milk
1/4 tsp. salt

1. Preheat oven to 400.  Put the margarine in a 9" pie plate and place in oven to melt.  When the margarine is melted, brush it over the bottom and sides of pie plate.
2. While the margarine is melting, beat the eggs lightly in a bowl.  Add flour, milk, and salt.  Beat until just mixed (don't over mix - lumps are ok).
3. Pour the batter into the pie plate and bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes until puffy and golden brown.  Serve immediately.

Roast Turkey with Sweet Potato Hash

So last night I made a Thanksgiving-ish meal.  I had a sweet potato left over from when  I made the gnocchi a couple of weeks ago so I decided to use up my sage and make something reminiscent of Thanksgiving.  I bought a boneless turkey breast from the grocery store (it came with its own gravy packet).  I just followed the directions on the package for that so I'm not writing it up here.  The gravy was a little salty... but overall good when poured over the turkey and the hash.

I wanted to incorporate a lot of the flavors of stuffing into the hash.  I used a bunch of herbs and if I'd had poultry seasoning around I probably would have added it.  The hash ended up taking longer than I expected to make so the turkey was done a bit before the hash.  But I just put some foil over the turkey to keep it warm until we were ready to eat.

I served this with some corn on the side. The whole meal was delicious and I'm really excited for the leftovers.  We have about half of the turkey breast (and a lot of gravy) left and a lot of hash.  It should be delicious tomorrow. :)

Hash:
1 sweet potato, peeled and diced
1 russet potato, peeled and diced
1/2 green bell pepper, diced
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
4 stalks celery, diced
1 medium onion, diced
1/2 tsp. minced fresh sage
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
1 tsp. dried parsley
1/4 c. chicken stock
1 tbs. vegetable oil
1 tbs. margarine
salt and pepper

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Place potatoes and sweet potatoes in a large glass bowl.  Cover with water and plastic wrap.  Microwave for 7-9 minutes until mostly tender (it will vary depending on your microwave...).
2. Heat a large frying pan over medium-high heat.  Add vegetable oil and margarine.  When the margarine melts, add bell pepper, celery, and onion.  Salt and pepper to taste.  Saute for 5-6 minutes until beginning to soften.
3. Add sage, thyme, parsley, and potatoes.  Mix until well combined.  Add chicken stock.
4. Put pan in the oven and stir occasionally while it cooks for 10-15 minutes. It's done when the potatoes are completely tender and the liquid is evaporated.

Venison Stew

The recipe below was what I wrote out this morning and sent to Jeremy.  I had a lot of work to do at school so I wasn't coming home early enough to make this.  Since he was working at home today, he made this stew and just had it simmering throughout the day.  

I make this a lot throughout the year.  My mom made something similar to this so it's a very comforting dish for me.  This was delicious - Jeremy is very good at following directions.  He made a loaf of sesame bread to go along with it.  We have plenty of leftovers for the next couple of days too.  Yum!  

I get venison from my parents and usually have some in the freezer.  (Mom, I need more... so come visit.)  It's such a lean delicious meat.  This cooks nicely and becomes very tender.  If you don't have venison, you can use beef but might need to drain fat after browning the meat.  

I serve this stew over steamed rice.  It's a very thin stew - not thickened like most.  I've also had potatoes in it... but I'm partial to rice and that's how my mom served it.  I just make a few servings of rice right before it's finished cooking. 

There's nothing better after a long day of work than coming home to a hot pot of stew and a fresh loaf of bread.  I have the best husband in the whole world. :) 

2 lbs. venison steak

2 medium to large onions

6-8 medium carrots (about 8" long)

2 bay leaves

1 tsp. dried oregano

1 tbs. dried parsley

2 qt. boxes of beef stock

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. black pepper

1. Clean the meat.  Cut off silverskin and fat.  Chop into bite-sized (about 1" square) pieces.

2. Heat a dutch oven over medium high heat.  Add 2 tbs. olive oil.  When the oil ripples, add the meat, season with salt and pepper.  Allow the meat to carmelize a bit on one side before stirring to brown on all sides.

3. While the meat is cooking, dice 2 medium to large onions.  (You want about 2 c. of onions when you're finished dicing.)

4. Add the onions to the meat (the meat doesn't have to be fully cooked).  Stir to combine.  Saute for 2-3 minutes until the onions begin to soften around the edges. 

5. Add 2 bay leaves, 1 tsp. dried oregano, 1 tbs. dried parsley.  Add beef stock.

6. Cover, reduce heat to medium low and simmer (you might have to drop it to low eventually to keep it at a simmer) for 2-3 hours.  Stir occasionally. (You may need to add more beef broth if it evaporates too much.)

7. Once the meat is tender, peel and slice the carrots.  Add to the stew and simmer for 30-45 minutes until the carrots are nice and tender.

8. Adjust seasonings and serve.

Vegetable Lasagna

When Jeremy and I visited The Point Restaurant a couple months ago, I had a lasagna filled with eggplant, roasted red peppers, spinach, and cheese.  It was amazing.  I decided to try to recreate it tonight.  This wasn't exactly like their lasagna... but it was delicious.

It took a little time to put together but I got some work done while it was baking so it wasn't too bad.  Jeremy even loved this lasagna... and he's not a huge eggplant or squash fan.

I used some leftover marinara that I had in the freezer and some jarred sauce I had in my pantry.  The combination worked fine so whatever sauce you like will work.  This lasagna was probably a bit thick so I might cut back on the veggies next time to make it fit in the pan better.  It bubbled over the pan a little as it cooked.

I cut this lasagna into 8 servings.  Jeremy is currently on another half of a serving... but we'll still have a lot of leftovers.  We had this with a whole wheat challah bread that Jeremy made in our bread machine. Nice and crusty and delicious.

Recipe:
24 oz. part-skim ricotta cheese
2 c. shredded mozzarella
1/2 c. grated parmesan cheese
1 eggplant, cut into 1/4" slices
1 yellow squash, cut into 1/4" slices
1 cup frozen chopped spinach
5.5 oz. jarred roasted red peppers, drained
5 c. marinara sauce
1 package no-boil barilla lasagne (or equivalent lasagna noodles cooked according to package directions)

1. Heat the oven to 400 degrees.  Coat the eggplant and squash in olive oil and season with salt and pepper.  Spread on an even layer on a baking sheet.  Bake for 10-12 minutes, turning halfway through, until tender and slightly browned.
2. Reduce the heat on the oven to 375 degrees.
3. In a 13"x9" lasagna pan (I have fiestaware), add 1 c. of sauce to the bottom.  Add 4 lasagna sheets, overlapping slightly.  Add 1/4 of the ricotta and 1/2 of the parmesan, spread evenly.  Add 1/3 of the eggplant and squash, in one layer.  Top with the roasted red peppers in a single layer.  Add 1 c. sauce and 1/4 of the ricotta.  Top with 4 lasagna sheets.  Top with 1 c. sauce and 1/4 of the ricotta. Add another 1/3 of the eggplant and squash.  Top with spinach. Add 1 c. sauce and 1/4 of the ricotta and 1/2 c. mozzarella.  Top with 4 sheets of lasagna.  Top the remaining eggplant and squash and then 1 c. sauce and 1/4 ricotta.  Top with 4 lasagna sheets.  Cover with remaining sauce, the rest of the mozzarella, and the rest of the parmesan.
4. Cover pan with foil.  Bake for 50-60 minutes until hot and bubbly.  Remove foil and bake for 10-15 minutes until slightly browned on top.
5. Remove from oven and allow to cool for 15 minutes.  Slice and serve.

Pork Egg Rolls

I've made these egg rolls before and posted about them.  But since I've tweaked the recipe... and remembered to take pictures, I decided to post them again.  I make a big batch and freeze them.  The egg roll wrappers I buy come in about 20 wrappers per package - so that's how many I make.  Then as we want them, I can reheat a couple in the oven.  By reheating them in the oven, they stay crispy.  Usually I would make a stir fry to accompany these... but inevitably the night I make them they become the whole meal. :)

I usually make these with ground pork.  But I've also used ground turkey and ground chicken.  Any ground meat will work and it could be substituted for other veggies or tofu if you wanted a vegetarian option.  

I always buy egg roll wrappers for this.  I find them near the tofu in the produce section of the grocery store.  They wrap up really well and so far I haven't been adventurous enough to try to make my own.  It seems like it would be a LOT of work.  

I made the filling for this in the middle of the afternoon.  That way it had plenty of time to cool before I wrapped the egg rolls.  These egg rolls were baked in the oven.  They're a little easier that way... and healthier.  I have used my deep fryer to fry the egg rolls before but since we discovered that they were pretty good baked, I usually bake them.  They aren't quite as crispy as when they're fried, but the improvement in healthiness more than makes up for that in my opinion.  

The dipping sauce that I make to go along with this is rather spicy... but it can be toned down by omitting/cutting down the sriracha sauce.  (Same goes for the filling... omit/cut down on the crushed red pepper flake and sriracha if you don't want it spicy.)

I think the hardest part is waiting for them to cool enough so that we don't burn ourselves... it's painful... both the wait, and the burn if you don't. :)

The Filling - As it cools. 

1 lb. ground pork (90/10)
10 oz. shredded carrots
2 lbs. green cabbage, shredded
3 green onions, sliced
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
2 tsp. minced garlic
2 tbs.. corn starch
4 tbs. light soy sauce
3 tbs. sriracha sauce
1 tsp. sesame oil
3 tbs. rice wine vinegar

1. Heat a wok over high heat.  Add 2 tbs. vegetable oil.  Add crushed red pepper flakes and garlic and mix until fragrant (be sure not to burn the garlic).  Add pork and break up with a spoon or spatula.  Cook until browned through.
2. Add cabbage, carrots, green onions, soy sauce, sriracha, sesame oil, and rice wine vinegar.  Put a lid on the wok and cook until the cabbage and carrots are beginning to get tender.  Remove lid and add cornstarch.  Mix well to combine so the cornstarch begins to thicken the remaining liquid.  Remove from heat and allow to cool.
3. Heat the oven to 400 degrees.  Spray a baking sheet with non-stick spray.  (I needed 2 sheets for the 20 egg rolls this made... so plan accordingly depending on the size of your baking sheets.)
4. Add approximately 1/4 c. of the filling to each egg roll.  Wrap by folding in 2 corners, wet the edges with a little water, then roll from the bottom corner to the top.  Repeat for each egg roll.  Arrange on the baking sheet.
5. Spray the tops of the egg rolls with non-stick spray.  Bake for approximately 20 minutes until golden brown and crispy.  Flip the egg rolls after 12 minutes and rotate pans if necessary.

Dipping sauce:
1/4 c. light soy sauce
1/4 c. chicken stock
1/4 c. rice wine vinegar
1 tbs. sriracha sauce
2 tbs. brown sugar
2 tsp. sesame oil
1-2 tbs. sliced green onion (I used only the green part because that's what I had left.)

1. Combine all ingredients in a bowl.  Mix well.  Serve with the egg rolls.