Spinach-Pea Penne

Last night, Jeremy and I went to Exotic Meat Night at a friend's place.  Since we had so much meat last night, we decided to go vegetarian tonight.  This has a small amount of chicken stock in it. To make it completely vegetarian, just add water instead.

I had some fresh baby spinach that needed to be used up.  It wasn't in the best of shape so I didn't want to eat it plain so I decided to make a sauce out of it.  I made this bit by bit tasting as I went along until I got it to the right taste and texture.  Overall, this was a nice healthy sauce and was a nice change from a normal tomato sauce for pasta.  If I have some pine nuts next time, I might try adding them as it would add a nice nutty flavor to the sauce too.

This sauce tasted completely different cold... and was great once I put it on the pasta and it heated up.  I used whole wheat penne for this as I usually don't buy non-whole-wheat pasta.  The tomatoes I added right at the end added a nice acidity to it and added another nice flavor and texture.  But it certainly would have been good without the tomatoes too.

Recipe:
1 1/2 c. baby spinach
1/2 c. flat leave parsley
1/2 c. frozen peas
1 tsp. minced garlic (1-2 cloves)
1/2 c. chicken stock (or water)
1/3 - 1/2 c. extra virgin olive oil
1/4 c. parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flake
1/8 tsp. nutmeg
13 oz. pasta (I used whole wheat penne)
1 tomato, diced

1. Place chicken stock, spinach, parsley, garlic, salt, crushed red pepper, black pepper, and nutmeg in a blender. Blend until it begins to puree.
2. Drizzle olive oil into the blender while it's running. Continue to blend until a smooth emulsion forms.
3. While blender is off, add peas and parmesan. Blend again until the mixture is smooth and you no longer have pieces of peas.
4. Heat a large pot of water over high heat. When it boils, cook pasta according to package. Drain and return to pan.
5. Pour sauce over the pasta. Heat over low heat until the sauce is hot.
6. Serve topped with diced tomato.

Chicken with Broccoli and Carrots

Sorry for the long break... in addition to being crazy busy, I was visiting my sister in Edinburgh, which meant that I wasn't cooking much. I'm trying to convince Jeremy to do some guest posts because he made some really yummy sounding dishes while I was gone but so far he's not interested. I didn't cook last night because I just passed out thanks to the time change and the insanely long day of traveling.

Tonight though, we wanted something healthy, relatively quick, and yummy. Since I didn't get a lot of Chinese food in Scotland and because the fridge didn't have a lot of fresh veggies, I decided to make chicken with broccoli - one of my favorite Chinese dishes.

I often make variations on this - changing the sauce and the veggies to match whatever I have on hand and whatever I feel like eating that night. This wasn't a very spicy dish and the spice could be eliminated entirely by leaving out the red pepper flakes and hot sauce. I served this over some simple steamed rice. Very delicious

Recipe:
2 chicken breasts (or 1 really large one)
3 cups broccoli florets
2 carrots
2 scallions
3 tsp. spicy oyster sauce (divided)
6 tbs. soy sauce (divided)
3 tbs. rice wine vinegar (divided)
3 tbs. vegetable oil (divided)
1 tbs. hot sauce (I had a habanero-garlic sauce)
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flake (divided)
1 tsp. minced garlic (1 clove)
2 tbs. cornstarch

1. Slice chicken into 1/4 inch pieces. In a medium bowl, mix 1 tbs. spicy oyster sauce, 2 tbs. soy sauce, 1 tbs. rice wine vinegar, 1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flake, and 1 tbs. vegetable oil. Add chicken and mix. Set aside to marinate for 1 hour.
2. Slice carrots into 1/8 inch rounds. Slice scallions.
3. In a small bowl, mix 2 tsp. spicy oyster sauce, 4 tbs. soy sauce, 2 tbs. rice wine vinegar, 1 tbs. vegetable oil, 1 tbs. hot sauce, 1 tsp. minced garlic, and 2 tbs. cornstarch.
4. Heat 1 tbs. vegetable oil in a large wok. Add 1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flake and allow to fry for 30 seconds (don't let it burn). Add chicken (with the marinade liquid). Stir frequently for 2-3 minutes.
5. Add broccoli and carrots. Cover with a lid and allow to steam for 4-5 minutes.
6. Add scallions and mix, cooking for 1 minute or until the broccoli and carrots are tender.
7. Add sauce mixture. Stir to combine. Allow to cook until the sauce thickens, 1-2 minutes. Add soy sauce if it appears to dry/tight or allow to cook for a another minute or two if too loose.
8. Serve over rice.

Whole Wheat Oatmeal Pancakes

So this is my first breakfast post. Usually, Jeremy and I eat cereal or oatmeal during the week so there's no need to post that. Even the eggs and pancakes I usually make on the weekends aren't special enough to post. However, this morning I made these pancakes.

I was trying to decide what to make for us and was searching around for pancake recipes. Bisquick just wasn't going to cut it today. When I saw that these were made with whole wheat flour and oatmeal, I knew I had to try them. They were incredibly easy to make and VERY delicious.

They had a great texture as they stayed moist in the middle thanks to the oatmeal. They were quite hearty too. The flavor was great - a subtle spice flavor from the cinnamon and nutmeg. I almost didn't need syrup on them. Jeremy eats his pancakes without syrup all the time and he loved these. I will probably add a bit more cinnamon next time as we both thought that the flavor in there was delicious but a tad subtle.

I also didn't have buttermilk. Luckily, I remembered that you can make buttermilk from regular milk and white vinegar (or lemon juice). So I quickly looked up the steps to make buttermilk and then went ahead with the recipe. I will definitely be trying this recipe again with real buttermilk.

These pancakes were simple enough that I might not even keep Bisquick around anymore... It just took a couple extra measurements. I adapted the recipe I found online and it worked out fantastically. I'm really happy I found a whole wheat pancake recipe that both of us enjoy. It will definitely be made again.

Recipe (makes approximately 15 pancakes):
3/4 c. oatmeal (rolled oats)
1 1/2 c. buttermilk (see below for directions on making your own)
3/4 c. whole wheat flour (I have King Arthur brand)
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/8 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg (or not freshly grated if you don't have it)
1/2 tsp. salt
1 egg, lightly beaten
2 tbs. margarine, melted
1 tbs. light brown sugar

1. Place oatmeal in the buttermilk to soak for approximately 10 minutes. (I soaked it until I had the rest of the ingredients ready.)
2. Whisk flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt together in a large bowl. Add margarine, brown sugar, the egg, and buttermilk-oatmeal mixture. Whisk until just combined.
3. Heat a griddle or frying pan over medium heat. When water sizzles and dances on the surface, add batter (1/4 c. for each pancake - makes about a 4-5" pancake).
4. Flip when the edges begin to appear dry and the bottom of the pancake is a nice golden brown.
5. Serve with your favorite pancake toppings - maple syrup, fruit, etc.

Buttermilk (if you need to substitute):
3 tbs. white vinegar
1 1/2 c. minus 3 tablespoons skim milk (you can use any type of milk... I just always have skim on hand)

1. Place vinegar in a large glass measuring cup.
2. Add milk until it reaches the 1 1/2 c. line
3. Let sit 5 minutes.
* Since I was letting the oats soak in the mixture for the pancakes, I didn't rest the milk mixture before adding the oats. I mixed the vinegar and the milk, then immediately added the oats and let them all sit together. It worked out great.

Sausage, Pepper, and Onion Marinara

I blogged about this sauce before. But since I've tweaked the recipe and I remembered to take a picture tonight, I figured it was worth re-sharing. This dinner smells AMAZING while it's cooking - makes it hard to concentrate.

I made a loaf of bread to go along with the sauce. I adapted a recipe from our bread cookbook. It was a "Pain D'Ail" (garlic bread). I'd made that recipe before but this time got a bit more adventurous and I added parmesan cheese to it. I reduced the liquid a little to accommodate the cheese but apparently not enough. The dough, after the modification, was a little wet. I'll have to reduce the liquid more or add extra flour. It still tasted great though. Definitely a success.

The sauce recipe makes enough for us to have a couple meals. I serve this over whole wheat pasta (usually) but Jeremy also likes to make sandwiches out of the sauce. Just heat it up in the microwave and it's just a messy sausage sandwich. While it takes a bit of time to make it initially, having the leftover sauce in the fridge makes for a delicious and quick meal a couple days later. The sauce also freezes well (although it usually doesn't last long enough to need freezing for us). Just thaw in the fridge overnight before reheating.

I use turkey sausage for the sauce as it's a little healthier than regular pork sausage... and both are delicious. I've made this either by browning and slicing the sausage (as in the recipe below) or by removing the meat from the casings so that you get ground sausage throughout the sauce. Good either way - tonight I let Jeremy pick and he asked for browned and sliced.

The sauce has a nice spicy flavor (which you could cut back on or eliminate by reducing/eliminating the crushed red pepper flakes). This would also be delicious as a vegetarian sauce by eliminating the sausage entirely. In addition, while I had chardonnay on hand (and open...), this could be made with any reasonably dry white wine. (Or red... really it's for the acidity so the flavor of the wine would alter the sauce but most dry wines would be delicious.) If you don't want to use wine, add a little chicken or beef stock, or water, to loosen the sauce up a little.

Recipe:
1 lb. hot Italian turkey sausage (or mild/sweet if you don't like spice)
3 small bell peppers (or two large ones), diced
2 medium onions, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. dried basil
1 tbs. dried parsley flakes
1/3 c. dry white wine
1 6 oz. can tomato paste
1 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes
1 15 oz. can diced tomatoes

1. Place sausage in pan and cover with water. Add 1 tbs. of olive oil to the pan. Heat over medium-high heat until the water boils. Reduce heat to a simmer and simmer for 10-15 minutes until the sausages are cooked through. Drain off any remaining water. Return pan to the heat and brown sausages, turning periodically. Remove from pan and wrap in foil.
2. Place pan back on medium heat. Add 1 tbs of olive oil to pan. Add peppers, onions, crushed red pepper flake and black pepper. Saute until the veggies begin to soften (4-5 minutes). Add wine and let evaporate for 1-2 minutes. Add garlic, oregano, basil, and parsley. Stir to combine. Add tomato paste, crushed tomatoes, and diced tomatoes. Stir to combine.
3. Slice the sausages into 1/4" rounds. Add to the sauce.
4. Simmer for 45-60 minutes, stirring every 5-10 minutes, until veggies are completely soft and flavors combine.
5. Serve with pasta and grated parmesan.

Breaded Chicken with Oven-Roasted Cauliflower and Turmeric Rice Pilaf

I was looking over the posts I've written so far and realized there weren't a lot of chicken recipes on here. Jeremy and I eat quite a bit of chicken and I try new recipes all the time. I make a variation on this regularly. There are few things better than a nice breaded chicken breast.

I grew up eating chicken breaded in rice krispies (I don't care how strange it sounds... it's delicious. At least to me.) and rice-a-roni. This was a standard meal my mom always made - and one I still request when we go to visit. Now when I make this I use similar ingredients but making it myself allows me to change up the flavors to match what I feel like having that night and is cheaper and healthier.

I used two chicken breasts for this. However, I sliced them in half so I had four pieces of chicken. Jeremy ate two and I had one. We also have some cauliflower and rice left over. I'm sure it will make a delicious lunch for one of us tomorrow.

This meal comes together fairly quickly. I put the chicken and cauliflower into the oven at the same time (removing the cauliflower a couple minutes before the chicken). I made the rice pilaf while the others were baking. So all together it took me only 30-35 minutes from start to finish. Definitely a nice comforting meal with lots of great flavors and textures.

Recipe:
Chicken:
2 chicken breasts, halved
1/2 c. Italian-style bread crumbs
2 tsp. dried parsley flakes
1/2 tsp. dried thyme leaves
1/2 tsp. paprika
1/4 tsp. black pepper
2 tbs. margarine, melted

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a medium bowl, mix bread crumbs, parsley, thyme, paprika, and black pepper.
2. Dip chicken in margarine, then coat in breadcrumbs. Place in a 13"x9" baking dish. Drizzle any remaining margarine over the top.
3. Bake for 20-25 minutes until cooked through.

Roasted Cauliflower:
1 head of cauliflower
1 tbs olive oil
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Cut cauliflower into bite-sized florets.
3. Place on a sheet tray and add oil, salt, and pepper. Toss to coat.
4. Bake for 18-20 minutes, turning periodically, until tender and slightly brown.

Rice Pilaf:
15 pieces of whole wheat spaghetti
1 c. rice
1/4 tsp. turmeric
2 tsp. dried parsley flakes
1/4 tsp. black pepper
2 scallions, minced
2 1/4 c. chicken broth
2 tbs. margarine

1. Melt margarine in a medium saucepan. Break up spaghetti into half-inch pieces. Add to the margarine and stir to coat. Add rice, stir, and saute for 3-4 minutes on medium heat until the rice smells nutty.
2. Add chicken broth, parsley, turmeric, black pepper, and scallions. Stir.
3. Cover the pan, reduce heat to maintain a simmer, and simmer for 15-18 minutes until all liquid is absorbed.
4. Turn the rice off and allow to sit 3-5 minutes. Stir before serving.