Sweet Potato Gnocchi in Sage Butter Sauce

Last night I decided to make gnocchi.  I've never made them before but decided to give it a try.  Since we were going grocery shopping, I picked up a few sweet potatoes and some ricotta since I'd had my eye on a recipe on foodnetwork.com.  I changed it up a bit so it was a little less sweet (no cinnamon or maple syrup).  I served these in a sage butter sauce.

I probably made these a little too big... and I'll add a little more flour next time as the dough was probably a bit loose.  But they had great flavor.  I will certainly be making more gnocchi in the future.  They took a bit of time but were worth it.

I baked the potatoes early in the day so that they were completely cool when I skinned and mashed them.  I love making meals like this on the weekend when I can take a good bit of the day to make dinner.  I just spend some time in the kitchen during breaks from doing work on the couch.

Jeremy said that these seemed like they would make an amazing Thanksgiving side dish.  I may just have to try that.  I think it would be possible to make them well in advance and just reheat them for dinner so that could be a possibility... otherwise it may be a bit too much work for one dish.  These definitely did make the kitchen smell like Thanksgiving thanks to the sage. :)

Gnocchi:
2 lbs. sweet potatoes (the orange kind)
2/3 c. ricotta cheese (part skim)
1 1/4 c. AP flour (plus more for dusting the work surface)
1 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1/4 tsp. nutmeg

1. Heat oven to 425.  Pierce the sweet potatoes several times with a paring knife.  Bake on a cookie sheet lined with foil for 40-50 minutes until tender.  (The time will depend on the size of the sweet potatoes.) Remove from oven and allow to cool.
2. Peel the sweet potatoes and move to a large bowl.  Mash with a potato masher.
3. Add ricotta, salt, black pepper, and nutmeg.  Mix well to combine.
4. Add flour, 1/2 c. at a time, until a soft dough forms.
5. Roll out onto a floured surface and divide into 6 portions.  Roll each portion into a 1" rope and cut into 1" pieces.  Roll each piece across the tines of a fork.  Place on a floured baking sheet until ready to boil.
6. Bring a large pot of water to boil. Cook the gnocchi in 3 batches, about 5-6 minutes.  The gnocchi are cooked when they float to the surface.
7. Remove from the water as they float and put into the sage butter sauce until ready to serve.

Sage Butter Sauce:
2 tbs. olive oil
2 tbs. margarine
1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1 tbs. minced fresh sage leaves

1. Place a large frying pan over medium low heat.  Add olive oil and margarine until margarine is melted.  Add crushed red pepper flake and sage.
2. Continue heating until the oil turns slightly orange (from the pepper flakes) and the kitchen smells like sage. (You can keep the sauce on medium low to low heat while the gnocchi are in it until they are all cooked and ready to serve. Just mix occasionally.)

Spinach and Carmelized Onion Pizza

Last night I felt like having pizza... so Jeremy made some whole wheat pizza dough in our bread machine and I got to work making carmelized onions.  I made these well in advance of dinner because if I'm already hungry when I start cooking them, they never make it to carmelized before I decide that they're done enough because I want to get eating. This pizza was really delicious and since it was loaded with veggies and fat free ricotta I'd say it was pretty healthy. :) 

One of the best things I've gotten over the years is a pizza stone.  While this could certainly be made on a baking sheet, nothing gives the same crispy crust like a pizza stone.  I just preheat the oven with the stone inside and then make the pizza on a pizza peel to slide it onto the stone.  (If the dough is being tough and not sliding I sometimes make it on the stone itself... but that can be a little dangerous.) 

This fed both of us last night - Jeremy and 4 slices and I had 3.  Jeremy had my last slice for lunch (ok... a snack) today.  It's nice to have a white pizza every so often as a change of pace. :)

15 oz. fat free ricotta cheese
3 c. fresh spinach

1 medium-sized onion

1 tbs. minced garlic
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flake
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 c. parmesan cheese
2 tbs. olive oil (divided)
1 pizza's worth of pizza dough (any brand or homemade will work)

1. Cut the onion in half and then slice into thin (1/2") slices.  Heat a small frying pan over medium-low heat.  Add 1 tbs. olive oil, the onions, and a pinch of salt.  Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are soft and light brown (about half an hour).

2. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

3. Chop the spinach into small ribbons (1/4").  In a small bowl, mix riccotta, spinach, garlic, crushed red pepper flake, and salt.

4. Spread some cornmeal on a pizza peel and roll out the dough to roughtly 1/2" thickness.  Brush the crust with 1 tbs. of olive oil.  Spread the ricotta-spinach mixture onto the dough.
5. Bake for approximately 15 minutes.  Add the carmelized onions and parmesan to the pizza.  Bake for an additional 10 minutes until the cheese is bubbly and the crust is crisp.
6. Allow to cool for 5-10 minutes.  Slice and enjoy.

Black Bean and Barley Veggie Burgers (Attempt 2!)

Tonight I decided to attempt to make veggie burgers. Last time I made these, it sparked a huge debate amongst my friends about whether a "veggie burger" can really be a "burger."  I maintained it was since burger just means something patty-like that can be eaten in the manner of a traditional burger... some of my other friends did not agree.  Although under their definition of "beef patty on a bun" many other things like turkey burgers, ostrich burgers, etc. wouldn't be burgers.  Debate aside, I'm sticking to my guns... and I made veggie burgers. :)

Tonight's dinner started with me cooking the barley this morning while sitting around sipping my coffee.  Not that it really takes a whole day to make it but since I wasn't doing anything that important, I could run into the kitchen to check on the barley every few minutes.  I also started soaking the black beans this morning.  I moved the cooked barley into the fridge after it cooled a bit.  After a trip to the gym with Jeremy, I came home and cooked the beans.  They also had time to cool before I put this together.  Just check the packages for cooking times so you budget enough.

This time, I decided to grind up a good bit of the cooked barley.  I figured its carb-y starchiness would help to bind the burgers.  I was right! These didn't seem to fall apart as easily as the last ones I made, although mind still came apart a little.  I'm sure the two eggs (instead of the one in the old recipe) helped.  These were very tasty and we topped them just like we would normal burgers - tomato and lettuce on mine and onion and lettuce on Jeremy's.

This made 8 very large patties which could certainly be made smaller if you wanted.  But we're starving after the trip to the gym so it's probably a good thing that the burgers will be big. :)

We put these on sandwich flats which my mother-in-law introduced me to the last time we visited.  I fell in love with them at first bite so this week Jeremy and I picked up some "100 % whole grain flax & fiber" sandwich flats.  Delish!  They could, of course, just go on regular hamburger buns but these sandwich flats were excellent with a quick toast in the oven.

I'm looking forward to the leftover burgers over the next couple days.  Hopefully I won't have to eat them cold... everyone stay safe through Hurricane Irene!  And hopefully we keep (or get back very quickly) our electricity.

Recipe:
1 c. uncooked pearl barley
1 c. dry black beans
2 eggs
1 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tbs. parsley flakes
1/4 c. minced chipotles in adobo
1 small onion, minced
3/4 c. plain bread crumbs

1. Cook the barley and beans according to the package.  (I soaked the beans most of the day before boiling them. The barley takes less time to cook... but needs to be cooked thoroughly.  I did this far enough in advance so that they could both cool.)
2. Using a food processor, grind up approximately 3/4 of the cooked barley.  (It will be very thick and sticky.  I had to do it in batches.)
3. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Combine all ingredients in a large bowl.  Mix thoroughly. (I used my hands... nothing else would've worked right.)
4. Spray a large baking sheet with cooking spray.  Portion out the mixture into 8 patties (just eyeball it... if it's off, you can correct it at the end).  Mold them with your hands and place them on the baking sheet.  Spray the tops of the patties with cooking spray
5. Bake for 30 minutes until crispy on the outside.  Serve immediately.

Garlic-Thyme Roast Pork with Spaetzle and Peas

Jeremy and I were out shopping today and discovered that pork roasts were on sale.  So we brought one home.  I didn't want to just remake the pork roast I'd made before, so I decided to make it with garlic and thyme.  And after my last attempt at making spaetzle, I decided to do that again. The result was delicious.  I never used to eat pork but after these few attempts, it might start appearing on our plates more frequently.

The pork was really simple as all it required was rubbing on a few ingredients and then shoving it in the oven for a little over an hour.  The spaetzle takes more work but still isn't overly tedious.  I won't repeat the recipe here since I already blogged about it.  I did end up adding slightly more milk to it this time as it was a little thick... but I think that was just faulty measuring on my part.  To go with them I just microwaved some frozen peas and added a little margarine.

The delicious smell of garlic that permeated the apartment while the roast was cooking was fantastic.  I could barely wait to cut into the pork and eat it.  We have a little over half the roast left and a bit of the spaetzle too.  I'm definitely looking forward to these leftovers. :)

Next time I might try making a sauce or a gravy to go on this.  It was delicious but both the pork and the spaetzle would probably have been even yummier with gravy.

Recipe:
2 lb. pork roast
1 tbs. minced garlic
1 tbs. dried parsley
1 tbs. dried thyme
1 tsp. sea salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Mix garlic, parsley, thyme, salt and pepper in a small bowl.
3. Rub onto pork, covering all sides.
4. Place pork on a rack in a roasting pan (fat side up).  Roast in oven for approximately 1 1/4 hours until a meat thermometer registers 160 degrees.
5. Remove roast from oven and allow to rest for 5-10 minutes before slicing and serving.

Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Cookies

So Jeremy was watching Scrubs today... and Elliot made chocolate chip cookies for J.D.  The minute I saw the cookies, I got a craving for some.  I was hoping that dinner would be enough that I wouldn't still want the cookies.  Clearly that didn't work. :)

I decided to try to find a recipe which used whole wheat flour so that I could pretend the cookies were healthy. Regardless of whether they're healthy, these were delicious.

They baked up very thin and almost crispy.  They also spread out a lot so make sure you leave plenty of space on the cookie sheet for these.  They started out about 1" across but ended up about 4" in diameter.

I only baked 6 of the cookies.  The rest of the dough is in the process of freezing (I portioned them out with a tablespoon on a baking sheet (as in the recipe) but put them in the freezer rather than baking them.  I'll put them in a ziploc baggie when they're finished and hopefully be able to pull out a couple cookies to bake up when another craving hits.)  Hopefully this will help me not eat 2 dozen cookies within the span of a couple of days. :)

While I'm not usually crazy about desserts (or baking for that matter), it's nice to have a few recipes around to satisfy the occasional craving.  This one will certainly be made again.

I used a mixture of semi-sweet and white chocolate chips for this but any chocolate chip will work in this.  These would also be delicious with nuts in them.  I may have to add some next time. :)

Recipe:
3/4 c. white sugar
3/4 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. margarine, softened
1/2 c. canola oil
1 tsp. vanilla
1 egg
2 c. whole wheat flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/3 c. white chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 375.
2. Mix white sugar, brown sugar, margarine, oil, vanilla, and an egg in a large bowl until well blended.  (I used a regular whisk... but an electric mixer would've gone faster.)
3. Add flour, baking soda, and salt.  Mix until flour is completely incorporated.
4. Add chocolate chips and fold into the dough.
5. Scoop the dough onto an ungreased cookie sheet using a tablespoon.
6. Bake for 7-10 minutes until the edges are light brown.
7. Allow to cool for a couple minutes before serving/transferring to a cooling rack to cool. (The cookies never make it to the rack before Jeremy and I dig in...)

Venison Meatloaf with Broccoli

Jeremy and I have had a couple vegetarian days.  Not on purpose... the meals I planned just didn't have meat in them and even when we went out to eat, both of us ended up ordering non-meat meals.  We decided to rectify this tonight. :)

I've posted about meatloaf before but I didn't put my normal ketchup glaze on this.  I just put the ketchup on my plate next to it. :)

This was really tasty and was still nice and moist on the inside.  You can certainly use lean ground beef if you don't have venison... it will cook up more or less the same.

Meatloaf:
1 lb. ground venison
1 c. plain breadcrumbs
1 c. skim milk
1 egg
1 tbs. garlic powder
1 tbs. onion powder
2 tbs. parsley flakes
1 1/2 tbs. worchestershire sauce
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. black pepper

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray a 13x9 inch baking sheet with cooking spray.
2. Mix all ingredients in a large bowl until combined.  Place mixture on baking sheet and form into a 4x9 inch loaf.
3. Bake for approximately 1 hour until meat thermometer inserted in center reads 160 degrees.
4. Slice into 1 inch slices and serve. (Ketchup on the side is optional... but yummy.)

Chili-Rubbed Roast Pork with Fried Plantains, Rice and Beans, and Fresh Salsa (a.k.a. Challenge Plantain)

Since I'm home in Albany for the weekend, I have my large (and well-stocked!) kitchen to work with. (YAY!)  My friend Laura challenged me to use plantains.  I've eaten them before but never cooked them myself.  After browsing through a few recipes, I decided that I was going to fry them and pair it with a pork roast.  The rice and beans seemed like a natural complement to round out the meal.

The plantains were really tasty.  They were nice and crisp on the outside and starchy on the inside.  I used green plantains for this.  The flavor was nice and light.  The riper they get the sweeter they get (and the more they taste kind of like bananas...).  Since Jeremy doesn't like bananas at all, the green plantains were perfect.

This was really easy to make.  It takes a while but for most of the time the roast is in the oven so there isn't much to do.  I don't mind cooking time that requires me to sit in front of the TV. :)

This meal was delicious.  It was good enough that Jeremy actually licked the cutting board to get some of the pork juices that seeped out. And he was eating all the crust that came off the pork when I sliced it.  Very delicious.  I have a feeling that Jeremy will be requesting this meal again. :)

This took a bit of work to bring it together but for a nice weekend meal it was delicious.  If you  have the time, the pork would be delicious with easier sides too.  The rub for the pork is really simple and once that's together and on the pork, there isn't much work to do with that until it's time to slice it.

Chili-Rubbed Roast Pork:
1 1/2 to 2 lb pork loin roast (mine was 1.82 pounds), trimmed of most of the fat
1 tsp. sea salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. paprika
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/2 tbs. dried oregano
1 tsp. thyme
1/2 tbs. cumin
1/2 tbs. chili powder
1/2 tbs. garlic powder
1 tsp. onion powder
1 tbs. light brown sugar

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
2. Mix the rub together in a small bowl.
3. Cover the pork generously with the rub.  Massage the rub into the meat.
4. Roast on a rack over a roasting pan for approximately 1 1/4 hours until a meat thermometer reads 160 degrees.
5. Allow to rest for 15 minutes.  Slice into thin slices and serve.

Fried Plantains:
2 large green plantains
oil for frying
salt and pepper to taste

1. Heat the oil in a deep fryer or large pot to 350 degrees.
2. Peel the plantains.  Slice into 1/2" slices
3. Fry for 3-4 minutes (in batches if needed) until golden brown.  Remove from oil and salt and pepper to taste immediately.

Rice and Beans:
1 c. dry black beans
1 1/2 c. rice
3 c. water (for the rice)
2 tbs. margarine
1 tbs. cumin
1/2 tsp. salt
zest of 1/2 a lime
juice of 1/2 a lime
water for beans

1. Place beans in 4-6 cups of water and let them soak for at least 4 hours.
2. Rinse the beans and place in a large pot.  Cover with 6-8 cups of water.
3. Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to maintain a simmer for 1  to 1 1/2 hours until tender. Drain the beans and return to the pot.  Allow to sit until the rice is cooked
4. Place 3 cups of water in a large pot with the margarine.  Bring to a boil.  Add rice and reduce heat to maintain a simmer until water is absorbed (approximately 15 minutes).
5. When rice is cooked, add rice to the beans.  Add cumin, salt, lime zest and juice.  Mix well and serve.

Salsa:
2 serrano peppers
1 large tomato
1 small yellow onion
zest of 1/2 lime
juice of 1/2 lime
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tbs. minced cilantro

1. Remove the ribs from the serrano peppers and mince.  Mince the onion.  Dice the tomato.
2. Combine all the ingredients in a bowl.  Allow to sit for at least 30 minutes before serving.