Easy Baked Pasta

So, the other night I was seriously craving a pasta casserole. I was over the turkey sandwich and yogurt dinners and decided to make something outrageously delicious.  While the recipe I chose didn't knock my socks off, it was good, quick, and easy...which means it goes into the working professionals arsenal of go-to recipes.  Part of the reason I went with this particular version is because it didn't require too many random ingredients I wouldn't typically have around.  I'm also not one for crazy combos and usually prefer simple to the more exotic cuisine.

Modifications: Since I already had a jar of pasta sauce on hand I used it, however I added onions and meat to make it a little heartier (and more palatable to the meat lovers in my family).  I also only added the mozzarella to half of the dish since I'm not a huge fan of melted cheese.  Served with yummy garlic bread, this made the perfect dinner for a chilly (and rainy!) Friday evening.

Ingredients

• 1 pound rigatoni (or whatever tube shape you have)
• 1 (15-ounce) container ricotta cheese
• 2 cloves garlic
• salt and pepper
• 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
• 1/3 cup chopped flat leaf parsley
• 2 cloves chopped garlic
• 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1 jar tomato sauce
• 
  
• Instructions

1. Cook the rigatoni in a pot of boiling, salted water. Cook according to the package directions, but drain when the pasta still has some bite to it, maybe 2 minutes before the end of the cooking time. It is also going to cook in the oven, you do not want your pasta to be overcooked. Reserve a little cooking water.
2. Mix together the ricotta cheese, garlic, 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, and 1/4 cup parsley. The rest of the cheese and parsley will be used for the top.
3. Season well with salt and pepper.
4. Add the ricotta cheese mixture and half of the tomato sauce to the pot.
5. Mix until it coats all of the pasta. If it is too thick, add a bit of the pasta water to thin it out.
6. Spread the pasta evenly into a 9×13 casserole dish.
7. Spread the rest of the pasta sauce over the top.
8. Add the mozzarella cheese, remaining Parmesan, and remaining parsley to the top.
9. Cover with foil and put the baked ziti in the fridge until you are ready to bake it off. Or cook it in a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes covered with tin foil. Take the tin foil off and cook for another 15 minutes or until the cheese is melted.
10. Let the pan sit for at least 10 minutes before you cut it.

(Be very, very grateful I didn't post the photo of the kitchen...it was a MESS!!!!)

Veggie Tartlets (otherwise known as veggies and couscous)

From the kitchen of a working professional:

Since January 2012 I've faced the age old dilemma - how to fix fresh, healthy meals meals that don't require hours of prep time. I'm not particularly fond of eating past 6:30, and when one doesn't get home from work until 5:45 that doesn't leave much time to make a scrumptious dinner. Slowly but surely I'm acquiring new recipes for my arsenal, and veggies are a personal favorite.

Tonight I made a variation on a theme. Christina and I made the complete recipe a few years ago and thought the veggies would make a delicious topping on something other than tartlets. I must say, I was pleased with the outcome and by eliminating the tartlets, I cut down on the bake time. And I ate by 6:30. :-)

Modifications:

* Instead of making little tartlets I served the veggie mixture over couscous. I used whole wheat couscous from Trader Joes, and it was ready in about 10 minutes.

* I cheated and used dried basil instead of fresh. Although fresh would have been better, I didn't have any on hand. Dried still provided excellent flavor.

* I'm not a huge fan of eggplant so I only used half of the recommended amount.

* Because I was hungry I baked the veggies for 10 minutes, spooned some out to eat right away, and baked the remaining mixture for another 20 minutes. I'll enjoy the baked portion as leftovers.

* This would also be wonderful served over rice.

Crust:

2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 cup stone-ground yellow cornmeal

1 teaspoon sugar

1 teaspoon course salt

1/2 cup (1 stick) cold, unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

1/2 cup ice water

Filling:

1 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2 red peppers, stems and seeds removed, cut in 1/4 inch strips

1 medium zucchini, thinly sliced

1 medium squash, thinly sliced

1 Italian eggplant, thinly sliced

1 small red onion, quartered

1 cup dry white wine

1/4 teaspoon coarse salt

Freshly ground pepper

2 cups coarsely chopped Kale

2 cups cherry tomatoes

1/3 cup fresh basil, coarsely chopped

Pinch of red pepper flakes

6 tablespoons nonfat ricotta cheese

Directions:

1. Make the crust: pulse flour, cornmeal, sugar, and salt in food processor. Add butter. Process until mixture resembles coarse meal. With machine running, add ice water in a slow steady stream. Process just until dough holds together. Divide dough in half, wrap in plastic, and refridgerate 1 hour (or up to 3 days).

2. Preheat over to 350. On a lightly floured surface roll out dough to 1/8 inch thick. Cut out six 9-inch rounds, gathering scraps and rerolling dough. Fit into 4 1/2 inch springform tart pans and cut dough flush with tops. Place on a baking sheet and refrigerate 30 minutes.

3. Make the filling: heat oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add bell peppers and cook until just tender, 4-5 minutes. Add zucchini, squash, eggplant, and onion. Cook, stirring for 2 minutes. Add wine and salt. Season with pepper. Cook, stirring, until liquid has evaporated. Add Kale and cook until wilted, 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in tomatoes, basil, and red pepper flakes.

4. Spoon 1 1/4 cups vegetable mixture into each tart shell. Bake until crust is golden brown, 40-50 minutes. Top each tart with 1 tablespoon ricotta and serve.

Halibut, my favorite fish

Oh halibut, I do believe you are my favorite fish! Mild, warm, buttery, and so not fishy tasting at all. It's too bad you are so expensive! I only buy you for special occasions.

Okay, enough of writing this like a letter to a dead fish. My absolute favorite way to eat halibut is with cilantro. I first had halibut in Cambria for an anniversary a couple of years ago, and it had a nut crust with a cilantro drizzle. Well, I couldn't remember exactly what was in it, but I decided to do a deconstructed sort of version of something like it. Or maybe I just tried to create something yummy on the spot. Either way you look at it, it turned out just as delicious as I hoped it would. If you ever get some halibut, I suggest trying it this way or a recipe with a similar flavor profile.

Halibut with cilantro coconut pesto

12 oz halibut, fresh and on the skin if possible
Kosher salt
Extra virgin olive oil

Drizzle halibut with olive oil, sprinkle generously with salt, then bake at 350 degrees, skin down, until the internal temperature reaches 145 degrees, about 24 minutes. Let rest a couple of minutes, then top with pesto or other toppings/drizzles.

Cilantro coconut pesto (amounts are approximate-please taste along the way to find a proportion you like!)

1 small bunch fresh cilantro, leaves only
A handful or two of fresh parsley (opt)
1/3 cup raw pepitas
1/4 flaked unsweetened coconut (also great for making granola!)
1 small clove of garlic
a pinch of salt
about 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
a pinch of chipotle powder (can sub with cayenne, but you will miss the smokiness)

Toast the pepitas until golden and/or popping. I like to do this in a dry skillet, but a toaster oven works as well. Then toast the coconut. It will go fast, so watch and stir! Reserve a bit of the pepitas and coconut for garnish.

Combine herbs, pepitas, coconut, garlic, and a pinch of salt in a food processor until very fine. Slowly pour in oil while running the machine, pausing to scrape things down as necessary. The more oil you use, the more it will look like sauce. I tend to use restraint with my oil, not only to keep costs down, but also because I like a robust herb flavor.

Place spoonfuls of pesto on the halibut, garnish with pepitas, coconut, and a pinch of chipotle, and finish with a drizzle of olive oil.

Servings: 2-3

Blueberry Streusel Muffins

Blueberry muffins. I haven't made these in FOREVER. And I mean a very long time. However yesterday afternoon I once again found myself at Sprouts and ran across some delicious looking blueberries. Which sparked the idea, Why don't I make muffins for breakfast! Brilliant. Since I don't have a favorite, go-to recipe I paid Google a visit and ran across the concoction I made this morning, courtesy of allrecipes.com. Not only do they look pretty but also got passing reviews from the menfolk. Best of all, they're super easy. Enjoy!

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup butter or margarine, softened
• 1 egg, beaten
• 2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
• STREUSEL:
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 cup butter or margarine

Directions

1. In a mixing bowl, cream sugar and butter. Add egg; mix well. Combine flour, baking powder and salt; add to the creamed mixture alternately with milk. Stir in vanilla. Fold in blueberries. Fill 12 greased or paper-lined muffin cups two-thirds full. In a small bowl, combine sugar, flour and cinnamon; cut in butter until crumbly. Sprinkle over muffins. Bake at 375 degrees F for 25-30 minutes or until browned.

And now for the best part: photographic proof of their yumminess!

Blueberry Explosion!

Black Bean and Pea Bowl for lunch

In an effort to avoid reaching for a carb, especially wheat, every time I'm hungry, I sometimes have to get creative at lunch time.  Though I love making solid dinners, lunch and breakfast are not my strong suits.  It's not that I don't enjoy making them.  In fact, I recently discovered that I love having people over for lunch or brunch because I get to focus on new kinds of recipes.  But for myself, there's just not enough time for things to get interesting. But move on over, almond butter sandwich!  Here's a yummy, easy lunch that is low on carbs and uses things I happened to find in my house today.  I think it would also be great with a Mexican style cheese (which I didn't have).

Ingredients
1 Tbl fat of your choice (I used bacon fat)
1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 egg, whisked (2 if you love egg)
1 cup frozen peas
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 Tbl frsh oregano, chopped
1 small avocado, sliced
Pepitas
Hot sauce and salt, to taste

Directions
Cook onions with a couple pinches of salt in fat over medium high heat until golden. Add garlic and cook a minute more. Turn heat to medium low and add egg, stirring until cooked through (I like it scrambled and well chopped). Add the peas, cook a bit, then add beans until all is heated through.  Stir in oregano and hot sauce. Divide into two bowls, topping each with avocado and pepitas.

Yield: 2

Rustic winter lunch

As I try to live more by the seasons, I find that the narrowing of ingredient choices is better for creativity in the kitchen!  Too many choices can be overwhelming.  I have come to love that I get a CSA box and must work with what I have for the week.

Because it's winter, the main vegetable fair is root vegetables.  Below is a little something I made for lunch today based on roots and the herbs in my garden.  It is easily adaptable to other root vegetables and herbs.  Enjoy!

Roasted winter vegetables with spiced oregano oil

3 tiny potatoes, srcubbed and quartered (or one small cut into one inch chunks)
3 small carrots, scrubbed and cut in half
1 fennel bulb, trimmed and sliced to match potato
extra virgin olive oil
kosher salt

Preheat oven or toaster oven to 375 degrees.

Toss veggies in olive oil, then sprinkle generously with salt

Roast for 30-40 minutes, tossing once, or until fork tender.

Oregano oil: Mince and smush about 1/4 cup oregano leaves.  Heat 1/3-1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil in a frying pan with a pinch of red pepper flakes and a dash of hot paprika (you want enough to cover the oregano plus more).  Once very warm, pour over oregano leaves (or add leaves to oil, removing from heat).  Let the flavors meld and the oil cool for a few minutes, then drizzle on roasted veggies and a nice slice of bread and perhaps sliced summer sausage.  Or dip.

Yield: 1-2

Pumpkin Orange Cranberry Muffins

Fall and early winter are the ultimate baking times of the year!  I grew up in a family that baked cookies and breads to give away as Christmas presents.  The recipe I've created below is an adaption of my mom's famous "Christmas pumpkin bread."  I don't know the origins of the recipe, but it is truly delicious.

The inspiration for this variation came from not having had enough pumpkin yet this year, a bag cranberries in the freezer leftover from this cake I made for Thanksgiving, and two very special guests coming for lunch all the way from Africa.  Can I say I was giddy when I tasted the batter only to realize that orange and pumpkin are a match made in heaven?

Enjoy!

Pumpkin Orange Cranberry Muffins
Note: you can bake this is one standard loaf pan, 1 12 cup muffin pan, or whatever you like.  I chose a jumbo 6 muffin pan.  Who doesn't like an extra large muffin?

Ingredients
1 cup pumpkin puree (half of a 16oz. can)
2 TBL + 2 tsp fresh squeezed orange juice
Zest of 1 orange
1/2 cup + 1 TBL oil
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
3 eggs
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup + 2 TBL whole wheat pastry flour (or all purpose)
1/8 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice

1 cup sugar

1 1/4 cups fresh or frozen cranberries, separated
Turbinado sugar for finishing (or regular if you don't have this)

Directions
1.  A little prep: zest your orange, squeeze out the juice, slice each cranberry in half, preheat the oven to 350 degrees, and grease the pan of your choosing.
2. Combine the pumpkin, orange juice and zest, oil, vanilla, and eggs until well combined.
3. Combine dry ingredients and stir into pumpkin mixture until just blended. Fold in 1 cup of the halved cranberries.
4. Pour into prepared pan.  Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup halved cranberries, then sprinkle generously with turbinado sugar.  Bake until tops spring back in the middle when gently pressed (will vary greatly depending on your pan/loaf size. Use google if you need an estimate).
5. Cool for 10 minutes, remove from pan, and cool on rack.

Yield: 1 standard loaf or 1 dozen muffins or 6 jumbo muffins

Oatmeal Cherry Muffins

I am in love. Hello, scrumptious oat muffins! These are delectable, moist and lightly sweetened, with a delicious oat crumble topping. I adapted the recipe from Heidi at 101Cookbooks. I am once again guilty of adapting something before even trying the original, however I would recommend trying the basic version and coming up with your own adaptions! You'll have to excuse the way I switch around between ounces and grams. It works in my brain somehow. If you want volume measurements, just see the original recipe. Enjoy!

Oatmeal Cherry Muffins

Changes from original: I altered the amounts to make exactly 1 dozen muffins (with only a little bit of leftover crumble), added cherries, and extracts. I didn't include "almond" in the title because all I did was add a hint to complement the cherries. If you want a more pronounced almond flavor, try adding finely chopped blanched almonds to the crumble topping. If you don't want to be left with only a tad extra crumble, then simply make the whole amount (double this), and then you'll have plenty to freeze for later use. :)

Crumble topping:

1.5 oz whole wheat pastry flour

0.75 oz cup rolled oats (not quick cooking)

1.25 oz brown sugar

1/4 tsp fine grain sea salt (if using table salt, you should use a scant 1/4 tsp)

1.25 oz unsalted butter, melted

Muffin batter:

67 grams rolled oats (not quick cooking)

67 grams unbleached all purpose flour

67 grams whole wheat pastry flour

1/3 tsp baking soda

scant 1/3 tsp fine grain sea salt

134 grams unsalted butter

47 grams brown sugar

8 oz (ounces!) plain yogurt - I accidentally measured this by weight, not fluid ounces, but it came out, so I wouldn't worry either way.

1 egg, whisked

1/4 tsp almond extract

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup pitted sweet cherries, finely chopped

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease muffin pan (no need for liners - mine popped out easily). Place racks in top third of oven.

Prep cherries.

Use a fork to combine the flour, oats, sugar, and salt in a bowl. Stir in the melted butter. Form into a patty, wrap, and freeze for about ten minutes.

In a large bowl combine the oats, flours, baking soda, and sea salt. Melt the butter in a small saucepan. Remove from heat and stir in the sugar. Whisk in the yogurt, and then the eggs and extracts. Pour the wet ingredients over the dry and stir just until combined. Gently fold in cherries. Do not over mix.

Pour the batter into the muffin tins, filling each 3/4 full (tip: I find using my large cookie scoop is perfect for the job!). Take the crumble from the freezer, crumble it, and sprinkle on top of each muffin. Bake for 30 - 35 minutes or until tops are golden and a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool just a minute or so, then turn out onto a cooling rack (Heidi says: important! And I agree. :) )

Yield: 1 dozen muffins

Zucchini bread using Amish Friendship Bread starter

I recently received my first Amish Friendship Bread starter. It's like a sourdough starter, except it's sweet, and the recipe traditionally handed out with it is really more for a cake than a bread. I've had the version that came with it and it's scrumptious (almond poppy seed), but I wanted to try something less sweet and rich and use up some ingredients that were sitting in the fridge. I discovered online a few different variations of the recipe, settled on one, and adapted it to my needs. The result? One of the best zucchini breads I've had. Whenever I've done the "use yogurt and less sugar and whole wheat flour" route in a quick bread, I've had mediocre results. But having a starter improves the flavor and adds moisture. So, I'd say it was a success!

Amish Friendship Zucchini Bread

A note on the starter: the instructions that came with the starter have you feeding it just before using it. I decided against this, as it seemed the starter would have maximum flavor without the feeding to dilute it (a suggested by other bloggers). One can just feed it afterwards, split, and share with others.

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup stone ground whole wheat flour

1/2 cup brown sugar

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/2 tsp ginger

1/4 tsp cloves

1 tsp salt

1 cup AFB starter

3 eggs

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1/3 cup 2% Greek yogurt

2 tsp vanilla extract

2 cup shredded zucchini (or carrot for a carrot version)

1 cup toasted walnuts, chopped

Opt: Cinnamon and sugar for sprinkling

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Grease 2 9x5 loaf pans (mine came out rather flat. Maybe put the whole batter into one 9x5, or make muffins)

2. Sift together dry ingredients.

3. In large mixing bowl combine starter, eggs, oil, yogurt, and vanilla. Beat for a minute or two to aerate. Add dry ingredients gradually and mix until just blended. Stir in shredded zucchini and nuts. Divide batter evenly between pans. Sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar to your liking (opt).

4. Bake 35 min or until toothpick inserted in middle comes out clean.

The ultimate chocolate peppermint cake

This was the most intense cake I've ever made. It was also one of the most delicious. Normally, I'm not a huge cake person, so I'm fairly selective with recipes I undertake. And usually my handy dandy husband helps (in this case, he was the awesome assembler). :)

I am also proud of this cake because, despite the many warnings and concerns among the reviewers on Epicurious.com, I felt like the whole thing was a great success. More on that later.

For now, pictures!!

First, the components:

1. Dark Chocolate Ganache (yes, that is a finger mark)

2. Peppermint Marshmallowy Frosting

3. White chocolate peppermint whipped cream

4. Devil's Food Cake

Second, the assembly:

The final delicious and gigantic product:

Red bell pepper panzanella

I just had the most delicious lunch. I mean, how could lunch made almost entirely of bread not be awesome? It's something I created out of my leftover focaccia bread. It uses pickled red onions, but if you haven't prepped that (or don't want to), cook some chopped onion with the red bell pepper and be sure to add a splash or two of red wine vinegar along with the olive oil.

Red bell pepper panzanella

1 red bell pepper, chopped

Zest of half a lemon

Rings of pickled red onion with a bit of the liquid (I eyeballed it)

Day old small loaf of focaccia bread, cut into bit sized chunks (about enough to fill a toaster oven tray)

Fresh basil, chopped (or slivered if you're feeling fancy)

Grated mozzarella cheese

Extra virgin olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

1. Saute the bell pepper until just done in a bit high heat oil of your choice. Turn off heat and stir in lemon zest and onions.

2. While bell pepper is cooking, toast the focaccia chunks in the toaster oven.

3. Toss together the bread, basil, mozzarella, a few splashes of extra virgin olive oil, salt, and pepper with the bell pepper mixture. Taste; adjust seasoning if necessary.

4. Eat with salad or something else "healthy" so that you don't feel too bad. ;)

Grains

As promised, I'm going to talk about grains. However, since there are already so many great resources out there, I will simply point you to them and share some favorite recipes!

First of all, grains don't have to be intimidating. Just take one you've never heard of, look up how to cook it (if you can make rice, you can cook grains), and enjoy! If you have a store nearby that sells food in bulk bins, even better! Just grab a trial amount so you don't waste your money. And for a hard to find grain, opt for an ethnic market rather than the "ethnic" section of the grocery store. Not only will you save money, you'll also have fun looking at all the foods you've never seen before, getting to ask the people who work or shop there what to do with them!

Now on to the info. Here is a handy description of various grains and what to do with them: http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/a-few-favorite-grains-recipe.html

For a brief glossary, see here: http://www.foodsubs.com/FGGrains.html

For a very detailed description of each grain (or any food, for that matter), use http://www.whfoods.com/

Now on to some of my favorite recipes!

Brown Rice:

Plain BROWN RICE. Best brown rice method hands down. No more mushy or undercooked brown rice!

If you're wanting to try a new grain but aren't sure if you'll like it, try adding it to brown rice. Or try this recipe that uses five grains (or four or three, depending on what you have and/or like). I once made a large batch and froze the leftovers for later use. Boy did the leftovers come in handy for quick weeknight meals (stir fry, anyone?).

Quinoa:

My favorite grain is probably quinoa. Ah, quinoa. I've blogged about it before here. It's also delicious served with grilled zucchini and pork. My favorite seasoning for it has to be cumin. Also, I've recently discovered that I prefer a longer cooking time than what most packages indicate (25 minutes instead of 10 of 15). Beyond the usual applications, I absolutely love this creative and mouthwatering delicious Quinoa Skillet bread. If you try it, be warned that it comes out better when you measure by weight (ounces, grams) rather than volume (cups, pints).

Multiple grains:

If making bread is up your ally, I highly recommend Peter Reinhart's Multigrain Bread Extraordinare. An almost pompous sounding title, I know, but this loaf from his book, The Bread Baker's Apprentice, is the best multigrain bread I've ever tasted. Really. It uses brown rice, oats, bran, and your choice of coarse corn meal, amaranth, millet, or quinoa. Google the name of the bread and you're sure to find a recipe (or get your hands on a copy of the fantastic resource that is the Baker's Apprentice).

Oats:

And finally, let me add something about oats. I have fallen in love with quick-cooking steel oats. I much prefer the texture to rolled oats. That's not to say that one couldn't enjoy both. If you want to try something new in the oat department, try steel cut, and preferably quick cooking since they take longer to cook than rolled oats. Here is a decadent way to use them: http://delicioushouse.blogspot.com/2010/01/toasted-maple-nut-steel-cut-irish.html

You can use any nuts you have on hand. I also like to add fresh or dried fruit, especially raisins, dried cranberries, apples, apricots, etc. Have fun mixing and matching nuts, fruits, sweeteners (honey, agave, maple syrup).

I'm back (with a late spring salad)

After many weeks of silence (and lack of inspiration at home), I have finally broken the silence (and the dry spell)! Last time we spoke, I just started a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture). I never did get back to you about my experience. Stay tuned!

This lovely in-between-spring-and-summer evening, I'd like to share my recent creation! Like I alluded to earlier, I have been a bit bored lately with my cooking. My remedy? Go to my favoriteblog and look up new ingredients! I decided to branch out with grains and vinegar. I will talk about grains more later.

Vinegar? Isn't that a little boring or basic? Perhaps, but it was severely underutilized in my kitchen! One day I realized I had a decent bottle of balsamic vinegar and Chinese cooking wine (which in my mind is pretty much like vinegar) sitting, just sitting there, in the pantry (next to my olive oil, no less). What a shame, I thought. So I just started adding it to things. First, the Chinese cooking wine went into stir-fried bok choy (thank you CSA for introducing me to bok choy!), and the balsamic into a vinaigrette for salad with chickpeas.

So the next time I went to Trader Joe's, I decided to investigate the vinegar section. Holy smokes, there are some delicious looking vinegars! I decided upon the orange muscat champagne vinegar. Once I opened the bottle, catching a sniff of its sweet scent, I knew was going to have fun. With this and my CSA basket in hand, I was inspired to make this beauty of a salad.

Late spring salad with orange-mint vinaigrette

3-4 cups washed and torn lettuce leaves (I mixed romaine, red leaf, and iceberg)

1/2 cup walnut pieces, toasted

For the vinaigrette:

4 strawberries, sliced

1 small blood orange, peeled and pulled into segments

3 mint leaves, crushed and chopped

1 shallot, thinly sliced

a few splashes of orange champagne vinegar (or whatever you have that's similar)

a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil

pinch salt and pepper

1. Prepare vinaigrette and let sit for at least 5-10 minutes.

2. Toss vinaigrette and toasted walnuts with salad and enjoy!

Notes: No blood orange? No problem. Any small, sweet orange or tangerine will do. Also, the shallot could just as well be an equivalent amount of red onion. I'm sure this could be adapted for other kinds of fruit and nuts depending on what you have on hand as well.

CSA Basket #1

I just joined a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) for the first time. Full of excitement, I brought home my first basket today. Can I say wow? I'm a bit overwhelmed with produce now! Here's a list of what items were in it:

Rosemary

Kale (kale)

Butter lettuce

Broccoli (tiny)

Red romaine (huge)

Red lettuce

Parsley - flat leaf and curly

Swiss Chard (huge)

Carrots

Celery

Beets

Green onions

6 small russet potatoes

2 large sweet potatoes

2 meyer lemons

5 apples

1 grapefruit

2 huge avocados

11 oranges/tangerines

2 kiwis

I would like to do some cost comparison to the same quantities and quality of these items from the grocery store. I say quality because cost is not my reason for doing this. It's more about getting food that's fresh and supports local farmers. However, even good things shouldn't be done if you can't afford them (cough health care cough). I have a feeling that so far, though, it's going to come out about the same. In which case, CSA you are amazing!

Confetti Soup or, How to Use up Thanksgiving leftovers

Despite the fact that there were only three of us for Thanksgiving this year, my kitchen pal and I still managed to cook up a storm! And thankfully I love leftovers. But almost a week after Thanksgiving, I was getting a little bored with eating turkey and stuffing, and most of the other dishes were already finished off. Plus, I will be honest and say I was scared to look into my fridge and pantry for fear of all the odds and ends that were left over. Things like that half a head of cauliflower since I halved my cauliflower dish, or the half a leek, or the all the potatoes and sweet potatoes because I bought too many, or the heavy cream carton which was too big but a smaller size would have been to small, you get the idea.

My advice to anyone who has lots of odds and ends: make a list. I have a white board in the kitchen and I wrote down everything perishable and then starred the most important items to use right away. I don't know why--perhaps its because I read so many recipes--but something about seeing the names of all the items in my fridge is just what I need for inspiration. It's like solving a math problem, but without those darned numbers! After staring for a few moments, an idea started emerging. Then it hit me like an epiphany: soup! A ton of these things I have leftover could be used to make soup! And if you know me well, you know I am totally in love with soup.

So without any further ado, here is my Thanksgiving leftover soup. Every ingredient was either a odd, and end, or a little something from the pantry. It's a little random, I confess, but its and honest to goodness reflection of the variety in my kitchen!

Confetti Soup

Ingredients:

handful each green split peas and yellow split peas

half head of cauliflower

2 medium potatoes

1 medium sweet potato

1 carrot

half can of water chestnuts (yes, Kira, I even used your water chestnuts)

2 inch piece of Spanish chorizo, finely diced (trust me, a little goes a long way)

diced leftover turkey, your choice on the amount (dark meat)

chicken broth and water to cover everything so far

1 large onion, thinly sliced

1 leak (white part only), thinly sliced

1 clove garlic (in retrospect may have doubled)

fresh parsley, rosemary, sage finely chopped, to taste

thyme (would have used fresh if I had it)

salt and pepper to taste

heavy cream (optional)

1. Start by simmering the peas in chicken broth and water for about 10 minutes. Then add the cauliflower, potatoes, sweet potatoes, carrot, water chestnuts, chorizo, and turkey. Add more liquid if necessary to cover vegetables. Simmer covered for 15 minutes or until the peas are done.

2. Meanwhile, saute the onions and leeks in olive oil over medium low heat until caramelized (about 20 minutes). Then add the herbs and garlic and cook for 30-60 seconds more and turn off heat.

3. When the vegetable/meat mixture is done, stir in the onion/herb mixture. Add a little heavy cream if you like to add a touch of richness and sweetness.

This ended up making a rather large pot of soup. And the good news is it tastes delicious!

The best thing I learned from this is that sweet potatoes and chorizo go beautifully together! There's something about the richness and spicyness of the chorizo that play just right against the earthy yet sweet qualities of the sweet potato. Now I'll have to think about other ways to combine the two. :)

Couscous lunch

Stop reading this and go buy some organic whole wheat couscous right now!

Waiting....

Waiting....

Waiting....

All right, I assume you're back with the couscous in hand now. Now you can experience the amazing speed and deliciousness of this amazingly fast and delicious product! If you're not familiar with couscous, they are tender minuscule balls of wheat joy. All you do is boil some liquid, add the couscous, cover, and turn off the heat. Five minutes later and it's ready! Now that's fast!

And because this post wouldn't be complete without a recipe, here's what I just made for lunch with it:

Part 1: make couscous (subbing stock if you have any; I used free range chicken broth)

Part 2:

Saute in some butter 1 small thinly sliced onion and 1 julienned carrot.

Stir in a couple/few handfuls of spinach and a small handful of sprouts. After spinach welts a bit, turn off heat.

Top with Rogan Josh seasoning (or similar blend), golden raisins, toasted pine nuts (can easily sub another nut), and grated Parmesan cheese.

Part 3: Mix together the couscous and veggie mixture and devour!

YUMMMMMM!!!

Sorry, I just couldn't resist typing up one of my sudden kitchen inspirations, sloppy and all. :)

Ralph's Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies

Now that we've featured a recipe that my mom created, it's time to celebrate one from Lynn, my mother-in-law. But first it requires a little background on the father-in-law, Ralph.

Ralph loves a good oatmeal. And what, might you ask, is a good oatmeal? I must say mine goes something like apples, cinnamon, honey, walnuts, and milk. Fairly conventional. But Ralph's oatmeal is the most unique kind I've heard of. Not to sweet, full of healthy nuts and seeds, and entirely his own.

So his wife decided to try creating a cookie that had all the elements of his oatmeal. And the result is not only unique but absolutely delicious! Featuring sunflower seeds, raisins, peanut butter, and flax seed, it's one you don't want to miss.

Ralph's Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies

(adapted from here)

Note: I'm not a fan of raisins, so I tried doing half with raisins and half with chocolate chips. To my amazement, not only did I like the version with raisins, but I thought it was significantly better! Go figure.

In a medium bowl, mix together:

2 cups quick cooking oatmeal

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt (reduce if using salted sunflower seeds)

2 Tbl ground flaxseed (optional but highly recommended)

In another bowl, mix at medium speed until smooth:

1 cup creamy peanut butter (both peanut only and the Skippy kind work)

3/4 cup butter

Beat in:

1 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup white sugar

Then beat in:

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

Stir in the flour mixture, then add:

1-2 cups raisins

1/2 cup unsalted toasted sunflower seeds

Chill dough until it can be shaped into 1" balls (about 1-1/2 hours). When ready, shape into 1" balls and place on an ungreased cookie sheet; flatten slightly with a wet fork. Bake at 325 degrees for 8-12 minutes, until very lightly browned.

Yield: 5 dozen

Lynn's notes: A 1" cookie scoop works really well for making the balls of dough. It doesn't even have to be too firm. Ground flaxseed and toasted sunflower seeds can be found for a good price at Trader Joe's stores. They are the only place I have found toasted unsalted sunflower seeds.