Spaghetti Squash with Spinach, Raisins, Pecans and Feta

One of my favorite blogs is Cara's Cravings. She cooks very healthy meals, and they're always creative and innovative and seasonal! Lately Cara has had one squash/pumpkin recipe after another, and I've been drooling over her blog! I saw this recipe pop up in my google reader, and put it on my menu for last week. I made it as a side dish to the Pumpkin-Turkey Meatloaf. It was the most delicious fall recipe, like a warm salad in a squash bowl!

Spaghetti Squash with Spinach, Raisins and Nuts

by Cara

1 large spaghetti squash, roasted, seeds discarded

1 tbsp olive oil

1 sliced sweet onion

1 10 oz package fresh spinach, thick stems removed

1/4 c. walnuts (I used pecans)

1/4 c. raisins

2 oz. feta cheese, crumbled

Pinch of nutmeg

Salt & pepper

*I also topped this with some minced raw red onion

Toast the walnuts in a dry skillet over low heat.

Remove from heat when they are fragrant and just beginning to brown.

Meanwhile, heat the olive oil over medium heat.

Cook the onions until soft and translucent, about 10 minutes.

Add the spinach, cover, and let cook until the spinach is wilted down, about 5 minutes.

Use two forks to remove the stringy flesh from the cooked spaghetti squash.

Toss this with the spinach and onions, and season with salt, pepper and nutmeg.

Add the walnuts and raisins and heat through.

Mix in about half of the crumbled feta, and top with the rest of the cheese to serve.

Carrot Cupcakes

Since I started my new job in an office with all men, there aren't any fun traditions or birthday celebrations. It's light night and day compared to my job at the Y, where we basically take the morning off to celebrate someone's birthday! I decided to start bringing in some sort of cake, cupcake, cookie, etc. for birthdays.
Tomorrow is one of my co-worker's birthdays, and he requested carrot cake with cream cheese frosting. I have a favorite carrot cake recipe, but it doesn't translate well to cupcakes, so I asked for a good cupcake recipe, and got about 5 great recipes. Some had apple, raisins, nuts, and other additions, but I wanted something basic, so I went with Annie's suggestion from Baking Illustrated. These came out wonderfully, and everyone loved them! Thanks, Annie!
The recipe yields 20-22, but I added about 3 cups of carrot and easily got 24 cupcakes.

Carrot Cupcakes

2½ cups all-purpose flour

1¼ tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

1¼ tsp. ground cinnamon

½ tsp. grated nutmeg

1/8 tsp. ground cloves

½ tsp. salt

1 lb. (6-7 medium) carrots, peeled (I used 3 cups shredded baby carrots)

1½ cups granulated sugar

½ cup packed light brown sugar

4 large eggs

1½ cups canola, safflower or vegetable oil

Preheat the oven to 350° F.

Line two cupcake pans with paper liners.

In a medium mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, spices and salt; whisk together and set aside.

In a food processor fitted with a shredding disk, shred the carrots (you should have about 3 cups).

Add the carrots to the bowl with the dry ingredients and set aside.

Wipe out the bowl of the food processor and fit with the metal blade.

Process the sugars and eggs until frothy and thoroughly combined, about 20 seconds.

With the machine running, add the oil in a steady stream through the feed tube.

Continue to process until the mixture is light in color and well emulsified, about 20 more seconds.

Transfer the mixture to a large mixing bowl.

Stir in the carrots and dry ingredients until incorporated and no streaks of flour remain.

Scoop evenly into the prepared cupcake liners.

Bake for about 20-24 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Let cool in the pan at least 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

For the cream cheese frosting, I used my basic cream cheese frosting found here!

Pumpkin Meatloaf with Cranberry Topping

I'm back! All moved in and so happy to be in our new home. Everything is still a work in progress as we're waiting on furniture deliveries and painting and decorating, but every day I get a little more done and feel more settled.


I had an idea to create a turkey-pumpkin meatloaf a few weeks ago, but then things were turned upside down, so I put that thought on hold. When I asked JJ what he was in the mood for, he said meatloaf. I thought it was the perfect opportunity to try it out! I added pumpkin puree and sage, then I topped it with some freshly made cranberry sauce, and it was delicious! It had lots of flavor, was very healthy, and combined sweet and savory perfectly.

Turkey-Pumpkin Meatloaf with Cranberry Sauce

1 lb. 99% lean ground turkey breast
1 cup pumpkin puree
1 egg white
1/3 cup bread crumbs
1 tsp. rubbed sage
Salt and pepper
1 tbsp. worchestershire sauce


1 cup fresh cranberries
1 tbsp. sugar
1/4 cup water


Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Line a baking sheet with foil or parchment, spray with nonstick spray.
Add all meatloaf ingredients to a large mixing bowl.
Toss gently to combine, form into a log on the baking sheet.
Place in the oven, bake for 30 minutes.
Add cranberries, sugar and water to a small saucepot.
Bring to a simmer, cook uncovered for 15 minutes.
Spoon onto the meatloaf, bake for another 15 minutes.
Remove the meatloaf from the oven, rest for 5 minutes.
Slice and serve.

Cookbook Update

First of all, thanks again to everyone who entered the giveaway. I loved all of your suggestions, and I'll definitely read through it when menu planning for the housewarming party!


If you're a CINCINNATI reader, my mom is going to be selling books for $25 at the Fair Trade Craft Fair and at church next weekend, November 7-8. She'll have 20 copies, so find her fast if you want to make sure you get one! If there are a lot more people who want them, I'll send her some more.


OR you can always order them! Click on the icon on the right side of my blog (the photo of me holding a book that says order here/now!)

...And the winner is

Congrats, Renee of Savory Safari! You have won a copy of my cookbook!

Thank you to all who participated, I'll probably give away another a little closer to Christmastime :)

Renee, please shoot me an email at ayearinthekitchen@gmail.com

Also, the kitchen is now completely unpacked, so posting will resume very soon :)

Feeling generous...

I'm not so much the giveaway type when it comes to blogging here. Mostly because I don't want to go to the post office! Also, I don't have anything to give away.


However, all of my readers here and on my other blogs have been SO supportive during my crazy moves, changing jobs, adopting dogs, etc. I wish I could give away a million books, but at $25 each, it's just too costly for me! I am not making money off the books, if I was I'd use it towards giving away more.


So here's your chance to get your very own copy of my cookbook!
To enter, leave a comment here with your favorite creative appetizer(s) because I'm working on my housewarming party menu and need some ideas!


I will use random.org to determine the winner. Enter by Sunday, 10/25/09 at 10:00PM EST.
Winner will be announced Monday at 8AM. Enter only once, please :)

Charlotte and Belle

In my last post about moving and adopting dogs, a few people asked for me to post photos. So here are a few of my favorites!

Last night while unpacking, they climbed into my duffle bag and took a nap

Here's one of them awake, together, and not playing! Doesn't happen often.

Here's one of Belle, she's darker and has a white spot on her chest. She's more of a lover, she always has to follow me and sit in my lap.

The always sleep snuggled together. Belle is in the green cupcake collar and Charlotte is in the pink collar.

Here's a few of Pumpkin.

She was trying to chase a lizard up our Magnolia tree.

You can also see the lake on our property, today Charlotte ran through the fence and right into the lake! Luckily my father in law and JJ put some new pieces on the fence and the twins can't get through anymore.

And one more of Pumpkin. She's so happy now that she's in a house with lots of windows and a big backyard! She did not like the apartment, she's very happy to be in our new home :)

AYITK will be on hiatus..

In the last 1.5 weeks:
-Last Sunday, we adopted 2 dachschunds from an animal rescue that were being fostered. We wanted to wait until we were in the house, but the rescue said now or never.
-On Friday, we set a closing date on the house of 10/23
-On Monday, the upstairs apartment flooded, and it came through our celing, damaged some of our posessions, but ruined the carpet and permanently stained the walls, peeled the paint, and left the apartment smelling like trash.
-The sellers of our new house moved out last weekend, Tuesday morning they agreed to let us move in a week early. Tuesday night I packed half our apartment.
-Yesterday we packed up the rest of our stuff, and my in-laws and their friend helped JJ and I move everything into the new house.
Essentially we went from totally unpacked to moved in 24 hours. I'm a pro at moving... however I don't plan on moving for a L-O-N-G time.
-Today, I woke up in my new home. With my wonderful husband and 3 sweet little girl dogs.

Though I haven't slept much in the past week, my nerves are shot, my books and DVDs were flooded, my kitchen is in boxes and the way we ended up in the house isn't desirable...I'm absolutely thrilled that we are finally in our first home!
Our cable and internet won't be hooked up until Saturday, and like I said, the kitchen is in boxes, so it might take a week or more to get some updates here.


However, I've got big plans coming up with the Holiday season starting and a great new house for entertaining...if I ever get around to unpacking :)

Ma Po Tofu

For dinner a few nights ago, I had a craving for Ma Po Tofu. I love to get it at PF Changs, but it's fried and not exactly healthy. I decided to try to recreate it at home without frying it. To get my tofu crisp and firm, I knew I'd have to bake it at a really high temperature for a while. I also made up the sauce recipe based on what I can taste in Ma Po Tofu - lots of garlic and heat. I served with this steamed broccoli and brown rice and it was so close in taste to PF Changs!

Baked Ma Po Tofu

1 block of extra firm tofu, drained and cubed in 1/2"
Nonstick cooking spray
1 tbsp. EVOO
1 tsp. seasame oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/4-1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
5 scallion stalks, chopped
1/2 cup vegetable stock
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 tbsp. honey
1 tbsp. corn starch


Preheat oven to 500 degrees.
Spray baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray, add tofu.
Bake for 20 minutes, flip and bake for another 10 minutes. (I used a thin metal spatula to first slide across the bottom and loosen the tofu, then i flipped them over).
Prep remaining ingredients while tofu cooks.
Add stock, soy sauce, honey and corn starch to a small bowl, whisk with a fork to dissolve corn starch.
Heat a wok over medium-high heat.
Remove tofu from the oven, set aside.
Add oils to wok, swirl around, add garlic, crushed red pepper and scallions.
Stir fry for 1-2 minutes, until fragrant.
Add tofu and liquid, gently toss and heat through, sauce will thicken quickly, don't burn!
Remove from the heat, plate and serve immediately.

Vegetable Lo Mein

Last week I recieved an email from a reader who asked if I had any lo mein recipes. I haven't made traditional lo mein before, but after she asked, I was instantly craving it!
I looked through many recipes online, and found some with oyster sauce, some with hoisin, and all with a little soy sauce or mirin. I wasn't sure what would give me the most authentic lo mein, so I knew I might have to try a few recipes to perfect it.
I am pretty certain that hoisin isn't in traditional lo mein that you'd find at a Chinese take out restaurant, so I decided to try the oyster sauce.
While it was still a good dish, it wasn't exactly what I was looking for. Do you have a recipe for le mein that's just like take out? I'd love to try this again.


For this recipe, I added some vegetables I had on hand, but some other options are water chestnuts, bean sprouts, baby corn, carrots, and bok choy. I used udon noodles because I couldn't find fresh lo mein noodles.

Vegetable Lo Mein

6 oz. udon noodles

1 tbsp. EVOO

1 tsp. sesame oil

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 red bell pepper, sliced

6 oz. snap peas, sliced

4 scallions, chopped

2 tbsp. soy sauce

2 tbsp. oyster sauce

Pinch of crushed red pepper flakes

1 block of firm tofu, cubed

Cook udon noodles according to package directions, drain and set aside.
Heat a wok over medium-high heat.
Add EVOO, sesame oil, red pepper, snap peas, tofu and crushed red pepper.
Stir fry for 2-3 minutes, be careful not to burn anything.
Add noodles, scallions, soy sauce and oyster sauce.
Toss to combine and distribute sauces, plate and serve.

Coconut Curry Whipped Cauliflower

About a month ago, I tried making whipped cauliflower to stand in where a starchy mash would go on my dinner plate. I absolutely loved the Goat Cheese Whipped Cauliflower I came up with.

Cauliflower florets happened to be on sale this week, so I decided to try out another variety of the whipped cauliflower. I figured during the week I'd just scour the fridge to use up some cheese and condiments. Since we're moving (again) in two weeks, I'm trying to empty the pantry (again). But I can't complain too much, I finally get my dream house :)
So anyway, I found half a can of coconut milk and a lightbulb went off - add a pinch of curry powder and puree it to get a smooth, golden, curried coconut cauliflower! I topped it with some of the leftover shredded coconut from making granola (should have toasted it, but I was in a hurry to eat!).
The flavors were delicious, and I could have eaten 10 more bowls. Let's just say this will be the 2nd of many future whipped cauliflower dishes! This giant bowl (4 cups) had only 200 calories, where 4 cups of mashed potatoes has more than I want to think about...

Coconut Curry Whipped Cauliflower

4 cups of cauliflower florets, about 20 oz.
1/2 cup light coconut milk, warmed
2 cups plus 1/4 cup warmed vegetable stock
1 tbsp. curry powder or paste of choice
Salt and pepper
Pinch of cayenne
Shredded coconut, for garnish


Add 2 cups vegetable stock and cauliflower to a small stock pot.
Cover, bring to a boil.
Turn heat to medium, simmer and cook for 10 minutes, until cauliflower is tender.
Drain, add cauliflower to a blender (I used the magic bullet in 2 batches).
Add coconut milk, curry powder, salt, pepper and cayenne pepper.
Blend for 30 seconds, until velvety smooth.
If necessary, add more vegetable stock a few tbsp. at a time (don't add too much or it will get watery).
Taste, adjust seasonings.
Pour into a bowl and serve with coconut.
(If necessary, add back to pot, turn heat to low to warm through, but mine was still very hot!)

Tropical Granola

When I saw this recipes on Annie's Eats a few weeks ago, I starred it in my google reader and knew I'd have to make it at some point. When I decided to make granola for Becks, I had to do it! It's so different from any granola I've had before, and so so so good! Annie hit the nail on the head with her flavor combinations. I made a few changes because of what I had on hand or forgot to buy! I hated buying macadamia nuts because they're so expensive, but they were well worth it in this recipe.

Tropical Granola

by Annie of Annie's Eats

4 cups rolled oats

1/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

1/3 cup mashed banana

2/3 cup applesauce

½ tsp. salt

Dash of cinnamon

1 cup sweetened shredded coconut, lightly toasted

1 cup dried pineapple, chopped

1 cup dried banana chips, chopped

½ cup toasted macadamia nuts, chopped

Preheat the oven to 300.

Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.

In a bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, mashed banana, applesauce, salt and cinnamon.

Whisk until very smooth.

Add the oats and stir gently with a spatula until the oat mixture is evenly coated.

Spread on the prepared baking sheet in an even layer.

Bake for 30 minutes.

Using a large, wide spatula, turn sections of the granola over on the baking sheet.

Bake for an additional 15 minutes, until nearly completely dried.

If your granola layer is thick, you may need to bake it a bit longer, removing the edges that have cooked completely but making sure the center is done.

Cool in the pan for about 15 minutes, then crumble into a large airtight storage container.

Add toasted coconut, dried pineapple, banana chips, and macadamia nuts to the container.

Seal and shake well until everything is evenly combined.

Harvest Granola

The next granola I made for Becky is really a compilation of my favorite fall flavors - pumpkin, maple, cranberries, pecans, and cinnamon. I also added pistachios for some extra color and crunch. Again, so easy to make, you can throw in whatever you'd like and make it your own!

Harvest Granola

4 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup canned pumpkin puree
1/2 cup pure maple syrup
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup pistachios
1 cup dried cranberries
2 tbsp. canola oil
1/4 tsp. salt


Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
Add all ingredients to a mixing bowl, toss to evenly distribute.
Pour into a parchment lined baking sheet in an even layer.
Bake for 20 minutes, toss with a fork, bake for another 20 minutes.
Remove from the oven, cool for 4 hours at room temperature, store in an air-tight container.

California Granola

Whenever someone in my family celebrates a birthday, if I'm not with them, I like to mail them some kind of birthday cookie or treat. Becky's birthday is on Sunday, so I had to figure out something to make for her. Becky is a little nutritionally challenged. She's a vegetarian, she's a runner, and she can be a picky eater. Becky tends to not eat enough calories in the day, and often asks me to help her come up with menus that are vegetarian and contain a good balance of fat, protein, carbs, fiber, etc. One of my best recommendations to her for snacks or part of a meal is greek yogurt with granola containing oats, nuts and fruit. So for her birthday, it only seemed natural that I make a few granola varities for her. I had one variety in mind that I recently saw on Annie's Eats, but decided to just grab some other fruit and nuts and see what I came up with. Depending on the price of your nuts and dried fruit, you can end up spending a lot more making granola than buying it, but you can also control the quality of the ingredients.


I ended up making 3 varities for her, and I'll be posting them in the next few days!

California Granola

4 cups Rolled Oats
1 cup almonds, roughly chopped
1 cup diced mission figs
1 tsp. almond extract
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 cup honey
2 tbsp. canola oil
1/4 cup applesauce


Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
Add all granola ingredients to a large mixing bowl, mix thoroughly.
Line a baking sheet with parchment, spread granola evenly on baking sheet.
Bake for 20 minutes, use a fork to toss and redistribute, bake for another 20 minutes.
Remove from the oven, place cookie sheet on a cooling wrack.
Cool granola for 4 hours, place in a air-tight container.

Tex-Mex Lasagna

I have seen countless Mexican Lasagnas recently, and found myself drooling over each photograph. I had tried making a Mexican Lasagna a year or so ago, but it didn't work out right. I simply chopped up the vegetables, layered it in a disposable tin dish with flour tortillas, and froze it. When I cooked it, the lasagna was soupy and wet and the tortillas were mush. It was not good. I decided that I had the wrong approach, I needed to cook the vegetables first to get the moisture out, and I cooked it right away rather than freezing it. I think it could be frozen and it wouldn't turn to mush as long as the vegetables were pre-cooked, but I didn't want to take any chances this time around.
Well, it was a huge sucess this time around! I made two varities, one with vegetables and black beans, and one with zucchini and ground turkey. They both cut very well, and looked and tasted great!

Black Bean and Vegetable Mexican Lasagna

1 cup Enchilada Sauce
6 flour tortillas (to fit your baking dish)
1 small zucchini, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
1/2 small red onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup frozen corn kernels, diced
Salt and pepper
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. smoked paprika
1/4 tsp. cayenne powder
1 15 oz. can drained and rinsed black beans
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Lettuce, tomato and sour cream, for garnish


Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Heat a skillet over medium heat.
Add 1 tbsp. EVOO, zucchini, bell pepper, onion and garlic.
Season with salt and pepper, stir and sweat out vegetables for about 6-8 minutes.
Drain excess water, if necessary.
Add corn, spices and black beans, turn heat off, toss to mix spices evenly.
Pour half the enchilada sauce in a casserole.
Add a tortilla, top with 1/5 of the vegetable mixture, top with another tortilla and repeat.
After topping the lasagna with the last tortilla, pour enchilada sauce on top.
Sprinkle with cheese.
Bake for 30 minutes, until melted and bubbly.
Remove from heat, rest for 5 minutes so lasagna holds its shape when slicing.
Serve with lettuce, tomatoes and sour cream.

Tex-Mex Squash and Bean Bowl

For dinner tonight, I was once again faced with my remaining 3 lbs. of butternut squash. I decided to make a big bowl of comfort, using some pantry items, and combining some new flavors. Organic canned beans were on sale at Whole Foods, so I really stocked up. I thought black beans seemed to pair the best with Butternut. I also had an avocado and queso fresco, so Tex-Mex seemed to be the way to go! This dish was so filling (I assume this is because the squash and beans are so high in fiber), but it was also full of flavor, and very healthy.

Tex-Mex Squash and Bean Bowl

3 cups diced butternut squash

1 tbsp. EVOO

1 tbsp. light brown sugar

Salt and pepper

1 tsp. chili powder or adobo sauce

1 15 oz. can of organic black beans, drained and rinsed

1 tsp. ground cumin

2 garlic cloves, minced

Juice of 1 lime

1 Avocado, sliced

1/2 cup crumbled Queso Fresco (or Monterey Jack, Goat Cheese, anything you have on hand!)

Tobasco sauce

Chopped cilantro

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Line a baking sheet with foil or parchment.

Add squash, oil, sugar, salt, pepper and chili powder. Toss to coat.

Roast for 25-30 minutes, until squash is caramelized.

Add beans to a soup pot with 1/2 cup water or stock.

Season with cumin and salt.

Bring to a simmer over low heat.

When squash is cooked, remove from the oven and plate.

Squeeze lime juice into beans, then spoon over squash.

Top with avocado, cheese, cilantro and hot sauce.

Thai Chicken Salad

If you ventured over to the Bite Club Blog in the past few days, you'll see that my first restaurant profile was of Biscottis. The manager told us that their #1 selling salad is the Thai Chicken. He said that patron's can't get enough of the dressing, ask for extra, even want to bathe in it. I tried the salad, and really liked it, but he was so right about the dressing! Pretty much what happened next was inevitable when I eat at a restaurant, it was a challenge to myself to re-create this amazing dressing.


For weeks now I've been thinking about it... trying to construct it and deconstruct it. What stood out to me the most when I first tried it was the base of coconut milk, tahini and possibly sesame oil, as flavor was so deep and nutty. Allan also told me that the chicken was white meat, but marinated in soy sauce, which made it look dark. There is also a little fresh pineapple salsa on the salad, which is probably my favorite part because it brings some sweetness and fresh flavor to the dish. Biscottis serves this salad chilled completely, but I like my chicken warm-room temperature, so I cooked the chicken, let it cool a bit, then served it.

Biscotti's Thai Chicken Salad

Chicken Marinade:

1 lb. chicken breasts or tenders, trimmed

1/2 cup soy sauce

2 crushed garlic cloves

Juice of 1/2 lime

Pineapple Salsa:

1 cup finely minced pineapple

1/4 cup red bell pepper, finely minced

1/4 cup finely minced green onion

Juice of 1/2 lime

1 tsp. honey

2 tbsp. minced cilantro

Dressing:

1 cup coconut milk, well-shaken

1/4 cup well-stirred tahini

1 tsp. sesame oil

1 tsp. soy sauce

Salt and white pepper to taste

Additional:

Mixed Greens

Snow Peas

Add chicken and marinade ingredients to a tupperware, coat in mixture, refrigerate for an hour.

Add all salsa ingredients together in a mixing bowl, toss, cover and refrigerate for an hour.

Heat a grill pan over medium heat, cook chicken for 6-8 minutes per side, remove from heat, rest for 5 minutes.

Dice snow peas, toss with greens in a salad bowl.

Add dressing ingredients to a dish, whisk well.

Slice chicken, place on greens, top with salsa and dressing.

Spinach/Prosciutto and Butternut/Sausage Stuffed Shells

For the entree portion of my Bertolli meal, I chose to make two varities of stuffed shells. I wanted to try all of their sauces, but settled with two. I let JJ choose one and then I chose one. He wanted to try the Vodka Sauce and I wanted to try the Fire Roasted Tomato with Cabernet Sauvignon.
As I've said time and time again, I love pairing sweet and savory in dishes. When I chose the fillings to pair with the sauces, I took that approach - sweet and savory.

The first variety was Spinach and Prosciutto Stuffed Shells in Vodka Sauce. I didn't think the vodka flavor was very strong, but the sauce was creamy and sweet with a nice tomato flavor. The shells were salty and earthy from the prosciutto and fresh spinach. JJ liked this combination more, I think mostly because he loves prosciutto!

Spinach and Prosciutto Stuffed Shells in Vodka Sauce

1 lb. jumbo shells pasta

1 jar of Bertolli Vodka Sauce

4 cups of spinach, chopped

1/3 lb. thick sliced prosciutto

2 cups ricotta

1 egg

Salt and pepper

1/2 cup grated romano cheese, separated

Parsley, for garnish

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Salt heavily, drop in pasta.

Cook for about 7-8 minutes, until very al dente (makes stuffing and sitting easier).

Heat a small skillet over medium heat, add spinach, wilt and cook off liquid for about 5 minutes.

Add spinach to a mixing bowl, drain water out of skillet.

Julienne prosciutto, add to skillet and render fat, cook until crisp, about 8 minutes.

Add to the mixing bowl with spinach.

Add ricotta, salt, pepper, egg and half the romano cheese, mix well.

Pour sauce into the bottom of a casserole dish.

Spoon mixture into shells, place in baking dish, top with cheese, cover with foil.

Place in a 400 degree oven and bake for 15 minutes, uncover and bake for another 10 minutes.

For the other type of stuffed shells, I decided to do something a little different. I bought a 6 lb. butternut squash for $2 at the farmers market, and decided to get some squash into the shells somehow. I love pairing pumpkin and sausage, so I thought butternut seemed interchangable. I used turkey sausage to keep the dish healthier. I cooked these shells in the Fire Roasted Tomato and Cabernet Sauvignon sauce. Oh.my.gosh, this sauce is delicious! I rarely buy jarred sauce, but this I would buy again. The flavor was outstanding, it was fresh, sweet, smoky, and the wine added such depth of flavor. It really held up to the butternut and sausage, but didn't overpower them.

Butternut Squash and Sausage Stuffed Shells with Fire Roasted Tomato and Cabernet Sauvignon Sauce

1 lb. jumbo shells pasta

1 jar Bertolli Fire Roasted Tomato and Cabernet Sauvignon Sauce

2 cups small diced butternut squash

1/2 lb. bulk turkey sausage

2 cups ricotta cheese

1 egg

1/2 cup romano cheese, separated

Salt and pepper

Basil or parsley, for garnish

Add squash to a baking sheet, sprinkle with salt and pepper, drizzle with EVOO, toss.

Bake for 20 minutes in a 400 degree oven.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil, salt heavily, add pasta and cook for 7-8 minutes.

Drain and set aside.

Brown sausage in a skillet, when cooked through, add to a mixing bowl.

Add ricotta, egg, salt, pepper and half the romano to the bowl. Toss well.

Fold squash into ricotta mixture.

Spread sauce into a baking dish.

Spoon mixture into shells, place in baking dish.

Cover with remaining cheese.

Cover with foil and bake at 400 for 15 minutes, uncover and bake for another 10 minutes.

Serve with parsley or basil.

Caprese Spring Rolls with Pesto Dipping Sauce

Tonight's dinner was a little different than my normal approach. I know many readers of this blog are friends and family, and don't really know all of the opportunities out there for food bloggers. Right now, as I type, BlogHer is going on in SanFrancisco, which is a big event for women with blogs! As much as I'd love to attend one of these blogger events, I just don't have the time or money. There are some bloggers who get scholarships or sponsors to attend, but my blog has no sponsors.
I am a Foodbuzz Featured Publisher though, which has been great for my blog. It gives me many opportunities to meet other bloggers, learn about new products, and now, I have the opportunity to create a meal that Foodbuzz will judge and possibly award me a scholarship to attend the Foodbuzz Blogger Festival in November!
I wasn't sure if I wanted to participate, but now that I'm about 2 years and 750 posts in, I feel confident in my blog and what I've been able to do with it. Win or lose, I'm glad that I even have the opportunity!


Now, for the details! I had to create a meal (appetizer+entree') using Bertolli products (they're funding the scholarships). I love cooking Italian food, so this was right up my alley. For my appetizer, I wanted to incorporate my all-time favorite, Caprese Salad. I've used it so many ways (pasta, pasta salad, burgers, polenta stacks, pizza, etc.) I decided to use Bertolli's Extra Light Tasting Olive Oil in this dish. For some reason, spring rolls stood out in my mind, a little East meets West fusion recipe. For the dipping sauce, I thought pesto would be fitting, and would use the Olive Oil.
The rolls could be fried in olive oil, but I like to brush them in olive oil and then bake them to get crisp with a bit of heart healthy oil, but not too much because the flavor can be strong. The pesto was a little different from traditional because I used walnuts rather than pine nuts, and romano rather than parmesan. I also blended the pesto so it would be extra saucy and dipable.
These spring rolls just might be a new all-time favorite appetizer of mine!

Caprese Spring Rolls with Pesto Dipping Sauce

Spring Rolls:

1 package wonton wrappers

2 cups packed baby spinach leaves

1 8 oz. ball of fresh mozzarella

16 large sun dried tomato halves

1 small red onion

2 tbsp. Bertolli olive oil

2 tbsp. sesame seeds

Pesto:

2 cups packed basil

1 large garlic clove, smashed

1/4 cup walnuts

1/4 cup romano cheese

salt and pepper

1/4 cup EVOO

Splash of water

Slice tomatoes, onion and mozzarella into 32 matchsticks each.

Fill a small dish with water.

Line a baking sheet with parchment.

Lay a wonton wrapper on a cutting board, place in 4-5 spinach leaves, 2 pieces of mozzarella, 2 pieces of tomato and 2 pieces of onion.

Roll up, fold in the sides, brush the tip with water, roll onto tip and press intoa log.

Place on the baking sheet.

Continue and roll 16 total.

Refrigerate until ready to bake (I refrigerated mine for 2 hours).

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Brush spring rolls with EVOO, sprinkle with sesame seeds.

Bake for 10-15 minutes, until crisp and browned on the edges.

To make pesto, add all ingredients (except water) to a blender.

Pulse until pesto is in small pieces.

Turn blender on and puree until it reaches sauce consistency, adding a splash of water or more olive oil to help reach desired viscosity.

Serve with spring rolls.

The rest of my Bertolli dinner will be posted tomorrow!

Chicken and Eggplant Parmesan Skillet

Two of my favorite Italian meals are eggplant and chicken parmesan. Each of the dishes can be time consuming though, and after I get home from work, I just want to eat! I was reminscing about some of the things I ate when I was younger, and one of those things was Hamburger Helper. When I was in middle school and my mom was working, she'd let me cook dinner one night per week. Usually I would make a casserole (similar to Shephard's Pie) or Hamburger Helper with some vegetables or a salad. I eventually graduated onto more complicated dinners in high school, but when I was 12, I could make a mean casserole!

I love one pot/skillet meals because it makes cleaning so much quicker, and sometimes it's nice to have a big bowl of something warm and comforting! At first I was going to make it just chicken parmesan, but I wanted vegetables, so I decided to combine the two. I kind of did this by trial and error because I cooked the pasta right in the skillet, and I wasn't sure how much liquid it would need. I figured the mushrooms (which aren't traditional in either dish, but I love them and I had a pack in the fridge to use, and they're in many Italian meals) as well as the eggplant gave off a little liquid even after I sauteed them, so after adding the pasta and additional liquid, I did go back and check it every few minutes. If you add all of the liquid at the beginning and it's too soupy, you can easily let it simmer uncovered for a few more minutes to cook off, or you can add more if it's too dry. This dish is pretty foolproof!

I'm sure there's some flavor of Hamburger Helper out there that is similar, but I don't want to eat powdered tomato sauce and whatever else is in there that I can't pronounce! I'm sure kids will love this dish as well, the vegetables can be ground in a food processor and hidden, but I love veggies so mine was super chunky. And I love the little Piccolini wagon wheels, but any short cut pasta can be used in this dish. I made a large batch of marinara a few weeks ago and had it frozen in 2 c. containers, but you can also use a nice jarred sauce.

Chicken and Eggplant Parmesan Skillet

2 tbsp. EVOO

1 lb. ground chicken breast

1 red onion, sliced

2 medium eggplant in 1" cubes

2 garlic cloves, minced

8 oz. button mushrooms, quartered

2 c. marinara

4 c. chicken stock

1 tsp. dried Italian seasoning blend

Salt and pepper

1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes

8 oz. mini wagon wheel pasta

Parmesan cheese, for garnish

Heat a large, deep skillet over medium heat.

Add EVOO and ground chicken, break apart with a spatula and brown.

Add onion, eggplant and mushrooms. Season with salt and pepper.

Cook for 5-8 minutes, until vegetables are browned and soft.

Add Italian seasoning, red pepper flakes, marinara, stock and pasta, stir well.

Bring to a simmer, cover, turn heat to low and cook for 10 minutes.

Check for liquid level and pasta doneness.

Add more stock if necessary, or simmer uncovered if too thin.

Spoon into a bowl and sprinkle with parmesan cheese.

Creamy Roasted Asparagus and Gruyere Soup

I've been fighting cold/flu like symptoms for about a week, so a big bowl of soup sounded perfect. I had asparagus in the produce drawer waiting for be used, so creamy asparagus soup it was! I enjoy the taste of steamed asparagus, but my favorite way to prepare asparagus is to roast it. I had a small knob of gruyere in the freezer, and thought the nuttiness from gruyere would play up the nuttiness asparagus develops when roasted. This soup was delicious as a full meal with a chunk of whole grain bread, but also would be a great starter topped with toasted croutons.

Creamy Roasted Asparagus and Gruyere Soup

1 lb. of asparagus spears, trimmed

2 garlic cloves, smashed

1/4 cup yellow onion, minced

1 tbps. EVOO

Salt and fresh cracked black pepper

4 cups vegetable stock, warmed

1/4 cup half and half

4 oz. shredded gruyere cheese

1 tsp. minced tarragon

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Place asparagus, garlic and onions on a foil lined baking sheet.

Drizzle with EVOO, sprinkle with salt and pepper, toss and smooth in an even layer.

Roast for 20 minutes, or until asparagus gets a little charred on the tips (depends on how thick your spears are).

Remove from the oven, heat a large soup pot over low.

Add half the asparagus and stock to a blender, whirl until smooth, pour in the soup pot.

Add the remaining asparagus and stock to the blender, puree or leave small chunks, depending on preference, pour into the pot.

*Note: Set aside a few tips for garnish, if desired

Bring the soup to a simmer, add cream, cheese and tarragon.

Stir to incorporate, taste and adjust seasonings.

Ladle into a bowl, serve with crusty bread and an extra sprinkle of gruyere and cracked pepper.

Sour Cream and Onion Twice Baked Potatoes

I can still remember the first time I had a twice baked potato... It was creamy and full of cheese. I wondered why anyone would ever eat a plain old baked potato when these existed! Then I realized what a process it can be, and understood why my mom only occasionally made them. It's not a difficult process, but it's long! First baking the potatoes, cooling them, scraping out the potato, mixing the stuffing, restuffing them, and baking once again... and hoping none of the skins break when you scoop out the potato! There are a few shortcuts one can take, like microwaving the potatoes in the beginning and broiling them at the end, but I'm usually not looking for short cuts in the kitchen, I relish my time in there! However, this recipe can be made in stages. You can easily bake your potatoes the night before, or make them entirely and refrigerate them until you're ready to bake them off (I've even frozen them and baked them off!)

I decided to take a different approach with these baked potatoes. I recently was at a party and found myself going back to the sour cream and onion dip over and over. Combining sour cream and potatoes isn't very original, but this mixture I stuffed them with was a creation I just sort of winged, and it was a hit! If you're really pressed for time, you can just make these sour cream and onion mashed potatoes, but I love having a mashed potato like filling and then a crisp shell at the end...or two, because JJ doesn't eat his!

Sour Cream and Onion Twice Baked Potatoes

2 medium-large russet potatoes

1 tbsp. butter

1 cup diced onions

Salt and pepper

1/4 cup sherry

1/4 cup sour cream

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

Chives, parsley, or any other fresh herb

2 tbsp. grated parmesan

Heat oven to 400 degrees.

Scrub potatoes, piece with a fork, wrap in foil.

Place potatoes directly on the oven wrack, bake for an hour.

While potatoes bake, heat a skillet over low.

Add butter, onions, salt and pepper.

Sautee for 15 minutes, or until caramelized, add sherry, reduce and turn heat off.

When potatoes are cooled, about 30 minutes, cut off the top 1/3 and scoop out the flesh, add to a mixing bowl.Add onions, sour cream, garlic powder, herbs and parmesan to mixing bowl.

Mix well, taste and adjust seasonings.

If mixture seems dry, add stock or milk to thin.

Place potato shells on a baking sheet.

Spoon mixture back into skins, place back in the oven and bake for 20-30 minutes, until a golden brown crust forms.

Remove from the oven and plate.

A Year in the Kitchen Cookbook Update!

Thank you so much to everyone who placed their order before Saturday, your books went out in the mail over the weekend! Please let me know when you get it and if you have any problems.


To anyone who is on the fence about buying one, you can now preview the entire book here: http://www.blurb.com/books/840345
They make a great Christmas present... at least for my family ;)


You have the choice to either order it directly from blurb or from me, the price is the same, but if you get it directly from Blurb, you might pay more in shipping. I'm always taking orders, and the link to the order form is on the right column.

Pumpkin Pasta with Light Sage Cream Sauce

One of my favorite features of a blog is how it's a working document. You can always change the writing and photography style of the blog, the theme of the blog, even the look of the blog. My favorite feature of blogs is how easy it is to make them seasonal. If you haven't noticed over the past two years, I tend to cook seasonally. I have a few reasons for this. Primarily it's because the produce that is in season tends to be cheapest, and I feel like I can offset buying a $5 log of organic goat cheese buy buying zucchini for .69/lb. in August.

However, I have to say as much as I love zucchini, I'm ready for that season to end. Now that fall is upon us, I am so excited to buy pounds and pounds of butternut and acorn squash, apples and pumpkins. When I began making tonight's dinner, I was torn on whether to make pumpkin ravioli or pumpkin pasta. I love making ravioli, but since I still haven't been able to find ravioli forms in the store, I have been putting it off. Since I have a fantasy football team this year and we have the red zone channel, long, leisurely afternoons in the kitchen are no longer an option, so pumpkin pasta it was!

I think pumpkin pasta tastes best in a light cream sauce, so I used my favorite mock-cream base, pureed cottage cheese! I found this method in the Moosewood Cookbooks months ago, and have used it many times since. I added a drop of skim milk and some pasta water, and it created a really light, but really creamy sauce. I also found organic apricot and rosemary chicken sausage at Whole Foods, which seemed like a perfect pairing, however any sausage would work well. Finally, I served my new favorite way to make Brussels sprouts - Brown Sugar Mustard Roasted Brussels Sprouts alongside the pasta. I ate mine separate, but JJ mixed his right in and loved it. This meal hit many of my favorite fall flavors, was hearty and filling, but also healthy!

Pumpkin Pasta with Low fat Sage Cream Sauce

1/2 cup organic pumpkin puree

1 egg white

1 - 1 1/2 cups organic unbleached all purpose flour

Semolina flour, for dusting and rolling pasta

1 cup 1% cottage cheese

Splash of milk

Splash of pasta water

1 tsp. rubbed sage (dried) or 1/2 tsp. minced fresh

Salt and pepper

4 links of apricot and rosemary chicken sausage, or any other variety

Crumbled goat cheese

Add 1 cup of flour to a mixing bowl.

Make a well in the center, add pumpkin and egg white.

Whisk with a fork and bring flour into the mixture.

Add more flour as necessary to create a stiff pasta dough.

Knead for 5 minutes, roll into a ball, wrap in plastic and refrigerate for an hour.

Add sausage to a skillet, cover with 1" of water and a drizzle of oil, bring to a boil and cook water off.

When water evaporates, brown in the skillet.

Turn heat off and set aside.

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

Roll pasta through a roller and cut.

Drop in boiling water, cook for 3-4 minutes, reserve 1/2 c. of the water, drain the pasta.

Puree cottage cheese, milk, sage, salt and pepper in a blender.

Add pasta back to pot, add cottage cheese mixture, toss and add pasta water if pasta is too dry.

Slice sausage and add to the pasta, toss.

Plate and serve with crumbled goat cheese.

Warm Butternut and Chickpea Salad with Tahini

Lately my posts have been few and far between. I'm not sure that I've really announced much on this blog since it's directed towards cooking, so I'll go ahead and spill the beans... First, I got a new job, second, we bought a house, and third, I am going to be a food blogger and foodie dining club host for Folio Weekly, a magazine here in Jacksonville.
Because I've taken on a job and a half and have been going through the home buying process, I've had little to no time in the kitchen. When I do, I'm not in a creative mood, I just cook my favorite, go-to meals. We'll be closing on the house between October 15 and 23, it just depends on when we get the word from our mortgage company (the sellers of the house would like it sooner, we don't care too much). So in addition to the jobs, I'll be moving....again! Luckily this time it's 2 miles away, not 1000.
The kitchen is not my dream kitchen, but it's great nonetheless because it's MINE! The house is everything JJ and I dreamed out first home would be. It's open and bright, great for entertaining, a lovely yard and a pond that's half ours with ducks! We're both so excited, and so fortunate that the home buying process this far as been so easy and drama-free!
Now about the Folio Weekly job... essentially I will be blogging about 3 times per week on anything and everything food/wine related in Jacksonville. I'll be doing restaurant profiles, going to farmer's markets, tastings, food and wine events, and many other things! The real focus of the blog is to be a central place for members of the Bite Club to chat. You can read all about what the Bite Club is here on the Bite Club Blog. If you're in Jacksonville, please don't hesitate to contact me if you have ideas for the blog!


Now for dinner... I have been meaning to make this recipe for such a long time. I never seemed to remember it when I had tahini on hand though, and at $10 a jar, I didn't want to buy it just for this. Now that I've had it, I will. I could eat this every day and every night. The only problem I had with it was sometimes I love raw red onion, and sometimes I pick one out that's just too strong. Tonight I had one that was too strong. In the future, I'll probably roast my onion in with the squash and garlic. This salad is definitely on my rotation! It's so creative and features one of my favorite fall flavors, butternut squash!
I first saw this recipe on Molly's blog, Orangette, years ago, and was reminded of it by Erin of Dinner and Dessert last week.

Warm Butternut and Chickpea Salad with Tahini

adapted from Molly of Orangette

salad:

3 lb. butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1/2" pieces

2 medium garlic cloves, minced

Pinch of ground nutmeg

Salt

15 oz. can of chickpeas, drained

1/2 of a medium red onion, finely chopped

¼ cup coarsely chopped cilantro leaves

Dressing:

Juice of 1 lemon

2 tbsp. tahini

1 tbsp. olive oil

Salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

Line a baking sheet with parchment or foil.

Add squash, garlic, salt, and onions, if preferred.

Drizzle with EVOO, toss.

Bake for 20 minutes, remove and cool.

Whisk together dressing ingredients, add chick peas, cilantro and red onion, mix.

When squash cools, add to the salad and gently fold in.

Serve at room temperature.

Cranberry Yogurt Salad Dressing and a Homemade Dressing Primer

After making the cranberry syrup for my pumpkin pancakes a few nights ago, I tried to think of another recipe where I could use the cranberries. I was in the mood for a big spinach salad with dried berries and cheese, and figured making a cranberry salad dressing would be a nice match. I love making salad dressing at home because it's so easy, it's cheap, and you never end up with countless half-empty bottles in the fridge. You also have the opportunity to be creative and use up whatever you have on hand.

I'm not a fan of oily dressings, I prefer a creamy base, however I don't like mayo. I prefer to sub plain or vanilla yogurt, both greek and regular depending on the consistency. I tend to use a 1:1 acid to oil ratio, and use other flavors to balance out the vinegar, but some more traditional dressing recipes call for a 2:1 or 3:1 ratio. Use what you like!

There are a few simple rules I follow when making a dressing, and a few cooking tools have made this so much easier!

My standard dressing is made of:

-oil

-vinegar

-herb/spice

-sugar

-salt and pepper

-special flavor.

OIL elements I use:

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Plain or Vanilla Greek Yogurt

Plain or Vanilla Lowfat Yogurt

Tahini

Sour Cream

Coconut Milk

Cottage Cheese

Sesame Oil (use sparingly!)

(Note: I always use at least 1-2 tbsp. EVOO plus one or more of the other oil substitutes, never just a substitute as I find a little oil helps stabilize the dressing)

VINEGAR elements I use:

Balsamic Vinegar

Red Wine Vinegar

Champagne Vinegar

Lemon/Lime/Grapefruit Juice

HERBS/SPICES I use:

Parsley, Oregano, Cilantro, Basil, Rosemary, Chives, Tarragon

Garlic, Red Onion, Scallions

Cinnamon, Ginger, Paprika, Cumin, Corriander

SUGAR I use:

Raw Sugar

Honey

Maple Syrup

Fruit Puree or Juice

SPECIAL FLAVORS are really anything you can imagine. Some special flavors I have used to create dressings are

Fruit: Blueberry, Pear, Cranberry, Mango

Nut: Tahini, Peanut Butter, Pecan, Walnut

Vegetable: Carrot, Avocado, Sun-dried Tomato

Misc: Sriracha, Jam/Jelly, Mustard, Soy Sauce

Cheese: Parmesan, Gorgonzola, Feta, Asiago

From these ingredients, which many people keep on hand all of the time, you can create a million dressing combinations!

Check the dressing tag on my blog for some of the dressings I have created (or found on other blogs, cookbooks, etc.) are:

Coconut Curry Dressing

Moroccan Spiced Lemon Dressing

Creamy Poppy Dressing

Waldorf Salad Dressing

Creamy Walnut Dressing

Blueberry Vinaigrette

Avocado Ranch

Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette

Ginger Carrot Dressing

Blue Cheese Vinaigrette (this is one of my favorites)

Honey Mustard

Parsley Honey Balsamic Vinaigrette

For this salad, I made a simple creamy cranberry yogurt dressing.

1 cup fresh cramberries

1/4 cup water

2 tbsp. raw sugar

3/4 cup plain yogurt

2 tbsp. red wine vinegar

salt and pepper

parsley

Bring cranberries, water and sugar to a boil. Cook for 5 minutes, remove from heat and bring to room temperature.

Add cranberries and remaining ingredients to a blender, puree until smooth.

Now the 2 things that I think make homemade dressing SO easy are:

1. The Magic Bullet - this is a small, food processor/blender that sits on the counter and has a 1 or 2 cup capacity. I use it almost every day, and every time I make dressing to whirl up a small batch for JJ and I.

2. The Aerogarden - When I have a house, I plan to plant a nice herb garden, but for apartment living, or people without garden aspirations, this is a small hydroponic garden system that grows 7 herb varieties at a time. I like the Italian Herb mix, but they're all great. This makes adding fresh herbs to my dressings a pinch, especially when I want 5-6 herbs a week and they're about $2 a bunch. The system is expensive to begin with, but I think it has paid for itself (and it looks pretty cool!)

If you have any questions about the dressing combinations, or want to suggest one that you make at home, please let me know, I love trying new dressings at home!

And please remember, when you make your dressings, TASTE! TASTE! TASTE! You'll have to work with them a bit because there are no true measurements, but err on the side of caution when adding strong flavors, vinegar, spices, salt, etc. You can always add a splash more vinegar or a pinch of salt, but if it's too much to begin with, you'll most likely have to start over.

Spanikopita Pasta Salad

I love spanikopita, but for a weeknight meal, it's a little involved. I took all of the flavors and ingredients and tossed them with some orzo (because I had it on hand, but any pasta will do). I thought this was a great pasta salad. My mom has always added cottage cheese to her spanikopita filling, so I never realized it wasn't a traditional ingredient. I wasn't sure it would work in this dish, but it made it creamy without being too heavy. It can be left out, and more feta added, but I think it adds an interesting flavor and texture to the dish.
This can be served immediatly at a warm temperature, or it can be chilled, or anywhere in between. We had ours immediately, warm, JJ's with a chicken breast and mine with a morningstar farm's chik'n patty (the new italian herb seasoned patties are delicious!)

Spanikopita Pasta Salad

1/2 lb. short cut pasta

2 tbsp. EVOO

1 yellow onion, minced

2 garlic cloves, minced

Salt and pepper

4 cups fresh spinach, roughly chopped

1 tsp. fresh minced oregano (or 1/2 tsp. dried)

1 tsp. chopped fresh dill

Pinch of crushed red pepper flakes

1 cup lowfat cottage cheese

6 oz. crumbled feta cheese

Bring a pot of water to a boil, salt heavily and add pasta. Cook according to package directions to al dente, drain and add to a mixing bowl.

Heat a skillet over medium heat, add EVOO, onion, garlic, salt and pepper.

Saute' for 6-8 minutes, or until onions are soft and slightly caramelized.

Add spinach, toss and wilt.

Add mixture to the orzo. , stir to combine.

Add herbs, crushed red pepper, cottage cheese and feta cheese, toss and serve or chill and serve later.

Apple Maple Chicken Sausage Patties

When I was writing my weekly menu and chose to make pumpkin pancakes, I thought that my favorite chicken sausage from Trader Joe's would be a perfect match.... but now I have no TJ's! So I decided to make up my own sausage patties with the same flavors. I used ground chicken breast as a base for the sausages then to give them flavor and moisture, I sauteed some apples with onion and garlic and mixed in fennel and sage. Finally, I flavored them with a bit of maple syrup and brown sugar (because all maple syrup would make them too wet).

Apple Maple Chicken Sausage Patties

1/4 cup minced red onion
1/4 cup minced granny smith apple
2 minced garlic cloves
Salt and pepper
1 tsp. whole fennel seed
1 tsp. ground fennel seed
2 tsp. dried rubbed sage
1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flake
1 tbsp. pure maple syrup
1 tbsp. light brown sugar

1 lb. ground chicken breast

Heat a skillet over medium heat. Add 1 tbsp EVOO, onion, apple and garlic.

Season with salt and pepper, toss and sweat out moisture for 5-7 minutes.

Pour into a mixing bowl, cool to room temperature.

Add remaining ingredients except chicken, mix well.

Add chicken and gently toss to incorporate.

Cover with saran wrap and refrigerate for an hour to let flavors develop and mix.

Use a cooke scoop to remove 3 oz. balls, press into a patty and then place in a preheated skillet sprayed with canola oil.

Repeat until all chicken is gone, making about 6 patties.

Cover and cook for 6-7 minutes on the first side. Flip and cook for another 3-5 minutes, or until cooked through.

Serve with pumpkin pancakes.

Pumpkin Pancakes with Cranberry Syrup and Cinna-Cran Goat Cheese

I'm not a big breakfast eater. Something about filling myself up early in the morning with carbs and protein (usually high in fat) makes me feel lazy and lethargic all day. It's not until dinner time that I want to eat a full, hearty meal. This fact means that I rarely cook breakfast or brunch dishes.
Now that it's September, I feel as though it's time to go pumpkin crazy. I've been wanting to make pumpkin pancakes for the longest time, so I decided to go for it. I whipped up the pancake batter and it turned out great. The pancakes are spiced with traditional pumpkin pie flavors, and the whole wheat flour adds health benefits but doesn't overpower the flavor.
I found frozen whole cranberries in the freezer section of my new grocery store, and thought a cranberry syrup would be great on these. It was a bit tart, but I loved it. I also topped these with a bit of cinnamon cranberry goat cheese, which I had leftover from my 4-pack and was stumped on how to incorporate it into a meal.
It was an interesting dish, however I think the cranberries and goat cheese overpowered the pancakes a bit, and I think they would be better simply topped with some pure maple syrup.

Pumpkin Pancakes with Cranberry Syrup and Cinna-Cran Goat Cheese

Pancakes:
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. ground ginger
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1 egg
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
2 tbsp. light brown sugar
3/4 cup skim milk


Cranberry Syrup:
2 cups fresh cranberries (frozen, thawed in fridge)

1/2 cup water

2 tbsp. brown sugar

In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together flours, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

In a small mixing bowl, whisk together egg, pumpkin, brown sugar and milk.

Heat a griddle over medium-low.

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry, whisk until just combined.

Ladle 1/4 cup at a time onto the griddle, cook until bubbles rise then flip (about 4-5 minutes for the first side, 2-3 for the second).

Plate or keep warm in a 200 degree oven.

Place all cranberry ingredients in a small soup pot.

Bring to a boil, turn to low and simmer for 10 minutes, or until thick and berries have burst.

Ladle over the pumpkin pancakes, crumble cinnamon-cranberry goat cheese over top.

Makes about 8 pancakes

Six Bean Chili with Cilantro-Lime Cream

Fall is my favorite season of the year. I love everything about it, the beautiful changing leaves, the crisp, cool air, the flavors of pumpkin, apple, and squash, and football!

It appears as though everyone is feeling the change except for me... because I live in Florida now. While some are now experiencing highs in the 70's, it's still 80 degrees and humid when I head out for my morning run. So rather than sit and wait for fall to come to me, I'm going to force it. How might I do that? By making a big pot of chili. And later this week, apple-maple sausage and pumpkin pancakes. I may not having changing leaves and pumpkin patches, but ask me how much I like Florida in January when I'm wearing flip flops and friends in Indiana are in snow pants!

About the chili.... I love a variety of beans and peppers in my chili, so used that as a base. To add some fun, tex-mex flavor, I spiked the chili with a bottle of Corona and topped it with a cilantro-lime sour cream. This chili was very bright and fresh tasting, still reminiscent of summer, but hearty and warm for anyone who really is experiencing fall-like weather, and wants a warm bowl of something!

Six Bean Chili with Cilantro-Lime Cream

Chili:

1 small red onion, diced

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 green bell pepper, diced

1 red bell pepper, diced

1 bottle of beer (I used coronoa)

1 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes

1 15 oz. can garbanzo beans, drained

1 15 oz. can light red kidney beans, drained

1 15 oz. can dark red kidney beans, drained

1 15 oz. can black beans, drained

1 15 oz. can pinto beans, drained

1 15 oz. can lentils, drained

1 tbsp. cumin

1 tbsp. dark chili powder

1 tsp. corriander

2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. pepper

1/2 tsp. cayenne powder

Cilantro-Lime Cream:

8 oz. light sour cream

1/4 c. cilantro leaves

1 lime, zested and juiced

Heat a large dutch oven over medium heat.

Add 1 tbsp. EVOO, onion, garlic and peppers.

Saute' for 5 minutes, or until a bit soft.

Add beer, cook off half the liquid.

Add remaining chili ingredients, stir to combine, turn to low and simmer for 30 minutes.

Taste and adjust seasonings.

Add vegetable stock if chili is too thick or cook off liquid to reduce if too watery.

Add all cream ingredients to a blender, puree until well mixed.

Keep chilled.

Ladle chili into a bowl, top with cilantro-lime cream.

Grilled Vegetable and Sausage Lasagna

Over the weekend I made a huge pot of my favorite zesty marinara. JJ said he was in the mood for lasagna, so I whipped this up with what I had on hand. I decided to make homemade lasagna noodles because I didn't want to go buy any. I also decided to grill up some veggies and throw them in the lasagna to bulk it up and make it healthier. I added some bulk vegetarian sausage, but any variety would be great, or you can just leave it out.

Grilled Vegetable and Sausage Lasagna

with Fresh Whole Wheat Pasta

1 batch of whole wheat pasta (recipe below)

3 cups zesty marinara (recipe below)

8 oz. ricotta cheese

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

1/2 lb. bulk sausage

1 eggplant, sliced

2 zucchini, sliced

3 summer squash, sliced

3 roasted red bell peppers, quartered

Whole Wheat Pasta:

1 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 cup AP flour

2 eggs, beaten

pinch of salt

1-4 tbsp. water

Add flour to a bowl, make a well and pour eggs into the middle, sprinkle with salt.

Use a fork and whisk flour into eggs.

Begin kneading with hand, add water 1 tbsp. at a time.

Rest dough for 15 minutes.

Use a pasta roller and run dough through, sprinkling with flour to prevent sticking.

Lay on a cutting board of cooling wrack for 10 minutes.

Zesty Marinara:

1 tbsp. EVOO

1 yellow onion, minced

2 cloves of garlic, minced

Salt and Pepper

2 tsp. dried oregano

1 tsp. fennel seed

Pinch of crushed red pepper flakes

½ c. dry red wine

2 28 oz. cans organic crushed tomatoes

1 15 oz. can organic tomato sauce1

5 oz. can organic tomato paste

In a saucepot over medium low, add EVOO, onion and garlic.

Season with salt and pepper.

Sweat onions and garlic for 5 minutes.

Turn heat to high, add red wine, reduce by half, turn to low, add spices and tomatoes.

Cover and simmer for 20 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350.

Cook off sheets of pasta.

Grill vegetables, season with salt and pepper.

Spoon sauce into the bottom of a casserole dish, lay pasta sheets on top.

Layer on vegetables, ricotta, sausage and a layer of sauce.

Repeat for 2 more layers.

Top the last layer of noodles with sauce and mozzarella cheese.

Bake at 350 for 45 minutes, or until bubbly and brown.

Strawberry Charlotte

For my bookclub meeting last night, the host asked me to bring a dessert. I wanted to do something pretty and girly as it was a group of women. I have been wanting to make a strawberry charlotte for the longest time, so this seemed like the perfect time!

I looked up quite a few recipes, but couldn't find a comprehensive one that I liked, so I decided to create my own from other recipes. I had planned to make the lady fingers, but some things came up and I ran out of time. However, in the time it took to locate some lady fingers, I could have made them!

This cake was delicious, and the filling was amazing. I always wondered what ingredients were used to make this type of filling, so I'm happy to know how to now many a whipped cream filling that's stabilized and like a pastry cream. In the end, I ran out of strawberries and filled my holes with blueberries, but I wish I had enough strawberries!

Strawberry Charlotte

Cake - Simple White Cake from allrecipes

This is by far my new favorite go-to white cake recipe! It was moist and tender, like a pound cake, but fluffier and more spongey.

2 cups white sugar
1 cup butter
4 eggs
3 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoons baking powder
1 cup milk

Dash of salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Line 2 10" cake pans with parchment and grease.

In a medium bowl, cream together the sugar and butter.

Beat in the eggs, one at a time, then vanilla, salt and baking powder.

Alternately add the flour and milk, starting and ending with flour.

Pour into the cake pans, smooth out.

Bake for 28-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Strawberry Cream from the Joy of Baking

3/4 cup strawberry puree (from frozen berries in juice)
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1 envelope (1/4 ounce) unflavored powdered gelatin

3 tbsp. powdered sugar

Chill your mixing bowl and whisk in the freezer for about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a small measuring cup stir together the gelatin and 1/4 cup of the strawberry puree.

Let this mixture sit for 5 minutes and then microwave for a few seconds to dissolve the gelatin.

Once the gelatin has dissolved, stir the gelatin mixture into the remaining 1/2 cup of strawberry puree.

Set aside while you whip the cream.

Remove the mixing bowl and whisk from the freezer, and beat the cream until soft peaks form.

Add the strawberry puree mixture and continue to beat the cream until stiff peaks form.

Taste and fold in a little sugar, if needed.

In the future, I'd double the cream recipe so I could use some to stick the ladyfingers on.

I also used fresh strawberries tossed in sugar to mascerate them and top the cake.

For assembly, I cut each cake layer in 2 and had a 4 layer cake with 3 layers of filling.

Homemade BBQ Sauce and Succotash

For dinner tonight, I decided to make succotash to clear out the vegetable drawer. JJ requested BBQ succotash, and I aim to please. Usually we have some BBQ sauce on hand, but since we moved, I'd been slow to restock our condiments. I decided to just whip up my own BBQ sauce. It was really easy to prepare, and came out great. I love making my own sauce because I can easily control the spice level, the sweetness, the vinegar, and other aspects. I took a tiny bit of help on getting the smokey flavor by using Chicago Grill seasoning from Penzeys, but it's just fine without it.

Homemade Sweet and Tangy BBQ Sauce

1/2 red onion, diced

2 garlic cloves, crushed

Salt and pepper

1/2 cup red wine vinegar

6 oz. can of tomato paste

1/4 cup brown sugar

Pinch of cayenne pepper

1 tbsp. Penzey's Chicago Steak Seasoning (or McCormack Grill seasoning)

Splash of water

Heat a small saucepot over medium heat.

Add onions and garlic, season with salt and pepper, saute' for 5 minutes.

Deglaze the pot with the vinegar, scrape up the bits.

Add tomato paste, brown sugar, cayenne and seasoning. Stir well.

Add to a blender and puree, add water 1 tbsp. at a time to reach desired consistency.

Taste and season, pour in a jar or bottle and keep in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.

The succotash was a mixture of red, green and yellow peppers, zucchini, summer squash, and red onion. You can also add some corn, okra, and beans.

Monogrammed Sugar Cookies

For the party Saturday, I thought it would be nice to make a little favor for everyone in the form of a dessert. I though the standard Famous Sugar Cookie with the "W" iced on it would be pretty, so I went for it.
I put them in individual plastic bags and tied them with red ribbon, and they looked really nice. These would be great for a cheap and homemade wedding favor or for any other family party.


You can see my detailed instructions for making the sugar cookies and the royal icing and how to pipe and flood icing in my Twilight cake/cookies post.

Grandma's Orange Cake

On Saturday afternoon, JJ and I went to a family party. JJ's dad is one of 5 boys, I can't imagine what his mom went through! I was assigned to bring a dessert to the party, but wasn't sure what everyone would like. When we were at JJ's birthday dinner, his mom suggested I try making Big Grandma's Orange Cake. I never had the opportunity to try Grandma's cake, she passed away almost 4 years ago and I had only met her a few times. However, when Mom mentioned the cake, JJ and his brother both said I had to try it. There had been a few attempts by other family members, but it didn't turn out exactly right. Since they know I'm a decent baker, they figured I'd be up for the challenge!
Well, I did them proud! The cake is a simple sponge cake, baked with orange juice rather than milk or water. The filling is an orange curd, and the icing is a basic buttercream, again with orange juice rather than water or milk.
I didn't want to change the integrity of the cake as it's famous and I was trying to perfect it, but I did make a few adjustments to boost flavor and help with the scientific portion of the recipe. For example, Grandma used self-rising flour, but I'm not a fan, so I opted to use cake flour and add leaveners. I also added vanilla to give a little more flavor to contrast with the in-your-face orange notes. Finally, I made the curd a more traditional recipe and used a bit less to fill my layers as JJ told me at times, all you could taste was the sweet filling. Oh, and I was told mine was a bit fancier looking with the little white royal icing orange blossoms and a piped border!
Even if you're not a fan of orange cake, I'd still try the curd on toast or an english muffin. I love lemon and lime curd, but the orange was so different in a very good way!

Grandma's Orange Cake

Cake:

2 1/2 cups cake flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 1/2 cups sugar

2 eggs

2/3 cup canola oil

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 cups orange juice

Sift together flour, baking powder, soda and salt.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together sugar, eggs, oil and vanilla on medium speed for 2 minutes.

Alternately add flour mixture and orange juice, starting and ending with flour.

Beat until just combined.

Pour into 3 8" cake pans lined with parchment, greased and floured.

Bake for 25 minutes, or until a toothpick through the center comes out clean.

Cool in pans for 10 minutes, then cool on a baking rack for another 30, or until the cakes come to room temperature.

Orange Curd Filling:

2 cups orange juice

1 cup sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1/3 cup cornstarch

2 egg yolks

2 tbsp. butter

Bring orange juice and sugar to a simmer in a small pot, turn to medium heat.

Whisk together sifted cornstarch and egg yolks.

Add 1/4 cup of the hot juice to the eggs and cornstarch, whisk to create a slurry and temper.

Add the slurry to the pot of juice, whisk over medium heat.

Continue to whisk until mixture becomes thick.

Remove from heat, whisk in salt, then whisk in butter 1/2 tbsp at a time.

Place in a glass dish, cover with plastic and refrigerate until chilled.

Orange Icing:

1/2 cup butter, at room temperature

1/2 cup butter flavored shortening (use if cake will be in heat, if not, use all butter)

2 lbs. confectioners sugar

1/4 - 1/2 cup orange juice (I squeezed in the juice from the orange I zested)

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 tsp. orange zest

Cream together butter and shortening, add salt, vanilla and zest.

Keep mixer running on low, add powdered sugar 1/2 cup at a time.

Squeeze in orange juice when icing gets too thick.

Continue to mix until all of the sugar is mixed in, adding orange juice as necessary.

Icing should be whipped and spreadable but not too wet.

Use immediately or refrigerate until using.

(I used about 2/3 of the icing to create a 1/4" thick layer of buttercream on the cake)

To assemble, place a cake on a plate, pipe an icing border around the edge. Fill with 1/2 cup orange curd. Add another cake layer and another curd layer. Top with final cake and ice with buttercream.

Spinach and Artichoke Penne with Faux Alfredo

A few months ago, I tried to make a healthier version of Fettuccini Alfredo at my sister's request. I used pureed cottage cheese, a technique that I found in the Moosewood Lowfat Favorites cookbook. I thought the pasta was nice, and the cottage cheese was a great substitute. However, after my success with whipped cauliflower, I thought I might try using that as the base for a newer, lighter alfredo. It doesn't pack the same protein punch, but I liked the flavor a bit more.
Now I do realize that this dish is a bit out there, and pureed cauliflower might turn some people off, but luckily flavor of the parmesan really overpowers the cauliflower, so it's hard to tell the cauliflower is even in there.
To round out the dish, I found a can of artichokes in the pantry, so thought I'd add them. Then I was going to prepare a spinach salad, but thought I might just wilt the spinach and add it to the dish to make the ever popular spinach and artichoke combo!

Spinach and Artichoke Penne with Faux Alfredo

1/2 lb. whole wheat penne

1/2 head of cauliflower florets

2 c. vegetable stock

1 lb. fresh, baby spinach

1/4 -1/2 c. milk

1/2 c. parmesan cheese

1 15 oz. can of quartered artichoke hearts

Salt and pepper

Crushed red pepper flake

Bring a large pot of water to a boil, salt and add pasta.

Cook for 10 minutes, or until al dente, drain.

Bring vegetable stock to a boil in a small pot, add cauliflower, cover, turn heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes, until soft.

In a large saute' pan, wilt spinach leaves over medium heat. Drain and set aside.

Add cauliflower to a blender or food processor with most of the parmesan cheese, add 1/4 c. of milk and any remaining vegetable stock. Puree. Add more milk if necessary, season with salt and pepper.

Add pasta, artichokes, cauliflower puree, and spinach to the pasta pot.

Turn over low heat and bring to temperature.

Plate and top with remaining parmesan and a sprinkle of crushed red pepper.

Vegetable Wonton Soup with the Works

I've been trying to hold off on preparing this dinner until the winter months, but I couldn't wait any longer! This soup is similar to a traditional wonton soup, but it's got a few additions that make it into a very flavorful, very filling meal rather than a first course.
Back in June, JJ and I went to Siam House in Bloomington. Dinner was delicious, but what made it most memorable was the wonton soup. Usually wonton soup is a few floating wontons in a really salty broth with a few scallions and sliced button mushrooms floating in it. When the server brought out a large cauldron of soup and removed the lid, I was in a cilantro scented heaven! The pot was full of baby bok choy, bean sprouts, cilantro sprigs, and plump, translucent wontons. I later read that the wontons were a mixture of ground pork and shrimp, though I think the shrimp flavor was overshadowed because I couldn't tell it was in there.
JJ isn't a big cilantro fan, he can take a sprinkle here and there, but the big sprigs turned him off. I figured it would be a great recipe to recreate while he is not home at dinner this week! I made the wontons out of a tofu and vegetable mix, and they were just as good and flavorful as the pork variety. I also used egg roll wrappers and trimmed them down a bit because my wonton wrappers always unseal because they're too small (or I fill them too much).
This dish was easiest to prepare in a deep, wide skillet rather than a pot because I didn't want to disturb the wontons too much as I always fear they'll burst on me!

Vegetable Wonton Soup with the Works

Wontons:

12 egg roll wrappers

1 carrot, peeled

1 c. shredded cabbage

6 oz. shiitake mushrooms

4 scallions, chopped

4 garlic cloves

1 tsp. grated ginger

4 oz. firm tofu, crumbled

2 tbsp. soy sauce

2 tbsp. oyster sauce

pinch of crushed red pepper

salt and pepper

2 tsp. cornstarch

Soup:

8 c. vegetable stock

2 baby bok choy, trimmed and halved

4 oz. bean sprouts

10 sprigs of cilantro

2 scallions, sliced

Place carrot, cabbage, mushrooms, scallions, garlic and ginger in a food processor.

Pulse until ground into small bits, but not pureed.

Add to a skillet with 1 tbsp. EVOO over medium heat.

Saute' for 5 minutes, season with salt and pepper, remove from head and cool to room temperature.

Add tofu to a mixing bowl, crumble with fingers.

Add soy and oyster sauce, crushed red pepper flakes and cornstarch, mix well.

Add vegetables, mix again.

Lay wonton wrappers on a cutting board, fill with 2 tbsp. tofu mixture, wipe sides with water, seal and press, fold over and seal the points, see wonton photo below.

When finished, place wontons on a baking sheet and place in the freezer.

Heat a large, deep skillet over medium-high heat.

Add stock and bok choy, bring to a simmer, add bean sprouts, cilantro, scallions and wontons.

Simmer for 5-6 minutes, until wontons are translucent and float, be careful and don't move them too much, do not boil soup.

Serve as soon as possible, if wontons sit they may start to disintegrate into the soup!

my preferred way to wrap up a wonton or dumpling, they always seem to keep from falling apart this way!

the adoarble and delicious baby bok choy

my preferred cooking vessel for preparing the soup

Island Salad with Coconut Curry Dressing

One of my favorite salad dressings is Ginger-Carrot, the kind you get on a salad at a Japenese Steakhouse. When I saw this dressing on Cheeseburger in Paradise's menu, it sounded similar, and I was intrigued. I decided to go for it on a house salad, and it was so delicious.
Though I had this dressing months ago, I haven't gotten it out of my head. Since I had a large lunch, I decided to make a lighter dinner. I had some coconut milk left over, and always keep a few types of curry on hand. One thing I added to this salad that I normally don't is asparagus. They served it on the house salad at CIP, and it was great, so I blanced a few spears and threw them on the salad along with some masala spiced tofu.

Island Salad with Coconut Curry Dressing

Salad:

1 head of romaine, chopped

1 c. mixed cabbage slaw

10 asparagus spears, chopped

1/2 red bell pepper, sliced

1/2 c. mandarin orange segments

1/2 c. snow peas, chopped

4 oz. Firm tofu, any variety, sliced

Dressing:

1/2 c. light coconut milk

2 tsp. curry powder

1/4 tsp. cayenne powder

salt and pepper

1/2 tsp. vinegar

1 tsp. brown sugar

Arrange salad ingredients in a bowl.

Whirl together dressing ingredients in a blender, pour over salad and serve.

Spicy and Sweet Tofu Curry Bowl

You may have noticed I haven't been blogging much. Since moving to Jacksonville, it's been a mix of family dinners, events, new restaurants at my disposal, and mosly wanting to get out of the house while I'm searching for jobs all day! This week is going to be the last of JJ's 2-a-day practices with the soccer team, so he'll be gone during dinner and I'll be cooking for myself.
Although dinnertime with JJ is probably my favorite part of the day, sometimes I like when he's not here so I can create some new dishes that he might not like, specifically tofu and cauliflower dishes. I also like to be creative, which is usually a great victory or bitter defeat. I don't mind eating the remains of a defeated meal, but I feel bad feeding JJ a failed dish.
I knew tonight's dinner would be a winner though, because it's something I often make for myself when he's not around. Somehow it never made it to the blog! Maybe because it's so simple, or maybe because I devour it before any photos can be taken... I can't say for sure!
The dish is essentially a beginner's guide to cooking a curry. It's not the most traditional, but it introduces you to the flavors you'll experience at your generic American Thai restaurant. It's totally up to the cook to decide which vegetables to use, how much spice to add, and what starch you want. I enjoy using rice noodles because they cook so quickly and they're much easier to cook than basmati rice (if you don't have a rice cooker).
Again, this dish is a building block. The protein can be switched out, the vegetables, the type of curry (green curry paste, golden curry powder), and the starch. And best of all, it's very healthy and vegan!
I want to note that I usually use Thai Kitchen brand products (noodles, coconut milk, etc.) but tonight I used Hokan brand, which was on sale at Publix. The light coconut milk was much thicker than Thai Kitchen, I definitely liked it much more and highly recommend it!

Spicy and Sweet Tofu Curry Bowl

(This recipe feeds 2 big eaters, with some leftovers)

3 oz. rice vermicelli noodles

1 12 oz. can Hokan brand light coconut milk

3 tbsp. Thai Kitchen Red Curry Paste

1/4 tsp. cayenne powder

Salt and pepper

1 tsp. light brown sugar

1 lime, halved

1 head of cauliflower in florets

1 orange bell pepper, in 1" chunks

1 12 oz. can baby corn

1 6 oz. can diced water chestnuts

6 oz. snap peas

1 block of tofu, diced (I used Indian Masala spiced tofu from Whole Foods, any firm/extra firm tofu will work just fine)

Bring a pot of water to a boil, add rice noodles.

Cook according to package directions, drain and set aside.

Bring an inch of water to a boil, place a steamer basket over the water, add cauliflower, peppers, snap peas, corn and chestnuts.

Steam for 4-6 minutes, or until tender.

In a small saucepot over medium, whisk together coconut milk, curry paste, salt, pepper, cayenne and brown sugar.

Bring to a simmer, add tofu turn heat off.

Plate noodles, top with vegetables.

Add the juice of 1/2 the lime to the sauce, plate over vegetables.

Serve with an extra wedge of lime to squeeze over top, if desired.

And now I must take a minute to wish my wonderful husband a very happy 24th birthday (a day late!) I love you!

And also, Happy 700th post, A Year in the Kitchen!

Vegan Pasta Primavera

I didn't intentionally make last night's dinner vegan, but while typing up the recipe, I realized it was Though I'm not vegan, I certainly recognize and appreciate the health benefits and environmental benefits of veganism, and do enjoy vegan dishes from time to time. Dishes like this really showcase the healthy benefits of veganism, a rainbow of colorful vegetables, yet still incredible flavorful and filling.
Now if you're not vegan or vegetarian, there are a few additions you can make if you find it necessary. Vegetarians can simply add some parmesan cheese in the pesto, or mozzarella on top.
If you prefer meat, add some sliced organic chicken or turkey sausage which takes no effort at all!

Vegan Pasta Primavera

1/2 lb. rotini

1 tbsp. EVOO

8 oz. cremini mushrooms, sliced

1 yellow onion, halved and sliced

1 yellow bell pepper, sliced

1 red bell pepper, sliced

1 lb. asparagus spears, trimmed

1/2 c. frozen peas

Crushed red pepper flakes

Salt and pepper

1/2 c. diced tomatoes with Italian herbs

5 sun dried tomatoes, sliced

Pesto:

1/4 c. Vegetable Stock

2 tbsp. EVOO

20 basil leaves

2 tbsp. tomato paste

1/4 c. pine nuts

5 sun dried tomatoes

2 garlic cloves

Bring a large pot of water to a boil, add pasta and salt. Cook until al dente.

In the last minute of cooking, add the asparagus.

Drain and set aside while vegetables cook.

Heat a large skillet over medium heat.

Add EVOO and mushrooms. Sweat mushrooms until they stop giving off water, add onions and peppers.

Season with salt and pepper, cook until peppers are tender, about 6-8 minutes.

While vegetables cook, add all pesto ingredients to a blender or food processor, pluse until smooth.

Add peas, diced tomatoes, pesto, pasta and asparagus to the skillet with peppers. Toss.

Cover and heat through about 3-5 minutes.

If pasta is dry, add more vegetable stock.

Serve with sun dried tomatoes chopped basil for garnish.

World's Greatest BLT

For dinner last night, I decided to make something simple and fast. It's not so much a recipe, just sandwich elements that are delicious when put together! I used Morningstar Farm Vegetarian Bacon, which is actually pretty good.
For the side, I made Kale chips. I saw them first on Kath Eats Real Food, and thought they sounded interesting. I kind of mounded them too much because the edge ones got very crisp but the center ones and bottom just kind of steamed. Overall it was an easy, fun, and delicious dinner!

World's Greatest BLT

4 slices of whole grain sandwich bread

2 oz. herbed goat cheese at room temp.

1/2 avocado, sliced

1 tomato, sliced

4 lettuce leaves

6 slices of bacon, crisped

Toast the bread, smear with goat cheese, top with avocado, tomato, lettuce and bacon.

Kale Chips

4 c. kale, chopped

1 tsp. Emeril's Essence seasoning

1 tbsp. EVOO

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Toss kale in oil and spices on a baking sheet.

Roast for 10 minutes.

Serve with hot sauce and ketchup.

Mushroom and Okra Curry

When I was 12 years old, I decided to become a vegetarian. While my parents were supportive and understanding, I don't know that they thought it would last. My mom told me that she wanted me to do some of the cooking so she didn't have to cook 2 separate meals each night, which was great for me! One morning when we were shopping at Sam's Club, I found "The Greatest Ever Vegetarain Cookbook." It is a huge cookbook with over 300 recipes of all types. When she bought it for me, I went through and put post its in my favorite recipes to make and try. I did that a few times as my tastes and cooking abilities changed, so it's interesting to see what I tagged when I was 12, 15, and now.

When I was 12, I skipped over all of the curries, but now I'm excited about them! I found one for okra and mushrooms in a tomato based curry, which is something I've not cooked before. The flavor of this curry was great, but I think I'm more of a coconut milk based curry fan.

Mushroom and Okra Curry

from The Greatest Vegetarian Cookbook Ever

4 garlic cloves, chopped

1 in. ginger root

2 chiles, seeded and chopped

3/4 c. water

1 tbsp. EVOO

1 tsp. coriander seeds

1 tsp. cumin seeds

1 tsp. ground cumin

2 cardamom pods, seeds removed and ground (I used 1/2 tsp. ground)

Pinch of ground turmeric
1 4 oz. can tomatoes, chopped

1 lb. mushrooms, quartered

8 oz. okra

2 tbsp. cilantro, for garnish

Brown rice, for serving

Mango chutney, for serving

Place the garlic, ginger, chiles and 3 tbsp. of water in a blender, process until smooth.

Heat oil in a large saucepan, add the corriander, cumin seeds and ground cumin, cardamom, turmeric and cook for a minute.

Add the garlic paste, tomatoes and water. Stir to mix.

Add the mushrooms and okra, stir again and bring to a boil.

Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 5 minutes.

Remove the cover and turn heat up, cook for another 5-10 minutes until okra is tender.

Stir in cilantro.

Serve with rice and mango chutney.

Brown Butter Snickerdoodles

Now that I've got some time on my hands (please, someone give me a job!!!), I've been baking to pass the time. I've been trying to think of some easy recipes that have minor twists to make them a little more interesting. I've never made snickerdoodles on the blog before, so I decided to tackle them. From what I understand they're a basic sugar cookie rolled in cinnamon sugar.
In order to spice them up a bit, I decided to brown the butter first to give it a nuttier, more caramel flavor. I also used part brown sugar to bring home the caramel flavor. For a finishing touch, rather than use cinnamon sugar, I added a pinch of nutmeg and used raw sugar for a bit more crunch and flavor.
These cookies were fantastic, using the melted brown butter made them very chewy on the inside, and the outside was crunchy and flavorful! They're a definite winner.

Brown Butter Snickerdoodles

1 c. brown butter

1 c. granulated sugar

1/2 c. brown sugar

2 eggs at room temperature

2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

3 c. all purpose flour

1/4 c. raw sugar

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. nutmeg

Heat a stainless steel pot or pan over medium heat.

Add the butter, cook for about 5-8 minutes, until just browned (if you wait until it's too brown, it will burn). See example here.

Add butter to the bowl of a stand mixer. Cool to room temperature.

Add sugars and beat until well incorporated (butter will separate a bit)

Add eggs one at a time, mix well.

Add baking powder, baking soda and salt, mix for 10 seconds.

Add flour and mix until well incorporated.

Dough might seem a bit lose.

Place bowl of dough in the refrigerator covered for one hour.

Mix sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg in a dish.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Spoon out 1" balls of dough, roll in sugar and place on a baking sheet.

Bake for 13-15 minutes, cool on a wire rack.

Makes about 3 dozen cookies.

Goat Cheese Whipped Cauliflower

For dinner tonight I made black bean burgers in pita, so I wanted to add a side that was a vegetable in addition to salad. Usually with sandwiches or burgers we go for fries or chips, which add up to a lot of carbohydrates. I have been experimenting with preparation methods of cauliflower in hopes that I'll find something JJ will like as he hates cauliflower. I thought about just not telling him this was cauliflower and let him think it was mashed potatoes, but I didn't want to lie to him as he eats anything else I make.
So the preparation for this dish was really easy. Pictured below I have my bowl of cauliflower and JJ's, and though he tried it (only because there was goat cheese in it) he didn't finish that tiny little bowl. He also requested no chunks at all (I left a few little chunks in mine) so you can see the two textures. Honestly, I thought these tasted wonderful, and I'm sure I could fool someone into thinking they were potatoes!

Goat Cheese Whipped Cauliflower

1 head of cauliflower cut into florets

1 c. vegetable stock

salt and pepper

1/4-1/2 c. milk

2 oz. goat cheese

snipped chives or other herbs for garnish

Add cauliflower and stock to a soup pot, cover, turn heat to high.

Bring stock to a boil, turn to medium and simmer until stock has cooked off, about 10 minutes.

Using a potato masher, mash cauliflower until it's in little bits in the pot.

Spoon into a blender or food processor (I used a magic bullet), add milk and goat cheese, salt and pepper.

Puree to desired consistency.

Spoon into serving bowl and serve with chives.

*Note: I made mine in 2 batches in the magic bullet, there was too much to make it all at once.

Linguini and Vegetables in Saffron Broth

A few weeks ago at a restaurant in Bloomington I had a dish similar to this. My only compaint was it didn't have enough veggies! The sauce was also a cream sauce, so I took the cream out and left it in the broth. It was a bit slurpy, but absolutely delicious. For the pasta, I tried a 3:1 whole wheat to all purpose, which turned out much better than I anticpated!

Linguini with Vegetables in Saffron Broth

1 c. whole wheat flour

1/3 c. AP flour

2 eggs

8 oz. cremini mushrooms, quartered

2 c. vegetable stock

1/2 tsp. saffron threads (a hefty pinch)

4 c. baby spinach leaves

1 15 oz. can artichoke hearts, halved

1 roasted yellow bell pepper, peeled and sliced

1/2 c. halved cherry tomatoes

1/2 c. crumbled feta

salt and pepper

Follow this guide on how to make fresh pasta with the first 3 ingredients listed

Heat a deep saute' pan over medium heat.
Add 1 tbsp. EVOO and mushrooms.
Sweat for 4-5 minutes, add broth and saffron.
Bring to a simmer.
Add the spinach and wilt into the broth (or to remove a bit of the biterness, saute' in a seperate pan and then add to the broth).
Cook pasta, drain, add to the broth along with peppers and artichokes.
Plate with a slotted spoon, add a splash of broth over top.
Top with cherry tomatoes and feta.

Stovetop Vegetarian Chili Mac and Cheese

Tonight's dinner was sort of a last minute creation, but so delicious! I noticed that the gallon of organic milk JJ picked out on Saturday expires tomorrow. We're the kind of people that go through a gallon in 2 weeks, so to have it 4 days and then it expires kills me! I'm pretty sure JJ will be looking at expiration dates from now on as the milk is $6/gallon and we still have well over 1/2 gallon left.
So I had to think of some recipes that use a good amount of milk, and macaroni and cheese is one of them. My pantry is pretty limited right now, but I managed to come up with what we thought was a flavorful, spicy, creamy and delicious dinner! I served it with kicked up vegetables (see previous post).

Stovetop Vegetarian Chili Mac and Cheese

1/2 red onion, minced

1 tbsp. EVOO

1 tbsp. butter

salt and pepper

2 tbsp. flour

2 c. milk

2 c. shredded cheddar cheese

6 oz. elbow macaroni (I like Barilla plus)

1 12 oz. can Rotel with lime and cilantro

1 15 oz. can dark red kidney beans, drained and rinsed

1 tsp. corriander

2 tsp. cumin

2 tsp. chili powder

cilantro, for garnish

Bring a large pot of water to a boil, salt and add pasta.

Heat a deep skillet over medium.

Add onion, EVOO and butter. Season with salt and pepper.

Sweat out onions for 2-3 minutes, sprinkle flour over onions and whisk to cook off flour.

Add milk, turn heat to high and bring to a bubble.

Drain rotel and add to the milk, whisk in cheddar cheese and spices.

Once cheese is melted and incorporated, add beans.

Drain macaroni and add to the pot.

Stir well, serve with cilantro.

Kicked Up Summer Vegetables

The last Foodbuzz Tastemaker's package I recieved contained 4 Emeril's brand products. As you may remember, I used the Horseradish mustard a few days ago. For dinner tonight, I made Chili Macaroni and Cheese, and thought some sauteed vegetables would pair well. I thought that rather than raid my spice cabinet, I'd try out the Original Essence! Emeril has written on the package that it's a great basic seasoning for meats and vegetables.
It doesn't say exactly what the spice blend is (obviously) but it had some of the Tex-Mex notes I was looking for to pair with the mac and cheese. This spice blend was great, complex but it didn't overshadow the vegetables.

Kicked Up Summer Vegetables

1 tbsp. EVOO

1/2 red onion, sliced

2 small zucchini, sliced

2 small summer squash, sliced

1 green bell pepper, sliced

1 tbsp. Original Essence

Sour cream and cilantro, for garnish

Heat a skillet over medium heat, add EVOO, vegetables and essence. Toss well, cover and cook for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Serve with sour cream and cilantro.

Again, Thanks Emeril!

Eggplant Parmesan Calzones

I almost didn't post this recipe because my photos are sub-par, but this calzone was so good that I just had to! JJ got home from work pretty late, so by the time he was home we were both starving! Usually I'll try to get the perfect photo, but it smelled so good and we were both so hungry, I didn't care!

It's actually pretty simple to make, and had few ingredients (because I had some pizza dough in the freezer and marinara inthe fridge from Chicken parm on Saturday).
I'm always trying to incorporate eggplant into recipes where it's not fried (like traditional eggplant parmesan) and quick. Usually eggplant is salted and the water and bitterness is drawn out, but since I sauteed this before stuffing the calzone I didn't have to salt and press it.

Eggplant Parmesan Calzone

1/2 recipe of pizza crust - see this post

1 c. of zesty marinara - see this post

1 medium eggplant, diced

1 tbsp. EVOO

salt and pepper

1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes

1/4 c. basil, chopped

1 c. part skim ricotta

1/2 c. part skim mozzarella

2 tbsp. grated parmesan cheese

Sprinkle of cornmeal or semolina flour

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Heat a skillet over medium heat, add EVOO, eggplant, salt and pepper.

Saute' for 10 minutes, until eggplant is soft and cooked through and water is cooked out.

Add to a mixing bowl, add ricotta, mozzarella, parmesan, crushed red pepper flakes and basil.

Stir well.

Roll out pizza dough into an oval, sprinkle a pizza pan with cornmeal and place the dough off center.

Fill the bottom half with the eggplan, fold over the top, crimp the edges with your fingers and seal.

Brush with EVOO, bake for 20-22 minutes, until golden brown.

Serve with warmed marinara.

Oatmeal Raisin Chocolate Chip Ice Cream Sandwiches

On Sunday afternoon, I had some time to kill so I decided to whip up some cookies. I just wanted a small batch. JJ likes oatmeal raisin, and I like chocolate chip, so I made a combination of the two.
We also had some ice cream in the freezer, so on a whim after dinner, I decided to make them into ice cream sandwiches! I think it's best to keep the cookies in a tupperware and make them right before eating them because I don't like frozen/cold cookies, but they can be made ahead of time, wrapped in plastic or parchment, and stored in the freezer.

Small Batch Oatmeal Raisin Chocolate Chip Cookies

Makes 18 cookies

1/2 c. butter, softened (1 stick)

1/2 c. light brown sugar

1/4 c. granulated sugar

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 egg

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

1 1/2 c. AP Flour

1 1/2 c. oats (rolled or quick)

1/4 c. mini chocolate chips

1/4 c. raisins

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Cream butter and sugars in a stand mixer, beat for 2-3 minutes.

Add egg and vanilla, beat well.

Add baking powder, soda and salt, mix for 10 seconds.

Add flour and oats, mix until just incorporated.

Add chips and raisins, mix until just incorporated.

Refrigerate dough for 30 minutes.

Drop onto a greased cookie sheet, bake for 13 minutes, or until golden brown.

When cookies come out of the oven, tap on the counter to flatten them a bit.

Cool on a wire rack, store in an air tight container.

Makes 18 cookies, or 9 sandwiches (you need 1 pint of vanilla ice cream for 9 sandwiches)

Cookbook

A Year in the Kitchen Cookbook is finally ready to order!
A huge thanks to my sister for editing it and my husband for taking the cover photos.


If you'd like to order one, please see the order form HERE!
If you have problems opening the order form, please shoot me an email and I will attach it for you ayearinthekitchen@gmail.com


Here are a few photos from the book, and a little more information at the bottom!

A Year in the Kitchen is an 80 page, full color cookbook featuring over 100 original recipes by Ashlee. The book is divided into 15 chapters of courses including meal collections!

The first round of ordering is August 10-August 31, and then a large order will be placed. Books should be mailed to you by October 1, Ashlee will send a confirmation email.

After that date, an order will be placed every time 10 orders come in. Ashlee will keep updates on the blog though! During the holidays, there will also be the option to send a cookbook gift wrapped and with cookies to your family and friends!

1 Cookbook costs $28 plus $2 shipping (media mail, if you’d like it sent priority, add $3)
2-9 Cookbooks cost $27 each, $3 shipping *
10+ Cookbooks cost $25 each, $6 shipping (automatically sent priority)

This will be ongoing, so don't feel like you need to rush and buy one now, they will be available forever (well, maybe not forever...)!