Mixed Vegetable au Gratin

One way to change up your nightly vegetable serving is to bake it up with a little cheese and milk.  Au gratin style vegetables will add some calories to your veggies, but this recipe compromises a little richness by substituting in skim milk

 

Ingredients:

- Mixed vegetables - I used one medium-sized head of cauliflower, 8 carrots, 4 small potatoes.

- 2T unsalted butter

- 2T flour

- 3/4c grated gruyere cheese

- 1/2c grated parmesan

- 2c milk

- 1/4c breadcrumbs

- Pepper

- Grated nutmeg

Cut your vegetables into bite-sized pieces.  Arrange in an oven-safe baking dish.  Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.

Make a roux by melting the butter in a saucepan over medium heat and then adding flour, constantly stirring for about 2 minutes, until the flour starts to cook a little.  Add milk a little at a time while stirring.  Bring to a light boil and then stir in 1/2c gruyere cheese, paremesan, nutmeg, and pepper to taste.  Pour cheese mixture over vegetables.  If it doesn't completely cover the vegetables, that's fine.  It should come up about half-way.

Sprinkle a little of the remaining gruyere over the top, then the breadcrumbs, and top with a little more gruyere.

Bake for 20-25 minutes, until top is browned and vegetables are cooked.

This dish has a lot of flavor, and so it is a good accompaniment for chicken or other dish that won't compete with it too much.

Bon appetite! 

The Best Rice I Have Ever Made

I used to be really good at making rice.  It seemed so easy - just bring rice and water to a boil and then simmer.  It always turned out fluffy and tender.  Then I lost my touch.  I don't know how it happened, but every pot of rice I tried to make either burned, or turned out sticky or dry.  I finally caved and bought a rice cooker.  The rice cooker works okay, but not great.  At least it produces consistent results. 

But then, last night, I made rice according to Julia Child's rissoto recipe.  It was perfect.  Now I know you're thinking "Rissoto?!  No way am I standing over a pot and doling out ladle-fulls of boiling stock for twenty minutes while constantly stirring."  This rissoto recipe does not require such active care.  You start it on the stove-top and then move it to the oven.  It does not take on the sticky, almost creamy texture of typical rissoto.  It is more like the most perfect rice you've ever had.

Ingredients:
- 1 1/2c long-grained white rice
- 3c stock, hot
- 1c wine
- 1/2c finely chopped yellow onion
- 4T butter
- Salt and pepper

Melt butter in an enameled cast iron "french oven" over medium heat.  Add chopped onion.  (Julia Child's recipe calls for only 1/4c onion, but I think a little more is nice, depending on what you're going to use it for.  I made mine for chicken curry, so a little more onion was appropriate.  I also added 1/2t tumeric.)  Let this cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, but do not let it brown. 

When the onion is soft and translucent, add the rice and stir to incorporate.  Allow the rice to cook for about 2 minutes, but, again, do not let it brown.  The rice should take on a milky sort of color when it has absorbed some of the butter and onion flavor.  At this point, you can add spices or seasonings if you want, depending on what you are serving your rice with.

Add the chicken stock and wine.  Your chicken stock should be hot, so that the rice comes to a boil very quickly.  Cover and move to an oven pre-heated at 375 degrees.  Peak at the rice after about 3-4 minutes.  It should be simmering.  Reduce your oven temperature to 350 degrees and let cook for a total of 18 minutes in the oven.  Check on your rice once to make sure that it is on track to cook in about 18 minutes.  After 18 minutes, tilt the pot up on its corner and move the rice along the edge of the pot away so that you can see down to the bottom - make sure all of the liquid is absorbed. 

Carefully fluff the rice with a large buffet fork without breaking the grains.  Now you can return your pot of rice to the turned-off oven to keep warm until you are ready to serve.  Your rice should be tender, fluffy, and soft with a little bit of "bite" in the center, and have lovely buttery flavor. 

Bon appetite!

Mediterranian Calzones

These calzones are tasty and so easy.  The hardest part is making your pizza dough, but you could make some on Sunday for pizza and then use the left-over for calzones the next day.  You could mix and match the ingredients in the calzones depending on what you have handy in your kitchen.  This is also a great way to add fresh flavors to your winter dinner rotation.

Ingredients:

- Pizza dough

- Olive oil

- 1T dried oregano

- 4c fresh baby spinach

- 1 can small artichoke hearts (reserve liquid)

- 1/2c diced roasted red pepper (or about 2 peppers)

- 2T capers

- 2T tomato paste

- 1 small onion, halved and sliced

- 4c shredded mozzarella

- 1c grated parmesan 

(This recipe makes 4 large calzones, even though only two are pictured below.)

Heat your pizza stone in a 450-degree oven. 

 

In a skillet, heat about 1T olive oil over medium heat.  Add onion and saute until wilted and translucent.  Add tomato paste and stir to coat onions.  Continue to cook for another minute or so until the tomato paste smells sweet and is thickly coating onions.

 

Add artichoke hearts, roasted red pepper, and capers.  If the tomato paste is very thick, you might want to add a little bit of the liquid from the canned artichokes, just to loosen things up a bit and create more of a thick sauce consistency.  Then add the spinach and let it cook down.  You might have to add it in two batches, depending on how big your pan is.

Turn off the heat and allow mixture to cool slightly while you prepare the crusts. 

Divide your dough into balls about half of the size of your fist.  Stretch out into rectangles.  Place about one heaping cup of your vegetable mixture on the middle of one side of the dough.  Top with about 1c shredded mozzarella.  Make sure to leave about a half-inch dry dough around the edge so that when you fold the dough over it will stick together.  Fold the dough over to create a square and press the dough together around the edges. Sprinkle generously with grated parmesan. 

Move onto the pizza stone and cook for about 15 minutes, or until nice and toasty brown. 

Let cool for about 10 minutes and serve!

Thai Peanut Pizza

One of Cillian's favorite things is peanut sauce.  I think I could probably put peanut sauce on anything and he would love it.  In the past few months we've also been experimenting with all kinds of different pizzas, so I guess it was inevitable that we'd eventually make a peanut sauce pizza!  

First make your pizza dough.  I've used my friend Elle's recipe, which hopefully she will post on her blog soon.  (hint, hint)  After making your dough and forming your crusts, add peanut sauce, herbs, cheese, and vegetable toppings.

Peanut Sauce Ingredients:
- 1c peanut butter
- 1T soy sauce
- 1T rice wine vinegar
- 2T toasted sesame oil
- 1/4c vegetable oil
- 2T sambal badjak (spicy chili garlic paste)
- 1t chili oil
- 1t red pepper flakes

Combine all ingredients and stir until smooth.  Spread onto your pizza crust.

Pizza Toppings:
- Basil, Cilantro, Mint
- Red pepper
- Shredded carrots
- Sprouts
- Broccoli
- Shredded mozzarella

Chop a healthy handful of basil, cilantro, and mint together and spread on top of peanut sauce.  Add shredded cheese.  Top with thin sliced red pepper, well-chopped broccoli, shredded carrots, and peanuts.  Add cooked chopped chicken if you want to add meat on your pizza.

Cook on a pizza stone at 475 degrees for 15 minutes.

Linguine with Roasted Red Pepper Parmesan Cream Sauce

Over the weekend we had brunch with our lovely friends Elle and Bryan at Dino - a great spot a few blocks from our house.  Elle mentioned she had made a roasted red pepper cream sauce recently, which inspired this recipe.  It is definitely worth splurging on the calories every once in a while for a good cream sauce!  Unfortunately we were so excited about eating it that I forgot to take any pictures. 

Ingredients:
- 2 roasted red peppers (I used jarred, but you could make them fresh), finely diced
- 1/4c white wine
- 1/2c cream
- 1/2c good quality parmesan
- 1 sprig of tarragon, finely chopped
- Cyanne pepper to taste

In a skillet combine the red pepper and white wine and cook over medium heat until almost dry.  You don't want to burn the red peppers, but you want to really concentrate the wine flavor into the peppers.  You'll know when it's done when there is just a little bit of liquid around the bits of red pepper.

Reduce the heat to medium-low and add the cream, stirring.  You're going to bring this up to a very light boil and reduce just until it is a thin sauce consistency.  Basically, once it coats the back of a spoon, you're ready to add the parmesan, as the cheese will thicken it.  

Add the parmesan, tarragon, and pepper to taste.  Keep hot until you're ready to toss with your pasta.

Serve hot!

Squash Lasagne

Lasagne is a wonder food.  You can sneak all kinds of health things into it and it only gets better!  Also, by replacing the ricotta cheese with low-fat cottage cheese and substituting in skim motzarella, you can make it truly healthy.  Here is a late-fall version that includes my favorite seasonal vegetable - squash!

Ingredients

- 1 package lasagne noodles

- Large tub of low-fat cottage cheese

- 4c shredded part-skim motzarella cheese

- 2 jars pasta sauce

- 1 medium sized acorn squash. sliced in thin slices and peeled.

- 1/4c shredded parmesan

Start by spreading a thin layer of pasta sauce in the bottom of your pan.  Then layer the uncooked noodles, cottage cheese, motzarella and squash. There is no need to buy fancy tomato sauce for lasagne.  Particularly when you're adding squash or other vegetables, you don't need the extra flavor in the sauce.  I buy whatever is on sale and then store it until I'm making lasagne.  We buy the nicer stuff when it is plain spaghetti or something where the sauce really features.

Add two more layers of sauce, pasta, cheese, and squash (or however many fit in your pan).  I like the very top to be sauce, cheese, and then the 1/4c parmesan cheese. 

Cook at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes, or until everything is hot and bubbly.  Cut and serve!

If you want to add more protein to this dish, you can brown ground turkey breast and then add the pasta sauce to the turkey meat.  Follow the rest of the same directions as shown here.  You can also add or substitute in additional vegetables.  Some of our favorites are spinach (add lots, it wilts down to almost nothing), tomatos, eggplant and red peppers.  This is a great way to get picky eaters to get a full serving of vegetables.



Waffles with Peaches and Pecans

This breakfast combines sweetness with whole grains and healthy fats and proteins for a meal that will keep you going all morning without loading on the fat and calories.

Ingredients:

- 2 whole-wheat waffles

- 1c frozen peaches

- 1/4c pear nectar (or other juice or nectar)

- 1/2c pecans

- 1t sugar

Combine peaches and nectar in saucepan.  Heat until peaches are hot and nectar has reduced to a syrupy consistency.

Heat another pan over medium heat.  When hot, add pecans and let toast for about a minute.  Sprinkle with sugar and continue to cook until pecans are covered with caramelized sugar.  Remove from pan and roughly chop.

Meanwhile, toast waffles.  When toasted, top with peaches and nuts.

Eggs with leftover vegetables and fresh herbs

Eggs are one of the best breakfasts - high in protein, low in calories and fat, you can add all kinds of good vegetables and herbs to them, and they're cheap and fast to cook in the morning!  Who could ask for more? 

This morning, when I realized that we are out of all my normal breakfast foods (i.e. eggo waffles), I had to scrounge around to find a substitute.  I have never been someone who can skip breakfast.  Maybe this is a result of growing up in Minnesota and being treated to a hot breakfast each morning in the middle of winter when it was still dark and bitterly cold outside.  But whatever the reason, it resulted in a great concoction this morning.

You really can add just about anything to eggs.  I just used the few things I had around the kitchen this morning:

- 4 eggs
- 1 finely chopped yellow bell pepper
- Finely chopped red onion (about 3T)
- 5 cherry tomatos, quartered
- Finely chopped basil, oregano, and rosemary
- Salt & Pepper
- Chevre

Saute your vegetables in a little Pam for about 3 minutes.  Add your eggs into the pan.  Break them directly into the pan and then break the yolks in the pan.  I heard once that this helps retain the beneficial proteins of the egg instead of breaking them up by whisking.  Then add in your herbs, salt, and pepper and cook until eggs are done, ocassionally scraping up the done eggs from the bottom of the pan and folding them back into the mixture.  When the eggs are cooked, turn off the burner and add the chevre. 

Meanwhile, toast a piece of whole-wheat bread.  Top with the egg mixture. 

Voila, a hearty healthy breakfast!

Ten Minute Dinner - Ravioli with Brown Butter Balsamic Sauce

Usually I avoid the "easy" recipes because they often leave me feeling like something is missing.  This recipe definitely does not!  It is quick just because of the nature of the prep methods, not because something is being dumbed down or left out.  And the result is oh so wonderful.

Ingredients:

- Store-bought ravioli (~18 ounces)

- 6oz unsalter butter (if you only have salted, you can make it work)

- 2-3T balsamic vinegar

- Salt & Pepper

- Sage (optional)

Instructions:

- Brown your butter in a small saucepan over medium heat.  If you've never made brown butter before, it can be a little intimidating, but once you've done it once you'll wonder why you'd ever use regular butter again!

- Put the butter in your pan and heat over medium heat.  The butter will start to foam and bubble.  This is the water being released from the butter.  You can swirl or stir your saucepan occassionally as this progresses.  Once the foaming subsides, the fat solids in the butter will start to cook and toast.  You'll notice little brown toasty bits in the bottom of your butter, as well as the liquid butter fat starting to take on a nutty color and flavor.  The pictures below show first the butter in the initial bubbly/foamy stage and then nearly cooked.

- Once the butter smells nice and toasty/nutty, remove it from the heat.  I usually transfer it to a bowl at this point to make sure the cooking stops.  The last thing you want is bitter burnt butter.

- Put your balsamic vinegar in a blender (or if you are very good at emulsifying with a whisk, you can leave it in the bowl), turn it on, and slowly drizzle your brown butter into the vinegar.  Blend for just a few seconds, until emulsified.  Add a pinch of salt and pepper for seasoning.  If you want, you could add sage, or other herbs here. 

- Meanwhile, cook your ravioli according to the directions on the package.  We used goat cheese and basil ravioli from whole foods, which were amazing.

- Toss the ravioli in the brown butter balsamic sauce and serve!

Bon appetite!

Fig and Apple Compote

There are some nights when I get home and just don't want a big meal.  This is usually days when I've had too large of a lunch or have been snacking all afternoon.  My solution last night was to pull ingredients from the fridge and make a very seasonal cheese plate.  Of course, you could also make this as an hors d'oeuvre to have out when company comes for dinner and you're still putting the finishing touches on things!

This fig and apple compote is a great way to use some of the most flavorful fall ingredients.  You can find fresh figs in most grocery stores right now.  I used black mission figs, but any kind will do for this recipe.  I also used a tart granny smith apple.  A touch of good balsamic vinegar will really bring out the flavors and balance the sweetness of the fruit with a hit of acid.

Ingredients:
- About 6 figs
- Granny smith apple (or other tart cooking variety)
- 1T balsamic vinegar
- 1T sugar
- Tiny pinch of cloves and nutmeg
- Water

Chop up the figs and apple.  I left the skin on my apple, but you can peel it if you prefer.

In a small saucepan, combine the figs, apples, a splash of vinegar, and a little water.  There should be just enough liquid that you can get it boiling.  As the fruit cooks, it will release its own juices (and then reabsorb some) so you don't need too much water.

As it cooks, the fruit will naturally release its juices.  Continue cooking it so that the juices get thick and almost syrupy.  At this point, taste the compote and add sugar if needed.  Add a tiny pinch of cloves and a tiny pinch of nutmeg.  You can also add in other ingredients here if you like.  I think ginger could be a great addition.

You can cook this until it gets to the texture you like.  I cooked mine so that the fruit was soft and fully cooked, but still in distinguishable pieces.  If you continue cooking you can reach a soft/mushier consistency - more like applesauce.

I served the compote with tree-ripened italian plums, brie, and crackers.  It was a great light meal for a cold fall day!

Bon appetite!



Creamy Tomato Pasta with Kale

This is a great weeknight, easy recipe for fall or winter.  The kale and tomatos make it seem almost health despite the cream sauce!

Ingredients:

- 1 bunch kale (can use green, red, or rainbow), cut into ~1/2 inch strips

- 1 can crushed tomatos (I used fire-roasted)

- 1 medium sized yellow onion, finely chopped

- 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

- 1 cup heavy cream

- 1 cup chicken stock

- 1 cup shredded good parmesan

- 1 package wide egg noodles

- Olive oil

- Salt and pepper

Heat about 2T olive oil in a pan.  When hot, add the finely chopped onions and garlic.  Saute until soft and translucent.  Meanwhile, get your water boiling for your pasta.  When it is ready, salt the water and add the egg noodles.  You can substitute in different pasta, but I think a wide noodle is good for this sauce. 

Add the canned tomatos with their juice and the kale.  the kale will seem like an enormous amount, but don't worry it will cook down significantly!

Once the kale is wilted, continue to cook for about 2 minutes to cook off some of the tomato juices. 

Add about 1 cup chicken stock and about 1 cup heavy cream.  Reduce until it is sauce consistency.  Add the grated parmesan.  Season with salt and pepper.

When your noodles are ready, toss everything together.  You could top with more parmesan if desired.  I also think that this pasta would be good with chicken or maybe even shrimp.  It would be ideal with left-over tender roasted chicken that could be pulled off the bone (or a roasted chicken from the grocery if you're in a rush!).



Bon appetite!

Sweet Corn Soup

Dinner tonight was a simple sweet corn soup.  This is a great easy weeknight meal, particularly if you make your chicken stock over the weekend.  You could even pre-dice your onions and cut the corn of the cob on Sunday to cut down on the prep time.  If you are lucky enough to live in an area that still has sweet corn, we definitely recommend that you try this before fall sets in.  This recipe really showcases the sweet summery flavor of fresh corn, so start with corn on the cob as fresh and local as you can find.  There are few other ingredients, so the corn will shine through.



Ingredients:
- 5T butter, divided
- 2T olive oil
- 1 large or two small yellow onions, diced
- Kernels from 8 ears of corn
- 4 cups chicken stock (vegetable stock may be used)
- Day-old bread for crutons
- Salt and pepper

Cruton Recipe:
- To make the crutons, melt 2T butter.  Cut the bread into half-inch cubes and toss in the melted butter.
- Toast on a cookie sheet at 375 degrees until golden, about 10-15 minutes.

Soup Recipe:
- Melt the remaining 3T butter and 2T olive oil in a soup pot or dutch oven.
- Add the diced onions and reduce the heat to low.  Sweat the onions until translucent and very soft, about 10 minutes.
- Add 4 cups chicken stock and corn kernels, bring up to a boil, and then reduce to a simmer for about 5 minutes until hot throughout.
- Remove from heat and pure, either in a cuisinart or with an immersion blender.  I prefer to use a cuisinart for this as you will get a more even texture and consistency, but an immersion blender is fine too.

Serve with crutons and sour cream or creme fraiche if desired. 

My soup is slightly more green than yours may turn out.  This is because I used leeks in my most recent batch of chicken stock, and, while this makes a great tasting stock, it can take on a slightly disturbing greenish color.  More on stock making soon....

Bon appetite!