Tortellini, Hold The Tomato Sauce

So I've never been a big fan of pasta. Sure, as a kid (and rather poor college student) I ate the quintessential mac and cheese from a box or the ever popular spaghetti with meat sauce, but as an adult and cooking for myself, I rarely fix pasta dishes. Nothing against them... they just don't trip my trigger as a rule. So saying, every once in a while, I'll be in the grocery store and something in the fresh pasta section will catch my eye. Tonight, that was a very lovely 3 cheese, whole grain tortellini... and yes, it really was whole grain... even if you were blind and couldn't see the difference (visually) in color and texture, all you had to do was read the ingredient list/nutrition label. So I bought them to fix for dinner tonight and that brings to me to my other issue with pasta: What, if anything, do you make for a sauce? Maybe this is the core issue of me and pasta never developing that All American love affair the rest of the country seems to have with all things Italian, but I'm not that fond of tomato sauce. I love tomatoes, I love tomato soup. I just don't want tomatoes in sauce form anywhere near my pizza (don't even get me started!) or on the rare bowl of pasta I might eat. So. How to serve my fresh tortellini? Well, this is what I ended up doing:

Ingredients:

fresh tortellini (of course, any pasta will do here)

olive oil (extra virgin really is best here)

ricotta cheese (I usually have a carton of the part-skim kind in the fridge... really, it's very versatile!)

spinach

sun dried tomatoes

fresh basil, torn

salt and pepper to taste

Easy enough, cook the pasta according to package instructions (fresh is always a faster cook time as opposed to dry). Meanwhile, in a serving bowl, combine 1-2 Tbs. of ricotta cheese, 1 tsp. of olive oil, salt, and pepper. I like to dip out the pasta with a slotted spoon instead of draining it altogether in a colander because (1) fewer dishes to clean, and (2) you get some of the salty/starchy cooking water mixed in with the ricotta which helps to loosen it up as well as help it to stick to the pasta and create a sauce. Finish with the spinach (it'll wilt once it hits the hot pasta), sun dried tomatoes and fresh basil. If you happen to have a lemon just lying around, go ahead and zest a little bit on top of the pasta and maybe a pinch of red pepper flakes... or not. It's up to you... like I said, this was just my once in a blue moon version of a pasta dinner.

Enjoy!

Sunday Afternoon Breakfast

That's right. I said Sunday afternoon breakfast. Breakfast is traditionally the first meal of the day (you know, to break one's fast) and since we all know I'm not a morning person, that usually means well after noon on my days off. Today was definitely no exception after the, um, late night I had last night. I got up around 7:30am just long enough to feed the boys and let Sea outside, then we all went back to bed until just after noon. God I love Sundays! So, allow me to present today's offering of an epicurean adventure, Sweet Potato Hash, best served (in my opinion) with iced coffee:

Ingredients:

1 medium sweet potato, diced into 1/2 inch cubes (and no, I don't peel my potatoes because, hello? a good number of nutrients are in the skin and besides that, I like the added texture and taste and I might just be a little lazy when it comes to peeling potatoes)

3-4 slices of turkey bacon, diced

leftover sauted veg (remember this stuff from earlier in the week? it included shallots, red bell pepper, zucchini, carrots, and celery)

3-4 chicken breast strips, diced (man, those pre-packaged chicken strips are so versatile and convenient!)

1/2 tsp. sea salt

1/2 tsp. dried basil

1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes

2 Tbs. olive oil

goat cheese (I'm pretty sure blue cheese would be good here too... if you like pungent moldy cheese)

3-4 fresh basil leaves, torn

fresh cracked black pepper, to taste

So this is another easy to prepare dish but packs a real flavor punch. In a large skillet over medium heat, combine the sweet potatoes, salt, dried basil, and red pepper flakes in olive oil and cook, covered, for 7-8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Don't be tempted to jack the heat up any higher than medium because the higher sugar content/lower starch of the sweet potato will burn before cooking all the way through. Once the potatoes are just shy of fork tender, toss in the turkey bacon and leftover veg and continue to cook, uncovered, for another 4-5 minutes or until the bacon starts to crisp and the potatoes turn golden brown and delicious. Add in the diced chicken to reheat in the last minute or so. To serve, remove from the heat and top with the crumbled goat cheese (it's creamy tanginess is fantastic against the salty bite of the turkey bacon), scatter with the torn fresh basil leaves, and crank on some fresh coarse ground black pepper.

Enjoy!

Quick Fix Workday Breakfast

Most workdays, I'm up way before the butt crack of dawn so I can get to work by 6:30am. As such, I'm definitely not interested in trying to fix something to eat before I leave the house because quite frankly, I'm not awake enough to even contemplate it let alone actually prepare something. To get around this situation, I usually make something the night before that's relatively easy to take with me to work. However, on Saturdays, I don't have to be to work until 9:00am so I'm usually mostly coherent and cognizant of my surroundings so I'm able to fix something to eat before I leave the house. Notice I said mostly... give me a break. I've never been a morning person and I never will be. Anyway, today I had what I like to call an "Inside-Out Omelet"... aka loaded scrambled eggs where anything goes. Here's today's version:

Ingredients:

eggs

chicken breast, diced or shredded

diced sauteed veg (shallot, red bell pepper, zucchini, carrot, celery)

spinach

goat cheese

I know, weird combination of ingredients. But I had the sauteed veg leftover from when I made my mini-meatloaf earlier in the week (made for a very moist turkey meatloaf!) and I always have spinach on hand. As for the chicken, if I don't have left over stuff in the fridge, well I always have a package of the pre-cooked chicken strips which are great to toss in salads. Anyway, you can change this up a million different ways... this is just what I had handy this morning.

So in a small saute pan over medium heat, toss all the veggies and chicken in to reheat for 2-3 minutes. Pour the beaten eggs (I used my Garden Vegetable Egg Beaters again, about the equivalent of 2 eggs) over the mixture and continue to cook until eggs are set, another 2-3 minutes. To serve, remove from heat and stir in your favorite cheese. Most importantly, don't forget to share the last few bites with the dog. :)

Enjoy!

My Happy Place *Sigh*

This is where the majority of my Epicurean Adventures come to fruition: My kitchen may be small and it may not have all the latest gadgets or the finest cookware, but it's all mine. For me, I'm happiest when I can dance over and around the dog sprawled in the middle of my culinary stage while I sing (rather well, thank you very much) along with the music blasting from my iPod. Oddly enough, the food isn't always the star of the show for me... sometimes it's more the making of it that takes center stage.

Take tonight for instance. I've been sitting in my bedroom all afternoon where it's nice and cool due to the AC humming in the window. I'd been reading, as usual, and didn't realize what time it was until I realized that my stomach was trying to claw it's way out of my body in search of food.

(Side note: Historically a stress eater, for some reason my appetite has all but disappeared the last few days... ever since I dove head first into the pool of stupidity without checking the depth of the water. Apparently, all that swimming back to shore has finally worked up an appetite and I was absolutely ravenous by the time I finished the book I was reading. Plus there was that whole hunger headache and the shaking hands thing to contend with... but whatever. I was hungry and realized it was well past my normal dinner time.)

Anyway, as hungry as I was, I really didn't feel like going for the quick fix of nuking some leftovers or pulling one of my emergency (translation: didn't have time to fix anything so I just grabbed something from the freezer) spinach or veggie pockets. The prospect of getting into the kitchen and creating was far more appealing than simply cooking something. Tonight, that meant grabbing my favorite 7 inch Santuko knife out of the block and slicing a sweet potato into matchstick french fries and tossing them with olive oil, coarse sea salt, and rosemary before putting them into a 425 degree oven to roast. (I did end up serving them with some leftover Parmesan crusted roasted broccoli and chicken salad... what can I say, I didn't want just fries for dinner. And stay tuned for that particular recipe another day 'cause it sure is divine!) So after the 17th time I had to step over Seamus, it occurred to me that I really wouldn't have it any other way because, in my opinion, a well equipped kitchen isn't complete without a golden retriever laying on the floor in the middle of everything so as not to miss a single second of the comings and goings between fridge, counter, and stove. Good things happen in kitchens, you see, and why would anyone want to miss out on the potential to reap those tasty benefits?

So for me, even a swelteringly hot kitchen (hello? no central AC!) where I'm constantly stepping over the dog as I cross back and forth dans la cuisine plus petite, is truly one of my happy places.

A Comfort Food Classic

Ever have a day where, at the end of it, you just crave comfort food... something to restore that warm and fuzzy feeling? Well, today was one of those days for me, and as muzzy headed as I was after the dust had settled on this less than stellar day, I wasn't really up to preparing a full meal. (The way this day has been going, I'd probably set the kitchen on fire or sever a finger.) Instead, I decided to go with the quintessential rainy (emotional, if not meteorological) day classic: a grilled cheese sandwich. But just because you're having a crappy day, that doesn't mean comfort food can't be elevated to a more, shall we say, sophisticated level without compromising the integrity of the kitsch factor, or, on the other hand, losing sight of the fact that we're ultimately talking about something as simple as melted cheese on bread. So here we go with tonight's version of comfort on a plate.

Ingredients:

2 slices of whole grain bread (the hearty, nutty flavor is the perfect foil for gooey cheese and holds up well without getting soggy)

1-2 slices of provolone cheese (fontina would be fantastic here as well)

1-2 slices of fresh mozzarella (the ultimate melting cheese)

2 slices of Canadian bacon (I also like turkey bacon but really didn't want to cook any tonight in the name of keeping things as stream-lined as possible... or you can leave off the meat, I just wanted the extra protein)

1-2 slices of tomato (equally as good to serve on the side)

Dijon mustard (basil pesto is really good if you're not a mustard fan)

Keep the preparation quick and easy. Spread a thin layer of Dijon mustard on only one slice of the bread, otherwise it can easily overpower the sandwich. Next layer is a slice of cheese, dealer's choice on which to lay down first. Then comes the Canadian bacon, followed by the tomato slices, and topped off with the rest of the cheese. In a pan over medium-low heat, melt some Smart Balance and gently place the sandwich into it. Flip after 2 minutes, or until desired level of golden brown goodness is achieved. Don't forget to spread a small amount of Smart Balance on the other piece of bread so that when you flip the sandwich, the second side isn't hitting a dry pan. Cook for another 1-2 minutes until golden brown and delicious on both sides. Remove to a plate and let it sit for at least 30 seconds before diving in, otherwise you will burn your mouth from all the hot gooey cheese and the rest of the filling will just fall out onto the plate. You think your day was bad before? Try burning your mouth and having your comfort food fall apart... that'll really make your day!

Enjoy!

The Forgotten Art Of Packing A Lunch

A highly under-utilized and understated talent to be sure, the ability to pack a lunch can turn the Everyman into something extraordinary in the eyes of his contemporaries.

I almost always pack my meals because, quite frankly, I'd rather eat something I've prepared myself than to order greasy take out with the rest of the non-culinary minded kids I work with. For this very reason, I'm envied by a good number of my co-workers during lunch breaks because I'm not at the mercy of a slow delivery driver that eats into my break time when the food isn't delivered in 30 minutes or less to coincide with my assigned meal time. Or better yet, I never have to wonder if my sandwich is made correctly or if the bread will be soggy by the time it reaches me. A little planning and well-timed execution, and I have a beautiful, envy-worthy lunch waiting on me, not the other way around.

Take, for example, my food from today: I know that I work a double on Tuesdays, so I make sure to plan my meals accordingly. Today, I strategically packed a leftover stuffed chicken breast with some mixed grilled veggies. Both tasty and pleasing to the eye. To go along with this, I had a gorgeous bunch of red grapes. Complete, nutritious, and yummy... what more could a girl ask for? I also made sure to have something quick and easy in case I was rushed for either lunch or dinner: a Kashi veggie pocket, an ounce of cheese, an apple, and a small container of peanuts with dark chocolate covered dried plums. And I do this nearly every single day because I like to plan ahead and think about what I'll eat the next day; it makes the meal that much more appealing and tasty in my opinion. I may not have the time or inclination to get into the kitchen every day (like Tuesdays when I work 16 hours... I have no desire to get cookin' when I get home after that shift), but when I do, I make the most of my time and plan ahead so that packing a lunch, or dinner as it were, is quick and effortless with the maximum effect.

Deluxe Day-Off Brunch

A couple of years ago I had an epiphany when it came to food and how it relates to me. Translation: I was fast approaching my 30th birthday and was tired of the way I looked and felt. I've always enjoyed cooking; my grandmother had me in the kitchen helping her from a very young age and I grew up in one of those homes where the mother was a stay at home mom and had dinner on the table for the family every night. Good ol' American classics of meatloaf, mashed potatoes, spaghetti, and anything fried were staples in our household so that's what I grew up on. Not alot of fresh veggies or salads, and fruits were usually only seen when packed in a lunchbox for school. Once I was out on my own and had a kitchen of my own, I was able to start exploring what food could really be like. Unfortunately, I let my culinary exploration slack off in the name of convenience and lost focus for several years. As for that epiphany, I won't bore you with the details, but it got me eating so much healthier than I was and trying out new flavors and techniques when it came to my own culinary exploits. And, one of the most important lessons I learned (and I can't believe it took me nearly 30 years to admit it) is this: Breakfast really is the most important meal of the day. Who'd have thought all those nutritionists were right?

So one of my favorite things to do on my days off is prepare a nice big breakfast/brunch, even if it's just for myself (although I must say that I've had friends over for brunch and garnered rave reviews!). After a meal like this, I'm good to go with just a snack later in the afternoon and then a light dinner. So here is today's version of my deluxe day-off brunch...

Ingredients:

2 egg omelet (I find that this makes just enough so that there's a few bites of egg left to feed to Seamus)

turkey sausage links (turkey bacon is good too... or you can splurge and use real pork products)

whole grain toast (I like to spread mine with Smart Balance or strawberry preserves if I've got a jar in the fridge)

mixed berries (any fruit is good, but berries have the added bonus of all those anti-oxidants)

coffee (please... what meal isn't complete without at least one cup of coffee?)

I won't go into the specifics of how to prepare each item on the menu because, frankly, anybody can make a halfway decent omelet if they have the right pan. What I will tell you, is that my omelet was made with Garden Vegetable Egg Beaters (equivalent of 2 eggs) and I use Smart Balance spread to cook it in. I like my omelets cooked to a firmer consistency than most restaurants cook eggs to, so I like to pour the beaten eggs into the pan over medium-low heat and let them set almost completely (the center is still a little loose) before I flip the entire thing like a pancake. Today's filling was spinach, sun dried tomatoes, goat cheese, fresh basil, salt, and pepper, and I place everything on one half of the eggs before folding over the other half of the eggs to form, in my opinion, the perfect omelet.

Along with this glorious ode to egg substitute, I had some left over turkey sausage links that I made yesterday so I tossed those in the pan for a few minutes to reheat just as I folded the omelet. In the mean time, my favorite chocolate scented coffee was brewing and the whole grain bread (yes, I read my labels and I know that it's the real thing) was toasting. (Times like these, I really wish I was able to bake bread like my dad could... there's nothing better than freshly baked bread!) To round out the meal, I tossed some of my favorite berries (strawberries, blueberries, and dark cherries) into a bowl and sprinkled on a packet of Splenda (to help them macerate and get extra juicy) and finished it with a splash of vanilla extract. This is equally as good served with lemon or vanilla yogurt, but alas, I have no plain yogurt in the fridge right now, just some Activia Light singles.

Sorry, I just had to wipe the drool off my chin. :)

Since I've started eating breakfast every day, I've learned that I'm more of a hearty breakfast type instead of the simple cereal type. I actually function better with a protein laden breakfast rather than one filled with carbs like pancakes or oatmeal. Go figure.

Enjoy!

Greek Inspired Stuffed Chicken Breasts

This is my version of stuffed chicken breasts using a Greek inspired palate. Sort of. If I liked olives I probably would have thrown some of those in there too. And maybe some oregano instead of the basil. Ooohh... I bet thyme would be fantastic in this too. Oh well, my philosophy on cooking is to do what you like and cook to please yourself with the creation. So give this a try or not... but it's pretty damn tasty if I do say so myself! Just keep in mind that I don't actually measure things when I cook so these are really just guestimations on my part.

Ingredients:

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (make sure to trim all the icky bits of yellow fat off)
2 Tbs. olive oil (extra virgin is good but not crucial)
1 medium shallot, diced finely (you could probably throw in a clove of garlic if you wanted to but I prefer to avoid the potential for a migraine)
¼ cup golden raisins
5 oz. frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained of excess moisture (this happens to be half a 10 oz box, you could use fresh spinach here, just remember it cooks way down so you'll need alot more than you think)
1 Tbs. apple cider vinegar (I'm sure red wine vinegar or balsamic vinegar would be tasty too, I was just trying to play up the raisins)
¼ - ½ cup feta cheese, crumbled (I like it a little heavier on the feta so I used 1/2 cup)
6 - 8 fresh basil leaves, torn (or ½ tsp. dried basil) (my Aerogarden is exploding with basil right now so I put it in practically everything!)
¼ tsp. nutmeg (it really is the perfect compliment to dark leafy greens like spinach)
pinch of red pepper flakes (I like a little heat in most of my dishes, but you can leave this out if you want)
salt and pepper to taste (more so the pepper... feta is salty enough for me)
pan gravy recipe to follow (if desired)*

As all good recipes start, preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Yes, I'm sure you could make this on the stove top and and brown the chicken until it's golden and delicious on both sides, but I felt like being lazy and just turning on the oven instead. I was in the middle of reading a pretty good book and didn't want to have to babysit the chicken on the stove so by putting it in the oven, I was able to get back to my book faster. :)

Now, as I was saying, in a small pan over medium-low heat, sauté the shallot, raisins, and spinach in the olive oil until softened, about 4-5 minutes (I gave the shallots a head start of about 2 minutes before throwing the rest in). Stir in the apple cider vinegar but don't stand right over the pan or else you'll get a steaming vinegar facial as soon as it hits the heat and that shit can sting your eyes if you're not careful! Continue cooking until the liquid has been absorbed, another 1-2 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the feta, basil, nutmeg, and red pepper flakes. Seriously, you want to wait until you pull this off the heat before adding fresh basil otherwise the leaves will turn black and just look gross. Set aside to cool slightly while you prepare the chicken breasts.

Here's the fun part: You can either cheat and buy the chicken with a pocket already cut into it (and you'll spend an arm and a leg for the privilege) or you can do it yourself. Me, I always cut the pocket myself so I can change it up depending on what I'm going to stuff the bird with. For this particular recipe, because it's a pretty hardy stuffing and not very oozy, I make a fairly wide slit instead of a narrow one and then having to dig out the pocket with my finger. In this instance, I lay the breast on a cutting board and lay my left hand flat on top of the meat. Using my 4 inch utility knife, I keep the blade parallel to my left hand and slice through the mid line of the breast, leaving a 1/4 inch border to create the pocket. Even as clumsy as I can be, I've yet to cut myself using this technique so clearly if I can do it, any idiot can.

Moving on, stuff the chicken breasts with the yummy spinach mixture (you know you've already tasted it... just don't forget about cross contamination and use a clean spoon when you get to this step) and place in a prepared baking dish. Hopefully you thought ahead and got a baking dish out and sprayed it with some non-stick cooking spray. If you didn't, well then, you were probably stupid enough to slice a finger off at some earlier point in this recipe so it's really a moot point, isn't it? Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper to taste (keep in mind that the feta is pretty salty on its own), and maybe a little dried basil. (Here's my super secret element to this recipe: I pour a little less than 1 cup of chicken or vegetable stock into the baking dish as well as another splash of apple cider vinegar. It helps keep the chicken nice and moist as it bakes and if you leave it in the oven a little longer than expected, perhaps because you think timers are for sissies, it helps to prevent it from drying out.) Bake at 400 degrees for 25-45 minutes or until done, depending on the thickness of the chicken breasts. I cooked mine for almost 45 minutes because I kind of lost track of time while reading. Shocking, I know. Fortunately, the chicken was a thicker cut and, in any case, I happen to like my meat well done. (I think my dad just rolled over in his grave at the mention of cooking meat well done... Happy Father's Day Daddy!)

*So here's that quick pan gravy I mentioned earlier: In the same pan used to sauté the spinach mixture, combine 2 tsp. of butter and 2 tsp. of flour to create a roux. Cook over low heat for 2-3 minutes (nobody likes the taste of raw flour!) then gradually whisk in 1 cup of chicken or vegetable stock and 1-2 Tbs. of apple cider vinegar. Raise heat to medium-high and cook, stirring frequently, until thickened to desired consistency. Finish with cracked black pepper to taste. So ok, I didn't actually make this tonight, but as I was eating my dinner, I was thinking about it and it sure sounds good, doesn't it? Maybe next time I make this dish, I'll whip up the sauce to pour over the chicken.

Enjoy!