Noodle Bowl

So I was cruising through my pantry at lunch time today, trying to decide what to fix, when I spotted a package of Ramen Noodles hiding on the shelf towards the back of the cupboard. When in the hell did I buy Ramen Noodles? They must have been left there by my old roommate, Chuck, when he moved out. (Crazy bastard was always teasing me about how I preferred to cook things from scratch, rarely using "convenience" foods.) Anyway, I thought, "What the hell?" and decided to give the noodles a chance. Of course, being me, I couldn't let it go at just a simple bowl of plain noodles... I had to put some of my flair into the dish.

Ingredients:

1 package of Ramen Noodles (these were chicken flavored)

chicken breast, cooked and diced

assorted green vegs (I had a frozen blend of green beans, broccoli, broccoli rabe, snap peas, and cauliflower)

red pepper flakes

basil (fresh or dried, dealers choice)

Prepare the noodles according to package instructions. Toss in the chicken and vegs during the last 2 minutes to heat through. Finish with the red pepper flakes and basil. See? Even the perennial poor college student's favorite meal can be punched up a little if you take a few extra minutes.

Enjoy!

Burger Creativity For The Lazy

Last night I found myself craving a good old fashioned cheeseburger and fries, but I didn’t feel like going out again in search of one or the proper ingredients to make one. Now, I usually have some sort of ground meat in the freezer and I just happened to have some lean ground sirloin on hand this time. We all know that the leaner the beef, the drier the burger, so I decided to get a little creative with my very lean beef and add in some diced turkey bacon… a sort of bacon cheeseburger with the bacon built right in adding both flavor and moisture. Then I figured, since I’m putting the bacon directly into the meat, why not put the cheese in there as well? So there you have it, my latest version of a bacon cheeseburger. Only problem was, I didn’t have any regulation hamburger buns or my favorite toppings like lettuce or tomatoes. And I had to nix the fries because I didn’t have any sweet potatoes left. *sigh* This is where me being lazy really caused me to get creative with this burger masterpiece…


Ingredients:
1 lb. lean ground beef
3 pieces of turkey bacon, diced (I suppose real bacon would be fine… if you like that sort of greasy stuff)
1 oz. cheddar, diced (I also like to melt a slice on the finished burger)
garlic powder
onion powder
pepper
choice of delivery system (bun, bread, pita, wrap)
choice of toppings (I like ketchup and dill pickle chips)

In a mixing bowl, combine the beef, turkey bacon, and cheddar, mixing just to combine. Divide the mixture into 4 equal portions and form into patties, pressing your thumb in the center to form a shallow dip (like a Life Saver). Set aside to rest and allow to come to room temperature (room temperature beef cooks more evenly) while you preheat a grill pan over medium heat.

*Note: If you’re one of those people that like to grill in any kind of weather, I don’t need to tell you that just about any kind of meat tastes better when cooked over an open flame. My old roommate, Chuck, is the quintessential grill man, and before he moved out he fired up the grill at least 5 nights a week. Well, since he moved out, I can’t be bothered to grill outside so instead, I use one of those stove top grill pans. Not quite the same, but it works for me.

Sprinkle one side of the burgers with the garlic powder, onion powder, and pepper. I don’t use salt because the bacon is salty enough for me, but if you want the extra salt then go for it. Place the burgers, seasoned side down, on the grill pan. Season the other side and cook to desired doneness, flipping once. Ok, here’s where most people I know cringe: I like my beef cooked well done. A sacrilege some might say, but if I’m going to eat it, I want it damn near leather consistency. So for me, after I put the burgers on the grill pan, I cover them to help speed the cooking process as well as keep them from drying out, and cook them for about 4-5 minutes each side. Now, you may be asking why I bothered to press a thumb print into the center of the burger. Here’s why: As the burger is cooking, the juices inside get rockin’ and rollin’, creating steam inside the meat. This creates a bulge in the center of the patty so by creating a dip in the middle of the burger, when it starts to bulge it evens out with the rest of the burger. And you thought I was crazy.

Now here’s the other draw back to being lazy (give me a break… I put in 10 hours at work yesterday and I was tired!) and not going out to the store at the last minute: No hamburger buns. So, what to serve this burger on? In my case, I may not have had any of the traditional burger buns available (and when I do, my first choice would be a soft potato roll), but I did have some whole wheat wraps in the fridge. With a little creative folding, this makes a fantastic burger “bun”… maybe even better than the original because toppings don’t drip or fall off. Maybe I’ll start a new trend in burger construction? Anyway, I melted a slice of white cheddar on my burger and topped it with ketchup and dill pickle chips. While lettuce and tomato would have been my first choice (along with the ketchup and pickles), I was still happy with what I ended up with. They say necessity is the mother of all invention, and that was certainly the case with this burger creation.

(In case you were wondering, I served this burger with some mixed grilled vegs which included eggplant, potatoes, peppers, and zucchini as well as some broccoli topped with shredded parmesan cheese and red pepper flakes. If I hadn’t run out, I would have made baked sweet potato fries or chips… ‘cause what’s better with a burger than fries?)

Enjoy!

Broccoli With Breakfast

So today I had my morning free again since I'm scheduled to work the 2-close shift yet again. Because I accidentally went to bed rather early last night and dinner consisted of a piece of peanut butter toast with apple butter (that was just supposed to be my "after school" snack), I woke up absolutely starving this morning. I decided to go with one of my ever favorite breakfast foods... an omelet. Paired with a piece of cinnamon toast and coffee, this was fantastic if I do say so myself.

Ingredients:

2 eggs (or the equivalent of Garden Vegetable Egg Beaters like I usually use)

broccoli florets, steamed, diced (I always have broccoli in the freezer)

red bell pepper, roasted, diced (these were left over from some roasted veg I made the other night)

Canadian bacon, diced

goat cheese

salt and pepper to taste

I'm not going to go in to detail on how to prepare an omelet (it's easy and I've already described my technique in a previous post) so suffice it to say, whatever veggies you might have in the fridge or freezer make fantastic fodder for an omelet. As for the cinnamon toast, I simply spread some whole grain toast with Smart Balance then sprinkle on some cinnamon and Splenda. I used to love making cinnamon toast when I was a kid because it was so easy and one of the first things I can remember my grandmother letting me do by myself in the kitchen. To complement the toast, I put some ground cinnamon in the basket with the coffee before brewing so as to make my own flavored coffee. It smells fantastic as it brews and tastes even better!

Enjoy!

Pizza Sliders

Ok, so I don't really consider this a recipe... more like what to do with some soon to be stale rolls when you're hungry and feeling lazy. Many of my best or favorite creations are the result of just this kind of cooking: What do I have on hand and what can I make in less than 15 minutes (usually because I was too busy to eat something earlier and now I've got a hunger headache... like today). As much as I enjoy preparing something on a more grand or challenging scale, on a normally lazy Sunday that's been thrown off schedule, sometimes you just have to go with what's quick and easy. And everybody likes pizza, right?

Ingredients:

2 rolls (these were left over from a take-out Italian lunch at work yesterday)

turkey pepperoni

provolone cheese (the classic mozzarella would be great too, of course)

sun dried tomatoes

fresh basil

olive oil

garlic powder (if you wanted to use a more classic bruschetta technique, use a whole clove of garlic instead of the powdered stuff to rub on the toasted bread... I don't keep fresh garlic in the house anymore because it's one of my migraine triggers)

parmesan cheese (the kind that comes from the green can actually works better than fresh grated in this application)

Basically, I was looking for something quick to throw together for lunch today since I didn't have time to indulge in my classic Sunday breakfast/brunch fair and I was feeling more than a little peckish by the time I was able to fix something to eat. I had these 2 rolls leftover from lunch yesterday so I sliced them in half and brushed the insides with a little bit of olive oil and put them oiled side down in a skillet over medium heat to toast slightly. After just a minute or so, I pulled them off the heat and sprinkled them with the garlic powder and parmesan cheese before returning to them pan for another minute to allow the parmesan to form a crust on the bread. If you decide to use real pepperoni (the greasy stuff), then I would skip this step because the grease from the pepperoni will moisten the bread.

Remove from the heat and layer on the turkey pepperoni, provolone, sun dried tomatoes, and fresh basil leaves while the rolls are still hot. I actually put the formed sandwiches back into the pan (with the heat off) and covered them for a minute to allow the residual heat to melt the cheese. A great way to use up left over rolls and just as tasty as a real pizza, only faster.

Enjoy!

Something Different For Breakfast

Because I typically work the early shift, I rarely eat breakfast at home except on my days off. On my days off I like to do it up right and go all out on breakfast/brunch and that usually involves a hardy meal with some sort of egg dish as the focal point (i.e. omelets). However, on the rare days where I don't have to go in to work until the afternoon like today, I'm not really in the mood to go all out with this first meal of the day. Today, I opted for something a little lighter, but just as satisfying and tasty. And it only required a minimum of fuss using Elle's kitchen staples...

Ingredients:

sliced peaches (I actually like to use the frozen kind because they're always sweet tasting)

blueberries

Splenda (the amount depends on how sweet the fruit is... and honey would be great here too)

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

pinch of nutmeg

ricotta cheese

pinch of salt

In a small sauce pan over medium-low heat, cook the peaches, blueberries, Splenda, cinnamon, and nutmeg for 4-6 minutes. Although I would prefer to use fresh fruit, depending on the season, the frozen version is sometimes better and easier to use instead. In any case, I always have a variety of frozen fruits in the freezer because there are just so many applications for them. Anyway, I don't bother to defrost the fruit, just toss it in the pan still frozen, and as it heats up any excess moisture will just cook down into an almost syrupy sauce. Basically, I made a warm compote with a hint of spice in the background. In the meantime, I whipped some ricotta cheese with a pinch of Splenda and a pinch of salt, then mounded it in the middle of a bowl. Once the compote reached the desired consistency, I poured it around the ricotta and topped it with another sprinkle of cinnamon. Serve with a piece of peanut butter toast on the side, and you've got a complete breakfast in less than 10 minutes from start to finish.

Enjoy!

Red, White, And Blue Parfait

So this is my contribution to the Independence Day menu: I call it my Red, White, and Blue Parfait. To be sure, there are all kinds of variations of this recipe in every food magazine published in July. (If you're like me, than you've read them all too.) I like to think my version is a little special because I use ricotta cheese instead of the perennial favorite of Cool Whip (nothing against Cool Whip)… and hey, this is my blog so I can think whatever I want, right? I'll also do this with yogurt, but the ricotta stands up really wel to the berries and sauce created by mascerating them. So here goes:


Ingredients:

1/2 cup ricotta cheese (I use part-skim ricotta)
1 tsp. Splenda
½ tsp. vanilla extract
¼ tsp. sea salt
¼ cup dark cherries
¼ cup strawberries
¼ cup blueberries
1 Tbs. balsamic vinegar
nuts to garnish (I used peanuts, but any kind would be good here)

In a small bowl, combine the cherries and balsamic vinegar. Set aside to mascerate for 10-15 minutes.

In another small bowl, whip together the ricotta cheese, Splenda, vanilla, and salt. Now here’s the fun part: time to layer. On the bottom of a glass, pour in the cherries and balsamic vinegar. Spoon 1/3 of the ricotta mixture on top of the cherries. Next are the strawberries, followed by another 1/3 of the ricotta mixture. Tumble on the blueberries, top with the remaining ricotta mixture, and garnish with the nuts.

Enjoy!

Puff Pastry Pockets

Given that I’m not much of a baker, I must say that I've been slowly making my peace with puff pastry and phyllo dough, learning just how versatile they can be. Starting out slow, I’ve been experimenting with simple pockets, stuffing them with both savory and sweet fillings. I’m learning that they’re a great way to use up leftovers in the fridge or pull together a few pantry basics. Here’s an example of each… my favorites so far:


Ingredients:

1 sheet of puff pastry, defrosted (I buy the frozen kind that comes 2 sheets to a box)
chicken breast, cooked and shredded (those handy dandy prepackage chicken strips are great as well if you don’t have leftover chicken already in the fridge)
fresh spinach (or the good old standby of frozen chopped spinach that’s been thawed and drained)
1 Tbs. olive oil
1 small shallot, diced finely
3-4 dried figs, diced (or you can substitute 2 tsp. of fig preserves if you have it)
1 Tbs. balsamic vinegar (omit if you’re using fig preserves)
1 oz. fontina cheese, diced or shredded (provolone is really good here as well)
pinch of nutmeg
salt and pepper to taste
1 egg + a splash of water, beaten (this is an egg wash in case you didn’t know)

*For the sweet version, all you need is 2 squares of dark chocolate (I always have Ghiradelli dark chocolate squares in the house) and 3-4 dried apricots, diced.
Before starting on the filling, I take one sheet of the puff pastry out of the freezer and loosely wrap it in plastic wrap before sticking it in the fridge to defrost for at least 30-45 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees, and prepare a baking sheet by lining it with foil or parchment paper for easy clean up.

If you’re using fig preserves, go ahead and skip to the next step. If not, what you want to do first is to combine the diced figs and balsamic vinegar in a small microwave safe bowl and heat on high for 45 seconds. Set aside and allow the figs to plump up in the vinegar while cooling.

In the meantime, in a small sauté pan over medium-low heat, cook the shallot in olive oil for 2-3 minutes, until softened. Add in the spinach, nutmeg, salt, and pepper, and cook for another 2-3 minutes until wilted. Remove from the heat and cool slightly.

Now, once you remove the puff pastry from the fridge, you need to work fairly quickly to prevent it from drying out and cracking so I like to make sure I have everything set up and ready to roll. I know this sounds like a lot of steps for something that I said was easy, and really, it is… I promise. So here’s what you need to do next: Lightly flour your work surface (I just use the bare counter since I don’t have a board big enough to work on) and lightly pat out the dough into a rough square. I suppose you could use a rolling pin, but hello?!, remember me?, the non-baker? Anyway, once the dough is to the desired shape, I use a pizza wheel to evenly cut it into 4 squares. Keeping in mind that each square will be folded diagonally to form a triangle, put a small amount of the drained figs and shredded chicken in the center of 2 of the squares, followed by the spinach mixture, and a sprinkle of fontina cheese. Make sure to leave a ¼ inch border and go easy on the total amount of filling so it doesn’t explode out of the pastry. Brush 2 of the 4 edges with the egg wash and then gently fold the dough in half, over the filling, to form a triangle. The dough should be pliable enough to kind of squish the filling into one evenly distributed layer. Crimp the sealed edges with your fingers or the tines of a fork to ensure it sticks together.

On the remaining 2 squares of dough, break up 1 square of the chocolate (I have to resist the urge to be decadent and use 2 squares of chocolate per pastry instead of just 1) on each and sprinkle with the diced apricots. Again, brush 2 sides with the egg wash and fold in half, diagonally, to form 2 more triangles.

Transfer all 4 puff pastry pockets to the prepared baking sheet, brush the tops with egg wash, and sprinkle a pinch of coarse sea salt on each one. To differentiate the 2 savory pockets from the sweet, you may also want to sprinkle on some black pepper or dried basil. A sprinkle of cinnamon on the sweet pockets would be pretty tasty as well. Bake for 12-14 minutes, until the pastry has puffed up and is golden brown and delicious. These are excellent straight from the oven and I’ve discovered that they are just as good when reheated in the toaster oven at work the next day.

Enjoy!

Breakfast, Snack, Or Dessert?

I like to keep several items in my fridge and pantry that can be pulled out at a moment’s notice and used in a multitude of ways. I’m especially intrigued by ingredients that have both savory and sweet applications, like ricotta cheese and plain yogurt. On any given day, you can usually find at least one of these in my fridge (if not both) and this morning, I decided to whip up one of my favorite treats using the ricotta cheese. There are so many variations on this particular recipe, so let me tell you about today’s version:


Ingredients:

½ cup of ricotta cheese (I use the part-skim kind)
1 tsp. honey (any kind of sweetener is good here… it’s really just to individual taste)
¼ tsp. salt (that’s right… you need that hint of saltiness to balance out the sweetness)
½ tsp. vanilla extract (a real vanilla bean would be even better if you’ve got it)
sliced peaches
blueberries

This couldn’t be any easier to prepare: Whip together the ricotta, honey, salt, and vanilla until well combined and creamy then top with the peaches and blueberries. See? Easier than pie and just as tasty.

Enjoy!