Barley Chili

So when the Universe tells you to make something, you just have to go with it.

I watched an episode of Rachael Ray's Week in a Day last weekend and she made this stew that was sort of like a cross between Mexican tortilla soup and a beef and barley soup. I was intrigued, and started thinking about how I could make something similar, but maybe something a little heartier. Well, later that day I grabbed the barley from my pantry and guess what I noticed on the box? A recipe for chili featuring barley.

Bingo!

What I ended up doing was using a scaled down version of my basic chili recipe (here) and bumped up the amount of liquid in the pot so the barley could cook right in the chili mix, soaking up all that flavor.

Barley Chili

Ingredients:
1 Tbs. olive oil
1 small onion, diced
1 Tbs. chili powder
1 Tbs. cumin powder
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. paprika (sweet or smoked)
1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
pinch of cinnamon
pinch of oregano
salt & pepper, to taste
2 (14.5 ounce) cans of diced tomatoes with green chilies  *the recipe on the box of barley called for a jar of your favorite salsa instead of canned tomaotes
1 (14.5 ounce) can of black beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup pearled barley
4 cups liquid of choice (chicken stock, beef stock, veggie stock, or water)  *you can use more if you'd prefer a soupier consistency
1 cup of corn (I pulled some straight from the freezer)
1 cup of previously cooked chicken breast, diced (I had this leftover in the fridge and thought what the hell, in it goes!)

Directions:
In a large heavy-bottomed pot, saute the onion and all spices in the olive oil over medium heat until slightly softened, about 3-5 minutes. Toss in the rest of the ingredients (except for the corn), bump up the heat to high to bring to a boil before reducing the heat once more. Simmer, partially covered, on medium-low for 35-45 minutes, until the barley has absorbed most of the liquid. Add in the corn (and chicken, if using) and simmer for another 10-15 minutes until it reaches your desired consistency. Top with sour cream, shredded cheddar, or eat it straight up... whatever floats your boat.

Enjoy!

Turkey Bolognese

This is my version of a classic ragu alla bolognese which is basically just a meat sauce served over pasta. In this case, the sauce is the star of the dish and because it's so thick and rich, I tossed it with just enough pasta to round it out and make it a meal in and of itself. And, while the list of ingredients is fairly long, it's a basic chop-and-drop-then-simmer method of cooking.

Turkey Bolognese

Ingredients:
1 Tbs. olive oil
1 sweet onion, diced
2 carrots, peeled and diced
1 rib of celery, diced
1 lb. of ground turkey (really, you can use any meat or combination of meats here, though beef is classic)
2 tsps. garlic powder (as always, feel free to use fresh if you'd prefer)
1 Tbs. dried parsley
1 Tbs. dried basil
1 tsp. dried thyme
1 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. lemon pepper
1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
salt & pepper to taste
1 large zucchini, diced
2 (14-ounce) cans of diced tomatoes
1 Tbs. tomato paste
1/2 tsp. sugar (yes, I said sugar- it balances out the acidity of the tomatoes)
1 cup of liquid (water, stock, wine- dealer's choice here)
1/4 cup fat-free half & half (yes, cream is the classic, but this is the only dairy I keep in my fridge and soy milk just doesn't cut it here)
1/2 lb. short-cut pasta, cooked to al dente (I used whole wheat shells but penne or rigatoni is great here)
grated Parmesan, fresh basil, extra virgin olive oil to finish

Directions:
In a large heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat, saute the onion, carrots, and celery in olive oil until slightly softened, about 3-5 minutes. Add in the ground turkey and all spices, continuing to cook over medium heat until the turkey is browned, another 7-9 minutes. Stir in the zucchini, tomatoes, tomato paste, and liquid of choice. Drop the heat to low, cover the pot, and simmer for at least 15-20 minutes. (The beauty of this dish is that the longer you cook it, the better it gets; just keep it over low heat and add more liquid for longer cooking times.) Stir in the half & half, letting it heat through before tossing in the cooked pasta. Finish with Parmesan, fresh basil, and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.

Enjoy!

Summer Veggie Mac & Cheese

If you're American, chances are pretty damn good that you grew up eating mac & cheese. Whether it came from the box (my personal favorite when I was a kid and even well into college and beyond) or it was homemade on the stove top, or baked in the oven, everyone I know loves mac & cheese.

Once I started making it from scratch, I learned just how easy it is to tweak the "recipe" to suit whatever mood you're in and with all the different shapes/sizes of pasta as well as the number of great melting cheeses available... well, the possibilities are practically limitless!

So, after lots of experimentation, I've learned that I prefer a baked mac & cheese with a crunchy topping as opposed to the creamy/soft stove top variety. And, rather than the traditional elbow macaroni- which is perfectly good- I prefer to use medium shells... all the better to trap the cheesy goodness in each bite. This particular variety also includes my favorite summer veggies: squash, zucchini, and tomatoes. Like most of the dishes I make, it can be scaled up or down to make as much or as little as you want; that's why there are no measurements listed.

Summer Veggie Mac & Cheese

Ingredients:
olive oil or butter, dealer's choice
onion, finely diced
squash, diced
zucchini, diced
(mushrooms, sliced, would be really good here too... if you like 'em, which I don't)
dried herbs of choice *optional (I used basil, parsley, and a pinch of nutmeg)
salt & pepper to taste
AP flour
liquid of choice (I used equal parts veggie stock and soy milk, but the traditional would be all milk)
cheese(s) of choice, shredded (I used equal parts sharp cheddar, guyere, and colby jack)
pasta of choice, cooked shy of al dente (I used whole wheat shells)
ripe tomato, sliced
panko bread crumbs
Parmesan cheese
extra virgin olive oil

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and prepare a baking dish by spraying it with non-stick cooking spray.

In a large pot of heavily salted water, boil the pasta a few minutes shy of al dente.

Meanwhile, in a saute pan over medium-low heat, cook the vegs and dried herbs in your fat of choice until slightly softened, about 2-3 minutes. Sprinkle on an equal amount of flour as fat (to make a roux) and cook for a minute before adding your liquid(s) of choice. Raise the heat to medium-high and stir until the sauce has thickened slightly but still pretty loose. (Yes, I know that was pretty ambiguous. You need to keep in mind that the pasta will continue to cook and absorb liquid as it bakes in the oven so the cheese sauce needs to be almost liquidy before it goes in the oven.) Drop the heat to low and add your cheese(s) of choice a little bit at a time, stirring between each addition until all of the cheese has melted into the sauce. Toss the par-cooked pasta in the cheese sauce before pouring everything into the prepared casserole dish. Cover the pasta with the sliced tomatoes before sprinkling on the bread crumbs and Parmesan. Drizzle lightly with the extra virgin olive oil and bake at 350 degrees until the pasta is cooked through, the cheese sauce has thickened considerably, and the top of the casserole is golden brown and delicious, about 30 minutes or so. Allow to cool slightly before diving in.

Enjoy!

Summer Squash Sauté

Every time I make this dish, I think about the summer of '97 leading into my senior year of college. My best friends and I had sublet a house off campus for the first time and it was all I could do to afford my part of the rent. Fortunately for me, there was a small farm stand within walking distance so I didn't starve that summer; instead, I ate a whole lot of inexpensive produce and pasta. This combination, by far, was my favorite and my definite go-to since there was ALWAYS squash, zucchini, and tomatoes available. You'd think after eating so much of this stuff I'd be sick of it, but honestly, it's just so damn good I don't think I'll EVER be tired of it. Plus, it's easy enough to switch things up a bit by adding different spices and herbs and you can make it in any quantity. This weekend, I made a large pan of it to serve with grilled chicken, so today I tossed the leftovers with pasta for a quick dinner to pack for work.

Summer Squash Sauté

Ingredients:

olive oil

sweet onion, diced (my preference here is a vidalia onion)

yellow squash, sliced

zucchini, sliced

tomatoes, diced (fresh is best when they're in peak season, but canned are just as good)

dried herbs: basil, parsley, oregano, thyme (whatever you've got in your spice cabinet)

pinch of sugar (balances out the acidity of the tomatoes)

pinch of red pepper flakes (optional)

salt & pepper to taste

Directions:

Saute the onion in olive oil for 1-2 minutes before tossing in the remaining ingredients. Cook over medium-low heat until the vegs are softened but haven't lost their color, about 5-7 minutes. Serve as a stand alone dish, a side dish, or toss with cooked pasta.

Enjoy!

Ve(getari)an Moroccan Inspired Couscous

For years, I always bought the couscous that came in a box with a little flavor packet. Yes, it was convenient with it's just-add-water-let-stand-5-minutes cooking instructions, but I quickly learned that making your own couscous dishes from scratch is just as easy. You have the added bonus of being able to play with the flavorings you use... for me, that's a no-brainer. AND, there's many different varieties of couscous available on the market, so I like to play with the different types and use them in different applications. I find that I prefer the heartier texture of Israeli couscous so it's kind of become my go-to variety, but I recently found this brown rice couscous which is marketed as a great gluten-free alternative. Now, I have no issues with gluten in my diet, but I'm always willing to try different products, and this one is a winner.

Ve(getari)an Moroccan Inspired Couscous

Ingredients:
1 tsp. olive oil
1 shallot, minced
1 bay leaf
1/2 - 1 tsp. curry powder (depends on your taste)
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
pinch of cinnamon
1 1/4 cups vegetable stock
1/2 cup couscous (I used 1/4 cup each of Israeli couscous + brown rice couscous just because that's what I had on hand)
3 or 4 dried apricots, diced
3 or 4 dried figs, diced
1/4 shelled pistachios, roughly chopped

Directions:
Over medium heat, saute the shallot and all spices in olive oil until the spices become really fragrant and the shallot is slightly softened, about 2 minutes. Add the veggie stock and bring to a boil before adding the couscous. Cover the pot and reduce heat to low, simmering the couscous until the liquid has been absorbed, about 10 minutes (cooking times will vary depending on the type of couscous you use). Remove from the heat and toss in the dried fruits and pistachios, cover the pot once more and let stand for another 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork before serving.

Enjoy!

Ve(getari)an Lemon-Basil Orzotto

After seeing this recipe pop up on my blog roll yesterday, I just knew I had to make it... with a few little tweaks.

I'm definitely no stranger to making risotto the traditional way and here's what I've learned: It's not so much about the ingredients as it is about the technique. Once you understand that, you can have fun playing around with the ingredients and change things up from the standard arborio rice (which, truth be told, I'm not a huge fan of rice if another option is available) that the Italian's use. Essentially, you start by toasting your grain of choice in a little bit of olive oil or butter, add in a splash of white wine (or not), stir it until the liquid has absorbed, and then add your liquid of choice in small doses, stirring occasionally while the liquid absorbs and starches are released from your grain of choice thereby creating a rich, creamy dish without a drop of cream. I've used this technique with the standard rice, but also with orzo, barley, and spelt, each time with the same rich results.

Ve(getari)an Lemon-Basil Orzotto

that brand of veg stock gives a deep color to the dish

Ingredients:
1 Tbs. olive oil
1 cup orzo (that's the little pasta that looks like rice)
1 shallot, diced
3 Tbs. lemon juice (that's about how much I got from 1 lemon)
2 cups of vegetable stock (you might need more or less depending on how long you let the orzotto cook)
asparagus, sliced on the bias (I used 6 spears, but you can use more or less depending on your taste)
peas (you guessed it- straight from the freezer!)
3 Tbs. parmesan, grated *omit for vegan
1 Tbs. lemon zest (from the lemon I juiced)
2 Tbs. fresh basil, shredded
salt & pepper to taste

Directions:
In a heavy-bottomed saute pan over medium heat, toast the orzo in the olive oil until it starts to turn golden brown and smells nutty, about 2-3 minutes. Add in the shallot and lemon juice, stirring until absorbed, another minute or so. Now, here's where you need a little patience: Add 1/2 cup of vegetable stock at a time, stirring occasionally, until the liquid has been absorbed before making the next addition. Each addition will take a little bit longer to absorb (orzo cooks MUCH quicker than arborio rice does- about half the time), but you need to resist the urge to add the liquid too soon. With the 4th addition, toss in the asparagus and peas, as well as the parmesan if you're using it. Continue to stir until the liquid is mostly absorbed, then remove from the heat and add in the lemon zest and basil. By the time it makes it to the plate, your orzotto will have this amazing creaminess... and you didn't have to add a single drop of cream.

Enjoy!

Quinoa & Chick Pea Salad

Another no-recipe recipe coming at you... the beauty of this particular dish is that you can use whatever fresh produce you have on hand and make as much or as little as you want. (I made enough for 1-2 servings, depending on whether you count it as a side-dish or entree.) This "recipe" lends itself beautifully to swap outs so you can make it with just about anything in your pantry if you don't like quinoa: couscous, bulgar wheat, wheat berries, barley, brown rice, or any short cut pasta.

Quinoa & Chick Pea Salad

Ingredients:
quinoa
cooking liquid of choice (water, vegetable stock, chicken stock... whatever floats your boat)
carrot, diced
shallot, diced
cucumber, diced
roasted red pepper, diced
cherry tomatoes, diced
chick peas, drained and rinsed
extra virgin olive oil
red wine vinegar
any combination of fresh/dry herbs (I used parsley, thyme, basil, pinch of oregano)
salt & pepper to taste

Directions:
In an appropriately sized pot, cook the quinoa in your liquid of choice, adding the carrots about half through the cooking time. (For my single entree serving, I used 1/4 cup quinoa + 1/2 cup veg stock.)

Meanwhile, combine the rest of the ingredients in a large bowl. (I like to make my vinaigrette with 1 part vinegar to 2 parts oil.) Stir in the quinoa once it's absorbed all of the liquid and then cooled slightly. Finish with fresh herbs and enjoy at room temperature or, if you have the patience to wait, it's even better after it's been refrigerated for a couple of hours.

Enjoy!

Simple Carrot Cupcakes

Although I remember carrot cake being my dad's favorite kind of cake and the one he requested for his birthday every year (my mother actually made cakes from scratch for family birthdays), I was never a fan of it myself... not even the cream cheese frosting that my finicky sister liked to scrape off by the fingerful. The few times I tasted carrot cake as an adult- in a bid to expand my culinary palate, so to speak- I just wasn't a fan of the cloying sweetness coupled with spice that seemed to overwhelm the natural sweetness of the star ingredient. That being said, since tomorrow is Easter and I have to work, I decided to tackle the recipe myself so I could tweak it more to my taste... which doesn't include raisins, pineapple, or coconut. AND, the only nuts are the few that I sprinkled on top. Also, instead of making a big cake, I decided to make individual cupcakes to share with my co-workers.

Simple Carrot Cupcakes

Ingredients:
3/4 cup AP flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
pinch of nutmeg
3/4 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
2 eggs
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 cups shredded carrots (and no, I didn't bother to peel them first, just scrubbed 'em)

cream cheese frosting (recipe to follow... or you could cheat and use canned frosting... I'm not judging)
1 Tbs. walnuts, finely chopped (optional)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a 12-cup muffin tin by spraying with non-stick spray and lining with paper cups.

In a medium bowl, whisk (or sift) together the flours, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg.

In a large bowl, stir together the remaining ingredients. Dump in the dry ingredients and mix until well combined. Fill the muffin cups about 3/4 full and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes, or until a toothpick blah blah blah. Cool the cupcakes in the muffin tin for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely. Once cooled, slather on the cream cheese frosting and top with a sprinkle of nuts if desired.

Cream Cheese Frosting: (whip the following ingredients together until light and fluffy)
4 ounces of cream cheese, room temperature (I used neufchatel instead of the full-fat version)
1 Tbs. unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup powdered sugar

Enjoy!

Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Scones

2nd batch: crisp exterior, light and airy on the inside

I came across this interesting article written by L.V. Anderson while doing some research on scones a few weeks ago and decided to give the recipe a try; I liked the taste of the scones (not too sweet), but the texture was a little off. Perhaps this was one of those times when environment/weather played a part in the final product, but I found the dough to be entirely too wet (and yes, I actually followed the recipe *mostly* as written) which then led to scones that were more cake-like in texture with a barely there nod to the biscuit-like texture I was expecting. Well, after much thought, I made the scones again this morning with several tweaks to the original recipe... you can decide which you prefer. But trust me, mine are better. ;)

Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Scones

1st batch: soft and cake-like

Ingredients:
1 3/4 cups AP flour
3/4 cup rolled oats
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
pinch of nutmeg
7 Tbs. cold butter, diced (*use non-dairy butter for vegan)
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips (*non-dairy for vegan)
1/2 cup fat-free half & half (*use soy or almond milk for vegan... and in case you were wondering, I keep half & half on hand for my dairy tolerant, coffee-loving friends)
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 Tbs. vanilla soy milk (you can always use more half & half, milk, cream... whatever)
1 tsp. sugar

1st batch: incredibly wet dough needed LOTS of bench flour

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a large mixing bowl, stir together all of the dry ingredients until well mixed then rub in the cold butter with your fingers (or cut in with a pastry blender, if you have one) until the mix resembles coarse crumbs. Toss in the chocolate chips. Pour in the half & half and vanilla and stir just to combine (I find a fork to be most effective). Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and kneed it 4 or 5 times until it comes together. Using your hands, pat out the dough into a rectangle, roughly 8"x 10" and about 1/2" thick (make sure you have easy access to more AP flour, sprinkling it on the dough as needed to prevent sticking). Once the dough is shaped, use a sharp knife (I actually use a pizza cutter) to cut out 12 triangles. Carefully transfer the triangles to the prepared baking sheet, making sure to leave about an inch of space around each scone since they puff up as they bake. Brush the tops of each triangle with your dairy product of choice and sprinkle on a very scant dusting of sugar. Bake at 375 degrees for 25-30 minutes, until the scones are light golden brown. Cool completely on a wire rack and store in an airtight container... that is, if you can resist eating them right away. ;)

Enjoy!

*Cook's note: The traditional British scone is meant to be eaten warm, straight from the oven, the same day it's made. However, I've found that these particular scones hold up very well texture-wise for up to a week when stored in an airtight container which makes them a little more accessible to my mind.

Ricotta & Spinach Stuffed Shells

for one...

A couple of weekends ago, I had the luxury of spending quite a bit of time playing in the kitchen and took full advantage of it by making several dishes. This was my first time making stuffed shells and for the life of me, I can't figure out why I've never made these before given just how easy they were. What I really like about this dish is the that you can make up a whole batch and eat them right away, or you can do like I did: freeze them individually so you can pull out as many or as few as you want on a day that you just don't feel like cooking.

Ricotta & Spinach Stuffed Shells

for a crowd...

Ingredients:

1 Tbs. olive oil

1 shallot, minced

6 ounces spinach (I used fresh, but you could always use frozen/defrosted)

1 tsp. lemon pepper

1/2 tsp. garlic powder (go ahead... you know you want to use fresh)

1 tsp. dried basil

pinch of nutmeg

salt & pepper to taste

15 ounces ricotta cheese (I used part-skim instead of whole milk ricotta)

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

18-24 jumbo shells, cooked shy of al dente and tossed in olive oil to prevent sticking  (different brands of pasta make different size "jumbo" shells)

Directions:

In a saute pan over medium-low heat, cook the shallot in olive oil until slightly softened, about 2-3 minutes. Stir in the spinach and all spices, continuing to cook until the spinach has wilted and most of the moisture has cooked out, about 6-8 minutes. Set aside to cool.

In a large bowl, combine the cheeses and the cooled spinach mixture. Fill each of the shells with the cheese mixture. Once all of the shells are stuffed, you've got a couple of options...

Option #1: Cover the bottom of a glass baking dish with your favorite marinara and nestle the stuffed shells down into the sauce. Drizzle on some olive oil , cover tightly with foil, and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes before removing the foil and baking for another 10 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and bubbly.

Or, Option #2 (what I did): Spread out the stuffed shells on a lightly oiled baking sheet and place them into the freezer until they are frozen solid, about 2 hours. Once they're frozen, you can transfer them to a freezer bag and not worry about them sticking together. When you're ready to eat them, you can pull out as many as you want (bake up a big pan to feed a crowd, or pull out a few and bake in an individual casserole dish for one) and follow the directions in Option #1, although you'll need to add to the cooking time if they're frozen.

Enjoy!

Chocolate Almond Biscotti

I really like the classic Italian biscotti cookie, but I don't make them very often. Why, you ask? Essentially, I'm just too lazy. It's not that they're difficult to make, it's more so because they're time consuming what with the whole twice baking thing and my attention span (when it comes to baking) usually doesn't allow for something that takes longer than, say, 20 minutes. So saying, I found this recipe on one of my favorite food blogs (Closet Cooking) and really liked the fact that it's sort of a scaled down version; it only makes one log which translates into about 12 cookies. Yes, you still need to bake them twice- otherwise, they wouldn't be called biscotti- but hey, that's a sacrifice I'm willing to make every once in awhile. And of course, I had to tweak them ever so slightly... I swapped out the pistachios for almonds, and used plain ol' vegetable oil instead of olive oil. Now, if only I'd had some dried cherries on hand... oh, well. Next time, eh?  ;)

Chocolate Almond Biscotti

Ingredients:
1 cup AP flour
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/2 tsp. baking powder
pinch of salt
6 Tbs. sugar
2 eggs, beaten
2 Tbs. vegetable oil
splash of vanilla extract
1/4 cup sliced almonds
1/4 cup chocolate chips (I used dark chocolate)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a medium-sized mixing bowl, whisk together all of the dry ingredients. (In this case, the sugar counts as a "dry" ingredient.) Stir in the remaining ingredients until just combined. Pour the dough onto a baking sheet and, using slightly damp hands (it helps to combat the stickiness of the dough, trust me), form it into a log about 8 inches long and about 2 inches wide. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes then allow the log to cool on a wire rack for 35-40 minutes.

Drop the oven temperature to 325 degrees.

Once fully cooled, use a serrated knife to slice the log into 1/2 inch cookies. Place the cookies cut-side down on the baking sheet and bake at 325 degrees for 10 minutes, flip them over, and bake on the other side for another 10 minutes. Allow the biscotti (twice-baked cookies) to cool on a wire rack then pour yourself a strong cup of coffee and dig in.

Enjoy!

*Cook's note: These aren't overly sweet cookies so you may want to use milk chocolate or even semi-sweet chocolate instead of the dark that I used. *I* happen to like the fact that these turned out deeply chocolatey without being terribly sweet, but I can see where the addition of dried fruit (like cherries, prunes, or even apricots) would make for an interesting contrast in flavor.

(Addendum: So it's now been several days since I made these cookies, and I have to say that I'm not as impressed with them as I was when they were just an hour out of the oven. The texture is just not quite right; they're not nearly as crisp as they should be even though I've stored them in the same air-tight container I've put previous batches. So, while I do like the flavor, I don't think I'll be using this particular recipe again... instead, I'll probably just use this flavor profile and apply it to one of the other biscotti recipes I've used in the past that I know hold up well.)

Pasta e Fagioli (-ish)

This no-recipe recipe is sort of a pasta e fagioli meets cassoulet meets pasta bake. Basically, I used the flavor profile of the Italian sausage cassoulet I made awhile back but combined it with pasta and turned it into a baked casserole.

Pasta e Fagioli (-ish)

Ingredients:
olive oil
onion, diced
garlic powder (or fresh if you prefer)
dried rosemary, crushed
herbes de Provence
salt & pepper to taste
fire-roasted tomatoes, diced (I had the remains of an open can in the fridge)
hot Italian sausage, pre-cooked and diced (again, leftover in the fridge)
cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
pasta of choice, cooked shy of al dente (I used whole wheat shells)
Parmesan cheese, grated (fresh is best but the stuff in the green can will do)
panko bread crumbs

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a saute pan over medium heat, cook the onion in olive oil until slightly softened, about 3-5 minutes. Stir in all of the spices and tomatoes and continue to cook for another 2-3 minutes before adding the Italian sausage, beans, and pasta. Give a big stir to combine everything before dumping it all into an appropriate sized casserole dish. Top the pasta with the Parmesan and bread crumbs, drizzle on some more olive oil, and bake at 350 degrees until the top is golden brown and nice and crusty.

Enjoy!

(My) Classic Chicken Noodle Soup

Another comfort food classic, you really can't go wrong with good ol' chicken noodle soup...

(My) Classic Chicken Noodle Soup

Ingredients:
1 Tbs. olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
2 carrots, diced
2 ribs of celery, diced
1 bay leaf
1 Tbs. dried parsley
1 tsp. dried thyme
1 tsp. dried dill
1 tsp. garlic powder
salt & pepper to taste
6 cups of chicken stock (and yes, I actually used homemade stock)
2 cups of previously cooked chicken, shredded or diced
1 cup of corn (you guessed it- pulled straight from the freezer!)
8 ounces of egg noodles (I like to use the extra broad kind)

Directions:
In a large soup pot over medium heat, saute the vegs and all spices in olive oil until the vegs start to soften, about 8-10 minutes. Stir in the chicken (this is how I cooked mine, and I used mostly dark meat in the soup while saving the white meat for another dish) and corn, then pour in the chicken stock. Bring the soup to a boil over high heat and dump in the noodles before lowering the heat once more to medium and simmering the soup until the noodles are tender, about 6-8 minutes.

Enjoy!

Vegetarian Stuffed Peppers

I think I've mentioned before that I grew up in a household where my mother was home every night and had dinner on the table for the family promptly when dad got home from work. Usually that dinner consisted of good ol' budget-friendly American classics and- at the time, unfortunately for me- that included stuffed peppers.

I hated those nights!

Why, you ask? Well, when my mother made stuffed peppers, it was always the same recipe: green peppers stuffed with a mixture of ground beef and white rice, baked in/topped with tomato sauce. First of all, I despise green peppers. It's only been in recent years that I've been able to use them in my own recipes, mainly as a base flavor component rather than as a main ingredient. Pretty much, when I cook with bell peppers I prefer to use the sweeter and more mellow red, yellow, and orange ones as opposed to the sharper green ones. Also, I'm not a big fan of white rice, generally preferring to use brown rice. The ground beef I could've lived with... if it hadn't been so damn greasy. *shudder* And what could I possibly find objectionable about tomato sauce? Eh. It was always straight up tomato sauce, no spices or herbs added. Actually, come to think of it, I'm fairly certain salt and pepper were the ONLY seasoning added to the entire dish. Really, can you blame me for not being a fan?

So don't think I don't see the irony in the fact that stuffed peppers make a fairly regular appearance on my dinner table some 25 years later (albeit not quite as often as back in the day)... but rest assured that I enjoy the hell out of the seemingly endless variations that do appear these days!

Vegetarian Stuffed Peppers

Ingredients:
1 Tbs. olive oil
1/2 small onion, diced
1 small carrot, diced
1/2 zucchini, diced
1/2 yellow squash, diced
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. dried parsley
1 tsp. dried basil
salt & pepper to taste
1 cup vegetable stock
1/4 cup orzo
1 Tbs. parmesan cheese, grated
1 Tbs. goat cheese
2 bell peppers, halved (I used yellow and orange)
1 cup of marinara (plus a couple of halved cherry tomatoes)

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

In a saute pan over medium heat, cook the vegs and spices in olive oil until slightly softened, about 5-7 minutes. Add the stock and raise the heat to bring the mixture to a boil before adding the orzo and reducing the heat once more to medium. Cook the orzo and vegs until the orzo is tender and most of the liquid has been absorbed, about 7-8 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the parmesan and goat cheese.

Meanwhile, pour the marinara on the bottom of an 8"x8"glass baking dish and nestle the pepper halves down into it. Fill the peppers with the orzo and veg mixture, drizzle on some olive oil, then cover the dish tightly with aluminum foil and bake at 375 degrees until the peppers are tender, about 35-45 minutes. Remove the foil and cook for another 10 minutes or until the orzo is lightly browned.

Enjoy!

(Sunday being my only day off this week, I did a bunch of prep work in the kitchen so I could get ahead of my weekday meals. In this case, as I put together the Italian Tortellini Soup I set aside some of the diced vegs used in THAT dish to go into THIS one. Work smarter, not harder... right?)

Italian Tortellini Soup

It's Sunday night and time once more to clean out my crisper drawer; what better way to do that than in a soup, right? Quick and easy to put together, you can really throw any sort of fresh (or frozen, for that matter) vegetable you've got on hand into the pot and let er rip.

Italian Tortellini Soup

Ingredients:
1 Tbs. olive oil
2 links of hot Italian sausage, sliced
1 small onion, diced
1 carrot, diced
1/2 zucchini, diced
1/2 yellow squash, diced
1 pint of cherry tomatoes, diced (you can always use canned tomatoes, but I was cleaning out the crisper drawer, remember?)
1 Tbs. dried parsley
1 Tbs. dried basil
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. dried Italian seasoning
salt & pepper to taste
4 cups chicken or vegetable stock (I actually had open cartons of each in the fridge and used the last of both)
1 (8-ounce) bag of dried tortellini (I had the plain cheese kind in my cabinet)
6 ounces of baby spinach (fresh or frozen- I used fresh that was a little too wilted for a salad)

Directions:
In a large soup pot over medium heat, cook the Italian sausage, vegs, and spices in olive oil until the sausage is mostly cooked through and the vegs are slightly softened, about 6-8 minutes. Add in your stock of choice and bring the soup to a boil before dropping in the pasta, cooking until the tortellini are al dente, about 8-9 minutes. Stir in the spinach just before serving.

Enjoy!

Ethiopian Inspired Lentil & Sweet Potato Stew

Okay, so I admit that I'm not all that familiar with Ethiopian cuisine, but after coming across this recipe on Food.com I'll be doing some research because I fell in love with this stew from the first bite! Incredibly easy to make, I only made a few adjustments to the original recipe and was able to make this dish with ingredients I already had in my pantry.

Ethiopian Inspired Lentil & Sweet Potato Stew

Ingredients:
1 Tbs. olive oil
1 onion, diced
1 Tbs. garlic powder (yes, the original recipe calls for fresh garlic but I don't keep that in my house)
1 Tbs. fresh ginger, minced (I just grated mine)
2 sweet potatoes, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 Tbs. paprika (sweet or hot, whichever you prefer)
1 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. curry powder
1/2 tsp. dried parsley
1/2 tsp. ground ginger (yes, you really want to add both fresh AND ground)
pinch of nutmeg
1 (6-ounce) can of tomato paste
1/4 cup of lentils
2 cups veggie stock (water is fine)
salt & pepper to taste

Directions:
In a large soup pot over medium heat, saute the onions and sweet potatoes with garlic powder and fresh ginger until the onions are slightly softened, about 4-6 minutes. Add in the red bell pepper and all spices (EXCEPT salt), stirring to coat the vegs in the spices, and cook for another minute or so until the spices get really fragrant. Stir in the lentils, tomato paste, and veg stock, raising the heat to high to bring the stew to a boil before dropping the heat to low. Simmer the stew over low heat until the lentils are tender and most of the liquid has been absorbed, about 25-35 minutes. (Note: You may need to add more liquid if the stew looks like it's getting dry. I actually added about a cup of water to keep things nice and moist.) Once the lentils are soft, go ahead and add salt to taste.

Enjoy!

Apple Pie Irish Oatmeal

I found this recipe on one of my favorite food blogs, Closet Cooking, and couldn't wait to try it out. Not only did it sound incredibly easy (it is), but who doesn't like apple pie for breakfast? Even though I generally prefer a more protein-laden breakfast (read: eggs, turkey bacon, Greek yogurt), every once in a while I like to go with a good ol' bowl of comfort like oatmeal. I first tried steel-cut oats (also labeled Irish oatmeal) a couple of years ago and really liked the nutty, chewy texture which differs quite a bit from the softer texture of the more common rolled oats. However, you can't beat the convenience of quick cooking rolled oats because steel-cut oats take a good 30-45 minutes to simmer on the stove top and that's not exactly conducive to a fast breakfast. So. That's the other thing that struck me about this recipe: it's made in the slow-cooker so you can set the timer and have the oatmeal waiting on YOU when you wake up!

Apple Pie Irish Oatmeal

Ingredients:
1 cup steel-cut oats
2 cups of water (or apple juice as per the original recipe, but I just used water)
2 cups of milk (I used plain soy milk, but you could use whatever you want)
2-3 small apples, diced (I used 3 granny smith apples that were a little past the point of eating whole)
2-4 Tbs. of brown sugar (depending on how sweet you like things, you can use more or less- I prefer to use a little less)
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. salt (I used fine sea salt- this wasn't in the original recipe, but I think you really need the salt to offset the sweet)
1/4 cup dried fruit (recommended: raisins or dried cranberries- I used cranberries)
1/4 cup nuts, chopped (recommended: walnuts or pecans- I used walnuts)
2 Tbs. milled flaxseeds

Directions:
Dump everything in your slow-cooker and cook on LOW for 4 hours. Easy, right? ;)

Enjoy!

Tofu & Broccoli Lo Mein

Another no-recipe recipe, this can be made in any quantity and with any combination of ingredients... within reason, that is. ;)

Tofu & Broccoli Lo Mein

Ingredients:
vegetable oil
tofu, cubed and pre-baked
broccoli florets (I pulled mine straight from the freezer)
noodles, cooked to al dente (recommended: soba or whole wheat thin spaghetti)
brown sauce (I like to use this recipe)

Directions:
In a skillet over medium-high heat, stir fry the tofu and broccoli until slightly browned and crisp around the edges, about 3-5 minutes. Toss in the noodles and sauce, continuing to stir fry for another 2 minutes, or until the sauce has mostly been absorbed and everything is heated through.

Enjoy!

Hearty Vegetable Barley Soup

It's that time of year again when everybody and their mother is getting sick or just plain feeling run down as all get out. The weather is flip flopping around from cold, to not-so-cold, to frigid; people are coming down from their holiday high's, and the winter blahs are settling in. Right now, I fall somewhere in between run down and sick, while many of my co-workers aren't as lucky and are firmly stuck in the SICK category. So. What's the best thing to make everybody feel better? Soup, of course! I made a big ol' pot of this hearty vegetarian delight to bring to work tonight to share, so here's hoping it's just as good as the proverbial Jewish Grandmother's chicken soup to cure what ails us. ;)

Hearty Vegetable Barley Soup

Ingredients:
1 Tbs. olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
2 ribs of celery, diced
2 carrots, diced
2 roma tomatoes, diced (1/2 a can of diced tomatoes would work if you don't have any fresh ones on hand)
2 bay leaves
1 tsp. dried basil
1 tsp. dried parsley
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
1/2 tsp. Italian herbs (or just use oregano- dealer's choice)
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
salt & pepper to taste
8 cups of liquid (I used veggie stock to make it vegetarian, but go ahead and use chicken stock if you want)
1 cup of pearled barley
1 (15.5 ounce) can of beans, drained and rinsed (dealer's choice)
2" piece of parmesan rind
8 ounces of frozen mixed vegs (yes, straight from the freezer)
1 Tbs. soy sauce *optional (I like this because it adds a salty savoriness you really can't get with just plain salt)

Directions:
In a large soup pot over medium-low heat, saute the onion, celery, and carrots in olive oil for 3-5 minutes before stirring in the tomatoes and all spices. Continue to cook until the vegs start to soften, about 5-7 minutes. Pour in your liquid of choice as well as the barley and bring the soup to a boil. Stir in the beans and parmesan rind, cover the pot, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for 45-55 minutes or until the barley gets nice and tender and fluffy. In the last 10 minutes of cooking, add in the frozen vegs and soy sauce (if using), and adjust seasoning as desired.

Enjoy!