Veggie Pasta

When my mom was visiting a few weeks ago, she made this yummy pasta dinner. It's very simple and great for those nights when you need to use produce before it spoils. I used a few more artichoke hearts than she did because Peter and I really love artichokes! I also decided to add shrimp (just because I had a lot leftover) but I think it would also be very tasty with chicken.



Veggie Pasta
4 ounces whole wheat spaghetti
1/2 pound shrimp, cleaned and deveined
1 can artichoke hearts
1 cup cherry tomatoes
1 cup button mushrooms
1/4 green onion, diced
1 clove garlic, sliced thin
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese

Prepare spaghetti according to package intsructions. Drain and set aside.

In a large pan over medium heat, add the olive oil and garlic. Saute until fragrant and then remove the garlic.

Add the green onion, tomatoes and mushrooms. Keep over medium heat for approximately 3 minutes. Add the artichoke hearts and saute for 5-6 minutes.

Reduce heat slightly and add the shrimp and spaghetti. Combine thouroughly and cook until the shrimp is pink and tender.

Top with parmesan cheese.

Flour Tortillas

After months of searching for a decent flour tortilla in Denver, I finally gave up. They don't know from a good tortilla. In my quest to find an easy and authentic recipe, I found this blog. This lady speaks my language.

These were incredibly easy to make so there is no excuse to ever buy tortillas from the grocery store again...unless you are lucky enough to live near a Fiesta or Central Market. I had to use more milk than the recipe called for but maybe that is because I was using skim milk. Use your own judgement.

Peter liked them but said they were "hard to cut." Poor guy, he can't help that he's from Colorado.

Flour Tortillas
2 cups of all-purpose flour (can make them whole wheat by substituting one cup of whole-wheat flour for white flour)
1 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder
1 teaspoon of salt
2 teaspoons of vegetable oil
1 cup of warm milk

Mix together the flour, baking powder, salt and oil. Slowly add the warm milk.
Stir until a loose, sticky ball is formed.

Knead for two minutes on a floured surface. Dough should be firm and soft.
Place dough in a bowl and cover with a damp cloth or plastic wrap for 20 minutes.

After the dough has rested, break off eight sections, roll them into balls in your hands, place on a plate (make sure they aren’t touching) and then cover balls with damp cloth or plastic wrap for 10 minutes. (It’s very important to let the dough rest, otherwise it will be like elastic and won’t roll out to a proper thickness and shape.)

After dough has rested, one at a time place a dough ball on a floured surface, pat it out into a four-inch circle, and then roll with a rolling pin from the center until it’s thin and about eight inches in diameter. (If you roll out pie crusts you’ll have no problem with this.) Don’t over work the dough, or it’ll be stiff. Keep rolled-out tortillas covered until ready to cook.

In a dry iron skillet or comal heated on high, cook the tortilla about thirty seconds on each side. It should start to puff a bit when it’s done.
Keep cooked tortillas covered wrapped in a napkin until ready to eat.
Can be reheated in a dry iron skillet, over your gas-burner flame or in the oven wrapped in foil.

While you probably won’t have any leftovers, you can store in the fridge tightly wrapped in foil or plastic for a day or so.

Makes eight tortillas.

Garlic and Lemon Chicken

Once again, I am trying to clean out the kitchen before our move next week. I had some extra chicken breasts and I wanted to try something new. This recipe is very similar to one I posted last month but it was a nice twist on an otherwise routine weeknight meal. Peter declared that he liked this one better than the lemon thyme chicken but I thought they were both great!



Garlic and Lemon Chicken

2 Tbsp. olive oil
2 fat cloves garlic, peeled and slightly smashed
1 lemon, halved
1 egg
1/3 cup breadcrumbs
2 Tbsp. romano or parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp. chopped rosemary
2 chicken breast halves, pounded to about 1/3 – 1/2″ thickness

 

Heat a nonstick skillet over medium-low heat and add the oil.  Once the oil is hot, add the garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden brown and soft, about 7 minutes.  Remove the garlic with a slotted spoon, and keep the oil in the pan.

Zest half the lemon into a dish or bowl, and to it add the breadcrumbs, cheese, rosemary, and salt and pepper to taste.

Crush the browned garlic cloves and whisk in a separate shallow bowl/dish along with the egg and juice from half the lemon.

Season the chicken with salt and pepper.  Dip the chicken into the egg mixture, and then dredge into the breadcrumb mixture.

Heat the garlic oil over medium heat and once hot, add the chicken.  Cook until done, about 2.5  minutes per side.  Serve with slices or wedges of the remaining half lemon.

Source: Stephanie Cooks

Spaghetti and Meatballs

We are moving next week so I am trying to clean out the kitchen before we go. I noticed that we had quite a bit of spaghetti hanging out in the pantry so I decided to try making meatballs. Many moons ago I made meatballs from scratch and I thought they were fantastic but I was single then and the dog didn't get to try any so yeah, I'm not sure if they were really all that great.

I decided to leave out the chopped onion because the homemade marinara already had a yummy onion flavor. Feel free to add the onion to your meatballs if desired.


Meatballs
makes 10

1/2 pound ground beef 
1/2 pound pork sausage
1 egg, slightly beaten
1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs
1/4 cup pecorino romano cheese, finely grated
1 clove garlic, pressed
1/2  teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 400 F. Line a baking pan with foil sprayed with non-stick cooking spray.

To make meatballs, mix ground beef, sausage, eggs, bread crumbs, cheese, garlic, oregano, salt, and pepper until combined. Place about ¼ cup of meatball mix in your hand. Form into a ball. Repeat until all meat is used.

Bake about 25 minutes or until meatball juices show no pink color.

Tortellini Soup

I have been wanting to try this for a while but something always seemed to come up and prevent me from making this soup. I finally had the perfect opportunity last night. This is so quick and easy to make that I was actually scared it would be bad. I mean, it can't be that easy without being awful, right? I was so wrong. Peter and I loved it and this is something we will definitely eat again!



Tortellini Soup
1 package tortellini, I used whole wheat with cheese
3 cups chicken broth
2 cups fresh spinach, cleaned and stems trimmed
1 roma tomato, seeded and chopped
Parmesan shavings
cracked black pepper

Heat broth over medium heat. Add the tortellini and boil to package instructions. Ladle soup over greens and top with tomato, parmesan and black pepper.

Adapted from Confections of a Foodie Bride

Beef Stir-Fry

Lately I have been craving Asian food. Luckily, I happen to have quite a few leftover veggies from last week that work well in a stir-fry dish. I picked up some beef and a few sauces at the store and planned to throw everything together. You can use any vegetables you happen to have on hand, the more the merrier! 

It turned out so great that I think I will repeat this dish later in the week with chicken instead of beef. Yum!



Beef and Vegetable Stir-Fry
1/2 pound top sirloin, cut into 1/4 inch thick slices
1 cup shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and thickly sliced
1 handful snow peas
1/2 cup carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch slices
1 medium size head of broccoli, cut into bite size pieces
1/2 cup green bell pepper, cut into 1/4 inch thick slices
1/2 cup red bell pepper, cut into 1/4 inch thick slices
1 clove garlic, pressed
3 tablespoons canola oil
3 tablespoons hoisin sauce
2 teaspoons siracha sauce
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil

Lightly season beef with salt and pepper. In a wok or large nonstick skillet, heat canola oil over medium-high heat. Add garlic and mushrooms. Stir constantly until mushrooms are tender, about 3 minutes. Add beef and continue cooking an additional minute, until the beef is browned on the outside but still pink in the center. Add snow peas, carrots, broccoli and bell peppers. Cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Stir in hoisin, Siracha and Sesame oil; continue cooking 1-2 minutes, until vegetables are crunchy and beef is cooked through. Serve over rice.

Chewy Sugar Cookies

Yesterday Peter and I were walking around Denver in flip-flops and short sleeves. Today it started raining mid-morning and now it's snowing. I got the urge to bake chocolate chips cookies but unfortunately, I had everything except the chocolate chips. Peter offered to run to the store, he must have REALLY wanted chocolate chip cookies, but I found this amazing sugar cookie recipe instead. I think he was a little disappointed but when he saw these come out of the oven he felt better!

Chewy Sugar Cookies

2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/4 cups margarine

2 cups white sugar

2 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/4 cup white sugar for decoration

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda, and salt; set aside.

In a large bowl, cream together the margarine and 2 cups sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then the vanilla. Gradually stir in the dry ingredients until just blended. Roll the dough into walnut sized balls and roll the balls in remaining 1/4 cup of sugar. Place cookies 2 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheets and flatten slightly.

Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven, until lightly browned at the edges. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

Pao de Queijo

So you know how the powers that be at Fogo de Chao hope you fill up on the salad bar before the parade of meat begins? Yeah, I don't even go to the salad bar. I just wait for the waiter to bring the basket full of cheese bread. Then I fill up on that and don't end up eating much meat at all. That is some expensive bread I've been eating. I needed to find an alternative.

I have been dying to make these for weeks. My friend Susan sent me a recipe that I tried and the results were less than stellar. I was convinced I hadn't read the instructions carefully, so I tried again. The results were no better. I was bummed but after some internet research I realized I was using the wrong kind of tapioca flour. I went back to Whole Foods and could not find the correct type of flour so I ordered online. Five days later I was back in business!

I used this recipe but skipped the blender and the toppings. I cannot adequately describe how amazingly these turned out. I want to eat them all the time.


Pao de Queijo
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 egg
1 cup tapioca flour
1/4 cup parmesan cheese, grated
1/2 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Add all ingredients into a medium mixing bowl. Blend very well, making sure no bits of tapioca starch are left unmixed.

The mixture will be a little thinner than pancake batter. Pour the batter in mini-muffin tins, to no more than 3/4 of their capacity, and cook for 20 minutes. Most will come out right away without sticking. If some stick slightly, allow them to cool for a few minutes and probe them out gently with the tip of a knife. The recipe makes 20-24 little cheese breads.

Spinach Lasagna

Recently we realized that we eat out way too much, especially on the weekends. We have gotten into this bad habit of eating out Friday through Sunday. While it has been fun, it's not exactly figure friendly. In an effort to eat in more on the weekends, I have decided to make one freezer meal every other Monday so we can eat leftovers on Sundays. I have been wanting to try a spinach lasagna for a while. When I was single, I would often stop at Central Market to pick up dinner. They had an amazing spinach lasagna in the prepared foods case. It was amazing!

I found this recipe from a simple Google search and while not exactly like the Central Market version, it was pretty close! I think next time I will substitute a white sauce for the tomato sauce just to try something new!



Spinach Lasagna

20 lasagna noodles

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 cup chopped fresh mushrooms

1 cup chopped onion

1 tablespoon minced garlic

2 cups fresh spinach

3 cups ricotta cheese

2/3 cup grated Romano cheese

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon dried basil leaves

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 egg

3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

3 cups tomato pasta sauce

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add lasagna noodles and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.

In a skillet over medium-high heat, cook mushrooms, onions, and garlic in olive oil until onions are tender. Drain excess liquid and cool. Boil spinach for 5 minutes. Drain, then squeeze out excess liquid. Chop spinach.

Combine ricotta cheese, Romano cheese, spinach, salt, oregano, basil, pepper, and egg in a bowl. Add cooled mushroom mixture. Beat with an electric mixer on low speed for 1 minute. Lay 5 lasagna noodles in bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish. Spread one third of the cheese/spinach mixture over noodles. Sprinkle 1 cup mozzarella cheese and 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese on top. Spread 1 cup spaghetti sauce over cheese. Repeat layering 2 times.

Cover dish with aluminum foil and bake in a preheated oven for 1 hour. Cool 15 minutes before serving.

Nutritional Information

Amount Per Serving  Calories: 416 | Total Fat: 16.5g | Cholesterol: 63mg

Pommes Anna

My mother-in-law gave me a mandolin for Christmas and I have been wanting to use it ever since. I was recently watching an episode of Secrets of a Restaurant Chef and Anne made Pommes Anna as a steak sidedish. I thought this was a perfect opportunity to use my new kitchen gadget!

I didn't follow her recipe exactly but it was pretty close. The potatoes turned out great! They were perfectly cooked and had a hint of cheese that made them out of this world! I will definitely be making this again!



Pommes Anna
2 large russet potatoes, peeled
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated


Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a small saucepan, melt the butter and set aside.

Using a mandolin on its lowest setting, slice the potatoes as thinly as possible. Lay the slices out on a paper towel and pat dry. In a small oven proof skillet, start to arrange one layer of overlapping potato slices over the bottom of the pan in concentric circles. Pour the melted butter over the sliced potatoes. Repeat 5 more times, making 6 layers. Drizzle each layer with a bit of the butter and sprinkle the layers with parmesan cheese.

Cook on low heat until potatoes are golden on the bottom and crisp around the outside, about 25 to 30 minutes. Shake the pan back and forth several times while cooking to keep from sticking.

Pour off any excess butter into a small bowl and reserve. Place a flat pan lid, the diameter of the skillet, over the potatoes. Holding the lid firmly in place, gently flip over. Add the reserved butter to the pan and slide the potatoes back in. Put the skillet in the oven and bake for 25 to 30 minutes. Shake the pan back and forth several times while cooking to keep the potatoes from sticking. The bottom should be browned and crisp and the potatoes cooked through. Pour off any fat remaining in the pan and slide the potato cake onto a serving dish. Slice into wedges, sprinkle some grated parmesan cheese and serve.