Month: November 2010

Remember that Tomato Sauce?

Remember the tomato sauce that my family slaved over a few months ago? Well, this week I took a small container out of the freezer, and made a simple meal of it with whole wheat linguine and grated Parmesan.

The sauce was still a little thin, but the taste was fresh. And in the midst of a difficult week on many fronts, this not only made for an easy meal, but made me appreciate that crazy day!

Roasted Delicata Squash Salad

I’ve tried a few fun squash recipes this year, like this Sweet and Sour Kabocha. But there are still plenty of squash varieties I haven’t tried, and recently I picked up a delicata squash for the first time. It’s a fairly small squash, and the skin is edible which means no peeling.

The squash was fairly easy to cut, and then I scooped out the seeds and sliced it thinly. I roasted the slices in the oven with a little olive oil, salt, and pepper. OK, then I stopped to try it – yum! I could have just stood in the kitchen and eaten the whole pan, but I had a salad to make.
I placed some squash slices on a bed of baby spinach, and added some pumpkin seeds and ricotta salata, inspired by this recipe. I made a simple dressing of sauteed shallots, olive oil, and balsamic vinegar. This was one of the best salads I ate all year! The flavors all worked together well, and there was squash is almost every bite. I was even able to pack this for dinner one night, keeping the salad and dressing in separate containers until right before class.
It was so much fun to pick up a squash that was new to me, and create such a fabulous meal.

Apple Cheddar Scones

I took advantage of my extra hour this weekend to make apple cheddar scones. This is not really an “everyday” kind of recipe, but I was in the mood to bake and had two apples that needed to be used. The combination of apple and cheddar was very appealing, both things I love.

Baking novices beware, this is not an easy dough to work with. It’s very wet, which made it difficult to shape in order to cut the scones. I finally gave up and just formed the scones with my fingers the best I could. According to the recipe reviews, it seems important to start with very cold ingredients, not to overmix, and not to add too much flour. That was a lot to think about at 7am on a Sunday, but I took Deb’s advice and went with the flow.
The end result was good, but not great. And after all that work, I had high expectations. The scones were fairly flat, and I didn’t like the apple and cheese combination as much as I thought. You all know how much I like the recipes on Smitten Kitchen, but this one just didn’t work for me.

Crockpot Rice and Beans

Rice and beans – a warm Latin American meal that’s easy and inexpensive. This recipe in the crockpot makes it even easier. It’s like crockpot express, because in just 3 hours I had perfectly cooked rice and beans. I used brown rice to make this a whole grain dish, and added a teaspoon each of cumin and chili powder in place of the Italian seasoning and onion flakes. The seasoning was just right, but you could make it spicier if you wish. Oh, by the way, it’s also great nutrition, with protein and whole grain.

This is a recipe I know I’ll make over and over again. The ingredients are common pantry staples, and I can set this up on a weekend afternoon and have a warm healthy dinner that night.

Homemade Pumpkin Spice Latte

It’s a sign of the season that I went to 3 different coffee shops yesterday, looking for a place to study, and couldn’t find a spot to sit down. Good thing I had everything I needed to make the pumpkin spice latte at home! The recipe is fairly simple, using espresso, almond milk, pumpkin, vanilla, sugar, and spices.

True coffee aficionados may not appreciate the fact that I used instant espresso, and foamed the milk by stirring vigorously with a whisk, but it worked for me. And in just a few minutes, I had my own cup at a fraction of the cost.
You may not want to open a whole can of pumpkin for one recipe, but bookmark this one for your next pumpkin baking expedition. I assume that everyone will have one such baking adventure during the holiday season, and while your creation is in the oven, you can sit back with your latte and relax.

Homemade Pumpkin Spice Lattes

There’s something special about the Pumpkin Spice Latte, or the PSL as those “in the know” call it. It’s like autumn in a cup. A reminder to slow down, and enjoy the season. But wait, you can make a version of the PSL at home!?!

I didn’t get to try this project this week, but I just couldn’t wait to share it with you. Let’s all try to recreate the fancy coffee experience, and we’ll compare notes later. Have a great weekend!

Dorset Cereal

It’s true that many companies send samples to food bloggers hoping for a product review. But sometimes we get free stuff by being in the right place at the right time. I was at Whole Foods recently, and was handed a sample box of Dorset cereal. I had never heard of that brand, but I tossed it in my cart and went on my merry way. When I got home, I realized that the list of ingredients is very impressive!

This week, I tore open the box and decided to give it a try. I poured some skim milk over the top and dug in. Wow – this stuff is good! I love the crunchiness and variety, and it was naturally just sweet enough.
This cereal is nutritious but calorie dense, so I might be more inclined to use it as a topping for a bowl of yogurt rather than a breakfast cereal. And while I do like making my own granola, this is a good option for convenience. Thanks to Dorset for the sample, and I might pick up a box soon.

Maple Balsamic Dressing

I hardly ever buy bottled salad dressing these days. I usually have a jar of Honey Mustard dressing in the fridge, or a variation that includes soy sauce and ginger, or a tomato based dressing like this one. It’s a lot less expensive to make your own dressing, and it only takes a few minutes.

So in keeping with fall themed foods this week, I made a maple balsamic dressing to use for some salads. The dressing includes 2 T olive oil, 2 T balsamic, 1 T maple syrup, and 1 T mustard. You can see the thick consistency, and it was a good blend of sweet and tangy flavors. Like I always say, give it a try!

Pasta with Creamy Mushroom Sauce

I’ve been in the mood for mushrooms lately, and then I saw this recipe for a mushroom sauce. That sounded perfect, but I increased the mushroom to pasta ratio to make sure I got my fix. The original recipe also called for mascarpone, and I used ricotta. I am not suggesting that these two cheeses are interchangeable, but ricotta is a more common ingredient and I thought it worked well here. Overall, I tried to make this a simpler dish, one which was less fussy and could be made on a weeknight.

The meal was really good, but next time I would use even more mushrooms, because you really can’t ever have too many. Please forgive the monochromatic picture – some fresh herbs would really brighten this up.

12 oz. whole wheat pasta, cooked and drained
1 T olive oil
1 shallot, peeled and sliced
1 T minced garlic
2 (10 oz.) packages sliced mushrooms
1/2 c. white wine
1 c. ricotta cheese
1 T Italian seasoning
1/2 c. Parmesan cheese

Heat olive oil in a large frying pan. Add shallot and garlic, and saute for 2 minutes. Add mushrooms, and cook for 10 minutes, or until tender. Add white wine, and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat, and stir in ricotta cheese and Italian seasoning. Spoon sauce over pasta, and serve with Parmesan.

Acorn Squash, Swiss Chard, and Gorgonzola Pizza

I don’t want to scare you or anything, but I read on Twitter that there are only 7 Saturdays left between now and Christmas. I didn’t believe it at first so I got out my calendar and counted. Those tweeters were right. I am not nearly through my fall recipes, never mind any holiday ones. How did this happen?

But here is a fall recipe that you need to make before you start talking about turkeys. This is not a traditional pizza at all, and there’s a lot going on here – but it’s all good. I adapted this recipe from Smitten Kitchen, based on some reader comments. It starts out like a pizza, and then gets loaded up with vegetables to create a hearty ‘fork and knife’ meal.
It was a little bit of extra work to cook the squash, Swiss chard, and pizza base separately, but it was worth it in the end. Plus, you could cook extra amounts of the vegetables to be used later in the week for other meals.

1 acorn squash, cut into 1″ slices
2 T maple syrup
2 T olive oil, divided
1/2 t chili powder
1/8 t cayenne pepper
1 large bunch Swiss chard, stems chopped and leaves torn
1 lb. pizza dough
1 c. reduced fat mozzarella cheese
1/2 c. Gorgonzola cheese

Place the squash slices in a large bowl. Drizzle with syrup and 1 T oil, and add chili powder and cayenne pepper. Toss with a spoon to ensure the slices are well coated. Place on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray, and bake at 375F for 30-35 minutes or until soft. Cool, and remove skin from slices before chopping into cubes.

Add remaining 1 T oil to a large frying pan on medium heat. Add Swiss chard stems, and cook for 10 minutes or until softened. Add the torn leaves and cover the pan. Cook for 5-10 minutes, or until wilted, stirring occasionally.

Divide dough into 4 equal portions, and spread into thin circles. Top with mozzarella and Gorgonzola cheeses, and bake at 375F for 20 minutes, or until golden brown. Add squash cubes and Swiss chard to the top of the pizza, and enjoy!