Month: August 2011

Cheesy Spinach Dip

There are about a thousand recipes on the Internet for cheesy spinach dips. In fact, I posted about Spinach Artichoke Dip just last year. But I have to confess that most times, these dips all taste the same to me. What I like about this recipe is that it uses ‘real food’ cottage cheese and sour cream, rather than cream cheese.

Last week I made the mistake of spoiling my dinner with a dip, so this week I planned dinner to be an appetizer plate. The dip was great with both crackers and carrot sticks, and fulfilled my craving for a fun and cheesy meal.

Cheesy Spinach Dip

1 (10 oz.) package frozen spinach, thawed and drained
1 c. low-fat cottage cheese
1/2 c. low-fat sour cream
1/4 c. + 1 T freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 c. shredded reduced fat sharp cheddar cheese
1 T whole wheat flour
Black Pepper

Mix spinach, cottage cheese, sour cream, 1/4 c. Parmesan, cheddar cheese, and whole wheat flour in a large bowl. Season well with black pepper. Top with remaining 1 T Parmesan. Pour into an 8″ pie plate coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350F for 20-25 minutes.

Italian Baked Potatoes

When I went to the farmer’s market last week, I was stunned to see apples and squashes already. Those are most definitely fall foods and I haven’t yet accepted the fact that my leisurely summer is coming to an end. I filled my bag with eggplant and zucchini and peaches and almost ran away so I would not be faced with reality.

And then I spied local potatoes for just $1/lb., and threw some of those in my bag as well. While you might not think of baked potatoes at the end of August, this recipe from Real Simple needs to be made now while tomatoes are still seasonal. I managed to make this recipe decidedly less ‘simple’ and yet I think much better than the original.

Italian Baked Potatoes

2 large potatoes, scrubbed and poked with a knife
1 pint grape tomatoes
2 t olive oil
Salt and Pepper
1/2 c. ricotta cheese
2 T freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 t garlic powder
1 t dried basil

Place potatoes in a 400F degree oven. Meanwhile, toss tomatoes with olive oil, salt, and pepper, and place on a baking sheet. After potatoes have cooked 30 minutes, place pan with tomatoes in the oven. Bake for 20-30 minutes until potatoes are soft, and tomatoes are roasted and split open.

In a small bowl, mix ricotta, Paremsan, garlic powder, and basil. Place each potato on a plate and cut in a criss-cross fashion. Top with ricotta mixture and roasted tomatoes and serve.

-Adapted from Real Simple

Carrot and Chickpea Salad

When you’re craving a pot of chana masala but it’s way too hot to turn on the stove, this carrot and chickpea salad just might hit the spot. I was inpsired by this recipe with beautiful brightly colored carrots. The original dressing was a little too tart and spicy for me but adding some honey tamed things nicely.

I took a shortcut and bought shredded carrots from the grocery store, but don’t make this mistake. I know grating carrots is hard on your knuckles, but it will be worth it when you have sweet, tender, freshly grated carrot. Next time I won’t be so lazy, and that will make this salad even better.

Carrot and Chickpea Salad

6 oz. nonfat plain yogurt
1 T lemon juice
1 t coriander
1 t cumin
1/2 t turmeric
1/2 t garam masala
1/2 t ground ginger
dash cayenne pepper
2 t honey
1 (15 oz.) can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1 c. shredded carrots
Romaine lettuce, cleaned and torn

Mix yogurt, lemon juice, spices and honey in a small bowl and season to taste. In a larger bowl, mix chickpeas, carrots, and enough dressing to coat.

Serve over a bed of Romaine lettuce, adding more dressing if needed.

-Lightly adapted from Caroline at “Surprised by Joy”

Pesto Ricotta Dip

What’s better than getting fresh herbs from the garden? When someone takes those herbs and makes pesto for you! The chef instructor from our Cooking Matters class made homemade pesto for the last day, and I got to take some home. She used a traditional mixture of basil, olive oil, pine nuts, and Parmesan cheese.

I came home yesterday famished, and mixed together a quick dip using 1/2 cup of ricotta cheese, 1 tablespoon of pesto, and 1 tablespoon of Parmesan. The taste was mild but I loved the creaminess of the ricotta. Pesto is often paired with goat cheese, but this dip feels so much lighter. Of course, I ate too many crackers and dip and spoiled the dinner I was supposed to make, but there’s always tomorrow.

Cooking Matters

If you’ve been following me on Twitter, you’ve seen the tweets about my experiences this summer as a volunteer for the Cooking Matters program. This non-profit organization offers nutrition-based cooking classes to low income families in several communities. I helped at a site in East Boston and met an extremely diverse group of women with children of various ages. However, they all had one thing in common – they want their families to eat well.

What I really like about this program is the emphasis they place on practical skills. We talked about how to read nutrition labels and ingredient lists, how to plan meals and use leftovers, and how to find the best values at the grocery store. We shared stories about ways to introduce new foods to a family. And we cooked at least three recipes every week under the direction of the chef instructor and course coordinator, with the help of the course assistant. Everyone got a chance to peel, chop, grate, stir and saute. We used herbs and spices which were new to many participants. The chef instructor emphasized safe knife skills and taught everyone how to use a food thermometer.

I had no idea just how much I would learn myself. I enjoyed working with a professional chef instructor as much as the other participants! Here are the top 3 cooking tips I got from the class:

When cutting fruits and vegetables, always create a flat surface to place face down on the cutting board. (This seems so obvious, and yet I struggle cutting onions the wrong way all the time.)
After pressing garlic, rub your fingers on stainless steel to remove the smell.
When measuring honey, coat the measuring cup or spoon with cooking spray and the honey will slide right out.

But the most important thing I gained is an awareness of the importance of access to good food. Many participants lived within walking distance of a single grocery store. We consistently emphasized using a variety of fruit and vegetables in class, but even some of the seasonal produce was quite expensive in this store. Frozen and canned fruit and vegetables are also a good option, but the selection is generally more limited. We talked a lot about overcoming these types of obstacles by creating weekly meal plans which take advantage of the best values and substituting items in recipes as needed. But my eyes were really opened to the issue of ensuring that everyone has access to high quality produce at affordable prices.

If you’re in Massachusetts and interested in volunteering for Cooking Matters, I highly recommend it! Click here If you’re in another state, you can learn more here.

I am extremely grateful for the opportunity to work with Cooking Matters this summer!

Whole Wheat Zucchini Blondies

Ready for another shredded zucchini recipe? One that also features chocolate chips? This recipe can be made as cookies or bars, but we all know bars are a lot quicker. I used a cup of regular sugar in place of the sucanat in the original recipe and mixed all of the ingredients in one bowl. The batter was spread in a 13″x9″ dish, and then popped in the oven.

Even using all whole wheat flour, the batter rose fairly high. These cute squares were perfect with a cup of hot (or iced!) coffee. They’re sweet enough to be dessert, but not overly sweet. And now, I am off to a farmer’s market to get myself more zucchini!

Almond Brownies

When people stop by your house to meet your newborn, or perhaps play with your active toddler, it’s always nice to be able to offer them a chocolatey treat. Or at least that’s what my Mom and I told ourselves when we decided that we should bake some brownies for my sister. See, we had stocked the freezer but not the cookie jar.

Our mission was to bake something sweet that did not require a trip to the grocery store. These cocoa brownies from Smitten Kitchen fit the bill. Requiring just butter, sugar, cocoa, vanilla, eggs, and flour, you just might have all the ingredients in your kitchen right now. And I would urge you to go ahead and make a batch, because these brownies were smooth, rich, and fudge-like, similar to flourless chocolate cake.

We added 2/3 cup of chopped almonds which provided a bit of crunch, but that almost detracted from the silky texture. Next time I would skip the nuts and keep all the attention on the chocolate. It’s amazing what cocoa powder and butter can do.

Stocking the Freezer

My second nephew came into the world last week, and my sister asked if we could help stock her freezer so she would have plenty of healthy meals for the inevitable hectic days ahead. Earlier this month, we selected the recipes and made a master grocery list. My Mom was able to pick up many of the non-perishable items on sale, and it was really helpful to have all of the ingredients on hand when we started to cook. Here are the five dishes we made for the freezer:

1. Jamie Oliver’s Vegetable Tomato Sauce & Ziti Casserole

We started by making a huge batch of Jamie Oliver’s Vegetable Tomato Sauce. It’s a tasty sauce with onions, peppers, carrots, zucchini, butternut squash, and tomatoes of course. We added yet another 28 oz. can of tomatoes, to make sure the sauce had a deep red color. Then we used a portion of the sauce and a pound of pasta to assemble two ziti casseroles with ricotta, Parmesan, and mozzarella cheese. In the end, this recipe yielded two ziti casseroles, two containers of sauce which can be used for pasta or pizza, and lunch for the cooks.

2. Turkey Chili

My sister’s favorite chili is based on this Weight Watcher’s Turkey Chili recipe, which includes plenty of vegetables like peppers, zucchini, and corn. I only took a small taste from the pot before it was packaged into containers, but it was good.

3. Spinach Mini Quiches

I adapted my favorite crustless quiche recipe a bit to make these mini quiches. I mixed 3 eggs, 1 cup of reduced fat cottage cheese, 1/2 cup shredded reduced fat cheddar, a 10 oz. package of spinach, and a dash of salt and pepper. This filled about 10 regular sized muffin cups, which were baked, cooled, and then put into the freezer for busy mornings.

4. Macaroni and Cheese Cupcakes

We were starting to get a little tired by this point, and took a well deserved shortcut by using frozen chopped vegetables for these macaroni and cheese cupcakes. We also skipped the beans in this recipe, since two of the recipes already had beans. The cupcakes looked a little dry in the freezer, and might need a fresh sprinkle of cheese when reheated. But they’re still so cute!

5. Bean Burritos

The final recipe was brand new. We made these bean burritos which contain brown rice, a bean mixture, and cheddar cheese. The burritos are assembled, and then wrapped individually and frozen. When you take a burrito out of the freezer, you can cook it in either the microwave or oven. One of the tortillas ripped (oops!) so my Mom and I split a burrito for lunch and it was tasty. Even though this is a new recipe, I think it’s going to be a winner.

al fresco Buffalo Chicken Sausage

At a gathering I attended last week, we talked about how you decide what food to bring to a party. One woman brings food she loves like kettlecorn, so she can enjoy a small amount and not be faced with the whole bag at home. Others go for a favorite family recipe, or perhaps a dish that meets certain dietary restrictions.

I guess people take a risk when they invite me over because unless a host is super specific, I am likely to bring a brand new recipe or product. Luckily, most times this works out OK.

I brought a package of al fresco Buffalo Chicken Sausages to a party last week, and they went over well. Not only did they taste good (and spicy!) but they also have a decent ingredient list with chicken and spices in a natural pork casing. They are pre-cooked, so no one needs to slave over the grill for very long. If you want something new for your grill this weekend, look for these in the meat case at your grocery store.

Disclaimer: I purchased this product at retail price with my own funds. I was not compensated in any way for this product review.

Zucchini Crabcakes

Is there any recipe where you can’t use zucchini? I was craving seafood for dinner, but didn’t want to head to the store to purchase a piece of fish. Luckily there was a can of crabmeat in the pantry. I figured the zucchini would bulk up the crabcakes a bit and add some moisture.

However, I was also missing Old Bay Seasoning, and that’s key for crabcakes. Google says you can make your own, but I was missing some of those ingredients too. So I rolled my spice tray around and around, picking out the ones that seemed to make sense, and adding them to the bowl. I didn’t do too badly with this exercise, but I won’t be putting Old Bay out of business either.

At the end of the night, I had pretty tasty crabcakes served on a salad. Yes, you can put zucchini in just about anything.

Zucchini Crab Cakes

1 medium zucchini, shredded
6 scallions, white and light green parts only, thinly sliced
1 (6 oz.) can crabmeat, drained
1/2 c. breadcrumbs
1 egg, slightly beaten
1/2 t black pepper
1/2 t celery salt
1/2 t thyme
1/2 t garlic powder
1/4 t ginger
1/4 t cardamom
1/4 t paprika
1/8 t cayenne
1 T canola oil

Place shredded zucchini in a colander, sprinkle with salt, and allow to drain for 45-60 minutes. Mix zucchini and all other ingredients. Form 4 crabcakes, and cook in a frying pan in oil for 5-7 minutes per side.