Apple Thyme Cheddar Scones

Our cooking club theme this month was “Apples”. I decided to make these Apple Thyme Cheddar Scones from the website of a Western dairy company named Challenge. We can’t buy Challenge butter around here, but I still liked this recipe for savory scones. It’s the fall version of my late summer classic Zucchini Cheddar Biscuits.

The ingredients came together very easily, and I was able to resist that strong urge to add more flour at the end. I pressed the dough into more of a rectangle than a circle, so instead of triangles, I made small squares. Note that my oven does run a little hot, but these scones were quite browned in 20 minutes, so watch them carefully.

The scones were a nice complement to our apple-themed meal, although I might use fresh herbs instead of dried for more intensity next time. If you go apple picking and come home with a big tote of apples, save one for this recipe.

Eggplant and Mushroom Vindaloo

Another craving for Indian food led me to google new recipes. At HolyCowVegan.net, I found great Indian recipes along with stories which inspired them. Vindaloo is traditionally from the Goa region in western India, which was colonized by the Portuguese, so the dish has both Portuguese and Indian influences. The two key ingredients are vinegar and garlic, and the dish was traditionally made with pork. As the dish evolved, it was also known for being spicy, and in some cases quite hot. To get the original recipe and read the whole story with beautiful photos of Goan beaches, head over to HolyCowVegan. Of course, her version of the dish uses eggplant and mushrooms in place of the pork.

The recipe is long, but the combination of spices is what makes Indian dishes so good, so I wanted to follow it as closely as possible. I had most of the ingredients in my cabinet, with the notable exception of black mustard seeds. I took a field trip to the Indian market in Waltham and picked up a large bag of mustard seeds for just $1.49. I assumed that I could grind the seeds in my food processor, but this wasn’t the case. I don’t own a coffee grinder, and I actually don’t have a mortar and pestle either. So I ignored this issue and left the mustard seeds whole in the marinade. I have no idea what kind of difference this made, but it was my only option at the time.

Regardless of the issue with the mustard seeds, this recipe was great. I loved the sweet/sour/spicy flavor combination and the texture of the eggplant and mushrooms. It actually wasn’t that hot, which might be due to my mild chili powder. I don’t know if this recipe tasted authentic or not, since I can’t compare it to a restaurant dish. But I can say that after eating this fabulous meal, my craving for Indian food was completely satisfied.

Spaghetti Squash ‘Lasagna’

Spaghetti squash is so much fun, I really should cook it more often. I picked one up from the produce market the other day, but wasn’t sure what I wanted to do with it. So I searched the archives of my own blog. (Pathetic, I know, but I forget which recipes I’ve made!) I found this Spaghetti Squash Bake from 2009, and decided it could use a few updates. There may not be any pasta in this lasagna, but there’s still a fantastic tomato sauce and 3 types of cheese. I happened to have a container of Crockpot Tomato Sauce in my freezer, but you can use whatever sauce you like.

The only way to make this recipe manageable from a time perspective is to cook the squash the day before. Slice it open, clean out the seeds, pop it in the oven, and pick up a good book or watch some TV. Let it cool while you chat on the phone. Then scoop out the flesh into a container and put it in the refrigerator. On your way home the following night, you’ll be so excited that the hard part of dinner is done!

I really liked the updates I made to this recipe, but it was still somewhat watery. That’s not a big problem, but you may want to serve this with a slotted spoon. While this isn’t a traditional lasagna, it’s still a great dish packed with flavor.

Spaghetti Squash ‘Lasagna’

1 large spaghetti squash
1 1/2 c. fat free ricotta cheese
1 egg
1 c. reduced fat mozzarella cheese, divided
1/2 c. freshly grated Parmesan cheese, divided
1 t Italian seasoning
1 t Garlic Gold toasted garlic bits
1 1/2 c. tomato sauce, divided

Cut open spaghetti squash. Clean out seeds and pulp. Place facedown on a baking sheet and cook at 350F for 30-40 minutes, until softened. Allow to cool. Scoop out the flesh with a fork and set aside. (This can be done the day before.)

In a small bowl, mix ricotta cheese, 1/4 c. mozzarella cheese, 1/4 c. Parmesan cheese, Italian seasoning, and garlic.

Place 2 c. of spaghetti squash strands in a 9″ square dish coated with cooking spray. Spread half of ricotta mixture on squash, followed by 1/2 c. tomato sauce, and 1/4 c. mozzarella cheese. Place another 2 c. of squash on top, and repeat layers. For the top layer, place any remaining squash in casserole dish and top with 1/2 c. sauce, 1/4 c. mozzarella, and 1/4 c. Parmesan. Bake at 375F for 30 minutes. Allow to cool slightly before serving.

Chili Lime Chicken Bowls

You know I love a good one-bowl meal, but it’s still a little too hot outside for soup, chili, or stew. I saw this recipe for Chili Lime Shrimp Bowls which offers a good alternative. With layers of rice, beans, shrimp, and salsa, it’s a bowl of many flavors and textures. I was initially intimidated by the long list of ingredients, but I only ended up needing to buy a few things at the grocery store.

While I really do like shrimp, it just doesn’t work well as leftovers. And you all know that I am a “cook once, eat 3-4 times” kind of person. So the first change I made was to substitute chicken thighs for the shrimp. I also sauteed onion with the black beans instead of putting onion in the salsa, and reduced the jalapeno in the recipe to cut back on the heat. Finally, I added some cucumber to bulk up the salsa.

Of course this isn’t a bowl, but it was much easier to photograph this recipe on a plate. And right after the picture was taken, I tossed everything in a bowl and gave it a good stir. I loved the mix of hot and cold – both in flavor and temperature! This recipe was somewhat time intensive with the marinating, chopping, and sauteing, but it was worth it in the end. I stored the rice, bean mixture, chicken, and salsa in separate containers so I could quickly create my own bowl for lunch or dinner. This is a pretty flexible recipe, and I hope to create other bowl-type meals soon.

Chili Lime Chicken Bowls

1 t chili powder
1 t honey
1 t soy sauce
2 t minced garlic, divided
1 T lime juice
3 boneless, skinless chicken thighs, visible fat removed and cut into bite-sized pieces
2 c. cooked brown rice
1 T canola oil
1 jalapeno pepper, deseeded and diced
1 t cumin
1 Vidalia onion, peeled and chopped
1 (15 oz.) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 (10 oz.) can crushed pineapple, drained
1/2 cucumber, peeled and chopped
1/2 c. chopped cilantro
Salt to taste

Mix chili powder, honey, soy sauce, 1 t minced garlic, and lime juice in a bowl. Add chicken, toss to coat, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Heat oil in a large frying pan. Add 1 t minced garlic and diced jalapeno. Cook for 1 minute, and add cumin. Cook for 1 minute more, and add chopped onion. Saute for 15-20 minutes, until onion is soft. Add beans and heat through. Remove from pan and set aside. Add chicken and marinade to pan, and cook until chicken pieces are done.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix pineapple, cucumber, and cilantro, and season with salt to taste.

Prepare bowls with a base of brown rice, followed by beans, chicken, and pineapple salsa.

-Recipe adapted from Budget Bytes

Egg-Free Pancakes

There’s a new egg allergy in my extended family which put me on the hunt for an egg-free pancake recipe. I considered using an egg replacer like flax or chia, but in the end I decided to adapt this recipe for Vegan Pancakes. Because I added milk, this recipe is no longer vegan, but you can use soy milk if you’d prefer.

These pancakes are quite thin, almost like a crepe. They aren’t very sweet, but the cinnamon really boosts the flavor and the blueberry compote was a nice addition as well. I admit, I like these Sour Cream Banana Pancakes a lot more, but these still made a nice breakfast which everyone could enjoy.

Egg-Free Pancake Recipe

2 c. whole wheat flour
1 1/3 c. all-purpose flour
1/3 c. sugar
2 T baking powder
1 t cinnamon
2 c. 2% milk
1 1/3 c. water
3 T canola oil
1 t vanilla

Mix flours, sugar, baking powder, and cinnamon in a large bowl. In another bowl, mix milk, water, oil, and vanilla. Create a well in the bowl of dry ingredients, and pour the wet ingredients into the well. Mix just until moistened; batter will be lumpy.

Pour batter on a hot griddle and cook until bubbles appear. Flip the pancakes and cook on the other side until lightly brown.

-Recipe adapted from All Recipes

Grilled Butternut Squash

While I was in Rhode Island this weekend, I went to a local farm to pick up some vegetables to go with dinner. They had the usual corn, zucchini, and tomatoes which you’d expect at the end of summer. But I also spotted a wagon full of butternut squash and it hit me like a ton of bricks that fall is truly right around the corner.

Luckily, this recipe for Garlic-Balsamic Grilled Butternut Squash helped to ease the transition between seasons. The butternut squash is peeled and sliced, and then marinated in a mixture of olive oil, balsamic vinegar, garlic, and thyme. The slices are thrown on the grill just like any other vegetable, although they do take a bit more time to get tender.

Although butternut squash is a symbol of fall, the grill marks make this a summer time recipe, or at least one you can enjoy while you sit outside and try to forget that the days are getting shorter.

Toasted Orzo

My Mom made Toasted Orzo earlier this summer, back when we had the Kale with Grilled Sausage and White Beans. It reminded me of years ago when we used to make Rice-a-Roni, though she might kill me for saying that. While I do like rice, I actually like orzo even more.

I found this recipe which is incredibly simple, and makes a perfect batch. You brown the orzo in a saucepan with a bit of olive oil, and then simmer it covered for 10-15 minutes with the broth of your choice. I generally use Knorr’s Vegetable Broth, but you can use chicken bouillon if you’d prefer. If you’d like to reduce the amount of sodium, you can use half broth and half water. If a bottle of white wine is already open, you could add a splash of that too.

This side dish complements almost any meal, and is so much better than any San Francisco treat.

Black Bean and Tomato Pizza

What’s been keeping me well fed lately? My freezer! (And no, I don’t mean ice cream, though that is tempting.) I almost always have whole wheat pizza dough from Trader Joe’s in my freezer, and I also had a small container of Way Better than Canned Black Beans. These aren’t ordinary black beans; they are simmered with onion, garlic, and cilantro so they are packed with flavor.

I decided to make individual Latin-inspired pizzas with the seasoned beans, halved grape tomatoes, and mozzarella cheese. I threw the pizzas together quickly, and after just 10-15 minutes in the oven at 400F, dinner was served, with leftovers for lunches. When I made these beans back in January, I had no idea they would come in so handy – I need to make another batch soon.

Swiss Chard, Take 1

My parents have a small garden with mostly tomatoes and peppers, but they also grew some Swiss chard this year. We thought it would be fun to involve my older nephew in the harvesting and cooking of the Swiss chard, since kids are more likely to try new vegetables when they have helped to pick them out and prepare them.

My Mom did the cutting while my nephew held the leaves.

He took the job of washing the leaves very seriously, for a not-quite-3 year old.

At this point, he lost interest in the project and had to go to swim lessons anyway. I cut the stems from the Swiss chard, and cooked them in a pan with a bit of olive oil, garlic, and red pepper flakes. Then I added the torn leaves, and cooked it for a few minutes more. We ended up with a gorgeous bowl of Swiss chard to have with dinner. It doesn’t get more local than this!

The rest of us really enjoyed this, but my nephew didn’t end up taking one bite of the Swiss chard. And that’s OK, because it often takes several exposures for kids to try new food. We’ll try again soon!

Roasted Corn and Parmesan Omelet

Can you believe that even after making this large batch of Corn and Zucchini Chowder, there was still a ton of corn left? My Dad roasted a batch in the oven, and I took some of that home with me, along with a tomato from their garden. I’ve been pretty busy lately, but I am so happy I took the time the other day to prepare myself this beautiful lunch.

I was inspired by this recipe for Scrambled Eggs with Fresh Corn, Goat Cheese, and Tomatoes. Really, you should take a look at the link, the picture is gorgeous. There’s no real recipe here, but I made a 2-egg omelet using about 1/4 c. of roasted corn, and a large tablespoon of freshly grated Parmesan. At the same time, I sliced the fresh tomato onto a baking sheet and drizzled the slices with olive oil, salt, and pepper. I baked them at 400F for 10-12 minutes.

In less than 20 minutes, lunch was served. This was so much better than my other option, yet another peanut butter and banana sandwich. 🙂