Last day of Passover! Where did the time go?

You know what's strange? I really haven't missed bread at all this week. There was so many fantastic fruit and vegetables available to us this week that I didn't feel denied at all. Last night at the movies I could have used a small popcorn, but that was the only time I felt like I wanted something not kosher for Passover.


I hope you found some recipes this week that helped you to not only "get through" the holiday, but really enjoy your meals. I would love some feedback on any of the dishes you tried.



Sundays are usually our grocery shopping days, so I decided to see what was left in the fridge. Woohoo! We still had our golden beets left. A couple of nice oranges, too. I grabbed a few items like cider vinegar and honey from the pantry and started lunch.



Here we go:


Roasted Beet and Citrus Salad by Cooking Light


1 1/2 pounds small golden beets

Cooking spray

1/4 cup orange juice

1 tablespoon cider vinegar

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 teaspoon honey

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 garlic clove, minced

4 cups mixed salad greens

3 cups chopped beet greens (about 3 ounces)

1 1/2 cups tangerine or orange sections, halved crosswise (about 8 tangerines) 2 tablespoons shaved fresh Parmesan cheese

1 tablespoon coarsely chopped walnuts, toasted


Preheat oven to 400°. Leave root and 1-inch stem on beets; scrub with a brush. Place beets on a jelly-roll pan coated with cooking spray. Lightly coat beets with cooking spray. Bake at 400° for 45 minutes or until tender. Cool beets slightly. Trim off beet roots; rub off skins. Cut beets in half.

Combine orange juice and next 6 ingredients (through garlic) in a medium bowl, stirring with a whisk. Add beets, tossing gently to coat. Remove beets with a slotted spoon, and set aside, reserving orange juice mixture in bowl. Add salad greens and beet greens to bowl; toss well.



Place about 1 cup greens mixture on each of 6 salad plates; top each with about 1 1/2 cups beets, 1/4 cup tangerine sections, 1 teaspoon cheese, and 1/2 teaspoon nuts. Serve immediately.

• I confess. I have basically given up on finding a tasty orange. Most of the time, I buy oranges to zest or juice and get rid of everything else. You see, I've been hurt before and I just don't trust that once I peel an orange it will turn into a sublime snack. Usually they are just mediocre. Even Clementines have started to disappoint me. So, imagine my utter shock, when I peeled this orange- said a little prayer- and popped a slice in my mouth. It was fantastic!!! The best orange I've had in years. Seriously. I was so excited. This salad was going to rock. (Yes, I realize we're just talking about an orange here. I should probably not admit to these things.)


• I sampled the array of nuts I had left, and truthfully, the pistachios were a lot more appealing than the walnuts. So I used them instead. They were so yummy that I didn't even bother to toast them.


• This is the first time I've roasted beets without wrapping them in foil first. Usually when I take them out of the oven and remove the foil, the first layer comes off with it. This time, my heart skipped a beat when I opened the oven and saw charred beets. I burned them! They're ruined! Then I paused a moment and scratched the layer to reveal a perfect golden beet underneath. Now I just feel stupid, but relieved.


• You know what they say. Put quality in and quality comes out. I can't even take credit for how amazing this salad turned out. I did nothing but accidentally put the right ingredients in my grocery cart.

From Quinoa to Quiche. These are great Scrabble words, don't you think?

Remember that long list of vegetables I had on the Passover grocery list? Well, it's time to take them out of the fridge. I would suggest you save this recipe for the weekend. It's not a hard to do, it just took longer to prep everything than I expected. I started by taking every single ingredient out and laying it on the dining room table. I almost completely covered the table. Yep, that's a lot of goodness in one spot. I wish I took a picture of it, as it was a sight to behold!


For all of you CSA subscribers out there, this is a fantastic way to use your excess vegetables before your weekly box of produce arrives. In fact, I think my hubby should anticipate this as our Sunday brunch meal for the summer.


Doesn't this look pretty?








Vegetable Quiche from The Healthy Kitchen by Dr. Andrew Weil & Rosie Daley


Ingredients


1/2 cup purified water


1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes


1/2 pound asparagus (about 2 cups chopped) or broccoli florets


1/2 medium onion, chopped


2 cloves garlic, sliced


2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil


1 carrot, cut in small cubes (about 1 cup)


5 mushrooms, sliced


1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil, or 1 teaspoon dried


1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley


1/8 teaspoon chili flakes


1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg


1/2 teaspoon salt


1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper


3 small red potatoes, washed and thinly sliced


1/2 cup grated cheese, Pepper Jack or Swiss


1/4 cup milk


1/2 cup low-fat sour cream


6 eggs


1 medium tomato, sliced (seeds squeezed out)


3 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions
Preheat oven to 375º F. Boil the water, pour over the sun-dried tomatoes, and allow to soak for about 15 minutes until they become soft and plump. Strain off any remaining liquid, and coarsely chop.


Cut off about 1 inch of the coarse ends of the asparagus stalks and discard or save them for soup. Cut the remaining stalks into about 6 pieces or chop coarsely. (If you are using broccoli, cut into florets.) Blanch the asparagus by boiling it in a medium pot of water for 2 minutes or less. Asparagus should be bright green and firm to the bite. Drain, rinse the asparagus in cold water, and drain again in a colander.


Sauté the onions and the garlic in the olive oil over low heat until the onions are transparent, approximately 10 minutes. Add the carrots, mushrooms, basil, parsley, chili flakes, nutmeg, salt and pepper and continue to cook for 5 more minutes. Remove from the heat.


Lightly grease the bottom and sides of a 9-inch pie pan. Line the bottom with the potato slices, overlapping them slightly.


Whisk together the cheese, milk, sun-dried tomatoes, sour cream and the eggs in a large bowl. Mix in the sautéed vegetables and the blanched asparagus, coating everything with the cheese, milk and egg liquid, then pour into the potato-lined pie pan.


Arrange the tomato slices on top and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Bake for 1 hour, covering after 45 minutes if top browns. Completely baked quiche should be very firm. Let cool 15 minutes before slicing and serving.

• Purified water? I would like to tell you that I went down to the rambling stream by my house, paused to pet a deer and dipped my golden ladel in the water. But that didn't happen. I got it right from the tap.


• Instead of blanching my asparagus, I decided to steam it for 2 min. with a Glad Simply steaming bag. I didn't want to wash another pot!


• If I had this to do over, I would cut the carrots a little smaller and probably sauteed it a bit longer. Or maybe grating them would have been better? It was still a little too hard when I ate a piece of the quiche. Not bad at all, just inconsistent with the rest of the texture of the other veggies.


• I saved some time by purchasing sliced mushrooms. But I'm not going to kid you...this dish took about 40 minutes to prep. It was incredibly simple to put together, though. Oh, and did I mention it is really, really tasty? So please try it. Just do it on the weekend.


• To lighten it up a bit, I used three whole eggs and three egg whites. I also chose a lowfat Swiss cheese, but a full fat sour cream. Like Ellie Krieger, I prefer some things full fat, but in moderation.

Passover memory for today:

No one in my family can remember the year, so I'm going to say it's circa 1980. I was very young, possibly 6 years old. We are all gathered at my aunt and uncle's home for seder and there must be 25 people in attendance. The seder goes on as normal- no flaming hairdos to speak of- but one unusual thing did happen. It snowed. Alot. Actually, it was a blizzard. Now this is Philadelphia, mind you, in the Spring. By the end of the seder, no one could get their cars to budge an inch. We were snowed in. All 25 of us had one big sleepover.

Did I mention it was April Fool's Day? I know, I know, it sounds like a joke. But it really happened. I remember thinking my father should keep extra pillows in the car just in case this happens again.

Ding! Round 2 with the Immersion Blender

It's been five weeks since I sprained my ankle and I'm finally back in fighting form. I'm driving again - sweet freedom! First stop? Whole Foods...yes, I know, you're shocked. Hubby and I brought home a major haul yesterday. Honestly, I may have gone a little overboard. So much that I actually wrote a list of every perishable item and taped it to the fridge. I'll let you know if this little reminder actually works.

Oh! On my way home, we drove past a Penzeys Spice store (how could I have missed that?!) and made a mental note to pay a visit this week. Hey, if you use Penzeys spices and have a favorite, please leave me a comment about it.

So, back to the hand blender. I've had a few people ask me which brand I purchased. It's a Kitchen Aid immersion blender. And I love it. This morning I was trying out smoothie recipes and put strawberries, blueberries, one banana, nonfat plain yogurt, a squeeze of honey and crushed ice into a plastic pitcher. Five minutes later, the hand blender did it's job and there was virtually no mess. Anyone who has spent an hour scrubbing out a conventional blender will tell you that the immersion blender is a great investment.

Tonight for dinner, I used it again to make Sweet Potato Soup. This recipe comes from a book called, "The Superfoods RX Diet" by Wendy Bazilian and Steven Pratt.

Ingredients
1/2 T extra virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 celery stalks, sliced
1 carrot stick, peeled & sliced
1 t fresh grated ginger
1/2 t ground cumin
4 cups water
2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled & diced
2 T freshly squeezed lemon juice

Garnish:
toasted pumpkin seeds & diced apple

In a stockpot, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onions, garlic, celery, and carrots. Cook for 4-5 minutes or until the vegetables begin to slighly brown. Add the ginger, cumin, water and sweet potatoes. Stir well and cover the pot. Allow the soup to cook 45 minutes or until sweet potatoes are tender. Add the lemon juice. Use the immersion blender to puree the soup. Garnish with toasted pumpkin seeds and diced apples. Add a dash of cayenne pepper if you enjoy a little heat!

• This was tasty, but if I'm being honest, it paled it comparison to the parsnip-pear soup. I think this soup might benefit by replacing the water with chicken or vegetable broth. Also, what happened to the salt and pepper? A little seasoning in the beginning would have helped.


• Don't skip the step of adding toasted pumpkin seeds and diced apples. The apples weren't part of the original recipe, but it seems like a natural pairing to me. The flavor was enhanced greatly with these two items.


• Also, the celery is a lot stronger in this soup than I expected. Next time, I will replace one celery stalk with a carrot.


• I'm getting the hang of the immersion blender! I found this to be a very easy dish to make and is almost completely hands off once you chop the vegetables. Chop & Blend. That's it.

You, yes, you, can make homemade ravioli

Truth be told, I made this recipe about two weeks ago and considered not putting it on the blog. It was delicious, fairly easy to make, but it was the phrase "1 stick of butter" which stopped me in my tracks.

After making this meal, I realized, a little bit of the sauce goes a very long way. As long as I drizzled and did not "glop" the butter sauce on the cooked ravioli, this was a dish I could stand behind. Make the dish about the ravioli and not the butter sauce, and you will enjoy it tremendously guilt-free.

Oh, and hubby thought this was the most beautiful plate of food I had ever served him. I wish I took a picture of it, but it was eaten that quickly!

Caution ahead: longest recipe title in Test Drive Kitchen history-

Butternut squash, sage, and goat cheese ravioli with hazelnut brown-butter sauce

For filling
a 2-pound butternut squash, halved lengthwise and seeded
1 medium onion, chopped (about 1 1/2 cups)
1 1/2 teaspoons ground sage
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 garlic clove, minced
3 ounces aged goat cheese, crumbled (about 2/3)

60 won ton wrappers, thawed if frozen
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter
1/3 cup hazelnuts, toasted lightly and skinned and chopped coarse

Preparation

Preheat oven to 425°F. and lightly grease a baking sheet.

Make filling: Put squash halves, flesh sides down, an baking sheet and roast in middle of oven 30 minutes, or until flesh is very tender. When squash is cool enough to handle, scoop out flesh into a bowl and discard skin. Mash squash with a fork until smooth.

While squash is roasting, in a skillet cook onion and sage in butter with salt and pepper to taste over moderate heat, stirring, 5 minutes, or until onion is golden brown. Stir in garlic and cook, stirring, 1 minute.

Cool onion mixture slightly and add to squash. Add goat cheese and stir to combine well.

Bring 5 quarts salted water to a gentle boil for ravioli.

Put 1 won ton wrapper on a lightly floured surface, keeping remaining wrappers in plastic wrap, and mound 1 tablespoon filling in center. Lightly brush edges of wrapper with water and put a second wrapper over first, pressing down around filling to force out air and seal edges well. If desired, trim excess dough with a round cutter or sharp knife. Transfer ravioli to a dry kitchen towel. Make more ravioli with remaining wrappers and filling in same manner, transferring as formed to towel and turning occasionally to dry slightly.

In skillet cook butter with hazelnuts over moderate heat until butter begins to brown, about 3 minutes, and immediately remove from heat (nuts will continue to cook). Season hazelnut butter with salt and pepper and keep warm, covered.

Cook ravioli in 3 batches in gently boiling water for 6 minutes, or until they rise to surface and are tender (do not let water boil vigorously once ravioli have been added). Carefully transfer ravioli as cooked with a slotted spoon to a large shallow baking pan and add enough cooking water to reach 1/2 inch up side of pan. Keep ravioli warm, covered.

Transfer ravioli with a slotted spoon ( letting excess cooking liquid drip off) to 6 plates and top with hazelnut brown-butter sauce.

• I have a lot of suggestions for this recipe to make it go smoother. First of all, definitely use squash that has already been chopped and seeded. I find squash to be the hardest of all vegetables to chop and I will gladly spend the extra pennies for someone else to do the work!
• Instead of following their suggestion for cooking the squash, I laid all of the pre-cut pieces on a baking sheet and mixed it with 1 1/2 T of extra virgin olive oil and sprinkled it with kosher salt and freshly ground pepper. I roasted it at 425F and it was tender after 40 minutes.
• The wonton wrappers are not tricky to use at all, but I strongly suggest only using 1 t of filling per wrapper and then, folding it over into a triangle. I went through several trials of amounts of fillings versus different folding (hey, I did have a fascination with origami for about six months in 5th grade!) options. It turned out that the ravioli that stayed intact were the ones with less filling and the most basic fold.
• In regards to the sauce preparation: first, put the hazelnuts in a ziploc bag and give them two or three "thwumps" with a rolling pin. Very therapeutic! Then, place them in a dry skillet (no butter or cooking spray) for about 4 minutes. Then, add the butter to start the sauce.
• I only made 20 ravioli pieces because it was just the two of us. I put the wonton wrappers away for another use and wound up using the rest of the squash filling as a "sauce" for penne pasta later on in the week.
• I added fresh sage leaves to the skillet as I was finishing the sauce. This recipe is totally worth the effort for the smell of sage and hazelnuts alone!

Test Drive Creations

Ellie, Ina, Mollie, oh my! What will I do without your helpful instructions? Okay, I decided to abandon my beloved cookbooks (at least temporarily) and strike out on my own. It started two days ago when I had four different cheeses leftover from my squash mac & cheese recipe, as well as a bag of red peppers, organic carrots, zucchinis and onions. I knew the clock was ticking and I had to do something before they went to the dark side. Then it hit me...veggie lasagna! However, I didn't have my favorite jar of marinara sauce (Rao's) in the house. For me, lasagna is all about the sauce. So, I peeked in the pantry and saw a nice big 28 oz can of whole tomatoes and decided to just go for it. I wasn't quite brave enough to start winging it without checking with my Cooking Light friends (community.cookinglight.com). I had a few great suggestions, including roasting the veggies first.

Before I post the recipe and results, I have to give a lot of credit to my husband. Not only is he Test Drive Kitchen's chief taster, but he does ALL the dishes. I do the meal planning, grocery shopping and cooking and he deals with my mess. He recently suggested that I rate the pileup I create per recipe. Without further ado, here is the star of the Dirty Dish rating system:

After each recipe, I'll give it a rating - 5 pictures of this guy in a row = colossal mess or 1 picture = nothing to complain about)

Here we go:

Karen's Roasted Vegetable Lasagna

Sauce:
28 oz can of whole tomatoes or crushed tomatoes
1 small onion, diced

2 T extra virgin olive oil
1 heaping T of Sicilian Seasonings (Victoria Taylor is the brand)
Kosher salt

Vegetables:
2 Zucchini, sliced into 1/4 inch round slices
4 carrots, sliced into 1/4 inch round slices
3 red peppers, roughly chopped
1 large onion, roughly chopped

Cheeses:
4 oz grated Monterrey Jack cheese
3 oz grated Sharp Cheddar cheese
2 oz grated Mozzarella Cheese
¾ cup skim Ricotta cheese

Preheat oven to 425 F and place vegetables in a single layer in 9 X 13 casserole dish. Add 1 T of olive oil and generous pinch of kosher salt and few grinds of the pepper I used two casserole dishes and put them on different shelves. Set timer to 30 minutes. If vegetables are tender and slightly brown on edges, it’s done.

While veggies are roasting, prepare lasagna noodles according to package directions. Next, add 1 T of olive oil to medium sized pot and add onion when it is heated. Saute the onion for 5 minutes until soft and translucent. Add can of crushed tomatoes (I only had canned whole tomatoes, so I spent some time mashing them in the pot as they heated up.) Then, add 1 T of olive oil and heaping T of spices. Mix well. Let simmer for 15 minutes. Taste and add salt to your liking.

Add cheeses along with one egg and mix well. Set aside.

When veggies are done, let them cool briefly, then add to the cheese mixture. Take a 9X13 casserole dish and spray with Pam. Start building the lasagna: Sauce, Noodles, Cheese mixture, Sauce, Noodles, Cheese mixture, Sauce, then finally the top layer of Noodles. You’ll want to add a bit more sauce – just a thin layer- to the top. If you’ve run out, use just a plain canned tomato sauce. You don’t need much.

Bake lasagna at 400 F (turn the oven down after the veggies are roasted) for 45 minutes. Cool for ten minutes and serve.

• Big thumbs up from my hubby. I really enjoyed it, too. I think this is my "go to" lasagna recipe from now on.


• It was pretty darn cheesy and wasn't as "light" as my usual fare. I may experiment in the future with this part of the dish.


• My blogger buddies Josie and Joe suggested shredding the zucchini for texture. I'll definitely try this next time.


• My Dirty Dish rating:
  

Medium size mess. 2 pots, three bowls, two casserole dishes, cutting board and knives!


For a much smaller mess and a quick and easy lunch, try my Moroccan inspired Orzo.


Karen's Orzo, Sweet, Orzo

1 cup of cooked orzo (made with chicken broth)


1/2 cup of chickpeas (slightly heated)


3 t of powdered sugar


1/2 T of cinnamon


1 T of sliced almonds


1 T golden raisins

Mix it all in a bowl and enjoy!

Teeny Tiny Dirty Dish rating:

1 small pot for orzo. Voila!

Ladies that Lunch

Guess what? I'm thisclose to finishing all the fresh produce and veggies in my fridge! I thought it would be a challenge to do so while my hubby is away, but is hasn't been hard at all. I am now down to two heads of Romaine lettuce (lunch today), a large bag of kale (to be sautéed as a side dish for dinner tonight paired with one sliced apple), three medium sweet potatoes (to be made baked into fries for Super Bowl Sunday), two scallions, carrots, and two lemons. Thank you to my friend who left a comment recently suggesting I squeeze and freeze (the citrus fruit, of course). That was a brilliant idea! Oh, and guess what else I'm finally out of? Extra virgin olive oil! I really can't believe it, but I am. When I did my fall inventory, I had six partially used bottles. And now I'm almost out completely.



Yesterday I had the opportunity to cook for two wonderful ladies. One enjoyed what I served, and the other preferred to just sip on her bottle of formula. She's still just a wee one. I decided to make homemade takeout: veggie fried rice and whole wheat linguine in a peanut-lime sauce. I've already posted the fried rice recipe, so here's the noodles:





Aromatic Noodles with Lime Peanut Sauce by - who else - Ellie Krieger



3/4 pound spinach linguine or whole-wheat spaghetti


2 cups (about 9 ounces) broccoli florets


2 cups (about 6 ounces) snow peas, trimmed


2 cups (about 6 ounces) sugar snap peas, trimmed


1/2 cup natural creamy peanut butter


1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce


1/4 cup water


2 tablespoons rice vinegar


2 tablespoons fresh lime juice


1 scallion, cut into pieces


3/4 inch fresh ginger, finely grated


2 tablespoons brown sugar


1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes


1/2 cup shelled unsalted peanuts



Cook the pasta in a large pot of water according to the directions on the package. Drain and rinse with cold water. While the pasta is cooking put the broccoli in a steamer basket over a large pot of boiling water and steam it for 3 minutes. Add the snow peas and sugar snap peas and steam for 2 minutes more.

Toast the peanuts in a dry pan over a medium heat until they become fragrant, about 3 minutes. Set them aside to cool. Make the sauce by pureeing the peanut butter, soy sauce, water, vinegar, lime juice, scallion, ginger, sugar and red pepper flakes in a food processor or blender until smooth.


Right before serving, toss the pasta with 3/4 cup of the peanut sauce. Divide into 6 serving bowls and top each serving with the vegetables. Drizzle the remaining sauce over the vegetables. Coarsely chop the peanuts, sprinkle them on top and serve.

First of all, what's better than peanut butter and noodles? With the exception of peanut butter and chocolate, I think this is my favorite way to enjoy it. I recently traded in my Jiff for the Whole Foods nonsweetened version of PB. My hubby was resistant at first, and now he loves it.

If you have kids, I really think this is a winner. You can throw in any vegetables you want because they will gobble it up with this sauce. If they do try it, let me know what they think.

This is perhaps the fastest of all of Ellie's recipes I've tried. The pasta is easy because it's one step. For the steamed veggies, I'm using Glad's Simply Cooking microwave steaming bags. So basically, I'm just cutting them up and placing them in the bag. The most work-intensive part of this recipe is reaching in your pantry for the ingredients and getting out your measuring cups and spoons. I guess what I'm trying to say is this is the ultimate "go-to" dinner. Fifteen minutes tops.

My only suggestion is if there are leftovers (with a family of four, there shouldn't be), don't mix the noodles with the sauce when you're putting it away. I've made this recipe twice now and put it away mixed together. It just doesn't look or taste the same (texture-wise) after being refrigerated and heated up again. It turns out gritty and not at all smooth. Definitely not as beautiful as the first presentation. Oh, and I heard somewhere that if you want to save pasta without sauce and not have it stick together, you should just add a little olive oil to it. I've tried this method successfully.

I think the ginger in the sauce really gives it an extra kick. Even though I'm a recent convert to ginger, as a kid, gingerale was a permanent fixture in our house. I found some interesting information about ginger on Eating Well magazine's website:

Chinese sailors noshed on it to stop seasickness. Ancient Greeks ate it wrapped
in bread to quell nausea after a feast. Now, an increasing number of studies
back ginger’s role in easing queasiness—particularly in pregnant women with
morning sickness. Researchers are also investigating whether ginger may help
relieve nausea caused by chemotherapy. Scientists believe that compounds in
ginger, called gingerols, inhibit serotonin receptors in the digestive and
nervous systems. (Increased serotonin levels in the brain have been associated
with nausea.) Ginger also is known to stimulate appetite. Makes sense: if it
makes you feel better, you may be up for eating again.

Sniff. Sniff. Is this still good?

My husband has witnessed this scene many times before. It's early in the morning. We've just finished feeding the dog and I'm grabbing the milk for breakfast. The sun is not even up yet and the only light is coming from the open refrigerator door. "Honey, come and smell this!" He swears that something traumatic dealing with cows happened to me in my childhood. I just can't handle milk that's over four or five days old. Yes, I know this is extreme.

Which leads me to my upcoming challenge of the week. He is leaving on a business trip from Tuesday to Sunday. I just came back from grocery shopping with many perishable items. In a few days, I will have no one but the dog to turn to and she is very flexible when it comes to sell by dates.

So I thought I would ask my friends here for some suggestions. I'm definitely going to freeze some things and make half of some selected recipes. Here's what's currently in the fridge tick- tocking away: lemons, limes, oranges (mostly for zesting and juicing purposes), broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, scallions, red peppers, white and sweet potatoes, kale, spring mix, spinach, parsley and romaine. Oh and buttermilk leftover from the muffins I made a few days ago. Thoughts?

Last night I kicked off this week of cooking with two fairly well received dishes.

Curried Potatoes with Kale
from "Greens, Glorious Greens" by Johnna Albi & Catherine Walthers:

2 lbs white, yellow finn or red potatoes, peeled
1 T canola oil
2 t curry powder
1 1/2 cups chopped onions
salt to taste
1 1/2 cups of water
3/4 lb of kale (about 6 cups chopped)
freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 lime, cut into 6 wedges

Cut the potatoes into 3/4 inch cubes and set aside. Heat a 10-12 inch skillet over med. heat. Add the oil and swirl in the pan. Add the curry powder and cook for 1 minute, taking care not to burn it. Add the onions and saute over med. heat for 5 minutes, or until they begin to soften.

Add the potato cubes and toss to coat with the curry and oil. Season lightly with salt, add the water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 15-20 minutes, until the potatoes are tender. Meanwhile wash the kale well, then strip the leaves off the stalks. Discard stalks and chop kale into bite size pieces. Bring 2 cups of water to a boil in a 10-12 inch skillet in a tight fitting lid. Add the kale and cook, covered, over high heat, stirring occasionally, until tender. Approx. 5 minutes.

Stir cooked kale with the potatoes. Heat through and season to taste with pepper and salt (if necessary). Serve hot with a squeeze of fresh lime juice.

• I used the wrong potatoes here. I went with white when the authors said they favored yukon in this dish because of its creaminess. I bet this would have taken this dish to a different level if I followed their advice. I just used what I had on hand.
• Even though this dish was well seasoned, I didn't feel like I was enjoying the curry, as much. I expected it to be the lead actor, but it only had a "walk on" part. Next time I'll add more during the steaming phase.
• This dish took a lot longer to prepare than I expected, too. The cooking time was pretty accurate, though. I did add two minutes of microwave time at the end so the pototoes would get a little softer.
• In the end, it was just okay. Neither of us reached for seconds. I will try this again with the adjustments I mentioned.
• Quick update - I just took this out of the fridge to heat up for lunch and the potatoes will a deeper orange color. I guess they made friends with the curry last night. I added grated Parmesan-Reggiano to it (about 2 T) and heated it up. It was outstanding. Like a completely different dish entirely. My suggestion for this dish is to let it sit in the fridge for a few hours before serving. And add the cheese.

Lemon Orzo with Parsley from Williams-Sonoma's Essentials of Healthy Cooking

1 1/2 cups orzo

Kosher salt

2 T unsalted butter

2 T of fresh lemon juice

2 t of grated lemon zest

1 T finely chopped fresh flat-leaf (Italian) parsley

In a large saucepan over high heat, bring 3 cups of water to a boil. Stir in the orzo and 1 t of salt. Cover and reduce the heat to medium. Cook until the water is absorbed and the pasta is tender. About 15 minutes. Add the butter, lemon juice, zest and parsley and stir to blend. Serve warm.

• High marks for this one. I absolutely loved it. Have you ever dipped lobster in lemon butter sauce? Okay, so there's no shellfish present here (but it would be great with grilled shrimp), but just a touch of the lemon butter mixture evokes happy memories for me. You don't need a lot. The zest itself is prominent. More flavor. Less calories.
• I usually use chicken broth instead of water when I make bulgur, couscous or rice. With this, I took a chance and stuck with water. I figured the sauce might compete too much if the pasta had the broth flavor.
• We reached for thirds with this dish. The leftovers are going fast. It won't make it past lunch today.
• Quick update: there was about a cup leftover for lunch today, so I dressed it up and gave it to my husband. I added steamed broccoli and crumbled feta cheese. And a few squeezes of fresh lemon juice. He was at the bottom of the bowl before I could ask him how it was...

Looking forward to hearing your comments on how to use up the remaining perishables in five days!

A Mediterranean meal on a cold winter's night

Brrrr. Winter has arrived and it's sticking it's heels in deep. Our front yard is frozen solid and we're almost sure to see more snow tomorrow. On a night like this, I just want to escape to a friendlier climate. I don't have enough airline miles saved up yet, so I served up Mediterranean flavors for dinner instead. After a fun (and freezing) day hanging out downtown with my best buddy, I came home too late to consider dealing with the flank steak in the fridge. This is where a stocked pantry and fridge full of fresh veggies has it's benefits! I reached for Ellie Krieger's new book - I know, I know. I'm clearly obsessed with it. An hour later, our dinner plates looked gorgeous. Bright green spinach and chickpea salad with orange infused yogurt dressing. Roasted, carmelized honey sweet potatoes and a side of cooked bulgur. Here we go:


Chickpeas and Spinach Salad
with Cumin Dressing by Ellie Krieger



2 (15-ounce) cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed


1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley


1/2 cup chopped red onion


1/4 cup olive oil


3 tablespoons lemon juice


1/2 teaspoon lemon zest


1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin


1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper


Salt and pepper


4 cups baby spinach leaves



Yogurt with Orange Essence, recipe below, optional


2 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh mint leaves, optional



In a medium bowl combine the chickpeas, parsley and onion. In a small bowl whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, zest, cumin, cayenne pepper, salt and pepper. Pour the dressing over the chickpea mixture and toss to combine. Serve the chickpea salad over a bed of spinach leaves. Top with the yogurt sauce and a sprinkle of mint, if using.

Yogurt with Orange Essence by Ellie Krieger


1/3 cup lowfat plain yogurt


1/4 teaspoon orange zest


2 tablespoons orange juice


1/2 teaspoon honey

In a small bowl, stir together the yogurt, orange zest, orange juice and honey.

• The more I cook, the more comfortable I am substituting an ingredient that I have on hand for one that's called for in the recipe. Instead of red onion, I went with diced red pepper. A few years ago, I used to run out to the store if I didn't have something!
• I used a fresh orange for the juice in the yogurt sauce and it was slightly bitter. I added more honey to balance the taste. This is a good example of letting loose and not always following the recipe directions to the letter (which I always used to do!) All oranges are not created equal, so one must sample and adjust.
• After I mixed the yogurt with the spinach and the spinach with the chickpea mixture, I decided this dish would benefit from additional dressing. So, I used organic fresh squeezed orange juice, honey and yogurt in equal parts. It was really sweet, much sweeter than the dressing I used to coat the spinach. I thought it really enhanced the whole dish.
• I didn't have any fresh mint available. But I will definitely get some next time. I think it would kick this up a notch.

Honey Roasted Sweet Potatoes by Ellie Krieger

2 pounds red-skinned sweet potatoes
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Peel and cut the sweet potatoes into 1-inch pieces and put in a 9 by 13 baking dish. In a small bowl whisk together olive oil, honey and lemon juice. Pour mixture over potatoes and toss to coat. Sprinkle with the salt, and bake, stirring occasionally, for about 1 hour, until potatoes are tender.

• I really needed to switch gears from my "go to" roasted veggies recipe. I usually only use olive oil, salt and pepper. The honey and fresh lemon really bring out the natural flavor of the sweet potatoes. No one, not even your pickiest eater, will be able to resist this dish.
  

Basic Cooked Bulgur


2 cups of chicken broth

1 cup of bulgur (rinsed first)


Combine chicken broth and bulgur and bring to a quick boil. Decrease heat to a simmer and cover. Bulgur will be finished in 12-15 minutes. There might be excess broth. Drain and serve.

• Bulgur seemed like the perfect grain to balance out this meal. In a way, this whole meal is a de-constructed tabbouleh salad.
• My husband encouraged me to "mix it all together" on the plate. He felt the sum was better than the parts.
• Superfood alert. Sweet Potatoes, nonfat plain yogurt, honey, spinach, oh my!

A Scrumptious, Satisfying Lunch

It's January and for me that means wearing sweaters and fleeces, dreaming of roaring fireplaces (ours doesn't work!) and making soup. My husband refers to this as phase as "Winter Karen"

I wanted to share with you a meal that will make you want to stay inside all day with your main squeeze and a good book - by the way, I'm reading Barbara Kingsolver's "Animal, Vegetable, Miracle" - and can't put it down.

Speaking of superfoods, this meal has it all. It's a warm, crusty, flavorful tart with cooked swiss chards (a hearty green leafy vegetable) and onions with a soup made of roasted vegetables.

Let's start with the tart. Recipe courtesy Mario Batali

2 pounds Swiss chard, washed and spun dry
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 Spanish onion, thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1/4 bunch fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped to yield 1/8 cup
3 large eggs
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
1 cup bread crumbs
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Bring 8 quarts water to a rolling boil and add 2 tablespoons salt. Roughly chop the Swiss chard, discarding the rough stems. Add the Swiss chard to the boiling water and cook until tender, about 15 minutes. Drain thoroughly and set aside.

In a 12-inch saucepan, heat 3 tablespoons olive oil over a medium flame until hot but not smoking. Add the onion and garlic, and cook until soft and golden brown, about 5 minutes. Add the Swiss chard and the parsley. Let cook over medium heat for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat and let cool.

Meanwhile, break the eggs into a small bowl. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper. Add 3 tablespoons of Parmigiano and, using a whisk, mix until the ingredients are well-blended. Add the egg mixture to the cooled Swiss chard and toss to combine.

Using the remaining olive oil to lightly grease a shallow 9-inch round or oval baking dish. Dust the bottom of the baking dish with 1/2 cup bread crumbs. Carefully place the Swiss chard and egg mixture into the pan. Dust with the remaining Parmigiano and then the remaining bread crumbs.

Bake until the top is golden brown, about 1 hour. Serve hot or room temperature.

• This dish is not perfect, but it has great potential. I found myself wondering if egg whites would provide the same binding element that a tart needs to stay together while making this dish a bit healthier. Next time I make it I'm going to use one yolk and two egg whites. The sauteed chard and onion was so delicious that I can't imagine that three whole eggs provide any additional flavor.
• Rainbow swiss chard is so gorgeous. It's probably a weird way to describe a vegetable, but when you see it next to everything else in the produce section, you'll know what I mean. Swiss chard is a very hearty vegetable and definitely needs to be boiled first to make it more manageable in the skillet.
• You definitely don't need 1/2 cup of bread crumbs on the top of this tart. It was just too much bread and actually muted the taste of the tart for me. Try a sprinkle for a slight crust or nothing at all but some Parmesan.
• Keep a close eye on this in the oven. It only took a half hour for mine to cook through. I shudder at what it would have looked like if I left it in for an hour!

Roasted Root Vegetable Soup - courtesy of the Barefoot Contessa (Ina Garten)

1 lb of carrots, peeled

1 lb of parsnips, peeled

1 large sweet potato, peeled

1 butternut squash (2 lb), peeled, cubed and seeded

3 tablespoons of good olive oil

1 1/2 teaspoons of kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon of ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Cut the vegetables into 1 1/4 inch cubes. Place the cut vegetables in a single layer on two sheet pans. Drizzle them with olive oil, salt and pepper. Toss well. Bake 25-35 minutes, until all the vegetables are tender, turning once.

In a large saucepan, heat 6 cups of chicken stock.

In two batches, coarsely puree the roasted vegetables and the chicken stock in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Pour the soup back into the pot and season to taste. Thin with more chicken stock and reheat. The soup should be thick but not like a vegetable puree, so add more chicken stock and/or water until it's the consistency you like.

• This is a tried and true recipe. I don't have much to add other than it will be gone before you know it.

Weekend vs. Weeknight Meals. The Long and the Short of It.

Two years ago the only homemade meal I had really "mastered" was making fresh pizza dough. Among our wedding gifts was an air bake pizza pan. I learned how to properly knead dough, what active yeast was, how warm the water should be, how to keep the dough warm to allow it to rise and how to roll out dough in a semi-perfect circle. This was my gift to my newlywed husband. Now that I've been tinkering with other recipes, that pizza pan hasn't seen the light of day since we've been in our new house. I've put it off for too long...so I dusted off the pan and decided to do it all. Dough, sauce, toppings. All homemade (except the cheese, of course.)

Yes, I'm crazy. Here we go with the "Long of it":

Pizza dough:

2 teaspoons honey
1 package active dry yeast (about 2 1/4 teaspoons)
3/4 cup warm water (100° to 110°)
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (about 10 ounces), divided
1/2 teaspoon salt

Dissolve the honey and yeast in 3/4 cup warm water in a large bowl. Let stand 5 minutes or until bubbly. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Add 2 cups flour and salt to yeast mixture; stir until a soft dough forms. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead until smooth and elastic (about 6 minutes); add enough of the remaining flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, to prevent dough from sticking to hands (dough will feel slightly sticky).
Place dough in a large bowl coated with cooking spray, turning to coat top. Cover and let rise in a warm place (85°), free from drafts, 30 minutes or until doubled in size. (Gently press two fingers into dough. If the indentation remains, the dough has risen enough.)

Roll dough into a 12-inch circle (about 1/4 inch thick) on a lightly floured surface. Place dough on a rimless baking sheet sprinkled with cornmeal. Crimp edges of dough with fingers to form a rim. Cover with plastic wrap. Place the dough in refrigerator for up to 30 minutes. Bake according to recipe directions.

• It's important to get the water temp just right so the yeast can do it's job. Basically I ran hot water from tap and then turned the faucet a bit to the warmer and less scorching side. That seemed to the trick.
• Here's "how to knead": make sure the dough has enough flour on it so it doesn't stick to your hands. Then, fold it with your hands and press it with your palms. Turn it one quarter of the way clockwise toward you and press again. Keep turning and pressing until the dough is slightly sticky. I did this for two whole rotations.
• Now you've got to keep this dough ball warm so it will double in size. I put it in a glass bowl, away from the fridge, on a counter near a window. I put three kitchen towels over the bowl to try to create an environment that would make the dough aspire to new heights. Let it sit while you start to make the sauce. The sauce takes about 25 minutes to make around the same time it takes the dough to rise.
• By the way, I didn't add the cornmeal to the pain. The airholes on the bottom of the pan wasn't condusive to this step.

The sauce:

Cooking spray

1/4 cup finely chopped onion

1 garlic clove, minced

1/4 cup white wine

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 (14.5-ounce) can crushed tomatoes, undrained

1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil

1/2 teaspoon balsamic vinegar

Preparation
Heat a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add onion to pan; sauté 3 minutes or until tender. Add garlic to pan; sauté 30 seconds. Stir in wine; cook 30 seconds. Add tomato paste, oregano, pepper, and tomatoes. Reduce heat, and simmer for 20 minutes or until thick. Remove from heat; stir in basil and vinegar. Cool.

The sauce was pretty straightforward. No problems. I let it simmer and went on to pulling together the toppings. I cut one sweet onion into long slivers and put them in a small skillet with 1 T of extra virgin olive oil. It took about 10 minutes for them to get nice and brown and soft. Then, I took out a bottle of sundried tomatoes and drained the oil from it. I chopped up about 1/4 cup of them into small pieces.

Meanwhile, the dough had doubled in size. It took no time at all to roll it and put it into the pizza pan. Then I brushed on 1 T of extra virgin olive oil all over the dough. The oven was already preheated at 500 F and I placed the pan on the lowest rack. It took 8 minutes to brown and get crispy. I took it out and lowered to temp. to 450 F.

Now the fun part, I ladeled the sauce onto the pizza - adjust to your liking. My husband likes a lot of sauce. Then I sprinkled only a 1/4 cup of skim shredded mozzerella. I don't like a lot of cheese, and I was adding goat cheese crumbles as a topping anyway. Then for half the pizza, I added carmelized onions and the other half was the sundried tomatoes. Finally, I sprinkled goat cheese crumbles over the whole pie. I put the whole thing back in the oven and I watched carefully. You don't want the crust to burn, but everything needs to heat up, get soft and become a pizza. It took about 10 minutes. Maybe less depending on your oven.

I smiled when I took it out. It smelled awesome. It looked like a thing of beauty. It took me an hour and a half from start to finish. Was it worth it? IT WAS. The crust was thin and crispy thanks to the pan. The sauce was popping with flavor. And those toppings were out of this world.

My husband? Very, very happy. The pizza? Gone.

Okay, now to the "Short of It". Last night, I made a very quick and healthy meal. The menu? Roasted Cauliflower with Lemon, Sauteed Sweet Pototoes and Apple w/cinnamon and Baked Turbot.

What the heck is a turbot (pronounced tur-bough) do you ask?? Until two days ago, I didn't know either. The fishmonger at Whole Foods saw me eyeing the Chilean Sea Bass. At $23 a pound, it was more than I wanted to spend and I whined about it a bit. So the fishmonger quietly told me that a turbot fillet (at $9 a pound) was what restaurants sometimes trade for sea bass. Unfortunately without the customers knowing. He told me they tasted exactly the same. Did I want to know this jaded piece of information? No, I prefer a state of ignorant bliss. But I thought as long as I was upfront with the hubby, then no harm no foul.

If you haven't seen my recipe for Roasted Cauliflower, you can find it under the December 2007 recipes under the post title, "Something old and something new." It's quick, easy and it's becoming a fast favorite in this household. Between the two of us, we gobble up a head of cauliflower and never have leftovers.

Just for your time management benefit, I preheated the oven at 375 F while I let the cauliflower sit in cold water (it gives it the extra moisture it needs before roasting it) for 25 minutes.

While the cauliflower sat, I sliced one sweet potato very thinly. I used a sharp knife but you could also use a mandolin if you have one. I didn't peel the skin off, because it's good for you, too. I used a fuji apple, which I think is tastiest. I kept the skin on it, as well. I coated a large skillet with cooking spray and added both the potatoes and the apple slices and sprinkled generously with cinnamon. It took about 15 minutes for the mixture to get soft and cook throughout. In hindsight, I would put the sweet potatoes in first for an extra 7 minutes.

When I finished following my cauliflower recipe (see other post for this), I prepared the turbot fillet. I lined a 9 X 12 pan with foil and placed in the 1 1/2 pound turbots fillets (after washing them). I used kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper to season both sides of the fillets. Then, I added 2 T of extra virgin olive oil on the fillets and massaged it in. Yes, I massage fish. I'm not proud of it. Back in the oven at 375 F, it took 12 minutes total to turn an opaque white and become flakey (test with a fork. Flakey = good. Slimey = bad).

I cut up a lemon for the table and squeezed it over the cauliflower and the cooked fish. The only thing I wish I did was whip up couscous or quinoa to fill the empty space on my plate where the grains would sit. Oh well.

Everything turned out really well. A nice light dinner for two. The burning question is, did the turbot taste the same as the sea bass. No. It didn't. But it was good and I would buy it again for dinner for us. I'll save the sea bass for a small dinner party.

Now you have it. The long and the short of it. I've got to go. I've got a pile of dishes to do!!

A Rustic Wrap for Dinner

I'm feeling more and more comfortable just "winging it" in the kitchen. My husband said he would make his own dinner tonight after I told him about what was in my arms that I gathered from the pantry and fridge. He despises most of these ingredients, so I figured he would cook himself eggs tonight. But being the great adventurer that he is, he tried my completed dinner before I sat down. I gave him a bite and he wouldn't give back the plate. He loved it. No worries, I had plenty more to make another wrap for me. Here's what I'm calling tonight's experiment:



A Rustic Wrap



1 tablespoon of canola oil



One diced yellow pepper



One diced sweet onion



1/2 cup of sliced mushrooms (I used "mini-bellas")



2 cups of baby spinach



6 oz. of firm tofu



3 tablespoons (0r more depending on your taste) of Eat Smart's brand: "Garden Style Sweet Salsa"



goat cheese crumbles



sun dried tomato torillas



Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. First add onions for about 3 minutes until soft. Then add peppers and mushrooms. Salt and pepper to taste. After they get soft (another 3-4 minutes), add the spinach. It will reduce very quickly to a manageable size. Add tofu and salsa. Continue cooking until vegetables are soft and tofu and salsa are heated to your liking. For me, that was another 3 minutes.



You can toast your torillas, but I didn't. I added 1/3 of the vegetable mix to one tortilla and sprinkled it with goat cheese crumbles. Enjoy!!


Here's a picture of the delicious salsa I found. It is not at all hot. Completely mild and much sweeter than typical salsa:

The "I'm Too Tired to Cook" Pasta

Last night I called my husband on his way home from work and practically begged him to take me out to dinner. He was happy to oblige, but honestly, I couldn't let myself do it. It's a funny thing, but once you start preparing all of your meals from scratch, it's kind of addictive! The really weird thing is I usually feel crappy after eating out, too. So I decided to just look in pantry and the fridge and see what I could put together. Creating a recipe on the fly is like figuring out a puzzle. What flavors will go well together? What textures am I in the mood for? And of course, what will be incredibly easy and not leave me too tired to enjoy it?

So, I grabbed this from the fridge:

• Two heads of broccoli
• a fresh lemon
• three garlic cloves
• a chunk of Parmesan cheese

And this from the pantry:

• Extra virgin olive oil
• pine nuts
• Kosher salt & ground pepper
• Whole wheat fusilli pasta

After the water started to boil, I just put the whole box of fusilli in. I like it el dente (slightly hard), so it takes about 10 minutes after a full boil. Then, I cut the broccoli into florets and found a dish for them to steam in (4 min. in the microwave, covered). I planned on stir frying them, but it helps to soften them first. I heated the olive oil (about 1 1/2 tablespoons) in a skillet and let the garlic cook for about 3 minutes until toasty brown. Then, in a smaller skillet (dry) I put about 1/4 cup of pine nuts and lightly toasted them (about 5 min.) Meanwhile, I added the steamed broccoli to the garlic and kept tossing everything until the florets became softer and slightly brown (approx. 10 min.) A little Kosher salt and pepper to taste.

When everything is cooked, I drained the pasta and took out a great big glass bowl and combined all the cooked ingredients. Then I mixed in about 1/2 cup of really great extra virgin olive oil (Goya has an excellent bottle.) Then, I liberally grated fresh parmesan cheese over everything and mixed that in, as well.

Finally, I squeezed half the juice from the lemon all over it. If my lemon was a little fresher, I would have zested the peel and added it, too.

Oh boy, this was good. I served it warm last night, but this would also be a great cold salad. If you can believe, this was even tastier for lunch today. I think the longer it sits in the fridge, the deeper the flavors get! However, this will not sit in the fridge very long. I hope you enjoy it and definitely let me know what you think.

I just thought of something else. If you wanted to add a little protein, I bet grilled chicken, firm tofu or cannelini beans would be delicious.

Tofu. Yes, Really. Tofu.

Ready for a confession? Tonight was the very first time in my life I've ever cooked with tofu. I have been easing soy products into my life for the last year. I first started using soy milk in my cereal and fruit smoothies. I barely noticed a difference and enjoyed the variety of nutrients it provided. As my desire for variety increases, I became inspired to try firm tofu. For those who know me personally, you know this is a leap for me! But this recipe from Ellie Krieger's show on the Food Network called "Healthy Appetite" was very tempting. How much do I love fried rice. THIS MUCH. So why not try a healthier version?

Fried Rice with Scallions, Edamame and Tofu

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon canola oil, divided

2 large cloves garlic, minced

4 scallions, greens included, rinsed, trimmed and thinly sliced

1 tablespoon minced ginger

4 cups leftover cooked brown rice

3/4 cup finely diced red pepper

3/4 cup cooked, shelled edamame

1/2 cup fresh or frozen, thawed, corn

6 ounces firm tofu, cut into 1/4-inch cubes

2 eggs, beaten

3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce

Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a wok or large skillet until very hot. Add the garlic, scallions and ginger and cook, stirring, until softened and aromatic, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add the rice, red pepper, edamame, corn and tofu and cook, stirring, until heated through, about 5 minutes. Make a 3-inch well in the center of the rice mixture. Add 1 teaspoon of canola oil, then add the eggs and cook until nearly fully scrambled. Stir the eggs into the rice mixture, then add soy sauce and incorporate thoroughly. Serve hot.

I have a new cooking toy that made prep for this recipe a lot easier. It's the one chop vegetable chopper from Williams Sonoma. I love it! For those of you who cry when cutting onions, this is the tool for you. For this recipe, it just made my red peppers so uniform (and pretty!) when diced. Anyway, back to this recipe. I was able to make the prep go quickly by purchasing frozen corn and edamame. They both were delicious when cooked (5 minutes each), so don't hesitate to do this. This recipe is a perfect example of how smoothly things can go when you have everything ready before you start cooking. If I didn't do this, something would have definitely burned.

Basically, my hubby and I were really happy with this dinner. It's a gorgeous plate of food - so many brilliant colors and it's very filling. You can use instant brown rice to make this go quicker, of course. Our dinner took a little longer, because I went the non-instant route. Try it, and tell me what you think!

Something old, something new....

Okay, so when my husband said he wanted a lighter version of his favorite meal for his birthday I thought this would be a challenge. Ready for it?

Fettucine Alfredo.

Yea. Ever have this dish out at a restaurant and then you get home and your stomach is still digesting it? How about all night long? Yep. This was a toughie. Then, lo and behold, Cooking Light magazine had a healthier version of the recipe that received rave reviews on line. So Fettucine Alfredo is my "Something Old" with a lighter twist. Here's the recipe:

Ingredients
1 tablespoon butter 2 garlic cloves, minced 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour 1 1/3 cups 1% low-fat milk 1 1/4 cups (5 ounces) grated fresh Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, divided 2 tablespoons 1/3-less-fat cream cheese 1/2 teaspoon salt 4 cups hot cooked fettuccine (8 ounces uncooked pasta) 2 teaspoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley Cracked black pepper

Preparation
Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic; cook 1 minute, stirring frequently. Stir in flour. Gradually add milk, stirring with a whisk. Cook 6 minutes or until mixture thickens, stirring constantly. Add 1 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano, cream cheese, and salt, stirring with a whisk until cheeses melt. Toss sauce with hot pasta. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese and chopped parsley. Garnish with black pepper, if desired.

Serve immediately.
Yield
4 servings (serving size: 1 cup)

Nutritional Information
CALORIES 399(30% from fat); FAT 13.5g (sat 8g,mono 3.4g,poly 1.1g); PROTEIN 21.3g; CHOLESTEROL 34mg; CALCIUM 451mg; SODIUM 822mg; FIBER 2g; IRON 2.1mg; CARBOHYDRATE 48.9g

Mary Creel/Alison Ashton ,
Cooking Light, JANUARY 2007

My thoughts on the recipe:

• If you can't find Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese (I can never find it at Giant), you can use grated Parmesan cheese. I did and it worked well.



• When you're cooking the garlic on the first step, definitely keep a watchful eye. This is not the time to walk away from the stovetop. If it burns, start again. It didn't happen to me last night, but it's happened to me before. Since the cooked garlic is setting the stage for the flavor of the alfredo sauce, this is important to get right.



• I used spinach pasta instead of whole wheat or white pasta.



• I only used a pinch of fresh parsley. Flat leaf parsley belongs to the same family as cilantro. It has a citrus flavor to it. Flat leaf parsley also has a much stronger flavor than curly parsley that you're used to seeing. I'm not a fan of either parsley or cilantro. But I keep trying to get myself to like it because it's a common herb to flavor a dish.



• This dish was quicker to make than I expected. I was combining the cooked pasta and the finished sauce just when my hubby called and told me he was running twenty minutes late. The texture of the dish changed in that short amount of time. Basically this is a perfect dish when your family is ready to sit down to dinner. When they say "serve immediately" they weren't kidding! It was still tasty just "stickier."



• Try a little oil in the saucepan when cooking the pasta. The noodles won't stick together so much.

Something New!

So what do I serve as a vegetable with the fettucine alredo? The pasta was already spinach based so I didn't want to use green leafy vegetables. Since the sauce was white, I decided to go with that same color palette and make Roasted Cauliflower. I have never in my life tried this before. I've never even eated cauliflower raw off the crudite platter at parties. I can't believe I was going to try this for the first time for my husband's birthday dinner, but I've heard so many great things about cauliflower (made right), that I had to try it. Also, I've been roasting veggies for so long now, I knew that the technique was a sure fire hit.

I received a hint about the technique at cooking class. But the recipe is really made up. Here it is:

Roasted Cauliflower

One head of Cauliflower, cored and cut into florets, 1-2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, Kosher salt, and fresh ground black pepper.

After cutting the cauliflower into florets, I dunked them in a bowl of cold water for 25 minutes. Apparently this helps keep the moisture in the veggie while it's roasting. After draining them in a colliander, I laid the florets out evenly on a 9X12 casserole dish and added the oil. Then I tossed them with a pinch of kosher salt and pepper. The oven was preheated at 375F. I knew it would take 30 minutes, but I set the timer to go off every ten minutes so I could add 1-2 tablespoons of water to keep it moist. I also took the opportunity to push the florets around to make sure all sides were browning evenly.

I read somewhere that roasted cauliflower tastes delicious with fresh lemon juice. I place a lemon cut into four halves on the table with the cauliflower.

So how did it turn out?? I couldn't believe it. It was extremely yummy!! It just melted in my mouth. I'm totally serious. I had no idea that roasted cauliflower could be so good. I'm definitely putting in my rotation of side dishes. I will probably start serving it at dinner parties, too.

Cauliflower is a cruciferous vegetable because the leaves form a cross underneath it's head. Here's a great fact about cauliflower that I found online:

"Cauliflower and other cruciferous vegetables, such as broccoli, cabbage,
and kale, contain compounds that may help prevent cancer. These compounds appear to stop enzymes from activating cancer-causing agents in the body, and they increase the activity of enzymes that disable and eliminate carcinogens." (from http://www.whfoods.com/)

I also learned that cauliflower is in season from December to March. So try it now! I promise you will LOVE it.

Karen