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Semi-Homemade Chili

November 4, 2011 by 4 Comments

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No harm in taking a little help from the grocery store and letting someone else measure the spices for you so you don’t have to buy a whole jar for one use. I’m such a saver.

My family has been eating chili with spices from a box for many, many years. The box is Wick Fowler’s 2 Alarm Chili. It’s found by the taco seasonings. I like this chili in a box because it is really just spices, and they are all labeled so you can control how much you add, like of salt. The spices are chili pepper, red pepper, salt, oregano, garlic/onion, masa flour for thickening, and probably something else. Not too harmful! You add your choice of meat, 8 oz of tomato sauce and 16 oz water. It’s a winning dish for our family and husband approved every time! We usually eat it on New Year’s Day with cornbread.

On a very hot October day, we decided to have our first chili of the season. At least we’re pretending it’s cooler temperatures by eating hot chili. It’s actually in the high 80s still. Sadface.

We dress up our chili with turkey meat, an onion, bell peppers, corn, and toppings and cook away until it’s spicy and thick.

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Since you can make chili earlier and let it sit for a while, I had some extra time to make homemade cornbread. I used the recipe on the back of the Jif cornmeal bag and cut it in half. A regular amount makes a whole cornbread pie, or about 12 muffins, and half made about 16 cute mini-muffins, great for crumbling and taking for lunch during the week. I added corn kernels and only baked for about 8-10 minutes. Otherwise, it was as instructed. They are pretty cute.

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This was a great weeknight meal, and really didn’t take that much time, or cleanup! I also made a veggie side dish, to come later this week!

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Hukuna Frittata

October 24, 2011 by 3 Comments

For a recent Sunday night dinner, eggs were on the menu. Instead of scrambling like we usually do, we made our first frittata. Last December, we bought a Le Creuset cast iron skillet at an outlet store in Florida. The thing probably weighs ten pounds, but we wanted to try the cast iron method of cooking meat, and on sale was a good way to try it.

Only special pans can go from the stovetop to oven, and Le Creuset makes their products special for that. Eggs are also a great food to start on the stove and finish in the oven.

The frittata turned out to be a fun way to eat vegetables and eggs in a pie shape. We loved it! So many ideas of how to alter the ingredients to make this again. I had mine with a little salad of lettuce and tomato and a bagel on the side. And we shared some bacon.

The best part was the leftovers for lunch! I ate it cold twice for lunch during the week with a salad.

We loved the potatoes and egg together, and bacon would have been great in the frittata too. Can’t wait to make more frittatas!

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Vegetable Frittata

Makes 8 wedges

Ingredients:

  • 3 baby yellow potatoes, diced
  • 1 red bell pepper, chopped
  • 2 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt {divided}
  • freshly ground black pepper, to taste
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 8 eggs, beaten
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1/4 C grated Pepperjack cheese, plus more for sprinkling
  • 2 scallions, chopped

Instructions:

  • Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
  • In a cast-iron skillet (important), drizzle with 2 T EVOO and let heat up. Cook diced potatoes and garlic for about 8 minutes until tender.
  • Add chopped bell pepper for last 3 minutes.
  • In a mixing bowl, whisk together eggs with salt, pepper, milk and cheese.
  • In the skillet, spread vegetables evenly so they don’t overlap. Pour eggs on and don’t stir.
  • Let sit for about 3 minutes, until sides are getting geled and inside is still wet.
  • Transfer skillet to oven and bake for 20-25 minutes, until top is firm and starting to brown.
  • Remove from oven and add scallions and more cheese for melting.
  • Cut into wedges, and it should remove easily.

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Filed Under: Dinner, Recipes, Vegetarian · Tagged With: , , , ,

Falafel Burgers, Round 2

September 21, 2011 by 2 Comments

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Quite a while ago, I made falafel burgers. We enjoyed them ok, but thought they were a little dry, and basically tasted like baked hummus. It wasn’t bad, just tasted like hummus. Then I saw a recipe recently that added some jalapeno, and more spices, and also cooked them on the stovetop instead of in the oven. Worth a try! I love falafel, and remember liking that the burgers lasted me for lunch for many days.

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We really liked these, but thought they needed a good sauce! What goes with falafel? Tzaziki. I don’t have that in a jar in the fridge. These falafel were much more flavorful, and stovetop method was really good too. I added some shredded carrot to help keep them juicy, and liked the addition of an onion and jalapeno. I also changed the spices from the original recipe because I didn’t have them and didn’t want to buy more spices. It’s all about using what you’ve got.

Falafel Burgers

Ingredients:

  • 1 can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
  • 1/2 red onion, minced
  • 1 jalapeno, minced
  • 1/3 C shredded carrot
  • 1 lemon, juiced
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 cumin
  • 1/2 tsp paprika
  • 3 T plus 2 tsp EVOO
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp pepper
  • 1/2 C Panko breadcrumbs
  • 1 egg white
Instructions:
  • In a food processor, combine the chickpeas, 2 tsp of olive oil, lemon juice and tahini. Blend well and scoop out into a large bowl. Set aside.
  • Heat up 1 tbsp olive oil over medium high heat in a large skillet. Once hot, add the onions and jalapeno and sauté for about six minutes or until tender. Add the garlic and sauté for another minute until toasty and fragrant. Add cumin and paprika and mix well.
  • Add onion mixture and carrots to the chickpea mixture and stir well to combine. Add the salt, egg white and breadcrumbs and mix well.
  • Heat the remaining 2 tbsp olive oil in the same skillet as before. Form patties with the chickpea mixture and fry for about three-four minutes per side, until golden and crunchy. Drain on paper towels.

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We also had some sliced, roasted carrots as a side, and roasted potatoes. The carrots were cut like fries and roasted with EVOO, salt and pepper at 400 degrees for 30 minutes. The potatoes included rosemary, garlic powder, EVOO, salt and pepper, and were roasted at 400 for about 30 minutes.

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We served our falafel over a salad of lettuce and tomato. Delicious and healthy meal!

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Falafel Burgers
Print
Ingredients
  • 1 can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
  • 1/2 red onion, minced
  • 1 jalapeno, minced
  • 1/3 C shredded carrot
  • 1 lemon, juiced
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 cumin
  • 1/2 tsp paprika
  • 3 T plus 2 tsp EVOO
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp pepper
  • 1/2 C Panko breadcrumbs
  • 1 egg white
Instructions
  1. In a food processor, combine the chickpeas, 2 tsp of olive oil, lemon juice and tahini. Blend well and scoop out into a large bowl. Set aside.
  2. Heat up 1 tbsp olive oil over medium high heat in a large skillet. Once hot, add the onions and jalapeno and sauté for about six minutes or until tender. Add the garlic and sauté for another minute until toasty and fragrant. Add cumin and paprika and mix well.
  3. Add onion mixture and carrots to the chickpea mixture and stir well to combine. Add the salt, egg white and breadcrumbs and mix well.
  4. Heat the remaining 2 tbsp olive oil in the same skillet as before. Form patties with the chickpea mixture and fry for about three-four minutes per side, until golden and crunchy. Drain on paper towels.
Filed Under: Dinner, Recipes, Vegetarian · Tagged With: ,

Asian Noodle Salad

September 16, 2011 by Leave a Comment

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Mmmm spicy noodles. Just what I’d been wanting! For a Labor Day party, I made a gigantic and colorful bowl of an Asian noodle salad. Filled with bell peppers, half a cabbage, and shredded carrots, this was a really healthful and filling side dish. And main dish for my lunch the next day.

Very simple to assemble and better when made in advance, this was all about boiling noodles, chopping veggies, and making a sauce that was spicy enough to your taste. Very simple that a recipe was just a starting place.

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Asian Noodle Salad

(serves a lot, you can cut in half for a normal family size)

Ingredients:

  • 1 box spaghetti
  • 1/2 small cabbage head, shredded
  • 1 bag shredded carrots, or many carrots, shredded (I took a shortcut)
  • 2 red bell peppers, chopped
  • 3 T canola oil
  • 3 T sesame oil
  • 1/4 C soy sauce
  • 2 limes, juiced
  • 2 T sugar
  • 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
  • 1 small bunch chives
  • 1 tsp black pepper
Instructions:
  • On the stovetop, bring large pot of water to a boil and boil spaghetti as directed, about 10 minutes.*
  • In a large mixing bowl, combine cabbage, bell peppers and carrots.
  • In a small bowl, combine all liquids and spices for sauce and whisk together.
  • When spaghetti is done, drain and mix with veggies.
  • Pour sauce on top and mix well.
  • Refrigerate overnight or until serving. Serve cold.
*To be helpful for serving, I cut the spaghetti in thirds prior to boiling.

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Asian Noodle Salad
Print
Ingredients
  • 1 box spaghetti
  • 1/2 small cabbage head, shredded
  • 1 bag shredded carrots, or many carrots, shredded (I took a shortcut)
  • 2 red bell peppers, chopped
  • 3 T canola oil
  • 3 T sesame oil
  • 1/4 C soy sauce
  • 2 limes, juiced
  • 2 T sugar
  • 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
  • 1 small bunch chives
  • 1 tsp black pepper
Instructions
  1. On the stovetop, bring large pot of water to a boil and boil spaghetti as directed, about 10 minutes.*
  2. In a large mixing bowl, combine cabbage, bell peppers and carrots.
  3. In a small bowl, combine all liquids and spices for sauce and whisk together.
  4. When spaghetti is done, drain and mix with veggies.
  5. Pour sauce on top and mix well.
  6. Refrigerate overnight or until serving. Serve cold.
  7. *To be helpful for serving, I cut the spaghetti in thirds prior to boiling.
Filed Under: Dinner, Lunch, Recipes · Tagged With: ,

Jeffrey’s Latest Pasta Creation

August 26, 2011 by Leave a Comment

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Well friends, this is the only home cooked meal to come out of our kitchen this week. There was one night of baked potato for me and eggs for him, but that hardly warrants a picture and a post. I promise we eat boring sometimes, it’s not all home baked challah every week. I actually ate this for dinner two nights, so maybe it’s not as bad? Except that my three dinners at home were pasta twice and a potato. Mmm starch.

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We made this dinner on Monday night, after 24 hours of traveling on a travel day that should have taken about 5 hours. I didn’t really take notes, we planned the meal on the plane so I could grocery shop, and then Jeffrey did most of the cooking. I actually used most ingredients from the pantry or freezer and only had to buy asparagus, an onion and fresh garlic. That’s pretty good!

Since I didn’t write down a recipe, I’ll share the thought process that I think Jeffrey used too.

For her: I wanted a pasta dish with some veggies and melty cheese. We had linguini in the pantry and used the whole box so there were plenty of leftovers. I thought asparagus was a hearty vegetable, so I bought a bunch of that, and then I used corn and edamame I have frozen. Just a big handful of each.

For him: Jeffrey wanted chicken in his pasta, so I defrosted some raw chicken in the freezer when we got home that afternoon. It was thawed by 6 p.m. when it was time to cook. He didn’t want the corn and edamame, but wanted garlic bread. I defrosted some Mrs. Baird’s white bread that we keep frozen, and we baked it with olive oil sans crust cut in triangles.

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For the whole dish to come together, we cooked the pasta as instructions said. About 10 minutes in boiling water.

In a separate pan, we sauteed the asparagus until tender and then added the corn and edamame for me, and none for Jeffrey. I think there was some sauteed onion in there too.

For the pasta sauce, we kept it simple with olive oil and garlic. Jeffrey minced garlic and added it to a sauce pan with olive oil and heated that up. I’m not sure what else was in there, maybe nothing? It made the noodles buttery and slippery. Mmm.

Then we combined the pasta, vegetables, chicken for Jeffrey (pan seared with just salt and pepper), and sauce and cooked together until warmed through. Season with red pepper flakes, salt, pepper and top with grated Parmesan cheese while it’s still hot.

That’s dinner!

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Really good Vegetable Soup

August 17, 2011 by Leave a Comment

Do you cook at home when you’re lazy, not feeling great, but still want to make sure you get your vegetables and a square meal? We try to, sometimes. I browsed cookbooks on Saturday and decided soup sounded good. I made the grocery list and Jeffrey did the shopping (so nice), and then we cooked together on Sunday afternoon and ate together a few hours later. Soups are great to cook ahead and let simmer or sit with the heat off. It only gets better tasting with time. Even better the next day too.

This soup was plenty big for a few meals or multiple bowls of soup. I plan to freeze some leftovers and pull out on another occasion when I just want a quick and simple meal but don’t want to resort to frozen food, canned food, or takeout.

Great with toast with cheese on top, or Saltine’s, we both loved the herb flavors in the soup, and I loved the big chunky vegetables like potatoes, beans, and big carrots.

Vegetable Soup

(recipe adapted from Ellie Krieger’s cookbook)

Ingredients

  • 1 (15-ounce) can canellini beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1/2 large onion, diced (about 1 cup)
  • 2 carrots, diced (about 1/2 cup)
  • 2 stalks celery, diced, (about 1/2 cup)
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 Russet potato, peeled and chopped
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
  • 2 teaspoons chopped fresh sage leaves
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 32 ounces low-sodium vegetable broth
  • 1 (14.5-ounce) can  no salt added diced tomatoes (we subbed tomato sauce)
  • 2 cups chopped baby spinach leaves
  • 1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan, optional

Directions

  • In a small bowl mash half of the beans with a masher or the back of a spoon, and set aside.
  • Heat the oil in a large soup pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion and let saute for a few minutes.
  • Add carrots, garlic and celery and let saute a few minutes more.
  •  Add potato and herbs, salt and pepper and cook stirring occasionally until the vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes.
  • Add the broth and tomatoes with the juice and bring to a boil. Add the mashed and whole beans and the spinach leaves and cook until the spinach is wilted, about 3 minutes more.
  • Let simmer for a few minutes, making sure carrots, celery and potato are fork tender, and then turn heat off and cover until ready to serve.
  • Serve topped with Parmesan, if desired.

Notes–you can add any vegetable you want–zucchini, squash, mushrooms, etc. I was just lucky to get the spinach and beans in this dish! Could also add pulled chicken and sub chicken stock instead of vegetable stock/broth.

Sorry for the blurred iPhone photo, I was too lazy to get the big camera out.

What do you cook for a simple but delicious one-pot Sunday night or weeknight dinner?

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His and Hers Quesadillas

August 10, 2011 by Leave a Comment

I have been pretty impressed with the cooking going on in our house for a summer month. Who wants to cook in August? Especially cook something in the oven or on the stove. We do, we like to cook at home when we can, especially when we go out to eat a lot. It’s nice to remember a home cooked meal when we can.

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Who doesn’t like bread and cheese anyway, it’s worth heating up a skillet for a buttery tortilla and melted cheese. It was quesadilla night in our house with a special sauce recipe my mom sent me. One of her favorite celebrity gossip shows featured this recipe for “avocado pesto” from a restaurant in Los Angeles. She said the show said it was a healthier version of a pesto without the oil and cheese. I made it because it had easy and few ingredients, always a winning combo for a new recipe.

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Does this look like guacamole? Well it tasted like it too. It was good, I just wouldn’t name it “avocado pesto.” I’d call it “jacked up guacamole.” It had basil and pine nuts like pesto, but no oil and cheese. It used avocado, red pepper flakes and salt and pepper for added flavor, but I just tasted the avocado. A creamy guacamole in our opinion.

Jacked Up Guacamole

(from Green Leaf Chop Shop)

Ingredients

  • 2 ripe avocados, pitted and peeled
  • 1/2 tbsp minced garlic
  • 1 tsp chile flakes
  • 1 bunch basil, stems removed
  • 1 oz unsalted pine nuts
  • 1/2 tsp Kosher salt
  • 1/2 tsp Fresh ground black pepper
  • 4 T water

Instructions

  • Combine all in a food processor and pulse until smooth and combined. Add water to desired consistency.

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Anyway, with our guacamole dip, we made quesadillas. The key to a great homemade one is really fresh and buttery tortillas. What could go wrong with a great tortilla and cheese? We used peppers and onions, and a pepper jack and cheddar cheese. I had mine with a side of lettuce and tomato, and Jeffrey added a shredded chicken breast to his. We had Uncle Ben’s 90 Second Spanish Style rice on the side, and the guac for dipping.

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Besides for a lot of cleanup, what a tasty weeknight dinner. Saute your veggies, shred the cheeses, assemble on the stovetop, and enjoy. Spice up with a special sauce or use a special cheese or extra ingredient to make them extra yum.

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Filed Under: Dinner, Recipes ·

Cast Iron Shrimp with Feta

August 4, 2011 by 2 Comments

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Choosing dinner on Sunday nights is sometimes a difficult task. I don’t eat a lot of chicken or meat, Jeffrey doesn’t eat many meatless meals. Jeffrey needs a hearty meal, and I’d be happy with a big salad. We skim cookbooks, I skim recipes I’ve pulled. We compromise, or sometimes eat two different things.

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This time, we found an Ina Garten dish that we both thought sounded good. Jeffrey wrote down the ingredients, I grocery shopped for them. What a team. Jeffrey actually cooked the meal too! I snapped pictures.

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This dish was really fragrant and different for us. Cooked in our Le Crueset cast iron skillet, it cooked in the mid-afternoon on the stovetop, and then in the oven right before dinner. Salty from the feta and with a nice bite from the shrimp covered in tomato sauce, it was really great. Cooking with shrimp was simple, as long as you buy it the same day.

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Roasted Shrimp with Feta

Ingredients

  • 2 T olive oil
  • 1 1/2 cups diced fennel (1 bulb)
  • 1 tablespoon minced garlic (3 cloves)
  • 1/4 cup dry white wine
  • 1 (14 1/2 ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained
  • 2 teaspoons tomato paste
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 1/4 pounds (16 to 18) shrimp, peeled and deveined with the tails left on
  • 3 ounces feta cheese
  • 1 cup fresh bread crumbs (I pulsed two pieces of bread, no crusts)
  • 3 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
  • 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
  • 2 lemons

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
  • Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in 10- or 12-inch heavy ovenproof skillet over medium-low heat. Add the fennel and garlic and sauté for 8 to 10 minutes, until tender. Add the wine and bring to a boil, scraping up any browned bits clinging to the bottom of the skillet, and cook until the liquid is reduced by half, 2 to 3 minutes.
  • Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, oregano, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper to the skillet. Simmer over low heat, stirring occasionally, for 10 to 15 minutes.
  • Arrange the shrimp artfully in one layer over the tomato mixture in the skillet. Scatter feta evenly over the shrimp. In a small bowl, combine the bread crumbs, parsley, and lemon zest with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and sprinkle evenly over the shrimp.
  • Bake the shrimp for about 15 minutes, until the shrimp are cooked through and the bread crumbs are golden brown. Squeeze the juice of 1 lemon over the shrimp. Serve hot with wedges of lemon..
  • Assemble the shrimp right in a 10- to 12-inch stainless-steel sauté pan, and then put the pan in the oven for 15 minutes before serving.

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We served our dish over arugula salad with crusty garlic bread on the side.

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This dish probably made enough for three hungry people as a main course, or maybe four people if you served a vegetable side. A winning dish for our house, and we would definitely make this again to entertain for friends or family!

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What do you like to make on Sunday nights? Something more detailed, or keep it simple?

Cast Iron Shrimp with Feta
5.0 from 1 reviews
Print
Ingredients
  • 2 T olive oil
  • 1 1/2 cups diced fennel (1 bulb)
  • 1 tablespoon minced garlic (3 cloves)
  • 1/4 cup dry white wine
  • 1 (14 1/2 ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained
  • 2 teaspoons tomato paste
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 1/4 pounds (16 to 18) shrimp, peeled and deveined with the tails left on
  • 3 ounces feta cheese
  • 1 cup fresh bread crumbs (I pulsed two pieces of bread, no crusts)
  • 3 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
  • 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
  • 2 lemons
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
  2. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in 10- or 12-inch heavy ovenproof skillet over medium-low heat. Add the fennel and garlic and sauté for 8 to 10 minutes, until tender. Add the wine and bring to a boil, scraping up any browned bits clinging to the bottom of the skillet, and cook until the liquid is reduced by half, 2 to 3 minutes.
  3. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, oregano, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper to the skillet. Simmer over low heat, stirring occasionally, for 10 to 15 minutes.
  4. Arrange the shrimp artfully in one layer over the tomato mixture in the skillet. Scatter feta evenly over the shrimp. In a small bowl, combine the bread crumbs, parsley, and lemon zest with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and sprinkle evenly over the shrimp.
  5. Bake the shrimp for about 15 minutes, until the shrimp are cooked through and the bread crumbs are golden brown. Squeeze the juice of 1 lemon over the shrimp. Serve hot with wedges of lemon..
  6. Assemble the shrimp right in a 10- to 12-inch stainless-steel sauté pan, and then put the pan in the oven for 15 minutes before serving.
Filed Under: Dinner, Recipes · Tagged With: ,

Pasta Caprese

July 20, 2011 by 1 Comment

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I was pretty sure I had a winner of a simple weeknight dinner with this dish, and I approved it, but here’s the story.

I had an idea for this Pasta Caprese as something that would be hearty enough for my husband, but still light and summery and without chicken. I made it hearty with cheese and whole wheat pasta, and even added a whole yellow onion and garlic to appease his love of stomach turning foods. I’m nice like that.

I was correct in the easy weeknight dinner part, and it was a filling enough dinner for me, but Jeffrey raided the refrigerator for leftover BBQ 30 minutes after the kitchen closed for the night.

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Putting a spin on a Caprese salad (tomato, mozzarella, basil) by cooking it and adding it to pasta was really tasty. The cheese got melty and stringy, and the tomatoes dissolved into the pasta. I have a few thoughts to make it better, but that’s below.

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Pasta Caprese

Ingredients:

  • 2 large red tomatoes
  • 1 yellow onion, chopped
  • 8 oz block mozzarella
  • 1/2 C basil, in a chiffonade
  • 1 box penne, or about 10 ounces
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/4 tsp each salt and pepper
  • 3 T EVOO

Instructions:

  • In a pasta pot or soup pot, bring water to a boil and cook pasta as directions say, about 10 minutes.
  • In a large skillet, add 1.5 T EVOO to heat and then add garlic, but don’t let it burn.
  • Shortly after, add the onion and cook together until it starts to brown, don’t burn.
  • Add chopped tomatoes and let it all cook together until the tomatoes become very liquidy and it looks like a sauce.
  • Add salt and pepper when the tomatoes go in.
  • Drain pasta, while reserving about 1/2 C pasta water.
  • Place pasta back in the large pot.
  • Add tomato sauce and pasta water to the pasta and mix well. If sauce starts to dissolve into the noodles, add more pasta water.
  • Once combined, add mozzarella and basil and stir to combine. Serve immediately.
  • If you are going to wait to serve, wait to combine the sauce and cheese until ready.
  • Season to taste with salt and pepper.

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The part I should have done was reserve the pasta water to help the sauce stay juicy. In the sauce pan, it was very juicy, but the pasta absorbed it quickly since we didn’t eat right away.

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The mozzarella also turned a little tough while it was sitting waiting for Jeffrey to come home from work. Lesson is to make this right when you want to eat it and your cheese will stay gooey and your sauce will be saucy.

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I still liked it, and it made great leftovers to eat cold.

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This pasta dish was super simple with just a few ingredients. I really liked how it made its own sauce of just tomatoes, onion and garlic. Few ingredients, just two pots, a one-dish meal, and under 30 minutes are my qualifications for an easy weeknight dinner. Even in the summertime!

What are you cooking up quickly this summer? 

Pasta Caprese
Print
Prep time: 10 mins
Cook time: 20 mins
Total time: 30 mins
Serves: 4
Ingredients
  • 2 large red tomatoes
  • 1 yellow onion, chopped
  • 8 oz block mozzarella
  • 1/2 C basil, in a chiffonade
  • 1 box penne, or about 10 ounces
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/4 tsp each salt and pepper
  • 3 T EVOO
Instructions
  1. In a pasta pot or soup pot, bring water to a boil and cook pasta as directions say, about 10 minutes.
  2. In a large skillet, add 1.5 T EVOO to heat and then add garlic, but don’t let it burn.
  3. Shortly after, add the onion and cook together until it starts to brown, don’t burn.
  4. Add chopped tomatoes and let it all cook together until the tomatoes become very liquidy and it looks like a sauce.
  5. Add salt and pepper when the tomatoes go in.
  6. Drain pasta, while reserving about 1/2 C pasta water.
  7. Place pasta back in the large pot.
  8. Add tomato sauce and pasta water to the pasta and mix well. If sauce starts to dissolve into the noodles, add more pasta water.
  9. Once combined, add mozzarella and basil and stir to combine. Serve immediately.
  10. If you are going to wait to serve, wait to combine the sauce and cheese until ready.
  11. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Filed Under: Dinner, Recipes · Tagged With: , ,

Mediterranean Farro Salad

July 7, 2011 by 2 Comments

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When I came home from the beach, I wanted something colorful and high in protein to have on hand for the week. I love these one-dish combos of grain, protein, vegetable, and looked in my pantry at what to use. For grains, my choices were lentils, quinoa, rice or farro. I bought a bag of farro last November and used it in a dish for Thanksgiving. I enjoyed it, but actually hadn’t cooked with it since. Might as well use some farro!

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While we were on vacation, we actually ate in a lot during our weekend at the beach, but it was all undocumented for here. We had cereal/yogurts for breakfast or eggs/bagels. Lunch was a big buffet of build-your-own salad or sandwich with leftovers. Dinner was a lot of meat one night and a lot of fish one night. And one night was at a restaurant. Cooking for 12 was a lot of food, but eating in made it very affordable.

Back to farro–it is a grain that looks like barley, but cooks like rice. It has a little bit of a chewy texture, and takes the flavor of anything you pair it with. One cup of farro has 100 calories, 4 g protein, 3.5 g fat. The whole dish below is one cup of uncooked farro. It goes a long way.

With the farro, I decided to make a Mediterranean inspired dish to serve cold on top of a salad for lunch. Mediterranean to me is olives, feta, and tomatoes. I subbed a red bell pepper for the tomato so it would be less mushy, and added mushrooms and corn to add some more vegetables and give it some color.

That is how this dish came to be.

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Mediterranean Farro Salad

Ingredients:

  • 1 C uncooked farro, rinsed and drained
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1/3 C feta crumbles
  • 1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
  • 1/4 C black olives, chopped
  • 1/4 C yellow corn (I used from a frozen bag)
  • 3 button mushrooms, chopped
  • 1 T EVOO
  • 1 T Balsamic vinegar
  • 1/2 lemon, juiced

Instructions:

  • In a strainer, pour in farro and run under water to rinse.
  • In a medium sauce pan, bring together the farro and water. Add dash of salt. Bring water to a boil and simmer for about 20 minutes, until farro is fork tender.
  • Drain farro into strainer and pour back into the saucepan.
  • While the farro is simmering, combine garlic, red bell pepper, olives, corn and mushrooms in a small skillet and saute until soft. Season only with cooking spray. (other seasonings come in the dressing)
  • When vegetables are soft, pour into farro sauce pan and stir together.
  • Add feta cheese once dish is somewhat cool so it doesn’t melt immediately.
  • In a small bowl, combine olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt, pepper and lemon juice and stir to combine. Pour into sauce pan and stir well.
  • Plate to serve hot, or refrigerate to serve cold. Toss before eating.

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I loved the bite from the farro and the Mediterranean flavors from the olives and feta. Red onion would be a great addition too, I just didn’t want to chop an onion. The yellow corn adds a nice color, and it’s a really healthy dish of a hearty grain and vegetables.

Great as a side dish or the highlight of a meal with more vegetables.

What are you into this summer?

Mediterranean Farro Salad
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Author: Marci Gilbert
Prep time: 30 mins
Total time: 30 mins
Serves: 8
Ingredients
  • Mediterranean Farro Salad
  • 1 C uncooked farro, rinsed and drained
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1/3 C feta crumbles
  • 1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
  • 1/4 C black olives, chopped
  • 1/4 C yellow corn (I used from a frozen bag)
  • 3 button mushrooms, chopped
  • 1 T EVOO
  • 1 T Balsamic vinegar
  • 1/2 lemon, juiced
Instructions
  1. In a strainer, pour in farro and run under water to rinse.
  2. In a medium sauce pan, bring together the farro and water. Add dash of salt. Bring water to a boil and simmer for about 20 minutes, until farro is fork tender.
  3. Drain farro into strainer and pour back into the saucepan.
  4. While the farro is simmering, combine garlic, red bell pepper, olives, corn and mushrooms in a small skillet and saute until soft. Season only with cooking spray. (other seasonings come in the dressing)
  5. When vegetables are soft, pour into farro sauce pan and stir together.
  6. Add feta cheese once dish is somewhat cool so it doesn’t melt immediately.
  7. In a small bowl, combine olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt, pepper and lemon juice and stir to combine. Pour into sauce pan and stir well.
  8. Plate to serve hot, or refrigerate to serve cold. Toss before eating.
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