Lunch - the meal before dating*

Make It: Sweet Root Vegetable Frittata

Wed, 02 Dec 2009 00:01:22 -0500

There’s something about root vegetables that just screams “winter” to me. And there’s something about the combination of egg, root vegetables, and asiago cheese that’s just magical. This dish is perfect for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.

You’ll need (serves 6-8)

large sweet potato, peeled and cut into bite-sized pieces

2-3 medium parsnips, cut into bite-sized pieces

large red onion, chopped

2 cups baby spinach

4 eggs

about a cup of egg whites

1 T olive oil

salt and pepper (to taste)

asiago cheese, sliced thinly or shredded (to taste)

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Coat a baking sheet with a thin layer of olive oil and roast the sweet potatoes and parsnips for 30 minutes, or until fork tender. Here are my beautiful veggies before going in the oven:

Once your veggies are nice and cooked, lower oven temperature to 325. Saute the red onion with olive oil in a medium saute pan. When the onions are mostly done, add the spinach and root veggies.

When everything is fully cooked, add the egg. I use a splash of milk, salt, and pepper in my egg mixture. Keep in mind that you can really use any combination of egg white to whole egg. I find I don’t need many yolks to make a delicious frittata. I like to keep it light.

Keep the pan on medium-low heat until the egg starts to firm up. Then, spread the sliced or grated cheese evenly over the top. You can use more or less cheese depending on how rich you want it to taste. A little asiago goes a long way!

Once the egg is about halfway cooked, pop the whole pan in the oven for 10-15 minutes, or until everything is firm and the cheese is melted.

I served my frittata with salad for a light, delicious, and heart-warming (gluten-free) dinner!

delishyourdish: “Might Choke Artie, But It Won’t Choke...

Tue, 01 Dec 2009 13:41:45 -0500

delishyourdish:

“Might Choke Artie, But It Won’t Choke Stymie”- Artichoke and Green Olive Tapenade on Garlic Toast

Since it’s holiday season, I thought it would be a good idea to give you all some good holiday party appetizer recipes. This tapenade and crostini recipe only took about 10 minutes to make and was delish! To tell you the truth, I’m not even a big fan of olives and I still thought this was a great appetizer!

What You Need:

1 Container of Mezzetta Marinated Artichoke Hearts

1/2 Cup Chopped Mezzetta Bleu Cheese Stuffed Olives

1/4 Cup Rondele Garlic and Herb Spreadable Cheese

1 Clove Garlic

1 Small Baguette (Sliced and toasted)

1. Rub the garlic clove on the toasted bread and set aside. Then, drain the liquid from the marinated artichoke hearts and roughly chop them. Then, roughly chop the olives as well.

2. In a small bowl, add half of the olives and half of the artichokes. Then spoon in the Rondele cheese. Use a hand mixer to whip the mixture together, make sure not to make it too smooth. Then, stir in the remaining olives and artichoke hearts. Stir until well combined.

3. Then spoon the mixture onto your garlic toasts. Serve with chopped grape tomatoes and yellow peppers.

reallykatie: Buttered Rosemary Rolls Farewell, cruel world. I’m...

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 14:26:07 -0400

reallykatie:

Buttered Rosemary Rolls

Farewell, cruel world. I’m going to go to the grocery, buy enough ingredients to make 400 dozen of these babies, and eat them until I a) enter an infinite carbohydrate coma; b) get so fat I become an involuntary recluse because I can’t fit through the front door; or c) just keel over from deliciousness.

So goodbye. It’s been real. Stay cool. Have an awesome summer. Friends 4eva. KIT. 2good2be4gotten.

champagne grapes

Fri, 17 Jul 2009 14:11:53 -0400

grapes soaked in champagne and topped with coarse sugar

maryrambin: DELICIOUS DISH - A LIGHT DINNER FOR TWO I actually...

Thu, 09 Jul 2009 17:09:53 -0400

maryrambin:

DELICIOUS DISH - A LIGHT DINNER FOR TWO

I actually didn’t use a single “pot” for this, but the meal obviously involved many kitchen utensils, bowls, boards, and even a broiler pan!

Honestly though, it was super simple and tasted great. Here are the recipes:

Summer Salad (not pictured)

Baby Spinach

Sliced strawberries

Sliced almonds

Crumbled feta cheese

Raspberry vinaigarette

Halibut with Pineapple Salsa - from chef Sarah

Set the oven to broil and line a broiler pan with aluminum foil.

Marinade

3 tbsp. lime juice

3 tbsp. salad oil

1/4 tsp. dried thyme leaves

1/4 tsp. garlic salt & pepper

Combine all ingredients and shake well. Pour marinade over fish. Let stand for at least 15 minutes, turning once.
Broil 4-5 inches from flame. Squeeze lime wedges on top when preparing to serve to activate marinade flavors.

Pineapple Salsa

1 pineapple), peeled and diced

¼ cup chopped scallion, green part only

¼ cup diced red bell pepper

1 tablespoon finely diced fresh jalapeno

1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro

1 small clove garlic, minced

1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice

¼ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil

Mix together in a bowl and voila.
MR note: You can make the salsa ahead of time which was helpful because I didn’t have a lot of counter space. There will be a lot of extra salsa you can eat with chips. I served it with cold sauteed green beens (from Whole Foods) for the next night’s meal.

Baby Broccoli

Obviously simple. Heat a little EVOO and garlic in a frying pan. Add washed broccoli. Season with salt and pepper.

Blueberry Corn Muffins - From Williams Sonoma Cookbook (with a few changes)

4 tbsp unsalted butter

2/3 cup yellow cornmeal, preferably stone ground

2/3 cup all-purpose flour

1 tbspn sugar

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup buttermilk

1 large egg, beaten

1/2 cup dried blueberries

Preheat oven to 375.

Microwave half of the butter until melted and set aside. Cut slices from the rest of the butter and place one slice in each cup. Place the pan in the oven until hot and the butter is melted and sizzling. Remove the pan and turn it so each cup if coated (I used a paper towel).

Meanwhile, in a bowl, whisk together cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt. Make a well in the center and add melted butter, buttermilk, and the egg. Stir using a wooden spoon and then add blueberries. Pour into cupcake pan

Bake until top springs back when pressed gently in the center. About 20 minutes.

Serve warm or room temp.

nutritionista: Eggplant-Veggie Lasagna This is a somewhat...

Tue, 07 Jul 2009 10:17:12 -0400

nutritionista:

Eggplant-Veggie Lasagna

This is a somewhat time-consuming dish to prepare, but the finished product makes for great leftovers or could be frozen. This lasagna is heavy on veggies and light on cheese and pasta. Plus, mmmm. I ate mine with a sprinkle of parmesan and crushed red pepper. “Making of” post to come!

You’ll need:

1 medium eggplant, cut length-wise into thin strips

2 zuchinni, chopped

1 medium onion, chopped

1 bag frozen spinach, thawed

10 whole wheat lasagna pasta strips

1 jar tomato sauce (we used Amy’s organic brand)

1 1/2 cups low-fat ricotta*

1 C mozzarrella*

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Sweat the eggplant by salting them and then letting them rest for 30 mins.

While the eggplant is sweating, cook pasta according to directions.

Saute the eggplant in a small amount of olive oil for ~3 minutes on each side.

Remove eggplant from pan and set aside. Saute the onion until slightly tranlucent, then add zuchinni and spinach. Saute for about 10 minutes or until everything is tender. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Begin layering: layer of pasta, layer of eggplant, layer of sauce, thin layer of ricotta, layer of all cooked veggies, layer of eggplant, layer of pasta, layer of ricotta, layer of sauce, thin layer of mozzarella sprinkled on top.

Bake for 20 minutes or until cheese is melted and sauce is bubbling.

Let cool for 5-10 minutes and serve.

*Portions of cheese can easily be modified according to taste.

Chocolate Yogurt Snack Cakes

Tue, 23 Jun 2009 16:26:13 -0400

Chocolate Yogurt Snack Cakes

Radishes with Blue Cheese & Butter

Tue, 23 Jun 2009 10:50:55 -0400

Radishes with Blue Cheese & Butter

black bean burgers stolen from shredding it and getting it

Mon, 15 Jun 2009 16:59:09 -0400

Now onto the black bean burgers! The recipe is adapted from “Recipe of the Week: Burgers” by Sally Sampson [via Washington Post] and serves 4-6. I made it last week (using canned beans after the debacle of trying to soak dried ones) and loved them!

Ingredients

4 cups cooked, rinsed and drained black beans (I used two 15-ounce cans)

1/2 cup whole wheat breadcrumbs

2 large eggs

4 scallions, both white and green parts, minced

3 tablespoons (a small handful) chopped basil or cilantro, or a combination

2 garlic cloves, minced

1.5-2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 .5 teaspoons dried oregano

1-2 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes

1 teaspoon coarse salt

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

Instructions

Place 2 cups of the black beans in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until chunky.

Transfer to a large mixing bowl. Add remaining whole black beans, with bread crumbs, eggs, scallions, fresh herbs, garlic, cumin, oregano and red pepper flakes and mix until well combined.

Roll the mixture into balls and flatten to form patties. Suggested diameter: 3 inches; otherwise, the patty will be difficult to flip when cooking. [Extra step that’s worth doing: Place patties on a plate or tray and chill for 15 minutes so they can set up.]

When ready to cook, remove patties from refrigerator and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place in a nonstick pan coated with cooking spray.

Cook for about four minutes on first side or until well seared and with a spatula, turn onto the second side and allow to cook for an additional five minutes, over medium heat. Flip carefully…I had to use my fingers to guide them to keep them from breaking apart. (One did, so that crumbly one was mine!)

Serve immediately. I made this for my whole family, and served on wheat buns with lettuce, tomato, pepper jack cheese, homemade guac, salsa, and a large fruit salad. No one in my family would ever choose to eat a black bean burger, but they really liked them! The burgers are decently spicy, with tons of flavor.

Summer Squash Gratin Recipe

Mon, 15 Jun 2009 14:17:47 -0400

Summer Squash Gratin Recipe:

Summer Squash Gratin Recipe

Be sure to slice your potatoes as thin as possible. They get all melty and creamy. Slice them too thick and you’ll have trouble cooking them through because the zucchini cooks up more quickly. I use a box grater to shred the cheese here (as opposed to a micro-plane) - you get heartier, less whispy pieces of cheese which is what you want here. I’d also strongly recommend homemade bread crumbs here (see asterisk below).

zest of one lemon
1 1/2 pounds summer squash or zucchini, cut into 1/6th-inch slices
1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt

1/4 cup fresh oregano leaves
1/4 cup fresh Italian parsley
1 large garlic clove, chopped
1/4 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
pinch of red pepper flakes
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1/4 cup unsalted butter
2 cups fresh (whole wheat) bread crumbs*
1/2 pound yukon gold potatoes, sliced transparently thin
3/4 cup grated Gruyere cheese, grated on a box grater (or feta might be good!)

Preheat oven to 400F degrees and place a rack in the middle. Rub a 9x9 gratin pan (or equivalent baking dish) with a bit of olive oil, sprinkle with lemon zest, and set aside.

Place the zucchini slices into a colander placed over a sink, toss with the sea salt and set aside for 10-15 minutes (to drain a bit) and go on to prepare the oregano sauce and bread crumbs.

Make the sauce by pureeing the oregano, parsley, garlic, 1/4 teaspoon salt, red pepper flakes, and olive oil in a food processor or using a hand blender. Set aside.

Make the breadcrumbs by melting the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook for a few minutes until the butter is wonderfully fragrant, and has turned brown. Wait two minutes, then stir the breadcrumbs into the browned butter.

Transfer the squash to a large mixing bowl. Add the potatoes and two-thirds of the oregano sauce. Toss until everything is well coated. Add the cheese and half of the bread crumbs and toss again. Taste one of the zucchini pieces and add more seasoning (salt or red pepper) if needed.

Transfer the squash to the lemon-zested pan, top with the remaining crumbs, and bake for somewhere between 40 and 50 minutes - it will really depend on how thinly you sliced the squash and potatoes - and how much moisture was still in them. You don’t want the zucchini to go to mush, but you need to be sure the potatoes are fully baked. If the breadcrumbs start to get a little dark, take a fork and rake them just a bit, that will uncover some of the blonder bits. Remove from oven, and drizzle with the remaining oregano sauce.

Serves about 8 as a side.

*To make breadcrumbs cut the crust off 2-3 day old artisan bread. Tear into pieces the size of your thumb, and give a quick whirl in the food processor. I don’t like my breadcrumbs too fine - and tend to leave the pieces on the large size - more like little pebbles than grains of sand.

Pasta Salad with Goat Cheese and Arugula

Wed, 10 Jun 2009 15:57:42 -0400

Pasta Salad with Goat Cheese and Arugula

brianvan: Ok, this is the sort of mad-genius stuff that happens...

Thu, 04 Jun 2009 14:04:10 -0400

brianvan:

Ok, this is the sort of mad-genius stuff that happens when one is left at home for long periods of time: GUACAMOLE ICE CUBES. Solves the problem of guacamole going bad in the fridge quickly. It freezes and thaws quite well. One of these cubes is a single serving. Just defrost and use.

Omnomicon makes » recipe: ice cream cake (but not like you think)

Mon, 01 Jun 2009 12:40:43 -0400

Omnomicon makes » recipe: ice cream cake (but not like you think)

delishyourdish: “Angel Food Cake of Mine” Angel Food Cake with...

Mon, 01 Jun 2009 12:37:42 -0400

delishyourdish:

“Angel Food Cake of Mine” Angel Food Cake with Lemon Blueberry Glaze

Now that my brother is home from his first year of college, he’s doing his best to get rid of the freshman 15. Like the rest of my family, he is a dessert lover and has to have dessert pretty much every night. To help my little bro out, I decided to make him an Angel Food cake that will give him the sweets he’s looking for but without the fat.

What You Need:

1 Box Angel Food Cake Mix

1 Tbsp Butter

1/4 Cup Lemon Juice

1 Cup Confectioners Sugar

1/2-3/4 Cup Blueberries

2 Tbsp water

1. Bake Angel Food cake according to package directions.

2. Meanwhile, in a small bowl combine the lemon juice and sugar. Whisk together until smooth.

3. Then in a microwave safe bowl add blueberries and water. Microwave for about 1 minutes. The blueberries should become soft. Mix the blueberries into the sugar mixture.

4. Then, drizzle the glaze onto the Angel Food cake.

*Serve with low-fat whipped topping

thecooknook: Summer is tomato’s favorite season. For dinner...

Mon, 01 Jun 2009 09:59:13 -0400

thecooknook:

Summer is tomato’s favorite season. For dinner tonight, I took 2 pounds of roma tomatoes and whipped up a super easy, super delicious marinara. My recipe is below. It takes about 10 minutes to make and is so so so much better than anything you will find in the store.

Ingredients:

Olive oil

Balsamic Vinaigrette

2 pounds of coarsely chopped tomatoes

1 chopped onion (yellow would be preferable, but I only had a purple one)

1/4 - 1/3 cup of chopped, fresh basil

2 cloves of finely chopped garlic (but I hate chopping garlic, so I used the pre-chopped stuff)

Salt/Pepper

To Do:

Add a couple swirls of olive oil to a skillet on medium heat. Add the garlic and onion and cook until onion is tender (about 5 minutes):

Add the tomatoes to the pan and give a couple shakes of balsamic vinegar on top. It’s probaby equal to about 2 tablespoons. Then sprinkle some kosher salt on top (about 1/2 teaspoon) and black pepper to taste:

Cook until the tomatoes have softened up but are not falling apart (about 5-7 minutes), stirring occassionally.

Remove from heat and stir in your chopped basil. If your tomatoes are not at the peak of freshness, feel free to add a teeny bit of sugar too.

Serve over your favorite pasta. Mine is penne.

In my experience, cooking is best performed when wearing a fun apron and enjoying a nice glass of wine:

Bean & Corn Salad

Thu, 28 May 2009 13:35:11 -0400

mydailybread:

This flavorful dish will knock your socks off! It can be eaten by itself or with tortilla chips (its best with the Tostitos Hint of Lime chips - wow).

Bean & Corn Salad:

1 can black beans

1 can pinto beans

1 can corn

3-4 tomatoes

1-2 avocados

1/3 red onion, finely chopped

1 lime, freshly squeezed

A few tablespoons of salsa

Bunch of cilantro

Pinch of cumin

Coarse sea salt

Cracked black pepper

Great for a meal or a snack attack - by Courtney

delishyourdish: “Sit Down You’re Rocking The Boat”- Zucchini...

Wed, 27 May 2009 17:33:23 -0400

delishyourdish:

“Sit Down You’re Rocking The Boat”- Zucchini Boats

I’ve posted quite a lot of unhealthy things lately, so it’s time to get back on track now that it’s bathing suit season. This recipe was something that I just kind of made up as I went along and it came out amazing. I have some people who are on the zone diet and this recipe works perfectly for them!

What You Need:

6 Zucchini

3/4 Cup Frozen Chopped Onions

1 Tbsp Minced Garlic

Tomato Sauce

1 Can Small White Beans

5 Large White Mushrooms Chopped

1 Pkg. Tempeh

Mozzarella Cheese (optional-leave out if vegan)

Set Oven to 400 degrees

1. Wash the zucchini then cut off the ends. Cut four of the zucchini’s lengthwise and place them into a microwave safe dish. Microwave for about 4 minutes. The center of the zucchini should be soft enough to scoop out. Be sure not to over cook or they will fall apart. Scoop out the center of the zucchini. Then chop up the other two zucchinis. Set aside.

2. Heat a pan on medium-low heat. Grease with PAM, then crumble the tempeh into the pan. Toast the tempeh crumbles until they have browned. Remove from pan and set aside. Then, heat a large sautee pan. Grease with PAM then add the onions and garlic. Cook the onions and garlic on low heat for about 3 minutes. Then add the chopped zucchini and mushrooms. Cook until the zucchini and mushrooms have become soft.

3. Next add the can of small white beans and 1/2 jar of tomato sauce. Mix thoroughly. Then, place the scooped out zucchinis onto a greased cookie sheet. Spoon in a small amount of tempeh into the bottom of each ‘boat’. Then, spoon the bean and vegetable mixture into each boat. Top with a little more tempeh and some mozzarella cheese.

4. Place cookie sheet in oven for about 15-20 minutes. Broil for the last minute if you want the tops of the boats to brown.

sporkorfoon: Cookie Cake Pie A pie crust, topped with a...

Wed, 27 May 2009 17:29:10 -0400

sporkorfoon:

Cookie Cake Pie

A pie crust, topped with a chocolate chip cookie layer, topped with a layer of vanilla cake, topped with a layer of vanilla buttercream.

And it’s all so easy. Check here for the recipe.

smartblonde: Spicy Peanut Potatoes i must make these asap. I...

Tue, 12 May 2009 14:06:39 -0400

smartblonde:

Spicy Peanut Potatoes

i must make these asap. I MUST!!!

Maida Heatter's Polka Dot Cheesecake

Fri, 08 May 2009 14:46:47 -0400

Maida Heatter's Polka Dot Cheesecake