Chicken Cacciatore

I've had a couple of recent successes! I served this with a combo of mashed sweet potato/regular potato.

Serves 4

Hands-on Time: 45m

Total Time: 1hr 50m

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt
• 3/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 3 1/2- to 4-pound chicken, cut into pieces
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 medium yellow onion, roughly chopped
• 1 carrot, diced
• 1 celery stalk, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 3 sprigs fresh thyme (Oops, I accidentally used rosemary - apparently that's actually the species growing by my kitchen window.)
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 28-ounce can plum tomatoes (I don't remember the exact variety of canned tomatoes that I bought, but it was equivalent to tomato paste.)
• 1/3 cup dry red wine
• 1/4 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped

Directions

1. In a shallow bowl, combine the flour, 1 teaspoon of the salt, and 1/2 teaspoon of the pepper. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels. Working in batches, lightly coat the chicken with the flour mixture, shaking off any excess.

2. Heat the oil in a Dutch oven or large saucepan over medium heat. Add some of the chicken to the pan. Cook until browned, 4 to 5 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate. Repeat with the remaining chicken.

3. Add the onion to the pan and cook for 2 minutes. Add the carrot, celery, garlic, thyme, and bay leaf. Cook for 10 minutes. Crush the tomatoes and stir them into the vegetables. Add the wine and the remaining salt and pepper and bring to a simmer.

4. Add the chicken, reduce heat, and cover. Simmer for 45 minutes, turning the pieces occasionally. Remove and discard the bay leaf. Stir in the parsley and serve on individual plates.

source: realsimple.com

Black Beans & Rice

Simple, healthy, tasty - not much more to say than that! I used olive oil instead of cooking spray, brown rice instead of long-grain rice, and a can of diced tomatoes (drained) instead of tomato sauce.

PREP TIME 5 Min
COOK TIME 15 Min
READY IN 20 Min
SERVINGS 4

INGREDIENTS

• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 medium green pepper, chopped
• 1 medium sweet red pepper, chopped
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1 tablespoon tomato sauce
• 1 (15 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 cup cooked long-grain rice
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

DIRECTIONS

1. In a nonstick skillet that has been coated with nonstick cooking spray, saute the onion, green and red peppers, garlic, basil and pepper until tender. Stir in tomato sauce. Add beans, rice and vinegar; heat through. Transfer to a serving dish; sprinkle with cheese.

Nutritional Analysis: One 1-cup serving equals 175 calories, 396 mg sodium, 1 mg cholesterol, 32g carbohydrate, 10g protein, 2g fat.

source: allrecipes.com

Halibut with Radicchio

It has been a while since I encountered a recipe that knocks my socks off (you might have noticed since I haven't posted for 3 months). But wow! Red cabbage is my new BFF.

When I read "orange juice" as an ingredient I was thinking OJ but then I thought maybe they mean the juice of an orange - so that's what I used. See, cooking is confusing. The thyme I used is from a pot of herbs I'm growing outside my back door - so exciting!

I don't know what radicchio is and the grocery store didn't have any signs for it so I bought red cabbage. They might be the same thing - I could probably google it - but the red cabbage was wonderful even if it wasn't supposed to be used. And it should be cooked longer than the recipes says - it takes a long time to get really wilty and yummy. I served it with brown rice.

Also, the fish should be added back into the pan at the end for a bit because it takes a while for the red cabbage to cook and the fish gets cold by then.

Makes 4 servings

Hands-on Time: 20m

Total Time: 40m

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 6-ounce skinless halibut fillets
• 1 tablespoon fresh thyme
• kosher salt and pepper
• 1/4 cup fresh orange juice
• 1 teaspoon honey
• 2 cloves garlic, sliced
• 1 large head radicchio (about 8 ounces), quartered and leaves separated

Directions:

1. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Season the halibut with the thyme, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Cook until opaque throughout, 3 to 4 minutes per side.

2. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine the orange juice, honey, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper.

3. Heat the remaining oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and radicchio and cook, stirring, until the radicchio is just wilted, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the orange juice mixture. Serve with the halibut.

Tip:

If you prefer, you can make this recipe with tilapia or some other firm white fish. If the fillets are too large for the skillet, simply cook them in 2 batches.

Nutrition Per Serving:

Calories 274; Fat 11g; Sat Fat 1g; Cholesterol 54mg; Sodium 465mg; Protein 36g; Carbohydrate 6g; Fiber 1g

Real Simple, March 2009

Chicken & Veggies w/ Mashed Orange Potatoes

Apparently my roommate is a rockstar chef and didn't think to mention it to me. She came up with an exquisite culinary creation on the fly last night and has given me permission to post it to 'in the kitchen' so it can live on forever. (I'm now pushing for an 'in the kitchen with sarah' but we'll see - cross your fingers.)

Ingredients:
1 yellow squash, halved and sliced
2 zucchini, halved and sliced
1 onion, cut in large pieces
2 large chicken breasts, cut in thirds

Sauce:
a cereal bowl of water
2-3 TBS olive oil
3 cloves garlic, chopped
½ tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
2 pinches crushed red pepper flakes
½ tsp cumin
½ tsp turmeric
½ tsp curry powder

Mix sauce ingredients together and pour over the chicken/veggies. Bake at 400-degrees until done, about 40 minutes.

Potatoes:
2 sweet potatoes
1-2 regular potatoes
2 carrots

Peel. Boil until soft. Mash.

Serves about 5.

Spiced Cranberry Sauce

Homemade cranberry sauce is so easy - I had no idea. I made it for both Thanksgiving and Christmas and it was much better than canned. The recipe is a work in progress - I'm not sure I have the exact combination of spices down yet - but here's the general idea.

Ingredients:

• 12-ounce bag of fresh cranberries
• 1/2 cup honey
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon ground cloves
  
• 1 cup water

Directions:

1. Rinse cranberries.
2. Combine all ingredients in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cook 5 -10 minutes, or until the cranberries have burst and the mixture is thickened.
3. Chill in the refrigerator 8 hours, or overnight, before serving.

A note about spices -
Fresh, whole spices are supposed to be best. You can buy whole nutmeg and cloves and grind them in a coffee grinder, if you want to get fancy-pants.

Thanksgiving '08 Sweet Potatoes

Before I forget - here is this year's attempt at the elusive -perfect- mashed sweet potatoes. But I think I might be getting closer.
Happy Thanksgiving!

INGREDIENTS:

4 sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/2 tablespoon fresh ginger, grated
1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon fine-grain sea salt
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

PREPARATION:

Put sweet potatoes in a large pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil and cook for 20-25 minutes until tender. Drain sweet potatoes; add heavy cream, ginger, maple syrup, sea salt, and nutmeg. Mash until smooth.

Spoon the sweet potato mixture into a baking dish, bake uncovered at 350-degrees until warm, roughly 30 - 40 minutes.

Serves 6.

Spring Minestrone

Isn't life amazing? I have these moments, every now and then, when I find something that fills up my heart and I am so grateful, overjoyed that this new discovery - be it a song, a poem, an artist, (a soup) - is going to be with me forever.

So it is with Spring Minestrone.

I checked out Heidi Swanson's book, Super Natural Cooking, from the library and this recipe is my first try. She also has a website (with beautifully photographed edibles) that I am just dying to explore - 1o1 Cookbooks.

Love. ♥

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 shallots, thinly sliced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 3/4 cup medium-grain brown basmati rice, rinsed
• 6 cups vegetable stock
• 1 cup sugar snap or snow peas, trimmed and cut in half diagonally
• 8 spears asparagus, trimmed and diagonally sliced into 1-inch pieces
• 1/2 cup green peas, fresh or frozen
• Fine-grain sea salt and freshly ground pepper

Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat, then add the shallots and garlic and saute for a couple of minutes until soft. Add the rice and cook, stirring for 1 minute, then add the stock and bring to a boil. Cover, lower the heat, and simmer until the rice is just tender, 35 to 45 minutes.

Add the sugar snap peas, asparagus, and green peas, and season with a few healthy pinches of salt and a few grinds of black pepper. Simmer for another 2 or 3 minutes and serve immediately; this way the vegetables stay crisp and bright.

Serves 4

Recipe notes:
I had no asparagus or peas in stock so I used about 2 c. of snow peas. There is a recipe for vegetable stock in the book but I used a bouillon cube instead (much less work) and no basmati either - Uncle Ben's long grain brown.

Pumpkin Smoothies

Mmm... smoothies. The Pumpkin Spice Bread will leave you with some extra canned pumpkin. This is a great way to use it.

1/2 cup canned pumpkin
3/4 cup milk or vanilla yogurt
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/8 tsp. nutmeg
2 tsp. brown sugar
4 ice cubes

Combine ingredients in blender and puree until smooth.

Pumpkin Spice Bread

I realize that I'm severely out of season with this one - but I bought the canned pumpkin last fall and never got around to making it. So here it is. I made this sometime last week and have been bringing it to work for my morning snack - healthier than cereal bars and much more filling. Pumpkin is also a great source of Vitamin A and beta-carotene.

Use canned pumpkin, not pumpkin pie mix in this recipe; the latter contains added sugar and more than twice the calories.

Serves 8 to 10
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 55 minutes

1 cup whole-wheat pastry flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1⁄2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1⁄4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 pinch salt
1⁄4 cup molasses
1⁄2 cup light brown sugar
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 egg
1⁄2 cup nonfat yogurt
1⁄4 cup canola oil
2 tablespoons shelled pumpkin seeds

Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly spritz a 9" x 5" loaf pan with vegetable-oil spray and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, combine both flours, baking powder, baking soda, spices, and salt. In another mixing bowl, whisk together the molasses, brown sugar, pumpkin, egg, yogurt, and oil.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir with a wooden spoon just to combine. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Sprinkle the pumpkin seeds on top.

Bake for 50 to 55 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of the bread comes out clean. Place pan on a wire rack to cool for 15 minutes before turning bread out of pan onto a rack to cool completely.

Nutrition score per serving

(one slice): 283 calories, 9 g fat (30% of calories), 1 g saturated fat, 44 g carbs, 6 g protein, 3 g fiber, 93 mg calcium, 3 mg iron, 176 mg sodium

Recipe notes: I used all whole-wheat flour so it would be healthier and it was a little grainy.

Beef Stew

Winter isn't over yet. Eat stew. It will make everything better.

This is a mostly simple recipe but it takes a while. I cut the time in about half or so, I'd say, and it still turned out wonderfully.

Pauline Werner's Beef Stew

Prep Time: 15 Minutes Cook Time: 2 Hours

Ready In: 2 Hours 15 Minutes Yields: 6 servings

"A classic, simple beef stew recipe made with potatoes and carrots that my grandmother developed and that is now being enjoyed by a fourth generation in my family. Delicious with salad and a crusty bread."

INGREDIENTS:

2 tablespoons vegetable oil 2 pounds lean beef, cut into 1- 1/2 inch cubes 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour 1 pinch salt 1 pinch ground black pepper 1 onion, diced

1 bay leaf 1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce 2 potatoes, peeled and cut into large chunks 4 carrots, cut into large chunks 3 stalks celery, thickly sliced

DIRECTIONS:

1.	Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Place the meat in a bowl, sprinkle with flour, and toss to coat. Transfer meat to pot, season with salt and pepper, and brown meat on all sides.
2.	Fill the pot with enough water to cover the meat, and mix in onion, bay leaf, and tomato sauce. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for an hour or until the meat is tender.
3.	Stir in the potatoes, carrots, and celery. Continue cooking over low heat for 45 minutes, until vegetables are tender. Remove bay leaf before serving.

Recipes notes: I doubled the recipe but then didn't have any room left in the pot for potatoes so I skipped those. Cub sells "stew meat" - brilliant! Next time I'll cut it into smaller pieces before cooking. Also, truly lean meat might be a better option.

Sugar Cookies

These are super easy and so good. So take a stand and say 'no' to Pillsbury refrigerated cookie dough this holiday season.

Unlike other sugar cookie recipes I found, this one doesn't require the dough to be refrigerated before using - which is good, because I generally want cookies now. I used cookie cutters to make little Christmas trees, stars and candy canes. Then I put red and green sugar sprinkles on. And then I ate a whole spoonful of cookie dough (because I'm a grown up now and no one can tell me not to!).

One note: I rolled out the dough to about 1/4" (with a soda can) and I think that was too thick. The dough spread when it baked and my trees and candy canes looked fat and bloated - just like I felt after eating 500 of them... (really, they're that good).

Merry Christmas!


Prep Time: 15 Minutes
Cook Time: 10 Minutes
Ready In: 25 Minutes
Yields: 48 servings

INGREDIENTS:

2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon baking powder 1 cup butter, softened

1 1/2 cups white sugar 1 egg 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS:

1.	Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). In a small bowl, stir together flour, baking soda, and baking powder. Set aside.
2.	In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in egg and vanilla. Gradually blend in the dry ingredients. Roll rounded teaspoonfuls of dough into balls, and place onto ungreased cookie sheets.
3.	Bake 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven, or until golden. Let stand on cookie sheet two minutes before removing to cool on wire racks.

source: allrecipes.com

Chicken Veggie Soup

I know, I make a lot of soup. But it's so good - and relatively easy. This is one of my favorites yet - there aren't any overpowering spices and the vegetables blend together well to create a really natural, genuine flavor. The hot pepper sauce adds just the right amount of seasoning.

Prep Time: 20 Minutes Cook Time: 25 Minutes

Ready In: 45 Minutes Yields: 8 servings

INGREDIENTS:

2 tablespoons olive oil 1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast meat - cut into bite-size pieces 2 onions, chopped 4 cloves garlic, minced 2 cups sliced carrots 2 cups broccoli florets

2 cups chopped cauliflower 2 cups chopped celery 4 cups whole peeled tomatoes with liquid, chopped 8 cups fat free chicken broth 2 cups chopped fresh spinach 12 drops hot pepper sauce salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:

1.	Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. add the chicken and saute for 5 to 10 minutes, or until browned; set aside.
2.	To the same saucepan add the onion, garlic and carrots and saute for about 3 to 5 minutes. Then add the broccoli, cauliflower, celery, tomatoes, chicken broth and reserved chicken.
3.	Stir together well, bring to a slow boil, reduce heat to low and simmer for 25 to 30 minutes. Stir in the spinach, hot pepper sauce and salt and pepper to taste.

Notes:
I used...
-carrots and zucchini instead of broccoli, cauliflower, celery (not my favorite vegetables)
-2 cans kidney beans (just for fun, and because they're healthy)
-a whole bag of spinach
-not 8 cups of chicken broth (I supplemented with water)
-lots more than 12 drops of hot pepper sauce.

Source: allrecipes.com

Curried Mustard Greens & Garbanzo Beans with Sweet Potatoes

Oh my yum. I am so in love with what I just ate - another 5-star dish from the World's Healthiest Foods website. Who knew that eating well could be so ridiculously tasty?

The texture of this dish is just amazing... and the color is exciting... and the flavor of the sweet potatoes (I know, not again... but they're so good), curry and tomatoes blends together well.

You wouldn't guess that mustard leaves would be at all enjoyable, but surprise, they are! Greens are highly underrated. My family makes endive soup at Christmastime and when I was little they told me it was made with grass clippings - because that's pretty much what cooked greens look like. I couldn't get past that for a while and it wasn't until just recently that I realized endive soup is one of my favorites. We just don't usually cook with greens and I'm not sure why. This recipe is a good reason to start changing that (oh, and also they're really good for you).

Notes (i.e. the boring stuff):
I used 3 big sweet potatoes and a almost a whole can of broth (the sauteing method seems to use up much more than just a tablespoon - maybe it's just me). I doubled the turmeric and curry powder. For more protein, I would recommend using another can of garbanzos. I thought I would need an electric mixer for the sweet potatoes but you can easily mash them with a spoon. Also, I have no steamer. So I just put 2" or so of water in a pot and cooked them for about 15 minutes - then let them sit until I finished everything else. Use a deeper skillet - the greens take up a lot of room until they start to wilt.

Prep and Cook Time: 30 minutes Ingredients: 2 medium sweet potatoes peeled and sliced thin 1 medium onion cut in half and sliced thin 3 medium cloves garlic, sliced 1 TBS + 1/4 cup chicken or vegetable broth ½ tsp curry powder ¼ tsp turmeric 1 bunch mustard greens, rinse, remove stems and chop 1 15oz can diced tomatoes 1 15oz can garbanzo beans, drained 3 TBS extra virgin olive oil salt and white pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Bring water to a boil in a steamer with a tight fitting lid. Peel and slice sweet potatoes in fairly thin slices so they will steam quickly, 5-10 minutes.
2. While steaming potatoes, slice onion and garlic. Heat 1 TBS broth in 12inch skillet. Sauté onion in broth over medium heat for about 4-5 minutes stirring frequently, until translucent. Add 1/4 cup broth, garlic, curry powder, turmeric, and mustard greens. Cook stirring occasionally until mustard greens are wilted, about 5 minutes. Add garbanzo beans, diced tomatoes, salt and pepper. Cook for another 5 minutes.
3. Mash sweet potatoes with olive oil, salt and pepper. If you need to thin potatoes more you can add a little broth. Serve mustard greens with mashed sweet potatoes.

   Serves 4

Healthy Cooking Tips:

When sweet potatoes are steamed, they pick up some moisture from the water. You should only need a little olive oil when mashing them. Mash well with the oil before adding any more liquid, otherwise they may be soggy.

Nutritional Profile

Kidney Beans & Sweet Potatoes

I found a new website for recipes and I'm so excited about it.

World's Healthiest Foods

I have been leaning toward eating more wholesome, natural foods for a while and I think this is a good starting point. Oh, and they actually have useful information for non-cooks like,

"Chopping your vegetables into the size recommended gives them a chance to cook slowly without over cooking. This allows the flavors of the vegetables and spices to blend together. Allow it to simmer on low heat, and don't rush it. It will taste much better. By uncovering it toward the end and continuing to simmer for a little longer reduces the sauce and intensifies the flavor."

I never chop/dice/slice as a recipe suggests because no one ever gave me a logical explanation for it. But this makes sense. I still didn't follow the recipe exactly - and I probably should have. After my recent over-seasoned soup episode I was cautious about adding too much seasoning, even though I used at least three times as many vegetables (what am I going to do with leftover mushrooms? - might as well put them all in) so this probably wasn't as great as it could have been, but it was still really, really good - fresh ginger, sweet potatoes, cinnamon, yum.

Prep and Cook Time: prep time: 20 minutes; cooking time: 45 minutes Ingredients:

• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 4 medium cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 TBS fresh ginger, chopped
• 1 medium carrot, sliced thin
• 1 medium green bell pepper, cut in 1 inch squares
• 2 cups sweet potatoes, cut in 1 inch cubes
• 2 cups crimini mushrooms, sliced medium thick
• ½ tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp red chili powder
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 TBS tomato paste
• 2 cups + 1 TBS vegetable broth
• 15 oz can kidney beans, drained
• salt & black pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Prepare first 6 ingredients by chopping and slicing.
   
2. Heat 1 TBS broth in a medium to large soup or braising pot. Sauté onion in broth over medium heat for 4-5 minutes, stirring frequently, until translucent. Add garlic, ginger, carrot, pepper, sweet potatoes, and mushrooms. Continue to sauté for another 5 minutes, stirring frequently.
   
3. Add spices and mix thoroughly. Mix tomato paste and broth together and add. Cover and simmer on low for about 30 minutes stirring occasionally. Add beans, salt, pepper, and continue to cook for another 5 minutes on medium heat uncovered, or until vegetables are tender.
   Serves 4

Nutritional Profile

Italian Vegetable Soup with Beans, Spinach (& Pesto)

I learned a very important lesson today - you CAN have too much of a good thing, especially when that thing is garlic. Who knew? The sad news is that I think this soup probably would have been great had I not over-garliced it. But I did. And it's pretty bad. It kind of burns - but not in a spicy way.

You might notice that garlic is not on the list of original ingredients. But I have a great fear of bland soup - so I added a lot of garlic and basil. Oh, and I skipped the pesto because a little tiny container of it was $4.50 at the co-op (where I stopped after work). I topped it with Kraft parmesan instead - high class all the way. I also skipped the bell peppers, celery, and potatoes - and substituted green beans for peas.

So try this one and let me know how it is without the overpowering taste of garlic. I'm off to find some parsley.

Submitted by: USA WEEKEND columnist Pam Anderson Rated: 5 out of 5 by 11 members

Yields: 10 servings

"Cannellini beans and a plethora of vegetables - bell peppers, carrots, celery, potatoes, peas, and spinach - make this healthy soup hearty and satisfying."

INGREDIENTS:

1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil 1 large onion, cut into small dice 3 medium carrots, peeled and sliced 1/4-inch thick 3 medium celery stalks, sliced 1/4-inch thick 1 medium bell pepper (red or yellow), stemmed, seeded and cut into medium dice 1 pound all-purpose potatoes, unpeeled and cut into medium dice

1 (16 ounce) can petite diced tomatoes 2 (15.5 ounce) cans cannellini or other white beans, undrained 6 cups low-sodium chicken broth in can or carton 7 ounces loosely packed baby spinach 1 cup frozen green peas Salt and ground black pepper Prepared pesto (found in grocer's refrigerated section)

DIRECTIONS:

Heat oil in a soup kettle over medium-high flame. Add onions, and saute until tender, about 5 minutes. Add carrots, celery, peppers, potatoes, tomatoes, bean and chicken broth; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer until vegetables are just tender, about 15 minutes. Add spinach and peas; continue to simmer until spinach wilts, 3 to 4 minutes longer. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Ladle into bowls, adding a spoonful of pesto to each serving of soup.

Salsa

This was my first time making salsa. I didn't know what I was doing but it actually turned out alright. I think that's the beauty of salsa - add pretty much anything in any ratio and it's still fresh salsa and, therefore, inherently wonderful.

I used a food processor, which I think is key. And FYI (because that's what this blog is for), jalepenos can burn your skin, I found out after the fact. The salt, pepper, and tabasco are "to taste" so that's what I did - add and taste, add and taste. This recipe makes a lot (a mixing bowl full, or so).

1 onion (or more)
3 tomatoes (not sure if these are really necessary)
3 jalepenos
1 bunch cilantro
7 1/2 cloves of garlic (approximately, I used the stuff in the jar)
juice from half a lime
salt
pepper
tabasco sauce
3 - 14.5 oz. cans petite diced tomatoes

Put everything but the canned tomatoes in the food processor. Mix. Pour it in a bowl, stir in the canned tomatoes, refrigerate.

Tuna Pasta Salad

Nothing says 'summer' like tuna pasta salad. It's the only thing I want to eat on hot days - best with watermelon and a Blue Moon. My previous concoction was a little bland (tuna, pasta, mayo, salt, pepper) and had no veggies so I did some research and came up with this - a combination of two allrecipes.com recipes, kind of.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 (16 ounce) package rotini (my mom pointed out that the shape works well for holding the goo)
  
• 2 yellow squash, chopped
• 2 zucchini, chopped
• 2 (15 ounce) cans kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 2 (6 ounce) cans tuna, drained

This is where I freestyled a bit and it probably could use some tweaking. Let me know if you come up with something better. Alternatively, you can use a bottle of Italian dressing.

• 1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
• a lot of mayo (2 big scoops)
  
• black pepper
  
• garlic salt
• a lot of dill weed (3 tablespoons?)
  
• 2 tablespoons olive oil (maybe leave this out - I'm not sure what the purpose is)
  

DIRECTIONS

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Stir in pasta and return pot to boil. Cook until al dente. Drain well.
2. Place squash and zucchini in a medium saucepan with 2 cups of water. Bring to a boil and cook until tender, about 15 minutes. Drain and set aside.
3. In a large bowl, combine pasta, squash, zucchini, kidney beans and tuna. Stir in dressing. Mix well and chill for at least 30 minutes.

Minestrone Soup

I think this is about as easy as cooking gets. There's no meat involved (thus no fear of contamination) and no chopping. But be forewarned, your can opener will get a workout.

I do have to wonder, however, if this is a cost-effective substitute for Progresso's minestrone (which I have adored since about age 5). There's likely less sodium and fewer preservatives but it might more expensive on a per-bowl basis. If you do the math, let me know.

But it is tasty. I'll add garlic next time (what's an Italian recipe without garlic anyway?) and some more spinach. It could probably use about 4x more seasoning as well.

Isn't cooking fun? (Especially when it only consists of opening cans, dumping their contents into a large pot, and stirring?)

Start to Finish: 25 minutes

Ingredients

• 3 14-ounce cans beef broth
• 1 15-ounce can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 15-ounce can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 14-1/2-ounce can low-sodium stewed tomatoes
• 1 11-1/2-ounce can vegetable juice
• 1 6-ounce can low-sodium tomato paste
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning, crushed
• 1-1/2 cups loose-pack frozen mixed vegetables (such as an Italian blend)
• 2 cups fresh spinach leaves, cut into strips
• 2 cups cooked pasta (1 cup uncooked), such as small shells or mostaccioli
• Finely shredded Parmesan cheese(optional)

Directions

In a large kettle combine broth, beans, stewed tomatoes, vegetable juice, tomato paste, sugar, and Italian seasoning. Bring to boiling. Add mixed vegetables. Reduce heat. Cover and simmer about 10 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Add spinach and cooked pasta; heat through. To serve, ladle into bowls. If desired, sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Makes 8 main-dish servings.

Make-Ahead Tip: Prepare soup up to the point where frozen vegetables are cooked until tender. Remove from heat; cool quickly. Refrigerate, covered, overnight. To serve, reheat soup over medium heat. Stir in spinach and cooked pasta. Heat through.

Source: Better Homes and Gardens

Pasta Primavera with Italian Turkey Sausage

I eat a lot of pasta (some say it's because I'm half Italian) - most of the time with just olive oil, parmesan, and crushed black pepper. It's so good - and so easy. I've tried various pasta dishes, trying to integrate more meat and veggies into my diet, and have found very few that I adore. But this is one of them. Yum, yum, and yum.

Oh, but I do have one issue - what's with onions and garlic being so tasty but so stinky on the hands? I tried wearing plastic baggies for protection but it made cutting a bit difficult (and looked a bit silly, I admit). So I could use a tip or two.

Prep Time: 20 Minutes
Cook Time: 30 Minutes Ready In: 50 Minutes
Yields: 8 servings

INGREDIENTS:
1 (16 ounce) package uncooked farfalle pasta
1 pound hot Italian turkey sausage, cut into 1/2 inch slices
1/2 cup olive oil, divided
4 cloves garlic, diced
1/2 onion, diced
2 small zucchini, chopped
2 small yellow squash, chopped
6 roma (plum) tomatoes, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
20 leaves fresh basil
2 teaspoons chicken bouillon granules
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

DIRECTIONS:
1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Place farfalle in pot and cook 8 to 10 minutes, until al dente; drain.
2. Place sausage in a large skillet over medium heat and cook until evenly brown; set aside. Heat 1/4 cup oil in skillet. Stir in garlic and onion, and cook until tender. Mix in zucchini, squash, tomatoes, bell pepper and basil. Dissolve bouillon in the mixture. Season with red pepper. Stir in remaining oil. Continue cooking 10 minutes.
3. Mix pasta, sausage and cheese into skillet. Continue cooking 5 minutes, or until heated through.

'In the Kitchen' Freestyle

Yes, I'm back.

And I adopted a new style of cooking while in South Africa. This was mostly due to limited internet access (i.e. no recipes), a limited supply of tupperware (i.e. nowhere to put leftovers), and not wanting to stock up on food only to leave it there. Not to mention that everything I bought spoiled about 4 times as fast as it does here (due to the heat? the relative lack of preservatives? we may never know). So I only bought what I planned to eat in the next couple of days.

When I told Blake about my new approach to grocery shopping he quoted an episode of Seinfeld (as he oft does) where Kramer gets rid of his refrigerator.

GEORGE: Well what do you eat?
KRAMER: It's all fresh. Fresh fish, fresh foul, fresh fruit. I buy it, I omniga nominga, I eat it.
JERRY: Well I’m glad it's working out.
KRAMER: Oh yeah, it's working out.

So I began throwing stuff into a pan, seasoning it, and cooking it. 'Stuff' usually consisted of any combination of beef, chicken, potatoes, tomatoes, onions, green peppers, any other vegetables, garlic, and beans. 'Seasoning' was whatever I could find. It's really quite liberating, try it.

I learned a fair amount during this exploratory process and I think I've overcome some of my culinary fears. Ever wonder why no one cooks with cucumbers? They get gross. That's why. And, as a general rule, whatever you make is going to taste just like it smells. Most importantly, the world doesn't end if you make a bad meal. If I found that dinner wasn't so tasty when I sat down to eat, I covered it with massive quantities of cheese. Many of the world's problems can be solved with cheese, I imagine.

But now, here I am, once again in a world of 24-hour supermarkets and heavily preserved produce. More recipes coming soon.