Escarole Loaded Tomato Sauce with Fresh Basil

Our home of the moment on this nomadic adventure is Utica, New York.  We've only been here a few weeks (and only here for about one more), but in that little time, it's become obvious that Utica has about three claims to fame: beer, the Boilermaker, and Utica Greens.  Since we didn't sign up in time for the Boilermaker, and I'm not a big fan of beer, I've been focusing on the latter.  I'm from Central New York, so I've experienced Utica Greens before- in fact, I've made my own "healthified" version before.  I had no idea though that Utica Greens are on the menu of just about every restaurant in the Utica/New Hartfod area. Each restaurant has its own proportion of ingredients, which largely stay the same no matter the maker.  Those key ingredients are escarole, hot cherry peppers, Parmesan/Romano, prosciutto, and bread crumbs.  Since we've been here, we've sampled a few variations on the weekends, but they are a little too indulgent for my normal weekdays.

 Still, I've got escarole and cherry peppers on my mind, even if I don't want to douse them in cheese and breadcrumbs.  I had some calamari in the freezer, which made me think marinara sauce, and combined that thought with my obsession with escarole.  I made the sauce completely separate from the calamari, and had enough for the next night's dinner as well, where it was combined with rotisserie chicken (on sale for $2.20!! can't beat that).  I just took some meat off of the chicken and threw it into the sauce as it was reheating.  It would also be great with meatballs, as a dip for bread, rolled up in roasted eggplant pieces, or on spaghetti squash (or pasta if you're into that ;-)).  And though I avoided adding cheese on this particular occasion, some Parmesan would make an excellent addition.

Ingredients:

1-2 teaspoons olive oil
1 large onion, sliced thinly
1/2 head of garlic, cloves peeled and sliced
1/4 cup sliced hot cherry peppers, fresh or pickled *
2 medium tomatoes, cut into chunks
1 LARGE or 2 small heads escarole, WASHED and torn into large chunks**
salt and black pepper to taste
1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomato
5 anchovies, or a scant tablespoon anchovy paste
10-15 kalamata olives, sliced
1/2 cup fresh basil, sliced

Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large pot.  Add onions and garlic.  Saute for a couple minutes, then add cherry peppers and saute for another couple minutes.  Add tomatoes and stir.  Add escarole, stirring as you add.  It won't all fit in the pot all at once, but as it wilts, you'll be able to add more.  Once all of the escarole is added, add the can of crushed tomato, the anchovy paste, and the kalamata olives.  Stir and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to medium-low and let it continue to simmer for 20-30 minutes, uncovered unless it starts to get too thick.  Stir every now and then as it simmers.  Add the fresh basil, reserving a little for garnish if desired.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.

*this will make it HOT, so use less or omit if you don't want spicy
**if your escarole looks like it is lost in the tomato sauce because you didn't have a big enough head, you can add in some romaine lettuce leaves to up the green proportion.  I did this and couldn't even tell what was romaine and what was escarole when I was eating. :-)

Mushroomy Meat Sauce atop Roasted Eggplant with Spicy Cottage Cheese Puree

Mission empty the fridge/freezer/pantry continues, and it's got my creative juices flowing.

I also may be slightly obsessed with pureeing cottage cheese.  But, hey, there are worse obsessions.  

As are the rules of the emptying the kitchen game, last night's creation was constructed only of ingredients I already had.  If I were to make this same sort of thing some other time, I would likely modify a few things: add garlic cloves, use crushed tomatoes instead of jarred sauce (and then add more of my own seasonings), make the cottage cheese puree with roasted garlic, maybe add some fresh basil...  I'm going to write down the ingredients for what I actually did, which turned out great, but you might want to keep these modification ideas in mind. 

This'll make about four servings.

What you need:

Mushroomy Meat Sauce:

1 pound lean ground beef (I used 96/4... if you can't find that, just make sure to drain out the grease after browning)

1 medium onion, chopped

8 ounces cremini or baby bella mushrooms, diced

1/2 cup red wine

1 1/2 cup pasta sauce, no sugar added if possible (I used arrabiata)

1 teaspoon garlic powder

2 teaspoons Italian seasoning (or your own mixture of dried oregano, basil, thyme)

salt and black pepper

Spicy Cottage Cheese Puree:

1 1/2 cups low fat cottage cheese

2 tablespoons pickled hot crushed peppers*

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

*If you don't have hot pickled crushed peppers, you could sub a bit (definitely not 2 tablespoons) red pepper flakes and a splash of vinegar.  Or use chili-garlic sauce.  

Roasted eggplant:

Olive or coconut oil spray

2 medium eggplants, cut into 1/2-3/4 inch thick rounds

salt and pepper

Start by making the sauce:  Brown the ground beef in a large saucepan or pot over medium-high heat.  Drain if necessary.  Add the onions and mushrooms.  Saute for a 3-4 minutes.  Add the red wine and scrape up anything that was sticking to the bottom.  Add the pasta sauce, garlic powder, and Italian seasoning.  Stir, bring to a boil, and then reduce to low heat.  Cover.  Let simmer for AT LEAST 30 minutes, and up to an hour or so.  If sauce is too watery, remove cover to let it reduce.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Make the cottage cheese puree:  Add all ingredients to a small blender or a food processor and blend until smooth, scraping down and stirring as necessary.  You may need to add a small splash of water to get things going, depending on the power of your blender.  Refrigerate until ready to use.

Roast the eggplant:  Heat oven to 400 degrees.  Spray a baking sheet with olive or coconut oil spray.  Arrange eggplant rounds on the sheet so that they are not overlapping (touching is fine).  Lightly spray the tops with oil.  Season lightly with salt and pepper.  Roast for 30 minutes, or until eggplant is lightly browned and soft.  

To serve:  Arrange a few slices of eggplant on plate, top with meat sauce, and drizzle the cottage cheese puree over the top.  Enjoy!

Spinach, Tomato, and Jalapeno Curry with Broiled Salmon and Dill-Cottage Cheese Puree

We've got a week left in Florida, so I'm starting to rummage through the groceries I've bought and get things used up.  It's a fun little game of piecing together different ingredients so I can avoid buying anything new.  I get to play pretty often due to our nomadic lifestyle.  This is last night's outcome.  It's great for anyone else who doesn't feel like going to the store, too, as it primarily uses pantry staples.  

If you're looking at the title and thinking "cottage cheese puree... umm, ewww...", just trust me on this one.  Cottage cheese actually makes awesomely creamy and super healthy sauces.  You can also make dips for veggies out of it.  It's the same idea as substituting Greek yogurt to make creamy dressing or sauce, but minus the tangy flavor.  Sometimes I use Greek yogurt for such things, sometimes I use cottage cheese.  Actually, more specifically, I use Greek yogurt for such things when I'm lazy and cottage cheese when I want my husband to like it better.  Or when I'm trying not to go to the store and we only have cottage cheese and no Greek yogurt.  I made the sauce for the salmon, but ended up using a little on the veggies too, just because.  

This whole dinner takes less than an hour from start to finish, and part of that time in just the curry simmering on the stove sans (much) supervision.   This makes enough for 3-4 servings, depending on your appetite and whether or not you choose to make some sort of grain to round things out.

What you need:

Curry:

1 teaspoon coconut oil

1 medium onion, chopped

~10 garlic cloves, roughly chopped (or less if you're not a garlic fiend)

2 jalapenos, seeds and pith removed, sliced

10 ounces frozen spinach

1 14 ounce can fire-roasted diced tomatoes 

2 bay leaves

1 tablespoon coriander powder

1/2 cup water or broth of choice

1 teaspoon black pepper

salt to taste

Salmon:

16 ounce fillet salmon (I used Coho, Sockeye would also be delicious)

1 teaspoon coconut oil

Salt and pepper

Dill-Cottage Cheese Puree:

1 cup low fat cottage cheese

1 teaspoon garlic powder

~1/2 cup packed fresh dill OR 2 tablespoons dried dill (or basically to taste, but that is roughly what I used)

Curry: 

Start by heating the coconut oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add the onion, garlic, and jalapeno.  Saute for a few minutes, or until they are lightly browned.  Add the spinach, tomatoes, bay leaves, coriander, and black pepper.  Stir around for another minute or two, until the spinach is thawed.  Add 1/2 cup water or broth reduce heat to medium.  Cover partially and let simmer for 30 minutes (or if you don't have a cover, just add a little more water if things start sticking).  Season with salt to taste.

Salmon:

After the curry has been simmering for about 15 minutes, preheat oven to a high broil. Grease a baking sheet with coconut oil.  Place salmon on the baking sheet.  Season lightly with salt and pepper.  Broil for 10-15 minutes, or until salmon is cooked through.  Time will vary depending on how thick your salmon is and how hot your broiler gets, but you can test it by seeing if it flakes easily in the thickest part of the fish.  If you have a large piece of salmon, you may want to cut in half before cooking so that the thinner edges do not overcook.

Dill-Cottage Cheese Puree:

While the salmon is in the oven, make the puree.  Simply add all puree ingredients to a food processor or blend and blend until smooth.  If your blender is struggling, add a little water and a pinch of salt to get things going (the salt is so that the water doesn't make it too watery tasting).

And enjoy!

Sauteed Calamari with Jalapeno, Cilantro, and Lime

When people hear "calamari", they think battered and fried diet saboteurs.  But it has a bad rep!  Calamari can be delicious AND super healthy when grilled or sauteed with minimal added oil.

And, don't get me wrong- I LOVE some me deep-fried calamari, especially if it's done properly.  And I've even made it myself (done properly, of course ;-)).  But for a weeknight, it doesn't make the cut in the health department.

This time around I sauteed a bag of pre-cut rings.  You can also buy the bag with mixed rings and tentacles, or the whole pieces and cut them yourself.  Make sure to clean and remove any hard pieces of cartilage or whatever it is that is sometimes still in the whole pieces.

I had a cast-iron skillet to use this time, and it really did make a difference for the better.  Can't wait until we're not moving all over the place so that my kitchen can be fully stocked with all of the goodies I want.  You can use a different kind of skillet still- it'll just be very difficult to get the nice crisp browning without overcooking.  But they don't need to be brown.

You can also grill these.  I've done them in a grill basket before with great results.  In that case, add the lime juice and cilantro after you've put the grilled calamari into a non-holey dish. ;-)

What you need:

2 teaspoons coconut oil
1 pound calamari, cut into rings
1 jalapeno, sliced and seeds removed unless you like it hot
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
juice of one lime
salt and pepper to taste

Start by squeezing the excess moisture out of your calamari.  Literally squeezing with (multiple) paper towel.  This is very important!  Too much liquid will make it hard to get a sear on them.

Next, heat a large cast-iron skillet over high heat.  Add the coconut oil.  Once the oil is hot, add the calamari rings.  Saute for 1-2 minutes, stirring frequently.  Add the jalapeno.  Continue to saute for another 1-2 minutes, or until complelely opaque.  You may not get any color on your rings depending on how hot your stove gets and what kind of pan you use.  Do not overcook.  Remove from heat and add cilantro and lime juice.  Season with salt and pepper, if desired- I added salt to mine once it was on my plate, husband waved it away.

I served mine over a bed of greens and chopped tomato with a Roasted Red Pepper Sauce on the side (see below for that recipe).




Roasted Red Pepper Sauce:

1 roasted red pepper, seeds and stem removed (I left the skin on)
1 cup Greek yogurt
juice of 1/2 lime
4-5 cloves roasted garlic
pinch of salt

Puree all ingredients in a blender or food processor.  That's it!

Spicy Salmon Soup with Escarole and Mushrooms

I finally made it to the Public Market in Rochester last weekend and came away with a wonderful find: salmon pieces for $2 a pound!  They were the scraps that were too small to be sold as nice looking pieces of fish, but they looked very fresh and came from a reputable fish vendor, so I couldn't pass up the deal (and it ended up being the best salmon I've bought in a long time!).

And what does one do with scraps of salmon?  Make soup!  ...Or just broil and serve small pieces- it's not like we're particularly fancy around here.  But the soup idea came to me and I ran with it.  I spied some escarole at a neighboring vendor and knew it'd pair perfectly with the salmon.  Add some mushrooms, onion, and garlic form my supply at home, and I was set!

I give a wide range on the soy sauce amount- start by adding a little and add more to taste.  I kept our batch pretty low on it, but added more to my individual servings.  If you have fish sauce and/or sesame oil, feel free to add a little of both to add a little more oomph to the flavor.   Also, bok choy could definitely be subbed in for the escarole, or spinach would work too!

This makes four large servings, and you can make them heartier by adding a fried egg on top.  Serve with extra chili-garlic and green onions as a garnish.

What you need:

1 teaspoon coconut oil
1 small-medium onion, thinly sliced
10 ounces mushrooms, sliced
4-5 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 bunch escarole, washed and torn into pieces
1 pound salmon, cut into chunks or strips
2-5 tablespoons soy sauce
~6 cups water
1 tablespoon chili-garlic sauce, plus more for garnish if desired
green onions for garnish


Start by heating a large pot over medium-high heat.  Add the coconut oil.  Add the onion and garlic, and saute for 2-3 minutes.  Add the mushrooms and saute for another 2-3 minutes.  Add the escarole and continue to cook for another 2-3 minutes.  Add the water, soy sauce, and chili-garlic sauce.  Bring to a boil and reduce heat to medium.  Add the salmon. pieces, making sure all pieces are fully submerged.  Bring back to a boil, and then reduce heat to a low simmer.  Let cook for 3-4 minutes, or until salmon is cooked through.  When it is fully cooked, it will be opaque and flake apart.

Add additional soy sauce and chili-garlic sauce to taste.  Serve with a fried egg and chopped green onion on top if you're feeling it. :-)  Enjoy!

Sneaky Mushroom Taco Meat

This is my new favorite way to make taco meat, and it is super healthy.  By adding in finely chopped mushrooms with the ground beef, you stretch the meat further and end up eating less meat and more vegetable.  I also use a blend of spices rather than the packets of taco seasoning, which have way more ingredients than they need.

If you are vegetarian, just omit the beef and add an extra pound of mushrooms!  I've made it this way a few times and it makes a delicious meatless taco.

I scoop this on romaine leaves for me, but you can certainly use tortillas or multigrain chips to dip. Top it with some tomatillo salsa and maybe a little queso fresco, and you're set!

What you need:

1 pound 90% lean ground beef
1 small/medium onion, diced
10 ounces crimini or baby bella mushrooms, finely chopped
1 tomato, finely chopped
1 chipolte pepper, chopped
1/2 cup beef or chicken broth
2-3 teaspoons cumin
2 teaspoons chili powder
2 teaspoons garlic powder
2 onion powder
1 teaspoon dried oregano
Salt to taste


Start by browning the ground beef in a large saucepan over medium-high heat.  When the meat is cooked through, drain if necessary (I find that some "90% lean" is more lean than others, sometimes I drain, sometimes I don't).  Add the onion, mushrooms, tomato, and chipolte pepper.  Saute for about 5 minutes, then add the broth and spices.   Reduce heat to medium and let it keep cooking for another 15 minutes.  Add extra broth if it dries out too much before it is done cooking.

Serve with romaine leaves if you want a low-carb taco, or use it to fill your favorite tortilla.  It would also make a mean dip layered with some guac, salsa, lettuce, and a little cheese.

Baked Chicken Legs with Indian Spices

Chicken can get- let's face it- rather boring.  It's also economical, healthy, and versatile, so it makes sense to make it a weeknight staple.  Which results in lots of people very tired of eating plain old boring chicken.

That's where this recipe comes in.  When I saw the chicken legs in the store's natural section, I couldn't resist buying them.  So much more exciting than the tenderloin pieces I had in mind!  Something about chicken legs just seems festive to me... maybe because they are reminiscent of hit wings or the legs off of the turkey at holidays... I don't know.  They do have more fat than a lot of other pieces of chicken, but if you take off the skin, it's not too bad.  I do keep the skin on for baking, as it makes it bake more tastily and is there for the people who want it.

And this recipe is VERY easy and relatively quick.  You can change up the spice mixture to anything that complements the rest of your dinner.  I went with this because I was serving it alongside an eggplant curry.  You can also cut the recipe in half- I always make extra so I don't have to cook dinner the next night, and also have leftovers for lunch.

What you need:

3.5 pounds chicken legs (two 1.75 pound packets)
1.5-2 teaspoons salt
2-3 teaspoons garam masala
1 teaspoon ginger
0.5 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon black pepper
1.5 teaspoons onion powder
1.5 teaspoons cumin
1-2 tablespoons brown sugar (I used the Truvia Brown Sugar Blend to cut down on sugar)

Preheat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.  Mix together all of the spices.  Rub spice mixture on each chicken leg, making sure to go under the skin as well (especially if you aren't going to eat the skin!).  Place on a baking sheet, making sure that the legs are not touching each other.  Bake for about 35-40 minutes, turning halfway through.  They should be a nice dark brown and juices should run clear.

Enjoy!

Braised Chicken Thighs with Apples and Cumin

This is a pretty quick recipe braising recipe and all stove-top.  You could certainly finish in the oven if you are using a Dutch oven, but I don't have one here, so I went stove-top all the way.  Still delicious.

If you want to perfect your braising method, take a look at this link to Bon Appetit.  It's basically a list of rules that should be followed for anything that you want to braise.  I didn't really follow their rules too well, but I'm sure if you took the time to, you'd really have a prize-worthy dish.  My recipe simplifies braising for the perfect stress-free weeknight dinner.

I made this to accompany leftover vegetables from the night before.  (and then I didn't finish this post yesterday... so we just had the now leftover chicken tonight and it was even better!  I love making plenty for leftovers. :-))

What you need:

1 1/2 boneless and skinless chicken thighs, extra fat trimmed (if you have bone-in, up the cooking time)
2 teaspoons coconut oil or olive oil
1 cup chicken broth
2-3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 medium onion, cut into small pieces
2 small/medium apples, cut into chunks (core removed, of course.  but I left the skin on)
dash of cayenne
2-3 teaspoons (or more) cumin
salt and black pepper to taste (I don't think I ended up adding any salt-the chicken broth was enough)


Heat oil on medium-high in a large pot or high-walled saucepan.  Place chicken thighs evenly in pan, so that they all have a full side on the bottom (if there is not enough room, do batches).  Let sear for 3-5 minutes and flip.  Sear on that side for another 3-5 minutes.  The chicken should get a nice deep brown on it.

At this point, you can do this more properly and remove the chicken from the pan- I didn't do this.  Either way, next, add your apples and onion.  Saute for 4-6 minutes to achieve a little browning.  Add a splash or two of the vinegar if things are sticking too much at any point.  Add your chicken back in if you removed it.  Add the rest of the vinegar and add the chicken broth.  Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and let simmer for 20 minutes.  I left my lid just a TINY bit cracked to let steam out.  Remove the lid and let the sauce cook down a little more for about 5 minutes.  Add the cumin, cayenne, and black pepper (and salt if it needs it).

This would probably be fitting to serve over rice or quinoa if you want. We had it as is though.

Enjoy!

Spaghetti Squash with Meat and Veggie Sauce

I'm not a pasta/grains person anyway, and used to just eat things that were supposed to go over pasta/rice/quinoa over lettuce or spinach or nothing instead.  Yeah, I know the lettuce is a little weird, but adds nice volume and tricks you into thinking you have a huge plateful of food (awesome trick for an Indian restaurant buffet- skip the rice!).

But then I added spaghetti squash into my lettuce/spinach/nothing rotation, and I'll tell you, it's much more "other people" friendly.  It is a little strange to serve yourself a plate of lettuce and then dump meat sauce over the top when everyone else is having pasta or whatever with their sauce.  Spaghetti squash doesn't get so many strange looks and everyone I've ever introduced it to likes it.  You could even mix it half and half with real pasta for those suspicious eaters.  

It's perfect for anyone trying to eat less carbs, going gluten-free, or just trying to avoid processed foods. Or anyone who just plain doesn't like pasta.  It doesn't really have much flavor of its own, but has a nice crisp texture.

The sauce I made this time is pretty simple and quick.  I added ground beef to it, but added plenty of vegetables so that the beef would stretch a little further and we'd eat a little less of it.  You can add whatever other vegetables you have on hand (eggplant, zucchini, peppers) and leave out the mushrooms if you want.  Add a splash of red wine if you have a bottle open. :-)

This will make 4-6 servings, depending on appetite and if you have any sort of side dish.

What you need:

1 spaghetti squash (medium-sized, I guess?)

1 pound of ground beef (mine was 96/4... if you use something much fattier, make sure to drain it!)

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 small/medium onion, diced

8-9 cloves garlic, minced (or less if you aren't a garlic fiend)

1-2 stalks celery, diced

1 teaspoon salt

1 large carrot, diced or thinly sliced

12 ounces mushrooms, cut into small pieces

1 28 ounce can crushed tomatoes

1 14 ounce can diced tomatoes

Seasonings: (mix these up as much as you want, depending on what you have)

  

     Italian seasoning, oregano, basil, rosemary, sage, crushed red pepper, thyme...

     This time I used: Italian seasoning, fresh rosemary and fresh sage... because that's what I happened to have.  I often just go heavy handed with the dried oregano and thyme because those are often what I have on hand.

Roast the Squash:

Start by roasting your squash.  I did it in a 350 degree oven for about an hour this time.  Whole, with a couple of fork pokes.  This does mean that you have to deal with the seeds and pulpy stuff after it cooks... which is a little more of a pain.  But you don't have to saw through it at least.  

You can also cut in in half first, remove the seeds, spray the cut side with oil, and roast it for 30-40 minutes.  Or you can microwave it (google that... I never do it that way).  It's hard to overcook it, but very possible- apparently.  I did it last time I made spaghetti squash, but before that I would have said it was nearly impossible.  But I guess it is- it will turn to mush and become decidedly un-spaghetti like.  When it's done, it should be slightly soft and easy to cut into.  If you run a fork through it, the strands will appear.

Make the Sauce:

While your squash is roasting, make your sauce.  Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the ground beef and let it brown.  Add the onion, garlic, celery, carrot, and salt.  Sauce for about 5 minutes.  Add the mushrooms and saute for another 3-5 minutes.  Add both cans of tomatoes and your seasonings.  Bring to a simmer, and reduce heat to medium-low.  Let simmer for at least 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.  If you have more time, let it simmer longer, but keep the pot mostly covered.  After it has simmered, season to taste with salt and pepper.

Shred the spaghetti squash and serve with the meat and veggie sauce on top.  Sprinkle with a little Parmesan if you'd like.

Roasted Rack of Lamb Crusted with Pistachio, Rosemary, and Parsley Pesto

I haven't cooked a rack of lamb for A WHILE- it's little too expensive to earn a spot on my general rotation of proteins to buy, and then I forget about it completely.  But my mother-in-law bought extra and I got to take a rack home with me!  This was one rack, which serves 2-3 people, depending on their appetites.  My mother-in-law also gave me fresh parsley and rosemary from her garden (which is still going a little, even in November!), so I made a pesto with those and some pistachios I already had in the cupboard.  I just roasted it in the oven to save washing extra pans, but I think it technically would have been best to sear it, then add the pesto, and then roast.  But this was delicious, and I don't have a saucepan to wash.  I served it with Caesar salad with homemade dressing.  ...And french bread and a little red wine for a treat.

The pesto I made is more than enough for the lamb.  I only had a Vitamix to blend with and a smaller amount wasn't going to blend.  So reduce the ingredients if you don't want extra pesto, or make the whole amount and use the pesto for something else.  

What you need:

One rack of lamb

Pesto Ingredients:

1 1/2 packed cups fresh Italian parsley 

1 sprig of rosemary, leaves only

1 cup fresh baby spinach (this only got added because I needed more bulk in my Vitamix and had some to use up anyway)

1/4-1/3 cup pistachios

2 large cloves of garlic

2-3 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons lemon juice

salt and pepper to taste

Blend all ingredients in a food processor or Vitamix until coarsely chopped. 

Place lamb in a small roasting pan (7" by 11" is pretty good). Trim excess fat from rack of lamb.  Spread the pesto on top of the meaty side of the lamb.  You should have a nice thick layer.  Heat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.  Let the lamb sit for about 20 minutes to come to room temperature while the oven heats up.  

Place the lamb in the oven and roast for 25-30 minutes.  Mine was in for 25 and it was on the rare side of medium-rare.  Remove from oven and let sit 5-10 minutes before carving between the ribs.

Whole Rabbit Stew

We have a friend who saw that Whole Foods had whole rabbits and bought one on a whim.  When he was over carving pumpkins with us, it came up. (I mean, it stayed in the freezer, still dead.  The topic came up).  And we agreed that I should cook it to prevent a twice killed rabbit disaster.

I've never cooked rabbit before at all, let alone a whole one, so I did some Googling to get me started.  All of the recipes that I found looked incredibly delicious, but also like more work than I felt like putting into it.  They had you removing things from the pot, and adding things to the pot, and putting things back into the pot, and straining things (which I really hate- especially since I don't have a strainer here).

Oh, and they had you break the rabbit down into pieces.  No thanks.  I'm not particularly squeamish about such things, but I also don't think it'd be fun to wrestle with a dead rabbit as I chop it apart (my knives here are not very sharp).

So after getting a few ideas from various recipes, I did things my way, which is what I tend to like to do.  And this is what I came up with.

I served it with arugula dressed in a tangy homemade vinaigrette and roasted potatoes, carrots, and parsnips.

What you need:

1 (3 pound) rabbit
1 1/2 tablespoons butter (mine was salted)
3-4 celery stalks, diced
1 medium onion, diced
6-7 garlic cloves, peeled and cut in half (or minced, but I like the larger chunks of garlic in a slow cooked stew like this)
3-4 sprigs fresh rosemary
2 red wine
2 cups water
1  teaspoon salt (and maybe more, to taste)
8 ounces cremini mushrooms, larger ones cut in half, small kept whole
4 strips bacon
2-3 tablespoons flour


Remove giblets from chest cavity if yours came with them.  Chop them finely.

Heat butter in a large pot over medium-high heat.  Place rabbit in the pot and let sear for 3-4 minutes,  Flip the rabbit over and let the other side sear for another 3-4 minutes.  Make sure that the rabbit has achieved a nice dark brown sear before adding the next ingredients.

Add the celery, onion, garlic, and chopped giblets (if you have them).  Saute for 4-6 minutes, or until they have a little brown on them.  (If you want, you can take the rabbit out of the pot for a few minutes as the vegetables saute.  I left it in there though, you just have to stir around on it to saute the veggies.)  Add the wine and deglaze the pan, making sure to scrape up any brown from the bottom of the pan.

Add the rosemary sprigs, water, and salt.  Push the rabbit down so that as much of it is submerged as possible.  It's fine if some of it is sticking up above the liquid.  Turn the heat down to medium-low and cover.  Let simmer for about an hour, flipping it halfway through.

Add the mushrooms.  Let simmer for about another hour.  The rabbit should be starting to fall apart when it is done.  Remove the rosemary sprigs (or stems if the leaves have fallen off).

Once the rabbit is basically done, fry up the bacon in a saucepan.  Once the bacon is cooked, drain on a paper towel.  Dispose of about half of the grease, keeping the rest in the frying pan.  Add a little (about a 1/4 or 1/3 cup) of the rabbit broth to the bacon grease.  Over low heat, whisk the flour into this.

Remove the rabbit from the pot and place into a shallow serving dish.  Add the flour/bacon grease/broth mixture into the rest of the vegetables and broth.  Stir and let simmer for a few minutes, or until thickened.  Pour over the rabbit in the serving dish.

Enjoy!

Marinated Seared Tuna Steak

Old post that I never quite finished/published from Saba days.  I can still vouch for the tuna!

I absolutely love tuna.  Not the canned variety (though that has its uses at times), but a deliciously rare, barely seared pink steak of it.  I used to order it every time I saw it on a menu, but then I realized that it was one of those things I can easily make on my own at a fraction of the cost.  The steaks I buy here on Saba are still not cheap (then again, nothing is cheap here but rum) at 4-5 bucks a serving, but are definitely a bargain compared to restaurant prices.  

I never tried marinating the tuna until the last two times I made it.  Usually I'm just making it for myself anyway, and I like it fine when I just sear it with salt and pepper.  The first time I marinated it, I was making dinner for my parents and Rob as well, and wanted to make sure it was well received all around.  Especially since Rob isn't really a huge fan of tuna and I was making him eat it since I thought my parents would like it.  They all loved it- even Rob!  

You can serve this as a salad, as pictured below, or sliced into Asian tacos, or simply served with a vegetable on the side (something like a cabbage slaw or cucumbers marinated in a dressing similar to that below would be good).  Enjoy!

Here, I served the tuna with bacon, feta, and cherry tomatoes with a rice vinegar based vinaigrette in this salad

What you need:

1 4-6 ounce tuna steak per person
Sesame oil or coconut oil for searing (I usually use about 1 teaspoon per steak, but some pan materials might force you to use more so that the tuna doesn't  stick)

Marinade:
2 parts soy sauce
4 parts rice vinegar
Minced fresh ginger and fresh garlic
1 part sesame oil
1 part chili-garlic sauce

Mix together the marinade ingredients.  Add the tuna steaks, making sure that there is enough marinade to cover them.  Let sit for 30 minutes.

Heat the oil in a skillet over high heat.  Add the tuna steaks and sear on each flat side for 1-3 minutes per side, depending on how rare you want the steak.  Use tongs to stand each steak on end to very briefly sear the other sides.

Notes:

*I often cut each steak into 3-4 pieces before marinading.  This allows the flavors of the marinade to permeate more and creates more seared edges, so it's a good thing to try if you are serving this to someone who is hesitant about trying seared tuna.  When I do it this way, I use a spatula to flip the pieces around in the pan.  They really just need a quick (~20 sec per side) sear on each side.

*I usually serve this with Spicy Mayo/Greek Yogurt.  Just mix chili-garlic sauce with either mayo, Greek yogurt, or a combination, depending on how healthy you feel like being.  You control the spiciness depending on your preference.  I usually do 1 part chili-garlic to 3-4 parts mayo/yogurt.

Lamb Stew with Winter Squash, Ginger, and Spinach

Wow!  It's been a while since I posted.  After moving back to the States from Saba, I got so caught up on just being able to DRIVE places and see family that I completely forgot about doing any blogging.  Now we're moving around while Rob does his clinical rotations and I am spending a lot of time by myself again.

This recipe is for a lamb stew that uses boneless leg of lamb.  Leg of lamb is fairly expensive, but I add a lot of vegetables, which both ups the healthiness and stretches it a lot farther.  I cut the leg of lamb in half, trim the fat from both pieces, and plop one of them in the freezer for next time.   Just the half leg is enough for about 6 hearty servings.

This is a very easy method and can be used to inspire lots of variations.  I vary the vegetables pretty much every time I make it, but this version is what I made last.

I was going away for a few days and leaving Rob home all alone, so I made a pot of this to last him for a few dinners (and a perfect post driving all day meal for me when I got back home).

Not the most appealing looking, but I promise it's super tasty!

What you need:

Half of a boneless leg of lamb (~ 2-2.5 pounds)
1-2 teaspoons coconut oil or oil olive
1 two inch piece of ginger, peeled and chopped (I prefer roughly for this recipe)
3-4 cloves of garlic, peeled and chopped
1 large onion, chopped
3-4 celery stalks, sliced
1 red bell pepper, chopped roughly
1-2 jalapenos, sliced
1 medium kabocha squash, cut in half and seeds removed
1/2 cup red wine or beef broth
5 ounces spinach (fresh or frozen)
Cardamon, salt, and pepper to taste


Heat coconut oil in a large pot over high heat.  Sear the lamb on all sides, about 4-5 minutes per side. It should develop a nice brown color, almost to the point of looking black in spots.  Then add in the ginger, onion, celery, red bell pepper, and jalapenos.  Stir and saute this for a few minutes, allowing the vegetables to get a little color on them.  Then add in the wine or broth, scraping up any brown bits from the bottom of the pot.  Turn the heat down to medium-low, cover, and let simmer for about 3 hours.  The lamb should become very tender and fall apart.

While the lamb cooks, roast the squash:  Place cut side down on a baking sheet and roast in a 375 degree Fahrenheit oven until tender, about 30-45 minutes.  Once cooled, remove the skin.

Add the roasted squash and the spinach to the pot about 20 minutes before lamb is cooked to completion.  Add in cardamon, salt, and pepper to taste.  Let simmer for 20 minutes.

Serve garnished with Greek yogurt and siracha if desired.  This stuff gets better after it sits for a day, so feel free to make it a day ahead if you have those kind of planning skills!

Seared Shrimp and Scallops with Green Veggie Puree

So pretty, tasty, and healthy!

I got the idea for this from Bon Appetit's recipe for Pea Puree with Shrimp and Scallops.  I hate following directions though, so I made up my own vegetable puree.  This puree is jam-packed with flavor from roasted vegetables, fresh herbs, and spicy arugula.  If you wanted to make a slightly richer puree, I think green olives or walnuts would make an awesome addition.

I served this with roasted asparagus and a Sriracha dipping sauce (see below).

What you need for the Green Veggie Puree (which can be made ahead of time):

4 cups fresh Broccoli florets

1 Zucchini

Olive Oil

Salt and Pepper

1/4 cup fat-free Cream Cheese

2 Garlic Cloves

2-3 tablespoons EACH fresh Cilantro and Mint

1/2 cup (packed) fresh Arugula

1-2 teaspoons Lemon juice

Start by roasting the veggies: Heat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.  Spread broccoli and zucchini across a baking sheet.  Lightly drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt.  Toss with a spatula to evenly coat.  Roast for 30-45 minutes, or until vegetables are cooked through and slightly browned.  Let cool.

Puree roasted vegetables and remaining ingredients using a food processor or immersion blender.  Add a bit more olive oil, salt, and pepper to taste.  Refrigerate until ready for use.

What you need for the Shrimp and Scallops:

1/2 pound jumbo Scallops, rinsed and patted dry

1/2 pound large Shrimp, peeled and patted dry

Salt and Pepper

Olive Oil

Heat a splash of olive oil in a large saucepan over medium high heat.  Season the scallops and shrimp lightly with salt and pepper.  When the oil is hot, sear the scallops and shrimp for 2-3 minutes per side, or until golden brown and opaque in the center.  

Serve with the vegetable puree and Sriracha sauce. Enjoy!

Sriracha Sauce:

1/4 cup plain low fat Yogurt (or fat free Greek yogurt)

2 tablespoons light Mayonnaise

Sriracha to taste

1/2 teaspoon Garlic Powder

Mix all ingredients.   (You could also just use mayonnaise instead of the yogurt and mayo mix, but this version cuts some calories)  This is tasty with pretty much everything.  So you might want to make some extra.

Bacon-Wrapped Scallops

Clearly, this isn't a terribly original recipe.  Google "bacon wrapped scallop recipe" and you'll find tons of the same recipe that all basically say the same thing.  However, I wanted to post this in case others of you out there have the same initial impression of these tasty treats that I did.  I always kind of think of bacon-wrapped scallops as one of those really fancy seeming things that I never think to do, maybe because they just seem too fancy, and therefore must be some sort of ordeal.

In reality, these are both simple and quick to make.  And delicious.  I served them as dinner for the two of us, but it would also be a really nice appetizer if you cut the larger scallops in half or used smaller ones.

I also made a spicy "mayo" sauce and a pesto-avocado cream to complement them.  Two dips/sauces were not really necessary, but both were tasty and went well (and I had an avocado I needed to use up and also still really wanted to make a spicy mayonnaise-y thing).

What you need:

6 Jumbo Scallops, rinsed and patted dry (or 12 smaller ones, and just cut the bacon in half)
6 slices of Thick-cut Bacon (if you do not have thick cut, that's fine, I actually didn't either.  But it would have been easier if I had.  If you have really thin slices, use 9-12 slices instead)
Salt
Toothpicks

Heat oven to broil on low.  Lay bacon strips out on a baking sheet with edges.  Place pan in oven and broil bacon until it is just barely cooked and still plenty flexible.  Remove from oven and drain pan.  Sprinkle scallops lightly with salt.  Wrap one piece of bacon around each scallop, securing with a toothpick.  If you are using a thinner cut of bacon and the one piece seems too skimpy  add another half or whole piece.  Place scallops on baking sheet.  Broil for 4-6 minutes (depending on scallop size), flip over, and broil for an additional 4-6 minutes.  The scallops should be opaque and the bacon should be fully cooked.  If you want the bacon a little crispier, leave them another couple minutes.

Serve with sauce(s) and enjoy!

For the Spicy Mayonnaise:

Mix together equal parts fat-free plain yogurt (Greek or regular) and light mayonnaise.  Or just use all mayo, but I think the blend keeps a nice balance between flavor and healthiness.  Add Sriracha hot sauce to taste.

For the Pesto Avocado Cream:

Blend the following ingredients using a food processor or immersion blender:

1 Avocado, cut into chunks
Pinch of Salt
Splash of Lemon Juice
2 tablespoons chopped Onion
1-2 tablespoons pre-made Pesto

Spaghetti Squash "Lasagna"

Sorry to anyone on Saba reading this- I think I took the only spaghetti squash on the island and it was only there by mistake in the first place.

I love spaghetti squash.  It really doesn't have much flavor at all, but is a great base for a flavorful sauce, much like its namesake.  In contrast to actual spaghetti though, it is super low in calories, with only about 40 per cup, cooked.  And, honestly, I think it is better than real pasta (then again, I don't like pasta, like a weirdo).  

What you need:

1 small spaghetti squash (1-2 pounds) or 4-5 cups cooked squash
1 cup low-fat cottage cheese, blended until nearly smooth (or ricotta, but the cottage cheese is lower in calories)
5-6 cups chunky homemade pasta sauce, with or without meat (see recipe I used below for a chunky and meaty version)
1/4 cup EACH mozzarella and Parmesan


*If you haven't already cooked your squash, all you need to do is poke a few holes in it with a fork and then cook it a) in the oven at 375 Fahrenheit for about an hour, or b) in the microwave for 15 minutes or so.  The squash should be soft when done.  Cut in half and scoop out the seeds.  Shred the flesh with a fork and place in a bowl.  You can also cut your squash in half before baking and scoop out the seeds as well.  Just bake/ microwave face-down and reduce the time accordingly.

To prepare  the "Lasagna":

Heat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.  Spoon about a cup of sauce into the bottom of an 8 x 8 inch pan.  top with about two cups cooked spaghetti squash.  Spread all of the cottage cheese over this.  Top with more sauce (about two cups), then the rest of the squash.  Top with another couple cups of sauce.  Bake for 25 minutes, then remove from oven and sprinkle with cheese.  Bake from another 10-15 minutes, or until cheese is melted and sauce is bubbly.   Serve and enjoy!

Chunky Vegetable and Meat Sauce:

Is you are vegetarian, the meat can easily be omitted, of course.

What you need:

1 pound ground beef, browned and drained (optional)

2 teaspoons olive oil

pinch of salt

1/2 large onion, chopped

1/2 leek, chopped (or just use a bit more onion- I just needed to get rid of this!)

1 celery stalk, sliced thinly

1 head of garlic, peeled and roughly chopped

1/2 eggplant, sliced and cut into quarters (about 2 cups chopped)

1/2 zucchini, sliced and cut into quarters

1/2 cup of mushrooms, chopped OR 1/4 reconstituted dried mushrooms, chopped

1 cup dry red wine

1 28 ounce can crushed tomato

1 14 ounce can diced tomato

1-2 cups water, chicken broth, or liquid from reconstituting the dried mushrooms

2 bay leaves

Spices: Oregano, basil, black pepper, sage, thyme, etc.

Splash of red wine vinegar

Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat.  Add onion, garlic, celery, and the salt.  Saute until starting to brown and slightly softened.  Add the eggplant, zucchini, and mushrooms.  Continue to saute, stirring occasionally, until vegetables have begun to brown.  Add the wine and de-glaze the pan.  Add the canned tomatoes, the liquid of your choice, and the bay leaves.  Add the cooked ground beef, if using.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and cover.  Simmer for about 2 hours (give it a stir every once and a while), or until vegetables are all cooked through and the sauce has thickened.  Add the spices to taste, as well as a splash of red wine vinegar.  Remove bay leaves.  Done!

Brie, Peach, and Prosciutto Pizza

Pizza is great because it so strongly appeals to my creative side.  There are endless possibilities and combinations of pizza toppings.  Even the crust presents all sorts of opportunities for some brainstorming and experimentation.

One of my all time favorite combinations is this one.  This fusion of salty, cheesy, sweet, and spicy is just amazing (And makes great melted brie for dipping if you don't feel like making a pizza).  Depending on how heavily you adorn your pizza with toppings, it can make either a great main dish or a nice appetizer pizza.  I used my own pizza crust recipe, which I'll post in a bit, but you can use your own favorite recipe or store-bought dough, or even some flat bread that's been crisped up a bit.

I didn't measure at all when making this, so I'm just writing in a range of amounts below.  And, like I said, you may really want to vary the amount anyway depending on your purpose for this pizza.

What you need:

Crust to make one medium pizza (10-12 inch round)

Soft Brie Cheese, rind removed and cut into small chunks (2-4 ounces)

Prosciutto, cut into small pieces (2-4 ounces

Peach or Nectarine, cut into thin slices (2 small or 1 large)

Handful of Arugula

Honey

Red Pepper Flakes

Heat your oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.  If using dough, roll it out as thin as possible and bake it for 5-10 minutes, depending on how crispy you want it to be in the end.  Remove from oven and top with the brie, prosciutto, peach slices, and arugula.  Lightly drizzle honey over the whole thing and sprinkle with the red pepper flakes.  Bake for 10-15 minutes, or until it has reached the desired amount of bubbly-/crispiness. 

Crispy Parmesan Shrimp with Cauliflower-Beet Puree

This might be a bit of a weird mix, but I promise it was delicious together.  And the beet puree was just lovely.  I think it would also make a great accompaniment for steak or some other seafood.  Or just by itself.  Or maybe as a dip if you added a bit more spice to it... That may just be what happens with the leftovers.

The shrimp turned out pretty great- crunchy on the outside and still nice and juicy on the inside.  They would be nice on a salad as well.  

Let's start with the Cauliflower-Beet Puree.

What you need:

1 small cauliflower, cut into florets

3 medium beets, scrubbed, ends removed, and chopped into 1 inch pieces

Olive oil spray

Salt and pepper

1-2 cups almond milk (or regular milk)

1/4 cup walnuts, toasted

1/2 artichoke hearts

2 whole heads roasted garlic

Lemon juice

1 teaspoon coriander

1 teaspoon onion powder

Start by roasting the vegetables: Spread beet and cauliflower pieces out on a olive-oil sprayed baking sheet. Season with salt and pepper.  Roast at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for an hour, stirring once.

Now, place your roasted vegetables in a saucepan and add one cup of almond milk.  Bring to a boil and then simmer over medium-low heat for 20 minutes (this helps tenderize the beets so that they will blend a little better.  You could simmer them for longer if you want it to be really smooth, but I like a little texture to my puree).  Take off heat, add the remaining ingredients, and puree with an immersion blender.  Add more salt and pepper to taste.

Now, for the Crispy Parmesan Shrimp:

What you need:

3/4 pound shrimp, peeled and tails removed (mine with medium)

1/3 cup flour

1/4-1/3 cup shredded Parmesan

1/2 cup Italian breadcrumbs (or plain, but then add a bit of an Italian seasoning blend in with the crumbs)

1/2 cup Panko breadcrumbs

1 teaspoon lemon-pepper seasoning

1-2 teaspoons garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 cup Egg Beaters (or just use a couple of whole eggs or some egg whites, beaten)

Place your flour in one bowl and your Egg Beaters in another.  Mix the Parmesan, both breadcrumbs, the lemon-pepper seasoning, the garlic powder, and the black pepper in another bowl.  Heat your oven to broil on high.  Spray a baking sheet with olive oil.  Dip each shrimp first into the flour, then the Egg Beaters, and finally into the bread crumb mixture.  Place on baking sheet.  When all of the shrimp have been breaded, broil for 6-8 minutes, flipping halfway through.  The shrimp should be browned and cooked through (I cut through one with a knife to make sure).

Serve with Cauliflower-Beet Puree and Creamy Pesto Sauce (see below). Enjoy!

Creamy Pesto Sauce:

Mix the following together:

• 2 tablespoons low-fat mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup plain yogurt
• splash of lemon juice and Worcestershire sauce
• 1-2 tablespoons store-bought pesto

Garlic and Herb Salmon

Here's a simple and pretty quick recipe for salmon that's a little different than I usually prefer it.  For some reason, I almost always make slightly sweet salmon recipes (pumpkin butter glazed, teriyaki  or with a simple brown sugar or honey mixture on top).  I mean, a little sweetness does wonderfully complement the flavors of salmon and broiling the bit of sugar on top gives you a deliciously caramelized topping.

But today, I felt like mixing it up and modified this recipe I found.  I thought is was delicious and it was a nice change of pace from my usual.  Plus, the more savory flavors of this give you different options for side dishes than what you might want with a sweeter recipe.  (Though I paired it with a butternut squash soup that would be still been awesome with a sweet salmon recipe).

What you need:

2 pounds salmon (either one large piece or cut into portions)

olive oil spray

1 tablespoon butter

1 head of garlic, cloves peeled and diced

1/2+ cup fresh herbs (I used parsley, thyme, and rosemary because that's what I had)

1-2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon worchestershire sauce

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1/2 cup white wine

1-2 teaspoons black pepper

Heat oven to broil on low if using one big piece or high if using smaller pieces.  Melt butter over low heat in a small saucepan and add garlic.  Let garlic cook until just slightly browning.  Add in the salt, herbs, worchestershire sauce, lemon juice, wine, and pepper.  Turn off heat.  Place salmon, skin side down on a large baking sheet sprayed with olive oil.  Spoon 1/2 of the herb and garlic mixture over the top of the salmon.  Broil for 3-4 minutes.  Take out of oven, spoon the rest of the sauce over the top and sprinkle with breadcrumbs.  Return to oven and broil for another 3-4 minutes (smaller pieces may take less time).  Turn heat up to high if it was on low before and broil on high for 2 more minutes (applies to big piece only).

Serve with lemon slices.  Enjoy!

Filet Mignon with Mushroom Sauce

I discovered these filet mignon in the grocery freezer the other day and couldn't resist buying a couple. That's the thing about living in a place where you can't depend on certain products being there.  It leads to a lot of impulse buys just in case whatever it is runs out and isn't shipped in again for a few months.  And after seeing the price as they rang up, I don't think I'll be getting these again.  But they were delicious and still cheaper than going out to a nice dinner, so it all works out.

I made a creamy mushroom sauce to accompany these, and served them with Green Veggie Soup and Fake Mashed Sweet Potatoes.  

What you need:

2 (6 oz) filet mignon steaks
Salt and pepper
Olive oil spray

Heat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.  Spray an oven proof skillet or pot with olive oil.  If you don't have something that is oven proof, that's fine, but you will need to have a cookie sheet or something like that as well.

Pat filet mignon dry and then season all sides of each with salt and pepper.

Heat the pot over high heat until oil is sizzling.  Sear for 2 minutes on each flat side.  Then roll each filet mignon on its round side to quickly sear it.  Place entire pot/ skillet in the oven.  (If you are using a baking sheet, heat in this in oven for the last minute that the steaks are searing, and then place steaks onto this pan).  Cook for 2-6 more minutes, depending on thickness of the steaks and how you want them cooked.  With 1 1/2 inch thick filets, I cooked one for 2 minutes (very rare) and then other for 4 (medium-rare to rare).  Remove from oven and let sit for 5-10 minutes.

Serve with mushroom sauce and enjoy!


For the mushroom sauce:

I used basically the same Mushroom Sauce as I did with my t-bone steaks.   The only changes were that I used button mushrooms instead of portobello (about 5 ounces) and add in some rosemary stems while everything was simmering, and removed them before serving.