"Cream" of Mushroom Soup with Rosemary and Thyme

In the past two weeks, I've made this soup twice!  Along with a bunch of other soups- I think we're going through 3 batches weekly.  It's soup season, and I'm making the most of it.  Soup is such a great way to warm and fill yourself up with nutritious foods, without too many calories.  Unless you add a bunch of oil or cream, but we're not doing that here!

No cream/milk and just a little oil or butter to get things started.  The rest is just pure nutritious goodness and flavor.

I used my own wild picked mushrooms that we dried during the summer, but you can use whatever is handy at the grocery store.  There is usually porcini or a mixed bag of wild dried mushrooms, found right next to the regular mushrooms.  If you don't have quite the 3/4 of a cup, that's fine- just use more regular mushrooms to help make up for it.

If you're not a fan of thyme or rosemary, leave them out.  When I made the first batch of this soup a couple weeks ago, I didn't use them and it still tasted great.  No need to substitute anything else unless you want to.

What you Need:

1-2 tablespoons olive oil or butter
1 large onion, sliced
~half bulb of garlic, peeled and chopped roughly
1-2 large sprigs EACH thyme and rosemary
12 ounces cremini mushrooms, sliced
3/4 cup dried wild mushrooms
1/4 cup red wine
4 cups beef broth
salt and pepper
cooked and crumbled bacon (optional, for garnish)

Instructions: 

Start by soaking the dried mushrooms.  I just go ahead and put them in the broth for this.  That way, you get to use the flavor that goes into the broth while soaking.  Put the mushrooms in a bowl or a 2 cup measuring cup, and fill with broth.  Let soak for at least 20 minutes.

While the dried mushrooms are soaking, heat the olive oil or butter over medium heat in a large pot.  Add the sliced onion, garlic, and herbs (still on their stems).  Saute for about 15 minutes, or until they begin to lightly brown.  Add the sliced mushrooms and continue sauteing for another 10 minutes.  Keep the heat on medium and stay patient- cooking them a little lower and slower will develop nice flavor. Deglaze the pan with the red wine by pouring it in, and using a spatula to stir up anything that started to stick to the bottom.

Add the now not-dry mushrooms, broth they were soaking in, and the rest of the broth. Turn up heat to bring to a boil, and then turn back to medium to reduce to a simmer.  Let simmer for at least 20 minutes.  Take off heat.  Pick out the herbs (or whatever is left on the stems) with a spoon.  If you want to have some chunks left in your soup, spoon out a couple large ladles of onion and mushrooms and reserve.  Otherwise, puree the whole batch using an immersion blender or regular blender.  If you use a regular blender, I recommend waiting about 10 minutes to let it cool a bit before transferring to the blender.  After pureeing, add the reserved mushrooms/onions back in (if you reserved).  Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Garnish with bacon, if desired.  Enjoy!

Simply Delicious Butternut Squash Soup

This isn't a particularly fancy recipe.  It's quite basic, but can be spiced up to suite your menu or mood. The wonderful thing about butternut squash soup is that you don't really need to do much to make it taste good.  Microwave the squash, add liquid and a little salty flavor, and puree.  With just that, it'll taste decent.  Now, if you want to take it up a notch, adding a few extra vegetables and roasting the squash will lend more depth of flavor.  And that's what this recipe has you do, while still coming together pretty quickly and without any fancy ingredients.

If this recipe seems like more work than you feel like on a particular night, microwave the whole squash (make sure to poke holes!!) and omit all extra veggies and the apple except the onion.  I've made it this way and it's still quite tasty.

This will make a good sized pot of soup... I think I got about 8 servings.  It's perfect reheated for lunch the next few days, and it also freezes well.

If you want to make it a little richer, you can add Greek yogurt, milk, or coconut milk at the end.  Coconut milk goes particularly well if you are using the curry powder for seasoning.

What you need:

1 medium/large butternut squash, cut in half lengthwise and seeds removed
Olive oil, salt, and pepper

1-2 teaspoons olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 carrots, sliced
2 celery stalks, sliced
1 apple, cored and sliced/chopped
4 cups chicken or vegetable broth
salt and pepper to taste

Seasoning options:

1) 2-3 teaspoons curry powder (or possibly more if you have a mild curry powder)

2) 1-2 chipolte peppers in adobe sauce, added after apple and before broth.
2 teaspoons cumin

Start by roasting the squash.  This can be done ahead of time if you want.  Heat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.  Drizzle a tiny bit of olive oil on the cut sides of the squash.  Season with salt and pepper.  Place cut sides down on a baking sheet.  Roast for about an hour, or until tender.  Remove from oven to let cool enough to handle.  After it has sufficiently cooled, remove skin and cut into large chunks.

Heat a large pot over medium-high.  Add olive oil.  Add the onion, celery, and carrots.  Saute for 5-6 minutes, or until they begin to get a little color.  Add apple.  Saute for a couple more minutes.  Add cooked butternut squash and stir.  Add broth and your choice of the above seasonings.  Once it has come to a boil, cover, reduce heat to medium-low and let simmer for 10-30 minutes.  30 will allow more flavor-melding, but 10 is sufficient, so do what you have time for.

Turn off the heat.  If you an immersion blender- awesome!  Just puree up that soup until smooth.  If not, use a blender.  Let the soup cool a little first (maybe wait 10 minutes), and then transfer in batches to your blender.  Blend each batch until smooth.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.

And that's it!  If it's a little too thick for you taste, thin with water, broth, or milk.  Enjoy!

Arugula Salad with Roasted Harvest Vegetables, Goat Cheese, and Pepitas

As soon as the cooler weather hit, I was all over the winter squash selection.  Butternut squash soup and spaghetti squash with meat and veggie sauce came first, which put roasted winter squash on my to do next list.  And since I was contributing it to a dinner party, I figured I'd jazz things up a bit.  So I roasted the squash along with beets and rutabaga, and then used these as topping for a salad.  Definitely had better presentation than a simple pan of roasted squash, and the flavor was more festive too!

You can use a different mix of vegetables if you like.  Butternut squash, parsnips, carrots, or sweet potato would all work.  I liked the mix I used because it gave a fairly varied flavor profile and texture.  

This makes about 8 hearty side dishes or about 4 main course servings.

What you need:

Roasted Veggies:

1 large acorn squash, cut into ~1 1/2 inch chunks- I did NOT peel (or use butternut or your favorite winter squash)

1 rutabaga, peeled and cut into ~1 1/4 inch chunks

1 bunch of beets, or three medium beets, cut into ~1 1/4 inch chunks

3 tablespoons walnut or olive oil

salt and pepper

Salad Stuff:

1 (5 ounce) container arugula

4-5 ounce goat cheese (the one I used happened to be herbed)

1/4-1/3 cup pepitas

Dressing:

1/2 apple cider or apple juice

1/4 apple cider vinegar

2-3 tablespoons olive oil

2-3 teaspoons mustard (I used a sweet and spicy Dijon-like variety, but really whatever mustard you like will do)

salt and pepper to taste

Roast the Veggies:

You can make this ahead of time and then reheat if you want.  

Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.  Spread all three cut veggies on a jelly roll sheet or 13 x 9 baking dish.  Drizzle with oil and generously sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Toss to evenly mix. Roast for 45 minutes to an hour, tossing once about halfway through.  Veggies should be very lightly browned and tender.

Create the Salad:

Optional step: Toast the pepitas by placing in a small saucepan on medium heat.  Stir frequently for 4-5 minutes, or until they start to very lightly brown and you can smell a nutty aroma.  Take off heat and set side.

Make the dressing by whisking or blending all ingredients listed under dressing.

Place arugula in a large bowl.  Crumble goat cheese on top and then sprinkle with the pepitas.  Spoon the roasted vegetables into a pile in the middle.  Drizzle dressing on top.  Once you've let any guests/family members admire your presentation, toss it all together to evenly distribute the dressing.  

Serve and enjoy!

Summer Squash with Onions, Garlic, Jalapeno, and Bacon

My first experience cooking summer squash was when I was 14 years old and obsessed with calories.  My mom told me how my grandmother used to make it-cooked way down with onions and a lot of butter- and that it was one of the simplest yet most delicious vegetable dishes.  I wasn't a fan of using butter, but used a little cooking spray and topped it afterwards with "buttery spray", which is as artificial as it sounds.  Delicious as promised, even made my low-cal way.

Fast forward 10+ years, and a variation on this is still my favorite way to cook summer squash.  I still want to keep it on the light side, but now know that leaving a tad bit of bacon grease in my pan will add a ton of flavor without compromising the healthiness of my dish (and no more buttery spray involved!).  And you can definitely skip the bacon and use a little bit of some other fat (olive oil, butter, or coconut oil).  Sometimes I add a tiny drizzle of truffle oil at the end.

The key to this dish is letting it cook for a bit.  The method is sort of a combination of sauteing and stewing.  There is plenty of moisture as the squash breaks down, but the heat is higher than a traditional stewing process and there is more browning.  The heat is low enough, though, that some moisture does build up and you don't have to stir as often as during traditional sautes.

The end result should have some nice golden color and also reduce down to almost create a mush (I was actually a little impatient this time around... my squash wasn't quite mush enough! :-/). This is what really lets the natural sweetness shine and eliminates the need for additional seasoning.  The bacon adds a little salt, so you won't need to add extra unless you don't use bacon.

4-5 strips bacon
1 medium onion (I used a sweet onion), sliced or diced
3 small summer squash, sliced thinly
1 head garlic, peeled and cloves cut into slices
1 jalapeno
4 green onions


Start by frying the bacon in a large frying pan over medium/medium-high heat.  Once the bacon is fully cooked (the crispier you make it, the more you render the fat out), remove the strips from the pan and drain over paper towel.  Discard all but 1-2 teaspoons of the bacon grease.  There should be a very thin coating on the bottom of the pan.

Add the onion, squash, garlic, and jalapeno to the pan.  Saute/stew, stirring only every couple minutes, until the squash breaks down and all vegetables have a lovely golden color.  If things are sticking too much, reduce heat a little.  This should take at least 20-25 minutes and you can keep cooking it beyond that to deepen the flavor.  You can baby it if you want and stir more often, but I find that stirring less often works perfectly well and that way you can wash some dishes or prep other parts of dinner at the same time.  Once you've achieved a suitably mushy state, add the green onions and crumble in the reserved bacon strips.

And enjoy!  This would be a perfect accompaniment to some salmon or barbecued chicken.

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!

Roasted Beet Stacks with Garlicky Cottage Cheese "Cream" and Pumpkin Seed Parsley Pesto

We're on day 2 of the 21 Day Fix, but that doesn't mean we can't have delicious food!  I was reading Fitness magazine earlier today and saw an amazing looking recipe for "Beet Napoleans".  I might have to try their actual recipe sometime (mine is very roughly inspired by it), but right now it doesn't fit with my meal plan (way too much oil, goal cheese, cream cheese, honey, too many nuts...).

I made these for my husband and I.  The amount of beets I used was not nearly enough to accompany the "Cream", so I will probably up those next time.  I wanted us to eat all of the "Cream" because it is full of protein and that helps give this meal its fill factor. I purposely made extra pesto so that I could use it again, so only 1/8 of the recipe is one serving.  As I made them this time, they count as 11/8 green, 1 red, 1/2 orange, and 1/2 teaspoon per person.  The amounts below for the beets and the "Cream" make two servings, but the pesto makes a lot extra.

You can make the pesto ahead of time (even a day or two before!) and the cottage cheese mixture can be made a few hours ahead.  Or maybe even earlier, but I haven't tried that.  I made the beets so that they finished cooking right before we ate, but they could be reheated or eaten cold, and they'd still be tasty.

Also, feel free to mix up the pesto!  You could use basil or maybe cilantro instead of the parsley, or a blend of herbs.  The beet greens could be substituted with spinach, baby kale, or arugula.  The pumpkin seeds could be replaced with walnuts or pine nuts.  I just did it this way because 1) I already had pumpkin seeds 2) my beets came with greens that actually looked good 3) parsley is cheaper than basil and I had already been adding cilantro to too many things lately.

The Components:

Pumpkin Seed Parsley Pesto (makes eight servings, 3 Tablespoons each, counts as 1/2 orange, about 1/8 green, and 1/2 teaspoon per serving)

1 packed cup of beet greens-or any other greens you want to use (1 packed green)
1/2 packed cup of Italian parsley (1/2 packed green)
1/2 cup raw pumpkin seeds (4 orange containers)

4 teaspoons oil olive
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 garlic clove, roughly chopped
1 tablespoon Champagne vinegar, or a white wine vinegar
Pinch of sea salt
Water to mix

If you are using beet greens, make sure to wash THOROUGHLY.  They tend to be very dirty.  Cut or tear the greens and parsley into blendable pieces.  Throw these and all other ingredients, excluding the water, into your blender or food processor.  Pulse while slowly adding water until the mixture blends into a pesto.  Be careful not to add too much water- it may take a little time to get things going (depending on your blender), but be patient and keep pulsing.  Let sit for at least 2 hours.  Store in the refrigerator until ready to use.

Garlicky Cottage Cheese Cream (makes 2 GENEROUS servings, 3/4 cup and 1 red each)

1% or 2% Cottage Cheese

1 head of garlic

Splash of lemon juice

Roast the garlic head first: Simply place the whole thing in the oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for about 45 minutes, or until soft.  If you aren't 21 Day Fixin' you could cut the very top off before roasting and add some olive oil, but I skipped that this time.

Next, peel your garlic.  Add all of the cloves plus the cottage cheese and lemon juice to your blender or food processor and puree until smooth.  Done!  Store in the fridge until you're ready to use.

*Note: This would make an AWESOME super healthy dip too... maybe add some roasted onions and black pepper.  Serve with crudites or some healthy chips!

Roasted Beet Slices (2 servings, 1 green each- you might want to double... the beets shrink A LOT)

4 medium beets, scrubbed, ends cut off, and cut into 1/8-1/4 inch thick slices.

Cooking spray

Salt and pepper

Heat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.  Spray a baking sheet lightly with cooking spray.  Arrange beet slices across pan, being careful not to overlap.  You will need more than one pan if you are doubling the amount.  Spray the tops of the slices VERY lightly.   Season with black pepper and a pinch of salt.  Bake for 30-40 minutes, or until tender and lightly browned.  If you used two pans, make sure to switch top and bottom halfway through.

The Assembly:

Now that you've got your parts made, it's time to serve this stuff up!  I wanted to be all fancy since this was my first time displaying my creation- hence the tidy little stacks.  You can be fancy too, or you can just plop the correct amount of each component onto each plate and create the mixture as you eat.  They make cute (though messy) little tacos with the beets as the shell.

If you are doing the Fix and want to keep to a serving of 1 red, 1 1/8 green, 1/2 orange, and 1/2 teaspoon, then you get half of the Cottage Cheese Cream, half of the Roasted Beets, and 1/8 of the Pesto,  If you're not doing the Fix, then you can have however much and whatever proportions you want. :-)

So, if you want to make the stacks, start by divvying up your portions. Then, place a larger beet slice on your plate. Top with a little of the "cream" and then a little of the pesto.  Top with a medium beet slice, repeat with the "cream" and pesto.  And top with a smaller beet slice, repeat with the "cream" and pesto.  That's one stack!  You'll probably be making 3-5 per serving, depending on the size of your beets were.  Serve with the extra "cream" and any extra pesto left in your serving.  Enjoy!

Roasted Eggplant Strips with Cilantro-Yogurt Sauce and Cilantro-Olive Gremolata

Eggplant is one of my favorite vegetables and roasting or grilling strips of it is one of the tastiest way to make it.  And definitely the quickest.  

Some people say they don't like eggplant.  My guess is that a lot of them just haven't had it cooked right.  The first time I had eggplant was as a child in a casserole, and it was not cooked enough.  And eggplant when it's not cooked enough is not very tasty, no matter what it's got going on for seasoning. 

Cutting the eggplant into fairly thin strips keeps the cooking time low, and takes away some of that "eggplanty" texture that eggplant haters don't like.  

I most often roast the eggplant in the oven, because I often don't have access to a grill, or if I do, the weather is not grill weather.  If you do have a grill and the weather isn't frightening, cut the strips the same way and grill over medium-high until tender.  If you are really short on time (or patience) you can broil the strips in the oven in under ten minutes- just keep a close eye, or you'll end up with charcoal.

Once roasted or grilled, the eggplant makes a great topper for pizza or salad, and is also great just by itself.  Or, you can fancy it up with a couple of delicious sauces like I did here.  I use cilantro in both of my sauces because I happened to have half of a bunch leftover.  I think it worked really well, but if you're not a cilantro fan, or you have half of a bunch of parsley instead, that would be a great substitute.

What you need for the eggplant:

4 small eggplant, or two medium/large

Olive oil spray or olive oil

Salt 

Pepper

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.  Slice the eggplant into ~1/4 inch thick strips or rounds. Lightly spray two baking sheets with olive oil.  Arrange the eggplant slices in a single layer on the baking sheets so that they are not overlapping.  Touching is perfectly fine.  Spray or brush with olive oil.  Season lightly with salt and pepper.  Roast for 20-30 minutes, switching the pans halfway through.  Cooking time will vary based on how thin your strips are.  The eggplant is ready when it is soft and lightly browned.

Serve with the Cilantro Yogurt Sauce and/or the Cilantro-Olive Gremolata.  I placed a small spoonful of the sauce on each strip of eggplant and then rolled them up to eat.  You could spread the sauce across and use a knife if you want to keep your hands clean. 

Enjoy!

What you need for the Cilantro Yogurt Sauce:

1 cup Greek yogurt (2-4% is best, but you can use fat free if you wish)

~1/2 cup chopped cilantro

1 garlic clove, minced

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

Mix together all ingredients.  Let sit for at least 20 minutes to let flavors meld.

What you need for the Cilantro-Olive Gremolata:

~2/3 cup chopped cilantro

1/4 cup chopped green olives (I used the ones with pimientos)

1 tablespoon olive oil

1-2 teaspoons lemon juice

1/4-1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

2 garlic cloves, minced

Black pepper and sea salt to taste

Mix together all ingredients.  Let sit for at least 20 minutes to let flavors meld.

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.

Tomatillo and Poblano Green Salsa

Salsa is a wonderful thing.  Super flavorful, fresh, spicy, and healthy!  Obviously it's great with chips, but its possibilities do not end there.  Salsa also adds great flavor as a topping on all sorts of meat, chicken, or fish, is a great substitute for dressing on a salad, and can be used as a dip for fresh vegetables (try jicama slices or cucumber!).  This time around, mine accompanied a carne asada salad with a sprinkling of queso fresco.

We're fans of all sorts of salsa varieties around here, but lately have been on a big green salsa steak.  Sadly, most of the best ones we've tried can get pretty expensive (especially when you go through a jar in one sitting).  The good news: making your own is surprisingly simple and just (if not more) tasty.   It turns out a beautiful vibrant green color that definitely outshines store bought salsas.

This recipe is modified from the one I found here on the Food Network site.

What you need:
~7-8 small to medium tomatillos (around 1.25 pounds probably)
2 poblano peppers
1-2 cloves of garlic
1-2 tablespoons lime juice
large handful of cilantro (about packed 1/2 cup)
salt to taste
water (possibly)

Start by roasting the tomatillos and the peppers.  This can be done a couple different ways.  Either way, you want to leave them long enough that they get splotchy black blisters on both (or multiple) sides.

The first method is to place the tomatillos and peppers on a baking sheet and broil on high for about 5 minutes, flip over, and then broil another 5 minutes on the other side.  Probably the method I'd usually use, but my oven was otherwise occupied.

The second method is to char them on the stovetop.  This worked really well for me on my gas stove- I'm not positive it would work as well on electric since they don't seem to get as hot.  Simply heat a large frying pan over high heat and add the whole tomatillos and peppers.  Stir/flip every couple minutes, allowing them time to get a little char on the downside.  Once they are spotted with black blisters everywhere, they're good to go.

After charring, you can put the peppers in a brown bag to steam for 10-15 minutes so that you can peel the skin off.  I skipped this.

The next step is to puree everything together- the tomatillos, peppers, garlic, lime juice, cilantro, and salt.  I did this is batches in my new tiny blender since I had to leave my Vitamix behind for a little while :-( .  You could use an immersion blender, food processor, or regular blender.  I had to add 1/3-1/2 water, but if you're using a Vitamix or immersion blender, you might be able to skip that and have a bit thicker salsa.

And done!  Enjoy with everything. :-)

Roasted Beets and Butternut Squash with Rosemary and Sage

This is a great fall or winter side dish.  Perfect for Thanksgiving next week too!  It is comforting and warm, hearty yet healthy, and just so delicious.  You can add in other hardy vegetables too- parsnips, sweet potatoes, carrots, rutabaga all work well.  And you can certainly omit the rosemary and sage if you want, but I had some already and thought that they'd be a nice change of pace from my usual more basic roasted vegetables.  They add a subtle earthy "herbiness" and fall flavor.  I also added a couple jalapenos for some kick, and, boy, did they add a kick.  We like spicy around here, but you'll probably want to leave those out if you don't. :-)

I served this with seared tuna steaks.  The leftovers would make a great topping for a salad with goat cheese, nuts, and a light vinaigrette.

What you need:

I medium butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1 1/2 inch chunks

1 1/2 pounds beets (I think I used 7 medium/small ones), ends cut off and cut into 1 inch chunks

2 jalapenos, stems removed, cut into 3-4 pieces
Olive Oil

1-2 teaspoons cumin

A few sprigs of fresh rosemary and a few sage leaves

Salt and Pepper

Heat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.  Place your cut up beets, squash, and jalapenos in a large bowl.  Your squash pieces should definitely be larger than the beet pieces!  They cook faster.  Drizzle with olive oil (I try to keep it light, using about 2 tablespoons).  Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon salt and cumin.  Add the rosemary and sage.  Toss everything around to make sure the oil and salt are evenly dispersed.  Spread this on a 13 by 9 inch sheet pan.  Roast for about an hour, mixing halfway through.  If you want a little extra crisp on them, leave them a little longer and turn the heat up to 425.

Remove rosemary stems. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Enjoy!!

Simple Roasted Cauliflower

This is a super simple recipe and my favorite way to make cauliflower.  Even people who think they don't like cauliflower will most likely like it.  Like most things, you just need to know how to make it right.

I made it to accompany some stewed eggplant curry and beef that was stewed with ginger and garam marsala, which is why I did a "curry" version.  I often make it with just salt and pepper.  You can add whatever spices you like- garlic powder, cumin, and paprika are in my rotation.

What you need:

1 head cauliflower, cut into small florets
Olive oil or oil oil spray
Salt and pepper
Curry Powder (or sub whatever spices you want)

Heat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.  Spray or lightly grease a 13" x 9" pan with olive oil. Spread cauliflower florets across the pan.  Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and curry powder.  Lightly drizzle or spray with olive oil.  Toss everything around and make sure that it is evenly spread across the pan.  Roast in the oven for about 12-15 minutes, stirring halfway through.  If you leave it a little longer, it gets awesomely crispy (I couldn't do that this time because my apartment's smoke alarm is stupid sensitive, which is a bummer).  You should get at least a little brown on it- much tastier that way!

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 Green Tomatoes

I still had a few green tomatoes left from those that my sister gave me almost two weeks ago... meaning I had to get cooking them!  I made Stewed Green Tomatoes last week and wanted to try something different this time around.  I do love experimenting. :-)  Part of me was tempted to go ahead and fry 'em up because I knew that would be delicious, but I persuaded myself to go the healthy route because I knew that could be delicious too.

I've made roasted regular (ripe) tomatoes many times and figured that the green ones could be roasted too.  In fact, I had a couple red tomatoes lying around today so I went ahead and added them in with my green ones.

Roasted tomatoes make an excellent side dish (tonight mine paired with leftover chicken), but can also be used as a bruschetta topping on some lightly toasted baguette.  And sprinkled with goat cheese or parm... yum!

What you need:

Green tomatoes (or use some standard ripe ones, same method works)

Olive oil 

Peeled Garlic Cloves

Salt and Pepper

Heat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.  Or higher and reduce cooking time... I've actually done this at all different temperatures, going as low as 225 and as high as 425.  If you plan ahead and do the 225, that's actually probably ideal, but it takes awhile (maybe 4 hours or more?).  I think I did them properly once, but the rest of the time I haven't started early enough.  I most often start around 325 and often end up increasing the temperature near the end when I run out of time or get impatient.  

Lightly spray or drizzle oil olive on a baking sheet or shallow glass baking dish. Slice tomatoes into 3/4 inch thick slices.  Lay out on baking sheet.  Sprinkle garlic cloves around tomatoes.  Drizzle lightly with olive oil or spray with olive oil (honestly, more is tastier, but I try to keep this to a minimum to keep the dish on the light side).  Sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Freshly ground is tastiest. 

Roast for about 2 1/2 hours.  If you run out of time, increase the temperature a bit.  It won't hurt anything.  Mine actually could have gone a little longer this time, but they were still plenty good after two hours, but that included turning up the temperature to 400 for the last half hour. The tomatoes should get slightly caramelized and shrunken.  If you are patient and leave them longer, they will get more caramelized and the flavor becomes sweeter and richer.  So try to be patient if you have the time. :-)

You can also add chopped onion before roasting.  It gets nice and crispy on top of the tomatoes.  Or drizzle with a balsamic reduction after roasting.  I've also added slabs of fresh mozzarella right after it comes out of the oven and sprinkled with fresh basil leaves.

Enjoy!

Broccoli, Radish, and Mushroom Stir Fry

While this is a tasty and simple side dish, I normally wouldn't be posting it as a recipe.  Stir-fries are basic and, well, don't really require recipes.  BUT, I've realized that a lot of people have never heard of cooking radishes!  Which I'd like to change.

You can definitely cook radishes- in a variety of ways. I usually stir fry them really quickly, but I've also broiled them (laid out sliced on a sheet pan and sprayed with cooking spray), and added them to slow-cooked stews.  Also, if you don't like raw radishes, you may very well like them cooked.  Their flavor mellows out quite a bit.

This is an Asian-flavored stir fry that I made to accompany Thai Curry Chicken with Butternut Squash.  My stir-fries usually come together as a result of what I have in the fridge.  That's what's awesome about stir-fries- you can really make all sorts of combinations depending on what you have on hand.  Today, I had broccoli, mushrooms, fresh ginger, and the radishes, so I just went with that.  I cooked them in sesame oil and added a little soy sauce to complement my curry chicken dish.   You could just do the radishes, or do the radishes with the mushrooms, or with the broccoli.  Whatever ya feel like.  This combination worked well though.

What you need:

2 teaspoons sesame oil
1 inch piece fresh ginger, minced
1 pound of broccoli, cut into ~2 inch pieces
6-7 radishes, thinly sliced
8 ounces cremini mushrooms, sliced
Pinch of salt
Pepper
Soy sauce
Chili-garlic sauce

Heat the sesame oil in a large sauce pan over medium-high heat.  Add the ginger and saute for a minute or two.  Add the radishes, Saute for about a minute, then add the broccoli.  Stir that around for a minute, then add the mushrooms.  Sprinkle in a pinch of salt to draw a little water out.  Continue cooking for another 3-5 minutes, or until the vegetables have a little brown on them and are cooked to your liking.  You want them to retain a little crunch.  Turn off of the heat and add the green onions.  Season with soy sauce, black pepper, and chili-garlic sauce.

Enjoy!

Stewed Eggplant

I love eggplant.  In the summer, my favorite way to cook it is just to grill it.  Now that it's getting colder, though, I love to put it into all sorts of stews.  This recipe focuses on the eggplant- there are not a ton of other ingredients to get in the way.  I used cardamon and ginger as my predominant seasonings in this recipe, but you could definitely go with a more Italian-y flavor profile by omitting those and subbing in some basil and oregano.

What you need:

1-2 teaspoons olive oil (or more if you want something richer.  Eggplant and lots of olive oil are delicious, but I wanted to keep this lighter)
1 medium onion, diced
1 inch cube of peeled ginger, diced
3-4 garlic cloves, peeled and diced
1 jalapeno, seeds removed and diced
1 LARGE eggplant (or two medium), cut into 1 inch chunks
1/3 cup red wine or broth
1 medium/large tomato, cut into 3/4 inch chunks
Salt, pepper, and cardamon to taste


Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat.  Add the onion, ginger, garlic, and jalapeno.  Saute for a couple minutes (I cut up the eggplant while these were in the pan).  Add the eggplant and a pinch of salt.  Saute for a few minutes, then add the wine/broth and scrape up any brown bits. Reduce heat to medium or medium-low, and continue cooking, stirring frequently, for 20-30 minutes. The eggplant needs to cook through and should start to fall apart.  Add the tomato, salt, pepper, and cardamon.  Cook for another 5-10 minutes, or until tomato has cooked through.

I left this as is this time, but it would be great topped with a little goat cheese or a full-fat Greek yogurt.  Or try serving with pita chips or as a bruschetta on top of pieces of toasted pita bread.

Stewed Green Tomatoes

I've actually never used green tomatoes before until today!  I've had fried ones, which are delicious, but I wanted to make something a little healthier.  So I decided to just cook them up and see what happened...

The result: delicious!  This recipe is pretty basic, but it could definitely be jazzed up depending on your flavor mood.

I served them with chicken tenderloins and stewed eggplant. I probably should have gone for more variety in texture, but I guess I had a craving for stewed food.  Maybe it's the crisp Fall air.

What you need:

2 teaspoons oil or butter 

1 small onion, diced

3 garlic cloves, peeled and diced

~2 pounds green tomatoes, cut into 1/2-3/4 inch chunks

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

Salt and pepper to taste

1-2 teaspoons cumin

pinch of brown sugar (I used Truvia brown sugar blend because I didn't have regular)

1/2 can green chiles

Heat the oil/butter in a large saucepan over medium high heat.  Add the onion and garlic and saute for 2 minutes.  Add the tomatoes, apple cider vinegar, brown sugar, and a pinch of salt.  Let cook, stirring frequently, for 20-30 minutes.  Add the green chiles and let cook for another 5-10 minutes.  The tomatoes chunks should mostly fall apart and be cooked through.  Season with cumin, salt, and pepper.  Enjoy!

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.

"Broccomole" (Creamy Broccoli Dip)

I saw a recipe for this on Pinterest and immediately went to boil some broccoli (which I conveniently had on hand and wanted to use up)  You can look at the original recipe here.  What a great idea! I changed it up a little to make it imitate my regular guacamole recipe a bit more.  It was quite tasty and I'll definitely be making more broccoli dips in the future- I'm thinking Italian-themed might be next.

What you need:

4 cups fresh Broccoli, cut into chunks
2 teaspoons Olive Oil
6 ounces fat-free Cream Cheese (or Greek yogurt)
2 teaspoons Lemon Juice
1-2 Garlic cloves
1-2 tablespoons Onion, chopped
1 tablespoon fresh Cilantro
1-2 teaspoons Chili Powder

Boil the broccoli in a large pot of lightly salted water until very tender (think the overcooked mush that is a bit appealing at the dinner table).  Drain and place in blender or food processor.  Add the rest of the ingredients and puree.  Enjoy with dippers of choice.

*After eating a good bit of this, I had the idea to stir in a bit of store bought salsa (mine was mango habanero) to add a little kick... delicious!

Seafood Curry

A super flavorful curry loaded with veggies, seafood, and spice.  Serve over rice, or in a bowl with a spoon.  I used a Panang Curry Paste by Taste of Thai, but you could definitely substitute in some other pre-made curry paste.  This makes a big pot of curry that can feed a crowd, or just leave you with plenty of tasty leftovers.

What you need:

1-2 teaspoons Chili Oil or Olive Oil

2-3 tablespoons chopped fresh Ginger

1 medium/small Onion, chopped

5-6 cloves of Garlic, peeled and chopped

1-2 hot peppers (optional- I'm not sure what kind I used because I got them from the farm here and wasn't even a name, but I think that jalapeno or thai chilis would be good)

1 packet Panang Curry Paste (1.75 ounces) or another type of curry paste- just be sure to get paste, not sauce

1-2 teaspoons Thai Fish Sauce

1-2 teaspoons Rice Vinegar

2-3 teaspoons Curry Powder (optional, but I like to have a lot of spice and thought it needed this)

1-2 teaspoons Coriander 

1 medium Carrot, sliced thinly

3 large leaves of Chard, stalks and leaves sliced and separated

8 ounces Cremini Mushrooms, sliced

1 can Coconut milk

1-2 cups broth (you can use seafood, chicken, or vegetable)

3/4 pound peeled shrimp

3/4 pound fish, cut into bite size pieces (I used one piece of Swai and one piece of Grouper, because I had them in my freezer and wanted to use them up.  You can use whatever type of white fish that you like- tilapia, red snapper, cod, etc)

2-3 fresh tomatoes, cut into chunks

1 can diced tomatoes (mine were fire roasted with garlic)

2-3 teaspoons cornstarch, mixed with a little water

3-4 green onions, thinly sliced

Heat the chili oil in a large pot over medium-high heat.  Add the onion, garlic, and ginger.  Stir and let cook for 1-2 minutes, then add: the hot peppers, curry paste, fish sauce, vinegar, other spices, carrot, and sliced chard stalk.  Saute for a couple minutes and add the mushrooms and chard leaves.  Stir and add the coconut milk and broth.  Bring to a boil and add the fish and shrimp and tomatoes (fresh and canned). Bring back to a boil and reduce heat to medium low.  Let simmer until fish and shrimp are cooked through.  The fish should be falling apart and both should be opaque.  Add the cornstarch and cook for another minute, until the sauce thickens.  Stir in the green onion.

Serve over rice or with some bread for sopping up the sauce.  Enjoy!

Baba Ghanoush with Artichoke

This isn't the most authentic baba ghanoush recipe, but it is pretty darn good.  In fact, I think it is the best baba ghanoush I've ever made (good enough that after making it the first time, I made it again two days later).  The boyfriend gave his stamp of approval as well.  

The main differences from traditional baba ghanoush are the addition of artichokes and omission of tahini.  Both changes were circumstantial- I wanted to add a little more bulk to it and happened to have an open can of artichokes, and there is no more tahini in the grocery stores on Saba for the time being- and I'm glad that circumstances were what they were.  This is delicious! 

What you need:

1 medium/large Eggplant

Salt

1 head of Garlic

1-2 tablespoons lemon juice

1/2 cup artichoke hearts, canned in brine

Olive oil

Start by roasting the eggplant and garlic:  You can either roast the eggplant whole or cut it in half.  If whole, poke a few holes in it with a fork.  If cut in half, spray with olive oil and roast cut side down on a baking sheet.  Roast at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for about 30 minutes to an hour, depending on size of eggplant and whether or not you cut it in half.  The flesh should be VERY soft and smushy.  You can roast the garlic right along with the eggplant: cut off the top of the head to expose the tips of the cloves.  Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt.  Roast for 30 minutes.  

Allow the eggplant and garlic to cool.  Scrape the flesh (including the seeds) away from the skin.  Discard skin.  Remove garlic cloves from their papery covering.  Add eggplant, garlic, lemon juice, and artichoke to a blender or food processor.  Add a little water (or the brine from the artichoke) and a drizzle of olive oil.  Pulse to begin blending it.  Add more oil and water (or just oil, but I like to add some water to cut calories) until it can be fully blended.  Season with salt.