Cauliflower crust pizza... mmm

Well hello new paleo friendly recipe! Thanks to the recipe from Kevin of closetcooking.com, I found my new fave pizza crust and recipe and only 170 calories for two pieces if you slice it to 8! Delish!!

http://www.closetcooking.com/2013/02/cauliflower-pizza-crust-with-bbq.html?m=1

Fall comfort food, butternut squash lasagna

This was amazing! Saw it in Woman's Day, but adapted it based on what I had :)

A fall comfort food after a relaxing, but productive weekend!

Ingredients:

1 medium (about 3 pounds) butternut squash
9 lasagna noodles
4 tablespoon(s) (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
1/3 cup(s) all-purpose flour
4 cup(s) whole milk
2 tsp sage
1 cup(s) (4 ounces) grated Parmesan
1/4 teaspoon(s) freshly grated or ground nutmeg
Kosher salt
Pepper
6 Anna's almond cookies, crumbled
2 tablespoon(s) olive oil
8 ounce(s) (2 cups) 4 cheese Italian grated


Directions:

Heat oven to 425 degrees F. Cut the squash in half lengthwise, scoop out and discard the seeds, then place cut-side down in a baking dish. Add 1/4 cup water, cover with foil, and roast until tender, 40 to 45 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook the noodles according to package directions. Drain, rinse under cold water, and lay flat until ready to use.

Make the white sauce. Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the flour and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes (do not let it brown). Gradually whisk in the milk. Add the sage and bring to a simmer. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until the sauce slightly thickens, 6 to 8 minutes. Remove from heat. Discard the sage, then stir in 1/2 cup Parmesan and 1/4 teaspoon each nutmeg, salt, and pepper.

Scoop out the squash and place the flesh into a large bowl (you should have about 4 cups). Add the cookies, oil, 1/4 cup Parmesan, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon each nutmeg and pepper, and mix to combine.

Spread 1 cup of the white sauce on the bottom of a 13- by 9-inch baking dish. Top with 3 noodles and 1 cup of the sauce. Dollop with a third of the squash mixture (about 1 1/3 cups), then gently swirl it into the sauce. Top with 2/3 cup of the cheese; repeat twice. Sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan.

Cover with an oiled piece of foil and bake for 15 minutes. Uncover and bake until golden brown, 5 to 10 minutes more. Let sit for 10 minutes before serving.

Enjoy!!

New cooking toy

John and I have been trying to eat more veggies and fruit... Not so much "dieting" just trying to eat healthier. Along with Kettlebell... we are both losing weight.

Today... Something we bought for John for his smoothies and protein shakes... Has quickly turned into my new toy! No sick minds... It's a blender! A Vitamix blender!!!

We watched the instructional video... And... It. Was. Amazing!!! You can make appys, soups (cold or hot!), salsas, sauces... Omg.. It's amazing!

It came with some cookbook too! I already have my eye on several pasta sauces, a spinach artichoke dip, Mac n cheese and gazpacho recipe!

Tomorrow I'm making a Tomatillo salsa! And there are so many other possibilities!

Tonight, I made a homemade basil pesto! No preservatives... All real food... Yuuuum!

More recipes and stories to come!

Bites of cheesy goodness

Happy hearts day!

Tonight I spoiled my hubby with this fabulous recipe that came in my Bon Appetit magazine this month.

This does take awhile, but it is to. Die. For!!!! The subject was a direct quote from my hubby after a couple of spoonfuls!

I've included some pictures of each stage! Highly recommended! Now, I want to go to this chef's restaurant in SC!

This recipe from Chef Mike Lata at FIG in Charleston, SC. This updated version of a classic dish replaces traditional flour dumplings with ricotta and parmesan gnocchi.

I did not use all of the gnocchi, so I froze them to use at a later time.

Chicken and dumplings

Yield: 6 to 8 servings
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour, 30 minutes

ingredients:

For Gnocchi:
1 pound ricotta
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour plus more
1 large egg, beaten to blend
1 1/4 cups finely grated Parmesan
3/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 tablespoon kosher salt

For Chicken and gravy:
10 cups low-salt chicken broth
2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken thighs
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 celery stalks, cut crosswise into 1/4"-thick slices
1 carrot, peeled, thinly sliced
1 parsnip, peeled, cut into 1/4"-thick rounds
1 leek, halved lengthwise, cut crosswise into 1/4"-thick slices
1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
1/4 cup chopped fresh chives
Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper
* Shaved Parmesan

directions:

For gnocchi:
1. If using fresh ricotta that has excess liquid, you may need to drain it overnight. Line a fine-mesh strainer with cheesecloth and set it over a medium bowl. Add ricotta; cover with plastic wrap and let drain overnight in refrigerator. If using supermarket ricotta, proceed with recipe; no draining required.

2. Gently mix ricotta, 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons flour, egg, Parmesan, nutmeg, and salt in a large bowl just to blend (do not overwork). Form dough into a ball (it will be sticky); wrap in plastic and chill for at least 1 hour and up to 1 day.

3. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside. Place dough on a lightly floured work surface. Divide dough into 4 equal portions and cover with a clean kitchen towel. Using your hands, roll 1 portion into a 1/2"-diameter rope; cut crosswise into 1/2"-thick pieces. Lightly dust gnocchi with flour and transfer to prepared baking sheet. Repeat with remaining portions of dough. Cover gnocchi with a kitchen towel and chill until ready to cook.
DO AHEAD: Can be made 2 months ahead. Freeze on sheets, then store, frozen, in an airtight container.

For chicken and gravy:
1. Bring broth to a boil in a large saucepan. Add chicken; reduce heat to low, cover, and gently simmer until chicken is tender and cooked through, 20–30 minutes. (* Be sure to skim off the foam that rises to the top of the broth as it boils.) Remove chicken; let cool slightly and shred into bite-size pieces. Bring broth to a boil and cook until reduced to 8 cups, about 15 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, melt butter in a small heavy saucepan over low heat. Whisk in flour until smooth and cook, whisking constantly, until roux is pale beige in color, about 15 minutes (do not brown).

3. Scrape roux into simmering broth; whisk until thickened and broth coats the back of a spoon. Reduce heat to low and add vegetables. Cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Add shredded chicken and herbs. Season with salt and pepper.
DO AHEAD: Can be made 2 days ahead. Chill, uncovered, until cold; cover and keep chilled. Rewarm before serving.

4. Cook gnocchi in a large pot of boiling salted water, stirring occasionally, until gnocchi float to the surface, about 2 minutes (slightly longer if frozen). Using a slotted spoon, transfer gnocchi to bowls, dividing equally. Ladle chicken and vegetables with gravy over. Season with pepper and top with Parmesan.

Chef Mike Lata - FIG, Charleston, SC
Reprinted from Bon Appétit
February 2012

Chili

I have only made chili one time via a recipe on allrecipes.com. I wanted to make my own chili for the super bowl... So here is what I did:
1lb beef, 1 lb pork, 29 oz tomato sauce, 1 can kidney beans with juice, 1 can diced tomatoes with green Chilies and juice, 1 can chili beans with juice, 1 red pepper, 1 green pepper, 2 browned onions, 2 jalepenos peppers with some seeds, 1 c water.
3T chili powder, 1T oregano,1T red pepper flakes, 1T ground cumin, 1 T ground coriander, 1 tsp paprika, 1 T salt, 1 tsp ground black pepper. 3 T minced garlic.

First in 1T of oil brown onions about ten minutes. Add garlic. Brown both meats. Add tomato sauce, water, kidney beans and chili beans.
Pour into crock pot. Add all spices and vegetables and cook on low 6-8 hours.

To spice it up add Louisiana hot sauce! Serve with sliced green onion, cheddar cheese and tortilla chips!

Julia Child Strikes Again

I love spending a couple of hours on dinner when the chance allows. Last week, I spent about 2 hours making this dinner. It was just one word- AMAZING!

Supremes de Volaille a Blanc, (chicken breast with cream), buttered asparagus tips, and parmesan risotto.

Let me just say that this was my first time making risotto- the process takes about 30 minutes... But the end result is very good! I used a recipe from my Carrabba's cookbook! Now, I want to experiment with different types.

Next, the chicken and sauce- simply rich and delightful! A Julia recipe- To. Die. For. Paired with her buttered asparagus tips and a glass of Traminer- (like a Riesling... Very good!)

The sauce is what brings the dish together.

Here is the recipe:

1/4 c stock
1/4 c dry vermouth
1 c whipping cream
Salt and pepper
Lemon juice, as needed
2 T fresh parsley
4 T butter

Pour stock and vermouth with butter into pan in high heat. Let boil down until syrupy. Stir in cream and boil down again until cream has thickened. Off heat add drops of lemon juice, salt and pepper to your liking. Sprinkle with parsley and serve.

Ripe bananas?

Do your bananas always get extra brown/ripe and you don't know what to do with them? I had this situation this morning and the hubby said- make something with them! :)

So, here is a quick breakfast recipe for delicious banana pancakes! And, they are only 180 calories per pancake!

ingredients:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon white sugar and 1 tsp
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg, beaten
1 cup milk
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 ripe bananas, mashed

Mix all dry ingredients in one bowl. Mix all wet ingredients in a separate bowl. Quick hint- put the bananas in a ziplock bag and mash in there and add to the wet mixture.

Mix dry ingredients into wet ingredients. The mixture will be lumpy.

Heat a pan with some vegetable oil over med-high heat. Use 1/4 C for each pancake. This recipe should make 6-8 pancakes. Enjoy!

Indian stuffed peppers

This is my favorite go to dinner!

2 green peppers, 1 large eggplant, 2 T olive oil, 1 onion diced, 2T garam masala, 1/2 Boursin cheese round, 1 T cilantro dry or 2 T fresh s & p to taste 1 T garlic.

Sauce
1 T oil, 1/2 c water, 1 can diced tomatoes, 1 medium chopped onion, 1 c yogurt, 1 jar Patak's Vindaloo curry paste

Rice cooked and served with peppers.

Preheat oven to 400- cook peppers 35-45 minutes.
1. Slice onion, eggplant (peel first), gut green peppers and place peppers in baking dish with oil drizzled ( helps soften while baking.)
2. Heat oil, add onion, garlic until onions are translucent.
3. Add eggplant, I use a wok. It works best for the eggplant. Fry until it softens then add cilantro, salt, pepper, and gar am masala.
4. Stir about a minute. Add cheese to eggplant mixture and let melt slightly.
5. Add to stuffed peppers and add to oven for 45 minutes.
6. Meanwhile, make sauce. Add oil, onion, and fry til translucent, add tomatoes and water. Next add curry paste, stir for a couple minutes, then add yogurt. Leave on low, until served, stirring once in awhile.
7. Make rice.
8. On each plate put a scoop of rice, the pepper and the sauce!

Love soup?!?!

It's the winter.. so nothing says winter like a good bowl of soup! Last night I made a delicious potato soup.. tonight, I wanted something with a little of meat and a little of spice! SOOOO.. I remembered tasting this soup that my hubby had at Carrabba's (www.carrabbas.com) a sausage soup with lentils.. so my search was on! I found this fabulous recipe on www.recipezaar.com and it is DELICIOUS! ENJOY!

Here is the recipe- I actually ended up using 3 cups more of water *instead of chicken stock* and added an extra 1/2 tsp of red pepper flakes!

SERVES 8

Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup onion, chopped
3/4 cup carrot, grated
1 garlic clove, minced
1 lb Italian sausage, spicy hot and in bulk
1/2 cup ham, diced
7 cups water
5 cups chicken broth
1 lb lentils, rinsed and picked over
1 tomato, diced
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
1 tablespoon fresh basil, minced
1 tablespoon fresh parsley, minced
2 bay leaves
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes

Directions
1. Heat olive oil in large soup pot. Add onion, carrot, garlic, and sausage to the pot, Saute for 8 minutes, stirring often. Break up the sausage into small bits as it cooks.
2. Add ham and cook for an additional minute.
3. Add the remaining ingredients to the pot, bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer 1 hour.

My new recipe holder!

I am on lunch at work and just had to share my latest creation...

Don't you love looking at new recipes? Or trying new things out at home for a dinner party? Well, I sure do!



Well, I LOVE to tear out magazine articles of recipes... I had three folders full of magazine clippings! I wanted to organize them and keep these precious recipes, so I started a project!




I bought a binder, 2 5 tab organizers, and a package of 100 clear sheet protectors! (all for a total of $10 from Target!) www.target.com

Now, all of my recipes are in one organized place! I arranged them by Appetizers/Starters, Salads, Soups, Etc.... I am very excited for the next time that I try a new recipe!