Vegetable Risotto

Exciting news (for me at least)!  I will now, hopefully, remember to take photos of my recipes to share on the blog.

If you want a filling yet light lunch or dinner, this risotto recipe is great.  The recipe serves 2. 

1 Tbsp olive oil
2 Zucchinis (I used 1 yellow squash)
1/2 Cup peas
1/2 red onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 Cup Parmesan cheese
2 Cups of vegetable broth
1 Cup of Arborio rice

Start by heating a pan on medium heat.  Add the olive oil, garlic and onion and saute for about 5 minutes.  Add the Arborio rice and saute for about 5 minutes, until it begins to smell toasted.  Add the zucchini and enough broth to cover the rice (I do no saute the zucchini before this because I want it to still have a little firmness and not get over cooked).  Stir often.  When the liquid is absorbed, add more to cover.  Do this until the rice plumps up, it usually takes about 20 minutes.  To make sure it is cooked but not mushy, taste it at the  15 and 20 minute mark.  You may need more or less than 2 cups of broth.  When the rice is finished, stir in the Parmesan cheese and serve.
 

Caramel Apple Crepes with Lemon Greek Yogurt

These are so good for breakfast, which we ate today, or for a dessert.  You can make the crepe batter, apples and yogurt mixture ahead of time and keep in the refrigerator for a couple days, so that it's quicker to put it together when you want to eat.

For the Crepes:

The amount of crepes this will make depends on the size of your pan but if you use a small skillet it should make 15- 20 crepes.

2 Eggs and 1 egg white
2/3 Cup of low fat milk
1/3 Cup of Whole Wheat flour
1 tsp of salt

Add the wet ingredients into the flour and set aside for at least 20 minutes so the flour has time to absorb them.

To cook the crepes, heat a small non stick skillet to medium low heat.  If it is truly non stick you do not need to add oil to the pan, but if you have trouble with foods sticking to it, add just enough butter to the pan to coat.  Pour just enough batter to thinly coat the pan, into the center and swirl the pan so that the batter can form a circle.  Cook for about 30 seconds to a minute until the edges start to pull away from the side.  Flip it and cook for the same amount of time.

For the Apple Filling:

This is enough filling for 6 crepes.

2 firm baking apples
3 tbsp of brown suger
1 tbsp of honey or agave nector
pinch of salt
1 tbsp of freshly squeezed lemon juice

Thinly slice the apples and add to a medium skillet heated to medium heat.  Add the rest of ingredients to the pan and stir.  Stir every couple minutes, until the apples are softened and there is a thin caramel in the pan.

For the yogurt mixture:

1 small container of non fat plain Greek yogurt 
The zest of half a lemon
1 tbsp of honey or agave nector
1 tsp of vanilla extract

Once the components of the crepes are finished, just fill the crepes with the apple mixture. You can put the yogurt mixture inside or on top, which is what we did so it wouldn't melt too much.

Potato Latkas

I make a big batch of these, cook and freeze them.  That way they're ready for a quick breakfast or dinner.  Just reheat them in the oven at 400 degrees for about 15-20 minutes and they will be crispy on the outside.

4 Russet potatoes
1 large yellow onion
1 egg and 2 egg whites
3-4 tbsp of flour
salt and pepper
olive oil to drizzle pan

First grate the potatoes and onion and put them in a strainer to drain the liquid.  I squeeze the liquid out before putting it in the strainer to make it quicker.  Then I lay the mixture on paper towels to get it more dry.  Once it seems dry, put the mixture in a big bowl and add about 1 tsp of salt, sprinkle pepper, eggs and flour.  Stir until it is well mixed.  Heat a pan to medium heat and drizzle with olive oil.  Scoop, with a table spoon, some of the mixture and add to the pan.  Cook on each side for about 5 minutes until they are golden brown. 

Allow them to cool before putting them in the freezer so they don't stick together.

Asian Lettuce Wraps

We love P.F. Chang's lettuce wraps so I wanted to make something with those flavors and lots of vegetables.  The sauce is very similar to my recipe on allrecipes.com.  This recipe makes 2 servings.

1 Head of Boston Lettuce, Iceberg works also (You'll get more servings out of it), leaves separated and washed

Filling:
1 cup of uncooked shrimp, chopped in large chunks (You can use any meat)
1 red pepper, sliced
1 cup of steamed broccoli
1/2 red onion, sliced or chopped
1/2 cup cashews, chopped
1 large carrot, small slices 1/2 inch long

Sauce:
1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce
2 tsp. minced ginger
2 garlic cloves, minced
2-3 tbsp honey or agave nectar, depending on how sweet you want it
2 tbsp Franks buffalo sauce, this is more to taste you can add as much spice as you like

First heat a skillet to medium heat and add the pepper, onion and carrot.  Cook for about 5, until they have softened but are still vibrant in color and have crunch.  Add the shrimp and cook for another 5 minutes.  Add the broccoli and sauce and cook for a couple minutes until the sauce is coating and absorbed into the vegetables.

Toast the cashews in an oven heated to 350 degrees for 5 minutes, until golden brown.  Stir a couple times while they cook.

To assemble, just pile a spoon full of mixture in a lettuce leaf and sprinkle the cashews on top.

Quinoa with Mushrooms

The quinoa in this case is best served hot.  We had an arugula salad with it.  The recipe serves 2 to 4.

2 tbsp olive oil
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 red onion,chopped
1 heaping cup of sliced cremini mushrooms
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup cubed mozzarella cheese
1 cup quinoa, (rinsed)
2 cups vegetable broth
Salt and pepper to taste
Chopped scallions for garnish

First, to make the mushrooms, saute 1/4 cup onion, 1 clove garlic and mushrooms in 1 tbsp of olive oil for about 10-15 minutes on medium heat, until the mushrooms have reduced and browned.  Salt the mushrooms after cooking, they won't brown as much if you salt before.  Set aside until the quinoa is finished cooking.

For the quinoa saute, in a soup pot, the remaining garlic and onion in olive oil for 5 minutes on medium-low heat.  Add the quinoa and cook for another 5 minutes.  Then lower the heat to low, add the vegetable stock and cover.  Cook until the liquid is absorbed, about 15-20 minutes.  Add the Parmesan cheese, mushrooms and mozzarella cheese and stir.  Top it with chopped scallions of you have them.