Stuffed Mushrooms

Ingredients:

• 3 italian chicken sausage links with casing removed
• half of a red onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 green bell pepper, diced
• 1/4 cup italian bread crumbs
• 1/4 cup asiago/ parm cheese, grated
• 10 button mushroom heads
• olive oil to drizzle

Directions:

• Drizzle saute pan with olive oil and heat to medium
• Add in onion, garlic, pepper and sausage.
• Break up the sausage as it cooks and browns
• Once the sausage is cooked through, add the bread crumbs and cheese and break up the sausage so there are no large chunks
• Allow to cool and heat the oven to 375 degrees.
• Form the mixture into a ball about 1 inch sized and place into each mushroom cavity.
• Bake the filled the mushrooms on a cookie sheet for 20-25 minutes until browned.

Turkey and biscuits

So instead of chicken and dumplings I used turkey (since I had it frozen from Thanksgiving) and I made scallion biscuits instead of dumplings.  Recipe after photo...

For the Biscuits
Ingredients:

• 1 c wheat flour
• 1 c unbleached white flour
• 1 8oz container light sour cream
• 4 tbsp butter, cubed
• pinch of salt
• 4 scallions, sliced
• 1/4 c milk
• 2.5 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp baking soda

Mix all the dry ingredients first then add stir in the wet ingredients.  I break up the butter a bit with my hands and bring the dough together.  Heat the over to 425 degrees and use your hand to flatten the dough on the counter.  I flattened it to about an inch and cut about 12 squares (you can cut them as small or large as you wish).  Place them on a un-greased non stick cookie sheet and bake for 15 minutes or until the top is golden brown. 

For the turkey and gravy part I used a recipe from Tyler Florence, which is amazing.  I left out the heavy cream of course! And it was still delicious.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/tyler-florence/chicken-and-dumplings-recipe/index.html

Jambalaya Style Risotto

We had this for dinner tonight and it was so delicious I had to share it ASAP.  

Ingredients:

• 1 link of Chorizo or Andouille sausage
• 1 green bell pepper, sliced
• 1 red bell pepper, sliced
• half of a red onion, chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic, chopped
• 4 cups of vegetable stock
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp chile pepper powder
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1 pinch saffron
• 2/3 cup Arborio rice
• 1 cup shrimp, chopped into large pieces

Directions:

1. Remove the sausage from its casing and saute it in a pan heated to medium heat.  Break it up as it browns. After 5 minutes, remove some of the grease from the pan with a paper towel, then add the peppers, onion and garlic.  Saute for 5 minutes more.

2. Add the rice and saute for 2-3 minutes to brown it a bit.  Now add vegetable stock to almost cover the rice and stir in the spices and saffron.

3.  When the rice looks dry, add more liquid and stir.  Do this for 10 minutes and then toss in the shrimp.

4. The risotto should take about 25 minutes to cook, but taste along the way to make sure.  You might not use all of the 4 cups of vegetable stock.

It's simple and so good!

Asian Pork Dumplings

These taste better than a restaurant, so much so that it made me come back from hiatus!  These are for a day you have some time to cook but are easy.  This recipe made 36 dumplings.

Ingredients:

• Wonton wrappers
• 1 lb ground lean pork
• 1 cup chopped kale
• 1 cup baby spinach
• 1 rounded cup of chopped mushrooms (cremini)- about 10
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• half of a small red onion, chopped finely
• soy sauce/Tamari (I added it in dashes not measured out)
• 2 tsp ground ginger
• 1 pinch of red pepper flakes
• Glass of water (to fuse edges of wrappers)

Directions

1. Saute the mushrooms on medium heat until they release some water, add kale and spinach.  Cook until the greens wilt.  Add 3 dashes of soy sauce and garlic, cook for a minute or so until you smell the garlic.

2. In a bowl, add the ground pork and mix in ginger, red pepper flakes, 3-5 additonal dashes of soy sauce, onion and cooked mushroom mixture.  Mix well.

3.  Lay out a wonton wrapper, add a heaping tsp of the pork mixture and lightly line the edges with water (I just used my finger).  Pinch the sides together so it makes a triangle.

4.  Fill a pot with boiling water and place a colander on top so steam can get through.  Place 6 dumplings at a time in the colander and cover with a lid that will seal it.  Cook for 3-5 minutes, until the wrappers appear clear.

5.  Once all dumplings have been steamed, heat a pan on medium heat with a drizzle of olive oil and saute each side of the dumpling until they are golden brown.  It takes about 2 minutes per side.

I served them with a sweet chile dipping sauce!

Orzo with feta

Ingredients:
1/2 cup orzo
3/4 cup vegetable stock
1 zucchini, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 cup chopped red pepper
1/2 cup chopped red onion
1/2 cup feta cheese

Start by boiling the vegetable stock in a small pot, add the orzo and cover.  Cook the orzo for 10-15 minutes, until it is cooked through.  You may need to add bit more liquid (water or stock) if it gets too dry before it's finished cooking, just check it periodically.  Heat a pan to medium heat and add the vegetables.  Saute them for about 10 minutes until they are soft.  Mix the vegetables into the orzo and add the feta cheese.  I served this with bacon wrapped shrimp!

BBQ Pulled Pork

It's such an easy, delicious winter dinner.  I used a crock pot to cook the pork but you can use a pot with a lid.

Ingredients:

Pork roast (I bought a random affordable cut of pork, I think the butt, it weighed about 1.5 pounds)

3 cloves of garlic

1 red onion

2 cups vegetable stock

2 cups water

Cooking oil spray

Salt and pepper

1/4-1/2 cup of you favorite BBQ sauce (I love Bullseye original)

Start by heating a pan to medium heat sprayed with cooking oil spray.  Season the pork with salt and pepper and sear the meat on each side for about 3 minutes or until it is browned.  Set aside.  Chop the onion and garlic (It can be any size since its purpose is to flavor the cooking liquid) and add it to the crock pot.  Pour in the water and vegetable stock, then add the pork.  Set the heat/timing for 6 hours.  In a pot with a lid, cook on low for 2-3 hours, until the meat is falling apart.  When it is ready, shred the pork into chunky shreds and add to a saute pan.  Discard any fat left in the meat.  Saute the meat with the BBQ sauce on medium heat, stirring periodically, for about 10 minutes so the sauce coats the pork.  I served in a toasted bun. 

Roasted vegetables tossed with balsamic vinegar

After the hiatus due to school and now after the holidays hopefully I can cook and share some new recipes.  The other night, after a couple weeks of indulging, we just wanted vegetables for dinner.  On Christmas night, my dad made roasted brussels sprouts tossed with balsamic vinegar so I wanted to add a little more.  There is not a photo accompanying this recipe because, honestly, the roasted vegetables were not too photogenic.

Ingredients:

2 cups of halved brussels sprouts
2 zucchini chopped into 1/2-1 inch pieces
2 cups of sliced button mushrooms
3 whole cloves of garlic
1 red onion sliced 1/4 inch thick
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper

Heat the oven to 400 degrees.  Toss the vegetables and garlic in the olive oil, salt and pepper.  On a baking sheet, make sure they are arranged in a single layer to roast evenly.  Roast them for about 20-30 minutes, toss them after about 15 minutes to ensure even browning.  They are done cooking when they are golden brown.  In a bowl mash the roasted garlic cloves and mix with the balsamic vinegar.  Toss the vegetables in the mixture and serve.

Appetizer Party

We had an appetizer party for dinner last night, just the two of us.  We like to have a variety of things at one time, so it was a good Saturday night dinner.  I made roasted red peppers with garlic oil, sauteed mushroom and onion crostini topped with Gruyere cheese and a greek bruschetta.

For all the apps I toasted a thinly sliced baguette drizzled with olive oil in an oven preheated to 325 degrees F for 10 minutes.

Ingredients/What I did:

For the mushroom/onion crostini (makes 6):

                                         

• 1 cup of chopped mushrooms (I used a cremini/shitaki mixture)
• 1 cup of thinly sliced red onion
• olive oil for drizzling
• salt/pepper to taste
• 1/4 cup of wine (I used a rose)
• 1/2 cup shredded Gruyere cheese

Drizzle a pan with olive oil and heat to medium heat.  Add the mushrooms and saute for about 5 minutes, then add the onion.  Cook for about 5 minutes, when the mushrooms are reduced in size and soft and the onions are translucent add the wine and cook for another 2-3 minutes.  Top 6 toasted baguette slices with the mixture and add the Gruyere cheese evenly to each.  Place on a baking sheet and put under the broiler for 1-2 minutes until the cheese is bubbly and melted. 

For the roasted red peppers:

• 2 red bell peppers
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 small clove of garlic, chopped

To roast the peppers, heat the oven to 450 degrees F.  Place the whole peppers on a baking sheet and bake.  Rotate the peppers about every 5 minutes, each side will look black in spots but that's good flavor.  It takes about 20 minutes for them to finish cooking, by the end the skin will look dark and the pepper will be soft if you press on it.  Place them in a bowl to cool and allow the skin to separate from the flesh.  Meanwhile, in another bowl add the olive oil and garlic, you can keep the garlic in the oil when you add the peppers or take it out before you add the peppers.  The garlic will flavor the oil if you just let it sit for 10 minutes or so.  Once the peppers are cooler, peel the skin off the flesh, and cut the flesh into slices discarding the seeds.  I topped the toasted baguette with the pepper slices and chopped Mozzarella cheese.

For the Greek style Bruschetta:

• 1/2 cup chopped pitted Kalamata olives
• 1/2 cup of chopped tomatoes
• 1/2 cup of feta cheese

Just put these in a bowl and mix, top the toasted baguette with spoonfuls of the mixture and eat.

Portabella Mushroom Burger topped with sauteed onion and Swiss cheese

I find myself eating less meat these days.  It is cheaper, for one, and I just feel better incorporating a lot of vegetables into a normal day.  One thing I can't do without is a good cheese burger.  It is something I crave often so I wanted to try a burger with a Portabella mushroom.  It did not disappoint; it does not replace a juicy cheeseburger in my life but it's a great alternative.

Ingredients: (for one burger)

• 1 Portabella Mushroom, wiped with a damp cloth and stem removed
• A quarter of red onion, sliced thin
• 1/4 cup reduced sodium soy sauce
• 1/4 cup vegetable broth
• 1 thick slice of tomato (I used heirloom)
• a handful of arugala
• 2 slices of swiss cheese
• 1 hamburger roll
• olive oil to drizzle

For Honey Mustard:

• 1 tbsp brown mustard
• 1 tsp honey or agave 
• 1 tsp of mayonnaise 

Start by preheating the oven to 400 degrees F.  Place the mushroom on a baking sheet and bake in the oven for about 10 minutes then flip and cook for another 10-15 minutes, until the  mushroom is tender.  Meanwhile, heat a skillet to medium heat and lightly drizzle with olive oil.  Add the onion slices and cook while stirring often for about 10 minutes.  They should have some color, reduce in size and be translucent.  Take the onions out and put aside, in the same skillet pour the soy sauce and stock and heat on medium heat.  Place the mushroom in the liquid as it reduces.  Keep heating until the liquid has evaporated and the mushroom is coated in what has reduced.  Place the onions and cheese on top of the mushroom and cover to allow the cheese to melt.  

To assemble the burger, mix the components of the honey mustard and spread on the bun.  Place all other components on and serve.

Greek Pizza

We are obsessed with pizza and cheese so we incorporate this sort of dinner frequently.  If you like feta and greek ingredients, this is for you!  Also, this is mostly prep and not so much cooking which makes it quick and easy.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 pound pizza dough
• 12-ish cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1/3 cup chopped Kalamata olives
• 1/2 cup feta cheese
• some thin slices of red onion
• roasted garlic cloves (I found some in the antipasta bar at the food store, but to make it you just heat an oven to 400 and roast garlic cloves in the covering for about 20 mins) (I used about 15)
• 1 package of hummus

To start, preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.  On a baking sheet or pizza stone stretch the pizza dough to the desired size.  Depending on the size of your pizza, the amount of hummus to use will vary.  Spread  the hummus to cover the dough.  Then top with onion slices, roasted garlic cloves, chopped olives, feta cheese and halved tomatoes cut side up.  Bake for about 10-15 minutes, and serve.

Slow cooker Thai

Since I go to school in NYC, it was easy to find a Thai market with every type of curry paste you could want.  I wanted to make red curry so I stuck with that, but hope to branch out.  You can find red curry paste in specialty markets, and if you're lucky the normal super market.  I am posting this recipe even though it is not perfected.  I loved the flavor but the sauce wasn't a thick smooth consistancy I find from Thai restaurants.  Maybe there's a secret only Thai cooks know, but I think the problem was me trying to cut fat and using reduced fat coconut milk.  If you end up making this, go for the full fat or better yet, try coconut cream.

This recipe also makes a lot because it takes a while to make and I wanted leftovers for the freezer so I could have it again after reheating it.

Ingredients

• 2 chicken breasts
• 2 cans of coconut milk/cream
• 1/3 cup red curry paste (taste as you go, you may want to use more or less)
• 1 red bell pepper, sliced
• 1 green bell pepper, sliced
• 1 package of frozen broccoli
• 1/2 red onion, sliced
• 2 carrots, sliced

In a bowl, mix the coconut milk with the curry paste.  At this point taste for how much paste you want to add.  Pour it into the crock pot and place the chicken breasts in also.  Set the crock pot for how ever long you need it to run, I set it for a 6 hours, since I was home all day.     Once there is about 45 minutes left of cooking add the sliced vegetables.  I add them at the end so they still have some texture.  If you don't have time to do this either add them at the the beginning or saute them separately and mix in with chicken.  I served this over rice!

Roasted Eggplant Dip

This dip is inspired by the Melitzanosalata we order every time we eat at our favorite greek restaurant, Greek Taverna in Montclair.  The amounts of each vegetable are not exact, you just want there to be more eggplant that the other vegetables.

Ingredients:

• 1 large eggplant, chopped with skin left on
• 1/2 of a large, or 1 whole small red bell pepper
• A quarter of a large red onion or half of small one, cut in chunks
• 2 whole cloves of garlic, left in the covering
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• salt and pepper
• 1/4 cup of water
• 1/3 cup of non fat greek yogurt

Heat the over to 400 degrees F.  On a baking sheet, add the vegetables and toss with salt, pepper and olive oil.  Place the garlic on the side of baking sheet so you don't lose them in the other vegetables.  Roast in the oven for about 20-25 minutes, tossing every 5 minutes so each piece cooks evenly.  They are done when they look wilted, browned and are tender.  Add the vegetables to a blender or food processor.  Squeeze the garlic out of the covering into the vegetables.  Add the greek yogurt and blend until smooth.  If it is too thick, add some water, a little at a time.  I served this with whole wheat pita chips.