Baked Teriyaki Chicken

"The best laid plans of mice and men often go astray." That was the story last night.  I am working on a standardized menu to cover the span of 8 weeks. Basically, this is to get a plan in place that I can follow when I am too busy to think. It rotates a nice variety of recipes we love, and keeps the number of plant based foods high and number of meat and pasta dishes at a moderate level. Because when I have no plan, meat and pasta are my go to meals. I'll post more on this menu once it is finalized.

The beauty of the menu is that it's not based on the day, but a rotation so there is flexibly to accommodate leftovers, dinner out or just the preference of the day. That's want happened last night. A friend was in need of the use of our stove because hers was not working. She brought over a saucepan with a teriyaki marinade containing cornstarch that she needed to heat and thicken.

As we talked, she stirred and heated her teriyaki mixture and it smelled really good. I asked her about the recipe and she told she found it on Allrecipes so I looked it up for future reference. Our plan for the night was to have a nice vegan meal of Mushroom Stroganoff (over brown rice pasta) and salad,which is a favorite in our house. After she left, the house still smelled like the wonderfully tangy sauce and realizing I had some chicken thighs in the refrigerator, I knew I needed to go astray.

I pulled up the recipe and saw I needed to make a few changes. More garlic and less sugar, a few other tweaks to measurements and definitely leave the skin on the thighs. I like the skin, plus if the sauce is to strong for my daughter she can remove the skin from hers and have milder flavor. The results were very good and this chicken recipe has found a slot on my developing standardized menu!

Note of caution, the brown sugar can cause havoc with your pans, I recommend lining your pan with foil before putting the chicken in.

Baked Teriyaki Chicken

(adapted from Allrecipes Baked Teriyaki Chicken)

1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch

1 1/2 tablespoons cold water

1/4 cup brown sugar

3/4 cup soy sauce

3/8 cup cider vinegar

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon ginger, grated

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

12 chicken thighs

In a small saucepan over low heat, combine the cornstarch, cold water, sugar, soy sauce, vinegar, garlic, ginger and ground black pepper. Let simmer, stirring frequently, until sauce thickens and bubbles.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Place chicken pieces skin side down in a lightly greased 9x13 inch baking dish. (Better yet, line the pan with foil and then spray with cooking oil.  Brush chicken with the sauce. Turn pieces over, and brush again.

Bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes. Baste and bake for another 20 minutes, brushing with sauce every 10 minutes.

Blueberry-Rhubarb Upside-Down Cake

Last fall I signed up for a weekly vegetable box from my local CSA (Community Supported Agriculture). I did it for a number of reasons.

• Participation in a CSA supports local farmers, take that Monsanto. 
• I know that our food is local, this great for our environment. 
• Being local the our food is probably picked the day before it gets to us, meaning it will last much longer in our refrigerator. 
• The majority if not all of our veggies and fruit are organically grown.

All good reasons, but one of my favorite reasons is that the box contains what the box contains. There is no picking or choosing. This means we get stuff in the box that we never buy, sometimes it's something I've never even heard of.  This may be daunting to some, but I love it.  It's been good for our family; we have greatly expanded our repertoire of veggies. Which brings me to to today's recipe made with rhubarb.

Rhubarb is not new to me, I've seen it in the grocery store for years but never once purchased it.  This week it arrived in my veggie box. First of all is it a fruit or a vegetable?  Well I went to Wikipedia to get the answer and found that it seems to be both.  Well not really, it's a vegetable.  What is funny is that in 1947, a New York court deemed it a fruit since that is the way it is used in America.  Whatever, who am I to argue, I am using it as a fruit.

I was going to make rhubarb pie, but I have to admit I was afraid we might not like it, that's when I came across a recipe in Eating Well magazine for Strawberry-Rhubarb Upside-Down Cake.  I thought that sounded perfect, well almost, the hubby was never going to eating something made with strawberries and rhubarb, so I swapped out the strawberries for blueberries.  The results were awesome, this is a super easy homemade cake that takes very little effort.

The recipe below was taken directly from Eating Well with a few small changes, such as the blueberries.  I also used a different pan.  The whole inversion process of the upside-down cake is very intimidating to me, as it should be, I've mangled more than one of these in my time.  I used a springform pan which allowed me to safely remove the sides of the pan and the get the top (bottom) of the cake firmly on the plate before flipping it over. Another note, since I used a springfrom pan, some liquid seeped out of the bottom while it was in the oven, it didn't effect the results, but I would highly recommend putting a large baking sheet lined with foil on the rack below your pan to catch the drippings.

Blueberry-Rhubarb Upside-Down Cake
(Adapted from Eating Well's Strawberry-Rhubarb Upside-Down Cake)

1 cup sliced fresh rhubarb
3/4 cup orange juice, preferably fresh-squeezed, divided
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 1/2 cups blueberries
3 large eggs
2/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1 tablespoon freshly grated orange zest
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 350°F. Generously spray a springform cake pan with cooking oil. Combine rhubarb, 1/4 cup orange juice and granulated sugar in a medium bowl and let stand, mixing occasionally, for 20 minutes. Add blueberries; stir to combine. Spread the fruit mixture in the prepared pan.

Whisk eggs, oil, brown sugar, orange zest, vanilla and the remaining 1/2 cup orange juice in a large bowl. Whisk flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl. Gradually stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Do not overmix. Spoon the cake batter on top of the fruit mixture. the batter will seem thin, but it is fine.

Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake layer comes out dry, 40 to 50 minutes.

Run a knife around the outside of the pan and shake it a bit to loosen the bottom. Remove the sides of the pan and invert the cake onto a serving plate and remove the bottom. Let the cake cool to room temperature before serving, about 2 hours.

Herb Marinated Shrimp

Have I mentioned my favorite kitchen gadget yet?  Probably not since I am behind on my posts, so I'll take a moment to fill you in, it's the Cuisinart Immersion Blender.  This little magic wand mixes up smoothies and sauces super fast without having to pull out the food processor or blender, which makes clean up a breeze. I've used it several times a day since I got it on Mother's Day. I've wanted one for years and had I known exactly how wonderful it is, I would have gotten one much sooner.

Today's recipe is a product of the new immersion blender.  The marinade has a number of fresh herbs from the garden, which were blended down into yummy goodness. I used rosemary, basil and oregano, but use whatever you have. Dried herbs could be used in place of fresh if that's all you have on hand. Another note, I use a grill pan for this recipe because it makes life easy, but if you don't have one you could put the shrimp on skewers.  Either way this dish is fast, so make sure you have everything else ready before you put the shrimp on the grill.


Herb Marinated Shrimp

1 part red wine vinegar
1 part water
3 parts olive oil
1 teaspoon dijon mustard
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
Two sprigs fresh rosemary, removed from the stem
several leaves fresh basil
several leaves fresh oregano
1 1/2 lbs jumbo tiger shrimp, shelled and deveined

Mix the marinade ingredients in a beaker or large measuring cup with an immersion blender, or mix in a blender. Pour over shrimp and marinate for several hours.

Preheat grill.  Spray a grill pan with cooking spray and set it on the grill for 2-3 minutes to heat it up.  Spoon the shrimp into the pan with a slotted spoon and discard the remaining marinade. Cook quickly over medium high heat, stirring frequently.  Once the shrimp are pink and begin to curl, they are cooked.

Fish in Foil Packets

The other night I was making dinner and taking the usual pictures in case I wanted to include any of the dishes on the blog.  Well as I clicked, I ran out of space on the disk.  You know that means?  It means I've been cooking and taking pictures, but I have not been getting the recipes up on the Witchery page. I downloaded the pics yesterday, and I can tell you there is some good stuff coming your way.

Like today's recipe, which is an oldie but a goodie.  I have to admit I am not a fish fan.  It's just not my thing, but I know it's a good lean source of protein so I keep working it in.  This particular recipe is one of my favorites, and it is also a big hit with my picky eater.  I think what I like about it is how it is cooked in moist heat, plus the lemon juice and veggies give it great flavor.  Okay, it's also super easy.

This recipe uses turbot fillets and a selection of herbs and veggies.  You can use any fish and veggies you like.  Also fresh herbs are not required, but they are a nice addition.

Fish in Foil Packets
3-4 servings

1.25 lbs turbot fillet

olive oil

juice of 1 lemon

kosher salt

black pepper

15 asparagus spears

1 small red onion, sliced

handful of snow peas

1 red bell pepper, cut into strips

fresh herbs such as parsley and thyme

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Cut a foil piece large enough to encase one serving of fish and veggies for each serving and place on a baking sheet. Drizzle a little olive oil onto each sheet.  Place the fish on the sheet and season with salt and pepper.  Place the veggies on top of the fish and then top with the herbs.  Drizzle with a bit more olive oil and the juice of the lemon.  Season with a little more salt and pepper and seal the packets completely.  Bake for 15-20 minutes.  Check the fish for after 15 minutes.  Fish should be opaque and flake when it is done, be careful not to overcook.

Grilled Marinated Veggies

Now that the warm weather is moving in, we all start thinking about grilling.  I know I am guilty of arranging my grilling plans around what type of meat or meats that I am going to cook, but don't neglect the veggies.  Grilled veggies carry that wonderful fresh from the grill flavor just as good or better than the meat.

Any veggie can be grilled, but one of my favorite bases for a mixed veggie grill is potatoes.  I usually use baby potatoes and I always parboil them first. That way they can finish off with the rest of the veggies. If you put them in raw, the other veggies will cook up while you try to get the potatoes to the proper tender state.  I have a nice mix listed below, but pick veggies you like, also a good, but simple marinade is a good way to go for a super flavorful grilled veggie mix.

I like to start with olive oil, a favorite vinegar and then go out to the garden and pick a few fresh herbs.  The veggies pictured here use the herbs in large chunks, which is quite good, but my new favorite thing to do is use my immersion blender to pulse the herbs into small bits that carry their delicate flavor onto each piece. Blend or not blend, it's up to you.

Another great grilled veggie dish is Thug Kitchen's Grilled Romaine with Avocado Lime Dressing.  So super simple, and a really great addition to a grilled meal.  Yesterday, we grilled veggies, chicken thighs marinated in the same mixture as the veggies, and Thug Kitchen's romaine. We served it up all on a large platter and I am now sorry I did not take a picture for this blog.  You'll have to take my word for it, it was a fabulously complete meal with some meat, but lots of veggies.  My favorite balance.

Grilled Marinated Veggies

Marinade
1 part balsamic vinegar
1 part water
3 parts olive oil
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
a few sprigs each rosemary, marjoram and lemon thyme, or whatever you have

Veggies
baby red potatoes, parboiled and then cut in quarters or halves
1/2 red onion, quartered
grape or cherry tomatoes, halved if cherry
zucchini or yellow squash, cut in large chunks
baby bella  or white mushrooms, whole or halved

Par boil the potatoes whole until fork tender, rinse with cold water to halt cooking process and cool the potatoes. Cut into into preferred size chunks.

Combine the ingredients for the marinade, blend with the immersion blender, or not.

Once the potatoes are cool combine the veggies, potatoes and marinade in a large bowl and refrigerate for 30 minutes or more.

These veggies should take 7-10 minutes to cook over medium high heat on your grill, so time it properly with the other items you are cooking.  When ready, spray a grill pan with cooking spray and spoon the veggies into the pan with a slotted spoon. Discard the remaining marinade. Cook stirring every few minutes allowing a bit of a char to happen, be careful not to overcook.  Don't decimate your veggies, just get them lightly cooked.

Shrimp Spring Rolls

I have a thing for food that comes in its own little package. I know it's why I love ravioli, it's also why I love spring rolls.  They are little bundles of fresh and crunchy yumminess.  Fresh spring rolls, sometimes referred to as summer rolls are not fried, they are made with rice paper wrappers and filled with fresh and mostly, if not all, raw ingredients.  Add a little dipping sauce or two to accommodate different preferences and you've got what could be thought of as a handheld salad.

Some people may be intimidated by the thought of making spring rolls at home, I know I was at first, but

they are really pretty easy.  It's a matter of getting all your ingredients ready to roll in a little assembly line and then start soaking your wrappers.  I made this batch for my family of three and I have to say, if you are going to make them you want to make a good sized batch, so for us I think this will be party food. Unlike many foods, the leftovers aren't as good as freshly made.

Shrimp Spring Rolls

24 spring roll wrappers

8 oz rice stick noodles

1 lb shrimp, deveined

1/2 teapoon sesame oil

2 teaspoons olive oil

2 cloves garlic, pressed

small bunch thai basil

small bunch cilantro

6-7 romaine lettuce leaves

1 cucumber, cut into thin strips

3 carrots, shredded

hoisin sauce

peanut sauce

sriracha sauce

Steam the shrimp. Peel and slice each shrimp in half lengthwise to make a thin slice and set aside

Prepare noodles according to instructions.  Drain.

Briefly sauté noodles in olive and sesame oils with garlic until garlic is fragrant. Remove from heat and let cool.

Fill a wide, shallow bowl with very warm water. Dip 1 rice paper round into the water for a few seconds to soften, shake off excess water and then lay it flat on a plate. Dip a second round into the water and lay it directly on top of the first one. 

Center a lettuce leaf on top of the stacked rice papers. Top the lettuce with a few pieces of basil and cilantro, then top the herbs with a few pieces of the cucumber and a bit of the carrots. Next put a small bunch of noodles (about 2-3 tablespoons worth) on top. Lastly top the noodles with 4 slices of shrimp. Be careful not to over stuff the roll. Lift the bottom edge of the rice paper up and over the filling and then roll once to encase the filling. Then fold each of the sides up to close the ends and then continue to roll the the spring roll up sort of like a burrito. Sit the completed roll on a piece of parchment paper. Repeat with the remaining rice paper and filling ingredients to make 12 rolls.

I like to provide a number of dipping sauces such as hoisin, sriracha and peanut sauce.

Sunken Beef Burritos

When I was growing up there was a Mexican restaurant in my neighborhood called Tippy's Taco House.  It was the first Mexican food that I had ever had, and in fact I don't think I had Mexican food anywhere else for many years.  Of course these days Mexican restaurants are a dime a dozen. Looking back Tippy's was a real dive, complete with a waitress named Libby who was missing a few teeth.  That's okay, I loved the place.  I even worked there for a while in my teen years. Today's post is a homage to one of my favorite dishes at Tippy's, the sunken burrito. It's a basic beef filled burrito, baked in a spicy gravy.

I've been making this dish for over 20 years and what's interesting is that until about 2 years ago, I haven't been to Tippy's for at least 20 years.  I think I know why.  First, it really is a dive, Libby isn't there anymore but sadly one of the younger, now much older waitresses is still working the tables. It's like the dive that time forgot. Second, the food, well it's not so hot.  I'm not going to dish on Tippy's burritos, but I can say mine are full of fresh ingredients and made in small batches.  So while Tippy's may have inspired this dish, it's really not anywhere near the same.

Btw, this recipe works just as wonderfully with ground turkey.


Sunken Beef Burritos

1 tablespoon olive oil
2 lbs ground beef
1 medium onion, chopped
1 medium green pepper, chopped
2 medium jalapeno chile peppers, seeded and minced
4 cloves garlic, pressed
3 medium tomatoes, chopped
1 1/2 tablespoons chili powder
1/2 teaspoon tabasco sauce or sriracha
1 teaspoon kosher salt
8 large flour tortillas
1 packet chili seasoning mix
1 packet brown gravy mix
water
8 ounces shredded monterey jack cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Brown ground beef in oil with onion, peppers, and garlic. Drain fat. Add tomatoes, chili powder, tabasco and salt. Simmer 30 minutes.

Meanwhile add 4-5 cups water to chili seasoning and brown gravy mixes, simmer until thickened. Heat tortillas in foil for 10-15 minutes.

Prepare baking pan by spraying with nonstick spray and pour a little of the gravy into the bottom of the pan. Fill the tortillas with a little cheese and the meat mixture, wrap up burrito style and set into pan. Pour the remaining gravy over top the burritos.

Bake at 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes uncovered, top with any remaining cheese and cook another minute or two until the cheese melts.

Let set 10 minutes before serving.

Moroccan Chicken Thighs

Once again I find myself thawing a pack of chicken thighs and needing something new to do with them, have you been there?  I am sure that you have.  I spend a good amount of time surfing Pinterest looking for recipes and today's post is the product from one of those searches.  I came across a kabob recipe on Womenist Women Interest, and decided a with a little modification I could apply it to my chicken thighs.

The marinade is super simple starting with nice fresh herbs.  Once you blend it up, the scent is awesome.  Since I was using thighs and not boneless breast chunks, plus it was raining so no grill, I utilized an oven roasting method that I use for another thigh recipe. The result was perfectly cooked chicken with wonderful Moroccan flavors.

Moroccan Chicken Thighs
Modified from Womenist Women Interest Grilled Moroccan Chicken

3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
3 scallions, white with some green chopped
1/3 cup chopped parsley
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 cloves garlic, pressed
2 teaspoons paprika
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
¼ black pepper
6 chicken thighs

Put the marinade ingredients in a food processor and pulse until well mixed. If you don't have a food processor use a blender or mince the herbs and scallions until fine and then mix by hand.

Wash thighs and trim excess fat and skin.  Find a spot on the thigh and carefully run your finger under the skin to create a pocket.

Put about a tablespoon or two of the marinade in each pocket.  Then put the thighs in a zip lock bag and pour in the remaining marinade.

Refrigerate for at least a half an hour, but several hours is even better.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Arrange the chicken thighs in a roasting pan. Roast for 20 minutes, then reduce the heat to 400 degrees and cook another 25 minutes.

Vegetable Ravioli with Pink Sauce

As long as I can remember one of my absolute favorite foods has been ravioli. Wonderful little pasta pockets stuffed with filling and covered with sauce. It doesn't matter if they are filled with meat, cheese, lobster, veggies, it's all good.  As many things as I have cooked over the years I have never made ravioli, mostly because until a few months ago I had never made fresh pasta.  Once I got my Atlas Marcato, I knew it was only a matter of time.

The Atlas Marcato is not a fancy super automated pasta machine, it is a simple pasta roller that comes with a variety of attachments to cut the pasta into shapes.  The main purpose of the machine is to roll it out, which basically kneads the dough and delivers nice flat sheets.  You start on the widest setting and send the dough through a number of times until is has a nice silky texture.  Then you set the dial higher and higher to start thinning the sheets to the desired thickness. As far as the actual dough creation is concerned, I like to use my food processor to combine the ingredients.  It's fast and efficient.

Now really I thought my first experience with ravioli making would be cheese ravioli, but I've been on this veggie kick lately and thought it would be great to do a veggie filling. Something lighter with less calories. Plus I had the veggies in the refrigerator, if I wanted some ricotta I would have had to go to the grocery store.

If you don't  have a pasta roller you can still make this, you would just need to roll the dough out by hand. Yes, even I am rolling my eyes at that one.  Okay no pasta roller, you could use won ton wrappers and skip the dough making step, but of course you would be missing all the fun.

Vegetable Ravioli

Filling:
2 teaspoons olive oil
1/2 red bell pepper
1/2 small red onion, diced
1 portabello mushrooms, diced
1/2 large zucchini, diced
2 cloves garlic, pressed
2-3 handfuls spinach, chopped fine
2 tablespoons parmesan cheese, shredded
1/2 cup mozzarella, shredded
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Pasta:
1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 cups semolina flour
4 eggs
1 tablespoon Kosher salt
olive oil
water

Start with the filling, rub a little olive oil on the outside of the pepper and roast it in a 425 degree oven for 15 minutes. Chop fine.

In a saute pan heat the olive oil over medium high heat and cook onion until soft. Add the mushrooms and cook for about 4-5 minutes, add the bell pepper, zucchini, garlic and spinach and cook 4-5 minutes longer.  Remove from heat and let cool.  Add the parmesan, mozzarella, salt and pepper. Refrigerate until needed.

To make the pasta, put the two types of flour and the salt in the bowl of a food processor with the chopping blade. Mix, adding one egg at a time until all the eggs are incorporated.  Add about 1 teaspoon each of olive oil and water, continuing to mix until a dough ball forms, adding a bit more olive oil and water as necessary, the ball should be pliable but not wet. If the dough is too wet add a little flour.

Divide the ball into 4 smaller balls and cover with a damp paper towel to keep dough from drying out.  Working with one ball at a time and using a pasta roller such as the Atlas Marcato set on "0", send the dough through the machine a dozen or so times until the dough has a silky texture  Store the sheet on a piece of parchment paper while you work on the other balls.  Once you have turned the four balls into four thick sheets of pasta, let the sheets rest about 10 minutes, covered with parchment paper.

After the past has rested, cut each sheet in half and working one piece at a time send them through the pasta roller increasing the dial until it is set at "4". When you are finished you will have 8 sheets.  Keep the sheets covered when not working with them.  Take one sheet and spoon 8-10 centers of filling spaced evenly in two rows across the sheet. Lay another sheet on top and press lightly around each spot of filling to shape a mound.  Use a ravioli cutter or pizza cutter the cut the raviolis into squares.  Use a fork to press the edges of each ravioli closed. Make three more sheets of ravioli.  Set the raviolis uncovered on parchment paper to dry for about an hour, turn the raviolis over to let the other side dry.

Cook in boiling water for 7-8 minutes. Serve with desired sauce. I made a quick pink sauce using coconut milk, see the recipe below.

Pink Sauce

1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, pressed
1/4 red wine
28 ounces canned crushed tomatoes
1 teaspoon kosher slat
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 sugar
14 ounce can coconut milk

4-5 fresh basil leaves slivered


In a saute pan over medium high heat, saute the onion in oil until soft.  Add the garlic and saute 30 seconds or so more.  Add the red wine and cook 1 minute then add the tomatoes, salt, pepper and sugar.  Simmer on low for about 15 minutes, then add the coconut oil and basil.  Heat through.

Chicken Piccata over Rice

People seem to love the chicken recipes.  Of course I know why, we all need to keep adding new chicken recipes into the rotation to keep things fresh.  In today's post I am going to share a longtime favorite recipe, chicken piccata.  An old friend shared the basic recipe with me many, many years ago and I still make it often. It is very simple and what I love about it is the little bit of work there is to do is all done up front   So once you get it going, go grab a glass of wine and relax while it cooks.

Chicken Piccata over Rice

2-3 chicken breasts, sliced into to cutlets, or i package chicken tenderloins

1 egg

2-3 tablespoons milk

1 1/2 cups Italian bread crumbs

1 tablespoon butter

1 tablespoon olive oil

12 ounces chicken broth

juice of 1 lemon

1 cup rice

Get rice started, cooking it according to package instructions, then move to the chicken prep.  Beat milk and egg in a bowl large enough to dip the chicken pieces. Pour bread crumbs onto a large plate. Heat butter and olive oil in large skillet on medium high heat.  Working one piece at a time, rinse chicken and dip into the egg mixture, then coat with bread crumbs.  Lay each piece into the pan and move to the next until all pieces are coated and in the pan.  Brown the chicken on both sides, adjusting temperature as needed, then add the broth and lemon juice.  Turn heat to low, cover and simmer for 20 minutes.  Serve with rice.

Pantry Pasta

Meal planning is a great tool.  You set up the plan in advance so you know what you are having for dinner, you organize a good shopping list which in turn cuts down on impulse buying and wasted food.  I try to keep a meal plan going most weeks, but let's face it this is real life and sometimes things don't work out as planned or maybe there was no time to make a plan.  That's what this post is about, what to do for dinner when there is no plan.

This vegan dish is a good crowd pleaser and it is simple. What's more, I almost always have all the ingredients on hand.  So it's great for an impromptu pot luck, teacher's dinner or just OMG dinner time is here and I haven't got a planned meal.

Wait, did I say vegan?  It looks so creamy! Yes, the secret to this cream sauce is coconut milk.  This may seem odd to some but coconut milk makes a great pink sauce.  Don't let the fat scare you.  Coconut milk does a body good, check out the changing views on coconut milk and oil to see for yourself.

Pantry Pasta

2 T olive oil
1/2 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, pressed
1/4 cup red wine
2 cans diced tomatoes
1/4 t oregano
1/2 t basil
1/8 t crushed red pepper
1/4 t salt
1/8 t black pepper
1 can beans (Roman, kidney, butterbeans, whatever you have on hand), drained and rinsed
12-14 oz coconut milk
1 lb box of pasta

Saute the onion in olive oil until soft, add garlic and saute another minute.  Add red wine, stir then add tomatoes, and spices (the measurements are approximate, so season to taste).  Simmer for about 15-20 minutes.  Meanwhile, prepare the pasta.  Add the beans to the sauce and cook for about 5 minutes, then stir in the coconut oil.  Cook for another 5 minutes.  Mix sauce over pasta.

Shrimp and Veggie Stir Fry over Dressed Noodles

I love stir frying foods. It's a great way to cook a variety of ingredients together quickly, while being able to control the cook time of each item. By controlling the order of what goes in, you get your onions very soft but keep the broccoli nice and crisp.  I never make the same stir fry twice, but I do tend to use some staple items such as mushroom and onions.

The other thing about doing a stir fry is deciding what to serve it over.  I like brown rice, jasmine rice and farro, but one of my favorites is noodles.  With grains I keep the grains plain and rely on the stir fry for all the flavor. But when I do noodles, or more specifically linguine,  I like to dress the noodles first.  It's an extra layer of flavor and texture to make the dish a bit different.  Plus it guarantees that my picky eater will dig in.

As with all stir fries this dish cooks fast, so cook the noodles first and have all your other ingredients chopped and ready to go.

Shrimp and Veggie Stir Fry over Dressed Noodles

1 lb shrimp, shelled and deveined

Shrimp marinade:
2 cloves garlic, pressed
1 tablespoon brown sugar
juice of 1 lime
2 tablespoons fish sauce
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1/4 cup olive oil

1 lb linguine

Dressing:
1/4 t sesame oil
2 teaspoons rice wine vinegar
3 teaspoons soy sauce
1/4 cup olive oil

2 tablespoons coconut oil
1/2 large onion, sliced
8 ounces mushrooms, sliced
1/2 large red pepper, sliced
1 crown of broccoli, cut into florets
1 cup of snow peas

Combine the shrimp marinade ingredients and pour over the shrimp. refrigerate for at least an hour.

Cook the linguine according to the directions on the package. Mix the dressing ingredients in a small bowl. Toss the cooked pasta with the dressing.  Additional olive oil and soy sauce may be needed for moisture and flavor.


Meanwhile heat the coconut oil in a wok, add onions and cook for 2-3 minutes.  Add the shrimp, reserving the marinade. Cook for about 30 seconds and then add the mushrooms.  After 1-2 minutes, pour in the reserved marinade and add the red peppers. Stir-fry for a minute then add remaining veggies and stir fry a few minutes longer.  Remove from heat, then toss with dressed noodles.

Naan Veggie Pizzas

This is going to be nice quick post, because these pizzas make a great quick dinner.  Naan, which can be found in the bakery section of your grocery store, makes a great crust for little gourmet style pizzas.  There is a trick getting the naan nice and crispy and keeping it that way.  I like to put the crusts in the oven with a bit of olive brushed on top for a few minutes prior to adding the toppings.  I also like to give the veggies a quick saute, so that the cooking time of the completed pizzas concentrates on melting the cheese and crisping the edges of the crusts and keeps the pizzas from getting soggy.

The beauty of this meal is that it is usually thrown together with items that I need to use up.  You would never know it. Except for the fresh mozzarella, these particular pizzas are made from veggies lingering in my veggie bin and other leftovers in my refrigerator. The naan was in my freezer just waiting for a chance to be used. Be creative!

Naan Veggie Pizzas

Naan
Swiss Chard Pesto
leftover pasta or pizza sauce
fresh ricotta
fresh mozzarella
portebello mushrooms, sliced
onions, thinly sliced
green peppers, thinly sliced
Italian eggplant thinly sliced
olive oil

Preheat oven to 425.  In a saute pan over medium high heat, saute the mushrooms, onions and peppers in a bit of olive oil for a few minutes just to soften a bit. Brush the tops of each piece of naan with olive oil and bake for about 5 minutes. Spread some pesto on a few and pizza sauce on others. Then add the cheese to each one.  Top with remaining toppings and bake until cheese is melted and sides are crusty.

Creamy Cauliflower Alfredo Pasta

I feel like am starting to blossom as a vegetarian cook. Yes, we still eat meat, but less and less.  I am learning how to think outside of my box and to use plant based foods in new ways.  Now it's not that I am overflowing with these ideas on my own, I get sparks from the ideas of others and then build on them.  Today's dish is one of those take a good idea and build on it recipes.

There is a great site called FatFree Vegan Kitchen.  I'm not really into the whole fat free veganism thing, but she's got some great ideas that I can build on.  The other day a post came out for Fettuccine No-Fredo with Broccoli and Sautéed Mushrooms, and it looked quite tasty.  Now using cauliflower to make a lighter, healthier creamy sauce is not a new idea, but it is something I have never tried. Knowing that I like a little fat in my cream sauce, I knew I wanted to modify it a bit. After viewing this recipe, I surfed around a bit to see what others were doing.  Many non-vegans were adding in some heavy cream.  That did not appeal to me, plus I was already starting the first steps of making dinner.  What did I have on hand?  Plain Greek yogurt, that was the ticket.

My version came out nice and creamy, with lots of veggies to help even out the ratio of veggies to pasta.  What did my picky eater think?  She loved it, except for the mushrooms, but that was to be expected.  This will definitely go into the rotation.

Creamy Cauliflower Alfredo Pasta

1 large head cauliflower, cut into pieces 

4 cloves garlic, minced 

2 cups water 

1/2 teaspoon oregano 

1/2 white pepper 

1lb fettuccine

3/4 cup plain Greek yogurt

salt

pepper

2 tablespoons olive oil 

1/8 cup red onion, diced

8 oz mushroom, sliced

small bunch asparagus, cut into 1 inch pieces

2 small broccoli crowns cut into florets 

kosher salt

black pepper 

2 teaspoons fresh parsley roughly chopped

Put the cauliflower and the next 4 ingredients into a pot and bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and cover.  Cook for about 15 minutes or until tender.  Pour contents of the pot into a large food processor.  If you don't have a food processor, use a blender. Don't blend yet, just let it cool a bit.

Meanwhile, cook the pasta according to the instructions on the package. Reserve a bit of the water in case you need it for the sauce.

In a wok or other large pan, heat the olive oil and saute the onions until soft.  Add the mushrooms and toss to coat with the oil.  Cook for about 3-4 minutes, stirring.  Add the asparagus and broccoli and stir fry another 3-4 minutes.  Remove from heat and season with salt and pepper.

Now that the cauliflower has cooled a bit, blend it until smooth.  Add a bit of the cauliflower puree into the yogurt and mix to temper it before adding it to the food processor.  Blend in the yogurt and salt and pepper to taste.

Put the pasta into a large bowl and toss with the cauliflower sauce.  If it is too thick, you can add a bit of the pasta water.  Once mixed, gently toss in the sauteed veggies and garnish with parsley.

Veggie Stir Fry Over Italian Grains

Okay the weather has gotten warm and I have fallen off my blog posting schedule. Stuff happens. I am back on the wagon, in more ways than one. Today's dish is what I think of as a meat detox dish.  The previous few days our family lived on southern baked ham and macaroni and cheese. Tasty stuff, but really not healthy.  That's fine I had the ham in the freezer and it needed to be used, so now it has and it is gone. Time to move on.

After all that heavy food I needed something light, but still hearty enough for dinner.  That's where this dish comes in.  It's full of veggies, plus it gets a protein punch from the 5 grains in the Italian grain mix I like to use. It's by Pedon and contains farro (spelt), barley, durum wheat, rice, and whole grain oats. I found it at Costco.  If you can't find it in your local store, you can always use straight farro or brown rice.

This a lovely dish on it's own, but the next day I heated up the leftovers and added a few spoons of Swiss Chard Pesto (just because it was still in the fridge and needing to be used), and it was a winning combination!

Veggie Stir Fry Over Italian Grains

1 cup Pedon Italian 5 grain mix

2-3 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 yellow onion, sliced thin 

1 portabello mushroom, sliced and cut into large pieces

1/2 Italian eggplant, halved then thinly sliced  

1 jalapeno pepper, sliced 

1 zucchini, halved then sliced 

1 small crown of broccoli cut into florets and thinly sliced stems

4 cloves garlic, pressed 

10 or so cherry tomatoes, halved 

1 cup Pedon Italian 5 grain mix  

salt and pepper to taste

several fresh basil leaves, cut into slivers

1 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

2 tablespoons olive oil

In a medium saucepan, heat 2 cups of water to boiling, add the grains and cook following the package directions.  Although I find with this grain , I need to cook it a bit longer than the package says.

In a wok heat the olive oil over medium high heat and add the onions, stir fry to soften.  Then add the mushrooms and eggplant, stirring quickly to get all pieces covered with oil before it gets soaked in.  Stir fry for 2-3 minutes until eggplant softens. Next add the jalapeno pepper and zucchini, stir fry another minute or so then add the garlic and broccoli   After about 2-3 minutes add the tomatoes, cook a minute longer then remove from heat.  Mix the balsamic vinegar and olive oil and pour it over the veggies Add the basil and then salt and pepper to taste.  Toss and serve over the grain mix.