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Taking hints

Written on August 30, 2010 by Jennifer in main dish, Recipe, vegetarian

I’m not sure if I’ll ever learn, but my husband does not catch on to my hints. Last night I really didn’t feel like cooking dinner, I felt like eating anything I wasn’t cooking, so I kept mentioning HOW WORN OUT I was. Hint, hint! When that didn’t seem to elicit the reaction I was hoping for from Tate, I made sure to say, “Oh. Wellllll, I guess I should start dinner.” HEAVY SIGH, HEAVY SIGH, HEAVY SIGH.

I ended up making dinner. SHOCKING! Dinner was actually was delicious, a recipe that I used to make all the time, but it somehow fell out of rotation. Not to toot my own horn, but it’s my very own recipe and it’s pretty fabulous. (Toot, toot!)

I made Three Cheese Eggplant bake.

This recipe is easy to make. If you’ve never had eggplant before, don’t be afraid!

What you’ll need…

1 medium to large eggplant
2-3 TB Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
1 C Ricotta Cheese
1 C Mozzarella Cheese, shredded, 1/2 C reserved for topping
1/4 C Parmesan cheese
Salt and Pepper to taste
Marinara Sauce (homemade or from a jar)

Here’s what you do…

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray two cookie sheets with cooking spray. Carefully cut skin off of eggplant. I hold it upright and with a sharp chef’s knife, I slice the skin off, taking care not to cut off too much of the actual eggplant. Once the skin is removed, slice the eggplant lengthwise into 1/8 inch strips. (Don’t worry if you end up with short pieces of eggplant, you can combine these pieces together later.) Place the eggplant strips on cookie sheets and drizzle olive oil evenly over each piece. Salt and pepper to taste. Bake for 15 minutes.

While the eggplant is baking, make (or heat) the marinara sauce and make the cheese filling. To make the filling, stir together the ricotta, mozzarella, and Parmesan cheeses.

Spray an 11 X 7 casserole dish with cooking spray. Place 2-3 TB of filling at the end of each eggplant slice and roll up. Combine the smaller eggplant slices to make longer strips if needed. Place each roll-up in casserole dish. Spoon marinara sauce over each. Sprinkle remaining 1/2 C of mozzarella cheese over casserole. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until bubbly.

I serve this with whole wheat spaghetti and a salad of grape tomatoes, mozzarella, basil, salt, pepper, and olive oil.

In case you’re interested, here is my recipe for Marinara Sauce.

1 28 oz. can of crushed tomatoes
1 garlic clove crushed
3 TB of Extra-virgin Olive Oil
1 tsp dried Oregano (if you have fresh, even better!)
1 tsp dried Basil
1/8 tsp pepper
1/8 tsp salt
1 TB Sugar

In a medium saucepan over medium low heat, cook the garlic clove in the olive oil just until the clove begins to brown. Remove from heat, remove the garlic clove, and allow the oil to cool. Once cool, add the remaining ingredients, cover and simmer over low heat until thoroughly heated.

*****

This post is a part of Rachel’s Mouthwatering Monday at A Southern Fairytale. Go visit her for more great recipes! HINT, HINT.

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Delivery pizza had better watch it’s back

Written on September 23, 2009 by Jennifer in easy, main dish, Pictures, Recipe, vegetarian

I know that I’m becoming a food snob because of my disdain for delivery pizza. Sure, Dominoes and the like are great when you’re too tired to cook and just need food and it doesn’t matter what it is. I’ll still order pizza occasionally, but honestly I’d rather just eat leftovers or PB & J.

I DO very much like GOOD pizza,though, like those cooked in wood-fired ovens or the pizza from a local pizzeria that’s been around since the 40′s. Tate and I recently found a decent pizza place called Brixx Wood-Fired Pizza. Their Cajun Andouille Shrimp Pizza and Wild Mushroom Pizza are our two favorites.

Since going out to dinner with our two children usually involves wrestling and spilled milk and generalized UNFUN, I decided to try to replicate their Wild Mushroom Pizza at home.

I’ve declared myself a Recipe Mimicking Genius and my recipe Tres Magnifique! (I don’t know what that means, but it sounds very fancy and my pizza IS very fancy.) (Don’t worry, it may be fancy, but it’s incredibly easy!)

Behold:

Pizza crust, I use Naan, but you can use homemade, store-bought, ready made crusts… The naan I buy comes two to a package and I find it in the bakery section of my grocery store.

2-3 tsps olive oil

pinch or two of kosher salt (it’s just better! trust me.)

1 TB butter

1 package of fresh baby portabello mushrooms and 1 package of shitake mushrooms, cleaned and sliced. You may use any type of mushrooms you like, however.

Fresh Arugula, cleaned (optional)

8 oz package of shredded swiss cheese

8 oz package of mozzarella cheese

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees. In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium heat, add the cleaned and sliced mushrooms. Cook for 3-4 minutes, add salt and cook for another minute or two.

On a baking sheet, place both naan, drizzle the olive oil on each piece and spread around with the back of a spoon or a pastry brush, lightly sprinkle with salt.

Evenly spread the cooked mushrooms on the naan. Place arugula leaves, to taste, over the mushrooms. Spread each pizza with both the shredded swiss and shredded mozzarella cheeses. (I like really cheesy pizza, so I usually use all of the swiss and about half a package of the mozzarella.) Bake in the oven for 10-12 minutes or until the cheese is lightly browned and melted.

Slice and eat. Send expensive gifts to Jennifer as a token of appreciation.

This pizza kicks Papa John’s pizza in the ‘nads.

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Dealing with the plight of too much sweet corn

Written on August 21, 2009 by Jennifer in easy, main dish, Recipe, vegetarian

There, there now. I know how it is, how you feel, how you struggle during sweet corn season. Remember, I once lived in Indiana.

On Saturdays at the Farmer’s Market or at the grocery store, you’re unable to resist the starchy, sugary goodness of sweet corn. Your family has nearly foundered on corn on the cob, they crave a new way to eat their corn. Trust me. I KNOW.

I’m here to help with this recipe for Corn and Salsa Tortilla Soup from the June 2008 issue of Everyday with Rachael Ray. I realize the word “soup” is not typically welcomed and sought after in the summer months, but I assure you that this is worth the extra heat.

Let’s head to the kitchen!

3 poblano chiles (could also use a green pepper for a less spicy soup)
6 corn tortillas, cut into 1/2-inch-thick strips
3 tablespoons canola oil
1 teaspoon ground cumin
Salt
6 ears fresh sweet corn, kernels scraped from the cob
1/2 red onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
Pepper
One 32-ounce container (4 cups) vegetable broth
One 14.5-ounce can fire-roasted diced or crushed tomatoes
1 avocado, chopped, for garnish
1 lime for garnish
2 tablespoons cilantro for garnish
Sour cream for garnish

Preheat the broiler. Coat the poblanos in a teaspoon of canola. Broil the poblanos until blackened, 10 minutes. Transfer to a bowl, cover and let cool. Peel, seed and chop the poblanos. This can also be done over a gas flame if you’re one of those lucky people with a gas cooktop.

Preheat the oven to 400°. On a baking sheet, toss the tortilla strips with 1 tablespoon oil and the cumin. Bake until golden, about 10-14 minutes; season with salt.

Meanwhile, in a large, deep skillet or soup pot, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons oil over medium-high heat. Add the corn and cook until charred at the edges, 10 to 12 minutes. Add the red onion and garlic, season with salt and pepper and cook until the onion is softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the broth, tomatoes and chopped poblanos.

Ladle the soup into bowls. Top with a avocado, a squeeze or three of lime juice, add cilantro, and sour cream.

I’ve been thinking about ways you could modify this recipe and already mentioned that green peppers could be substituted for the poblanos. Roasted red, yellow, or orange peppers would also be a delicious substitution. To add some protein, you could add cooked, shredded chicken or drained and rinsed black beans.

No longer do you have to feel alone and scared during sweet corn season. I’m glad to have helped you in your time of need.

**Note: I first introduced you to this recipe last summer when Rachael Ray lied to me and said this recipe only took 30 minutes to prepare, which is a BALD-FACED LIE. I also discussed my deep devotion to cilantro and said that cilantro haters could suck and egg.

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I’ve never liked the word “pilaf,” but that’s neither here nor there. I’ve also never liked the phrase, “that’s neither here nor there.”

Written on June 2, 2009 by Jennifer in easy, pasta, Recipe, side dish, vegetarian

A few weeks ago I mentioned this recipe for Parmesan Pilaf from the Spring ’09 issue of Schnucks Cooks! Sorry to leave you hanging.

Now go forth and gather your ingredients.

1 TB butter (Yes, BUTTER. NOT margarine, it’s too watery and just not GOOD. Your hips won’t thank you, but your taste buds will.)
1 TB olive oil
1 medium shallot, minced
1 C of orzo
1 can of reduced sodium chicken broth
1/4 C water
6 TB of freshly grated Parmesan cheese (I ALWAYS use more.)
2 TB of flat-leaf Italian parsley, chopped
1/2 tsp of black pepper

1. In a medium saucepan, melt the butter and oil over medium heat. Add the shallot and cook until softened, about 2-3 minutes.

2. Stir in the orzo, slowly add the broth and the water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low. Cook for 9-10 minutes or until most of the liquid is absorbed and the orzo is tender.

3. Remove saucepan from the heat and add the Parmesan cheese, parsley, and pepper.

4. Enjoy with family and friends while they ooh and aah at your simple and delicious creation.

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Instead of Lean Cuisine

Written on April 24, 2009 by Jennifer in easy, Recipe, salad, vegetarian

I’ve been eating Lean Cuisine meals for the past several weeks for lunch in the hopes that eating fewer calories would lead to DRAMATIC WEIGHT LOSS! with MINIMAL EFFORT!

I affectionately referred to it as my Microwave Diet. (Sort of like how I affectionately refer to my excess fat as Guissepe and Pierre.)

Nothing against Lean Cuisine meals, I LIKE Lean Cuisine meals (says the foodie wanna-be), but I don’t lose weight when I eat them.

I simply cannot survive on 200 to 300 calories for lunch. Instead of eating a sensible snack after lunch, I’m so ravenous that I eat things like the remaining half of leftover pizza or an entire bags of Fritos.

One of the things I DO like about Lean Cuisine meals is that they aren’t some half-assed attempt at a sandwich or a salad, which frankly is what I’ve been eating for lunch for the past TOOMANYYEARSTOCOUNT. The sandwiches and salads I make at home just aren’t as delicious or as satisfying as something I could buy at a restaurant.

So, I’ve been on a search for some delicious, satisfying, easy, AND restaurant quality sandwiches and salads to add to my lunch repertoire.

I’d like to share a salad I found that is easy to make for a quick lunch, could be a great side salad for a Lean Cuisine meal, or a side salad for dinner.

Spinach and Grape Chopped Salad from the March issue of Southern Living Magazine

Here’s what you’ll need…

1-2 cups of Baby spinach (you can chop it or not, I don’t but following my lead isn’t necessarily a good idea being the lazy couch potato that I am.)
1/4 cup of Feta Cheese
1 cup of Red, Seedless Grapes (Of course, if you want to spent 45 minutes removing seeds from SEEDED red grapes, be my guest)
2-3 TB pine nuts
Raspberry-Walnut Vinaigrette, to taste (I used Ken’s)

In a small skillet, lightly toast the pine nuts over medium heat, stirring often. Toast until lightly browned. Slice the grapes.

In a bowl, combine toss all the ingredients, except the vinaigrette. Drizzle the vinaigrette over the salad to taste.

Fin.

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