Category Archives: Vegetarian

Macaroni and cheese

With temperatures in the single digits this week, I have been craving comfort food…and nothing says comfort more than mac ‘n’ cheese. There are so many ways to make macaroni and cheese, not even counting the powdered cheese varieties. This is an easy and fairly healthy stovetop verson that I like because after cooking the pasta and cauliflower, you can pretty much just mix everything else together. I inadvertently made it a bit healthier when I discovered I did not have enough butter (the December cookie marathon wiped out my butter supply) and had to substitute olive oil (2 Tbsp). Though perhaps that was a trade-off nutritionally with the regular (full-fat) sour cream I used.

I really like the original version with the cauliflower and peas, but this time I “borrowed” the idea to add shrimp. The cafe at my office does to-go dinners (very convenient), and shrimp mac ‘n’ cheese is the Tuesday night dinner this month.

Getting my ingredients ready

Macaroni and cheese
Serves: 4-6
Source: Shape magazine, February 2002

Ingredients
8 ounces uncooked whole wheat pasta (pick your favorite noodle)
8 ounces light sour cream
2 1/2 Tbsp butter or margarine
2 Tbsp dry bread crumbs
1 tsp grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup shredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese
2 tsp Dijon mustard
1 cup frozen green peas, thawed
1 head cauliflower, chopped and cooked
8 ounces shrimp, cooked (optional)

Directions
1. Cook macaroni according to package directions. Drain and transfer to a large bowl. Let macaroni cool for 1-2 minutes, then stir in sour cream; set aside.
2. Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Transfer 1/2 Tbsp of the butter to a small bowl and add bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese. Mix with a fork until mixture is crumbly; set aside.
3. Add cheddar cheese and mustard to remaining 2 Tbsp butter. Set pan over medium heat and cook 2 minutes, until cheese melts, stirring constantly. Add sour cream-macaroni mixture, peas, and cauliflower and cook 1 minute to heat through, stirring constantly. Transfer mixture to individual plates and top with bread crumb mixture.

Lunches this week!

Spicy pecans

I made these last weekend to go with a little playoff football action…they tasted even better with a Pats victory!

Mise en place

I tend to use pecans because I usually have a stash of them in my freezer. I would omit the salt if using salted nuts.

Sweet and spicy

Spicy pecans
Source: Union Squre Cafe bar nuts (via Joe and Ed)

Ingredients
2 1/2 cups pecans (or nut of your choosing)
2 T fresh rosemary leaves, coarsely chopped (or 1 tsp dried rosemary)
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
2 tsp dark brown sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Spread pecans on a baking sheet and bake for 8-10 minutes (just until you start to smell them).
3. In a large bowl, mix rosemary, cayenne pepper, brown sugar, salt, and melted butter. Add warm nuts and toss thoroughly. Serve warm.

Lemon-basil lasagna rolls

Happy new year! I rang in 2013 with some great friends and this is what I cooked for our New Year’s Eve dinner. You know you have good friends when they trust you enough to try a new recipe for the first time on them. We rounded out the meal with bread and a salad. Our menu also included trying to eat 12 grapes at midnight…las doce uvas de la suerte, the twelve grapes of luck (a New Year’s Eve tradition in Spain).

I couldn’t find fresh basil, so I substituted 1 Tablespoon of dried basil. I also omitted the 1 teaspoon of salt that was in the original recipe…that is a lot of salt and seemed unnecessary. The original recipe called for 16 noodles and 2 Tbsp of ricotta filling per noodle, but since I decided to cook the whole package of noodles (20 noodles), I cut the amount of filling to about 1 Tablespoon, which may have changed the noodle-to-filling ratio too much.

Noodle prep

I really liked the lemon zest and I am sure it would be even better with fresh basil. I would make it again, but I’d probably try to jazz it up a bit, possibly by layering some spinach leaves on the noodles or elevating the sauce with vegetables (onion, garlic, peppers) or meat (ground beef or turkey). The sauce from my spinach-artichoke lasagna recipe would probably work very well.

Lemon-basil lasagna rolls
Source: Candice Kumai via People magazine
Serves: 8

Ingredients
1 pound lasagna noodles (1 box, not the pre-cooked ones)
1 jar (2 1/2 cups) marinara sauce, divided
1 container (15 oz) part-skim ricotta cheese
Finely grated zest of 2 lemons
1 Tbsp chopped fresh oregano
1 cup julienned fresh basil, plus more for garnish

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Cook lasagna noodles according to package directions until al dente; separate and lay flat on cookie sheet lightly sprayed with cooking spray to prevent them from sticking together.
3. Cover bottom of a 9×13-inch baking dish with 1 cup marinara sauce.
4. Blend ricotta, zest, oregano, and basil in a medium bowl.
5. Spread about 1 Tbsp ricotta mixture evenly over each noodle; roll each tightly to form a compact spiral.
6. Arrange rolled noodles neatly in baking dish and cover with the remaining sauce. Bake covered for 30 minutes.
7. Garnish with additional basil.

NYE dinner





Thanksgiving 2012 recipes

Happy Thanksgiving! I hope everyone had a wonderful day, filled with great company and good food. I have a lot to be thankful for, including getting to spend the holiday with my family. Over the years I think I have cooked every part of a Thanksgiving meal, but have never been responsible for the whole meal. Kudos to those of you who pull off this incredible feast every year!

I realize that this post is too late for this year, and some of you may not want to look at turkey, stuffing, or mashed potatoes again for another year, but I wanted to share some of my lessons learned when it comes to cooking the turkey (though I’m certainly no expert), as well as the recipes we used this year.  

Turkey Lessons

  1. Don’t forget to defrost it. In college, my roommates and I decided to host a Thanksgiving dinner at 7H (our apartment) because we got a “free” turkey from Harris Teeter. Two of the three of us didn’t eat meat at the time, so we were useless. Needless to say, the turkey did not get defrosted in time. After a last minute trip to the store, we served Thanksgiving dinner with Cornish game hens. We also didn’t have enough plates for everyone, so some people had to use baking dishes and pie pans.
  2. Don’t forget to take the “bag of stuff” out of the cavity. I think 2008 was my first attempt at cooking the turkey, for a Thanksgiving potluck that I was hosting. Bryan and I both had to call our Moms to figure out what we were supposed to do with the surprise bag of stuff we found in the cavity. Once we figured out that we were supposed to take it out, I’m pretty sure we just threw it out. I now know it’s the neck, and you can put it in the bottom of the pan to flavor the pan drippings that will be used to make the gravy. It can also be used to make stock. GTK, good to know.
  3. Duck fat is the secret ingredient. For last year’s Thanksgiving potluck, Mark and Jimmy kindly offered to make the turkey, which involved a special order of duck fat from Williams Sonoma. Jimmy is also nice to have around to carve the turkey, since he’s a surgeon.
  4. A meat thermometer can be your best friend. This year, my parents’ friends were cooking the turkey in a brand new oven. When it was supposed to be “done”, it looked pretty white and thanks to the trusty meat thermometer, they knew it wasn’t done as the internal temperature was only 120 degrees. With a little more time and a little more heat in the oven, they got it up to a perfect 165 degrees, and it was delicious.

We were in charge of the green bean casserole, mashed potatoes, and cranberry sauce. We used the old school Campbell’s recipe for green bean casserole.

Classic

For the mashed potatoes, I used a mixture of 1% milk and half-and-half. I also added the roasted garlic. I added the milk and butter mixture a little bit at a time, because you might not need it all…often I don’t even measure out the milk and butter.

Sour cream mashed potatoes

Source: Adapted from Everyday Food, November 2011
Serves: 8

Ingredients
4 1/2 pounds Russet potatoes (about 7 medium), peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
3/4 cup whole milk
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter
1 cup light sour cream
2 cloves garlic, roasted and mashed
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions
1. Place potatoes in a large pot of salted water and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce to a rapid simmer and cook until potatoes are tender when pierced with a knife, about 15 minutes. Drain and return to pot.
2. While potatoes are cooking, combine milk and butter and heat until butter is melted and mixture is warm, but not boiling (on stove or in microwave). Pour mixture into potatoes and mash with a hand mixer or potato smasher until smooth. Stir in sour cream and garlic, and season with salt and pepper to taste.
So much better than that canned stuff!
Cranberry orange relish
Source: Mom
Serves: 6-8
Ingredients
1 package fresh whole cranberries (12 ounces)
1 1/2 cups sugar
3/4 cup orange juice
1 Tbsp orange zest

Directions
1. Combine ingredients in a pot and bring to boil. Cook for 10-15 minutes until berries pop, stirring constantly to prevent it from boiling over.
2. Chill immediately and enjoy!

Eggplant parmesan

I wasn’t sure if this is supposed to be spelled “parmesan” or “parmigiana”. According to Google, “parmesan” appears to be more popular. Regardless of the spelling, my recipe is more like an eggplant lasagna without noodles.

I’ll admit, I’m a little weird about eggplant…I don’t like the texture of it when it’s really mushy (unless it’s baba ganoush). I only have a few eggplant recipes that I really like, and this is one of them. Breading and baking the eggplant slices first helps to cut down on the mushiness factor. Since I get a lot of eggplant in the summer, I will often do this step and then freeze them (freeze first on a cookie sheet in a single layer, then transfer to air-tight container or bag). A frozen stash of eggplant makes this recipe a snap.

I did measure out the bread crumb mixture, just for you, but I usually don’t…so feel free to wing it!

Mise en place
To freeze, or not to freeze…

Eggplant parmesan
Serves: 4-6

Ingredients
3/4 cup plain bread crumbs
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 eggplant, sliced
2 eggs
1 jar tomato sauce
1 container (16-ounces) ricotta cheese
1 package of shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. 
2. In medium bowl, mix together bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, Italian seasoning, oregano, and crushed red pepper flakes. In separate bowl, beat two eggs. For each slice of eggplant, dip each side in egg mixture and then in bread crumb mixture and place on cookie sheet. Continue until all slices are breaded.
3. Bake eggplant for 10-15 minutes, then flip and bake for another 10-15 minutes. [At this point you could cool and freeze the eggplant.]
4. Spread thin layer of tomato sauce in a 13″ x 9″ baking pan. Add a layer of eggplant slices, then top with a thin layer of ricotta cheese, another layer of sauce and 1/3 of mozzarella cheese. Repeat layers of eggplant, ricotta, sauce, and cheese until all eggplant used (or pan is full), usually about three layers.
5. Cover pan with aluminum foil and bake for another 15-20 minutes, until dish is hot and bubbly and cheese is melted. [If starting with frozen eggplant, baking time will be longer.]
6. Enjoy!

Delish!

Potato salad x2

Happy Election week! I was very proud to cast my vote on Tuesday, and excited to hear so many stories of people getting out there to rock the vote. Yes, I know my voting terminology is stuck in the 90’s. It was also wonderful to see my friend, who just became a U.S. citizen on November 1, be allowed to cast his first ballot in this country. What a great year to participate in the election!

In honor of the elections, I’ve decided to ask you to cast your vote…for potato salad. Pro-mayo or pro-mustard? Pro-Yukon gold or pro-red skin? Don’t worry, flip-flopping is absolutely acceptable. I like them both, how bipartisan of me.

I had about two pounds of potatoes to use so I made two versions of potato salad, using both red skin and Yukon gold potatoes. I cooked the potatoes together in the same pot, but the Yukon golds cooked a little faster. The original recipe for German potato salad included 3 slices of bacon, which I omitted. I find it annoying to buy a pound of bacon when I only need three slices. I also omitted the scallions from the herbed potato salad because I didn’t have them on hand.

German potato salad
Source: Adapted from Everyday Food, April 2005
Serves: 4

Ingredients
1 pound small new potatoes, scrubbed
1 small red onion, sliced
1 tsp olive oil
3 Tbsp white wine vinegar
3 Tbsp whole-grain Dijon mustard
Salt and pepper

Directions
1. In a medium pot, bring potatoes to a boil in salted water over high heat. Reduce to a simmer and cook until tender when pierced with a fork, 20-25 minutes. Drain; cool slightly, and halve.
2. While potatoes are cooking, heat olive oil in a small skillet over medium heat and saute onion until tender, for 2-4 minutes. Remove from heat.
3. In a medium bowl, mix together potatoes, sauteed onions, white wine vinegar, and Dijoin mustard. Season with salt and pepper to taste and enjoy!

German potato salad

Herbed potato salad
Source: Adapted from Everyday Food, June 2012
Serves: 4

Ingredients
1 pound small Yukon gold potatoes, scrubbed
2 Tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
3 scallions, thinly sliced
2 Tbsp mayonnaise
2 Tbsp low-fat plain yogurt
1 Tbsp lemon juice

Directions
1. In a medium pot, bring potatoes to a boil in salted water over high heat. Reduce to a simmer and cook until tender when pierced with a fork, 15-20 minutes. Drain; cool slightly, and halve.
2. In a medium bowl, mix together potatoes, parsley, scallions, mayonnaise, yogurt, and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper to taste and enjoy!

Herbed potato salad

Roasted pumpkin seeds

Happy Halloween! We usually have a Halloween party at work, and this year we decided to carve pumpkins which was messy and funny and fun. And yes, that’s Honey Boo Boo front and center.

DynaMed pumpkins

I should have brought some containers or bags to save the seeds, but I forgot. So I only managed to save the seeds from one pumpkin, and I used them to make these roasted pumpkin seeds. I adapted the recipe from one that I have for the bar nuts at Union Square cafe in NYC, which are a perfect combination of spicy and sweet.

Roasted pumpkin seeds
Serves: 1-2

Ingredients
3/4 cup pumpkin seeds, separated from pumpkin pulp, rinsed and dried
1/4 tsp dried rosemary (or about 1 tsp fresh rosemary), chopped
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp canola or olive oil

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
2. Mix all ingredients together and spread evenly on a cookie sheet.
3. Bake for 15-18 minutes, until golden, and enjoy!

Ready for my close-up

Guacamole

When we were in Belgium this summer, Kendrin’s cousin Laurens hosted a guacamole competition and the results were pretty delicious. The competitors were Laurens, Kendrin, and Zoé. I might be biased in that I voted for Kendrin because that is the recipe I also use! Kendrin is very popular on my blog lately!

Fierce competition

Guacamole – Gold medal
Source: Kendrin Sonneville

Ingredients
1 cup finely chopped onion
1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro
2 Tablespoons fresh lime juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
2 ripe avocados, mashed
Tortilla chips

Directions
1. Combine all ingredients and mix well.
2. Serve with chips.

Just add chips

Guacamole – Bronze medal
Source: Laurens Sonneville

Ingredients
2 avocados
2-3 limes
1/2 large red onion
1 clove of garlic
Handful of cilantro
Salt and pepper
Cherry or grape tomatoes

Directions
1. Put everything except the tomatoes in a blender.
2. To serve, first add a layer of chopped tomatoes to your bowl, top it with guacamole mixture, then repeat the layers.

Cabbage soup

I love to make soup, and cabbage soup seemed like a great way to use some green cabbage that I got in the last week of my CSA. I found a recipe for “Healing cabbage soup” on allrecipes.com. I can’t speak to its healing properties, but I can say that I was pretty impressed with the result. This recipe (with my usual adaptations) is definitely a keeper. I might even make it again with the other half of the cabbage.

I used a can of diced tomatoes with green chiles to give it a little kick. The original recipe suggested using “Italian-style” tomatoes. This can also be made vegetarian by using vegetable stock instead of chicken stock.

Big pot o’ soup

Cabbage soup
Adapted from allrecipes.com (JGCASE)
Serves: 8

Ingredients
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
1/2 head cabbage, cored and coarsely chopped or shredded
2 quarts chicken or vegetable broth
1/2 tsp black pepper
Fresh or dried herbs, to taste
1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes

Directions
1. In a large stockpot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Stir in onion, garlic, and carrots; cook until onion in is transparent, about 5 minutes. Stir in cabbage and saute until just starting to wilt, about 3-5 minutes.
2. Stir in broth, pepper, and other herbs. Bring to a boil, then simmer about 10 minutes.
3. Add diced tomatoes. Return to a boil, then simmer 15-30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
4. Enjoy!

Yum!

Red cabbage

I had an unexpectedly free evening today so I decided to spend it with this beautiful red cabbage. I know…if red cabbage excites me, perhaps I need to find some new hobbies.

Pretty red cabbage

I pulled a recipe out of my potluck recipe box, from a “Family Favorites” potluck circa 2007. I didn’t have plain white vinegar, so I decided to make my best guess among three options I did have on hand: white balsamic vinegar, tarragon white wine vinegar, or cider vinegar. I went with cider vinegar since it seemed like it would go well with the apples in the recipe. I also wasn’t sure if I should boil or steam the cabbage (aka, how much water to put in the pot). I hedged my bets and probably covered about half of the cabbage and onions.

Red Cabbage
Source: Kendrin Sonneville
Serves: 6-8

Ingredients
1 large head of red cabbage, shredded
2 large onions, chopped
1/4 cup white vinegar
2 large apples
1/4 cup sugar

Directions
1. Cook cabbage and onion together in water until fork tender (10-15 minutes). Drain water. Add vinegar and stir (dark purple color of cabbage will turn magenta).
2. While cabbage is cooking, peel, core, and dice apples. Cover apples with sugar, and saute until tender (only a couple of minutes). Add to cabbage.
3. Salt and pepper to taste and enjoy!

Apples ‘n’ sugar

By cooking the apples separate from the cabbage, I really liked that they didn’t get all mushy. I do like it a little more vinegar-y so I would probably add a bit more next time (or maybe I should try it with plain white vinegar).

Voila!