Tuesday Thai Red Curry w. Tofu & The Family Dinner Book Review (two big thumbs up!!)

Let's start out with the book review portion of this post, partly bc the Thai Red Curry w/ Tofu recipe came from it but mainly bc I really just cannot say enough about this book...I love it.  I can't even remember where I first saw/heard of it...a magazine maybe?  I looked it up on Amazon and with 56 customer reviews all with 5 Stars I knew it had to be good so I read further...Essentially it's an entire book devoted to how important it is for a family to sit down and have dinner together.  Something that we are lucky enough to do, and have always done since we got married 8 and a half blissful years ago.  It has never occurred to me not to sit down together and eat dinner.  But this book has given me ideas on how to make the time we take to sit down together better. Simple ideas like having the kids "make" more of their dinner at the table rather than Ian and I assembling/cutting/plating for them, serving the food more family style from the table, having a pitcher of water on the table which everyone drinks from, having rules for the dinner table, no phones, not getting up, not even mom!!!  not leaving the table until after a reasonable amount spent...everyone eating the same meal, etc.  Throughout the books there are "Let's Play" boxes that give discussion ideas such as "Lets Play!  The laughing game: everyone laugh like mom, everyone laugh like dad, etc." or "Lets Play!  Where will you go? Where would you like to travel with your family? Where would you like to travel with your friends?  Where would you like to travel alone." or "Lets Play! Who are you? Describe yourself in three adjectives?  Assign three adjectives to everyone at the table."  There are so many more of these little boxes throughout the book, other random boxes are "cooks tips,"  "leftover tips," "Recite Tonight's" which are little poems/blessings...There are interviews with famous men and women (Maya Angelou, Sheryl Crow, Nora Ephron, Judge Judy" along with famous Chefs (Mario Batali, Alice Waters) all telling stories of their family dinners growing up and how they conducted family dinners in their adult lives...sprinkled throughout the these pages chock-filled with information, and stories, and beautiful colorful photos are really tasty looking recipes!  Seriously, there is just soooo much wonderful things going on in this book I find something new each time I browse through it.   

So...enough drooling over the book bc really I could go on and on and on....one of the ideas the book suggests is having dinnertime family rituals..one was something along the lines of "Taco Tuesdays."  One week we did Taco Tuesdays, which was really fun and the kids seemed to really react well to us letting the build their own at the table.  I had all of the toppings on the table in little bowls they built their own...and gobbled everything up!  Coincidence?  I will tell myself it wasn't in the fashion of wishful thinking!  

The following Tuesday for whatever reason I needed to make the Thai Red Curry w/ tofu rather than tacos (I think I had bought the veggies a few days before meaning to make it then but never did and didn't want the veggies to go bad.)  So Taco Tuesday turned into Thai Red Curry with Tofu Tuesday instead!  Hey...they both start with a "T" right?? but me some slack!  I think we will go back to the Taco Tuesday from now on bc really there are endless versions of tacos we can make, everyone in the family loves them and best of all it's nice just knowing what we will be eating on Tuesdays without having to put too much though into it.

Now...onto the recipe portion, the book technically calls it "Red Thai Curry with Shrimp"  being as I don't eat shrimp I figured tofu would be just as delicious.  One thing the author does in the recipes is has a section called "kids can" where she lists out the parts of the preparation that kids can participate in, granted if you thought about any recipe you could probably figure these step out, but I thought it was a nice touch continuing the theme of "family dinner" meaning everyone pitches in to prepare, eat, then clean up!  Which is music to my ears.

This dish was really really tasty, everyone ate it, no complaints- the only thing I would have done differently next time (and there absolutely will be a next time) is that I would add more Thai red curry paste.  I was afraid it would be too spicy for the kids if I added the full 2Tbs the recipe suggested.  Other than that I wouldn't change a thing!  This dish also accomplished another one of my goals which is to create more vegan meals...meat eaters have "Meatless Mondays" so as a vegetarian family I would like to take that move one step further...and have vegan days...yet there are no weekdays that start with a V!  So I'll just toss them in through the week the best I can.

Thai Red Curry w. Tofu 

Ingredients
vegetable oil
1 block extra firm tofu
1 red onion sliced into wedges
3 cloves garlic sliced
1tbs grated fresh ginger
2 tbs red Thai curry paste (more or less depending on how spicy you like it)
1 14ozcan unsweetened or lite coconut milk
1c low sodium chicken/vegetable (I used water bc we were out of veggie broth)
2 tbs Asian fish sauce (i omitted bc the whole vegetarian thing)
1 1/2 tbs brown sugar
1c diced tomatoes
1c snap peas, tips and tails removed
1c asparagus tips

salt and pepper to taste

chopped fresh cilantro


Directions


To prepare tofu I sliced the block of tofu into strips and sauteed in batches on med/high heat with a bit of veggie oil.  Once nice and crispy lay on a paper towel to soak up any extra oil.  Add to curry once it's finished cooking.


To prepare the red curry-
Heat a large skillet over medium heat and drizzle enough oil to film the bottom.  Add the onion and saute until soft and beginning to brown, about 4min.  Add the garlic and ginger and saute until the garlic is golden.


Reduce the heat to medium.  Add the curry paste; stir until fragrant, about 1min.


Add the coconut milk, broth, fish sauce (if using) and sugar; bring to a low simmer.


Add the remaining veggies and simmer for 2min.


Add shrimp at this point, if using, stirring often for about 3min, or until the shrimp are pink and curled.  Taste for seasonings.


Transfer the curry to a large shallow bowl.  Garnish with cilantro and lime wedges.  Serve w. rice.


Source: The Family Dinner by Laurie David
I also just realized that the book has a website that looks pretty cool too- http://thefamilydinnerbook.com  off to check it out!


Enjoy!
xo
Andrea

Greek Night! Spanakopita & Greek Salad

I loooove Greek food...cannot get enough.  I love it so much I have not one, but TWO favorite restaurants...one local, right here in Highland Park, NJ, Pithari Taverna the other in Marlton, NJ, Kuzina by Sofia.  The reason for the two restaurants in two different areas of NJ you wonder??  Well as luck would have it, my bestest friend also looooves greek food just as much as I do..so we have a favorite by my house and a favorite by her house...that way we can eat it no matter who is visiting who.  convenient, eh??  We order the same dishes at both restaurants, a greek salad, hummus, spanakopita, fried eggplant and zucchini w/ tzatziki, we sit with our bottle of red wine and talk and eat and talk and eat and talk and eat...sometimes for hours.  

So, when I can't make it to one of the two lovely greek establishments I attempt to re-create at home...not nearly as wonderful as their dishes, but better than nothing.  So, the night of our Greek Feast we had spanakopita, tiropita, greek salad, warm pita and hummus...all except the pita and tiropita were made by me, liv (the best sous chef ever!) and my mom.  The pita and tiropita were purchased at our local middle eastern grocer.  Hopefully this will hold me over until my next visit to Pithari Terverna...must go soon!

Spanakopita 

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 2 pounds spinach, washed and drained
• 1 bunch scallions, white and green parts, chopped
• 1/4 cup finely chopped parsley
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 pound feta cheese, crumbled
• 1 to 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted
• 1 pound filo pastry sheets

Directions:

Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large saute pan, add half of the spinach and saute until spinach wilts, tossing with tongs, about 2 minutes. Remove spinach and squeeze out excess liquid, then chop roughly. Repeat with remaining spinach, using 1 more tablespoon of olive oil. Pour off any liquid from the pan, and add remaining olive oil.

Add scallions and saute until soft, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add the spinach to the scallions, along with the parsley, salt and pepper. Cook over low heat for 1 to 2 minutes, then remove from heat to cool. (This part can be done ahead and kept refrigerated).
 

Stir the feta and as much beaten egg to moisten the cooled spinach mixture.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Brush a baking sheet with some of the melted butter.

Unroll the filo dough on a flat surface and keep it covered with waxed paper and a damp towel so it doesn't dry out and become brittle. Using a sharp knife, cut the filo into 3 by 11 inch strips, and recover with the towel. Use a pastry brush to brush a strip of filo with melted butter. Place a small spoonful of spinach filling 1 inch from the end of the pastry. Fold the end over the filling to form a triangle, then continue to fold up the strip in triangles, like folding up a flag. Continue with remaining strips of dough, placing filled triangles on the baking sheet and keeping them covered with a towel until all are ready to bake.

Brush the triangles lightly with butter, then bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until golden and crisp. Serve hot. (These may be frozen before baking, layering waxed paper between layers of triangles to keep them from sticking. Bake frozen triangles an extra 10 minutes.)

Source: The Food Network


Greek Salad

Ingredients

• 2 large tomatoes, cubed
• 2 Lebanese cucumbers, cubed
• 1 red onion, thinly sliced
• 1 cup kalamata olives, pitted and halved
•  1/2 cup finely chopped fresh dill
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
• Juice of 1 lemon

Directions
Mix the tomatoes, cucumbers, red onion, olives, avocado in a large bowl with the dill, olive oil, red wine vinegar, and lemon juice.  (can it get any easier than that??)

The recipe this was based off of included fried cheese, as well as an avacado...I left both out, but may add next time I make this salad.

Source: Chuck Hughs- Greek Salad

 



Hummus

It's so hard for me to write out a recipe for hummus...bc really when we make it, which we always do...it's so cheap and easy to make!  we use the same ingredients but never measure, just add, blend, taste and adjust.  

1 can Chickpeas (reserve some bean liquid to use to thin the hummus if needed while blending)
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Tahini
fresh garlic chopped
lemon juice
salt

Blend chickpeas, add other ingredients until the hummus reaches your desired taste and consistency.

Enjoy!
xo
Andrea

i make a lot of soup- kale and white bean soup

so in doing this "quick and dirty"  haha, I wrote it twice now in less than an hour!  re-cap I realized I make a lot of soup...at least once a week.  Why?  Because they are delicious, they make good leftovers, and it's cold...so until it warms up I most likely will continue to be making at least one type a week- you are warned.

Look at how pretty the rainbow kale is!

This is one of my favorite soups, the flavors in it are so warm (the curry) and deep, it's packed with nutrient dense vegetables (kale and sweet potatoes) with some protein (white beans) thrown in for good measure-  





Ingredients:

• 1 Tbs. olive oil
• 1 small onion, halved and thinly sliced (1 cup)
• 3 cups chopped kale
• 1 small garnet yam, peeled and diced (1 cup)
• 1 Tbs. smoked sweet paprika, plus more for garnish
• 1 Tbs. curry powder
• 1 bay leaf
• 4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
• 2 15.5-oz. cans great Northern beans, drained and rinsed, divided
• 2 Tbs. red wine vinegar 

Directions

1. Heat oil in saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, and cook 8 minutes, or until lightly caramelized, stirring often.
2. Add kale, and cook 4 to 5 minutes, or until wilted. Stir in yam, paprika, curry powder, and bay leaf; cook 1 minute more, or until fragrant.
3. Add broth, and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low, and cook 30 minutes, or until kale and yam are tender. Purée 1 cup beans with 3/4 cup water in blender or food processor. Add purée and remaining beans to soup. Simmer 10 minutes, then stir in vinegar. Season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle each serving with paprika.

Source: VegetarianTimes

Enjoy!
xo
Andrea 

Tortollini Soup!

Go ahead...I dare you, take a guess what kind of day it was when I made this soup...warm and sunny??? ahh...I wish...if you guessed cold and grey...BING BING BING!!! you win!!  This soup was surprisingly really good considering how simple it was to prepare.  My husband who barely offers compliments without prompting even said it was delicious- the leftovers are gone...both sure signs that this is worth repeating.

Ingredients

1 tbsp. olive oil
½ cup onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
½ tsp. dried oregano
1 (15 oz.) can diced tomatoes, with juices
4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth 

9 oz. tortellini, any variety, fresh or frozen, shhh! i used Trader Joes Pesto Filled, sorry Whole Foods who employs my husband
3-5 cups fresh baby spinach, loosely packed, I used closer to 5
Salt and pepper
Grated Parmesan, for serving

Directions:
--In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat.  Add the onions to the pan and cook until beginning to soften, about 5 minutes.  Add in the garlic and cook, stirring frequently, just until fragrant, about 1 minute. 

-- Mix in the oregano and diced tomatoes.  Add the broth to the pot.  Bring the mixture to a boil.  

--Add the tortellini to the pot and cook according to the package directions.  One minute before the tortellini is fully cooked, stir in the spinach.  Remove from the heat.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  

--Serve warm with grated Parmesan as desired. 

Since the tortellini I was using was leftover from earlier in the week and therefor already cooked, I made the soup as indicated above however, right before serving added the tortellini and spinach, while still simmering until the tortellini was heated through and spinach was wilted.

Source: Annie Eats- Tortellini Soup 

Enjoy!

xo

Andrea

Veggie-Full Pot Pie

It has been a cold and snowy and bleak winter so-far here in NJ....I'm hoping that now, almost March we are on an upswing...at least we have seen the sun more than twice in the past week...which is a record.  *crossing fingers*  One cold and grey day I decided a vegetable pot pie would be the perfect dinner to warm our cold bellies.  I swear this was DELICIOUS...sooooooo good....I probably could have eaten the entire 8 x 8 dish myself.  And while I am not a nutritionist, this dish was healthy...the only ingredient I can think of that is not so great for you is the puff pastry topping...but really, that's just like a 1/8th  layer of the entire dish- so it's healthy!  

I based it very loosely on a recipe I found on allrecipes.com.  I used entirely different vegetables, their recipe called for more spring season veggies, while I used more winter veggies....so use what is in season, and looks good.  I'm positive any combo of veggies would work perfectly-

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 8 ounces mushrooms
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 2 large carrots, diced
• 1-2 potato, peeled and diced
• 1-2 sweet potato, peeled and diced
• 2 stalks celery, sliced 1/4 inch wide
• 1-2 cups broccoli florets
• 1-2 turnips, peeled and diced
• 1-2 bulb(s) fennel chopped
• 3 cups vegetable broth
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 sheet puff pastry

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
2. Heat oil in a large skillet or saucepan. Cook onions, mushrooms, and garlic in oil for 3 to 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in carrots, potatoes, and celery. Stir in broccoli, fennel, turnips and vegetable broth. Bring to a boil, then turn heat down to a simmer. Cook until vegetables are barely tender, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
3. In a small bowl, mix the cornstarch, soy sauce, and 1/4 cup water until cornstarch is completely dissolved. Stir into vegetables, and cook until sauce thickens, about 3 minutes.
4. Pour the filling into a dish that you think will fit all of your veggie filling, mine was heaping over an 8x8" baking dish...top with sheet of puff pastry, seal and flute the edges.  Add a few slices in the crust as "vents." 
5. Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes, or until the crust is brown. 

Source: All Recipes- Veggie Pot Pie
 Enjoy!

xo

Andrea

Greek Vegetarian Pizza

This is one of our family's all time favorite pizzas...and we eat a lot of different varieties of pizza!!  I have been making this for close to five years now- so long that I don't even have the recipe anymore...it took me a while to search it out online so I could properly source it here!  It's so simple and so adaptable that as long as you have the few main ingredients you can add whatever else looks/sounds good at the moment. Fresh tomatoes, olives, capers, etc. etc etc....

taken w. phone camera again!! even w. the low budge photography doesn't it look absolutely delicious?!?

Feel free to use a store bought pizza dough- however it's sooooo easy to make your very own, and honestly it's sooo much tastier!!  So please do try! I will post the recipe I swear by (and I have tried many) below along with a link to making a perfect homemade pizza crust every time-

Ingredients

• pizza dough (recipe below or store bought)
• 1/2 cup prepared basil pesto
• 3/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil, drained and chopped
• 3 cups torn spinach leaves
• 1/2 red onion, quartered and thinly sliced
• 1 cup crumbled feta cheese
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

1. Adjust oven rack to center position and heat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C). Keep pizza stone in pizza as it pre-heats.
2. Roll out pizza dough, spread with pesto leaving a thin rim around the circumfrence .   Top pizza in the following order: tomatoes, spinach, red onion, feta, and oregano. Bake until spinach wilts and cheese starts to brown, about 15 minutes.
3. Remove pizza from oven and drizzle with oil, sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, slice and serve. 

Source: Allrecipes.com- Greek Vegetarian Pizza

If I did not make myself very clear in the paragraph above I implore you to please at least try to make your own dough...usethe tips/tricks included in this link  and you too will never buy a boboli again!!

Basic Pizza Dough

Yield: enough dough for 2 medium pizzas or 4 calzones

Ingredients:
½ cup warm water
2¼ tsp. instant yeast
4 cups (22 oz.) bread flour, plus more for dusting
1½ tsp. salt
1¼ cup water, at room temperature
2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

Directions:
--Measure the warm water into a 2-cup liquid measuring cup.  Sprinkle the yeast over the top.  

--In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the bread flour and salt, mixing briefly to blend.  

--Measure the room temperature water into the measuring cup with the yeast-water mixture.  

--With the mixer on low speed, pour in the yeast-water mixture as well as the olive oil.  Mix until a cohesive dough is formed.  Switch to the dough hook.  Knead on low speed until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes.  

--Transfer to a lightly oiled bowl, turning once to coat.  Cover with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled in size, 1½-2 hours.

--Press down the dough to deflate it.  Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface.  Divide the dough into two equal pieces.  Form each piece of dough into a smooth, round ball.  (If freezing the dough, wrap in plastic wrap and freeze at this point.)  Cover with a damp cloth.  Let the dough relax for at least 10 minutes but no longer than 30 minutes.

Source:  Annie Eats

Now go make some pizza!!!

Enjoy!

xo

Andrea 

"S" is for Soup!!!

Over the two weeks I also made two types of soups...one delicous and one that was eh' just okay.  I'll post it anyways bc I'm sure someone out there would like it.  It wasn't a bad soup it's just that me and my family are pretty particular when it comes to tomato soup...basically we like this one- and that's about it:

I have tried all different types of store bought versons, made a few myself, like last summer when we had so many tomatoes from our garden I didn't know what to do with them!!  And yup, that soup was not anywhere close to being as tastey as this boxed version.  Last week I saw this recipe Creamy Roasted Garlic Tomato Soup  and figured, "what the heck, let's try it....maybe this will be one that works for our family!"  What is the definition of insanity again?  Doing the same thing over and over again expecting a different result?  or something like that?  Well yeah, this one didn't work for us either, but maybe it will work for you.

Creamy Roasted Garlic Tomato Soup 

Ingredients for the soup:
1 quart chicken stock
1 can of crushed Italian tomatoes
1 cup light cream
1 can cannellini beans (white kidney beans)
6-8 large basil leaves
1/2 cup olive oil
1 bulb roasted garlic
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
sea salt, black pepper to taste

Directions:
Place all soup ingredients except cream into a large pot over medium-high heat until it boils.
Once it boils, reduce heat and simmer, uncovered for about 15-20 min, stirring every few min to prevent burning of tomatoes.
Add cream, then use a submersion hand blender to blend ingredients into a creamy texture.
Let come to a simmer again, being careful not to boil cream.  Just reheat all ingredients together, about another 5 minutes, while whisking cream into soup.

We had this soup along with the pesto, roasted red pepper, spinach panini noted below so luckily our dinner was not a total bust!

Source: Food Buzz 

 

 

Pasta e Fagioli

 

The second of the two soups was quite the opposite of the first- for me anyways.  This is one of my all time favorite soups in the world...and I am a soup lover...this recipe was delicious and filling and nutritious, and warm!! everything you could ever ask for in a soup! 

Ingredients

1 tbsp olive oil
3 celery ribs, chopped
3 carrots, in medium dice
1/2 large red onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp dried oregano
kosher salt and fresh ground pepper
2 (14.5 oz) cans or 1 (28 oz) can of diced tomatoes
3 cups low sodium vegetable broth
2Tbs Sugar
1 Parmesan rind, plus additional freshly grated Parmesan for serving
1 cup whole grain shells, or other small pasta
1 (15.5 oz) can of cannellini beans, rinsed and drained **I used two cans***
I cup coarsely chopped fresh baby spinach, stems removed

Directions

In a good sized heavy pot, such as a Dutch Oven or casserole, heat oil over medium. Add celery, carrots, onion and garlic. Season with oregano, a few pinches of salt and several grinds of pepper. Cook stirring occasionally until vegetables are soft, about 10 minutes.

Add tomatoes, broth, sugar and Parmesan rind. Increase heat to high and simmer rapidly until liquid thickens slightly, 5 minutes. Stir in pasta and cook, partially covered, until pasta is just shy of al dente (for my pasta, this took about 10 minutes).  ***note- I cooked my pasta separately, and added with the beans below**Add beans and continue to cook for a few minutes, until they are warmed through and pasta is al dente. Remove from heat and stir in chopped spinach. Serve topped with grated parmesan. 

 Enjoy!

Andrea 

"P" is for Panini!!

As the executive chef of a vegetarian family I often get asked "what do you feed your family for dinner????"  you know....bc there is nothing else on the planet to feed your family besides meat and potatoes??? Don't worry...I won't get all PETA on your a$$...however I will share these two cute little buttons..bc well they are cute and if somehow posting these two cute buttons in this one little post encourages just one person to go meat free for even one day that will make me happy. 

Now aren't they cute??? 










I'm done, I promise!!  Now...where were we??  Oh, Paninis!  So over the past two weeks I've made two versions of a panini.  I'll start with last weeks- please bare with me...as both of these masterpieces on a plate are my own "creations" and I use that word in quotes bc I am positive I am not the first or only person to make this sandwich...I just didn't lift these off a cooking blog, or even use a recipe when making them.  Therefore, I don't have real measurements....but they are so easy you really do not need measurements...just ingredients and assemble and voila'!  You have yourself a Panini!!

Spinach, Pesto, Mozzarella & Roasted Red Pepper Panini

Ingredients
bread (ciabatta, Focaccia, sandwich rolls, Everyday Bread, etc)
basil pesto
mozzarella (fresh I find is the best!) but regular works too
baby spinach
sliced roasted red peppers
whatever else you think would taste yummy, some versions I have made in the past included broiled eggplant, zucchini, mushrooms, roasted broccoli, caramelized onions, etc, etc.)

Directions

1. Slice bread/rolls/ etc.
2. Smear pesto on one (or both) sides of sandwich
3. layer a handful of baby spinach, sliced roasted red peppers and a few slices of cheese, top with top half of roll/bread etc.
4. Cook in fancy panini press...or if you are like me, place on grill pan over med/high heat.  This is where it starts to get tricky...so pay attention...place a tea kettle filled with water on top of sandwiches...see illustration below as this is an extremely advanced technique but works wonderfully!  Smushes the sandwhich down nice and thin while making those panini lines that add so much flavor (haha!)  Check after a few minutes, flip sandwich which should be decently pressed at this point and place tea kettle back on top.
5. Once both sides are grilled and insides are nice and ooey gooey take off grill pan, slice and enjoy!

taken w/  cell phone camera- fancy...as fancy as this panini press-don't be jealous

Grilled Pepper & Onion Panini w. Garlic Aioli and Feta

I have been making this sandwich for so long...I know I got it from somewhere but I cannot for the life of me remember where, possibly allrecipes.com but I don't know the name of the sandwich and at this point I'm pretty sure I'm not following the original recipe anyways :)

Ingredients
bread (ciabatta, Focaccia, sandwich rolls, Everyday Bread, etc)
red bell pepper
yellow bell pepper
orange bell pepper
green bell pepper
red or yellow onion
crumbled feta
garlic, minced
lemon juice
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Salt/Pepper

Directions

1. Slice bell peppers and onions, sprinkle with a little EVOO (hellooooo Rachel Ray!) salt and pepper, mix to cover all the veggies
2. Grill onions and peppers on grill pan over med/high heat until they are at your desired done-ness, like black and charred? great!  like them barely cooked nice and crispy?  fantastic!!  Get distracted and forget about them so they end up black and charred?? no biggie...you meant to do that.
3. While veggies are grilling time to make the garlic aioli... put a few spoonfulls of mayo in a small bowl.  Mix in lemon juice and garlic.  Taste it, add more of whatever you think will make it better, I tend to like it more garlicy then lemony but whatever floats your boat.
4. Spread garlic aioli on one or both sides of bread, top with mounds of grilled veggies, sprinkle on crumbled feta...top with the other half of bread and smush down a bit so it stays in place.
5.  Place sandwich on fancy panini press or grill pan over med/high heat (I use the same pan as I used for grilling the veggies)  and top sandwich's with tea kettle filled with water. 
6. Flip panini- place tea kettle on again.
7. Once both sides are grilled and panini is pressed nice and thin take off pan, slice and serve!



Enjoy!
xoxo
Andrea

Tomato Spinach Tortellini Soup

I started a Biggest Loser Challenge at work today and wanted to make something special for day 1. I've seen lots of Tomato Tortellini Soup and Spinach Tortellini Soup recipes that looked really good so I made myself a combo! I wish I would have taken a photo while it was still in the pot but I was very anxious to try some so here is what the individual lunch portion looks like.

Here's how I did it. It's really easy but trust me it's great! And perfect for how cold it is right now.

2 14 oz cans vegetable broth
2 10.5 oz cans tomato soup (condensed)
1 teaspoon onion flakes
9 oz package cheese tortellini
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
2 big handfuls of clean fresh spinach, stems removed and chopped roughly
Salt to taste
Black Pepper to taste

Boil the broth, soup, onion flakes, salt and pepper.
Add the tortellini and cook for 12 minutes
Add spinach and parmesan and cook for about 5 more minutes until the spinach is wilted.
Makes 4 servings 1.5 cups each

spaghetti and wheatballs

yes, you read that right...and no spell check didn't auto-correct the title...this week we had spaghetti and WHEATballs for dinner...and as odd as they sound they were actually really really good, easy to make and super healthy.  We rarely have spaghetti and meatballs only bc I'm not a huge fan of faux-meat products in general, their taste, or their texture, or the fact that some have an ingredient list that is a little too long for my liking.  So when I saw this recipe on a one of the blogs I regularly stalk check I added it to my "recipes to try" list, and I'm very happy I did.   So next time you say...."hmmm....I would really go for a nice big bowl of spaghetti and meatballs" think to yourself next..."wait...andrea posted that recipe for wheatballs, let me try them instead!

 

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups cooked or 1 (15.5-ounce) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 cup chopped white button mushrooms
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon water
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for cooking
1/2 cup oat bran
1/2 cup vital wheat gluten
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

spaghetti

sauce 

(I bought the vital wheat gluten, nutritional yeast and oat bran from Whole Foods bulk bins in case you are thinking to yourself "where can you buy that????")

Directions

-Combine the chickpeas, mushrooms, garlic, and parsley in a food processor and pulse until coarsely ground. 
-Dump pulsed mixture into a large bowl.  Add the remaining ingredients and mix to combine.
-Heat about 2 tbsp olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. 
-Roll about 2 tbsp of the chickpea-mushroom mixture in your hands to make a (wheat)ball and place in the skillet. 
-Repeat with the rest of the mixture, and cook, shaking the pan to roll the (wheat)balls around until browned on all sides.

-Toss with a little marinara and serve over cooked pasta.

source- cates world kitchen

enjoy!

xoxoxo

Andrea

fashionably late is how I roll - NYE recap

so I figure why not extend this lifestyle choice to our little blog??  that way it's perfectly acceptable to post recipes from New Years Eve...a week later, right?  So lets get started.

This NYE we were invited to our friends Michelle and Fedele's home for a "momtourage NYE PJ Party"  You might be asking what on earth is "momtourage??" well - that' s just a super cool name for a group of super cool women with whom I am honored to know.  Between us there are six women/husbands and 15 kids.  We, the momtourage, adore one another, the husbands get get along famously and the kids...well they haven't complained yet :)   It was probably one of our best New Years Eves we have had in a long time...the kids ran around like lunatics , put on shows, made up routines,  played with new Christmas toys while the adults, ate, drank, chatted, laughed...some managed to bust out a little Michael Jackson Wii singing/dancing...by about 9pm most of the adults were ready to pass out while kids continued to run around like lunatics.  As the adults got more tired the kids got more energy?  Why does it always work out that way??? 

I did mention that it was a PJ party...what I didn't mention is that I don't own proper pajmas and I was not about to inflict my sleep wardrobe on my dear friends...or their children that surely would have needed therapy upon viewing this spectacle.   I wore, what I thought could possibly resemble a silk bathrobe (a silk black dress w/ lacey inserts  and a silky black belt...) others did not agree and yes, I did get some alot of flack...over and over and over through the night.  Now at least I know what to put on my Christmas list for next year.

I should add...not only do I not own proper pajamas...I also do not own a digital camera.  I tossed ours into our wash machine along with a basket full of dirty clothes this past spring...if there is one common theme I can promise you will see running through my posts is that I am almost always trying to do about five things at once, I loose things, ruin things, forget things...and on this lovely mothers day weekend it was our camera who suffered it's untimely death.  So...for the time being I use my cell phone to take pictures...therefore you will not see any beautiful, artsy, well lit photos of my food...I will add a camera right next to pajamas on my wish list.

Anyways, on to the part that I  should be talking about here...what I brought to the 2010 Momtourage + Families PJ New Years Eve Party-

Hot Artichoke and Feta Dip

This recipe was shared with me by one of Kenyson's and my co-workers.    She served this hot dish of heaven during our department's Christmas Party which she hosted at her home three years ago.   I have made this dish numerous times...it has become my most requested dishes by others...it is no short of a-maz-ing. 

Ingredients
2 cans artichoke hearts, drained, chopped (I squeeze to make sure they are really drained)
8 oz. crumbled feta cheese
1 cup mayonnaise (I use light bc that is what I usually have on hand)
½ cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1 jar (4 oz.) diced pimentos, drained
3-4 clove garlic, minced

vessels for scooping

Directions
MIX all ingredients.
SPOON into 9-inch pie plate or 3-cup shallow baking dish.
BAKE at 350 F for 30 to 45 minutes or until lightly browned, lovely and bubbly.   Garnish with chopped tomato and sliced green onion, if desired- (I typically do not add anything extra...for some reason I just think the cold onions/tomato would ruin the warm deliciousness that is this dip, but that's just me.)   Serve with sliced baguette, pita chips, chopped veggies, etc etc.... Seriously...this is so good it would probably make chicken livers taste heavenly...so serve with whatever your little heart desires.

Source- Co-worker who will be named once she give me the OK.

Jalapeño Popper Dip 

What can I say, I love dip.  And this one makes loving dips very very easy.  

Ingredients:

2 (8 oz.) packages cream cheese, softened
1 cup mayonnaise (I use light bc that is what I usually have on hand)
1 (4 oz.) can chopped green chiles, drained
1 (4 oz.) can diced jalapeño peppers, drained
½ cup shredded Mexican style cheese
½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1 cup Panko breadcrumbs
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
sliced bagguettes, pita chips, bread sticks, veggies, or other scooping device

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 375˚ F.  In a medium bowl,combine the softened cream cheese, mayonnaise, green chiles, jalapeños, and shredded cheeses.  Mix thoroughly with a spoon or spatula, or if you are like I usually am, running around like maniac trying to get everything done, an electric mixer, until smooth and evenly combined.  Spread this deliciousness into a 9 x 9 baking dish, pie plate or the like.

In a second bowl, combine the Panko and Parmesan and stir with a fork/whisk/your hands, whatever...until combined.   Sprinkle over the cream cheese mixture.    Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the mixture is hot and the topping is golden and bubbling with love.  Serve warm with baguette slices, pita chips, tortilla chips, etc etc. 

Source: Annie's Eats

Buckeyes 

These little balls of nirvana were my dessert contribution to the party.  I have grown up with my mother making these by the hundred every Christmas.  Therefore I thought every one's mother made these by the hundred each Christmas and am always surprised every time I make these and people nearly drop dead with pure delight after tasting them for the first time.  They are so easy to make....and eat.  Due to how easy it is to pop just one in your mouth every.single.time you walk past the fridge I typically make/roll the balls and stick them in the freezer.  I dip/coat in chocolate as I need them.  The very last thing I need in my house is a fridge/freezer full of buckeyes calling my name, so if you do not want to have to pry your hands off the freezer handle every single time you walk by it I suggest you do the same.

Please note this recipe makes TWO.HUNDRED so please halve/half?? or quarter as needed.  Also note, I do not have a written recipe/method for these...I'm pretty sure my mother doesn't either... so bear with my descriptions.

Ingredients:

2lbs creamy (the un-natural kind) peanut butter

1lb  butter

2- 3lbs powdered sugar

2lbs chocolate chips - both milk and semi-sweet are equally as delicious

Directions:

Add butter and peanut butter to a large bowl, I typically soften in the microwave to make the two ingredients more combine-able(is that a word?)  Using an electric or stand mixer beat the P.B. and butter until somewhat combined.  Add powdered sugar 1lb at a time.   I typically add 2lbs then add bit by bit until it looks like just one more bit will take the mixture from creamy to crumbly.  If it does become too dry add either more P.B. or butter to soften it up.

Roll small handfuls of the mixture into bite sized balls then place on a cookie sheet lined with either parchment or waxed paper.  Place cookie sheets in freezer.  Once the balls are hard enough to handle I put them all in tupperware containers, separating the rows of balls with the wax/parchment.

When you are ready to unleash these puppies it's time to melt the chocolate chips.  I use a double boiler (aka a pyrex bowl over a pot of simmering water)  I find using this method as opposed to melting the chocolate in the microwave, keeps the chocolate evenly melted for as long as I need to dip.  Using a toothpick dip the balls into the melted chocolate and roll/swirel to cover.  Place dipped balls on cookie sheets lined with wax/parchment paper.  Place cookie sheets in fridge (or freezer...if you are like I usually am....running around like a lunatic bc you were supposed to be wherever you are going 15min ago and need these to harden as fast as possible.)  

Once the chocolate is hardened they are ready to go.  Place on serving dish and be prepared to be loved.

Source: my mom, Lizbeth Zinze (she doesn't have a blog...but I still wanted to give her formal credit)

I think I just gained 10lbs just typing these recipes out.   They are not in any way, shape or form, healthful...but they are good.   Lucky for me I had a drink in my hand most of the night which left only one hand to eat-haha!

Enjoy!

xoxo

andrea