Tuesday, March 29, 2005

paella

ok, not completely authentic, but it was so good. i decided we needed some serious protein (i'm not so into cooking meat that often), so i found this recipe that had contributions from not one, not two, but THREE different animals: chicken, shrimp, and turkey (in the form of sausage).

josh was so moved by the meat-fest that he took pictures, which i will possibly become motivated to post later.

the recipe (from cooking light AGAIN; it's not that i'm so obsessed with them usually but i just got access to all these new recipes and i feel the need to try, like, all of them. plus they're easy and healthy. plus i don't have that many cookbooks.)

Chicken and Shrimp Paella
From Cooking Light


Typically, paella is made with medium-grain rice like Arborio or Valencia, which can absorb the flavors in the broth without overcooking. Saffron, the exotic spice with a distinct, earthy flavor, gives this Spanish dish its characteristic yellow hue. It's a bit soupy when first prepared but quickly absorbs the liquid.

enjoy . . .

6 chicken thighs (about 1 1/2 pounds), skinned
1 teaspoon chopped fresh or 1/4 teaspoon dried rosemary
3/4 teaspoon salt, divided
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
1 (4-ounce) link hot turkey Italian sausage
1 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper
1 1/2 cups uncooked Arborio or Valencia rice
1/2 cup diced plum tomato
1 teaspoon Hungarian sweet paprika
1/4 teaspoon saffron threads, crushed
1 garlic clove, minced
3 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
3/4 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 cup (1-inch) diagonally cut asparagus
1/2 cup frozen green peas, thawed

Preheat oven to 400°.
Sprinkle chicken with rosemary, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and black pepper. Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken; cook 3 minutes on each side or until lightly browned. Remove chicken from pan; cover and keep warm.

Remove casings from sausage. Add sausage to pan; cook 1 minute, stirring to crumble. Add onion and bell pepper; cook 7 minutes, stirring constantly. Add rice, tomato, paprika, saffron, and garlic; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Return chicken to pan. Add broth and 1/4 teaspoon salt; bring to a boil. Wrap handle of pan with foil; cover pan. Bake at 400° for 10 minutes. Stir in shrimp, asparagus, and peas. Cover and bake an additional 5 minutes or until shrimp are done.

Sunday, March 27, 2005

mmmmuffins

in a fit of procrastination (from less pleasant tasks) this morning, i decided to make banana muffins. the recipe is from mark bittman's how to cook everything, a very useful book. in fact, i used it yesterday to figure out how to cut up leeks! how's that for versatility?

banana-nut muffins

dry ingredients
* 2 cups flour (can use whole wheat for some of this, but i didn't have any, so i didn't)

* 1/2 teaspoon salt

* 3 tsp baking powder

* 1/2 cup coarsely chopped walnuts

wet ingredients
* 1/3 cup milk (recipe called for 1/4, i added more)

* 1 cup mashed ripe bananas

* 1 egg

* 3 tablespoons butter, melted

* 1/3 cup maple syrup (could also use honey or sugar) (recipe calls for 1/4 but last time we thought they weren't sweet enough -- 1/3 seemed to be better)

directions

* preheat oven to 400 degrees, and grease a muffin tin with butter or cooking spray

* mix together dry ingredients

* mix together wet ingredients (add banana & syrup last)

* make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour the wet stuff in. mix until pretty much combined (and no longer!)

* spoon batter into muffin tins - you'll get 8 - 12 depending on how generous you are (i made 10)

* bake 20+ minutes or until muffins are a little brown on top and toothpick inserted into the center of one of them comes out clean

* let them rest for 5 minutes, if you can stand it, before taking them out of the tin

* eat and enjoy!

Saturday, March 26, 2005

not really lasagna, but quite tasty nonetheless

i made this last night. it took a while, but was kind of fun. i was an idiot at the grocery store, though, and forgot the spinach, but it was good without it. also, leeks are so totally underrated, in my opinion.

oh, and i used like double the mozzerella cheese (1.5 cups instead of just 3/4). i guess i felt like 'cooking kinda light' rather than cooking *really* light. a normal pan of lasagna has even more mozzerella in it than i used, and a couple of the comments said the recipe unaltered was kind of sparse in the cheese department.

and i like my cheese not to be sparse.

Mediterranean Lasagna
From Cooking Light

Ingredients
Cooking spray
2 cups chopped leek
1 1/2 cups chopped onion
1 teaspoon dried mint flakes
1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 (14-ounce) can artichoke hearts, drained and coarsely chopped
1 (7-ounce) bottle roasted red bell peppers, drained and chopped
1 cup drained canned cannellini beans
1 1/2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups fat-free milk
1 (4-ounce) package crumbled feta cheese
3 tablespoons grated fresh Parmesan cheese, divided
6 no-boil lasagna noodles (such as Barilla or Vigo)
1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed, drained, and squeezed dry
3/4 cup (3 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese, divided

Directions
Preheat oven to 375°.
Heat a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Add leek and next 4 ingredients (leek through garlic), and sauté 5 minutes. Add artichokes and bell pepper, and sauté 3 minutes. Stir in beans, and remove from heat.

Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add flour, and cook 2 minutes, stirring constantly with a whisk. Gradually add milk, stirring with a whisk until blended, and cook until slightly thick (about 4 minutes). Remove from heat. Add feta and 2 tablespoons Parmesan; stir until cheese melts.

Spread 1/4 cup cheese sauce in bottom of an 8-inch square baking dish coated with cooking spray. Arrange 2 noodles over cheese sauce; top with half of leek mixture, half of spinach, 1/4 cup mozzarella, and 1/2 cup cheese sauce. Repeat layers, ending with noodles. Pour remaining cheese sauce over noodles, and sprinkle with 1/4 cup mozzarella and 1 tablespoon Parmesan.

Cover and bake at 375° for 35 minutes. Uncover and bake 15 minutes or until top is golden. Let stand 5 minutes.

mmmmmm, cheesy goodness.

Tuesday, March 22, 2005

sumptuous salad

today i'm making this sumptuous salad to go with some lamb that a friend is making for dinner. i can't yet say whether it's good or bad, but i can't imagine it being anything but great with the ingredients that are in it. hello, warm goat cheese? does it get any better?

Salad with Apples, Walnuts, Dried Cherries, and Herbed Baked Goat Cheese
from Cook's Illustrated

Serves 6

Salad

1 cup dried cherry (5 ounces)
2 Granny Smith apples
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon shallot , finely minced
1/4 teaspoon table salt
1/4 teaspoon granulated sugar
6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
ground black pepper
14 cups hearty greens , washed and dried
1/2 cup walnuts , chopped coarse and toasted

Herbed Baked Goat Cheese

3 ounces Melba toasts , white (about 2 cups)
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
3 large eggs
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme
1 tablespoon fresh chives
12 ounces goat cheese , firm
extra-virgin olive oil


1. Plump cherries in 1/2-cup hot water in small bowl, about 10 minutes; drain. Quarter and core apples and cut into 1/8-inch-thick slices.

2. In food processor, process Melba toasts to fine even crumbs, about 1 1/2 minutes; transfer crumbs to medium bowl and stir in pepper. Whisk eggs and mustard in medium bowl until combined. Combine thyme and chives in small bowl.

3. Using kitchen twine or dental floss, divide cheese into 12 evenly sized pieces. Roll each piece into a ball; roll each ball in herbs to coat lightly. Transfer 6 pieces to egg mixture, turn each piece to coat; transfer to Melba crumbs and turn each piece to coat, pressing crumbs into cheese. Flatten each ball into disk about 1 1/2 inches wide and 1 inch thick and set on baking sheet. Repeat process with remaining 6 pieces cheese. Freeze cheese until firm, about 30 minutes. (Cheese may be wrapped tightly in plastic wrap and frozen up to 1 week.) Adjust oven rack to uppermost position; heat to 475 degrees.

4. Remove cheese from freezer and brush tops and sides evenly with olive oil. Bake until crumbs are golden brown and cheese is slightly soft, 7 to 9 minutes (or 9 to 12 minutes if cheese is completely frozen). Using thin metal spatula, transfer cheese to paper towel-lined plate and cool 3 minutes.

5. Combine vinegar, mustard, shallot, salt, and sugar in small bowl. Whisking constantly, drizzle in oil; season to taste with pepper. Place greens in large bowl, drizzle vinaigrette over, and toss to coat. Divide greens among individual plates; divide cherries, apples, and walnuts among plates; and place 2 rounds goat cheese on each salad. Serve immediately.

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if this sucks in any way, i will come back and edit this entry to say why. if i don't say anything, feel free to assume it was fabulous.

maybe a LITTLE out of hand

3 blogs for one person? i know, i know. i may be going in a bit over my head. don't expect posts every day on this one. i'm just using it to share recipes, and (since i'm selfish!) it's a tool for me to be able to look back and think: 'hey, that clam and okra stew that i made on october 17th was surprisingly good. i think i'll make it again.'

(i have never actually made clam and okra stew, nor do i plan on doing so. but i'm just saying.)

anyway, i'm going to start by posting the recipe i made for dinner last night, because it was easy, healthy, and judging from the amount that josh consumed, pretty good.

from cooking light:

Couscous-Chickpea Salad with Ginger-Lime Dressing

Dressing:
1/3 cup fresh lime juice
1 1/2 tablespoons extravirgin olive oil
2 teaspoons grated peeled fresh ginger
3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 garlic clove, minced

Salad:
2 cups water
1 1/2 cups uncooked couscous
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 cup chopped tomato
1 cup chopped peeled cucumber
1 cup (4 ounces) crumbled feta cheese (i actually used ricotta salata)
1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh mint
1 (15 1/2-ounce) can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), rinsed and drained

To prepare dressing, combine first 8 ingredients, stirring with a whisk.
To prepare salad, bring 2 cups water to a boil in a medium saucepan, and gradually stir in couscous, raisins, and turmeric. Remove from heat; cover and let stand 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork. Place couscous mixture in a large bowl. Add tomato and remaining ingredients. Drizzle with dressing; stir well to coat. Cover and chill at least 1 hour.

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served over mixed greens and with some toasted pita bread. mmmmmmmmmm. josh also thinks some kind of yogurt-soup-esque thing would go well with this, but i was too lazy to make anything else.