I pack my lunch 4: Roasted Shallot Tomato Bisque

The weather is still all wonky and today it's chilly again. Yesterday we had a high of 81 and today 60 if we're lucky, plus blustery 50 mph gusts of stinging wind.  Warm soup is where it's at on days like this. Well, actually, on most any days a good tasty bowl of soup seems good for the soul. I need some of that too; some of that soul healing stuff. The past few days have been rough- feeling awfully blue and neglecting to do anything productive about it. I was alone all week and then weekend, too, so that didn't help. I should have forced myself to go see someone (aside from the friendly staff at Swim Cafe). Thankfully, one of my forever-friends Amy just so happened to stop in Swim Cafe while I was "doing homework" and we chatted a bit. Otherwise, I don't think I would have had a meaningful conversation with 1 person (do the dogs count?) this whole weekeend. It was good to see her and we agreed, as we normally do, that too much time had passed and we should get together soon... sigh. And- ARGH.
So all in all, I had a fairly unproductive weekend of minimal homework, tons of PBS movie watching, half-assed house cleaning, only one (lazy) bike ride and more PBS movie watching. At least there were awesome thunderstorms and a soup to be made. And this soup- well, damn. It's tasty! And to continue climbing out of the blueness I am doing something else I enjoy- sharing my tasty food with anyone that wants to share!
I love garlic. I think I've mentioned this before. And I like spicy. Again, pretty sure I have expressed this already. So you can imagine that this soup is going to have both of these exciting elements to its base. The following herb and spice ingredients were not necessarily measured as carefully as they may seem. I think when it comes to spices, it's really up to the Chef at the time and their individual preference for flavor. So, please keep that in mind moving forward with this recipe.

Ingredients

½ C Celery leaves & small stalks chopped 

4 Shallots, about 3 cups separated

4 Garlic cloves 

2 ½ C strained tomatoes (I buy them jarred to avoid the BPA lining in the can)

2 ½ C Almond, Soy, Coconut (not the Thai kind), or other milk alternative

1 T Italian Seasoning

1 tsp Olive oil

¼ tsp Salt

½ tsp Black pepper

½ tsp Cracked red pepper

1 T Corn Starch

Make It

Spray a large piece of foil with oil cooking spray. Separate and peel shallots and garlic, leaving them mostly whole. Wrap in the foil and roast in the toaster oven at 400-425 for 30 minutes covered, then uncovered for another 20 minutes to brown. 

Meanwhile, start the soup base. Add the oil, spices, and celery to a soup pot or large sauce pan. Heat over medium heat and cook, stirring well. When celery is softened add the tomatoes and milk*. Bring to a boil then reduce to simmer and cover. 

When the shallots and garlic are finished cooking, slice shallots into large strips and chop the garlic. Add these to the soup. Bring to a rolling boil and add 1 T diluted corn starch to thicken and make a bisque. 

What? WHAT? WHAT? 

Yes, I know. It really IS that simple! And so yummy! This would go well with a tasty grilled cheese or some other toasted sandwich, maybe just a hearty roll or something to add a little protein. Otherwise, it's pretty nutritiously sound and definitely easy on the calories.

Enjoy!

Nutritional Info

Servings Per Recipe: 4

Serving size = 1.5 C Bowls

Amount Per Serving

Calories: 173.7

Total Fat: 3.2 g

Cholesterol: 0.0 mg

Sodium: 304.4 mg

Total Carbs: 32.4 g

Dietary Fiber: 3.5 g

Protein: 5.2 g

Vitamin A 47.7 %
Vitamin B-10.0 %
Vitamin B-6 23.2 %
Vitamin C 63.1 %
Vitamin D 15.6 %
Vitamin E 32.2 %
Calcium 20.7 %
Folate 11.3 %
Iron 12.8 %
Zinc 3.6 %

*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs and as calculated by the www.sparkpeople.com recipe calculator 

Easter Sunday: Mushroom Lasagna Per Uno

It's Easter Sunday (evening) and I had a good day all to myself. Yesterday was tons of fun, too, with the BFF's and the kiddos Easter Egg Hunting Party!!! Plus a great night with another set of friends playing Trivial Pursuit and Taboo. But today was just me and I took full advantage:

I slept in, then went for a short ride to the sunny coffee shop where I sipped a latte in the sun, caught up on homework and researched bicycles (looking for a new ride) and then went for a nice long ride along the Lake, stopping at the "beach" to pretend like I was with my family at the real beach in FLA. That would have made the day perfect- to have been with the Family (I miss them tons!!). Upon returning home, I took The Girls for a super long walk, which they loved, and then back to clean this place I call home. To relax, I made myself a really fabulous dinner, something I have not taken time to do in a while. Yeah, I am still cooking but nothing really that fancy or well thought out. I've had no time (excuses!!--- really I just haven't been inspired. But then...).

A few weeks ago a friend came to visit. I was supposed to do some serious cooking for this friend, but alas we were distracted by the City and all it has to offer via exploring and on-demand-food and, er, beverage... still, I wish I had made at least one tasty dinner for us. Humph. So I guess I made this tonight thinking that it would have been nice to share with this friend of mine...instead I'll hope that (you) read this and make it for (yourself) some time-- It's so tasty!

I'm calling this dish Mushroom Lasagna Per Uno, but I actually made 2 servings- one for now and one for later this week. I had a feeling I'd really like this and want to eat it again this week. Turns out, I was right. 

Ingredients

4 oz lasagna pasta (approx. 4 noodles) 

1.5 C chopped onion 

3.5 oz (1.5 cups or so) Mushrooms sliced 

1 tsp crushed garlic 

2 tsp Italian seasoning 

½ tsp black pepper 

¼ tsp salt 

1 tsp olive oil  

2 T red wine

½ C Fat Free Ricotta  

2 oz reduced fat mozzarella

Make It
In a sauce pan, using 1 tsp olive oil, saute onion and garlic with spices for several minutes until soft. Add the sliced mushrooms and wine. Stir frequently until all are soft and cooked through. Remove from heat and reserve. Don't scrape the sauce pan so that some of the spices stay in the pan. Then add the strained tomatoes to the pan, bring to a simmer and cover. 
Spray 2 individual casserole/souffle/mini-pie (whatever you have that's small enough to make personal lasagnes) dishes with oil-spray. Layer 1 noodle in the bottoms of the dishes. Divide mushroom and ricotta between the two dishes. Layer the remaining noodles. Divide the tomato sauce between the dishes to smother the noodles.

 

Cover with foil and bake at 400 degrees for 40 minutes, or until noodles are soft to liking. 
Uncover, sprinkle with mozzarella and return to the oven to melt the cheese. 
Serve with a salad or something light and green*.

One thing, during the visit and discussions about food (less talk, more action, I know I know!) I told my friend was "I try to follow a rule and have something green* with each meal." Yikes! I almost forgot my own rule tonight. Happily, I remembered that I had an artichoke in the fridge and, well, artichokes are certainly green! I boiled this beauty just in time to serve with my tasty lasagna, using the sauciness of the lasagna as a dip, and sipping my newest bottle of Malbec. 

Mushroom Lasagna with Artichoke: 

A delicious and perfect end to a peaceful, solitary Easter Sunday!

Nutritional Info (not including the artichoke*)

Servings Per Recipe: 2

Amount Per Serving

Calories: 397.7

Total Fat: 6.7 g

Cholesterol: 25.0 mg

Sodium: 578.8 mg

Total Carbs: 62.4 g

Dietary Fiber: 7.5 g

Protein: 21.9 g

This dish is higher in calories than I typically like to aim for a single meal. Still, under 500 calories with over 20 grams protein, and less than 7 grams of fat isn't bad at all. If you break it down further, you get over 18% of A, more than 45% calcium and tons of other great nutrients. I think that helps balance the increase in calories. Plus the fact that I went on that long-ass bike ride! Tangent coming soon...time to digress-- let's leave the discussion/post here and say- bon appetite!

Help me name this!

I was at the Whole Foods on Kingsbury, yeah the crazy mega-mall of Whole Foods, and checking out the bulk section when I saw "kamut". I had seen it before, but never really gave it much thought. But I wanted a new grain, something other than barley or rice or quinoa or millet- though I love those things dearly, I was looking for a change. Seems to be a mantra in my life lately- change....So why the hell not change it up with some Kamut? Yeah, I can dig it.

"Whole kamut (pronounced ka-moo) is a non-hybridized hard spring wheat. It is an ancient relative of modern durum (semolina) wheat that develops a very large kernel. Kamut has a rich, buttery flavor and chewy texture. Kamut has 30% higher protein than wheat, is richer in magnesium, zinc, and vitamin E. Contains gluten, but many wheat sensitive people eat it without reaction"(http://www.purcellmountainfarms.com/Organic%20Kamut%20Grain.htm)

Per 1/4 C dry serving, Kamut packs 5 g protein, 33% of daily fiber, 8% iron, only 1 gram fat and 140-160 calories (depending on which source you find). That's not bad. 

And, the other day, I found some lovely portobello caps at my favorite little grocery store, the Chicago Green Grocer. I know, I know, I should just go here for whatever I need or want all the time- instead of mega-mall-whole-foods, but sometimes I want to (shamelessly) walk around the massive space with eyes wide for new and exciting things- like Kamut (forgive me Casey, I'll try to do a better job of resisting temptations). Anyway, point is, I love the mushrooms that Casey sells. They come from River Valley Ranch and are downright amazingly tasty! Really, I think they have a richer flavor than what you find elsewhere. Maybe it's because they are so fresh, not trucked around the states to get to the store and sit on a shelf in plastic and foam- or maybe it's what they use as a growing medium and what they feed them- or a combination of both? Whatever it is, they are delectable. 

Now on to thinking about what to do: right, I have this kamut and these portobellos. I could make a stir-fry and try the kamut as I would rice. I could make a pilaf. Or maybe portobello tacos with Mexican-fried kamut? No. I have not taken advantage of my nifty single-serve casserole dishes nearly enough. This conversation with myself ended up with a dish that kind of reminds me of a potpie or a shepherd's pie, based on the breakdown of it all: stewy mixture covered with something. In this case, it's a stewy cabernet kamut and veggie mix topped with a gorgeous and perfectly sized portobello cap. Not sure what to call it, but I am sure you can dig it.  I definitely did.

Can you help me name it?

Ingredients: 

1 Portobello mushroom cap

1/4 C Kamut, dry

1 C Swiss Chard, (or any green) chopped

1/4 C of each- Celery, Carrots, Onion, chopped

1 shot (2 oz) Cabernet Sauvignon (or other red) Wine

1 C water

1/2 T Italian Seasoning

3-4 dashes ground black pepper

3-4 dashes garlic powder

Make it:

The few reviews I read about kamut recommended soaking it overnight. I did that.

Prepare your veggies, chop celery, onion and carrot and chard, but keep chard to the side. Bring 1 C of water to a boil with the veggies (the mirepoix), kamut and spices. Then reduce and cover for 15 minutes. While that is boiling, preheat the toaster oven to 400 (toaster oven temp- maybe 375 in regular oven?). Add chopped chard and wine to kamut mix. Stir the mix until chard is wilted. Now, transfer to your perfectly sized individual round casserole/baking dish. Cut 4 slits in the top of the mushroom cap. And place that tasty cap over the kamut mixture. Cover the entire dish, loosely so the cap is not confined too much, with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and enjoy!

This really was scrumptious. I think next time I'll try to figure out how to thicken the stewy mix a bit more. I could have used corn starch, I know, but the kamut was not finished cooking in the pot and finished during the baking process. Maybe I'll cook it all the way in the pot and thicken it up before transferring to the casserole. I was afraid of the kamut becoming mushy. But after trying this, I don't think that's possible. It's really a hardy grain.

Weighing in under 300 calories, with almost 15 g of protein, this dish is a winner! Totally satisfied after eating it all. For hungrier folks, a bit of rustic bread and butter would go well with this.

Nutritional Info:
(as per the spark!)

Calories: 287.4
Total Fat: 1.7 g
Cholesterol: 0.0 mg
Sodium: 376.4 mg
Total Carbs: 54.5 g
Dietary Fiber: 13.1 g
Protein: 14.9 g

I pack my own lunch 3: Mexican-y Squash Soup

I had several small winter squashes in my hanging basket and have been meaning to cook them. I thought about stuffing them mostly. One of them, the pumpkin, bit the dust today. Unfortunately, I just waited too long to do anything with it. So I decided that the others should be cooked post haste or risk loosing them, too. 

Since I was not at all hungry (just came home from a huge brunch with friends) I was having trouble thinking about what to do with them. I thought about it and the fact that I hadn't planned anything yet for lunch this week, well nothing except I assumed I would make a soup since that's what I've been eating lately given it's winter and all... so, these pretty little squashes were cut, cored and popped in the oven to prep for what has turned out to be a damn good soup. And a really simple, limited ingredient dish at that. Oh, and let's not forget I had another awesome excuse to use my immersion blender! Love it!

I didn't want to make something I've had before. The standard curry or apple-carrot or basic squash soup was not appealing to my forecast appetite (again, because this would be for lunch during the work-week). What I thought I'd be craving by Monday was something with cilantro, which if fresh is one of my most favorite herbs! What could I do with cilantro and squash? ...Mexican-y Squash Soup!

When the squash were in the oven, I started a stock. I don't buy bouillon since it's a lot of processed stuff and has tons of sodium. So, using a great long ago suggestion from a friend, when I am prepping dinners I keep the ends of onions, celery, carrots, cabbage and sometimes 'shrooms in a bag in the freezer. When I want to make stock, I pull from that bag of frozen ends and toss them in the pot of water. Cover and cook on medium for at least 30 minutes and you have a tasty, tasty stock. Neat trick, eh? And now you know what's in your stock instead of guessing what someone else did to make it, which is kinda gross if you ask me. 

Ingredients

4 C Water*

3 1/2 C smashed Winter Squash (I used 1 butternut and 1 acorn)

1 jalapeno, chopped

3 T cilantro, roughly chopped

2 tsp cumin powder

1 tsp garlic powder

salt to taste

*I started with 2 cups of water to the stock, but in the end used a total of 4 cups of water.

Make it

First start the squash. Cut and core them. Put the flesh side facing down in a casserole dish. Add an inch of water and cover with foil. Bake at 375 for 30 minutes or until soft. Then start the stock. When it's finished, strain the vegetables and discard (compost). Return the stock to the pan and add the scooped cooked squash. Add the remaining water if needed. Bring to a boil and reduce to simmer. Add the jalapeno and cook covered for several minutes. Then add the cilantro. Using an immersion blender, blend the soup until smooth. Add salt to taste. Viola! It's complete and it's delicious!

I'll be very happy to be eating this for lunch this week. It's got just the right spice and warmth for cold, winter days in the office. And it's super good for me, too! 

Nutritional Info

Servings Per Recipe: 5

Calories: 161.6

Total Fat: 0.4 g

Cholesterol: 0.0 mg

Sodium: 690.7 mg

Total Carbs: 42.0 g

Dietary Fiber: 12.7 g

Protein: 3.3 g

Potato Smothered Lentils, Inspired by Classic Shepherd's Pie

Several fabulous Christmas gifts pictured here: bowls,
blender & pepper grinder in the background.

Happy New Year!
I'm not even going to try to apologize for the looooong absence this time. It's obvious: I am just not capable right now of keeping up as much as I had hoped. I'm okay with that. Hell, I have to be. I'm in school full-time, working full-time, keeping up with my life as best I can and plus trying to share my culinary adventures??? Oh, and I've started sewing and had Christmas present making to get through, plus buy a "new to me" car. Right. So I am busy. And sometimes, sometimes I just don't have time to blog about what I've cooked-- or, uh, even time to cook for that matter!
Right. So, here we are in 2012. And no, I'm not making a promise to blog more regularly. As just noted, that would be futile at this point. I'm just going to post when I do and then eventually there will be enough populated where it won't matter- anyone who happens upon the blog should be able to find at least 1 thing they'd like to cook, read, make, or do. Right? Yes.

Okey dokey then...onward!

For Christmas, my eldest sister flew to Chicago and we piled in my car with my two dogs and drove to Florida, back from where my sister had just flown, back to my hometown. It was awesome. We did the same thing, only reverse, coming back. Again, awesome. The whole time I was home I had an amazing time. I love my family so much and cherished each moment I had with them. And, AND, I was able to cook for them a few times, too. (I am not writing about that now, though, since that was cooking for more than one- I'll make a "cooking for many" section someday.)
For my Dear Santa list, I had asked for single serving baking dishes, like those you might make casseroles in but for one instead of 8. And an immersion blender. My friend Lauren was so kind to lend me hers (which I still have :/ ) and I fell in love. Now I have my very own. These two new kitchen tools inspired the dish I'm going to share with you tonight.

Check out these cutest individual casseroles! Begging- BEGGING- to be stuffed and baked. Ok, casserole, as you wish...

And, check out the fabulous machine behind it or pictured above- it's just...just...just, perfect. The CuisineArt Immersion Blender.  Love! Even though it has that beautiful guard so it won't scratch teflon or other types of surfaces, I am so grateful that last year I wrote to and Santa delivered a beautiful set of stainless steal pots and pans. I think, maybe, my kitchen may now be as complete as one could need without just being over the top.

Back to the begging casserole dishes. I had to choose only one; the decision was made after the meal was nearly finished and based solely on the one that could hold all that it made.

Potato Smothered Lentils, Inspired by the Classic Shepherd's Pie


Ingredients

¼ C dry Lentils
1 C quartered Mushrooms (I tend to use crimini or baby bellas for everything!)
¼ C chopped Onions
¼ C chopped Carrots
¼ C chopped Celery
¼ C frozen Peas
½ tsp white pepper
1 tsp Thyme
1 dash (or more) Salt
1 tsp minced Garlic
1 fl oz Red Wine  
¾ C chopped Potato
2 T fat free, plain Yogurt

Toaster Oven is still kickin' and
it's perfect for this single serving dish.

Make it

Cook lentils in water until soft. Cook potatoes in water for mashing. Heat a skillet with cooking spray, add onions, celery and carrots to soften then add garlic, and other spices. Stir 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat. When lentils are finished, add to the vegetable mixture and return to hi heat. Add wine and stir for 2-3 minutes to absorb. Transfer this mixture to an oven-proof single serving dish. Whip potatoes with yogurt and top the lentils with it. Then broil for a browned top finish. Serve with salad or another green vegetable and enjoy!

Serving Size: 1 individual pie

This one comes in just over 300 calories, but it is soooo filling and totally worth every bite!

Nutritional Info

• Servings Per Recipe: 1

• Calories: 320.5

• Total Fat: 1.2 g

• Cholesterol: 0.0 mg

• Sodium: 274.0 mg

• Total Carbs: 59.2 g

• Dietary Fiber: 15.9 g

• Protein: 17.7 g

Fall = Friends and Pears

A few Sundays ago now, I was hanging out with great friends, one of which came all the way from New Mexico and is my best friend's, Melissa, best friend from childhood, Jessie. Talk about crazy friendness! Jessie made a delicious dish his Mother and Grandmother made years before. It was so freaking good! And then, in the same week I had the fortune to hang out with another group of  great friends. We were enjoying each other's company, some tasty fruits and cheese, and Pear Martinis. Both days involved other people (friends) cooking or preparing food with out my assistance, but of which I was able to deeply enjoy. I love when that happens!   But all this hanging out led to reason there's a 2-week lapse in latest blog posts. Oh well. A girl's gotta have some fun sometime, right?!

So a quicky for this post and a note about fun and indulgence. Sometimes, even though this blog focuses a lot on healthy eating and watching calories and nutrient intake, sometimes- and yes, I mean more than once a year- sometimes you just need a break from it all. This recipe will definitely help you do that- take a break, sit back, enjoy good company and good spirits without worrying about it. You'll run tomorrow, or you'll do your yoga later in the week...for now... indulge in this deliciousness.

A Pear-fect Pear Martini (I couldn't resist, sorry!)


Ingredients
1 part Pear infused Vodka, or just Vodka
2 parts Pear nectar (sans corn syrup or other juices, this should be straight pear juice)
pre-sliced pears, covered with the juice of 1 lime
ice

Make It
1. In a shaker, add the ice, vodka and pear nectar.
2. Shake vigorously.
3. Strain into a martini glass.
4. Garnish with 1 or 2 slices of pear.
5. Sip and enjoy. Really, you're not going to have any trouble with the enjoy part- maybe the sip and not gulp part, though.

Nutritional Info
Happiness - 100%

If You Eat, You Should Care About This:

Ok, so I normally post recipes but I warned in my "about" section that I might post things about food, health issues, policy, green initiatives, etc. This is about food policy. And a grotesque abuse of our right to access information, safe food and healthy options for our families- through food. So if you eat food, you should seriously care about this. Please click the link to learn more.

Why you should care about the farm bill

The farm bill matters to you if you care what you and your kids eat, how government policies affect the cost and availability of healthy, chemical-free food and how clean your drinking water is.

Its three most important sections deal with (or possibly won't deal with):

• Support programs for farmers who grow grains.
• Provide money and technical help to farmers to protect soil, water and wildlife.
• Fund the all-important nutrition and feeding programs for low-income Americans, especially women, children and infants.

It’s a huge piece of legislation that drives federal spending and policies on agriculture, nutrition and conservation programs, and it’s usually debated and passed every five years. It was due to come up for renewal in 2012, but industrial agriculture interests and their powerful allies in Congress are trying to circumvent open debate and get the bill they want passed as part of the “Super Committee” plan for cutting the federal deficit.

Stop the Secret Farm Bill | Environmental Working Group

This is a gross abuse of the democratic system. Regardless of whether you agree with the language in the bill, the fact that it is being pushed through without the standard democratic process of review is alarming and disturbing! Stand up for your right to know. Stop this.

Split Pea, Cabbage & Radish Soup

I freaking love split pea soup! There, now you know. I think it's delicious and kind of get a kick out of how it actually looks pretty gross, all green and clumpy. But a lot of dishes look or smell awful and end up being delightful (like Mom's Tuna Casserole!). Since it's nice and chilly now, I have been really really into soups and stews.  They are so warming, easy to make, cheap to make and nutritiously filling.

For this split pea soup, I wanted something more than just carrots and peas- I wanted a hardiness to it. I decided on using up 1/2 a head of cabbage I had and a beautiful (watermelon?) radish I got from the Farmer's Market. I was almost certain I had heard of split pea and cabbage soup before, but googled it just to be sure. Yep. Several (hundreds?) have done this before. But I didn't find any that suggested adding radish to it. I was hopeful this would work out and be tasty, because it was going to serve as my lunch for several days to come. Happily, it did.

Before I jump into the recipe, check out this beautiful radish I picked up from a farmer at the market. I am almost positive it's called Watermelon Radish. It's an heirloom variety and grows big like a turnip. Isn't it stunning? Oh and it's just absolutely scrumptious!

Ingredients:
4 C Tap Water
2 Stalks Celery chopped
3/4 - 1 Carrots chopped
1/2 Onion chopped
2 C Cabbage, chopped
1 C Radish chopped
1/2 C Dry Split Pea

Make It: 

Heat the water ready to a boil. Add the celery, onions and carrots to the water. Boil and continue to boil fror a few minutes. Add the Spit Peas and cover to reduce heat and continue cooking. When the peas have cooked all the way through, remove from heat and blend to make smooth. I used my food processor, however, an immersion blender would be perfect for something like this! 

Then return to heat and add the cabbage and radishes. Cook on med-low for 15 minutes or so until the radishes are soft to chew.

Serve hot or reserve in the refrigerator for up to 10 days.

Not sure how this happened, but I have no pictures of the final product. It was really yummy, but honestly as previously noted this was not that pretty (muddy green and what not). So use your taste-bud imagination, cook it up and enjoy!

Nutritional Info: 

Servings Per Recipe: 3

Amount Per Serving

Calories: 75.7

Total Fat: 0.4 g

Cholesterol: 0.0 mg

Sodium: 55.6 mg

Total Carbs: 15.2 g

Dietary Fiber: 5.7 g

Protein: 4.3 g

Cabernet Mushrooms w/ Greens & Sweet Potatoes

Oh brother, here I go again with a tremendously long break in between postings. I was afraid of this. But I am going to keep trying. The more I do, the easier it will get- right? Right. Right. I have been cooking and eating, but a lot of that cooking and eating has been on the fly with no real thought. Or it has been for more than just me, in a hurry, and without writing it all down. Like for Thanksgiving. Which by the way, I hope everyone had a lovely Thanksgiving holiday and are enjoying leftovers! Maybe you're not, though, and maybe you're looking for something filling but responsibly light (because of the guilty indulgences this weekend perhaps?) for dinner. Well, I think this may be an option for you then. Let me know if you like it.

The other night, I ran out of MRE's (meals-ready-to-eat, no not the Military issue but of my own making) and so it was time to cook it up. I also needed lunch for a few days. But I had a craving for mushrooms for dinner and thought soup for lunches would be nice. And, no I didn't want mushroom soup three times in a row. So I conceded to again make more than one meal at once and be prepared for the next few days.
Of course, I didn't get home until almost 8 o'clock since I went to the gym before leaving work, then stopped for dog treats. My dinner and lunch-soup had to be quick meals so I could get on with the other things needing my attention.
Quick was the intent anyway. And for some, this may be quick compared to past kitchen adventures. For me, it was too long given looming homework as one example of something needing my attention. Regardless, both were damn tasty so I am really not complaining.

Ok, I wanted mushrooms and I wanted a hearty dinner. What should it be then? Well, how about a substantially mushroom based meal accompanied by lush greens and braised sweet potatoes? Yup! That'll do. So yummy, so filling.

Ingredients:

7-8 medium mushrooms halved or quartered

1 C Collards, chopped

1 C Mustard Greens, chopped

1/2 C Onions, raw, sliced in half rings

~ 1/4 C Red (Cab Sauv) Wine 

1 C Sweet potato, cubed/diced large

1 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp white pepper

1 1/2 tsp Italian Seasoning

All natural, real olive oil cooking spray (not Pam or some weird, can't pronounce it, ingredient list of a "food-like-product")

Make It:

1. Spray a small skillet or pan with the olive oil spray and heat to med-hi heat. Add the cubed sweet potato in one layer and "fry" to brown and soften the potatoes. This might take as long as 20 minutes, but should take less than that. Make sure to turn them over for even cooking. When finished keep on warm. 
2. Meanwhile, but pay attention to the sweet potatoes so they don't burn!, prepare the rest of the vegetables as described in the ingredient list and get the seasonings together as well. This will all come together pretty quickly. 
3. Heat a large skillet with olive oil spray. add onions to saute. Stir for a few minutes, then add spices and mushrooms, stir for 2-3 more minutes. Finally, add the greens and stir only 1 minute. Add the red wine (watch it, it will steam and pop!) and cover the pan while reducing the heat to simmer, very low. Steam for 3 minutes or so. Check greens for wilt but not mush. Remove the mix from the pan to a serving dish and cover to keep warm; reserve the liquid in the pan and reheat to medium. Quickly, add a few dashes of cornstarch to the liquid to thicken it like a gravy. 
4. Place sweet potatoes on the plate, uncover the mushroom mix and pour the gravy over the mix.
5. Enjoy!

This ridiculously filling meal is packed with nutrients, including a healthy portion of protein, and is very low in fat and calories. Hoorah!

Nutritional Info

Servings Per Recipe: 1

Amount Per Serving

Calories: 265.6

Total Fat: 1.3 g

Cholesterol: 0.0 mg

Sodium: 108.7 mg

Total Carbs: 55.6 g

Dietary Fiber: 13.2 g

Protein: 12.7 g

the little toaster oven that could (can)

The alternate title to this post is Oven Roasted Jalapenos. 

I think I've mentioned using my toaster oven before, but have I told you about it? Well, it's fabulous. Toaster ovens are a great alternative to the regular oven because they are small, consume way less energy and work pretty fast (because of their small size and less space to heat). So having one is really important to making my kitchen complete.
My last toaster oven caught on fire. That happens sometimes. So I was without one for a long while. Then, this summer I was at this house of a thrift store- seriously, it's a house with 4 stories of stuff in every room. Each room or level benefits a different charity. These charities decided it'd be a great opportunity to get this house and collectively share the cost of a thrift storefront. What a brilliant idea! And extra bonus for me. I left this house two times with bags full of things I needed. I mean really needed, not just wanted, and mostly bulky stuff (think kitchen and bedding). So cool.

Anyway, about the Toaster Oven. Everything was on sale- I love when thrift stores have sales. There were BOGs, percent-off offers, then there was a room with kitchen goods. And their sale was anything you can fit in a brown paper grocery sack for 1$. I had a paper bag filled with 3 pitchers, a bread knife and a mixing bowl. Then I had this toaster oven. The volunteer ringing me up told me that the toaster oven didn't really fit in the sack, so I'd have to buy it separately. Ok, how much? Umm, 1$. Sweet! I said, handing over 2 crisp 1$ bills, while I thought, I hope it doesn't catch on fire...

Well, it's Fall and that was Summer and I've used this bad-boy so much since then. And, knock on wood, it has yet to catch on fire. Hooray! A dollar well spent indeed. I know it's not the fanciest machine, it's not convection or multi-tiered. It's a simple Black & Decker model, probably at least 10 years old. It only has bake or toast as options and it's not the prettiest. It was obviously pre-loved( though I wonder if as much as it is now). But it's a great little oven and it makes me happy.

Here's an example, mind you only one example of many, many, things my oven is good for: Roasted Jalapenos!

I had a bunch of jalapenos that were starting to crinkle and turn. I didn't want to lose them, especially since I grew them, so I decided to roast them and stuff them in oil for later use. I might split them up and add them to canned goods for Christmas presents. We'll see.

This was very simple. cut and core the jalapenos and tossed them with a liberal amount of oil. Turned the oven up to about 400 and let them cook. 

I have no idea how long they were in there- I was making a bunch of other food- but it was probably at least 30 minutes. They were a little crispy and browned on edges. I think that's fine. 

Then I stuffed them in a small (empty) horseradish jar and filled it with more oil. These will stay in there for a long time and I can use the oil or the peppers or both whenever I want. 

I seriously *heart* my toaster oven. 

Garlic Sauce with Shiitakes

Eureka!
I swear, I am not trying to rub it in or brag or exaggerate, but I think I may have (mostly) nailed this one! On the commute home the other night, I realized I needed lunch for the rest of the week and decided I'd make soup. And I figured I'd also just eat that soup for dinner. But when I got home to check the fridge for soup ingredients I found shiitake mushrooms! They had been in there for a while, so it was really time to do something about them. But I didn't want them in soup. I remembered back to when I purchased them, I daydreamed of something more like Chinese/Asian or using them as you would clams in a garlic wine sauce... So, I committed to making the lunch soup (Split Pea Cabbage and Radish Soup- recipe later) and something Chinese/Asian with mushrooms for dinner.
I was performing some updates on the computer so I couldn't google recipes. I had to wing it. Seriously- this is hands down the best "wing it" recipe I've ever made, of course that's my opinion so you be the judge.
I wanted spicy, garlicky and interesting- I chose to try to make a Chinese-style Garlic Sauce. I have no idea what's in a traditional garlic sauce. But I was up for a challenge to see if I could replicate it based on taste-bud-memory alone. 
I had half of a spaghetti squash leftover from dinner a few nights ago. Instead of boiling lo mein or soba noodles, or cooking rice, I decided this saucy dish would smother the squash well, plus it's already cooked which was a bonus at that already late hour.
This recipe is really about the sauce- the vegetables or what you mix with it could be anything you have on hand. 

Ingredients
Sauce
1 1/2 T Soy Sauce

1 T Bragg's Liquid Aminos

1 T Rice Vinegar

1/2 tsp red chili sauce (shriracha chili paste)

1 tsp minced garlic

~1 T corn starch

Vegetables

3/4 C Shiitake mushrooms sliced into strips

3/4 C onions, sliced in half rings

1/4 C Collards, short but wide strips

1 tsp oil

Squash

2 C spaghetti squash

Make it:
Reheat and hold the spaghetti squash. (Or boil whatever noodle or rice you're going to use.)
Mix, except the corn starch, the sauce ingredients in a small dish. Heat the oil in a skillet or Wok. Add the onions and stir for 2-3 minutes, add the mushrooms and stir again for a 2 minutes. Add the garlic sauce mix and stir well. Add the greens, use caution to try not to mash all the greens together. Add the corn starch to thicken the sauce around the vegetables. Make it thick but not too thick. It should smother well, versus just plop out of the pan.

Smother the spaghetti squash and enjoy. So good!

A few thoughts...
If I had bok choy or something more "Chinese dish-like" I would have used that instead of Collards; however the greens were just delightful in the dish and didn't make me long for anything more authentic. And if I had more Bragg's, I would double the Bragg's and reduce the soy sauce to limit some sodium. There's not an unusually large amount of sodium, but it was a bit salty...

Here's some sodium information I found in an article by the Mayo Clinic--
Sodium: How to tame your salt habit now
            The 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend limiting sodium to less than 2,300 mg a day — or 1,500 mg if you're age 51 or older, or if you are black, or if you have high blood pressure, diabetes or chronic kidney disease. The average American gets about 3,400 mg of sodium a day — much more than recommended. http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/sodium/NU00284

Ok, so maybe it is a little heavy on the sodium... cut it with the Bragg's or even water (meaning use less soy sauce). Then, sit back and enjoy this huge plate of food, for only 200 calories!! There's certainly room for more with that level of calories, but seriously not much room in the belly after you gorge on this. Maybe a spring or egg roll? Maybe. 

Nutritional Info:

Servings Per Recipe: 1

Amount Per Serving

Calories: 200.0

Total Fat: 1.3 g

Cholesterol: 0.0 mg

Sodium: 1,989.2 mg

Total Carbs: 48.2 g

Dietary Fiber: 8.7 g

Protein: 8.0 g

Mustard Caraway Lentils & Stuffed Squash

I mentioned in my last post that I had a friend stay with the Critters this last week and that I cooked up a feast for his stay. I shared with you the Spicy & Sweet-Potato Soup recipe in that last post and I am happy to report- he loved it. But the thing he loved more and has repeatedly said so since his stay was the Stuffed Carnival Squash, which was stuffed with a fancy new twist on lentil stew that I am calling, Mustard Caraway Lentils. I made a large batch of lentils and had plenty to eat for dinner the night I was cooking all of this... I put my lentils over spaghetti squash (see pictures and nutritional info below). I also have enough lentils now for a few lunches the rest of this week. Perfect!

As I was thinking about the menu for my friends' stay, I thought about the blog and how I would share the menu with you. I also thought, man I make a lot of curry. I really wanted to make curry lentils for the squash, but decided to try something new. So I looked in the cupboard to see what flavors I had and happened upon this package of cracked mustard seed I picked up in Devon on my last visit there (I think I've mentioned Devon before- the neighborhood in Chicago that has all the fabulous Indian foods). Then I saw the jar of caraway seeds. I never use caraway seeds, but I love the flavor! So I decided I had to try to cook with them. I also had a ton of tomatoes from the garden which made a great base for the lentil stew. The result?  Really yummy lentils!

Do you know about the health benefits of the Caraway seed? I have recently read a bit about the seed and am intrigued! As a matter of fact, while I sit and type this post I am drinking a cup of caraway and ginger tea. Mmm. According to a few sites, Caraway seeds are a great digestive and even help babies with colic! I am constantly complaining of bloating and supposedly this tea will help that. We'll see...

Here's a blurb from one site: 

Caraway promotes gastric secretion and stimulates appetite. It breaks down spasms in the gastrointestinal tract to prevent flatulence, but it is also used to treat menstrual cramps and gallbladder spasms. The German E commission reports that caraway seeds are an antimicrobial, and can relieve the feeling of bloating or fullness associated with indigestion and stomach complaints. Caraway oil is strongly fungicidal, having a stronger anti-fungal and anti-yeast activity than the prescription medication Nystatin. Caraway seed oil is used as a flavoring agent in pharmaceuticals, a fragrance in cosmetics and body care products, and is used in all major categories of food, from meat to candy to condiments. 

I'll let you know if I feel any relief from the caraway tea. For now, the Mustard Caraway Lentil recipe...

Ingredients for Lentils:

2 C Tomatoes, chopped 

½ C Onions, chopped

3 cloves Garlic

½ C Celery

2 tsp Olive oil

1 ½ C Water 

½ T Cracked Mustard

1 tsp Caraway Seed

½ tsp salt

1 tsp coriander 

1 C lentils, dry

* Ingredients for the rest of the dish includes

Squash - 1 small carnival and 1 small spaghetti squash

Collards or some kind of greens, 1 cup chopped. 

Make It:

First prepare the squash. Cut the spaghetti squash in half and scoop out the seeds. Cut the top off the carnival squash and scoop out the seeds. Place squashes flesh side down (shell up) in a shallow dish with about 1 inch of water. Bake at 375-400 until the flesh is soft.

While the squash is cooking prepare the lentils. Add the oil to a large pan that has a lid. Chop the tomatoes, onions and celery and mince the garlic and add it all to the pan. Cook on medium heat to mix the flavors and saute a little bit for 5-10 minutes. The tomatoes will start to stew which is what you want. Add the spices and water. Bring to a boil and add the lentils. Stir boiling for a few minutes, then reduce to simmer, cover and cook until lentils are soft. About 30 minutes or so. 

I wanted something green with this and had some collards and kale. For the friend, I made collards. For me, kale. I steamed them with garlic powder and pepper. 

Again, another awesome meal for less than 300 calories. So filling, so nutritious, so fabulous!

Nutritional Info (for lentils only)

Servings Per Recipe: 6

• Calories: 149.8
• Total Fat: 2.4 g
• Cholesterol: 0.0 mg
• Sodium: 209.8 mg
• Total Carbs: 19.9 g
• Dietary Fiber: 1.3 g
• Protein: 13.1 g

* One cup of spaghetti squash adds about 42 calories and the collards or kale add about 15 calories. 

I pack my own lunch: part 2 (spicy & sweet-potato soup)

I'm back! Hooray! It has been several weeks now, but I assure you I have been cooking and have some great recipes to share soon.
I pack my lunch nearly everyday. However, most of the time it's nothing too fancy or special to speak of or it's leftovers from the night before and well, if that's the case, you've already seen the recipe and likely don't care. This time, though, I was making dinner for a friend that will come stay with the Critters while I am away this weekend. Actually, I made a dinner, breakfast and lunch so he could eat while spending his time in my apartment.
For dinner, I made a stuffed carnival squash- but that recipe comes later. For breakfast, I kept it simple with Almond Butter Toast and Pears w/ Goat Brie. Of course, he will assemble that when he's ready so the toast isn't mush. What about lunch you ask? Well, I made a rockin' Spicy Sweet Sweet Potato Soup. I also roasted some of my garden veggies for my friend to make Napoleon Sliders w/ Smoked Mozzarella...(hence the colorfulness pictured to the left and in case you don't know how, look for instructions below).
But the soup-- oh! it was so tasty I had to bring it to lunch with me today!

I have several sweet potatoes in my hanging basket. One has been there so long it's vining. I like it vining and allow it to persist. The other items come and go as needed. Back to the sweet potato... I had one staring at me the other night. So I decided to hack it up and make it into soup! I didn't follow a recipe but I was inspired by several from Vegetarian Times and a few online sites. All were praising the fall foods (squash, potatoes, root veggies, etc.), which I love so had to do something about it.

I knew I wanted something sort of sweet and not spicy. (Rare for me, I know!) Here is the recipe...

Ingredients:
17 ounces,about 4 cups, peeled and cubed sweet potato
2 C water
1/2 C chopped onions
2 cloves garlic, chopped
3 dashes of each -
- allspice
- cinnamon
- nutmeg
1/2 tsp white pepper
1/2 tsp (maybe more) cayenne pepper
1 tsp coriander

Make it:
Okay, this is where it gets really tricky so pay close attention* - In a large sauce pot, add all the ingredients. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer until potatoes are soft enough to mash. Mash everything in the pot. Then transfer to a food processor and blend until smooth. If you have an immersion blender (which I don't but would really like one) you can use that instead of messing up the food processor. Then serve and enjoy!
*sarcasm- so simple!

It's really a wonderful mix of flavors. The spice is just right. I think next time I might add a dollop of almond or peanut butter, but it certainly is not necessary. This recipe made 3, 1 and 1/2 Cup servings. I brought 1 serving to lunch and left the rest for my friend. He's a big kid, I am sure he'll eat it all.

I couldn't resist bringing these fresh, sweet yellow pear tomatoes with me. And someone at work didn't like their pita chips and offered them to me. So my meal was quickly complete and still under 300 calories. Bueno!

Nutritional Info*

Servings Per Recipe: 3

Amount Per Serving

Calories: 202.8

Total Fat: 0.8 g

Cholesterol: 0.0 mg

Sodium: 27.5 mg

Total Carbs: 46.6 g

Dietary Fiber: 6.2 g

Protein: 3.4 g

*again courtesy of recipes.sparkpeople.com 

p.s. About the veggies...

I had a medium eggplant, 2 red peppers, and 1 eight ball zucchini. I sliced them all lengthwise and tossed them with olive oil and salt and pepper. 

Then I sprayed a cookie sheet with olive oil, and placed the veggies on it in one layer. While the squash  (mentioned above) was roasting I threw these in the oven, too. About 400 for 15 or so minutes. They should be soft and easy to bite through but not mushy. 

apologies for absence

To my oodles of readers (sarcasm) sorry I haven't posted any recipes. school has me very busy, plus I'm out of town since Saturday, through next Saturday. I will be back. I promise.
if you're curious, this is where I am. having tons of fun & learning much!
www.conf2011.aashe.org

Base Soup or Sauce 4: Stuffed Pepper w/ Ranchero Sauce

the pepper with its garden friends, see it?

I love peppers, especially I love their versatility. You can enjoy them raw, or fried, stewed, pickled, roasted, stuffed, baked... I am sure there are others manner of which you can prepare this awesome vegetable, but this post will focus on the latter of the list- stuffing and baking. FYI, in case you love all peppers and will seek recipes here for a specific type: my stomach doesn't tolerate green bell peppers well, so I tend to avoid them. Therefore, it's highly unlikely you'll find a recipe within that calls for them. Red, yellow, purple, spicy or mild, jalapenos, habaneros, and so on are fine. For no good reason, what troubles my stomach most are the standard, green bell pepper- regardless of how it's prepared- my Dad has the same ailment so maybe it's hereditary? Anyway...

Tonight, I am thinking of what can I do with the remaining 2 (possibly a little more) servings of the Base Tomato Soup or Sauce I made several days ago. As I left work one day, a colleague gave me an habanero pepper from his garden. I was thrilled! I am only growing Giant Marconi sweets and jalapenos. So, the habanero was welcomed. I had a Giant Marconi that was turning its brilliant red and I knew I'd have to do something with it soon. I think stuffing it was the best solution. Tell me you don't look at that pepper and hear it scream- stuff me! Go on, tell me. Yep, didn't think so. 

As I stood and pondered the vegetables, plus Base Soup and Sauce I had in front of me, I thought of Don Pablos, the restaurant where I worked during college (or what was supposed to be college years...)with many friends, including cocktail waitress extraordinaire- Melissa Basilone. I remembered days when "PaPa" the resident lead cook and coincidentally (?) Mexican patriarch would say, "Estephenie, I made for you especial no meat "insert name" (dish), you'll like it!! es Muy bien!" Queso Stuffed peppers with Ranchero Sauce was definitely one of my favorites. Here's my go at something probably not nearly authentic enough, but still really, really Muy Bien.

Ingredients:

• ½ Habanero Peppers, seeded and chopped
• 1 serving (1- 1 ¼ C) Base Tomato Soup or Sauce
• ¼ C dry TVP
• 2 T cooked kidney beans (left over from another meal, fine to omit)
• 1 large Sweet pepper (oblong is nice, but bell shaped is fine, too)
• ¼ C chopped carrots
• ¼ C chopped onions
• 1 tsp mince garlic
• 1 tsp ground oregano
• 1 T Cilantro
• 1 C Water
• ½ ounce Goat chevre 
• ¼ C dry rice 
• 2 T saffron flowers
• 1/2 tsp white pepper
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp chili powder

Make It:
Pepper -
Slit the pepper from the stem to the base, only on one side, so that you can seed and core it without breaking it entirely in half. Place it in a shallow, oven proof dish. Add a thin layer of water to the dish. Set aside.

Ranchero Sauce -
In a small sauce pot, mix together 1 C base Tomato Soup or Sauce plus, oregano, garlic, and chopped habanero. Cook on low-med heat. Leave it cooking while the other items are prepared.

Pepper Stuffing -
In a small frying pan, mix dry TVP with 1/4 cup water and 2 T Tomato Soup or Sauce, plus cilantro, cumin and chili powder. Heat to simmer. Add onions and carrots, plus 2 T of kidney beans. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes.

Rice -
Bring to a boil together, 1/4 C dry rice, plus ¾ C water, 2 T Saffron flowers, 1/2 tsp white pepper, 2 T base soup/sauce recipe
Once boiling, reduce to simmer, cover and cook for 20 minutes. While not traditional Mexican rice, it's still very yellow and Mexican-like flavored.

Pepper -
Fill the pepper with the Pepper Stuffing. Cover with foil and bake at 400 for 15-20 minutes. (I used the toaster over again, since it seems a waste to heat the whole giant oven!) Remove from the oven and top with the goat chevre. Bake, uncovered, for 5 minutes more to melt and roast the cheese a little.

Serve the Stuffed Pepper with the rice and smother everything in the yummy, spicy Ranchero sauce and top with some more fresh cilantro!

Ok, so when you see the Nutritional info you will realize that this meal did not come in under 300 calories, in fact, it's almost 500! But, when you see the size of this meal, you'll realize there's no way I could have eaten it all. Since this dish came out bigger than expected for dinner, I had dinner tonight and lunch ready for tomorrow. Perfect! I didn't have lunch planned yet anyway. Still very nutritious and about 12 grams of protein as split in two. Yay!

Nutritional Info (as 1 serving, but I made it 2)

Servings Per Recipe: 1

Amount Per Serving

Calories: 486.2

Total Fat: 4.2 g

Cholesterol: 0.0 mg

Sodium: 193.0 mg

Total Carbs: 91.9 g

Dietary Fiber: 15.9 g

Protein: 23.3 g