Week 94: Roasted Vegetable and Goat Cheese Pitas

Do you know what happens when you roast veggies?  They become sweetly delicious?  And when you pair it with some goat cheese?  SWEET + SALTY = Match made in heaven.

I originally wanted to make my own pitas, but alas, I didn't have enough time for all that dough-rising business, so I bought some at the grocery store.

This was an easy and delicious meal, that was just was good leftover!

Year of Yum Rating: 4 STARS

INGREDIENTS
2 small zucchini, sliced

2 small yellow squashes, sliced
1 large portobella mushroom, stem removed and sliced
1/2 red onion, sliced thick
1 cup chopped broccoli florets
1 T olive oil
2 T balsamic vinegar
1/2 tsp salt
fresh crumbled goat cheese
whole wheat pitas

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 425 and line a baking sheet with tin foil or parchment paper.


Scatter veggies over baking sheet and then drizzle olive oil and vinegar over all and toss well. Sprinkle with salt.

Roast for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Meanwhile, heat pitas then slice and stuff each with 1/4 cup goat cheese. When veggies are done, stuff into pitas and eat warm.

Recipe courtesy of Eat, Live, Run

Week 93: Vegetarian Polenta Lasagna

I love that this vegetarian lasagna uses polenta instead of noodles.  While it was a welcome change, the texture was a little mushy for my liking.  I did love, however, that this recipe allowed me to use all of the veggies that I happened to have in my fridge.

Year of Yum Rating: 3 STARS

INGREDIENTS
4 cups low-sodium, fat free chicken broth

1 1/2 cups yellow cornmeal

About 3 cups assorted roasted vegetables, your choice, roughly chopped (I used whatever I randomly had in my fridge.)

1 28oz can crushed tomatoes

3-4 cloves minced garlic
pinch of oregano and crushed red pepper

1 cup shredded cheese, an Italian blend is good

DIRECTIONS
Bring the chicken broth to a boil and slowly add the cornmeal, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to medium and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring often. Line a 13x18 rimmed baking sheet with waxed paper, and spread the polenta in an even layer in the pan. Chill overnight.


Saute garlic in a bit of nonstick cooking spray over medium heat. Add crushed tomatoes and seasonings, bring to a boil, and simmer for about 10 minutes.

When ready to assemble, cut the polenta into squares. In a deep 8x8 or 9x9 baking dish, spread a thin layer of sauce, then create a layer of polenta squares. Top with half of the vegetables and some of the sauce, and 1/3 of the cheese. Repeat with another layer of polenta squares, the remaining vegetables, and some sauce, and another 1/3 of the cheese. Finish with a third layer of polenta, and the remaining sauce. Cover with foil and bake at 400 for about 15 minutes. Remove foil, sprinkle with remaining cheese, and bake for another 10 minutes or until bubble. Cool for about 10 minutes before slicing. Makes 4 servings.

 
 

Recipe courtesy of Cara's Cravings

Week 92: BBQ Chicken and Pineapple Quesadilla

I love cooking things on the grill.  It just gives everything better flavor, right?  Pioneer woman got it right when she paired barbequed chicken with sweet grilled pineapple.

Year of Yum Rating: 4 1/2 STARS

INGREDIENTS
■8 whole Flour Tortillas
■Butter Or Margarine
■2 cups Grilled Pineapple, Sliced
■3 whole Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts
■Salt And Pepper, to taste
■3 cups Monterey Jack Cheese, Grated
■1 whole Jalapeno, Sliced
■Cilantro
■3 Tablespoons Barbecue Sauce

DIRECTIONS
(To grill pineapple: cut wedges, stick on skewers, and grill over low heat. Cut into slices.)


(To pound chicken, place inside a Ziploc bag and pound with a mallet or large can to flatten to uniform thickness.)

Sprinkle with salt and pepper and Cajun spice (or cumin/cayenne, etc.) Drizzle olive oil on a grill pan and grill on both sides until done, brushing with barbecue sauce. Set aside and slice into very thin slices.

Warm griddle over medium heat and put sizzling butter or margarine in the pan. Slightly warm and toast tortillas on both sides, then remove from griddle and set aside.

To assemble, sprinkle four browned tortillas with grated Monterey Jack. Arrange chicken slices evenly over the surface. Add pineapple slices and jalapeno slices. Sprinkle on cilantro. If desired, drizzle extra barbecue sauce over the top. Add second browned tortilla on top of each one. (You'll have four complete quesadillas at this point.)
Add to oven to warm, or back to skillet to warm, until cheese is melted. Cut each quesadilla into six wedges. Serve with sour cream, pico de gallo, and lime wedges.

Recipe courtesy of Pioneer Woman

Week 91: Sourdough and Tomato Soup

Today's assignment: make a delicious tomato soup, only make it BETTER by adding delicious carbs.  Dream come true?  Pretty much.

My only complaint with this soup was that the tomato part tasted a little like pasta sauce.  I'm not sure what was needed to make it taste less saucy, and more soupy.  I just imagined that I was using yummy bread to sop up the extra sauce from my pasta, and all was good.

Year of Yum Rating: 4 STARS

INGREDIENTS
3 pounds plum tomatoes

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 small onion, minced
3 cloves garlic
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 cups sourdough bread, without crusts, cut into small cubes
1/2 cup grated ricotta salata
1 tablespoon minced fresh basil leaves

DIRECTIONS
1. Core and quarter plum tomatoes. Place tomatoes in food processor and pulse to chop, but not too fine.


2. Heat oil in 4-quart saucepan. Add onion and garlic and saute until soft, but not browned. Add tomatoes and their juices. Season with salt and pepper, bring to a slow simmer and cook 45 minutes, covered, stirring from time to time.

3. When the soup has simmered for 45 minutes, stir the bread cubes into the soup and simmer for an additional 10 to 15 minutes. Check the seasoning.

4. Serve hot or at room temperature, with grated ricotta salata and minced basil strewn on each serving.

Recipe courtesy of The Wednesday Chef

Week 90: Green and Red Chile Nacho Burgers

One thing that you really need to admire Ms. Rachael Ray for is her ability to concoct SO many different kinds of burgers. I've frequently said that I think I could probably be a vegetarian if it wasn't for hamburgers. This one is definitely one that would cause me to cheat. I love Mexican flavors, and crumbling tortilla chips just sends this burger over the edge.

Year of Yum Rating: 4 1/2 STARS

INGREDIENTS
For the Burger:
•1 1/2 pounds ground beef sirloin
•Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the Red Chili Paste:
•2 red Fresno chilies, sliced
•2 large cloves garlic
•1 small red onion, coarsely chopped
•2 fresh bay leaves
•Generous handful fresh cilantro leaves

For the Green Chili Sauce:
•2 large poblanos
•Vegetable oil, for drizzling
•5-6 tomatillos, papery skins removed, coarsely chopped
•1 small onion, chopped
•2 cloves garlic, chopped or sliced
•Small handful fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
•1 teaspoon cumin, (1/3 palmful)
•2 teaspoons honey or agave
•1 lime, juiced
•Kosher salt

For Topping:

•Good quality tortilla chips
•Mild Mexican melting cheeses, Monterey Jack, or Cheddar cheese, shredded
•Pickled, sliced jalapenos, drained
•8 hamburger slider rolls or brioche rolls, split

DIRECTIONS
To make the red chili paste, place the Fresno chilies, garlic, red onion, bay leaves, and cilantro leaves into a food processor and process into a fine paste. Scrape into a mixing bowl and reserve. Return the food processor bowl to its base. Do not rinse.

To make the green chili sauce, char and blacken the poblanos over the burner of gas stovetop or under the broiler with the oven door ajar to allow steam to escape. Place the peppers in a bowl to cool, covered with plastic wrap, then peel and seed.

Meanwhile, in a sauté pan over medium-high heat, add a good drizzle of vegetable oil. Cook the tomatillos, onion, and garlic until the onions are tender, about 8-10 minutes. Place the onions and tomatillos in the food processor with the charred poblanos, cilantro, cumin, honey, lime juice, and salt. Puree sauce and adjust seasoning.

Combine the ground beef and ground pork with the red chili paste and season with salt and pepper. Form 8 (3-inch) patties that are thinner at the center and thicker at the edges. Heat a griddle pan or large cast iron skillet to medium-high heat. Add a drizzle of vegetable oil to the pan and cook the burgers, about 3 minutes on each side. Leave in the skillet.

In a small skillet over medium heat, reheat the spicy refried beans with a splash of water to thin them out a bit.

Top the burgers with green chili sauce and a few chips. Top the chips with refried beans, shredded cheese, and pickled jalapenos. Tent the pan with foil to melt the cheese, 1 minute. Serve nacho sliders on slider or brioche rolls.

Recipe courtesy of Rachael Ray

•1 can spicy vegetarian refried beans

Week 89: Mediterranean Farro Salad

I'm always looking for new ways to use the yummy bulk grains that I keep in my pantry, so as soon as I found this farro salad I knew that it would be made soon.

The most notable thing that I learned from this recipe: I think that chives taste (and smell) like dog poo. I would be pretty okay with never adding those to anything I plan on eating ever again.

Otherwise, this salad was lovely. Good texture. Good flavor. The only thing I might add would be some feta.

Year of Yum Rating: 4 STARS

INGREDIENTS
10 ounces farro (about 1 1/2 cups)
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus 1/2 teaspoon
8 ounces green beans, cut into 1 to 2-inch pieces (about 2 cups)
1/2 cup pitted black olives
1 medium red pepper, cut into thin strips (about 4 ounces or 1 cup)
3 ounces Parmesan, crumbled (about 3/4 cup)
1 small bunch chives, snipped (about 1/4 cup)
1/4 cup sherry vinegar
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

DIRECTIONS
In a medium saucepan, combine 4 cups of water with the farro. Bring to a boil over high heat. Cover and simmer over medium-low heat until the farro is almost tender, about 20 minutes. Add 1 1/2 teaspoons of the salt and simmer until the farro is tender, about 10 minutes longer. Drain well. Transfer to a large bowl and let cool.

Meanwhile, bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the green beans and stir. Cook for 2 minutes. Transfer the cooked green beans to a bowl of ice water and let cool for 2 minutes. Drain the green beans.

Once the farro has cooled add the green beans, olives, red pepper, Parmesan, and chives. Stir to combine. In a small bowl mix together the sherry vinegar, olive oil, mustard, pepper, and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt. Stir to combine. Pour the sherry vinaigrette over the farro salad. Toss to combine and serve.

Recipe courtesy of Giada DeLaurentis

Week 88: Beet Soup

It seems I am in a bit of a predicament. As you might have noticed, I haven't been keeping up with blogging quite as I should have been. Abby and I have still been cooking weekly. I have still been taking pictures of what we have made. I have even used my fancy-schmancy iPhone to start drafts of each recipe as we have made them. I just haven't gone so far as to stick the recipes in there, and publish. Because of that, the recipes I put in here might not be EXACTLY what we made since we get our recipes from ALL over the place, but I'll get as close as I can...

This soup was really interesting. I have been under the impression for years that I simply do NOT like beets. This soup made a pretty good case for beets, but I still prefered the spoonfuls that had a good amount of goat cheese in them. Goat cheese just makes everything better.

Year of Yum Rating: 3 1/2 STARS

INGREDIENTS
4 red beets
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 small onion, chopped
2 cups chicken or vegetable Stock
Fresh thyme
Salt & Pepper to taste
2 ounces of crumbled goat cheese or 1/4 cup of sour cream

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Clean beets and trim the greens from the bulbs. Slice the beets in half and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Clean the shallot similarly, slicing off the two ends of the onion and removing any papery skin. Slice the onion into fourths and place alongside beets. Drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle a bit of sea salt and pepper. Roast in preheated oven for 35-45 minutes, or until the beets are soft and tender when poked with a fork. Remove the beets from the oven and allow to cool slightly before scooping the soft flesh from the skin and placing into a blender. Add the roasted onion, vegetable stock, and fresh thyme. Puree until smooth. Transfer to a small pot, heat until steaming. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve topped with crumbled goat cheese or sour cream. Enjoy.