Horizons = Expanded

While grocery shopping for ingredients for the Mediterranean Quinoa Bowls, I encountered two foods that I had never tried before, and decided to give them a shot.

One was the artichoke:


Abby made a yummy dipping sauce from mayo, garlic, and some chili powder. I was intrigued by this crazy vegetable. What other food do you scrape the food off of the leaves? And all that hair that we had to get through to get to the heart? CRAZY! I'm glad I tried it, and would like to try some kind of lemony dipping sauce next time.

I also tried a blood orange:


The beautiful red color that I saw when I cut it open made me giddy! I know...the simple things in life. It was yummy, but didn't taste much different than a regular orange. I looked up some information about the blood orange, and apparently it's just a sweet orange with a genetic mutation to make it so colorful.

Week 44: Mediterranean Quinoa Bowl

This dish wasn't a whole lot of work...just a bunch of delicious ingredients thrown together. I thought it would be a good time to try doing a couple things on my own, like:

-roasting my own red peppers (this KIND of worked)
-using DRY garbanzo beans instead of canned (they are STILL soaking on my stove 3 hours later...obviously did not work)

I also threw some black olives into the mix because I love them. If I did this again, I might add some red onion, because that's a Mediterranean flavor too, right?

Year of Yum Rating: 4 1/2 STARS



INGREDIENTS

1 cup quinoa, dry
4 broccolinis
4 to 6 oz. block of feta cheese, cut in cubes
1 cup roasted red peppers, cut in slivers
1/4 cup capers, rinsed and drained
1 cup chickpeas, cooked
3 tbsp. flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
2 tsp. dried oregano
Generous pinch of sea salt
Fresh ground pepper
1 Meyer lemon
1 tbsp. good quality olive oil

DIRECTIONS

1. For the quinoa, typically, bring two cups water and one cup dry quinoa to a boil. Cover and simmer for about 15 minutes. Place the broccolini right on top after ten minutes and cover to finish the quinoa and the broccolini will steam on top. Remove the broccolini to a cutting board, and transfer the quinoa to a large bowl and fluff with a fork.

2. Toss the red pepper slivers, chickpeas, capers, dried oregano and salt and pepper to the quinoa and stir. Give the broccolini a rough chop and toss it in the bowl. Squeeze the juice of the entire meyer lemon (avoiding seeds) and the olive oil, stir again.

3. Lastly, cut the feta into small cubes (easiest if done straight from the fridge or even let it sit in the freezer for a few minutes). Add the cubes and the parsley to the quinoa and give it a gentle fold. At this point, it is probably a tad warmer than room temperature, which is great. If you’d rather it cold, let it sit in the fridge for about 30 minutes to cool down.

(For beautiful photos, visit the source of the recipe: Sprouted Kitchen.)

Week 43: Sweet Potato Gnocchi

Abby and I have been talking about making gnocchi for some time now, so she found a recipe that didn't require dough chilling in the fridge for an extended period of time before cooking. I was slightly frustrated while we were making it...probably mostly because it was something new, and I felt like I was messing things up left and right. Despite this, the finished product was really yummy, and it was just cool that we made this gnocchi from scratch. Leftovers were also yummy, with just a little bit of olive oil, salt, and pepper.

Year of Yum Rating: 4 STARS

INGREDIENTS
1 1/4 lb russet (baking potatoes)
1 (3/4-lb) sweet potato
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg
1/3 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano plus more for serving
1 1/2 to 2 cups all-purpose flour plus more for dusting
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup sage leaves (from 1 bunch)
1/3 cup bottled roasted chestnuts, very thinly sliced with an adjustable-blade slicer or a sharp vegetable peeler (we couldn't find chestnuts, so we just toasted some walnuts)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter

DIRECTIONS

Preparation for gnocchi:

1. Preheat oven to 450°F with rack in middle.

2. Pierce russet and sweet potatoes in several places with a fork, then bake in a 4-sided sheet pan until just tender, 45 minutes to 1 hour.

3. Cool potatoes slightly, then peel and force through ricer into sheet pan, spreading in an even layer. Cool potatoes completely. (No ricer for us, so we used a fork.)

4. Lightly flour 2 or 3 large baking sheets or line with parchment paper.

5. Beat together egg, nutmeg, 1 tsp salt, and 1/2 tsp pepper in a small bowl.

6. Gather potatoes into a mound in sheet pan, using a pastry scraper if you have one, and form a well in center.

7. Pour egg mixture into well, then knead into potatoes. Knead in cheese and 11/2 cups flour, then knead, adding more flour as necessary, until mixture forms a smooth but slightly sticky dough. Dust top lightly with some of flour.

8. Cut dough into 6 pieces. Form 1 piece of dough into a 1/2-inch-thick rope on a lightly floured surface. Cut rope into 1/2-inch pieces. Gently roll each piece into a ball and lightly dust with flour.

9. Repeat with remaining 5 pieces of dough.

10. Turn a fork over and hold at a 45-degree angle, with tips of tines touching work surface. Working with 1 at a time, roll gnocchi down fork tines, pressing with your thumb, to make ridges on 1 side. Transfer gnocchi as formed to baking sheets.

Fry sage leaves and chestnuts:

1. Heat oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over medium heat until it shimmers. Fry sage leaves in 3 batches, stirring, until they turn just a shade lighter and crisp (they will continue to crisp as they cool), about 30 seconds per batch. Transfer to paper towels to drain. Season lightly with salt. (When you first place the leaves into oil, they’ll sizzle and make happy crackling noises, and as they cook, the noises will subside. When you feel like sage has “calmed down” you can fish it out. It’s pretty much done.)



2. Fry chestnuts in 3 batches, stirring, until golden and crisp, about 30 seconds per batch. Transfer to paper towels to drain. Season lightly with salt. Reserve oil in skillet.



Make sauce:

1. Add butter to oil in skillet with 1/2 tsp salt and cook until golden-brown, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from heat.

Cook gnocchi:

1. Add half of gnocchi to a pasta pot of well-salted boiling water and stir. Cook until they float to surface, about 3 minutes. Transfer with a slotted spoon to skillet with butter sauce. Cook remaining gnocchi in same manner, transferring to skillet as cooked. This was my favorite part...I love that there's no guessing involved, and they pretty much just TELL you when they're done.



2. Heat gnocchi in skillet over medium heat, stirring to coat.





3. Serve sprinkled with fried sage and chestnuts and grated cheese.



Notes:
Uncooked gnocchi can be frozen (first in 1 layer on a baking sheet, then transferred to a sealable bag) up to 1 month. Do not thaw before cooking. If freezing gnocchi, you might want to half the sauce.

Week 42: Vegetarian Enchiladas

Let me start off by saying that it would be difficult to find any Mexican-inspired food that was NOT delicious in my eyes. As long as it has at least three of the following ingredients, I'm a happy girl: cheese, tortillas, sour cream, salsa, black beans...

Something I really liked about this vegetarian dish is that it wasn't too vegetable-y. Because vegetarian really means that it doesn't have meat, not that it's overloaded with healthy veggies. Sometimes I just don't feel like eating something that TASTES healthy, and tonight was one of those times.

I only added ONE healthy thing. I had some fresh baby spinach in the fridge. I gave it a chiffonade (I'm fancy...I know...), and intended to mix it in with the filling, but forgot, and ended up mixing it in with the sauce that went on top of the enchiladas. It actually worked great, and made me feel like I was being good, without really being able to taste it.

Year of Yum Rating: 3 1/2 STARS
(It would have been higher if it hadn't been so runny.)

INGREDIENTS
•2-3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (just eyeball it)
•4 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
•3 tablespoons flour
•2 cups stock (we used chicken)
•15 ounce can of petite diced tomatoes, drained
•1 tablespoon tomato paste
•1 tablespoon ancho chili powder
•1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
•8 ounce container of lowfat cottage cheese (1%)
•15 ounce can of black beans, rinsed and drained
•Handful of cilantro leaves, roughly chopped (about 3-4 tablespoons)
•8 whole wheat tortillas
•4 ounces colby jack cheese
•Kosher salt
•Freshly ground black pepper
•Sour cream, optional




DIRECTIONS
Preheat the oven to 375°F. Spray a large baking dish with cooking spray, and set aside.

To make the sauce, heat the olive oil and garlic in a small sauce pan over medium heat, until the garlic is fragrant and golden. Whisk the flour into the oil, and cook for a few minutes until the mixture turns golden. Gradually whisk in the chicken stock. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat so that the sauce can simmer. Stir in the diced tomatoes, tomato paste, chili powder, and cumin. Season to taste with salt. Allow the sauce to simmer for about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, for the filling, combine the cottage cheese, black beans, and cilantro in a mixing bowl. Season with salt and pepper.

To assemble the enchiladas, spread about one cup of the sauce in the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Then, for each enchilada, spread 1/8 of the filling in the center of a tortilla. Roll the tortilla around the filling, and place in the baking dish. Top the 8 rolled enchiladas with the remaining sauce, and sprinkle with cheese.

Bake for 45 minutes, until the dish is bubbly and the cheese is golden. Let rest for 15 – 20 minutes prior to serving. Serve with sour cream and additional cilantro, if desired.

Week 41: Mushroom Bourguignon

I know Abby and I just did a mushroom-based dish last week, but this recipe looked too yummy to resist. It was a recipe originally from a little blog I follow called Smitten Kitchen, and she is just so amazing that I rarely even attempt the amazing things that she makes. This recipe took a little more time that our usual Year of Yum fare, but it was so worth it. The overall flavor was great...and a couple glasses of wine made all that time in the kitchen that much more bearable...

Year of Yum Rating: 4 STARS

INGREDIENTS
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons butter, softened
2 pounds portobello mushrooms, in 1/4-inch slices (save the stems for another use) (you can use cremini instead, as well)
1/2 carrot, finely diced
1 small yellow onion, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup full-bodied red wine
2 cups beef or vegetable broth (beef broth is traditional but vegetable to make it vegetarian; it works with either)
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves (1/2 teaspoon dried)
1 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup pearl onions, peeled (thawed if frozen)
Egg noodles, for serving
Sour cream and chopped chives or parsley, for garnish (optional)

DIRECTIONS
Heat the one tablespoon of the olive oil and one tablespoon of butter in a medium Dutch oven or heavy sauce pan over high heat. Sear the mushrooms until they begin to darken, but not yet release any liquid — about three or four minutes. Remove them from pan.

Lower the flame to medium and add the second tablespoon of olive oil. Toss the carrots, onions, thyme, a few good pinches of salt and a several grinds of black pepper into the pan and cook for 10, stirring occasionally, until the onions are lightly browned. Add the garlic and cook for just one more minute.

Add the wine to the pot, scraping any stuck bits off the bottom, then turn the heat all the way up and reduce it by half. Stir in the tomato paste and the broth. Add back the mushrooms with any juices that have collected and once the liquid has boiled, reduce the temperature so it simmers for 20 minutes, or until mushrooms are very tender. Add the pearl onions and simmer for five minutes more.

Combine remaining butter and the flour with a fork until combined; stir it into the stew. Lower the heat and simmer for 10 more minutes. If the sauce is too thin, boil it down to reduce to the right consistency. Season to taste.

To serve, spoon the stew over a bowl of egg noodles, dollop with sour cream (optional) and sprinkle with chives or parsley.

Week 40: Balsamic Roasted Mushroom Risotto (...ish)

REALLY, it was "Balsamic Roasted Mushroom Rice." When I was last-minute-shopping for ingredients, I had trouble finding the correct type of rice. Apparently you need arborio rice to make risotto. Something about the slow-releasing starch that makes it nice and creamy. I got brown basmati rice instead, and even though it was delicious, it definitely was NOT risotto. It also posed some problems when we cooked it, and we ended up adding more liquid, and cooking for additional time with the lid on the pan until the rice was no longer crunchy!

I also used two different kinds of mushrooms: regular white and baby portabellas. The variety was nice.

Year of Yum Rating: 4 STARS

INGREDIENTS
•24 ounces mushrooms (white, cremini, baby portabella or a mixture)
•2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
•3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
•1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
•2 teaspoons fresh rosemary, finely chopped
•1 cup arborio rice
•2 shallots, diced
•3 cups vegetable broth
•1 cup water
•1/4 cup dry white wine
•1 tablespoon butter
•2 tablespoons freshly grated romano cheese
•sea salt and black pepper, to taste

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Remove stems from mushrooms (discard) and thinly slice the mushrooms. Combine with garlic and rosemary. Toss with 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Place on a foil lined baking sheet, spreading the mixture out, and roast for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine the broth and water in a saucepan over medium-low heat until warmed. Heat the remaining oil (1/2 tablespoon) in a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Saute the shallot, about 1 minute. Add the rice, stirring to coat with oil, and cook about 2 minutes. When the rice begins to take on a light golden color, pour in the wine, stirring constantly until the wine is fully absorbed.

Add half of broth and water mixture to the rice a 1/2 cup at a time, stirring continuously, until the liquid is absorbed, about 10 minutes. Stir in the roasted mushrooms and any accumulated juices. Add the remaining broth mixture to the rice a 1/2 cup at a time, stirring continuously, until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is al dente, about 10 minutes more.

Remove from heat and stir in the butter and romano. Season to taste with sea salt and black pepper. Serve immediately.

Week 39.5: Chicken Cordon Bleu with White Wine Sauce

This is one I did on my own. I didn't really have a reason to cook, besides it being something to do, and this had been a recipe that had caught my eye earlier this week. Here are some things that I learned in this kitchen this afternoon:

1. Cooking with wine makes almost anything taste fancy. And it totally made me FEEL fancy.

2. Chicken is kinda gross to work with(chalk a point up for my "I could definitely be a vegetarian if I wanted/needed to be" argument...).

3. I can improvise in a recipe, and it just might turn out okay. In this case, I made the following alterations:

-It called for "dry white wine" but to be honest with you, I don't really know what that means. I just used whatever I had in my fridge...

-I was supposed to use heavy whipping cream in the sauce, but only had half and half, so just used that.

-I took out some aggression...I mean...methodically crushed some bouillon cubes since I didn't have "granules."

4. Sometimes it's okay...and even necessary...to use tools from your toolbox while cooking. Today: needle-nosed pliers. Clean, of course.

5. I need to stop cooking way more food than I can possible eat. I have so many left-overs in my fridge right now, it's ridiculous. Anyone want to come have lunch with me?

Anyway, this CCB with WWS was pretty delicious. I got a few bites, and then threw the rest in the fridge where it will wait to go to left-over heaven. It was a little more labor-intensive than I am used to when cooking alone, but I think it was worth it. I ended up cutting the chicken, cheese, ham, and butter in half because I just wasn't getting out of the chicken breasts what I needed to. I ended up with three good, usable pieces, and then a ton of little pieces that wouldn't work for CCB, but will be great in stir-fry or calzones later.

Year of Yum Rating: 4 STARS

INGREDIENTS
6 thin sliced boneless, skinless chicken breasts
6 slices Swiss cheese
6 slices ham
3 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon paprika
6 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 teaspoon chicken bouillon granules
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 cup heavy cream

DIRECTIONS
Pound chicken breasts if they are too thick. Place a cheese and ham slice on each breast within 1/2 inch of the edges. Fold the edges of the chicken over the filling, and secure with toothpicks. This is something I had to experiment with. I ended up kind of threading the toothpicks through the chicken edges, kind of like a safety pin...does that make sense?

Mix the flour and paprika in a small bowl, and coat the chicken pieces.

Heat the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat, and cook the chicken until browned on all sides. Add the wine and bouillon. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes, until chicken is no longer pink and juices run clear.



Remove the toothpicks, and transfer the breasts to a warm platter. Blend the cornstarch with the cream in a small bowl, and whisk slowly into the skillet. Cook, stirring until thickened, and pour over the chicken. Serve warm.


I wasn't sure if I would be able to tell when the sauce was thick enough, but it ended up being kind of obvious when it would part to see the bottom of the pan before slowly filling in.