Vegetarian Bolognese

Yeah that is Tyler’s portion, not mine I am swamped with schoolwork now that the end of the semester is in sight (2 days, yikes!)  Tyler planned the meals, did the shopping, and the cooking this week.  It is rare we cook with red wine, but this was worth the extra trip to the liquor store (stupid Kansas not selling wine in grocery stores!)  We both thought this was an excellent vegetarian meal!

Vegetarian Bolognese (from Cooking Light)

Ingredients

1/4  cup  dried porcini mushrooms (about 1/4 ounce)

1  tablespoon  olive oil

1 1/2  cups  finely chopped onion

1/2  cup  finely chopped carrot

1/2  cup  finely chopped celery

1  (8-ounce) package cremini mushrooms, finely chopped

1/2  cup  dry red wine

1/4  cup  warm water

1/2  teaspoon  salt

1/2  teaspoon  freshly ground black pepper

1  (28-ounce) can organic crushed tomatoes with basil, undrained

1  (2-inch) piece Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese rind

12  ounces  uncooked whole-wheat penne (tube-shaped pasta)

1/2  cup  (2 ounces) shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Preparation

1. Place dried mushrooms in a spice or coffee grinder; process until finely ground.

2. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion, carrot, celery, and mushrooms; sauté 10 minutes. Add wine; simmer 2 minutes or until liquid almost evaporates. Add 1/4 cup warm water and next 4 ingredients (through cheese rind) to onion mixture. Stir in ground porcini. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 40 minutes. Keep warm. Remove rind; discard.

3. Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Place 1 cup of pasta in each of 6 bowls. Top each portion with 3/4 cup sauce and about 1 tablespoon cheese.

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Red Pepper Pesto

Ok sorry for the less than amazing photo but 1) sunlight is fading fast in the evenings and 2) this stuff was so good I almost didn’t even stop to photograph it at all, I was all “get in my belly!”  Oh man this pesto is good!  It’s good on pasta, it’s good on sandwiches, it’s good on bruschetta, it’s good straight out of a spoon.  We got a great deal on red peppers at Costco last weekend and Tyler promised he’d find a way to use them.  He found this Rachael Ray recipe on the food network site and whipped it up last night.  It made a ton, and it was a great alternative to regular pesto since basil is just too scarce and too expensive these days!  Excuse me while I go eat another spoonfull before bed   You need to make this pesto, and soon!

Red Pepper Pesto Sauce (from Rachael Ray)

• 1 cup drained, packed roasted red peppers
• 2 small cloves garlic
• 1 (3-ounce) jar pignoli/pine nuts
• 1/4 cup flat-leaf parsley leaves, a couple of handfuls
• Salt and pepper
• 1/3 cup grated Parmesan
• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil, eyeball it

Combine roasted peppers, garlic, pine nuts, parsley, salt and pepper and cheese in a food processor. Turn the processor on and stream in the extra-virgin olive oil to form a thick, pasty sauce forms. Adjust seasoning and transfer sauce to a large bowl.

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Ravioli with…walnuts?

Another quick and easy Real Simple recipe tonight! I am loving all these easy recipes I’ve tried this week, so glad I flipped through my old magazines for inspiration! This was definitely a fast meal, as ravioli usually is. Tyler and I both really liked it, although I think I would prefer pecans to walnuts, I find walnuts to be a bit bitter. We will definitely make this recipe again in the near future!  Sorry for the somewhat blurry pic, I took this picture in the middle of a huge thunderstorm!  Not much natural light to play around with, but I love a good Kansas thunderstorm!

Cheese Ravioli with Toasted Walnuts (from RealSimple)

1 14- to 16-ounce package cheese ravioli (frozen or fresh)
1/3 cup olive oil
1 clove garlic, sliced
1 cup (2 ounces) walnuts, roughly chopped
2 teaspoons lemon juice
Kosher salt and pepper
1/2 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
1/4 cup grated Parmesan

Cook the ravioli according to the package directions. Drain, reserving 3 tablespoons of the cooking water.

Heat the oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and walnuts. Cook, stirring, until the nuts are lightly toasted and fragrant, about 5 minutes. Stir in the lemon juice, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, the parsley, and the reserved cooking water. Add the ravioli and toss to coat. Divide among individual plates and sprinkle with the Parmesan.

Substitution: For a hit of vegetables and a change of pace, use pumpkin or butternut-squash ravioli instead of cheese-filled. You can also replace the walnuts with pecans or almonds.

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More mushroom risotto

I was craving mushrooms again and found this recipe on Cooking Light’s website and decided to give it a try. Very glad Tyler was around to assist me. He chopped everything while I stir, stir, stirred the risotto. This risotto actually tastes very rich and creamy. I used 3 kinds of mushrooms: portabella, baby bella, and white mushrooms. It could use a little more…something. I dunno what. It wasn’t bland per se, but I was hoping for more flavor and it was a bit dull. Maybe the wine wasn’t bold enough? Not sure, but it was certainly not a bad recipe by any means!

Smoked-Gouda Risotto with Spinach and Mushrooms
(adapted from Cooking Light)

Ingredients:

Risotto:
2 cups water
2 (16-ounce) cans fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1 tablespoon butter
1/3 cup chopped shallots
2 cups Arborio rice or other short-grain rice
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups (6 ounces) shredded smoked Gouda cheese (I only used 4 oz)
5 cups chopped spinach (about 5 ounces)

Mushrooms:
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cups sliced shiitake mushroom caps (about 3 1/2 ounces) (used portobello instead)
2 cups sliced button mushrooms (about 1/2 pound)
2 cups sliced cremini mushrooms (about 1/2 pound)
2 cups sliced oyster mushrooms (about 3 1/2 ounces) (did not use these)
1/3 cup chopped shallots
1/4 cup dry white wine
1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 cup (1 ounce) grated fresh Parmesan cheese
Rosemary sprigs (optional)

Preparation:

To prepare risotto, combine water and broth; set aside. Melt butter in a large nonstick saucepan over medium heat. Add 1/3 cup shallots; cover and cook 2 minutes. Add rice; cook 2 minutes, uncovered, stirring constantly. Stir in 1/2 cup wine; cook 30 seconds or until the liquid is nearly absorbed, stirring constantly. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt and broth mixture, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring constantly until each portion of broth mixture is absorbed before adding the next (about 20 minutes total). Stir in Gouda; cook just until melted. Stir in spinach; cook just until spinach is wilted.

To prepare mushrooms, heat olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms, and sauté 5 minutes or until beginning to brown. Add 1/3 cup shallots, 1/4 cup wine, chopped thyme, chopped rosemary, and minced garlic, and sauté 1 minute or until wine is absorbed. Sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper.

Divide risotto evenly among 6 bowls; top with mushroom mixture, and sprinkle with Parmesan. Garnish with rosemary sprigs, if desired.

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Gnocchi with Spinach and Sausage

This is another recipe that was recommended to me in my SOS post a couple of weeks ago. Thanks to Holly for recommending it! We’ve only had gnocchi once before and that was at a restaurant.  The texture definitely takes some getting used to. It’s essentially a small dumpling made out of potato. You could easily sub pasta for the gnocchi in this recipe, which I may do next time to make it a cheaper meal. I found this gnocchi in the refrigerated fine cheeses section of our grocery store. This was a quick and tasty meal and the leftovers were good too. Thanks again Holly!

Gnocchi with Sausage and Spinach (adapted from Real Simple)

2 9-ounce packages refrigerated gnocchi or one 17.5-ounce package shelf-stable gnocchi
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
1 pound Italian sausage, casings removed (I used Italian turkey sausage)
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 5-ounce bag baby spinach
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
3/4 cup (3 ounces) grated Parmesan, plus more for garnishing

Cook the gnocchi according to the package directions, reserving 1/4 cup of the cooking liquid.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the sausage and cook, crumbling it with a spoon, until browned, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the garlic, spinach, salt, and pepper and cook, tossing frequently, until the spinach wilts, about 3 minutes. Add the drained gnocchi, the reserved cooking liquid, and the Parmesan and toss. Divide among individual bowls and sprinkle with additional Parmesan.

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Summer Garden Pasta

Thanks so much to everyone who answered my cry for help with simple summer recipe suggestions. I’m proud to say that we’ve only eaten at Chick-fil-a once in the last 3 weeks I’ve been cooking more and that makes both Tyler and I very happy. This pasta recipe was a great use for my basil. I only got small leaves off my plant this year, not sure what went wrong, maybe the pot was too small? Maybe it was the kind of basil that doesn’t produce tall plants and big leaves? It still tastes like basil so whatever! I marinated the tomatoes overnight and then just threw it all together at dinner the next day, very delicious, and makes a great cold leftover pasta salad. This is an Ina Garten recipe, recommended to me by Megan, thanks so much for coming to the rescue!

Summer Garden Pasta (adapted from Ina Garten, Barefoot Contessa at Home)

Ingredients:

2 pints cherry tomatoes, halved
good olive oil
1 TB minced garlic (6 cloves)
9 large basil leaves, julienned, plus more for serving
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
kosher salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/2 pound dried angel hair pasta
3/4 cups freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus extra for serving (she
suggests grinding cheese in a food processor fitted with a metal
blade, instead of grating – gives it a nice texture)

Directions:

Combine cherry tomatoes, 1/4 cup olive oil, garlic, basil leaves, red
pepper flakes, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and the pepper in a large bowl. Cover
with plastic wrap, and set aside at room temperature for about 4
hours.

Just before you’re ready to serve, bring a large pot of water with a
splash of olive oil and 2 TB salt to a boil and add the pasta. Cook al
dente according to package directions (about 2-3 minutes). Drain pasta
well and add to the bowl with the cherry tomatoes. Add the cheese and
some extra fresh basil leaves and toss well. Serve in big bowls with
extra cheese on each serving.

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More Risotto

Ever since I learned to make risotto at Cooking Club last week I had been hankering for more, but this time made with mushrooms.  Mmmm mushrooms, I am so sad I did not learn to love you until my 20s.  Tyler and I ate some bread and goat cheese and drank some wine as we prepared the risotto.  It was a great Wednesday night meal!  I got the recipe from allrecipes.com and just made a couple of changes, primarily, reducing the amount of mushrooms.  Their recipe called for 2lbs of mushrooms!  Umm I love mushrooms but that is insanity.  I used about 3 cups, half white mushrooms, half baby bellas.

Gourmet Mushroom Risotto (adapted from allrecipes.com)

Ingredients

6 cups chicken broth, divided
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1.5 cups baby bella mushrooms, thinly sliced
1.5 cups white mushrooms, thinly sliced
2 shallots, diced
1 1/2 cups Arborio rice
1/2 cup dry white wine
sea salt to taste
freshly ground black pepper to taste
3 tablespoons finely chopped chives
3 tablespoons butter
1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

1. In a saucepan, warm the broth over low heat.
2. Warm 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir in the mushrooms, and cook until soft, about 3 minutes. Remove mushrooms and their liquid, and set aside.
3. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil to skillet, and stir in the shallots. Cook 1 minute. Add rice, stirring to coat with oil, about 2 minutes. When the rice has taken on a pale, golden color, pour in wine, stirring constantly until the wine is fully absorbed. Add 1/2 cup broth to the rice, and stir until the broth is absorbed. Continue adding broth 1/2 cup at a time, stirring continuously, until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is al dente, about 15 to 20 minutes.
4. Remove from heat, and stir in mushrooms with their liquid, butter, chives, and parmesan. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

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Cooking Club: Risotto

For our first official Cooking Club meeting, we chose risotto as our dish of choice. Most of the members of our group had never made risotto but were interested in learning. We had a small turnout for this get together but that gave everyone a chance to stir the risotto, which takes forever so it was good that we were able to trade off! Thanks to Carli for doing the shopping and opening her kitchen to us, and teaching us how to make some fabulous risotto! It was delicious and I can’t wait to make some at home. I encourage anyone that’s interested in learning new cooking styles and skills to gather a group of friends and teach one another, it is way cheaper and more fun than paying for cooking classes!

Sweet Pea Risotto (from Real Simple)

Summer Time Risotto (from Food Network)

and some pictures of the preparation! We had a good time and a couple of glasses of wine

Becky chopping up some tomatoes (FDA approved cherry tomatoes!)

Carli and Lara stirring and stirring and stirring…

Audrey demonstrating the proper way to test for risotto doneness

eating our finished product.

Carli and I managed to dodge the camera most of the night We had a great time together and I really look forward to our next get together where hopefully we will gather even more friends and spend time getting to know one another while we learn another cooking skill and try more delicious food!

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A quick dish

Despite being extremely preoccupied with the latest addition to our family, I did manage to get food on the table a couple of nights this week!  I haven’t had much time to read through the latest issue of Cooking Light, but this recipe did catch my eye and I put it on our weekly menu.  I really liked the flavor of the turkey sausage and the cherry tomatoes were a great fresh addition to this dish.  Photographing food with a puppy in the house is my latest challenge, he is into EVERYTHING!

Three-Cheese Baked Penne (from Cooking Light)

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups uncooked whole wheat penne (about 8 ounces tube-shaped pasta)
Cooking spray
2 (4-ounce) links sweet turkey Italian sausage
1 cup finely chopped green bell pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons dried Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
10 grape or cherry tomatoes, halved
1 garlic clove, minced
Dash of salt
1 (8-ounce) can garlic-and-herb tomato sauce
3/4 cup (3 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup (2 ounces) crumbled goat cheese
1/4 cup (1 ounce) grated fresh Parmesan cheese

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 350°.

2. Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain and keep warm.

3. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Remove casings from sausage. Add sausage to pan; cook 2 minutes, stirring to crumble. Add bell pepper and next 6 ingredients (through salt) to pan; sauté 6 minutes or until bell pepper is tender. Stir in tomato sauce. Reduce heat, and simmer 5 minutes. Add pasta to pan, tossing gently to coat. Spoon pasta mixture into an 8-inch square baking dish coated with cooking spray. Stir in mozzarella and goat cheese; sprinkle with Parmesan. Bake at 350° for 7 minutes or until bubbly and top is browned.

Serves 6

WW pts per serving=7

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Hearty Lasagna

I don’t think I cooked a single meal last week, I was in another cooking slump. Tyler thankfully stepped in to make dinner last night (don’t ask me what we ate Monday-Friday last week, it’s honestly a blur of cereal and take out). I had been in search of a healthier lasagna recipe for awhile. I love cheese and Italian food and I love big dishes of it that you can eat for days, makes for good lunches! This lasagna was very good, although I can’t say it was as flavorful as the last lasagna I made.

Hearty Lasagna (adapted from Cooking Light)

Ingredients:
1 pound 93% lean ground beef
Vegetable cooking spray
1 cup chopped onion
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley, divided
1 (28-ounce) can whole tomatoes, undrained and chopped
1 (14 1/2-ounce) can Italian-style stewed tomatoes, undrained and chopped
1 (8-ounce) can no-salt-added tomato sauce
1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 cups nonfat cottage cheese
1/2 cup (1 ounce) finely grated fresh Parmesan cheese
1 (15-ounce) container nonfat ricotta cheese
1 egg white, lightly beaten
12 cooked lasagna noodles
2 cups (8 ounces) part skim mozzarella cheese
Fresh oregano sprigs (optional)

Preparation:

Cook meat in a large saucepan over medium heat until browned, stirring to crumble; drain and set aside. Wipe pan with a paper towel. Coat pan with cooking spray; add the onion and garlic, and sauté 5 minutes. Return meat to pan. Add 2 tablespoons parsley and next 7 ingredients; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes. Uncover; simmer 20 minutes. Remove from heat.

Combine remaining 2 tablespoons parsley, cottage cheese, and next 3 ingredients in a bowl; stir well, and set aside.

Spread 3/4 cup tomato mixture in bottom of a 13 x 9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Arrange 4 noodles over tomato mixture; top with half of cottage cheese mixture, 2 1/4 cups tomato mixture, and 2/3 cup provolone. Repeat layers, ending with noodles. Spread the remaining tomato mixture over noodles.

Cover; bake at 350° for 1 hour. Sprinkle with remaining provolone; bake, uncovered, for 10 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving. Garnish with oregano, if desired.

1 serving = 1/12 of lasagna

WW pts per serving = approx. 5

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