Vegetable & Ravioli Soup

 This is so easy to make and to change up for another time. If you love making your own pasta, you could make your own ravioli. Here I take the easy way out and stick with a frozen 4 cheese ravioli.

Chop some onion, peppers and garlic to saute up in your soup pan. When that's ready, add your herbs and seasoning to mix together quickly. Then add 4C of broth. I used store bought veggie broth, but you can use whatever you'd like. Add 28oz of crushed tomatoes and some other veggies you'd like. I used green beans and cannellini beans. Bring to a boil and add your ravioli. Let that boil the appropriate time and serve up with some grated parmesan and parsley.

So quick and easy on a busy day and super filling. A nice Italian white would be the perfect accompaniment, and some warm crusty bread.

Enjoy!

                      Stuffed Poblanos

So, it's another stuffed pepper night, one of Mark's favorites. I don't like them. I don't know why, I like peppers alright, I guess it's the old meatloaf like stuffing. So I try to make mine different. Tonight it's a Mexican Chicken filling, and you really don't need to measure anything, just throw it in there.

1 rotisserie chicken, shredded

1 can black beans

1 can diced tomatoes

1 small white onion, diced

chili sauce, minced garlic, chili powder, cumin, cilantro, oregano, paprika

Shredded pepper jack, cheddar, and colby cheeses

12 poblano peppers with the tops removed.

(I chop up the tops and add them to my filling)

I sauteed the onion, peppers and garlic in olive oil. Then I added everything

else to warm up. I let it simmer till it was well mixed, then removed it from the heat and added my shredded cheeses. Stirred till it was goopy. Filled the peppers

and roasted in the oven. Honestly, grilling them with some smoke is better, but I was limited today.

Let them roast or smoke 20-30 min. 400 in an oven, and your grill if it's temp controlled.

Serve with rice, guacamole, and margarittas.

Roasted Beet Salad

I am trying to boost my spleen chi. Been trying for months and may have to acquire some Chinese herbs to help, but in the meantime, I can eat this yummy beet salad to help.

Roast some fresh beets. You can get a mixture of golden and red beets if you like. Wash and trim them, leaving them whole with skin on. Place the beets in a foil pouch, drizzle with oil and close the pouch loosely around them. Roast in a 400 degree oven for about 1 hour. (The size of the beets may alter cooking time)

Remove from oven when they are fork tender, open the pouch to let steam escape, and let them cool.
Once cool enough to handle, you can peel the skins right off. 
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JO4MHOEPVYM)

Dress with a citrus dressing and let chill in the fridge. Serve over a bed of baby greens.

Citrus Dressing (You can make as much or as little as you need)
Zest an orange
Juice a lemon, lime and orange
Grind some fennel seeds
Thinly slice 1 shallot
Mix thoroughly while drizzling in some quality olive oil
Pour over beets to chill. Save some for other salads

Charred Summer Squash Risotto

Charred Summer Squash Risotto

Cut your yellow squash or zucchini into chunks. Season with Tuscan herbs and spices. In a nonstick pan melt a table spoon of butter over high heat. As soon as that's melted toss in your squash. Stir to coat all pieces with the butter, then let the pan sit still for a few minutes so the squash gets a good brown on it. Flip the pan, or pieces over to char other side. Immediately remove from heat.

Cook your risotto according to package, using vegetable broth. The last 10 minutes, add some half & half along with the parmesan to finish into a creamy risotto. Fold in your charred squash and top with lemon zest.

Beango Salad (black bean and mango)

Beango Salad

Drain and rinse a 15 oz can of black beans.

Zest and juice one lime. Put this in the bottom of a shallow bowl. Drizzle in a little quality olive oil. Stir in a tablespoon of orange blossom honey, a little cumin and minced fresh cilantro.

Finely chop a small red onion, a small red sweet pepper and 3 serrano peppers.

Add to the lime juice mixture and stir in your drained beans. Add chunks of fresh mango, tossing till all is mixed through. Let sit about 30 minutes before serving.

Makes a great afternoon protein snack!!

Ginger Syrup and Candied Ginger

I have been having tummy issues thanks in part to taking steroids and nsaids for most of my life.
So for queasiness I have been resorting to natural remedies, and one I love is ginger.

Today I was feeling particularly queasy when I had to stop by Walmart for some cat food.
So I headed right to the produce section and found the ginger root.
I figured I could make some ginger syrup to pour in my tea to soothe my tummy. It is so simple to make; just 1C sugar and 1C water, sliced ginger and simmer away for about 30 min. Personally I use about 3/4C sugar since I don't like it as sweet.

Now that I was done, I thought, isn't it a shame to throw all this good ginger away? And I had been toying with the idea of making my own candied ginger, again to soothe a queasy tum tum. So here it is, ready made for me. All I had to do was spread it out, sprinkle with a little more sugar and let it dry. I wanted to put it on a rack, but the pieces were too little, so I just spread it out on parchment. It's taking a little longer to dry, but it will be perfect.

Here it is drying with my syrup cooling behind it. I look forward to having homemade ginger without all the preservatives and such.

Roasted Red Pepper Pasta Sauce

My new favorite sauce for pasta is a roasted red pepper sauce. It is so versatile that you can make different flavors and intensities, depending on what you like.

Start with your roasted peppers. You'll need 3-4 medium size peppers. If you'd like to add some heat, or sweetness, try roasting jalapenos or banana peppers along side. You can also roast your garlic and onion too if you want to get really creative.  Roast them in your oven at 450 for 20 minutes or so. Turning them occasionally to get them evenly charred on all sides. Put them in a paper bag to cool and let the steam loosen the skins.

After they are cool, remove the skins and puree them in a blender. If you roasted all your other items, you can just blend them all here. You'll need some liquid to help, so choose a nice dry white wine, the zest and juice of one lemon. Bring to a sauce consistency that you prefer. I like mine thick. This goes great with shrimp or veggie pasta. If you are serving with red meat, use a nice dry red to bring to consistency.

Once you have the basics down, you can add other flavors.
Make a creamy sauce with milk or cheese. Add ground fennel to compliment sausage.
Throw in some nice chopped basil for a dip. Add pine nuts for a red pesto.

Feel free to share your favorite version here.

Feb 5 2018

Creamy Lemon Tortellini Primavera

There are really nice fresh tortellini in the stores now, so splurge and purchase a 10 package of cheese and a 10 oz package of mushroom.

Cook according to directions.

Julianne 1/2 each of a red and yellow pepper and 1 small jar of sun dried tomatoes. Thinly slice 1 large shallot. Mince 2-3 cloves of garlic. Toss with some spearmint, salt, pepper, zest of 1 lemon, oregano, basil and marjoram. Saute till veggies have softened. Juice 2 lemons and add to pan. Stir in 1 c good white wine and stir, scraping the bottom of the pan.

Add 16 oz of mascarpone cheese. If you can't find it, you can use ricotta, but mascarpone will be creamier. Stir till incorporated. Add 10 oz fresh spinach. Fresh spinach is important here.

If it does not have a creamy sauce, add a little pasta water till it's the consistency you want.
Mix with the tortellini.

Serve with some fresh grated parm and a glass of white! An unoaked Chardonnay or a Pinot Grigio would be best.

For those who'd like to, add some chicken or shrimp to the dish. Season separatley with spices listed above.

Spicy Moraccan Chickpea Soup

Fall is settling in, in MD and in my bones. My schedule has been crazy busy and I have not been eating well. My body is screaming at me to feed it what it needs. What a day for soup!

This soup can be made ahead in a crock, or quickly on the stove top, take your pick.

First, chop up a couple of large carrots, large celery stalks, small onions (any flavor) and large garlic cloves. Saute them in a flavorful extra virgin olive oil until almost done, then add your spice. Coriander, cumin, cayenne, cinnamon and tumeric are warm spices full of healthy goodness, so be generous. Add a large can of crushed tomatoes and a couple cans of chickpeas. You may want to
mash some up to thicken up your soup, if you like a substantial soup meal. Add a little stock or water and simmer away.

I made mine thick and hearty so only added some crusty bread and a big leafy salad. My tummy was full and my body was full of antioxidant & anti-inflammatory goodness.

Enjoy!

4 Cheese Ravioli with Spinach and Sausage in Creamy Tomato Sauce

I love all the fresh pasta you can get in the stores now. Even though I am not in NY
or LA and can't go to the corner Italian Market for super fresh, made that day pasta;
I can still find some decent packaged fresh pasta. I opted for a 4 cheese, but they
also had 3 and 5 cheese blends.

Since fresh pasta takes only 5 minutes to cook, I started on my sauce first.
I found some great chicken sausage with roasted red pepper and asiago
(there is my 5th cheese). I sliced it on the diagonal so it would have plenty
of surface area to brown and get slightly crispy.

I started my sauce with diced onion and minced garlic.
Lots of garlic.
It was just one of those days.
I added some sliced white mushrooms and oregano, sauteing it all
off till soft. Then I added my sliced chicken sausage to brown.

Meanwhile, I had my pot of water boiling for the pasta and
added the fresh ravioli about now.

I finished my sauce by stirring in a small can of tomato paste, a 15oz can of
diced tomato, and wilted in the fresh spinach.  I turned off the heat and stirred
in about 6oz of ricotta (my 6th cheese) and about 1/4c of heavy cream.

Drain your pasta and serve it up with a healthy ladle of sauce.
Have some nice crusty bread and healthy olives.
Pick a nice crisp white to drink and you're in heaven!

Tuscan Bean Spread

1 can of cannellini beans, rinsed and drained       

1-2 cloves of roasted garlic
1 big handful of fresh basil
Juice and zest of 1 lemon
Red pepper flakes to taste

Smash the beans and mix all together. Or run it through a blender or food processor. Get a nice think paste them add good quality extra virgin olive oil to thin down to a consistency you like.

This is great on veggies, crostini, bruschetta, pita chips, etc. Top with diced tomato, roasted red pepper, sundried tomato and anchovy, etc....

You can use other flavor profiles to make any bean spread you desire.

Creamy Lemon Basil Pasta with Vegetables

Spring weather is here and I was in the mood for something

light and healthy. I saw some good asparagus in the store and my imagination took flight. Luckily, the hubster enjoyed the meal too.

Chop 1 small onion and 2 large cloves of garlic. Saute them in at least 4 tbs of olive oil till soft and fragrant. 

Add 2 tbs flour to make a roux. Add lots of pepper.

Put in some good citrusy white wine, like Sauv Blanc.

Stir till thickened. Add whole milk till you get a velvety sauce.

Add the zest and Juice of 1 large lemon. Stir.

Now add your 1" pieces of spring asparagus and red pepper strips. Let cook in sauce on low till the colors are vibrant.

Serve over hot pasta and sprinkle with plenty of chopped basil and parmesan.

I threw in some heirloom cherry tomatoes as well. Then I had to add some rotisserie chicken because Mark needs meat in everything. It was yummy and spring like- so enjoy it any way you want.

Great additions would be baby shrimp, sun dried tomatoes, artichoke hearts...anything you like.

It could also be a great side dish for salmon, other fish or roasted chicken. 

Turkey Florentine Stuffed Shells

Prepare your shells al dente to prevent tearing and allow them plenty of cooling
time so you don't burn your hands.

Saute fine chopped onion and garlic. Add chopped mushrooms. Add and
brown ground turkey. Add your fresh baby spinach near the end of cooking
to wilt it into the mixture. Finish off with oregano and parsley. Mix it all
together with ricotta and parmesan.

Cool this mixture. Don't rush and burn your hands. (do you get the idea
that I was not patient?) Stuff your shells with your yummy mixture.

Mix tomato sauce with diced tomatoes. Stir in plenty of fresh chopped basil. Dollop
out 1/2 on the bottom of your pan to keep the shells from sticking. Arrange your
shells, then top with the rest of your tomato mix and some grated parmesan.

Bake for 30 min until bubbly. Serve with a nice Pinot Gris. :)

Teriyaki Chicken

Something quick and simple over good rice, can be an exquisite dinner.
I made this mouth watering delight with a few items on hand.

I marinated chicken breasts in a store bought teriyaki sauce with
green onions and sesame seeds.

I coarsely chopped pineapple, red pepper and sweet onion.
I sauteed it all quickly ans served over Lime Basil Rice with
more fresh green onion and sesame seeds.

Lime Basil Rice

Cook rice in vegetable broth. When done stir in lime zest, the juice of 1/2 a lime,
and about 2 tbs of minced basil (the thai basil is excellent) with a drizzle of olive oil.

The best greens ever!

I am not usually too fond of greens. They are bitter and I just can't seem to cook them right, but I found a recipe for baby greens with a short cooking time, and I spiced it up! Honestly, these are the
best greens I've ever eaten and I will always make them this way.

I started with a jar of sun dried tomatoes in oil. I drained them, but left them good and oily for sauteing. I diced 1/2 of a large vidalia onion. and I minced about 4 cloves of garlic. I sauteed this until the onions and garlic were soft.

Then I added about a tablespoon of anchovy paste and stirred it all up, put my mix of kale and chard in with a good zest of nutmeg. I stirred it up and added about 2 cups of veggie broth. I covered it
and cooked it over medium heat for about 25 min, stirring occasionally.

I added about a tablespoon of honey and some chunky fresh roma tomatoes and let it cook another
5 minutes until everything was well blended and the fresh tomatoes just started to break down.

O My Gosh! You seriously have to try this! You will love it!!
I did use organics as much as I could, but I don't think it'a a must for the recipe- ;)

Hawaiian Meatballs

                                                                                                       

Still trying to eat less fat and of course,
wanting big  flavor and also needing to
feed the hubster meat at every meal.

I got to thinking about low fat meats
and thought of lamb, and what better
thing to make with lamb than meatballs,
so off my imagination went. I also
thought of pineapple because I am
always thinking of things to knock back
inflammation, so naturally, I thought of
Hawaii and thought I'd try some Hawaiian Meatballs.

I actually got lamb and veal to mix together, but these would be just as good with any meat; pork, turkey, chicken.....

Mix the meat together with minced garlic, ginger, basil, onion, red peppers and a
couple serranos. Add some bread crumbs (or cracker crumbs), then add some teriyaki
marinade. You want it pretty sticky if your are not using any other binder. Roll out
your balls and cook any way you want to. I sauteed them till almost done, then
removed them from the pan. I added some big chunks of sweet onion, red pepper
and pineapple to the pan and browned them up. Then I de-glazed the pan with
pineapple juice and some more teriyaki marinade to make a nice think sauce.
I put my meatballs back in to coat. Served this over
brown rice and a side of roasted beets.

After surgery tortellini

You know that you can find all kinds of fresh pasta in the grocery stores now, right?

What better way to make a quick and easy, healthy meal?

I had surgery the other day and now that I have graduated from soup, I wanted something

more, and a little comforting….like pasta. But I have to watch my diet somewhat, so

what was I to do. I was surprised when I found some great spinach and goat cheese stuffed tortellini in my local store. Wow!! How great is that? Easy dinner half planned.

I roasted up colorful cherry tomatoes with some minced garlic, basil, oregano and pepper.

I chunked up some rotisserie chicken (another great invention, super time saving and cheaper than I can make it). Tossed it all together with my freshly boiled tortellini.

Fresh pastas take all of 3-5 minutes to prepare. Sprinkle a little parm on top and your good to go. Add a side salad, even better! Don’t forget to get creative with your salads.

Add beans or fruit to keep it interesting. A quick vinaigrette can’t be beat: 1 part vinegar of your choice, 2 parts good oil, a squeeze of dijon, s&p…mmmm, mmmm.

                           

x

Hello Again

I've really got to get going on my blogs again. It just seems like there is never
enough time to do all I want to do, and get the required rest my poor autoimmune
riddled body demands of me. Cooking has been hard to do lately as well, so my
creative dishes have been straying toward the standard fare: tacos, burgers, spaghetti
and such that can be made quickly and without much thought.
Perhaps, if I force myself into blogging again, my creativeness will come back
from the nether- reaches and inspire me. I hope you will bear with me while I attempt
to do so.

To get started, I have come up with a summery, anti-inflammatory
drink to sooth my achy 
body and to pay homage to my favorite
(now off air) show, Psych.
I call it my Psychorita, and I am still perfecting it, but this is pretty darn close!

3-4 oz Pineapple juice (fresh is best)
1-1 1/2 oz tequila
1 oz Triple Sec or another orange flavored liqueur
1 drizzle of ginger syrup

Serve over lots of ice.
Garnish with chili sugar salt, pineapple wedges and candied ginger.

Ginger syrup recipes can be found online. Basically you chop or slice up
lots of fresh ginger, put it in equal parts water and sugar, bring to a boil,
then reduce heat to a simmer to reduce to a think syrup.

Chili sugar salt is just sugar and salt, say 1 tbs each and 1 tsp chili powder. I use a blend of Ancho and Chipotle, as I love their flavor with the pineapple, but any chili will do. Make your own with dried chilies you can purchase online.