I went to an apple orchard festival with some friends today and left with a peck of apples. I got 17 apples in various varieties, including red delicious, golden delicious, winesap, granny smith, pink ladies, and Arkansas black apples. I am on a hunt for good apple recipes. I'd like to can something, preferably fried apples or apple butter. The rest, we can eat with peanut butter.
Today, I made "spicy" apple sauce. It was really easy!
4 apples (I used a mixed variety)
1 c. water
1/4-1/2 c. sugar (I used 1/4 c.)
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1 tsp cinnamon
Secret: pepper
Just simmer everything for 15 minutes, then mash. Serve warm or cold.
Saturday, October 15, 2011
Monday, October 10, 2011
Pumpkin & Sausage Pasta
Looking for something out of the ordinary and perfect for fall? Look no further! This delicious pumpkin & sausage pasta sauce is earthy, slightly sweet, nutty, and perfect for 4 people as a main course. I mainly followed Rachael Ray's recipe, but I altered it slightly. Here's how I made it:
1 lb. bulk sweet Italian sausage (sweet is key to the flavor in this dish. It's not supposed to be spicy!)
1 medium onion, finely chopped (I used a sweet onion)
5 cloves garlic, minced (she called for 4)
1 c. canned pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie mix)
1 c. chardonnay
1 c. chicken stock (I used broth because I had it on hand)
1/2 c. heavy cream (I used whipping cream because it was cheaper)
1/8 tsp ground cinnamon
3/4 tsp nutmeg (she called for 1/2 tsp, but mine wasn't freshly grated)
Salt & Pepper to taste
1 bay leaf
First, brown your sausage, then pile it on a plate with a paper towel to absorb the grease:
We used an inexpensive ($4.98) chardonnay. It's disgusting. But it worked for this dish lol:
Then, add stock, cream, and pumpkin. Stir slowly until incorporated. Add sausage back to pan. Allow to simmer 15 minutes. When done, it should look like cheddar cheese sauce with sausage chunks in it.
We served it with mini bowtie pasta. I didn't get a picture of it on the plate because we had company over for dinner. I hope you give it a try! We loved it! Enjoy!
1 lb. bulk sweet Italian sausage (sweet is key to the flavor in this dish. It's not supposed to be spicy!)
1 medium onion, finely chopped (I used a sweet onion)
5 cloves garlic, minced (she called for 4)
1 c. canned pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie mix)
1 c. chardonnay
1 c. chicken stock (I used broth because I had it on hand)
1/2 c. heavy cream (I used whipping cream because it was cheaper)
and for the spices (clockwise, from top):
6 sprigs fresh sage (I piled mine and sliced it very fine, then turned it the other way and sliced it)
1/8 tsp ground cinnamon
3/4 tsp nutmeg (she called for 1/2 tsp, but mine wasn't freshly grated)
Salt & Pepper to taste
1 bay leaf
First, brown your sausage, then pile it on a plate with a paper towel to absorb the grease:
Add onion & garlic to the pan. Saute 3-5 minutes. Then add wine and spices/herbs. Allow to reduce by half.
We used an inexpensive ($4.98) chardonnay. It's disgusting. But it worked for this dish lol:
Then, add stock, cream, and pumpkin. Stir slowly until incorporated. Add sausage back to pan. Allow to simmer 15 minutes. When done, it should look like cheddar cheese sauce with sausage chunks in it.
We served it with mini bowtie pasta. I didn't get a picture of it on the plate because we had company over for dinner. I hope you give it a try! We loved it! Enjoy!
Sunday, October 2, 2011
Pumpkin Pie
At only 50-some degrees today, we were in a fallesque mood to make something pumpkin. Pie it is!
1 29oz can of pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling! They're different products.)
2 12.9 cans of evaporated milk
4 large eggs
1 tsp salt
2 tsp pumpkin pie spice (or make your own)
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon (these three + cloves are all in pumpkin pie filling
Pour into 2 graham cracker crusts. Bake at 400 for 15 minutes, then reduce heat to 350 for 45 minutes. Allow to cool on wire rack for 2 hours. Serve warm or refrigerated.
 |
| I wish I took a picture of a slice of this pie with whipped cream and cinnamon on top... but we took it to a friend's house, so I didn't want to take pictures there. |
This was the recipe on the back of the Libby's Pumpkin Puree can, but I added a little extra spices. I used a storebought graham cracker crust and have enough filling left over to make 2 more pies. Overall, I love this recipe. It tastes perfect and it's a cinch to make. I especially loved the compliments from our friends that it was the best pumpkin pie they'd ever had. Yay! The only thing that I didn't like (at first) was how runny the batter is. I guess it's supposed to be like that because it turned out great!
1 29oz can of pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling! They're different products.)
2 12.9 cans of evaporated milk
4 large eggs
1 tsp salt
2 tsp pumpkin pie spice (or make your own)
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon (these three + cloves are all in pumpkin pie filling
Pour into 2 graham cracker crusts. Bake at 400 for 15 minutes, then reduce heat to 350 for 45 minutes. Allow to cool on wire rack for 2 hours. Serve warm or refrigerated.
Healthy Taco/Burrito Options
I love tacos as much as the next person. Unfortunately, tacos are often severely and unnecessarily high in fat, sodium, and chemicals. I understand that the FDA allows certain hard-to-pronounce chemicals to be used in the production of food, but really? We can't pronounce it and we don't know what it is, but we'll eat it? I'm not going to start an organic/all-natural diatribe here. Aaron and I often eat organic/all-natural food. One of our favorites is tacos. We have gone from making the Ortega taco kit a few years ago to making much healthier and even tastier tacos, now. Here are some ideas:
1. Make your own seasoning. Just read the ingredients list of a taco seasoning packet and this will be a no-brainer. This homemade seasoning is simple to make and tastes so much fresher than seasoning packets.
1 Tbsp chili powder (smokey, warm)
1/4 tsp garlic powder (salty, herby)
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (spicy)
1/4 tsp oregano (earthy)
1/2 tsp paprika (sweetly warm)
1 1/2 tsp ground cumin (smokey)
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp freshly cracked black pepper (much fresher than pre-ground)
*Either add onion flakes... or add fresh onions to the meat.
2. Use healthy wraps instead of flour tortillas. This is a great way to watch the ingredients and add some flavor. Why eat plain tortillas? Spinach, sun-dried tomato, and whole wheat are good. This time, we used Jalapeno and Cilantro wraps.
3. Add some vegetables. We like spinach, bell peppers, onions, and tomatoes on ours because they fill you up without adding fat.
4. Use lean ground beef. I cannot stress this enough. I understand that some people have the philosophy of Well, the 80/20 kind is cheaper. Well, when you consider that you'll be clogging your pipes draining off all that fat, leaving you with less meat, maybe you'll reconsider.
5. Make your own refried beans (or substitute) sans lard. It's so easy! Use a can of organic cannellini, black, or pinto beans, rinsed and drained, and run them through the food processor with a little olive oil and chili powder.
1. Make your own seasoning. Just read the ingredients list of a taco seasoning packet and this will be a no-brainer. This homemade seasoning is simple to make and tastes so much fresher than seasoning packets.
1 Tbsp chili powder (smokey, warm)
1/4 tsp garlic powder (salty, herby)
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (spicy)
1/4 tsp oregano (earthy)
1/2 tsp paprika (sweetly warm)
1 1/2 tsp ground cumin (smokey)
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp freshly cracked black pepper (much fresher than pre-ground)
*Either add onion flakes... or add fresh onions to the meat.
2. Use healthy wraps instead of flour tortillas. This is a great way to watch the ingredients and add some flavor. Why eat plain tortillas? Spinach, sun-dried tomato, and whole wheat are good. This time, we used Jalapeno and Cilantro wraps.
3. Add some vegetables. We like spinach, bell peppers, onions, and tomatoes on ours because they fill you up without adding fat.
4. Use lean ground beef. I cannot stress this enough. I understand that some people have the philosophy of Well, the 80/20 kind is cheaper. Well, when you consider that you'll be clogging your pipes draining off all that fat, leaving you with less meat, maybe you'll reconsider.
5. Make your own refried beans (or substitute) sans lard. It's so easy! Use a can of organic cannellini, black, or pinto beans, rinsed and drained, and run them through the food processor with a little olive oil and chili powder.
I hope you found some interesting ideas! Enjoy!
 | ||
| Voila! Our healthy tacos. |
Friday, September 30, 2011
Portobello Mushroom Wraps with Chili Bean Sauce
Sounds weird, I know. This is basically a vegetarian friendly wrap loaded with fiber, protein, and vitamins. It was easy and relatively quick to prepare.
You'll need:
3 or 4 portobello mushrooms, de-stemmed and de-gilled
1/4 c. Italian salad dressing
1 can (15 oz) cannellini (white kidney) beans, drained and rinsed
1 Tbsp chili powder
2 cloves fresh garlic, quartered
a couple shots of tobasco sauce
6-7 Tbsp olive oil
salt & pepper
Flour tortillas or wraps
1/4 c. Italian salad dressing
1 can (15 oz) cannellini (white kidney) beans, drained and rinsed
1 Tbsp chili powder
2 cloves fresh garlic, quartered
a couple shots of tobasco sauce
6-7 Tbsp olive oil
salt & pepper
Flour tortillas or wraps
baby spinach
4 oz goat or feta cheese
Preheat broiler. Clean and prepare mushrooms, then marinate them in Italian salad dressing for 15 min. Broil about 5 minutes on each side, until browned but not burned. Once cooked, slice. Should look like this:
In your food processor (while the mushrooms are cooking), combine the ingredients I have listed in purple. Process until paste-like. Should look like this:
Preheat broiler. Clean and prepare mushrooms, then marinate them in Italian salad dressing for 15 min. Broil about 5 minutes on each side, until browned but not burned. Once cooked, slice. Should look like this:
In your food processor (while the mushrooms are cooking), combine the ingredients I have listed in purple. Process until paste-like. Should look like this:
These are the wraps I used. They add more flavor than standard flour tortillas.
I used a seasoned goat cheese spread I got on sale.
Just assemble them like you would any wrap. Your finished product should look similar to this:
Enjoy!
Swedish Meatballs
It has been quite a while since I have posted a recipe! Lately, I have not gotten to cook nearly as much as I want. Tonight, I'll post a recipe from a few days ago as well as one from tonight.
We wanted swedish meatballs, so we tried this recipe because it had good reviews:
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/swedish-meatballs-recipe/index.html
I really don't understand the hype behind the reviews. It was very bland. We started with that recipe as a base and then added a little garlic powder, crushed red peppers, about 2 tsp of worchestershire sauce, and extra salt and pepper. I also added some freshly chopped parsley to the egg noodles. The cooking time for the meatballs was also very "off". Mine took much longer than that, and I had to put them in the oven to finish them off. After those adjustments, it was delicious. Here are some pictures.
 |
| The sauce. Mine was a little chunky, so I ran it through the blender. Be careful putting hot liquids in a blender, though. It can expand and explode everywhere. |
 |
| Egg noodles with freshly chopped parsley and pepper. |
 |
| Meatballs. The cooking time was very "off" in this recipe. Mine were in the skillet for a long time, then in the oven, and finally, I finished them off in the sauce. |
 |
| Finished meal. Served with steamed green beans. |
We made far too much though and had leftovers for three nights. Not a bad problem to have ;)
Saturday, September 24, 2011
Nameless Shrimp Dish
Hello Readers! Hooray for Saturday! This was what I made last night:
I ran into a friend of mine a few weeks ago at Kroger and she gave me this idea. I decided to give it a whirl last night. It was pretty simple to make and relatively cost effective if you make a simple side. You'll need:
1 bag frozen shrimp (I used peeled, deveined, precooked cocktail shrimp at 51-60 count)
2 cans (14 oz each) diced tomatoes, any variety (I used one fire roasted and one basil and garlic)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 pinch crushed red peppers
1 tsp dried oregano
1/4 c cream cheese (optional)
olive oil
3 c. panko bread crumbs
2 Tbsp lemon juice
2 tsp chopped or dried parsley
1 small package feta cheese
pepper
Preheat oven to 375. In large skillet, heat olive oil and add garlic for a couple of minutes, careful not to burn. Add tomatoes, spices, and shrimp. Simmer 15 minutes. Add cream cheese, if desired.
In medium bowl, mix the bottom group of ingredients. Pour shrimp and tomatoes into ungreased 13x9 glass baking dish. Pour bread crumb mixture on top. Bake for 15 minutes, until topping is browned. A lot of the liquid will evaporate, so don't worry if it's runny going into the oven.
I made couscous to go with it. Salad or steamed green beans would be great, too!
1 bag frozen shrimp (I used peeled, deveined, precooked cocktail shrimp at 51-60 count)
2 cans (14 oz each) diced tomatoes, any variety (I used one fire roasted and one basil and garlic)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 pinch crushed red peppers
1 tsp dried oregano
1/4 c cream cheese (optional)
olive oil
3 c. panko bread crumbs
2 Tbsp lemon juice
2 tsp chopped or dried parsley
1 small package feta cheese
pepper
Preheat oven to 375. In large skillet, heat olive oil and add garlic for a couple of minutes, careful not to burn. Add tomatoes, spices, and shrimp. Simmer 15 minutes. Add cream cheese, if desired.
In medium bowl, mix the bottom group of ingredients. Pour shrimp and tomatoes into ungreased 13x9 glass baking dish. Pour bread crumb mixture on top. Bake for 15 minutes, until topping is browned. A lot of the liquid will evaporate, so don't worry if it's runny going into the oven.
I made couscous to go with it. Salad or steamed green beans would be great, too!
Enjoy!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)