Parmesan Roasted Potatoes

Wow, I’ve had this recipe for over 2 years and I am just now getting around to making it. These were good! I roasted them for about an hour instead of the 50 minutes. These had a nice cheesy taste. We had these with some Quorn Naked cutlets and some jazzed-up green beans.

rating: 8

Parmesan Roasted Potatoes
(from the June 2006 issue of Real Simple magazine)

1 1/2 pounds new potatoes, unpeeled, cut into 1″ chunks
3 tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 cup (4 ounces) grated Parmesan
8 sprigs fresh thyme

Heat oven to 400 degrees F. In a medium bowl, combine all the ingredients. Transfer to a roasting pan or 9 x 13-inch baking dish. Roast, stirring once, until golden brown and crisp, about 50 minutes. Serve hot or at room temperature.

White Bean & Rosemary Soup with Roasted Garlic Croutons

Yesterday was a soup-y kind of day, so I decided to try this soup. Making the croutons took the longest. I used the Un-Chicken vegetarian “chicken” stock. I liked this soup more than Toby. I thought it had alot of flavor, and in fact, I ate the rest of it for lunch today. Toby said it had no zing. Still, he ate two bowls full! We had this with a caesar salad.  Oh, and again, this was so easy using my immersion blender. Love that!

rating: 7.5

White Bean & Rosemary Soup with Roasted Garlic Croutons
(from the October 2007 issue of O Magazine)

Croutons
2 whole heads garlic
1/4 cup plus 2 tsp olive oil
1 tsp kosher salt, plus more to taste
1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper, plus more to taste
1/2 load unsliced whole wheat bread, cut into 1″ cubes

Soup
1 tbsp unsalted butter
2 tbsp olive oil, plus more for drizzling
1 large onion, chopped (about 2 cups)
2 carrots, peeled and cut crosswise into 1/4″ coins
2 stalks celery, cut into 1/4″ slices
4 cups chicken or vegetable broth (I used Un-Chicken broth)
2 cans (14.5-ounces each) white beans, drained, rinsed, and drained again
2 tbsp chopped fresh rosemary (I used about 1 tbsp dried)

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Slice off tops of garlic heads so the cloves are just exposed. Rub each head with 1 tsp olive oil; wrap loosely in foil. Roast 25-35 minutes. Remove from oven (but leave oven on); let garlic cool until comfortable to touch. Squeeze cloves from the heads into a small bowl; mash with a fork; set aside.
2. In a large bowl, combine half the roasted garlic with 1/4 cup olive oil, salt and pepper. Add bread and toss until well coated. Place bread on a baking sheet and bake 20 minutes, turning once or twice, until golden brown. Remove from oven and set aside.
3. To make soup: In a large saucepan, heat butter and 2 tbsp olive oil over medium heat. Add onion, carrots, and celery, and cook until tender, about 10 minutes. Add broth and remaining half of garlic and bring to a boil; reduce heat and cook 20 minutes, until carrots are very tender. Add drained beans and rosemary; cook for 10 more minutes.
4. With an immersion blender or in a food processor fitted with knife blade, puree half the soup until smooth. Stir to combine. Serve in bowls topped with croutons and drizzled with remaining olive oil.

Pizza Cobbler

I’ve actually made this recipe before, but I just left out the pepperoni. It was good that way. I thought I would try it again, and this time use the Quorn Grounds that I am so loving right now. It was AWESOME. This dish is so easy to make and it’s AWESOME. I can’t stress how good it is. Try it! Toby went back for thirds. Thirds, people.

rating: 9.5

Pizza Cobbler
(from the magazine Every Day with Rachael Ray)

1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, smashed and peeled
1 (8-10-ounce) pkg sliced mushrooms
1 1/2 cups tomato sauce
1/2 cup sliced black olives
2/3 cup sliced pepperoni (I used a whole bag of Quorn Grounds)
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1 7.5-ounce can refrigerated biscuits, separated and cut into quarters

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. In a large skillet, combine the oil, onion and garlic and cook on medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, for 2 minutes. Add the mushrooms and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in the tomato sauce and olives and bring to a simmer.

2. Spread the sauce mixture in a greased 2-quart baking dish. Arrange the pepperoni (or Quorn) in a single layer on top and sprinkle with the cheese. Top with the biscuit pieces. Bake until the cheese is bubbly and the biscuits are browned, about 15 minutes. Let cool for about 5 minutes before serving.

Cheese Ravioli with Toasted Walnuts

This recipe seemed too simple to taste good. Toby didn’t love it because he says that nuts don’t belong IN food, they are best eaten alone. So there you have it. But you know what? He went back for seconds. This is a good quick dinner to throw together at the last minute. It was very flavorful and I would probably make it alot more if it didn’t have nuts in it. We enjoyed this with some garlic bread and a green salad with ranch dressing.

rating: 7.5

Cheese Ravioli with Toasted Walnuts
(from the Nov. 2007 issue of Real Simple Magazine)

1 14-16-ounce package cheese ravioli (fresh or frozen)
1/3 cup olive oil
1 clove garlic, sliced (I used minced)
1 cup (2-ounces) walnuts, roughly chopped
2 tsp lemon juice
kosher salt and pepper
1/2 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped (I used a little bit of dried)
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.

Asparagus, New Potato and Chive Frittata

I have to say, after last night’s dinner, I wasn’t too hopeful for tonight’s, since they came from the same source. I kind of had a feeling that this one would be sort of bland as well, so I changed a few things. Instead of steaming the potatoes and asparagus, I put them in a pan and roasted them with some salt and pepper and a little olive oil Pam. I did not have any egg substitute, so I used 6 eggs instead of 2. At the end (after I had taken the pic!) I topped it with a little shredded cheese. This was good. Not great, but good. I will make it again and continue to tweak it. We had this with a green salad with (faux) bacon bits and croutons.

rating: 7

Asparagus, New Potato and Chive Frittata
(from the website www.weightwatchers.com)

1/2 lb. uncooked new potatoes, washed and very thinly sliced (about 4 potatoes)
1 lb. asparagus, trimmed and cut into 2″ lengths
2 large eggs
1 cup fat-free egg substitute
1/2 tsp table salt
1/8 tsp black pepper
2 tbsp chives, fresh, chopped
1 serving cooking spray (5 1-second sprays per serving)

1. Place potatoes in a steamer; steam until almost tender, about 3 minutes. Add asparagus and steam for 1 minute more; remove vegetables from steamer and set aside.
2. Preheat broiler.
3. Whisk together eggs, egg substitute, salt, pepper and chives.
4. Coat a 10″ nonstick, oven-proof skillet with cooking spray and set over medium heat. Add potatoes and asparagus and saute for 2 minutes; reduce heat to low and stir in eggs. Cover and let cook until eggs are set around edges, about 5 minutes.
5. Uncover and broil frittata until golden brown, about 2 minutes. Cut into 4 wedges and serve.

Portobello Wraps

Ugh. These were so bland. I hate low-calorie food that tastes low-calorie, you know? In this recipe, I diced my onion instead of slicing it, and I cut open the pita and stuffed them, rather than the way they suggested. I doubt that would have made a difference though. These really needed some jazzing up. I won’t be making these again. I served these wraps with some Green Giant broccoli and cauliflower nugget-things. They weren’t that great either! Blech.

rating: 2

Portobello Wraps
(from www.weightwatchers.com)

1 tsp olive oil
2 medium portobello mushrooms, stemmed and cut into 1/2″ slices
1 medium onion, sliced (I diced mine)
1 medium sweet red pepper, seeded and sliced
1 tbsp Heinz Balsamic Vinegar
1/2 tsp table salt
1/4 tsp black pepper, freshly ground
4 average white pita bread
1 cup part-skim mozzarella cheese, shredded

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. In a large nonstick skillet, heat the oil. Saute mushrooms and onion until tender and lightly browned, about 8 minutes. Transfer to a plate.
2. In skillet, combine bell peppers with 2 tbsp water; cook, stirring frequently, until tender and golden, about 8 minutes. Stir in vinegar, salt and pepper. Remove from heat; gently stir in sauteed vegetables.
3. Meanwhile, place pita on a large baking sheet; sprinkle with cheese. Bake until cheese melts, about 5 minutes. Roll each pita into a cone; tightly wrap bottom half of cone with foil or wax paper so it holds the shape and prevents leaking. Fill cones with mushroom mixture.

More-Peas-if-you-Please Penne

This recipe is actually a recipe for kids to make, so I thought I would give it a try. Toby and I both said that it was bland and the more you ate, the blander it got. I love me some ricotta, but it didn’t really add anything to this. I doubt if I will make it again. We had this with some garlic bread sticks and a green salad.

rating: 4.5

More-Peas-if-you-Please Penne
(from the latest issue of Everyday with Rachael Ray)

salt
1 lb penne pasta with ridges
3 cups frozen peas
1/2 cup chicken or vegetable broth (I used veggie)
2 cups Ricotta cheese
3 tbsp butter, cut into small pieces
1 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
1 cup fresh basil leaves, sliced
freshly ground pepper

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Salt it, add the pasta and cook until al dente. Set aside a ladle of pasta cooking water and drain the pasta.
2. While the pasta is cooking, put the peas and broth in a small saucepan. Simmer the peas in the broth for 5 minutes.
3. In a large serving bowl, mash half the peas and broth with the ricotta cheese. Toss with the pasta, butter and half the Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. Add the reserved pasta cooking water to moisten, if needed. Stir in the remaining whole peas and the basil; season with salt and pepper. Top with the remaining Parmiagiano-Reggiano cheese.

Banana Bread

I had some bananas that I knew wouldn’t make it until tomorrow, so I googled on what to do with them. The obvious solution? Bake banana bread! I found a simple recipe on allrecipes.com, but I tweaked it a little. I took one reviewers suggestion and made muffins instead of a loaf of bread, and I also added a handful of chopped walnuts and a handful of chocolate chips. This recipe made about 14 muffins, I believe. They were good! I would like them to be a little more moist, but I would make these again.

rating: 7

http://tinyurl.com/yhwjjg

Maple-Mustard-Glazed Potatoes and String Beans

The grocery store I went to on Monday didn’t have string beans (!), and I never got a chance to go to another, so this dish was made without them. But in any case, it was delicious! It was pretty simple to make (although it takes a while to cook), but I will definitely make this again! I wish there had been more of the sauce, because it was delicious! Next time I think I will make a little extra sauce. And you could probably add in other veggies, too, like carrots. What else would be good with this…maybe parsnips? Turnips? I don’t know. But try it! We had these with a grilled cheese with pesto mayo.

rating: 9

Maple-Mustard-Glazed Potatoes and String Beans
(from the cookbook “Vegan with a Vengeance” by Isa Chandra Moskowitz)

2 lbs. small Yukon gold potatoes, halved (about 1″ pieces)
1/2 lb. string beans, halved, ends cut off and discarded
1 yellow onion, thickly sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 tbsp tamari or soy sauce
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
3 tbsp Dijon mustard
2 tbsp olive oil

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Place the vegetables in a 9″x 13″ casserole dish. In a mixing bowl stir together all the other ingredients until the mustard is dissolved. Pour over the vegetables and mix well until everything is coated. Cover with foil and place in oven. Bake for 25 minutes. Remove from oven and toss everything; use a spoon to drip the sauce over the veggies. Turn oven down to 350 degrees F, and cook for 25 minutes uncovered. Remove from oven, toss again, cook for 25 more minutes uncovered. These are especially yummy served at room temperature, with some of the remaining sauce poured over them.

Spinach-Ravioli Lasagna

I didn’t think this recipe would be as good as it was. But man, is it rich! You can practically feel your arteries clogging up. But it is good. I only used about half the amount of spinach this calls for, and put it on half of the dish (Toby is not a big spinach fan). He tasted part of mine with the spinach and said that he could have handled it. I will remember that for next time! I think I also could make this dish using tomato sauce instead of Alfredo. We enjoyed this with some garlic bread sticks and a green salad.

rating:9

Spinach-Ravioli Lasagna
(from the August 2008 issue of Southern Living magazine)

1 (6-ounce) package fresh baby spinach, thoroughly washed
1/3 cup refrigerated pesto sauce
1 (15-ounce) jar Alfredo sauce
1/4 cup vegetable broth
1 (25-ounce) package frozen cheese-filled ravioli (do not thaw)
1 cup (4-ounces) shredded Italian six-cheese blend
garnishes: chopped fresh basil, paprika

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Chop spinach, and toss with pesto in a medium bowl.
2. Combine Alfredo sauce and vegetable broth. Spoon 1/3 of Alfredo sauce mixture (about 1/2 cup) into a lightly greased 2.2 quart or 11 x 7-inch baking dish. Top with half of spinach mixture. Arrange half of ravioli in a single layer over spinach mixture. Repeat layers once. Top with remaining Alfredo mixture.
3. Bake at 375 degrees F for 30 minutes. Remove from oven, and sprinkle with shredded cheese. Bake 5 minutes or until hot and bubbly. Garnish, if desired.