Risotto with Porcini Mushrooms and Mascarpone

I think this is the second risotto I’ve ever made. I had a few problems with this. First of all, I forgot how you have to constantly stir the risotto while it is cooking, and I didn’t have my ingredients ready to go! Also, once I was at “the end” of stirring in all of my broth mixture, the risotto was still crunchy! I had to get some more broth going ASAP and stir it in. This ended up being VERY RICH but it was ok. I had planned on it being the main dish (along with a salad), but it was so rich, I thought “I can’t eat a big bowl of this!”, so I made some fake-chicken strips to go along with it. That mascarpone was yummy, though.

rating: 7

Risotto with Porcini Mushrooms and Mascarpone
(from www.cookinglight.com)

Ingredients

* 2  cups  boiling water
* 1  cup  dried porcini mushrooms (about 1 ounce)
* 1  (14-ounce) can less-sodium beef broth  (I used a vegetarian “beef” broth)
* Cooking spray
* 1  cup  uncooked Arborio rice
* 3/4  cup  chopped shallots
* 2  garlic cloves, minced
* 1/2  cup  dry white wine
* 1/4  cup  (1 ounce) grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
* 1  tablespoon  chopped fresh thyme
* 1/2  teaspoon  salt
* 1/2  teaspoon  black pepper
* 1/4  cup  (1 ounce) mascarpone cheese
* Fresh thyme leaves (optional)

Preparation

1. Combine 2 cups boiling water and mushrooms; let stand 30 minutes or until soft. Drain through a colander over a bowl. Reserve 1 1/2 cups soaking liquid; chop mushrooms.

2. Bring soaking liquid and broth to a simmer in a small saucepan (do not boil). Keep broth mixture warm.

3. Heat a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add rice, shallots, and garlic; sauté 5 minutes. Add wine, and cook until liquid evaporates (about 2 minutes).

4. Add 1 cup broth mixture to rice mixture; cook over medium heat 5 minutes or until the liquid is nearly absorbed, stirring constantly. Add remaining broth mixture, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring constantly until each portion of the broth mixture is absorbed before adding the next (about 25 minutes total). Add mushrooms, grated cheese, chopped thyme, salt, and pepper; stir gently until cheese melts. Spoon 1 cup risotto into each of 4 bowls. Top each serving with 1 tablespoon mascarpone and thyme leaves, if desired.

 

Bowties and Spicy Broccoli Rabe with Crunchy Crumbs

I always try to have one pasta dish a week (it’s hard keeping it to just one- I love pasta!). I used to be very picky about my pasta shapes…for a while I would only eat angel hair pasta (it’s still my favorite), but have since branched out into other shapes. I didn’t read this recipe close enough when I was making out my grocery list. I have a huge jar of minced garlic in the fridge, but this recipe calls for whole garlic. The head of garlic I have had sitting on my kitchen counter for, oh, 2 years, would have to do. As I started peeling it, I realized it was way past its prime, but I used it anyway. This was my first time using broccoli rabe. I wasn’t quite sure what parts to keep and what parts to trash. It tasted ok, though.  I did leave out the chili (Toby added a shake of cayenne pepper to his). This actually turned out pretty good. Next time I will use more garlic (and fresh garlic!) and maybe use 2 dinner rolls. Those “crunchy crumbs” on top really added a lot. I served this with some cheesy garlic bread and a green salad.

rating: 8.5

Bowties and Spicy Broccoli Rabe with Crunchy Crumbs
(from www.rachaelraymag.com)

Ingredients:

* 1 head garlic, separated into unpeeled cloves and base of each clove trimmed
* 1 bunch broccoli rabe (about 1 1/4 pounds), cut crosswise into 1/2-inch pieces
* 1 pound farfalle (bowtie) pasta
* 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
* Salt and pepper
* 1 red chile, seeded and finely chopped
* 1 dinner roll, finely ground
* 1 pint ricotta cheese

Directions:

1. Fill a large saucepan three-quarters full with water. Add the garlic, bring to a boil and cook for 3 minutes; transfer the garlic to a plate. Reserve the saucepan of boiling water. Once the garlic is cool enough to handle, slip off the skins and halve lengthwise.
2. Add the broccoli rabe to the boiling water and cook until the stems are just tender, about 5 minutes. Drain in a colander, then rinse with cold water until cool.
3. In a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook the pasta until al dente.
4. Meanwhile, in a large nonstick skillet, heat 1/4 cup olive oil over medium heat, add the garlic and cook, stirring, until lightly golden, about 5 minutes. Stir in the reserved broccoli rabe and cook, stirring, until heated through, about 2 minutes; season with salt and pepper. Remove from the heat, stir in the chile and transfer to a medium bowl. Wipe the skillet clean, then add the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil and warm over medium heat. Add 1 1/2 cups of the dinner roll breadcrumbs (reserve any remainder for another use) and cook, stirring, until browned and crisp, 3 to 4 minutes.
5. Drain the pasta, reserving 1/4 cup cooking water, and return to the pot. Stir in the ricotta and reserved pasta water, then the broccoli rabe mixture; season with salt and pepper. Divide among 4 plates and top with the crunchy breadcrumbs.

 

Double-Decker Shepherd’s Pie

Ok, this is the last recipe for a while that I will use Quorn Grounds! LOL. I do love them, but I feel like I’ve been eating them a lot lately. So the most time-consuming part of this recipe is peeling and chopping the potatoes. And waiting for them to boil. I left out the chili, and added some shredded mild cheddar on top for the last 10 minutes of cooking. Everything is better with cheese, right? This was good, although Toby and I both agreed it lacked something. Toby suggested (because he knows about this kind of stuff) that next time I cook the Quorn Grounds in some veggie broth beforehand. Also, I think I will cook the mushrooms a little bit longer. Pretty good, though.

rating: 8.5

Double-Decker Shepherd’s Pie
(from the magazine “Everyday with Rachael Ray)

Ingredients:

* 2 1/2 pounds baking potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
* 1 cup heavy cream
* Salt and pepper
* 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
* One 8-ounce package white mushrooms, caps quartered and stems chopped
* 1 pound lean ground beef
* 1 bunch scallions, green portions thinly sliced, white portions finely chopped
* 1 large poblano chile, seeded and finely chopped

Directions:

1.Position a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat to 425°. In a saucepan, combine the potatoes with salted water to cover by 1 inch. Bring to a boil and cook until tender, 12 to 15 minutes. Drain, reserving 1 cup of the cooking water; return the potatoes to the pot. Mash with the cream until smooth; season with salt.
2.In a large nonstick skillet, heat the olive oil over high heat. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden, about 5 minutes; transfer to a plate. Crumble the beef evenly across the pan and cook, undisturbed, until the liquid cooks off and the meat begins to brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Lower the heat to medium and stir in the finely chopped scallions, the poblano, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper; cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Stir in the reserved mushrooms, 1/4 cup mashed potatoes and the reserved 1 cup cooking water. Lower the heat and simmer until the juices are thickened, about 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
3.Spread slightly more than half of the potatoes evenly in a greased 9-by-11-inch baking dish. Spoon the meat mixture evenly on top, then spoon the remaining mashed potatoes evenly across the filling to enclose. Bake until lightly golden, 20 to 25 minutes. Sprinkle with the sliced scallions; let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

 

Mexican Casserole

I sure have been using a lot of Quorn Grounds lately. They are really my favorite ground beef substitute. And here’s another great recipe from Cooking Light magazine! This is another quick and relatively easy recipe to throw together. I was out of chili powder, and was worried that would mess the dish up, but it didn’t. I think the real secret ingredient of this dish is the tiny amount of lime juice! It really adds a special something. To me this taste a little like I remember Nachos Bel Grande tasting at Taco Bell. Really good.

rating: 9
Mexican Casserole
(from Cooking Light magazine)
Ingredients

* 4  teaspoons  olive oil, divided
* 1  cup  chopped onion
* 2  garlic cloves, minced
* 1  jalapeño pepper, minced (I omitted)
* 1  teaspoon  chili powder (I omitted)
* 1/2  teaspoon  ground cumin
* 1/4  teaspoon  freshly ground black pepper
* 1  (12-ounce) package meatless fat-free crumbles (such as Lightlife Smart Ground)- I used 1 bag of Quorn Grounds
* 48  baked tortilla chips
* Cooking spray
* 1  (15-ounce) can pinto beans, rinsed and drained
* 1  tablespoon  fresh lime juice
* 2  cups  chopped seeded plum tomato
* 2  tablespoons  minced fresh cilantro (I omitted)
* 1/4  teaspoon  salt
* 1  cup  (4 ounces) shredded Monterey Jack cheese
* 2  tablespoons  fat-free sour cream
* 2  tablespoons  chopped green onions (I omitted)
* 1/4  cup  sliced ripe olives

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 375°.

2. Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add onion to pan; cook 4 minutes or until tender. Add garlic and jalapeño; cook 1 minute. Stir in chili powder, cumin, black pepper, and crumbles; cook 3 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Arrange half of tortilla chips in an 11 x 7–inch baking dish coated with cooking spray; top evenly with crumbles mixture.
3. Heat remaining 2 teaspoons oil in skillet over medium heat. Add beans, mashing with the back of a wooden spoon until chunky and thick; cook 2 minutes or until heated, stirring constantly. Stir in lime juice.
4. Combine tomato, cilantro, and salt. Layer beans and tomato mixture over crumbles mixture in dish. Top with remaining tortilla chips, pressing to slightly crush. Sprinkle evenly with cheese. Bake at 375° for 13 minutes or until cheese is bubbly. Cut casserole into 6 equal pieces; top each serving with 1 teaspoon sour cream, 1 teaspoon onions, and 2 teaspoons olives.

 

Spanish Spaghetti with Olives

I am so glad I subscribed to Cooking Light magazine. I have found so many good recipes there! Like this one! My only problem with this recipe is that I made too much pasta. I can never figure out how much to cook! Anyone else have that problem? This recipe came together really quickly, and everyone liked it. I think next time I will add more capers and more olives (Liam loves olives, so Toby and I were picking through our pasta and giving our olives to him!). This one is a keeper! I served this with some garlic bread.

PS: I was going to use saffron, and when I went to buy it I found 2 different brands, but they were both $15+. I need to find a cheaper source of saffron!

rating: 9.5

Spanish Spaghetti with Olives
(from www.cookinglight.com)

Ingredients

* 8  ounces  thin spaghetti
* 1  tablespoon  olive oil
* 2  cups  chopped onion
* 2  teaspoons  minced garlic
* 1  teaspoon  dried oregano
* 1/2  teaspoon  celery salt (I used celery seed and some salt)
* 1/4  teaspoon  crushed red pepper
* 1/4  teaspoon  freshly ground black pepper
* 1/4  teaspoon  crushed saffron threads (optional)- I omitted
* 8  ounces  extra-lean ground beef (I used 1 bag of Quorn Grounds)
* 1 2/3  cups  marinara sauce
* 1/2  cup  sliced pimiento-stuffed olives
* 1/4  cup  dry sherry
* 1  tablespoon  capers
* 1/4  cup  chopped fresh parsley, divided (I omitted)

Preparation

1. Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat; drain.

2. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion to pan; sauté 4 minutes or until tender. Add garlic; sauté 1 minute. Stir in oregano, celery salt, red pepper, black pepper, and saffron, if desired. Crumble beef into pan; cook 5 minutes or until beef is browned, stirring to crumble. Stir in marinara sauce, olives, sherry, capers, and 3 tablespoons parsley. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes.

3. Add spaghetti to sauce mixture. Cook 2 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Sprinkle with remaining 1 tablespoon parsley.

 

Big-batch Vegetarian Lentil Chili

As far as veggie chili goes, I have always used the mix made by some company (dang, can’t remember the name), and you just add diced tomatoes and kidney beans and voila. I’ve never made it from scratch before. The hardest thing about this recipe is opening those 6 cans with a manual can opener! Oy! After the 30 minutes, my lentils were still a little crunchy, so I cooked it about 10 minutes more. Also, I ran out of chili powder and didn’t add the full 1/4 cup (note to self: put chili powder on the grocery list). I topped mine with some shredded cheese and a dollop of sour cream, and then used big tortilla chips as the spoon! This was pretty good! When Toby started eating it, he thought the lentils were either TVP or barley! The lentils do add a little bit of a meaty texture. Liam liked his too, and asked for more beans. Yes, Toby put hot sauce in his. Oh, so this recipe gave 4 bowls-full (Toby had 2 servings), and then I froze 3 containers full of it.

rating: 9

Big-batch Vegetarian Lentil Chili
(from Better Homes & Gardens magazine)

4 14.5-ounce cans diced tomatoes
2 15-ounce cans red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 12-ounce package frozen chopped green peppers (I used 1 fresh green pepper)
1 12-ounce package frozen chopped onions (I used 1 fresh onion)
2 cups dry red lentils, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup chili powder
2 tbsp garlic powder
1 8-ounce can tomato sauce
1 6-ounce can tomato paste
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese (4 ounces)
tortilla chips (optional)

1. In 8-qt. Dutch oven, combine undrained tomatoes, rinse and drained beans, 3 cups water, green peppers, onions, dry lentils, chili powder, and garlic powder. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, covered, 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
2. Stir in tomato sauce, tomato paste, and 1/8 tsp black pepper; heat through. Serve with shredded cheese and tortilla chips. Store leftovers, covered, in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Or divide among 1-qt. freezer containers and freeze for up to 3 months.

 

Peanut “Chicken”

I got this recipe from the “Take Five” section of Rachael Ray’s magazine. This is where a reader sends in a recipe that only has 5 ingredients. This one sounded too simple to be good, but I was game. You know what? This is actually really good! How can peanut butter and water make a good sauce?! I wish I had made MORE sauce. I think I will do that next time. And I think I made too much rice. But, whatever, it was really good! And Toby said that he even liked the carrots! Score!

rating: 9

Peanut Chicken
(from the Take Five section from Everyday with Rachael Ray magazine)

2/3 cup chunky peanut butter
1 pound cubed boneless chicken breast (I used 1 bag of Quorn Tenders)
1 cup shredded carrots
1 bunch scallions
brown rice (I used white)

also: water, 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, salt and pepper

In a small bowl, whisk together 3/4 cup water and the peanut butter. In a large skillet, heat 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the chicken, patted dry, and cook until no longer pink, 3-4 minutes. Transfer to a plate. In the same skillet, cook the carrots and 1/2 cup chopped scallion whites over medium heat for 30 seconds. Stir in the peanut butter mixture. Return the chicken and its juices to the pan and cook, stirring, until heated through; season with salt and pepper. Top with 1/4 cup chopped scallion greens and served with cooked brown rice.

 

Red Onion, Potato, and Goat Cheese Pizza

I am a pizza snob. I never make pizza at home. Why? See sentence number one. I saw this recipe and saved it, knowing that I would never make it. But last weekend when I had time to actually LOOK at stuff in the grocery store, I saw some refrigerated pizza dough, and thought, hmmmmm. So I bought it. And then I came across this recipe again, and decided to give it a shot. I have to confess: Dough scares me. There, I’ve said it. Any kind of dough. But this pizza dough (it came in a can, like biscuits do) was very easy to work with. I rolled it out a little and then put it on my cookie sheet, then kind of pressed the sides and corners in really well. This turned out really well! And it didn’t take that long to make at all! I think I could totally keep one of these doughs in the fridge for a quick dinner! I totally forgot to add the garlic, and I just skipped the thyme. I thought this was really good. Toby said “it isn’t bad”. Is that a compliment? Liam picked all of the goat cheese off of his piece. For the potatoes, I used a mixed bag of fingerlings, and there were some purple ones, so that’s what you are seeing in the pic. With this, we had a nice little salad.

rating: 8.5

Red Onion, Potato, and Goat Cheese Pizza
(from the Nov. 2009 issue of Cooking Light magazine)

Ingredients

* 7  ounces  fingerling potatoes (about 5 potatoes)
* 1  teaspoon  olive oil
* 1  medium red onion, cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices
* 1  (13.8-ounce) can refrigerated pizza crust dough
* 2  tablespoons  cornmeal
* 1  cup  (4 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
* 3/4  cup  (3 ounces) crumbled goat cheese
* 1  garlic clove, minced
* 1 1/2  teaspoons  fresh thyme leaves

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 450°.

2. Place potatoes in a saucepan; cover with water. Bring to a boil. Cook 10 minutes or until just tender; drain. Cool slightly; cut potatoes crosswise into 1/4-inch slices.

3. Heat olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion to pan, and sauté 8 minutes or until tender.

4. Roll dough out on a lightly floured surface to a 14 x 10–inch rectangle. Sprinkle cornmeal over a large baking sheet; place dough on baking sheet. Sprinkle mozzarella evenly over dough. Arrange potatoes and onion over mozzarella; top evenly with goat cheese and garlic. Bake in lower third of oven at 450° for 15 minutes or until browned. Sprinkle with thyme; cut into 12 pieces.

 

“Chicken” Stroganoff

Wow, this recipe was really good and even BETTER the next day! I chose to serve it over toast (I bought white bread for the first time in years), and am glad I did. Even Liam liked it. I wasn’t sure how Toby would like the green peppers (he seems to only like them when they are tiny tiny), but he pronounced this dish “really good.”. The first bite I took, I thought, “is this too white winey?” But nope, it wasn’t. In the recipe, it says to save the liquid that comes out of the veggies, once they are cooked. Well, I didn’t have any, and it still came out just fine. With this I served a salad.

Chicken Stroganoff
(from www.realsimple.com)

Ingredients

* 2 tablespoons olive oil
* 3 medium yellow onions, thinly sliced into rings (I used 2 onions)
* 1 green pepper, seeded and thinly sliced
* 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
* 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
* 8 ounces (15 medium) button mushrooms, thinly sliced
* 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2-inch-thick strips (I used 1 bag of Morningstar Farms Chick’n Strips)
* 1 cup dry white wine
* 1 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth (I used vegetarian Chicken broth)
* 2 tablespoons barbecue sauce
* 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce (I used vegetarian Worcestershire)
* 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
* 1 teaspoon hot sauce (I omitted)
* 1/2 cup sour cream

Directions

1. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring frequently, until soft, about 8 minutes. Add the green pepper, 1/2 teaspoon of the salt, 1/4 teaspoon of the pepper, and the mushrooms. Continue cooking until the mushrooms give up their liquid, about 6 minutes, and are tender.
2. Place the vegetables in a colander, reserving both vegetables and liquid. You should have about 1/2 cup of liquid.
3. Return pan to heat and add the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil. Season the chicken with the remaining 1 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper. Cook the chicken in batches until golden brown and cooked through, about 5 minutes. Add it to the vegetables.
4. Pour the wine, broth, and vegetable liquid into the pan and bring to a boil. With a wooden spoon, loosen any brown bits stuck to the pan and let cook in the sauce.
5. Add the barbecue sauce, Worcestershire, mustard, and hot sauce. Whisk until smooth. Boil until the liquid has reduced by half, to about 1 1/2 cups. The liquid should thicken slightly.
6. Reduce heat and whisk in the sour cream. Do not let the sauce boil. Return the vegetables and chicken to the pan and simmer until heated through. Serve over rice, pasta, or toast.

 

Coconut Curry Butternut Squash Soup

Whew! That’s a mouthful! My friend Linda has been raving about this soup, so I decided it was time to give it a whirl. You want to know something funny? Toby hates squash of all kinds, yet loves Butternut Squash Soup. Weird. So Linda suggested that instead of doing the whole squash thing that it’s much easier to buy the squash already cut up and diced. Genius! So that’s what I did, and once the squash was finished roasting, I stood there at the stove and ate chunk after chunk of roasted squash. SO good. Screw Toby, I am going to start buying this pre-cut squash regularly, and Liam and I can eat it. It’s just too delicious NOT to.  So for this recipe I used LITE coconut milk instead of the regular, I left out the cayenne, and I totally spaced on the lemon juice at the end. This was REALLY good, and I am glad I had some left over the next day for lunch. I, again, used my handy-dandy immersion blender (when are you going to break down and buy one??). With this we had some warm crusty bread. And to quote Liam, this soup is “yummy yummy.”

rating: 9.2

Coconut Curry Butternut Squash Soup
(from http://noteatingoutinny.com)

(makes about 6 servings)

about 2 lb butternut squash (or substitute with acorn squash, delicata squash, pumpkin, etc.)
1 large onion, chopped
1 ripe tomato, chopped
1 small clove garlic, minced
2 cups vegetable stock
1 can coconut milk (I used Lite)
2 teaspoons curry powder
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional, or more, to taste)
salt and pepper to taste
2-3 teaspoons fresh lemon juice (I forgot)
2-3 tablespoons vegetable oil

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Slice the squash in half and scoop out the seeds and pulp with a spoon. Save for another use or discard. Spread about 1 tablespoon vegetable oil on the bottom of a roasting tray and place the squash halves cut side-down on the tray. Roast for about 30 minutes, or until the flesh feels soft when poked and it has shrunken away from the skins a bit. Flip over and let cool. Once cool enough to handle, scoop out all the flesh and reserve in a bowl.

Meanwhile, heat a heavy-bottomed pot with another tablespoon or so of vegetable oil and sweat the onions over medium-low heat. Season with salt and pepper and cook until translucent, about 8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the curry powder, optional cayenne, chopped tomato and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, another 4-5 minutes. Add the roasted squash, coconut milk and vegetable stock. Stir to combine thoroughly and bring just to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook, covered, for about 20 minutes or so. Using a hand blender, puree the soup to a smooth consistency (this can also be done by transferring the soup in batches to a food processor or blender). Taste for seasoning. Add additional stock or coconut milk if it’s too thick to your liking. Once the soup is to preferred taste and consistency, stir in the lemon juice to taste and serve.