Brussels sprout and potato frittatas

From Eating Well...


I adapted it to make two frittatas instead -- I halved everything except the veggies -- we had some leftover, but I liked the more veggie-than-egg consistency.

Ingredients


1Tbs EVOO
2c refrigerated pre-shredded potatoes
8oz brussels sprouts, trimmed and thinly sliced (about 2 c)
1/2c chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
16oz container egg beaters
1/3c grated Parmesan cheese
1/4c low fat milk
2tsp dried thyme
1/2tsp salt
1/2tsp pepper

Directions


1. Preheat oven to 400. Coat 4 10oz ovenproof ramekins with cooking spray and place on a baking sheet.
2. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Add potatoes, brussels sprouts, onion, and garlic. Cook, stirring, until softened and beginning to brown, about 6 minutes. Divide the mixture among the prepared ramekins.
3. Whisk egg substitute, cheese, milk, thyme, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl. Pour the egg mixture over the potato mixture and gently stir to combine.
4. Transfer the baking sheet to the oven. Bake until the eggs are set and an instant read thermometer inserted into a frittata registers 160, about 35 minutes.

Triple Mustard Salmon

This recipe is from my latest issue of Food and Wine and it is definitely a new favorite. I wasn't sure how it would turn out (too mustard-y? too bland?) but it is a perfect balance of flavors, and has an amazing crisp texture on the outside and soft warm wonderful fresh salmon goodness on the inside. I had to make a few tweaks from the orginal recipe (I think there may have been some errors with theirs...), and they are incorporated below.
This is also super fast and easy -- will definitely be doing this one again and again.

Ingredients
3 tablespoons toasted wheat germ
1 tablespoon yellow mustard seeds, crushed
2 6-8 ounce skinless salmon fillets
Salt and freshly ground pepper
2 1/2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 1/2 teaspoons dry mustard
1 tablespoon canola oil (or a healthy dose of Pam)

Directions

1. In a shallow dish, combine the wheat germ and mustard seeds. Season the salmon fillets with salt and pepper. In a bowl, blend the Dijon mustard with the dry mustard and spread it over each side of the fillets. Dip the fillets in the wheat germ mixture one side at a time until thickly coated.
2. In a nonstick skillet, heat the oil until shimmering. Add the fillets, crust side down, and cook over moderately high heat until browned and crisp, 3 minutes. Turn the fillets and cook over moderate heat until barely cooked in the center, 3 minutes longer. Transfer the salmon to plates and serve crust side up.

Vegan Roasted Brussels Sprouts, Butternut Squash and Apple With Candied Walnuts

I adapted this from The Temporary Vegetarian column in the NYT.
Next time around I would put all of the cut produce in a much larger baking area so that they could all slightly char and crisp without getting mushy from surrounding veggies.
Aside from that minor texture issues in a couple of spots, I thought the taste of this was wonderful. (Oh and if you're hungry (read: pigs like us) and thinking this will serve two people as a main dish...you might want to double it -- we definitely wanted a bit more.)

Ingredients

* 1 1/2 cups brussels sprouts, trimmed, halved
* 2 cups butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1-inch asymmetrical chunks
* 2 cups (about 1 large) Honeycrisp, Cortland, or Granny Smith apple, cored and cut into 1-inch asymmetrical chunks
* 1 shallot, cut crosswise into 1/4-inch slices
* 2 tablespoons olive oil (or Pam if you want to omit some fat/calories)
* 5 fresh sage leaves
* Salt and freshly ground pepper
* 1/2 tablespoon maple syrup
Candied walnuts
Craisens/dried cranberries

Method

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a large, shallow, baking dish, toss the brussels sprouts, butternut squash, apple and shallot with olive oil and sage leaves. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Bake without stirring until vegetables and apple are wrinkled, slightly brown, and the edges of the squash are beginning to crisp, 45 minutes to 1 hour.
2. Remove vegetables from oven, drizzle with maple syrup and sprinkle with 2 to 3 tablespoons of halved or roughly crumbled walnut pieces and 2 to 3 tablespoons of craisens. Return to oven for about 5 minutes, then serve.

Chicken Paprikash

This was based on a NYT "What we're reading" posting, so I won't blame the NYT that it wasn't as good as I thought it might be. The only reason I bother writing it up then, is that I am sure with a few minor tweaks next time, it could be good. Changes that I will make next time are included below, and all reflect an effort to spike the flavor in a few ways -- there was nothing bad about the original...it just seemed a bit bland. Thus, enter more salt, pepper, garlic, and some red pepper.

3 pounds skinless chicken breasts

Salt and pepper(a lot)

2 onions , chopped fine

2 red bell peppers , stemmed, seeded, and sliced thin

3 garlic cloves , minced

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1/4 cup high-quality (could be smoked, sweet, whatever you like) paprika

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (optional, and to taste...if you want a little heat)

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 cup low-sodium chicken broth

3/4 cup fat free greek yogurt (optional; only if you want a creamy sauce)

1. Pat chicken dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Place in slowcooker.

2. Pile in onions and peppers, stir in garlic, tomato paste, paprika, pepper, broth, and flour and cook 4 hours on high, 6 hours on low.

3. Turn off heat, stir in yogurt (or sour cream) until incorporated and season with salt and pepper. Serve.

Pulled Pork with Caramelized Onions

My mom made this recipe when I was last home to visit and it was so good I decided to give it a shot. It has a great spicy undertone and the extra step of caramelizing the onions first made a big difference (even if I'm not sure that we'll ever clear the onion smell from our house now!)

I also realized while making this that I've never cooked with huge piece of butcher-cut raw pork before, and to be honest, de-fatting it was a little gross, but worth it.

Ingredients

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

3 large onions, thinly sliced

1/3 cup raw cane sugar, such as Demerara or turbinado

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup cider vinegar

1 cup chili sauce (I used a southwest red chili sauce from Whole foods)

4-5 tsp minced chipotle chile in adobo sauce (I increased this substantially from the original recipe)

3 pounds boneless pork shoulder or blade (butt) roast, trimmed

Directions

1. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until they begin to soften, 3 to 6 minutes. Add sugar and continue to cook, stirring constantly, until the onions are golden brown, 6 to 8 minutes more. Add garlic, oregano, pepper, and salt and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add vinegar and bring to a boil. Cook until mostly evaporated, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Remove from the heat and stir in chili sauce and chipotle to taste.

2. Place pork in a 4-quart (or larger) slow cooker and cover with the sauce. Cover and cook until the pork is almost falling apart, about 4 hours on High or 8 hours on Low.

3. Transfer the pork to a cutting board and shred using two forks. Stir back into the sauce.

(Can be made ahead and frozen as well)

Chickpeas in Spicy Tomato Gravy

I got this recipe from my first issue of Food and Wine, and was at first disappointed. It seems that the picture they post is either not the photo that corresponds to the recipe, or the recipe was wrong. Either way, I doctored it up, fixed some issues with their instructions, and now deem it delicious :)

It is actually incredibly fast to make (you can also make ahead and let it simmer in the slow cooker on low for few hours at least), and very healthy. Oh and pretty spicy too -- yogurt helps!

Ingredients

8 garlic cloves, chopped
2 jalapeños, chopped
One 2-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and chopped

3 onions, cut into 1/4-inch dice
2 tablespoons ground cumin
1 tablespoon ground coriander
1 tablespoon paprika
3/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Two 15-ounce cans diced tomatoes
Two 15-ounce cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
2 cups water
Salt
2 tablespoons cilantro leaves

Instructions

1. In a mini food processor, combine the garlic, jalapeños and ginger and process to a paste. (If your food processor is not small enough and doesn't reach everything enough to really get a paste don't worry about; just do the best you can.) Drain 1 can of tomatoes and add to the food processor, process til smooth.

2. In a large lightly oiled/pam'ed nonstick skillet, heat the pan to medium heat, add the onions and cook over moderately high heat until sizzling, about 3 minutes. Reduce the heat to moderate and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are browned, about 7 minutes.

3. Add the garlic/ginger/jalapeno/tomato blend and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add the cumin, coriander, paprika, and cayenne and cook, stirring, for 1 minute.

4. Add the remaining can of tomatoes and simmer over moderate heat until thickened, about 6 minutes.

5. Add the chickpeas and water and simmer until the chickpeas are flavored with the gravy, about 8 minutes. (May need to go longer to really thicken up the "gravy").

6. Season the chickpeas with salt, garnish with the cilantro and serve with naan and plain greek yogurt.

Broccoli Panzanella with Walnut Sauce and Basil

I adapted this recipe from the NYT -- my main changes were to reduce the olive oil and exhange about 2/3 of it with water...which I probably shouldn't have done, as it turned out a bit dry. I'll post it below with the original amounts, as that's what I'll follow next time.
Turned out tasty still though, and the roasted broccoli had an awesome nutty, roasted kick to it.

Ingredients

For the broccoli:

• 12 ounces broccoli, florets cut into pieces 1 inch in length and stem peeled and cut into pieces 1 inch in length and 1/2 inch thick
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large clove garlic, minced (I used more)
  
• 1 pinch red pepper flakes (I used more)
  
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the walnut sauce:

• 1/2 cup walnut pieces, toasted
• 1 large clove garlic, minced (I used 2-3x this amount)
  
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 pinch finely grated lemon zest (I used a tsp of lemon juice)
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

For assembly:

• One-day-old baguette, crust discarded and remaining cut into 3/4 inch to 1-inch dice
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice, or to taste
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup julienned basil leaves (I used more, about 1/2 cup)
  
• Parmigiano-Reggiano shavings, optional.

Method

• 1. For the broccoli: Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a mixing bowl, combine the broccoli, olive oil, garlic and red pepper flakes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Spread across a baking sheet or shallow roasting pan, and roast until the broccoli is crisp-tender, and is beginning to brown, 15 to 20 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare walnut sauce.
• 2. For the walnut sauce: In a dry skillet or toaster oven, toast the walnut pieces until fragrant and lightly browned. Place in a blender with garlic, olive oil and lemon zest. Blend until smooth, adding just enough water to make a thick yet pourable sauce. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
• 3. For assembly: Spread the diced bread on a baking sheet (I sprayed the bread pieces w/ Pam butter spray and sprinkled them garlic salt) and bake until crisp and golden, 5 to 10 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and add lemon juice, olive oil, and salt and pepper to taste. Add broccoli (there should be equal parts broccoli to bread), and mix lightly.
• 4. On a serving platter or in a shallow bowl, spread the walnut sauce and pile the broccoli and panzanella on top. Garnish with julienned basil and, if desired, shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano.

Slow-Cooker Mayan Harvest Bake

This recipe is adapted somewhat liberally from Hungry Girl's take on the Kashi Mayan Harvest Bake frozen meal. Even though I added some ingredients back to this, it's still a very healthy dish, and definitely perfectly suited for the cooler fall and winter months ahead. Plus, it makes a ton, so you'll have lots of leftovers as a reward for all of your veggie-chopping efforts.

Ingredients:
2 cups cubed butternut squash (about half a squash)
1 medium sweet potato, cubed
1 large eggplant, stem removed, and cubed
1/2 head of cabbage, cored and cut in chunks
1 zucchini, sliced into 1/4-inch coins
1 large onion, chopped
1 cup chopped carrots
1 15-oz can of black beans
One 15-oz. can pure pumpkin
One 6-oz. can tomato paste
2 tbsp. brown sugar
2 tsp. chopped garlic
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt, or more to taste
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper, or more to taste
1/2 tsp. ground ginger, or more to taste
1/2 tsp. ground cumin, or more to taste
1/2 tsp. chili powder, or more to taste
1/2 cup plantain chips
1/4 cup roasted, salted pumpkin seeds

10-12 1/2-inch thick slices of polenta

Directions:
Place all cut veggies in an extra-large bowl and set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine all other ingredients and thoroughly mix. Spoon this mixture over the veggies and stir to coat.

Transfer mixture to a crock pot with a capacity of four quarts or more. If needed, pack it in tightly. (It will cook down*)

Cover and cook on high for 3 - 4 hours or on low for 7 - 8 hours, until veggies are very tender.

With about 1 hour left before serving, layer polenta slices on top of veggies and sprinkle with salt and pepper (could also eat this without polenta, or perhaps on top of some cornbread instead)

*While the veggie juices will squeeze out while cooking, if after a few hours, you feel like there is not enough liquid or that things are drying out, try adding a little more water, more pumpkin, or even a little unsweetened applesauce to keep things juicy.

Stir well and serve, topping with additional pumpkin seeds if desired.

MAKES 10 SERVINGS

Tomato Basil Pie

This is a blend of various tomato pie recipes found online -- it turned out really well (Scott and I each ate a half for dinner...so much for leftovers!), and was a good way to use up a lot of the Roma tomatoes that keep exploding out of the garden.

Ingredients:
1 9-inch pie crust

10 Roma tomatoes + 2-3 other types as desired (I mixed in various heirlooms), sliced1 small onion, sliced as thinly as possible
15 basil leaves, torn/chopped
1/2 cup mayo (I used SmartBalance's olive oil mayo)
1/2 cup cheddar cheese (for my healthier/less lactose version I replaced this with fat free cottage cheese)
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
salt, pepper, garlic salt, and red pepper flakes, to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Place the tomatoes in a colander in the sink in 1 layer. Sprinkle with salt and allow to drain for 10 minutes.

Layer the tomato slices, basil, and onion in pie shell. Season with salt and pepper. Combine the cheeses and mayonnaise together; add in more salt/pepper/garlic salt/red pepper flakes. Spread mixture on top of the tomatoes (it won't cover everything) and bake for 30 minutes or until lightly browned.

To serve, cut into slices and serve warm. (Also good cold the next day!)

Layered Veggie Torte

More of a method than an actual recipe, this was inspired by this write-up in The Minimalist.
The veggies below are what we had on hand from the garden (see below!), but I can think of dozens of other additions that would be great as well.
I decreased some of the butter/oil that would have been good and instead slathered on some of the creamy pesto from last week.It turned out really well, and since we had grilled all the veggies the night before, it was easy to pop in the oven for 30min tonight.

Ingredients:
1 large eggplant, cut into 1/4-inch slices
4 medium zucchini or yellow squash, cut into 1/4-inch slices
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
5-10 small/medium tomatoes, cut into 1/4-inch slices
garlic salt, to taste
1 cup coarsely chopped fresh basil leaves
1 cup baby spinach1/4 cup (or less) freshly grated Parmesan
1/3 cup panko bread crumbs

1. Brush eggplant, zucchini and tomatoes lightly with oil (or cooking spray) and sprinkle with salt, garlic salt, and pepper; if roasting, grease 2 baking sheets with oil. Roast or grill vegetables on both sides until soft.

2. Heat oven to 400 degrees. Coat bottom and sides of 8-inch springform pan with oil/cooking spray. Layer a third of the eggplant slices into bottom of the pan, then layer in half the zucchini, tomato, spinach and basil, sprinkling each layer with a bit of salt and pepper. Repeat layers until all vegetable are used. Press the top with a spatula or spoon to make the torte as compact as possible. Sprinkle top with Parmesan and bread crumbs, and drizzle with about 1 tablespoon oil or melted butter if desired.

3. Bake torte in oven until hot throughout and browned on top, about 30 minutes (may need to set oven to broil at the very end). Let sit for 5 minutes before removing outer ring of pan, then let cool for another 10 minutes before cutting into wedges.

Yield: 4 to 6 servings (ha, or 2 if you're Scott and I)

Creamy, Cheesy, Healthy Pesto

Saw this today in the NY Times Recipes for Health column, and after just a few modifications, oh wow is it good!
We have tons of basil in the garden that needs to be harvested so this was perfect timing.
Our basil is spicy, and with the addition of a healthy load of black pepper, so is this creamy pesto.
Because all the creamy agents are fat-free, this stays pretty healthy, and as we learned tonight, is amazing smeared on top of some pan fried tomatoes (which are also exploding from the garden) or really any type of veggie or pasta (shown above with a layered veggie torte) -- highly recommend this one!

4 plump garlic cloves, halved, green shoots removed
3/4 cup fresh basil leaves, packed
1 cup nonfat cottage cheese
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste (I used a good amount of both)
1 tablespoon plain nonfat yogurt (I used Fage 0%)
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan

1. Turn on a food processor fitted with the steel blade, and drop in the garlic. When the garlic is chopped and adhering to the sides of the bowl, stop the machine and scrape down the bowl with a spatula. Add the basil, and process until finely chopped. Stop the machine, and scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the remaining ingredients, and process until smooth and creamy. Serve with pasta, or as a dip or spread.

Yield: Makes 1 heaped cup (about 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons).
Advance preparation: This will keep for a couple of days in the refrigerator. It will become more pungent, however, and the green will fade.

Nutritional information per 2-tablespoon serving (using fat-free cottage cheese): 43 calories; 2 grams fat; 1 gram saturated fat; 3 milligrams cholesterol; 2 grams carbohydrates; 0 grams dietary fiber; 131 milligrams sodium (does not include salt added during preparation); 4 grams protein

Chickpea Tagine With Chicken and Apricots

This is another weekend recipe from Mark Bittman's The Minimalist column.
This turned out wonderfully, and I'll definitely be making it again with some twists.
I followed the recipe pretty closely, though substituted chicken breasts for the legs, and also added a significant amount of heat with some cayenne pepper and red pepper flakes.
He recommends using the recipe as a basic template, but following it as is is a pretty good too!

2 tablespoons olive oil (I only used 1 Tbsp and some Pam)
4 skinless chicken thighs (I used skinless boneless breasts)
1 large onion, chopped
1 tablespoon minced garlic (used a little more...)
1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
1 1/2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)
1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
1/2 cup chopped dried apricots
1 cup chopped tomato (fresh or canned or boxed, with juice)
2 cups cooked or canned chickpeas, drained, with the liquid reserved
1 to 2 cups chicken stock, bean liquid or water, or more as needed
1/2 cup couscous
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley, for garnish.

1. Put oil in a large, deep pot over medium-high heat. When oil is shimmering, add chicken and brown well on both sides; remove from pan and set aside. Reduce heat to medium, add onion to the pan and cook until soft, about 5 minutes; add garlic, ginger, coriander, cumin, cinnamon, dried apricots and tomato. Cook and stir just long enough to loosen any brown bits from bottom of pan.
2. Add chickpeas and 1 cup of stock or bean liquid to the pan and turn heat back to medium-high. When mixture reaches a gentle bubble, return chicken to the pan. Cover pot, turn heat to low and cook, checking occasionally to make sure the mixture is bubbling gently, for about 15 minutes or until tomatoes break down and flavors begin to meld. Stir in couscous, adding more stock if necessary so that the mixture is covered with about an inch of liquid. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Cover and cook until the chicken and bulgur are both done, about 10 to 15 minutes. Taste, adjust the seasonings and serve in bowls garnished with parsley.
Yield: 4 servings.

"Red Chicken"

To help with our friends' Caroline and Stephen's new-baby transition, we brought them some dinner this weekend and I want to post the recipes here because all are easy and all turned out pretty tasty!
First up, my mom's "red chicken" recipe:

Skinless, boneless chicken breasts (~4-5 medium sized)

Sauce:
1/2 cup ketchup
1/2 cup sherry wine
1/2 cup water
1 medium onion, minced
1 Tbsp worcester sauce
2 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp lemon juice
2 Tbsp brown sugar

Brown chicken and transfer to a roasting pan (corningware casserole, 8x8 pan, etc)
Combine sauce ingredients in saucepan and heat to a simmer.
Pour over chicken and bake ~45min at 325.