Pesto

Pesto is an amazing, quick and easy sauce to make.  You can use it in dips, on pasta or as an addition to soups.  I make my pesto in a food processor and typically freeze what I did not use.  Typically pesto is made with pine nuts, but last year I had a bad case of pine mouth, and now I DO NOT eat pine nuts.  Eating is to important to me to risk having an awful taste in my mouth. I toasted the walnuts in the microwave. 

The Ingredients

2 cups basil leaves

1/4 cup walnuts, toasted

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

3 cloves of garlic, crushed

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

The Tools

a food processor

The Making

 Place the basil, walnuts, cheese, and garlic in the food processor

While the processor run, pour the oil in the top until the sauce is formed.  

If you are using the pesto over pasta you may want to reserve some of the pasta water to loosen up the pesto. 

 Recipe source: my brain (insert evil laughter here)

Nutritional information is per serving,  and there are 8, 2-tablespoon servings in this recipe.

Calories: 107

Protein: 3 grams

Fat: 11 grams

Sodium: 75 mgs

Fiber: 0

Potassium: 0

Asian Lettuce Cups

I have made these before and shared the recipe with you here on blog.  This time I took the some photos of the entire process and I thought I would reshare the recipe.  

I apologize for my lake of posting lately.  I was ill for a while, and I got behind on cooking; and then we went through a phase were I need to cook really quick recipes and I did not have time for photography.  

And NOW blogger has changed it's format and my poor old brain is not liking this AT ALL.  

Ingredients

1 1/2 tablespoon sesame oil
3 cups sliced shitake mushrooms

1 (8 ounce) package of faux chicken
1 clove garlic, minced
1 (8 ounce) can sliced water chestnuts, drained and coarsely chopped
1 cup carrot peelings
1/4 cup unsalted dry roasted peanuts
3 tablespoons hoisin sauce
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
2 teaspoons Sriracha sauce (the Rooster stuff~yum)
12 Boston lettuce leaves, cleaned

The Tools

large skillet

small bowl

The Cooking

 Warm the sesame oil over medium heat in a large skillet, and add the mushrooms

Add the faux chicken and continue cooking

Add the garlic and cook until fragrant

Add the shredded carrots, the water chestnuts and the peanuts, and continue cooking

Combine together the hoison sauce, the soy sauce, the rice wine vinegar, and the siracha sauce together and add it to the mushroom mixture in the skillet

Bring to a slight simmer and cook until all the ingredients are warm and the flavors are well combined

Serve warm on a nice leaf of butter lettuce

Recipe source: My BRAIN!!!

Recipe serves four, with two lettuce leaves and 1 cup of filling as a serving

Calories: 236

Protein: 11

Fat Grams: 10

Sodium: 886

Fiber Grams: 4

Potassium: 420

Deep Fried Falafel

I know, I know.  This is what, my third Falafel recipe?  But, this one is different.  I swear.  This time, I got brave and I fried the Falafel.  While this may not be the healthiest way to make anything it certain turned out to the best Falafel I have ever made or eaten, for that matter.  This time the Falefal balls did not seem so heavy.  I did not expect that they would be so light and delicate on the insides, especially given that they were deep fried.  Heck, I did not expect the recipe to turn out at all, as this is the first time I have ever deep fried, anything, ever.  Attempt to contain your shock.  Yes, I am from the South and I have never deep fried anything, EVER.  I should probably have to turn in my accent or something.  

I went into this largely blind, with only the barest of knowledge on how to deep fry.  Thankfully I used to religiously watch the Alton Brown show, Good Eats, or I would have completely lost.  I simply used a large saucepan, with the candy/frying thermometer attached to the side and off I went.  It is important to note that once your drop something into the oil the temperature of the oil drops (thanks Alton for explaining this), so you will need to give it a chance to come back up between batches. Once you got this down the most important thing is safety.  If you are using a gas range, watch the flame and for everyone watch the splatter.  Keep the kids out the kitchen and be prepared to clean the entire cooktop when you are done.  

The Ingredients

For the Inside

6 cups canned garbanzo beans, drained

1 red onion, diced

3 garlic cloves, crushed

3 1/2 ounces plain Panko bread crumbs

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1/2 teaspoon turmeric

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

For the Coating

1 egg, beaten

1 cup plain Panko bread crumbs

For the Frying

Enough oil to fill your sauce pan about 2 inches deep

The Cooking

Combine the garbanzo beans, onion, garlic cloves, 3 1/2 ounces plain Panko bread crumbs, cumin, coriander, turmeric, and cayenne pepper in a food processor.

Process for about 1 minute or until well combined

Transfer to a bowl and begin shaping them into walnut-sized balls

Walnut-sized Falafal balls patiently waiting to dropped into boiling hot oil.

Place the oil in a large saucepan and place the thermometer on the side of the pan were is can clearly be seen. Make sure it is where you want it, because once the oil is hot you are NOT going to be able to move it easily. Over medium heat, heat the oil to 350°.  

Place the beaten egg into a shallow dish, and roll each ball into the egg.  

Place 1 cup of plain Panko bread crumbs into at shallow dish and roll the already egg coated balls into the bread crumbs. 

A-ha!  The oil is up to 350° and it time to fry those balls.  

Fry the balls in small batches, about three at a time for 2 to 3 minutes.  Don't over fry your balls.  

Place the balls on some paper towels to soak up some the oil.  Serve them with flat bread and  Tzatziki sauce. 



Recipe Source: What's Cooking Vegetarian by Jenny Stacey

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Roasted Cauliflower

As a mother and as a human being in general I am always trying to add more vegetables to our meals.  Often I am lucky enough to make a recipe which is largely vegetable in base and I in those cases do not have to worry about a side dish.  More often than not our main dishes are made up of primarily starch foods and therefore I feel compelled to serve a vegetable on the side.  My standard side is roasted broccoli, but honestly there is only so much broccoli on person can take. 

I decided to stay away from broccoli and try some other vegetables.  Not being one to stay from too far from the norm, I picked Cauliflower.  I have shared a mashed cauliflower with you the past and it turned out to have been on the Veggie Dad's favorite dishes, but this time I thought I would roast the cauliflower. 

The Ingredients

1 large head of cauliflower, cut into florets

2 tablespoons olive oil

4 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

3 cloves of garlic, minced

freshly ground sea salt and pepper to taste

The Tools

large bowl

9x13 in baking dish

The Cooking

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Toss all the ingredients together in a large bowl until the cauliflower is well coated.

Pour the coated cauliflower in the baking dish and bake it for 20 to 25 minutes. 



Split Pea Dal

Dal is a traditionally a thick stew made with peas, lentils or beans.  Split peas were a natural chose as my husband is a huge fan of anything containing peas.  I also like that split peas need not be soaked overnight. 

My children were mixed on this soup.  Truth be told, my oldest son hates soup of any kind.  In fact, when recently asked what he did not like, his first response was SOUP.  I love to make soup, so the poor kids is usually out of luck.  This soup at least peaked his interest because he felt it looked like Shrek.  My youngest, at least tried the soup, and appears to be taking after his father when it comes to his culinary tastes.  If I make this soup again, I think I will add more curry and garam masala to it. 

The Ingredients

1 pound dried green split peas

2 quarts water

1/2 large yellow onion, finely chopped

2 teaspoons minced garlic

1 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon curry powder

1 tablespoon garam masala

The Tools

large stock pot

blender

The Cooking

Add the peas to the 2 quarts water

Add the onion

Add the minced garlic

Add the salt, curry powder and the garam masala

Stir to completely combine and bring the soup to a boil.  Reduce the heat and simmer the soup for 1 hour.

For a creamier texture, puree half the soup in a blender

Add the puree back to the soup

Serve the soup with some Naan and enjoy!

recipe source:  The Grit Restaurant Cookbook

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Spicy Nuts

Nothing hits the spot like a some spicy, salty nuts.  They are just the right thing for a Super Bowl party, even if the Atlanta Falcons and San Francisco 49ers are NOT in the Super Bowl (insert heavy sigh here).  Regardless of sporting events these are a lovely snack, low in sodium and high in delicious nuts. 

These spicy nuts can also be added to salads for an extra crunch.  I used an assortment of nuts, but you can use whatever kind of nuts your heart desires. 

The Ingredients

2 cups mixed nuts

2 tablespoons oil

1/2 teaspoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon chipotle powder

1/8 teaspoon cumin

1/8 teaspoon salt

The Tools

a small saucepan

a small bowl

a foil covered baking sheet

The Prep

Preheat the oven to 300°

The Cooking

Warm the oil in a small saucepan over medium heat

Add the spices and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds

Pour the flavored oil over the nuts

and stir to mix

Pour the nuts onto the prepared baking sheet and bake for 12 minutes

Yum!

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Spinach Sauteed with Dried Cranberries, Pomegranates and Pecans

When you serve something like yesterdays, Tater Tot Casserole is best to pair it with a nice leafy green vegetable.  Some might call this denial, I call it balance. 

The thing about sauteing spinach or any green is that it always seems like you have a ton of greens which will never fit into you pan.  Never fear, they will wilt down quickly and nicely and you will find that a large bag of spinach will barely feed a family of four. Use more if you have a larger or hungry family, but I went with only one bag.  Of course you can use fresh spinach, but I detest cleaning fresh spinach.  I never seem to be able to get all the grit out, so I stick with the pre-washed bag product. 

You can just saute spinach with a little olive oil and garlic, but I like to add some dried fruit or nuts to liven things up a bit.  Using dried fruit is also a good way to get children to eat a dish like this.  They attempt to eat only the dried fruit, but they always accidentally get some spinach (insert evil laugh here). 

Ingredients

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

1/4 cup dried cranberries and pomegranates

1 ounce chopped pecans

5 grinds of fresh black pepper corns

3 grinds of pink salt

1 teaspoon light brown sugar

9 ounce package of spinach

Add the olive oil to a large skillet and cook on medium heat until warm

Add the pecans to the pan and saute

Add the dried cranberries and pomegranates to the pan and saute

Add the light brown sugar, pepper and salt and continue to saute until the nuts and dried fruit are well coated with oil and seasoning.

Add 1/2 of spinach to the oil, nuts and dried fruit, and saute until wilted.

Add the other half of the spinach and repeat.