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Archive for July, 2009
Friday, July 31st, 2009
Zucchini is like a blank canvas. It’s hard to find a vegetable that’s so versatile, so amazingly delicious in so many recipes, from zucchini Milanese, to zucchini latkes, to stuffed zucchini, to zucchini cookies, etc. This time of year, everyone I know is trying to find new ways to use up their zucchini.
The great thing about this pie is that you can use any roasted vegetable you have on hand. If you have the time, don’t skip the roasting step because it really deepens the vegetable’s flavor. This pie is delicious deconstructed as well…just cook up some pasta and top it with marinara sauce and roasted zucchini. Or the roasted zucchini is incredible with hummus on a whole wheat roll. Zucchini’s possibilities are truly endless.
Instead of making your own marinara sauce you can use pre-made (just make sure it’s extra thick), but making your own sauce is a great way to use up an abundance of fresh tomatoes. When I make this sauce I usually make at least a double recipe because it can be used in so many things.
Roasted Zucchini Spaghetti Pie
(Yield: 1-9” pie)
2 medium zucchini, thinly sliced
1 TB olive oil
¼ lb whole grain spaghetti noodles (I used Barilla)
2 c part-skim ricotta cheese
2 eggs
1 egg white
¼ c fresh grated Parmesan cheese, divided
1 ½ c Thick Marinara Sauce (recipe below)
Pinch salt and pepper
Cooking spray
Thick Marinara Sauce (should yield ~1 ½ c):
½ TB olive oil
1 small onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 small carrot, peeled and shredded
1 ¼ c coarsely diced tomato (or 16 oz canned diced tomato, with the liquid drained out)
1 ½ oz tomato paste
1 bay leaf
¾ tsp dried basil or 1 TB fresh chopped basil
¼ tsp dried oregano
¼ tsp salt
Pinch ground black pepper
9” pie plate
Preheat the oven to 450F. Coat the sliced zucchini with 1 TB of olive oil and a pinch of salt and pepper; arrange the zucchini in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake for ~18 minutes, flipping halfway through the cooking time; when it’s done roasting, the zucchini will be golden in spots.
For the marinara sauce, heat the olive oil over medium heat in small pot with a lid. Add the onion and sauté for 5 minutes until the onion starts to soften; add the garlic and carrot and sauté another 5-10 minutes (just until the veggies start to take on a little color). Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, herbs, salt, and pepper. Taste to adjust seasonings. Simmer with the lid on for 20-30 minutes.
Cook the pasta to al dente according to the package directions. Cool the pasta to room temperature, then add 1 egg, 2 TB grated Parmesan, and pinch of pepper; stir to combine.
To the ricotta cheese, mix in 1 egg, 1 egg white, and a pinch of salt and pepper.
Preheat the oven to 350F. Lightly coat the pie pan with cooking spray; spread the pasta on the bottom of the pie plate, then spread ½ of the ricotta mixture on top of the pasta. Arrange the zucchini on top of the ricotta (it’s okay if it overlaps a little), then spread the rest of the ricotta mixture on top of the zucchini. Spread the marinara sauce on top of the ricotta. Bake the pie for 20-30 minutes until it’s set. Sprinkle the remaining 2 TB of Parmesan cheese on top and allow to cool slightly before cutting.
Tags: Pasta, Pies, Recipes, Ricotta, Spaghetti, Tomato Sauce, Vegetarian, Zucchini
Posted in Recipes | 19 Comments »
Wednesday, July 29th, 2009
I love breakfast meals. They’re filling, nutritious, relatively fast to make, and usually cheaper than other meals. Why not eat the most important meal of the day (breakfast!) for any meal?
The recipe below is for one serving, because I’m sad to say my husband doesn’t like breakfast foods (aside from eggs, sunny-side up or scrambled), but also because this makes it easy to adjust for any number of people.
Oatmeal Ricotta Pancakes with Cherry Topping
(Yield: 1 serving)
2/3 c rolled oats (I used Quaker Old-Fashioned)
¼ c plus 1 TB ricotta cheese, divided
1 egg
½ small banana, mashed
1 tsp vanilla
Dash salt
1 c fresh cherries, pitted and halved
Cooking spray
In the blender, pulse the oats until powdered, and transfer them to a separate bowl. In the blender, purée the cheese, egg, banana, vanilla, and salt, then add the oat powder and blend until just mixed. Heat a small 6” pan over medium heat, lightly spray it with cooking spray, then add half the batter. Cook for 3-5 minutes or until the pancake is golden on the bottom; flip and cook for another 2-4 minutes or until the pancake is golden on the second side. Repeat with the remaining batter (you will end up with 2 pancakes, each 4-5” in diameter). For the cherries, lightly spray a separate pan with cooking spray and cook the cherries on medium heat for 3-5 minutes or until they start to soften. Top the pancakes with the cherries and 1 TB of ricotta cheese.
Tags: Cherries, Oats, Pancakes, Recipes, Ricotta
Posted in Recipes | 20 Comments »
Monday, July 27th, 2009
For a fun fusion recipe, this dish is a cross between Louisiana Cajun/Creole jambalaya and Spanish beans and rice. Turkey sausage and beans are used instead of the jambalaya mix of chicken/seafood/andouille sausage (I would love to use andouille but I don’t know of any brand that doesn’t contain pork…anyone who knows of a pork-free andouille product, please let me know!). Other than this dish being delicious and healthy, it’s great to make because it’s a one-pot meal that feeds a crowd.
Turkey-Sausage and White Bean Jambalaya
(Yield: 12-15 servings)
2 TB olive oil, divided
14 oz turkey sausage, cut into bite-sized pieces (I used Hillshire Farm Turkey Polska Kielbasa because that’s what was in my freezer ;) )
1 red pepper, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
3 stalks celery, chopped (including the leafy tops)
1 medium white onion, chopped
2-4 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium tomato, chopped
2 c canned or reconstituted beans (I used small white navy beans, but I think any kind of beans would work)
½ envelope Goya Sazón
1 TB Worcestershire sauce
1 TB Frank’s Red Hot sauce
1 tsp salt
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp paprika
½ tsp ground black pepper
Dash cayenne (or to taste)
2 bay leaves
3 c long-grain white rice
5 c boiling water
Put a kettle of water on to boil. In a large pot (5-quart size works well) with a lid, heat the oil; add the sausage and sauté on medium-high heat until browned (5-7 minutes). During this time, rinse the rice with cold water in a colander until the water runs clear (~1 minute). Once it’s browned, remove the sausage from the pan and add the red pepper, green pepper, celery, onion, and garlic; heat on medium for another 5 minutes with the lid on (stirring occasionally) until the vegetables are slightly softened. Add the sausage, tomato, beans, Goya Sazón, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, oregano, paprika, salt, black pepper, and bay leaves. Stir in the rice, add the boiling water, and turn the heat up to high. Bring the jambalaya up to a boil (stirring continuously), then cover the pot and turn the heat down to low. Let the jambalaya cook for 14 minutes (no need to stir during this time), then turn off the heat but leave the lid on the pot and let it sit for 10 minutes. Remove the lid and let the rice sit for another 10 minutes. Fluff the rice and serve with more hot sauce.
Tags: Beans, Cajun/Creole, Jambalaya, Recipes, Rice, Turkey
Posted in Recipes | 15 Comments »
Sunday, July 26th, 2009
I’ve been using Restaurant.com for a couple years now, and I love it! They sell discounted gift certificates for thousands of restaurants across the U.S. (apologies to non-U.S. readers). They sell $25 gift certificates for $10, $10 certificates for $4, and if you’re lucky you can find certificates in higher amounts, like $50 certificates for $20, $75 certificates for $30, and $100 certificates for $40. There are usually minimum purchase reqiurements; for example with most $25 certificates, you need a $35 minimum purchase.
Right now I’ve got an 80% off discount code for Restaurant.com (Discount Code: NAPKIN, which is good until 7/28/09). This discount is on top of their everyday savings…so for example, a $25 certificate that normally costs $10 will only cost $2 with the discount code!
After purchasing gift certificates from this site for a couple of years I’ve figured out their cycle. Typically, at the beginning of the month they add more certificates (because for some reason there’s a limited number of certificates for each restaurant every month), so don’t worry if certificates to your favorite restaurant are out of stock. Also, discount codes are usually available all the time (just google “restaurant.com discount code” and you should come up with the current discount), but the discounts get higher toward the end of each month (the 80% discount is the highest I’ve seen).
The first time I bought gift certificates from this site I thought it was too good to be true, but I gave it a try because either way I was only out $2! (And I wasn’t worried about my personal information since Restaurant.com is part of the Better Business Bureau Reliability Program, and is McAfee Secure.) According to the Restaurant.com website, they’ve been featured on Good Morning America, ABC, CNN, Fox & Friends, as well as several other news programs.
If you enjoy dining out the savings can really add up…it’s worth a look!
Tags: Coupons, Discount Codes, Money Saving, Restaurant.com
Posted in Money Saving | 4 Comments »
Friday, July 24th, 2009
This soup makes a great weeknight meal. It’s quick to make, healthy, and easy to clean up. Since this soup is thick with so many veggies, I served it in cute little breadbowls (actually, just soft Vienna rolls from Wegmans), but it’s also great on its own. If you don’t like shrimp, feel free to use any canned, frozen, or fresh seafood you’ve got on hand.
I took the spice cues from the ingredients from Old Bay Seasoning (because I ran out of Old Bay), which includes salt, celery seed, mustard, red pepper, black pepper, bay leaves, cloves, allspice, ginger, mace, cardamom, cinnamon, and paprika. If you’ve got Old Bay on hand you could use one or two teaspoons instead of the spices listed below.
Quick Shrimp Bisque
(Yield: 6 cups)
2 TB olive oil
1 small onion, finely diced
2 small-medium carrots, peeled and finely diced
2 stalks celery (including green leafy tops), finely diced
~1/3 red pepper, finely diced
1 medium tomato, finely diced
1 small-medium potato, peeled and finely diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 c cold water
2 bay leaves
2 vegetable bouillon cubes
¼ tsp Frank’s Red Hot sauce
¾ tsp paprika
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp ground black pepper
Pinch allspice
½ c corn (frozen, canned, or cut off the cob)
6 oz can cleaned tiny shrimp, drained
¼ c chopped fresh parsley, divided
If you want to put the soup in breadbowls, you’ll need 4-6 rolls (make sure to get rolls that are fairly sturdy, or your soup could leak out)
In a medium-sized pot with a lid, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat, then add the following ingredients: onion, carrots, celery, red pepper, tomato, potato, and garlic. Sauté for 5 minutes until the vegetables start to soften. Add the cold water, bring the soup to a boil, then cover the pot and simmer for 8-10 minutes or until the vegetables are cooked through. Transfer 1 ½ c of the soup to a blender or food processor and blend until puréed (about 1 minute). Transfer the purée back into the pot of soup and stir in the corn, shrimp, and 2 TB of parsley; heat for ~2 minutes. If desired, serve the soup inside hollowed-out rolls (make sure not to scoop out too much and tear the bread), garnished with fresh chopped parsley.
Tags: Recipes, Shrimp, Soup
Posted in Recipes | 13 Comments »
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