Pumpkin Ravioli with Sweet Apple Chicken Sausage and Sauteed Kale

I'm getting the feeling this blog is going to slowly turn into a Trader Joe's blog... haha :) Here is a simple meal I cooked tonight, which sounds a lot more gourmet than it actually was...thanks to TJs. 

Pumpkin Ravioli with Sweet Apple Chicken Sausage and Sauteed Kale

1 package Trader Joe's Honey Roasted Pumpkin Ravioli

a few big handfuls of baby kale, rinsed & dried

3 links Trader Joe's Sweet Apple Chicken Sausage

extra-virgin olive oil

1 garlic clove, minced

chicken or vegetable stock

kosher salt

ground black pepper

juice of 1/2 lemon

1. Start boiling the water for the pumpkin ravioli. While water is heating up, slice the sausage into bite-size pieces and saute in 2 tbsp EVOO until edges are golden brown. Wrap in tin foil and set aside.
2. In the same pan, add a little more EVOO and saute the garlic until fragrant, but not colored. Add just enough stock to cover the bottom of the pan, and add the kale to the pan. Toss to combine, lower the heat, and cover.
3. Drop the pumpkin ravioli in the boiling water and let cook for 2 1/2 minutes. Drain and set aside, then toss together with sausage pieces.
4. Season kale with salt, pepper and lemon juice. Transfer to dish or platter. Place ravioli and sausage on top. Drizzle with a scant amount of maple syrup.
5. Enjoy!

I can't wait to try the chicken sausage with breakfast. It is SO good with some maple syrup drizzled on top. The sausage has little chunks of apple in it which add a delicious autumnal flavor. Yum!!

Cheers,
L

Delicata Squash Casserole, Honey Mustard Chicken Salad

There are a couple (among many) things different about me since I last blogged regularly:
1. I shop at Trader Joe's now.
2. I no longer have time to whip up creative meals.

...Wait a second. Something doesn't look right with that #2. It's not that I don't have time. I have pllllenty of time. It's more so that I'm distracted by other activities that aren't cooking. My life is wildly different from two or three years ago. And it's mostly internal-ish things that only I would notice. My priorities are different. I think a lot of the cooking I used to do during that time period was a way for me to fill a void, to play a role. It's not that I didn't enjoy it or take artistic pleasure in it...I did. But that wasn't its main function. I won't get into too many details, as this isn't a therapy session (or is it?). Long story short, nowadays, cooking as an art (not as a way to prepare food) is low on my priority list.

That being said, before tonight, it had been a really long time since I made a from-scratch, no ingredient list, innovative meal. The meals I used to blog about. Tonight is just a typical Tuesday night. Home from work, tired, not much going on. I just need to feed myself dinner so there's no one else's taste or desire to consider. As everything was finished and I set the plates down at my little solo table setting, I realized that this was the first meal in 2 years I felt compelled to blog about. But it's not really about the meal...is it?

I'd also like to blame Trader Joe's on the partial death of my kitchen spontaneity. That store is amazing. And so much of it is prepared stuff...like really REALLY GOOD prepared stuff. Like their cooked pastas, for example...that stuff is amazing. So many of their frozen meals are good. The curry chicken salad is the bomb, too. Anyway, it allows you to make really awesome "gourmet" meals on a time crunch. Ideal for a busy 27-year-old foodie like me. So "from scratch" hasn't really been part of my vocabulary lately.

I do have to thank Trader Joe's for my discovery of DELICATA SQUASH. Hoooly moly. I don't think I've ever been so excited about a vegetable (and I love vegetables!).

This squash is actually CREAMY. Imagine whipped sweet potatoes with cream cheese added...that's the texture (not the taste). The taste is somewhere between a butternut squash (but more intense) and a sweet potato. It is so sweet. And so easy to prepare. I just poke a few holes it with a knife and microwave it for 6-8 minutes per pound (thanks TJs!).

I had a tupperware full of a delicata I cooked last night and just wanted to do something different with it. I remembered a sweet potato casserole I made "back in the day" and figured I'd do something similar. I'm not going to even try to write a recipe, so I'll just tell you how I made it.

DELICATA SQUASH CASSEROLE

I used about 2 cups worth of cooked delicata squash. You can eat the skin, but I discarded it as I wanted the casserole to be smooth and souffle-like. Mash it with a fork until the consistency of mashed potatoes (doesn't take much). Add equal parts brown sugar and white sugar, maybe a tablespoon each. A couple tablespoons of melted butter. Cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and cloves to taste. Pop it in a casserole dish, top with pecans, and bake at 325 for about 20-30 min.

Oh, and I made some chicken salad because I had a bunch of cooked white meat chicken to use up. I was inspired by a Trader Joe's recipe but eyeballed everything.

TRADER JOE'S HONEY MUSTARD CHICKEN SALAD WITH CRANBERRIES...THE HALF ASS VERSION :)

I used:
Cooked chicken
Dressing (equal parts TJ's Garlic Mustard Aioli, apple cider vinegar, and honey)
Pecans
Dried cranberries

I served it on TJ's Sprouted Multigrain Bread with some thinly sliced red onions and baby kale leaves. Those are TJ's Everything Pretzel Crisps on the plate, too.

This was way too long and I probably sound crazy. Sorry!

Cheers,
L

I'm still alive...

Life and work has taken over my ability to blog these past 2 years...but I hope to get back into it soon! I've gotten into the pattern of cooking less imaginative meals and preparing more simple foods that fit my busy lifestyle. The overall theme of this blog is sure to change over time. Stay tuned :)

Cheers,
L

Mahi Mahi Tacos with Lime Yogurt Sauce

Hola, foodies!

I recently moved into a new apartment and tonight I made my first "real dinner" since moving in. With the help of my roomie, of course!

I've always wanted to make fish tacos. For this recipe I used pre-packaged frozen mahi mahi filets from Trader Joe's. So convenient - and surprisingly fresh, too!

I came up with the sauce on the fly. I used plain Greek yogurt instead of sour cream because it basically tastes the same except it's fat-free and has a ton of protein. So yummy.. the sauce really made the tacos, for me.

• 1 pound mahi mahi filets
• flour
• extra-virgin olive oil
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 1/3 cup fat-free plain Greek yogurt
• 1 clove of garlic, minced
• juice of 1/2 lime
• 1 tsp honey
• 10" flour tortillas
• pico de gallo (store-bought or homemade)
• any color bell pepper, finely chopped
• red or white onion, finely chopped
• cucumber, chopped
• cilantro, chopped
• shredded cheese of your choice

1. Combine yogurt, garlic, lime juice, and honey. Set aside.
2. Slice fish filets into 1-inch sections. Coat with flour.
3. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add fish and cook for about 3 minutes on each side, or until fish is completely opaque throughout. Transfer fish to a plate and season with salt and pepper.
4. Place fish pieces on warm tortillas. Drizzle with a good helping of yogurt sauce. Top with pico de gallo, peppers, onions, cucumbers, cilantro, and cheese. Enjoy!

Cheers,

L

Thai Pasta Salad

Just wanted to share a simple, easy, and VERY tasty recipe I tried recently. :)

Thai Pasta Salad (adapted from TastyGalaxy's Pasta Salad with Peanut Sauce)

• 1/2 pound of spaghetti
• about a cup of chopped carrots
• 2 or 3 scallions, chopped
• a big handful of cilantro
• 1/4 cup smooth peanut butter
• 1 tbsp vinegar
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp water
• 1 or 2 tsp fresh ginger, grated (optional)
• 1 clove garlic, chopped (optional)
• toasted sesame seeds (optional)

1. Cook the pasta according to package directions.
2. While pasta is cooking, in a small bowl, mix together the peanut butter, vinegar, soy sauce, water, ginger, and garlic.
3. Drain pasta and rinse with cold water. Drain again, very well.
4. In a big bowl, combine the pasta, carrots, and scallions.  Mix in the peanut sauce.  Add the cilantro and toss.  Top with sesame seeds.

This was really really good cold, but I think it would also work if you served it warm.

There are not many things I love more than recipes that are as easy as they are yummy.

Cheers,

L

Quote of the Day

“Cooking is an art, but you can eat it too.”

― Marcella Hazan

Cold-Brewed Iced Coffee

I am an iced coffee addict.  I don't know what it is about hot coffee... it's not that I don't like it, but coffee just tastes so much better to me served over ice and sipped through a straw.  I am one of those people (are there others...?) who orders iced coffee in the dead of winter.  By now, I've come to expect the "You said iced?" with eyebrows raised.

I don't know how I've gone so many years without discovering this recipe.  Just thinking about all the crappy attempts I've made at homemade iced coffee over the years, and all the money I could have saved... makes me cringe!

Cold-Brewed Iced Coffee

This makes such delicious coffee. Better than the majority of iced coffees I've purchased, anywhere from Starbucks to Dunkin Donuts to a slew of independent coffee shops.  I love how the bitterness is removed and you are left with a smooth, refreshing taste. What an awesome way to start off the summer.  Iced coffee every morning and I don't have to leave the house.  I should follow Deb's lead and put $2.00 in a jar every time I make this.

If you are an iced coffee addict like me, and you haven't tried this... DO IT! DO IT NOW!!!

Happy Summer :)

Cheers,
L