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

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

Photo Blog: What I've Been Up To...

It's been a while since my last blog because, well, sh*t life happens. Here's what I've been up to food-wise since then, in photo form :)

My "inventive" curried tofu and sweet potato stir-fry, served over thin rice noodles.

My mom's cherry congealed salad.

My mom's savory chicken casserole. Yum!

Savory chicken casserole and rice.

Glorious sushi!

Everything was so, so, so good.

The green lights were actually very bright and flashed like strobe lights. A bit distracting, but cool. It was New Year's Eve, so I guess the chef figured, "why not?"

Red = Ahi tuna. Light pink = a fish we never quite figured out. Still tasty though!

Happy New Year! More posts in 2011. :)

Cheers,

L

Pumpkin Soup, Pumpkin Pancakes

So, this post concludes what I've officially named Pumpkin Week. Last night, thanks to Paul's suggestion, I made pumpkin soup to accompany our dinner of pierogies and roasted veggies. This morning, I made pumpkin chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast. Amazing fact: all four pumpkin recipes I've written about in the last few days (pasta, bread, soup, and pancakes) were made from only one 29 oz. can of pure pumpkin puree. How's that for economical? Ah, the joys of cooking for only two!

This soup was absolutely delicious. Reminded me of a butternut squash soup I had at one of our favorite Philly restaurants, La Viola.

Pumpkin Soup
adapted from Cream of Pumpkin Soup, allrecipes.com

• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1 tbsp butter, melted
• 14 oz chicken broth
• about a cup of pure pumpkin puree
• 1/2 tsp hot sauce (optional)
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 2 tbsp brown sugar
• 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup half-and-half
• 1/4 cup 2% milk

1. Saute the onion in butter in a saucepan until tender. Add 7 oz. chicken broth, stir well. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 15 minutes.
2. By either transferring broth back & forth between a blender or food processor, or using an immersion blender in your saucepan, process until smooth.
3. (If using regular blender, return mixture to saucepan). Add remaining broth, pumpkin, hot sauce, salt, brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, and pepper. Stir well, bring to a boil, reduce heat to low. Simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
4. Stir in the half-and-half and milk and heat through - do not boil. Ladle into soup bowls and serve with a sprinkle of cinnamon or nutmeg on top.

Now for the pancakes...

Morning sunlight makes for the best pictures. :)

GOOD morning!

Pumpkin Pancakes

adapted from Easy Pancakes, allrecipes.com

• 1 cup flour
• 2 tbsp wheat germ (optional)
• 3 tbsp brown sugar
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 egg
• 1 cup milk
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 2/3 cup pure pumpkin puree
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips or chopped nuts of your choice (optional)

1. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, wheat germ, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Make a well in the center, and pour in the egg, milk, oil, and pumpkin. Whisk together just until smooth. Fold in the chocolate chips or nuts.
2. Heat a non-stick griddle over medium-high heat. Pour about 1/4 cup of batter for each pancake. Brown on both sides and serve with any of the following: butter, maple syrup, honey, cinnamon, chopped nuts. 

Sick of pumpkin yet?

Cheers, 

L

Pumpkin! Pumpkin!! Pumpkin!!!

Welcome to autumn. It is officially that season where you see pumpkin (or the ever popular "pumpkin spice") everywhere -- muffins, quick breads, pies...all sorts of foods for that matter, lattes, coffee beans, coffee creamers, beer, candles, bath products, etc. For a few months, everyone deems pumpkin their favorite food and believes it is the best thing ever invented. Then the holidays are over and it seems everyone forgets about poor pumpkin until next year. I admit I am one of those people. I wish pumpkin was in season all year. Since October rolled around I've been dying to use it in the kitchen. I've had pumpkin spice coffee creamer on hand for the past month -- currently on my second bottle. When one store was out of said creamer, I went to another store to find it (success!). I am that desperate to grasp tightly onto the pumpkin craze before it disappears for another 10 months. Anyway, I haven't cooked with pumpkin yet this autumn. I have plans for pumpkin bread tomorrow, but tonight it was pasta.

My coworker recommended a Rachael Ray recipe and I'm glad I tried it. I altered the portions to serve two, and used half-and-half instead of heavy cream to cut the fat content, among other tweaks. The original recipe calls for sage, but I had none. So, if you have it, use it. But, word to the wise... follow Rachael's directions and USE WHOLE WHEAT PASTA! I only had regular semolina pasta on hand, and upon my first bite, my face lit up at the taste of the sauce but then I frowned a little. This pumpkin cream sauce needs the nutty richness of whole wheat pasta to bring out that autumn-y essence. Without it, the dish just lacks...something. I taste the pumpkin, the spices, but my palate is craving something else. One of the many reasons I love a really good quality (read: non-cardboard/sandpaper variety) whole wheat pasta is the depth of flavor it adds, and this is one of those cases.

I also want to mention that this would be a great main dish if you added chicken or sausage. Tonight, this was the "second course" of our dinner. Paul cooked the first course, and I cooked the second. I love when Paul cooks because his dishes always have his personality in them... from the seasonings he uses, to the tricks he's learned from his mom, to the very diligent, delicate, and patient way he chops up carrots into perfectly shaped little pieces. :) His first course was a salad consisting of romaine lettuce, carrots, apples, walnuts, and dried cranberries; topped with a pan-fried salmon fillet. Simple, yummy, and refreshing. This was a nice warm follow-up.


Pumpkin Lovers' Pasta for Two
adapted from Rachael Ray's Penne-Wise Pumpkin Pasta

• 1/2 pound whole wheat penne
• 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 large shallot, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, pressed
• 1 cup chicken or vegetable broth (I used chicken)
• 7 to 8 ounces pure pumpkin puree
• 1/4 cup half-and-half
• 1/2 tsp hot sauce (I used Sriracha)
• a dash of ground cinnamon
• a dash of ground nutmeg
• salt and pepper, to taste
• grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese

1. Cook pasta according to package directions.
2. While pasta is cooking, heat the olive oil in a sautee pan over medium heat.  Add the shallots and garlic and cook until soft.  Don't burn the garlic, like I did, and always will do.
3. Stir in the broth, pumpkin, and half-and-half. Add the hot sauce, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, and pepper. Let simmer on low heat until thickened, about 5 minutes.
4. Toss pasta and sauce together, and serve with grated cheese and a dash of cinnamon on top.

Shallots & garlic cooking in olive oil. One of my favorite smells ever.

Simmerin' sauce.

Bon appetit!

Cheers,

L

Adventures in Hummus: Pasta Edition

I've been on a hummus kick lately, but that "kick" has almost exclusively consisted of dipping a variety of snacks -- Wheat Thins, pretzels, veggies -- in the delicious and healthy dip/spread. I have had it on a pita and with falafel before, but I started to think, "There's gotta be more I can do with this stuff." Last week I made some scrambled egg whites for breakfast and on a whim, put a few dollops of Tribe roasted red pepper hummus on top, and it was delicious.

Yesterday at Pathmark, I bought some artichoke-garlic Athenos hummus, which I've never had before. I was dipping pretzels in it today at work, and I have to admit, I wasn't too crazy about the flavor. I think I'm just not an artichoke fan. Anyway, while fantasizing about dinner, I did some brainstorming. I remember reading in one of my Rachael Ray mags something about tossing hummus with pasta. I didn't want this hummus to go to waste, and I thought if it was combined with a variety of other ingredients, the flavor wouldn't bother me as much. Long story short, this was my final plan: toss whole-wheat spaghetti with sautéed mushrooms and tomatoes I already had in the fridge, and make a sauce out of this hummus!

Pasta with Hummus and Sautéed Veggies

1. Cook pasta (I recommend whole-wheat spaghetti) and set aside.
2. In a saucepan, combine 2 parts hummus, 1 part water (use your judgment with the amount of hummus to use, depending on how much pasta you're making).  Stir and place on low heat.
3. In a skillet, heat extra-virgin olive oil over medium-high heat.  Sauté chopped mushrooms until tender and browned, and add some chopped tomatoes at the very end.  Season with salt and pepper.
4. To the skillet, add the pasta and hummus sauce.  Mix well.

The verdict? Using hummus as a pasta sauce is, in a word... interesting. It adds a creaminess much different from that of Alfredo sauce, for example. And I was right: the nuttiness of the pasta, meatiness of the mushrooms, and sweetness of the tomatoes all counterbalanced the "funny" taste I didn't like about the hummus, but you could definitely tell the hummus was there. And this was so, so easy to make.

Next adventure in hummus? MAKE MY OWN! Hmmm, perhaps that will be a blog in the very near future.

Cheers,

L

Sunday Dinner: Pesto Pasta

Tonight's vegetarian dinner was low-key and healthy.  We had a very busy day full of errands and other activities so an easy-to-prepare meal was needed.  I made a fresh batch of pesto, tossed it with whole-wheat spaghetti and some fresh tomatoes, and grated fresh parmesan on each bowl of pasta.  We lit up our new tiki torches for the first time (!) and ate this meal out on the patio with the sounds of crickets surrounding us.  A nice relaxing end to a busy day!

To make this pesto, I used fresh basil and thyme from our little "garden", pecans, walnuts, parmesan, garlic, lemon juice, and extra-virgin olive oil.

Finished product. Delicious!

What did you eat this Sunday?

Cheers,
L

Sunday Dinner: "LGH" Tilapia, Green Bean Salad, & Roasted Potatoes

Here's a rundown of tonight's tasty (and pretty healthy!) dinner... pictures included, of course!

Paul's mom's green beans.

Paul's mom gave us a batch of green beans straight from her garden and I wanted to do something a little different.  A little different meaning, not in a stir-fry or steamed and eaten plain, which is the only thing I have ever done with green beans.  This is based on a fantastically simple recipe by Biana at TastyGalaxy.

Green Bean Salad thanks to TastyGalaxy (with a couple of my own little tweaks, of course)

• about 1 pound green beans
• a big handful of chopped pecans (her recipe calls for almonds, which I don't have on hand, so I substituted)
• about 1/2 of a small red onion, cut into slivers
• zest of one lemon
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• salt and pepper, which I forgot... oops!

1. Clean and wash the beans.  Blanch for 3 minutes.  Drain and immediately rinse in cold water or dunk in ice bath.
2. Combine lemon zest, lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper.
3. In a bowl, combine the beans, onions, and nuts.  Toss with the lemon mixture.

Nutty goodness.

The finished product.

I made the salad a few hours before dinnertime and let it marinate in the fridge until then.  The lemon infused the green beans and really enhanced their flavor, which is fantastic already.  I really love this salad.  It is crisp, refreshing, and so healthy.  Definitely a great way to showcase some quality green beans.

I can't wait 'til I can have my own real garden someday.  The quality of fruits and veggies from a well-tended garden is unlike anything you can get in the store.  Moving on to the main dish...

Lemon-Garlic-Herb (LGH) Tilapia

• 3 or 4 tilapia fillets, depending on size... should be about 1 pound altogether
• 3 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 2 tbsp butter
• 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 2 tsp fresh thyme leaves
• 1/2 tsp dried parsley (or 1 tsp fresh)

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Rinse the fillets in cool water, pat dry, and place in greased baking dish.
3. Pour the lemon juice over the fish.
4. Sauté the garlic in the butter until very fragrant.  Remove from heat and mix in the herbs.
5. Pour the butter mixture over the fish.  Bake for 12 minutes.  Fish should flake easily when pierced with a fork.

Before baking.

Yummy!

This turned out pretty fantastic as well.  The fish was soft, tender, with a delicate lemon flavor and little hints of garlic and herbs here and there.  This was my first time baking, as opposed to pan-frying, tilapia and I think it's a great way to prepare this fish (not to mention healthier).  Be careful not to over-bake because the fillets are so thin.  I'm also glad I sautéed the garlic and butter beforehand; I think it added a nice toasty flavor to the whole dish.  Side note: I actually used 3 tbsp butter, but I changed it in the recipe to 2 tbsp. I left some in the sauté pan, otherwise the fish would have been swimming in it (ha! see what I did there?)...and I was trying to go healthier.  Now for the second side dish...

No recipe here, but I had a couple extra potatoes to use up, and I already had the oven at 400, so why not roast them?  And dip them in spicy mayo, of course.  ;)

These always come out perfectly tossed in extra-virgin olive oil, sprinkled liberally with kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper, and baked at 400 for about 10 minutes.  Just make sure they are spread on a single layer on your baking sheet.

What did you eat this Sunday?

Cheers,

L

Improvised Dinner / My Boyfriend Rocks

In my introductory post I mentioned I might blog about non-food related stuff.  This is one of those posts, because I myself haven't really been cooking this past week.  But tonight we cooked a great dinner so, I'll start off with that.

Sometimes the best dinners are ones with no recipe, just improvisation using the ingredients available in your fridge/pantry.  Paul gets all the credit for this because they were his ideas.  Thanks Paul. :)

Pan-Fried Salmon Fillet with Sauteed Garlic, Ginger, and Scallions (cooked by me)

String Bean, Red Bell Pepper, and Hungarian Pepper Stir-Fry with Ginger (cooked by Paul)

There really hasn't been much going on in my kitchen in the past week.  I've been pretty unproductive.  The only thing I remember cooking this week was eggs.  Work has been tiring me out and the weird hours (4pm-9pm) prevent me from cooking (or do they?).  I keep saying I'll put something in the Crock-Pot before I leave for work, but it never happens.  Ah, well... life gets in the way sometimes and that's okay.  Paul usually has something cooking for when I get home around 9:30 which is nice.  Earlier his week he made AWESOME burgers that I wish I had taken pictures of because they were soooo good.  Into the ground sirloin he mixed various fresh herbs (basil, sage, and thyme), garlic, onion, egg, bread crumbs, then stuffed fresh mozzarella cheese in the middle!  So delicious with a little Dijon mustard and a nice thick tomato slice.  The cheese was so melty and wonderful.

As I write I'm listening to Paul play around on the cello, playing along with Of Montreal.  He has been just an all-around awesome boyfriend and helping me out a lot as I adjust to my new schedule and juggle countless job applications and upcoming interviews.  I drive his car to work most nights so he is usually stuck at home, but each night when I come home he's gotten some big project done at the apartment.  Settling in here was very much a team effort between the two of us, but I gotta give him more credit.  We wouldn't have accomplished nearly as much as we did if it weren't for his incredible work ethic and generosity.  Thank you Paul... for the millionth time :)

I'll end with some pictures of some sweet skies we saw on our walk through Glasgow Park this evening.

Cheers,
L

Slow-Cooked Thai Chicken Thighs

I love chicken thighs.  I love Thai cooking.  I love my Crock-Pot.  Put all three together and this is what you get.

Slow-Cooked Thai Chicken Thighs for a small slow-cooker (2-3 quarts), adapted from busycooks.about.com

• 3 chicken thighs (skin-on/bone-in or skinless/boneless, whichever you prefer... I prefer the former)
• 1 cup medium chunky salsa
• 2 heaping tbsp smooth peanut butter
• juice of one lime
• 1/2 tbsp fish sauce
• 1/2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1-2 inch piece of ginger root, grated/minced
• dash of Sriracha
• big handful of unsalted peanuts, toasted and chopped
• 1 green onion, chopped
• about 4 lime wedges

1. Place chicken thighs in slow cooker.
2. Mix together salsa, peanut butter, lime juice, fish sauce, soy sauce, ginger, and Sriracha.  Pour over the chicken.
3. Cook on high for 3-4 hours.
4. Plate the chicken and sprinkle with peanuts and green onions.  Garnish with lime wedges and squeeze juice over the chicken before eating.  Serve with rice or noodles (I chose rice).

Before mixing.

After mixing.

Quite possibly my favorite thing in our fridge.

Chicken thighs nestled in and ready to cook.

Ta-da.

Pretty soon I'm starting a part-time job that will have me working from 4pm-9pm on weekdays.  Good hours in terms of convenience (I can still go on interviews & get a ton of stuff done during the day), but not the greatest for someone who likes to cook dinner, because I sure as heck won't feel like cooking when I get home at 9:30.  So, I have a feeling I'll be using the Crock-Pot quite a bit over the next several weeks on days when Paul won't be cooking (did I mention he is a great cook too!).  Any good recipes?  Send 'em my way ;)

Cheers,
L