Barley Risotto with Shrimp and Vegetables

Yum! Another good and mostly healthy one (are you noticing a January theme? I'll get back to pasta by Feb, I'm sure...) that can be adapted a thousand ways, depending on your mood and what's in your fridge. I had my first barley risotto at this awesome gastropub in Dublin, and I have had it in my mind since.  So when I was perusing Smitten Kitchen and saw this recipe, it was done that day.  Use the barley risotto as your base and get creative! I made it with chicken broth, black eyed peas, green peas, arugula, and shrimp, but I could see it with beef broth, mushrooms, rosemary, red beans, and a swirl of truffle olive oil. Or with vegetable broth and zucchini, tomatoes, peas, white beans, etc.  You get the idea.
Whatever combo you pick, just make sure you use a bean too, as it will be important to the consistency.  If you don't want to use a bean, I would add at least 1/2 cup less of the liquid (and maybe even a full cup less) as the beans absorb a lot.

Here's what I used:
4 cups low-sodium chicken stock plus 1/2 cup of water
2 TB olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
1/4 tsp thyme
1/2 cup white wine
1 cup pearled barley
1 cup beans - I used black eyed peas
3 cups chopped greens - I used arugula
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, plus more for serving
2 TB unsalted butter, softened

Put your stock in a pot on medium heat on a back burner.  Make sure it warms, but don't let it come to a boil. You'll be gradually adding it as you go.
Next, add the olive oil to a large saucepan, heat, and add the onion and thyme. Cook until the onion is good and softened, about 5-6 minutes.  Then add the barley so it gets a little toasted - about -1-2 minutes.

Add the white wine and let it cook off for another few minutes until all the liquid is absorbed.  Then you are going to add the broth a 1/2 cup at a time, stirring until all the liquid is absorbed each time before you add more. Smitten Kitchen says to add the broth in 6 additions, but I'll be honest, I did the "hold the pot over the pan and pour out approximately 1/2 cup worth" method of adding the liquid and it worked just fine.  It did end up taking about 30 - 35 minutes, just like it says in Smitten Kitchen, so my "not dirtying another ladle / measuring cup" method can't have been all far off from correct. Once you have added the last 1/2 cup, you are ready to add your other ingredients.  If you are using a protein, add that first so that it has time to cook and / or get warm.  Shrimp was perfect here as they only take a few minutes to cook.  If you wanted to use chicken, it would probably work best to cook the chicken first and add the chopped pieces to warm, or just add the cooked chicken on top to serve.

You'll notice it is VERY yellow from the chicken broth.  Cooking it down will concentrate the flavors, so you want to be sure to add low-sodium broth.  With full sodium version, it would be far to salty. Then add your veggies (peas and black eyed peas for me) and cook for a minute or two.  Finally, turn the heat off and add your leafy green.  You will only need to fold your greens in for them to wilt enough for the dish.

Finally, the good stuff.  Add the cheese and butter and stir to incorporate. You don't really NEED to have the butter if you are being super healthy, but it does add a little creaminess and flavor to the whole dish.  Add some freshly cracked black pepper and salt if you need it (mine was plenty salty.) Top with a little extra parm and enjoy! It was a creamy, filling, and satisfying dish.  My leftovers were great the next night, too!

Roasted Acorn Squash with Quinoa Pilaf

I have made this gem two times now, once with quinoa and once with bulgar wheat.  In my opinion, I preferred the quinoa - it was a bit lighter, but no less filling.  The bulgar wheat was a bit creamier, but didn't have the same flavor or lightness that the quinoa had.  Either way, it is a deliciously easy weeknight meal that is healthy yet filling.  I somehow came across this on a blog "We are not Martha" and I adapted it just slightly.
Here's what you are working toward:

Here's what I used:
1 acorn squash, carefully split in two halves, seeds scooped out and discarded
1 TB butter
1 cup quinoa
2 cups chicken or vegetable stock
1 TB olive oil
1 small yellow onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp red pepper flakes (I subbed these for 2 habanero peppers, chopped finely.  If you enjoy a spicy dish, use the habaneros instead of red pepper flakes)
1/2 cup chopped mixed mushrooms - I used shitakes, oyster, cremini
2 cups of fresh spinach, uncooked and chopped into bite size ribbons
1/2 cup feta, crumbled
1 TB parsley, chopped
1 TB fresh lemon juice

Preheat the oven to 375 while you are prepping your ingredients.  Put the 2 squash halves on a rimmed cookie sheet, sprinkle with salt and pepper and put 1/2 of the butter in each squash.  Pop them in the oven when it's preheated and set the timer for 45 minutes.

Meanwhile, you can prep the stuffing.  Put the quinoa / bulgar wheat / farro / whichever grain you would like to use in a pot and cook per the directions, using broth instead of water for a bit more flavor.

While that cooks, add the olive oil to a pan and sautee your mushrooms, onion, garlic, and pepper (habanero or red pepper) until they are nice and cooked - about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste and add the lemon juice to the mixture. Turn the heat to low and add the cooked quinoa when it's done. Stir to incorporate and add the parsley, feta, and spinach.  Reserve a bit of the feta and parsley to top the squash if you like.
Once the squash is cooked, fill the squash with your quinoa mixture, top with feta and parsley, and enjoy!

Mushroom Bourguignon

Happy New Year! Here's a veggie one for those of you looking to start the year off right...
My dear friend Mary came for dinner, so I combed the internet for the best possible vegetarian recipe I could find.  I settled on Mushroom Bourguignon from Smitten Kitchen, and it was a earthy, hardy take on vegetarian that worked for Mary and my larger-than-average husband (he's 6'6".) 
While this was quite tasty the first time around, the leftovers were not great- the mushrooms became a little slimy - so I would scale this up or down to exactly what you need to cook.

Here's what I used for 5 large portions:
2 TB Olive Oil
2 TB butter, softened
2 lbs portobello mushrooms, cut into 1/4 in slices, stems discarded
1/2 carrot, finely diced
1 small yellow onion, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup full-bodied red wine
2 cups beef or vegetable broth
2 TB tomato paste
1 tsp fresh thyme or 1/2 tsp dried
1 1/2 TB flour
1 cup pearl onions (thawed if frozen)
Egg noodles for base

Tomato Paste Tip: I was tired of buying tomato paste, using one TB and throwing the rest out after it went bad.  So I spooned the tomato paste out by the TB onto a sheet of parchment paper and laid them down in the freezer. After they were frozen, I wrapped them in plastic and popped them in a ziplock.  Now, when I need a TB of tomato paste, I can just grab one of my frozen TBs from the freezer and not feel so wasteful.

A close-up of these beautiful mushrooms and carrots post my trip to Brooklyn Kitchen for an excellent knife skills class!

 Ok, enough about the ingredients.  To get going, heat a large dutch oven (I used the 4.5 qt one that Mary's mother gave me) with one TB olive oil and one TB butter. Once those are melted together, add the mushrooms to give them a sear.  You'll want to let them turn dark brown, but take them back out of the pan before they start releasing any juices.  While I did this all in one go, it would probably be a bit easier to do in batches.
Once all the mushrooms are back out of the pan, add the second TB of olive oil and add the carrots, onion, thyme, and some salt and freshly ground black pepper.  Turn the heat down to medium and let them cook for about 10 minutes.  Add the garlic and let that cook for an additional minute.

Stand back and add the wine, making sure to scrape up any deliciousness on the bottom of the pan.  Turn the heat up and reduce until it's about 1/2 the liquid - it should take about 15 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste and broth and add back the mushrooms (plus any juices that have collected in your bowl) to the pot. Let those simmer for 25 minutes.  For the last 10 minutes, add the pearl onions so they get nice and soft.

Finally, combine the flour and butter with a fork until it looks like a paste.  Add to the pot to thicken and let it cook for a final 10 minutes. Season to taste - mine needed quite a bit of salt.
Serve over egg noodles or rice and feel free to garnish with sour cream, parsley or thyme.
Enjoy!

Fettuccine with Creamy Sausage Tomato Sauce

Again, another long break! Work has been too busy to cook and blog.  So I have been cooking, just not blogging! I am trying to use the holidays as a chance to get caught up and clear some of these pictures out of my phone!
This was a delicious treat that I made that does NOT fall into the category of health food.  But we were both craving a delicious pasta without heading out of the apartment, so I used this recipe from Epicurious without really changing much.  It was creamy, hardy, and an excellent treat for a cold day.  It's a rare day that I cook with cream, but this was worth every calorie. 

Here's what I used:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 shallots, chopped
• 2 large garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 pound sweet Italian sausages, casings removed
• 1 cup whipping cream
• 2 14.5-ounce cans diced tomatoes in juice with Italian seasonings
• 1 tablespoon dried sage
• 1/2 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper

• 1 package of fresh fettuccine

• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

I started by chopping my shallots and garlic and adding them to a hot pan with a swirl of olive oil.  I let those sweat until they were softened, about 3 minutes.

Then I added the sausage, working to break it up into small pieces with the back of a wooden spoon.  The smaller the better here, so that it can hold all the delicious sauce. It took about 10 minutes until the sausage was no longer pink in the middle.  Then it's time to add the rest of the sauce. If it looks extremely greasy here, you can use a big metal spoon to get any sausage grease out of the pan - I got about one small spoonful out before I added the rest of the sauce ingredients. 

To this, add the cream and incorporate before adding the tomatoes (make sure you crush them with your hands as you add them), the tomato juices, sage, and red pepper. Stir and incorporate, bring just to a boil, and turn the heat down to simmer for 15 minutes. 

Meanwhile, get your pasta water boiling so that you can add it at the appropriate time (8-9 min out for dry, 3 min out for fresh pasta.)  While I remembered to reserve some pasta water, I did not need to use it. Once the pasta is cooked, strain and add directly to the sauce to coat.  I like to use my silicone kitchen tongs to make sure all the pasta is evenly coated. You can add a little salt and pepper if you need to, though I did not have to add any additional salt. Instead, I topped with a little salty parmesan cheese to serve. 

Buon Appetito!

Pumpkin Waffles

Wow, I have been bad! I can't believe I haven't posted in three weeks.  I have been traveling for work, so not doing as much cooking.  But I blame a glass of wine here and there for why I haven't been posting :)

So a few weeks ago, I made some pumpkin muffins (with whole wheat flour and honey...healthy, but just...ok.)  Anyway, I had loads of leftover pumpkin.  The hubby had been working non-stop all week and had to go back in the office all day Saturday, so I decided to make him a treat before he had to go work.  I gave him the choice of pumpkin waffles or pumpkin pancakes, reeeeeaaaaally hoping he would pick the pancakes since they are easier, but he wanted waffles.  So waffles it was.

I scoured the internet looking for the perfect recipe, as I'm a waffle novice, and pumpkin in general is very dense and can be tricky to work with since it will weigh down just about any fluffy waffle recipe I could think of. And then I came upon a blog where a woman has tried over 90 recipes on the quest to make the perfect pumpkin waffle.  Perfect! I admire her dedication, as I would not be able to stick to it like she did!
http://pumpkinwaffles.wordpress.com/ultimate-pumpkin-waffle-recipe/
It was pretty perfect.  Here's what you're working towards:

I used her recipe nearly exactly.  The only thing I would change would be to add a touch more sugar the next time - AND to crank the waffle iron up to high instead of medium.  I prefer a crispier waffle, so next time I would turn that iron up!
Here's what I used:
• 1/4 cup light brown sugar (would go just under a 1/2 cup next time)

• 3 Tbsp. cornstarch
• 1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 3/4 tsp. cinnamon
• 2 tsp. ginger
• 1/4 tsp. cloves
• 1/2 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg or 1/4 tsp dried (I used dried)
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1 cup canned solid-pack pumpkin• 4 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted and warm 


First, in a medium sized bowl, mix your dry ingredients - the brown sugar, cornstarch, flour, baking powder, salt, and spices. If you give the cornstarch and brown sugar a stir first, that will help break up the cornstach, which can stick together and get clumpy.  No one wants a cornstarch clump in their waffle! This might be a good time to preheat your waffle iron, as well.

Then separate your eggs - putting the yolks in a big bowl, and the whites straight in your mixer bowl. You can get those going until stiff peaks form (2-3 min) while you mix the pumpkin and milk into the into the yolks.

Pour the melted butter into your pumpkin mixture, stirring or whisking as you add it.

Then stir the dry ingredients into the pumpkin mixture.

Next it's time to fold in your egg whites, very carefully, so that they are just incorporated but not stirred. 

Now for the fun part! Into the waffle iron it goes. I did a light spray with cooking spray before I added the waffle batter.

I think I filled up the first one too much, because it only made 2 full waffles, but my iron has very deep pockets.

 Next time, I would probably double the recipe so I could freeze a batch!
Delicious!They were perfectly spiced, though I would prefer a touch more sugar.  I served with dried cranberries and fresh maple syrup. Enjoy!

Whole Wheat mushroom pizza with fontina, rosemary, and truffle oil

We had the most delicious pizza when we were in Reading, PA for my cousin's wedding last weekend and I figured there was no reason I couldn't make it at home! I decided to make a healthier version, however, and ordered the whole wheat frozen pizza dough from Fresh Direct.

This was a simple one! Just preheat the oven to 500 degrees before you start. Knead the pizza dough with your hands and work on flatening it out to a round surface.  Use a bit of flour on your hands to keep it from sticking. Put a little flour down on a cookie sheet (or a pizza stone if you have one) and then put the pizza dough on top once you get a nice circle of dough.
Shred a chunk of fontina cheese or whichever cheese you prefer until you have about 3/4 cup per pizza. Put the shredded cheese on top of the dough and then add your other toppings. Chop some mushrooms - I used the gourmet blend from Fresh Direct and put onto along with some chopped rosemary. Then I drizzled with some black truffle oil that I keep on hand.

Pop the pizzas in the oven for 10-15 min until the crust looks crunchy and the cheese is melted but not browned.

Serve immediately and enjoy!

Shrimp and Bulgar Wheat with Mexican flavors

The hubs declared this dish one of his favorites I've ever made, which is high praise for something that falls in the healthy category!!  It was really easy and took no time at all.  I did a true "mise en place," meaning having everything chopped and ready ahead of time because it only takes about 15 min to cook and I didn't know when the hubs would get home from work.

I have never cooked with bulgar wheat, but thankfully I decided to give it a go with this Epicurious recipe.

Here's what I used-

Clockwise from the top:
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
3 chopped cloves of garlic
1 lime worth of juice
1 lime cut into wedges
1 red pepper, diced
2 fresh ears of corn, cut off the cob
1 lb of wild shrimp (trying to stay off farm raised seafood), shells off and deveined
and in the middle,
1 cup bulgar wheat (purchased from Fresh Direct)
and 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Start with a large pot and add a swirl of extra virgin olive oil over medium high heat.  Add the garlic and cook for 1 min.  Meanwhile, add 2 cups of water to your microwave for 2 min so that it boils.  Add the bulgar wheat to the garlic in the pot and cook for a minute or two until you can smell it getting toasted a bit.  Add about 1/2 tsp of salt as well.
Then, add the first 1/2 cup of boiling water.  Stir until the wheat has absorbed the liquid and continue adding the water a 1/2 cup at a time. After the 2 cups are incorporated, the wheat will be just slightly soupy.  This should take about 7-8 min in total.  The rest of the water will continue to be absorbed over the next few minutes.

Then add the shrimp to the pan and cook for another 3-4 minutes until the shrimp are JUST cooked. They still needed a few minutes here.

Then add the corn, red pepper, lime juice, and red pepper flakes and cook for another 2 minutes.

Finally, turn the heat off and add the cilantro and serve with a lime wedge.

This would make the easiest dinner party ever. I would prep everything before your guests arrive, and then it just needs 15 minutes to cook and voila! A Mexican flavored, healthy dish.
I would serve chips and salsa and a nice manchego cheese while guests arrived, and serve the dish with a slice of avocado on top and a crostini on the side.  It pairs beautifully with a light Sauvignon Blanc or fruity Pinot Grigio.