5 Tiny Kitchen Confessions

Our deck last summer...

1. I love gardening and cooking with fresh vegetables. Unfortunately, since Jerry and I are still renting, we've never had a REAL garden. I try every year to have some sort of a "deck garden" and it has never, never come out the way I expect or hope it will. I will say that growing lettuce greens is SUPER EASY! It also saves a lot of money as fancy baby green are expensive. The growing season is also pretty long. Fresh basil and green onion are also easy to grow. Other than a couple tiny tomatoes, we've never produced much, uh, produce. I have BIG plans for a nice, BIG garden one day...
2. There are many days when I simply don't want to cook. I love to cook, but after being on my feet and on the go all day, sometimes I want nothing more than to sit. Luckily Jerry and I try to go out for dinner at least once every two weeks. I use it as an opportunity to scour the menu and take mental notes of things I want to try to make!
3. I am a master ingredient-substituter...I can be forgetful with my grocery list, or run out of pantry staples, so more often than I'd like to admit, I tend to be on damage-control, looking for alternatives. Thank goodness for Google!!
4. Air-popped popcorn is my absolute favorite snack! I've been experimenting with spices to put on my popcorn, like lemon-dill. You know those gourmet popcorn shops? Well, I think they are GENIUS. Maybe I'll post one of my popcorn topping recipes! 
5. I'm a meat-eater. I make a lot of vegetarian dishes, but I'm not opposed to meat and poultry. We started reducing our meat-eating in college when we started paying for our own groceries, and it has sort-of stuck. Especially since we started eating organic and local only, which means a higher price tag, it just makes sense. We are constantly trying to find balance nutritionally and economically while still trying to enjoy eating our food. We average 1 to 2 meals a week that contain some sort of animal protein. It works for us, so we'll stick with it!

-Carly

(A Little Like) Aloo Palak, a Potato-Spinach Curry

I love, love, love Indian food! When Jerry and I go out for Indian food (there are a few pretty good restaurants here in town) we usually both order some kind of feast...you know the meals that are meant to be shared? We each eat one of our own. Gluttonous? Yes, definitely. But that provides all the more reason for me to try my hand at homemade Indian dishes that are cheaper and healthier. I will further preface this recipe with this side note: This is my interpretation of a traditional dish...I've omitted things that I didn't have and added things that I like. It is not prepared in a traditional way, but rather a way that I am comfortable and will result in the tastiest way. If you like Indian food, spinach, or are feeling the need to expand your culinary horizons, then this dish might be for you! Oh, did I mention that it is super simple to prepare?

Serves:

4

Origin: 

India

Ingredients:

• 3 potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 10 oz spinach
• 1 onion, chopped coarsely
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 inch of fresh ginger, grated
• 1 14 oz water packed extra firm tofu block, 1/2 cubed and pressed, the other 1/2 kept as is
• 2 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp ground tumeric
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp ground paprika
• 1 tsp whole mustard seeds
• 2 Tbsp olive oil, divided
• sea salt to taste
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)

Cooking:

1. Preheat the oven to 300°
2. Boil the potatoes in lightly salted water. 1/2 inch cube typically takes about 20 minutes. But the smaller you dice, the shorter the boiling time!
3. In a large skillet, heat 1 Tbsp olive oil over med-high heat.
4. Saute the onions, garlic and ginger for about 5-7 minutes or until the onions are translucent. Stir constantly as the ginger will most certainly stick to the bottom of the pan.
5. Add the spinach, a handful at a time, allow it to wilt and cook down. Cook for about an additional 5 minutes.
6. Remove from the heat and allow to cool for a couple of minutes. 
7. When cooled, put the skillet ingredients in a food processor and blend until smooth. Add the 1/2 block of tofu and continue to blend until smooth.
8. Heat the remaining 1 Tbsp olive oil and then add the mustard seeds and ground cumin. When the mustard seeds start to pop, add the cubed tofu and saute until lightly browned.
9. Add the ingredients from the food processor and your remaining spices, as well as your potatoes.
10. Place in a casserole dish and pop in the oven for about 10 minutes. 
11. Spoon out into warmed bowls and serve with naan flatbread.
12. Enjoy!

Notes:

• I've been known to add tiny cubes of mozzarella cheese to this dish...not traditional, but it is the closest texture to that delicious paneer cheese found in Indian food. It isn't supposed to be that difficult to make, but I just haven't gotten around to trying to make it...only day...one day.
• I add the tofu just as a source of protein, not necessarily to improve texture or taste. 
• Use the naan to scoop the aloo palek into your mouth! Yum!
• Sometimes I add just a sprinkle of lemon juice before putting it in the oven. Lemon juice adds a little brightness to the earthiness of the spinach. Give it a taste before you put it in, if it is missing "something" add a little lemon juice. My guess is that it is missing a little acid, is all.

So, it's close enough to satisfy our Indian food cravings, but still is easy to prepare! Did I mention I love to bring it for lunch the next day, too?

-Carly

Russian-Style Macaroni

This is another gem from a Moosewood cookbook. The first time I had it was for lunch left-overs at Jerry's house, in HIGH SCHOOL! His mom made it using the Moosewood recipe and later when we moved out on our own, she gave me the updated version for Christmas. This dish has truly become a comfort food for us. It is creamy and cheesy, but practically guilt-free as the creamy, cheesiness comes from fat-free cottage cheese! Genius. It is also packed with veggies. When I say packed, I mean, I basically clean out the fridge when I make it and put everything I can in it. This has never come out less than delicious. 

Serves:

4

Origin:

A variation of the Macaroni and Cheese Lite from The New Moosewood Cookbook

Ingredients:

• 3 cups uncooked whole wheat macaroni, penne, or any small pasta, really (pictured is gluten-free macaroni, that we had on-hand so I used it. I typically only use whole-wheat pasta for this dish).
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 3-4 cloves garlic, minced (you can use less, I always put a lot of garlic in everything)
• 2 cups shredded carrots (about 6 whole carrots)
• 1 red bell pepper, 1/2 inch dice
• 3 cups shredded cabbage
• 1 bunch spinach, stemmed
• 1/2 bag of frozen peas
• 32 oz fat-free cottage cheese
• 4 oz shredded white cheddar cheese
• handful of sunflower seeds and flax seeds
• lots of black pepper
• handful of panko breadcrumbs (optional)

Cooking:

1. Preheat your oven to 350° set your pasta water to boil.
2. Cook the pasta according to the box directions, omitting any added salt or oil.
3. Over med-high heat, heat your oil. Add the onions and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring often.
4. Add the garlic and cook an additional minute before adding the carrots and pepper. 
5. When the veggies have softened, add your cabbage to the skillet, stirring in order to prevent sticking or burning, for about 5 minutes.
6. Begin adding your spinach. I typically do this is stages, as it is nearly impossible to add the spinach all at once. Just put in a handful, stir around until it wilts, then add more. 
7. When the spinach has been added, add your peas, cooking an additional 1-2 minutes.
8. Remove from heat.
9. In a large bowl (I usually just use the pasta pot to avoid extra dirty dishes) combine the veggies, pasta, cottage cheese, 1/2 of the cheddar cheese, and the seeds. Add lots of black pepper.
10. Put the mixture in a large casserole dish coated in cooking spray. I have a great oval casserole dish, but I have also used a regular 9 x 13 pan. When I use a deeper dish, baking time is usually increased, as there is less surface area for moisture to be released--just keep that in mind when choosing your pan.
11. Top with the remaining cheddar cheese and if you would like, a little breadcrumbs.
12. Bake for about 25-30 minutes.
13. Remove from the oven and let stand for about 5 minutes. Then spoon out into warmed bowls and serve.
14. Enjoy!

Notes:

• Feel free to leave out the cabbage. Personally, I love it. It has a wonderful texture and adds a nice sweetness to the dish, along with the carrots, but I understand that not everyone would like it with their macaroni. Just add extra spinach to replace it.
• If you are using a lot of spinach or cabbage your casserole will likely stay nice and moist, but if you don't, you might want to add 1/2 a cup of milk to the mixture. I've only done this once or twice, when I've made it in a regular 9 x 13 pan. With the deeper pan and the fact that I put LOTS of cabbage and spinach in, ours never seems to be dry.
• If you want this to be a little richer, use lowfat cottage cheese and maybe a little more cheddar cheese. As it is, it is pretty light and not like a mac 'n cheese, but it really isn't supposed to be. So, if that's what your expecting, then you might as well just make mac 'n cheese then, huh?
• Nice veggie additions include: broccoli, cauliflower, sliced mushrooms, sun-dried tomatoes, artichoke hearts or cherry tomatoes.
• This casserole is great for lunch left-overs! I make a giant batch and then we eat it for dinner and take some for lunch the following days.

Do you have a favorite comfort food? We always come back to Russian-Style Macaroni!

-Carly

Sweet, Sweet Potato Salad

Sweet potatoes are pretty popular around this house. I think it is probably our favorite root vegetable. They are filled with all kinds of nutritional goodies and are versatile in ways of preparation. This recipe is one I've adapted from one of my favorite cookbooks, Moosewood Restaurant Cooks at Home. It's healthy and surprisingly filling. A true gem, in my mind.

Serves: 

2 main course meals; 4 side salad portions

Source: 

A variation of Moosewood Restaurant Cooks at Home recipe

Ingredients:

• 2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch cubes, which works out to be about 3-3 1/2 cups total
• 1 1/2 Tbsp cider vinegar
• 1 1/2 Tbsp Dijon mustard
• 1 Tbsp honey
• 1/8 cup olive oil
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• ground black pepper to taste
• 2 Tbsp chopped, fresh parsley
• 2 green onions, sliced
• Fresh spinach or salad greens
• Lowfat ricotta cheese (optional)

Cooking:

1. Steam your sweet potatoes for about 6 or 7 minutes. Watch them very carefully, as you want them to be soft, but NOT MUSHY. 
2. While your potatoes are cooking, whisk the vinegar, mustard and honey together. Slowly add the oil, whisking while you do, so that the oil emulsifies.
3. Remove the sweet potatoes from the steamer and allow to cool for a couple of minutes, then stir them in with the dressing and red pepper. Allow to cool an additional 5 minutes
4. Add the parsley and green onion, gently stirring, along with the pepper to taste. 
5. Scoop some of the sweet potato salad on a bed of spinach or greens and add a couple of spoonfuls of lowfat ricotta cheese.
6. Enjoy!

No notes or variations on this one. It is delicious, nutritious, and filling all at the same time. I will say that if at all possible, use organic sweet potatoes, the color and flavor are just so much better. If you don't believe me, go to the store, buy a non-organic sweet potato and an organic one, cut them open and compare them side by side, you'll be able to see the difference, I promise. Give this recipe a try, you'll love it!

-Carly

Quesadillas with Pesto?

What? Quesadillas with pesto? Well, I like quesadillas and I really like pesto, and somewhere on the interwebs someone offered advice to add pesto to a quesadilla, so this recipe came about as an experiment of sorts. They were pretty good as far as quesadillas go. I was expecting some kind of huge revelation wherein I would exclaim, "My God! Pesto in quesadillas is AMAZING!" but, not so much. They were good, worth a try, but nothing spectacular. I'm posting what I did so you can try it out on your own and let me know what you think, if you have any suggestions, etc. So, here we go!

Ingredients:

• 1 Tbsp cooking oil (I use olive oil)
• 2 small zucchinis, halved and thinly sliced (you can remove the seeds if you like)
• 8 oz of white mushrooms, scrubbed and sliced
• 3-4 green onions, sliced
• 1 jalepeno, seeded and sliced
• 1/2 -3/4 cup pesto
• 4 oz muenster cheese
• 1 package whole wheat wraps

Cooking:

1. Preparation is fairly simple. When your ingredients are all set, heat your oil on mid-high heat. Put the jalepeno in first, for about 1 or 2 minutes. Add the zucchini and mushrooms and stir occasionally for about 6 or 7 minutes, or until the mushrooms are starting to brown and the zucchini softens.
2. Stir in the pesto and green onions and remove from heat.
3. In a large skillet, heat a tortilla over medium heat. Take some of the muenster cheese and spread it around the tortilla. When it starts to melt, put a scoop of the veggies (about 1/2 a cup) and spread it onto one half of the tortilla. Fold the other side of the tortilla over the veggies, flip after about 1 minute and cook the other side for an additional minute, or until the tortilla is toasted and brown.
4. Put the prepared quesadillas in a warm oven until you are ready to serve and continue making them until you have used all the filling ingredients.
5. Cut into triangles, and serve.
6. Enjoy!

Notes:

• These were pretty good. A nice, quick option for  a weeknight dinner. Plus, quesadillas are typically mostly cheese with little nutritional value, but I liked that the pesto and veggies were really the focus of these.
• Usually we would eat quesadillas with sour cream or salsa, but I don't think these would fair well with that. The pesto wouldn't be tasty with salsa, but the jalepeno and green onion wouldn't be tasty with an Italian "condiment" like marinara or dipping oil. They just are what they are with what they have.
• I'm not sold on the muenster cheese...I think a more pungent cheese would be a better choice, like maybe Asiago, or even Gorgonzola. Adding sun-dried tomatoes might be what they need, now that I'm considering it!

These are good enough that they will be worth making again, maybe just re-thinking the ingredients a little bit. I'll update when I try it again in a little while! After all, there is just so much food to make and try...I can't be tied down to the same old, same old. :)

-Carly

On This Week's Menu...

I'm terribly behind on blogging! I have lots of new recipes that will be coming your way, I just have gotten behind with writing them up. Jerry is recovering from a serious upper-respiratory illness and I've just been tired. Spring break is luckily around the corner and I plan to take advantage of the time off. Here's what we're eating this week!

Sunday:

BBQ Pork Pizza

Monday:

Chipotle Black Bean Burgers

Tuesday:

Massaman Curry with Chicken & Rice

Wednesday:

Greek-flavored Turkey Burgers with Brussels Sprouts & Roasted Potatoes

Thursday:

Lentil-Rice Casserole

Friday:

Low-Fat Manicotti

Will you be trying anything new this week?

-Carly

Tastes Like Tamales! (Casserole)

This is a delicious comfort food dish with a Mexican theme. I wanted to try to make tamales one day and then lost all motivation when I found this recipe which provided the flavors of chicken tamales without all the work! It's a win-win! This recipe is a "treat meal" for us, as admittedly it isn't super healthy, though it isn't all bad either. Moderation, moderation, moderation....

Serves:

4

Origin:

Variation of Cooking Light Chicken Tamale Casserole 

Ingredients:

• 4 oz shredded extra sharp cheddar cheese
• 1/3 cup fat-free milk
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 can creamed corn 
• 1 box corn muffin mix (you can't go wrong with Jiffy! you can also whip up your own mix)
• 1 jalapeno seeded and chopped
• cooking spray
• 1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1/2-3/4 cups salsa of your choice (we really like tomatillo salsa on this!)
• 2 cups shredded, cooked chicken breast
• fat-free sour cream
• 2 green onion sliced
• 1 bunch cilantro, chopped 

Cooking:

1. Preheat your oven to 400°.

2.  Take 1/4 of your cheddar cheese and mix it with the milk, egg, cumin, red pepper flakes, creamed corn, muffin mix and jalapeno. Stir this until incorporated. It is okay if it looks lumpy!

3. Pour the batter into a 13 x 9 inch baking pan, coated in cooking spray. Bake for about 15 minutes, or until it is just set.

4. Poke some holes in the top of the cornbread with a fork and then spread your salsa over it.Then layer with your beans, chicken, and the rest of your cheese. Return it to the oven for an additional 15 minutes, or until the cheese begins to bubble.

5. Cut into pieces and top with a small spoonful of sour cream, an a sprinkling of green onions and cilantro.

6. Enjoy.

Notes:

• I have substituted regular corn for the creamed corn and just added a little extra milk. It works just as well, the corn kernels are just solid, rather than crushed.
• You could easily spread refried beans on top of the cornbread for something a little different.
• I've used red enchilada sauce instead of the salsa and while I liked it, Jerry prefers the salsa.
• This is great to eat as a left-over, too!!

So, tamale flavor without all the work? It is pretty much a no-brainer! Give it a try and let me know if you agree!

-Carly