Monday, January 30, 2012

Gemelli Salad with Green Beans, Pistachios, and Lemon-Thyme Vinaigrette

  • 8 ounces uncooked gemelli (short twisted tube pasta)
  • 1 cup (1 1/2-inch) cut haricots verts (about 4 ounces)
  • 1/2 cup chopped shelled pistachios
  • 2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves, divided
  • 2 tablespoons grated lemon rind, divided
  • 1 tablespoon minced shallots
  • 2 tablespoons Champagne or white wine vinegar
  • 3 garlic cloves, crushed
  • 5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 ounce shaved fresh Parmesan cheese (about 1/3 cup)
Cook the pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Add haricots verts during the final 2 minutes of cooking. Drain and rinse pasta mixture under cold water; drain well.

Place the pasta mixture, pistachios, 1 tablespoon thyme, and 1 tablespoon lemon rind in a large bowl; toss gently to combine.

Combine remaining 1 tablespoon thyme, remaining 1 tablespoon lemon rind, shallots, Champagne or white wine vinegar, and garlic in a small bowl, stirring well with a whisk. Gradually add olive oil, stirring constantly with a whisk. Add salt and black pepper; stir with a whisk. Drizzle over pasta mixture, and toss gently to coat. Top each serving with Parmesan cheese.

Serves 4 (1.25 cups w/1 tbl. cheese), 491 calories.

VERDICT: Holy lemon and garlic! Quite thyme-y, as well, for that matter. It also doesn't seem particularly light. Toss.

Sunday, January 29, 2012

Pear Crisp with Streusel Topping

  • 7 3/4 cups cubed Bartlett or Anjou pears
  • 1 cup golden raisins
  • 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • Cooking spray
  • 1/2 cup all-purpose flour (about 2 1/4 ounces)
  • 1 cup regular oats
  • 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • Dash of salt
  • 1/4 cup chilled butter, cut into small pieces
  • 1/2 cup frozen fat-free whipped topping, thawed
Preheat oven to 375°

To prepare crisp, combine the first 6 ingredients in a large bowl; toss to combine. Spoon mixture into an 11 x 7-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray.

To prepare topping, lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine flour, oats, sugar, 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon, and dash of salt in a small bowl; stir to combine. Cut in butter with a pastry blender or 2 knives until mixture resembles very coarse meal. Sprinkle oat mixture evenly over pear mixture. Bake at 375° for 50 minutes or until browned on top. Serve with whipped topping.

Serves 8 (1 cup). Calories: 303

VERDICT: Nothing outstanding, but I love that this recipe doesn't ask you to peel the pears and that it uses on-hand ingredients. I used regular raisins, and that worked just fine. Cooking Light claims that a serving of this crisp has a quarter of your day's fiber requirement. Keep.

Quinoa and Roasted Pepper Chili

  • 2 red bell peppers
  • 2 poblano chiles
  • 4 teaspoons olive oil
  • 3 cups chopped zucchini
  • 1 1/2 cups chopped onion
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 tablespoon chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1/2 teaspoon Spanish smoked paprika
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1/3 cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed
  • 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 (14.5-ounce) can fire-roasted diced tomatoes with chipotles, undrained
  • 1 (15-ounce) can no-salt-added pinto beans, rinsed and drained
  • 1 cup low-sodium vegetable juice
Preheat broiler.

Cut bell peppers and chiles in half lengthwise; discard seeds and membranes. Place halves, skin sides up, on a foil-lined baking sheet, and flatten with hand. Broil 10 minutes or until blackened. Place in a paper bag; fold to close tightly. Let stand 10 minutes. Peel and coarsely chop.

Heat a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add zucchini, onion, and garlic; sauté 4 minutes. Stir in chili powder, cumin, and paprika; sauté for 30 seconds. Add roasted peppers and chiles, 1/2 cup water, and remaining ingredients; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low; cover and simmer for 20 minutes or until quinoa is tender.

Servings: 4 (1.5 cups), Calories: 258

Verdict: Incredibly huge pain in the ass to roast the peppers, but quite good, and super-healthy. I substituted yellow peppers, since they were on sale at Lund's. They also didn't have fire-roasted tomatoes with chipotles, so I used plain fire-roasted tomatoes, and that was fine. Keep.

Saturday, January 28, 2012

Cinnamon-Oat Pancakes

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour, (spooned and leveled)
  • 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
  • 2 cups milk
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1/4 cup vegetable oil, plus more for skillet
In a food processor, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and 1 cup oats and pulse a few times to coarsely grind oats. In a large bowl, whisk together milk, eggs, and oil. Add dry ingredients and 1 cup oats and whisk just until moistened.

Heat a large skillet (nonstick or cast-iron) or griddle over medium. Lightly oil skillet. Using 2 to 3 tablespoons for each pancake, drop batter in skillet and cook until a few bubbles have burst, 1 to 2 minutes. Flip pancakes and cook until browned on undersides, 1 to 2 minutes more. Repeat with more oil and batter.

Makes 20. Serving (4 pancakes)=296 calories.

VERDICT: Substituted apple butter for one egg, as one egg was all I had. Possibly as a result, a little heavy, but not bad. The bits where the pancakes got crispy and crusty verged on delicious. Still, given that I'm not a huge pancake fan to begin with, toss.

Sunday, January 22, 2012

Classic From the Vault: Lemon Bars

For the Crust:

  • Vegetable oil, for greasing
  • 1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, diced
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup confectioner's sugar, plus more for garnish
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt

For the Filling:

  • 4 large eggs, plus 2 egg yolks
  • 2 cups granulated sugar
  • 1/3 cup all-purpose flour, sifted
  • 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
  • 1 cup fresh lemon juice (from about 8 lemons)

Make the crust: Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9-by-13-inch pan with vegetable oil and line with foil, leaving a 2-inch overhang on all sides; grease the foil with oil. Pulse the butter, flour, both sugars and the salt in a food processor until the dough comes together, about 1 minute. Press evenly into the bottom and about 1/2 inch up the sides of the prepared pan, making sure there are no cracks. Bake until the crust is golden, about 25 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the filling: Whisk the whole eggs and yolks, sugar and flour in a bowl until smooth. Whisk in the lemon zest and juice. Remove the crust from the oven and reduce the temperature to 300 degrees F. Pour the filling over the warm crust and return to the oven. Bake until the filling is just set, 30 to 35 minutes.

Let the bars cool in the pan on a rack, then refrigerate until firm, at least 2 hours. Lift out of the pan using the foil and slice. Dust with confectioners' sugar before serving.

VERDICT: My go-to potluck dessert and the best lemon bars I've ever had. They take a long time, but are worth it.

Spelt Salad with White Beans and Artichokes

  • 1 1/4 cups uncooked spelt (farro), rinsed and drained
  • 2 1/2 cups water
  • 1/3 cup chopped fresh mint
  • 1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley
  • 1/4 cup minced red onion
  • 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 (15-ounce) can navy beans, rinsed and drained
  • 1 (14-ounce) can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
Combine spelt and 2 1/2 cups water in a medium saucepan; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 30 minutes or until tender and liquid is absorbed. Combine cooked spelt, mint, and the remaining ingredients in a large bowl, stirring well. Cover and store in the refrigerator.

VERDICT: I substituted wheat berries for spelt--Cooking Light also suggests that you could substitute bulgur. I love that this is largely made out of a can, but still feels healthy and fresh. Keeps well. Keep!

Whole-Grain Toast with Yogurt and Pistachios

  • 4 tablespoons nonfat Greek yogurt
  • 2 slices whole-grain toast
  • 2 tablespoon honey
  • 2 tablespoon shelled pistachios
Spread nonfat Greek yogurt on whole-grain toast. Drizzle each with honey. Sprinkle each with shelled pistachios. Serve immediately. (Serves 2.)

VERDICT: I'm not sure this qualifies as a recipe, since one doesn't make the yogurt, the toast, or the pistachios, but it's easy enough and not disgusting. I might try maple syrup instead of honey tomorrow. Keep.

Saturday, January 21, 2012

Fennel and Tomato Soup

  • 3 Tbs. olive oil
  • 1 large fennel bulb, diced (4 cups)
  • 3 vegan Italian sausages, sliced into 1/2-inch-thick rounds (2 cups)
  • 1 tsp. fennel seeds
  • 2 Tbs. dry vermouth, dry white wine, or water
  • 4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
  • 1 28-oz. can crushed tomatoes, preferably San Marzano
  • 3 Tbs. chopped fresh Italian parsley
Heat oil in soup pot over medium heat. Add fennel, and sauté 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in sausages and fennel seeds, and cook 5 to 7 minutes, or until fennel seeds are slightly softened and bits of sausage are stuck to bottom of pan. Add vermouth, and cook 5 to 10 seconds to deglaze pan, scraping up any brown bits. Add broth, tomatoes, and parsley; cover, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, if desired.

VERDICT: Easy, easy, easy. Nothing revolutionary, but good enough for the amount of effort invested. Vegetarian Times claims it freezes well. Keep.

Sunday, January 15, 2012

Chunky Red Dal Soup

  • 1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil
  • 1/2 cup chopped onion
  • 1 teaspoon minced garlic
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons minced peeled fresh ginger
  • 3/4 teaspoon Spanish smoked paprika
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 3 cups water
  • 1 cup dried red lentils, rinsed and drained
  • 1 cup canned chickpeas (garbanzo beans), rinsed and drained
  • 1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon harissa
  • Chopped fresh cilantro (optional)

1. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and garlic; cook 6 minutes or until tender, stirring frequently. Stir in ginger, paprika, salt, cumin, and pepper; cook 1 minute. Add 3 cups water, lentils, chickpeas, and tomatoes; bring to a boil.

2. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 30 minutes or until the lentils are tender, stirring occasionally. Stir in lemon juice and harissa. Garnish with chopped fresh cilantro, if desired.

VERDICT: Yum! I've resisted buying smoked paprika for years, but no more--this soup truly is smoky and spicy and earthy and delicious. I couldn't find harissa, so I substituted chile paste--I can't say what difference it would make to have used it, but the results were good. Keep!

Chai Shortbread

  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (about 6 3/4 ounces)
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground cardamom
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • Dash of ground cloves
  • Dash of freshly ground black pepper
  • 3/4 cup powdered sugar
  • 10 tablespoon butter, softened
  • 1 tablespoon ice water

1. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour and next 5 ingredients (through pepper), stirring well with a whisk. Place sugar and butter in a medium bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until light and fluffy. Gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture, beating at low speed just until combined (mixture will appear crumbly). Sprinkle dough with 1 tablespoon ice water; toss with a fork. Divide dough in half. Shape dough into 2 (6-inch-long) logs; wrap each log in plastic wrap. Chill 1 hour or until very firm.

2. Preheat oven to 375°.

3. Unwrap dough logs. Carefully cut each log into 18 slices using a serrated knife. Place dough circles 2 inches apart on baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Bake at 375° for 10 minutes. Cool on pans 5 minutes. Remove cookies from pans; cool completely on wire racks.

VERDICT: Eh. Martha Stewart's Indian-Spiced Cashew-Lime Cookies are more work, but better. Toss.

Saturday, January 14, 2012

Classic from the Vault: Ice Cream Treasures

  • 1 1/2 cups (6 ounces) chocolate-covered English toffee candy bars (such as Heath), crushed
  • 8 cups vanilla reduced-fat ice cream (such as Healthy Choice), softened
  • 4 cups crispy rice cereal squares, crushed (such as Rice Chex)
  • 2 cups whole-grain toasted oat cereal (such as Cheerios)
  • 2/3 cup packed dark brown sugar
  • 1/3 cup slivered almonds, toasted
  • 1/3 cup flaked sweetened coconut, toasted
  • 2 tablespoons butter, melted

1. Stir crushed candy into ice cream. Cover and freeze until ready to use.

2. Combine cereals, brown sugar, and remaining ingredients in a large bowl, stirring until well blended. Press half of cereal mixture in bottom of a 13 x 9-inch baking pan.

3. Let ice cream stand at room temperature 20 minutes or until softened. Spread softened ice cream mixture over cereal mixture; top evenly with remaining cereal mixture. Cover and freeze 8 hours or overnight.

VERDICT: This is always good, even though it seems like it shouldn't be. I will never, never throw it away.

Cauliflower Penne Puttanesca

  • 3/4 lb. penne or other short pasta
  • 3 T olive oil
  • 1 small head cauliflower (about 1.5 lbs), cored and cut into small florets
  • kosher salt and black pepper
  • 2 cloves garlic, chopped
  • 1 28-oz can whole peeled tomatoes
  • 1/2 c. pitted kalamata olives, chopped
  • 2 T capers, rinsed
  • 1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper
  • 2 T chopped flat-leaf parsley
  • grated Parmesan, for serving

1. Cook the pasta according to package directions. Drain and return to pot.

2. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the cauliflower, 1/2 tsp. salt, and 1/4 tsp. black pepper. Cook, tossing occasionally, until golden, 4 to 6 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the tomatoes and their juices, olives, capers, and crushed red pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally and breaking up the tomatoes with a spoon, until the cauliflower is tender, 8 to 10 minutes more.

3. Toss the pasta with the sauce. Serve topped with the parsley and Parmesan.

VERDICT: Pretty easy, pretty good, and reheats well. Does make the entire house/break room smell weird. Keep.

Tuesday, January 10, 2012

Granola Your Way

  • 1/3 to 1/2 c vegetable oil, coconut oil, light olive oil, or butter
  • 1/3 to 1/2 c brown sugar, maple syrup, honey, or agave nectar (use the lesser amount if using agave or honey*)
  • Vanilla (1 tsp), cinnamon (1 tsp), ginger (1/2 tsp), or cardamom (1/4 tsp)
  • 4 c flaked grains, such as oatmeal, Kamut, spelt, and/or rye
  • Flaked unsweetened coconut (1/3 c), wheat germ (3T), nutritional yeast (2T), flaxseeds (2T), or chia seeds (2T)
  • 2 c chopped nuts and seeds, such as walnuts, almonds, pecans, shelled sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, or sesame seeds
  • 1 c chopped dried fruit, such as apples, pears, peaches, plums, cranberries, currants, raisins, and/or cherries
1. Preheat oven to 350ºF. In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, melt butter (if using oil, warm it) and add your sweetener of choice along with vanilla, cinnamon or other spices you're using.

2. In a large bowl, combine remaining ingredients, except dried fruit. Pour the warmed butter or oil and sweetener over the mixture and mix with a large spoon or spatula.

3. Transfer the mixture to a large baking sheet and spread out. Bake until evenly browned, 20 to 25 minutes, stopping halfway through to stir the ingredients. Remove from oven, add dried fruit, and toss to combine. Let cool completely on the baking sheet, then store at room temperature in an airtight container for up to three weeks.

*If using honey, you don't need to heat the oil in Step 1. Just whisk the oil together with the vanilla or cinnamon and pour it over the flakes, nuts, and extras, and toss and bake as directed. When you remove the granola from the oven, add the dried fruit and drizzle the honey over it while still warm. Toss to coat, and cool and store as directed. (Note that honey will produce a sticky granola that clumps together.)

VERDICT: I used vegetable oil, agave syrup, vanilla and cardamom, oats, wheat bran, walnuts, pecans, sesame seeds, apricots, and dried cherries. I have yet to try it with yogurt or milk, but am so far unimpressed. It's weirdly dusty in flavor and texture. It got a little overcooked even at the low end of the time range, which doesn't help. It's nice that the recipe is so flexible, but unless I really needed to make granola and had to patch it together with the ingredients I had on hand, I'd skip it. Toss.

Sunday, January 8, 2012

Jacques Pépin's Tortilla Pizza

"Tortillas make the best pizza for lunch. Rub a bit of olive oil on both sides of the tortillas and then top with slices of tomato, arugula, parmesan cheese, olive oil, salt & pepper. Bake in 425º oven for ten minutes and enjoy."

VERDICT: Wonderful! I can't believe that this actually worked. Keep!

Saturday, January 7, 2012

Mushroom and Pappardelle Soup with Gremolata

  • 2 Tbs. olive oil
  • 4 oz. cremini mushrooms, sliced 1/4-inch thick (2 cups)
  • 1 large onion, diced (1 1/2 cups)
  • 3/4 tsp. dried Italian seasoning
  • 7 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
  • 4 oz. pappardelle noodles
  • 1 1/2 cups green beans, cut into 1-inch pieces
  • 1/3 cup mascarpone cheese
Gremolata
  • 1/4 cup fresh Italian parsley
  • 1 clove garlic, peeled
  • 2 tsp. grated lemon zest
1. To make Soup: Heat oil in pot over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and onion, and sauté 5 minutes. Stir in Italian seasoning, then broth. Cover, and bring to a boil. Set aside 1/2 cup broth, then add noodles; simmer 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add green beans, and simmer 3 minutes. Remove from heat.

2. Whisk reserved 1/2 cup broth into mascarpone in bowl. Slowly stir mascarpone mixture into Soup.

3. To make Gremolata: pulse parsley, garlic, and lemon zest in food processor until finely chopped.

4. Ladle Soup into bowls. Garnish each with 2 tsp. Gremolata.

VERDICT: Once again, Lund's let me down, so I replaced pappardelle with multigrain bow-ties, which seemed fine. I also wanted to finish up some ricotta lying around in the fridge, so I used it in place of the mascarpone. That might have been a mistake, as it got kind of granulated in the soup. The real revelation here was the gremolata, which brought an unexpected freshness and zestiness. Toss, but remember to make gremolata in the future.

Mac-and-Cheese-Style Cauliflower

  • 1 large head cauliflower (1 1/2 lb.), cut into medium florets (8 cups)
  • 2 Tbs. butter or margarine
  • 3 Tbs. all-purpose flour
  • 2 cups low-fat milk
  • 1 clove garlic, minced (1 tsp.)
  • 2 cups grated extra-sharp Cheddar cheese
  • 1/2 cup nutritional yeast
  • 1 pinch cayenne pepper
  • 2 egg yolks
  • 1 1/2 cups fresh breadcrumbs
1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Bring large pot of salted water to a boil. Add cauliflower florets, and boil 5 to 7 minutes, or until just tender. Drain, reserving 1 cup cooking liquid, and set aside.

2. Melt butter in same pot over medium heat. Whisk in flour, and cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Whisk in milk, garlic, and reserved cooking liquid, and cook 7 to 10 minutes, or until sauce is thickened, whisking constantly. Remove from heat, and stir in cheese, nutritional yeast, cayenne pepper, and egg yolks until cheese is melted. Fold in cauliflower.

3. Coat 13- x 9-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Spread cauliflower mixture in baking dish, and sprinkle with breadcrumbs. Spray breadcrumbs with cooking spray. Bake 30 minutes, or until casserole is hot and bubbly and breadcrumbs are crisp and brown.

VERDICT: Lund's didn't have any nutritional yeast, so I left it out. This might have contributed to its blandness, which a little salt fixed right up. Keep, for its easiness and resultingly few dishes. (Note: it also reheats well, unlike regular macaroni and cheese.)