Three Bean Veggie Chili

We were gone all day long so this was easy to throw together in the morning and then come home for dinner!!!  It was ok -- I think we just prefer our chili with meat hahaha  It had the perfect amount of spice though!!!

Lasagna Rollups

YAY cookbook is back!!!!  We had a group of 10 originally, but "life" happened and there was only 4 of us that were able to make it!  We still had a great time, and the menu was insane!!  These were SO easy to make, looked SO cute (yup, cute) to serve, and tasted SO yummy.

Ingredients:

9 cooked lasagna noodles
10oz frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
15oz ricotta cheese
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 egg
Salt and pepper, to taste
32oz spaghetti sauce
9 tablespoons grated mozzarella cheese

Cook lasagna noodles.  Preheat the oven to 350 F.  Spread out the cooked lasagna noodles on a large piece of wax paper and let them dry.

Mix the spinach, ricotta, Parmesan, and egg with some salt and pepper.

Spread about 1 cup of spaghetti sauce over the bottom of a 9×12 baking dish.  Evenly spread 1/3 cup of the ricotta mixture down the whole length of each noodle.

Roll each noodle, and place them all seam-side down into the baking dish.  Ladle the rest of the spaghetti sauce over the noodles, and top each roll with 1 tablespoon mozzarella.  Cover with foil and bake for 40 minutes.

Roasted Veggie Panini with Creamy Chipotle-Lime Dressing

Makes 4 large sandwiches -OBB Cookbook

Ingredients:

4 high-quality ciabatta or focaccia rolls or 8 slices high-quality sandwich bread (like sourdough)
Creamy Chipotle-Lime Dressing (recipe below)
8 (1-oz) slices Provolone or pepperjack cheese (or half Provolone and half pepperjack)
1/2 cup guacamole
2 portabello mushrooms, cut into 1/2″ slices
1 small red onion, sliced
1/2 pound fresh asparagus, tough ends snapped off
1/2 cup (approximately) roasted red peppers

Creamy Chipotle-Lime Dressing

1 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 1-ounce package Hidden Valley Ranch dressing mix
3-4 cloves garlic
Juice of 1 lime
1/4 cup adobo sauce (from a can of chipotle chilies)
1/2 cup roughly chopped cilantro (about 1 handful)

To prepare the dressing, place all the ingredients in a blender and blend until combined. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving.

Preheat oven to 450. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Place washed and snapped asparagus, sliced portabellos, and sliced onion on the baking sheet. Drizzle with 2-3 tablespoons olive oil and sprinkle with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Toss to evenly distribute the the oil and salt and pepper (you may need a little more on the mushrooms because they tend to absorb it). Roast for 15 minutes or until veggies are tender.

While the veggies are roasting, spread both sides of each piece of bread with the Creamy Lime-Chipotle Dressing. Place a slice of cheese on the bottom. Add 1/4 of the roasted red peppers.

Spread the top with guacamole and then place another slice of cheese on top of the guacamole.

When the veggies are done roasting, divide them among the sandwiches (on the bottom half). Top each sandwich and cook in a panini press (or on a skillet with a heated pan pressed on top of the sandwich). Allow to stand 2-3 minutes before cutting in half and serving.

Pasta with Cilantro-Peanut Pesto

We had Erik's 8th grade graduation tonight....first off - that makes me feel OLD!!  I was 16 when he was born - where did time go.....second off - he is taller than me now, when I'm wearing heels AND on my tip toes...what the heck!

Back to the meal - we needed something quick tonight so we could head off to the world of traffic, so Ross was nice enough to make this for us - and it was pretty good.  I really liked it - Ross thought it was "eh"....so more leftovers for me!! :)

Serves 4 main dish / 6-8 small sides: OBB

Ingredients 
1 bunch cilantro, roughly chopped (about 1 cup)
1 clove garlic, smashed, peeled, and roughly chopped
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1/4-1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 1/2 teaspoons brown sugar
zest and juice from one lime (about 2 teaspoon zest and 2 tablespoons juice)
1/4 cup roasted peanuts (plus more for serving, if desired)
2-3 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
3/4 pound (12 oz) linguine or spaghetti, cooked according to box instructions

In a food processor (or blender!), combine cilantro (save a bit of cilantro for garnish), garlic, ginger, vegetable and sesame oils, red pepper flakes, lime zest and juice, brown sugar, and peanuts (basically everything except soy sauce).  Pulse until a coarse paste forms.  Season with soy sauce and pulse to combine.

In a large bowl, toss pesto with hot pasta.  Roughly chop additional peanuts and sprinkle over pasta along with extra cilantro leaves and lime wedges if desired.   Serve immediately.  (If you’re prepping and not quite ready to eat yet,  I recommend waiting to toss with pasta until right before serving for the best flavor.)

Baked Couscous with Tomato and Spinach Pesto

This has been on the menu for a week now - and we finally got around (motivated to eat...) to making it.  It was super healthy - and made you feel great eating it, but it was "eh".  It just didn't have much flavor....so yeah, I posted it in case others disagree, but I wouldn't make it again....SO "Lisa - don't make this again"  :)

Serves 4 - Tiff blog

Ingredients:
10 roma tomatoes, halved
2 tablespoons thyme leaves
2 tablespoons olive oil
sea salt and cracked black pepper
1.5 cups couscous (I cooked it in the chicken stock)
1.5 cups chicken stock

Spinach Pesto
1.5 cups baby spinach leaves, roughly chopped
1/2 cup toasted pine nuts
1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
2  tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 cup olive oil
sea salt/cracked black pepper

Preheat oven to 400 F.

For the spinach pesto, place the spinach, pine nuts, Parmesan, lemon juice, oil, S&P in a bowl and mix to combine. Set aside.

Place the tomatoes, thyme, oil, S&P in a baking dish and toss to combine. Roast for 20 minutes. Add the couscous and pour over the stock. Cover with foil and cook for a further 10 minutes. Top with spinach pesto to serve.

Spaghetti with Bacon, Brussels Sprouts and Artichokes

We needed something speedy tonight - and this was it!  Ross had been craving spaghetti - so I found this recipe...however, when he found out that the spaghetti I was talking about didn't have meat - he wasn't very happy...hehe.  BUT he LOVED it!!  SO :p  - don't need meat to make spaghetti great :)

Servings: 2 entrees, 4 sides

Ingredients:
1/2 lb spaghetti
4 slices thick sliced pepper bacon
1/2 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1/2 lb brussels sprouts
6 1/2 oz jar marinated artichoke hearts
1/2 cup grated parmigiano reggiano cheese
salt, to taste

Bring large pot of water to boil. Salt water and add in pasta. Cook to al dente, drain and set aside.

In the mean time, in a deep skillet, cook bacon slices to your liking. Drain on paper towels. Pour off excess bacon grease leaving 2 tablespoons. {If your bacon didn’t give off enough grease, make up the difference in olive oil.} Saute onions, garlic, brussels sprouts and salt until tender, about 5 minutes.

Chop bacon slices into smaller pieces. Stir in artichoke hearts, bacon, hot pasta and cheese. Toss together, taste and adjust seasonings. If you find the dish is on the dry side, stir in some reserved pasta water or heavy cream.

Pesto Pasta with Roasted Tomatoes

Went to take a ride in Pee Wee tonight, so we didn't get home till like 7 - and I was STARVING!  This made 2 servings at our household tonight -- haha!!  but it was so quick and easy, so we were eating right away!  ahhh I want more....!!

Makes 4 main dish servings / 6 side dish servings: OBB Cookbook

Ingredients:
1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes
8oz mushrooms, sliced (about 3 cups)
3-4 tablespoons olive oil
salt / pepper
8 oz bow tie pasta (a little more than 3 cups)
1/4 cup pine nuts
1/2 cup pesto
1/2 cup freshly shredded Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 425 - bring a large pot of water to boil.

Place tomatoes and mushrooms on a foil-lined baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil.  Toss with your fingers, making sure everything is coated with olive oil.  Sprinkle lightly with kosher salt and freshly ground pepper.  Cook for 12-15 minutes or until tomatoes look plump and some of the skins just start to split.

When the water comes to a boil, add 2 teaspoons salt and pasta to the water and cook according to package directions.

While the pasta is cooking, place the pine nuts in a small skillet over medium heat.  Stir frequently until the nuts turn golden brown and look slightly glossy, about 7-9 minutes.

To assemble, toss the hot drained pasta with pesto and Parmesan cheese.  Top with tomatoes and mushrooms and sprinkle with toasted pine nuts and additional Parmesan cheese if desired.

Veggie Stir Fry

ARUBA.....JAMAICA....WHOO I WANNA TAKE YA....Yup that's right - we are heading out to Aruba!!  Needed a quick meal while we were packing, so Rossy made up this yummy meal!  We had it with chicken and rice - but you could easily not put meat in it OR add some streak / shrimp!  Super good!!

Serves 4-6: OBB Cookbook

Ingredients:
1/4 cup beef broth
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1/4-1/2 teaspoon Sriracha sauce
1-2 teaspoons sesame oil, divided
1 tablespoon honey
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
2 teaspoons minced fresh garlic
1/2 small red onion, sliced
1 12-ounce package fresh or frozen vegetables (like a stir-fry mix or broccoli)
Kosher salt to taste
Sesame seeds

Whisk together the beef broth, soy sauce, Sriracha, 1 teaspoon sesame oil, and honey. Set aside.

Heat 2 tablespoons canola oil in a large non-stick skillet or wok over medium-high heat. When very hot, add the onions, ginger, and garlic in that order and stir fry for about 20 seconds. Add the veggies and stir fry for 2-3 minutes or until the veggies are dark and bright but still crisp. Add the sauce and stir fry for another 2-3 minutes or until the veggies are tender-crisp. Transfer to a serving dish and drizzle with another 1/2-1 teaspoon sesame oil and sprinkle with kosher salt to taste and sesame seeds.

*Variation: To make this a meal, add thin slices of steak or chicken breast before you add the onions.  Serve with noodles or rice.

Wild Rice Burgers

Happy Birthday Week Kate!!!  Cookbook club was a blast!!  Ross was playing video games in the basement and commented how fun cookbook sounded :)  

We made up a wicked/awesome meal tonight!  Had these burgers with Stuffed Red Bliss Potatoes and Ginger-Pumpkin Cheesecake Parfaits.  Super yummy - and actually healthy too!!  The burgers were a little mean to us....as in, we couldn't form them into actual burgers....BUT we made do!  We sort of pan fried all of the wild rice mixture together and then sort of scooped them onto buns.  Might work better with more egg ?? or Italian bread crumbs ??  We weren't sure - but I'll for sure try these again and let you know :)  Even Ross liked them -- and it wasn't even meat!!! 

Makes 4 patties - Birthday girl Kate :)

 

Ingredients:
1/2 cup uncooked wild rice
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1/3 cup small-diced onion
1/3 cup small-diced celery
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
1/4 cup shredded aged Asiago cheese
1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/16 teaspoon black pepper
2 large eggs, beaten

Optional: favorite burger toppings

Cook wild rice according to package instructions. Cool completely. (Can make a day ahead and refrigerate.)

Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a skillet over medium-low heat and sauté onions, celery, and garlic until onion is translucent.

In a large bowl, combine onion-celery-garlic mixture with wild rice, breadcrumbs, Asiago cheese, salt, oregano, thyme, paprika, cayenne pepper, and black pepper. Cool completely and then add eggs, stirring to combine.  (Might not want to use a whisk - it didn't work very well....hehe)

Divide mixture into 4 and shape into 1/2-inch thick patties.

Heat remaining tablespoon of olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Fry patties 2-3 minutes on each side until crisp and golden.

Serve with your favorite burger toppings.

Veggie Lasagna

Roomie night at Kim's house tonight - and we whipped up this super good veggie lasagna!!  (We added some turkey though - otherwise, I knew Mr Hubby would have something to say about it).  It was really good - I love finding fun new ways to eat more veggies!  The eggplant and zucchini were a good touch!

Weight Watchers

Ingredients:
Recipe to come......

Eggplant Parmesan

Wanted to give eggplants another try....this was good - but not great.  AND of course, Ross said "it would taste better with some meat in there".  :)  It is pretty good for you though - no noodles...just lots of cheese (but calls for all low or fat free).  I don't know that I would make it again....I would go for the real thing!

8 servings - Gina's skinny recipes

Ingredients:
1 large eggplant (2 lbs)
1 tbsp olive oil
12 oz fat free ricotta
1/4 cup + 2 tbsp Pecorino Romano
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
1 medium egg
2 cups reduced fat mozzarella (I used Sargento)
3 cups tomato sauce
salt

Start by making the sauce if you don't have any already made. While the sauce simmers, slice the eggplant into 1/4 inch thick slices. Lightly salt the slices and put in a colander to release excess moisture for about 1/2 hour. Lay on paper towels to soak up any extra moisture.

Preheat oven to 450°. Brush eggplant lightly with olive oil on both sides and place on cookie sheets. Bake for 20-25 minutes, turning half way through until eggplant is golden brown.

In a medium bowl combine ricotta, egg, parsley and 1/4 cup of grated cheese.

In a 9x12 baking dish, put a little sauce on the bottom of the dish and put a layer of eggplant to cover the bottom of the dish. Top with 1/3 of the ricotta cheese mixture, mozzarella cheese and sauce. Add another layer of eggplant and repeat the ricotta cheese, mozzarella cheese and sauce until everything is used up. Top with sauce and the mozzarella cheese and the remaining grated cheese.

Cover with foil and bake until cheese is melted and everything is bubbling, about 30 minutes at 400°. Remove foil and bake an additional 8-10 minutes. Take it out of the oven and let it sit about 10 minutes before cutting. Enjoy

Spinach and Ricotta Stuffed Squash

YAY!!  Grilling season is upon us and this girl is pumped up!!  This was super yummy - and another way to eat squash!!  I can actually say now that I like pretty much every veggie!!  This is super good as a side to about any meat - we had chicken and it was such a tasty meal!!

Serves 8 -Tiff Blog

Ingredients:
4 yellow squash and/or zucchini
2 tablespoon butter
1/2 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 (10 oz.) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed
1 egg
1 cup ricotta cheese
2 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese
1 1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh parsley
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
pinch ground black pepper
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Trim off ends of squash; cut squash in half (lengthwise). With a teaspoon scoop out seeds and part of the pulp leaving shells about 1/2 inch thick.

In a small frying pan over medium heat, melt one tablespoon of the butter. Add onion and garlic and cook until they are done. Squeeze the spinach to remove extra moisture and add to the garlic and onion and cook until thoroughly heated.

In a medium size mixing bowl, combine eggs, ricotta, Parmesan, parsley, salt, pepper, Italian seasoning and spinach mixture. Fill the squash halves with this mixture, about three tablespoons per shell and place squash in a shallow baking dish. Melt the remaining butter and brush over the squash shells. Bake for 20 minutes.

Wild Mushroom Risotto

So it's Good Friday - so one more meal without meat....and this was actually REALLY good.  We liked it better than the sweet potato risotto we tried a couple weeks back, but both were good and different.  The mushrooms totally are worth the cost, so don't worry :)

Serves 2 - Bride and Groom Cookbook

Ingredients:
3 1.2 cups chicken stock (or chicken broth)
2 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small yellow onion, chopped
8 oz shiitake mushrooms, cleaned and sliced (if using shiitake, discard stems)
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
3/4 cup arborio rice (**found in rice aisle)
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup, plus 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme (I used dried)
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
salt / pepper
Truffle oil for drizzling (optional)
1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives or flat leaf parsley (I used dried)

Bring the stock to a simmer in a small saucepan over medium-high heat.  Reduce heat to low, cover, and keep the stock hot. 

Heat the olive oil in a large heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium-high heat.  Add the onion and saute, stirring frequently with a wooden spoon, for 2 minutes.  Add the mushrooms and cook until tender and slightly brown, about 8 minutes.  Add the garlic and cook for 2 minutes more.  Add the rice and stir well, about 30 seconds.  Add the wine and simmer, stirring constantly, until the liquid is absorbed, 2-3 minutes.  Add 3/4 cup of the hot stock, reduce heat to medium, and cook, stirring frequently, until the stock is absorbed.  Add the remaining hot stock 3/4 cup at at time, stirring frequently and allowing each addition to be fully absorbed before adding more, until the rice is just tender and the risotto is cream.  The total cooking times is 20-25 minutes.

Stir in 1/4 cup cheese, the thyme, and butter.  If rice appears dry, add up to 1.4 cup water to loosen the risotto slightly.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Divide the risotto between 2 large bowls and drizzle with truffle oil, if desired.  Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons cheese and the chives.

Sweet Potato Risotto

So it's a Friday of Lent - so I needed to get creative on what to make for dindin!!  Decided to make this - it looked kinda weird, but it actually tasted REALLY good!!  It felt kinda like a side dish - so we saved a little room so we could get popcorn at the movie we went and saw tonight :)  but you could for sure eat this as a "vegetarian main" as the cookbook says!!

Real Simple Cookbook - Serves 4

Ingredients:
2 tablespoon olive oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
salt / pepper
2 small sweet potatoes (about 1 lb), cut into 1/4 inch pieces
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 cup Arborio rice (**found this by all the rice - I did a a risotto packet since it was cheaper and then I just didn't use the herbs that came in there...just the rice)
1 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese (2 oz)
2 teaspoons chopped fresh oregano

Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat.  Add the onion, 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper.  Cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 4-6 minutes.  Add the sweet potatoes and garlic and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes.

Add the rice and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes.  Add the wine and cook, stirring frequently, until absorbed.

Measure 3 1/2 cups of water.  Add 3/4 cup at a time and cook, stirring occasionally and waiting until each addition is absorbed before adding the next.  It should take 25-30 minutes for all the water to be absorbed.

Stir in the Parmesan and oregano.

Stir Fried Broccoli and Walnut Sauce

So this was my very FIRST recipe I made as a "house owner"....and my very FIRST cooking appliance - the WOK!  This was from a cooking class I took with Perrine - and our mothers pretty much got yelled at from the teacher because we didn't know how to "mince" garlic and we had no idea what a broccoli floret was .....Oh, how far we've come :)

This took us 30 minutes from prep - cook - eat - dishes....so you can't go wrong!!  It is super yummy - and you can control how spicy you want it (I think I added 1/2 the  thing of pepper flakes this time!)  Ross is against eating meals without meat - so I think he told me about 5 times how good this would have been with steak :)  I think he is right - but it would just add to the cooking time a little....or I was thinking mushrooms would be a good add in too.  ENJOY!!

Serves 4

Ingredients:
1lb pasta (any shape)
2 tablespoon olive oil
3/4 cup chopped walnuts (don't skimp on this - they add a LOT to the taste)
2 cloves garlic - minced
salt / pepper
1 head broccoli florets - cut into bite size pieces
Pinch of red pepper flakes (in my case about 4 tablespoons)
2 tablespoons walnut oil (don't necessarily need to have...)
2 tablespoon freshly grated Romano cheese

Boil pasta until tender.  While this cooks - heat 1/2 olive oil in wok over high heat.  Add walnuts and stir fry until lightly toasted (45 sec) - remove with a slotted spoon and put in a serving bowl.  Toss with 1/2 the garlic, salt, and pepper.

Heat remaining olive oil in wok, add broccoli and red pepper flakes - stir fry until broccoli turns bright green.  Add remaining garlic, more salt and pepper, and 1/3 cup water.  Cover and steam until the broccoli is tender (I used a cookie sheet to cover the wok), about 3 min, uncover and continue cooking until remaining water has evaporated.

Drain pasta - toss into bowl with walnuts - and add broccoli mixture, walnut oil, and cheese.