Archive for the ‘Veggies’ Category

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Stealth Meatballs

Tuesday, November 16th, 2010

So the only time I’ve ever made meatballs is when I was in a cooking club in high school.  And I really didn’t do that much.  It was mostly my friend’s mom.  And you know how I don’t like recipes…  You didn’t know that?  Oh, well, I don’t.  Not that much, no.  So I went a bit unconventional here, but it worked out.  And I actually think this is an easier way to make sure the meat is cooked through than other methods.  So here it is…

Meatballs:

Oh wait!  Did I mention that these are stealth meatballs?  They are.  I sneaked all kinds of veg into these little babies.

  • 1/2 eggplant, sliced
  • 1 head of cauliflower (minus whatever I set aside for lil’ buddy), chopped up
  • 1/2 onion, diced
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 lb. ground beef
  • 1 Tablespoons “Italian” spices
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon red pepper
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 cup bread crumbs

Preheat oven to 425.  Drizzle olive oil into baking dish (or two).  Put the eggplant and the cauliflower into the baking dishes and drizzle with olive oil.  Roast those babies until they start to brown.  Reduce heat to 350.  Then process them.  Process them real good.

Mix all the ingredients together by hand.  Then make your little meatballs.  Cook on medium/high heat until browned.  Transfer to baking dish.  Bake those suckers for 10-15 minutes until cooked through.

Then make them into this…

Photo by Nathan Clendenin

Photo by Nathan Clendenin

<beshamed>I used store-bought sauce for this, no adjustments made.</beshamed>  I topped with a smidgen of parmesan, fresh spinach, and provolone.  And naturally, they were served on homemade rolls.  Do you see me chowing down back there?  That’s how good these were.

Posted in Comfort Food, Health, Italian, Meat, Recipes, Sandwiches, Veggies | 4 Comments »

Empanadas

Wednesday, November 10th, 2010

I know you’re out there.  I stalk you on analytics.  I know there are loads of you who read what I have to say EVERY day.  And yet… when I ask you for a good recipe for empanadas, nothin’.  I get nothin’.

So here’s what I’m assuming… y’all are waiting, with bated breath for a quality recipe.  And guess what I’ve got for you!

Photo by Nathan Clendenin

Photo by Nathan Clendenin

They were pretty awesome.  I cannot tell a lie.  Here’s what happened:

Remember what I said yesterday?  So that was inspired, in part, by this.  I love smitten kitchen, much like I love my America’s Test Kitchen Cookbook.  I really do love them.  But… I also get a little frustrated.  Because the recipes are super complicated, of course.

The Recipe:

I made the dough exactly as I was told.  Except for the baking.  We’ll get there, though.  So the filling got a little crazy.

Beef and Potato Filling:

  • 1 lb. ground beef
  • 2ish big ol’ potatoes, peeled, chopped, and boiled
  • 1/2 onion, diced
  • 1/2 green pepper, diced
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • Cumin
  • Coriander
  • Chipotle Chile Powder
  • Paprika
  • Black Pepper
  • Red Pepper Flakes
  • Salt

Go with the flow on this one.  Cook the veggies and the beef together.  Mush (you heard me) the potatoes in there.  Mix in the spices (completely up to your tastes).

Chicken Zucchini Filling:

  • Shredded chicken
  • 1 zucchini, shredded (and by that, I mean food processed)
  • 1/2 onion, diced
  • 1/2 green pepper, diced
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • Cumin
  • Salt
  • Black Pepper

Saute the veggies in some olive oil.  Add spices and chicken.

Now preheat the oven to 400, and take a bit of the dough (golf ball sized), and pat it out into a small round.  Fill with the filling.  Fold in half and seal the edges.  Repeat until all the dough is gone.  Place on a greased baking sheet.  Brush all the empanadas with beaten egg.  Bake for 25ish minutes or until golden brown.  Just straight up in the middle of the oven.  None of this moving baking sheets around nonsense.  Save your time.  Do the dishes, instead.

Photo by Nathan Clendenin

Photo by Nathan Clendenin

This recipe is less than perfect.  It’ll give you more filling than dough, and that’s just silly.  You could go with one filling or the other.  Or double the dough.  But the way I did it is silly.  Or is it?  We’ve made quesadillas out of the leftover filling.  Mmm….

Scoot yourself on over to my happy birthday post and get yourself entered in this contest.  No really.  Do.

Posted in Comfort Food, Meat, Mexican, Recipes, Veggies | 4 Comments »

Can you tell it’s fall?

Friday, November 5th, 2010

Because it is.  It so is.

I woke up with a chill this morning, absolutely certain that getting out of bed will cause me to freeze to death.  Wanting to preserve my life, I stayed in bed longer.  And longer.

This is how I excuse my laziness in the fall and winter.  It’s like the whole world is telling me that I’m making the right decision.

And then I make soup.  ’Cause it’s delicious.  And warm.  And makes the season feel more “real” to me.  I like that.

I also like this.  So did a lot of other people.

Photo by Nathan Clendenin

Photo by Nathan Clendenin

I kind of did my own thing with this soup, but I kept the original idea.  Here’s what happened:

Creamy Cauliflower Soup:

Adapted from My Man’s Belly

  • 1 head cauliflower
  • 3 red skin potatoes
  • 1 lb. bratwurst, casings removed
  • 1/2 onion, chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic, chopped
  • olive oil
  • 3 cups chicken broth
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1 cup beer
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • sharp cheddar cheese

Chop up the cauliflower and put it, the garlic, and the onion into two baking dishes.  Coat thoroughly with olive oil.  Roast at 350 for 40ish minutes.

Meanwhile, chop up the potatoes and boil them until soft.  Brown the sausage.  Mash up the potatoes, then add them and the chicken broth to the sausage.

When the cauliflower stuff is done, throw it into the food processor and process those babies.  Then dump the puree into the soupy mixture.  (Set aside a little bit for the ridiculously cute baby boy that you live with, if applicable.)  Add the milk, salt, pepper, and beer.  (Finish off the beer.)  Heat the soup on medium-low, and bring to simmer.  Serve.  Top with cheese.  Because it’s yummy.  For real, it is.

I make no promises, but a certain boy has declared this the yummiest thing I’ve ever served him.  Keep in mind, that I have served him this and this and this, among others.  … so yea…

Posted in Comfort Food, Gluten Free, Meat, Recipes, Soups and Stews, Veggies | No Comments »

Sneaky Vegetables

Thursday, October 28th, 2010

That’s what Nate called this dish.  It’s ’cause he hates peas.  He’s done what he can to make SJ hate them as well.  It worked at first, too, but SJ’s resilient.  :)

The problem with vegetables these days is that they’re rarely integrated into the meal.  I’m trying not to get to education-y on you, but integration means that the veggies (and the rest of the dish) taste better because of them.  We don’t do this, though.  We throw veggies on the side, if at all, as a healthy afterthought.  Not the worst thing in the world, but not really appealing to kids (or grown-ups), either.  The creaminess of this sauce, matched with the spiciness of the pepper and sausage, demands the peas and carrots which offer texture, sweetness, and amazing flavor… not to mention health.  Sneak those veggies in!

Photo by ME!

Photo by ME!

So how’d I do it?

  • 1/2 lb. italian sausage
  • 1 cup shredded carrots (you could probably got lighter, if you wanted)
  • red wine (optional)
  • 1 jar vodka sauce
  • black pepper
  • red pepper
  • 2 teaspoons “italian” seasoning
  • 1/2 cup frozen peas
  • 1/2 lb. penne pasta
  • cheese (LOTS of it!)

Brown the sausage.  Add the carrots, then the wine.  Let the wine evaporate as it simmers.  Add the vodka sauce and herbs and spices (go as spicy as you’re willing).  Simmer for a good little bit.  Right before it’s done, add the peas.

Cook the pasta.  You know what to do.

Combine the pasta and the sauce in a baking dish.  Top with oodles of cheese.  I wanted to use Fontina, but they were out at the store.  I opted for mozzarella and Parmesan instead.  Bake at 425 until the cheese is melted and starting to brown.

Posted in Italian, Meat, Pasta, Recipes, Veggies | 2 Comments »

What came first?

Sunday, August 1st, 2010

<unrelated> “What came first, the music or the misery? People worry about kids playing with guns, or watching violent videos, that some sort of culture of violence will take them over. Nobody worries about kids listening to thousands, literally thousands of songs about heartbreak, rejection, pain, misery and loss. Did I listen to pop music because I was miserable? Or was I miserable because I listened to pop music?” – High Fidelity

You should listen to Grace Potter & The Nocturnals while reading the remainder of this post.  Why?  Because it’s so very good.</unrelated>

I’ve hated birthday cards pretty much my entire life.  The mushy ones aren’t mushy the way I want them to be.  The funny ones aren’t funny.  And the ones in between have no personality at all.  I tend to write birthday notes instead, but I feel lame using plain stationary for such a momentous occasion.  … so when dearest, loveliest Elizabeth’s birthday rolled around, I got her a card with style.  So what if it didn’t say happy birthday?

For those of you who don’t know me, this is exactly my sense of humor.  And although few people really understand my humor, Elizabeth has always been a kindred in this way.  Naturally, then, when Nate pointed me to his friend’s blog, I enjoyed it immensely.  In particular, her stir-fry recipe caught my eye.

I’ve been feeling pretty overwhelmed by life lately, and by Thursday of this past week, I had begun canceling plans.  After 6 days of non-stop “fun”, I couldn’t take it anymore, and the thought of getting drinks with friends that night was more than I could handle.  So I just didn’t.  Saturday rolled around, and I didn’t go canoeing with coworkers but opted for a quiet lunch with my mom and sister instead.  I spent the rest of the day napping, watching Monarch of the Glen, reading The Catcher in the Rye, and cooking.  The day was rainy, and it reminded me of the snowy weekend we enjoyed this past winter, where everything was necessarily canceled, and I watched tv and cooked all weekend.

Maybe the time indoors made me want stir fry.  Maybe it was the stay-at-home babe.  I don’t know.  … but I was hesitant to make her recipe when I’ve had such good reviews on my own.  So I stuck to the classic.  “You know, it sounds boring, but it wasn’t. It wasn’t spectacular either. It was just good. But really good.*”

Photo by Nathan Clendenin

Photo by Nathan Clendenin

My recipe goes something like this…

  • 1-2 lbs. chicken (I used drumsticks because they were on sale)
  • Broccoli crowns
  • Mushrooms, sliced
  • Bell pepper, sliced
  • Carrots, sliced
  • Onion, cut in half and sliced
  • 1/2 c. soy sauce
  • 1/2 c. sugar
  • 1 Tablespoon corn starch
  • 1 Tablespoon sesame oil (optional, but encouraged)
  • 1 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
  • dash of red pepper flakes
  • minced garlic (or I use garlic powder far too often)

Brown the chicken in a couple tablespoons of oil.  Bake at 350 until cooked through (varies based on cut of chicken).  Throw the veggies in the frying pan with the leftover oil.  Saute.  Whisk together remaining ingredients.  Pour over veggies.  Add cooked chicken.  Serve with noodles or rice.  We did rice the first time, noodles with the leftovers.  Delish!

* High Fidelity, which was on hulu awhile back, thus the multiple quotes.  Interestingly, hulu also has a bunch of Grace Potter & The Nocturnals clips which you should check out as well.  Only slightly related is the fact that this band always makes me think of Courtney Potter, which makes me smile for multiple reasons.

P.S.  I feel like a name-dropped a lot in this post.  For that, I apologize.  Except not really.  Because all of the names that were dropped were so totally deserving.

Posted in Gluten Free, Poultry, Recipes, Veggies | 1 Comment »

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