The Lazy-ish Cook: Roasted Beet and Goat Cheese Salad

I like beets well enough, but am not a huge fan (except in the case of borscht, which I love with every fiber of my being). Anyway, I feel like beet and goat cheese salads pop up on menus pretty frequently so I thought I'd give it a go myself. Also, as winter (finally! finally!) comes to a close, I want to make all those wintery dishes I didn't get around to before the ingredients go out of season again. Hence the beet and goat cheese salad.

This recipe is undoubtedly lazy. It was created at about midnight when I realized I had never really gotten around to eating that day and felt pretty weak. Since it was so late and I was tired, I didn't do nearly as much with it as I could have. All in all, though, it was pretty good.

So here's what I did:

I took one fully cooked medium-sized beet (I got pre-cooked fresh beets in the produce section of my favorite bio-food store) and cut it into smallish chunks. I then stuck them in the oven at 220 c, which is about 425 f, for about 15 minutes until they kind of caramelized on the outside. Next time I would make the pieces smaller so that they could dry out and caramelize even more.

I made a variation of one of my favorite salad dressings by combining almost equal parts of apple cider vinegar and olive oil (maybe 2-3 tsp of each, with slightly more oil perhaps), a teaspoon or so of honey, and as many red pepper flakes as you'd like. I like it pretty spicy. Just whisk it with a fork until the honey is more or less dissolved and the dressing is slightly thickened.

For my greens I used veldsla (the Dutch name), which is called salade de blé in French and feldsalat in German. (Belgium being a tri-lingual country, many things are labled in all three languages. I like this because I have three chances to figure out what something is, and it's pretty rare that I'm unsuccessful that way.) I don't recall ever seeing this particular green in the US before, but I assume it's called field salad if we do have it. All that to say: I used veldsla, but any salad green will do.

To assemble, I tossed the greens in the dressing and then topped them with goat cheese and walnut pieces, followed by the still-warm beets. And then I dotted this salad, as I do so many things I eat, with balsamic crema. I also toasted and buttered a section of a baguette to go along with it.

Not rocket science or a great culinary creation, but a fast, easy, tasty and healthy solution nonetheless.

The Lazy-ish Cook: Warm Mushroom Salad with Goat Cheese, Shallots and Almonds

I love smittenkitchen.com . I have gotten untold recipes and recipe inspirations from that blog since I first started reading it almost 2 years ago. It was smittenkitchen that told me I could make a cake using whole clementines (yes, rind and all). It was smittenkitchen that gave me the recipe for the PERFECT crust (which she used in a savory galette but which I have used for pretty much everything that required a crust since I discovered it).

Today, smittenkitchen provided the inspiration for this salad, which has immediately secured a place in my frequently performed repertoire. Absurdly delicious AND healthy? The bite of arugula, the hearty goodness of mushrooms AND the creamy, melty decadence of goat cheese? All in under 10 minutes? I'm a goner.

I'm sure that the original recipe is delicious. The only reason I didn't follow it exactly is that I was missing some of the ingredients. So I made some adjustments to the dressing recipe (sorry for my lack of precise measurements... I was hungry!), and also to, well, almost everything. So check out the original if you're interested. Here is my interpretation:

Makes 2 main course servings

3 Tbsp white wine

extra virgin olive oil

a splash of balsamic vinegar (1 Tbsp?)

2 tsp sugar

two small shallots

gourmet mushroom blend (I think my package was 4 oz)

1.5 Tbsp butter

herbs de provence

black pepper

salad greens (I used baby spinach and arugula)

thinly sliced almonds

goat cheese

1. Toast the almonds. Keep an eye on them!

2. Mince one shallot and put in a bowl. Add the wine, balsamic vinegar and sugar. Mix it all together and let it sit.

3. Roughly chop the remaining shallot and rinse the mushrooms. Melt the butter in a skillet and add the chopped shallot and mushrooms. Season to taste with herbs de provence and black pepper. Saute until the mushrooms and shallots are done (tender but not mushy).

4. Add olive oil to the shallot/wine/balsamic/sugar mixture (probably an equal part of olive oil to the rest of it). Stir until well blended.

5. In a salad bowl, toss the greens with the dressing until evenly coated. Divide onto dinner plates and top with the mushrooms and shallots, followed by the toasted almonds. Finally, crumble goat cheese over the top.

Enjoy!

2/3 the joie

My friend Mary and I went to Urban Flats recently, which I enjoyed very much. It got me thinking about flatbreads and all the potential deliciousness I could create. See, I enjoy restaurants not only just for what happens right there and then, but the establishment receives bonus points from me (redeemable for absolutely nothing) if I am inspired to create. Urban Flats definitely won on that point and was the impetus for tonight's dinner.

One thing I am unbelievably thankful for here in Jacksonville is the acquisition of girlfriends. Mary, Sarah and I make up Le Joie de Vivre, which mostly involves eating good food and drinking good wine. I also am so so so so indescribably thankful to have good friends that encourage and pray for me, and who also tell me when I'm being ridiculous (Sarah) or unreasonable (Mary). I need that. So we were totally sad that Sarah was too sick to come for dinner at my place tonight, so Mary and I took this picture:

Before I share the recipes, I also should give a shout out to good St. Paschal. This statue of St.

Paschal came to live at my house last Sunday and was a gift from one of the kindest, most considerate and most thoughtful people I have the pleasure to know. Anyway, Paschal is the patron saint of chefs and cooks, and he now watches over my kitchen. So far, everything I've made under his watchful eye has been a success!

For starters, we had a mixed citrus salad with mint and feta in a dijon dressing. My salad was not as beautiful as the one on the original website, so I will just link you here and let you enjoy her pictures. I followed the recipe exactly except that I substituted shallot for the red onion, since I'm not a huge fan of raw red onion. To be honest, I thought I wouldn't like this. Even as I made it, I was unconvinced. But my awesome foodie friend Audrey told me I should make it, and one bite convinced me. You should try it, too. (smittenkitchen is one of my favorite food blogs, btw.)

The flatbreads were fantastic. I got the recipe for the dough here, and it was a tremendous success. I will be using it over and over and over again. Word to the wise: DEFINITELY pre-heat the pan you will cook it on. I did it with one of the flatbreads and not with the other, and the difference was marked. Also, I sprayed the pan with pam, which I highly recommend.

Flatbread with pear and gorgonzola cheese

I followed the recipe from the website exactly, so I'll just link you here. Totally delicious.

Flatbread with roasted vegetables, spinach, prosciutto and goat cheese

disclaimer: this is a lauren recipe, which means I didn't really measure anything and added things haphazardly as they occurred to me.

1 lb fresh flatbread dough

Roasted tomatoes (whatever kind you want. I used 4 medium tomatoes- the kind on the vine)

6 cloves garlic

2 bell peppers (I used one green, one yellow)

1/2 yellow onion

5 oz fresh baby spinach

2 slices prosciutto

as much goat cheese as you want (I didn't have very much and would have used more)

olive oil

balsamic vinegar

Salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 325. Slice tomatoes and peel and slice garlic. Put tomatoes and garlic on a foil-lined baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Add salt and pepper to taste. Pierce bell peppers and rub with olive oil. Put vegetables in oven to roast for about an hour to 90 mins. When the vegetables are done, peel and seed peppers and slice them into thin strips. The tomatoes should be pretty mushy and almost sauce-y.

Slice onion into thin strips and saute in olive oil over medium heat until translucent and starting to brown. Remove onions from the pan and put them on a plate. Add the baby spinach to the oil and cook until just wilted.

Increase oven heat to 500 and put in your baking sheet. Roll the flatbread dough out per the recipe instructions on the website and put it on the preheated inverted baking sheet. Quickly spread the tomatoes and garlic on the bottom, followed by a layer of onions and peppers. Then spread spinach across the top. Tear prosciutto into smallish pieces and add that. Finally, dot the top with goat cheese. Bake for about 10 minutes. You want the crust to be brown, but be careful that it doesn't burn.

*unfortunately, I didn't get a good picture of the pear gorgonzola flatbread after I added the arugula and shaved parmesan that the recipe calls for. It is definitely an integral part of the recipe and shouldn't be skipped!

For dessert, I served greek yogurt with honey, fresh blueberries and spiced nuts.

To make the spiced nuts, toss them (today I used a blend of almonds, pecans and walnuts) with one egg white, a little bit of water, white sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, vanilla extract, allspice and nutmeg. When the nuts are totally coated, turn them out onto a baking sheet and bake at 300 for about an hour. (Sorry, another lauren recipe, so no measurements... I just eyeball it. If that makes you nervous, google "spiced nuts" and get approximations from that).

To serve, I spooned a little yogurt into a bowl, drizzled generously with honey, and sprinkled the nuts and blueberries around the side. Healthy and tasty! It would make a good breakfast, too.

Happy cooking!

Chicken and Roasted Vegetable Lasagna

I have neglected this blog for so long. I've just been so impossibly busy. And I'm so tired of all the stuff and deadlines that I've been dealing with that I'm not going to explain it. I would like to defend myself and say that I have, however, been doing some cooking. It is with great pleasure that I begin filling you in on my culinary adventures here today! (at 4 am. sleep eludes me.)

Tonight's dinner was a tremendous success (if I do say so myself!): my very own lasagna recipe! Well, there may be another one like it out there somewhere. But I haven't seen it, and swear this was something I came up with on my own. It is very, very easy, but somewhat time-consuming. It's also pretty healthy, as lasagnas go. And so very, very tasty. The roasted vegetables and fresh herbs give this such a fresh and complex taste. I hope you'll try it! The one suggestion I got from my tasters this evening was that it could use more garlic. I'm printing the recipe below as I used it, but you might want to up the garlic quantity. I think I will next time (and oh yes, there will be a next time).

Chicken and Roasted Vegetable Lasagna

makes a 9x13 roasting pan

INGREDIENTS

Roasted Vegetables

2 medium zucchini

1 italian eggplant

1 summer squash

2 bell peppers (I used yellow, but any color would work)

1-2 Tbsp olive oil

Chicken Mixture

1 lb ground chicken breast

3 cups crushed tomatoes, drained (I actually strained mine to remove as much liquid as possible)

4 cloves garlic, chopped

one medium onion, chopped

1/2 cup white wine

2 tsp oregano

Black pepper to taste

Ricotta mixture

15 oz lowfat ricotta cheese

16 oz part-skim shredded italian cheese blend

2 eggs

1 cup fresh chopped parsley

Tomato Sauce

3 cups crushed tomatoes

1 small can tomato paste

1/2 cup white wine

2 tsp oregano

1 Tbsp sugar

Additional

1 bunch fresh basil

16 oz part-skim shredded mozzerella

1 box no-boil lasagna noodles (I like barilla)

Cooking spray (I like Pam)

METHOD

Roasted Vegetable Layer

slice zucchini, eggplant and yellow squash into 1/4 inch rounds. Spray a large baking sheet with cooking spray. Pierce bell peppers with a fork or knife and rub with olive oil. Lay the vegetables out on the sheet and toss with 1-2 tbsb of olive oil. Put in the oven to roast at 400 F until very soft (about 40 minutes). After removing them from the oven, put the sliced veggies in a bowl. Let the peppers cool a bit, then peel, de-seed and de-rib them. Chop them up and add to the rest of the veggies.

Chicken Layer

In a large, deep skillet, saute chopped onion in olive oil over medium heat until it begins to soften. Then add the chicken, taking care to break up any large chunks. Add the garlic and tomatoes. After a minute or two, pour in the wine and as it starts to cook down, add the oregano and black pepper if desired. When the meat is just done, remove from heat and pour contents of skillet into bowl.

Tomato Sauce

In a skillet or saucepan over medium heat, mix together crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, white wine, sugar and oregano. Let it cook down just a tad and remove from heat.

Cheese Layer

In a mixing bowl, beat eggs. Add ricotta and italian cheese blend and mix until well-blended. Finally, add the parley and stir just until blended.

Wash and tear basil leaves from stem

Assembly:

Spray a 9x13 roasting pan with cooking spray. Cover the bottom of the pan with a thin layer of tomato sauce. Then begin layering:

1. lasagna noodles (directions should be on box)

tomato sauce

1/2 of the chicken mixture

1/2 of the fresh basil

1/2 of the roasted vegetables

1/3 of the ricotta mixture

2. lasagna noodles

1/3 of the ricotta mixture

2/3 cup shredded mozzerella

3. lasagna noodles

tomato sauce

Remaining chicken mixture

Remaining basil

Remaining roasted vegetables

Remaining ricotta mixture

4. lasagna noodles

Remaining tomato sauce

Remaining shredded mozzerella (should be 1 1/3 cups)

I like to let it sit in the fridge for a few hours before baking in order to let the flavors blend. From the refrigerator, it should be baked in a 375 degree oven for about 40 minutes covered in foil, and about 10 minutes without in order to let the cheese brown. Let stand for 10 minutes before cutting. Enjoy!

banana yogurt bread

I feel so fabulously Susie Homemaker-ish when I bake. I love the way it smells and it makes me want to put on pearls and vacuum. Today as the banana bread baked, I scoured the kitchen from top to bottom and cleaned one of the bathrooms. Baking is also an EXCELLENT way to procrastinate when I need to practice.

Because the last recipe I posted involved a cream sauce (well worth trying, though!), I felt the need to redeem myself by posting this much healthier recipe. This is based on a great banana bread recipe I found some time ago on the Food Network website. As a general rule, I am not a fan of Emeril Lagasse, but this banana bread recipe of his is really fantastic (original recipe here). I made it several months ago and loved it, so today when I found myself with a few overripe bananas, I decided to make it again. This time I changed a few things in an attempt to be somewhat healthier and in the name of creativity. Most significantly, I omitted all the butter! You can check out the original if you want, and I'm writing my adapted version below.

RECIPE

Slightly more than 1/2 cup lowfat yogurt (I love Activia)

3 overripe bananas

1/2 cup lowfat sour cream

2 large eggs

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon almond extract

2 cups cake flour

3/4 cup sugar

1 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 teaspoon baking powder

~1 teaspoon salt

1 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Lightly grease a 9 1/4 by 5 1/4 by 2 1/2- inch loaf pan (I like Baker's Joy)

In a mixing bowl, beat yogurt, bananas, sour cream, eggs, vanilla, and almond extract until well blended. Add the sugar and beat thoroughly, followed by the baking powder, baking soda and salt. When the batter is well-beaten and thoroughly blended, add the flour and mix just until the flour is smoothly incorporated (over-beating flour makes it tough). Fold in nuts.

Pour batter into loaf pan. Bake until lightly browned a knife stuck in the middle comes out clean, or about an hour. Turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Thoughts/Questions:

• I felt like my bread got too brown on the edges and top before it cooked through. Suggestions?
• Also, do you think this would work with whole wheat flour?
• If you make this, please give me feedback about the texture. It was tasty, but I am wondering if it's a little chewy.
• I liked this a lot, but I'm wondering how it could be improved (other than using butter!) Please let me know if you have any suggestions!

Chicken, Spinach and Mushrooms in Spiced Cream Sauce

Today is my mother's birthday (Happy Birthday, Mom!). Last night I had a little dinner for her, and my father and two close family friends came over as well. I made a bean and potato soup to start and dessert crepes to finish, both of which were a hit. But the star of the evening was this chicken dish.

I made this one up as I went along. And normally I run from cream sauce because I just feel so guilty if I put cream on anything. But this was so easy and so tasty that I'm glad I was willing to experiment with it. (Truth be told, I was planning to only have the chicken and veggies but when I put it in the pan, they just seemed so boring and un-birthdayish that I decided to try a cream sauce.) I won't make it frequently, but it will definitely have encore appearances. I'm thankful that I made mental notes as I cooked, because otherwise I probably wouldn't remember how I did this. Though, as always, I didn't really measure anything so the quantities listed below are lose approximations. So, without further ado, here is my new recipe, of which I am very proud.

This is not such an appetizing picture-- sorry! I forgot to take a picture before we served our plates. But in the casserole dish with the golden cheese on top, it is actually aesthetically pleasing as well.

Ingredients (serves 5-6)

12 chicken tenderloins (I used the frozen packaged Tyson tenderloins)

1 pint sliced baby bella mushrooms

1 lb fresh baby spinach

5 cloves garlic, roughly chopped

1 1/2 cups white wine

1 cup heavy cream

2 Tbsp butter

2 tsp (?) cornstarch

2 tsp (?) nutmeg

~1 cup grated parmigiano-reggiano (enough to top the dish)

salt and black pepper to taste

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large skillet, bring wine to a simmer and add the chicken tenderloins and a little salt. Cook until the wine reduces slightly and the chicken is almost done (still a little pink in the middle). Remove chicken from pan and set aside. Add the garlic and mushrooms to the pan and cook until mushrooms have softened and darkened slightly. Then begin cooking the spinach in batches, adding more as the previous handful wilts and cooks down. When all the spinach is cooked in the pan, remove from heat and drain most of the liquid. In a casserole dish, spread out the spinach and mushroom mixture with the chicken tenderloins.

In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter and add the cream. When the mixture is just scalding, add a heaping tsp (or 2 tsp) of cornstarch and beat well with a whisk until it dissolves. Stir gently until mixture thickens. Add nutmeg to taste (I think I used about 2 tsp). Pour cream sauce over the chicken and vegetables in the casserole dish and top with grated parmigiano-reggiano.

Bake at 350 degrees F until chicken is cooked through and cheese is golden, about 25 minutes. Let stand for about 5 minutes and serve.

the lazy-ish cook: best ever simple tomato sauce

I recently made a simple tomato sauce.  And by simple, I mean that it has 4 ingredients and is ridiculously easy to make.  Olive oil, campari tomatoes, fresh parsley and fresh basil.  I can't think of a better tomato sauce.

I made it recently for dinner, and it was simply spectacular.  I made the sauce, then tossed it with gnocchi and topped it with freshly grated parmesean.  On Sunday, I made it to accompany some spinach-mozzerella ravioli (the first course of a 3-course dinner I made for my parents and uncle).  The leftovers from Sunday's sauce are in my fridge as we speak, and I plan to toss it with orzo and serve it with basalmic roasted baby eggplant and asparagus for dinner tonight.

This sauce is versatile and incredibly easy.  And like many of the best dishes, it's unfussy and showcases the exquisite, fresh flavors of the natural foods.

And if your fresh parsley and basil happen to come from your own garden, like mine did, that much the better. :)

So, the sauce.  Quarter campari tomatoes (as much as you want; My rough estimate is 3-4 per person).  Coarsely chop fresh parsley and fresh basil to taste (I used a lot, but then again it's 

free since I'm growing my own).

Heat olive oil (1-2 turns of the pan) in a saucepan or deep skillet over medium heat.  When it's warm, add tomatoes.  Let them simmer until they become "saucey", about 15-20 minutes.  Towards the end of the cooking, throw in the herbs and stir until they wilt, but don't overcook.

You could add salt, pepper or lemon juice to the sauce if you're so inclined, but I was happy with it as is.

Serve with your favorite pasta and enjoy!

chess squares **AWESOME GUEST BLOGGER!!!**

Laziness is when you have an amazingly perfect and charming blog post written by someone else and you don't get around to posting it. In my defense, I've been pretty busy. But still. This is inexcusable.  Also, I was incredibly unlucky totally blessed that my computer bit the dust and wouldn't even turn on, but was magically resuscitated by a Genius at the Genius Bar.  It now has a new battery and a new lease on life.  So now that things have calmed down a bit and my computer is functioning once more, I am back on track.

A little over a week ago, I used my friend's recipe to make chess squares for a housewarming party.  As I anticipated, they were a huge hit.  So I asked my friend to share the recipe with you.  

Clay is a dear friend, and his blog post warmed my heart and brought a huge smile to my face. The things he writes below are Gospel truth, and remind me very much of the small West Florida (bordering Alabama and Georgia) town where my parents grew up and where some of my extended family still resides.  In fact, my dad often talks about the chess pie my great-grandmother used to make.  Clay's chess squares make the tastebuds dance and soothe the soul (and broaden the hips, but let's not think about that). Enjoy!

~~~~~~~~
First of all, let me express my thanks to Lauren for the opportunity to write on this blog. I appreciate any opportunity I get to write or talk about my southern roots, which weren’t fully appreciated until I had reflected on them from a strange and foreign land – a land not flowing with pimento cheese and banana croquettes; a land often called The Big Apple. Well just reading that nickname you know it has to be the north…if that apple were below the Mason-Dixon line, it would be quickly baked into a cake with a nice glaze or at the very least dipped into some caramel sauce. This is a clear demonstration of the southern culinary ideology that I love so dearly and cling to in spite of the health stores I walk past in New York City. Southern “comfort food” is just that…comforting.

One thing that you need to understand about southern comfort cuisine is that it perhaps reaches its pinnacle under any given church steeple in the south on a Sunday at 12:15 (the invitation went long, in spite of the smell of homemade rolls wafting into the sanctuary) when a congregation gathers to share the most beautiful of occasions – a pot-luck meal. This is the moment that all of the older church ladies have their chance to shine. They’ve been waiting and planning for this all week. Correction: they’ve been preparing for this since they opened their first block of cream cheese! The time has finally arrived for them to put on display their full culinary prowess! This is not just a gathering for food, it’s an all-out competition. You see, as soon as the last pot-luck ended, preparations began for the next event. When someone goes through the food line and asks, “Who made this dish, it looks fantastic,” then the cook has just made it to the semi-finals; when the dish goes home empty, the cook has made the medal stand; and when someone asks the cook for the recipe, it’s cooking gold…

These ladies have been searching for and creating new recipes for months now. Testing, trying, tweaking until that casserole comes out of the oven in a perfect blend of cheese, butter, and substance (such as broccoli or pineapple). Their dish must be divine – cooking is their spiritual gift you know…

All kidding aside, it is important, however, to note that the traditional pot-luck (a full-out display of excess) does not simply fall into categories of competition or meeting physical needs, but instead represents needs that run much deeper – needs that reach into the realms of the emotional and social variety. When a pot-luck is shared, there is laughter, there are stories told, there is advice given, there are experiences that are shared, and ultimately, there are friendships that are deepened. This is camaraderie and fellowship in their purest and most decadent forms.

So with these words I offer a couple of recipes in the southern tradition, laden with butter and love. If you happen to use one of these recipes and have the great fortune to go home from your first pot-luck with an empty dish, by all means, don’t rest on your laurels! One of the church-ladies is already pulling a new rhubarb pie out of the oven!

Chess Squares
1 box yellow cake mix (lemon cake mix is also quite good)
1 stick of melted butter (oh yeaaaah!)
4 eggs
8 oz. cream cheese
1 lb. powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla

Mix the cake mix, melted butter, and 1 egg (a soft dough will form). Press this mixture into a greased 9x13 inch pan. In a separate bowl, cream until fluffy the cream cheese and remaining 3 eggs. Add the powdered sugar and vanilla. Pour this mixture over the crust already in the pan. Bake at 325 degrees for 45 minutes or until golden brown.

Pineapple Casserole
2 cans chunk pineapple, drained
1 c. sugar
6 Tbsp. flour
1 c. grated sharp cheddar cheese
1 tube Town House crackers, crumbled
1 stick margarine, melted

Mix sugar and flour and then add pineapple and cheese. Pour into a 2-quart casserole dish. Spread crumbled crackers over top. Pour melted margarine over the crumbs. Cook at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

pollo casero and gnocchi with spinach in wine sauce

A few weeks ago, I was intrigued by a recipe in a book I was thumbing through at Barnes and Noble.  Because I am broke and ghetto, I copied it down on the back of a receipt I had in my bag (whilst glancing furtively around me, convinced that should I be caught doing such a terrible--or at least tacky--thing, I would suffer great public humiliation and possible prosecution).  I have been meaning to make it for awhile, but just never got around to it.  The opportunity presented itself when I decided to take a meal over to my friend Sarah's house.  Her new house.  That she owns.  She took a break from painting and all the other moving-into-a-new-house work and ate and chatted with me.  I made the chicken and created a recipe for a side dish that incorporated gnocchi, which, devotees will remember, I love.  Here are the recipes and my thoughts on both:

(My goal in cooking this was to feed my friend, my mom, and me for dinner, to leave gnocchi leftovers with my friend, and to have enough chicken for my parents and I to eat again at least once during the weekend.  So the ingredients listed below make a good amount of food.)

Pollo Casero

I liked this chicken well enough (I am not a huge fan of meat.  My mother, who has a discerning palette, gave it rave reviews.) and decided to share it.  And because I clearly lifted the recipe from somewhere else, I found it online and am linking it here.  Full credit for this goes to Mario Batali.

almost done!

The only things I did differently were to add black pepper to the rub, drastically reduce the amount of salt, and to return the discarded garlic to the pan when I added the peppers.  Oh, and I used a jar of roasted red peppers instead of piquillo peppers.  Other than that, it's a go.

Gnocchi with Spinach in Wine Sauce

To be honest, I'll have to say I was a little proud of this.  It was simple and tasty, and went nicely with the chicken.  I will definitely be making this again, and will eat it on its own without chicken.  (honestly, chicken is just so gross to work with raw.  I hate cooking meat, and find the product rarely worth the effort.)  Anyway, I am glad that I'm blogging about it so that I'll actually have a written record of what happened here tonight.  I'd like to recreate it.

Ingredients*:

~2 tablespoons butter

1 shallot, finely chopped

5 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped

1/2 cup white wine

1/2 chicken broth

salt and pepper to taste

2 bags of fresh baby spinach

1 bag of frozen gnocchi (16 oz)

drop of olive oil 

For the gnocchi:  put a large(ish) pot of water on to boil with a tad of olive oil in it.  The water will be ready by the time the spinach mixture is finishing, and you can dump the gnocchi in then.

For the spinach and sauce:  Melt butter in a saucepan over low heat.  When the butter is melted but not bubbling vigorously, stir in the shallot.  When the shallot is starting to soften, add in the chopped garlic and salt and pepper.  When the shallot and garlic are obviously cooked and about to begin browning, pour in the wine and chicken broth.  Raise heat to medium and let the liquid reduce some.  

While the liquid reduces, steam baby spinach in a skillet with less than 1/4 cup water.  When it's just wilted, add to the sauce mixture.  Remove from heat.

Pour gnocchi into the boiling water.  Let it cook until it rises to the top (about 2-3 minutes).  Drain immediately and return to pot.  Stir in spinach and sauce mixture until gnocchi is well coated and spinach is evenly distributed.  Finally, stir in freshly grated parmesean to taste.

*to make this vegan, replace butter with olive oil, replace chicken broth with vegetable broth, and omit the parmesean.

Sorry for the terrible plating of the finished product.  That was actually in a tupperware dish that I put my mom's dinner in!  I took it to her so that she'd have a meal waiting for her when she finished teaching.  Convenient, yes.  Aesthetically pleasing, no.

the lazy-ish cook: broccoli and couscous and carrots and hummus.

Disclaimer: I am aware that the "recipe" I posted below is not a real recipe, nor gourmet food, nor terribly creative. It's just an idea that may provide inspiration when overwhelmed by the I-am-totally-starving-and-tired-and-don't-want-to-cook-and-anyway-can't-come-up-with-an-idea-for-a-quick-and-healthy-meal-monster.

Sometimes, I get hungry.  and tired.  and lazy.

combined, those three elements are a surefire nutritional disaster.  So, I am trying to stockpile recipes and ideas that I can rely on when hunger and fatigue strike simultaneously.  The requirements are: healthy and uses primarily whole foods (no mixes), is obscenely easy, is ready for consumption in less than 20 minutes, and will not make me loathe myself for 2 days after I eat it.

Today's was a winner.  On the table in less than 15 minutes!!!

Preheat oven to 425-ish.  Spray a small pan with nonstick spray (I like organic Pam).  Take some ready-to-eat fresh broccoli florets and place them in the pan.  Drizzle with a teaspoon of olive oil and toss with salt and pepper.  Stick it in the oven for around 10 minutes (however long you like it, about 10 minutes is good for me).

Prepare a serving of couscous according to package directions (I like Near East brand).

While the couscous is sitting covered and the broccoli is finishing up, put a spoonful of hummus on a plate alongside some ready-to-eat fresh baby carrots.

Put the couscous in a bowl, top with the broccoli, and enjoy with the hummus and carrots.

gnocchi with vegetables and cannellini beans

I like frozen gnocchi.  A lot.  It took me awhile to discover these tasty morsels.  See, I have enjoyed gnocchi in restaurants for a very long time (a particular favorite is at Max SoHa in NYC).  But whenever I made it at home, I used dried gnocchi and it was always disgusting.  Then, one day last year, I serendipitously happened upon a bag of frozen gnocchi in a grocery store near my last apartment in Harlem.  I happily discovered that frozen gnocchi has a tender, fluffy suppleness that rivals fresh gnocchi.  And while I readily admit that frozen gnocchi isn't better than fresh, it is an adequate substitute (at least until I attempt to make gnocchi from scratch!).  

I hadn't made any gnocchi dishes for awhile, but was recently inspired and decided to have a go. It was a success, and I am sure I will be making many more gnocchi dishes in the near future.

This dish was inspired by a picture that I saw in a magazine.  I didn't read the accompanying recipe; I just saw a picture of gnocchi with zucchini and tomatoes, and this was born.  (Sorry for my questionable units of measurement.)

gnocchi with vegetables and cannellini beans

chop up: 1 medium zucchini, 1 medium carrot, 6 campari tomatoes, 2 spring onions, 6 cloves of garlic, fresh basil (about 8 leaves), and most of a container of baby bella mushrooms.

You will later add a few generous handfuls of fresh baby spinach, a can of cannellini beans, some wine, black pepper, scant tablespoon sugar, 1/3 jar of tomato sauce, and a package of frozen gnocchi.

Instructions:

Put a pot of salted water on to boil.  Over another burner on medium to medium-high heat, give a skillet two turns of olive oil.  Let it heat up and add the zucchini and carrots.  Cook them for a few minutes, then add the garlic, spring onions and mushrooms.  Cook that a little longer and add the tomatoes.  Drain a can of cannellini beans and dump them in.  Add black pepper to taste.  If you have about a cup of wine leftover, then by all means, pour that in (I emptied a bottle of Chardonnay).  If you think it needs it, sprinkle a scant tablespoon of sugar in as well.  Let that all simmer until the vegetables are just tender; overcooking vegetables makes them mushy, which will ruin just about any dish.  Pour off--or ladle out-- some of the extra juice.  Add in 1/3 jar of tomato sauce (I used some cheap Classico sauce).  Finally, throw in the spinach and fresh basil leaves.  Stir well until the spinach is just starting to wilt.  Cover and remove from heat. Let it sit and finish steaming the spinach while you prepare the gnocchi.

Prepare the gnocchi according to package directions.  Do NOT overcook-- it really does only take about 2 minutes, and they're done as soon as they float to the top.  Drain them immediately and stir them into the vegetable mix.  And you're ready to eat!  I topped mine with parmigiano-reggiano.

Obviously, this was a very loose recipe and there's lots of room for improvisation with your own culinary creativity!  Enjoy!

The pictures are: 

1.  The vegetables simmering in in their own juices and wine, before removing some of the liquid and adding the beans and tomato sauce.

2.  The completed sauce as I took it off the heat to finish steaming.

3.  yummy supper.

    

return with lox

I'm back... by (suprisingly) popular demand.

I did think anyone was reading.  I was wrong!  Several friends have requested that I put more cooking info (tips, recipes, ideas, etc.) on the blog.  I would love to help!  I love to cook and have all kinds of hospitality ideas.  I want all my friends that want to cook and entertain to never be intimidated by the idea.  So while I will definitely be posting on other things as well, I promise to share all my cool culinary finds and ideas with you.

With that in mind, I'm starting a "Lauren likes..." section.  I will post pictures and/or links to products that I really like.  And away we go.

This is not really a recipe, since it's just a sandwich and you don't really make anything.  It's just an idea and some product suggestions.  Anyway.

This is one of my favorite lunches to make for myself.  It's on Whole Foods prairie bread, which I love.  Spread a thin layer of cream cheese (I like Snofrisk, more on that in a second) on both sides.  Add thinly sliced European cucumbers, spring mix, and smoked salmon.  Delicious!  I had mine with some raw baby carrots.

In order to make this well, I think a few things are important.  First, European cucumbers are awesome.  They are seedless and taste amazing (and are, unfortunately, more expensive).

Second, the type of salmon you use is important.  At least it's important to me.  I hate, hate, hate overly fishy-tasting salmon.  Also, salmon is not so cheap, and it is quite disappointing for me to shell out my hard-earned money on some only to find it repulsive.  Luckily, I have found my perfect smoked salmon match at Whole Foods, and it doesn't even cost an arm and a leg.  It has a delicately smokey flavor, it's not too salty, and while you're aware that you're eating fish, it doesn't taste like it had a terminal illness prior to being caught and smoked.  Here it is (sorry that I forgot to take a picture before I opened it! I was hungry!):

And last but not least, the cheese.  I love this new cheese I found at Whole Foods:

If you enlarge the picture, you'll see that it's made from goat's milk.  This gives it a little bit of that characteristic bite found in chévre. It's not overwhelming by any means, but I think it has a better taste and slightly better texture than regular cream cheese. 

For those of you that are gluten-free (love ya, Megs!) or don't want a sandwich, this could also be a salad.  Omit the bread, replace the snofrisk with goat cheese crumbles, and add tomatoes.  Drizzle it with olive oil and lemon juice.  Yum!  And if you're vegan, better luck next time (sorry, fern).  

Earl Grey Tea Shortbread Cookies

A, my best friend from childhood, is the birthday girl tomorrow.  Yes, she is catching up to me and will be 28.  It's the age to be.

Like me, A appreciates good food.  I decided that birthday cookies were a good idea and am fairly certain that her husband and three kids will agree.  I began perusing the internet, searching my favorite food blogs and websites, and came across something creative, tasty and EASY.

Some time ago, I began thinking about how tasty it would be to make a cake with tea in it.  I imagined adding highly concentrated tea to the batter, but it never occurred to me to actually put tea leaves in anything.  And then I happened upon a recipe for Earl Grey Tea Shortbread.  I think it worked out quite tastily.  Because I had never made shortbread before, I was hesitant to experiment too much.  Next time I will make some alterations, which I will write at the end of the recipe.  Warning: this is not healthy at all.  But good shortbread never is.

EARL GREY TEA SHORTBREAD

I found the original recipe here

Yields approx. 4 dozen small cookies

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons finely ground Earl Grey tea (about 4 bags)*

1/2 cup confectioners' sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

1 tablespoon finely grated orange zest (reserve orange)**

1. Combine flour, tea and salt in a bowl.  set aside

2. Put butter, sugar and orange zest in a mixing bowl.  Using an electric mixer, mix on low-to medium speed until pale and fluffy (about 3 minutes).  Using low speed only, gradually mix in flour mixture until just combined.

3. Divide dough in half.  Transfer each half to a piece of parchment paper and shape into logs.  Roll tightly in parchment paper, squeezing as you go to narrow and shape the log and force out air.  Tuck ends under (like wrapping a present) to seal the log entirely in parchment paper and place flat in the freezer.  Freeze until firm, about 1 hour.

4.  Preheat oven to 350F.  Using a cold, sharp knife, cut logs into 1/4-inch slices.  Space 1 inch apart on baking sheets lined with parchment.***

5.  Bake cookies until edges are golden, 13 to 15 minutes.  Cool on wire racks.  Store at room temperature in airtight container.

*I found that the tea in the Twinings' Earl Grey bags was so fine that I didn't need to do anything to it.  I just cut the tops of of 4 bags and dumped them in.

** The dough was looking a little dry to me towards the end of the mixing, so I squeezed about 2 tablespoons (?) of juice from the orange into the dough, which I think was great.  Next time, I will add juice again and will probably increase the amount of orange zest by at least 50%.

***The original recipe calls for baking two sheets of cookies simultaneously.  I only wanted to use one at a time, so I filled one sheet and kept the remaining sliced dough in the freezer.  When the first batch was finished, I transferred the cookies to the wire rack and then put the unused dough on the same sheet.  I think it's probably better this way for even cooking.

I hope A likes them!  I think they're pretty good.  Not too sweet, good texture, interesting flavor.  Plus, they're so easy to make!  On a scale of 1-10, I give them about a 6.5.  The flavor isn't quite strong enough in my opinion (though that could be altered), but the recipe itself is inventive and the texture of the shortbread is pretty good.  Also, I'm a little concerned that there might be a not-so-great aftertaste due to the tea leaves.  I don't really notice one, but now that I've thought about it I'm a little fixated.  Anyway, I would definitely make these again for a party or a present because they are so easy and unique.  Try it sometime and let me know what you think!