Capriotti's - Wilmington, DE

http://www.capriottis.com/

Capriotti’s is a franchised sub shop that started in Wilmington, Delaware.  The first shop was opened on Union Street in 1976.  I was introduced to it by my now husband.  He said that he really enjoyed their “Bobby” sub (Thanksgiving on a roll).  I checked out the menu and saw that they had some good-looking vegetarian options: turkey, cheesesteak, and a cheeseburger!  Come on!  Where else can you find this type of selection – around Wilmington? 

I’ll be honest, I’ve only tried the straight Veggie Turkey sub.  The veggie turkey is cut thickly (not like Tofurky’s thin slices) and topped with Provolone, lettuce, tomato, onion, and some seasonings (my guess is oregano, salt, and pepper).  The whole thing melts in my mouth and the mixture of soy turkey and spices is so delicious – a flavor explosion.  I will warn you, a small sub is kind of heavy on the calories, so if you’re watching your weight or fat intake, I recommend getting it without the cheese.

Argilla Brewing Co. at Pietro's Pizza - Newark, DE

http://argillabrewing.com/

My husband and I joined two of our friends, who had been raving about the beer choices.  Two unfortunate things – one, it was Sunday and they  had their brunch menu, so we couldn’t choose from their more expansive menus; and two, their beers were mostly porters, stouts, or IPAs, none of which we like.  Oh well.  I do want to try the restaurant again when they have more beers and when they are serving their full menu.

I was kind of torn between the Kennett pizza (traditional pie with fresh mushroom, roasted pepper, and onion) and a Stromboli.  Since my husband was getting his own slices, and I knew I couldn’t finish a Medium pizza on my own, I opted for a Stromboli with spinach, roasted peppers, and roasted garlic.  Let’s just say that my concerns about the size of the pizza were ripped apart when the Stromboli arrived.  It was literally half the size of a pizza pan.  Huge!  The ricotta/mozzarella mixture inside paired quite nicely with my options.  And, I must note, that they used fresh spinach leaves!  Big smile on that one.  The Stromboli bread was thick and nicely toasted.  An all-around win!  Now I just need to taste one of their delicious-sounding pizzas J

Fiesta Chikn Soup

Fiesta Chikn Soup (adapted from Kraft Recipes, 4 servings, Total Time: 40 minutes)

Ingredients

¼ cup Zesty Italian Dressing

1 package Trader Joe’s Chickenless Strips, chopped

½ onion, chopped

1 cup (1/2 of 14-1/2-oz. can) stewed tomatoes, undrained

1 can (14-1/2 oz.) fat-free reduced-sodium vegetable broth

1 ¼ cups water

1 can (8-1/2 oz.) peas and diced carrots, drained

1 tsp. chili powder

½ cup Mexican or Taco Shredded Cheese

Directions

1.)    Heat dressing in large saucepan on medium-high heat. Add strips and onions; cook 5 min., stirring occasionally.

2.)    Add tomatoes, broth, water, peas and carrots, and chili powder; stir. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium; simmer 8 min. or until onions are tender.

3.)    Serve, topped with cheese.

I wasn’t as fond of this Mexican soup dish as others that I have tried.  If I make it again, I’ll add some hot sauce or jalapenos, or something to jazz it up a bit.  As is, the chili powder doesn’t help much in the flavor department.  It is also fairly one note on the texture component, of which my husband is not a fan.  Maybe adding some tortilla chips on top would make him happy!  If you are looking for a mild dish, then this is your ticket.  But if you’re looking for flavor town, you’ll need to make some additional enhancements (and I definitely recommend the Taco cheese, as it has a more intense flavor).  Enjoy!

Quick-Fix Cheeseburger

Quick-Fix Cheeseburger “Meat”loaf (adapted from Kraft Recipes, Total Time: 1 hour, Servings: 4-6)

Ingredients

1 package Morningstar Farms burger crumbles

10 crackers, crushed (about 1/2 cup) – or ½ cup breadcrumbs

2 Tbsp. Dijon Mustard

¼ cup ketchup

¾ cup shredded Cheddar Cheese

Directions

1.)    Preheat oven to 375°F.

2.)    Thaw crumbles in microwave, heating in 30 second intervals and mixing.

3.)    Mix crumbles, crumbs and mustard until well blended; press into 8x4-inch loaf pan.

4.)    Bake 40 min.

5.)    Spread ketchup over loaf. Top with cheese; bake 5 min. or until melted.

My husband enjoyed this recipe much more than my usual “meat”loaf, so it’s a keeper.  It definitely tastes like a cheese”burger”, without the bun, I don’t really know how else to describe it.  Delieicous!  The loaf holds together well when removing it from the pan, which is a definite improvement over other loaf recipes.  I served this with Trader Joe’s Asparagus Risotto (super creamy and very tasty) and cauliflower florets topped with cheese.  A complete meal.  I definitely suggest trying out this dish!

Taco Soup

Taco Soup (slightly adapted from Kraft Recipes, 12 servings, Total Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

1 package Morningstar Farms burger crumbles

½ onion, chopped

3 cans (15.5 oz. each) mild chili beans (check ingredients to make sure they are vegetarian)

1 can (14.5 oz.) diced tomatoes with green chiles, undrained

1 can (14.25 oz.) corn, undrained

1 can (8 oz.) tomato sauce

1 pkg. (1-1/4 oz.) Taco Seasoning Mix

1 ½ cups water

1 ½ cups shredded Mexican or Taco cheese

Directions

1.)    Cook burger crumbles and onions in a large saucepan over medium heat until crumbles are thawed.

2.)    Add all remaining ingredients except cheese.  Bring to boil, then simmer on medium-low heat for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

3.)    Top with cheese.

This is a great dish for a cool day – it heats things up in two ways!  Adding the diced tomatoes with green chiles definitely kicks it up a notch – I don’t think I would have been satisfied with the original recipe.  The way it is, it met the tastes of both my husband and me - which is always a plus -  not too spicy and not too mild.  The onions and corn provide a little crispiness to an otherwise soft dish.  The texture is much thinner than the soups I am used to, but the cheese helps to add some thickness to it.  If you like a creamy soup, I suggest adding less water, or draining the tomatoes and corn. 

This is a good base recipe that allows you to easily adjust for the spiciness factor (adding jalapenos, hot sauce, etc.).  Have fun playing around with it!

Truffles

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/basic-truffles/detail.aspx  (2 hours, 20 minute)


I made these for my parents and in-laws as part of their Christmas sweet treats.  I rolled half in cocoa powder and half in powdered sugar.  I did try one, rolled in cocoa powder, and didn’t really like it.  It was OK, but I guess I’m not a fan of bittersweet chocolate.  I think that I should use semi-sweet chocolate to see how that works; it would probably be more pleasing to my palette.

Ingredients

·         1 bag bittersweet chocolate chip (or 12 oz. chopped)

·         1/3 cup heavy cream

·         1 tsp. vanilla extract

Directions

1.    In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine chocolate and cream. Cook, stirring, until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth. Remove from heat and whisk in vanilla.

2.    Pour into a small dish and refrigerate until set, but not hard, 1 ½ - 2 hours.

3.    Roll into balls and dip into toppings.

I also might try to roll them into different toppings, the cocoa powder might not have been such a good choice.

Butter Cookies

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/butter-cookies/detail.aspx  (35 minutes)

I didn’t use the frosting recipe that is in the original recipe because my husband said that the cookies didn’t need it – I kind of disagree.  Although they are good, I think that an extra sugary kick would have made them much better. 

Ingredients

·         1 cup butter or margarine, softened

·         3/4 cup sugar

·         1 egg

·         1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

·         2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

·         1 tsp. baking powder

·         1/4 tsp. salt

Directions

1.    Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

2.    In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add egg and vanilla; mix well.

3.    Combine flour, baking powder and salt; add to creamed mixture and mix well.

4.    Place the dough in a cookie press; form cookies on ungreased baking sheets. Bake for 6-8 minutes or until set but not brown. Cool on wire racks.

The cookies were soft and a tad buttery – not overwhelming, though.  As I mentioned above, not as sweet as I would prefer, so I’ll use frosting in the future.

Peanut Butter Bars

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/peanut-butter-bars/detail.aspx  (Total Time: 30 minutes)

Even though I made these for my family for Christmas, I wanted to keep all of them for my husband and me!  We both liked these tasty treats a lot.  Soft and chewy with a good mixture of peanut butter and chocolate.  Yum!

Ingredients

·         1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened

·         1/2 cup sugar

·         1/2 cup packed brown sugar

·         1/2 cup creamy peanut butter

·         1 egg, beaten

·         1 tsp. vanilla extract

·         1 cup all-purpose flour

·         1/2 cup quick-cooking oats

·         1 tsp. baking soda

·         1/4 tsp. salt

·         1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Icing

·         1/2 cup confectioners' sugar

·         2 Tbsp. creamy peanut butter

·         2 Tbsp. milk

Directions

1.    Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2.    In a mixing bowl, cream butter, sugars and peanut butter. Add egg and vanilla; mix well.

3.    Combine flour, oats, baking soda and salt; stir into the creamed mixture.

4.    Spread into a greased 13-in. x 9-in. x 2-in. baking pan. Sprinkle with chocolate chips. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until lightly browned.

5.    Cool 10 minutes. Combine icing ingredients; drizzle over bars.

Cajun Red Beans and Corncakes

Cajun Red Beans and Corncakes (5-6 servings, Total Time: 4 hours, 45 minutes)

(adapted from AllRecipes.com and Runner’s World)

Original Recipe on Allrecipes called for Creole Seasoning, which I didn’t have, so I used Cajun Seasoning.  Awesome decision!  Good spice mix and kick to the beans.  I also used canned kidney beans to make this dish, and the substitution worked out just fine.  Since I used canned beans, I omitted the salt called for in the original recipe.  No need to add sodium when you don’t need it!

Cajun Red Beans

Ingredients

·  2 cans red kidney beans

·  1 green bell pepper, chopped

·  1 onion, chopped

·  4 stalks celery, chopped

·  2 Tbsp. ground black pepper

·  2 Tbsp. Cajon seasoning

·  3 cloves garlic, minced

·  1 package Morningstar Farm sausage links, chopped

Directions

1.     In a crockpot, combine beans, bell pepper, onion, celery, black pepper, Cajun seasoning, and garlic.

2.     Cook on low for 4 hours.

3.     Mix sausage into the beans; cook an additional 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.

The day I was planning to make this dish, I saw the recipe for Corncakes and decided to use that in lieu of rice.  Another great decision. 

Corncakes (4-6 servings, depending on size of cakes; Total Time: 20-30 min.)

(from RunnersWorld.com)

Ingredients

1 can (14.75 oz.) creamed corn

1 cup yellow cornmeal, divided in half

½ cup water

2 Tbsp. olive oil, plus extra for griddle

1 large egg

½ cup all-purpose flour

½ tsp. salt

1 ½ tsp. baking powder

Directions

·  Heat creamed corn in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in 1/2 cup cornmeal. Whisk in the water, then oil, then egg. 

·  In a bowl, mix remaining 1/2 cup cornmeal with flour, salt, and baking powder. Stir wet ingredients into dry ingredients until just combined. 

·  Heat a griddle over medium heat; brush lightly with oil. 

·  Working in batches, drop batter in generous ¼ cup portions onto hot griddle. Cook, turning once, until golden brown on both sides, about five minutes. 

For the cakes, I would use less cornmeal in the future – by themselves, you can taste the cornmeal consistency.  However, they do a great job at sopping up the additional sauce from the beans.  This dish was one that I just wanted more and more of.  The meal has great protein, fiber, and carb content, which is an added bonus to its delicious taste.  The vegetables stayed crisp in the crockpot and the varied consistency between them and the beans and corncakes was a nice addition to the meal.  The beans were slightly spicy, but the corncakes dulled the kick a little, making this pleasing to my husband’s palette as well as to mine.  I will definitely be making this in the future.

Cheddar Vegetable Lasagna

Cheddar Vegetable Lasagna (Servings: 8-10, Total Time: 1 hour – 1 hour, 15 min.)

(adapted from KraftRecipes.com)

Not your typical lasagna dish, but good flavors and a mix of texture make it a good meal.  I would like to see a little more protein, but that is easily fixed by adding some faux sausage or burger crumbles.  The original recipe does not tell you where to add the cheddar cheese, so I added it in two places!

Ingredients

½ lb. mushrooms, diced

¼ cup margarine, divided

3-3 ½ cups shredded carrots

½ cup chopped onion

¼ cup flour

½ tsp. salt

Dash of pepper

2 ½ cups milk

1 container (16 oz.) Cottage Cheese

1 pkg. (10 oz.) frozen chopped spinach, thawed, well drained

9 lasagna noodles

2 cups Shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese

½ cup Grated Parmesan Cheese

¼ cup chopped fresh parsley

Directions

1.)    Preheat oven to 350°F.

2.)    Cook lasagna noodles according to package directions.

3.)    Cook and stir mushrooms in 1 Tbsp. margarine in a large skillet on medium-high heat until tender. Remove from skillet; set aside.

4.)    Add remaining margarine, then carrots and onions to skillet. Cook and stir 5 min. or until carrots are tender. Reduce heat to medium.

5.)    Blend in flour and seasonings. Gradually add milk; cook, stirring constantly, until mixture boils and thickens. Stir in mushrooms and 1 cup cheddar cheese.

6.)    Combine cottage cheese, spinach, and 1 cup cheddar cheese.

7.)    Place 3 of the noodles on bottom of greased 13x9-inch baking dish; top with one-third each of the cottage cheese and the carrot mixtures. Cover with 3 more noodles and one-third each of the cottage cheese and carrot mixtures. Top with the remaining 3 noodles and remaining cottage cheese and carrot mixtures. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

8.)    Bake 30 min. or until heated through. Sprinkle with parsley. Let stand a few minutes before cutting to serve.

The carrots and onion add a little crunch to the texture, but the lasagna is otherwise a very soft consistency.  The original recipe called for 4 cups of carrots, but that seemed like way too much.  I recommend 3-3 ½ cups in my adapted version, but that is all up to you and what you and your family like. 

I didn’t have 9 lasagna noodles, so I only used 6 and layered half and half of the mixtures.  The dish came out bubbly and cheesy-looking.  The fat content is high because of the shredded cheddar, but if you use 2%, that can eliminate some unnecessary fat and calories from this dish without affecting the taste.  Also, I found that you don’t necessarily need the butter to cook the mushrooms or carrots.  I actually didn’t add any additional butter to the cook the carrots and they turned out just fine.  This dish is a great way to sneak in some vegetables because of the cheesy goodness that encases them.  Enjoy!

Spinach Mushroom Lasagna

I wanted to try this recipe because I am a huge fan of roasted red peppers, cheese, and pasta.  This seemed like it would be a pretty good mix.  The lasagna is very filling and healthy for a pasta dish – and the fat and calorie content can be controlled depending on your choice of ricotta and parmesan.  I did enjoy it and it made a ton of leftovers – I actually had to freeze about half of it because we just couldn’t eat it all!

Spinach Mushroom Lasagna (expected time 2 hours, 12+ servings)

(adapted from Kraft Foods)

Ingredients

1 jar (26 oz.) spaghetti sauce – I used a tomato/basil marinara.  Your choice in sauce will affect the overall taste of the dish, so choose wisely!

2 large  red peppers, roasted, seeded and peeled – I used canned roasted red peppers.  Much easier.

1 egg, beaten

2-1/2 cups  Light Ricotta Cheese

2-1/2 cups Shredded part-skim Mozzarella Cheese, divided

1 pkg.  (16 oz.) frozen chopped spinach, thawed, squeezed dry

1/2 cup Grated Parmesan Cheese, divided

1/2 tsp.  ground nutmeg

12 lasagna noodles

2 tsp.  olive oil

1 large sweet onion, chopped

1 lb.  fresh mushrooms, sliced

Directions

1.)    Heat oven to 350ºF.

2.)    Cook lasagna noodles as directed on package, omitting salt.

3.)    Blend spaghetti sauce and peppers in blender until smooth.

4.)    Combine egg, ricotta, 1-1/4 cups mozzarella, spinach, 1/4 cup Parmesan and nutmeg.

5.)    Meanwhile, heat oil in large nonstick skillet on medium heat. Add onions; cook and stir 5 min. or until crisp-tender. Stir in mushrooms; cook 10 min. or until tender and browned.

6.)    Spread 3/4 cup sauce onto bottom of 13x9-inch baking dish; top with layers of 3 lasagna noodles, 1/3 of the ricotta mixture, 1/3 of the mushroom mixture and 3/4 cup sauce. Repeat layers twice. Top with remaining noodles, sauce, mozzarella and Parmesan. Cover with foil sprayed with cooking spray.

7.)    Bake 1 hour or until heated through, removing foil after 45 min. Let stand 15 min. before serving.

I cooked my noodles with a half dry red wine – half water mixture.  It adds just a touch of a wine taste to the noodles.  This dish needed something extra.  It was OK as is, but a little garlic powder and cayenne pepper on the leftovers helped its taste tremendously.  Next time, I’ll probably add these two spices into the ricotta mixture – or sauté a few garlic cloves with the onions.  This should make this dish tastier.  The spinach and mushrooms were also slightly overwhelming. I will use only 10 oz. of spinach in my future endeavors and chop the mushrooms instead of using slices.  That should definitely help keep the focus on the overall lasagna and not its component parts.

Chikn Enchiladas

Chikn Enchiladas – Total Time approx. 1 Hour, serves 4-8 (depending on if you take 1 or 2 enchiladas)

(adapted from AllRecipes.com)

Ingredients

·         1 (10.75 oz) can Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup (Regular or 98% Fat Free)

·         1/2 cup light sour cream

·         1 Tbsp margarine

·         1 medium onion, chopped

·         1 tsp chili powder

·         2 cups chopped Trader Joe’s Chickenless Chikn Strips

·         1 (4 oz) can chopped green chilies

·         1 Tbsp ancho chilies in sauce

·         8 (8 inch) flour tortillas, warmed

·         1 cup shredded Nacho/Mexican cheese

Directions

1.      Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2.      Mix soup and sour cream.

3.      Heat butter in saucepan. Add onion and chili powder and cook until tender.

4.      Add chicken, chilies and 2 Tbsp soup mixture.

5.      Spread 1/2 cup soup mixture in 2-quart shallow baking dish. Spoon about 1/4 cup chicken mixture down center of each tortilla. Roll up and place seam-side down in dish. Spoon remaining soup mixture on top. Sprinkle with cheese.

6.      Bake 25 minutes or until hot.

I liked this dish, tasty and very spicy (that would be because I added some extra adobe chili peppers on top of my enchilada).  I did kind of mess up the recipe – due to not paying attention – and mixed the chiken and green and ancho chilies in with the soup/sour cream mixture.  When I figured out what happened, I added most of that to the onion mixture and cooked for about 3 minutes, until just warmed.  I didn’t have enough to coat the bottom of the pan, so I sprayed it with non-stick cooking spray.  I was able to pour some on top of the enchiladas before topping with the shredded cheese.  It’s all about adaptability in the kitchen!  The edges of the tortillas became very crusty, possibly because of not having the soup/sour cream mixture in the bottom of the baking pan – I’ll have to remember that next time!