Orecchiette with Creamy Chipotle and Corn

Orecchiette with Creamy Chipotle and Corn (slightly adapted from Woman’s Day, Servings: 6, Total Time: 25 minutes)

Ingredients

·         1 pound orecchiette pasta

·         1 Tbsp. olive oil

·         1 medium onion, finely chopped

·         Kosher salt and pepper

·         1 clove garlic, finely chopped

·         ¾ cup skim milk

·         4 ounces lowfat cream cheese, cut into pieces

·         ¼ cup grated Parmesan

·         1  tsp. chopped chipotles in adobo, plus 1 tsp. adobo sauce

·         Pinch ground nutmeg

·         1 ½ cups frozen corn, thawed

Directions

1.)    Cook the pasta according to package directions. Reserve ¼ - ½ cup of the cooking liquid, drain the pasta and return it to the pot.

2.)    Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add the onion and ¼ tsp. each salt and pepper and sauté, stirring occasionally, until very tender, 6 to 8 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook for 1 minute.

3.)    Whisk in the milk and bring to a simmer. Whisk in the cream cheese, Parmesan, chipotles and adobo sauce, and nutmeg. Stir in the corn and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the corn is heated through and the mixture has slightly thickened, about 3 minutes.

4.)    Toss the pasta with the sauce, adding some of the reserved cooking liquid if the pasta seems dry.

My husband and I both really enjoyed this dish.  It was not too spicy, so I added some additional adobo sauce to my servings (I didn’t want to add too much heat).  It wasn’t very creamy, so when I make it again I will likely add 6 oz. cream cheese or some additional milk.  I ended up adding about ½ cup water to help the creaminess, I didn’t want to add any more than that as it would affect the taste.  The corn adds a slightly crispy texture to the otherwise soft and chewy dish (even though I cooked the pasta al dente, when I tossed it with the sauce, it lost its crispness). 

Overall, an easy dish to whip up when you are short on time. I do plan on making this again!

Thai Spice Crispy Edamame

Thai Spice Crispy Edamame (from The Law Student’s Wife, Servings: 4, Total Time: 45 minutes)

Ingredients

·         12 ounce package frozen, shelled edamame

·         2 tsp. olive oil

·         1 tsp. sesame oil

·         1 ½ tsp. lime juice

·         1 ½ tsp. Thai red curry paste

·         ½ tsp. brown sugar

·         ¼ tsp. soy sauce

·         1/8 tsp. garlic powder

·         1/8 tsp. ground ginger

Directions

1.      Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Place the edamame into a colander and rinse under cold water to thaw. Drain and set aside.

2.      In a medium bowl, combine olive oil, sesame oil, lime juice, curry paste, brown sugar, soy sauce, garlic powder, and ginger until well blended. Add edamame and toss well to coat.

3.      Spread the edamame into the bottom of a 9x13 inch-baking dish. Bake 15 minutes, then remove from oven, stir to rotate the beans, and return to oven for an additional 10-15 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

I served this as an appetizer to the Sweet and Sour Smoked Tofu and Pineapple en Papillote dish.  My husband and I both enjoy edamame, so I figured instead of just serving the regular pop beans with salt, I would opt for some different spices to coat them.  We both liked the outcome.  There is a slight, building heat to the beans – from the red curry paste.  I liked that they stayed nice and crispy, even when coated with the different spices and oils.  This dish was easy to make and do plan on making it again.

Sweet and Sour Smoked Tofu and Pineapple en Papillote

Sweet and Sour Smoked Tofu and Pineapple en Papillote (from Vegetarian Times, Servings: 4, Total Time: 1 hour)

Ingredients

·         1 cup basmati rice

·         1 10-oz. pkg. frozen spinach

·         2½ tsp. toasted sesame oil, divided

·         2 tsp. toasted sesame seeds

·         ½ tsp. low-sodium soy sauce

·         1 6-oz. pkg. baked smoked tofu, diced

·         1 cup diced fresh pineapple

·         2 tsp. sweet chile sauce

Directions

1.       Preheat oven to 400°F. Cut four 15-inch lengths of parchment paper, and fold each in half. Set aside.

2.       Cook rice and spinach separately according to package directions. Transfer rice to bowl, and stir in 1 ½ tsp. sesame oil and sesame seeds. Drain spinach, squeeze out liquid, and stir in soy sauce.

3.       Open folded parchment sheets like a book, and arrange ½ cup rice to one side of crease on each sheet. Top rice with ¼ cup tofu, ¼ cup spinach, and ¼ cup pineapple. Drizzle with ¼ tsp. sesame oil and ½ tsp. chile sauce. Fold parchment over food so edges meet, then crimp and seal edges with small overlapping diagonal.

4.       Transfer packets to large baking sheet, and bake 10 minutes. Cool 2 minutes before serving.

When I first saw this recipe, I thought it would be kind of difficult to make – I’ve never heard of en Papillote.  I’m glad that I did not let that initial thought keep me from making this dish – it is good to try new things!  After I got all of the ingredients ready, the rest was easy (actually, it all was pretty easy).  I think that the most time-consuming part is dicing and waiting for the basmati to cook.

Both my husband and I thought that this dish was pretty bland, as is.  He added a bit more soy sauce to his and I added some more sweet chile sauce and some Sriracha to mine.  We were both plenty happy then!  Without those additions, you can taste the sesame oil and seeds and a little bit of the sweet chile sauce, but not enough to overcome the spinach and rice. The pineapple adds a bit of crunch to this otherwise soft dish.  I think that if I make this again, in addition to adding more soy and sweet chile sauce, I will not use the baked tofu. I don’t know that it added that much taste over regular tofu – I’d rather use regular tofu soaked in a combination of soy, sweet chile and Sriracha and go from there.

Satsuma Kitchen

Satsuma (Wilmington, DE)

My husband and I decided to have a laid-back dinner for New Year’s Eve.  We had never been to Satsuma, but heard good things from friends of ours.  When we entered the restaurant, we saw the sushi bar on the left side, some high-top tables on our right, and a lot of employees milling around.  They were not busy at all.  We were shuffled upstairs where more tables were situated and took our place in a comfy booth below an eclectic light fixture.  We each ordered a drink and then started reviewing the menu.  There are a few vegetarian options on the Satsuma menu, but not an overwhelming amount.  We decided to start off by sharing the Edamame and Asian BBQ Tofu.  My main meal was The Veg roll.

The Edamame came out first.  It was cooked with chiles, olive oil, and smoked sea salt.  Each bean had a good combo of heat and saltiness to it.  My husband took more than a few sips of water while we devoured the dish.  I like Edamame and this new take on it piqued the interest of my tastebuds.

Next came the Asian BBQ Tofu.  Although my husband is not a tofu person, I did talk him into trying a piece, but he was more interested in his tuna rolls.  That’s OK, more for me!  The tofu was soaked in BBQ sauce, with it permeating each orifice (not just slathered on top).  There were spicy walnuts, arugula, and pickled red onions atop the tofu pieces.  There was also a drizzle of lemon oil, which I actually couldn’t taste (thank goodness because I am NOT a huge fan of lemon).  The tofu had been pan fried and just a hint of crispiness to its exterior.  It played nicely with the crunchy walnuts and chewy arugula.

The final part of my meal was The Veg roll – avocado, asparagus, fennel, and pea shoots wrapped in seaweed and rice sitting atop some truffle aioli. Even though I don’t love asparagus or fennel, I thought I would give it a shot because the truffle aioli sounded good.  Well, this was a mistake of mine.  The truffle aioli was a bit too heavy for my liking and it did nothing to cover the taste of the avocado or fennel.  I understand that this is not a bad thing if someone likes those vegetables – you aren’t supposed to hide a taste in any dish.  I was just hoping that the combination would help my tastebuds get along with the other flavors.  Each bite incorporated the creamy avocado with the crispy textures of the other veggies.

Overall, this is a good restaurant for vegetarians and I look forward to going back for the BBQ Tofu and maybe some wasabi mashed potatoes!

Spicy Szechuan Noodles

Spicy Szechuan Noodles (adapted from Good Housekeeping, Servings: 6, Total Time: 20 minutes)

Ingredients

·         12 oz. egg noodles

·         1 ½ cups vegetable broth

·         6 Tbsp. lower-sodium soy sauce

·         6 Tbsp. lime juice

·         2 Tbsp. sugar

·         2 Tbsp. Sriracha

·         2 tsp. ground ginger

·         2 Tbsp. canola oil

·         4 Morningstar Farms Garden Patties, crumbled

·         5-6 oz. baby spinach

Directions

1.      Heat large covered saucepot salted water to boiling on high.

2.      Add egg noodles. Cook as label directs; drain and rinse under cold water.

3.      Purée, in food processor, broth, soy sauce, lime juice, sugar, Sriracha, and ginger.

4.      Heat canola oil in 12-inch skillet on high.

5.      Add burger crumbles; cook 5 minutes. Add broth mixture; simmer 5 minutes or until heated through.

6.      Stir in baby spinach; cook 1 minute.

7.      Divide noodles among plates; top with sauce.

I actually doubled part of the recipe above (the “sauce”) because it was not nearly enough to cover the noodles.  I use quotations around sauce because it wasn’t very saucy; it was more of a topping.  I actually double checked the ingredient amounts because it wasn’t what I expected.  It was still good, though.  The dish is spicy, no extra Sriracha required!  Reading the ingredient list again, I feel like there should be some sweetness or tartness to the flavor, but the Sriracha definitely overrides that (not a bad thing in my book!).

I used the Garden Patties and crumbled them instead of the Mealstarters because I have a huge package of the veggie burgers and wanted to use them before they got too frost-bitten.  I like the difference in the look and texture – part of the burger patties stayed firm and provided a nice contrast to the noodles – the Mealstarters would not have done the same.  Morningstar also makes an Asian veggie patty, so you may want to try that with this dish. 

Enjoy!

Mexican Meatloaves

Mexican Meatloaves (adapted from Kraft Recipes, Servings: 8-12, Total Time: 1 hour, 10 minutes)

Ingredients

·         2 packages Morningstar Farms Burger Crumbles

·         6 oz. box of vegetarian stuffing mix (I used Stove Top for Pork)

·         1 can  (14-1/2 oz.) Mexican-style diced tomatoes, undrained

·         1-1/2cups  Mexican Style Shredded Cheese, divided

·         1 cup  Salsa, divided

·         2 eggs

·         4 cloves garlic, minced

·         2 Tbsp. brown sugar

Directions

1.)    Preheat oven to 375ºF.

2.)    Mix crumbles, stuffing mix, tomatoes, 1-1/4 cups cheese, 3/4 cup salsa, eggs and garlic until well blended. Shape into 2 loaves in 13x9-inch baking dish.

3.)    Bake 50 min. Meanwhile, mix remaining salsa and sugar.

4.)    Spread salsa mixture over meatloaves; top with remaining cheese.

5.)    Bake 10 min.

This made a lot more meatloaf than I thought it would, but that’s not a bad thing!  I served this with the Chipotle Smashed Sweet Potatoes and some steamed veggies.  As with the sweet potato dish, it was both sweet and spicy.  I could taste more of the sweet at first (due to the brown sugar glaze), but the spicy kicked in when you delved a little deeper into the loaf.  This was pretty easy to make, but next time I’ll half the recipe.

Chipotle Smashed Sweet Potatoes

Chipotle Smashed Sweet Potatoes (slightly adapted from Food Network, Servings: 4, Total Time: 30 minutes)

Ingredients

·         2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed

·         2 Tbsp. unsalted butter

·         ½ tsp. kosher salt

·         1 chipotle chile pepper in adobo sauce, chopped

·         1 teaspoon adobo sauce, from the pepper can

Directions

1.)    Put the sweet potatoes in a large pot and cover with water.  Bring the water to a boil and cook for 20 minutes, or until the sweet potatoes are fork-tender.

2.)    Drain the water from the pot.  Add the butter and salt and mash with a potato masher. Add the chile and sauce and continue mashing to combine. Serve immediately

I served these with Mexican meatloaf.  They were sweet and spicy, a great combination.  The potatoes were creamy and went down easily, even with the hint of spice from the adobo pepper and sauce.  I added a bit of extra sauce to mine, but it still wasn’t overly hot.  My husband liked the dish, but it was slightly too hot for him.  Easy and tasty!

Red Thai Curry Soup (slightly adapted from Amuse Your Bouche. Servings: 4+, Total Time: 20 minutes)

Ingredients

·         1 16 oz. mixed stir-fry vegetables (I used a frozen Asian blend), cooked

·         2-3 Tbsp. red Thai curry paste

·         14.5 oz. can light coconut milk

·         ½ 16 oz. pkg egg noodles, cooked

·         Salt

·         Black pepper

·         14.5 oz. water (fill the can from the coconut milk)

·         2 Tbsp. fresh coriander, chopped

Instructions

1.       Add the curry paste and cooked veggies to a large frying pan, mix well (I used 2.5 Tbsp. curry paste so that my husband could handle the dish) over medium heat.

2.       Add the coconut milk and the noodles, and season to taste with salt and pepper. I also added around 1 can of water – just add what you need to get the curry/soup to your desired consistency.

3.       Cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes, simmering very gently, until the curry is hot.  Add the coriander and serve immediately

I converted the numbers from the original recipe using an online calculator (the oz. were in ML and grams) and I think that the proportions were slightly off.  I used a whoel bag of noodles, which is why I suggest half a bag in the ingredients list.  One bag was way too much and made this a curry, not a soup.

The taste of this dish was just OK for me, not as spicy as I woul dhave liked and not with the depth of flavor that I am used to from my other curry dishes.  I don’t think that was just the noodles.  Maybe extra coconut milk instead of water or maybe some other spices would help.  I did use dried coriander instead of fresh (2 tsp.), but I don’t think that affected the taste.

Anyways, the dish was OK, but I don’t think that I’ll make it again.  I did look at some other recipes on this site and they look delicious.  Stay tuned for more!

Simple Arrabbiata Sauce

Simple Arrabbiata Sauce (from Allrecipes, Total Time: 45 minutes, Servings: 4)

Ingredients

·         2 (28 oz.) cans diced tomatoes

·         2 Tbsp. olive oil

·         1 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes

·         4 cloves garlic, minced

·         1/3 cup chopped fresh basil

·         Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1.       In a large saucepan, combine tomatoes, olive oil, and red pepper flakes. Simmer 30 to 40 minutes, or until sauce is thickened.

2.       Stir in garlic, and simmer 10 minutes. Remove from heat, and stir in basil, salt and pepper.

I served this sauce with spaghetti squash.  It had a good heat, not too much, though, so my husband could eat it.  The sauce is very thick and chunky.  I like that it’s easy to make and has a robust flavor – you can really taste the garlic and red pepper flakes.  I used minimal salt and pepper, but I did use dried basil, maybe about 1 Tbsp.  The fresh basil in our garden is definitely done for the season.  Enjoy!

Jalapeno Popper Mac and Cheese

Jalapeno Popper Mac and Cheese (slightly adapted from Sweet Anna’s, Servings: 6, Total Time: 25 minutes)

Ingredients

·         1 box (about 16oz) pasta - elbows or shells
·         1 Tbsp. olive oil
·         1 clove garlic, minced
·         3-4 large fresh jalapeño peppers, seeded and diced
·         1 cup water
·         ½ cup skim milk
·         8 oz. fat-free or Neufchatel cream cheese
·         2 cups shredded taco cheese
·         salt & pepper, to taste

Directions

1.       Cook pasta according to package directions for al dente.  Drain.
2.       While the noodles are cooking, heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and preheat the broiler of your oven to Low.
3.       In the heated skillet, drizzle in the olive oil & then add the jalapeños and garlic, sautéing until tender, about 5 minutes.
4.       Reduce the heat to low and stir in the water, milk & cream cheese, stirring often until melted and smooth. Turn off the heat and stir in the shredded cheese until melted. Taste and add salt & pepper to taste.
5.       When the noodles are done, toss them in with the cheese mixture and if your skillet is oven-proof place in the oven. If it is not oven-proof, place mixture into oven-proof dish and then pop into oven.
6.       Broil for 5-10 minutes, watching carefully, until the top is golden and the sauce is bubbling.
7.       Let sit for 5 minutes and then serve.

When I picked up my bi-weekly CSA bag, I had one large jalapeno, a habanero, and two red chilies.  My first thought was “What am I going to do with these since I just made salsa?”  As I’m sure you know by reading other entries, my husband is not in love with hot food – although he is better than he used to be, he’s still not up to my level of heat.  So, I went online to find something, anything, that would appease both of our palettes.  I saw this recipe and thought that it was a good option considering all of the dairy products – they would help dampen the heat down.  I made it two days after receiving my veggies.  Unfortunately, in that short time, my jalapeno rotted, but the habanero and the chilies were still good. 

I made a few adjustments to the original recipe to cut back on fat and calories – using skim milk instead of heavy cream, fat-free cream cheese instead of full-fat, and eliminating the parmesan and tortilla chips.  I think it turned out great – still very cheesy and tasty, with just a bit of kick.  My husband even liked it – and ate most of the leftovers!  A win in my book!  I used medium shells as the past, and I think that was a great idea because the cheese really coated the little openings to the pasta.  I will let you know that the cheese congeals when it cools.  Maybe using Neufchatel cheese instead of fat-free is good (fat-free also takes a while to melt down).  I like this dish and intend on making it again.

Red Lentil Curry

Red Lentil Curry (from All Recipes, Servings: 8, Total Time: 40 minutes)

Ingredients

·         2 cups red lentils

·         1 large onion, diced

·         1 Tbsp. canola oil

·         2 Tbsp. curry paste (I used red)

·         1 Tbsp. curry powder

·         1 tsp. ground turmeric

·         1 tsp. ground cumin

·         1 tsp. chili powder

·         1 tsp. salt

·         1 tsp. white sugar

·         1 tsp. minced garlic

·         1 tsp. ginger root, minced

·         1 (14.25 oz.) can tomato puree (I used tomato sauce)

Directions

1.)    Wash the lentils in cold water until the water runs clear (this is very important or the lentils will get "scummy"), put the lentils in a pot with water to cover and simmer covered until lentils tender (add more water if necessary).

2.)    While the lentils are cooking: In a large skillet or saucepan, caramelize the onions in oil.

3.)    While the onions are cooking, combine the curry paste, curry powder, turmeric, cumin, chili powder, salt, sugar, garlic, and ginger in a mixing bowl. Mix well.

4.)    When the onions are cooked, add the curry mixture to the onions and cook over a high heat stirring constantly for 1 to 2 minutes.

5.)    Stir in the tomato puree and reduce heat, allow the curry base to simmer until the lentils are ready.

6.)    When the lentils are tender drain them briefly (they should have absorbed most of the water but you don't want the curry to be too sloppy). Mix the curry base into the lentils and serve immediately.

This was another dish that I made for the tasting.  I will start by stating that the original recipe doesn’t tell you how long to cook the lentils.  I believe that mine took about 15 minutes over a medium heat, no extra water was needed.  At first I thought that I overcooked them, but they still tasted good and the other people who tried the dish liked it.  Just keep an eye on them while doing the other steps in the recipe.  This was also my first time working with ginger (FYI – you need to peel it before mincing!).  I think that I did OK on both accounts.

Overall, the recipe is easy to follow and the end result is pretty tasty.  It’s a little light on the taste, but I didn’t want to add any Sriracha because we have to be sensitive to the people who may not like spicy food.  However, on my leftovers, I went Sriracha-happy and it tasted awesome!  The consistency was almost like refried beans, but that worked well on some sandwich thins and pitas.  The curry is not “runny” or “oily” like some other curries that I have eaten or made, so it works really well with bread.  I definitely recommend trying this recipe!  Pretty healthy (calories are fairly low, protein is good) and tasty.

Spicy Pasta with Sweet Potatoes

Spicy Pasta with Sweet Potatoes (slightly adapted from Better Homes & Gardens, Servings: 4, Total Time: 30 minutes)

Ingredients

·         1 12 oz. sweet potato, peeled and cut into 3/4-inch cubes (2 cups)

·         1 Tbsp. olive oil

·         ½ tsp. chili powder

·         ½ tsp. cinnamon

·         ½ tsp. sugar

·         8 oz. dried rigatoni

·         1/3 cup peanut butter

·         3 oz. cream cheese, cut up

·         2 tsp. Asian chili sauce (such as Sriracha sauce)

·         1 Tbsp. soy sauce

·         6 green onions, thinly sliced

Directions

1.      Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

2.      Spray a rimmed baking pan with nonstick cooking spray; set aside. Place sweet potato cubes in a bowl. Toss with the 1 tablespoon olive oil, the chili powder, cinnamon, and sugar. Spread in prepared pan; bake for 20 minutes or until tender.

3.      Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package directions. Drain, reserving 1 cup hot pasta water.

4.      In a saucepan combine peanut butter, cream cheese, chili sauce, and soy sauce; whisk in ¾ cup of the hot pasta water. Stir over medium heat until heated through. If the mixture is too thick, stir in additional water. Stir in most of the green onions.

5.      Serve sauce over pasta with sweet potatoes and remaining green onion slices.

First, I’ll start by saying that I liked this dish.  It had a good sweet/heat combination – I have never tried an Asian dish with peanut butter in it, but I like it!  But, be forewarned, if you do not like peanut butter, you will not like this.  It is very heavy on the peanut butter taste, with a little spicy kick at the end.

I like the addition of the sweet potatoes, but I only had one 8 oz. potato, which was not enough to make a whole lot of difference.  In the future, I will definitely want more than 12 oz. of potatoes.  They are soft and chewy in the dish, and the chili powder, cinnamon, and sugar work together nicely.  And that’s coming from somebody who doesn’t really care for cinnamon!

I used egg noodles because we did not have rigatoni, but they held the sauce and are slightly lower in calories in than other pastas.  I also used creamy peanut butter (neither my husband nor I like crunchy) and 1/3 less fat cream cheese so as to try to reduce the calories.  This dish is high in calories, but we made it work for six servings instead of four.  We also didn’t have Sriracha sauce (though we both swear we bought it), so I used 1 tsp. Tabasco and 2 tsp. of a sweet and spicy Asian sauce.  They definitely added the kick that I was looking for and some additional sweetness.  I only added three green onions because my husband is not a big fan of them, too bad, because they added a nice crunch to the overall creamy texture of the dish.  Finally, I added 1 cup pasta water, but still found the sauce was too thick.  Next time will add 1 ¼ or 1 ½ cups.

I recommend this dish to anyone looking to try peanut butter in a meal or who likes a sweet/heat combo.  Enjoy!

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!