Garlic Scape Pesto

In my first CSA delivery I received garlic scapes.  I looked online for what I can use them for and the only thing that kept on coming up was making a pesto.  Other sources say that you can use them in place of garlic, in any dish.  Some pesto recipes said to add the traditional basil and some didn't, I chose to add some in!  I used the pesto over some fish for dinner along side a CSA lettuce salad.  I'm saving the rest of the pesto in the freezer for a night where I get in the mood for some pasta!  Yummy!

So here's the recipe I came up with (based on Dorie Greenspan's recipe and this one from Serious Eats).

Garlic Scape Pesto
(makes about 1 cup)
6 garlic scapes
15-20 basil leaves, about 1/2 cup
1/2 of a lemon, zested and juiced
1/4 cup pine nuts
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 cup parmesan cheese, grated
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

Place all ingredients, except the olive oil in a food processor.  Pulse ingredients until finely chopped. Slowly drizzle in the olive oil and pulse until smooth. Taste pesto and adjust the salt, if needed. Serve on top of fish, chicken, pasta, or eggs! Enjoy!

Doctored Up French Fries

I had a bag of store bought french fries in the freezer and thought that instead of just baking them plain I'd doctor them up a little.  Not only will it give them more flavor, it will also make them fancy enough to serve dinner guests.  Perhaps the kids will even be adventurous and try something new.  Last night I made garlic and parsley flavored fries.  I'm thinking if you are a cheese lover, after they are baked you could even sprinkle some grated parmesan cheese on top. Here's the recipe I came up with!

Doctored Up French Fries
Serves 4-5 people

1 bag store bought french fries (whatever variety you prefer)
1 cup parsley, roughly chopped
4 garlic cloves
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
non-stick spray

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Place parsley, garlic, salt, and olive oil in a mini food processor and process until finely chopped.  If you don't have a food processor, combine ingredients in a small bowl, but be sure to mince garlic and chop the parsley very finely.  Pour parsley mixture over the french fries in a large bowl and use your clean clean hands to distribute it evenly over the fries.  Place fries in a single layer on a greased baking sheet and bake for about 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.  If you want to add parmesan cheese, do so now.  Serve with ketchup or a spicy mayo and enjoy!!

Farfalle with Roasted Cauliflower and Breadcrumbs

How good does this look???  

Farfalle with Roasted Cauliflower and Breadcrumbs
(serves 6)
for the roasted cauliflower
1 head of cauliflower, cut into small florets
1 teaspoon salt
pepper to taste
3 tablespoons olive oil

Place florets in a bowl and toss with salt, pepper, and olive oil.  Roast in a 400 degree oven on a baking sheet for 20 minutes.  If your florets are bigger, cooking time may vary.  Place roasted caulflower in a large bowl and set aside.

to make the pasta
1 pound farfalle pasta (I like to use Barilla Plus)
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon anchovy paste (If you are a vegan just omit this.)
3 garlic cloves, minced using a garlic press
pinch of crushed red pepper
1 cup plain panko breadcrumbs (seasoned is okay too)
1/2 a teaspoon salt
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts

Boil pasta according to the directions on the box. Meanwhile, over a medium flame pour olive oil, anchovy paste, garlic, and red pepper in a large pan.  Stir and simmer until oil is fragrant but without letting the garlic burn, about 5 minutes.  Add breadcrumbs and salt to the pan and continuously mix the breadcrumbs until they become golden brown, about 7-10 minutes.  Transfer breadcrumb mixture to the bowl with the roasted cauliflower.  Add chopped parsley and toasted pine nuts to the bowl as well.  When pasta is cooked to your liking, drain and add hot pasta to the bowl.  Mix until well combined and drizzle with a dash of olive oil and serve.  Enjoy!

Lowfat Dill Ranch Dressing

When I was away in Michigan last week visiting my friend Hilary, she took me to eat at the Red Coat Tavern.  It's a burger joint in Royal Oak, Michigan.  Really good burgers, very much like JG Melon, here in NYC.  

Here we are in front...

Anyways, before my burger I ordered a wedge of iceberg with tomatoes and cucumbers, served with a great dill ranch dressing.  I decided to create my own version inspired by the one I ate at the Red Coat Tavern.  Here it is.

Lowfat Dill Ranch Dressing

8 tablespoons light mayonnaise

1 cup lowfat buttermilk

the juice of 1 lemon

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1.4 teaspoon paprika

1/2 of a shallot (or 1 small shallot), minced or grated on a microplane

1 cup chopped dill

1/2 cup parsley

Blend all ingredients together in a blender until smooth and green.  Drizzle on top a wedge of iceberg letter, tomato chunks, and cucumber slices.  I think raw corn would be a great addition, and if you eat bacon, some bits would be great as well!

Homemade Pesto

Sorry this is the only photo I have of the pesto I made...I actually froze the bulk of the recipe to use at a later date.  I scooped out just enough to have for lunch the other day!  It was so delicious and easy to make.  You can use a food processor or blender, even the mini food prep works just fine!  I didn't believe that sunflower seeds could be a good substitute for pesto but I'll tell you I might even become a convert and use them all the time!  For one they are cheaper than pine nuts, and don't alter the flavor much.  Plus you can give it to kids with nut or any other type of allergies!  

Homemade Pesto Sauce

(Makes enough pesto for 1 pound of pasta)
3 cloves garlic, peeled
1/3 cup pine nuts (sunflower seeds can be used instead if you have allergies)
3/4 cup parmesan cheese, grated
3 handfuls fresh basil
1 teaspoon kosher salt
a pinch of crushed red pepper, optional
3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

Place garlic, pine nuts or seeds, and parmesan cheese in a food processor.  Process until ingredients form a crumbly texture.  Place cheese mixture into a small bowl.  Place basil leaves into the food processor and chop leaves finely.  Add the cheese mixture into the processor along with the basil and process while slowly adding the olive oil until a smooth paste forms. Pour over cooked pasta, eat and enjoy! Or freeze for a later time!!  

Other uses for pesto:
Spread on your favorite sandwich, drizzle on a caprese salad, use it in a cold pasta salad, brush on your corn on the cob, brush on your grilled chicken, steak, or shrimp, the ideas are endless!  Please share ways you use pesto in the comment box below!! I'd love to hear your ideas and suggestions!!

Caesar Salads My Way

I come from a family that doesn't like cheese, especially parmesan cheese!!  When we go out to dinner and there's a Caesar salad on the menu, my parents ask if there's cheese in the dressing, if it's on the plate, etc.  "NO CHEESE!" they tell the waiter.  It's pretty embarrassing, but kinda funny to see two people that hate cheese this much.  Anyway, my mom makes Caesar dressing, without cheese of course, and now I make mine without cheese too!  Although I do like a little cheese on top of my salad.  My recipe is eggless and has no anchovies.  Although I don't mind adding anchovies, this time around I didn't have it on hand.  I do prefer the anchovy paste rather than the actual whole anchovies.  Also, you'll notice that in my salad there are tomatoes...I just love adding tomatoes to my Caesar salads, if you don't like them don't include them.

Caesar Salad Dressing

(serves 2)

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon chopped garlic

2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

1/2 cup olive oil

1/4 cup water

2 tablespoons white wine vinegar

2 tablespoons spicy dijon mustard

Mix all ingredients together in a mini food processor or blender.  Pour over chopped romaine lettuce, tomatoes, parmesan cheese, and croutons, if desired.  Serve immediately after dressing and enjoy!

Pre-dressing and cheese

All dressed up! 

Pasta with Artichokes

This is a great pasta dish to make along side some grilled chicken or fish.  It's easy to make, not much preparation, and definitely can be done in 30 minutes or less!  I actually made it twice in one week, and everyone who ate it loved it very much!  The first time I only put artichokes in it.  The second time I added portabella mushrooms, zucchini, and grape tomatoes.  Another good addition would be toasted pine nuts.  

Pasta with Artichokes

(serves 6-8 people)

1 box pasta, any kind, cooked

1/2 cup olive oil

4 tablespoons butter

1 bag frozen artichokes (Trader Joe's has a good one!)

7-8 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon pepper

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper (optional)

1 cup wine

juice of 2-3 lemons

zest of 1 lemon, optional

1 bunch parsley, chopped

Start by preparing the pasta and while it's cooking do the following: In a deep large pan melt the butter and the olive oil over medium heat.  Once melted add the frozen artichokes (halved tomatoes, chopped mushrooms, and zucchini too, if you are using).  Let veggies saute for a few minutes then add the minced garlic, salt, pepper, and red pepper to the pan.  Saute for another 7 minutes and add white wine (whatever you have left in the fridge) and the juice of 2-3 lemons (and zest, if using).  Deglaze the pan and scrape the little bits off the bottom.  Add cooked pasta and chopped parsley, mix to combine and serve with a sprinkle of parmesan cheese! Enjoy!

NOTE: If you want more of a saucey sauce, add more wine, butter, and olive oil at the end.

This is the one with the extra veggies...the tomatoes end up breaking down adding to the sauce! It's really delish!

Garlic Bread

Garlic Bread

1 french baguette, or ciabatta bread, sliced lengthwise

6-7 garlic cloves

1/2 bunch parsley (about 1 cup)

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper

1 tablespoon olive oil

Blend all ingredients, except the bread, in a mini food processor.  Blend until smooth.  Spread parsley and garlic mixture on both sides of bread.  Place closed bread in a 350 degree oven, on a baking sheet, for about 10 minutes and then open faced for another 10 minutes.  Take out cut into pieces and enjoy with your favorite meal!!

Dairy-Free Pesto

I finally ate my Simple Potato Gnocchi that I made from scratch last week!  Let me tell you they were delicious and went great with this pesto recipe, that's actually dairy-free!!  I use it to make pasta salad, on fish, chicken, and now on my gnocchi!!

Dairy-Free Pesto

(makes about 1 cup)

1 bunch basil, leaves only

4 garlic cloves

1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper (taste and add more accordingly)

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/4 pine nuts (optional)

a pinch of red pepper flakes (optional)

the zest of 1 lemon(optional)

Combine all ingredients in a mini food processor or blender and pulse until smooth and well combined!  Freeze for later use in an air tight container, or pour over you favorite pasta, fish, or chicken dish!! ENJOY!

I had some ricotta cheese in the fridge and thought it could be yummy to add it to the gnocchi.  It was!!!  Obviously, this bowl isn't dairy free!!

Double Duty

A few days ago I conducted an experiment that ended up being a huge success!! I had bought a pound of turkey to try making stuffed peppers, but decided that since I'm only one person and live alone I don't need to make a whole pound of turkey worth.  So I bought only 4 peppers and figured that I'd use half of the turkey for the pepper stuffing.  The other half a pound of turkey I decided I'd make some sort of turkey meatloaf.  I really wanted to make them small so I thought I'd use my mini muffin tin.

Well, when I started to look and see what I had around in the apartment to mix up for the stuffed peppers I thought to myself instead of rice (which I didn't have anyway) I'd use quinoa.  We all know I love love love quinoa!  I mixed up 1 pound ground white meat turkey, uncooked quinoa, basil, garlic, red pepper flakes, sauteed onion, egg, and salt and pepper in a bowl and that was the filling for my stuffed peppers!   I stuffed as many of the peppers I had into the small pot I had and then filled my mini muffin tin up with the rest of the meat filling.  I baked those off in the oven, and VOOOIIILLLLA before the stuffed peppers were done I had 12 mini meatloaf bites that were delicious, healthy, and filled with protein!!!

Turkey and Quinoa Filling 
(for meatloaf or stuffed peppers, see recipes below)

1 pound ground white turkey meat
1 large egg
1 teaspoon each salt and pepper
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 cup uncooked white quinoa, rinsed
1 small onion chopped small and sauteed in olive oil
3 cloves garlic
1 handful of basil leaves, about 1/2 cup

Place turkey meat, salt, pepper, egg, red pepper flakes, and rinsed quinoa in a large bowl.  In a mini food processor chop the garlic and basil together, until finely chopped.  In a pan saute chopped onions until soft and translucent, let cool.  Mix basil garlic mixture and sauteed onions into the bowl with the turkey mixture and combine ingredients together using a fork or your hand.

This is the Turkey and Quinoa Filling

Use the filling to prepare the following recipes:

Turkey Quinoa Meatloaf Bites
(makes 24 mini meatloaf bites)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Scoop about 2 tablespoons of turkey and quinoa filling into each section of your mini muffin tin and bake in oven for about 15 minutes.  Enjoy! Freeze leftover bites and save for a snack or lunch another time! Serve with some marinara sauce, yum!!

Turkey Quinoa Meatloaf Bites

Stuffed Red Peppers in Tomato Sauce

(makes about 8 stuffed peppers)

2 large can of crushed tomatoes

1 tomato can filled with water, you may need to add more as the peppers cook to prevent sauce from drying up.

2 bay leaves

salt and pepper to taste (in the sauce)

8 large red bell peppers

Cut off the tops of the peppers and take out the seeds.  Stuff each pepper to the top with turkey and quinoa filling.  Place stuffed peppers along with crushed tomatoes, bay leaves, salt and pepper, and water in a large deep pot.  (Make sure the pot you are using has a lid.) Be sure that all the peppers are covered in sauce, if you need more liquid add more water.  Let simmer on low-medium heat, while continuing to watch and stir the pot so that the peppers do not burn on the bottom, for about 45 minutes to an hour, the peppers should be soft enough to pierce with a fork and the meat should feel firm inside.  Serve with roasted veggies or a nice salad! ENJOY!

Here are the peppers simmering in crushed tomato sauce and bay leaves.  DO NOT LEAVE THIS UNATTENDED, BECAUSE THE BOTTOM OF THE PAN WILL BURN!!!!!

 Turkey Quinoa Stuffed Peppers in Tomato Sauce

Picnic in the Park

Yesterday was such a gorgeous day, it was perfect for a nice little picnic in the park!  Of course I made us something delicious to eat!  I made us some roasted eggplant and white bean spread with some Stacy's Pita Chips for dipping!  And then I threw together a very yummy hearty sandwich with grilled chicken, arugula, tomato slices, mashed avocado, and spicy light mayo served on a whole wheat baguette!  Doesn't that sound amazing??  I think so (and so did my friends)!

What's your favorite picnic sandwich???

I'm in Love

I'm in love with quinoa! Anything you put in it just makes it more amazing and adds to its nuttiness! It's easy to make, I've perfected the method. They key is to make sure the ratio of quinoa to water is 1:2 cups. Combine in a pot, bring to a boil, and lower to a simmer for about 10-15 minutes. If there's still some water left in the pot don't worry, just drain the quinoa in a fine mesh sieve. I also like to run cold water over the quinoa so the cooking doesn't continue.

The other night I had my friend over for dinner and I threw together a bunch of stuff to eat. One being sauteed mushrooms with garlic and white wine, and then last minute decided to combine it with the cooked quinoa. What a marvelous idea, it was so freaking good, both my friend and I can't wait to eat it again! Here's the recipe...

Sauteed Mushroom Quinoa (serves 2-3)

1 cup cooked quinoa, (red or white is fine, I used white this time)

1 package wild mushroom blend

1/4 cup olive oil

4 cloves of garlic chopped

a splash of white wine, whatever is open

salt and pepper to taste

1 handful of chopped parsley

Place olive oil, mushrooms, and garlic in a saute pan. Saute in medium hear for about 5 minutes. Pour a splash of white wine in the pan and stir the mushrooms around. Cook for another 10 minutes until mushrooms are tender. Let cool in the pan.

Place cooled cooked quinoa back into a pot and combine with the cooked mushrooms, and parsley. Heat up and serve as a side dish or vegetarian main dish. Enjoy!

Truffle & Herb Mac and Cheese

The last time I made macaroni and cheese was on Valentine's Day. I had tried something new. I normally always just follow Ina Garten's recipe for mac and cheese but that day I tweaked it just a bit by adding white truffle butter to the roux and to the bread crumbs that topped the mac.

It's been a few months and it's time for another dose of mac and cheese! This time I'm going to change it even further. I've been to restaurants where they prepare a herb mac and cheese and it's usually good. I'm going to kick it up another notch, sorry I had to say that, by adding in some herbs and garlic.

Remember a few days back I posted a recipe for potatoes?? Well, I am going to use the greeen garlicky herb oil with the addition of 1 tablespoon chopped basil and add it to the cheese sauce before I add the cooked macaroni. I think it's going to be super delicious!!! Just in case it's not as delicious as I think it sounds, I decided to make two separate mac and cheeses. I made one small ramekin of the herbed mac and cheese and then made a bigger one of the regular truffle mac and cheese that I always make, I know that one would be good. As for you weird people who don't like green foods, I know a couple of you folks, yes you....just omit adding the green garlicky herb oil and your mac and cheese should turn out green-free!

After eating the ramekin of the mac and cheese with the herbs it is safe to say that it's my new favorite. It's a more mature macaroni and cheese, for us adults. The mixture of truffles and garlic gives the dish a fantastic aroma and taste. Serve this meal along with an arugula and tomato salad and it is sure to be a hit!

Here's the recipe...

Truffle & Herb Mac and Cheese

(serves 8 people)

1 pound elbow macaroni

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, separated

2 tablespoons white truffle butter

½ cup flour

1 quart skim milk

Salt and pepper, to taste

8oz shredded sharp Cheddar

12oz shredded gruyere cheese

1 cup green garlicky herb oil (with basil added)

1 ½ cups bread crumbs

Cook the macaroni in boiling water for about 10 minutes until tender but still firm. Drain well and set aside.

In a deep skillet, melt 6 tablespoons butter (5 tbsp unsalted and 1 tbsp truffle butter) over medium heat. Add the flour to make a roux and cook, stirring, to remove any lumps.

Pour in the milk and cook until the mixture is thick and smooth. Season mixture with salt and pepper. Add in the green garlicky herb oil. Off the heat, stir in both cheeses and stir until melted. Add the cooked macaroni and stir until macaroni is well coated.

Melt the remaining butter (1 tbsp unsalted and 1 tbsp truffle butter) and combine with the breadcrumbs, sprinkle on top of macaroni.

Transfer the mixture to a 3-quart baking dish. Preheat the over to 350 degrees. Bake for about 20-30 minutes until hot and bubbly.

Green Garlicky Potatoes

Here's a picture of the potatoes before they got cooked.

Green Garlicky Potatoes

2 cups italian parsley

10 garlic cloves

1/2 cup rosemary

1 cup olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

1 1/2 pounds of potatoes (whatever kind you like to use, I used baby yellow dutch potatoes)

Place first five ingredients in a food processor or blender and pulse until ingredients are chopped and blended well. Pour green garlicky goodness over cut potatoes and mix with your hands to coat potatoes. (you can cut them like I did above, or into fries, or coins, etc.) Make sure they are evenly sized so that the cooking time is the same. Spray baking dish with Pam or olive oil and place potatoes onto pan. Bake at 375 degrees for about 30-45 minutes, depending on the size of the potatoes. Be sure to turn, flip, and shake the potatoes every 10 minutes. you know they are done when they are fork tender and golden brown along the edges.