Rosemary Bread

Fantastic with olive oil!

Rosemary Bread

Rainy day = fresh bread, right?  I used this recipe and found it to be delicious!

Ingredients
1 tbsp white sugar
1 c warm water
1 (.25 oz) pkg active dry yeast
1 tsp salt
2 tbsp butter, softened
2 tbsp rosemary
1 tsp Italian seasoning
3 c bread flour (I used regular, all-purpose flour and it turned out fine)
1 tbsp olive oil (I used olive oil spray)
1 egg, beaten

Directions

1. Dissolve the sugar in warm water in a medium bowl, and mix in the yeast (I always make sure the yeast is between 100-110 degrees).  When the yeast is bubbly, mix in salt, butter, 1 tbsp rosemary, and Italian seasoning.  (This took about 5 minutes).  Mix in 2 c flour.  Gradually add remaining flour to form a workable dough, and knead 10 to 12 minutes.  
2. Coat the inside of a large bowl with olive oil.  Place dough in bowl, cover, and allow to rise 1 hour in a warm location.
3. Punch down dough, and divide in half.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  (Oops.  We didn't have parchment paper, so I used aluminum foil.  Not really the same at all, but it worked okay).  Lightly grease paper.  Shape dough into 2 round loaves, and place on the baking sheet.  Sprinkle with remaining rosemary.  Cover, and allow to rise 1 hour, or until double in size.
4. Preheat oven to 35 degrees F.
5. Brush loaves with egg.  Bake 15 to 20 minutes in the preheated oven, or until golden brown.  (20 minutes was perfect for my loaves).

Cost

I already had all of the ingredients on hand, so I didn't have to buy anything.  Sorry I can't give a better estimate.

Oven Roasted Tilapia with Tomatoes (Asparagus), Pesto and Lemon

It's the end of the week and groceries are running low... I modified this recipe so I could have a tasty dinner without a trip to the grocery store!

Ingredients:
1/4 pint cherry tomatoes or 1/4 pint grape tomatoes (We only had 5 grape tomatoes left, so I added a bunch of asparagus we had leftoever from earlier this week).
2 garlic cloves (I only used 1 large clove...)
1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp pesto sauce
1 lemon (No lemons, so I substituted lemon juice)
4 oz tilapia fillet (You can buy individually wrapped, frozen fillets)
salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Gently combine the tomatoes (asparagus), garlic and olive oil with a little salt and pepper if desired and roast in a preheated 425 degree oven for about 10 minutes.
2. Juice the lemon and mix SOME of the juice with the pesto (or just use some lemon juice out of a bottle...), adding more if desired or needed keeping the pesto a nice spreadable consistency.  Spread mixture on top of the fish which has been seasoned with a little more salt and pepper if desired.
3. Cut the juiced lemon in halves again so that you have two pieces of lemon to support each fillet.  Place a fillet on top of two pieces of juiced lemon so that the fish is somewhat sout of any liquid that accumulates, allowing it to roast rather than boil.  (I couldn't do this, so I just placed it on top of the tomato/asparagus combo, slathered pesto/lemon juice mixture on top, and threw it back in the oven).
4. Return to oven for 10 minutes.
5. Place the fish along with the tomatoes and garlic and serve with more lemon wedges if desired.

I served it with some toasted pinenut couscous mix we had in the pantry.  Yum!

Cost:
I really have no idea... all the ingredients were already here, so as far as I'm concerned, it was free!

Sorry there's no picture for this post due to a plating-disaster!

Focaccia

Spinach and Feta-Stuffed Focaccia with Romaine, strawberry and orange salad

This recipe comes from Cooking Light: The Essential Dinner Tonight Cookbook.

Ingredients

Focaccia
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 c chopped onion
3 garlic cloves
2 (6-oz) pkg baby spinach, divided
3/4 c (3-oz) crumbled feta cheese
2/3 c golden raisins
3 tbsp pine nuts, toasted
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice (I just used lemon juice from a bottle)
1 1/2 tsp chopped fresh oregano (I used dried)
1/4 tsp ground red pepper (I used crushed red pepper.  What can I say?  I was hungry and didn't read the instructions closely)
1 (13.8-oz) can refigerated pizza crust dough (I made my own crust from this website)
Cooking spray
1 tbsp 2% reduced-fat milk
1 tbsp water
1/4 c grated parmesan cheese

Salad
6 c romaine lettuce (I had leftover herb salad and leftover spinach that I just mixed)
1 c sliced strawberries
1 c drained canned mandarin oranges
3/4 c sliced red onion

Dressing
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tbsp honey
2 tsp olive oil
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp back pepper


Directions

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
2. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.  Add onion and garlic; saute 1 minute.  Add half of spinach; cook 1 minute or until spinach wilts.  Add remaining spinach; cook 2 minutes or until spinach wilts, stirring constantly.  Remove from heat; stir in feta and next 6 ingredients.
3. Place dough on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray (Oops, I forgot this step, but it didn't stick too bad); pat dough into a 15x12 inch rectangle.  Spread spinach mixture lengthwise over half of dough, leaving a 1-inch border.  Fold dough over filling; press edges together with a fork.  Cut 5 (1-inch) diagonal slits in top of dough (Oops.  Also forgot to do this... but it seems to be okay).
4. Combine milk and water; brush evenly over dough.  Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Bake at 450 degrees for 15 minutes or until golden. 
5. While the focaccia bakes, prepare the salad ingredients and dressing.

Yield: 6 servings

Cost:

Yellow Onion: $.35

Baby Spinach: $5.98

Feta cheese: $2.79

Raisins: $1.75

Pine nuts: $4.25

Red Onion: $1.11

Strawberries: $3.00

Mandarin oranges: $1.25

I had the rest of the ingredients on hand.  This comes out to a total of $20.48, or $3.41 per serving and I had leftover red onion and strawberries for lunch this week!

Shepard's Pie

Comfort Food

My friend Jess made this WONDERFUL vegetarian Shepard's Pie a few weeks ago, so I decided to give it a try.


Sweet Potato and Chickpea Shepard's Pie


Ingredients:
2 lbs sweet potatoes, scrubbed well
1 tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
salt
1 tbsp butter
3 to 4 tsp mild curry powder
Freshly ground black pepper
3 cups cooked chickpeas, homemade or from 2 15oz cans (I went the 2 15oz can route...)
1 1/2 c vegetable broth
1 tbsp light brown sugar
1 1/2 tbsp corn starch
2 tbsp cilantro, chopped (I left this out)
1/4 c regular or low-fat sour cream (I used nonfat greek yogurt and it was great!)


Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Bake the sweet potatoes. (I made them in the microwave.  If  you want to see the directions for how to bake them, look at the original recipe here).

Heat the oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat.  Add the onion; season with salt to taste. Cook for 5-6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened, then add the butter and 3 teaspoons of the curry powder; season with pepper to taste, stirring to combine.

Stir in the chickpeas, 1 1/4 cups of the vegetable broth and the brown sugar; once the mixture has begun to bubble at the edges, reduce the heat to medium and cook for 10 minutes.  Taste, and adjust the seasonings as needed, adding some or all of the remaining teaspoon of curry powder.  

Whisk together the remaining 1/4 cup of vegetable broth with the cornstarch in a measuring cup.  Add to the chickpea filling: increase the heat to medium-high so the broth comes to a boil.  When the liquid has thickened, remove from the heat and stir in the chopped cilantro.  Transfer to an 8-by-11 inch or similar size or similar size baking dish.  (Obviously, I didn't add the cilantro).

Cut each sweet potato in half length-wise.  Scoop the sweet potato flesh from the skin and transfer to a large bowl; discard the skins.  Add the sour cream and season with salt and pepper to taste; use a masher or large fork to smash the potatoes until the other elements are thoroughly incorporated.  (I probably used a little more like 1/2 a cup yogurt... but it's fat free!)

 

Drop dollops of the sweet potato mixture on top of the chickpea filling, spreading them with a small spatula to cover the filling completely.  Bake (at 350 degrees) for 20 to 25 minutes, until the sauce is bubbling up around the dish.

Serve warm.

Costs:

Sweet potatoes: $1.56

Onion: $0.87

Chickpeas: $1.78

Broth: $2.99

I had everything else on hand, so it cost me a total of $7.20, or $1.20 per serving.

Sweet Potato

Chili!

I've been neglecting you... so here's some Slow-Cooker Vegetarian Chili with Sweet Potatoes

It's a new year, and time for some new recipes!  Today's recipe comes from Real Simple via my friend Jess.

Ingredients:

1 medium red onion, chopped (I used a white onion)

1 green bell pepper, chopped (I used 1 1/2 green peppers because I had some leftover from another meal)

4 cloves of garlic, chopped

1 tablespoon of chili powder

1 tablespoon of cumin

2 teaspoons unsweetened cocoa powder

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon 

kosher salt and pepper

1 28 oz can fire-roasted diced tomatoes (I used 2 14.5 oz cans)

1 15.5 oz can black beans, rinsed

1 15.5 oz can kidney beans, rinsed

1 medium sweet potato (about 8 oz), peeled and cut into about 1/2 inch pieces (I used 2 small sweet potatoes)

Directions:

1. In a 4- to 6-quart slow cooker, combine the onion, pepper, garlic, chili powder, cumin, cocoa, cinnamon, 1 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper.  Add the tomatoes (and their liquid), beans, sweet potatoes and 1 cup water.
2. Cover and cook until the sweet potatoes are tender and the chili has thickened, on low for 7-8 hours or on high for 4-5 hours.
3. Serve the chili with sour cream, scallions, radishes and tortilla chips.  (I only got tortilla chips).

Costs:

Onion - $.94

1 Bell pepper - $1.00

2 cans fire-roasted diced tomatoes - $2.38 

1 can black beans - $.89

1 can kidney beans - $.89

2 small sweet potatoes - $1.85

(I already had all the spices and garlic at home)

TOTAL: $7.95 or less than $2 per serving!

It's currently cooking away, so I'll post review and picture tonight when we eat it!

Great Summer Meal!

Rotini with Chicken, Asparagus, and Tomatoes

This recipe comes from Cooking Light: The Essential Dinner Tonight Cookbook, so you know it's healthy.

Ingredients:
Pasta
8 oz uncooked rotini pasta (I just made the entire 13 oz package of pasta)
cooking spray
1 lb skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/4 inch strips
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 c (1-inch) slices asparagus (I used the entire bunch of asparagus, which was about 2 cups)
2 c cherry tomatoes, halved (I used the entire package of cherry tomatoes, which was probably more than 2 cups. Why waste it?)
2 garlic cloves, minced (I used three cloves, since I'm using more of all the other ingredients and who doesn't like garlic?)
2 tbsp chopped fresh basil (I used a little more, since I'm using more of all the other ingredients)
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 c (1 oz) crumbled goat cheese
Salad
2 tbsp minced shallots
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1/8 tsp salt
dash of black pepper
6 cups fresh spinach (I just used the entire package I got from the grocery store. 

Directions:

1. While the water boils for pasta, prepare the ingredients for chicken mixture.
2. Cook pasta according to package directions.
3. While pasta is cooking, heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat; coat with cooking spray.
4. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper.  Add chicken and asparagus to pan; saute 5 min.
5. While chicken is cooking, combine 2 tbsp minced shallots, 1 tbsp olive oil, 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar, 1/8 tsp salt, and a dash of black pepper in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk.  Add spinach to the bowl and toss.
6. Add tomatoes and garlic to pan; saute 1 min.
7. Remove from heat.  Stir in pasta, basil, vinegar and oil to chicken mixture in pan.  
8. Arrange 2 cups of pasta mixture on each of 4 plates; top each serving with 1 tablespoon goat cheese.  
9. Serve salad on the side.

Verdict is that it tastes good!

Oh yes, To Die For is Right!

To Die For Blueberry Muffins?

When the roommate left town, she also left 2 pints of blueberries, which I have sadly neglected.  So tonight I decided to comb through the berries and identify the best of the rest for these muffins.

**DISCLAIMER: At 383 calories per muffin, these might not count as "healthy", but I'm including them in the blog anyway.  I'm sure you'll forgive me once you eat one.  Yum!**

Ingredients:


Muffins
1 1/2 c all-purpose flour
3/4 c sugar
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
1/3 c vegetable oil
1 egg
1 c fresh blueberries (Okay, so my berries were of questionable freshness... that's why I put the question mark in the title people!)


Topping
1/2 c sugar
1/3 c flour
1/4 c butter, cubed
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Line muffin tin with muffin liners.
2. Combine flour, sugar, salt and baking powder for the muffins together.  Place vegetable oil into a 1 c measuring cup.  Add the egg and enough milk to fill the measuring cup.  Mix this in with the flour mixture.  Fold in blueberries.  Fill muffin cups to the top with muffin mixture and sprinkle with topping before baking.
3. To make crumb topping: mix together sugar, flour, butter and cinnamon for the topping with a fork.  I used a couple of knives to roughly cut the butter into the mixture.  I think it worked better than the fork.  Also, this made WAY TOO MUCH topping.  I think you could easily cut these amounts in half and have enough topping.
4. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes in preheated oven or until done.  

The recipe claims this makes 8 muffins; if I made it again, I would follow the reviews that suggested making 12 muffins by only filling the muffin cups up 2/3 of the way and baking for 18 minutes.

Costs:

I already had everything in my kitchen, so I don't know!  I'm going with free because I was able to use stuff that we already had.

They smell delicious!  Happy belated birthday to me ;)

Lemon Chicken Stir Fry

I just made this FANTASTIC stir-fry using these great instructions (and I only set off our smoke detector 4 times...).  

We got 2 lemons, 3 huge carrots, 2 heads of brocoli and a ginormous onion in our shipment of veggies this week, so I bought a pound of chicken and some mushrooms at the grocery store.  Mmmm... the Lemon Stir-Fry sauce is delicious!  Plus, we've got enough veggies leftover (I only cooked half of them) to do this again another night.  Maybe we'll try the Soy-Sesame Stir-Fry sauce later this week :)

Quinoa

Super Healthy Supper

Quinoa with Mushrooms, Kale and Sweet Potatoes

The roomie and I have been on the hunt for super-healthy meals, and this one seems to meet that criteria!  Protein-filled quinoa, anti-oxidant rich kale and vitamin-packed sweet potatoes fit the bill nicely.

Ingredients:
1 c quinoa
2 tbsp olive oil
2 small sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 3/4 in pieces
10 oz button mushrooms, quartered
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 bunch kale, stems discarded and leaves torn into 2-inch pieces
3/4 cup dry white wine
kosher salt and black pepper
1/4 c grated Parmesan (1 oz) (We were out of Parmesan, so I used Romano we had in the fridge and it was fine!)

Directions:

1. Place the quinoa and 2 c water in a small saucepan and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer, covered, until water is absorbed, 12-15 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a lare pot over medium heat.
3. Add the sweet potatoes and mushrooms and cook, tossing occasionally, until golden and beginning to soften, 5-6 minutes.
4. Stir in garlic and cook for 1 minute.
5. Add the kale, wine, 3/4 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp pepper.  Cook, tossing often, until the vegetables are tender, 10-12 minutes.
6. Serve the vegetables over the quinoa ans sprinkle with the Parmesan.

Cost:

I used a white wine we had in the fridge that I didn't particularly enjoy, so that was nice!  Quinoa was the most expensive item at ~$5.  Kale was $2.39, mushrooms were $2.49 and sweet potatoes were $2.19.  We got 4 servings for about $3 each!

Pizza in progress...

Pizza!!

I absolutely <3 LOVE <3 this pizza dough recipe.  Easy to make and it tastes delicious ;)

Ingredients:

• 1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast (I buy a jar of dry yeast and use it to make pizza dough all the time!)
• 1 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
• 2 cups bread flour (I use regular All-Purpose Flour and it seems to work fine)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons white sugar
• 1 vine-ripened tomato, sliced
• mozzarella cheese, sliced or shredded
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• olive oil or spray
• a handful of basil, torn
• salt and pepper to taste
• 
  
• Directions:

1. Dissolve yeast in warm water.  Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.
2. In a large bowl combine flour, 2 tablespoons olive oil, salt, sugar and yeast mixture.  Stir well to combine.  Beat until a stiff dough has formed.  Cover and rise until double in volume, about 30 minutes.  Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350 degrees.  (If dough is not rising, your kitchen might be too cool.  Try putting the bowl with the dough on top of your stove; the heat from the warming oven will help the yeast do it's job!)
3. Turn dough out onto a well floured surface.  Form dough into a round and then roll out into a pizza crust shape.  (No rolling pin?  I used a plastic cup to roll out dough until my mom got me a rolling pin for Christmas!)
4. Transfer to a cookie sheet (or one of those fancy pizza stones for those who are lucky) and bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes.
5. Cover crust with olive oil (brush or spray on).  Sprinkle minced garlic over the pizza, place sliced tomatoes and mozzarella around the crust, then sprinkle with basil, salt and pepper to taste.
6. Bake for another 10 minutes in the oven.  Allow to cool 5 minutes before cutting!   

• Cost:
• I already had many of the ingredients; I picked up a tomato at Eastern Market for $1.25 and fancy mozzarella cheese for $4.99, but you could make due with some shredded mozzarella for $1.99.  I also bought an entire jar of yeast for $6.49, which can be used to make pizza all summer long!  Assuming you have some basic supplies on hand, you can make this pizza for about $5.

Black Bean Hummus

One of my favorite recipes for black bean enchiladas calls for simmered black beans.  Since I was making a big pot of black beans, I decided to go ahead and make some yummy hummus as well!

Ingredients:
2 c cooked black beans, drained well
2 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped
1/4 c tahini
1 tsp cumin
2 tsp reduced sodium tamari (that's just soy sauce - and I used the full sodium version and it was fine!)
2 tsp lemon juice
1/2 c chopped fresh cilantro (I left this out because I used cilantro when I cooked the beans and I don't care for raw cilantro)


Directions:
Combine black beans, garlic, tahini, cumin, tamari and lemon juice in food processor.  (I did this in two parts because I have a mini food processor - worked fine!)
Pulse until smooth and all ingredients are combined.
Transfer to a serving bowl and fold in cilantro (or don't if you're like me and don't care for it).
Enjoy!

Costs:
Black Beans - $1.50 (I bought a bag of 'em, so most of this bag will be used in my black bean enchiladas)
Tahini - $1.25 (Actually, I already had this because I used it to make regular hummus.  I estimate I used about 1/6 of it and a can is about $7.50)


I already had the garlic, cumin, soy sauce and lemon juice, so for $2.75 I have delicious hummus for this week.

Tasty Fish!