Sweet Potato & Red Pepper Pasta

Suggested total time: 30 minutes
Recipe: Sweet Potato & Red Pepper Pasta (recipe from Hy-Vee)
Ingredients:

• 8 ounces whole-wheat angel hair pasta
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 cups shredded, peeled sweet potato (about 1 medium)
• 1 large red bell pepper, thinly sliced
• 1 cup diced plum tomatoes
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon
• 1 tablespoon white-wine vinegar or lemon juice
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup crumbled goat cheese

Preparation:

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
• Cook pasta until just tender, 4 to 5 minutes or according to package directions.
• Meanwhile, cook 1 tablespoon olive oil and garlic in a large skillet over medium heat. Stirring occasionally until sizzling and fragrant.
• Add the sweet potato, bell pepper, tomatoes and water. Cook, stirring occasionally until the bell pepper is tender crisp. Approx. 5 to 7 minutes.
• Remove the skillet from heat after pepper is crisp, cover and keep warm.
• Reserve 1/2 cup of the cooking water from the pasta.
• Drain the pasta.
• Return the pasta to the pot.
• Add the vegetable mixture, the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil, parsley, tarragon, vinegar or lemon juice.
• Toss to combine.
• Add the reserved pasta water, 2 tablespoons at a time to achieve the desired consistency.

This is a great recipe. I’ve never had sweet potatoes in my pasta before, but it might become more of something that I do now. I will say that I spent almost 45 minutes just cutting up my vegetables with an addition 30 minutes of actual cooking. I couldn’t find any cloves, so I used this garlic salt that I had instead for a substitute. I didn’t use fresh parsley or tarragon because I couldn’t find any so I used some dried ones I had. I also omitted the goat cheese as I have no idea where I would get anything like that and it’s a dairy item which I can’t consume.

Overall, this dish smells phenomenal. It tastes delicious too. I wasn’t sure how well it would turn out since I was adding sweet potatoes to pasta, but I was pleasantly surprised. If you’re looking for something to liven up your pasta, give this one a try!

Photo of the finished product:


Next week’s recipe: Stuffed Peppers

Toasty Egg

I love breakfast foods especially eggs. This is going to be fun and easy y'all!

Suggested total time: none specified
Recipe: Toasty Egg (otherwise known as Egg-In-The-Hole) from Pioneer Woman
Ingredients:

• Sliced bread (can be any kind: white, wheat, sourdough, rye, etc.)
• Butter
• Large eggs
• Salt
• Black pepper

Preparation:

• Lay the piece of bread down.
• With a biscuit cutter or drinking glass, cut a hole in the center of the bread.
• Heat 2 to 3 tablespoons of butter in a skillet over medium-low heat.
• Place the bread in the skillet and allow it to soak up the butter.
• After 1 minute, crack a large egg into the hole.
• Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook for another minute.
• Add more butter into the pan, just for kicks.
• With a spatula, flip slice to the other side.
• Move it around in the pan a little bit to allow this side to soak up the butter.
• Sprinkle with salt and pepper and cook until it’s cooked to your desire.

I love this recipe! I love eggs. I eat a lot of them for protein since I rarely eat meat and can’t have dairy products. Instead of butter, I used a butter substitute and I just threw some into the pan. I didn’t bother to measure out 2 to 3 tablespoons. My amount was much less than that and it still cooked just fine.This recipe was really easy and the outcome tastes delicious! It reminded me of french toast - just without the added vanilla, cinnamon, milk and syrup. If you want to add more flavor to the recipe you could add the vanilla, cinnamon or just a dollop of your favorite preservative.

Photo of the finished product:


Next week’s recipe: Sweet Potato & Red Pepper Pasta

Slow Cooker Applesauce

Suggested total time: 4-6 hours
Recipe: Slow-Cooker Applesauce (recipe from a friend)
Ingredients:

• 4 large apples
• Juice from 1 lemon
• 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla
• 1/2 cup of brown sugar
• 1/4 cup of water

Preparation:

• Remove the core and skin of the apples.
• Cut the apples into quarters.
• Put the apple quarters into the crock-pot/slow cooker.
• Add the lemon juice and water.
• Then add the vanilla, cinnamon & brown sugar.
• Mix it all together.
• Cook on low for 4-6 hours.
• When the apples become very tender - mash them with a potato masher.

I loved this recipe! I am a big fan of applesauce and this recipe is SO GOOD! My applesauce was done within four hours of being in the slow cooker. I will say that you know the applesauce is done when it starts to have this brown tinge to it. I don’t have an apple corer so that took a bit longer to do, but overall I would say the total time it took between cutting the apples, etc. and cooking was four and a half hours. The smell of the applesauce in the slow-cooker is really amazing too.

Photo of the finished product:


Next week's recipe: Toasty Egg

Crustless Spinach Quiche

I've never made a quiche before in my life so this should be interesting. I'm excited to see how it tastes!    

Suggested total time: 1 hour
Recipe: Crustless Spinach Quiche (via www.tasteofhome.com)
Ingredients:

• 3 ounces reduced fat cream cheese, softened
• 1 cup fat-free milk
• 1 cup egg substitute
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 3 cups shredded reduced-fat Cheddar cheese
• 1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed & squeezed dry
• 1 cup frozen chopped broccoli, thawed and well drained
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 5 fresh mushrooms, sliced

Preparation:

• In a small mixing bowl, beat cream cheese.
• Add milk, egg substitute and pepper; beat until smooth.
• Stir in the remaining ingredients.
• Transfer to a 10-inch quiche pan coated with non-stick cooking spray.
• Bake at 350 degrees F for 45-50 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out cleanly.

The recipe was easy to follow and I substituted a lot of different things for some of the ingredients. I used Tofutti cream cheese - the flavor was “Herbs & Chives.” It added an extra kick to the recipe. I did not use an egg substitute - my local grocery store did not have any in stock so I used 4 eggs instead. I used fresh broccoli instead of frozen and shredded four baby carrots to add more flavor and nutrients to the recipe. Instead of reduced-fat cheese, I used Veggie Shreds lactose-free cheddar cheese and I opted to add Tone’s minced onion (1/4 of a cup) instead of spending time crying while cutting the onion.

I don’t own a quiche pan so I used a glass pie pan instead. There was too much to fit into the pan so I made mini crustless spinach quiche in a cupcake pan. I would say that the cook time was about 10 minutes longer than the suggested time and I don’t know if that was because I used a different pan or not. It smelled so good while it was cooking and it tasted delicious too!

Photo of the finished product:


Next week’s recipe: Cornmeal Pancakes

Cornmeal Catfish Fingers

Suggested total time: Not Available
Recipe: Cornmeal Catfish Fingers (via www.wholefoodsmarket.com)
Ingredients:

• 6 tablespoons medium-grind yellow cornmeal
• 1 tablespoon pimentón (Spanish smoked paprika) or paprika
• 3/4 teaspoon dried thyme
• Salt and ground black pepper to taste
• 4 (5- to 6-ounce) catfish fillets, cut into thick strips
• 2 tablespoons expeller-pressed canola oil
• Lemon wedges

Preparation:

• In a wide, shallow dish: mix the cornmeal, pimentón, thyme, salt and pepper together.
• Working with a few pieces at a time, dredge catfish in cornmeal mixture - turning to coat evenly.
• Heat oil in a large non-stick or well-seasoned cast iron skillet over medium heat.
• Working in batches, arrange catfish in the skillet in a single layer and cook.
• Flip once, until golden brown and cooked through (about 5 minutes total)
• Transfer to plate when done, and serve with lemon wedges on the side.

This recipe was so easy to follow. I’ve never cooked catfish in the kitchen before (over a campfire, yes) so I wasn’t sure how well I would do. I used a non-stick frying pan as I don’t have a cast iron skillet. I had trouble at first because my strips were too thick. The fish wasn’t turning a golden brown until I tried smaller and thinner strips. After that I had no problem cooking up a storm! It tasted delicious. I used the juice from the lemon wedges to give the fish even more pizzazz. I also cooked up some yellow green beans from the garden as a side to go along with the catfish. The only downside is that my kitchen smelled bad after cooking the fish. Also, it took me a bit longer than five minutes total for the cooking time. I’d say closer to ten minutes per pan of fish.

Photo of the finished product:


Next week’s recipe: Crustless Quiche

Linguine with Gorgonzola, Green Beans, Potatoes & Sage

This Saturday’s recipe was linguine with veggies and bleu cheese. I’m not a huge fan of bleu cheese, but thought I’d still give it a try.

Suggested total time: 30 minutes
Recipe: Linguine with Gorgonzola, Potatoes, Green Beans, and Sage (via www.myrecipes.com)
Ingredients:

• 2 medium Yukon Gold potatoes
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1 pound linguine
• 10 ounce green beans, cut into 2-in. lengths, or 1 bag (10 oz.) frozen cut green beans
• 6 fresh sage leaves, plus more for garnish
• 8 ounces gorgonzola dolce or other soft blue cheese, such as Fourme d’Ambert
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more for garnish

Preparation:
Peel potatoes and cut into 3/4-in. pieces. Put in a large pot, add 2 qts. water, cover, and bring to a boil. Add salt and linguine. Stir, cover, and return to a vigorous boil. Add green beans, cover, and bring back to a boil. Uncover and cook until linguine is tender to the bite, about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, chop sage leaves. In a large serving bowl, mash cheese, butter, sage, and pepper together. Set aside. Reserve 1/2 cup pasta water and set aside. Drain pasta and vegetables, shaking off as much water as possible. Pour pasta and vegetables on top of cheese-butter mixture. Toss to combine until cheese melts and coats pasta. If resulting sauce is too thick, add reserved pasta water, 1 tbsp. at a time. Serve hot, garnished with additional sage or pepper if you like.

This recipe was really easy to follow. I used 12 oz of linguine instead of a pound. I also used fresh green and yellow beans from my grandmother’s garden and added in about 12 oz of them instead of 10. I used fresh sage and basil leaves from the garden as well. I couldn’t find 8 oz of gorgonzola cheese at any of the grocery stores I went to, so I opted to use 5 ounces of crumbled gorgonzola cheese. I then added in one more ounce of butter to make up for not having as much cheese as the recipe called for. It tasted really good! I was surprised; I thought the gorgonzola cheese wouldn’t taste very good with the vegetables. I was wrong!

Also, it took me about forty minutes all together. I’m not sure if the recipe allowed time for the peeling of the potatoes or not.

Photo of the finished product:

Next week’s recipe: a surprise recipe!

Margherita Pizza

This past Saturday I decided on a whim to try my hand at margherita pizza. I’ve eaten many delicious slices of this across the globe, but have never tried my hand at making it myself.

Suggested total time: 30 minutes
Recipe: Quick Pizza Margherita (via www.myrecipes.com)
Ingredients:

• 1 (10-ounce) can refrigerated pizza crust dough
• Cooking spray
• 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 1 garlic clove, halved
• 5 plum tomatoes, thinly sliced (about 3/4 pound)
• 1 cup (4 ounces) shredded fresh mozzarella cheese
• 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 cup thinly sliced fresh basil
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon black pepper

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 400°. Unroll crust dough onto a baking sheet coated with cooking spray; pat into a 13 x 11-inch rectangle. Bake at 400° for 8 minutes. Remove crust from oven, and brush with 1/2 teaspoon oil. Rub crust with cut sides of garlic. Arrange tomato slices on crust, leaving a 1/2-inch border; sprinkle evenly with cheese. Bake at 400° for 12 minutes or until cheese melts and crust is golden. Combine 1/2 teaspoon oil and vinegar, stirring with a whisk. Sprinkle pizza evenly with sliced basil, salt, and pepper. Drizzle the vinegar mixture evenly over the pizza. Cut pizza into 8 pieces.

I have to admit: I did not follow the recipe to a “t”. I used an add water-only pizza crust mix that was available at my local grocery store. And I accidently used ground cloves instead of garlic cloves on the edges of the pizza - it tasted fine. I did pick two large and fresh tomatoes from my garden to use. Instead of just the mozzarella cheese, I opted for an Italian blend that I thought might be even tastier. My local grocery store doesn’t carry balsamic vinegar so I went with Regina’s Red Cooking Wine as my alternative. Where the recipe called for 1/8 salt & black pepper; I chose to do a 1/4 teaspoon mixture of ground black pepper and parsley flakes with a dash of salt. I also could not find fresh basil leaves at my local grocery store so I used dried sweet basil leaves at about 1/4 teaspoon.

In actuality it took longer to make the pizza than 30 minutes. It took longer to make the dough and the dough decided to not be cooperative when I was trying to spread it out on the pan. Also, pizza needed to cook longer in the oven the second time. I would say that the total time was closer to an hour.

Photo of the finished meal:


Next week’s meal: Linguine with Gorgonzola, Potatoes, Green Beans & Sage