Thursday, April 24, 2008

Spinach Calzones With Blue Cheese

Ingredients
1 Tsp olive oil (to grease the pan)
4 garlic cloves, minced
4 cups spinach leaves
1/2 small sweet onion finely chopped
1 1/3 cups sliced portobella and button mushrooms
3/4 cup (3 ounces) crumbled blue cheese
4 red basil leaves

Directions:
Preheat oven to 425°.

Unroll dough onto a baking sheet coated with olive oil
Cut into 4 quarters.
Pat each quarter into a 6 x 5-inch rectangle.
Sprinkle garlic evenly over rectangles.
Top each rectangle with 1 cup spinach, 2 onion slices, 1/3 cup mushrooms, and 3 tablespoons cheese.
Add basil leaf to the top of the mixture.
Bring 2 opposite corners to center, pinching points to seal. Bring remaining 2 corners to center, pinching all points together to seal.
Bake at 425° for 12 minutes or until golden.

Pasta With Spinach, Lemon, and Basil

Ingredients

1 pound uncooked orecchiette, or spiral pasta
2 tablespoons extravirgin olive oil
6 garlic cloves, minced
3/4 cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes, packed without oil
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 (15-ounce) can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
3 cups trimmed arugula or baby spinach
1 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, coarsely chopped (about 1 [1-ounce] package)
1 tablespoon grated lemon rind
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup veggie broth
1 teaspoon kosher salt
5 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted
1/4 cup (1 ounce) grated Parmesan cheese

Directions
Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain. Place pasta in a large bowl; drizzle with oil, tossing to coat.

Heat a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add garlic to pan; sauté 1 minute or until garlic begins to brown. Add pasta mixture, tomatoes, pepper, and beans; cook 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Stir in arugula, basil, rind, juice, broth and salt; cook 1 minute or until arugula wilts. Spoon 1 1/2 cups pasta mixture into each of 6 shallow bowls; top each serving with 2 1/2 teaspoons pine nuts and 2 teaspoons cheese. Serve immediately.

Thursday, April 17, 2008

Hollandaise Sauce

Ingredients
2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter
3 large egg yolks
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon water
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon white pepper

Directions
-Melt butter in a 1-quart heavy saucepan over moderate heat. Remove pan from heat and let stand for 3 minutes. Skim foam from top of butter.
-Whisk together yolks, lemon juice, and water in another 1-quart heavy saucepan until frothy. Set pan over low heat and whisk constantly and vigorously until yolks are pale yellow and slightly thickened (you should be able to draw whisk through yolks and see bottom of pan before yolks flow back together), 3 to 4 minutes.
-Remove pan from heat and gradually whisk in melted butter: drop by drop for first third of butter, then 1 teaspoon at a time for second third and 1 tablespoon at a time for final third, leaving milky solids in bottom of pan. Whisk in salt and white pepper.

Sunday, April 13, 2008

Artichoke Parmigiano Dip


Ingredients:
1 (14oz) can artichoke hearts drained and chopped
3/4 cup reduced-fat mayo
1 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
2 Large cloves garlic finely chopped
2 Tbs fresh chopped basil

Directions:
Combine all ingredients and mix well. Spread the mixture in a 7x7 baking dish (or microwave safe dish) and microwave for 4-5 minutes stirring twice to heat evenly. Serve with pita chips, bagel chips, or crackers

Mushroom Quesadillas

Ingredients:
4 12inch flour tortillas (I like to use whole wheat to get my grains in)
2 1/2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese
1/4 cup pickled sliced jalapenos (drained and chopped)
2 cups shiitake mushrooms
2 Tbs corn oil (or vegetable, peanut, olive oil)
1 cup sour cream

Directions:
-Heat two medium saute pans over medium heat
-While the pans are heating sprinkle the cheese, jalapenos, and mushrooms evenly over 2 of the tortillas then top the tortillas with the two left over tortillas
-Add 1 Tbs of oil to each pan and cook each tortilla for about two minutes (until golden brown) then flip carefully with tongs and keep cooking until cheese is melted. Lower the heat if necessary to keep the tortillas from scorching.
-Remove from heat, cut each into 8 pieces and serve with sour cream

Wednesday, April 2, 2008

Lentils and Rice with Curry

Ingredients:

4 cups water
1 vegetable bullion cube
3/4 cup lentils
3/4 cup brown rice
1 small red onion
2 Tbs curry powder

Directions
Finely chop the onion and bring the water to a boil. Dissolve the bullion cube and add the rest of the ingredients. Bring mixture to a slow boil and simmer covered for about 35 minutes or until the water is absorbed.