When Life Hands you Lemons...

Make Lemon Creme Sauce for Pasta! Okay so if you are like me, there are certain staples that you always keep in your fridge and pantry such as pasta, egg noodles, canned tomatoes, veggie stock, lemons, coconut milk, canned beans, etc. (you get the picture). Well, this last week I had one of those days where my fridge was almost bare and the pantry was getting low and I wanted to make something simple and yummy. I decided to pull out my Simple Suppers cookbook by Moosewood Restaurant and see if there was anything I could make since this cookbook has easy meals with small ingredient lists. And one of the first meals that caught my eye was a recipe for "creamy lemon pasta." I scanned the ingredient list and knew right away everything it required was staples that I always keep around. I also knew that one of the only veggies in the fridge was fresh MI asparagus and so I decided that I would pull that out and blanch it and then add to the pasta and sauce. OH YUM, YUM!!! This dish was amazing! It was easy, fast and the kids devoured it. SO...I thought I would share the recipe with you all, enjoy!!

CREAMY LEMON PASTA:

1 lemon

1/4 cup unsalted butter

1 cup of heavy cream or half and half

1 pound of pasta

1 cup of grated or shredded Parmesan cheese

salt and pepper

Bring a large covered pot of salted water to boil. When water comes to a boil cook your pasta to your liking.

Meanwhile grate the lemon peel (you will need about 2-3 tsp). and then squeeze the lemon (you will need 3 Tbsp. of juice). In a small skillet or saucepan melt the butter. Stir in the cream and heat gently. Stir in the lemon juice and zest. Turn off the heat.

Place the drained pasta in a large serving bowl or on a serving platter and add the lemon cream sauce and toss. Toss in the Parmesan. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Enjoy!

*I also tossed in the asparagus with some fresh chives out of the garden and next time I make this I plan to do the same with fresh green peas from the garden.

Weekly Menu

It was very difficult for me to find the time to post my menus last fall. I am going to try to get them on here with recipes more frequently with the winter because it helps me keep on track and it also keeps me from getting stuck making the same dishes and burning my family out on what once were favorites. So Happy New Year and here is the first menu of 2011!

Monday: Sweet potato, winter squash & caramelized onion lasagna & salad

Tuesday: Tunisian stew w/couscous, roasted root veggies & salad

Wednesday: Black bean soup, homemade guacamole & chips

Thursday: Greg's night to cook

Friday: Pasta w/green sauce & salad

Saturday: Chickpea & sweet potato stew w/couscous, sauteed kale w/golden raisins & pine nuts

Sunday: Leftovers and salad

Weekly Menu

SO yes, a little late...but here it is...

Monday: Veggie lasagna w/ veggies from the garden & an arugula salad

Tuesday: Left overs & salad

Wednesday: Italian bean & squash soup, fresh bread & salad

Thursday: Greg's cooking night

Friday: Taco Soup (recipe below)

Saturday: Going to an Oktoberfest party!!!

Sunday: Farmstand Casserole w/fresh garden salad

*This is an adaptation of a recipe that I got ages ago from my sister-in-law. This recipe is so good, so fast and if your family loves taco night or chili they will love it!

TACO SOUP:

1Quart or 28 oz. can of diced tomatoes

1 large jar of Randall's northern beans ( or a quart of northern beans)

1 quart of pinto beans or 2 cans

1 can of kidney beans

1 to 1 1/2 cup of frozen corn

1 large diced onion

1 pkg. of taco seasoning

1pkg. of ranch seasoning

1 quart of water

Combine all things in a large pot and let simmer until the onions are soft. OR...I like to throw it all in the crock-pot in the morning and let cook on low heat all day. Enjoy topped with your favorite toppings and tortilla chips!

Garlic Scape Pesto

I LOVE garlic scape pesto and I usually have it made by this time of the year, but pine nuts have been difficult to find and I have been lazy. So today I spent the day in the kitchen and the pesto was 1st thing on the list to get accomplished.

Garlic Scapes:

Washed & chopped & ready to go:

Ready to throw it all in the processor:

The Finished Product:

If you love garlic and would like to make your own garlic scape pesto here is how I make it. You can substitute the pine nuts for walnuts or pecans if you prefer.

Garlic Scape Pesto:

8-9 scapes

1 C. of Parmesan

1/2- 3/4 C. of toasted pine nuts

1/2 C. chopped parsley leaves (no stems, too course)

Salt to taste

Put the scapes in the processor and chop then add the parsley and process it a little more. Then add in the nuts and process it until the nuts are chopped. Then add in the cheese and process it some more until it is all blended well, but still has texture. Turn the processor on and slowly add in the oil while it is running. At this point I always taste test it and continue adding nuts, cheese or salt until I get the consistency & flavor that I want. Now enjoy on sauteed veggies, fresh bread or pasta!

Monday Menus

Menus are so hard for me in the summer because so much depends on what is ripe in the garden and what is in season at the market. So I am going to try to get back on track since school starts next week and we need to start getting back into a routine.

Monday: Veggie Nachos & a tomato, green bean & corn salad w/fresh basil & a Dijon vinaigrette

Tuesday: (having friends over for dinner) Cucumber & onion salad w/fresh dill, Arugula w/goat cheese & pecans, kale sauteed w/ caramelized onions, roasted fingerling potatoes w/tons of fresh garlic, Greek stuffed summer squash, & MI peach cobbler

Wednesday: left-overs & Greek salad

Thursday: Salad, Roasted onions & sweet potatoes, sauteed kale w/white beans & stuffed squash blossoms

Friday: Tomato, avocado & Queso Blanco salad, pizzas on the grill

Saturday: Egg noodles & steamed veggies for the kids (mom & dad's night out!)

Sunday: Arugula salad w/pine nuts, red onion, pears & chevre & pasta primavera

Monday Menus...a few days late!

This week the kids have been in camp down at the Boll Family YMCA in downtown Detroit-LOVE IT!!! I meant the camp, but I would be lying if I said that Greg and I haven't enjoyed our days together without breaking up fights every 10 minutes or the constant whining. Oh the joys summer can bring: delicious fresh & local food, warm weather & C-A-M-P!!!!!! We have spent most of these last few days wandering around in the city and I will post on that at the end of the week with a special post on our favorite new and old place in the "D," but for now I will leave you with a new weekly menu and recipe.

Monday: Taco Night

Tuesday: Spanish saffron rice, sauteed kale w/ golden raisins & pine nuts & an arugula, tomato, cucumber & feta salad

Wednesday: Left-over rice, steamed broccoli, sauteed summer squash topped w/garlic scape pesto & panzanella salad

Thursday: Arugula tossed w/goat cheese, pine nuts & red onion & a balsamic vinaigrette, gratin of potato & summer squash w/Herbs de Provence & fresh bread

Friday: pear, fig & gorgonzola salad w/ homemade personal pizzas night

Saturday: Graduations Parties

Sunday: Watermelon, feta & mint salad & a sweet onion tart



SPANISH SAFFRON RICE:

serves 4

3 Tbsp. of e.v.o.o.
1 medium onion minced
1 1/2 C. long grain white rice
1 1/4 C. stock (Veggie or Chicken)
2 C. peeled, seeded & chopped fresh or canned tomatoes
1 tsp. saffron threads
Coarse Salt ( I prefer Pink Salt for this dish...would love to try gray salt with it as well...)
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 C. roasted red peppers diced
1/4 C. Spanish green olives cut into thin strips
1-2 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley

Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onions and cook until soft. Add rice and stir to coat the rice with oil for 1 minute. Increase the heat to high and add stock, 1 cup of water, the tomatoes, saffron & 1 tsp. of salt (Most of the time I use an extra cup of stock rather than water for extra flavor.) Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low, and simmer, covered, until the rice is tender and the liquid is absorbed-about 20 minutes. Remove from heat and season to taste with fresh pepper.

Add the red peppers, olives and parsley to the rice and fluff and mix with a fork. Season to taste with pepper & serve.

*This is adapted from the cookbook: You Say Tomato by Joanne Weir

SO TASTY & SO FRESH!

For almost a month now we have been able to pick salad greens out of our garden every night for tasty and healthy salads. We have been eating loads of spinach and arugula with a little baby lettuce thrown in every few days. I can't seem to get enough of eating salad and I love being able to experiment with what is in season and in our freezer, fridge and pantry to top these beautiful greens. I thought I would share some of my favorite combinations:

*pumpkins or winter squash (from last season) cubed and oven roasted in oil, maple syrup & pepper flakes combined w/ sheep's milk feta, toasted pecans or pepitas & red onion w/ balsamic maple syrup vinaigrette

*goat cheese, fresh MI strawberries, toasted pecans, balsamic vinegar & e.v.o.o.

* oven-dried tomatoes (from last season), avocado, toasted pine-nuts, red onion w/ balsamic maple syrup vinaigrette

* straight up arugula w/goat cheese, toasted pine nuts, balsamic vinegar & e.v.o.o.

* fennel sliced very thin, white beans, oven-dried tomatoes, shaved Parmesan, lemon juice & e.v.o.o.

Healthy Lunches

Now that the kids are home I am determined to be on top of keeping our snacks and lunches healthy and diverse. So I will periodically be posting some easy, fun, and healthy snacks as well as lunch menus for all of those mamas and papas out there who are trying to do the same.

This is what we ate today...

Here are the recipes.

Yogurt Dip/Salad Dressing:

1 Cup of plain yogurt

1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice

1/2 tsp. minced garlic

1-2 tsp. fresh dill

1 tsp. black pepper

salt to taste if you wish

*Combine & good for 2 days

Brown Rice Salad:

1 Cup of cooked brown rice

2 diced carrots

2 celery stalks diced

1 red, yellow or orange sweet bell pepper diced

1/2 red onion diced

1/2 cup toasted pine nuts

fresh dill

1 clove mined garlic

rice vinegar

e.v.o.o.

sea salt & pepper

Cook the brown rice and let cool. While the rice is cooking/cooling chop up all of the veggies and put in a large bowl. Toss the veggies in a couple of tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil and about 1/4 cup of rice vinegar. Once the rice is cooled a bit add it to the veggies and mix well. Then add in the garlic, dill and pine nuts and mix well. At this point I do a lot of taste testing and continue to add rice vinegar, dill, salt and pepper till I get it where I want it. Enjoy!

Monday Menus:

Monday: asparagus w/ lemon & oregano aoili, brown rice salad & a fresh spinach & arugula salad

Tuesday: orzo & pea soup, sauteed cabbage in bebar spice & arugula tossed w/aged balsamic vinegar, e.v.o.o. & goat cheese

Wednesday: Nachos & fresh salsa & guacamole

Thursday: Breakfast for dinner at the request of the kids-Sweet potato pancakes, fresh MI strawberries, yogurt & homemade granola

Friday: Cold avocado soup, panzenella salad, homemade bread w/ white bean spread

Saturday: Veggie Lasagna and salad

Sunday: left-overs

Monday Menus

Monday: Menestra w/fresh bread

Tuesday: Grilled MI asparagus, eggplant & peppers w/ brown rice & fresh arugula salad

Wednesday: Greg's dinner night

Thursday: gazpacho w/tomato avocado salad

Friday: Mujudrah, spinach pies & Arabic potato salad

Saturday: MI Asparagus, Corn & tomato salad, quinoa black bean salad & tapas dishes

Sunday: Veggie Lasagna

Everything Rhubarb

It is the time of year that rhubarb is in season here in Southeast MI and I plan to take full advantage of it! I love rhubarb and every since I made some tasty rhubarb turnovers last week, I have been itching to eat something rhubarb every day.

SO with the help from a friend who gave me 10 cups of frozen rhubarb from her freezer stash and the availability of it at the Eastern Farmer's Market I plan to definitely get my rhubarb fill.

Today I decided to bake a Rhubarb Crisp that I found on Mom's Kitchen, another MI Lady Blogger that has great food blog full of a lot of delicious recipes and information. I changed it up a bit by adding fresh minced ginger to the rhubarb mix rather than the ground ginger in the topping and I also used oat flour in the topping to make myself feel like this isn't that bad for me-fruit & oats are very healthy, right? :)

And here is a picture of it with a dollop of creme fraiche'...delicious!!

Some other rhubarb recipes that I plan on trying are listed below:

http://rcakewalk.blogspot.com/2010/05/rhubarb-kuchen-or-in-which-i-divulge.html

(made this, loved this & you can see how it turned out here)

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/food_and_drink/recipes/article7103687.ece

http://teaandcookies.blogspot.com/2009/05/rhubarb-revelation.html

http://www.rhubarbinfo.com/recipe-jam.html#index_jam_23

Monday Menus

Monday: Left-overs for Mother's Day dinner out :)

Tuesday: Breakfast for dinner at the family's request- scrambled eggs topped w/ goat cheese & sauteed red onion, tomatoes, spinach w/ home fries

Wednesday: Carrot ginger soup w/spinach salad (recipe posted)

Thursday: Egg Noodles, kale sauteed w/ raisins & pine nuts, sweet potato fries

Friday: Quinoa burgers

Saturday: Taco night

Sunday: Whole wheat pasta w/homemade sauce, fresh arugula & pine nuts & tomato, cucumber & feta salad

Carrot Ginger Soup

1 Tbsp. butter- DO NOT substitute
2 shallots minced or 1/2 small onion-although I would highly recommend using the shallots
1-2 tsp minced fresh ginger, I use closer to 2 tsp. since we love ginger
1 1/2 cups of chopped carrots
1 1/2 tsp. light brown sugar
1/2 cup fresh orange juice
2 cups of veggie broth
2 Tbsp. white rice

Melt butter in large sauce pot over medium heat. Add shallots and saute' stirring often, 3-5 minutes, until translucent (I highly recommend using the butter w/shallots because it gives the soup a soup that is very smooth and elegant).

Add carrots and ginger and cook stirring often for another 5 minutes.

Add sugar and stir constantly for 1 minute and then add the orange juice and bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon to deglaze. Cook until liquid reduces by 1/2, approx. 3 minutes.

Add broth and rice and bring to a boil. Add salt and pepper to taste and reduce heat to low, cover and cook until the carrots are very tender, about 40-45 min.

Use food processor to puree' mixture until smooth. Adjust seasoning to taste.

* I always double this recipe because we love it so much my family complains if they don't have enough for lunch the next day!

Monday Menus

It has been awhile since I have menu planned and oh how my pocketbook has missed it and to be honest I have also missed it! I usually spend time on Sundays going through all of my cookbooks and past issues of Vegetarian Times and Bon Appetit which is one of the things about Sundays that I truly love. I have made a lot of delicious dinners in these last few weeks and I plan to make them again soon and I will share some recipes for amazing stews and quick meals.

Monday: Dinner

Tuesday: Caribbean beans & rice w/mango salsa & a Mexican salad

Wednesday: Orzo w/disappearing squash w/ tomato, basil & fresh mozzarella salad & Parmesan roasted cauliflower

Thursday: Eating out due to gurl's Spring Concert

Friday: Carrot ginger soup w/ spinach, roasted pumpkin, Asian pear, pepitas & goat cheese salad

Saturday: Tunisian Stew w/fresh bread

Sunday: Left-overs

Pumpkin Coconut Bread (VEGAN)

Alright...I just made this bread this afternoon and hands down, one of the best breads I have EVER made!!!! It is very moist, full of flavor and is vegan. I did alter the recipe some based on what I had in my house and to make it healthier. I completely omitted the white sugar, I used 1 1/2 cups of oat flour, I used pecans instead of walnuts and instead of oil I used applesauce and mmmmm. SO good!


Ingredients
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups packed dark brown sugar
2/3 cup white sugar
1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree
1 cup vegetable oil
2/3 cup coconut milk
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2/3 cup unsweetened flaked coconut
1 cup chopped walnuts, toasted
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour two 8 x 4 inch loaf pans.
Combine flour, sugars, pumpkin, oil, coconut milk, baking soda, salt, and spices. Mix until well blended. Fold in coconut and nuts. Pour into prepared pans.
Bake for about 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Remove from oven. Cover with foil tightly, and allow to steam 10 minutes. Remove foil, and turn out onto cooling rack. Tent lightly with the foil, and allow to cool completely.

Monday Menus

Sorry it isn't Monday...where does the time go?

Monday: Spicy tomato soup w/salad & fresh bread

Tuesday: Home-made pad Thai, fresh rolls & edamame

Wednesday: Farmer's casserole

Thursday:Potato leek & roasted garlic soup w/salad & fresh bread

Friday: Pizza & salad

Saturday: Black bean sweet potato enchiladas

Sunday:Left-over enchiladas

Monday Menus

Monday: Potato & leek gratin, balsamic & parmesan roasted cauliflower & salad

Tuesday: Spinach chickpea curry

Wednesday: Sushi & sesame tofu w/spinach sauteed in coconut oil

Thursday: Blackbean Soup

Friday: Calzones

Saturday: Small plates & salad

Sunday: Baked mac & cheese w/spinach salad

Monday Menus

Monday: Spanish rice and groundnut stew

Tuesday: Baked potato bar, kale sauteed w/pine nuts and golden raisins & salad


Wednesday: Taco night

Thursday: pasta, w/homemade sauce, spinach & pinenuts

Friday: Veggie paella

Saturday: left-overs

Sunday: Curried carrot & parsnip soup, salad & fresh bread

Monday Menus

Monday: Curried Vegetables w/dahl & coconut basmati rice

Tuesday: left-overs

Wednesday: Farmstand casserole

Thursday: Vegetable soup & fresh bread

Friday: left-overs

Saturday: Sweet potato enchiladas & Mexican salad

Sunday: Groundnut stew & Ethiopian take-out

Monday Menus

Monday: Spinach & pea risotto & fresh salad

Tuesday: Italian Squash & Bean Soup, Panzanella salad & fresh bread

Wednesday: left-overs

Thursday: Egg Noodles w/tofu, broccoli & red peppers & a peanut sauce

Friday: Veggie Tamale Pie

Saturday: Veggie Soup

Sunday: Spinach & artichoke pesto w/ whole wheat pasta, tapenade & fresh bread

Okay I posted this super late-sorry...it was a crazy week and I never got a chance to get to this, but here it is. I am going to post two recipes this week. The first is the Spinach & Artichoke pesto.
I found this recipe on the Food Network website while looking for a healthy & fast recipe to use up a lot of spinach that I have, so this is what I decided to try. I have to say right now that I am not a big fan of Rachel Ray so I have never tried any of her recipes, but this one was good and the kids LOVED it! It was excellent with a loaf of fresh bread and some tapenade to eat on the side or even mixed right in.
So here is the link... http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/rachael-ray/spinach-artichoke-whole-wheat-penne-recipe/index.html

I will say this though...I did not add all of the cooking water at the end, I only added about 1/4 cup because we like our sauces thick rather than thinned out. I also used the mint which was nice, but I think next time I will not and see how it is. This dish tastes very fresh and healthy which is nice at this time of year!

Another variaton that I tried with this was to do the pesto w/basil not the mint. I then sauteed onion, carrots & garlic in olive oil and added some toasted almonds in a large stock pot. I then mixed in the pasta, pesto and added the parm and some cream, salt and pepper. MMMM....SO much better this way, although not quite as healthy!



This next recipe that I am going to post is one of our FAVORITE soups and we eat it often during the winter. I will get it up soon!

One Amazing Squash!

This is a Candy Roaster Winter Squash that I harvested from my garden last fall. I finally put it to use last week and here is what this beautiful, delicious squash became....

The beginnings of soup,

The soup as it is coming together...


And it's finished...Madras Curry Spiced Squash Soup

And then there was the salad. I tossed some cubed squash in canola oil and maple syrup and a few red pepper flakes and then roasted them in the oven and threw them in a salad with sheep's milk feta, toasted pepitas, currants, red onion and a maple syrup vinaigrette. MMMMM....

And then the cookies.....

And then I STILL had some cubed squash left over so I made a squash & chickpea curry.



And I still had enough pureed squash to give away a pint and freeze another 2 pints. That was one AMAZING squash!