Roasted Vegetable Tomato Pasta

I think I crossed a line in making this dish.

This dish calls for vegetables to be roasted at extremely high heat for long periods of time.  Which might not be that big of an issue for most people.  But I chose to make this dish on one of the only hot, humid summer days we've seen in Boston so far. 

And I live in 300 square feet. 

Bad idea on paper.  Even worse idea in reality.

Making this dish filled my tummy with a delicious meal and my fridge with lunch leftovers, but it also made for a very uncomfortable night of sleeping.  Why do I torture myself?  Can't I order takeout like normal Beacon Hillers?

Pasta with Roasted Vegetables:

• 2 zucchinis, chopped in chunks
• 1 onion, quartered
• 1 eggplant, chopped
• 1 or 2 tbsp EVOO
• 4 roma tomatoes, quartered
• 1 tsp basil
• 1 box of pasta - a sauce catching noodle
• Salt/Pepper

The chopping is the most tedious part of this recipe.  Preheat your oven to 400 and start chopping up all your vegetables.  Tomatoes go into a baking dish to roast and the zucchinis, eggplants and onion (tossed with EVOO) go on a rimmed baking sheet. Salt the tomatoes a bit and sprinkle with basil or oregano.

 

 

 

It doesn't really matter which one you roast first.  I did the tomatoes first and then tossed in the vegetables.  Flip a couple times.  You want to roast them for about 35 minutes, giving them a bit of carmelization.  While you're roasting, fire up a salted pot of water and start cooking your pasta.

 



Confession: I ate a lot of these straight off the pan. I love roasted vegetables. Or any vegetable for that matter...

 

 

When the tomatoes are done roasting, they go into a food processor for a few quick pulses until they are pureed.  Life just got easier for me, as my mom and her fiance got me a pretty red food processor for my birthday.  Woo!  It has a much bigger capacity than my mini one and doesn't take up all that much room in my cabinets.

 

 

Now comes the easy part - in a bowl, add your vegetables and tomato puree.  Add in pasta one cup at a time until you reach the desired mix.  I had extra pasta, as I didn't want pasta that didn't feel as though it was covered in sauce.  Sauce is the most important part - pasta is just a vessel in which to shovel lots of sauce into your mouth.  Yep, I said it.

 

Best part of this - low calorie, great caramelized flavor from the vegetables and a very control amount of sodium.  YUM!

 

Lazy, lazy picture taking these days.

 

But delicious!

Flatbreads and Flatbread Pizzas

It's Friday!!!!!!!  And gorgeous to boot!  Oh, and three day weekend?  Don't mind if I do!  I hope all of you enjoy your time off this Memorial Day weekend.  I have a very exciting weekend coming up with outdoor drinks, a day of hiking, a picnic, a family BBQ and finally, the Sox game on Monday night.  Can a girl ask for much more?  Hooray!

While I am normally a very organized in my grocery shopping (I go in with a list, I come out with the items on the list, case closed), sometimes I pick up things here and there, without any regard tn how I will eventually use them.  This happened to be the case with a whole wheat pizza dough I spontanously threw into my cart a few weeks back.  Fast forward to last week when I was craving flatbreads and my mind flashed to the frozen pizza dough in my freezer and the rosemary hanging out down below.  Inspiration sprung and presto - homemade flatbreads were born.  Ta-Da!!!!!!

Homemade Flatbreads and Flatbread Pizza:

• chopped garlic
• pam cooking spray
• fresh parmasen
• onions
• arugala
• balsamic vinegar
• butter spray
• anything else that calls your name, herbs, cheeses, toppings, get creative

I split my dough into three pieces.  I spread each one out, as thin as could be.  When doing so, see if you can't channel some inner Italian heritage.  I gave whrrrling the dough a good spin, just like I have seen in the movies, but ended up putting a hole in my dough.  Oopps.  And I looked like a bit clumsy.  In the end, I just gently used my hands and fingers to spread it out on a pizza pan.  I finely chopped some rosemary and garlic and sprinkled onto the dough.  Then I used zero calorie butter spray and gave the entire surface a good coating.  If you like calories, you can use the real thing and though I know it's all chemicals, I Can't Believe It's Not Butter Spray is an exception to my guilty conscience. 

Make sure you poke holes into your dough using a fork.  Otherwise, it will puff up and you won't be able to call it flatbread.  Bake on 375 until dough starts to get a bit crispy.  At this point, I used more not really butter spray and sprinkled cheese all over. Back into the oven then went until the cheese melted and browned a bit.

 When it came out, I topped with arugala and drizzled with balsamic vinegar.  I then used all the willpower in the world not to eat this in one sitting.  Glorious. The rosemary infused into the crispy, perfectly crunchy dough and the garlic and cheese all complimented the delicious drizzle of balsamic. Holy Moly... I love flatbread pizzas.  I allowed myself half while I whipped up another flatbread- this time, using some very beautiful caramelized onions in addition to the rosemary and garlic. 

Of course I had to try the caramelized flatbread too, so there was another slice.  And then another.  I was trying to save me some calories, but alas, that backfired.  When all was said and done, I had "accidentally" eaten nearly two plate sized flatbreads.  I shoved the rest into some tinfoil and polished it off the next morning.  Opps.  I suppose these were that good that I was unable to have any self control.

**Note to self:  Apparently, along with ice cream and caramel, sista cannot have flatbreads in the house either.  Like, Whoa.

Pork Medallions with Peppers

This one is going into my regular rotation.  I can't believe how fast, healthy and tasty this pork recipe was.  Pork has been my go-to meat lately and with recipes like this, I don't see that ending anytime soon!  It comes from a 20 minute cooking recipe, so this recipe is a multi-tasker. 

Pork Medallions with Peppers (Cooking Light, January/February 2011)

• 1 pound pork tenderloin, trimmed and cut crosswise into medallions (or two pork chops)
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp fresh black pepper
• 1 tbsp EVOO
• 1 1/2 ts chopped fresh rosemary, divided
• 4 canned anchovies OR 3 tbsp minced calamata olives (I used calamata olives in my recipe)
• 3 garlic cloves
• 1 red bell pepper, cut into strips
• 1 yellow bell pepper, cut into strips
• 2 tsp balsamic vinegar

 

 

This one is easy - get chopping.  Once you're all chopped, it's go time.

 

Heat EVOO in a pan, let it heat up and add in your pork chops (or medallions) and let them get a sear on them - about 5 minutes.

 

Flip and add in remaining ingredients (except for balsamic).  Let saute for about 7 minutes or until peppers are soft and pork is cooking all the way through.

 

 

And done.  Drizzle with balsamic vinegar and a bit of rosemary.  I was so hungry I didn't take anytime to really plate this in any sort of appealing looking way.  I let the porkchops sit to ensure the juices stayed in the meat (5 to 10 is appropriate), and below is the result.  

Awesome! 

 

Quinoa and Bean Salad (5 ingredients!)

Need a quick, delicious and light in calories weekday meal?  Or maybe something to pack in your lunch?  Or something light and refreshing as a side dish to dinner?  I got ya covered.  

Quinoa and Bean Salad (straight from Rachael Ray)

• 20 oz can of kidney beans
• 2 cups cooked and cooled quinoa
• 1 red onion, chopped (rinse with cold water to take away some of the bite)
• 2 bunches basil, stems discarded and leaves chopped
• juice of 2 lemons
• 1/2 cup of EVOO

I have been wanting to try quinoa for a while now.  For those of you who aren't aware of Quinoa's ass kicking health benefits, check out more information from Whole Foods here.  It's nearly gluten free, for all you out there adverse to gluten.  It also has a nutty flavor.  Since this was my first go about with Quinoa, I carefully followed the instructions on the back of the package.  It called for a bit of heat to take away some of the bitter taste and release the nutty aromas.  I don't have anything to compare it to... but I have to admit, I was petrified of ruining this $6 bag of Quinoa, so I watched it very carefully.

First Seitan and now Quinoa.... while I am getting adventurous here kids, don't expect me to go all that much more crazy.  Well maybe.... with my MBA and my freelance job behind me, I have a lot more times on my hands.  

Prepare quinoa as directed and cool.  In a large bowl, mix together beans, quinoa, onion and basil.  In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice and EVOO.  Season with salt and pepper.  Pour the dressing over the salad and toss evenly to coat.

And just like that, you're all set.  Serve as a meal (has a ton of grain and protein and fiber, so you can get away with this.) or as a side dish to a white fish or chicken.

I packed up about four tupperwares for lunches that week.  I didn't bother freezing any - this salad is made for eating fresh.  I have to admit, I rather enjoyed my first run with Quinoa.  In fact, the thing that ruined this salad for me was the basil.  I must have had a funky batch because I ended up trying to pick most of out it.  As someone who breathes basil, this was rather disappointing.   I couldn't put my finger on it, but something was just off.  Once the basil was out, I gobbled up this salad.

Chef 'em up!

Pasta with Goat Cheese and Tomatoes

The week I left for Thailand was a very busy week.  I had a full fridge, but also a busy social calendar.  As I was preparing to leave Friday morning, I took a look in my fridge and thought, what a waste.  I had gorgeous tomatoes, goat cheese, fresh arugala, herbs.... so many things that would clearly not make it to the other side of being gone for 11 days. 

So I did what any self respecting person would do.  I cheffed and froze.  Cheffed and froze. Which means that I threw together a pasta dish I had been meaning to make and I literally put everything else into the freezer.  Herbs.  Cheese.  Ricotta.  Leftovers.  In it all well.

It's awesome being single and getting to make judgment calls like this. 

With everything packed and ready to go for Thailand, I whipped out the i4 and got to work on a recipe I had been drooling over at The Chubby Cook.  I haven't met Scott, but I consistently drool over the amazing creations that come out of his kitchen.  And his food photography is top notch.  Head over there and prepare to get hungry.

Pasta with Goat Cheese, Tomatoes and Argula (as adapted from The Chubby Cook)

• 1 box rotini or other pasta which will catch the sauce
• 2 cups cherry tomatoes, rinsed and dried, or four medium size tomatoes
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 ounces goat cheese
• 2 cups loosely packed arugula
• Salt and Fresh Cracked Pepper

See what I am talking about here?  These tomatoes were gorgeous and just asking to be cheffed up.  It would have been a crying shame to let them go bad.  If you can't find cherry tomatoes (neither Trader Joes, nor Shaw's had any!), you can go with four or so really good looking tomatoes.  When sliced, try to retain the juices, this is a key element in making the sauce. 

You know the drill - heat a tablespoon of EVOO in a pan.  Once it's hot, add in the tomatoes.  Keep these moving around the pan so they don't burn.  The juices will start to loosen out of the slices and the tomatoes will begin to soften. If you're using cherry or grape tomatoes, some will start to burst.  Cook about six minutes and add in the garlic for another few minutes.   There's no science to it, so feel it out.

Now it's time to add in the goat cheese.  You're going to go from red to pink almost immediately.  I didn't need any extra salt, but it did definitely need some fresh ground black pepper.  Depending on how thin your sauce is at this point, add your reserved pasta water to achieve desired consistency.  I didn't need any at all.  Remove from heat and add in argula.  Stir to wilt it a bit into the sauce.   

Take your pasta in bowl, add in the sauce.... and

SERVE! 

 I topped with a bit of parmesan. And at 9 o'clock in the morning, right before I left on a 20 hour trip to Thailand, I ate a bowl of this. Awesome. It's fresh. It's light feeling. It's tasty and I can't believe how fast it all came together. I packaged the leftover into tupperwares and into the freezer they went. You know, along with the rest of the goat cheese, ricotta, herbs...  I then quickly did some dishes, wiped down the kitchen and plopped on the couch for a moment of peace before heading off on the vacation of a lifetime.

Sweet Potato Gnocchi with Sage Brown Butter Sauce

Rarely do I ever blog so quickly after making a dish, but I am so excited by this one I can hardly stand it.  Yesterday, I was day dreaming about food (as I so typically do, umm... pretty much all day long) and I saw that another blogger had recently took on the challenge of making gnocchi for the first time.  Now, I like gnocchi, but I won't typically order it at a restaurant for my entree.  It's a heavy dish.  But I've always wanted to make it.  You know, just to see if I could.

But what kind of gnocchi?  What sort of sauce?  A few weeks ago, I had an amazing dinner at a restaurant in the North End called Carmen.  The food was nothing less than spectacular.  It's a charming, tiny restaurant, totally unassuming in it's location away from hustle of Hanover street.  The wine list is nicely priced and the atmosphere is the perfect setting for an intimate meal.  I was immediately drawn to the Short Rib Ravioli with Sage Butter Sage, to which I ordered and savored every bite of.  It was one of the more memorable dishes I have had in a Boston area restaurant in months.  What I remember standing out was the brown butter sauce.  I'm such an addict for sauces of any kind, so I really wanted to lick the plate.  But again, manners, nice restaurant, blah blah blah.

A sister has got to be proper, yo.

Anyways, inspired by this amazing meal, I decided that at a later point, I would put short rib ravioli on my list of kitchen endeavors, but for tonight, it would be sweet potato gnocchi with a sage brown butter sauce.  Upon researching the intrawebs for a recipe, I realized that I pretty much had all ingredients on hand... except for a sweet potato.  Really?  Could it be this easy?

Sweet Potato Gnocchi with Sage Brown Butter (as adapted from Epicurious)

• 1 pound red-skinned sweet potatoe, rinsed, patted dry, pierced all over with fork
• 1 cup fresh ricotta cheese, drained in sieve 2 hours
• 1 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese (about 3 ounces)
• 2 tablespoons (packed) golden brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons plus 2 tablespoons salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
• 2 1/4 cups (about) all purpose flour
• 3 tbsp unsalted butter
• 4 tablespoons chopped fresh sage plus whole leaves for garnish

Apologies in advance... I turned on my Nikon last night only to discover a dead battery.  And then tried my Sony p&s.  Dead.  Clearly, I overshot in Thailand.  So where's a girl to turn to?  i4.  Clearly.  Let's get after it.

 

Start by piercing your potato and popping it into the microwave for 5 minutes a side.  Because this was a very large sweet potato, I ended up cutting into after this and popping the middle sections back in for another 3 or so.  Then allow to cool.

 

Once cool, remove skins and mash in a mixing bowl.

 

 

Add in ricotta cheese.  I'm really not sure what purpose the sieve had for draining.  I did this step, but if you don't, I can't imagine it would change the recipe all that much.  Barely anything "sieved" out of mine.  Mix well.

 

 Add in parmesan, brown sugar, salt and nutmeg.

 

Again, mix well.

Now, it's time to add in the flour, 1/2 cup at time.  Don't pack the flour into the measuring cup, spoon it.  I am just learning this now and I think it's why all my baking sucks (things get too dense).  Slowly mix in the flour until it starts to flour a soft dough.

I decided that a soft dough meant that it wasn't that sticky anymore.  I ended up with about 2 1/4 cups flour in total.  I think one could get away with less.  I wonder if my gnocchi were too "doughy"?  Either way, feel it out.

That was a serious work out, all that dough mixing.  I did a cardio strength training class just before making these... so let me tell you, my arms were burning.    Now, divide the dough into sections.  I did about softball sized chunks.

It's time to get messy.  Throw some flour down on a clean surface and start rolling out your dough to form a long rope.  Roll back and forth in fluid motions and it will start to form a good shape.  Keep moving your hand through the rope. 

What a mess.  It's worth it though.  Cut into 1 inch pieces and set aside.  Now take a fork and run the tines over the little gnocchi pillows.  I imagined this would be easy.  It wasn't.  The dough was resistant.  I had to press hard.  Which then flattened and made ugly little gnocchis.  This is partly why I think I might have used a bit too much flour.  But again, it's all about trial and error.  Fork tines are superficial.  They don't affect the way it tastes, so don't worry your pretty little self about it too much.

Now, heat up a pot of salted, boiling water and throw these bad boys in.  They have little self timers on them.  When they rise, you know they are done.  I let mine rise and then boiled for another minute or so. 

Look at that?  Perfect looking gnocchis!

Now, heat up a skillet on medium high heat and toss in your butter.  Pay attention, this is going to happen fast.  Swirl your butter in the pan as it heats, watching very closely.

And then suddenly, it will be golden brown.  Toss in sage (they will bubble) and remove from heat.  If you keep on the heat, the butter will get very dark and will begin to break down.  You'll see ash like looking pieces in it.  This will not taste good.  The good news is, you can start over very easily!

This is what burnt butter looks like.  It's not golden brown.  Yuck.  This was my first attempt, my second attempt was much better. 

Add your drained gnocchi to the brown butter sauce and saute the gnocchi on medium high for just a few minutes.  You want to warm them back up and you don't want the butter to further burn. 

Amazing... if I don't say so myself.

This was ridiculously easy.  I saved two other chunks of dough to be frozen and finished at a later date.  These little gnocchis aren't healthy by any means, so I must eat them in small moderation.  The plate above had probably about 1,000 calories.  Yikes.  The good news is they are filling.  And easy as hell to make!

Spicy Lemon-Rosemary Pork Tenderloin

I am on a huge pork kick lately.  I'm not sure where this sudden swap has come from, but it means that chicken is out and pork is in.  I'm so bored by chicken.... even when I try to make it exciting, it still fails to impress me.  I'm over it like a bad date. 

But pork... oh pork.  When done right, pork is just an excellent meat.  I used to buy pork because it was on sale.  I would then cook it all wrong and force my ex to eat it.  Then I would be upset when he didn't love it, or even like it, for that matter.  And I am all like, shut up. and eat the damn pork that I have served you. we're poor and it was on sale.  Except we weren't poor at all.  But it was definitely on sale.  And sista loves a good sale.  (Apologies and I owe ya a solid pork dinner kid....)

So here's a new favorite pork recipe of mine:

Spicy Lemon- Rosemary Pork Tenderloin (from 2011 Food and Wine Cookbook):

• 6 tbsp EVOO
• 3/4 fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 rosemary leaves
• 2 tbsp crushed red pepper
• 6 garlic cloves
• four 1 pound pork tenderloins
• salt and pepper

You can't get any easier than this.  Take all the ingredients above and toss into a plastic bag for overnight marination.  Flip a few times.


Add caption

It'll come out looking like this.  And it will smell amazing.  This is raw meat, no tasting.  Though it's tempting, this I know.  Scrap a majority of the marinade pieces off.  This will feel wasteful, but it's not.  The meat has already absorbed all the amazingness.

Heat up a pan with a little EVOO and get ready to sear up the sides of these pork loins.  Also, heat your oven to 400.

 

 

Sear both sides for about five minutes per side.  Don't disturb the meat, let it get a nice char to it.  Once both sides are nicely seared, toss onto a baking sheet and pop into the oven for about 15 minutes or until the center is no longer pink. 



please excuse the disgustingness of my baking sheets.



Once the pork is fully cooked, remove from the oven and let rest for 5 to 10 minutes.  I know you want to get into it, and fast, but letting the meat rest makes sure that the juices stay in the meat.  You don't want dried out pork now do you? 

I ate this on the run, so it was a protein dinner, but this meat is flexible enough to serve with a range of sides.  Maybe a fresh cous cous? Or some spicy green beans?  Or even some creamless corn?

Bon Appetit!

 

 

Salmon with Blueberry Pan Sauce

I'm back!  I ate my face off in Thailand... as in, ordering two of everything at every meal.  Which was clearly excessive.  But... when things range between $2 and $3 each, how could I not?  I'll have a post up soon about all the amazing things I ate.  Meanwhile, despite a quiet run lately on My Kitchen, My Sanctuary, I have been in my kitchen cooking up the usual storm.  Finding time to download and blog about it?  Well, that's been a different story. (I thought being done with my MBA would give me me time.  Wrong.)

I'm addicted to anything salmon.  So fresh, so healthy, and ever so easy to prepare.  I found this recipe on Epicurious and whipped it up one night in about 30 minutes.  

Salmon wtih Blueberry Pan Sauce:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil plus additional for brushing
• 3/4 cup sliced shallots
• 1 garlic clove, thinly sliced
• 1/4 teaspoon coarse kosher salt plus additional for seasoning
• 1/4 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme plus additional for seasoning
• 1/8 teaspoon ground allspice plus additional for seasoning
• 1 cup fresh blueberries
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 4 7-ounce salmon steaks or fillets with skin (each about 3/4 inch thick)
• 3 tablespoons thinly sliced fresh mint, divided

This one is easy, let's get after it:

Start with (my) usual onion/shallot saute.  I was surprised by the use of shallots and blueberries.  I wasn't sure what to expect from it.  However, shallots have a much lighter, less intense flavor than, say a red onion.  I'm really digging them lately.  As they start to soften, add in the garlic, thyme and allspice (I actually omitted the allspice because I didn't have any on hand.)  Also this mixture to blend together for about 30 seconds to a minute.  Let the flavors release and then move on to the next step.

Next, add in your blueberries, water and balsamic vinegar and allow to saute.

 As they warm, some will start to burst, but you can help this process along by smashing with the back of your spoon.  Or if you have an official masher of some sort, that would work well also.  Again, limited kitchen, so work with what ya got. 

Most obviously, you could use a fork too.

Allow this mixture to continue to do it's thing over medium heat.  The sauce will start to thicken, but be sure to stir frequently so it doesn't burn.

Once it looks like this, you're good to go!  Yum.  Yum.

Your salmon, perfectly seasoned with a touch of salt and some black pepper, comes out of the oven, freshly broiled for about 10 minutes.  Inside should be a dull pink.  If it looks shiny or a bit slimy, back in it goes.  It's not done. 

P.S. for years, I worked my butt of trying to deskin salmon (or any fish) before cooking it.  What a waste of time!  Once cooked, the skin flakes right off.  I wish I had known.  I would have salvaged many a piece of tortured skinless fish. 

Take your blueberry sauce and add your fresh mint.  As as much as you want.  I LOVE mint and so I went overboard on mine. 

 Add finally, top generously over the salmon.  I was in a hurry this night, so this was my complete dinner.  The recipe made enough sauce for two pieces of fish - so could be a recipe for two, OR, dinner the next night like mine was.  I love having something simple like this on hand.