Sunday Dinner - 08/08/2010

My girls love pasta. Anything with pasta. Since my girls are strange kids, they especially love green sauce or pesto. Li asks for green sauce every time I tell her pasta is for dinner. She may even like it more than my mac & cheese. But pesto's main ingredient is oil. Like anything else, the key to making pesto healthier is portion control.  I think 2tbsp per cup of noodles is plenty.  Mix in any cooked meat; chicken, pork, sausage, shrimp. (Well, maybe not beef. But you get the point.) Tonight, I sauteed shrimp to add to the pasta and pesto.

I've messed with the proportions every time I make pesto to get the recipe right. The one below is the best I've made. The recipe makes 3cups and can be stored indefinitely in a well sealed container in the fridge. 


Pesto Sauce (1pt per tbsp)
Ingredients
2 cups fresh basil leaves
1/4 cup onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic
1/2 cup olive oil
2 sticks Smart Balance 50/50 Butter Blend with Olive Oil, at room temp
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
1/4 cup pine nuts
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1/2 lb pasta, cooked al dente

Directions
Chop basil in a food processor. Add onions and garlic to the processor and puree. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.

Puree one stick of butter in the processor. Add the olive oil. Then the 2nd stick of butter until Constantin. Add the pine nuts and Parmesan cheese.

 
Pour the oil-butter mixture to the basil puree. Stir until well blended.

I may have mention this before but I don't like squash, not even eggplant. But squash (eggplants) are healthy and are locally grown here in SE Louisiana. And since I insist my girls eat everything, I guess I should hold myself to the same requirement. So I've tried it fried. Not a fan. Eggplant Parmesan. Eehh. Eggplant stuffing. Not bad but not awesome. But I hit the jack pot with the concoction below. How could I go wrong with the holy trinity (bell pepper, onions, celery,) tomatoes and Italian seasonings.


Eggplant-Tomato Casserole (12 servings, 2pt per serving)
Ingredients
3 large eggplants, peeled and sliced 1/4-inch thick
1 tbsp olive oil
1 cup onions, diced
1 cup celery, diced
1 cup bell peppers, diced
¼ cup garlic, minced
2 cups water
2 cans tomato sauce
1 can diced tomatoes
2 tbsp oregano
2 tbsp parsley
2 tbsp basil
salt, to taste
pepper, to taste
2 tsps granulated garlic
1½ cup Parmesan cheese

Directions
Preheat oven to 400ºF. Sprinkle salt over eggplant and place in a colander, with a heavy weight on top to help squeeze the water from the vegetable. Set aside for 1 hour.

Place drained eggplant slices cookie sheet and bake for 30 min. In Dutch oven, heat oil over med-high heat. Add onions, celery, bell peppers and garlic. Cook for 5min until vegetables are wilted.

Add water, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, oregano, parsley, and basil.

Bring to a boil and reduce to simmer. Season to taste using salt and pepper. Cook for approximately 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. Place a third of the slices in the bottom of a large casserole dish. Sprinkle with a small amount of granulated garlic and cheese. Spoon a half of the tomato sauce on top of eggplant.

 Continue the layering and sprinkle with remaining Parmesan cheese. Bake for 30mins.

Shrimp with pesto and pasta, eggplant-tomato casserole served with tomato salad. 
Very tasty.


If you have any question/comments about this recipe, pls leave me a comment or email at megmehell at yahoo dot com.

I hope you enjoy this dinner as much as I did. What did y'all have for dinner? 

Sunday Dinner - 05/09/2010 (Mother's Day)

I actually started this post yesterday but didn't get a chance to finish before it was time to go visit with my mom.

Happy Mother's Day!!! Since I became a mom, I like celebrating Mother's Day by not doing anything productive. I don't want to cook or clean or put girls to bed. This may sounds silly. But like all moms I rarely sit still. So on Mother's Day, I want to just laze around. But this year was different.  We had my in-laws over for lunch, which of course mean me doing some cooking. I don't really mind since they were taking girls home with them for the week. (Remember, I'm going to Fla to watch the shuttle launch with my friends)

Actually, the Big Man did the heavy lifting, lunch wise. I just did the sides. My MIL didn't have any requests for lunch so I made easy, tasty dishes that I like; green beans with potatoes, baked potato slices (this doesn't really have a name), and broiled tomatoes with Parmesan.

Baked Potato Slices
Ingredients
1 potato per person, sliced thin
1tbsp olive oil
salt, to taste
pepper, to taste
random Italian seasonings


Directions
Pre-heat oven to 350deg. Slice potatoes evenly (I like using the mandolin slicer) about  1/4in thick. In a large bowl, coat sliced potatoes  with olive oil and seasonings.

 Toss gently. Layer potatoes on a baking sheet. 

Bake for 45mins or until done.

 

Green Beans with Potatoes
Ingredients
2lbs fresh green beans
3 potatoes, 1in cubes
1tbsp olive oil
1lg onion, chopped
1/2lb bacon
1 can low sodium chicken broth
salt, to taste pepper
pepper, to taste

Directions
In a heavy bottom pot (with a lid), heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onions cook until soft, about 5mins.

Chop the bacon strips into thirds. Add bacon to onions. Cook  for a few mins.

Add the potatoes and stir. Add salt and pepper.

Wash and trim the ends of the beans. Add to the pot.

Add the chicken broth and stir well. Cover. Stirring occasionally, cook for 25-35mins until potatoes are soft.

I love this dish. I like to make it for holidays in lieu green bean casserole that's loaded with sodium.


Broiled Tomatoes with Parmesan
Ingredients
4 roma tomatoes
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
garlic, minced
olive oil
salt, to taste
pepper, to taste
Italian seasonings,

Directions
Pre-heat the ovens broiler. Slice the tomatoes in half, down the length. 

Place the tomatoes on a baking sheet. Lightly drizzle the olive oil over the tomatoes. Season the tomatoes with salt, pepper, garlic and Italian seasonings. 

Sprinkle the Parmesan cheese over the tomatoes. Broil for 5-7mins. Keep an eye on them so they don't burn. 


I'm really happy with how the Mother's Day lunch. Minimal effort but tasty. All of these recipes can easily be halved or doubled.

If you have any question/comments about this recipe, pls leave me a comment or email at megmehell at yahoo.

Sunday Dinner March 7, 2010

My mom, Mel, is an amazing cook. She can cook just about anything. Mel has always worked but she came home everyday and made us dinner. We rarely ate out and never fast food. For Mel, cooking your family a well rounded meal with quality ingredients is an expression of love.  Of her culinary talents, anything with a red sauce is my favorite; spaghetti & meatballs, manicotti, and of course lasagna.

Lasagna is the first dinners I learned how to cook well. (I'm pretty sure this is why the Big Man thought I was marriage material) .This recipe has taught me a lot about cooking. It has taught me patience and how to experiment. This recipe can be modified in many ways and still be tasty. You can use what ever ground meat you choose; chicken, turkey, pork, etc. Actually, you can probably leave out the meat if you're a vegetarian. Tonight, I decided to add spinach since we had some in the freezer. Like all moms, I want to sneak in veg when I can.  I use healthier ingredients than the original recipe but,  with lasagna, it is most important (and difficult) to serve the right portion size.

While I love this dish, it is not quick cooking. You'll need about two hours. But its only about 30mins active time. It's a great thing to cook while you're getting other stuff done around the house. I always double it and freeze the leftovers. And like most red sauce dishes, lasagna is better the next day.

Lasagna
Ingredients
1lb lean ground meat (I used turkey and pork)
16oz pureed (or diced) tomatoes, no salt added
12oz tomato paste, no salt added
2clove garlic, minced
2tbsp parsley
1tbsp oregano
1tbsp basil
1tsp black pepper
1tsp salt
1pk whole wheat lasagna noodles, cooked per package directions
24oz low fat cottage cheese
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 1/2cup part-skim Parmesan cheese
1/2lb part-skim mozzarella
1cup frozen spinach, cooked per package directions

Directions
In a heavy bottom pot, slowly brown meat on med heat.  

Add tomatoes, paste, 1tbsp parsley, oregano, basil, garlic, pepper and salt. Mix well.

Cook uncovered for 1hr, stirring every 15mins or so.

In a separate bowl, mix cottage cheese, eggs, 1tbsp parsley and 1cup Parmesan.

In a rectangular high sided dish (like corningware), layer the noodles, 1/2 meat mixture, 1/2 cheese mixture, 1/2 cup spinach, and 1/2 mozzarella. Repeat layers. Sprinkle top with remaining 1/2 cup Parmesan. 

Cook in oven heated to 375deg for 30mins. Allow lasagna to cool and set up for 15mins before serving. Tonight, I served it with a salad, broccoli, and homemade french bread.

I know the recipes I've posted so far have been time consuming. This is generally how I prefer to cook on the weekends, taking my time. But I have plenty of simple, quick cooking recipes. Keep coming back, I promise I'll have something for every skill level. 

Of course, this dish is Italian and not Cajun. But that's what makes NOLA food so interesting...all of the cultural influences we have. I hope your family enjoys this recipe as much as mine does.

If you have any question/comments about this recipe, pls leave me a comment or email at megmehell at yahoo.