Stuffed acorn squash

We make this dish a lot throughout the colder months, especially in the fall. And since it is almost too chilly out to run in the mornings I am officially dubbing this early fall. What I like about this dish is that it's an all in one that isn't a standard casserole. In fact, when baked and served in the shell of the squash the presentation is rather unique and pretty—good enough for company, I'd say. I've never tried it, but I'll bet it could also be baked in a small baking dish, although I'm not sure if the eges would get too cooked that way. If you try it, let me know.

Stuffed Acorn Squash
Yield: 6 servings
Cooking Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:
  ● 6 medium yellow or acorn squash
  ● 1/2 lb. pork sausage or ground beef
  ● 1/4 cup onion, finely chopped
  ● 1/4 cup mushrooms, sliced
  ● 1/4 cup celery, chopped
  ● 1/2 cup herb-seasoned stuffing
  ● 1/4 tsp. salt
  ● 2 1/2 tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese, romano or a mix thereof is just as good

Directions:
Wash squash thoroughly and trim off stems (I do this by hitting the stem against the counter, although it usually flies into the next room this way). Microwave on high for ~2 minutes—this isn't to cook them, just to make them soft enough to cut. Cut in half and remove seeds. Place open side down in a pan with an inch of water. Bake at 350 for aobut 30 minutes.

Remove squash from oven and allow to cool for a few minutes. Scoop out most of pulp, leaving enough to keep shells in shape. Set pulp aside and place shells, open side up, in baking dish.

Meanwhile, cook meat, mushrooms, and onion until browned, stirring to crumble; add celery half way through. Remove from heat, drain. Stir in squash pulp, stuffing and salt. Spoon meat mixture into shells; sprinkle with cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Homemade pappardelle

I have been wanting to try my hands at homemade noodles for some time now and, having stumbled across a recipe that promised me I didn't need a new KitchenAid attachment to do so, I decided now was the time. The process was incredibly easy, the end results were incredibly delicious. Though I'm sure we will rely on dried store bought noodles from time to time, I'm also sure I'll be doing this a lot more often.

Pappardelle is a wide ribbon Italian noodle. I made two different kinds—a standard white flour noodle and a spinach noodle. Of the two our favorite was actually the spinach noodle, and I have a it on my list to try a whole wheat noodle next time as well.

Homemade pappardelle

Ingredients:
  ● 2 cups flour
  ● 2 large eggs
  ● 1/4 cup water
  ● 1-1/2 tsp olive oil

Directions:
1. Put 1-1/2 cups of the flour into a large bowl. Make a well in the center of flour and add eggs, water, and olive oil. Stir until flour is moistened and leaves the side of the bowl.

2. See step two (and on) below,

Homemade spinach pappardelle

Ingredients:
  ● 1/2 cup fresh spinach leaves, coarsely chopped
  ● 1 large eggs
  ● 1-1/2 cups flour
  ● 3-4 tbsp water
  ● 1/2 tsp olive oil

Directions:
1. In a blender or food processor, combine the spinach and egg; cover and blend until pureed. Put 1 coup of the flour into a large bowl; make a well in the center and add the spinach puree, 3 tablespoons of water, and the olive oil. Stir until well blended, adding additional water if it seems dry.

2. Turn the dough out onto a slightly floured surface and gather it into a ball. Knead the dough for about 10 minutes, or until it is smooth and elastic, adding as much of the remaining flour as need to keep it from sticking (be careful, though, too much flour will make for brittle noodles).

3. Shape the dough into two equal balls; wrap each ball in wax paper and allow to rest for 30 minutes.

4. Working with one ball at a time, place the dough on a lightly floured surface and flatten it into a round withthe palm of your hand, then use a rolling pin to roll it into a rectangle about 1/8 to 1/16-inch thick. If the dough is too elastic to roll out, recover and allow it to rest longer. Once rolled thin, cover loosely with a towel and allow to try for 30 minutes.

5. With a sharp knife or pizza cutter, cut dough to desired width of noodle (pappardelle is usually about 3/4-inch wide). Separate noodles and allow to dry for another 30 minutes to 2 hours (I draped mine over my cooling racks. I also have a friend whose Italian mother does not dry additionally but just drops the noodles right in to cook, so I'll be trying that next time).

6. To cook noodles, bring salted water to a boil and add noodles for just 2-3 minutes—they cook fast, so don't overdo it!

And here they are, served with spicy Italian sausage sauteed in olive oil and 3 cloves of garlic with julienned red and yellow peppers, and vidalia onions and garnished with chopped fresh tomatoes and basil (from our garden!). This was superb!

Sesame tofu stir fry

This is one of those intuitive dishes that really doesn't require much of a recipe—take what you have, throw it together with some tofu and some appropriate seasonings, and stir "fry" it. Here's the original recipe I have been working from (along with my original alterations). I tend to stick with the same general seasonings, and I always include the peanuts, the tofu, the sesame seeds, the sauce, and at least three vegetables. Sometimes I serve this over brown rice, other times over rice noodles. It's easy, it's quick (except for the chopping which, if you use bags of frozen veggies is nonexistent), it's vegetarian, and it's healthy.

Sesame Tofu Stir Fry

Ingredients:
  ● 1/4  cup finely chopped peanuts
  ● 1  tbsp. sesame seeds
  ● 1  tsp. grated fresh ginger or 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
  ● 1  12- ounce package extra-firm tofu, drained and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
  ● 1  tbsp. sesame or peanut oil
  ● 1  16- oz. bag frozen stir-fry vegetables, thawed, or fresh veggies chopped (I often use fresh broccoli, carrots, peas, or whatever I have on hand)
  ● 2/3  cup bottled stir-fry sauce or something similar (or your own concoction)
  ● 2  green onions, thinly sliced (1/4 cup)
  ● 1 cup forest or shitake mushrooms

Directions:
1. In a bowl combine 1 tablespoon of the peanuts, the sesame seeds, and ginger. Add tofu; toss gently to coat.

2. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add tofu mixture to skillet. Cook, stirring gently, for 3 to 4 minutes until sesame seeds are toasted and tofu begins to brown.

3. Remove tofu mixture to a bowl (I usually just push it up to the sides of the wok). Add vegetables to skillet; cook and stir for 2 to 3 minutes or until heated through. Add stir-fry sauce; cook and stir gently until mixture is bubbly. Stir in tofu; heat through. Serve over rice. Sprinkle each serving with some of the remaining 3 tablespoons peanuts and the green onions.

Nutrition Facts (makes 4 servings)
    * Calories 386,
    * Total Fat (g) 14,
    * Saturated Fat (g) 2,
    * Fiber (g) 6,
    * Protein (g) 19

 

Mediterranean Mostaccioli

First off, yes I know that isn't mostaccioli in the picture. The original recipe called for mostaccioli but I had whole wheat rotini just begging to be boiled, so that's what I used. I didn't change the name, even though I made several changes to the recipe itself, because Mediterranean Rotini doens't sound as good, and because next time I'll probably make it with whole wheat mostaccioli anyhow. We liked this one. Especially with a little freshly grated romano on top it was a real winner.

Mediterranean Mostaccili

Original recipe: Better Homes and Gardens
Yield: 4-6 servings
Cooking Time: 25 minutes

Ingredients:
  ● 12  oz. whole wheat mostaccioli
  ● 3 cloves garlic
  ● 8-16 oz. ground beef
  ● 3  cups sliced zucchini
  ● 1 medium eggplant, peeled and cubed (about 2 1/2 cups)
  ● 18 oz. pasta sauce
  ● 1/2  cup shredded carrot
  ● 1/2  cup snipped fresh basil
  ● 1/2  cup shredded mozzarella cheese, or freshly grated parmesan or romano cheese

Directions:
1. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain; keep warm.

2. Meanwhile, in a large skillet cook beef, eggplant, garlic, and zucchini over medium heat until meat is brown; drain off fat. Stir in pasta sauce, carrot, and basil. Bring to boil then reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered, for about 2 minutes or to desired consistency, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat.

3. Transfer pasta to a serving dish and cover with sauce. Sprinkle with cheese if desired.

Enjoy!

Mediterranean Salmon

This week I received a link via email to an article suggesting that the Mediterranean diet can help with seasonal depression. I like Mediterranean foods, so I can get on board with that. We tried this one last night and it got a thumbs up all around. Strictly speaking it's not all Mediterranean, but it's a step in a pretty yummy direction.

Mediterranean Salmon and Noodles

Ingredients:
• 1/2 package of fettuccini (about 4 servings)
• 2  Tbsp. olive oil
• 1  lb. skinless, boneless 1-inch thick salmon, cut in 8 pieces
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 6  cups fresh baby spinach
• 2  red and/or yellow sweet peppers, roasted
• 1/2 cup kalamata olives, pitted and cut into halves
• 1 cup mushroooms, sliced
• 1-1/2 cups cherry tomatoes, cut into halves
• 1/2  cup balsamic vinaigrette dressing
• Feta cheese for garnish

Directions:
1. Roast peppers. I do this in my gas oven by setting temperature to 400 and placing them on the lowest rack (no need to wait for the oven to preheat) directly over the flame vent. Turn every five minutes until skin is blackened and blistering. Remove from oven and immediately place in a covered dish. After at least fifteen minutes, remove from dish, peel away blackened skin, remove stem and seeds, and rinse. You can skip this step by buying a jar of roasted peppers, although I've never bought them so I can't recommend one way or another.

2. Prepare pasta according to package directions.

3. Meanwhile, brush 1 tablespoon olive oil on salmon. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Heat an extra-large skillet over medium heat; add salmon. Cook 8 to 12 minutes or until salmon flakes, turning once.
Remove salmon; cover and keep warm.

4. Add spinach, sweet peppers, mushrooms, and remaining oil (if necessary) to skillet. Cook and stir 1 to 2 minutes, or until spinach is wilted. Drain pasta; add to skillet along with tomatoes and olives. Add dressing; toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper. Divide spinach-pasta mixture among four bowls. Top with salmon. Serves 4.