Roasted Eggplant Noodle Salad

Yet another recipe I found on Orangette, but changed it a bit.

Dressing Ingredients:

7 Tbsp toasted sesame oil
7 Tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
3 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
3 Tbsp sugar
2.5 tsp salt
Pinch of red pepper flakes
8-10 scallions, thinly sliced into rounds
1 lb spaghetti or Chinese egg noodles
1 Tbsp fresh minced ginger
3 Tbsp chopped cilantro leaves

Veggies:

1 1b firm, shiny Japanese or Chinese eggplants (or just plain old eggplants if you can't find them)
1 cup snow peas, trimmed

1. Combine all the dressing ingredients (except the spaghetti) and stir until the sugar is dissolved.
2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
3. Dice the eggplants (not finely, just nice and chunky), put on a cookie sheet, pour olive oil over eggplant, then bake for 20-30 minutes.
4. Bring large pot of water to a boil and cook the snow peas for 30 seconds; use a slotted spoon to remove from pot and rinse under cold water.
5. Add noodles to the same large pot of boiling water and cook according to package instructions. When done, drain and combine with half the dressing and toss.
6. Add in eggplant and snow peas and the remaining half of the dressing. Stir to combine and enjoy!

Red Lentil & Couscous Soup

I found this recipe on Saveur.com, but altered it quite a bit because the original version was a little bland for me. My version is heartier and tastier, if I don't say so myself...

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp unsalted butter
3/4 tsp cumin seeds
3-4 garlic cloves, chopped
1 medium red onion, chopped
1.5 Tbsp tomato paste
1 28 oz can whole peeled tomatoes, chopped (with juice)
4 cups veggie broth
1 cup red lentils
1/3 cup couscous
Salt & Pepper

Method:

1. Melt butter in a large soup pan over medium heat. Add cumin, garlic, and onions.  Cook until onions are soft.
2. Increase heat to high and add tomato paste. Stir frequently for several minutes until color darkens.
3. Add chopped tomatoes and cook another several minutes.
4. Add tomato juice, veggie broth, lentils, couscous and 2 cups of water. Bring to a boil.
5. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until lentils are tender and soup is thick (30-40 minutes). Season with salt & pepper.

You can also make chile-mint butter to top the soup off with. Just take 3 Tbsps of butter and melt in a small saucepan. Remove from heat and stir in a couple of fresh mint leaves or 1 Tbsp dried mint leaves as well as 1/2 tsp paprika. Drizzle over individual bowls of soup.

Cream of Crab Soup

I found this recipe on the New York Times website and made a few changes to perfect it to my liking.  I added more Old Bay, substituted light cream for the originally called for half and half, and sprinkled in some parsley flakes. Hope you find it to your liking.

Ingredients:

1 medium onion, minced (I used a red one)
3 Tbsps butter
3 Tbsps flour
1 pint clam juice
1 to 1.5 tsp Old Bay Seasoning
Ground pepper & salt (I didn't use salt--it didn't need it)
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 pint light cream
1 pound crab meat
Parsley flakes--as much as you want

Method:

1. Saute onion in butter until soft.
2. Stir in flour and gradually whisk in clam juice.
3. Add Old Bay, S&P, wine, and light cream.
4. Simmer about 15 mins until soup gets thick.
5. Add crab meat and heat through--don't boil.
6. Serve with bread smeared with Kerrygold butter.

Eggplant Parm

Ingredients - (Serves 4)

-1 large eggplant
-2 eggs
-1 jar marinara sauce
-1 can diced tomatoes
-1 box spaghetti
-approx 1 cup panko or bread crumbs
-approx 1/2 cup grated parm
-2 cup shredded mozzarella
-minced garlic
-basil to taste
-pepper to taste
-onion salt or powder to taste
-garlic salt or powder to taste
-parsley to taste

Slice it, Dip it and Stack It -

-Preheat oven to 375 degrees
-Rinse eggplant and slice width-wise into about1/8"-1/4" circles
-Beat eggs (you can add some minced garlic to this if you want)
-In separate bowl, mix bread crumbs or panko, basil, pepper, onion salt, garlic salt and parsley
-Dip eggplant slices into egg, then coat both sides into bread crumbs and seasonings
-Place on a greased cookie sheet and bake on one side for 15 minutes, flip and bake on opposite side for 10 minutes
-Grease a 9X13 dish
-Layer eggplant, cheese, marinara, diced tomatoes - 2-3 layers
-Increase oven temp to 475 degrees and bake for 15 minutes

Serve over spaghetti or eat it on it's on! So yummy!!!!!

Udon Noodle Salad

This is the world-famous recipe you've heard of, but have yet to make. Enjoy it when you do. This has been adapted from Neal Barnard's The Get Healthy, Go Vegan Cookbook.

Ingredients:

20 snow peas, trimmed (I don't actually count; just grab a handful or two at the grocery store)
1 udon noodle package (recipe calls for an 8 oz package, but i can only buy 10.5 oz ones)
6 tablespoons rice vinegar
4 tablespoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger (you can add more, mother!)
3-5 garlic cloves, minced (your choice)
2 teaspoons agave nectar
1 teaspoon chili paste (I don't have this and use one pinch of red pepper flakes instead)
1.5 cups chopped cucumber
1 cup shredded carrot
1 cup chopped red bell pepper
6 scallions, sliced

Method:

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and drop in snow peas. Cook for 30 seconds and then remove from boiling water with a slotted spoon (you can re-use the water for the udon noodles) and put peas on bowl of cold water to stop the cooking. Drain and pat dry peas with paper towels and set aside.

Combine sauce ingredients: vinegar, soy sauce, ginger, garlic, agave nectar, and chili paste/red pepper flakes. Stir with whisk. FYI, I've doubled the sauce recipe, as I don't think the original recipe was saucy enough. Do as you wish.

Cook udon noodles according to package instructions, drain and rinse under cold water.

Combine all the veggies in a big bowl and pour half the dressing on them and mix. Top veggies with noodles, pour remaining dressing on the noodles, then stir.

Enjoy whether you just made it or cold the next day. It's delicious. Seriously.

3 Layer Tortilla Casserole

I've got a lot of good vegan recipes up my sleeve these days. This one is adapted from Neal Barnard's The Get Healthy Go Vegan Cookbook. If you can resist the temptation don't add sour cream and cheese, but I won't judge you for topping this flavorful dish off with either.

Ingredients:

Veggie cooking spray
1 15 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 c veggie broth
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 large red onion, chopped
2 c chopped zucchini
1 c frozen corn, thawed (I just used 1 can instead)
1 tsp ground cumin
2 Tbsp minced fresh cilantro
3 8-inch tortillas
1 jar of salsa (any kind you want and use as much as you want)

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350; coat 10-inch pie plate with cooking spray and set aside.
2. Combine beans, 1/4 c veggie broth, garlic, oregano, cayenne in a bowl and blend until smooth and thick.
3. Heat 1/4 c veggie broth in a skillet over medium heat; add onion and saute for 5 mins; add zucchini and corn and saute for 3 mins; add cumin and cilantro and saute for 1 min. Season with S&P.
4. Place one tortilla in the pie plate; spread 1/3 of bean mixture over tortilla; use slotted spoon and spread 1/3 of veggie mixture on top of beans; spread 1/3 of salsa over veggie mixture; cover with tortilla and make two more layers in the same way.
5. Bake uncovered for 30 mins; cut into wedges; try not to eat it all in one sitting!

Pumpkin Pie

Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon vanilla


• 1 teaspoon cinammon


• chopped walnuts (optional/to your liking)


• 2 large eggs


• 1 can (30 oz.) LIBBY'S® 100% Pure Pumpkin


• 1 can (5 fl. oz.) NESTLÉ® CARNATION® Evaporated Milk


• 1 unbaked 9-inch (4-cup volume) deep-dish pie shell


• Whipped cream (optional)

Directions

MIX Beat eggs in large bowl. Mix pumpkin, eggs, cinnamom, walnuts, vanilla together and gradually stir in evaporated milk.

POUR into pie shell.

BAKE in preheated 425° F oven for 15 minutes. Reduce temperature to 350° F; bake for 50 to 60 minutes or until knife inserted near center comes out clean. Cool on wire rack for 2 hours. Serve immediately or refrigerate. Top with whipped cream before serving.

Mushroom Soy Glazed Mahi Mahi w/ Stir Fry - A Paddy Special

Fish Ingredients :

2 6oz Mahi Filets

1/3 cup Mushroom or Lite Sodium Soy

1/3 cup Rice Wine Vinegar

2 tbsp. Light Brown Sugar

1 tbsp. Sesame Oil

Place fish in a Ziploc Bag.

Mix all ingredients together pour over fish. Let marinate for at least 3hr.

Vegetable Stir Fry Ingredients:

Sugar Snap Peas

Carrots, cut however you want

Sliced Shiitake Mushrooms

1 clove Garlic

2 tbsp veg or canola oil

2 tsp of sesame oil

1 tbsp of Soy Sauce

Salt and Pepper

Crushed Red Chili Flakes

Method:

On high heat heat both oils.

Add Snap Peas, saute 2 minutes

Add mushrooms cook for a minute

Add a little Salt and Pepper to taste

Add Garlic,Carrot and Chili Flake

Add splash of rice wine vinegar

Add soy and let cook for 30 seconds

Saute Fish on Medium high heat 4 min on each side.

After the last 4min add 1/2 cup of the marinade cover and cook for 3 more min.

You can also take the rest of the marinade and bring to a boil in a seperate pot and reduce by a 1/4. Use lightly as a sauce, its salty.

Plate it and Enjoy.

Fish Taco Recipe 2 - Paddy's Style

1lb Tilapia, Cod or Mahi Mahi.
1/4 c. canola oil
1 lime Juiced and Zested.
1 Tbsp. Hot Chili Powder
1 Jalapeno, diced and seeded
1/c Cilantro Chopped.
Salt to Taste
Corn Tortillas

Mix all the ingredients above (not the corn tortillas) and marinate the fish for at least an hour in mixture.

Saute or grill fish until done and you can flake with a fork.

Fill a Stock Pot with 2 in of Canola oil. Heat to 350 F. Lightly fried Corn tortillas for 15 seconds and drain on paper towel.

Pickled Red Onions:

1 red onion sliced

1 cup red wine vin

1 cup water

1tsp Salt

4 tbsp Sugar

Pinch of Red Pepper Flake

Heat all ingredients until sugar is dissolved. Pour over onion and let cool to room temp. Store in container and refrigerate until ready to use. Should last up 1-2 weeks.

Serve tacos with Sour Cream, Shredded Cabbage, Cotija Cheese( or Grated Parm can work), Pickled Onions.

Enjoy!

Joy's Mangozpacho

4 cups diced mango
1 cup water
1 cup gingerale
1/2 cup light olive oil
1/2 cup rice wine vinegar
1 Tblspn sugar
Salt/pepper to taste

Purée in a blender or food processor. Set aside in fridge for at least 4 hours.

Mix in separate bowl the following (all diced very small):

4 cups mango
1/2 cup red onion
1/4 cup cilantro
1 cucumber

Top soup with mixture before serving.

* I would improvise on the measurements depending on quantity you want to make. This makes enough for about 4-5 people.

Swiss Chard Wraps

Ingredients :

-Bunch of Swiss Chard (Med - Large leaves)
-2-4 Tomatoes
-Bag of Shredded Mozzarella
-Olive Oil

-Minced Garlic
-Fresh Ground Pepper

Method:

-Preheat Oven to 350 degrees
-Rinse swiss chard leaves and cut stems off
-Steam leaves until soft - not too soft!
-Brush leaves with olive oil
-Slice tomatoes
-Place tomatoes in middle of swiss chard leaves. Sprinkle some cheese on top, add some minced garlic and dust with pepper.
-Roll up and place on cookie sheet. Place in oven for about 5 min. or until cheese is melted.

Enjoy! Great cold too! Very light and refreshing for summer cookouts!

Could It Get Any Colder?!

Okay Okay...it was 9 degrees yesterday in Pittsburgh. That is simply ridiculous. This whole winter has been ridiculous, which is why I have been surviving on hearty soups. Here are two of the most recents (both are adapted from Saveur):

Umbrian Vegetable Soup (Zuppa di Verdure all'Agliata)

Ingredients:
1/2 c. packed basil leaves
1/4 c. extra-virgin olive oil
2 tbsp minced fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 large yellow onion, cut into chunks
4 garlic cloves
8 oz. red new potatoes, cut into 1/2" cubes (about 2 small-medium potatoes)
3 stalks celery, minced
2 medium carrots, minced
1/2 can diced tomatoes w/ basil and garlic
Kosher salt to taste
2 c. fresh spinach
1 c. fresh or frozen peas
1 can cannellinni beans, rinsed
Ground black pepper
Grated Parmesan for serving

What to do:

1. Put your basil, 2 tbsp olive oil, parsley, garlic, and onions in a bowl and use your food processor to chop up until slightly chunky.
2. Heat remaining oil in large soup pot/pan over medium-high heat and add herb-garlic-onion mix. Cook, stirring often for about 5 mins.
3. Add potatoes, celery, carrots, tomatoes. Cook, stirring often for about 10 mins (until veggies soften a bit).
4. Add salt (i like lots of it!) and 4 c. water. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to medium-low, cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until veggies are tender. Approximately 20 mins.
5. Stir in spinach, peas, beans, and cook until greens are wilted. Approximately 10 mins.
6. Season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle parmesan on individual bowls.

FYI: makes a huge pot of soup!

Red Lentil and Bulgur Soup with Chile-Mint Butter

Ingredients

5 tbsp unsalted butter
3/4 tsp cumin seeds
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 medium onion
1 tbsp tomato paste
3 medium tomatoes, halved and grated, skins discarded
4 c. veggie broth (recipe called for chicken broth...ew)
1 c. dried split red lentils
1/3 c. coarse bulgur
Kosher salt & black pepper to taste
1 tbsp dried mint leaves (i couldn't find these so i used mint leaves from 2 tea bags...genius, i know!)
1/2 tsp dried paprika

What to do:

1. Melt 2 tbsp butter in soup pot/pan. Add cumin, garlic, and onions. Cook, stirring constantly until onions are soft (about 8 mins).
2. Increase heat to high and add tomato paste. Cook, stirring frequently (about 3 mins).
3. Add tomatos and cook until mixture thickens (another 3 minutes).
4. Add broth, lentils, bulgur, and 4 c. water and bring to a boil.
5. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until lentils are tender and soup has thickened. Approximately 45 mins.
6. Season w/ salt and pepper, remove from heat, and set aside, covered.
7. Melt remaining butter over medium heat. Remove heat and stir in the mint and paprika. Pour butter into soup and stir before serving individual bowls.

FYI: another big serving of soup.

Paddy's Italian Special

Marinara Sauce:
1 TBSP EVOO
1 cup Chopped Onion
1-2 clove of Garlic Chopped Finely
½ cup red wine (dry preferably)
1 28oz can of Crushed tomatoes (I used crushed and whole peeled tomatoes in can that I crushed in my hand for more texture) use a good quality Spanish or Italian Tomato. Look for San Marzano or Cento brand.
1 tbsp fresh or dried Parsley
1tbsp fresh chopped Basil
1 tsp of crushed red pepper flake
Salt and Pepper to taste

Heat olive oil and add onion turn down to medium heat. Cook for about 15 min until onion are translucent.

Add garlic and cook for 1-2 min more

Add red wine and cook until liquid is cooked out.

Add tomatoes and red pepper flake, basil and parsley. Cook on low heat (like a simmer) for 30-45 min covered. Stir every couple min. so you don’t burn the sauce.

When sauce is done season with Salt and Pepper to taste. If the sauce is too acidic (from the tomatoes) add like a tablespoon of butter. The fat will cut the acidity.

Meatballs:
½ lbs of ground pork
½ lbs ground beef
½ lbs ground veal or lamb or just do all pork and beef for a total of 1 ½ lbs of meat
½ cup grated parm
1 egg
1 tsp dried or fresh basil
1 tsp dried or fresh parsley
1 tsp garlic powder
½ cup finely chopped onion (really fine and thinly chopped)
1tsp salt
½ tsp crushed red pepper flake
Black Pepper to taste
¼ cup Panko style Plain
Bread Crumbs (this is a Japanese larger bread crumb. All grocery stores have them so don’t fret!)

Cook a little of the mix in a sauté pan to taste for seasoning. Adjust if necessary.

Mix all ingredients by hand. Fill a bowl with a little Oil and dip your fingers in (this is so the meat doesn’t stick). Roll balls to desired shape Place in a baking pan. You can refrigerate for bake right away. Bake at 400 degrees for like 20min.

Garlic Bread:

1 stick of Butter
2-3 Garlic Cloves rough chop
1 sprig fresh rosemary

Melt all ingredients on stove top on low heat.

Slice bread and dip top of bread in mix. Top with Shave Parm and bake until light golden.

Serve with whatever pasta you desire!

Ciao!!!

My First Beef Stew

I did it! I made my first beef stew and if I can do it, so can you!

Ingredients :

-2 lbs. beef stew chunks
-1/2 cup flour
-1 1/2 cup beef broth
-1 tsp. worcestershire sauce
-1 tsp. paprika
-4-5 carrots peeled and sliced into circles
-3 red potatoes diced into chunks (with skin)
-1 large onion chopped (i used a white onion)
-1-2 stalks of celery chopped
-1 bay leaf
-3 oz. tomato paste
-1 tsp. garlic powder
-1 1/2 tsp. salt
-1/2 tsp. pepper

Mix It Up:

-Place thawed meat in crock pot.

-Mix flour, salt and pepper and sprinkle all over meat and stir.

-Add all other ingredients, stir, mixing well.

-Cook on Low 8-12 hrs.

The key is serving this with crusty Italian bread for dipping! If you prefer your stew thick, you can add more flour. I read the ingredients wrong and added 1 cup of flour more than I needed, but it still came out delicious! Don't be afraid change recipes to your taste. And ALWAYS remember to taste as you go!

Breakfast Casserole

Get ready to bite into my new favorite casserole. Even though there's cheese and tater tots, it's so worth trying! I made this as an alternate to the "normal" dinner. Kids will love this too!

Ingredients:

-(Optional) 1 1b. ground sausage, ham, bacon or I used 3-4 ground veggie burgers
-2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
-1 1/4 cups milk
-8 eggs
-1 lb frozen tater tots
-1 tbsp brown mustard
-parsley
-dried onion flakes
-salt & pepper

Mix It Up :

-Preheat oven to 350 degrees

-Spread meat or veggie burger evenly on bottom of 9 X 13 baking dish

-Spread cheese on top

-Beat eggs, milk and seasonings in a bowl. Pour over meat and cheese. (You can keep going or stop and refrigerate over night at this point.)

-Top with frozen tater tots

-Bake for 45 min.

Yum! Serve with toast and oj for the ultimate breakfast casserole!

Homemade Chicken Noodle or Veggie Noodle Soup

There's nothing like a fresh bowl of homemade soup to warm up the day or night! Aside from the chopping, this is super easy and well worth the time to make. You can also make this vegetarian style by substituting veggie stock and leaving out the chicken.

Serves 6

Ingredients:

-2 or 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
-1 pkg. egg noodles
-2 32. oz. boxes of chicken or vegetable stock
-4 med. carrots
-4 med. celery stalks
-1 med. yellow onion
-1 tbsp. butter

(3-4 dashes of all seasonings)
-parsley
-garlic powder
-thyme
-basil
-sea salt
-pepper
-grated parm cheese

Method:

-Cube chicken and cook (I suggest adding some seasoning to the chicken)
-Peel and chop carrots into small chunks, chop celery, peel and dice yellow onion
-Cook veggies in your soup pot with 1 tbsp. butter on med until tender
-Add chicken and cook for 2 min.
-Add broth and all seasonings, bring to a boil and reduce heat for 10 min.
-Add egg noodles and cook on low/med for 15-20 min.

This soup should be tasted often along the way until you're happy with your seasonings. It's great with saltines or on its own!

Mediterranean Stuffed Shells

This makes about 35-40 shells...........get ready for leftovers!

Try this if your bored with Italian style stuffed shells!

Ingredients :

-1 box San Giorgio shells
-2 10oz packages of frozen spinach (thawed and drained)
-10oz feta cheese (i used the tomato/basil flavored crumbles)
-2 cups ricotta cheese
-1 jar marinara sauce
-1 teaspoon garlic powder

Method :

-Boil and drain shells
-Mix spinach, feta, ricotta and garlic powder in large bowl
-Stuff shells with mixture (You may have extra shells)
-Place shells in greased baking dishes (I used a 9X13 and a 9X9)
-Cover shells with marinara sauce
-Bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes

Enjoy!

Amy's Avocado Egg Salad

I haven't tried this, but Amy's got great taste so I bet it's awesome! And how can you go wrong with avocado?

Thanks for the recipe Amy!!!!!

To all my avocado aficionados, my very favorite egg salad recipe! Super easy and delicious.

-6 hard boiled eggs, peeled and chopped

-2 avocados, peeled, pitted and cubed

-1/2 cup minced red onion

-3 tablespoons chopped sweet pickles

-1 tablespoon yellow mustard

-1/3 cup mayonnaise

-salt & pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients together and enjoy! If you like a creamier consistency, you can smash it up to mix msh the avocado. I prefer it a little chunkier. Season to taste.

*Best to make this fresh because the color can get a little funky otherwise.

Brooklyn and Manhattan, NY NY

Took a trip to visit my cuz Katie in Brooklyn over the weekend and had two fantastic experiences!

One was at Great Jones Cafe - www.greatjones.com - in Manhattan, Noho for brunch. Try the Eggs Tulum with home fries and cornbread. Topped off with a perfectly spiced Bloody Mary!

The second was dinner at Rye - www.ryerestaurant.com - in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Not only did I try a new favorite crisp white wine, Dom Bardo, Rias Biaxis 2008, but I also had one of my favorite dinners....ever! I started with the Endive and Pear salad. The blue cheese was my favorite addition. For my main I had the All Natural Chicken on top of sage butternut squash, pancetta risotto and swiss chard. I usually don't go for the obvious, chicken, but this was awesome!

And there is actually a third fantastic experience. The 44 oz. Grass Fed Ribeye that Mike ordered! WOW!!!!!! Apparently this is the best steak in NY!

Tuna Noodle Casserole

So I threw this together with some ingredients I found in the cupboard last night. I wasn't up for a trip to the grocery store in the rain and this was the result. Turns out, it was awesome!

Ingredients :

-egg noodles
-2 cans of tuna drained
-1 can of peas drained
-1 can cream mushroom soup
-1 cup milk
-1/2 cup of sour cream
-sea salt
-pepper
-1/2 cup grated parm cheese

Optional Ingredients :

-dry onion
-basil
-minced garlic
-pesto
-fresh cilantro
-seasoned bread crumbs

Method :

-Preheat oven to 350 degrees
-Boil noodles and drain
-Mix all ingredients accept bread crumbs
-Top with a thin layer of bread crumbs
-Bake for 45 min.